Category: general

I was calling my friends to ask them if they wanted to go biking today (no dice, unfortunately), and I thought, “I’ll go sit out on the deck in this beautiful weather and feel the breeze on my face as I watch the kids playing down near the pond. What a nice environment for a telephone call!”

Then, you know, I actually looked around the deck, and saw that the goddamn bees are back, zipping around railing, careening into the roof of the deck, buzzing towards the door as if daring me to set one foot outside.

Damn them. Damn them to hell!

I have been completely absorbed with this series lately. I couldn’t stop watching it until I ran out of episodes. I’m still thinking about it.

I believe in Yuuri, the Maou-heika. He is amazing…a wielder of great power who is fighting for peace between humans and his own demon people. He’s had to fight prejudice, quest for ancient relics, and make difficult decisions that have ultimately succeeded only because they were backed by his loyal followers and his own great powers. He had to prove himself to his people before they would follow him. But he is a brilliant leader, because he leads with his heart.

And now…Konrad! Konrad’s arm! Is he even still alive?

I am completely enraptured. There are only a few episodes left before the end of the season, but I understand a new season will start next month. With the richness of the setting and the brilliance of the storytelling, I know I will go along for the ride. The only worry I have is that I, like Yuuri, am being sucked inexorably into another world…

In other news, Geneon is coming out with DVDs of the series. They’ve called it “Kyo Kara Maoh“, spelled that way I suppose to avoid pronunciation confusion. But their subtitle, which is presented as if it’s a translation, is “God (?) Save Our King!” That is kind of cute, but also totally ridiculous. Oh well…what can you really expect? It’s not like “From this day forward, I’m the Maou!” is a good title. (Or even accurate…there’s no subject in the title, so you could interpret it as saying, “From this day forward, you’re the Maou!/he’s the Maou!” In fact, “kyou kara Maou” is one of Konrad’s lines to Yuuri in the beginning.)

I don’t know, though…wouldn’t something like, “I’m the Demon King?!” be more appropriate? That at least would get to the heart of the emotion behind the title at the beginning…though it unfortunately wouldn’t translate the feeling that Yuuri has moving forward, his decision to be the Maou, to take that responsibility. So maybe “I’m the Demon King!” I don’t know.

I do know that “God (?) Save Our King!” is totally stupid, though :>

It just feels…weird.

But look!

I don’t look half bad, do I?

Perhaps I’ll take some better pictures, pictures with more foresight than “Oh, I’m sitting in the car, let me take a picture real quick”, later.

Do you think I need new glasses?

So I saw this questionnaire on a blog, and thought I’d answer the questions, because I like to waste time…

Had to make up questions 21 and 22, as the original blog omitted them for privacy reasons, but I think I have the general gist of what those questions were.

Here goes…

1. What time did you get up this morning?

10:33! I actually woke up at various intervals starting at around 3 or 4, but I wanted to snooze. I have a hair appointment today…getting it whacked off! So I was nervous about not waking up in time, even though it’s not till 3 pm :>

2. Diamonds or pearls?

Both, but not together, unless it’s done very tastefully. To be fair, I wear diamonds more often than I do pearls.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?

Uh…hmm. When was the last time I went to the movies? Did Calendar Girls come out before or after the LotR trilogy was shown all in a row? ;P

4. What is your favorite TV show?

I don’t really have one, now that Friends is over. ;_; I don’t watch TV at all, really, because I don’t have cable, and the networks come in kinda blurry despite the rabbit ears my in-laws donated to us. I do, however, watch Japanese television…anime, mostly…and my favorite show currently is, well, hmm. I’d have to say it’s a four-way tie: Naruto, Prince of Tennis, Yakitate!! Japan, and Bleach.

5. What did you have for breakfast?

I haven’t eaten yet, but I will crack into leftovers when I do. Either the gargantuan lunch I ordered from Famous Dave’s yesterday (seriously, I had no idea the Rib Tips platter was so huge), or last night’s dinner, which was General Tso’s Chicken from Sun Kwong. Soooo healthy ;P But I’ve managed to beat back my recent weight gain, a little, somehow…

6. What is your middle name?

It used to be Ann. (Without an e!) But now it’s my maiden name, Aubrey.

7. What is your favorite cuisine?

Japanese. Coming up at a close second is “Southern”. Sooo good.

8. What foods do you dislike?

Very few! I can’t stand olives, for some reason. I also don’t like dolmades…they’re a bit too astringent for me. Oh, and the texture of uni is nasty. (Gah, I just realized that all these links will be outdated next week, when 2go-Box shifts to its new ordering system…)

9. What are your favorite potato chips?

I really like Baked Lays. You can get them at pretty much any sub sandwich place now. But I’ll always have a fondness for plain Ruffles, with sour cream and onion dip. Mmmm.

10. What kind of car do you drive?

1986 Subaru GL 2-door hatchback. Click here for pictures! I gave it a name once, but I can’t remember what it is…I remember thinking about naming it Walton, after its previous owner, my grandfather. But that doesn’t seem right, somehow. So my car remains nameless.

