Harakiri

I'm actually genuinely excited for a Sonic game for the first time in God knows how many years. I've played all the Sonic games (my friend always gets them first day and I go over to his house so we can see how bad it is), and Sonic Colors was actually really good, which surprised the crap out of me. This looks pretty good as well, though we all know that 3D sonic can lead to problems. I don't see how Sonic Team could screw up 2D Sonic. Hopefully we aren't going to find out there's some sort of gimmick later on. Otherwise, I'm going to add this to my list of "Maybes'".

Yeah, I agreed with most of those. I hate loud girls, the kind that have to let everyone in on whatever they're talking about when I could give a crap less.

I got bored about a hundred pages through it just because of all the description, and as you stated, I can't invest myself in any character. A big part of me finishing a book is being invested in the main character(s) and I just can't do so with Game of Thrones, so I threw it in the "Turn Into The Used Bookstore" pile and started up on Shike, which has so far been very promising.

Here's a fun story about my high school. We're having so many budget cuts and our test scores are so low that we are apparently in the red zone. So what does the honorable and righteous school board who cares about my future do? 1. Stops Early Bird-Early bird is an hour before school and allows us to take PE or ROTC to open up an hour for an elective. We don't have this anymore, thus stopping students from failing electives. 2. Makes PE A Full Credit Class That Counts Toward GPA And Class Rank-Thus, with my A in PE, my GPA looks better, and the overall GPA's of everyone in the school looks good. 3. Recommends We Take Two PE Classes- Yes, in order to make themselves look better, the district recommends we take two hours of PE. 4. Dropping People With Less Than A B From Enriched Courses- In order for grades and GPA's to be better, people with C's, D's or F's in enriched courses are automatically put to basic classes, which are now called "regular" courses so that enriched kids don't feel like they're losing out. Now enriched kids with C's will get A's in basic because the work is way to freaking easy. 5. Study Hall Counts As A Class- The past few years study hall has not counted for anything and was just an hour where people who didn't take an elective went. Now, they get credit for it and it's called "Study Skills" to make it sounds like they're actually learning and not slacking off and getting credit for it. All so the schoolboard can say "Hey, GPA and test scores have vastly improved now! Isn't that great!" Then the lady in charge can go back to the state she comes from, get a better job than administrator, and say she made our test scores and GPA's better by making us take shortcuts. People with C's in enriched classes can't continue enriched courses, but they can do Advanced Placement college level courses if they wish. That makes a lot of sense. That's what I'm doing though for my history classes, not because of bad grades in history, but because college credit is nice and the only way to take European History is through AP. So anyway, the school board are idiots. I hate my school district. They pink slip tons of teachers yet bus kids from the south side up to the north side schools on a daily basis.They can't manage money, nor care about the welfare of the students once they leave the district and go to college.

you're not missed, don't worry ;) aha Ouch buddy, I thought we had gotten over our differences in the rants forum by now. I think he's joking around :P It's hard to tell with Gid :P

Started "A Game of Thrones" tonight. The past eleven pages have been good, so I expect the rest of it to be pretty good.

you're not missed, don't worry ;) aha Ouch buddy, I thought we had gotten over our differences in the rants forum by now.

I've never quite figured it out, but it's a fun little distraction.

I'm trying to finish all of the Brad Thor thrillers. I'm currently on book five: Takedown. A great series of thrillers with some of the most original ideas in the genre. Fantastic action. After that I have a whole load of stuff to read. I have the Shike Duology by Robert Shea, which is something about ancient Japan and looks pretty good. Then a couple Stephen King books. I'm probably going to read A Game of Thrones first though since the TV series is coming out and I can't believe I haven't read the series yet. Then The Scar by China Meville. After that I'm gonna read some classic Chinese literature, and then Neal Stephenson, Takeshi Kovacs, and William Gibson cyberpunk. That should last me to summer break :D

I'm thinking about grabbing a Kobo reader (Border's reader). They're a hundred bucks and seem to do just as well as the Nook minus slower page turning. Thinking about getting that as an early birthday present so I can start reading all those wonderful cyberpunk and steampunk books I've never been able to get a hold of...

