Ramblings of a Crowe

A Few New Icons

Here's a few new icons. You can find more new ones over at the photobucket site.

Upcoming Videogames

I've been getting back into video games again. I'm itching to get my hands on a few of the titles coming out in the *near* future, and have been praying a few that are being released in Japan will get an NA announcement in the near future (Shadow Hearts 3 and Grandia III). I really need to get a modified PS2...

Dirge of Cerberus is one I've been watching closely. I'm a big fan of Vincent and I think it's really cool they're giving him his own game.

Vincent

There aren't many screen caps availible yet, nor has Square set a release date. But I can say that I really, really like the music on the home page. Awesome! The game seems to be at a midway point, from what I've read. It's a third person shooter, action adventure drama of some sort. Not a lot has been revealed about the game's plot yet. Apparently it takes place 1 year after Advent Children and some group called DG is raiding cities. Vincent somehow has ties to this group and they're after him.

Also, it seems that DOC is going to have some online game play capablities for people who are interested in that sort of thing. I'm not, but it might be cool for those who do like online gameplay.

I'm hoping DOC turns out to be good. Personally, I have a lot of faith in Square when it comes to their FF franchise, so I think they'll do Vincent justice.

Advent Children. Arrrgh! I've been waiting for years for this to come out and now that it's just around the corner, I'm dying to see it. The Graphics look...AMAZING...Go check out the characters on the main site (site is mainly in Japanese, but has enough English for you to get around for those who can't read Japanese). You can also watch the trailers from here too. Check it out!

We see the return of some of the best FF characters yet in this movie. Cloud and Sephiroth apparently face off once more. Vincent is back, as is the ass kicking Tifa. Barret and Cid are in there too, as is Yuffie. Is Red? I don't think I've seen Red yet.

Here's a great site to learn more about Advent Children.

Kingdom Hearts II is the third game I'm dying to get a hold of. I've heard conflicting announcements on this release. Some say this winter, others say next winter. The website doesn't have much to offer yet, but if you do go check it out, make sure to enter your name on the very first page. ;)

The story takes place a year after the events of the first Kingdom Hearts. Apparently there is a new group of foes called the Order that are lead by a man named Diz. It would seem the Order studies the ways of the heart...or something like that.

There are new creatures called Nobodies, which seem to be different than the Heartless.

As for the worlds, from what I gather, they're similar to the old ones with a few additions. Confirmed worlds are as such: Ancient China (Mulan), Halloween Town, Fable Countryside (Beauty and the Beast), Ancient Greece (Hercules), Twilight Town, Disney Castle, Hollow Bastion, Night Before Christmas, Castle Oblivion, Agrabah, and Pirates of the Caribbean (YAY).

I'm not sure how I feel about Gummi ships becoming more complex. It took me awhile to figure out how to work the Gummi Garage and build my beast of a ship. I thought the controls and directions were pretty confusing. However, once you get the hang of building your Gummi ships, it's like crack. You can't stop!

Game play appears to be fairly similar but with a few add ons. One thing to note is it's been said that Sora will have the ability to fuse with other characters to become a sort of "super Sora". That might be interesting.

As for the FF characters make apperances, it seems that Cloud (FF7) was confirmed recently, as was Auron from FF10. Leon (Squall FF8) will be back, and Selphie was seen in a trailer. I've also heard that Siefer(I hated that guy), Fujin, and Raijin (all FF8) have been confirmed, seen in the KH2 trailer shown at the SE Party.

Info for KH2 tends to be sporadic and choppy. I imagine we'll learn more solid facts as the game enters completion.

FF12 will be released March 16th, 2006, in Japan (or so we're being told). However, I won't bank on that. They've been dragging their feet with this one for quite awhile now.

Anyway, despite the slowness of FF12's release, I'd have to say from the trailers, Square has out done itself once more. The graphics and character designs are incredible. I will say the main character looks a bit odd. There's something just not right about him, so I'm hoping he grows on me. Ha ha!

It would seem that this FF game is going to play like an action adventure game, instead of the standard RPG. From what I understand,FF12 will play like Star Ocean 3 or Tales of Symphonia where random battles and turned base fighting have gone the way of the dinosaur. Battles will be done in real time, allowing the gamer to pause to issue orders (like SO3 and ToS). Personally, this makes me incredibly happy. You will be able to issue different orders to different party memebers and create battle stratagies as such. The catch is you have to use things called "gambits". These are things that you will have to buy from vendors or pick up from slain monsters.

It also sounds like the AI is fairly intellegent. This makes me happy too, since nothing can ruin a gamer faster than stupid AI. You know what I mean...party members who ignore orders or just stand there (which happened to me a couple times in SO3--though the AI was excellent for the most part).

The story seems to be rather hush hush, but the game takes place in Ivalice. There is a war going on between the kingdoms of Dalmasca, Ordalia, and Arcadia. Dalmasca has fallen to the kindgom of Arcadia and Princess Ashe has left to form an organization to fight Arcadia and regain her country's freedom.

This game looks like another winner. Lets just hope they don't push the release back another year...or two...

Well, that's it for now!

A talk with Dad...

You know...I can't believe I just wasted 3 hours shouting at my dad about politics and religion.

I try to avoid these *discussions*, since dad is of the mind that tacking "My opinion" onto a statement makes it factual.

Ugh...stupid me!

Somehow, I've become "intolerant" *laughs* and "ignorant".

Pot...meet kettle...

Poor Hunter...he had to listen to it too...

Porcupine 1 Pitbull -100

Seems the almighty pitbull has met it's match. Poor dog. These pictures make me cringe...

I'm Such a Slug

I've done nothing productive with myself these past few days. Nothing at all. Expect play Kingdom Hearts like a madwoman possessed. I don't even *like* the game that much. I mean, I enjoy it, but it's nothing like Star Ocean or Shadow Hearts.

Anyway, I haven't written, drawn, or read anything in the past couple weeks.

