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Monday, July 31st, 2006
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2:58 pm - Orientate me.
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Orientation in Tokyo seems like most orientations--mostly useless. ^^ Some of the speeches from important employees of the Ministry of Education were very honest and straightforward ("Don't let your Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs) slack! Make sure they allow the students to communicate! It's not just about test scores. The students will never understand or even like the language if they can barely use it."), and some of the accompanying speeches (mostly by previous JETs who've "moved up" to work for the company that contracts us, the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR)) were decidely dry, rehearsed, bland, and fake-sounding. Hate to say it, but on the whole, the speeches by the non-native speakers were more heartfelt.
Yesterday afternoon (Monday), there were optional sessions to attend sponsored by one of the many organizations associated with JET participants. I went to one entitled, "Getting the Most Out of Your Yen--Finances in Japan" (that one was awesome) and tried to go to one about travelling, but I left a long time before it started after seeing the unattractive setup of the PowerPoint Presentation and the ugly typefaces used to construct it. I also went to this "Food and Cooking in Japan" session, and it was such crap. The three girls presenting appeared to have no notes on the actual presentation, which consisted of pictures of their convenience stores and supermarkets with little to no info on how to make anything. It was so stupid. I left about halfway through. There was some kind of fair going on around the same time where you could get free, mostly useless stuff (a bit like Taste of Murray, but without any food or cheerleaders), and I went on to that. Then I emailed people from the JET-only hospitality room for the allotted twenty minutes, then took a nap and slept through the Welcome Reception. The nap was waay worth it. I'm rather sorry I missed the food, though. I made up for it by going to this Hiroshima prefecture drinking and bonding event at an izayaka, where I downed juice after juice after juice (and a bit of nasty ol' beer at the initial "Cheers/Kanpai!!") I was such a citrus lush. Then my new friend Natalie and I headed home earlier than the rest of the crowd. We had to find our shoes in this cupboard of shoes before we could leave, though. One of the nice young men working there helped me. Totally could have described the shoes, but all I said initially in Japanese was, "They're like these..." pointing to some black dress shoes. He totally listened to my heart and was like, "Kuro?" Totally, man, totally. And, thus, I got my black flats back.
Today there's a meeting with my prefectural JETs in Hiroshima where we'll find out more information about travelling arrangements to Kure City on Wednesday. My host family (they live in Hiroshima City) wants to know if they'll be able to see me for a minute on Wednesday (apparently, the Hiroshima prefecture JETs will be taking a plane from near Tokyo to Hiroshima, then the Kure people will be taking the train to Kure), and so I'm waiting on hearing the flight information.
I'm still tired from my horribly long 14-hour flight (not including layovers and such before that flight started), but I'm glad to be here and ready to get somewhat moved in. Today will probably be pretty long, with all of the activities being "mandatory." Mandatory meaning the only time they take attendance is at your Prefectural Meeting (even our current JETs said so. Amazing!). A lot of the sessions seem interesting from their book descriptions, but you never know. They could be like that crappy food one from earlier. >_<
I've been hearing some real horror stories about the people that some of the new JETs will be replacing (haven't hear anything from them, no one's told them about their school(s), don't really know where they'll be living), and I really think that I've been blessed with a very nice and decent predecessor. One of my new friends, Natalie, has barely heard the name of her school from her pred for all of two months, and now the ass wants her to pay for a bunch of stuff, sight unseen, days before she gets to her place. She'd better not, that's all I can say. He sounds like a real piece of work. I think she should give him monopoly money, if anything. I also think that she should bludgeon him. I hope that this lack of communication on the part of the school and her jerky pred doesn't bode ill for her time at her school--which is apparently some kind of alternative school for wayward boys...I'm gonna pray for Natalie.
Mmm..what else? I'm so happy that I'll soon be closer to my host family. I wonder how much everyone's grown. It'll be so weird seeing them again.
That's it for now!
current mood: carpet's a little itchy, so...
current music: Classical music from this station/channel on television.
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| Thursday, July 27th, 2006
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11:16 pm - Mmm...
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I thought to do something long and reflective before I begin my trek to Chicago and then through the orientation, but I guess I won't have that much time. It chills me to think that I'll be leaving town in t-minus seven hours, thereabouts. I'm more worried about making sure I have all my papers in my carry-on than anything else. I'll have to worry about the less pressing things in an hour or two. For now, it's get that backpack in order and don't theoretically hyperventillate. Does anyone know that I'll be leaving at six in the morning? No? Well, I am. I'm supposed to get to Chicago around 10:15, and then I have to travel from the Midway airport to O'Hare via shuttle. And then, I take the Holiday Inn Express shuttle to the hotel in Rosemont, IL, which apparently isn't very far. All right. Nothing much to say except that I'm breathing a little harder and that it's really hot in this house. Or maybe it's just me. I hope I have enough time to sleep.
I'll keep a little journal of events and such so that I can type them up at a later date. I'll still have my cellphone while I'm travelling tomorrow and Saturday, so if anyone wants to well-wish me, it's on. It's on.
Goodbye, world!
current mood:  awake
current music: Classical station/NPR again. It's a boisterous little ditty.
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| Thursday, July 20th, 2006
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10:01 pm - Nitty gritty.
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All right, here's the nitty gritty on my position so far:
- Seems like a big apartment (Brandon's latest placement email reads: "twice the size of a normal apartment"). Brandon's leaving the bed and a bunch of futons that came with the place already.
- The letter I received about my placement was a generic one sent to everybody. Brandon feels that this apartment definitely makes out in the long run. We'll see, apartment size-wize and awesomeness-wise.
- Summer weather's hot and humid in the high 80s, low 90s; winter's "moderate."
- I'll be riding my bike to work, so I'll definitely need some raingear in case of crazy storms
- Rent, gas, electric, water, cable, school lunch and miscellaneous costs should total about 30000 yen (about $270, maybe--yeah I made up that conversion. ^^)
...And that's the okay/pretty good news. Here's the not-so-good/possibly unexpected news:
- I'll be on an island (I don't think I knew that last post), and it'll be a 2800 yen boat ride away for Kure City, and 2400 yen ride away from Hiroshima and this other city called Imabara, I think.
- Phone? Not many options for a cell phone, since they all get poor reception on Yutaka-machi. On second thought, maybe that means there's lots to choose from since they're all about the same!
- Internet's noticeably harsh: only dial-up on the island (maybe even at school, too), and the providers that can reach the island with dial-up count as long-distance calls. So..yada!! I pouted over that for an hour or so, but maybe it's for the best. (sob) If there's no good way to access a faster internet speed either at work on the island or at the Board of Education in the City, I will have to hang up my editing hat. Well, actually, I've downloaded most of the raw episodes both of my subbing groups have put up on their respective ftps, so if there's no problem with me needing to re-download a movie or show or something, I'm in the clear for a while. We'll see. I'll still have to let them know, though. Un.
Okay, that's it! I really don't see being on an island as an inconvenience, except for the internet. I hopefully won't need to go into town much. Maybe I'll (sniff, sniff) not even get on the internet that much, depending on how much my first couple of bills cost me. We'll see. It's really disppointing, though. One could say that the internet is my Life. (One would be mostly wrong, though, but still, it's a large part of my entertainment.) I told Mom that instead of downloading Detective Conan, I'd just have to tune in Mondays at seven and watch it on the big screen.
Here's the link to Brandon's sparse online photo gallery. And one of the past Yutaka predecessors made a homepage, apparently. I'm gonna have to find a way to get all of those free coveted programs for Mac that I have torrents for. Zandria, may I employ your aid? Who knows? Maybe there'll be a nice connection to use at the Kure City BOE when I inevitably have to go into the City for those work days in the office. Maybe I'll whittle down those files there. Maybe not. So the internet's a confusing and cloudy question mark for me now.
Mom's right, though. If that seems to be the only real downside for me with my placement, that's not too bad, maybe. I'm sure I'll find something else to gripe about once I get there. Oh! I found out that the most of the people on my island farm oranges, so I'll be good and happy with that. Tony knows that oranges ore my favorite. ^^ And I don't have to worry about being cheated or sold the kitchen sink, since Brandon hasn't even mentioned that. Groovy.
