November 2, 2005
Scurvy
Today I am sick.
This happens every autumn, from as long as I can easily remember. Some autumns are better than others, but it always happens. Leaves dry, turn, fall, and it rains. And with the leaves, the rain and chill, my allergies begin. This manifests itself in a nasal drip that makes my throat raw. This lasts for about a week, my body gets over it and I’m fine. In the meantime I drink a lot of fluids in attempt to get it to stop.
When I was younger, my mother would try to cure this with an old recipe of Rum and Honey which I never really liked. To this day I have problems with a hot toddy, which is really too bad because I otherwise like the drink.
Part of what made the sore throats so bad was because I would invariably end up with a cold. My sore throat would turn into a flemmy throat, which would usually turn into a sinus-heavy head-cold. Again, all I need do is make it through a week and I’ll be fine.
But sometimes I get a fever. And sometimes I get the chills. And in extreme cases, like last year, I get bronchitis. I am, in truth, the sickly little kid, but all grown up and dealing with it. My brother has a friend with a disease where he does not heal from any wound, ever. Bones do not knit, punctures do not seal. I have to assume he stops bleeding because he’s still alive, and one of five people in America with this condition. So in the face of that, how can I complain?
But today, I am sick. This is my Fall Cold, and in a week I’ll be fine.
Posted by jenkins at 2:08 PM | Comments (0)
November 1, 2005
Pirate Prince, B.S.
Yes, it’s real. Just take a look.
As seen across time, or what should be across time, nearly ten years late.
Posted by jenkins at 5:30 PM | Comments (1)
October 24, 2005
A Chill Touch
Today I turned on my furnace and lamented the end of Autumn. The trees haven’t all turned yet, but it’s cold enough to feel like Winter. I can still look at the half-barren branches and dream.
Posted by jenkins at 5:43 PM | Comments (0)
August 27, 2005
You Can’t Go Home Again
So I saw The Brothers Grimm this evening. I’ve been a long-standing Terry Gilliam fan since Time Bandits. Gilliam, to me, usually draws out the essence or mood of a scene, letting these elements echo in my mind long after the scene is done. In light of this, TBG seemed a half-hearted attempt, missing scenes, missing exposition, lacking flair and pushing the jokes a little too long and too hard (which might be more an issue with the writer). I thought Jabberwocky was a miss, too, but a well-played miss, shot honest and true but simply missing its mark. The Brothers Grimm wandered, both in plot and composure, and never really seemed to know where it was going.
Other people may enjoy it. I sincerely hope. We’ll see how Tideland goes.
Other recent disappointments have included the Halo 2 music CD. I like atmospheric game music — such as can be found in Grim Fandango, Monkey Island, Myst/Riven and Halo — but this CD is packed with “inspired by the game” music from modern rock bands (and Incubus) which completely breaks the flow and the theme set by the music. The CD cover also portentously but subtly contains the words, “Volume One”. This one I’ll chalk up to marketing replacing the original content, just like many sequels to unexpected motion picture hits. (I’m looking at you, The Mummy Returns.)
Ah well. Everyone seems to hold onto memories of the past; this seems to be the way it’s coming out in me.
Posted by jenkins at 11:40 PM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2005
Lost the Spark
Well, today after only three months, I canceled my World of Warcraft account. I’m not going moan about it, but I am going to go into the basic reasons why. There are only two, really.
1. It's a Time-Sink : This is pretty much the core of it. It's not like the puzzles and quests come to you. This is in part some of the draw of the game -- you have to dodge and weave through throngs of violent creatures and enemies. Will you survive? Only skill, cunning, and the powers you bought on gaining that level will tell! But when you take a half hour trying to get to the place you were yesterday, that's a half hour you're not getting back. A half-hour is nothing compare to some of the four- to six-hour dungeons WoW wants to put you through.
2. I Suffered Brain Wan: It's not cerebrally challenging and it often breaks my "why not?" curiosity. Sure, the most challenging puzzle in the game Knights of the Old Republic was Tower of Hanoi, but my brain apparently considered that to be enough of a break from "go there, kill that, rescue this, fetch the other, survive". Also, why doesn't a crocodile rush the feathery morsel that keeps on flying overhead? There's pretty much only one thing on the diets of beasts: You. The place did not seem to be alive, which would, for me, have helped overcome the dearth of puzzles. This ongoing sameness (among others) taxed my ability to be interested.
Things I Liked about WoW: It's pretty and very stylish, it renders quick, there are a lot of good-natured and enjoyable people there, and it's fun at first. Really fun. But like a theme park, there are only so many times you can ride a coaster, so many shows you can see before you have to go home for another year.
Posted by jenkins at 11:38 AM | Comments (2)
May 5, 2005
The First Snowflake of Spring
A lot of excitement comes about with the first snowflakes of winter — generally kids hoping for enough to close school or drivers nervous about potentially slick roads. People don’t get quite as excited about the first butterfly of spring. Maybe it’s because by this time, there have been flowers galore. Still, I can’t help but be a little moved on seeing the first.
Posted by jenkins at 2:40 PM | Comments (0)