We have reservations at 6 for Hell!

300 comes out on DVD today! Sadly, I could not venture out to get it, but tomorrow, as I am working, I shall be. A big smiley face would go here if I had emoticons.

I'm extremely tired and worn out from soccer, so I'm going to keep this post short tonight. Good evening.

Dead before dawn!

I swear I just had the weirdest dream. It was the whole "trapped in a mall full of zombies" deal, but the zombies weren't hungry, and only wanted to shop! Yes, I'm sure they were undead. Basically I had theories that it was some corporate experiment gone wrong, and that the zombies, after their "it's almost Christmas" spending spree, would realize that they were hungry, and in turn, eat every one of the many survivors. I had holed myself up in a radio shack with a walkie-talkie to an Electronics Boutique. We had shotguns, katanas (?), and I think a machine gun emplacement set up.

I have weird dreams.

I'm sure everyone's had this kind of situations in their sleep some way: the movie setting where something just isn't right; something's out of of place.

If anyone's that curious, I didn't end up dying. As I opened the door to the emergency exit in the back of the Radio Shack, I woke up.

Weird.

Liner notes.

Couple of little tidbits about today.

To the right of the site now lives out Label Cloud. Each of my posts are labeled with certain tags that describe what's going on in them. Over there, they're sorted by frequency. The bigger the text,t the more posts have those tags assigned to them. Click on a word to bring up a page with all the tagged posts on it. Have fun!

Secondly, after my post this morning, I dug my Guitar Hero (I & II) out of the closet and gave it a whirl again.

Effin' A.

Death to dead pixels!

Am I the only one that's obsessive about the possible dead pixels on their LCD screen?

I hate them. With a passion. I have a couple tiny, otherwise undetectable black ones on my laptop right now, and I know that they're permanent. It annoys me. It makes me feel like I've abused my laptop somehow, and I've been a poor owner.

Bah! Curses!

Hey Joe.. where you goin' with that gun o' yours?

I recently (as in last night) downloaded Jimi Hendrix' discography, and I can say I'm glad I did. Something about good guitar really complements a person's mood.

Speaking of Guitar: some of Guitar Hero III: Legend of Rock's song list has been released. The game, which will feature wireless guitars modeled after the Gibson Les Paul, will be available for the major consoles (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2) sometime in the coming months.

Here's a look at the guitars.

Wikipedia lists the release date as October 29th, but with games, you can't really be sure. Some of the songs that have been revealed already are:

The Metal - Tenacious D
Paint It, Black - The Rolling Stones
The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden
Suck my Kiss - Red Hot Chili Peppers

aaaaaand *drumroll*
THROUGH THE FIRE AND THE FLAMES - DRAGONFORCE.

(Note: All these songs are performed by the artists, and aren't cover versions. Thank god.)

If you've never heard the last track, here's a sample that'll surely get your fingers aching already:



You're all screwed when Herman Li and Sam Totman get back.

I'm (hopefully) going to be writing for an independent newspaper that'll be starting up around my city in the near future. I spoke with the Editor In Chief, and his idea was to start a publication which only reported the "good" news. It seems plausible, and I'll be interested to see it in practice. Hey, I mean any experience is good experience, right?

Warning... incoming game.

Remember ReBoot? That awesome CGI (the first of it's kind, actually!) show that aired during the 90s? Had awesome characters such as Bob, Enzo, Dot Matrix? Featured Tony Jay (R.I.P, man) as the awesome villain Megabyte?

It's coming back. In trilogy-of-movie form.

Alphaneumeric.

There can be only one!

Whenever I get a package of plain M&Ms, I make it my duty to continue the strength and robustness of the candy as a species. To this end, I hold M&M duels.

Taking two candies between my thumb and forefinger, I apply pressure, squeezing them together until one of them cracks and splinters. That is the "loser," and I eat the inferior one immediately. The winner gets to go another round.

I have found that, in general, the brown and red M&Ms are tougher, and the newer blue ones are genetically inferior. I have hypothesized that the blue M&Ms as a race cannot survive long in the intense theater of competition that is the modern candy and snack-food world.

