So, hi. I've been meaning to post something for about three weeks now, but clearly have failed in that. The thing is, I want to make some kind of big, meaningful entry, but I'm too intimidated to do so. My vacation in Japan was last month, and it was awesome and all, but I have absolutely no idea what to write about it. I had a great time, got a lot of manga, stalked Arashi, experienced Japan a little more, and in general got rid of all the stress that had been building up from work. Of course, now that I'm back at work, the stress is building up again, but I'm working on yet another plan to take care of that.

In the meantime, here's what I'm occupying my time with:

1) One Piece - I'm back into watching the anime and loving it. I think I'm about 30 episodes behind now. :D

2) Kanjani8 - I bought a couple of their concert DVDs while in Japan, and I started watching one and have been obsessing a little. They're so ridiculous; they amuse me a lot.

3) Yankee-kun to Megane-chan - I just started watching this drama today, after being simultaneously really excited for it and slightly afraid of it. I love the manga a lot, so I was a little worried that the drama would be a flop in comparison, but so far it's been nothing of the sort. I'm really loving it! Narimiya Hiroki steals my heart. I think I need to stalk him in the near future. :D The drama definitely changes things up a little, but I think that they're changes that actually work, and I'm having a great time watching it.

4) Xbox 360 - So, funny (or perhaps boring?) story. Last week, I was a little upset over something at work, so I decided that it would be beneficial to have a non-traditional week. I got the opportunity to do an overnight (aka a 20 hour shift), and I jumped on it. The guy I did the overnight with brought in his Xbox with some cool games (he had been trying to convince me of the awesomeness of Xbox for a while), and let me go for most of the night. Which I did, seriously. He did a horrible thing to me, and let me play Morrowind, which is a huge RPG that is pretty much perfectly in line with my interests. After playing it for about five hours and undergoing the great amount of sleep deprivation that an overnight inflicts on you, I went home and slept for approximately 3 hours. In my weakened state of mind, I was then unable to resist the urge to buy my own Xbox 360. Since I was in no state to be driving anywhere, I ordered it online and have been waiting impatiently for its delivery ever since.

It gets better though! In addition to the Xbox 360 itself, which I ordered with Final Fantasy XIII (I know, there have been some bad reviews, but I figured it was better than buying it with games that I have no interest in at all), I ordered Guitar Hero 5 and Morrowind. Morrowind was ordered with standard shipping. The other two had two-day shipping. Irony time! Morrowind got here first. Guitar Hero 5, which was coming the greatest distance, from Texas, got here second. The Xbox, which was coming from the closest location...is due in tomorrow. Is it just me, or does our postal service not make sense?

Anyway, I'm super-duper excited to get it tomorrow. I can't wait to start messing around. :D And btw, if anyone has any game recs, feel free. I probably won't be buying anything new for at least a little while, given how much money I just spent, but I'll definitely keep them in mind. XD

Current Mood: excited

So, a week or two ago, I got some depressing fangirl news. My friend who always watches things and fangirls with me will no longer be able to fangirl Naruto with me. :( ( Possible spoilers up to volume 45 of the manga and likely incoherent rambling )

Current Mood: pessimistic

For anyone who's a reading fiend like me, Amazon.com is offering a free download of the beta version of their Kindle for PC. I downloaded it this afternoon, and it seems pretty cool, doesn't look like it'll be hard to read from. Also, there are a bunch of books you can get for free, mostly classics, but some other stuff as well. No idea how long it'll last, but thought I'd point it out.

And since I'm still obsessing over music...Some free stuff. :D

I'm Yours - Jason Mraz (English) - A popular song that I like a lot.

Still... - BRIGHT (Japanese) - I just discovered BRIGHT really recently, pretty much by accident. Japanese girl band, really strong voices, and they sing the kind of upbeat pop music that I really like.

Memories Resemble Love - Park Hyo Shin (Korean) - I love love love Park Hyo Shin's voice. It's really gorgeous, and this is a really pretty song that complements it well.

Mama Mia - Meryl Streep (English) - I loved Mama Mia the movie, and I think I like the movie versions of the songs better than the original versions by ABBA.

Super Fresh - Arashi (Japanese) - I'm kind of in love with this song, even more so than "My Girl."

Gives You Hell - All-American Rejects (English) - Another popular song that I really like. It's such a fun song to sing along with.

Together - Night Falls Remix- - Monkey Majik (Japanese) - I love Monkey Majik. If you haven't listened to them, you really should.

Super Star - S.H.E. (Mandarin) - S.H.E. is a Taiwanese girl band that are kind of the female counterpart to Fahrenheit. They have great voices and I'm loving their music. This is one of my favorite songs by them.

Koinu - GReeeeN (Japanese) - GReeeeN is another really fun Japanese band, and this song makes me feel all sappy. It's about a puppy that someone finds and takes home, and the first time I actually listened to it, I may have cried. XP I actually translated the lyrics, so maybe I'll be ambitious and post them.

Rain - Angela Aki (Japanese) - This is one of my favorite songs by Angela Aki. She has this really lovely voice, and unlike most Japanese singers, her English is great too.

It's a Small World - Koda Kumi (Japanese) - This is off an album of Japanese artists doing covers of Disney songs, and while the entire album is made of win, this is the song that amused me the most. I never thought I would hear "It's a Small World" with a rap section... Yes, it's another 'Oh, Japan...' moment. Don't you love them?

