Colored Ink





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about me

name: n/a
aliases: kit, kits, kit kat, the smart girl, foxay, an chin
age: 18
location: socal, usa
hobbies: anime, manga, reading, writing, doodling, video games, french horn
likes: all of the above, being lazy, mushrooms, cheese, animals, laughing loudly in public
dislikes: nuts, stinging/biting insects, religious fanatics, violence, olives
contact: coloredink@mailcity add .com

wishlist

playstation 2
car
summer job
a good night's sleep
money
stress-free life
trigun dvd box set
cowboy bebop dvd box set

realistic wishlist

dayworld by philip josEfarmer
kabuki by david mack

long-term obsessions

anime/manga
yaoi/shounenai
clamp
music
animals
life and living
video games

current obsession(s)

college

currently reading

nothing new

currently playing

nothing new

currently watching

hana yori dango (20)
utena (23)
gto tv (39)
witch hunter robin (18)
naruto (39)
get backers (27)
rose of versailles (16)
matantei loki ragnarok (10)
scrapped princess (11)
samurai deeper kyo (5)
 		Monday, July 21, 2003 [link]
09:38 p.m.
listening to: "Wildwood Flower" - Emmylou Harris and Iris Dement


Saw The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen today.

Wow, did that movie screw up a lot of literary elements. Special agent Sawyer? Wha? Dorian, why are you suddenly immortal? And why is Mr. Hyde suddenly a gorilla?

I spent most of the movie wondering why Tom Sawyer was so dense. I mean, he was just dumb. And yes, I have read the book, but I never saw him a dumb little kid. He was a willful, mischievous troublemaker who occasionally did dumb things, but he was bright. Furthermore, I really disliked that not only was the movie Tom Sawyer out of his time period (I mean, gosh, he shouldn't have been born yet, methinks), he was radically aged and, for some reason, your typical gun-toting American youth. Mark Twain is rolling in his grave.

I know they needed a muscleman in this movie, but. . . oh, Mr. Hyde. I mean, yeah, he's supposed to be a brute of a man, but he's not supposed to look like The Hulk's little cousin. Dr. Jekyll's angst was quite appropriately done, though.

Dorian Gray was. . . appropriately amoral. I liked it. I loved the scene where he calmly strolls through and swipes people with his sword cane as they're busily making a mess of his home (which is now, for some reason, located in the East London docks--I guess it's an in-joke for those who've seen the movie). I even liked the scene where a thud watches as his bullet-riddled body heals itself and asks, "What are you?" Dorian, of course, answers, "I'm complicated." I loved it when he revealed himself as a double agent, because that is so him.

Actually, the only things I really have to complain about are Dorian's appearance and his immortality. I don't recall if Dorian is ever described as fair-haired in the book, but I think he is. He's also supposed to have "boyish features," which means no facial hair. I don't care what you say, facial hair holds the stigma of manhood. RAR. Dorian's immortality is something that's more open to interpretation. Since his portrait ages and he doesn't, it's quite possible that Dorian would have lived forever if he hadn't, well, gone and done himself in. I'm doubtful about the healing powers he had in the movie, though. Since the book takes place mostly in Victorian society and whatnot, we never really have the opportunity to see Dorian get stabbed or anything of the sort, in order to see whether he heals. It is, again, theoretically possible, considering what happens in the end of the book, but that's a real grey area. Dorian's death scene in the movie, however, was well-done (though it so didn't happen that way in the book). I really liked the devilish look of the portrait.

I never read Captain Nemo or Allan Quartermain, so no comment on either of those. Sean Connery was his usual self. Captain Nemo's martial arts style of fighting was eye-pleasing. I do want to know how the Nautilus navigated the canals of Venice, but I think that's something the world will never know. I loved the Invisible Man, and Lady Harker's vampire scenes--especially during the Venice scene--were appropriately spooky.

