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October 6, 2009, 11:15 PM

You know, IKEA does some things very well, and some things seem just needlessly complicated. The comforter situation fits the latter quite well. I went over to IKEA this evening to get some ideas for a new comforter for my bed. I got my current one from Target in July 2007, and it’s not looking too good, mainly because it’s faded quite a bit. So I’m looking to replace it. The way IKEA sells comforters is more complicated than I think I like. The comforter itself is white – they only come in white. Then you buy a duvet cover that goes over the comforter that provides the pattern and what have you. While it certainly provides the most options for color vs. warmth and such, it’s WAY beyond what I’m going for. I can really see myself having a rough time getting that comforter into the duvet cover and then snapping it in all nice-like. Something tells me I’m going to go a different route than this. It seems more complicated than I want. Sometimes the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle is a good thing. IKEA’s bedspreads, which, while nice and simple, also failed to impress me. However, I’m probably not going to go to Target for another comforter, either. I think I’m probably going to hit Bed Bath & Beyond or something like that for the new comforter or bedspread.

However, they did have lots of nice things there, and I came to the realization recently that my apartment is really kind of blah as far as decor goes. The carpet is tan, and the color scheme pretty much follows that, as everything is different shades of beige. Schumin Web is all flashy with the rainbow-colored logo and the squares-in-squares background, but my house is less so. I need color and flair. I have a striped fitted sheet that I use for guests, and once, after Mom stayed over, I left the fitted sheet on the couch for a week after I put the futon frame back in the upright position. I loved it. So as things wear out, I need to start thinking about bright, vibrant colors. Plus I need to hang up those bloody picture frames, already…

Otherwise, I recently played Space Quest 4.5: Roger Wilco and the Voyage Home. It’s a fan-made game, but if you’re a Space Quest fan, you might want to check it out, too. What the game does is it attempts to bridge the gap between Space Quest IV and Space Quest V. At the end of Space Quest IV, you see, Roger is returned to the present, back where Roger Jr. first picked him up. So he’s again at a bar with the Aluminum Mallard. However, when Space Quest V starts up, Roger is a cadet at Starcon Academy, and training to be a spaceship captain. 4.5 tries to explain how he got from Point A to Point B. It also explains why Zondra was ready to kill Roger in Space Quest X (part of Space Quest IV).

While not wanting to give the entire plot away, let me just say that these people tried, but didn’t match Sierra as far as humor and gameplay went. The game involves a lot of repetitive travel back and forth between locations. I think I took Roger on about three trips between the Galaxy Galleria Mall and Estros alone, and a few other back-and-forths as well. The smell and taste functions, while present, didn’t do anything – and those were some of the funniest parts of the real games, even though I don’t think they ever contributed to actual gameplay. Roger also seems a little out of character at times, opening things up and saying, “Oh, I’ll have that,” without much explanation.

So they definitely tried. The music is good, but not all of it fits the Space Quest style. However, they did deal with the change in graphics styles fairly well. The style used in Space Quest V was distinctly different than that used in Space Quest IV. Basically, the graphics turned over when Roger joined Starcon. However, the game is closer in style to Space Quest IV than Space Quest V. All in all, though, it’s worth a play, but it’s definitely not ready for prime time.

You didn’t know I was such a Space Quest geek, did you?

Meanwhile, let us not forget – I’m on vacation for two weeks! Yay! Already, I’ve put out a new photo set: Tubing the Shenandoah River, which is about that tubing trip that I took with my coworkers back in July. That set was about 40% complete as of last Friday, and I went ahead and put it over the top. Now there are Photography sets that I’d like to complete, and they are nowhere close to even 40%…

Web site: The Space Quest Omnipedia

Song: The theme from Space Quest V when you're walking through the Starcon Academy

Quote: And tomorrow - Funk the War 8! See you at Thomas Circle at 3:30 PM...

Categories: Furniture, Schumin Web meta, Travel, Video games