DeathKnight

[color=crimson]I believe in the self-assuredness of the people who will post in this thread in the coming weeks. That is the only real certainty in life.[/color]

[color=crimson]Good news, everyone! [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v640/NarnaKitan/pigtails2.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v640/NarnaKitan/pigtails3.jpg[/IMG] ^ my girlfriend put my hair in pigtails while I was jamming on GH. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v640/NarnaKitan/daytrip5.jpg[/IMG] ^ I am tall and loving. :)[/color]

[color=crimson]I worked with my girlfriend for 4-5 months at Wendy's. Asked her if she wanted to grab a bite and a movie, she said yeah. Best decision of my life, man. It is 15 months later and I adore her. Obviously, I knew a great deal about her and, really, that is how I handled dating before finding her. I do not really see any appeal in blind dating. I got to know girls, if they seemed interesting I would ask them out, and it would either go from there or not. Three times before Brit (my girlfriend) it didn't go from there. This time, it did and I am happy as can be. My point of view? Dating isn't scary. You guys are scared of failure and social embarrassment. The opposite sex is not scary either, lol. Either you click, or you don't. A good bit of advice, don't bring the girl back late on your first date. The movie ran later than I thought and the next two weeks she was grounded. Haha, sweet start to a romantic relationship right?[/color]

[color=crimson]Time to up the difficulty. Do a battle royale between Retribution, yourself, and I. The setting is a World War 1 era Zeppelin. Three agents from the Entente, Central Powers, and Bolsheviks end up being in each other's way for a mission on the Zeppelin. The Central Powers agent is there to defend, the Entente to destroy, the Bolshevik to escape with intelligence he acquired pre-story. There is an understructure and pilot's area beneath the broader ballon's superstructure. The understructure has a single escape plane, a network of walkways, and a pilot's cabin. Similar to the Hindenburg, this Zeppelin has the unfortunate quality of being filled with hydrogen due to logistical strains on the supply of helium for the German Empire. I want to lose by being thrown off the side and down into a broad urban cityscape, as broad as cityscape could be in the 1910s. I want you to lose by being shot in the pilot's cabin. I want Retri to lose when the controls are damaged by the firefight in the cabin, sending the Zeppelin into a fatal descent, and finding the fuel tank of the plane sabotaged by someone. It closes with him watching the terrain grow closer. You are still alive, and crawl out of the pilots cabin aiming a shot up into the ballon itself. The cataclysm that follows is yours to describe. There will be various expendable crew, let them die as they should. There you go, D'Ann. :)[/color]

[color=crimson]You guys are forgetting the most important folklore of all! Beyond ancient Greece, the mighty raiders of Scandinavia, or the deities of China and Japan! [b]TWO TALES FROM THE FOLKLORE OF SAN ANTONIO[/b] * Ghost Tracks A long time ago on the south side of San Antonio, a school bus carrying a full load of children stalled while straddling a railway. The bus refused to start and, unfortunately, their lives were quickly ended as a train smashed into the bus and killed all of the children inside. Today, if you go to the tracks, you can get the ghosts of the children to help you out. You place baby powder along your bumper and put your car in neutral at the specific spot where the bus was. Your car will slowly start to move forward, seemingly uphill, until you safely are over the tracks. According to this legend, the ghosts are pushing you out of harms way to make sure you get to safety and do not suffer their fate. You know it is them because, once over the tracks, you can get out and see dozens of tiny hand prints along the bumper where the baby powder is. * Donkey-lady bridge The 40s and 50s were simpler times. On the south side of San Antonio, there lived an older woman living alone in poverty. The one item that she really loved and treasured was a farm animal she owned - a donkey. She would take her donkey for walks down Applewhite Rd., past a bridge over a fast moving stream, and to a lovely grass field beyond to let her donkey graze until it was content. Her eccentric habits did not earn her much liking from her neighbors. They tolerated her until, one day, a boy came home to his father crying and saying that the woman's donkey had bitten him. The father gathered together the men from the neighborhood and they decided that, for the boy's safety, they should capture the donkey and take it into town to get it tested for rabies. They knew the route the woman took very well and waited in some foliage near the bridge to ambush her. As usual, the woman walked past with her donkey following closely behind. As the two walked along the bridge, the men came out suddenly and tried to seize the rope that the lady used to walk the donkey. The older lady struggled with the men and screamed at them to get away from her beloved pet. Unfortunately, as they struggled, the donkey was shoved off the edge of the bridge and down into the waters of the stream. It screamed as the current carried it away, and the woman cried out to it and implored the men to save it. The men simply laughed at her and this infuriated her so much that she ran off of the bridge and began to throw rocks at the men. They ignored her and began to walk away when, as luck would have it, she hit a bullseye right on top of one man's head. He fell into an unconscious heap with blood oozing from a wound in his head. The men retaliated and assaulted the woman. They picked her up, took her to the bridge, and cast her down into the waters below telling her that now she could go get her donkey. After she sank down into the waters, her body did not reappear. With the deed done, the men left. The legend says that, now, her ghost haunts the area around the bridge. If you park your car next to the bridge her spirit gets angry as she thinks you are waiting to ambush her as the men did. First, you get a warning - the sound of beating hoofs on the ground around you and, in some reported cases, even upon your car. If you do not listen to that warning, a barrage of rocks engulfs your car from every direction until you leave. Haha, San Antonio has such funky ghost stories. I love it.[/color]

