Cut and Dry

So I found www.hotwaterlobster.com and I really want to look into getting one. Essentially, it really helps out the environment by helping to save hot water and heat up the water quicker. I waste so much water when I do the dishes just waiting for the water to heat itself up. Saving water is really important, not only for my budget, but for the environment as well, which is always a plus.

The Hot Water Lobster is only about 179.95 so its not going to break our budget if we get one, and then its easy enough to install I can even do it. I also very much like the fact it comes with a 30 day money back guarantee and a 10 year parts and labor warranty. Thats always nice so I know its not a rip off like some of those other products on the market. I am for sure going to get one when we own our own house, but I am really thinking of getting one now and even get one for my mom!

So in my travels through the wide world of internet I stumbled across this link: http://blog.monitis.com/index.php/2009/06/05/saas-versus-on-promise-software-wysiwyg-principle/

I think its kinda nifty that there is finally a company thats not trying to rip people off with software and shows you exactly how products work instead of some unreal demonstration of what something might do. Its that kind of advertising that makes me feel uneasy about buying any kind of software I haven’t personally used myself, since i hate paying money for something that either doesn’t work how I thought it did, or just plain does do what I need. I like this type of technology thats not out to rip the customer off.

When people hear the word lawyer, the most savory of images is not conjured up. While its fun to make jokes every so often, lawyers are actually a crucial tool you really have to use if you want the best chance of winning your case. A small quibble over a hundred dollars in property may not call for their services, but for a divorce, its completely vital. There’s so many loopholes with alimony, child support (if it applies), debt, property etc… that you really need a lawyer who knows all the laws and rules to help you get a settlement you can live with. Without the aid of lawyers, my parents would have been caught in a long, drawn out court battle instead of a civil out of court divorce contract. There’s plenty of places that you can find a lawyer in your area (like http://www.vancouverlaw.net) and I HIGHLY recommend them if you are getting a divorce!

I finally got enough gift cards and Amazon Mechanical Turk money to order both D&D items Gino needed. I am excited and so is he, mainly because they are for him.

Today is Jasmine’s second birthday! Shes getting so big now, and I mean fat. After she got fixed she ballooned up, but shes finally started to slim down and be active again. Shes even started to get used to Gwendolyn and Pinochet to a point. She still harasses them, but I think its more for her own amusement and less out of spite.

So I stumbled across http://www.vocaboly.com and I think its nifty that theres software out there that helps people expand on their vocabulary with a vocabulary builder. Lately I am shocked that teenagers can barely form a sentence without leet-speak. Occassionally yes I will jokingly use it, but the fact that some people can’t form a complete sentence is both tragic and infuriating.

Anyway, Gino and I celebrate our three year dating anniversary tomorrow by playing D&D. No telling, but I think I am going to try and hardcore clean the house while hes working tomorrow as a special little surprise.

So I have recently started playing more horror games with a few I have yet to try (like Kuon and Clock Tower 3) but I thought I would compile a list of the ones I really love and give you a warning on the ones that were just god-awful. (They are in alphabetical order, not in where they fall on my list of favorite video games).

Platform: PC
Rating: M
Release Year for US: 2000
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG_-3T1Tljw

This has become one of my new favorite games. The graphics are not the best in the entire world, about on par with early PS2, but the story is great and the gameplay is WONDERFUL. You play as Alice, a disturbed young woman now after the events of Lewis Carrols book. Her family died in a fire and she was the only one to make it out alive, forced to hear the dying, tormented cries of her family and being helpless to save them. Now Alice has been placed in a mental hospital/asylum due to her catatonic state, but the mind of Alice is still turning and she finds herself back in Wonderland. Instead of being the happy place she once remembered, the world reflects her metal status where everything is dark and broken. You are given a range of weapons, such as a knife, throwing cards etc… to help you take down your adversaries, the cronies of the Red Queen who has now viciously taken over Wonderland and rules with an Iron Fist. Meet up with old friends (a few who have now become enimes) like the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter. Even better news, in Feb. 2009 it was announced that a sequel is in the works! No one knows what it will revolve around, but it will be released on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Platform: PC/XBOX
Rating: M
Release year for the US: 2004
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhITk8_hv6w

This game scared the crap out of me and I wasn’t even the one playing. Id stepped up their game from the original Dooms and turned what was just a first-person shooter set in hell (albeit awesome, but not really the sort of thing to keep you awake at night) into a horror trill ride that makes you want to sleep with the lights on. With the inability to use your flashlight and a weapon at the same time, you can either see and be helpless for a few moments while you deperately pull out your gun or walk blind and pray none of the creepy-crawlies lurking in the facility will make you into a snack. Many of the classic bad guys make an appearance like the Pinkies or Imps but with a remake from their grainy, blocky origins. They scare and maim all in one swoop. Of course, Id is a powerhouse and has not yet stopped the Doom series, with Doom 4 announced for PC with a TBA release date.

