The Elucidated Ponderings of an Apathetic Mind

ACen Edit!

2011-05-16T22:53:00.002-04:00

So....it's been a bit since I posted my poll. I did not get as many votes as I'd hoped, but I more importantly ran out of time and ability to create anything meaningful. That being said, I did not cop out entirely. I really really wanted to do something from Hetalia, so, instead of trying to make a costume from whole cloth, which is very difficult for me since I cannot sew to save my life, I'm doing more of an homage to a character. I'll be dressed as America in "plain clothes" on Friday. I'll try to get a picture or so taken and posted if anyone wants.
I still plan on the schoolgirl for Saturday, and, as long as I think it will be worth dressing up on Sunday, BLEACH then. If I decide it's not worth it to dress up on Sunday, I will probably have a costume change in the middle of the day, from BLEACH in the morning to schoolgirl in the evening.
But, so, there's my update.

Maybe one of these days I'll update this blog with something other than cosplay ideas. :P

Quiche!

2011-04-17T22:02:00.003-04:00

So, I still need more votes in my poll. But that is not the real reason I'm posting. I'm posting because I just made quiche, and I want you all to be jealous.

This really all started for Pi(e) day. I wanted to celebrate it, but am kind of tired with all the sweet pies, most of which I'm not big fans of. So, when I decided to make an apple pie, I decided to also make a quiche, and an entree pie instead of dessert. I looked up various recipes on the internetz, but decided on amending one to my own devious intentions. It turned out very well, being a potato and bacon concoction, with grueyre and cheddar cheeses. It was also my first attempt at making my own pie crusts. I also thought they tasted all right.

Then, last weekend, I went to St. Louis with my friends Jenny, Ernest, and Craig. No internet monikers for them yet. Dunno if I will do so. If i get complaints, I guess. Anyways, we went so that Jenny could look at a grad school, and Craig could see the city, because he'd never been there. He's a little sheltered in the travel department, especially before he met me. While we were there, I wanted to go to the French bakery that I love. The last time I had been there and taken friends, it did not turn out so well, but this time it was a success. Also, I tried their Quiche Lorraine for the first time. And it was amazing. So, when I got home, I wanted to make more quiche myself.

As I sat at work this last week, I began devising what I'd want in a quiche. That being said, I went and bought ingredients on Friday, and made the pies today. They were mighty tasty. Without further ado, here they are, in all of their glory.

This first one is my "cheeseburger" quiche. It has ground beef and some onion in the bottom, french fries, and cheddar and monterrey jack cheeses.

The second is my "Italian-ish" quiche. It has pancetta, garlic, gnocchi, and fresh basil, with sharp provelone and gueyre cheeses.

Again, I actually made these pie crusts! And they're very tasty.

Ok, are you jealous yet? If not...I tried!

ACEN poll!

2011-04-05T21:52:00.007-04:00

Alright, so I've been AWOL again for a bit. And, again, I apologize. Lots of things have happened, some good some bad, and I really should blog about them. But today, I am blogging with a mission, albeit a selfish one. I realize that most of my blog-readers are also my FB friends, but there may be a few new visitors because of FB. That is my hope, at least.

Here is the gist of it all.
Near the end of May I will be attending ACEN, an anime convention in Chicago. It is 3 days long.
Here is my dilemma, and the poll I ask all of you to participate in. I have 4 costume (cosplay) ideas in mind, but 3 days. Here they are:

Generic BLEACH character:
For this I already have the costume, minus the division arm badge and appropriate shoes, though I have shoes I can wear.

Generic Japanese schoolgirl:
For this, I have a white shirt, black tie, black skirt, etc. for a general costume.

Hirasawa Yui from the anime K-On!:
For this, I really don't have much, other than the same white shirt from the schoolgirl outfit. Some of this should be easy to find, though.

And last, young Hungary from Hetalia: Axis Powers:

(She is the one in green, with her hair pulled back)
I also do not have much for this one, but Items can be procured or made.

So, there you have it. 4 ideas, 3 days. What should I do? if I do 3 different ones, which 3? Or should I just go with the ones I already have, and forget about the others? These questions need answers, and so do I! Please, give me your guidance!!

2011-02-07T19:26:00.003-05:00

I apologize ahead of time, since this is my first real post in a long time, and it's really just a short rant.

All I have to say is:

I'm sorry I wasn't hiding in my apartment all of Superbowl Sunday, and I'm sorry I didn't come straight home from work and hole up in my apartment, instead of going to the store and picking up some dinner. But, Asshat, you may not realize, and I will be so kind as to enlighten you. These carport spaces you see here, where your lowly car sits, basking in it's snow-free glory? They are assigned and paid for in our rents. And you, Sir Douchebag, do not pay for that spot that you are in. It's mine, goddammit, and I don't look forward to scraping my car in the morning just because your fuck-off of a friend also doesn't realize that they aren't "first come, first served". I will give you tonight, just because I don't expect you're going to go out to your car anymore this evening. But, so help me, if your jackass of a car is still parked there when I get home from work tomorrow, well, I may just park you in. Because, I too, can be a major jerk. Bitch, if you will. Thank you, and that is all.

Maybe I should print that out, and put it on their car?

2011-02-02T22:34:00.002-05:00

OMG!!!!!!

This place is dusty!

Oh, *ahem*. I am sorry. I am not dead, just bogged down by the mundanity. Dammit, it's a word now. But! From now on I'm gonna try to post more often. And, I may try to redo the layout a bit. We'll see if that works.

2009-06-17T12:05:00.001-04:00

Perhaps this is a bit random, but right now, I really want to be back in Indiana. Never thought I'd miss that state.....

Happy Wedding!

2009-06-06T11:37:00.002-04:00

Well, it's that time of year again, "wedding season", so everyone's getting married. This post is in honor of a good friend of mine from college who is getting married in Florida today. Congratualtions, Aerine! I wish I could be there!! I know you'll look beautiful and I wish you and Billy all the best. For you, I will post this song. Enjoy it, even if it is in Japanese. :)

Wedding March - Miyavi

Also, I hope my friends who are in Nashville tonight also have a good time, and I do hope I'll be able to attend that wedding! I think this means I need to check my mail again, as there is no invite for that as of yet...though I did get the invite for tonight (the bridal shower/bachelorette party).

Congrats again, to everyone participating in this season!!

2009-05-22T14:28:00.000-04:00

since they have taken away my twitter....i'm tired and ready to go.

2009-05-20T10:11:00.001-04:00

For the record, it's way too much fun being a nerd, but I need more vacation time to fully enjoy it.

2009-05-01T08:18:00.004-04:00

Here's a little song for MayDay (as opposed to m'aidez, French for "help me"). Not safe for blaring at work without headphones or for small children. But fucking hilarious. Enjoy.

2009-04-29T07:59:00.002-04:00

I know this is a day late, but even though I noticed it yesterday, they took away my Twitter at work, and, of course, I didn't remember when I got home. So, Happy Belated Birthday, Terry Pratchett!!

Happy President's day

2009-02-16T20:18:00.002-05:00

All you get is a song. Who knows when I'll post next. Later.

The Presidents - Jonathan Coulton

2008-12-17T23:04:00.003-05:00

I know it's been forever since I last updated, but this isn't really an update. It's a test. To see if I can get this pic to load, since I think it's great. I'll try to do a real update soon. Really!

2008-09-20T12:24:00.003-04:00

All right. I'm currently in the home town, kinda getting ready to go to a high school friend's wedding. But before that, I'm gonna run out and eat some lunch, and visit my mom.

Yes, you read that right. I drove down on Thursday, a day earlier than my parents were expecting me. I didn't think it would be a problem, especially since I called home before I left. I should have called Wednesday night, but oh well. When I called, I left a message on the machine, figuring my mom was asleep or in the bathroom, and therefore unable to answer the phone. Which is kinda normal. When I was about 2 hours from home, I called again, to give a heads up. Left another message, still thinking similar thoughts. And I never expected her to call back and say "Ok, got your message, see you in a couple of hours." But. when I remembered an hour from their house that I left my keys to it in my apartment, I kinda got worried. What if she had stepped out or something? (not like I thought she really would, since she had fractured her ankle not too long ago, and was only now starting to go back to work) But, really, not that big of a deal.
So, I get there about 6:15 their time, see my mom's car is still there, and head up to the door. It's locked. Crap. Well, knock. I did. A lot. On the door, on her bedroom window, on the back door, all the while having a mini panic attack. What if she had a blood clot, and is laying dead in her bedroom, since my dad is at work?? When does he get home, anyway?
So, I hang out in the front yard, unwilling to leave in case my dad come home, all the while being eaten by mosquitoes. (my lower legs itch like crazy at the moment)
My dad finally gets home at about 7:40, after I've begun to change clothes in my car, since I had a bachelorette party to attend at 8. He says "Weren't expecting you til tomorrow." I reply that the bachelorette party is tonigt, and that I called this morning, but I left my keys, and Ma isn't answering the door or the phone. He says "Yeah, I'll explain when we're inside."
Apparently, my mother is in the hospital, as she had been throwing up for a while. Turns out she had a bowel obstruction at her hernia (that's what 2 c-sections will do to you), possibly since Monday. So, she went into surgery around midnight.
So, yeah, gonna go visit her again, before I bathe in preparation for my friend's big day.

What an exciting excursion!

On another note, I'll try to do some real blogging again, soon. I have a little meme-like thing, and VBG's photo thing is tempting. But I won't do that quite yet, since most of my pics are here at home, but I don't really have the time to mess with it right now.

Well, untill next time!

2008-09-16T17:13:00.001-04:00

35 seconds

Created by Bunk Beds Pedia

Ha!

2008-08-13T15:07:00.003-04:00

I bet you think I'm dead! But I'm not. I'm just being my normal combo of slightly busy and very lazy.

So, a quick list of things I've been up to, since I'm at work right now.

I've moved, since Jenny and Ernest came to Wooster.
I've been working overtime.
I went home for my family reunion.
I'm tired all the time.
I will post before and maybe after pics of the new apartment soon, I promise.
VBG stopped by on her way to the Land of Cleve. (who is he, and why does he get a land all to himself??)

So, yeah....exciting, but not really.

Anyways, until next time (which better be before another 4 months go by!)

Meme for a day

2008-04-03T23:15:00.007-04:00

Here is a wonderful meme I borrowed from VBG, because it was loads of fun to play. Enjoy!

The rules:

* Pick 10 (or so) of your favorite movies.
* Find, remember, or look up a quote from each movie.
* Post them here for everyone to guess.
* Strike it out (or something of the sort) when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
* NO googling or cheating by doing an online search. Cheaters never prosper.
* Commenters should share the fun and only guess one movie.

Amazingly enough, I was able to locate 10 titles that I do thoroughly enjoy. You may see a common thread, as most, if not all, can be called "comedy". Also, there are 2 "bonus" quotes that are not movies, but are things I enjoy watching that are highly quotable.
Well, guess away! (Oh, and Ma, you should be able to comment, too.)

Edit: Bonus points for those of you who can name the character and/or actor of at least one of the lines in your quote. If, after a few days, there are still unanswered quotes, feel free to answer another. I will try to keep track of the "points", and the person with the most might "win" something. While it will in no way be as awesome as a "radioactive monkey prize" could be, I shall try my darndest for it to be worthy of your efforts.

Edit edit: As of 11 PM EST on April 8, the blue are all that have been gotten. I shall give this another day or two, then I will open it up for round 2 of guessing. And the bonuses are still open. Though some of you know what they are, you haven't said so in the comments!

Edit edit and edit some more: Ok, a month after the last edit, and I will highlight the last ones. Green this time.

1.) “Remove head from sphincter, then drive!”
10 Things I Hate About You. Both Rabidmonkey and Danger got this one, so credit goes to both. Yes, this is 10 Things I Hate About You. It's Kat to Michael, the MBA nerd who has apparently gone on to teach math on N3MBERS.

2.) “I've hired you to help me start a war. It's a prestigious line of work, with a long and glorious tradition.”
The Princess Bride. Jenny is correct. This is indeed the Princess Bride, and Vizzini talking to Inigo and Fezzik. Not like I didn't think she could get this one. I think everyone who reads this blog can get it.

3.) “I'm not married, I don't have any kids, but I'd blow your head off if someone paid me enough.”
Grosse Pointe Blank. The American Mutt got it in one. Such a great, quotable movie.

4.) “There's only one reason Christian girls come down to the Planned Parenthood.” “She's planting a pipe bomb?” “Okay, two reasons.”
Saved! The bibliophile hit the nail into the cross, or some other such sacreligious saying, with this being from Saved!, which I have decided I really need to own. Also, Jenny was correct as to the characters.

5.) “I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said, "I drank what?"“
Real Genius. VBG remembers what college was like, and knows it did not hold any strange guys living in her closet. "Why do you go into our closet?" "To get my clothes, but that's not why he goes in there." "Of course, your clothes would never fit him!"

6.) “Ladies and gentlemen, this tall drink of water headed my way is a pillar of the shopping community who informed me earlier today of a nefarious plan of his to screw my girlfriend in an extremely uncomfortable place.” "What, like the back of a Volkswagon?"
Mallrats. Rabidmonkey knows what goes on at the mall, and knows what deals can be found at it's dirt counterpart.

7.) “Are you classified as human?” “Negative, I am a meat popsicle.”
The Fifth Element. Again, AM got this one, which has some great lines. As long as you over look Gary Oldman, it's a great movie.

8.) “Terrific. Captured by crazed wild pigs and sacrificed hideously before a pagan altar.”
Muppet Treasure Island. Amazingly enough, my brother got this one. Though maybe not too amazing since we'd watch it together. A lot. And he got the character right, as far as I can remember.

9.) “Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the gun.”
Army of Darkness. E got this one, which isn't surprising, since he was the one who made me watch it in college.

10.) “Oh, but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you. Oh but if I went 'round sayin' I was Emperor, just because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away.”
Monty Python and the Holy Grail. AM was correct again, and I bet many of you are hitting yourselves on the forehead, cuz you knew that one, but just couldn't think of it.

*BONUS*
A.) “Christ! Where the hell am I? That's it with the cheap sake. I'm swearing off!”
El Hazard. Technically, no one answered this one in the comments, but since Jenny and E may be the only people to have seen it, that's all right. It's a great show, at least to me.

B.) "Aww, fuckberries..."
Red vs. Blue. Rabidmonkey was right again, this is indeed RVB, season 1, as said by my favorite Blue guy, Tucker.

Just a quiz....for now

2008-02-21T19:07:00.000-05:00

I'm a Mercedes SLK!

You appreciate the finer things in life. You have a split personality - wild or conservative, depending on your mood. Wherever you go, you like to travel first class. Luxury, style, and fun - who could ask for more?

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Hello, Nameless!

2008-01-22T17:47:00.000-05:00

All right. So, it's been over a week, and I'm still not 100% sure about his name, but I think I may have made a decision. Not that it matters, since I'll usually call him "sweetheart" or similar, but oh well. In response to all those who voted for "orange" in Japanese...well, that word isn't really all that good. It's "daidaiiro". But, since that seemed to be the consensus...he is now Dai-kun the Impaler. So, you can call him Dai, Dai-kun, Imp, or even Buddy if you so desire. (that makes total sense if you've read Soul Music by Terry Pratchett). Imp will probably stick the best....

As for the whole "impaler" thing...he has a tendency to climb up to your shoulder, put a paw on either side of your neck, and knead...almost as though he's increasing the blood flow for a tasty snack. Or, so I like to believe.

So, yeah. There ya go.

Till next time! (I gotta go pet the cat)

Happy late holidays!

2008-01-13T16:35:00.000-05:00

Sorry, folks...I've been oddly tired a lot lately. And extra lazy.

And since I'm still feeling lazy, I'm not gonna recount my holidays at this time. I will say this, though: I went ahead and got myself the Xmas present I had been thinking about...I gots me a kitty.

He's really sweet, loves to have his head rubbed. But, he still doesn't have a name, so I'll be entertaining any suggestions you might have.

God, I just don't feel like posting much of anything anymore. So, this is probably all you'll get for now.

Sorry, folks.

I'm still here

2007-12-16T18:46:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the disappearance. After that Monday of snow, I got snow on Wed (a couple of inches), snow on Fri (a couple more inches), sick on Tues, and more snow yesterday and today.

Other than snow and sick, I of course haven't done much, though I did venture out Friday night to the company holiday party. Afterwards, myself and a co-worker and her husband attempted to go hang out at another co-workers place (this co-worker didn't realize we were gonna be at the party, or she'da been there, too). But, we couldn't really find the place, and she didn't answer her phone, so we gave up, since the married couple had a few hours of editing ahead of them. Apparently they make movies, of the horror-ish variety. When she was talking about some of the movies they had done, or were working on, all I could think of was Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter. So, I guess, kinda similar in budget and seriousness.

Ummm...the snow stopped me from doing much yesterday (since I still don't have boots, and didn't feel like driving in it), but today it wasn't as bad, so I did make it out to do a little of the shopping I had planned. So, I was able to procure boxes, and so was able to wrap presents. And now they are stacked beneath my tree.
I still have a little bit of stuff to buy, and have to write and send the cards (that's later tonight, so's I can mail them tomorrow), but I think I'm getting close to being ready for Xmas to be over with. :) I just can't wait to see people!

Til next time!

Well, it's December!

2007-12-03T12:39:00.001-05:00

I woke up to this this morning (though I took the pic on my lunch break):

It just feels too early to me....

Happy Turkey Day!

2007-11-22T11:01:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note...

2007-11-15T21:48:00.001-05:00

I feel that since just about everyone else I read has posted today (not just because a few of them are NaBloPoMo-ers), I should post, too. But what? The weather's crazy...how 'bout that? A couple of days ago it was nice, and today it was sleeting a little on my lunch.

Ok, posting duty done. (sorry, I'm being distracted by the TV)

Later!

Anybody got a light?

2007-11-04T21:47:00.000-05:00

So, I've been prodded lately to post again, most likely with the pictures I took a couple of weeks ago. But, since those are still trapped in my camera, I'll save them for another day. Instead, I will talk a little about my yesterday.

