Kagedtiger's Scratching Post

Which Princess Tutu character are you? Version 1.0

You are Fakir (Fakia). Go you! At first glance, you appear evil and domineering. But underneath that gruff exterior lies an angsty bish. And underneath the veil of bish lies a bookish geek who tends to spazz at the sight of female flesh. You are a big dork...but you hide it well!
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Note exactly true (as I definitely don't hide my geek side that well...), but I'm happy I got him anyway, just 'cause he's my favorite character from the series. ^_^

I Am A: Chaotic Good Elf Bard Ranger

Alignment:
Chaotic Good characters are independent types with a strong belief in the value of goodness. They have little use for governments and other forces of order, and will generally do their own things, without heed to such groups.

Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.

Primary Class:
Bards are the entertainers. They sing, dance, and play instruments to make other people happy, and, frequently, make money. They also tend to dabble in magic a bit.

Secondary Class:
Rangers are the defenders of nature and the elements. They are in tune with the Earth, and work to keep it safe and healthy.

Deity:
Hanali Cenanil is the Chaotic Good elven goddess of love, beauty, and art. She is also known as the Heart of Gold and Lady Goldheart. Her followers delight in creation and youth, and work to spread happiness, love, and beauty. Their preferred weapon is the dagger.

Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy of

NeppyMan (e-mail)

Anyhoos, summer is ending and fast approaching is the new school year. Summer has been good to me; I got a decent, well-paying job, and I became a trekkie. Let's take the first one first.

The job was good; I've been working in computer science for the government. I like my co-workers; they are geeks. Fun times indeed. I don't want to say too much about it, because it's the government and they encourage you not to talk about even the non-classified stuff, but also because it's so close to the end that my brain has melted and I really want to think about the job as little as possible right now.

Trek, on the other hand, never gets old. I've been watching the TOS marathons and 2.0 put on by the G4 gaming network, as well as some of the Next Generation. I totally *heart* Spock. I'm actually also writing my own spin-off series, mostly just for my own amusement, but also for practice writing scripts (TV is a first try for me; Debbi and I already wrote a screenplay, which we're editing through at this point). It was amazing though how quickly and deeply I fell into the Trek pit. I now own all six of the original movies on DVD, and in the mail is "Mind Meld," a documentary about Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner. W00t indeed, folks. W00t indeed.

So I'm in the lab now with nothing to do because I don't want to start my project and then work on it for twenty minutes before I have to leave. So instead I've decided to blog. Aren't you all just so lucky?

The place I'm going in a few minutes is this lecture on M.C. Escher, but it's a math lecture, not an art lecture. I wasn't initially planning on going, but my interest has been piqued, and I can always leave if I get bored, after all.

In other news, I got Kingdom Hearts 2 this weekend. HOLY CRAP. It's excellent. And at least 70% less cheesy than the first one. I didn't leave my room from when I started playing at 5:45 on Friday afternoon until 2:30 Sunday afternoon, when I finished. I got a total of 8 hours of sleep over two nights. But it was worth it, because I beat the game and the ending is the slashiest thing ever. *_*

Well, not true. Actually, an earlier line is even slashier, between two completely different characters. (SPOILERS START NOW. LEAVE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED FOR KH2.)

There's the most adorablest scene ever where you're in this tunnel-thingy, and your former enemy Axel is there with you. And all these Nobodies (the game monsters) appear and you're fighting them, but there are too many, so Axel puts everything into a final attack and kills them all, but he goes down as well.

So he's lying on the ground, and Sora goes up to him and asks him why he did all this. Axel's reply:

"I just wanted to see Roxas again. He was the only person I ever really liked, you know? He made me feel... like I had a heart."

Roxas is a boy you meet at the beginning of the game, who used to be friends with Axel in the Organization before turning traitor and leaving. There's a slashy scene with them concerning that as well. At any rate, I totally went :O for about fifteen seconds after that line and then squeed like the fangirl I am. Axel was totally completely in love with Roxas, and they do everything but say it out loud (unless you count that speech). They don't even try to dilute it by introducing any female characters or anything. Whether or not Roxas felt the same is another story, although I'm not sure he did.

The scene in the beginning is when Roxas is going to leave the Organization, and Axel is trying to talk him out of it. It goes like this:

Axel: You can't leave! They'll kill you!
Roxas: It doesn't matter. It's not like anyone would miss me anyway. ::starts to walk away::
Axel: That's not true! ::softly:: ...I would.

It's very sweet, and very "Awwwww! Axe~l!" The poor guy. I luuurve him. ::cuddles Axel:: Plus he fights with these kick-ass spiked fire wheel thingies. So cool. And he's a badass, even though he's really honest and straightforward about his emotions. It's great, because he's a stereotype and not a stereotype at the same time!

Okay. I gotta go to that lecture thing-a-ma-bob now. You all have a lovely day now.

Post-It Quote: Sometimes I wake up grumpy in the mornings. Other times, I just let her sleep.

Okay. Here's a surefire test that you're a hard-core slash fanatic. When it really doesn't matter what the guys look like. What do I mean? This is what I mean:

"Square and Circle," the filler day special strips from the comic "Neko the Kitty." Below you will find links to all of the Square and Circle comics currently in the comic archive to date (in each case, just keep hitting the "next" button until you get to the regular comic).

Okay. Now read through that archive. Are they both male? You can't tell at first, but eventually that seems to be the case. Is it completely insane that I find their sexual banter sexy? That I want Circle to fall prey to Square's wiles? Let me answer that for you.

They're geometric shapes! What the hell am I doing, having fantasies about geometric shapes! That's horrible! It's ridiculous! There is no good reason for it.

So why? I guess it just goes to show that for the true slash fan (or maybe just for me), it's the characterization and the slash itself that matters, not really the participants. (Which is not to say that any slash pairing goes; some stuff is just squicky. That's not really what I mean.) Somehow, I find the Square and Circle relationship to be cute, and kind of kinky.

I've been thinking about parenthood this week. Not because I'm pregnant or anything; I mean I've been thinking about my mother.

We don't appreciate our parents enough. No matter how much we love or appreciate them, it can never really be enough. Because we can never know the full extent of what they do for us.

For instance, here's the example I was thinking of: One thing that parents do for us is take decisions away from us. Not in a bad way; I mean they take away responsibilities from us that might hurt us. We think our parents are infallible, but they're just regular people, just like we are. And yet, when there is something we don't understand, we rely on them to make the decisions for us. We have no idea when we're young that those decisions are just as hard for them as for us. Can we really understand how courageous it is for them to step up to make those decisions, take the burden upon themselves? But that's one of the subtle ways in which our parents love us.

Another thing that reminded me how much I miss my parents recently was being sick. There is nothing quite like being sick with no one to take care of you. You feel so miserable, you can barely do anything for yourself, and all you really want is someone to check on you, or watch over you...

I'm sorry. I can't concentrate. A midget is being pistol-whipped in an R. Kelly song, and someone is playing the whole long music video. Holy crap. What the fuck is this thing?

So we're back in the lab, and I'm just whiling away time again. Matt is trying to work out some bizarre thing with palindromes in his head, but I try not to pay too much attention to Matt when he's like this, because he has a tendency to confuse himself until he doesn't even know what he's saying.

One thing that's totally awesome about sitting in this lab is the fact that the people from the game programming class are here too, so we get to watch them play their games. ^^; Some of them are hilareous, like the one where the head of the comp. sci. department has to go and rescue the other members of the department (that's a side-scroller). I really want to take that class next semester. It looks like it rocks.

So I'm sort of over the plague at this point. (Did I mention I have the plague? I have the plague.) More or less. I'm still coughing, but at least I'm not, you know, passing out on the bathroom floor. Like I was that one time. That was exciting.

Weeee. Meh. I dunno what to do. I think I'll go look at webcomics or something. Maybe homestarrunner.

So here's a question: how do you get a college student with no free time to post on the blog that she's been neglecting?

Answer: force her to sit in a computer lab twice a week for three hours, with very little to do.

That's right folks, as of today I am a TA, a Teaching Assistant in the comp. sci. department at Hamilton College. Which means basically that I have to be in this lab for three hours two nights a week. Which is fine, it means I can get stuff done, but there's also only so long one can stand to stare at code, you know? So in the intervals, I may have a chance to put snippets in my pita. Aren't you just a bunch of lucky people?

Coding in C is fun, even though it can also be infuriating. I got a ton done tonight, more than I was expecting. So much so that I'm starting to get nervous; it can't possibly be this simple, right? I had to stop because there are, like, two or three questions that I have that can't be answered except by the professor. So I'm waiting on that. Then I just have to print out my values and I'm done... Or am I?

Meh. So, I've been really into comic books lately. Which is odd, I know, but I'm trying to open up a new area of Geekdom for myself, and besides, who knew that they could be a slash resource? Between Apollo/Midnighter (Authority) and Teddy/Billy (Young Avengers), both canon, I'm having a blast. Oh obsessions.

I was listening to some of my old mix CDs today. I was almost embarrassed when "The Power of Love" from Sailor Moon came on. It seems funny now, but at the time I really loved that song. I *felt* it. It felt like a great truth to me, something that really got inside me.

Of course, now I listen to it and realize that it has the corniest lyrics in the world, which don't even entirely make sense. And yet... I don't think I was really wrong to believe in it. In a way, it was more of an ideal than anything else, a concept that I wanted to believe in. And it did effect the way I think today; I believe in being a strong woman, I believe that loving someone is important, that love can heal. Shows like that at such a formative young age are important. They teach us to believe in the simple truths of life, even when those truths are cliches.

And oh god, what a cliche it is. But I still like having it, because it reminds me of an innocent time in my life. We don't get too many of those unless we're really lucky, so they should be treasured. Naivite is underrated.

I don't know if it can be put into words. I'm not sure when it started. It was dark, it was raining. I walked down towards Martin's Way, and somewhere along the way it suddenly hit me how beautiful it all was. The dark, the rain, the auras of light from the street lamps, making the wet surfaces sparkle in small secret pools.

I stopped, in the middle of the path. It was like I was watching heaven through a window. And then I lowered my umbrella and the wall that was between me and the world was gone and I was in nature and everything was beautiful, so beautiful.

I walked, but not walked, just slowly let my feet lead me down the path, not resisting anything, if you resist or if you try to force it, it will all disappear.

On the bridge the railings are rust-covered, and water pooled on the beams. I stood at the edge looking down into the ravine, listening the engorged stream, miniature raging rapids. I happened to look down and saw the reflection of my umbrella on the railing and the mid-beam. It was astonishingly beautiful; nothing else reflected, for above us was only sky. But the umbrella over me was there as though cut out from a picture, and just a strip, two strips, beautiful.

I walked on, and I looked at the leaves, soaked, dripping water, liquid ice, down from their tips, like fingers. Drip drip dripping. And the street lamp right next to the tree cast a small section into light, a sudden pool of green in the inky black. And it was all so beautiful that I felt my heart swell up, and I cried. I cried because everything was so amazing, so beautiful, I thought, how could there not be a God? And how can anyone ever despair of anything, when there are nights like this?

