My recent game review got a review of it’s own. 🙂 It’s funny, because the critiques are a bit odd (especially suggesting that using the stable version was the wrong choice?!?!)
There’s no such thing as bad press, so I’m not complaining. And it wasn’t really a bad review review, but I thought I’d share anyway.
My beautiful and talented wife interviewed for a position as a paraprofessional in the school library yesterday. Apparently she blew away the competition, because the interviewing process didn’t even go into a second round (normally it does).
Donna loves books, so I’m sure her enthusiasm came through in the interview. AND, the library is conveniently located approximately 2 feet from my office! (This is a good thing, my wife is teh awesome.)
So if you see my wife, be sure to congratulate her.
So, if you have a significant other, what are you getting him/her/they/them for Valentine’s day?
DISCLAIMER: If your significant other actually reads my blog, well, that’s pretty cool, but you don’t have to comment on the gift unless it’s already a done deal. As mine is.
Since Amazon will be delivering the gift tomorrow while I’m at work, Donna already knows what she’s getting. See, the gift requires some explanation… This Valentine’s Day, I ordered Donna (5) hot water bottles. That might seem odd, because, well, it is.
Donna has wanted a hot water bottle all winter, and we’ve never seen one in a store. That part of the gift was very sweet, and yes, she was very touched by my remembering. The extra 4 bottles, however, needed the explanation. The simple answer? So she doesn’t have to share HERS!!!
(The expectation is that Mommy’s cool new hot water bottle will be very popular, and Mommy will be guilted into sharing. This way, everyone can use one, and Mommy still gets it all to herself.)
Nothing like breeding greed for the holidays!
This is assuredly an overshare, but for some reason, I just started sweating like crazy. My wife suggested it might be hot flashes. I agreed, and told her I was likely going through mental-pause.
Har har har…
I really did take my medicine last night. I promise. And I’m quite certain of it, because I had to get up and use the facilities about 37 times. (My blood pressure medicine is a diuretic, which is just a joy to take before bed.)
Maybe I should get one of those fancy pill cases with the days on them. I used to have one when I was on like 13 medications (post car accident), but anymore I just try to remember to take my one blood pressure pill. And, usually fail.
…back to work. 🙂
Sometimes, I get depressed — for no good reason at all. Yeah, I could come up with tons of reasons, but really, how lame is that. I think it would be more fun to blame something absurd, like cottage cheese.
Maybe because tomorrow is Monday. Yeah, that’s it. Want some depressed people poetry? Here ya go.
It’s over before the end,
just lingering on like the dim yellow of a failing torch.
The sun will break the dawn,
but it brings only empty beginnings, fruitless starts.The only longing is for the past,
a fleeting desire, capped in a fetal ball of truth.
Joy has been no stranger,
but time lingers only for a taste.What of the new day dawning?
Doesn’t the sun warm the cockles of joy once again?
But no, like the teasing gleam of winter brightness,
There is no heat. No passion. Only the biting cold.It’s already over, and the end isn’t even in sight.
Is that a victory? Is this the retirement of pleasure?
Where do smiles go when they die?
Are they still happy?
…told you it was depressing. And not even good, which makes it more depressing.
[Shawn exits stage left, continuing his teenage girl like angst against the world]
UPDATE: This will make you laugh, thanks for the link Kate Baker. 🙂
New review is up, this time of the game, “The Battle for Wesnoth”
Here’s the link to the Linux Journal site, if you want to comment there, and possibly suggest future game titles for me to review. 🙂
Something I’ve noticed since I’ve been doing video reviews, is that speaking in public (well, sorta) is a bit different than writing. I know some of you do voice work professionally. Dear Lord, the thought just occurred to me that what *I* do might be considered professional. Heh. Anyway, it amazes me how much I struggle with pronunciation.
I’m talking about more than tomato and tomato. (See? It doesn’t really translate to text) But product names, company names, etc. can be crazy. Add that to regional differences, and I either sound like an uncultured hick (largely true), or a snooty Yankee (eh, not so much).
