Randomness

So, I've been meaning to do this for awhile, but I don't get the chance over lunch (which is when I often make posts) since my music is all at home. That just means that I'm behind the times, as usual... I don't have a good playlist to use for this either, so I'll just have to take my chances with the entire Library, and we know how iTunes gets stuck in a pattern sometimes. Here we go...

What's On My Playlist:

The rules are simple: just put your player on Shuffle, load your usual music playlist, and let the questions be answered! MUSIC 8 BALL!

What do you think of me, iTunes?:
"Old School Game" ~Cowboy Bebop
This is a very video game-ish sounding song from the CB movie. I'm going to get really profound here and interpret this to mean that maybe iTunes thinks of me and the world outside the computer as a game under its control, while those of us outside the computer think we're the ones in control. A bit of a stretch, I know...

Will I have a happy life?:
"Heartbreaker" ~Pat Benatar
Wow. That doesn't sound good. I think iTunes was just messing with me on that one...I hope.

What do my friends really think of me?:
"Ocarina Boogie" ~from Zelda, remixed by The Black Lodge
So, my friends think I'm an upbeat, boogie-down sort of girl who likes to play music. I guess they must think I'm somewhat creative too since this remix doesn't actually sound like a sound from Zelda though it feels like it could be because of the instrumentation. I'm thinking about these way too much... Maybe they just think I should end up with someone like Link.

What does my S/O thinks of me?:
"The Spy" ~Final Fantasy VIII, Nobuo Uematsu
This is one of my favorite songs from Final Fantasy VIII. It's got that porno guitar going on that cracks me up, and...wait a minute. Porno? No, no, no, let's just say that my significant other (who is only imaginary at the moment) thinks I'm a little sneaky but fun. That doesn't sound too good either. Oh well.

Do people secretly lust after me?:
"FFX Ending Theme" ~Final Fantasy X, Nobuo Uematsu
Man, Nobuo really likes predicting my love life. Anyway, I'm going to go out on a limb with this one and say that since I was secretly (well, not so secretly, I suppose) lusting after Auron during this whole game and he played a major part in the action taking place during this song, that people might be lusting after me too. Unfortunately, they'll only find out that I'm dead, and have been dead the entire time they were lusting after me and now I'm going to become a firefly in the Farplane. Makes sense, right?

How can I make myself happy?:
"Silence and Motion" ~Final Fantasy VIII, Nobuo Uematsu
What's with all the Final Fantasy songs? They're not all I have on my compy, you know? Well, this has to be one of the trippiest songs I've ever heard, so I guess iTunes is telling me to take drugs. Thanks, iTunes.

What should I do with my life?:
"Fog Sea" ~Final Fantasy X, Nobuo Uematsu
I swear, if one more FF song comes up...!!! Anyway, this one is obviously not a lot of help. The equivalent of the Magic 8 Ball telling me things are unclear. Yeah, so my future's foggy. At least it's not definitely awful, I guess.

Why must life be so full of pain?:
"Lost Fragments" ~Chrono Cross, Yasunori Mitsuda
At least it's not FF... This is a very pretty, very sad song. I can't place it exactly in the game, but it is the guitar and cello version of the main theme. I guess life sucks because time is all screwed up.

How can I maximize my pleasure during shecks?:
"Anything but Love" ~Squirrel Nut Zippers
I think this one pretty much speaks for itself. Wow.

Will I ever have children?:
"Beautiful Alone" ~Weiß Kreuz, Yuuki Hiro
I guess not. This is the music box version too. Wah! So angsty!

Will I die happy?:
"Robo's Theme" ~Chrono Trigger, Yasunori Mitsuda
This is an upbeat theme about a robot who was created to serve humans. He ends up sacrificing himself for the future of the world in the sequel, so I guess that's a good way to go.

Can you give me some advice?:
"Crazy on You ~Heart
I've kept this song partially because I love the way it starts out with the guitar solo, but I suppose if this song's telling me something, it's that the world is insane, so there's nothing to do but find someone and make wild, crazy love to them. iTunes is naughty.

What do you think happiness is?:
"Learn to Do It--Reprise" ~Anastasia, David Newman
So, life is romance. Huh.


Okay, one more of these little test things... I thought it looked kind of cute. I'm not sure I'm being completely accurate on my favorite things, but my brain is having a hard time with thinking in general today.