When I moved into this apartment, and went through the move-in checklist, I know my dad checked whether or not any of my lights were burnt out. I think we established that one of the 4 ensconced above the bathroom mirror was out (or, if we didn't, one was). Anyways, that was no big deal, it's a small bathroom. Either earlier this week, or sometime last week, upon waking up and heading to the bathroom, when I switched on the light, I heard a *tink* coupled with a small flash. Crap, one of the bulbs blew. Oh well, I've still got 2 working bulbs, and it's not too much darker than it was before. I can live with this for a bit, though I may need replacement bulbs at some point.
Well, Saturday, it happened again. *Tink* and a flash, and all of a sudden my bathroom is quite a bit darker, as only one bulb is working, and it's way over to the side nearest the wall. "Hmm, I think I need to get replacement bulbs, then", I think to myself. So, I shower in the half-light, and go about removing the glass covering to the lights (with them turned off, thankyouverymuch), and realize that there are 4, and only one was working now. Oh well. I take out the 3 dead ones, and attempt to check to make sure I pulled the right ones (though they were cool to the touch). *Flip* Nothing. Nada. Still darkness. Welp, burned that one too. Now I definitely need replacement bulbs, as there is no light in my bathroom, and definitely no windows.
So, I bought new bulbs (the "Reveal" kind, that are slightly blue, as to be more natural) and installed them, and now my bathroom is eerily bright.

Other than that, I went to the library, made brownies, and today did laundry. I almost feel productive. I think it's that extra hour I got. Now I'm on normal time, or something. Although home's still an hour off from me.

Anyways, thanks for visiting "Tiny Apartment Land"!

Til next time

Happy Halloween

2007-10-30T17:22:00.001-04:00

For your viewing pleasure...

2007-10-26T23:36:00.000-04:00

So, I don't know if anyone else has posted this before...I know I've seen it before, but in looking for something else I came across it again...and it's pure brilliance. So, enjoy this bit of Ping Pong magic.

Meme-age

2007-10-24T18:33:00.000-04:00

So, since I'm really cold, and feeling kinda lazy at the moment, instead of the promised post with pictures (that I took! though I forgot to drive out and get something else photographed...maybe I'll do that this weekend), instead I will give you a meme of useless information! Enjoy! (oh, stolen from VBG, btw)

1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now?
Let’s see….I have some Softsoap that has an odd citrusy-coconut smell, and small bottles of Lush’s Flying Fox and Olive Branch.

2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?
No, the only fruit in there is a couple of apples.

3. What would you change about your living room?
Hmm…I’d make it bigger, better/different wall coverings, not my bedroom…the whole shebang.

4. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty?
Ha! What dishwasher?? However, the dishes overflowing my tiny sink are all dirty…which means I should clean them again. *sigh*

5. What is in your fridge?
Let’s see…there’s a chicken pot pie, some chicken nuggets, a partially empty bag of fries, and a bag of frozen peas (for cooking purposes only, cuz frozen peas are kinda nasty) in the freezer. The fridge part contains: 2 eggs, butter, margarine, a bottle of Naked (Gold Machine, to be precise), a 2-liter or Mountain Dew (they don’t sell Mello Yello ‘round here!), a pink Tupperware jug of water, milk (for baking and cereal purposes), ketchup, mustard, mayo, soy sauce, lettuce, a couple of apples, some of my parents’ coffee…and now that I’ve gotten up and actually checked, a couple of bags of shredded cheeses (sharp cheddar and an Italian mix). I used to have turkey lunch meat, but I ate it while doing the first part of the meme.

6. White or wheat bread?
White, though wheat is probably better for me…

7. What is on top of your refrigerator?
My counter….and a toaster, an empty butter dish, my knives, a dirty plate, a drying rack with some clean dishes, salt and pepper.

8. What color or design is on your shower curtain?
Black and white circles on a clear background. Hey, the PureLand, aka WalMart, no longer carried the lovely bamboo curtain that everyone else has!

9. How many plants are in your home?
One, Sakura (he‘s a bonsai cherry tree)…I got him at the Chicago Botanic Gardens back in Aug, and he’s still alive. Though I really need to move him out of the little black temporary planter he came in. Maybe I’ll do that this weekend…

10. Is your bed made right now?
Ha!

11. Comet or Soft Scrub?
Umm….neither, at least at the moment.

12. Is your closet organized?
Relatively. I suppose.

13. Can you describe your flashlight?
I think I have a little yellow plastic jobby, but I don’t know off-hand where it is, or whether the batteries work…

14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home?
Glass…I only have 2 plastic cups at the moment (I think) both of which say Hanover College on them, and one of them has water in it for use on Sakura.

15. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now?
Ick, no.

16. If you have a garage, is it cluttered?
My parents’ garage is, certainly, but I don’t have one.

17. Curtains or blinds?
The blinds that came with this place are fine, lacking in style perhaps, but hell if I wanna hang up curtains!

18. How many pillows do you sleep with?
One, only one. He’s my one and only?

19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night?
I have a night light in the bathroom, just in case I get up at night with the urge, so I don’t kill myself on the way (since we all know I can’t keep my floor uncluttered).

20. How often do you vacuum?
I don’t even own a vacuum right now. That’s something I may need to invest in, just because I shed like a polar bear in Hawaii.

21. Standard toothbrush or electric?
Electric.

22. What color is your toothbrush?
Purple and white.

23. Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch?
Nope, don’t have the money or inclination to waste it.

24. What is in your oven right now?
Nothing, except the racks that are supposed to be in there.

25. Is there anything under your bed?
Umm….a couple of dirty socks.

26. Chore you hate doing the most?
Right now? Dishes.

27. What retro items are in your home?
The place itself?

28. Do you have a separate room that you use as an office?
Bwahahahahaa….*wipes tears* You make me laugh.

29. How many mirrors are in your home?
Umm…there’s one in the bathroom, and my closet doors are the height of fashion in their mirror-ness.

30. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home?
Nope, unless you count the extra laundry quarters…but they’re not hidden, else I’d never find them…plus, there’s no where to hide, in here…*evil laugh*

31. What color are your walls?
A lovely beige wall covering that is apparently not paper, but fabric.

32. Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home?
I have a dagger that, while not sharp, is very pointy…but it’s not there for protection, but decoration.

33. What does your home smell like right now?
Probably not as fresh and clean as I’d like, but really, all I can smell right now is the mayo and turkey smell lingering on my fingers.

34. Favorite candle scent?
I like fresh smells (like linen and soap), light flower smells, and earthy scents. They have to be light, though.

35. What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now?
None in the fridge, but I do have some dill in the cupboard (for chicken salad purposes).

36. What color is your favorite Bible?
………

37. Ever been on your roof?
Um, no.

38. Do you own a stereo?
Yes, got it for Xmas when I was in high school. It’s a Kenwood 3-disc, 2-cassette, radio combo with 2 detached speakers.

39. How many TVs do you have?
I have one here, but there’s one supposedly sitting on my bed at the folks’ place, and they have 2 more.

40. How many house phones?
Um, one. I don’t think I need anymore.

41. Do you have a housekeeper?
Ha ha!

42. What style do you decorate in?
Poor? Wannabe-Asian? Neo-otaku?

43. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints?
Solids.

44. Is there a smoke detector in your home?
Yes.

45. In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip?
Though I’d love to take my DVD collection, I’d say my laptop and my purse, which would have my car keys (necessary for a proper escape) and all my moneys. And my cell, if it wasn’t already in my car. I’d miss my art and my books and my clothes and my CDs and my technology (TV, DVD player, radio), but none of that’s priceless.

All right...

2007-10-14T22:49:00.000-04:00

...here is at least part of the promised post. But, since I didn't feel like driving around town this weekend to take pictures, I'll save the random thoughts on the town for a later post. Really!

So, a coupla Wednesdays ago (the 3rd), possibly while I was blogging, I was talking to Jenny on IM, and the conversation went sorta like this:

J: "sorry we haven't GW'd in a while. definitely no time tonight. you got shows tomorrow?" me: "yeah, CSI...and you have Youth friday, right? what about sat?" J: "saturday is the Fishers renfaire. wanna come?" me: "hmm...could do, could do....it's a bit of a drive, but if i left after work, i could make it there by...9ish? 10ish? lemme think about it" J: "kk"

Thursday, I decided I could do it. My laundry would have to wait, but I kinda wanted to see people, and the Renfaire is always fun. So, after work on Friday, and after doing dishes and packing and taking out the trash and stopping by the ATM and getting dinner (all which put me about an hour and a half behind schedule), I headed out on the road, with only a vague idea of how to get from the interstate to their place. Once on the road, I thought to myself "Hey, if I felt like driving a few hours more, I coulda went home for the last day of the Fall Festival! Oh well." Good thing I thought that "oh well", cuz I'm not sure I'da been able to make it to Eville...my ass hurt quite a bit from sitting on it all day, and I was pretty tired.

Anyways, made it to A-town, hung out for a bit, went to sleep, got up, piled into my vehicle and headed to Fishers to meet up with Jenny's sister and a friend of hers and E's from high school, only to find out they moved the venue on us. And their signing capabilities left something to be desired. But we found it (mainly because there was good signage to Conner Prairie), parked, rolled down the hill, and met up with people. Jenny and E's friend Roxy was pretty cool, and I just hope I didn't fall into the trap of looking like a total idiot. You know, from when you meet people who are friends with your friends, and you want them to think you're cool, but not too cool, to make them like you enough that they don't question their friends' sanity, while keeping them from thinking that their friends have moved on to "greener pastures". You want them to think you're interesting without monopolizing the conversation. It's a fine line to walk without coming off a total goofball.

We watched some fencing, and the tail-end of the heavy-arms fighting (all done by SCA members), but the rest of the time was spent mainly looking for cold things to eat/drink (like giant popsicles, lemon shake-ups, and apple cider slushies) and shady-but-breezy locales since it was like 90+ and sunny. I did buy a little something, a tea-light tart-burner and some scented tarts, but other than that, my money was spent on foods. It was still fun, though.

We came back and hung out, and the next day woke up late and played some GW (in the same room!) before I had to come back, since I have that whole job thing.

Speaking of which...I should head to bed soon, since I have to get up in the AM for that. So starts another week. Sigh. Weekends need to be longer, dammit!

Well, until next time!

Ooo, it's been a week

2007-10-10T22:06:00.000-04:00

...since I've bothered to blog at all. But, you're not getting that much, since I'm doing this during the commercial breaks in CSI: New York. I'm gonna go ahead and plan to actually blog on the weekend, since I have a Renfaire to recount, as well as random things about the town. I might as well (even though I don't know how often the relevant parties read my blog) go ahead and wish my brother a happy 20th birthday, and bow in awe at my parents 30 years of marriage, especially with respect to having to spend almost 26 of them with me, and 20 of them with Ross. That takes a helluva lot of patience.

Just a coupla random things from what I've been watching. Ghost Hunters is awesome, and the creepy female silhouette was extremely so, especially taking into consideration that the only female on the team was upstairs at the time. Second, intelligent tuxedos that can hack computers and power a light table are freakin' awesome!

Now, to continue the show and go to bed.

Night, folks!

2007-10-03T23:36:00.000-04:00

Well, I was kinda hoping to do a real post tonight, but...alas, my procrastinatin' ways have got me again. That, and I'm really tired. This whole "real job, 40 hours a week" thing can be very tiring if you've never done anything like it before. I mean, I never had classes 8 hours a day, and I think the most I ever put in in craftland amounted to around 35 hours for a few weeks, and not necessarily in a row. And I didn't have to get up early for that. I mean, this is the earliest I've ever had to get up, since in high school I pushed that whole tardy thing. So, I'm getting about 2-3 hours less sleep per night during the week than I really prefer, (even including the fact that my body has shifted a bit, and I "require" about an hour less than I did in college) which amounts to 10+ hours lost a week. The weekend isn't long enough to make up for that. And of course, TV is on too late for me to go to bed "early". I was kinda planning on doing that tonight...showering, watching CSI: New York, and then going to bed. Except...I got distracted, and didn't have time to shower before the show.

I sound like I'm whining...but I'm really just tired. So, I'll go dry my hair and go to sleep, before I pass out at the computer.

Til next time!

2 weeks

2007-09-22T22:22:00.000-04:00

All right, I have been working now for 2 weeks. I have a working phone, although it still has the answering machine message from when I used it last, which was senior year in college. I have an address, so deserving parties should be getting an email with such information soon, if you don't already have it. I have practically no money, even though I got paid on Thursday. (but since it was only for one week, it wasn't really enough, and the bad thing is, I won't get paid again until after rent is due, and the day before 3 other bills are due, and I don't have enough to cover all those until I get paid again....if I mail it the day it's due, does that still work??)

I haven't actually been having problems getting up and getting to work, even though it's way too early for a night child such as myself. However, since I find it nearly impossible to go to bed before at least 11, if not midnight, I'm pretty worthless at work for the first hour or two. Maybe it'll get better, since I'm out of training now, and will be able to listen to music as I work now. Maybe. Since I can't bring in burned CDs or anything, and aren't allowed to sing, I may have some problems. We'll see. But, yeah, out of training, so we'll see how many times people have to come up and say to me "Hey, are you blind? That's not what that is, or where that is." I'm not sure I'm nit-picky enough for this. But, this will probably be all I write for the job. You get no particulars, ever. Sorry, but it's out of my hands.

As for other topics...for tonight, I can actually post a little, since I have the promised before and after pics of my apartment (which I'll put at the bottom). But...after this, I'm afraid I won't be very interesting for a while. After I get back from work, I don't leave my apartment. On the weekends, I leave to go shopping and do laundry. I have no idea who my neighbors are (or neighbor, since there's no one to the left of me). I haven't met that many people at work since training was just me, the trainer, and one other guy. And since I had to leave work early on Monday to meet the guy who would install my cable, all week I took 30 min lunches, instead of my hour, so I couldn't even bond with the few people I saw in the break room. And it's not like I'll bond a whole lot on my lunches anyway, since half the time I'm tempted to go back to the apartment for lunch, cuz it's cheaper than eating out, and doesn't require putting my name on things. I only did that once the first week, though. Who knows. But yeah, since I don't know that many people, it's not like I've got anyone to hang out with and go places with. So, I'm probably even more boring now than I was back home. Hopefully that will change, but it won't be for a few months. I need my time to get settled and comfortable before going "Hey! You seem cool. Will you be my friend?"

Hmm...I'm apparently feeling melancholy...maybe it's the remains of my headache. Anyways. Oh, I've got a library card for the county, and can get stuff sent from Cleveland, so that's cool. And I got a new bank, since HFCU doesn't exist outside of southern IN.

You know, that seems to be about it...oh! One weird thing...and maybe it's not that weird to other people, but it was weird to me. First, this town has very few grocery opportunities. There's Walmart, and a place called Buehlers'. That's about it. Especially near me. So, anyways, I went to B's last weekend and bought quite a lot. Well, about 5 plastic bags worth, I believe. Anyways, when I was finished checking out, my cashier handed me 2 large plastic cards (about the size and shape of thin-pack DVD cases) each with a series of numbers on them, both in different colors. No explanation, just handed them to me. And when I looked to the end of the lane I saw my empty cart. My just paid for groceries were gone. Into two large plastic bins the bagger boy slipped into a hole in the wall. Apparently, this place has a drive through grocery pick up. If you buy enough that you can't carry it out in your hands, they slip it down a line (with those metal rolly washboard looking things) and give you cards telling the guys working the line which bins are yours. Then they put it in your car for you. It was kinda cool, but confusing as all get-out, especially for someone new to town. They could have at least told me, when I obviously looked confused and lost. And the cashier was so efficient about the whole card thing, too. It just weirded me out some.

There are times when I think this town is very strange. Oh, and for all those I said couldn't visit until I had a bigger place...I suppose you can visit, as long as you visit in very small groups or don't mind getting a hotel, since I think I'm gonna stick with this tiny place until my lease runs out, and hopefully by then I'll have saved enough that I'll feel comfortable getting a larger, nicer place. And a cat. Cuz there's definitely no room for a cat in here now. And if that wasn't a segue, I don't know what is. So, here's the pics, and me signing off for the evening. Mata ne!

P.S. The big white expanse with nothing on it in pics 3 and 9 is my bed. Yay for a Murphy bed. Or not. I want a thicker mattress!!

2007-09-09T13:27:00.000-04:00

So, here I sit, in my absolutely tiny apartment, in my newly assembled chair at my newly assembled (though only partway assembled...it helps if the holes pre-drilled into the metal supports are actually large enough to screw in the provided screws!) desk, using stolen wireless to blog. I should have non-stolen internet, cable that won't be shut off 6 days after moving in, and "digital phone" on the 17th, so hopefully I can blog then. And supply interested parties with a phone number. I may even put up before and after pics of the TA (tiny apartment), if I feel so inclined. I start work tomorrow bright and early, so we'll see if I want to run screaming and crying "back home again".

I'm not feeling that typative (as opposed to talkative), so I shall end with a congratulations to the bibliophile, who succeeded in getting her promotive job, and who also starts that tomorrow. Congrats again!

Anyways, till next time,

Mata ne!

They're coming to take me away!

2007-09-04T03:02:00.000-04:00

All right, so I've been bad, and busy, and haven't updated at all since I got back from Chicago, or even once I got back from Clarksville/Anderson/Bloomington, but...this is all you're getting. Yes, I have pics on my computer. No, I'm not going to upload them now, since I should have been asleep 2 hours ago. But, since I'm to be moving away, I should be blogging more, so I suppose that could be a good thing. Or a really bad thing, since these tend to be rambles with no coherent plot. But, until I get my new pad all hooked up and "off the heezee" as kids these days say, I shall be internetless, and therefore no blogging goodness for you.

Wow, I need sleep, I got an 8+ hour drive tomorrow!

Til I am once again connected!

Mata ne!!

Just a couple of quick things...

2007-08-16T00:46:00.000-04:00

First, I had a lot of fun last Saturday at Evilducky's Independence Day party (her independence from her now ex ;)). We did henna, drank, talked, beat up a bull pinata, and attempted to play some games. It was loads of fun.

Second, today was my last day of Michaels servitude. I let people hug me, since other people are huggers, even though I'm not a big fan myself. But, yesterday, Karen, the woman who teaches the cake decorating class, made me a cake. She definitely deserved a hug from me, even if the cake has pink on it.

Tomorrow, we drive up to Chicago for some hang-out time, so I won't be blogging. (as if I do, anyways) Hopefully I'll blog for you when I get back, complete with pictures if I remember to get more batteries.

