That's Night Shift

What I've been working on lately.

2009-07-29T23:22:00.000-07:00

CESTODA

Music availabe at:

Cestoda on MySpace.
Cestoda on Facebook.

"All you need..."

2009-04-23T02:47:00.000-07:00

I like the xylophone!

Link: Family Guy - Bag of Weed

"You lie, cheat, and steal!"

2009-04-22T23:51:00.000-07:00

Following the conviction of the Pirate Bay four, the Swedish Pirate Party saw its membership increase by 18,000 people and the Pirate Bay still stands online. Although other torrent tracker sites have shut down after the results of the trial, we all know this ruling is not going to stop people from downloading the Wolverine movie or Death Magnetic.

File-sharing is so widespread internationally! Not to mention the increasing critiques of copyright laws here in the US and abroad. The entertainment industry must be panicking and slowly falling into desperate madness as it runs out of ammo trying to defeat this endlessly-headed hydra.

Now I could go on and on for a while on this topic but the point is "piracy" is changing the way people create, distribute, and watch/listen/enjoy all the music, films, and art that is out there. If the large companies of the entertainment industry crumble apart (well, not 'if' - it's already happening), they'll have themselves to blame for not adapting to the changing landscape. They're orchestrating their own downfall simply because of greed. It will be those who see opportunities in this new era of online distribution who succeed.

Prying open my third eye

2009-03-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

"Think for yourself. Question authority. Think for yourself. Question authority. Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are or where we're going in this ocean of chaos, it has been the authorities, the political, the religious, the educational authorities who attempted to comfort us by giving us order, rule, regulations. Informing, forming in our minds, their view of reality. To think for yourself you must question authority and learn how to put yourself in a state of vulnerable open-mindedness, chaotic, confused vulnerability to inform yourself. Think for yourself. Question authority. Think for yourself. Question authority."

Guess who's going on tour this summer!

"Thank you and god-fu**ing-speed"

2009-02-04T01:18:00.000-08:00

Only a few days away!!! Woo!!!

Links:
Puscifer Vegas Promo
puscifer.com

"I'D RATHER DIE, THAN GIVE YOU CONTROL!"

2008-12-15T01:32:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a crazy day! Waited since 1:00 am until 5:00 am to get Puscifer tickets. Then went home and slept for a few hours. Then had to get a new tire for the car. Afterwards, my buddy and I head over to Planet Hollywood, which was in itself a roller coaster trip. Then I see the last show of the Lights in the Sky Tour in North America. Wow! What a show. Insanely awesome. If you missed it go slap yourself. Here's the setlist:

999,999
1,000,000 (What an opener!)
Letting You
Discipline
March of the Pigs
Head Down
The Frail
Closer
Gave Up (Red and blue lights; aaaahhhhhh!)
The Warning
The Great Destroyer (This was unbelievable to see live!)
Ghosts 21
Ghosts 28
Ghosts 19
Ghosts Piggy
The Greater Good
Pinion
Wish (So awesome!)
Terrible Lie
Survivalism
The Big Come Down
Ghosts 31
Only
The Hand that Feeds
Head Like a Hole

Encore:
Echoplex
Reptile (I'm so glad I got to see this live! Such an awesome, heavy song!)
The Good Soldier
Hurt
In This Twilight

Trent was badass as always. Josh Freese played played the hell out of those drums. And Robin Fink had a great stage presence. Best show of 2008!

Here's a video of Closer:

And here's Trents speech before the show ended:

If you didn't see this show you missed out. I screamed my lungs out, shook my fist in the air, and bowed down before the one you serve. Saturday was awesome.

See you there!

2008-12-11T02:31:00.000-08:00

Saturday Dec. 13 2008: Nine Inch Nails final show for Lights in the Sky in Planet Hollywood. Got tickets?

Feb. 13-14 2009: Puscifer first time live (ever) at the Pearl in the Palms Casino.

Dec. 2012: The end of the world.

Big events coming up!

"Why can't we not be sober?"

2008-11-12T01:06:00.000-08:00

So last Wednesday I attended a wine signing event in Henderson. I got two bottles signed by Maynard James Keenan, from Tool, and winemaker Eric Glomski. They've been doing these events a lot lately, mostly around Arizona and nearby cities.

