Category: general

Brooke and I have been spending a lot of time together lately, and it has been awesome. We try to go walking as often as we can; it usually happens on Tuesdays and Thursdays and sometimes the weekends. We also have been watching Kyou Kara Maou; we finished episode 44 the other day (she slept through it actually, but that doesn’t particularly matter given that it’s the worst episode of all), and I’m looking forward to seeing her reaction to my favorite stand-alone episode, number 45. (「許嫁？！」)

This past Thursday we walked at the Greeneway (I took these pics of the Augusta skyline before we met up), and on Saturday morning we went to the Canal. We had a sleepover at her house on Saturday night, complete with brownies and ice cream, and the next morning we went to Waffle House without showering (you know, so we’d fit in. Hahahahaha!). It was cool :) We’re going walking again tomorrow :)

I’m really glad that I’m able to spend so much time with my best friend.

Sean was getting the table ready for dinner–we eat at a little table in the kitchen that has to be cleared off and pulled out in order to seat two people–and I said to him, “Make sure there’s room for me.”

“What if I don’t want to?” he said.

“Well then, I guess I won’t eat with you. You’ll be all alone.”

“You act like that’s a bad thing.”

I made to smack him in the head with my plate, and he blocked. He was grinning as he moved from the stove to the table with his food. I made a disapproving noise, something like an exasperated growl. It’s the noise I make when I want to be mad but can’t quite pull it off. Sean has the best smile in the world. Whenever he grins I want to grab his face and either squeeze his dimples or kiss him. (Or both!) It’s hard to be cross with him when he’s grinning.

“If you weren’t so cute I wouldn’t put up with you,” I scolded him, spooning my own dinner onto my plate. “The woman on MSN says to get rid of people like you.”

This sent Sean into fits of laughter. “I’ll take that as a compliment!” And he couldn’t stop laughing. “That’s so absurd,” he managed, “that I can’t even come up with a smart-ass remark!”

I just read an article on MSN Dating & Personals that kind of…scared me.

The question:

My boyfriend is addicted to video games. He comes home from work everyday and sits in front of his computer from the time he gets home until 2 AM, sometimes 3 AM.

The game is an online interactive game, so once he engages in projects with his team-mates, he is stuck playing for hours.

The answer:

Given his predilection, it’s unclear, honestly, why he wanted you to move in in the first place. Or maybe it went this way: When you moved in, the commitment freaked him out. Result: He escapes into EverQuest. Whatever the case, it’s clear that — right now, anyway — he’s better at bonding with avatars than with actual humans.

[…]

I have to admit, from what you’ve told me — and from the fact that he has been honing his virtual sword-fighting rather than his relationship skills — I’m guessing you won’t get far. And that suggests to me that this — his “addiction,” his need to escape, his frankly asocial behavior — is a bigger problem than you alone can solve with schedules or ultimatums. So don’t blame yourself if you can’t “make” him change. Instead, start packing. There’s a guy out there who, when he flies off to faraway places, will take you with him.

Lynn Harris is pretty harsh. (There’s also a tendency in these advice columns to remark about how there are “other fish in the sea”, which drives me crazy. Is it supposed to be reverse psychology? Are you supposed to think, “Well, I could always leave him. …no! No, I don’t want to leave him! Hmm, this problem isn’t really so bad when I think about it that way.” If so…that’s ridiculous :> I imagine the reality is that advice columnists are presenting all possibilities without thinking about how it looks to continually suggest ditching the relationship.)

In any case, this whole “bonding with avatars rather than actual humans” is BS. Hello, have you heard of Ventrilo? The fact is, the reason Sean likes gaming is because of the teamwork and community. He is invested it in because of the relationships he makes there. I don’t see his gaming as running away from reality; I see it as Sean spending time with his friends.

I don’t know if the situation is the same for the writer’s boyfriend or not. If he won’t even stop gaming to eat a meal with her, then there might be a problem. People do get addicted to MMOs, there’s no question about that. But I think that Ms. Harris is being hyper-judgmental. She’s over the top because she can be, because that makes for more interesting reading than “social relationships are different now than they were in the 1800s”.

If I’d been writing that advice column, I would have suggested the girlfriend try playing the game with her boyfriend before I casually remarked that “oh well, he’s probably not the one for you”.

Reuters: Priceless vases smashed in museum accident

The incident happened last week at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, which for decades has displayed a group of Qing dynasty Chinese vases on a window sill.

A hapless visitor tripped on his shoelace, tumbled down a flight of stairs and crashed into the vases, smashing them into smithereens.

That sucks. I bet the guy felt terrible.

The museum didn’t overreact. They won’t release the guy’s name, and they said that this won’t cause them to lock their artifacts away where no one can get close to them.

