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Friday, November 13th, 2009
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iamcooley
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I'm doing it.
I'm taking this:
and I'm going to finish it!
What's the deal behind this image? Four months ago, my computer ate the image. I had worked on it for six months. It was 6 feet tall and 1 foot wide...a masterpiece. But the image above is only half the dragon, no background, it's crap...right? Wrong. I recovered the rest of the dragon today. I'm going to downsize the image by 50% and after four months of anger and spite toward the project, I'm going to finish it.
Get after me about it. If you don't see a completed dragon from me in two weeks, punish me.
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Comments: 2 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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Thursday, November 12th, 2009
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drfgeek
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Dad: "You've got mail today."
Me: "Ehh?"
*birthday card*
Oh right, nearly that time of year...
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jinyo
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I was wearing this at Disneyland.
And this is the story of why I was wearing it.
On Friday, I went to Disneyland with ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) sana_chan, richiied, rebel__princess, and scruffyrebel. sana_chan and richiied weren't just going for your typical fun day at the amusement park. They were going with a PLAN.
Mission: SHOWBOAT
The Princess and the Frog is the latest animated Disney movie, which will be coming out on December 11. The movie will feature Tiana, Disney's first African American princess, and Naveen, Disney's first Maldonian prince. (Tiana will also be the first "Disney Princess" from the USA!) The story takes place in New Orleans, which just happens to be one of the districts of Disneyland.
Having been to Walt Disney World in Orlando, the girls knew that the park would be promoting the new movie quite heavily. The main elements of the promotion were (1) having Tiana and Naveen in the park where people could meet them, and (2) Tiana's Showboat Jubilee, a little musical show performed on the Mark Twain Riverboat. Tiana's Showboat Jubilee told a short story of Tiana and Naveen and their friend Louis, the jazz-playing alligator, with several songs and a little dancing. More importantly, each performance of the show would include 20 randomly-selected visitors.
sana_chan and richiied decided that they wouldn't be satisfied simply to SEE Tiana's Showboat Jubilee. They had to be IN the show. Not only that, they wanted to be in the FIRST EVER performance of the show at Disneyland. That's why we were at the park on Friday, the first day the Tiana's Showboat Jubilee would be seen at Disneyland.
The plan began with a visit to City Hall in Main Street, USA (on the left, near the fire engine), where we loaded up on the free buttons which announced that "We're Celebrating!" The hope was that, by having buttons, the people who "randomly selected" people would be more inclined to select us.
Then we headed over to New Orleans Square to meet up with bri_chan, who was already in line to meet Tiana and Naveen.
( Dozens more pictures, click only if you care about the Princess and the Frog )
In case it wasn't immediately obvious from our attire, scruffyrebel and I came to the park with a second mission in mind: take Indiana Jones pictures!
( Our Indiana Jones pictures, and the rest of our day at Disneyland )
 ( . )
I had a great day at Disneyland, and hanging out with friends!
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Comments: 19 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
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drfgeek
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So apparently I have a job.
A job, I still, after two interviews, don't know what exactly entails. (Though there's some vague inkling of it being a salesman, manager, something...)
A job, most certainly, completely unrelated to what I went to college for, or have any interest in.
A job that pays OMGWTFBBQ well, with all-expense paid vacations every 4 months.
A job way down in south Indy; an hour drive, and a half tank of gas.
A job I wouldn't be able to get to, 5 days a week, at this moment. Not without help.
There're two people I know who can help me with this job in SOUTH INDY. I need to speak with either of them.
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Comments: 8 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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mega_starky
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protip: copious amounts of caffeine, twinged with some kahlua, is a very good nicotine substitute. It is not, however, any good for the digestive tract, nor conducive to sleeping.
I have also rediscovered my love for Nana. Goodness.
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Comments: 4 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
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strannik01
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So apparently, a couple of days ago, some moron decided to that it would be fun and peachy to climb off the platform at St. Petersburg Metro system's Sadovaya station (tweelore has been there, but I doubt she remembers it by name) and sit on the freaking tracks. Nobody was hurt, but the northbound trains had to wait until members of Metro militsiya escorted him off the tracks. And they probably had to shut down power to this section, which probably sucked, because turning it back on takes time, which I am sure made many Peterburgians very unhappy.