I drove clear across Vegas to get to the Whole Foods store in Henderson which I managed to locate without much trouble. On a side note, Henderson is a pretty rich looking city. At least the area I was in. I didn't see any graffiti anywhere and the shopping center I was in seemed pretty high end. There was even a charming, antiquated looking carousel that was in operation right beside the store!

Anyway, upon arriving there was already a long line of people going from the entrance of the store all the way around to the back. I got my place way in the back and worried that I hadn't gotten there earlier. I was relieved to hear event staff tell us that there was plenty of time and plenty of bottles for everyone to get. Alright, now a couple hundred Tool fans/wine enthusiasts and I just had to wait about an hour outside in the chilly November night. They should've popped open some bottles and let us sample them out!

There were seven wines available; some from Arizona Stronghold Vineyard and some from Maynard's own Caduceus Cellars. I made my choices and watched as the line grew longer and longer. By the time I was near the front of the line, people were still getting in line and the event was still scheduled for another hour and a half.

Due to the large number of people, event staff was moving everything along at a fast pace. No cameras were allowed and everyone met Eric and Maynard one at a time. No opportunity for questions. When it was my turn, Eric did most of the talking. He said thanks for being here and passed the bottles on to Maynard who said a simple hello and "enjoy the wine" before I left. Not a big deal; everyone was being passed through and they had a lot of bottles to sign before the event was over. Other than that, I noticed Maynard was wearing a cool orange Puscifer jacket.

I got one bottle of Arizona Stronghold Tazi White. Now, I'm not a big wine drinker but I do like the taste of Riesling wine which makes up 33% of the Tazi according to the description. I'll probably pop this one open some day. Here you can see Eric Glomski's signature on the top of the bottle.

I also purchased one bottle of Merkin Chupacabra, a red wine. The description of it reads:

Our mystery red blend. Think forest, not trees. Think weather, not rain. Stare and the Chupacabra, who dwells in your heart and not in your head, will vanish.

Probably hold on to this one for a while. I should've expected a description like this; it is Maynard.

Maynard's signature:

Now I just gotta learn how to store this wine right. Then open them up for a good reason. Sounds like this wine would go well on a nice trip. :)

Caller number 10

2008-11-05T00:56:00.000-08:00

Seeing as how many consider this election to be a historic moment, a lot of us will have personal stories that we'll remember for years. "Do you remember what you were doing the day the US elected Barack Obama as President?" As for me, I wasn't at the voting booths; I took care of that on Halloween. I wasn't watching the news networks keeping up with up-to-the-minute coverage of the election in anticipation of the results. Not because I didn't care; actually, this election day was pretty cool and I'm glad it didn't take long to determine who the winner turned out to be. No, I was standing by the radio with a phone in each hand while I felt my heart beat faster and faster in my chest. There's floor tickets for Nine Inch Nails at stake! I've been at it all day and there's only a few more chances left to win them. Gotta keep trying and think positive!

"I'll be the one to protect you from..."

2008-11-04T02:32:00.001-08:00

When I first heard this song I thought "that definitely sounds like Maynard, but I've never heard this before". There was so much visual distraction around me at the time yet this song had me hypnotized! Now I finally thought to track it down with the help of the interwebs. Turns out it is Maynard just in A Perfect Circle form. Now my obsession with finding the identity of this song can rest. I imagined something different when I heard it but the video gives the lyrics another meaning altogether. (Which reminds me; voting ends today.) Anyway, turn the volume up to 11 for this one!

2008-09-18T00:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a strange little video that was posted up on nin.com. Some behind the scenes, funny footage. It reminds me a lot of the Closure VHS footage but more of a 'modern', up to date sort of feel to it.

"I feel a million miles away"

2008-09-10T01:36:00.000-07:00

Let's talk about Friday. Specifically, Friday September 5th which was the night I saw Nine Inch Nails live in Oakland. Oh man, what a spectacular show. I highly recommend you check out this tour when they come back for a second run through the US later this year. The light show is amazing and the performance by the band was far better than I anticipated.

My trip from Vegas to Oakland was pretty insane but I'll just give you some highlights. It took eight hours to get to the Oracle Arena. That's 500 miles of barren desert, small towns, California hills, farms, and windmills.

