lelenaa

Hot Topic

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:55:20 GMT

After being alerted to the fact that Hot Topic now sells some Hey Arnold tees, I took a look around on their website. It strikes me how very unappealing the Hot Topic wardrobe is to me now. When I was in high school, I wore so many of those cutesy shirts. I'm just...grown up now. And this aspect isn't something I miss all that much. I wouldn't be caught dead in most of these character T-shirts now.

That being said, if they made a Hey Arnold T-shirt with an appealing enough design on it, I probably would wear it. If it was Helga, definitely. :]

Sitcoms? Yeah, another post.

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:05:50 GMT

So I don't know why I was not paying attention all those years... I never watched sitcoms much at all because the ones I sampled always seemed so base, or boring, and played up the most inane situations and personality traits for laughs. But I just discovered Frasier and it's classy and awesome. I just want to watch more, and more... I've found my niche!

Niles cracks me up. I already simply luff him. :]

Pokemon (II)

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:14:51 GMT

Okay, now I'm watching a bonus disc that contains a 10th anniversary special for Pokemon. "Mirage Pokemon" or something. Look, it's Misty! And Professor Oak! Plus, the story is more coherent. This is the Pokemon I remember... :] (Except the voices are all different, and they really suck in comparison. T_T)

Oh FTW. Now they're ditching May and Max (the new kids) so it's just Ash and Misty again. :DD

EDIT: ROFL this special is like "Pokemon becomes Digimon." The virtual Pokemon die and split apart into data like 99.5% the same way as in Digimon. It feels like I AM watching Digimon. XD

Pokemon

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:01:05 GMT

I was feeling nostalgic so I tried to watch one of the Pokemon movies. I rented Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. Man...it's boring. It's incoherent. Maybe I'm just not in the mood for it, but it's kinda awful. X'(

Lots of stuff just happens with no good explanation. It's supposed to sound cool and magical, but it doesn't add up. The characters are like "Oh, it's because they're understanding Aura" or "Oh, it's because Mew and the Tree live in a symbiotic relationship." "This little thing here allows you to look back in time." What?

Was Pokemon always like this? Was it? I used to love Pokemon. X'D *sob* Was it always like this and have I just grown up?

I ended up messing around with paints, then actually going and doing the dishes while the movie played.

This is why Digimon (=science fiction) > Pokemon (=arbitrary magic). At least Digimon makes some attempt at internal logic and tries to explain itself. Maybe my overly rational mind can no longer parse magic. #_%

Pigs

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:29:40 GMT

Recent research indicates that pigs may be capable of recognizing themselves as individuals in a mirror. This would put them among the select group of creatures (including dolphins, elephants, and some primates) that are also known to be this intelligent.

My bf found an article in Spiegel and translated it to me from German. It references a study from the English journal Animal Behaviour which did show at the very least that pigs understood their position in relation to the mirror so that they could orient themselves to find (odorless) food correctly. (The journal may require access, which I've got through my university...) I'll post more English sources as I find them. (Gotta do some homework first, then I'll investigate this further.)

I was already making an effort to eliminate pork, beef, lamb, etc. (all mammal meat) from my diet. Now I vow with even more conviction never to eat pork. I'm also making sure not to buy any pet food that contains pork or beef. (Oh man! Cat food is a whole other topic to be concerned with! Recently I found out that most brands of cat food are absolute garbage, and some get away with price extortion to a ridiculous degree. Don't be fooled by Science Diet. Buy grain-free food for cats if possible. Another post, later maybe.)

Oink Oink!

時をかける少女

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:03:16 GMT

Holy smokes, I just -- Finally -- got around to watching The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (時をかける少女) and it's fantastic. I didn't think there was much of anything for me in anime anymore, these days. But this film really hit a nerve and recalled many of the great things the medium is capable of. I adore the main character -- so rawly and honestly herself, and what a hilarious range of vocal expression!

I was expecting it to look like the Digimon movies in style (same director), but I was really surprised that a few motifs were very clearly directly borrowed. I don't mind, though... I'm happy to see them recur, and it felt kinda like I was in on some kind of inside joke... :]

The director has another film out this year, and it'll be on my viewing list for sure.

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:46:14 GMT

It's been like 5 billion years (10+ years) since Digimon came out and I still love it. This time of year makes me want to watch it pretty consistently (at least every couple years) and I'm not sure why.

I found out that this 13-episode Digimon DVD I got cheap at Toys R Us many years ago is now listed for hundreds of dollars on the Amazon marketplace. I wonder if people are actually buying it for that much. :o (A sign of demand for DVDs? I think so.)

