couples

- So, on campus, there are these couples. You see them around, and depending on appearance, they follow a specific formula. I thought since I was bored, I'd give a rundown.

a). The "friends." Usually an average guy and a cute girl. You know a "friends" couple by when the two meet or separate, the guy gives the girl a hug. A kind of "so good to see you again" attitude, and the girl always acts like she buys it.

b). The "misfits." A short, fat girl with a tall guy, almost always with zany hair, and ALWAYS wearing a long dark trench coat. These are the couples that you get the feeling have been made fun of their entire lives and now they have a huge chip on their shoulders. They are obnoxious in class, they're loud, they're always talking about other people, and they act like they don't care about much of anything. These pairs are nearly always just friends.

c). The "cheerful." Usually a black guy with a white girl. Both of them are outgoing, and tend to have a charismatic/easy-going atmosphere about them.

d). The "gross." Two ugly people who stand in front of the door to class making out, holding hands, and then when one has to go, the other will hold on to their hand and pull them back, to make-out some more. It's like they have to prove to the world that they're in love and happy.

- I got my computer working. Thanks, Mike, for the tips. Except Mike doesn't read my blog, so that was a wasted bit of gratitude.

- I think I'm going to come home early. I have no homework due, and my one class was simply going to the professor and making sure he approved what my paper topic was. And I'm really thirsty.

- Halloween is tonight. My thoughts on Halloween aren't that deep. I don't agree with the whole "dressing up as a vampire is bad" unless you also argue that pretending to be a robber in "cops and robbers" is also bad. I can't really say that going out and getting candy is a bad thing. At the same time, I'd rather churches had fall fests so Christian kids could be different from the world, and still get candy. But as for Scriptural basis to hate the day? I can't really find any. I mean, people who don't like it are probably safer and better off, but that's just an opinion.

- Mike was doing road construction in our town today and yesterday. He came over for supper and we played a lot of Magic. I really, REALLY like my Merrow deck, and my blue control deck, which only gets better and better. Planeswalkers are tons of fun.

- Okay, I'm gonna go home now. I hate this place.

i really don't like people

- So this... donkey-beast of a girl at work (who has a crush on me) is bad-mouthing Tuesday when she's not around because she knows we (Tuesday and I) hang out together. It really bugs me. If she does it when I'm around, I might push her into the fry vat... not really, that'd be gross. Fried donkey-beast.

- I came to school early to write some papers. Bleah.

- I'm not going to get any sleep from yesterday at 6pm to tomorrow at 6:30 am. 36 hours; that's really not that bad. Work tonight might be ugly, but I can handle 36 hours.

- Someone told me the only advice they have concerning girls is not to settle. If things were to work out between me and Tuesday, I wouldn't be settling. She's smart, she's funny, I think she's adorably cute; she's like me, in other words. Anyway, she told me she's been thinking about baptism, so hopefully she'll say something to pastor tonight. I'm trying to not push her toward things (to see what kind of drive she has without prodding) while at the same time helping her as a new Christian. It's kind of hard to see where the line needs to be drawn. But I've been seeing changes, things that make me happy to see.

- Apparently I thought "Liberty or Death" was funnier than everyone else. Oh well; I'm still thinking it's funny.

- A new poll reports that 50% of Americans now say that they would never, ever vote for Hillary Clinton. Half the country, before the election year, has already decided they will never vote for you, regardless of anything that happens. That's amazing.

- Colbert might be getting into trouble for his mock-campaign. If he does, I'll rant against stuff. Colbert is awesome. He may be the most awesome liberal ever. I'd vote for him in South Carolina.

- "The Assassination Of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Crawford" seems like it's going to be why too depressing. First of all, Brad Pitt almost always makes his characters extremely likable (maybe not in Troy). And the movie clearly is going to establish him as the hero. The problem is, unlike other movies where you know the good guy is going to die, there are no backup characters in this. There is good and bad, James and Crawford, and bad/Crawford is going to win. We know this; it's history. I could be wrong, but it seems depressing to know Casey Affleck is going to kill Brad Pitt.

- I'm starting to get tired. I'd slap myself in the face, but there are people around and it'd be weird.

- Okay, so I'm gonna go now.

no connection

- I haven't had internet for about a week, so that's why there hasn't been any communication from me. I use the school's computer every once in awhile, or my dad's (which still has connection), but I don't really miss it (internet) that much.

- Been busy at work. I can't wait to be done with school; it will make work days easier.

- The wedding was nice. Mike and Joe gave me a ride home; we had a good time. They came over yesterday afternoon, but I was sleeping. I do that at weird times now.

- Tuesday's birthday is this Tuesday. I bought her a nice study Bible.

- Peer review is the most retarded thing ever. Why would I want my peers reviewing any of my work? They're my peers! Most of them are a lot dumber than me, and the few that are at my level... are at MY level. I pay money for teacher's to review, not peers. Stupid, stupid, stupid....

- I slept for a long time last night. Felt good. I hope I'm not getting sick.