Alias Found

1. YOUR PORN STAR NAME: (Name of first pet / Street you grew up on):
Rumour Quincy (That's not half bad)

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (Name of your favourite snack food / Grandfather's first name):
Brussels Clem (I guess I'm a cowboy)

3. YOUR FASHION DESIGNER NAME: (First word you see on your left / Favourite restaurant)
Epson Panera (I don't know that Panera's is my favorite, but it sounds good here)

4. EXOTIC FOREIGNER ALIAS: (Favourite Spice / Last Foreign Vacation Spot):
Cardamom Nippon (thought nippon sounded better than Japan)

5. SOCIALITE ALIAS: (Silliest Childhood Nickname / Town Where You First Partied):
Al Lawrence (how boring...)

6. "FLY BOY" ALIAS (a la J. Lo): (First Initial / First Two or Three Letters of your Last Name):
A. Her. (Yes, I am a her)

7. ICON ALIAS: (Something Sweet Within Sight / Any Liquid in Your Kitchen):
Kudos Frappuccino (You know I had to work my favorite coffee drink in there somehow)

8. DETECTIVE ALIAS: (Favourite Baby Animal / Where You Went to High School):
Kitten Miege (The kitten part kind of throws me off)

9. BARFLY ALIAS: (Last Snack Food You Ate / Your Favourite Alcoholic Drink):
Cookie Hard Lemonade (That one so doesn't work)

10. SOAP OPERA ALIAS: (Middle Name / Street Where You Live):
Rochelle Monrovia (Hmm... not bad)

11. ROCK STAR ALIAS: (Favourite Candy / Last Name Of Favourite Musician):
Dove Kusano (I have a hard time picking my favorite candy, so I picked one that sounded good. I also have a hard time picking my favorite musician, so I picked the one who sings the song I've been listening to non-stop lately.)

One more thing

Oh yeah, forgot to point out my little favicon that I made for this page. (That would be the little icon next to the html address for those of you who've never heard of it) Cool, huh? I've been wanting to make one for quite some time, but was under the impression you had to buy some icon making program or something. But then I found this tutorial on a website linked to Franklin McMahon's and it told me everything I needed to know.

Favicon tutorial

Motivation, Inspiration, Creation

So, we all know that I often get involved in way too many projects at once. I push myself and try to get motivated and accomplish things, but the projects I create for myself have such a wide scope that I tend to get discouraged and frustrated with my lack of progress. Then I get lazy and burned out and don't work on them for awhile. Then I feel guilty about not getting anything done and try to force myself to work on them and end up making something I'm not satisfied with.

Well, I know I have issues, but apparently I'm not the only one with them. This is of course something I knew already, but it's always good to hear it again. It's also good to hear someone else's perspective on such things as well as input on how to make them happen.

Recently, I've started listening to Franklin McMahon's podcast, and I have to say it's making a difference already in my mood, my motivation and my confidence. So many of the things he is talking about are things I've been thinking about myself. It's almost eerie. But knowing I'm on the right track by hearing someone successful talking about them really helps my confidence.

You can find his website here. You can also find it in iTunes under podcasts.

Check it out. I don't think you'll regret it.

Through his website I also found out about a self-publishing website: www.lulu.com. It sounds totally awesome, and if—no, when—I finally get my story finished, I'll have to look into lulu as an option.

Well, that's it for today. I'm busy stuffing files and organizing things on our server.

Catch Up

It's been a long time since I've made a post. I think that is mostly due to the fact that I've been feeling incredibly blah lately for a number of reasons, but I didn't feel like writing about it because it 1) makes me feel even more blah thinking about it enough to write about it, and 2) it isn't fun to read about and just seems whiny and self-absorbed. So, those of you who are in frequent contact with me have already heard about my blahs, and if you haven't you probably don't need to hear about them anyway.

That said, let's talk about what I have been doing lately. I haven't been accomplishing much—at least, not as much as I would like—but I have been watching some new things.

I've been watching season three of Nikita after it was donated to the yellowdancer21 library by the Callow Queen, and I had no idea that the third season was the season of abrupt hair changes. I knew that the hair styles would change... I've seen random episodes from later seasons. But I didn't realize they changed all at once. Now Madeline has very short hair, Michael has short hair that they obviously don't know what to do with because it looks all bushy and 80's at the beginning (kind of like how Duncan's looked in the last season of Highlander), and Operations has gone white (which I think actually looks rather distinguished). I don't mind the changes so much, but they were still a bit of shock. I'm still a little iffy on whether Madeline's hair completely changed her character or not, though.

