"Hoy acaba el plazo."

Friday sneaks up on you like a shark.

(And if you don't think a shark can sneak up on you, you haven't met a sneaky shark.)

This month's been a runaway train; it hasn't stopped for anyone or anything, and we're 1/12th past 2003 and about to put the pedal to the medal in a big way. Whooosh. Goodbye 2003, hello 2004. You're one year closer to the grave. Close the door on your way out.

Happy-happy, joy-joy.

Sometimes I lie awake at night and think, "Eternity's a long time - what if this is all there is, what if this is it?".

Eternity is a very long time, and I'd like to believe that there's a good chance I'll get to see some other part of it. Not just this century. Not just this tiny, infinitesimal grain of sand on a beach as big as...as infinity. I'd like to believe that. Sometimes I do. Most of the time, I do. But sometimes...sometimes the immensity of the thought - of living and dying, and never, ever existing, ever again - freaks me out big time.

I think too much. Also, it's Friday - the overrated Thursday (Thursday being, naturally, the underappreciated Friday). You're allowed deep, dark thoughts on Friday. Even though Sunday really is the long, dark tea-time of the soul.

(Good book, by the way.)

Here's an e-mail from a reader, to cheer everyone up:

I've downloaded some music from TLJ and I've particularly liked some pieces - Dolphin, Dragon and Shark (wierd names) by Tor Linlokken. I'm curious what genre of music this is (a type of jazz?) as it's not that common, and if there's anything similar or where I can find more.

Tor Linløkken is a genius. Or at least very, very good. He just released a CD, which I cannot, for the life of me, remember the name of, nor the name of the website where you can buy it, nor the label. But I'll find out on Monday, and post a little ad. The man deserves a free ad. Did I mention that he's good? He is. Remember the cool sound-effects in The Longest Journey? He made a lot of those. In addition, of course, to those excellent tracks. Which I liked. A lot.

What genre of music is it? Good question. It's New Age-y, jazz fusion, ambient, environmental...electronic pop...thingy. It's music. If I had to categorise it, I'd say ambient, but I might be wrong. I'm not well versed in those genres - I just know what I like when I hear it.

As I said, Tor just released an album, and I'll post the link as soon as I get it. And I'd urge all of you to buy it, of course. Start savin'.  ¶ 12:29   

  "Peek-a-Boo!"

All right, I promised I'd do this, so here we go. What's 'boo'?

First off, it's Jane, with a solid answer:

I went to www.pseudodictionary.com, and it says:

boo - Girlfriend or female aquaintance.

e.g., Where's your boo? You're always with her.

Want more proof? :)
http://www.pseudodictionary.com/boo

Good one, Jane. Research to back up your answer always helps. You're getting an 'A+'. Here's Richard:

Boo means boyfriend/girlfriend/significant other. I have no idea why, but then again, questioning slang is normally not a good idea for the same reason you don't ask some people how they are doing; the story is too long and probably isn't something you want to hear.

Richard's right about that. Next up is Leanne with her interpretation:

I can't believe I'm emailing from work to explain what "boo" is, nonetheless, I like 'splaining.

A "boo" is someone's significant other. i.e. girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, husband.

Not bad for a 29 yr old gal who's (obviously) hipper than you! ;-) Yesss!

Maybe you're hipper than me, but that's not saying much! Uh, wait...

Jason explains it like thus:

a lot of people in the hood refer to their significant other as "boo." Hence, "whatcha doing tonight boo?" It came from calling your sig. other "boo boo" and just got shortened. it's a term of endearment basically. they also call eachother "shorty" a lot. go figure

You go, shorty! Here's RaMa, who's obviously done a lot of work:

I think 'boo' has a few different meanings. A friend told me it meant 'boyfriend', but I'm searching on google for some evidence at the moment and I found a totally different meaning. On this page (http://www.geocities.com/a4medical/drug.html) you can find a lot of street slang that's related to drugs. This page says that 'boo' means 'marijuana'. But I just found another page where someone asks the same question as you did (http://www.stupidlyhappy.com/archives/
000530.html). Although it's gone off-topic pretty quickly, one poster says that 'boo' means 'boyfriend'. I also found another page that says 'boo' means boyfriend (girlfriend or boyfriend to be exact, there is no boo'ess or something). You can find the site here: http://haute.hypermart.net/c1/slang.htm
But all the other search results say 'boo' means 'marijuana'. Maybe you can find more meanings for yourself, if you want to. Just look for 'boo street slang' on google.

I think we're getting closer to The Ultimate Truth of Boo. I'll let Commander Windguaerd (guy, is that your real name?) take the second-to-last slot:

Means another woman.

Thanks. Brief, and to the point. And finally, here's Mario:

I can only speculate the 'boo' means 'crying mood'. 'boo' being the onomatopaeia of a childish cry.

Good guess, but I think that's wrong. You weren't the only one. We had a lot of different interpretations, but the majority has spoken. To wrap up - Kelly appears to be singing about her best friend, her girlfriend. Even when she's with her best friend, she's thinking about Nelly. Perish the thought. And now I'll finally be able to banish that damn song from my mind. Phew.

Thanks all! You're the best Regular Readers a journal-writing guy could ever wish for  ¶ 20:29   

  "50,000,000 Miles to Graceland"

I don't usually post looong e-mails from readers (because, hey, need the space!), but Dimitris wrote to argue passionately for a point-and-click interface in The Longest Journey 2, and I'm a sucker for well-articulated views, so here's most of it.

(Keep one thing in mind, guys: Nothing's been decided when it comes to TLJ 2. The game might not even happen. When I write something about a sequel in my journal, it doesn't mean it's a done deal. I post my thoughts - and my thoughts change, all the time. I'm inspired by games I play, books I read, movies I see, music I hear, and discussions I have. Nor does the fact that I'm posting Dimitri's mail mean that TLJ 2 will be point-and-click. I'm not sure if that's the right direction for this genre to head in, to stay rooted in the past, simply because That's How It's Always Been. I don't necessarily believe that it's impossible to improve on something that's "good enough". I'm not sure what the adventure community thinks of Broken Sword 3, but they're carving a new path, and that's good. I know one thing for sure: It doesn't have to be point-and-click to be an adventure game. But nor does it have to be different. The game - if there is ever going to be one - will be designed around its story, puzzles, and characters. If we can do more interesting gameplay using direct control, and still stay true to the spirit of adventures, we'll do that. If point-and-click turns out to be the best, and only, option, we'll stick with that. I'm flexible. If and when I have to sit down and design this thing, I'll definitely run through the pluses and minuses of each option. That's my job.)

