Lord Defalco

Nate won the lord contest. It was by a good margin too. I can't help but think that by getting a girlfriend the exact day it started was somehow part of his plan. It was also the six month wedding anniversity of Dragonrane and Boykind, Adam and Kate's six month anniversity, and his year and half anniversity. If he did somehow plan all this he deserved to win.

So as of when I log off and let him take the computer Nate will be changing his name here from Mike to Lord Defalco. 2007 has been a good year for us. The best part of which was the addition of Kate, Alisha, and hopefully soon Mandy. The latter of the three we just haven't gotten around to sending the invite too, but we will be doing so soon.

We look forward to another great one in 2008! See you all soon!

Happy Birthday Honey

Happy Birthday Dragonrane! She's finally joined the quarter century club. Happy birthday!

Lord?

After we tried out rocking each other last week my good buddy and caravan brother Mr.222 decided we should have a contest amongst ourselves. A competition to end all competitions! We are calling it a King's Moot. I am told in a fantasy book series Mr.222 reads this is what one of the more badass kingdoms does to decide their next ruler. Kate and Dragonrane are calling it "Dorkout '07". I like our name better.

How it will work is whenever one of us achieves a victory of any type we assign it a point value on a scale of one to ten. One being you delivered a clever one liner while food shopping and ten being you saved the cheerleader from Sylar and thus saved the world. We have a chart all ready to chronicle and keep score. The contest started yesterday and will end midnight the 31st.

Whichever one of us wins shall earned the title of Lord. This would apply to all names be they real names, nicknames, nobody name, or Gallant Fraternity name. I would be Lord Hipster or Lord Quinn. Even Lord Jimbo if I so wished it...and I would.

Currently, Nate is in the lead. He got a five yesterday. One of us will try to leave a comment everyday to give you updates. Ta-ta everyone!

Locking Them Away Wouldn't Help

Kate and I were hanging out together the other day. We left the boys at the 'Caravan House', as they're now calling it, and went to do a little Christmas shopping and grab some coffee. When we came home no one was around and we heard music blaring from the upstairs. We went to investigate and found all five of them in Hipster's room dancing around like idiots to the music playlist Hipster had cooked up on his computer. I regret to say my husband was shirtless, had a tie around his head, and was using two wooden spoons like drumsticks. In some cultures I understand I could use this as grounds for a divorce.

Even Adam and Nate were playing along. Adam had a broom like a guitar in a powerslide and Nate was using a snapple bottle like a microphone. Hipster had started it of course then my hubby and Rich joined in and I guess Nate and Adam thought it looked like fun.

As Kate and I have yet to get a good explanation of what exactly what was going on or why it was going on, I felt if I asked here I may get a better answer. So, what exactly were you guys doing? Since when do you guys dance? Or whatever you thought you were doing?

Remember Yesterday? Spongebob Doesn't....

Well folks, we here at the Caravan caved and gave in to those dark urges telling us to go on Youtube and watch the Avatar episodes that won't air for another two weeks. Does that make us weak? Maybe a little, but we're okay with that. Because they were the coolest episodes ever! My mind is still blown from the events I witnessed through the wondrous media of internet television.

Now, Avatar:The Last Airbender is a show on Nickelodeon. It's supposed to be a kids show, but we, the Caravan, all of us in our mid twenties watch and love the show. What we love about it is that the characters will act and talk as though they remember what happened to them in the last episode. It gives a sense of realism that you don't find in many if any cartoons these days. There are some shows where characters are stagnant, unevolving cardboard cutouts that don't act like they remember what happened to them five minutes ago.

Avatar however, does know what happened five minutes ago. The characters evolve and grow as they experience their various adventures and trails. This not only entertains, but teaches. Say, if a character betrays his loving uncle simply try to win the love of his soulless father and then later regrets it and does the right thing, it teaches the youngins' that making mistakes isn't the end of everything and that one should take responsibility for your actions even if there's going to be negative consequences.

