Hopefully I will be able to finish Sailor Moon and get started on Patlabor. Even if Fall is a disappointment on the mecha front at least I have Patlabor and Brave Battle Warriors should hold up for a while. I learned a lot while I was gone and not having a laptop got me to at least finish some reading. So here’s a couple things I learned while out in the suck with no laptop.
PT Good For You, Good For Me
Calorie counting can be a chore but a tool that I found useful was livestrong.com’s daily plate which helped out immensely. If you use it the goal is to get as close to your green line as you can. Make no mistake though to get fit and stay fit requires a lifestyle change it may be hard at first but you can do it if you want to. Heck I lost 16 pounds after a month of cardio so it’s not impossible.
Idle Musings, Idle Purchases
As a fan of dual use technology I re-purposed this TV shelf from IKEA as a DVD shelf/Game shelf/Altar of worship well worth it me thinks.
I am amazed at how much stuff I bought it was less than a full month’s pay but it was still a lot more than I usually get. I haven’t hit the buyer’s remorse yet but I do not recommend wasting time going window shopping to only end up with stuff you never thought about getting. Still I suppose I ought to be glad to finally get all of Sailor Moon minus the unreleased Stars arc that never made it to the US and I increased the mecha stockpile in case of further seasons of no mecha misery. As business models go Games Workshop is probably worse than R2 DVDs. They made the rule book huge as all fuck just to put that 75 USD price tag on it and then release the starter set for 99 USD. At least the models look great and I play at least one of the armies. Still I feel kind of bad for those poor souls who just wanted the smaller utility sized rule book since lugging that monster of a rule book to every tourney and game is going to suck. I reconnected with an old gaming friend who is willing to do a swap, and for once the High Elves don’t suck too bad and have gotten a little OP since the magic rules got a whole lot nastier.
Gaming
Don’t you just hate campers…
I was a pretty poor gamer before going out into the suck, I always started games but never managed to finish them. That was rectified quick when my laptop died and I started playing games. I re-awoke my old obsessive habits as when I play games I lose hours at a time but at least the MWR people kick is off when our time is up. I rediscovered Muramasa the Demon Blade while in theater and got all the endings after getting home. I even finished HALO 3 ODST when I should have probably blogging again and found the latest addiction in Metroid the Other M. I wonder how every one else manages to play games and still blog though I seem to be playing games outside of the point and click visual novels. If anyone has any advice on managing game time better I’d like to hear about it.
Still if there was one game that sucked away lots of hours it has to be Star Craft II which I even got to work on my new laptop for wasting even more time on the go. I bet every one and their mother has already played it but it still is a great game and the only thing I regret was being out in a Zeus forsaken desert with no way to get a copy and play it. Time delays due to duty aside it was a most welcome dose of much needed mecha action.
Reading Shit
If only these books came out faster…
The PX out there wasn’t terribly well stocked on magazines or good literature, no Wired Magazine and plenty of awful Warhammer fiction. At least my family did send me my copies of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Outlaws of the Marsh (aka The Water Margin). I was amused at how much Zhuge Liang is still being copied even in anime today as the BEST GENERAL EVAR but that’s a post for another time I guess. Still re-reading it is making my viewing of SD Gundam Brave Battle Warriors much more amusing though it was already a hilarious adaptation as is. Not being able to blog or do much on the internet other than read other people’s posts I finally got around to reading Song of Ice and Fire which is much better than I had expected even if the gratuitous sex is off putting and I rue the lack of pages dedicated to battle, but the political machinations is still well written better than most AU Gundam scripts anyway.
End of Rant
54 Comments
While we’ve talked on Twitter, a formal welcome back comrade-senpai! Glad you’ve made it back both intact and with a large amount of the spoils of war. Good to have you back for a season with both shoujo and (potentially) mecha shows too.
