nintendiehard

stole from

1) What gender are you?
Male, don't you know that by now?

2)How old are you?
24, just one more month til 25

3) Do you want a hug?
...Who's askin'?

4) Do you have any bad habits?
Procrastination, cleanliness, probably many more, but I don't hear it often.

5) What is your favorite food?
Meatballs!

6) What is your favorite ice-cream flavor?
Cheesecake Brownie, a Ben and Jerry's one.  Killer stuff.

7) Are you a virgin?
No, thankfully.  I'm getting close to the age where that would be sad.

8) Have you killed anybody?
Nope...though I have some in mind...

9) Do you hate anybody?
YES!

10) Do you have any secrets?
Yeah, but I really am pretty open about stuff.

11) What is your favorite season?
Winter.  Fun to be inside, enjoying something warm.  But also fun to be outside in the crisp night air.  Plus, the holiday season.

12) Who is your best friend(s)?
Stef.  I'll keep the rest off here so no one gets lef out.

13) What are your hobbies?
Writing, surfing, voice acting....huh, though I guess I can't count those if I don't do them often.  I need to live more.

14) What is your favorite drink?
Hmmm, tough call.  I guess Coke.

15) When is your birthday?
May 15th, 87'.

16) What age did you die?
I'll let ya know.

17) Are you nice or mean?
I live my life with one simple role.  To be the good-guy in the story I'm in.  It helps keep on the straight and narrow.

18) Are you social or shy?
Was real shy and introverted until college.  I'm far from an extrovert now, but I'm better than I was.

19) What do you think of your parents?
Ugh.  I think the world of my dad.  He's a funny, loving, hard-working guy.  Taught me everything I know about being a man and being a father.  My mother...lets just say that's a different story and leave it at that.

20) What's your weakness?
Money, specifically my lack thereof.

21) How long can you stay under water?
Jeez, I haven't been swimming in years, I really don't know.

22) What do you do on a regular day basis?
Pfff, nothing.  I don't have anyone to do stuff with.

23) Do you love somebody?
Abso-freakin'-LUTELY

24) When was the last time you wet yourself?
When I was younger, but too old to be doing it.  I remember it being because I had a dream where I needed to pee really bad and couldn't find a toilet.  I was in some kinda large castle or mansion, some place with big halls and a lot of rooms.  So finally, I found a bathroom and was doin' my business, so relieved that I finally let go.  Then it felt too warm...and I woke up and...yeah.  Funny story huh?

25) What's your favorite band?
Minus the Bear.  Preferably their older stuff (before Planet of Ice) but I still love their newer stuff too.

26) Ever worn a dress?
I don't believe so, no.

27) Willingly?
Depends...ask me in a few years.

28) What do you consider fun in the day-time?
Traveling, going to the lake and swimming/fishing.  Going to the beach, that one's awesome.

29) At night?
Maybe playing some pool, then a good dinner of buffalo wings and friends.

30) Ever kissed anybody?
A while back, yes.  

31) ...Of the same gender?
Nnnnnnnnnnnnnno.

32) It's clear you're gay.
Who wrote this?  

33) What's your favorite thing to touch?
Hmmm, tough call.  ...I'm gonna say, the feeling of an icy-cold ocean wave washing over me.  If it's done right, it feels GREAT.

34) Anybody loves you?
So I'm told.

35) What's your favorite color?
Black I guess.  It's the new black.

36) When was the last time you cried?
Hmmm, don't know.  I can't remember.

37) Do you have a pet?
Nah.  I wish though.  ...Actually, there's the really nice stray Ragdoll kitty I feed from time to time.  She was really skittish for a while, but I eventually wore her down over a few months.  If she'd let me give her a bath, I'd keep her inside all the time.  She's really friendly now.

39) Are you crazy?
Maybe borderline...

40) What are you?
Again with these abstract questions...

41) What's your nickname?
Don't know.  It's something someone else gives you right?
I guess Brad-o.  But Stef's the only one who calls me that.

42) Do you consider yourself a happy or a down person?
Not really.  Been going through some shit the last few years.  But the way things are going now, life should really shape up by the end of the year.  Really lookin' forward to that.

43) If you were a superhero, you'd be...?
Hmmm, assuming I have to choose from one that already exists, I'd say The Flash.  Seems like he's the most versitle, and I guess I like his personality.

