Saturday, November 4, 2006

Sleepy Saturday Dragon

After I post this, I'm putting in my earplugs and going to bed, I'm way too tired right now. Comments: Yensid: I've got me a set of earplugs rated at 33dB, they help, and coupled with a good pair of headphones playing something soothing like Anime music and the noise goes away for the most part. I'm a nightowl of habit mostly, if I could get into a regular pattern I'd be all right, but this isn't the way to go about it. I'm trying to work on them when I get the chance after the roofers head home for the day, they're not supposed to take too much longer either which will be a help. I'll do what I can and go from there. There is also those Chinese balls that you can get some places (the store that sold them near me closed before I could get me a set), but the stress ball is probably a better bet. You might actually find them in the sporting goods section of mass merchandisers (Wal-Mart, K-Mart Target etc.) near the dumbbells (not referring to the store staff) and other weight equipment. I'll try, and you too. Outlaw Melfina: Never had the displeasure of a long commute to school or work so I can't speak on that, but I know coming home after a day at school was always tiring for me. I have a fierce temper that shows itself once in a while, but usually it comes out quicker when I'm tired. I guess not sleeping shortens the fuse to near instant temper explosion point for me. sikaurai Your words remind me of a study I was told about in Psychology, and of some news reports My sister brings up once in a while. A person can go insane if they go without sleep for as little as nine days. People have also died of exhaustion after slightly more than 24 hours of playing video games straight (how does a console last that long?), so rest, particulaly sleep is very important, and you can bet I'll be making myself get some before it gets bad for me. The roofers aren't supposed to take too much longer, I hope they'll get everything done in the next day or so, that would be really nice, becuase they seem to have saved the worst part, the spot over my head, for last. The end will justify the means, but I guarantee it'll not rain for a long time after the roof is fixed since it's being fixed to stop the leaks. Life is funny that way. alphonse13: The lack of sleep affecting one's mood seems to be a universal one, maybe psychologists should study that aspect of sleep deprivation. Yahoo! is smart about some things, but really stupid about others, their messenger hasn't been right since version 7.0, their e-mail system really reaks in terms of misdirected e-mails (I get e-mail on a daily basis that's not even to my Yahoo! ID at all), and some of their other site features royally suck anymore. I use Geocities because it's there, it's free, and I don't have to set up another user account for it. My grandfather was a railroad engineer, he ran the rails through NJ and PA hauling freight. The worst injuries I ever had in my life were both self inflicted, and I never went to the hospital for them. I had a 24" TV fall on me, hit me square in the chest, and I took my bike handlebars right in the chest before I went over them and landed on my backside. That was a couple years after the TV. I think I was three or four when the TV thing happened, so I would have been eight or nine when the bike handlebar thing happened. Mamma Vash: I haven't gone back through your archives yet to get the whole story, but I remember skimming something about a water heater, that's tragic. I hope you get things all straightened out and settled down soon too. Given the choice of getting some sleep, or insanity or death, I think I'll choose getting some sleep. If I have to haul my sleeping back out and use the living room floor for day or two, I'll do it to get the rest I need. The past week for me is a bit of a blur from overstimulus, the noise, the lack of sleep, and the sugar all at once isn't doing me much good. If those studies and news reports are accurate, then I really need to take a proactive approach and make myself rest. This weekend won't be quiet, the roof isn't finished yet, so another day or two of banging and all the other noises that I'm not sure I want to know what they are, and hopefully they'll be done everything, and it will be done right. kout3uka My lack of sleep thing will change soon enough, I'll see to that. What are the top few causes for humanity's unhappiness? You came to the right person for the answer to that question. Oh, you might want to make a special note of how hard I'm laughing right now, I'm LOL, ROFL, LMAO, and all the other netspeak shorthand for various degrees of laughing, all at the same time. I'll have to pull out a new section header for this one. Keep on reading, my anwer is right below. Flashpoint: An Editorial on Steroids (Don't Try This at Home, Kids) What is the cause, or are the causes, of humanity's unhappiness today? What do you think? Those are what I call "loaded" questions. Because the topics are highly flammable in terms of debate and opinion, they can generate some rather aggressive and indeed provocational answers. Because they are hot button related, it requires a lot of thought to give a full answer. The best way to start to answer, is to categorize the most promminent responses that come to mind: Politics Self-Righteous Arrogance Economy Job Security After catergorizing the most prominent causes, the details can be fleshed out. Lets's take the list from the top. Politics Why is the political landscape a cause of humanity's unhappiness? We've gone back to the days of McCarthyism, only now, people who disagree with the government aren't branded "communists" but "enemy combattants" or "terroists" without just cause. We have a spoiled, rich, oil industry, brat in our oval office who's fully armed temper tantrums and fulfillment of family vendettas are majorly dividing the people, and hurting the morale, of this country. We have local politicians who won't lift a finger to assist their constituents with real issues as well, they're too busy couting their under the table incentives to vote big business into power over the little guys. Self-Righteous Arrogance Since September 11th, 2001, Americans have been increasingly rude to each other, and to our allies across the big ponds both east and west. The prevailing attitude seems to be the misconception that America was attacked that day, and we have the right to be rude. The rudeness makes itself most prevalent between those people desecrating the flag with those magnetic flag "ribbons" plastered to their cars, and the people who don't have them. The assumption of Americans seems to be that if you don't support the war, or don't have a flag glued to everything you own, you're not being patriotic, so you don't deserve the courtesy of respect. It is not patriotism to blindly follow a misguided leader barefoot into Hell, it is true patriotism to stand up for what you believe, even if no one else stands with you. For the record, I do not support the war, but having had two uncles, my father, my grandfather, many of my cousins, and a friend of my sister's serve in the military (Notably WWII, Vietnam, and Desert Storm[the first Persian Gulf War back in 1990]), I can say that I do respect the soldiers for what they are doing. Economy This one is self-explanatory, but I'll explain it anyway. The news is talking about Price Wars for the holiday season already, shoppers didn't spend as much in October as stores would have liked. EVen new cars aren't selling as much as they could be. What does that tell any half intelligent person? It says these numbers, figures and projections my government is giving me are a bunch of crap. Every time I hear a politician say the economy is great, I think of all the stores Ames, Big Bear, Moore's Micheal's to name a few, that either went bankrupt, or closed their franchises here where I am. If the economy is doing so hot, why is it factories are shutting down? Why are people being put out of work, why are people spending less money on frivilous things? Sounds to me like the economy isn't doing as good as certain people would like us to be deluded into believing. Job Security Following on the heals of a bad economy, people's jobs being taken from them after years of devoted service, or people like me who've been out of work, but trying desperately to get a job, are another major issue in the United States. People who don't work can't spend money, and that keeps the economy down too. Employers are getting too anal in their screening processes, wanting to pay minimun wage for more experienced labor, or not wanting to take the time to train a new person properly. Minimum wage hasn't been increased in over nine years (September 1, 1997 $5.15 per hour was established) but the cost of living sure hasn't remained steady. All the inhibitors in the job market, all those knit-pick details that employers want it their employees are basically shopping good workers out of the market. In a nutshell, those four things are what I think are the biggest causes of humanity's unhappiness right now. ATTENTION ALL READERS: This Flashpoint is for Kout3uka, any comments or remarks regarding the content of this feature by any other users will be ignored. This was not written for general discussion. Anime Dreams!

