VATICAN SHIITE JUJITSU, LOOK!!!!!!

: "i'll get you back." bis.

sorta kinda: 50% + 50% + 36%

if you're bored, i advise you go here and plug in your name. full name for best results, and the only limitation i'd suggest when using this "advanced" version would be to tell it you want words with a minimum of four letters in them. otherwise it tends to come up with really stupid one, two, and three-leter non-word-type items. taken from J. and Rob at work. some of the better ones gleaned from my name:

ATHEISTICAL VISIT JUJU NOOK
VOCATIONALISE KITH JUJITSU
VATICANISE KITH JULIO JOUST
VATICINATE HUSK JULIO JOIST
EJACULATION SHIT JOIST KIVU
ACTIVATE HIJINKS JULIO OUST
ACTIVATE SIKH LOIN OTIS JUJU
OATCAKES NIHILIST VITO JUJU
OATCAKE SHIT VIOLIN JUJITSU
AUTOCLAVE JUTISH TIKI JOINS
LACTATES SHIT VIII JUJU NOOK
LACTATES HOOK VIII ISNT JUJU
ACETAL OHIO VISIT SKINT JUJU
CAVEAT SHOJI TIKI JULIO NUTS
ITHACAN JULIE KIVU TITO JOSS
ITHACA INVITES JUJITSU LOOK
CAVITATION HEISTS KILO JUJU
ASIATIC HIVE JOIST JUNK LOUT
ATAVISTIC JESUIT HONK JULIO
TANTALIC KIEV OHIOS JUJITSU
ASOCIAL KITTENISH VITO JUJU
COATTAIL HONKIES VISIT JUJU
COATTAIL SHEIK JUJITSU VINO
SATANIC HIKES TOIL VITO JUJU
SATANIC ELVIS HOOK TITI JUJU
VATICAN SHIITE JUJITSU LOOK
ATTICA ENVOI SIKH JULIO JUST

and, because i'm sure we subscribe to it:

ACTA KINE SHIV TOIL OTIS JUJU

all i'll say here is that i had no idea previously that i had an autoclave in me. go me! XD

as for annoyance, Taste of Chicago starts today. i'm all for cheap/free outdoor summertime fun, but as with so many of the GIGANTIC, tourist-attracting festivals that go on in Grant Park this time of year, it's TOO BIG and TOO CROWDED and the people are usually mean and rude to begin with, and then you go and get them drunk and it's ever so much better, really it is...--;;; getting home through this is always a nightmare, too. oh how i look forward to it. >.<;;; it's cool that there's all sorts of different kinds of food there, representing loads of places in the city...including Harold's Chicken Shack (scroll down; it's alphabetical), which i know you would especially approve of. ^.- but dealing with all the people...eek. i haven't been since i was a kid, and i don't intend to go again anytime soon. i really hate going anywhere near downtown this time of year. >P

bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch...

audio: coworkers talking. whee.

feeling: annoyed.

right. so shortly after buying my new sandals (which i did probably less than a month ago, although i fail to recall the exact date i bought them...silly me. >P), one of them broke.

it was just two pieces of the leather strap coming apart; the thread had come loose which had sewn them together. not a big deal, very easy to fix...and since it was a pain for me to get to the place i'd bought them from and it would've been simple to fix on my own, i did so. and had had no problems since that day...

...until today. when i noticed that the other sandal was acting up. it was looser than it should've been...so i went to adjust it. rebuckled the strap at a tighter notch, and...it was still loose. carrying too much crap as usual, i thought i'd wait till i got to work this morning to examine it further...and then, of course, i felt it snap completely.

a whole chunk of the material that goes up against the sole of my foot is now ripped out, along with the strap that had connected to it. this isn't something i could really fix satisfactorily. and silly me, i don't carry every receipt for everything i'm currently wearing on me at any given time. so i can't even go return them after work.

*growls*

happy friday. >P

JUST LYING IN MY BED WITH THE DRIP FEED ON...

audio: "a2g." blackalicious.
oh-so-puzzling emotional landscape: sleepy...

bored. nothing exciting to report. so i shall instead regale you with a Tale Of Cuteness™...

so i gave Diesel a grape tomato the other day. she's had them before, and she likes them...and we've got a small amount leftover from last time i made pizza, and which badly need to be eaten. hence, eating...and sharing with Diesel.

she sniffs it cautiously, yanks it out from my fingertips eventually...and then proceeds to chase it around the cage once she's dropped it onto the floor. XD XD XD

and, of course, eats it when no one's looking. ^-^

(smile, dammit. XD)

JANNI JANNI BO-BANNI BANANA FANA FO FANNI...

audio: "banned from the end of the world." sleater-kinney.

following up on Fifichu-chan, Harpy, and Lise, here's what you get with "Janaki is" + Google:

Janaki is convinced that he had passed the virus on to her.

Janaki is a four-year-old girl and at first sight she looks like any other normal, happy and healthy child. *snerk*

Janaki is a whiz with figures.

