Snowed in?

Wow, I can't remember the last time I was snowed in. By the time I woke up this morning, we had 1-2 feet of snow and it was still coming down. Okay, maybe that doesn't sound too bad, but with the wind it was pretty nasty white-out conditions. I'm glad they closed campus, I didn't want to drive anywhere today. So rather than drive out to Abbotsford for school, I stayed home and slacked off. Well, I did shovel the driveway with the bro, after which we went for a bike ride around the block. Boy, was that challenging. Not only were the roads snowy, but there was a layer of ice underneath. We went out just for kicks - It's a good thing we didn't actually have to be anywhere.

I'm at level 54 in CoD4, with about 1200 points left to go. I've been getting a lot of play out of my stealthy kit. UAV jammer and a silenced MP5 let's you do sneaky things around the map. I have to say, though, I can't seem to get the double-kill and counter claymore achievements. Thems be tricky. I would've gone the last bit to level 55 today (Probably one or two maps worth of gameplay) but today and last night I've been getting crappy pings. It makes things difficult when you can't hit a thing.

I've been enjoying the sketch-a-day thang. I've done some pretty good ones recently. The one below I did back at the beginning of the month, then came back to a few days ago to add shading. I read a diagram from a drawing book that listen proportions and positioning for different parts of the body. This helped me rework the face to be less awkward. Anyhoo, I really like it for some reason. I find myself coming back to look at it once in a while.


Oh, and I just want to go on record as saying I hate the ^#$@*%#'ing Sky Temple in Twilight Princess. Foolish me saved after I got the big key, not knowing there was more to do in the wing of the temple before actually getting to the boss stage. I ended up having to renavigate the entire side just so I could pull a button. Ack. Anyhoo, I'm not up to the start of Hyrule Castle, which I assume is within spitting distance of the end. Good game . A bit frustrating/maddening at times, but a good game nonetheless.
-Cril

Link! He come to town
Come to save the princess Zelda
Ganon put her away
Now the children don't play
But they will when Link saves the day
Hallelujah!

Now Link, fill up your hearts
So you can shoot your sword of power
And when you're feeling all down
The fairy will come around
So you'll be brave
And not a sissy coward

Now Link has saved the day
For Ganon is in his grave
So now Zelda is free
And now our hero shall be
Link, I think your name shall go down into history

The Rabbit Joint - The Legend of Zelda

Green eyes.

The sun is gone, the light is low
Out from the shadows peeks green eyes
Shining with the fury of stormy skies
The world around starts to slow

From the shadows, a figure flows
Not quite walking it almost flies
With the air of familiar reprise
Upon the wold it's presence bestow

To continue or stop and stare
At what lies beneath the silver hair
And under the hood a face concealed

It takes a fight to have the outcome prolong
Refrain from the question and truth revealed
We were the green eyed figure all along

Did this poem for Music History, of all classes. It's supposed to be after the style of some French dude from the early 1900's. It was inspired by 'Green Eyes' by Coldpaly.
-Cril

Green eyes

Honey you are the sea
Upon which I float
And I came here to talk
I think you should know

That green eyes, you’re the one that I wanted to find
And anyone who, tried to deny you must be out of their mind

Cause I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter, since I met you
Honey you should know, that I could never go on without you

Coldplay - Green Eyes

Facebook.

Have I mentioned lately how much I loathe social networking sites? I signed up for Facebook, as I was prompted by someone I knew from highschool. And boy oh boy, is that site filled with a bunch of... Crap. Useless add-ons and doo-hickeys. I don't care about sending someone a coffee or a gift. I don't want to "See who has clicked 'YES' on YOU!." It's all so full of useless clutter and pointless activities for people to do with/to each other. Gah. I will give Facebook a point for one thing though, it was uncanny how accurate it was at finding people I know. Classmates, people I worked with... I sent out a few "Hey, how're you doing" type messages and got a few equally simple responses. I dunno what I was expecting, but something about this whole ordeal turns me off.

Anyways, here's some art.


On Feb 1st I have another go at the driver's test, and the next week on the 8th I have a dentist appointment. Woohoo.

-Cril

Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in Istanbul

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works
That's nobody's business but the Turks

They Might Be Giants - Istanbul

Demo-kratik

Okay - I get the idea that voting in Canada (or whatever other democratic state) is a privilege. A privilege that has been paid for by the lives of many soldiers and people over the course of many years in many battles or incidents or sacrifices. But what I don't get is... Do we retain the right not to vote? I mean, sure - They're lots and LOTS of people that don't without consequence. But the general consensus with many people I know (including my parents) is that you must vote. It is your duty to do so, and there is *no* good reason not to. Well... I disagree.

