Friday, June 23, 2006

Kunoichi Neko Jinchuuriki!

well, we finally have our kunoichi jinchuuriki!!! It's about time too :D After lots and lots of really awesome action and character development and history, yet all pretty much anti-climatical, we FINALLY get some new characters that really push the story forward. Push really fast actually, since we were introduced to a new jinchuuriki AND two Akatsuki in a few pages *shock*!!! The legendary Neko demo is associated with older, somewhat disreputable women, so I have a feeling she won't be a quiet one :)

I can't believe there are already discussions about whether or not she's a female....*sigh*......Kishi has been twisty in the past about gender, but come on folks...I've never been truly fooled...I really never even questioned whether Haku, Sai or Deidra were female. Hence, I think this is a girl so it is :P. Now all we need is the NaruxNewJin and GaaxNewJin fanclubs and we're all on our way to having assimilated the three new characters into the ridiculous Naruto fandom :P

At any rate...our little Naruto is growing up to be a handsome young man eh? Shikamaru too! I wonder what Naruto is thinking in this pic....Shika just said the Chuunin exams were over and Naru-kun gets that nostalgic look in his eye. I wonder if he will ever gain a title higher than genin..even though Kakashi said he would be surpassing him (a special Jounin). Poor Naruto. I have a feeling it's going to be a running gag. That or Tsunade is just going to bestow the title of at least Chuunin to him. And he still has his necklace *shock*. I was wondering if after learning what it was used for (to control him as jinchuuriki) if he would still wear it, even though it's very important to him. Then again, maybe he wants to make sure Yamato can control him, in case he gets out of control like before with the Kyuubi. I dunno...Anyway, time to go to work!!!

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Random thoughts

I hope Naruto and Sakura get together...I don't know why but I've become a NaruSaku fan O_O

Hmmm...Meg from Hercules is probably simultaneously my most and least favorite disney female-lead character :D She's older, she's bitter but she can still love :) However, as a 'person' - not real excited about her... kinda annoying O_O Just thought I'd mention it. Any disney lead female who swears off men is pretty cool.

Naruto Ondo is awesome too..I rediscovered it after only a few weeks! So fun and happy and energetic :)

Well since I already divulged my 'secret' to Brenda I might as well let the cat out of the bag! I cut a whole 15 inches off my hair and donated it to Locks of Love :) No biggie for me, but it's the first time I've had shorter hair than Brenda!!

I better do this now

..while I have the motivation. that's rare these days, no matter how hard I try to fight it.

Tiana was sick yesterday. She blew chunks ALL over my car, and I had an important meeting with the new marketing director yesterday too....I had to leave her in the care of Fatma (thanks Fatma!!) while we were all in our meeting. She only threw up once!! I guess it's good practice for her (but I'm sure the smell killed her O_O). Actually, she threw up 4 times yesterday. She did fianlly keep down some soup at dinner though. Otherwise she acts fine so I"m not sure what's wrong with her. I might leave her home today too, but that will impead walter's progress in the bathroom....

On a postive note we did meet with the new marketing director yesterday and we filled her FULL of great ccd information about what we thought was wrong hehe. I'm excited something is fianly happening (i don't have the authority to jsut nix half the website but she does!!!) Today we're meeting all day to just sit and go through all the crap we have out there.

What else these days? I've been sticking pretty well to my 'diet' which really isn't a diet, just being careful. And I've been taking metabolife and carb intercepters too..jsut to see what happens. not much so far. I'm such a loser *cry*. this is partly why I want to take karate so bad, because Josh would be my external incentive and motivator to go to class :D.

I don't think there is anything else at the moment. At least, not that I want to divulge here ;D I do have one big piece of news (or some seem to think so..) but I can't say until I find my camera card so I can have an accompanying picture!

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Ewan McGregor and stuff

As I sit and watch "Big Fish" I realize that I really like Ewan McGregor. I don't I've ever seen anything he did that I didn't like ^_^ (ok, wasn't REALLY excited about star wars...) Moulin Rouge I particularly like :)

So waht else? I suck at being consistant....I didn't exercise Tuesday (but did walk) because i was up working Mon. night working late and didn't wake up early enough. Wed I woke up late *again because I was working late, then the webserver went down and the Oulookw web access stopped working and all kinds of things. Thurday, I don't even remember.

