_hojo:hindsight
19 Apr 2011 1 Comment
in hojo, mind, the game of life
“Hey, you know, everybody’s talking about the good ol’ days, right? E~Everybody, the good ol’ days, the good ol’ days. Well, let’s talk about the good ol’ days…”
_If there’s one thing growing up has taught me, it’s that hindsight isn’t always 20/20. Sure, it totally is immediately after making a decision which is where the saying comes from, but the farther back into the past you go, the blurrier it all seems to get. That’s not 20/20 vision. But when people look back…boy, you’d think everything was peaches and cream. “Boy, they don’t make [things] like they used to. I remember being a kid, when people were REAL artists!” Mmmmmmmhmm. “People don’t know how to make anything good nowadays. Old stuff was way better.” Uh huh. “What ever happened to quality entertainment?” I know what happened…you got older. Really not that hard to figure out. “But I vowed when I was young that I wouldn’t be one of those crabby old people that complains about the current trends and how crappy they were! I was gonna be hip!” Yeah…the follies of youth, eh?
_hojo:30/30
09 Mar 2011 Leave a Comment
in competition, hojo, pictures
_Last year, ESPN finished their special documentary series for their 30th anniversary, called “30 For 30.” 30 sports documentaries done by 30 different filmmakers on various events that have occurred during their 30 year existence. They’re not always the biggest stories, but were more just the most interesting ones that the filmmakers were passionate about. Well, that was the idea, anyways. The series finished in December last year, and while there were a few clunkers, the series was overall really good, telling many excellent sports stories that have been forgotten by many through the years.
_hojo:3 Animated Films
11 Jan 2011 1 Comment
_I’ve totally been loving my Netflix these past few weeks. It’s a love affair. Probably my biggest “gripe” is that the most animated films aren’t available on instant queue and are DVD only. Probably because most of the people that want to watch them are little kids and they can’t use the devices necessary to watch them instantly without bricking them 3 ways from Sunday. Hmmmmm…the fact that I’m guessing that that’s the main demographic of people that want to watch these films and I’m also interested in watching them might have some kind of hidden, underlying meaning. Like…people get lame when they grow up, as they either don’t demand these movies on instant stream or Netflix did have them on instant at one point in time, but parents were too big of assholes to ever instant stream it for their kids. Nah, I’m just playing. Let’s go over some of my thoughts on 3 animated movies I just watched, shall we?
_hojo:Various Movie Thoughts
31 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
_I went to go see Tron Legacy this past weekend. I enjoyed it very much. For a 3D film, it had the same effect on me that Avatar did last year, in that the 3D isn’t noticeable at time, not because it’s bad, but because it’s that good. The entire film just looks natural in 3D. It’s just a shame that movies like that are the exception at the moment. Anyways, while I’m not going to go on about the film in detail, but instead am going to post random musings on various films because I got Netflix for Christmas and I’m in a movie mood =) So…here’s some various thoughts on things I’ve watched recently…or films I just like to think about in general.
My Step Mom’s Big Mouth
28 Dec 2010 1 Comment
in Paladin356, Real Life
Im sure a few of you guys have been viewing the twitter airwaves recently. Before I get into this, let me tell you more about my step mom.
My step mom married my dad when i was a senior in HS. As I’ve gotten to know her, I’ve learned, that quite honestly, she’s not very sensitive. She doesn’t have any sort of filter, and to make matters worse, she tries to act like she’s my mother. Bi-HIIIG Mistake! (Scrubs reference btw).
One thing I NEVER like talking about with my step mom is my love life. I never mentioned that I was dating ALisha to her, or anything along those lines. Somehow she found out, but i mainly just covered it up by saying that we just hung out a few times and let that be that. She even had the nerve to bring up the person that I was dating for 1.5 years (back when i was in college) KNOWING that we had been broken up for over a year now.
However, yesterday, she made a comment that was very offensive. Basically, she said that all guys who have gamers won’t ever have a girlfriend. She further went on to say that all girls who play vgs wont have boyfriends. (I didn’t mention anything about girls dating girls or boys dating boys because 1.) That might have been an opening for more problems with her and 2.) her response probably would similar…or worse.
