Thursday, July 7, 2005

And now for my reappearing act...
Yeah, I seem to be having a tough time updating regularly like I used to, and I'm sorry. However, I am not going to say that I will try harder, because chances are I won't.

I seem to be sort of lost as far as motivation. I have a lot of things I want to do, like draw, or do graphics on the computer. But I just can't seem to.

Each day seems to end in a blur. No, I did not have too much to drink... honest! It's hard to explain, but I seem to be unable to focus on anything. I don't mean visually focus, but mentally.

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Anyway, I have been somewhat following the story of the kids who were kidnapped in my town.

The little girl, Shasta Groene has given them some information about the night they were taken from their home. But they have not said if the same guy, Joseph Duncan III, killed the mother, 13 year old brother, or mother's boyfriend.

They have also recovered some human remains in western Montana that they are having DNA tests done to find out if they are of her still missing brother, Dylan Groene.

The father, Steve Groene, held a press conference today thanking everyone who has helped. But he also mentioned something that I too feel very strongly about.

Duncan, the kidnapper, is a level 3 sex offender, which means he is a repeat offender. He went to prison for 14 years for raping a 14 year old boy at gunpoint... only 14 years! Then they let him out. He proceeded to go to a school yard and lured two boys to his car where he had a video camera and fondled a 7 year old boy. He had been arrested after that and facing those charges, when he posted bail. It was set at $15,000. Now in order for someone to get out on bail, all they have to do is pay 10%. So, he paid the $1500 and walked away. He was supposed to be checked on once a week. Well, in May he was nowhere to be found. And he never returned a vehicle he had rented from a car rental company. Where did he end up? Here in our community, taking two children, then committing sexual acts upon them for the next 6 weeks. With the result ending in one dead.
Now, it's great that they did get Shasta alive. But I can't even imagine what life will be like for this poor little girl. The things she had seen and endured.

There is absolutely no reason why this man should have been able to roam free! In the first place, he should not have been let out of prison. But in the second place, he should not have been allowed to post bail. He sits now in the jail here, without bail. This could have been prevented.

The father is urging everyone to contact their elected officials to get them to make changes in the system. People like this need to be put away, and not let out under any circumstances.

So, I just say to everyone, if you feel as strongly as I do about this, say something to someone.

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Well, that's all the news I have for now. I hope everyone is doing well.

Take care!


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Sunday, July 3, 2005

Hey, something actually interesting to say...

Saturday, July 2, 2005

Yes!... I'm still alive!
I have been away too long! And I missed everyone here. I must get to everyone's sites and see how you are all doing.

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I'm doing pretty good myself. I haven't done much exciting lately. Just the usual "mom stuff". However, I have been playing with cascading style sheets and managed to make a few changes to my site. What do ya think?

I was tempted to use a new theme, but I'm kind of attached to the background I have. I'm sure eventually I'll get bored with it, but not anytime soon.

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My 14 year old daughter, Tawny has found herself a boyfriend, his name is Jackson, he's 16. He seems like a nice guy.
She just got back from five days at camp. She says it was a lot of fun.

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My 6 year old son, Tyler finally got his Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories game. He had been saving his money to buy it. Against all temptation of buying candy, he held out for that game.

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I wish there was more to tell, but it's been pretty uneventful for me. I'm sure after I post this I'll think of something that I forgot to mention.

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Take care!
Catcha later...
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Thursday, June 23, 2005

   This deserves an extremely insane happy dance, or maybe just good ol' moshing!
I just heard on the radio that the band Shadows Fall is coming to my area in August with opening band, In Flames. I love these bands! I'm going! I'm definitely going!

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So, this is the extent to my excitement today. Not much else going on.

I missed X last Friday on Animidnight on Encore Action, so I wanted to catch it last night. Well, I changed it over there a half hour late, and then I fell asleep while watching it. Luckily, I think they will be showing it again at a later time.
For some reason I have been really tired lately. I seem to go through this whenever the seasons change.

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Well, I can't think of anything else interesting to talk about. Hey, if you missed my late post yesterday, I put up a couple of pics of my kids and me.

Take care!
Catcha later...
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Wednesday, June 22, 2005

   One year later...
Well, today marks my one year here on Otaku. I had hoped to do something special, but it's not so.
I had wrote out this cute little tale of what brought me here, and how I got into anime, but I don't think I'll add it. The idea of heads hitting keyboards due to falling asleep while reading a boring story comes to mind. ^_^

I haven't been posting much, and I apologize. Over the weekend, I spent time with my family. We rented a couple of excellent movies, National Treasure and Cellular. Then I had hoped to update on Monday, but something came up. Tuesday, well I had planned on updating last night, but we had a storm. It got up into the 90s yesterday for a change, then storm clouds moved in. It was pretty cool... uh, not the 90 degree temps.

Anyway, I will get to sites this evening after I take care of feeding my family.

I'll leave you with a couple of pics I took yesterday with my web cam. They are of me, my son Tyler, and daughter Amber.