Friday I went back with Josh to his karate class. It ROCKED. Besides the required - must sell you a membership and smile a lot- owner guy, it was just as awesome as the other time I went. I really wnat to go back permanently but I just can't afford it :( But Tiana really loves it too so I feel like I just have to find a way...somehow....It's like, the first I've found somewhere I really want to be in a loong time.

Helena Bonham Carter is so cool :) Steve Buscemi looks REALLY skinny in this movie...and wow....why am I not surprised Danny Elfman did the music :) I knew (and Brenda knew) I would really like this movie! I rented it several times and didn't get to see it, I bought it 6 weeks ago and just now am geting around to watching it :) And of couse - it is really good :)

What else? Naruto was pretty mid-grade this week. It was interesting to see Sai gaining a bit of humanity. The big surprise this week, I suppose setting up a mini-arc, was Kakashi's revalation of a new jutsu that only Naruto can master that will probably help him surpas the copy ninja himself - was a bit unexpected. Then again, Kishimoto seems to be the master of whipping out something either totally unexpected or mildly unexpected, when you least expect and better yet, when you do!!

I guess that is all right now. I have plenty more to say but I think I'm going to go to bed early...for once...


BTW http://www.adaptivepath.com/publications/essays/archives/000315.php really sums up my life of late....

Monday, June 12, 2006

Back to it (i hope)

Finally...I posted my exercise. Finally...I cleaned up and went through junk that had been sitting around. Finally....I have so far successfully made it throuh a carb-free day.

Well I can't say i'm back with furvour (or however you spell that...) but at least I'm trying. That's more than I can say about thepast 6 weeks. We'll see how long it lasts. My will power has been on total vacation for 6 weeks and it's time it started doing it's share of the work!

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Flying and lucidity

I've always been a very lucid dreamer. I more often than not have control in dreams in which I find interesting enough to be a part of. So, if I'm having a good or exciting dream, I can actively make choices and enjoy it as thoroughly as I would (moreso even) than if it were real. If it's dull or mundane, I can just ride it out and 'watch' it from the sidelines. It's like there are two of me in my dreams...my conscious self reresenting 'reality' and my dream self. So if i don't want to control the dream I just 'watch' my other self even though it's still through my eyes. It's wierd O_O
And so I've been having flying dreams much more frequenly the past few years (no the end-of-the-world dreams haven't gone away though.) and I'm doing quick investigation on what it might mean. One website I found simply notes that flying is just fun and if you're a lucid dreamer, you actively chose to do it ^_^. Of course there are the typical definitions - you are flying soon on an airplane, you have good health, you are about to die, there is movement on the bed, or the movement of your breathing brings it on. I'll point out at this point that I don't have unrestricted flying. In every expericence I've not had total control and have to concentrate fully on what I'm doing...it's more like I'm a kite, but I'm also the one flying the kite. Some investigation believes this represents obsticles - people in particular - that are keeing you from rising above a situation and moving forward in your life. My thoughts on the subject during the event are that I have no idea waht I'm doing and i don't want to fall and hit the ground. I'll also note that I never go higher than hot air balloon probably does.
And then I come full circle back to astral projection. i haven't thought about this in years but here it is again, presenting itself to me. If I could remember why I thought it was important and exciting years ago, i might be more interested. But i've gotten older and while it's still fun to think about, I just don't have the energy to devote to fantastical things.

