Time: 05:34 a.m.
Listening to/Whining About: I'm leeeeavin' on a jet-plane...
...don't know when I'll be back again.
Well, no, I do actually. In a month. Going to Texas, ttyl y'all. ^______^
Katy smoked a mascot on Thursday, December 11, 2003
Time: 12:33 a.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Public Service Announcement
I have a long red coat. Thank you.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Alright, alright, I shall glee some more. ^_____^ I found it in the out-of-town department store in Grantham. I had almost given up looking because everything I'd seen was either not right or too expensive. This one, however, was £80 and quite spiffy. My mother even thought the collar looked right. And by "right" read "like Alucard's". My mother has been trained in the coat-finding business.
And lo is my coat spiffy. And long. And red. I shall be wearing it muchly next term. ^__________________^
This is just a link for Jane and others who are Saint Beast inclined. And if not, why not? o_0 (Being male is no excuse not to be entranced by the sheer brilliance of that series...) They also have a link to a (what I presume is dodgy pirate) copy of it on dvd, if you're getting desparate for the rest of it. ^_^
Since I'm doing links,
Solid and Etc are back on form at the moment, despite their worrying AlucardxIntegra obssession. (Just say no. That's all there is to it. o_0)
This week's offering is one of my favourites they've done, perhaps with the exception of the uber-bishounen Alucard pic they don't have up any more where he's sitting on the sofa. They even have the weird thing with Alucard's hat in vol 6 going on. I love that site. ^_____^
And now I require sleep.
Katy smoked a mascot on Tuesday, December 9, 2003
Time: 01:52 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Riiight...
I am again in the familial abode. It is indeed a peculiar feeling. o_0 Anyway, since I haven't said anything about the spangly events of the last few days, here goes.
The people on my corridor still suck like the suckiest people in the world. I did, however, talk to my moral tutor about it when I met him. I explained I don't really want to get them in trouble *but* I'm not compromising my chances of actually passing my finals so that they can play loud music. Fair enough, I think. So yes, he's going to have a quiet word with the dean to see if there's anything (relatively animosity-creating free) he can do.
Right, well, fun thing of the last few days, Ivan and my birthday party! Huzzah! Since everyone who came reads this, I should like to thank you all very very much because it really was one of the nicest birthday celebrations I've ever had. My supremely low alcohol tolerance may have something to do with how amusing I found it all, but I think it was mainly the company. ^_^ The Thai Orchid is a geniune hidden gem of Oxford restaurants, it really is. I'd only seen an advert for it on the side of a bus, and since I like Thai, that's why I suggested going. Was quite amazed when we walked in and found it was really really beautiful - I was muchly of the liking of the plants everywhere. ^___^ The food was lovely too, especially whatever it actually was in the duck-shaped bowls with cashew nuts in. Those duck bowls were cool.
Anyway, after that was decampent to mine, and giving of much presentage. ^____^ Enormously huuuuuge thank yous to the Ass no Ryu for my presents, I luff them very much. I was on the receiving end of Devil May Cry and Vampire Hunter D artbooks, a Haibane Renmei dvd and a promised Tenacious D dvd. ^___^ Suffice to say I was a muchly happy bunny. ^___^
Even more happiness was induced through the cards and various other forms of handmade giftness I got. Laura deserves special commendation for the picture, because it is actually the most hilarious thing ever, Alu-Card-Captor-Katy-Chan! ^__________^ It will be adorning my noticeboard when I get back to Oxford. Also of the hilarious and *oh so very wrong* variety were the fics! Fiiiics! ^___^ Birthday drabble from Liz may actually have stopped me breathing through excessive rolling about on rhe bed laughing. Hellsing-Gungrave-Utena-Devil-May-Cry-Bottle-Fairy crossover fic!! ^______^ And tieing for the hilarious wrongness award of the night, Jane's: Best. Christmas fic. Ever. ^________^ Hellsing, Santa death and the forcing the true meaning of Christmas back into humanity all in one Nightmare Before Christmas tinged story. ^___________^ Also had some quality disturbing and wrong fics from Jane and Andrew. The psycholoical trauma of Sensei-san is so very very wrong, Andrew! Wrong I tells ye! And yet so believeable, so very believeable... ^___^ And Jane.... I can't believe it's actually possible to say this, but you have genuinely outdone yourself in wrongness. Suffice to say my mother will never read you birthday fic, because I think it would actually get me disowned. ^__^
So yes, a quality haul of presents and ficcage was had on my part. Rounded off the evening with a viewing of Jane's present, the Chronicles of Narnia dvds! I'd actually forgotten just how frightening that show was. Really. o_0 So very cool, but, dude, I was a wussy child, what was I doing watching that? ^__^
Anyway, precious little sleep had between Thursday and Sunday night thanks to evil neighbours, all-night packing and celebrationnage. Never has my under-used room in this house looked so attractive (even when it looks more like a cupboard...). However, relatives are coming for my Grantham birthday and Christmas, so such things as vast quantities of sleep may have to wait for the plane to Texas.
Missing all in Oxford very much already. Will be working on way of moving geographic locations closer together soon.
You're a science bod, can't you do something about it??
Katy smoked a mascot on Sunday, December 7, 2003
Time: 04:02 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: ....
*erects sign in front of door*
*pulls out marker pen and begins to write*
EVERY DAY I SPEND LIVING ON THIS CORRIDOR MAKES ME LOATHE YOU PEOPLE MORE. YOU ARE ALL DRUNKEN BUFFOONS.
Merry Oxford Christmas. Apparently this event is celebrated by throwing furniture and glasses out of your bedroom door at two o'clock in the morning, according to my neighbour. Suffice to say I have not had enough sleep and feel like crap on a stick.
