Monday, January 31

coincedence

It is a weird coincedence that my last post links to the same place, essentially, as the post from Dan right before it.

huhwhat?!

The ENTIRE fucking city? MY entire fucking city? Wowzers.

I know it's wrong

But I've always wanted to have sex with cop. And she's cute.

But, as my friend Damien once said:
"They don't want to fuck you the way you want to fuck them."

Wired News: My IPod, My Self

A bit scary to me, but true. My personality is resistant to this trend but I also realize that I am involved in it to a degree. I still buy CDs and don't like to download, so I'm not really connected as they suggest, though I do look around once in a while.

Friday, January 28

Television

There was a larger post here, but it seemed largely unorganized and I just don't have the patience right now to make it all coherent. In short I'm going to watch a bunch of television thanks to NETFLIX, some I've seen, some I haven't. Here's a list:

Battlestar Galactica: The Epic Series
Star Blazers
The A-Team: Season 1
Farscape
Homicide: Life On The Streets
Smallville
24
Arrested Development
The Office
Coupling
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Land of The Lost
Rikki-Tikki Tavi
Best of The Muppet Show: ft. Mark Hamill
Babylon 5

of course there's a slew of movies in my queue as well.

Thursday, January 27

Worlds Apart

Everybody seems to hate the new Trail of Dead album.

I don't get it. It's not as good as Source Tags and Codes, but it's a solid little slab of rock, I think. Maybe a little overdone, but not hateful.

Tuesday, January 25

Chapter 5-5 Complete

Finished it.
Restarted it.
Died to nutsack with chainsaw.
Will restart again tonight. No chainsaw weilding motherfucker is going to take me down.

Toast

Wednesday, January 19

Today

Very little sleep, up too late playing RE4; worked at 6:30 AM. Bought Fiery Furnaces| EP & The Futureheads| The Futureheads today. Came home, went to store, ate toast, watched The A-Team, VERY short nap, brother visits (play some RE4 while brother signs up for NETFLIX), brother leaves, watch School of Rock and then I blog, briefly. It's time to sleep.

Heavy

Man do I love Black Sabbath. (Currently listening to Looking For Today, and it's good.) I wish someone had played Sabbath for me when I was fucking 20. Or 16, even. Fuck-12. I probably would've liked Sabbath at 12.

OK-I'm bumping a little. RE4 back at top. I can play again today, since I took yesterday off to rest my right thumb.

1) Broken Butterfly: solid, but only useful in specific situations. Look at the firepower strength on that bitch!!! You'll know when you need to bust that out. Oh yes, you will.

The Riot Gun is my baby. I love it and will soon enter it into grade school. I hope it gets along with the other boys and girls. But...caution, as there are even cooler things to come. Get it, upgrade it, absolutely.

2) Don't give up all your 9mm pistols. They are hella good. I don't know what i'm running with now-I think I finally sold the Punisher for a better 9mm-but I've just about maxed that sucker out(capacity. Whatever!), and it continues to save my butt. They fire faster, reload faster, and are just more useful in low-density combat situations(3 or 4 in a hallway, say) than the Butterfly. Any more than 4, or anybody who gets close-bring out mah Baby. But it's just plain fun to shoot people in the eye with that fucker.

3) The rifle with scope is mandatory now. You need one, and I find the scope to be very helpful. Don't even question it.

4) I had to run from a chainsaw wielding dude not that long ago. It was actually kind of a treat-I went from badass to Cartman(screw you guys, I'm going home!) in .002 seconds. The chainsaw dudes STILL fuck with me. They're just creepy.

5) I meant there were two creatures: the Insecicon thingys and the Wolverine thingys.
The cage match was especially fucked up, and I do not know how I made it through that without dying. But the paranoia that kicks in because of that shit is a thrill.

6) I saw one of those metacritics complaining that this game is too long. Fuck that dude. And: Fuck that, dude.

7) Does anyone even consider the Mine Thrower? Is that not the dumbest weapon ever?