I am honestly baffled. What the hell was he thinking? He's lucky he didn't get electrocuted. Gah.
And, in a Chicago transit-related story, Cecil Adams of Straight Dope explains how Chicago 'L' lines got their colors. It's more complicated than you would think.
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drfgeek
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So I got a call from one of the jobs I applied for this week, and apparently I was one of four chosen, out of ~100 applications. *ego boost* Only just a preliminary phone interview, and I might get a call next week from the actual hiring manager.
Tomorrow is my second interview with one of the companies that had me come in. Hope that pulls through, since they have one hell of a payroll, and benefits package.
Next week, I call back one of the companies I interviewed with this last week, to see if I was chosen, as well as might be getting a call from the one that called me today.
Six months of NOTHING, and then November turns into EVERYONE'S HIRING!
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girtygrin
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I just got off the phone with my manager. He needed some assistance with a Power Point problem. After suggesting a fix there was about a minute long pause while he tried it. Finally after he said it fixed it I instinctively asked if there was anything else I could help him with today and when he said no I thanked him for calling. After hanging back up I sat there for a moment stunned that I'd went right back to my help desk routine after not doing it for 3 years. Wild.
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Comments: 6 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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Monday, November 9th, 2009
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iamcooley
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For not having plans on Halloween, Ben and I sure found some fun! He was invited to an old friend's Halloween party. They said there might be 30 people there, but when we arrived, it was more like 50!
As soon as walked in the door, I was greeted with a beer and invited to partake in a conversation with on of Ben's friends. Not five minutes later, I was handed a shot of rum and participated in a random toast of "awesomeness." I was hit on by a cross-dressed man, a telli-tubby and a dick in a box too.
If that weren't enough, a random guy approached me and introduced himself as Loren, someone I had actually been working with online with my stock photography! He said he recognized me b/c of the clockwork necklace I was wearing! Imagine that, someone recognizing me for my art! I was thrilled.
Now for some photos!
Ben, my adorable chemist...
...Who exploded chemicals in his face!
Me and my new Fedora!
I went as a 1920s gangers chick. I had a sexy pinstriped dress on underneath.
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Comments: 3 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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iamcooley
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I haven't made time for a decent blog entry lately, though I do have a few photos stocked up to share here, when given the chance to work on it. Here's a summary of what I've been up to of late:
Got a project from the AECOM Calgary [Canada] office, via referral from people I worked with in Missouri. I'm quite pleased with this, word of mouth has been good to me. This project's deadline is at the beginning of December (around finals), so you can expect me be busy at this time.
I watched a horrific flood of milk wash over my laptop last week, and since then the keyboard has not worked. I spent $90 on a new one, and plan to install it tonight. I hope it works!
Ben is out of town until November 17th. I miss him very, very much. As such, I've spent this time catching up with my friends, some of whom I haven't hung out with in weeks.
I'm swimming three times a week in the mornings, and sometimes the afternoons. I've also started working out at UAA, which makes me feel a lot better in the evenings.
I've been working on my novel for several weeks now. I'm currently working on chapter six. I've also joined a literature group that meets every Thursday night, so that they may critique my work and help me progress my novel to the best of my ability.
We had our first snow today, Noodle (my dacshund), didn't know what to make of it! It was quite comical to watch him walk around in it for the very first time.
I'm steadiliy working on iamcooley.com in my spare time. The new version of the site should be launched some time next week, I'll be sure to announce it when it goes live.
I went hunting this past weekend with Cedar, it was great fun! I learned a lot about hunting grouse and tracking. I also learned that I'm hard-pressed to hit moving targets under the size of a chicken :(
I have a new art project underway. It is a combination of my new and old style: Sharp colors and vector-like appearance, with oldschool details and wicked creature design.
I've watched all of "The Guild" and am now watching it yet again. They need to make more episodes!
I've made an announcement on deviantART today, regarding a new feature in the #IamAnthro chat. Please visit my profile and find the article titled "Anthro Classroom" to read more.