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Friday, November 3, 2006

A Tired, Annoyed, and Very Grumpy Dragon

All of my creative projects are on hold for now. Why is that? Well, it's because I can't think straight. I realize the roof needs to be fixed, but I hate noise, especially noise that keeps me awake. I already keep odd hours as it is, I don't need help staying up when I'd normally be sleeping. When I can have a moment's peace to focus on the projects I'm working, I'l be able to get them done. Basically, when I'm overtired from not getting enough sleep, I get a little cranky, okay, I'm a vicious little hellion when I'm overtired. If I make a comment to anyone's site, or in general that seems like I'm being spitefully mean, this is the advance apology for it, stress and lack of sleep do make me grumpy. Comments: Magnus Lensherr The house I live in was built in 1904, so it's 102 years old. If the most important leaks get fixed, that'll be enough for me, and the family too. It rains as much inside as it does outside in two rooms on the second floor (The house has three floors, but the leaks miss the third floor, long story, I'd have to show you pics of the house and that's not something I do, no home pickies posted online). I used to have a freewebs account, but I think I lost my log in info for that one a while ago, or I may have given that one up because of something I didn't like. The pagebuilder that Yahoo! has is terrible, it doesn't work very well on a technical level, and the code it generates is nowhere near standards compliant. You're better off doing up your page then uploading it to the site when it's done. I don't know a lot of the new HTML and XHTML stuff, but I found an editor that should let me create a semi-decent page without needing to know every little thing about the newer HTML standards. I'm even working on the CSS sheet to keep the whole site looking the same. I think the best way to go for anyone anymore is to find an editor that does most of the complicated work for you, the standards are just way to difficult for most people to grasp completely. That's what copy and paste are for, I use that for everything. As I understand it, It has ties to a family respecting ones own departed relations. The whole thing with the sugar skulls painted with bright colors and all goes back a ways to the ancestors who used it as a way of poking fun at the dead, you know, kind of saying "I'm not afraid of no ghost" type thing. That's about all I know of the holiday, more research would be needed. In some people's eyes he is important, but my favorite Batman character believe it or not is the Joker. The guy was a clown with green hair obsessed with making people smile and laugh (in the animated series anyway) what's not to like about that? The Riddler is my other favorite villain. beyblader The leak actually got our downstairs TV, yep somehow the leak is actually coming down two floors and dripping on the first floor when it rains really heavy. Luckily the TV wasn't damaged, and we cover it with a plastic sheet every time it rains now, just to be safe. My Mom's room right above where the TV was attacked is the worst now, the rain drips in like there's no roof or ceiling at all. She's got buckets lined up everywhere to catch all the drips. Hopefully it'll all be repaired soon, the contractors are fixing the leak in the back of the house first (Over my sister's bedroom), then they'll get to the one in the front which happens to be above my bedroom (It misses my room because of the way the house is shaped). I'm not sure what you're referring to on the spelling, I know I have a nasty habit of posting without proofreading some, well, most of the time. That's a feature that'll have to be suggested to Adam, a spelling checker for comments and blog entries, though it would have to be smart enough to recognize Romaji Japanese, and to ignore HTML, CSS, and javascript code. Maybe that's too much to ask for, but it's a thought. Actually the site will have more than just updated HTML. The site will hopefully have some functional elements (maybe a decent navigation menu if I can make one) as well as an updated look, and cleaner, more current source coding. I have a rush job splash page up for now, but a lot of the information on that page is outdated in terms of what I'll be making the focus of the site (which will include that offline writing project that I keep going on about). I just put it up to keep my site alive while I took the time to learn newer code, or find a program that would let me generate such current code. When I get done, I'll have a virtual ribbon cutting right here on MyO, and maybe I'll even draw up a good luck pic for it too. Yensid: I take advantage of the onsite tools provided here at MyO, so all you have to do is look in the obvious places to find things. The link is over in the sidebar menu under the "Contact Me" section below my e-mail (If it isn't I need to know because MyO is broken). The page that's up now is an outdated placeholder basically, so it's not very impressive to look at. I will try to stay up tonight and tomorrow to get the core CSS for the whole site done, they say it's easier to do one CSS for the whole site, and the new index page so I can have that page up as soon as possible. I already know I want to have a really nice, professional looking, index page so that I can maybe use the web to promote myself to employers. I want a page with links to the programs I always brag about on here, like Pixia, Irfanview, Spybot and AVG free edition, I do want to make an area of my site focus on my artistic style and works for both personal and professional reasons, and I want to feature my writing style and some projects on my site as well, also for both personal and professional reasons. I might even go into my paranormal investigation hobby on there as well. For me, I didn't start my Geocities website to separate my personal and professional online lives, it was just a hobby back then, but now I'm seeing the benefit of using the web to sell one's self to prospecting employers. It's an untapped resource for me to explore. I still have to learn the subtleties of the programs I found to help me, so I'll be trying and failing a whole lot before I get things to work and look the way I want them to, but that's just part of the process, figuring out how to use the tools you get, or find, to get what you want out of the internet. As previously stated, I'll have a public ribbon cutting right here on MyO to announce the revamped personal/professional website. You do what you can, and if I may make another suggestion, my dad recently did a number on his wrist, cracked the bone and couldn't really grip anything or move the wrist much, but he tried using a rubber stress ball that I had for when I overworked my wrist using the mouse on the computer (one of theose balls you squeeze the life out of when you're mad at something). It actually got his grip back in a couple days of using it for an hour. It's something you might want to try, or ask your doctor about, maybe exercising the wrists like that will help them. I'll caution you that I'm not a medical expert, so take my advice with a grain of salt. I certainly hope they get the job done, and done right so there won't be any worries. They would be closer to being done if it hadn't rained yesterday. sikaurai Over in the sidebar menu there's a "Contact Me" section. Mine just has E-Mail, and Web Site. I do have my link up there, but as I've said in previous comments, it'll take you to my outdated splash/placeholder page till I get the new one up. That page isn't really impressive right now, but there's no harm in looking at it I guess. Renting isn't always a good thing. My sister's friend is renting an apartment, and his landlord is trying to screw him over because of a stupid refrigerator, which the landlord is obligated by West Virginia law to provide, no guff, no squalk(He's trying to bill my sister's friend for it in "creative" which means illegal, ways). Unfortunately, I can't afford a place of my own right now, I'm 25 and I still live with my parents because I can't get a job to own or rent my own place. If I had my own place, I could probably take care of basic things, but I draw the line at climbing up three stories to fix a roof, I don't do heights, ladders, and 50+ lbs of shingles and other building materials at the same time. I'll have a good day till the bang bang bang starts over my head again, then I'll be campng out down here on the computer watching the stuff on Toonami Jetstream. alphonse13: Since it's part of Yahoo! I figure why not try it rather than create a whole new account somewhere else. If I need something Yahoo! doesn offer, then I'll take my site somewhere else. Well, my family isn't that daring. My Dad's in his 80's and working on recovering his wrist from an injury earlier this year, I'm 25 and scared to death of heights so we couldn't do it ourselves this time. My dad was up on the roof a couple years ago and got vertigo himself (that's why the first repair job was never really finished), so having professionals take care of the roof is a smart choice, and I for one feel better about that. I'm not sure how it's going to be paid for, but since I'm the only person at home who doesn't work, I guess that's not a worry for me. Shireishou The link is over in my sidebar (Contact Me, below e-mail link), but that splash/placeholder page is out of date. I probably should make a new placeholder page while I work on my new home page, so that it reflects my current direction for the site. Anime Dreams!

