The following is being written at 5:30am on a Saturday
while in the delirium of personal issues.
THIS IS GONNA BE FUN. I’m being fairly
spoiler free, but I might make an mistake.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Devil May Cry - DmC
I have some problems with the upcoming DmC game.
Let me preface this with a possibly bizarre standpoint: I think I could like this game if it was not part of the Devil May Cry franchise.
Devil May Cry has been a big part of my life for many, many years. I've cosplayed DMC3's Vergil, I've got a cosplay tucked away for Gilver (which was vastly less expensive than DMC3 Vergil). I have roleplayed in story writing format for these characters, and I have written my share of fanfiction. The games provided me so much entertainment that I purchased all games, soundtracks, and when DMC3:SE came out, I bought it to partner with my original copy just because I would be able to play Vergil, despite the fact that all it was was his skin and battle moves laid on Dante's frame.
I even have a soft spot for DMC2. It's sort of the bastard child of the four games, but I appreciate the insinuated development for him there. He's been at that schtick a long, long time. I realize DMC4 was a slight retcon of that personality due to the sheer outrage, but I still personally accept DMC2 to be Dante's future after the fourth game. He's older, he's tired, so he just gets what he needs to done with very little to say about it. Maybe he's outlived his mortal friends, maybe something happened and Trish is no longer with him. I fathom Dante's later years became very lonely.
So, what about the upcoming DmC?
Let me preface this with a possibly bizarre standpoint: I think I could like this game if it was not part of the Devil May Cry franchise.
Devil May Cry has been a big part of my life for many, many years. I've cosplayed DMC3's Vergil, I've got a cosplay tucked away for Gilver (which was vastly less expensive than DMC3 Vergil). I have roleplayed in story writing format for these characters, and I have written my share of fanfiction. The games provided me so much entertainment that I purchased all games, soundtracks, and when DMC3:SE came out, I bought it to partner with my original copy just because I would be able to play Vergil, despite the fact that all it was was his skin and battle moves laid on Dante's frame.
I even have a soft spot for DMC2. It's sort of the bastard child of the four games, but I appreciate the insinuated development for him there. He's been at that schtick a long, long time. I realize DMC4 was a slight retcon of that personality due to the sheer outrage, but I still personally accept DMC2 to be Dante's future after the fourth game. He's older, he's tired, so he just gets what he needs to done with very little to say about it. Maybe he's outlived his mortal friends, maybe something happened and Trish is no longer with him. I fathom Dante's later years became very lonely.
So, what about the upcoming DmC?
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Names, Names~ Rambletimes.
When I was in high school, I took a Creative Writing
class. My philosophy teacher said it
would benefit me, having been a great supporter of anything his students took
an interest in, so I did so. While I
believe that these courses likely do some good for people, I never enjoyed
it. Well, that’s a lie. I enjoyed listening to the stories others
created, but after being marked down for my stories being ‘too dark’ (the
content not being unlike supernatural shows found on NBC and WB these days), I
just took a passive stance and reveled in the gender inequality that allowed
the male students to write firsthand accounts of someone ready to commit
suicide.
Funnily enough, though, that’s not what I’m writing about
today. When I was in that class, before
my discouragement set in heavily, I used some of my near and dear characters of
the time for one of the assignments. Now,
I still have these characters, though their personalities and stories have
changed dramatically. That’s why this
still bothers me for the silliest of reasons.
Monday, September 3, 2012
On the Subject of ‘Muses’ From a Writer’s Perspective.
Whenever I see people discussing a writer’s claim to have
a connection to ‘muses’ as either being ‘insane’, or being suspect of some
paranormal influence, I always want to have a sit down with them to explain
what having ‘muses’ mean as a writer.
This isn’t to say that there aren’t people out there who have some
difficulty discerning voices in their minds, or that there aren’t people who
may have some otherworldly connections (after all, many very famous and
successful actors claim this very thing), but the average writer who mentions
muses isn’t speaking from either of these directions.
Friday, August 31, 2012
First Impressions: Alice: Madness Returns
Well, I've been playing this game for a while over on youtube. Well, when I say 'for a while', I mean I've had to stretch out a couple hours worth of gameplay over the course of a couple of weeks because of some physical issues I'm having.
There are spoilers ahead, but only for the first part of the game.
There are spoilers ahead, but only for the first part of the game.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
The Woman (2011)
I don't know how I got there or why I sat through the whole thing, but regardless, I just finished The Woman, directed by Lucky McKee.
IMDB.com summarizes it as:
The acting of some actors left much to be desired, as did the character building. When the beginning started to roll, I thought I stepped into some sort of freaky, artsy bullshit like Antichrist.
Positives, however. There were some seriously creepy moments, and it was definitely gut-wrenchingly horrific in other parts. I think the 'family secret' that's revealed at the end was rather clever. Maybe I didn't pick up on the hints, but when the main character's wife told him that just what he had going on out with the dogs was enough to land him in prison, I was thinking animal abuse.
My brain can be quite literal.
I liked the actress who played The Woman. That probably seems funny, since she didn't have a whole ton to do until the end, but I have a great respect for women who manage to put themselves into roles like that. that sort of feral role, that fringes on looking possessed. You know. Of course, my friends and family know I'm a fan of Jennifer Carpenter in The Exorcism of Emily Rose. As historically inaccurate as that movie was, that girl was amazing.
Overall, I... didn't completely like the movie, but I didn't hate it! The camerawork was actually very good, and the makeup was good. I liked the family's interactions with each other. I suppose, besides the music gripe, I would have liked to see that hour and almost forty-four minutes used to build the family more.
And I guess I just am mostly baffled about seeing what I saw. I'd love to see Rifftrax do a thing on it, if they haven't already. I should go check it out.
IMDB.com summarizes it as:
When a successful country lawyer captures and attempts to "civilize" the last remaining member of a violent clan that has roamed the Northeast coast for decades, he puts the lives of his family in jeopardy.So, watching this movie, I have to wonder if McKee wasn't looking to give some sort of homage to Quintin Tarantino or something. A lot of scenes that should have had the dramatic scales we're used to in this sort of movie were replaced with a sort of old rock theme. (I'm not much into music that isn't the classical scales for movies, so bear with me on that.) However, the style that the movie was filmed in was not conducive to the music. I'm not a professional, but as a viewer, had the filming been sharper and not focused on that same look that more typical movies have (slightly grainy, supposed to look more realistic as opposed to sharp and bold colors), I think the music would have meshed better for me.