44) Favorite movie?
I'd say 13 Days.  A well-done docu-drama about The Cuban Missile Crisis.

45) What is your current occupation?
Ugh, I'm a banquet set-up guy for a local hotel.  Not a terrible job, but the hours are really not great.  Some weeks I can have as many as 40, but I've had about 8 hours in the last month.  So that tells you something.

46) Who do you know that bugs you?
ANYONE who shamelessly takes advantage of anyone and everyone just so they can get through life as effortlessly as possible.

47) What's your favorite song?
Right now, I'd say Sunburn by Fuel.

48) Do you consider yourself a warrior?
Not really.  I'm not especially confrontational...though I'm FAR from a pacifist.  Whatever you'd call that.

49) Have you 'done it' in the past month?
Grrrr....no.  Don't remind me.

50) Ever think about getting married?
A lot!  Even more so now cos I'm engaged!

51) Have you ever had a sleepover with somebody of the opposite sex?
Hmmm, as a platonic thing?...I think so, once.  But I was interested in her more than platonically, so it probably doesn't count.

52) When was the first time you did it'?
I'm supposed to tell you about that?
Sigh, alright.
It was in my mom's SUV during lunch at high-school.  Nuff' said.

53) Do you have any piercings anywhere?
Nah.  Thought about getting my ear done a while back, but never did.

54) Favorite hang-out spot?
Don't have any friends who live close to me, so I don't have one.

55) Where do you like to eat?
A small Greek/Indian place in my town.  Been a while since I've been able to afford to eat there though.  Mmmmm, lamb.

56) Do you like video games? If so, which ones?
Yeah, but I guess my finances have made me casual.  CASUAL!

57) Favorite article of clothing:
My hat.  Been wearing a black ball-cap most of the time for a few years now.

58) Final question. Who do you tag?
Just do it.

[Written by ...better than I could have]

On January 21st, 2012, Brad did something i didn't expect him to do.



Brad proposed to me.



At first I wanted to make a comic about it, and show you guys panel by panel how it went. Sadly there's too much details to draw and not enough time to do it, so I'm hoping this note will be enough to convey how big of a moment it was for me.

This may get TL;DR for some people, so if you're not a big reader then I am truly sorry.



Anywhos, we had just finished eating dinner at Bubba Gump in Time Square. We'd eaten quite a bit, so Brad had suggested we sit down on the big red steps ((if you've been to Time Square, you'll know what I mean)) so we can digest a bit. Brad had always been somewhat fascinated by those steps since the last time we'd sat there to people-watch last January. I agreed, and we went over to see where would be a good place to sit. Unfortunately there were ropes blocking the steps, for the steps were slicked with wet snow and ice and weren't fit for sitting on. This upset Brad a bit, which I found unusual but assumed he'd just been looking forward to people-watching with me again.



So instead we sat down against the George M. Cohan statue that was right in front of the steps. Brad and I began pointing out the different things we saw, like certain people or billboard ads that were interesting. Then Brad saw something that really hyped him up. He pointed and asked if I saw it too. I looked around, and just couldn't see anything too unusual. "Over there," he said. "In the distance. Don't you see it?" I was getting frustrated at this point, and I told him to just tell me what it was he saw.



Then, without missing a beat, he pulled out a small black box and said "It's a future with you."



He opened it up, and inside sat a small ring. For whatever reason it still didn't quite sink into my head what was going on and I said "Ooh, that's pretty." It wasn't until he got down on one knee that I finally understood what it was he was doing. I stood there, eyes widened, hand over my mouth, just absorbing all that was going on. My attention was completely focused on Brad, but I could hear murmuring next to us and a girl cry out "Oh my God! He's proposing!" This was really happening.



"Stephanie, you are the best thing to ever happen to me. You keep me going, even when I feel like giving up. You keep me sane when I feel myself losing it. You've saved my life more than once, and for that I'm eternally grateful. I could never tell you how much I love you, but I want to spend the rest of my life trying.......heh, this is where I was supposed to say 'So on these big red steps', but....in front of the whole world, I have to ask....will you be my wifey?"



I'd always wondered how I would answer such a question. I guess my body did it for me though, because I threw my arms around him and gave him the hardest kiss I'd ever given him."Yes baby..." I answered, in a low, shy voice. The small crowd that gathered next to us cheered, and brad waved his hat in the air while we kissed again.



