My (not so) Epic Day

So, today was Epic. Well, sort of. Well, kind of. Eh, it was actually pretty normal as a day goes, since the earth is still in its proper position, the Salt Shakers of Doom have yet to return, and the Android Dudes have not tried to ruin our Christmas yet. Wait, where was I going with that?


Anyway...


I woke up and took a shower. That's not the epic part.

I went to school, and realized I needed gas, but did not have my gas card. So, I had to go home and get the card. That's not the epic part.

Since my next class was at 1:30, and the time was now 10:30, I decided to chill at home and get my geek on by watching Dr. Who. But that's not the epic part.

(I just remembered that, somewhere in there, I washed my sheets, which I still need to retrieve from the drier. It's so cold out there! Wah!)

I went back to school to listen to Cynthia's lecture on Northern Renaissance Art. Awesome, but that's not the epic part.

(I know, I really should just GET to the epic part, but if I did, this would hardly be long enough to warrant posting)

I went to the gym with Laura to get my sexy on, and almost died on the elliptical. (That thing is an instrument of torture, I tell you!) While I did not die, and that's good, it is not the epic part.

Then, while Laura and I were getting our after gym snack on, a fat squirrel approached us. I told it that, if it wanted some food, it would have to take it from me. And, it understood me, which WAS epic, since I was speaking English (my Squirrel is a bit rusty). It took the potato chip I offered it, and ran off to tell its squirrel friends how awesome I was. Or it just ran up the tree to eat the damn chip. Anyway, THAT was the epic part.

I hope you enjoyed my day as much as I did :)

Until next time, Don't Blink!

Bedroom Overhaul 4.0: The Final Pictures

I could not say if my room will ever be finished, but for now, that's how I'll categorize it on my list of projects. So, without further ado, here are some pictures of the room so far...

Dre Sir


My Manga Cases


Boo Kase


Atop Boo Kase


Boo Kase No. 2


A Better View of the Awesome Rug and Nightstand (from Ikea)


Ps. There are more pictures of the "Artwork" I've made in my room on my Facebook. I did not want to take the time to upload the pictures in two places, especially since every moment spent here is a moment I could have spent playing Birth By Sleep :P

Bedroom Overhaul 3.4: Now With More Storage!

So, for some reason, my dad was under the impression that my sister's husband is the master builder. He had failed to notice that, in the last 10 years or so, I have been the only person not paid by a company who has bothered to put together any of the furniture in the house, which includes the desk of extreme difficulty that my laptop is currently sitting on. I was just happy with my previous accomplishments, but now, I was annoyed at his oversight. And that means I HAD to prove him wrong. Not that it really made a difference. Oh well. Moving on.

Step One: Find the box



Step Two: Open the box



Step Three: Build the bloody thing




Step Four: Move the heavy hunk of particle board into place, and marvel at what you've made



Step Five: Hide the bodies of those who tried to tell you "You're doing it wrong".

Tell me you did not really expect me to post a picture for step 5. It defeats the purpose of the "hiding" part

Photos taken by Jenn on a Canon camera on May 15, 2010, Except for Step 4, which was taken Sept 14, 2010

Bedroom Overhaul 3.3: Now With More Stimulating Footage!

BEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD! So, with this blog comes something new (for me). Video. I hope it works. I got the box spring, mattress, and pillow top from Ikea. The bed frame I've had for...forever. My dad....I think he was watching T.V. Here is what the mattress looked like. My spring mattress, and I mean no reference to the season. I had no idea that a spring mattress could be rolled. The thinner roll is the pillowtop. Here is the box part of the box-spring mattress duo. Here is the mattress on top of the box.
Here is the video of the opening of the spring mattress. Try to ignore the commentary, my dad thinks that he needs to narrate every thing. P.s. There is a difference between narrating and captioning. I prefer the latter. (To those who are confused as to which in a series of items is former and which is latter...the latter comes later, and the former has been replaced.) Photos taken by Jenn on a Canon Camera on May 15, 2010 Video taken by Jenn on a Canon camera on May 15, 2010

Bedroom Overhaul 3.2: Now With More Photos!

WINDOWS!

The first thing I could decide to decorate was my window. The supplies I used were:
curtains, a curtain rod, curtain rod hanging things, a screwdriver, a hammer, a leveler, a tape measurer, a step stool, and my dad.

You can find the curtain, rod, and hanging things at Target; the screwdriver and hammer at Ikea; the tape measurer at Office Max; the leveler, stepstool, and dad in my garage.