Now that I'm addicted to Gilmore Girls I've been watching the new episodes of that, and I want to slap Rory upside the head SO bad. And this week is the beginning of a new season of LOST! Let's hope it keeps up the momentum it had from last season and doesn't disappoint like Alias has lately.

As far as anime goes, I'm still watching Bleach (I'm a few episodes behind, but only a couple and once they've finished downloading I'll be all caught up); I've been watching Scrapped Princess and Shannon kicks major ass (he also likes to kick walls when he's frustrated); I've watched the first two DVD's of Mirage of Blaze and I'm excited to find that it has an interesting plot and not just shonen ai goodness (though it creeps me out how much the characters look like characters from X at times). Oh, and I watched Shamanic Princess a while back and that was really good too—trippy, but good. Last, but not least, I've also become addicted to Honey and Clover.



This anime is right up my alley. It's character driven, which means not a lot happens plot-wise, but I don't mind. I enjoy slice of life stories that focus on the character's emotions, thoughts and motivations. Let's face it; real life can be very hard sometimes— even without aliens, epic battles or super spies getting involved. I also really enjoy this anime because it focuses on art students who are all supposedly college age (though Hagu still looks like she's no older than ten) trying to figure out their direction in life, where they fit in with the people around them and who they love. So, it's totally shojo in that respect with lots of love triangles, squares and pentagons. But at the same time there's this element of nostalgia that makes me wistful about my own days in college—that feeling that you need to enjoy every single moment because it won't last forever and everyone will change in different ways once they graduate. I can completely empathise with Takemoto and his fear of the changes accompanying graduation and losing that feeling of belonging with his circle of friends. The art style of the series is nostalgic in and of itself, with faded colors and softened lines. It makes me so wistful it hurts at times...

But I would be remiss if I didn't mention the other aspect of Honey and Clover that I love: its sense of humor. This anime touches on some of the things I loved so much about Fruits Basket. It can make me cry and roll on the floor laughing in the same episode. Morita is insane. But SO much fun. And somehow, despite his carefree, oblivious demeanor, he deeply cares about the people around him, and somehow he manages to be a guardian angel for each of them at some point. I also enjoy Shuu-chan Sensei for his extreme protectiveness of Hagu (not to mention the fact that his voice actor also played Hughes in Full Metal Alchemist—he's good at the overprotective father role).

I also have to admit I find it extremely cool to see the characters visiting places I have seen or been to on my brief visit to Japan. Ueno park for Sakura viewing (I only wish Morita had shown up to sing for us when we were there), Odaiba with the huge ferris wheel...

Okay, so I'll stop going on about Honey & Clover but only so I can mention the pinnacle of my recent watching experience: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. It makes me weepy just thinking about it. It was everything I hoped for and more. I'm glad I didn't spoil myself too much for it, because it was nice watching it without really knowing what was going to happen. They really stayed true to the game, in my opinion, and it felt like they really did fans homage—they made it for us, not just to wring more money out of an old game—from the fanfare cell phone ring, to Barret saying "You're late, bitch," to the fight against Bahamut which was almost turn based like a fight in the game. And let's not forget Cloud's limit break, and the fact that he was actually unable to stand up straight because he was injured—I knew he was low on HP then. :) Reno and Rude were awesome too—who knew Reno could translate Tifa?—and I enjoyed the comic relief they provided. Even Rufus was cool, I have to say—and not just because he was played by the same voice actor who played Roy in FullMetal Alchemist. I still would love to see an omake with Rufus throwing back the hood of his cloak and revealing himself as Roy, though. That would be awesome.




The fight scenes were incredible, and the music was so awesome that I've already preordered the soundtrack. I think Square made a mistake by not releasing the movie here at the same time in Japan because I'm worried some people who watched the fansubbed version won't buy it. I can't imagine being so stupid, but I'm sure some people will be. It will be mine.

(sorry about including an angsty Cloud pic, but he was so angsty in the movie it's hard to find one where he isn't angsting)

So I did it...

I took the test on Lizalou's blog because I was bored, and now I'm posting it here for everyone's enjoyment or not enjoyment as the case may be. I don't understand how I ended up with the title of Nerd when my highest score is in Geekdom... Oh well. And here I've been calling myself a dork all this time.

Here are my results:


Modern, Cool Nerd

60 % Nerd, 73% Geek, 43% Dork
For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.