Okaeri - Ayaka (Japanese) - Ayaka was just making her debut while I was studying in Japan, so she's always going to have a special place in my heart. Plus, I love her voice, and this is a nice pretty song that I like a lot.

i need love - Nakanomori Band (Japanese) - Nakanomori has great upbeat and fun songs, and I think this is my favorite of theirs.

Superb - Fahrenheit (Mandarin) - Favorite Fahrenheit song! It's actually pretty different from a lot of their other songs, but I love it. The rap sections make me really happy, in particular.

Xin Wo (New Home) - Fahrenheit and S.H.E. (Mandarin) - I love the combination of Fahrenheit and S.H.E. They're so bouncy and fun, and this is currently my favorite collaboration between them.

Fan - Epik High (Korean) - The music video for this song (and the lyrics to this song, actually) is amazing. I don't usually like music that's so focused on rap, but Epik High is the exception to that rule.

Scandal - Kangta & Vanness (Korean version) - Kangta & Vanness aren't just pretty, they're also talented together. I really like the combination of Vanness's English rapping and Kangta's pretty voice. Plus, I think it's cool that they have songs in Mandarin, Korean, and English. :)

Musekinin Hero - Kanjani8 (Japanese) - My favorite Kanjani8 song. Upbeat and silly and exactly what I want from Kanjani8.

A New Perspective - Panic at the Disco (English) - I was sad to hear that Panic had split up, but I still love this song a whole bunch.

Nobody (Rainstone Remix) - Wondergirls (Korean) - I don't know why I like this remix so much, since I'm usually all for the more upbeat stuff, but somehow this slower version works for me. And since it's Wondergirls, how can you go wrong?

Tatta Hitotsu dake - Tegomass (Japanese) - I've only listened to Tegomass's new album once, but this is the song that immediately stood out to me.

And that's it! Hope someone enjoys!

- Finished my last essay for my graduate school applications today! Now I just need to send in my transcripts and it's out of my hands for a while. What a relief!

- Sickness is circulating my workplace. Last week, 3 of the 6 people on my end of the week got sick. I am not one of them. Wish me luck in keeping it that way.

- Finishing graduate school stuff means I get to do my incentives. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and clothes shopping, here I come! (Well, when I find the energy to do this...)

- I want to buy books, but I don't really need to. Should I resist this impulse? I think not. I see a trip to the used bookstore in my future.

- Still obsessing over music. Loving DBSK, damn them. Balloons is such an amazingly cute video, and I think I'm actually starting to get some names and faces. The problem is, I only have 3 of their videos downloaded so far, and they look drastically different in each one. X_X

- Super Junior is also awesome. Miracle is my favorite song/video of theirs so far. Unfortunately, I have yet to link a single name with a single face, though. There's just so many of them! And I thought Hey! Say! JUMP! was bad...

- Epik High is kind of made of win, even though they're not my usual kind of music. The video for Fan is pure genius. Seriously, watch it. If you are the same type of obsessive fangirl as me, it will speak to you in scary ways.

- Park Hyo Shin's voice is unbelievably gorgeous. Also, his face is very pretty, but that's beside the point.

- Kangta & Vanness create a scandal. I approve. ;)

- The My Girl PV is out! I love the video a ridiculous amount. Too cute! I was in a depressed mood anyway yesterday, so when I first watched it, the end made me tear up. I really want to hug Aiba-chan. Also, I read somewhere that the mom's picture was made through mixing all the guys' faces, which is way awesome. I don't quite understand the significance of the floor plan (??) that they're arguing over though. I got that they're writing the numbers based on their age and all, and I'm kind of guessing that they're their in-video names, since I think the second kanji is a pretty common boy's name one, but I just don't know what the writing is all about. Still, I love the way Nino comes over when Sho and Jun are arguing and writes himself down with that look of, "I have solved everything." XD

- I also just listened to the other songs on the single, and am I the only one who likes "Super Fresh" a ridiculous amount? I couldn't help smiling when it started playing. It's just one of those songs that instantly makes me happy.

- Am almost caught up on the Bleach anime! I have about 10 more episodes to watch, which is pretty exciting. I'm also working on chugging through the manga, though I don't know how long that will last. After this, I want to finish watching Avatar (only a few more episodes left) and then watch the first Fullmetal Alchemist (not the one that's currently airing). Marzie keeps trying to make me watch The Conqueror of Shambala, and I promised I would actually watch the series, so I guess I'd better. ;)

- On the recommendation of a coworker I watched the movie Ben X yesterday. It's a Belgian movie about a boy with Asperger's Syndrome (a high-functioning form of autism) and I found it completely gripping. I saw so much of the kids I work with in Ben, and I was horrified by the bullying that he faced. And despite some criticism I saw, I liked the ending a lot. I'll take emotionally satisfying over heart-breakingly realistic any day of the week. I get quite enough realism in real life, thank you very much. Anyway, if you subscribe to Netflix, it's one that you can watch instantly, and I really recommend it.

- Speaking of movies and music, any recommendations? I'll try pretty much anything, although I'll admit I'm more fond of upbeat pop music than is likely healthy. XD

Current Mood: cheerful

So, I took the general GRE today, and being as it's a computer-based exam, I was gifted with tentative scores at the end of testing. The result?

