I watched Transformers 2. Fairly entertaining. I would rate it at a 6.5 of 10.
Went to Rudy's after. Half rack of baby back ribs, 1/4th lb of extra moist brisket, small sides of cole slaw, creamed corn, and new potatoes. Approximately $18 worth of food. And ate it all single-handedly. Just kidding. I used both hands.
Went to Din Ho yesterday. Decided to try the duck, to see if it got any better in the last few years. It didn't. That duck sucked. I felt sorry for the duck.
A few minutes ago I saw a flying insect in my room. Killed it with a one-handed clap swipe. This is a no fly zone.
Think I'll start training in the martial arts. Not any specific style in particular, just create my own training regiment mixing stuff I've seen from movies and television. First thing is overall stamina building.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Class and such
I should write in this more. I'll try to write in this more.
I was suspicious after I got my first essay back. My first thoughts were, "there's something wrong here." Then I got my second essay. My suspicions were confirmed. The education system is flawed. I got an A on my first essay, and then another A on my second. That's just ridiculous. I am not an A student. I feel compelled to argue for a lower grade. Oh well. What's done is done.
Here's my third essay. Just finished it. The topic is a fictitious portrait of Venus. We could interpret that and write whatever we wanted. Some people I think are going sci-fi. I decided to put mine within a historical context, set in the late 19th century.
The Lamentable Venus
In the year of 1892, I frivolously decided to visit the coast. I had always found the beaches of France quite breathtaking. The cool, crisp air tingled my senses and made my visits worth the inconvenience of the arduous journey and occasional rain showers. On this particular excursion, I found a most peculiar woman.
I had taken the long trek from Paris to arrive at the country’s northwestern coast, and upon arrival discovered a woman lying upon a large rock, looking towards the sea. She was solemnly majestic in beauty, the sun glimmering off of her nude figure as if in a glow. I was embarrassed to be looking at her, as when the eye fixates on a scene so beautiful, it feels like sin to simply witness it. Yet I was undeniably drawn towards her; by the pulsations of her heart warming my body from afar. I approached nervously, with a great fascination and inexplicable fear for the object of my destination.
When I had come closer to the woman, I realized that she had the aura of despondency and the look of pain in her face. The radiance and exuberance that I had expected to find when I saw her from afar seemed like a silly fantasy now. I could tell from her eyes, that she had been crying for a long time. I wondered if the sea itself had emerged from those woeful eyes. Out of concern, I called out to her. She looked at me with disinterest, not at all startled or concerned that an unfamiliar man had found her naked.
“Why is a creature of such beauty filled with such sorrow?” I asked her. She managed an insincere smile and replied, “Do you follow art, boy?” I answered that I knew very little of the art world, that I was somewhat disinterested with such folly. She sighed and said, “Well then, you wouldn’t understand. For it is Olympia that grieves me so.” But this was one piece even I was familiar with, so I pressed her further and asked “Why do you lament over Manet’s Olympia, a painting nearly twenty-seven years old?” She laughed with a sensation of mixed cynicism and hatred. “So even the dregs of the country know that grotesque name,” she replied. Then she began to ramble to herself, as if in a monologue, forgetting my presence.