Platform: PS2/XBOX
Rating: T
Release for the US: 2002
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUh9WNUkkOs

Possibly the scariest series ever to grace the video gaming world, this game will give you nightmares and make you sleep with the lights on. You play as Miku Hinasaki, the sister of Mafuyu (who you play as in the tuturial level) and you have come to the haunted mansion to come and search for your missing sibling. What you find is a house full of ghosts, including the people that your brother set out to find in the first place. Is he dead as well? And who is that woman in the white robes with the ropes all tied about her? Search through the masion and find the clues and piece together what horrifying events trapped all these souls to this house. Your only weapon-The Camera Obscura. A powerful camera able to pull the souls of the ghosts and essentially exorcises them for at least a little bit. The scary part? You have to let the camera charge up by keeping it aimed on them. The longer you let it charge, the more damage you do. For the tuly brave, you can wait until your charge turns red to get a super-powerful shot, but be warned, if you miss the split second you get to capture that shot, the ghosties will attack you. With a series this terrifying, of course they would make more…

Platform: PS2/XBOX
Rating: M
Release year for the US: 2003
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9czbIFtje3o&feature=related

Even more terrifying than the first, Fatal Frame 2 – The Crimson Butterfly brings horror to a whole new level. You play as the twins Mio and Mayu and become trapped in the Lost Village, who also has been trapped in time just like the first game, with the souls of its inhabitants trapped there for all eternity. You have to attempt to break the curse held over this village or risk becoming trapped there for all time. Just like the first, your only weapon is the camera and it has the same battle style as the first. By far the easiest of the series to find, it acctually doesn’t directly relate to the storyline of the first, so you can play either one first. The third installment however, pulled from both the first games and created a story of its own…

Platform: PS2
Rating: M
Release year for US: 2005
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsoPAhrCdF8 (The game is in english, even though the trailer still had Japanese dialouge)

Drawing the storylines from the first two games into its fold, Fatal Frame 3 – The Tormented takes horror to the places it should never go… sleep. When one of the main characters you play as (either Rei, Kei or Miku (yes, the same girl from the first game)) goes to sleep, they end up in this nightmarish mansion where a painful tattoo begins to overtake their body and will eventually claim their soul. It is another failed ritual just like the first two games, but they definately crank up the scary cutscenes and horrific torture the spirits endured in their life. This one is probably my favorite from the whole series, and even if you never played the first two games, you could pick up this game and follow along pretty well (you may want to read a brief summary of the first two games). Fatal Frame (or Zero as its called in Japan) is HUGE in Japan, hitting the Greatest Hits list there. They made another installment for the Wii, but Nintendo America and Europe deiceded not to release it to the states. A lot of us are REALLY pissed we all hope that Tecmo will go with Sony again, since they always give us our Fatal Frame fix. Heres for hoping that the US will see another Fatal Frame.

Platform: PC/PS3/Xbox 360
Rating: M
Release year for US: 2005
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSme33E8uFM

Taking the first person shooter to a whole new level of horror is F.E.A.R. which stands for First Encounter Assault Recon. You play as a soldier who has been deployed when something horrid happens in a secret super-soldier project. The head person has lost his mind and started killing and EATING the scientists. And suddenly you find yourself in a whirlwind of terrifying images and massive shoot-outs. And whats more creepy than a children that kill? Nothing. The AI in this game is INSANE and will learn your patterns and adapt to them. Don’t plan on dying and doing it the same way again, the AI learns and predicts your movements. The game is CRAZY hard and I have yet to beat it, both because of the difficulty and how terrifying it is. I highly reccommend this game! There are other games in the series, such as sequels, prequels and add-ons. I need to play them too!