Katy smoked a mascot on Friday, December 5, 2003
Time: 12:22 a.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Town Meeting Song - The Nightmare Before Christmas
Right, this evening will be a review. "But of what??" I hear you cry. Well you shouldn't, because most of you know I was watching Interview with the Vampire on Channel 5.
Now, some of you may have got a bit of a hint of this from me on previous experience, but it may come as a revelation to many that I like vampires. And upon this premise, many people have recommended this film to me. It's got vampires in, Katy!
However, in the time honoured-fashion of people trying to work out what others like, I have to say I was left a little unimpressed.
You were quite right with your prediction that they wouldn't be my kind of vampires. I found Lestat probably more annoying than any of the characters in the whole film, which amazed me because I got the impression he was meant to be the one people liked. My sister certainly liked him, anyway. But yes, he was just a bit too self-obssessed and camp for my liking. Louis wasn't much better, although at least he did get a psychotic rampage scene, which was amusing. Lestat amused me at the end though, I'll give him that. The less said about Claudia the better.
One thing I was amused at was the blatant homoeroticism in the film. Yes alright, they're vampires and you can argue that that's an inherently homoerotic thing frequently (if you even think of extending that thought to my vampire fandom I will have to hurt you o_0) but it's not something I expected to see to that extent in an American blockbuster. Interview doesn't do a bad portrayal of vampires in the Dracula tradition in that respect, I'll give it that. So indeed, credit to the makers for sticking with an attribute they could have removed to make it a more general public-friendly movie.
But the cheese. Oh the cheese. I'm afraid the film has not aged well, if indeed the effects ever looked good at all. I found it quite hard to take a lot of the film seriously in that respect, particularly in the first half. I couldn't quite believe they were meaning none of it as humour.
Well, conclusions. I don't think Interview with the Vampire is a *bad* film, not at all. It suffers from the cheese factor quite badly, but that can be forgiven if you don't take it 100% seriously. The story was a little too underdeveloped - I felt like I could have watched another hour's worth of the story then I'd have been more satisfied - but then this is maybe a book->film problem. Possibly the main problem I had with it, though, was the vampires just weren't cool enough. Yes I do sit in the Hellsing camp as regards what vampires ought to be like, but I think that's somewhat preferable to whiny angst vampires.
I shall leave the last word to Tasha: "imagine how cool this film would be with Alucard instead of Louis".
Katy smoked a mascot on Wednesday, December 3, 2003
Time: 03:58 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Well...
I think almost everyone has heard the story of the demise of my coat now, and I wish not to drag it up again. It currently lays out of my site in the wardrobe, on account of my not being able to bear looking at it. -_- Nothing quite says you're a bad person like your favourite coat being burned *in a church*. o_0 As Jane said, if I burst into flames next time I go to chapel you'll know I really was a vampire...
Anyway, moving on from my sinful ways. I wish for everyone to download
this. On account of the fact that I've been listening to it all yesterday and today. Be not put off by what it is, it is very good. In an uberdramatic game music way. I'm quite amused that I like it so much. I don't generally like OC Remix stuff as it is. And my feelings on the Devil May Cry series probably don't need to be explicated, but I do actually hate Metal Gear Solid 2 with a passion. For anyone who is not within the gaming community, it was possibly the most hyped videogame
ever. And, in fact, transpired to be grade A crap, despite pleasing every fanboy out there. Possibly the only amusing thing about it was being able to make Raiden (possibly the most annoying man ever...) slip on seagull crap multiple times on the roof of the oil rig or whatever it was at the start. (Here, for no apparent reason, is a very disturbing fanart of
Raiden. That's quite a frightening arse you have, sir.) Frankly I would have got on with the game better if it had let me play the way I wanted to. I don't *want* to be stealthy, I want to jump out in front of the guards and shoot them all!! >_<
Anyway.
You probably already have that song, since I got it from you when you gave me those cds with humungous amounts of DMC music on. So if you kept the Devil May Cry music, you shall have this too. If not you too must download it.
And now I am going to play with my Coptic.
Katy smoked a mascot on Monday, December 1, 2003
Time: 08:49 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: :(
My big furry coat got burned. :(
Katy smoked a mascot on Sunday, November 30, 2003
Time: 03:11 a.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Digi Charat Nyo - Heartbeat
I want to go to sleep. I still feel sick from the junk food/lying upside down watching Yami, but the overpowering cheese of this song is keeping me awake...again and again and again. I know, I am a sick puppy.
Yami marathon good, apart from a few things I griped about already and do not intend to gripe about again. Well, not here anyway. Bishounen angst on the big screen generally makes for an amusing night. Beats the day I've had anyway, which somewhat accounts for the fact that I was comatose for most of the Kyoto arc. Writing essay solidly from nine thirty until five does not a fun day make. Although it did pass quite quickly, possibly because I was so desparate to get it done.
Ok, when things start getting shakey on the limbs front, I think it probably is time to go to bed. Am I the only person who gets that? Whenever I'm really *really* tired my hands and arms get shakey. o_0 I have no explanation why. Anyway, bed.
Katy smoked a mascot on Sunday, November 30, 2003
Time: 07:14 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Board Burner - SSX Tricky OST
(Yes I *do* like bad house and hip hop. o_0)
Essay is done. Ohh yeah. 3054 words of pure crap, but I got it done. And it's going in on Monday morning
a whole two days early. I almost feel organized. Not that that's true in any way, shape or form, but hey.
Twelve days til I go to Texas. Wooty woot. ^______^
Katy smoked a mascot on Saturday, November 29, 2003
Time: 01:47 a.m.