You scored better than half in Nerd and Geek, earning you the title of: Modern, Cool Nerd.

Nerds didn't use to be cool, but in the 90's that all changed. It used to be that, if you were a computer expert, you had to wear plaid or a pocket protector or suspenders or something that announced to the world that you couldn't quite fit in. Not anymore. Now, the intelligent and geeky have eeked out for themselves a modicrum of respect at the very least, and "geek is chic." The Modern, Cool Nerd is intelligent, knowledgable and always the person to call in a crisis (needing computer advice/an arcane bit of trivia knowledge). They are the one you want as your lifeline in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (or the one up there, winning the million bucks)!

Congratulations!


Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on OkCupid Free Online Dating

New Look. Same Quality Product.

So I finally got around to making a new template for my blog. I'm still working out the kinks, but I was just too excited to wait any longer. After many months of attempting to learn CSS and continually banging my head against the wall and whining, "I don't get it! Can't I just make a table?" I have finally learned enough to make a mostly funcitonal template.

I haven't tested it in all the browsers yet, but I'm kinda tired now... So, I guess the testing will come with time. Just think of it as a beta.

Also, I realize the links up there aren't really functional yet. DON'T click on them until I tell you to! Cuz all you're gonna get is a broken link, and nobody likes to hear Link scream. Like when he falls down into one o' them pits and screams bloody murder. Kills me every time... Poor Link.

Anyway, eventually, when I finally apply my new CSS look to the rest of my website (and actually update it too) those links will work and, hopefully this blog will fit seamlessly within the rest of my website at that point. Ah, just thinking about it makes me gushy. I'm so weird.

I'm interested in any feedback you may have.

I-70 Blues

I went to visit my cousin in Columbia this weekend. I had a great time with her and her husband. We went shopping, ate good food and watched some Nikita and Highlander.

The only downer was the trip home. What should have been about a 2 1/2 hour trip took FIVE HOURS. There was a car accident. I'm still trying to find information on it and exactly what happened, but from what I--and the new friends I made on the road--pieced together four cars were involved and one of them blew up. We were stuck on the same stretch of highway (without moving more than half a mile) for 3 hours. A highway that usually feels like a racetrack had turned into a parking lot.

It was a surreal experience. I had seen the plumes of thick black smoke from a distance, but didn't even think about the possibility of them being the result of a car wreck. I started to wonder when I saw the helicopter and we started slowing down. Within minutes, the highway was packed with vehicles of all sizes and shapes for miles, but we all somehow managed to maneuver ourselves out of the way for the emergency vehicles to get past half an hour later. After an hour or two of moving no more than two feet, everyone had turned their vehicles off and many people were standing outside just to get some breeze. I made friends with the ladies in the car in front of me. They were kind enough to give me a bottle of water which really saved me because I hadn't brought anything to drink at all.

While it was frustrating being stuck on a stretch of highway without a way out (the next exit was on the other side of the wreck) it was also sobering to think about the reason we were stuck there. Several people's lives were probably changed forever--or even over. Our lives would only be inconvenience for a little while.

When we finally got to moving again, and passed the place where it had happened, workers were still struggling to put out the fire that had spread onto the grass beyond the highway. The remains of two of the vehicles were piled up on trucks parked on the shoulder--they were beyond totalled. One looked a little like the car from Planes Train and Automobiles except that the engine section was nothing but ashes. The other car was missing wheels and crunched together into an unrecognizable mess.

As awful and chilling as this sight was to me, apparently not everyone was as deeply affected. Within minutes many cars were driving at the same breakneck speed ten or twenty miles over the speedlimit, and dodging in between vehicles with only feet to spare between them.

By the time I got home I was physically and mentally exhausted. My left arm was sunburnt and I had a headache the size of Africa. But at least I was still alive and relatively healthy. If I had left a little bit sooner I might have been involved in that accident.

Dream Again

So, I had another weird dream last night, and I'm sure you peoples don't really care all that much, but I find them interesting, and I've never actually kept a dream journal so I thought I would record some of them here.

