Cheap Ass Gamer - Blogs - Vulgarism

Cliff diving, gambling, and fancy smelling V-words.

Vulgarism — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 02:02:49 GMT

So, it's been a little while, but things aren't quite slowing down just yet.

Unfortunately finding out a week late, my female co-worker and I went and saw The Two Towers and Return of the King extended editions over the course of the second half of June. We missed out on Fellowship, which was sad, because it's personally my favorite of the trilogy. Regardless, tears were shed at the last thirty minutes of Return of the King and they both were still just as magical as when I saw them back when I was fourteen and fifteen. It's scary to think that it's almost been ten years since Fellowship was released.

Work has been work. Not much to say... Aside from not knowing how I am not fired yet... Here's the story. We were closing (we have a closing team of four people each night, and I only close once every two weeks or so...) and my female manager (who actually hired me a month ago, so keep in mind how new I am as I say this...) tells me to smell the singles. Of course I do as she says, so I can keep my job. They smelled like vanilla. So, a female co-worker said "Those are stripper dollars!" Of course, I have to have a snarky quip, so I say for all four of us to hear.......

"Well, that's the fanciest smelling vagina I've ever smelled."

Aside from an odd look here and there, it went over surprisingly well. The next day a different manager and I were talking about how you don't "fist" money into strippers, and we came up with a new idea for an adult version of "A Fistful of Dollars." Without mentioning the store manager, everybody there is super cool. It's a little more mind-numbing than Target, but it's okay pay and it's close and it's fun.

We went to Cache Creek one night to take advantage of being cheap ass fools. New members get a $25 credit for stuff, and we used mine on food for the night. We did a little gambling, which I was the only one who lost (I got $5 from a housemate and walked away with $3.)

Also, one of my housemates talked me into going cliff diving. Well, I can't swim, but I figured what better time to learn than jumping off of rocks into deep water? So, that went mildly well. I jumped off a 5 foot rock and could tread water slightly. My housemate jumped off of a 25 foot rock, but I was done by that time. We then decided to drive up to Lake Tahoe so he could gamble and I could see the scenery. On the way up, we stopped to take some pictures:

That is my housemate. I refused to go over the rail guard. Eff that. So we get to Lake Tahoe and go to Harrah's. I officially have now been in four states (including Nevada.) It was beautiful, and he ended up winning like $55, so he walked out with $155.

Aside from that, it's been warm, it was my birthday on Monday, I went to a park with my female co-worker to watch fireworks which was two things I hate: large groups and fireworks. I get panicky around groups, and I got hit with some fireworks when I was 12 and my shirt caught on fire at a friends house.

Today, I met fellow CAG Amblix and we went to Burgers n Brew and drove around Davis. This weekend, we're heading to the bay to meet up with Cheska and Squarehard, so that will be exciting. Aside from that, WORK.

I've forgotten my name, I'm sick and I'm weak and I'm fresh from sleep...

Vulgarism — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:38:33 GMT

So June is coming to a close, which means my mother's birthday is coming up (the 29th) and then mine (the 4th.) The closest thing I can really get my mom is hope that I might be able to make it back to Wisconsin/Illinois around Christmas to see family and the like. I might bump it back closer to Thanksgiving so I can get some of my dad's food, which would also fall right around my older brother's birthday (Nov. 25th.)

So, what's been happening lately? Lots more work. Originally, I was only to be scheduled right around 20 hours a week... But I've been picking up +/- 30 hours now. On the 9th when I checked the schedule, it originally said I was only to be scheduled for 18 hours. I picked up a shift so a co-worker could go drinking, and they threw me a friday shift, so I got bumped to about 32 hours, which is also what I'm getting this week. I could have taken a 5 hour shift this morning (6 - 11 AM) but I needed a little rest (first day off in six, I know, not bad compared to some but I'm still getting back in the groove of having a job, especially with this heat) after last night's events... What happened? Okay, we need to go back....

The first day of work, they paired me up with a girl who I already knew I would get along with. So, as the weeks went on, we became better friends. About a week and a half later, she gave me her phone number, so I started texting her. Things went pretty well! Long story short, found out I am not her type, in a certain way, which I won't get into. Regardless, she gave me a ride home about two weeks ago and we sat around in my room, and then she came over last week and we didn't do much until 3 in the morning. We did watch The Abandoned and stuff, but that's about the best I can say.

So I found out she's a HUGE geek. She plays Magic: The Gathering and really enjoys Lord of the Rings. So much so, that she reminded me that certain theaters were playing the extended editions up until the release of the BRs. We found out unfortunately too late, so we missed Fellowship, which is personally my favorite, but they play one showing for one night and that is it. I ended up buying tickets for Return of the King for us because I didn't search too hard for The Two Towers, but she ended up finding some so she got us tickets for it.

Essentially, The Two Towers is my least favorite of the trilogy, and I think the hardest to sell anyways. The battle of Helm's Deep is stunning, but the entire film is so depressing it's hard to have a smile unless Gimli is on screen. With that, I still think it holds the two most powerful shots of the entire trilogy. Yes, the ending of Return of the King is powerful, but here's what I'm talking about... When Wormtongue looks out and sees Saruman's army and sheds a tear, for some reason that always gives me goosebumps... The other part is when they are arming the young boys to fight, to show how weak and ill-fated men are during the battle.

Anyways, aside from that and work not much has been going on. Longtime CAG friend Squarehard and I were able to finally meet up and we had a horrible day, but it was still awesome getting to meet him. A completely nice guy and a huge personality, it was nice getting to talk to him for the first time and have him meet the housemates and such.

It hit 102 yesterday which was pretty toasty, but it looks like it's gonna start dropping a little bit from here on out.

In short, things are going well, and I'm not worrying about living anymore!

I Wrote Haikus About Cannibalism in Your Yearbook.

Vulgarism — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 02:53:39 GMT

Ahhh, yes, we are now onto May in my story of adventure, intrigue, betrayal, and buckets of Asian men!

This will be by far the shortest of all the entries, but will detail up until this point. Let's all gather 'round Pop-Pop as I give you a story that is as colorful as a puddle of rainbow sherbert diarrhea.

So, I had been searching for jobs. I had an interview with Safeway to be a glorified bagboy for 16 hours a week, but that fell through. I actually hadn't had most essentials when I got here. My mom sent me a box in mid-April (yes, I am going back to April) with food and body wash, razors (which I needed, because even though I can't grow a beard, I look like a man child if I don't shave,) and some other items.

Early in May, things fell apart quite a bit. My mom was still sending me money because she owed me around $600 more on my car that I sold to her, but... What had happened was my friend Tim was going to transfer me money for DVDs I sold to him. It got complicated (he had a wedding to prepare for that week; his own wedding) and he couldn't get money. I hate admitting this, but because I have too much honor, I only ate a fun-size bag of Gardettos over a span of two and a half days. I didn't want to ask my housemates for anything, because I felt like they would start worrying that I couldn't pay rent and start getting on my ass about money. Finally, my mom tried transferring money to my bank account, but it failed that day. The second day, I finally got it and got a few cheap boxes of cereal and some bread and cheap meat. I felt pretty low. But, I kept searching.

