Rammstein @ MindSay

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Dixie currently feels:

 Content

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 
I went to nana's this morning - she'd said I could borrow a pair of grandad's longjohns for tomorrow's filming. Then I'd said I'd go into town with her to do some Christmas shopping with her. Mam dropped me off and nana made me some toast for breakfast while I played on my DS to deter myself away from the boredom that morning television always, without fail - brings.
 
We got the Leven Valley bus - from the epic bus stop three meters from her doorstep - at half 11 and got into town for around 11:45. Nana seemed to be getting lots of gift vouchers - we were all over the place, from River Island to Game and back again. Seriously, if I ever looked out of place - I look out of place in TopShop. Just imagine me standing in TopShop, wearing my anarchy blazer, black jeans with the big fuck off chain, black and red Converse - and to top it all, I was waiting for nana by the PETITE racks. Seriously lmao, what an outlier.
 
When we were in Game, I showed nana the Brutal Legend adverts they had up on the screens - she suggested that I ask Ian and Lisa to get me it for Christmas. That's not a bad idea nana. :)
I also noticed the strategy guides... Hmmm... Should I be obsessive and go for the 100% with a guide? I only buy guides for epic RPGs and games I REALLY like. I have a feeling I'll like BL though. It's certainly my type of game.
They have DJ Hero set up in Game - seriously, Shelly and I have got to have a go of that when we're in town next week. It looks fucking ridiculous like. :)
 
I went into Boots to get some stuff for Ian and Lisa. I've got Lisa a cosmetics bag and a lipgloss set - they're all themed with like Japanese geisha girls - which I know Lisa is batty about, so they seem really fitting. I've got a body set for Ian, but I need to get them both some chocolates to go with that. I might get Ian something else too, maybe when I go mooching in Forbidden Planet for Adam's present. :)
 
When I was in River Island, I found the best thing ever for him - but I shan't post it to here, for I know he's an avid reader of this blog. :P
And of course, when walking past HMV - the idea struck me for what nana could get me to go with the games rack she's bought me out of Argos. Rammstein's sexy new album, Leibe Ist Fur Alle Da. :D
 
I set off for college at about 12:40, but still ended up about ten minutes early, so I stood about listening to Rammstein and Blind Guardian.
Film Studies was reasonable - we finished off our posters from last week and made some notes on a documentary about blockbuster films. Saying that, blockbusters are fairly simple to understand - I really didn't need to see a documentary about them to understand the concept.
 
Walking back to the bus station, I bumped into mam, Christine, Lucy and Lila - so I turned around and walked back to the car park with them. Nice one, I saved my bus fare. :P
I sat in the back of the car with Lucy and Lila - who she had on her knee. She looked like she kept wanting to lunge for my badges. I wasn't keen on the idea - yes, I'd like to see children getting impaled on safety pins, but I could do without baby blood on my face. :)
 
When mam came home, we watched Desparate Housewives and then when we ran out of DVDs, I ate a bowl of rice and watched How Clean Is Your House? - Kim Woodburn is supposed to be going on I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here on Sunday - so I'll definatley be watching that, she's fucking epic. :D
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Shelly came at around five - we laid on my bed and had lots of cuddly time.
It's so weird cuddling her when we've got Cannibal Corpse and Rammstein blasting in the background. :)
 
I got some things organised for tomorrow's filming - mainly the suit jackets and shirts from my wardrobe, then I hung them on the door ready for when we needed them.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


After shitting myself all weekend - the coursework discussion with Sarah today wasn't as bad as I'd expected it to be. Last night I'd managed to find the two Rammstein music videos I was using as focus texts on YouTube - one of them even had subtitles. :D

The two I've chosen are Mein Teil and Rosenrot - both chosen for their lack of performances, controversial lyrics, imagery and the narrative-style of the video. Watching them with Sarah, we've both agreed that my Spieluhr video needs to have a lot of fast cuts, lots of alternating shot types and a slight control over the lighting.

Going on what we all learnt from the film trailer - we've concluded that there's one rule I need to follow:
"Film more than what you need." - do clips more than once, film extra bits, film stuff just for the sheer idea that it might come in handy.