Anyway, so I don't remember a lot about my dream except for a couple random fragments. One of them involved my dad and I going to see a movie (don't know what it was) and there was this little girl there (who looked a lot the girl from Yotsuba&! which I just purchased last night) and she instantly made friends with me as we walked in and didn't want to let go of my arm. When we got up to buy our tickets, dad offered to buy all of our tickets (I totally can't see him doing that--though sometimes I suppose he can be really generous) and the girl wanted a row behind the one we chose. Yeah, you had to choose your seat like they do in movie theaters in Japan. Well, we couldn't figure out which way the numbers went so I asked the lady at the counter. She was really snotty and informed me that I could easily figure it out. "You just use the rule of unique distances," she said. "It's like driving to Colorado. Or New Orleans. You have to use unique distance equations to figure out distances of that magnitude, so all you have to do is use an equation to find out which distance is larger!" I did not act like she had said something completely unintelligible. Instead, I screamed, "Well, then I'd need to know the size of the theater, wouldn't I? I can't do an equation without any of the variables!"

Don't know where all that came from. The only other part of my dream I remember is near the end. My mom and I were up in the attic of a house that looked nothing like our house, but in the dream it was. Anyway, we were busy closing all of these tiny crystal windows because a storm was coming and we didn't want the rain to come in. There were hundreds of these windows and they were all about 3 inches square and cut with a bevel like a mirror (why they were called crystal windows). We were hurriedly turning the little cranks on the windows to get them closed when a huge Michelin truck pulled up (don't ask me) and raised up a platform so this guy on the platform could inform us we won their competition. Then suddenly all of our family members and a whole bunch of cameramen and reporters came in to photograph all of us and congratulate us on our award.

What the hell? I didn't even drink or eat anything odd last night. Anyway, thinking back on it just cracks me up though.

Orange Juice, Anyone?

I forgot to mention the crazy dream I had last night. It was long, and most of it was fairly uninteresting. The part I wanted to share was near the end when I changed from myself to Winry from Full Metal Alchemist. Don't know why that happened, but at one point I was no longer myself, but Winry. Anyway, I/Winry was looking for Ed for some reason (but really, when is she in the show and not looking for Ed?) and I ended up in an indoor jungle (don't ask me, I don't know either) and I saw Riza and Roy and some General guy sitting under a palm tree. Roy and the General were sitting at a table and there was a fruit juicer on the table between them. (I know that this showed up simply because I had been using a juicer instruction manual for reference on a project I worked on the day before). So, all the anime characters were in 3-d, but they still looked exactly like anime characters--same proportions, etc. Did you know that anime characters are extremely freaky when they're not flat? I seriously couldn't even look at Roy very long because he totally freaked me out. But I just found it really amusing that the whole time he was talking to me and sucking up to the general, he was sitting there juicing an orange. This was the fancy model of juicer that has a pulp adjuster on it too, so I'm sure Sheridan would have been pleased. He could set the pulp adjuster to hella lotta pulp. That would have made his day.

Yeah...random.

What's Outside my Window

Please forgive me for not knowing how to use this camera (it's the one from work) and not knowing how to make it focus manually. But I just had to share this. I've never seen such a big praying mantis so up close and personal. Scale is difficult to discern from this photo, but it was a little bigger than my hand. Thank God it's on the other side of the window from me. It gives me the jibblies...

I think I'm turning Brittish. I really think so.

I have been reading a lot of books by Brits lately between all the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books and Harry Potter. Add to that the fact that I've been watching Monty Python's Flying Circus and I think I'm a bit of a lost cause... I'm starting to use Brittish slang (at least in my head) and I'm having a hard time resisting speaking with an accent. Brings me back to the days of pit band (yes, pit band, not orchestra--I went to a rather small high school) and My Fair Lady. "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain." I was constantly tempted to speak with an accent during that time as well.

So, anyway, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is one of the best Harry Potter books so far. Can't decide if I like it better than the third one or not. It had everything I'd wanted, some I didn't want, but predicted, and extra surprises to boot. I laughed, I cried, I cursed. And I read it in like two days. Yeah... It's over....wah!!! I want the next one now!!! And from what I've heard, she's already written it too. I won't go into spoilers since I promised this post would be spoiler free, but it is tempting... Okay, I'll spoil one itsy bitsy tiny thing. U-No-Poo. I won't explain. You can just imagine what the hell that's about. The only thing I'll say was that I totally cracked up when it was mentioned.

