Well it's a dark nippy Sunday evening here in quiet old Reading.
I find that I really only wish to write on the weekends. During the week, I've got so many other things to occupy my mind and hand.
FYI, the week of Dec 8th is my last week for the term. I have one piece of coursework due, and one exam about Delphi Pascal to do and then that's pretty much it.
It feels a bit deflating. I know it's going to be tougher than this and I feel I've gotten off easy....which worries me.
hmmm....
***
How's the hair y'all ask. Well, it's gotten me what I wanted. Attention and surprise. So I'm happy. Most compliment me, at least two have made poorly concealed insensitive accusations of homosexuality, and a few were honest enough to say it didn't suit me.
In the end I did it for me and not for the others...but it IS a bonus to be appreciated.
I haven't turned it red yet, I ended up completely forgetting I had to buy some red hair dye on Saturday, and it's [the hairdresser's supply shop] closed on Sundays. Oh well....I'll do it on Wednesday.
***
I got to know some fellow British students who live nearby at the house party of a pair Italian and Belgian girls I know. Her name's Emma and we share an appreciation of drum'n'bass. She has insisted that I call her so that she can take me out to the various electronic gigs that are the best in the Reading region.
At that party it became starkly obvious that my taste in music deviates greatly from the 'norm'. Two rooms were designated for the party. The living room which had mostly mainstream rock and pop of American, British, German, Italian and French tastes.
The groundfloor bedroom which no one lives in, was set up with another ghetto blaster for - initially - chillout music. There was Kruder and Dorfmeister, then St Germain, but then I took over and started playing some old skool jazzy drum'n'bass. Most of the time, people crowded into the living room.
This is about when Emma started talking to me about the Reading scene. Which I know nothing about.
Can't please everyone...
***
Generally, I have very little to talk about, because it's all very good. All smooth.
Anyone noticed that? When I'm depressed or moody, THEN I've got poetry to write in here. But when everything's hey, OK....hunky dory...{whistle}...what to write, what to do...doop-dee-doo...
Humans are a melodramatic bunch....
***
I've started Deus Ex from scratch. It is my favourite RPG/Action game. Great story and so many dialogues to find and listen to. Constant references to a conspiriologist's wet dream. Name dropping fit to make a Lone Gunman drool: Aquinas, Area 51, Rockefeller, Trilateral Commission, Rothschilds, Majestic-12, you name it...
My game came upon a critical error midway through the game and I think it's because I killed somebody earlier on that I wasn't supposed to, and it caused a flag in the game to fail. This is what happens when you read ahead on a strategy guide, and to avoid a difficult gunfight, you eliminate the threat right there when she isn't prepared.
I just thought I'd like to post in here one of these dialogues. It's actually a fictional excerpt from an Op/Ed column from a fictional rival to CNN, in the near future:
------
A Lesson for Our President -- David Wary Editorial
"When the other kids on my block elected me King of the World, a political office open (thankfully) only to eight year olds, I moved quickly to consolidate my power. I declared that all subsequent elections were forbidden, that the office of King of the World was reserved for me and my descendants for all eternity.
I don't remember what morsels of political philosophy were hurled at me. 'That ain't fair!' perhaps, or 'You can't do that!'.
My rebuttal? 'Yes I can. I'm King.'.
All subsequent debate involved rocks. Even Gretchen, green-eyed lovely Gretchen held me pinned to the ground as the others asserted their own right to the throne with whatever stones happened to be within easy reach.
With a 35% approval rating after the U.N. funding fiasco, President Mead should reflect that these children -- and millions of other free thinkers -- have reached voting age.
Who wants to cast the first stone?"
------
I think that's a pretty cool piece of writing right there. What's interesting to note is that the game opens up in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on the Statue of Liberty. The accused are an American militia group known as the NSF, the National Secessionist Forces. The NSF wanted the States of Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and California to become a sovereign nation separate from the United States. They were defeated...barely. They are supposedly helped by a group known as Silhouette who are based in France and are hinted at as the 'old guard' of the secret societies of Europe employing guerilla ontological methods, culture jamming and hacking into digital TV to do parodies of popular commercials to reflect some particular atrocity such and such corporation or government commited.
