"Satan" According to The Devil's Dictionary

The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce.

SATAN, n. One of the Creator's lamentable mistakes, repented in sashcloth and axes.

Being instated as an archangel, Satan made himself multifariously objectionable and was finally expelled from Heaven. Halfway in his descent he paused, bent his head in thought a moment and at last went back.

"There is one favor that I should like to ask," said he.

"Name it."

"Man, I understand, is about to be created. He will need laws."

"What, wretch! You his appointed adversary, charged from the dawn of eternity with hatred of his soul -- you ask for the right to make his laws?"

"Pardon; what I have to ask is that he be permitted to make them himself."

It was so ordered.

I'm still alive. Are you?

Apologies for the exceedingly "lite" blogging of late. I could offer a hollow explanation (*cough*WoW*cough*) or an empty promise (trips to the gym whuh?) but I'd rather not. I also wouldn't apologize except this blog has been far too empty for far too long. I'll endeavor to not allow this trend to continue. Nice, vague, lawyerly language that does nothing but express the mere intention of trying to do something with no actual promise to do so and without creating the actual expectation that said action will be undertaken. Sheesh.

However, I do have a few linkage tidbits for you right now.

CNN: Road kill candy angers animal rights activists. Ever think things might be getting a little too politically correct? And anyone know where I can get some of these gummies? *Squashed snake* -- mmm!

Slashdot: Fan Group Create Full-Length Discworld Movie. As a HUGE Terry Pratchett fan, I most definitely will take a look at this one.

Along that sci fi vein, don't forget that the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie comes out in May. (Initial reviews from test screening here.) I saw the new (substantive) trailer right before Constantine (review forthcoming) and was just about jumping up and down in my seat from excitement. I for one will be there opening day. This is one movie that I have been waiting a *very* long time to see and I eagerly await its release.

Another sci fi film to watch for is Joss Whedon's Serenity, based on the not-quite-hit-yet-short-lived tv series Firefly. Looks like this one will be out in September. For those unaware, Joss Whedon was the writer for Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the tv series, NOT the movie) and has gone on to do other interesting projects such as writing for the X-Men for Marvel Comics revamp of the line. Good stuff.

Another sci fi movie in the works is A Scanner Darkly based on a Philip K. Dick novel. (See Boing Boing post here.) Other previous screen adaptations of Dick's works include Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report and Paycheck.

Courtesy of Boing Boing we have the latest 'Elvis Trooper' siting. Mildly amusing to the sci fi, pop-culture-laden geeks of us.

Boing Boing: Beatallica.org shut down, more Sony nastygrams fly. Sounds like some legal copyright discussion goodness. Reminds me of Danger Mouse's Gray Album incident.

Boing Boing: WIPO pulls out dirty tricks to kill participation from consumer groups . I'd like more information before drawing that conclusion myself but it sure doesn't sound good from the picture painted.

Super Mario Lives!!! (Boing Boing)

As do the theme songs from some old cartoons. (Boing Boing post here.)

As does Infocom's old computer game version of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, courtesy of the BBC. (Boing Boing post.)

And a note on the LeCool guide to Barcelona should round out the linkage. (Boing Boing post.)

Enjoy the linkage (if you dare)! I'll work on more posting (but no promises, see way above). Enjoy the Friday & Cheers!

Sagelike Words of Wisdom

"Some days--just now and then--it's good to be alive. You're ready for anything. Love, adventure, death or glory--it doesn't matter which. It's the appetite that counts." - John Constantine, Hellblazer: Original Sins

Crash & Burn, Baby!

That's me today. Only 2-3 hours sleep. No connection with my WoW game-playing. None at all. Period. No, seriously, would I stay up way too late playing my stupid game? WOULD I? Yeah, that's what I thought.

So I'm sitting in my 9-12 Right to Privacy class, mildly awake. Oh, did I mention I'm on call today? That's one of the reasons for so little sleep. I woke up early to do some/most of the reading. Being on call in this seminar isn't all that bad. It's not like I'm standing in front of the firing squad. Rather, I could reasonably expect the prof. to possibly ask me questions about the cases. I think I'm also expected to help try and fill some of the lulls that follow his questions.

I volunteered for the first case since I know I can talk about it a bit. Not going too badly. There may be hope yet... if my luck doesn't run out.