One can not teach these lessons if characters are amnesiacs. Without memory there can be no learning, no teaching. Children's shows need to stop treating children like little babies. Last time I checked the rest of the world wasn't. If children are going to be getting their life lessons from television we should at least be trying to teach them good ones.

Elect This Guy President

I'd like to be voting for someone who has some intelligence and isn't so afraid of public opinion that he has to lie all the time and tell us what he thinks we want to hear. I respect can respect that kind of person.

Theme Music

What should the official Caravan of Insanity theme song be? It would have to be something cool, catchy, and mildly bad ass to give people the sense of who we are and what we do and represent. Something that you can see as used as the music to a music video of carefully chosen stock footage of our years and victories. Or perhaps if you can't find good clips, a simple slide show treatment. Either way, what should our theme song be?

I vote the Mute Math song Typical.
In fact I think our artists should create a caravan slide show using that song. I'd help direct.

Edit-The song is question. If you have a different choice post in comments.

Men and Ad Executives are Pigs...and Dumb

Watching Adult Swim the other night I caught an ad for Trojan condoms. They show a bar full of giant pigs at tables and one or two women looking around acting afraid. One of the pigs goes into the bathroom and buys a pack of Trojans from the vending machine and transforms into a man. A man who, by the way, looked better as a pig. Where do they get these guys?

Anyway, the now man looking man walks back into the bar and starts chatting with one of the women, who he shouldn't a chance with as a man or a pig. The tag line comes on saying how guys can evolve from pigs by using condoms.

This is the stupidest ad I may have ever seen. I can only assume that no women were present when this ad campaign was being thought up. I've got a news flash for all you guys out there. We women don't call you pigs and dogs because you don't use condoms. We call you that because all you want is one thing from us. Like a pig only wanting the next meal or a dog only wanting the next piece of meat. You ignore everything about the rest of who we are and just go after our bodies. You think of us as conquests and things to be claimed and won. Once you've got what you want from us you move on to the next conquest. Just like a pig or a dog that goes after the next meal once it's done.

If you boys really want to evolve try talking to us while looking at our eyes instead of our chests.

Deathnote

Hi everyone, this is my first post that's not a comment. Let's stop and appreciate that.
Thank you.

I've taken up reading the manga "Deathnote." The idea is that there's a notebook dropped on Earth by death gods that when you write someone's name in it they die. There's conditions and details to it, but that's the basic concept. In the manga a young, bored kid finds it and decides to make a perfect world by killing criminals.

If you found a notebook like that would you use it? Obviously, no one would ever really know except you. No one would ever come after you and punish you. Or if this idea gets you too squeamish, what if you had a notebook that whatever you wrote would happen? It didn't have to be about killing. It could be whatever you wrote. Would you use that kind of power or would you push it away?

Does happy equal boring?

The last couple months, ever since our post on scars, Nate and Adam have been hinting at this idea. As you long time readers and friends of ours may know Nate and Adam are not the happiest, go-luckiest duo you'll ever meet, but they insist (and they may have a point) that this is what makes them interesting and unique.

So if we assume for the sake of discussion that being miserable and having scars makes you interesting then does this mean that being happy makes you boring? Can someone who has never had anything bad happen to them be interesting? Or are happy, pleasant people doomed to live a bland bored existense?

Happy 10th Us!

It was roughly ten years ago that Shawn, Adam, Rich, and I started the first incarnation of this shindig we call The Caravan of Insanity. Being fifteen year olds it was weird and didn't make a whole lot of sense, but it was fun. We don't remember the exact date, but we're fairly confident it was in late September early October. We took about three years off from 01-04, but just because we weren't on the internets doesn't mean we weren't around. So we have been doing our Caravan thing for ten years! I hold the honor of being one of the original four. Good times, good times.

So my Caravan brothers and defacto sisters inlaw, what has been your favorite Caravan moment from the last ten years?