I share your pain about the Warhammer rulebook. I play Warmachine and they have the gall to charge $35 for a faction book now that the Mark II rules are out. Plus in their rush to release all the new faction books there are some obvious imbalances slipping through. But those heretics won’t burn themselves, so I soldier on as a loyal soldier of the Protectorate. Pretty sweet that the High Elves and Skaven are the new starter box factions for Warhammer though. I always liked both, even when I went with Wood Elves for my army.
Ah yes the Army book creep happens to you too eh? Still GW is brutal when it comes to pricing at least Warmachine seems a little cheaper and their paint is considered a cut above the rest. Still paying out the ass for rules is no fun, I use to buy army books for reference on forces I did not play now… never again with GW pricing. But at least they seem to want to bring back more armies into the meta game by making significant adjustments to the rules. Now at least Magic seems to be brought into line though coming from the army that has some of the best miscast protection and access to Shadow and Death lores I might be a little biased in favor.
My biggest complaint with the rule book is that they added all that extra stuff which is nice but not needed and would rather have had the option for a smaller rule book all the time. Also that thin is a bitch to lug arround and not fun to flip through even with the index, which was a long time coming since the days of sixth edition.
Welcome back, comrade! Enjoy the Patlabor TV series: Kanuka is the goddess of asskicking.
Should get started on that soon, hopefully after dealing with a bunch of miniatures stuff and the last leg of duty.
Welcome back comrade, wrapping up my post series on Macross Frontier wasn’t as fulfilling without you.
Sorry about that I was able to read but had trouble just using an iPhone to comment, I was on lock down for the flight home when you reached the end still you know how I feel about Frontier, even if it wasn’t totally new it was still a good series and I am sure new fans were brought enough to offset the useless oldfags who only seem to be apologetic when it comes to Macross 7…
Welcome back! Thanks for your service if it has not been said enough. On that end, I am waiting to see if you will do a review on Cat Shit One. I would like to have a proper discussion with someone who is also familiar with the real life content used in the series.
Thanks for reminding me I almost forgot about that one. Though keep in mind the farthest I shot was 300m and it wasn’t a sniper rifle, let alone every one’s favorite .50 cal anti-materiel rifle.
Welcome back Crusader!!! Hope to see your articles on upcoming shows and maybe some retroblogging (like what EO is doing with GTO right now)…
Speaking about losing weight, I probably need to lose about 20 lbs (I’m 5’9″ and about 195lbs) myself, so far some success…
Also I realised that Games Workshop figured out something TSR/WoTC/Hasbro failed to grasp and stole a march on them, stuff which costs more than crack cocaine goes down easier if the rulesets aren’t obsoleted with each revision and splatbook.
Video gaming wise, have you tried MAG or Lost Planet 2 yet? If you are looking for Beard of Honor, I read that it’s been banned from your military PX stores, and I’m not sure whether if you’d want to try out ARMA2/Op Arrowhead having just returned…
At leat you are taller than me. I am not sure we ought to be commending GW for their relentless fleecing of their shrinking customer base still they make some nice minatures. Not played MAG or Beard of Honor yet but the PX out there didn’t have much stock to begin with. After ODST and MW2 marathons I am quited sated for FPSes. Playing Metroid the Other M right now still pretty fun not sure why some people hate it so much.
Good to have you back safe and sound, my comrade-in-yuri!
Also great to see how Yuki occupies the centre place of honour in your altar-shelf. And it amuses me to no end that the bishoujo 1/8s tower over the mecha. I’m not much of a gaming man myself – have never owned a gaming platform before. Though that should change soon as I need a PSP to play my newly arrived Project Diva and Project Diva 2. As much as I have been tempted, I’m not going to plunk down for Starcraft II just yet – can’t afford the time sink right now with lots of stuff coming onstream but the real reason is probably that I’m much more of a Zerg guy than a Terran player.
Good to be back, what have I missed on the Yuri front while I was away killing Zekes pray tell?
I got mostly HG models and a a hand full of 1:100 scale and a flight of VF-25s and VF-27s that I have yet to finish. Starcraft II was worth it for me no Zerg Campaign but still worth it for the multiplayer judging by my younger brother who plays every day without fail.