ADDENDUM: One hour left to go in class! Hope springs eternal! [10:56 AM]

ADDENDUM II: My prof. just spent a few minutes detailing Episode 6 of the Original Star Trek Series so he could draw an analogy with Katz v. U.S., 389 U.S. 347 (1967). He's also talking about Chess v. Poker, Newton v. Einstein, and Ptolemy v. Copernicus. Paradigm shifts. This guy rocks! [11:40 AM]

You ever wonder...

Ever wonder what it might be like to be a superhero?

I was contemplating this topic earlier today. I wasn't thinking so much as in "what powers do you wish you had" but rather "how would it change your life and the world?"

Yes, it would be fun to be the hero, saving people, helping people, etc. But you'd need to keep your real identity a secret primarily due to revenge possibilities and liability concerns. Absent huge fees and a large clientele, I doubt insurance companies would be willing to provide superheroes with insurance against accidental damage caused in the pursuit of crime-fighting.

One upside might be the babe factor. I'm sure pliable women would flock to the superheroes. Another upside are the endorsement deals. Imagine The Flash doing a plug for Reebok or Superman demonstrating that Ford trucks really are "Ford Tough." I can see it now: "When compared with the competition, the Ford F-150 takes *twice* as long for me to pound it into scrap metal. (mumbles to self: And it has nothing to do with the 0.01% kryptonite coating...)

If there were a superhero or superheroes, then there likely would be supervillains too. Right? I mean, why not? If so, then there would be actual intelligent people combatting you at times, trying to kill you. If there were many or a few superheroes, it's very likely that some would be killed. Hence, as a superhero, you stand a greater chance of perishing due to an "unnatural" death.

This is obviously a downside to the hero biz. It's not as glamorous as the comic books may make it seem. A few of those publications have addressed the likely grittier side of the profession and its potentials. See Alan Moore's The Watchmen for more on this.

Of course you'd need a killer costume and a cool name. Maybe even trademark protection for the name and copyright protection for the likeness or outfit. Hmmm. But then you'd need to supply a real name and address for registration so that might not work. (I doubt the Copyright Office would respond favorably to: "Batman - The Dark Knight, Batcave, c/o My Very Good Friend Bruce Wayne (no relation), Wayne Manor, 42 Gotham Boulevard, Gotham City...")

Anyways, just a few of my thoughts on the subject. Shazam!

Recent Searches Leading Here

This was according to eXTReMe since SiteMeter wasn't cooperating at the time.

Quite a few anti-Valentine's day searches. Glad to see I'm not alone in my sentiments. (Even if none of my "regular" readers commented on that post. Ungrateful bastards. j/k)

One search for my Right to Privacy professor. This one scares me a little because I could see someone looking him up and getting to this site by his name. I suppose this is another warning in the "be aware that everything links together" category.

I'm number 50 for vibrating + underwear + movie. See, this is the kind of strange term linkage that results from having monthly archives. All three of those words were used in posts in September, hence the search result. (Honestly, I have no movies involving vibrating underwear. Non-vibrating underwear, perhaps. Vibrating non-underwear, perhaps. But not vibrating underwear.) And, of course, me repeating the search terms will only help me rise in the rankings for this search. Oh joy.

Lastly, someone who was obviously trying to find this site. Unfortunately, I wasn't patient enough to find my ranking in the results, especially since the site is past the first 7 pages. Strangely enough, even by adding "season" to that search, this site only shows up on page 7. Didn't think this site was that hard to find...

Fun with search engines! You too can play along in the comfort of your own home!

Supplies limited. Offer void in Wisconsin and Timbuktu. Prices may vary. See stores for details. Offer expires Dec. 31, 2004. Void where prohibited by applicable law. Coupon worth 1/20 cent in Michigan.

Robot Chicken! Yum!

A new show is coming to the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup: Robot Chicken. (Wizard article here.) It's the brainchild of actor Seth Green and former Toyfare editor Matt Senreich.

The show is stop-motion comedy with action figures. That is, it's right up my alley. Action figures, irreverent comedy, who could ask for anything more? It debuts on the Cartoon Channel next Sunday, Feb. 20 at 11:30pm EST.

I'll be watching, will you?

Happy Velentine's Day!

Don't forget to check out Google for a new Google Holiday Logo.

Definitely NOT the Smell of Success

Apparently Paris Hilton has her own fragrance out on the market. This of course begs the question, where does one begin the ridicule?

"You too can smell like a tramp!"