I did get the okay from the boss to leave at 5pm, regardless if the last man was in or not. I'll talk to him on Monday when he gets back to see if I can resume coming in at 8am instead of 7am too. Still, I don't expect my days to be less busy. Not until the layoff season, which is just around the corner. I'm not sure what's going to happen then...I'm kinda worried. I like getting laid off in the winter, but not for too long. I'm concerned I'll be axed in Sept or October, which is too soon for me. Or worse, not at all.

*sigh*

Well, whatever happens, I'll deal. It's all you can do, right?

My next vacation is in Sept. That seems so far away. LOL I'm suppose to visit my sister in August, but my car is acting kinda funny. We'll see what happens with that. I don't have the cash to fix it right now, nor the time to take it in...which sucks.

I've got doctor bills out the bazoo and I just spent 400 dollars in bills today. I hate the end of the month.

Late Charges Still Apply

(got this from an e-mail today, thought I'd share it)

Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die. This is so priceless, and so easy to see happening, customer service being what it is today.

A lady died this past January, and Citibank billed her for February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and then added late fees and interest on the monthly charge.

The balance had been $0.00, now is somewhere around $60.00. A family member placed a call to Citibank:

Family Member: "I am calling to tell you that she died in January."

Citibank: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply."

Family Member: "Maybe, you should turn it over to collections."

C itibank: "Since it is two months past due, it already has been."

Family Member: So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?"

Citibank: "Either report her account to the frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!"

Family Member: "Do you think God will be mad at her?"

Citibank: "Excuse me?"

Family Member: "Did you just get what I was telling you - the part about her being dead?"

Citibank: "Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor."

Supervisor gets on the phone:

Family Member: "I'm calling to tell you, she died in January."

Citibank: "The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply."

Family Member: "You mean you want to collect from her estate?"

Citibank: (Stammer) "Are you her lawyer?"

Family Member: "No, I'm her great nephew." (Lawyer info given)

Citibank: "Could you fax us a certificate of death?"

Family Member: "Sure." (fax number is given)

After they get the fax:

Citibank: "Our system just isn't setup for death. I don't know what more I can do to help."

Family Member: "Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you just keep billing her. I don't think she will care."

Citibank: "Well, the late fees and charges do still apply."

Family Member: "Would you like her new billing address?"

Citibank: "That might help."

Family Member: "Odessa Memorial Cemetery, Highway 129, Plot Number 69."

Citibank: "Sir, that's a cemetery!"

Family Member: "What do you do with dead people on your planet?

Lance, You're Amazing

Cancer survivor and seven time Tour de France winner.

Not something a person would normally talk about in the same sentence. However, Lance Armstrong is the exception. He's done it again, taking his 7th straight win of the Tour de France. The man has made history and proven to the world that if you "fight like hell", you can prevail.

Thank you Lance, for being an insperation to so many and congratulations on your 7th win. You'll be missed by many.

We Speak English? And Other PC Bullshit...

You know, I'm going to go out on a limb here and probably sound like a racist bastard, but it reeeaaallly pisses me off when people come to my country and expect me to speak their language. I mean, it seriously pisses me off. Big time.

Not all immigrants are like this. Some actually do make an effort to learn at least a little bit, and that's enough for me. At least they're trying. However, it's the people who walk up to me or call our office and start jabbering at me as if I'm supposed to understand them that really annoy the hell out of me. I find it very disrespectful and incredibly rude. I wouldn't go to another country and expect people to speak English to me. I wouldn't approach someone and assume they'd know what I was trying to say. I'd at least make an effort to get my point across in their native language, even if I looked like a complete idiot doing so. I'd rather look like a fool than a presumptious asshat.

Ten years ago I worked for a company where there were many Hispanic workers (over 500). I worked in the personnel office and saw all of them five days a week, sometimes six. I tried hard to learn to speak some Spanish, to make things easier on myself and them. I met several very kind people who worked hard to teach me, and several of them were about as skilled in English as I was in Spanish. However, I had many, many people disregard me all together and blatently refuse my help because I couldn't speak well enough for them. Several people approached my boss and told him to fire me because I wasn't Hispanic. His reply to them was, "It's her country. You learn to speak her language." (my boss was from Ecuador)

Anyway, I came away from that job understanding more Spanish than I ever learned in highschool. It was probably the biggest bonus I got from working there. I still suck at speaking, but I can understand quite a bit, and if I need to, I can muddle my way through simple instructions and coversations.

However, when I run into someone who immediatly assumes I speak Spanish and just starts talking to me like I'm supposed to know--I play dumb. Like the guy today at the store asking how much the beer was in the back ( I don't even work at that damn store! I was buying a pop!). I just stared at him blankly for a moment, then asked him in English if he wanted a case of Pepsi. He stared at me a minute, then asked about the beer again, to which I replied, "The cases of Mt. Dew are at the back of the store, I think." He got mad and stomped off. I saw him again at the counter while I was getting my soda. He storms up and starts talking to the clerk in rapid Spanish and the poor woman could hardly keep up. So finished paying for my stuff turned to the woman and said, "He's telling you he's got five dollars in gas outside."

And then there was the lady who called the office accidently. She was trying to get a hold of the local highschool, looking for her son, Ricardo. Not once did she try to talk to me in English. I kept telling her she had the wrong number English, but she didn't seem to get it. Finally I got sick of this woman and told her, "No está aquí." Big mistake. She really flew off the handle, still thinking I was the school and her son was skipping out. After I repeated, "No entiendo", a couple of times, she hung up on me. I hope the kid didn't get in too much trouble. Maybe his mom should stop being such an entitlement foriegner and learn enough English to understand what, "Wrong Number" means. Jesus...

Now I figure a lot of people are embarassed about poor speaking skills. That's understandable, but I for one would rather have someone at least try. If they make an effort to speak to me in English, I'll make an effort to use Spanish.

Where I live, we've catered to native Spanish speakers to the point that in certain areas of town, it's almost impossible to find signs, documents, etc., in English. This pisses me off too. Why the hell do we enable these people who refuse to learn English in the US? And I'm not just talking about Spanish speakers, though they tend to be the majority where I'm from.

