Rotting Brains

They should totally do crossovers between current series tv shows.  Particularly my favorite shows.  In ways that I would like.

Okay, so maybe that’s only a good idea in my head.  Everyone laments their lost ideas of genius, but most of those, if they are granted a second thought, reveal their weaknesses. I think I was just watching some older series…actually the ones my parents watched when we were younger (not Star Trek, though, more like Diagnosis Murder–and you know one of my favorite parts of that show is the intro song, because it is the main instrument is the clarinet, which is awesome) but it seems like more of those shows have crossovers than they do now. Now the only ones that seem to do it are the ones I don’t like. And never will like.

I really can’t stand Without A Trace, I never really liked it in the beginning, but then it…it just…urgh. I can’t stand it. As I’ve said before (or at least I think I’ve said before–rather written before here, I’m sure I’ve said it before), I have to like the characters of any particular show or movie or book. And many of the current dramas are really just soap operas with crime involved. Somewhere.  Usually it (the crime) is buried somewhere under the sex story line that never really made sense in the first place, as far as I’m concerned, which admittedly is not very far.

Even the shows I do like tip over occasionally, but fortunately have consistently righted themselves.

I don’t know where I was going with this. This post never really had a point, but the whole thing has managed to become a tangent, which means it has no conclusion. It feels unfinished. I don’t like leaving things unfinished because they tend to forever haunt me. However, in this case there really was no point in the first place, and as there was never any introduction, maybe it doesn’t need a conclusion.

This blog is really just a series of glimpses into my thoughts, rather like a stream of consciousness, only not literary, and therefore as illogical and confusing as any real persons conscious thought. So it’s kind of like nothing on it is ever finished, but ideally, one never stops thinking until death. At least.

Deep, right?

I just haven’t had enough sleep. And left the tv on so now The Real Housewives of OC, or whatever it’s called, is playing in the background. It may be having a negative impact on my own thought.

I’m going to have to be more positive. It’s almost Christmas. Really almost, and I keep forgetting. Sad.

There is No Try

So, I actually tried to finish reading that book, referred to in the post before the last post.

No, I won’t clarify that, you can figure it out. Good practice, I’m sure.

Anyway, the book referred to was the apparently Edwardian mystery. And I tried to pick it back up again. I didn’t give up when the male main character suddenly became a hero in the papers because he was conveniently in a train crash where he was not supposed to be, and saved some man’s son, who naturally thought to ask his name as he’s running off.

I did not–quite–give in when the two villains of the novel, after being caught entrapping and blackmailing the heroine’s secondary gay fiance of convenience (no, don’t try, that really won’t ever make sense), are themselves held at gunpoint and forced to kiss each other in front of a secret male brothel. By the first (straight) fiance of convenience, who thereupon uses that evidence to apparently integrate himself with the heroine’s stodgy father.

However, I could not make myself go on when the private detective (I was mistaken before–the hero is a private detective, though apparently with official ties to the police–turns out there are two earlier books–which I will not find) goes with the officer from the official police go to speak to one of the blackguards (previously referred to as villains).

Yes, they are getting an interview where they are underhandedly showing their hand, or showboating, or whatever it is called when the detectives collude with the officials and confront the villains halfway through the book before there is an official arrest forthcoming.

No, it’s when the official, thinking about the gross upper-class (fat) lord begins to fantasize about being the head of a revolution and executing said lord by firing squad.

Okay.

Not entirely unforgivable, especially considering how the rest of the book (and the first half of the other–I was hoping the other might be better) but no, no, he was not finished.

He yelled fire. In the middle of the conversation. And then excuses himself, and apparently gets away with it.

Of all possible English revolutionary leaders, I would not choose him.

Mopedom

Beware those who have stumbled here:  Self-indulgent rant ahead. I beg you, forgive me now, and don’t actually read this. I’ve started and I can’t stop!

I know I’m not particularly smart, though I’ve always wanted to be.  It comes from living in a small town and going to a small school where all it took to look “smart” was finishing your homework. Not that there weren’t smart people there, but it was still small enough that I could get away with never really making much of an effort at anything beyond what I wanted to do–specifically reading.  I simply didn’t do anything. Or at least it feels that way now.  Admittedly my memories of that time of my life have faded remarkably in only three years

So I suppose I can claim I’m scarred for life from the experience because I can’t stand getting anything less than A’s, a grade level I really can’t keep up, and yet still can’t learn efficient study habits. Mostly I’m deliberately stupid, kbecause I can’t care enough. I really can’t. For one thing, I can’t believe I’m really going to post this when I don’t really believe any of it, though the facts are straightforward enough.