I own every gaming platform on the market minus the PSP i don’t have a reason to get it since none of the games I just have to play come out on it. Right now the PS3 is more of a glorified DVD player though I still have yet to start FFXIII.
Sadly there was no much yuri while you were away (or to put it another way, you didn’t miss much). Just a smattering in Ookami-san: Momo-chan-senpai’s chin-stroking of Ryoko Ookami and Ringo stealing a kiss from said title character. There was probably some in the Railgun OVA but I haven’t seen it yet.
I find K-On to have a delightful smattering of Yuri here and there, though mileage may vary for you. I have no problem with moe shit anime its oddly hitting close to home with Yui’s uncertainty about her future…
Episode 9 of Ookami san had some nice yuri, well the incestuous kind anyway.
I don’t feel like making another post, so I will just welcome you back in this post.
), I look forward to reading your posts about everything shoujo, and someday, once I have properly entered the world of mecha, I will be sure to read your mecha posts to. 
Welcome back (didn’t see that coming, did you
Thanks will look into it.
Glad to hear you’re back in one piece! I look forward to reading your blogging again.
And I hope you have a fruitful job hunt — I recently finished uni and spent some time in the ‘real world’ of the jobs market, and it’s no fun!
Hey at least you have it better than in my home state of California where we have lots more unemployment than the rest of the Union. I hope to get cracking faster but I need to meet some deadlines first. probably going to do a little more editorial than episodic in the short term.
Welcome back, Crusader! Glad you made it home safe. Sorry if I pestered you re: tourney vid stuff, I know you must’ve been busy out there. Looking forward to reading more of your posts, though, comrade!
PS Loving the shoujo pics, esp all those Skip Beat! volumes, that manga just keeps getting better and better…
It’s all right sorry i could not do much satellite internet isn’t fast and while it works it is mighty slow and hates doing more than get web pages.
The lack of shoujo over there was made all the more worse by the sudden lack of utility of onemanga and mangafox…ah well at least there are other ways to get the latest chapter of Skip Beat!
uh…welcome back, Comrade, I guess… http://bit.ly/brejIS
At least you didn’t use the Zeon theme…
Good to be back.
Welcome back! THAT just isn’t the same without you. Still have to get Other M since it came out a week late in this part of the world but I’m looking forward to it and you describing it as a “new addiction” is good news, that time I spent speed running Super Metroid in anticipation wont go to waste is seems.
Also, I beg to differ, Marauders are fine, it’s everything else that’s not.
Most of the complaints I have seen stem from the story which I don’t find that annoying since the gameplay is fun and a nice change of pace from playing a bunch of FPSes. You can speed run though I am not sure if there is anything special if you get 100% completion.
That’s one way of highlighting the Marauder issue, let’s hope it becomes less of an issue as time goes on.
They’re easily countered if you know how anyway (more so in the early game with no Medevac support and late game when the higher tech outclasses them). MMM, while common, is hardly the dominant strategy. Some of the more gimmicky stuff such as photon rushes are more devastating when pulled off right. That said, if you ever have trouble with turtling Terran’s, you can always try a 4-6 pool Baneling bust early game.
Key is pulling it off right and tactics change as the metagame changes. At least changes come faster than in Warhammer.
omg shoujo >_<
YES it was a glorious spending spree!
Ranma 1/2 is fucking shit
Well I like it just fine though the ending…
welcome back komrade. It seems like the anime mech industry was in a lull while you were gone, only show that failure of a mecha show “heroman” was “new”
While there’s not much hope for the new Super Robot Taisen show to be epic with a manly burning hearto, it should still have some nice CGI eye candy of at least the Dygenguard… it better!
Not sure how I should feel about not missing much… would be nice to have something other than hope to look forward to.
haha oh I never buy manga anymore! But most mangas I read have kyaa moments, since that’s like a basic shoujo manga requirement. Although lately everything I read goes from Kyaa to “UHHH” >_>;; hehe.