Now for pixies!
The Archaic, Barren Porthole


The Magic Curtain Rod


The Dark Curtain


The Mystic Hanging Things

The Curtain Rod is up! (I know, that's what she said.)


The Curtains Are Up! (Yup, she said that, too)


Look at the Size of that thing! (ok, I'm done. For now...)


P.s. Did anyone notice that the Boo Kase has moved? The pics of the bare window thru of the curtain rod being up were taken before I moved the furniture, and the ones of the curtains up were taken while moving was still in progress.

Photos taken by Jenn on a Canon Camera on May 13, 14, and 15, 2010

Bedroom Overhaul 3.1: Now With More Content!

PAINTING!

Here we are entering the room formerly called "the nest". Be sure to keep an eye on the little ones, as the monsters that used to inhabit the area may still be hiding...



To your left is the creature known as "Boo Kase". It has traveled far across "the nest" to where it is in the photo, but it will eventually migrate back to the place it last resided.



When so many creatures gather to the center of "the nest," it is difficult to see the scenery. But do not fear, my friends, for if you do not move suddenly, the creatures will ignore your presence.



The creature above you is known as Fluffy. It is a member of the lamp family, and usually has not one, but three heads attached to a single body. It is currently perched upon the "Dre Sir", with which it has formed a symbiotic bond.



From this vantage point, you can see the bed which is the most important element of any nest. It provides a comfortable perch for the alpha creature of the land.


The final marker on our journey is the window. Ironically, on our next trip, it will be our first stop.


Have you got all your belongings? All the little ones safe? Bobby? Ma'am I'm certain you came on this trip alone. No, we do not have a lost and found location for you to check. If we find any extra body parts in the animal excrement, we will be sure to contact you.

P.S. A huge thanks goes to Katie for helping me paint the walls. I know they may not look too different from the "before" pics, but that just shows how unobservant you are.

P.p.s. Did anyone notice the hole that is missing from the photos? The credit goes to my big bro and Mr. Grumpypants.

Photos taken by Jenn on a Canon camera on May 13, 2010.

Bedroom Overhaul pt...3?

So, I did not forget about you. I was taking pictures for everyone to see, and then, tragedy struck. My P.O.S. SD card decided to "lose" all my pictures. And, stupid me, forgot to upload any pictures from the last year.

There were many coins added to the swear jar that day.

However, as luck would have it, my sister married a useful guy, and he was able to recover *most* of the missing files. Jerry, if you are reading this, what I just said IS a compliment.

Anyway, as I had originally planned to post these in parts, that is how you will get them. Also, there are a few videos, and I'll do my best to figure out the best way to get those posted too.

So, now for Pics pt 2:

ok......there will be no pictures for now....I lied....and my laptop hates me.... So I will post pics later, which means sometime in the next month. Hopefully it won't really be that long...

See you then!

Bedroom Overhaul pt. 2, Pictures pt. 1

So, you all can thank Amanda for this one....Nothing clever, just pictures.
All Moved Out, Pre Painting

My Bed, My Bookcase, My Window, My hole in the wall...


My Window, My Bed, My Step Stool, My Vaccuum Handle...


This is the corner referenced in a previous blog...



My Door, My Step Stool, My Tv (with supernatural...)



A better shot of my TV...



My Dresser...



And a better view of my hole...






Brought to by: My Phone, An Envy Touch.

Bedroom Overhaul, presented by IKEA

So....It's been a while hasn't it? I hope you did not miss me too much, but just enough to where you'll care that I've posted something new.

I've decided that it is time to redo my room. Really, this project all started with the idea of me replacing my bed, which I've had for a VERY LONG TIME. The bed itself is in good condition, but the mattresses replicate quick sand for its unsuspecting victims.

I looked high and low and found a bed I liked at Ikea but it came as a double. The bed I currently use as a clothes storage spot is a twin. So, it was decided (by me) that the room needed to be rearranged, so that the new bed, and a new bookcase (also from Ikea and some other odds and ends) could fit, without sacrificing too much space. So, the clean-a-thon began.

Any of you unfortunate souls who have been to mi casa have no doubt been shown my hell-hole of a room. Since I took to sleeping on the futon in our family room about a year or so ago, it has only gotten worse. Yes, I do mean it could get worse.

