Felocity

My computer (Hikaru) was being a bit of a putz, so I had to spend a good thirty or so minutes explaining to her why she needed to boot into Windows and not crash MS Office. "I need your help so I can do my school work," I would explain. System Error: Fuck you it would say back; or at least something that is very similar when simplified down to its real meaning. My apologies to anyone I was talking to at the time last night, I wasn't expecting it to take that long. There is no school today. Instead of getting the birthdays of Presidents off like most of the U.S. we get Caesar Chavez day off. For those that might not know, he created the first farm worker's union. Due to our location (Seaside, Monterey, Salinas, any other nearby town that claims ownership of Steinbeck) we get today off. I also heard that Chico has no class today from a reliable source. Sources also inform me that this source wanted their web site plugged but the source just didn't know it yet. Right, on to other things.

Zelding (DefN: to Zelda continuously) has gone well. I started my Link to the Past game, and within about 15 minutes left the East Palace with my pendant, a pair of boots, and all of Sahasrahla's cash hidden in his back room. I still need to up my boomerang, shield, and make a trip to the lost woods. Kari gave me an odd look when I squeaked because the game started playing the Zelda theme in the World of Light. I have yet to come across it in original form in Wind Waker, though I am hoping I do. Speaking of Wind Waker, only one more temple apparently before I reach another epic plot twist of some kind. You know how it goes: "Get these XX magic items of unprecedented power," and you know that after you get that last one you are going to bring about some kind of DOOM. It's just the way these games work. My solution is to go do any and everything but go bring about DOOM in an attempt to equip myself with even cooler stuff. I am still rather annoyed at Wind Waker's plot, but I am not going to bitch about it yet. If by the end certain things don't happen though, I will probably go off on some rant.…

Today was the day I spent some hard earned money on some toys. Not just any toys. Pretty toys. Expensive toys. Toys with names like "Game Boy Advance SP", "Gamecube Adapter Cable". "Saitek Force Feedback Joystick", and "USB 2.0 PCI Card". Rest assured, they all have a nice new home in my room, and none of them shall be neglected. To christen the new Game Boy, what better game than A Link to the Past? It just wants to be played. Sure, I remember most of it, but I am sure I will get lost in the ice temple, forget where pieces of heart are, and run around in it for no good reason other than to bring back fond memories. That and I need to get back to "push blocks" puzzle solving. This new Zelda, with it's environment based puzzles remind me of the Majora's Mask dungeons. I love getting items, but I am not crazy about their use being limited to more or less the dungeon you got them in. Sure, I have all sorts of spiffy toys, but in any certain dungeon, only one of those toys, often the most recently acquired, will be useful.

The parental things have been well, although I tend not to get home until late in the evening. They are heading home tomorrow, and I tend to enjoy what little time I do get to spend with them. I found out my bro is dealing with girl problems, so I will probably give him a call and talk to him for a bit. (I enjoy the fact we can talk about that kind of stuff.)…

Rumor has it my mom and my aunt are going to be here some time today, where today is Friday. Due to this stated parental arrival, I probably should clean my room, figure out where to put some stuff, and otherwise get organized. This is what I could be doing. I then look to my Gamecube, to my Zelda manga, and to my bed, and realize my room will still be here when I awake.

Jay had his 21st birthday tonight. I will probably talk about the party (which was heavily laced with frat) tomorrow or something. It will be easier when forming words greater than four letters isn't a supreme effort.…

Dear World, It is 4 am. Zelda owns me. I am my Gamecube's bitch. That is all.

Okay, so you can probably take a pretty good stab (excuse the pun) at what I have been up to these past few days. I would then laugh, tell you that was what I wish I was doing, and try to avoid explaining how I managed to crap out on my midterm like a camper in a cybo. I didn't do well, but I didn't do horrible either. The thing is, our midterm was blessed with questions where during the test, there was constant errata to make up for the errors on the test. I think I was using the right questions, but by now who knows. Couple that up with my E-Paper, and you have what could have been a pretty lame day. It didn't stop there, but I will spare you that. Anyway, I finally got to play Zelda tonight (this morning) and got to put a good 3-4 hours in. It doesn't feel like Zelda honestly. It feels pretty linear so far, but then again, I'm not too terribly far in the game. Since I don't dare spoil anything, I will simply talk about the non story things. First off, I had my reservations about using X, Y, and Z instead of my ever so loved C Buttons. I really dislike the Z placement, so I found it actually had a use. It currently (and probably always will) hold whatever item is the dungeon item. You know, the Zelda magic item you get in a dungeon that is always critical to finishing the dungeon you got the item in. This pattern seems to work well, and it leaves my other buttons open for the more complex things like being Tarzan and throwing bombs. The music controls are rather amusing, since you can make it as hard or as easy as you want. Since I don't have problems keeping time, tapping the buttons on a 6/4 for example is pretty easy. Thankfully, you can just hold the direction if musical stuff is not what you're good at.…