Tuesday, January 18

A Bit o Fun

Describe yourself using one band and song titles from that band

Created by naw5689 and taken 8123 times on bzoink!

Choose a band/artist and answer only in song TITLES by that band:Guided By Voices
Are you male or female:My Kind of Soldier
Describe yourself:I Am A Tree
How do some people feel about you:Fine To See You
How do you feel about yourself:As We Go Up, We Go Down
Describe your ex girlfriend/boyfriend:Motor Away
Describe your current girlfriend/boyfriend:Hold On Hope
Describe where you want to be:Privately
Describe what you want to be:Lord of Overstock
Describe how you live:The Best of Jill Hives
Describe how you love:Glad Girls
Share a few words of wisdomDon't Stop Now

Create a Survey | Search Surveys | Go to bzoink!

1,049 federal rights depend on marital status.

Things that make you go hmmm.

Metacritic

Resident Evil 4 Reviews

Sunday, January 16

The Big Takeover

I picked up the latest issue of The Big Takeover a few days back, it had Wilco on the cover, so I couldn't help myself. The Wilco interview is great, but only the first part, so I have to wait till the next issue to finish it up, and that's gonna be six months, apparently. But that's alright, because this magazine is pretty kick ass. I've never taken the chance to read it before, probably because it only comes out twice a year and I rarely see it on the shelf, my guess is it goes quick. I read a good Bad Religion interview today and now I think I need to invest in some of their albums. Going through high-school and my early twenties all punk-rock-skater and shit I somehow never listened to them, now the time, because those are some on top of it smart kind of fellas.

The Big Takeover has been around since 1980 and started as a double-side xerox. It's pretty much run written by just one guy, Jack Rabid, with contributions by numerous other folks. Anyhow, it's a good source for interviews and reviews and I'm definitely going to use it along with Pitchforkmedia.com as my main source for all things rock-related.

I resisted buying The Fiery Furnaces| EP today.

Chainsaw

Heh. That's funny. The first thing I had planned on mentioning today was that I'd gotten taken out, head first, by a guy with a chainsaw, I hadn't the sense to realize at the time that the man(?) was wearing a burlap sack on his head. The only thing I was thinking/feeling was 'ahhh shit. holy shit!' - essentially - that's what happens when you've got a chainsaw to your neck. The job they do to make it feel quite personal is superb. To say it threw me a bit would be hyperaccurate.

I like the inventory aspect of the game. Making the wrenching decision as to whether I wanted the shotgun OR the rifle was not easy. Tuning up the the handgun and shotgun, though, seems to have been a good decision. And now I have a 9mm SMG as well. But not much room to carry much else, let alone a 9mm freebie that I haven't tested yet.

I just recently discovered the 180° move too, thank goodness, cause those sickle throwing, dynamite tossing, pitchfork wielding villagers are sneaky suckers.



Saturday, January 15

Ice storm haze

If I had a soul, today RE4 owned it. Jesus, it is a phenominal game.

Aaron, you're really missing out, in a way. RE2 was one of the most interesting games ever and certainly one of the defining PlayStation games, along with FF7 and Metal Gear Solid. Having played a chunk of it-and actually the whole series, I can say a couple things.
1) I'm glad I've got the whole series background. You don't need it, but there are so many things that I feel were done as homage to the past that the experience is enriched for me. Not to mention the ways that I feel the drew from the past and improved upon it, to do something else.

2) There is no way to properly describe the leap between Resident Evil:Code Veronica or Resident Evil 0 (which I wasn't too thrilled with), and RE4. In part, I feel, because I don't even think they are similar games anymore.

That said, emotionally, this is what the game is like.
Remember the first time you saw Aliens? The sequel, with the Space Marines and big guns and this exhausting exhilarating feeling that ran through the entire film. Just more and more shit to deal with, rising higher and higher, and the guns kept getting bigger and bigger while the threats became uglier and darker, and you came out of there thrilled, and you were just watching.