This undisputed melody queen of the South, S. Janaki is a gifted singer. (see? i wasn't lying when i told you ages ago that i'm a famous Indian singer. nevermind that "S." i never told you about. XD)

Janaki is easily the most crack-imbued, hyperactive member of swek. (waitaminute, that sounds familiar...XD)

He believes Janaki is really in love with him.

JANAKI IS THE EVERGREEN MELODY QUEEN OF INDIA!!! NO DOUBT IN IT. *^^*

Janaki is one of 540 women volunteers in Dhanusha district in eastern Nepal, working to bring about changes among women in villages like Therakachuri.

(Oh, for those of you who don't know, Janaki is Sheara's friend from Kent, England...)

My original name is Janaki only. Dubbing Janaki is my nick name. I am basically from Andhra Pradesh. My mother tongue is Telugu.

As Subhash hones the finer points of martial arts, Janaki is left with an unavoidable option of having poison as she is sandwiched between father's love and love for Subhash.

At one point of time, Janaki is forced to feign love to Sambhandam.

The 18th century palace of Rani Janaki is in ruins.

Janaki is depicted quite well and is one of the interesting aspects of the movie.

Janaki is a doctor by profession and doesn't like men.

Janaki is an impressive woman.

I want whatever it is that Janaki is smoking. (why thank you, Beeru-chan...XD)

Janaki is a gymnast and dancer who has learned to get her high from her work.

I hope Janaki is accessing the site and reading your clear thought, jack.

I think Janaki is great, I agree with her more natural child birth approach...

Janaki is no longer associated with Birth and Bonding

Mother Janaki is creation personified

Simple and pleasant with a smiling face, S. Janaki is a storehouse of rich melodies.

Janaki is heart-broken and vents out her ire on the male species during an enactment of Ramayana.

Meanwhile, Janaki is desolate.

Janaki is the only variety released for winter cultivation in this zone.

The queen Janaki is sure to come here.

Lord! Janaki is tender and soft-natured.

interesting, the things you can learn about yourself in this manner. XD

ALL DAY LONG

audio: "want it all back." yamane mai.

wish that the live Seatbelts disc had included a rendition of this. *.*;;;; that would've been REALLY cool. as it is, though...the live disc is probably my favourite. although it's not quite what i was expecting. more restrained than i was expecting, in some ways...but still really good. ^.^ the other discs are great too, but i was MOST excited to get to hear the Seatbelts LIVE. ^________^ (now, if only i'd gotten to see them live as well... O.O;;;)

not a whole lot exciting going on just now. our weather is completely bipolar at the moment. it's torrential downpours one minute, then cute sprinkly sunshowers the next. very strange. the rest of the time, apocalyptic skies. XD whee. suddenly i'm getting sleepy again. i think it's probably got a lot to do with the weather. i was exhausted yesterday...not quite so bad today, but still tired. i think it's nearly impossible for me to get enough sleep. XD

forgot to mention this, but i got The Italian Job for PSX last week. the first level is a complete and utter bitch due to the car (looks like a Rolls, though i could be completely wrong...definitely not up on cars from the late 60s) handling like a bloated cow, but it seems alright. for $10 anyway, i'm not complaining. it even has NeGCon support! ^__________________^ and you get to drive a Mini! that's the most important thing, really. XD i still have to see the damned movie. too many people have recommended it to me. and besides, how can one say no to Michael Caine? one can't, is all. XD

and once again, though i vowed i wouldn't do this again, i've completely lost track of where the hell i am in Lunar 2. i meant to play often enough that i wouldn't completely forget where it was i was going to...but alas. XD such a pathetic gamer i've become in my old age.

tonight, should practice. haven't done so in awhile. and we might actually have rehearsal this week, so really, it would help if i did.

Yamane Mai rocks the house. XD

[INSERT CRUEL, KNOWING LAUGHTER HERE]

audio: nothing. packing up and getting ready to leave work. XD

...not bloody likely.

i'd be as shocked as anyone if that actually came about. but i really, really, REALLY highly doubt it. >P

WHATCHA GONNA DO LITTLE BUCKAROO?

audio: "cats on mars." yep, you know. XD

so i figured out what sort of cake to make for Spaz for his birthday. which is good, seeing as it's about two weeks away. XD must do appropriate shopping. whee. XD

in rather annoying news, Blackalicious is coming to town...but it's on a Thursday. dammit. ;.; cos i'd wanna go. again, wish i didn't live so far away. *stabs self with spork*

not a particularly eventful weekend...though i did come to the realisation that i'm not a very good driver. >.<;;;;

what else? made cookies. they were nummy. can't take full credit, as they were a mix this time. but they're still good, so i don't care too much about that. need to retry making scones, though. i will master them yet! XD

need to make myself skirts again. skirts would be nice. and i know you'd approve, being that they're not pants and all. XD

and all of a sudden, thoughts of AR plague my brain. Fifichu, i think you've corrupted me far more than we'd previously suspected. XD

[addendum: in the section marked "holy CRAP," we find the following:

here's what CD Japan wants for the Bebop CD box, and here's what Anime Nation wants for that box (you'll have to scroll all the way to the bottom on this one).

