Katamari Forever

Damn my thumbs hurt. I love me some Katamari. I normally do not really like playing video games. I'm pretty terrible at them. When I say that I'm terrible, I more mean at the maneuvering skills. I have next-to-none dexterity. My fingers are like broken sticks glued back together. They rarely do what I want them to do, except type. They are pretty good at typing--right now, not so much. They tire easily with the PS3 (or 2) controller. I am good at understanding video games, and intuitively knowing what I should be doing next. I'm not so bad with puzzles. But ask me to walk Zelda across some skinny plank, fuck you. I can't do it. I can fall of with some serious skill. Even with Katamari I don't do as well, as say, The Boy (he has spent years really studying video games of all types, and his fingers are magical, and not just with video-game controllers...heh heh), but shit, it is good fun to roll things up for the King. I just found Dangle! That's my cousin, you know. Seriously people, if you have not played any of the Katamaris, you must go out and correct that shit NOW. You will want it for the dialogue and music alone ("The stars are crunchy!" "Dogs and Thunderclouds and Erasers and Handcuffs!"). When I'm done playing Katamari for the evening, there always is a nice little build-up of skin flakes at the bottom of the directional sticks. Those are pieces of my thumb dying for my love of Katamari.

Playing Katamari, always makes me think of my best friend, and how she introduced my years upon years ago to Pizzicato Five. They are this really kick-ass Japanese band. How a girl from Michigan who listened to Wally Pleasant introduced me (ME!) to Pizzicato Five is a bit baffling, but damn, she is a work of magic and frijoles. The first Katamari game had me up and rocking even when I wasn't playing. And I said to The Boy, "Hey, that sounds like Pizzicato Five on there." He would have looked at me blankly if he had been able to tear his eyes away from the game (usually I find this wicked annoying, but in his defense it is really hard to stop looking at all that STUFF on a Katamari level; we're talking shoes, sushi, sumo wrestlers, flying angels, elephants, rainbows, pins, small children, fires, stars, houses, tsunamis, giant squids, flying robot men, etc.), but he did kind of grunt at me. That is a normal way for him to indicate he is listening. So, I looked it up, and behold, one of the lead vocalists, Maki Nomiya (they've changed a bit, but she's from 1987 time period), sings a song called "Baby Universe." The Frijole and I used to share a very tiny office together (where we literally had to use graph paper to figure out how to configure all the filing cabinets that were in there so we could still fit ourselves and the desk in with them), and we'd dance to Pizzicato Five and Beat Happening. That girl could shake her ass to "Hot-Chocolate Boy" like no one's business. Fine, fine ass shaker she is.

This is really a lovely way to spend a Friday, and thank the Katamari gods that there is DVR, because I can still watch Dollhouse even though I rolled my prince right through the whole thing. Dollhouse better be getting a bit better, because I'm starting to feel a bit let down by the whole thing. Bring Pushing Daisies back if Joss can't live up to the hype. The Boy, Wikus and I spent 2009 watching all of Buffy and Angel (Wikus had always snubbed these shows, but we got him addicted and we didn't even have to get him that drunk on the whiskey). Obviously this man can throw something enjoyable together, but Dollhouse seems to be dragging. Maybe I just don't like him using all his old cast in these new roles. I'm probably stubborn like that. Now, as much as Wikus enjoyed Buffy (we both think SMG is one ugly horsey-face, but we got over it) and Angel, he did not like Pushing Daisies. That is some pretty fucked-up shit on Wikus' part. Sure, he liked Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me (seriously, two of his favorite shows), but he felt Pushing Daisies was too much, too cutesy, trying too hard. Blah blah blah. I stopped listening because obviously Wikus is crazy. Bryan Fuller can do no wrong, so Wikus, just go pick your nose somewhere else. Seems Mr. Fuller will be back to writing with the Heroes staff. That better mean Heroes is better this season because I'm so about to drop it on its not-so-super-tough ass. Oh, wait, it is only a short stunt. Your life is looking even shorter to me Heroes. Here's to Sylar doing all my work for me, because honestly, I am too lazy and too busy playing Katamari to actually do the dirty work myself.

Speaking of Wikus, he broke a spoke on his bike today, so he wasn't able to join in the fun tonight. Poor Wikus. I started some new medication today which has made me dizzy (and has left me feeling like I'm riding a rollercoaster when playing in that crazy Katamari game) so I could not drive the 2 miles to fetch him. High on drugs driving = bad; high on drugs playing a psychedelic Japanese game = fun times.

The Boy is out at some choir rehearsal (yawn), so it is just me, the cats and a tortoise. My stomach is full of Numero Dos Combo from a good Mexican place (read: totally dirty tacos like the deliciousness you'd find on the streets of Tijuana). Will he come home and walk in on me totally making out with the TV, trying to get some Dangle in me? I'll totally feel guilty about it in the morning, but I really do have medication to help with that. Wow, the King is giving me such low scores, but I don't care! I'm rolling his world all up, collecting his memories, and they may be small crappy balls, but I have a fun evening ahead of me.