That looks pretty cool! I'm so out of the loop with video games. I remember there was an "uproar" leading up to the xcom you're playing because it looked like an FPS and not like the ancient dos game. I'm so confused. Did the game you're playing have like an opening video about aliens taking over a suburban neighborhood and like Men in Black type dudes coming to the rescue? What in the eff am I talking about?

I love how all you need in a game to represent Erik is a goatee :)

Here's a couple screenies:

The Squad (RIP Welsh, top left)

The New Recruit. "What's up, gays? I'm here to gay this place up and out... no homo."

Wish I'd got a screenshot of Rookie Welsh because the face was pretty hilarious. C'est la vie.

Nope, I'm talking about Xcom: Enemy Unknown, it came out last year and it's a turn-based squad game. I think the FPS got announced and shelved, then the strategy game got developed.

I haven't had a chance to play again but will try to get in another mission or two soon!

I'm glad to be the anchor for the team! :)  I assume you're talking about the new
Xcom? Is it not just a fps?

Played the first couple missions in XCOM tonight. Super fun! If you don't mind, I'll relay the tale:

We begin with four nameless XCOM soldiers investigating mysterious occurrences in Germany. What is XCOM and what are the occurrences? Who can say, for I accidentally clicked through the intro movie. What is true is that the team is unprepared to meet ALIEN INVADERS and only one survivor makes it through! This mohicaned slab of beefcake reveals his name: RUDY RIOT. He is promoted and takes the class of heavy. "When I fire my rocket, it's a real 'riot'!"

I quickly change a bunch of soldier's names, intending for the four-man squad to consist of: Riot, R. WELSH, E. HESSEL, and rugged African-American J. LEE. A choice must be made: investigate attacks in Miami, United States? Or Shanghai, China? The team chooses China, because fuck Florida.

What the shit! The squad members are automatically chosen for me! Riot, Welsh, some generic fuckstick, and a WOMAN are chosen. The Action Team, hang out with strangers and women? The squad churlishly renames the blonde SMELTA FART. But who is this mysterious stranger? All is revealed when the generic white fellow turns into a slab of Asian beefcake. "It was me all along - ICE LEE." But then who is this other Lee in the barracks? Mysterious stuff.

The team arrives in Shanghai. Fart cautiously advances into a building, while Riot climbs onto the roof and takes cover. Two aliens sighted! Welsh, angry at being away from his island paradise, charges around the building to the left while Lee, leverages hard-earned Paintball club stealth lessons and advances right. The aliens still haven't seen our squad. Riot fires down. A hit! Welsh and Lee continue their respective brash and cautious advances. Meanwhile, Fart keeps moving around inside the building like some total bitch. Riot, having got the attention of the remaining alien, takes a blind shot -- a hit! "Come on ladies, can't you do better? Except for the real lady -- you can't."

No more aliens in sight, the squad advances. Welsh continues his impressive run. "Dude, how'd he get so many movement points?" muses Lee. As Welsh moves, he spots two more aliens! The little buggers flee his terrifying gait, hiding in a building, then firing at Welsh, who takes a hit! "Another one like that and you'll never eat another poke bowl!" cautions Smelta Fart. "Shut the fuck up, bitch!" insists Welsh.

Welsh and the aliens exchange fire with no hits. "On this planet, YOU'RE the Haoles," taunts Welsh. Lee cozies up uncomfortably close to Fart behind a dumpster. Riot advances behind them, cautiously moving into rocketing position. He desires to show off his rocketing skills.

TRAGEDY STRIKES! Welsh is shot and killed by the aliens, probably due to distracting chatter from Smelta Fart. Riot panics at the sight, instinctively emptying the remainder of his clip into Fart's back, causing severe injuries. Ice Lee stays cool though, giving Fart useful tips as she ends one alien's life. He doesn't take credit for the kill or anything, but we all know it was him.

"Sorry about that," Riot apologizes to Fart, then decimates the last alien's shitty house and body with his rocket launcher. As the survivors solemnly fly back to XCOM HQ, Fart is informed that she has been promoted thanks to affirmative action. Also, Shanghai is grateful for the team's intervention, and PayPals the XCOM organization $200 in reward. Meanwhile, Miami burns!

I don't remember that story at all, but that's epic! Are we talking about the weird-looking vice principal with the funny eye and the black beard?

Rude, if I ever move back to LA let's look up JP and watch some Twin Peaks and/or Russ Myers movies.

I know I've heard that story before - I specifically remember the part about trash cans - maybe someone we knew was involved or in the band - a dude with a pony tail? - but I'm pretty sure that was before my time or I just completely missed it.

I know I've googled him less than a year ago but suddenly there's a ton of stuff that pops up. I searched "JP MUNRO PAINTER" and I probably just searched his name in the past.

| Cryptic Dweller

My favorite title of one of his pieces because I'm PRETTY SURE he aped, er, re-appropriated the title from a band that played in the quad during lunch at Costa.  IIRC, the band started playing a cover by Slayer (South of Heaven) and once the song got going, a pit started, trashcans were thrown and the vice principal at the time, I forget his name but he had a black-belt of some sort, started kicking ass to control the kids and the show was shut down before the song ended.

Anyone else remember that?

If the LA Times ever ran a contest to guess where the title of one of JP's pieces came from and then you would win the piece, I would TOTALLY win it unless one of you pricks jumped in after hearing my story and actually won...

PS I think his style looks like the stuff he would paint on Warhammer standards in high school.  Just instead of space marines, skulls, and dragons he now paints dongs, skulls, and Shivas.

| the intense, compelling perversity of Munro's lapis and ochre phantasmagorias.

Sometimes forgotten friends pop into my mind and I have to re-google them. Here's a pretty recent article on JP from the LA Weekly:
JP and some other dude Story
They show some work he's done from 2012 so he's still apparently alive and making awesome art!

Here's another link with more of his paintings and a bio n shit.

LA Times one.

I guess this impacts my "quick project" which is nowhere near complete. Hmm, maybe I'll pay for some time too. Definitely enjoy logging in and digging about once in a while.

I've had a cough for two weeks and it's still going strong. Whether it's the persistent dull headache, the crackling sound my exhales make, or waking up with my right sinus jammed full of crud, there's always something new to experience! BLEAH.

| Minefold BS

That is most unfortunate about Mindfold. I still throw in a good bit of time in the old Minecraft action. I have about 100 hours left on my last purchase, I may also pickup some more. Are they eventually going to cut off everyone from the old model whether or not they have burned through all of their hours? I failed at Google this morning and I couldn't find info about the change :(

D>M>