No, I did not get enough sleep last night because I like to punish myself in strange, self-destructive ways (that are really ineffective at teaching me anything) but do I have to actually get sick, too? That’s not fair is it? Really? Well, yes, it is. You’d think I’d learn. Every time this semester (the only time I’ve actually done this) that I’ve gotten less than four hours of sleep (well, last night only makes the second time), I’ve gotten sick (again, twice). Will I learn after this?

And I’ve always had trouble getting sick. It feels so irresponsible. So now I’m feeling sorry for myself.

Depends on how well I do next semester, really.  I have high hopes. There will be someone else in my apartment, so I won’t be able to hide away like I’ve done this semester.  Really, I just need someone else’s expectations, really. Again, on my own I don’t bother anyone, but if there is someone else who will have trouble with my bad habits, I can handle it. Sad, I know. But if I can’t live alone, at least I’m a pretty good roommate. Or I haven’t had anyone completely freak out on me.  At the very least I guess I’m fairly inoffensive. I hibernate. It probably helps.

Proves I’m weird, but since I am with or without proof, I suppose it doesn’t really matter.

For the Title Alone

Yet another post because I came up with a title I liked.

This is definitely the opposite of when I try to write fiction, when I can be just as incoherent, but cannot create titles. At all.

But you know I’ve been reading this book  by M.C. Beaton, which she is writing under another name that I have not bothered to remember, in her same genre–mystery–with the same unlikable characters.

Which is weird, I usually only like books with likable characters. Books, TV, movies, ect, if I don’t like the characters I just don’t bother. Or I bother everyone else about how terrible and or ridiulous the book/show/movie is. But anyway, Beaton’s characters are unlikable, and irritating. But in high school, I read most of the Hamish Macbeth series…all, in fact, of the books my library owned, and enjoyed them. Recently, during the summer, I went through this libraries collection of Agatha Raisin books, tried a Macbeth mystery, and couldn’t stand it.

When I’d read the Macbeth in high school, I couldn’t stand Agatha Raisin, who is middle-aged, heavy-set, ursine with beady eyes.  See–it’s a memorable description, but so very mean.  That was the part I didn’t like.  All her characters too, seem to have love troubles throughout their series. But they are so ridiculous about it I get fed up, and give up. Admittedly, the characters are no more stupid than real life people doing the same thing. But I lose patience with them too. So I’ve liked the Agatha Raisin books recently enough that I could pick them up again despite the characters. (I must say, the characters are not badly drawn, just irritating, annoying, and mean. I don’t like mean. They’re generally unlikable, as far as I can tell, even to their friends.)

But like I said, I picked up a Beaton book, under another name, for another series.  And why does an author write under a pseudonym when just underneath, it has the author’s real name? This is a new series. And it’s “M.C. Beaton writing as ___!”  I just don’t get it.

Anyway. This new series takes place in Victorian England. Naturally.  Where else could you show off how delightfully ahead of her times the heroine is? Urgh.  There were plenty of intelligent women during Victorian times, and many of them were more enlightened than the period wished women to be. Nonetheless, there was a culteral reality to their attitudes, which most modern authors blow right past. Admittedly for mysteries especially, most authors will not probably spend years on their research, but is it really that hard to at least relate to histories realities?  In the subject of history itself, I’m not a fan of cultural relativism, but I think genre literature might benefit from at least a touch of it. Then again, it was the Victorian era, maybe today’s authors are attempting to emulate the gothic, lurid romance adventures of the day.

At any rate, the main character of this series is basically an upper-class, young, attractive Agatha, only she’s just as irritating. Lady Rose, is of course, a female activist horrifying her parents with her politics. To not be sent to India, she’s formed an engagement of convenience, whose other half she is conveniently in love with. Pardon–not so conveniently, neither will admit it. Oh, and he’s a policeman. (Um, Anne Perry?)

Now that was mean.

Still very typical of the modern day Victorian mystery. There are conventions of the genre, and even in 43 pages most of the highlights have been hit. Perhaps the trouble I’m having is that this particular book is not the first in the series. I’m not sure how far in it is, but we’re still being bombarded/smacked in the face with poor Lady Rose’s tribulations in being an activist during Victorian times…and the victim of an attempted assissination! She just can’t catch a break. And her companion, who I can’t quite recall, is either a former prostitute or a former actress–Victorian times, does it really matter–however, this at least, doesn’t seem to bother her parents. The parental units, by the way, are of course fully and foolishly intergrated into socities norms, and therefore not worth the words. Fortunately, Lady Rose managed to rise above her beauty and upbringing to be smart.

