"Hello. Going out tonight?"

I couldn't tell if he was actually hitting on me or just making fun of how frumpy I looked. Really though, I had every right to look frumpy. It was Friday night of a rather ass-kicking (meaning it kicked my ass, although there was nothing wrong with it) week. Scary, considering it only really started on Wednesday. Those three days, though, were pretty much full to the brim with work and as much play as I could smash in.

I guess the biggest news item is that I'm going to be at wcities until something better comes along. That could be taken as a given, really, except I was hoping something had perhaps come along already, which it hasn't. Wednesday morning with them was no sweat. A five hour Thursday shift was cake, compared to five hours at Nijiya, which of course, sometimes turns into six because (as the argument recently goes) "It's still light out." Yes, so let's continue to let people in until 8:30 after close because the sun hasn't gone completely below the horizon. Not like anyone notices I'm only scheduled 'till 8. Not like anyone notices how often it is PAINFUL for me to stand there. I was thinking about it. It's not really the cashiering that bothers me. I like that. It's just people and incidents and being kept past my schedule, etc.

For example (and this has already been vented on a billion times irl, but for those who haven't heard it yet...) there was this older lady the other day who came in and I checked her out, packed up her groceries the way I normally would. Well, normally for Nijiya. You may remember that post that I'm not going to bother linking to (sorry) I put up when I first started about all the various wrapping practices that go on there. It's pretty lame. Anyhow, I tried to do an ok job and she bit my head off, "ZEN ZEN DAME No experience! You're so bad!" She then proceeded to unpack all her stuff at the end of my lane for like 20 minutes, wouldn't let me help, kept repeating how bad I was, how I can't wrap anything, and making sure every customer who came through during that time knew it too. "This girl is so bad. She can't wrap anything!" Flaming hell!

At wcities if you make a mistake that gets noticed an editor will come and somewhat sternly request that you change it, but at least there are no crabby old ladies. The job isn't quite as engaging as the fast paced cashiering, but for some reason it also goes by a lot faster. Maybe just cuz I'm used to sitting at a computer? Thursday all I did for five hours was work on a spreadsheet google doc. There was this ginormous list of fnac venues that a bunch of us French speakers were asked to check the database for. If it was there, we listed the entry number and display title. If it wasn't, we put "create" and tried to find a website for it. That's what I did for five hours. Got a couple breaks to hit the bathroom and have lunch. Was pretty ok.

Of course, I can think of things that would be better.

Like writing about video games all day. Speaking of which, I think I'm probably supposed to be doing that now before we launch into the Doctor Who/Cleaning marathon.

Lots of cousins and cake

and some other stuff. Barely got to see my Dad at all the whole time I was here, but definitely lots of cousins. Played some cool games that I'll talk about later, I guess...

Mostly I just wanted to worry about my teeth since they are apparently all rotting and breaking. Or something. I had three cavities at the dentist this morning which would seem a little overkill considering I do actually brush AND even floss at times. I don't think most people floss everyday. Do they? I never used to, but now that I do I have cavities. Go figure.

I'm not saying you shouldn't floss. Obviously I just have to floss EVEN MORE.

Anyhow, I was numb and drooly and didn't get to have lunch with my friend. My other friend came over for dinner, which was cool...

This whole weekend has been a bit of a food fest. Lots of grill-outs, cookies, cakes, pies, bagels, chips, zomg. I decided to just take advantage of all the celebratory whatever and eat the food. This strategy always works ok until you're done eating.

Oh well.

To not dwell on that we will continue on with the sad teeth story. So yeah, in addition to the 3 cavities that just got fixed today, I have 4 or 5 other spots that are in danger of becoming cavities unless I stop screwing around with my teeth. I really thought I was doing an ok job, so this is rather disappointing.

I'm hoping the fillings are ok. The one in the back seems fine, but I'm worried one of the ones closer to the front is hitting my bottom teeth weird. But then, my teeth may have always done that. It's hard to tell and I don't want to waste their time looking at it if it's fine. I think maybe I'm just still sore from all the everything. They polished and water-jetted and drilled and I think maybe I need more recovery time.

Of course, I leave tomorrow so we'll see how that goes.

Anyways, what else. Well, there's a boat at the lake sometimes now. I didn't ride in it because when I got there they were already out, but when they went out a second time it was right after dinner and I was too full as well as supervising some cousins on the Wii. Ah well.

That was at my graduation party. We had it at my g-ma's house on the lake. Very nice. One of my Aunts made this spectacular strawberry pie which didn't exactly show up my mom's Stoughton Cake-- I mean, it's impossible to do that-- but since it was a new experience I was very excited about it. In fact, we have some leftovers which I will partake of tomorrow morning alongside ham and eggs. It'll be glorious. Can't wait.

Then I'm getting on an airplane, ready to outsmart Kansas City by buying TWO water bottles in mke before I go and not stepping off the plane for one second. Stupid Kansas city. I left the waiting area and saw the guard. Didn't realize the guard wouldn't let me back in! There's nowhere to buy drinks or anything once you're through security, so you have to go outside, but then you can't bring anything back through security!!! It's a nightmare. Luckily I was in the mood for some orange juice or I would've been one thirsty kid. Everyone knows airplane water sucks.

teeth teeth teeth

I had a dream last night that I was at a game press event party thing with some of the guys from 1up. It followed the theme of everyone being horribly ill. In particular, Jeremy was trying to not feel throw-uppy. I don't remember anything else happening except a lot of people dancing while I stood around, which is weird, cuz that never happens. Also a tall guy. Maybe he was a videogame character? There was something surreal going on, that's for sure.

Xav just left a while ago. I guess it was almost an hour ago now...

Mrrf.

It was good to see him. We played games and watched youtube. Just as we should, I guess. Also ate steak which my mom grilled expertly, but which sort of hurt my tender teeth.

Wherein MTV does something good for the girl here

ZOMG!!!

Robin Thicke, formerly just "Thicke," has released a new CD as of this past February. Of course, I would have no idea. I pay no attention whatsoever to these things. But then there he was on MTV Live and you wouldn't even recognize him with that short hair, yadda. Yikes yikes yikes. Gonna go get that CD like...tomorrow, I hope. Can't wait o_o Guess it's one time that secondhand MTV has done me some good. W00t.

wcities

I work there as of yesterday. Yeah, imagine my shock upon receiving a phone call two minutes after sending my resume. They wanted an interview that very afternoon (this was Tuesday) but that was no-go since I had game stuff to do.

Tangent: Actually, soon after that I barely had anything to do because Alice had typo'd my demo time in the e-mail she sent out, so she had to cover it.

Anyways, I went down there Wednesday morning before going to the grocery store. Took the 27, which is really not much more convenient than walking by the time you rack up 20 minutes waiting on the corner and walking a substantial number of big SOMA blocks anyways. Might as well get the exercise and take a more direct route. Unless it's raining, that is, or freezing. I may look into an alternative bus route for foul weather conditions. At the moment, though, I wasn't sure I would even take the job...

wcities.com is a travel guide website. What I do is write (under close and efficient supervision) things such as this. That one actually is mine, not like you can tell. For an hour of said activity I make ten freelancer dollars. Anyhow, I thought at first that churning out these throw away snippets would ruin my writing, that the computer lab-like office environment was a little freaky, that I would perhaps rather continue at Nijiya despite its shortcomings. In the end, though, the tantalizing proximity to both 1Up and GamePro, as well as the fantabulously flexible scheduling won over.

The End...err, beginning

My first day went pretty smoothly. Everyone seemed friendly enough and not too annoyed when I asked questions or requested that something be printed since the computer I was on was oddly not hooked up fto the printer. First order of business was distinguishing me from the other Emily, which we did the old-fashioned childhood soccer team way-- by calling me Mikey instead.

I was pretty nervous and I'm always worried I will make a mistake entering the data. Writing the blurbs take a bit of thought, but the data feels harder because it's so important. If you say they take VISA and they don't, or you typo the phone number, some poor traveler will be out of luck, or rather, they will goto a different website more informed than ours and find what they want. The company would slowly decay in this manner and...well, yeah, the point is I would be doing a bad job and that's bad, but it's also sometimes difficult to nail down the stats.

The editor-in-chief is a pretty kooky fellow. The remembered me as the freelance writer who for some God forsaken reason left Milwaukee for Stockton. Fair enough.

"You speak Japanese, right?"
"Well, not fluently, but I'm still studying."
He flags down the assistant editor and tells him to have some chick come over. "You speak fluent Japanese, right?"
"Noooo," she says, embarrassed, "I only studied..." trails off mumble mumble....
"Well, this girl here speaks perfect fluent Japanese down the letter," he announces, pointing at me, "In fact, she translated the first edition of Hirohito's War Diaries and got lots of great press." I begin my disagreements as the girl reacts,
"Wow, that's amazing! I'm so jealous!"
"No, totally not true."
"Oh, don't be afraid to take a compliment. She really did it."

x_x

I think this is his strange way of getting us all acquainted, whether that means spreading crazy rumors or immediately making connections and citing our common interests or both, I'm not exactly sure, but it does seem that way. Later on when I mentioned that my Dad lives in NY he made a phone call to some fellow who wandered in (of course, from NY) and became involved in the search for where exactly the Gardens at Turtle Point are. (You would think "at Turtle Point," but it's a little more complicated than that.)

Seems like the guy thinks I'm ok, though. Seems satisfied with my writing and was also very impressed when I pointed out that "ok" and so-so" are the essentially the same thing. It's good when your boss thinks you're smart.

Only bummer of the day was that I thought I would have time to finish the MCJP and Walt Disney Studios Park (East Paris,) but 5:00 hit faster than was convenient so I had to quit and send it unfinished to someone else for later. The great thing is that I can just do that---there's no take home work whatsoever. That combined with the fact that I can take off to do demos or whatever else I need is pretty awesome.