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Thursday, November 2, 2006

Once Begun isHalf Done, Again

I know I've used it before, but the title fits today. I finally took a look at my web site, not my blog here, my Geocities web site, and I've begun the process of completely revamping the whole thing. I'm going to make it standards compliant as much as I can, and I'm gong to try to give it a more uniform look for all of it's pages. I have a couple things planned for my web site, a neat, eyecatching, but simple index page, a links page for all those programs and sites I mention constantly here (Pixia, Irfanview, etc), a more thorough and in depth photos page, and a few other things that I'll be putting together later on. Part of the roof leak is also being worked on, so hopefully the rain will hold off and let them get to the worst parts (there are more than one leaky spots apparantly). I'm relieved that a professional was called in for this one. The thought of being three stories up on a ladder didn't exactly thrill me. oh well, that's one more thing being fixed, now to get to the other bazillion things that need repair around the house, money permitting of course. I've rotated my quizes and put a couple up today, I'll probably drop it back down to one in the next few days. All of the features results I have up are ones I had to recode to get cleaner, easier to read code for me. Now I just have to get on that glitching result in my Quiz Manager and have it removed. Comments: Shireishou I'll have to take your word for that on the picture, I'm not familiar with the series. I just like Dia de los Muertos as a name, I really don't know a whoel lot about the holiday. If I remember right, it's like a blend of Memorial Day and Halloween. Juz Cuz: I may not know a whole lot about Spanish, but I can tell you the literal translation of the phrase is "day of the dead" or something very close to that. The picture is all right, I wish I'd thought of it sooner so I could have put more effort into it. alphonse13: I hear that, it's a cools holiday name, I think that's why I brought it up. Same here though, just another day for me. sikaurai I wasn't aware of the actual date until I looked it up. I should know more about it considering I lived in Texas for a while and knew a few hispanic people myself. If the infomation I found is correct, it's actually two days, Nov 1 and 2, which is kind of like Halloween used to be with Mischief Night for those who remember what that was. Magnus Lensherr I did say I would feature it, and I got it up after I recoded it to look cleaner on site here. I'm actually proud of that result too, of all the American comics, the Batman is my favorite character, he's probably one of the most believable hero figures in that he's just a human with no super powers. Actually Dia de los Muertos is more a of a celebration. If I recall my facts correctly, in Mexico they do things like cleaning up cemetaries, and decorating their family's tombstones with flowers, food, and things like skulls made of sugar. It may sound much more evil that out Halloween, but I don't think it actually is. I assume you're referring to my dragon self's rather crude outfit. He'll get a better one next year, I'll be planning ahead for it so I can do myself some justice for a change. I do have to point out that no one seems to have hazarded a guess as to what he's actually wearing. Anime Dreams!

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Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Tomorrow: Dia De Los Muertos

Tomorrow is "The day of the Dead" a Mexican holiday that's on the lines of Halloween, but not quite the same. Some people call tomorrow "All Saints Day" as well. Whatever you choose to call it, have a good one, even if it's just another manic Wednesday. Comments: Magnus Lensherr Well, it didn't turn out like I wanted it to, but I'm showing it anyway. Thanks for the wish of luck. Breakfast Squid On the Quiz: Really? That's interesting to know. I do want to recode the result to claen it up a little bit though. On the picture, you'll have to see it for yourself to decide, it's just a silly idea that popped into my head, and not done very well either. sikaurai Just scroll down to the bottom of the post (I'm too lazy to make an anchor for it today) and you'll see it. I even put a description with it. Shireishou That's quite all right, you can't be faulted for technical troubles, you get on when you can. Tenshihoshino I would have liked to have more time, but I kind of waited till the last minute to do the pic, that's why it looks very crudely drawn. Just scroll down a bit and you'll see it. Anime Dreams! Back to comments. My Dragon Self, in Costume I chose not to submit this one here on MyO because it's, well, it's very badly done. I kind of rushed through the whole thing just to get the idea down, and I wanted to have it up for Halloween. For those of you who don't get the humor of the image, let me explain. My dragon self asked for a costume this Halloween, and I guess he was expecting something a little different that what he got (He was saying something about the Phantom of the Opera, and he's more than a little miffed at the "human" me right now). I've never actually cosplayed at all, I don't get conventions near enough to me to make it worth the effort to even think about serious cosplay. I also wanted to present an absolute absurdity with myself at the heart, so I reached a little further back to one of my early cartoon experiences to come up with what I thought was a winner in terms of silliness. Expect to see my dragon self show up more often in the future, he'll look a lot better as I refine and practice my style more and more. He'll also find his way to the submissions page once in a while too. Image hosted by Photobucket

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Sunday, October 29, 2006

Crunch Time.

