all made up with nowhere to go

Last Monday, I had nausea with a migraine that was so bad I actually thought I was going to throw up. I got the nausea before the pain, so initially, I thought it'd been something I'd eaten the day before. Turns out not!

So, anyway, I don't often get that as a symptom, which is why I didn't twig what it was at first, and when I usually do, I'm usually just a bit queasy.

I. I do not want this.

Then yesterday, I had an air pressure migraine, which was gross because I could feel it in my face. Like. I wish sinuses did not exist, because I hate it when I can feel that they're there and am reminded.

I do not want that, either.

~

I started playing FFXIII-2 again a bit ago, and I am currently around 7 hours in. I don't really have a lot to say, except I think I'm probably playing it wrong. I'm trying not to use my game guide unless I really have to (they say, having already looked up two bosses on the internet). I'm dumping most of Serah's development into Ravager/Medic/Saboteur (in roughly that order) because I think she has higher magic stats that Noel, and then Noel is Commando/Sentinel/probably Synergist? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I remember more of the early game than I thought I would. Snow's daft redesign doesn't bug me as much as it used to (although I still am side-eyeing that haircut because WHAT IS THAT).

~

In other news, I had to go out yesterday morning at short notice, and much to my own annoyance, so I bought myself some pens to make me feel better (nobody is surprised). I got a six pack of neon Stabilo fineliners, and two Uni Pin pens - one a brush tip, one a 05 dark grey. Turns out I already had a replacement brush pen, and the dark grey one's tip is bent (I didn't think to check it before I left the store). It's useable, but I am slightly annoyed about that. And I can't get a replacement because I didn't get a receipt, and I won't be able to go back any time soon :|

I'm really pleased with the neon fineliners, though, because they truly are eye-wateringly neon. I don't know what I'll use them for, but I'm sure I'll think of something.

Two things:

1. I had a blood test recently, and it turns out I'm really anaemic, which is fun! Though apparently my iron levels are better than they were a year ago, but not by much.

So I am sitting here munching pumpkin seeds, and hoping that helps a bit.

2. I beat FFXIII-2 earlier! I was literally at the end of the game anyway, so it wasn't that difficult. I was expecting the boss fights to be more difficult, but I'd been following my game guide, so was way more levelled than I might have been had I not been using it. Anyway, they were pretty much a breeze, except for the final final one, which has three bosses (you know, because one is not enough), and that took me two goes. But only because I wasn't really paying attention the first time (though that fight is really gimmicky).

( spoilers! )

Now to play Lightning Returns, I guess! (I think the mechanics of the game are going to drive me loopy, but I'm in it for the costumes, man).

Now if you'll excuse me, I am off to chew on Tony Stark.

I just gave myself a week's holiday. And very relaxing it was, too. I knitted a shawl! (Though since I was using an unknown amount of yarn, it's actually turned out shorter than it was supposed to be, but that's OK).

Although I told myself not to fret about not working, I still kind of found it hard to switch my work brain off. As a consequence, I've spent more time doing "stuff" than I have doing things like drawing, or gaming (seriously - this evening, for example: sit down, put music on, intend to draw pirates. Start knitting with huge needles and sari yarn* instead. WTF BRAIN? Though to be fair to my thought processes, once I realised what I was doing, I put the knitting down, and picked up my sketchbook instead).

So I've done house cleaning (the details of which are tedious except for:) which includes the kitchen table. I now have a cutting mat on there, and mum's/gran's manual sewing machine so now I can sew things! :D Well, I can once I've sorted the bench so that I can sit on it without having to tie myself in knots. After I've done that, I'm thinking about moving my craft books into the kitchen so they're in a useful place that isn't my room (because sometimes I think that's part of the problem, you know?)

(First thing I'm going to do is sew me a cushion because damn that bench is hard).

*It's yarn spun from the remnants of sari production. I have two balls of it, though I've misplaced the other one for the time being. It is beautiful and OMG THE COLOURS.

~*~

Also I have kept forgetting to mention it since I watched it, but the last film I watched was Fracture.

I thought it was really good, actually. It also has the honour of being the only thing I've seen Ryan Gosling in (if you don't like him, please don't let that put you off). I mean, I didn't even know who Ryan Gosling was until about a year ago ("an actor? seriously? why hasn't he been in anything I've ever heard of?")