Nightmares and Dreamscapes

When checking my email this morning (no one ever writes to me...I hate you all) my eye was caught by a blurb on Yahoo saying it explained what nightmares were caused by. As I have all sorts of nightmares I gave the blurb a look see and it turns out that nightmares are our minds way of dealing with mental and/or emotional trauma. Some might say for me that makes perfect sense, but what about others? What kind of nightmares, if any, do you have and what do you think causes them?

I LOVE FALL

Each year I forget how much I love the fall. It's maybe better that way as it makes it extra special when I remember. Tuesday the Earth season of Avatar comes out on DVD. All our favorite shows are coming back for more fun filled fun. Avatar's third and final season begins September 25th, House comes back soon, ER, Heroes, it's just getting better and better! Fall is by far the best time of year.

And what of games? Surly Mr.222, he who is known as the Rain of Lightning, the Carrier of the holy Mind Lightning, servant of the great Lightning God, and Ravager of Squaresoft must be playing a game. I'm playing the greatest game ever. The game that makes me feel alive.

I'm playing Jak 2.

Jak 3 was good too, but not quite as good as Jak 2.

In fall we can start picking out christmas presents for each other. My birthday is about a month after christmas. Kingdom Hearts 2 Final mix+ should be out by then along with Avatar season 3 Fire. How can anyone hate fall when there is so much beauty in the world?

Happy 26th Kate

Today is our Kate's 26th birthday. Everyone wish her a happy birthday. Do it! My soul is a lion. I can make you do these things.

My cats know something I don't

The Golden Compass is coming out this December. I checked out the trailer and it looks pretty cool. The web site also had a game/test to discover what animal your daemon (soul) would be.
Mine came out as Athenestia the mouse.

I'm a mouse?! How did I end up a mouse? My cats are always calling me a thumb mousie. Their reasoning be I'm just a mouse with thumbs to them. Did they know something I didn't?

Try it yourself. Movie does look fairly good. They've got actors who can act too. Should be nice.

Nate-isms

Our good buddy and proud blogging member Nate spent four days in the hospital last week on a morphine drip. He had a rather simple procedure done Friday that resulted in a blocked pancreas.
He said it was a 8 to 9 on the pain scale.

Anywho, when it was all over we had a welcome back (again) get together at the house and I got to see the post hospitalization discussion/arguement between Nate and Dragonrane. These are always enjoyable as Nate drops all the best Nate-isms.

This time his best was, "What's the point?! What difference does it make in the long run?! I'm not the most important person in the world!"

So if it's not Nate, is it possible there is a most important person in the world? A person that the world needs, but maybe doesn't realize it? Or perhaps are we all equally important? But if we're all important doesn't that mean that none of us are? What do you think?

Stand up and say hi

Well everybody in our ending quest for equality, or our never ending quest to get Dragonrane to stop nagging us, we have yet another new member. Once again a girl. Hooray for equality! Her interests include writing, journalism, and reading. She's going to be a senior in Kennett this year and her favorite subject is German. One of her favorite teachers is our old buddy Herr Weitz. Her hobbies are listening to country music, surfing the web, and feeling guilty over her bad handwriting on Christmas ornaments. I think she'll fit in fine. Everyone say hi now.

Can We and I be safe?

China plans to or perhaps already has set up a population tracking system using national ID cards that contain chips that must be with a person at all times. These chips also contain all sorts of lovely personal information such as religion, work history, where the person lives. That sort of thing.

The Government of course says it's trying to make it easier for police to clean up of crime as they can ask the satelite system where Criminal X is at that exact moment. Or perhaps where Guy Who Wants Ciivl Rights X is at that exact moment. The idea that they may be the same thing to some people isn't important. Besides that's their way of life. Who are we to impose our beliefs on others am I right?

Think how safe the Chinese people will be! Crime will nearly vanish if they pull this off. A person will never be really safe again, but what's a person to people? A person can be easily replaced, but people can't be. We need people to work the factories and keep the fires of industry burning. We need people to keep the wheels of society turning. We can't let anything happen to people.

We don't need persons anymore. We have people for that sort of thing.

