El Virus

I'm sure nobody will agree, but, my perfect Salvador, is, and will always be, Lord Byron, particularly in this picture. Not just the way Byron looks, but, also, their spirit, you know; the way they were, and everything.

Tex Murphy - it sounds so familiar. I'm sure I know them, I should check somewhere. Once you gave it a try, let me know how it's like. At the moment I'm not playing any video games, except for a few, like 'SW Ep. 1 Racer', or, maybe, in the near future, 'Sam and Max'. EDIT: Oh, those are the Tex Murphy games! Yeah, I remember I really wanted to have one of them, like two years ago. But, of course, you can't even get a copy of a well known game from more than three years ago (hell, even if it is fantastically brand new, but not 'important', you still won't get it here), getting such games in this country is impossible.

I've already said this a couple of times, long ago, but all I want, and all I ask from a re-release of GF, is that they let you go to Puerto Zapato and to the festival at El Marrow. Not even new adventures, but just new rooms, or parts of cities we couldn't see before, would be amazing. But, yeah, that must be quite impossible. I had some other interesting idea around, but I can't seem to remember it now. Anyway, other than that, I pretty much agree with everything said

I - I can't promise to be active as I used to be, but I'll be around here much more than before. Not much, I guess, but still As for the picture, nothing works for me - I can't see it, not at all.

Okay. Where to begin? It's been a long while since I've been here, or in a forum (actually, when have I ever been in any other forum?), so yeah. Damn, I haven't even played the game at least once during the past year, for the first time in like four or five years. I wish I could draw (or write, or compose, for that matter), so that I could actually bring something useful to this thread. For some reason which I fail to comprehend, I can't see the picture posted by Itchythesamurai, so, if anybody could give me a link where I could find it, I'd be more than grateful. Not very related, but, JamesIsaac, I must say I adore the Concept Art section of your site. I'm always suprised to find a new amazing addition. Last, but not least: Charie, Sunflower, you know I love those! I remember when I first saw them =) I'm glad to see you have finished, and posted them, as you wanted to =) Oh, dear! Just look at the time. I'm on vacation (right, as if you can actually call two free, miserably short, days 'holidays'), but I guess I should better go to sleep by now. El Virus - gosh, I hate that name.

Sorry we revive such an old thread, but: Merry Christmas!!! Feliz Navidad!!! С Новым Годом!!! =) How has everything been around here? On today´s occasion, we wish you all a great official sequel of our beloved Department of Death Grim Fandango, and to be as happy as both of us are thanks to the game which has brought us together! (Thrik and especially VampireNaomi, thanks!) Yours, from the sunny Buenos Aires, El Virus & Charie

I don't. I find it difficult to consider modern 'musicians' (most of them just scratch six/four steel strings and claim that they can play the guitar; that instrument is much more than chords and rithms) artists. The only people who make music that I'd consider artists are any sort of classical music/orchestra/jazz players. But this has more to do with my biased personality, for I don't exactly like contemporanean music. It's a complex issue, still. Regarding guitarists, some time ago I read one of these 'Top 100' lists (I'm not very keen on them, mind you) where Jimmi Hendrix was said to be the best guitarist in the world. Please, what about Django Reinhardt? or Paco de Lucía, Al Di Meola, and so many other amazing guitar players? I don't even recall them being mentioned at all. Pop Culture sucks. Forgive my conservative music taste, but I guess I don't have much respect left for electric guitar players. That's exactly the beauty of it. With just a little bit of basic theory on scales one can have an endless amount of musical styles arranged. Opposite with me. I rather get hold of sheet music and play them, instead of making my own; still, I adore jamming to Jazz or any other musical style I may like at the moment. That is certainly one of the many positive things computers have. What programme do you use, if any?

People, I found a nice site with traditional Andean (that is "South American") music. Just click here if you're interested. The best you can find is instrumental music, unfortunately most of the tunes are sung.

That's an interesting point, agravated by the fact some of these medicines tend to have worse side-effects than the thing they are trying to cure. Hands on? I wonder what kind of technical books I may find on your bookshelf. Anyway, I must claim ignorance on the subject; I've read a lot about the 'common' types of drugs from the Forensic Science books I have, but the ones you mentioned are practically unknown to me. My mother, though, she worked on Toxicology for several years.