One more thing I came across is sleep paralysis. I can't explain it much, but this website captures it perfectly http://www.mysticalblaze.com/DreamsSleepParalysis.htm . It does happen to me on occassion, and the first time I did, tho unbelieving, think it was aliens O_O I have no idea why I thought that...I'm not exactly particular to that line of thinking and even as I thought it I also thought it was ridiculous! Since that first time I no longer think that, but I do often feel a 'presence' when it happens if I'm alone. If I'm not (usually the case) I try harder than I've ever tried anything in my life to say something to wake up T or Walter - and I KNOW I'm making noises like grunting but I can't move or talk. It really is terrifying but I've try to be calm and just go back to sleep since I understand what it is now.
Well i guess that's about enough. Writing of dreaming, it's time for me to do so now!: http://www.mysticalblaze.com/DreamsSleepParalysis.htm

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Cute things kids say


I wanted to make a quick post about the cool things Tiana says. One was a name she gave one of her toys "Din Oracle". Now I thought that was pretty cool :) 'Self Gaim Sea Shimmer Din Oracle ' was the full name actually hehe. That and things like "the hot is going very fast today" and random mixed things like that. She just put her swimming suit on and said something about her suit being the most amazing in the whole world.

It just makes one laugh. Here is T waiting to go swimming this morning (her new suit is in the wash after slash day at school yesterday..)

Friday, June 09, 2006

Evals can be good for your spirit.

Well, i started the day in not such a good mood, still brooding over the website thing (which I won't elaborate on for fear of getting down about it again). And we had to get our evals done today (as usual rick was a week late getting them done ^_^) so I was trying to be in a better frame of mind for it! I wasn't having much luck, but as always chatting with Rick alone for awhile brought up my spirits. In the day to day grind it's easy to feel unappreciated or overworked without notice, but Rick always comes through and says just the right things! He even got my hopes up for a raise for everyone this year. No guarentees, but we'll all find out with our next paycheck!

And so, I'll move on - in a better mood and all :) I hadn't mentioned karate at Josh's....dojo....no, it's not a dojo but I dunno what else to call it besides school. Here is the website: www.seosnationalkarate.com . they were AWESOME and it was SOO fun! Tiana loved it too, and did really well !! We even got to see Josh catch the kid holding the pads for jump kicks off guard and send the pad flying across the room ^_^. I really wish I could go back, but it's too exensive :( He says they'd like us to come back for the two weeks free, even if it's just for that. I might just do that.

And now the long romised pony pic. It's far from done (although I really haven't given it much effort at all...) so don't mind that it looks a bit odd. Tiana of course is posing in front of the care bears for good measure :) She did the apple (colored it) all by herself!!

And Naruto this week? Not bad..but not good either :( It was the end of the arc and it looks like Sai will be hanging around awhile. *sigh* Oh well.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Frustrating times...

Not for me personally, just society as a whole. There was an interview on the radio this morning with the guys involved with the Boulder public library 'instances'. In short, a few weeks after 9/11 a staff member (senior staff) asked and had gotten approved to hang a flag in the library. The library! A flag in a library shouldn't be such a huge ordeal...it's a friggin library.... Anyway, someone who was very anti-american protested and the same lady he had gotten approval from, resended her approval and denied it. This is after everyone had been told and most everyone was happy about it and so on. Anyway, fast forward a bout two years or less or soemthing (not sure exactly) and we suddenly see an art exhibit of multi-colored dangling 'dildos' hanging where they had considered putting the flag. Now, I'm all for art and what not, but when dangling dildo's are approved and the flag is not...that is just ridiculous. And it's not just that, but that it was prominately displayed right in front of the children's section! Now, if I'm presented with two choices to display to children, which is the better choice? A bunch of dildo's, or a flag? Which one inspires the better emotion....? I'm saying flag here....but I'm also proud of the bunch of kids at some schools here who pulled off a walk-out and picketed their schools because they outright banned all flags, including the flag that represents our country and what it's all about. OK, so maybe even that I can somewhat not get riled up over but they also banned any student from wearing the combination of red, white and blue. No other flag color combo, just that one. That makes me mad. We live in America...if you hate it so much that you think it's symbol and flag is offensive..then get out. We have to have some piece of pride for our country. I'm far from being on the bandwagon of patriots, but as a society (american) we have become so individualistic that we've almost lost all concept of the things we have in common and the things that make this country great to live in. Not that it's perfect, not that it's right, not that I agree with everything we do (I mean, that's the idiots we elect right?). Plus, if there is anything I admire than people that actually stand up for this country and try to make it better, it's the people that actually leave because they don't like it. Both are standing up for what they believe in! anyway, getting off my soapbox - the funny thing is that some other guy took it upon himself to steal the dildo's and put a flag in it's place with a card that said 'god bless america' and his address :D That was funny. If they'd displayed both, that would be more acceptable. Dildo's hanging in front of kids...well...not an idea i'm fond of. If it's attached to the rest of the male body - then ok, that's fine! I'm just thinking of the 4-5 year olds looking at this exhibit called "Hang them out to dry" and how mom's like me are going to explain it....(personally, I'd just use the 'it's art' explanation but it's stil not something i'd like Tiana to be staring at just yet...I mean she's not old enough to understand it all, but is old enough to be curious and I don't want her getting the wrong idea about men and their parts....)