They never finished Samurai Jack. I was waiting for the movie they said they were making to finish the series, but it never came. Otherwise a lot of anime is ended halfway through the storyline because it isn't doing well, things like Bobobo, Shaman King, and Inuyasha. You have to read the manga if you really want to see the ending.

Wasn't Berserk the manga with the tree with babies hanging by their umbilical cords in it? I never really got into it because I hated when it went to the main guy as a kid.

That's probably the funniest thing I have ever read on TIF. Thank you good sir xD

I think the only game I've beaten this year has been Resident Evil 5. I haven't played too many games lately :(

I feel like I'm kind of old school. I just came back after being inactive for a few months as well...Kinda forgot about TIF.

I will admit I am a furry to some extent. I am not in anyway a fursuiter or anything that far. I find people who do that taking it too far, kind of creepy, and weird. But I do find myself liking anthropomorphic talking animal chicks. This is probably a natural reaction to the fact that I grew up with this kind of stuff. I watched a lot of shows with talking, walking animals. Animals with human characteristics. Looney Toons, Animaniacs, Sonic Underground, Tiny Toons, among others. I also played Sonic, Bubsy, and stuff like that. I just grew up with the stuff so my mind finds it OK to think anthropomorphic cats are cute. And I have quite a few friends like that as well, we just grew up with it and it's just kind of stuck. I talked with a fursuiter before and they said that wearing a fursuit makes them feel more alive, let's them escape reality and really pretend they are what they were born to be. The problem being, I don't think anyone was meant to be a walking, talking dog with giant anime eyes. But to each their own I guess. It's just the fact that people look at the far extreme and characterize people by that far extreme. Most furries are not in suits. I can say that for a fact. The fursuiters are completely different from people who have my friend and myself's furry level.

I'm currently reading through the Scot Harvath thrillers by Brad Thor. Not bad, and certainly good thrillers, but I just see that most thrillers concerning spies and America are so patriotic and in your face about it without trying to be. "Save the president" "Kill the Muslim extremists" "Stop nuclear missiles from entering the states"! It's always something very patriotic about them that seems to be a message to other countries not to screw with America because we have fictional spies and secret service members who will stop them in the nick of time. As much as I say about that, I still enjoy them. They're my favorite genre just because I enjoy globe-trekking and good shootouts and action. And I love the political aspects and history and everything that goes with them. The new Dresden book has been pushed back and it'll be a month before the next Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase novel comes out (The cheesiest, most action packed series of crap reads in the history of awesome), so I've got some time to blow. Still have to read The Secret Soldier by Alex Berenson though. I remember emailing the guy back when his first book came out. I was in seventh grade and I read his book The Faithful Spy, which remains one of the best spy books I've ever read, and he was surprised as hell that I was my age and read it and understood it. He gave me some writing tips I've taken to heart ever since.

I'm currently running through the Nightside series by Simon R. Green. Not as good as the Dresden Files, but still decent. Also half reading the Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice kid series that I haven't read in maybe seven or eight years. Brings back good memories. And unlike a lot of the kids books I read back in the day, these are actually readable.

I made it halfway through Deus Ex but needed to take a break for a while. It's sooooo long. Playing Mass Effect 2 on the PS3. It's fun. I'm doing all a lot of the side crap before I actually follow through the story though.

Almost half done with Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson after a week of reading it. It's long. But I'm also sick and have no want to read absolutely anything at the moment. Great book though, the whole Malazan series is still my favorite fantasy stuff.

I beat ACB a few weeks ago. It was alright, not my favorite game, but not bad. I beat GTAIV about a week ago. It was a good game, the ending was a bit anticlimactic though. I was at Slackers and got a good idea on a game. I decided to become a total masochist and play Demons Souls. My God, the game is hard, I mean, even harder than the press made it sound. The whole game works against you. But it is really fun to play. I beat the boss of level 1-1 pretty easily, but the sheer fact I beat him made me feel really accomplished. It gives you really good feelings. I am really enjoying it. I mean, it can be frustrating when you die cheaply, or the game just completely screws you over, but it really is fun gameplay-wise, and makes me feel more masculine than I am with every few steps I don't die.