Ducks using the crosswalk by my condo earlier this week (pre-snow).
Thanks for reading!
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mega_starky
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I really, really like the music used in CSI. It's very ambient. It's very chill. It's very good.
I, quite hopefully, just smoked my last cigarette. I have enrolled in a study that pays $75 for people aged 20-25 who want to quit. Today is the first day. It's only a 3 day thing, but by the time the 3 days are up I'll be in the height of nicotine withdrawal and might as well ride it out. The hardest part will be filling the routine gaps, no more need to inhale sweet sweet cancer every 4 hours or so, no pending need to get off my ass and go outside for a few minutes. But I want my lung capacity back, dammit, and I really don't need a weaker immune system than I already have.
It can't be a bad thing. It'll just be hard. And hey, I'll save a hell of a lot more than $75 by not buying 3 packs a week.
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Comments: 3 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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drfgeek
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So I got a call Saturday for ANOTHER interview. Awesome! However, they never sent an email, confirming so, like they said they would. And the address they gave me, stops in the middle of nowhere, or in the middle of suburbia. They didn't say if it was *street name* NORTH, or *street name* SOUTH.
So I'm a bit concerned about if this interview is actually going to happen.
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Comments: 8 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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Sunday, November 8th, 2009
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vickimfox
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This Oscar Nominated song is sung by Nancy Adams and written by Floyd Huddleston and George Bruns for the Walt Disney Animated feature Robin Hood. This ALTERNATE Country version was recorded in 1973 in Nashville and was released. It was recently used in the Wes Anderson film THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX
... any excuse to post foxes, especially from Robin Hood ...
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Comments: 3 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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vickimfox
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Pastor Uth continues series through Acts. A radical church has proper attitude toward possessions. One of the biggest threats to the church is not from outside, but from inside. There was a lack of commitment.
4:32) A change in attitude toward possessions. They recognized that all they had really did not ultimately belong to them. This allowed them to hold things in common, to share easily with others. The way we manage our possessions is an indicator of our commitment to Christ.
4:34) This was not a commune, but they sold excess to meet needs of others.
4:36-37) A good example - Barnabas. A Levite, which means he did not have an inheritance, so the land he owned was purchased. He did not advertise or brag about his giving. He was known as one giving encouragement to others.
5:1-10) A bad example - Ananias and Sapphira. Sold property, told the church they were going to give it all, but in reality only gave part. They were bragging about giving. They were looking for praise and lied to get it.
Lesson
1) Everything you own belongs to God. Deut 8 - Don't forget who gave you the resources, possessions, and life.
2) God will bless or judge what you do with what you have. It is not the amount, but your attitude and usage. Luke 16:11 - if we are not faithful in little things, then how can we be trusted with true riches?
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Saturday, November 7th, 2009
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rukawagf
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I got too many ppl on this lj =.= So i'm doing the usual friends cut.
Friends cut doesn't mean i don't like you.
This lj is specifically fandom only and all entries are public. Most of you, I'm moving to blackjackie999 so we can still read lj entries etc etc, but mainly, I'm only keeping ljs that talk about hitman reborn or other anime on this lj. If your lj is mostly non-anime related, I'm moving you over to my personal lj.
DO NOT BE BUTTHURT over this for heaven's sake please >.<;;;; I read both ljs. I'm just trying to organize fandom ljs from irl ljs mostly. Like I said, again, it doesn't mean we're suddenly not friends or anything like that. I don't know how many times I have to emphasis this for everyone sigh.... but I seriously need to organize my lj so bear with me~ K~ Thanks.
I'll leave it to you if you want to do reverse friends cut or defriend this lj and add the other one, or just stick around and still read my silly posts.
♥~
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Comments: 36 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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Thursday, November 5th, 2009
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rukawagf
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So picaaa asked me to be her kazehaya for Kimi Ni Todoke... like back in August or something lol. now that the anime is out, it's quite popular~
I didn't get any time to cosplay with her though ;___; but she just sent me test shots of her Sawako heehehehe Whoa... ~<3
So here's my response to it? XD Think of it as Sawako and Kazehaya's first webcam chat ahahaha
just took a pic of me with no make-up, my normal hair... and actually what i wearing at the time. i thought it fitting enough.
