I was having a particularly hard time figuring out how to start this review. And then I read the Wikipedia page on Be Here Now and now…oh, my, so much to say. This album came out in August 1997, hot off the heels of Morning Glory. By then, Oasis was generally praised as “the biggest band in the world.” Those are Noel’s words, obviously, but it really wasn’t that far off. The media craziness that surrounded the band around this time (’96 to ’97) was huge. Most of my scrapbook articles and photos come from this period, because the band was EVERYWHERE. Making headlines for going on tours, cancelling tours, losing band members…my favorite piece of video-recording from this time was MTV’s Unplugged, which Liam decided to sit out complaining of a sore throat (brother Noel took up the vocals that day and, actually, sounded pretty good), but then sat at the side balcony heckling Noel all night. That crazy kid. And then followed it up by singing off-key and spitting during Oasis’ performance at MTV’s Video Music Awards in NY. Man, those were good times. Those videos still exist somewhere back home :)
Amidst the adoration and fame and constant press, there was much drug abuse. This pretty much sets the stage for how the band recorded Be Here Now and how the album ended up. If there is one thing critics will agree on about Be Here Now is that it is a bloated, overblown album. A few examples from the Wikipedia page:
- In 2007, Q magazine described the fact that Be Here Now is often thought of as "a disastrous, overblown folly — the moment when Oasis, their judgment clouded by drugs and blanket adulation, ran aground on their own sky-high self-belief."
- Q magazine described the album as "cocaine set to music."
- Irish Times journalist Brian Boyd wrote: "Bloated and over-heated (much like the band themselves at the time), the album has all that dreadful braggadocio that is so characteristic of a cocaine user."
- “It’s the sound of…a bunch of guys, on coke, in the studio, not giving a fuck. There’s no bass to it at all; I don’t know what happened to that…and all the songs are really long and all the lyrics are shit and for every millisecond Liam is not saying a word, there’s a guitar riff in there in a Wayne’s World style.” – Noel Gallagher
- "If he [Noel] didn't like the record that much, he shouldn't have put the fucking record out in the first place...I don't know what's up with him, but it's a top record, man, and I'm proud of it — it's just a little bit long." – Liam Gallagher
How awesome are the Gallagher quotes? Love it. Sadly, though, I gotta agree. But, that means I also agree with Liam. Let me say this first though: I didn’t remember remembering the album so well. Does that make sense? I mean, I really thought that I hadn’t paid too much attention to it, that I hadn’t listened to it that many times when I first bought it. But when I put it on these past few weeks, it was like finding a long lost friend. I knew all the songs, all the words, all the harmonies. I don’t feel any real emotional attachment to it as I do to the others, but I still, clearly, enjoyed the hell out of it. Which is why I understand what people are saying about overblown, but I still love it.
Yes, the album is excessive. Every song is looong, and every song is dying to sound epic. Think of an album made up entirely of Champagne Supernova wanna-be’s (but add about 5 minutes of play time to each). The album itself clocks out at around 71 minutes, nearly 20 minutes longer than either of the previous two albums. There are guitar tracks upon guitar tracks, several key changes within the same songs, and just buckets of sound. Listening to the album all the way through in one sitting can be a bit tiresome. Looping it in my car stereo for three days straight was overdoing it just a tad (a tad being the equivalent of eating three or so Cadbury cream eggs in a row…I have never done this…one egg induces a sugar high just fine).
BUT every song does sound masterful. Each song taken on its own sounds epic and sound-defying and each one induces that same high that Champagne Supernova was going for. I agree with Liam. I don’t know what Noel is going on about. Every song on that album is fantastic, in terms of composition, complexity, layers and layers of sound, editing, riffs, harmonies, key changes, lyrics, drums, vocals, guitars, the whole thing. The album fails because it is too much to take in at once (trust me…too much), but every song is memorable. Liam’s voice is as powerful and unique as ever and Noel demonstrates what makes him such a good songwriter and guitarist. Like the previous two albums, Noel wrote all the songs. Also like those albums, the lyrics tend to be silly, nonsensical, and optimistic, but (and I think this is something I haven’t quite gotten across in my other reviews) his lyrics also tend to be poetic and deep. Noel has often been described as something of a romantic and a philosopher. Every now and then he tries too hard and then things sound forced or silly, but in general he writes pretty, meaningful, simple, relatable words.