Phew. Anyways. Here's Dimitris:

A couple of weeks ago I made a poll in the Divide, in the TLJ forums, the Gameboomers forums and in JA forums. I asked people wether they would like the PC version of TLJ2 to have a point and click interface or a direct control interface. About a hundred replied that they want point and click and 5 replied they want direct control. I know that 105 people is not a large enough percentage to make conclusions and that forum polls are not scientific, but we are talking about a hell of a difference here (100-5). And these forums are where a lot of TLJ fans 'hang out' on the net.

If you think that this does not mean anything and what you say about caring what your core audience really wants, then please do a scientific research and learn what your fans want. I am 200% sure that the results would be the same. I'm also quite sure that the reason why most people bought TLJ was that it was the first 3rd person point and click adventure that had great graphics and got good reviews, in years.

Now my personal opinion towards direct control and from what I've read in forums and reviews probably the opinion of the majority of PC gamers. Direct control might work perfect in a console, but not in the PC. BS3 is not the first one that tries direct control as you probably know. We have had many games like Largo Winch, and Monkey Island 4 that used direct control and were crap.

Using your keyboard for an adventure is cumbersome, and looks bad also, because you have to lead your character through every wall and table end, and tell me please, how realistic is that? What does a real person do? Does he/she go around all the walls and the tables to find something of interest or do they stand in some middle point of the room, look around and then go where they saw something of interest? Direct controls leads us from pixel-hunting to wall/table-hunting.

Consoles don't have mouses, so it is quite obvious why all 'adventures' in consoles have direct control. But why transfer an incapability of the console to the PC, when the PC gives you the ability to scan your whole screen area, remotely-without having to move your character by using only one hand. What is simpler than that? In my opinion TLJ's interface was the best interface ever created in adventure games. And I'm sure you have heard the sentence...if it ain't broken, don't try to fix it.

What I am suggesting is this: Why don't you make TLJ2 with direct control for the console versions, and with point and click interface for the PC version. By this way you will focus each version on each platform's capabilities and indiosyncracies. And then those that prefer direct control can play it on consoles and those that prefer point and click can play it on their PCs. Variety is the spice of life.

And if you want to use a new 3D world, please go ahead. But stick with the point n click interface please (in PC version). Gabriel Knight 3 is the only adventure that tried it and it worked perfect. If the cameras would move automatically, it would be even better. I am sure that different controls can be implemented for different platforms and then everybody would be happy.

I hope you take what I said into consideration. This is from someone who loves adventures, loved TLJ (bought it twice actually, one in English and one in Swedish) so I hope you understand that I wouldn't want anything more than TLJ2 to become a success.

I definitely agree with a lot of what Dimitris says here, and I think that direct keyboard-control on the PC is certainly not the best option. Players ought to be able to use to mouse to play the game. And that's always been my intention.

See, here's the thing. When I say "direct control", people automatically assume one thing, when I might be thinking of something completely different. Just because it's been done badly before - and again, not saying that this is the way we want to go, but it's an option - doesn't mean it will always be done badly. And the games mentioned above that featured direct control over the protagonist, and were "crap", didn't really offer anything other than a console control method translated, perhaps badly, to the PC.

If a game's on the PC, it needs controls tailored to the PC. Which means, use the mouse intelligently. It can't work as a joypad, but it can work as a mouse. Hence the name 'mouse'.

I won't get into the specifics of what I have in mind, because it'll take too long, and everyone will steal my brilliant ideas, and then I'll be left with nothing. (That, by the way, was a Funny. I don't believe in brilliant ideas, especially when they come from me. Brilliant ideas usually mean that something's about to explode. Loudly.) But rest assured that I definitely do not want the sort of control scheme that Dimitris worries about above. It should never be hard work navigating around a game-world. It should be intuitive, fun, and easy. Does it have to be point-and-click? Absolutely not. Does it have to be not point-and-click? Big Nope. We'll do whatever's best for the game. I want people to be able to sit down in front of the PC, and start playing within seconds, without worrying about which key to press, or how to get around that table. In other words, with a mouse. Which means that, technically, yes, you'll be pointing-and-clicking. But exactly how it's been done before? Not necessarily. Because, as every other genre out there, adventure games should evolve. That's the path to survival.

One last thing: If a potential TLJ 2 is ever Xbox-bound, then of course, the control method will be different. Joypad does not equal mouse. You have to build the interface and controls from the ground up, for each and every system. The gameplay will, would, be the same (for the most part), but the way the player interacts with the world will be radically different.

Tomorrow: TLJ 2 as a racing game. Or, alternatively, a beach volleyball game, featuring a nearly nude April Ryan. Woohoo!  ¶ 20:15   

  "Boo-hoo"

I received a lot of replies to Friday's Big Question: "What is 'boo'?". Thanks to everyone who took the time to write me back, and I'll post some of those mails later today. I now know what 'boo' means (pretty much exactly what I'd expected), and I'm a happy, happy man. It was really bugging me.

I've also received quite a few e-mails from readers regarding what they'd like to see (or not see) in a potential sequel to The Longest Journey - I'll post some of those later today, too. If you're interested, there's a thread on the Just Adventure forums, where people discuss that very thing. I've posted there, and I will post again. Good stuff. Interesting points of view. Solid arguments. For the most part (some of the off-topic posts are irritating, but it wouldn't be a forum without the odd anti-social troll, and they're easy to ignore).  ¶ 10:58   

  "In Belgium, 'Waffles' is the Secret Word for 'Love'."

Feeling extremely tired today, probably the result of an intense last week. A good night's sleep will help tons, so I'm planning an early night, which means under the covers and lights off at the stroke of midnight. We'll see. I'm not so good with the getting-to-bed-early. Or with the keeping-my-promises. I'm largely untrustworthy in personal matters. Actually, I'm largely untrustworthy in most matters. But I am cute, so I usually get away with it.

It's been a good weekend. Weather's been warm and clear, for the most part. Done some going-out, and some staying-inside, and some nothing-at-all, and at the end of the (Sun) day it's been...it's been good. Yes. A solid seven out of ten, weekend-wise. Okay, all right; a six. But a strong six. Not one of them weak-ass sixes.