Listening to/Whining About: ^______^
Creation of new Alucard fans glee!!! ^_________________^
Sleep.
Katy smoked a mascot on Friday, November 28, 2003
Time: 07:45 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: You asked for it...
Just because this would actually fill up most of the space on my tag board if I tried to answer your question there, Andrew. Yes and no...
Herr Akhenaten was indeed a big fan of solar religion. But since my special subject is the Pre-Amarna eighteenth dynasty, I shall not be discussing him as such. (In case people don't know, the eighteenth dynasty is the one that includes Akhenaten, Tutanhkamen, my personal favourite Tuthmosis III and just about any other famous pharaoh who isn't a Ramesses, and the Amarna period is when Akhenaten ruled and upped sitcks and made everyone go and live in the settlement he made in Amarna). What I'm writing about is the essentially the reign of Amenhotep III, who was Akhenaten's dad, and also quite big on the old solar theology, him being from Thebes where the head honcho god was Amun-Re, who was also the state god in the eighteenth dynasty.
Anyway, yes, so. Amenhotep III's reign was a big time for theological discussion, something which they don't seem to have been hugely worried about a lot of the time. Who cares if it sounds contradictory, we'll believe it anyway! The links between Amun-Re and the ruling dynasty probably made the solar aspect of religion more prominent in the eighteenth dynasty (and Amun-Re's cult was getting powerful because the D18 rulers gave them lots of economic benefits/tax breaks. So all was spiffy if you liked Amun-Re...) So everyone starts getting really big on solar religion in the reign of Amenhotep III and the king gets a lovely new epithet "The Dazzling Sun Disk", which, if you know anything about the Amarna period, is essentially what Akhenaten was worshipping. Which makes a lot of people think Akhenaten had some kind of idea that the whole Amarna religion was based around the worship of his dad. I prefer the he was mad as a sack of cats explanation, personally.
So, yeah, I'm doing the stuff that lead up to Akhenaten, not actually Akhenaten, but he was indeed Mr. Solar Religion 1352-1336 BC.
Katy smoked a mascot on Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Time: 05:41 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: *sighs*
There's something distinctly unfair about the amount of work I have to do this week. -_- I hand one essay in and get three of them to do in return. And they're lovely 3000 word essays, too. -_-
Thankfully I only have to collect all my materials for two of them by the end of next week (which still takes a stupidly long time), but one of them has to actually be written by Wednesday. And frankly it's a real bugger. I *hate* anything to do with Egyptian religion, apart from the whole "Horus and Seth - best text ever" discussions that sporadically appear when working anywhere near Jane. *Actual* religion, not what you could probably very incorrectly term mythology, is real pain in the Egyptological arse. Especially solar theology. >_< I don't know why people suddenly decided to worship the sun!!! Because you get a lot of sunshine in Egypt! There!! >_<
And I have my Coptic to do, which is always about as refreshing as pulling teeth. I'm sure they used to make people literate as a punishment in Coptic Egypt... Oh, and I'm meant to be researching my dissertation still which is blatently not going to happen this week or next. >_< >_< >_<
Suffice to say you will probably not see me for the Yami-thon. Or the cinema. Because I will be in my room crying over horrible horrible books.
Katy smoked a mascot on Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Time: 12:45 a.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Salute to Ubergeekery
I think I have now achieved ubergeek status. Here, for your viewing please (although I doubt anyone in the world is bored enough to actually ever read this, let alone look at the links...) is where all the titles to the Hellsing manga chapters come from. They're all videogames. And some of them are mind-bogglingly obscure. o_0 I mean, most people in the world haven't even *heard* of a 3DO, let alone the games....
And so without further ado, her is
Katy's Giant List of Hellsing Videogame Chapter Title Geekage
*children wave flags, old people cheer*
Vampire Hunter
link
Master of Monster
link
Murder Club
link
Sword Dancer
link
Dead Zone
link
Balance of Power
link
Elevator Action
link
Age of Empire (sic)
link
Call to Power
link
Ultima On Line (sic)
link
D
link
Flash Point
link
Xanado (sic)
link
Final Fantasy
You expect a link for *this*? o_0 (
link)
The Screamer
link
Aubird Force
link
Gun Bullet
link
Balloon Fight
link
Soldier of Fortune
link
Crossfire
link
Now I don't know who is the bigger geek, Kouta Hirano for naming his chapters like this, or me for sitting here and finding them all out. o_0 Anyway...
Katy smoked a mascot on Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Time: 12:25 a.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Sensou Suru Nara Yumi, Yari, Ken Da Tatakae! - Hellsing
Alright, much catching up to do from yesterday.
Thing the first. I HAVE HELLSING 6!! ^______________^ Yaaaaay!!!! It arrived on Saturday morning just before I headed out to London. And lo is it cool. The London trip couldn't have been better timed, because it actually gave me the opportunity to throw it at Eisuke and make him give me a summary. Which he duly did.
I'm going to go off on a tangent now about Hellsing 6, so if you're not interested, I'd skip the next paragraph or so. I hope
you haven't skipped this though, cause you shall very much luff this volume of the manga. Integra kicking ass and taking names on a grand scale. And winding up Iscariot no end. ^__^ She and Walter are attempting to get through London in the wake of the Nazi vampire attack on the city, zombie hordes et al. So she starts drive-by shooting them ^___^ Then she gets out and has to fight...with her sword. ^___^ *so much glee* The bit after that when Iscariot turn up is possibly one of the coolest things in the entire series ever. In the face of impending doom/numerous Iscariot agents pointing guns at her she essentially asks for light then convinces them that she's going home and they ought to walk her because it's dangerous for a young lady to be travelling alone at night. ^_________________^ Integra is so brill.