Occasionally I will get a mutation, a candy that is misshapen, or pointier, or flatter than the rest. Almost invariably this proves to be a weakness, but on very rare occasions it gives the candy extra strength. In this way, the species continues to adapt to its environment.

When I reach the end of the pack, I am left with one M&M, the strongest of the herd. Since it would make no sense to eat this one as well, I pack it neatly in an envelope and send it to M&M Mars, A Division of Mars, Inc., Hackettstown, NJ 17840-1503 U.S.A., along with a 3x5 card reading, "Please use this M&M for breeding purposes."

This week they wrote back to thank me, and sent me a coupon for a free 1/2 pound bag of plain M&Ms. I consider this "grant money." I have set aside the weekend for a grand tournament. From a field of hundreds, we will discover the True Champion.

There can be only one.

I love the internet.

And now for something completely different.

So starting tomorrow I'll be at my Dad's house until next Friday, so post frequency might be down just a tad. Going to see some (figurative) family that I haven't seen in a good long while, so this is a well-deserved mini-vacation.

Hmm. What to write about tonight? It's roughly 11, and it's pretty quiet in my house. I'm listening to some Blues and just chilling back, enjoying having the night off from work. It's rare to get a guilt-free lazy evening like this because of school, work, and everything in between. My internship opportunity sort of fell through because the editor quit her job. Shitty deal.

I apologize for the overly personal post, but life hasn't exactly dealing me good cards lately. Anyways, enough carrying on for now.

Goodnight.

Work it harder, make it better, do it faster, makes us stronger...

It's amusing to see the people I work with at Wal-mart act like a family sometimes. I still maintain that we could definitely make a reality TV show/sitcom out of a shift an episode at our store. There's so much drama, comedy and weird stuff that happen in different parts of the store with different people, how could it get boring? I mean, viewers would develop favourite characters, cry when people left/get fired, among a multitude of other crap. What's not to love?

I love Daft Punk. Kanye West being there gives them an excuse to add another kickass beat to an already kickass song. If I could somehow take his voice out of the song....

How joyously hypocritical

I've come to the conclusion that the blogosphere isn't inhabited by anything interesting. It is merely a cesspool of 40-something year old women ranting about their lives, family, and anything else that happens to cross their paths. Either that, or it's yet another guru trying to tell us how to live our lives (conveniently, by buying his latest book!) or people reporting on things that other news sites (ones with credibility) already report on. I know that last tidbit was highly ironic, considering what I do for fun over here, but never once have I tried to pass off myself as a "reputable source for all news". I merely link things that I find interesting.

I really don't know what the point of this post is; maybe just to express some dissatisfaction at the fact that I can't seem to find a blog like mine (or something similar) that I can find myself coming back to. Is there some haven that I don't know about? Am I not in some secret blog ring that actually has interesting things to say?

An expression says a thousand words

Just wanted to make a post toward NYC Nitty-Gritty, a nice little photoblog that chronicles street level New York City through a series of amazing photographs. Its owner, Otilius, really seems to know what he (or she) is doing, as the pictures are really, really good.

Nothing special here folks, move along.

I don't know what's more frustrating: not being able to write something, or feeling influenced, nay, even pressured about writing something "deep" or "intellectual".

I'm not trying to change the world; I just want people to read what I'm writing and feel like they have a chance at what life's throwing at them. I want them to feel like someone understands, or someone is feeling the exact same in a given situation. Is that wrong?

It's taken me around 2 hours to write this. Other times it can take me 5 minutes. It's annoying. It isn't "writer's block", but it's obstructing (hooray for synonyms) all the same.

Bah.

Opinion on Harry Potter 7 ending.

Well, I have real pictures of the Epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The ending disappointed me. Wholly. I'm not going to spoil it because I'll get a cease-and-desist letter from whoever the publisher is, or my account/domain will get owned.

If I had to describe it in one word, it would be lame. Lamer than lame. Pretty much all fanficton authors got their fanservice at the end, and in turn, the series has failed me.

