Month: July 2009

Wild Card Friday – My Journey Back to Copia.

klwalker2 Walker on Politics, Wild Card Friday

As I mentioned above, I will be making my journey back to Copia.  And so far, it looks like it’s going to be a long one.  For Wild Card Friday this week, I will be discussing my gradual return to Copia in the distant future.

For those of you who are not in the know with my story terminology, Copia is the world where the events of my story The Master’s Chronicles takes place.  In making my journey back there, you might be expecting another excerpt of my story.

Unfortunately, this is not the case.  In announcing my journey, I am referring to my gradual return to continuing on my story. Among other things that currently occupy my time,  I am in the midst of a story that one of my friends have written.  With them currently being in the country at the time, I willfully concede to undergo the task of reading every last page of their story.  An ordeal that could be completed in just a few short days.  The name of their story is Morgavia and I am reading Volume 0: The Chain that Links Two Hearts.  It is an invigorating story of high fantasy and adventure and I have only read the first six chapters in this eighteen chapter volume.

Another obstacle in my path is J.R.R. Tolkien’s magnum opus The Lord of the Rings.  Being almost finished with book 1  of the first volume: Fellowship of the Ring, I am not even halfway through the book yet. Even with these two stories diverting me from my journey, I am determined to reach Copia sooner or later.  While these stories won’t halt the progress of my story completely, they will only slow things down.

In the midst of reading these stories, gradual progress will be made on The Master Chronicles.  It just won’t be as fast as I want to see it. My, it has been a while since I last wrote anything.  In returning to my story, I feel like an artist returning to their easel and canvas.  Having a dried palette, the colors need some moisture added to them.  The trouble then comes with finding the right colors to use.

Before all this is formulated, they are faced with a daunting task.  What am I going to paint? What will I create? The pale pastels just won’t do.  Only the most vibrant colors will work.  They need that moment of inspiration that can’t be squandered.  Once it’s there, they have to run with it.  Just mix those colors, kiss the board with the paintbrush bristles, and create a masterpiece. So is true with me.

When that moment of inspiration comes, I must run with it and create the most vibrant colors imaginable.   And I must hurry, before that bursting flame of inspiration fades into oblivion. When I find that muse, I must capture it and bring it into submission before it escapes.  Because knowing this one reality shared among novices and great writers alike, they do escape.

The Botax.

klwalker2 Walker on Politics

Congress has been throwing around ideas on how to fund their universal health care plan, that they fortunately haven’t voted on yet.   How can they fund their monstrosity?  Enter the Botax.

Other suggestions include taxing video games, which I HOPE THAT THEY DON’T DO. That’s the news for today, and one of many things that I was able to accomplish. And I hope that they don’t pass this bill.  We need good health care, not a rationing body like Britain’s.

Wild Card Friday – A Morsel of Katamari Goodness.

klwalker2 Walker on Politics, Wild Card Friday

And man, was it good!  For this week’s Wild Card Friday,  I will share with you my adoration and excitement towards the much anticipated title for Katamari fans everywhere:  Katamari Forever (Katamari Damacy Tribute in Japan).

To begin, I went to the PlayStation Store and downloaded a demo for Katamari Damacy Tribute.  I then played the two levels that were in the demo.  Both of them were pretty good. The first level was a sprinkler level, where you water a desert with your katamari.  After playing a few times, I was able to get over 1,400 square meters, which gave me a score of 100.

The second level was a repeat level from Beautiful Katamari: Delightful Dirigible.  I replayed that level a few times, and was able to get 35cm9mm.  That also gave me 100 points for the level.

While Japan can enjoy this game right now, this was a good appetizer of what to expect in Katamari Forever in just a couple months.  It was no Schloss Cosmos, but I will be able to enjoy that in the distant future.  It really wet my appetite for Katamari Forever.  I can hardly wait!

Michigan’s Becoming a Less and Less Attractive Place to Live.

klwalker2 Walker on Politics

While I still can’t move out of Michigan,  at least I’m not living in Detroit. Let’s face it.  Michigan’s economy is screwed, and there’s not a job in my industry that’s available in Michigan anymore.

Until then, I guess I’ll keep digging until I find something.  I may even need to get a second job, since the hours at the gas station aren’t dang near enough. Until then, there is hope.  Someone out there.  I know I’ll find it soon enough.

Wild Card Friday – Spring in July….

klwalker2 Walker on Politics, Wild Card Friday

For this week’s Wild Card Friday, I have decided to talk about what is probably going to be the briefest topic ever: the weather.

With the lower than average July temperatures in Michigan, I can hardly call this summer at all.  It is more like mid to late spring. With all this lackluster weather, I’m just wondering.  When is it going to be summer?  Even as I’m typing this, the weather is currently 67 degrees.

If this pseudo-summer has temperatures like this, it looks like we’re going to have a very cold winter.  And I’ll be shoveling the snow, in late September or early October. My favorite season of the year, wasted.  What a total gyp.