"The fragrance for the party-girl-hoe in you!"

"The scent to wear when you spend a night in Paris!"

"Bimbos everywhere rejoice!"

"Nicole Ritchie eat your heart out!"

And those are just off the top of my head. That's hot!

"Please, Mr. Jailer! Won't you let my baby go free!"

I've been watching Cry-Baby on The Oxygen Network. Such a good movie/musical. And mildly apropos given Monday's holiday. One of those rare, excellent gems from the very early 90's. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend you rent it sometime soon.

No other real point to this post. Just thought it'd be nice to post on the weekend for a change. Maybe tomorrow I'll aim for something substantive.

Lamenting Valentine's Day

I am not a fan of Valentine's Day. Why? The reasons are many and multifarious. Well, perhaps not so much multi as farious. Or is it nefarious? Fariam? Ferous? You get the idea.

For this argument, I will not propound the "Hallmark Holiday" point. Not so much because I don't believe it (which I do) but rather because I believe it to be irrelevant. The genesis of the holiday bears little relation to my take thereon. (Though if you're curious, here's The History of Valentine's Day courtesy of The History Channel.)

Rather, I have yet to experience a "good" Valentine's Day. And by "good" I mean I have yet to spend this holiday with anyone of note (e.g. while in a relationship). Man, I'm just piling euphemism on top of euphemism. Let's try again.

Rather I have never been in a relationship for this holiday. To date I've only been in two relationships, one in college that lasted ~7 months and one last Spring that lasted ~5-6 weeks. Those would be the only times in my life that I would classify myself as "seeing" someone (not counting that incredibly botched thing in 6th through 8th grades which really does not deserve to be counted). Yes, this reason is entirely selfish and self-serving but it's also, unfortunately, entirely true (and, in my opinion, not a little sad and pathetic).

I can tell you how I spent Valentine's Day first year of law school. Three also-single women-friends and myself got together and watched sappy Romantic Comedies (Serendipity and some others, I forget which). (Of those 3 women, only one is currently single.) Last year I spent Valentine's Day with another also-single guy-friend also watching a movie or two (forget which ones). (Btw, he's now back together with his formerly ex-girlfriend of some years.)

This Valentine's Day will probably be similarly compelling... except out of all my friends only two others are currently single. (Do you have any idea how much that honestly and totally, forgiving the parlance, sucks at times?) I'll probably spend some of Monday playing my computer game (World of Warcraft). I may make a dedicated effort to hit the local pub, just because. And/or maybe I'll give it a go at reducing my overall alcohol supply by some small fraction. Again, just because. And the just because would probably be because my "social life" (euphemism here for "dating life") stinks and/or is nonexistent. Then again, if I'm masochistic enough I could try to find a date on Craig's List. Except I'm not sure I'm that desperate and/or low yet.

Gah. The more I write here the more I get depressed. Bollocks. I hate Valentine's Day. Hate it with the passion of a thousand fiery suns. (Yes, yes, fiery suns is a little redundant... and "little" there was probably also redundant or, at the very least, unnecessary.)

You know what? Although Valentine's Day, in theory, is supposed to be a celebration of love and relationships and all that fuzzy stuff, I think it's also, in practice that is, a kick in the teeth to those of us who are single. To paraphrase a line in an e.e.cummings poem (literary crime in progress, watch out): it raises up some while making others feel worse (when what it really ought to do is make everyone feel less worse).

[Insert Google search here.]

Literary Crime Atonement By Certain Copyright Infringement -- e.e. cumming's Ever-Ever Land excerpt:

down above all with love
and everything perverse
or which makes some feel more better
when all ought to feel less worse

I'm not sure I agree with the sentiment in a broad, all-encompassing context but as it applies to Valentine's Day I am in complete accord.

And that is why I lament Valentine's Day.

So enjoy your chocolates, greeting cards, candlelit dinners and teddy bears. I will likely be drunk off my ass in some corner or other, desperately trying not to think of the other things I should be doing, like schoolwork and finding a job. Have a nice time.

Yeah, Thanks for Coming, Buh-Bye

And I learn that work will not be extending me an offer after law school. (But I can stay on as an intern...)

Great.

Super.

Excellent.

Peachy-keen.

I know one thing I'll be doing this weekend. Actually, I know many things I should and/or must do this weekend but now I also know another one.

::Sigh:: They couldn't make this easy, could they?

Crap.