EDIT: I also went on JPqueen (doujinshi sales site) for the first time in a loooong time. They have only 5 Digimon items. There used to be several pages. How depressing. :'o

Symphony of Science

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:54:42 GMT

I found a couple of videos that absolutely everyone needs to see. No questions asked, unless for some reason you hate music or you hate existence. (In which case, please explain yourself.......android?!)

This Youtube user is brilliant. These videos made my mom cry. I guarantee you'll be moved... Unless you ARE an android. ;)

Dinosaur

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:12:57 GMT

Looove it.

The Time Traveler's Wife

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:47:07 GMT

I saw the film on Saturday. Aside from a questionable music choice or two (and my ambivalent opinion in general of Rachel McAdams), I was _so_pleased with the adaptation. Nearly all was exactly as I'd pictured it when I read the book 2 years ago, and not just because it was set in Chicago.

This is the first film for which I have ever had to physically struggle to choke down sobs in the theater.

I'm not ashamed. It presents itself like a chick flik drama (movie posters ruin good books serially), except it's actually not drek. (For those who are interested.) For the whole evening afterward I felt pure and cleansed and real. I cooked good food and drank a bottle of wine with my boyfriend, who had also cried.

I found out that a lot of reviewers aren't too keen on this movie, and I was suprised to see this.

Here's why it's actually good, if you're anything at all like me: A sequence of events, gradually knowable but unchangeable, is what there is in this story. Sounds like "Fate," except that Fate is a trite, unexplained device that almost always falls far below a level of respectability. In The Time Traveler's Wife, a science fiction concept creates a version of "Fate" that is rewardingly consistent with a naturalist worldview. The characters are as much author as victim, but also neither. Some people emotionally devour this idea (me) and some are simply frustrated with it. See the film (or read the book) and decide for yourself. (And... I promise not to make any more posts into thesis statements for awhile.) :)

Death Note

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:45:08 GMT

So I just (fin.al.ly.) finished reading Death Note. (For some reason I had put it on hiatus for quite awhile...I think I just didn't want it to end!)

I'm just beyond impressed at the caliber of the series, which is far beyond any other manga I've ever read. Its themes, staging, pace and dialogue rival real film and literature. Which makes the fact that it has a "fandom" that acts so "otakuish" seem very odd to me. Seriously, ppl. o.O

I think I'm satisfied with the ending. (No Spoilers:) Nowadays I tend to evaluate endings in terms of "Could it have been as effective if done any other way?" If the answer seems to be "no," I'm pretty satisfied.

Writer's Block: Commercial Appeal

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:31:56 GMT

What is your favorite commercial from your childhood? Bonus points if you include a video of it.

View 502 Answers

There were SO MANY commercials my sis & I laughed at in the 90s. Here's just one that I was able to find: the COOL SHAVIN' KEN doll.

"Oo-ee-oo, shave him again and again. Whoa-oh, love that Cool Shavin' Ken!"
My sister had a Cool Shavin' Ken. She was into Barbie dolls far more than I was. The shaving didn't work as well as it does on the commercial. What a strange product to sell to young girls. :S

I still haven't been able to find the Barbie Movie Theater commercial on YouTube. I can still sing part of that one too!

EDIT: OMG, I found the Color Splash Pocahontas doll too. (My sister also had these dolls.)
The "Dolls do not move on their own" disclaimer made me laugh so hard as a kid. That type of "Duh!" disclaimer must have been new at the time.

Germany

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:38:10 GMT

I got back from Germany a few days ago!

Other than some mishaps such as missing a flight and getting locked out of a hostel overnight (which was actually kind of funny), it was a really great time. I know a little German, but I was also with my boyfriend who speaks fluent German so there we no real problems getting around.

This is the first time I have been to Germany, so here's a quick list of cultural pros and cons that struck me. (These are meant to be taken in good humor.) For reference, I was in the southern part of Germany.

