I always have trouble coming up with a title for my posts before they're done. Even then, I'll usually just pull a fitting quote from an awesome movie, in a bid to impress people with my knowledge of film.
I woke up this morning, and was immediately bombarded with five distinct thoughts, one after the other:
1. Why did I let my boss talk me into working consecutive shifts with only six hours between them.
2. I'm going to quit my job.
3. I wish I had money for a proper breakfast, instead of toaster waffles and watered-down Tang.
4. I'm serious. I'm going to quit my job.
5. No, really, I'm going to call my boss, I'm going to call him a dickhead , and I'm going to quit my damn job.
Once that was out of the way, I packed up, and left for work. Needless to say, it was all bluster. I have these thoughts every time the boss gives me a shitty shift, which means I'm thinking the same thing damn near every day of the week. As you've probably surmised by this point, I really hate my job.
For those of you who don't know, I'm a security guard. But not the rent-a-cop kind. The pay is a bit better, and the work is a lot worse. Security guard is really kind of a misnomer. On any givern day, I'll perform the duties of a janitor, concierge, tour guide, data entry clerk, or vehicle inspector (not the detective kind, unfortunately). Sure, there's some real security work sprinkled in there, whether it's locking up after hours, patrolling the yard when it's not busy, or dealing with the guard dog, but really, I'm just a glorified yard bitch. And, since I'm the most recent hire, I get stuck with all the shifts no one else wants.
It's not all shit sandwiches and punches to the gut, though. Some of my coworkers are seriously cool people. We've got all your favourite stereotypes: British "football" fan, Eastern European almost-but-not-quite-communist guy, kindly old lady who could swear the pants off of a one-eyed carpenter. They all make the day go by just a little bit quicker. Unfortunately, we're short-handed, so I do get stuck with a lot of rent-a-cops. Which is unfortunate, because most of them are recent immigrants who can't speak any english. Now, I have nothing against immigrants. Who doesn't want to live in this country? But I do wholeheartedly believe that if you are going to live here, you should be able to speak the language in a passable manner. Enough to do your shopping, and enough to do your job.
Point is, this job wasn't supposed to last long. It was just supposed to pay the bills while I got settled into the city, and found something better. Yet here I am, nine months later, with nothing to show. No forward motion in my life. It's like I've just picked up where I left off the first six months after my graduation. It's not a good feeling.
So, I'm committing to change. I've had a plan formulating in my head for a while, but I figure if I write it down, get it out there, I'm just that much more likely to follow through with it. So here it is. My plan:
1. Find a job in Burnaby selling computers. I know what I'm talking about, I'm good at it, and some places even pay a decent commission on hardware sold. Hell, I don't even care if I get paid less than I do now.
2. Upgrade and update my high school Math 12, which I barely showed up for, and as a direct result, barely passed. Then, maybe add a Calculus course, or advanced Physics.
3. Spend more time teaching myself C++ in my spare time. I need to get started on a basic portfolio if I'm ever going to get a job in the industry.
4. Apply to the Art Institute of Vancouver, for their fall Game Design and Programming course. Not strictly necessary for getting a job in the industry, but it will make it so much easier than just doing it on my own.
There it is. My plan. It isn't much, but it's a start. Beginning in September, I'm going to kick the crap out of life, and make it my bitch. No longer settling for what I've got, I'm going to get out there, and get what I want.
Now, if you'll excuse me, this garbage isn't going to take itself out.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
You bastards! Why are you torturing me like this? Why?!
I've just spent the day watching the first three Star Wars Episodes (with Rifftrax accompaniment, obviously), and I've realized something. Don't get me wrong, I like the prequel trilogy, but almost everybody over the age of 18 must admit that they didn't live up to their full potential. I've never quite been able to put my finger on it until now, but I've figured it out.
Firstly, there's just too many mistakes with the CG effects. Whether it's over-saturation of colour, terrible animation of assets, or just too many green-screen aftereffects, you're always aware of the fact that it never looks quite as good as it could.
The second problem, and the one that has the greatest effect on the trilogy as a whole, is this: Hayden Christensen was a terrible choice to play Anakin Skywalker in Episodes II and III.
I've never been a huge fan of origin stories, because they never seem to do the characters they portray justice. This is especially true in this case. Most of Anakin's time was spent whining and bitching about how the rest of the Jedi Council was probably laughing at him behind his back. This could have been salvaged if it weren't for the fact that Hayden Christensen's attempts at portraying emotion serve only to make his lower lip quiver. Most of the time, he just looks as if he's about to burst into tears.