Is it like this in other countries? I'm curious. Are immigrants catered and coddled the way they are here in the US? Are the native people forced to learn foriegn languages just to do business? I mean, if you were to walk into a bank to fill out a deposit slip, would you be able to find one in your language without having to ask a teller? Or would there be deposit slips written in every other language BUT the native language?

I'm all for American's learning new languages, but I believe it should be a personal choice and not shoved down our throat because several million immigrants decide to move here and not speak the language.

It's not racist to demand immigrants learn to speak English if they choose to live here. No one is asking them to give up their native language; just to learn another one. However, in the US, any pressure applied to making our immigrants learn English is met with severe resistance and cries of outrage. WHY? I'm sick to death of the bleeding hearts and PC parahnas that have this country by the balls.

"Don't make immigrants learn English! It's racist!"

"Don't call us black, it's offensive. Call us African American instead. Wait, don't call us African American, not all of us are African. Call us People of Color. But we'll still call you 'white'."

"So what's it going to be? Are people crippled, disabled, invalid, handicapped, differently abled, people with disabilites, or physically challenged? Or are we going to go back to using 'disabled' again for the third time?" (yes, these were all PC terms for handicapped people at one time. NOTE: I used an "offensive" term here (handicapped), but I don't give a shit.)

"They aren't fat! They're plus sized!"

And my favorite:

"You aren't American! The Americas just don't consist of the USA! You guys are USAers."

Shut.The.Fuck.Up.Asshat.

USA stands for the United States of America, for all the dipshits that don't get it. If it makes you feel better, you may say United States Americans or something like that. But USAers (USAians) is just fucking retarded (ohno!another offensive term!). Shut the hell up and step out of the whambulance already.

Jesus Christ on a pogo stick...the world has gone all sorts of batshit insane. You can't open your mouth without someone having a herd of cows about something. I'd use sign language, so I wouldn't have to open my mouth again, but I only know one hand gesture. Oddly, it seems to suit the way I'm feeling right about now...

Co-pay Me to Death

It's been a hell of a week. Bad enough to put me into a seriously dejected and cranky mood. I believe my clutch is starting to go out in my car. That pisses me off. I hate car problems because they're so damn expensive. And of course it happens right after the "doctorpalooza" we had at the beginning of the week. Isn't that the way shit goes? I think I'm going to get "If it ain't one thing, it's another" tatooed on my ass.

I can't wait to see the doctor bill for my son's Sunday visit to the Urgent Care Clinic AND the ER. Oh, and of course, we had the follow up doctor appointment on Monday and two more coming up. Thankfully, he seems to be okay. We won't know for sure if there is any perminant damage until they do another ultrasound. On what, you ask? Hn...lets just say he didn't have "torsion", but rather an infection where there shouldn't be one. (hint: I bet google'd give you lots of hits)

Not to mention I've been working my ass off.もう仕事が好きじゃないよ。先週、私は五十時間働いて。長い時間私を殺すでしょうね。私の雇用確保が心配だ。。。不確実性この気持ちが好きじゃないよね。Still, I managed to get back to the gym last week to work off some of this extra stress...and the twenty pounds my doctor told me to lose.

I saw War of the Worlds today and thought it was pretty good, despite having Dr. Tom in it. I used to like that guy, but his crazy is starting to show through in his acting. I saw the previews for Narnia, and that raised my spirits a bit. I also decided I would go see "Stealth" sometime next week if I have the money (which I probably won't).

Anyway, for those looking for Bleach and Naruto summaries...I'll probably get to them later this weekend. Bleach, at least, since it was another great chapter. Naruto as...hnnn...so so...

Congrats to George Hincapie!

A big congrats to George Hincapie for his first stage win in the Tour de France...ever. Hincapie rode from Lezat-sur-Leze to Saint-Lary Soulan, 127 miles, up-hill, to out race Oscar Pereiro (I won't say out-sprint, because Pereiro didn't even really try to counter Hincapie).

After 10 years, George, you deserve this win! Awesome job and we love you!

Zoso's Otaku Experience

Today I went to the store with my son. We were on a mission to retrieve the newest Harry Potter book for my mother. Decked out in our anti-Harry fangirl apparal, complete with pepper spray and billie-clubs, we went to one of the larger bookstore chains here in town.

Prepared for the worst, I was shocked to see that the store was almost empty. Apparently most of the crazies had opted for the midnight run, leaving us normal people to shop in peace.

Not quite.

Deciding that it would be safe to do a bit of shopping on my own, I meandered back to the manga section, looking for Gravi 12. I had just found it when this loud voice behind me starts jabbering almost incoherantly. I look up, confused, and see this girl staring at me like I'm some bright shiny object. "Oh dear god," I thought.

The otaku was on me like a polar bear with a meat popcicle. She noticed Gravi in my hand as well as another shonen ai book, and suddenly I had books shoved open in my face and her screaming "Look! Boys! Lots and lots of boys!" (I'm not shitting you on this) I could barely get an word in edgewise as I learn about cosplay, cons, and "yowie".

Okay...I can admire her enthusiasim. That I can deal with. I'm enthusiastic about things I like too. Perhaps not "that" enthusiastic, but you get the point. However, when I tell someone three times "I've read that book and I didn't like it", shoving it in my face isn't going to make me see the light. Okay?

Also, you don't win any "fan points" by telling me you have "read" the books in Japanese. Uh huh...Honey, you can't even say ya-o-i right. It's not "yowie". Reading doesn't constitute looking at the pictures. There's nothing wrong with telling me, "I've got these books in Japanese, but I just like the pictures." Don't be a faker. It makes you look really, really dumb.

