The King of Kong

If you liked Spellbound then you'll love the King of Kong! I mean, ohf! It's almost impossible to believe some of these guys actually exist!

Watching the emotions on Brian Kuh's face alternate between almost crying and wanting to push an arcade machine on top of Wiebe was priceless! That poor bastard couldn't hide his emotions for shit and this viewer thanks him for it. And the sycophants around Billy Mitchell were like a bad high school movie about the "cool kids" dumping all over the new guy [Wiebe].

Truth really is stranger than fiction! And in any case I don't think anyone has the imagination to make something like this up. It's like that guy that has a houseful of boxes full of his farts, you just can't make up stuff like that! Who would even think to?

And I Quote...

"I believe that what I do becomes part of me," she said. "When I'm brave and strong, and care for children and the sick and the poor, I become a better person. And when I'm cruel, or cowardly, or tell lies, or get drunk, I turn into someone less worthy, and I can't respect myself."

Caris from World Without End by Ken Follett


It's certainly not a new idea but one worth repeating.

an old favorite

To A Stranger by Walt Whitman

Passing stranger! you do not know
How longingly I look upon you,
You must be he I was seeking,
Or she I was seeking
(It comes to me as a dream)

I have somewhere surely
Lived a life of joy with you,
All is recall'd as we flit by each other,
Fluid, affectionate, chaste, matured,

You grew up with me,
Were a boy with me or a girl with me,
I ate with you and slept with you, your body has become
not yours only nor left my body mine only,

You give me the pleasure of your eyes,
face, flesh as we pass,
You take of my beard, breast, hands,
in return,

I am not to speak to you, I am to think of you
when I sit alone or wake at night, alone
I am to wait, I do not doubt I am to meet you again
I am to see to it that I do not lose you.

Another Offbeat Love Song

You're Only King Once - Beulah

Have you seen that moon-faced kid?
that burned out halo hangs right above his head
it's so hard not to be crushed
when you're praying for too much
and the stars refuse to shine for you
they do it just to spite
well they know you're trying to hard

hoping for a little more than just another kiss goodnight
your face is full and paved with lines
your hair's receding fast and so is your mind
and that lazy eye won't budg
cuz you're praying way too much
and don't take that pill
your head will swell
you'll only be king once
just once,
you'll only be king

smile, please smile
I just want you happy
smile, please smile
I just want you happy

and the stars refuse to shine for you
they do it just to spite
well they know you're trying too hard

smile, please smile
I just want you happy
smile, please smile
I just want you happy
I just want you happy
I just want you happy

Superiority Complex

I just took a stroll down memory lane (long, long ago memory) by reading a review of Sweet Valley High's Dear Sister. I remember reading quite a few SVH books but I hadn't thought about them in years until seeing this review. It was hilarious good fun to see the book dissected by someone around my age also remembering that they used to spend way too many hours reading these books. But what really caught my eye was her teasing mention of the twins description (included on page one or two of every novel) and how they were perfect 5'6, size six blondes. The reviewer lamented her former self feeling inadequate for not matching up to this "perfection" and she made an off-hand remark about how many other girls might have felt the same inadequacy. And I just had to laugh at my former self (and current self, too, to be honest) and my enduring superiority complex/ridiculously high self image. I distinctly remember reading that description and I distinctly remember my response. It went thusly:

Only 5'6?? Only a size 6??? How freakish! It must be weird and horrible to be that small!

A Pause

The words of William Sloane Coffin, whose son Alex died at age 24 in a car crash.

Tired of hearing well-meaning friends say, “It is the will of God,” he responded with this: “My own consolation lies in knowing that it was not the will of God that Alex die. That when the waves closed over the sinking car, God’s heart was the first to break.”

...teh bad and teh ugly

There wasn't really enough of teh good to include in the title but trust me, going from bad to worse is sometimes TEH BEST!

I came by this line (imagine a tongue not a dental device):

"He delved into the hidden recesses of her mouth"

and was overwhelmed by a case of the giggles. I mean, how big is this mouth? How many recesses could it have and where the bloody hell could they possibly be hidden? I had my wisdom teeth out several years ago and that left me with some recesses but they weren't hidden and I don't think anyone was going to go probing them. Weird and ew.

But then, not three paragraphs later, I read this little gem and just about died:

"His lips milked her lobe..."

His lips? milked? her lobe?

MILKED! her lobe!

Not as refreshing as a cold shower but it gets the same results. I figured this was a sign to stop reading.

Normally I would be annoyed to have wasted my time on a book but I feel my life has been enriched by this opportunity to scoff at recess probing and lobe milking. Ah, teh satisfaction!



btw, for those wondering that was an ear lobe

Images to Love

I don't know who Ubisoft uses for their marketing/graphic design but I am clearly her bitch. Commence drooling:



Just off to check out who made Hitman (video game not movie, though I like them both) because that's another one that I can't resist visually.

Quotes to Love

"Here was something perfectly familiar--a lady who ought not but very likely would."

Christian in "Flowers from the Storm" by Laura Kinsale


Oh Christian! As Bridget would say...fwaaaah!!!