The acting of some actors left much to be desired, as did the character building. When the beginning started to roll, I thought I stepped into some sort of freaky, artsy bullshit like Antichrist.
Positives, however. There were some seriously creepy moments, and it was definitely gut-wrenchingly horrific in other parts. I think the 'family secret' that's revealed at the end was rather clever. Maybe I didn't pick up on the hints, but when the main character's wife told him that just what he had going on out with the dogs was enough to land him in prison, I was thinking animal abuse.
My brain can be quite literal.
I liked the actress who played The Woman. That probably seems funny, since she didn't have a whole ton to do until the end, but I have a great respect for women who manage to put themselves into roles like that. that sort of feral role, that fringes on looking possessed. You know. Of course, my friends and family know I'm a fan of Jennifer Carpenter in The Exorcism of Emily Rose. As historically inaccurate as that movie was, that girl was amazing.
Overall, I... didn't completely like the movie, but I didn't hate it! The camerawork was actually very good, and the makeup was good. I liked the family's interactions with each other. I suppose, besides the music gripe, I would have liked to see that hour and almost forty-four minutes used to build the family more.
And I guess I just am mostly baffled about seeing what I saw. I'd love to see Rifftrax do a thing on it, if they haven't already. I should go check it out.
Jesper Kyd versus Lorne Balfe
Jesper Kyd has been the long-running composer to the Assassin’s Creed OSTs. On Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, this task was shared with composer Lorne Balfe. Balfe will be taking on the duties solo-style for reasons I am not privy to, nor does that matter. People have been apparently concerned that this will significantly affect the experience in Assassin’s Creed.
But I need to emphasize that the duty was shared for AC:R. Nearly half the OST was done by Balfe. So, for those of you who are concerned that the feelings and sensations brought by Kyd’s contributions are long gone, and AC3 is going to be awful in that respect, I want to emphasize no it won’t. If you’ve played AC:R, you already know!
I think it’s because the initially released OST only included Kyd’s tracks. However, if you go here to Amazon.com, you can see the AC:R OST in its complete format.
Frankly, when having the chance to listen to the entire thing, I’m more impressed with Balfe’s largely orchestral and haunting vocal tracks than Kyd’s more ethnic pieces.
Guys, the main theme of AC:R was Lorne, not Kyd.
Assassin’s Creed is a powerful experience of emotion and action, of victory and defeat, and Kyd brought that every time… except I wonder if he just ran out of steam by AC:R. I love Jesper Kyd. I have his album, Ultimatum, even. For those of you freaking out about Kyd leaving and Balfe taking the job solo, relax.
Balfe did the trailer music for Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. He has stood in partnership many times with Hans Zimmer. He’s worked on projects such as The Dark Knight Rises and The Dark Knight, Sherlock Holmes (both movies), and even Iron Man. This is a guy who knows his stuff.
Listen to this video courtesy of a user over on youtube. Balfe!
Ubisoft, I don’t think you understand how bad I am at video games.
As I type this as a personal affront, and not just a natural
progression in the Assassin’s Creed series that is actually a callback
to the first game which I completed anyway. (hurblearblarbpoopoopoo)
So, Assassin’s Creed 3 looks amazing. Pee-your-pants amazing. I’m an avid fan of this series, and have it and the Vita bundle on pre-order. Even despite finding out that there is no way to heal yourself during battle, I will get the game and I will play it. I will play it hard.
But really? Where are all my drunk assassin jokes going to go now? I can’t be the only one thinking that Ezio in AC:Revelations saying, “This will dull the pain.” means the medicine is liquor. Or when the doctor in Rome in AC:Brotherhood told Ezio he was old and so all he could do was help with the pain, that he was basically doing the Italian version of, “Here, drink vodka, vodka will make pain better, comrade!”
I’m just really bad at video games. Well, mostly because my most defining exposure to video games of recent years has been the Devil May Cry series, which… explains why I drive assassins and zombie killers like tanks. I can never nail stealth missions, and I almost always fail at free running. Who else spent the last part of Brotherhood not realizing it was the last part, and half their armor was damaged and things wouldn’t stop? I know that was me, at least.
So, I’m intimidated by the lack of in-battle healing abilities. I hope that it works sort of like in the first game where there was no medicine, but if you danced around long enough without being hit, you could retrieve health.
…of course, many missions are times, so maybe not. “Full Synchronization Failed” is burned into my eyeballs, I see it so much. (I’m getting better, but mostly on third and fourth replays.)
Either way, I still love you, Ubisoft. Other than this flaw, things look perfect.
So, Assassin’s Creed 3 looks amazing. Pee-your-pants amazing. I’m an avid fan of this series, and have it and the Vita bundle on pre-order. Even despite finding out that there is no way to heal yourself during battle, I will get the game and I will play it. I will play it hard.
But really? Where are all my drunk assassin jokes going to go now? I can’t be the only one thinking that Ezio in AC:Revelations saying, “This will dull the pain.” means the medicine is liquor. Or when the doctor in Rome in AC:Brotherhood told Ezio he was old and so all he could do was help with the pain, that he was basically doing the Italian version of, “Here, drink vodka, vodka will make pain better, comrade!”
I’m just really bad at video games. Well, mostly because my most defining exposure to video games of recent years has been the Devil May Cry series, which… explains why I drive assassins and zombie killers like tanks. I can never nail stealth missions, and I almost always fail at free running. Who else spent the last part of Brotherhood not realizing it was the last part, and half their armor was damaged and things wouldn’t stop? I know that was me, at least.
So, I’m intimidated by the lack of in-battle healing abilities. I hope that it works sort of like in the first game where there was no medicine, but if you danced around long enough without being hit, you could retrieve health.
…of course, many missions are times, so maybe not. “Full Synchronization Failed” is burned into my eyeballs, I see it so much. (I’m getting better, but mostly on third and fourth replays.)
Either way, I still love you, Ubisoft. Other than this flaw, things look perfect.
Resident Evil 5: Way late on the opinions train...
...but, in light of Resident Evil 6 coming out on 10.02.2012,
I decided to finally sit down and actually play Resident Evil 5. I had
this lingering self-disappointment going because I’ve played virtually
all the other games all the way through, save RE0, so I needed to play
it before then. Killing time needed, I plopped it in and took it
serious.
So, I should point out that I am terrible with manual aim. Like, I am hopeless when it comes to that, so I tend to ammo stock because I go in with a flurry of explosions and bullets. In the older games, auto-aim was my tell that something I heard in the shadows was indeed not my imagination. I remember distinctly going through a hall that was painfully dark in REmake, and hearing the sound you never want to hear: a Crimsonhead. Auto-aim and screaming got me through that.