“When Manet showed his Olympia and Christ Scourged at the Salon of 1865, it was Olympia that enraged my soul. Christ, the image of the entity that took the world from us, called us demons and condemned our followers, he that most deserves my scorn for reducing the powers of myself and my brethren… he was not as offensive as that monstrosity of Olympia! How dare Manet take a common courtesan and pose her in a way that was clearly reminiscent of one of my images. No, no, not reminiscent. It was a clear derivation from Titian’s Venus of Urbino. Like a direct affront, a mockery of my very existence! Nobody else at the time seemed to notice the reference that Manet was clearly alluding to; there was enough of an uproar due to the prostitute’s simple identity and bold gaze. But I am quite fond of Titian, and even remember when I first saw it in 1538. Oh!—What a sight that was! Thankfully, the fools these days forgot the work of that master. How I dreaded the day that the world would realize that Olympia was not simply a courtesan, but a courtesan posing as Venus! I had hoped that the painting would be lost in insignificance, forgotten with history before the world saw Manet’s diabolical intention. Alas! The atrocity was so widely discussed, criticized and praised, caricatured and copied. It was in the newspapers, journals, cartoons; even the streets of Paris were filled with talk of Olympia! Then the copies, why so many copies? First a small copy in Manet’s Portrait of Emile Zola, a critic who actually defended the value of Olympia! Then Cezanne’s A Modern Olympia in 1870, Fantin-Latour’s copy in 1883, and Gauguin’s copy from just last year! All this time I’ve been suffering. I feel like my throne in the hearts of men has been usurped. Not by a god, not by a demon, not by any of the numerous creatures of great power, but by a mere prostitute. Years from now, what will the world be painting? Venus? Or Olympia? And finally I read it in Geffroy’s writings from 1890, describing Olympia as ‘stretched out on a bed, in the foreground, in the manner of the courtesans in Venetian paintings’. The world has seen the connection. They know that Olympia the prostitute has replaced Venus the goddess. There is nothing here for me now. I cannot love, cannot live in a world where the very idea of Olympia exists. I will depart here and swim to the sea of my origin. There I’ll sink to the depths, and sleep endlessly dreaming of the days when all the world offered me their hearts.”
With that, the sorrowful, beautiful figure stood. Stupefied, I watched her dive into the sea. Her intoxicating scent disappeared with the wind. For hours I stared into the crashing waves that I saw her visage meld into. Until I had become so dazed, that I was perplexed as to whether the entire episode was a mere illusion. When I finally moved from the spot I stood, I noticed a glimmer of light from nearby the rock where the phantasm had lain. It was a hair, long and golden brown. I picked it up, and took it with me. To this day, it retains its strength and color. Most remarkably, it still smells of the beauty I met that day, a smell I can only describe as “love”.
I was suspicious after I got my first essay back. My first thoughts were, "there's something wrong here." Then I got my second essay. My suspicions were confirmed. The education system is flawed. I got an A on my first essay, and then another A on my second. That's just ridiculous. I am not an A student. I feel compelled to argue for a lower grade. Oh well. What's done is done.
Here's my third essay. Just finished it. The topic is a fictitious portrait of Venus. We could interpret that and write whatever we wanted. Some people I think are going sci-fi. I decided to put mine within a historical context, set in the late 19th century.
The Lamentable Venus
In the year of 1892, I frivolously decided to visit the coast. I had always found the beaches of France quite breathtaking. The cool, crisp air tingled my senses and made my visits worth the inconvenience of the arduous journey and occasional rain showers. On this particular excursion, I found a most peculiar woman.
I had taken the long trek from Paris to arrive at the country’s northwestern coast, and upon arrival discovered a woman lying upon a large rock, looking towards the sea. She was solemnly majestic in beauty, the sun glimmering off of her nude figure as if in a glow. I was embarrassed to be looking at her, as when the eye fixates on a scene so beautiful, it feels like sin to simply witness it. Yet I was undeniably drawn towards her; by the pulsations of her heart warming my body from afar. I approached nervously, with a great fascination and inexplicable fear for the object of my destination.
When I had come closer to the woman, I realized that she had the aura of despondency and the look of pain in her face. The radiance and exuberance that I had expected to find when I saw her from afar seemed like a silly fantasy now. I could tell from her eyes, that she had been crying for a long time. I wondered if the sea itself had emerged from those woeful eyes. Out of concern, I called out to her. She looked at me with disinterest, not at all startled or concerned that an unfamiliar man had found her naked.
“Why is a creature of such beauty filled with such sorrow?” I asked her. She managed an insincere smile and replied, “Do you follow art, boy?” I answered that I knew very little of the art world, that I was somewhat disinterested with such folly. She sighed and said, “Well then, you wouldn’t understand. For it is Olympia that grieves me so.” But this was one piece even I was familiar with, so I pressed her further and asked “Why do you lament over Manet’s Olympia, a painting nearly twenty-seven years old?” She laughed with a sensation of mixed cynicism and hatred. “So even the dregs of the country know that grotesque name,” she replied. Then she began to ramble to herself, as if in a monologue, forgetting my presence.