I love my girlfriend. I mean seriously, I've never felt this way about anyone. The problem is she's always busy and we've dated for a month and the only time we've actually talked or anything outside of school, I.E went on a date, is when I went to her house and we hung out. I keep asking if she wants to go do stuff but she's just really busy and that's the problem I'm having. Despite the fact we love each other, we really haven't been able to establish much because we really don't go out and do anything. I mean, I haven't even been able to give her her Christmas present yet, which is mostly because I had Bronchitis all last week, but I'm still wondering how we can go out and do anything when something always gets in the way. It's hard on me because I really want to spend time with her outside of school. I don't know how normal this is because I really rarely date. But I just don't know how to work the problem out.

I watched all of Panty and Stocking and I couldn't just sit and watch it all, I had to have some breaks, but it was overall pretty funny at most points and the ending was, not exactly epic in any sense but the twist the story takes is completely weird and I must say that a lot of anime forums are stumped over what the hell went on. Season two is coming though, hopefully that will clear something up.

I enjoyed the Expendables ending, which brought back so many memories of the ending of Commando, but that was about the only really good part. The dialogue was a mess, when we were getting the parts about character back stories and romances I could care less. It's action was good, but I feel that it was too modern for it to really be a completely nostalgic homage to eighties action films. I'm on the fence about it. Inception I thought was a bit boring at some points, but the pay-off was great. The story was really interesting, the characters were all very interesting, and the action was really cool, really different. It was a great film. Toy Story 3 I hated with a passion. The movie should have ended as they go into the trash burner because I really thought that it was boring, unfunny, and I just couldn't enjoy it as much as the two previous ones. Maybe it was the fact it really felt like every other computer animated kid movie. It's also how I felt about How To Train Your Dragon, it wasn't really funny and I just couldn't care less about any of the characters or the adventures they go on. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One was so boring, it might as well have been called Harry Potter and the Two Hour Camping Trip. The Ministry of Magic scene I quite enjoyed, the rest was a mess. The movie tries to establish character but it's so hard to follow because Harry likes Ginny for some reason, now like Hermione, but Ron likes Hermione, and Ron being a [bleep] turns Hermione on. It made absolutely no sense and bored me. Kick-Ass I at first thought was good, but looking back on it, it's really, really not good. I mean, the comedy was funny but I have to agree with most that the movie was so dark that you really couldn't laugh and you couldn't distinguish whether this was a comedy or an action movie. I know you can have a dark comedy, but this went waaaay overboard and it just was totally broken by that. The action scenes weren't very good, either. It just felt like one of those movies that is like "Look, we have violence. And comedy. And Nicholas Cage. And a girl with purple hair killing people!". It did not feel like a proper, decent movie. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World was favorite movie of the year. People complain because Scott is unlikable because he cheats on Nives, but I personally can relate to Scott, not in that sense, but in the sense that he meets his dream girl, and has to go through hell to get to her. And I can also relate to being a rocker/nerd who isn't the most socially well rounded. I mean, I can basically relate to the whole movie in some way or other. And it has some of the best action scenes in a movie this year. Spy Next Door was pretty awful. I mean, Jackie Chan, you can't go wrong! But Billy Ray Cyrus and George Lopez make it go wrong. And kids. I mean, the movie isn't good in any sense of the word, and the only redeeming factor for me is the fact that Jackie Chan is in it. Shrek 4ever After was the worst movie I've seen all year. Boring to the nth degree, unfunny, and a complete waste of time and money. 2010 was an alright year I guess. Not much to really see and talk about over the next few years though, and certainly no classics are coming out of it.

I'm reading a lot of history stuff lately, though I've got to get through the Dresden Files series before the new one comes out in April, and I still have a ton of books to read before that. Currently reading Replay by Tristan Donovan. It's a very, very well done history of video games that shows the guys behind the games, and not the just the console or game. It really paints an excellent picture of how it started, and it is just so damn fun to read.