I'd love to stay and chat, but it's that time of the (Sun) day: The writing hour. When I sit down to write. True, I'm writing right now, but that doesn't count.  ¶ 19:37   

  "How Street Are You?"

Quick question to my street readers out there. Something's been bugging me. In the Nelly/Kelly song Dilemma, Kelly sings the following:

"All I think about is you, even when I'm with my boo."

And I'm thinking: What the hell does "boo" mean? I thought I was street. I thought I was down. But "boo" is Latin to me. Literally. If anyone, anywhere out there has an answer, please, please let me know. It's really killing me.  ¶ 16:44   

  "It Needs More Funnies"

Sarcasm: What is it good for?

a) The funnies. Being sarcastic is easier than telling jokes. Less work is more play. More play is good. Thus sarcasm is good.
b) The cool factor. Cool people are sarcastic. For example: Dennis Miller is sarcastic. Dennis Miller is cool (or used to be, back when he was really sarcastic). Donald "Don" Rumsfeld is never sarcastic. Donald "Don" Rumsfeld is not cool. He's "square". Square is bad. Cool is good. Thus sarcasm is good.
c) The health factor. Sarcasm kills germs. Germs are not good. What kills germs must then be good. Thus sarcasm is good.
d) The sex factor. Sarcasm is sexy. Chicks like the sarcasm. Chicks is good. Thus sarcasm is good.
e) The unable-to-connect-with-people-without-being-sarcastic factor. Being unable to connect with people without resorting to sarcasm is good- No, wait. It's not. It's bad. Thus sarcasm, when it comes down to it, is bad. What a shocker. My entire life is a lie? My entire life is a lie! God damn you, sarcasm! You've broken me! Why, God, why?!

Sarcasm: What is it good for? About $13.75.

Thanks, and good night.  ¶ 23:28   

  "Self-indulgent journal entry #2495"

(This post was supposed to be published yesterday, but for various reasons (some of which involve a yak, some string, and cocoa butter), it was postponed. Until now. Thus "yesterday" in the post below really means "yester-yesterday".)

A few people have taken the time to comment on yesterday's post - read it here. Always nice to get another perspective.

I also spotted this comment:

I wonder one thing...they always rumbled about how TLJ 1 made a profit after selling 450,000....why are they suddenly not happy with it and want to change it? I'm very disappointed by what I've read, maybe others will be happy.

We're actually quite happy with TLJ. It's by no means perfect, but we're certainly not unhappy with it. Any changes to the formula would be the result of changes in technology. PCs (and consoles) are capable of a lot more now than they were six years ago (when we finalised the specs for TLJ), and we'd want - and need - to exploit the current technology as much as possible without deviating too much from the needs and desires of our audience, both new and old.

I would like a potential sequel to TLJ to have fully 3D environments, because there's so much you can do in terms of puzzles and interaction when you're moving around a "real" location - gameplay that just wouldn't have been possible in the first one. But combat and platform-jumping? Uh, no. We wouldn't turn it into a shooter or a fighter or a platformer. The changes would be limited to the environments, the characters, and the interface and controls - not the gameplay. It would still be an adventure - a natural evolution of the single-screen point-and-clicker.

I think Broken Sword 3 looks pretty interesting. Revolution's willing to take a chance, and that's a Good Thing. I have no idea whether it'll work or not, but if it does, kudos...and we might pick up a few pointers from their approach. I'm sure some of their fans aren't too happy now, but if the game's good, they'll come around.

Just to make one thing clear that probably wasn't too clear in yesterday's post: I'm neither a console gamer nor a PC gamer. I'm just a gamer. Probably not the most hard-core type of gamer, nor a very good one, but I do try to play as many different games on as many different platforms as possible. And that includes the PC. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to afford keeping up with the Joneses on the hardware-side of things, which means that I miss out on a lot of intriguing (and technically demanding) games on the PC. Since I work in the "industry", however, I get to see what's out there, and when I definitely need to upgrade my PC (*cough*Doom III*cough*), I will upgrade my PC. Maybe someone will even release a great adventure that requires a top-of-the-line PC. In that case, huzzah! I loves them good graphics.

(And right now, my most-played game is Sim City 4. On the PC. Even if they released that one on a console, I'd still play it on the PC. Some games just work better with a mouse, keyboard, and monitor...even a crappy one.)

I'm just expressing my personal views here, by the way, and attempting to reassure everyone that, yes - when it comes to TLJ 2, as well as our other games - we do care about the core audience, the people who've played (and liked) the first one, and yes, we're listening to everyone's opinions. Whatever we choose to do in the future, it won't be to every gamer's liking, but hopefully it will be to the average adventure gamer's liking.

I'm guessing that a lot of people who read my journal do so to keep themselves updated on the future of TLJ, and if you have strong opinions that you'd like aired, feel free to send me an e-mail, and I'll (hopefully) post your comments here.  ¶ 09:47   

  "One-Trick Pony"

Leah alerted me to this thread.

It's a fun read.

I don't usually post to message-boards, because it's easier - and safer - to just not. I do use this journal to answer questions sent directly to me, however, because I think readers - and players - who take the time out to write me an e-mail deserve an answer. Besides, I enjoy it.

Nobody's written me an e-mail this time (well, except for Leah sending me a link to the thread in question). But I'm thinking an answer is in order.

(So, okay, almost every time I've done this - tried to address some thread on a forum - I've done nothing but fuel the fire. Since I'm not the smartest dog in the pen, however, and since I never learn from experience...let's roll!)

(Hey, it's A Guy Thing.)

First off, I'm not easily offended by anything, and that also works the other way 'round: I don't expect my readers to get easily offended by the things I say...write.

Secondly, my diet appears to be an issue. At some point, somewhere in my oft-debated journal, I wrote something about fast food. Specifically, McDonald's. I'm happy to tell y'all that I haven't visited a McDonald's since...well, I prefer real chow. Like a good chicken salad. I have no idea how relevant my diet - which, admittedly, is quite limited these days; not much point cooking dinner for one, is there? I stick to the four basic food-groups: Sandwiches, soup, pasta, and pizza - how relevant my diet is to any of this. So. Diet. Dead topic. Dead and buried.

(Thanks for caring, though.)

Thirdly, PC gamers are a prickly, and often snobbish, bunch.