On a complete sidenote, I have to admit I've gotten addicted to Neopets. It's silly and childish and an awful lot of fun. I have a green Ixi named Stifremin (Jalapanous for "it's fresh and minty) and he is delighted at the moment because I've spoiled him and played with him a lot. He's also full because I just fed him an orange bat cookie for breakfast. Yummy. I'm kinda pissed though because I didn't realize you were stuck with your neohome where it is after you'd signed up for your account and I totally didn't pay any attention to it because I thought it was changeable. So, I've got a neohome in the most boring place of all--not where I wanted to be. Oh well... They say that someday they plan to offer the option of changing your neohome.



Yeah, so I'm easily addicted. Don't look at me like that...

Maybe my pet should be Brittish?

This time I mean it

Discovery has reached orbit. Good luck, and come home safely.

Stay tuned for my spoiler-free commentary on Harry Potter in my next post...

Just kidding

So, the launch of Discovery has been called off for today because of a sensor not functioning properly. No go for launch. Better luck next time.

Return to Flight

The space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to launch at 3:51 p.m. EDT today. You can watch the countdown until liftoff on NASA's website: Return to Flight

It's been two and a half years since the Colombia disaster, and now, finally, NASA's sending another shuttle into space. You can prepare and test and inspect and double check all you want, but nothing is ever 100% safe, especially something as risky as space travel. There are simply too many variables and unknowns. But the astronauts are willing to put their lives on the line in the name of science, so if they are willing to take the risk I say we should let them. There are still so many things in the universe we don't understand, so much territory that has never been explored.

So good luck, Discovery, and come home safely.

Happy Shish Kabob!

My friend, shivaindis said that this comic needed to be made. I have fulfilled my duty and made it. It's brief and brilliant. Well, maybe not brilliant. It's rather stupid, actually. But at least it is brief.

So, recently homestarrunner.com made an amusing toon about the fourth of july called "Happy Fireworks." You might want to view it here before continuing--otherwise you might be kind of lost.

So my friends and I were discussing Final Fantasy VII and character deaths, and how Aeris wouldn't be as popular as she is if she hadn't died since her character is basically a Mary Sue (for non fanfic readers, a Mary Sue is a character who is a little too perfect in every way--there's a bit more to it than that, but that's good enough for now). We even went so far as to say Aeris isn't much more exciting than a piece of cardboard. Then we remembered "Happy Fireworks" and the rest is history. Add to the cardboard thing that it's a common thing in roleplaying games for the main character to never talk though everyone always understands what they "say" and replies to them, and we have a strange scenario.

You can view my mini comic silliness here.

Office Supply Fetish

Is it weird to love office supplies as much as I do? Because I do—love them, that is.

Mom shared a coupon book for Office Depot (or "Office Despot" as my dad is wont to call it) and I found one I thought I could use (a coupon for Sharpies and I had been wanting some of those Sharpie retractables ever since I saw a commercial for them and almost had a heart attack). So, I asked mom if she wanted to go with me to the store (and office supplies aren't normally her thing but I so rarely ask her to go shopping with me that she couldn't refuse).

I was in heaven. I purposely avoid office supply stores because I know they are my weakness (trips to get design projects bound back in school were often more fun than they should have been because I would wander aimlessly around the store finding cute office supplies I couldn't refuse). But, I think the time away from such stores makes my excitement even worse when I actually do shop at them.

So, I got giddy... Over these cool notebooks with elastic to keep them shut (which come in charming "choco-latte" color schemes, btw), a soft Five Star pencil bag that's made to stand up with see-through mesh on the bottom half, and mini Sharpies in a variety of colors. I decided the retractables were not the best idea since they would dry out more quickly and they were also far larger than they needed to be--and the mini Sharpies were just too friggin' cute!!! They even come with hooks at the top so you can put them on your keychain. Is that not the cutest thing ever? Now I can label my burned cds in a variety of beautiful colors.

I can't explain why I get so excited about office supplies. It seems almost wrong somehow. Yet, I can't help it. I just feel so organized and nerdy cool when I've got fresh notebooks, pens, mechanical pencils and organization tools. (But why, oh why can't I find those neat little circular paper clips? They're so much cooler than regular paper clips). Maybe it's because shopping for such things brings me back to the days of "back to school" time when finding your cool folders and notebooks (and trapper keepers) for the next year was so important. Maybe it just seemed more important at my school because we wore uniforms--but no, I think I've always been obssessed with it just because.

Honestly, I think office supplies are one of my favorite things in the universe. The satisfaction one gets from writing with a really good pen that just seems to glide over the paper like butter, or, likewise, of writing on really good paper that just feels rich and textured. The joy one feels in looking at a freshly organized desk with all the papers, pens and pencils, paperclips, postits, etc, each in their own little nook within various organizational shelves and drawers. Ah, it's enough to make me say "ah" again.