Verbal: 710
Quantitative: 750

Why, yes, I am kickass. XD

Current Mood: pleased

So, I think I've mentioned my stupid somewhere around here...The whole dropping of the external hard drive which held all of my unbacked-up files? If not, yeah, I really am that stupid. Well, the main thing I was upset about was the writing and translating that I lost, but the music was also a big loss, with around 4500 songs that I've accumulated over the years. But! I got my next external hard drive, which stays on the floor, where it cannot be dropped from the bed, and so I've started building up a new music library. And, being myself, I have to obsess over it. I've been using the mousepad of my laptop so much that the fingers on both my hands are sore and I've had to dig out my wireless mouse. XD I've also downloaded several hundred songs in the last couple days.

Highlights:
Wonder Girls! I've been hearing about them here and there from the Arashi and general JE scene, but I just started listening to them and am in love. I think my favorite song so far is Nobody (the Rainstone remix), but I like all of them a lot. ♥ I really need to watch some performances or something.
Fahrenheit! I started getting into them before the Great Hard Drive Stupidity when I started watching ToGetHer, which is an awesome Taiwanese drama about an agoraphobic fangirl who ends up getting tangled up with this obnoxious former superidol Mars. Mars is played by Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit, who I love more than words can express. In the same way that I was Jun-baited into Arashi fandom, I have been Jiro-baited into Fahrenheit. And in the way of such things, I am slowly being inculcated in love for the other members. (Yeah, I know how this works. Damn it.) Right now, Wu Chun is my ridiculous crush for his awesome performance in the Taiwanese version of Hanakimi. (Also, Jiro is amazing in Hanakimi as my favorite character, Nakatsu. Too much love.) I'm sure that Aaron and Calvin will also eventually have their time. :D
Some videos:
Superb - My favorite song from them, and also a really cool scifi-ish video.
Only Have Feelings for You featuring Hebe from S.H.E. - This video is too cute. I love all the guy's different ways of winning the girl's affections. XD
Zui Jia Tiang Zhong - Because I love a group that loves its fans. XD (If you're curious about who's who, first is Wu Chun, then Jiro, then Calvin, and then Aaron.)
Suan Tian featuring S.H.E. - I love this song a lot, and the mv amuses me too much. Cows!
And in case you couldn't tell, I kind of am falling in love with S.H.E. too. I love that upbeat pop. XD
Other things I've been grabbing: YUI, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, melody., WaT, GreeeeN, News, KAT-TUN, Kanjani8, and ayaka, just to name a few.

My only problem is that listening to music from other countries makes me want to learn the language. I can't tell you how desperately I want to study Mandarin at the moment. I feel so dumb sitting there repeating the character's names as I watch dramas, but it's the only way I can figure out how to pronounce them. Stupid pinyin and its random changing of the pronunciations of letters. Rawr! XD

Current Mood: happy

- That I wasn't exhausted from another understaffed Saturday at work

- That we will have enough staff at work in the coming week (I'm hoping for at least 6 for a majority of days)

- That I hadn't decided to get curious and step onto that scale (Seriously, fuck this borderline underweight stuff. Anyone have any comments on how accurate the BMI thingie is on estimating that kind of thing?)

- That Star Trek Reboot would come out on DVD so I can obsess properly

- That I could have more than 3 days off

- That someone would apply for grad school and take the GREs for me ;)

- That this entry wasn't making me sound like such an emo dipstick when I'm actually in a pretty good mood

- That Marzie will allow me to force her to watch Hana Yori Dango tomorrow (In the spirit of optimism, I think I need to go download the first couple episodes. Also, is it weird to wish in the future tense? I'm too tired to tell.)

- That I could tear myself away from (re)-reading Anne of Green Gables long enough to think of something more interesting to say XD

Current Mood: amused

1) Eating starburst XD I'm hungry, and the only thing in my room that I feel like eating is the big bag of candy that bought on sale after Halloween last year. Starburst and skittles have to be two of the best types of candy ever. :D

2) Reading books:
Bear Daughter by Judith Berman - About 3/4ths of the way through this, and I definitely recommend it. It's based around the mythology of west coast Native Americans, and it's really interesting. Basically, Cloud has spent her entire life as a bear, only to wake up one day to find that she's lost her bear mask and is now a human girl. I really like the way it's different from all those medieval/Greek/Roman fantasy novels. I think I'll be sad when it's over.
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende - Engrossing, even though I don't find myself latching on to a single character the way I usually do. It's my first venture into magical realism, and I'll definitely be checking out more in the future.
Curse of the Spellmans - Just as silly and amusing as the first book. Much love.

3) Reading fanfiction:
Home by Lanaea - Kirk/Spork of awesomeness. Being one of those uneducated people who hasn't watched the original series, Reboot made me far more interested in Kirk/McCoy and Chekov/Sulu than Kirk/Spock, but I accidentally read a spin-off from Home that featured Chekov and Sulu, and then found that I had to read Home as well. And it's amazing. Gorgeous and slow-building and exactly what I would want from Reboot Kirk/Spock. (BTW, if anyone knows of equally awesome Kirk/Spock fics, or any other pairing for that matter, feel free to rec them. My to-read list can always stand to grow.)

4) Watching:
Bleach! I've officially gotten further in the anime than I've read in the manga. Unfortunately, I've also hit what appears to be the most recent filler arc. 20-some episodes long, and I am way not thrilled. And yet my OCD will not let me skip it. Fillers suck.
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Marzie and I watched some yesterday. Much love for the gang. ♥
Random movies like Shaun of the Dead (Amusing, but not as good as Hot Fuzz.) and Big Eden (Completely unrealistic and just as completely enchanting. I loved Pike like you wouldn't believe.).