So that's how it all went down. Funny enough the ring doesn't actually fit on my left ring finger. It's too big. He'd thought this might be a problem, so he'd bought me a chain to go with it so I can wear it like a necklace wherever I go.



Sorry about all the corn, guys. I know you're probably all ready to heave your dinner.



Thanks for reading!

------------------
Slight update:
[link]

==========================
This will be a part of my Journal for the foreseeable future. I urge you to read it.
==========================

"What happened to standards?  What happened to bare minimums?"

This was said by Huey Freeman in the second episode of The Boondocks.  It was asked of supporters of sexual acts with a minor because of their fandom of the perpetrator's music.  However, I think it's very applicable to the way things are going lately.

Deviant Art was started as a website to allow artists to showcase their various works in a public forum.  To receive feedback and network with other artists of similar interests.  It didn't judge people for their limited abilities and encouraged any new artists to practice and continue to hone their skills and improve.  After some time, it even allowed especially talented artists to make money of their skills by selling prints.

But sadly, things have not improved with age and the quality of art and artists have sharply declined over the last few years.

I'm sure this is going to upset some people who feel that all should be welcomed, the good and the…"yet to be good".  For those people, I ask that you return to the top of this essay and re-read the opening quote before reading further.

I recall a stamp from a few years ago that I rather liked, that enjoyed a brief period of fame in its time.  "This is not DeviantSpace".  It was around the time that stamp started going around that the downward slip began I believe.  Thankfully though, it seems that I'm not the only one who's noticed.

These days Deviant Art is treated more like a hybrid of Tumblr and Facebook, a combination I'm quite convinced no one asked for.  Today you can't browse through the site without finding accounts filled with images blatantly and unabashedly stolen.  It's hard to tell which is worse, those who claim it as their own work or those who admit to posting others' work and undermining the founding concepts of Deviant Art.   Many of these thefts are from other, honest deviants, making these acts down right malicious.  The spreading of others' work without their permission and without remorse hurts all artists and makes it harder to enjoy their work.

Though art-theft is arguably the most prevalent issue on the site, I feel there are more problems that need to be addressed.  While I understand and am rather fond of fanart, the concept has breached its banks and in many (if not most) cases has become obnoxiously derivative.  Some art styles have even been "emulated" far beyond the point of homage, particularly the styles of whatever currently popular anime can be found on cable, Butch Hartman, and the comic-book style of Sonic the Hedgehog.  I personally feel that the ability to emulate another artist's style is a particularly useful skill and more-or-less vital in most modern art-based career fields.  However, the art posted on this website is supposed to be of a personal nature is it not?  The occasional work of homage and that paying respect to one's fandom is a fine idea, but when the majority, or a deviant's entire gallery is composed of work that clearly rips off the style of someone else, it becomes annoying and legitimately offensive.  Consider, would the artist appreciate such abuse of their work?  Would they appreciate the utter lack of originality and effort?  The plain fact of it is, whether or not they do, I and many others do not.

Finally, the third issue (though far from the last) is one that has possibly done the most damage to the legitimacy of this site, non-art.  In the majority of cases, it's random snapshots posted for no artistic purpose or forethought.  The baffling thing about it is that there are dozens, if not hundreds of other websites available for that explicit purpose.  Sharing snapshots with others is fine, it allows for sharing of stories and experiences and there's nothing inherently wrong with that.  It's the venue of choice that needs a change.  If there is a legitimate reason for these postings, the scraps section is an all-too-oft forgotten option.  However as bad as that is, those who submit nothing do more harm.  It's not difficult to find an account on this site with hundreds of favorites, but no submissions or scraps.  Accounts of this nature are usually long-lived, but short on any sort of contribution to the site whether it be deviations or comments.  This in particular bothers me most.  Those who feel the need to take up time and server space for no reason and who refuse to contribute to the community.  The fact that the administrators can continue to allow this is upsetting to say the least.

I joined Deviant Art six years ago.  I initially just visited and liked the artwork, but when I started my account I made a point to contribute to the site as a way of giving back to the community.  Though I wasn't much of an artist, I've grown quite a lot and try to support artists I particularly like.  I'm happy to say I've met some of my best friends on this site and more than that, I've even met the love of my life here…while looking for a partner on an art project.  I've avoided joining any "social networking" sites over the years.  I've just personally found them nearly useless and annoying.  However, I've long maintained that Deviant Art is a social networking site with a point, and it greatly upsets and honestly saddens me to see this website degraded into something of an internet landfill.