Of course when she said this, I went into full defense mode. I immediately thought of Alisha, because 1.) we dated shortly, but she was still someone who liked me even though I was a gamer, and 2.) SHE was a gamer as well. So, immediately there she’s been disprooven. Yes, I’m not CURRENTLY dating someone, but the fact that we DATED means that at some point I had a girlfriend. Even when i was dating the other girl from college, I was a gamer, and she dated me (even though she hated gaming and tried to get me to stop…lets not go there though).
Also, I think to most of the people I’ve met on Backloggery and in real life. WorldDude and Hoboriss have been dating for a bit over a year now, and they’re both gamers. One of my closer RL friends (whos also a member on BL) has a b/f right now and she herself is a gamer. One of the people i used to go to group with is MARRIED, and he’s a gamer (though idk how their marriage is going to end up due to non-gaming things). And im sure there are other BL members that have are dating someone (Male or Female). So, maybe I should introduce my step mom to BL.
Anywho, I really hope that what she said (or her words through me) have offended anyone. They did make me mad, but I did wnat to stand up and fight for her…and for you guys too. We all might not have the best love lives, but that doesnt meant we wont have them someday.
_hojo:Nocturnal Missions
17 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
in hojo, the game of life
_I’ve never been much of a dreamer. No, I don’t mean that in the “I want to be a cowboy when I grow up!” sense. I mean it quite literally; I’ve never dreamt that much whilst sleeping. Well, at least I never dreamt much as far as “I just woke up and I am recalling things from a dream I had last night.” But a few months ago, that all changed. Before, sleep was a place of peace and escape, a place where I could simply drift into a black void for untold hours, the time spent in slumberland only measurable due to the invention of the clock and their presence in my room as I awake. But since I’ve started dreaming, sleep has been…well, it’s been interesting since then.
_hojo:30 Days of Gaming – One Day of Xenogears + Stuff I Was Forced to Not Answer with “Xenogears”
07 Dec 2010 6 Comments
_I was talking to someone the other day about how I’m just not cut out for watching TV shows when they air. Waiting around in anticipation for new episodes is just…tedious and unbearable. When I reflected on this statement later, I came to the conclusion that my entire life is like that. I don’t like watching an episode of a show and then waiting a week for a new one; I like waiting for the entire season to finish, then buying it all on DVD and watching it in a day or two. I still like buying CD’s not just for the physical copy, but also because it semi-forces me to listen to at least 10 songs when I throw it in my car stereo. I prefer eating big meals every day as opposed to lots of small little ones. I’m better when I play a video game nonstop as opposed to digesting it slowly [See: Record of Agarest War for proof. I tried taking it slowly, and I've been playing it since August. Plus that game is long as fuck]. I read books in the same way, too, lest I forget the details from the beginning chapters. What can I say? I’m a marathon man. So…when it came to this whole “30 Days of Gaming” thing going around, I thought to myself “Really? ONE post per day? Sounds neat…but not happening. I’ll do it all at once, thanks.” [BTW, that thought came before my epiphany on how I prefer everything all at once and not spread out, so...that's another example]. But, as opposed to just shooting everything out right at the start while nobody else had finished, I figured I’d at least wait a while before doing this…and it’s been a while now, so here goes!
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_hojo:Good Mourning
05 Dec 2010 2 Comments
in hojo, the game of life
_This past Thursday, I was treated to a scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner: 2 kinds of mashed potatoes [regular and garlic], stuffing, dinner rolls, salad, green bean casserole, and 4 different kinds of turkey, amongst other things. I had a hearty…one and a half plates of food, having not covered my plate with enough food to hide to bottom of the plate either time. I am no longer a Thanksgiving MVP. I’m content to be a role player; I’m content in doing my small part, then getting out of the way for the superstars and letting them clear out the majority of the trays. We then sat around the table, chatting for a while, then moved the battle to the kitchen, where a war was waged with a battalion of dishes, at least 5 score strong. But with all peoples involved knowing their roles and preforming them to the best of their abilities, the mountain was flattened into a wondrous stretch of grasslands far as the eye can see, just asking to be turned into a parking lot with its level beauty. After that, my sister, Audrey, and I prepared for a another task.