[Non sequitor: Valentine's Day post, already in progress, will soon follow.]

Happy Chinese New Year!

New Google doodle for this today.

Lessig on West Wing

Tonight's West Wing features an "appearance" by Lawrence Lessig. Well, not the real Prof. Lessig but rather Christopher Lloyd playing the role of Prof. Lessig. Grats to Prof. Lessig for the rare honor! (And it's neat how Lloyd so closely resembles Lessig. Click the links above to see.)

WoW Easter Eggs

WoW Easter Eggs courtesy of Zen of Design.

I've seen a lot of these in WoW but it's nice to see a list with explanations.

Link to Add

Broken Toys. "Broken Toys is the blog of Scott Jennings, formerly known as Lum the Mad. "The Rantings of Lum the Mad" was probably the first MMORPG "blog" ever, years before the word "blog" had even been invented." -- Tobold

Public Service Announcement

Julian McMahon (a.k.a. Nip/Tuck's Dr. Christian Troy) as Doctor Doom in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie? EXCELLENT!

That is all.

Oh, and for the record, he dropped out of law school after his first year. Just sayin'.

Elektra Not As Sharp As Her Sai

Elektra stars Jennifer Garner, Goran Visnjic, Kirsten Prout, and Will Yun Lee (yay!).

IMDB Plot Outline:

Jennifer Garner returns as ELEKTRA, a lethal synthesis of grace and power with the mystical power known as kimagure: a limited ability to see the future. She has purposefully severed all ties with the world and lives only for her next assignment. Elektra's latest job forces her to make a decision that can take her life in a whole new direction or destroy her.

This is an okay comic book movie. It's based on Elektra, a Marvel comics dark heroine with ties to Daredevil (as may be apparent from Garner's role in the Daredevil movie). Unlike Daredevil, Elektra has definite esoteric ties and themes. The attributes of herself and her enemies clearly evince this.

Good Things: Garner. (To quote Wolverine: 'Nough said.) ER's Dr. Kovac. Lee's villain. (Btw, nice to see him in a strong role. Another actor I'm glad to see getting more parts.) Decent story though relatively uncomplicated and straight forward.

Bad Things: Not all that engaging. Fight scenes concentrate on computer-generated aspects a bit much for my taste. (Similar complaint I had with The Hulk.) Story is relatively short, left me wanting more depth and more to it. Flat.

By no means a "bad" movie. Just not a very good one. I'm a fan of the comic book movies, especially Marvel's recent slate, but this one is only mediocre. Watch it if you like the genre, else it's only an okay action movie. (Though watching it for Garner is certainly and completely acceptable as well. Red leather anyone?)

ALAN'S MOVIE REVIEW: Rental-Worthy or Cable-Worthy.

The Wedding Date Is Cute But Not That Hot

(Not the previous post, the movie.)

The Wedding Date stars Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney. (There are others but I'm not going there.)

IMDB Plot Summary:

"Something Borrowed" centers around Kat Ellis (Messing), who returns to her parents' London home for her sister's wedding. Afraid of confronting her ex-fiancé, who dumped her two years before, she hires a top-drawer male escort (Mulroney) to pose as her new boyfriend.

I felt the movie was a good effort though it fell a bit shy of the mark. It left me wanting, feeling like it was good but not that good. It probably could have been a bit better and a bit more compelling.

This truly is a romantic comedy, with a nice balance between the two aspects. Very humorous at time with the unerlying romantic flavor. The lead actress and actor are wonderful, very good fits for their role. (Although Messing painted as the "beauty past her real prime" is a bit much, especially since it made me think of all the inadequacy jokes at her character's expense in Will & Grace.) The story is fairly compelling and engaging, especially with the little twists and turns thrown at the viewer.

Those are the pluses. The minuses? The movie dumps you into the story without enough introduction. You see Messing packing for her trip. Your left to gather all the salient details from little aspects. It would have been better had the movie started with her invitation or her planning for the wedding or... well, anything earlier than her packing for the plane ride. The story is pretty predictable, or at least the romantic part. You could probably guess it right now. (Not to say you shouldn't go see the movie, just that this element is easily anticipated.) I found the ultimate romance to be a little unbelievable. I'd like to spell it out more but will refrain from doing so to avoid spoiling anything (more than I may have already).

Overall, a good movie. Not the best it could be but a nice romantic comedy. If you like the genre, check this one out. Also, it's nice to see Debra Messing in a leading role. I like her as an actress.