Since OfficeMax was so close, I continually asked if they were hiring. They finally were and I submitted an app online. I got a call back to come in for a group interview, which went... Alright. I'm very introverted and nervous, but I did my best. There were four people: One 30 year old woman, myself, and two Asian guys right around my age. We left and they said they'd give us a call back that Friday if they wanted to do one on ones. I needed to know ASAP if I would get called back so I could know how hard I had to search for another job. Finally, around 6:30 PM that evening, Lorena (one of the two people who were interviewing us at the group interview) called and asked if I could come back in the next morning.

So, I go in, and I get a 10 minute 'get to know Kirby' session. She asks why I hadn't had a job in two years, and I told her the truth. She says there are a few more interviews, and that she'd let me know on Tuesday if I made it. Tuesday rolls around, and I start to lose hope. I figured I failed the group interview. Again, around 6ish, I get a call saying they are offering to hire me. I am ecstatic. I have to go in the next day to meet with the store manager and go do a drug test.

So, I meet Darrell. Yes..... Darrell... I think you can see where this will go. So, he hands me the papers for the drug test, and says it's in Woodland, which is about 12 miles outside of Davis, and I had to do the test within 24 hours. Shit. How do I get out there?

So, I get home, and ask the housemates if I could grab a ride. Thankfully, Edmond says he can take me. We get there around 1, and I go in.... And can't pee. So, I come back out embarrassed. I wait about forty minutes and try again... And can't pee. The lady says I have one more chance, and she gives me more water than she is supposed to. Finally, around 3:50, I go in and pee like a champ! Edmond and I go to KFC afterwards.

Then, the next week rolls around and everything checks out. We're (the people hired) are asked to come in for orientation on the 18th. Alright. Wow. Three of the four people at my group interview end up hired. Heh. So we sign tons of papers and stuff. I get to shadow Hannah, who I think is awesome and want to be friends with. Okay, that sounded kind of creepy. Oh well.

I don't get called back in for a few days, and start my official work. I do freight! At 5 am. Like I did at Target, except an hour later. You know on Futurama when Fry gets to the future and he finds out he is going to be a delivery boy again, and is happy because it's a new place? Yes, that is how I felt. But, they also have me now doing register, sales floor, taking calls, and closing.

The day BEFORE I start working, my computer arrives in Davis, which is only possible because of Aptanor and TLP. So, thank you so much, both of you. The postman doesn't drop it off here, he puts a note in our mailbox saying I can pick it up at 4 PM. I didn't want to do that, because it was 10:30 and I didn't want to wait to see if anything broke during shipping. I scour the neighborhood for him with my longboard. He passes me up, so I have to chase him down. I catch him about 1/2 a mile away from home, and have to carry/skate the box back. It was 45 lbs and was a microwave box, so my puny little arms couldn't carry it that well.

That, my friends, is why I now am back on the internet!

Anyways, so I find out that Sacramento is going to be doing the Attack the Block 25 in 25 advanced screening. Edmond and I both snatch up two tickets and get super excited for it. Thankfully I have to work freight the next day! Attack the Block was amazing, to say the least.

That pretty much concludes May, in a nutshell.

For June, I've been working pretty steadily, and will finally be finacially okay come Friday. Last night, Hannah and I closed up, and she gave me a ride home and we hung out for a little while. Edmond was sad cause he thought I wanted to go to Yummy Guy (a restaurant in Sac) but I am broke... And then Kevin tried getting me to go do the Undie Run with him, but fuck that noise.

Regardless, that is about it for now. I'm missing a bit of detail, but just minor stuff.

So, there is my journey journal. I've lost friends, gained friends, suffered, never been happier, and am finally succeeding. So, take it from me... I've never been out of the two states I've lived 22 years in, never been in an airport, never been on my own... But I wanted change. I moved halfway across country on my own with two bags, nowhere to live, no job, and now I am getting there. If you ever doubt your dream, try to think of this if it helps. I took a huge chance and it worked out for me. If I've learned anything from TLP, it's that you should NEVER doubt what you want to do. Never have doubt in your heart, and if you try hard enough, you can do it.

Thank you for reading, and I'll continue to blog about my favorite type of cake, what pants I wear during fall inside my house while gaming, why I refuse to use green colored bowling balls, and why Kingdom Hearts is the greatest thing ever created, and if you disagree, I will fuck you up because Sony does no wrong.

Thank you again, CAG.

- Kirby

Lady, I'm a Peaceful Man (Kirb's Adventure Pt. Deux: The Return)

Vulgarism — Tue, 31 May 2011 02:51:29 GMT

God damn, I miss them. Lady, I'm a Peaceful Man, that is. Got to play one show with them, where we all opened up for The Number Twelve Looks Like You and In the Face of War. Lady, I'm a Peaceful Man is like a junior version of The Dillinger Escape Plan with Macaulay Culkin on guitars.

Anyways, onto April. This one will be a bit shorter, as the details are a little foggy, to be honest. But, here's the next chapter in the beginning of my journey into adulthood.

So April 1st rolled around. I was promoted from the living room to my room finally. There was a lot Brian couldn't take with, so he offered it to us. I got some clothes out of him, and a few books. I get my room that night and begin setting up my spot. Of course, I don't really have much, so it doesn't take long. The next day, Brian, Kevin, Michael, Edmond, and Vince went up north. Two days or so away before Brian leaves, and just to have some fun. I use those days to get settled and continue looking for work. Here's a little backstory to the job front....

I started working when I was around 16. I helped my dad detail cars at home during the summer. I'd do whatever I could, and he'd finish them up. In February of 2008, he got me a job detailing under him at the local FORD dealership he worked at since 1999 (the same one he got fired from in late 2010... Well, almost the same... New owners in 2004.) In July of 2008, I got a job at Target working truck with the guitarist of the band I was in. I met my girlfriend there, and in March of 2009, I quit. I left to get my GED, and I wanted to dedicate all of my time to that... Had I known it was so easy, I wouldn't have quit Target. So, I get my GED, hoping it will bring better job opportunities... And it doesn't. I search Sturgeon Bay (closest town, 15 miles away) and find nothing for months. I get rejected at Family Video twice for some reason, and I seach Green Bay (35 miles away) and find nothing. I start having vehicle problems, so it becomes a little more difficult to seach, since, well.. Everything is so far from home. I spend the time off focusing on my music and improving what I enjoy doing.

As you can see, not only is my work history minimal, but really not that great either. I figure out here, it's about 6 times bigger than Sturgeon Bay, and I compared the job markets before I left... There was an increase here opposed to a decrease in Sturgeon Bay since 2009... A 42% decrease in Sturgeon Bay... So, it was hard to find work there, and if you had a job, you had to hold onto it like the only child you'll ever be able to have.