Oh, and the same lady in all this was quick to use Kwanza ribbons for the pens (or something like that) but would not allow any christian symbols or ..hints... What is our society coming to? I'm all for expressing all cultures and ethnicities (anyone who knows me knows that) but we can't at the same time stamp out the majorities. The best analogy I can think of is in Chasing Amy - you can't open yourself up to the other side to expand your choices/experience when you at the same time close off the other half. It's hypocritical and leaves you just as one-sided as you were before. So dammit, if you feel the urge to push Kwanza on people, then push Christmas too!! Equality in expression!!!

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

So

Well, I finished Avatar last night. Thankfully, it is just halfway through season 2 so I didn't have very far to catch up (unlike Naruto which I had 120-some episodes to watch to get current!) For being an original Nickelodeon series, it is truly amazing. Actually, scratch that...it is amazing no matter where is landed a spot. For those who aren't tuned into anime but aren't turned off by animation, i HIGHLY recommend this show!!! It's got a great story, it's hilarious, it's very deep and sensitive, it's silly, it's well..slightly romantic I suppose, and it's just plain enjoyable. From what I've seen I think it's probably fairly predictable, but the journey to the end is so interesting that it really doesn't matter. Like proverbs of the past and any good friend will tell you, it's not the end that matters but the journey to get there. This show totally embraces that philosphy and it actually really works!
So, A few cute icons i found:


Now, frighteningly similar swirly-things (the narutos(fish cakes)/Kohona symbol from Naruto and the Air Nomads symbold!)



Apparently, I really like swirlies :)

And of course, a link to a good Avatar site:
http://www.musogato.com/avatar/index2.html

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Ponies, Smurfs, and Avatars

My Little Pony, as I've been learning lately, has had a multitude of makeovers in its production line. Whilst researching voice actors for random characters (a hobby I've always enjoyed), I discovered this page: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/enc3/my_little_pony. While most of it is pretty standard and a bit boring, scroll down the "My Little Pony Cartoons" section. Whoever wrote those pieces was quiet the comical genius. I literally laghed out loud many times, and even Walter cracked a few grins. As a sample: 'I am left with no idea of what I am supposed to have gained from it, other than the potent knowledge that Sea Ponies are most excellent dancers'. Now, if that doesn't get at least a small chortle out of you I don't know what would. It is actually quite slanderous to the family of ponies, but i agree with it all 100% :D So, if you think ponies are ridiculous (you know who you are ;D) then give that section a read.

Smurfs? Well, since this article was so entertaining we began looking at other 80's Saturday morning cartoons we remembered as overly campy. Oddly enough, I've done a bit of research on smurfs before so I knew they've always been hugely popular in other countries but this page made me realize that a comeback in the US may be on the way as well. http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/enc2/the_smurfs is the page that will tell you all you wanted to know about Smurfs....and much much more. I still can't say I'm excited...

Sadly, the Thundercats article which we both agreed was probably the all time most campy, was not entertaining at all. At any rate, if you remember any show you watched in the eighties, give it a search on that site and you'll most likely be in for a pretty good laugh.

