Friday, June 4, 2004

Minor Update
My cell phone is kinda' workin', but the cell-phone lady didn't say we'd need to activate voice mail, so I have to go back to the dealer. :(

And now, an absolutly hilarious site:

www.evilconseratives.com

And before anyone asks, yes, I'm a conservative.

Thought of the Moment: Apparently I started a presidential trend...

Quote of the moment: "I got robbed. It was great!" -Jamie, "EuroTrip"
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Wednesday, June 2, 2004

   Scotty Still Doesn't Know
I got EuroTrip, Uncensored. ^___^ Best teen comedy ever.

As some of you may already know, my OB wife, Bandit Joeykuba, is running against me for President of the United States. That makes two people to copy me; I consider it a compliment.

I'm afraid Bandit's got to go down. It's a shame, really.

When one reads political books, you can divide them into three catagories: those written by people you already agree with and only want further ammunition for your own position, those you don't agree with and are hostile to, and those written by people you agree with on some points but disagree with on others.

The later are the ones that actually make an impact, and that's what happened when I read The Death of Right and Wrong, by Tammy Bruce.

Basically, it's a decry of moral relativism, the idea that any action can be justified. Ms. Bruce herself opens the book with a disclaimer: she's a gay feminist who owns a gun, is pro-choice and voted for Regan. There's a political mix you don't find too often, eh? She was also the President of the LA chapter of NOW for six years, until she retired because she grew disenchanted with the politics that she believes have corrupted that organization.

It's a fascinating book, and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to read fascinating books.

Also, today I saw the new english Yu-Gi-Oh set, Ancient Sanctuary, and the new Japanese set, Soul of Duelist. (You notice how I mix personal, serious and leisure bits in at random? Makes it hard to skim...)

Fortunatly, my demon deck needs only two cards from the English set. Unfortunatly, they're an Ultra and Secret rare. First is The End of Anubis, and then Enemy Controller.

On the JP front, cards I'm awaiting are Ectoplasmer, used by Bakura and Arkana, and Killer Doll, used by Arkana. Check all four of them out:

ENEMY CONTROLLER
Instant Magic
Choose 1 of the following effects and activate it.
- Change the mode of 1 face-up Monster on your opponent's Field.
- Sacrifice 1 Monster on your Field. Choose 1 face-up Monster on
your opponent's Field. Gain control of the chosen Monster until
the End Phase of the activated turn.


END OF ANUBIS
Dark/Demon/6/2500/0
While this card is face-up on the Field, all Magic, Trap and
Monster Effects that target cards in Cemeteries or activate in
the Cemetery are negated.

TENACIOUS KILLER DOLL
Dark/Demon/4/1500/1700
If this card is put into the Cemetery due to the effect of a
Permanent Magic card, Special Summon it from the Cemetery during
your turn's Standby Phase.


ECTOPLASM
Permanent Magic
Each player can, once during his or her turn's End Phase,
sacrifice 1 face-up Monster on his or her Field, and do damage to
his or her opponent equal to half of that Monster's base attack
strength.

Yaynessness.

Oh, and before I forget, I got my first semester schedule from HCC yesterday. ^__^

(For clarification, HCC stands for Hillsborough Community College. I'm still living at home.)

I'm taking Psychology on Tuesdays and thursdays at eight AM until nine fifteen. Then, I take Hummanities from nine thirty until ten forty five.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I'm taking Computer Proficancy at eight until nine fifteen, and College Algebra from nine thirty to ten forty five. Nice, eh? I'm done by eleven, and have Fridays to myself. ^__^ Sweet.

I also got a new cell phone, but it's charging now.

Thought of the moment: The Sangan/Witch of the Black Forest fusion sucks.

Quote of the moment: "Hey! Get on the right side of the road!" -Soccar Hooligan, "EuroTrip"
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Monday, May 31, 2004

Your element is Water: Understanding, intelligent,
quiet and calm. You know who you are and no one
can change that. Usually quiet but only because
your listening, don't let anyone think you
haven't got an opinion! Your not quiet because
your shy or sad, your usually quiet because
your thinking. Your answers are well planned
and helpful so people generally seek your
advice. Your the perfect balance between
solitary and outgoing. But sometimes you need a
little time to yourself to sort out your
emotions and figure things out. You understand
the phrase 'sticks and stone' and rarely let
things get to you, whats that important for you
to have to get so upset over? You know what you
want out of life but are simply taking your
time and enjoying things. To you your life is
fine as it is, you can always change things
later if your not happy.