4) Working - Stressful week at work. In fact, it's been a stressful couple weeks. I am intently maintaining the philosophy that it has to get better at some point. :)

5) Playing...video games! I've been obsessing over Pokemon Platinum. I've got three badges so far, and am in an obsessive training mode at the moment. My OCD compels me to get all my pokemon to level 25. I am incapable of just choosing a party and training that party. No, all of my pokemon need to be at a certain level or I will freak out. It's horrible and awesome at the same time.

Also, I've been playing Rock Band a little. Marzie's boyfriend just recently got it, and I was (kind of) forced to try it. I was a little reluctant because I'd never even played Guitar Hero before, and I hate people seeing me be incompetent at things, but it ended up being a lot of fun. Plus, the second time I played, I was able to move the skill level up to medium and thus feel a little less pathetic. I'm still not entirely sure how things like star power and whatnot actually work, but I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually. And in the meantime, it's kind of addictive.

What's everyone else been up to?

It has been an abominably long time since I've updated this. I keep thinking I should. Then I think of all of the million things that I could potentially put in an update, and I get overwhelmed, and I don't update at all. To combat this epic fail, a very blah list of what I'm currently up to!

- Reading! Goodreads has caused reading to eat my brain. I was doing fine right up until the point that I foolishly decided to join a group called The Next Best Book Club, which is a place where those of us who are obsessed with books can gather. It also has a wonderfully horrible invention in the seasonal reading challenges. These challenges have a bunch of different tasks, grouped by points, and will tell you to do beguiling things such as read a compilation of short stories by different authors and then read a standalone novel by one of the authors from the compilation. (A task I'm currently working on.) Of course, I immediately had to jump into the Official Summer Challenge 2009.

In the name of this challenge, I am reading obsessively. Today, it's Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem, which I am currently loving to little pieces. It's the main character. He's latched onto my soul and will not let go. I also got A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce, a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, and A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon, a book off one of the community mod's shelf, from the library today. Not to mention that it has me consistently working on reading War and Peace for the 900 page novel or longer task, that I'm almost done with Red Seas Under Red Skies for the summer reads task, that Empress will be read for a choose-a-book-by-its-cover task, that I will be attempting a book by Louis L'Amour since his birthday happens to fall on the same day as mine, and that I'm generally losing my mind over the entire thing. It's all in the name of fun. XD

- Asian dramas. Just finished watching Atashinchi no Danshi yesterday, which was a lot of fun, and has given me a raging crush on Kaname Jun to go with the adoration that Ryuusei no Kizuna had already inspired. Damn you, Kaname Jun, for being so ridiculously hot.

Others in progress: Smile, The Quiz Show II, Garo, Sailor Moon, Powerful Opponents, Mars, Dare Yori Mo Mama wo Aisu.

- Arashi. I did pre-order the limited edition of All the Best! and am eagerly looking forward to that. And I've been loving the geinin collaborations on Utaban. To death. As in, me laughing myself to death. Muahaha.

- Writing. Kind of. In that, I'm supposed to be writing, but am actually feeling pretty damn blocked at the moment. It doesn't help that I keep willfully forgetting that I'm supposed to be writing. I'll get to the end of the day and suddenly realize that I haven't written a word, then decide that I'm too tired to write anything today, and go to bed. Not a good cycle.

But really, I'm mostly about the reading here. Even as I'm sitting here typing, I keep feeling the compulsion to pick my book back up and read some more, even though that's almost all I've been doing for the past several hours. At least I shouldn't have any trouble reaching my 50 book goal this year!

Current Mood: dorky

So, I told myself that I was going to write 2,000 words of fic today, to make up for my epic fail in this area. Then Final Fantasy XII latched onto my brain and wouldn't let go. Needless to say, I did not write 2,000 words. However, in an attempt to alleviate my own guilt over this, I sat down and edited something. So fic (even though I'm sure none of you are into this fandom)! XD

Title: A Quiet Unfolding
Fandom: Mars TWDrama (Zhan Shen)
Author: tani
Rating: PG
Pairing: Da Ye/Ling/Qi Luo
Notes: This takes place somewhere around episode 4, and takes off with the idea that Qi Luo tried seriously dating Da Ye. Written in an attempt to vent my Da Ye love. :D Comments and constructive criticism welcome.

( Han Qi Luo had never been an impulsive person. )

Current Mood: accomplished

Sick, sick, sick again. I've now hit three distinct illnesses in the past three weeks. I cannot tell you how tired I am of being sick. Spring usually kicks my ass and all, but this is getting ridiculous. Good news is that I just have to get through one more week, and then I have vacation. I'm excited, even though I don't really have any plans for doing anything. Just relaxing and not going to work. And in the meantime, I am soothing myself with Firefly fic. Finding good Jayne/River fic is always a cause for celebration. :D

Other causes for celebration:

- Finally got my kanji dictionary for the DS, and it's as cool as hoped for. Instead of screwing around with radicals, I can just write the kanji and it brings it up for me. Major yay!

- Also got the two GRE prep books that I ordered. One is for the general GRE, and one for the psychology GRE. Yay for steps toward the future, even if that future feels a little distant at the present moment.

