Although I have still not finished hard level on Guitar Hero III before we view the video footage let’s take a look at my official Guitar Hero III stats, shall we?
What you need to know first
Easy Level
Medium Level
Hard Level
Expert Level
If you want to check out my warmup on this song, here’s the link: ROCK N ROLL!!!
but here’s the money…
Having a family book club with the limited amount of time that Adam and I spend with my parents means that this was only our second meeting but the interest is heating up and talk of adding web cams or Skype like devices so we can meet anywhere anytime are thrilling until we all remember my parents are on dial up and so we have to wait and wait some more for that option.
The rules are not typical or they are a far cry from the rules of the book club I got myself thrown out of, for being myself too, which is the saddest thing about it. Really there is only one rule, do not talk about the book club book until book club. This is a lot harder than it was in the old book club because I didn’t live with any of the other members. And how can I be sure my parents aren’t pre-discussing the book? I don’t have any Big Brotheresque technology at my disposal to spy on them. And unless I find my Christmas and Birthday presents which I did every single year of my life until they caught on and wrapped them WELL before they brought them into the house with me in it, they are very good at keeping secrets.
Although it makes more sense to choose a book that no one has read, sticking with only one rule keeps it more fun and less ’so structured it feels like school’ and the first book picked was a book that none of us had read. On this trip home we had all decided on 1984, George Orwell, my dad and Adam had read the book my mother and I had not - Adam read it again as a refresher as did my dad - but I had recently bought it having decided it was literally unacceptable that I had never read it.
The end of the year was very busy, what with having to play Guitar Hero III every day and having a job outside the house, plus throwing my back out. I didn’t even make it through The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger, so I was forced to do something I almost never do and read two books at the same time, I started 1984 on Friday December 21, and we left on the Saturday. I was not able to read it nearly as fast as I would have liked, I found myself enjoying it so much that not only was it hard to remember the number one rule of book club but I was constantly re-reading over passages and paragraphs I liked but sometimes because a book that deep, for myself anyway, was a lot to digest in the normal speedy fashion I would finish a book I was late on finishing for a club meeting.
The only tradition I took from the previous book club was the one where we’d rate the book out of five stars at the beginning of the discussion and then again at the end of the discussion.
We all kept with our original ratings at the end of our three plus hour discussion.
This meeting I think we all had epiphanies on just how great of an idea starting the family book club was. Being so far out in the bushes there really isn’t a lot we can do together as a family, not to mention I/we have completely different relationships with each parent. But we do play scattergories together, we hike and golf together and we all enjoy reading.
We printed some 1984 book club questions off the internet as a general guide but they were pretty weak and we didn’t end up needing them. The different views brought to the table from four people coming from two completly different generations, two of who had read 1984 at very different times in their lives made for brilliant topics and tangents in themselves. Listening to my parents describe their childhoods and then relate them to Orwell’s novel in the sense that looking back you can now take a glimpse into the beginnings of his fictional world forming, meant learning new things about my parents past as well as the time, bloody fascinating. It may now be the 21st first century but it is still almost creepy how bang on Orwell is with his descriptions of things such as Newspeak, inner and outer party members, proles, telescreens, Big Brother, the recording of history. The fact that for years people have been handing over personal information without even a second thought, OnStar being a perfect example. Sure you don’t have to slam a golf club through your window or walk ten kilometers holding six babies but when you think about it doesn’t the thought of a corporation, fuck the Government here, a CORPORATION knowing exactly where you are at ANY time creep you out in the least?
Adam warned me that once I read 1984 that I would see it everywhere. He wasn’t kidding. For a few days I felt surrounded by 1984. While stuck up North we popped in The Red Violin and even having seen it two previous times the whole Communist China section with the constant use of the name of ‘Comrade’, the speak, the banning of western music struck chord after chord with me. And when we returned home Adam felt like watching Notes on a Scandal, less than five minutes into the opening narrative by Judy Dench she uses the word Proles. I became so obsessed that my first read of 2008 was Animal Farm, it is not at all hard to draw parallels between the two books but I gave Animal Farm only four stars. I found the ending a tad bit rushed.