Mr M says

Mr Musacha:
I've run out of things to read on the internet.
I've run out of things to read on the fucking internet!

Not Even the Like

Ever have one of those things that everyone loves and you don't? Even better, it's so very much like something you would normally like so everyone suggests it for you? And try as you might you just don't like it? Mentally making your list? Yeah, thought so.

In this case, for me, it's an author. I am not at all a fan of Bill Bryson. It's weird because I love travel and humorous portrayals of people and places. If I'm not mistaken (and I couldn't be since he's been recommended to me so many times) that is exactly what Bryson writes. But holy hell I can't even finish one of his books! I believe I've tried three at this point.

Lucky for Mr. Bryson most people do not feel the same way I do. In fact, I've only met one other person that does not enjoy his writing. Lucky for me there are way more books than can ever be read in a lifetime. No need to dither about on authors I don't enjoy.

And so adieu, Mr. Bryson. I am not trying any more of your books. You certainly will not miss me, your book sales are doing just fine. Wishing you success in all you write!

He's So Dreamy!

I feel I have been misleading with all the Altair chatter here at sgwordy. I must say that it was not Altair that drew me into the Assassin's Creed world (apparently never to escape) but the excellent graphics and marketing by Ubisoft. Yes, that's right, a video game trailer sealed my fate. But my one true video game love was discovered courtesy of Mr Musacha in my own living room.

I thought Mr M was playing a game but when I looked at the screen it was more like an animated movie (think Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within). Cool, I thought, let's see what this business is all about. And that's when I first saw Leon. He's driving around in this jeep looking a bit dejected (but oh so dreamily determined) with a couple other guys and then bad shit starts to happen. But it was totally cool bad shit and I was immediately sucked into the game. So much so that Mr M was kind enough to not play the game unless I was around to watch.

Regardless of how awesome Leon is (or how much better I would be for him than Ashley or the lady in the red dress) Resident Evil: Leon is the best video game ever made! and that's coming from someone whose played Tales of Symphonia!

Enjoy:





btw, is that a balrog?

Implied History

Sometime in the past year I had a eureka moment in reading. It was the moment I recognized the genius of what I'm going to call Implied History. Often it's quite obvious why a book is so remarkable. But then, just as often, I don't have the words to describe what makes a book so exquisite. I know it is exquisite, I know I can't stop reading, and most importantly I can't stop thinking about the characters. Often it's an excellent premise that sucks me in but when I am drawn back to the same book time and again it's almost always because of the characters. A good plot will only hold up so many times but a character to love becomes a lifelong romance.

This eureka moment was recognizing a great tool in developing characters. It's a tool I can now identify immediately when reading and one I am trying to incorporate into my own writing. This tool is Implied History. Rather than getting a laundry list of characteristics the Reader is introduced to a character through the character's interactions with her peers and surroundings. And it's the character's peer group that can be such a window into her personality.

Learning about a character through the responses of her peers can be a rich and illuminating experience. I enjoy it much more than a random thought tangent by the character or simple narrative. As with all the tools of writing the technique must be applied judiciously and with an eye to craft but oh the joy when it is done well.

I am now exploring this idea of Implied History in my writing. It's harder than it sounds but very rewarding when I feel I've got it right.

Tribute?

Am I the only one that can't listen to Lily Allen's "Fuck You" without thinking it's written for George W. Bush?

Look inside, look inside your tiny mind, then look a bit harder
Cause we're so uninspired, so sick and tired, of all the hatred you harbour
So you say it's not OK to be gay, well I think you're just evil
You're just some racist, who can't tie my laces
Your point of view is medieval

Fuck you (fuck you)
Fuck you very very much
Cause we hate what you do and we hate your whole crew
So please don't stay in touch
Fuck you (fuck you)
Fuck you very very much
Cause your words don't translate and it's getting quite late
So please don't stay in touch

Do you get, do you get a little kick out of being small-minded?
You want to be like your father, it's approval you're after
Well that's not how you find it
Do you, do you really enjoy living a life that's so hateful?
Cause there's a hole where your soul should be
You're losing control a bit
And it's really distasteful

Fuck you (fuck you)
Fuck you very very much
Cause we hate what you do and we hate your whole crew
So please don't stay in touch
Fuck you (fuck you)
Fuck you very very much
Cause your words don't translate and it's getting quite late
So please don't stay in touch

Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you
Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you
Fuck you

You say you think we need to go to war
Well you're already in one
Cause it's people like you
That need to get slew
No one wants your opinion

Fuck you (fuck you)
Fuck you very very much
Cause we hate what you do and we hate your whole crew
So please don't stay in touch
Fuck you (fuck you)
Fuck you very very much
Cause your words don't translate and it's getting quite late
So please don't stay in touch

Preen for the External Fuel Tank

Gives new meaning to blast off!

and give the comments a lookie...I loved this one:

"women in science always seem to get the shaft"

Made of Awesome

6 of 6, or Austen Again

And Elinor gets her bumbling Mr. Ferrars in the end. Sigh.

My delicious treat of an Austen marathon is complete. Delights, they abound.