I was a bit worried that all these years later I would listen to this album and only think “yep, bloated, long, what the hell were they thinking;” I did, but I also rediscovered how awesome all the songs are on their own.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
(What's the Story) Morning Glory? - Oasis
This is where it all started, the first album I acquired. I must give credit where it is due, however: (What's the Story) Morning Glory? was originally a present to my sister. I don’t recall if she didn’t like it or what, but I slowly appropriated it until I wound up listening to it pretty much every day after school. The album came out in the Fall of 1995, and she received it sometime that year, if not early in ’96, so I would have just turned 13 or so…yep, definitely ripe for that “let me obsess over music or boys” phase. I wore that album out, too. I listened to that album so much that the one I currently own isn’t even that same one from ‘95/’96 because that one got so badly scratched, I had to buy a new one. The funny part is, since I listened to it last week, it must have been years since I had last heard it. Time is really creepy when you start to put it that way…
Anway…this is a seriously good album. And it doesn’t much matter if I’m biased about this or not, it’s pretty well agreed upon that this is a good album. For example, I just learned that this album won the Brit Award for the best British Album of the last 30 Years at the 2010 Brit Awards. I’m not exactly sure what the Brit Awards are, but, well, at least someone out there agrees that this is a seriously good album. It has a lot of the same emotional power, rock exuberance, heartfelt lyrics, and everything else that made people take notice of Oasis when Definitely Maybe came out, but it is much more polished than their debut album. You lose some of the rawness that was in the debut album, but you still get great harmonies and ultimately a more put-together sound.
I must concede some gritty truths though. I would not trade Hello for Rock ‘N’ Roll Star for best opening track. Hello is good but Rock ‘N’ Roll Star feels much more emotional. I would also be hard pressed to pick Wonderwall over Live Forever. But you got my favorite Oasis song of all time here: Don’t Look Back in Anger. I guess it’s a disservice to Liam, who really shines in this album as a vocalist, even more so than in Definitely Maybe, but I always had a particular fondness for Noel’s voice, which made this song particularly awesome. There’s also Some Might Say, arguably one of my top five favorite Oasis songs. And the amazingly epic Champagne Supernova. I really like this description I found for that song in Allmusic.com: it succeeds at coming off with a “top-of-the-world/end-of-the-movie feeling.” So true. And, it’s got everything you need in an epic song, from the mellow intro to the rising sound, and the waves crashing (literally) at the end. The length contributes to the epic feel also, topping out the album at 7 minutes and 30 seconds. But it never feels overblown or long.
(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? feels a little less rock ‘n’ roll heavy than Definitely Maybe, but it definitely showcases good song-writing, good vocals, good musicians, a well put-together band, and it pretty much sums up a big chunk of the rock scene of the ‘90s. So, I feel like I could have done a lot worse when I was 13 than listening to this album (cue Rock saying I should have been badass like him and listened to Iron Maiden =P), and years later I still love it.
Anway…this is a seriously good album. And it doesn’t much matter if I’m biased about this or not, it’s pretty well agreed upon that this is a good album. For example, I just learned that this album won the Brit Award for the best British Album of the last 30 Years at the 2010 Brit Awards. I’m not exactly sure what the Brit Awards are, but, well, at least someone out there agrees that this is a seriously good album. It has a lot of the same emotional power, rock exuberance, heartfelt lyrics, and everything else that made people take notice of Oasis when Definitely Maybe came out, but it is much more polished than their debut album. You lose some of the rawness that was in the debut album, but you still get great harmonies and ultimately a more put-together sound.
I must concede some gritty truths though. I would not trade Hello for Rock ‘N’ Roll Star for best opening track. Hello is good but Rock ‘N’ Roll Star feels much more emotional. I would also be hard pressed to pick Wonderwall over Live Forever. But you got my favorite Oasis song of all time here: Don’t Look Back in Anger. I guess it’s a disservice to Liam, who really shines in this album as a vocalist, even more so than in Definitely Maybe, but I always had a particular fondness for Noel’s voice, which made this song particularly awesome. There’s also Some Might Say, arguably one of my top five favorite Oasis songs. And the amazingly epic Champagne Supernova. I really like this description I found for that song in Allmusic.com: it succeeds at coming off with a “top-of-the-world/end-of-the-movie feeling.” So true. And, it’s got everything you need in an epic song, from the mellow intro to the rising sound, and the waves crashing (literally) at the end. The length contributes to the epic feel also, topping out the album at 7 minutes and 30 seconds. But it never feels overblown or long.