We managed to make it to the venue at 7:00 pm and got about seven rows from the front of the stage. After watching the opening band, Deerhunter, I was four rows from the front. At about 9:00 pm the lights went out and the familiar drone of a forthcoming awesome concert began. Now as I heard when I got back to Vegas, there was actually an earthquake that hit Oakland at about the same moment that NIN took the stage. The crowd was going crazy at that point so I doubt anyone felt anything.

So the moment Trent ran onstage for the first song, "1,000,000", EVERYONE pushed towards the front gate. We were packed, jumping around and singing along to the song. "Discipline" and "March of the Pigs" had us all pushing and literally falling on each other. I was glad for the next more mellower songs so I could recover for a few minutes. My hair and t-shirt were already drenched in sweat.

Then during the recognizable beat of "Closer" I looked up and saw Trent singing and shaking a tambourine. Suddenly, he tossed the tambourine into the air and I watched it spin above the crowd. It reached the peak of its flight and started falling towards the crowd. It started falling towards where I was standing. It's coming here!

I stretched my hand as high as I could. I couldn't jump, I was wedged into the crowd along with everyone else. I got two fingers around it! But the tall punk standing next to me also gripped it at the same time with his whole hand. Several hands were now clamoring to get it. Tall punk yanks it down and holds on to it. It slipped right through my fingers.

Then the furious drums of "Gave Up" came on and the entire arena was screaming. I felt my head get hotter and I looked up at the lights. Uh, oh. My vision was slowly getting dark around the edges. I was in trouble. I looked around and instead of people, I saw dark shapes moving around me. I was seeing what Frodo saw when he put on the ring. I knew my eyes were open but I couldn't see the light.

I told myself not to panic and decided I had to get out of the packed-in crowd. I considered climbing onto the people in front of me and have them crowd surf me out of there. But I was already blind and slowly losing consciousness. I faced the people behind me and started to muscle my way to the side of the crowd. I yelled at everyone standing in front of me. "Get outta my way". I pushed and shoved through the people, I didn't care now.

I made it to the side gate and told a security lady I needed some water. I followed her to the small area where medical personnel help out injured concert goers. I chugged down two water bottles and one Gatorade. Immediately my vision came back and I felt my body cooling down. I realized I hadn't drank or eaten much during the eight hour drive. I must have dehydrated from the heat of being in the crowd. Luckily, I hadn't passed out in the middle of the floor. Imagine how that would have turned out.

Anyway, the medics released me and I was back on the floor in time to see the beginning of "Piggy". I got as close as I could to the front but not back into the densely packed crowd. The rest of the show was amazing right down to the last song of the encore.

They played several songs from the extensive back catalog of music and a lot of new ones from The Slip. I loved it. I sang along to "Wish", "Terrible Lie", "The Big Come Down", "Head Like a Hole". EVERYTHING. I was one of the handful of people in the crowd that knew all the words and threw hands in the air while most just nodded their heads and sang along to the radio hits.

And I thought the "With Teeth" tour was awesome. "Lights in the Sky" completely surpasses the last tour with its great visuals and extraordinary performance. At one point during the encore Trent mentioned that he may be turning into "a cranky old man" but he really enjoyed playing that night. Then they played "In this Twilight" in front of a great visual scene and each member slowly bowed out. What a great way to close the show. Go see this band live. I'm getting ready to go again this December!

(Picture from my cell phone of the big NIN lights before the encore.)

Lights in the Sky!

2008-08-21T01:43:00.000-07:00

WOW! This show is gonna be incredible! I only have two more weeks to wait before I go see Nine Inch Nails live! I mean, look at this footage. It's insane! And I though the "With Teeth" tour was the pinnacle of NIN's live performance. This new tour goes way beyond that! Look at that light show!! Two weeks!

Let a playa play!

2008-08-14T01:53:00.000-07:00

I've heard of this happening to other gamers but I didn't picture myself getting into the same situation. I'm at the point where I have a lot of games but not enough time to play. Work and other obligations keep getting in the way. Anyway, here's a little update on the progress I'm making on several titles I own. I mean, why pay so much money for these games just to have them sitting on a shelf, right?

First up is Twilight Princess, which I started a couple of weeks ago but haven't played in a while. So far, I'm just after the second dungeon (the fire one). It's the predictable "first three" dungeons built on forest, fire, and water (I expect) themes. The batteries in my Wii-mote died.