I hurried through my homework; I had to. I wanted to make a sizable enough gain that I wouldn't feel guilty playing Windwaker tomorrow on the off chance that FedEx so kindly delivers it tomorrow like they are supposed to. So now it is some hour in the morning, and I have caused the OoT time loop and didn't really take the time to watch the ending. ... I just now thought of this, but I hope it saved. And so now, the quick 1-2 list, best and worst of MQ: - Best: The bottom of the well / shadow temple. Yes, it was creepy, and yes I jumped a few times and icked over all the undead things, but this temple (and it's pre-temple) were by far one of the most enjoyable experiences in the game. - Worst: The Fire Temple. I felt cheated that this was so short, almost as if they couldn't find a way to tie it all together, and so just left 3/4 of the dungeon alone behind a locked door to which I never found the key (and never needed to).

Further mentally preparing me for Zelda bliss, a small package came in the mail. I now have two more official Zelda manga than I did yesterday. I will have to read them quickly, so I can get them to someone else who not only has a better scanner, but also a valid vested interest in them. Young Link is drawn just too cute! I just kind of want to fuzzle his hair and send him out to go save Hyrule or something sort of thing like that. I don't remember if the owl is in Windwaker or not. I really hope he isn't, or I am going to find a bow for him - fast. (At least there won't be random statues of him on an island that foretell of doom and despair a la Link's Awakening. I think that was truly where the owl hate began.)…

Veterans of college know this and those that go to CSUMB know it better. The requirements for you to leave this school will not only change from semester to semester, but you will be forced in some way to accept this change and move on. Sure you could keep your original planned and approved schedule, but it is hard to do that when the classes you need are now no longer offered. Want to substitute a different class? Nope, need to redevelop a new pathway under the new requirements. Want to finish your classes you had already agreed to take? Nope, because of the new pathway, this isn't an option anymore. I'm really trying to be done with my BS in 4 years so I can get throw even more money at the schools in the form of a masters program. Since what I need to graduate changes as often at the tide around here, this gets more and more difficult as the number of classes I actually need are slimming down. Hell, I managed to only take 12 units next semester, and then 16 my last semester. That is, of course, assuming my AP scores actually apply to what they are supposed to. (Last I checked I need to take yet another HCOM class, and there was no point in me taking the first one now. As much as I love English and writing essays, and listening to the oppression in the Monterey region for 4 hours every week, this really doesn't sit high on my list of priorities.) Anyway, enough about my school, you get the picture; just like every other institution out there.

The drive back to Monterey was more or less uneventful, although I admit I zoned out for most of the drive on highway 5. That road seriously needs some excitement of some kind. Because I didn't get out of Roseville until about 4 or so (whoops), I got into Monterey a bit later than I had planned. I did, however, now possess VoH episodes, SD3 music, and got to hang out for a bit with H and be taunted as usual. The taunting inspired this picture, because every kid dreams of a robotic arm like Folken. I have, since dinner last night, been attempting to catch up on all sorts of homework. Unfortunately, there were fewer hours in one of those night things than I had thought, and after factoring in sleep and waiting on the Internet to back on, not as much got done as I had hoped. I will probably continue through today, flailing my arms helplessly at the CST 373 e-paper template (now complete with 09-11-01 image), being lost in my C++ class and flailing my arms helplessly there, and probably flailing my arms in my database class simply because I would have by then gotten used to flailing my arms. Though I am certain my mechanical arm wouldn't tire with all this flailing.…

The best thing about Roseville is my friends, those who also return to this socially forsaken place and make it a common ground for gaming and all other things nerd related. Tonight wasn't just a night of characters running scared from the hordes of undead, nor was it a night of a ogre squashing Blair's dwarf like a loaf of bread, nor was it even a jaunt to A1 comics for their 20% off sale. It was all of this, and more. I suppose when you know you only have 8.5 hours of gaming time, you really move along at a good clip. There were some amusing moments, and through various parts we giggled insanely at pointless innuendo. At A1, I invested in a pair of Star Wars books, got a Slayers OVA Wall scroll, and resisted the urge to buy into the Ever Anime CDs they had (although 20% off of 12.99 was quite tempting).