But I managed to get through RE4 and I will make it through RE5.
My biggest props goes to Sheva’s AI programming. I enjoyed Ashley from RE4 because she actually sometimes did things. Suddenly, we have Sheva, who will intelligently fight and heal you—as long as you know when to appropriately work with Cover/Attack. Now, keep in mind I’ve not touched the alternate control settings, but it’s so annoying that I have to waste so much time to make her attack, but it’s so easy to make her cover. Other than that, Sheva is brilliant in my opinion.
I miss the attache case, though. I really preferred the puzzle system to fit as much as possible to it compared to having nine slots per character—two of which get eaten up with additional armor you can buy. Really, the toughest part of the game to me is trying to stand there, passing items back and forth with Sheva while we’re about to get our faces ripped off by not-zombies.
I do like that you can go for upgrades whenever you hit a new level or you die, I like that you don’t need to worry about comboing treasure to make it more expensive, and I like that you can replay levels so easily. It’s very Devil May Cry (and I’m sure other games too, but if you friend me on XBL, you can see how many games I’ve played). Better yet is the ability to go replay a mission, and then just keep going. No getting kicked out to the main pick screen after you’re done like in Assassin’s Creed (my favorite series evar).
If you’re looking for that eerie environment and unsettling images, but you’re a longtime adventurer into survival horror, outside of the first sequence, you might find yourself a little disappointed. There was only one place where I found myself going, “Oh. Well, This isn’t good.” And that’s when a classic Resident Evil monster is about to come out to play (look at me being good with no spoilers).
Now, I’m not saying it’s not Resident Evil because of this. It’s just not the haunting and gut-wrenching anticipation creating Resident Evil like it used to be. They gave us daylight, and with it, it’s about surprises and stress.
Frankly, I’m thankful the video game series hasn’t fallen victim to the issue the Silent Hill franchise has, meaning falling victim to the movies. I would never buy a game again if they had. Anything that has happened similar to the movies (judging by what’s happening in RE6’s trailers) has been through a storyline progression and not just ‘so, here’s a super chick and let’s let the world all be zombies’.
Because most of the mechanics issues that I have are 95% my fault, I give RE5 a round of applause and recommend it to anyone who likes shooters, stress-inducing games, and light horror elements.
The above was written around mid-July 2012
--------------
UPDATE: I have since finished RE5. I REMAIN FIRM IN MY JUDGEMENTS THAT IT'S MOSTLY BECAUSE I'M A FAILGET AND IT'S A GOOD GAME. Story-wise, I would have liked more.
But.
It's Resident Evil. We take what we can get.
So, I should point out that I am terrible with manual aim. Like, I am hopeless when it comes to that, so I tend to ammo stock because I go in with a flurry of explosions and bullets. In the older games, auto-aim was my tell that something I heard in the shadows was indeed not my imagination. I remember distinctly going through a hall that was painfully dark in REmake, and hearing the sound you never want to hear: a Crimsonhead. Auto-aim and screaming got me through that.
But I managed to get through RE4 and I will make it through RE5.
My biggest props goes to Sheva’s AI programming. I enjoyed Ashley from RE4 because she actually sometimes did things. Suddenly, we have Sheva, who will intelligently fight and heal you—as long as you know when to appropriately work with Cover/Attack. Now, keep in mind I’ve not touched the alternate control settings, but it’s so annoying that I have to waste so much time to make her attack, but it’s so easy to make her cover. Other than that, Sheva is brilliant in my opinion.
I miss the attache case, though. I really preferred the puzzle system to fit as much as possible to it compared to having nine slots per character—two of which get eaten up with additional armor you can buy. Really, the toughest part of the game to me is trying to stand there, passing items back and forth with Sheva while we’re about to get our faces ripped off by not-zombies.
I do like that you can go for upgrades whenever you hit a new level or you die, I like that you don’t need to worry about comboing treasure to make it more expensive, and I like that you can replay levels so easily. It’s very Devil May Cry (and I’m sure other games too, but if you friend me on XBL, you can see how many games I’ve played). Better yet is the ability to go replay a mission, and then just keep going. No getting kicked out to the main pick screen after you’re done like in Assassin’s Creed (my favorite series evar).
If you’re looking for that eerie environment and unsettling images, but you’re a longtime adventurer into survival horror, outside of the first sequence, you might find yourself a little disappointed. There was only one place where I found myself going, “Oh. Well, This isn’t good.” And that’s when a classic Resident Evil monster is about to come out to play (look at me being good with no spoilers).
Now, I’m not saying it’s not Resident Evil because of this. It’s just not the haunting and gut-wrenching anticipation creating Resident Evil like it used to be. They gave us daylight, and with it, it’s about surprises and stress.
Frankly, I’m thankful the video game series hasn’t fallen victim to the issue the Silent Hill franchise has, meaning falling victim to the movies. I would never buy a game again if they had. Anything that has happened similar to the movies (judging by what’s happening in RE6’s trailers) has been through a storyline progression and not just ‘so, here’s a super chick and let’s let the world all be zombies’.
Because most of the mechanics issues that I have are 95% my fault, I give RE5 a round of applause and recommend it to anyone who likes shooters, stress-inducing games, and light horror elements.
The above was written around mid-July 2012
--------------
UPDATE: I have since finished RE5. I REMAIN FIRM IN MY JUDGEMENTS THAT IT'S MOSTLY BECAUSE I'M A FAILGET AND IT'S A GOOD GAME. Story-wise, I would have liked more.
But.
It's Resident Evil. We take what we can get.
Michael Fassbender and Assassin's Creed?
NOTE: I'm moving this article from a post over on my tumblr with this same username. That's why it's slightly out of date.
Article in Question
Normally, I don’t put stock in articles declaring these sorts of things. However, the Assassin’s Creed official Facebook page did reference this link directly.
I’m personally with the commenters that say that this could work, if Fassbender was enlisted for a lead role that isn’t Altair, Ezio, Connor etc. Since Connor Kenway establishes English blood in Desmond Miles’s past, Fassbender would be a great English assassin.
Likewise, if he played the main villain, a Templar, that would rock as well.
I’m a very big fan of Michael Fassbender, and of Assassin’s Creed, but I don’t want to see the mains white-washed. It’s about time we see an awesome Middle Eastern actor get some badass showtime. (I’m sure it’s happened somewhere, but after Prince of Persia and The Last Airbender… and btw, I don’t even know Avatar.)