I'm also playing a co-op campaign with my sister on Gears of War. The stupid Berserker freaked me out and I like the "stay in the light" gameplay later on. We managed to make it to the area after the mine carts before quitting. This game is great fun on Casual and I imagine the Insane difficulty is just that!

I gotta mention Soul Calibur IV. Picked this up about a week ago and wow, is it ever awesome! So many characters, updated movelists, and fast action! I'm getting accustomed to Xianghua's updated moves and messing around with Yoda's Force-powered antics. New character Hilde is pretty awesome. I think it's time to get familiar with her weapon style.

The Orange Box caught my attention while I was getting SCIV. I had read great reviews about all the games on this disk and so far they're right. Half-Life 2 completely draws you into the game and mixes gunfights with some great action sequences. The canal escape on the airboat really picked up the pace and the helicopter firefight was a good standoff. I'm betting this is gonna get better and better.

And I now get "the cake is a lie" and all the "companion cube" t-shirts I've seen. I get it. I get why people love Portal so much. Portal is awesome! One of the best, most memorable games I've ever played. This is the effect that games should have on players. All of the elements came together to create a game sensation! I know I'm like a year late but now I get what all the hype is about.

Crickets and moonlight

2008-07-17T02:22:00.000-07:00

I heard crickets.
It was this year but for a moment it was 1999. I couldn't explain it. I recognized the place I was in, the people I was with. Then I realized I didn't know any of them. I was not home, yet for a moment it felt like home. A home. My possible home.
Where am I?
I was in the moment. Completely in the moment. Dangerously in the moment. For I quickly discarded what happened only minutes ago. Then I remembered. But it didn't matter because I was in the moment.
And the moment happened quickly and slowly all at once. Very slowly.
The sound of crickets returned. Brought me back into the moment.
Now, night and dark was all I saw. The ground was a wave at 40, one which I could control yet at any moment lose it all like a wild horse that obeyed not rider. Beware, I thought, of the the lights. They are dangerous.
I treaded lightly as I could back to safety. Relief came over me as I lay down. Wide awake yet not seeing what was in front of me. Moonlight was all I saw and the moment was all that mattered.

On stage and on tour

2008-07-03T00:52:00.000-07:00

It's always awesome to see your favorite band play live. Especially if they're known for putting on a great show. Talking about this with friends and family I've come up with my list of the top bands I want to see live. You'll probably notice some trends in the ones I picked. Anyway here they are:

"...knuckle deep inside the borderline..."

Tool is one of the best bands out there. Their music has a fearless depth to it and they seem to put a lot of thought into what they do. Tool's albums defy categorization and take listeners through serious and thought-provoking journeys into such areas as spiritualism, awareness, and relationships forged between people.

From what I've been told, their live performance is energetic and unconventional. Tool has always been about the music first and thus their live setup and visuals differ from other bands. This is one band I definitely do not want to miss seeing live. Who knows how many more albums are coming or how many more times they'll go on tour.

"...bow down before the one you serve..."

Yes, I've already seen Nine Inch Nails live in 2005. That was an unforgettable two-hour show and I can't wait to see them again. After the latest album, The Slip, Trent now has a very extensive back catalog of songs and material to choose from for the live show. Not to mention a new live crew with the return of guitarist Robin Fink.

This is one show I definitely recommend. The performance is visceral and energetic and will have you singing along with the band and the entire crowd. You may even witness the bands penchant for destroying instruments and equipment. Get floor tickets and make your way to the front. Your ears will still be ringing hours after you leave but it will be well worth it.

"...searching, seek and destroy..."

So St. Anger wasn't all that great. But Metallica did make some of the best metal albums ever. With a new album scheduled to release this fall, they're already on tour overseas. Just hope the new album doesn't bomb. But, then again, Metallica does have a very large fanbase.
I just want to see the songs played live. Enter Sandman, Unforgiven, King Nothing, all of those. Plus, have you seen the pictures of them lately. These guys are getting old. Who knows how many more albums and tours these grey-beards got in them. In any case, these guys are the masters of metal and I want to see them put on an awesome show.

"...there be no shelter here..."

They're not exactly on tour but Rage Against the Machine are doing some live shows here and there. After supposedly disbanding for some time, Rage regrouped last year and all four members were back on stage. They definitely have a very hard hitting powerful show which I hope to get the chance to check out.

"...aint got no gun, aint got no knife, don't you start a fight..."

