My Latest Obsessions- Dec. 2012

Writing another one of these again- don't know if this will be a regular monthly thing or not. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess.

Literature

~Calvin & Hobbes~ 

I freaking love this comic book series... a lot. I recently got back into reading the books that I've had since elementary school. So good! Bill Watterson is a genius. While Hobbes is my favorite character (naturally), I do like Calvin a lot as well as his alter-egos (Spaceman Spiff, etc.). Maybe one of these days I'll get The Complete Calvin & Hobbes edition.

~Call of the Wild & White Fang~

Along with reading "Soul of the Fire" by Terry Goodkind, I have also been reading Jack London's "Call of the Wild & White Fang" combo, and I have really been enjoying it. I think that my initiative to read more of the classics was a very good idea for me- especially since I have quite a few of them on my bookshelf as it is. I like London's writing style and his use of descriptive language, and in a way reminds me a bit of Rudyard Kipling's writing style (he wrote The Jungle Books, by the way). Not sure which one I'll read next, though I am seriously considering either one of Dumas' books (like "The Count of Monte Cristo" or "The Man in the Iron Mask") or "The Lost World" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Games

~Chrono Trigger~

With some of the money I received for Christmas this year, I bought Chrono Trigger for my DSi, and so far I am loving it. It's such a good RPG, and there are elements in it that I wish developers would remember and implement. So far, my favorite things about it are the fact that you can re-name all of the party characters, and the fact that there's no random encounters! Monsters do respawn every time you come back to an area, but if you don't want to fight for some reason, you can choose to avoid most of the potential conflicts. The combat is a refreshing idea for me in the fact that it (unlike most of the J-RPG games I've played) is not turn-based. It is set up a lot like Square Enix made the combat in Final Fantasy XIII.

~D&D~

I am still writing, working on, and fleshing out my D&D campaign. Lately I've been getting a lot more ideas for the main plot as well as dungeon and side quest ideas (otherwise I wouldn't have mentioned it in this post. I would certainly still be working on it, but it wouldn't warrant mentioning.) partially from stories/novels that I've been slowly working on (the world and a lot of the characters are directly out of a fantasy novel I've been working on in one form or another since 2001) as well as YouTube videos of D&D content. Hopefully one day I'll be able to DM a group through this campaign.

~Halo 4~

I got Halo 4 as a Christmas present, and from what I've played so far (basically the first 4 missions), I like it. The multiplayer aspect on the other hand... not so much. I like the fact that 343 Studios has given the multiplayer aspect a story/reason for being instead of the "Hey, let's play a game together and blow each other up" as it has been in past games. That's cool. I do NOT appreciate, in fact I HATE the fact that they are requiring you to purchase an Xbox Live Gold membership just to use multiplayer! It makes them out to be money-mongering you-know-whats! I hate that, and they aren't even the only ones who have done that (I'm looking at you Mass Effect 3 and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood). If you have the option for multiplayer in your game, then you should bloody well make said option available for all players with the purchase of the game. If you want to require another purchase to use/run another feature, then sell it as a separate entity. If I buy a game, I expect to be able to fully enjoy all of it with the already outrageous purchase price of $60 (or around there). That, and they require you to level up unlock your emblem! That doesn't really make sense, especially since there's even less options than there was in Halo: Reach. They're making you get all the way up to SR-21 just to get the ability to unlock your emblem background for goodness sake! Anyway... *getting off soapbox now* At least the single player campaign is good so far. I'm really interested in seeing how it ends.

Music (and in this month's case, movies as well)

~Les Misérables~

Les Mis is by far my favorite musical of all time. Though, sadly, I have not seen a professional stage production of it (maybe I'll get to one day), I was involved in my high school's student production of it my freshman year (I was in the pit orchestra). This was actually the first time I had ever heard of it, and I quickly fell in love with the story, but more importantly the music. I bought the original London cast recording off of iTunes and I have many times blasted it in the car (when I was alone of course) belting along with the recording... and eventually getting hoarse because most of the male characters are tenors and it gets too high for me a lot. My favorite songs are "Master of the House" and "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables". I bought the new movie soundtrack version, and as with what I did with The Hobbit soundtrack, I don't want to listen to the soundtrack til after I see the movie so I don't spoil anything. I have not been able to see the new movie version (with Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman) because I wanted to take my fiancee with me, but I will as soon as possible! I might even post a review! I'm so excited to see it!

~The Hobbit~

I have been waiting and excited for this movie since I first heard of its existence back in 2010. As you can probably guess from my other posts as of late, I liked it a lot, though I don't think it was perfect (it had some big shoes to fill and expectations to make from The Lord of the Rings films). I bought the soundtrack on iTunes the day after I saw it on the midnight release. Howard Shore did a fabulous job, and I'm excited (and to be honest a little nervous) to see what Peter Jackson and Howard Shore do with the other two films. I'm sure they will be good, even if they're as good as the first one. I will at least give them a chance and see them in theaters when they are released.

The 7 Deadly Sins of Reading

GREED

What is your most expensive book? What is your least expensive book?

• My most expensive book is "Civil War Almanac" by John C. Fredriksen ($26) and my least expensive one is "The Lost World" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (free)

WRATH
What author do you have a love/hate relationship with?

