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argurotoxosThis entry is the part two to what became my musings on computer games. There are various photos and rambling in these waters.
First, old technology! Way back in elementary school, my family got a video camera. It was extremely cool at the time and was used through high school. I'd nearly forgotten about it, but wanted to record my T'ai Chi practise without going through many batteries on my digital camera.
Behold, the video camera actually works! All the batteries are dead, but the AC adapter still works and we still have tapes. One of the first things I did was go through what tapes we had lying around and record them onto VHS. (Yes, more old technology, but I still record shows on VHS. We also have two record players in our house. To think some in the newest generation won't know how to use any of these things.)
Next to the video camera is an old CD player I had upstairs. I thought it still worked and was keeping it as a backup, but couldn't get it to turn on. And so I took it apart. For science. (Yes, I still use a CD player, too. The batteries last much longer than the one in my MP3 player, which I only use while driving.)
CD player innards.
The button interface on top of the CD player.
Moving on, I'm not sure if I've ever talked about my red leather trenchcoat before. I know I've not posted a photo of it, and even this photo isn't very good. (It looks a bit darker in real life.) Like most of my leather clothing, I found it used at the Salvation Army for a ridiculously low price. (I think around $20.) It hardly looked like it had been worn and fits the best of all my long coats. I wasn't crazy about the colour at first, but have come to really like it, especially the detail lines. It's warm but not too warm as well.
Now onto comics!
The final thing I bought with my Christmas money was volume two of Stormwatch: Team Achilles, mostly because I knew it had an issue with Midnighter and talk about grits. Since my grandparents gave me an Amazon gift card, I bought it there. However, since Amazon didn't have it available new, I settled for a used copy through Marketplace.
I would never had known it was used if the seller hadn't said so. However, they accidentally sent volume one of the series by accident. After contacting the seller, they said I could keep the first volume and they'd mail me the correct one at no cost. The second volume was in just as good condition as the first. Quite a surprise to me and a very generous response.
Continuing on the comic theme, Sarah sent me several wonderful things for Christmas, including this:
Apollo and Midnighter action figures mint in package! I could hardly believe it. Midnighter tends to be especially hard/expensive to come by. Tempted as I was to leave them in their wrappings . . .
. . . they now sit and hold hands together on one of my bookshelves. (I love that Midnighter had one hand open, as if just waiting for Apollo to come along. Too bad both of Apollo's hands are closed and Midnighter has 'I'm angry!' look on his face. Otherwise it would be adorable.
Oh, they're still adorable. :p)
Apollo and Midnighter from the back. Midnighter's trenchcoat, which isn't moveable, made it difficult to find a place to sit the two down. The figures are more detailed than I expected -- look at the curls in Apollo's hair.
Midnighter with my Batman (The Dark Knight-style) action figure.
Midnighter and Batman from the side. Again, I love the details and the use of Bryan Hitch's design -- the tiny knuckle spikes, the three arm buckles, etc. Many thanks to you again, Sarah!
My Batman and Joker action figures, clearly not to scale with each other as the height different isn't that large! Both Batman and Joker were bought marked down from local stores -- I have very few action figures and, as long as they don't fall apart and look mostly like the characters, am happy. I think I'll wait post-Avengers before looking at Thor and Loki figures. (The only other action figures I have are a Spock with "The Cage" design, Tomari from Kashimashi, and a tiny Robin. And a Sherlock Holmes, but he's all metal.)
The photo didn't come out the best, but I was very happy I kept all my Norse mythology books when I got into Thor fandom! By way of explanation, I was raised in the Mormon church, but stopped going around early high school, which set offn a massive exploration into different religions before settling into my agnostic self. At first, I stuck pretty close to Christianity, then did some reading on Buddhism. I spent more time in Wiccan and Neo-paganism; there was a small group at school that was into magic and I kind of hung around the outskirts of them. Runecasting and tarot reading were also interests of mine at the time. I remember I even asked for a set of Elder Futhark rune stones at one point, only to chicken out upon my mom's disapproval. This is also, far as I remember, where my love for candles and incense came from.
Somewhat oddly, my relationship with Norse mythology is almost the exact opposite as mine with Greek mythology. While I know all the main Greek gods and myths, I'm much less interested in the mythology than the history, philosophy, and culture. In contrast, I know very little about Norse history and culture. Egyptian mythology was something I was interested in mainly in elementary school, but I had a fairly balanced knowledge of the mythology and the history.
The three myths I've seen used most in Thor fic are Loki having his mouth sewn shut, Loki giving birth to Sleipnir (an eight-legged horse and Odin's steed), and Loki and Thor crossdressing in order to get Thor's hammer back from a giant. Yes, this is myth canon. Here's a drawing of Loki putting the finishing touches on Thor's female disguise by Swedish artist Carl Larsson; I love how happy and excited Loki is while Thor is all, 'What am I doing?'
Myth and Marvel canon aren't identical. For instance, in the mythology, Loki and Odin are blood brothers and Laufey is Loki's mother. In Marvel, Loki and Thor are brothers and Laufey is Loki's father.
Something random to end with -- part of my assortment of items on top of my dresser. I love lizards. There's also a shell (from Maine?), some sea glass (definitely from Maine), and a piece of blown glass my mom bought me in Scotland.