Now, I must pack and bathe.

Later's, y'all!

One more week!

2007-08-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

...plus about 3 and a half. But, one more week of Michaels servitude. And then...it's "drive all over the freakin' place" time. Since I gotta visit people and all that jazz...swing? Rock? Jpop??

Would you like to hear my schedule?? (pronounced shed-you-ull) Well, too bad, cuz I'm gonna lay it out for you anyways.

Aug 15th--Last day in Craftland/Hell.
Aug 16-19--Chicago to visit J-dog with VBG, the bibliophile, rabidmonkey, and evilducky. This was, well, not really planned per se, but conceived of before I even applied to Ohio (I think). Also, will most likely stop by my grandmother's on the way home to raid her basement of unused cookware and stuff.
Aug 21--Taking my brother back to college, that place we almost didn't think he'd make it back to.
Aug 22--To Clarksville to visit Aerine and Billy before the leave for Florida.
Aug 23-?--Head up from Clarksville to Anderson to hang with Jenny and Ernest for a while, and see Katie before she moves back to Chicago. Hopefully, there will be some Ellie visiting in there, too, and possibly a trip to Bloomington.
I'll probably head back to Eville round the 28th or so, but that may be dependent on when I run out of clothes or something.
Aug 29(?)-Sep 3--PACK!!! (and clean)
Sep 4--load up both cars (as long as my dad has those 4 days off) and head to Wooster with the folks, so we can get me an apartment and some furniture (I mean, I'll need a futon and a table).
Hopefully I can come back for Xmas, but I don't know if I'll be able to get enough time off to visit everyone...though Anderson can be kinda on the way, I guess...

But, yeah, that's how my next few weeks are looking. Exciting, ain't it?

Woo-freakin-hoo!

2007-07-20T11:39:00.000-04:00

I forget that not everyone who reads this blog (though really, it's most) are people I talk to face to face on any kind of semi-regular basis. So, not everyone knows about the job-ness, unless they were in Anderson for GESP or at Old Chicago for pizza before going to see Harry Potter. So, I suppose a story is in order. Yay, story time!

When I graduated from college with my degree in geology I fell back on my total slacker ways. I kept postponing my application process for grad school, and really, around here, that's about all you can do, especially with a Bachelor of Arts in a hard science. After waiting until after VBG got married, I began my search for a job. I ended up with a part-time, supposedly seasonal position, at the same craft store she worked at. My mother, on the other hand, would occasionally look online at a certain site to see if there were any GIS jobs that I could possibly do. I applied to several throughout the course of these few years, some even before I started working at Michaels. None of that ever bore fruit.

About a month ago, my mother was looking again, and mentioned an entry-level position somewhere in Ohio. She encouraged me (with a large clubbing object) to go ahead and send them my resume. Since at one point about a year ago I had thought seriously about moving to Bloomington with Ellie, I had a relatively decent resume made up already, so I emailed it to this place in Ohio. A week passed, and no email from them even saying they got my resume. I figured they just trashed it like pretty much all other places, and became convinced I have to know someone at a place to get a job there (Baskin Robbins and Teacher Incognito, Michaels and VBG).

A couple of days after I thought this, I got a post card. From Ohio. "Hey, we're just letting you know we got your resume, and if it fits our criteria, we'll be in touch." Oh, wow, never got real mail like that before!

So, they have it, but a couple more weeks pass, and I don't hear anything, which really isn't that unusual. Thursday July 5, while I'm at work (closing shift), a guy from TGS calls my house. "Oh, she's at work right now." "Oh, then have her call this number tomorrow before 3." Since I was leaving for GESP that Friday, things got a little rushed, especially since they guy was on the phone almost all morning. I called about 4 times before leaving him a voicemail with my cell number in it, so he could call me back, since I had to get my check and do some last minute shopping before leaving town. When I was in the parking lot of Target (so Ross could get a pair of shorts that actually fit him) trying to find a parking spot, my phone rings. It's the guy. So, while Ross went in to shop, I spent a good 20 min talking to this guy. He gave me the rundown on the job, the company, a little on the town, that sort of thing. The he asked if I was still interested. Yes. "Ok, well, then, I'll email you an application and a questionnaire. Fill them out and send them back, and I'll give them to our hiring guy to look over. If he likes, we'll call you to set up an interview. Phone or in person?" "Um, phone would be best, I don't know how quickly I'd be able to make it there for an in person." "Ok."

I get home from GESP, end up having to go to the library to fill them out, since I needed a computer with Word on it, and mail it out the next Friday. On Tuesday (so they only had my app for a day or so!) I get a call. "We'd like to set up a phone interview. Tomorrow ok?" "Yes...no! No, tomorrow I work all morning. Thursday is better." "Ok, Thursday at 1." Which means 12 my time. Thursday rolls around, and my interview lasts 25 minutes. When it ends, the guy says he'll talk with the other guy (the one I talked to on the phone before) and if they both like me, they'll get back to me in a couple of days. I'm thinking they're gonna get together and be like "Eh, she's ok, but, eh...not really what we're looking for" and call me on Monday with a "We're sorry to get your hopes up." I go ahead and eat lunch and watch a little TV. Exactly an hour later, (the clock read 1:24) I get another call from them. I'm thinking they forgot to ask me something, or need some follow up questions or something. No. It's the first guy I talked to. "If you're really still interested, you're hired. We can start you in late August or in early September. Which works better for you?" "Uh...September...I need to sit down."

I'm still in shock. I'm nervous and a little afraid to be moving out there (to Wooster, OH), but this is waaaay too awesome to pass up.

I need a paper bag....

2007-07-19T14:31:00.000-04:00

...because I'm currently hyperventilating.

I had a phone interview at noon today, and got off the phone at about 12:25. An hour later I got another call from them. If I agree and sign the paper they send my in the mail tomorrow (though I won't get it til Monday at the earliest), I can start working in September!!!

Squeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*takes a series of deep breaths*

Ok, must try to calm down now. I wonder when I should tell Karl?

2007-07-14T22:14:00.000-04:00

Hey, don't let the post below fool you, I was planning on writing another one of these things today. Really! I'm not shittin' you!

Unfortunately, if you're looking for interesting things I've done lately, you will be sorely disappointed. I don't feel like talking about E's party or possible job-ness right now. I'll save that for later. I promise. Though we may save the job thing for when I hear I don't have it. :P

No, instead, I'm going to talk about some of my weird yearnings. No, I'm not talking ice cream and pickles (I'm definitely not pregnant, and ew! Pickles), though ice cream is always good. No, I'm talking about the weird little thoughts that lead me to want to do crazy things that I'd need a smaller fear of people and hard work, and a winning Powerball ticket, to achieve.

Take, for instance, an idea I came up with while in college. My college was a small one, with a Dining Hall on one floor, and the "UG" (the UnderGround) in the basement. The UG was a grill; quick order, here's some fries, grab a drink, kinda place. They had some set meals, and I usually went with the grilled chicken or the chicken fingers. But, occasionally I would crave beef. However, the menu consisted of grilled steak and cheeseburgers if you wanted something that went "Moo". Now, I like steak fine, but I would still sometimes want a hamburger. Not a cheeseburger. So, I would joke that I wanted my burger naked, just like I liked my fries. And that got me thinking. Wouldn't it be cool to create a restaurant? The Naked Burger, where you get to pick what, if anything, goes on your sandwich, ranging from tomato and American cheese, to Feta and olives, to alfalfa sprouts and Italian dressing. I'd arrange it with levels; Level 1 being the normal stuff, boring cheeses, and the ability to choose up to 3 for one price, and 5 or so for another. Condiments (like ketchup, mustard, mayo) are included for no extra charge. Then Level 2 would be the weirder stuff, the Feta and alfalfa and such, if you wanted to go that far. It would be awesome! And it would involve capital I don't have, as well as a business sense.

Or how about the idea of a bunch of my friends and I opening a coffee shop/used bookstore? In someplace like Chicago. A coffee shop on ground level, with decent priced coffee and games to play and old cushy chairs to sit in and hang out. And a used bookstore in the basement/back room, where if you'd rather not buy, you could read while sipping your coffee. Still awesome.

Or even the most recent idea, thought of in the brains of myself and rabidmonkey, a product of our desire to ride rollercoasters. A musically-themed theme park! We'd have Country, where we'd put the wooden coaster; Swing/Jazz, where we'd put the inverted coaster and the swings; Rap, where we'd stick a regular metal coaster complete with graffiti-covered cars; Rock, with an indoor, strobe-infested coaster; and even Musical Theater! It would be soooo cool!

It's such a shame that my imagination is so much more powerful than my ability to actually do anything...

Hmmm.....

2007-07-14T02:19:00.001-04:00

...Should I just start aiming for once a month??

.............

2007-06-16T12:36:00.000-04:00

.....oh wow.........my footsteps echo in here...sorry folks.

I'm not dead, just...easily distracted. Let's see...what have I done since the last post....

That weekend I took Ross up to Anderson for Mike's graduation. We played a lot of Halo 2, some Wii, had ice cream sundaes at Mike's party, ate fondue, and melted. It was fun, except for the melting part. What am I talking about? The fact that their apartment is on the 3rd floor of a notoriously warm building, is west facing, 90 degree days, and has the crappiest air conditioner I've ever felt. Add to that I had brought Ross, and my patience, so famous for being longer than the Nile, was about to snap. Heat and little annoying brothers do that to me.

Let's see....I got home and went to work and rested and stuff. I had taken my camera up there, but didn't take a single picture, and there weren't any really interesting stories to be told, so I didn't feel that burning need to blog right away. Sorry.

Anyways, I got home, and did very little for a week, other than work, eat and sleep. Umm....last Wednesday, however, I took a little drive into Kentucky with Laurie, and Ross convinced us to let him tag along. We went to Beech Bend Park to ride rides, mainly because Laurie had gone to college there for a little while, and never even knew the park was there. So we went, and although one of the roller coasters was broken (aren't they always?!) and it was rather warm, we did have fun. Most of their rides were the type you can find at the Fall Festival, carnie rides as it were, but still, the fact that were practically no lines was a nice feature. ;) The main problem with that park was the outrageous prices for food and drink. For the price of a footlong sub at Subway, I got a tiny 4 1/2 inch crappy sandwich. For about the same price, Laurie got a piece of charcoal claiming to be a polish sausage. I like how Holiday World does it, and gives you free unlimited drinks, especially because Beech Bend was charging almost $2 for a 12 oz. cup almost completely filled with ice (like about 4 oz. of liquid...I didn't realize I was ordering a Pepsi slushie).

Anyways...enough of my griping. We've been, and now we know what there, and that if we ever decide to go back, bring a cooler and leave it in the car for lunch. Or hell, leave the park and find a freaking Subway.

Other than that, I haven't been doing too much, except helping plan a surprise party. GESP, as it is called (the Great Ernest Surprise Party), is to be held in Anderson (I keep going back there) and is to be themed. Last year, Jenny had themed the party "pirates", so she didn't want to do that again. First we had though "anime" but figured that might be too hard to pull of and decorate for, so we decided on just "Japan", with a touch of anime. So, I get to cosplay, and we're gonna have Japanese food and stuff. So, I've been spending a lot of my time coming up with crazy ideas for this party, like making "shoujo sparkles" for people who want to be kinda dressed up, but either don't know that much about anime/don't care or don't have that kind of money. 'Course, I haven't made them yet, but I know what I'm doing, I'm just waiting to buy the stuff from work. I also came up with the idea for decorations of making origami cranes and such, so I've been working on those. I've made quite a few, and now have the folding method down to memory.
We decided on a few food items, such as onigiri (rice balls), hot dogs in the shape of octopi (which I recently attempted to make), yakitori (teriyaki chicken on skewers), and some kind of potato pancakes (based off of croquettes). My suggestion to add Pocky and Ramune to this list (i.e. stuff we don't have to make ourselves) went over well, so I went out and bought that a few days ago.
Any leftover Pocky belongs to me. Except maybe the strawberry stuff. Oh, and the pink and white balls are mochi, filled with sweet red bean paste. I saw them and couldn't pass them up, they are so traditional. Hehe...I suppose, if we don't have enough food, we can always get KFC, that huge in Japan!

Hmm, I guess that's it for now....oh, yeah...I'm going to a TOOL concert here in town tomorrow, though I don't know how exciting that is for anyone else but me and VBG (since she's going with me).

Anyways, laters!

Welcome!

2007-05-31T17:54:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the world, Mary Patricia Motyka!!!!

Still here....somewhere...

2007-05-29T12:49:00.000-04:00

So, yeah...I'm sorry I've just left y'all hanging, but I've been busy the past week and a half. I mean, I had Sunday the 20th off, and Tuesday the 22nd, but that's it, I've been working all the rest. And I usually don't feel like much of a post when I get off work. But I have been doing other things, too!

The Sunday I had off was for an "open house" for a friend who just got her masters in secondary education. The Tuesday off was spent reveling in my geekness with a little RPG action, followed by a few hours of video games. Then I worked, and on Friday after work, went and saw "Pirates 3". It wasn't as bad as I feared, so... Saturday was my grandma's birthday, which is only a big deal because she's down here staying with us for a while. We didn't do much, since we plan on going out this coming Thursday to see "Shrek 3" for her birthday, as well as eating some steak for dinner.

The reason I've been working so many days straight is that I asked for several days off at the end of the week. Why, you ask? (or maybe you don't, but I'd like to think that) Well, I've already established that I plan on doing quite a bit on Thursday, but Friday, Ross and I are heading up to Anderson, since we were both invited to Jenny's brother's high school graduation. And we all know any excuse I can find to leave town for a weekend ;).

So, with that in mind, you won't be getting a real post until after I get back, but I may have pictures or fun stories to tell by then. Maybe. Don't hold your breath.

On another note, I think it's getting very close to Julie's due date. So, we better return her to the library, or renew her, soon...oh, wait, wrong type of due date. :P Excuse me while I'm silly. C'mon, Julie! I wanna know about Sheldon! I suppose I need to stop somewhere and get a card or something to send, since it's highly likely there won't be a real shower, since no one's in Penn...or, if there is a shower, I probably won't be able to make it. Anyways, we'll see what happens.

That's it for now, folks!

Final Credits

2007-05-16T13:22:00.000-04:00

All right!! Last one, and then on to more real posts....possibly ;). Anyways, this was "Final Credits", you know, walk out music, the kind that has little or nothing to do with the movie, but maybe makes you smile as you walk out of the theater. Well, I don't know if this song will necessarily make anyone smile, but I enjoy it, and hey, it's my movie. The song is “Hitomi no Juunin” by L’arc en Ciel, and is actually not from an anime at all, yet is Japanese. I've branched out, and listen to some Jpop/Jrock without first having heard it on a show. I don't know if this is a good thing or not.... Well, crap. It's a good thing I didn't hit "publish" before looking for the song, cuz I couldn't find it. So, I'll give you the runner up, and maybe something else by L'arc en Ciel, because I very much like them, but I like "Hitomi no Juunin" better than "flower"...oh well.

The runner up ended up being "In Your Heart" or "Anata no Kokoro ni" by Megumi Hayashibara, the ending song for Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, which is a very amusing anime if I do say so myself. Without further ado....

"Anata no Kokoro ni" by Megumi Hayashibara

Anata no kokoro ni
Kaze ga aru nara
Soshite, sore ga 
haru no kaze nara
    If the wind
    is in your heart...
    And if that is
    the spring wind...

Watashi hitori de fukarete mitai na
Itsumade mo itsumade mo
    I want to let it blow...
    Forever, forever

Anata no kokoro ni
Sora ga aru nara
Soshite, Sore ga 
Aoi sora nara
    If the sky
    is in your heart...
    And if that is
    a blue sky...

Watashi hitori de 
nobotte mitai na
dokomade mo dokomade mo
    I want to try and reach it...
    As far as it goes, as far as it goes

Datte itsumo anata wa
waratte iru dake
Soshite watashi o
Dakishimeru dake
    It's because you are
    only laughing all the time...
    And then you
    only embrace me

Anata no kokoro ni
Umi ga aru nara
Soshite, sore ga
Namida no Umi nara
    If the sea
    is in your heart...
    And if that is
    the sea of tears...

Watashi hitori de oyoide mitai na
Itsumade mo Itsumade mo
    I want to try and swim it...
    As long as I like, as long as I like

Datte itsumo anata wa
waratte iru dake
Soshite watashi o
Dakishimeru dake
    It's because you are 
    only laughing all the time...
    And then you
    only embrace me

And a gift for you, "flower" by L'arc en Ciel. It'd probably make a better end song than "Anata no Kokoro ni", but oh well.

Death Scene

2007-05-12T23:44:00.000-04:00

I did it again...neglected this project of mine for another week. Oh well, only 2 songs left, if you include this one. Yay!

This time the topic was my Death Scene. The song chosen was "Hiru no Tsuki" by Akino Arai, the first ending song to Outlaw Star. I chose it mainly for the sound, it's calm and relaxing. The lyrics make it, well, not about death, but still kinda sad in it's way. Anyways, enjoy (though I really doubt anyone's actually listening to the music I put in the sidebar...).

"Hiru no Tsuki" by Akino Arai

oto no nai mahiru
kaze ha tada akarui
sukoshi nemutasou ni hanabira ga yureta
  One soundless mid-day,
  the wind was so cheerful.
  Flower petals sway in the breeze
  as if they were sleepy.

nani ge nai kono omoi
nee, hito ha donna kotoba de yondeiru no
  This serene feeling...
  Tell me, what's the word people use for it?

shiroi suna no tsuki  toji kometa hanashi o
hikari furasu you ni kikasete ne  sotto
  Tell me a story that's locked away
  in the white-sand moon.
  Let me hear it
  as gently as light shining down...

itsuka shiru toki ga kuru no?  mune no itami o
soshite ima yori yasashiku naru no ne
  Will the time come? When you will know the pain in my heart?
  Then you'd be able to be gentler than you are now.

atatakai kono omoi
nee, hito ha donna namae de yondeiru no
  Such a warm feeling...
  Tell me, what's the name that people give to it?

shiroi suna no tsuki  mabushikute mienai
tooi mirai no koto kikasete ne  sotto
  Softly, let me hear
  of the distant future,
  so bright it can't be seen,
  like a white-sand moon.

