Three-day Birthday

[rinue]

Scarlett got Man Man tickets for Ciro's birthday; they are a favorite of all of ours. The live show was energetic and charming, with face paint, shredded newspaper, many instruments (some created), many different blue-sequined jackets, goggles, and rushing from micrphone to microphone, sometimes with ladders. The front man has a comedian's ability to be very serious and intense about silly things, which lets him undercut the pomposity of rock star posturing while still adopting magnificent poses - the playfulness I associate with genuine artistry.

Along with various video games, CDs, foodstuffs, and random bits of tableware, Mom and Dad got Ciro some truffle honey which is so strongly flavored that if it is opened downstairs for just a moment you can smell it in the whole house for about an hour. (There were very many gifts. I think this comes from a combination of liking Ciro and the fact that his birthday falls at a time of year when there's nothing else going on, so that it's a relief to have An Event to fill what has traditionally been a dead spot for the family, holidaywise.)

I made an elaborate cake that is effectively a fruitcake (rum and everything), only Italian and more dependent on chocolate and ginger. I think it's too dry without ice cream, but with ice cream quite nice.

Chad is returned to Dallas, with renewed and perhaps fleeting resolve to get out of Dallas, where there are beautiful buildings but the weather is unlivable and there are events but none of them can be found or done spontaneously.

If anybody is wondering, Rome by Dangermouse and L.A. Noire by Rockstar are both as impressive as people say.

Comments

[tao_te_trick]

Sadly, I am not in the opening credits of Red Dead, so you'll have a long wait to see my credit. Though I am credited as "Trick" in the game credits. ("Patrick" still connived his way into the manual.) The game definitely starts as a slow burn, as Rockstar games are wont to do. It's a shame. I always try to get my audience's attention in the first minute, but most games these days are expecting the player to give them the length of a feature length film before really kicking it into high gear.

(Final Fantasy XII is the worst of these, asking players to give it longer than all three of the extended editions of Lord of the Rings combined. I eventually set that one down somewhere near the end of Two Towers.)

I'm at a start-up company now. They've been around for three years and have never crunched. The sister studio that made Rift never crunched like Rockstar for that product, so I'm feeling much safer from a health and sanity standpoint. It's also strange to know that I'm going to work with Rockne S. O'Bannon for some of development. My professional demeanor starts to melt as I repress a fanboy squee each time he's in the office.

If you guys have a Nintendo DS, I can't recommend 999 enough. It's a joy.

[rinue]

Agreed on FFXII. After, I don't know, 16-20 hours of play and still not giving a damn about anything that was going on, I walked away with no regrets, and don't think I've touched anything released in the series since.

I don't suppose O'Bannon lets you bring puppets to meetings? Or talking dolphins?

Never got in to portable gaming; just doesn't click with me, for whatever reason. I don't think I even had one of those beepy LCD baseball games when I was a kid going on car trips. I guess I'm a little like Tom and like my electronics box-like and stationary. People keep trying to sell me on smartphones and e-readers, and although I think they're neat tech, the idea of owning one stresses me out.