I had an idea for a project to draw, inspired by one of whtdragon's pieces, I hope I can get it done and up soon. Other than that, not a lot going on. Comments: sikaurai It is a shame that the show is degrading that way, it was a great show. There was one episode I saw last season that convinced me Jason is deliberately fudging some of those investigations. His choice down in FL to leave the thermal camera at the bottom of the lighthouse steps pointing straight up, when any other time he whould have carried the camera with him is what I'm referring to. Sure enough on their regular camera they caught a "shadow" peaking over the rail above them, but nothing showed up on the thermal because it was well out of range. The people that Jason and the other guy, Grant I think his name is, have working with them do still have open minds about things, which is nice. I think if the head guys put the right pressure on their subordinates to deny real evidence is real, one or more of them will be branching out on their own. It may be creepy to look at, and there's a lot of history there, but it is a wonderful place to visit. EVen though it parallels US Route 50 pretty closely, you barly hear the road traffic at all, it's amazing. kout3uka I like the pictures too, they did come out great. The thing to consider with the tunnel size is that trail is on an old railroad bed. Those tunnels were built for trains so they're going to be big. I just wish there were easier access to tunnel #10, it's a tunnel cut right out of the rock, amazing to look at, and kind of creepy to be inside. Well, the blend for me is too bold (courage, me?) and a little sweet (Too much joy, I'm not at all a happy camper about lots of things) for my liking, but that's what came up. Just about the only thing I think it got right was the salted rim, people's first impressions of me are usually relating the the gritty strong saltiness that I leave them with, few take the time to go deeper into the mix. I'd describe myself as more a of citrus drink, with lots of lime. Breakfast Squid It's hard to appreciate the depth of how serene it is out there until you're on the trail yourself. As I said earlier, you can't even hear the main road that's only a stone's throw away. I'm getting better with that camera, but I'd like to have a point and shoot digital camera to work with instead. My current camera absolutely has to have a tripod to take high res shots so it's cumbersome to carry the camera and the tripod to take pictures on the hikes. The grafitti was a pleasant surprise for me and my Mom when we noticed it (funny we didn't see it the first time we were there but it's dated for April). That kind of thing is good for me to see because it tells me I'm not the only one one in West Virginia suffering from lack of access to good content for my hobby. At least the artwork is nicely done. alphonse13: I may not like the people here in West Virginia, but there is a lot of beautiful places to look at, that's for sure. One of these days I'm going to get to the New River Gorge Bridge, the one people jump off of once a year (had our third fatatilty in 20 some years this year, base jumper's chute didn't deploy, not a pleasant way to go considering what's below). I just want to get a picture of the gorge from the bridge if I can, if not, the bridge itself will make a great photo. About Point Pleasant, they really botched that whole thing up. I can find the report that was written up about the Silver Bridge collapse, it states that everything but the road decking was removed from the water for investigation purposes. Now there are a couple cars that were never found, but they'd either be completely buried in mud from the investigation efforts back in 1967, or from the 40 years of time, or they'll have been moved by the river currents further down. No one will ever know for sure. They really didn't cover the mothman too much, they left out significant details, and got into too much of the other activity without focusing on the Mothman itself. they really should have read John Keel's book, not watched the movie, they would have had a better investigation in doing that. Anime Dreams!

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Friday, October 27, 2006

It's Friday!

I finally got some of the better shots up. For your amusement or mine, I did a couple of perspective shots on this trek, just to give you an idea how big some of the features on the North Bend Rail Trail are. I stand six feet tall, so as you can see from the pic to your right there, I'm a very small, freaky looking litte haunt for Tunnel #12. I figure that the tunnel is around 22-24 feet tall at the center of the arch, given my size in the shot there, and considering I'm about two feet in from the very entrnce to the tunnel. The other pictures for your viewing pleasure are at the end of this post. In IE you'll get the tool tip alt tags if you hover the mouse over each shot, I'm told Firefox doesn't do that(never tested it myself) so you won't get to see my witty image remarks. I got a couple shots of the fall leaves which were really nice, and I shot some other things that are entertaining and amusing. Anything that's confusing, just ask I'll tell you as much as I can about it. I'm amazed that the shots came out as well as they did considering both mine and my Mom's fingers were so cold from the wind chilled air and all (the shots with me in them were taken by my Mom, she's learning to use the camera so I'm not the only one who'll