The last forty minutes or so of Episode III are an excellent example of what the rest of the movie should have been: Anakin's slow descent into paranoia and anger, leading him gradually to the dark side. Not two movies worth of teary-eyed whining, and the occasional thrown wrench.
I suppose I can't place all the blame on Christensen. Obviously a lot of it has to do with the script he was given. Then again, it just doesn't feel right to slag Lucas for going in a different direction with his own IP. However, I still think he could have made a better choice for his leading man. Who would I have picked? Good question.
.............Bruce Campbell. The movies may not have been any better, per se, but no one can argue that they wouldn't have been more awesome. And really, who doesn't want to see Bruce Campbell blow Samuel L. Jackson's face across the room with his boomstick? No one. No one is the correct answer to that question.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to play some Marvel: Ultimate Alliance with my roommate, Scott. Don't wait up.
Firstly, there's just too many mistakes with the CG effects. Whether it's over-saturation of colour, terrible animation of assets, or just too many green-screen aftereffects, you're always aware of the fact that it never looks quite as good as it could.
The second problem, and the one that has the greatest effect on the trilogy as a whole, is this: Hayden Christensen was a terrible choice to play Anakin Skywalker in Episodes II and III.
I've never been a huge fan of origin stories, because they never seem to do the characters they portray justice. This is especially true in this case. Most of Anakin's time was spent whining and bitching about how the rest of the Jedi Council was probably laughing at him behind his back. This could have been salvaged if it weren't for the fact that Hayden Christensen's attempts at portraying emotion serve only to make his lower lip quiver. Most of the time, he just looks as if he's about to burst into tears.
The last forty minutes or so of Episode III are an excellent example of what the rest of the movie should have been: Anakin's slow descent into paranoia and anger, leading him gradually to the dark side. Not two movies worth of teary-eyed whining, and the occasional thrown wrench.
I suppose I can't place all the blame on Christensen. Obviously a lot of it has to do with the script he was given. Then again, it just doesn't feel right to slag Lucas for going in a different direction with his own IP. However, I still think he could have made a better choice for his leading man. Who would I have picked? Good question.
.............Bruce Campbell. The movies may not have been any better, per se, but no one can argue that they wouldn't have been more awesome. And really, who doesn't want to see Bruce Campbell blow Samuel L. Jackson's face across the room with his boomstick? No one. No one is the correct answer to that question.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to play some Marvel: Ultimate Alliance with my roommate, Scott. Don't wait up.
Friday, August 15, 2008
It seems an introduction is in order.
I have never been a fan of blogs. Weekly accounts of one's life, confined to a few paragraphs. I don't really get it. However, I do feel as though I have more to offer than Twitter allows for, so here we are. A short bio, to start:
My name is Shea Read. I spent the better portion of my life living in 100 Mile House, and moved to Burnaby about a year ago. A novice, self-taught programmer with a focus on C++, I aspire to one day be able to call myself a full-fledged Code Monkey.
I enjoy comic books, although I don't really do the whole weekly trip to the local shop, with a few exceptions. Mostly trade paperbacks. Obviously, like any comic book afficionado worth his salt, I rest firmly in the Marvel camp, with the occasional foray into Dark Horse territory. A few of my favourites, in no particular order: Astonishing X-Men, The Sandman Chronicles, The Walking Dead, and Iron Man.
Music plays a huge part in my spare time as well. I can wile away the hours scouring the internet trying to find a good new band my roomates haven't heard of yet. I listen to a bit of everything, but my standard fare includes Goa, a fair amount of techno, Breakbeats, Ska, Reggae, and a whole lot of indie rock. A few artists high up on my playlist include: Freestylers, Pepper, Ween, The Mars Volta, Infected Mushroom, Genesis, and Daft Punk.
I am a huge movie fan, willing to watch everything once. I am a fan of anything by Wes Anderson, The Royal Tenenbaums in particular. The Coen brothers are also high up on the list, with Fargo having held the Number One spot on my list since I first saw it. I live with a film student training to be a cinematographer, so there's never a night when I'm not watching something new. Recently, it's been older films, with fair like Footlight Parade, and Breathless.
I am an avid book reader, constantly half-way through something or other. I read a lot of comedy, some Sci-Fi, a moderate amount of Fantasy, and some poetry thrown in for good measure. A few of my favourite authors include Douglas Adams, John Kennedy Toole, R.A. Salvatore, Neil Gaiman, and Frank Herbert. Some books occupying my top shelf are Dune, The Hitchhiker's Guide (all of them), War and Peace (no, I haven't finished it, but I will.... someday), American Gods, The Divine Comedy. I just recently finished A Confederacy of Dunces, which is the funniest book ever, and I'll have no argument.