And Seras. Dude. Seras got a spine. o_0 She's like, not wussy in this volume, it's incredible. She's almost...likeable. She has major spazzing about Millenium attacking innocent people in London, so starts shooting down their zeppelins with new uber-Halconnen. So very cool.
Anyway, I do have one complaint about vol. 6. Um, where's Alucard? o_0 He appears on all of four pages of the entire volume. >_< Admittedly, one of those pages is possibly the most gratuitously bish-cool pictures of Alucard I've ever seen, but...but...more! >_< So he's presently still on the burning ship where he killed Rip van Winkle making bizarre speeches about the smell of death. Nobody does random vampire melodrama speeches quite like Alucard. ^___^ Not quite as good as his Integra taunt speech in vol 3 (which is actually the best speech ever...) but still very cool.
Anyway, um, yes. Went to London, bought things. New Forbidden Planet very big. Very upset Asahiya is closing next year. Jenny and Helen freshers very cool. Having Hellsing marathon for their benefit on Thursday.
Oh, and I went to Merton chapel supper with Liz this evening. Which was *enormous* fun. ^____^
Katy smoked a mascot on Monday, November 24, 2003
Time: 10:13 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: *rabid fangirlism*
Maybe it's the mingness I've been suffering this week, but I've been having some really strange dreams (when I've been able to sleep...) this week. Last night was one of the better ones (frankly the one before about Daniel and I living in a monastery was just....weird. Possibly Coptic-induced... o_0) My brain has finally realised what I want out of my subconscious entertainment - new epsidoes of Hellsing! ^_____^ I applaud my in-brain animators because I couldn't actually decide whether what I was watching was live-action or anime. ^_^ Looked wonderful, whatever it was. ^___^
Anyway, I was quietly hoping it might be some crazy premonition and my manga would arrive today, but sadly my non-existant psychic powers remain non-existant. So instead I have been reading old manga/pestering Eisuke to find pictures of new Hellsing for me/having random Hellsing-themed discussions with Andrew. And now I'm watching the dvds because I'm a big smelly Alucard-fangirl geek. ^___^
Oh yes, and my Coptic/Late Egyptian/disseration tutor is wonderful. He saw me in the street and said he liked Stitch and it was a shame he couldn't come in to the library for lessons. ^__^ Which probably only seems unusual if you've met my tutor...he's a lovely guy, he's just quite serious and shy most the time. ^_^
Right, back to my geekery... ^______^
Katy smoked a mascot on Friday, November 21, 2003
Time: 04:49 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: There is something....
...incredibly wrong about the first picture on
this page.
Katy smoked a mascot on Wednesday, November 19, 2003
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Blasted Saint Beast music spreading faster than a ming virus...
Since one of us was going to do it eventually,
behold the results of the FFXII press conference. And may I say there's something more than faintly disturbing about the first shot of Vaan. I wish they hadn't set it in Ivalice though...
Katy smoked a mascot on Wednesday, November 19, 2003
Time: 11:42 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: far too much Tenacious D...
I have new ming. All be warned. And it appears to be an unpleasant strain of ming, too. It's making me feel sick and just generally full of head-ming. So that's nice...
Anyway, appart from that, the day seems to have gone alright. Minor spazz when I thought the internet had died this morning, but it mysteriously came back on about half an hour later. Not that I'm complaining.
Spent the rest of the morning round at Lizzu's listening to very very strange varieties of music. Off to G and D's after that then over to the careers service.
I'm glad to say that at the moment things seems to be alright as concerns what I want to do after this year. I'm too late to apply for any kind of studying in the US next year, but I'm coming round to the idea of staying here for six months or so to make some money and get my applications in.
I really want to do an education MA, I've decided. And if Daniel and I are sticking to the current plan of living in America for the time being, it's going to be a better idea for me to train in the US to be a teacher. I mean, I'd be the first to admit I have only a very sketchy secondhand knowledge of the American education system, so if I were to train in England (which *would* be easier) then move out and try and find a job, I'd probably have a harder time of it than getting an American qualification tailored to working in America.
Anyway, yeah, I feel ill. I'm going to curl up in a corner somewhere. -_-
Katy smoked a mascot on Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Time: 07:47 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: o_0
*hides under desk in fear*
It's like ubergeek is heading for the mainstream or
something. o_0
Katy smoked a mascot on Monday, November 17, 2003
Time: 03:50 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Tenacious D - Wonderboy
(The Wondervash video is very amusing, Ivan. ^______^)
Well, since it doesn't take much to make me stop reading for my essay, I felt like blogging. Not that I've done a lot of work today. I've been tidying up though. And sitting in bed listening to Neil Gaiman on Radio 2. ^_^;;
Anyway, yes, yesterday was enormous fun! I had such a good time, I really really did. Going to London is invariably an interesting thing, even if it's somewhat overwhelming at six o'clock in the evening on a Friday. So. Many. People.
The trip to London was uneventful as you might imagine, although copious geeky conversation amusement and humming of the beloved evil Chocobo theme did occur. Bit of a trek once we got there from Marble Arch to the venue for the evening, although I was amused to finally find out what that building was (I've been past it every single time I've been to the BM and I always wondered ^_^). Waited in a very very long line for quarter of an hour or so, then went in.