O.O;;;

yeesh. granted, shipping from Japan can be pricey, but it entirely depends on which method you choose...and in any case, not nearly $70 pricey. >.<;;;; *pets CD box protectively* ]

[addendum to the addendum: KannoNews has posted up a translation of an interesting essay which Kanno wrote and which was published in May...]

KYO NO TEMA WA...

audio: "sasurai no cowboy (cowboy bebop's theme)." tada aoi.

yes, this means what you think it does. had a nice happy visit from the postman earlier this morning...who had to have a signature for a certain package arriving from CD Japan.

^___________________________^

the poster is a poster for the CD box. whee, advertising. XD and the box, as no one had any doubt it would be...is very, very cool. GOD, how i adore good packaging. XD the 3" bonus CD features the above song...which is a sort of semi-electronic version of "Tank!", only with lyrics. and sung by Ed. the third track on this single is a karaoke version of the above...with Ein singing along for parts of it! *nikoniko*

haven't listened to the rest of it yet. i feel so unbelievably spoiled today. and i've got so much to do today, too. O.O;;;;

including cleaning out the fridge. hahahahahhahahahah. XD XD XD

EHEHEHEHHE

audio: the sound of Ground Force on the telly downstairs

ehehe. went to my mom's yesterday. received christmas presents. also gave christmas presents. among those received was a certain little Lego boy. ehehehehehhehe.

XD XD XD

i am muchly entertained. yes, i am sick. i know. leave me alone. XD

ANALOG ARSONISTS

audio: "deception." blackalicious.

summer seems to be in full swing now, finally. and while i guess that's a good thing, i'm certainly not enjoying how generally sick to my stomach this hot and humid weather has been making me feel all week. >.<;;; urgh. so gross.

today i go off to see my mom, which i haven't done in awhile. whee. nummy food from Always Thai will be involved, so that's a plus. eh heh.

got tons to do this weekend, as usual. wanna get things ready for a couple weeks from now, when i'll be able to bring the newest tomato plants outside and transplant them. the sugar snap peas and flamingo peppers are looking good, as are some other things...including something where i'm not sure exactly what it is. shall have to consult my diagram, cos i don't rightly remember what i planted in that particular block! XD the basil does not love me, though...it will not grow. ;.; weird, cos it's supposed to be easy to grow. figures that i could screw it up. XD

oh well. should i not see you again this weekend, hope you all have wonderful ones! ^.^

WOOHOO!

audio: "vincent, come on down." braniac.

guess what's on its way to me even as we speak...?

^_________________________________^

apparently, since i preordered, i get a poster with it too. wonder what it'll look like...? ^^

but that's it. no more goodies for me for awhile. dammit. O.O;;;

TRASHY TOGETHER

audio: "pygmalism." momus.

tired. so tired. very very tired. but wired. drinking iced coffee. should slow down. difficult.

went to record store yesterday. was fun and tempting. bought a few things, but did not buy too much. had to be dragged out anyway. eh heh.

must go back to work. when home again, must print out liner notes for cd for mom for tomorrow. must..

*thunk*

FEELING THE LOVE

audio: "death opened a boutique." future bible heroes.

also, much love to Fifichu-chan for making a completely kick-arse mix. mere words alone cannae describe its brilliance. ¡me gusta mucho! ^-^

LIVIN' IN MY CAR, DRIVIN' LIKE A STAR

audio: "solaar pleure." mc solaar.

partially prompted by a few conversations lately, this post will be mostly photos.

firstly, we have little Diesel. she is the most adorable and most spoilt bunny in the entire world, and Spaz and i love her dearly. ^-^ and Keito-chan and Iskandar brought her her very first batch of Bunny Brownies (from Bunny Bytes ) quite some time ago...and we've had some in the house for her ever since. XD

there's also my first bunny, Cere...and you can tell she'd almost have to be my bunny, what with the evil glint in her eye. XD

also, i was disgustingly cute once upon a time. and i've got the pictures to prove it! XD

(could make a comment here about how sad it is to hit one's peak when one is approximately five, but i won't. i shall show restraint for once. XD)

also, inspired a bit by Jae Young, i want you to guess how old i am in each of the photos below. and no bugging Keito-chan for answers, even though she's probably the one who's known me longest of anyone reading this. XD

one, two, three, four, five.

(d'oh! there's one more i forgot to scan in last night that i know i mentioned to you. perhaps i'll remember sometime soon...)

and finally, because i keep forgetting to make it public...here's one more for the road.

(catch 'em, catch 'em, gotta catch 'em all...indeed. O.O;;;)

HO I CERVELLI DEL POLLO

audio: the sound of me yawning loudly.

this is fun.

just thought you should know.

also, i want a Meatwad stress ball. that will be all for now. XD

HE CONSTRUCTED A FACTORY JUST TO SEE HOW IT TASTED

audio: "sinner." curve.

was idly half-watching something or other on IFC last night, and then it ended. and to fill up time they had leftover, as they do a lot of times...short little bit time. in this instance, from being at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

about 24 Hour Party People. talking to Steve Coogan, Tony Wilson, and Michael Winterbottom about the movie, as well as playing little clips of it. which was mostly entertaining, since Michael was (of course) talking about the film itself and Steve and Tony were discussing Tony's reputation...XD know what drove me nuts about it, though?

