One Foot in the Grave

Fire and Ice didn't show up today, but I did see the three other Indiana Jones-movies. Temple of Doom first out. I like the premise of the whole Indian death cult spreading terror in their hunt for five stones of power. Nice effects of taking peoples heart out and burn them. The flaw of the whole movie is actually the female lead character, Kate Capshaw.Whenever she opens her mouth it just screeches in my ears going up in that high-pitched voice. But their is some good scenes she's in like the dinning scene at the palace. With this I actually understand why some people feel that this is the weakest movie of the original three. Is it worse then the latest movie? According to me, no.

Then it was time for, in my opinion, the best of them all: The Last Crusade. It had nazis, knights, the Holy Grail and a very melancholic music that was really emotional gripping. How can't you not like it? Actors like Sean Connery and John Rhys-Davies besides Harrison Ford. This goes up on the top of my Indiana Jones list followed by Raiders of the Lost Ark, followed by The Temple of Doom and then...

... Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I actually saw this on its opening in 2008. It's a good movie, I give it that, but it's not what I expected from a Indiana Jones-movie. Okay that they changed nazis to communist and that we're in the 50's instead of 30's,what can you do, Harrison Ford isn't that young. My biggest problem then, and still, is the aliens. I get it is a hint to the 50's UFO hysteria in the US, and therefore shoots over the head of people like me in Europe that isn't in to the Men in Black. I preferred the religious tones of the earlier films even though I'm an agnostic and have a hard time believing it so why shouldn't I like this one? Also, Cate Blanchett is just terrible. Something bugs me and the only point I can make is the hair. It just stupid so let us stop there cause I can't put my finger on what it is. All in all they should just have made an interpretation of The Flight of the Amazon Queen. It has mayan temples and crystal skulls like the movie, but throws in evil german scientists, amazons, a valley of dinosaurs and just hint that aliens are involved. Unfortunatly they have what appears to be Kate Capshaw so you might not know how it would end.

Harvester of Eyes

Was at the optician today to get a paper that my sight was good for the driver license. I usually brag about my excellent eyesight as I can make out small object far into the distance and has done pretty good on these test earlier... not so much this time. My genetic heritage is beginning to make itself apparent (both mom and dad need glasses and the same goes for my half-sister and 2 of my regular sisters). Apparently I have a weak leaning toward nearsighted, nothing obvious but still, it shatters my view on myself as this near hawk-like eyesight despite having genes that went against it. Oh well, what am I gonna do about that? I might even look good in glasses, but then I probably skip the long-hair savings.

Even met a friend on the bus down, which I didn't see (makes a lot more sense now does it not?) until I sat down. Nice to have someone to talk with for a couple of minutes. Anyway, got most of my movies today and I'm currently watching Raiders of the Lost Ark. Awesome movie, but unfortunately I couldn't help but have a bad feeling down my spine as I put it in the PS3. The first thing I see is this montage of the trilogy films and then the fourth movie preview. Do I have to see this starting up everyone of these movies? Well, okay if I bought them one and one that they advertise their movies, but I bought a box-set including all four movies! What's the point? It just delay me viewing the movies for nothing.

What about the other movies? Well, Wizards is okay. Good points made about war, nice intro and some good musical scores, but the voice-acting is not that good for some character and frankly, the storytelling is kinda boring. Of course you're still watching the movie due to the very... transparent clothing... on one of the main-characters... yeah... fan-service. And don't get me started on Heavy Metal. Of the seven different anthology stories (counting the intro and the ending as one as it is the framework of the narrative) half of them contain at least one more or less fan-service moment... shown very... detailed... yeah... what were they on? (*two aliens start spreading some white stuff on the floor and they quickly inhale it thru there noses*)... okay... I got it. Otherwise the movie is very peculiar. Some segments are better then others, the music is awesome and a very special experience altogether.

The final one I saw was Willow. Not as good as I remembered it. Of course the first time I saw it I ended up seeing the end while the witch turned the protagonists to pigs. How awesome wasn't that for a kid. Oh well. Tomorrow is three more Indiana Jones movies and hopefully the Fire and Ice movie will appear.

Give Me More Time

Finished Super Mario Galaxy today... not completely with getting the 120 stars, but I beat Bowser. So the question is if I shall make a complete game, as I do with other games, or if I shall continue onward with Super Mario Galaxy 2... or even play some other games. I got Resident Evil 0, 1 and 5 and I haven't finished Metroid Prime 3: Corruption or Battalion Wars and its sequel. Or Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World... or I could just play those games instead of writing about that I shall play them... and I haven't even mentioned my portable games. There is not enough time for everything. Maybe when I retire, but that's more than 40 years into the future with at least 1-2 games per year (or more) and my fingers is probably stiff at that point which means I can't finish them all. Damn it. Can't I just get 1 Billion and I'm set for the rest of my life.

