Ok despite ALL the PS3 remotes going MIA I bought a new one last night. Since that gives me the ability to start working on the three PS3 games I bought in a 3 for 2 deal I thought I'd post an update. Normally the 360 is my bread and butter but given that two of the three I bought were exclusives and they all had to be on the same system I don't think I came away with a bad deal: Heavy Rain, LA Noire, Batman: Arkham Asylum.
Now I've been playing Heavy Rain for about 3 hours now. I've seen beautiful graphics. An intriguing story. About 4 different perspectives and dialogue I wouldn't believe if I saw it. Now don't get me wrong. Switching characters every ten minutes and sometimes just to put them in a car and drive away dramatically can be a bit irritating and pull you away from the story but at this point I'm intrigued enough where I don't mind. What I do mind is the absolutely awful Dialogue. I mean honestly. At one point I find myself giving a presentation and the character I am playing is speaking calmly flipping slides when all of a sudden he breaks out swearing at a member of the audience who swears back and the two would start fighting if man number 3 didn't step in. This isn't the first time something ridiculous has sprung from a seemingly calm situation. I also don't understand why everyone talks like you just threaten to kill their firstborn son. Everyone is so tense even when it doesn't make sense. Asking your eight year old son if he would like dinner should not use a tone you'd expect if you asked them to disarm a bomb.
I also want to tell them that they are not nearly as mysterious as they think they are. AND the FBI guys glasses and glove get up is completely out of place compared to the rest of the resources available. Though I'll admit having your office on Mars or at the bottom of the ocean is pretty cool.
Anywho I'm withholding full judgement until I finish the game however at this point I've accidentally killed someone (not a main character) had several shouting matches and not let my druggie shoot up and made my kid do all their homework. I think the funnest part of this is I have no idea if I have botched the plot completely of if I'm on my way perfectly.
Guess I'll find out in a few more hours. Once I have a bit more to say I'll come back and update.
Looking for the Origami Killer!
Signing off.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Gregor Comics
Hey guys. I was thinking today about plot and how for a lot of the webcomics I read I'm really just going through the motions. So few of them still hold the laugh out loud emotion jerk that they used to and some never really did. It's not to say they have a amusing, gods know I love Weregeek. And it's not to say it has a bad plot, The Way To Your Heart has a great story but something has started to feel lacking lately in my comic line up. Well any way, I was stumbling along the internet like you do when I ran across Gregor Comics.
I suppose what I am trying to say is that there are amazing characters, interesting plot, lovely art, and an author who refuses to update more than once a week (Saturday) until he gets a lot more followers. So I think you see where this is going. Check it out. Let me know what you think? I'm always harassing my readers for comments and opinions. It must be working too I actually got one a few days ago on my Sheepadoodle page.
What no I'm not hinting anything! But you should know it is a linear story so are going to want to click the button to take you back to the first comics. That button is conveniently marked "<<First". Any who the reason I could get behind this comic is it was funny in an every day sort of life kind of way. The first time we meet Katie and Gregor on page one I know I've had days like. The various people I have lived with over the years have too. Then we get introduced to a little more about the characters before we get back handed with a soft core fantasy theme. I found it quite enjoyable but I don't want any spoilers so you have to go see what that means for yourself.
I suppose what I am trying to say is that there are amazing characters, interesting plot, lovely art, and an author who refuses to update more than once a week (Saturday) until he gets a lot more followers. So I think you see where this is going. Check it out. Let me know what you think? I'm always harassing my readers for comments and opinions. It must be working too I actually got one a few days ago on my Sheepadoodle page.
Corset wanting to see more of Gregor & Katie
Signing off.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Bartleby. Oh How I hate you.
So is anyone out there familiar with the story of Bartleby the scrivener? It was written by Melville, you know, that guy who wrote Moby Dick. Ah I see some recognition in your eyes. Now back to Bartleby the scrivener. How I love his story and hate his character. I hate how often my instructors wish me to reflect upon his choices, I hate how easy it was for him to prefer not to, I hate how despite it being considered one of Melville's worst works, it's also considered one of the best.
I think what I hate most is that people quote Bartleby only when they wish to philosophical and intelligent while at the same point declining your proposition. It irks me the wrong way and always at the worst time. Such as recently, I had been reading Stephen King's Bag of Bones. It had been a delightful tale, though I disagree with some plot choices he makes. The book is several hundred pages long and as I reached the last sentence, there it was. "I've put down my scriviner's pen. These days I prefer not to." That ruined the entire ending of the book for me.