Take care!
Catcha later...
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Tuesday, June 21, 2005

   Very quick post...
I was going to update this evening, but there is a storm moving in. So, I am going to be shutting down the computer.

I will be back tomorrow to update.

I hope everyone is doing well. I'll be around to visit everyone later.

Take care!
Catcha later...
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Saturday, June 18, 2005

   WARNING! Long post ahead...
Ok, this is going to be one long post. I decided to begin at 7 p.m. my time (Pacific). Otaku resets at 9 p.m. here. So, I have 2 hours to type out what I want. Well, and if you want to consider that I have to step away for a bit to make dinner.

So, if you don't have time to read all of it, perhaps come back later when you do. Otherwise, enjoy "Everything you wanted to know, but were afraid to ask." O_o

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Anyway, I decided to talk about me. (I hope that doesn't seem too self-centered.)

Ok, I think you all know that I'm a 33 year old mom of four. My kids are Tawny, 14; Casey, 9; Tyler, 6; Amber, 4. Yes, this means that I had my first at the age of 19. But I turned 20 later that year.
Although I'm 33 and a mom, I still remember what it's like to be young.
Well, I had a hellish life as a teen. So, I know what a lot of you are going through. I would also like to mention my background as far as gaming.
My first experience with video games was with my g-parents game Pong. I loved playing that game. Then my neighbor had an Atari. Boy, does that bring back memories. Then I had a couple of handheld games... yes, they had them back then. One of my favorites was Space Invaders.
I played quite a few arcade games, quarter after quarter. Boy, video gaming was a lot more expensive back then! But then I stumbled across a game called Black Tiger. This became my favorite game. Lucky for me, when I was 17, I landed a job working with my mom cleaning a bowling alley, which had a gameroom with the game Black Tiger. They had the keys to open the games and you could wrack up as many games as you like. For several months this became a habit. I would take the high score, then someone with the initials ACE would take it. The next night, I'd take it back.
Well, my gaming days came to a halt for a few years. Until Tawny was a toddler, then I took up playing Sega. I played California Games most often. I got hooked on the skateboarding. Man, my fingers got some serious blisters from that game!
Then a few years passed and my next experience was with the Nintendo Entertainment System. I got into The Legend of Zelda on that one.
After that led to my longest period of non-gaming. Let's see, to my best estimate, it was about 6 years since I had anything to do with video games. (This is what happens when you get wrapped up in the life of raising a family.)
Anyway, I got a used Nintendo 64 system. I acquired several games for that, including Zelda. But I never got into it. I found myself playing Super Mario. Which I've completed atleast a couple of times now.
My next step was a Playstation One. I have a few games for that, but my favorite is The Legend of Dragoon. I fell in love with this game. It's still my favorite yet. Although, I'm still lacking when it comes to current video gaming. After joining Otaku, I had a few people tell me about Final Fantasy, particularly FF8. So, this last Christmas, I got the FF8 game. I really like it too. Not as much as LOD, but among my faves.
I still have yet to get any of the newer game consoles, but I expect I will in the next year or so. I may just skip the second generation, and move onto the Playstation 3 when it comes out. I'd like to just have them all. And as many of the best games as possible.
This also reminds me... back in my arcade days I played a game called Tempest. Well, I found out that I can play it on games.com. So, I've been enjoying that recently.

Ok, now I will talk about my love for music. I've always liked music. And my taste has always been a little on the hard side. Although, I like all kinds of music. My first vinyl album was AC/DC: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Before that I had a lot of 8-track tapes (hopefully you've heard of those). I built up quite a collection of vinyl singles and albums, of which I still have quite a few.
Then I moved onto cassettes. I don't remember what my first one of those was. Probably because I think my first was a blank one that I recorded on. The idea of being able to record was so cool. This went on for sometime. Then along came compact discs. My first one was Guns 'N' Roses: Appetite for Destruction. I was just blown away by the quality of the sound.
My best friend and I were going to start a band called Destiny. Well, we could never get the equipment we needed, so it was a short-lived dream. Although, I did have a bass guitar at one time, it was one of those short neck bass guitars. Then I got a small drum set later on. My passion has always been the drums. I can play the air drums with the best of them! ^_^
Also, in this time I went to a few concerts that were pretty cool. I remember one that is rather memorable to me. The headlining band was Great White. Their guitarist was killed in a club fire last year. I loved that band. Anyway, the second opening band was Tesla. They didn't really make too big of a name for themselves, but a good band all the same. And the first opening band was a little known band at the time called Alice In Chains. I have to be honest, I hated them at that time. Most people into the big hair bands, just weren't ready for the grunge thing yet. This was in the late 80s. Also, I have to note that since I live in the Northwestern part of the US, we were exposed to a lot of the grunge bands early on. Anyway, I did become a fan of Alice In Chains later on. I love the music they did.
And now today, I listen to hard rock/metal. But believe me, I have listened to all kinds of music. And this is the music that I feel the most passionate about.

