The Importance of Being Idle

Out With The Old, In With The Useless

I know, I know, I didn't post yesterday and I really don't have a good reason for that except, well, GTA:San Andreas has arrived on Xbox and all bets are off.
I tried hard to clear my schedule yesterday, working hard in the morning to clear a few more job applications, keep up with my finances and all that sort of thing. That left the afternoon and evening free to dedicate to GTA:SA.
My first impressions were actually less than positive, but that's always the way when you start off a new GTA game; you're wussy, don't have any weapons or cars, you're in a strange and un-familiar city... they always start like that. I have to say though, over the past day I have completely changed that opinion. This is the ULTIMATE GTA, at least until the next one! I've barely explored a fraction of San Andreas, I hardly know more than a few blocks around my home without getting horribly lost, but the city itself is vast.I mean huge, insanely huge, and so incredibly fully realised... the differing architectures, the wealth of incidental detail, its just staggering. On top of that, I'm finding a that you can do all the things you used to be able to do, and then some! Sadly I can feel the familiar pull of GTA obsession beginning, and this one is gonna be a doozy!
So essentially I've spent two days playing San Andreas and having virtual adventures that nobody wants to hear about... Okay, I'm just gonna say this one thing. I went into a bar just down the street from my crib ('cos CJ's all gangsta, y'know?) and I started playing pool with this guy (yeah, I know, playing a game in a game...) and we started gambling and I was kicking his ass. Then damn fool that I am, I upped the ante considerably figuring I'd take the guy for all he'd got, and predictably he absolutely destroyed me. I'd been hustled. Now, there are three ways you can react to that. You can admit your naivity and just walk away, you can not realise you've been hustled and keep playing or you can do what I did: beat the guys brains out with a pool cue and take his money. Now that's thinking outside the box...
This hasn't been the only thing in my head though, there've been other things.
Sadly I can't remember what any of them WERE right at this minute, which'll teach me not to post as soon as I think of something.
Y'know, for a programme that claims to be the definitive history of 'black popular music' Soul Deep (which is in its last few minutes as we speak, after six excellent weeks) seems to have a bit of a blind spot where hip-hop is concerned. Up until like 1975 the show was meticulous in its detail and very perceptive when it came to tying musical and social trends together, but somehow hip-hop, without doubt the most influential musical and cultural phenomenon of the past quarter century is just being dismissed in favour of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. Eh? Shame really, cos the rest of the show had been excellent.
The brilliant Steve Carell (aka Brick Tamland in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy) is starring in a new film called "The 40 Year Old Virgin" about... actually its fairly self-explanatory what its about. Anyhoo, the thing that most got my attention was the line early in the trailer when one of his friends asks him how that could be, and he says "After a while you just stop trying". That's pretty much the truth of it, you just give in, accept that its not for you, never gonna happen. I don't know if it makes you necessarily more juvenile, I don't know if it alters the way you behave with people or not, I just know that you give up. Looks like it's gonna be really funny though! The film, that is. And I'm not gonna be forty for another four years and three months, so there's still time!
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes (see, things are coming back to me!). I don't know if its for real or not, it does seem awfully convenient what with them both having big summer movies to promote, especially given what we know about Tom's tendency to treat these things as a business arrangement. However, there's really no reason why it couldn't be for real; they're both extremely attractive people, they have commonality in their work, and the age difference isn't something I give any credence to (but then I wouldn't would I? lol). I think the media should stop judging the whole thing though, cos Tom's behaviour and clear desperation in trying to impress upon us the reality of their love is really starting to get a little crazy. I foresee it being only a matter of weeks before he goes on a killing spree with an automatic weapon in a desperate attempt to 'prove' his love. So, let's just give 'em a break eh? Besides any (straight) guy with any sense wants to do Katie Holmes, and we ALL know at least one girl who likes older guys, now don't we (mentioning no names, but you know who you are)? Anyway, the rules don't apply to movie stars, look at Brad Pitt. No guy in his forties should look that good. The unutterable bastard.
Okay, I'm outta here, its movie time!

posted by BadMonkey @ 9:30 PM