Yet Another Movie

Maybe should write something again while I got the time between watching the news and playing some video games... or watched some movies. I just this week got a huge craving for some movies to watch. And I don't think a rerun of the Mysterious Cities of Gold would stop it. Not because its bad, but I can only take a few couple of hours when people are shouting ZIA!!! or ESTEBAN!!! with an occasional TAO!!! thrown in there per year. So suddenly I've ordered up a lot of movies I remember or have heard good of. The nostalgic one would be Krull, Willow, The Phantom, The Secret of N.I.M.H. and the Indiana Jones-series (especially after playing games like the Flight of the Amazon Queen). The other category being Ralph Bakshi's Fire and Ice and Wizards and another film Heavy Metal.

A lot of fantasy movies that is. I got Krull, The Secret of N.I.M.H. and The Phantom today at 10... which woke me up. One of the better wake ups I have had. N.I.M.H and The Phantom we actually have on VHS at my parents house so that's not a problem and I watched them a couple of times, but Krull is a different story. I remember watching it on TV once around the millennium. Being a fantasy geek (which I still somewhat is) I liked the movie. You had seers, huge spiders, magic, sword fights and cyclops. Today I would probably call it a hybrid between science fiction and fantasy with the space traveling aliens and blaster technology. Most awesome thing about the movie was a glaive, and actors like Liam Neeson (The Phantom Menace, Batman Begins and the voice of Aslan in the movies among others) and Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid among others).

Secret of N.I.M.H a Don Bluth movie that, when I was younger, scared me for its darker colors and settings. Today I appreciate it more. And then we have The Phantom. Got it as a VHS tape back in 1997 and also began a subscription on the comics that lasted until some of the early years after the millennium. The only problem is that he is supposed to be blue (at least in all the swedish version), not this purple. I ended the subscription when I had to diminish my spending and for some reason chose Donald Duck-comics instead (I had both up until that moment). Guess it was my childish mind, the stories that I wanted to follow and (sadly) the toys you got (which ironically was the reason I finally gave it up as I didn't wanted to pay for plastic junk and there was no alternative to just get the stories for a cheaper sum, yeah, I'm a cheapskate).

On the video game front I switched from the Monkey Island-series to Super Mario Galaxy. And I must say that it's a pretty easy game. Of course you might have opinion that the game is 3 years old and I still haven't finished it. To my defense I bought it in the summer 2008 and played it for a while before leaving for the United States. Maybe a week playing before giving it up. And then it was on the shelf until yesterday. And I really run thru the game. Maybe because I played a lot more since Super Mario 64 that took forever to finish. Why did I start playing again? I bought the sequel so I wanted to see the end.

Hard Work

Wow, times go fast. Yeah, haven't updated for a while, mostly since I been busy with this important stuff you know... no, not studying (although I probably should start so I don't end up like last years statistic course). No, I began last week with a trip to the Caribbean to fight this evil ghost/zombie/pirate once again when I finally made it run on the computer thanks to the awesome ScummVM. Afterwards it was a trip to Australia venturing in Union City to get out of there. After that vacation it was onward to South America to wander the Amazon visiting temples and hidden valleys (as a side note I would say this is what Indiana Jones 4 should have been). Then back to the Caribbean to fight the ghost/zombie/pirate again... and again... and again. Seriously, he's a tough pirate, even though he's dead over and over again. After sailing the Caribbean it was time to leave Earth and travel into space... and then back again... some time later. Had I played this series at an earlier age maybe biology had been more fun. You have a plant/animal cross you command around attacking the wild life of the planet in search for the remnants of (most likely) our own civilization. Reading research notes on the evolutionary paths of the animals and so on.

So I've been busy as you can see. Unfortunately I have now turned my day rhythm around. I don't get to bed until after midnight (usually around 2 or 3 in the morning) and don't wakes until 12 or 1 around noon. So this week is a realignment with midnight and 8 o'clock so that next week is study time... for real now as I have said it for the last 2 weeks. And I probably should heat up the job hunt.

Labyrinths (2)

I forgot one player last time. It was Aelfric Brownhood (or whatever his english name is). I actually found out that he was a monk... carrying a staff and a mace... ouch. Didn't go well, even though he had well-balanced attributes. A bit weak strength, but high luck (must be some religious thing). What killed me was a magic amulet that strangled me due to... *sigh* low strength. Yeah, after that I decided for Mrishnahk just to get rid of the magic items. They killed Thargrim the first day of playing as well and damaged him another session. Bad thing is I can't play it until I get home again in August. Damn.