Emotions in general are good for inspiration, but the kind of things you are inspired to do while in happiness, differ from those you may perform in sadness. At least, this happens to me. Yeah, I want to see that one and "Good night, and good luck". I understand what you mean, but I'm sure people will get addicted or obsessed somehow. I think you are right on the government thing. I must admit that propaganda worked for me; back in the 90s, there were so many 'don't do drugs' commercials that I wouldn't even take an aspirine, because I was so afraid of addiction. Of course, when I grew up I barely cared about the subject. Still, fear isn't a good way to stop problems in society, propaganda-makers will tell you that drugs are bad, and this and that, but they will never tell you the one important thing: one might argue that there's no real point in using them. Now, I entirely agree to this. People take too much pills and medicines, and prescriptions are less important within pharmacists. I'd describe my opinions, but I have to go to sleep, it's late right now. Tell me about it, amongst my many mental issues (paranoia, schyzoid disorder, hipocondriasis, etc.), I've been told to be obsessed with hygiene. Lysergic acid (LSD) and other hallucinogens are believed to induce Schyzophrenia, and other sorts of mental illnesses or disabilities. Other than that, and some minor ethical issues, I cannot contradict you; specially since you refer to 'educated' use of them as a treatment. Same here. What I do hate is when doctors begin to put numbers to it, "Statistics show you've got ten more months to live" That would ruin the experience for me (up to the ninth month, eventually I'd want to drop dead again). I was forced to stop studying guitar when my teacher was ran over by a bus. He spent two months in a cold and sad hospital, and lost sensibility in his right hand. A whole life thrown over board just because a reckless bus driver didn't stop on the red light (my teacher, according to witnesses, was on his full right to cross the street). This is what I do fear, why I don't risk my life and why I would never try to kill myslef: surviving. I feel a tremendous amount of respect for people who have lost arms, legs, etc. I would be able to bear through those experiences, or just the trauma itself. People assume that I'm afraid death, when I am only afraid of pain. Also, I look two ways before crossing the street all the time, not because of me, but because of the driver. However, I was riding my bicycle through a busy street once, and I made the wrong turn. Fortunately, the only things that were damaged were my bike and the driver's windshield. I got lucky that time, I really did. Oh, you are for euthanasia. Is there anything we don't agree on? I'll look forward to it, then.

Perhaps I am, the only person on Earth, or perhaps mine is a normal thing, but I have a love-hate relationship with sadness (this doesn’t mean I like or want to have miserable situations every day, I can only take a couple per month). On one way I love it, it is my fuel, what makes me do things; right now, my seldom artistic gifts are at its best, while on times of happiness they are practically reserved to rational behaviour; and every now and then, when I sit I reflect about the cause of my melancholia, I get an indescribably strange feeling, which can be compared to only a few other sensations. But on the other hand, being sad means that there is a tragedy on my life, and this is the part I loathe; I get too worried, too stressed and frustrated, and the only thing I think about is. This is why I spend my time reading and watching depressing and absurd stories, because the misery isn’t mine, while the sad feeling is still there. Me too; I plan on leaving nothing to chance, everything will have a metaphor and a meaning hidden inside. I hope your friend gets better; I’m the kind of person who shut himself up far too often, so I think I can moderately understand what you mean. I must point out, that I keep my feelings to myself because so far I’ve never met anyone in person whom I want to be close to; that is why I join forums, to talk the most profound aspects of my personality, however. If you are worried about me doing drugs, don’t, I have a strong stance against substance-abuse and alcohol (the latter one is reserved to myself, I have nothing against a person who drinks with moderation). And while suicide is around my mind every now and then (them wise people say it’s healthy to think about suicide, murder, etc. as long as they don’t go to an extreme), I respect my life enough and am too much of a coward to push it forward. My problem is my stance on Death: I don’t care about it; I don’t fear it at all. So at times of sadness I tend not to pay attention to my safety (you know, like crossing an avenue when the traffic is still going, and that sort of thing) and well being, which will someday have some serious consequences. What I’ve just said may sound rather strong, or ‘OMG you are so ****ed up’, but it isn’t as extreme as it might seem from reading my biased posts. It’s amazing how our interests drift with the course of our lives; some of us have periods of entirely different interests, while others remain the same all along. Music is a great subject, one of my favourite ones indeed. What aspect of it/what sort o’ music, other than audio engineering (whose concept I am not sure about), have you gained interest in? Do you play any instrument?

If anybody is interested, I just ran into this. You can find the music Ennio Morricone made for the Dollars Trillogy and any other Clint Eastwood film. I strongly recommend A fisful of dollars; For a few dollars more*; Goodbye colonel; and The trio, specially 1:40 minutes past that song. This style of music is amazing, quite melancholical & original. The choirs, trumpets and guitars sound great, and on a way that they resemble traditional Mexican melodies merged with Classical music. EDIT: Oh, and in case you couldn't find them, here are tracks Sanctuary; Sanchez the Outlaw; The Sawmill; and The last gunfight. All from the Outlaws soundtrack. *Link is not working; just scroll through the site and download it directly from there.