And another thing, just because I have some shonen-ai titles in my hand doesn't mean I'm a slavering, fuck-twit fan-girl, okay? Not that there is anything wrong with some fan-girls, but the ones that do nothing but squee make me want to bust out my semi-automatic rifle and shoot some melons (and I'm a damn good shot too). I'll be damned if I'm going to stand in the middle of the store and jump up and down with you. I'm almost 30 years old, for crying out loud. I'm too old to jump up and down, I might hurt something. Besides, I didn't even jump up and down when I won 1,000 bucks on scratch ticket. I laughed...slow and evil like...(true story). Girls that jump up and down and talk in high voices that would hurt Beeker the Muppet's ears annoy the piss out of me. STFU, okay!?

God, I should have thrown the books and ran for my life. This was an otaku sabatoge of the worst sort. I didn't even see it coming! My son, the little traitor, high-tailed it for the videogame section after about 5 seconds with this girl. He's currently cleaning his room for his treasonous ways.

You know, it's cool when you meet someone with the same interests as your own. There's that spark of commonality (is that even a word?) that brings people together as friends. However, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, please remember that not everyone will share the same amount of enthusiasm as you. Don't run up to a total stranger like a rabid, unfed barracuda and bombard them with drivel and senseless squeeing. You want to make friends, not scare them away.

*sigh*

Nipplephobia

Normally I won't bitch too much about manga edits. They happen. It's just the way things are. However, somethings just downright annoy the hell out of me. Like random gender or name changes. Or artwork edits of material that is clearly not suited for teens (coughTenjoTengecough).

Other things just leave me scratching my head, or better yet, shaking my head.

America, what is the big deal about females having nipples? It's a fact of life. All us girls have them. So why are they 'teh ebil'? Boys have nipples too. How come they aren't ebil? They should be! They don't even "do" anything!

I'm offended that my country thinks my nipples are evil. They're good nipples! They've never robbed a store, murdered anyone, or molested a child! They aren't out to conqure the world or bomb other countries! They don't stay out late drinking, they mind their own business, and for the most part, they stay where they belong.

Oh? Female nipples are "sexual"? That's funny, I thought they were there to feed babies. Silly me. No wonder so many people have puppies when they see a woman breast feeding at the mall.

Editors, do you think us girls don't notice our nipples? I mean, we look at them every day. They're attached to our breasts. You can erase all you want, but we know what's missing. A breast is a breast, with or without a nipple. We know...you aren't fooling us. So why not be productive and just get rid of the entire boob? Boobs are sexual too, right? Boys sure seem to like them (that is the point when you get down to it, right?).

The same thing goes for babies butts and privates. Just start cutting them off at the waist. God forbid any of us here in the US realize we have stuff downstairs too. Let alone our children!

Why is nudity so bad? I mean, in the Bible, God got pissed when Adam and Eve first donned clothing, yet religous conservatism swears we must cover ourselves. WTF? If that isn't hypocrisy, then hit me with a stick.

America, my fellow country men, please remove the stick up your ass (yes, you have one of those too). Boobs, vaginas, and penises have other functions, you know? It's not all about sex, dumbasses. Ever take a piss or have a baby? Stop making a big deal out of nothing. You can pretend all you want that America is vagina, penis, and nipple free, but on the inside you know we really aren't a nation of Ken and Barbie dolls...thank god.

Robotussin from the Bottle

God, I'm tired. This week has been pure hell; and sadly there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Have you ever had that feeling that you've been thrown to the wolves? Yeah...I feel like I've been thrown to a pack of angry, starving, rabid wolves right about now.

And my ear still hurts.

I said screw the doctors perscription and opted for Advil and Robotussin. I'll be damned if I pay $$$$ for a decongestant and pain killer. If I still feel like shit this weekend, I'm going back in there and demanding anti-biotics. Stupid quack.

Anyway, I hate that Robutussin crap. Jesus, it tastes like shit. How can people friggen drink that stuff for a high? I can barely take two teaspoons and not vomit. Drug addicts are fucked up. Seriously.

So the Robutussin makes my nose run and makes me drowsy. The Advil makes my stomach hurt. But my ear is still plugged. Oddly, what does seem to work is a heating pad at night. Guess it melts all that goo in my head. Yuck. Oh! And the gym! Ha ha! I went to the gym today at lunch and worked out. That helped too, for about an hour, then my head got all stopped up again.

Being stressed and sick doesn't help my demeanor any either. Friday can't get here soon enough. I've decided that the minute I clock out of work on Friday, I'm offically "absent" from all activties other than sleeping, eating, and peeing. Oh, I'll probably take a shower or two somewhere in there too.

*sigh*

What does this have to do with my ear again?

Today has been one of those surreal days. You know, the kind that careens out of control like a run away frieght truck, taking out innocent bystanders and small animals along the way.

Yeah...one of "those days".

First I wake up and my right ear feels like someone has jabbed a spork in my eardrum. I have a cough...okay, I always have a cough in the summer, but this one is a different cough. My ear friggen hurts when I cough. But I have a high pain tolerance, so I'm good to go. My motto is don't go to the doctor unless a limb has fallen off or you bleed blood from your eyes. It's worked so far. I've only been sent to the ER three times in six years.

I go to work, stopping by the store to by a burrito (breakfast of champions) and a pop. It's a typical Monday. I get to work and see my bosses truck and camp trailer parked in the parking lot. Okay, that's a bit weird, but since none of us are normal at my job, not much surprises me. The "head honcho" is also in town, his truck is parked next to the door...but I knew he'd be at the office, so no big.

Anyway, I get inside, we sit down to have a meeting and my boss says he's leaving. Today. As soon as we're finished with the meeting. He was offered another job (same company, different area), and he starts TODAY. Uhhh...okaaaay...That's kinda abrupt, since he's the only manager in our office...but hey, he got a promotion so I'm happy for him. I was shocked, and I'm really sad to see him go, since he's the best boss I've ever worked for, but it's his life and he should do what he feels is best.