I also forgot to mention that the expansion was released in 1987 (a very good ear according to me). And you really get that it's very inspired by Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. If Sir Rohan and Durim Daggerbuckle give it away, then the setting feels like a mix between Moria and Kingdom Under the Mountan with Smaug guarding his treasures. Similar monsters as in the books (giant spiders, orcs, cave trolls/ mountain trolls), a dangerous fire breathing monster lair sitting on treasures from older kingdoms with large diamonds. And you carry around a magic ring with a certain ability that you can choose to help you in your travel.

Unfortunately it seems the new releases don't seem to be as fun to me, with the most significant change being a rework on the whole battle system. In the original you had 3 cards with pictures of your character with the letters A, B and C. One of them has an extra damage note on the bottom if you hit the monster. Then similar cards for the monsters (skeletons, svartálfar, mountain trolls and orcs) but without the extra damage note. Battle simple, A beats B, B beats C and C beats A. If you draw the same letter both gets a hit. The monsters hit points are determined by drawing a monster card, and you choose to attack it, bide your time or try to flee. Now it seems to be some turn-table. No strategy just pure luck. Well, if you are Mrishnahk you just burn them to ashes.

Looking back at this game, it's really fun to play, but on little detail has bugged me. The game board is like 13 squares wide and 10 squares high, but the treasure chamber is just 2 squares. There is no middle were you place it. You also begins every session at one of the four corners and must exit from one of them. So depending on where it is, you have a bit closer to get in and out. If it was 4 squares it wouldn't be a problem or if it was just 1 square wider and higher you would get a perfect middle. Bit of an oversight I think, or it was just not possible to package the board otherwise.

Labyrinths

I'm back in Karlstad again after a short visit back home to meet my old high school friends and playing some board games with my sisters. And I entered some time traveling event in Nyköping, telling the story of the city. Left Karlstad this Friday, went to Nyköping at Saturday and later the evening went to Oxelösund to meet my friends. Today was more board gaming and later sitting on a train (hate train travels in the summer without an air condition) back to Karlstad. Really nice gathering of familiar faces, but some people I expected to be there weren't. Sadly, but fun to see some I haven't seen for a while.

What board games did we play? We went for one round of the Finance world, which I failed at. The only fun part is that during the game it progressed into a long period of good times when the economy of all players went thru the roof, then suddenly a housing boom with heighten rents. And of course this is followed by a huge crash in the economy with a bad time. Just like in real life, it's so amazingly funny, hahaha... what do you mean I'm to much a political scientist?

The other board game was the Swedish produced Dungeonquest (Drakborgen). A great fantasy game set in a castle/keep after an evil wizard with a huge treasure chamber in the middle guarded by a ferocious dragon that sleeps on the treasures. If that wasn't enough you have giant spiders, mountain trolls, orcs, svartálfar, undead, traps and dead ends. The castle/keep changes interior as you build it for every playthrough and apparently the success rate for the game (to get to the treasure and get out) is 15 %. Awesome. It was released for the first time in 1985 and only had four playable characters, the knight Sir Rohan, the viking Sieger Sharpaxe, Bardhor the Bowman and Aelfric Brownhood whatever he was (maybe a warrior monk) (excuse the bad translations and names, have a hard time remember the characters).

If the original wasn't hard enough they released an expansion Drakborgen II (divided in two sets in the english version). More cards, new heroes, an underground level and new monsters and treasures. You have the ninja Yubara Tori-Jima, the berserk Charak Hai the wolf-killer, Mrishnahk the magician, the knight lord Thargrim the Dark, the assassin Durim Daggerbuckle, the princess warrior Iril Fëaneline, the seer Dzála Náryn and her reptile protector, an oracaz and the samurai-ish Yushugom Bogd-Uul.

Really fun game. First day I played as Thargrim the Dark and was really badass. Surviving a collapsing room and fights with some monsters and almost getting stuck I make it to the treasure chamber, get some gold, leaves and gets trapped in a room one room away from the exit with a shadow demon following my footsteps as the sundown came closer. Right before the dragon awakened, the demon leaps forward and kills me. At least I was the last surviving hero. Next day I took the shoes of Yushgom Bog-Uul with his three sword (why he has that many I don't know as he only wields one anyway) the most well-balanced character and highest hit-points, but without the ability to use magic items (and they actually ends up killing you more instead of helping you). I actually won one of the rounds, brining out the sun- and moonstone earning 10 000 gold coins for that, plus some extra treasures. Last day was the day of Mrishnakh, awesome magic spells that could fry any monster (except the dragon) with the only downfall that you had to rest one turn to regain your strength. All other spells more or less drain your life. And his stats suck with 1 Strength, 4 agility and 3 in armor. Only luck is a bit better with 6 or 8 out of the normal 5. Also quite good hit-point with 15, even the ninja and assassin and some other has lower (but these two only has 10 hit-points). Fighting, he's the best if you got the time, but the first round I get bitten by a creature that poisoned me (due to low armor or agility) and I lose one hp per turn, then I get stuck at the wall which was my plan as I had a spell to pass thru walls, IF I have over 6 hp, which I hadn't. then the night came and I died. Next session I fell thru a bottomless well (how that is possible) at the beginning of the game, not able to roll lower than the agility of 4. He really should have a levitation spell otherwise it's just cruel.