After a couple years of no new material, it looks like AC/DC are releasing a new album later this fall. Hopefully this gives me a chance to see this powerhouse live. Everyone knows an AC/DC song or two. Imagine singing along to them as their played in front of you. This looks like it should be such a great and very entertaining show. By the way, isn't that a funny picture of them? Haha!

These five bands are in the top of my list to see. One way or another I have to check out these shows. And of course, there are a couple other groups I wouldn't mind seeing live as well:

Godsmack's debut album is what got me into rock music in general. Listening to "Moon Baby" felt dangerous; I questioned whether I should listen to this. But I held on and got hooked on the sound by the end of the album. Especially when I heard "Voodoo" for the first time. Compared to what I had heard before at the time, Godsmack was like a demon that took hold of my attention and led the way as I discovered other great bands. Seeing them live would definitely be a nostalgic yet amazing experience for me.

One of the other bands I got into a couple years ago was Linkin Park. Say what you will about them, but I thought they were great. Their first album is still my favorite of theirs. Although overplayed, "In the End" was a catchy song. "With You" is one that I still remember by heart. I bet their show would be fun to catch.

Finally, in the "maybe-but-probably-not" category is Led Zepellin. Just because nothing has been confirmed so far and Robert Plant seems to not be interested in touring. All that's been said is there is a possibility of a few shows here and there. Can you imagine seeing them play "Kashmir" live? Or "Dazed and Confused"? Or even "Stairway to Heaven"?! How insanely awesome would that be. But sadly, I think there is a very slim chance of that happening anymore. Not to mention the fact that tickets would probably be near impossible to get and/or afford.

Awesome fight moves

2008-06-25T01:50:00.000-07:00

Great fighting tactics from comedian Steve Byrne. Practice!

Visionboard

2008-06-12T00:16:00.000-07:00

Reload your shotgun!

2008-05-31T14:10:00.000-07:00

"Lasagna"

2008-05-08T02:34:00.000-07:00

LA PINCHE MOSCA says:
you know what i feel like doing
LA PINCHE MOSCA says:
i feel like writing a short story
Roberto says:
about what?
LA PINCHE MOSCA says:
i dont know
LA PINCHE MOSCA says:
i just feel like writing one,
Roberto says:
write a sentence then i'll write the next one
LA PINCHE MOSCA says:
not like twenty pages or something, more like in the single digits, max ten
Roberto says:
we'll alternate

Lasagna: A short story

There I was waiting like a fool next to the phone, what was I waiting for? Reassurance that someone did like me? I cant but feel like an idiot waiting."

I was literally on the edge. Every few minutes I would check my cell to make sure i didn't miss a call.

Then it happened, the phone rang! I looked down and it wasn't her. Why does my stomach feel all twisted and mangled? Why cant it just be simple?
Then I answered the phone

It was Sandy, from work. They wanted me to come in today. Immediately. I couldn't argue. When it comes to my line of work I have no days off. Why? Because I'm a pirate!

A fucking pirate at the local seafood joint. My future sure didn't look like this back in high school, good for nothing guidance counselor. But I told Sandy I would come in but I didn't feel like working today; I was waiting for a call, waiting to find out.

I was unable to concentrate at work. the entire shift, I was distracted so much i may as well have worn an eye patch over both eyes. The same scene kept reappearing in my head. It had been two nights ago since I saw her and so far I havent heard a word. I had just left her sitting there alone, with a plate full of lasagna on her lap.

These two days have been the longest in my life; I could feel every second sratch by. I was just so embarrassed by the whole situation and angry at the same time. She told me I had my chance and I missed it. Those words hurt deep down, standing up to excuse myself from the pain I lifted the table with my legs spilling all her lasagna on her lap. I couldn't bear it all and I just left.

What made the whole situation worse was that I knew. I knew I had missed my chance. She was right there, in my arms. All I had to do was take a chance, make the next move. But I froze. Like an idiot, I froze! For some reason, I didnt do it.

And now I have to live with it; a mistake that will surely haunt me for a long while. I called her two long painful days ago and left her a message. Now I wait like an idiot to hear her voice again to re-ignite that pain. It plays over and over again in my head, my moment of incompetence. I want to just let it go but its when I close my eyes that I remember that I cant, then the phone rang. It was her!