And, last but not least: Yeah, games are made to generate loads of cash. They really are. It's the awful truth. We don't like to talk about it. It's a bit dirty.

It's not anywhere as simple as all that, though. Any of it.

(Except the diet-thing, which really is as simple as all that.)

(And, yup, I'm being sarcastic...which isn't nearly as awful as it sounds.)

All right. So. Let's start with this:

What's really so wrong about being a snob?

People who only play PC games - and there are a lot of 'em, most of whom have very good reasons for not playing console games - sometimes believe that console games (and, by proxy, console gamers) are more simplistic, less intelligent, and generally nowhere near as sophisticated as PC games (and, one must then assume, PC gamers).

Sometimes (sometimes) they're right. Console games (if not gamers) are often simpler. They're often dumber. And they're often less sophisticated. After all, how many bloody wrestling games have Acclaim released for the consoles since the beginning of time? A lot. They've released a lot.

But consoles have also given the world some amazing, intriguing, stunning, beautiful, deep, challenging, rewarding, and intelligent games. Dozens of them. Hundreds of them. Fantastic games, worth every penny and every hour they've consumed.

Thing is, console gamers are also snobs. And they're just as prickly as PC gamers. Maybe even more so (though I'm really just pandering to the PC gamers out there). Just look at how the hardcore players of one console - let's say the PlayStation 2 - spew bile at the hardcore players of another console, like the GameCube. Or the Xbox. Usually the Xbox. It's called the Console War, and it's the stupidest thing since cheese in a can.

Worse still is how console gamers look down their noses at PC games, claiming they're too complicated, prone to crashing, that they require expensive hardware to run, let alone show a decent frame-rate, and that they're simply not fun.

Sometimes they're right, too. PC games can be too complicated. They are prone to crashing, a lot of them. They do require expensive hardware to run (I've given up trying to upgrade my PC).

And some of them aren't fun. Just like with some console games.

There's not a world of difference, you know. They're all games running on different kinds of computers. The biggest difference is in the way you control the games, and the screen you're looking at. It's more "The Monitor vs. the Television" than anything else. (And not everyone can afford a 21-inch monitor. Me, for instance - I'm staring at a crappy 17-incher right now. When it comes to games, I'm more comfortable on the couch in front of my TV than I am on a chair in front of my crappy monitor.)

So what's so wrong about being a snob? Nothing much, really. If you play PC games because you like the kind of games the PC does well - strategy titles like Sim City 4, online games like Anarchy Online, or (perhaps fittingly) point-and-click adventure games like, oh, The Longest Journey? - why would you want a console? You wouldn't. You're happy. Snobbish or not - probably not - you've found your bone, and you're gnawing on it. (Pardon the imagery.)

If you're playing PC games just 'cause you think console games are crap - and vice versa - you really are snobbish, and you're losing out on some great entertainment. Half of the world's great games are only on consoles. And, again, vice versa. Broaden your horizons. If you can afford it, that is. (If not, stick with what you've got, and count yourself lucky.)

Now. Onto what I like to think of as the Grand Conspiracy: Funcom resents TLJ's success, and that's why we're not doing a sequel.

I liked that one so much that I just had to mention it. As far as conspiracy theories go, it's a pretty good one. It is, of course, quite, quite silly. Everyone at Funcom is proud of TLJ. A company would have to be pretty silly to resent a successful product. Think about it. Yes. Doesn't make sense, does it?

For a small company like Funcom, making games is about using the right resources in the right places at the right time. We've said before that we'd like to make a sequel to TLJ - I've said that, too, many times, more than I should have - and that when the time is right, we...might. (I won't say 'will', because you never know what's going to happen. The world could end tomorrow. That's not so far-fetched, you know.) And for the sequel to come together, there are some people who must come together. One man doesn't make a game. Nor two. Or four. Or eight. Or, indeed, ten. And a few of those people need to be the right people, because TLJ is very much the product of specific sensibilities, and for the planned story to go in the planned direction, the right ingredients are needed. Or the whole thing would just...collapse.

So why doesn't Funcom just give away the rights to the sequel? Uh, yeah, that's a great idea. Why wouldn't we want to give away the rights to a story, a world, and characters we've spent years breathing life into? Why wouldn't we want to give away the rights to one of our biggest successes ever? And as for selling the rights...that would mean we could never do a sequel on our own. And since we want to do a sequel - and since we know that, if anyone's going to do a sequel, it has to be us, because we know What Happens Next - we're not going to do that. Disney would never sell Mickey. We're not selling April. (Perhaps not the most apt comparison in the world, but hey!)

This is getting long, but I have one last thing I want to address: Our sole concern is making money, and so we're selling out to a) consoles, b) a new audience, c) the Devil, and abandoning the PC and our loyal fans.

(Again - big on the sarcasm. And scroll back to my "first off" if you're getting offended. You shouldn't be. I'm not.)

For TLJ 2 to happen it has to be a guaranteed success! It's horrible. It really is. Because a 'guaranteed success' may mean that you create something like Men in Black II, which was just awfully awful, and the worst kind of 'product' there is: A heartless, soulless, bland and trite creature. By playing it safe, by not taking any risks, you're not evolving. You're just going around in circles. But when a game costs three, four, five million dollars to create - and it does, and often more than that - you have to prove to a lot of people that what you're making will appeal to a lot of other people, get great reviews, and sell a lot of copies.

'Selling' doesn't mean you 'sell out', or that you abandon your core audience. It does mean that you evolve with the times, whatever that may mean.

Will TLJ 2 end up on, for example, the Xbox, in addition to the PC? Perhaps. Will it be point-and-click? Maybe not. Will it have beautiful graphics, a great story, intriguing characters, a fully realised world - or two...or three...or (gasp!) four - clever puzzles, amazing music, involving dialogue, pitch-perfect voice-overs, 'bad' language, gay references, political incorrectness, and April Ryan? Yup. I can pretty much guarantee you that.

(Of course, the story won't be exactly - or anywhere near - what you expect, but that's half the fun. The clues are in the first one. Maybe.)

The long and the short of it is this: TLJ was created to make money, as well as provide people with a fun and original adventure, and hours and hours of entertainment. TLJ 2 will be developed to make money...and the other stuff, too. It's how we make our living, folks. Good games = cash = I get my salary = you get more games. The second any of that breaks down, there won't be any more games. Except maybe cheap PacMan clones made in Java. Which aren't a lot of fun to play. Trust me.

