Darth Drabek

Nice work, Wals. More spambots should post like that.

Hate the way he says that! Hate, hate, hate! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You know, every time I hear that particular bit I think: Shouldn't it be "Your quest is in vain?" Because the quest isn't checking itself out in the mirror all the time, you know. He's trying to say "Fight all the evil you want, it doesn't make a difference to this harsh, unforgiving world," at least that's how I interpret it. Although, "Your questing is vain" would work too, because then he's disparaging the hero's vanity in fighting evil in the pursuit of glory. Grammatical ramblings aside, I took care of the spidery section of Cloakwood Forest last night and got a much better version of events with the spider queen because Xan was in the party. I seriously thought that quest was broken the first time I attempted it because Fatty told her story and didn't die or leave. Xan's resolution for that quest was much better.

Hey, wasn't Quan Chi a character in one of the big fighting franchises? I don't think it was Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, but maybe Tekken or Soul Calibur? And maybe he's a big Patrick Ewing fan... the big guy wore No. 33 for the Knicks, you know. Yeah, that's probably it.

Xanth ... now, that would be a world to jump into! Man, I read all those books when I was a kid. Probably the cause of my warped sense of humor and irrational love of verbal puns.

You guys and your "current generation" games! I can't wait to get home and cut my way through the Cloakwood Forest to the mines that await me... Oh, and I'm thinking Xan is one of the greatest NPCs I've ran across in my RPG travels. I'm bringing him along despite his painful lack of evocation spells just because I enjoy his interjections so much. (sigh) I suppose you're wondering what a mage is doing with a sword, aren't you? Maybe I'll play NWN2 in 10 years or so... after I give NWN another try. Never made it too far in that one before abandoning it.

The Beatles - Baby's in Black

It's typical Jack Thompson. I saw in a related article that he tried to get a judge to ban Bully from stores, and when the judge ruled in the game's favor Thompson said it was the equivalent of misleading UN inspectors about weapons of mass destruction. Sorry for the aside. I can't really contribute anything on-topic, because my computer doesn't even come close to the minimum specs for this game.

Soundgarden - Pretty Noose

Bully... you mean "homosexuality simulator," right?

Most of the videos I found on YouTube just had the second half of that performance, for some reason. Whiskeytown - Not Home Anymore Is Strangers Almanac the definitive alt-country album? Most people would say no... I would say ... maybe! It's definitely my favorite Ryan Adams-related album, that much is sure.

The Police - Can't Stand Losing You Now it's the Backbeat Band - Money/Long Tall Sally 1994: Greg Dulli / Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers Dave Grohl / Nirvana, Foos, QOTSA, Probot, Pete Yorn Dave Pirner / Soul Asylum Thurston Moore / Sonic Youth Mike Mills / R.E.M., Hindu Love Gods Don Fleming / Gumball It's basically an alt-rock all-star band covering songs the Beatles covered in their bar band days. Oh, and it kills. I love that if there's a 30 second instrumental break, Dulli smokes a cigarette. :D

Yeah, he's a man of contradictions, that's for sure. :D I'm watching a bit of Monday Night Football and lounging around the apartment.

I've been contemplating when to dual my berserker to a cleric in my grand plan for a Baldur's Gate trilogy playthrough. I'm thinking level four, so I get an extra "rage" ability per day. And I'll be able to reactivate that class sooner than if I wait until level six or so. That whole inactive class thing is the reason I've never dual-classed my PC before, but I've really been itching to try it. I mean Anomen can be a beast by the end of SoA, and he's only got five levels of fighter in him, you know? What would really be sweet is if I could dual to one of the priest kits once I got to SoA... a berserker/priest of Helm would be fannnnntastic! Sadly, I don't think the game lets you dual to a kit. Now I should be doing work, but that's what I've been thinking about most of the day.

It's bound for failure, if it has to be an exhaustive list; just think about the albums for the fortieth-plus states ... " <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yeah, I know it's a pipe dream. Still, he's said he would then he's said he wouldn't. Either way, he's got two down, 48 to go. Wikipedia link about the 50 States Project. Todd Snider - Looking for a Job

Aw man... that's a bummer. I had a horrible History of the British Empire class that by all rights should have been interesting. The prof was dryer than rye toast though, the class met from 9 to 11 a.m., and the classroom was always a sauna - which made for ideal sleeping conditions. I think I ended up with a B.