Oh well.

Boo suit, motherfuckers

Hell yes. In addition to my last post, I thought I'd add this video for Super Mario Galaxy. I'd like to point out that the Bee suit and the Boo suit are the two manliest costumes ever.

Ee three oh seven

For those hoping that E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) was going to be as big as ever this year, you're pretty much out of luck. As far as I can tell from the big gaming sites, nothing much happened that we didn't already know. Nintendo DID announce a Wii fitness game, and Mario Kart Wii!

Not really sure if I approve of the whole "tilt the controller to steer" function, but that isn't anything new with Wii racing games. Oh well, I'll probably take a look at it when it comes out. Super Smash Bros Brawl has been announced as being released in early December, according to the Nintendo Press conference, which can be found here. There's also other information about the Sims that's going to be on Wii, along with DS news.

Anyways, enjoy your hump-day.

Who came up with that? Like.. seriously!?

"Nooooooo! You bitch! YOU BITCH!"

I've been thinking, and when Harry Potter 7 comes out, there will be a void created by the mass amount of people reading it. People will take shifts off work, etc etc.

You know why? Because you won't be able to go outside, you won't be able to turn on the TV, and you sure as HELL won't be able to go on the internet without people spoiling it for you. With the success of the "Potter Bookstore Crash" last year, you can bet that all the people standing in line for the book will be bringing earplugs along with them, just in case.

As you can probably tell, Half-Blood Prince was spoiled for me the day before it came out, and I'm sort of bitter. Didn't like that book. I've explained before.

Anyways, good luck to all you schmucks who're buying it. I'm not really that excited.

School House Rawk

It's interesting to observe my classmates during summer school. Most of them are there because they want a better mark, or simply want to pass the class. It's ironic that some of these students don't even want to put the time or effort forth to get a good mark, when they're paying 10$ to take the course, and another 80$ as a book deposit. I mean, come on.

4000 more till I can make an ">9000" joke.

I really don't mean to sound vain, but thanks guys for 5000 unique hits :D

Not bad for word of mouth, eh?

The Zen of Daydreaming

With everyone’s rough and tumble, busy, hectic lifestyle at this point and time, few find the peace of mind that comes from simply relaxing and doing nothing. Really, it isn’t surprising.

In an age where everyone is wired, reachable at a moment’s notice by text and voice[1], it is hard to get away from the plagues of the normal day. Whether it’s stress from work, school, relationships, or any other facet of the 21^st century life, it seems like insurmountable odds to just escape to peace.

But never fear. I, Matt Demers, a self professed guru in the art of “chillin’ like a villain”[2]
am here to teach you how to enjoy the simple moments of time and preserve your valuable sanity. It will not be easy, (especially for those who might have developed a mental bond with their Blackberries and cell phones) but if you are truly sincere in your efforts for inner peace, you shall persevere beyond this difficulty and succeed. I have faith in you.

The first step in your quest to peaceful sloth is to disconnect yourself from the world around you. This is meant in a literal and figurative sense. In an average day, I manage to cart these gadgets around with me, all of which I deem “necessary” to my daily life.

• “Music player”[3]
• Wallet
• Random change (usually pennies and nickels; blast them all!)
• Cell phone, with built in camera. Capable of picture and text messaging, along with the little used “voice” function.
• Wristwatch
  

I also possess a laptop in my house which is wirelessly connected to the Internet, along with a game console similarly wired. I have found that I am able to be contacted within a moment’s notice, and most likely will answer back. I am open to a vast amount of stimuli, such as news feeds which instantly update and allow my news to be condensed, music players constantly assaulting my ears, or any of a number of YouTube™ videos besieging my eyes. Even if you, the average person, are not as technically sound as I, you can apply yourself to one of these traps. The trick is to just leave them behind. Yes, I know this may be difficult, but you must turn off to reach tranquility. your cell phone (not set it to vibrate), leave your wallet and money at home, and even take off your watch. The art of loafing is not limited by any space of time. You will not feel

The “music player” is a different situation. In certain circumstances, it enhances the experience of laziness. One must be in possession of a playlist that compliments itself well, constructed from only the mellowest of tunes. My personal song list is inhabited by blues, soul, jazz, and certain light rock. Examples of which are John Mayer, K-OS, 311, and the Gorillaz. When used effectively, music can help with the main goal of achieving peace: the daydream.