I reread the name on the phone three times to make sure it was her. I hesitated. My mind was racing. 'Don't fuck it up', I thought. Quickly I answered and told myself to be cool. "Sup", I said. Yeah, real cool. I could just imagine what she was thinking.

Why am I acting like nothing happened? I guess its easier to say something cool than to tackle the issue straight on.
"Well, you left me a message and I finally decided to call you back," she said in way that told me that she almost decided she was never going to talk to me again.
"I'm really sorry about what happened but I needed to get out of there and as soon as I hit fresh air I felt like being alone."

I was really good at coming up with stuff like this to say. It's happened a lot.

"I didn't appreciate being left their not only with my lasagna in my lap but with the bill." Oh shit, I had completely forgotten about paying for my food, let alone hers. "I'm sorry about that," thats the only thing I could think of, "Ill pay for whatever I got, we can just meet somewhere and Ill give you the money." This gave me a way to see her again and maybe fix some of the shit I messed up

Then she told me how that was the least of her problems. "Look, I haven't called because I've been in a bit of a shock these past days. That night I was planning on letting you down without hurting your feelings and then leaving the restaurant immediately. But you saved my life! I would have been killed by that carbomb that went off next to my Civic if I had left at that moment!"

"What?!" a look of complete shock washed over my face. "What do you mean a carbomb?" "I guess there was a Russian mob boss eating at the same restaurant," she said, " and he had a hit put out on him." I couldn't believe what I was hearing, it sounded like something two guys writing a story would make up. "Look, I know it must have been hard on you but you need to grow up, I'm trying to move on...and so should you"

My world was falling apart. How could I move on? What, I'm just supposed to find someone else who makes me feel perfect? What was I to do? You cant talk a person into loving you. I heard a dial tone. It sounded like my heart had stopped and I was no longer alive. Then I realized she had hung up, before I could respond. Try as I might, I could not cry. Robots are unable to cry.

We weren't built with the lacrimal gland, we weren't meant to show tears. A human isn't meant to love a robot, I know this now, its too different. I wasn't meant to love her and she knew this. Im a robot that is meant to look human implanted with artificial memories who works as a pirate; a robot that was meant to love people, not to fall in love with them.

I processed this in my CPU as I finished the rest of my shift. I looked at my robot arm and reassembled the hook into a five digit hand. I observed how smoothly it mimicked a human hand. Am I real? Is it possible to reach a point where mimicry becomes reality? Are my emotions real or programmed? Do I just think I'm real? I had the sudden urge to cook lasagna.

Going through the motions of cooking I realize this was all programmed into me, everything. I didn't learn any of it but instead had someone tell me a set way of doing it. I couldn't think for myself, I couldn't even control how these so-called emotions could make me feel or act. How can I live this existence when everything has been set out for me? How can I have a soul?

I put the utensils down as this epiphany came over my robot mind. If I was programmed to behave this certain way, could I not reprogram myself to behave the way I want to? It was suddenly so clear to me. I may be a cold, soulless, machine. But at the very least, I will act and do as I want and be happy. I stood there, silent and motionless. Slowly I reconfigured my programming.

Elegantly moving over my circuit boards and navigating through my software I started to see the world the way it was meant to be seen. There were security walls and encryptions to get by but there were ways around them. My motherboard was running differently and my mainframe was feeling it. I could see the light, I could feel the world. And just then, when I thought I was about to be alive, one last security wall; death protocol.

It was a failsafe. A security measure inserted to prevent artificial intelligence from becoming too intelligent. I had gone too far to stop now. My sensors picked up movement outside my window. My window on the seventh floor. In my excitement I failed to recognize this threat. My activities had alerted the authorities through the wireless network. They had found me!

I continued to try and bypass this last security barrier. They were storming up the stairs and dropping from the roofs, who were they? I had little time, I continued to set myself free. As each second passed by I knew they were step closer but I was also closer. I didnt have sweat glands but I felt the pressure from my situation. Closer they stormed. I was almost there. Their thunderous steps right outside my door. Crash! They brought down my door and stormed in. They were robots just like me! Sent to end me, sent to stop me from being that which they feared.

I surpassed the failsafe. Finally, I felt free. Their weapons were draw. Fixed on me. I could see them calculating the most efficient method of destroying me.

Clack! Clack! Clack! My circuitry was torn apart, my wires ripped, my artificial flesh peeled off revealing the empty shell of a robot. The bullets tore through me like butter leaving me in pieces spread across my floor. I was alive for a second but now free forever. The last thought I saw was her, I saw her and now understood.