Back to the mystery. Never mind, I don’t want to talk about that because it’s kind of ridiculous actually. Only lady lovelier,  than Rose in her first season, the daughter of a Parson, is murdered looking like Lady of Shallot, and because she asked Lady Rose for help, someone is trying to kill poor Lady Rose while she shops for hats.

Ahh.  I’d almost forgotten the impetus for writing this today, at only 43 pages.

For Lady Rose’s protection, she and her companion are shipped to somewhere else in England that I cannot recall. They are fortunate to be able to catch a nap in a Pullman sleep car.  And we get a lecture on Pullman lasting a paragraph, complete with quote by Ambrose Bierce, about what happens when he dies. I really don’t care. No matter how quotable Ambrose Bierce may be–and he is very quotable.

Note: Wiki’d it.  Turns out this is an Edwardian mystery.  Who knew?  Still don’t like it much, and I still think it reads like a Victorian mysetry.  Ah well, I still intended to read it. Maybe it’ll get better. I’m at  nine hundred words and I don’t care to think about it anymore.

Confession

Another short one, on the wind up to finals.

So I like the computer game called “the Sims 2.” (I never know how many people actually know what that is, though it sells very well.) And this game has a very large online community.  A large, dedicated community that also happens to have lots of controversy. Over everything. All. The. Time.

Such controversies are various and sundry, and could not be possibly summarized. At least by me. As for a general overview of the categories of the controversies–at least the one’s I’m personally aware of–I will attempt. Along with outcomes and/or consensus. Again, only so far as I’m aware in my mostly former forum circles.

The official site’s download area is known as the Exchange. Generally unpopular, and according to the cynical, made up of 12 year olds. Because/also it is the first introduction to the Sims community, it is generally looked down on.  Common fault: uploaded by members using custom content created by others, unattributed.

Custom Content (CC): the stuff the community has created to change the game, either for better or worse, depending on who you ask. Major debate: legal or illegal.  Who owns it?  Consensus (mostly) is that the actual creation belongs to the creator, the packaging to EA. Therefore, paying for downloads should be illegal.  Other side argues that creation is creator’s and can be sold regardless. Also, EA does not generally interfere. And community is divided: Pro vs. Free.

Generally, many creators agree (when discussing Sims, make all statements as loose and non-binding as possible) that usually, CC used in other CC should be attributed to original creators. Some disagree, and some don’t care. When this does/does not happen, more controversy.  Related to above issues, some pay content is or is not allowed on certain sites.

Currently, the official forum, called the “BBS,” is head over heels over DRM protection (read: SecuRom or in slang, SucuRom, very much disliked), over-zealous moderators, and ah, ill-informed moderation, as well as many other things. Have often heard participants on that board referred to as “sheeples.”

I spent more time on that than I intended, far more. Only to realize that I don’t think it covered it at all. It’s missing lots. Also, may be inaccurate. But to continue. The Sims community is very large, but also very interconnected. Much of the previous controversies are personal for the top level of participants, as they considered each other online friends, at least until such disagreements erupted.

So anyway, the whole reason I started this post is because recently, I’ve really only been involved in one Sims forum.  It’s a lovely, small forum, very small, perhaps 12 active participants, including moderators. Part of the reason for their friendliness is the isolation from much of the overarching Sims community, and the fact that it relates to the outside world, with ideals other than “how you play the game.”

Being so involved in this forum disconnected me from many of the other communities I used to participate in.  I ventured out today, only to realize that one of the major CC sites had imploded. Violently, and ridiculously. And hilariously. In a horrified sort of way.

I went looking at the CC sites, and realized one major one had disappeared. So I went looking for it.  And, fortunately found Fandom Wank’s summary. Which is good, because the first explanation I stumbled across was in a forum thread over 230 pages long.  So I will link you to the summary. Which you should read, because it is funny. Wrong as that might be.

Attempt at background explanation:

This CC site is called, for short, InSim, and was primarily organized around one major mod or hack of the community. (If you don’t know what that is, google it, because I really don’t know how to explain it.) So anyway, around that hack were many other creations.  The founders of the site were at first active, and then not so much. All of a sudden the site is sold, apparently for several thousand dollars to someone who is not a “gamer.”

I should note at this point that this is entirely online. I have no idea about the reality of the real-world issues/people that may be indicated.

This man says that he likes that there are so many active people on this forum. And that it’s not profitable or efficient. To fix this, he wants another server, and people to subscribe to this site, a mandatory subscription for the “sister” adult site. Not going there.

But anyway. People are mad. Very, very, very mad. As the Fandom Wank says: “one of the most epic wanks ever to befall the Sims 2 community.”

That is all. Read the actual Wank here.

Note Piscado, if you’re not easily offended

Note 2: I should read more Fandom Wank. Extreme fans offended=fun.