There was probably more, but I'm spent, tired, and I've probably set myself up for a long fall and much flaming. But that's life, and I'm enjoying the heck out of it...especially the bit I'm off to do right now.

No, not eat. Sleep.  ¶ 17:34   

  "Homeland Security Begins at Home"

This morning I read about Welsh Indians. What a way to begin a day.

It's past three in the afternoon, and I haven't really gotten around to any of the things I was - am - supposed to be doing and get done today. The sunlight's fading from a beautiful day, and regret sets in. Perhaps 'guilt' is a better word. When your whole week is crammed to the rafters with the Busy, it's easy to feel guilty when the weekend rolls round and you simply don't have the energy or the wherewithal to do anything constructive or useful. Like the dishes or the laundry. Or going for that walk and enjoying the sunshine. Or calling up friends. Not that I'm completely inactive or lazy, but when only a fraction of what you think you should be doing can actually be accomplished, it's a little disappointing.

There's still much left of this day, however, and thus I take my leave, because sitting in front of the computer is not on my list of Things To Do.  ¶ 15:11   

  "All the little things that make up a memory"

I saw Gangs of New York this evening. I'd heard a lot of things about the film - some good, most bad - and my expectations were low. I enjoyed the first half of the movie, and I remember telling myself, "hey, this ain't so bad. It's actually pretty good. Who knew?" And then things started sliding. The next hour or so - out of the total almost-three-hour, way-too-long running time - was very mixed, but the bad outweighed the good and ended up ruining what might have been a spectacular movie. So - a disappointment, then, although worth watching simply because of the scope, the set design, and Daniel Day-Lewis' performance. Rarely has a character like his Bill the Butcher come to life in such an explosive and nuanced manner. It's easily the best performance of 2002, and if Day-Lewis doesn't get an Oscar for this, there's absolutely no justice in the world.

(I know there isn't, but he should still get an Academy Award. After all, this might be the last part he ever plays. He's spent the past five years apprenticing as a cobbler in Florence, Italy. Yes, really. He doesn't much like acting.)

It seems like everyone's putting together their "Best of 2002" movie lists, and I guess I should do the same, if for no other reason than the fact that I like to, uh, 'share' (read 'force') my opinion with (on) others. So look for that later this weekend, and feel free to deride me afterwards. That's what top ten lists are for, after all.

I still haven't had the opportunity to put together a read-lately-and-can-recommend laundry list of non-genre literature, but here's a couple of non-fiction books I've been reading, in case you're interested:

Arkon Daraul's Secret Societies: A History is not nearly as exploitative as its lurid cover may imply. It's actually a respected and thorough investigation into, well, secret socities throughout history. Logically enough. If you're intrigued by the Knights Templar, the Rosicrucians, the Assassins, and the Illuminati, this might be a book for you. I picked it up for research, but it's actually quite entertaining.

Ancient Mysteries by Peter James and Nick Thorpe is another reasonably thorough, and easy-to-read, compilation of the greatest historical puzzles and mysteries - from Sodom and Gomorrah and Stonehenge, to the myths of Robin Hood and King Arthur. It's not hugely detailed, nor does it attempt to be a "serious" work - although it's based around scientific research, and not mysticism - but it's an intriguing read, and it covers a great deal of ancient history both well known and obscure. Again, it's primarily for research, but I can heartily recommend it to anyone who's interested in this stuff.

Although I'm wary about books that "Teach you writing!(TM)", I'm also reading Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey, which uses Joseph Campbell's writings on myth and storytelling as a basis for a book specifically about screenwriting, and about how to use a mythic structure to create narrative in film. It's interesting, and well applied, but it basically takes everything Campbell said and wrote and rewrites it in modern screenwriting terminology. So not a work of genius, then, but a clever and commercial interpretation of an original work of genius. Still, it's an inspirational read, and probably well worth it if you're at all interested in the storytelling craft. Although, to be fair, you'd be better off reading Joseph Campbell instead of Christopher Vogler. From the horse's mouth, and all that.

Sleepy now.  ¶ 01:07   

  I've been mostly incommunicado this evening, as I've slowly began to explore the lives of Sophie, Lucas, Oliver, and Alice on the Flipside.

The best thing about starting on a brand new story is being able to flesh out your characters and the world(s) they inhabit from the ground up. Since this is the first time my protagonists are kids (and not teenagers or adults), it's doubly intriguing. Of course, my experience with kids is limited to what I remember from my own childhood, and to the time I've spent with my nephews and nieces, but I still think (and hope) that I'll be able to make these girls and boys feel real and interesting. Part of that is giving them an interesting background, and part of that is allowing them to grow and mature during the course of the story.

Flipside is both dark and funny, both personal and epic, and I'm quite happy with the concept. Right now, it could evolve into anything, although my intention is to write a screenplay for a live-action movie. I'd love to see these character, this story, on the big screen...or the small screen. I'm not picky. Well, uh, yes, I am. But I'm not locked to one medium. It could even make a good graphic novel.

Listening to Tori Amos' Scarlet's Walk as I write - an album perfectly suited to the mood I'm in, the mood of this story. I always write better with music in the background than I do without, and her music works better than most. It's rich and complex without being intrusive or noisy. It's smooth, like red wine, and as comfortable as a soft pillow. In a word: beautiful. I've been a fan of hers since 1994, and Scarlet's Walk is, I think, her best album in years. I've yet to see her live, but the next time she's playing Norway (which, admittedly, isn't often), I have to get a ticket.

It's getting late, and I should return to my four reluctant heroes (and heroines) and their journey from this world to the Flipside.  ¶ 23:15   

  "Hello, sailor!"

I promised more reading recommendations the other day, but they'll have to wait a bit longer - until tonight, perhaps. Or maybe tomorrow. My brain isn't working well, and I'm just not able to wring out any interesting suggestions right now. The last three or four months, I really haven't read enough myself. That'll have to change. Writers read...and write.

The mild weather is continuing, and it's now possible to (gasp!) walk around in only a thick sweater. And pants. Never forget the pants. No scarf, gloves, or hat needed. No thick winter boots needed. No long underwear. No six layers of clothing. It's all good.  ¶ 11:45   

  "Originality is the art of concealing your sources."