ALAN'S MOVIE REVIEW: Rental-Worthy or Cable-Worthy.

A (Future) Wedding To Remember

Yesterday I ran into a friend, let's call her "Red," in the carpark at the law school. She and I rarely hang out or such but I see her from time to time. In the course of hello's and how-are-you's, she mentioned an idea she'd come up with for one of the weddings I will attend this upcoming Fall (as previously noted). Point in fact, it's Captain Kate's wedding. Well, Red had seen The Captain recently and Red had suggested that perhaps she & I could go to the wedding together (i.e. as each other's date), saving The Captain some amount of money and saving each of us from having to locate, wrangle into submission, hogtie and bring a date to the wedding. Red proposed the idea to me and I, of course, said sure.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this. Guess I just wanted to put it out there because it was a little odd. Not to say strange per se but unusual and a bit unexpected. Red's pretty cool though so I can't say this is something I wouldn't expect from her (or, without the double negative, this is par for her). I suppose it'll help make The Captain's wedding even more fun and entertaining (I was planning on getting completely and utterly smashed at it anyways). So it is pretty cool and I'm kind of glad I don't have to think about getting a date for the wedding. (Previous incident here.) All in all, should be a fun time!

Things To Do To Me

I hereby retract the previous post's anger/annoyance. Turns out that instead of a 10-20 min. drive-&-park, the mission was a 5-block-walk. Considering it's in the mid-40's today (NEVERMIND THAT WE GOT 0.5-1" OF SNOW LAST NIGHT), the walk was quite pleasant and I rather enjoyed it. (But don't tell anyone at work!)

Things Not To Do (To Me)

Picture this: I'm in my office, standing, with my coat on (it's a nice, royal blue Land's End jacket with fleece inside, a Channukah present from my mom a few years ago), about to leave. One of the paralegals walks in.

Her: Are you leaving?
Me: Yes.
Her: For the day?
Me: Yes.
Her: No you're not.
Me: Okay...

Apparently, said paralegal has some documents or other to be dropped off at the court house today. Also apparently, merely phrasing such a request in the form of a question (at least initially) is not as much fun as making it a directive. Of course me being the bitch idiot I am, I didn't say no. Hence, I sit here and wait for her to finish whatever scanning activity precedes the documents' delivery.

Nevermind that I was purposefully leaving early possibly to catch a movie this afternoon but primarily because I got ~4 hours of sleep last night (thank you WoW) and my brain is fried, like an egg on.. umm... what do you call those things? Oh yeah, the sidewalk. Well, maybe not the current snow-and-slush-covered sidewalks but summer ones. Hot ones. Ones an egg would fry on. Like my brain. Throw into the mix the facts that I've been guzzling coffee and Diet Coke all morning in an attempt to remain conscious and I skipped lunch so I could leave 30 min. earlier. Hence, my digestive system is not at its best. In fact, it's not very happy right now. And I'm hungry. And annoyed. I'm not very happy right now either.

*Rage.. building... becoming hard.. to focus...*

Oh wait, ignore that. It's just gas. ::yawn:: I need to find a corner to pass out in. And food to eat. But probably not in that order. ::yawn::

A Game You Can Play

Yesterday, at the midway break in my Legal Regulation of Art and Public Culture class, another student and I were discussing how the professor likes to use the word "capacious." In fact, he uses the word very frequently. Another student suggested a drinking game based on the word, the idea promptly being modified to something more plausible. Such as coughing.

Thus it was born that whenever the professor said the word "capacious," the first student and I would not-so-subtly cough. The prof. managed to use the word 4 times in the latter half of class. He used the word twice within 30 sec. while answering this student's question, prompting me to cough twice while attempting to hide an unbidden smile. Next class we may either change the action or change the word. Partially to keep things interesting and partially because this prof. is actually observant and would likely catch on to what we are doing.

Somehow, though, I doubt this activity is going to make the cut for Law Students Gone Wild.

Groundhog's Day Report

CNN: Punxsutawney Phil predicts prolonged cold.

The world's most famous furry forecaster saw his shadow Wednesday on Gobbler's Knob, suggesting another six weeks of wintry weather.

The chubby critter delivered the prediction after he was pulled from his burrow in an oak stump at 7:31 a.m. by a top-hatted handler, and his prediction was greeted by boos from the thousands in attendance.