Final Battle

2007-05-06T12:05:00.000-04:00

Allright, so, yeah...I know. Last time I said I was gonna hurry through this, and what do I do? Wait another week. I'm sorry! I was busy moving my brother home from college, possibly semi-permanently, since he's a horrible paper-writer, and lazy to boot. Oh well, that's a rant for another time. But seriously, I've got some pictures of the Peep Revolution to take, and their story to tell, but that isn't happening until I'm done with my musical interlude or whatever.

So, onward and upward! Or some such nonsense. Final Battle, right. For this one, I chose "Tank!" by Yoko Kanno. The other 2 songs I had to choose from were both 30 Seconds to Mars songs, and one would think that "Attack" would be a no-brainer for such a category, but, I guess I'm weird. When I think of a final battle theme song, I think upbeat, fast, action-packed. And "Attack" isn't really any of those things. Yes, it is an awesome song. But it doesn't really work for my final battle. So, over on the side you can find "Tank!" by Yoko Kanno, which is the opening song to Cowboy Bebop. And, look, no lyrics! But that's because the song doesn't really have any. I don't think you need me to write out the countdown at the beginning, do you??

"Tank!" by Yoko Kanno

Let's try some meme-age...

2007-04-28T22:32:00.000-04:00

All right, so no one tagged me for this little meme-thing, but last weekend, a couple of my friends were talking about coming across it on someone else's blog, and I thought it sounded interesting. So, I'm gonna do it anyways. :P

1. Go to Wikipedia and enter your birthday without the year:
December 13

2. List three events that occurred that day: (Yes, I know, I did 4. Deal.)
1972 - Project Apollo: Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt begin the sixth and final Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) or "Moonwalk" of Apollo 17. This was the last manned mission to the moon of the 20th century. This is kinda cool, in a geeky way, and kinda sad. Cuz we haven't really been back, now, have we.
1977 - A United States government aircraft DC-3 crashes near Evansville Regional Airport, killing 29, including the University of Evansville basketball team. This one's only kinda important, mainly because I grew up going to these basketball games.
2000 - American Vice President Al Gore delivers his concession speech ending his hopes of becoming the 43rd President of the United States. I didn't even realize this was on my birthday...
2003 - Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is captured near his home town of Tikrit (see Operation Red Dawn). I think I knew at the time "Hey, that's my birthday!" but I'd since forgotten.

3. List two important birthdays:
1954 - Tamora Pierce, author. Ok, this one is for VGB. Plus, I kinda like her stuff. ;)
1980 - MB of VBG fame. Hehe.
1981 - Amy Lee, American singer/songwriter (Evanescence). I picked this one mainly because, hey, that's my exact b-day! No fair she's all rich and famous-y!!

4. List one death: (Yes, I know, 2 this time.)
1961 - Grandma Moses, American painter (b. 1860). Hey, art's cool.
1981 - Pigmeat Markham, American entertainer (b. 1904). Two reasons, 1) that's my day again, and 2) Pigmeat?!?!???

5. List one holiday or observance:
In the Julian calendar before the Gregorian reform, this was the shortest day and longest night, and widely celebrated as such.

Woo, wasn't that fun? ;)

Regret

2007-04-28T21:43:00.000-04:00

Ok, I'm going to try and hurry the rest of this endeavor of mine, this little project of posting my "soundtrack". So, to that effect, here's another installment. This time it is "Regret", and the song chosen was "Savior" by 30 Seconds to Mars, although, really the other 2 songs I could have picked weren't too bad themselves. However, this one was chosen because it fits so well, it sounds regretful, as well as the words fitting the theme. Anyways, enjoy!

"Savior" by 30 Seconds to Mars

Until you crash
Until you burn
Until you lie
Until you learn
Until you see
Until you believe
Until you fight
Until you fall
Until the end of everything at all
Until you die
Until you're alive

Don't save me, don't save me, cuz I don't care
Don't save me, don't save me, cuz
I don't care

Until you give
Until you've used
Until you've lost
Until you lose
Until you see, how could you believe?
Until you've lived a thousand times
Until you've seen the other side
This is my chance, this is my chance

Don't save me, don't save me, cuz I don't care
Don't save me, don't save me, cuz
I don't care

Until the truth becomes a lie
Until you change, until you deny
Until you believe

This is my chance, this is my chance
I'll take it now because I can
This is my chance, I want it now

Don't save me, don't save me, cuz I don't care
Don't save me, don't save me, cuz
I don't care

Save me, save me, save me
Save me, save me, save me
I don't care

Happy Dance

2007-04-25T23:56:00.000-04:00

All right, the next installment. This category was "Happy Dance", which I must admit is kinda silly. I don't really dance. ;) Anyways, the song I chose was "Tsubasa wa Pleasure Line", because it's actually kind of upbeat, unlike the other two I had to choose from. Without further ado...

"Tsubasa wa Pleasure Line" by Minami Kuribayashi

ichiban kirei na sora wo tobouyo
tashika na mirai he Try!
    Let's fly in the most beautiful of sky
    This is certainly a try for the future!

negai ha hitomi no naka kagayaite afureru egao
nagare ni tsubasa wo azukete ima ha furikae razuni
    Your prayer shines within your eyes, it overflows your smile
    We trust our wings to the current, there's no going back now

meguri aeta kiseki ha Pleasure Line
yakusoku shitayo ne
    The miracle of us meeting by chance is our pleasure line
    We promised that, didn't we?

ichiban kirei na sora he tobouyo
nando taore temo "Try!"
kizutsu kinagara tsukamu ashita
yasashiiku tsuyoku kataru kimi wo wasurenai itsumo...
    Let's fly in the most beautiful sky
    We'll try no matter how many times we fall!
    Seizing tomorrow while we get hurt
    I will never forget you telling me so kindly and strongly...(1)

kokoro wo nurashita ame hitoshi zuku hikari ni tokete
itami ni furueru tsubasa mo chiisa na ai wo mamoru no
    The light dissolves the rain soaking my heart, drop by drop
    I'm protecting this little love with wings trembling in pain

wasarenai de sekai ha Pleasure Line
kesshite kowakunai
    Do not forget that this world is our pleasure line
    I'll never be afraid

mihatenu sora wo futari de tobouyo
te wo hanasanai de "Fly!"
samayoi nagara motomeru yume
asayake no matsu oka de kimi wo atsuku dakishimete
    Let's fly together in the endless sky!(2)
    Fly without letting go of my hand!
    Wandering while seeking out our dream
    I'll embrace you passionately on the hill while we wait for the morning glow

omoidaseba hoho ni kaze ha fuite
watashitachi no maeni michishirube oite kureru
    As I remember, the wind blows against my cheeks
    At the signpost before us

mihatenu sora wo futari de tobouyo
te wo hanasanai de "Fly!"
samayoi nagara motomeru yume
asayake no matsu oka de kimi to
    Let's go fly together in the endless sky
    Fly without letting go of my hand!
    Wandering while seeking out our dreams
    With you on the hill as we wait for the morning glow...

ichiban kirei na sora wo tobouyo
tashika na mirai he to
kizutsu kinagara tsukameba ii
yasashiiku tsuyoku kataru kimi ha asayake ni Fly away
    Let's go fly in the most beautiful sky
    This is certainly a try for the future!
    It's okay to get hurt if we seize it
    You tell me kindly and strongly and we fly away in the morning glow

Geekness?

2007-04-20T23:33:00.000-04:00

Ok, so, I just came across this, and it's kind of a geek-fest, in it' own way. Many types of geek are represented by it. Now all it needs is people in full armor (a la SCA re-enactors) and some anime and video game references.

I wonder if it will actually come to pass?

Flashbacks

2007-04-19T21:48:00.000-04:00

I'm trying really hard to keep with a somewhat weekly update on the soundtrack thing. Unfortunately, that's about all the updating I'm doing, but maybe this means I'm planning some great posts for when the soundtrack thing is finished. Maybe. Don't hold me to it.

Anyways, this time it's "Flashbacks" as our category. Our winning selection was "The Garden of Everything" by Maaya Sakamoto and...some guy that I don't know the name of off-hand. I do know that the music to this song was written by Yoko Kanno, and that both singers in the song (Ms. Sakamoto and that guy) are favorite vocalists of Ms. Kanno. And, hey, guess what?! The song is in English, although I think there is some background Japanese sung by Ms. Sakamoto, but it's really hard to hear, let alone translate. Without further ado, here it is:

"The Garden of Everything" by Maaya Sakamoto

Here you are
Daylight's star
Made out of miracles

Perfection
Of your own
You alone
O so incredible

Each atom
Sings to me
"Set me free
From chains of the physical."

O free me, O free me

The mirror melts,
I'm somewhere else
Inside eternity

Where you on
Outstretched wings
Sing within
The Garden of Everything

Where memories
Call to me
Backward dreams?
Or phantom reality?

Call to me, they call to me

And so here we are
Lovers of Lost Dimensions
Burning supernovas of all sound and sight
Every touch, a temptation
And for every sense, a sensation

Eyes of pure
Deep azure
Quite unbelievable

The sun's daughter
You've been made
Not to fade
Quite inconceivable

Each atom sings to me
"Set me free
From chains of the physical."

O free me, O free me

A love like ours
A starry flower
Through seasons and centuries

As rivers reach the sea
You'll reach me
With songs of your symmetry

A small boat
There will float
To far off coasts
The Isle of Infinity

Come with me, O come with me

Here we'll see
Love's lost tree
Made out of miracles

Emotions, crystal leaves
To cover me
And you in eternity

Each atom sings to us
Through the blood
"Love is a miracle"

Sings softly, it sings softly

And so here we are
Lovers of Lost Dimensions
Burning supernovas of all sound and sight
Every touch, a temptation
And for every sense, a sensation

And so here we are
Twin stars of brilliant brightness
Lanterns lit by life for all the depths of night
And every day will return us
To arms of the ever eternal

And so here we are
So far from earthy orbits
Burning supernovas of all sound and sight
Where every day will return us
To arms of the ever eternal

However, "Hands in the Sky (Big Shot)" by Straylight Run came a close second, so I will leave you with it, also.

"Hands in the Sky (Big Shot)" by Straylight Run

Tear it out of these open pages,
Women and kids of all ages,
Millions of men with blank faces,
Italicised lies, headlines, bold type

Living lives just like deer in headlights,
Terrified, blind, and wait to die,
I wonder when they'll come get me,
I wonder when they'll come get me:

We want you, have to need you:
And we'll tell you when they're hungry again,
And we'll tell you when they're hungry again,
It never ends, never ends:
We want you, have to need you:
And we'll tell you when they're hungry again,
And we'll tell you when they're hungry again,
It never ends, never ends, never ends:

Big shot screaming, "Put your hands in the sky,"
He says, "Give it up boy, give it up or you're gonna die,
You'll get a bullet in the back of the neck,
In the back of the neck right between the eyes."
Big shot screaming, "Put your hands in the sky,"
He says, "Give it up boy, give it up or you're gonna die,
You'll get a bullet in the back of the neck,
In the back of the neck right between the eyes."

Big shot screaming, "Put your hands in the sky,"
He says, "Give it up boy, give it up or you're gonna die,
You'll get a bullet in the back of the neck,
In the back of the neck right between the eyes."
Big shot screaming, "Put your hands in the sky," (Tear it out of these open pages)
He says, "Give it up boy, give it up or you're gonna die, (Women and kids of all ages)
You'll get a bullet in the back of the neck, (Millions of men with blank faces)
In the back of the neck right between the eyes." (Italicised lies, headlines, bold:)
Tear it out of these open pages,
Women and kids of all ages,
Millions of men with blank faces,
Italicised lies, headlines, bold type

Driving

2007-04-11T18:35:00.000-04:00

Ooo, time for the next installment of music 'n' lyrics. I suppose, one of these days, I'm gonna have to do a real post of some sort, but, really, I know most of you don't want to hear me wax, poetic or not, about anime all the freakin' time. And, since that's what my world seems to revolve around at the moment, I'm trying to save you from being bored out of your skull...though I guess not posting is at least as boring, if not more so.

Anyways, the topic/theme/thing for this next chapter in my soundtrack is Driving. And the song chosen is "Intergalactic" by the Beastie Boys. I tend to really enjoy fast paced, somewhat happy music to drive to, and it was the fastest and happiest of the 3 shuffled into place. So, without further ado, the lyrics...

"Intergalactic" by the Beastie Boys

Intergalactic Planetary Planetary Intergalactic Another Dimension
Well now don't you tell me to smile
You stick around I'll make it worth your while
Got numbers beyond what you can dial
Maybe it's because I'm so versatile
Style profile I said
It always brings me back when I hear Ooh Child
From the Hudson River out to the Nile
I run the marathon just up until the very last mile
If you battle me I will revile
People always say my style is wild
You've got gall you've got guile
To step to me I'm a rapophile
If you want to battle you're in denial
Coming from Uranus to check my style
Go ahead put my rhymes on trial
Cast you off into exile

Intergalactic planetary
Planetary intergalactic

Jazz and Awol that's our team
Step inside the party disrupt the whole scene
When it comes to beats well I'm a fiend
I like my sugar with coffee and cream
Got to keep it going keep it going full steam
Too sweet to be sour too nice to be mean
On the tough guy style I'm not too keen
To try to change the world I will plot and scheme
Mario C likes to keep it clean
Gonna shine like a sunbeam
Keep on rapping cause that's my dream
Got an A from Moe Dee for sticking to themes
When it comes to envy y'all is green
Jealous of the rhyme and the rhyme routine
Another dimension new galaxy
Intergalactic planetary

Intergalactic planetary
Planetary intergalactic

From the family tree of old school hip hop
Kick off your shoes and relax your socks
The rhymes will spread just like a pox
Cause the music is live like an electric shock
I am known to do the Wop
Also known for the Flintstone Flop
Tammy D getting biz on the crop
Beastie Boys known to let the beat drop
When I wrote graffiti my name was Slop
If my rap's soup my beats is stock
Step from the tables as I start to chop
I'm a lumber jack DJ Adrock
If you try to knock me you'll get mocked
I'll stir fry you in my wok
Your knees'll start shaking and your fingers pop
Like a pinch on the neck of Mr. Spock

Intergalactic planetary
Planetary intergalactic
Another dimension do it

Mental Breakdown

2007-04-05T14:30:00.000-04:00

Oh, wow...it's been a while, and I'm not even doing a real post right now. Sorry, folks, but it's more of my "soundtrack". I'm gonna finish it up, I'm not going to abandon it partway. So, suck it up. :P

Anyways, this song, for "Mental Breakdown" (which is all of the time, right?) is the opening song to the anime series Xxxholic (apparently pronounced "holic"). It's by some guy named Suga Shikao (or more likely Shikao Suga, since I've been putting artist names the western way). When I chose this song over the others thrown up by the shuffle program, I picked it because the words I could recognize were "I hate being 19" or "I hate myself at 19" (you know, since I don't really know Japanese, I was guessing), but now, upon closer inspection of the lyrics...I dunno how well it fits. But oh well, it's a creepy enough sounding song that it still works. So, without further ado, here are they lyrics (Japanese first, English second).

"19sai" by Shikao Suga

Kuchibiru ni doku wo natte boku no heya ni kita deshou?
Anata no kisu de mou karada mo nou mo toketeshimai sou
Daikirai na boku juu-kyuu-sai
Daikirai na boku juu-kyuu-sai

Hakike ga suru kurai anata no kokoro utsukushii no ni
Nani hitotsu dekinai boku ni doushite kisushite kureru no?
Daikirai na hibi juu-kyuu-sai
Daikirai na kao juu-kyuu-sai

Ku ku ku kuro ageha chou no you ni hokorashii hane de tobitai
Ku ku ku kudaranai-tte iwanai de sonna jinsei ga ii no, ii no...

Yogoreteru tamashii dake wo tori no sogu no ga murinara
Dochira ni arukeba sore wo mirai to yoberu no deshou
Chuu burarin na yume juu-kyuu-sai
Chuu burarin na uso juu-kyuu-sai

Ku ku ku kuro ageha chou ni natte dare kara mo aisaretai
Ku ku ku kubukurin nai toshitemo hon no isshun de ii no, ii no...

Daikirai na boku juu-kyuu-sai
Daikirai na boku juu-kyuu-sai

Ku ku ku kuro ageha chou no you ni hokorashii hane de tobitai
Ku ku ku kudaranai-tte iwanai de sonna jinsei ga ii no

Ku ku ku kuro ageha chou ni natte dare kara mo aisaretai
Ku ku ku kubukurin nai toshitemo hon no isshun de ii no, ii no...

Ku ku ku kuro ageha chou no you ni
Ku ku ku kudaranai-tte iwanai de
Ku ku ku kuro ageha chou no you ni
Ku ku ku kudaranai-tte iwanai de

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You applied poison to your lips and came into my room, right?
With your kiss, my body and mind seem to be melting already
The me who I really hate when I'm at age 19
The me who I really hate when I'm at age 19

Even when your heart is so beautiful that it nauseates me
Why do you kiss me, when I can't even do a thing?
The days that I really hate when I'm at age 19
The face that I really hate when I'm at age 19

L-L-L Like a black swallowtail butterfly, I want to fly with my proud wings
P-P-P Please don't say, "It's stupid"; such a life is okay, is okay...

If it's impossible to remove my soiled soul only
Then to where I walk can I call that my future?
The dream suspended in midair when I'm at age 19
The lie suspended in midair when I'm at age 19

I-I-I I'll become a black swallowtail butterfly; I want to be loved by everyone
E-E-E Even if I'm not almost there, just an instant is okay, is okay...

The me who I really hate when I'm at age 19
The me who I really hate when I'm at age 19

L-L-L Like a black swallowtail butterfly, I want to fly with my proud wings
P-P-P Please don't say "It's stupid"; such a life is okay, is okay...

I-I-I I'll become a black swallowtail butterfly; I want to be loved by everyone
E-E-E Even if I'm not almost there, just an instant is okay, is okay...

L-L-L Like a black swallowtail butterfly
P-P-P Please don't say, "It's stupid"
L-L-L Like a black swallowtail butterfly
P-P-P Please don't say, "It's stupid"

P. S. These lyrics were found courtesy of this website. Thanks, Google!

Life's Okay...