So, in conclusion: Office Supplies. Try them. You'll like them. And so will your desk.

Why We Love Tori-san

What a wonderful coincidence. I was planning on posting a picture on my blog today and blogger has just added the upload picture option to their blogs, saving me the hassle of putting it on my ftp server and making a link, etc, etc.

Anyway, I just purchased Fruits Basket Book 10 yesterday (in English—I already had it in Japanese) and I've already read it. It's getting into the part of the manga that was written after the series was made, so it's nice to know exactly what's going on, especially in the scenes with Akito. I really enjoyed the bit about Mayu and Hatori (obviously, since the picture above is from that section) because it gives me hope that Hatori will be happy someday! I was kind of surprised to find Shigure isn't as much of a player as he always acts like he is, and he also made me happy by his lack of evilness in the way he tried to hook up Hatori and Mayu. I mean, he's evil, but not irredeemably so. Akito, on the other hand, is a cold, evil bitch. It's still too freaky for me to think of Akito as a girl...shiver.

I have to proclaim how much I love Natsuki Takaya though (the creator of Fruits Basket). She is my hero. Not only has she written one of the best, most emotional and hilarious stories I've ever read/watched, but I can also relate to who she is in real life. I have to share a couple quotes from her Blah Blah Blah sections:
“Anyway, it doesn't really matter what I write here so—There are times when I cry suddenly, like turning on the lights, without caring what's around me, and times when I can't do anything but cry. Afterwards, I like to happily eat rice.”
--I feel like I should try the rice thing sometime since I've already got the crying part down pat.
“When I was little...I thought that if you swallowed the seeds, a watermelon would grow. I also worried that if I swallowed gum, it would grow too. Thinking about it now, I really wonder why...”

Well, I know there was something else I was planning on talking about in this post, but now I've completely forgotten. So, for now, I'll say adieu.

5 Minute Argument

"An argument is a connected series of statements intended to establish a definite proposition . . . an argument is an intellectual process . . . contradiction is just the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says."

Yes, I know, I'm on a Monty Python kick this week. I've found a way to make everything somehow relate. That aside, this quote makes a point I feel to be very true.

I enjoy debates—well thought out discussions of a subject, with different people taking different points of view and trying to defend them . . . not because they are truly personally attached to any particular point of view, or because they are even angry or annoyed at all. An argument just for the sake of arguing, not one tied to emotions. I enjoy them, but that doesn't mean I'm always in the mood for them. They can be tiring in their own way if they go on too long or if your wits aren't up to the challenge.

Arguments based on pure emotion though are always exhausting and often leave you feeling weary of the world in general. Rarely are they uplifting, unless they were actually caused by some completely unrelated emotions that came out in an unexpected way. These kind of arguments, fueled by emotions which have nothing to do with the subject of the argument, can be a great stress reliever, but you better not pick your argument with someone who doesn't understand that you truly love them despite it all and that you're just blowing off steam. It's also a bad idea to always target the same person in such arguments without showing them positive attention as well. No one wants to be your whipping boy, and no matter how many times you apologize for your outbursts or how much the person understands your need for them, the constant bashing will wear the relationship down to nothing. In any case, it's always better to avoid one of these arguments if possible.

Now we come to my least favorite form of argument—though I admit I've certainly participated in a number of these kinds of arguments myself—contradiction. It can be fun sometimes, when both parties know it's just a game and are just being light-hearted about it, but this is not always the case. Contradiction happens naturally because not everyone agrees on everything, so, unless they are a yes man who always agrees just to get along, people will have opposite views from time to time. The problem comes in when the contradiction descends into a childish game of opposites where one or more parties always choose the other point of view. This can be a matter of pride, an attempt to squash another's pride by making them feel as if they are constantly wrong. It can be just a childish game with no other purpose other than to piss someone off. Or it can be a simple manifestation of a person's bad mood; they're feeling left out so they're going to be a martyr and always be the one on the other side of the fence whether its how they really view things or not.

I'll admit, I'm no stranger to contradiction. I'm probably better at it than I should be. But I also know how it feels to be on the other side. It, frankly, sucks. Especially when the contradictions are not a one day, bad mood thing. Sometimes people just rub each other the wrong way. I understand this. But it can be very wearying when you are the constant target of contradiction from a single person or group of people. No matter what you say, no matter how much it seems to align with what the other person has just said or seems to believe, they will contradict you. They will say you're wrong again and again and again, and then, or someone else, will turn around and say almost exactly the same thing you said and act like it's an original idea.