And because I apparently have turned my blog into a plug for Keith Law's blog I am going to offer a counter-point to his number 3. Now, any Austen is better than no Austen at all but I think we all remember that Emma is my least favorite. Obviously KLaw and I disagree but my point of contention is not with our varying book tastes. But I'm not so sure on that character development thing. I would agree that Emma is the most changed of any Austen character by the end of her novel but I don't see character development as only being reflected in how the character itself develops. I think the author developing a character with whom the Reader can empathize is an equally impressive and useful skill. This I think Austen has in spades.

If you've read any Austen then you probably already know that any character is pretty much established within a couple pages of meeting them. Often there are misunderstandings that lead to the Reader being in the dark about some aspect of a character (behold the mighty power of the romance formula) but that's about as subtle as it gets. But each character is fully developed in her/his self. By this I mean that in all situations presented the character is always the character. They don't go off willy-nilly in some direction you would never expect of them. They are entire, complete and ready to face any situation as themselves.

And let's face it, most of the action of Austen's novels occurs over a very short period of time and involves a bunch of people without real jobs that are only looking to get married.

"Who Has?"

When an interviewer told Mr. [Joseph] Heller that he had never written anything as good as ''Catch-22,'' the author shot back, ''Who has?''


In point of fact, it is an excellent book!

Emma, finally I have the Like

I never found the Emma Love but this recent reading of Jane Austen's Emma has been my favorite so far. Which is to say I did not find it a chore. It's always been my least favorite of her novels because Emma drives me nuts. And not in a fun, lovable way but in a when-is-someone-going-to-gag-Emma kind of way. And Harriett, ugh, get a spine! Mr. Knightley is darling, of course, but Austen knows how to do a hero.

So what made this reading better?

I tried very hard not to check out. I'm not the sort of person that finishes every book she starts, and I can speed read so if a book is only mildly interesting I usually start to speed read. In fact, the highest compliment I can give a book is to read every word. There are books I love and have read over, but have probably not read every word. Only if a book scores tops on all the important components will I read every word.

So for this reading of Emma I didn't check out when she started driving me nuts. In fact, I was still checked in halfway through the book and that's when it began to pick up for me. Emma was actually pretty funny when she started to gain a sense of humor about herself.

I've not been able to form any kind of theory as to why this Austen seems to be so popular with male critics especially so if anyone would like to propose one I'm all ears! I suppose the 'humbling of the pretty girl' plot is quite popular but using that as a reason seems incredibly insulting to male readers, and all readers really.

I've already mentioned that I like the movie Emma (Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam) and I distinctly remember describing it as quiet and slow, but lacking nothing in essentials. I stand by this but if you watch the movie directly after finishing the book it zips right by! It pretty accurately depicts many scenes from the book but since it's only 2hrs long those scenes come rapid fire if you've just finished the book. One thing I do think the movie lacks is more boning-on-Emma scenes courtesy of Frank Churchill. In the book I can really get a sense of his bad behavior but in the movie not so much.

I'm now on Sense and Sensibility (6 of 6 in my reading order) and I might even peruse Lady Susan (finally!). But no need to wait on my batting order of Austen novels:

1/2. Persuasion
Pride & Prejudice
3. Northanger Abbey
4. Sense and Sensibility
5. Mansfield Park
6. Emma

My 1/2 is cheating a bit but I go back and forth on those two as my favorites. I do know why they are my favorites and why N. Abbey comes in a solid third: H and H scenes! Romances are fun because we see the heroine and hero together. Of course they need to be separated for most of the story because that's the formula but they should only be separated in love not in actuality. I want to see why they love each other, if they're never around each other I never get any sense of their need to be with each other. I want the interaction, I want to see them seeing each other. I want to fall in love with them too and I can't do that if one or the other is never around to fall in love with.

Austenland

As they say at Pemberley, I blame Jane! But I can hardly be angry. :) I'm marathoning through her six novels. I've read them all but never in a row. I can eat these up like candy because they always make me laugh. Except for Emma...I always stumble on Emma.

This time, though, I decided to give her a fair chance. I'm trying to really pay attention and find the Emma love. I've been inspired to give her more of a chance due to the critical acclaim Emma often gets and, very interestingly to me, especially with men. Northanger Abbey almost always gets the shaft but I'd rather read it three times over before Emma. And here I am again stuttering over Emma. In my haphazard order Emma is 5 out of 6. I read the first 4 in less than two weeks and I've been on Emma for almost a week now. It's so hard for me to stick with it. I'm going to wait until I've completed it before I go into what it is I dislike...maybe my mind will be changed by the time I finish this reading.

As a movie, I adore Emma. Jeremy Northam kicks some major ass as Mr. Knightley (so dreamy and sexy) and Gwyneth Paltrow makes me feel that Emma love I'm always looking for. Her portrayal is perfect, her Emma is equal parts ridiculous, naive, and genuine. You want to gently wring her neck in the beginning and then it's all smiles when she finally steps a bit outside of herself by the end. It's a gorgeous movie. It's slow and quiet but missing nothing in essentials.

And if you're in the mood for some Austen but you don't have the time to read all the novels I suggest this and this to get your fix!