I guess I'll go watch an episode of Conan and try not to droop all over my computer as I contemplate life without high-speed internet. Night-night!
current mood:  sore
current music: Something nice on NPR.
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| Tuesday, July 18th, 2006
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4:31 pm - Ahahahahaha!
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Yes, laughter. It's contagious, I'm sure. Especially happy, joyous laughter. Guess who my predecessor is? Guess who? Why, it's none other than Brandon, the Kure City BOE JET I've been corresponding with for well nigh a month! That's so very awesome. So very cool. Very much providence. Is this proof that this whole Janitha-and-JET thing has been ordained by a higher power? What's to become of me, being part of such a powerful movement?
So, yes. Brandon will send an email later with more info. But at least he remembered that I wanted my new address posthaste, so I have that now. I'm so very happy now, and I have no clue what the apartment will look like, where it'll be (island or city), or even what I'll be doing. Right now, I don't even care. I'm just glaaad I know who my predecessor is. Yesssss.
Ah. Papers came for me last Thursday, and I've had the chance to go over them dozens of times since finally procuring them yesterday. My little apartment is supposed to come with...lets see...let me go get the letter... Ah, yes. I'll just re-type that paragraph. Whatever.
"Concerning your accomodation, you will be living in an apartment with a kitchen, bathroom, small living room and small bedroom. The rent is 10,000 yen [or thereabouts] and no key money or deposit is required. (Thank you, Lord.) The accomodation is supplied with a washer/dryer, vacuum, air conditioner/heater, rice cooker, TV, telephone, two-ring gas stove, toaster oven, refrigerator, futon, two 6-mat tatami rooms, shower and Japanese-style bath, Western style toilet, and all the necessary kitchenware. You will need to bring the following or purchase them in Kure: towels, hair dryer, alarm clock, stereo, rainwear, dictionaries, and any other personal items. However, almost all necessities are available in Hiroshima. All of Kure City's conveniences are within walking and biking distance from your apartment."
Hmm...looking at that last sentence makes me think that this might be a city placement. Wow. I totally thought I'd be on an island somewhere. I guess I'll find out for sure today or tomorrow. Soooo excited. Soooo cool that I kind of know my pred. All is right with the world...for now. ^_~
P.S. Pirates was good. Good money spent on some craftily choreographed scenes. Ta ta!
current music: K's Choice - Butterfiles Instead--via "Jachan samples.." cd
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| Thursday, July 13th, 2006
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10:21 am - Viewtiful Jan
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Bah. I haven't written much of anything for a while. I'm still waiting to hear about where exactly I'll be living. From my contact with one of the current Kure City JETs (let's call him "Brandon"), I've learned that I'll most likely be in the teacher housing three or four blocks from the Kure Board of Education, and that most of us this year will be working with elementary school students. From all that I've read previously, elementary school positions seem to be elusive ones, saved for/offered to mostly fourth- and fifth-year JETs. Many JETs get to visit elementary schools, just not be at the same one for weeks at a time. I remember one person mentioned that s/he ultimately repeated her introduction speech tens of times because s/he never visited the same elementary school again. Wowzers. I don't think Kure's as big as wherever that person's city/area was, though.
A lot of people have already heard from their contracting organization(s). Some have a base school where they'll be for most of the week, with other schools that they might visit once or twice a week. Since I haven't heard diddly-squat and neither has an Australian lass who'll be a new Kure JET (Brandon put me in contact with her--we've only really exchanged messages to complain a bit about the uncertainty), I'm not really worried about having a base school. Looks like the BOE will be our haunting grounds. Maybe that's because it's probable that we'll be working with elementary students? I have no idea. I'll be glad to go wherever. It'l be a mysterious adventure (まかふしぎアドベンチャー). Yeah, rock on Goku!
Speaking of Goku, I played this pictionary game via the internet (and Macs) with Lilly and Lilly and Malia's friend Drew. Malia had been playing previously while Lilly showed me a smattering of movies from Resident Evil 4 (which seems quite interesting, though I'm glad that Lilly triumphed and I won't have to play on my own to uncover the story. I'm a cowardly lion, you know). Gosh, we played for hours. My sleepiness was eradicated for a short time as I tried to decipher the other players' drawings and construct some of my own. Very nice and fun, though.
I hope whatever boxes Zandria leaves for me are moderately large and sturdy. Right now I have a couple of medium-sized boxes of stuff and a bunch of pretty small ones, totalling probably six or so. I don't want them to be crazy heavy, though, since I'll probably have to get them from the post office if I'm not there to receive them. I wonder how my little apartment will look. I wonder, indeed.
Looks like Alicia is still away from her apartment. I hope that most of her stuff was moved out earlier if she's off visiting her sister. They're doing big bug spraying this week, and it seems pretty heinous.
Yes, Viewtiful Joe. Very cool. I played earlier in the week and couldn't get past the first boss, but apparently I had it on Extremely Hard. The option said "Adults"! I thought, I'm old enough, right? Wrong! I'm very much a fledgling in the ways of Joe. I'm around the third save area now, though, thanks to Jerry's helpful hints and reassuring prescence. I always seem to progress nicely when I don't have my memory card.
Mmm...what else? I'm mentally crouching and preparing to run continuously when I get back to Memphis. On Tuesday, I meet with my eye doctor, Dr. Flinn (whom I'll have to tell that I haven't been wearing my contacts in about six months >_<), I have to meet with Steve, my mom's PTSA friend from PriMerica to see about putting money into a savings account or something, I have to officially pack, I have to make a checklist, I have to repack those boxes, throw out stuff and clean my room for once, sleep, deal with Assata (?), start paying back my loans...I'm sure there's something else. My stomach's not in knots right now, but it'll definitely be so soon.
current mood:  full
current music: the condensation dripping onto Malia's A/C
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| Friday, June 30th, 2006
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8:57 am - They Came to Town.
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Yeah. Bush and Prime Minister Koizumi are visiting Graceland and a barbecue restaurant called the Rendezvous today. ...We'll be avoiding that part of town. I wonder how the homeless people who probably live around Graceland will cope with the addition of Secret Service agents and Memphis Police in their midst?
We might see Superman today. But first we have to go the grocery store and stuff and bring it back before everything melts or spoils in the heat.
Oh, yeah! A few days earlier, I got the Princess Bride: Dread Pirate Edition DVD from Amazon.com. I won't watch it yet. It's really for those nostalgic, "I want some English!!" times. We'll see. I've got some as-yet-unread classics in a nice box, ready to be shipped. I've also got some game FAQs and my games and such. Man my game box has such prettily wrapped items. It's really as if they're being shipped somewhere. That was the first boxed I packed.
My goodness. The news reporter just used the term "Elvis artifacts". As if he were a mythical being. Needless to day, most Memphians regard Graceland with disdain. To each his own, though! I hope Mr. Koizumi enjoys it, at least.
current mood: awake
current music: ザ ニュウズ。(Za nyuuzu.)
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| Thursday, June 29th, 2006
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5:02 pm - IWGP
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Okay. I have finally found another good drama to put my anticipation and faith in. It's called Ikeburo West Gate Park (IWGP). On one of my dashes through the j-drama sites I have bookmarked to check the torrents on the latest additions, I whimsically decided to download the first episode of IWGP. At first, I was like, "What the hell is going on on this show? Is everyone insane?" But I soon got into the rhythym of the show. It's really good, and really funny at times. Plus, there's murder and mystery thrown in. It's mostly about this twenty-year-old ne'er-do-well named Makoto and his life in Ikeburo West Gate Park with his friend (Masa, I think?). And they meet people, and stuff happens, and it's cool. His mom's really funny, and he talks smack to her quite a bit. A bit shocking at times, really. (Those translators/editors!) Ah, you've just gotta watch it. SARS has only released four episodes so far, and I watched the first three between yesterday and today. They were good. Kept me anxious to see the next one. They even had problems that affect Japanese youths today (like the kids staying in their rooms for years on end). Very cool. A good way through the first episode I was like, "Nanda. He's a messenger of justice after all!" I thought the show might be about Makoto going around and cleaning up the town, but it's more than that. It's awesome. Zettai mite ne!