But, uh, Moriarty? That one threw me for a loop. The next few moments, of course, consisted mainly of me moaning and saying, "Oh Moriarty, world domination is so beneath you." What was he trying to accomplish, again? I missed it. But boy, I almost wished Holmes were in the movie, just so he could arch his eyebrows and look vaguely startled, and then laugh in Moriarty's face.

Overall, the movie struck me as something that was just trying too hard. The comic book narration/dialogue ranged from amusing to annoying, the music was fairly uninspired, and the story ranged from predictable to just plain stupid. I probably would have liked it more had I read the original comic.

I did like the ending, though. I mean, it was dreadfully predictable, but I liked the bit with the witch doctor and the implication that Allan Quartermain comes back to life. Africa will not let him die, indeed.

If anyone tried to talk to me on AIM while I was away, I'm sorry. I completely forgot that it was on.




Monday, July 21, 2003 [link]
04:03 p.m.
listening to: "Wish You Were Here" - Radiohead


This is one of the most lovely covers I've ever heard.

So very sleepy. Got up early this morning to see my father off.

The weather is very warm. I feel like I'm melting.

A really, really nice guy in Iowa sent me the first Trigun DVD. I'm still in shock.

Should be going to see League of Extraordinary Gentlemen today. Yes, I've heard it's not a very good movie, but I'm a literary dork and want to see it. Besides, it has Sean Connery.

Sometimes I feel like I'm running away. Well, okay, no, I know I'm running away. There are all these people who're saying that they're going to miss high school and miss their friends, and I'm just happy to be leaving. Does that make me a horrible person? Maybe, but sometimes I feel like there are too many ghosts here. Too many familiar faces, too many people who know what I am and expect something of me.

When I tell people where I'm going, they say, "Wow, but that's so far away" (although for some reason people also seem to think that Oakland == Oklahoma). This always surprises me, because there was also a fair chance I'd go to school on the other side of the country. I wanted to go to school on the other side of the country. Now that's what I call far away.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm running far away enough. We'll see.




Sunday, July 20, 2003 [link]
04:49 p.m.
listening to: "Evangeline" - Les Cowboys Fringants


Sometimes I stumble on good music through mislabeled mp3s. I thought I downloaded The Band's "Evangeline," but instead I downloaded something in French. Does this count as country music? I mean, they do associate themselves with cowboys.

I have Saya Pea Crisps. This makes me happy.

My dad leaves for Thailand tomorrow. For the next week, my diet will consist of something like this:

noodle soup
fried noodles
dumplings (with or without noodles)
steamed rice and sausages
soup
instant ramen

Maybe I'll make some spaghetti for myself. Making the meatballs is kind of troublesome, though, and I'm lazy. Plus I'd have to buy spaghetti sauce. Meh.




Saturday, July 19, 2003 [link]
03:43 a.m.
listening to: nothing


I would like to plug Badly Drawn Kitties. It's about cats. And sex, but mostly cats (who happen to have a lot of sex). Yes, it is a furry strip, but you don't necessarily have to be a furry fan to enjoy it, though it helps. Anyway, I just sat and read all of the archives in one sitting, and I nearly snorted tea up my nose at a few points. It's unfortunately on a short break right now as the artist gets himself eaten at Anthrocon, but it'll be back on the 28th, and until then you have the archives to amuse you.

I cleaned up my comics bar a little bit, removing comics that I don't check regularly, so those of you who use my blog as a comics list (and I know you do!), I hope you bookmarked your favorite. If you didn't and it's not on my list anymore, then email me and I'll give you the URL, you crazy nuts, you.




Friday, July 18, 2003 [link]
07:10 p.m.
listening to: "fake wings" - Yuki Kajiura


I decided to stop spamming LJ.

I've been writing on and off all day, working on chapter four (I think) of The Book. Ordinarily I just sit down and write something in one go, lest I lose the "mood" for it and end up writing the rest of it in a completely different style (yes, this has happened--don't ask, it's an ugly, ugly tale). But today I've just been working on and off, a few sentences here, a whole page there. Part of it's because the house was full of people earlier and it was difficult to concentrate, even with my new headphones. Which, by the way, are very keen, but I can't use them for very long or they begin to hurt my ears.