The fun and chaos ran a lot later than I had initially planned, getting me home about 11:30. It was okay though since I probably won't see them again until June or so, when we are supposed to take advantage of yet another Geekend. For now though, I must sleep, because somewhere around packing and returning to Monterey, I have some other stuff to do. Thankfully, I can skirt around most traffic, and driving highway 5 has become so automatic, I no longer think, I just go.…

Just a moment to thank those of you who are coming from downloadanime.org.

An additional thank you to those same people who are going and visiting cool sites like these. I am certain they appreciate the traffic boost.…

You should all run in fear from my MS Paint drawing. To call it hideous would be a compliment. That being said, on with the rest of the entry.

The computer I am using is not mine, as I have relocated for the weekend to Sacramento. Some of you who live in this area have offered the synonym "childhood hell" which is pretty fitting at times. Anyway, I got back to my hometown of Roseville about 3 or so, and tried to soak in the sun while it was still out. I looked at the work my dad had done with his PC, and admired the messy (but more or less complete) wiring job that had turned it into a miniature editing station. Of course, when he got home, I was given a full demonstration. Some stuff wasn't working quite right, and so I asked him if he did a wiring diagram of it. Of course, he hadn't, so I set about working on that while talking to him. Amidst all the talking, I lost track of time, and somehow an hour and a half passed at my house before Joel called, asking if I was home yet. I went promptly to Joel's house and watched some Hunter: The Reckoning, while catching up on small things. I returned to home for a very nummy steak dinner, and then eventually made my way back there for some video games and a bit of RP.…

Blogging is an addiction of sorts; once you start, you really have no desire to stop. It is crack for those of us who enjoy shooting our mouths off at a world that doesn't care. Hell, I've been doing it since late '99, only because I was too lazy to keep a "real" journal. (Yes, I did have a paper journal, but I lost it about 7 times before deciding it was too much trouble.)

I ended up staying up late doing a Naruto Wallpaper as a request for the guy who runs downloadanime.org and will probably e-mail it off shortly after finishing this posting. Downloadanime is a lot like AnimeSuki, only a bit more community oriented instead of a release site. I think of it as some sick twisted love child of Noated and AnimeSuki, with Anipike as the Godfather of it. Anyway, if you want anime (and have the bandwidth to do it) you can access BitTorrent links for most of the fansub groups out there. Additionally, there are HTTP sites as well for people who are stopped by firewalls and can't use something like BitTorrent.…

Done and doing - Finish Spirit Temple, go kick Gannondorf's ass - Pester Eric to get our only mailbox key copied - Start checking religiously today for Wolf's Rain OST - ... start checking religiously starting 2003/03/29 - Grumble that 3/29 is more than a week away - Check religiously for Windwaker instead - Blatantly plug Tu's web site and welcome him to the portal - Make final changes to Service Learning's Servers - Install PHP on server and configure it (mySQL if time) - Develop web site topic with kids / using the Internet - Pack to go home for weekend - Write script for RP tonight - Find out if I am GM at the Geekend and prep if needed - Make Naruto wallpaper (yay for requests!)

Okay, that list ended up being a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. Spring break is winding down, but not before one last big weekend back at home. At last check, there was a Geekend, which is my friend Steve's term for our weekend of geek. Roleplaying, video games, more video games, and no sleep tend to be the components for one of these. I also have an Escaflowne marathon I wouldn't miss for the world. I long to see that series again. Between those two things alone, I have more than enough to keep me busy.…

Witness my lack up updates. I won't make this too long as there is Zelda to be played. I vowed to finish OoT before MQ, and now I am on the Master Quest and will finish it before I play Windwaker. Even if that means going through my most hated temple / dungeon / thing; and doing so at 5:30 in the morning. I had actually planned to start this at 2 this morning, but Master of Orion 3 sucked me in and ate my time.