Zandria and James went back up go to Chicago to pack up her apartment and bring everything down via Dad's added strength and Dodge Ram. She'l be moving to someplace in Memphis soon, because this is the year for research and publishing and just as intensive study as the last two semesters probably. Scary, let me tell you. Makes me kind of glad that I ran away from school for a while...
I've been thinking about Dr. Edminster and Laurie and Lori Rogers and everyone at CHA for the past couple of weeks now, but I've just been too lazy to pen a letter to any of them. CHA's days from being over, for goodness' sake! I totally could have done it if I'd applied and been selected. I'm just sitting around buring stuff on dvds and rolling around in my pajamas occasionally eating yogurt and chocolate. I'll get myself together soon enough. I've got to enjoy my last few weeks of freedom by doing the exact same thing I've been doing for six months, I guess. >_<
Mmm...anything else going on? Oh! On the SARS site, I saw that one of the founders (I assume she's one of the founders) wrote a comment about some projects being stalled from a lack of editors. I totally took the initiative and emailed her. I'm becoming more embroiled in the fansub editing business by the month! The young lady amrayu, was worried about my time constraints if I was doing JET, but I let her know that I'd have a significant amount of time to kill at my desk inbetween classes, if rumors can be believed. I wonder how my schedule will be. I wonder how close to my departure I'll find out where I'm living. Since Kure-shi one of the amalgam cities/towns, I could be living anywhere from an apartment downtown to a small island close to the mainland. The mind boggles.
I've been talking to a couple of current JETs about where to purchase my Mac and get him/her customized, and I'm thinking that I might do better just using the English language phone option when I get there...I'd do it via the internet, but if I had internet, I'd have a computer. Who knows? Maybe it can set it up when I'm at my school/the BOE during the summer. Or maybe I should have Zandria just press the "purchase" button on my already-customized internet order shortly before I arrive so that it'll be on the way when I'm there. Regardless, I should just go ahead and fumble through the Japanese site and have that order set up just in case. Blah, blah, blah. I'm done.
current mood:  mellow
current music: Urgent "danger!" music from Detective Conan Movie 6
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| Friday, June 16th, 2006
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4:32 pm - Thrift Town
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Assata's birthday is Sunday, the 18th, but Mom wanted to have a get-together with her little classmates at daycare. So we hustled and bustled around the city picking up her cake (with her picture on it ^^), some ice cream, party hats and whatnot. Mom had said that Assata was so mercurial that we never knew what to expect from her attitude-wise, and she definitely showed that yesterday. She was totally psychotic. But at least she wasn't in a crying-psychotic phase. It was just a pouty-poo, "I don't want any cake!", "It's not my birthday anymore!!" phase. The other young-ins weren't much better. Assata only has four other kids in her class now, but they were all dead-looking and expressionless all throughout the party. I felt like someone's drunk Uncle Larry, the way I kept downing lemonade and cracking jokes. Though Assata didn't smile for any of her pictures, it wasn't too bad. She learned how to blow the little requisite birthday blowing thing over the course of the event. She was all skanky about eating her cake and ice cream, so I sat in her chair and did it for her. I guess she was too wrapped up in seeing Zandria and James. Mom says that she suffers from separation anxiety, much like Zandria and Mom herself did with Grandma Dasie. I guess it missed me. And I'm glaaad for it!
This morning, Zandria and I gave a little concert at Easthaven Daycare, and Assata was all pissed off about that. She had the worst look on her face. It was so funny. She's like a growly bear sometimes. Anyway, we played a bunch of Book I and Book II pieces, mostly the one's that were interactive or had a little story to go with them. We also told the kids about our experiences growing up under the Suzuki Method and what we learned as we progressed. I said something crazy about fiddlers not being cool unless they used shoulder rests, and how people who skipped around in the book without going straight through and learning the "right way" were lame and couldn't fully hone their skills as Suzuki violin players. I probably sounded like a crazy person, but I think that's kind of an understood trait at times for me. Yes.
Mmm...what else? Oh! After yesterday's birthday extravaganza was over and Mom and I had rested for a couple of hours (Zandria and James whisked Assata away after the party-woohoo!!), we went to see Akeelah and the Bee. It was a really cute movie. Everyone should go see it. Yes, even you, little Johnny! Even you! Best use of a movie pass in my life so far. Before we entered the theater, I saw that the second Pirates of the Caribbean would be coming out on July 7. I'm excited for that. I hope it's nice. And now I won't have to pay $20 to see it in Japan!! Yesss. Oh, yeah. I have to get the original movie before I leave, so that I can have it to watch sometime. I think there was something else I thought about getting (Daria or something) but I wasn't sure if they'd ever made a dvd collection out of the seasons. I'll have to check on that. I have all these dreams now. I think it's grand.
Oh, yes! In the Akeelah and the Bee movie, there was this one dude who was such a Sasuke character. I would just laugh and laugh about it. I guess Akeelah was the Naruto character, pushing David (the Sasuske) to achieve greater and greater spelling heights. It was so cool, all the words I heard and learned for a minute. It was great fun. I felt all academic and stuff again. You see what reading does? You see?
Today, after the mini-concert, Mom and I hit this place called Thrift Town. After visiting AmVets and not really finding anything Awesome, I wasn't sure about placing my clothing hopes in the dubious Thrift Town. I was so wrong. It...was a treasure trove of work clothes, a veritable smorgasbord of fabrics and shirts and great prices. I found 14 articles of clothing there, including skirts, sweaters, dress slacks, dress shirts, and t-shirts, and it only cost me $43.43. That double number must be some kind of sign about how awesome the place is. I recommended it to my sister. And they even take the time to organize the clothing according to size!! I was pleasantly surprised. It was a delight.
Once we wash our new clothing, I can throw all my duds on the bed and see just how many winter clothes and summer clothes I have at my diisposal. I know that I need to pick up another suit for important occasions at work, and I'll have to have someone ship over some boots when they're actually available in stores, but I'm really happy with how my work wardrobe is shaping up. That was a honey of a deal, all those clothes. Now, let's just hope that there'll be more deals for the OFF! and raincoats and other non-clothing items that I have yet to track down.
current mood:  bouncy
current music: A/C--Dad totally cleaned out the filter and it's great!!
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| Tuesday, June 13th, 2006
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1:03 am - Wisdom Molar
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I'm soo bummed. I just wrote this awesome, awesome example of prose, and suddenly FireFox disappeared! All my hard work, wasted!!
But I'll perservere. Let me recall what in the world I spoke of:
I'd been living in a not-so-secret fear that my left molar was coming in all wrong and would only serve to cause me agony for the rest of my life until it was forcibly removed, but I think I might be wrong. The loose piece of skin that had been hanging over the area seems to have left for parts unknown, which is good, but I'm still not sure there's enough room for her. My tooth. So I'll probably take my insurance-less self off to Dr. Solomon, our family dentist, to see what's up (and have a check-up in the process)
My big, black suitcase still leans against my bed, bleak and stark and empty. Several laundry baskets rest in strategically placed areas around my room, but I have yet to sift through them and find out what I want to pack, send ahead, secretly trash, or give away. I think I'll save that task for tomorrow (or for tomorrow's tomorrow). I got this hairclipping kit for $8 on sale at Walgreens today, and I'm kind of looking forward to using it. If I can manage to cut my hair without leaving any shaved areas, I will successfully have saved a ton of money for the upcoming year. If this venture fails, at least I have the option of finding an army base to use.
I've been reading a lot of westerns lately, and doing so further increases my strange desire to watch the entire Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman series. All of it. I have yet to see one complete episode. However, I know that Dr. Quinn eventually hooks up with the rugged man pictured on so many of the covers, and I find him attractive. This currently adds to the appeal of the series. I checked the going price for the dvds on eBay, and this one seller has each season for about $70 before shipping. The same dealer has all six seasons together for about $350, which is quite a knockoff of how much the darn shows would cost individually. If the price is still comparable in the future, I think that Dr. Quinn will be my special you-made-it-overseas gift to myself. I'll save for it every month, and then one day purchase it from a unsuspecting seller in a fit of excitement using the Buy It Now option. However, since I have no idea if I'll lose interest in Sully and Michaela by the end of the first season and regret my reckless purchase. I hope I don't. I'll need something to watch that I can enjoy just for the sake of not knowing what will happen.
