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Steam ID and a hobby.
Posted 14 years agoSo, I finally caved and got a Steam ID and the free Team Fortress 2. I also went ahead and got L4D and L4D2. My ID is icebadger84. I found out I'm SLOW at L4D when I play solo, I need people to play with!
Second, I have picked up a hobby that is really fun. Yes, I LARP, that is Live Action Role Playing. This is the website for my group: realmsofadventure.net . Anyone in the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York can easily get to the campsite, but we don't restrict people because they don't live in the tri-state area. We have people who are planning to come from Florida (yes, the state, not the city in New York), just to give you guys an idea of how far players come from. Y'all are more than welcome to come to the game and have fun.
-Shift
Second, I have picked up a hobby that is really fun. Yes, I LARP, that is Live Action Role Playing. This is the website for my group: realmsofadventure.net . Anyone in the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York can easily get to the campsite, but we don't restrict people because they don't live in the tri-state area. We have people who are planning to come from Florida (yes, the state, not the city in New York), just to give you guys an idea of how far players come from. Y'all are more than welcome to come to the game and have fun.
-Shift
The question: "Should I critique this?"
Posted 15 years agoI'm not gonna name names, since I don't want drama, I'm just curious about something.
Not being an artist, I always feel like I don't have the right to critique someone's work, yet when I look at what an artist has posted I will notice some glaring flaw that absolutely NO ONE has brought up in a comment. It feels like, some times, that the people that are doing the commenting are nothing more than the entourage of said artist. I hate "yes-men/women" and generally try to avoid making comments that come across as such. For the most part, if I comment on something and there isn't a critique, then it's because I liked the piece, and was unable to spot something to comment on. By and large, if I don't say something, it is simply because I can't think of something to say that hadn't already been said thirty times before me. I really don't understand why no one has the balls to just say what they feel about the piece. I mean, personal opinions about the subject matter aside (vore, hyper, gore, etc.) if a person thinks, for example, the head on a particular character looks awkward, they shouldn't be afraid to say so. I once pointed out to an artist, after fifty-plus comments that were either barely related to the piece or were just pouring honey in their ear, that, since this was their character(in a different style) shouldn't there be something on their head? This artist was gracious enough to admit to the oversight and fixed it within the day. This is what I consider constructive criticism and appropriate response.
I feel like Cpl Raymond Aguilar from "The Last Castle" when he was trying to point out to the men working on the wall that they were doing it wrong. They'd never give him the chance to speak his mind. Again, I'm not an artist, but I do understand enough about anatomy and linework to recognize when an artist has put out something sub-par, especially when they are known for being so much better. It drives me insane to see these artists get such acclaim even tho anyone can see how terrible the picture really is.
I guess I'm rambling a bit here, but this is what came to mind. My point, and question is: if I see a problem should I bother saying anything, or should I keep my mouth shut since most would consider my opinion unqualified?
-Shift
Not being an artist, I always feel like I don't have the right to critique someone's work, yet when I look at what an artist has posted I will notice some glaring flaw that absolutely NO ONE has brought up in a comment. It feels like, some times, that the people that are doing the commenting are nothing more than the entourage of said artist. I hate "yes-men/women" and generally try to avoid making comments that come across as such. For the most part, if I comment on something and there isn't a critique, then it's because I liked the piece, and was unable to spot something to comment on. By and large, if I don't say something, it is simply because I can't think of something to say that hadn't already been said thirty times before me. I really don't understand why no one has the balls to just say what they feel about the piece. I mean, personal opinions about the subject matter aside (vore, hyper, gore, etc.) if a person thinks, for example, the head on a particular character looks awkward, they shouldn't be afraid to say so. I once pointed out to an artist, after fifty-plus comments that were either barely related to the piece or were just pouring honey in their ear, that, since this was their character(in a different style) shouldn't there be something on their head? This artist was gracious enough to admit to the oversight and fixed it within the day. This is what I consider constructive criticism and appropriate response.
I feel like Cpl Raymond Aguilar from "The Last Castle" when he was trying to point out to the men working on the wall that they were doing it wrong. They'd never give him the chance to speak his mind. Again, I'm not an artist, but I do understand enough about anatomy and linework to recognize when an artist has put out something sub-par, especially when they are known for being so much better. It drives me insane to see these artists get such acclaim even tho anyone can see how terrible the picture really is.
I guess I'm rambling a bit here, but this is what came to mind. My point, and question is: if I see a problem should I bother saying anything, or should I keep my mouth shut since most would consider my opinion unqualified?
-Shift
Cri-cri-crickets *twitch*
Posted 15 years agoWas watching an old episode (09-23-2001) of the Funday Pawpet Show just now and almost had my nervous twitch come back on me. Last time I had it I was working for Dunkin Donuts. Why would watching my absolute favorite show cause me to twitch? For, about, fifteen seconds they played a cricket chirping. Yeah, to some it's irritating, to others soothing, to most it means a joke fell flat. To me? Mind-numbing insanity.
