I Should Be In Bed By Now

...but for some reason I'm not sleepy. Damn wacked-up sleeping pattern.

Right now I'm struggling to get Windows Media Player to rip some CDs so I can listen to them via my new MP3 player.
It works perfectly fine for CDs printed en-masse, which would therefore have an entry in the media player's on-line database; this saves me time when it comes to labelling each track, because the software just looks up the CD on the Internet and fills out the necessary details.
It's just that not all of my collection are so easily found. Some of them are magazine cover discs, which usually contain an odd assortment of tracks by various artists. Since they are usually a limited edition, there isn't anything for WMP to find about them online - so what it normally does is find the best match possible (which is frequently totally WRONG).

What's worse is that the version of WMP I have won't actually let you correct the false tracklist unless you are connected to the Internet! WTF? If it can't find the correct listing, why the hell do I need to go through that menu anyway just to fix the problem? Silly design, I don't know... I just hope they managed to fix that problem in the next version.

...I've also been accumulating a bunch of new DS titles, partly because I scored some $$$ over the last month, and also because a lot of them were really cheap:

• Impossible Mission - I remember playing this game on the Commodore 64. I had absolutely no success in completing the game, mostly due to being crap at it the first time (not having access to the manual didn't help). I managed to complete the game this time around, thanks to the far better interface that the DS offers - the only complaint was the apparent bug that prevented me from getting extra powerups in the puzzle-screen room. :(
  
• Rubik's Puzzle World - this is a puzzle title based on the eponymous brainteaser from the 1980s. It features the actual Rubik's Cube puzzle (with the original 3x3x3 cube, but also a 2x2x2 and a 4x4x4 puzzle to solve) and a bunch of other cube-related puzzles and games.
• Arkanoid DS - this is an updated version of another game I played on the C64. And yes, I was pretty bad at the C64 version too, but Arkanoid was so damned hard... This version uses the touch screen instead of a paddle/joystick, which makes it much easier to complete. A review I read complained about the "dead region" in the gap between the screens, where the ball is invisible, but I didn't have a problem with this since there usually aren't any obstacles in that space for the ball to bounce off, so...
• Puzzle Bobble Galaxy - oh, dear, I really am into the retro-themed games, aren't I? I had to take a break from this game after a while, because when I closed my eyes I kept seeing bubbles and patterns from the game scattering across my vision... Seriously, it's a very weird experience, and it's usually a sign that I've been playing a game for far too long. (And it seems to be related to the puzzle-type games; apparently Tetris is good for producing this effect.) Anyway, it's a really fun game.
  
• Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll - having never played a Super Monkey Ball game before, this was an interesting introduction to the theme. I totally suck at controlling the spheres through the levels (and some of those bananas are in really difficult places), but I guess it takes practice and a delicate hand.
• Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - =D VERY HAPPY with this game! I was pleasantly surprised by the first M&L role-playing game for the Game Boy Advance - that, and Golden Sun: the Lost Age were both excellent titles to start my collection. However, the follow-up M&L: Partners in Time was rather lacking in the side-quests and secrets that distinguished the first title, and it made the game seem far too linear for most RPG fans. I am pleased to report that the third title is a stunning return to form, with recognition of what made SuperStar Saga such fun; plus new features (you get to play as both the Mario Bros. and as Bowser Koopa! Who gets to turn into a GIANT)!
• Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - is one I don't actually own yet, but I still have some $ to spend yet, so...
  

Looking at the above list, and at all my games in fact, shows me that I have a very narrow field of interest, as far as my taste in games is concerned. Maybe I can chalk it up to my advanced years, but most if not all of the games I own are retreads of older titles. I wish I could say that it was trust in a brand name, but sadly Sonic the Hedgehog has shown otherwise. and I shall be looking at this Project Needlemouse thing very closely over the next year
Perhaps I'm just concerned that the newer titles won't be as good as the older ones? Am I a games elitist? An e-snob, stuck in an historical cul-de-sac of gaming genres? Or... is it just because the only alternatives available in the local stores are titles like My Little Pony, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and 101 Game Compendium? ;)

At any rate, stay cool folks, and keep gaming!

The Fantastic Voyage (inside Neb)

Well, I've just had a BUSY two weeks. I have worked at least once a day every day since last Monday week, which was when I went to Warragul for my gastroscopy session. I was actually pencilled in for a shift that day, but it was a late change and I had to bail on work sorry to my coworkers; I hate leaving you guys in the lurch, just so you know, but I gotta look after my health.

I was going to tell you all about what it is like to have a camera shoved down your throat on the day it actually happened, but: a) I was too tired from the anaesthetic to post anything on that day; and b) I slept through the whole procedure (thanks to said anaesthetic).
I'd heard that you have to swallow this rather bulky mini-cam on a cable, which was apparently gag-a-riffic as if I didn't have enough problems with swallowing but as it turned out, it went like a dream...

