Ghosts I-IV
nine inch nails

Nine Inch Nails released a new instrumental album on their website yesterday. They’re done with their previous record contract and released this independantly on their website for $5, DRM-free.

So I had to buy it on principle alone. I mean, it’s new NIN so I want to hear it and would gladly pay $5 for it, but just for an artist to release DRM-free music directly is something I would want to support. Also, the music is good on the ears and the artwork is pleasing to my non-mechanical eyes.

30 Days of Night

I didn’t manage to catch this in a theatre but bought it sight-unseen and tonight Laura and I sat down to watch it. You know what? It was worth the cost of the DVD just for the creepy vicious little girl vampire. Children are always the worst.

The vampires that appear in this movie seem to have some shark DNA in them or something. It presented in their faces:

see? shark-faces

And they were vicious like sharks. I mean hardcore zombie-vicious. Like 28 Days Later, but with sharp vampire claws. Scarey as hell.

Anyway, the movie. I liked it, it was pretty damn cool. Just what I wanted it to be. Good, oppressive setting. Good times.

What a plague you are.

Currently Playing
(things I’ve started at some point and hope to finish)

2002 - Kingdom Hearts (PS2)
2002 - Metroid Prime (GameCube)
2003 - Deus Ex: Invisible War (PC)
2003 - Silent Hill 3 (PC)
2004 - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GameCube)
2007 - Call of Duty 4 (PC)*
2007 - Resident Evil 4 (Wii)
2007 - Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (Wii)
2008 - Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS)

Games to Play
(things I want to play at some point)

2002 - Freedom Force (PC)
2002 - Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (GameCube)
2003 - Metal Arms: Glitch in the System (GameCube)
2004 - Silent Hill 4 (PC)
2004 - Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (GameCube)
2004 - Fable (Xbox)
2004 - Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC)
2005 - F.E.A.R. (PC)
2005 - Psychonauts (PS2)
2005 - God of War (PS2)
2006 - The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess (Wii)
2006 - Kingdom Hearts II (PS2)
2006 - Company of Heroes (PC)*
2006 - Sam and Max: Season One, Episode 2 (PC)
2007 - Sam and Max: Season One, Episode 3 (PC)
2007 - Sam and Max: Season One, Episode 4 (PC)
2007 - Sam and Max: Season One, Episode 5 (PC)
2007 - Sam and Max: Season One, Episode 6 (PC)
2007 - Dementium: The Ward (DS)
2007 - LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Wii)
2007 - Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
2007 - Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (DS)
2007 - S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (PC)
2007 - Hellgate London (PC)*
2007 - Unreal Tournament 3 (PC)*
2007 - Crysis (PC)*
2008 - Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (DS)
2008 - No More Heroes (Wii)

I feel like I have a higher amount of anxiety about driving, as compared to other people I know who drive. Mainly, others do not appear to have any regular anxiety about the activity but I will admit that I feel some. I don’t think it’s an unhealthy thing, though. It never stops me from driving somewhere or taking different routes. In fact, it usually disappears as soon as I start driving, all residual traces long-gone by the time I’ve pulled out of the parking spot. It seems like before I actually ignite the engine, my brain focuses on the whole, ‘controlling a large hunk of potential-fatal metal’ aspect. I know, I’m weird.

Interesting, it’s still tough to listen to Sia’s song Breath Me without thinking about the ending of Six Feet Under and then getting choked up. Of course, then I also start thinking about the last half of the final season and really want to rewatch the whole show again. Damn that was a good series. Best ending ever, if you followed the show.

Excellent music sure can make a scene, as I’ve mentioned before.

While I had heard of Professor Layton and the Curious Village before, I really had no interest in it until yesterday when Nintendo sent me an email…

…which I would normally just delete but I actually took the time to read it and my interest was piqued. Damn. Today I picked it up and it’s a very fun game: A bunch of brainteasers strung together with an interesting story and very nice artistic-nesssss.

Penny Arcade got it right, that for anyone to even talk to you, you have to solve a puzzle of theirs. Well, it is a puzzle game and they even managed to work it into the overall story and setting so I’m okay with it.

While I’m glad that the writer’s strike is over, I’m still in a bad place because of it. With nothing else to watch on TV, Laura and I found ourselves eating dinner and watching Gene Simmons and his wife have plastic surgery, and then undergoing a rough recovery. Ick.

Though to be honest, the Gene Simmons Family Jewels show is pretty entertaining. Laura’s in love with his son, Nick, and we both love that Gene’s family all tease and harass him regularly. I guess you’d really have to, when the patriarch of the family thinks he’s bigger than God.

I Am America (And So Can You!)
by Stephen Colbert

I had been listening to the Stephen Colbert book at work and finished it today. I must say, it wasn’t as good or as funny as I was hoping it would be. In all actuality, it seemed a lot like the Colbert Report: Some parts are quite funny and the rest… meh. Very hit and miss. Pity.

On the positive side, if you like 100% of the show, on average, then by the transitive property you might like 100% of the book.

Since seniors can’t read this, I can say whatever I want about them. They look like lizards.

One of my brother-in-law’s big clients has a chalet up at Big White. The past few years, he’s offered it to Louise and Geoff for weekends but for varying reasons, they’ve been unable to go. Well, this year they were able to go and invited Laura and I to join them.

It’s a pretty nice chalet that sleeps 14 people. We didn’t do any skiing while we were there but we wandered around the village, did some night skating, soaked in the hot tub on the balcony and finished off with cake and Rummoli. Pretty good day.

[Complete pictures can be found here]