Platform: PS2
Rating: M
Release year for US: 2005
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c1Nr2C2TAU&feature=related (Its also goes by Demento)

Possibly one of the more challenging in gameplay of the games on this list is the jewel that is Haunting Ground. Most people haven’t played, let along heard of this horror game, probably due to the difficulty of the game. You have no weapons as you play as Fiona, a girl who has only fragments of memories of how she ended up in this huge castle staffed by some of the strangest and most disturbing characters. Your only help is a dog called Hewie who will defend you viciously against the attacks of those that pursue you, but hiding is still your best bet. Daniella, the maid, is probably the most beautiful and horrifying person I have seen in a horror game in a long time, and if only for her I would play the game. The story is deep and entralling, but I would reccomend using a walkthrough since it can be a little trial and error at times. Don’t get caught or you end up being lunch (or other various things) for the staff who for some reason, really like Fiona. Find out why as you play through this terrifying game.

Platform: Ps2
Rating: M
Release year for US:
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNgj9lfC_aw

You’ll notice this game is erriely similar in gameplay to Haunting Ground. You have a dog that acts as your proector and you end up in a huge house where you only have fragmented bits of memory on how you got there. In this game however, you can be armed with an array of weapons from pipes and wrenches, or even a gun if you can find one. You are the only real adult in the game, as most of the other characters are children, members of the Order of the Red Crayon. You have to play their sick, twisted games in order to make it out alive. Whatever they imagine becomes real, and your loyal dog is the only one really on your side. Battle through the Orphanage and various other locations to discover the truth behind what has happened here, and pray you make it out alive. A really AMAZING game and I would highly reccomend it. Again, you can’t get much scarier than children.

Platform: Ps2/PC/XBOX
Rating: M
Release year for the US: 2004
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATpxzgZlOCE

My favorite for the Silent Hill series, only because of the controls. I have never been a big fan of the SH series, but not because the gameplay isn’t great or the backstories are thrilling and intresting. Its the endings. They are always always always terrible, in a bad way. I never like them and they never seem to fit with the story. Silent Hill 4 is no exception either, and you find yourself dumbfounded at some of the stupid things the main character says and does. BESIDES that, the game is awesome with some of the scariest creatures popping out of no where, this installment of Silent Hill won’t disappoint, at least not gameplay-wise. Of course there will be a hospital level. All I can say is OMG check all the rooms because they have some of the freakiest, creepiest things I have ever seen in a horror survival game ever.

Well, thats my list for games I DO like, and yes I know, no Resident Evil. I just never got into them, but they are still a good series!  Heres a few I wouldn’t reccomend however:

Siren – This is a DREADFUL trial and error horror game, that honestly, wasn’t that good storyline-wise either. Not on Dani’s list of things to own.

The Suffering – While the enimes are terrifying, your side-kick that walks around insisting on saying THE most cleshay prison phrases and dropping the F-bomb WAAAAAY too much gets old, and the controls aren’t brilliant either. Good for maybe a rental, but to own, I wouldn’t go out looking for it.

So my phone broke last weekend, lucky for me I have AT&T and the sim card was fine so I just transfered it to my moms old phone since she has Sprint now. It’ll do for now at least, I can get a new one later.

I am so swamped at the moment. This week and next I am working props crew on one of the theatre shows. I have to be there every night from 5:30 – whenever they finish, which can be as late as 11:30. Hopefully I won’t get any big homework assignments >.>

Illindir is going super great, and it looks like we are on track for summer testing. Three areas are actively being built (Ana, the elf city, Danzibar, the human city and Puan/Fwi the daphinae cities). We are hoping testers will have all of those areas to poke about in when breaking things. I am eager to get the testers so we can figure out a few things with the code and how things work. That will be lots of fun. I’ll have to get the swing of all these imm commands too, but I already know how to use slay and force thanks to Gino <3. Hurray for hubbies that double as test subjects!

SO sleepy though since Gino got this second job. Since we share the car I have to get up early to take him. Poor thing, but this will really help us save up lots of money, both for Otakon and for the move next winter. Otakon this year is going to kick soooo much ass. Yay for celebrating my one year anniversary at the place we had our first real date <3

I am so glad I can be lazy. I am poking around in my old CoM logs and found I still have a bunch of people’s descriptions. I was tickled pink to find Anam, Cyruo, Radwan, Biage, Sylinx and even Gravens. I forgot I had all these. I’ll have to finish going through my logs and see who else I have, got a running total of 14 or 15 so far. Its nice to hang on to lil things like this, but for the life of me some of these people I am thinking “Who was this?” Like Sarath, a female Dagahasi until Ashley squeeled that she was the one Graven hacked off her hand for poking around in his temple. I had totally forgotten about that. I am going to have to read through some of these logs, I have like 30. Lucky for me I never bothered to edit anything.