be taking pictures on trips like that). Every time I go out there, I enjoy the quiet and solitude, it's a wonderful place to sit, relax and lose yourself for a time. I think my meditation efforts were helped out by going on the trip and taking the pictures I did. I do want to clarify something from my rant the other day. I didn't like Sci-Fi Investigates, I recommend people turn that show off, the investigators don't know what they're doing. But the Ghost Hunters did all right with Moundsville Pen, I'm just losing my patience with the show's suddenly intense "debunk everything" attitude that picked up in last season. When they started, at least the early episodes I watched, the attitude was more "gather information and make an educated determination based on what we get" than it is now. While I'm all for a scientific approach to paranormal investigating, no investigator in the world can do an adequate job if his bias closes his mind. I'll keep my eye on the show, but if the trend of "this isn't real" for potential evidence continues, then that'll be another program on my "good shows gone bad" list. The guys running TAPS admit to having paranormal experiences, you'd think they'd be more open to the possibility that other people experience things like that too. Comments: sikaurai Well, I'm kicking myself for watching it. No you didn't miss much except a couple nice pictures of the mothman statue they have down there, the Lowes Hotel, the rivers (Ohio and Kanawha), and the town itself. They at least got some nice visuals of their setting. Having been to Moundsville Pen before, I know first hand what it's like to come up the road and see that building. It's like a castle sitting there across from the mound. I should try to get up there and get some pictures of the prison, probably would have to wait till spring, Route 2 can be a real pain in the winter with ice and snow and all. an interesating point of fact though, to get to either Moundsville or Point Pleasant, which are nowhere near each other, you have to take State Route 2. I do try to describe things as I see them, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Breakfast Squid It sounds to me like your time was much better spent. I recommend the book The Mothman Prophesies by John Keel if you want a better snapshot into the phenomenon that went on down there. The book which was written in the 70s, not long after that stuff went down in Point Pleasant. I'll point out that John Keel was investigating the stuff real-time. He was there in Point Pleasant when it was happening in 1966-67 he had some experiences himself which he covers in the book. It sounded interesting to me too, that's why I was so mad that it turned out so poorly made. Any real investigative journalist knows you don't cite a movie as a source of fact which is what those clowns were doing. Every time they'd get the real facts from a resident down there you'd always hear in the voiceover narration "but the movie showed it this way" or words to that effect. Hell, give me a camera, a couple thousand dollars, and a couple days and I'll make you an hour long special that's better that what Sci-Fi showed. Sci-Fi Investigates should be taken off the air if they don't want to do the investigations right. KyuubiKhaos I don't think the "investgators" knew what they were doing in this case, that whole phenomenon requires a special type of investigative style. I've seen better coverage of the Mothman on TV before, but the John Keel book remains my suggestion for best evidence of everything that went down in that little West Virginia town 40 years ago. Aside from that bad Mothman show, things are okay for me. alphonse13: They kept laboring the lights in the sky which were unrelated to Mothman. That TNT area is a lot different now than it used to be too. They never once mentioned that neither the north nor south power plants are still standing, both buildings fell down long ago (I think the North Power plant, where the Mothman was seen in the sixties went down in the late 1990s). Nor did them mention that there are tunnels under that whole area going back to the days that was a weapons facility. You find a lot of that stuff out by reading the book. They also didn't mention that some of those igloos are pribvately owned, which means it's considered tresspassing to go out to those ones. Those so called investigators also did one thing which damaged their credibility early on and the worst possible thing for an investigator to do, they used the movie The Mothman Prophesies as their primary source of information. You can't say a person who was actually there and saw the Mothman has questionable credibility because their accounts don't match up with the Hollywood fantasy facts from a piece of garbage movie. Tunnel #19 has a story about a woman in white, and Tunnel #13, though there are no stories, does have the history of a train crash off the Bond's Creek Bridge (see picture below) so there's bound to be some activity there too. I've not taken my DVR through Tunnel #13 yet, but the next time I get out there I'll do that instead of taking pictures (It's hard to do both). I may not get out there again till spring since the road out to North Bend State Park, where I get to the tunnel from an access trail, is very much a country road and would be disasterous to get caught out on in the winter, there's no Cell signal out there at all. Pictures! Trail Pictures Images in this table hosted by Photobucket Back to comments. Anime Dreams!

