Movie didnt kill the video game

Know how you see a preview for a movie and it causes you to stare in both surprise and disbelief that this is really going to happen, and makes your soft palate raise while you exhale and hope to God that they don't screw the whole thing up?  Ok now imagine(I'm sure this is the hard part) that you play video games and that all of a sudden someone wants to make a movie out of one of the most confounding adventure/puzzle/strategy you've experienced.....like that one game that you can't manage to even finish because it frustrates you and you can't find that stupid ActionReplay code thingy so you can just cheat instead of dying over and over in that lame spot where no actual people are attacking you(I mean seriously, how is anyone supposed to safely get down from that ledge???)......and then you snap out of it and really hope it doesn't suck?

I tried pretty hard to not expect anything concerning the release of the movie Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Mostly because in most cases, movies modeled after video games tend to suck.....Super Mario Brothers....Doom.....Dead or Alive(though that one did have lots of scantlily clad hotties, which was totally bearable). It is, incidentaly, the same on the reverse....I dare someone to call the Iron Man video game, playable.  This time, though, I hoped it would just be decent. The game series has a few installments which provide a fair amount of storyline to play with as well as a consistent main character who possesses a certain nobility that almost inspires the player to believe that running along walls and jumping across rooftops is really going to change the world. After the Percy Jackson and the Olympians - disaster, I resigned myself to not even bother vocalizing my hopes as to avoid the public disappointment stacked on to the private, and planned to see it as soon as it was out. 

I was relieved that it didn't suck......in fact, I liked it.  The storyline was pretty solid, minus the ultimate aim of the antagonist.....I felt like that plan was just a bit of overkill. The action was considerate of both people who have played the games, and people who just like movies where things are happening quickly.  I especially liked a part near the beginning where the prince's small war party is preparing their attack. The initial camera shots are built like those of the game: the character speaks while the camera zooms out and over to pan across the obstacles between the he and the target area, in quick frames allowing the viewer(that'd be you) to lightly grasp the bigger picture and see what needs to be done to accomplish it.  Fortunately this concept doesn't carry into the entire move......as that would get old real quick, but definitely does a great job of including the video game audience right from the start. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the most awesome film of the summer or anything, but it was at least pleasant enough to be mentioning. For the life of me, I can't quite grasp why you would stop a near-perfect knive throwing marksman from launching a knife at his target for fear he might hit one of the ostriches? Especially after you just went on and on about his accuracy.....

The actors were, in my opinion, a very good choice for their roles. Most everyone I overheard, felt their doubts about Jake Gyllenhaal playing the prince. I feel that his look and personality fit the character quite well. It needed to be someone not too manley but masculine enough to look mean with a sword, and I feel like they certainly found someone worth that aim. Gemma Arterton is just really pretty and looks quite intriguing when she says witty, spicy things(I drooled a little bit there).  The biggest sell, for me, was the way it sold the emotions. What I mean with that is that the story had twists and turns within it that were all close to home for the main character. The conflicts that were of the greatest trouble, were the ones concerning the heart. I felt a little swept away with the romanitc connection between Jake and Gemma, but not as strongly as I felt concerning the plots and betrayal within the royal family. His outrage at being wrongfully accused and his grief at the loss of his family, felt like my own....it felt personal.......I liked that. On the lighter side of that, It impressed me that they placed so much importance on those family ties and brotherhood and loyalty. Its things like that, that make me determined to have the kind of family I want, the kind that takes care of and cherishes each of its members, placing their value above self and wealth and position, the kind that pours out the kindness within them on just regular people everywhere, ya know? Yeah yeah blah blah mushy stuff, but it was nice to see that kind of thing. I like the way the brothers regarded each other and even in the face of betrayal, chose to think with their hearts and not with their minds and what they had seen and heard. I only wish I had been able to see it with my own brother....

Its a good day

You know its a good day, when at the end of it, you don't feel regular tired, but more like the reasonable, and non-stressed version of tired that you haven't felt since the middle of summer vacation back in grade school. The kind where your mind is free of the 400 things that clog your thoughts during the week: bills, food, drama, work(those two are the same usually), family, responsibility, annoying children, and traffic.....all of it. Its kinda nice to take a break from it and just be the carefree teenager you left behind.  Go somewhere. Eat random food. Make a fake name and have E.T. say it to you at the end of the ride. Rediscover things you did in 4th grade. Act like a complete fool just to make people laugh. Practice tour jete's down the street. Play a round of Marry-Boff-Kill. 

I think its good...nay, HEALTHY, to have a day like that on occasion. Sometimes we get so bogged down and so focused on all the things we have to get done and all the situations that need our attention, that we forget that food, water, sleep, and television are only the bare minimum of things we need.  You get brainwashed into thinking working 6 days a week is normal and having fun is a frivolity that can only be included if theres a budget surplus for the month.


Go out there! Do something random and fun. Bring a camera and take pictures. Bring a friend. Have no agenda and no time limit. BE YOU.........but the old you.

