CJ

I just watched, for the first time in years, the last AMV I made and I'm actually pretty happy with it. For a long time I felt it was missing something, but I think I was mostly disappointed that I followed the story of the anime instead of making a new story out of it. It felt lazy. But the editing is probably the smoothest, most consistent work I've done. I don't even exactly remember how to do some of the stuff I did with it, I just remember lots of transparencies and motion, but executed with some subtlety. There are some things I should've changed/fixed, but not too much.

I do feel weird being the biggest fan of my videos, but once again I miss it. I've recently reformatted my computer, maybe I should grab some OVA and toy around with it.

This is the video to which I'm referring, for any interested.

About 12 hours after a prophetic troll on Wikipedia falsely claimed that Ronnie James Dio had died, one of the founding fathers of metal lost his battle with stomach cancer. It sucked losing Peter Steele a month ago, but Dio has been a huge influence on singers throughout the genre, and was the only one worthy of picking up Ozzy's mantle after he left Sabbath. He probably could've gone on singing for another ten years and would've been as good ever. It's a real shame, Dio, but your torch will be picked up by many and carried into the endless night. Whether you're in heaven or hell, show those fuckers how to rock. \m/

Wasn't sure I'd ever see a serious comic parody. Defendor does a great job, though. It takes the realism of Watchmen and Batman (people without powers but a strong sense of justice) and combines them with the delusions of Don Quixote. If you're a fan of comic book heroes with a sense of humor, watch this movie. Or if you're just a fan of satire in general, you'd probably like it too.

I still don't get how Robert Downey Jr. didn't win an award for Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder. He's really shone as an actor lately, but that was one of his best roles. Blast Hollywood.

I want to edit again. =\ I've got a lot of time and so much music I want to use, but I've been out of it for so long. I'm not even a viewer anymore, really. I check the Announcement forum every couple weeks for editors I know, and sometimes watch those. But so much anime has come out in my leave of absence I couldn't know where to begin. I kinda just need a hobby, but editing is something I look back upon fondly. It was a form of artistry that came easily to me, structurally if not aesthetically, whether people liked my videos or not. I liked my videos.

AMVs have become so prevalent now, they're spawning up all over the place. Videos have to struggle for an identity; and while I ultimately want to do it for myself, I also want to make something that others can appreciate. I'm basically a nobody in the community now, which is also okay because it was my choice, but in order to get back into this I'd have to spend money and make lots of changes to my computer (at least hard drive space) and I'd hate to see a project I spend time and money on ultimately fall flat on its face.

But then, I need a hobby. So now I'm just stuck in a circle of stagnant rambling.

Frick.

I bought Band Hero a few weeks ago, so I could get the drum set to work with the other Guitar Hero games. The setlist mostly sucks, but I stumbled on "You Had Me" by Joss Stone. I normally avoid popular artists, but I decided to play it because of the sample it played. I play everything on Expert, and the guitar for the song nearly had my hand cramping by the end, but it was really fun. And very tasteful. Joss has a great voice, and that song implied good taste in music. So I check out the video, the background audio is barely distinguishable, and most of the comments are about how hot Joss is or isn't.

It really makes me sick. Band Hero is full of terrible artists, and the few good artists they have are reduced to only their popular singles, which are further reduced by the popular demand, which usually has no real taste for music. It just feels like another sad, inevitable decline in society.

I don't do political posts often. I had to queue up Megadeth just to write this.

It occurs to me that, in American politics, it is still a priority to establish oneself and your respective group as a viable entity. It is like America has not evolved since the Revolution. It's almost as if America can not stand to not battle a perceived tyrannical foe. I don't even mean this to be a democrat vs republican entry, because I'm tired of both groups. No one seems focuced on basic rights anymore. It's now a battle between who is greater and who has more say. Very little logic comes into play.

We're a powerful nation, and there are many things we can do. But due to internal strife, there's little that we actually do. I think it's the same reason that the Egyptian and Roman empires fell apart. Is history repeating itself? Our leaders become weak and lazy, and the legislation that follows is driven by greed. I only fear that the insurrection that follows will not be native. I do not fear foreign attack, but at some point foreign invasion will actually be necessary. And then a more simplistic state will rule, and history might repeat itself.

I don't understand why Americans can't understand the idea that if you exist, you should contribute.

Sunshine is like Armageddon gone right.

Great movie, everyone watch it.

I am really ready for winter to be over with.

Just over a month to go, now.

Seven Pounds, wow...

My favorite roles from Will Smith and Woody Harrelson.