The square "(", ")" are not working, so I will have to quote as I write. ------------------------ ------------------------ Quote: JofaGuht Said "Sorry about the long wait to reply. If you haven't noticed, I've been gone from the boards for almost a good month." Yeah, I did notice, mainly because you haven't been the only one who's been away. Fortunately you came back. ----------------------- ----------------------- Quote:"Anyway, the stuff here is definitively Absurdism, which I'm all about, of course." Indeed, absurdism and existentialism are my two philosophies. I'd describe my ideas as Kafkian-esque, but I do not want to compare my self to such a genial mind. ------------------------ ------------------------ "I do honestly think you should get some writing in. Even if you don't take it seriously, it never hurts to build a skill. It's very intimidating at first, true, but after you get one screenplay done, it's not going to be too difficult to write another. There's something about finally putting your ideas on paper that gives you new perspectives on the idea and the way you think in general. My scripts wind not being a bit like the original idea. That's why I love it; it's such a ride." I am planning to give my Olivetti typewriter a try and begin writing a script. I took this decision due to the increasing amount of sadness and desperation I've been going through. My problem is not ruining my ideas, so I usually end up deciding to write it once I'm older; but I guess it's only the intimidation as you said. ------------------------ ------------------------ "After Hours" The only Scorsese film I ever liked. It took me a long time to find that one in video stores. I'll try to find the other ones you recommended, as soon as I get to BA. ------------------------ ------------------------ "As a personal update, the past month has been an introspective one. And while I will always write, I'm planning on focusing on recording and audio engineering, and overall, music in general." Me too, due to, as I've said earlier, the depressing time of uncertainty I am going through. Only thing is that I have taken a great interest in film making (yeah, this thread has something to do with it). The only problem is my country; you cannot be a serious artist here. But Europe, that would be my thing, unfortunately, that continent has already enough immigrants, my only chance relies on meeting a European person who drags me to that continent. Also, my musical side has increased; and I have decided that the Trumpet is the instrument for me. But that is a totally unrelated issue. --------------------------- --------------------------- So, how has your life been going Jofa?

That's the thing with non-American Westerns, they are not really about 'history', or how the 'heroic Americans conquered the wild West'. They just use that peculiar time in history (a rather romantic and nostalgic time) to make stories which can revolve around it. The best you can find out there are Italian westerns (a.k.a. 'Spaghetti') or Soviet ones (there's a subgenre in these ones called 'Ostern', the most beautiful ones, which do not take place in the American Wild West, but on the plains of Eastern Europe during the Civil War (the Reds against Whites war, I mean)) Instead, they are tales about people, such as in most European movies. There are no heros, instead the main characters are just mere vandals or bastards, loners and killers, whose only quest consists in some sort of revenge or scam; Quoting a line in Once Upon a Time in the West "people who have something to do with death". And they differ with the American western in several things, while the main character of these movies will be too ethical to kill the man who savagely murdered his brother, and decide to send him to the local jail and give the money to poor children and marry the girl; the Spaghetti-western characters will not hesitate to shoot him if he has the chance and they won't marry the woman whose life they have saved, instead they will just ride away. And that is what is so special about them, once they have ended their quest, and after they ride away, the sole purpose of their life is gone. And these are my opinions about this genre I like so much, I find them to be (as well as Film Noir) the mid point between art and entertainment. Spelling/grammar issues, they are thanks to the keyboard.

For some reason, every time you post something related to westerns, I have just finished watching one of them. Today it was "Once Upon a Time in the West", which is a truly great film (thanks for the recommendation Jofa). My only complaint is that the main character is a hero, which disappointed me, for I liked that special quality of non-American westerns of having no likeable characters (so to speak, after all 'the Man with no name' is one of the best characters in an entertainment movie). I agree with you. The Dollars Trilogy is, for me, the only saga worth watching. Indeed. I tried to get my music teacher to find a way of making that music, but I was left empty-handed. I cannnot picture it much different than the original one, or to those of the films he scored. Most probably it would have been just as good. Still, McConnell (sp?) deserves some credit, Grim Fandango's soundtrack is outstanding; the only problem is that the tracks are too short. And this, as simple as it may seem, is a severe problem. As I said on another thread, to you if I remember correctly, the Outlaws soundtrack is amazing. The soundtrack of this game, arranged by Clint Bajakian, is in my opinion far better to the one in Grim Fandango; as a matter fact, tracks 2, 7 and 14, are the best 'Spaghetti Western' music I've ever heard, even to that by Morricone himself. Check that game out, if you want to, you won't be disappointed. Anyway, I better stop here, for I'll turn this into a Western films discussion if I get the chance.