- Waiting for the net to get back up before I can post Episode 13. Sorry, I'm just really lazy.

feeling anxious

- Have a couple papers due today. Not too much, already have most of them done, so I'm taking a break to blog.

- Tuesday hasn't txt'd me all day. Not sure what's up with that.

- There are some weird parents out there. I hear about and see other people's parents and realize how amazing mine are.

- Ashlie's wedding is on Saturday. I hope to see all of you there... Yes, even you.

- Heroes is back. I think the Nathan storyline has the most promise this time around.

- My manager at work watches Psych, too. He's like the only person I know outside of my immediate family that watches it. That makes him awesome. Sorry, i don't make the rules.

- The Patriots are killing everybody. (No, not Ben franklin and Patrick Henry. Sheesh. I mean the football team. Though, I don't think anyone doubts that Franklin and Henry would be a pretty unstoppable duo. Someone should make a buddy-cop show, where they both wake up after 200 years of being cryogenically frozen, and they become maverick-like lawmen who take on the gangs of los angeles. Better yet, I'll do it. "Liberty or Death: Back to Freedom" - Trademark of the Michael Schmidt Production Studio.) I'm glad. The whole "they cheated!" thing was way overblown. Now they're just killing everybody, and i think it's funny. Still like the Colts, and I hope they win, but i think the Pats are going to take it.

- Ok, going back to work on school stuff.

couple things

- Pray for my friend Tuesday. She made a profession of faith last week. I believe it was sincere, but I understand the importance of maintained evidence. So pray for me too, that I will be wise.

- I was Arwen, and then Aragorn. I don't remember what I even changed. It was only one thing though, I think. Anywho, I'm going with Aragorn, 'cause he's cooler. Nyah.

- I want to play a big game of Magic. Mike came over on Sunday, and then Joe came over, but it was busy, and we never got to play. Mike and I and Jenn played a few, but we needed Joe. And Dave, and Pete, and Matt, and Andy, and Isaac, and Steve. And whoever else plays.

- Algore won the Nobel Prize. Because he brilliantly turned talking like a robot "hip." I'd have voted for him, too. Is there a more stoic guy that people think they are supposed to find charismatic? No, no there is not. Well played, Algore. Btw, there is an evil-looking lizard guy with a spear in Chaos Strikes Back named Algor. I'd also vote for him. Because he's an evil-looking lizard guy. With a spear.

- Interstingly enough, you don't get spears in Chaos Strikes Back.

- There's a stry about animal control workers who threw some pets off a bridge in Puerto Rico (my aunt is from there; her dog is still alive, as far as I know, but if it suddenly goes missing, we'll know why). I think we should keep this story alive for as long as possible. Not because it has to do with animal control killing animals, but because anytime you can use a real-life story to segue about the kids throwing Katz into the river, you should do it.

- Speaking of cruelty to animals, what's up with that lately? Vick beheads dogs, and now this Puerto Rican travesty? And we haven't even addressed the drunk guy in drive-thru who had a minature dauchshund under his shirt. That guy was simultaneously disturbing and ultra-disturbing. Not easy to pull off, let me tell you.

- Do people still go "Cool!" or "wow!" when Tiger Woods and Jeff Gordon win yet another championship? I don't. Then again, I never really did anyway. Why? Well, because it's golf and Nascar. I'd rather give myself papercuts than care about those sports. Or, at least, give you papercuts. I have sensitive skin.

glad tonight is over

- I had to work with horrible co-workers tonight. Just, really annoying people. Anyway, I'm glad it's over.

- Sorry to those who read my stories. I meant to get it up thursday, but I ended up taking Tuesday to Grand Rapids to see about a car loan. Fun day, but I didn't get anything done.

- I think the song "If you're reading this" is one of the saddest ever. I like it a lot.

- My family is home. They're all sleeping, so I have to wait til later to talk to them. But at least they're home.

- I'm going to bed. I want to buy some Lorwyn cards, but I don't know when I can get to a shop.

Video Game Ending Guide

So I decided to make a small guide to video game endings, pointing out what (imo) differentiates good endings from bad endings by mainly listing the basic forms that an ending comes in, and grading it. So here we go.

1. The Star Wars Ending.
- Basically, you finally win the game and your reward is a block of text slowly moving up the screen. Sure, depending on what the text says, it can be somewhat satisfying, and more often than not, some sort of pictures fill in the background to remind you of every primary point of your adventure. It's kind of like a nostalgic trip back over the last two hours, but it's definitely not worth seeing twice.
Example: Super Contra.
Grade: C-

2. The Literal End.
- Rare in these modern times, this version is one of the most dreaded outcomes to a hard fought victory. The screen fades black, and the credits roll, and then... "The End" appears on your screen. No resolution. No fancy art. Nothing.
Grade: D- (Yes, there is one worse on my scale)

3. The Result.
- Castles collapsing, buidlings blowing up, main male lead kisses main female lead. Basically any action/adventure game utilizes this ending.
Grade: B

4. The Epilogue.
- The Epilogue is resolution. Your character's(or s') fate is explained, the effect on the world is shown, and everyone feels good about themselves. Usually...
Example: Final Fantasy 6
Grade: A-