I've also been working on and off because I occasionally get jittery and have to take a break for a while. I always get this sense of "I'M NOT WRITING THIS THE WAY IT NEEDS TO BE WRITTEN" and/or "OH GOD I'M WRITING MYSELF INTO A CORNER." Don't ask me why, I know it's not rational. Maybe my self-imposed isolation is finally getting to me.

Yuki Kajiura has been a great source of comfort and inspiration. I've been listening to "fake wings" all day.

I need to cut my nails again.




Friday, July 18, 2003 [link]
05:28 p.m.
listening to: nothing


You should all go visit Glass Eye Comics now. Why? Because I say so. And if that's not enough (which it probably isn't), then because Whitney says so.

Thank you, that is all.




Friday, July 18, 2003 [link]
10:34 a.m.
listening to: nothing


I have always, heretofore, thought of Mormon missionaries with some respect. They're friendly, they're generous, and they respect other religions. If you tell them you're Buddhist, they'll respect that. They'll even do chores for you, if you ask them, too.

A pair of them woke me up from a very sound sleep ten minutes ago.

RAR.




Thursday, July 17, 2003 [link]
04:01 a.m.
listening to: same as before


I can't sleep, and it's rather irritating. I actually went to bed somewhat early (well, for a summer night when I have Nothing to Do), had trouble getting to sleep, finally dozed off, and then woke from my not-very-deep-sleep because I itched like mad. Bugs always think of me as as snack, for some reason.

That, and my sinuses are giving me trouble again. It's hard to sleep when you can't breathe.




Thursday, July 17, 2003 [link]
12:23 a.m.
listening to: "Mitternacht" (radio edit) - E Nomine


I read, today, that E Nomine sucks because it's not really techno. It's just "KIDDIE style stupid boom boom sound."

Oh, I thought to myself. Well, that's good. I probably wouldn't like it nearly as much if it were really techno.

[Edit: I am, however, vastly irritated by the Warp Brothers remix of Mitternacht. It turned a perfectly good dark, gothy song into, well, a rather typical dance track. IMHO. Except for certain bits in the middle.]




Wednesday, July 16, 2003 [link]
08:02 p.m.
listening to: zydeco!


I have a new hard drive and new headphones. Oh Lordy am I ever happy.

Installed the new hard drive myself. Be proud of me, geeks of the world! . . . or just laugh at me, whichever. And now, because I have no life, I'm going to describe my adventures mucking about with the innards of my computer. This is probably going to be really boring unless you know something about computers.

Decided, around 3:00 PM today, "Hey, I should install that new hard drive I bought yesterday instead of just letting it sit there, looking pretty." So I began reading the instruction manual. After a dozen or so pages I decided that I was completely inept and called Linda. Linda assured me it was Very Easy and gave me a summary of instructions over the phone that sounded much simpler than what the manual said, and I decided to try it myself.

I decided to work shirtless because a) it's hot and b) hey, if Lain can work shirtless with computers and look cool, so can I! Except I'm not an anime character.

After some time tinkering with the computer innards I became very frustrated and called Linda again. I just couldn't see how I was going to connect both of my hard drives to the motherboard because there just weren't enough slots/cables to go around. Linda gave me some more instructions. Then I hung up and realized that I was still at a complete loss because she hadn't answered my question. I didn't want to bother her again, though, so I just stared at the manual some more. After understanding the inside of my computer, I realized that I only really needed two cables. Why was I dicking around with three?

For some reason, the inside of my computer was set up like this:

CD burner (slave) - motherboard
DVD ROM (slave) - hard drive (master) - motherboard
floppy drive (whatever) - motherboard

Well, I thought, looking at the manual again, that doesn't make any sense.