- Meme! (from chez_maltesers) I asked for a character, and she gave me Kirihara Akaya. ^^


1. Do you like this person?

Yup. Perhaps my psychology major makes me overly fond of characters with psychological problems? Still, I love the way that he can be so cheerfully obnoxious one time and then turn around and OWN YOU in the nastiest of ways. Also, I like the way that he ends up fighting past that. Go go Kirihara!

2. How do you call this person?

I usually just go with Kirihara.

3. Which color do you associate with this person?

Red and green because those are eye colors. I have a thing for eyes.

4. What do you like best about his/her look?

The curly hair and green eyes are definitely pluses. Also, I like the way that his emotions tend to show on his face.

5. Looking at his/her character, what blood type do you think he/she has?

I know very little about blood types, but I might venture a guess at AB, just because his dislike for losing seems very A, but his carefree attitude makes me think B, and AB seems a reasonable compromise. Or something.

6. What do you want to tell that person?

Keep trying! I'm sure you'll beat the Troika someday. XD

7. What do you want to do with this person: hug, kiss or shake?

By process of elimination, probably hug. I'm sure he could use a hug. ^_^

8. Pick five of your friends and pick one person for them.

Since I'd rather not be pushy, I'll steal chez_maltesers's idea and just say comment if you want a character. :D

I was going to do the meme from chez_maltesers first, but then I figured out how to capture images on my media player, and um, got a little carried away. So, picspam!

( Smile Episode 2 spoilers lay herein - Beware excessive squeeage from the insane Matsujun fangirl )

Current Mood: bouncy

Items of concern (in no particular order):

( My weight )

( My living situation )

( My age )

( My technology )

( My plans )

( My writing )

Speaking of writing, I finally posted something! I didn't get much response to it, considering it was a small fandom to start out with and I'm completely behind the times in my current obsession with, but I kind of expected that. Anyway, if anyone is interested in Yamada Tarou Monogatari, here it is.

Fandom: Yamada Tarou Monogatari
Title: Sunbeams
Author: tani
Rating: G
Pairing: Takuya/Tarou
Word count: ~650
Disclaimer: Yamada Tarou Monogatari is way not mine.
Note: I am forcing myself to post this even though I hate the ending because I've been sitting on it for way too long. So, constructive criticism welcome! Especially anything that will improve the Crappy Ending of Doom.
Summary: Takuya doesn't like getting his hands dirty, but somehow he just can't say, 'no' to Tarou.

Sunbeams

Current Mood: rushed

From yah_senbest:

Once you've been tagged, you are required to write a note with 10 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 10 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

( 10 random things )

Book questions from lyras:

1) Which book has been on your shelves the longest?

Probably A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'engle. She was my favorite author growing up. I tihnk that A Ring of Endless Light and Many Waters were my favorites by her, but I loved pretty much everything she wrote, and A Wrinkle in Time was where it all started. It's still kind of one of my goals to read everything that she wrote.

( The rest of the questions )

Current Mood: okay

So it's back to work tomorrow, but figured I would update before then. Except I don't really know what to say. So I guess I'll just have to babble.

I've been fangirling Arashi for the past couple of hours, so might as well start there.

1) The preview of the believe pv is making me want the full-length version like BURNING. Even though I kind of hate Matsujun's current hairstyle and I'm mad at Nino for cutting his hair (even though I haven't even really seen it in action...I liked his girly hair, damn it!!). Still, the song makes me want to get up and dance, which is kind of saying a lot since I thought I had danced myself out earlier when I did DDR for about 45 minutes. *fails at being non-geeky*

2) Watched episode 4 of Uta no Onii-san. Hehe, Kenta is such an ass sometimes, but he makes the best facial expressions ever. Still hate Akane though. Actually, I think I hate her more than I did before. Argh.

3) I ♥ Arashi. ^^

I also ♥ Skip Beat, for the record. Funfunfun anime. I love Kyoko to little bitty pieces. I am highly amused by Ren. And I love to hate Shou. Clearly, this is a recipe for WIN.

I made myself pad thai for dinner tonight, which also very high on my exciting scale. I love pad thai. And there's plenty left over, so I guess I know what I'll be having for lunch either tomorrow or the day after.

Other things I did today:

1) Worked on translating - Trying to keep myself on a reasonable schedule, but not sure I'm actually succeeding. :-/

2) Worked on writing - I haven't been feeling really inspired lately, but I'm pushing through. I've been writing this insane crossover between Sailor Moon and Anne Bishop's Black Jewels Trilogy that may or may not ever see the light of day. Well, I'd have to finish it first, anyway. I'm currently at almost 15,000 words and I've only introduced...less than half of my characters. This is the problem with pairing up the senshi and the generals. You end up with 12 characters you need to deal with. Still, it's a fun story. Should be good practice for writing longer things.

Speaking of writing, I need to get it moving and actually start posting things. XD I have at least 6 things finished that I can think of, three of which have been sitting for a very long time. Sometimes (a lot of times) I really wish I didn't hate editing so much. The problem is, when I'm editing I spend all my time wondering if I'm actually improving the story at all or not. Then I get frustrated and just give up. And then things never get posted. I'm going to be trying to remedy that situation in the near future, but who knows if I'll succeed.