The talk was great! Neil Gaiman reads fantastically, and Wolves in the Walls lends itself being read out loud, no matter how pretty the pictures are. Having Jonathon Ross as the host for the evening was also an excellent choice, I though - the him, Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean interview part was great just because he knew the subject matter so very well. ^_^
So this was all very good, but frankly I'll skip the next couple of hours or so, because the best bit was blatantly getting to meet Neil Gaiman. ^_______^ Queuing for a very long time was so totally worth it. Got dared by the rest of the Ass no Ryu's female contingent to ask the one question we all wanted to know - how
do you pronounce Crowley and Aziraphale? o_0 Which he answered, in an amusingly frank way. ^__^ Also said my little geek bit about how volume one of Sandman had made everyone in my class's day when they saw he'd quoted Man and Ba. He seemed very happy at this, which was muchly satisfying. ^__^ He asked if we were offended by the later quip about hieroglyphs being ropes and squiggles, to which I splurged some kind of "nono!" answer, but frankly it really was splurge through glee of the moment. ^_^;;
So yes, books were signed, and all were happy. And I apologise entirely to Daniel, who I phoned when I got home and had to endure an hour long conversation in which most of the words were Neilgaimanissocool!!!!! ^_^;;
Katy smoked a mascot on Saturday, November 15, 2003
Time: 01:42 a.m.
Listening to/Whining About: ^___________^
*uberglee!!!* Neil Gaiman!! ^_____^
I asked silly questions and he gave nice answers!! ^___^
Uberglee report in full form tomorrow, for no other reason than I should like to remember it forever. ^_^
Katy smoked a mascot on Saturday, November 15, 2003
Time: 01:35 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: *squeaks*
I got the best present ever in the post today! ^__^ A chocolate advent calendar pop-up nativity with Jesus and some rabbits!! ^_____^
My mum is the best. She even took into account my rabid moral objection to advent calendars that don't feature anything to do with Christmas. ^_____^ And no, as far as I'm concerned, Santa Claus is not to do with Christmas. :p Neither are Action Man or Barbie...
Oooh!! Hellsing 6 comes out today!! ^_____^ *urges manga to ship swiftly*
Oh and, EEEEEEEE!!! ^____^ We're going to see Neil Gaiman tonight!! ^_____^
Katy smoked a mascot on Friday, November 14, 2003
Time: 01:10 a.m.
Listening to/Whining About: >_<
I'm annoyed. My Totoro necklace has broken. This makes me upset. >_<
Katy smoked a mascot on Friday, November 14, 2003
Time: 10:51 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: *sigh*
It's when you look at the stuff the careers service gave you and you find phrases like "At present the economic climate is not encouraging for UK graduates wishing to obtain employment in the USA".
-_-
Katy smoked a mascot on Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Time: 03:54 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Les Rythmes Digitales - What's That Sound
Can't be arsed to do any work yet because it's been something of a busy day for other reasons. I don't know why I quite want the added stress of trying to get a job for next year right now, but I think it's my forward-planning-obssessive side talking. Or possibly just the side of me that can't face staying in England after next August. o_0
Anyway, such things are quite dull, as you'd imagine. But if you know anyone who wants to give me a job in San Antonio next year, you know where I am. -_-
Finished reading Good Omens *finally* this afternoon. It's only taken me, what?, a month to read it. Which is not to say I'm a slow reader, it's just been sitting on the shelf unread since I got off the plane from Texas at the beginning of October. Since everyone has already read it, a review is kind of pointless, but suffice to say Aziraphale and Crowley are wonderful. Their "if we don't survive this" exchange is incredibly cute. ^___^
For some reason I've rather got into reading books again. I've not wanted to for about six years, despite consuming them at an alarming rate before that. I'd put that down to either having too many things I was forced to read anyway and just a lack of decent books to read, really. o_0 Thankfully I now have friends with decent taste in books to shove things at me. ^_^
Aaaaanyway, I'll go and slog on with the work now, I suppose.
Katy smoked a mascot on Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Time: 01:08 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: dsgafyuoervqhglvrbewqi!!!!!
*spazzes deliriously*
^_______^!!!! Anyone who can find me a big picture of
this can have many many cookies. But not as many as if you find pictures from The Dawn. o_0
*runs off in fit of new manga glee* ^_______________^
Katy smoked a mascot on Sunday, November 9, 2003
Time: 11:03 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: *squeaks*
New decent
Hellsing website!! :O And they have the Hellsing plane logo from vol 5 on the front page! ^_____^
It also has a page dedicated to whether Schroedinger is a cat or wolfboy. I feel less geeky knowing we're not the only people to have ever wondered about this. ^___^
Oh, and does anyone know if anywhere is scanlating Hellsing: The Dawn? o_0 That looks like a *lot* of fun. Chibi Walter and Alucard actual WWII backstory! ^____^ I hadn't heard anything about that until this evening, oddly enough. Blame that on there not being any other decent Hellsing websites out there at the moment, I guess...
I want more Hellsing manga now! >_<
(PS also added another Japanese fanart site. Behold the pretty.)
Katy smoked a mascot on Saturday, November 8, 2003
Time: 07:48 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: *drums fingers on desk*
Feel free to ignore this entry because it doesn't actually include anything interesting. I just need to do something than doesn't make my brain ache quite so intensly for five minutes.
Coptic. Yeah. That old chestnut.I always seem to have some subject that I really hate at every level of my studies. GCSE and before it was maths, A-Level it was French, and now it's Coptic. I just can't do it. -_- We started a new dialect this term, which is the source of all my problems as one might imagine. The fact is, they expect us to be able to translate in it, and I can barely read the dictionary. For real. It's in this horrible font I don't understand, and as far as I can find, it doesn't have any bloody definitions in for most of the words. o_0 Oh and did I mention it's organized only by the consonants in the word, not the vowels (Arrangements going something like CaB, CoB, CaT, CoT if you understand what I mean -_-).