There is one more topic that I felt I would like to mention here. Before I became so passionate about anime, I was a huge Lord of the Rings fan. And of course, the Legolas thing... yep, Orlando Bloom. But it wasn't just that. I've always liked the JRR Tolkien stories. For some time when I was young, The Lord of the Rings animated movie was my favorite... that and The Dark Crystal, and The Secret of NIMH. I guess I just like fantasy type stuff.
Anyway, I bought the book The Silmarillion written by JRR Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien. The story was written by JRR Tolkien, but never published before he died. So, his son Christopher took it upon himself to edit it and get it published. This was actually the first of Tolkien's works, and he continued to work on it throughout his life.

I must not forget one other of my passions, and that is astronomy. Ok, when I was younger the kind of people who were interested in Astronomy, or anything to do with Science, were nerds. Well, as I got older I found out that this nerdy stuff is pretty cool. I was fascinated by the stars. So, I checked out books and learned, and learned, as much as I could. It's a really fascinating subject.

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Ok, now that I've told you all this info about me. I just realized there is one more subject that I've left out. Right now our city is holding it's annual car show. I live in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and they hold this annual event called Car d' Lane. Well, last year it was really hot out and we walked downtown looking at all of the cars. I educated Tawny a little on the difference between the '55, '56' and '57 Chevy Bel Airs. I know these cars well. But this year, it's been in the upper 60s for the high temp, and raining. But they will have it no matter what.
Then earlier today, one of my neighbors apparently knows someone participating in the show. There it was... a beautiful, black '68 Camaro. The guy undid the straps on the trailer it sat on, then he proceeded to start it up. This thing purred! God, I love the sound those old cars make. One of these days I plan to get a '66 Caprice that has a motor that will just blow away the competition.

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Ok, I'm gonna end this really long post. I hope everyone had a good day (Friday).

Hey, look at that...my timing was perfect, it's 8:50 my time. I finished with 10 minutes to spare.

Oh, and thanks for taking the time to read my biography. ^_^
Take care!
Catcha later...
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Friday, June 17, 2005

   Mr. Gideon, you're not paying attention!
I have absolutely nothing to post about. It was a rather uneventful day.

Let's see... it got warmer today. We have had a lot of cooler temps lately, and a lot of rain. But today it got up to around 80. Then some storm clouds rolled in this evening (Thursday), and we had a bit of lightning. Those are always fun to watch.

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Thanks for the suggestions for my one year here. There were some great suggestions. I may just have to try a few of them.

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Well, I'm gonna end it here. I just can't think of anything to post. Hopefully Friday will be better.
Have a good one, and take care!
Catcha later...
Comments (7) | Permalink

Thursday, June 16, 2005

   Don't stand until the rug has come to a complete stop
... hmmm...
I really don't have much to say. It was a rather boring day. I read a few of my friends' stories here on Otaku. Very good stories!

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A tragedy occurred today! There was cake frosting in the garbage! The senseless disposal of perfectly good frosting. I was in shock.
Ok, here's the thing. I love cake frosting, as much as the cake itself. But my family isn't much into it. So, I made it a point that from now on, if anyone isn't going to eat their frosting, give it to me. I thought they knew this.

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Well, I was going to venture into another arena (other than my DA account). I was going to join Elfwood to submit my poems. But you have to answer all of these questions pertaining to the rules. I briefly glanced over the rules prior to this, but not in depth. So, if I have to take a test to get in, well I guess I don't need to join.

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Thanks to everyone who commented about the Jin with glasses thing, I appreciate my friends sticking up for me. But it really wasn't anything bad directed toward me. In fact, the two comments that were made in reference to his glasses were nice comments, as far as my drawing. Just that they questioned the fact that the show has Jin wearing these glasses, and that glasses hadn't been invented yet. When in fact glasses were around at that time.
Anyway, I think this subject is old now. It's time to move on.

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I'm approaching my one year anniversary here on Otaku... Cool! Hmmm... I wonder what I should do for this special occasion? Any suggestions?

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Well, that's all I can think of for now. Take care!
Catcha later...
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Wednesday, June 15, 2005

   Did you see the size of that chicken?
I apologize for not getting to everyone's sites. I turned in early Monday night, and I was really busy on Tuesday. I won't be able to get to sites until tomorrow (Wednesday). But I promise, I will!

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Well, I finished my drawing. It's of Sanosuke on the Samurai X OVA. I was watching the last one, and I saw Sanosuke. If you've seen it, you know the part, he's riding along on his horse and comes to a halt. Well, I was in awe. So, I paused it right there and drew him. ^_^

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Okay, something has come to my attention that I felt the need to research a little. I have had two comments on my Jin drawing about the fact that he wears glasses. Well, not to upset anyone, but they did in fact have glasses at that time period. That type however, I'm not sure. If anyone can provide me with information on that type of glasses being worn during the late Edo period, I'd appreciate it. Although, I'm not too concerned about it. I don't know who else has noticed, but they added a bit of modernization to Samurai Champloo. So to say that Jin's glasses is historically incorrect, is a moot point.

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Well, I'm outta here. Take care!
Catcha later...
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