3) Did my taxes! For the second time. Right when I'd finished the first time, I got some more information, so I had to re-do them. It's particularly obnoxious because the new info only changed one thing so it felt really pointless to re-do them. But they're done now, so I should be getting about $400 back. ^^ Haha, I'm one of those sad people who made so little that the government isn't even going to bother taxing me. They're just giving it all back. It will probably be put toward the clothes shopping that I'm going to do in March. ...If I have it by then. XD

4) Bought myself an external harddrive. I just happened to be looking through the Office Max catalog at work the other day, and realized they were going to be selling some really nifty external harddrives with 1 TB of space for only $100. What can I say? I bought it. I figured it would be a good investment.

5) Went to the library. I just recently finished reading Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, both of which I really enjoyed. Today, I got out We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver, Merlin's Booke by Jane Yolen, and Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier. Haven't really gotten too far in any of them, so I have no clue if I'll like them, but at least they'll keep me busy for a while.

So, how are things going for everyone? Good, I hope! ^^

I know, it's been forever since I updated. So driveby update!!

Exciting things:
- I had today off and went grocery shopping. I now have a slightly wider variety of food than I did before.

- Also bought some essential non-food stuff, such as new underwear!!! (It's entirely possible that this shouldn't be exciting. But before today my underwear were all way too big for me, a combination of my parents initially buying them a size too big and then me losing weight due to my new job. ...No, that's not as good as it sounds. When you lose weight due to stress, it's kind of worrying, honestly. Or at least it is to me. But enough about that. This is my space for happy things!)

- I just finished watching some Arashi performances and am very happy. ^^

- Sakurai Sho was in New York City just a few days ago! Sadly, I was not there, but Sho was only 4 hours away from me!! (Yes, I'm trying to desperately to look on the bright side and not be overwhelmed with jealousy for those who did go.) Also, am entertaining wild daydreams about Arashi doing a concert in the US. Just...the look on Sho's face when they started singing. That's right, Sho. We love you. Tell Johnny to send you to the US. We'll come. XD

- Watched December 14th's episode of Shounen Club the other day, and was properly bowled over. God, the love. In particular, Nekketsu Junior League was too much fun. Basically, they played musical chairs, only they had to dance to the music that was playing while they went around. High points: Kitayama's face when he gets knocked out in the first round; Goseki actually picking up the chair, moving it over, and then sitting on it; Fujigaya sitting on Kawai-chan (and Kei-chan's outraged, "There's no chair here!"); Goseki begging Nozawa for the chair EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE ON THE SAME TEAM; Kitayama draping himself over the chair instead of sitting on it (and then Fujigaya sitting on his lap ^^); poor Shoon ending up sprawled in the middle of all the chairs; Goseki failing to even try to get a chair, just standing there with his thumb up right in the center (and Kitayama behind him, looking clueless!); Tsukada smacking down Nikaidoh and Senga in spectacular fashion (hehe, the disbelieving look on Nika's face...); and Miyacchi muscling in at the end. (Yes, I really loved this episode. Can you tell?)

- Uta no Onii-san. I'm lovin' it. I won't say it's spectacular, and I don't think anything can beat Maou for me, but I'm having a blast watching Ohno be Yano Kenta, the whiny, self-centered, wannabe badass. My only complaint is that I have a deathly fear that Kenta's going to get back together with his stupid ex-girlfriend, who I kind of despise. I'm sorry, but I don't care that he was unmotivated. That's no excuse for what you did to him. End of story. Other than that, much fun is being had.

- Started watching Lovely Complex last week. It's hilarious. I kind of really empathize with Risa on the whole tall girl thing. It's so awkward sometimes. And watching Risa and Ootani interact is way too much fun.

- Finished translating something in a timely manner for once. Yay!

- Cleaned my room this afternoon. Yay!

- Found toothpaste that doesn't taste disgusting to me! It's vanilla mint, and although it doesn't really taste like vanilla, it's not as strongly mint as other toothpastes, which makes me very happy. No more gagging while I brush my teeth for me!

Not so exciting things
- Despite being pretty productive today, have yet to write anything. To be on track for the week, I need to get out a bit more than 400 words tonight, which isn't a lot really, but I've been feeling pretty uninspired this week. :-/

- Speaking of writing, I have actually finished a ficlet for the first time in forever, but am apparently incapable of editing it. It's been finished for a couple weeks now. I just don't think that anything I do makes it any better. Argh. It's times like this that I really hate my writing.

- I have to go to work tomorrow. And not only that, we have a staff meeting before work. So I'll be there for 12 hours and 15 minutes tomorrow. Yeah, I'll probably get to leave early Saturday to make up for it, but that feels pretty far away right now.

- Actually, work in general is not exciting this week. I have extended orientation (thank God it's the last week!), and that screws up my schedule. Also, slightly apprehensive about the new kid. He seemed very cool at first, but then threw a huge temper tantrum Saturday morning that was not very thrilling, partly for its own sake and partly because it took 2 staff to deal with it. With one of our remaining staff doing the med pass, that left the other 2 of us to deal with 7 kids by ourselves. Two hours running around frantically trying to take care of 4 kids at once does not make me feel kindly disposed toward this child. (For the record, it was a bad day all around. After that kid's tantrum was over, another kid (who I was watching, of course) tried to get aggressive with me over folding his laundry, of all the stupid things. Then as soon as I ducked out of dealing with that, leaving it to someone with more experience and better rapport than me, another kid started throwing his own tantrum, that I did have to deal with. And then, while I was in the middle of that, another started going off. Even when things finally started settling down, I had to finish up making lunch. When I finally didn't have a kid, there was a huge list of cleaning to do, which most of the afternoon staff immediately ducked out on. And then I finally got out of work only to come within inches of getting into a car accident when someone pulled out right in front me. My only saving grace was the sideroad to my right, which I was able to pull into just enough to give myself time to stop. And of course, the person who pulled out in front of me just kept right on driving. Please feel my RAGE.)

