back again

Well, I'm going to start my blog up again. It's been inactive for two long, and I need to write again. I'll post the work Ive been doing on the newspaper and put a little extra in as well.
Well, E3 just passed and boy, the stuff that was shown was crazy as always.
But the best part of E3 was seeing that those lovely people at Remedy games have shown us once again why I keep looking out for their games with another preview of Alan Wake.

I've been expecting big things from Alan Wake since I first heard of the game...it seems like eons ago. I've always loved survival horror games and this does not look like it will disappoint.
IGN has a video of the game here:
Alan Wake Preview

The game follows Alan Wake, a novelist who uses the nightmares he has as the settings of his books. However, when his wife disappears Alan's nightmares become more of a reality.

What amps me up about the game is the fact that the best weapon that Alan possess is a flashlight. The enemies he fights are vulnerable to light, and this is a great change of pace for horror games. I'm definitely going to be picking this game up when it comes out. And I'll follow up on the game when more news comes out.

christmas presents that never show up

So, its December 28th 2008. Christmas just passed, and I think it went as well as any other christmas. Nothing out of the ordinary.
I guess somethings never change.

Everyone smiled, and handed out presents.
Everyone laughed, and tried not to fight.
Christmas is the great day when the asshole factor in people disappears.
Normally, get enough people in one room: and someone will fight.
But on this certain day of the year: we tip toe around confrontation.
Why do we need a holiday in order to make us be nice to each other?

Hmmm.
Guess I need to wait another 364 days to see it once again.

In other news, its getting colder around here. My car actually froze over the other day. Ice on the windows and everything.
I like the cold more than the heat, but sometimes, even winter is too much for me.


in other other news, I wanted to watch the Curious case of Benjamin Button, but my friends saw it on a night when I was unable to go.
I dont know who I'm going to see it with.

hmmm. So it goes.



_Ray


p.s. I re-read the story Flowers for Algernon. I haven't read it since middle school I believe. It was still sad.

Well Well Well

I don't need to write in this thing, but Shawn at the newsroom asked me if I had a blog...and I haven't posted in it since July.

I slacked off.

Whatever, I'm an editor now, and I have less time on my hands.
Although I am still writing in this thing at almost 1 a.m.

Hurmm.....


Well, not much has changed. I'm still the same old guy. I'm looking for a song to play, and I have 5 days worth of musical choices, but I'm coming up empty.
I need more music.

Well, let's just see what I have to type up now.


We have a black President, Senator Barack Obama is now President Elect Obama.
Maybe he'll clean up the shit that Bush has left us in. I'd like to hope that he's my generation's
FDR.
But then again, they also had WWII on their hands.
I think I would have liked to have been in WWII. My buddy Marc said that it was the last war with any purpose and reason.
I guess all we have now is a fight against...terror.

Thats gonna be tough to win...or a very boring one.

Anyway, what else?

I bought a sweet ass sweet Bob Dylan record. 1st print and everything. Its called Nashville Skyline. My favorite song is Lay Lady Lay.


Oh, this song came on by a girl named Shelby Lynne, and its called "Pretend"
its so sad, but very good.
"Hurt me one more night, just pretend you love me."


I don't know why I think of being in high school when I hear this song. It's from a new album. I don't know why...So strange to think that.


maybe more later, maybe less sooner



-Ray
the Idiot

End of the line

The semester is over. I can honestly say that it was a tough trip. There were some good times, and there were some bad times. But I made it. I don't know if I'll keep this blog going, but maybe I will. Let's see what else will come with a new season...and I can only hope that all will be well. What is going to happen should still be an adventure. A fucked up adventure, but an adventure still.
Who else but I, can lead this life?


Light up the darkness.