I suppose if you kept reading this long you want to know why exactly Bartleby irks me in the wrong way. Here's the way I see Bartleby, it's not about him being a lazy ass and then dying as an end result. Crude I know but I've heard it said that way on many occasions. To me Bartleby is the ever fussing debate of whether the man is brave or is he a coward. He find a point in his life where he decides to defy the social norms via 'preferring not to'.
I like to argue and conspire with people about this. Is his preferring not to an act of cowardice towards life or is it an ultimate act of defiance?
Think on this, you go to a school where you are required to wear a uniform. You wear plain clothes instead because you prefer not to wear the uniform. Why? Now what? What happens if you go to work and you prefer not to? What happens if all your friends are pressuring you to give it up on the first date and you prefer not to? All of Bartleby's theoretical problems came from him not conforming to the usual standards of society.
Let's shift gears for a moment away from social norms and consequences of not conforming and let's talk about mirrors just briefly. I'm probably not the first and won't be the last to notice this in Bartleby but I think the man functions as a mirror. First the reader identifies with the rejections of values and Bartleby keeps pushing until he reaches the values that the reader isn't will to reject. It allows the reader to be sympathetic to his cause before categorizing it as being unreasonable.
Now I could keep going from here and whipping out philosophers names and throwing around theories but there is not fun in that for me. I'd rather here from your lot. What do you think on Bartleby? I'm more in the mood to talk philosophy and Bartleby with you than talk to myself about it. If you need acess to a copy of the story it is avalaible legally and free
http://teacherweb.com/VA/KingGeorgeHighSchool/MrsDibblesEnglishClasses/Bartleby-Scrivener.pdf
Corset feeling all discombobulated today,
Signing off.
I think what I hate most is that people quote Bartleby only when they wish to philosophical and intelligent while at the same point declining your proposition. It irks me the wrong way and always at the worst time. Such as recently, I had been reading Stephen King's Bag of Bones. It had been a delightful tale, though I disagree with some plot choices he makes. The book is several hundred pages long and as I reached the last sentence, there it was. "I've put down my scriviner's pen. These days I prefer not to." That ruined the entire ending of the book for me.
I suppose if you kept reading this long you want to know why exactly Bartleby irks me in the wrong way. Here's the way I see Bartleby, it's not about him being a lazy ass and then dying as an end result. Crude I know but I've heard it said that way on many occasions. To me Bartleby is the ever fussing debate of whether the man is brave or is he a coward. He find a point in his life where he decides to defy the social norms via 'preferring not to'.
I like to argue and conspire with people about this. Is his preferring not to an act of cowardice towards life or is it an ultimate act of defiance?
Think on this, you go to a school where you are required to wear a uniform. You wear plain clothes instead because you prefer not to wear the uniform. Why? Now what? What happens if you go to work and you prefer not to? What happens if all your friends are pressuring you to give it up on the first date and you prefer not to? All of Bartleby's theoretical problems came from him not conforming to the usual standards of society.
Let's shift gears for a moment away from social norms and consequences of not conforming and let's talk about mirrors just briefly. I'm probably not the first and won't be the last to notice this in Bartleby but I think the man functions as a mirror. First the reader identifies with the rejections of values and Bartleby keeps pushing until he reaches the values that the reader isn't will to reject. It allows the reader to be sympathetic to his cause before categorizing it as being unreasonable.
Now I could keep going from here and whipping out philosophers names and throwing around theories but there is not fun in that for me. I'd rather here from your lot. What do you think on Bartleby? I'm more in the mood to talk philosophy and Bartleby with you than talk to myself about it. If you need acess to a copy of the story it is avalaible legally and free
http://teacherweb.com/VA/KingGeorgeHighSchool/MrsDibblesEnglishClasses/Bartleby-Scrivener.pdf
Corset feeling all discombobulated today,
Signing off.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Unplanned Pregnancy.
I feel like I must be the most inconsiderate woman in the world sometimes. Let me explain. I have a friend who likes to talk all the time about how blessed she feels to be a mother, how much she loves her children, all the good she does in their lives, etc. She does not have custody of either child. One was adopted and the other lives with her parents. She only sees either once every few months if she is lucky and talks to them about as often. Both were the result of accidents, as in unplanned and while I am sure they are great kids I really feel as if she is taking too much credit.