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Thursday, October 26, 2006

Overhyped and Underwhelmed

Give me another day or so on the pictures, I'm wiped out from being up all day so I don't really feel like getting them up for you to see tonight, sorry. Right now I'm sorry I mentioned that special on the Mothman, that so-called investigation was nothing but complete garbage. The show looked like it was a bunch of amateurs making home movies of a prank mockumentary. They based their entire investigation on the twisted and perverted Hollywood "facts" of the movie The Mothman Prophesies, but NOT ONCE did them mention John Keel's book of the same name, from which the movie was based. The book contains a lot of the evidence those whiny wannabes complained about not having at their fingertips. All they had to do was read the end credits to the trash film and find a copy of the book, in Point Pleasant, I guarantee you'll find a copy easily. Also a point of fact, the investigation process into the Silver Bridge collapse had the entire structure of the bridge removed from the water, except for the road decking which had crumbled to nothing. Considering forty years of moving water, a couple floods and all, the cars that were never retrieved are probably down rivir near the next lock and dam rather than sitting there where Silver Bridge used to be. so their logic was flawed in the attempt to search murky green-brown (that water color was very real) for forty year old physical evidence, it just ain't going to be there, any idiot would know that. Needless to say, if you watched that special, you got an hour of complete trash. It's been so long since I took the tour of Moundsville myself, I don't remember all the detailed accounts of prison horror stories. Those investigators did a good job, but they didn't go out into the yard where the old execution chamber was. That yard with the rusted fence and razor wire at the top, that was on the site of the execution chamber. They also could have looked at the electric chair in the musium part of the Prison, would have been interesting to see if they got EMF spikes near the chair which hasn't seen electric current in years. The reaction they had upon seeing the place, that was accurate though, you come upon it and it like leaps out of nowhere at you. The creepiest thing about Moundsville Prison, is that when you're in the yard, you don't hear anything from the outside world, no birds, no cars, no trucks, nothing, it's like you're in an isolation chamber, and all you hear is your own breathing when the guide isn't talking. I'm a bit disappointed with their findings, but they didn't really do the building as thorough as they could have. Comments: Angel Slayer That's great news, it means you should be getting better. I can't afford an ice storm, too much needs to get done. mysterious rei It usually takes a promo for something that interests me to get my attention, that's how I found Ghost Hunters, and Mythbusters (Discovery Channel), both shows I like. Other wise I stick with my regulars. sikaurai I don't have that patience either, that's why I give up on keeping up with a show if it doesnt' stay in the same slot. The trail photos will be delayed again, I'm too tired to really get them up right now. Breakfast Squid Even if you're not into the Paranormal, watching a show like that will give you a great insider tour of a wonderful historic place. Moundsville Prison has been there since the late 1800s, it's got quite a history to it. The pics will be up another day, but they will be up. That Mothman thing was a complete waste. As I stated before, they based their investigation on Hollywood fantasy, not reality. I don't trust the show Sci-Fi investigated because they grossly overlooked a lot of evidence that was right under their noses. Crypto-Zoology is the study of creatures which modern science doesn't recognize yet. Anything on the same vein would fall into that category, Nessy, Champ, Sasquatch, Mothman, they're all creatures that science says doesn't exist, but they're out there somewhere. kout3uka It was horribly worse than the movie, but I ranted on them using the movie as their primary basis for the investigation already. The photos will be up tomorrow hopefully, and the drawings, well they'll come up in little bits at random as I decide which ones I like and submit them for posting. Anime Dreams!