Next week will be a short one. Don't even get back to town until Tuesday (I'm in WI, ne, in fact I wrote this by hand on the plane out of extreme boredom after my DS died five minutes in.) Won't make it with enough time to make going into the office worth it, but Wednesday morning I'll be in for three hours before doing some residual cashiering (yeah, I gave my two weeks) and then Thursday is my first full seven hour shift. Shouldn't be any problem, though. Lunch at 1:30, break at 4, it's a front-heavy schedule, which is the way to go.

Friday, I actually took off because I get to go to a big cool demo before grocery storing.

Once the grocery store is done with it will be easy to fit in 20-30 hours a week, but I'm worried that I won't have tome to do stuff I need to do otherwise. Hopefully not getting home at 9 pm will balance out with the extra working hours. That and I shouldn't be quite as bushed afterwards since it's a desk job. Then again, commuting on foot for an hour and a half most days may take its own toll. WHO CAN SAY?

I really wish my DS wouldn't have died. Totally meant to find a plug while I waited to board the airport but check-in with Midwest took about three years since they only had two people at the counter. By the time I got through security and grabbed lunch, it was already my turn to board.

Guess I may just have a nap before we get to Kansas City. Wish we didn't have to stop.

Flickr exhausted

Well terrific. I've just been informed that I'm not allowed to have over 200 viewable pictures in my flickr account. The old ones will scroll under the rug until I start paying them. DANDY.

I guess I'll have to start stashing them at facebook or something. Any other ideas?

Not exactly sure what my deal was yesterday

My weekend was pretty rocking, actually. I guess I just let a couple stupid things bug me enough that I got upset for a while. That's lame. Also not sure why I was so down on LOTR yesterday morning. I realize it's not the measure of my entire worth whether I can read these books or not, so I shouldn't have to if I don't want to, but I wasn't having that much trouble before then. I think other things just compounded to give me one of those THE-WORLD-IS-CRAP-tinted glasses.

Gonna blog about double xp in CoH in my other blog, so I'm not sure what else to say here. Oh, the boy cooked a tasty food. We had eggplant parmesan with steamed green beans and crusty bread. Although the bread crumbs in our cupboards boast they are suitable for breading, they are, in fact, totally useless, so we ended up just using flour. Still turned out ok. Very very tasty. And there's enough to do another round!

Did also manage to get every single laundry done. A semi-major accomplishment. We picked up quite a bit.

So yeah, overall, nothing is half as bad as I make it out to be, but please don't not take me to the hospital if I think my arm is broken. That would be lame.

A Weekend for Feeling Lousy

Well...I shouldn't really dwell on stuff that makes me feel crummy, but it just seems like the overriding theme of the weekend is feeling bad about something, whether it be having my (apparently awful) Beautiful Katamari preview completely rewritten (ten times better) or giving up again on LOTR.

In the case of the preview, not only do I feel bad for turning in something that wasn't fit to run (evidently), but I feel like what they eventually did some up with was something that I wouldn't have been able to come up with. Plus, just as icing, you'll notice it's top of the site at the moment. Feels really crummy to have everyone reading an article with your name on it that you next to nothing to do with. AND I know that if I would've done a better job (or something) I could've been proud of myself instead, and satisfied with all the hits (even though it's just because it's a highly anticipated game...)

In the case of LOTR I just feel rather stupid and lame. Or lazy. Already know all that if you read the link, but if you didn't catch the vibe, in sum: I just feel inferior.

I'm also stuck again in the latest game I'm reviewing, which is discouraging. All that's really left for me to do at this point is clean more. Got some laundry and dishes done yesterday but meh.

Made some blueberry not-scones this morning and they turned out ok. Or as well as the not-scone recipe ever does.

...

Yeah, this was a pretty pointless and depressing blog, but that's just sort of the way of things right now. I think the thing bugging me the most aside from the more immediate cleaning is my complete relack of confidence (or "recent even more lessening" might be better, since when did I feel confident?) in my writing. I mean, I'm going to be writing a lot and I'd rather not suck if I can help it....

Anyways, yay, look at me taking everything in my life and finding what's wrong with it. Luckily there have also been some good things, like double xp in CoH + happy task-forcing with Boy and the Jerks. Also putzed a bit with the Wii (that I did get, if I didn't mention that here yet) last night.

I guess maybe I'll go throw in some laundry and do some more of that, even though I should really try to get through the part I'm stuck on in that other game...

...

...

before whatever...

: /

Friday, thank you

But I have a little bit of creeping horror about this weekend. This weekend is what I will get for being so slack not only last weekend, but all week. The place is OVERRUN with just...crap...everywhere. However, it is also double xp in City of Heroes. I can tell this is going to take a delicate balancing act, but I'm willing to try! I'd also like to get outside at least a tad bit, even if it's just walking to...somewhere. The boy seems to have contracted some sort of flu-y thing, though, so it will probably be mostly games and cleaning. Which, you know, is ok. I should really start on some of it this morning before I go to cashier, but how likely is that to happen when I have a ROM of Drawn to Life to review? Ok ok, I'm going! Sheesh!

Results and challenges

I finally got the boy his b-day presents. I also got some other stuff that I needed. No more shopping. No more shopping unless I suddenly land a job with a real salary. I dunno how I'm ever going to have enough money for Japan, or, you know...groceries. I mean, right now I'm fine, but these student loans are going to add up to almost precisely what I make a month. Granted I've added new freelance stuff, but it's not PAY THE BILLS kind of stuff.

That and I'm kind of a workaholic now. I think the boy is upset. If I'm not physically at work at Nijiya, I'm at my computer, chatting with editors, e-mailing contacts, writing, or playing. Playing sometimes gets recreational, but more often than not lately it has something to do with something.

That brings me to that horrible Wii dilemma again. Found some great bundles on craigslist, and it might even get mostly bought as a graduation present. It'll be good to expand my reviewing capabilities, but I doubt I will have it by tomorrow, which is the problem currently at hand. I NEED A WII TO PLAY. I'm never doing this again, that's for sure. I'll have to just stick to the systems I actually have. Yeah, pretty much-- common sense has failed me. Really, my friend would've been able to let me borrow hers if the timing weren't so messed up. The way things are now, I don't even want to bug her anymore. My only choice may be to go back to my editor in ruin...

I should be asleep. Or at least writing up stuff. I think I'll take "asleep," though, at this point. Been a long day.

An exercise in indulgence

AS IF THAT'S NOT EVERYDAY @_@

No, but really. I got home from my job interview this morning (went ok...blah, mlah) and was ready for an early lunch since I had been up since like six. Had leftover turkey club sandwich from last night. Was going to go healthy for dessert, but the peaches had gone nasty. White ones tend to really quick for some reason. Anyhow, that just meant some of that groovy awesome cake. Layers upon layers, was my lunch.

Then I've been cruising the Otaku USA forums, and people keep mentioning deepdiscount.com. I now know why. WITNESS, as I lose all semblance of frugality (but when am I frugal?) to shell out (shell out...come now it's a mere) 30 dollars and change for the ENTIRE SECOND HALF of Gundam Wing. When I STARTED collecting this show (the first disc was the first anime DVD I ever bought...in fact it may have been the first DVD I ever bought, period) each single volume was that much!! Now I'm getting five for that price. It's ridiculous. I'm so excited :D

In addition to spending minor amounts of money on major amounts of anime, I've also been considering just up and buying a Wii if I can find one. This is a basic business expense, the way I see it. I mean, I should quit relying on my friends to lend me their next-gen toys so I can get my job done. Technically, I probably shouldn't have taken this particular job in the first place, but where there's a will, there's a way? I dunno. I just got my first check from IDG (huzzah!), so I feel like that's a reason to celebrate.

...

Craigslistin'...

There was a weekend in there, somewhere, too

Saturday was an indoors game playing, forum refreshing kind of day. The boy got into some old DOS games. I was not so keen on cleaning or anything, but I did do a bunch of dishes, and so did the boy (after we got all the dishes dirty again making gyuudon.)

Sunday, my friend my Santa Cruz drove up for the afternoon. We met at a Thai place on polk for some tasty foods and then had a wander up to North Beach/the wharf. Checked out the Barnes & Noble where they had IN STOCK a bunch of Otaku USA issues. We geeked out about comics and I drank some really good cinniminuminuniuminin tea. Then we huffed it back up the hill (and down) to the apt where we took in some of that cake I made and the pilot episode of The Adventures of Brisco County Jr..

I knew Ian was pretty into this show so it was good to finally get a taste. The feature length pilot is pretty much set-up material, I guess, but of course you still get an excellent feel for the goofy tone they're undertaking. I've never really watched any Westerns before, but this seems totally accessible. I sort of wonder if there are nods I will miss later on, but from what I've seen so far it's completely enjoyable on its own merits. Of course, what I've seen so far is liable to be all I see unless I find someone on hand to borrow the DVDs from.

Speaking of watching DVDs (and reading manga?) I'm feeling sort of driven lately. I want to get into it (again.) There are a lot of things I want to do...

Particularly, I'd like to get this blog over with and play a game or something. I'm more likely to continue my aimless net wandering and finish this tea, though. Time management. Damn.

There is no reason for being away right now...

I got up a little after seven after being up until almost two. What the hell is the point in that? Obviously I enjoy having time to screw around in the morning, but I'm TIRED. The whole reason I got to bed so late was that I was tired, but not tired enough, and now I'm having the same problem. Too awake to lie there, but still sleepy...

Been researching digital voice recorders finally. Ever since my Austin experience I've been wishing I would've had one. Then again, it's probably really rude to have a recorder going during dinner anyhow, and that was where all the good stuff was getting said...