.:-|What is your true element?|-:. -With Anime Pictures and detailed answers-
brought to you by Quizilla


The truth, Steph, is that I didn't read the responses to the previous post until after I had already made the next one. So there. :P

"I'm not bright, big words confuse me, and I have the attention span of a rodent, but Wanda loves me anyway" Cosmo: Fairly Oddparents (Courtesy of Steph)
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^^;
So, last night, when I told you how boring everything was, I forgott hat I hadn't made a post since Thursday, so I actually did have stuff to chat about. ^_^;

Right now, I'm listenting to the accoustic version of "Iris", by the Goo Goo Dolls. tHis is one of those songs that makes me reflect (It doesn't make me cry; I've never really cried). And I wonder, would I ever feel that way about someone? I've never been in love; lust, yes, and occassionally infatution. but never love.

Or...If I've never been in love, and I don't know what being in love feels like, then maybe I have been in love, and just didn't know it. But if it was love, wouldn't I know it? This is about when I shut off the Goo Goo Dolls and put on some Ramones.

I went to the HCC college intro thingy. Man, I'll be running that place inside a week. Unlike the shallow, pointless clubs in high school, the organizations of the Honors program are based around actual, measurable academic objectives.

Model UN for example, (Or MUN), sounds fun. If I'm one of the ten selected to join, and I will be, I'll get to go to Boston for the conference. Sure, the UN's devolved into a corrupt, partisan and inefficient organization, but I'll get to go to Boston!

And, of course, there's the annual class trip; this time, to Peru. Finally, a chance to speak Spanish.

That was Thursday.

Fireday, I went to the library and checked out five dfferent political books, by various political-writing people. I'm a very politically-minded person; it's why I always get into arguments.

(Multiculturalism is a sham, by the way; pass it on.)

Then, Saturday, I went to the Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament, and once again got shot down in the second round. I got nuked by the Chaos Emporor Dragon, but that's not what killed me. Having my Dark Necrofear removed from the game killed me.

I've made a few adjustments to my deck, and am ready to try again. I need to get a Dimension Fusion, though; three different times, that card would have won me the game.

On the plus side, I walked away from trading with Dark Baltar the terrible, Confiscation, Thousand eyes Restrict, Magical Scientist, Mirage of Nightmares, and...well, that was all.

Oh, and, for those who haven't seen, I began my bid for the Presidency a few days ago. Check it out here: http://otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=39868

Also, any OB members may PM me if they wish to join my cabinet. Bandit, as my OB wife, you're automatically my First Lady. ^^;

Thought of the moment: Happy Memorial Day; remember the fallen.

Quote of the moment: "I know who I want to take me home." -Semisonic, "Closing Time"
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Sunday, May 30, 2004

I have nothing new to report
Really, I don't. It's been really, really boring. No job news, no romantic revelations, no nada. Such a disappintment, after my lasy post garnered such a reply.

I'm goin' to bed now...

Thought of the morning: I need a job call back. I need it now!!

Quote of the moment: "This one's for all the suckers who still believe in love; this one's for you!"- Reel Big Fish, "Suckers"
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Thursday, May 27, 2004

Reflections
I graduated tuesday night, in a ceremony that was exactly what I expected it to be. My principal called us the 'yeast that would make the bread of tomorrow'. Great analogy; yeast die in the process of bread-making, chocking to death on their own filth.

There was no audiable applause when I crossed the stage, and I take that as a mark of pride. If graduating a public high school is the proudest moment of my life, kill me now.

It's interesting, but crossing the stage gave no sense of closure in the least. What gave me a sense of closure was driving down Bryan road.

I used to live off of Bryan road, and I wish I could say my memories of it were most pleasant. Every day I'd walked to school, only to get harassed at school, and on the way home. I had no friends, and little attachment to the place.