2007-03-20T00:53:00.000-04:00

So, yeah, I know, I've been slacking on this. Hey, the music widget site was down for a bit, and I was out of town, and I kinda forgot...I'm human! Forgive me?

Anyways, this song was "Haruka Kanata" by Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It's also one of the opening songs for Naruto, but I don't watch that show, I just like the band. It was chosen over the others for it's slightly peppy, but definitely invigorating sound.

"Haruka Kanata" by Asian Kung-Fu Generation

fumikomu ze akuseru  kakehiki wa nai sa  sou dayo
yoru wo nukeru
nejikomu sa saigo ni  sashihiki zero sa   sou dayo
hibi wo kezuru
   Hit the gas!  There's no need to finagle, oh yeah!
   We'll go all through the night.
   I'll complain at the end, the balance is zero, oh yeah!
   We'll whittle the days away...

kokoro wo sotto  hiraite gyutto  hiki yosetara
todoku yo kitto  tsutau yo motto sa  aa
   When you open your heart a little, and pull someone close to you,
   Your feelings will surely reach them deeper, yeah...

iki isoide  shiboritotte
motsureru ashi  dakedo mae yori  zutto sou tooku he
ubaitotte  tsukandatte
kimi janai nara  imi wa nai no sa
   Hurry it up!  Wring it out!
   Though my legs are all tangled, they will surely take me far...
   Even if I steal it and manage to grasp it,
   If it isn't you, then what's the point?

dakara  motto motto motto  haruka kanata
   So I'll go further and further away!

fumikomu ze akuseru  kakehiki wa nai sa  sou dayo
yoru wo nukeru
nejikomu sa saigo ni  sashihiki zero sa   sou dayo
hibi wo kezuru
   Hit the gas!  There's no need to finagle, oh yeah!
   We'll go all through the night.
   I'll complain at the end, the balance is zero, oh yeah!
   We'll whittle the days away...

kokoro wo sotto  hiraite gyutto  hiki yosetara
todoku yo kitto  tsutau yo motto sa  aa
   When you open your heart a little, and pull someone close to you,
   Your feelings will surely reach them deeper, yeah...

iki isoide  shiboritotte
motsureru ashi  dakedo mae yori  zutto sou tooku he
ubaitotte  tsukandatte
kimi janai nara  imi wa nai no sa
   Hurry it up!  Wring it out!
   Though my legs are all tangled, they will surely take me far...
   Even if I steal it and manage to grasp it,
   If it isn't you, then what's the point?

dakara haruka kanata
   So I'll go far into the distance...

itsuwaru koto ni nareta kimi no sekai wo
nuritsubusu no sa shiroku  shirou
   Your world will become a thing of deceit
   painted all in white...

Enjoy!!

Pi(e) Day

2007-03-15T14:21:00.000-04:00

So, yesterday was Pi Day. And in honor of this most auspicious of days, I made a pie.

It was a chocolate chip and pecan affair...a bit like a really soft cookie in a pie crust.

Well, as I sat there, eating my pie, the bibliophile called to invite me out for more pie! Hey, it was Pi Day, what do you think I did?? That's right, out for more pie. The only problem was, afterward, I kept trying to swim up out of sugar-induced sleep...all while playing Soul Calibur 3 with rabidmonkey...but, hey, it was all good fun.

Making Up

2007-03-03T15:55:00.000-05:00

The next installment in the soundtrack of my life is the "Making Up" segment. (And sorry, if this isn't as interesting as my last post, but it's been over a week for the soundtrack stuff, so I figured I needed to change it again...maybe I'll have an update, or something else will happen at work, though I doubt it...)

Anyways, this time I chose "Ai no Uta", one of the songs from the second InuYasha movie, since the other songs that came up were more fitting for a break-up song than a make-up song...go figure. But....unfortunately I could only find the Japanese for this one, too, so, sorry. You'll just have to deal with it being untranslated.

"Ai no Uta" by Every Little Thing

Kono chi ni chikara o
No ni hana o
Kokoro ni ai o...

Nee kono mimi o oshiatete kikoeta inochi no zawameki
Sou oboeteru atatakana kodou ni tsutsumareteta koto

Dare ka no koe mo, dare ka no kizu mo, kikoenai furi o suru
Sonna minikui kao ni damasarenaide
Ima sugu ni ai ni ikite

Kono yo ni umarete
Anata no me ni
Nani o utsushite
Ima kono chi ni chikara o
No ni hana o
Kokoro ni ai o...

Nee kizutsuita sono hane o iyaseru sube sae shirazu ni
Sou doko made mo bokutachi wa aruite mata sore o seoi

Donna jidai mo, donna basho demo tashikana ai wa aru
Dakara furueru koto mo nageki kanashimu koto mo nai
Ai no naka e

Namanurui kaze ni
Utare boku wa
Nani o nokoshite
Ima kono chi ni chikara o
No ni hana o
Kokoro ni ai o...

Soshite
Dare ka no koe mo, dare ka no kizu mo, kikoenai FURI o suru
Sonna minikui KAO ni damasarenaide
Ima SUGU ni ai ni ikite

Kono yo ni umarete
Anata no me ni
Nani o utsushite
Ima nama nerui kaze ni
Utare boku wa
Nani o nokoshite

Kono chi ni chikara o
No ni hana o
Kokoro ni ai o...

One of the funniest things...

2007-02-26T23:02:00.000-05:00

...that has ever happened to me while at work happened tonight. And I must share...

I had left the confines of my register to do a bit of recovery (cleaning/making sure everything is in the right place), and was over by the flowers. I hear behind me a "Excuse me, do you work here?" followed by a "Of course you do" as I turned around and the guy saw that I was wearing that lovely red apron. He went on to explain that he had been in a few weeks before, and one of the guys who works there had helped him quite a bit, and did I know which guy it was, since he couldn't remember his name, and he wanted to thank him. Well, seeing as there aren't many guys who work at Michaels, his description of "about as tall as me, with dark hair, about 18 maybe" led me to say "Oh, that's Nick. He's not working tonight." The guy was like "Oh...do you know when he works next? I really want to thank him in person for helping me..." So, as I head back to check when Nick works next, the guy follows me. He looks maybe 20 (I find out later he's 19), and kinda preppy, and I'm just like "Well, if I'm nice and give him information, he'll go away." Ha.

I tell him Nick closes tomorrow, so he'll be there after 4, so he can come in and thank him then. About this time, Sara, one of the girls I work with, wandered over to my cubicle, most likely to damage something out. The guy starts saying "Hmm...I have to take my car in for work tomorrow at 4..." and talks about his car for a good 5 min, before asking us where good places to buy cars are, since he's thinking about selling the one he's got and getting another. I'm thinking he's gotta be from out of town, most likely going to college at UE or USI or something, but anyways. He's talking about all this, and while he's talking, I take care of the few customers who come up to check out. Then Sara goes back to her recovery, and the guy decides to fill out a little card thing we have sitting on the counter next to me about getting the ad via email, while I continue to check out customers. A little of what's going through my mind is "Why is he filling that out, anyways?"

So, I get a lull in customers, and he comes around in front of my counter (like he'd be when checking out) and says, kinda quietly "Ok, so I really just wanted to talk to that guy again, but...[even quieter] is he gay?" I respond with "We don't really know. He hasn't said and we haven't asked." And it's true. Of the 6 guys who work there, 2 are definitely straight, the boss (who's married) and the other high schooler, we're 99% sure 3 are gay (I mean, hell, one's a drag queen, but not one anyone should want to see...), and then there's Nick.

Anyways, the guy goes on to say that he wasn't sure either...apparently the last time he was in it was with his ex, and he thought Nick gave him a look, but he wasn't quite sure if it was a "Check that out" look or a "Dude's gotta be gay" look. Then he starts to ask me how old Nick was. I say he's probably 17, since he's still in high school, and the guy looks kinda disappointed, and says something to the effect that he's 19, so that won't work. Meanwhile, a customer comes up on my left for an exchange, and the guy says "I'll wait." Mind you, I thought he was talking about the fact that Nick is 17, and I burst out laughing. The guy is all "Oh, well, I didn't mean it like that, but that's true, too." Anyways, I deal with that customer, and the guy goes back to talking to me. He lets out one more double entendre (but I've forgotten what it was, now) before I remind him that Nick will be there tomorrow after 4, if he really wants to try and talk to him. The guy asks me if I'll be there tomorrow, and I say "Nope, that's one of my days off this week, sorry." And then he leaves.

And I laugh the rest of the night.

I feel a bit like a matchmaker, and to a large degree, I hope that Nick is gay, cuz, man that takes balls. To go in to a store to find someone you've kinda but not really met once, and once you realize they're not there, to go ahead and ask someone else who works there when that person will be there next...wow, I'm in awe. Plus, it was just really funny. I dunno, maybe you had to be there.

God, "I'll wait"...still funny!

Oh, and a separate funny of the evening, from the boss, on one of the other girls who works there apparently trying to get pregnant, but apparently not having enough time since she has another job... "It doesn't take that long!" Hehehehe.

Breaking Up

2007-02-24T00:14:00.000-05:00

So, our next installment in the theme song thing is the "breaking up" song. This one was definitely chosen based on the lyrics, but it doesn't hurt that the song is awesome, too. So, here's "The Kill" by 30 Seconds to Mars.

"The Kill" by 30 Seconds to Mars

What if I wanted to break
Laugh it all off in your face
What would you do? (Oh, oh)
What if I fell to the floor
Couldn't take all this anymore
What would you do, do, do?

Come break me down
Bury me, bury me
I am finished with you

What if I wanted to fight
Beg for the rest of my life
What would you do?
You say you wanted more
What are you waiting for?
I'm not running from you (from you)

Come break me down
Bury me, bury me
I am finished with you
Look in my eyes
You're killing me, killing me
All I wanted was you

I tried to be someone else
But nothing seemed to change
I know now, this is who I really am inside.
Finally found myself
Fighting for a chance.
I know now, this is who I really am.

Ah, ah
Oh, oh
Ah, ah

Come break me down
Bury me, bury me
I am finished with you, you, you.
Look in my eyes
You're killing me, killing me
All I wanted was you

Come break me down (bury me, bury me)
Break me down (bury me, bury me)
Break me down (bury me, bury me)

(You say you wanted more)
What if I wanted to break...?
(What are you waiting for?)
Bury me, bury me
(I'm not running from you)
What if I
What if I
What if I
What if I
Bury me, bury me

"The Rage" indeed...

2007-02-22T00:05:00.000-05:00

So, a friend of mine recently posted a well composed and dignified rant (look for the one entitled "Recycled Child") on her blog about some apparent nutcase’s loathing of adoption, among other things. And, if I may quote from said friend, “The Rage” is an apropos term for the feelings one gets from even one word from the nutcase. So, while I don’t really have much knowledge of adoption, seeing as she’s the only person I can think of that I know even partly well that has ever been adopted, I’m going to introduce to this blog of mine more of my personal feelings than I ever have before.

Adoption: I see very little wrong with this as a viable option if presented with either an unexpected/unwanted pregnancy or as an alternative to physically birthing a child. While I am pro-choice, I don’t feel it necessary to abort every child conceived under less-than-perfect circumstances. I’m a realist, and I know that if we made abortions illegal, then we would have desperate women in alleyways with rusty coat-hangers, wherein both the fetus and the mother will end up dead. So, we make abortions legal, safe, clean, and expensive (but not too-expensive, because then they’re back in the alley with the hanger), so as to encourage people to think, do I really need to have this abortion. I mean, c’mon! Did the prohibition work? Is the “war on drugs” going smoothly? Then why would making abortions illegal solve anything??

Sorry, this was supposed to be about adoption. So, in any given case, whether it be rape-victim (because very few people, no matter how much love they will give to their child, will be completely alright with a physical reminder of such an event), pre-teen (or barely teen), or poor family with too many children to feed without the next on the way; in any of these cases, what can be so bad about having the courage to give that child what will hopefully be a better future? Especially because we all know that if we stopped with adoptions, these children would more than likely end up wards of the state; walking, talking bundles of depression and rage. And who can blame them? Being told over and over again that they aren’t loved, shipped from one foster family to the next; by the time they are legal to do anything, they are convinced that no one gives a flying fuck about them or anything they do…it just perpetuates the cycle.

(Don’t get me wrong, I know that not all foster situations end that way, but quite a few do. Never take anything I say as 100%; I am a scientist. We base our ideas on logic and what we know now, but the goal of the science is to go further, to be proven wrong, because only then can we move on to the next level of knowledge.)

And what about the people who are doing the adoption? The parents who long for a child?? The majority are usually people who for one reason or another cannot have children, either because they are infertile or because we have yet to get to the point where we can splice the genetic material from one egg into another, or can convert the DNA of a sperm into an egg, and therefore give homosexual couples a choice to have children that are theirs, wholly biologically theirs. And why not, when there are children born all the time who need loving parents, just opt for adoption?

On the flipside, I know far too many people (myself included) who would gladly at age 25 go through surgery to have some of those bits removed. Your uterus doesn’t work? Well, I don’t want mine, so how about we try for the first ever uterus-transplant? So many of my friends don’t want children, and at least one has said “If at some point I do decide I want children, I’m adopting.” And I totally agree with that. If, and this is a HUGE if, if I ever find someone I want to spend my life with, and this person is all “I want at least one kid!”, there is NO WAY I want to give birth myself. I don’t want the problems of pregnancy, the gestational diabetes; I don’t want to pass on the myriad of health problems anything from my genetic stock would be stuck with; and I sure as hell don’t want to go through the actual “birth process”. Hail no!

I feel kind of tapped out at the moment…I was planning on touching on some of the other things the nutcase was against, like La Laeche League (of which I am a product), or even a crazy rant on religion (won’t that be fun!), but I guess I can save that for the next serious rant I go on. It just…that nutcase’s illogic (what am I, a Vulcan?!?) pains me and makes me irate. Definitely not a scientist, that one…

Fight Song

2007-02-16T13:39:00.000-05:00

Today's installment of my theme music is the Fight Song. Of the songs that came up during the shuffle process, this was the best, most fight-song-ish, but that doesn't really mean it's the best I could possibly come up with if I had to actually pick from the songs saved on my laptop (which I'm not even using right now...since Oni-kun is on vacation in Florida...). Having said that, here are the lyrics to "Believe in Heaven", the ending song to Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok (which plays like a supernatural Conan...ask if you really want to know)

"Believe in Heaven" by Shinichirou Miki

Fukai kiri wo saite Tsukiakari ga terashita michi
Dare mo mina mayoi nagara Samayotteru ashita e to
    on the road bathed in the moonlight that split the deep mist
    everyone is lost, wandering towards tomorrow

Kodoku no machi de Kataritsugu shinwa sae
Habamaresou na Yami wo nuketeyuku
    in the city of loneliness, even the handed down legends
    begin to pass through the oppressive darkness

Hatenai sora wo koete tabi wo shiteiru Kizutsuite mo
Bokutachi wa kitto tadoritsukeru kara inori-tsuzuketai
Believe in Heaven
    we are on a journey, crossing the endless sky, even if we are hurt
    we will surely make it, so I want to keep praying
    Believe in Heaven

Kanashimi ga uzumaku hibi Tenshi sae mo namida suru
    in the days when sadness swirls about, even angels would shed tears

Kioku no umi de Nemutteita kanjou
Yobisamasereba Kami no koe ga suru
    if you awaken the feelings that were sleeping in the sea of memory
    you will hear the voice of god

Haruka na umi no kanata Oyogi-tsuzukeru Kotae motome
Ano hi kara itsumo mune ni hikatteru Chikai wasurenai
Believe in Heaven
    beyond the distant sea, we continue to swim, seeking the answer
    I won't forget the promise that has been shining in my heart since that day
    Believe in Heaven

Yoru no fuchi made ochiteyuku hoshikuzu mo
Kotae mitsukete kagayaku darou
    even the stardust that keeps falling into night's abyss
    finds the answer and shines, right?

Hatenai sora wo koete tabi wo shiteiru Kizutsuite mo
Bokutachi wa kitto tadoritsukeru kara negai-tsuzuketai
    we are on a journey, crossing the endless sky, even if we are hurt
    we will surely make it, so I want to keep praying

Haruka na umi no kanata Oyogi-tsuzukeru Kotae motome
Ano hi kara itsumo mune ni hikatteru Chikai wasurenai
Believe in Heaven
    beyond the distant sea, we continue to swim, seeking the answer
    I won't forget the promise that has been shining in my heart since that day
  Believe in Heaven

Oh, and pretty much all the lyrics I'm getting for various anime, I'm getting from this site. Just so, if need be, the actual effort of translation can be credited.

Falling in Love

2007-02-11T23:27:00.000-05:00

Here's the next theme, Falling in Love. The song, "Shining Days", the opening song from Mai Hime, was chosen because of it's upbeat sound. I tried to find English lyrics to it, but no luck. I suppose I just need to learn Japanese so I can translate it for you. Oh well. Here's the Japanese, at least...

"Shining Days" by Minami Kuribayashi, opening to Mai Hime

aozora ippai ni
watashi-tachi no omoi ga chiribamerarete yuku
unmei no hito ga anata nara ii no ni
genjitsu wa umaku yukanai

hikaru kaze no naka yume no hane mai oriru yo
yuuki dashite mirai e sou utsukushiku

ugokidasu atsui kodou ga
ano hi to onaji hayasa wo kizamu yo
massugu na manazashi ga suki
zutto miteitai

kirameku nagare boshi
taisetsu na negaigoto chiisaku tsubuyaita
mabuta wo tojiru to anata dake ukabu no
ima sugu ni ai ni yukitai

nidoto modoranai shunkan wo nogasanai de
inochi wo kagayakasete sou uruwashiku

mitsuketai hontou no watashi
umarekawaru yo anata mamoru tame
koete yuku kiseki tsukande
tsugi no sekai made

ugokidasu atsui kodou ga
ano hi to onaji hayasa wo kizamu yo
mitsuketai hontou no watashi
umarekawaru yo anata mamoru tame
koete yuku kiseki tsukande
tsugi no sekai made
tsuyoku hateshinaku

My war with technology

2007-02-07T01:08:00.000-05:00

So, way back when, when I graduated from college (or really, the week before I graduated), my parents got me a laptop. My parents, thinking (oh, silly parents) that I would be attending graduate school, thought a laptop would be more useful to me, but knowing that laptops are prone to problems, when they purchased it, they also purchased the 3-year extra warranty from SAMS.