...元マネージャは戻る予定だ。 なに？ウソ！！ジョーダンじゃないよ！たたたいへんだよ！カレはクソバカだよねぇ。。。またく～

So...my ear is still hurting. It's getting worse. I decide that perhaps I should visit the doctor. So I go to the walk in clinc, and this doctor comes in. She goes over my chart, looks in my ear, and tells me that I have fluid behind it, but it's not infected. Then she proceeds to tick off a bunch of other stuff that is wrong with me. My blood pressure is a bit too high. I should lose about 20 pounds. I might get daibetes. I might get cancer (been there, done that doc). Blah, blah, blah, blah...The list goes on and on. The entire time I'm thinking, "No fucking shit, doc. But what the hell does this have to do with my ear? THE EAR! Remember?" She mentions more stuff, and about that time, I've had it. If I wanted a full analysis of what was wrong with me, I would have gone to my regular physician. I not too nicely tell her to not worry about all that other crap and get back to the problem at hand. My ear hurts. Fix it.

She shows me this creepy massage I should do to my ear while making my mouth open and shut like a horse. I stare blankly at her. She starts to write my perscription and tells me it's for a decongestant and ibprofin. I tell her I don't want her perscription. I have that junk at home and I'm not paying a gazillion dollars for the other crap when over the counter stuff works just the same. Besides, I already know I'll be back for antibiotics by the end of the week.

The doc writes it anyway. I'm now pissed I wasted 78 bucks coming in to have a quack tell me my pain is irrelevant. I hate doctors that do that. They don't listen to you. They don't read your previous charts. If she had, she would have seen that last fall I was in for the exact same problem (and before that, and before that, and before that). I was given antibiotics and it went away. But what do I know? I'm just a dumb patient.

So I leave the office. My ear still killing me, but now I'm angry. So I go shopping. I buy some new clothes, some stuff for home, a diet pepsi, and a new purse. Take THAT stupid doctor!

*sigh*

Tomorrow doesn't look much brighter. Another meeting at work. Delegation of duties (responsiblities I no longer wanted coming back to me), and my ear will still be hurting.

But at least I have a new purse.

American movies are made for *GASP* Americans!

So a big STFU to the dumbasses who bitch about "Americans saving the world" in the Hollywood box office shows.

Seriously, Hollywood is "pretty" global. We all know that. But movies like, say, "Independence Day", "Armageddon", "The Patriot", etc., are American movies made for America. Therefore, they have American heros! OMG! What a concept! Only an idiot would bitch about Americans saving the world in these movies.

I must have missed the memo where Hollywood was suppose to cater to the wants and needs of people in other countries. Despite being global, Hollywood is still American. OHNOEZ!!!111!one!!

Maybe I should send JK Rowling a letter and tell her Harry is too British for me and she needs to have more Americans in her stories. *rollseyes*

Special note to those who still don't get it: If you don't like Americans being heros in Hollywood movies...stop watching Hollywood movies. Okay? Watch movies made by your own country...or go make your own.

Does this rant mean I don't think Hollywood movies should be shown in other countries? If you read that into it, the line to the short bus is over there ------>

No. I think it's cool that Hollywood has become so huge. I think it's awesome that the American Entertainment Industry brings so many people together. I'd hate to see that stop. I don't even mind if they *do* cater to other countries. Hell, we all know that Americans could use a little cultural enlightenment.

What pisses me off is that *some* idiots act like little entitlement bitches and whine when a movie like "Independence Day" or "Armageddon" comes out...or any movie that has Americans saving the world or something. Hell, they even bitch about Americans saving something in our own country! WTF? You don't see me bitching about the Japanese trying to save Tokyo from Godzilla, do you?

Hollywood might be global, but it's still an American Industry. What I find strange is if our movies are so offensive, why do people overseas keep watching them? Is it some sort of masochism?

They're just movies, people. Shut the hell up, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the show for Christs sake.

Bleach and Naruto summaries (Spoilers..duh)

Sorry for not getting these up sooner. I'm a Tour de France junkie, so you can guess what I've been doing for the past week.

Anyway~

The new Naruto episode is a mix of filler and manga. Basically we get to see Mizuki cause a prison riot. Yay. Moving on...

Zangetsu

BLEACH! Hell.Yeah.

I'm a Kenpachi fan. So it'll come as no surprise to those who follow this stupid blog or know me, that this weeks episode of Bleach had my FULL attention. Ichigo and Kenpachi finally settle things, going balls to the wall. Ichigo gets some help from Zangetsu (his sword) and starts literally hacking Kenpachi to pieces. Blood is flying everywhere.

Kenpachi just laughs. He goes friggen nuts, tears off his eye patch and his spirit power goes through the roof (literally). The eye patch was created by the research development team to tame Kenpachi's out of control spirit pressure. The eye patch eats spirit energy constantly, keeping his in check.

Ichigo seems a bit worried, but Zangetsu guides him, offering up all his power and experience. He and Ichigo listen to the plaintif wails of Kenpachi's Zanpaktou, and Zangetsu says that Kenpachi can never truely win.

Ichigo attacks. So does Kenpachi. They collide and the entire city sector explodes. When the dush settles, Ichigo has been stabbed through, but Kenpachi looks equally surpised. Ichigo falls to the ground, saying "I'm sorry, guys".

End of show.

Heeee! The fight was awesome. I was so excited. God, I'm such a kid.

Bleach Chapter 186

There was a whole lot of WTF, going on in this chapter. Major WTF...I'm still going WTF...

Last week we left Ishida being chased by a strange looking Menos. The mysterious stranger steps out of the shadows. It's Ishida's dad, Ryuuken. He has a Quincy bow! *boggles* If us Bleach fans remember right, Ishida asked his dad to train him way back when he was a kid, and his dad said "I'm not interested in that." The Menos makes some noise and Ryuuken says it's too noisy. He shoots it. It explodes. *WTF*

Ryuuken tells Ishida that their power is different. He is the last Quincy. He says Ishida is too inexperenced and was foolish to go to the Soul Society. He also says that he can restore Ishida's power, but he must promise never to fight with the Shinigami again.