Consider that all this was written before 9/11 and before the French became persona non grata in the States. Consider also that the greatest enemy of the US, was their own people, dissatisfied with government, the status quo.
***
The game, when one clicks on a particular book one comes across, alleges that right after the American Revolution, around May 17th, 1783 (I hope I got the dates right), George Washington was part of an opening ceremony for the Order of Cincinnati. And order whose purpose was to maintain a small mobile armed veteran force with trusted leaders to go about with a coup d'etat should this new idea of democracy seem inviable and weak or if it was threatened by outside forces. Washington was made it's head.
It was named (as the game infers) in reference to Cincinnatus, a retired Roman general who was given supreme dictatorial powers over Rome for 6 months in order to save it from the Volcians who were threatening. He defeated them and took them into slavery swiftly and retired as dictator after just 16 days and returned to his farm. Thus was Rome spared. He was called again at the age of 80 to defeat the Plebians over a grain scandal. Again he was given dictatorial powers and promptly gave them up as soon as he was done.
In this way was George Washington to be called upon for the new nation. He served two terms as President but remained head of the Order until his death. The Order - it is hinted darkly - evolved into something else once the new idea of democracy proved that it could stand on it's own shaky legs and the Order's original mission was outdated.
Of the so-called 'Order of Cincinnati' I have found nothing. Nothing shows up in a google search. But Cincinnatus is a real general, and he really did become dictator of Rome to save it. Though History.net cautions that it is quite impossible to separate legend from fact in this particular case.
Amazing what one can learn.
I find that I really only wish to write on the weekends. During the week, I've got so many other things to occupy my mind and hand.
FYI, the week of Dec 8th is my last week for the term. I have one piece of coursework due, and one exam about Delphi Pascal to do and then that's pretty much it.
It feels a bit deflating. I know it's going to be tougher than this and I feel I've gotten off easy....which worries me.
hmmm....
***
How's the hair y'all ask. Well, it's gotten me what I wanted. Attention and surprise. So I'm happy. Most compliment me, at least two have made poorly concealed insensitive accusations of homosexuality, and a few were honest enough to say it didn't suit me.
In the end I did it for me and not for the others...but it IS a bonus to be appreciated.
I haven't turned it red yet, I ended up completely forgetting I had to buy some red hair dye on Saturday, and it's [the hairdresser's supply shop] closed on Sundays. Oh well....I'll do it on Wednesday.
***
I got to know some fellow British students who live nearby at the house party of a pair Italian and Belgian girls I know. Her name's Emma and we share an appreciation of drum'n'bass. She has insisted that I call her so that she can take me out to the various electronic gigs that are the best in the Reading region.
At that party it became starkly obvious that my taste in music deviates greatly from the 'norm'. Two rooms were designated for the party. The living room which had mostly mainstream rock and pop of American, British, German, Italian and French tastes.
The groundfloor bedroom which no one lives in, was set up with another ghetto blaster for - initially - chillout music. There was Kruder and Dorfmeister, then St Germain, but then I took over and started playing some old skool jazzy drum'n'bass. Most of the time, people crowded into the living room.
This is about when Emma started talking to me about the Reading scene. Which I know nothing about.
Can't please everyone...
***
Generally, I have very little to talk about, because it's all very good. All smooth.
Anyone noticed that? When I'm depressed or moody, THEN I've got poetry to write in here. But when everything's hey, OK....hunky dory...{whistle}...what to write, what to do...doop-dee-doo...
Humans are a melodramatic bunch....
