Day #29

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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,

...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.

Day #10

So, here's day 10. And I don't really know what to talk about. It's raining right now, and has been ever since I left work. I was sitting there, in my car, waiting to turn right onto the Lloyd Expressway when I noticed a couple of large water drops hit my windshield. When I turned right, it was like turning into a waterfall. I'm still a little moist from running inside without an umbrella or jacket. I may have to go back out into it, though.

Tomorrow is a friend of mine's bridal shower (but after her, it'll be over with...none of my other friends who haven't gotten married in the last 2 years (give or take a couple of months) are even dating), and the invite and message on her sister's answering machine suggest that we bring a "dish" and recipe for the event. So, as I was thinking about what I could bring, if anything, I got the idea to make a Triple Chocolate Bundt cake in the "Coolest Bundt Cake Pan Ever" (tm). But, if I do that, I'll have to #1) go buy the ingredients, and #2) jurry-rig some way to carry it, covered, to the event that I won't mind never seeing again. So...yeah. I may not do it. I'm still thinking about it.

Hmm...not too shabby, I guess. For not having much to talk about, I guess.

Mata ashita.

Day #9?

Ok, so....I'm cutting it close tonight. Like, by the time this is up, it'll be the 10th round here somewhere. But it's still the 9th out in California, right? So I'm cool, right? I didn't get sucked into the candy aisle of Walgreens, I promise!


Tomorrow, I may have a better, longer, cooler post. Or more about anime. Whatever. ;)

Mata ashita.

Day #8

Fair warning: This is an anime post. If you don't care about anime, you may disist your reading now. :)


So, recently, I've had an odd urge in my anime viewing tendencies. In an effort to feed these odd desires, I have watched a few random, short shows and OAV's. But, I have certain art standards, and so I almost felt I was running out of the type of anime I was craving. However, on a last resort, I decided to check out a show called "Kyo Kara Maoh" (also spelled Kyou Kara Maou). I watched the first ep in Japanese, but the subsequent eps (up to 35) I watched in English, since the way I had spelled it was the English release spelling and at first, they were all I could find. I now want this show very badly, because I feel like it's a return to my anime roots.

The first three anime I remember watching parts of in college (thanks go to Ernest) were Record of Lodoss War ("I will defend the peas of Lodoss with my life!" ~the courageous pea farmer), Escaflowne, and Fushigi Yuugi. And, to me, Kyo Kara Maoh is like a combination of the three, with bits of El Hazard thrown in for good measure. Take the concept of Fushigi Yuugi and/or Escaflowne (or El Hazard), of relatively normal high school student, somehow whisked away to an alternate world in which they are hailed as the prophecied saviour of a country. Make the world into which they are dropped reminiscent of Record of Lodoss War, and just about any D&D-esque RPG and/or console game you've ever played. Then, flip your persepctive. You are not the "hero" sent to slay the dragon, rescue the princess, and defeat the evil Demon King. You are the Demon King. So far, it has kept a pretty good balance between humor and plot, and has not of yet fallen into the Fushigi Yuugi trap of killing everyone off and bringing them back to be killed again...although, I must admit, I haven't quite finished the first season (of which there are 2...very long seasons).
If I ever find they've packaged the first season in a box set, I may have to buy it. But, they haven't yet...I mean, the first disc of the second season doesn't come out until the end of November, so that means they've only just got all of the first season out. But, for Jenny and Ernest, and probably Ellie and maybe others (since aspects of it also remind me of InuYasha), I wish to someday own it and force it upon others. Cuz, I mean, you gotta love Wolfram! Especially when he's around Yuuri. ;)



I'll leave you with this image. :) Mata ashita!

Day #7

Well, I have officially gone and done my civic duty and voted. I don't know how effective my vote will actually be, but I am fully aware that if I didn't vote, my vote would definitely not count. So, I put my 2 cents worth in. But in the fountain of reality...well, it always seems my pennies get lost among the froth. We'll see if we actually get rid of Hostettler this time. While I may not be a Democrat, I am most definitely not a Republican, and I have not like Hostettler since he was first elected. Especially when I met him. But Lugar was cool, so he still got my vote.