(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? feels a little less rock ‘n’ roll heavy than Definitely Maybe, but it definitely showcases good song-writing, good vocals, good musicians, a well put-together band, and it pretty much sums up a big chunk of the rock scene of the ‘90s. So, I feel like I could have done a lot worse when I was 13 than listening to this album (cue Rock saying I should have been badass like him and listened to Iron Maiden =P), and years later I still love it.
Monday, March 1, 2010
A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
I had Dickens pegged all wrong. Having never read any of his books, I had mistook him for a children's book writer (this is what happens when watching Scrooged is pretty much the only association one has to Dickens). Admittedly, since I've read exactly one of his books, I may now be mistaken in assuming he didn't write any children's books. Clearly I could remedy this by reading a little bit about him, but this review isn't about Dickens in general, but the one book in particular. My point being, I didn't expect A Tale of Two Cities to be such a drag...and gory...and really sad...and violent...and all-out depressing...and bloody. You see what I mean. Then again, what on earth did I expect about a story that takes place during the French Revolution?
The problem about a historical novel, for me, is that I generally know next to nothing about the historical setting in which it takes place. As such, I take the author's word at face value, without question. In this case, Wikipedia also informs me that the author's primary source was The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle. And while I wouldn't necessarily put Wikipedia down as a reference in a college paper (have college professors given up on this and are now just thankful their students read up on a subject at all?), it's good enough for me as I read the book and write this review.
And here's what I learned: the French Revolution really sucked. So maybe it brought about a shake-up in the monarchies, and got them to sit up and realize that starving your nation isn't exactly advantageous. But the whole business itself sounds like one of those They Live nightmares. Apparently even looking at someone cross-eyed was enough to get your head "razored" off, to paraphrase a brutally graphic line from the book, and absolutely anyone around you could end up turning you in as a traitor of the Republic. Even mourning the death of someone that was accused of being a traitor could get you killed.
Overall, Dickens paints a very detailed picture of what life was like in France and England at the time. He doesn't hold back in detailing how violent the times were, particularly when describing the mobs, such as the scene detailing the storming of the Bastille (again, Wikipedia informs me that the brutality Dickens described did, you know, actually happen). Dickens doesn't go so far as to justify the mob and their violence, but it is clear that he understands their motiviations. His descriptions do paint the revolutionary mob as essentially a pack of wild animals hungry for blood, but at the same time he's saying "hey, you push people down long enough and this is what you get." He sees that England could head in the same direction if the authorities continue to oppress the people as he described earlier in the book: "Crush humanity out of shape once more, under similar hammers, and it will twist itself into the same tortured forms. Sow the same seed of rapacious licence and oppression over again, and it will surely yield the same fruit according to its kind." Kinda seems like it would apply to the current situation in the U.S., and maybe an American Revolution is in the way, but that's...a completely different post.
The book's plot is relatively complicated as it intersects the stories of about a dozen characters. In fact, there is so much coincidence in this book you'd think there were only 50 people living in the entire world. The probability of some of these characters actually crossing paths as much as they do, over the time span in which events happen, and at the particular junctures in which they meet and cross, must be non-existant. But it makes for very good story-weaving and surprising moments.
The narration is not at all as straighforward as I expected (why I expected that I'm not sure). Quite the opposite, the narrative is poetic, archaic, stylish, metaphorical, convoluted, and very detailed. It's the kind of book that yields a ton of memorable quotes, and I'm not just talking about the "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" bit. Nearly every page has very smooth, powerful writing, which can sometimes be difficult to get through, but overall the story-telling is unique and interesting.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable book. Even though the subject matter is pretty violent, and even though the book can be really depressing at times, it's a good read and the ending is...well, I won't deny a tear or two was shed.
22 down, 30 to go.
The problem about a historical novel, for me, is that I generally know next to nothing about the historical setting in which it takes place. As such, I take the author's word at face value, without question. In this case, Wikipedia also informs me that the author's primary source was The French Revolution: A History by Thomas Carlyle. And while I wouldn't necessarily put Wikipedia down as a reference in a college paper (have college professors given up on this and are now just thankful their students read up on a subject at all?), it's good enough for me as I read the book and write this review.
