Today I was playing Ravnica draft. I was on two life, staring down three fliers with no fliers of my own. I have no cards that can take out multiple creatures, so I am formally screwed.
Unless I can find a way to get a 5/5, a pair of 2/2s, and a 1/1 past three blockers to deal 10 damage.
I draw Bathe in Light. All his blockers are blue. I can use Radiance to give all my creatures protection from blue. If one of them wasn't green, that is.
I have a green/white creature in my hand. I can play it and target it with the Bathe in Light to make all my creatures unblockable.
I swing for 10.
Me and my opponent are both rendered speechless. Then we start to crack up. The general air of disbelief continues for a couple minutes.
20051224
20051222
20051209
japan: always with the war metaphors
From a report on the Japanese Xbox 360 launch:
Just replace "Sony PlayStation," with "all other Asian cultures," consider that the Japanese have been thinking about getting rid of Article 9, and I think it's pretty clear that the only thing standing between us and total nuclear war with the DPRK is, well, Sam Fisher.
Extra credit: The DPRK's website has a .com address. Would a .org address have been more appropriate, or can we assume that .com stands for .communism? Discuss.
Following the light-hearted ceremony, the two Microsoft execs got serious, issuing some stern comments about their company's competitors. "History tells us that no great empire lasts forever," said Moore. "In the case of the Sony PlayStation, obviously it has been a great empire. But when a superior culture comes along, typically, it means the end of that empire. We believe that the superior culture is the Xbox 360 games experience, particularly the Xbox Live experience, which will bring communities from around the world together through gaming."
Just replace "Sony PlayStation," with "all other Asian cultures," consider that the Japanese have been thinking about getting rid of Article 9, and I think it's pretty clear that the only thing standing between us and total nuclear war with the DPRK is, well, Sam Fisher.
Extra credit: The DPRK's website has a .com address. Would a .org address have been more appropriate, or can we assume that .com stands for .communism? Discuss.
20051201
nobody ever listens to me
I hope somebody at least has paid attention to what I'm saying about Square being evil. Not only will FFXII cost nearly EIGHTY DOLLARS in Japan, but they intend to work with Suntory to create a licensed Final Fantasy Potion energy drink.
LICENSED!
FINAL FANTASY!
ENERGY DRINK!
I think this might even top the astonishing range of FFX merchandise that they've come out with.
If you think about it, FFX is actually kind of like a metaphor for the Final Fantasy series as a whole. The endless rebirth of Sin to terrorize Spira represents the endless stream of Final Fantasy games and related merchandise to drain money from the fans. It's a cry for help, and I think it's pretty clear that Square wants us to kill them before they make Final Fantasy X-2-2.
LICENSED!
FINAL FANTASY!
ENERGY DRINK!
I think this might even top the astonishing range of FFX merchandise that they've come out with.
If you think about it, FFX is actually kind of like a metaphor for the Final Fantasy series as a whole. The endless rebirth of Sin to terrorize Spira represents the endless stream of Final Fantasy games and related merchandise to drain money from the fans. It's a cry for help, and I think it's pretty clear that Square wants us to kill them before they make Final Fantasy X-2-2.
20051031
20051008
the first two weeks of college life
Friday the 23rd of September
I move into my dorm. It is rather small, but all my stuff fits in there. I meet some of my cluster-mates.
Saturday the 24th of September
I wake up early and head out of the range of the football game traffic to get picked up by my parents and taken to Foolscap, a small science fiction convention that, this year, features both Harlan Ellison and Penny Arcade and thus, promises to be the swearingest science fiction convention ever. Before the convention begun, Harlan was bitten by a macaw and needed to get a tetanus shot. Gabe and Tycho kind of didn’t fit in, but were really entertaining in their own panels. Harlan was Harlan, a statement which makes sense if you know about him. I went with him and my parents out for dinner at Crossroads Mall, which was a pretty entertaining experience, but it’s kind of hard to explain why if you don’t know about Harlan Ellison. Perhaps the best explanation I can give is that he is exactly like his writing style. Bear in mind that his writing style is kind of like Ray Bradbury’s evil twin.
Sunday the 25th of September
I sort out the bus schedules and figure out how to get down to the Seattle Center for the Ravnica prerelease. I run into Jeremy Yuse, who once went to Maplewood and now works at Magic Arsenal. I pay money to roll dice and win an Atogatog. This is arguably better in some ways than winning a foil Serra Avatar last time. I played a round of draft, in which I managed to get passed(!) a Watery Grave. My Green-Black-Little Bit of Blue deck manages to do better than I expected, and I end up getting second place and taking away 4 boosters. Fun moments: playing Fists of Ironwood on my opponent’s creatures so I could get Saprolings; losing a game where I can’t play Hex because there’s only five creatures in play.