The big positive here is that they mention that Fassbender is going to co-produce the movie. If this is true, I hope this means he actually knows Assassin’s Creed and will do his best to make sure it stays loyal. The other big positive is that Ubisoft will have their hands on it, and after seeing Assassin’s Creed: Lineage (you can download this on X-Box Live, or find it on the interwebs on the Assassin’s Creed UK youtube channel), I hope their influence on the movie will be as great as I’m sure AC loyalists are hoping.
Normally, I don’t put stock in articles declaring these sorts of things. However, the Assassin’s Creed official Facebook page did reference this link directly.
I’m personally with the commenters that say that this could work, if Fassbender was enlisted for a lead role that isn’t Altair, Ezio, Connor etc. Since Connor Kenway establishes English blood in Desmond Miles’s past, Fassbender would be a great English assassin.
Likewise, if he played the main villain, a Templar, that would rock as well.
I’m a very big fan of Michael Fassbender, and of Assassin’s Creed, but I don’t want to see the mains white-washed. It’s about time we see an awesome Middle Eastern actor get some badass showtime. (I’m sure it’s happened somewhere, but after Prince of Persia and The Last Airbender… and btw, I don’t even know Avatar.)
The big positive here is that they mention that Fassbender is going to co-produce the movie. If this is true, I hope this means he actually knows Assassin’s Creed and will do his best to make sure it stays loyal. The other big positive is that Ubisoft will have their hands on it, and after seeing Assassin’s Creed: Lineage (you can download this on X-Box Live, or find it on the interwebs on the Assassin’s Creed UK youtube channel), I hope their influence on the movie will be as great as I’m sure AC loyalists are hoping.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Profilers
So, for my birthday in September, I received a Nook Color from my parents. It's a fantastic device, by the way. I now recommend eReaders to everyone I know.
Anyway, the first thing I did was start looking at things in the vein of psychology--specifically criminal psychology. It's something that has always fascinated me and I remember wanting to do it when I was younger, but the years have slipped away. I'm not old, but I feel old (28-years-old).
I've come to really admire the following: Roger Depue, Roy Hazelwood and John Douglas. These three men were amoung the group of firsts coming out of the tyrannic reign of Mr. Hoover in the FBI, breaking into the scene of truly professional, legally sound criminal profiling.
One thing that I noticed with their writing is that their books show their personalities very well.
Roger Depue, who used to be the supervisor of the other two, writes in a very warm and friendly manner, but is very straight-shooting about his perspective. Roy Hazelwood is incredibly informative and intelligent, but very clinical in his delivery. He is professional but clearly is eager to share his experiences.
John Douglas's books have stayed with me, however, because he's an incredibly passionate victims' rights activist. They all are for the rights of the victims (as there are understandably many in any atrocious crime), but Mr. Douglas is passionate and downright angry about his views. It reflects his no-nonsene attitude, but his deep understanding and empathy of the pains people live through when rape, torture or murder happen in their lives, to those they love.
I would never recommend any of their books if you cannot handle narrated descriptions of crime scenes. But I feel as though Mr. Douglas's books, particularly Obession, his 1998 novel that speaks extensively about and for victims, are a good read for anyone not only interested in profilers, but in how to deal with trauma and victimization. If you've ever found yourself telling a victim close to you to 'move on', you may not enjoy the harsh slap that he delivers in this book, but I think it's a good way to help you look from a different point of view.
Likewise, if you yourself are a victim, I think Obsession is a good book for you to read to know you're not alone and there are people out there that can help you without telling you to move on when you're nowhere near ready.
But again, he is writing--as are Mr. Hazelwood (who actually explores the cases I've always been most horrified by, but what made me interested in the subject at all) and Mr. Depue--to tell stories of their careers. So there will be tales about cases in the past. So this is definitely a cautionary recommendation.
(Also, because it will forever need to be said, John Douglas is said to be the inspiration for character Jack Crawford from Silence of the Lambs.)
Anyway, the first thing I did was start looking at things in the vein of psychology--specifically criminal psychology. It's something that has always fascinated me and I remember wanting to do it when I was younger, but the years have slipped away. I'm not old, but I feel old (28-years-old).
I've come to really admire the following: Roger Depue, Roy Hazelwood and John Douglas. These three men were amoung the group of firsts coming out of the tyrannic reign of Mr. Hoover in the FBI, breaking into the scene of truly professional, legally sound criminal profiling.
One thing that I noticed with their writing is that their books show their personalities very well.
Roger Depue, who used to be the supervisor of the other two, writes in a very warm and friendly manner, but is very straight-shooting about his perspective. Roy Hazelwood is incredibly informative and intelligent, but very clinical in his delivery. He is professional but clearly is eager to share his experiences.
John Douglas's books have stayed with me, however, because he's an incredibly passionate victims' rights activist. They all are for the rights of the victims (as there are understandably many in any atrocious crime), but Mr. Douglas is passionate and downright angry about his views. It reflects his no-nonsene attitude, but his deep understanding and empathy of the pains people live through when rape, torture or murder happen in their lives, to those they love.
I would never recommend any of their books if you cannot handle narrated descriptions of crime scenes. But I feel as though Mr. Douglas's books, particularly Obession, his 1998 novel that speaks extensively about and for victims, are a good read for anyone not only interested in profilers, but in how to deal with trauma and victimization. If you've ever found yourself telling a victim close to you to 'move on', you may not enjoy the harsh slap that he delivers in this book, but I think it's a good way to help you look from a different point of view.
Likewise, if you yourself are a victim, I think Obsession is a good book for you to read to know you're not alone and there are people out there that can help you without telling you to move on when you're nowhere near ready.
But again, he is writing--as are Mr. Hazelwood (who actually explores the cases I've always been most horrified by, but what made me interested in the subject at all) and Mr. Depue--to tell stories of their careers. So there will be tales about cases in the past. So this is definitely a cautionary recommendation.
(Also, because it will forever need to be said, John Douglas is said to be the inspiration for character Jack Crawford from Silence of the Lambs.)
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Music: E.S. Posthumus
Have you ever heard the music in a movie trailer that sounded particularly epic, or in a television show that was equally so? Ever want to know where it came from?
Well, a lot of that music comes from the marvelous band E.S. Posthumus (or ES Posthumus).
I was once asked about the kind of music I was listening to on my iPod at work, and saying this name confused my co-worker. So the best way for me to classify it for him was to call it "EPIC MUSIC" (I spoke in capslock too). He thought it sounded like a bunch of noise, but ignore him and listen to me.