Is there any place for persons in the world? Or have persons been shoved out of the way to make room for people? Can persons and people coexist or do they naturally cancel each other out?

-edit-
Here's a better way of putting my question as I posted it after a hard day at work around one in the morning. Even I don't quite know what I was talking about now. If there's a sudden plague that no one can find a cure for and people are dying everywhere from then suddenly doctors discover one single person that's naturally immune and the only way to get the cure out of the person is to kill and dissect them do we do it or do we let the person live?

Did China just ban Buddha?

The government of China has passed laws saying that living Buddhas (Dali Lamas) must get premission and approval before they reincarnate.

I...what....how....

Okay, do they expect this to actually stop the reincarnation cycle? Do they expect this to really achieve any sort of end? I realize they're trying to clamp down on Tibet and the ruling party has never liked religion, but aren't there better ways of doing it? What's the government planning on doing next week? Outlawing death and giving life sentences for it? Does this make any sense to anyone?

testing

Here's my ten cents. My two cents is free.

Tis a shame people are weak

I was checking news on drudge and found this little gem.
If people around you are fat you're more likely to be fat. Yet Another excuse for people to get overweight. Their friend puts on weight so they put on weight, which makes their friend put on weight, which makes...you get the idea.

You know guys, I love America, but I have to say I'm really starting to hate Americans. We think everything should be free and/or cheap because we're us, we're getting fatter each year and don't seem to have a big problem with it, and our reaction to the war on terror is near sickening.

Where did it all go so wrong huh? Was it the sixites? Was it the eighties? Is it too late to turn back? Can America be saved? Or better yet, should America be saved?

Happy birthday Jimbo!

Happy 25th Hipster! See ya tonight! Me and the Mr. got the cake all set.

The Truth?

Which is more fun, telling people the truth they don't want to hear right when they don't want to hear it or telling elaborate lies that they believe?

Sing it from the mountain tops!

The first DVD of the THIRD (YES! AS IN AFTER THE SECOND) season of Avatar comes out October 30! And they can't have the DVD out without showing the shows first so the third season may start sometime in mid-late September!! And take a look at this ....

YESS!!! I have to start wearing dark red and take up training with the great Fire god!
Not to say I will ignore or foresake the holy Lightning god, but being well rounded never hurt anybody.

Am I the only one who suddenly feels alive again?

A strange thought

The other night we were watching the Colbert Report (as everyone should) and he interviewed someone who had done research into physical characteristics that homosexual people had. The ones they showed during the interview were the hair will swirl a different direction and the ring finger and index finger will have certain length ratios. I'll give you all a moment to look this up and check yourselves.

Done? Good, I hope you came out the way you were hoping. Anyway, during the Colbert interview Stephen asked if this meant that homosexuality was genetic or maybe decided while the baby was still growing prebirth could that mean it could be identified and treated to be switched into a straight baby. The man reluctantly said that it was a ways away, but he didn't see why not.

But, if you could make a gay baby straight then why couldn't you turn a straight baby gay I asked myself. Then I remembered this from a month or so ago.

If we combine the two ideas what do we get? A self propagating colony of lesbians! Two women could have a baby on their own and make sure it's gay. The girls would grow up never seeing a man, but they wouldn't care because they're all gay. Their offspring would always be girls due to that neither of them would have the Y chromosome that is needed to make a boy baby, but I doubt they'd mind.

So, Kate and Natalie, if this marriage thing falls through for me which one of you wants to have my baby?

Welcome to the club!

Happy birthday Nate! Welcome to the quarter century club!

Manly men and the fathers who raised them

After reading through last week's question on scars it got me thinking about what's become of true manliness. Over the last decade or so what it means to be a man has stopped being what it should be (integrity, honor, standing up for others, etc..) and has transformed into something horribly wrong (Viagra, Rogaine, sexual conquests, etc...) . After I had given this some thought I came to the conclusion the fault may lay with the fathers of today's generation. They were and still are our primary role models and teachers on how to properly behave and bare the brunt of molding us into the men we eventually become.