Until I beat this game, you can amuse yourself with a pic featuring a wall you don't usually see in my room.…

It was a quiet morning; the kind when you realize it is only Sunday and while the day would normally be consumed by a panicked rush that finishes homework, it is instead replaced by the sweet sounds of games, laughter, and sun. For those wondering, yes sun has sound. It sparkles and tinkles as it warms the earth and my apartment. I broke out my old DOS games late last night, curious which ones would actually work on my XP machine. Thanks you a really spiffy module called VDM Sound, the answer is "almost all of them". With a gleeful yip, I fired up one of the many LucasArts games I had: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. The last time I ever played this game was on my 486 back when Windows 95 was the hottest shit on the market. So let's see, that would have made it 96 at the latest. Amusingly enough, I got through the game in under 8 hours of actual playing time, and finished with an Indy quotient of 610/610; a flawless game! (for those wondering why then I had it on all night, I feared trying to guess my copy protection again.) I am debating now digging up my The DIG disc, just to see how much I remember of that. Digressing slightly, I love Simon from The DIG. Video Games need more mad scientists addicted to strange alien chemicals.

Moving right along, I decided to finally start posting on the HBF forums. Aside from the cosplay related forums I used to post in, this is the first time in a long while I have taken to seriously reading forums. Usually, they are full of innumerable idiots who don't know how to carry on a conversation beyond "ur fuk1n l4m3!" Personal opinion, these people need to be knifed with their network cards. Thankfully, there is a large lack of stupid people on the HBF forums, making it a nice place to talk.…

It's mailbag night here on Felocity! Every so often I get a desire to dig up some hate mail and read it to you, the adoring readers of LiveJournal or Felocity (whichever method you prefer). I can only assume this more recent mail is in response to my "reason to annoy Jakob 312" which was a LJ-only special. Anyway, shall we get on with the amusements?

FROM: Sarah Jones EMAIL: nah, I'm feeling nice GOT AT: 03-13-2003, 11:58 pm

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Jakob, You're so fucking up yourself it's sad. You blokced msn messenger and aim, coz i simply tried to talk to you, well get fucked!!! Then when i comment in your journal you get all pussy and block me from your comments. bitch. What cant you handle what people have to say about you, the truth? You rant bout how some chick was making assumptions about anime and you act if know it all. You talk like your top shit, but you aint worth nuttin! If i was you i would take my head outta my ass and wake up to fuckin reality. Oh and im not goin to even bother paying out your girlfriend i aint even gona go there! Sarah

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Dear Sarah,…

You should not be mixing random search and replace functions with assumed creative works. (Bork bork bork!) I know many of you have heard of the Dialectizer, but I never turned it on my my site, let alone other people's fan fiction. If you need a good laugh, it really doesn't get better than other people's anime stories with a slight twist of lingo. Let me explain:

Sailo' Bish: It's Slayers, Inuyasha, Sailor Moon, CCS, etc. This easily tops the funny list. You can't beat a name like Tamacrib. You just can't, regardless how hard you try. Right on!…

I never right click in my messenger list. That's how you can go and delete people; I never do that and yet over the past few months I did it a total of four times. I want to say it was something I said (because I did in fact say something), but all attempts to reach previously said person have gotten zero reply. I remember the last time something like this happened. I worried every time I saw them come on line. I would read away messages, feel as if I was somehow connected to the away messages that read "fuck off", "whatever", and other ones meant to warn people away. Just like before, I would worry about it, feel helpless and unable to do a damn thing about the situation, and then worry about being unable to do a damn thing about the situation. It was a viscous cycle. Unlike before, I sent my last message, and quietly deleted the name off my list. It took over 5 months to do that last time, where it reached the point that apathy exceeded worry and every last possible realistic option had been exhausted.

In happier news, there was a drive by shooting 100 yards from my Service Learning site on Tuesday when I was there. Nobody was hurt, but they had a city block police taped off. I do believe they caught the person responsible as well. I am supposed to be out there tomorrow to help with setting up the machines in preparation for classes that start Monday. If all goes well, that process will only take about 2 hours. Thanks to work and scheduling, those two hours will be from 4-6, and later if need be. It's fun city I tell you.…

To program is to avoid homework. To chat in pants is to put off said homework even longer because programming didn't take as long as you had wished it would.

So now I have a few new links on the right side of my page. I moved my Cam Portal up there, and added a brand spankin' new link. this page shows my most recently updated wallpaper. Now, I could have done something like my webcam, but that isn't very interesting. So now for those of you that frequent Felocity, there is one more thing being updated on a regular basis. And it is a hell of a lot prettier than my journal at times.…

"Scryed" is on the TV, though I am not really watching it and instead tapping on my Pocket PC screen like a little nerd. Dave's family has a wireless network, so I am taking advantage of it to update today and tomorrow on the road. While these won't be as long as a normal entry, you can expect the same great quality (if you call it that).