For the last 2 weeks or so, I have been diligently cleaning my room from top to bottom, dusting, sorting, donating, wheezing, sneezing, and everything else that is usually involved with a massive spring cleaning. Tonight, I entered Boss Stage: The Deplorable Dusty Corner.

This corner is the one place that has never been easily accessible in my room, no matter how things were moved. So, as a result, it has only been useful to collect dust. And boy, was there DUST.

I armed myself with the can'o'air I'd bought just for such an occasion. It had worked very nicely when it came to dusting the tiny collection things I have in various locations in the room. However the Deplorable Dusty Corner has proven to be too strong of a challenger. I was chased out by the clouds of dust and the taste of the bitterant used in the can'o'air (it is meant to deter kids from trying to use the air to get high) and am recuperating as I type this. I cannot go in there to finish tonight's challenge, but tomorrow is another day.

On the brighter side, the break will give me a chance to level up my pokemans :)

As she crosses the finish line, she feels, some how, not victorious...

I suck at writing reviews for the simple fact I have ADD, and I often have much more to say than I can organize into a sensible piece. So, please forgive me for the mess I am about to give you...

Mark the date: I have completed my first Zelda Game. It was not the first Zelda I've played by any means. To date, I have played The Legend Of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

I bought Spirit Tracks on Dec 27, 2009, and completed it today at 10pm Pacific standard Time. It is sad to say that most of the others I have had for at least a year and am no where near finishing them. I am not sure if that reflects badly on Spirit Tracks or not, as it is the second of the DS Zelda games released, and by definition, should have surpassed its predecessor in difficulty. While I am nearly done with Phantom Hourglass, I am not likely to finish it anytime soon, as my interest in re-clearing the same f***ing dungeon more than four times has clearly worn out. Yeah, I'm talking about the Ocean temple. *Twitch* But since Spirit Tracks had no such issue, it was a breeze to get through.

Over all...I'm unsure of how I feel about this game. I defended it for so long against the hardcore fans who claimed that a Zelda game with a train as your transport would not work well. I figured that, sometimes, in the gaming industry, changes in the gimmicks of a series can be a good thing. I may have been wrong this time.

Curious on what I mean by gimmick? Hmmmmm....how to explain myself.....

Most Zelda games have certain...elements... that are common. I.e. Rupees. The Boomerang. Potions. Having to collect bottles to carry potion in. Collecting pieces of hearts to make a Heart Container. The repeat-three-times boss kill strategy. These are just a FEW examples, mind you, and some of the games have elements (or as I refer to them: gimmicks) that are completely unique to that chapter of the Zelda
series. Spirit Tracks did well to maintain many of Zelda fans' favorite gimicks, and it introduced a few new ones that made use of the DS system's features:

*Using the Mic to "talk" to some characters, to play the Spirit Flute (oh, I have so much to say on this topic...), and to activate the Whirlwind weapon.
*Using the stylus to move and fight.
*Using the Dual Screens to fight from two angles as two characters (almost like The World Ends With You, but not the same...)
When it comes to using (and abusing) the DS features, no game I've played can hold a candle to what Phantom Hourglass did, and I expected more from Spirit Tracks. They did well, but....yeah....

On to my tangent about the Spirit Flute:
While using an instrument as a major part of the story is not new in Spirit Tracks (Ocarina of Time, anyone?) it was made unique in that you MUST use the mic feature to operate the instrument. Let me tell you something though...Whoever thought up this gimmick needs to either be kicked in the shins or given a high five. I have not decided which as of now. Playing the Spirit Flute was, for me, the MOST CHALLENGING PART OF THE GAME. My mic did not always register when I was blowing (mind out of the gutter please), or it would think I was blowing when I was not. Which makes it difficult to play a part that does not use tubes that are right next to each other (It is a pan flute, in case this did not make sense to anyone.)

If there is a phantom puff of air anytime between notes, it will screw you over, and God help you when you team up with Zelda for her piece. Ugh. I've never had a game make me light-headed before.

So...the shin kick is for the fact it is still to glitchy to be practical, and the high five is for making the game a challenge.

When the boss battles are less challenging than the mini battles preceding them, I tend to lose faith in the people who decided what content to include.

I'm not sure what else to tell you, other than to play the game if you can, but don't rush to buy it. I suppose, if it were to have a rating, I would give it a 6 out of 10; it could have been more challenging and the story was not always very interesting. And the Flute still had issues. Since that was a key part of the game, I am not likely to let it go anytime soon.

Till Next Time.