See You Next Week….

klwalker2 Walker on Politics

Because of a soreness in my right ring finger, you will not get any more updates until next week.  If I am up to it tomorrow and my finger feels a little better, I may at least give you a Wild Card Friday entry. This soreness is definitely from work.  In a few days, the soreness should be gone. Tune in next week for more Walker on Politics.  Until then, have a good weekend.

R.I.P. TOTUS

klwalker2 Walker on Politics

A tragedy has occurred in our country.  One of President Obama’s teleprompters died an untimely death yesterday afternoon.

It would’ve been more fun, however, if both teleprompters were broken into a million pieces.  Knowing that Obama can not speak without a teleprompter, he would probably stagger though the speech, in a feat that would make Robert Gibbs look articulate.  You have to remember that it is not the president that is doing the talking.  It is the teleprompter. With TOTUS out of the picture,  a new Communicator in Chief will need to be sworn in.

I could imagine that they have a room with 100 extra teleprompters, that they would use for such an occasion. TOTUS has lived a short life, but it is time to move on.  Should there be a funeral?  Nah.  Only a few parting words before it’s thrown away. It must be real tragic for Obama, considering that he lost one of his beloved teleprompters.

Don’t worry.  There’s plenty of other teleprompters out there. This may be true, but there’s only one TOTUS.  I mean, how many teleprompters can play a trick on the president like that?

A Greener Internet? Now They’ve Gone Too Far!

klwalker2 Walker on Politics

Just when I thought the “green” movement couldn’t get any more ridiculous!  I am aware of the environmentalist wackos trying to save the environment with greener cars and greener packaging.  Now they want a greener internet.

This is so funny. If I were you, I would read this entry as quickly as you can.  The longer you spend on this entry, the more CO2 that gets released into the atmosphere.  Hurry! Quick! Don’t want to pollute the environment by surfing the internet, right? This is just too much.  The green movement is nothing more than just another market for businesses to tap into, and fill their wallets with more green.

Now I have nothing against businesses expanding and prospering, but this whole green thing is getting out of control.  I’m for a good environment but let’s amp it down a bit. Having been an avid surfer on the internet over the years, I guess I can say that I dumped tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.  And I’ll dump tons more.  I’ll make my carbon footprint, um, I mean,  handprint as large as possible.

Seriously.  Can you really burn carbon by just staring at a stinkin’ webpage all day?  Somebody call MythBusters.  Maybe they can hook up a bunch of computers and see if they burn any carbon dioxide at all.  Computers don’t run on gas. Just hilarious.  Completely hilarious.

Wild Card Friday – Television Summer Survival Guide: 2009 Edition

klwalker2 Walker on Politics, Wild Card Friday

While Summer is been seen as the season for going outside and doing some sort of activity, it is also a time where most stations have their regular shows go on hiatus.  When you come in from your Saturday or Sunday at the beach, the last thing you want to do is turn on your TV to a bunch of boring reruns.  To help remedy some of that, I have put together an unofficial guide to summer shows that I watch to hold me over until the fresh new lineup begins in the fall.  Without further ado, I give you the Television Summer Survival Guide: 2009 Edition.

First of all, I am well aware that Big Brother 11 has just begun and is in full swing.  Just to let you know, I DON”T watch Big Brother, and have no intention to.  There is waaaay too much drama on that show, which plays like a Summer soap opera.

Until Survivor: Samoa and Amazing Race 15 premires this fall, I will be keeping my distance from CBS’s primetime lineup.

For those of you who have a taste for adventure, Anthony Bourdain will embark on his latest culinary quest this Monday, with new episodes of No Reservations at10 p.m.  To usher in this season premiere, there will be a No Reservations marathon on Sunday.  Between the marathon and the new episodes, there is plenty of Anthony Bourdain to go around this summer.

Continuing in the week, ABC has an hour of Japanese game show hijinks.  At 9:00 on Wednesdays, there is a new season of I Survived a Japanese Game Show.  It is actually almost halfway through the season already, so if you want to catch up on all the action, you can watch the past episodes online.  The series follows 12 American contestants, who are flown to Toho Studios in Tokyo to compete in a series of wacky games on the Japanese game show Majide (本気で). 

The two teams compete in two rounds of games.  The winning team gets an “advantage” for the second round.  The team that wins the second round gets a nice reward, while the losing team is given a punishment.  The punishment usually involves them working at a Japanese business related to the winning team’s reward.  For example, if the winning team goes drifting, the losing team has to work at a Japanese gas station.  The losing team also must decide on two people that will play in the elimination round.  The winner stays, and the loser goes back home.  The sole winner of Majide gets 25,000,000円 ($250,000).  With more than half of the season remaining, I Survived a Japanese Game Show should make Wednesday nights more interesting.

So concludes my Summer Survival Guide.  Take it or leave it, there’s plenty of Summer shows to enjoy after a long day of work.  Until the fall lineup returns, I have just three words to say to Summer:  Bring it on.  I hereby declare boredom officially vanquished.

