Ask me anything!

http://formspring.me/sirdavidio


Yes, I've gotten myself a Formspring.

You may now ask me any question you'd like, completely anonymous. And I'll most likely answer it. If you've always wanted to ask me a question, but never got the chance, well, here's your chance.


-David

It's curtains for you!

Lacy, gently wafting curtains...


I'm thinking of rewatching Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog this afternoon, so I'm listening to the music while I do my laundry. I was singing "Freeze Ray" aloud earlier, just because of the first line ("Laundry day, see you there, under things tumbling) and because the setting is in the laundromat. It's weird how the mind works, isn't it? Doing laundry makes me want to watch a movie, ha.

Anyway, this is going to be a fairly short post, as I haven't been up to anything exciting.

First things first: Brawl.

So, as I mentioned here a week or so back, I've started to talking to Crim, Argol, Suichi, Angie, and all of them again, and we're having a Brawl tourney sometime next month.
Well, I'm not exactly the best player at Brawl. I mean, I hardly ever shield, I have trouble dodging, and I rely too much on my smashes. -__-;
But nonetheless, I'm entering the tourney. So I'm going to need to be practising. I think I'm probably going to enter as Snake, since I seem to be the best with him.

To test my school's connection, though, I had a few matches with Angie last night. The connection was surprisingly good, no lag whatsoever. We played probably close to 20 matches, and she slaughtered me. ;____;
Seriously, I only won one match. (And even then, it was close!)

So.... yeah. I need practice.


And now, I must move my laundry from the washer to the drier. Joy!



-David

Team Edward and Team Jacob are *so* last year...

There is a new team to root for...

Team David Hale.

Need I say more? If you have a Facebook, you should become a fan.

Also, it appears that the Night of the Great Shuffle is over, because my iTunes has gone back to its typical "Meh" attitude when it comes to selecting songs. It was short lived, but an amazing experience. I hope it happens again soon.

That's about all I have today. Later.


-David

The Night of Great Shuffle

Tonight is the night.

The night that the Shuffle Function on iTunes selects nothing but the best music.

To demonstrate my point, I will show you all the songs mine has played:

I selected "Jennifer B" - Andrew Pants
It then went to:

"Existentialism on Prom Night" - Straylight Run
"Madi Don't Leave" - Playradioplay
"Here (In Your Arms)" - Hellogoodbye
"In The Morning And Amazing..." - Circa Survive
"This Love" - Maroon 5
"Working Class Hero" - John Lennon
"What You Get" - The Damnwells
"Hold It In" - Jukebox the Ghost
"Far Away" - Ingrid Michaelson
"Six Feet From The Edge" - Creed
"The Curse of Curves" - Cute Is What We Aim For

And then I turned it off, because I need to go to sleep. But I figured I'd need to spread the word of this awesome event.
Also, it was happening to Emily, too, so it's not just a freak accident. You should try it out, too. I don't know how long this will last.

Goodnight, world, and may your shuffle function treat you right.


-David

A few things.

Just a few things, really. Should be a fairly short post.

So, last night I realised how much I hate fire alarms. It was about 10:00, and I was planning on going to bed early. I'd had a rough afternoon and was tired. So I shower, get in bed... and the alarm goes off.
I have to get dressed again and go outside (and I forgot to bring my phone. D: ) and wait around for a bit. I don't even think there was an actual fire, but it wasn't a drill, because they had people go in and we weren't allowed to enter again for about forty minutes. Blech.


Also, today, I realised something about coffee shops that aren't named "Coffee Loft."
I learned that their baristas are idiots.

One of my favourite drinks for a hot day is an iced coffee (with milk) with a shot of Hazelnut in it. It's not a hard concept: You get a cup, put a shot of Hazelnut flavouring in the cup, then add some ice, pour some iced coffee in there, then add a little bit of milk. It's extremely simple. Yet, EVERY TIME I try to order it (except for at Coffee Loft) they manage to screw it up. Whether they forget the milk (which isn't too bad) to confusing it with an Iced Caramel Macciato (I don't even know how they came to that) to forgetting the flavour shot, NO PLACE I'VE BEEN TOO CAN DO SOMETHING AS EASY AS MIXING THREE LIQUIDS IN A CUP. I honestly don't get it.
Pisses me off.

Also, look what I taught myself how to play this afternoon:



Wooooooo.


So yeah, that's about it.



-David

The right way to start the day.

Going over to Krispy Kreme while the earth is still dark and the doughnuts are still steaming.

This will be a good day.

The colour of infinity inside an empty glass...

Whew. It's been a busy few days.

A few things to talk about tonight. First on my agenda will be school.
I have a relatively light courseload this semester (Only 13 hours ;__;),so I have a lot of free time to practice (Which I really need to get into the habit of doing) and to relax and play some video games. But more on this later.