So I ended up taking out the DVD-ROM and the CD burner. This probably wasn't necessary, but I wanted the DVD-ROM in the upper bay because it was going to be master, and having it on top would make it easier to plug in. Then I went nuts looking for a pair of pliers to use to reconfigure the jumper before realizing it was easily accomplished with my fingernails. D'oh. Then I slid them back in and connected them. This will probably result in some wackiness for a few days as I try to burn CDs with my DVD-ROM, but anyway.

By now, I'd figured out a few essential things that one needs to know when working with computer innards:

black = master = goes on top
gray = slave = goes on bottom
blue = cable select = versatile

So I left the new hard drive on cable select and the old hard drive on master and just cabled the two together appropriately. Or actually, I would have done this if I hadn't found that my case is constructed in a very retarded manner. There were something like six extra bays under the ones currently occupied by hard drive and floppy drive, presumably for hard drives, but they were made in such a way that it was nearly impossible for me to screw a hard drive into place. I messed with the floppy drive, hoping to mount that in one of the lower bays because I didn't really care about it (I hardly use my floppy drive), only to find that doing so would make my floppy drive inaccessible. D'oh! I did eventually find a way to screw the hard drive in, although I wished I had a third hand in the process.

The resulting layout:

DVD-ROM (master) - CD burner (slave) - motherboard
new hard drive (cabsel) - old hard drive (master) - motherboard
floppy drive - motherboard

I left the case off but plugged in everything I deemed necessary and turned the computer on, listening carefully. Nothing fizzing. Nothing but the sound of the new hard drive (a Maxtor 120 GB Diamondback Plus, in case you're curious). Everything booted perfectly. . . except the floppy drive, which I'd forgotten to connect to the power source. Oops. I let that be for the moment and continued to let Windows boot, then installed whatever CD had come with the hard drive. The program efficiently partitioned my hard drive for me and I copied everything from the old drive to the new one in anticipation of making it my new boot drive. Then I shut down my computer and went back into the innards, only to discover that it's a very good idea to wait until the hard drive cools before touching it. Ouch. I waited a few minutes, then messed with jumpers some more.

Current configuration:

DVD-ROM (master) - CD burner (slave) - motherboard
new drive (cabsel) - old drive (slave) - motherboard
floppy drive (whatever) - motherboard

Turned the computer back on. Everything went perfectly. Spent some time moving stuff around from one partition to the other, then wiped the old hard drive.

I officially have almost 160 gigs of space. I'm happy.

And now I'm going to defrag just for the sheer pleasure of it.

my livejournal


blogs better than mine


friends

amber
cathrine
dagger
gen
jasmine
jean
jen
jess
kelsey
nick
tracy
vanessa
walker

ppl i wish were my friends

lex
natalie
neil gaiman
otherpeople

places to go


shameless plugs

blue tumbleweeds
casm
colored ink
hogwarts post rpg
role-play network
the book
my side7 gallery
notus bebhinn

friends

book of genism
hanaeda's corner
lost intent
shike.org
snag studios
pirates' alley
ex-technomancy productions
willf.org
yaoiville

non-friends

bishonenink
casualvillain.com
crimson tears
firecat fanfics
hanashika.com
impossible
kitsch
mooncalf
oki doki
rabi's headquarters
scribbled spaghetti
sekai seifuku
the void
tourniquet
twoflowerian fiction

comics

sinfest
boy meets boy
the boondocks
foxtrot
for better or for worse
something positive
bruno
badly drawn kitties
grayling
scary go round
arcana
megatokyo
penny arcade
faux pas
jack
suburban jungle
saturnalia
mac hall
directions of destiny
vinci and arty
kagerou [mirror]
fallen
return to sender
strings of fate
your wings are mine
sexy losers
sabrina

other cool sites

anime news network
animesuki
anipike
dictionary.com
explodingdog
elfwood
epilogue
gamefaqs
glasseyecomics
kekkai.org
livejournal
nerve.com
orisinal
otakuworld
side7
themeworld
the onion
toriyama world
yerf
zany video game quotes
google



i owe my stress to pitas.com