For now, they’re busy trying to glue the vases back together.

Asahi: Government plans to simplify copyright issues to promote TV programs over the Internet

Under the current Copyright Law, broadcasters need only to pay fees to all copyright holders in a TV program, such as record companies and singers and other copyright holders, after the program is aired.

But broadcasters and ISPs must receive permission from all actors, performers, singers and copyright holders for other items, before the TV program is shown on the Internet.

The idea seems to be to redefine Internet broadcasting so that it and “terrestrial broadcasts” can be released simultaneously. It appears to only apply to digital broadcasts, as analog will be phased out by 2011.

An Osaka court has rejected a discrimination suit against the owner of an eyeglass shop.

The case stems from an incident in Osaka Prefecture in September 2004. [Designer and U.S. National Steve] McGowan was talking with his friend while looking at a poster in front of the shop when the owner came out and asked the two to leave, according to the ruling.

The next day, McGowan and his Japanese wife appeared at the shop, and she asked the owner what had happed the day before.

The owner explained that he had asked the two to leave after he was contacted by a customer who claimed to have had trouble entering the store because there were people in front of it.

The business owner added that he had a bad impression of black people during a stay in Germany.

McGowan, who lives in Kyoto Prefecture, maintained in the suit that the owner said he hated black people and refused him entry to the shop.

The court, however, rejected the allegation.

“The plaintiff should have said that he was made to leave the shop against his will,” the judge said. “I have doubts about the plaintiff’s level of comprehension of the Japanese language. I cannot trust his accusation over the use of discriminatory remarks.”

The judge concluded that the plaintiff had merely assumed the owner made offensive remarks when he mentioned his experience in Germany.

The court’s ruling is effectively: “He’s a foreigner; he’s not fluent in Japanese; obviously he misheard; a Japanese person would not be so rude.”

And nobody seems to notice that it is racist to say you have a “bad impression of black people” based on a single experience!

We have two forms of discrimination going on here: the shopowner’s specific prejudice against black people, and the general Japanese prejudice against non-Japanese.

McGowan didn’t stand a chance.

Apparently some guys got drunk and decided it would be fun to race each other on the interstate. One of them lost control, and his pickup barrelled through the median and smashed head-on into a car. The pickup driver and his female passenger were killed, as were two of the occupants of the car. Two other vehicles were also involved in the accident, but the condition of their drivers and passengers hasn’t been released.

The driver of a Chevrolet Monte Carlo told police that he and the pickup’s driver were racing in the eastbound lanes when the truck flipped over the median into westbound lanes and struck the Kia head-on, [Richmond County Coroner] Mr. [Grover] Tuten said.

The pickup’s driver died after an hourlong emergency extrication procedure, Mr. Tuten said.

“His body reeked of alcohol as we unloaded him,” he said.

A female passenger in the pickup was killed when she was ejected from the truck and run over by another vehicle, Mr. Tuten said.

He said the pickup’s driver is at fault.

Mr. Tuten said the Monte Carlo’s driver helped police piece together how the accident occurred. Still, the unidentified Monte Carlo driver could face charges, Mr. Tuten said.

One of the passengers killed in the Kia was a twelve year old girl.

Michael Chu of Cooking for Engineers also went to the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. His roundup features some things not mentioned by 101 Cookbooks, and he’s got some great photos and descriptions. I was pleased to find that they sell GuS at Fresh Market…I think I’ll try it! I’m also interested in Dagobah Chocolate, more because of Chu’s description than because it shares its name with Yoda’s exile planet of choice :> Too bad most of the stuff I want to try is out of stock right now!

Sean’s guild took over a castle today in Lineage II. But that’s not why I’m writing this post.

Just now, he said to a guildmate on Ventrilo, “Marcus, you need to–You need to come to the throne room, Marcus, so you can be buffed.”

He sounded just like somebody’s dad ;>

Xen Dolev mentions the Chinese New Year and links to a site explaining all the zodiac signs. I found the description of my sign, the Horse, pretty interesting:

Horses are very appealing people. They are warm and friendly and dearly love social atherings with plenty of people. They are perceptive and enjoy talking. They have a high spirited nature and are changeable. This makes them hot-tempered, rash, and headstrong. They are always falling in and out of love. Quick to warm to someone, they are just as quick to lose interest. Here today and gone tomorrow-these are the Horses. Then when you decide not to see them again, here they come ready to pick up where they left off!

