Obsolete Gaming

I feel rather behind the times as far as video games go. I mean, I don't have any of the newest systems. I'd like to get a Wii someday, but it's likely that a new system will be out by the time we get around to it. I mean, I'm not someone who has to get my hands on the new gadgets when they're first released, but I guess it would just be nice to be more up to date in this respect. But then, there are still a lot of older games I'm trying to get through. I'm basically stuck near the end of both Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga and Final Fantasy V. Not to mention the first Paper Mario, but bethje's Nintendo 64 isn't where I can easily use it. It kind of seems pointless to start a new game when there are still so many left to finish, but playing something new would almost certainly be more interesting than fighting the same battle over and over again until I get it right.

Speaking of out-of-date games, I remember being interested in Sierra's King's Quest and Space Quest games when I was a kid, but I never actually got the chance to play any of them. They're now available in complete packages for not that much money, so I'm seriously considering buying one or both. Can anyone offer any input on them?

Turning now to books, the first volume of The Arabian Nights was due back today, and I'd already renewed it twice. So I returned it, and I think I'll hold off on reading the rest for a little while. They had Dracula on display at the library, so I decided I should give that a try next.

And here's a book-related meme that I got from annamatic:
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Yes, we have no mechanics, we have no mechanics today

Okay, so, I brought my car in to the Ford dealership to have it serviced today. After it had been there for almost six hours, they called me up and told me they weren't going to have it ready for me today, and asked if I could leave it there overnight. Well, no, I can't. bethje and I are going out tonight, and we both have work tomorrow. What universe do these mechanics live in where they think people can just leave a car there for an indefinite period of time? I'm sure they wouldn't want to do that with THEIR cars, would they? Their excuse for not getting for it today was that they didn't have enough technicians there today. It would have been nice if they'd told me that a few hours earlier, you know? It looks like I'm going to be taking it in again to get it serviced Tuesday. I hate having to keep put this off.

Oh, and a few people have reported that they've been seeing my icon of Zoma (the demon guy who flashes) as a woman's butt. It's still showing up normally for me, so I have no idea what the problem is. Of course, Zoma IS a demon lord, so maybe it's a trick of his. {g} Seriously, though, is anyone else seeing the female posterior instead of the Master Archfiend? For that matter, are any of my other icons not showing up properly? Right before posting this, I noticed that my Wart icon was showing something else, but I THINK I fixed it. Am I the only one having this problem, or is this a widespread LJ glitch?

We go together like traffic and weather

I picked up some new albums on Tuesday, and here are my thoughts:

Jenny Lewis, Acid Tongue - I thought Rabbit Fur Coat was a great album, but this one didn't do as much for me. That's not to say that there isn't plenty to like on the record. I quite like "Black Sand," and "See Fernando" (which I remember from when I saw her live in 2006) and "Carpetbaggers" are very catchy. "The Next Messiah" is pretty good, but I don't like the male vocals that come in part of the way through. I also like the title track, which is closer to the country/gospel style of RFC than the rest of the album.

Mountain Goats, Heretic Pride - I like the Mountain Goats, but their songs often tend to blend together for me. Of course, part of that might be that John Darnielle attended the Mike Nesmith School of Song-Naming, and many of his titles have nothing to do with the actual lyrics. But hey, I LIKE his weird titles. Of the songs on this album, my favorite might well be the self-titled one.

Fountains of Wayne, Traffic and Weather - Getting this was kind of an afterthought, when I saw that they had a used copy, and it turned out to be my favorite of the three. Go figure. This record came out last year, and I don't think it got much attention (and I mean from FoW fans, not from people who only know "Stacy's Mom"). I'm not sure why, as I think it's an enjoyable listen. Since I'm naming favorites, I'd say that for this album, it's "Fire in the Canyon." The general sound of this track reminds me of "Valley Winter Song," which might be my favorite overall FoW song.

Speaking of new albums, I notice that cardboard sleeves are becoming more popular. That's good in a way, not just because of the petroleum issue involved with plastic, but because the plastic cases break so easily. It does bother me when bands don't bother including liner notes, though.

And before I end this post, since it's autumn now and I've made a mix CD for every other season, I guess I should do one for this season as well. The only problem is that I have very few ideas for what can go on it. Any suggestions are welcome.