“When Manet showed his Olympia and Christ Scourged at the Salon of 1865, it was Olympia that enraged my soul. Christ, the image of the entity that took the world from us, called us demons and condemned our followers, he that most deserves my scorn for reducing the powers of myself and my brethren… he was not as offensive as that monstrosity of Olympia! How dare Manet take a common courtesan and pose her in a way that was clearly reminiscent of one of my images. No, no, not reminiscent. It was a clear derivation from Titian’s Venus of Urbino. Like a direct affront, a mockery of my very existence! Nobody else at the time seemed to notice the reference that Manet was clearly alluding to; there was enough of an uproar due to the prostitute’s simple identity and bold gaze. But I am quite fond of Titian, and even remember when I first saw it in 1538. Oh!—What a sight that was! Thankfully, the fools these days forgot the work of that master. How I dreaded the day that the world would realize that Olympia was not simply a courtesan, but a courtesan posing as Venus! I had hoped that the painting would be lost in insignificance, forgotten with history before the world saw Manet’s diabolical intention. Alas! The atrocity was so widely discussed, criticized and praised, caricatured and copied. It was in the newspapers, journals, cartoons; even the streets of Paris were filled with talk of Olympia! Then the copies, why so many copies? First a small copy in Manet’s Portrait of Emile Zola, a critic who actually defended the value of Olympia! Then Cezanne’s A Modern Olympia in 1870, Fantin-Latour’s copy in 1883, and Gauguin’s copy from just last year! All this time I’ve been suffering. I feel like my throne in the hearts of men has been usurped. Not by a god, not by a demon, not by any of the numerous creatures of great power, but by a mere prostitute. Years from now, what will the world be painting? Venus? Or Olympia? And finally I read it in Geffroy’s writings from 1890, describing Olympia as ‘stretched out on a bed, in the foreground, in the manner of the courtesans in Venetian paintings’. The world has seen the connection. They know that Olympia the prostitute has replaced Venus the goddess. There is nothing here for me now. I cannot love, cannot live in a world where the very idea of Olympia exists. I will depart here and swim to the sea of my origin. There I’ll sink to the depths, and sleep endlessly dreaming of the days when all the world offered me their hearts.”
With that, the sorrowful, beautiful figure stood. Stupefied, I watched her dive into the sea. Her intoxicating scent disappeared with the wind. For hours I stared into the crashing waves that I saw her visage meld into. Until I had become so dazed, that I was perplexed as to whether the entire episode was a mere illusion. When I finally moved from the spot I stood, I noticed a glimmer of light from nearby the rock where the phantasm had lain. It was a hair, long and golden brown. I picked it up, and took it with me. To this day, it retains its strength and color. Most remarkably, it still smells of the beauty I met that day, a smell I can only describe as “love”.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Battlefield
So I had this idea for a board game. Basically, you have an army that is composed of 5 different types of units: infantry, scout, grenadier, sniper, artillery. Movement and shooting of weapons is dependent upon rolling dice. The infantry can take more shots in one turn, scout can move more, the grenadier throws grenades at short range, the sniper can shoot farther with more accuracy, and the artillery can blow up stuff from long range. Also, there are obstacles in the terrain that you have to fight around.
Battlefield 2-4 players
Square board, grid system, 25x25 squares
There can be up to four teams: red, green, blue, and yellow.
Each team consists of six infantry, two scouts, two grenadiers, one sniper, one artillery.
Each unit has a specified moving restriction, shooting range, and shots fired per turn.
The movement and shooting range varies according to environmental conditions and chance, which is determined by rolling dice. All movement and shooting occurs in the up, down, left, or right directions. Units cannot move or shoot diagonally.
For movement of a unit, dice are rolled according to the unit type. That unit can then move a maximum of spaces equal to the dice roll.
For shooting range of a unit, dice are rolled according to the unit type. That unit can then fire in a straight line, a range equal to the dice roll.
If a unit can fire more than one shot per turn, another dice is rolled to determine the range of each shot fired.
If an enemy is within the hit range of the bullet, they roll a dice. If a 1 or 2 is rolled, the bullet has been luckily dodged. Grenades, sniper bullets, and artillery cannot be dodged.
Infantry.. (I)
Movement: Roll one dice.
