Much belated update	December 31 2003, 12:28 am
Whoa. . . things get busy and I guess this got pushed down the priority list. Anyways, much has transpired since I last updated: Evil Twin made a quick visit before heading home for Christmas. I've been swamped at Best Buy for the past several weeks, and it doesn't look like its ending anytime soon. Yan Yan and I have been spending much time together now that she's on Winter Break and doesn't have to deal with classes anymore. We watched The Return of the King, and I intend to get the final Special Extended Edition installment of the trilogy (much battle sequences, muwahahaha). I finally found a set of forks to refit Shadow Phoenix with, but they need some work before I can mount them. It'll be fun. . . I think. Shrew has begun his exile in India. . . due to his bad luck with visas and immigration. Best guess is he'll return in nine months, assuming everything goes well. There goes my sparring partner in Settlers of Cataan. Now there's no one who's willing to risk everything just to steal my knight (interesting story about that). I think that wraps about everything up. . . I can't think of anything else at the moment. But I figured I'd get at least one more update in before the end of 2003. Man. . . its been a year already. . . But I have miles to go before I can rest, And miles to go before I can sleep.
Posted by: Paladin

The Last Samurai	December 8 2003, 05:32 pm
We went out to see the Last Samurai before the ACM Holiday Party on Saturday, and I must say it is one of the best films I've seen in the past several years. The film was not heavily drenched with action sequences (although it had a healthy dose of it), and it focused more on character developement than what the previews hinted at. Tom Cruise pulled off a surprisingly good job as the American outcast, but Ken Watanabe was by far the best actor in the movie, rendering a near perfect presentation of a feudal shogun. Overall, the movie delivered an outstanding visual and aural experience, tempered by the realistic descriptions of feudal japanese social orders. Those with the faint of heart are advised not to see it, as the price of honor is high indeed. The melodramatic ACM Holiday party provided a proper balance to the evening. Much laughter and camradarie ensued. . . although with the bulk of the senior officers graduating (with whom I'm most familiar with), chances are it'll be the last Holiday Party I spend with them. Its been fun though. . . Quincy XII decided to commit suicide for some reason last night. The operating system was rendered inoperable somehow, although none of the hardware components were affected. I'm currently in the process of rebuilding XII, but was rather annoyed by the whole thing. Thankfully Yan Yan was beside me the whole time keeping check on my sanity level. She's been such a sweetie to me. . . I don't know what I'd do without her. . .
Posted by: Paladin

Space Lion	December 3 2003, 01:20 pm
Those who know me really well knows that I frequently listen to tunes/themes/music picked up from various anime series that I watch. Some of them are fairly decent, evoking lots of adrenaline. Others are a bit more nostalgic, which has good rythym and a subtle strength that delivers a smooth melody that is pleasing to the ear. And then there's Space Lion, from Cowboy Bebop. Aside from the episodes (a two-part series, Jupiter Jazz) it was taken from, which was very very sentimental to begin with, it is one of the very few that I find truly memorable. The sensuous saxaphone which produces the baleful tone that reminds one of their love, combined with the subtle but continous background tone evokes a slight sense of longing as well as a hint of nostalgia. Neither of which is overwhelming, which is a good thing. I won't talk about the episodes in question, because I don't want to ruin the experience for anyone who hasn't watched Cowboy Bebop yet. Its a good series overall. Watch it. On a slightly related note, I must find a way to use this song in the Brigade movie (probably as a ending theme). . . its too good to pass up.
Posted by: Paladin

Rebates Galore. . .	December 1 2003, 09:36 pm
While I understand the necessity of rebates from a Marketing standpoint, I still hate them to no end. Not because I never get them back, but because of the amount of paperwork I have to go through. Geez. . . just think of the number of trees we could save by NOT having to print out these rebates. . . The total tally for Black Friday finally came in. Of the ~$400 I spent on that ungodly day, I might be able to get ~$260 of it back. Which isn't all that bad, considering. Granted. . . I'd have to wait 2-3 months before I ever see the checks. . . grrrr. . .
Posted by: Paladin