So the guys come back, and I'm still getting to know them. The problem with me changing EVERY aspect of my life in a heartbeat is that I am extremely introverted and although I am friendly to new people, I always come off as awkward because I don't know quite what to say and I don't have the confidence, so I always say weird things. It's why I was called the "creepy guy" by Michael :P

The day arrives for Edmond, Kevin, and Vince to take Brian to the airport in San Francisco. It's a really sad day, and only knowing Brian for a few days, I still am sad to see him go. He and Edmond were essentially the first people I really talked to here, and developed a friendship with. I get a picture with him before he goes and wish him a safe trip. I use the day to familiarize myself with the area a little more.

For the most part, the month is pretty much the same. I live off a diet of pretty much pop tarts for a few weeks, which TLP can attest to. He and a handful of other members send me a housewarming box with some stuff that isn't pop tarts. I skate around a bit, ride the bus around a few times to get an idea of the layout. I call up around 40 places asking if they are hiring, and most only are taking resumes, which I did not have. I know, crazy. So, I typed one up.

There is an OfficeMax about a quarter of a mile away, and I ask if they are hiring. I find out they are soon, and I have to apply online. Towards the end of April, I finally apply, and pray that they call me back.

So, here is where the story gets a little crazy. There was an accident one night. All I will say is there is now a hole under a bed in the house, and that is it. That night, Kevin, Michael, their friend (and now mine too!) Zhao all go to Sa Rang Bang which is a Korean restaurant in Sacramento. It is my first time going back since I arrived in California. I order Kimchee w/pork soup spicy, and Kevin pays, knowing I am a little broke. It's fun hanging out with them and getting to know them. All the guys in the house (except Zhao Yeon) and I get along great. Zhao Yeon (who is not the Zhao mentioned up there^^) and I talk only a little, but he is a bit different from the rest of the guys in the house.

The rest of April goes by for the most part. I get an interview at Safeway to be a "Courtesy Clerk" aka Bagboy, for around 16 hours a week, but I don't get chosen for the job. The Safeway is right next to the OfficeMax right down the street, but I don't let it get to me. I keep looking for places to apply (all on my phone, I didn't have a computer for a long time.) I read The Da Vinci Code in two days because I really don't have much else to do at the time.

Eventually, Vince and I haul the TV from the living room up to my room, and we find out it's useless. No cable hookups up here, so no TV... Also, since we can't find the control, we can't switch it to AV mode, so no PS2. We drag a TV out of Edmond's room a few days later, so now I have PS2! AHHHH, gaming. It's good.

So, in a nutshell, that is really all of April. There was Picnic Day, which is a citywide celebration, but I stayed home. It was the first time I had tasted beer, and only a sip, but my guess was right and I had no desire to drink anymore. Alcohol is something I don't understand and don't care for at all.

Next up is May. What happens in May? Well, I am on a computer again. Does that mean I failed and had to go back home? Oooh, suspense. We shall see soon! Thank you so much for reading!

A long, Strange Trip to Paradise.

Vulgarism — Sun, 29 May 2011 21:27:26 GMT

Hello again CAG blog readers. About a week ago, I had a ten or so paragraph blog typed up about this subject, posted it, and it magically disappeared. So, here I am to redo it. So, let's get down to business.

Two months ago today (YAY!!!) I moved from Brussels, Wisconsin, to Davis, California. A 2200 mile trek half-way across the country to begin my life somewhere new. I sold about 90% of my possessions, took a chance, and hoped for the best. I had wanted to leave Wisconsin for a few years, but it wasn't until about January when I really wanted to. I participated in the RPG group lowball to raise cash for moving, but since my dad had lost his job right before Christmas, I decided to help out and let him use all $500 I had made from the sale. In February, I became really deadset on moving, and picked Davis. Squardhard told me of a friend of his that had rooms open in a house, and I jumped on it. I asked my friend Sam if he was willing to move with me, as I knew he wanted out too, and after a day or two of hesitation, he agreed. Around February 22nd, we began preparation to leave. We were going to arrive on March 1st. On the 25th, she said the people living at the house weren't too keen on two guys sharing one room, so that fell through. Sam decided he wasn't okay with moving, and wanted to stay. I asked if he would be able to be ready by ~March 15th, but he said no. I did not want to wait much longer, so I gave myself a time-frame of March 25th to April 5th.

I ended up booking my plane ticket for March 29th and it was set. I had roughly two weeks to get myself ready to move. I sold all my games, all my DVDs, my car, and whatever else I didn't really need or couldn't take. Unable to continue living at the house, my dad also had to leave. The job market in Door County, Wisconsin was worse than laughable. He also became fairly sick in early March, and had to pass kidney stones, so I wasn't sure if I should leave or not... He ended up calling his brother in Illinois to come pick up some items a few days after I left and move my dad down to Illinois with him. The idea of losing a house I spent the years of 9 until 22 really hurts, but that's just how things are now.

Leaving my friends was a little tough, but I really only had three close people that I saw often. Regardless, I needed something new. I was going nowhere and I didn't want to end up being 30 and have nothing to show. I figured if there was a chance, I had to take it, and now.

So, I wake up at around 9 AM Central on March 28th. I have two bags packed... And that is it. The items I bring are: Two pairs of pants, one pair of shorts, as many shirts as I can pack, a sheet for a bed, a pillow case, pictures, two books, a binder with all my important information, my PS2, Zune, and cell phone. So yeah... I was risking everything with very little. If I could find a room, and it didn't come furnished, I would be sleeping on the floor without a pillow.

Around 2, my friend Corey (don't even get me started....) picks me up and drops me off at my mom's house. Originally he was going to drive me to Milwaukee to the airport (about 3 hours away,) and that is why I bought a ticket for MKE (which was about $40 cheaper than flying out of Austin Strauble in Green Bay,) but about three days prior he flakes out on me so I need to find a new ride. Thankfully my mother can drive me down there, since I sold my car to her.

Anyways, I meet up with my friend Tim to say goodbye. I feel bad because he was getting married in early May and I wasn't going to be able to make it... And the worst part is he and I had been friends since I moved up to Wisconsin. Lately, we hadn't seen each other often because he moved a little bit away and worked pretty often, so he didn't get much free time. We hang out and talk, and he takes me back to my mother's.

We all wait around until about midnight, and then we leave for the airport. I had never been in an airport (let alone out of Wisconsin/Illinois really--I had been to St. Louis for one day for a concert the band I was in had) so I wanted to arrive early and make sure everything goes smoothly. We get there at about 3:30, and the ticket counter doesn't open until 4. I sit around for a bit and mentally prepare... I was a bit afraid of flying, but ever since watching LOST, I thought a scenario like that would be... Interesting. Get my tickets, go upstairs, go through security, and make it to my gate. The plane departs at 6, so I have a little while to sit around. We finally board, and I'm getting more and more nervous.

