Now this requires some back-story, so bear with me here.

A couple of weeks ago, the power unit for my flatscreen managed to break down without any explanation. When I woke up the next morning after turning off my computer it was turned off. So for a couple of days it managed to work if I fiddled around with the power cable a bit. But one day it apparently just had had it and died permanently.

Thankfully my flatmate had a CRT screen I could borrow for the time being as I went out price hunting the following days.

One thing I've forgotten is how much a CRT screen actually hurts when watching it. Especially if you've used a LCD screen before and then have to go back down to CRT as I did. Sure it allowed me to use my computer by dang my eyes hurt while using it. It doesn't get better that my computer table is way too small so the screen was about 5-15 centimeters from my face.

So for a couple of days I went out hunting for a cheap flatscreen, or relatively cheap at least. A couple of days went by as I looked around while at the same time dealing with classes and everything. I had checked every place I knew that sold computers without finding a really good screen and at the same time not being extremely expensive. I actually knew a place that was about to open that apparently was very cheap. So after classes were done I just hoped on the bus and went over. Thankfully this was around midday so the giant opening ceremony had apparently finished a long time ago so I didn't have to bother about queues or anything. Anyway, so I went and was quite impressed with the large selection of things they had. But of course the thing I really needed was a new flatscreen so I more or less went there straight away.

And then probably spent at least an hour or so (I have no idea since I didn't check my watch) on which one to pick. I called a friend, my dad, my younger brother for opinions about what to pick. Now I'm not a techno-idiot really but I like hearing what other has to say about things to. So after a while I settled down on a 22" Widescreen monitor that didn't cost too much in comparison to other models. I also picked up a webcamera that I needed for a course assignment of all things.

Now, the problem for me now was, how was I supposed to get this stuff back to my apartment? This was quite a distance away. I mean I couldn't really bring a 22" flatscreen with me on the bus could I? Thankfully one of my relatives who lived in the same town was off from work so I called her up and asked if she could drive me home. Which she could thankfully.

So after dealing with some parking issues since the parking lot was still full I got my items stashed in the car trunk. My relative had mentioned on the phone that she wanted to check the place in too. Which I had nothing against really. So we went back in and started browsing the games section. She apparently wanted some new Singstar games, but ended also up buying a new DVD-player too.

And then we came over to the DVD section. And I think I had stepped into a minor section of heaven, because that place had a lot of DVD collections that I hadn't actually seen before. I was in sort of a nostalgic heaven while seeing season boxes for series like MacGyver, A-Team, Miami Vice, Knight Rider and SeaQuest DSV. (Now in hindsight I almost regret not buying that SeaQuest box. Almost.) As I was looking through the shelves I came across a movie trilogy I hadn't seen in years. Namely Jurassic Park. For I actually found the Jurassic Park -The Ultimate Collection Edition while looking around. I actually think I let out a minor shout of joy. For it had been years since I actually saw any of the movies, and probably even longer since I read any of the books. (Might just need to buy them someday.) So I picked that one up and despite being tempted by other DVD. It's really hard to choose between Stargate SG-1 and Jurassic Park honestly. But as a guy I can't really say no to dinosaurs, and despite being 20 years old now, I still can't say no to them. I'm such a horrible geek sometimes. ;)

It actually took me a while before I watched them. Mainly because I was busy with other things, but then I sat down and watched the first movie on my 22" screen. I actually don't even have a TV in my apartment. So after trying to figure out what program to properly play the DVD with, I finally managed to sit down with some soda (next time it's gonna be beer. That's for sure) and chips and prepared for a journey into childhood nostalgia. And honestly, it's still as good as I remember it to be.

While some nowadays would consider their special effects of the movie rather lackluster there is still something very grandiose and special about them. The initial encounter with the Brachiosaurs is still really impressive and the dinosaurs don't even look CG, instead they look almost real in their appearance. There isn't that weird uncanny valley feeling you can get sometimes when looking at them. They blend in so well with the background despite being CG. For me it was like an orgy of childhood nostalgia from the opening up to perhaps the best part of the movie. Namely when the Rex makes it appearance. There is something special about that scene that makes it so awesome and memorable. Could be that the mix of animatronics and CG was so good, or maybe just the general feeling of it. I almost had a miniature geekgasm when I saw it.

Sure the movie might have its faults when it comes to acting and so. But for me that move still remains to be special and memorable. The same goes for the sequel for that part. This is almost as awesome. Probably because I have a minor soft spot for the Rex, and the scenes where is rampaging through San Diego is really impressive and fun. I mean what can be cooler than having a miniature Godzilla rampage through a city? Probably two of them. But you have to be happy with what you get. But the buildup for the truck scene with the two Rexes is obviously a bit of homage to the first movie in terms up buildup and tension. But at the same time it probably gets a bit better. Why? Instead of one T. Rex there is two. And some things just get better in numbers.

I will however not watch the third one. I remember seeing and thinking that it lacked something. Sure the Spinosaurus is impressive and all. But compared against the Rex it lacks a certain brutal edge. And the Raptors felt just a bit too... goofy almost. In the first two they had a cunning and brutal edge to them. But in the third one they almost seem too smart for their own good. The whole sneaking kill thing that they had in the first two seemed somehow lost in the third one. Sure it's fun to see that they have a sense of continuity and all and probably the most overkill rescue squadron I've seen, but still JP3 felt lackluster compared to the other two.

And honestly I dread the fourth one. Yes. There is a JP4 in the work. And according to the latest rumors it supposedly has dinosaurs using guns. I wonder when and where the series managed to blunder itself into the B-Movie action world. Granted that the other movies might have had that aspect in themselves. But their execution and special effects make them look more like A-level Science Fiction rather than some absurd B level fest. Who knows, maybe that was just a rumor and we a new romp among dinosaurs.

What I need to do soon is get my hands on the books again. And maybe some good fact books about dinosaurs. I wonder if you can pull of a good PnP RPG session with Jurassic Park flair. Would have been interesting to do.