So I shouldn't be planning on swimming, parasailing or nude sunbathing in the next 6 weeks? Damn! My plans are shot. Anyone up for some beach volleyball?

Irony Hath Struck Again

Or perhaps this time it's merely truth.

Again courtesy of Boing Boing, we have a few notes on MSN Search Results. The results of a search for 'best web browser?' "Discounting the sponsored sites, the first two returned links were to Mozilla/Firefox. IE didn't appear until #8."

Oh sweet, sweet irony (and truth).

I Want This

Courtesy of Boing Boing, we have an "Xbox to 1979 toy Millennium Falcon mod" for sale on eBay. Only 800 pounds! (That's sterling, not bricks/feathers.) The bad news is that it's a UK Xbox and thus uses different voltage (nothing a converter couldn't fix, I'm sure).

My birthday is only 2.5 months away so ante up folks!

Start Your Day Right, With Buffy!

It can't be a bad day when it starts with the Buffy Musical Episode. Somewhere there's a law stating as much, I'm sure.

In Response to E.Spat's Epiphany

E.Spat put up this post last Thursday on an epiphany of hers.

Here's the thing. While I applaud her post for its honesty and her for sharing all of that with us, I do not share the surprise and like-feelings expressed by others in the comments to her post.

Sometimes I truly don't understand other people. Why is it an especially novel concept that you should believe in yourself? Why is it so difficult to believe that the physical perception of yourself by others is not paramount? That there are people of the opposite sex who will love you for being yourself and not looking like yourself? That there are others of the opposite sex who will love you period? And not treat you like shit? And you should try to find one of those people? I honestly don't get it. Why do people knowingly and willingly put themselves into bad personal situations with "bad" people?

Don't get me wrong, I sympathize with E.Spat and her tale. It is very compelling and not a little bit sad. But at the same time, I don't get why it took so long for her to come around, to realize that there's more to life than "a magic number."

Apologies here for the next generalization but I think it's fair. The subject of weight is always a tricky one with women. Any guy worth his salt should know better than to touch that one with a 10' pole. You can't win. All you can do is lose, dig yourself a deeper ditch or dig yourself a grave. There's no other option. So, as a guy, I may be missing a lot of perspective on this issue. Still, why is this topic such a big issue? At some point, can't we just say: "Figure out some way to be happy with yourself and damn those that disagree!"

I'm pretty sure I have a moderately unique, only partly cynical, hopeful outlook on things. I still have more hope and faith than cynicism. I believe in a lot of things, some antiquated, some made antiquated by today's society. I also don't believe in a lot of things, such as getting down on yourself for a poor reason. And that's how I view E.Spat's story. I've found that one big trick in life, at least for me, is to not care so much about how other people view me. Do what you need to do, be who you need to be, and befriend those you want to be friends with. Why would you hang out with people who make you feel bad about yourself? Why are you not deserving of something better, something more human? You deserve what you think you deserve.

Alright, maybe I'm just not insecure enough but I truly do believe in those things and others like them. I also believe we all have a choice. We can choose what direction we move in and where we go. Yes, sometimes we get trapped by our past decisions, but those are merely consequences of choices you've already made. So deal. And learn. And grow.

I also believe that I can spew bullshit like this nearly interminably. (It's not really bullshit but you know what I mean.) Anyways, enough. If you want more, give me a narrow question. Else, tell me what I'm missing. Or tell me what you think. Or tell me I'm an ass. I don't care. (Only on the last, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the former.)

Pet Peeves of the Eve

People who on small/normal roads, despite the accumulated snow on the sides of the roads, double park their vehicle thus preventing other vehicles from passing.

Students who incorrectly park in the middle of the drive in the parking lot, thus screwing up the flow of traffic.

Both categories deserve to have their internal organs roasted on a spit in front of them while they themselves freeze in the wintery weather.

Preliminary Thoughts on Constantine

The movie Constantine opens on Feb. 18. In watching the trailer for this movie and undertaking background reading in preparation for the movie, I have become a bit worried about the movie and its likely presentation.

IMDB Plot Summary:

Based on the DC/Vertigo comic book Hellblazer and written by Kevin Brodbin, Mark Bomback and Frank Capello, Constantine tells the story of irreverent supernatural detective John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), who has literally been to hell and back. When Constantine teams up with skeptical policewoman Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister (also played by Weisz), their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists just beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles. Caught in a catastrophic series of otherworldy events, the two become inextricably involved and seek to find their own peace at whatever cost.