I won't say much about it (because it would spoil it, and I think it's better to go into it knowing nothing about it at all), other than Anthony Hopkins is, as always, bloody awesome (he was the entire reason we watched the film in the first place). But if you ever get a chance to watch it, and you like crime stuff, I'd say it's worth a go.

~*~

Now I'm going to go and work on The Most Annoying Puzzle In A Video Game Ever™ AKA the hands of time puzzles in FFXIII-2. Seriously. That shit is evil.

I believe I am nearly at the end of FFXIII-2.

Jumping puzzles are not to be done at 2am when you are deathly tired and cannot sleep. With regard to that, I am still stuck in Academia 500 AF with said jumping puzzle.

~*~

Dingsi made a post with a wishlist on it, and ever since I have been thinking about writing my own. Primarily because people say to me, "I would like to buy you a gift, what do you like?" and I flail my arms and go, "I DUNNO."

(On a related note, mum asked if I wanted Things or Money for Xmas and my birthday, and I keep flip-flopping between the two. Things means more stuff in general, but Money means I get things like games, for example. I said I would write a wishlist and see what happened).

Anyway, one of the things Dingsi would like is dark ambient music recs. He's had several suggestions already, and I have been thinking about checking some of them out, because I like music.

Except I didn't know what dark ambient music really was. So I went looking on Wikipedia. I came away none the wiser, really, except there was a list of artists, so I clicked it. Under A there is Akira Yamaoka (SCORE!!) and Aphex Twin (um, I like some stuff by him. I will have to see if I whipped the CD off my brother with Aeigopolis or however you spell it). There's also Brian Eno, but I don't know any of his solo stuff.

Long story short, there's a few more artists on there I recognise. Also, IN B4 anyone says Wikipedia isn't always accurate. YES. I KNOW.

I also discovered THIS, which I've actually been looking for for AGES now. Listen to the sounds the planet Jupiter makes naturally. It is some weird stuff, but beautiful. Turns out those guys who believed in the music of the spheres were right.

~*~

Escher Girls is horrifying.

Must remember to look on there next time I feel like I have no grasp of art whatsoever.

(Ugh, I really need to make this a paid account again so I can get at the rest of my icons).

Final Fantasy XIII-2 finally came on Thursday.

I really hate waiting for stuff. It wouldn't be so bad, but I'm really impatient. Everything NOW NOW NOW.

Anyway, I am now on Episode 3: Part 2 (I think? I find the writing hard to read when it says episode heading as it's coloured to suit the background, and often wrapped around the landscape. Also, need I remind you, I'm playing on a CRT, not an LCD TV). I have little to no idea what I am doing, where I am going, or even what order I'm supposed to be doing. Which is why I spent some of this morning running around in Augusta Tower 400 AF, and then unable to complete it because I wasn't supposed to be there yet, obviously.

So currently Noel and Serah are sitting on the Archylte Steppe (there are worse places they could be), waiting for me to be arsed to beat Faeryl (I did try before I napped this afternoon, but it took too long, got boring, so I let everyone get killed instead).

Noel has grown on me, thanks to his voice actor, but I still think he looks like a Kingdom Hearts reject. Serah's also grown on me, because now she's actually actively doing something. Although I love that she mostly fights with a bow. Bows rock.

Also HOPE ♥ ♥ ♥! I mean, I've always liked him, but now he's older, he's just...wonderful *happy sigh*

I like Caius, although he's terribly creepy. (Dang, dat voice. Also to say his colour scheme is purple, it's not as bad you might imagine. And, apparently, he is Squeenix's new poster boy for Most Powerful Villain Ever, which I can imagine is pissing off the Sephiroth fanboys).

I've said what I have to say about Snow and his redesign before, so I won't go over that again.

Not sure how I feel about the monster catching element so far (although it's so easy, since there's nothing to it unlike, say, catching a chocobo in FFVII. That drives me bonkers). I never know which ones to choose for the best, for my paradigms. And I don't know which ones to level up. Giving them adornments amuses the crap out of me, though*.

*Though some of them trigger a squick I have regarding things being in places they shouldn't be. Which, ask if you want to know more, but I'm not going into it here because I don't want to even think about it.

I also find the narrator's voice in the Historia Crux very soothing.

~*~

Played the alpha version of Prometheus for a bit the other day. Not sure what to make of it.

Also started Shin Megami Tensei I. I will have to start over again, however, as I messed up my save file by, uh, saving over it when I got a game over. I R SMRT! I shall try again, though!