11. Favorite sandwich?

Meatball sub.

12. Favorite item of clothing?

Hmm, that’s tough. I love the new dress I recently bought at Cato, but I’m not sure it’s my favorite. Really, when it comes down to it, my favorite piece of clothing is probably my old “Residence Life Staff” t-shirt shirt I got when I was working at the dorms at UK. It’s blue with white lettering, and it’s the perfect size, and it’s comfy. I can’t wear it anywhere, really, except for exercising or very casual hanging out, but it’s nostalgic and I can still wear it, so there you go. (My Star Wars t-shirts are all getting so beat up that I am embarrassed to wear them except when I’m hanging around the house…)

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?

I would take ten years and travel the entire world, seeing as much as I possibly could. Of course, that’s ridiculous, so my answer is (obviously) Japan. If the question had said “anywhere in the universe”, I’d pick Mars, or Luna.

14. What color is your bathroom?

That ugly, nondescript beige color that adorns the walls of the entire apartment. We’ve lived here awhile and I’m getting tired of the colors. But am I tired enough to actually paint them? …not really. I hate painting, and I would have to repaint whenever we moved out. If I did paint my bathroom, though, I already know what color it would be: a soft purple, to bring out the flower highlights on my shower curtain and my bathroom accessories.

15. Favorite brand of clothing?

Really, I get the best clothes at Cato these days. I did find a nice pair of slacks at JC Penney recently, but when I go into Cato it seems like I always find lots of stuff that looks good on me. (Thanks to Mari for introducing me to the store!)

16. Where would you retire to?

Er…Japan. ;P Or, wherever my family was.

17. Favorite time of day?

Lately, I have really loved the mornings, when I’m driving to work. There’s a crispness in the air that promises new things. My wanderlust returns and I just want to keep driving.

18. Where were you born?

At the University of Kentucky Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky. (Very precise! I like to point out how much UK has factored into my life. I was born there, my mother worked there, I was hospitalized there with cancer, and then finally I got two BAs there. UK is home to me in many ways, enough so that I feel strangely comfortable in huge teaching hospitals.)

19. Favorite sport to watch?

I don’t watch sports, but I do like watching people play video games, if that counts.

20. Who sent you this quiz?

It’s a seeeeeeeeeeecret.

21. Who do you think is least likely to send this quiz back to you with their answers?

Obviously, AJ.

22. What fabric detergent do you use?

Wow, shouldn’t that be “laundry detergent”? Or do they call it “fabric detergent” in Britain? Either way, I use Tide liquid with fabric softener (Downy’s April Fresh), but I ran out recently, so now I’m using the powder Sean bought one time while I was on vacation in Kentucky and he couldn’t figure out how to do the laundry. (The liquid detergent was, like, right there.)

23. Coke or Pepsi?

I tend to avoid caffeine now, but I’ll have it every now and then. Coke is very, very rich. It’s like drinking a dessert, and I love it. (And Cherry Coke is fantabulous.) Diet Coke is also good, though it’s not rich at all. It’s light and sparkling. I have never liked Diet Pepsi, but I haven’t had it lately, so who knows? Regular Pepsi is okay; it’s light like Diet Coke. Caffeine-free Diet Coke is pretty good.

24. Are you a morning person or night owl?

I can be both, but they affect each other. When I’m up in the mornings, I’m up. If I’ve stayed up too late the previous night, though, I’ll tend to hit the snooze button a lot before finally getting out of bed. Likewise, if I get up at my preferred time, 5 am, I get tired earlier in the evening. Seems normal, right?

25. What is your shoe size?

I have answered this question before. Actually, I’m getting the sinking feeling that I’ve answered many of these questions before. I wonder I have already done this quiz somewhere…

Anyway, my size ranges from 7 to 8-1/2, depending on the shoe. Most of my shoes are 8s, I think.

26. Do you have pets?

Sean. He purrs when I rub his neck, and woofs obediently when I tell him to do stuff. ;>

27. Any exciting news you’d like to share with your family and friends?

There’s nothing exciting going on for me personally. Noelle is pregnant; that’s big news. She’s having a boy. :)

28. When you were a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A mom.

Bah, stupid quizzes.

Just because I say something is true doesn’t mean that it is. Just because I post my particular belief doesn’t mean I’m right. Just because you read about someone else here doesn’t mean that you’ve read the full story.

I should think that this is obvious, but given the fact that I’ve had trouble over things I’ve written, I thought I would make things clear.

It’s not my job to revise this journal to reflect “the truth”. This journal is not about truth. It is about feelings. It is about me. Who I am now, and who I was in the past. I will not remove old posts, or sections of old posts. Sorry.