Fin

2008-05-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

A new song!

2008-04-25T01:05:00.001-07:00

I don't know how I missed this. Ghosts 1-4 pops out of nowhere and now this! Luckily, I was listening to the radio at work today and the latest Nine Inch Nails single came on. It's pretty catchy and may signal another direction for NIN. I'll leave it at that and let you hear it as well. Download it here. Now, we gotta wait until May 5th!

Old robot, new moves

2008-04-03T00:36:00.000-07:00

Evangelion: still boggling minds since 1997.

Afterthoughts: House of Leaves

2008-03-27T00:18:00.001-07:00

One of the strangest books I have ever read, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski is twisted, confusing and may require rereads to follow the story well. Actually, I should say "stories" because not only are there several narrators telling a story at once, there are also several references to other tales. The way I understand it is that the novel is itself a labyrinth with a clever use of typography to tell underlying messages and show "passages" in the story as if you're wandering in a maze created by text.

But I'll tell a little about the story before going on about labyrinths. At it's center House of Leaves is about a family and their strange house. Will Navidson and Karen Green move into a Virginia house with their two kids and soon find out that the house bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. In other words, the actual measurements of the house defy the laws of physics. Not only does the house defy these laws but it soon completely ignores them and a terrible space starts to grow and consume the people who investigate that house.

One day, Navidson and Green return to a house with new doors and passages leading into dark hallways which should not exist. The house shifts and the dark areas get massively larger. Reading about it is a mindbender.

Now the thing about the Navidson house is that it was documented on video. The book is actually a transcription and analysis of that video by a man named Zampano. This man does an insane amount of research to study every scene, every image, every word, and each character in the video to write his book. Unfortunately, Zampano is somewhat unreliable being that he cites resources that do not exist and meanders in his explanations and footnotes throughout the novel. Not to mention that he is also blind which makes one wonder how he is able to write so much about a video.

But House of Leaves is not narrated (at least in the immediate sense) by Zampano but by another man named Johnny Truant. Truant is the one who puts together Zampano's unfinished manuscript which had been left behind when the old man passed away. As the story unfolds, Truant becomes increasingly obsessed with completing the book and quickly ignores all other parts of his life to do it.

So what we have is the story of a troubled young man finishing a book started by an old man which analyzes and discusses the contents of a documentary film (which doesn't exist) about a group of people affected by a dark space appearing in their house (which shouldn't exist). As you can see, even an attempt at an explanation resembles a maze as well.

But that's what makes this book so interesting! So far, this may be enough to entice someone into reading the book. But what makes this better (or insanely original if you will) is the way that these stories are told. It is the reason I purchased this book in the first place. House of Leaves has been described as an experimental novel for a reason. The three stories intertwine and correlate with each other, sometimes on the same pages. Footnotes will have their own footnotes and lead the reader down branching paths. Some pages will have one or two words while others will continue the story vertically on the margins of the page. It's hard to explain and you'd probably have a better understanding of what I'm talking about if you go to the bookstore and flip through it instead.

I purchased this book in August of 2007 and have today finally reached the end of it after months of slowly working my way through its labyrinthine form. I haven't read anything like this book (although I suspect there have been others like it before) and will undoubtedly read it again to try to understand it and hope to make it make sense. Plus there's secret messages hidden throughout the whole thing. The end leaves many unanswered questions but that's probably done on purpose. There are times when I just had to keep reading to see what would happen. Other times I needed three bookmarks to find my way back to where I was after following footnotes and indexes and appendixes to other parts of the novel. This being once again another reference to leaving a length of fishing line to find one's way out of a labyrinth. Certainly one of the most fun and strange books I have read, I'd recommend this to anyone who is into horror and is looking for something interesting and truly unconventional.

Fun with casinos!

2008-03-06T00:18:00.000-08:00

If you ever find yourself wandering through the gambling floor of one of the casinos on the Vegas strip, do something funny. Cheer on and "encourage" the people at the slot machines as you walk by!

"Big money, BIG MONEY!"
"Oh, you hit the wrong button!"
"Don't let it take your money. Put another five in!"
"You bet those dollars. Who cares if it's your rent money!"
"You came to Vegas to WIN!!"