[color=crimson]Haha, these people are poor! They need this Wal*Mart! Instead of working on improving the conditions of society, the economy, and the disadvantages of rampant capitalism, give them cheap ****! Duh what else would you do? You guys are a hoot.[/color]

[color=crimson]It gets worse when you start checking for a pulse.[/color]

[color=crimson]Part of my orientation was a play, by non-drama students, on making good moral choices. It was on a stage with limited props, planning, or talent. The actors could not act. The lessons were obvious. Basically kids: 1.) Drinking impairs your capability to do things. 2.) Unprotected sex can turn out to be a social stigma, medical problem, and can get women pregnant(?!?!). Thankfully I had made two friends earlier in the day and we made fun of it from the rearmost seat.[/color]

[color=crimson]If we're discussing the specifics of post-life Kenneth Howell, I would actually like to be fertilizer. I would like to be cremated and planted with a tree or in a garden. From this post I am imagining someone coming away with the thought "Ahh, so he wants to be a tree."[/color]

[color=crimson]Haha, that's hilarious! A group of bloggers going to an event on the basis of journalism acting like young children and doing justice to the revered, untarnished name of journalism - especially as far as blogging goes! I am really glad they took the chance to show what bloggers can do when invited to such a upscale event. Good show! Looking forward to CES 2k9 already, I think their invites must be in the mail right now.[/color]

[color=crimson]"Free fertilizer."[/color]

[quote name='Goodbye, Face'][font=arial][size=1] This Will Destroy You - "The World is Our _____" The first is so inspiring that I think it was the Marines... used it for the soundtrack to a presentation video at one point and it was shown to quite a few and maybe even G.W. Bush. It really is a magical song. Meanwhile, I think for "Glósóli" you'd need to see the video. [url]http://youtube.com/watch?v=doc1eqstMQQ[/url][/font][/size][/QUOTE] [color=crimson]Should try it live man. It was loud enough I could feel the vibrations reverberating in my body. That added a kind of nice atmospheric quality to it - like it was really moving through me. It was too bad. This Will Destroy You was the first band out of six, on at 6:30, and the joint was half empty. They deserved a bigger crowd.[/color]

[color=crimson]4. [img]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51x4bOSv1kL._SS500_.jpg[/img] "And frankly, there's nothing so unusual about being a jewish cowboy." Socalled's newest album is named 'Ghettoblaster'. He is a rapper, but his musical styling is much more varied than that. Listening to the lead single off of Ghettoblaster, "[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tS4OWiozmw]You Are Never Alone[/url]",the production put into it creates a song that is comparative to the Gorillaz. Yeah, there is some hip-hop in there, but the sound is broader than just that single genre. I'd recommend a listen to You Are Never Alone, you might like it. 5. [img]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61lRuQnU-AL._SS400_.jpg[/img] Every Time I Die, an interesting some sort of metal band (heavy metal or metalcore), released THE BIG DIRTY this year, and it is pretty badass. I like every song on the CD, but my favorite by far is We'rewolf. [url=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61lRuQnU-AL._SS400_.jpg]We'rewolf[/url] is the perfect combination of cowbell-introduction, driving guitar riff, good drumming, and passionate vocals to keep you alive, awake, and aware for your day. 6. [img]http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/4a/ca/cc3d53a09da00c0cee1b4110.L.jpg[/img] Minus the Bear has some kind of a sound going on. It sounds very low key with a kind of indie vibe, but has aspects of experimentation within. They released Planet of Ice this year and I picked it up expecting a rather good album, and I got a rather great album. It is so mellow at times. They are just there, singing to you about stuff, and it is hard not to stop and enjoy the song while working or doing other things. For those interested, the single off of Planet of Ice is "[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHijNidhoII]Knights[/url]" and it is a very nice song. 7. [img]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fB8JsJynL._SS500_.jpg[/img] KINGS OF LEON, *****. I love the Kings of Leon. I have loved them since Youth and Young Manhood. Aha Shake Heartbreak was equally awesome. This album matches that greatness, and I am hopeful that more and more people listen to them and give them the broader fame they deserve. The sound is southern rock, rock, indie rock, and so much more. They know how to play their instruments. The lead singer has a very soulful, driving voice. They had several singles stumble off of the CD, but my favorite is the third - "[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHzDSmav0NM]Charmer[/url]". Listen to that man's voice, the bass, the guitar. Superb. In a close second, with much less screaming and added emotion, is "[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEh8OL0Jj-0]On Call[/url]". Possibly more to come. Modest Mouse might need to be mentioned.[/color]

