Construed

Maybe love is a slight exaggeration.

Being tagged to join the trail of any meme can be thought of as almost something of a chore – that is if you stick rigidly to the outline that is given by the previously tagged or even originator of the meme.

It’s not the first time that I have crossed paths with a meme, no but what is different this time around(thanks mbp) is that there’s be a few deviations away from what the meme originally began as, with the best spin, that I have read, being melmoth’s, Our memories are the only paradise from which we can never be expelled. This is how the meme originally started out:

So my sister has a blog. No, it is not a gaming blog, it is a blog about her lovely family and a way for her friends to keep up to date.

Anywho, in one of her posts she challenged me:

1. Go into your image folder

Since this is a Warcaft blog I cheated and went into my screenshot folder.

2. Open the sixth sub-folder and choose the sixth image.

I cheated again. a) my screenshot folder does not have any sub-folders b) I lost all my screenshots when I reformated the computer, so I used the screenshot folder on my boyfriend’s computer.

3. Publish the image!

4. Challenge six new bloggers.

5. Link to them.

I’ve decided to move this meme on a little too & select 6 images from 6 different folders – screen-shots from gaming but also images from the everyday. I’ve mixed it but I hope you can see a few threads that connect the images together, albeit fairly loosely.

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2

3

4

5

6

1: Play.com LIVE March 2008 & my first videogaming event that I attended as ‘Press’. Some good memories from the event include meeting DolphGB of PS3 Attitude in the queue for press passes &  seeing the new Wembley stadium for the first time. This picture of Lego Indy caught my eye considering that many of the stands at the show were pretty poorly displayed – I’ll not mention names here but you know who you were! I hear that Play.com LIVE maybe held in a Manchester venue for this year…

2: Warhammer Online & one of my first Public Quests. I remember this was way out of my league with regards to level but I was tempted to take part by the guild I was in. I remember my PC freaking out with so much going on that all I saw of the PQ was a choppy sea scene of action. Warhammer Online just wasn’t what I needed at the time, as I’m sure Darkfall wouldn’t be for me now. One rule, that I have learnt the hard way from over 10 years of online gaming experience, that I will stick to is not to waste my time beta testing any future MMOs & to leave a new MMO alone for at least a year before trying it. Reading what Stropp has had to say about Darkfall’s recent beginning has only gone to reinforce my rule.

3: Hard Ons/The Stupids March 2009 – I last saw the Hard Ons play in 1989(see picture #6) at the Fulham Greyhound(now closed), 20 years ago. I don’t remember the gig, I don’t really remember their music – although I do remember The Stupids, so why am I going to see them play live next month? Well it’s a chance to see old friends & I suppose to get the feel of live music back in my veins again, as it’s been a long time since I’ve been to a gig. I’m planning to take photos of the gig & make notes for a review of sorts.

4: Prince of Persia. I was disappointed from what I saw of the game, although others did actually enjoy playing it more than I. My hopes of a story & characters that felt authentic to the game’s premise were dashed. Instead the more I played the game, the more I hated how the Prince sounded & acted like a pale imitation of an American hero rather than a Prince from the Arabic. Combat was too QTE heavy with a really repetitive movement structure, Prince of Persia was my game to forget of 2008.

5: Lord of the Rings Online. It’s all about the story! My return to LotRO maybe for a pleasent surprise(see #2: rules regarding playing MMOs) & I liked what I saw – plenty of thought gone into tuning the MMO experience towards the individual from the start. The main quest line via books give plenty of depth in story to this MMO but unlike WoW’s seemingly meaningless & normally lengthy quest descriptions, LotRO has quest descriptions that are streamlined & better written. I also liked the use of cut-scenes to move the story along after completion of the chapters. If I wanted to solo an MMO, well LotRO would definitely be the MMO not to attempt it in – I suppose you could look at it that way: WoW is the MMO that has the ideal setting allowing players to solo the game without big penalties & LotRO just wouldn’t be the same, in any shape or form, if attempted solo. Reminds me I need to warm myself towards a Kinship – am open to offers!

6: DM Osbon circa late 1980’s. Yours truly back in the day when PC’s were unwieldy & videogames consoles were a little crass. I was heavily into the Hardcore punk music scene from that time & this picture was taken at band rehearsal I was at & no I wasn’t in the band. I did my first fanzine writing at this time & this was the paving stone that laid the way towards my love of writing now – blogging & fanzines may not be the playgrounds of the best writing but they surely are where most of the honest thoughts, get written.

Now who to pass this meme onto..?

I tag Aaron, Openedge1, Stropp, DolphGB & Scott.

I’ll be interested to see what you come up with!

DM∞

This is post  #99.

It feels the right time for me to do a quick look back just to see what I failed to follow-up on in previous posts – I don’t like to leave you all hanging!

Before I do so, I’d just want to mention that in the next Construed post up(#100), will be my first Comic Book Review. If you’ve missed out on what I’m talking about here, then go back 15 posts to read the announcement.

OK onto the loose ends…

Videogaming

A few bits to tidy up here:

My copy of Spore still remains unopened – I will get to it sometime soon, now the hype surronding this game has passed away. Anyone still playing with this toy, I mean game?

I’d love to finish both Fallout 3 & Bioshock.

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is also crying-out to to be played – I did give this to a friend to play & his initial thoughts were bad but he did go on to complete it in the end. The more he played it, the more forgiving he was of the game’s shortcomings – this alone makes me want to give it a spin.

You can also expect a Skate 2 review by me, up at Caught in the Crossfire by the end of the month – if not before.

Music

I promise there will be more to come on this topic – I’ve even got a ticket to a gig in March which is my first for many a year! More on that soon.

Movies

I have two that I have been meaning to watch but they still remain unwatched, they are: The Fountain & Dark City. Of course, the end of this month sees the premiere of the Watchmen movie which I hope to catch at a good cinema -  maybe even at the IMAX in London.

TV

CSI & Heroes are my main catch-ups – I have yet to watch at least 8 Heroes shows before it broke at the end of last year. I have some thoughts on the new season of CSI, written down in note-form, which I want to share here on Construed but I may wait for a few more shows to air before I do so.

OK that’s all my tying up done. Just remember, if your a comic book fan like me then keep a sharp eye out for post #100, as I’m back reading monthly comic books again!

DM∞

Can music sit on a shelf, played once but unloved?

Can it sit there & not be noticed…

…

Can it age gracefully, like a good wine?

Tasted one day, not too far from now, on a whim…

Finally, that unloved music is understood.

—

I finally get Radiohead’s 2003 release, Hail to the Thief.

DM∞