Or rather, listen to these:
UNSTOPPABLE
This is the music you will hear in the trailer for the Sherlock Holmes movie staringTony Stark Robert Downey Jr.. It was also used for some promo commercials for the NFL.
NARA
As it says, it was the opening theme to the crime show "Cold Case". I also recently heard it playing on A&E's show 'Hoarders'.
ARISE
I am trying to think of other examples, but I know for sure this was utilized during BBC's Top Gear UK, when Richard Hammond was reviewing the Lamborghini Murcielago in the same episode they were in a challenge for the best cars for seventeen year olds.
I highly recommend investing some money into this group. They have softer music, and music with lyrics. Their tracks will help inspire a creative mind and get you in the mood to do something productive with your day.
My personal favorites are those listed above, along with Selisona Pi from their Cartographer album. Give it a shot! You may find yourself going 'o hay i know that one' when taking the time to listen in the car.
Well, a lot of that music comes from the marvelous band E.S. Posthumus (or ES Posthumus).
I was once asked about the kind of music I was listening to on my iPod at work, and saying this name confused my co-worker. So the best way for me to classify it for him was to call it "EPIC MUSIC" (I spoke in capslock too). He thought it sounded like a bunch of noise, but ignore him and listen to me.
Or rather, listen to these:
UNSTOPPABLE
This is the music you will hear in the trailer for the Sherlock Holmes movie staring
NARA
As it says, it was the opening theme to the crime show "Cold Case". I also recently heard it playing on A&E's show 'Hoarders'.
ARISE
I am trying to think of other examples, but I know for sure this was utilized during BBC's Top Gear UK, when Richard Hammond was reviewing the Lamborghini Murcielago in the same episode they were in a challenge for the best cars for seventeen year olds.
I highly recommend investing some money into this group. They have softer music, and music with lyrics. Their tracks will help inspire a creative mind and get you in the mood to do something productive with your day.
My personal favorites are those listed above, along with Selisona Pi from their Cartographer album. Give it a shot! You may find yourself going 'o hay i know that one' when taking the time to listen in the car.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Review&Spoilers: The Human Centipede: First Sequence (2009)
Oh my God. It's been about three days, and I'm still attempting to comprehend what I've just seen.
The Human Centipede (2009) apparently started as some sort of joke between friends regarding their thoughts on how criminals, namely pedophiles, should have their mouths sewn to the rear end chute of an overweight truck driver. Somewhere between that joke and the movie itself, the director decided this was the perfect premise of a new and original horror film. And it is, but wow.
***** SPOILERS W/ SCREENCAPS AHEAD (may be NSFW) *****
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Bug War
I live in a pretty small town. Bugs are a pretty huge constant here. We have farm animals and massive irrigation ditches, and it's kind of amusing. I'm pretty phobic of bugs. That is to say, I'm incredibly phobic of bugs. I can't manage to step on them 95% of the time because I freak out. Coincidentally, I freak out less when I'm alone, versus with friends or family.
Anyway, today, I had my nails done and I had almost an hour and a half to spare before an appointment for a facial. So, I decided to drive around our little, desolate town. It was important anyway, because my Chevy has been an absolute disaster. Every year as spring rolls around, it screws up when I have to start periodically activating the air conditioner. To do this test, I headed out to an area with fields and houses every mile or so. The speed limit was 50mph, and I had the windows rolled halfway down because the damage was done, the A/C didn't need to be on for me to figure out things were not working.
As I'm cruising along, actually with the intent to weed back around to head to downtown (all two blocks of it), I heard a soft thump against the window at my side. Something in my head realized what was happening. It was confirmed, as a spike of pain shot through my back, starting at my shoulder blade. I knew what was going on. A bee had managed to get sucked into my car and landed between my back and the car. So I did the most logical thing, and that was to start flinging myself back against the seat to kill the bitch. Nevermind that a bee dies after the initial sting.
A flat off-road area came near and I skidded off onto it and threw open my door and tossed the seatbelt as I was still firmly pressed against the seat, determined to at least suffocate it. A moment was taken to brace myself for whatever hideous, bug-guts-everywhere scene I would face, along with the probability that I didn't kill it, it hadn't died, and things would get ugly.
Flailing from the car, I started ripping at my shirt like a mad woman, convinced it was still there and waiting for me. I very nearly ripped my entire shirt off, thus giving the few passers by quite the show. But my shirt was clean, other than a little tan bit. Cool. This was good. It stung, the bee body was on the floor of the car, and I remembered that my mother has horrific allergic reactions to bee stings., My phobia wouldn't allow me to dispose of the body, but I was able to grab my phone. A failed attempt to call my father, I was on the phone with her (having woke her up, whoops). No, I wasn't having a reaction, because it would have hit really quick.
I headed over, she checked it, it looked sore but alright. I went to my facial appointment with my windows firmly sealed and my poorly running A/C on, burning up gas. I came back, and requested my father extract the body of my vicious attacker. He did, at which point I was informed that it wasn't a bee. It was a wasp. So had I not been so keen on beating it to death with my back, it would have continued to sting me over and over and over. :|
I live in a pretty small town. Bugs are a pretty huge constant here. We have farm animals and massive irrigation ditches, and it's kind of amusing. I'm pretty phobic of bugs. That is to say, I'm incredibly phobic of bugs. I can't manage to step on them 95% of the time because I freak out. Coincidentally, I freak out less when I'm alone, versus with friends or family.
Cue tonight.
Sitting here, minding my own business, my spidey-sense obviously went off because I randomly chanced a glance at the ceiling iver my headm and there was a spider on the ceiling. I did the mature thing and shouted there was a spider on the ceiling above me. As my father wandered off to find spray, I made sure to do a play-by-play on what I was seeing the spider doing, as that is obviously very helpful. "Oh my god, IT'S EATING ANOTHER BUG. ...well, not now, because it dropped it into the floor lamp. OH MY GOD THERE ARE ANTS ON THE CEILING."
They weren't ants, just little gnats that flew in when we've been going in and out.
So, he sprayed it. Over and over, actually, as it didn't want to die. It walked the ceiling, I screamed and hauled ass across the room because gsdghs and my back (it's a bad back) shrieked but I didn't care. My choice was wise. It fell soon after, and I was going on about how it landed where I sit and he needed to check the pillows and the blanket and the cushion because it hit the couch arm and rolled one way or the other. My father couldn't find it. I made sure to maturely yell at him to check the blanket and pillow I was using, while my mother sat across the room and laughed at me--alongside him. Still, nothing could be found.