Here's a little something for those of you who miss my regular weather-reports: It's getting milder, and if I didn't know better (I do), I'd think spring was just around the corner (it isn't). But it's nice with a bit of change from the freezing-your-arse-off weather we've had so far this year.

Talking about arse - I've been working it off, last week and this, and I'd promised myself that I would go home early today. It's now not-so-early, and I'm still at work. I'm terrible at keeping promises. But I've gotten a lot of things done today, so big pat on the back for me. It's all worth it - the blood, sweat, and the tears. All those bitter, bitter tears.

Here's a mail from Meg:

Check out Tailchaser's Song, if you're interested in good writing from Tad Williams!

And...if you haven't tried it, try setting LOTR on "easy" level -- it's deceptively easy to accidentally switch it to medium or expert, which would lead to the no-win situations you mention.

It's winter and your faithful readers need a good adventure game to play! How about a suggestion - or a good winter book to read?

Always interested in good writing from Tad Williams, so I will check out Tailchaser's Song - thanks for the recommendation.

Playing games on the "easy" setting feels like a total cop-out, but I'm willing to sink that low if I can't get anywhere on "normal" (and that does happen). I'm not a particularly good player - I don't have those mad skillz - but I want to see as much of the game as possible, considering I've paid $50. So yeah, if I can't progress any further in The Two Towers, I'll cheat- uh, take the "easy" way out. And that's nothing to be ashamed of.

I'm probably not the best person to recommend any new adventure games, since I haven't played any, and I don't know what's on the horizon, but check out Adventuregamers.com - they're on top of what's hot and what's not, and what's coming out in 2003. I also spotted this thread on their forums - "Adventure game recommendations - new and upcoming" - which ought to nudge you in the right direction.

A good winter book, though, that I can help you with. Winter's the perfect time to dig into those epic fantasy series, and my current favourite (and I've mentioned this one before, several times) is George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Bloody brilliant. The tenth book in the Wheel of Time series has just been published, so if you need ten thousand-page tomes to while away those long winter nights, you'd better get started. Now. I haven't read book ten yet, but I intend to, and the series is pretty amazing up until book five or six. After that, the next three or four books are a bit disappointing, but number nine is a return to form. And, since it's all one long story, you're better off reading them all in one go, and avoid the confusion of trying to remember who's who and what happened in the last book. Even if it takes you a few months to do so. I haven't updated myself on any new and exciting fantasy series being published, but if you're looking for excellent genre book reviews, check out the British mag SFX. They'll tell you what's what.

Moving away from the Bloated Fantasy Epics, and for those short, dark winter evenings, Neil Gaiman's Coraline works like a charm. Short, spooky, and atmospheric. It's a great, little novel for both kids and adults.

And as for borderline fantasy literature, I've heard so many good things about Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay that I just have to start reading this soon. It's a bit risky to recommend something I haven't yet read, but there you go. I will go out on a limb for you. That's how much I care. Chabon's latest novel, Summerland, is also supposed to be very good. It's about baseball. Sorta.

I'll come back with some suggestions in the dreaded non-genre branch of literature tomorrow. Now - work.  ¶ 19:37   

  "Dear diary..."

Today the skies are grey, my apartment is chilly, and I'm being serenaded by Bruce Springsteen (by way of my stereo).

Ah...Saturday.

If Sunday is the Queen of Days, then Saturday is surely the King. After a surprisingly exhausting - and intriguing - week, I slept in guilt-free today, ate breakfast, and browsed the Net. No stress. I don't have to do anything today. Except change the kitty-litter. And vacuum. And do laundry. And...oh, good grief.

Last time, I did a brief "been reading lately", so now I'll do "been playing lately", and give you some idea about what fills the little game-playing time I have left.

First things first: Sim City 4. I installed it yesterday, and it's as good as I'd hoped it would be. Better looking than ever before, with more detailed buildings, 3D elements, great effects. It's also got a more streamlined interface than the last one, and (at first sight) more fluid gameplay - fewer frustrations, more fun. It's not easy, but it's logical, and with perseverance I'll be able to build my dream city. Mmm...dream city. Of course, I demolished my first city yesterday using the new disasters, which are pretty darn cool. Especially the twister. Destruction is fun.

I've also picked up Star Fox Adventures again, and I intend to get a bit farther into the game - maybe even complete it - before putting it back on the shelf. It's good, simple fun, visually stunning, with tight controls and a plethora of interesting game modes. It's not hugely original, or a stunning piece of work, design wise, but I likes it.

I'm still very much into Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and every time I sit down to play it, I spend at least an hour, complete a few missions, and have tons and tons of fun. It hasn't paled yet, more than two months after release, and I'll be playing it two months from now. The proof's in the pudding, and this pudding's tasty (groan). I loves it.

Burnout 2 is still one of the best racing game I've ever played, and though I've completed the standard championship mode, I'm constantly going back for an adrenalin fix.

I haven't played The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers for the PS2 nearly enough - partly a lack of time, partly a frustration with having to restart a level after almost completing it the last time around - but I expect to return to it soon, because it is a good game; great graphics, solid controls, and lots and lots of Middle Earth action. Plus, I want to see all the levels and unlock all the secrets!

There are other games, too (Kingdom Hearts, Jak & Dexter, Asheron's Call 2), but this'll have to suffice. I play waaay too many games for the time I have to do so - often, I don't get more than a few levels into a game before putting it on the shelf. Sometimes, I tell myself I'll get around to them, but mostly I resign myself to the sad fact that there's not enough time in the world to play 'em all. But I try. God knows I try.  ¶ 14:17   

  "The pen is mightier than the sword, and considerably easier to write with."

Tomorrow and the day after will be busy days. Lots of meetings and presentations, and very little writing. I'm okay with that, although I sometimes wish I could focus on creating rather than supervising. These days, the really good stuff is being produced by other people. I'm happy to be working with such a smart and creative team, but it'd be nice to have time to contribute more. Hopefully, as time passes, that will happen. Besides, I have my non-work projects to focus on, too, so it's not as though I'm not flexing my writing muscles. I am. With words. Written. By me. Yes.

I've been a slow and terrible reader lately. I struggled my way through Stephen King's latest dour opus (and they're really getting hard to read, now - what happened to you, man? You used to be great!), From a Buick 8, and now I'm trying to finish off a rather slow-moving and run-of-the-mill fantasy epic that I've been reading on-and-off for the past year, Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. It's competent, but oh-so-horribly-long, and slow, and clichéd...and quite obviously the work of a young writer - who later went on to create a really awesome series, Otherland - who hadn't yet found his feet. Did I mention that it's long? It is. Very.