Oh, my goodness. Earlier today, I watched a .WMV of the dvd that will eventually come with all of our guidelines and junk entitled "The Jet Life." It was so l-a-m-e. I laughed derisively many times. Usually, it was at the wooden hosts who read from prompters and couldn't determine which camera as on them at the time, but a couple of the male JETs interviewed were hilarious caricatures of uncool people. Well, the Jonathan guy who was all serious and into everything about his school, his community, his sports managed to redeem himself at the end. He ultimately came off as an intense, seriously hardworking person who seek to drain every ounce of culture he could from his time in Japan. The other guy--let's just call him Yancy (it began with a Y but I forget it now)--well, he was a dork. He was toned down Sheik-san, probably. I'm not exactly what was off about him, but his responses to the questions posed definitely didn't win any points from me. Yancy just creeped me out in general. It was really off-putting when he hailed that shoji (which he pronounce wrong) were excellent ways to open up or enclose a space in your apartment. I couldn't help but think, "You mean like a door?" Oh, I know that was petty. I just couldn't get past how it seemed as if he hadn't really gotten involved in anything not already known about--he freaking drank tea for the interviewers. I'll just be is was green. Something about that kind of person makes me frown. They just don't seem real...
I finally got around to watching the second Naruto movie, subbed by Dattebayo! today. I don't do DB! for my regular episode intake, but they do get the movies done promptly, so I turn to them for that. I thought the premise of the first movie was weak and that there wasn't enough intrigue, but this one was really much better. I enjoyed it a lot. Shikamaru and Gaara played parts in it, and even though they made Shikamaru look all craggy and weird and non-Shikamaru-ish in 3/4 profiles, I still enjoyed it. Much more action-packed. Too bad Sakura was in it. You know how movies like this have bunches of villains that each main character has to fight individually? Well, I couldn't help but wonder how Sakura would save face, seeing she hasn't got her power-up from being the Tsunade's apprentice and gaining AWESOME MEGA POWERS™ within the space of five chapters or so. Sakura ended up dropping something on the person, I think. She's so weak and ineffective. If only Mr. Kishimoto had thought about it sooner, he could have given her some kind of calling for the first twelve years of her life and not made her out to be such a divine wuss turned SUPER HUMAN SAMURAI NINJA WARRIOR PRINCESS® All rights reserved. ©2045.
Sorry about the caps. Can't say that I won't be glad to see Sakura pull her weight in a fight in the future, whenever the "three years later" saga is animated. I honestly think Kairi had better fighting skills than she did for the better part of her Naruto life. At least Kairi had heart! Sakura...your hair's pink, and you wear a girlish red outfit. You don't deserve Lee's adoration.
current mood:  sleepy
current music: Hikki - Uso Mitai Na I Love You
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| Saturday, June 10th, 2006
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11:20 pm - Lazy bum.
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I'm such a lazy bum. With the permission of Malia, I've devised a way not to retype much of anything. I'd planned to just copy and paste our conversation in the window, but I've since changed my mind.
This week I've...
- Helped take care of Assata (who has a stomach virus)
- Found a couple of skirts to wear to work at AmVets
- Contracted aforementioned stomach virus
- Began organizing my crazily compiled lists of things to know in/bring to Japan
- Pulled out the big suitcase and just looked at it
I also read some ebooks. I'm getting tired of them, though. I'm saving all of the really good ones (or so I've heard) for consumption in Japan, so all I've got to read is Regency romances. I guess I could start on the second season of Magic Knight Rayearth, but again, I'm saving stuff like that for my free time in Japan.
Zandria's birthday is tomorrow, and Assata's is next Sunday. We'd probably better start telling her that it'll be her birthday soon. Maybe we can make a countdown thingy for it this week, like Zandria and I used to have for Christmas. Gosh, we wasted a lot of construction paper when we were kids.
Oh! I've compiled a list of books I want to purchase off of Amazon.com. A few of them are recommended Japanese cookbooks. Mom said that she had plenty of cookbooks that I could have (which she does), but not any that teach me how to cook with Japanese ingredients. Nope.
I started to clear away some of the series on Akito-kun, my external harddrive. Got the ANBU-AnimeOne versions of Naruto all tucked away nicely on a few DVDs. I made my own Card Captor Sakura discs, too, and it reminded me of that time I went to visit Malia and stayed for a while. That was a good time. We stayed up late and watched sooo many episodes. And we ate those rolled-up sandwiches, "lavash" is what they're called on the containers. Remember, Malia? Remember? ...And then you went to lab.
Next, I'll chronicle Conan, and tuck away all of those raw files in preparation for more editing. I feel good about joining that rival group now. I feel like I'm making a difference in the (Conan) world. However, I'm kind of peeved about the release of Movie 4, which was done under my mini-boss. The final script was not my final version of the script. And yet, I'm the only person listed in the credits for working on it as an editor... I think that the version I sent my mini-boss must have later gotten overwritten by someone who sent him another version--there are a lot of elements that go into subbing shows, like timing, graphics, monkeys, etc. I thought I'd really brought the script to life, and when I saw the final result, I was really disappointed. I haven't mentioned it to anyone, though. I highly doubt Raj'll make a second version since it took several, several months for him to get around to finishing it up this time. I'll just have to live and let diiiiiie learn.
current mood:  cold
current music: AirCon. Conditioning, conditioner...tomato, tomato.
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| Tuesday, June 6th, 2006
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5:33 pm - The Wedding.
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I'm such a boob. I must update before I completely forget what's happened in the last few weeks. Okay! There was the weekend of Lori and Luke's wedding, on May 20. That was really cool. I went to Carrie's grandparents' house on the Thursday before and actually had a really good time. Initially, I didn't know what to expect from her grandparents (and they only have dial-up, so the Internet wasn't happening for me), and didn't know if my visit would be awkward or what. It was cool. I lived like a pampered farm girl for a little while and got to interact with and touch animals that I'd only seen before on television. I even got to hold a little baby kitten (named Purdy), and the sensation totally made me understand why so many books included similes that likened the softness of something to a kitten's paws. Purdy was cute. There are some other kittens outside in the bard (in the barn--this was like a magical dreamworld for a city-slicker like me), but they were "wild" and weren't to be played with. This one time, a kitten escaped from the barn into the beagle pen next door, and got shaken up pretty badly. Carrie was over there at the time, and she managed to get her Grandpa to go in there and save the poor thing before he or she was eaten. That was pretty freaky. I'm glad that I was inside at the time. Carrie felt responsible for the cat because she'd been to one to peek into the barn and the kittens always scatter when the lights hit them. But no physical harm done...just emotional and mental. Carrie brought the kitten inside and after we cleaned him off, we took turns sharing body heat and heartbeats and such. Eventually, he calmed down.
Mmm...what else did we to that Thursday before the cat incident? (Dang, was this all on the same day? Daang.) Oh! We rode on this grass-cutter vehicle called "The Raptor" all around Carrie's grandparents' vast grassland--I mean, their property. I assume the Raptor cut grass. We didn't have too much trouble moving around the land with it, though. Of course, we eventually broke it on one of our trips up the long, winding driveway. Mr. Gray (Carrie's ojiichan) managed to half-fix the wheel once we find the majority of screws that had popped out along the way. At least we weren't the first to break the wheel with our youthful exuberance. Carrie's teenage cousins also had a crack at it, Mr. Gray assured us.
Mr. Gray is really, really cool. I never know what to expect with people from smaller towns, at least, non-college towns. But Mr. and Mrs. Gray are awesome. Mr. Gray worked at the prison for a long time (he retired in 1995 or '96) doing something with the prisoners working and making money (they made products out of wood because he was a carpenter) and before that he was in the Air Force for forever and a day. He's quite the decent, awesome person. I'm really glad I got to talk to him more. I'd met him nearly three years ago one time at Carrie's old house (the one she lived in with her parents before they divorced) and he told me a lot about his time in Japan then. And we ate some good food then. We had macaroni, and I really like macaroni.
When I went for a visit a few weeks ago, we had pot roast, mashed potatoes, green beans (that Mrs. Gray had grown and canned herself), corn, sweet potatoes...oh, and tea! It was delightful. It was magic. It was a rarity, Carrie said. They'd been eating take-out for the longest, she said. ^_^ Dang, it was good.