If you are concerned that something I’ve written here is a poor reflection on you, then you may take one of the following actions:

1. Post a comment refuting my statements, on the post in which the statements occurred, so that whoever reads that post later will see your rebuttal. I will not censor these. I do not censor my comments, just as I do not censor old, stupid things I have said.
2. Email me, if you are concerned with your privacy, and ask me to add an addendum with further information to my post. I will do this gladly.
3. Just ignore it, and respect people’s ability to understand that while this is a journal, my work here is not journalism.

The word you’re looking for is “Drunken”. “Drunkin’ Apples” makes absolutely no sense.

Thank you, and have a nice day.

I mean, wow.

Japan’s finance ministry moved swiftly to calm markets yesterday after the dollar tumbled and Treasury yields climbed on comments made by Junichiro Koizumi, prime minister, about diversification of the country’s foreign currency reserves.

Asked by a parliamentary committee about government policy on Japan’s $840.6bn of foreign reserves, Mr Koizumi said: “I believe diversification is necessary.” Markets reacted sharply to his comments, sending the euro to a two-month high of $1.3456 against the dollar.

Ten-year Treasury yields reached a seven-month high at 4.57 per cent on the news.

It’s like the whole world suddenly went “OMGWTFBBQ!”

Well, when I made this post on Tuesday, I was hoping that someone would come across it–maybe by googling “prince of tennis fandub” or something–and then freak out at me with comments like, “How could you possibly think that was good? Are you on crack? Are you sucking up to A-O so they’ll put out more subbed episodes?“

Unfortunately, no one rose to the bait ;_;

The truth is, the fandub is one of the best things I’ve ever seen–it is hysterically bad. If you watched it and took it seriously, then I pity you, because it is one of the funniest things I have ever seen, and I’m going to keep it forever.

This is obviously worth mentioning, because it’s a comment from someone who isn’t my mom! Check it out ;>

I took some time out from hating absolutely everything to create maps of the places I’ve been. (Thanks, Alana!)

Of course, of all the US, I’ve really only been to:

Look at those urls! Neat how the maps are made like that. (Never mind, I copied the files to my own server. Just know that the urls seemed to send a query that then built the image. So like I had ?USJP or something on my url for the world map. See?)

I’m so tired of this. And I’m getting restless. Spring is creeping into the mornings, and it makes me want to move. To go somewhere. Back to Japan, or to Kentucky, or to someplace I haven’t been. The wanderlust makes having to come in here day after day and deal with the rampant disorganization even less appealing–and I didn’t realize that was possible.

Yes I do.

Clocked out at 1 pm. Told boss I was leaving. Boss says, “You’ll be back by 2?” I say, “Why?” Boss says, “Because I’m leaving at 2.” I say, “Well, I mean, I’m on my bike. I guess I can drive back…” Boss says, “You shouldn’t need more than an hour for lunch.”

Because, you know, the default rule applies regardless of the particular situation.

So, I change clothes and bike home. It takes half an hour or more…when I get home, it’s 1:40. I change my shirt and pull some Hot Pockets out of the freezer, then I go jump in the car and drive back to the office. I clock back in at 1:56.

As I’m preparing to nuke my Hot Pocket, the boss says, “Decided to go frozen, eh?”

“I didn’t have time to eat,” I informed him. “I got home and turned around and came back.”

He may have been affected by this, but he gathered himself and responded, “Most employers allow 45 minutes to an hour–“

I cut him off with, “Normally, I’m fine with that. But today–“

“Today, you didn’t schedule for that.”

“Today, I was on a bicycle. Today, I had no food with me.”

That’s typically how our conversations go…

I mean, I realize I have no right to expect special treatment or a long lunch or whatever, but at the same time, it’s not like I’m demanding extra long lunches every day or something. Today was a special case. And another thing…I don’t like dispatch, I don’t want to do dispatch, my position has been clear to my boss from the get-go, and the only reason he wanted me here was so I could cover the dispatch trainee. If I had the job I wanted here, it wouldn’t really matter how long a lunch I took.

So he gave me some assignments to work on–stuff that’s actually interesting–and said he was heading out for his own lunch, because he’s the only one here tonight (the usual night dispatcher is off today). Then, you know, he didn’t leave. (He managed to get out the door at 2:38.)

On a related note, the go-live date has been pushed back to Friday.

;P

This morning I was all, “I’m going to fast until dinner today,” so I didn’t pack any food. And then I was all, “I’m going to bike to work today, because I need more exercise.”

So now I’m hungry. Not to mention cold.

:P

I guess I’ll have some hot cocoa for now. Not sure what I’m going to do in a few hours when I should be eating lunch…I guess in a pinch I could bike to Publix for sushi or a deli wrap @_@

So, I tried to use that haircomb/scrunchie thing this morning, when I changed clothes after biking to work. I tried to remember how to put it in my hair, and was mostly successful, though I have no idea how it looked. But as I was rockin’ to SOUL’D OUT, Robert called on the PTT phone, and I had to take off my headphones.

That movement caused the hair thingie to fall right out, so I gave up on it. I have no time to treat my hair carefully! If there are going to be things in my hair, they need to stay there with minimal supervision!

It sucks to be a tomboy sometimes ;P