04 – Why all the love?
01 Dec 2010 3 Comments
in Games
If there’s one thing I do understand, it’s all the love for Tales of Vesperia. I’ve actually owned the game since long before I actually had a 360, and now that I actually have one, I totally get all the enjoyment and pleasure people have already gotten from what’s been said to be the best game in the entire “Tales of” series. I don’t know about that claim yet, but it is still very awesome.
But what I don’t get is the love for one particular character: Rita Mordio. In terms of gameplay, she’s your basic mage, and a damn good one at that. I’m sure plenty of people have heard about her broken tactics for Grade farming at the end of the game. However, in terms of personality, she’s an absolute dick to everyone (most everyone, at least). Now remember, this is based on what I know of her before the end of Chapter 1 (I think it’s Chapter 1? There’s no actual indicator in-game). Everyone seems to love her character, but I just can’t see it. The only thing I can see liking about her is her gameplay usefulness, which in-and-of-itself is spotty (with her AI not using items on herself when she’s low on TP even if her strategy tells her to). Maybe that’ll change by the end of the game.
I do, however, absolutely love Estelle. The easiest way to put it is that she’s absolutely adorable. Maybe she is the cliché naive princess character, but even that has a certain charm to it. In fact, now that I think about it, a lot of her character encompasses many of the role-playing clichés generally associated with princesses, but tbh, I don’t really mind any of them with Estelle. … it might also be that she’s got a lot of pink and I love pink. I’m not a girly girl; shut up.
Do I have an opinion of Ristelle? Not yet. But even if I don’t support the ship, it’s still cool.
Pally: Career Paths
24 Nov 2010 1 Comment
in Paladin356, Real Life
My continued dabbling in the world of cosplay might have spoiled me. I love to cosplay. Its so much fun, and its just a blast to prepare a costume. But, at the current stage of my life, I guess i wonder, how can i balance this.
I went to college graduating with a degree in Music Education. Where has that landed me? On my brothers couch still subbing and paying back school loans. I haven’t really been looking for teaching jobs in the past few weeks because I kind of feel like its pointless. I’ve applied to millions of places and I’ve only gotten 1 interview (this was while I was still in school). The district i subbed in had alot of good things to say to me, yet when it came time to hire a new orchestra teacher, they promptly looked me over. Now they dont call me for subbing anymore. So…yeah, its kind of discouraging. I applied to numerous places over the summer, not one single call back for an interview.
I’m honestly at a point where I dont know what I want to do. I know alot of people are like that right now. I guess i have the unfortunately pleasure of being one of these people. Its even worse considering I went to college, paid a bunch of money for classes (having to retake a few) got a degree, and still nothing. I’m not bitter or anything like that…more discouraged. Furthermore…I think it might be the environment or just the fact that I constantly hunt subbing jobs every evening, and feel like i dont really get a break from that that could tire me out. IDK. I guess i also dont feel motivated to do any sort of job. IDK why. We won’t try to turn this into an emofest.
I honestly feel like i should have just gone into the work force after i graduated HS. That seems to do most of my friends better. IDK if thats how things are now…or if its just from the economy. Whatever the case is….it sucks.
Why did i mention cosplay before? Well, I honestly enjoy it a ton. Making a costume is fun, getting into character is fun, and quite honestly, conventions (minus the drama and immaturity present) is fun. Its something I’d liek to do for a while. However…i dont want it to become life. I feel like im trying to balance my worklife with cosplaying now. I don’t have a girlfriend (btw, Alisha and I aren’t dating anymore) so its kinda nice not to have any sort of commitment outside of work.
To be honest, my main problem is that I don’t know how I’m going to balance everything in life. My work life is important…and then theres my fun life of wanting to go on vacations and go to cons. Eventually I will have a girlfriend, and eventually I will get married. Just right now, its a bit simpler…but im sure that’ll change. Maybe right now i should jsut enjoy it until I find my place. Of course, i still need to get to the point where I can move out and get all set on my own two feet.
Hopefully, this means finding a new church, a new circle of friends…and eventually the Ramona to my Scott.