Yep, Godsmack will kill your hipster cred every time. That Chicago song is the only SS tune I've actually heard. Like you, I have heard the yammering of the indie press about how he's the greatest thing since Wayne Coyne - but I haven't gone out of my way to make my own judgment. The Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies) ^ hipster

^ hipster I must admit, I am totally behind the idea of making an album for every state in the U.S. It would require a ridiculous amount of songwriting, and the possibilties really intrigue me. I mean, if there's going to be an album about Maine, you know there's going to be a song about lobsters. Maybe even rock lobsters... :ph34r: So regardless of whether he can pull it off, it's a cool idea. I'm just surprised Ryan Adams didn't think of it first. I guess he'll just stick to making three albums a year that aren't about states. Warren Zevon - I Was in the House When the House Burned Down

The Whigs - Written Invitation No, not the Afghan Whigs. This is a different band.

Pete Yorn - The Man He's got two of the Dixie Chicks singing with him!

(w00t) MOST excellent find Kor! Yeah, seriously - what is G.E. Smith doing up there with those guys? And now I've found a live vid of Dylan performing the song with my favorite Dylan song title: It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry. Actually this is a much better video from the same show, the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh: Billy Preston - That's the Way God Planned It Good to see the 5th Beatle out front for once, ya know?

Luna - Slash Your Tires that's one cool song. @Pidesco: I've never actually heard that version of the song. What's it sound like? I really like the band's name, actually. @Draken and Kor: I love me some Morrissey, but in small doses. Oh, look at those clothes!

Until someone tries to gouge out your eyeballs and detaches the retina with them. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'd like to think that if it were that simple, it would have been done already. But I honestly don't know. I just know the school in the article seemed to be going after recess games and not organized sports. Maybe the controlled environment of a football practice or gym class leaves less loopholes in the system? On Rec Specs: I always told myself, "If they're good enough for Chris Sabo, they're good enough for me."

No to the first, yes to the second, meta. The schools are (rightfully) scared to death of the lawsuits, but this reaction will hurt more than it helps. Nobody's trying to ban organized sports because they are supervised and the liability is with the parents. But the problem lies with unorganized sports. Most kids that get into sports are going to try it on the playground first, right? I'd hate to see pickup basketball games outlawed because some kid (usually me) got their glasses knocked off and the parents were sick of getting new frames so they threatened litigation. Thank the Lord for Rec Specs! I was soooo happy when I got contacts.

I'm sorry bud, but I just can't let that slide. how did my eyes get so red? and what the hell is on Joey's head? Those are bad lyrics. Very bad. It's okay to be sentimental, but you can still do it with class, you know what I mean? Like that "Such Great Heights" song, by The Postal Service. I am thinking it's a sign that the freckles In our eyes are mirror images and when We kiss they're perfectly aligned Doesn't get much cheesier than that, but it's a whole lot more respectable. And the college girls just melt for it. If you don't like the electronic blips of the original, get this version of the song. It's just acoustic guitar and vocals, and he slows it down a bunch. I like it better than the original myself. Edit: To avoid confusion, I should note that the second link is not the original artist. He's a folk-pop songwriter I played some shows with in college, and he does a dynamite cover of the song.

Surr's got it. Parents sign the waiver allowing their child to play. There's also the check box for "refusing medical care," for Christian Scientists - so the school has all its bases covered. That's why organized sports aren't a concern: The school is safe from lawsuits... unless a parent can prove the school was negligent for purchasing helmets without facemasks or something. Coaches are there for supervision, and every team in our league had a team doctor on the sidelines on game nights, usually the local family practice guy. A pair of local paramedics would usually park an ambulance on the track and be ready in case someone needed to be carted off the field and to a hospital. We were a pretty small-to-medium size school, with a mostly blue-collar tax base. Many larger high schools (with healthier finances) have sideline operations rivaling college football teams. And yes, I'd agree with that, Wals. Edited to be a bit more concise.