I got to commons, still holding my umbrella at my side. I went in and I wanted to tell everyone what I had just experienced. But you can't tell it, not exactly. Not without poetry and if you try to speak poetry in real life, people look at you as though you're insane.

I sat down at a table with the fewest occupants I could find, figuring that if there was no way to find someone who would properly understand, then silence was the next best thing. I had a conversation there with a stoned man and his apologetic friend. And it was alright. It was odd, but that was good. Odd was better than normal on a night like this.

And quickly I was back out. Back into the rain and the black and the beautiful. And I walked down the path and I came to that tree again, the one with the verdant puddle in its branches, and I put my hand against the wet bark, rough but not craggy, and I felt the dirt and the lichen against my palm, coming off in crumbs and wet sticky clumps on my hand and it felt so real, so amazingly real on my palm. I let my hand fall to my side, clenching the feeling inside it.

I walked back slowly. I took my time. I let the rain fall on my head and my face and I loved the world. But I didn't try to extend it. I didn't try to find something in it that wasn't there. I just let it be, and it was more amazing than anything I had dreamed.

And when I got back into the building, I turned on the TV. And it wasn't petty. It can't be petty, you realize. You can feel the contrast, and if you're not thinking, then it feels bad because you've lost the nature connection but it's not bad, not bad at all.

Because it's all part of this world. It all starts from nature. All of this, the evolved stories that we mass-produce, the cement walls, the happy empty faces, it is all built from building blocks that start with what I saw tonight. It's all grown from that. It's towers built from those raw materials. And nothing can ever be petty, except for some human emotions.

And on a night like this, there's no room for those at all. Not in me. And because they're not in me, then for me they are not in the world, not in the universe at all.

Perhaps life has a plan for me after all. Perhaps it was no coincidence that I ended up here. Perhaps there is more yet in store.

Post-It Quote: The American Heart and Lung Association surveyed doctors and found that 9 out of 10 doctors who tried Camels went back to women.

You know, it's not easy trying to adjust to a new lifestyle and still keep my ties to my old life strong at the same time. And I'm doing the goddamn best I can, but it's hard! I feel like I don't have enough time to do everything and I'm sorry if I don't think of you every fucking minute, but it doesn't mean I don't think of you at all! I think of you a lot! I can't believe you don't know me well enough by now to know that I would never ever replace you.

I'm letting you off the hook this time because you're sick, but you know, you're damn lucky that you are, because if you weren't, there would be absolutely no excuse for how you acted! I am TRYING! I am trying as hard as I can!

You never think about other people. That's always been your problem. You never try to put yourself in other people's shoes. And you never fucking apologize for anything! You drive me batshit insane sometimes!

I fucking love you, you dingus! I have never had a better friend! So don't fucking dismiss me so easily! I can't believe you. I was TRYING to talk to you. I made an effort to talk to you in *more than one* medium, just so conversation would be easier, or so that you might get out of it more, like if you needed to hear my voice or something, because I *think* about these things! I worry about you, and I keep wondering what you're doing and wishing you were here. And then you just fucking throw that in my face like I'm doing something wrong, when that's what you supposedly *wanted*! Goddammit!

Ugh. I am so fucking furious right now. I'm sure I will regret saying most of this later, but I have never been angrier at you.

I figured I might as well drop an entry, since I'm putting off other, more important things. ^^;

So, I'm in college now! Woohoo. It's very exciting. I go to Hamilton College in New York. So far I've been here about three weeks, including orientation. (Not including the little camp/wilderness excursion thing I went on first.) There's so much that's new and exciting, there's no way I can hope to even describe it in a single entry.

Anyway, so this college thing is also my explanation for why I've dropped off the face of the internet for a while. It probably won't get too much better very quickly; I don't even have my own computer yet. But hopefully I will soon, and when I do it'll have Dungeon Keeper on it, so I can get to finishing up that fic.

Anyone who reads this regularly, feel free to drop me an e-mail. I thrive on e-mails from friends and family; they keep me from getting too homesick.

Other than that? I'll talk to you guys when I get a second. Lunch, swim tests, and anime club meetings call.

So I just finished reading the new book by Bart Yates, The Brothers Bishop. It's good, of course, in the sense that it's well-written. He's a great author. And actually, though the ending was quite depressing, I enjoyed reading it. I like the story. I really do. I'm impressed with how the author handled it.

Of course, the only reason I own this book is because a friend of mine bought it and it freaked her out so much that she couldn't have a copy of it in the same house with her and asked me to take it away.

I kind of feel guilty about that. Not about taking the book; I was practically doing her a favor with that. I feel bad about not warning her that the book would probably be like that.

I've read a lot of gay fiction. A lot. Enough that, from the brief excerpt of this book in the back of Leave Myself Behind (also excellent, and with a much happier ending), I could have predicted that this would be the sort of book that it is. I feel like I should have told her what to expect. I guess it never occurred to me that she would take it so badly, or that she might not expect it herself.

It's not honestly that bad, as far as these things go. It's nowhere near as awful as Gaylord which, in addition to having an ending at least as bad as this one (though marginally happier), also had a poorly-thought-out and infuriating twist thrown in at the last second that seemed completely unnecessary and ridiculous and made me want to punch the author in the face.

At any rate, while this story was a bit depressing, I'm glad I read it. It's a good thing for an aspiring writer to have read. I just hope it doesn't mess up Fi-chan too permanently.

So, I've been reading old entries from my pita, and it seems that I did, in fact, write about the last time we were here and about to go to a black theater performance. Well, it's rolled around again, and we are once again in Prague on the eve of a show. Tonight we're going to see the Image Theater's "Black Box," which should be (as all image productions are) fascinating.

Did I ever mention that my grandmother was one of the pioneering members of the art of black light theater? It's true. She and a small troupe of others were the first to really perform with this art style. It's great because now it's practically a traditional thing around these parts.

Tomorrow evening we leave for Paris. That should be exciting! Of course, we're going to try to cram about a month's worth of sight-seeing into a week, so it's going to be a bit of a marathon, but I'm sure that it'll be worth it. I hope so, anyway.

Post-It Quote: Chaos, says the great philosopher Ly Tin Wheedle, always appears where order is most desired. It always defeats order, because it is better organized.
-(paraphrased... possibly) Terry Pratchett, "Interesting Times"

Whoops. Looks like I've gone back to the character selectors again. Ah well. -_- ::sigh:: At any rate, while this definitely isn't the character I most WANT to be like, it probably is the character that I am, in fact, the most like. ^^;; Go see who you are.

Well what do you know? I seem to have re-discovered an old fun comic. This is the one that has that character with my name. ^_^; I had forgotten all about this thing. Huh.

Anyhoo, Prague is, as usual, Prague. It's been pretty fun so far, what with art exhibits and ballet and whatnot. No floods this time, which is also a bonus. I do miss home a bit, though.

This entry is basically just so that I can have that link there for reference. For those of you who don't know, I will be leaving tomorrow to spend a month in Prague (with a week or so long trip over to Paris thrown in there) visiting my relatives. I'll probably only have limited computer access, so if it seems like I'm nowhere to be found, then that's why. Anyway, I hope everyone reading this has a fun July, and I'll talk to you all again in August if not sooner.

So, I have discovered (finally), the Numa Numa Dance. Follow the link above if you dare.

Post-It Quote: Let them think what they wish, but I didn't intend to drown myself. I intended to swim til I sank - but that's not the same thing.
-"The Secret Sharer," Joseph Conrad

I'd like to speak a moment about the movie The Boondock Saints. So anyone who doesn't want spoilers for the movie or knows me and is sick of hearing me talk about it (that means you Fi-chan), can just leave now. Okay. We good now? Let's proceed.

I think The Boondock Saints is everything that a movie should be. Not only is it incredibly well put together, artistic, thoughtful, and moving, but it is also highly entertaining.

It's not impossible to have an action movie with humor. In fact quite a few action movies throw in jokes here and there to lighten up the mood. But this is almost a comedy by itself, with action thrown in. Which is not to diminish that aspect of it; it represents both halves equally well, I think. The combination makes it simply fun to watch, and easy to see more than once.

That's another aspect of a good movie that totally applies to Saints; it is quite easy to see multiple times. And each time you watch it, you get new little insights. Of course, it's no Matrix, where the second time you see it you actually understand a lot more of what's going on than the first viewing. No, you can pretty much get Saints in the first take. But that doesn't stop subsequent viewings from adding depth to the picture, or at least helping you notice the technical genius of the piece.

And the technical aspect is genius. The pacing is broken up in a way that keeps you interested. For those of you who don't know the movie, it's about these two Irish brothers in Boston who become vigilantes, and are hunted down by an FBI Agent, Paul Smecker. But the way the movie is cut together, you see the brothers setting out, and then it cuts to the detective piecing it together. So you see what the brothers have done as the detective figures it out.

Not only does the switching back and forth cut up the story enough to keep you from getting bored, Troy Duffy (writer and director) also does something really neat and artistic with it: As the detective gets closer and closer to catching the brothers, the cuts get more and more intertwined, until finally the two storylines merge and the agent is going through what happened in the same shots with the brothers as they're doing it. (That particular fight scene, in my personal opinion, is the best sequence in the movie. Certainly it's my favorite.)

The acting is also superb. Willem Dafoe, who plays Agent Smecker, is a genius. There are dozens of subtle little things he throws into the character that give you hints about him, or insights into his mind. He just portrays him so well, both dramatically and comically.

And to top it all off, the movie has a deep, thoughtful message behind it, which is of course; is vigilantism right? Is it right to take the law into your own hands? Is it right to stand by and do nothing, allowing evil to go unpunished? It's quite thought-provoking, and yet the movie leaves it open-ended, not trying to force an opinion on you, leaving the dilemma up to you to decide on.

All in all, it's no surprise that this movie became the cult classic that it is. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for something good to see. If you're squeamish, be warned: it's quite violent and there is a LOT of profanity. But it's not exactly Kill Bill level violence, in fact I would even say it's no more than absolutely necessary to tell the story, and regardless of that, it's worth it.

Just a quick note. The above site is the actual one I was thinking of in reference to the live action Sailor Moon. (Check out the dark generals - pretty! *_* At least they got one thing right.) Specifically, this: http://www.pbase.com/lilly_chan/image/30933006.

Post-It Quote: Give a man a fire, he's warm for a day. *Set* a man on fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life.

I have decided to give "Teen Titans" another chance. Not that I like it now or anything, but I've decided that it is promising enough that it warrants another few episodes worth of watching before I go judging it.

In the meantime, I simultaneously discovered two new Amerime. They're really popping up everywhere. So today I gritted my teeth, sat down, and watched a full episode each of "Winx Club" and "Martin Mystery." Let's take them one by one, shall we?

Winx Club
Summary:
Apparently about a group of girls who go to a sort of all-girl boarding school to learn how to use their fairy (Winx) powers. Next door is a boys' school for heroes and an evil school for witches. Reminiscent of horrible pre-teen dramas with pre-determined "good girls," "crushes," and "mean girls." Also contains Sailor Moon-esque transformation sequences. (Going off topic: saw some pictures from the live-action Sailor Moon movie-thingy. Not sure if this is the funniest or scariest thing I've ever seen. See link above.)