My parents always said, years from now, I'd be better for it, and that I'd look back and not understand what I was so upset about.

They were right, damn them.

As I drove down that street, thinking about how far I've come since then, it was like I was speaking to that scared, timid little dork I'd been. "Hey, don't worry about it; look where you'll end up. I've got a car, my own computer, good friends, and I've actually been on a date. I'm going to college, getting a job, and enjoying life. It gets so much better than this.

"Except for talking to girls. That never gets easier."

Tonight I go to HCC to register for classes this fall. Yay, I guess. Toys R Us will start setting up job interviews next week, and AMC theaters is still hiring. Here's hoping, huh?

Thought of the moment: I shall begin my bid for the Presidency.

Quote of the moment: "If you want to talk about real pirates, let me show you just how terrifying a real pirate can be!" - Captain Kuro, "One Piece"
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Tuesday, May 25, 2004

   I smile with mediocrity!
Been a few days, so I might as well clue the living world in on my whereabouts. Saturday morning, I went to Toys R Us for the Yu-Gi-Oh Worldwide video game tournament. There’s a tale there, believe you me.

First, I get there, and the lady tells me that there’s an age limit. This confuses me, because when I asked the TRU guys earlier, they told me there would be none. Suddenly, two and two come together: this wasn’t a TRU employee, this was an Upperdeck rep. (The fact that she wasn’t wearing a red shirt was also a hint.)

So, fine, I was out. But, I still wanted to watch, to see how I would have faired. So, I wait…No one else shows, except a seven year old boy. Who didn’t bring a Game Boy. The UD Rep has a change of heart and asks if I’d be interesting in competing if this kid could find a GBA, but I said no; I wasn’t going to be the one to eliminate a kid a decade younger than me. That just wouldn’t’ have been right. Kid can have the prize.

The dude who runs the weekly YGO tournament pulls me and the kid aside. He asks me if I would let the kid register with my Game Boy, thus winning by default and claiming the prize. The prize would then stay in TRU for future tournaments, instead of walking away with the UD rep. Enjoying the irony of the situation, I agree.

Now, this is why I believe in karma: the manager of the store, who’d watched this whole display, came up and asked me about my knowledge of the game. This is the best part: he offered me a job. Really. When I told him that I had already sent in an application, he said that he’d remember me at the interview. ^__^ So, I might have a job, if they ever get around to calling their applicants.

Downside is, I’d have to find a new place to play and trade; wouldn’t be proper to be shaking down the customers, after all. Speaking of trades, I saw a kid dueling, and just gave him a pair of cards I thought would help him. This started a whole new wave of good karma, where I got tons of good trades, no doubt helped by the rumors of “that guy who just gave cards away”. I walked away with a Lava Golem and a Ring of Destruction (^_^) among others.

Enough of that, then. Sunday morning, I went with my family and saw Shrek 2; a review will follow in the reviews section. Immediately afterwards, I went to the mall and traded in some old games for Megaman NT Warriors # (Blue) and some Duel Masters cards; specifically, Kokujo’s Darkness deck, a pack of the base set, and a pack of the new set.

I need to get some sleeves, and find a place to play….

Sunday night was Ernesto’s graduation party, where I met many, many members of his family, and was told that I spoke Spanish better than he did. (I do.) I also got soundly whupped at Foss ball. I did pretty well for a beginer, though. ^__^

Then, there was the slide show. I saw a picture of my best friend so incredibly humiliating that I cant’ even properly describe it to you. I just realized I forgot to tell Stephanie about it; I will soon, though.

And Monday….Monday I waited for job call backs. Nadda. At least the new Shonen Jump arrived.

And today? Tonight is the graduation ceremony. Now I can finally put all this stuff behind me and move on with my life. Maybe I’ll see Julie there. ^__^

Hmmm….enough of that. One with reviews. And, as a reminder, these always contain spoilers.

Movies:

Shrek 2: Look, just see this movie, okay? It’s bloody hilarious, and possibly better than the first. Nothing I can say can possibly do justice to this film. It knocked Spider-Man off the charts as the biggest one-day grossing movie, and I don’t even mind. That’s how good it is.