Seeing as the desktop I had throughout undergrad I had named (Floyd, btw), I figured that my laptop also needed a name. Since by this time I had already become enamored of Japanese...anything...I came across the name Oni-kun, which roughly translates to "cute little boy demon/ogre". Silly me, to some degree I think that name encouraged my computer to be a little bit more, well, demonic. I have already had to send it in to be repaired for power problems, which stemmed from the fact that I set it down on its power cord one too many times and effectively broke the little pin in the DC jack on the back of the computer. Fine, good, they fixed it. That was over a year ago. But it's doing it again. And this time, I definitely didn't set it down oddly. I think it just enjoys making me angry. And, this time it's also having problems spinning and recognizing CDs and DVDs. So, it's being sent in again.

As a precaution, this time I have bought an external hard drive to copy some files (not that anything was lost last time), and basically to expand my ever shrinking hard drive. This drive was $160 of credit card issues (which are hopefully resolved by now!) that I had some trouble getting to work with my computer earlier today. But, I finally got it working, and copied my music, pictures, videos, and Works documents (since it's still free on my computer).

Now I'm thinking that my external hard drive also needs a name. But what kind of name goes well with Oni-kun? Should it be another name from Japanese mythology? Like Kitsune? Or would that just encourage the hard drive to play tricks on me. Or should it be a random name, like Bob, or Steve?

Any thoughts, the 3 people who occasionally read this blog?

Waking Up

2007-02-07T00:54:00.000-05:00

Time for the next theme song. This time it's "Passion" by Hikaru Utada. This is the Japanese song for Kingdom Hearts II. I have the English one on my computer, too. Not everything I listen to is in Japanese, y'know. Just a nice sized portion. ;) Anyways, today's lyrics aren't exactly right. I'm pretty sure they are the lyrics to the shortened version of the song, but they'll do. This is one of the songs chosen mainly by sound, and not by meaning. But I promise, there are some that were chosen because of their meanings!

"Passion" by Hikaru Utada

(wonk uoy naht niotceffa erom deen I) [1]
   (wonk uoy naht niotceffa erom deen I) [1]

Omoidaseba haruka haruka
Mirai wa doko mademo kagayaiteta [2]
Kirei na aozora no shita de
Bokura wa sukoshi dake obieteita
   If I recall, far far away
   The future was shining on everywhere [2]
   Beneath the beautiful blue sky
   We were just a little afraid

Natsukashii iro ni
Mado ga somaru
   The window will be tinted
   A nostalgic color

Mae wo muitereba mata aemasu ka
Mirai wa doko edemo tsudzuiterunda
Ookina kanban no shita de
Jidai no utsuroi wo miteitai na
   If we advance forth, can we ever meet again?
   The future goes on to everywhere
   Beneath the large signboard
   I want to keep watching the eras changing

Hitoshirezu
My heart’s a battleground
(snoitome owt deen I)
(wonk uoy naht niotceffa erom deen I)
(snoitome owt deen I)
   Hidden away
   My heart’s a battleground
   (snoitome owt deen I)
   (wonk uoy naht niotceffa erom deen I)
   (snoitome owt deen I)

Nido to aenu hito ni basho ni
Mado wo akeru
   I will open a window
   To the people and places I can’t see again

Omoidaseba haruka haruka
Mirai wa doko mademo kagayaiteta
Kirei na aozora no shita de
Bokura wa itsu mademo nemutteita
   If I recall, far far away
   The future was shining on everywhere
   Beneath the beautiful blue sky
   We were slumbering forever

(All my fears and all our lies)
   (All my fears and all our lies)

Aozora no shita...
    Beneath the blue sky...


Can’t understand some of the lines?  Try reading them backwards.
[1] This line is interlaced with the rest of the song.
[2] “doko made mo” also has the meanings of “persistently, through thick and thin”.


Enjoy!

Opening Credits...

2007-02-05T02:42:00.000-05:00

Since I said I'd put up the songs from that meme, I thought it might be a good idea to also give you the lyrics, and sometimes translations, since quite a few of them are in Japanese. (Sometimes the song will have been chosen based on the lyrics, although some were more chosen based on their sound.) And, in the case of this first one (which may be the only one I have to go with second choice on), I thought I'd post the lyrics to both the first and second choices. So...

Misere Cantare-The Beginning (by AFI)

Love your hate, your faith lost
You are now one of us
Love your hate, your faith lost
You are now one of us

Nothing from nowhere, I'm no one at all
Radiate, recognize one silent call
As we all form one dark flame... Incinerate

Nothing from nowhere, I'm no one at all
Radiate, recognize one silent call
As we all form one dark flame
As we all form one dark flame
As we all...

Love your hate, your faith lost
You are now one of us
Love your hate, your faith lost
You are now one, one of us

The Starry Sky (HAL)

uh......konya mo mata hakanai hoshi zora
uh......hikaru hoshi ni negai o kakeru kara...
  Uh.....Again tonight there's the fleeting starry sky
  Uh.....The shining stars are hanging with wishes...

Nayami wa itsumo taeru koto mo nai
Keredo tobira wa mo hiraiteiru yo
Fumarete mo taorete mo okiagaru tsuyosa kureta kimi ga
Hokoreru hoshi ni naru tame boku wa utau kara
Ima ijou ni ganbaru kara motto tsuyoku nareru you ni...
  Although worries will always endure,
  The door is opening
  Walking, falling, you're the one that picks me up and gives me strength
  So you'll become a proud star I'll sing
  Now I wont do less than my best, I'll become stronger like...

Yurugi nai ai konna daiji na ai
Dare yori mo zutto daiji ni omotteru
Fuan na yoru mo tashika ni aru keredo
Makenaide ikiteiku bokura wa...
  Unswaying love, this important love
  No one else is so precious
  This night is surely uneasy but
  We’re the one that won't lose, but go on living...

Unmei nante zankoku na mono de
Yosou nante ne tsukeyou mo nai deshou
Chitteiku  kudateiku kedo kono te ni aru
Itami himitsu mochinagara kimi no tame ni boku wa utau kara
Omoeteite shinjiteite wasurenaideite hoshii
  Destiny is such a brutal thing
  Can't we follow our expectations?
  It's scattering, falling but this hand is here
  I'm carrying painful secrets for you while I sing
  Think of, believe, don't forget this wish

Dare datte kitto yowasa o himeteite
Kimi datte kitto honto wa kowai yo ne
Boku datte kitto wakarikitteru kedo
Makenaide ikiteiku bokura wa...
  Because who will surely hide weakness
  Aren't you definitely scared?
  I'm sure I'll come to understand
  We're the one that won't lose, but go on living...

Hakanakute mou naite shimaisou de...
Kanashikute mou tatte irarenai yo
  It was fleeting and no more...
  There is no need for sadness

Hakanakute mou naite shimau keredo
kanashikute mou tatte irarenai kedo
Dakedo ne kitto ironna shougai ni
Makenaide ikiteikou bokura wa...
  It was fleeting and no more, but
  There is no need for sadness,
  Though there are surely many obstacles
  We're the one that won't lose, but go on living...

Enjoy!!

Theme Music

2007-02-03T20:57:00.000-05:00

So, if you haven't noticed, I've added a little feature to the top of my sidebar, in which I've placed a song. At first, I was just gonna put one up every week that I really liked. Then, I thought, "Maybe I should put up a song that's from my 'Current Obsession'." But, with the most recent obsession not having its opening song (the song I like) on the thing I get the music from, I decided to do something else.
Earlier I posted a meme about the theme music if my life were a movie, or some such nonsense. I have decided to every few days (or once a week, I haven't quite decided yet) I will put up the most qualified song (the ones with asterisks) in order of the meme. So that means that I will be putting AFI's "Miseria Cantare"---never mind, I can't find it, either. When I can't find the most qualified, I'll find the second most qualified one, and put it up. So, this time you get "Starry Sky" by HAL, the 1st ending song to Angelic Layer.
This will end up very interesting....we'll see how many times I'll have to fall back on my second choice...and how many times it's the track from an anime that I will actually be able to find....

Oh my gawd......

2007-02-02T03:56:00.000-05:00

While it's official that I am a huge nerd, I think this is awesome. Someone made a video out of a one-shot webcomic page, and set it to the correct music! If you don't like webcomics or absolutely hate the fact that I'm an otaku, then...don't watch. That's all I'll say. Cuz, otherwise, you won't think it's cool at all. And it is. To me.

(It's BLEACH by the way...)
(and VGCats, which is linked on the sidebar...)

2007-01-31T23:15:00.000-05:00

For the record...I wanna go to grad school at the University of Pittsburgh, and attempt to get a pro-M.S. in GIS. I wanna live in Bloomfield (cuz it sounds nice and isn't too far from campus), and I want people to come to Pittsburgh with me (like Ellie, or Jenny and E if Jenny decides she'd rather go to seminary there). It just seems so nice and perfect for me to go to Pittsburgh...

sigh

I guess this means I have to get off my ass, doesn't it....

I like to travel......

2007-01-27T18:43:00.000-05:00

create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide

I've been quite a few places. Granted, some of these (like Idaho, Maryland, or California) are on this because we drove through them for 20 miles, or I spent 2 hours in the airport. But, for the most part, I've been in these states long enough to have stayed the night. Woot, 76%, 39 states. Now, my goal is to visit some of those I haven't made it into. Like the Northwest, or Louisiana. Or Mass to visit Julie and Andy. That'd be awesome!
And, maybe, if you are lucky, you can come with me!

I wanna try something....

2007-01-26T03:54:00.000-05:00

We'll see if this works....

I'm still not dead...

2007-01-26T03:02:00.000-05:00

It's true. I haven't posted in a long while. And I don't really have any excuses. I'm easily distracted, is all. But when I got my SiteMeter report and saw that I only had one visit all last week, well, that means I've really been slacking, that no one even bothers to check anymore.

But the question becomes what to post. No one really wants to read me ranting on and on about anime, and, really, other than work and sleep late, that's about all I do. That, and every weekend I find myself free, leave town. ;)

I suppose I can write about that...last weekend I took myself on a little jaunt about Indiana. First, it was just going to be to go to Anderson to visit Jenny and E, and then I decided to swing by Bloomington so Ellie wouldn't have to drive too. (saves on gas, parking, and the environment) Then, my brother became a bigger idiot. He's supposedly majoring in art education, so of course he's taking art classes. However, 3 things added up to me making an extra side jaunt to Terre Haute. 1st, my brother can't drive (and doesn't have a car, even if he could drive). 2nd, he's a shut-in. He hasn't made any friends, let alone the kind that have cars. And 3rd, he's a big procrastinator like me. So Wednesday night when he IMs me, asking if there's a Michaels in Terre Haute and if we carry clay working supplies, I find out that he needs these supplies for class the next morning. He tells me Hobby Lobby sucks (to which I kinda agree), and in his favor I recall that he did attempt to go shopping on Monday (but since it was MLK day, we were pretty sure the buses weren't running in the little podunk town). So, I find out what he needs, purchase them on Thursday and Friday, and drive them up to him, and take him to Walmart for whatever else he needed. Then I drive to Bloomington, pick up Ellie and eat dinner, and head on over to Anderson. All in all, about 8 hours on the road, with another 2 hours spent either in Walmart/Ross's dorm room or eating dinner at a falafel place in Bloomington.
In Anderson, well...I spent all of Saturday in my pjs. We played games, watched RENT, played with the Sims2, read stories, played Halo2, and just hung out. Oh yeah, there was some badly acted pirate porn with almost too much plot in there, too. It was heaps of fun...I miss hanging out with people sometimes, cuz my parents definitely don't count.

Hmm....it's been so long since I last posted, there's bound to be more stuff.....lemme rummage through my camera, hold on....

..........

Well...since I have a tendency to forget and leave my camera at home whenever I go somewhere (why does typing "camera" make me think of some giant mutated monster attacking Tokyo?), all I have is the 2 pics from my Hanover-reunion Xmas get-together that I took before my camera battery died (perhaps defeated by Godzilla??) Unfortunately, Andy was the one behind my camera for the "group shot", so I don't actually have one of him this year. Oh well. Enjoy a bit of my Christmas, Perkins-style.

Well, laters!

2007-01-13T15:05:00.000-05:00

Faux Klingons in the White House!

So, I ran across this via Ellie's LJ, and I couldn't help but post it here, too. This is great. This is the kind of analogy that my inner and outer geek can enjoy. And I applaud this guy on having the balls to say this in front of Congress.

So begins another year....

2007-01-07T05:11:00.000-05:00

....about a week ago. I know, I've been slacking lately. I've been lax. And you'll just have to deal, because I don't write this blog to entice random passers-by to become my followers. I have that cult for that purpose...er, I mean, uh, yeah. Not that I've been doing anything really exciting so far this year, so it's not like I have a lot to blog about. I suppose I could talk about my "Holiday Drive" this year, complete with the one picture I took before my camera batteries died, but I'm not feeling it right now, since I should really be sleeping. I'll save that for another day. No, instead, I'll join the fold, a bit late maybe.

Earlier, and by that I mean a couple of weeks ago, my friend PF1 over there (-->) posted on her blog a little "life soundtrack" meme that I've seen friends of mine do on LJ, too. So, I decided to give it a try myself. I did it 3 times, since some of them were so very unsatisfactory. Hopefully it makes sense (i.e. the asterisks mean I feel those songs are most fitting for the category). Anyways, enjoy!

1. Open your library on your Zen or Ipod or other MP3 player

2. Put it on shuffle.

3. Press play.

4. For every question type the song that’s playing.

5. When you go to a new question press the “next” button.

Opening Credits:
“Miseria Cantare - The Beginning” by AFI*
“Strict Machine” by Goldfrapp
“The Starry Sky” by HAL (1st ending song from Angelic Layer)
Waking Up:
“Passion” by Hikaru Utada (from the Kingdom Hearts 2 soundtrack)*
“Tsuki no Ie” (2nd ending song from Outlaw Star)
“Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)” by Chevelle
Falling In Love:
“Hanabi” (7th? Ending song from BLEACH)
“Shining Days” (opening song from Mai Hime)*
“Passion” by Hikaru Utada (from the KH2 soundtrack)
Fight Song:
“Tsuki no Curse” (opening song from Loveless)
“Faust” by the Gorillaz
“Believe in Heaven” (ending song from Mythical Detective Loki Ragnorok)*
Breaking Up:
“One-Eighty by Summer” by Taking Back Sunday
“The Kill” by 30 Seconds to Mars*
“Thank You!” (2nd ending song from BLEACH)
Making Up:
“Take It Away” by the Used
“Bleed Black” by AFI
“Ai no Uta” by Every Little Thing (opening song from the first InuYasha movie)*
Life’s Ok:
“Haruka Kanata” by Asian Kung-Fu Generation*
“Change the World” by V6 (1st opening song from InuYasha)
“A Decade Under the Influence” by Taking Back Sunday
Mental Breakdown:
“19 Sai” (opening song from xxxHolic)*
“po’d pod” by Yoko Kanno
“Little Devotional” by Taking Back Sunday
Driving:
“This Celluloid Dream” by AFI
“Battlecry” (opening song from Samurai Champloo)
“Intergalactic” by the Beastie Boys*
Flashbacks:
“Treat or Goblins” (opening song from Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi)
“The Garden of Everything” by Maaya Sakamoto*
“Hands in the Sky (Big Shot)” by Straylight Run
Happy Dance:
“12D3” by the Gorillaz
“Shiki no Uta” (ending song from Samurai Champloo)
“Tsubasa wa Pleasure Line” (opening song from Chrno Crusade)*
Regret:
“Savior” by 30 Seconds to Mars*
“I Caught Fire” by the Used
“Sayonara Solitaire” (ending song from Chrno Crusade)
Final Battle:
“Attack” by 30 Seconds to Mars
“Tank!” by Yoko Kanno (opening song from Cowboy Bebop)*
“A Beautiful Lie” by 30 Seconds to Mars
Death Scene:
“bang bang banquet” by Yoko Kanno
“Hiiru no Tsuki” (1st ending song from Outlaw Star)*
“Asu e no Brilliant Road” (opening song from Stellvia)
Final Credits:
“This Photograph is Proof (I Know You Know)” by Taking Back Sunday
“In Your Heart” (ending song from Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi)
“Hitomi no Juunin” by L’arc en Ciel*

Merry Xmas!

2006-12-25T01:40:00.000-05:00

No matter what your religious leanings may be, Merry Xmas/Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/Happy Solstice (a few days late!). May it be a happy time for you, and maybe even blessed with a visit from me!

2006-12-20T01:29:00.000-05:00

Star Trek Meets Monty Python

This is WONDERFUL! Enjoy!

Is that all??

2006-12-13T13:52:00.000-05:00

So, today I am a quarter-century old. Put it that way, and it sounds longer than "twenty-five years"...Anyways, now I can legally rent and subsequently drive a vehicle. But, that's it. This is the last milestone 'til I approach the hill, and roll down the other side. No more big, important things will I be suddenly able to do, supposedly, I can do them all now. And that's kinda depressing. Oh well.
Now I'm caught up to all my friends here, and soon most of my other friends will join in the unimportant birthday club. Yay for growing older??

Taking a poll...

2006-12-09T23:53:00.000-05:00

This year, since I'm not rolling in the dough, I thought I'd make cookies for Xmas presents. However....what types should I make? Not too difficult or labor-intensive, and something that many will like...who is in favor of nuts? Anti-nut? Pro-chocolate? That sorta thing...
Anyways, thought I'd ask, since most of the people who could potentially recieve some baked goods read this (and my lj, where I will post this also).

I'll be awaiting those replies!

Well...I am the campus slut....

2006-12-09T23:22:00.000-05:00

...or was, if you ask the right people. Here's a quiz, thanks to PF2 over there ->

Oooo......sparkly............

2006-12-08T02:22:00.000-05:00

Every so often when I come home from work, and see myself in the bathroom mirror, I am forced to say to myself...."OMG! I've got shoujo sparkles!"

Day #30

2006-12-01T00:58:00.000-05:00

Holy crap, I almost forgot to post today!! And it's the last day, so I'd kick myself (and I'm not that flexible) if I fucked up now. So, yeah.

