John Zeitler

Facebook represents a very strange dichotomy for me. On the one hand, the concept of the service is a wonder to behold: it is a very strongly-focused social networking site allowing vast numbers of people to congregate and collaborate, facilitating events and all that wonderful stuff. It brings people together, which is a goal that at the 50,000-foot level I can appreciate and get behind. But how they have gone about the dirty business of paying for all that wonder, to merely touch upon the subject, sticks in my craw. Specifically the “we own your data and throw the details of your personal life around like a one-dollar chip at the World Poker Tour” bits. So, for the longest time, I avoided using the service, while at the very least just maintaining a profile so I could say “I’m on Facebook, in the same sense that I am on ibuprofen”.

This may have to change in the coming year as I start to, y’know, have a social calendar. I know, it frightens me, too. And not just the whole Big Brother-ness of it, but the fact that I’m not an almost-hikikomori anymore. This shakes up my whole worldview.

Earlier today, I had occasion to take a good, long look at the chocobo doll that sits on my shelves. It’s a pretty cute doll, and honestly it’s one of my favorite pieces in the collection, mostly because of what the doll signifies. A constant in the universe. No matter what happens, there’s always going to be huge yellow flightless birds that are invariably friendly and unimaginably adorable.

And then an hour ago I watched a cut-scene from FF13, wherein a photorealistic chocobo is torn to shreds by savannah cougars. What’s been happening since has been at once unsurprising, and dehydrating.

Yotsuba loves you. Unfortunately, this video features Notsuba, her sister, who is from the Uncanny Valley and is, in fact, watching you. Right now. Yes, right behind you. No, don’t bother looking, she’ll just hide. She ALWAYS just hides.

Or, it could be that she’s just the artifact of some not-yet-mature 3D rendering software severely limiting the creative capabilities of whoever made this otherwise really awesome video, but do you want to take that chance?

I’ll keep this short because I’m still a little unsteady– I’m surprised that I had the focus to finish CS just now. Anyway, I mentioned a while back that I was sick, right? Well, colds for me always seem to go in a fairly predictable cycle. I have the first inklings that something’s wrong when my throat feels scratchy. Then my sinuses flood with cement for a few days and I have fever dreams that would make George Romero wet his pants and cry for his mommy. After I bury myself in every blanket I own to break the fever, I then have one more day where I’m not entirely sure I’m over it or not as my nose becomes a snot faucet. That night, just to be safe, I stay under all those blankets and roast to death instead of sleep as the infection resurfaces in my chest, now causing me to hack and cough whenever I try to breathe through the only unobstructed airway I have left. After a day or so of this wonderful experience I’m usually back on my feet.

Today was, fortunately, that last bit. I was kind of hoping not to have to miss work, but then again it couldn’t be helped. In any event, tonight should be fine and tomorrow should be better.

Oh, as a final little coda: I found out last night that Video games New York is going to be at Tekkoshocon this year, meaning I may be able to snag one or two of the last few ridiculously-elusive games on my list, or more likely pick up something new and interesting to play. As always, we shall see.

…red dragon tattoo, hmm just about hmm hmm…

…er, yeah. Sorry, got massively sidetracked today, and tomorrow’s not lookin’ much better. Still, I should have something for you guys at some point before bedtime. Later, folks.

Ha! Now you’re infected, too.

…I’m fit to be dyed, hmm hmm fit to hmm you…

This is from the longer-form writing thing I’m doing, a non-fiction… essay… thing. It’s hard for me to define exactly what it is beyond “it happened”. I’m also experimenting a little bit with a different writing style. When it’s finished, the full piece will be up, either here or at Linguankery. In the meantime…

I can’t find a parking space. It doesn’t surprise me that a Monday evening sees a crowd of people in the Toys R Us; the crowding irritates me, yes, but it certainly does not surprise me. Children run through the aisles, celebrating good report cards and “greatly improved” marks; the board game aisle, in particular, has a few families, parents hoping to find a pastime that will keep their offspring from becoming too bored on the inevitable rainy days of summer break. I wend my way through the aisles and obstacles until I reach Animal Alley.
The usual suspects greet me. Bears, dogs, cats, and rabbits of varying shapes, sizes, colors, and realism levels are stacked upon each other. It resembles nothing so much as what would happen if a particularly deranged little girl were to try to recreate a concentration camp photo. For some strange reason, I don’t think the boys would like any of these animals. I wonder why I would think that as I walk around to the next aisle, labeled “Safari Friends”. Here we find a more exotic menagerie; penguins, hippopotami, elephants…
The light goes off in my head. A raccoon. That’s what Dad brought home that one trip. I remember that one, and how it stayed by my side night after night for a good long while, until it was finally too frayed and bald to be recognizable, let alone self-contained. I would love to share that with the boys. My eyes scan the shelves one more time. Then again. Then I go back around to ‘Hello Auschwitz’, circling both aisles a total of six times.
There are no raccoons in the store. My alternate idea, a fox, was also completely extinct as far as Animal Alley was concerned.