When I was just entering my teens I moved into the converted cellar of our house, submerged on three sides in the ground it was always warm in the winter and cool in the summer (Heat sync or some-such, I think a friend called it). Aside from needing a dehumidifier during humid days, conditions were perfect down there. Sadly, perfection turned out to be the worst possible thing.
Every winter, after the first freeze I'd start hearing chirping noises coming from somewhere in the basement. It was a cricket, and a loud one at that. The damn thing would start chirping every night around the time I started going to bed (I know, crickets are nocturnal). Well, I'd end up awake for an hour, or more, longer because the infernal chirping made it impossible to keep from wanting to hunt down the little bastard and rip off it's legs. There were nights I'd actually scream at it (oh other dis/advantage of the cellar was it was near sound proof) to scare it into shutting up for about ten to twenty seconds.
Now, I said I'd only ever hear the one cricket since the sound came from the same side of the room EVERY time. There were days where I would catch it in the open and actually kill it and get one or two days of blissful silence at night. Then the chirping would start up...again. Like an idiot, I thought there was only one. It would start anew a few days later and I'd be back at screaming at the thing again to shut up. I think I actually started crying once just because I was so fed up with the fact that the thing was bent on driving me nuts. To this day, I can't listen to crickets chirping without a tick or twitch going off.
-Shift
When I was just entering my teens I moved into the converted cellar of our house, submerged on three sides in the ground it was always warm in the winter and cool in the summer (Heat sync or some-such, I think a friend called it). Aside from needing a dehumidifier during humid days, conditions were perfect down there. Sadly, perfection turned out to be the worst possible thing.
Every winter, after the first freeze I'd start hearing chirping noises coming from somewhere in the basement. It was a cricket, and a loud one at that. The damn thing would start chirping every night around the time I started going to bed (I know, crickets are nocturnal). Well, I'd end up awake for an hour, or more, longer because the infernal chirping made it impossible to keep from wanting to hunt down the little bastard and rip off it's legs. There were nights I'd actually scream at it (oh other dis/advantage of the cellar was it was near sound proof) to scare it into shutting up for about ten to twenty seconds.
Now, I said I'd only ever hear the one cricket since the sound came from the same side of the room EVERY time. There were days where I would catch it in the open and actually kill it and get one or two days of blissful silence at night. Then the chirping would start up...again. Like an idiot, I thought there was only one. It would start anew a few days later and I'd be back at screaming at the thing again to shut up. I think I actually started crying once just because I was so fed up with the fact that the thing was bent on driving me nuts. To this day, I can't listen to crickets chirping without a tick or twitch going off.
-Shift
From Scratch
Posted 15 years agoI deleted all my old Journals for one simple reason, Good Christ I'm bitchy! I decided that I'm done playing this "Woe is me" card thinking that I matter. In the long run, I don't and I'm actually fine with that. Life's just been all kinds of suck for the last few years. Not going into details, so don't ask. Anyway, I figure I can at least make up for my past bitch-fests and do something relatively productive. First, I'm gonna start writing up story journals, I'll post the cast list at some point so you know who's who in them. Second, I'll try to post some real entries as well that aren't so fucking emo.
Following the latter I figure this works: I'm working on going to school, finally. Yeah, I've been out of High School for nearly ten years, and I'm just now working on going to college. Granted, back then, I had no real idea what I wanted to do, I really couldn't settle on one single Major, and I really don't like going into things not knowing what it is I want to do. Well, in the last year I found a Major that seems to fit what it is I've been wanting to do for a long time. That being to leave a worthwhile memory. Yeah, I said I wasn't gonna be emo but that's how I've felt for most of my life, that I would be happy fading from the memories of this world. Not any more, thankfully. I found a Major worth pursuing: Emergency Management. Yeah, I know, not a whole lot of money to be made there in all likelihood, but it's never been about the money for me. I just want to do something real, something that I can say that I was a part of. I don't like the idea of going into business or law because I don't agree with alot of the ways they handle things. That and I don't want to be stuck with a desk job for the rest of my life.
Anyway, in a nutshell, this is me starting fresh. Hope I don't regress too much.
-Shift
Following the latter I figure this works: I'm working on going to school, finally. Yeah, I've been out of High School for nearly ten years, and I'm just now working on going to college. Granted, back then, I had no real idea what I wanted to do, I really couldn't settle on one single Major, and I really don't like going into things not knowing what it is I want to do. Well, in the last year I found a Major that seems to fit what it is I've been wanting to do for a long time. That being to leave a worthwhile memory. Yeah, I said I wasn't gonna be emo but that's how I've felt for most of my life, that I would be happy fading from the memories of this world. Not any more, thankfully. I found a Major worth pursuing: Emergency Management. Yeah, I know, not a whole lot of money to be made there in all likelihood, but it's never been about the money for me. I just want to do something real, something that I can say that I was a part of. I don't like the idea of going into business or law because I don't agree with alot of the ways they handle things. That and I don't want to be stuck with a desk job for the rest of my life.
Anyway, in a nutshell, this is me starting fresh. Hope I don't regress too much.
-Shift