I was also relieved to get the approval from Sarah that my script is fine - it's not TOO focused on the narrative, but there needs to be slight less straight shots of lip-synching and some somewhat obscure things adding. On that note, I need to have a think about it.

Photography was a wasted effort - though it did amuse me that Shelly had came in for no reason - Paul wasn't even there so we were sat about doing shite all. Thus, Michelle, Shelly and I spent the whole lesson fart-arsing about on Facebook. Though the college PCs have a cocked up flash-player so it never lets me post status updates to my wall. It's rather annoying, amongst other things. :/

This cunt of a kid decided to be sick on the bus on the way home - right in the fucking middle of the gangway - I had to practically long-jump over it. Bear in mind, this is while the bus is still fucking moving.
I fucking hate kids like.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I was in a terrible mood all day. I only really cheered up when I got home.
I was tired when I woke up, and I couldn't be arsed walking to Eston for the bus - but I had to, because neither mam or dad would take me to college. Twats.
Media Studies was meh, as was English - though in English, all we really did was organise our folders then make more notes on the theorists. It wasn't exactly a strenuous lesson. In Media Studies, we sort of wasted our time "researching" for our coursework - but at last, I actually have a reasonable idea.
 
I met up with Shelly during the lunch break and we instantly moved - as we were sat on the tables by construction and were surrounded by chavs on all sides. We went to the LRC and I started working on this new coursework idea.
For my essay, I'll write about how Rammstein use controversial issues to attract their audience - and I'll either analyse the Mein Teil video or the lyrics. That's the best song I could possibly choose. And I also analysed it 3 years ago for GCSE Media Studies - so I know exactly what I'd write. :P
 
For the production, I wanted to go down the music route with the essay and make a music video to go with it. It's taken me weeks to decide on what band - but the second I did - I instantly chose the song.
 
I needed something that:
a) didn't already have a music video
b) was slightly controversial
c) but wasn't so controversial, the music video would consist of me raping my friends for 3 minutes
 
I cycled through Lisa for a while, going through all the Rammstein songs - and the only ones that stuck out were Spieluhr, Spiel Mit Mir and Stein Um Stein.
 
Stein Um Stein would be semi-impossible to make a video from, and Spiel Mit Mir - well, how would you make a video about insest between two siblings? Pray tell?
So I've settled on Spieluhr. A depressed child who decides to die is fairly controversial, isn't it?
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Photography is where I got super-pissed off though.
I'm so sick of Paul treating Shelly like shit. He's looking for any excuse to throw her off the course. He even sunk as low as to ask her if she had a GCSE in Art - which she owned him with, because she actually has - and most of the new AS students, even Lewis - don't have one.
 
When he started moaning at her about not going out and taking photos - opting to do research - which by the way, I was doing myself - I snapped and ended up shouting at him. I said he couldn't moan at her for doing something I was doing also. And Shelly actually has some photos from the weekend - I don't.
 
He's such a fucking prick. Seriously.
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
The highlight of tonight had to be attacking the freezer with mam.
It's had the door left open, so the ice has started to PROPER build up inside to the point where the door won't shut properly.
So we got buckets - mam used a meat cleaver and I used a wooden spatula - and we mashed most of the ice up out of there. It was oddly fun. :D
 
The sink is currently full of the stuff, there's a proper mountain of ice shavings and chunks about half a metre high. It was fun, even though I got my socks wet.
 
We finished the night with the last episode of Desparate Housewives that Paul had burned for us - we're now waiting for the next DVDs. Then I talked on the phone with Shelly for a while before I got to sleep - offering her my moral support and coaching as to how to be an epic We Love Katamari player. :P

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Today is my daddy's birthday. I wrote him a card and bought him an indie-rock compilation CD. It has bands like: The Fratellis, Kaiser Chiefs and Klaxons - bands that I know he likes to listen to when he's driving.
 