I've spent the whole night somewhat sore still from the sting, very sore with my back, and convinced that 5/21/2011 would cause the spider to rise again, and it would bite me in its new, upgraded zombie form.
I really do hate bugs.
Anyway, today, I had my nails done and I had almost an hour and a half to spare before an appointment for a facial. So, I decided to drive around our little, desolate town. It was important anyway, because my Chevy has been an absolute disaster. Every year as spring rolls around, it screws up when I have to start periodically activating the air conditioner. To do this test, I headed out to an area with fields and houses every mile or so. The speed limit was 50mph, and I had the windows rolled halfway down because the damage was done, the A/C didn't need to be on for me to figure out things were not working.
As I'm cruising along, actually with the intent to weed back around to head to downtown (all two blocks of it), I heard a soft thump against the window at my side. Something in my head realized what was happening. It was confirmed, as a spike of pain shot through my back, starting at my shoulder blade. I knew what was going on. A bee had managed to get sucked into my car and landed between my back and the car. So I did the most logical thing, and that was to start flinging myself back against the seat to kill the bitch. Nevermind that a bee dies after the initial sting.
A flat off-road area came near and I skidded off onto it and threw open my door and tossed the seatbelt as I was still firmly pressed against the seat, determined to at least suffocate it. A moment was taken to brace myself for whatever hideous, bug-guts-everywhere scene I would face, along with the probability that I didn't kill it, it hadn't died, and things would get ugly.
Flailing from the car, I started ripping at my shirt like a mad woman, convinced it was still there and waiting for me. I very nearly ripped my entire shirt off, thus giving the few passers by quite the show. But my shirt was clean, other than a little tan bit. Cool. This was good. It stung, the bee body was on the floor of the car, and I remembered that my mother has horrific allergic reactions to bee stings., My phobia wouldn't allow me to dispose of the body, but I was able to grab my phone. A failed attempt to call my father, I was on the phone with her (having woke her up, whoops). No, I wasn't having a reaction, because it would have hit really quick.
I headed over, she checked it, it looked sore but alright. I went to my facial appointment with my windows firmly sealed and my poorly running A/C on, burning up gas. I came back, and requested my father extract the body of my vicious attacker. He did, at which point I was informed that it wasn't a bee. It was a wasp. So had I not been so keen on beating it to death with my back, it would have continued to sting me over and over and over. :|
I live in a pretty small town. Bugs are a pretty huge constant here. We have farm animals and massive irrigation ditches, and it's kind of amusing. I'm pretty phobic of bugs. That is to say, I'm incredibly phobic of bugs. I can't manage to step on them 95% of the time because I freak out. Coincidentally, I freak out less when I'm alone, versus with friends or family.
Cue tonight.
Sitting here, minding my own business, my spidey-sense obviously went off because I randomly chanced a glance at the ceiling iver my headm and there was a spider on the ceiling. I did the mature thing and shouted there was a spider on the ceiling above me. As my father wandered off to find spray, I made sure to do a play-by-play on what I was seeing the spider doing, as that is obviously very helpful. "Oh my god, IT'S EATING ANOTHER BUG. ...well, not now, because it dropped it into the floor lamp. OH MY GOD THERE ARE ANTS ON THE CEILING."
They weren't ants, just little gnats that flew in when we've been going in and out.
So, he sprayed it. Over and over, actually, as it didn't want to die. It walked the ceiling, I screamed and hauled ass across the room because gsdghs and my back (it's a bad back) shrieked but I didn't care. My choice was wise. It fell soon after, and I was going on about how it landed where I sit and he needed to check the pillows and the blanket and the cushion because it hit the couch arm and rolled one way or the other. My father couldn't find it. I made sure to maturely yell at him to check the blanket and pillow I was using, while my mother sat across the room and laughed at me--alongside him. Still, nothing could be found.
I've spent the whole night somewhat sore still from the sting, very sore with my back, and convinced that 5/21/2011 would cause the spider to rise again, and it would bite me in its new, upgraded zombie form.
I really do hate bugs.
Friday, November 19, 2010
ISIS - T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T
The above link leads to one of many articles talking about the joint venture of Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile coming together with mobile payment company, Isis.
It's a situation that I see a number of people being wholeheartedly divided on for a very long time, to be honest. Why?
Well, as the short story of this very complicated endeavor: USA cellular giants Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile have started a venture in attempting to eliminate the need for any sort of physical trade of money outside of one's cell phone. The idea will be to utilize, it seems, a similar technology as what's used in credit cards and debit cards now when a consumer just flips his or her card across a magnetic scanner, and off they go. (Keep in mind, this is the explanation we received where I work, one of these three 'giants'.)
The biggest thing that I can advise to anyone that intends to use this service, especially early on, is to read up on anything and everything you can about it. If you think from the standpoint of losing your phone: the general cellphone user does not think to lock his or her phone. Even with the easy of securing devices such as the Android line-up (my personal favorite) through a pattern lock that triggers anytime the screen falls asleep, most people don't think to do this.
Couple this with the fact that most people will not realize their phone is missing for at least thirty minutes, depending on the susceptibility and functionality of the program when it goes into full-swing, this could end up with consumers incurring more damage than could ever be wrought with a missing credit card or debit card in that time frame. More over, the cell phone companies certainly will hold no liability to the damages that incur. Well, except perhaps in California, but the technology is so new, I'm sure they haven't developed anything yet for it there.
California consumer law states that any damage done on a missing cellphone is not the responsibility of the consumer (keep in mind that it is possible to see who is using the device). Every other state, damages up to the time that the consumer alerts the company is the consumer's responsibility.
For some people, this is a dream come true. Wave of the future! Perhaps it is! I would just caution anyone wanting to involve their personal finances in this brand new thing to really study it and consider the repercussions before jumping into it headfirst. Hear what the companies have to say, but also hear what tech websites and current users have to say. Most likely, the first phones to get this will definitely be Android and perhaps the iPhone, the top phone types today.
And me? I'll stick with cash and cards, thank you!
It's a situation that I see a number of people being wholeheartedly divided on for a very long time, to be honest. Why?
Well, as the short story of this very complicated endeavor: USA cellular giants Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile have started a venture in attempting to eliminate the need for any sort of physical trade of money outside of one's cell phone. The idea will be to utilize, it seems, a similar technology as what's used in credit cards and debit cards now when a consumer just flips his or her card across a magnetic scanner, and off they go. (Keep in mind, this is the explanation we received where I work, one of these three 'giants'.)