*shops around...*

Yeah, getting a digital recorder would be a whole new can of worms.

*shrug shrug*

Oh yeah-- my new job

I guess this is as good a time as any. Remember how I said it would be really cool to write for Otaku USA? Well, now I do! Funny story!

Actually it's really SHORT. All I did was comment really lamely on the myspace page and, of course, the nature of comments is such that it's still there if anyone is curious exactly what was said. Patrick, the editor-in-chief, mailed me back right away saying that he'd love to have me write for them.

*_* O_O X_X :D ^_^ @_@ !_!

You can imagine how I felt at that moment.

Anyways, I was going to say anything until issue two actually came out, but that's a long ways away and I might as well let everyone know early so they know to camp the bookstores when it hits in August. The submission date is sometime next week and I should have at least a couple things in. I'll be doing primarily game section stuff, (reviews, etc) but most exciting is that I'm in cahoots with the section editor planning cool stuff. We'll see how it goes.

Cake

This morning I got up and made the cake I didn't have time to make yesterday. German Chocolate for the boy's birthday. Pretty no sweat. I used semi-sweet chocolate instead of sweet, just because we had more than two bags of chips in the cupboard. Also ran out of regular white sugar and had to switch to brown for the last half a cup, which was also required for the frosting, although we had dark rather than light. Despite these couple of compromises, it turned out deliciously. And huge. Anyone in the neighborhood can maybe stop by for some cake if you let me know first.

Work was pretty standard today, although I did start talking with a fellow I've seen around a couple times before, but never chatted with before. Apparently he's been cashiering for a couple different Nijiya branches on and off for four years. Recently joined up at the J-town spot. Seems nice. Also, one of the managers is quitting to move to LA. Sort of a bummer, because he was always very glad when the store closed up for the night. Obviously not so keen on the job, kind of like me. Oh well.

Oh! I have this thing I keep thinking about blogging and never do. I think I will now:

Sometimes there are barcodes that can't be immediately read by the scanner because they lie under a fold in the packaging. Like the tabby overlapping part of a plastic wrapper that you pull while holding the other side to open it. Anyways, rather than punch in the number, which you may or may not be able to read anyways, it's faster to bend the flap back so the full code is exposed. Except it feels sort of...dirty. I mean, you do it, but it feels wrong to be taking action with a package that isn't your own and making motions that would normally lead to it opening and the food coming out, going into your mouth etc. Every time I spread that plastic I feel a little twinge of guilt...

Anyhow, after work came back and had some cereal with banana in it. We've been watching Monty Python stuff and tried some of that awesome cake. I even put candles in! 11, for 2 and 9. Made a smiley face.

Boy, though, it's been a long week. So bushed!

MATCHA!

Went out to the Asian Art Museum last night to catch the first of the year's MATCHA! parties. Was hoping I could drag the entire live-action club with me, but instead most of them stuck to the regular schedule and watched Game Center CX and Kurosagi. Actually, I've been meaning to blog about that for quite a while, and just haven't yet. This week was our...fourth week? Third? Something like that, and I still haven't mentioned it. Shame!

Thankfully, our organizer burned me a copy of the night's episodes, so I won't fall behind. Hopefully bringing my promised snack foods next week will make everyone feel better.

Anyhow, the museum! I bummed around by myself for a while, listening to DJ Tonk, which was good stuff. Poked my head into the Manga lounge they have set up. Lots of, well, manga, but also toys and other books in there. Fun place. Also caught bits of the how-to manga workshops while wandering in between the halls.

The Tezuka exhibit itself I saved until Jenn showed up and we meandered through enjoying the prints and pre-printing sheets. Since were a bit late for the tour by Fred Schodt, author of a new book on Astro Boy, we ended up sort of following in the wake of that huge group, occasionally eaves-dropping on whatever he was saying. It was probably more relaxing to go at our own pace, anyhow.

Until we rushed at the end so we could make it to the "100 manga magazines in 20 Minutes" presentation by Jason Thompson (manga editor of Otaku USA). From what I could hear of it, he did a decent job, but unfortunately the mic and acoustics were pretty fuzzy. Lots of cool covers on PowerPoint display, though, and he brought a big stack of crazy thick volumes for the audiences perusal post-talk.

After the festivities, Jenn and I got lost on our way to Ryoko's, despite it being in our neighborhood (I don't walk down Taylor so often.) Great sushi. I ordered a roll of hamachi and Jenn decided I had to experience the Volcano, tempura jalapeño and shrimp, cucumber (if I remember correctly)...uhm...were there tobiko? But MOST IMPORTANTLY peanut butter. It's a crazy crazy roll, but one that is delicious as long as you don't get a bite with tooooo much spice. We also got a tiger roll with tempura shrimp, cucumber, and mayo, which yeah, was a lot of tempura shrimp, but it was ok because I had sorta been jonesin' for some anyhow. Topped everything off with a spot of Nigori and a cup of the best green tea I've ever had.

All in all a rockin' evening. Would've been better with the boy, but we will have plenty of opportunity to do birthday celebrating and other fun things this glorious weekend, at least before Sunday when Ian comes. Although maybe I can get him to hang with me and Ian for dinner or something *shrug shrug*

Oww

I totally just pulled a muscle in my back carrying groceries back to the apt. Milk is a full run in itself. I should just learn that. Don't try to carry both gallons plus all the other stuff. This is a good tip.

Links update

Yeah, I took out a lot of stuff. I also added some. We'll pretend I actually pay very close attention to all of them.

Ha!

Coming soon

- my new job
- The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
- a kanken DS game (via my 1up blog)

Until any of these things actually show up, though, I'm way too busy to actually write them. Lots to do! I kinda wanted to do it tonight, but I'm realizing that even the simplest one I want to do more with, so they will be projects.

Wheeeeeeee!

What we already knew

Well I just got back from meeting with Shin. So much stress! I feel bad, because he's really cool, but I get so nervous I barely say anything. It's HARD to speak Japanese.

Mostly I have problems with the ends of sentences, which coincidentally, IS THE ENTIRE SENTENCE. If you fade off at the end of a Japanese sentence, you are losing quite a bit of the point. I need to figure out a way to drill the ends of my sentences into familiarity. Whether something is supposed to happen, did happen, will happen, I heard to have happened, I think may have happened, somebody told me happened etc. And then don't even start talking to me about particles. Shin said I should work on that. That "da" on it's own pretty much never sounds natural. I can totally understand that. It's not so much that I think it sounds natural as that I have problems with ending sentences.

Oh well, at least I can admit it. Something to focus on, I guess.

～てき adjectives

I've always been meaning to start a list of these.

効果的　effective, successful
具体的 concrete, tangible, definite
一般的 popular, typical, general
基本的 fundamental, standard, basic

All な, by the way.

These pop up all over. The "teki" is...I guess sort of like "ish" in that it's an ending that makes things an adjective. I guess this is all I can come up with off the top of my head, but maybe we'll make this an ongoing series. They seriously spring up all over.

A NEW AND WONDERFUL JAPANESE WORD

三つぞろい

It means THREE PIECE SUIT. How cool is that? そろい is the general term for "suit" or "uniform." I wonder which wearing verb you use for it.

Anyhow, obviously trying to make this crazy study thing fun. Been reviewing the genki books and working on the intermediate stuff like I planned. Not entirely sure what I'm doing, but hopefully it'll work out ok. Gonna go through the kanji book and go through the vocab and stuff in the textbook and see if keeping it separate like that will work. Although it's always easier to learn kanji for words you actually know rather than try to learn MORE new words with new kanji. It's a problem I've probably mentioned before. I'm not sure how to avoid it because if you tried to learn the kanji for every new word you learned you would be sunk almost instantly. Far too many to move at such a pace, and if you didn't move at such a pace, your vocab would barely grow at all...

Not that we don't forget everything anyways.

And of course just as I really get going it's going to be time to leave. I didn't have time to read. I didn't have time to play Dungeon Runners or anything else or watch a cartoon. I guess I washed the dishes, took out the trash, and did a load of laundry, but that all seems so pointless. It happens ALL THE TIME so it's hardly an accomplishment. I hate hate HATE taking time away from stuff that is either important to me and/or fun to do things I dislike for money. It's also become very frustrating again to apply for jobs I don't want because I feel like maybe soon MAYBE just MAYYYYYYYBE a job will open up that I DO want and then I will be screwed into screwing someone else over. I hate thinking about this stuff and I was trying not to and just have a relaxing morning before wasting my afternoon, but dammit I can't help but be in a crappy mood about SOMEthing, it seems like.

ほらほら

Yay, thanks to the boy suggesting we look in the bag that I had decided was full of wires for the disc, it was found. Now I have Japanese on my new computer. Now I just have to study...

Or screw off and blog more.

Guess what I got?

My copy of the first issue of Otaku USA! It's read and reported on, but if you're too lazy to click through for the full story, it's a good buy.

Funny, I went to Kinokuniya on the way to work the other day to reserve my copy, since it was supposed to be out June 5. When I asked, though, the man at the check-out told me they didn't carry it. Was wandering back towards Nijiya when all of the sudden I hear he's flagging me down with a copy of the magazine, "We do have it!" So I asked if I could have it set aside, which seemed to confuse him. He sold it to me right then and there!!

Anyways, awesome stuff. Looking forward to seeing the cool kaiju movies they mentioned, and DEFINITELY double-psyched for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya at anime club this week, having read their spot and gaining more of an idea of what it's about.

I was even inspired to watch the original Highlander after reading their bit on the new anime version (no shit.) The boy said it's not as good as it was 20 years ago (so I'm a little sad to have tainted his good memories) but it was still pretty good. I can see how any possible sequels would be pretty lame, because I mean..."there can be only one." Seems to apply to the plot as well as the position. Ultimate power, yee-haw.

