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Another Saturday, another convention. This time, it’s Anime Los Angeles, and it’s the second day. This is only my second anime-focused convention, and it’s certainly larger than the first I attended a couple weeks ago.

The main things noticeably different, to me, than a more general or even comic convention is that the vast majority of cosplays making their prescence known are anime-related, and there seems to be a higher percent (just guestimating that) of cosplay overall. A very colorful couple days this is so far.

I’m also making progress in my solo legendary playthrough of Halo 5: Guardians. I’m discovering that I don’t play as badly as I used to, and my “carry” through co-op legendary can soon be forgotten. Finding hidden weapons caches can help as well as careful coaxing of A.I. teammates to either handle threats, or become fodder (sorry) can help speed things along; against The Warden especially.

I was hoping for some writing inspirarion after almost 2 days without a post. Nothing caught my eye this time, so there you go!

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Politics bore me. There, I said it. It’s not that I find them unimportant, because I know that very often, there’s matters at stake that affect me or people I care about. It’s just that, far too often, basic logic and critical thinking are less valued by the loud voices, which I quickly tune out.

Kind of sad, isn’t it?

That’s not to say I don’t participate. I do, but it feels pointless to get too rhetorical when thinking about issue. I figure, think about a relevant situation that needs a decision, and based a decision on factual information at hand, or a realistic hypothetical situation, and make a choice. If I have an opinion, I do try my best to make it known, when an opportunity presents itself, officially.

I think that’s why politics does not interest me. Much. I pay attention when something big, or local is up. I don’t need convincing to know that actions matter, and also that considered, informed action is more effective. I still can’t believe there are people who participate nearly “blind”, without any critical thought put in. I don’t want to do that, but I definitely don’t find debating fun. This will probably be a very rare type of post for me, but I feel like it’s an important exercise, especially as it’s an election year.

This will also be the most I say about my leanings, anywhere, so apologies in advance for no comments accepted on this post. I might read linked posts, however.

( YAWN )
What bores you?

via ( YAWN ) | The Daily Post.

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yoda-do-or-do-not

Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.
-Yoda

This memorable quote, spoken by Yoda, while training Luke on Dagobah, is one I like and love saying. It’s part of the lore of Star Wars, but it sticks, I think, because it’s true in a lot of things, not just as it applies in using the powers of The Force.

What’s cool about it is that it wraps up a key concept of use of the force – mind over matter. A carefully focused Jedi can move nearly any object, of any size. Luke didn’t quite grasp that, even though he, at the time, had been able to move multiple small objects – no small task, that takes a lot of training. At this point, he’s acquired a need to move a large object, his own ship, since it’s sunken into a nearby bog (Dagobah’s a swamp planet.) Luke doesn’t believe it can be moved by anyone, simply due to its size. This quote stems from Yoda’s “pep talk.”

It’s my favorite because any large task can be simplified in order to take it on, and many seemingly amazing and large feats can be worked up to, with careful training. If you can actually see something being accomplishable in your mind, it gets you that much closer to achieving it yourself. I apply that myself most concretely when I perform, coincidentally, as a Jedi, in a Star Wars fan group I’m in. Before a show in front of an audience, or even a rehearsal, I see my part unfolding in my head, playing it over and over, sometimes miming the motions. That way, the performance just becomes another replay of that, only in real-time.

Check out the quote in context at the Star Wars databank.

I’m a member of Saber Guild, performing as a Jedi knight currently, but working on an additional character in the Star Wars universe. And yes, it is as fun as it looks.

Do you have a favorite quote that you return to again and again? What is it, and why does it move you?

Quote Me | The Daily Post

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Today’s the day. A classic sci-fi series, The X-Files, makes its return to television, with a small set of episodes. Not a full season, but I’m sure the bigwigs want to gauge fan interest.

I’m sure they’ll find out the fans are still out there. 🙂

I have been a fan of the show since it first aired, although I do have some gaps, some episodes I didn’t see during the initial run. The X-Files was one of the first shows I can remember where I knew fans that would gather, weekly to watch it together, have small parties. They explained to me that fans of the show are X-Philes.

I got a kick out of that. It wasn’t until the new interest in Doctor Who that I realized there were other fans of other shows doing nearly the same thing. I’m still not quite sure if I’ll do that yet, but I have seen a few episodes of Doctor Who with other fans. It’s a fun experience, to be sure, so if I get an invite, I’m leaning towards going.

While I certainly wouldn’t claim it as the best episode, my favorite was José Chung’s From Outer Space. It’s nearly a parody, while also still fitting in with the show’s plot. There’s even the traditional men in black and menacing aliens in it. It was one of the more “stylized” episodes, and features Jesse Ventura and Alex Trebek. The episodes that were produced in a different style were some really fun ones.

Here’s to hoping the NFC Championship game goes relatively quickly tonight!

I want to believe.

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(Note: I have misplaced the source of this prompt. I did not create the prompt, but I did feel like responding to it enough to save it.)

Imagine that since the first day of college, you’ve had a serious crush on someone who has just begun to reciprocate your romantic interest. After class last week, she invited you to a party and you finally felt confident enough to ask her out on a date. You decided to go to the party and had a blast…at least at first. After spending the entire night casually brushing up against one another and exchanging flirty glances, you snuck outside with her to talk. Just as you were about to ask her to join you for dinner next weekend, another man whispered something in her ear. When you asked her what he said, she disclosed that he said you were a player. Soon after, she started giving you the cold shoulder so you decided to leave. On your way to your car, you walked past the guy who called you a player. What would your response have been if this actually happened to you? Would you have taken revenge? If so, how?

My first reaction would be “wow, after all that, after my long crush or her, she believed this guy, despite the evidence to the contrary.” After that shock, I’d remind myself that since I’m not a player, that he probably is, and that if he’s got to resort to this tactic, and it worked, he’s worse off than I am. I’d also be sad that my crush got the very type of guy she thinks she’s avoiding.

I believe that if it was meant to be, it was meant to be. My crush would have ignored that guy because I would have already, by this point, demonstrated, through clear action and attitude, that my feelings were sincere, and more that the calculated approach of a “player”, which is not something I know how to be. Either she’s got the confidence to believe in me and give me a chance, or not.

If I also believed this other guy was a player himself, then the best revenge, if any, would be to move on, eventually get over the sting of that sudden setback, and find another person that will not be so easily manipulated and ultimately to be happy when that works out. There’s not a good reason to directly work to get revenge on the guy and that would only reflect badly on my part, so I just could not stoop to such a level.

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My voice, it sounds so unnatural when I hear a recording of it. It sounds like it came from a completely different person that the one I hear when saying things out loud. I can totally sympathize with anyone that, lacking training, feels like they don’t like the sound of their own voice being played back.

I don’t feel so bad about seeing a video recording of myself, however.

What do you find more unbearable: watching a video of yourself, or listening to a recording of your voice? Why?

Can’t Stand Me | The Daily Post