in the background, for almost the entire thing...they were playing "WorldinfuckingMOTION." --;;;

aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...>.<;;;

also, forgot to mention that we actually got to watch a bit of the WRC Acropolis rally this weekend. cos dickhead wasn't announcing, thankfully...i hope it stays that way. whoever they had doing it this weekend wasn't exactly great, but he sure beat the hell out of the one they've normally got doing it this year.

have i mentioned that i hate Speedchannel? because i do. i miss Speedvision. ;.;

oh, but Beeru-chan loves me. she does! she sent me e-mail! ^-^ whee. XD

AND IN A SINGLE BREATH THIS WORLD IS GONE

audio: (in her head) "chemical calisthenics." blackalicious.

i am <3ing Blackalicious more with each passing day. i must have more! XD

pretty uneventful weekend, all told. rented Donnie Darko Saturday night and cut myself chopping an onion to make pizza as well...better to cut myself while chopping an onion than, say, chopping chicken, though. >.<;;; wasn't a bad wound...was on the tip of my left thumb...bled a bit, but is okay. 'course, this had to happen directly after i bought a new Playstation game, but i'll get to that later. XD

as for the movie...i enjoyed it, as far as it went, but it felt like there was something missing. i would love to know if there was...but i can honestly say that i did enjoy it quite a lot. and can see where a lot of people alleged that it was completely mismarketed when it was released to theatres...but how would you go about marketing this movie, anyway? O.O;;; i'm still not sure. might have to watch it again to figure that out. Kimmie might be pleased to note that her ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE actor of all time is in this movie...as a character called Frank, who is a demonic giant rabbit. XD

in another side note...it was impressive to see how dead on the portrayal of the period of time (October 1988) this movie was set in was done. the people, the cars...the clothes...the way things looked...EVERYTHING. a lot of times when people try to set things in a particular time that's already passed, there's usually *something* wrong. but it seemed everything was done pretty well in that regard...even the popularity of particular brands of clothing. which was a fact that Spaz had to point out to me, cos at that time i would have just turned 10...was therefore ensconced in my parochial grammar school and thusly wearing uniforms most of the time...AND my family was desperately poor, so i hadn't the foggiest idea of what was in stores that weren't Woolworth's or the church rummage sale...O.O;;; so that was even more interesting to note, though i wouldn't have caught it on my own. XD

made me feel an Echo and the Bunnymen fit coming on, too. XD

anyway, the game i bought on a whim on Saturday was Capcom's One Piece Mansion. purely because Polpo was glaring at me from the shelf, and how could i turn him down when he was only $10.99? XD after looking through the manual and being highly amused by the character designs, i couldn't resist.

and despite my aforementioned thumb-cutting adventures Saturday night, i did play it a little bit in story mode. once i get the hang of it, i think i'll be highly amused. it's entertaining. a loose synopsis:

you're Polpo, the manager of an apartment building. in Story mode, your little sister has been kidnapped by a rival landlord who's upset that you're doing fairly well with your building. to get her back, you have to fulfil 7 tasks (or "stages") set for you by this rival landlord. if you perform them satisfactorily, you will allegedly get her back. and of course, these tasks are to increase in difficulty.

now, here's the deal...it's partially sim-like, and partially puzzle-like, this game. there's a number of different residents already living in the building, as well as some vacant apartments. occasionally, there will also be different tenants waiting to move in. you gain money by collecting rent from your tenants every month and/or having (a) tenant(s) live happily in your building for 2 years, at which point said tenant(s) will move out with great fanfare and you'll receive a huge bonus for being such a good landlord to them. you spend money either on creating new apartments, building new elevators, and/or paying damage penalties when vandalism occurs and/or one of your tenants is so stressed out that they move out and blow up their apartment upon leaving. XD

so that's the REAL challenge...you have to keep tabs on the stress levels of all of your tenants and make sure they aren't getting too stressed out. also, different personalities will affect other tenants differently...so the key is to arrange your tenants in the way that's most comfortable for them all to live. to add another monkeywrench to the works, there's a gang called Syndicate 5 that keeps sending spy troublemakers into your building...and unlike with normal tenants, you cannot move these troublemakers. they have a tendency to stress out those around them...AND will run around destroying things and setting fire to your building. you have to keep tabs on them and try to surround them with stress-inducing tenants in the hopes that you'll drive them away, since you can't move them around. you also can blow whistles and sound alarms when they're vandalising the place.

er, uh...i think you'd have to play to understand. XD it made more sense to me once i played it...reading the manual wasn't nearly enough. but i really do <3 the character designs. will have to play more. ^^ i don't think i'd have been happy had i paid full price for it, but for $10.99 it's plenty entertaining. XD

oh, and Wipeout Fusion comes out on Wednesday, according to the helpful gentleman we spoke to on Saturday. allegedly it DOES feature NeGCon support...but no Designers Republic involvement this time around! O.O;;; and of course, Psygnosis has been absorbed back into Sony Computer Entertainment, which kinda sucks...but Spaz is very curious to see how this will play out. may even have to buy a PS2 if it's done alright...oh, and slight personal amusement for me...i found out awhile ago that my new keyboard was used in writing some of the music for this game. XD eheheheh. it remains to be see whether or not this is a good thing, however...as i haven't heard said music yet, i can't comment at the moment.

perhaps more later...