Haven’t gone UGHHH yet so all is well for now. Also we must support the industry and their heavy handed tactics…
Still at least High School Debut has an ending which is more than I can say for Song of Ice and Fire…
Welcome back Crusader, glad to see you back in the fold! So you done with the military forever then?
I notice you have Torward the Terra on your stack, good choice, awesome story! (I must be about the only person who saw the anime though)
And good idea with your altar
Never going to get out Hope to stay for life since it is the only source of steady emplyment in this crappy state of California with high unemployment. Besides it was a decent enough time it was much simpler there than it is here.
Hopefully it will be good but I have other engagements/distractions at the moment.
Let us raise up numerous altars to the Glory of Onee-sama!
Welcome back! I see you display an excellent taste in books, since you’ve bought the Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.R. Martin. Have fun with those, they are worth their time.
I finished and now have joined the long wait for the next book, I just hope that it will end properly.
Yeah, let’s hope Martin gets the motivational boost he needs from the TV series coming out next year.
Hopefully that will do it, but how they skirt around the age issue will be another…
They’ve already stated that the children characters will be cast as older than in the books. Which is good, I really couldn*t see how they’d get away with marrying 14 year olds to adult men on modern television.
If only Martin wouldn’t have abandoned his planned time-jump after book three. It’s the reason for the delay of the last two books and it destroys many of the seeds he planted in the first three books.
Hey, in case you got more time to kill I highly recommend the Wheel of Time series.It’s well worth the time.
Will check it out when I make more time so much to do Warhammer-wise.
Congrats Crusader! I enjoy your blog so it’s great to hear you got through your tour of duty successfully. Politics are fickle, they change with the times as the Big Boss once said, but I really believe in giving credit and honor to all our servicemen and women in the Armed Forces, so cheers!
Thanks politics change but it will be interesting to see how things shake out in the end, that much is certain.
Marauders are not OP. Infestors + zerglings = dead maruaders. See recent Idra game played on September 4. Youtube channel: Jon747.
Will do thanks will need to get better informed of the latest tactical developments.
Welcome back Crusader! Good to see you and Lt Alice Malvin still doing great.
Still no love/queries on the siscon front (imouto sect)? 
Wait till Crusader gets a hold of Amagami SS, with the knee licking, the navel invasion, GLAMOROUS BODY and NISHISHISHI…
Trying to get the lot of it now for Amagami SS, seems to be better than anticipated and it has a decent enough following from people with tastes similar to mine.
Yeah still keeping the figure collection at a manageable level, haven’t watched all that much yet. I am trying to wrap up some Warhammer stuff for now since I want to go to a tournament in October, and a I have a new rule set to master as well as a hefty painting schedule.
Any recommendations?
Welcome back! And in one piece, with nary a bionic in sight!
Aside from the obvious Khornate Warriors of Chaos, you mean? Every faction barring Tomb Kings seem to have stuff going for them in the new edition.
As for the yuri front… Nothing much but odd things here and there. Strike Witches 2 is an obvious choice though, but there’s also stuff like the Sora no Woto specials. Might have to catch up on those yourself.
Oh, and I see you’ve gotten SC2! I’m playing via my cousin’s account. It’s Einherjar, in case you want to play a game.
Until the day I can be Iron Hand Straken or get a power klaw to make up for a lost arm I hope to remain mostly biological.
Every faction did get something and th abusive lists are already being made usually centering around the folding fortress…
Will check out Strike Witches 2
It’s the gmail address right to add you to SC2? I won’t be playing for a while since i have to paint some stuff and have another two weeks of military duty left, but will lose gladly to you when the time comes.
You can add using a Character as well. Just go to ‘Add Character Friend’, then enter the Character name and Code.
As I mentioned, I’m sort of alternating play with my cousin. The Character name we both use is Einherjar, and our code is 393.