Exiled... again

Finding myself going home... again. This time to actually spend time with some of my old friends from high school. Yeah, it was more then a year ago so it shall be fun. Other things to do is beating my sisters... in board games. Need to rise from the grave I ended up in last time and take back the throne of board gaming in the house. How should I do that? I suck in monopoly, if I'm lucky I can win New Finans or I might find some other board game to win over them. Best thing is that I get back on Sunday already. Need to save the stay-away-points.

Dreams

There must be to many murder mysterious on TV at the moment as my dream last night was nothing but wandering in old British landscapes, castles, manors or forests. Of course all places was filled with dead bodies. Really, it felt as I was sucked in a story that I had nothing to do with originally. The things I remember is that people have died, and suddenly all hell breaks lose with murder threats hanging in the air preparing for the next kill. For some reason I run away, get a notebook and start writing down them all. Asking for trouble is it not? I'm actually asking to be killed according to the murder mysteries logic. Somehow it gets worse. I enter a pub of some kind and proclaims in a happy tone "it's gonna be murder tonight" and sit down next to some prisoners on parole (I think, at least one since he was threatening me for some reason). Then it gets weird. I'm walking between the house/manor/castle and a forest or whatever. Statues everywhere and then I'm being confronted by the murderer, Björn (I think his name was). Now the memory get a bit hazy as I pended between dream and waking up. I think there's a chase scene, he gets caught and then we get a flashback of one of the first murders... in cartoon style. The first victim, a woman runs on the fields in a blue dress when the murder shows up in an helicopter, shooting with a rifle from the side (= not piloting it). and then jets of like Airwolf. I think she was turned to stone or something like that. Yeah, I didn't mention the magical things that also appeared. The dream was crazy as it was.

At the same time the Almedalen Week is on in Sweden, a week full of political campaigning and showcasing of the visions for the future in the city of Visby. Not that I care, I know which party I'm gonna vote for and at the moment and nothing can sway me from my way. If you wanna know, read the blog, it's been mentioned many times. For the Swedish public I just say "MORE NUCLEAR POWER" and they (hopefully) get the meaning, but you never know with todays level of education. It that wasn't enough the politics contaminates Allsång på Skansen with an imitator of the opposition leader Mona Sahlin. Why I'm looking at this show... um... you see... eh... I... needed material for more strange dream... yeah, that's it. Weird dreams... hehe... Oh you know there is nothing good to see at the TV at the moment anyway.

Back For The Attack

I'm back to once again illuminate you with politics, games and other nonsense you don't care about. That's right, more details from my life you don't have any interest in. First we will have a look at the past week beginning with Thursday when I got home to my family.

First, before I boarded the train I went to Burger King, getting some food paying... and got 20 SEK more in change. Now, I couldn't accept it cause I knew I would be having an internal dilemma on my hand so I gave it back, hopping for a boost in good karma instead. It didn't work actually, since when I got home I went for a walk with my sister and afterwards my feet was pretty beat up, almost bleeding. So I have been limping all week. It didn't stop me for playing an excellent game of kubb at midsummer. At least after the first big loss one. The other one I was the king on the plane hitting most targets as well as giving the finishing blow toward the king. Of course it ended in a tie, but I don't see it as a loss and it was still upholding my rank of supreme master of this game. And I can also blame my sister for being the head of our team.

Otherwise it has just been a lot of board gaming and sun bathing (for one day which gave me sun burns, no luck there from the karma). In board gaming it wasn't even better. I won the first day, but after that it went down the hill. Games were New Finance (a newer version then the one I'm linking to), Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit. I one the first play through of New Finance, but none of the others. Of course I made a good run on TP and could probably have one, if we had played to the end instead of stop when Miss Marple went on the TV. Mostly since I began very badly and was the last to get my first piece, but then I got three in a row. I could have done it again and finished the game in no time.

That's pretty much it, now I need to polish the essay, fix the TV and do some European studies and that's it... oh, and get a job of course.