Wednesday, June 24, 2009

A day of sun, garbage and light lifting.

It's Life Jim... but hell if i know anything about it:

-Chore's galore:

Ah yes. I woke at 8am. Slept. 830am. Slept. 905 am. Slept. 915, i got up. I went to the bathroom as you do. On with the trousers socks and shoe's. A brisk walk to the kitchen, close pantry door, unlock back door and let dogs out of cage. Then stand against the red Merc in the shite covered stone back yard and notice how the swealtering sun of a mere 9 am had woken me to witness a clear blue sky. It's alien, it's warm, it's sticky, it's so bright OH GOD IT HURTS!

Yeah, i'm a bit of a night owl and Irish, like the rain that runs through my veins and into my bones. Sunshine is painful for me. I burn easy enough. I suffered through in Oz and didn't get burnt (too much) as i had factor 25 on every inch of exposed skin. Here at home i have no cause for such good moisture and uv protection regeims. But indeed there was sun today.

So i fed the dogs. I fucked off to my bedroom and started my usual lazy web search. Then installed a game, and didn't play it, more later.

Then at about 11 or so hunger got the better of me and back to the kitchen it was. Poridge. Bathroom break. Eat. Wimbledon highlights. I then cleaned. Yep, i wiped the kitchen surface's clear. I also let the dishwasher, overflowing from the night before (when i had put a tablet in as cutesy to my tea drinking parents, alas they didn't tidy up their cups). So i wiped all the counters, even the one with the phone that NEVER has food on it, but is NEVER cleaned. I then fucked off again and played my games. It was then that i noticed that the truck sounds i had heard earlier were a delivery, to this house. No, not my Mp3 player. No it was plaster board and fiberglass foam. All for my dads megolithic garage (going on 3 years of construction). Upon his return i had to do some lifting. Now the boards, all 12, weighed nothing. But when mowing a tiny stretch of grass gave my tighs pain, this was no easy feat for my deteriorating state of fitness. My hands were slipping, my biceps and triceps screaming that they were indeed in real proper use. I needed gloves for grip after the 4th board. My finger joints still ached but it was all good. I got it done despite ache's. They soon subsided, but damn were they alarm bells.

Then the dreaded yard. Oi Vay. Those damn puppies. You see Rosie like's to scavange. She ripped open all the garbage bags. Now it was all dry stuff or recyclable material's, but it still made a mess. Once again i had to clean this up. The second the Federer match was starting at that! The injustice! So in my annoyance and sweat i got the black sacks, i got the brush and i went to town on that damn mess. Well sort of. I gathered the free radicle's, and then the rubbish. Bagged the flying debris in a white bag. Re-sacked the open black sacks of bottle's and jars that were all fermenting. I then locked the puppies in and dumped the bags in the "alley" between the two garage's. And after that i swept up the dust, dirt, soil, woodlice or woodlouce i noticed, and stones. I piled them all together and cleared around the back door step for beautification reasons. I then sat back and enjoyed the tennis, satisfied.


I later in the evening traded pleasentries with Ming as he sat on a seaside cliff beside his home while i ate pizza in sunset watching a good 5 setter on the kitchen tv. I also arranged a cinema outing with my good olde mate DS. He's finally home, thank fuck, i miss movie's so terribly. I also arranged for it to be possible for me to pop in to see off I-T and catch up with everyone from The Society.

I had missed Percy's private b-day party on monday. This was due to not mentioning it to the parentals or facilitating any way of getting there and back. So i missed that occaision. But this one i will hopefully not. After all I-T is not a bad guy, sure being an american is a minor disadvantage but he's sound as a pound a talented speaker and i'm sure we'll all miss him on several level's.


In conclusion expect a High Society and Cinephillia post tomorrow or on friday.




Abondonia:

Try, try and try and test my time:

Last night i gave in to temptation and dragged out a game i never really got into. You see i LOVE Sim City 3000. I play it several time's when ever i can, and recently played a good few cities and so on. But sitting on my desk for at least 3 years has been Sim City 4. On olde Bertha she didn't work. On Lorraine she was grand but i couldn't get a good game going, and it ate up space, so i removed it.

Now several year's later i tried to give it another go. For a while i was a good boy. The Tutorial city was almost going well. But then i got ahead of myself and it went tits up. Money was draining out so i upped the taxes and i couldn't get a profit any more than about 50 Simoleons. Which is pants really. So i cheated. This didn't help much. Only a grand at a time is a shit cheat. And it didn't help. But some how this effort in vain kept me awake till 2 am. Damn god games, so addictive!


I had also been eying up my Civili(z)ation Chronicle's box set. Civ 1, Civ 2, Civ 2 Test of Time, Civ 3 "complete" and Civ 4. I play civ 2 all the time and i had for a good while kept the disc constantly in my computer to run it when i felt like it. It run's in the back ground and doesn't do anything unless you move. So it's perfect for surfing the web and controlling boredom. Or good for late night procrastination as my teenage years proved.