( have a test shot pfff... oh and jackie being jackie )
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Comments: 14 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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strannik01
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First, a little background. Since most of my readers are non-Russian, I will need to explain the significance of March 8th and give a short rundown of what the heck is GIBBD. March 8th is known as the International Women's Day. On this day, Russian men are supposed to give presents to the women in their lives - female relatives, female friends, female co-workers, etc. GIBBD (which can be directly translated as DERTS -Department for Ensuring Road Traffic Safety) is a Russian law enforcement agency that handle all legal matters relating the road safety. They stop people for speeding, track down stolen cars, make sure legally owned cars haven't been illegally modified, etc.
Now that all that background is out of the way, let's get on to the matter at hand.
Earlier this year, the city of Nizhniy Tagil became rather infamous when a batalion commander of one the city's GIBBD units decided to show his appreciation for his female subordinates and hired a male stripper to perform at his station's March 8th Party . Apparently, the party got roudy. The problem is that someone filmed the whole thing with their mobile phone and, within days, the video went viral on the Russian-speaking Internet.
For a while, there was lots of back-and-forth about who was responsible and who should be punished. But arlier today, head of the district GIBBD decided to fire the commander who was responsible for (as he hastened to emphasize) hiring a stripper to perform during work hours. Because, you see, GIBBD has no problem with stripping, so long as it's done in legal strip clubs. He wouldn't try to stop his officers from going to strip-clubs on their own time, but official parties should be safe for children, which is why what the commander did was wrong.
The funniest part of this story is that the commander apperantly tried to avoid being fired by calling in sick (because, apparently, Russian law doesn't allow you to fire people while they are out sick).
Oy... Motherland my motherland.
For those of you who do understand Russian, I embedded NTV's news story on the matter below:
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iamcooley
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Remember, remember, the fifth of November;
the gunpowder treason and plot.
I can think of no reason the gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot.
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ziggybecket
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Oh god, this fan-made mashup video from "My Boyfriend is the President" and actual pictures of real world leaders is just so AWESOME. I keep hearing the music over and over in my head.
I really wish I could play this Japanese ero-game now! X-D
Check out the actual game trailer in the link below...
Oh Japan...
Japan Probe: My Boyfriend is Obama
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Comments: 4 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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drfgeek
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Today was interview #3, and I've already been selected for the second round of interviews. Me, out of 9 in a group "interview". Yesterday's interview went well also; contract call center support, but half the stress of the last one, plus I've had experience with their support software, as well as the software they support. Next week they do the background checks, and the following is the start of the hiring.
First, three interviews out of the blue, now two of them showing very good promise of me getting employed.
Thank. A. God!
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Comments: 2 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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girtygrin
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If it's one thing I'm definitely not good at its interacting with children. I really never quite know what to say or how to treat them. On occasion a coworker will have their child in the office with them and they will bring them around to say hi to people around the office. (Part of me thinks its sort of like a dog show where they are just trying to be like "look at my precious!" but that's really beside the point.) This morning was one of those days. I had not sat down for 2 minutes when a coworker that is an acquaintance at best brought his son by to my cube. My coworker introduced his son and I said hello and pleased to meet you but that's pretty much where my line of conversational ideas ran out.
I seriously have no idea how to relate to children. I try to think of how I liked to be treated when I was a kid but I have a terrible time translating that experience since my parents always treated me like an adult from the time I could speak and read. As such my first inkling is usually to talk to them like I would an adult. This only seems to work on rare occasion with kids in the 8 or older age group. This particular child was around 2 or 3 so I froze like a deer in the headlights for about 5 seconds of the most awkward silence I've experienced in some time before coming up with "So are you going to help daddy do his job today?"
That was it, that was the best I could manage. I seriously have no idea how to speak to kids.
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Comments: 9 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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strannik01
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Philadelphia's buses, trolleybuses, trams and subway lines have been shut down for the past two days due to a transportation union strike. The regional commuter trains and suburban trams and buses still run (because people who run it belong to a different union). Regional trains are crammed to capacity, roads are jammed, thousands of people are pissed off and there seems to be no end in sight.