Still working on Fwi, but hopefully I can finish this city soon and move onto Puan. Then the Daphinae will have their cities done. Danzibar, Ana and Dwarven keeps are going up too atm by the rest of the building team/staff so hopefully we’ll have plenty of areas for the testers to run around in and break this summer <3. Arcanum Editor KICKS ASS too, because if something in the game gets corrupted, all we have to do it go back and reload the file itself. It saves a lot of time and work if something crashes, so thats always nice. Even if the game is down the builders can still work, which is a plus. The only thing I wished was different was that it doesn’t have northeast, northwest, southwest and southeast exits to build, so those exits have to be put in manually in the OLC, but its not a big deal. You can still do the room description, extra descs and stuff like that, so its always nice.

I am hoping I get my other paper next week. I got an A on my one for Medieval Lit, but the 26 page paper I submitted to American Modernism has yet to be graded. I have a feeling it will be an A, he likes my observations and analysis so we’ll see.

Heres just some cool stuff we have planned for Illindir thats getting worked on right now <3

1. Well-developed areas that enrich the race. Each of the eight races of Illindir has its own area in the game, all with planned cultures that are reflected in their cities/areas. Some of the places are already mapped and being worked on RIGHT NOW like Danzibar and Puan’Fwi (just to name a couple).

2. We’ve got a dedicated staff and wonderful coders that have already added at least a hundred skills/spells. While we are still working on bugs of course, the game is growing in leaps and bounds code-wise, because Myrra just kicks ass like that.

3. The crafting system will blow you away. Get this, there are NO stock items. What does that mean? Everything in the game has be crafted by a player through our intricate crafting system, so, essentially, everyone is wearing restrings. Gone are the days of needing loads of RPP or staff help. Find a crafter to make your clothes, armor, weapons etc… or become a crafter yourself!

4. Classless. Yes, classless. You don’t have to conform to any class or have skills you hate any longer. Create your own unique character OR apply for one of the roster characters. These characters are already well-established in RP and are given to players who apply and show real promise!

5. We have our own wiki! Sign up, get approved and start adding your own info! Want to make your own addition to the beastiary? Go for it! Think you have something to add to an article, add away! You can even earn RPP or other such benefits for being involved!

6. Players always run the organizations. We as staff will puppet mobs when no one willing to hold a position, but if a player wants it, we say go for it! Show us your stuff!

7. Choose from an array of religions IC. You can follow the Elements, try and revive a fallen God or even believe you are enlightened and think you can become an element too!

8. Death is not the end. Even if you’re perm-dead, its not over. We are going to have skills for spirits where you can do things like possess people and such. Even work your way up to become a Deva or a Demon in the world! Death is just the beginning on Illinidir if you choose it to be!

9. All shops (except for general stores) are going to be player-run! You can own your own store to sell your wares in! Theres always the open market that open all day and night too that you can sell your goods at any time and can buy all sorts of things!

10. Suggest new ideas! We love hearing what you want to see in Illindir!

11. Several cities means just because you are banned from one, doesn’t mean your character will be done. There is a HUGE world to explore, and I do mean HUGE. Grab yourself a mount and explore (or walk if you prefer).

12. No staff is going to play favorites with the players! We believe in equal chance, and not only that, but that everyone can change to be better players, even if they don’t start off perfect <3.

13. Staff will not meddle in RP they are not needed in. We won’t really care if Bob is sleeping with Jane AND Sue unless one of them directly asks for IC help (prays to an Element for guidance etc…) We will be running all kinds of quests to get neat items, as well as a heavy mix of in-game coded quests all over the world! Will you be able to find them all?

14. Players run the world. While staff will regulate and interact to a degree, if an evil, evil man wants to takes over the elven city and he can pull it off, go for it! No city is permanently aligned, and we let the players control the world (to a point). Will the centaurs ever get their revenge on the humans? Will the draikens ever become dragons and take to the skies once more? Will a long dead race reappear after the hard work of players? You get to decide. Conquer or create, its up to you!