Meanwhile, Kon is running for his life. The Grandfisher is toying with him, still thinking he's Ichigo. The Grandfisher has a new look too. We can see his face as his mask keeps slipping.

The Grandfisher gets bored and manages to capture Kon. Kon struggles, but knows it's the end of him. A huge blast knocks the Grandfisher back. A voice says "I told you not to leave home with out it. Now look at you." Then the voice tells the Grandfisher that Ichigo is away and that he's replacing him for the time being.

The next page shows Ichigo's DAD saying "Why don't you play with me instead." He's wearing a shinigami outfit and has a Zanpaktou.

WTF? This was an even bigger shock than Aizen being alive. Ichigo's dad? The dorky, annoying, eccentric buffoon a shinigami? That explains some things, but opens an entire plethora of other questions. Like...why in the hell is he in the real world? Is he really a captain? How did he not notice the Hollow (acidwire) when their home got attacked? Or did he? I think the big question is "Why is he not in the Soul Society?" Unless he had to flee or was banished, like Urahara.

Nice, Kubo Tite. Way to keep us guessing...constantly.

Naruto Chapter 267

Naruto has been full of surprises lately too. Disturbing surprises.

Sakura and Granny are facing off with Sasori. Granny and Sasori argue a bit. Granny is pretty disgusted with her grandson. She makes a comment about him being in league with Orochimaru. Sasori says Orochimaru was in the Akatsuki, but that was about it... Sakura is surprised to learn that Sasori knows Orochimaru.

Sasori attacks with his Third Kazekage puppet. Granny controls Sakura, helping her evade his attacks. Sasori realizes that his Granny still has what it takes and uses a blast of poison gas to consume Sakura.

Sakura is trapped, holding her breath. Granny runs to rescue her. Inside the cloud, Sakura remembers her promise, and uses an explosive note to blow the poison away, injuring herself in the process. Granny is shocked. Sakura yells at Sasori that she is going to beat the information she wants out of him. Sasori is not amused at attacks, cutting Sakura off.

Granny busts out two summoning scrolls and two figures appear, blocking the attack. They're puppets of a man and a woman. Granny tells Sasori it's rude for a man to interrupt a woman while she's speaking. Sasori watches with a bland expression. He says, "So, you've brought those, have you?"

Granny says that she has. They were the first puppets he ever made. They're his mother and father.

Now that's just grim...

Their Revenge

You people have no idea what I went through to do this translation (not that you should care either, I'm just complaining). It's time for me to stop being such a tightwad and buy my own scanner. After scanning from my parents computer and saving to a zip disk, none of the files would open on my computer. So, being the genius that I am, I decided to email them to myself...*insert crazed hysterical laughter here*

Note to self: emailing lots of large files at one time is STUPID. Especially when you have the patience of a worthog.

Sooo...I suddenly remembered my parents have a CD burner now (they're moving up in the world). So I burn the files to CD and take them back to my computer. My computer crashes three times. Adobe freezes at least four.

Note to self: Do not laugh like Dexter until AFTER all files have been transfered to computer. DO NOT--under any circumstances--call your computer a "bitch".

After a mishmash of saving files from zip, e-mail, and CD--I finally *broke into tears of joy* managed to get everything edited.

I expect you'll forgive the crappiness of these scans (since I'm not doing them again...I'd probably have a stroke). Also, my Japanese is sub-par and I've done the best I could. If you notice mistakes, feel free to politely let me know. If you can't play nice, STFU and go away. *smile*

I'm particularly fond of Albel hanging over bamboo spikes. His face makes be giggle everytime I look at that picture. I have another translation done of Sophia and Albel (not a pairing---God, give me some credit, people...ugh). It's another pretty funny story. I'll continue to do translations when I have the time. This story was found in Supercomic Gekijoh Vol. 71.

What is Your Vampire/Fairy Name?

Want to know what your name would be if you were a vampire or a fairy? Sure you do! Who wouldn't!

Here's mine:

Vampire Name

Uhhh...does this mean I'm a tormented soul, or am I tormenting souls? 'Cause the tormenting part suits me just fine.

My Fairy Name

Nocturnal I am...but protecting the lonely?

Hnnn....

Or here's your own "rune casting".

Odd...it said nothing about me launching my mouse across the room and stomping it into a million pieces. *sigh* I hate it when my mouse loses it balls... *chuckle*

Of course, NOTHING wins over the "egg song". It should be a top 40 hit.

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.......I wish I could go home now...

Anime Expo 2005

So, it's Anime Expo again and all of us Anime/Manga fans are waiting to see what's going to be making a trip over to the States at the end of the year and next year. Mass otaku and probably a few saner fans are gathering, waiting in lines, chewing their nails...and whatever else happens at a con. (I've never been to one, and I doubt I'll go to one as large as Anime Expo---unless they make otaku repellant or something)

Anyway, here's a bit of news at what's going on:

Funimation announced Trinity Blood and talked about Samurai 7 and a few other titles I don't care about. Sadly, Trinity Blood isn't a great show, and probably won't garner enough interest to get the manga or novels translated...which are GOOD! However, one can still hope.

Viz Media didn't announce much either. Some music, the Inu Yasha 3rd movie, fall releases of Zatch Bell, Inuyasha TV Season 2,Saikano Complete Collection,etc.

Bang Zoom! showed an English trailer for Gankutsuou and talked about company stuff.

Geneon had some fun at the expense of Kouta Hirano (guest manga artist known for Hellsing). They also showed trailers for a few titles that are coming up, including the Hellsing OAV.

Tokyopop had a few things to mention, such as the upcoming release of titles like: Blame! (a must read!), Saiyuki Reload, Kingdom Hearts, Devil May Cry, Samurai Champloo, Wild Rock (yaoi), Graviation the novel, Anima (yay!), Earthian, etc. They've started a new line called "Blu", which is shonen ai and yaoi.

Rightstuf announced 2x2Shinobuden. "Boys Be" will be released at the end of the year and "To Heart" sometime next year.

