Old Habits Die Hard: Vendetta

Never watch half an episode of House on DVD then watch a new one on TV then come back and try to finish watching that first one. Won't work. I know, I'm doing it now. No idea who's dying of what. Then again, it's before the second ad break, so neither do any of the doctors.

Sooooooo..... topic.

Well, somebody asked me a couple of days ago, while I was watching Life of Brian (on my GP2X, great little thing), if I listen to music at all. I had to say that I really didn't. I don't listen to music as a form of recreation, I don't even have any real music playing device. I've got a CD player, used for listening to either The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Sherlock Holmes audio books or cassettes of old radio shows (long story). I use iTunes mostly for listening to the odd podcast and general audio stuff. As was established by today's Maths lesson and the examination of my binary watch therein, I'm a technology geek. Which makes it kind of surprising that I don't have a mobile phone or an iPod.

The lack of phone probably corresponds to a lack of a social life, but I don't have an iPod because I don't listen to music. I've got my GP2X or a Pocket PC if I want to watch movies or view images. If I did get an iPod, I'd get one of the older ones cheap and install some version of Linux on it, just because I could.

For some reason, I just don't listen to music by itself, as a way of entertaining myself. I'll listen to pretty much whatever comes on the radio in the morning, assuming the DJ doesn't just keep talking about himself and celebrity gossip for twenty minutes. However, I'll be looking out the window the whole time. I'll listen to some game or movie soundtracks, something catchy, but only while I pace around the room thinking about something else.

I just can't concentrate on music by itself. Some kind of audio with discussion, or a story to tell, I'll listen to. I just need to be watching something as well. And even then, I'll be listening to one thing, watching another and sometimes concentrating on something completely different. I'll play Tetris while watching TV, heck, I've got some of my best high scores while doing that. I got my CD player the same Christmas I got my Xbox, so I used to play through most of Halo while listening to the Hitchhiker's Guide.

I just don't get engaged on any intellectual level by music, I don't find it enjoyable to listen to by itself. I'm probably a visually-oriented individual or something like that.

Anyway, since I didn't stick to yesterday's timing and it's currently pretty damned late, I'll just make a few final points.

One, that Maths lesson I mentioned earlier. Last lesson on the last day of term. Nothing productive ever going to happen there but it was a laugh. It's that kind of stuff that I miss most over holidays, just sitting and chatting with people while I'm supposed to be working.

Also, Die Hard: Vendetta, as referenced in today's title, which also refers to my return to late night posting, is a rather good first person shooter, one which I picked up second hand for only a couple of pounds for the Gamecube. One of the levels, set in a prison, requires some really finnicky stealth but other than that, it's a very solid experience. Just thought I'd share that with you.