15. Own a house! Yes, own your very own house and fill it with furniture and whatever else you like. We’re even working on a chest/container that you can store your stuff in and it won’t disappear! Hurray, now you don’t have to carry it around all the time!

16. If a bug or a crash causes you to lose something when the game opens fully, expect to get it back. Just send along an email with what you lost because of something and we’ll return it to you ASAP!

17. When moving around the world, to the left of your desc will appear a map, so you can always find your way, at least for the next few rooms!

I am sure I left things off I am just not thinking about right now, but I can always post them later. Hope to see you there! www.illindir.com

OMG I am dying laughing right now. 90 views in one day? This is hilarious. Just so you know, my last post was me being snarky and sarcastic, but the comments that ensued on Ashleys and I’s blog… PRICELESS… you guys are sooooo cute! I know I won’t be seeing you on Illindir since I am such a terrible person and a horrid RPer. You guys have fun making your own mud… the one thats not getting off the ground… yah… that one. So Oliver, Kairax and Evan, you guys have fun not having lives and SURFING THE WEB FOR COM!

For all the others I insulted, know I didn’t mean it personally. I just like to be snarky and somewhat of a bitch sometimes <3. I just make observations, but it doesn’t mean I hate you as a persons.

P.S. to Ken – I don’t have much bad to say about you <3. We never really got into much OOC drama so… I hope you come over and play Illindir, we’d love to see you there! That inculdes anyone else I was a lil snakry too as well!

P.P.S. – I know I have flaws too, and I probably would have made the same mistakes as staffers I critisize if I hadn’t seen the damage it can do, so I really do mean them as thanks, you’ve made me a better staffer <3. Except you Evan, Kairax and Oliver, I know you’re reading this, so does everyone else… we all thing you’re losers with no lives, so we don’t really care what you think, but please, keep commenting, we find it cute!

I am so disguisted right now. I am watching MTV’s made. Normally they do things like “I want to be an ice skater/rapper/dancer/editor etc..” and they get an expert to come in and whip them into shape and give them the skills they need to succeed. Its normally pretty interesting and sometimes the people throw a fit about getting up at 6am to train. Its pretty straightforward. THIS episode is making me so pissed…

So theres this high schooler. Hes you classic nerdy guy. Hes got a bunch of comic books, costumes, memorbilia etc… He acctually seems like a really nice kid. But he wants a relationship and has a problem talking to girls and such. So he wants to be made into a ladies man and be able to talk to women. They get this BITCH who has come in saying “Yes, I am trying to change him.” and tells him to get rid of any and all comic books stuff, saying they are “childish” and straight up wanted to take his costumes. While I admit dressing up for everyday use is a lil odd, but hey, if it makes you happy. Not only that but the bitch coach makes him leave his school comic book club meetings in which hes the president. Thats just bitchy for the sake. Then the club gets tired of him not showing up for meetings, and decides to kick him out of the club. FINALLY they have him talk to this guy who was nerdy in high school (and still is a litlle nerdy as he owns a magic shop) who has a serious girlfriend. That guy teaches him a couple magic tricks to give him an icebreaker and some confidence. He speaks more about the inside condition than what hes wearing, and the kids did really well. The guy stright up told him “Be yourself.” So then the kid gets the message that hes been kicked out of the club afyer missing meetings for weeks. He staight up tells his teacher he doesn’t want to be a ladies man if it means losing his friends. So she says, well then they can be your entourage and makes him get dates for his friends too. One nerdy friend gets a date by having a lightsaber duel with a girl who thought it was great. Then other two just be themselves and meet these girls at a dance class and they just are their normal, geeky selves. They take the girls out to a habchi and they love it. The guy uses the confidence he got from the other man who grew up and owned the magic shop and he asked one girl out to the dance and she said yes. Two boys down, now just one of them needs a date. He met a girl in acooking class they did and he calls her up and gets a date. They all got dates just being themselves, not clothes or anything on the outside. That bitch coach did nothing but give them some nice clothings to wear to the dance, thats all. Congrats bitch coach, you gave them outfits.

What pisses me off is they are saying “This is bad. No one likes this. You must conform.” I personally love all the nerdy things that Gino has… including his extensive D&D book collection and our display sword collection. I love him with all my heart and the nerdy stuff is not only tolerated, but ENJOYED. I think its ridiculous to say “All girls like X” and focus on the outside.