Evaluation:
Would probably be something I'd watch if I were still 11. Still, it makes me uncomfortable the way it perpetuates certain stereotypes, ie the way girls are supposed to act in school. (So worried about froofy dresses and the prom and what the boys may be doing and 'oh, poor me, I'm a little different, boo hoo.') Wish people would realize that real life is rarely like that, and should teach kids that being different from normal is actually what's important, not being the epitome of it. Still, had its cute moments, and no doubt quite appealing to little kids.

However, am very glad that what first thought were bishounen in fact turned out not to be so. Which means I will not be hideously compelled to watch it. Damn my pretty boy fixation! (Please excuse me if I start talking in a Bridget-Jones's-Diary fashion - that's what I've been reading.)

Martin Mystery
Summary: Was not originally going to sit for a full episode, but was enamored by the fact that one of the male characters entered in the first scene dressed as a female cheerleader. Decided to stay for the whole show.

Not as bad as I thought it'd be. Seems to be about a brother and sister and caveman (for some reason) who go about solving paranormal mysteries. Guy is a goofy flake, girl is spazzy control-freak. In other words, classic stock characters. Little unnerved by the over-abundance of anime cliches like chibification, but this was remedied by the lack of scary Bratz-Dollz-like animation present in "Winx." Animation was actually quite pleasant, a little "Totally Spies"-ish.

Evalutation:
Not sure if I'd watch this show regularly, but might turn to it if nothing else was on. If nothing else, some of the creatures are kind of cool-looking, and the animation style is the bishounen/bishoujo kind of style that really draws one to the shoujo anime. It's weird how one becomes addicted to the anime art style.

Anyway, the prevelance (is that a real word?) of Amerime is becoming slightly distressing. The thing I really dislike about it most is not the perversion of a good art style, because honestly, anime is not the best art style in the world. What distresses me is that in bringing it overseas, it seems the American TV companies have missed the point.

They see that this animation style is becoming popular and bring it over without any regard to the reason for its popularity in the first place. Most true anime fans, at least the older ones, watch their series for the stories, for the depth and complexity of the plots and characters, and treating of the audience as mature, thoughtful individuals. But the American companies can't get beyond seeing cartoons as for kids, and so that's what they create.

And since the kids are unlikely to care what their cartoons look like, and these Amerime shows might become popular for that age group, it simply perpetuates the cartoons-are-for-children stereotype. It's a vicious cycle. At least "Avatar: The Last Airbender" shows some glimmer of the thought behind anime, even if it is still aimed at a slightly younger age group.

Also, there are occasionally glimmers of hope from the non-Amerime American cartoon front, such as "Samurai Jack." Too bad shows like that tend to be quickly cancelled.

Anyway, let's just hope that Adult Swim at least continues to bring over the good kind of anime. Oo, yeah, we like it like that.

Post-It Quote: "Forgive me if I do not wish to banter about your sexual prowess." "Well, why not? It's not like we can banter about *your* sexual prowess, now is it?"
-best dialogue exchange I've ever written, Ky and Sol from "Ups and Downs" (Guilty Gear X II)

Aw damn. I was all set to talk about something, and now that I've finally managed to log in on this piece of crap school computer, I can't for the life of me remember what I was going to say. Shoot.

Anyway, as far as the above exchange goes, I consider it one of my very best bits of dialogue. I always giggle when I read it. It is from a conversation in which Sol and Ky are discussing the fact that Ky is still a virgin, and then they get to talking about Sol's sex life and Ky gets all embarrassed. It's a yaoi fic, in case you couldn't guess. If you want to read it, it's available at my web site and at fanfiction.net.

Note to self, things to add to videos section once home:
rabbit fighters
llama song
Inuyasha in a nutshell
ramen video

I don't often watch Teen Titans. As those who have read my previous rants know, I feel slightly creeped out when I see the American interperatations of things like sweatdrops and facevaults. However, I will say one thing for the show: it is a great random quote generator. Just flipping through TV and landing on Teen Titans can produce hilareous results, especially if you then flip away quickly.

The first time it happened, I was flipping up through the channels and paused on Cartoon Network just long enough to hear: "-release the mind-control squid-" and then I moved on. I think I was at least three channels up before that sank in. And then more recently, I wanted to check what was on CN and got there just in time for: "Evil beware. We have waffles." Utterly delightful if you don't have to watch the rest of the show.

Although, on the other hand, watching the full show isn't always bad. I saw one episode where they were somehow trapped in this magician's house. It was the most ludicrous, ridiculous thing I have ever seen. It kind of reminded me of an episode of Scooby Doo, actually. You know, the part they have in every episode where they're running away from the monster in a humorous fashion to the accompaniment of really bad music?

I recently saw the movie Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves. It was actually a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I must admit that I liked it very much. But there is one particular scene from the movie, one that haunts me. (You might not want to read on if you don't want spoilers.)

When the drunkard dies, there's this one image where they show the demon, and then they pan to the angel crouched over the drunkard's body. He looks up with a beautiful, sad expression, and his wings extend slightly. I REALLY want to get that image, the angel crouched over the man, to use as a background.

The actor's name, from what I can tell, is Jeremy Ray Valdez, and he's listed in the credits as "Liquor Store Clerk Nico." If anyone can find me that image, I'd be incredibly grateful. I know this probably won't yield anything, but I figure it can't hurt to ask. It's just that that particular moment sticks in my mind like nothing else.

If you happen to find the image, please send it to me at kaged_tiger@hotmail.com. I will <3 you very much.

Post-It Quote: There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or they are badly written. That is all. -Oscar Wilde

I just watched two movies, Trainspotting and Wonderboys. Trainspotting, while interesting detailed look into the life of a heroin addict, freaked me the hell out. Not because of the story, or even the events in the story, but because of the sheer "gross-out" factor of many of the scenes.

Wonderboys, on the other hand, was adorable. Tobey McQwuire (or however you spell his name) is an amazingly good actor, and fits this part really well. The movie is fun and serious at the same time, letting you laugh while not being completely shallow. I plan to watch it again with Mom later on. Glad I saw this one second, 'cause it really cheered me up after Trainspotting.

Post-It Quote: You have to own the world, even if you have to charge it.
-Carson Kressley, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

So this is a really cowardly thing of me to do. I mean, seriously cowardly. Because if I was a brave, or even thoughtful person, I would be calling my Best Friend right now after reading her blog and talking to her. But, since I am a coward, I'm just going to write in here instead, because she usually reads this.

I really ought to read her blog more often, because it seems like it's the only place that she's really honest about her emotions. And even though that's scary sometimes, I really want it, because even though I'm shit at helping her out, I can't help her at all if I don't know what she's feeling.

Sometimes it really scares me to see the way she thinks, to the point where it's almost funny. Because I think that no one could possibly be that blind about themselves. And she says that she worries that I look down on her, or feel superior, and that's so far from the truth that it's insane.

The only thing I don't like about her, the only thing I absolutely can't *stand*, is the way she views herself. It amazes me that she can't see how completely wonderful she is, how talented and amazing and smart and totally wonderful she is. I mean sure, she has her faults, but I would take one of her over a hundred of those shallow morons that I encounter every day.

I wish I could show her how easy it is to be happy. I wish I could let her in my head so she could see how much I love her and how much it hurts me that I can't help her. I wish I could relate the way she wants me to.

What I really wish is that she'd go see Mr. Roberts, because that man really made the world better for me, and I know he could do it for her too, if she would only listen to him. But I doubt she will because I'm sure that she doesn't believe it could work, or that she deserves to be happy. Which is ludicrous, because if anyone deserves to be happy, she does.

So to her, if she's reading this, and I hope she is: I love you. I never think badly of you the way you think I do. The only thing about you that is even remotely negative is the way you deal with emotion. And I so wish I could help you. I would give anything to be able to do that. I would trade my life for yours in an instant if it would make you happy. I worry that after I'm gone you'll fall deeper into this darkness, and then you'll be lost forever. That scares me. Please, please find a way to take care of yourself.

Post-It Quote: Pat Boone and Lois Lane are singing a new song about me! It's a great tune, but I must use all my super-powers to prevent it from becoming a hit! -Superman, actual DC comicbook cover

This post is mainly just for that link. For the love of God, go read it. It is funny beyond words.

Post-It Quote: And as I took him in my arms he screamed, "I'm not insane! I'm just looking for someone to understand my pain."
-"Devil in the Wishing Well," Five for Fighting

So, I got my first admission letter to college a little while ago. It's just my safety school, but it's still really neat to officially have some place to go to college. ...Provided that we can pay for it, of course.

Also: going to Scranton after school today! Hooray for behing able to drive and having a car! I likies the driving to the books. Plus Fi-chan's coming along, so we will have a funtastic time.

Another thing I can do now that I'm 18: See R rated movies by myself. Okay, so technically I could do this since 17, but I got carded for doing so for the first time ever the other day! It was nifty! ^_^

So I went to see "Alexander." It wasn't a very good movie, but it was slash-tastic, and I really <3 Alexander the Great, so I enjoyed it immensely. I wanna go see it again! ^_^

Also, we were in New York last weekend at a craft show, and we went to go see Avenue Q! It was amazing. ^_^ Like a fun adult play, only done with muppets. So funny. Only now I have to write a fanfic for it. 'Cause that's how my brain works.

My stomach hurts. Blegh. I hope I'm not getting sick. That would suck. I can't afford to miss any more school right now. Maybe if I'm really lucky, school will be closed tomorrow. That would just rock. Man, I wish that would happen.

Post-It Quote: Go Foxy, it's your birthday, not for real-real, just for play-play. -Drawn Together

Hooray! As of the 12th, Friday, I am 18 years old! ^_^ Yaaaay! Here's a list of things I can now do:

Purchase cigarettes and/or tobacco products
Kill someone and be tried as an adult
Legally download porn
Buy things from infomercials
Apply for a credit card
Vote (two weeks too late)
Gamble in places where they don't serve alcohol
Marry someone without my parents' permission
Get a senior driver's license

^_^ This is so nifty. I'm like, an adult or something. Sort of. I guess I'm not *really* an adult until I'm 21. But this is close enough! Look at all the cool things I can get in trouble for now!

I had the bestest birthday ever. My Best Friends Fi-chan came over on Friday and spent the whole weekend, and we went to Borders, and rented movies, and played lots of DDR. ^_^ It was excellent.

What's with campaign signs posted on public property by roads? I mean honestly. Do they really think that something like that will influence anyone's vote? And it's not even on their own property, so it's not like they're stating their own views...

I guess they don't want anyone to think that one candidate is unpopular enough that no one likes him at all. ...Or something like that.

Anyway. I dunno. I'm tired. I have too much paperwork to do tonight. I hate paperwork. >_<

Oo! New series coming to Comedy Central: "Drawn Together." Looks pretty funny. Plus: pretty elf bishounen! Yay! Now I *have* to watch. ^_^ Gotta have my elf bishounen. Extra-super-bonus if he turns out to be gay. ^________^

Sometimes reading other people's updated blogs makes me guilty enough to update my own.

