One Part Scorn and Two Parts Love

If you happen to be one of the people unfortunate enough to be constantly exposed to me you will probably have noticed I'm pretty lazy when it comes to shaving. Of course growing facial hair has been a recent trend amounst my friends so maybe you haven't. The truth is though I hate shaving. Standing shirtless in your bathroom dragging a razor across your face whilst water turns cold on your body is not a pleasant experience. But the real unpleasantness will set in about a day later when your beard has rounded up more troops and gone on the offensive, causing an infuriating itch and giving you an unsightly rash. Scratching all the time can be a particularly good way to become less actractive and taken less seriously but on the other hand I'm not the kind of guy who can grow an awesome beard either and eventually the beard itches anyway; thus resulting in a lose - lose situation in which I just wish I could lurk in the middle somewhere avoiding the worst of both extremes.

Anyway because I've only just realised how short the post will be if it is exclusively on the topic of shaving I have decided it is time at long last for me to publically praise Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. It is pretty much my favourite TV series. It is intelligent, philosophical and it warrents repeated viewing so that you can completely get your head around what it is they're suggesting. It makes you think and when you finally start to get it it makes you feel smart. All very good points. Unfortunately there ARE 2 things I dislike about it. One minor niggle is that the second season in named Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig which is punishing to say in a sentence. It is perhaps lucky that people who watch alot of Sci-fi anime don't really have friends and so therefor aren't burdened with the task of having to pronounce the title out loud. That of course is a minor issue in the face of the larger one. There are these unnescessarily annoying AI characters that frequently adulterate this perfect series with their chirpy, child-like voices. The other characters seem completely oblivious to the overexcited nature of these AI units and actually *groan* grow attached to them. In one of the episodes it is actually revealed that these AI characters can actually willfully change their voices, making me question just how intelligent these AI's really are if their opting for the most horridly grating voices possible. I know I've probably made this show sound really aweful at this point, choosing to focus on the negatives but the way I figured it would be easier to say "it's perfect appart from this one little thing" than say "here is a long and thorough list of why GITS:SAC is awesome." Also, I'd like to add, on the off-chance that someone will actually listen and attempt to watch this show, that the series is a little slow to start. By the third episode it should be in full swing though.