The biggest thing that I can advise to anyone that intends to use this service, especially early on, is to read up on anything and everything you can about it. If you think from the standpoint of losing your phone: the general cellphone user does not think to lock his or her phone. Even with the easy of securing devices such as the Android line-up (my personal favorite) through a pattern lock that triggers anytime the screen falls asleep, most people don't think to do this.
Couple this with the fact that most people will not realize their phone is missing for at least thirty minutes, depending on the susceptibility and functionality of the program when it goes into full-swing, this could end up with consumers incurring more damage than could ever be wrought with a missing credit card or debit card in that time frame. More over, the cell phone companies certainly will hold no liability to the damages that incur. Well, except perhaps in California, but the technology is so new, I'm sure they haven't developed anything yet for it there.
California consumer law states that any damage done on a missing cellphone is not the responsibility of the consumer (keep in mind that it is possible to see who is using the device). Every other state, damages up to the time that the consumer alerts the company is the consumer's responsibility.
For some people, this is a dream come true. Wave of the future! Perhaps it is! I would just caution anyone wanting to involve their personal finances in this brand new thing to really study it and consider the repercussions before jumping into it headfirst. Hear what the companies have to say, but also hear what tech websites and current users have to say. Most likely, the first phones to get this will definitely be Android and perhaps the iPhone, the top phone types today.
And me? I'll stick with cash and cards, thank you!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
CutCo/Vector Marketing
Honestly, I admit that this started as me not investigating what I was calling, and I'd like to preface this as I'm not at all angry. As such, I think that my story regarding CutCo or Vector Marketing would be a little less biased than those who have fell into its trap.
When I was on monster.com, looking for jobs in my area (a small town; my current job is nearly an hour away), I noticed a posting stating that it was a Customer Service job that would pay several dollars above my current level, and that it was from Vector Marketing. It honestly sounded like a temp agency, and when I saw that my town was listed as one that they needed positions filled, I called the number listed. At no time was I advised exactly what this entailed, so I figured it was what I thought it was. Having applied to a temp agency before, it was a nearly identical process.
So, my time was set up and I got there. The area was pretty standard for an office to be set up in for a company that places employees to satellite locations/other companies.
I went to the office suite and that was where I got the feelings that something was going on with that place. The admin I spoke to on the phone sat at a folding table with a pretty dated computer, and the walls were adorned, not with Vector Marketing, but CutCo. I was handed a clipboard and sent to another room that was progressively filled with individuals ranging in types. Elder individuals and late teenagers alike. They discussed how they were hard up for money, unemployed, but it was clear that we were all from very different walks of life.
Fortunately, with my current job, I can afford a smartphone where I started researching this company to get an understanding of what it was. Here are links to some of the sites I researched at that time (I don't remember all of them as this went on about three months ago or so):
Their actual site
Petitiononline.com petition regarding CutCo/Vector
Rip-Off Report
Now, the over-bearing opinion from the latter two links happens to be that CutCo and Vector, synonymous to each other apparently, is a scam and a pyramid scheme. But there was an overwhelming level of participation from apparently individuals who disagreed with this, so I was intrigued to see exactly what would happen.
To start, we went in to meet the manager who would be interviewing each of us (so they said). They took us in, two at a time, and it was easy to tell that they didn't care much for the pairing, it was just a quick way to process us. Some were dismissed, some of us were kept. Of about 14-15 people, eight of us were asked to stay around.
Then the "group interview process" started. It was more of a sale on joining on board than really an interview process. The manager was friendly, stating that this would be his last interview group before being deployed to Afghanistan. But he was pretty blunt, explaining the hierarchy and the mission statement of the company. And then we got to the products discussion:
Knives, y'all. Basically, the concept of CutCo is that you advertise for yourself all over, and then people call you for a demonstration. Think Avon/Mary Kay meets a Kirby vacuum salesman. You purchase your starter kit, you manage your advertising, and hopefully at the end of the day, you reap benefits from it.
But supposedly eternally sharp knives are not cosmetics. People run out of lipstick and will need to call you to buy more. This company bases sales around a product that, according to them, is indestructible and eternally sharp. (For the record, I wasn't very impressed at anything knife related, but their scissors were pretty awesome.) The kit was something around $170, or you could basically rent them in case you decided the company and the position wasn't for you.
While he stood there, explaining everything, I was pretty quiet at that point. Definitely not a place for me, I decided. It appeared that the other seven were pretty invested in the idea, but I didn't exactly try to strike a friendship with any of them, so I didn't have a chance to ask.
After that, he called us back one at a time. I sat down and said, honestly, "I'm sorry, I don't think this is going to be a good fit for me."
He responded with, "Yes, it seemed that way during the group interview." Probably because I wasn't engaged.
So I just shook his hand and told him that I wish him well, and hope he stays safe during his deployment, and headed out.
My personal opinion about CutCo and Vector Marketing is that... they are definitely a pyramid design regarding how they do things, but they're no different than, again, Avon and Mary Kay. The only thing is that their product is incredibly hard to sell when you're working with home audiences, and they probably have not perfected exactly how to work with their employees. Employees in larger cities or with wide social circles will do particularly well, but not everyone has this sort of benefit.
Or wants it, necessarily. So, I would say anyone that looks at CutCo/Vector for a job opportunity should do their research, hear out worshippers and naysayers alike, and really think if it's going to work for them in the long run.
My two cents! I'm off~
When I was on monster.com, looking for jobs in my area (a small town; my current job is nearly an hour away), I noticed a posting stating that it was a Customer Service job that would pay several dollars above my current level, and that it was from Vector Marketing. It honestly sounded like a temp agency, and when I saw that my town was listed as one that they needed positions filled, I called the number listed. At no time was I advised exactly what this entailed, so I figured it was what I thought it was. Having applied to a temp agency before, it was a nearly identical process.
So, my time was set up and I got there. The area was pretty standard for an office to be set up in for a company that places employees to satellite locations/other companies.
I went to the office suite and that was where I got the feelings that something was going on with that place. The admin I spoke to on the phone sat at a folding table with a pretty dated computer, and the walls were adorned, not with Vector Marketing, but CutCo. I was handed a clipboard and sent to another room that was progressively filled with individuals ranging in types. Elder individuals and late teenagers alike. They discussed how they were hard up for money, unemployed, but it was clear that we were all from very different walks of life.