- My laptop has a virus or something...I keep getting this multitude of random pop-ups. I haven't been able to shake it so far, but I shall keep trying.

- Somehow, my contact information got submitted to all these online colleges and now they're calling me nonstop. (Perhaps the work of aforementioned virus?) I've been ignoring them pretty steadily, but it's still annoying. I feel bad for wasting the recruiter's time, but I don't want to have to explain to 10 different recruiters that my information was submitted by mistake and I'm really not interested. I'm just not that good at saying no.

And finally, in the interests of procrastinating a little longer...( Urbandictionary meme )

Current Mood: hyper

An update! Please, don't faint. :D

So, here's the deal. Work...Work got really stressful for a few weeks, and my reaction was to bury my head in the sand. I'm still not sure how stressed out I am. I know that it's waaay less than it was, but it's still more than I would like. Clearly, this is not precisely the job of my dreams. (I'd also like to mention that I feel like I'm getting the short end of stick. The assistant manager of the house...I don't want to say that she dislikes me, but I think that she doesn't treat me/anyone fairly. I seem to get nailed with the hard kids a lot, and it just wears on you after a while.) Plain and simple, my hope is that I will be getting a new job. The apartment I'm living in now is going to be no longer mine in the beginning of May, and I'm hoping quite desperately that I'll be able to get a different job by that point. In any case, things were easier last week than they had been previous weeks, which hopefully means that I'm getting truly adjusted and will be able to hang in there for a while longer. It helps that I've just hit my 3 months and am now able to take days off and still get paid for them. Also, I will have health insurance at the beginning of next month, which is a huge plus. ^^

Anyway, life has also been progressing outside of work. Christmas was nice. I spent the morning (before I had to go to work) with my family. Spent some time with my parents, saw the puppy (who's beginning to look more and more like a dog and less and less like a puppy), went to visit my sister and her family. Most of my presents were apartment-centered: things like pots and pans and dishes and whatnot, but also some books and movies. I've already finished reading Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs, which I enjoyed a whole bunch. I've also been rewatching the first season of Bones, and being reminded why I like that show so much.

New Year's is barely worth mentioning, since I was also working on that day and the most notable thing was that it was insane, with only five staff for eight kids, and four out of those five were as new or newer than me. But nothing overly disastrous happened, so yay!

Other news...Since the Yuletide reveals happened a few days ago, I guess I can link to my story. It's Ella's True Love, a Howl's Moving Castle story in which I simultaneously make Howl and Sophie act completely silly and mercilessly tease Mary Sue Ella. It was fun to write, although I kind of wish I had done it earlier so I could have done a better editing job. I finished it the day before it was due, which was a lot closer than I would have liked to cut it.Still, hopefully it isn't too horrible. :)

And for you Arashi people out there, I finally finished subbing Mago Mago Arashi 26. I'll probably be posting it tomorrow over at onlyarashifiles since I'm too lazy to take the time to upload it tonight. *is lazy* Not sure what I'm going to sub next, although I think I might hit a VS Arashi episode. Maybe whichever is the earliest that hasn't been subbed? Sure, it's in the middle of the losing streak, but as far as I'm concerned, VS Arashi is always fun, even when the boys suck. ^^

Speaking of Arashi, looking forward to Uta no Oniisan in a bemused way. Ohno's costume really has me going O_o. I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm sure that I'll enjoy it. :D On the other hand, I'm dying for Yatterman. It looks like way too much fun. XD And I hear there will be a new single(s?)! Clearly, the world loves me.

Parting thought: My favorite Arashi song of the moment is LIFE. Somehow, it just makes me smile. Which is why you should read the lyrics and smile with me as you search for the shape of your happiness. ^-^

/overly sentimental sappiness

Current Mood: content

Things I want right now:

- My throat to stop hurting

- To not have this stupid cold any longer

- For things to be easier at work this coming week than they were last week

- For all my loans to be paid off by some mysteriously rich benefactor

- Time to do everything I want to do

- Episode 9 of Ryuusei no Kizuna to come out RIGHT NOW

- To not be so slow at subbing and translating

- For someone to make me good food because I don't have the energy to attempt to do it myself

- For the washing machine in the basement to work so I can do my insane pile of laundry

And since I'm obviously being completely unrealistic at the moment, my final wish:

- For Arashi to swing by the apartment and cheer me up

Current Mood: crappy

So pissed! I had an appointment to get my glasses adjusted this morning so that they can stop giving me a headache by being crooked, but I'm an idiot and didn't notice that the overhead light in my car was on for about two days. So now my car won't start, although it does have just enough energy to taunt me by turning over. That means that not only am I not getting glasses adjusted today, I probably am going to have to buy a battery charger to get it going again ($30 down the drain...), and I got up this morning for absolutely nothing.

( Unless you count obsessing over Kis My Ft2 as something... )

Anyway, since I promised a proper entry a week ago and completely failed to deliver, I guess I should make this one really good. Or at least really long. ;)

( Things I've learned at work )

( Other rl-ish stuff )

Current Mood: energetic

Planning to make a proper entry in the next couple of days, but in the meantime...