I like that there's a reason for the sword-fighting in jeans besides just looking cool, but I was pretty mad that that bastard evil guy couldn't wait until "The Gathering" to kill Ramirez. I guess if you think about this movie just enough it makes sense. I liked it. Showing it's age isn't such a bad thing, either.

Anyways, enough disorganized rambling about THAT. The point was the magazine rocks. Read it and tell your friends! Seriously wish I could bust into their games section. I would also be way up for writing up the limited edition of The Taste of Tea when it arrives, but I bet if they were going to cover that they would've done it this issue (August.) Now just gotta wait for the website to launch! If what they say is true it sounds like it will almost be something like a 1Up for J-freaks :D

My Lack of Progress (j/k...but seriously)

June
July
August

12 weeks.

Areas:

Reading - textbook stuff, webpages, raw and instructional (outloud) videogames
Writing - exercises, get a Japanese penpal, maybe...
Listening - watching anime/live-action stuff, podcasts, instructional CDs
Speaking - with Shin, possibly others

Start every study session with a chapter of genki for review, just perusal

Just need more time management. Not so much aimless wandering. Know what you want to read/study/do and do it.

Textbook for grammar and some vocab.
Online stuff/conversation for ther vocab.
Kanji via vocab/jlpt lists...videogame

order of how you learn kanji does not matter anymore...just use the book you have and go straight through it, 10 a week...

uhm

*cry*

---

That's about how far I got today in planning. I looked at a chapter of genki and was appalled to realize that I still don't have the most basic counters down solidly. Japanese numbers do suck, but you'd think after all these years...

I am very easily discouraged.

Still very unsure of how to approach everything, but I think I've decided that there is just no way to learn Kanji at the rate of vocabulary so it just doesn't matter how you learn them, just that you do. So I'm going to just use the book. I think I mentioned that above.

And the game that I still haven't learned how to use.

I guess other kanji I will just look up. Or something.

There is no one true method. This saddens me. I am a big fan of true methods. But then there aren't any. Just wishful thinking.

Laziness.

I have to get out of here because if I don't go to the post office today I will seriously hate myself.

EDIT: OH yeah, and I have this huge problem called, "I DON'T HAVE THE FUCKING XP DISCS CUZ IT CAME PRELOADED ON MY MACHINE." Someone PLEASE help me get East Asian Language support. I can't even surf right, much less IME. I don't even have Office, though, so that's probably impossible. I feel absolutely fucked.

Everyone is kindly directed to...

go look at my huge photo collection with commentary:

RICHARD GARRIOTT'S HOUSE

He's the creator the Ultima series, as well as the executive producer of the upcoming MMO, Tabula Rasa. Very interesting fellow. Has some awesome hobbies (space travel, deep sea diving, automatons, dead things, etc.)

CHECK IT OUT :D

Shi-a-wa-se~!

Just met with Shin after taking a few weeks off. He went on this awesome hostel trip around the south us, stopped off in Mexico, etc. Sounds really fun. We talked about a bunch of stuff and I got really excited about my trip this September. Actually started investigating the possibility of doing a homestay for like a month. Go for all of September, meet up with the boy and the 1Up people for TGS. Sounds pretty ideal. I would miss the boy a ton while I was gone, but it's a really great way to do it, I think. Definitely cheaper than a hotel.

Anyways, I got really excited. Trying to think of how to plan everything. Really shouldn't though. Shouldn't even be blogging. I've putzed around for almost an hour when I have a TON of work to do.

Gotta get going on that stuff...

XD

The quick pre-stupid blog attack

Well, I needed to say SOMETHING before slouching off for an afternoon of boredom and handling other people's money.

I'm snacking on (really) old candy before I go. Read a bunch of comics this morning as I haven't checked up in weeks. Was thinking about how I'm going to actually read LOTR now that I have finished Black Swan Green.

I liked that book. Had a lot of character, which, I guess novels need that, but the kid in the book just seemed very real. Everyone can probably think of a kid who may or may not have been just like him. It's also interesting to read about the '80s. I still don't know much about the '80s. Can't decide if reading about it made them seem closer or further away.

Been really into baked sweet potatoes lately. So tasty and good for you at the same time. That said, I still like candy.

And sushi. The other day at work they had neither small water bottles nor Alaska roll. Instead I drank tap water (which luckily had some degree of coldness to it that day) and Spicy Tuna which I would not recommend from our establishment, as it was not very good and sort of yucky.

Well, now it seems that I am just wasting time while not yet completely pressing my luck.

Between being insecure about my writing and not being able to get any volume out of the tape for this transcription assignment, the morning seems to have been a bit of a let-down. Since the afternoon will consist of mostly pawing the change compartments and asking whether people would like chopsticks, it's not likely to make me feel much better. Luckily I can look forward to Monty Python's Flying Circus this evening courtesy of our Netflix account (whose existence is being mulled over as we speak since we don't use it nearly as much as we should. I think we're finally going to give up on Ultraman, though. Might be better to just get some movies.)

Uh...other than that, I mean besides just really not wanting to go to work because there are plenty of things to be done around here...

and realizing that I just forgot to go the post office again and it's getting a little ridiculous...

I don't have much to say.

Resolution #...errm...many

So this Friday I'm designing (and implementing) a summer J-study schedule. Not that "summer" actually means anything anymore besides, well, it doesn't even really mean that hot of weather because San Francisco is so breezy. Basically it means the months of June-August. I'm going to set some goals and try to actually meet them. For realz.

Not coincidentally, September is the Tokyo Game Show, which I am attending this year courtesy of my Dad and whatever cash I can scrounge up between loan payments and, you know, being alive. And new anime magazines... And...yeah. So, Japan on a budget, but nonetheless Japan. Probably the best way to do it anyhow, as usual.

The POINT is that maybe my Japanese will magically be whipped into shape this summer with a combination of concentrated effort and screwing off with Japanese friends. I have some of those, right? Well...sort of!

So yeah, my blog will keep me accountable ;D You read it here. I'm starting on Friday, so expect some updates as long as I don't start sucking before then.

Ack...damn...butter

I'm trying not to freak out because I just realized that a LONG time ago (like two sticks ago with two to go) I bought the WRONG kind of butter. Like...a kind you just shouldn't eat because one little tablespoon which shouldn't be sooooooooo bad contains 37% of the saturated fat of your entire day.

As if that in itself isn't bad enough, I spread that tablespoon on an English muffin and had it for breakfast with an Instant Breakfast shake in 2% milk. That brings my total up to like...over half, for the entire day. I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE ANY BACON OR ANYTHING >_<

I know I worry about food too much, but this is just distressing. I don't put butter on stuff that often, but I kinda like it sometimes. This butter is just plain creepy, though. God, I didn't want freakin' sweet cream. I thought that was just some brand descriptor to make me want to buy it more : / Didn't realize it was an evil subset of butter bent on making me feel guilty.

Yeah, I worry about food a lot.

Even more lately. I dunno what's wrong with me. I should just quit thinking about it, but I'll post this so you can all make fun of me.

The Last Shopping

Well, I pre-ordered my movie. Snagged the limited edition plus a used copy of Nobody Knows for the amount it would've cost me to get just the limited edition set elsewhere. Expensivewhere. Was 2004 just a kickass year for Japanese cinema? Are they still making awesome movies like this?

Anyways, I'm pretty psyched. Unfortunately, this is going to have to mark the end of me buying fun things...forever. Or at least until I'm either 51 or have a high paying full-time job : / June is near at hand and that means loans. Loans loans loans. And groceries. And laundry. This is how my hard-earned cash will be spent. Maybe if I start a penny jar I can buy a manga or something once in a while *sniff*

*sigh* Am I a spoiled brat?

Today we made curry and it tasted pretty good. Yeah, went with the curry. I'm glad we did. Just have to think of something to do with the yam noodles. We also have eggs and things for tomorrow's breakfast, which I'm happy about.

Uhmmmmmm, gonna play more MMOs now.

AHHHHHHH

FINALLY! The Taste of Tea will be out on July 3 and if I'm feeling rich I can splurge on the limited edition!!!! YES YES YES OH SO EXCITED!!!!!

Can't decide what to make for dinner

Nevermind that it's not anywhere near lunchtime yet.

I bought the stuff (albeit the wrong type of potato) to make nikujaga, a Japanese stew. Now that I think of it, though, curry sounds really good. It sounds better by the minute. All the ingredients are interchangeable except for the yam noodles, so I could just screw the yam noodles and buy curry roux.

I guess we'll just wait and see what happens. Or we could do the pork and tofu thing I've been wanting to try.

For some reason I feel like this weekend will not be much of one. I have a lot of work and a lot of cleaning. Presumably there will be Outer Heaven tonight, and no doubt we'll MAKE time for MMOs where there wasn't any before, but...*shrug* It doesn't help that it's SUPPOSED to be a three day weekend, and yet I work on Monday because Nijiya works straight through Memorial Day...

Hobby Time

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed as all of my interests JOSTLE VIOLENTLY for my attention. The cookbooks in the cupboard above the fridge raising a horrible clamor now that the dishes are mostly clean, and especially after my recent escapades (for example, yesterday's awesome eggy-polenta-cheese-turkey sausage stack, mango arugula salad lunch) in Whole Foods.

It's one of those grocery stores you can spend an hour in just wandering around looking at the deli, the cereal aisle, the cheese...spread (XD), the bakery. It's not that I pay so much mind about organicity (coinage time!) or herbal remedies or toothpaste that isn't ADA approved (although some of them are...), I just like interesting foods that vary my diet because varying your diet is healthy! (So is attempting to avoid fried rice at anime club, but it's MORE effective when it actually works...) I think we're having a shopping trip this weekend, but we shouldn't need to buy beef because there will be plenty of beef to buy when Nijiya has their meat sale day on Tuesday (next.)