First, old technology! Way back in elementary school, my family got a video camera. It was extremely cool at the time and was used through high school. I'd nearly forgotten about it, but wanted to record my T'ai Chi practise without going through many batteries on my digital camera.
Behold, the video camera actually works! All the batteries are dead, but the AC adapter still works and we still have tapes. One of the first things I did was go through what tapes we had lying around and record them onto VHS. (Yes, more old technology, but I still record shows on VHS. We also have two record players in our house. To think some in the newest generation won't know how to use any of these things.)
Next to the video camera is an old CD player I had upstairs. I thought it still worked and was keeping it as a backup, but couldn't get it to turn on. And so I took it apart. For science. (Yes, I still use a CD player, too. The batteries last much longer than the one in my MP3 player, which I only use while driving.)
CD player innards.
The button interface on top of the CD player.
Moving on, I'm not sure if I've ever talked about my red leather trenchcoat before. I know I've not posted a photo of it, and even this photo isn't very good. (It looks a bit darker in real life.) Like most of my leather clothing, I found it used at the Salvation Army for a ridiculously low price. (I think around $20.) It hardly looked like it had been worn and fits the best of all my long coats. I wasn't crazy about the colour at first, but have come to really like it, especially the detail lines. It's warm but not too warm as well.
Now onto comics!
The final thing I bought with my Christmas money was volume two of Stormwatch: Team Achilles, mostly because I knew it had an issue with Midnighter and talk about grits. Since my grandparents gave me an Amazon gift card, I bought it there. However, since Amazon didn't have it available new, I settled for a used copy through Marketplace.
I would never had known it was used if the seller hadn't said so. However, they accidentally sent volume one of the series by accident. After contacting the seller, they said I could keep the first volume and they'd mail me the correct one at no cost. The second volume was in just as good condition as the first. Quite a surprise to me and a very generous response.
Continuing on the comic theme, Sarah sent me several wonderful things for Christmas, including this:
Apollo and Midnighter action figures mint in package! I could hardly believe it. Midnighter tends to be especially hard/expensive to come by. Tempted as I was to leave them in their wrappings . . .
. . . they now sit and hold hands together on one of my bookshelves. (I love that Midnighter had one hand open, as if just waiting for Apollo to come along. Too bad both of Apollo's hands are closed and Midnighter has 'I'm angry!' look on his face. Otherwise it would be adorable.
Oh, they're still adorable. :p)
Apollo and Midnighter from the back. Midnighter's trenchcoat, which isn't moveable, made it difficult to find a place to sit the two down. The figures are more detailed than I expected -- look at the curls in Apollo's hair.
Midnighter with my Batman (The Dark Knight-style) action figure.
Midnighter and Batman from the side. Again, I love the details and the use of Bryan Hitch's design -- the tiny knuckle spikes, the three arm buckles, etc. Many thanks to you again, Sarah!
My Batman and Joker action figures, clearly not to scale with each other as the height different isn't that large! Both Batman and Joker were bought marked down from local stores -- I have very few action figures and, as long as they don't fall apart and look mostly like the characters, am happy. I think I'll wait post-Avengers before looking at Thor and Loki figures. (The only other action figures I have are a Spock with "The Cage" design, Tomari from Kashimashi, and a tiny Robin. And a Sherlock Holmes, but he's all metal.)
The photo didn't come out the best, but I was very happy I kept all my Norse mythology books when I got into Thor fandom! By way of explanation, I was raised in the Mormon church, but stopped going around early high school, which set offn a massive exploration into different religions before settling into my agnostic self. At first, I stuck pretty close to Christianity, then did some reading on Buddhism. I spent more time in Wiccan and Neo-paganism; there was a small group at school that was into magic and I kind of hung around the outskirts of them. Runecasting and tarot reading were also interests of mine at the time. I remember I even asked for a set of Elder Futhark rune stones at one point, only to chicken out upon my mom's disapproval. This is also, far as I remember, where my love for candles and incense came from.
Somewhat oddly, my relationship with Norse mythology is almost the exact opposite as mine with Greek mythology. While I know all the main Greek gods and myths, I'm much less interested in the mythology than the history, philosophy, and culture. In contrast, I know very little about Norse history and culture. Egyptian mythology was something I was interested in mainly in elementary school, but I had a fairly balanced knowledge of the mythology and the history.
The three myths I've seen used most in Thor fic are Loki having his mouth sewn shut, Loki giving birth to Sleipnir (an eight-legged horse and Odin's steed), and Loki and Thor crossdressing in order to get Thor's hammer back from a giant. Yes, this is myth canon. Here's a drawing of Loki putting the finishing touches on Thor's female disguise by Swedish artist Carl Larsson; I love how happy and excited Loki is while Thor is all, 'What am I doing?'
Myth and Marvel canon aren't identical. For instance, in the mythology, Loki and Odin are blood brothers and Laufey is Loki's mother. In Marvel, Loki and Thor are brothers and Laufey is Loki's father.
Something random to end with -- part of my assortment of items on top of my dresser. I love lizards. There's also a shell (from Maine?), some sea glass (definitely from Maine), and a piece of blown glass my mom bought me in Scotland.