Being a fan of comic books and a mildly-avid reader of trade paperbacks, I remembered that I have 2 trades of Hellblazer, the comic book series that forms the basis for this movie. "Gee," I thought. "I should re-read the trades and reacquaint myself with the character and comics in preparation for the movie." After re-reading one of the trades, I picked up the next 4 after it since I was enjoying the stories so much. Now, a few more trades into the series, I'm concerned for the movie.

Hellblazer features the tales and exploits of a rather interesting and charasmatic Englishman, John Constantine. Constantine has strong ties to magic, from his background, heritage and experience. He deals with the occult in all manners, from voodoo to straight magic to demons to devils to angels. This in and of itself, while forming the meat of his adventures, is not the truly engaging part. The best part is Constantine himself. His character is that of a dark hero, one who follows, or more accurately makes, his own morality. He does what he does according to his personal code, fighting what evil he may, but not actually "clean" himself. Constantine rides a fine edge between good and evil, easily dipping from one to the other but always following his own code.

The character is a chain-smoking, beer-drinking, smart-aleck bastard. Very charasmatic and very likeable. This doesn't change the fact that he's a bastard. A complete bastard. He'll leave you in the lurch if it means saving his skin. He may or may not honor agreements. He's lost a lot of friends and has come to accept that he's going to lose more. Very dark, very magic-oriented, very dangerous.

If this is the comic book setup, I cannot rightly believe that Keanu Reeves has a snowball's chance in Hell of pulling this off. IMO, Keanu isn't a good actor. All of his characters are the same, with the same attitudes, same mannerisms, same expressions, same voices. They're the same!!! Constantine should not be played like that. The character deserves more. He deserves a good actor capable of playing a complex character with complex motives. I highly doubt Keanu can give this character one-tenth of the depth he should have.

Don't take this to mean I won't see this movie. Heck, chances are I'll be there opening night. From the trailer, the look and feel of the movie (dark, mysterious, foreboding, mystical, dangerous) is dead on. Plus Rachel Weisz is excellent. I like the look of the film and eagerly await its release. Even so, I'm worried for Constantine. He's better than Keanu and I sincerely wish the film's creators had considered this point.

Not-so-quick Quick WoW Post

WoW being World of Warcraft.

My Paladin is up to 53 now. Haven't worked on his Blacksmithing at all lately. Last night he did Maraudon and a few nights earlier he did the Temple of Al'Katar/the Sunken City. Also, using the Thrash Blade reward from Maraudon, he's now switched to 1h sword/shield (from 2h sword, Truesilver Champion) in anticipation of today's Seal of the Crusader fix. In fact, the realm is down now while they patch it. I haven't decided what to do with my remaining talent points. Will probably respec sometime, not out of Blessing of Kings but to arrange the other expenditures.

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I sent the below text to Terranova as a possible post.

On 1/28/05 on the Argent Dawn Server, a protest was staged in support of making changes to the Warrior Class. Warrior players were encouraged to create gnome warrior and assemble in Ironforge. Needless to say, Argent Dawn being a packed server at the best of times, the protest succeeded in not only drawing the attention of GM's but also crashed the server or continent or zone a few times. In the end, Argent Dawn was taken offline for some period of time. (I don't know how long since I just logged and went to go do other things instead of wait.)

The regular citizens of Argent Dawn, and I speak as one of them, are used to a lag-laden Ironforge and a lag-laden server in general. However, the Warrior protest was seen as highly intrusive since it helped bring down the server we normally play on. In our opinion, Argent Dawn was chosen *because* of its populated nature and tenuous uptime. Their goal was to bring the server down and garner attention, which they did.

Below I have included links to a few posts on the official forums. Word has it Blizzard had 2 days constructive notice (by forum posts) of the protest and did or said nothing in response, at least until the actual protest.

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Announcement of protest.

One thread on the official forums in response to the protest.

A GM (Kalgan) response to the Warrior's plight.

The start of the previous thread.

Here's a link to some screenshots.

I saw the message by GM Xanan and I was in Stormwind. However, as soon as I saw the message I was booted. I heard from another guildmate that he saw the message and was booted while in Southshore, far from Ironforge.

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The protest was really annoying. Also a little redundant since Blizzard has saif they're working on Warriors and Warlocks at the moment. ::shrug:: We'll have to see what happens.