***
I've started Deus Ex from scratch. It is my favourite RPG/Action game. Great story and so many dialogues to find and listen to. Constant references to a conspiriologist's wet dream. Name dropping fit to make a Lone Gunman drool: Aquinas, Area 51, Rockefeller, Trilateral Commission, Rothschilds, Majestic-12, you name it...
My game came upon a critical error midway through the game and I think it's because I killed somebody earlier on that I wasn't supposed to, and it caused a flag in the game to fail. This is what happens when you read ahead on a strategy guide, and to avoid a difficult gunfight, you eliminate the threat right there when she isn't prepared.
I just thought I'd like to post in here one of these dialogues. It's actually a fictional excerpt from an Op/Ed column from a fictional rival to CNN, in the near future:
------
A Lesson for Our President -- David Wary Editorial
"When the other kids on my block elected me King of the World, a political office open (thankfully) only to eight year olds, I moved quickly to consolidate my power. I declared that all subsequent elections were forbidden, that the office of King of the World was reserved for me and my descendants for all eternity.
I don't remember what morsels of political philosophy were hurled at me. 'That ain't fair!' perhaps, or 'You can't do that!'.
My rebuttal? 'Yes I can. I'm King.'.
All subsequent debate involved rocks. Even Gretchen, green-eyed lovely Gretchen held me pinned to the ground as the others asserted their own right to the throne with whatever stones happened to be within easy reach.
With a 35% approval rating after the U.N. funding fiasco, President Mead should reflect that these children -- and millions of other free thinkers -- have reached voting age.
Who wants to cast the first stone?"
------
I think that's a pretty cool piece of writing right there. What's interesting to note is that the game opens up in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on the Statue of Liberty. The accused are an American militia group known as the NSF, the National Secessionist Forces. The NSF wanted the States of Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and California to become a sovereign nation separate from the United States. They were defeated...barely. They are supposedly helped by a group known as Silhouette who are based in France and are hinted at as the 'old guard' of the secret societies of Europe employing guerilla ontological methods, culture jamming and hacking into digital TV to do parodies of popular commercials to reflect some particular atrocity such and such corporation or government commited.
Consider that all this was written before 9/11 and before the French became persona non grata in the States. Consider also that the greatest enemy of the US, was their own people, dissatisfied with government, the status quo.
***
The game, when one clicks on a particular book one comes across, alleges that right after the American Revolution, around May 17th, 1783 (I hope I got the dates right), George Washington was part of an opening ceremony for the Order of Cincinnati. And order whose purpose was to maintain a small mobile armed veteran force with trusted leaders to go about with a coup d'etat should this new idea of democracy seem inviable and weak or if it was threatened by outside forces. Washington was made it's head.
It was named (as the game infers) in reference to Cincinnatus, a retired Roman general who was given supreme dictatorial powers over Rome for 6 months in order to save it from the Volcians who were threatening. He defeated them and took them into slavery swiftly and retired as dictator after just 16 days and returned to his farm. Thus was Rome spared. He was called again at the age of 80 to defeat the Plebians over a grain scandal. Again he was given dictatorial powers and promptly gave them up as soon as he was done.
In this way was George Washington to be called upon for the new nation. He served two terms as President but remained head of the Order until his death. The Order - it is hinted darkly - evolved into something else once the new idea of democracy proved that it could stand on it's own shaky legs and the Order's original mission was outdated.
Of the so-called 'Order of Cincinnati' I have found nothing. Nothing shows up in a google search. But Cincinnatus is a real general, and he really did become dictator of Rome to save it. Though History.net cautions that it is quite impossible to separate legend from fact in this particular case.
Amazing what one can learn.
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
Clairol! lol. You'll have to bung pictures up when you do dye it. Does your uni have a society for the sort of music you like? Most should have. My girlfriend is in the Rock one at Brunel and met many people through it, plus they usually have a few nice events every term.
Cincinnatus...I'll have to dig out my copy of Livy, been a while since I've read that and I've forgotten most of it. I'm still reading a lot on the Crusades and Dark Age Britain at the moment.