What if one isn't pleased with any of the solutions/candidates being voted on? What's the point of going to the ballots to select/elect something you know you won't be happy with? Or... What if you simply don't know heads from tails about the issue? Is there still a point to voting if you're essentially picking at random? What if, instead, you vote simple based on what someone else told you to do so, because... Well, they say so and you don't have anything else in mind. I don't know why it is that some people treat the voting process as a sered act - Do we not have just as much right not to vote? I mean, what's the point of making an incredibly uninformed decision? Isn't that a bit of a slap in the face to all those who fought for us to vote in the first place? If I know that I don't understand the politics and issues, should I not be able to leave it in the hands of those who do know what they're voting for? What's the point of being brought out to vote purely for the sake of voting, even if you just choose the option someone arbitrarily tells you to?

Well, I guess my point is that it should be acceptable to not vote. And not because you're lazy and not because it's inconvenient - but because you recognize that you do not deserve the vote because you know that you can't make the right choice in good conscience. I rest my case.
-Cril

Beyond the starry stage
We celebrate
Raise our voice, make another sound
All in good time
We will come around
Beyond the forward skylight
We'd say what a day

Polyphonic Spree - The Championship

Static

I went out this morning to get a replacement license - I seem to have lost mine. I really don't know where it would be, the last time I consciously remember seeing it was late November. So, I looked high and low yesterday, and went this morning to replace it because I need to drive to class at noon. But I digress.

On my way home from the registration office, I ran across a ye olde friend from high school that I kinda lost touch with over the last two years. It was interesting - we talked about where we've been and yadda yadda, and we mentioned how the town we returned to seems to have stayed the same. She wasn't the same, though. She smokes, different hair colour, piercing... I don't know why I'm so shocked - why I would expect her to stame the same, I don't know. Maybe it's because the two or three other people I've ran into that I used to know weren't drastically different. But there's just something about her... I guess back when I would've liked to try asking her out or some such nonsense... She has an addictive personality, straight shooting, honest, and outgoing. But now... Huh.

Quite a naive post, I suppose. It could all be dumbed down to "PEOPLE CHANGE LOLOLOL", but because this is more/less a first for me it's a bigger deal than it should be.

Anyways, I have to go. I need to get ready for class, make some deposits at the bank, and go buy Call of Duty. Huzzah. In closing, sketches. I've now caught up (I'm even a day ahead), and am on track.



-Cril


All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

Are you asking for a CHALLENGE?!

Frank slapped me around a bit with his digital glove, thereby challenging me to sketch once a day, or 365 sketches by the end of the year. I accepted, to get me off my lazy arse and get some arting done. Well, this all went down yesterday evening while he'd started right on the new year. This, of course, leaves me 7 sketches behind. I did five today, so I'm catching up. However, because of some of the limitations with the Allbrand image hosting, I went and got ye fine and basic Flickr account. You can view my 2008 Sketching Challenge set here.

I tried some drawing in Sketchbook Pro. It like it - a bit lighter and basic compared to Photoshop, which will suit me fine for the sake of sketching. I can't say I like the layer interface that much, but it isn't a huge deal. What is a huge deal, though, is that when drawing with my tablet the stroke appears slightly to the right of the cursor/crosshair. It makes detail somewhat difficult... No matter - I'll be getting a new(er) tablet soon from by uncle, which will replace my 12-year-old behemoth. Hopefully that'll work a wee bit better.

Other pieces of note... I watches the sixth part of Band of Brothers yesterday, the episode about the medic and nurse during the Battle of the Buldge. What an episode. It was so powerful, and even more depressing. I was really moved, even though I've watched the series once before.

Tomorrow I start school - I have two back-to-back classes (and I mean back-to-back. I Have 5 minutes to get out of class, cross the campus, and be ready for the next one) so I'll need to prep some supper or something. I may need to get a bigger backpack if I need to carry stuff for two classes plus a meal. Oh well, we'll see how things go.

...

I wonder why I'm slightly nervous.
-Cril

There is a drug that cures it all
Blocked by the governmental wall
We are the scientists inside the lab,
Just waiting for the call
This earthquake weather has got me shaking inside
I'm high up and dry

The Last Goodnight - Pictures of You