Man, I'm SO busy. I haven't been able to go to my writing group in weeks! Between school and after-school journalism and my column and the play, and all my college stuff and special events like the 209 volleyball tournament and the writer's conference.

I feel bad that I don't have time to see friends, or to watch the anime/cartoons that I borrowed. But I know that my friends are busy too, and they'll understand.

I took the SAT IIs last weekend. Only two of them, because I already have a third, but two is quite enough. But that's it. The end. I never have to take them again. The physics one was difficult, but the literature was really easy, so I think it evened itself out. ^_^ Plus I was wearing my lucky neckless, which has never let me down yet. So we'll see.

I had a day today where my Best Friend was really happy. And she even talked to me during gym! I was thrilled. Maybe it's sad that it takes so little from her to completely make my day. Or maybe it's a good thing. Who knows. I guess it just means that I feel things strongly. For better or for worse. (But seriously - during gym, even!)

We read the story, "The Jolly Corner" by Henry James in English class. We just finished going over it. Man, oh, man. That is one of the coolest stories I have ever read. Dense, and difficult to read, but infinitely awesome. Just the whole idea is so very cool. But, I won't spoil it for you. You'll just have to trudge through the complex language yourself. ^_~

Have to stay after school to work on the paper tomorrow. And then after that I have play rehearsal. ::sigh:: Well, I suppose it's good to keep busy.

Wooo. Tired. Mostly, I just wanted to get that link up there for posterity (ie, in case my computer crashes), since they started hosting one of my fanfics. ^_^ So nifty.

Also, weird thing: Have to learn to ride a bike for the school play. o_O A little odd.

So I had my first really long, extended fight with my Best Friend. It ended today. Thankfully. It was really ripping me up inside.

So the way it worked out was, we agreed that we both hated each other, but decided to compromise in order to remain friends. ^^; Has that ever happened to anyone else?

It felt really odd to me, but then my sister told me that she and her Best Friend had done that once, and they've been friends for about as long as they've been alive. So then I felt better about it.

Fighting with friends sucks. Because when you become friends with someone, their emotional needs become yours. So when you fight with them, you get their angst plus your own. -_- It really sucked. But it's okay now! So that's good.

Life is so incredibly hectic right now. I have a column, school, the play, and about a bajillion deadlines to look out for. Not to mention that I should be studying for the SAT IIs. -_- Not looking forward to that.

Also, am slightly upset that the part I wanted in the school play went to someone who is a better singer but worse actress (in my opinion; I suppose I shouldn't judge), even though it's not a singing role. Ah well. I have a decent role anyway. I'll live. ^^; Still, it burns because it's my last year and all.

I've been thinking. As usual, I've been thinking about gay men particularly. And this occurred to me:

One of the major complaints of people who don't like homosexuals is that they're promiscuous. But when you think about that, you really never hear that complaint about lesbians. Only about gay men. And when you think about that, well, that's perfectly reasonable.

Men have the ability that many women lack to have sex with no emotional attachment whatsoever. In addition, they have sex drives that are on *all the time*. The only thing holding these guys in check is that women don't have either of these.

So take women out of the picture, and what do you get? Men are horny bastards. They always have been. When you set them loose on each other, they have no reason to control their libidos. So of course they'll be promiscuous. If most straight guys could get away with the kind of sex most gay guys are accused of, then they would. That's male nature, not homosexual nature.

Post-It Quote: I like to be twisted, utterly twisted, twisted like a triplet from Belleville.
-The Belleville Rendezvouz, The Triplets of Belleville

;_; I miss my Fi-chan. She was supposed to be back last weekend! An' we were gonna go to the fair together, and, and, and she's not here. ::sniffles::

In other news, my sister is painting her room. For her senior project (she's a rising sophomore). And now she has no door. ^^; She keeps saying how weird it is to sleep without a door. I'm sure it must be; I always keep mine closed at night.

It's raining pretty heavily today. That's cool. I like the rain. I'm also bored though. Maybe I should drive somewhere. But I don't know if I want to drive in the rain. Maybe I should just go get a movie and come back? But that's not really the same. Maybe I should go *see* a movie? ...But not much is really playing around here. I could go to Scranton, but I'm going Saturday anyway, and besides which, it would be a long drive in the rain.

::sigh:: I get the feeling it's gonna be one of those days. Fi-chan, hurry back, would you?

Post-It Quote: Only when the questions become more important than the answers will the solutions appear.
-Cirque du Soleil

-_- I miss Fi-chan. She is gone away to a funeral, and I am at home, doing very little. I mean, sure, I've been working on my mom's web page and all, but still.

Also, am very tired. Have done a lot of long car rides recently, mostly for college visits. Have seen more colleges than can shake a stick at. ...Though haven't tried, so who knows.

Of course, there are people who see fifteen, twenty colleges. But have sneaking suspicion those people insane or pricks. Or both.

-_- Gwah. Finding self beginning to talk like Very Secret Diaries. Wonder where those are anyway. Will go check.

Post-it Quote: Any twelve people who can't get themselves out of jury duty are not my peers.

And now I get to work on a fanfic. ^^; Ain't that always the way. I'll bet I get points for most unusual couple in this one though. It's Blank/Kuja. ^_^ I know. Bizarre, right? But it works. You'll just have to read it and see for yourself. ...Once I have it actually written, that is. (Even though, I think I already have the first two chapters.)

Now comes the big dilemma. Do I start Chrono Trigger? Or FFVII? On the one hand, I need to play Chrono Trigger before I can play Chrono Cross, the sequal. On the other hand (you have different fingers) FFVII is arguably the definitive game of the final fantasy series, the classic.

Well, it looks like I missed this month's update. Next month, it'll have to be. ...::sigh:: And I haven't even started the next chapter of Dungeon Secrets. I know what I want to do; I have these few scenes planned out in my mind. But I just can't think of what everyone else will be doing while those characters are occupied.

Is there anyone out there reading this who actually reads my "Secrets" series? Because if there is, please contact me. I really need someone to bounce ideas off of, and any input would be appreciated. I would do it with Vagabond, but she seems to have gone AWOL. So that's out. But seriously. E-mail me. Please.

Post-It Quote: Get your mind out of the gutter! Grab mine while you're there, please.

I think that this would be a good time to add a bunch of the comics that I've been reading to the sidebar next to my entries. AND I'm going to alphabetize them! Here's a list of the new ones:

Sub Lunary
Hybrid Genesis
Arrhanali
Gay Baker
Make it Shallow
Honou to Hyoushou
Prince Dove
Sparkling Generation Valkyrie Yuki
Kingdoms of Light and Dark
Schism
SkyFall
Utukki
Cami x Alex
Friendly Hostility

(Also, I added another fanfiction page - this is the author of Live Through, THE best Yami no Matsui fic I ever read. Period. Well, the entire arc is, really.)

Post-It Quote: I am flawed/But I am cleaning up so well.
-"Vindicated," Dashboard Confessional

Okay. There is officially nothing more bizarre than Japanese rap. I just accidentally downloaded the DDR song "Daikenkai." If you want a bizarre trip, try downloading that. It's perhaps not as strange as "Minna de Wahaha," which is Japanese squaredance yodeling, but it is... well, let's just say I feel like someone's trying to kill me with a baseball bat made of music. Not that it's bad. That's just what it does to my skull.

But then, I had a headache to begin with, so who can really tell? And then, I have been known to have rather strange taste in music as well.

You know your friends love you when you're all constantly threatening to kill each other. I just spent the past couple days hanging out with my best friend, (which is why there was no update) and then the last day we picked up a third friend, and all of us hung out in Scranton at Borders and then went to Wegmans. There we bought soda and candy. Oh, and bread. It was magnificamous. ^_^

So my grandparents are coming over this weekend (in addition to the normal 4th of July celebration, that day is also my mother's birthday) so today is a "cleaning the entire house" day. It's quite strenuous, but at least the end result is that I have a clean room. That's always nice.

Let's see. We didn't make any money at the craft show last weekend. That sucked. But we plow on, of course.

Oh, and maybe no update this month. At least, not at the beginning. With my grandparents coming over, I won't really have too much time to write. As it stands, I have about half a chapter of "Training" written, and that's it. Anything more will probably have to wait. And if it gets late enough, I may just save it until next month. Sorry folks. I've been really busy.

I really ought to start playing my flute again. Or singing. Or something. I miss music.

Post-It Quote: The best thing about listening to music inside your head is that you can turn the volume up as loud as you want. -Me

::currently head-banging to the downloaded theme from "Full Metal Alchemist. The... second season opening? I think::

God, I love this song. I really need to get WinAmp. Anyway, I'm back from Florida, but tomorrow I have to leave for a craft show, so there's not much time to be at home. But when I get back I'm gonna start doing some writing, so hopefully I'll have the next chapter of KS up in time for this month's updates. ...Oh gee, what am I gonna write for this month's mystery fic? Hm. I'll have to come up with that, too.

Florida was a blast. Between the beach, aquarium, bookstores, and everything else, it was basically something new every day. It was fantastic! But it's good to be home. There were a lot of things I missed, not least of which was my best friend, who I haven't even gotten to see, and won't until I'm back from the show. >_< Ah well. Shows are good things; they're also my only source of income. And I could use some money.

Depressing conversations are not fun. Sometimes I wish I could just make everything better for people. Honestly, if there were some way of easing the pain of my loved ones by taking it into myself, I would. The problem is that the way it tends to go is that I take the pain into myself, and it doesn't ease anyone else's at all. So it just serves to increase the total unhappiness. Which is why I don't like being sad; it usually serves no purpose.

So my Dad has been unusually mellow since I got back. It must be the vacation doing him good. God knows I really appreciate it. He's so much cooler when he's not being uptight. I wish he'd do it more often. I hope it lasts.

I now have two, count 'em TWO fanarts from Vick330, who is my new hero. ^_^ He's made me Kaelay and Tarkasas from my Secrets series. They'll be up on the Dungeon Help page at the next update for the world to see. I am so pleased, it goes beyond words. It makes me feel so awesome that someone likes my series enough to do fanart for it. It makes me feel like maybe I *am* gradually improving in my writing, despite how it seems to me at times.

Geeze, just missed posting two days in a row. ::rolls eyes:: Now I've blemished my *perfect* record. Oh sadness.

So, life is okay. I'm enjoying vacationhood. Today we went to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner, which is a salad bar buffet. Novel, but still very good. I ate a whole ton. ...Man, am I hungry.

Today was spent at Barnes and Nobles, which has a disappointingly limited selection. I ended up reading a book that I already have and have read before. BUT - I got a new book from the library earlier, so it's okay. ^_^ I'm quite happy with it. It's called "The Year of Ice" and it's quite good. Man, I need a donut or something.

It's weird, how loneliness can sneak up on you. You can be perfectly fine, and then suddenly you talk to a friend who's far away, and you miss them so much...

Not that I would give up this vacation, of course. I mean, I love being here with Grandma, who's not actually as shallow as I had originally thought (and as she has a tendency to act). My grandparents are possibly some of the coolest old people out there; they're very active, playing tennis or working out almost every day. And they're just fun to be around. Grandma used to work in real estate, Grandpa is a retired biochemist.

