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Pretty sure Liz Lemon, and therefore Tina Fey, is the ideal woman. Also, gameboys.

So…I still exist! Here are some things I did:

1. Read Bossypants

How could I not read Tina Fey’s autobiography? There is no reason not to! Everyone needs some Tina Fey in their life. Having too much Tina Fey in your life is not even a thing that exists. But I don’t need to explain that, because y’all know it. Bossypants was very funny, and in particular I enjoyed reading about the process of developing 30 Rock. I learnt a lot! For instance, did you know the “backdoor bragging”¹ joke (part one, part two) was actually written by Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino, aka Troy from Community)?² Also, it’s somewhat disturbing how much of the show is based on Fey’s experiences as a writer for Saturday Night Live. Pissing in jars, for instance? Totally real. It’s in the book.

“Autobiographical comedy” is not a genre I have much experience with, but Bossypants felt vaguely reminiscent of David Sedaris collections. Actually, I’ve only read one of his collections), but I think I would recommend Bossypants to Sedaris fans.

2. Found my Gameboy

Remember these?

If you say “no”, I will feel old. On the other hand, it was secondhand and already obsolete by the time I got it, so I decide to feel not-old. Anyway, I found it. It didn’t work. But then it worked. And then it didn’t again. But it did last long enough for me to play some of my old favourite games:

Not-so-secretly, the Pokemon RPGs are still something I enjoy. The anime was always shitty; the games on the other hand…

Semi-relatedly, what’s with purists who deny everything after Generation I of Pokemon games? It wasn’t until Generation III that shit started getting ridiculous, wherein new Pokemon and abilities started become copies of each other. I guess I’m a Generation II purist.

I-I like when sitcoms coin useful terms, ok? Hi, Larry David…
Donald Glover was once a writer for 30 Rock and has appeared in a minor role in the show and been referenced as “that black kid on Community”. So they’re leaning on the fourth wall, of sorts.

May 9th, 2012 · Media, Reviews · 1 Comment »

Summer 2010

I started writing this entry six months ago…but then things happened and I never finished it. This is an entry about all the Fun Things I did over the summer break.

Watching

Mad Men: I could say more, but I think the above gif explains a significant portion of the show. Pretty sure everyone needs a bit of Christina Hendricks’s ass in their life.
Community: it’s so meta and about ten different kinds of lulzy. I…I just love all the pop culture references and callbacks and continuity nods. Um, yep.

Reading

I stopped regularly reading fiction a long time ago. Non-fiction is where it’s at.

The Ancestor’s Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life by Richard Dawkins: as some of you may have realised by now, Dawks is one of my favourite people, and I would regard this as one of the best books I’ve read. It follows the course of human evolution back through time, from humankind to bacteria. It’s a longass book, and, admittedly, got a bit tedious towards the end, but it’s an excellent popular science read for a non-biology-studying person like me (and for biology people too, I imagine).
Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson: we all find it hard to admit we’ve made a mistake. Cognitive dissonance is a well-established theory in social psychology and demonstrates that rather than owning up to a mistake or apologising for a hurtful action, people will instead start rationalising and justifying their decisions.
Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives by Richard Wiseman: a magician-turned-psychologist writes about quirky science of the everyday and various offbeat topics. For instance, did you know that there is an over-representation of marine biologists named Dr. Fish?

Playing

Diablo II: I get the urge to play this again about once every year or two. It’s still great this many years later, what with the hacking and slashing and all. Blizzard is great. I’ve avoided becoming addicted to their latest offerings, but I’ll definitely be playing Diablo III when it is eventually released.
SimCity 4: at first I was a slightly (okay, extremely) greedy mayor. Apparently it pays off not to tax the shit out of everything. Who knew?

June 17th, 2011 · Media · 2 Comments »

lol twilight sux

I’m Adam and I can justifiably abuse Twilight.

But before that, this:

I have a habit of bashing stuff that I’ve never even given a chance. This applies to people, too. I kind of have misanthropic tendencies and have “strongly disliked” a lot of people, only to realise they’re actually not so bad! Really, some of the people I’ve hated throughout school have ended up becoming quite good friends, and are actually cool people. I judge people too often and too early.

Also I used to say Glee was crap. I mean, it looked really, really crap. But then I had guy friends who recommended it, and at work, it was playing constantly for a while, and I realised it might actually be semi-decent. And then I gave it a chance, and although it is ultra-cringeworthy and nothing like shows I usually enjoy (think Battlestar Galactica, Entourage, Lost, Weeds), I actually do enjoy it. Also I swear the only reason Quinn is even on that show is for me to stare at.

I even gave Lady Gaga music a chance after saying it was awful, and…well actually it still is awful, save a few songs that are too catchy for their own good. NEVER AGAIN SHALL I DELVE INTO MAINSTREAM MUSIC (kidding).

Now, how is Twilight relevant to this? Well! Back in high school (at a time when it was still in relative obscurity), I attempted to read it. Obviously if I were to do that now, it would be pretty freaking sad, but at the time I just thought it would be a fun vampire/adventure novel! But man was I wrong or what? If I knew then what I do now, I never would have gone near it. But it does mean that I am justified in my criticism (I’m not all “lol twilight sux”, when I’ve never given it a chance). Admittedly, though, even with all my perseverance, I couldn’t come close to finishing the first book. But that just backs up my point that it sucks.

And why does it suck? Um, probably because 90% of the writing on the page is about ~*Edward’s perfectly sculpted amazing hot body*~. Can’t think of anything I care less about, pretty much. Also Stephenie Meyer can’t write for shit. NOT THAT I CAN. But I’m also not getting published. Oh and it’s a girlygirly romance novel. So yeah.

So there you have it, I gave Twilight a chance, realised it was godawful, and thus am justified in my criticism of something for a change.

November 3rd, 2010 · Media, Reviews · 14 Comments »