Seriously, they just shoved some good stuff into my bloodstream, moved me onto my side, and ten seconds later, I was being shaken awake! I have never fallen asleep that quickly before in my life. It was AWESOME.

Anyway, I wasn't able to drive back from the clinic on my own, so I got my Ma to chauffeur me. She used the downtime to check out the Op Shops in town; luckily, she had her guide (me) to point them all out to her before I went in for examination, so while I was being invaded, she went and scoped out some bargains. I don't remember if she bought anything, but she usually buys herself some nice clothes, so I'm going with that.

After I woke up and had some supplies some free sandwiches, tea and HEAPS OF WATER because I had to fast for five hours prior and DAMN I was thirsty!!! we went to have some lunch and do some more shopping.
Important Note: Shopping under the influence of sleep-inducing drugs is a very risky business. Fortunately, I made it out with my wallet relatively unscathed. I found some good CDs for $10 each, some T-shirts for my nephew, and a few books. I may have also bought some makeup and a bra or two, or maybe that was what Ma bought - I can't seem to find those anywhere, so I probably just got confused.

In case you wondered: They said they found that I had something called a Sliding Hiatus Hernia, which is very common and often doesn't present any problems at all. It's probably the cause of food sometimes getting stuck in my guts from time to time - maybe. At any rate, I'll see my doctor this week, so I'll find out what to do next.

Other stuff:

• Starting witht the damn obvious, Michael Jackson passed away last month. I have since been reading up about his life, and feel that he had been mistreated and abused to the point where he wasn't even a real person any more. He was really talented though; As a child of the 80s and 90s I was witness to the better part of his career. I went and bought a compilation album to remember him by. Vale, Michael.
  
• My uncle was admitted to hospital last week, after a routine checkup revealed something serious. He's since been diagnosed with lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes); at this point I do not know how bad it is, but this type of cancer is one of the easier types to treat, depending on which type he has. I also found out that one of my cousins has been diagnosed with the same condition, within the space of a week! My thoughts go out to both of them.
• My friend Katie has returned to Ozland! It's been a long journey for her and her husband, but they have finally touched down. The only thing I need to do now is actually get in touch with her... Hello, Facebook? (And now all we need to do is con Miro back into Australia and we'll all be back on the same continent again!)
  

So much to do - tax time, cleaning up the house, catching up with friends, and generally sorting out my life... I wish there were more of me, sometimes. See you soon!

Across The Universe

We just finished watching Across The Universe, the movie (musical?) that uses Beatles songs to create a fictional story set in the late 1960s. My sister hadn't seen it before, and she rented it along with a bunch of others - not realising that I already owned the DVD!

If you haven't seen the film yet, and are at all interested in the Beatles' music, watch it as soon as you can, as it is totally made of win!. The film doesn't actually feature the Beatles at all, though - it's a fictional tale similar to but NOT in the same realm as Mamma Mia.
It helps to know a bit about the Beatles' history, as there are a lot of in-jokes and references to the band; most of the characters in the film have names that reference the Beatles' back catalogue - the six main characters are called Jude, Lucy, Maxwell, JoJo, Prudence, and Sadie!

As in most musicals, every now and then a song starts up out of nowhere, but it's interesting to see how the director has used the songs in a way that changes the original meaning - Oh! Darling becomes a duel between two band members; Dear Prudence is a "coming out" song of a more literal kind; and the turbulent struggles of two men dealing with their demons is the backdrop of Strawberry Fields Forever, one of the best sequences in the movie:

The movie has been presented extremely well, and features some striking imagery and fantastic choreography. And the actors have been well cast - they have done a sensational job of this, and I hope they all go on to other good projects soon!
We've all been singing songs from the movie since we watched it. But what's weird is that my sister didn't even know half of the songs from the movie! Like, where has she been?
So... I guess I'll be loaning some of my CD collection to her in the next few months!

The Salmon of Doubt

But no, I haven't just been watching TV.

I finally managed to find a copy of The Salmon of Doubt, the posthumous collection of Douglas Adams' essays and articles published after his death in 2001. I've been scouring the bookshops for a copy, and gave up, when I realised, "Duh! That's what libraries are for!"

It's not the kind of book you read all at once, but rather a "pick it up and sample it every now and then" type. And, it's frickin' brilliant. He had a great sense of humour that really comes through in his writing, and it makes me miss him even more. (Is it even possible to miss someone you've never met?)

I'm afraid I'll just have to buy a copy now, assuming I actually find one for sale. I only get to keep this book for two weeks, after all!