I don't know. Is it sappy to feel this way? Maybe I'm just tired because it's late. Who knows. I just... Never mind. I can't even put my thoughts into words, really. I guess I should just go. Sorry, no outlooks on the writing front yet. Keep your fingers crossed though.

I'm going to FloriDA, I'm GOING to FloriDA, er... the rest of the Popeye theme song... da da...

So, I will be gone to Florida for about ten days. I might try to do some writing, but no guarantees. Although, it is a nice peaceful atmosphere there most of the time. Except that I'm constantly dragged places. But they're mostly fun, so that's okay.

Just re-read the last chapter of Keeper Secrets. Man, that's kind of crap. I'm so sorry people that that chapter sucked so much ass. I'll try to make the next one better.

Okay, am I the only one here who thought that Lupin's "no one wants someone like me teaching their children" speech at the end could just as easily been a "because I'm gay," rather than a "because I'm a werewolf" thing? I swear, I had to stop myself from laughing. It really does sound like that! Is that in the book? I'll have to check...

That and Snape telling them they bicker like a married couple. ^^; I wonder if the writers know the fans' preferences and were subtly hinting? It wouldn't be the first time that sort of thing has happened.

There was an amazingly spectacular storm tonight. Like, one of the coolest lightning shows I've ever seen. I'm not going to forget that in a hurry.

Post-It Quote: This is like Satan reincarnated into a cardboard tube!
-Ark, "Kerri's Big Invention"

This may be the first time that reading my own writing has actually made me want to vomit. I just re-read a small piece "I Am Your Angel" (which I've been meaning to re-write for a while now) and realized what utterly cliche tripe it is. Jeeze. If it weren't for the fact that I've since learned not to do that, I would have to have myself shot.

School is out! Thank God! And I finished my SAT II, also thank God. Finally, I can sit down and write and work on my website and other things I've been planning. I hope to at least start the next chapter of Keeper Secrets today. With any luck, it'll be done by tomorrow at latest. I just need to get back into the swing of the story.

For those of you unfamiliar with the site, I would very much recommend checking out the videos at Legendary Frog's website. Particularly "The Return of Ganondorf" and "Kerri's Big Invention." Of course, "Chocobo Robo Voice" is also a classic.

Post-It Quote: Thought is the leading cause of insanity, in my opinion.
-Hisoka, "Live Through Arc" by Kouri

Yadda yadda yadda. ^_^ It's one of those low-key but happy days. And it's GORGEOUS out. The first truly beautiful day this year, I think. Well, maybe the second or third. But man, it's all warm, and sunny, and just brilliant.

Anyhoo. Umm... I dunno what to say. I can't remember when I last posted, so I don't know what I said. Did I mention that I got my SAT results back? I got a 1500. ^_^ With a perfect verbal score! How cool is that?

In the meantime, there is far too much to do. I guess the trick is to schedule and pace yourself, and take it one day at a time. And enjoy the time you do get to relax. That's very important.

Also, I got new glasses! Hooray for being able to see! They're kind of cool, all long and narrow compared to my old roundish ones. I think they make me look more mature. Mom says they make me look like an intellectual mouse. She does have a point.

I'm a deer. Are YOU a deer? Bet you're not. ...Bet I'm not either. -_- Oh well, at least I don't have to live in the woods.

Despite what most people who know me think, I do occasionally become depressed. It just takes too much energy to be happy all the time. This is one of those times. I think it's mostly because I did so horribly on an important physics assignment. -_-

That, and I feel sick. And I feel slightly bad about the SATs. And I'm already stressing slightly about the craft show this weekend, and how I have to miss school for it. And... God, a dozen other tiny little things.

I'm really tired. I should go to bed, but I'm waiting for Fieorenox to get online so that I can talk to her. -_- Maybe I shouldn't bother. I don't even know if she's going to be on. But if she gets on and then I'm NOT on, she might be sad. And I hate making her sad.

My head hurts. But I can't stay home from school tomorrow because I've got a notebook test. And besides, I'm missing school Friday anyway. But I don't want to face Mr. Gibney, because I'll feel stupid about not reading the instructions on that god damned assignment. Speaking of which, I really ought to get started on the project, but I just don't have the energy...

I need to wash my hair, too. I don't want to. I want to just skip the bath and go straight to bed. But I can't do that. I can't do that because I did that yesterday, and hygiene's so damn important.

Sometimes I think about why people kill themselves. I mean, I'd never do it myself, but sometimes, I can understand why other people might. A lot of times it's a spite thing. If I ever did it, I'd probably do it because I wanted someone to miss me, to feel sorry for what I did, maybe even guilty about it. But I never would, so it's a moot point anyway.

I really want to write the next chapter of Keeper Secrets, but I never seem to be getting around to it. This Thursday is the first, so I should try to have it done by then. On the plus side, I did write four more chapters of "Training."

My car got fixed today. Well, not *fixed*, I guess. The oil was changed, tires rotated, etc. But it means that I can drive tomorrow, so I can stay after school to work on the paper. God, so much to do. I'm so stressed.

Screw waiting for her anymore. It's almost nine and I'm exhausted. I'm going to go take a bath.

Basically, this post is entirely for that video that I linked to. It's quite bizarre, so prepare yourself. I think I'm going to make it one of my permanent links.

Two hour delay today. Groovin' in my snow-bought time. I have a serious dilemma though. Do I drive to school, or ride the bus?

Most days I drive to school, since our bus is a horrible hell-hole. But the snow is really bad and it's STILL snowing (don't know why they didn't just cancel school), so it's going to be kind of dangerous to get there.

So normally on a day like this I would just ride the bus. Unfortunately, I have to stay after school today to help on the school paper. If I took the bus I wouldn't have a ride back, so I'd have to leave early. Usually I could blow off Journalism, but our other editor is in Florida for the week, so it's just me and the teacher, and I don't want to leave the teacher all by herself.

Post-It Quote: Steve the Egg, Steve the Egg, How'd he wear pants if he had no legs?
-"Steve the Egg," Dave the Barbarian

There's something really exciting and forbidden about writing a journal entry at school. I'm currently in Journalism class, and even though I have all my article's done for this edition, I really should be working ahead on the next issue, or at least doing some editing (since that IS my job). But no, I've decided to be a rebel and write in my pita. Lucky you, huh?

I really dislike reading book reviews where they say bad things about a book I enjoyed reading. However, I try to distance myself from it. I always try to remember that even though I personally liked the book, it doesn't mean that the person writing the review doesn't have a good point. Sometimes the books I like are not the best from a literary perspective.

On the other hand, I believe that if I liked a book particularly, then there must be a reason for it. Maybe it's not a reason that everyone else can appreciate, but it exists. The case in point that got me thinking about this was, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I really liked that book because the main character really reminds me of someone I know. And yet the review attacking it made understandable points, even though I think I would have a good argument for all of them.

Of course, one of the reasons that I'm really not qualified to debate the finer points of literature is that I tend to like everything. I am the sponge, not the filter, as the book puts it. Most books I just like to read for what they are, and I tend to not notice or be very forgiving about major faults. But that is just the way I am, I suppose.

Post-It Quote:
"I think we're being followed."
"By who?"
"The people behind us."
-My sister and a friend

Fanfiction.net is a wonderful, magical place. Nowhere else on the internet can you find slash fiction for Dungeon Keeper sharing bandwith with a Gundam Wing/My Little Pony crossover. That's right. Gundam Wing and MY. LITTLE. PONY.

Life is about priorities, what you like to *do*. I've been faulted before for spending too much time on the computer, but it is important to me. I *write* here, and writing is my truest passion. I feel really alive when I'm creating something, and wordsmithing is a discipline that requires creativity as well as intelligence. Besides which, writing is not the only thing that I do on the computer anyway.

Education is important to some people. Others could care less. It is not one of their priorities. While this may seem odd to those of us for whom it is, it makes sense if you think about it. To them it doesn't seem to matter in the greater scheme of their lives. Whether that's true or not is immaterial.

I love popcorn for snack. Did you know that if you put brewer's yeast on popcorn, it's really tasty? It is.

Post-It Quote:
"I feel like every time I turn around, it's Tuesday."
"Then stop turning around."
-My sister and her best friend

Trees and bees. Trees and bees. God, am I just tired, or is my brain on overfire or something?

Why does cross-dressing always win for Spirit Week? And why do they take instances of homosexuality out of a movie about tolerance?

"And I wonder
Who's gonna be President, Tweedle-dumb or Tweedle-dumber?
And who's gonna have the big box-office blockbuster this summer?
Maybe they should build a wall between the houses and the highway,
Then you could go your way and I could go my way."
-Ani DiFranco

God I'm tired. I'm rambling. And quoting things. That's never a good sign. Well, except sometimes. I'm going to stop now before this gets more bizarre.

Post-It Quote: What is the soul, if not a bowl of pain?
-Black Mage, 8-Bit Theater

Bleh. I'm sick. Really sick. In fact, I have such a bad headache that I shouldn't even be on the computer right now. Hmmm.

So I just watched "The Dagger of Kamui," which my friend Brendan lent me. Dear God that is so awful. The animation is bad, there's little to no discernable plot, it goes on WAY longer than it should, and significant events are summed up in a paragraph of writing that they place seemingly at random in parts of the movie.

Not to mention - and this is a big peeve - EVERYONE FREAKING DIES! I mean Jeeze. >_< The, oh let me think. Five supporting human characters out of several dozen live. For Christ's sake, it's worse than His Dark Materials Trilogy.

Post-It Quote:
"Do it for your own personal growth."
"Will personal growth be averaged into my final?"
-My math teacher, a friend

Sanctity of marraige? Sanctity of marraige?! There is so much that is wrong with that. Where to begin.

Okay, first of all, it's ludicrous to even talk about the sanctity of marraige in a country where the divorce rate is over 50%. How can you claim that marraige in this country is still sacred when it's being prostituted by reality TV like The Bachelor? If you're cracking down on people trying to abuse the sanctity of marraige, then take Joe Millionaire off the air.

Second, there's really two aspects to a marraige. There's a legal aspect and a religious aspect. If you're going to maintain the seperation of Church and State, then these aspects have to be seperate.

The legal aspect is no more than a contract, really, with no moral aspect attached to it at all. You don't have to prove that you're in love with someone to become married legally. It's basically just paperwork. That should not be denied anyone.

The religious aspect is not the concern of the President. That should be for the churches to decide. If they want to marry homosexuals, then that should be their own decision and they should have the right to make it.

Bweh. I'm sick. -_- No fun. Especially since it's vacation, so I get no use out of it.

I thought I had something to say when I started this entry, but it looks like I don't actually. ^^;; Eheh. So I'll go now before I start to ramble.

::sigh:: I've been reading political cartoons about the capture of Saddam. Man, Sam would just love some of these... And probably cry at others.

Basically what this has brought home to me is that this whole thing has basically exponentially increased the chances of us having to put up with Bush for another four years. What will the rest of the world say?