Found through imagenes_retro

THE JE MEME! :D (By theproudpenguin)
The favorites (only one answer for each question)::
Who's your favorite idol in the Johnny's Entertainment?	Matsumoto Jun
Your favorite group?	Arashi
Your favorite dorama with JE idols in it?	Maou totally knocked my socks off. (Although, I really did love Gokusen...)
Your favorite pairing (or trio)? (i.e. akame, tegomass, ryopi, etc)	I try to avoid the pairing thing, but I do kind of adore Juntoshi. ^^; Oh, and I love Shige and Kei-chan together. Too cute!
Your favorite show in which a JE band is the host?	Arashi no Shukudai-kun never fails to make me laugh at least once.
Your favorite song? (tough one, I know)	Kaze no Mukou e
Your favorite DVD? (i.e. Kat-Tun's Real Face Tour, NEWS' Never Ending Wonderful Story, Kanjani8's Spirits, etc.)	I haven't watched too many yet, but I really loved Pacific.
Other (only one answer;you can explain your answer) ::
The JE idol you want to meet the most?	Matsujun. He is my favorite, after all.
Who's the sexiest?	Sho is totally my type.
Who's the cutest?	Massu! When he does Nantoka Naru Sa in Pacific, it absolutely kills me with the cute.
The one you know you will have a good conversation with? (or the one you seem to have the most in common)	I think that Shige and I would either bond like crazy or drive each other nuts by being too similar (in some respects, at least).
The one that is making you laugh the most?	Aiba-chan. He's just too much.
The one you want to see crying?	I kind of really like watching Nino cry in dramas, just because I know Nino's in there rolling his eyes, thinking that he would never cry in front of people like this.
The one you won't go "akjosngodg.sgtj^c" if you ever see him on the street?	Koki, maybe? Actually, I still probably would because how often do I see anyone famous on the street? But it'd be more subdued that if it was someone else.
The one you will do anything just to shake his hand or take a picture with?	Matsujun
The group you have the more pictures on your computer?	Arashi, of course.
Your best memory of a Shounen Club episode? (i.e. Shige stripping, NewS abake, Romantic skit w/ Kat-Tun and Kanjani8, etc.)	Shige's stripping was classic. :D
You really want to be __s' sister.	Nino's! We'd tease each other horribly, but he'd always be the first one to beat up anyone else who tried to make fun of me.
The group that have the best member ai?	Arashi
The band who's closer to their fans?	Arashi (Am I really expected to answer anything else for these questions?)
Which JE idol have the greatest clothing taste?	I may not always agree with Matsujun's taste, but I love how he can almost always make anything look good.
The boy you want to see in an An An photoshoot? (or any sexy photoshoot)	Matsujun would be great, but I'd be even happier if it was all of Arashi at once. ;)
Your reactions?
If you were in a restaurant, and Shige and Koyama show up, your first reaction is __	Where's my camera? I need to stalk them now and I need photo evidence!
Your first travel to Japan and you're all excited! As you look at the other side of the street, you see Yamapi and Jin looking cool and anonymous. Your first reaction is__	I would probably spazz and then convince myself that it wasn't really them because I'm totally not that lucky.
You've read on Internet that your favorite group may come to your country for a photoshoot soon. You__	Sigh wistfully and wish I could stalk them.
There is it! The pairing you've been shipping for like forever has finally come out, and it's all over the Internet! Your first reaction is ___	Cheer. Spazz. You know how it is.
You're still in Japan and you're walking on the street, just having fun by yourself. Then you bump into someone and fall on the ground. As you look up, you see that it's the one and only Kamenashi. Your first reaction__	Blush like a crazy person and stammer out my abjectest apologies.
Your trip is over, and you have to come back to your country. As you're heading to your seat on the plane, you see Kamenashi and Yamapi sitting right next to your seat. Your first reaction_	I would probably be struck dumb and be completely unable to actually sit down because I would be way too nervous.
TOP 5! (1 being your favorite, 5 your least favorite)
Top 5 Groups!
1:	Arashi
2:	NEWS
3:	KAT-TUN
4:	Hey! Say! JUMP
5:	Kanjani8
Top 5 Idols!
1:	Matsumoto Jun
2:	Sakurai Sho
3:	Ohno Satoshi
4:	Ninomiya Kazunari
5:	Aiba Masaki
Top 5 Songs!	Kaze no Mukou e
1:	We Can Make it!
2:	Fight Song
4:	Kitto Daijoubu
5:	My Answer
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

Man, it was painful doing that list of favorite idols. I really hate admitting that Aiba is my least favorite Arashi member because that completely does not show how much I love him. Of course I love Aiba-chan!! How could I not? But...the others just end up a little higher. Also, this is kind of subject to a bit of change. For example, for a while Ohno was my #2, but Sho-kun just crept up in my favor. And I thought about putting Nino in the #3 spot because I've been obsessing over him a bit lately, but he couldn't quite win out over Oh-chan. But argh! I still feel guilty putting that into print. I love them all!! Also, I would dearly love to express my absolute adoration of Shige and Kei-chan. Seriously, I adore them. But Arashi wins.

OK, I'll stop now. Before I get recognized as the obsessive freak that I am. ;)

Current Mood: hyper

Current Music: Love Situation - Arashi