Fortunately, with my current job, I can afford a smartphone where I started researching this company to get an understanding of what it was. Here are links to some of the sites I researched at that time (I don't remember all of them as this went on about three months ago or so):
Their actual site
Petitiononline.com petition regarding CutCo/Vector
Rip-Off Report
Now, the over-bearing opinion from the latter two links happens to be that CutCo and Vector, synonymous to each other apparently, is a scam and a pyramid scheme. But there was an overwhelming level of participation from apparently individuals who disagreed with this, so I was intrigued to see exactly what would happen.
To start, we went in to meet the manager who would be interviewing each of us (so they said). They took us in, two at a time, and it was easy to tell that they didn't care much for the pairing, it was just a quick way to process us. Some were dismissed, some of us were kept. Of about 14-15 people, eight of us were asked to stay around.
Then the "group interview process" started. It was more of a sale on joining on board than really an interview process. The manager was friendly, stating that this would be his last interview group before being deployed to Afghanistan. But he was pretty blunt, explaining the hierarchy and the mission statement of the company. And then we got to the products discussion:
Knives, y'all. Basically, the concept of CutCo is that you advertise for yourself all over, and then people call you for a demonstration. Think Avon/Mary Kay meets a Kirby vacuum salesman. You purchase your starter kit, you manage your advertising, and hopefully at the end of the day, you reap benefits from it.
But supposedly eternally sharp knives are not cosmetics. People run out of lipstick and will need to call you to buy more. This company bases sales around a product that, according to them, is indestructible and eternally sharp. (For the record, I wasn't very impressed at anything knife related, but their scissors were pretty awesome.) The kit was something around $170, or you could basically rent them in case you decided the company and the position wasn't for you.
While he stood there, explaining everything, I was pretty quiet at that point. Definitely not a place for me, I decided. It appeared that the other seven were pretty invested in the idea, but I didn't exactly try to strike a friendship with any of them, so I didn't have a chance to ask.
After that, he called us back one at a time. I sat down and said, honestly, "I'm sorry, I don't think this is going to be a good fit for me."
He responded with, "Yes, it seemed that way during the group interview." Probably because I wasn't engaged.
So I just shook his hand and told him that I wish him well, and hope he stays safe during his deployment, and headed out.
My personal opinion about CutCo and Vector Marketing is that... they are definitely a pyramid design regarding how they do things, but they're no different than, again, Avon and Mary Kay. The only thing is that their product is incredibly hard to sell when you're working with home audiences, and they probably have not perfected exactly how to work with their employees. Employees in larger cities or with wide social circles will do particularly well, but not everyone has this sort of benefit.
Or wants it, necessarily. So, I would say anyone that looks at CutCo/Vector for a job opportunity should do their research, hear out worshippers and naysayers alike, and really think if it's going to work for them in the long run.
My two cents! I'm off~
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Suspicions
...for some reason, this thing is advising me I have seven posts. I think this thing is lying.
There comes a point when one's actions begin to add up and you can't help but begin to draw certain suspicions about them. Since this blog is primarily about the paranormal, this of course means I mean to say this is in regards to the paranormal vein.
There comes a point when one's actions begin to add up and you can't help but begin to draw certain suspicions about them. Since this blog is primarily about the paranormal, this of course means I mean to say this is in regards to the paranormal vein.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
MANGA/ANIME: Axis Powers Hetalia - America and why he looks that way
I love Axis Powers Hetalia, and I love the wankhood that stems from it as well.
To date, one of the most amusing arguments comes from the appearance of America. Eventually I'll put an actual photo up, but in the meantime you can follow the above link to see a generic google image search of him.
He's blond, blue eyed--he's white. He loves video games, hamburgers, beer, and football.
The debate has been that America should clearly look multiracial because he's a melting pot (and in this fandom, that's how you refer to the countries: by their gender) and has no real single-culture platform. Okay, granted. Buttttt...
In the Hetalia canon, he is found wandering the woods of England's "home" and is found, raised by England a bit and eventually sent to become the Thirteen Colonies. :| Therefore America would have that European look because he started from England himself. It's kind of funny and awkward to refer to family genetics with this, but it's a core logic that it's not based on what his primary racial diversity is now. It's what it started as and what he stood as in his very beginning.
And come on, who doesn't want to eat a hamburger while wearing a bomber jacket in the middle of a war?
There's a long list of wrongs to Hetalia, meant to try to shame people out of liking the canon. It's sad, because it's actually an incredibly intelligent but hilarious series. I'm more of a German boy fan myself (Germany, Prussia, Austria), but I appreciate the history humor in it. Especially because it really isn't supposed to be serious!
Over on LiveJournal.com, there's a community for Hetalia. http://community.livejournal.com/hetalia/ Simple enough! They have a site that hosts links to all the original and scanlated strips here: http://sites.google.com/site/hetaliaindexes/ I would really encourage you to take a look at the strips, and if you like you can always find the anime on the LJ community! Don't be discouraged by the drawing level or animation styles. Like I said: Hetalia really is all just for good fun!
To date, one of the most amusing arguments comes from the appearance of America. Eventually I'll put an actual photo up, but in the meantime you can follow the above link to see a generic google image search of him.
He's blond, blue eyed--he's white. He loves video games, hamburgers, beer, and football.
The debate has been that America should clearly look multiracial because he's a melting pot (and in this fandom, that's how you refer to the countries: by their gender) and has no real single-culture platform. Okay, granted. Buttttt...
In the Hetalia canon, he is found wandering the woods of England's "home" and is found, raised by England a bit and eventually sent to become the Thirteen Colonies. :| Therefore America would have that European look because he started from England himself. It's kind of funny and awkward to refer to family genetics with this, but it's a core logic that it's not based on what his primary racial diversity is now. It's what it started as and what he stood as in his very beginning.
And come on, who doesn't want to eat a hamburger while wearing a bomber jacket in the middle of a war?
There's a long list of wrongs to Hetalia, meant to try to shame people out of liking the canon. It's sad, because it's actually an incredibly intelligent but hilarious series. I'm more of a German boy fan myself (Germany, Prussia, Austria), but I appreciate the history humor in it. Especially because it really isn't supposed to be serious!
Over on LiveJournal.com, there's a community for Hetalia. http://community.livejournal.com/hetalia/ Simple enough! They have a site that hosts links to all the original and scanlated strips here: http://sites.google.com/site/hetaliaindexes/ I would really encourage you to take a look at the strips, and if you like you can always find the anime on the LJ community! Don't be discouraged by the drawing level or animation styles. Like I said: Hetalia really is all just for good fun!
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