We'll it's been a while. And (but?) for good reason. Last week was finals, yet I'll say no more on such a subject since few reading this have the patience or physical background necessary to care or understand what I would have to say on the matter.

Let us instead discuss how I spent my week off from physics: by camping. Perhaps as eager as I to get away from Davis for a few days, I enlisted the aid of a few of my friends to journey with me to Jedidiath Smith Campground, located in the far north of California's Redwood Park. I'll try to find some pictures, but for now I will have to use English to convey my description of our adventures. The drive was pleasant and scenic: on the way up we had sun and our eyes feasted on titanic redwoods, quaint towns and calm waters, but on the way down we were assaulted by snow, furious seas and mist-shrouded peaks reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands. The stay itself will certainly be one to be remembered. In short we drove though a tree, were attacked by the ocean, skipped rocks at a riverside, huddled around some smoldering logs that could occasionally have been classified as a fire, opposed the wind (Greg) himself to gain purchase on a lighthouse's rocky outcropping, told tales, ate foods and played a game of discovery, settlement and trade while cowering within our flimsy canvas stronghold from the sky's incessant and bone-chilling assault on our lives. I can't wait to go again.

I've decided just this morning to start playing EarthBound, king of games. I think I'll update the blog frequently with my progress and with EarthBound villains. Given that this coming week is but the first of the term, and that homeworks won't be due until much later, I think I should be able to entirely ensconce myself within the game's enchantingly eccentric embrace before reality attempts to pry me loose with its petty needs and cruel demands. To whet your whistles I give you now its awesome (and I do mean it in the literal, awe-inducing sense) title screen:

And now for a random assortment of announcements. First, at the request of a certain Dr. Science, I will be providing Strange Maths in the next post. Second, I find myself really wanting to try steak tartare; it seems quite tasty. Third, I will be, yet again, postponing my fantasy novel reviews. I've now consumed Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings, but will speak of it at a later date.

I've watched quite a few movies lately, but only one has a villain who is both worthy of being included on the blog and whose label as a evil force doesn't completely spoil the plot of the film. So I bid you now to cower beneath the sleazy, conniving power of Gordon Gekko's smile!

Before I even begin talking about what a great villain this guy is, let's just take a moment to look at him. Look at his slicked-back, sinister hair enhancing the reptilian image created by the name Gekko. Look at his shifty, plotting eyes that never quite seem to look at your own. But most of all look at that grin. That malevolent, bemused smirk that wants nothing more than to bite the head off of anything that gets in its way. This my friends is the face of a villain. Antagonist of the film Wall Street, Gordon Gekko is a ludicrously wealthy but morally bankrupt investor who will stop at nothing to increase his fortune. During his speech at a shareholder's meeting midway through the film you would swear greed personified walks the earth in his exorbitantly priced, black shoes. He seeks to bring those around him into his corrupt fold, chews them up and spits them back out once he has what he needs. This man is truly villainous.