Shooting range: Roll one dice. Bullets are stopped by trees and boulders.
Shots fired: Fires three shots.
Scout.. (S)
Movement: Roll two dice.
Shooting range: Roll one dice. Bullets are stopped by trees and boulders.
Shots fired: Fires two shots.
Grenadier.. (G)
Movement: Roll one dice.
Throwing range: Roll one dice. A grenade can be thrown over other units, trees, or boulders. The grenade thrown kills everyone in the space it lands, and the 8 spaces around it.
Careful! If a 1 is rolled, the grenadier is caught in the blast!
Grenades thrown: Throws one grenade.
Sniper.. (X)
Movement: Roll one dice.
Shooting range: Roll three dice. Bullets can go through the branches of one tree, but are stopped by multiple trees or a boulder.
Shots fired: Fires one shot.
Special: An enemy that is within the range of the shot fired, does not have a chance to dodge.
Artillery.. (A)
Movement: Up to two spaces.
Shooting range: Roll three dice. If a tree or small boulder is in the path of the shot fired, the shot has been stopped there, and that tree or boulder is destroyed. If the shot fired hits land, anybody in that space or the 8 spaces around it are killed.
Special: The artillery must be operated by an infantry at all times for movement and shooting. If this infantry is killed, another infantry can come to replace him. The artillery itself can only be destroyed by a grenade or another artillery unit.
Game set-up:
All players roll dice to see who goes first. Highest roll wins. Turn order continues clockwise.
In turn order, all players place one large boulder on the board (4x3 squares). Then one small boulder is placed (2x2 squares). Next, another small boulder. Players then take turns placing trees (1x1 square), until all 24 trees have been placed.
Boulders and trees cannot be placed next to the box indicating a player's starting territory.
Each player starts with their artillery and an infantry on their solid colored square. Scouts are placed outside and next to their color's territory box, next to the edge of the board. All other units are placed within their color's starting box.
Goal:
Have the strongest army remaining after 10 rounds.
Play:
During your turn, you can mobilize and attack with up to three units.
Each mobilization has up to five steps:
1. Declare the unit that will be moved.
2. Roll dice to determine maximum number of spaces the unit can move this turn.
3. Move unit desired number of spaces.
4. Roll dice to determine firing range. Repeat for multiple shots.
5. If movement spaces for the unit have not been expended, unit can finish movement.
Getting shot at:
If an infantry or scout shoots a bullet that reaches your unit, roll a dice. If a 1 or 2 is rolled, the bullet has been dodged.
Sniper bullets are instant death.
Grenades and artillery kill all units on the space of impact, and all 8 surrounding squares.
Special shooting circumstances:
The bullets of infantry, scouts, and snipers reach the first available target in the direction fired. You can't shoot through your own units. Units shot by their own side do not have a chance to dodge.
Artillery can be used to destroy trees or small boulders. Unless stopped by a tree or boulder, the artillery kills everything in its firing path.
At the end of 10 rounds of fighting, the game ends. The player with the strongest remaining army wins the game.
Strength of an army varies with each unit.
Infantry: 2 points each
Grenadier: 3 points each
Scout: 1 point each
Sniper: 4 points
Artillery: 5 points + 2 points if still operated by an infantry unit
Battlefield 2-4 players
Square board, grid system, 25x25 squares
There can be up to four teams: red, green, blue, and yellow.
Each team consists of six infantry, two scouts, two grenadiers, one sniper, one artillery.
Each unit has a specified moving restriction, shooting range, and shots fired per turn.
The movement and shooting range varies according to environmental conditions and chance, which is determined by rolling dice. All movement and shooting occurs in the up, down, left, or right directions. Units cannot move or shoot diagonally.
For movement of a unit, dice are rolled according to the unit type. That unit can then move a maximum of spaces equal to the dice roll.
For shooting range of a unit, dice are rolled according to the unit type. That unit can then fire in a straight line, a range equal to the dice roll.
If a unit can fire more than one shot per turn, another dice is rolled to determine the range of each shot fired.
If an enemy is within the hit range of the bullet, they roll a dice. If a 1 or 2 is rolled, the bullet has been luckily dodged. Grenades, sniper bullets, and artillery cannot be dodged.