From what I understand, the union did have legitimate grievances that need to be addressed, but right now, the drivers are paying the price and, honestly, no one is looking particularly good right now. Not the union, not SEPTA management (SEPTA being the agency that runs Philadelphia area transit), not the governor of Pennsylvania, no one.
Poor Philadelphians. Poor, poor, poor Phildelphians.
ETA: And it seems that Chicago's own section of Amalgamated Transit Union is contemplating a strike as well. It wouldn't be quite as severe, since the union involves CTA bus drivers and mechanics and bus drivers and mechanics from PACE's western division. Metra and the 'L' trains would still run as scheduled. However, this will be a disaster for people in some far flung Southwest Side, Far South Side, West Side and Northwest Side neighborhoods, as well as lots of western suburbs. Many of the neighborhoods I referred to are poor and gang-ridden. Buses allow residents to pass through gang territories without getting harassed (at best) or killed (at worst).
Oh boy...
ETA the Second (November 10, 2009): The strike ended on Monday and everybody breathed a huge sigh of relief (though there was lots of grumbling). I am just glad this is resolved because, as I pointed out before, nobody came off looking particularly well. If nothing else, I hope that this will show once and for all just how much cities need public transit. Because, honestly, I am sick of listening to people talk about how nobody rides trains and buses and how it's all a huge waste of money. Because they do. Every freaking where. Except in New York City. Nobody would dare to suggest that it doesn't need a subway.
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Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
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mega_starky
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Over the past few days I've turned major holistic. I've been struggling, no doubt about that, and in front of me now is a big shiny black ball of obsidian. It absorbs negative energy, of which I have plenty, mostly toward myself. Not quite sure how to use it yet, though.
But also over the past couple days there has been a moth flying around my apartment. I've chucked it outside twice, only for it to fly directly back in. It's pretty insistent that it's sticking around. So I looked up the moth animal totem, and holy shit is it accurate.
Moth teaches sensitivity to touch, smell, taste, intuition and physical/spiritual awareness, along with heightening sound and vibrations in this world and in others. Moth aids in the metamorphosis of your being. Which stage are you currently in; egg, larva, chrysalis or flight? Moth will help in each transition and show how to adapt to the new surroundings. He will teach you to find your own light as a beacon in the direction you should go. It is time to pay attention to your feelings to clarify your movement and discern what is real and not. Are you listening carefully to verbal and non-verbal cues,to what is and is not being said? Are you sensing the world around you? or sensing too much? Moth will teach how to be still, rest and listen and balance your being. In finding your own light clarity in the moment of darkness will be found and your sensitivity to Spirit increases.
Now, my bedroom window has also been infested with ladybugs. They've been crawling all outside it, one has even made it in and I found myself sleeping with it. So I looked that one up, too.
Ladybugs are about metamorphosis, growth and manfestation of ideas and thoughts. It is a time succeed and start something new. Ladybug Beetles have a protective quality that will aid in the ability to socialize and communicate effectively by illuminating problems and situations in the correct perspective. Are you socializing too much or not enough? Are you eating correctly? Now is the time to examine eating habits. Can you identify which stage of development are you in egg/larva/pupa/adult? Is it time to "fly" or walk in life? Ladybugs will show when to hibernate ideas/actions and emerge in opportune moments. Ladybugs will teach persistance with charm, trust in the process, effectiveness of natural defenses, transformation of unwanted fears along with proper movement and actions which allows the regeneration of your spirit to prosper.
Yeesh. Something is trying to tell me something.
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girtygrin
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Hey everyone. I just wanted to let you all know that I'll be DJing at MFF Thursday from 8:00PM to 9:30PM. While I know that not everyone gets to MFF on Thursday if you're there please come see me spin, I'd really appreciate it! I'll be over in Ravina D with my own AV system in tow. Also, Nik, Oddy and I will be doing Method 1 Live Friday night at 11:30PM. Its a late night show so you can rest assured that our signature blend of off the wall absolutely wrong humor will be intact. Make sure to stop into Botanic A/B for our show, hope to see you all there! Finally in case anyone is interested in knowing how to make a furmeet run smoothly Nik and I will be doing an effective furmeet panel Sunday at 3:00 PM in the Maple room. Anywho, that's about it, hope to see you all at MFF!