I, and those who host this essay, am asking for a call to action.  WE would like to see the Deviant Art administrators make a serious effort to clean up the site they started, the site they're supposed to care about.  I have heard recently that most complaints and reports are going unheeded by admins and that too undermines the site.  Other websites make serious efforts to moderate the content of their websites and the actions of their members.  The same effort on behalf of the administrators of DA is all that is asked.  As a form of motivation, I would ask all those serious members of Deviant Art to make their positions known and threaten to close out their accounts and leave if the administrators refuse to change the way things are.  I urge those who take their work seriously to be serious about where their art is showcased.  Make those responsible accountable and let all of us who care about this site take action to keep it a legitimate place for artists.

All of those who would like to join this movement, please post this essay where someone can see it.  Your journal would be nice, but anywhere is good.  Spread the word and keep the people who have the power to do something about it on the job.  I personally would rather it not come to abandoning this site, but if it continues to become something unlike what I initially signed on for, I don't want to be a part of it anymore.  I certainly hope the same can be said for many others out there.

-Brad S.  (Nintendiehard)

[Written by ...better than I could have]

On January 21st, 2012, Brad did something i didn't expect him to do.



Brad proposed to me.



At first I wanted to make a comic about it, and show you guys panel by panel how it went. Sadly there's too much details to draw and not enough time to do it, so I'm hoping this note will be enough to convey how big of a moment it was for me.

This may get TL;DR for some people, so if you're not a big reader then I am truly sorry.



Anywhos, we had just finished eating dinner at Bubba Gump in Time Square. We'd eaten quite a bit, so Brad had suggested we sit down on the big red steps ((if you've been to Time Square, you'll know what I mean)) so we can digest a bit. Brad had always been somewhat fascinated by those steps since the last time we'd sat there to people-watch last January. I agreed, and we went over to see where would be a good place to sit. Unfortunately there were ropes blocking the steps, for the steps were slicked with wet snow and ice and weren't fit for sitting on. This upset Brad a bit, which I found unusual but assumed he'd just been looking forward to people-watching with me again.



So instead we sat down against the George M. Cohan statue that was right in front of the steps. Brad and I began pointing out the different things we saw, like certain people or billboard ads that were interesting. Then Brad saw something that really hyped him up. He pointed and asked if I saw it too. I looked around, and just couldn't see anything too unusual. "Over there," he said. "In the distance. Don't you see it?" I was getting frustrated at this point, and I told him to just tell me what it was he saw.



Then, without missing a beat, he pulled out a small black box and said "It's a future with you."



He opened it up, and inside sat a small ring. For whatever reason it still didn't quite sink into my head what was going on and I said "Ooh, that's pretty." It wasn't until he got down on one knee that I finally understood what it was he was doing. I stood there, eyes widened, hand over my mouth, just absorbing all that was going on. My attention was completely focused on Brad, but I could hear murmuring next to us and a girl cry out "Oh my God! He's proposing!" This was really happening.



"Stephanie, you are the best thing to ever happen to me. You keep me going, even when I feel like giving up. You keep me sane when I feel myself losing it. You've saved my life more than once, and for that I'm eternally grateful. I could never tell you how much I love you, but I want to spend the rest of my life trying.......heh, this is where I was supposed to say 'So on these big red steps', but....in front of the whole world, I have to ask....will you be my wifey?"



I'd always wondered how I would answer such a question. I guess my body did it for me though, because I threw my arms around him and gave him the hardest kiss I'd ever given him."Yes baby..." I answered, in a low, shy voice. The small crowd that gathered next to us cheered, and brad waved his hat in the air while we kissed again.



So that's how it all went down. Funny enough the ring doesn't actually fit on my left ring finger. It's too big. He'd thought this might be a problem, so he'd bought me a chain to go with it so I can wear it like a necklace wherever I go.



Sorry about all the corn, guys. I know you're probably all ready to heave your dinner.



Thanks for reading!</i>

------------------
Slight update:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=typfG3….

So I occasionally like to do reviews of different things, dunno why but I just kinda like it.  It'd be nice if I could make a living off it, but I'm sure that's hard to do.  I suppose I could do it on youtube, but I'd need some decent video equipment and a nicer place to live first.  

But that's neither here nor there.