Resident Evil 4 is you playing fucking Aliens. They perpetually give me ammo, and I never feel like I have enough. They throw hordes over overwhelming odds at me, and I am able to dispatch them with skill and vigor. I learn, I improve, and the game rewards me. It makes me jump, it freaks me out, and I keep playing it. And I kick SO much ass, but I'm also always under the gun(literally and figuratively.)
Laughing? Let's see how well you react when a dude with a burlap sack over his head and a chainsaw takes you out through a fucking wall.

It's scary b/c it puts me in a position to do what all great scary movies do: the most normal thing, given the circumstances. Either a)run and hide or b) kill everthing in sight until things made sense again. Fuck man, if things ever got that crazy, I WOULD get a goddamn gun and start blowing shit up. But this is even better, b/c it's a game, and I'm already equiped to fuck things up when they go south.

Resident Evil 4 is a must own for anyone old enough to deal with the subject matter(it's scary and has swearing) and owns a Gamecube. It is one of the most incredible fucking games I've played, and I'm not even on disc 2. It's one of those games worth buying a Gamecube for, thats how goddamn good it is.

I don't know how this will all tie into past Resident Evil games. I've got a strong guess, but I don't want to ruin anything. For myself or anyone else.


Now. Why did I just spend 13+ hours playing videogames. I'm 32 fucking years old.
There was an ice storm in PDX today, and leaving the house was risky at best, and insane at worst. So I didn't leave the house, I just stayed home.
I really, really hope the ice melts tomorrow. My legs need to be stretched out.

Yahoo! News - EBay to Increase Fees, Angering Sellers

Oh won't you please quit your whining.

Friday, January 14

Breakfast

Apparently I can't decide whether I feel better or not, oh, and Happy Birthday to Me, and thanks Dan. Anyhow, I wasn't able to cover my Thursday shift at work so I went in and everything went ok, i.e. I didn't die, but by the end of the day I was really not feeling so hot. After a nap and a bit of food I felt quite a bit better, still I felt like ass, but by comparison a nicer ass, I guess. Woke up today, my birthday, hooray for me I'm 33, and I'm not feeling so hot. So I figure I need to motivate myself, get myself moving, maybe clean the house, stuff like that. Took a bit of the Nyquil, so I guess we'll see. Anyhow I feel capapble of posting a bit, so I am gonna do that.

I am excited about the upcoming Prefuse 73 releases. Looking back to 2003 73's One Word Extinguisher was one of the finest albums of the year, and I would consider one of the finest albums I own. I may have to go back and look at my 2003 purchases and do a Top Ten Retrospective. I only did a Top 3 for 2003 last year and I feel I should reexamine that. What else would I throw into a 2003 list? Off the top of my head:
The Decemberists| Castaways & Cutouts
Sufjan Stevens| Greetings from Michigan
Manitoba| Up In Flames
Guided By Voices| Earthquake Glue
M. Ward| Transfiguration of Vincent
My Morning Jacket| It Still Moves
The Rapture| Echoes
TV on the Radio| Young Liars EP
Viktor Vaughn| Vaudeville Villain
The White Stripes| Elephant
The Wrens| Meadowlands



Yeah, that wasn't entirely off the top of my head. To recap my 2003 Top 3: Broken Social Scene, Radiohead, and The Shins.

I should mention that I'm looking forward to the release from Caribou (formerly Manitoba), as well.

That's It-

I'm fucking getting RE4 today.

It's a bit of a drawback, since I've promised myself some time with GTA: San Andreas. Oh yes. But I'm an RE whore, and I probably always will be.

Thursday, January 13

It is what I said.

Happy Birthday Aaron!

Tuesday, January 11

uh.blech.

I've been camping out on my couch wrapped up like a burrito since about 1pm this afternoon. In and out of sleep, all kinds of achy, mostly cold, and occasionally burning up. I feel refreshingly like complete ass.

Monday, January 10

I wonder

How long, exactly, has that pic of me been up?

Oh well-it's a pretty good representation of me, so I can't complain.


I've been thinking about getting a pda of some kind, lately. Just to hold addresses and shit like that. I don't necessarily want more crap to haul around, but I carry a backpack and my journal practially everywhere anyway.