I would expect her to have as much pride as a surrogate mother. She is fertile. You go girl. Not all women can say that. However the way she brags on about what a great mother she is really irks me the wrong way. Now most days I can let it go but the thing is two year ago next month, I had a miscarriage two months in, she is aware. She was having a pity party about how much she missed her two sons and about how much she has given them in life and I kindly request we change the topic. Then try and steer the conversation towards something we can talk about vs something I have to listen to when she looks me in the eye and says "Well you just don't know what its like to loose a child."
Granted I'll admit I overreacted but I lost my temper. Giving a child up for adoption is not the same as losing a child and giving birth doesn't make you a mother. I climbed up on my soap box for a good long rant and when I climbed down we weren't on speaking terms and despite it all, I don't think I'm wrong.
A few days later we are speaking again when friendship tragedy struck. She got a part time job blogging on a forum where she met several women like her. Many of them hadn't seen their children in years yet they boasted about their mad mothering skills and how hard it had been to loose a child. She climbed on her high horse and I wanted to scream. However it did get me thinking, at what point are you a childs mother? Dictionary here I come,
However I don't think they should get credit for raising a child they only have for a weekend every six months. Or two weeks out of the year because the adoptive parents are generous enough to allow the woman in their child's life. You know why? Because when you put up your child for adoption you sign away your rights. He stops being Your child. His Parents are the ones that go into a court room and prove they can care for them and love them.
I would expect her to have as much pride as a surrogate mother. She is fertile. You go girl. Not all women can say that. However the way she brags on about what a great mother she is really irks me the wrong way. Now most days I can let it go but the thing is two year ago next month, I had a miscarriage two months in, she is aware. She was having a pity party about how much she missed her two sons and about how much she has given them in life and I kindly request we change the topic. Then try and steer the conversation towards something we can talk about vs something I have to listen to when she looks me in the eye and says "Well you just don't know what its like to loose a child."
Granted I'll admit I overreacted but I lost my temper. Giving a child up for adoption is not the same as losing a child and giving birth doesn't make you a mother. I climbed up on my soap box for a good long rant and when I climbed down we weren't on speaking terms and despite it all, I don't think I'm wrong.
A few days later we are speaking again when friendship tragedy struck. She got a part time job blogging on a forum where she met several women like her. Many of them hadn't seen their children in years yet they boasted about their mad mothering skills and how hard it had been to loose a child. She climbed on her high horse and I wanted to scream. However it did get me thinking, at what point are you a childs mother? Dictionary here I come,
mother
[muhth-er]
1. a female parent.
2. One's female parent
2. One's female parent
Ruh roh. What's a parent?
par·ent
1. a father or a mother.
2. an ancestor, precursor, or progenitor.
Hmmm. So a mother is a female parent and a parent is a mother or a father. Well the dictionary was helpful today. Well let's just stick to my opinion then, you're reading my blog so I'm assuming you want to hear it. There are a few different forms of mother. There is the biological mother. She is the one who provided you with half your DNA. Then we have the one who carried you in her womb. This can be and is usually the biological mother, but not always. Sometimes we insert a surrogate mother. Then we have the actual mother. This is the woman who raises you. This is the woman who is supposed to make sure you have a roof over your head and food in your belly. The one who loves you. Now it's not that the biological mom or surrogate mom can't love you, sure they can! They have years of brainwashing and hormones telling them they do!
However I don't think they should get credit for raising a child they only have for a weekend every six months. Or two weeks out of the year because the adoptive parents are generous enough to allow the woman in their child's life. You know why? Because when you put up your child for adoption you sign away your rights. He stops being Your child. His Parents are the ones that go into a court room and prove they can care for them and love them.
So parents who give up there kids, they can call themselves egg donors, biological mom, whatever. But I don't think they should take credit for what they aren't helping accomplish.
Having probably pissed off at least two people,
Corset signing off
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Neil Gaiman
Raise your hand if you have ever read Neil Gaiman. I hope there are at least a couple of you out there. Don't recognize the author? That's ok. I'm talking about Neverwhere, American Gods, The Graveyard Book, Stardust, Anansi Boys. Sound a little more familiar? I hope so. If they're not stick around for a bit. If they are, do stay.