CPM.....well, they apparently talked about their "mature titles" that they'll release for college age women and older. Some mention of Hentai titles being released under "Anime Hotshots" label. When asked a question about censoring in Be Beautiful (removed chapters), the questioner was told to go buy the original version at Amazon.com Japan. How nice....(tries not to rant about the license of mature titles and censorship)

So...from what I've read so far, I believe this year's AX can be summed up as BORING....

For more detailed news, go here.

Mesmerizing Bubble Woman

Ahhhh....yes...for hours of entertainment (well, if your like me anyway and find crap like this obsenely funny):

YOU CAN MOVE HER!!!!

Naruto and Bleach Summaries

Once again, I won't be talking about the Naruto anime. The only redeeming feature of this weeks episode was that they did show the part where Sakura goes to Tsunade and asks to be her pupil. Next week is more filler, if I remember correctly.

Bleach Episode 38

Last week, Chad was taken down by the 8th division captain, Kyouraku Shunsui.

Meanwhile, Ichigo is running for his life. Kenpachi is close on his heels. Kenpachi cuts Ichigo off and attacks him. Ichigo leaps away from the captain and barely blocks a blow from Kenpachi's sword. Ichigo takes advantage of Kenpachi being off balance and...runs away again. Kenpachi is beginning to think the fight isn't much "fun".

As Ichigo is running, he keeps telling himself to "calm down" and that there is no way Kenpachi is invincible; there has to be a way to cut him down. Ichigo thinks back to his first attack against Kenpachi, when the captain offered to let Ichigo hit him. Instead of Kenpachi being cut, it was Ichigo who was hurt (his hand is still bleeding). Ichigo keeps running, contemplating his perdiciment, when Kenpachi busts through the wall in front of him.

Kenpachi tells Ichigo to stop running and he says he hates playing tag with wimps. Ichigo is freaked out but attacks Kenpachi anyway. For awhile, Ichigo swings at Kenpachi and Kenpachi bats at him as if he's a fly. Ichigo lands a hit and once more Kenpachi just laughs and smiles. Ichigo takes off once more. This pisses Kenpachi off.

Ichigo hides in an ally. He knows he's landing hits, but Kenpachi just won't bleed. By this time, Ichigo is in full panic mode. He's no longer thinking rationally, scared out of his wits that the difference in the power will get him killed. He tries to rationalize his fear, but it's not working. At that moment he notices Chad's spirit force has disappeared.

Shunsui and Nanao are about to leave when Vice captain Nanao offers to administer the finishing blow to Chad, who is lying on the ground. Shunsui tells her no. Nanao says that Chad and the other intruders were probably the ones who killed Aizen, and Shunsui tells her "Maybe, maybe not". He tells her to call someone to pick Chad up and place him in a holding cell.

Ichigo focuses and finds a spark. He's relieved that Chad is not dead. Then, he realizes that if he loses to Kenpachi, not only will Chad be hurt, but everyone who has come to help him rescue Rukia will probably die as well. He can't let that happen.

Ichigo comes out of hiding to find Kenpachi sitting on the ground waiting for him. Kenpachi asks if Ichigo is ready to die or if he's just given up. Ichigo says neither and attacks. At first it looks as if Kenpachi won't be lifting a finger, but Ichigo lands a hit and Kenpachi bleeds.

Ichigo tells Kenpachi he's not going to die. Kenpachi looks a bit startled he's been cut, then annoyed...then he smiles--a very excited, happy smile. Then he tells Ichigo, "See, you can do it!" They start fighting again--with Ichigo looking a bit worried.

Back at the shinigami headquarters, a group of captains are standing over Aizen's corpse. One asks if it was tested to be a faux body. The answer is negetive. Captain Aizen is "really" dead. Tousen (how I HATE this guy) and Komamura go outside and run into Hisagi and another vice captain (I forgot his name). Tousen gives his speech about how he hates violence and fighting, but he will fight to protect the peace (STFU Tousen) and then leaves. Komamura says he will fight too.

Meanwhile, Ichigo isn't fairing to well against Kenpachi. Kenpachi grabs Ichigo's sword and lifts him in the the air while trying to stab him. Ichigo gets cut, but saves himself from being skewered. Kenpachi praises him but tells him he needs to fight harder. Ichigo tells Kenpachi he needs to stop taking him so lightly and release his Zanpaktou (sword). Kenpachi scoffs a bit and tells Ichigo that his sword is as it always is. It has no other form.

Ichigo is stunned. Zanpaktou usually have different forms. Kenpachi tells Ichigo he couldn't seal his sword if he wanted too. His spirit power is too high. His Zanpaktou has no name.

Ichigo thinks he might have an advantage, but Kenpachi proves him wrong. He stabs Zangetsu (Ichigo's Zanpaktou) and peirces Ichigo's heart. Zangetsu breaks in half and Ichigo falls to the dirt, gushing blood. Kenpachi starts to walk away, complaing about how dull the fight was.

Ichigo lays dying, telling himself to get up and move. He looks up and sees Zangetsu walking through Kenpachi. Zangetsu stops and stares at him. The show ends...for now.

Next week...Zangetsu joins the fight and Kenpachi takes the gloves off...or should that be the "eye patch"?

Bleach Chapter 185

Ishida leaps away from the Hollow that has appeared behind him. He's never seen a Hollow appear that way and wonders if it's a Menos (though it doesn't look like a Menos). Meanwhile, Kon meets up with the Grandfisher and is in serious trouble. Elsewhere, Urahara notices the disturbances as does Yourichi. Urahara doesn't look happy.

Hirako and Ichigo are fighting on a roof top. Kurumadani is watching/hiding. He wonders what they are, possibly monsters. Hirako stops and looks away, saying "They've arrived." Ichigo asks who he hell Hirako is and Hirako just looks at Ichigo, telling him what a pain he is because his spiritual pressure is always on high.

Again, Ichigo asks Hirako who he is. Hirako replies with a "why does it matter so much" but relents and shows Ichigo...his Hollow mask.