Also, Puss in Boots is now one of my favorite animated characters. Ever.

Comics:

Shonen Jump-DBZ: I actually enjoyed DBZ this month; imagine that. Cell has it together much more here than in the anime, and Cell remains the coolest character DBZ ever produced.

Naruto: Mega ninja fighting action! While I refuse to believe that Master Guy could be stronger than Kakashi (Kakashi rulz!), this Rock Lee weirdo seems to have a lot going on. I’m with Naruto on this one, by the way: I like anyone who can take Sazuke down a peg.

Yu Yu Hakusho: It’s almost exactly the same as the anime episode this month, ‘cept Mug is slightly less annoying.

One Piece: Meh.

Hikaru No Go: Consistantly interesting, although Akira is starting to weird me out…I hope Tetsuo sticks around, even though he’s not on the Go club any more.

Hey, I just realized…Akira and Tetsuo…

Yu-Gi-Oh: All I’m going to say about the first two chapters is that Hirutani’s really slumming it nowadays. Last time, his thugs had tazers. Now…yo yos?

But what’s more important is the introduction of Bakura, who has a much better backstory here than in the anime. And that way the Millenium Ring spirit makes use of those spikes…ow…

Shaman King: Standard fight scene this month, although Yoh’s solution to his dilemma regarding Horohoro was in typical Yoh style. Nothing too extraordinary, though. Although I think it bears pointing out that Mosuke and Tokagero are drawn better in Yoh’s flashback than they were in their actual appearences… OO

TV Shows:

Smallville: Wow.

Let’s just keep track of everyone; Clark’s naked and in space, Lana’s in Paris, Pete moved away, Chloe went boom, Lex is dying, Johmnathen’s out for the count….damn, the cast was gutted. Here’s hoping they don’t cop out like they’ve done so often in the past.

Angel: Eh, nice little finale. Hope Spike lives; Spike pwns.

Yu-Gi-Oh: I love the Lava Golem, too; Yami Marik has cool monsters. Will Joey’s sister inspire him to win this time? Doubt it. By the way: Yami Marik’s played three different Shadow Game variations on Duel Monsters, beating out Yami Bakura’s two, although we get a total of six with Pegasus’ version.

There’s a mere ‘the monsters are real’ game used by Pegasus and later Bakura. There’s the ‘turn your friends into game characters’ version used by Bakura, as well as the ‘evil spirits will pull you into the shadows’ version he used against Bonz. Yami marik’s used three ersion, though: ‘loose monsters and loose your mind’ used against Mai, ‘loose Life Points and lose your self’ against Bakura, and ‘feel the pain’ used against Joey.

Why did I write the above paragraph? Dunno’.

Duel Masters: Mimi has quickly becoime my favorite character, at least until Kokujo comes back. ^__^ This has to be the one series where I don’t mind endless dub changes and stupid jokes, actually.

Are Transformers: Energon and Jackie Chan ever coming back??

Yu Yu Hakusho: I can honestly say that the fate of Bui doesn’t interest me in the least. Just get on to the Toguru brothers, darn it!

Inu-Yasha: Meh. Wait, I somewhat retract that: It was cool to see the whole “turns into a human” plot line followed up on.

Yeah, I gotta’ go, now.

Thought of the moment: If I hear that damn Green Day song one more time…

Quote of the moment: “….I was lying.” –Tetsuo, “Hikaru No Go”

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Friday, May 21, 2004

Well, I'm going to rant
I don't rant very often, but when something ticks me off this much...

I was watching The Daily Show with John Stewart (The only news show I watch; long live news papers!), and his guest was...uh, I ca'nt spell her name, so I'll go pheonetically: Ja-neen Ger-ah-fah-low. You might have heard of her; works on Air America.

Anyway, she was bashing President Bush, which doesn't bother me in the least; you can say whatever you want about anyone if you have facts to back it up, in my opinion.

But it's what she said that torqued me off. She said that it was ridiculous for America "in this day and age to have a fundamentalist Christian President", and went on to say "he believes in Creationism; how can he run the country?"