AND NOW IT'S MY TURN

...to share a bit from an e-mail conversation with dearest darlingest FioFio:

me: i thought of you the other night...there was this special on Trio called "The History of Pornography," and in specific, this one *scholar* i thought you'd be amused by.

Fifichu: I think it's so sweet that when you see porn, you think of me. *cries*

********

XD XD XD XD

...and aiiiieeeeee, all of a sudden i have visions of having nightmares of Hooky singing "Handsome Devil" and i think i'm going to go cry now and whee, i don't think i really needed the coffee this morning, did i??!?!?!?!?

*falls over dead*

COS I'VE GOT WHEELS AND YOU WANT TO GO FOR A RIDE

audio: "every good girl." curve.

i haven't got much to say today. 'cept i forgot that Doves were playing here last night. ;.; it's not a BIG loss...i mean, i probably wouldn't have gone anyway. i don't generally like to go to weeknight shows anymore since i live so bloody far away from everything now. had it been tonight or something, i probably would've gone to check it out...but unless it were oh, say, Laika, chances are good i wouldn't go out of my way to do it on a weeknight. (if it was Laika, i'd take time off if i had to. XD i <3 them muchly, if i hadn't made that clear. and am such an idiot for not doing exactly that last time they played here, which was a few years ago and on a Sunday night...but at THE EMPTY BOTTLE...would've been BRILLIANT to see them there... ;.; )

Shannon wrote a brilliant post up about the recent garage revival. and while i have to say that i'm in the "overhype" boat, i also qualify that by saying that i tend to think MOST things are either terribly overhyped or terribly underhyped...there's never really any happy medium. and it doesn't mean i think they're bad. on the contrary, though i'm not nearly as fond of it as a lot of people i know are, i do think it's a breath of fresh air and something that NEEDS to take place. upheaval, even if it's slightly retro in nature...it needs to happen. and i'd certainly agree that it is indeed the spirit of rock n' roll, much moreso than most of the other shite pumped out over the airwaves these days that sounds exactly like it was put together by a committee in a boardroom somewhere after consulting various market research groups to find out what their chosen demographic is hot for this week. >P so while it's not really moving me much, it's still quite welcome in that respect.

so, er, go read what she has to say, if you haven't already. ^.-

...IT'S LIKE A BRAVE NEW WORLD...

audio: "butterfly (Pikachu remix)." smile dk. O.O;;;;

Juri, your mix has broken my head. particularly that song. and the happy hardcore "It's a Small World." XD XD XD XD XD sankyuu, sankyuu. and the liner notes are ubercute. ^^

and meanwhile, mrehehe...another one has fallen. i will singlehandedly overthrow the world convince the world of Bis' brilliance. i WILL. do you doubt me? XD XD XD XD

finally (at least, for the moment), alright. i understand that i've mentioned all the things in this search query in this blog before. SEPARATELY. so, er, why am i NUMBER ONE on the list of things you can find this reference in?!???! O.O;;;

and, er, do i even want to know why someone was looking for it? probably not. XD

[addendum: 'kay, so i'm number one for that particular search query. but...but...but...why am i only NUMBER SEVEN for this one?!??!!

i am DEEPLY disappointed. XD ]

if you're bored and have got a minute, please cross your fingers for my friend Kimmi. no, not my friend Kimmie...a different friend with a similar name. she preordered the new Curve album before i did, and she still hasn't got hers yet. lousy Idaho post office. >.<;;;;;;

and it's just not fair. everyone needs their Curve, dammit! ^-^

MY HEART SKIPS AROUND WHEN I HEAR THE SOUND

audio: "cold comfort" (deepsky remix) curve.

i keep forgetting to mention. Curve's new album came out at the end of May. as they'd parted ways with their label some time previously, it's only available here, via MusicNonStop. and me being me, i'd of course preordered it. (well, and them being Curve didn't really hurt, either. XD )

it got here Monday, and i've had it in my CD player and on loop practically ever since. it's good. not that i'm surprised, but still. and you get to hear Dean sing! O.O;; very strange. not bad. just...different. no guitars from Toni this time round, though. and damn, they knocked this one out fast. recorded from January-May 2002. ^-^

early standout track (for me) is "Every Good Girl." and so far, i'd have to say i recommend this disc...though i probably would say that about just about anything Curve has ever put out, so i may be slightly biased. XD

(and on a related [but sorta not] note: "Every Good Girl" also proves beyond a doubt that Toni can rap CIRCLES around ickle Barneykins. not that that's hard, but the fact does remain...XD)

now, am just waiting for other people i know who care to get their hands on this disc...with Kimmi, it's not her fault that her post office is slow. but certain other people need to go and buy this disc, dammit. XD

THERE IS NO END TO THIS

audio: "i wanna be your girlfriend." lush.

am slowly coming out of the intense loathing i had for most of the world after this weekend. whee. sometimes, if it weren't for a small handful of people...i don't know what would keep me from buying a really big flamethrower. XD