So, as yesterday was father's day, let's talk about our dads. How cool were they huh? And more importantly were they the man?

Chicks dig scars don't they?

I was enjoying my daily double dose of ER this morning when I saw an ad for children's scar remover. The six year old boy had a scar from stitches above his right eye and he was all proud to tell me mommy that there was a cream he could use to take away the scar.
When did scars become not cool? What happened to small children showing off their scars to each other because it made them look all aged and mature? Do parents not want their kids to have character anymore? Are we all supposed to be small perfect, flawless clones of each that no one can tell apart?
I don't know about you guys, but I'm proud of all my scars. Scars are signs that you've achieved something. I wouldn't give up my mine for anything. From the one on my face that stops the hair from growing out all the way to my pulsating noisy wrist and of course my foot long slash across my stomach I love 'em all. Who in their right mind wouldn't want badass scars?

Girl Power!

I am ever so pleased to announce that my name is Cassandra Ward Edwards and that our newest member's name is Kate! Or KSpyder as I believe she will be calling herself. This site is finally after all these years getting the feminine touch. Girl power! If we could get two more we'll have total equalization between the sexes.

I just looked at the word sexes and started wondering who's nobody that would be....I hate you Rich.

Site upgrading

If all goes well this weekend I'm planning on upgrading some aspects of the site. Over on Optimates they have a recent comments sidebar. If we could get that it would make things easier as we would not have to memorize the number of comments on each post to know if there's been a new comment. There's a few things I need to do first, but as I said I hope to have it up soon.
That is all.

I never liked blondes

Paris Hilton has been released from jail after five days and will spend the next 40 under house arrest with an electronic monitoring device. I'm not usually one to get upset about these type of things, but what the hell? Five days and she gets out? It's just disgusting.

ahk

Best week ever!

No question this week as we got loads of partying to do for people. Wednesday is the big day for Dragonrane and Boykind and Nate gets to celebrate not being stuck in the lovely Renal Wing of Maine Medical. I just wanted to post that video I found on youtube the other night. Who can't love that song?

Rise up and Leave

The decision on my job has been all but made for me. Boss man gave me a week off this week. I thought it was to give the others some hours, but no. It was because my performance hasn't been all that good. He said if I wanted to stay on as a part timer I could.

So there you have it everybody. It seems that my dislike of my job wasn't a big enough sign to move along. The great lightning god worked his powers through my boss. So Rich, what now huh?
I bet we could come up with some pretty good plans, but as we know life often gets in the way.
Perhaps it's time we became Chunin?

Who are you?

I was looking over the last post and this came to me. Rich said that no video games or internet robbed him of his identity, but that he feels good about it and doesn't seem to mind. So if he's not him then who is he? Who are any of us? Are we the we we think we are?

Is our identity a rough collection of what circumstances have shaped us into or is there a part of us deep down buried underneath everything that never changes and can never change? Are we always going to be us no matter what or could we be changed?

I do feel like dancing

Okay so in the last six months I have gone without video games for over a month and without internet for a month so why aren't I upset about it? I feel pretty good actually. I feel really good.
I feel great. What's up with that?

I'm the resident overly dorky guy. No video games and no internet robs me of my whole identity. So why don't I feel bad about it?

YaTa!

We did it! We all went an entire 30 days without going online at all! We rule! Give us a couple hours to come up with a question. We're sure to have one stirring in our heads.

Break

Mr.222 and I have decided to take a month off from the internet. The others have decided not to go on either. This site will not be updated till 5/20, unless our new member posts something.
He and I are falling behind on our schedules of things to do and thought this might help us catch up.

He also enjoyed how nice it felt to do something he hadn't done in a while after his video game diet last November and December so he thought he'd give another go. We'll see you in May!

New Member!

We have a new member! A girl even. I know somewhere Dragonrane is jumping for joy. I think I speak for all of us when I say we look forward to discussions here with you In. Gadget. Welcome!