Speaking of things Japanese, however, there lies a whole other frenzy. Otaku USA, with this fellow (whose blog I started reading originally because I liked the name), apparently comes to A STORE NEAR ME June 5. I'm very excited about this. I'm still meaning to get back into the swing. It was always frustrating in high school to read descriptions about awesome anime and manga that I would probably never see, and it still probably will be, but it's still just as interesting. And, I mean, if it's anything like his blog, it should be quite entertaining.

But yeah, my anime DVDs may just start leaping out of my CD cases into my computer and DEMAND to be seen. Cheaper import mangas tease me from Kinokuniya "If only you were fluent! But maybe we could be decent practice! You'll never know unless you tryyyyy..." but I have bills to pay and MMOs to play!

How many am I playing now? City of Heroes/Villains, Lord of the Rings Online, Lineage II, Dungeon Runners (shortly) and as soon as possible Tabula Rasa? It's all very good experience and fun to boot, but when does that leave me time to read up so my writing improves? Or try to think of features to pitch to The Escapist, since apparently that's what you want to do if you really want to write about video games (which I do, all localization aspirations aside--and they kind of sauntering over there.)

It's all very exciting, but it's also all very time and money intensive. And Odin Sphere shipped yesterday :D And I'm really enjoying Black Swan Green. Annnnnd I'm supposed to be looking up stuff about some movie tie-in games. BUT DON'T FORGET TO GO TO WORK AT 3 AND CASHIER YOUR EVENING AWAY!!!

Oh, btw

I graduated college on Saturday. I kinda forgot until a package from my mom showed up with a card and a nifty desk decoration of a frosted globe urging me to "Take on the world." I called to thank her and realized that it was, in fact, May 19th, the date of my ceremony. Bet no one missed me. I think I only know one person who was graduating. Should maybe look him up and say "gratz" or something. Unless that's too WoW.

toothy dreamin'

I had a dream last night that was somewhat disturbing where I chipped one of my front teeth. I think it was the bottom left middle one (from the viewer's perspective) and really it was more of a slab than a chip that came off. Hurt real bad, but I did my best to keep up appearances by leaving the broken hunk rest in there, trying not to squish it around with my tongue. Blargh. One of those dreams where you wake up and have to poke around your mouth to make sure you're not really broken.

Anyways, I guess I was about due for one of those. Haven't had a crummy tooth dream in a while.

Serbia won and other news

No one knows how. Yadda yadda. Germany didn't even make top ten, or twelve, or much of anything. Oh well. Was still interesting. I don't really have much else to say besides that. In fact, I don't have much else to say at all since I'm going to be posting about my NEW COMPUTER in my other blog later. Since of course, new computer means GAMES. Pretty games. Running. At speeds that aren't reminiscent of molasses.

I have a couple assignments to finish up before I head out for Austin on Wednesday, and of course there is this afternoon's requisite cashiering activities. Whatever.

The house is almost clean! I'm not sure how our new arrangement will work out yet, but I'll probably post pictures later so you can all get a taste of how...interesting...it will be.

In the meantime I'm planning on finishing The Odyssey before I head out so I can take an actual book with me. Reading on a computer is grand and all, but it doesn't provide the oh-so-important BREAK FROM THE COMPUTER that reading a book does. It's also not as portable, at least in my new and fancy case.

Probably going to finally get around to some books I've had stacked up for a while, although I really want to read LOTR. I think I have a good idea of the order I'll go in, though. Now that that history book is out of my hair for a few weeks I'll have some time for novels. I need a novel.

Anyone have any ideas what I should download to trick out my new PC? OBVIOUSLY already surfing on Firefox. Got AIM (5.9), was going to get Yahoo IM, but they have a new in browser thing that I may just keep using, although can someone tell me how to change my avatar? That fakey me I made years ago is looking pretty lame, not to mention inaccurate. Should probably get Winamp, too, huh. I dunno. Let's have some ideas.

Eurovision Semi-Final Results and What's On This Afternoon

Ok, Catz, Eurovision is upon us, whether we have an apt clean enough to have a party or not. Regardless of who will surround you while you watch/ignore the blessed event, the link for the stream can be found on the front page of the website. You have to download some sort of shitty plug-in, but probably you can get rid of it as soon as the show is over, so don't be too put off.

I didn't watch the semi-final, but I'm pretty pissed off at the Final line-up. Only half of my top ten to watch made it, as follows:

Sweden - THE ARK - The Worrying Kind (top ten last year)
Romania - TODOMONDO - Liubi, Liubi, I Love You (top ten last year)
Ukraine - VERKA SERDUCHKA - Dancing Lasha Tumbai (top ten last year)
France - LES FATALS PICARDS - L'amour a la Francaise (big four)
Germany - ROGER CICERO - Frauen Regier'n Die Welt (big four)

I would have much rather seen...well, my top five, or maybe Andorra in there somehow. You'll also notice that none of these countries were ones who got in based on merit in the Semi-Finals, which were held this past Thursday night. In fact, they didn't even have to compete and were skipped straight to the finals based on the parenthetical remarks I included.

Having youtubed the semi-finals performances of Belgium, Switzerland, and Israel, I'm really not sure what was so bad about their shows. They have awesome songs, and not many Eurovision performances can be called flawless. Oh well...

The ten that qualified from the semi-finals were:

# 03. Belarus
# 06. FYR Macedonia
# 07. Slovenia
# 08. Hungary
# 11. Georgia
# 14. Latvia
# 17. Serbia
# 21. Bulgaria
# 22. Turkey
# 24. Moldova

So we'll see them, along with the five I mentioned, and a few others in about a half hour!!

Free breakfast

That was nice. They give you a stamp card at the cafe, and I've been eating there so often that my breakfast was free (aside from tip, which I always give because they poach my eggs.)

Well, today is Friday. My 1Up blog pretty much covered what's been going on lately. Unfortunately Eurovision has managed to sneak up on me in the meantime, so the party that we had sort of planned for tomorrow will totally not happen. Not a big deal. Maybe I'll watch while we clean, but then again we may not even have a computer hooked up to stream from if we're rearranging our house. Since we're out at a birthday thing tonight I doubt it will get done before then. Hum.

Nijiya is going to be upset about next week. I have this feeling I'm going to have to make a thousand phone calls and get people to work for me, if that's even possible. I guess it's fair that that should be my responsibility, but I don't want to do it. I just want to tell them I won't be there, but that's probably shitty.

Alexandria Cafe

Not the one downtown, the one on Pine. The one I've become an accidental regular at since I found out they will poach eggs for you. You get two eggs, two wheat toasts, and fruit salad for 5 bucks. I call that a deal.

The first time I went there I had falafel and it was ok if I recall. Today I wanted something refreshing and Mediterranean for lunch, so I thought yeah, hummus, awesomeness, etc. Went over there. Told them I wanted something with hummus and veggies. They suggested an eggplant wrap and I decided to just say what the hell WHICH I shouldn't have because the thing I got was warm and soggy instead of cool and crisp. A little disappointed. Also, maybe I don't like exactly LIKE eggplant, although I didn't think previously that I had a problem with it. Maybe it's just eggplant with this particular blend of spices and the warmth and the sogginess that did it. Luckily it came with some salad which was cooler and crisper, so that redeemed it slightly. I'll have to be more careful next time.

OR JUST BUY HUMMUS AND VEGGIES AND CRUD FROM THE GROCERY STORE.

The end.

All my life these past couple of weeks

Well, outside of a fantastic amount of LOTRO, I actually have been up to some interesting things. LAST weekend, we ended up out at a b-day party in the park on Sunday freezing our brains out. Ok, maybe just my brains. Everyone admired my purple lips and then we went to Jeremy's house to check out some Odin Sphere. Holy crap, Odin Sphere. I can't wait for that game. Looks really hardcore and I'm not sure if I'll really be able to play it, but I'm gonna try.

Last week anime club was really great. We watched more Bubblegum Crisis, Kaleido Star, and then checked out the ONE subtitled episode of Game Center CX we could find, where he played some hideous Transformers game. Also featured was Oruchuban Ebichu, about a housekeeping hamster with a dopey working chick owner who has the sleaziest boyfriend on the planet. Doesn't keep them from having tons of explicit sex though, well, I mean not his sleaziness. It's the hamster that sees to interrupting.

Did another Fury preview, this time for GamePro. Not sure when my stuff will go up there, as I haven't even filled out the paperwork yet.

UHM...Then I guess we can skip to this past weekend because I can't remember what else happened last week. There was one week where I went to this overtly vegetarian restaurant with Marc. Had the Spicy Gourmet Chicken, which was very good at first, like...while we were eating it, but then later I had this horrid fake meat aftertaste that I couldn't get rid of, even after brushing my teeth. I did like their fried banana done crepey style, though. I think I would go back and just not order anything with fake meat. If I want meat I will just eat meat. That said, there's nothing wrong with tofu and veggies once in a while.

So this past weekend we had a great Saturday out in the Sunset eating Japanese food. Had lunch at Kitchen Kura which I see has very mixed yelp reviews. I for one, thought it was great. Had katsu curry. I haven't had tonkatsu since probably Paris, so it was DELICIOUS. The curry sauce was also wonderful, although there was a curious absence of potatoes and carrots with a curious presence of beef. Thumbs down on the salad dressing, but everything else was great. I would definitely go back there.

Between lunch and dinner the boy and I went to Amoeba to look for a record his dad wanted a copy of. No success, but then we e-bayed one, so it turned out ok. Unfortunately some jerk pushed the price up a bit on us, but it wasn't outrageous or anything. Also lounged in the park, took a stroll down Haight street, etc. What else do you do in the Haight? I mean besides sell pot if that's your thing. The "nugget" guys outside McDonald's are always good for a laugh.