A very nice gentleman sits next to me and we chat a bit before the plane takes off. We start moving, and I brace for anything... Surprisingly enough, I liked take-off. Going up and seeing the morning lights of Milwaukee was amazing. I have a connection in Denver, and we end up landing a little late because of fog. Get on board, get up in the air. As weird as this sounds, the little bit of turbulence we had was kind of cool. Anyways, we make it to sunny Sacramento. When I left Milwaukee at 6 AM, it was about 30 degrees. Sacramento was about 70 and perfect. Get a taxi (FUCKKKK Yolobus, I wish I knew about you....) and have him take me to the AMTRAK station. It costs $35 to get there, which with the Yolobus, I could have gotten to Davis for $2... But, regardless, I get my AMTRAK ticket for noon, so I have like an hour and a half to sit around. Some pigeons are running around the station which is a bit funny...

Get on the train, and it's a ten minute journey to Davis. I am sooo close... And I've been up for around 26 hours. I arrive... Home!(?) So what to do now? I start searching downtown for a hotel room. Everything is a little out of my price range, so I find out a Motel 6 on the edge of South Davis is only like $42 a night. It's about two miles away, but I figure I'll just hoof it. I call up a guy named Brian, as I contacted him before I left about a room. It's right in South Davis, so he tells me how to take the bus out there. I don't have any singles, so a wonderful old Asian man who couldn't speak much English traded me five singles. There's a girl at the bus stop who is going to the same stop as me, so she helps me out.

I arrive right next to a school and park. Across the street is the room... It's in a larger looking house. I knock on the door and a guy named Edmond answers. Brian comes downstairs. We all greet each other, and Brian takes me up to see the room. I think it's pretty nice, and we go downstairs to talk. I see a fluffy white cat which automatically kind of reminds me of my cat, Akira. The cat here is named Sushi. So Brian, Edmond, and I all talk and Brian says he will give me a call later with his decision. He asks if I have a place to stay, and I tell him the Motel 6. Edmond offers to drive me, which I really appreciate.

I get to the hotel and get a room. It is approaching 2:30 at this point. I have another room to look at in Northwestern Davis later in the night, so I shower and take a short nap. Around 6, I call up Emma and she tells me how to get to her apartment by bus. I make it there, and check out the room. Again, nice, good roommates. She drives me back to the hotel.

Brian gives me a call and says I can take the room. I tell him I just need to think about it until the morning and I will call him back. So, the difference between the two rooms?

Brian's Room: $400 a month + utilities. South Davis is a nice little community, close to OfficeMax, Safeway, and Rite Aid. Veryyy close. Brian is moving back to South Korea to continue his schooling to become a doctor, so he can't take much with him. With his room, I get a bed, desk, chair, shelves, mini fridge, a washer/dryer in the house, and a longboard.

Emma's Room: $400 a month, utilities included. Room is unfurnished, location is nice. About a block from the Marketplace, which has a Petco, Gamestop, Safeway, and restaurants.

I mainly don't want to make a decision at that point because it was about 9 PM and I was so tired. Regardless, it seems like the choice is pretty much simple...

In the morning, I call up Brian and tell him I'm gonna take the room. He and Edmond come and pick me up, and take me to open a bank account. We then go to the Apartment Offices and they add me to the lease.

We get back to the house, and I sleep in the living room on a bed-type thing for two nights, until April 1st. I am home! Throughout the day, I meet the housemates.

One by one... By one.... By one... Altogether, while Brian and I are there together at the same time, it's seven people in the house. Brian, Edmond, myself, Michael, Vince, Kevin, and Zhao Yeon. Brian is Korean, I am white, and everybody else is Chinese. It's a culture shock... I don't think I've met that many Asian people in my sheltered existence in Wisconsin. It's amazing! I am so happy to finally experience a new culture and meet new people who will hopefully become friends with me.

That day and the next, I spend my time calling up places for jobs, skating around the neighborhood and the unbelievable Davis Bike Loop, and getting to know the people in the house. One thing Brian did mention when Edmond, himself, and I were sitting at the table was that Vince and Kevin both own guns, but are extremely safe with them. I don't mind at all, even though growing up in Wisconsin, I had never held or touched a real gun in my life.

So, that just about takes us up to April. That will be a new blog, coming sometime either Tuesday or Wednesday!

This time Tuesday, I'll be on my way to a new life.

Vulgarism — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 16:08:09 GMT

I hope that caught your attention. That is Sam. We've been friends for about eight years, and in bands for about six years. Why would I post a picture of a beardy man eating ice cream and wearing a Cheesasaurus Rex shirt, you ask? Well, right around noon central time tomorrow, I'm leaving to start new. I'm leaving behind a life that took twelve years to get to where I am now, and risking everything. At this point, it would be stupid for me not to.

I've been wanting to leave Wisconsin badly for right around four years now. Originally, I began planning to move with the guitarist of The Nom (if you don't know about that yet, refer to previous blogs) Ben (who happens to be the older brother of the fine young chap in the image above) out to the west coast somewhere. Those plans fell through when I lost my job. Shortly after, we played our last show, and since then, Ben refuses to talk to me. He has quite the grudge against me, and it's mainly because I was the only person who would say what I didn't like in the band. But, that's a different story for a different time.

So, late last year, I began seeing my best friend Stephanie. We weren't dating, just really close. We'd both do something with Sam (beard boy above) on Friday and Saturday, and she'd come to my house once or twice a week. It was great. I did really really want a relationship, but it didn't work out, unfortunately. It was upsetting, but we worked past it. Around January, we both promised each other that we would move out of the state by November of this year. It was a large enough gap to give us enough time to both raise money. Did we ever plan on trying to move together? It was brought up, yes, but ultimately, my choices made it almost impossible.

So, what drove me to changing from November to April? Well, I am glad you asked.

Sam, myself, and Steph doing what we usually did.

My dad lost his job back in late December. A job he worked at for twelve years, since we moved up here. He walked in the snow for the first two months because we didn't have a vehicle unless my mother came up from Green Bay. That's as far as I'll go into it because it's a longer story than I'd like to say on here. He was denied for unemployment because of one little problem that included no personal calls, a bill collector getting snappy with him at work, and him getting pissed off when he boss told him to get off the phone and get to work. With that, he also went from body shop manager when it was owned by the previous owner, to body technician to detailer to car washer/janitor. It was a major slap in the face and hard on us. So, the $500 I had from a lowball sale which was to go towards moving went to doing everything we could to stay afloat since January.

In mid-February, one of my best friends on CAG, Squarehard, told me his friend in Davis, California had an open room. I called her, and it sounded great. I had convinced Sam in the span of a few days to take a chance and go with me. So, we had about ten days to March 1st to plan, pack, and leave. The roommates at the house ultimately decided that they didn't want two people sharing the room unless we were dating (ehh, yeah...) and so it was time to look for a new place. He slowly lost hope, and by March 1st, I was on my own. I wanted to get out of Sturgeon Bay as quickly as possible... I know if I stayed until the snow was gone and it was nice out, I'd find reasons to not leave. So, I set March 25th to April 5th as my MUST LEAVE BY date. I start planning everything on my own. I sell a majority of my possessions, including my car to my mother.