• Robert Jordan. I love his books, but they're so long, often hard to get through certain parts, and dear Lord do I hate Nynaeve as a character!

GLUTTONY
What book have you deliciously devoured over and over with no shame whatsoever?

• "The Swiss Family Robinson" by Johann David Wyss and "Rocket Boys" by Homer Hickham Jr.

SLOTH
What book have you neglected reading due to laziness?

• "Sabriel" by Garth Nix and "Winter's Heart" by Robert Jordan

PRIDE
What book do you most talk about in order to sound like a very intellectual reader?

• "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck and "The Iliad" by Homer

LUST
What attributes do you find most attractive in characters of the opposite sex?

• She has to be kind and caring as well as strong enough to fend for herself

ENVY
What books would you most like to receive as a gift?

• "The Lord of the Rings" (50th Anniversary One Volume Edition) by J.R.R. Tolkien and "1356" by Bernard Cornwell

Be The Cure!

Electronic Circuit Art

Hobbit Critics Have It All Wrong!

Seth Abramson Article from Huffington Post

This is a link to an article written by Seth Abramson from The Huffington Post. I agree wholeheartedly with his opinions. I believe that people who dislike The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey have either A) Not read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (or at least The Hobbit) or B) Do not have the right frame of mind about the movie's purpose. It is NOT specifically a direct movie adaptation of the book. It is partially that, but it is also a venue to give important back-story to the history of Middle Earth as well as a bridge to connect the gap between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, which I believe we will see more of in movies #2 and 3. I think it will help one's enjoyment immensely if they don't see this film as just a movie adaptation, but really as one complete story that they have made out of chronological order.

Tchaikovsky... Wynton Marsalis Style!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Review

*SPOILER ALERT- YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED*

While this movie was not what I was expecting, and certainly not what I would call "perfect", it was still an amazing movie, that I already want to see again. It is definitely worth your time whether you've read the book or not! Let me get the not-so-good out of the way and then I'll talk about the good stuff. I also want to preface this by saying that I have read The Hobbit more than once, but it has been a long time since I re-read it last, so please don't jump down my throat if I don't remember something exactly how it happened. Okay... here we go!

The one thing that was bugging me almost the entire movie, is that Gandalf tells Bilbo that since his blade was of Elvish make from Gondolin, it will glow when orcs are about. The problem with that is that it only started glowing when goblins were around. That, and why didn't Orcrist and Glamdring glow? They were made from the same Elves from the same city! It's not a big deal, but it was really bothering me.

Okay... I like the fact that they added Radagast the Brown to the movie, but did they have to make his wig have bird poop all over it? He's supposed to be weird- not freaking insane! And the rabbit/hare sled? I'm not sure that's Tolkien kosher, but I could be wrong...

To me, there was too much comedy in the film. Most of the time it was welcome, but it made the balance of epicness, suspense, drama, and funny bits off-kilter. I think it would have been better if they had made the jokes less frequent. That would make them more memorable and special. I think this was just another case of "Gimli-fying" the movie. By that I mean that they made characters that were pretty serious in the book the comedic relief. Don't get me wrong- it doesn't usually take away from the movie, but I feel like it was taken a bit too far in The Hobbit.

Alright Peter Jackson... if you're going to put pictures of Beorn in the posters, pictures, and ads for The Hobbit #1, then PUT HIM IN THE FREAKING MOVIE! I know that he's going to be in #2 (especially since the rock/outcrop/thing that the Dwaves, Bilbo, & Gandalf gets dropped off of at the end by the eagles strongly resembles a bear's head), but why put him in posters, and then not have him in the movie your advertising partially using him. I just don't get it.

I'm just gonna come out and say it... Nori's hair is freaking ridiculous and I hate it! His beard and moustache are cool, but his hair is stinking dumb. Ugh! Honestly, at first, when I first saw the character design for the Dwarves, I wasn't really all that impressed, but most of them kind of grew on me. Nori did not.

This one isn't really a bad thing or a complaint, but I found it very strange that Bombur said absolutely NOTHING the whole movie... it was kinda weird. Not bad, just weird. Also- he uses a huge spoon/ladle thing as a weapon... not sure how I feel about that yet.

...And now to the good stuff :)

OH MY GOSH, THE MUSIC!! I freaking love Howard Shore, and he did an amazing job with An Unexpected Journey. Also, the Misty Mountains Cold song/theme is my favorite part of the movie- don't ask why because it just is. I love it! Totally going to buy the soundtrack!

Without seeing the movie, I was really nervous about the characters themselves, specifically the Dwarves. After seeing the movie, I have no problems with any of the characters, personality-wise. My favorites are Balin and Bofur. I actually was surprised myself, but I actually like Kili and Fili as well (explanation of this in the next paragraph)! The characters I'm still nervous about- at least in personality and/or execution- are the ones entering in the later movies. Those characters being Tauriel, Bard, Thranduil, and Legolas.