Anyway. I prefer not to think about politics. Christmas is coming up! ^_^ Of course, my family also celebrates Hannukah. Which is here! Yay! I got a Pocket Dragon yesterday. He's the awesomest.

Sort-of-but-not-really updated today. Basically just a new picture on the main page, which I drew myself. ^_^ I hope all of you who visit my web page like it. ...Both of you.

Post-It Quote: If he were really drinking like this, he would be pouring tea in his lap. Fun fact!
-For the Love of Yaoi (online comic)

Uh-oh, uh-oh. I lost it. I did. I know I did. I dropped it and I lost it. No! I just got it. I think it was expensive too. I have to find it. But I don't want her to know I lost it. She got it for me and it was so sweet of her and now I dropped it and please please please don't let it be lost for good. I love it and I need to find it again and oh God, it was really expensive wasn't it? It was gold, it must have been expensive and now I dropped it and it's lost and please don't let it be lost forever I need to find it but when I don't want her to know I lost it I'll have to find it tomorrow when she doesn't know I'm looking oh God I feel so guilty.

So, how about the news lately? Saddam Hussein has been caught. Whoopdee. You know, it occurs to me that the reason we were after him was because he chose a path of violence, and he did stuff that a good percentage of the people in his country didn't want him too.

I mean, don't get me wrong. It's not like I want him released or anything. But the least we could do is afford the man a little dignity. If we treat him barbarically, how does that make us any better than them?

My dad is Jewish, so we celebrate Hannukah as well as Christmas. (I know, I suck. :P) Hannukah's starting the end of this week. So awesome. I can't wait. I love Hannukah food. ^_^

The school paper comes out this Friday (unless school is closed tomorrow because of snow, which might happen). It's a super-extra-long Christmas edition with 30 pages. (We average around 20 or so usually.) Have I mentioned previously that I'm the editor? Well I am, and that means a lot of work. But it's all done and put to bed now, so we're good. ::nodnod::

One of the nice things about writing in an online journal versus a physical journal (which I also have) is that you can use emoticons. ^_^ I really miss emoticons in my written journal.

Songs. Why are all the popular songs love songs? I think it's because it's an ideal that everyone wants but no one can attain. It's sad how we're drawn to that. That's why I like the song "Yellow" by Coldplay. Because it's pretty much nonsensical. (Okay, it could be argued that that's a love song too, I guess.) Also there's "Albequerque" by Weird Al. I love that song.

I wrote a short story based on a dream a while ago, and I recently re-read it. It's not bad. o_O;; I think that may have actually been a stroke of real inspiration. Go figure.

Post-It Quote: Do not run with the scalpel. Do not stick the scalpel in your eye. If you do stick the scalpel in your eye, do not twist it. -Mr. Gibney, my physics teacher

So the good news is, I've got three new Mystery Fics written, and I can start getting them back up. The bad news is, I have basically nothing else.

I know that one Mystery Fic isn't much to offer after having been gone for over two months. But you're just going to have to deal. I'm gonna try to be a little more regular in my updating, but no guarantees. This is Junior year here, so it's a little hectic.

Anyhoo, major craftshow obligations, hence my lack of time. Plus a serious lack of inspiration. ...The reason for that, I suppose, is because I haven't had a lot of time to read manga or watch anime lately. I got a new series though! Vampire Game. Man, I can't wait to show Fi-chan. ...And I think I will also finish re-watching Gravitation. Because I love it so.

Shoom. So, I'm back on a computer. ...But without all my files. I'll require your patience while I build them back. I even had two new Mystery Fics for you! Darn the luck, darn!

Anyhoos. So things are... well, ALMOST back to normal. We still don't have sound back yet. Which kind of sucks, 'cause I'm waiting to get my music back. But oh well. Such is the way of these things. At least I got the RP back, thanks bundles to A-chan.

So I lost the student council election. (I was running for Vice President.) I'm kind of relieved though. I don't know if I could have handled those duties on top of everything else that I'm trying to do this year. So, all's well that ends well, I guess. At least I made it past the preliminaries.

It looks like it's going to be a lazy, relaxed weekend for me. Fi-chan's off to Massofchuchus, so I'll be at home playing video games and such. Speaking of which: I finally beat FFX! Yay! ^_^ Now I can start FFIX. ^^; In the end, I decided not to get all the ultimate weapons. I had Yuna's, Auron's, Rikku's, and Wakka's, and I figured that was enough. The actualy end guy was a little anti-climactic, but Jecht was cool so that was okay.

If you're wondering why I haven't posted in a while, I have a legitimate excuse: My computer blew up. Literally.

We have a new hard drive now, but it still slow going getting it set up, so I'll ask you to bear with me if you would. -_- ::sniff:: I lost a lot with the crash, including two new Mystery Fics I had written.

On the off chance that A-chan reads this pita: PLEASE DON'T THROW OUT THE RP I SENT YOU! YOU MAY HAVE THE ONLY REMAINING COPY AND I NEED IT! I'll try to contact you when I can, but we don't have AIM again yet.

On a completely unrelated note: I think my physics textbook might be channeling Shoujo Kakumei Utena. It's going on about how we are like a chicken hatching out of our egg which is the world. It's really creepy. Sometime soon when I have a few moments I'll get the exact quotes from each so you can compare for yourself and see how creepy it is.

Please join me in mourning. I have just recently discovered something that will make your flesh crawl.

On a completely seperate note: New page update will be up as soon as I finish the next chapter of Coming Home and the next chapter of Keeper Secrets.

Alright folks, it's time for you and me to have Words. But don't worry. I'm angry, but I'm not angry at *you.*

Let's talk about a little something I like to call Amerime. (I'm coining that term right here and now! Spread it!) What is Amerime you ask? Well, it's the American imitation of anime, also known as "cheap cop-off."

First off, the ads. I don't know what they're actually for. It's that little mobile device thingy. Kind of like a phone, but with a keyboard? Not the point. The point is, they star this anime-type character by the name of Johnny Chase. And OH MY GOD HE IS SO BEAUTIFUL. They SHAMELESSLY play on the otaku's obsession with anime in order to endorse their product. Unfortunately for the makers of this product, this does not encourage me to buy the item (as is evidenced by my complete lack of brand name knowledge). However, this does give me a strange, undeniable impulse to see Johnny Chase as a series. Each time I see that ad, I get closer and closer to checking out the website.

Next up is Totally Spies. Now, it is obvious from the ads that this cartoon is drawn in anime style. But it's not anime. Oh no. It's Amerime. (Quick hint: If you're confused, one of the easiest ways to tell anime from Amerime is that characters in anime almost always stop moving while they're talking. Amerime characters have a constant and more lifelike motion.) Now, I can't object to Totally Spies. Sure, they shamelessly steal an art style in the hopes of getting more viewers, but even if it's not exactly tasteful, it's not exactly tastless, either. Plus, I've watched Totally Spies, and it's not *that bad.* It's cutesy and silly, but it's watchable.

From watching the ads for this on TV, one might not guess that this show is, in fact, Amerime. But upon the viewing of one episode it becomes apparent that this is, Gods help us, an attempt at Amerime. But come on! Teen Titans? The very concept of it is sickening and horribly offensive! (For those of you who don't know, this is a show about a bunch of teen superheros who live and work together. The travesty is that they have the nerve to include Robin II, as though they're trying to bring it into the Batman canon.) The very idea of this show scares me, and yet I find myself horrifically drawn to the animation. I have to stop myself from trying to watch it!

In conclusion, Amerime in itself is not evil, as imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. However, like any weapon it can be used for evil purposes, such as Teen Titans. Thank you.

In the war between good and evil, a Spectral Dragon tends to walk the fine line of Neutrality.... When it comes to the powers of Chaos vs. those of Law and Order, your inner dragon walks a fine line between Law and Chaos....

As far as magical tendancies, Magical spells come as natural to the Spectral Dragon as breathe from it's body.... During combat situations, a true Spectral Dragon prefers to defeat opponents by the use of spells and other tactics....

The resurrected spirits of fallen dragon warriors, Spectral Dragons usually find no allure in the ways of mortals or 'flesh-beings.' To this end most never possess a single gold piece. Instead, they live their unlives by a strict code of mental and metaphysical discipline. Their bodies are honed, focused avatars of dragon gods long-dead. They are leaders and teachers who prefer acolytes to be mages with an intense dedication to the betterment and empowerment of one's own spirit. However, these creatures can be fierce in combat; because of their nature, Spectral Dragons can change form at will, and their undead state does not mean they have no physical influence.

The magnificent blue-and-green flames of a Spectral Dragon are said to burn hotter than the fires of the living. In physical appearance Spectrals are often a shimmering grey-blue-white, much like a ghost; their common form appears similar to that of a shade-dragon. Their eyes glow one of three colors; the eyes of the honorably slain glow a bright green. The eyes of the murdered glow blood-red. And the eyes of the condemned, those whose greed or hatred destroyed their bodies, glow a bright violet.

This Dragons favorite elements are: are rose quartz, black roses, rain, funeral pyres, and songs sung for the dead

You're a Mystical Catboy!!! You're quite
mysterious and stealthy. You find your peace
amongst the magical and spiritual aspects of
life.

What Kind of Catboy are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Post-It Quote: People, upon meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions: that he was British, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide. -Terry Pratchett, Good Omens

So much to do, so little time. So here's what it looks like I'll have ready for the next update: Some more information on the Secrets series page, the epilogue to my Road to El Dorado fic, the second and MAYBE third chapters to Keeper Secrets, and a new seven-chapter-long story for Guilty Gear X2, which may or may not be completely finished, depending on when I get to the epilogue. Right. I WANT to work on a new Mystery Fic, and while the inspiration well isn't exactly dry, I can't seem to make myself sit down and write one.

So here's a general shout-out to anyone and everyone who reads this: I'm on the look out for guest Mystery Fics! If you know what they are (check out the link if you don't) and feel that you can write one, submit it to me along with the correct answer, and if it's good (or at least half-way decent - I'm not that picky), then I'll put it on my web page!

Eheh. You know how sometimes you just mean to do something, and then you don't? It's like that.

So I woke up this morning around ten-thirty-something because I had stayed up 'til one last night reading on account of not having time to do so earlier. And then right after I wake up (and spend an hour or so in bed reading some more) Dad comes home, and he's all, "you guys want to go swimming?" and I'm all, "no thanks."

"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I don't want to go swimming."
"Why not?"
"It'll be cold.
"No it won't! Besides, it's really warm out."
"No."
"Come on!"
"We don't even know these people. It would be like tresspassing."
"Dad knows them. And they invited us over whenever we felt like dropping by."
"People never really mean it when they say that."
"So we'll teach them not to make offers like that then. Come on!"
"No."
"Please!"
"Go yourself if you want to go so much."
"But you never go with me! Besides you'll get to use your new bikini."
"...No."
"Please!"
"No!"

Needless to say, I wound up going. But only if I was allowed to read on the dock and not swim. Which Rachel agreed to. Needless to say, I ended up swimming. -_-;

Got back in the afternoon, and then I was all, 'hmmm, I should probably call Fi-chan.'