In early March, my dad wakes me up at 6 AM telling me he called an Ambulance because he has horrible pains in his abdomen. He goes to the hospital, and I get a call later saying he has a kidney stone. He comes back the same day. Wednesday, our neighbor comes over to take him back. He stays from Wednesday until Friday again, when they find two more stones. I take him back Saturday night for pain, and they believe they find one more. He's been fine since, but he has been pretty sick and hasn't had much energy. He's the kind of guy who gets out and does stuff no matter the weather, because he hates being trapped. He's unfortunately been glued to Netflix and figuring out Facebook, since he's looking to (AKA forced to since this house it a money pit and we're losing it) move as well. So, come Tuesday, my uncle is coming up from Illinois to help my dad pack up whatever they can take and we're leaving the house.

The house I grew up in for over a decade. It sucks, but it doesn't really affect me anymore. The house has always been a piece of shit, even when he did everything he could to improve the little things when we had the money to. We're both starting new.

So, I haven't really filled in the details on what I'm gonna do when I get to Davis. I could talk for thirty minutes and have anybody see it from my eyes, but any less and the details become hazy and you'd probably think I'm crazy. All I can say is that Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin's economy is based 60% off of tourism, 30% off of manufacturing, and 8% off of retail, and 2% of miscellaneous. The winter months are pretty brutal, as we get pounded with snow (Green Bay received 22.3 inches of snow since March 1st, and 87.7 inches of snow since July 1st, 2010) and most places run off of a skeleton crew, so a decent number of jobs up here are seasonal. There is a Target and a Wal-Mart, two grocery stores, a video store, and lots of bars and restaurants and hotels. I've already worked at the Target doing truck, which I enjoyed, but was let go from.

My dad has been searching for a job since January, but there's close to nothing. He's checked most of the dealerships with a body shop from Sturgeon Bay to Appleton, but there's nothing that would make the drive worth it. So, essentially, he's stuck broke. At least he'll get down to Illinois, live with his brother for a few months, and then hopefully get everything straightened out to move out to Colorado.

So, yeah. Here's a happy picture to turn the tables!

180 nuggets. Strell knows our damage.

I've sold pretty much all of my collection on CAG and to local stores. I'm keeping around ten PS2 games and that is about it. I'm going out there on the bare minimum, but it will help me out. I won't be lugging around seven bags of shit. In all reality, I'm taking more of a risk here then doing what I'm doing; moving 2100 miles across the country. Out there, there's a bigger job market, which is quite a bit stronger than here (since June 2009, Davis' job market increased 19%; Sturgeon Bay's declined 42%.)

I am the new Chuplayer.

I've had so much support on CAG, and I honestly can't thank you guys enough. Strell, TooShorty, TLP, DV8, and Amblix all have donated more than I could ever ask. Many more members have bought items which I appreciate so much, because it's helped me get to where I need to feel better. If you don't see your name, then I thank you so much for even reading this, or talking to me, or listening to me argue with myself to figure out how I will work this out (TLP gets the award for hearing the most of that! :applause: )

Mason, singer of Phenomenecronomicon. He's a man's man.

So, in 48 hours, I'll be on a plane for the first time. I'll be on my own for the first time. I'll be outside of Wisconsin or Illinois for the first time. I'll see part of the world for the first time. I'll have to fend for myself for the first time. Last night also was probably the last time I'll see my friends, either for a long time or possibly ever. Since my dad is moving, if I completely fail, I'm not coming back to Wisconsin. My mom and brothers both live in Green Bay, but... I cannot stay with them. I just can't.

So, there it is. I've had so many great years on CAG, and the Trade Forums especially. There was such a sense of "friendship" there a few years ago, but that seems to be fading. I hope next time I get to a computer, I'll see a bigger sense of a community again. There's so many great people there that you shouldn't even hesitate to get out there. I've yet to have a trade or purchase go bad, so if you haven't tried it out, get to it! It's an amazing tool, and the only online place I'd buy or trade games, ever.

The Nom, doing what we do best.

Lastly, I released my second CD about a month and a half ago. I'd be in debt if you could check it out. You can download it for free, as well! Here is the link to it:

http://oceansnextvictim.bandcamp.com/

I'll have to unlink the paypal account, as it won't be running for a little while. It's free music, and if you enjoy it, then you made my day and found something new to listen to! Here's a sample, in case you want to give it a taste:

I do implore you to watch it in HD though, as the sound quality is a bit horrid in SD.

And finally, for you angry guys, the last Nom show ever:

Au revoir, CAG!

- Kirby (Vulgarism)

I Saw the Devil review: jelly beans, kittens, and stroking it.

Vulgarism — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:17:59 GMT

I Saw the Devil

Final rating: 8.5/10

Think of your three favorite things... Maybe jelly beans, kittens, and stroking it. Now, mash all three of those things together and imagine how happy you'll be in the end. That's how I felt when I heard Kim Ji-woon was directing a film starring Choi Min-sik and Lee Byung-hun (my only man crush, ever.) Kim Ji-woon is known for the superb A Tale of Two Sisters, the masterpiece A Bittersweet Life, and the best modern spaghetti western, The Good, the Bad, the Weird. He is up there with Park Chan-wook in terms of style, and his direction is something that most American film makers can only wish to encompass. Choi Min-sik has been an actor for well into his life, but is known around the world as Oh Dae-su from Oldboy. Lee Byung-hun has been proving himself, getting a big role in Park's JSA, and then Kim's A Bittersweet Life, also portraying The Bad in The Good, the Bad, the Weird. He busted into American cinema with G.I. Joe, as Storm Shadow, but unfortunately was quickly looked past in a terrible film.

I Saw the Devil is your South Korean revenge film. Park really nailed the ideology of vengeance with the impressive Vengeance Trilogy, and Kim has dipped his toe into the waters already with A Bittersweet Life. I'll say it right now, I Saw the Devil is no Oldboy. It's no A Bittersweet Life. What we end up with is a mix between American torture-porn and an American crime thriller. With that being said, it is in the upper echelon of both categories, which isn't saying much about torture porn, but is a fairly decent achievement given some of the great thrillers in American cinema. I'd say that I Saw the Devil is like an homage to both Oldboy and Se7en, done by an extremely gifted film maker, but not quite overshadowing either.

Lee plays So-hyun, an NIS agent. One snowy evening, his fiance ends up going missing. Kyung-chul (Choi) abducts and tortures So-hyun's fiance and disposes her remains in a nearby river. When So-hyun is on the scene of the discovery of her severed head, he mentally snaps. Asking for only a two week leave of absence, he begins his journey to redemption...

Seven minutes had to be cut from the film for it to be shown in Korean theaters. It's VIOLENT. I've seen a good share of violent films (Cannibal Holocaust, Irreversible, the Guinea Pig series, August Underground, Aftermath) but there were parts that I could barely handle. South Korean film isn't known for lots of gore, and that's what I love about it. You can watch a film that comes together beautifully, be dark, but not over-the-top violent. This film destroys that idea, and I can't say I'm particularly in love with that. I think Kim wanted to show that vengeance isn't pretty, or always right, but there's other ways to prove the point without spilling crazy amounts of blood on camera.