Crossroads

Security and safety or the unknown, adventure, and potential glory? Keep in mind that glory and adventure can be rewarding, but they don't keep the lights on.

Happy Birthday Adam!

Happy birthday Adam! A full quarter century. Scary thought ain't it?

Evil Revisited

Okay everyone, Nate found this site while surfing that talks about how we each have an inner nemesis that's the embodiment of all our hidden wants, desires, and dark impulses that we are scared to reveal because they might be not in line with who we want to be as people. What's more is that this person/thing is our complete equal and opposite. It's also the opposite sex.

So according to this there could be a girl version of me that's sole purpose is to do and say all the things I'm afraid to do and say and presumably attempt to seduce me to be like her.

First off, where do I sign up? Secondly, what do I name her and what does she look like? If these things are manifestations of our dark sides that want to seduce us then they have to look like our sexual ideal so to speak. I'm not saying they're our soulmate, or what we look for in a long term partner I'm saying these things are like super insightful super models that know exactly what makes us tick and take that special dark delight in toying with us.

So, question time. What's your nemesis name, what does she/he look like, what is it they try to do, and how do you stop your sexy dark half? Or do you even want to?

Art?

AMV's or Anime Music Video's number by the thousand on youtube and other sites. Most of them are complete crap. Some of them are quite good.



Do they qualify as art? At what point does something become art? Does it matter that neither the visuals or the song were made by the creator of the video?

I chose this one because Nate likes it so much. He calls this song his dialysis theme. If you listen to the words you can guess why. I have to say I dig it too.

I just want to dance!

The solution to the tango problem was this. Boykind and Dragonrane have different schedules and the only real time they spend together they like spending relaxing and hanging out with the rest of us. There is little time for tango lessons. So how do they learn to tango?

They get me to teach them. Rich volunteered, but a little too loudly for Boykind's tastes so I was tapped for the mission. I have more experience with the type of precision movement that it takes so on Dragonrane's days off I dance with her and then I dance with Boykind on his days off.

The other three are undecided if I do his or her part better. That's why we haven't been posting this last couple weeks. We just want to dance.

Nice simple picture

Hey guys, if you gave both of them in the picture hair cuts and who does this remind you of?

Wedding Question

I want to wear a dark red nearly black dress and at somepoint during the dancing do a tango to Freak on a Leash by Korn. Other parties want something shall we say...more traditional. How completely cool would my idea be? And isn't my day too?

The song in question.

As far as what would people think for god's sake we call ourselves the Caravan of Insanity! I may be the little heard voice of reason around here, but that's just because of what I'm up against. I swear there are times when the Unabomber could be the voice of reason with these guys.

I'm not saying I want a complete insane overly goth wedding. I'd just like some touches that show our personality. I'm all on board for the Filter songs. Really.

There's no time

Daylight savings time (a useless thing to begin with) is being pushed ahead because people think
it will do something. What the fuck?! Thoughts...

The Gays

Tuesday I went with Nate to his month checkup. The receptionist had a soap opera on (Passions, if you're curious) and there in one of the scenes there was a guy getting out of the shower and talking to someone in bed. The person in bed was under blankets and wasn't talking so you couldn't see or know who it was. I'm sure the shocking truth will come out during sweeps.
The shower guy starts talking and we discover the person in bed is another man. Shower man starts explaining how this was just about sex for him and he can't return Mr. Bed's feelings. He goes on to explain how this is the last time and love can only exist between a man and woman.
He might have talked about how he needed to refocus on his wife or girlfriend nurses were talking a lot so I missed some.
First off, how much was that guy in denial huh? Perfectly okay with having sex with another guy, but acts like he's not gay? What's up with that? Secondly, and more to my point, I want to talk about gay people. Not being gay or having any gay friends I admit I may be sheltered.
Are people born gay? Are they made gay by upbringing or circumstances? Is there a definate line someone has to cross in order to be considered gay? Should the drunk college girl who makes out with other drunk college girls for fun be considered gay and the lonely girl who sits in the back during math and secretly wishes she could kiss the girl up front but never acts on it not gay? Is love love whoever does it or is man/woman love somehow a better type of love than man/man or woman/woman?
I hope we can actually discuss this and not just give two line platitudes. I have to say that damn soap really got me thinking. Not enough thankfully to watch it regularly though.