I love the explanations to things I read and understood in the book, but never really thought about how it might have come about, like when Gandalf brought the sunlight about to turn the trolls to stone. I also like the reasoning behind why Kili and Fili don't have beards (which really bothered me before- I thought that the reason why they did that was to create a man-candy character for girls to drool over like they did in Lord of the Rings *cough*Legolas*cough*), but I like the idea that they haven't grown their beards out yet due to the fact that they are at least 50 years younger than all of the other Dwarves in the party (and that's a fact from the book!). That and they played well off of each other in the movie. I also dug all of the Lord of the Rings, appendices, and Silmarillion references throughout the movie.

The 3D is great, and this is seriously how it should be done from now on. No more crappy, post-production afterthought, wallet fattener 3D, but good, intentional 3D. This is coming from a person that is not a fan of 3D at all, and has said that it's just a money-mongering gimmick. The only movies that I've seen that have had good 3D effects in so far have been Avatar and The Hobbit. That's it, and that's a crying shame. More movie makers should be following Peter Jackson and James Cameron's lead- at least in the realm of 3D movies.

I will be seeing this movie again, so I may come back to this review and explain things further, change my mind, etc. Also keep in mind that while I did gripe and nitpick about a few things, they certainly did not detract from the movie as a whole, I'm just a huge nerd who loves J.R.R. Tolkien's books!

Overall, it was a great movie, and a good film adaptation to the book. I give it 5 out of 5 stars! GO SEE IT ALREADY!!

Important Thoughts via Ben Stein

*Sorry about the format- Blogspot is being a jerk*

Apparently the White House referred to Christmas Trees as “Holiday Trees” for the first time this year which prompted CBS presenter, Ben Stein, to present this piece which I would like to share with you. I think it applies just as much to many countries as it does to America . . .

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, “Merry Christmas” to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crib, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her: “How could God let something like this happen?” (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said: “I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?”

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.

If not, then just discard it.... no one will know you did. But if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, Part 2

So here is part two of my Christmas music sharing, and these are all modern pieces. Again, I will link you to the song rather than putting the music video in this post. If it's too big of a hassle, just let me know, and I will consider putting the videos in. Hope these bring good memories and the warm fuzzies of Christmas :)

• I Celebrate the Day- Relient K

If you are a Christian, like me, I would not be surprised if you cried or felt like crying from this song. It has a nice melody, and the lyrics hit home for the religious among us. Wish I could play the acoustic guitar part as well as Matt Thiessen does, but I'll get there eventually. (I Celebrate the Day) I also really like the song In Like A Lion (Always Winter) from that same CD. It's inspired by C.S. Lewis' book The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe.

• You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch- Thurl Ravenscroft

This song is one of the coolest Christmas songs from the older movies. While I'm kind of sick and tired of the actual Grinch movies, I love the music from the original- this song in particular. GO BASSES! If a tenor sung this song, it wouldn't be the same. The lyrics are so interesting, and I like the clarinet parts underneath Thurl Ravenscroft's voice. Even his name fits the tone of the song!

• The 12 Days of Christmas- Straight No Chaser

I think everyone's heard this song/medley by now, but to me it doesn't diminish the fact that I still like it. The a'capella is done very well, and it's funny. If you haven't heard it, you should give it a listen here. Definitely worth your time. 

• The Christmas Song- Nat King Cole

There are a ton of different versions of this song out, but I still come back to this one every time. Nat's voice and phrasing is just so smooth. The version with his daughter. Natalie Cole is also good is as well, but I kind of prefer the original.

• White Christmas- Bing Crosby

Even though I've lived in California my whole life and have never had a real white Christmas, I still like this song. I think it's more about the mentality the song puts you in, rather than it being correct for the area you live in. And of course, you can't go wrong with Bing Crosby singing it either. The Drifters version is also very nice as well.

• Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas-Michael Buble

I like Michael Buble's voice, especially since it reminds me of Frank Sinatra's voice before the smoking and drinking got to it. This is a slower rendition, which is nice. Michael's voice is nice, and has a more baritone sound (i'm not sure whether he's a tenor or a baritone... if he is a baritone, he's got a great range- or at least a better one than mine). I also enjoy listening to Relient K's version, which is more fast paced and "rock-ish".

• Cool Yule- Louis Armstrong

I had to add a jazzy Christmas song, and who better to add than good 'ol Satchmo himself? I liked this one better than his version (or any version for that matter) of "'Zat You, Santa Claus?". Good for a Christmas party, especially if you like to dance.

• Milk & Cookies- Clint Black

Yes, this is country, and yes I like it *surprise, surprise*. This has been a part of every Christmas since I was a small child. This one is on Clint Black's CD titled "Looking For Christmas". I also like the song The Coolest Pair from the same album.

• Wizards in Winter-Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Definitely the most epic Christmas music out there. Wizards in Winter is my favorite on their album, but I also like Wish Liszt (Toy Shop Madness) as well. The Wizards video is of someone's Christmast lights that they have synced to the song, which is pretty cool- I would have no idea how to do that myself.

• Run, Run Rudolph- Chuck Berry

This is another rock-ish Christmas song, and I definitely dig the 50's rock style. Chuck Berry is awesome! I wouldn't mind a rock 'n roll 'lectric guitar for Christmas either :) 

Words To Live By