.
Good
-Everything is clean. Public places, restrooms, hotels, hotel SHOWERS, are just sparkling compared to their U.S. counterparts. It filled me with joy.
-The air is freakin' clean. So much purer, because of the much stricter emissions caps, from what I hear.
-The climate is NOT HUMID. Really, there seems to be NO HUMIDITY compared to the central United States. lkjax;hcvavadl; !!! The first morning I woke up, I was covered in pleasant sunlight but not a drop of sweat.
-The architecture is beautiful. I cannot get enough of the pastel-colored row apartments with flowers in the windows.
-The windows all open in a consistent fashion (different than U.S. windows) and and are really easy to open, at least the ones that I encountered in hotels.
-The shower design is better. The showerhead is really wide and easy to adjust.
-The public transportation system is useful, reliable, and seems to go everywhere. I envy it. DeutscheBahn FTW.
-The bread is so fresh and good. The little sandwiches at bakeries are easy to find and a much better option on-the-go than fast food.
-Breakfast is my kind of breakfast. It tends to be cold: Breads, meat slices, cheese, fruit, yogurt, boiled egg, muesli (better than cereal), Nutella.... I love these types of things. My favorite breakfast has personally always been a thick bagel with cottage cheese and fruit, kind of in that style. I don't like greasy American breakfasts.
-You get to seat yourself at restaurants
-You always get a casual "Hello" when you enter a business rather than an overbearing fake-sounding greeting.
-And yes, GERMAN BEER IS BETTER.

Not Good
-You have to either pay a fee or tip someone in order to use most restrooms.
-There aren't enough restrooms available in public areas like parks. They're too hard to find.
-Too much pork! Yuck. It was practically everywhere on every menu. I found it funny in one Japanese restaurant when most of the menu was pork-based. Gotta localize no matter what country!
-They usually drench the salad in dressing. Way too much!!
-No screens in the windows meant that bugs came rushing into the room at night!
-No martinis? We had little success finding any good alcohol that wasn't beer.
-Sales tax is 19%. And we didn't really think to claim any of it back when leaving the country. Boo hoo hoo
-IRRITANT #1: Why can't a person get a cold, refreshing beverage? Do they drink water in this country?
a) Water must be purchased in a bottle. It's unspeakable for them to serve a glass of tap water at a restaurant, even if you ask for it. (Although tap water is perfectly clean in a clean first-world country?)
b) The price of water and other beverages is exhorbitant compared to in the U.S.
c) German "cold" = American "a little below room temperature"
d) Do ice cubes exist?
e) There are no public drinking fountains. Even though I usually find these unsanitary, I will drink from them when there is no other option and I'm thirsty.
There were times when I was almost dehydrated. Because I've been conditioned to ice-cold beverages in America, nothing else will quench my thirst. Many times, McDonald's was a beacon of hope because it offered a specific fruity ice-blend drink at most locations. Actually cold because it's made with ice!!!!

Funny
-People look exactly the same. You can't tell an American from a German until they open their mouths. Middle-aged Germans seem just as likely to be overweight as middle-aged Americans.
-Pop culture is almost exactly the same. America really does export it all: the dregs of MTV and the drivel of Stephenie Meyer included.

Overall a good time! I'm glad not to be spending euros anymore (unfavorable rate) and to have plenty of ice water in the comfort of home. And not to have to walk all day. We tired ourselves out!!

the Pieces of Gold: A Brideshead Revisited Fan Soundtrack

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:39:18 GMT

This post is linked to a community.

Edit: New song added
"Goodbye, Sweet Youth, Goodbye"
I found it recently and thought it was perfect and that it needed to be here.

Title: the Pieces of gold
Charles/Sebastian + Julia

Cover art by me. Every part of the image came from photographs I took, and I compiled it in Photoshop.

<<Download>>

Track Listing:
1) This is Me (Eddie from Ohio)
2) Come On, Come Out (A Fine Frenzy)
3) A Summer Wasting (Belle & Sebastian)
4) Goodbye, Sweet Youth, Goodbye (Greycoats)
5) Ease Your Feat In The Sea (Belle & Sebastian)
6) X&Y (Coldplay)
7) The Good That Won't Come Out (Rilo Kiley)
8) Late Night Grande Hotel (Nanci Griffith)
9) Gold Dust (Tori Amos)
Bonus: This is Me (Live version)

~*~Notes~*~

1) This is Me (Eddie from Ohio)
I have one of my friends to thank for giving me this song and pointing out that it sounds like Brideshead. The lyrics fit so much to a tee it's heartbreaking. You really must listen carefully to all of it. I figured it makes a good opener because it is Charles standing there in the service, reminiscing.

This is me
Before the war
You can see
I don't look much like that
Anymore.
Yes, my hands
Are still as small
You understand--
Not all the changes
Are visible.

And I imagined
You were there
Whispering hope
With bombs whistling,
Falling through the air.

Sebastian--
Bless his heart!
...
And if you chose me over one and one-half million souls
And if you loved me with abandon--
I'd run anyhow.
And if you asked me, I'd say, "That's what I know of love,
Now."

