The rest of week Eighteen
Best Wishes
My birthday is mid-June, so I created a wish list for my parents. I appreciated arranging it far more this season. When I bought my laptop during week thirteen, I spent my entire luxury allowance until September. (I did allot three purchases: one in February, June and the last during August.)
These wish lists are the reason I organize my budget better. Four or more years ago, I mostly found books I wanted to read by wandering a Barnes & Noble. Also, I only worked during the summer or washing family cars. My luxury allowance only served for small purchases once each two months (Brindles became my favorite store). Thus, organization stemmed from two factors. I sought to improve my long-term tastes beyond the idiosyncrasies of a particular store's inventory. Second, the Anaheim Convention Center hired me, creating that lovely state: premature affluence. I apportioned a luxury allowance and set about building my collections of books, movies, and songs. (I filled three 4 tier bookshelves in my rooms.) Making wishlists became simple: I copied the top fifteen items from each class and gave it to both. That is not quite true; I reserved a few so I could still buy for myself without either waiting a month to begin from what they did not choose or selecting from second level desires.
Annoyingly, now that I document all the baubles ever made, distinguishing desire strength is difficult. I can order a hierarchy either by gratification or utilitarian principles. Consider movies: a utilitarian approach involves buying the best movies I have already seen. (Truman show, Back to the Future, Hero, ect.) However, the idea of buying those bores me as I have seen them each several times. I sometimes prefer taking a chance on a movie I have not seen yet but piqued my interest. At first, I diverted money toward Blockbuster, but the limited inventory (& poor, mutable filing system) discouraged me. Early this year I joined Netflix. I can not lament that I had not joined before. The third element loosening my purse started when I secured a personal credit card.
On reflection, the competing principles play a more significant role in choosing the more valued between candidates of differing classes. The pair of sunglasses I currently own us too small. I will replace them with the style Jamie Hyneman (of Mythbusters fame) wears: a set made for mountaineers which cover the sides of a face. But, I only need a pair when I wear contact lenses. Hence, I can not rely upon simple preference when I weigh sunglasses against four DVDs. Both Offer a certain but limited value. By utilitarian reasoning, the movies are better since I will use then more often, if only by lending them to others. A new pair would make for a more immediate gratification since I could wear contacts more often. Each attitude has a season, much as the political average has swung back 'left.'
Costumes
Two years ago, I extended the recording habit to costumes. Our family hosted a Halloween party last year. My final three choices of dress were as (Masque of the) Red Death, Rorschach of the Watchmen, or the witch-king ringwraith in Lord of the Rings. (He is the one that dons a menacing helmet and is killed by Eowyn & Merry.) I chose the witch-king.
My current opportunity for disguise is in San Diego. I will attend the 2008 Comic Convention, which hosts a masquerade on the first night. During previous visits, I only ventured one day. This time, I will stay with a family friend who lives down south. I will attend all four days.
I would have defaulted to Rorschach but for renting Silent Hill through Netflix. The red pyramid is a bad ass costume. (If ignorant of either the film or game, imagine a bare-chested giant wearing an apron of human skin and a great, angular pyramid hood.) Now aware of possibilities beyond my original list, I built and narrowed the field again. To decide between the last eight candidates, I began to sketch those I have no pictures of (Harrison Bergeron). But, some demanded color and I opened our colored pencil drawer. Halfway through, I realized the array could focus other's opinions enough to aid in my decision. Finally, I scanned the group and uploaded all to my deviantart account.
Samurai Jack: season two
I am working my way through the entire Samurai Jack collection. This week I watched season two. I preferred season one more. I considered mixing the series amongst movies I want to see but of the nicest aspects of owning / watching a TV season in a single sitting is the elimination of pauses. The difficulty here is that I am desensitized to the fighting. When I see forty minutes of sword battles, I feel less forgiving when they show him just swinging his arms against implied targets for ten of the forty.
I chose it first because of the cool stuff I remembered and to complete the experience. I am mostly interested in its meta-narrative, rather than most side quests. Frankly, they barely showed Aku. Aku's shape-shifting during season one made for the best episodes. I would rather be Green Lantern than Superman for the same reason: pinning a foe down under mentally projected sandbags gratifies more than having to beat him to a pulp (and 'family safe' since Jack's enemies are not allowed to bleed). Also Mako (the voice of Aku) plays it perfectly. He is why the best feature on the DVDs is the biography of Gennedy Tartakovsky. He submitted a forerunner of Dexter's Lab as his senior project because he liked Deedee. Thus, when Cartoon Network assigned his unit to create "Cartoon Cartoon," he resubmitted it. Next, he pitched Samurai Jack. This influenced George Lucas when he offered Cartoon Network the Star Wars Clone Wars spots. Tartakovsky mentioned that the original concept only allowed ten seconds rather than two minutes. Lucas approved the increase when he heard Tartakovsky would produce them.