And here's what I learned: the French Revolution really sucked. So maybe it brought about a shake-up in the monarchies, and got them to sit up and realize that starving your nation isn't exactly advantageous. But the whole business itself sounds like one of those They Live nightmares. Apparently even looking at someone cross-eyed was enough to get your head "razored" off, to paraphrase a brutally graphic line from the book, and absolutely anyone around you could end up turning you in as a traitor of the Republic. Even mourning the death of someone that was accused of being a traitor could get you killed.
Overall, Dickens paints a very detailed picture of what life was like in France and England at the time. He doesn't hold back in detailing how violent the times were, particularly when describing the mobs, such as the scene detailing the storming of the Bastille (again, Wikipedia informs me that the brutality Dickens described did, you know, actually happen). Dickens doesn't go so far as to justify the mob and their violence, but it is clear that he understands their motiviations. His descriptions do paint the revolutionary mob as essentially a pack of wild animals hungry for blood, but at the same time he's saying "hey, you push people down long enough and this is what you get." He sees that England could head in the same direction if the authorities continue to oppress the people as he described earlier in the book: "Crush humanity out of shape once more, under similar hammers, and it will twist itself into the same tortured forms. Sow the same seed of rapacious licence and oppression over again, and it will surely yield the same fruit according to its kind." Kinda seems like it would apply to the current situation in the U.S., and maybe an American Revolution is in the way, but that's...a completely different post.
The book's plot is relatively complicated as it intersects the stories of about a dozen characters. In fact, there is so much coincidence in this book you'd think there were only 50 people living in the entire world. The probability of some of these characters actually crossing paths as much as they do, over the time span in which events happen, and at the particular junctures in which they meet and cross, must be non-existant. But it makes for very good story-weaving and surprising moments.
The narration is not at all as straighforward as I expected (why I expected that I'm not sure). Quite the opposite, the narrative is poetic, archaic, stylish, metaphorical, convoluted, and very detailed. It's the kind of book that yields a ton of memorable quotes, and I'm not just talking about the "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" bit. Nearly every page has very smooth, powerful writing, which can sometimes be difficult to get through, but overall the story-telling is unique and interesting.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable book. Even though the subject matter is pretty violent, and even though the book can be really depressing at times, it's a good read and the ending is...well, I won't deny a tear or two was shed.
22 down, 30 to go.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Definitely Maybe - Oasis
Every now and then I’ll find myself randomly listening to an Oasis song and recalling how much I like this band. Oasis is one of the few celebrity things that I obsessed about when I was a teenager. Heavily. Buying all their stuff (as much as I could find, anyway, which was really just their main albums since their singles never made it to Honduras), visiting numerous fan websites, and collecting new stories and photographs. I even had a scrapbook of sorts (lots of interviews printed out and kept in a folder). I taped their Unplugged session and Live by the Sea documentary back when MTV was worth something (I haven’t bothered looking through my old VHS tapes back home to see if those are still around…). Admittedly it was easy to follow their news since they were constantly stealing media attention by getting into brawls, dropping world tours, and of course the wibbling rivalry between brothers Liam and Noel (I always liked Noel better). And, because Oasis is one of the few bands (if not the only one, come to think of it) for which I have all major studio releases, I end up getting this irresistible urge to listen to their entire discography in chronological order. And this time I’m gonna write down my thoughts about it. I was going to make this one huge post but I have nine albums, so to keep it organized I’ll split it up into several posts.
Going in chronological order, we have their debut album Definitely Maybe, which was actually the second album of theirs that I purchased. I’ve been mulling over how hard it is to evaluate this album because I cannot separate the emotional attachment I have to it. I wore this album out. Even if it could be explained to me why the album as a whole or any one particular song is just awful, I would still be completely biased and in love with this album. Nowadays, if I don’t like a song on a CD I just skip the song. I would not be able to skip a song on this disc. I know every song as soon as I listen to the first chords. Even a song like Digsy’s Dinner, which is one of their most off-the-wall songs ever, holds a special place in my heart. So I don’t know if I can be objective.