Now, a picture of Tiana who, when asked to put on her clothes decided she only needed some undies and the scarf Brenda made for her ^_^
Quite cute :)

And now on to Avatar. I've looong known I'd be hooked on and fall in love with Avatar: The Las Airbender if I actually sat down to watch it. Once we let our cable go I only occassionally held the DVD in target longingly and took it no further. But of course, if anyone knows me, they know I'm quite resourceful in entertaining myself. So I found the torrent for Avatar and started downloading it (believe me if I had money i would NEVER use torrents, but would buy things and contribute to the success!!!!!!) which is currently at 26% of 3.6 GB. Being impatient as always, I headed over to http://youtube.com/ (if you want to know how to capture the vidoes let me know b/c I know how - but the quality sucks) to look for whole episodes to watch online until it finished downloading. Of course, as wildly popular as it already is (being the first American 'anime' and all!) I have already gotten through episode 11 and can't wait to see more!! There are a couple moments of lack of plot execution, but otherwise it's awesome! Check it out if you ever get a chance...it's a great story with great characters and animation.

Which sadly brings me to one last point. I have noticed a common theme of young (12 to be exact at least in introduction) enthusiastic, courageous and talented young boys (usually with blond hair no less..) for most of my favorite storylines. Not to say I don't seek out similar female characters (which I did find with Miaka in Fushigi Yuugi actually) but they just aren't as....I dunno...exciting. There's typically too much girly fluffy stuff in the Shojo type stories (young girls as leads battling evil or exams or whatnot) to really keep me interested even if the story starts out good. But give me those Shonen manga and I'm much happier. Not that I really prefer war, fighting and demons and blood or anything, but the stories have more.....I dunno, action i guess, to them. I don't like lots of fights either, but with something like Naruto the action is so intense and meaningful (not jsut a bunch of people trying to kill each other..). Some of the best character development we see happens in the middle of important battles.
That, or I just flat out prefer shonen stories because the lead characters are more independent. Female leads just seem to usually rely on luck or other people to take care of them...even in Naruto the kunoichi are strong but usually take a back seat to the guys. At least they can take care of themselves.... Naruto, Max, Aang...the list goes on....disturbs me a bit but as long as I'm not clammering over DBZ or Star Wars I'll just take it that those stories have exceptional plots and characters and not that I really do have the entertainment enjoyment level of an 8th grade boy ..... At least Chichiri was like 26 :)

Enough of that! I'm enjoying blogging waaaay too much :)

Friday, June 02, 2006




Am I just looking for a reason to post pictures of Gaara? Yeah, probably. But I'll throw in a couple of T too :D Actually, I have a bunch of T to put up but I'll have to do it little by little :)
This pic here is of the hail we had a few weeks ago!

Thursday, June 01, 2006

I hate luminis portalsD:<


I keep losing what I write*cry*

Anyway, I know it's really no one's fault, but i REALLY hate the luminis portal right now. Combined with higher-ups who don't have a clue trying to tell you how to do things and the servers not working consistantly if at all, I am going CRAZY!!!

Anyway, on a positve note Naruto left all of us fans going WTF?!?!??!!? which is great for storytelling!!! It left us all asking more questions and craving more answers than ever, even though the chapter itself was rather uneventful and disapointing as the end of the arc. The story bascially took a very different path from where we all thought it was going. Kishimoto is simply a story telling genius! However I think we all knew that rescue Sasuke arc v2 wasn't going to be any more of a succes than v1....Poor exhausted Naruto!

On a technological note, I made a PHP script to send email from a form. It wasn't much really, but at least now i can add PHP to my resume :D Now I can say I know asp, asp.net, vb, vb.net, c#.net, php and of course javascript and html and all that. yay.....can you tell I'm excited??

I'm almost done with the Pony on Tiana's wall hooray! I'll finish it this weekend and take a pic and post it here. I love the original My Little Pony special....where Tony Randall is (and always is..) the Muchik and Sea Ponies sing schoobie doo songs, and is the ONLY My Little Pony movie/show where you repeatedly hear (just twice) the phrase "Behold the power of DARKNESS!!!! MWAHAHAHAHA"....yeah...that's pretty cool lol.


And now, another random Naruto pic because I want to put one here :D

(WTF?!?!?!)