And that's definitely too much politics (and use of the word definitely). So, yeah. Mata ashita.

Day #6

Just a quick note about the end of the world: it must be nigh, for my friends have begun to spawn. Or, really, just one, but that's all it takes. Congrats, Julie!!

Day #5

Today is nothing informative. Just an amusing quiz.


How will I die?

"Sharon Spilmon: At age 32 while playing Street Fighter Omega at an arcade, you will be electrocuted by the headset. You will be the first such death in years."

Hee hee. I find that highly amusing. I don't even go to arcades often...

Well, mata ashita!

Day #4

So, I don't really have anything important or entertaining to report this evening. I haven't uploaded my pictures from last night yet, and i'll probably want one of me from someone else, just because all I got was a top half only one. And I kinda wanna show off my cool hakama, too.


So, I was at work today, and hell if i know why, but it was crazy. Not just people in general, because I could blame the moon for that (since it's either a full moon, or really freakin close tonight), but someone please explain why there were so many people shopping for crafty stuff today?? And I feel guilty too, cuz at one point I got really irritable. But I was trying to basically take care of 2 cutomers at once, and a coworker was trying to get me to help another customer at the same time, all while I was doing a price adjustment. And I was really tired. And when I'm tired, I get pissed off easily. So, I am sorry. Oh well.

I suppose that's all I've got for tonight.

Mata ashita! ("See you tomorrow" in Japanese)

Day #3

Well, the accessories are done, if half-assed. But really, what do you expect of me?? I mean, i bought velcro for the armband, but now decided not to use it. And I decided not to put the sealant coat on the book...I may end up doing it later, like before ACen, but for now, it'll be unsealed and plain. I still need to do more research as to what, if anything, should be written on it.


On an unrelated note, my toes are very cold.


Well, I guess that's it for now...I suppose I'll watch a bit of Tv and eat me some dinner, then get dressed for the party. This should be fun, though. Yay, Nanao-chan!


Mata ashita!

Day #2!

I have a costume, and it is all kinds of awesome! After tomorrow's party, I'll have some pics to put up. I guess I should do the armband...and maybe the book...although, they're not extremely necessary for this party, since the only other person there who will have any idea about who I'm dressed as is Laurie. But, still...at least the armband. That's on the to do list for tomorrow. But now I'm all giddy cuz my costume is finally here. Yay!!


Til tomorrow!
Mata ashita!

Day #1!

All right, here goes!


Since I'm no good with HTML (i.e. I have no idea how to do anything), I don't know how to put the picture and link on my sidebar for NaBloPoMo. So, I had thought to just upload the pic in a post and put the link under it or something, but the last 2 times I've tried, it's taken too long for Blogger to upload the pic, and the connection times out. So....here. I've linked it. And the pic I was wanting to use is the one with Yoda talking about keeping the Wookies away. Although...I really like Wookies, so I dunno if I want to keep them away...


Anyways....last night I went to a Halloween party at a friend of a coworker's apartment. It was...interesting. I am currently washing my coat so it doesn't smell so much like an ashtray, and that's saying a lot, since I live in a house with a smoker. They apparently made 72 Jello shots for this party...I had one. I don't know if one of the other people had any...she brought her own alcohol in a Mountain Dew bottle. And there were only 7 people there, including me, so...about 71 Jello shots to like 5 or 6 people...yeah, some of 'em were really drunk. But it was still pretty fun, for hanging out with people I barely know/don't know at all. We ended up watching anime at the end, and I stayed until 5 am.

I didn't wear a costume, cuz it's not here yet, but it should get here tomorrow around 3, when I'm at work. I was so convinced I had to close tomorrow, but no, I open. Bah. Oh well. Maybe when I get back from work tomorrow I can finish bits of the costume, the accessories if you will. We'll see how my somewhat lacking artistic abilities do for the armband as I try to draw it from a picture, and then copy my drawing onto fabric and coloring it with a sharpie. I'll try not to breathe it in too much.

I suppose that's it for tonight. I don't wanna run out of things to talk about too soon!

Til tomorrow!