I've seen a lot of different reviews out there, and a lot of them seem kinda mean, y'know?  I think it's largely because they're jaded from doing it so much.  I don't really blame them, but I end up thinking I'd try to give the things I'd review a real fair shake.  So I do it occasionally, and I think I do a decent job of it.

Point being, I felt like doing one here cos I'm a tad bored at the moment, and this is the only place where someone might actually read it.  If you don't care, I don't blame you.  But if you're as bored as I am, check it out.

So, for those who don't know, I'm a big eater...bigger than average at least.  This doesn't do me any favors for the Army and I end up being over my weight limit all too often.  If you're a pound or two over, you might as well be a hundred.  Lately I've been getting back in with them and so I need to get back into shape ASAP.  I'm getting good at running and pushups and all that, but my weight is still a problem.  I guess I should be happy that I've lost about 17 lbs in the last 5 weeks, but I'm still over and I've got a trip with my girlfriend in 11 days, so I'm really workin' hard to drop some more.  It's the only vacation I get and I want to actually enjoy EVERY aspect of it.  Besides, NEW YORK!  Do you realize how much good food is there?  I could spend the entire time eating pizza and not get the least bit bored of it.  ...GAWD the pizza they have there...  But you get my point.

In my quest to drop weight (without resorting to one meal of dry oats a day and nothing else) I've changed up my diet even more.  I'd seen commercials for Fiber One 90 calorie Brownies, so I decided to try them just for the hell of it.  Of course, the commercials over-hype the product pretty bad www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOicS5… (and clearly not geared toward XY's like myself), but I still went into it with a somewhat open mind.  Fact is, diet food sucks simply because you're dieting and it's not what you REALLY want, so my hopes weren't especially high, but I didn't write it off right away either.

I found them in two different varieties.  Chocolate Peanutbutter and Chocolate Fudge.  Naturally, they weren't going to offer Muddy Cardboard and Pressed Coffee Grounds, so I assumed the flavors were something of an exaggeration.
Once I got out to the car, I tore into one of them.  I was hungry and shopping while hungry is just as bad of an idea as they say...avoid it if possible.

The brownie itself was kinda small, more thin than anything else, but far from a cracker or anything.  It looks kind of dry, and the drizzle of goo on top does little to add to the image of a brownie.  It made me think of a frosting drizzled pastry left in the oven too long.  Point being, doesn't LOOK like a brownie.  Were this a BROWNIE-brownie and not a diet-brownie, I would have been bothered by the aesthetics but it was about what I expected.  If nothing else, the image on the box didn't outright lie like so many others do and I respect that.

I of course didn't pay much attention to the looks and bit into the thing like an angry dog.  I was actually pretty surprised by the taste, but I tack that up to being starving.  I've had a few more since then and the taste hasn't really been all that bad.  Once again, I've gotta say that I went in with lower than average expectations because it was a diet-snack, but even with that I'm pretty surprised.  The taste is genuinely chocolaty (though I don't notice much taste of peanut butter OR fudge).  It doesn't really taste like fake chocolate, just less chocolaty than it COULD be if that makes sense.  The brownies are kind of dry, but still moist enough to come apart like a brownie should and not like stale bread.  They also have small bits of chocolate chips inside which is a nice surprise since they probably could have taken out ten or so calories if they'd cut them out.  The whole experience was pretty good actually...considering.

Breakdown.
Looks: Disappointing, but not terrible.  It certainly doesn't make the brownie look inedible or anything.
Taste: Very good, but that's considering that it's a diet snack so that brings it down a bit.  No real noticeable difference in flavor, but a few chocolate chips add a nice chocolate kick.
Satisfaction: It's a diet snack.  I could down both boxes of six and still be hungry.  But considering the wide range of diet snacks that taste like burnt marshmallow skin, it's a big improvement.
So for those out there who need to lose some weight and want to have something marginally tasty to snack on in between workouts, I'd say they're worth a shot.  If you don't NEED to lose weight, quit whining and get some REAL brownies you overly vain little blankity-blank!

So yeah, not a whole hellofa lot else goin' on in my life.  Like I said, got a vacation to see my girlfriend in a little more than a week.  Really lookin' forward to it since I don't do ANYTHING here.  Hell, it feels nice just getting out of the house to go pay bills!  So I'm just chomping at the bit to go.  Thankfully I'm not suffering Christmas Eve syndrome and time is moving at a reasonable pace.  Still, doesn't mean I wouldn't rather be there NOW.

What's new with you?