If it is one thing I have quickly learned, it is that some sites work with PDAs and some of them really don't. The bane of miniature screens is the fixed width table. This doesn't matter until you remember the width of this screen is only 240 and 1024x768 pages start needing some serious scrollbar action. Hopefully, if all goes well, I will find some new and creative ways to make this work. Currently it seems a stylesheet is the way to go. The pocket version of Internet Explorer just outright ignores it.…

Today was fun, assuming that fun is in some other language equated to a stab in the leg. I left Ethics today with an emotional limp, mostly because as each day goes on, the class is becoming more aware that Cahil really doesn't know what he is talking about. Today's topic: software piracy. After he was done poking at people's reasons as for why it was "okay", we dabbled a bit in why we do it. I don't mind being called a horrible person (because really at the root of it all, I am), but I do object to an Ethics class in technology spending 2 hours discussing a single point as opposed to the larger issue. I would have rather spent the two hours discussing what about piracy makes it wrong. This is now how the Ethics class goes however. Instead, we get to deal with why we rationalize it, and then be told our rationalizations only cover the fact we are bad people. On the heels of this, we were presented with our layout template for the e-paper. Feast your eyes on FrankenTemplate and be afraid. The concept for the template: 9-11-01.

Don't even get me started there.…

I distinctly remembered typing something in here, but in my sleep-induced haze, something ate it.

I have MM playing in WinAmp I am now part of the Funk. I got a little annoyed last night, but we already covered that. Things are swell.…

Geez, work or some other thing like Wolf's Rain #7, homework, or exhaustion comes along, and this falls aside while I get everything back together. It is all together again, well except for all the spare parts I have lying around from when I worked on my site. I decided to bring back the idea of a random button link under the "look" section of my page, and what was first a simple JavaScript thing moved to PERL, made me wish Charles would install PHP on the server, and ultimately ended up back as JavaScript. So go look, and refresh a few times. I tried to get button images (standard 88x31) for everyone that had them. If I somehow missed yours, it was because caffeine failed me at 3:30 this morning and I took a nap at the computer. I have done that a few times now, the waking up and realizing I fell asleep with my head on the desk. On the down side, sleeping like that gives me a crick in my neck. On the up side, I am getting some sleep at least.

I took some time a few nights ago to finish MQ's Fire Temple, and I have some totals that certain LoZ fans will be able to taunt me about for years to come: - arrows used: 53 - shields lost: 2 - green potions used: 2 - times I forgot about the med. fairy: 3 - times I ran into a newly placed fire wall: 4 - hearts lost fighting Volvagia: 0…

When the time finally comes, it is going to take more than a drunk driver in a dark colored SUV to kill me it seems. Either that or some nice little stroke of fate was with me when I made a pretty 180 on the right shoulder, resting between two trees. The was no damage to the car, and the only trauma occurred to my nerves and a my pride. Actually, being nearly killed only affected the first of those. Highway 1 is not a happy place to be at 10:00 at night. Post chaos, I got home as fast as possible. I'm still shaking really bad, and I didn't like the feeling of not having control of my car. For those that are interested, the SUV swerved into my lane at less than 100 feet or so, but he had been swerving all approach, so I had slowed to about 30 mph. When it crossed over into my lane so close, I hit the brakes, turned right to the shoulder, and accelerated to be out of the way. My tires lost traction in the shoulder, and I fishtailed 180 and ended up in between two trees. I placed a call in about it, but since there was no damage, and I didn't get the license plate, I doubt anything will come of it.

Right now I am very thankful to be able to bore you all to tears with my stories.…

I guess ya had to be there.

Thursday night was long and evil, and Friday wasn't all that much better during the day. But when the night finally came, the fun began. Veede the sniper, Mar Duk the soldier, and Puchiko the fallen jedi set out on a mission aboard the ship named the "Outer Rim Job". I will spare you the adventure log, but it was action-filled, lots of fighting, and a small bit of plot here and there. I am slowly getting used to this group, who's focus is more on the action than on anything else. I don't say it as a bad thing, since it means I simply have to focus more on writing encounters than on plot. Add to the Friday night some gaming, and you have the weekend's start.…