We don’t know when the next meeting will be but it is my mother’s pick.
And now I have finished two books whilst still reading The Time Traveler’s Wife, I may just start a new trend in my reading ways.
I should be:
I can’t stop:
I am:
I hurt my back again and had to come home from work again like a pussy last weekend and have been off all week. I go back this weekend. Work are being so good to me it is awesome. I haven’t put my back out like this in YEARS as noted by my chiropractor who always has to flip back through his notes and ALWAYS asks have you seen anyone else since you were last here and I always answer with, this is the only place I go, every few years when I need it. I do not know exactly what I did to it. I obviously didn’t let it heal right when it first started to bother me because this time was just like last time which was I guess two and a half weeks ago now. I wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary I was sitting with Adam drinking coffee and BAM all of sudden searing back pain. I even said to my boss I had been out the night before but again I wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary as I was playing Guitar Hero III at Tanya’s, I was not rocking out any harder than normal in fact I’d say less hard considering how much I suck playing in front of ANYONE, even Adam. If I was ever a real rock star I could never play live. UNLESS it was Air Guitar because that is hard to screw up so I think I would keep public appearances to Air Guitar.
Check out this seriously awesome photo that Reilly took of me, click on it, seriously, there are more awesome shots by him and some taken with our lacking camera (DON’T GET MAD MOM AND DAD YOU DIDN’T MAKE IT (NOT YELLING)) on my flickr. We met some more rad people [as if we hadn’t met enough this year already] at Tanya’s place, some bloggers, some not, it was great fun. I’d have to say I think I am getting over my social anxiety issues with a vengeance.
While I am on the subject of Guitar Hero [and don’t you dare say when are you not!] I’ll need to mention that the Kramer is a piece of crap. The green button is sticking and making it *almost* unplayable so I went back to the SG with the cord and although I can play better, what would you know the fret board on the Kramer does allow for better finger sliding. SO I feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place and don’t know which guitar to play with. I know I know cry me a river on that one. BUT secondly, Jennie Roth is coming BACK for another visit as some of you already know. NOW at first it was just going to be Jennie and I somewhere I am sure with other blogging nerds, but also nerding out together in our matching ‘Sneaky Brim Toques’ mine in brown hers in green taking a million photos for shits and giggles, trading toques me giving her my Canadian germs her passing over some American ones but NOW a gauntlet of sorts has been thrown down by a guest poster named ‘Charlie’ he writes and I quote:
I’m going to start Jennie on a rigorous guitar hero training program, so anyone that has any thoughts of taking her down had better think again. When I’m done with her, she’ll be rocking so hard she could make unicorns cry blood. That’s right….I said it.
Jennie and I have already been involved in friendly blatant trash talk, I think this is going to be worth waiting for.
Ok well screw me I was going to write about Christmas and other things keeping me busy at present but this is long enough already. I’ll be back!
RIGHT NOW I am sitting here with the Kramer cordless plastic guitar resting ON MY LAP - the one that comes with the Guitar Hero III bundle for PS2.
Basically, Adam almost never plays and I sit there staring at the thing constantly while I’m stuck to a cord and have to take my guitar off for EVERYTHING. The other day I’d had enough and strapped the sucker on, Adam calls his guitar Lil’ Awesome. The first thing I noticed about Lil’ Awesome was that it had a completely different feel on my person and while playing. Adam said that was because it was different guitar. He is a smart one that Adam.
Things I love about playing with the cordless plastic Kramer Guitar [in no particular order]:
Sorry Adam but good luck getting the guitar back now. Maybe when you FINALLY get a band together and get to hard level we’ll chat.
Now, it is a really good thing that I finally decided to pick up that cordless guitar because I find myself with a seriously sweet invite tonight to attend a Guitar Hero party at- ten years of blogging extraordinaire - Tanya aka Netchick’s place, I can’t wait to meet her! Yes, I feel special. I am excited but nervous because she has the XBox 360 and I have never played one, I just know they get cooler guitars.