I installed Civ 4. I had played it a few time's before. Again taking up to much space on my old computer it was removed. I liked it. Infact it is really good. But FAR too short. I was peeved at that, same goes for smaller worlds. I'm sure there was a balance to be found. I loved what i played, and it was easy, i didnt even have to cheat for added fun. But by installing it and reading the box i remembered and saw that Civili(z)ation 2:Test of Time was in the collection.

This meant that the partial 3d "sequel"/Add on to Civ 2 was on my pc and i didn' t even realise it. So i searched deep into my programe files and lo and behold it was there.

I think i played it at some stage in the past. And was very annoyed at it's far darker palate. If Test of Time was a Emo with white make up, Civ 2 is a naked hippie on acid at Candle Fair in California's forest fire season. Well not really, but Civ 2's background colours and feel is very very bright and pastel. The game interface is a simple understated light pencil grey. The grass is bright and creamy and so is the ocean. The unit's are simple, made of very few colours and bit's and basic. Test of time however is Morbid in it's darkness. it's hard of detail despite it's abundance. It's all animated. The unit's are nice and all move but are far harder to distinguish. For some unknown reason everyone is african or indonesian. They're very hard to make out compared to the darker green's of the game. The game interface is also a VERY DARK Black and grey and is just so much more sinister and unforgiving compared to Civ 2's pastle simplicity.


I have been playing Civ 2 since 1996. I am nothing but an avid recreational and insomniac user. I have played hundreds of games. I used it as excuse's for not doing German homework! It is a large part of my life. Now the more i played test of time the less it bugged me today, but the colours are still FAR too dark. The game play the same if not easier. And my current game is going well, okay i'm cheating, but on easiest mode and with a big world the time is going by slowly, and this is great. I get to build up my empire and advance mile's ahead of my enemies and neighbours. It's going well and i'm sure i will play it a lot in the near by future.

One massive problem. I started Test of Time just to see if i could play old Civ 2 saved game's in it. Unfortunatly this is un-possible. Which is the biggest crock of shite ever. Absoloutly evil. About 11 years to late to complain but it's the principle of things!




Lounge Athlete

It's Raining it's pouring, and Wimbledon highlights are boring!

That little ditty was mine from about 2007 years ago when it was very wet. The year nadal took around 3 days to play one match because of rain delays. The year Federer was still the top dog, and stylish with his 3 Racket monogrammed blazer.

Fast forward to now and Nadal, last years winner, and the world number 1 is not there. The talented powerhouse from Spain is so damn good that his knee's gave out on him. His KNEES! Yep, he's so athletic and stong that balance and running about the place has shot his knee's and he has to rest for a good bit. He suffered in the French and was beaten by the rising Soderling, who is through to round 3 of wimbledon today.


Nadal's absence as we all know mean's Murray, britain's number 1, and the worlds number 3 is almost un chalanged in his half of the draw. Leaving it to the back bencher's to fend amoungst themselve's to step up to the net and challange the Tim Henman spirit that is backing Murray and is fast track to Federer in the final.


Now not to dismiss the rest of the men's draw. There are other amazing players out there. Andy Rodick, 2001 Wimbledon winner Leyton Hewitt, "dyockavich", Soderling and a few others.


In today's action Federer went through pretty easy, seeing a pattern in ole Willy Garcia-Lopez's play and demolishing him in 3 straight sets.

But following Federer on Centre court was the entertainment match of the week so far. Sam Querry vs Manin Cilic. WHO you may ask. Well i knew of Cilic, i had heard his name at least last year. Only 21 apparently. He was up against an american hopeful that McEnrow was giving big kudos to.

The first set went to Querry. It looked like he had it in the bag. As it started, the commentators and myself were begging for a 5 setter. It seemed like the right thing to do. And early play's seemed so even. But as the set slipped away from Cilic he seemed Lathargic and depressed. It looked like a shame. But Wait, he got the second! It was a tie break. He had a spring in his step and it was looking good. He then broke Querry's serve in the FIRST GAME OF THE THIRD SET. Querry matching him perfectly but taking the same mind set as Cilic earlier in the match.

It wasn't full of amzing dive's, it wasn't too insane. I didn't have Federer or Nadal Quality but it was damned even and a great battle. The 4th Looked like it would be Cilic's as well. But it was even all the way and led to a tie break. And it ran away from him, match point never came easy enough. Querry fought back and got it. He was on a roll. The crowd Extatic and staying in the cold of a sheltered Centre court as the sun slowly started to set after a hot day in Wimbledon. And the tension and talent was just as hot on the pitch.

5 Sets. It was 8pm! And 5 bloody sets. BBC 2 stopped it's coverage, but i had a red button. ONWARD! It went fast. They were playing for 3 and a half hours and some how they looked like they could go for longer. Eventually it happed that Cilic broke later in the set and managed to win it. The crowd were raring to go, there was a mexican wave only a few games before. They were loving it. They would have loved it to got in to the ten's or 20's before it was over. Game's that is, as the 5th set has to keep going. There's a record of something like 27-25 and an 11 hour match or something. A similar record being set in men's double's a couple of years ago by the Brian Brothers because of rain delay and their talent. Although they were playing together...


Cilic won the match: 4-6 7-6 6-3 6-7 6-4

A Great Day to be a Lounge Athlete.

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