June 12, 2008
-Raymond Mendoza

Grey Album

The Grey Album Critique
Raymond Mendoza

In 2004 Dj DANGERDOOM shocked the rock world by remixing the renowned 1968 White Album by The Beatles with the 2003 Jay-Z Black Album, giving birth to The Grey Album. Personally, while I believe that DANGERDOOM did commit copyright infringement, I think that the Grey Album is a vibrant mix of hip hop and rock and roll. I’ve found that some of the best rock albums of all time have had a hip hop influences, and the same can be said about some of the best hip hop acts. Artists such as The Hives, The Gorillaz, Diddy (formerly known as P. Diddy, also formerly known as Puff Daddy), Akira the Don and OutKast are only a small portion of rock and hip hop cross-overs that I feel are breaking traditional musical barriers.
With Jay-Z’s “legendary” hip hop status, I think that this mix of his song “Encore” along with the Beatles’ songs “Glass Onion” and “Savoy Truffle” is an enjoyable mix with a nice beat. I’ve got no problem with a fusion of rock and hip hop; however I am against illegal sampling of music (i.e. Vanilla Ice stealing Under Pressure from Queen and David Bowie). I personally liked the song, and found nothing wrong with it…and I don’t even care for Jay-Z’s music very much. I guess one song can change a person’s opinion.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

So, today we learned about writing a press release. It seems very interesting to be in PR. it sounds fun, and it sounds like you make a ton of dough...dough meaning money. It does seem like a nice alternative to journalism...however, I think I'll stick to being a writer.

Anyway, I've got to write a sports story on the upcoming men & women's soccer season and then an overview of the music department for next semester as well. Looks like a ton of fun for myself with the next coming two weeks.

Then its all downhill from there, and I've got the summer.

Currently listening to;

The Damned- Machine Gun Etiquette
Mika Miko- Capricorinations
The Beta Band- Wonderful
Stevie Wonder- I believe when I fall in Love
The Rolling Stones- Time is on my Side
Motion City Sountrack- Resolution

This is a definition of my life

Ok, so its another Sunday. Nothing too strange or out of the ordinary for me. So here is yet another post, I think i'll put up my opinion on drinking on holidays.

Fear and Loathing: Two tequila slammers and a Holiday

Raymond Mendoza

Opinion

As another Cinco de Mayo passes, I can always count on three things to happen to me. For starters, I’ll get a vicious case of the spins after several drinks. Next, I’ll end up in some incriminating photos that will destroy any chances I once had of becoming the president of our great nation. And then finally I’ll wonder to myself, as I’m trying to stop my friend from throwing up in a nearby convertible, why does this party remind me of Easter?

The reason that the lines are blurred, pun intended, between the celebrations of holidays is because we do the same thing for every holiday. For every holiday that comes up, the only idea of how to celebrate it is to get completely drunk. Sure, we take a moment to toast our spiked eggnog to Jesus, thank the luck o’ the Irish and Saint Patrick as we down another Irish car bomb, and yell ‘Happy Kwanza!’ as we shoot a beer bong for…who ever the hell invented Kwanza. However, do we ever really care about the meaning of the holiday we’re celebrating? Does anyone know what Cinco de Mayo is about, and what happened on that day? Can anyone recite the history of Saint Patrick and his contribution to the world? And, really folks, can anyone tell me about Kwanza? I am drawing a blank on the meaning of that holiday.

The meaning of holidays are being lost and replaced with cheap catch phrases like ‘Cinco de Drinko’ courtesy of the radio station Kroq. As my generation turned 21, we all found ourselves ordering drinks at a bar in Fullerton instead of going to Grandma’s house for Christmas Eve. Drinking became the solution for not only a boring weekend, but a boring holiday that usually has nothing to do with the general population. At the bar I went to for Cinco de Mayo, I noticed that the majority of the people celebrating a Mexican holiday were Asians and Caucasian people, not Mexican people. I’m not offended or angry at this and I’m not saying that Cinco de Mayo is only for Mexicans, I’m just making a joke about an observation.

So, for the next holiday you spend in a bar, try to think about the meaning of the day and what it might mean to the world in terms of culture, religion and tradition…then you can take your jello shot off of that drunk girl’s stomach.