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Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Here Goes

I took some pictures out near the tunnels again, but I don't have them up yet so I'll show them off another day. All in all, I've been doing well and I'm still working on my art and writing project. So you don't forget, tonight on Sci-Fi the Ghost Hunters will be featuring Moundsville Prison, and afterward will be a Mothman special. Check local lsitings for time information. Comments: sikaurai There was a VERY BAD movie based on the book The Mothman Prophesies by John Keel recently, it may have been in relation to that. There's a lot going on down there that people don't like to talk about, or may have been ordered not to talk about. I recommend reading the John Keel book to get an idea of what went on in the time frame surrounding that whole thing leading up to the Silver Bridge collapse. I stopped trying to watch that show when they didn't air the repeats in the time slot they normally ran the show. I got tired of trying to find it on and not seeing it that I gave up and forgot about the whole thing till my sister told me Moundsville Prison was being done by them. I'll be getting back into watching it again too if they keep it on there, or at least tell me when they're running the repeats of it. I don't know how many shows I missed that I'd like to see. Mamma Vash: I've done some reading, I've done a little bit of tutorial work, and I've done some stuff on my own, it's going to take me a while, but I'm on the right foot now with my art, and heading the right direction. Moundsville prison is quite old, part of is was used as a set in an older movie, but I can't recall the name of the film. Moundsville is also home to one of the older Native American tribes' burial mounds. Not sure what you may have heard of, but it's a major point of history in the state, so it's no surprise that you may have heard of it. Mothman was further south, much furhter south, in Point Pleasant. mysterious rei Actually, so do I, but there are a few shows on other channels I watch. It's just another way for me to advert a little bit of West Virginia to the rest of you guys, even though the state as a whole hardly deserves the attention. Angel Slayer It's an okay show to watch, but I could do without the blatant skepticism from the host who's supposed to be unbiased as he investigates. It was chilly here, almost too cold to go out and get some pictures taken near the tunnels. Keep your back to the wind, wear a hat, and don't be out longer than necessary. Wind chills can be brutal. Been keeping up with my art and taking some more pictures, that's about it for me lately. Yensid: Please do, it's a great older prison, from the 1800s, and it's quite spectacular inside and out. It sits right across the street from a Native American burial mound (hence the town's name om Moundsville), I wonder if those guys will say anything about that. You get a great view, e3specially of the prison, from on top of that mound. I have an abrasive personality, and I don't like people pushing their views down my throat. Actually, I got the lighter to make a statement to my brother and sister-in-law, who's self serving attitudes make me sick. I had to do that for a while once, it takes a lot of practice, but I'm sure you'll get it. alphonse13: I didn't even know they werre running new episodes, I got tired of trying to find the shown and it not being on. My sister asked me to tape the Moundsville show for her because she works and wants to see it, my Mom does too and she works as well so I'm the one to do it for them. I'm glad they're rtunning shows again, its a good show even if they kind of damage their own credibility at times with some bad choices in setting up for their investigations. Breakfast Squid Even if you're not into the Paranormal, watching a show like that will give you a great insider tour of a wonderful historic place. Moundsville Prison has been there since the late 1800s, it's got quite a history to it. While some people will argue that "sea monsters" are paranormal because they "don't exist", I subscribe to the understanding that they fall under the auspices of crypto-zoology, like the Leeds Devils in New Jersay, Bigfoot (or Sasquatch) in the Pacific Northwest, Champy up in Lake Champion in Vermont I believe, and West Virginia's very own Mothman, not to mention Loch Ness, and other parts of the world too. The highland Gorillas of Africa were supposed to be myths, they didn't exist to Western science till one of those blow-hards actually one, the Coelacanth was supposed to extinct till fishermen began to find them in their nets in the past twenty or so years. There is a lot more out there than meets the eye. Thank you for the compliment. I'm surprised at my level of improvement too, but I still have a way to go yet. I have a couple things I'm working on right now, I'll decide when I see them finished if I'll post them or not. I also have my big projects due too, so I'm not going be slacking off for a while. Meditation, reading, and just experimenting all together make better pictures I guess. Anime Dreams!