Here’s what I know though. Rock ‘N’ Roll Star is definitely the most awesome opening song to an album, ever, hands down. The album as a whole is full of Oasis classics, songs people still remember them by: Supersonic, Cigarettes & Alcohol, Shakermaker, these are classic Oasis. Live Forever is AMAZING. It’s more than an Oasis classic, it’s up there with the greatest songs of all time. Slide Away should have been a bigger hit (it should have been released as a single). Liam Gallagher does indeed have one of the most distinctive, original, powerful, emotional voices in rock. The band may be channeling The Beatles frequently, but they do it well. The lyrics tend to be silly, nonsensical, and very British, but they can also be very powerful. The lyrics, along with the melodies, give you a sense of the working class background the band members came from, as well as their dreams, their cockiness, and their optimism.
Those are my blanket statements regarding this album. I couldn’t back them up with any proof that would be beyond question, but this is how I see it. And, what’s even more amazing, is that this is a debut album. Their whole sound and style was tight right from the beginning. Granted, the album does sound rough around the edges, but that raw sound only adds to the rocknroll attitude. That’s another fitting description: this album has attitude, and lots of it.
Going in chronological order, we have their debut album Definitely Maybe, which was actually the second album of theirs that I purchased. I’ve been mulling over how hard it is to evaluate this album because I cannot separate the emotional attachment I have to it. I wore this album out. Even if it could be explained to me why the album as a whole or any one particular song is just awful, I would still be completely biased and in love with this album. Nowadays, if I don’t like a song on a CD I just skip the song. I would not be able to skip a song on this disc. I know every song as soon as I listen to the first chords. Even a song like Digsy’s Dinner, which is one of their most off-the-wall songs ever, holds a special place in my heart. So I don’t know if I can be objective.
Here’s what I know though. Rock ‘N’ Roll Star is definitely the most awesome opening song to an album, ever, hands down. The album as a whole is full of Oasis classics, songs people still remember them by: Supersonic, Cigarettes & Alcohol, Shakermaker, these are classic Oasis. Live Forever is AMAZING. It’s more than an Oasis classic, it’s up there with the greatest songs of all time. Slide Away should have been a bigger hit (it should have been released as a single). Liam Gallagher does indeed have one of the most distinctive, original, powerful, emotional voices in rock. The band may be channeling The Beatles frequently, but they do it well. The lyrics tend to be silly, nonsensical, and very British, but they can also be very powerful. The lyrics, along with the melodies, give you a sense of the working class background the band members came from, as well as their dreams, their cockiness, and their optimism.
Those are my blanket statements regarding this album. I couldn’t back them up with any proof that would be beyond question, but this is how I see it. And, what’s even more amazing, is that this is a debut album. Their whole sound and style was tight right from the beginning. Granted, the album does sound rough around the edges, but that raw sound only adds to the rocknroll attitude. That’s another fitting description: this album has attitude, and lots of it.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Ten Little Indians - Agatha Christie
I remember reading one of Agatha Christie’s mysteries before, one featuring Poirot, but I don’t remember anything about it except that it was a chore to get through. I wasn’t too excited, therefore, when I randomly shuffled this card from my deck. Nevertheless, I have to admit that this was a very good read. Unfortunately for you, I don’t want to say too much about this book because it really needs to be read without any possibility of spoiling the mystery. Actually, I guess it’s good for you that I don’t say too much.
The story doesn’t actually feature Christie’s famous detectives. Actually, no one character is ever the main character throughout the whole novel. The plot is classic, and will undoubtedly sound familiar: a group of strangers are summoned to an isolated island for different, perfectly legitimate reasons, only to be killed off one by one. Now, put that way, it just sounds like the plot of every bad summer-camp-for-randy-teenagers-getting-killed-by-a-freak-in-a-hockey-mask type movie. What you get with Christie, though, is a good narrative of suspense, fear, cabin-fever, and most importantly, one hell of a mystery. I was wondering the entire time, who the hell did it? Believe me, you’ll never guess. Don’t even spoil it by looking this up in anyway. Hence why I’m not linking any articles related to the book. I liked that the plot, with all its twists and turns, is very simplistic. There aren’t any crazy “oh that is not possible!” moments (well, not too crazy), just a really interesting mystery story that gets going right from the start. That's all I can say about it.
21 down, 31 to go.