[color=crimson]What is it? Nominating yourself to be nifty. Why is it nifty? You rock. You know you rock. When you look in the mirror, your reflection speaks in a sultry tone "hello there, sexy beast". Members of the opposite sex usually give you lustful winks. Your comrades online and in real life are always slapping their knees at your humor. Cute, defenseless children come to you for advice on how to escape the rigors of life. Yes, overall you are a super sexy, wise, charming, and valuable member of society. Your time on OtakuBoards has been full of adventures, schemes, mischief, and overall awesomeness that can only be described in multi volume novels. You are very certain that other people are aware of how important you are to them, yet a small part of you wants to make sure that you are properly recognized for how superb you really are. With that in mind, you take the time to write about yourself and, surprisingly, your review of yourself is a glowing account of a sexy, wise, and important person - you! Give yourself a pat on the back, you are definitely nifty to such a degree that it cannot be left to anyone else to say it.[/color]

[color=crimson]1. [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e8/None_shall_pass_aes_rock.jpg[/img] Aesop Rock returns to form with this CD. [i]Bazooka Tooth[/i] and [i]Fast Cars[/i] were both mediocre albums. Listening to None Shall Pass, you can hear some very stellar beats mixed with Aesop Rock's eccentric lyrical schemes. Several of the usual suspects show up to assist Aesop including Cage and El-P. Out of left field comes the song Coffee which ends with a verse sung by John Darnielle from the completely unrelated to rap, folky band [i]The Mountain Goats[/i]. **** if I had heard of him before this CD. It is a very stellar album that should appeal to a broader audience outside of quasi-underground hip hop. Equally fun is the music video for Coffee, which I will link to below. [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1-nVUedOYM]Coffee[/url] ft. John Darnielle. Video is not safe for work, children, people with weak hearts, and people who are not at least 56 inches tall. A fun take on gore-fest horror movies that shows a zombie invasion. Very, very bloody.. in a fun way! 2. Jesu, all of their releases in 2007. Jesu had material on two albums, two eps, and one split this year. For all this material, I am hard pressed to find anyone who has heard of them, let alone listens to them even with slight frequency. My favorite of these releases was their second album, Pale Sketches. [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/53/Jesu_-_Pale_Sketches.jpg[/img] Pale Sketches is an atmospheric, determined effort by Jesu to depress the **** out of you, but not to the degree of their earlier albums. The mix of shoegaze, metal, electronica, orchestra, and choir elements gives each track an eccentric independence from the rest of the albums material. I enjoy them. Their material is less open to broader enjoyment than Aesop. If you have a taste for any of the elements I mentioned above, check out their album if you can find it anywhere but on various bittorrent networks. 3. Paprika's soundtrack produced by Susumu Hirasawa. [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/14/Paprika_OST.jpg[/img] Susumu Hirasawa first popped on to my radar for the opening track of Paranoia Agent, which was an awesome song. Though released in Japan in 2k6, this movie (also a stellar) wandered into the United States in 2k7 and caught me unaware. Doing research on it, reviews and the like, I discovered that Hirasawa had done the OST for the movie as well. I found some snippets of it online and immediately purchased portions of it on iTunes. Good call. [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDNwXZDcDDo]The Girl in Byakkoya[/url]. Fantastic track off of that album. More to come.[/color]