Up next on my reading list is a whole bunch of books that have been sitting around for ages. Like A Confederacy of Dunces, Triage, and a few books on filmmaking. Oh, and I got the latest Discworld novel from my brother for Christmas, so that's near the top of my must-read pile as well. After all, I've read 'em all. Every single one.

Now: Fifteen minutes of mayhem in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City before bed. I have a lot of aggression to get out.  ¶ 23:49   

  "A llama! A llama! My kingdom for a llama!"

Back to work, and back to the sweet opium of the daily grind. Well, 'daily grind' as in 'a creative and fulfilling job in an exciting and energetic industry'. It's not as though I shave llamas for a living. Although, if you're a llama shaver, more power to you. Someone's got to shave them llamas.

I actually think you shear llamas, not shave 'em. But that's not really the issue, now is it?

The shock of getting up early this morning was almost too great for my body to handle. When the alarm clock rang at a quarter to eight, it took a while before I managed to switch it off. I just couldn't understand where the horrible buzzing noise was coming from. And when I finally did recognise that horrible buzzing noise, I couldn't find the right button to press. I stayed another half hour in bed before stumbling into the bathroom. When you're used to getting up only when you absolutely feel like it - which is usually after eleven, when your body says "enough with the sleeping, let's rock'n'roll!" - it's incredibly hard to force yourself up and out, especially when it's below absolute zero outside.

Below absolute zero. No lie.

But manage I did. And now I'm at work, and that's fine and dandy.

A few days ago, I posted a message about how a Google-search for 'voyage to mars' brings up my journal, and here's Leanne with some thoughts on that disturbing matter:

You beat out the Ontario Science Centre!

Eeek!

Clumsy Ontaritonian children, now and in the years to come, will think Mars is all about cold Norwegian winters, video games, and .. oh-my-god .. work! This could make for some interesting essays.

Yeah, I'm ashamed of how much significance Google appears to place on my so-called voyage to Mars. I'll try to write about more interesting stuff in the future.

Leah notified me of the following:

The Longest Journey made #11 on AdventureGamers.com List of Top 20 Adventure Games Of All Time.

So I went and checked it out. Yay! It's a lot of fun to be recognised amongst such illustrious company, and I completely agree with their number one choice, Day of the Tentacle. It is the most brilliant adventure - perhaps even game - ever made. No doubt. To rank TLJ before great games like Monkey Island 2 and Full Throttle, however... I dunno. They are very different games. It's hard to measure any one game up against another. But it's a good list, worth checking out if you're looking for a good adventure to wrap your brain around. It's too bad The Longest Journey is the most recent game on the list. That speaks volumes about the state of adventure gaming.

Hi Ragnar. I read your review of Sophocles and was wondering if you still felt positively about it.

I am trying to decide between Sophocles, Movie Magic 2000, or Final Draft.

Bu the way, is Sophocles 1.1 the latest version?

I can still wholeheartedly recommend Sophocles - it's a great little program, and very cheap too. I use it for all my screenwriting needs. And yes, it appears as though version 1.1 is still the latest version...two years on.  ¶ 13:42   

  "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow"

I said I'd be back tomorrow. And tomorrow happens to be today.

I'll be brief. From tomorrow (again) and on, I'll post more frequently, but updates will be brief all week. Lots of work to do, and I'm not looking forward to the getting up in the morning bits. Those are the hardest ones. So I'll probably be grumpy until, oh, at least Wednesday. By then, I'll be back to my old, pre-vacation self, I reckon.

Enjoy your Sunday, folks - what's left of it.  ¶ 23:22   

  One day left of my vacation. One day. I'd better make it count.

It's freezing out, and those of you who live in warmer locales - count your blessings. You don't know how lucky you are. When your fingers start hurting thirty seconds after you go outside, it's not particularly pleasant. It's no surprise that, as far as the Vikings were concerned, Hell was a very cold place.

One freezing day to go. I'll be back with more tomorrow.  ¶ 23:15   

  Did you know that if you type "voyage to mars" into Google, this journal will be the sixth result down, out of a possible 408,000. That's four hundred and eight thousand results. So if someone's searching for, say, information on a real rocketship voyage to the planet Mars, they'll find this journal at the top and click on it, expecting to be forwarded to, oh, NASA? Instead, they'll get this journal. My God. How sad is that.

Type in "ragnar", on the other hand, and I'm the seventh result from the top. Go figure.

(If anyone else finds weird Google-searches that list this site, send us an e-mail. It's for a good cause, mind.)

It's currently 1 A.M. and I'm sitting in front of my laptop with three Microsoft Word windows open (in addition to the Blogger-window, of course), working on two different stories, both screenplays. One's called "The Dark Places" (and, yup, www.thedarkplaces.com is mine), and I've been working on that one on and off since, oh, '95? Too long, I know, but there you go. I finished a long first draft back in double-oh, but it didn't exactly sing - more like a croak (and it got a rather average mark in a screenwriting contest, which I'm still sore about) - so I went back to square...three. And started working. Why not ditch it? Because it's got potential. It's a good story, and I want to at least get it right before tossing it into a dark closet and shutting the door.

The logline - one sentence description of the story - is currently this:

"A young woman – haunted by the death of her brother – returns to her roots to learn about her family’s history, and finds that some dark secrets are better left forgotten."

Loglines are hard, because you have to compress one hundred and twenty pages into one sentence and twenty-five words (or less - and I know mine's more than that, but I'm working on it). If you can't, the idea goes, the story's too complicated. They may be right, but not really. Loglines end up being less about the actual story and more about simple marketing. There's nothing wrong with marketing - in theory - but when decisions about scripts are made based on loglines, and not on the script itself, it's problematic. Lots of good, complex, well-written scripts are probably passed over because their loglines were too confusing, or too dull. But it's something you got to do, so do it I...do.