On Friday, we drove to Owensboro and straight to the reception hall at Brescia University, some private school that I'd never heard of but that had a very nice cafeteria. We helped set up stuff in the hall, hanging fake ivy and putting stuff on tables. Man, there were these awesome mini-vases/glasses/flutes/whatever that were filled with pastel colored M&M's in the wedding scheme on the tables, and we all went around "rewarding" ourselves for hanging the lights, making it back from the bathroom, cutting the broccoli...all kinds of things, really. I finally got to meet Lori and Luke's parents and see her sibs (they're totally grown-ups with wives and kids and everything), and Luke's brother Josh, too. He is but a teen. Well, I think he's graduated from school now. It's been a few years since I asked Luke how old he was.
At the wedding reception, Josh, Luke's best man, gave this speech about how they'd been fighting in the car one time and run off the road into a ditch. Oh, the springtime of youth. Carrie and I thought is was funny that Luke would always be all "why would I speak to him?" when we would ask him about Josh, and suddenly he's Luke's best man and stuff. I guess he was delusional? Or he just didn't like to talk about his feelings for his brother. Regardless, I'm pretty sure that they had a rocky relationship growing up, so I can understand it getting better after they were apart at school.
Mmm...what else? I learned a lot about the background workings of a wedding. Some were kind of horrific. Some were understandable. Lori and Luke's was awesome, though. I'm glad I got to be a part of it. Ahhh. She was so cute on her wedding day. She had these crazy "wedding" flip flops that her mother got her. Lori's the flip flop queen, so it was really fitting for that to be her shoe of choice.
Luke has an internship in Nashville, so that's where he and Lori will be living for the summer. I'm not sure that she has a teaching position lined up for the fall yet. Until that happens, she'll probably continue subbing. It's so weird to think of them as a married couple now, but I wouldn't wish the institution on anyone else. Yet. ^^ I thought I would get married by the JP, but Lori and Luke's wedding extravaganza has shown mean the light for the moment. It would be selfish to elope. Why not invite several dozen people to increase the chance of receiving gifts or cards? I'm not sure it the gifts will make up for the cost of the wedding, though.
Once Carrie and I left the reception after helping clean up and stuff, we headed back to Kuttawa and slept forever. Well, until eight the next morning. Then we helped Mrs. Gray prepare for Carrie's tea party/going away party. All in all, it was a rip-roaring, food-preparing, family-gathering good time. I had more to write about when these events were still fresh in my mind, but I can't get past my inherent laziness that creeps up with my procrastinating tendencies.
Next time, I'll try to write something about my family reunion excursion to Detroit, but I'm afraid that this sentence might be all you'll actually hear of it. You have been forewarned.
current mood:  listless
current music: useless movie quotes from draco malfoy
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| Thursday, May 18th, 2006
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8:49 am - Nyuusu
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I never thought I'd say it, but I think Assata's getting the hang of this potty training business. Or at least, she's decided not to fight us tooth and nail about "sitting on Dora"--she barely uses her teeth anymore at all! Isn't that good?
As I sit at dita with a bowl of cereal in front of me, I realize just how much I'll miss the textured grainy goodness of my favorite meal. I'll definitely have to send a few boxes ahead of me when I get to Japan. Oh! Yesterday, I found out that I'll be working in Kure-shi, Hiroshima-ken. I talked to this nice person on I Think I'm Lost about it, and he said that it was about forty minutes from Hiroshima City. I'm really glad to know that I'll be closer to my host family than I thought. I wonder how much they've changed.. Kazuma's voice is probably octaves deeper than it was four years ago. Weiiiird. Dob (my ITIL forum friend) said that either I could be living in downtown Kure-shi, or I could be in a smaller town outside the city. He said that Jon, the current guy who's there (possibly my predecessor) lives on a little island that's about thirty minutes from the city, or something like that. Hiroshima-ken doesn't have a prefectural website or anything, so I just look at Japanese sites to try to get a feel of the population and such. Maybe that should be a goal of the new Hiroshima JETs, website construction.
Dang! I totally could have sent myself some ebooks to read. Bugger all! Ah, well.
This week, I've taken to strengthening my driving capabilities. I guess it's endurance training. On Friday, I took Raines until it became Winchester and made it to Walgreens. There, I purchased a crapload of Mother's Day, graduation and birthday cards. I think I got some Fig Newton knockoffs, too. I felt really accomplished. Apparently, when I don't have to think about it (meaning, when the lines are diagonal instead of straight), I can park beautifully without having to straighten up the wheel. But yesterday, I had to straighten the wheel twice. What's up with the straight parking spaces? I'll have to practice them more.
Mmm...Monday, did I go anywhere? I don't remember. I don't think I did. But Tuesday, I totally went somewhere. Gosh, I don't even remember--Oh, yeah! I went to Burlington to get a shirt or three for Lori and Luke's wedding extravaganza. I even got there early, so it was just me, this older lady and the uncaring Burlington Coat Factory employees for the first fifteen minutes or so. I was not impressed at the organization of the Women's and Misses' sections. Sure, there were size markers, but the clothes accompanying those markers were not equivalent. I felt quite like some spelunking Indiana Jones. And I was ogled in the dressing room by three and four year olds. I kind of just looked at them from under the door until they got bored, which wasn't for a long time. I would have been creepier if a) the kids had spoken English (Spanish made it less creepy) or b) I wasn't already dressed. So we had a staring contest of sorts. And then I finished changing. Blah.
I guess these three shirts I have are the newest articles I've purchased this year. No, that's not true. I just bought something off eBay. Hmm hmm.
Yesterday, I had a double--no, quadruple!--trip. First, I went through the wretched four-way-stop at Raines and Getwell and got some gas. Then, I went to Gus's Barbershop and got my hair cut by a new recruit for the usual $10. (It could've been shorter, darn it!) Then, I went across the street to Walgreens again--a different one from last time! (They had pajama pants 2 for $10) And then, I went to Family Dollar to get some cheap wrapping paper for Lori's gift. Speaking of those engraved wedding glass flutes, I hope they're not in little pieces now that Assata's finished her WWF practice on them and they've undergone a train trip on the floor. She was really pissed when I took the box from her at the train station. I told her, and she didn't listen! I'll be sure to wrap an empty box when I get back and give it to her, though.
Carrie mentioned something about her Granny having tea on Sunday, and bringing my "prettiest hat." ...I only have baseball caps, so I searched out the straw hat I had for the NRHH banquet last spring. Mom said that that's probably not what Carrie had in mind, though. Sorry, Carrie. I guess I should have mentioned it to Mom when I heard about it on Tuesday night, so she could have found one of her hats in the cave closet, but oh well.
I'm glad that I got to talk to Carrie last Tuesday and this Tuesday. She sounds just the same. I hope her trip to Thailand goes well. She'll actually be going back to the States through Tokyo on July 27, and I'll be arriving there probably on the 30th. I thought that was a good coincidence. I told her to make friends so that I could have a place to stay if I had a chance to visit the country. We'll see, we'll see.
Though one part of me can't believe that Lori and Luke will soon legally become LoriandLuke, I can't think of any other people better suited for each other. Luke's been gaa-gaa over Lori for at least three years. That's soo funny to me. Carrie says that the need to hurry up and get married, too. Apparently, they're chomping at the bit in their respective ways. I guess Carrie has more of an inkling as to what's going on in Lori's mind from the bridal shower she attended last Friday. Okay, Lori. Okay, Carrie. Okay, Luke.
Since I have more of a clue about where I'll be staying, I guess I can safely start packing and purchasing OFF! and such. All of those lists will finally come in handy. So will all of that crafts junk I saved from my sojourn as an RA.
~owari~
current mood:  contemplative
current music: Artificial Joy Club - Sick and Beautiful (Malia's iTunes)
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| Sunday, May 7th, 2006
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10:54 pm - Books with a "z"
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I've been completely submerged in ebooks and paperback books for the last couple of weeks. It's been pretty exhilirating. I can't believe how long I lasted in school without reading non-textbooks. And, goodness knows, I didn't actively read those! Well, except for my Geosciences text last spring...and the Psych book last semester...but those were really, really good! Almost as good as a best seller...but for a grade. Ah, never mind.