Anyway, the whole thing is just getting entirely too demoralizing. I know I'm crap at Coptic, but this is really rubbing my face in it when I get given a text in a language I'm meant to be familiar with and don't understand a word of it. -_- I just feel like a complete arse. It wouldn't be quite so bad if I didn't have other things to think about too. My dissertation, for instance, hasn't been touched for about three weeks, and I've just been set another one of my special subject essays. -_- I may have to have some kind of psychotic fit in the Sackler and see if they drop me from the course on grounds of mental illness.
Oh yeah, and thank you college for giving me a room with a wall in front of it. I'm getting a great view of the fireworks behind that and the bars on my windows. -_-
My new theraputic notice board of biseinen makes things better though...
Katy smoked a mascot on Wednesday, November 5, 2003
Time: 11:43 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: *wails*
:O!!!! So. Very. Cool. o_0
Katy smoked a mascot on Tuesday, November 4, 2003
Time: 05:10 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: *rantage*
This was going to go on the mailing list but frankly I can't be arsed with yet more replies dropping into my inbox right now, so it'll stay on here. The people who read this are probably the people whose opinions I value highest anyway, so there. ^_^
I do wish people would stop going on about Evangelion. This is something that's actually been getting on my nerves (if anyone even *thinks* of taking that pun anywhere I will punch them o_0) since Ayacon. I'm so bloody sick of it, actually. Yes, I watched Evangelion, I was quite liked it, it was intelligent and dramatic in places but it also had a heck of a lot of, well, just downright boring bits.
Now, the thing is, if situations were different, I'd probably still quite like Evangelion. I have a model Unit 01 of which I and very proud and like very much and in my own quiet way I was quite a fan of it all. Until I discovered rabid Evangelion fanboyism (I say "discovered", it's something that had always been there and I knew it, I'd just never bother to listen to any of it because I'd not seen Evangelion). It's sort of the equivalent of Final Fantasy VII fanboyism for anime, although actually I suspect in many cases they're one and the same. Although Final Fantasy VII fares somewhat better in my tolerance of these things...chiefly because of Sephiroth. ^_-
Anyway, not to sound bitter and twisted, but it really does annoy me. As I say, I rather did like Evangelion, but it's just the constant lauding and glorification above (and more annoyingly to the detriment of) other shows that irritates me. Yes the story is intelligently written and they evidently did their homework on the religious/psychological background to what they wanted to say, but it's by no means the only show that ever put thought in to this kind of thing. And to be honest, my main problem with this side of Eva is just the fact that a lot of the psuedo-religious/psychological bits are just a bit dull.
So I don't mean to be critical of anyone for liking Evangelion, because in truth I did like it the first time I watched it. I just think it's suffered from my point of view from the uberworship it's received. And that said, it's not entirely the fans' fault that that's happened either because Gainax have really been fueling the merchandising juggernaut as long as they possibly can. I mean for goodness' sake do we really need Rei and Asuka "wedding dress" models?
And just one last thing to rant about from the mailing list, the comparisons between Evangelion and Escaflowne. As far as I can see, this is really something of a pointless exercise. They're two entirely different series. Escaflowne does not claim to be some deep psychological exploration of the nature of the the main character any more than Eva claims to be one-of-those-shows-Andrew-likes-where-schoolgirls-get-transported-to-other-worlds.
Sankyuu. Now go and look at Castlevania pictures because it'll make life better. ;)
Katy smoked a mascot on Tuesday, November 4, 2003
Time: 10:24 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Just because...
...Daniel sent me a load of Castlevania artwork, I thought I'd share it with you. The art style always seem quite up
your street just for the wonderfully melodramatic Kaori Yuki-ish stylings.
So...
Cover art pic for the new one, possibly the only Castlevania game I could actually be excited about playing. No, really, I like the artwork, just not the games. o_0
Aria of Sorrow artwork. Hurray for the "My skin hates sunshine" look! ^___^
Looking more than a bit like a reject from X with all those cogs,
this one's apparently no one in paricular. Still a nice pic. ^_^
And
just a
couple of ones of a character I disapprove of in principal: Alucard. Sorry, rabid Hellsing fangirlism still rules on this blog. o_0
And now my personal favourites,
Juste Belmont from
Harmony of Dissonance. Uber-bish if you ask me. ^_^
There, I hope you enjoyed that. Today needed more bishounen in it. ^_^
Katy smoked a mascot on Monday, November 3, 2003
Time: 10:13 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Once Upon a Time in Mexico OST - Juno Reactor - Pistole
(Before I begin this entry, I wish to say many many squillions of thanks to Tashular for the cds. ^______^ So. Very. Cool. ^_____^ You are the best.)
Alright, I had a really good time this weekend. Maybe it was because I'd never been to a con before, maybe it wasn't, but I really did enjoy myself. Found manifold things I wanted in the dealers' room, watched manifold things I now want to see more of (more later) and was generally amazed by the cosplay (...although this diverged into two different types of amazement by the masquerade....one good, one terribly fearful o_0).
Laura was a star, as were the Red XIII and Lei Lei cosplayers (except the Lei Lei didn't do the masquerade *sniff*) Slightly bizarre cosplay experience when I arrived didn't put me off though...you'd think random bag glompage from girl dressed as the Silent Hill nurse would put you off human beings for life, but hey. ^_^
So, left Oxford about seven thirty on the Friday evening and the adventure began. Quite literally. Andrew and I took the Lizzu car option, along with the Sing-Along-a-Queen-Tape and Get-Lost-on-a-B-Road options. ^_~ But hey, we saw a sign for Adverse Camber and that makes things good. ^___^
So we got there in one piece in the end, albeit with somewhat hoarse throats, but oddly enough this didn't stop a large contingent heading straight for the karaoke. Where we frankly kicked arse doing Stray. Never in your life will you see a bunch of four more shameless and out of key Pop Idol rejects. ^____^ Well alright, *Andrew* could sing, but frankly the rest of us were just there to look like prats. ^_____^
Day two was preceded by a stop at Jane's house. Very very lovely with equally lovely resident parents who fed us and gave us places to sleep. ^_^ Then off to the con again in time for the dealer's room opening.