Have you ever thought about pronunciation? It’s a funny beast.
Recently, on the Whatever, the topic of thread etiquette came up. Since many of us are already professionals, I thought it would make sense to post a HOW-TO for those not so enlightened.
1) Be a Regular. This is not to be confused with being regular, because how boring is that? Rather, I mean be a regular to the site. Hijacking is much easier to accept from someone that commonly posts comments. For example: If an unfamiliar commenter on my site were to leave a comment offering to sell me something that will keep my wife satisfied all night long — I’d immediately delete it. If one of my regulars posted such a link, however, I would probably assume it was a link to a house cleaning android sale. Basically, you gotta build up your street cred to get away with off-topic stuff.
2) You Need a Hook. Except in some specific circumstances, even off-topic comments need to tie in somehow. For example: If I post a story about a cell phone, you could easily get off topic by saying, “I was talking on my cellphone yesterday, and guess what happened?!?!”
If you don’t have a hook, it has to be really creative. You have to pull off something so interesting and/or funny, that no one notices the hijack. I can’t really give you an example here, because it’s different for every blog post. This is a difficult skill to master, and leads us to…
3) It’s Hard to Smack Down a Funny Comment. If you hope to steal the conversation, you must take everyone’s interest off topic. Especially the author’s. Really, humor is the only effective way to do this consistently. And it must be genuinely funny too. You can only get away with a, “That’s what she said” or a really bad pun after you build up your humor cred.
Along with this, it’s important to know your audience. It’s unlikely a quippy quote from, “The Holy Grail” will score many laughs on a NASCAR blog. (Are there NASCAR blogs?) The opposite is true too. If you say something like, “Yeah, that’s like Earnhart driving the Pepsi car” on my blog, I’ll give you a blank stare. And then delete your comment. (Or make fun of you, depending on how inadvertently absurd you sound)
4) Some Hijacks Don’t Work. You have to be smart when you try to hijack a thread. If you see your favorite blogger post a picture of his cat doing something funny, or her family at Disneyland — thou shalt not post a comment linking to a political issue. Guess what? We post pictures of our cats because we don’t want to talk about the reality of politics and such at that time. There are some exceptions, like if I post a picture of my cat in a cape with the caption, “Super Tuesday Kitty”, yes, you may leave a political comment. (Unless it’s not actually near the Super Tuesday caucuses, so this really only works every 4 years or so)
5) Use Your Real Name, or a Rational Pseudonym. I will never follow links from jH0nn33-h34R7BR34|<3r. Even if you show me a driver’s license with that name on it. I will simply slap your parents, and move on. Don’t get crafty either, and think it’s funny to use the name, “Click Here for Naked Pictures of Hilary.” It’s not. (I don’t want to see the Google hits that gets me…)
6) Or Just Go Home. Look, the best way to hijack a comment thread is not to do it at all. Get your own blog. They’re free. If you have something interesting to say, people will come. Or, if you just want people to come, type the names of celebrities and the words naked pictures. You’ll get traffic. They will probably hijack your comments too. You’ll have to post something like this. And the circle will be complete.
7) Secret Email Address of Successful Bloggers. Successful bloggers have a secret address they give out to people they want to hear from. It’s an address pro bloggers use to get the inside scoop on off-topic issues. Did you think successful bloggers just wrote well?!?!! The address is an acronym for “Supremely Pertinent Abstract Message” — and your favorite blogger would LOVE to hear about your Aunt Ruth’s knee surgery, or how Ron Paul secretly eats kittens. Go ahead and drop a message to the acronym address, “spam@favoritebloggersite.com” NOTE: This address is super secret, and it’s unlikely you’ll get a response. That’s just because we want to keep it a secret. DON’T TELL!!!
So there you have it. Now go comment away, knowing that you have the keys to the kingdom.