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Comments: 1 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
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correctjapanese
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A friend asked me at the last minute to translate his wedding vows into Japanese for him. I know, I know, if neither bride nor groom is Japanese why do they want to say their wedding vows in Japanese? But it means a lot to them and I said I'd do my best. Here's my attempt at the most important sentence:
英語で：My heart and my soul belong to you forever.
日本語：
永遠に心魂があなたの物だ。
永遠に心魂があなたの物です。
永遠に心魂があなたの物でござる。（侍日本語のようなれいぶん？）
(I should add that the couple has a wacky sense of humor that they plan on incorporating into the ceremony. That is why I tried the samurai-ish ending on that last sentence. Bad idea? )
OR
永遠に心魂を上げます。（I give you my heart and soul forever?)
どんな例文がいいですか？ なんでも？全部が間違いました？
助けて直してお願いします。ありがとう。
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Comments: 1 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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drfgeek
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I don't know how, but this week, I've managed to catch THREE interviews!
Unfortunately, only two of them show promise. I had one yesterday morning, which turned out to be a hiring agency hiring for the company I left. Seems I only got the interview because the call center manager approved for the agency to interview me. Manipulative mother fuckers just don't understand "no". I left them, and turned them down when they contacted me trying to rehire me, and I've said no to them again. What the fuck does it take for them to get the fucking message?
Tomorrow, and the next day are my other two interviews. Wish me luck. (I know I'm wishing for some luck here.)
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Comments: 3 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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Monday, November 2nd, 2009
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sirtobybelch
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This is a great video about all the positive changes that are going on in Detroit right now. It is still struggling and I know it will be a long time before the city is great but it has really come a long way. Watching this makes me want to be down there working some land and making a difference. It also really gives me some motivation for the upcoming 2010 OFPT program I am going to be in.
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Comments: 2 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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mega_starky
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When I am in an altered state of mind, drunk/high/whatever, I love playing Sonic. One would think I'd like playing Megaman, after all, Megaman is my series, and I used to use MM1 as a basis on how fucked up I was. If I could beat it without continuing I was in okay shape. Then it got to the point when I was clearly in not okay shape and I still beat it without dying, at which point I stopped using that as a basis.
However, over the past year I have grown to simply love Sonic. When I'm in an altered state of mind that's pretty much all I want to do. No Katamari, no Megaman, just Sonic. Particularly Sonic 3 & Knuckles. While it is by no means my favorite (I like Sonic 2 more because it's harder and has better special stages, I like Sonic 1 more because it's an easy sit down & play and has better special stages, and Sonic CD is my favorite for having so many things to do in every act and has my favorite special stages, in fact S3&K has my least favorite but largest number of special stages) but S3&K has fantastic mechanics and is so incredibly large of a game, with a save system to boot. Sonic 1 was 6 zones (Final zone does not count, especially since Scrap Brain doesn't have a boss), 6 emeralds, and that was it. While that simplicity is part of the beauty of Sonic 1, it doesn't have incredible amounts of replay value. Sonic 2 was 11 zones (counting Sky Chase because of the preceding 3 act Metropolis, and Death Egg because it's the 2 boss fights of Silver Sonic and Robotnik as opposed to the 1 of Final and the preceding boss in Wing Fortress), but it lacked a save system for what was really a long game, and the special stages were almost too difficult without a save system to get proper use of Super Sonic's first incarnation.