After that, I end up in the last flight of the regular Sealed Deck event, where I create a bizarre Blue-Black-Red contraption that also does way better than expected. I managed to half-deck somebody once with Tunnel Vision, just kind of randomly guessing what cards are in his deck. I win a lot more packs, which include a foil Sacred Foundry. That seems to be worth about sixty dollars right now. Oh my.
Monday the 26th of September
I take the bus down to Pacific Place to get a PS2. I haul it, along with a memory card, an extra controller, and We Love Katamari back to my dorm and set it up. I roll stuff into balls.
I also find out that my cluster-mates are half football players and half guys from Mercer Island with Asian girlfriends.
Tuesday the 27th of September
I meet up with my mom and we go buy textbooks. She brings another shelf, a few of my clothes, and, inexplicably, a pack of dried squid. I set up the shelf. I walk around in search of stores that sell things and end up all the way in Montlake. I take the bus back. I call Erin a lot trying to get in contact with her.
Wednesday the 28th of September
My classes begin with programming at 9:30. After that, I walk up and down University Way NE twice trying to find a store that the Internet claimed sold Magic cards but the Internet lied. I find a comic book store that also sells a lot of RPGs and I find a place to play Magic on Friday nights, though. I go back to my Chinese history class. History may be written by the winners, but Chinese history is written by middle-aged white guys. Good lecturer, though. I finally get in touch with Erin. I also run into Maura Harrison and we have dinner.
Thursday the 29th of September
I finally get in contact with Lisa Akiyama and we end up having both lunch and dinner together. I have the first day of my art class. Over the past week, I’ve managed to run into pretty much everyone I know who’s going here. I make plans with Erin to go up to Bellingham over the weekend.
Friday the 30th of September
I get very lonely. I seem to have missed all my cluster-mates when they went out to see Serenity. I play Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes almost all the way through, until the loneliness eats at my heart from the inside. I end up calling Lisa about nine times but I can’t get in contact with her. I eat a very sad dinner alone and then I decide to stop feeling sorry for myself, so I go down to play some Magic. It’s good to be able to talk with people for like ten minutes about all the possibilities that Doubling Season brings.
“This means that Spike decks are now viable!”
“Screw Spikes! I’m going to build a Thallid deck!”
Saturday the 31st of September
I take the bus back home, eat some lunch, and head up to Bellingham, listening to Neko Case on the way up. After some confusion, I manage to meet up with everybody else at the mall. Good times are had. I drive back, taking everybody else who’s going to Lynnwood with me. We discuss our immense loneliness and inability to meet people.
Sunday the 1st of October
I hang around the house with my family. I use the car to go shopping for PS2 games; I end up with Final Fantasy X, Onimusha 2, and Ninja Gaiden Black (which is for Xbox). I am driven back up to my dorm room after dinner.
I feel better.
Monday the 2nd of October
In my programming class, I manage to meet someone (by virtue of my increasingly awesome handbag): a somewhat nerdy and somewhat cute Chinese girl. We arrange to meet up for lunch. She shows up about twenty minutes late, so it’s a good thing I waited. I also end up being late to class by spending too much time at lunch.
Tuesday the 3rd of October
While getting lunch with my cluster-mates, I run into Maura Harrison studying. She is readily identifiable from behind by virtue of her raven-black hair and constant drinking of Diet Coke. We try to meet up for dinner but are stymied when she changes her schedule such that she has class then.
Wednesday the 4th of October
I meet up with Jessica (the Chinese girl) for lunch again and meet a couple other (Chinese) people that she’s met. Lost has pretty much the best plot twist ever on it. I complete my first ever computer program during the commercial breaks.
Thursday the 5th of October
I take a guess at Amber’s email address and it works, putting us into contact for the first time in about a month. I write out the bulk of this piece while compiling music for the I Really Miss You Mix Tape. This tape will be the saddest thing ever, like an anti-tank missile made out of pure sorrow.
Friday the 6th of October
I discover that I am the king (or at least prince) of Ravnica draft. At approximately 1:00 in the morning, I post this.
I move into my dorm. It is rather small, but all my stuff fits in there. I meet some of my cluster-mates.
Saturday the 24th of September
I wake up early and head out of the range of the football game traffic to get picked up by my parents and taken to Foolscap, a small science fiction convention that, this year, features both Harlan Ellison and Penny Arcade and thus, promises to be the swearingest science fiction convention ever. Before the convention begun, Harlan was bitten by a macaw and needed to get a tetanus shot. Gabe and Tycho kind of didn’t fit in, but were really entertaining in their own panels. Harlan was Harlan, a statement which makes sense if you know about him. I went with him and my parents out for dinner at Crossroads Mall, which was a pretty entertaining experience, but it’s kind of hard to explain why if you don’t know about Harlan Ellison. Perhaps the best explanation I can give is that he is exactly like his writing style. Bear in mind that his writing style is kind of like Ray Bradbury’s evil twin.