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Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Time For Sleep

Too tired right now to say much, but I'm relaxed and will be back to regular posting again later this week. For those of you who get Sci-Fi and are interested in the paranormal, the Ghost Hunters will be investigating Moundsville Penitentiary Wednesday night (9:00PM Eastern Time) an old prison here in West Virginia. I've been on the tour there, quite a place. Also keep your eyes open for the Mothman special that will be following it. Comments: Shireishou All you can do is try, and work with what you get. Have a good time, and I hope the technical things get resolved so you can come on more regularly again. Magnus Lensherr Meditation is a discipline, like any martial art, sport, or even a performing art. If a person isn't strict about doing it, it will not be effective. Try starting out with simpler meditation exercises first, then work your way back up to more complex stuff. The general premise of meditation is to train your mind to think of nothing, it's not easy. It works for me when I need it, and it helps keep me moderately mellow. Thanks, I need all the luck I can get. Yensid: I have to keep myself in check since I'm unemployed and all. This week's major project is going to be the Cowboy Bebop Chibis I've been holdong off on doing for my sister, next weeks will be the other picture my sister asked me to do for her (I'm so behind). Those don't count the extra practice I'm putting in. I started to learn HTML in 2003 for two things, MyOtaku, and the Tech TV message boards, none of that was wasted, look at how far I've come as I've adapted some of the newer standards. That's my policy and I'm sticking to it. Since I don't have a car, I don't have any use for bumper stickers myself. I do have one political statement I make, but it's only to the people and politicians who try to push their views on me, which doesn't happen often. I just take out my lighter (I don't smoke, but I carry a lighter anyway, force of habit) and let them read it. It says: "I'm trying to see things from your point of view, but I can get my head that far up my ass." That usually frightens off anyone trying to convince me their platform is the best. It's a last resort when for when I tell one of those campainers to leave me alone and they don't. Juz Cuz: I guess I'm a bit like Cyranno de Bergerac that way, a little Old School, and a little rough around the edges. More guys should speak from their hearts, they'd find the world a lot easier to deal with that way. ~.^ A lot less to worry about for now that the letter is out, so that's a big plus. I am rested and ready to go for a while. The writing is doing fine and you'll have to be the judge of how my art is going yourself. The first pic was up last I checked, it's in the portfolio, I'm too tired to link it tonight. Chess is a challenging game, one I like to play when I need to jog my mind into thinking mode. I use it as sort of a warm up to do other things like my writing, and it works okay. I'd like to play against people more often than a machice, but I'll settle for this little chess program I found online called Pawn 2 for now. Breakfast Squid Not exactly. I tried the art school route once already and since they royally screwed me, I've decided to take things into my own hands. I'm going to agressively practice the tutorials people have referred me to, and the ones I have offline in books and the like, then I'm going to repractice them once I get done just to see how much better they are the second time around. The earliest fruit should be in my portfolio now, but I'm hoping to get better and do a lot more to submit here. Meditation helps keep the nerves steady and the spirit free. Angel Slayer I can't promise you'll be the first to see them, once they get uploaded here, anyone could be the first to look. I get mental snapshots in my head, and try to sketch those out, it don't always work. No I haven't seen that movie, car movies don't really interest me. My Mom used to have a 73 Dodge Dart, it's speed gauge read up to 240 I think, and believe you me that car could pull every mile out of that gauge, and it was all stock, all original. I can't do that kind of thing myself, my fear of driving and all kind of gets in the way. Anime Dreams!

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Thursday, October 19, 2006

Quick Update

Just dropping in to say I'm already seeing some progress in my art training, need to do more than I'm doing though. I'll be out a couple more days for meditations and all, but I will get back in the swing of things really soon, and I might have a pic or two to show off when I do return, but no promises. Comments: Juz Cuz: Most of the time I don't try anymore, it just happens that my heart speaks louder than my head. I just had a lot of things to do at once so I got bogged down and tired from trying to work on them in my head. The letter was especially taxing on my mind, and since it's in the mail now, I have a lot less to worry about. I'll be fine once I get some rest, and maybe a good game of Chess or two in. My art is coming along pretty good. I wish I had ink for my printer, I'd print out a couple tutorials from Art of Otaku, and those website references people send me, to work offline (staring at a computer screen is taxing on the eyes). My writing is doing all right as well, I've set a goal to finish up the first draft of it by Christmas. alphonse13: You should try to submit it, you never know what will come of that. I intend to improve at least one area of my art in the next few days, but I'll surprise you all with some pics later if I can, so I'm not saying more. Yensid: I let myself get distracted too easily, but I'm making a promise to myself to do at least one major project a week, on top of the practice I'm doing for this aggressive training so I will get some work on my art in whether I want it or not. Well, the politicians failed their constituents, that's all I'll say since I'm through with that whole farce. I don't discuss my political views. Magnus Lensherr I think I'm going to need more time, but I had to drop in and let you all know I'm doing all right. I'm sure I'll have myself composed after a bit of more intensive meditation, I'm going to try something different than I usually do. Do a little bit of drawing every day, doodle while you watch TV or something but do a little bit every day, that's about the only advice I can give right now. I made the mistake of letting myself slip a couple days so I feel it necessary to hammer myself hard to get back in step. I'll have a new sense of direction when I come out of this break, I know that much. Shireishou The internet can be as much a headache as it is a hobby. I hope things work out for you so that you can get on and comment regularly again. Anime Dreams!

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