Finally, I have a passion for video games. Everything from design to programming to writing. Between me and my roommates, we own just about every console released in the last fifteen years. Programming video games is what I want to do with my life. Just to be involved in the process of creating something that has played such a large role in shaping who I am..... it's going to be amazing when I finally get there. Almost every genre has a place in my library of games. A few of my faves consist of The Monkey Island series, Grim Fandango, Psychonauts, The Half-Life series, Company of Heroes, Arcanum, and Planescape: Torment. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be a hardcore gamer until the day I die.
Well, that was an impressive bit of digital diahhrea. My life, confined to a few simple paragraphs. If you made it this far, feel free to give yourself a hand. It can't have been easy, but now you have a bit of an understanding of who I am, and some context for my future posts. Said posts are likely to include reviews of books/music/movies/video games, opinions on whatever I can think of, and the occasional rant/rave. Basically, I intend to expose the world to my brain, a few sentences at a time. I hope you're ready for it. I'm not sure I am.
I've decided to try to make at least two posts a week, and I'll do my best to keep that schedule. Hopefully, I'll have enough material to keep you all (whoever you are. Who are you?) coming back.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm late for a party.
My name is Shea Read. I spent the better portion of my life living in 100 Mile House, and moved to Burnaby about a year ago. A novice, self-taught programmer with a focus on C++, I aspire to one day be able to call myself a full-fledged Code Monkey.
I enjoy comic books, although I don't really do the whole weekly trip to the local shop, with a few exceptions. Mostly trade paperbacks. Obviously, like any comic book afficionado worth his salt, I rest firmly in the Marvel camp, with the occasional foray into Dark Horse territory. A few of my favourites, in no particular order: Astonishing X-Men, The Sandman Chronicles, The Walking Dead, and Iron Man.
Music plays a huge part in my spare time as well. I can wile away the hours scouring the internet trying to find a good new band my roomates haven't heard of yet. I listen to a bit of everything, but my standard fare includes Goa, a fair amount of techno, Breakbeats, Ska, Reggae, and a whole lot of indie rock. A few artists high up on my playlist include: Freestylers, Pepper, Ween, The Mars Volta, Infected Mushroom, Genesis, and Daft Punk.
I am a huge movie fan, willing to watch everything once. I am a fan of anything by Wes Anderson, The Royal Tenenbaums in particular. The Coen brothers are also high up on the list, with Fargo having held the Number One spot on my list since I first saw it. I live with a film student training to be a cinematographer, so there's never a night when I'm not watching something new. Recently, it's been older films, with fair like Footlight Parade, and Breathless.
I am an avid book reader, constantly half-way through something or other. I read a lot of comedy, some Sci-Fi, a moderate amount of Fantasy, and some poetry thrown in for good measure. A few of my favourite authors include Douglas Adams, John Kennedy Toole, R.A. Salvatore, Neil Gaiman, and Frank Herbert. Some books occupying my top shelf are Dune, The Hitchhiker's Guide (all of them), War and Peace (no, I haven't finished it, but I will.... someday), American Gods, The Divine Comedy. I just recently finished A Confederacy of Dunces, which is the funniest book ever, and I'll have no argument.
Finally, I have a passion for video games. Everything from design to programming to writing. Between me and my roommates, we own just about every console released in the last fifteen years. Programming video games is what I want to do with my life. Just to be involved in the process of creating something that has played such a large role in shaping who I am..... it's going to be amazing when I finally get there. Almost every genre has a place in my library of games. A few of my faves consist of The Monkey Island series, Grim Fandango, Psychonauts, The Half-Life series, Company of Heroes, Arcanum, and Planescape: Torment. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be a hardcore gamer until the day I die.
Well, that was an impressive bit of digital diahhrea. My life, confined to a few simple paragraphs. If you made it this far, feel free to give yourself a hand. It can't have been easy, but now you have a bit of an understanding of who I am, and some context for my future posts. Said posts are likely to include reviews of books/music/movies/video games, opinions on whatever I can think of, and the occasional rant/rave. Basically, I intend to expose the world to my brain, a few sentences at a time. I hope you're ready for it. I'm not sure I am.
I've decided to try to make at least two posts a week, and I'll do my best to keep that schedule. Hopefully, I'll have enough material to keep you all (whoever you are. Who are you?) coming back.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm late for a party.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)