About the vengeance aspect, it felt a bit under-developed as opposed to other films with the same running theme. Usually, you see a character at a moral intersection... Do they choose to go down the path that leads to bloodshed and redemption and the possibility of destroying your life, while still knowing you got your vengeance, or do they choose the path that would potentially lead to criminal punishment and a harder life for said person. It's a dilemma that not many must face in life, but it's one that makes for beautiful cinema. You get to see a character at their breaking point deciding on what moral path to take. You sympathize with them, because in the same position, YOU would want vengeance more than anything, but there's consequences to every action. So-hyun never once thinks about the consequences; he is driven by an impulse to inflict as much pain and suffering as humanly possible. I would have liked to see a little more depth, since Lee is such a wonderful actor.

Everything else in the film came together splendidly, though. Cinematography, as always, was exceptional and beautiful, the score was haunting but beautiful at the same time, and Kim's direction proves the man knows how to craft a film. The ending is a great ending, though.

If you can handle blood and gore, and want to see a beautiful, hindered by small flaws, but overall damn fine film, check it out when it comes out on Blu-Ray over here.

If You Don't Know Jesus, It's Not Safe to Die.

Vulgarism — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 03:17:00 GMT

I'm not a bloggy kind of guy. I figure the only people who really want to read my thoughts are the throngs of crazy hot-Asian stalker ladies that won't leave me alone, but I digress. I don't usually write much about me, but I'm bored, and I figure I'll just gush. Read on or not, you're gonna miss so many [hardly] interesting things if you don't!

Where to begin? So, it's October. I love Halloween. I love the atmosphere and the time of year. I love the horror films and the depressing music and just everything that goes hand in hand with the time of the year. Summer is gone, so it's not hot and muggy anymore, but winter isn't here yet, so it's not cold and snowy. At night, it's perfect to climb into bed and throw on some movie and just relax. But, as I've feared, it's starting to get colder much sooner. Usually we would hold out with 60s until early November, but the highs are looking to be in the mid-forties the rest of the week, and not much sun. If it was a little warmer, I wouldn't really mind about the lack of sun, but whatever.

Hmmm, well, I've been listening to a lot of Black Metal lately too. It seems to go well with the changing of the seasons. Lots of old Ulver, a bunch of Gris, Gorgoroth, Old Man's Child, Burzum, getting into Trist... And the funny thing is I used to hate Black Metal. I was always opposed to the really low-quality recordings, but I'm starting to get it... It helps convey the hopelessness and anger in the music. I can just imagine some of these cds being recorded in a dark barn over the course of a month with everybody just being on edge and depressed. Wisconsin is a lot like Finland and Norway, I can imagine.

That leads into the next part. It's been roughly a year since Phenomenecronomicon broke up, the band I was the drummer of. I've kept in touch with our singer and bassist, but the guitarist and I haven't talked since October of last year, which I don't understand why. I guess we've just moved on. I'll always remember just how much I loved the times with those guys and they're always gonna be my closest friends, but I guess it was just some young guys having fun and nothing more. I've given up drumming and just do my own solo stuff, which segues...

Into my four projects. I love making music, plain and simple. Because of that, I always put out whatever I create for free, and if you really like it, you can donate or buy a hard copy. I've been doing Ocean's Next Victim for about two years now. I have one full cd done, and the second had 30 tracks, but I decided to scrap it. I felt like it was just a mix of everything, so I figured I'd make different project dedicated to different stuff. Ocean's Next Victim is now orchestral and electronic stuff. HEAVILY inspired by Akira Yamaoka. My biggest goal is to score smaller films for friends and the like. That is my one true dream, with directing right behind it.

Second up is ~60,000 Snuggle Rape Octopus~. The name is supposed to be a play on Engrish, and it's "one man digital J-Pop grind"... Essentially, all the tracks are created in fruity loops, with me adding vocals and anime samples over. Live, I'd actually do the guitar-work, but that's down the road. It's gonna be a seven song EP, with six grind songs and one J-Pop track. I wanted to go extreme, so one of the tracks' vocals is solely me puking up cheesy chipotle chex mix, which was painful.

Third is Governor 2 Fly. I started rapping as "Lil' Vanilla" just for the fun of it, but decided to switch it to Gov when I wanted to break apart my ONV stuff. The songs are about having fun, but not like partying and shit like that. I won't call myself straight-edge, but I do refuse to touch alcohol, drugs, or smoke anything. It's a personal preference that I take pride in. I don't know many people who say they are fully clean, and they don't really expect it out of me. I've just functioned well in my life without the need for any of that. Some of the songs I have as Governor 2 Fly include a sexual innuendo laden track about donuts, another track about snacks and juice, an epic sci-fi invasion played out through a rap, and one last that's a little more serious. I'm not trying to get cred or anything, I just love having an eclectic taste and conveying that through music I can create.

Last is my most ambitious project, and the hardest to explain. It's entitled "Sleeper Ship" and it's an ambient project. It's a concept album, in a sense. It's a journey from the point where humans must leave Earth to find a new home to the eventual discovery of a new home. There will be a story that you read as you listen, and the music guides the story. It's much easier to grasp when listening than trying to explain at this point. I really wanted to create a video to go with it, so it would actually be a video-cd as well, but that's a little too far for my grasp at this point. I'm putting a little bit of time into this one though, and will be selling the hard copies for $10, which will include the cd in a DVD case will full case art, an actual book with the story, and links for some extra downloadable shit. I figure if people download the CD for free, at least my music is getting out there, and if they want to throw a few dollars my way, I'll make it worth the money.

Because Mason, The Nom's singer (yes, from up there) has his own small indie label (Elephant Cannon) he wants to help everybody he knows in releasing their cds, so he's got a small set-up to press cds and make buttons and shirts and all that wonderful stuff. I'll make another blog once the music stuff gets a little more culminated, but I just wanted to touch on that quick...

Aside from that, I am currently un-single again. It's a long story, but I was horrible to her in high school, and after high school she understood I had lots of problems and that I really didn't mean to take it out on anybody and things have been going well. My little brother just turned 9, which makes me feel horrible, because in his entire life, I've only seen him maybe 30 times tops. It's just hard to really be around certain family members, but that's for another blog maybe.

I just got over strep again, too. My tonsils have always been horrible, and I get strep at least once a year. I usually try to avoid the hospital, since I haven't had insurance in about five years, but the swelling had spread to the top of my mouth and I was getting a bit worried. There's a picture of the tonsils from the night before the hospital in my albums, I'll post it later. Anyways, I got some penicillin and a few other things to cut the swelling and pain, and I feel great now. But I've been extremely lazy lately. I hate doing things, and being sick makes me even worse.

I keep realizing my love for Valkyria Chronicles. I won't play the game for a month, then go back to it and just realize how wonderful it is. Everything in the game was done so well.

Well. Ahem. That's about it. Sorry for going off, but it feels nice to just get it out. If you read, congrats, you now know too much about me. Thanks!