Infantry.. (I)
Movement: Roll one dice.
Shooting range: Roll one dice. Bullets are stopped by trees and boulders.
Shots fired: Fires three shots.
Scout.. (S)
Movement: Roll two dice.
Shooting range: Roll one dice. Bullets are stopped by trees and boulders.
Shots fired: Fires two shots.
Grenadier.. (G)
Movement: Roll one dice.
Throwing range: Roll one dice. A grenade can be thrown over other units, trees, or boulders. The grenade thrown kills everyone in the space it lands, and the 8 spaces around it.
Careful! If a 1 is rolled, the grenadier is caught in the blast!
Grenades thrown: Throws one grenade.
Sniper.. (X)
Movement: Roll one dice.
Shooting range: Roll three dice. Bullets can go through the branches of one tree, but are stopped by multiple trees or a boulder.
Shots fired: Fires one shot.
Special: An enemy that is within the range of the shot fired, does not have a chance to dodge.
Artillery.. (A)
Movement: Up to two spaces.
Shooting range: Roll three dice. If a tree or small boulder is in the path of the shot fired, the shot has been stopped there, and that tree or boulder is destroyed. If the shot fired hits land, anybody in that space or the 8 spaces around it are killed.
Special: The artillery must be operated by an infantry at all times for movement and shooting. If this infantry is killed, another infantry can come to replace him. The artillery itself can only be destroyed by a grenade or another artillery unit.
Game set-up:
All players roll dice to see who goes first. Highest roll wins. Turn order continues clockwise.
In turn order, all players place one large boulder on the board (4x3 squares). Then one small boulder is placed (2x2 squares). Next, another small boulder. Players then take turns placing trees (1x1 square), until all 24 trees have been placed.
Boulders and trees cannot be placed next to the box indicating a player's starting territory.
Each player starts with their artillery and an infantry on their solid colored square. Scouts are placed outside and next to their color's territory box, next to the edge of the board. All other units are placed within their color's starting box.
Goal:
Have the strongest army remaining after 10 rounds.
Play:
During your turn, you can mobilize and attack with up to three units.
Each mobilization has up to five steps:
1. Declare the unit that will be moved.
2. Roll dice to determine maximum number of spaces the unit can move this turn.
3. Move unit desired number of spaces.
4. Roll dice to determine firing range. Repeat for multiple shots.
5. If movement spaces for the unit have not been expended, unit can finish movement.
Getting shot at:
If an infantry or scout shoots a bullet that reaches your unit, roll a dice. If a 1 or 2 is rolled, the bullet has been dodged.
Sniper bullets are instant death.
Grenades and artillery kill all units on the space of impact, and all 8 surrounding squares.
Special shooting circumstances:
The bullets of infantry, scouts, and snipers reach the first available target in the direction fired. You can't shoot through your own units. Units shot by their own side do not have a chance to dodge.
Artillery can be used to destroy trees or small boulders. Unless stopped by a tree or boulder, the artillery kills everything in its firing path.
At the end of 10 rounds of fighting, the game ends. The player with the strongest remaining army wins the game.
Strength of an army varies with each unit.
Infantry: 2 points each
Grenadier: 3 points each
Scout: 1 point each
Sniper: 4 points
Artillery: 5 points + 2 points if still operated by an infantry unit
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Back at school..
Currently staying in an apartment in Austin, just to finish my silly bachelor's degree. Why silly? Studio Art. I only needed one class to graduate, an upper division writing component. What did I choose? Venus and Hermes in the 19th century. Seemed useless enough.
First writing assignment: Discuss the importance of the antique world in our world today. At first I was going to say there was no significance at all. But I started thinking, and wrote about the fundamentals of democracy, philosophical thought, and rhetoric. Other people wrote about architecture, tradition of sports, and other such things. My paper got an A. There is something intrinsically flawed with the education system when I get an A. I am not an A student.