I just need one that works w/my mac, I guess.

Sunday, January 9

Could It Be?

Mmm. Chocolate.

WAXY

I think this is an important link.

The MASH

Let's see if I can make this blog a little more, well, bloggy, I guess. It may work out that it just becomes more complicated. But, before I get to that, I'd like to give a public 'Thank You' to Kris, because he's pointed me in the right direction in the way of some software and a website, which I now pass on to you.

I've started using a wonderful password manager called Password Safe and also a great little site called Bloglines. Both are changing my life in nice little ways. I used to use 3 - 4 different passwords for the majority of the sites or programs that I needed them for. But,you know how it is, occasionally I'll need a new one to conforms to the specific protocol of whatever I'm trying to use, and really it all get's to be quite a hassle. Now I have a fancy password for every-little-thing and everything's just a bit more sweet. I've passed over password manager downloads in the past figuring I just didn't need them; wish I'd jumped on 'em a bit sooner. Now on to Bloglines. I've started another blog over there that allows me to easily post links to blog entries that I may find of interest and want to share with y'all (all 3 of y'all). There'll be links to the FEEDS I subscribe to as well. So, if you feel the need to keep up with all the A.Ho blog-action head over to BUTT MASH once in a while.

Thanks again Kris.

indie-pop = gay folk church music

Boy, that title ought to garner some attention from Google huh? Anyhow, here's how I came up with it.
The Hidden Cameras


Anyone else watch Denver get their ass tapped by The Colts?

Saturday, January 8

Got Ink?

My Boys over at Penny Arcade got a nice write up in The New York Times.

They make me proud and I just wanted to spread the word a little about them. To add a little clarity here I should say that although I consider them My Boys I am most certainly not a boy of theirs. They don't know me from you, unless, of course, they know you. I only know about their site because of my friend Ben who used to play drums in their band The Fine Print, while Jerry sang some songs.

In conclusion, I think their site kicks ass, they're from my hometown, and there's two degrees of separation between us, or is it one degree?

Friday, January 7

Daily Requisite

Essential
Essential,
originally uploaded by A.Ho.
I ate three of these today, along with some wine.
In other news, I picked up a used copy of The Legend of Zelda| Windwaker today. Good stuff so far, let's see if it becomes the first Zelda game I actually finish. I hope you all didn't miss the "Obesity Olympics" on 20/20 tonight, and don't miss Wilco on Letterman either. Oh, I may be going to see Interpol in Seattle, though I'd rather see them in Portland and stay a few days and catch Ted Leo/Pharmacists as well, but you see, I'd have a ride to Seattle if I go. February 11th is the day.

And you know what else? Blogging is hard work, even a little bullshit hobby blog like this one. I have quite an admiration for people with nice looking, content laden blogs. In addition to I Do What I Can I like Johnny. I like to see what he has to say about movies and he even get's me a bit excited about the Seahawks. There's always fun photo's and rants as well. He's from The Tri-Cities (WA), and he reminds me of all my friends that have migrated to Spokane from there. Kris and Johnny are friends and the more I check their blogs the more I feel a kinship with them, they just seem like guys I'd enjoy being around, and to be honest, there just aren't too many of those. Where'd that all come from anyhow? This writing thing could expose my actual feelings!

A.Ho Portrait

A.Ho Portrait
A.Ho Portrait,
originally uploaded by A.Ho.
Ok, so I'm testing out this flickr(beta) site that I learned about over at I Do What I Can. I'm not a big photo taker but I do occasionaly like to post something. I was using Hello by Picasa over at my photo's site, which I think I'll take down, because I'm just not using it. For some reason though I haven't been able to get it to work with Firefox and now I can't get it to work right with IE. So I'm trying flickr, which I said already. I need, so far, to use IE to do it, which I don't like, but I've been having some media trouble with Firefox. Like I said. So here, for you, my fans, my portrait.

Was that verbose enough for you?