Oh, and in parting, this is one of the most depressing and beautiful songs I've heard in a long time. Enjoy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ1FddQVkpI

My favorite movies.

Vulgarism — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 22:41:37 GMT

Well, seeing as another member posted a blog with their favorite movies the other day, I figured I could as well. Here goes!

Jacob's Ladder

Jurassic Park

Day of the Dead

The Fall

There's a lot of Asian stuff and horror on the list, and I left off a few that everybody usually says [Star Wars, LotR, etc] but it's a decent list of what I really enjoy.

The "demise" of Phenomenecronomicon.

Vulgarism — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:24:13 GMT

So, I'm going to start this off by just saying this is mainly me getting shit off my chest. If you read through it all and have anything to say, go ahead and say it. It's not related to games or anything really relevant, it's just me remembering fun times I had and miss. It's also about the band I'm in, which really doesn't deserve a blog, but whatever. I can post whatever I please, so go look at some daily haha and leave!

Well... Okay. So, my friend Sam and I were in a band in high school called These Empty Hands. Google it and you'll find the myspace to a band that really isn't much to brag about, but it's what we enjoyed. Our singer/guitarist Eric moved away at the end of spring 2006, so Sam and I wanted to start a new band. His older brother Ben (who always had the coolest beard ever) was pretty fantastic at guitar. We asked if he wanted to start something, so he agreed. Of course, this actually happened in late late 2006, so we didn't do much until early 2007. We put together a few songs and such, and had a shitload of fun doing it. We would practice for an hour or two, then our practice would turn into Uno Attack and nachos. We'd play video games. We just had a bunch of fun hanging out.

Ben came up with the name Phenomenecronomicon, and we thought it was good. It would stick out. In summer of 2007, we got our first show... Steel Bridge Fest 2. Steel Bridge Fest is a huge 3 day music event in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin dedicated to a shitty, failing bridge (that isn't used anymore) set up by Jackson Browne and Pat mAcdonald. We got a smaller bar, which we didn't mind. We practiced that day, and long story short, a different band stopped by to look at a van our neighbors were selling, they test drove it, and came back with the engine smoking. Great sign, I'd say. That show we had that night was fun. It was a 21 year old guitarist/singer, 18 year old drummer, and 17 year old bassist. We had a few songs with vocals (Fetus Mission... Abort! Abort!; If You Don't Know Jesus, It's Not Safe To Die, Anatomy of a Forest Fire) and some without vocals (If Racists Form A Black Metal Band, Wouldn't They Hate Themselves?; Princest)... People did enjoy us for what we were. We weren't the same bar band shit, and we were young. We had two other shows that summer, one which we played for about 5 poeple, one being a drunk woman saying we were terrible, and one in which we all dressed up as boy scouts. We love music, but we also knew we had to make our stage show something that people could have fun with.

Quick little aside about the Steel Bridge show.. We played it at a small bar/bowling alley called Cherry Lanes. Within the night, I almost got punched in the face by a 30 year old man, our bassist was hit on by the bar owner, who told us his Email address was Tarzan@____.com, and said Ben had "Both the pipes and the passion")... What is the importance of this? Well... You'll see.

We didn't do much the next 5 or 6 months. Winters here suck, so we just passed time by hanging out and not practicing. When spring of 08 rolled around, we recruited our singer, Mason. He's younger than I am, so we're a somewhat young band. Our first show with him was fun as hell. Ben could focus more on guitar, and Mason could help get the crowd going. I wore Pink and Grey striped booty shorts and a tank top that said "Daddy's Little Princest" with a drawn on handlebar mustache.

Look at how damn intense that is! That's my baby-seal-clubbing face. We played Steel Bridge again that summer, and it was terrible. A total mess. We had a few new songs (Chillax to the Face, about killing Lily from Hannah Montana; Monkey Performs Surgery, which is from Suite Life of Zack and Cody; Bludgeoning Your Genitals Until I Want to Marry You, a grind song about little league baseball; Puppy Pile Driver; Panda vs. Woodchipper; on and on) but Sturgeon Bay is not a great place for local bands growing up.

We were offered to play at a girl's house, so we did. It was a going away party for her friend, and so they made us a cake and everything.

Our bassist didn't play, as it was his 18th birthday and decided to be with his girlfriend. We took his bass, put a large picture of him and some flowers by it and told everybody he died.

We played our local fair that year as well. We were getting bigger with the kids, but the older people didn't really understand. Our music was louder and heavier, but we just wanted to have fun. We don't drink, we don't do drugs. We simply do stupid stuff and laugh and dumb shit. At the fair, we talked to our friend Bobby about joining as a synth player/guitarist.

In September, Cherry Lanes reopened as a place for live music and bowling. The guy who bought it was the guy who pushed to get us on Steel Bridge the first year, so he pretty much got us where we were. We played the first show ever there with our friends, A Penny Obscene. We played a good 10-12 shows from September to November.

That's when we got our big chance...

We got a show in St. Louis at the Creepy Crawl. We had to buy tickets and sell them to make our money back, but we figured, regardless of how many tickets we sold, we would get a little bit more exposure, going from a town of 9000 people to a city of 350,000. So we hit the road. It was about a 14 hour drive or so, and we left at 4 PM and arrived around 6 AM. Our singer (who is 6'5) slept the entire ride, lodged between a seat and the van door. We had a van stuffed with 5 people, 2 guitar cabs, 2 bass cabs, 2 guitar heads, 1 bass head, 3 guitars, 1 bass, and my entire drum kit. I can tell you, the drive was fun as all hell. It was exactly what you think touring would be like. Being crammed with your best friends in a small area, talking about music and whatever else.

We played that night for about 20 people, lost about $70 from buying the tickets, about $200 in gas (round trip) and $150 on a hotel room and food (Imo's Pizza is insanely good)... But, as I have mentioned, we had so much fun. This entire band thing sounds great, right? So what went wrong?

Our friend Bobby joining. He wasn't happy in the band, but he stayed in. Unlike us, he did party and stuff, so we weren't able to hang out with him like the four of us originally always did. The band started to fall apart. We pretty much came close to breaking up multiple times. We changed practicing from my garage to Bobby's house, but we got kicked out. We ended up getting a show with The Number Twelve Looks Like You and In the Face of War, which was beyond amazing. It was truly beautiful. We drove 3 hours and played for 15 minutes to a bunch of scene kids who hated us. We played Steel Bridge 09, and that was our last show with Bobby. He quit afterwards. He wasn't happy in our band.

We've played a few shows here and there since Steel Bridge 09, but not much. We had a local battle of the bands that was 100% fucked from the beginning as nobody really showed up for any bands, and the thing was run shitty. That was about 4 weeks ago.

Up until yesterday, that was the last time I talked to our guitarist, Ben. I haven't heard from Sam since then. Mason and my relationship had always been a bit... Awkward, but him and I are getting along better now. My best friends are pretty much... Gone. These guys who I had put all my love and devotion into this band for years, and we're drifting apart.