Like I said, this is no problem when it's an occasional occurence. You should feel honored that this person feels comfortable enough with you as a friend/relative that they take their life's frustrations out on you, knowing that you will forgive them. On the other hand, if this abuse goes on too long, the "victim" (I know that's probably too harsh of a word, but I couldn't think of a better one) simply gets tired and a little bitter. They become sensitized to what the other person says so that comments which normally wouldn't be that big of a deal build up and small things the other person says instantly bother them. This is why families tend to argue a lot when they've been around each other too much. They are sensitized to each other, so they instantly react to comments which they could easily ignore, or even laugh at in other circumstances.

Anyway, time's up. I'm afraid if you want more nonsensical rambling, you'll have to pay for another five minutes. But I doubt anyone's going to do that. I ramble enough as it is . . .

And now... The Larch.

And now...

The Larch.


I feel about as exciting as a block of wood today. I suppose that's okay so long as I'm not too knotty. HA!

See what I'm talking about? Yeah. I must have had some bran flakes this morning or something, because I feel about as interesting as Sinclair. But, I suppose that's likely to happen if you get up super early to renew your car tag and then get to work super early too. And then you sit there thinking, "Wow, I'm really tired. Why am I awake?" And then you make a post about it so you can share you boringness and exhaustion with the whole world—or at least the two or three people who actually read your blog.

But, if all goes well, I should be going to see Howl's Moving Castle tonight again, and this time I should be able to understand what people are saying, though I don't think I could enjoy it any more than I did the first time in Japan. Still, I think the excellence of the first watching had something to do with the setting...and the mochi ice cream bar I smuggled into the theater. I can't wait until the scene with the bath towel and the slime. It sounds disgusting, but it's definitely my favorite scene in the movie. I would say more, but I don't want to spoil it too much for the tender ears of theCallowQueen.

Anyway, here's to this day being better than the last! If it isn't, I just might cry. wah!


And now...

The Larch.


PS. If you're wondering where the hell the larch thing came from, it's from Monty Python's flying circus, so it, of course, makes no sense. Just imagine it in a Brittish accent. You can't go wrong.

Do You Ever Wonder Why You Even Bother?

Sometimes I do. I try so hard sometimes and it just doesn't make any difference. I'm misinterpreted, people think the worst of me and jump to conclusions that I'm trying to be mean. I don't understand it. Evidently I don't know how to communicate with people very well, or maybe I just have a knack for pissing people off without meaning to. Sometimes I'm just stupid and push people's buttons without knowing they're there—though I suppose I should know better.

Either way, it kind of frustrates me that anyone who knows me would think I would mean to hurt them or intentionally say things to upset them. Do they really know me at all? Anyone who does know me would know that's the last thing I mean to do. Good intentions have rarely done me any good though because people always seem to assume my intentions are bad. Sometimes I just get tired of it. It seems like I just keep trying to get past this flaw—figure out what it is about how I say things that upsets people so I can fix it. I try and try and never get anywhere. Every time I think I've made some progress and everything's going great, I do it again.

So, I'm sorry world. I'm sorry to anyone I've hurt without meaning to. I'm sorry for feeling sorry for myself. I'm sorry I'm overly sensitive about things.

This isn't a cry for sympathy—in fact, I don't really want a ton of comments tell me "was it me?" or "I'm sorry if I upset you" because its highly unlikely the person involved will ever read this and respond anyway. The truth is, I just needed to vent. And I'm experiencing my most special time of the month which makes me extremely happy at the moment. It doesn't help that I've been on the verge of depression for no logical reason whatsoever the last couple weeks either.

In other words, I know I'm overreacting and whining. I'm sorry for that too. But, I'll get over it. Thanks for letting me vent about it though! (yes, she's thanking a frickin' blog) I feel better now... ;)

On a happier note though, I had a great time taking pictures with the CallowQueen, MathBuddha and MathBuddha's mom last night. Lot's of fun. Now I get to see if any of them came out... Cross your fingers!!! If they did come out, I'll have to christen my flickr account with some piccies then I'll have to make a new post with some linkies.

(If you couldn't tell, things are slow at work this morning...)