Priya and Keito-chan, thanks for the words of support. ^.^ and i wholeheartedly support the development of a "Bitchslap" key. cos i want one, and you have NO IDEA how bad. 'course, i'd probably mash the poor thing into oblivion in the space of about a week if i did have one...XD

and Sumy, mmm, plantains. that sounds like a brilliant idea, and though of course i didn't have the same ones you did, i went and hunted up some recipes that might potentially be what you're looking for. and a few others that obviously aren't, but still sound like damn good ideas anyway. XD mmm, i want plantains now. ^.^ here are all of them. ^.^

the third link has a whole bunch of recipes involving plantains, and the fifth one...god, i wanna go make some plantains in coconut milk RIGHT NOW.

nummy nummy nummy. oh, my Nigella Lawson books arrived yesterday. she amuses me greatly, and she makes nummy food, and she writes really well...and she's damn cool. ^.^

STATES OF HSL UNDRESS

audio: "cowgirl." (live) underworld.

(this is partially inspired by what Lise has said, but also partially just because...)

a few points:

firstly, i don't believe that anything i like makes me unique or different in any way, necessarily. it's quite likely that i used to harbour such fantasies as an Angsty Teenager...but then again, i'm sure most people in general who claim any degree of self-awareness can relate to that on some level---with varying degrees of specificity.

if anything makes me different from anyone else in any way---as with anything that does so for ANYONE---it's in how i take whatever i construct my world with and allow it to inform me and move me in everyday life. whether it's music, or animation, or film, or writing, or drawing, or painting---what it specifically might be does not matter in the slightest. who it is does.

with that in mind, Fiona makes a good point about the idea that it's much easier to latch onto (a) human being(s) behind something rather than what it is that makes you feel a certain way about it. whether it be a piece of music (popular, classical, sacred, what have you), a film, a work of art, or just about anything else does not matter...in any case, it's HARD to put just how something makes you FEEL into words. ESPECIALLY if whatever it is has made you feel incredibly strongly. most of the time, you need somewhere to go with this profound welling of emotion that _____ has inspired in you, so it's skipping merrily off to fangirling that many choose as their medium.

to this point, i would like to add that i personally feel that this is not something that is common only to people who profess to like music. to me, this seems to have common counterparts in ANY particular area where people congregate and become "fans." manga and anime, for instance...there are certainly plenty of things one can comment on and debate about and appreciate or choose not to that are technical in nature. a mangaka's drawing style; the particular voice actor or actress chosen to represent a character and/or how that person chose to represent that character at a given point in time; someone's ability or lack thereof in drawing decent backgrounds and/or writing decent plot and/or...the list goes on and on, endlessly. there's LOADS that can be discussed virtually into the ground regarding comparatively technical aspects. the same can be said of writing, and of films, and probably of just about anything else that exists which has fans of any sort.

and while it's true that there's plenty of this that can be discussed about music as well...a lot of times, it's more difficult, for many reasons. for one (and this may well be a societal thing), it's been my experience that a lot of people seem to view it as beyond them...the idea that anyone could really pick up an instrument and, if said person were to set his or her mind to it, PLAY it seems daunting. (which is why the true ethos of "punk" must never be allowed to die, but i'm digressing.) sure, a lot of people had lessons in one instrument or another as children. this doesn't necessarily translate into great technical knowledge of how music is created once that person has grown older. and even if it does...having technical knowledge can't make that person feel anything about the music, necessarily. there are people who have great and astounding technical knowledge and ability who are incredibly cold executors of music. possessing the heart of music is something indefinable.

plus, there are a lot of people who make music who may not necessarily have that technical knowledge. same goes for fans...so how do you talk about it if you don't have that technical knowledge to begin with? it becomes almost as difficult to discuss as discussing how something makes someone feel, and in both cases, it's because that someone lacks the proper vocabulary to do so. which doesn't have to be a deficiency on that person's part unless they let it---and most of the time, it seems they don't. they instead find some other means with which to express themselves.

with words, this doesn't tend to be as much of a problem. not everyone is taught to read music as a child...but most people are taught to read and write, and most of the people who read and write blogs that have any sort of audience seem to have mastered some degree of both. therefore, writing? technical aspects of writing become far easier to discuss. this is knowledge that most people have...and therefore, i would posit that this is one reason why it's less prone to the sort of fangirling that people often indulge in over musicians, particularly of the "pop" variety. it's much more universal that someone's going to know what you're talking about if you discuss English grammatical structure than if you discuss detuning your guitar.

another reason may well be visibility. i think perhaps a slight bit of perversity might play a role in the New Order fangirl, because they as a band specifically had gone out of their way (or at least made everyone BELIEVE that they'd gone out of their way, which is another debate entirely) to NOT have a "band image." this is why it wasn't until their third album that any photos of the band were associated with their work...they chose to remain faceless, and because the press were asking questions which they didn't want to answer...they weren't doing interviews (or having the requisite accompanying photo shoots) done, either. and even past that point, though photos were eventually made public...they still made it clear that they had no set "image." which is not a bad idea, considering that most "pop musicians" do have a specific image that's associated with them and is often detrimental if they decide to change that image...cos as we all know, many people don't adapt well to change.