What was I saying again?

I was going to post something about something, but by the time I got done signing up for the
new blogger account I had forgotten. It might have something to do with Robbie Williams.
Any ideas?

Update: We'll go with this, what does phrase 'face is a map of the world' mean? It's in two songs I heard yesterday. Both songs repeat it a couple times in a row like they really want to get the point across. Also they're talking about someone of the same sex so I think it's something to admire in a platonic sense.

Cleaning up gender roles

Well everyone, I'm happy to finally let you all know that after June 6 I will be Cassandra Ward Edwards! After we get married we plan on moving out of our present place of residence, which is the nice large house we rent with Adam, Rich, and James. This morning James suddenly realized that if I move out no one will be around to clean. Yes, I do most if not all the cleaning in the house.

So today I started teaching how to clean. I began them with the bathroom. Just the shower and mopping the floor. I figure if I get through the real hard yucky stuff first they'll not be as grossed out when we get to the kitchen.

So, having said all that we now come to the question discussion part of the post. Why are women always doing the cleaning? Men will see the dirt just not care. Is it a guy thing I can never understand? When I move out with Shawn is anything ever going to get cleaned around here?

Are we running out of new?

I was looking through the sections of books at the new borders express in town and, as they tend to, a thought struck me. There seemed to be lot's of the same novel with different names.
For example, I saw at least five books with bare middrift and breasted girl on the cover about
said girl isn't normal because she deals with hidden underworld of werewolves and vampires.
Reading the backs you see that some details differ. In this one she has to stop war, this one has to find artifact, here she has to navigate old familes and rescue young boy.
Is this just a trend I'm seeing and next month it will be everything with dragons or are ideas simply becoming overused because fresh ideas are hard to come up with? I can come up with original story ideas that have nothing to do with werewolves or vampires or wizards or elves or any of that. Is it so hard to find something new?

Another plan shot

About two weeks ago I told the boys that if they gave up their $2 iced tea everyday (that's eight bucks a day, $56 a week!) and put aside the money after two weeks they would have 108 dollars they could spend on something expensive they wanted. It took a little bit of doing, but I got them to go along with it.
The first few days were fine, but then they all started headaches and acting extra grumpy and craby. We saved about $80. Mr.222 and Hipster gave in first after three days. Boykind was next a day later then finally Headmaster.
They each bought themselves an extra large snapple and explained how it was something expensive they wanted. For once I have agree. Eight dollars a day is worth them being happy.
Mr.222 has already snapped back to his usual self. He's taking a break from games to work on his chinese.
Is there a lesson here? Anyone? Anyone at all?

Commercial vs Good

I was visiting Nate at work trying to find a good cd today and I was overwhelmed by all the crap that's hyped and how good stuff is barely stocked. What's up with that? Can something still be good and commercial? And why is it 'offical good' seems to always be whiny twenty something guy whining/mumbling into a microphone? Am I just getting old? Is that it? Is that why Fallout Boy sucks? Would music be better if I was a brain dead teenager wearing black eye shadow and t shirt that said "You don't own me"?

The Absurdity Point?

I was playing FF12 last night and I felt cheapened. There's no story difficulty to this game. In the old days of RPGs there were parts where you had no idea where to go and you had to wander around for while til you either accidentally found where yo were supposed to be or remembered that vague clue some minor said fifteen game hours ago.
FF12 though has a map with a giant red X on where you should be and an explaination at the bottom of what is there.
My question. Are things being made easier for everyone on purpose by 'The Man' or am I simply reaching the Absurdity Point*?

*Absurdity Point-a point in which a person becomes so skilled and versed in something that it no longer holds any challenge. You become so good, it's absurd.
Developed in late 90's by Edmont Inc.