Now, call me old-fashioned, but where I come from, saying that someone is unsuitable for a job based on their religious beliefs is bigotry. Of all the platforms she could have used to attack Bush, she used religion. That's just great.

No one called her on it, either, although John Stewart made the correction that Hush is a born-again Christian, and not a fundamentalist, (you can be both, I imagine, but Bush is definatly born-again). Stewart looked a tad bit uncomfortable after she said that, and quickly changed the subject.

This reminds me of an interview Bush did over a year ago; when asked which philosopher he admired the most, Bush answered "Jesus Christ". And this was a minor controversy, brought up by his opponents.

Why does any of this matter? Again, call me crazy, but I don't care if your a Christian, Buhdist, Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Wiccan, athiest, Catholic, Daoist, Satanist, Scientologist, Martha Stewartist, whatever. I only care if you can do the job well. If Bush isn't doing the job well, let's talk about that; his religion shouldn't be a part of the discussion.

Why does this bother me? Because it's not bothering anyone else. In an age where every political statement is analyzed until it looses all meaning, viciously bigotted statements against Christians are ignored.

So, sure, for those who don't know, I am Christian. Although I was baptized Lutharin, and currently attend services at a Methodist curch. However, I hate getting bogged down into denominations; why focus on divisions?

I accept Jesus as The Savior, but I'm a little less opt to believe the Bible word-for-word. There are many things within it that I simply don't feel reflect the religion, or its teachings. I tend to believe that the text has been altered many times over the centuries, and many of the alterations serve the interests of those in the church at the time.

All that aside, I don't speek about my religion much, nor seek to convert others. Why not? Because religion is a deeply personal experience, and it's not right for others to unduely influence someone while they seek a religion.

If anyone ever wants to discuss religious philosophy, PM me. I'd love to. But I'm not going to force my personal ideas onto you.

Maybe if certain other Christians had the same attitude, we wouldn't have a bad reputation. (You know who you are.)

Anyway, onto more important matters.

Today was the rehersal for graduation. Yulia needed a ride, so I gave it to her. the event itself was rather mind-numbing, but I suppose it was neccessary.

What constantly boggles my mind is Yulia. I had thought she knew I liked her, and just didn't say anything so it wouldn't get all awkward. Now, I'm not so sure. Thing is, I do like her; she's smart, and fun to talk to, and cute...and probably totally out of my league.

We'll most likely be attending the same college, and possibly be working in the same building this summer. So, the grand question is, should I continue as an ambiguous male friend and hope for the best, or should I force events to a head and tell her I like her?

The greatest irony in this situation is that if I weren't me, but I was asking myself for my own advice, I know what I would tell myself: Tell her how you feel. Enter the situation on your own terms. Don't sit back and hope for change: initiate it.

Easier said than done, right? ^_^;

Thought of the moment: The Yu-Gi-Oh video game tourney is tomorrow. Should be...fun.

Quote of the moment: "Duffman is a cautious cat!" -Duffman
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Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Man, bad luck...
I've seen three majorly-hyped movies in the past week, and they all sucked. Last Samaurai, Troy, and now, Lost In tRanslation. They were just...bad...

Can't wait for good movies to be released. Ahem:

Shrek 2, Spider-Man 2, the Village, Alien Vs. Predator...

Smallville and Angel finales right now. Gotta' go!

Thought of the moment: No job call-backs today...

Quote of the moment: "Duffman is thrusting in the direction of the problem!" -Duffman
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Tuesday, May 18, 2004

   Tired, in the name of capitalism
As soon as they let ud out of school today, I went downtown and applied for jobs.

I applied at: Barnes and Noble, two cell phone booths, Panera bread, New York & Co clothing, Ashley Avery's Collectables, Toys R Us, Boarders Books & Music, the movie theater, Kirklands, and...a few other places I'm forgetting.

This took a lot of footwork. I'm so tired, I'm...going to play video games, or something.

Thought of the moment: School's over. So what?

Quote of the moment: "New feelimgs brewing in Duffman...what would...Jesus do?" -Duffman, "The Simpsons"
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