I've become acquainted with a few authors for fantasy/paranormal/blahblah books, and they've been mostly good to me. This one chick, P.C. Cast writes all of the "Goddess" books where the main character somehow becomes acquainted with a goddess, is already a goddess, whatever. It might seem like a bunch of rewritten fairy tales, but they all have some kind of unique spin that makes them way more interesting than the original patriarchal version. Darn patriarchs!
While I had brief forays into "chick-lit" around Christmas time when my Amazon.com stuff came rolling in sporadically, I hadn't really picked up anything else non-Japanese related to read. But now, all that's changed, thanks to the beauty of ebooks and Amazon.com reviewers. I've met some interesting authors and characters over the last several days. I keep late nights and early mornings trying to finish these stories, because goodness knows I'm soo busy right now. I also encountered some crap-tastic published works. But oh, well! The good outweighed the bad!
Um...what have I read/acquired? Let us recall.
- Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella (ridiculously funny--those yuppies trying to make like they know how the kitchen works! Gosh, I chortled.)
- Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keyes (dang, it was long...Clodagh was a cow...$6 hardback bargain book from Amazon)
- Ton of Robin McKinley books - Deerskin was very good. I read Beauty several years ago when I was but a high schooler. Up next is Spindle's End, The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, and Rose Daughter.
- The Wizard's Ward and The Destined Queen by Deborah Hale. This was one of those "let's go on a quest!" stories apparently written ten or fifteen years ago. It was really good. The ending faintly reminded me of Terminator 3, what with the "I know what to expect, and this isn't what I expected" slant.
- Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty. Read good reviews of these young adult novels. I think there's a third one out, but it's not an ebook yet. I might take a chance and look for a cheap copy on Amazon if I like these first two.
Also read about this sophomore Harvard student who plagarized whole paragraphs from several young women's best sellers. She didn't even use non-best sellers. She used recognizable phrasings. I think her book deal is cancelled now. I forget her name. Dang. Where did I read that article?
Oh, yes! Wanted to share this Kodocha/Naruto link that someone did with Flash or something like it. Dang, it was funny. Dang, Kodocha was good. Dang, Naruto needs to stop with the senseless fillers.
I'll update with actual thoughts one of these days. Just you wait.
current mood:  blank
current music: Kodocha - Ultra Relax (in my head)
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| Thursday, April 27th, 2006
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12:08 am - Nadeshiko
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Uh, yeah. Don't really know where the time goes. Sumimasen! I'm getting a crick in my shoulder from lying on my stomach and moving my mouse around all day. Gotta work on that, or I'll surely become more susceptible to disease and sitting around in general.
Last weekend, I made a goal for myself and stuck to it. I promised not to check out BigDaikon or I Think I'm Lost for two whole days, and it was good. In my many hours at home, I've thumbed through countless JET discussion board archives, and copy-and-pasted bunches of useful information. I've been so thorough, in fact, that I've been forced to check the recent posts to see if any new tips or hints have surfaced. Sadly, BigDaikon is home to hundreds of foul-mouthed, rancid males who like to get their jollies by cursing without vowels, so most of the recent posts deal with cheating on people and taking craps on the floor of one's school office. At least there are moderators for ITIL. Though I'm only a reader at both discussion boards, I've become as stupidly addicted to visiting there daily as the fanatically sarcastic main posters have. So, I've decided to wean myself a bit. However, it's led to more time to sit around reading fantasy ebooks and sleeping... I feel like some kind of house leech. Am I am symbiot? Am I Venom--or worse, Carnage? The mere thought theoritically depresses me. ("Theoretically" because I really have no need to feel any emotions other than boredom or have a state of being other than tired or hunger. Okay, I don't know what I just wrote.)
In my beginning foray into posting on this one manga/anime/j-whatever forum, I've encountered many kinds of posters. The ones that stick out in my mind are the greedy ones, the kids who want everything easier. I helped to re-upload the majority of the Princess Tutu series on a server other than MegaUpload (meaning faster service until too many people start using it), and this one chick keeps posting messages for someone to upload some of the half-episodes to YouSendIt because they're under the upload limit. No. No. YouSendIt is a)limited to extremely few downloads for b)an extremely limited amount of time. That's just not fair to everyone else. This is a free, illegal educational service for the masses. Just take your time getting the episodes if you know there's a download cap. These type of people (usually young tweens and teens, probably) really get my goat. So, since it's not my topic, I won't respond...Unless it's to say that A-server is a better choice than B-server because it allows more people to receive the file. Be grateful, filthy peasants!!! Why, when I was your age, the Internet as you know it didn't exist. There was only Geocities!!!
I've killed Nadeshiko. Yes, Nadeshiko, my poor flower that I received as some kind of golden ticket prize at the McNair banquet a couple of weeks ago. You see, I thought that she was languishing and unhappy in my bedroom, seeing as she's a good ten feet from my shaded window. I wanted to make her happy, so I took her outside to live and breathe Mother Nature's fresh air. The next day, I checked on her, and she was looking a bit wilted. And the next next day, she was positively a miniature weeping willow. I honestly thought that (1) Dad had ran into her with the lawnmower the other day (I'd told him to look out for her!); (2) savage neighborhood all-pets (at least one doggy and one cat hang out) had played roughly with her, thinking that her pot hid tasty treats. However, when I mentioned Nadeshiko dying form to all-knowing Mom, she said, "It was too humid for her. I told you not to put her out there." Uh, no? No one said anything about the outside being bad for flowers! I ruined her life thinking that I was hurting her by keeping her in the house. Now, she slowly wilts away in her familiar spot atop the brown armoire. I haven't kept a plant since we tried to grow ones in kindergarten, so I think Nadeshiko might have last quite a while longer if I hadn't forcibly shortened her lifespan.
Assata has picked up some interesting vocabulary over the last couple of months. Examples include, "Don't tell me nothin'," "Look at this mess!", "What's wrong with you, Nitha?", "That's a good idea!!", "I just wanna [eat corn, watch Dora, watch Harry, whatever]," and "Expelliarmus!!!" She also apparently understands and laughs at some of the spoken jokes and sight gags in Monsters, Inc. Or she's just being facetious and Fooling Us All.
current mood:  geeky
current music: Sarutobi - Toshiro Masuda (Naruto OST 3--woot!)
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| Tuesday, April 18th, 2006
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9:46 pm - Yappari.
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Yep. Card Captor Sakura is best watched with a seasoned veteran of the series (arigatou, Malia!). I really, really enjoyed it. Because each episode usually had a goal in mind, I didn't get that "Monster of the Day" feel I usually got from Sailormoon. Could indeed CCS be better? Yes, sirree. There really wasn't a character annoying enough to hate (well, sometimes Meilin/Mei Ling reminded me of that stupid filler girl from the second season of Kaleido Star, but I came to really, really like her). Will definitely have to check out the manga and compare its "specialness."
Tonight, I guess I'll pull out those close I put in storage containers and see if there's something more fitting for warmer weather. I can also see if I find anything wintery that I'd like to go ahead and pack in a box. This is all hypothetical, really. I doubt I'll do more that throw clothes around on my bed and perhaps fall asleep on them. I can dream, can't I?
Oh, yeah! Today, after several weeks hiatus, I picked up FFIX again. I'd originally stopped because a) Kingdom Hearts arrived and b) I didn't know how to play the card game and beat the tournament to advance the plotline in disc three. But I totally read through a couple of explanations of how to play the game obtained via GameFAQs, and discovered that it was all math! Just like Sphere Break!! Then I played a few trial games around Treno, and was ready for action. Yatta! I feel alive again.
I feel a little more helpful as a leecher now. I'm actually talking to people on a forum and working on uploading shows for other people. Wow. I spent so much time checking out and responding to people's comments in this one topic (Princess Tutu ^_^), that I've since gone from Seed level to Sprout! (This forum has you go through the stages of a strawberry, then become other strawberry flavored things. Or something like that.)