I love Vancouver when it snows. I miss the snow. I miss not seeing pavement except on the highway until March. I miss the smell it brings to the air and I even miss the glisten it gives to my peachy fuss face.
It was cold last night, really cold [for Vancouver] and I was shivering waiting for a cab that took over twenty-five minutes to arrive and I KNEW we’d dropped below minus two. So I told Adam that if all went well it would snow down town over night. BECAUSE I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT SNOW. I obviously don’t or I’d have Tamara Taggart’s job. But I do feel very comfortable in making fun of Vancouver when it snows and to be honest I look forward to it. It is a time I get to tell stories that aren’t even exaggerated about my driving skills because snow in Vancouver means one thing and one thing only to anyone who drives and many who don’t drive: Chaos. Complete and utter Chaos and it only takes a centimeter.
It slays me that people don’t realize how similar it is to driving in heavy rain. But ‘road sense’ is few and far between in this city.
I also find myself very irritated by people who use umbrellas when it snows. Those are for RAIN. I know that umbrellas are designed as devices to keep any kind of PRECIPITATION or sunlight off of you and therefore I shouldn’t really have a problem with it but I do and that is that. To me it is a faux pas wear a bloody toque. Winter is sexy, don’t mess it up with a stupid FALL umbrella.
The snow is one of the only things that truly makes me feel connected to my roots, my Northern roots. Not to mention I can’t stop picturing this massive snow storm from when I was a kid still in Ontario mind you living in Thorold and we had to dig the side door to our house out, and there are pictures somewhere at my parents house and the snow is WAY taller than moi. You see THAT warrants a school closure. The kids here get so spoiled when it comes to snow days, I don’t remember there being many snow days from where I served my primitive years.
Well, screw this because it has already stopped snowing so I am going to play Guitar Hero before I have to get ready for work.
SLOW DOWN, drive safely.
Yesterday I had planned on at least posting photos of my hair cut and we had Christmas From Rhonda in November on Tuesday night but SUDDENLY I had this bizarre panic attack followed rather closely by back pain. This panic attack with odd back pain led me to realize that I really love Twitter because I wrote a quick Twitt and I only have like 12 followers at present and still I had instant support and it helped me get my breathing back inline and helped me keep at the breathing exercises until it subsided. I was trying to stretch and concentrate on breathing at the same time. My back pain did not go away so I tried an old trick that has worked in the past which is really easy, I took a nap hoping whatever was out would just pop back in but it seems to be more muscle related, when I got up I took some Naproxen, it feels better today but not 100%. I guess I am a bit stressed out. Christmas season will get me every year, the new job meaning I actually have to learn how to juggle being a wife and a regular employee somewhere. And see, that part I really hate because I don’t have kids so I feel guilty having days where I get literally nothing done, no dishes, not even able to five star any Guitar Hero songs just complete and utter wastes of days and I think how do woman with children do it? I know they aren’t playing Guitar Hero but still that is not the point.
I haven’t liked a hair stylist as much as I like my current one since this lady WAY back in Terrace who really knew my head and gave me great cuts. This woman I also feel really gets my head, its shape and its cow licks, not to mention she is friendly as friendly can be, I could not stop staring at her rack the other day which I think she noticed but she has a very nice natural rack. Very nice.
As you can see I didn’t really change much. My bangs are a little less left, but I can still make them left, I have options. Awesome.
I was discussing with Adam last night how it is a tiny bit startling seeing the subtle changes in my face, the more distinct lines coming out from my nose and wrapping around my mouth, don’t get me wrong the changes, the realizations, the acceptance that aging IS happening and all the rest that comes with being 30 has been a great trip so far and Adam said I’m only getting better looking but isn’t he supposed to say that?
I am finally doing what I was supposed to do when I moved to Word Press which was fix my archives and match them to their original categories but I am lazy and things can sometimes take me a while and I get so wrapped up in it I haven’t had time to post and it is a huge yet very addictive job. I have amended it to just fixing the categories because I have added so many new ones and leaving most of the HTML until later, it is simply too much work to fix all of the dead links but important posts I am writing down to re-link later.