China’s Now Buying More Cars Than We Are.

klwalker2 Walker on Politics

Now this doesn’t surprise me at all.  While sales of cars tank over here, business is booming in China. In producing a good number of goods in the U.S., and sending them more of our jobs every month, it’s no surprise that China is experiencing a boom in their economy.

With increased taxation driving more of our jobs over there, giving them a few more cars to drive doesn’t come without a large price.  And it’s a price that I rather not pay.

Microsoft Beware! Google’s Gonna Break Some “Windows”

klwalker2 Walker on Politics

Or so they say.   By the looks of things, Google is targeting Micro$oft right where it hurts: their operating system market.

With their bitter rival breathing down their neck, Micro$oft has plenty to be afraid about.  With Google already having most of the search engine market, this Silicon Valley giant will their opposition hard to crush.

To take it personally, I don’t even use Bing!  Heck, I don’t even know anyone who does.  What the heck is a “decision engine” anyway?  Furthermore, their advertising campaign for their search engine totally sucks.  They just take any word a person says and repeat it in the form of a search result.  Case in point:  “Sucks – something pertaining to suction, the creation of a partial vacuum, or a region of low pressure.”  Totally lame.

Micro$oft better beware, because a new giant is emerging in Mountain View, California.  Okay, Google is already a giant.  Let’s just say an army of giants is starting to emerge. I don’t know if Google’s operating system will succeed or not.  If they do, Micro$oft will be crushed into a fine gelatinous ooze.  Or, the reverse could happen.  What will be the outcome?  Only time will tell.

—- EDIT:  I just realized that this is the 100th post for Walker on Politics.  Here’s to 100 posts on this wonderful source of blogging excellence.  May there be plenty more.

In Soviet Russia….

klwalker2 Walker on Politics

President Obama may be treated like a Hollywood celebrity back at home, but in Soviet Russia, media disrespects you!

Flattery apparently doesn’t work in Russia.  For the “reset” button to work, maybe Obama should just be himself. Even if he does, Russia doesn’t see us any differently, regardless of who’s president.

While some progress has been made, it could be quite a while before the ties here in the U.S. and Russia are completely “reset”.

On the other hand, they could play a little Tetris to end things on a lighter note.  I mean, come on! We saw movies and an iPod as a couple of Obama’s diplomatic gestures to other countries.   Tetris would would be the icing on the cake, and it would add another layer of meaning to the “reset” button.

Wild Card Friday – Star Spangled Memories

klwalker2 Walker on Politics, Wild Card Friday

For Wild Card Friday this week, I have decided to reminisce about how I spent the Fourth of July in the past years, since the Fourth of July is tomorrow. What I want to talk about in particular is my favorite part of the Fourth of July: the fireworks.  It doesn’t matter where they are.   I just know that if there’s going to be any Fourth of July at all, there better be fireworks.

I can recall fond memories of going up north and watching the fireworks by the lake at Vic’s Beach (It wasn’t really his beach, but that’s what we called it.)  During one year, when I was much younger,  some firecrackers got out of control.  I stayed near my family to make sure that I didn’t get hit by one.

During another year at Vic’s Beach, when I was older, I remember playing In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida there.  It wasn’t quite dark yet, but it led up to what I was looking forward to later.

During one year or another, I celebrated the Fourth in East Jordan, since my parents had this friend that owned hunting land with a camp site on top of the hill.  I can’t remember too much about the fireworks.  I just know that it was crowded and just as exciting as other years.

In a more recent year, I aaw the fireworks up north near Barton City.  This wasn’t Vic’s Beach but the show was still impressive.

Last year was a different year for fireworks.  Being in town, I saw the fireworks at the Tridge with a few people I knew.  This was probably one of the better shows that I have been to, only I heard that the fireworks in Bay City are better.

Thus ends the memories.  This year, I will be seeing fireworks at the tridge.  The Fourth isn’t just a time to be patriotic, but a time to sit and enjoy the show. Here’s to hoping that this year’s Fourth will be as good as all the others.  And like every year, it will end with a bang. Happy Fourth of July Eve, everyone!

—— EDIT: I actually ended up going to the Bay City fireworks, and they were FANTASTIC!!!!

I Guess the Fireworks are Starting Early.

klwalker2 Walker on Politics

If unemployment could be compared to fireworks, we all have a front row seat, watching them shoot off left and right. An especially large “firework” was launched today, indicating our 26 year high in unemployment.

With the Dow losing 223 points today, that would make it the average’s worse day since April 20th. With all these all these “fireworks” going off in various directions,  it is making me extra cautious in planning my future, finding what remaining pieces of ice I can leap to, to navigate out of this ocean of unemployment.

Having just found a job at a gas station,  I can very well say that I am beating the odds.  My journey has begun.  However long or short it may be, I will find solid land. Unemployment is something like that.  Not the best analogy, but what the heck, the Fourth of July is in a couple of days.  And there’s nothing wrong in celebrating early, right?