Looks like my mini-boss for the Conan group I help with is leaving the bigger group? Dou shiyou. I'll definitely help him with whatever episodes he wants me to.. I kind of want to help Anime-Conan now too, since they've put up a notice about needing editors...But is that betraying the other group(s)? I don't think many people who work with this later episode Conan group really have anything to do with Anime-Conan, because of personality differences. I just want to edit Conan. I don't want to start a war. I'll sit on it for a while. Besides, they might find someone pretty quickly. Ne?
current mood:  nerdy
current music: The "Sakura, Syaoran and the Elevator" episode - my favorite
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| Thursday, April 13th, 2006
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9:00 pm - Money
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I completed the JET-mandated physical at the doctor's office today. It was quite a frustrating and humiliating experience. Since Dad has been doing temporary jobs off and on since last September, all he has is the covers-nothing insurance that his union provides. Thankfully, none of us under his coverage were seriously ill enough to warrant a trip to the doctor or hospital. Well, except Assata...and she's covered for stuff like that since she's a baby. I knew that I'd have to pay nearly an arm and a leg for the physical because the Bakery and Confectionary Union wasn't exactly CIGNA, but I totally didn't expect to find that none of the exam would be covered by the company. As a "self-paying patient", I had to pay an upfront fee of $250, and the rest when I "checked out." What? Why don't I just pay it all at once then? Why not? Because they didn't really know what to charge, that's why. Apparently my peeing in a cup and standing on a scale could tally up to $450.
I was surprised at that fee. What kind of crap (what kind of coverage) is that? I thought. Dad had driven me to the doctor's office, so I let him know that that was what the mean mother-hen lady at the desk had said (all of the other workers were actually very nice and sympathetic, which might have been because they were med school students very close to my own age), but I went ahead and called Mom, the supreme financial authority, to ask her advice about what I should do. The best advice she gave was this: "Just look at it this way--you'll be making $450 many times over once you begin your job." Well, that's true, I thought. And I didn't feel so bad about charging the exorbitant $250 entry fee. I was still pissed, though. I'd been there nearly an hour before I even got that far in the signing-in/being-called-back procedure. And I'd also had to fast the whole day. I had a ready-made lunch waiting for after the visit, but I didn't get to eat it until 4:00...and I'd been there since 1:35. Yadaaa!
So...long story short, once I got to see Dr. Wallace, I felt better. He was happy to hear that I was getting to go to Japan. It was only the second time that I'd actually seen him, but he was still just as happy and nice as ever. He even tried to give me a break on the money (though which young lady told him, I'll never know), and it touched my heart. And the mean lady actually seemed a little scared of my mom when she arrived after work, so I felt better about that, too. It's not like I planned to get a physical without having decent insurance and felt happy about it! I guess she thought she was the only black person who could speak with authority? Wakaran. She sure was uncool. If she'd just told it to me straight about the payment and not said it as if it were my fault, I'd feel better about her as a person. But I don't. While I was waiting for Dr. Wallace in one of those little rooms looking longingly over at my packed lunch, I contemplated never visiting a doctor ever again just to avoid the possible embarrassment of not knowing what to expect. I guess that's what frustrated me the most. If I had known exactly what was expected before I arrived, I would have been mentally prepared to stated what I needed and how I would be paying. But then, when if I had had the appropriate insurance card when I made the appointment last week, I would have known this long ago. And so on, and so forth.
So...In my naiveté about life in general, I discovered that I never had an inkling of how much it actually cost to go to the doctor when all you had to put forth was a $10 co-pay. I also discovered that I can't stand not being mentally and financially prepared and that I detest waiting alone in small rooms. Why, oh why didn't I just start reading the book that I'd brought? I kept thinking that they needed to do something else, and didn't want them to have to wait. Darn it! No more of that thinking! No more. I won't worry about accomodating the people at the doctor's office ever again. Ever. And that said, I'll probably never go to the doctor in Japan so long as I remain conscious. Though everything they did today actually took about thirty or forty minutes (maybe the blood analysis took more time), I felt as if I were there forever doing nothing. I could have been eating! Probably a lot of my frustration with the doctor's office today came from being hungry for so long, Mom says. I think she's right.
Dr. Wallace also knew that Japanese peanut butter wasn't the same as American peanut butter. He recommended it as a long-lasting, tasty food to bring. When I mentioned the JET Program when I saw him last July, I think he said that he'd had a friend who'd done a program like it somewhere in Asia... Though I saw him for all of seven minutes, he was the highlight of my day. That, and eating my turkey sandwiches.
I've got one more doctor to hit (Dr. Flinn, my opthomologist), but Mom mentioned going to see the OB/GYN. I don't think so, Mom. Not unless it costs $10. Just let my hidden illnesses fester. And I realized what the Bakery and Confectionary Union insurance covers--your death. Because then you don't really need insurance. Anyone can pronounce you dead! I saw it on Conan.
current mood:  morose
current music: Not-so-crappy Naruto filler ep with Shanks's voice actor.
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| Monday, April 10th, 2006
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10:37 pm - Materia
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I finished the first season of CCS today. Enjoyed the blossoming working relationship between Sakura and Syaoran. Got a little tired of her "gyaaa" sounds when she was happy to see Yukito, but still consider them cute. There was this really, really funny episode (34, I think...Nope, it's 32.) that involved Syaoran, Kero-chan and a renegade Clow Card. It was hilarious. I kept that one in the playlist.
And it looks like YouSendIt has gone the way of the dodo. Not only is there an upload cap of 50MB, but they've decided to charge by the half-month or something crazy like that. It all went downhill after "25 downloads" became "a limited number of downloads," I guess.
Seems like everyone's sick with something in the house. I have post-nasal drip, Mom probably has something similar but a little worse, and Assata just has her general allergies. (Dad's been spared because he's at work or school most evenings.) She's off the steroids or whatever the doctor prescribed that turned her into a devilish mutant for the better part of a week. She was very irritable then. At times, it was horrific. There were whiplash-fast mood swings, and thirty-minute crying jags about popcorn or cracks in the sidewalk or blinking... See? See what steroids do to children? Think what they could do to you. Well, the reason that Assata was prescribed this weird medicine was because she'd been prescribed antibodies or something (I'm seriously losing my vocabulary here) in the form of amoxicillin, which, as you can probably guess, is a 'cillin. Though last week's medicine wreaked havoc on her emotionally (but hopefully not mentally), I can honestly say that Assata's doing much better for all its evil sideffects. The constantly dripping runny nose has stopped for the moment--knock on wood. ^^ All that's left is her wet coughing, which is like hearing someone need to clear their throat endlessly. She's okay, though. She's got Dora. And she's the ruling monarch of the House.
I've gotten a lot of forum research done over the last week. The other day, I found another JET people forum called "I think I'm Lost." It's much...nicer than BigDaikon, where if you post a thread that isn't about sex in some way, you're bound to get 75% sarcastic comments and tangent replies. Stupid BigDaikon with the non-existant moderators. But I was able to glean a lot from the place. And my Lists continue to thicken. Currently I have a "To Bring" .txt file set up and a humongous "random anecdotes/advice from seemingly intelligent people" compilation file. If I care enough, one day I'll print out the monstrous thing. I'm getting savvy enough though that I can read posters' titles and answer their question myself: "No, fool! There is no 'average JET apartment.' Every situation is different!! Wait until you find out where you'll be living, then panic!" Ahh, my brain is full of preparation tips. Obviously, I need some kind of hobby that gets me away from the computer and out of the house.
Reading the ESID explanations always makes me remember that episode of Dexter where he and his friends went to a Star Trek convention and got mistaken for plush toys. All of the con-goers were chanting, "NRFB...NRFB!!" Never Remove From Box (Or You Die). Good times, good times.
P.S. The best "to bring" advice I read today was packing/sending a Foreman grill. Good idea, since most everyone will be working with just a stove top. However, I hear that a rice cooker is amazingly versatile. I'll have to get a Japanese recipe book and practice or something.
current mood: grungy
current music: FFVII Advent Children - Black Water
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| Tuesday, April 4th, 2006
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10:56 am - Ano...
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| Monday, April 3rd, 2006
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8:45 am - Groovy
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Once again, I got a hold of an older anime in a compressed format. This time, it was Card Captor Sakura. About three minutes in to the first episode where Sakura's describing her family and such, I was like, "Aww, she's cute. I'll watch this!" And so I strived to collect a few more eps. I'm glad that I'm finally getting the opportunity to watch her. I'm slowly but surely becoming familiar with more CLAMP works than before. ^^ I've got that first season of MKR to watch as well, so it'll be good. Knowing me, I'll just save MKR for a rainy day when I don't have anything else to concentrate on. I often like to marathon things when I have the time.