[color=crimson]Oh yeah, Lea lives around here. We hang out intermittently, and she works where I work on my breaks. She seems nice online, but I have observed her devour an entire child on a whim. Terrifying to the core.[/color]

[color=crimson]A glimmer of hope in dark days.[/color]

[color=crimson]Clinton comes off as being sleazy. She has experience, this is true - but I do not at all want to know how many people owe her favors and how many people she owes favors to. I feel content deluding myself that Obama is any different, but I do have a [b]hope[/b] that he is not as firmly diseased by Washington's miasma as Hillary seems.[/color]

[color=crimson]New people become old people. Some old people leave. Life carries on.[/color]

[color=crimson]Clinton really needed New Hampshire. I do not think it can give her the same level of momentum she had, say, a few months ago, but it steals the thunder from Obama. Another overwhelming victory for him would have been a kick while she was down. I have no idea what to think about McCain. His campaign was sinking in the summer, but now he has stolen NH from Romney. Maybe he can still go places.[/color]

[quote name='Sandy']I know that, Crystia, but I was speaking in a general sense of [I]who[/I] was chosen. So like it or not, Bush was the Americans' choice. :/[/QUOTE] [color=crimson]Bush lost the popular vote in 2000. In 2004 it was a choice between an idiot and a dumbass. Lose-lose.[/color]

[color=crimson]Republicans: Giuliani - His strategy of focusing on the Super Tuesday states seems sound on paper. The way that the American political structure and media works is contrary to that. The winners and close losers of Iowa are getting a superb amount of publicity. The scrutinies of the general election upon his private life could really bleed him dry. Thompson - What happened to him, anyway? Wasn't he the second coming of Conservative christ a few months ago? Huckabee - Has the same kind of down to earth charm that Bush had in 2000. Also, being a supremely moral person of good standing with the G-man up above, he can attract the attention of the many cross-wearing apes that live across America. I wonder what will happen if he is elected and the flat tax plan he proponents goes through. Paul - Will not win much of anything, unfortunately. McCain - Is not as dead as his campaign seemed during the Summer. His hawkish stance on foreign policy is a retread of what Americans have been through for the past few years with little to show for it but the loss of soldiers, money, and material. Romney - I actually don't know much about him except for his titanic efforts to take Iowa. Democrats: Clinton - Had momentum for such a long time that, inevitably, it petered out at the wrong moment. The misfires in the last two months slowed her down to what appears, now, to be a reversal as Obama's performance in pre-Primary polling for NH outdoes her by a significant margin. She is too polarizing. Too cold, too political. I do not even want to know how many favors she owes to people and how many people owe favors to her. Obama - Has charisma. He is inexperienced no matter what his campaign preaches, but that is not necessarily an entirely terrible thing. Maybe America wants some fresh blood instead of rotten meat. Edwards - Also has charisma and more experience than Obama. His populist message and "Two America" statements make him seem almost borderline socialist at times. I always wonder why he doesn't catch fire with more of America. I would personally vote for, in order, Obama > Edwards > Paul > Clinton > Giuliani > Romney/Huckabee. Romney is Mormon. Huckabee is too in tune with Christ to lead effectively. Giuliani is scummy, like Clinton. Paul, Edwards, and Obama are the best out of the pack to me.[/color]

[quote name='Chabichou'][COLOR="#004a6f"]Having a safe city is good, and having an unsafe city is bad, unless you care to disagree.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [color=crimson]I disagree with your naive simplicity, lol.[/color]

[quote name='Chabichou'][COLOR="#004a6f"]Are laws reflect what is good or bad for our society.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [color=crimson]You are stretching it a bit there to make laws out to be unequivocally tied to morality. Many laws are subjective views that are amoral. The best example are ones that are enforced for stability and safety. For example, speed limits are amoral. Taxes are amoral. Limitations and regulations on public gatherings are amoral. There are many aspects of government that are morally neutral. Most candidates play to the ear of the electorate and overstate the level of morally-guided decisions that are made in Washington.[/color]

[color=crimson]Operating on the basis that its illegal nature does not cease its existence, measures should be taken to ensure the quality of health within the industry at large to aid the fight against the spread of sexually transmitted diseases within the United States. If that requires legalization, legalize it. A level of enforcement should be sought to bring it in line with other commercial enterprises and regulated. Haha. If people keep voting moral governments into power, I do not think the world has enough scapegoat countries to invade, destabilize, and allow to turn into an orgy of violence targeting civilians. They will beat their swords into plowshares, eh?[/color]