I've gotten sick of getting to the bus stop stupidly early and having to stand about - so I've set my alarm for 15 minutes later. It only takes me 5-10 minutes to get ready, if that, because I usually have everything laid out ready for me needing it the next day. My plan has worked, and today I was only stood about waiting for 5 minutes or so. It gives me a margin so I'm not waiting forever, and I have a low risk of missing it entirely. Mmmmyes, I am a logical and resourceful downright genius. :P
 
Media Studies today was a "coursework research" lesson.
In effect, for the entire thing I was just mooching around on Wikipedia for inspiration. I know WHAT I'm going to do, I just need a band to do it about. An essay either about a music video and how the conventions are used, or a big analysis of their song lyrics. My production will be a music video, if I do it well enough. If I end up fucking it up, I have a print option as a back-up plan.
 
Only problem is finding a damned band.
I want it to be one I like - Rammstein, King Diamond, Metallica, Silverstein - I'm going down that route. I just need them to have released an album in the last 3-5 years (and Rammstein is just starting to push that with 2005's Rosenrot, if next year 2010 counts) - whereas the music video looks like it can be made to a song of any year, it just needs to be 5 minutes or less, it can't be over.
That rules out Precious Jerusalem. Not that I'd know what the hell to do for the video like. :)
 
Metallica's lyrics are a bit dark... Rammstein's are really complex or about really obscure subjects... Silverstein's are all emo and suicidal... King Diamond is just downright fucked up... This looks like it shall be rather difficult...
 
(I seem to be saying "downright" a downright lot in this blog. :P)
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 
English was reasonable. It opened oddly - Angela sort of suggested I sit with Jack, and he's a fucking arse - so I just shook my head and said NO. It caused a weird reaction. :)
As a starter piece, Angela had us drawing GINGERBREAD MEN HOLDING BALLOONS.
Then we proceeded to write key words IN the balloons. I felt sad so I made my gingerbread man sad too. I drew him an icing sad face with a tear on his cheek.
It was an okay lesson, it just made me sad because we were thinking back to our childhood, the games we played and such. 5-6 were sad years for me. 5-15 as a whole were pretty wank, to be honest.
 
I met up with Shelly during the lunch break and I ate a bag of Mexican chilli McCoys and a big Aero bar. I felt really shitty so I was sat at the table tearing the Aero wrapper into tiny pieces. The caretaker gave me a weird look, but I assured him I'd dispose of it when I was finished.
Shelly could see I was sad, so she tried to cuddle me, but it didn't make me feel much better. We were discussing people and events that depress me, so it was obvious she couldn't.
I was proper thirsty too, because I'd forgotten my bottle of water.
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Photography pissed me right off.
First off we had Shelly suddenly getting in a pissy mood herself - but this was likely due to Paul being a right arsehole. Michelle said he's looking for any excuse to kick Shelly off the course. He was a twat to her last year as well, but he's even worse now. Apparently she distracts me - no, if anything, I distract myself. And I distract her more than she distracts me.
 
The whole lesson was a "peer marking" session. Seriously fucking shit. We all had our icons work up on the walls (mine was on the whiteboard because I hadn't printed it) and we had to basically wander around the classroom with sheets of paper, writing comments, constructive criticism and giving them marks out of 10.
 
I was quite reserved when I marked Michelle's - because I quite like her. But I don't know the others in the group, and they're sort of twats to me. Oh, and they're strangers - I'm very rude to strangers I've noticed.
So my critique of theirs was a bit more harsh. Roxy's was okay, pretty close to Michelle's - but I was really harsh with Johnny's. He deserved it though, the prick. He gave me 4/10.
 
AT LEAST YOU COULD TELL WHAT MY FUCKING IMAGES WERE OF!
 
I MAY HAVE USED THE SAME OBJECT TWICE, BUT AT LEAST MY ARRANGEMENT WASN'T WANK! EVERYONE EVEN TOLD YOU IT WAS WANK.
 
AT LEAST I VARIED IN COLOUR! IT WASN'T ALL BLACK AND BROWN.
 
Capital letters rant over. :)
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I got home, I played Guitar Hero: World Tour.
I was mainly getting scores for the new free DLC I'd never played. No wonder they give these songs away for free - they're ALL shit!
The only two decent free ones are Grave Of Opportunity and Electro Rock.
 