The story doesn’t actually feature Christie’s famous detectives. Actually, no one character is ever the main character throughout the whole novel. The plot is classic, and will undoubtedly sound familiar: a group of strangers are summoned to an isolated island for different, perfectly legitimate reasons, only to be killed off one by one. Now, put that way, it just sounds like the plot of every bad summer-camp-for-randy-teenagers-getting-killed-by-a-freak-in-a-hockey-mask type movie. What you get with Christie, though, is a good narrative of suspense, fear, cabin-fever, and most importantly, one hell of a mystery. I was wondering the entire time, who the hell did it? Believe me, you’ll never guess. Don’t even spoil it by looking this up in anyway. Hence why I’m not linking any articles related to the book. I liked that the plot, with all its twists and turns, is very simplistic. There aren’t any crazy “oh that is not possible!” moments (well, not too crazy), just a really interesting mystery story that gets going right from the start. That's all I can say about it.
21 down, 31 to go.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Something in the Air
Ah, Valentine's Day. Funny how, even though this is one of the few years where I'm actually dating somebody, I didn't do anything particularly special on February 14th. I guess you could count laundry, bathroom cleaning, and grocery shopping special. Jalapeno poppers from the local mexican restaurant were involved after Rock's and my hard work, so there is that. So while Sunday may not have been a romantic, chocolate-stuffing affair (and in general I'm not one to get too excited about this day anyway) there is something different about Valentine's this year: I've pretty much been celebrating it all week long.
This doesn't mean that I've suddenly become a poster child for heart-shaped Hallmark cards. I mean, I did pester Rock all last week about how he had to buy me a heart-shaped chocolate box, but it's not the heart-shape I care about: I just like any holiday that gives me an excuse to eat large amounts of delectable chocolates (in fact, won't Cadbury cream eggs soon be taking over the seasonal aisle at the grocery store?). And I have been more than a litte giddy about the awesome roses that Rock got on Friday, which came with chocolate frosted cupcakes and was a complete surprise. They look beautiful, and even though I've always felt bad about cutting flowers up, and even though I know I'll feel terrible when the roses start to wilt, I just love how they look. So pretty!
When I say I've been celebrating all week long I mean that Valentine's for me pretty much started on February 7th when the Love is in the Air holiday event kicked off in WoW (bet you didn't think that's where this was going...or maybe you did, I am pretty predictable I suppose). Yes, since last sunday I've been trading virtual love tokens, eating virtual chocolates, spraying virtual perfume, and looking for love under a virtual picnic umbrella. Achievements have been gotten and my character is now known as Sinnh the Love Fool. For the next week, while the event continues, I also have the chance of aquiring a Valentine's ooze pet and/or a Big Love Rocket mount (though I'm never that lucky).
What I enjoy best about the WoW holiday is that it's absolutely silly but it's also rather twisted. You don't gift people chocolate to show you care. You pelt them with chocolate samples produced by the Crown Chemical Co. for a cut of the profits. You get rewards for gifting bracelets to the different faction leaders. That sounds nice, until you realize that you are making the bracelets from the bones and teeth of the beasts and humanoids that you slaughter. And there's a mini quest to track down who is really behind the "love sickness" that is plaguing everyone (turns out it's some evil apothecary that wants to use rockets to deploy mind controlling chemicals to everyone at once...evil he is). It's events like this that really remind me how much I love this game :)
This doesn't mean that I've suddenly become a poster child for heart-shaped Hallmark cards. I mean, I did pester Rock all last week about how he had to buy me a heart-shaped chocolate box, but it's not the heart-shape I care about: I just like any holiday that gives me an excuse to eat large amounts of delectable chocolates (in fact, won't Cadbury cream eggs soon be taking over the seasonal aisle at the grocery store?). And I have been more than a litte giddy about the awesome roses that Rock got on Friday, which came with chocolate frosted cupcakes and was a complete surprise. They look beautiful, and even though I've always felt bad about cutting flowers up, and even though I know I'll feel terrible when the roses start to wilt, I just love how they look. So pretty!