2) Come On, Come Out (A Fine Frenzy)
The idyllic throwback to an exhilarating beginning. This song is truly a romp, and uses a painting metaphor to boot.

Watching the sky, you're watching a painting
Coming to life, shifting and shaping
Staying inside, it all goes all goes by

A blanket unfolds,
A blanket to lie
The pieces of gold
They light up your eyes
And now we're alone
And now we're alive
</p>

3) A Summer Wasting (Belle & Sebastian)
The fun continues leisurely through the summer. These are the days that are always remembered.

I spent the summer wasting
The sky was blue beyond compare

Seven weeks of river walkways
Seven weeks of reading papers
Seven weeks of feeling guilty
Seven weeks of staying up all night

4) Goodbye, Sweet Youth, Goodbye (Greycoats)
A grand anthemic sweep

I fell into the song
I fell into a dream
I fell into your spell

I was looking at stars
You were looking at me
I could hear the church bells

Anthems ringing:
This is a strange time to be in love
This is a strange time to be in love
This is a strange time to be in love

You were thrown to the lines
You were thrown to the sea
You were thrown into Hell
When the enemy falls
Are you thinking of me
Can you hear the church bells

5) Ease Your Feet In The Sea (Belle & Sebastian)
The troubles do tend to creep up on one. In the guise of this pleasant-sounding song is a testimony to the madness Charles begins to see in Sebastian.

Soberly, without regret, I make another sandwich
And I fill my face, I know that things have got to you
But what can I do?
Suddenly, without a warning
On a pale blue morning
You decide your time is wearing thin
A conscious choice to let yourself go dangling

I could see the house where you lived
I could see the house where you gave
All your time and sanity to people
Then you waited for the people to acknowledge you
They spoke in turn
But their eyes would pass over you
Over you
Who's seeing you at all?
Who's seeing You at all?

6) X & Y (Coldplay)
The descent into depression, but still with a chance of redemption, together. But Charles recognizes that he may not be able to remain engaged.

Trying hard to speak and
Fighting with my weak hand
Driven to distraction
It’s all part of the plan

When something is broken
And you try to fix it
Trying to repair it
Any way you can

I dive in at the deep end
You become my best friend
I wanna love you but I don't know if I can

7) The Good That Won't Come Out (Rilo Kiley)
The nature of Sebastian's madness is revealed from his point of view. It's sadly irrevocable because we see that these quirks will be stubbornly retained, despite any option for change. It's also about his guilt in the face of his religion. The Sebastian chapter is closed after this.

All of the good that won't come out of me
and all the stupid lies I hide behind
It's such a big mistake, lying here in your warm embrace

Oh, you're almost home
I've been waiting for you to come in
Dancing around in your old suits going crazy in your room again
I think I'll go out and embarrass myself by getting drunk and falling down in the street
You say I choose sadness, that it never once has chosen me
Maybe you're right

8) Late Night Grande Hotel (Nanci Griffith)
Flash forward to Charles's affair with Julia. This is a song from Julia, but it's still mostly about Charles and the type of attention he pays to a lover. Her "learning to fly away again" is her reclaiming her religion.

It's not the way you hold me when the sun goes down
It's not the way you call my name that left me stranded on the ground
It's not the way you'll say you'll hear my heart when the music ends
No... I am just learning how to fly away again

And maybe you were thinking that you thought you knew me well
But no one ever knows the heart of anyone else

9) Gold Dust (Tori Amos)
Charles revisits the sites he knew so well. It's a ghostly reminiscence.

I WAS HERE
I WAS HERE

Whipping past
the reflecting pool
me + you
skipping school

-- How did it go so fast --
you'll say
as we are looking
back
and then we'll
understand
we held gold dust
in our
hands

If you download this and listen, a comment (either here or in my comm. post) would be much appreciated. I put more time than I should have into this thing and I'd be delighted to hear thoughts. I hope you find it enjoyable.

...Twilight

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:20:18 GMT

So I decided to rent Twilight and watch it with my sister. What surprised me was that I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. But at the same time, almost every line of dialogue I thought was crap. How do 2 and 2 not equal 4? I do not know.