S3&K has a save system for 14 zones (though a case could be made for 13 zones given Hidden Palace's lack of any enemies and single boss followed by the 1 act Sky Sanctuary and 2-boss Doomsday zone at the end, given playing as Sonic and have gotten at least Super if not Hyper), and incredible stage design and depth to the game. Even though it posesses my least favorite special stages of the entire series, the sheer depth of gameplay far overcomes that. It is the only Sonic game to date (though I may be mistaken, I have not played much past Sonic Adventure 2 except for Sonic Rush and Advance 1) to have Hyper Sonic, Hyper Knuckles, and Super Tails. Using the glitch to get Super Tails in Sonic 2 does not count, in that case it is simply a sprite swap of Super Sonic, getting all the emeralds as Tails in Sonic 2 does nothing in a normal game. The game also did a fantastic job differentiating the characters; Sonic can use shield abilities and has an insta-shield when double jumping normally, Tails can fly, and Knuckles, while running slower and not jumping as high as either Sonic or Tails, can glide, climb walls, and destroy some walls with his fists. This made for different play styles, and with a few other tweaks effectively made Tails easy mode (apart from the chaos emeralds alone doing nothing for Tails, thus requiring the super emeralds to get Super Tails and the complete absence of Hyper Tails), Sonic normal difficulty, and Knuckles hard mode given his fewer number of both special and super rings and changes in boss patterns to make them considerably more difficult, even if he lacks bosses in Carnival Night, Lava Reef, and Hidden Palace and does not even go to Death Egg zone or Doomsday.
However, there are certainly areas where it could have improved.
I currently have a 7 Super Emerald clear file for Sonic&Tails, Tails, and Knuckles. The game will not be complete until I have an additional 7 Super Emerald clear file for Sonic, and a no emerald (chaos or super) clear file for Sonic&Tails, Tails, Knuckles, and Sonic. That's a lot of repetition. While the game did a fantastic job making Super or Hyper variations of the characters an unlockable worth unlocking (with maybe the exception of Hyper Knuckles; he barely runs as fast as Super Sonic, gets no extra jumping height, and his earthquake special attack is rarely, if ever, worth using), they did not do a very good job making seperate paths for the characters. Knuckles does have several exclusive alternate paths in 12 of the acts (out of a 22 act game for Knuckles' playthrough, 24 acts for Tails and 25 for Super or Hyper Sonic, even though in Knuckles' game Hidden Palace is only a single teleport and Sky Sanctuary is a single boss) and all of them are manadatory except for Lava Reef act 1 where it is possible to get to Sonic and Tails' path (and in fact is required to get any Super Rings in Lava Reef) but Sonic&Tails, Tails, and Sonic all have the exact same game. It is possible for Sonic to get to Knuckles' path in Marble Garden act 2, but it requires (to my knowledge, I may be mistaken) Hyper Sonic (not normally available in a non-clear file as Hyper Sonic is only available during the S&K stages and Marble Garden is an S3 stage, but can be returned to with a clear file and Hyper Sonic) and a wall-clipping glitch. There are definitely different paths that are easier for other characters to take (even including Knuckles in that statement when he is not on an exclusive path), but the only thing differentiating a Sonic&Tails playthrough from a Sonic alone playthrough is Tails does not follow him everywhere. Tails even comes in for the Marble Garden bossfight, when it would have made more sense for Sonic to fight Knuckles' boss since Tails is not present for the rest of the game. While it was certainly novel having different characters with different abilities, they could have made special exclusive, even optional, paths for Sonic&Tails, Tails alone, and Sonic alone the way they did for Knuckles, instead of having their respective abilities simply make it easier for them to access certain paths than others.
Locking S3&K together also modifies both games, sometimes not for the better. A boss was removed from Launch Base zone for Sonic and Tails, and while Knuckles fights it he does not fight the first boss of that zone that Sonic and Tails fight. Since Knuckles does not exist in the original Sonic 3 cart, that is passable, but the simple removal of a boss is rather unnerving. If they wanted to save a 3 boss gauntlet for the end of the game, instead of the middle where S3 ends and S&K begins, they could have moved that boss to Death Egg act 2 and made that a 3 boss gauntlet followed by Doomsday zone. Also, locking on S3 to S&K modifies the sound of the game. S&K invincibility and miniboss music are used in S3, removing S3's versions of those respective tracks, which is a shame since S3's are generally more favorable.
Also fuck Sandopolis.