Then I attempted to give Guitar Hero 5 another try.
OH, THERE'S HOPE FOR IT NOW. :)
 
Yes, the career has merged so it's one for all of the instruments, instead of 4 separate ones... BUT.
There's a new feature - instrument challenges!
 
Each song has a different one, so one would be drums while another is bass, vocals, guitar or whole band.
They're things like 'hit 200 snare beats' for drums, 'whammy sustains for 1 minute' for guitar and the best one that I proper OWNED: 'hit 300 notes using only UP STRUMS' for bass.
I did it on Expert too. :P
 
I'm going through the career mainly on Expert bass, getting the scores, then switching to the other instruments for the challenges. There's even gigs where you can choose your own song - including DLC.
So I chose Jessie's Girl on Expert lead and scored 100%. I had to hit as many chords as I could, but there wasn't enough in the actual song to get the diamond rank. I'll have to try it again with something more complex.
 
I also like the fact that 100% FC gets you SIX STARS.
100%s are optional, but they earn you more stars and they're ever so sexy. You also can't tell what instrument and level you've done the song on - so you could have gone through the entire thing on Beginner and nobody would know.
But I'm making it fun for myself with Expert bass. It is really easy though, compared to Greatest Hits.  
 
Yes, the quickplay is a bit wank - it only shows one score instead of 5 for all the separate levels. The interface is still a bit shitty - and you can't give custom characters fucking beards!
I've been wondering for ages now why Ashley Darwin and Dudley Boone look so fucked - it's because they have BALD FACES.
I have my four custom characters set up as the band on-screen. They look so sexy together. I don't think I've ever seen it before. :)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I've decided that there is no way I could think of a witty day-related title to go with this blog.
I'll probably scroll down the archive one day and assume it's a day where dark and horrific things occured, due to its title - but that's not the case. :)

I spent a rather fun-filled day with Adam today. :)
Days spent with Adam are often that way.

When he arrived, we were just sat together, talking about shit - as we listened to stuff in my iTunes library.
Adam is the only person who I can actually hold a conversation with while I'm listening to music. Naturally, we have it playing quieter, and of course, I'm prone to randomly breaking off into the song that's playing - but regardless, we can do it. Shelly and Ash can't.

Du Hast randomly came on - and this was after several video game soundtrack songs - Adam turns around and goes: "OH FUCK OFF PAPER MARIO!"
I piss myself and retort: "PAPER MARIO?! IT'S FUCKING RAMMSTEIN!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We got a craving for junk food and liquid nourishment - so we went to ASDA.
We found this mint chocolate that was 60p for a big bar, but it was on offer, two for £1 - so Adam bought four bars. It was then we realised we hadn't even bothered to get a basket - so we were carrying handfuls of chocolate around with us. Looked well fucked. :)

The chocolate bars had like fake Smarties inside it. We used to buy a similar stuff from the shop on the corner ages ago.

Along with this, we got a bottle of Cherry Coke and a bag of assorted Nik Naks.
All came to under a fiver, so wasn't bad. Adam paid for it - we alternate who pays, usually.

We nommed all this as we played an assortment of video games - starting with Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Adam and I are a fucking epic tag-team, so we totally OWNED the co-op event that I struggled to finish with Ashleigh.
That just proves the "it's not me, it's you" theory. :P

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Resident Evil: Code Veronica X provided many amusements.
We'd recently watched the Legendary Frog flash version before we started playing it - so the cutscenes still proved as ridiculous as ever. I actually discovered I can do a decent imitation of Alfred Ashford's manic laughter.

I was pissing myself AT MYSELF when I blundered into a new room and was attacked by two bandersnatches. They didn't even touched me - just latched their arms to the walls near me.
I proper made this weird groan/scream noise - then laughed out of embarrassment of how fucked it sounded for about 15 minutes.
I tend to do that.

And oddly enough - through talking about it, we both got urges to play Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.
Naturally, Adam scorned my previous file deletion.
Yes, I lost my flukey-as-fuck A rank on Mad Space - but I've got a shitload of other flukey-as-fuck A ranks in return on my new save.

I'm going to have to re-make my two Chao though - my file got corrupted.
Which in effect is what compelled me to restart the game in the first place.