Mason and Ben want to go down a different route, becoming more of a screamo (see Maths and Madame du Montespan and Mesa Verde screamo) band, but here's my problem... We used to never be catagorizable. We had so many different songs that you couldn't put us in one genre. I love the music we used to make. I miss the fun we used to have.

I've been contemplating leaving lately. I had a lowball to buy new drums, and now the band is suffocating and dying. I don't want to leave, I want us to be the same four guys we used to be. We're getting older and have different ideas on where we want to go, but we all put so much love into this band it hurts to think we're not gonna stick together.

Now, let me get this out of the way... If you think this is a shameless plug for our band, fuck off. This is what I want to achieve: I want to hopefully get a few comments and such with people's honest opinions. I'm going to send a link to our myspace so Mason and Ben and Sam can read this. We need a kick in the ass, because since Bobby left, we've been hurting. I've said for a long time that we're dysfunctional... We would play a show, and two weeks later, our practice would be the next show. But, no matter what, we ALWAYS put 110% into it.

I love the band, I love the guys, but they need to see what I think.

I put pictures on here to show you that we did do our best live, and we always tried to give more than we had, and make it fun.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...utorid=4850946

^^^ That is a link to some of our videos, so you can see our live show a little bit.

Like I said, I want to show those guys we need to keep living our dream. I don't want to quit playing drums, but honestly, if we can't get our shit together, I have more important things I can use the money for.

And, if you've read through this whole thing, thank you so much. If you've ever wanted to be in a band, do it. Make sure the people you start a band with are your best friends, as you will have more fun than you ever have had in your life. It's wild and amazing. The past three years of my life have been up and down, but 100% memorable with my three bros. My Nom homies.

- Kirby.

Where the Wild Things Are...

Vulgarism — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:51:44 GMT

Now, I saw this film tonight, after loving this book for a good 18 years of my life... And who better to direct it than Spike Jonze?! It seemed like it could be the perfect combination... Did it hold up to my expectations?

Spoilers, but nothing too serious. I will spoil the ending, but it's not a huge deal. I would say read if you're on the fence about this.

First and foremost, the PG rating doesn't necessarily mean targeted towards children. Look at Poltergeist... This movie is sad. It will definitely play with your emotions and make you feel almost the same way you did when you watched Tae Guk Gi.

If you know the story, it's about the same, expanded. A boy named Max with a vivid imagination gets angry at his sister and his mom. He runs away. He lands on an island with a group of sad monsters. He tries to help make things better by being their king. Emotions run wild.

Each monster has a different, almost tangible personality. It's hard to dislike any of them. The CG work was great, and really mixed well with the film. The main character, Max, was flawlessly cast as well, and from what I hear, Spike Jonze really went out of his way to create a great bond with the actor.

The film goes back and forth, from sadness to happiness. It seems like there was a bit too much depression from the monsters and Max, which is the major flaw holding this film back from being completely great. It seems like that was what the reviews had the most problem with as well, and I can't blame them... It's sad as hell... But, when everything is going well, you will no doubt have a smile on your face.

Spike Jonze really created an indie family drama. If you are familiar with Spike Jonze, you will know what to expect and chances are, you were excited for this and will enjoy it. There are amazing shots and scenes that you can't expect from family films anymore. He made it work.

The music... Pure indie bliss. An all Karen O [Yeah Yeah Yeahs] score really helped this film out, too. It all comes together to make something SOME children will enjoy and some parents will like a lot. It's definitely not for everyone, as my girlfriend and I kept commenting on how sad of a film it was, but that is the driving force behind it... The monsters are torn apart and terribly sad, and Max helps, then wrecks, then brings them all together in the end. You know Max's last moments leaving the island are the most depressing, but most uplifting moments of the film... The monsters are all going to be alright.

I would love to thank Spike Jonze for bringing a cherished memory from my childhood to life... To beautiful, heart-wrenching, emotion beating life. You may even let out a tear.

9.0/10

Vulgy, what's with all the Hayaino Daisuki love?

Vulgarism — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:06:11 GMT

There's a very high chance that you probably haven't heard of the band Hayaino Daisuki. Well, that is okay, because I'm sure you're familiar with Discordance Axis and Mortalized, right? Right?... Okay, well, let's backtrack.

Discordance Axis is a grindcore band that, by some people, are hailed as the greatest grindcore band ever. Whether you agree or not, there's two things you have to admit... Jon Chang's vocal work is powerful, awesome, and insanely unique and the music is a bit different from most grindcore. Find a grindcore fan, and there's no doubt they'll have words of praise for Discordance Axis. Plus, Jon Chang is a HUGE Sci-Fi fan, and it is apparent in Discordance Axis, and especially in his new "other" band, Gridlink.

Video for Ikaruga, created by Jon Chang. Pretty neat video, if you ask me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO-bI3lSvfs

Now, to show off a different side, here's My Neighbor Totoro, an instrumental track by Discordance Axis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo7NE...eature=related

Mortalized is a Japanese grind band that have summed up their entire work, idea, and sound in two words: Speed and Satan. Mortalized is fast, heavy, intense, and awesome. Plus, their entire discography is about 20 minutes long. The downside is the entire discography isn't the best quality, but regardless, Mortalized brings smiles :)

A small live Mortalized video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-DSNleyECU

So, you've listened to Mortalized and Discordance Axis and are in awe [or are gone, because you can't stand the music :D]

Hayaino Daisuki [translating to I Love Speed] is something different, and to be honest, it's amazing. You take the insane guitar work of Matsubara from Mortalized, and Jon Changs crazy as hell vocals, and turn it into [and I will try to make this as simple as possible] an 80's thrash-glam grind anthemcore band (It's such an eclectically huge mix of greatness) that has literally heroin-injected monster energy drink into their arms and put out a badass four song EP. You can find Headbanger's Karaoke Club Dangerous Fire for fairly cheap, and the cd is packed. It comes with a mini-manga that also includes reviews and such, entire lyric sheet that folds out into a cross from the digipack. Oh, and the only photos you'll find of Hayaino Daisuki are [for the most part] these:

Plus, their shirt [yes, one shirt, haha] is pretty awesome. It's HARD to miss.

So, are you ready to hear Hayaino Daisuki? Well, here you go:

http://www.myspace.com/hayainodaisuki

Unfortunately, they only have one song up, but the new cd should be dropping soon. The EP has A LOT of low end, so it's extremely bass-y, but that's the beauty... Glam is pretty and clean, but Hayaino Daisuki has turned it into a dirty, coked-up hooker that will scream obscenities at lightning fast speed and everything will be a blur. Hayaino Daisuki is bitchin.

You'll either find HD to be pretty awesome, or to be over-the-top ridiculous. I pretty much wrote this up to explain my love of this barely-known band, to show people a few more bands that could possibly show you a new band you might like, and to show that no matter what comes out and becomes the next "scene" [UGHHHHHH BMTH and Born of Osiris and Veil of Maya], it's entirely possible to make something great that nobody else would try.