...which I can't go into in detail cause most of it was presents for the boyfriend, who reads this. ^_~ Sorry, no clues here. :D Suffice to say I bought myself a very lovely Totoro necklace which I absolutely adore.
Highlight of the day after that, and in fact possibly of the con because I'm a sad, sad fangirl. ^_~ Meeting Piro from Megatokyo, who is in fact a Very Nice Man. ^___^ And must have terrible hand cramp from drawing so many pictures for people, including a rescue gear Boo for me. ^___^
Alright, since I've already covered the cosplay I'll move on to anime.
Full Metal Panic Fumoffu wasn't actually bad, which is unsurprising given that it's all the bits I (and most FMP fans) liked about the first series, and not the boring crap bits. Biseinen book-reading guy is also very cool addition to the cast.
And now, just because I want to point out the glaring unoriginality of the titles...Full Metal Alchemist. Which wasn't bad, but wasn't really anything special. A bit of a take-it-or-leave-it series for me, but I don't regret choosing to watch it, anyway.
Digi Charat Nyo. Alright, the theme song to this kicks ass. But sounds oddly similar to One for Sorrow by Steps. o_0 It's a good thing I have infinite love of Digi Charat, otherwise it would actually be a bit crap. But it has Dejiko and Puchiko in, and I love them.
Not as disturbing as everyone has been hyping it up to be, Gunslinger Girl. Alright so the idea of child assassin killing machines is pretty sick, but they way they present it is impressive. I ended up being more intrigued than appaled, despite the subject matter.
Gungrave. Hehehehe. ^__________^ I saved this one for last because I love it so. And I love it even more having seen the second episode, finally. I humbly request that all the Gungrave naysayers watch ep 2 and give it another chance, because it's actually entirely different to the first one. And Brandon is so cool. ^_____^
Alright, that's enough for now.
Katy smoked a mascot on Sunday, November 2, 2003
Time: 04:34 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Happy Jack Skellington Day!!
My contribution to Halloween fun.
Off to Ayacon in three hours...
Katy smoked a mascot on Friday, October 31, 2003
Time: 11:35 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: ....something dripping in my room but i don't know where o_0
Well, things appear to have gone ok with the animesoc meeting at Queen's tonight. o_0 My apologies for my having run around like frantic angsty stress thing for most of the time but what can I say, it's been one of those weeks.
Very pleased with the eps this week, they were pretty good on all fronts. Trigun and Utena particularly, although Last Exile has also become infinitely more interesting in its third installment.
Anyway, I'd write more but sleep beckons. And I've a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day.
Katy smoked a mascot on Thursday, October 30, 2003
Time: 12:58 a.m.
Listening to/Whining About: *falls over hands and feet in excitement*
From
The Magic Box:
RUMOR: The Japanese magazine Gamest mentioned Shinji Mikami is planning to develop Devil May Cry 3, to make sure the game exceeds the quality of DMC1. In addition, Shinji Mikami (creator of Biohazard and Devil May Cry) and Hideo Kojima (creator of Metal Gear Solid) are co-producing a new title for more than one year, exact details are unknown.
*gibbers like moronic Dante fangirl she is*
I should read Magic Box more carefully in the mornings...
Katy smoked a mascot on Thursday, October 30, 2003
Time: 10:35 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: hahahahahahaha
I laugh in your face, Hyksos essay!! >_< You may be a pile of crap and we may be savaged in my tutorial because of this, but you are written!!
Four blasted days of writing it. Not fun. Especially when it's one of those horrible "we don't know much about this period in Egyptian history: talk about it" essays. Anyway, now I have my horrible tutorial to look forward to, where I shall find out that all of my essay was wrong and I'm not fit to be called an Egyptologist. Work really does lower the spirits sometimes. o_0
Never mind. My crowning achievement of the day has, of course, been finding a room for animesoc. ^____^ Yaaay! No longer do we need to cancel the meeting because
sometimes my college does things right. Like having a lovely dean. ^_^ Certainly a lot more polite/helpful than the ones Liz and Andrew encountered. And the room looks like it'll do for tomorrow night, so I'm satisfied.
Now I am going to enjoy one of those rare moments when I can actually do what I want and feel like I'm justified in taking a break.
Katy smoked a mascot on Wednesday, October 29, 2003
Time: 09:03 a.m.
Listening to/Whining About: o_0
I had the strangest dream last night. It featured chibified Sephiroths on television... o_0
Katy smoked a mascot on Monday, October 27, 2003
Time: 10:05 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: owowowowowowowowow >_<
...is about what my internal soundtrack has been sounding like today. Invariably I know things are bad if I can fool myself into doing that "we'll just go and have a lie down for five minutes, just to have a break from work" thing. It's never five minutes, as I demonstrated this evening, waking up an hour and a half after my fiendish brain tricked me with the siren call of sleep.
Yep, well, I'm not going to win any prizes for services to good humour today because I've been in a crappy mood all day. Stupidly spent the afternoon wanting to cry and I don't entirely know why. This is probably not the best sign for third week of Michaelmas.
