So, still lamenting my lack of gaming opportunities, as still have not gotten a replacement system for my Xbox, and this computer is not good for gaming the big games like Morrowind. I'm lucky that I like to read, but miss my black box for sure! Now to add to the fun, I'm sick as a dog. My whole body hurts, and no amount of medicine seems to help that much. At least this gives me the opportunity to be a little more active here, and to be all lazy like otherwise. And it did give me a chance to read the last Harry Potter book, which wasn't as good as I was hoping, but still not bad. Of course a lot of the fun gets taken away when there are no surprises. The series was a little on the predictable side, but still worthwhile. If I stay sick for much longer, might have to break out the DVD collection. Halloween is coming up, and have to watch Halloween to get into the spirit! So although I'm a little, OK, a lot bored, I suppose it could be worse...

Finally able to log into Game Spot after being here for a couple of weeks. So after my PC difficulties here, now my stupid Xbox refuses to work anymore. It won't recognize any of my discs, and I think that I need to get another one. Just sucks as I had a really good Morrowind game going, and now I have to try to find stuff in real life to do. I have the worst luck with machines! Oh well, I can probably get another one pretty cheap now....:(

I'll be exploration the joys of international travel on Wednesday, so have a big day of packing and running around to do tomorrow. I'm one of those weird people who actually like to travel. I like airplanes (as long as I can keep my eye out for the gremlin of course!), and I like to compare airports. My favorite so far is Chicago O'Hare, that airport has everything and is reasonably clean. This time I get to see LAX and JFK, neither one I have visited before, so, an adventure. Will be back on in a few days after recovering from jet lag.

I've noticed that even as I grow older, there seems to be a herd mentality among humankind. Because of the media and the internet, one can instantly know what is the hot or not. While that can be a good thing, it can also make one be embarrassed of what one really likes. Instead of just being oneself, people are consistently modifying what they say they like, dress like their friends do, or even downplay their religious or political beliefs as they may not be "popular".

Things that are popular today will not be popular tomorrow, so it is futile to try to follow the next big thing. I support individuality and a healthy ego to support it. At the risk of being labled "uncool" I will share things that just make me happy. It doesn't matter if no one else thinks that those things are stupid, that's the point. Hopefully others will share the silly things that just put a smile on their face!

Songs that make me happy::D

1) If I had a Million Dollars by Bare Naked Ladies

2) Traditional Irish Folk Song by Dennis Leary

3) What I Am by Edie Brickell

4) I'm Just a Girl by No Doubt

Movies that make me happy::D

1) Clueless

2) Romy and Michell's High School Reunion

3) Legally Blond

4) Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Food that makes me happy::D

1) Southern food

2) Jalapeno Burger from Carl's Jr.

3) Movie theatre popcorn

4) Ben and Jerry's ice cream

So go out there and do the things that make you happy!:D

I can't be the only person sick of going on a message board for their favorite game, only to discover that a good quarter of the topics or more are created by people saying the game sucks. Everyone has a right to their own opinion, but to go on a message board dedicated to a game, and populated by actual fans of the game, that is so blatantly being a jerk. And most annoying of all, is that a great many of these trolls always end up saying, "only played for an hour" or along those lines.

How on earth is anyone supposed to be able to get any real fix of a game in such a short amount of time? I don't love every game out there, and there is one MMORPG in particular that will always conjure up unpleasant memories. The main difference is, I actually played the stupid game! I spent months trying to find something that would justify my spending my hard earned dollars on it. I played with friends, I played solo, I played as a tight fisted merchant... I played. Will I go on one of that game's boards and say how much I loathe the game? Heck no! If I wanted to be insulted and attacked for my shortcomings I would just try out for America's Next Top Model. Same thing. Of course, if I did lose some brain cells and did such a thing, then at least I would be able to say why I didn't like it, not just say it sucked.

I suppose watching the trolls make fools of themselves would be bearable if people would stop feeding them. I've seen topic after topic turn into flame wars because veterans take the whole thing personally and want to beat the trolls to death with their own clubs. Sure it's entertaining at first, but after a while it just gets obnoxious. There is a reason most people say "Don't Feed the Trolls". I'm certainly not a veteran, and I only post occasionally, as the message boards and FAQs usually answer my questions quite nicely without having to bother people. But believe me when I say it's a job and a half to find the info I need while wading through a river of flame wars...

In salute to my upcoming trip to the UK, decided to mention some of my favorite films that are set in the UK. I love movies, and there have been a few really good ones from or set in this area of the world. Since this isn't limited to one genre, and most likely will be read by few, decided to post it here, to remind me to watch these films again at a later date.

Horroris a big favorite of mine, so this list will most likely be the longest:

Shaun of the Dead

28 Days Later

The Omen

The Others

Bram Stokers Dracula

The Village of the Damned (original version)

Comedy:

Bridget Jones' Diary

The Holiday

Hot Fuzz

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

The Full Monty

Drama:

Cold Comfort Farm

Henry V

Hamlet (set in Denmark, but certainly British)

Sid and Nancy

And an honorable mention to the Harry Potter series. Not the best films in the world, but certainly noteworthy. When completed, will be one of the longest series of non horror films out there.

I can not wait to find more films that are truly outstanding to add to this list...

In a few weeks I will be once again going to England. While it is a beautiful place, there are certain things that I'm going to miss...

1) Decent Mexican food. I know it's a place that is nowhere near Mexico, but still! I mean there are many places to find Indian food, and some places have good Chinese food, but in the very few Mexican restaurants I have been to, there is not a tamale to be found.

2) Going out to socialize that doesn't revolve around getting completely wasted. How much booze can 1 person drink? An incredible amount it seems.

3) Midol. Couldn't find it anywhere on my last trip. Will have to bring my own.

I love the English. Everyone I've spoken to has been really friendly towards me. They always comment on my "cute accent", which I find humorous, as I'm from California and we really don't have accents as opposed to other areas of the USA. There are things I would like to do while I am there, that I didn't get to do last time.

I would love to visit Stonehenge. Every time I suggested it, I was always shot down about the long trip just to visit a bunch of rocks. We Americans love that kind of stuff though. On my first visit, I visited the Lakes District which was recommended to me by the locals,( because Americans think it's "quaint"), and I would love to see it again. It was one of the most beautiful areas I've seen in my life. To be loyal to my country, it wasn't quite as beautiful as Lake Tahoe, but it was close.

I'm pretty excited to be going in general, and will update this blog on my travels in this beautiful land.

As some may know, my beloved kitty died this year. I had a hard time getting over it, and sometimes it still doesn't seem as if he were really gone. Tonight, this stray kitty came up to me off the street and started wanting love and affection. Of course I gave it a lot of attention, because that's the type of girl I am, but it was pretty harsh all the same. When the stray rolled over and wanted what I call tummy love, I almost lost it. My kitty was always showing off his tummy because he knew that was the one thing that was guaranteed to make me do what he wanted. I guess I still have a ways to go before I'm over his passing. I just don't know if it's a good idea to get another cat as I was planning. I have so much love to give to a kitty, but would it be disrespectful to the memory of him? I just don't know....