Apparently my last post was popular with one of the few people who read this, so I was gonna try and post another part of the story, but...I was writing some of it last night. But I didn't get very far before deciding I needed to go to bed. I suppose I could post what I wrote, and any of you who read this can give me pointers on what is wrong with it. I'll think about it.

Otherwise, well, this has been an interesting 30 days. I've talked about absolutely nothing, copped-out at every opportunity, and maybe had 4 or so real posts the whole time. Which is actually pretty good for me, I mean, 4 posts in one month? And none about boating down my street?? 'Course, it's November, it doesn't tend to flood quite so much this time of the year...anyways. All in all, it was a good experience, but both my select readers and I will be glad I don't do this all the time. It'd be really freakin' boring if I did.

Oh well, I guess I'll go ahead and post the next couple of paragraphs in that story, and maybe post again in a couple of weeks.

Mata ne! ("See you later" in Japanese)

Bob, née Elizabeth, paused a moment in the hallway outside the glowing white operating room she had just left, staring at her index fingers on both hands. It seemed amazing to her that she now had a tiny thread of intelligent fiber optics in both fingers, that supposedly would allow her to access any of the many computers throughout the Company’s headquarters, as well as any of their branches all over the galaxy. Merely the act of brushing her index finger over a computer would give her immediate, if only partial, access to the information contained therein. And to understand the information that would pour like blood from a wound into her mind, the counterpart to those finger fiber optics--her hand flew reflexively to the base of her skull two inches behind her right ear. There, those same skilled surgeons who wove technology into her fingertips ensconced the counterpart, a relay device for the information, that would translate it to a form her mind could digest. Just what form, she did not know. Although her childhood had included most luxuries, she had been kept somewhat removed from aspects of technology, seeing as her father had always been suspicious of humanity’s reliance upon the machine.
Shaking her head, the bottom of her pony-tail brushing the tops of her calves, Bob began to move down the hallway, dragging her fingers along the dark gray granite of the walls. She walked with no real purpose; she would find her room later, for now she wanted to explore the building. As she walked, she repeatedly thought she heard voices, even when she was alone in the hallway, and not always the same voice. Bob simply figured it to be the work of her imagination, thinking the walls in a place such as this would have so many stories to tell.
Bob rounded a corner and was immediately blinded by the sunlight pouring down through the faux-glass ceiling of a large park-like atrium.

Day #29

2006-11-29T14:03:00.000-05:00

I'm going to try something different today. This is the beginning of a story I've been working on. Actually, it's about all I have written, but the rest of the story is pretty much planned out in my head, I just haven't gotten around to writing it down. Anyways, enjoy if you want, tell me I suck if you want, I don't really care. :)

Mata ashita.

Elizabeth shifted her weight uncertainly from foot to foot as the impeccably dressed woman with salt-and-pepper hair looked over her file. The woman- “Sam” as the plaque on the desk proclaimed- keyed down on the file, making a couple of handwritten notes for herself on the small pad of paper situated before her. She nodded once to herself as she shut the file down, and turned her gaze toward Elizabeth.
“I see it says you are 16,” Sam said, a hint of question in the statement. “We haven’t had an instance like this in all the time I have worked for the Company. But I congratulate you on both your-” Sam paused, the ghost of a smile passing across her face, “victory, and on your assessment of the situation you were faced with. We welcome you with open arms and no questions into the Company.”
Elizabeth let go of the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, and went a little weak in the knees. She had been afraid that everyone she worked with would have to know her past, and had come to the conclusion that a situation such as that was far too great a risk, even for an opportunity such as this.
“And since you are now a part of this Company, you and I must put your information into this file to be locked so that only the heads may know just who you are,” Sam imparted, much to Elizabeth’s dismay. “So, since this may take a while, and you have gone quite pale,” again the ghostly smile, “I would encourage you to sit down.”
As Sam spoke, a chair sprouted from the floor, into which Elizabeth was waved.
“Don’t you worry, these records will not see the light of day until your death.” Sam turned back to her screen, her fingers poised above the surface of the desk, ready and willing to begin typing once more. “First off. The name ‘Elizabeth’ must be retired. Now, you do not have to follow the original custom of taking the vacancy that you created, but that choice does remain open to you. That would make you a ‘Bob’. Let’s see…” Sam’s fingers began to furiously tap on the desk, and reflected in her eyes, file after file were opened and closed rapid fire. “There’s a ‘Cary’ open, a ‘Jo’, an ‘Evan’, and a ‘Will’. Any to your liking?”
Elizabeth thought for a moment, and posed Sam a question. “Is there any difference between them? Are they of differing levels or job descriptions?”
“No,” replied Sam, the phantom smile returning. “It is merely an effort on our part to simplify things. There will only be one employee with any certain name working here at any time. It helps to eliminate confusion.” Sam paused, “I understand that you have not ever held a job before now, but surely you must be aware how frustrating it can be when a superior calls your name, only to find they were actually needing one of the half a dozen other ‘Elizabeth’s. So, when the Company was began, it was decided that all employees would take use-names, code-names as it were, and since it would not always be possible to actually choose your name, they picked somewhat gender-free names. So, have you decided?”
Elizabeth paused, thinking over the names. “Cary” brought to mind a handsome, smiling man in a white suit, interchangeably flirting with the cocktail waitress and shooting into a crowd, coupled with the image of a blood-soaked high-school girl. Either way, too flamboyant. “Jo”, with or without the “e”, reminded her of the pair of mechanics her father used to employ, not the image she felt she needed for this Company. “Evan” did not interest her at all, and “Will” brought her to the point of laughter, thinking that if she chose it, she would certainly need to become extra skilled at ducking, for every time someone would say “Fire at Will!” she would be afraid they actually would. “Uh, um, Bob is fine with me. Simpler, yes?”
“All right,” said Sam. “Let’s see…”
* * * * * * *

Day #28

2006-11-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

So today I spent a good hour or so at Babies 'R' Us with my mother, shopping for my step-cousin's baby shower that will be held this Sunday. As I stood there, wandering through little clothes covered in firetrucks and puppies, I thought about how I won't be needing to do this again for a while...except that I will, come April/May, for Julie. But other than Julie, I won't need to do it again for a while. And then, of course, my mind followed into "because of the married couples I know, none of the rest are ready now, if ever, to be spawning. And I'm almost done with weddings for a while, too!" Which is true.

Since I graduated college in May of 2004, I have gone to 4 weddings (one of which was family) and known of 5 more that I was not invited to (one of which was the step-cousin who's baby shower we were shopping for. Blame her step-dad, my cousin, for forgetting to invite us.) I have one wedding coming up in December, and one of those I was not invited to will most likely have a friends 'n' family reception type party at some point, maybe this summer. (She and her man married for insurance reasons...otherwise they'd just live together like a married couple, just without all the legal mumbo-jumbo.) I'm running out of single friends. ;) No, really, when December rolls around, I will be pretty much out of friends in serious relationships. Basically, other than Aerine, all of my other friends don't have a significant other to speak of. That does mean I'll be able to stop asking off a couple of times a year for weddings, and thankfully I won't have to replace it with asking off for baby showers, but...damn. And here I thought I didn't have many friends. Well, compared to some people, probably not, but c'mon. Why did all of them hafta get married in like 2 years? That's 7 friends/friends of friends/ex-roommates getting married and 2 relations all getting married in 29 months. That's an average of one wedding every 3.2 months. That's a lot of time asked off. But it's almost over.

Anyways, mata ashita. Only a couple more days to try and post something interesting. I don't think it'll happen, though.

Day #27

2006-11-27T13:55:00.000-05:00

Ok, I apologize for this one being very short, but I'm feeling kinda depressed today and don't feel like posting. Thank all things holy (and probably some things that are not) that there are only 3 more days of this. Then I can go back to ignoring the fact that I have a blog.

Day #26

2006-11-26T23:57:00.000-05:00

So, it’s a well-known fact that I’m a strange person, and probably have many hobbies that are way too weird for the normal person, but I feel that the quirk of mine that I am about to write about is not actually that unique. Other people are bound to do similar things…it’s just that my obsession with anime makes my quirk, um, quirkier. Anyways.

Have you ever read a book that you adored, and, even though you know that it would be butchered in doing so because the book is always better, wished at least a little that it would be made into a movie? And have you ever, after making that wish, thought about who you would cast as the main characters? Yeah, me too. But more often, I find myself watching an anime in Japanese, and wishing fervently that it will be licensed in the US soon, so I can buy it on DVD (like I have the money, but oh well) and knowing that 90% of the anime that is licensed in the US is also dubbed in English by about 4 main studios. And so I find myself thinking which studio should get the rights to the anime, so they can dub it and have the voices kind of match, at least to me. (Warning, the rest of this post contains a lot of anime-specific information that most of you don’t care about. Read at your own peril)

I did this before, with Bleach. I had been watching it, and thinking that the voice of Fuu from Samurai Champloo would make an excellent Orihime. Having thought that, I thought also about what other voice actors are from the same area/studio, and what roles they should be given, if any. Y’see, there are 4 main area/studios in the US/Canada. One in Vancouver, BC (InuYasha voices), 2 in Texas (FMA voices and Excel Saga/Eva voices), and the LA area. The LA area isn’t actually a studio; the VA’s there have agents who get them roles in whatever is available. But VA’s there include the voices from Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, and Hellsing (just to name a few). Anyways, since I had been thinking of the voice of Fuu (Kari Wahlgren) as Orihime, I figured I needed voices from the same area, and since she’s from LA, that gave me a bunch to choose from. It actually took me a bit to decide on the appropriate voice for Ichigo, but I finally landed on Johnny Yong Bosch, the voice of Vash from Trigun. Actually, I kinda half-assed that one, in that I couldn’t think of any other VA’s that it was imperative to have, so I didn’t really pick out any others. Now, flash ahead a couple of months, when I find out for a fact that the LA contingent got the dubbing rights. I’m ecstatic, mainly because this means in a while I’ll be able to purchase the DVDs so I can watch them whenever I want, and much higher quality than Youtube, but also because I find out that, indeed, Johnny Yong Bosch has been cast of the voice of Ichigo! Woo, go me. I’m so cool. Kari Wahlgren was not cast as Orihime, but the girl they did get isn’t too bad. However, those two, plus Ichigo’s 2 younger sisters, are about the only voices I’m happy with…so, I’ll definitely be watching it in Japanese. And forcing other people to watch it in Japanese, too.

Anyways, the real reason for this post wasn’t to talk about Bleach, but to talk about another show. I recently came across a manga (thanks, Aerine) called “Ouran High School Host Club”. After reading the first 4 books, I decided to find out if it had been made into an anime. It had, and in 3 days I watched the entire show. Loved it. Absolutely loved it. But again, I want to own it, so I began to formulate devious plans of who should voice these unique characters. And, I think I’ve come up with a few good ones. The studio I have chosen for appropriate talent is ADV Films, the people who brought us Excel Saga, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Nadesico, Abenobashi, Steel Angel Kurumi, Princess Tutu, and Loki to name a few. And here’s some of what I’ve got:
Haruhi Fujioka: Kira Vincent-Davis Her natural speaking voice (as heard on the extras of Steel Angel Kurumi) is excellent…she doesn’t sound too old, and while you can tell she’s a girl, she could probably be dressed as a guy and you not realize that she isn’t one.
Kyoya Ohtori: Chris Patton His voice can sound very reserved and cold, while at the same time sounding very knowledgeable and kinda sexy.
Mistukuni Haninozuka (Honey-sempai): Hillary Haag She has the right about of bubbliness for Honey, and I figured I’d keep with the Japanese and have a girl be Honey in English, too.
Tamaki Suoh: Jason Douglas The voice of Il Palazzo and Frey (among others), his voice has the right amount of self-satisfied dramatics to be Tamaki.
Hikaru Hitachiin: Greg Ayres Youngish, slightly nasal voice that I think will fit Hikaru well.
Kaoru Hitachiin: Spike Spencer Also a youngish voice, but slightly nicer sounding, that as long as the two can pull off the tandem speech, should do well.
Takeshi Morinozuka (Mori-sempai): Jay Hickman Actually, this voice is the hardest for me to cast, so I pretty much said “there’s a voice actor, he can do it”. His voice is kinda deep, and he can definitely pull off the subdued character (Mytho in Princess Tutu), and it’s not like Mori has that many lines!
I suppose as long as I’m doing this, I might as well pick out a voice for Haruhi’s dad, so…Ryoji Fujioka: Illich Guardiola He’s the voice of Yamino in Loki, so he can play the kind of high voice needed for Haruhi’s cross-dressing father.

Now, I doubt that anything I say will have an effect, but wouldn’t it be awesome if someone at ADV came across this and said, “Yeah, that girl’s got some good ideas”? So awesome. And so not-gonna-happen. Ever. Oh well.

So, there you have it. My quirk of the day, as it were.

Mata ashita!

Day #25

2006-11-25T13:16:00.000-05:00

Well, I treid to find the lyrics to a certain song to post on here, but I couldn't find them. Apparently no one has the lyrics to the song "Everybody" from Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter. Oh well, that just means I had to find some other lyrics to post today. So, since I finally got the soundtrack from the library, here are the lyrics to a song from Avenue Q called "Everybody's a Little Bit Racist"

Princeton:
Say, Kate, can I ask you a question?

Kate Monster:
Sure!

Princeton:
Well, you know Trekkie Monster upstairs?

Kate Monster:
Uh huh.

Princeton:
Well, he's Trekkie Monster, and you're Kate Monster.

Kate Monster:
Right.

Princeton:
You're both Monsters.

Kate Monster:
Yeah.

Princeton:
Are you two related?

Kate Monster:
What?! Princeton, I'm surprised at you! I find that racist!

Princeton:
Oh, well, I'm sorry! I was just asking!

Kate Monster:
Well, it's a touchy subject.
No, not all Monsters are related.
What are you trying say, huh?
That we all look the same to you?
Huh, huh, huh?

Princeton:
No, no, no, not at all. I'm sorry,
I guess that was a little racist.

Kate Monster:
I should say so. You should be much more
careful when you're talking about the
sensitive subject of race.

Princeton:
Well, look who's talking!

Kate Monster:
What do you mean?

Princeton:
What about that special Monster School you told me about?

Kate Monster:
What about it?

Princeton:
Could someone like me go there?

Kate Monster:
No, we don't want people like you-

Princeton:
You see?!

You're a little bit racist.

Kate Monster:
Well, you're a little bit too.

Princeton:
I guess we're both a little bit racist.

Kate Monster:
Admitting it is not an easy thing to do...

Princeton:
But I guess it's true.

Kate Monster:
Between me and you,
I think

Both:
Everyone's a little bit racist
Sometimes.
Doesn't mean we go
Around committing hate crimes.
Look around and you will find
No one's really color blind.
Maybe it's a fact
We all should face
Everyone makes judgments
Based on race.

Princeton:
Now not big judgments, like who to hire
or who to buy a newspaper from -

Kate Monster:
No!

Princeton:
No, just little judgments like thinking that Mexican
busboys should learn to speak goddamn English!

Kate Monster:
Right!

Both:
Everyone's a little bit racist
Today.
So, everyone's a little bit racist
Okay!
Ethinic jokes might be uncouth,
But you laugh because
They're based on truth.
Don't take them as
Personal attacks.
Everyone enjoys them -
So relax!

Princeton:
All right, stop me if you've heard this one.

Kate Monster:
Okay!

Princeton:
There's a plan going down and there's only
one paracute. And there's a rabbi, a priest...

Kate Monster:
And a black guy!

Gary Coleman:
Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Kate?

Kate Monster:
Uh...

Gary Coleman:
You were telling a black joke!

Princeton:
Well, sure, Gary, but lots of people tell black jokes.

Gary Coleman:
I don't.

Princeton:
Well, of course you don't - you're black!
But I bet you tell Polack jokes, right?

Gary Coleman:
Well, sure I do. Those stupid Polacks!

Princeton:
Now, don't you think that's a little racist?

Gary Coleman:
Well, damn, I guess you're right.

Kate Monster:
You're a little bit racist.

Gary Coleman:
Well, you're a little bit too.

Princeton:
We're all a little bit racist.

Gary Coleman:
I think that I would
Have to agree with you.

Princeton/Kate Monster:
We're glad you do.

Gary Coleman:
It's sad but true!
Everyone's a little bit racist -

All right!

Kate Monster:
All right!

Princeton:
All right!

Gary Coleman:
All right!
Bigotry has never been
Exclusively white

All:
If we all could just admit
That we are racist a little bit,
Even though we all know
That it's wrong,
Maybe it would help us
Get along.

Princeton:
Oh, Christ do I feel good.

Gary Coleman:
Now there was a fine upstanding black man!

Princeton:
Who?

Gary Coleman:
Jesus Christ.

Kate Monster:
But, Gary, Jesus was white.

Gary Coleman:
No, Jesus was black.

Kate Monster:
No, Jesus was white.

Gary Coleman:
No, I'm pretty sure that Jesus was black-

Princeton:
Guys, guys...Jesus was Jewish!

Brian:
Hey guys, what are you laughing about?

Gary Coleman:
Racism!

Brian:
Cool.

Christmas Eve:
BRIAN! Come back here!
You take out lecycuraburs!

Princeton:
What's that mean?

Brian:
Um, recyclables.
Hey, don't laugh at her!
How many languages do you speak?

Kate Monster:
Oh, come off it, Brian!
Everyone's a little bit racist.

Brian:
I'm not!

Princeton:
Oh no?

Brian:
Nope!

How many Oriental wives
Have you got?

Christmas Eve:
What? Brian!

Princeton:
Brian, buddy, where you been?
The term is Asian-American!

Christmas Eve:
I know you are no
Intending to be
But calling me Oriental -
Offensive to me!

Brian:
I'm sorry, honey, I love you.

Christmas Eve:
And I love you.

Brian:
But you're racist, too.

Christmas Eve:
Yes, I know.
The Jews have all
The money
And the whites have all
The power.
And I'm always in taxi-cab
With driver who no shower!

Princeton:
Me too!

Kate Monster:
Me too!

Gary Coleman:
I can't even get a taxi!

All:
Everyone's a little bit racist
It's true.
But everyone is just about
As racist as you!
If we all could just admit
That we are racist a little bit,
And everyone stopped being
So PC
Maybe we could live in -
Harmony!

