okami.

See, in order to use the Celestial Brush, you must press and hold the B button on the Wii Remote and then press and hold the A button to get the brush to make contact with its canvas, which works just fine. Where things broke down for us was when we tried to draw anything, because simply drawing a straight line wasn’t enough for whatever finicky image recognition function was responsible for translating our scribbles into actionable instructions. Either the game wasn’t recognizing our brush strokes properly or the Wii Remote was obstructing us from executing the brush strokes in a way the game could understand as a command, but the end result was an endlessly frustrating ordeal of trying and retrying the simple task of drawing a line with the Remote.

We are quick to point out that these problems could most likely be ironed out by the time the game gets to you, and indeed the rest of the game seems to be totally intact. If a release delay is required to fix the control problems, then we wholeheartedly welcome a delay, because to deliver this game with anything short of flawless controls would do a disservice not only to the game itself, but also those Wii gamers that have yet to enjoy the enchanting experience of Okami.

well i am glad it’s not just me. i bought this game on the weekend and as soon as i started playing it i knew it would be a new favourite. however as soon as i got to a point in the game where i had to master offensive moves, i failed miserably. i can’t tell you how long it took me to draw a fucking straight line! it killed me. i was almost hoping it was just me, and that i would be able to overcome, but it seems not. how can a game get 9.5 on gameplay with such a glaring flaw?

it is such a cool game, i am kind of disheartened. i thought it had the potential to be the first video game i could actually get into in a very long time. mostly cause you are a sweet wolf. haha

this would be way better if it was a spitz/eskimo/samoyed etc

the boy with the arab cat.

the weekend was awesome. the only drawback of having a nice place you really want to spend time in, is that leaving that place sucks that much more. i already had a hard enough time dragging myself to work every day!

friday we tried this bbq place that many people have raved about. lucky we had received a gift certificate from the strata, because i was ultimately quite disappointed. nothing about it was bad, but some people are too easily impressed. i love ribs, so it was slightly crushing that they were not the orgasmic, porktastic experience i had anticipated.

saturday our cable was hooked up, i went for a walk, and we made the grave mistake of going to costco. costco on a saturday afternoon is one of the closest places to pure hell i can imagine. i can’t believe i had forgotten this! never again. the traffic going ‘out there’ [aren't i already there?] was even insane… next saturday afternoon i am staying in! we did come across this neat wine store, it was massive and intimidating so i left right away. but they had such an extensive selection, and a tasting bar, and a fancy vintage room at the back… someday i intend to be educated enough on the subject to go in there and not be completely lost.

sunday was staying in day. lots of mario kart was played, i attempted and somehow failed at doing some yoga on my own, our first chance to watch coronation street in the new place [now it truly does feel like home!] after spending some time with us in our new place, the cat became obviously more comfortable, as did i. i cooked my first dinner in the brand new kitchen, chicken breasts stuffed with apples and brie which i was really looking forward to but i didn’t enjoy as much as i had expected. keith did though, so at least it was not a total waste.

i still haven’t tackled my fear of bikram yoga, saturday i was just not up for a challenge [and to be honest i need to buy a pair of shorts!] and sunday there was no practice happening. i don’t know what i fear… being in that room with all those people, sweating my brains out, stifled breathing, feeling so hot i am going to die, and being too embarrassed to leave! at least then i will have tried it, and know i need to find an alternative for practicing yoga in langford.

tomorrow is my first in car driving lesson. hopefully this is a life long fear i can finally get out of the way. no longer will i have the recurring nightmare that the driver is incapacitated and i have to drive somewhere but don’t know how. story of my life, in a greater sense.

seymour stein.

the move went perfectly. i kept expecting something to go wrong but everything fell into place. me and keith didn’t even fight about anything. i was kind of worried as with a lot of people, their worst selves can come to the surface when moving. but we work well together even with upheaval.

the new place! it is beautiful. it is smallish but a perfect size for us. i will take pictures soon. it almost feels too good for me at this point in time! having two bathrooms is AMAZING. it doesn’t quite feel like home yet, and last night i realized why i was feeling a bit isolated, and as if i was visiting someone else’s house and feeling a tad uncomfortable. NO CABLE/INTERNET. that is just not natural! by that logic it should feel a little more homey tomorrow.

i have a ticket for stephen malkmus tonight. despite the fact that i had no one to go with, i had every intention of attending by myself, really and truly this time [it's the new amber, remember.] until we moved that is. i have always had issues with being a homebody and preferring to stay home instead, but this is an extreme circumstance! all i want to do is nestle in. it’s going to be a langford weekend, and it’s sad i am excited about that. i actually feel more central than i did when living on pandora ave. although i was essentially downtown, i was in a suburban area with nothing much interesting around. in langford i have a lot of neat stuff within a very short walking distance… even the bikram studio which i must attempt this weekend since i missed yoga this week and my muscles are pissed at me. i am worried it will be my version of hell but i must give it a shot!

in addition, we just got mario kart for the wii so it’s another good reason to avoid “town” at all costs.

life is good. i am a lucky girl.

almost time for real golf i think.

apparently the ultimate combination is me and keith switching off on super swing golf. then neither of us gets so excited about winning a hole that we choke on the next one.

two down one more to go.

pretty productive sunday so far, as you can clearly see. just about as productive as i prefer all sundays to be.

what is the best way to crush ice? i have had far too much experience with blenders that promise the world and only disappoint.

titanboo.

how is super smash bros. brawl? i am looking for some new good wii games as i find the novelty of them can wear off fairly fast. i think partly you need fresh blood in the mix; wii is more fun when you are playing against unpredictable opponents [part of it's fun as well is it's social nature.]

and why, why, can i not beat the third easiest guy on super swing golf. that game is ridiculously hard and it seems i have reached my peak. is the sequel any easier? i want to unlock new characters/caddies but alas i only have one character because i suck.

at least my character is cute. w/ ears.

my future caddie.

i never realized japanese are incredibly good at golf, as well. what else do they need to be more disciplined than me regarding?

pangya!

first of a two pathetically minor picture updates. [i really need a new camera.]

brittani and kevin came over on saturday to play wii. it was pretty fucking fun. we bought a few new games. i would recommend mario and sonic at the olympics; i am not sure why i heard bad things. super swing golf is pretty good too, a lot more in depth than wii sports golf of course. it is nice to have ‘couple friends,’ brittani and kevin are both great but we never hang out. they are generally fairly anti-social like us i think, which is a good sign to be honest.

laughs were had by one and all.

brittani is hilarious, she is always like ‘i am stressed, how do i play this, i am an idiot’ and then she kicks everyone’s ass. if i had that skill i would be such a douchebag about it.

keith: “i think you’re at a disadvantage if you’re amber…”

kevin: “oh no, i agree.”

to me a sign of friendship is when someone feels familiar enough to mock another. that is when i truly knew me and kevin were cool.

just bob and weave!

good one brittani…. i mean keith?

so i went for a massage today… and he did it this time. he found the sweet spot. i now love him. he said ‘turn your head now. does it hurt?’ ‘yes.’ then he poked a bit, said ‘turn your head again. does it hurt?’ ‘no!’ i am worried i will wake up tomorrow and it will be sore again but such is life. i have to start doing exercises for my weak back.

aha, it all makes sense now.