Video Game Nostalgia

Back in the day (2004-ish), my friend had the game Kirby Air Ride for the GameCube. Recently, I hooked up the Wii and got all nostalgic and have been using it to play GameCube games on.
The spark for this was in an episode of Scrubs, where the ending montage song was "Everybody's Changing" by Keane. There are parts in that song where the piano is prevalent and it sounds akin to the Clock Tower music in Majora's Mask. This made me start playing Majora's Mask again, as it is one of my favorite Zelda games.
Then, thinking of Kirby Air Ride, I went and bought it at the local GameStop. The thing that I like about the game is that it has this achievement board in which when you unlock one achievement, the adjacent achievements are then displayed -- giving goals to what would otherwise be a mundane Kirby racing game. And let's face it, if I just want to play any racing game I'm going to play Mario Kart 64, or maybe Diddy Kong Racing.

Carpe Diem

It doesn't take long to get used to walking down the hallway everyday. At first it's almost exciting, but even when it becomes banal it remains a pleasant respite from the emotionally unbalanced arena of my workplace. Today especially, it was rewarding because I knew that upon my return, I would be granted leave from the unproductive solution of boredom and unrealistic expectations. My only challenge was my routine wrestling match with the boxes. They were broken down flat -- all of them. When I break them down, I leave one large box to carry the rest of the flattened boxes in. Clearly, I have achieved an above average level of fox-like cleverness. Because of someone else demonstrating their alarming evasion of evolutionary adaptation coupled with a lack of interest in humanity's defining drive for ingenuity, my mission was made made ever so slightly more challenging. The flattened boxes would have to be stacked on top of the trash can with no way to guarantee their static placement in this gravity stricken world. Overcoming this obstacle, I discovered round two as I attempted to steer the wheeled trash can of discontentment -- and, of course, trash -- through a narrow doorway guarded by both an inconveniently placed cabinet and a door that has but one overwhelming desire. That desire was simply to stay closed. As I carried on, developing the necessary skills to join a circus show, I followed the corridor leading to my destination which was but a pitstop on my route to freedom. When forced to follow a predestined path to my own freedom, desire for knowledge creeps up, wherein I ask the question, "Where do the other paths lead?" This question is not simply a question of where I would physically be if I turned left instead of right, but may also serve as an allusion to the endless opportunity both seized and unafforded by the paths we ourselves take in this journey we call life. Truthfully, though, it was mostly just a question of where that other corridor went. But I have not taken that other path. I have not seized that opportunity. I have not yet explored the possibilities that lie just around that corner. A day will come when I will be brave. On that day, I will sneak, I will explore, I will set myself on that course which leads to awareness. But today is not that day. Today is the day that I take the trash out to the dumpsters and go back to that aforementioned workplace to promptly clock out and go home. A glimpse of adventure -- rendered invisible by my continually innate desire to achieve the known. Mundane as I am, at least I am free.

Imperium - Province Profiles

Promontorium is the capital city of the Imperium. It's name is the Latin word for "peak" as it is situated on the top of a mountain in the practical center of the Imperium.
Promontorium has 139 citizens spread over four districts: Upper, Lower, Mines, and Subterranean.
The council building is located within Promontorium and houses the five reigning members of the Council.

Seaside Province is the center of commerce within the Imperium. It has the highest rate of immigration. It rests on the edge of the sea and has many imports from both the Archipelago Islands and nearby civilizations outside of the Imperium.

Paradise Valley is situated in a valley, hence the name, and has the highest variety of uncommon plant-life found anywhere within the Imperium. This makes it any ideal location for the School of Research, which is headed by the Archmage and is responsible for the bulk of scientific study within the Imperium.

Farthington contains the farming village which provides the majority of food to the empire. The Imperial dungeon is also located here. This serves two purposes. One, it is distant from the rest of the Imperium and would make escaping difficult for the prisoners. Two, it allows the prisoners to be put to work in the most labor-intensive province of the empire.

The Archipelago Islands are a tropical collection of islands without any great cohesive purpose. Each Island may have it's own cultural differences and general mood. These islands are not yet built so I don't really know much about them yet.

Note: Each province is a day's foot-journey from its nearest provincial neighbor.

Imperium - Intro

So, me and my roommate have this lego empire in our living room. It's pretty fun when we can find time to play with it. That's the difficult thing - finding time.

Anyway, you're probably wondering what I mean by "lego empire." A lego empire (which we've had many of in the past) is exactly what it sounds like. It is an empire made entirely out of legos except for the basic terrain. Tables and boxes serve as mountains and plateaus, bringing stability to a carpeted floor.

This particular empire is named the "Imperium." Not a particularly clever name, but it suits our purposes. It is composed of five provinces: Promontorium, Seaside Province, Archipelago Islands, Farthington, and Paradise Valley. Each of these provinces is unique in its own right, with the first two being the largest.

We don't have the entire Imperium constructed yet, but time will bring success. Currently, Promontorium is completely finished, Farthington is very close to being done, and Paradise Valley has terrain and human inhabitants but is still in the need of plant and animal life.