The daydream is a practice that is easy to learn, but can take a lifetime to master. It can be done in the comfort of your own home, but for this exercise we’ll be changing the setting to somewhere some of us haven’t been in a long while under our own free will: outside.

My perfect daydreaming spot is midday at a park. The sun is shining, the wind is blowing slightly, but not enough to scatter papers or ruin hairdos. There are clouds in the sky, but good ones; white ones that neither cast much of a shadow nor ruin the view. You must scout your daydreaming spot carefully. You are looking to be alone, with no people around you. They present a disturbance. Shade is an optional presence, but too much could obscure your view. Of what, you ask?

The sky is what. Never has there been such a conduit for the wandering of the mind as the blue void of the stratosphere. Looking up and just letting yourself go in the limitless expanse allows your mind to empty and begin the quest of the daydream. Sit or lay, it does not matter. Turn on your music, and look up. Do not ask yourself what you are looking at. That is irrelevant. Do not look at birds, do not look at planes. Do not look. Just be. Settle into your spot and let your mind fantasize. Ponder, wonder, and let your mind wander. Have you ever thought what it would be like to be a super hero? What would you do with your fame? Use it to advantage? This is a question that you might ask yourself, alongside a multitude of others. It does not matter what you think, but you must think of something. Ignore all the taboos, prejudices, and previous fears you might have, and consider anything. You will not be judged, you will not be looked down upon. After all, who is there but yourself?

This is where the daydream truly allows you to reach nirvana. Complete calm mixed with inquisitive thought about anything and everything allows you to forget about the world around you for a second, slow down, and stop worrying about the day’s troubles and stress. You are truly free of all your responsibilities.

Sadly, this is also where the daydream falters. Eventually, your playlist will end, it will start to rain, a dog will decide to mark its territory, or in the worst of circumstances, you will wake up from dosing off, and will be brought back into the harsh reality: one filled with mortgages, exam results, and university acceptance letters. Fret not, free people. You are now versed in the way of daydream.

For something that is free, it does an awful lot for your psyche. Notice how now you are relaxed, your muscles lax and your energy replenished. However, some adverse effects may be a further loss of otherwise “precious” time, and a begging of an addiction to something wonderful.

I leave you with this. Although time and money may dictate when or how we live our day to day life, there is always one thing that will remain free: our minds. Utilize it effectively, and suddenly the “prison” of daily life has exploded in a spectacular display of homemade explosives.

Peace to all.

---

[1] And eventually, video. There’s no escape!

[2] And soon, doctorate recipient!

[3] Also known as “iPod”, “MP3 Player”, “Diskman”, et al.

DO NOT WANT.

Oh god. PLEASE let this be a hoax.
Please.
WHY do I get the feeling that they're going to be rapping?
Excuse me. I'm going to go hyperventilate.

Shazam!

There's a conference for lightning strike survivors going on soon. How weird would it be to have people with the almost-same story in the same room as you? Suddenly, the originality and luster to your story has worn off. Not to say that lightning strike survivors are attention whores, but you wouldn't be able to nudge the guy beside you and say "Hey buddy, I've been struck by lightning and survived!"

In New York, the city of Tourists, a piece of legislature's being introduced that people that intend to take pictures or video need insurance and a permit to do so, if you're a group of two or more. For people who stay in one place for more than a half hour (which is another stipulation), such as tourists; what does that mean? Will you need to invest in more than a hotel room and rental car for your next trip to NYC?

And what about all those amateur bloggers, photographers, and film makers who can't afford insurance and permits? Is NYC limiting their freedom to create? They aren't damaging anything, they're just using public space. Is that really a crime?