As for the script itself, it's being submitted to various places at the end of February (I've got a very real deadline on the 28th of that month), thus I'm up late. I didn't really get a lot of work done during my vacation, for various reasons. First, I actually needed three weeks just to have enough energy to start working again. I was wiped out. Big time. Second, there have been so many different family gatherings and parties and dinners, that it's been hard to find the time to sit down by myself in front of the PC. Third, when you're stuffed and sitting on the couch, it's a whole hell of a lot easier to put on a DVD and watch a good movie than it is to get up, stretch those creative muscles, and start working. Ironically enough, if I had another two or three weeks of vacation time right now, I'd get a lot of things done. I'm rested. I'm eager to start writing again. I'm in a creative mood. But on Monday it's back to the office, back to my "real" job. Lots of writing to do there, too, and all of it great fun, but it does mean I'll spend all of my energy on other things than my private projects.

I guess that's the way it is for a lot of us, for a lot of you. Our jobs take precedence. Good or bad, that's the way it is.

But, regardless, I have a deadline, the script's moving forward, and I intend to get that Dark Places website up-and-running within a few months.  ¶ 01:13   

  A Voyage to Mars

I bet there's no snow on Mars, which makes it a better place to be right now than here. Here being Norway. In January. During what feels like the start of a new bleedin' ice age.

(Actually, there is snow on Mars, or at least ice, which is just as bad. It's actually carbon dioxide ice, or 'dry ice', which means it's not the kind of snow you can make into snowballs or ski on.)

This journal is called 'voyage to mars', and at first it was simply a name I came up with because I needed a name. And so I, uh, came up with...it. So to speak.

But I've been thinking about it, and the truth is, this journal is about a voyage. Perhaps not to Mars, not really, but then again - that's exactly what it's about. A really, really long journey (no pun intended) to a place I can see, but which I can't yet reach. Just like Mars. We can see it, study it, dream about it, and we know that some day soon we (as in the human race) will go there, walk on it, plant a flag on it and call it ours. But not yet. Not just yet.

My voyage is to a far-away-but-close Mars; a place I want, need, to go. It's about ambition and drive. It's about hopes and dreams. It's about growing and learning. It's about a deeply embedded desire to tell stories. It's about a little kid who loved to make things up.

It's about me.

This voyage begun in earnest twenty-six years ago - perhaps even before that - and it's time now to go beyond looking through the telescope, to go beyond dreaming. It's time to take the next step.

Whatever this journal may be about from day to day - trivial stuff, important events, jokes, diatribes, weather-reports, reviews - it's all part of my voyage. And I intend to document every single step of it.

I'm being vague, and that's fine, because my voyage is, for the time being, vague. It's the nature of the beast.

It's 2003, folks, and that means it's a new year, a new beginning, a new chance to make good, to not repeat old mistakes, to pick up on what was good about 2002 and run with it. Let me take your hand and bring you along on this voyage to my own Mars. Keep reading. You'll be happy you did.  ¶ 02:46   

  Currahee! Or a Guide to Practical Gardening

How's your 2003 been so far? Me, I don't think I've ever had a less productive year. I've slept until noon, I've sat on the couch, I've eaten, I've watched some TV...and that's the grand total of my activities for this year. I sure hope today's not an indication of the twelve months to come.

New Year's resolutions impress me, so I've decided to come up with a few on my own. Ten, to be more precise. Ten resolutions. Like Commandments, except less harsh (and less Kosher). Here, conveniently enough, they are:

1. To quit smoking. Since I don't smoke, this is an easy win. 1-0 in my favour.
2. To keep whining about every lame thing that happens in my life on this website. Another slam-dunk. 2-0.
3. To eat breakfast. Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day (or the 'Mimotd'), and I intend to eat at least one (1) breakfast this year, so that's another point to the Ragster. 3-0.
4. To visit New York City at least once. I haven't been back in a long while. Since I've got twelve (12) months to do it in, it shouldn't be too hard to pull off, so I'm giving myself another point. 4-0. Things are going smoooth.
5. To gain weight. Since everyone and their mother's New Year's resolutions list 'to lose weight' as the number one Thing To Do in 2003, I thought I'd go the other way - to buck the trend, if you will. It's a lot easier to gain weight than to lose it. I'm guaranteed success. 5-0.
6. To look forward to The Return of the King. Again, I think I'll be able to pull this one off no problem (or 'no problemo', as the Mexicans say). So I'm forecasting a point, giving me a certified 6-0. Boo-ya!
7. To learn how to play an instrument. I started off really well, an ocean of time ago, with the piano...but we didn't agree, the piano and me, and it wasn't to be. So I moved on. To the trombone. A ridiculous instrument. Any instrument that needs to be drained for spit, and which contains a valve to do so with, just ain't right. So we split. I think she's better off without me, in the hands of a man who can play her for what she's worth (not much). But now, in my golden years, I've come to realise that I need an instrument in my life before it's too late, before I've grown to frail to play her- I mean, it. So - an instrument, then. Probably the guitar. I'll learn to play the guitar. This one's a little shaky, but I'll give myself the benefit of a doubt: 7-0.
8. To floss my teeth. I've been a baaad boy this past year (also known as '2002'), so it's time to pull out that irritating piece of waxed white string again. Irritating, but not particularly challenging. 8-0.
9. To write more. Writers write. That's a simple truth. Although I'm primarily a writer, I don't write enough (currently) during the day - other duties often take precedence - so I need to write more in my "spare time". Simply put: Less slacking off, more hard work. This one's a no-brainer. I really have no choice. 9-0.
10. And - ta-da! - number ten? Well, I've got to have some secrets, don't I? No, it's not "To play with myself less", or "To have a sex-change operation". But I really can't tell, because I probably won't be able to keep it. I'll tell you next January...if I manage to discipline myself. Promise.  ¶ 19:27   

  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(Yes, I just had to stop by.)

Wheee. Hope you had a good one. 2002 was, for me, a year of ups and downs. Big ups and big downs. Like a roller-coaster. I don't much like roller-coasters, but at least they give you an adrenalin-kick, so there you go. I ended last year and begun this year with what I love most of all - movies. 2002's final flick was Lilo & Stitch, and 2003's first flick was The Tailor of Panama. Two radically different movies for what I hope will be two radically different years.

Oh, and I've spent the last few days watching HBO's Band of Brothers (I'm too lazy and it's too late to add links - do a search on your own) - a ten-part miniseries set during the final year of WWII - and it was bloody excellent. Get the DVD box set. It's an order.

Anyways. Here we are. 2003. Much exciting stuff in store for me - and, by proxy, you - so keep watching this space. I'll have many goodies for you in the months to come.

GODT NYTT ÅR! :)  ¶ 03:01