I am so close to finishing Guitar Hero III on Hard I can taste it, but it is still going to take me a wee bit of time, I’ve been going back and five staring the Hard level songs because finishing the songs in the final level and knowing that I gotta battle that devil dude without one or both of my arms falling off is crazy talk at this moment. I have one song in the final level in the box.
PS. I have picked my Top Model winner for this cycle but I won’t say it out loud yet, I won’t even tell Adam. If you want to read sweet reviews head over to Jennifer’s site she is a fashionista, there isn’t one up for this week’s show but the ones from past weeks are great.
Top five total BS reasons I didn’t insist on the cordless guitar being mine and have not even tried it:
When I was a kid and we lived in Smithers we only had two TV channels and so somehow I talked my parents into getting me a Nintendo. Until I moved out to Vancouver at nineteen I hadn’t upgraded, I only ever owned Mario one and three and I had Duck Hunt. Duck Hunt ruled that gun was so kickass. My girlfriend, Rhonda, who lived in Kitimat at the time had upgraded her Nintendo so I would play hers. It is rather surprising how much we got to see each other when I was still in Smithers, it is considerably further from Terrace where we ended up moving. Terrace and Kitimat are around 65km apart so once I was sixteen and had my license, until Rhonda graduated and moved away for college we saw one another almost every weekend or the memories are so good it feels that way.
If memory serves I bought a Playstation when I was twenty-one. I always LOVED Oddworld and had both games. Then in 2002 [at twenty-five] with my Christmas bonus I bought a PS2. I really had no choice. At the time I was friends with a group of four plus guys hanging out in a ‘guy’ apartment doing nothing but drinking, smoking pot and kicking the shit out of each other on Virtua Fighter [for example] and I was the only girl gamer so it was hold your own or get the fuck out and I of course held my own and decided it was high time I upgraded my own gaming hardware. It was a good investment anyway because this also gave me a DVD player.
*free tip for the single ladies*
Even if you hate gaming buy a PS2 they are ridiculously cheap now because the PS3 and new Xbox whatever is out and it will get you a man. Guys would go mental when they would see I had a playstation before I met Adam but also including Adam. I used to constantly joke that I had to hide the thing, it was almost as bad as guys trying to get in my pants. Guys like girls who have gaming systems. Accept it.
And so one day I’m talking to my buddy on IM and he is dating this rad girl and he says, he says AND SHE EVEN HAS AN XBOX. HA! I responded with: That is PROOF guys would have TOTALLY said that about me. I know they did I didn’t really need the proof but it is more cool that through meeting my buddies girlfriend I have now gained a new gaming girlfriend as well which brings me up to THREE girlfriends that game. Rhonda, Iris Eggwhites and Spockette.
Guitar Hero Three - Legends of Rock did NOT come out last Sunday as scheduled and has been pushed back to THIS Sunday. Ok, I seriously thought Adam was going to cry when it didn’t come out last weekend. If it is not in our hands THIS SUNDAY I can see some major flipping out happening. BUT wait didn’t you say THIS was Guitar Hero Three? When my friends ask me that I explain it in these terms: You know how after Sarah McLachlan released Fumbling Towards Ecstasy she started to release albums like Rarities, B-Sides & Other Shit Stuff in between pretty much every full length album release, almost like she is insecure and afraid her listeners won’t be there after her breaks which pisses me off because I will always love her and still bought all those in between albums, that is what Guitar Hero is doing. The Encore 80’s game is SHIT. If I was not ADDICTED to the point of needing an intervention to GH 1 and 2 because I am so close to finishing Expert level on both games we’d have gone back to Tiger Woods PGA 2007 till GH 3 came out.
So, with all that said, Rhonda gets here in a few hours, she normally brings games for the PS2, [she owns more than one gaming system] we’ll be going to Walmart as I have been letting EVERYTHING run out because Rhonda is a Walmart addict and I don’t know we just go to Walmart and we make crafts - must be the years and years in Scouts or some shit but we ALWAYS do crafts. Anyone new here can check out other visits with Rhonda here, here and here and this post has us as teens so we look SUPER hot.