Now the reason I picked those particular Neil Gaiman books is because they are the ones I have read. I try not to form too strong an opinion on something I don't know but for this I am fairly convinced. Neil Gaiman doesn't know how to write stories involving Gods. Let's start with Exhibit A, American Gods. The story had potential. It opens with potential living dead, creepy hallucinations, and adorable pet names. A BA ex con whose dead woman used to call him puppy, I think it's darling. However that's about as far as the characterization of the guy went. The story itself was dull and I found I kept reading just because it was a Neil Gaiman book and I kept telling myself if had to get better. The characters felt flat to me. The plot not 100% thought through. And to avoid spoilers, let's just say I was overall disappointed.
That was Ok though. I had Neverwhere to keep me company for many rereads or if I wanted something a little more chipper I had Stardust. Then I managed to get a copy of the Anansi Boys. It was a book about a man called Fat Charlie Nancy who has no ambitions and no real merit in the world. He is an accountant and he is due to unenthusiastically be married. Then his father dies and at the funeral he discovers that he is the son of a spider god and he doesn't have powers because his brother has them all. If he ever wants to talk to his brother he just has to ask a spider to invite him. Once again this book gets off to a great start and it took me a little bit to think back to American Gods and make the connection that this was a spin off tale. That is probably why I didn't enjoy it and found the same flaws in it.
So once more disappointed with a Gaiman book I set my sights on The Graveyard Book. It was written for children I believe but had quite a fascinating story of the life of a little boy. This little boy's parents are murdered when he is just three years old and he waddles into a graveyard exploring/escaping from the murderer. It is in the graveyard the the inhabitants find him and protect him. The story follows the next twelve years of his life and what he goes through and all he learns being raised in a graveyard. I found it to be a darling story that kept me entertained all throughout. It was paced nicely and while it was a bit heavy on foreshadowing to the point of prediction, it was quite an enjoyable read that I would recommend.
Now being in a couple of fiction courses, I have quite an extensive lot to read for class and it's not leaving me much time to read on my own. However the list is quite a varied selection of short stories and perhaps I will share my opinions of them with you in a little bit. I have my own works of fiction to create right now as well as papers to be done and a reading list to hack away at so I am capable of discussing things in class.
So Corset is going to cross her fingers and try and find time to finish reading Charles DeLint The Onion Girl. Unfortunately it won't be today.
With Laundry calling her name,
Corset signing off.
Now the reason I picked those particular Neil Gaiman books is because they are the ones I have read. I try not to form too strong an opinion on something I don't know but for this I am fairly convinced. Neil Gaiman doesn't know how to write stories involving Gods. Let's start with Exhibit A, American Gods. The story had potential. It opens with potential living dead, creepy hallucinations, and adorable pet names. A BA ex con whose dead woman used to call him puppy, I think it's darling. However that's about as far as the characterization of the guy went. The story itself was dull and I found I kept reading just because it was a Neil Gaiman book and I kept telling myself if had to get better. The characters felt flat to me. The plot not 100% thought through. And to avoid spoilers, let's just say I was overall disappointed.
That was Ok though. I had Neverwhere to keep me company for many rereads or if I wanted something a little more chipper I had Stardust. Then I managed to get a copy of the Anansi Boys. It was a book about a man called Fat Charlie Nancy who has no ambitions and no real merit in the world. He is an accountant and he is due to unenthusiastically be married. Then his father dies and at the funeral he discovers that he is the son of a spider god and he doesn't have powers because his brother has them all. If he ever wants to talk to his brother he just has to ask a spider to invite him. Once again this book gets off to a great start and it took me a little bit to think back to American Gods and make the connection that this was a spin off tale. That is probably why I didn't enjoy it and found the same flaws in it.
So once more disappointed with a Gaiman book I set my sights on The Graveyard Book. It was written for children I believe but had quite a fascinating story of the life of a little boy. This little boy's parents are murdered when he is just three years old and he waddles into a graveyard exploring/escaping from the murderer. It is in the graveyard the the inhabitants find him and protect him. The story follows the next twelve years of his life and what he goes through and all he learns being raised in a graveyard. I found it to be a darling story that kept me entertained all throughout. It was paced nicely and while it was a bit heavy on foreshadowing to the point of prediction, it was quite an enjoyable read that I would recommend.
Now being in a couple of fiction courses, I have quite an extensive lot to read for class and it's not leaving me much time to read on my own. However the list is quite a varied selection of short stories and perhaps I will share my opinions of them with you in a little bit. I have my own works of fiction to create right now as well as papers to be done and a reading list to hack away at so I am capable of discussing things in class.
So Corset is going to cross her fingers and try and find time to finish reading Charles DeLint The Onion Girl. Unfortunately it won't be today.
With Laundry calling her name,
Corset signing off.
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