My classes aren't too bad, really:
-Music Theory 102: MWF 10:00
How much I like it: 6/10
-Anthropology 101: MWF 11:00
How much I like it: 5/10
-Piano 201: MW 13:00
How much I like it: 8/10
-Trombone Choir: M 19:00
How much I like it: 8/10
-Aural Skills 102: TuTh 8:00
How much I like it: 9/10
-Trombone Lessons: Tu 10:00
How much I like it: 6/10
-Recital Class: Tu 11:00
How much I like it: 5/10
-Jazz Bones: Th 11:00
How much I like it: ?/10*

*I haven't had this one yet, so I can't judge


Anyway, those are all of my classes. Like I said, a fairly light load. Most of my teachers seem to be alright, so that's good.

You may have seen above that I said I've had more room for practising and playing video games. Which is true. Over the past few days, I've gotten back into Mario Kart, and I've been playing online for a while each night. I've mostly just played with Vaati or on random Worldwide VS Races, but it's been fun. Stuck at about 8500VR, though. >:|

I recently talked to Argol online again, and he gave me the link for a chat that has a lot of my old friends from when I was a member of the Semi-Pros. So, it's been nice talking to Crim and others again. :D

Also, voice chatting. I want. For some reason, I just got the urge to get into voice/video chatting again. Which means I'll need to pick up a webcam. Those are only like $20, right? >___>
Either way, I'm going to be getting one soon. I really don't know where the urge came from, but it'll be fun. :D
And I'll be able to talk to friends while I'm playing Mario Kart, instead of saying one or two sentences between races. Or use it to talk -during- races, even!

Sigh, I need to get my mind off of Mario Kart. Seriously.



And now, for something completely different.

There are a few things coming up. First and foremost, not this weekend, but the weekend AFTER is Trombone Day, which is kind of a big deal. And it's an even bigger deal for me, because I'll be getting my new Bass Trombone! :D
You don't know how excited I am.

Also, in a few more weeks, I'll be coming home again for Mardi Gras. I'll leave school after classes on the 12th, spend all of the 13th helping with and playing the the K.O.M.M. Parade down in Point Clear, and then I don't really know what I'll be doing on Valentine's Day. Rin won't be in town. Sigh.
And then I have the 15th and 16th off, too, so I'll be hanging out with friends and such. There are a few people I haven't seen in ages that I -really- hope I can spend time with.

And I think that's about it for tonight. I've been thinking a lot recently and I need to stop. Thinking about feelings. Blech. No good can come of this.
Goodnight, all.


-David

First day of classes. >:|

Today is my first day of classes this semester. Blech.

Wish me luck.



-David

The Trials of Televisions and Technology: A True Tale

First of all, I want to congratulate myself on the awesome alliteration as the title for this post. <3

Secondly, let me actually tell you the story. It started off YEARS ago, when I first got my trusty Nintendo 64 gaming system for Christmas. I didn't want to have to play it in the LIVING ROOM where other FAMILY MEMBERS would often reside! No, this device was mine, and subsequently, I wanted to enjoy my gaming in the comfort and privacy of my own bedroom.

But alas, my parents denied my pleas for my own television. Even if I bought it with my own money, they wouldn't let me keep it in my room. "We want to see you sometimes," they would say with a laugh while I was dying on the inside.

Again and again the argument would be brought up, when I got my Gamecube, my Xbox and my Wii, but I was always met with the same opposition.
This changed slightly when we moved into our new house about a year ago- the family tv would be in MY room, so even though I didn't own a TV of my own, it was fairly irrelevant. I was happy for a while, free to game and never go downstairs except for dinner sometimes.

And then, school came. Specifically, college. I was going off away from home, and with no TV, I was forced to leave my games at home. I told myself bitterly that they would be "Something to look forward to" whenever I came home, but I could barely stomach my own lie.

I survived, though. I don't know how, but I did it. And then, over Christmas Break, something miraculous happened: I got a TV.

Nate, my youth minister, gave one to me. I was ecstatic! It had two AV plugs, so I could have my 360 and my Wii connected at the same time, without having to worry about the whole "I have to manually plug in whatever system I wanted to play each time I play it" deal that I was afraid of. I rushed home to test the TV (I didn't want a faulty television) and had all of those hopes utterly crushed when I realised that I needed a remote control to get the Video Mode 1 and 2 of the television, which was essential for playing games. After all that effort, I was left dejected and helpless.
That is, until I remembered a nifty invention called the Universal Remote.