Horses are adventurers at heart, but they do have sharp minds and good abilities for managing money. They are self-reliant and energetic. They love exercise, both mental and physical. Their movements are rapid, yet graceful; their speech is quick, yet elegant. Horses want things their way and they will become aggressive when all else fails. They value their freedom above all else. They are not possessive or jealous of others. Being moody creatures, Horses depend on the feel of things. They possess the ability to improvise while events are in motion and can handle several things at once. Horses find it difficult to unwind. They keep strange hours and suffer from insomnia. When they stop, it is usually from exhaustion. It is hard for them to follow a schedule for they have no respect for routine.They need to keep busy but do best when given a free hand.

Horses are full of new ideas to solve tricky problems. When they have an idea, they want to get right to it. They work around the clock until they finish. Horses want you to come to the point quickly since they don’t have time to spare. They will not care if you are blunt, just don’t waste their time.

Horses must be allowed to show their emotions. They are hot-blooded, hot-tempered, and impatient,and they will gladly demonstrate. In love, Horses are quite vulnerable. They give up everything for the object of their affections. This causes them trouble since they are such impulsive creatures! They must learn to use caution. If one has a Horse in their house, you can bet the Horse receives most of the attention. Horses like being the hub and have everything revolving about them. In return, they work hard and share with everyone.

Horses don’t mind starting over. They maintain their determination and enjoy new successes. They belong in careers where they are surrounded by people. They sway crowds and love being flattered. The willful Horses get into countless predicaments but they bail themselves out. They enjoy fighting their own battles. Colorful and lively, they make many friends. If they could be in several places at once,they would be delighted! Their spirit is restless and searching. Creativity is part of their being.They are talented writers and performers.

I’m not entirely sure about the whole “people person” aspect of the horse, but the impatience, the desire to get a project done in one sitting, the loving being flattered, the wanting to be in several places at once, the impulsiveness, the difficulty in following a schedule…lots of this stuff sounds familiar :> Check out what they have to say about Geminis, too:

Element: Air–View the world through thought.

Stone: Citrine, Amber, Tourmaline

Colors: yellow; light green.

Attractions: Virgo, Libra, Sagittarius

Motto: I Communicate

Notable people born under the sign of Gemini: Queen Victoria, John Wayne, Anne Frank, Henry Kissinger, Marilyn Monroe, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, ; Judy Garland, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Personality:

These people usually have nervous energy to burn.

Many forms of travel appeal to Gemini people.

Faced with demands of the long haul they may just give up or change direction.

They prefer to be part of a large group. They tend to liven up any social situation.

They are often accused of being fickle and/or superficial–their view is that it is not a crime to change ones mind.

They put great stock in non-attachment.

Apparently Bill Clinton and George Bush Sr. have become quite good friends.

“That’s a good relationship. It’s a fun relationship to watch,” [George W.] Bush said in an interview with CBS News broadcast on Sunday.

While attending Pope John Paul’s funeral, Bush said, “It was fun to see the interplay between dad and Clinton. One of these days, I’ll be a member of the ex-president’s club. … I’ll be looking for something to do.”

He said ex-presidents share rare experiences that others cannot understand. “And so I can understand why ex-presidents are able to put aside old differences,” he said.

I only got around to watching the Kyou Kara Maou episode 60 preview today (I forgot about it yesterday!). This has given me much more information! Highlight for spoilers and speculation:

Now it seems like there was more than one reason for the Shinou to send the fourth box to Earth. It looks like he’s planned more training for Yuuri by sending Dr. Rodriguez to fight him. A new thought occurred to me today: what if the Shinou isn’t evil? What if he’s actually trying to piss Yuuri off enough with these tests and dangers and cruel tricks to finally go against the Shinou’s will? Maybe he’s tired of sitting around in the temple dictating for his country; maybe he (like Bob) wants to finally be able to rest. But he knows that his country is too dependent on him for him to just disappear on them…so he found the perfect Maou to set the country on a new course of independence, and is now just trying to get things to the point where there is no longer any need for the Shinou. Putting the Great Sage there, someone he doesn’t need to spoonfeed, would further that goal.

That would be cool ;> Although it seems kind of mean to do that to Murata, doesn’t it?

The Japan Times has an interesting historical roundup of Japan-China relations, with a smattering of Korea. (Via Japundit.) I thought the article ended rather abruptly, and would have liked to have continued the story into present day, but on the whole it’s pretty informative. Having taken two Japanese culture/history courses in college, I had heard most of this stuff before, but it was nice to get a refresher. I’d really like to know more from China and Korea’s perspective.

So sayeth TVShowsonDVD.com and SitcomsOnline. (Old news, apparently, but hey.) I’ve signed up to be informed by Amazon when the DVDs are available.

In other news, Steven Weber will be in a new series with Matthew Perry this year.

Big reveal episode! Lots of reveals! Lots of laughs! Very funny! And some drama too!

I’d like to see the next episode right now, please.