Ichigo is stunned (so am I).

Hirako tells Ichigo he has both a Hollow mask and a Zanpaktou--just like Ichigo. He tells Ichigo that they are the same; that they've both stepped into the Hollow's world. Hirako says he belongs to "Something Army" (sorry, didn't understand this) and that Ichigo doesn't belong to "the other side". Hirako tells Ichigo that he needs to join them instead.

Meanwhile, Ishida is fighting the Hollow, still wondering if it is a Menos or not. The spiritual pressure of the Hollow is incredibly high.

Ishida may have lost his Quincy powers, but he isn't unprepared. He pulls out these bomb like things and throws them at the Hollow, blowin it's arm off. The Hollow splits apart, it's arm regrowing. There are actually two bodies instead of one.

Just as it looks like Ishida is going to be caught and eaten, somone slices off the Hollows "tongue". From the shadows, the visitor says, "Oh boy, this isn't good...Uuryu."

Apparently he knows Ishida well enough to use his first name so intimatly (in Japan only family and the closest of friends use first names like this).

Whoooo~~ I've got lots of questions! Who's the mystery man? What's up with the white hollow? What the hell is this "army" and who exactly do they work for? And I hope Kon is okay!

Naruto 166

Finally, Naruto is getting a interesting again. We ran into a bit of stagnation after the "death of Gaara". This week's chapter jumps back into the-- "WTF? I didn't expect that!" Good for Kishimoto; I was beginning to worry.

Anyway...Granny and Sakura have busted up Sasori's puppet. Granny has used some "puppet jutsu" on Sakura, allowing her to dodge Sasori's traps. She also used the same jutsu on Sasori's tail, so she now has control of both. Sasori commends her and says he shouldn't have expected anything less, she was the one who taught him after all; and then he removes his cloak.

Meanwhile, back at the Sand village, a meeting of comittee members is going on. They're talking about whether or not finding Gaara is worthwhile. Gaara managed the Shukaku but still never managed to merge with it completely. Most of them feel he is a danger to the Sand and perhaps it's better that he's gone. The elder continues on, saying that even Gaara's father attempted to have his son killed, but failed, and the village has been under stress since Gaara became the vessel for Shukaku. The only reason he was made Kazekage was so that the comittee could keep an eye on him. Kankuro gets pissed off and grabs one of the members.

Kankuro is told to sit down and the elder tells a story about the third Kazekage who went missing. Apparently he was abducted and the Sand spent a lot of time searching for him. War's broke out, the village suffered, and the Kazekage was never found. It was disturbing, since he was the strongest of all in the Sand's history. No one wanted to believe that someone like him could be eliminated so easily.

Back in the desert somewhere, Naruto has gone Kyuubi and is attacking Dedaria relentlessly. Dedaria uses his paper birds to cause explosions, which Kakashi barely counters. This only angers Naruto further and he tells Dedaria he won't let the Akatsuki have Gaara.

Dedaria says Naruto is strange for jinchuuriki. Most Jinchuuriki are loners and hate other people because their villages, parents, etc hate them as well. Dedaria says they've already taken two other jinchuuriki's and their villages never even raised a finger to help them. Dedaria goes on to say that he's heard that some people were thankful to the Akatsuki for ridding them of the jinchuuriki.

He tells Naruto that Gaara is already dead. The ichibi (shukaku) has already been taken out and no jinchuuriki can survive that. Naruto is getting more pissed and tells Dedaria he's going to kill them all for what they've done.

Back to Granny and Sakura--Sasori has pulled off the cloak that was covering his body. Much to his Granny's surprise, Sasori hasn't aged a bit in 20 years. Sakura and Granny are stunned. Sasori says he's got a surprise for them, and the puppet he has was quite a pain to collect, but all the more reason for it to be his favorite.

Sasori releases the puppet. It's the missing third Kazekage.

Waiting....and waiting...and waiting...

I'm the biggest procrastinator in the world. I will put stuff off and put it off and put it off until whatever needs to be done is but a memory somewhere in the vast reaches of brain.

You would think I wouldn't be an impatient person, but I am. I HATE waiting for other people. I loathe it, especially when I know whatever they're doing doesn't take "that much time".

Before I make myself sound more like a hypocrit, I should explain that my procrastinations are on my own time. I never procrastinate at work or with important things that effect other people. Well, almost never--there are a few exceptions (*coughTMTBcough*).

Today I've been perpetually waiting. It seems where ever I go, I'm hindered by someone who is in "slow motion". For example on the way to and from work (I went home for lunch), the people in front of me on the highway were doing 15 miles below the speed limit. After much swearing, I managed to get around them, only to find myself bumpered by another person who doesn't seem to know that "60" doesn't mean "go 45". If that wasn't bad enough, once I hit the freeway, some dumb ho cuts across two lanes to get into the "fast lane", the proceeds to do 40. WTF? (imagine this in big ass letters) Where'd she learn to drive, Hellen Keller Driving Acadamy? I hate entitlment drivers...you know, the people who think they can drive anywhere...

And at work...I'm waiting. Waiting for the last person to come in so I can go home. Two and a half hours ago he had five stops left to do. Ten minutes ago he has four...

*head-desk*

*head desk again*

I'm also pissed at the mail lady......again. I went home for lunch to check the mail, hoping my copy of "Any Witch Way but Dead" had finally arrived from Amazon. The mail is delivered at 11:30am; noon at the latest. As I pull into my driveway, I notice that she hasn't come yet. Okay--whatever. I go inside, fix myself some lunch, chat with my mom and son, and kill about 45 minutes. I go to leave, check the mail...and it STILL hasn't shown up. Annoyed (I think my mail lady is on something, BTW), I leave only to see her turning down my street. So I go home again, wait...and to add insult to injury, my book doesn't even show up.

I'm such a loser.

I won't be leaving the office until after five today. This annoys the hell out of me. It makes me grumpy...considering I've been here since 7:30am.