But then I didn't, and I read some more, and then it was five-thirty. Then I went and took a bath and washed my hair. Then it was six, so I ate supper. We had tortillas!

After supper I read until I finished the book, which was around a little after 11 or so. And then I hopped on the computer, hoping vainly to find Fi-chan online.

In conclusion: I'm REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY sorry Fi-chan, and I'll try to call you tomorrow.

Post-It Quote: If you have two legs and are flammable, you cannot be considered a fire hazard. -Mitch Hedberg

Right. So, we just came back from the Thai restaurant. Apparently Thai food is a strange combination of Chinese and Indian cooking. It was alright. Not great, but not bad.

Today we went to Siesta Key. For those of you who don't know, Siesta Key is rated as one of the best beaches in the world. The sand there is pure white and so fine that it feels like you're walking over powdered sugar. The ocean was roughly bath temperature, and the waves were gentle. Plus the shelf extends way out, so you can walk out about forty feet and the water still isn't up to your shoulders. It was beautiful and wonderful and fantastic.

So that's it for me today. Tomorrow we go home, so then soon I'll start updating my web page again. See ya!

Post-It Quote: You know some guys just can't hold their arsenic. -The Cell Block Tango, Chicago

I really hate conflict. Like, really, really hate it. Any kind of negative emotion just sends me into tears. Really. Even a bad argument, even without yelling, does that to me. Unfortunately, I also have a very vivid imagination. So hearing about bad arguments between people I know also upsets me very much, especially when they're people I like.

I honestly don't understand why people need to be angry. ...No, that's not true. I do. Even I get angry sometimes. But I don't understand why people hold grudges. That just makes yourself unhappy. Honestly, the only good part of being angry is the making up at the end.

Anyhoo. I bought an awesome bikini today! Well, actually I didn't buy it. My sister went to the mall and I had her buy it for me since I was going to the bookstore. But that's beside the point. I don't normally really like clothes, but I like this swimsuit. It's blue and sparkly and as my grandfather put it: "bordering on indecent." ^_^

Hmmm. I hate it when my friends are sad. Like Fioerenox. I read her xanga and it made me sad. Don't be sad, Fi-chan. You're much more funs when you're happy. I'm gettin' back around 7:30 - 8:00ish, so I'm gonna call you then.

Hmm. Going to a Thai restaurant for dinner today. I can't remember ever having Thai. I'm sure I must have, but I don't remember it. So that should be fun.

In other news, hormones suck. When did every male I get introduced to between the ages of 15 and 20 become a prospective mate? Dude. >_< Not that flirting isn't fun. Actually, I've found that it's remarkably amusing. I see why some people use it as sport.

Some good advice: Don't get so caught up analyzing life that you forget to live it. I find that that happens to me upon occasion. I feel like an outside observer in life. But you know what? That's so easily solved. You just have to remember that you're alive, and start really enjoying the details of life. It's amazing how much enjoyment you can get out of something like, oh, the weave of fabric, or the grain in wood, or the way the word "kerfuffle" sounds.

On a completely unrelated note: You can tell a lot about a family from the way they eat dinner. What they eat, where they eat it, whether they eat it together, what the atmosphere and mood is. It's really interesting.

For instance, when I used to eat at Crysi's house, I was always impressed by the dinnertime conversation. We would all sit at the table in a rather formal "now we sit and eat" kind of way, and there would be discussions that sounded like they came out of some reference material, or magazine. Such as the origins and travels of different types of languages.

Nowadays I sometimes eat at my Best Friend Fioerenox's house. That is one of my favorite places to eat. In her family you're free to take your dinner wherever you want in the house. And yet... people gravitate to the kitchen, and they stay there because they get caught up in conversation and want to stay. It's the most amazing, love-filled thing. The discussion ranges from amazingly intelligent scientific-type stuff to completely inane randomness (such as the Wave Theory of Squirrels), and everyone joins in. When one eats with them, one feels like part of a real family. It's hard to find that kind of love these days.

In my family, we don't usually eat together. The food is wonderful (my mom is a seriously amazing cook, and I'm not just saying that 'cause she's my mom), but we often take it from the stove and disperse. Sometimes if it's just me, my sister, and my mom then we sit at the table and talk. But more often, when Dad's home, we don't. It's not that we don't like Dad, but we can't seem to hold a conversation in his presence. Whenever we eat a meal as a whole family, it is mostly done in a tense and polite silence. I don't want to blame Dad for that, but the fact is that it only occurs when he's there. But barring his participation, we talk about interesting things. Maybe not the most scientific, factual discussions, but often philosophical or practical. Usually that depends on mainly whether I'm the one talking to Mom or my sister (Rachel) is. I lean towards philosophical, Rachel towards practical. But all of us participate in the conversation. But like I said, usually we all disperse. It's tensionless, and everyone gets their privacy. Like our family.

Oddly enough, my 9th grade English teacher taught me that. He wasn't my favorite teacher in the world, but this lesson really stuck with me, I guess.

Again on an unrelated note: My grandmother drives like a maniac. Okay, not *so* much of a maniac, but still. She's the only 71-year-old (I think) woman I know who goes 85 - 90 mph on the highway, and hits speed bumps (15 mph zones) at just over 25 mph. In a brand new car, even. (And I mean *brand* new - less than a month old.) Also, she can't sing worth a damn, nor remember lyrics or tunes.

Le sigh. I actually have a legitimate excuse for not posting. That excuse being that I'm in Florida, on a rather touchy modem.

Florida is an odd place. For one thing, everyone's really old here. And the entire place seems to move a bit slower. Like everyone is melting in the sun and just can't be bothered.

Gwe. The heat has been making me drowsy. I'm half-asleep all the time, even when I'm swimming. Luckily, I haven't drowned. Yet.

So. I've pretty much finished chapter 2 of Keeper Secrets. When I get home, all I have to do is format it. Then I can post it. I'd like to start chapter 3, but I just can't seem to bring myself to begin it.

I saw Chicago yesterday. For those of you who haven't, I would recommend it. It's interesting, and you might as well see what all the fuss is about. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting. It's almost more a courtroom drama musical than anything else. ^^;; Don't worry, it's not as bad as that sounds. Actually, it's pretty brilliant as far as musicals go. They confront the problem of "randomlu bursting into song" quite nicely by having all the musical numbers as... well, fantasies, I guess, of the main character Roxie. The music itself is good, but not spectacular. But then, I've never been much of one for jazz anyway. My favorite song was definitely The Cell Block Tango, followed closely by the ventriloquism act, whatever that was called.

I better post this before the internet kicks me off again. Talk to you all again when I get back!

So I read Harry Potter. No, I won't spoil it for you guys, don't worry. It took me twelve hours to read all 870 pages. Which is really not bad, considering.

I'm back now for a bit, so I'm gonna start updating my web page again. I have a new fic or two, and I'm working on chapter 2 of Keeper Secrets. So it should be an alright amount.

Anyhoo, starting Monday I'm off to Florida for ten days. But I might write while I'm there, who knows.

Argh! What the hell is with everything conking out on me today? Damn Keenspace and its semi-regular crashes! There was some good-looking manga-type stuff that I wanted to see today. ::sniffs::

Ah well. Still doesn't ruin the fact that I had the best day EVER yesterday. Two books, three manga (one of which was volume one of FAKE in ENGLISH!), two CDs, and several hours of DDRMax 2, 7th Mix. Oh yeah. Feel the good times.

For anyone reading this who visits my web page, there won't be any updates until I'm out of school. Too much work. Wait until the 17th or so, if you'd be so kind.

Go check out Red vs. Blue. You won't regret it. I'm going to add it to the videos.

Post-It Quote: I have to exercise really early in the morning before my brain realizes what I am doing.

Goin' to a craft show this weekend. That'll be pretty cool. Not to look, to help sell. My mom makes marionettes.

So, I was watching Everwood this yesterday (I had taped it) and there's this lady who learns her husband is cheating on her, and the person keeps calling and hanging up when she picks up. And then finally the guy says to his wife, "I'm home for good now, you don't have to worry." And then the next time the phone rings and she answers it and she's like, "he loves me now! He only loves me and he's home now with his family." And the voice on the other end says, "I'm sorry. Just... tell him I'm sorry." And it's totally a guy! I was like, whoah, you go Everwood. I totally wasn't expecting that.

I have way too many deadlines to worry about. ...I should be doing homework right now. Aw well. Maybe I will. Or not.

Just a quick notice: I got my SAT scores back today! Woo! I did really well, too. 790 verbal, 630 math, for a total of 1420. ^_^ My goal was 1400, so I am quite understandably satisfied.

Post-It Quote: Real children don't go hoppity-skip unless they are on drugs. -Susan, The Hogfather

::sigh:: So it's happened. Ian has finally decided to stop his webjournal. Well screw that! Here I was, doing my damndest to goad him into keeping it up by poking his pride and what, he just goes and *quits*! Look, no offense Ian, but I never thought you were one to give up so easily.

A web journal is something of a misnomer, I used to think. A journal is something where you write down private things, and stuff that happens to you, right?

I had a talk with my favorite spiritual guide, a teacher at my school named Mr. Roberts. That's not what a journal is. That's a diary. "Journal" shares a root word with "journey," and that's what this sort of thing is all about. One uses a journal to write down insights that one has, or things that make one happy. Happiness is what encourages more happiness, not brooding. When you write things down that upset you, as you might in a diary, all you are doing is dwelling on something that makes you sad, which will only make you more sad. Which is not to say that I never write about things that make me unhappy. Sometimes I need to talk about it to someone, because that's the only way I can get it out. But I never write about it if it's something I've been thinking about a long time, or wrestling over. That makes it worse. So instead, I like to write about happy things. ^_^ That makes me happier. It's my "journey" towards enlightnment, get it?

Post-It Quote: Many people have wanted to be with me, but none of them were ever this loud, annoying, and stupid. -Yuki Eiri, Gravitation

Woopah, people! It's 80 degrees out today! ^_^ Shooooo nice. I'm happyhappy. 'Cause it's warm. And I likes the warm. Go warm.

A~NYhoo. Did I mention that I get Pokemon Sapphire recently? Yeah, yeah, hopeless pokemon addict, blah, blah, so pathetic, yadda, yadda, grow up, etc., blue man in a monkey suit and so on. Right. Now that we've covered that, I got Pokemon Sapphire for the Gameboy Advance recently. ^_^ I'm quite enjoying it. It's da hizzy, as Hannah might say. Or not. You never know with her. But anyway, yes. Pokemon. Lots of new features, same classic concept. ^_^ Loving it. Living it. Woopah.

And... umm... right. SAT's. Might have mentioned that earlier. Still waiting for the scores back. Think I did well. Hope I did well. Apparently there's some way to find your scores on the internet, but I have no idea. Ah well, I suppose I'll just wait like everyone else. ::sigh::

Ah, Ian. ^_^ For those of you who don't read his journal, Ian has become miffed by my good-natured poking at his journal stamina. Which was, in fact, one of my main purposes in poking him in the first place. But anyway. He has pointed out that my lapses are a lot longer than his, even though my journal has been around a bit more time.