and in having that image, aside from any superficial admiration you might have for them, it's easier to associate them with being an actual human being rather than some abstract construct. this isn't the same for most mangaka, for instance. or many filmmakers, unless you specifically seek out that sort of imagery...or many other sorts of artists, really. there's not the same sort of emphasis on image for people to associate those sorts of artists' human aspects with. therefore, ways in which the types of fandom might deviate from one another.

even then, though...that doesn't necessarily stop someone. all the rabid voice actor/actress fans can attest to that. (and granted, with some of the more popular and well-known ones, it's quite easy to find pictures. but that's mostly due to the rabid fans who've painstakingly gone and searched these out and put shrines together for the objects of their affection...not because these were particularly well publicised in the first place.) but even (and especially) if you've never gotten a concrete image of the artist who one claims as the object of one's infatuation, no matter what the fandom...it's usually because of one thing: one's admiration for that artist's work. and more importantly, the way that that artist's work made that person FEEL. might be someone's voice, and the way they choose to use it. might be the incredibly delicate and unbelievable ways in which a particular mangaka uses their pen. might be particularly creative use of Zip-A-Tone. whatever it is...it's obviously given rise to some sort of swelling of emotion, and it's got to come out somehow.

so while some people (including myself, sometimes) may indeed fangirl about the people behind whatever music it is that's moving me at the moment...how is this different from waxing rhapsodic about a particular voice actor/actress or a particular mangaka? you may be idly proclaiming love for that person and/or having good fun at your co-fangirls' expense, and/or about a zillion other things...but ultimately, most people that i know and respect don't really take themselves and/or each other very seriously when doing such things. cos it's just...silly. all of it. of course, how these things make you feel is not. but really, going on about how you love someone you don't know and have zero likelihood of ever knowing...how seriously can you take yourself? hopefully not very.

my main point is, i believe there's certain areas of commonality across the borders of all the many and various types of "fandom" that there are. and being someone who considers herself a "fan" of many and various things...i categorically refuse to state that "i'll never blog about _____," because i don't know that.

there's plenty of stuff people write about in blogs that i read regularly that i have no interest in. and that's fine, and to be expected...cos really, no one's going to be EXACTLY the sort of fan i am about EXACTLY all the same sorts of stuff i am...unless they're me. and frankly, i'd be creeped out if i ran into another me blogging in the same fashion somewhere. sometimes i read cos i like someone's writing style, or am interested in what they've got to say even though i might not have much to relate to that person. i have lots of reasons i might choose to read or not read something, and lots of reasons i might choose to blog or not blog about something. and while there's an audience in there somewhere, as a blog is, indeed, a wanktastic adventure in public...i maintain, as i always have, that i'll blog about whatever i feel like, whenever i feel like. much as this may be a public forum, and much as i do appreciate and respect the idea that people do choose to read whatever words i might've spilled all over my keyboard...it is primarily a selfish thing. i'd be kidding myself if i claimed otherwise.

(that being said, HSL now returns you to your regularly scheduled random spastic silliness. XD)

SHOW 'EM, SHOW 'EM, GOTTA SHOW 'EM ALL!

audio: "mambo 1000." ursula 1000.

this is a bit weird.

...why such concern over violence in Lupin affecting children negatively with this series in particular? i can think of a zillion things more violent on kid-accessible TV. as long as you're willing to sit down and talk with your kids if they've got questions, and make sure they know that they shouldn't imitate what they're watching on TV in real life...

...oh, wait. that requires parenting skills. nevermind. sorry, i forgot. >P

still, strangely retro-y for TV here. interesting...

THROUGH MERRIMENT OF CHOCOLATE

audio: "alphabet aerobics." blackalicious.

...i would so pay money to see this be done on Sesame Street. ^-^

got more mixes yesterday from Mel and Meg...currently listening to Mel's, which is truly wunderbar. ^.^ aiiiieeee, so many mixes...so much to take in! XD

(er, don't think i'm not loving every minute of it. XD)

not too much else exciting to talk about. the popcorn's coming up! well, one of them, anyway. and lots of marigolds...and it looks like some of the sugar snap peas are starting up as well. the rain this week did them all good. ^-^ busy weekend coming up...practice tonight, a show tomorrow, and loads of other crap to jam into only two days. *.*;;; must remember to call my sister back tonight...

...someday, my head will spontaneously combust. and it will be very, very messy.

just so you're warned. ^.-

GONE AGAIN

audio: nada.

well, this blows. >P

...and the "tribute" album that's planned and is mentioned at the bottom...urrrggggh. >.<;;;;

BYE-Q

audio: "coffee mug." the descendents.

got my second Discs of Fury entry yesterday from Krissy. and it's loads of crack-laced fun. so far, two for two...am greatly enjoying the mixes and am crossing my fingers that mine doesn't disappoint. O.O;;;

not too much else to say, really. aren't i boring? XD perhaps more after this weekend. TOO MUCH TO DO this weekend. including a show on Saturday. eek. renshuu o shinakereba narimasen. o.o;;

and i want pictures of the wedding, dammit! XD

DOES THIS MEAN I'M COOL ENOUGH TO HANG WITH MC PEE PANTS NOW?

audio: various mumblings of coworkers.