Then we did research on various representations of the beings Venus and Hermes. I chose Hermes Trismegistus, an entity that was quite intriguing. The Egyptians worshiped a god named Thoth, a god of wisdom that was the patron of astrology and alchemy. Better known, is the Greek Hermes, god of writing and magic. Both were psychopomps, meaning they guided souls to the afterlife. Anyhow, the Greeks discovered that the Egyptians were worshiping a god similar to their own, and concluded that the two gods were one and the same. Thus, Hermes Trismegistus was formed, meaning Hermes the thrice great. But the funny thing about Hermes Trismegistus, is that the beliefs of Hermeticism and the prophecies foretold by him, point directly towards Christianity. He was actually considered an Egyptian contemporary of Moses. Within Hermeticism was a trinity consisting of God, World, Man. Hermes Trismegistus was said to have foretold 'the ruin of the antique religion, the rise of the new faith, the coming of Christ, the judgment to come, the resurrection of the world, the glory of the blessed and the torments of the damned.' Pretty interesting.
I've been really lazy about meals lately. I bought the materials for my sandwiches: bread, cheese, roast beef, turkey, pastrami. But I don't actually make sandwiches anymore. I place some meat directly into my mouth, then eat a slice of bread. The key is having nothing to wash. I've also taken to eating boiled eggs. Just because there's less to wash than from frying eggs. Yesterday I bought some carrots and tomatoes. For the sake of simplicity, I eat these raw. Just rinse and eat. Every time I eat something, I eat some of my salt & vinegar chips. Food intake for yesterday: 3 boiled eggs, 1 whole carrot, 1 whole tomato, 1 slice of bread, 1 cookie, some tiny pickles, a few slices of roast beef and pastrami, chips.
I went bowling last Saturday. I'm horrible at bowling. I think I was getting better at the end though. How bad you ask? It's not even a matter of score. My gutter ball percentage is about 50%.
First writing assignment: Discuss the importance of the antique world in our world today. At first I was going to say there was no significance at all. But I started thinking, and wrote about the fundamentals of democracy, philosophical thought, and rhetoric. Other people wrote about architecture, tradition of sports, and other such things. My paper got an A. There is something intrinsically flawed with the education system when I get an A. I am not an A student.
Then we did research on various representations of the beings Venus and Hermes. I chose Hermes Trismegistus, an entity that was quite intriguing. The Egyptians worshiped a god named Thoth, a god of wisdom that was the patron of astrology and alchemy. Better known, is the Greek Hermes, god of writing and magic. Both were psychopomps, meaning they guided souls to the afterlife. Anyhow, the Greeks discovered that the Egyptians were worshiping a god similar to their own, and concluded that the two gods were one and the same. Thus, Hermes Trismegistus was formed, meaning Hermes the thrice great. But the funny thing about Hermes Trismegistus, is that the beliefs of Hermeticism and the prophecies foretold by him, point directly towards Christianity. He was actually considered an Egyptian contemporary of Moses. Within Hermeticism was a trinity consisting of God, World, Man. Hermes Trismegistus was said to have foretold 'the ruin of the antique religion, the rise of the new faith, the coming of Christ, the judgment to come, the resurrection of the world, the glory of the blessed and the torments of the damned.' Pretty interesting.
I've been really lazy about meals lately. I bought the materials for my sandwiches: bread, cheese, roast beef, turkey, pastrami. But I don't actually make sandwiches anymore. I place some meat directly into my mouth, then eat a slice of bread. The key is having nothing to wash. I've also taken to eating boiled eggs. Just because there's less to wash than from frying eggs. Yesterday I bought some carrots and tomatoes. For the sake of simplicity, I eat these raw. Just rinse and eat. Every time I eat something, I eat some of my salt & vinegar chips. Food intake for yesterday: 3 boiled eggs, 1 whole carrot, 1 whole tomato, 1 slice of bread, 1 cookie, some tiny pickles, a few slices of roast beef and pastrami, chips.
I went bowling last Saturday. I'm horrible at bowling. I think I was getting better at the end though. How bad you ask? It's not even a matter of score. My gutter ball percentage is about 50%.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Lazy Recipes
Place aluminum foil onto oven pan.
Place chicken thigh onto aluminum foil.
Season with garlic salt.
400 degrees for 30 minutes.
Place chicken thigh onto aluminum foil.
Season with garlic salt.
400 degrees for 30 minutes.
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