Category: Life Convergence

This Thing I Like AND This Other Thing I Like? TOGETHER? WHOA..

I like a lot of different things that are, for the most part, unrelated on the objective level. One of my favorite things is finding subjective relations and similarities between these things.

It makes me giddy, and I get excited. Like really excited.

…Okay, there’s plenty of things that do that, but this is one of them worth pointing out!

There’s so many times this has happened, but I don’t think I can recall them all. I’ve decided that when they happen, I’ll remember to write them down and post them. To start, I’m going to hash out some of the ones I remember and create a new blog category for it.

Sonata Arctica + Bryan Adams

Posted on by Mewissa

Today, I listened to Sonata Arctica‘s new album, The Ninth Hour, for the second time.

Maybe I didn’t get to finish the album the first time through because I was taken by complete surprise when this happened.

Side note: Somehow, a Bryan Adams song was appended to another band’s album’s playlist. I’m not sure how it ended up there, but it did. I just kind of left it for a while.

So when I heard the opening riff to Bryan Adams’ Run to You, I opened up Spotify to investigate why this was happening again.

It wasn’t.

I had a mini-freak-out in the group chat with my music BFFs. Sonata Arctica REALLY DID cover Bryan Adams’ Run to You!

JukkaKhan was a meanie head about it, too. But I forgive.

Assassin’s Creed: Rogue and That One Paper I Wrote

Posted on by Mewissa

Today I started Assassin’s Creed: Rogue.

Back in 2009, I took a Middle Ages humanities class and we got to choose our own topics for our final paper. The topic I chose was the Vikings.

In one of the discovered audio clips early in the game, a man recounts his experience on as Viking on a raid at Lindisfarne. One of my main examples of how the Vikings helped to shape the period was that raid at Lindisfarne.

Now ain’t that funny!

Actually, the man’s experience was not funny at all. It was quite sad.

The Fox Saw The Sign

Posted on by Mewissa

If you’ve talked to me long enough, you’d have found that I enjoy most music and will listen to just about anything. However, my listening preference generally falls something along the lines of 84% power/symphonic metal, 8% trance/electronica, 5% Ace of Base, and 3% random crap. (FYI, my iPod hasn’t been scrobbled in months.)

Note that Ace of Base gets their own percentage block. Yes, I do listen to the stuff from -after- The Sign and The Bridge. Yes, I know their latest album has new singers. Yes, I like them.

An earlier post of mine mentions that I’ve been addicted to Ylvis – The Fox.

This happened:

I do have an affinity for jazz music. And that? Holy… Just. YEAH.

I cannot convey my giddiness, but I will try. Have some nonsense:
SQUEEEEOEIHGSE;LKGHA;OEIGHSD;FZHVSDSFSDZOMG!!!

Middle Ages Humanities Class and Assassin’s Creed (early 2009)

Posted on by Mewissa

More video games + school

I think it was the same semester I took genetics, actually, that I opted to take a humanities course on the Middle Ages for fun. This one wasn’t a requirement. That in itself made it way more exciting. But that’s besides the point.

I had also begun playing Assassin’s Creed during this time.

Main cities in AC1: Damascus, Acre, Jerusalem
Protagonist: Altair

In my class, some of our reading assignments were from primary sources. That is to say pieces actually written within the time period. One of them struck a huge coincidence:

Author: Ali ibn al-Athir

Tell me that’s not at least worth a second take! Not only that, but within a paragraph or two, he had mentioned all three of AC1’s main cities.

Umm. Heck yes!

My favorite number in Movies: Harry Potter and Twilight

Posted on by Mewissa

My favorite number is 934. This started back when I was in middle school (circa 1997).

In Harry Potter, the magic platform at the train station is 9 and three quarters. The numbers used are 9 3/4. <3 In one of the Twilight movies, there's a scene in the back seat of a car and someone checks their phone. The time is 9:34. PS: Don't judge me negatively because I've seen the Twilight movies. We've all seen movies that aren't necessarily good 😉

Genetics Class and Bioshock (early 2009)

Posted on by Mewissa

One of the requirements of my undergrad major was a general genetics class. I also like video games. But you knew that already.

In both lecture and lab, we were discussing plasmids. They are small, usually circular, pieces of DNA that code for something or other. They can reside within a eukaryotic cell and be transcribed, translated, etc, along with the organism’s DNA to provide the organism with the gene it contains. Pretty neat!

At the same time, I had started Bioshock. In the beginning of the game, you find these abilities by the name of, you guessed it, plasmids! You equip the plasmid serum, and poof! Your genetic makeup is altered, giving you a new power. The ability to spawn lightning, fire, ice from your palms, telekinesis, or spawning things like dummy targets or a swarm of bees.

Video games and biology!!!!