...wanna see what i've been making all morning?!?!?

bottom left. XD

YOU CAN'T TAKE ME ANYWHERE

audio: "Odori Pompokorin." BB Queens

...for some reason, this reminds me slightly of the ending from Hamtaro. upon first hearing the ED that's being used in the dub, it's pretty obvious that it's got to be something that was translated into English and wasn't specially composed for the dub. no one would write this sort of crack here. XD must see original. whee, crack. ^^

having a cup of chocolate raspberry coffee right now. which is actually rather good. i've been bad since this caffeine mix thing kicked into high gear. see, i'd been drinking naught but tons of water, a glass of juice or milk in the morning (usually juice), and an *occasional* mug of tea in the evenings for weeks now, right? avoiding pop altogether, cos i was drinking too much...and not really drinking much else caffeinated, either. though i make exceptions for chocolate. XD but oh well. i just won't make it a habit again. was never a strict thing i was trying to impose on myself...just thought i wasn't drinking enough water, is all. XD

spilled the coffee on myself on the way up the stairs. so i do indeed smell like a percolator now. damned caffeine mixes infecting my brain! XD XD XD

also, must share the funniest line from this morning's Tribune with you; in a story talking about "the browning of Hollywood" (their term) and in specific Vin Diesel and the Rock (yawn), the line "You almost think Tom Cruise is too straight now." was mentioned. (i'd link directly, but you have to register at their site to read their stories, and it's a big pain in the arse, so i thought i'd save you the trouble. though the article is pretty hilarious in its entirety. XD)

*smirk*

DEATH BY CUTENESS...

audio: "the coffee song." frank sinatra.

...er, if anyone's wondering where i am, i've gotten lost at the official Tottoko Hamutarou site.

nothing should be this cute. EVER. for the sake of sunflower seeds everywhere, look at the site map... *^^*

...and there are games! you can play JanKenPon with Hamutarou! *^_______^*

...and the HamHamPiano...? oh GOD. "Do-sharp"? XD XD XD

(yes, i am regressing. leave me alone. XD)

...on a *slightly* more serious note...and hrrm. her name really is Kana. i wondered about that while watching the dub yesterday...

I WANT COFFEE AND I WANT IT NOW!

audio: "coffee time." lena horne.

this is the fault of PJ, whose Discs of Fury entry i received yesterday. *^^* and which i LOVE muchly. PJ, you rock my world. i <3 you, and not in a creepy stalker sort of way. XD in a happy, full of good music sort of way. bweeee! ^-^

in other news, watched Hamtaro last night. and it was...alright. the hamsters' voices were alright, 'cept for the one they made sound like a complete hick. *.*;;;; the human voices sucked. and i have the feeling i'd be completely disillusioned had i seen any of the original prior to this...and i ALSO have the feeling that it's not being shown in order here. shall have to check into this. must obtain original episodes. but indeed, it is far too cute for words. Spaz thought he was going to die of cuteness, and i think i wouldn't have been far behind. disgusting, but good. XD couldn't tape it today, though...;.; the satellite was flipping out due to the storm this morning, so i couldn't set the tape up for it OR for this afternoon's rerun of this morning's episode. since i wasn't sure when it'd be on this afternoon. but if they're not showing them in order, i s'pose it won't kill me... ;.;

more later, perhaps.

hope your dreams are filled with alfalfa! ^.-

...butterfucker! XD XD

audio: "everyone everywhere." new order.

...er, that's all i have to say. some of you will understand. and all of you will think i'm on crack. which is fine, really. XD

LITTLE HAMSTERS, BIG ADVENTURES

audio: "Devil's Advocate." DJ Shadow.

Hamtaro starts today on Cartoon Network. or rather, it started just as i was leaving the house. looks like good, cracked-out fun. will have to of course track down episodes of the original out of curiosity. but man. either one should take LOTS of drugs before watching, or one should take NO drugs before watching. will watch the rest of the tape when i get home, as i did in fact set a tape for it...

...the thing i find most amusing about the official site (linked above)...? the fact that in the section on "Ham-ham speak," several of the words are Japanese onomotapoeia. *smirks* not all, but some. intriguing. ^.^

what else to say? not tons. finished up (despite my computer's best attempts to thwart me) my caffeine discs and mailed them out this morning. will post up the track listing and possibly the cover art soon...and certain people will be amused by the cover art, i think. XD

it looks like it might actually rain here today! about time...O.O;;;

oh! there IS one more thing...dude. there are Brak, Zorak, and Moltar action figures. O.O;;;

i want them. BADLY. not enough to pay the $40-something that 411toys is asking for them as a set, but badly enough. DUDE.

i would make Brak dance for me every day if i had one. and yes, that should worry you. XD

WEEKEND PROJECTS

audio: nothing, nothing at all. very strange. O.O;;

...so, why are you all staring at my blog when you could be hard at work on this...?

i expect some answers, dammit! XD