Christmas Eve:
Evlyone's a ritter bit lacist!

Mata ashita!

Day #24

2006-11-24T13:11:00.000-05:00

Wow, day 24 already. Woot, that means I'm nearing the end, and I can go back to ignoring this blog and my LJ for months at a time. However, both today and tomorrow will be almost place-holder posts, since I close both tonight and tomorrow night, so I won't be getting home til almost midnight. C'mon, it's the day after Thanksgiving. It'll probably take me 45 min, instead of my usual 15, to get to work. I guess all that turkey makes people crazy, it affects their brains in odd ways. So, yeah, this means that I must post before I go to work, but since I don't wake up until very close to time, well, that makes these posts short and pointless. Sorry.

Anyways, mata ashita.

Day #23

2006-11-23T20:24:00.000-05:00

This is gonna be a bit of a cop-out post, mainly because it's Thanksgiving, and I'm feeling very lazy. I've eaten, seen the movie (which was passable, and about what was expected; pretty predictable, really) and now my brother wants me to play a hot seat game of Civ 4 with him. So, yeah.

Oh, last night, when I went to IHOP with PF2 over there (-->) and ate the tasty cheesecake pancakes, she was talking about the blogging idea book she recently bought. And basically it said something along the lines of "most of the people reading your blog don't know you, so give them insights into your personality". And although I think it's a good point, I'm pretty sure that the people who read this blog all know me, and might actually be afraid of the insides of my personality (it's kinda dark and moist in there). So, no random pictures of my wardrobe, or my obsession with writing utensils (not a real obsession, thankyouverymuch). Just my rambling thoughts.

And I think that's enough rambling right now, the monkey is calling me to take over the world with him.

Mata ashita!

Day #22

2006-11-22T23:39:00.000-05:00

So, (I really need to stop starting these blog entries with "so") nothing really interesting or entertaining happened today. I went grocery shopping. With my folks. Oooh, but I found Red Machine by Naked at Sams Club, so yay! Um, yeah, anyway. We decided for Thanksgiving we'll be eating at the Golden Corral and then going to see The Santa Clause 3. Um...my brother got his hair cut. Um....yeah...nothing.

So, since I didn't do anything today, I thought I'd upload some of the stuff that's happened to me earlier. However...the more I think of it, the more I don't know how many pics to put up...Oh well, screw it. I'll put up the ones I think are cool, and if you have a problem with your picture being available to, well, pretty much the only people who read this were at these gatherings, or at least have met the pictured in person, anyways, if you have a problem with your pic being posted...too bad.

A deadly pair.....

A happy witch??

A wandering gypsy I found on my way...

A nightmare? Or a dream?

A shinigami! She doesn't look too happy...

A happy horde of party-goers. Congrats, Cynthia!

Anyways, enjoy the pics, and have a Happy Turkey Day, even if it involves family. ;)

Mata ashita!

Day #21

2006-11-21T16:08:00.000-05:00

Sooo.......my brother is an idiot. We are about to leave to drive up and pick him up from college for Thanksgiving, but...my mother may strangle him instead. Here's the story:
Y'see, about a month ago, my brother lost his backpack. In it were all of his school books, all his syllibi, that sort of thing. He does not take any initiative. He barely searches for it (after asking us what he should do), does not go to the bookstore to see if they have any more, nor to the library, nor does he try to find someone else in his classes. No, he suffers through a month with no books and no idea what's going on. Finally, he realizes that in Econ, the class he is doing the worst in, he has a big test coming up. So, we here at home scramble to find out what book he needs, order it used from Amazon.com and have it express shipped here. Then he finds out that the test is before Thanksgiving, so when he finds out that the only library copy that isn't in the special collections department is checked out, on the day before the test, my mother drives to Terre Haute to take it to him. So he can at least study for a little bit. But what does dumbass do? Oversleep on Monday and miss the test completely. Ross no baka! Baka, baka, baka!!
So, yes, we may kill him and dump his body in whatever river sluggishly flows through Terre Haute. If we're feeling that motivated.

Anyways, mata ashita.

Day #20

2006-11-20T23:08:00.000-05:00

So.....I was maybe gonna post about something halfway meaningful, like how my brother is an idiot or the joys of driving around E'ville hitting several library branches, or even a long and involved anime-related post, but....I'm being distracted by what I'm watching on TV. It's some show on TBS, about the Jim Henson company puppets... I'm enjoying it, but it's very distracting. It's called "Puppet Up: Uncensored". Basically it's an improv comedy show (a la Who's Line) but with puppets instead of regular actor/comedians. I wonder if this is a usual show...if so, I may have found something to watch on Mondays.
Oooh, it's back on...I gotta go now!

Mata ashita!

Random thought...

2006-11-20T14:03:00.000-05:00

So, spam (not the meat product all-too-popular in Hawaii) is weird. I just got one entitled "unfeeling underwear". I hate it when my underwear is mean and unfeeling!

Day #19

2006-11-19T14:19:00.000-05:00

This is getting pathetic. It's not that I'm completely out of things to talk about, it's that I'm out of the appropriate amount of time to talk about them. I have about 15 min to type this, so I can get dressed and head off to work. I've only been awake for 30 min sor far. And then I'm off for work until 9, or really 10 since we definitely won't be getting out any sooner. And I never know if I'll be out after work, so I need to get this post up before I go, so it will actually be up on the correct day. But I can't do even my usual "quality" of a post in htis short of time, and that's kinda sad, since I really don't post with any quality. But, I don't work tomorrow, so...maybe you'll get something halfway interesting. Maybe. Maybe my anime-related post that's been swimming 'round my head for a while. But it's only kinda about anime, I promise.

Anyways, I gotta go to craft-hell again.
Mata ashita!

Day #18

2006-11-18T14:26:00.000-05:00

So...today's post will be a bit of a cop-out. Sorry. I have to go to work soon, and I can't remember if tonight is the night we start closing at 10 or not. If it is, I may not be getting back home til almost midnight, especially since it's a Saturday and we'll have to set up next week's ad. I absolutely hate closing on Saturdays because of Ad Set, and having to override all the things that will be on sale next week, and the looks the cutomers give me because what they thought was on sale isn't ringing up that way. I'm sorry, I don't have next week's ad memorized! I'm not psychic, I can't read your mind or see into the future. Stop giving me that look!

But, yeah....I may not be back in time to actually post later today, so I thought I'd do it now. Just to be on the safe side. Safety first! Hmm....would that make this post like a condom? An extra layer of protection?? Oh well...

Mata ashita!

Day #17

2006-11-17T20:03:00.000-05:00

It's day #17, and there's nothing I want to post about. I'm not saying I'm tapped out, I could always find some anime to talk about, or a book, or music, but...I'm just not feeling it tonight. So...hmmm.....

I have to put something here, though. I refuse to cop-out again. At least, not this soon. ;) So.....

My dad is home now...maybe I should wander out and see what he wants to do about dinner. I guess that would make this post a cop-out, lazy-Sharon post. Hmmm.... Oooo! I know! I'll post random pictures! Yay, pictures. These are from the family trip to Colorado last summer. I wouldn't mind living in Colorado....

Some random waterfall.

Ski tracks above Telluride.

Sand Dunes. :)

My brother, doing manual labor for once in his life.

Would this make Ross the Atlas of Garden of the Gods??

Oh, I just found this out, by wandering into the living room....some dickhead stole the license plate off the back of my dad's car. What kinda town do I live in?!

Mata ashita!

Day #16

2006-11-16T19:18:00.000-05:00

So, as promised, I will now talk about my random TV-viewing habits. And, no, I will not talk about anime.

So, really, my TV-viewing isn't all that strange or random. Although I enjoy comedy, for the most part I don't get into sitcoms. Too much stupidity, not enough good comedy. While in college, I watched Friends for a bit, but evenutally gave up on it. I watched ER and Survivor cuz my friends were, but after college, never watched again. I am actually easily swayed, TV-wise, by what the people around me are watching. Even when in college, my mom got me hooked on watching CSI, and now that I'm home, I still watch it. And because I watched the original, I started to watch CSI: Miami, and then CSI: New York. I still watch New York, but Miami kinda lost me with the whole Columbia thing. Basically, the plot wasn't holding my interest, and neither were any of the characters. Unlike CSI and New York, which have characters I enjoy watching. I also now watch NCIS, which is like CSI but with the Navy, and Numb3rs, which is all "crime drama + geek" which fits me well. Basically, exceptfor the weekends, there's at least one show a night I watch, and they're all pretty similar. Monday being the exception, because I no longer watch CSI: Miami. I started to watch Heroes, which is awesome, and I totally love the Japanese guy, Hiro, especially in the first episode, but one week I missed an episode because I was working and forgot to tape it, and even forgot to tape it on that Friday since SciFi repeats the week's episode, and I haven't watched in since. That sow moves so quickly that if you miss an episode, you've missed too much of the stary and have no idea what's going on. So, when they do reruns or even when the season comes out on DVD, I'll get myself caught up. Tuesdays are NCIS, Wednesdays (if I'm not working) are Criminal Minds (my mom watches it, and it's got Inigo Montoya!), CSI: New York, and Ghost Hunters on SciFi (which I'll talk about in a minute). Thursdays are CSI, and Fridays are Numb3rs. Since most of these are shows my mom watches, she'll tape them so I can watch at a later time (like today I watched Numb3rs and NCIS from earlier). I really enjoy NCIS, because some of the characters are very amusing (like the goth who runs the lab), but other than New York, it's the least geeky of my shows. I love Numb3rs because it reminds us how much we actually use math, and I am of a scientific mind and therefore enjoy that approach. Of the CSIs, I've always like the original the best, because the head of the group (in this case, Grissom) is a scientist, and not a cop, so he approaches cases from that angle. Which is the reason I adore Ghost Hunters. I occasionally watch Most Haunted or A Haunting on the Travel Channel, but given the choice, I'll always opt for Ghost Hunters. Mainly because it's much more scientific. A Haunting is reenactments, and really just makes me feel like I'm watching a movie. It doesn't seem real. Most Haunted, athough it's in England (for which it gets bonus points) has the problem of the medium. Almost all the "evidence" reported in it, and shows similar, are some medium going "Yes, I sense the presence of someone...there were people murdered here...black magic was practiced here..." that sort of thing. And me, being the scientific realist pessimist that I am, am always sitting there going "I could walk into a room and say the same thing...does that make me a psychic??" But Ghost Hunters. They're plumbers fer chrissakes! Not much more real, down-to-earth jobs exist. They rely on technology, on camera and voice recorders and thermal imaging software, over they're "personal experiences". And I greatly enjoy that.

Oh my....that's kinda long, and rambling. But oh well, there it is. Probably not that interesting in the long run, but too bad for you, I'm just not that interesting.

Mata ashita!

Day #15

2006-11-15T16:28:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm gonna get this out of the way before I go to work, just because when I get back, I'll be watching TV until midnight, and won't want to tear myself away from my show. Maybe afterwards I'll post something long, about my odd TV-viewing habits, but now I've gotta dry my hair and head off to craft-hell so I can come back and watch my ghost show. Right before bed ;).

Mata ne!

Day #14

2006-11-14T14:23:00.000-05:00

Ok, so, I want lots of money. And lots of free time, but mainly lots of money. I realize that this is not an uncommon wish. And, really, if I let's say, won Powerball, there are many things I would do with my spoils. But this would now go on my list.

Throughout my life I have travelled through a lot of this country. I've been to more states than I haven't. When I was younger, and people at school would talk about how this summer they were going to Florida again, I was always the one going "I've never been to Florida, but Vegas is cool" or "Yellowstone is cool" or "the Grand Canyon is cool" or "Niagra Falls is cool". I didn't go to Florida until I was in high school, but ended up going 3 times those 4 years. No, my family has never been on to fly to a place and spend a week doing nothing. We always drive, and plan out all these different places we'd like to visit along the way. That said, there are still a couple of places that I have never been, just because my folks decided that the 2 weeks we had available weren't enough, or something. I've never been to the Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Vancouver BC) and I've never been to NYC. And I would very much like to go. Therefore, I need money. And lots of it. These places aren't cheap, whether you drive yourself or fly.

But what is this rambling rant really about? My desire to go to NYC. I had never really felt the need to go there as bad as the Northwest. I'm a big nerd who majored in Geology and have always loved going to National Parks, so I've always had Glacier on my "To Visit" list. But now, the erratic boulders in Cental Park call me as well. There are many things in NYC I'd like to see, to visit and explore, and even a friend I haven't seen since I graduated college who lives there now and has a real job. But the main reason, at this very moment, that I have this burning desire to go to NYC is a play. Yes, I want to go to NYC to see a Broadway musical. It's apparently been out since 2004, but who knows how many years it will be before it starts touring. What musical, you ask? Why, Avenue Q. I mean you gotta love anything with songs like "If You Were Gay" and "The Internet is for Porn". (Warning, those links take you to a couple of very funny AMVs on youtube to those songs, but if you can't stand anime, you may just want to pass. But they're hilarious, and very well done.) Or even "What Can You Do With a B.A. in English?" I'm feeling that. ;)

But, yes. Must needs have lots of money to hang around NYC, watching musicals and such, for a week (at least) since one would need that much time to do the city any justice. Too bad I'm poor, and by the time I'll have anything resembling enough money, I'll either be too busy to ever leave, or NYC will have sunk beneath the waves, a la Atlantis. Oh well.

Mata ashita.

Day #13

2006-11-13T22:34:00.000-05:00

So....yes, it is day 13. And I have nothing I want to talk about. I've done as little as possible today, other than sleep. And that's not really interesting enough to be blogged about. I didn't have any dreams, so I can't blog about that. Although....there was a dream a couple of weeks ago, wherein I was having some kind of surgery done, possibly oral, and they were trying to sedate me or something. I just remember having an IV in my left arm, cuz while I was dreaming, the phone rang, and in that half-awake/half-dreaming state I was in, I didn't want to bend my left arm in fear of driving the needle in. I hate needles.

But, yeah, nothing of interest to report to the blogging community (i.e. the 4 or so people who read this ;)).

Oh well, mata ashita. Maybe I'll post something of interest soon.

Day #12

2006-11-12T23:18:00.000-05:00

So, it should be well known to my readers that I work at Michaels Arts & Crafts, though I'm about as crafty as a mushroom in that sense ("Hey! I'm a fungi! Get it? Fun guy??"). Well, a few months ago, the corporation was bought out by someone else. No big deal. They've implemented a bag check policy (though only half-assed at my store), and we've changed insurance carriers. Nothing to raise my ire. Until now. We have a memo posted behind the desk of our hours this coming Xmas season. Starting around Nov. 18, we will close at 9 on Sundays and 10 the rest of the week. We've already begun closing at 8 on Sundays (like tonight). But the week before Xmas, we will stay open until 10 on Sunday and 11 the rest of the week! Madness, I tell you! Do they really think there will be that many people in there at 10:45?? But just you watch. The store will be such a mess that we won't leave until midnight or 1 AM. That's gonna be one helluva week. I'll be glad for Xmas, just because I won't necessarily be covered in glitter, though it may be ground into my skin by then. It makes me tired just thinking about it.

Oh well, mata ashita.

Day #11

2006-11-12T00:21:00.000-05:00

Bah! I'm feeling extra apathetic tonight, so although I've actually done things today, I'm not gonna talk about them. Maybe later. Right now...I'm cold. And that's about all that is important to me. I suppose I could go turn the heat up a degree or so. Whatever.

I promise, in a day or two, I'll actually post something other than a cop-out. Really. Dammit, I'm tired of closing every night....

Mata ashita

A quiz,

2006-11-11T00:20:00.000-05:00

...for the Star Trek nerd in all of us. :)

Star Trek Personality Test Results: INTJ

This test says you are an INTJ (Introvert, Intuitive, Thinker, Judger). In Star Trek, you share a basic personality configuration with the characters of Jean-Luc Picard, Seven of Nine, and T'Pol.

"Things are only impossible until they're not." - Picard

Qualities

People like you are generally autonomous, reserved (perceived by others as "aloof"), and intellectual. You sometimes give the impression you have no need of others, but you're intensely curious and driven to learn. You're cautious with others socially and respond best to people who don't push you to be friendly or affectionate. You appreciate when others follow your lead and accept your advice in the helpful spirit in which it is intended. You're calm by nature and feel off-balance when confronted by highly emotional people.

You're highly organized and expect the same of others. You analyze automatically and enjoy seeing patterns and trends. When your mind is made up, that's it, which means that while you're definitive and strong, you can be stubborn and arrogant. You live in a world of ideas.

You respond best to other people's needs when they tell you about them clearly. You value honesty greatly and you're excellent at employing constructive criticism. You prize people who listen to you and respect your ideals. You are somewhat contemptuous of those who don't pay attention to what you say and extremely contemptuous of those who can't do their jobs well.

Goals

Your primary goal in life is achieving independence and being able to live according to your own standards. Your reward is continual expansion of your competence and knowledge.

Work

You are almost completely project-driven. Though you won't work against your fundamental principles, the current job before you can consume pretty much all other considerations. You will perform all-out for a superior you respect, but you have a sometimes unfortunate tendency to let bosses know when they've lost your admiration, or when you disagree with them.

You lead and follow equally well, as long as you believe that what you're doing will work. Perceived futility can make you shut down, and you will suffer intense feelings of failure if your end product is not "perfect." A good supervisor will give you praise for all successes. A bad one will only add to your stress by pointing out problems you already know about for which you are probably already punishing yourself. When stressed, you may deny blame out of self-preservation.

Make sure you market yourself and your ideas at work, or you may be taken for granted. All too often, the logic of your strategy can be lost on others, so don't resent it when asked to explain your actions.

Relationships

Social skills may be your undoing, especially making small talk at parties or flirting with strangers. You feel everything very deeply, so you've learned to keep what you feel to yourself. This combination can alienate people instantly and even make stubborn suitors give up in frustration.

On the flip side, you can learn to interpret others' visual and vocal signals with expertise if you're willing to make the effort. You're better at understanding people than you may think, and you work hard at relationships you care about. But beware answering someone's request for emotional support with advice and solutions.

Jobs

Good careers for your type include being a starship captain, intellectual property attorney, news analyst, design engineer, software developer, inventor, Webmaster, architect, and ex-Borg.