Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
My Life
Sorry for not writing more expository entries recently, but the reason for that is because nothing overly exciting is happening. That's not to say life is bad -- in fact, far from it! The new semester has started, and I like most of my classes. I'm getting into a weekly routine and enjoying it. I've met some new folks and am enjoying getting to know folks from last semester better. Other than that, it's just homework, movies, video games, and the occasional pint or two of beer.
I'm sure come February or March I'll be sick of the weather (I always am by that point), but for now I'm doing all right! And the days are getting longer...I still saw sunlight at 5pm today....FIVE PM! You have no idea how exciting that is 'round these parts!
I'm sure come February or March I'll be sick of the weather (I always am by that point), but for now I'm doing all right! And the days are getting longer...I still saw sunlight at 5pm today....FIVE PM! You have no idea how exciting that is 'round these parts!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Oh man...
This is just horrendously, hideously, amazingly awful. It is (I imagine) the result of what happens when Christians who spend their entire life sheltered from the rest of the world eventually try to engage it on its own terms. If you can get through the agonizing opening sequence, you are in for a great surprise. I will quote the author from Kotaku who first drew my attention to this monstrosity:
"Based on Noah's Ark (we think), the above clips opens with characters in a library. These characters are then turned or "re-shaped" into animals. Those animals then race around a track, run up ladders and are shot out of canons. Then they race around the depths of hell. Then a horse jumps on a rocket. There is more, but watching this clip made my brain hurt."
Y'all ready for this?
Man oh man, where to even begin?? How about that sweet, sweet soundtrack. Or the incredible voice acting by 'God.'
I would also like to point out the many awards they have listed for the game on their website, including "100% clean, no spyware, adware or viruses" and "Fast download, 5/5 stars"
And Christian leaders are wondering why so many young people feel alienated by the church these days....
"Based on Noah's Ark (we think), the above clips opens with characters in a library. These characters are then turned or "re-shaped" into animals. Those animals then race around a track, run up ladders and are shot out of canons. Then they race around the depths of hell. Then a horse jumps on a rocket. There is more, but watching this clip made my brain hurt."
Y'all ready for this?
Man oh man, where to even begin?? How about that sweet, sweet soundtrack. Or the incredible voice acting by 'God.'
I would also like to point out the many awards they have listed for the game on their website, including "100% clean, no spyware, adware or viruses" and "Fast download, 5/5 stars"
And Christian leaders are wondering why so many young people feel alienated by the church these days....
Monday, January 07, 2008
Oxford Redux
Man, time and memory are weird things. I'm not even sure this is going to be a coherent post, maybe just a list of impressions / observations, we'll see.
Well, I'm back visiting Oxford nearly 3 years after moving here for the first time. It's weird to see what's changed and what's the same. A bunch of my favourite small shops have closed (though not all), and that's sad. Equally sad are the homeless people I recognize who are still sitting in the exact same spots, selling the Big Issue or begging for change. I had hoped that some of them would have pulled life together by now.
On the other hand, so much stays exactly the same. I mean, it's not as if they're about to pick up Magdalen College and move it to a different part of the city. There's some 1000+ year history to parts of this city. And while walking the streets today I ran into one of my regular customers from when I worked at coffee republic -- an aussie guy whose name I can no longer recall. Also on the plus side, I'm still friendly with the managers of Krispy Kreme and the Phoenix Picturehouse, which means I get free donuts and movies whenever I'm in town :)
I guess what always shocks me is how places which were once so familiar go on living and changing even when I'm not there. I guess that speaks more to my own self-centred worldview than perhaps anything else, but there you have it. I feel the same way when I go back to southern Ontario these days...life goes on even though I'm off experiencing different things.
I suppose Oslo will feel like that one day. Maybe 5 years from now I will return to Norway to see friends and have these same conflicting feelings of nostalgia and remorse. Or maybe I'll be used to those feelings by then. Or maybe I won't end up leaving Oslo, who really knows.
One thing I can say is that spending time with my friends here in Oxford is as if I've never been away. Even in the case of Matt & Pip, who have since had a CHILD and had their life dramatically altered in the past year, it feels as if I've never been away. Rich was a bit more flustered cuz, well, the guy got MARRIED (my main reason for visiting) but I could tell the bonds were as strong as ever. And Jim remains the kind, wise man that I have always known. It is wonderful to be in their company again -- I will have to make more of an effort to return to this place over the next two years.
UPDATE: Perhaps wisely, they have finally changed the code on the door to the office at Coffee Republic. I tried the old one on my way back from the toilet but it no longer worked :(
Well, I'm back visiting Oxford nearly 3 years after moving here for the first time. It's weird to see what's changed and what's the same. A bunch of my favourite small shops have closed (though not all), and that's sad. Equally sad are the homeless people I recognize who are still sitting in the exact same spots, selling the Big Issue or begging for change. I had hoped that some of them would have pulled life together by now.
On the other hand, so much stays exactly the same. I mean, it's not as if they're about to pick up Magdalen College and move it to a different part of the city. There's some 1000+ year history to parts of this city. And while walking the streets today I ran into one of my regular customers from when I worked at coffee republic -- an aussie guy whose name I can no longer recall. Also on the plus side, I'm still friendly with the managers of Krispy Kreme and the Phoenix Picturehouse, which means I get free donuts and movies whenever I'm in town :)
I guess what always shocks me is how places which were once so familiar go on living and changing even when I'm not there. I guess that speaks more to my own self-centred worldview than perhaps anything else, but there you have it. I feel the same way when I go back to southern Ontario these days...life goes on even though I'm off experiencing different things.
I suppose Oslo will feel like that one day. Maybe 5 years from now I will return to Norway to see friends and have these same conflicting feelings of nostalgia and remorse. Or maybe I'll be used to those feelings by then. Or maybe I won't end up leaving Oslo, who really knows.
One thing I can say is that spending time with my friends here in Oxford is as if I've never been away. Even in the case of Matt & Pip, who have since had a CHILD and had their life dramatically altered in the past year, it feels as if I've never been away. Rich was a bit more flustered cuz, well, the guy got MARRIED (my main reason for visiting) but I could tell the bonds were as strong as ever. And Jim remains the kind, wise man that I have always known. It is wonderful to be in their company again -- I will have to make more of an effort to return to this place over the next two years.
UPDATE: Perhaps wisely, they have finally changed the code on the door to the office at Coffee Republic. I tried the old one on my way back from the toilet but it no longer worked :(
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