Steam

Recently, I've been purchasing a lot of games on Steam during their holiday sale.

In order to motivate myself to beat them, I've decided to do a blog check off. When I begin to play a game I will blog about it in a post titled Steam: (Game Name). There may be updates while I play through, depending on enjoyability/frustration (and of course how long it takes me), and at the end I will write a short review and grade the game.

So far I have:

Humble Indie Bundle 2
-Cortex Command
-Braid
-Machinarium
-Revenge of the Titans
-Osmos

Humble Indie Bundle 1
-Samorost 2
-Lugaru HD
-World of Goo
-Gish
-Aquaria
-Penumbra: Overture
-Alien Swarm

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR)
Star Wars: Dark Forces
Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

Half-Life
Half-Life: Blue Shift
Half-Life: Opposing Force

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones & the Fate of Atlantis
Loom
Dig

Plus I already have The Orange Box (of which, I regularly play TF2) and The Ship.

Needless to say my plate is full with games.

PS - If you want to friend me on Steam, my handle is mltreadway

Remission

Syncopated heartbeats
drum minds, dull senses
Whispering long lost memories,
eluding vacant defenses.
The promise of a new year,
new choices, new beginnings
Reveals how much subconscious
repressions are winning.

Vintage

I love antiques.

I hate antique stores.

Can I have my cake and eat it, too, please?

Blur your eyes
if you can't see me.

I want to be
your new disguise.

Stay Trashy

Feeling trashy getting busy,
gonna fly away to Mars.
Got my six string fully loaded,
and I'm playing for the stars.

Above me all around me,
I feel a memory slip away,
but it doesn't even matter,
'cause I drink until it stays.

Flying High Now (or "I want" as seems to be the case)

I feel like I am at another one of those points in the story of my life where a montage needs to take place.

What I mean is this: Picture in your mind The Karate Kid (I mean the 1984 Ralph Macchio, not the 2010 Jackie Chan film, though that was an amazing film in its own right). After Daniel deals with all the Cobra Kai problems and gets things sorted out, there is a mini montage of him having protected contact with the members. Just to kind of show how the day to day went, but the big storyline things already happened. Then, after we saw all of the different mundane, yet useful tasks (such as wax on, wax off) Daniel had to go endure with Mr. Miyagi, and we have Mr. Miyagi's drunken pain sequence, and then it goes to a training montage. It shows Daniel just doing his day to day training and preparation for the fight up ahead, and ends with him getting ready to go see Ali.

I want that.

Right now, I feel like I'm in the grind. I would love for things to hit fast forward right now. I want a song to become the theme of this part of my life and sweep me from day to day and moment to moment and sunset to sunset as I work and prepare and save and store. I want the mundane elevated on the drum solo of a power ballad, spurred on by the wailing of an electric guitar.

But of course, I want things to slow down on my schedule. I want to have those moments with my female lead be on film and be memorable. Time can slow down for those. I want our love to purple the hearts of those around. I want to kiss her underneath fireworks, in front of waterfalls, on a retaining wall of the Pacific during high tide. I want moonbeams to illuminate her eyes like God's stage lighting. I want to tell her I love her, and will be there for her as the sun splashes the sky with rose and crimson. I want to hold her hands in mine with holy palmer's kiss, our hands doing as our lips. I want Bryan Adams or Peter Cetera to play on the radio as we careen down Del Dios Highway. I want to smell her hair as my chin rests upon her head and my arms envelop her like a gypsy breeze on an October day.

I think overall I crave a sense of knowing that where I'm heading will work out. I'm working three jobs and trying to write. I want to write. The jobs are a means to an end. I want my written words to be my deeds. Why should I have to pick which is better? I want to help my brothers succeed.

I want the montage to kick in and take me to the All Valley Karate Tournament on the day of the fight. I want to crane kick the barriers in my way. I want to be published.

Mission/78

I submitted this poem as one in a set to the San Diego County Poetry Annual 2010-11. Who knows what'll happen.

Mission/78

I fell in love with the girl in the rear view mirror
as I drove home from school today.
She wore unassuming white sunglasses
and followed behind me most of the way.

I glanced back again and again
her brown hair crinkled about her head.
She could have sped and passed around me
but remained behind me instead.

Eventually we parted ways
I went east and she went south.
As she passed she turned and gazed
with an upturned nose and smirking mouth.