Thursday, January 6

nudity

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Tuesday, January 4

Punctuation and advice

The post about wanting a great ampersand brought the link on. It's unrelated, but still.

Advice-not as good as the Advicegodess, but still- is that if you use a razor blade to shave with, as opposed to an electric, do this:

Get a soapdish.
Fill said soapdish with mineral oil(which you should also get. No point in filling the soapdish with mineral oil you don't have.) Baby oil will do just fine. You don't have to fill the soapdish completely, just enough to keep the head of your razor in.

Keep razor in said dish. Your blade will last a hell of a lot longer, and I do believe it's improving my overall shaving experience, but I can't pin down how yet. Although a sharp blade that lasts longer is a good thing in and of itself.

Figure this will cost you $4, and trust me, it's worth it. Thanks to my Dad, who taught me this, got me the stuff for Christmas, and reminded me that old dogs can learn new tricks.
Especially when those tricks work.

Monday, January 3

N/A

Just a little bit ago I popped The Arcade Fire| Funeral into the player. And this is one reason I love music so much, which I've probably said before, because IT was just there for some reason. The easy gait of this album has wrapped it's velcro grips around me and proven itself. Every song thus far has had that something that seemed absent just days ago and combined they are enchanting me as we speak.

I have to jet out the door for a work meeting right now, so this post is harried. I hope I've communicated well.


Neat

Fuz sent me this story-even non-Mac users should find it rather facinating.

Hey, did you remove a post Aaron? I'm kinda facinated about what kind of spam we may've gotten. But-no need to dredge up someone else's shite. It was removed for a reason, and that's good enough for me.

The tshirthell image is so wrong I laughed. Hard.

I have enjoyed what I've heard of Smile. It's an album to buy eventually. I'm a little enthralled w/the comedy of the Team America soundtrack right now, though.

It's fucking cold in PDX. And by fucking cold I mean-I'm in an old building w/socks over my hands to keep them warm. I can't stand the cold, because my hands hurt when they get too cold. Which seems to be often in the winter. Of course, the sky is crystalclear, like some kind of window to hope.

The Arcade Fire=you suck. Only because you've packaged your (killer)album in a shitty cardboard flap, which is easily torn and fucked up, forcing the listener(me!) to slide the cd over paper-which initially won't scratch it, but eventually could fuck it up- into a slot which is hard for me to get my slim fingers into. Potentially leaving fingerprints on the CD too.
Quit doing this. I don't mind ecofriendly packaging, but how about ecofriendly packaging that actually holds up to basic fucking use?

I really want the American Music Club's Love Songs For Patriots. They're just good.

Currently-2/3 finished with The Dark Tower by Stephen King. It's like a solid action movie-it moves a little too fast for its own good, but you don't mind, because you don't have to dwell on things too much. Next up: Life of Pi. And soon I'll be getting the Powers: Who Killed Retro Girl TPB. It's one of the few comic books out there that is continually awesome, and I thought I had the first 6 issues, but I didn't.

I should do work now. I'm not.
I had a very nice New Year's Eve and day after. Time to kick some ass in 2005.







Saturday, January 1

Let's Up The Ante!

.: So we, as a country, have upped our pittance of relief aid for the tsunami fucked people of the world to $350 million dollars. That works out to about $1.20 per U.S. populant, rounded up. That's roughly 2 cents a person for every week of 2005. Could we maybe stretch ourselves a little? I know we're an overly obese country but let's get a little uncomfortable shall we.

.: I'm glad to know that many individuals have already helped and that others will be doing their part as well. Dan talked recently about Child's Play and making the world little better. Now is also one of those times.

.: Tsunamis date back to ancient times. No shit. Ok, two things I don't like, that don't happen to have anything to do with each other: bad headlines and bad band names.



Run Away

North Dakota is either a dangerous place to live or people simply don't like it there.

Desmond Tutu talks about the horseshit.

.: There's a nice little excerpt from an interview with Nobel Peace Prize recipient Desmond Tutu over at The Advice Goddess blog. I'd like to thank her for it, and now I'm gonna go read the whole thing.
Oh no.