S3&K, while my least favorite of the 4 original Sonic's (not counting S3 and S&K as seperate entities but also including Sonic CD) is the game I turn to when I crave Sonic. Partially because my Sega CD isn't currently present in my apartment, but also because it is simply an expansive game. 14 zones compared to the 6 zones of Sonic 1, 11 zones of Sonic 2, and 7 zones of Sonic CD, and while both Sonic 1 and Sonic CD have 3 acts per zone as opposed to the 2 of Sonic 2 (except Metropolis's 3 acts followed by 1 act Sky chase and later 1 act Death Egg, and S&K's 1 act Hidden Palace and Sky Sanctuary) S3&K's levels are vastly more expansive than any of the others. It often takes me 7 to 9 minutes to complete Sandopolis act 2 and Death Egg act 2, though Death Egg's time consumption is namely because of the first boss. The save feature is also a huge bonus, and 100%ing the game is a feat to be undertaken and does not possess the annoying lag that Sonic CD has with the time travel.
While it's my least favorite of the originals, while the level design could have been better, it is a fantastic game that gets one hell of a lot of playtime from me.
These are my games.
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Comments: 4 Hai, is that all you can say? | | Add Your Own.
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iamcooley
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I know how authors become obsessed over their writing. They want to shut themselves up in a cabin by the fire and write for days on end. They can't stop thinking about the characters and over time, they may even start to see the world as their characters do, in an attempt to enhance their book.
Enter, Ginger Cooley, newly obsessed over writing her novel. What follows is the first chapter of said novel, that has been rewritten at least three times thus far....
Legend of the Sky Demon: Chapter 1
A tropical storm trembled ominously above a ghostly island, far from any civilized place. The cliff-lined shores normally delivered the island from the chaos of the sea, but on this day, the cliffs did little more than offer the land up to the sky - a sacrifice to the wind. The vegetation bowed under the storm’s might - as if to beg for mercy - but there was no charity here. This was a brutal land populated with archaic creatures. The wind stripped the fronds from the trees as if they were naked prisoners at the hands of a savage.
Legends tell of equally cruel beings that inhabit this forbidden place.
Beneath the sinister sky, a charcoal dragon perched upon the cliffs. He wrapped his tail around the jagged stones and bathed in the sea-spray. His angular muscles loosened slightly and his yellow eyes squinted into the rain with a strange satisfaction. The neon green spines around his jawline gently closed in relaxation along the length of his neck, creating a lion-like mane. He didn’t mind the storm; it was just like any other he had experienced in his journeys. Water flowed in rivulets down the armored scales across the dragon’s back - all the way to the tip of his tail. He lifted his snout into the air and exhaled a steamy snort, as if to challenge the storm to offer up something new. The storm raged on, but the dragon showed no signs of distress. Instead, he shook his mighty head and closed his eyes.
The beast was searching for something - the sky-blue crystal that hung from the steel collar around his neck was his only clue – and it tormented him day and night. It teased him with horrific flashbacks, and taunted him with visions of what he believed to be the future. Ever since his escape – from somewhere, though he could not recall – he followed the crystal to wherever it led him. This déjà vu was the only scrap of consciousness he possessed and his only hope to discover more about himself. The maddening remnants of his life were fused together by the prowess of that mysterious stone. He held the crystal with disdain for its visions were yet painful. But, he was addicted to the way it made him feel - intelligence, self-awareness. In a way, the stone separated him from himself. It gave him purpose where only a monster existed before. With time, the stone would reveal the answers he needed to lead a “normal” life…one without a split mind, a split soul…Or, so he believed.
Aside from the crystal glowing more brightly than before, his arrival at the island seemed uneventful. He saw little reason to stay – the place didn’t even look inhabitable. Nevertheless, the faint whisper of the crystal told him to wait out the storm. . The crystal always “acted” in the dragon’s best interest, never whispering falsities – at least – not in the dragon’s opinion. He trusted it, even when he felt it pulling him toward something he was adverse to. “Fine,” he growled, “We’ll see, after the storm….” He tucked his head under one of his guazier wings and waited.
As always, feedback is greatly, greatly appreciated!
I've been applying every tidbit of feedback to my writing so I can be better. Please, feel free to write whatever you want about how this chapter makes you feel and how it could be better. Also, let me know if you'd like to see more!
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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contemplative.
hopeful.
awake.
sympathetic.
calm.
melancholy.
contemplative.