I'll probably wanna watch the next movie when it comes out. I'll do the thing I ridicule and disrespect others for -- follow the movies without reading the books. But the writing is so bad (I've tried it) that I feel totally comfortable with this decision. XD

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 06:23:48 GMT

Great. Now The Fairly Oddparents seasons 1 & 2 are available on DVD at Amazon. I want them. I randomly watched an episode today and it reminded me how hilarious that show actually used to be. I heard they had a baby after I stopped watching the show. o.O And Cosmo (the man) carried it. Haha. Could be really funny or really stupid. ...I wanna see it.

I'm waiting for my new Draco & The Malfoys CD to arrive in the mail. One of the songs is called "Out of Ideas" and it goes "I shoulda done more stuff in the books, I shoulda done more stuff in the books, I shoulda done more stuff in the books." X3 Yaaay snarky campy self-aware humor.

Doubt

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 08:31:18 GMT

A couple nights ago I saw the film Doubt with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams as nuns at a catholic school. It was way more awesome than I thought it would be. I couldn't keep my eyes off it because the acting was sooo fabulous and t the story kept surprising me at its most emotional moments with intellectual challenges. Apparently it was adapted from a stage play.

You really shouldn't look up a summary first, though. Meryl was right about that in the interview on the bonus features. Just watch it if you're interested.

Double geeking

Sun, 03 May 2009 05:55:10 GMT

In the new information age, online is almost as good as DVD. At least it's insanely accessible! You know, for when I want to watch this show in public or something... (kidding)...

Apparently Funimation is streaming Official Subtitled Digimon Adventure 02. o.O Why season 2? Maybe the rest will follow..?

Also... evrdream33 (I forgot to mention it before!) will probably find this amusing...A couple weeks ago in my Ethics in Cyberspace class, the topic was "assuming other identities online" and the army guy in class was like "Has anyone ever been to an anime convention?" Apparently he went one time and was freaked out by the cosplayers. Everyone in class is pretty cool and I think they already respect me as a contributor in class, so I decided to give my rebuttal (we're not all scary!) and tell the truth about my hobby of making such costumes. Sigh, I'm going to miss that class. It's one of the coolest and most intellectually engaging classes I've had as an undergrad. Hopefully they won't leave thinking I am also a furry in Second Life or something. XD

Random

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:36:52 GMT

I feel like my tongue is burnt from drinking coffee and tea every day. I've recently increased the frequency of my intake of hot beverages. I'm afraid I'll destroy my tastebuds this way, or something. >.<'

I can't figure out the last problem on my Python programming final. It's due at 7pm. Darn.

I kind of wish there would magically appear before me a shortish anime series that I am actually interested in watching. I just don't watch anime very much anymore, but I wish something would come along that just grabs my attention instantly. Kinda like Loveless, which could've been just a gimmick (with the cat features and all) but also had a design, some characters, and an aura that just caught my interest really quickly.

Hm. I need to go to work now. Drat.

Bolt, Zoom!

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 05:59:32 GMT

Ahhh I am in love with Disney's Bolt! I know I went around saying how upset I was that Disney's beloved "Animated Features" line has been hijacked by CGI, but this movie was so cute. I am suuuch a sucker for Disney's "fuzzy four-legged animal movies," and I think this is the first one they've come out with since The Lion King.

Seriously, Disney is one of the only studios that still knows how to do "animal movies " right. Beautiful designs and lots of heart. None of that "Madagascar" or "Ice Age" crap. I'm probably gonna buy Bolt on DVD. XD

For those who don't know, Bolt has been described as The Truman Show meets The Incredibles, which I feel is a fairly accurate description. Don't be deterred by the fact that it contains Miley Cyrus. She does a decent job!

Edit: NO WAI, that song in the movie that almost made me cry was sung by JENNY LEWIS. Happy&<3! Can't believe I didn't recognize her voice.

<3

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 03:02:21 GMT

Ehyeah two posts in a row. What can I say; I'm enthusiastic.

I've just started having a small infatuation with the German language. I blame it on MUSIC! My TA played a song by Herbert Grönemeyer in class last week and naturally I had to go track it down on the internet because ~~there is a giant polar bear suit in the music video~~ I liked the way it sounded. I ended up buying the mp3 plus some other German music. It looks like iTunes is slowly building up its foreign music collection. (Frickin' no way...They are even starting to sell Utada Hikaru and Ayumi Hamasaki by now! Where have I been??)