I-RRI-TA-TING

I swear to God, I am REALLY starting to run out of patience! I have just finished pushing.....yes PUSHING my vehicle up to a pump at the gas station because I have run out of gas. Now one might say "well why didn't you put gas in your tank before it got to where you ran out?" Well screw you, I DID go get gas....$20 even. The thing with gas though is that you have to put it in the tank in order for it to be of any effect....and in my infinite wisdom I drove off without actually pumping any gas. I was preoccupied with the past few hour's stupid events combined with the ones from earlier in the day and upon arriving to the pump and finding the keypad out of service, I grumbling made my way to the cashier to prepay(who even does that anymore). Its fortunate that I made another stop at the Walmart by Cagan Crossing before I drove back home otherwise I'd have been stuck on 27 in the dark with no gas.
Here's another point of interest....Why the heck was I near Cagan Crossing? Heh here's the simple version. I was out looking for a Gamestop(we'll get to why in a second) and I wasn't completely sure there were any nearby but I figured there must be one near my Target or before I got near 27.....there's not. Furthermore, when I searched my GPS for one nearby and it said there was one just 2 miles further down, it didn't mention that the Gamestop it was directing me to was in fact a dark, empty piece of undeveloped land.....I still don't understand how that even makes sense. After that I called one of the other Gamestops on 192 and spoke to some idiot who asked me what a Cagan was and told me he had no clue where 27 was located....then he said "well if you just go to our website, you can type in your zip code and find a nearby location blah blah blah" .....useless.
Back to why I was going in the first place...for some lame reason I decided today that I would get things done(and I did, in quite a few areas), so I decided to better allocate my computer resources by moving a few larger, non-crucial programs from my main hardrive to the secondary hardrive, which would theorhetically free up some space and speed and allow for better multitasking. Well unbeknownst to me, you can't just simply cut and paste certain programs if you have them layered with other applications across drives.....like anyone is supposed to have that kind of foresight, UGH! So all of a sudden, my video game won't work at all and long story short, NOTHING will change that shy of a re install from the original discs.....which are located about an hour away at my parent's house. So I begin at least downloading an update for the software that holds the program I've lost. It informs me its going to take an hour, which gives me more time to feel annoyed. I took a break and left the house(which ended up being an even bigger waste of time) while I decided whether I wanted to really drive all the way home to just to get my originals. I decided that I would just buy the stupid thing again since its now being packaged for less than I paid for a single of it's expansions(don't even get me started on that) and not waste the literal 16 hours it would take to purchase and digitally download it from an online store(curse Roadrunner Lite....stupidness). At this point it was approaching 8:30pm and I had less than 30 mins to get to a video game store....which is why I just picked a direction to drive in, which brings us back to what I was doing that caused me to ultimately run out of gas and be pushing my car around like a loser.
So now I'm at Target(unsurprisingly, they don't have it either...just like Walmart didn't) trying really hard not to throw things and punch this little kid in front of me who insists on mouthing off to his mother because she won't let him push the cart. I really just can't understand how I have managed to waste almost 12 hours and have nothing to show for it but a headache and a heap of freaking IRRITATION!

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Off list

I don't know what to think.
Sadly, I feel like I've actually written this before.
I'm not gonna double check....I'll just assume.
In any case I suppose that means there's not been significant progress.

Its not that things are bad...on the contrary, they're pretty great
....its just....something's not right. I feel listless.....maybe even a little melancholy.
Its kinda strange.   I thought of some things that are just off:

I don't feel like doing sit-ups
I've taken my contacts out every night without fail(I always sleep in my contacts....thats the point of the sleep in kind)
I've not been drinking raspberry lemonade
I ordered pizza tonight.....I'm allergic to pizza
I've been watching tv
I've been indifferent about things I'm spending money on
I'm procrastinating heavily
I'm utilizing immediate vetos on things that do not suit me
I want to go to the movies all the time...though I've not actually gone to any
It's taking me forever to get through anything....books, dvd's, picture sorting...
I suddenly want a new phone

I realize none of that sounds at all serious....or even significantly notable, but it all just seems out of the ordinary for me.
I think that it is a good thing I've noticed because no one else has and its not going to get resolved otherwise. what's that saying.....something about the first step to fixing a problem is realizing you have one?
I wonder if it covers pre-problems or not quite-problems?
At least it gives me something to consider
I'll work on it

I MISS BEANS!

I have previously come to the conclusion....and recently reinforced the same, that myself and beans should not interact internally.  It's just not working out.  The thing is, I used to be quite fine with them.....we met up with each other on a very regular(heh heh) basis all through my childhood and into my adult years. In addition to beans, I was quite able to take on virtually any challenge, be it ethnic or abstract, with little to no difficulty. I was always the guy not having issues on the trips to other countries...the one who could handle all the rare and random foods with no trouble...I mean, my parents aren't even from this country. Now, since the gluten thing, things are all in an uproar and foods that were never a problem before are now a huge upset. Gah! its annoying and I'm not pleased to have stomach drama. I went and had lunch at a Puerto Rican restaurant today and I am currently still paying for it....not at all fun. I MISS BEANS!

Its not ok

I feel like its a kind of funny that the only bit of solace I have for this current moment are the words i wrote just a few days ago....                       No, nevermind....its not funny at all.

 I don't know what to do. I don't know why I don't know what to do.  The things is, that is usually my area of expertise...the "what to do" area. I'm also not sleeping. Hours a night spent doing......well nothing really. None of it is beneficial....the other night I watched episodes of "V" online...a show I have never seen nor even really care about. Then in the morning I wake up between 7:45-7:56(literally) and start the "try to go back to sleep" cycle. Basically during that time, my brain creates random scenarios that somehow involve my body and make me tense and then wake back up repeatedly....I don't even know if it ends up being rest. On top of that, I can't think straight. I think about things and they just slip right out of my grasp before I can really analyze or resolve them. That, of course, leads to lots of "I don't know..." which is hugely lame because as aforementioned, I usually do.

There is one thing I'm certain of though: Its not ok.