4b. The Cliffhanger.
- Cousin to the epilogue, the cliffhanger usually ends exactly with the same cheery tone as the epilogue, except a nasty surprise waits after the credits. Either the main villain remains, or an even darker threat is waiting to reveal itself. Sometimes exciting, sometimes annoying.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time (there are better exapmles, but it's late and I can't think)
Grade: B+

5. The Void
- Worst possible ending, usually to a long RPG. You work like crazy to level your guys, complete quests, collect gear, and finally slay the bad guy... and then someone tells your characters "You will have no memory of this adventure." Sure, you saved the universe, but no one knows; it's like it never happened. Is there any bigger let-down? I mean, your guys deserve parades, fame, honor, etc. Not only that, any friendships your characters formed are lost. Chrono Cross even has quests to reunite lost loved ones, but with the ending, it's all wiped away.
Examples: Chrono Cross, Zelda: Ocarina, Final Fantasy 1
Grade: F

6: Chrono Trigger
- Gets it's own level, since it has 10 endings, and almost all of them are better than most any other game. Frog's ascent to Magus, the new future, the Prophet's challenge of Lavos, the Quick Win scenario. All great moments.
Grade: A+

I'm sure there are more, and that you could break these down, but this is what I'm starting with. Feel free to post additions, revision, or comments on changes.

- FInished episode 13. Just need to upload it onto my PC. I have today off, so I'll try to get it done sometime. Check back for updates later on; i'll let you know when it's up, if you care.

today is not Thursday

- So if you think it IS thursday, you're wrong.

- Living in a stacked deck. Something Linus says, but I feel that way. You get blamed for stuff that you don't start, but there's no way to convince anyone of it. It's stacked against you. Or something. Sometimes I don't even know what I'm talking about.

- My jaw still kind of hurts. I thought it'd be over by now.

- I don't want to go to work tonight. One of the overnight people quit, so we've been a man-down the last two nights, and tonight will be the same. That makes a difference when there's only four of you to start with.

- I left my phone at home. Feels weird not to have it right now. Like, my car might not start, and then I'm basically stuck. Or if I see a dinosaur, I won't have a camera handy. It's very disturbing.

- I need a stapler at the moment.

- I wonder if I should move out and try and live on my own. I'd miss my sisters, I think, a lot. Plus, I'd have to get my own towels and stuff.

- There's this old arby's flier next to the PC I'm at. It's making me really hungry.

- No one ever comments on my posts. It's hard to be motivated to write when no one is reading. I guess it's hard to read when no one is posting interesting stuff, eh? I can take a hint.

- I like my job, but I want to be making a lot of money. I don't know how. Writing is really hard. The more I think about it, the more I doubt I'll ever get a book done. There's always something else to do.

- I don't like my history class. It's boring and the teacher, while not as bad as the teacher I had last year, is kind of overly strict about stupid stuff. It's like she's endured years of people making jabs about history being a real discipline, and she's not going to take it anymore. History is relevant, by crackles! Because... something about the past... repeating mistakes... I don't know. It's not really that relevant for anything other than knowing history. I mean, sure, without history, Brett Favre passing Marino's record wouldn't have been celebrated, cause no one would have known about Marino's record. And other stuff.

Holyfield Grill?

- Evander Holyfield has unveild his own grill to challenge the Foreman grill. That's spectacular.

- OJ Simpson is in jail. Only a decade too late, but you know... better late than never, amirite?

- Team Lazarus remade Ultima V with the Dungeon Siege Engine. Coolest thing I've seen in a long time. It's a lot harder than the original Ultima V because I knew that game like I know Final Fantasy. Now instead of being able to go North, South, East or West, I can go 360 degrees and it makes finding stuff harder. Still, absolutely fantastic. The music was revampedto infinitely better quality, the graphics are dungeon siege graphics, and the dialogue got spruced up, even though Ultima V had the best character development/dialogue in a PC game, ever. Well, maybe not ever, but it's still up there, even though the game is 15-20 years old. I'm having a lot of fun with that right now.

- I just rolled over my toe with the chair. It hurts.

- New MTG set looks cool. I like the elves. That reminds me... Matt isn't coming to Christmas. Cause apparently 50 weeks isn't enough for Yuisa. Noooooo, she needs 51 weeks of the year with her side of the family.. Whatever, says I. What-Ever. I'm gonna take back the Holyfield Grill I bought for them. That'll teach 'em.

- I feel junky. My jaw and cheeks hurt. I'm not supposed to drive while on those meds, so I'm off them today so I can go to school. Like I need to go to school. Bleah!!

- Lions scored 34 4th quarter points yesterday. That's kind of crazy. Packers are 4-0. I officially apologize to Brett Favre. Apparently he knew how much he had left better than I did. Imagine that. Or he's on steroids. Hmmm...

- I need to start work on my toast for Ashlie's wedding. And Matthew needs to let me know when they're measuring for tuxes. Time is running out.

- Pray for Tuesday. She knows she needs to get saved; we're going to talk today sometime, hopefully.

- That's it for now. I have to go to school or something.