Highlight: Juli ('July')
Juli is pop-leaning rock with a lovely female vocalist. To me, they sort of fit in with the Jimmy Eat World/Paramore canon.
"Zerrissen" ('Torn')

I love that skirt, want her outfit...!
I bought a whole album of Juli. <3 (I kind of think iTunes ripped me off though, because they sold me a 128kbps encoding. >_>)

Here is the polar bear video. I kind of don't get it, since it's a very serious song. He wrote it after losing his wife and his brother to cancer. D:
"Mensch" ('Mankind')

I don't understand why everyone always says German is an "ugly-sounding" language. I think it's lovely. In fact, I like it much better than French! I'm glad I told myself I needed to study a little bit of each of these two languages in order to support my studies of Linguistics. Beyond just "how it sounds," I like that German belongs to the same language family as English...which presents more "interesting" similarities. Really, the only thing English and French have in common is the massive chunk of vocabulary that English-speakers swiped from French and Latin a long time ago! Yawn. Also, for the first time, I am studying a language that is somewhat a piece of my heritage -- I actually have some German ancestry on my mother's side.

LISTEN TO JULI; THEY ARE CATCHY and uh someday maybe I'll be able to understand all the lyrics

100,000 strong

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 02:06:29 GMT

Whoops, this was like...a week ago. Barack Obama's record-setting rally in St. Louis, MO with a crowd of around 100,000...
Me <-- was there

I don't agree with everything the Dem. party members say, but man, was there positive energy there. And it was a beautiful day.

This was just people filing in. It got way more packed later. You can see the shadow of the arch.

It's too bad I forgot to take photos of the people selling unofficial Obama merch on the sidewalk. I'm sure none of it was real campaign merchandise. His face was all over T-shirts and stuff. (Who buys that kind of thing? Just wait until he's President, and then wearing a T-shirt with his face will probably be uncool.) There was even a hand towel (supposed to be for waving in the air or something XD).

Is that what I think I hear?

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:03:27 GMT

So right now I'm unable to concentrate on my homework because the girl living above me is blasting angry "Jesus" sermons on her stereo and singing along. It's set to a loop of harp music or something, and I mean it's LOUD. She's walking around in her room singing "Ohhh I believe I believe."

Um.

Cult-ish much?

That angry voice is making me feel angry too.

There are Atheist club plans to go and see Religulous tonight. I was thinking about sitting it out since I have so much work to do, but now I think I'll go after all. It looks like more of an entertainment piece than a documentary, but I guess I'm down with that. I could use a good round of chuckles in good company. I've been connecting with the group memebers lately, since I went with some of them to a Freedom From Religion Foundation conference in Chicago last weekend. It felt so nice to be in a huge ballroom where people clapped enthusiastically for the ideas that just seem to be common sense, yet in everyday life we still feel obliged to tread carefully around.

While I'm babbling -- WOW, McCain came off as a fabulously petty prick in last night's debate. Low, low, low. It's rather comical, actually -- I almost see it as his campaign grasping for some foothold in its dying breaths. All he can do is deliver the low blows, and the ludicrously transparent pandering. ("Joe the Plumber" is the new "mothers of children with disabilities" is the new "veterans." Oh and also, didja know, Barack Obama is not only a terrorist but he kills babies. Gag me please.) Barack Obama is absolutely right in keeping the focus on actual issues, and I trust him to be as honest and straightforward with the American people as any politician can be. I respect him even more because he respects us, while I've lost almost all respect for McCain. I feel optimistic about this election.

Omg. Want_to_buy_

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:50:11 GMT

Hey Arnold Seasons 1 & 2 on DVD!!!

www.amazon.com/Hey-Arnold-Season-Disc-Set/dp/B001EO5JJS/ref=sr_1_1
www.amazon.com/Hey-Arnold-Season-Disc-Set/dp/B001EHDSOI/ref=pd_bxgy_d_text_b

There's also Doug!

Apparently they are Amazon exclusives, where Amazon manufactures on demand after an order is placed. Changing times and changing technology do such new and interesting things to the traditional business model, don't they! ...I may have to actually buy these.

Maybe if this model is successful, I can hope that someday Disney (Toei, or whoever) will also partner with Amazon and do something similar for Digimon (Tamers). Maybe. Someday. Please?

(a;lfdua(*&afkjh Hey Arnold <3)

American Politics Test

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:32:37 GMT

Found this test after kakurenbo_noizu took it.

Results are generally about what I expected. I fall very close to the line of Libertarianism (kind of expected to fall within it). It's nice that this map differentiates "Libertarian" and "Anarchist" because there really is a big difference, and it's not useful when people accuse one of being the other.

You are a
Social Liberal
(78% permissive)

and an...
Economic Conservative
(60% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Democrat

Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid.com: Free Online Dating
Also : The OkCupid Dating Persona Test