Oh, yeah! I knew that I'd heard the first CCS theme, "Catch You, Catch Me" long, long ago, but I'd never realized that "Tobira wo Akete" was also from Sakura. It was the ANZA song I used to listen to when I was interested in the actress from the Sailormoon musicals. I totally used to love that song. Even the ending song, "Groovy", seems familiar. Maybe that's just because I once had a copy of CLAMP's themes that I later deleted. Not really sure. Guess I have random musical connections with lots of anime I've never actually seen. Definitely know a good amount of the image and theme songs from Magic Knight Rayearth without actually watching the series. I wonder what part of my long term memory this stuff is stored in.
So, yeah. Princess Tutu was really, really good. Apparently, there were a few specials...Now that I've discovered the licensing of the series, I'll just wait a few years for those to come out, I guess. Maybe one day, I'll even get to see episode twelve. Dang, it was good. Throughout the week after I'd finished Tutu, NPR kept playing familiar pieces featured in the series in their everyday lineup. I kept sniffling and saying "Tutu!" I felt a bit nostalgic, even though my nostalgia was approximately three days old.
Kingdom Hearts II has been good to me. I've been playing and worrying about Roxas for the longest. And now I've decided to power up my different drives. I like to see the "Skating Sora" as he moves around the Beast's Castle shooting magic out of his keyblade. Haven't really gotten a hold of the Master Form. I think there are too many combos equipped. It always seems like I'm performing some elaborate finishing move, when I really just want to defeat the warrior and gain more experience. Ah, well. I'll work it out.
We recently discovered that Assata's sickness from a few weeks ago was primarily due to allergies. Now that the weather's warmed up again, the runny nose, watery eyes, "wet coughing" and fevers are starting again. At least this time we took her to the minor emergency clinic a few days after noticing the revived symptoms. Poor Assata. This will be the routine for her the rest of her life. The rest of her life. Today she has to stay home and let the first dosage of the medication take effect. She's quite irritable and hankering for "Mommy" to pick her up. Well, she wants "Grandma" as well, but that's probably because she's not here. Dad and I have been spurned for now. So she's kind of just lying in the hallway crying. She didn't want to be changed a few minutes ago, but I didn't want her to be in her pajamas all day like me. She's asserting her independence extremely well this morning. It's not that bad though, since we're not out in public.
Well, it looks like Assata has calmed down with the aid of the Backyardigans and turkey sausage. This respite will probably only last another twenty minutes, though. After that, she'll be on the warpath once more. But at least she liked the sausage.
current mood:  blah
current music: Tsukiko Amano - Koe
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| Wednesday, March 29th, 2006
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8:07 am - Hmm...
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Okay. Since last Friday, I've been playing FFIX and progressing significantly--on my own. I can't believe this. I used to be soo afraid of making an irreprehensible mistake when playing RPGs that I would memorize steps. Gosh, I guess that was in early high school or something. Or maybe it was just because the first RPG I played was originally in Japanese. I'm not really sure. Well, regardless, I've been having a heck of a time playing with Vivi and company and waiting for the game of all games to be available. I kind of like the learning of abilities through accessories and weapons bit. Whenever I get a new character, I go crazy throwing all kinds of clothing and such on them to find out what they're capable of doing. I just got this one guy called Amarant, I think, whom I have to educate ability-wise from scratch. Somehow (maybe it was the eerie familiarity of the game's format with Chrono Trigger, I don't know), I made it to the third disc last night. Score!! I'm glad that I stayed up a little later. Un.
Even though I had Jerry's FFIX Ultimania Guide for the better part of a year, I barely cracked it open originally, primarily because the wonderful PlayOnline links had been changed or were just plain broken. I guess that daunted me from playing when I originally bought it. Now, I'm really glad that I held off. Not only have I not been tearing my hair out waiting for Tuesday to arrive, but I've had other things to occupy my mind, like "Just what is Mist?" and "Why is Dagger's mother such a greedy, power-hungry blue person?" It's really liberating, forging on with a devil-may-care attitude. Playing those Sly Cooper platforms under the tutelage of Jerry, Jarrod and Lilly was surely helpful. I think Sly really taught me to love games for the experiences received, and for the satisfaction of figuring out a problem on my own and taking care of it. Ii ne.
So I finally finished Sekai Chuushin de Ai wo Sakebu, or Love, Crying Out in the Center of the World (which sounds pretty wordy in either language, by the way), and I couldn't help but think at the end, "Come on, guy. Was it really that hard to come to terms with her death?" That was definitely a series I had to watch a couple of episodes of every other week so that I wouldn't exist in a state of constant depression. Gosh, it was a downer. At least, the adult version of the main character was a downer. The 17-year-old version of the protagonist was actually pretty good. I guess his whole not letting go problem boiled down to guilt for giving into Aki's dying with to go to Australia? I'm not really sure. It was really hard to figure out why he had such a difficult time letting go. If he'd gone back to visit with her parents after Aki passed, Saku could have seen the book that she'd written him. And then he wouldn't have wasted another seventeen years of his life walking around with an emotional mask on his face. Come on, Saku!
But, seeing as I haven't really been close to anyone with a terminal illness before (only read about similar experiences in Lurlene McDaniel's "One Wish Left" books), I really can't ridicule Saku's character for reacting as he did. Maybe I'm a bit unemotional when it comes to natural loss. Sometimes, I do feel as if I'm missing a few emotions when I don't react to a comment or situation in a manner even I would see fitting.
Speaking of emotions, I've also been watching this really very nice shoujo anime called Princess Tutu. For sure, the name leaves much to be desired, but the manner in which the story is executed is really nice. The premise is a duck-turned-girl-turn-shoujo-heroine whose role consists of fulfilling the prophecy of an unfinished story. Ahiru (which means "duck") has to return the pieces of this one guy's broken heart in the form of emotions. The story kind of starts out light and you think it'll all be fluff, but many of the emotions are really dark and negative and the situations get much grimmer. It's pretty cool. I think one reviewer classified Princess Tutu as "Revolutionary Girl Utena for a younger audience." Regardless, I think it's cool to watch some of the darker, more sinister fairy tales be brought to life with possibly different endings. It's also interesting to see how the guy, whose name is something like Mythos (the translators kept changing it around) react to certain situations without the benefit of many emotions. He plays a good doll. I'm glad that he gets more of a personality as his amount of emotions increases. But seeing as he's the main character's little crush, I find his friend Fakir/Fakia more appealing. Once I got to see him interact with the duckling Ahiru, I realized that he was cool. Sorry, I doubted you, Fakia!!
Also, the soundtrack for the series is a compilation of classical ballet pieces. I think that really brings out the fact that we're merely watching an unfinished story and the (unfortunate?) characters picked to play the roles. And the whole story could totally be portrayed in an actual ballet. Even though all I know of ballet comes from that one time I watched an animated version of the Nutcracker and saw the Macauley Culkin version of it, I thought the concept neat. (Though sometimes I foudn myself thinking, "Gawd, stop dancing with the enemy, Tutu! Kick her ass!!" It eventually subsided) Good job, Princess Tutu creators! You've faintly restored my faith in animation for young ladies.
Before I started Tutu, I watched Please Save My Earth. Now, that was some mind-bending stuff. Definitely made you think about just what should be important to you, and why. Past lives? Pshaw. I'm living in the now, Shion!! You should, too.
And lastly, I got RealMedia version of the first season of Magic Knight Rayearth. Sadly, I've only read a couple of the Mixx published manga chapters from many years ago, and I think I saw a few episodes where the girls were fighting in a cave that I rented from an anime store back when fansubs could be rented. ^^;; So, I don't really remember much. But I do remember that I liked Feria (I think that was his name). I wonder if he's in the first season. Maybe he's in the second season.
I guess I'll get freshened up for another round of Level Up My Abilities So That I May Become an Awesome Character™. This will be a beautiful week for many of us Kingdom Hearts fans. Thank goodness for clocks that move forward and calendars that tick away the days.
current mood:  quixotic
current music: One Piece Movie 4 - the whole movie
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indescribable