That's true. But then, I never claimed I was going to update daily. Plus, I don't have problems keeping up a journal. I have a written one (actually, more like one and three fourths at this point) at home that I have written in daily without a total lapse of more than two weeks, added up, and I've kept that one for over a year. This web journal was meant to be a more relaxed, when-I-have-something-to-say sort of thing. Which it is. I generally consider it decent if I get in an entry once a week or so. I'm not trying for more than that, and if it happens, then that's all good too.

Post-It Quote: Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

So, a red-letter day in the chronicles of the fall of Ian's latest journal. Yesterday marks the first usage of the phrase, "Sorry I haven't updated in a while." We're watching you Ian. We are watching.

Post-It Quote: I went to a movie theatre once and there were no seats. So I sat in the aisle. And they came and kicked me out. They said I was a "fire hazard." As though, if there was a fire, I wasn't gonna run. News flash! If you have to legs and are flammable, then you cannot be considered a fire hazard! -Mike Hedberg

So, I totally demolished the front right headlight on my mom's car today. >_< I ran into the rear bumper of a truck while backing out of a parking space. Luckily the truck wasn't damaged, just us. Still, it totally ruined my confidence. And I feel really horrible about it, since it *is* mom's car after all.

::sigh:: At least Dad was really understanding about it though. I was worried that he might be angry. But he took it in stride. I suppose the accident wasn't as bad as I feel like it was... -_-

Post-It Quote: We are Space Robots. We are here to protect you from the Terrible Secret of Space.

Go to this web site that I have linked. Can you figure out the secret? *I* figured out the secret. ::nodnod:: If you figure it out, you'll feel very clever. I did.

Post-It Quote: Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. -Abraham Lincoln

Those of you who are regular readers of Your Wings Are Mine, go there right now and read the update. Dear GOD. Those of you who aren't regular readers but are still slash fans, it's one of the best shounen-ai comics out there. Go read it! Now!

This link may not look like much, but trust me, it's worth it. There's a *song* at the end. ^______^ Sooooo funny.

Alright, I'm beginning to think that Ian has a point. Look at the entry dated March 24, concerning action figure wars. He's not the only one to notice the mysterious resurgance of popular old shows. Did you know Strawberry Shortcake dolls are back? When the hell did that happen?

So. I'm sick as a dog. Sore throat, coughing. Generally after a coughing spasm I can't even breathe because my throat closes. Generally not good, if you get my drift. Ah well. Here's to hoping I get better quickly.

Gee, with all this activity on the journal scene, it looks like I may end up posting more.

Frankly I hope Ian actually keeps up with the journal this time. His writing is good, but he just doesn't seem to have the discipline for a journal. (Yes, this is me trying to goad Ian into keeping the journal up through taunts. Shh... don't tell him. ^^;)

ANYcard. New Toonami lineup. I'm not a big fan of the Gundam series, but you can't go wrong with the others. I mean really. New eps of DBZ, Yuu Yuu Hakusho, and Rurouni Kenshin. ...Plus there's apparently .Hack on Saturdays. ::melts into a small puddle:: I'm going to have to start recording that... Anyway, it's nice that at least someone knows how to handle anime. On like some other stations that we will not mention. ::coughcoughWBcoughcough::

This Friday I'll probably end up getting Pokemon Sapphire and the latest Pokemon movie. ...Yes, I know, it's pathetic that I still enjoy these things. But you've got to hang on to your childhood as long as you can, I always say.

Post-It Quote: "Of course, just because we've heard a spine-chilling, blood-curdling scream of the sort to make your very marrow freeze in your bones doesn't automatically mean there's anything wrong." -Terry Pratchett, Soul Music

So, I've added to new links. First of all, there's The Teahouse in a Tent, Fieorenox's web journal. Be careful reading that one; she writes the way she thinks and doesn't bother to edit, so it's pretty insane. But in a fun way. ^_^

Then you've got Ian's latest attempt at a journal... we taking bets on how long this one will last? I mean, no offense Ian, but you never intended to let the last to go to cobwebs either.

Post-It Quote: Dock-a-loodle-fod! -Dyslexic roosters are a sad sight (Terry Pratchett)

I'd like to take a moment to talk about politics, but not the kind of politics you'd expect.

I come from a very rural area of Pennsylvania. Basically I have cows on all four sides of the house (not ours, our neighbors'). A while ago my dad finally gave in to temptation and bought us some 1-year-old chickens for eggs. (Not for meat; we're vegetarians.) Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell a rooster from a hen until they are slightly older than 1 year.

Of the fourteen chickens we had, we'd thought that we had one rooster. (We call him Gatsby.) But now it has become evident that what we originally thought were three white hens are actually three juvenile roosters. Today is the first day they have started crowing.

It's interesting to watch the group dynamics. All three of the white roosters know that Gatsby is a bit too big for them to tangle with, so they stay away from him. When he's away though, they isolate some of our newest chickens (about three or four light brown ones) and form sort of a triangular perimeter around them, bullying them into being their own flock. When Gatsby comes back however, they disperse. Our poor big rooster is forced to run back and forth between the two groups to make sure that all the hens are safe.

Though they know not to mess with Gatsby, the white roosters seem to have no problem fighting amongst themselves. They're constantly charging each other and pecking at the others' necks. According to my father, when we first brought the new brown hens in, the white roosters fought amongst themselves so fiercely that they actually drew blood from their necks by pecking.

We plan to give the white ones away to a friend of ours who also keeps chickens so that they don't become too much of a hassle for Gatsby. Oddly enough, I've become very emotionally involved in the situation, and I'm glad to see Gatsby's competition go. He's a wonderful rooster.

Post-It Quote: Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we shall die. -Shakespeare (?)

In school today some students tried to organize a walk-out to show that they were against the war. Now why in hell would you do that? What does it really accomplish? All it's doing is showing your anti-war spirit, which could just as easily be done by wearing a pin or a t-shirt or something. I asked the question of one of my fellow students and got this reply:

Action? Really? What are you accomplishing then? What did any of the protesters get done? They got themselves suspended for doing something that they could have just as easily done with a slogan on a piece of fabric. That's not action, that's stupidity.

::sighs:: Don't get me wrong, I'm all for being against the war. It's a rather silly thing that doesn't need to be happening and is almost entirely the result of male egotism. But what they tried to do isn't really productive. This is a time for rational thought, not emotional chaos.

So, I've been downloading music-y music. Funfun. Namely Avril Lavigne and Phantom of the Opera. I know, odd combination. But hey. ::shrugs::

I know I was going to say something important. ...What was it? Damn! Damn my infernally short attention spa- Oo, shiny.

So I've started uploading to 0catch. Still have yet to find the catch. So far so good. ::sings:: He's there... the Phantom of the OOOOOpera!

That's what it was! I wanted to say that we've found a winner. The question: Who is the most anime-like living (or formerly living) human being? The answer: David Bowie as Jareth in The Labrynth. Totally. And he's a chibi in my head for some reason. No idea why.

Chibi David Bowie: I am so awesome.
Kagedtiger: Hey, what are you doing here?
CDB: I rock. ::leans coolly against the wall, smirking::
K: Dammit. You do!

Post-It Quote: Swallow all your bitter pills/That's what makes you beautiful. -"The Big Machine", Goo Goo Dolls

I think I may have found a decent server. It's called 0catch.com, and it offers 100MB of space and unlimited files. ...I know what you're thinking, but I have yet to find the catch, so I'm planning to go ahead anyway. ::nodnod::

Thanks to all the people who actually looked for me, even if no one came forward with any suggestions. -_-

It has just come to my attention that the new space which I *thought* I was going to be moving my web page to only allows fifty files to be uploaded before you have to start paying for it. Needless to say, I have a good deal more than that. Unfortunately, most of my HTML has already been redone and streamlined for a new domain.

So the deal is, I can't update my web page until I get a new domain. I need one with over 12 MB of space (that's what I have currently), and unlimited file uploading, for FREE. I have no money and am not willing to pay for web space anyway.

If anyone can help me, please please PLEASE send me an e-mail with the relevant information.

Let me just put it this way: Fiorenox, if you're reading this, you're gonna like this one.

Lots of people die. Including Jesus. And two zombies. And the chicken dance plays in the background.

Post-It Quote: I'm fine. Except for the fact that I'm BLEEDING from my FACE. -Me

-_-; So I'm working on moving my web page to the new server, but it's slow going. Several reasons for that. First of all, there's a *LOT* of pages to re-HTML. Of course I don't have to completely rewrite the HTML, but I do have to change all things that link to pages that will no longer be there. That takes a while.

Second, freewebs, where I'm moving, has a file uploader that doesn't allow more than one file to be uploaded at a time unless you pay for it. Since I am both broke and cheap, this means that I will spend several days pressing buttons.

Third, various things have been eating my life. I have the Spirit Week poster to work on at school, plus I'm in the middle of Final Fantasy X. I beat Kingdom Hearts, so that is eating my life to a much lesser degree now forutnately. ::nodnod::

Anyway... ::ahem:: Those are my excuses. -_- ::bows:: Gomen nasai! I'll try to keep at it.

The link today is an oh-so-special one given to me by my dear friend Fiorenox. It's called "Chocobo Robo Voice" and it's a parody video for the Final Fantasy series, introduced by the characters from 8-Bit Theatre.

Yes, it is wacky. Basically, think the Cids from every game doing the can-can in one long line. ...To the Chocobo music.

Also, I encourage you to watch the entire pre-loader. It's just neat. ^_^ It goes until Black Mage says "Urge to kill... rising..."

Post-It Quote: You gotta love pants, because they keep your bottom half warm. -Me

Score one for the fanfic authors. I was listening to the radio the other day (not by choice, Dad had it on a news station in the car) and they were interviewing some fanfic authors. Specifically Harry Potter fanfic authors.

They brought in an ethicist to talk about fanfiction and general, and his ruling was quite in favor of us. ^_^ He said that fanfiction is generally quite harmless, and good practice for writers. He also said that there is absolutely nothing wrong with *slash* fanfiction. ^_^ I believe his exact words were: "If I want to write about Harry Potter in a passionate embrace with a Weasely brother... or all the Weasely brothers, then that's my business."

Post-It Quote: Invader blood marches through my veins, like a pair of giant rubber radioactive pants! The pants command me! -Invader Zim

Even better than that, I beat it with all dalmations found, all keyholes sealed, and the Hades Cup beaten. That means that I got to see the preview for Kingdom Hearts 2. Two words: Riku. Older.

He redefines the very definition of pretty. So of course, I had to go download the trailer right away. ^_^ Now I can watch it again and again.

The second news would be that I had my first practice driving lesson today. I know, I got my permit, like, how long ago? But the weather has been bad, and I chickened out more than once. But I started today, and I now have the confidence to start operating a large piece of metal capable of killing not only me, but many others. I was also reminded yet again of how incredibly small I am. -_-;

The third thing is the watching of a taped episode of Bravo's new series that goes behind the scenes of the Cirque du Soleil. Remember the pair of dancers? Turns out they're not lovers, but are in fact identical twins. It makes sense when you think about it. That's really the only other bond that seems close enough for that kind of intensity.