Dinner we had at the awesomely awesome awesome Goemon. In fact, we had stopped at this place the night of that b-day party, and I resolved to return the following weekend (being this past one.) Ordered...what did we order? Oh, just a sushi combo. No rolls this time, well that's not true, it came with a California roll, but it always bugs me when restaurants throw in a California roll with everything. It's like super sizing. Why do I need that roll? I just want my nigiri! Heh, anyways, I got the combo because I wanted the salad and soup. The miso there was unlike any I had ever had, with onion (not green) and my friends even got carrot or something! (The carrot was given to me as compensation for the lack in the curry at lunch.) Anyways, freaking awesome sushi. Also had some tempura which I haven't had in ages, very crunchy, golden, tasty shrimp. So I guess all in all it was the day of Japanese fried foods I haven't had lately, with some fish rice and salad and curry lol but it was so awesome.

Came home and watched John Carpenter's The Thing and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. Enjoyed the latter more than the former, not that The Thing wasn't a good movie, just that it was a bit gory for my tastes. Ok, a lot gory. Very fucking gory. I watched the whole thing, though, so pretty soon I will be a horror movie pro. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi was the perfect come down, though. Soooo adorable. I love old cartoons.

Yesterday was just sort of a hang-around day. Very hot out. There was ice cream and steak etc. I'm playing mana games like gangbusters to get ready for the podcast tomorrow. I hope I will be able to say witty and intelligent things *_* Children is much better than Sword, I can say that much. Dawn just kinda sucks, even in its prettiness. 2 is the best, although one is charming as hell and 3 is respectable. Need to try my hand at some Legend before tomorrow. I guess maybe tomorrow morning. In fact, tomorrow all day before the podcast I could play that if I wanted. It's not like tomorrow is MONDAY or some crud like that where I have to go cashier for half my life.

*grumble*

Well, we'll see how that goes...

Doesn't do any good to worry about it all weekend. And there are so many OTHER things to worry about, like the disappearance of any foreign language talent I may have possessed! I'm pretty much at wit's end here. I think I just have to force myself to study. If you want to learn Japanese, you study. That's all there is to it, I guess. I mean, alternatively you could plunk yourself down in Japan and muddle through it, but you'd still have to study. STUDYING. It's just boring alone, and it's intimidating with a native, and it takes time that I haven't had much of recently, but that is the most bullshit excuse.

I guess I just have to figure out what I really want. I found a job on craigslist today to proofread Japanese/Chinese-->English translations. 2-10 pm at least 20 hours a week, something like that. Doesn't sound fun, or interesting, or even instructive. I'm sure that must be how you get into the translation industry, though. I don't even care anymore. I think I'd rather write, get better at writing, someday hopefully rock at writing. Dunno what I'm suited for anymore, really.

Not satisfied with the review I wrote. Never am, but since it's my first one I think I made it a little too previewy/explainy. We'll have to see what the editor says. It's hard to balance explaining the game and critiquing the game. You have to explain it to critique it. I don't feel very competent at especially the latter, right now.

Yes, yes, it looks like emo time has come to The Syntactic Forest once more. What do we do about this state? What is life supposed to mean? When people smarter than me are lost in it, then I don't really feel like I stand a chance. Kind of like writing.

When I was a kid I thought I would be published by 18. That was my goal. I was going to write some fucking novel and be like those other kids who write books, not that I wanted to be like them, but the comparison would've been inevitable because I would rock. Instead I wrote a lot of crap that never got finished because it didn't have a plot and then pretty much...did other stuff. Like crappy schoolwork and later crappy college stuff. I cannot emphasize how much of a waste college was. I feel like I deserve a do-over, "but there are no do-overs in life." How stupid, this whole thing. (That said, we all know I don't REALLY want a do-over. It would fuck up the whole REST of my life, which, honestly, I guess if I had the choice I'd rather keep the fucked up half the half that it is, because the good half right now is really good.)

Really, though, if I don't learn Japanese it's my own fucking fault. If you want to make time, you just make time. Obviously there are some things right now that I'm considering more important than studying, such as...everything, apparently.

(Side note: I'm giving up on my vocab blog. I'm sick of pretending I'm going to post there regularly.)

If I want to play and write about video games, then I can do that. I mean, obviously, I can do that. I'm doing it right now, almost as we speak. In fact, by the time you read this, I probably will be. There's nothing wrong with it. I don't have some ultimate fucking destiny to do eikaiwa or translation, or anything else. I just expect myself to follow through with ideas I have, sometimes, even after things have clearly gone in other directions and that's stupid.

Sometimes I feel like maybe Japanese is one of those things that I don't need to follow through on. I mean, I certainly don't NEED to, I don't have to. It's not required, but it's a perk for the job, and it SHOULD be fun. It should be fun to learn a language. In high school I was having fun with it.

Anyways, I need a plan, but I don't want to be some sort of time management nazi. Drawing little boxes for your life is stupid. I know I'm the sort of person who likes to have a framework and times for things and I like being on time, yadda, but I also think that's pretty lame, to have everything scheduled. I guess that's why I haven't started saying, "Ok, wake up at 8, Japanese till 10, then check e-mail/fuck off for an hour, read history for an hour, lunch, flskdjflsdkfj" Maybe I should just do that. Or maybe I should just be intelligent enough to do those things without drawing it up on a piece of paper stuck to the fridge. You know? YOU KNOW?

I just want to accomplish things. I want to learn Japanese. Obviously it's important to me or I wouldn't be having this whole pathetic rant. If it were an outdated goal, I wouldn't find it so hard to just drop it. I would be able to eventually work my way around to realizing that I honestly didn't care. I do care! GOD.

I wish I had someone to care with. Just one person, or two. Would make it so much better. I don't want to join a huge social group. I want a serious study session. Can't seem to find it. Oh well. Screw this, I should start enjoying my weekend before it's over and I have to go back to work.

PS - I should quit work.

Yes, hello.

With a well fed stat bonus I go forth to battle!!

To write my review!

I don't have time to blog.

Hmm

The story is pretty much the same as usual. Yesterday I managed to get LOTRO working, so I'm doing that all day today, probably, with short breaks. We're having Chinese food with Marc tonight, which is good, since I haven't seen him in quite a while.

Other than that I'm feeling a little weird because I finally e-mailed AMITY and told them I wouldn't be attending the interview this Saturday. I guess it's weird because it's what I always thought I would do, what I was really excited about doing, etc, etc. But now I just have other stuff I want to do. Rather than leading a Japan life teaching English, I will live a San Francisco life writing about video games. Either one is great, but this one is here and rockin' already, getting better, even.

Anyways, *shrug*

Hesfrid on Brandywine if anyone is playing LOTRO.

The Today Things

So...I'm sitting here having eaten lunch thinking I should do some laundry. It's about 12:30. I'm waiting anxiously for a package to arrive via FedEx. It contains my first assignment for my new freelance job at GamePro.com. The beta is already on our machine here at the apt, and it doesn't work very well. We've fallen victim to a rather common-seeming bug that they're apparently having trouble fixing. Somehow I doubt having a retail copy will fix the problem, but maybe it is worth a shot. Maybe.

The other trick to this is that FedEx is probably the sort of delivery service liable to not actually deliver anything unless the recipient is present. Hopefully they read the note about the buzzer being broken and call my cell phone. Otherwise I won't even be able to fill out my contract.

In any case, that brings the job total to three. I'm going to stick with the grocery store for a little while, just to see how things go. Yesterday I was feeling like maybe I should just do all three and make money. I was so excited to maybe quit the store, though. Still want to.

I should really get to that laundry. Then I suppose while I wait for that, and the package that containing the game that may not work, and for it to be time for anime club later, I can read a book or translate a thing about the Crystal Chronicles game for DS. Or play Dragon Warrior. Or something. I should maybe go to the bank, too, but that can wait until tomorrow. We do, however, need milk.

In other, more exciting, news, the boy and I ordered my new computer last night. I'm trying not to think about it because it's not going to ship for quite a while.

3 weeks

I renewed The History of the World for the third time this morning. I think that will probably be the last time they will let me without returning it for a while or something first...not exactly sure how that goes. Anyhow, I have it until May 13. That's about 21 days and I have about 23 chapters to go. Or about 527 pages.

That's 25 pages a day, which isn't so bad, really, but it's a history book. Tends to be boggy. And lately I've been having increasingly LESS free time since I'm busy with writing and work and games and such. I guess this can just be part two of my regime. I need to have a schedule, I guess, because I need to finish this book and study Japanese.

Maybe I'll think about that.

EDIT: I will never finish this book or become fluent in Japanese, but I might write about video games a whole bunch.

Girl's Night In

Yes, the girl being me.

I took pictures, but only after the fact, so I'm not sure they're really fit for inclusion or not. In either case, the cord for hooking my camera up to the computer is mysteriously misplaced.

Picture 1: Me and my DVD menu of the evening, Me and You and Everyone We Know. I had it mislabeled in my head as more of a chick flick than it actually was. I enjoyed it just as much as I thought I would, though. In fact, I wish I would've paid more attention. I spent a lot of time looking down at applies (EDIT: I'm going to leave this typo in since I've been making it all day and think it is ridiculous.) I was peeling and slicing.

Picture 2: There were lots of leftover apples. In fact, I may just make another pie. We have another pie pan.

Picture 3: The carcass of dinner. I went out and bought a rotisserie chicken (herb) from the grocery store. I have been craving one these past weeks and thought it an appropriate choice since I was faced with dining alone. That makes it sound dreadful, but actually I was just excited about having chicken and didn't have to worry about the fact that the boy isn't so partial to it. Anyhow, the pic I took is actually quite...graphic. It's post pickings. There is probably like...a couple pounds? of chicken in the fridge right now. I can already taste that first leftover sandwich. Can't wait!