Of course, I had no money, but it gave me hope. A dream of a time when I could have my cake and eat it, too! A wonderful vision of me and my television, playing games with my friends here at school instead of studying for that music test the next day... It was a glorious dream, and I knew the steps I'd have to take. Maybe, for once, I'd be able to achieve one of my dreams. (I gave up on being a Ninja Astronaut Chef years ago)

But, a mere three days later, it seemed as if all my worrying was unfounded- another gift, this time from my good friend Macey. It turned out that she had a universal remote control that she no longer needed. It was wonderful! I was all set to head back to school, with all my wonderful toys close behind me. It was going to be a wonderful semester.

I arrived at school yesterday afternoon, and started moving stuff up to my room. Within mere minutes, I had my gaming set-up... well, set up. And it was beautiful:





My TV facing my bed, so I could recline and play video games, BUT with enough room to angle it (Should friends come over).
My 360 placed in front of the television (Low enough not to block any screen) and plugged into Video Mode 1.
My Wii placed behind my television to plug into Video Mode 2. It's seemingly out of the way, but it can be turned on wirelessly, so that isn't really a problem.
My games nestled in one of the many cubbies just to the right of my desk, in a conveniently out-of-the-way, but still aesthetic location.
And, should I need it, more than enough room for a textbook or two on my desk (If I'm actually going to be doing work there, which I doubt- I always did my assignments on my bed. I rarely used my desk last term)

So there you go, the perfect gaming set up (relatively speaking).

But no, that's not the end. After setting it all up I realised a few things:
1) I'm only allowed to connect 2 things to the school's wireless network.
2) I have 3 (four if you count my DS, but psh) things I want to connect.
3) I don't have a wireless adapter for my 360 anyway, but I have an ethernet cable.
4) There isn't a plug for my ethernet cable in my dorm.

So, I was in a sticky situation. I figured that first of all, I'd set up internet on my computer. It's the most important one of the three things- schoolwork (email, assignments, Cracked.com) comes before gaming (360 and Wii).

Now, the obvious choice would be to connect my Wii in the second slot because I don't have a wireless adapter for my 360. But the problem with that is, I play my 360 more than I do my Wii, and if I get a wireless adapter in the near future, I'm SOL.

So here I am, stuck in a debate over what to do, when it hits me. I connect the Wii to the wireless internet. Problem solved.

"But David," you readers at home must be asking, "What about your ExBawx?"
Well, I realised that I could cheat the system using a computer with internet access (Check) and an ethernet cable (Check).

If I enable internet sharing over a Network on my computer, I can connect it to my 360 with the eternet cable, and my Xbox will ALSO CONNECT TO THE INTERNET, as long as the system is connected to my computer which is connected to the internet. I'm sure my dad would be proud.

So, my friends, THAT is the end of my adventure. (For now, at least)
It was long and hard, but at least it has a happy ending.



-David

Oh, Leliana...<3

As you know, almost all of my free time has been dedicated to playing Dragon Age. It's a great game, easily my favourite made by Bioware. The amount of work that the makers put into creating the world and its characters is simply astounding- more effort than I've seen in most novels I've read. But of all the characters, one stands out as a clear favourite: Leliana.





Leliana is a bard from Orlais that becomes a member of the church to atone for her past. However, she has a vision from the Maker that tells her that she needs to go with the Playable Character and help him stop the Blight. So she leaves the chantry and follows along.
She's one of the more complex characters, and quickly become one of my favourite characters not only in the game, but out of all the fictional characters I like.
As she's also one of the romance options in the game, I decided to pursue her as my male Mage, named Polaris.

Romancing characters in a video game isn't anything new, really. Lots of games have done it before, and certainly every Bioware game I've played has had the option. But it is interesting, though, how the developers make the "romance." Most games, it's a pretty mindless thing, with the end result being a kiss or a short scene; nothing special. This game stands out, though. At the end of the game, I decided to sacrifice my character to save Ferelden. As my character dealt the killing blow the Archdemon, Leliana and my other companions just watched as I died.
In the epilogue, there is a funeral for my character, and Leliana is crying. And then, after the clip scene, it explains what becomes of Ferelden and all of my followers. What happens to Leliana?

"Leliana remained in the royal court for a time, mourning. She poured her heart into a ballad that would eventually become known throughout Thedas. But after one performance, Leliana quietly vanished. Some say that the Maker came to her in a vision again that night. Smiling, tears in her eyes, she told a maid that she would see her love again at last."

;__;

It was sad! D:
I dunno what the point of this post is, other than to say that this game did a spectacular job with making me empathise with the characters, and that Leliana is pretty much the best fictional woman ever.

<3



(I was planning on making this post about four or five times longer, really fleshing out her character and comparing aspects of this to other games and various novels I've read that have had the same effect. But.... It's early, and I'm tired. Maybe if I can remember later. For now, you get this.)


-David