My essay is presently crap of the highest degree too, which is disappointing to say the least since I was working on it from whenever I got up this morning, onwards. I know my tutor is going to tear it to shreds already, and there's not much I can do about it, because I'm just not good enough.
Alright, I'll shut up now.
Katy smoked a mascot on Sunday, October 26, 2003
Time: 09:17 a.m.
Listening to/Whining About:
Ahh the twenty-five hour day. God's gift to the stressed. I woke up about an hour ago in a moral quandary; to go back to sleep for that precious extra hour of rest, or get up and get on which my craparse essay. Oddly enough, the essay won. *shakes fist at laziness guilt*
Go me....or something. -_-
Katy smoked a mascot on Sunday, October 26, 2003
Time: 11:39 a.m.
Listening to/Whining About: AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
*spazzes wildly flailing arms in air*
If I have to listen to the guy next door playing his guitar
and singing for much longer I'm going to scream. >_< Need to write essay in peace!
This message brought to you by Katy's Short Temper.
Katy smoked a mascot on Saturday, October 25, 2003
Time: 11:00 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Trigun - Knives
I like Trigun music. I shall point this out because my taste in music has come under
some criticism recently, despite the fact that we really all agree that it's crap (my taste, not Trigun music, incidentally...) ^_~ But hey, I'm trying to make myself a bit more respectable, like putting Arislan music on ...albeit followed by Card Captor Sakura and my traditional Shouty Rock Music.
Right, things I promised to address.
Gungrave. Officially the easiest game I've ever played ever ever ever. Which doesn't actually mean I didn't like it. It's a complete triumph of style over substance, but Grave is just far too cool for a zombie, as I said, and I can't help but like him. Odd really, he looks a lot cooler in zombie than he did in human form. o_0 Yeah, I dunno what's up with that either...
Kill Bill. Hm. This shall be the first of a few referrals to other blogs, as has been the custom with reviews of this film on this blog circuit. I think I entirely agree with
Ivan on every word of his review. I'm not exactly known for my clear-cut decision making (well none of us are :P) but I can't think of a film that's ever left me feeling more ambivalent. Even now I can't decide whether I liked it or not. On the plus side: ridiculous violence amusing, Lucy Liu cool, Uma Thurman cool in yellow and black leathers/bike, anime section, hurray! On the minus side: guilt at finding base, violent humour funny, various unecessarily unpleasant scenes, Quentin Tarrantino's irritatingly cliquey directing.
So there.
Right, moving on. I would recount the London adventure, but frankly I don't think I could possibly do better than
Lizzu. Suffice to say that public transport sucks when the Northern Line is out of order and one wishes to go to Collindale. And I have Valkyrie Profile manga, along with new small Totoro to add to my collection.
...and that just about brings me up to speed, I think. This evening hasn't been too bad. Work, watching CSI with Jane and finding Final Fantasy VII videos (alright, alright,
Sephiroth videos...) from the PC version were generally productive. I never quite remember what a messed up plot that game has until I go back and look at it. ^___^ I may not love it as much as I love VIII, but I still love it...
I also have much glee at news of new manga releasage. Hellsing vol. 6 next month, yaaaaaaaaaaay!! ^_________________________^ *does dance of Hellsing manga glee*
This makes me a happy bunny. ^__^
Katy smoked a mascot on Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Time: 09:57 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: wakka wakka doo doo yeah....
At some point in the near future bloggage will appear about:
How very easy Gungrave is
What I thought of Kill Bill
What I think of London when the Northern Line doesn't work
My impressive haul of crap from various shops this afternoon
Not work. Never work. o_0
Katy smoked a mascot on Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Time: 09:00 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: Sorting Out Life
Well, I've booked my flight back to Texas for Christmas. And I'm going British Airways, which is doubly good. If I don't get the best flight I've ever been on in my life, my faith in our nation shall officially be shaken. o_0 Knowing I've got my flight back sorted does make me feel better though. Only sixty something days to go. ^__^
Anyway, today has been spent mainly at the dentist's/packing for Oxford/having chronic jetlag. o_0 It's this really weird feeling like someone's hollowed out your arms and you just don't want to move. Hm.
I did, however, see the best coat ever in a shop today. It was long and red and oh so very cool. It was more Vash the Stampede than Alucard, but oh the coolness. I tried it on numerous times and gazed in the mirror hoping the £130 price tag would go away if I looked pathetic enough. But no, it was not to be, and I don't have a spare 130 quid right now. o_0 I have, however, asked my mum to keep an eye on the shop to see if they ever reduce them...
I need to sleep for about a month now. ._.
Katy smoked a mascot on Tuesday, October 7, 2003
Time: 03:55 p.m.
Listening to/Whining About: So....
I'm back in England now. I could horribly recount the events of the whatever you want to call the period of time since I left San Antonio and got here (I have sufficient jetlag-related time issues not to know what day it is right now o_0) but I can't say it'd make anyone feel particularly happy. Cried a lot at Daniel's house, cried a lot at the airport when we went our separate ways, cried a lot afterwards. Yeah, so it sucked.
Had a pretty lame flight home too, unsurprisingly. Horribly cold air conditioning does not a comfortable journey make. Neither does getting off the plane and recovering your luggage from the carousel with giant pieces of sticky tape all over it where it evidently got messed up in transit. Thanks for that, baggage people. -_-
On a slightly better note, my family were happy to see their prodigal daughter again after three months, and at the very least the lack of decent in-flight entertainment meant that I played lots of Final Fantasy Tactics and actually started reading Good Omens. Doesn't really make up for the whole being thousands of miles away from my boyfriend, but then very few things would.
Katy smoked a mascot on Monday, October 6, 2003
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