That's the photo essay you may or may not see. Like I said, very half-assed. The real point, though, is that instead of moping around on the Internet or forcing myself to get more work done I decided to be nice to myself and get things I wanted and do things I like.

The boy is out with friends doing varying things and I was actually out earlier at a friend's place, but then he had something akin to a date. Before I left we played some MAME, watched some youtube, chatted about some lifey things. He sent me the ROM for Final Fantasy Adventure, which is actually a mana game. Oddly, now that I look at the box art through that link I've totally seen it before, just never played it. It's funny, because I remember looking at the SNES box art for a couple FF games as a kid and never playing them, either. I think it must've been the box art that threw me somehow.

Anyhow, I've been also, in addition to rotisserie chicken (and mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli and carrots), craving warm applie pie with vanilla ice cream. To this end I have prepared No Crust Apple Pie because I was feeling lazy. I, too, really sincerely enjoy pie crust, but the fact of the matter is that I didn't want to clean up enough to have enough space to roll out a crust, nor did I want to tiptoe around the area of SHORTENING which is now...the devil. There are oil based crusts and butter based crusts, but in the end this recipe promises the taste of a butter based crust only just sort of mixed in with the applies in an interesting way. It will be an apple...bake...or something. There is certainly a lot of sugar in it. Hopefully not too much. The vanilla ice cream has been bought as low-fat BECAUSE I figure you don't really need full fat vanilla ice cream. To me, who does sometimes enjoy plain vanilla ice cream, but is more likely to put it in or on top of something else with plenty of fat and sugar itself, the full hit of ice cream calories is not really necessary. That said, I did a taste test when I got home and it is pretty darned good, or at least vanilla-y enough. It's also slow-churned, whatever that means(but rather than Edy's as the link would imply, it's Dreyer's which is apparently the same thing, only West of the Mississippi. Strange.)

The movie I enjoyed quite a bit, despite being occupied with apples. My favorite part was the little boy, because the Internet is a weird weird place. That I know very well. I also like their ASCII art. The soundtrack is also very great.

OH OH OH

and one more thing. Blast from the oh-so-nostalgia-filled past:



Oh, this song. I love this song so much. One of my first J-POP songs, from way the freak back in high school introduced to me by my the same person (my first boyfriend) who introduced me to anime etc. This is one of those things that could possibly be minorly credited in a shout-out to "things that inspired me to study Japanese" as geeky as that is. As a sidenote, I've never seen this video before. In fact, I've never played Rockman X4, either, but...I just love this song.

Anyhow, there is apple to pick up off the floor, or something, so I'll go do that and play video games and stuff and sing this song.

Claymation Odyssey

"And indeed the gods began at once to show signs and wonders among us, for the hides of the cattle crawled about, and the joints upon the spits began to low likes cows, and the meat, whether cooked or raw, kept on making a noise just as cows do."

Oh, that would would be so cool. Or maybe done marionette-style like those old x-mas specials.

Floaty

Yesterday was quite the happy day. There is nothing I can say here really that I didn't already say over there, but nonetheless.

NOTABLE AWESOMENESS!!! (!)

I'm not kidding about the anime. There is so much I want to see, just like there are so many games I want to play.

So many good things!

This morning I'll probably be writing up a preview and then reading, though. I'm a bit foggy on what was going on in The Odyssey and since Ryan lost his copy I might as well just finish the thing. That and the New Penguin History of the World.

Took a break over the weekend to read American Born Chinese, a comic combining three stories: the legend of the Monkey King, the trials and tribulations of a young guy growing up as a Chinese American, and a white guy annoyed by his obscene stereotype of a cousin.



Of course, it features the young Chinese American fellow turning into a complete klutz around the girl he likes. Do guys really do that? I asked the boy, and he doesn't recall ever having such moments. SOMEBODY must experience this type of faculty-numbing attraction, because it's all over. Seems like their always has to be at least one kid with a bumbling crush.

I liked the twist ending. I won't reveal what it is, but just say that it was a nice trippy surprise.

Yesterday I flipped through I Never Liked You. Tried to find a different pic, but this one is pretty good:



Shows off the slightly fleshed out stick figure that is the main character. Apparently all the stuff in this story actually happened to the author back in the 60s/70s. Feels very much like real life, though. In fact, since I was just thinking about the klutz-crush cliché, it's really obvious now that this one is a much more realistic portrayal of the situation. He thinks about her, thinks about when to reveal how he feels, is either shy or uncommitted--much more what you tend to encounter in actual human relations. Sort of a depressing story, but I usually enjoy this slice-of-life type stuff.

Both of those books were lent to me by friends. I like being recommended or lent things. It's cool to know what people you know are into, I think. Kind of like anime club, since we can all share our favorite shows. Makes me happy ^_^

In less happy news:



Should I never drink coffee again? I dunno, but it's been on my mind for a while. Doesn't seem to do me much good at all, in fact, I'd say it's detrimental, but it's so good and also one of my favorite social activities. Damn you, coffee, for being so delicious with milk, and smelling so comfy when your beans are freshly ground. DISTRESS!

UPDATE:

"I think there's nothing more melancholy than not being able to muster enough feeling," Jenn explained, as we discussed I Never Liked You. Sorta hit me over the head all of the sudden, that it's true, and that the artist really does do a good job portraying it in the comic. Whether in love or mourning, it's impossible for the main guy to express how he feels, or maybe even feel it.

I've never gone to a book tour before

Maybe next month will be the time to change that. Via Kottke.org, I have been turned onto the fact that the lady who made Me and You and Everyone We Know (ironically sitting next to the television in Netflix form, waiting to be watched) has a book coming out. There is a delightful tie-in website made even better by the analysis provided in that Kottke.org link above, specifically: "No web designer worth her salt would ever recommend building a site like this to a client. Yet it works because the story pulls you along so well; July's using the site's narrative to sell a book that is, presumably, chock full of the same sort of narrative. If you think the site sucks and quickly click away, chances are you're not going to like the book either...it's the perfect self-selection mechanism."

She'll be in San Francisco May 16. I'm somewhat tempted to check it out.

TGIF, I guess (aka depressive bullshit)

Ugh. Here I sit eating Easter candy, lamenting another afternoon soon to go sour at the part-time job. I applied for a new one. I also started sending around for letters of recommendation for that interview with AMITY, if I mentioned that. I have one. I'm pretending maybe I'll go to Japan. Actually, I'm not even doing that. I'm just sort of applying and assuming that I'm not going even if I get it.

I'm not in a very good mood.

1) I've been doing a bad job of picking food lately.

I shouldn't even talk about that, though. It's so obscenely mundane.

Last night I was out at a game thing by myself. Well, not really by myself, but without the boy. So, more or less by myself. Covered a couple things. Had half a drink and some random party food.

Uhhhhhmmmm, wow, blogging just is no good today. I had no luck in my HEY, GAMES! initiative today, either. Ended up deleting several hours worth of copy-paste work (from my 1UP blog.)

It IS Friday, which means that yes, the weeks are still hurtling past us in this most unfamiliar fashion, and also that I get two days off during which I will probably be stuck in a dictionary with import games, which sadly, doesn't even sound fun.

OKAY, time to get psyched up about SOMEthing. Just pick something, anything. SOMEthing has to be too freaking awesome to be wrecked by whatever evil my mind has stewing for me today. Uhhhhhh, the 1UP anime club has been moved to Tuesdays. Of course, that won't be REALLY awesome until next week, which means it can't really be ruined by today. I'm not sure if that one fact will keep me going through grocery land all afternoon, though.

*grumble mumble growl sigh* mrrf

2) Save me from the grocery store.

I should stop, really. Stop writing, and go FORCE myself to do something else. Anything. Like play some stupid game or something. Read a fucking book. I don't know. Flaming hell.

Minus the film minor

I realize I mentioned something connected with me not being a film minor anymore and then subsequently forgot to explain it further. Well, here's the explanation.

I got an e-mail from school late last week telling me that I was two units short for my minor. I have the five classes, but they add up short. Why is this the case? Well, it's simply an artifact of the fact that I transferred. In Wisconsin, regular classes are three units whereas at UOP for some dumb reason they are four. Two classes transferred, two units short. A sad sad face.

I'm not sure why they can't just understand that it's the same amount of work, just a different credit/unit system. Anyhow, they said I could take a summer course on Woody Allen, which honestly, I would've liked to take that class anyhow, but now? They expect me to go live on Campus for a summer session and pay them stupid amounts of money? Well, not quite. I've been offered the "opportunity" to do (another) independent study from here. It would involve watching and discussing movies, writing papers, and stupid amounts of money.

How stupid? Well, try $930 per unit (according to the course catalog) which would have me at $1860 by the time the whole gory mess is over. No, I think I'll pass. It's not like anyone is going to hire me based on whether or not I completed my film minor and I'd MUCH rather have my new PC.

Hopefully we can count this as the FINAL final insult, and the rest of my graduation will go off without incident.

Has it been that long? THE BIG POST

Sorry I've been slacking off. There HAS been stuff going on, just haven't really been in the right mind-set to say anything intelligent or witty about it. Still not sure if I am or not, but if I put it off any longer no one will ever read my blog again...

*_*

For instance...



Last night the boy and I watched The Silence of the Lambs. I went with the tasteful picture above rather than the box art (which pretty much everyone knows, but you don't know why there's a MOTH if it's about LAMBS until you watch it) or something like...well, I was trying to find a really nasty still to paste up here and scare all the kiddies, but so it goes...can't find what I want (i.e. ambulance spoilers.)

