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The Orange Box

This is awesome.

If you haven't yet tried Team Fortress 2,  don't miss it if you like multiplayer shooters or competitive games in general. It's some of the most fun I've ever had with a shooter. Don't be put off by the cartoonish style, there's quality gameplay and lots of humor. Very much worth playing.

Speaking of humor, The Orange Box is loaded with it, even though I've only played through a portion of it over at my boyfriend's house. I've previously played Half-life 2 , but this time around have gotten to play TF2 and Peggle Extreme, which is a pretty darn funny edition. Portal, which I haven't played yet, but which I have heard a whole lot about and seen videos from, is full of weird, sometimes quite morbid, humor.

Halloween is coming up, but I don't have any plans this year. Have a ton of writing and work to do, but I'm considering trying NaNoWriMo again, and giving it a serious push this time. Haven't decided just yet.

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My website

After some time now, I've finally 'officially' launched my website. It's still rather bare, but it has some very basic information and a few examples of my writing and translation. More is to be added once I can put together a slideshow with design samples. I also need to make some adjustments, but for now, it's functional. Eventually, I will relaunch it with a completely custom design and a new host, but for now, it's serving me well enough.

My website
My website
http://ww.christi…
Want to know a little more about me? Visit my website. It's still under construction, but the basic structure is there. Eventually, I'll be relaunching it with a custom design.

This blog is the companion to the site, which is over at http://www.christinagonzalez.net

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This Video Kills Me

puppy howl
This is seriously one of the cutest things I have ever seen. As Meg at Cute Overload would say, it's the teeniest of howls.

I've watched this little puppy about eight times since last night and it just never gets old. I still go 'awwwwwwwwww' every time. It's in the way the ears go back, the mouth, the not-quite-yet-open eyes, and of course, that precious mini howl.

And it's a Golden Retriever, my favorite breed of dog. Whenever I'm feeling down, I know just what I need to pick me up now.

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End of an Era?

Tonight, the Yankees lost in the ALDS. Cleveland played well and ultimately took the series. Now, as a fan, I'm wondering if George Steinbrenner will make good on his statement that Joe torre was managing for his job in this series. At first glance, one would think that any owner who would consider not re-signing a manager who had taken his team to 12 straight postseasons, a manager who turned his team around this year to make the playoffs when many considered their chances super slim, and a manager with several key achievements under his belt, to be nuts.

It makes me wonder what it would be like without him. I've been a fan for a long time, but really came into it much more during my high school years, right about when Torre came on board. He's managed for my entire adult life so far. Sure, the Yankees haven't won a World Series title since 2000 (and I was watching from London when they lost in  the series in 2001), but they generally play consistent baseball and have made it into those twelve consecutive postseason appearances.

It's hard to blame the manager when there have been so many team shakeups. When decisions like bringing Roger Clemens back this year were made. Clemens, who isn't really much of a team player, not only underperformed, but his spot on the roster could have been taken by someone who had a shot of making it through the season with more wins and fewer injuries. He is in his mid-forties now. After sending Randy Johnson away in a trade, I thought they would have learned their lesson.

But the season does not rest upon Clemens' shoulders alone. It's about underperforming in the first two ALDS games right now, because once the postseason begins, it is a fresh start. The old adage "Go big or go home" is never more apt. And now, the AL postseason comes to a close for New York.

I wonder what the team will look like next season. Several key team members, including Mariano Rivera and Alex Rodriguez (who actually had a decent series) will qualify for free agency. And then there's Joe Torre. Will Steinbrenner give him another chance?

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The Fashion Bubble

I was reading this piece earlier about the currently running Paris Fashion Week, and how most of the models walking the runway and in general right now, are white. It's a pretty well written examination of one aspect of the modeling industry many people are not paying attention to right now. The focus these days is on weight and the image some of these models project.

While the article makes several good points about the dearth of ethnic minorities on top fashion runways, one of the most salient points was this:

The fashion industry, for all its airs of sophistication, has very
insular ideas of beauty. It's supposed to be a global industry but this
is not being reflected on the runway.

It goes beyond ethnic origin, race, or weight. Top models also have to be tall. Very tall. At minimum, most of these women and girls are 5'8" or 5'9". The message there is that to be beautiful and worthy of demonstrating fashionable clothing, you must be tall. Sure, there are petite models, but for those who are between petite and runway, there isn't much opportunity. Occasionally, a celebrity will be allowed to walk the runway, or perhaps someone with ties to famous kin like Lydia Hearst, will be able to make it as a model, but most often, women who are not tall never get an opportunity.

And for those who are not tall and who fit into sizes 4, 6, and 8? There is probably less of a chance for a model within these boundaries than for a tall, slim black woman.

If fashion is to open its doors to those of ethnic minorities, it should follow that up by opening the runways up to women of different sizes and heights. It just seems very wrong that someone would have absolutely no chance of a career in a certain industry if she weren't lucky enough to grow to above-average height.

I also think similar thoughts when I've watched episodes of America's Next Top Model. Tyra Banks goes on about showing every girl they can make it and such, but I always think, what about an average height woman like me? I don't want to be a model, but what if I did? The ANTM application says minimum 5'7". That doesn't sound like "all" girls can make it to me.

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My First Manicure

I grew up poor,  so things like getting my nails done was never something I could afford. I also figured why pay someone else to do it when I can just do my own nails? So I've gone through my entire life until today never having a manicure. For my prom or any other special event, I've generally done my own nails, except when my aunts did them sometimes when I was little.

Today, I had a busy Saturday. Started out at the gym, then ran a few errands. On the way home, I decided to stop into one of the nail places nearby. Tomorrow is my birthday, and I like to do unusual things. Last year, I traveled for nearly two hours by subway, spent ten minutes awaiting an elevator that got stuck, and finally seeing my boyfriend for a grand total of about 20 minutes before I had to leave. Today, I tried a different kind of spontaneity.