Sunday the 25th of September
I sort out the bus schedules and figure out how to get down to the Seattle Center for the Ravnica prerelease. I run into Jeremy Yuse, who once went to Maplewood and now works at Magic Arsenal. I pay money to roll dice and win an Atogatog. This is arguably better in some ways than winning a foil Serra Avatar last time. I played a round of draft, in which I managed to get passed(!) a Watery Grave. My Green-Black-Little Bit of Blue deck manages to do better than I expected, and I end up getting second place and taking away 4 boosters. Fun moments: playing Fists of Ironwood on my opponent’s creatures so I could get Saprolings; losing a game where I can’t play Hex because there’s only five creatures in play.
After that, I end up in the last flight of the regular Sealed Deck event, where I create a bizarre Blue-Black-Red contraption that also does way better than expected. I managed to half-deck somebody once with Tunnel Vision, just kind of randomly guessing what cards are in his deck. I win a lot more packs, which include a foil Sacred Foundry. That seems to be worth about sixty dollars right now. Oh my.
Monday the 26th of September
I take the bus down to Pacific Place to get a PS2. I haul it, along with a memory card, an extra controller, and We Love Katamari back to my dorm and set it up. I roll stuff into balls.
I also find out that my cluster-mates are half football players and half guys from Mercer Island with Asian girlfriends.
Tuesday the 27th of September
I meet up with my mom and we go buy textbooks. She brings another shelf, a few of my clothes, and, inexplicably, a pack of dried squid. I set up the shelf. I walk around in search of stores that sell things and end up all the way in Montlake. I take the bus back. I call Erin a lot trying to get in contact with her.
Wednesday the 28th of September
My classes begin with programming at 9:30. After that, I walk up and down University Way NE twice trying to find a store that the Internet claimed sold Magic cards but the Internet lied. I find a comic book store that also sells a lot of RPGs and I find a place to play Magic on Friday nights, though. I go back to my Chinese history class. History may be written by the winners, but Chinese history is written by middle-aged white guys. Good lecturer, though. I finally get in touch with Erin. I also run into Maura Harrison and we have dinner.
Thursday the 29th of September
I finally get in contact with Lisa Akiyama and we end up having both lunch and dinner together. I have the first day of my art class. Over the past week, I’ve managed to run into pretty much everyone I know who’s going here. I make plans with Erin to go up to Bellingham over the weekend.
Friday the 30th of September
I get very lonely. I seem to have missed all my cluster-mates when they went out to see Serenity. I play Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes almost all the way through, until the loneliness eats at my heart from the inside. I end up calling Lisa about nine times but I can’t get in contact with her. I eat a very sad dinner alone and then I decide to stop feeling sorry for myself, so I go down to play some Magic. It’s good to be able to talk with people for like ten minutes about all the possibilities that Doubling Season brings.
“This means that Spike decks are now viable!”
“Screw Spikes! I’m going to build a Thallid deck!”
Saturday the 31st of September
I take the bus back home, eat some lunch, and head up to Bellingham, listening to Neko Case on the way up. After some confusion, I manage to meet up with everybody else at the mall. Good times are had. I drive back, taking everybody else who’s going to Lynnwood with me. We discuss our immense loneliness and inability to meet people.
Sunday the 1st of October
I hang around the house with my family. I use the car to go shopping for PS2 games; I end up with Final Fantasy X, Onimusha 2, and Ninja Gaiden Black (which is for Xbox). I am driven back up to my dorm room after dinner.
I feel better.
Monday the 2nd of October
In my programming class, I manage to meet someone (by virtue of my increasingly awesome handbag): a somewhat nerdy and somewhat cute Chinese girl. We arrange to meet up for lunch. She shows up about twenty minutes late, so it’s a good thing I waited. I also end up being late to class by spending too much time at lunch.
Tuesday the 3rd of October
While getting lunch with my cluster-mates, I run into Maura Harrison studying. She is readily identifiable from behind by virtue of her raven-black hair and constant drinking of Diet Coke. We try to meet up for dinner but are stymied when she changes her schedule such that she has class then.
Wednesday the 4th of October
I meet up with Jessica (the Chinese girl) for lunch again and meet a couple other (Chinese) people that she’s met. Lost has pretty much the best plot twist ever on it. I complete my first ever computer program during the commercial breaks.
Thursday the 5th of October
I take a guess at Amber’s email address and it works, putting us into contact for the first time in about a month. I write out the bulk of this piece while compiling music for the I Really Miss You Mix Tape. This tape will be the saddest thing ever, like an anti-tank missile made out of pure sorrow.
Friday the 6th of October
I discover that I am the king (or at least prince) of Ravnica draft. At approximately 1:00 in the morning, I post this.
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