I seem to remember being very small and coming downstairs because I couldn't sleep or was thirsty or something the night my parents rented this movie back when it was new. They told me to go back to bed and probably that I didn't want to watch it anyways. Of course, now being a NEAR FILM MINOR (more on that later *stew smolder burn*) I appreciate it's artful story-telling and am mature enough to look past the gore. Still yucky, though ;D

**spoilers??** According to the boy one of the sequels (actually, the prequel, I think) is decent and the rest suck. I generally agree with him that it would've been better to just end it like it ended. The premise is what made this movie good--having to rely on one serial killer to catch another, bartering personal info. It's tense! It's novel! It's good! The ending is ominous and spooky. He's out there. Whoaz. It should just stay like that. You don't have to tell us what he gets up to because, again agreeing with the boy, it just becomes another serial killer movie with gratuitous gore and phoo to that.**end spoilers**

Phoooooooo.

In other news, we've entered the short hard wait for this week's Dr. Who.



As opposed to the long hard wait that was between X-mas and two weeks ago. Very happy to meet what'shernameohMartha. The girl's acting style reminds me somewhat of my sister's for some reason. I guess the fact that I generally see my sister in A Christmas Carol with such an accent as that, but also the facial expressions and things. Little things.

**spoilers??** I like this silly idea of having two doctors. THE and a. Have they not done it before? I guess you need to build some momentum. Anyhow, both episodes have been pretty much completely enjoyable so far, especially the Harry Potter fan service in the second. Somewhat annoyed by the incessant pining for Rose, but hopefully he'll get over it. Or maybe not. I mean I underSTAND, but I nor anyone I know was so fond of her as The Doctor was. *shrug* **end spoilers**

Anyhow, I guess I didn't have as much to say about that as I thought. Mostly I'm just surprised how much I missed it. The boy really got me hooked.

I guess now I can talk about all that other crud. Like how I didn't get the reviews intern spot at 1UP and am relegated to the store for part of my time. Looking on the BRIGHT side, you could say that perhaps they are pleased with me and what I'm currently doing to the point where they don't want to lose that, but on the OTHER hand I didn't get the job and I didn't even get an INTERVIEW for the job or a response to my humble "just checking back" e-mail. So it goes. Haven't heard from the Academy of Art, either. I was sort of hoping I would. So THAT goes.

And so the book club goes. Someone took the notebook right off the break room table. I clearly marked the notebook (mentioning also the pen so it wouldn't get lost) as the NIJIYA MARKET BOOK CLUB, anyone welcome, yadda, also taking distinct care in pointing out that it should remain on the break room table lest someone be bursting with insights into The Odyssey and have nowhere to write them down. This leads me to believe that the management must just not want literate intelligent curious employees, but only simple drones, which...makes sense, but it's not fair. I'm not really being fair either, though, by accusing someone of maliciously denying us of our club without any proof, but it seems to me that anyone who thought it was a good, healthy, fun idea would leave the notebook there and maybe even write in it.

Grr...

On a lighter note, the boy and I had a pretty sweet weekend. Obviously there is no order whatsoever in this because the first thing actually came last and the middle came first and the end is in the...middle, I guess, but no matter.

On Saturday we went on a big long wander over to Pizza Orgasmica where we had the special of the month which was called...something...with "Spring" in it. "Spring Fling," I think. It had tomato sauce, mozzarella, rosmary potatoes, bacon, sausage, some other kind of cheese, and it was really REALLY good. Sort of reminded me of being in Paris. They put potatoes on pizza there, too, sometimes. There was also a salad involved and some beer that I didn't really drink much of because I don't think pizza and beer go particularly well together at all.

On the WAY to the pizza, we stopped at a bookstore. This shopping component on the trip was supposed to be longer and include toys and comics as well, but we were pretty worn out after walking all the way out there. In fact, that way is probably quite a bit shorter than the route we took because we noodled around, didn't really know where exactly we were going, hadn't bothered to look up the address before leaving, that sort of thing. It was fun!

At the bookstore (the used book store) we perused the gigantic unalphabetized selection for a while. I didn't really find anything better than what I picked up within the first couple minutes. Found THIS:



Holy crap! I had never seen the actual book Young Adult Novel before, but had read it since it's included in one of the collections of novels Daniel Pinkwater has out. This book is even cooler than that, though, because it's an edition that includes extra stuff. Stuff I haven't read yet, so I can't really say much about it, but...still pretty sweet. Gotta love that cover art, too.

I sort of regret not picking up the Cyborg 009 manga volumes 1 and 2, since I could've had them both for four dollars. We may head back next weekend, because although the boy found some groovy stuff he, too, feels as though he may have missed out on something.

I like weekends.

The shopping didn't end there! Sunday (Easter) we decided it would be good to go outside since the weather was fairly pleasant. Headed downtown because generally when we walk with no purpose we are drawn toward the 1UP offices. Ended up at Virgin where they had God of War 2 (fancy that!) and relatively cheap DVDs.

I believe we may have just come full circle. GOOD NIGHT!

Mammoth Task

I've been taking the gradually disappearing archives of my 1UP blog and putting them into my name-holding game blog. It's taking a long time, mostly because I'm trying to take advantage of labels.

This is why my other blogs don't HAVE labels. It's time consuming. Also, sometimes you later think of a label and have to go back through everything. I dunno. I'm a perfectionist, maybe. Anyhow, I'm doing it by series, system, and categorizing everything as a 1UP backlog in case I ever write original stuff there. I shouldn't have said "backlog." Should've said "archive," but if you think I'm going to go in and change all the posts I've moved over the past two days, you're WRONG.

Other than that I'm previewing some things this week and working at the grocery store, as usual. And eating junk food. And reading stuff, trying to study, or pretending I want to study, or something. Or something or something or something. Monday I was very depressed. Yesterday was fine. Today...I dunno. Somewhere in the middle, I guess.

Yesterday afternoon Shin and I had a productive meeting. Managed to talk for two hours without looking at the clock and then realized we had better be going. We spoke mostly English, but I did say some stuff in Japanese. Tried to explain Emperor Norton. Anyhow, I think it will be good if I take notes of stuff I can't find in dictionaries. Should take advantage of the slang potential.

I hope my kanji DS thing gets here soon...maybe today. That would be nice.

Wonder how the book club at work is going. Maybe someone posted on it yesterday while I was gone? Somehow I doubt it, unless it was to say "Hey, 'sup?"

Probably I will read another chapter of The Odyssey and then play some more Dawn of Mana.

Creepy Little Toaster

When I was a kid I never noticed how creepy The Brave Little Toaster was. Having watched it again this weekend with the boy (who was horrified) I picked up a lot more of the horribleness. Like the junkyard scene at the end where everything is "worthless" or the how nasty the used parts guy is. If you take a bit of a cynical eye to the thing, it's really a pretty unsuitable thing to show little kids :D On the otherhand, you'd have to be one intelligent and depressed child to feel worthless at such an age... Kids are generally more resilient than outdated automobiles, at least one would hope.

I was thoroughly annoyed by most of the characters. The toaster is really andro and motherly, which is just sort of sickening. Lampy whines too much. The blanket is cute, but also sort of creepy in his extreme devotion to the MASTER @_@ @_@ @_@ My favorite character is the radio because even though he's obnoxious and always rambling, there are some cute references and funny asides.

Watching this made me think of Fern Gully, because that was a movie where the horribleness was very apparent. The nasty pollution villain actual creeped me out. He sings that one song >_< Arrgh. In fact, that's really most of what I remember from that movie, that and when they covered him in a tree at the end...

Canned Soup: A Disparaging Rant + A Theater Outing + Jobs

I bought a bunch while it was on sale thinking it would be good for nights when I get home from work and want something with vegetables.

Then I did it again.

Not sure why! I don't really like soup all that much. Chicken soup is good for when your sick, maybe, but other than that...

I think all the pea soup variety is doing is putting me off pea soup so when I get the opportunity again to eat REAL, TASTY pea soup that my mom makes I won't be as excited.

That and giving me a stomach ache for some reason.

That just makes two of us feeling rather ill for no reason (the boy has a headache.) We just returned from Emperor Norton, The Musical, which was just a short walk from home in a tiny little basement theater. The Imperial Council was in attendance, as the closing performance was a benefit for them. Anyhow, good fun. I found myself feeling that many of the songs were a bit down tempo, but there were some perkier ones as well. I can't decide whether the dogs or the club host were more show-stealing. They both had their moments. The guy who played the Emperor himself seemed pretty much right on. I mean, he had the crazy failed businessman thing going for him. I'm sort of wondering about the portrayal of Mark Twain, whether it was in any way accurate. I don't know much about him, although there's a recent biography of him that I'd like to take a look at.

Hum.

As for the rest of the evening, *shrug* I wish it weren't Monday tomorrow. Or at least, I wish I had a different job to go to. Getting real sick of the store again, between rude customers and co-worker friction, I'm just not feeling very good about it. That's not to say there aren't SOME cool things, like the book club. I'm almost a third of the way through The Odyssey. I think we're moving too fast. At this rate we'll be done with it before we have a chance to discuss even the first couple chapters. I'd like to say it's ok to get off to a rough start, but hopefully the start is all I'll be around for. It'd be nice to have a new gig by the time we finish this book...

Speaking of which, I finally ended up applying at the Academy of Art. The salary is much better than the one I get currently and they offer the opportunity to take an undergrad art course for free :D Amy was always recommending that I join her ranks, so hopefully now I will (part-time administrative assistant Emily, whoooooo.) Either that or maybe at the end of next month I will impress AMITY during the interview process and they will hire me to teach English in Japan, so I'll whisk myself (and the boy) away never to be heard from again, until we move to Alaska, that is.