 I am liking these SO MUCH :) |
What I enjoy best about the WoW holiday is that it's absolutely silly but it's also rather twisted. You don't gift people chocolate to show you care. You pelt them with chocolate samples produced by the Crown Chemical Co. for a cut of the profits. You get rewards for gifting bracelets to the different faction leaders. That sounds nice, until you realize that you are making the bracelets from the bones and teeth of the beasts and humanoids that you slaughter. And there's a mini quest to track down who is really behind the "love sickness" that is plaguing everyone (turns out it's some evil apothecary that wants to use rockets to deploy mind controlling chemicals to everyone at once...evil he is). It's events like this that really remind me how much I love this game :)
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Fun Spot 2010
This past Saturday was a blast. Rock had spent the last couple of weeks trying to talk himself out of this impending road trip, but I think he knew (I certainly knew, though I let him work it out on his own) that it was just a matter of time before we headed out to the funnest spot in New Hampshire: Fun Spot! (side note: I am appalled that Word doesn’t think funnest is a word). He was starting to drive me a bit batty talking about Fun Spot all the time. I would try to steer him faster into the direction I knew he was headed: “well why don’t we take a day off and go up some weekday?” and “why not go this weekend?” and “it’s been so long since you’ve gone, you might as well.” All such helpful hints and suggestions were considered and then met with a “meh.” So Rock does the next obvious thing. He wakes us up on Saturday morning, completely decided to head to Fun Spot…if I really wanted to go too, of course. And he says I’m the indecisive one. I wasn’t intentionally trying to torture him, but since I had not woken up with the indescribable urge to drive to New Hampshire for three hours, I was a tad…hesitant.
The thing with Fun Spot is (as I told him) I always have so much fun when I’m there…but I don’t spend weeks thinking about the place and I don’t get as nostalgic about it as he does. See, Fun Spot is one of the largest arcades still featuring 80’s arcades, and this is a big deal to Rock. As a child of the 80’s, he remembers where and when he first played several arcades (it’s actually kinda weird). I grew up playing Nintendo but I didn’t grow up with any arcades around. I can see how stepping into Fun Spot for him is like stepping back into a magical childhood world that he lived through. For me, it’s a magical childhood world but I’d never seen it before.
This is now my third time to Fun Spot and each time I’m surprised at how quickly the time flies and how much fun I’ve had and how many games there are that I still have not been able to play. I’ve noticed I’ll head for the same machines though: Asteroids, Space Invaders, Pacman, Burgertime, Contra, Gauntlet, Warlords, Donkey Kong, just to name a few.
The place has another claim to fame, which I particularly like. Several parts of the documentary King of Kong were filmed there. If you have not seen this documentary, do so, now. I think you can watch it instantly on Netflix if you’re a member. Even if the subject matter didn’t appeal to me, I would still say that this is an awesome, funny, interesting, heart-felt documentary. Seriously, go watch it. Now!
As I write this post I can’t help but remember all those arcades, my personal favorites and all the others I haven’t even tried yet. I think next time around I won’t wait for Rock to plod through weeks of indecision. As soon as he mentions he’s getting the urge to visit Fun Spot, I’ll pick up the car keys and head out. Maybe he’ll come to his senses by the time I’ve warmed up the car.
P.S. I do sincerely apologize to Rock, who was sweating bullets while he drove, for turning up the heat throughout the three hour drive cause I was freezing... I feel really bad about that, to this day...poor critter
The thing with Fun Spot is (as I told him) I always have so much fun when I’m there…but I don’t spend weeks thinking about the place and I don’t get as nostalgic about it as he does. See, Fun Spot is one of the largest arcades still featuring 80’s arcades, and this is a big deal to Rock. As a child of the 80’s, he remembers where and when he first played several arcades (it’s actually kinda weird). I grew up playing Nintendo but I didn’t grow up with any arcades around. I can see how stepping into Fun Spot for him is like stepping back into a magical childhood world that he lived through. For me, it’s a magical childhood world but I’d never seen it before.
 It's about what you'd imagine...lots and lots of arcade games |
The place has another claim to fame, which I particularly like. Several parts of the documentary King of Kong were filmed there. If you have not seen this documentary, do so, now. I think you can watch it instantly on Netflix if you’re a member. Even if the subject matter didn’t appeal to me, I would still say that this is an awesome, funny, interesting, heart-felt documentary. Seriously, go watch it. Now!
As I write this post I can’t help but remember all those arcades, my personal favorites and all the others I haven’t even tried yet. I think next time around I won’t wait for Rock to plod through weeks of indecision. As soon as he mentions he’s getting the urge to visit Fun Spot, I’ll pick up the car keys and head out. Maybe he’ll come to his senses by the time I’ve warmed up the car.
P.S. I do sincerely apologize to Rock, who was sweating bullets while he drove, for turning up the heat throughout the three hour drive cause I was freezing... I feel really bad about that, to this day...poor critter
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