I walked into the place clueless about how the whole thing worked. I was told to pick a color, so I chose a dark, metallic red. No surprises there, since red is my favorite color, and I'd even been wearing red lipstick today and carrying a red bag. I sat down in front of the focused-looking young Asian woman. She asked me what shape I'd like my nails cut into, so I told her to square them off. She did that, filed, buffed, and evened them out before applying cream, a base coat, and finally, the lovely red.

She applied the color in really short, careful strokes. The whole process was so intimate and definitely different from the many applications I've done. I've read to do nails in three broad strokes at a time, and that's always been my technique, but she was putting an initial drop in the center, then pushing the color very carefully out from there. I'll have to try that in the future whenever I apply my own polish again.

During the application of the second coat, I looked away for a moment and nearly smacked the tip of my right middle finger into the nail of my ring finger. The manicurist gave me a sort of stern admonishment. Lo and behold, afterward, right before spending time under the dryer, I smudged the polish on my right middle finger. On my way home, I'd smudge three more. Luckily, I have a similar enough color here and I patched them up a bit.

I paid her right before she applied the color, but figured I'd tip her afterward, like with waiters. I had no idea how this all worked, and after my nails were set to dry later, I couldn't find her. Oops. I unintentionally stiffed my nail girl. I still feel guilty. It was really down to my inexperience, so next time I know to tip around the same time.

It's funny, how a small thing like this can feel so dramatically different. I had uneven, slightly dry nails yesterday and today, they're a glamorous red, my cuticles are down, and I simply feel prettier in some way. I'm sure the novelty has something to do with it, but I did enjoy the experience and my nails do look better than when I do the job. I think I will be doing this now and then from here on out.

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“Women + PC Gaming: BFF”

I was reading the latest issue of Games for Windows magazine today (October, the one with F.E.A.R. sequels on the cover) and came across this "advertorial" near the back tech section. Ugh, I know Microsoft features these as part of its sponsor partnership with Ziff-Davis, but this one was particularly close to home.

It begins – "Women who play Games for Windows: It's not a myth, and  it's not a publicity stunt."

Wow, Microsoft. Thanks for telling me that I play games. I had trouble believing it before, but now I am assured that this activity of mine is not a publicity stunt.

Wait, it gets better.

"That's right–there are real, everyday ladies playing computer games (even hardcore favorites such as Age of Empires III [Microsoft, Rated T] and Shadowrun [Microsoft, Rated M] the entire world over this very minute!"

Once again, thank you Microsoft, and writer Christa Phillips for letting me know that the mysterious creature known as the female that plays games is not a rare local species and is found throughout the world. Even sometimes playing hardcore titles. OMG!

It's not the content that I'm taking issue with so much as the presentation. The cutesy title and writing style makes me read the entire piece in this syrupy hyper voice in my head. It's also written in this patronizing way that I suppose is meant to speak to the mostly male readership of gaming magazines, but comes off as treating the female gamer as something of an exotic mystery, even while its aim is to debunk that sort of thing.

There are actually some on-target comments from some women quoted in the article, but the overall style of the piece just rubbed me the wrong way.

Part of the ending paragraph, "Women who love to game still look forward to the day when guys value our sniper skills as much as our crafting abilities. Until then we'll find safety and acceptance in female gaming groups like GamerchiX and PMS Clan…," also hit upon one aspect that I've thought about often. That is whether or not all-female clans and groups make further integration into the greater gaming community easier or more difficult.

But that's a topic for another day.

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Game Bits

I enjoyed Kingdom Hearts and its sequel on the PS2, Kingdom Hearts II. So, I was wondering just what SquareEnix would announce at this year's Tokyo Game Show. Promises of something unlike a direct sequel, something else in the franchise were rampant before the announcement.

Just like with the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII, the new Kingdom Hearts installments come in triplicate. The PSP installment sounds a bit like Knights of the Old Republic, in the KH universe. Called Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, it takes place many years before the events of Kingdom Hearts, and features gameplay like the PS2 titles we know. The story seems to have something to do with Keyblade users in search of a master. 1UP's preview suggested the main character looks like Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core's Zack. I haven't seen the video yet myself.

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days is a 3D game for the Nintendo DS that features Roxas from KHII, apparently in his Organization XIII days. This game apparently ties into the secret ending video attained at the end of the Japan-only Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix.

The last title, is a cellphone game called Kingdom Hearts: Coded, that seems to run parallel to events in Chain of Memories.

Nothing on a PS3 KH3, which was what many had hoped for for a while. However, since that possibility was sort of put to rest, the question remains whether any of these new titles will serve as a sort of bridge to KH3 like Chain of Memories did between the first two games.

Popular Science has a nice feature on the tech side of game creation. A look at processors and more here.

Team Fortress 2 is making me laugh with its oddball, cartoony sense of humor. Anyone know the voice cast? I'm just curious if I've heard any of these guys before because some sound slightly familiar.

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You’re Doing it Wrong

I've been reading some articles by other bloggers and on several more formal websites regarding blogging the "right" way. In order for a blogger to be successful, attract readers (and that all-important meter of worth, traffic), and turn his or her blog into something, there are several rules that I keep seeing pop up.

The main rule is that your blog must be about one topic only. Find a niche. Be the expert in that niche. Don't deviate. Obviously, this blog covers all sorts of topics, though there are definite common threads among many of the posts. I have a private journal elsewhere in case I feel like writing about having a bad day or something more personal, but this space is still reserved for musings on various things of importance to me, articles, and general talk in a more professional tone. It's my little space on the internet where I can showcase my ideas, interests, writing ability, and various facets of just what makes me tick.

My niche is "Christina".