Saturday, December 3, 2005

   Not a thing going on... again.

Friday night. Nothing going on. It snowed again. That prevented us from going to Sioux City. We got ornaments on the Christmas tree now. It's pretty. I should take a picture for you guys. Maybe tomorrow...

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Down below you'll find a bit of a treat for you guys. It's a really really short little piece that I wrote some time ago. It's part of the "prequels" to the story. It also may end up being rewritten at some point. I've been doing some research into how people, especially men, were named in Japan at the time my story takes place. Hikaru would most likely have a different name as a small boy than he does after going through his coming of age ceremony. But then again, this takes place during the late 1870s and things are changing. The samurai traditions aren't what they used to be. Oh well, whatever, right? I'm still working on it. And "Hikaru" may just be a nickname for him. Anyhoo... enjoy!

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I think I'll finish off my email and then maybe wander across the hall and watch a DVD or something.

Laters!

Additional: Minor rant. There is a time and place for snowmobiling. Shortly after midnight and up the alley next to the house aren't it.

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Hikaru.... age 6

Once, when no one was looking, Hikaru snuck out and went down to the seaside. He wanted to watch the fishing boats. He sat on the shore just watching. Watching everything – the boats, the fishermen, the birds flying overhead.

Of course, Hikaru’s father and Takeda-sensei were angry with him once they found him, but he did not think he had done anything wrong. “The boats, father, I watch the boats,” he said.

“Yes, Hikaru,” his father replied, “I know you like to be outside and watch the boats, but you are still a small boy and should not be out alone. What if you fell into the sea? Who would rescue you?”

Hikaru looked at his father and said with all sincerity, “The fisherman would catch me in his net and sell me as a fish! They told me so.”

Yoshihiro could not stay angry at a line such as that. “That may be, my little beam of light,” he said with a smile, “but I would have to pay to have you back, and I would rather pay to be rid of you!”

Laughing, he picked the boy up and set him on his shoulders. “Now we must return home. You were to have your lessons hours ago, and Takeda-sensei is in a bad mood because of you.”

“Yes, Father,” Hikaru said from his perch. “I’m sorry.”

So they went, father and son, up the hill into town, back to the dojo.

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Friday, December 2, 2005

   There is no dark side of the moon really. As a matter of fact, it's all dark.

So...did you all get through Thursday with no major incidents? I did. That's because I didn't do much of anything all day!

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We set up our Christmas tree. That was it. Mom & I struggled with the thing getting it up out of the basement while Dad & my brother watched. Neither of them can do much lifting yet. It was interesting because Mom & I both have asthma, so we both were a little short of breath by the time we were done getting that tree upstairs. Tomorrow, we'll probably get the ornaments on the thing. Unless we all decide to go to Sioux City....

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So I did little after that... Watched a bunch of TV this evening before coming online... Read three of my Kenshin books... Nothing major.

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I've been looking for anime images tonight, too. I have one website that has tons of pictures. It's pissing me off because of all the ads that are popping up even though I'm using Firefox, which has a built in pop-up blocker. I did find a bunch of pictures that I really like. I just have to print them out eventually.

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Well, I think I'm gonna wander off here now. Gotta run Ad-aware after all those ads!

Laters!

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Thursday, December 1, 2005

   'Snow use, Bananaman!

Well, my clock still says it's Wednesday, but this thing will say it's Thursday. Whatever. All I know for sure is that another month is shot to hell on us, and the year is pritnear over.

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As for the snow issue in Sioux City. As I was heading out of town after work last night, I saw that they were actually starting to get the piles of snow out of the streets. I got passed by a dump truck filled with snow. However... it's snowing again. Hahaha!!!!

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I actually got to go home last night after work! I didn't get stuck in town by weather or anything like that! I spent two nights at the motel. Not that I don't like staying in a motel that has decent cable channels (Cartoon Network!!!), it's just that I wanted to sleep in my own bed! And I wanted my cat...

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I have a bit of a headache tonight. That sucks. It's from coughing. I'm still coughing, even though Doc says my lungs sound clear. I think I aggravated things by having to go out and shovel the walk in front of the lobby doors during the storm the other night. Grrr....

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Oh! New picture will be going up in the fanart as soon as I finish this post. It started out as a ballpoint pen doodle, and you still can see a little bit of the pen around his head. But when I decided to put his hands behind his head, I switched to pencil and things just got out of hand after that. I did it at work last night while waiting for something on the computer to finish. And, yes, I have a set of colored pencils in my purse. So, go, enjoy, vote.

And, yes, I am aware that his one arm looks shorter than the other. I just explain it thusly: he's got that elbow pointing at the sky more than the other one. :P

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Well... this one is off to submit that artwork and then off to finish reading email and then off to bed.

Laters!

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Tuesday, November 29, 2005

   Disco is dead!

Yes, disco is dead.
So why am I hearing this
Real old BeeGees song?

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Hmm... spontaneous haiku!

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Anyhoo... I'm still at the motel. I'm working again and am a little bored, but nowhere near as bored as Sunday night. I've been here since Sunday afternoon. I haven't been home in a couple days!!! Ack! I hope I can get home after work tonight. That weather sucked yesterday!

I probably could have gone home today, but I didn't feel like wasting the gas to drive 28 miles home to stay there a couple hours and then turn around to come back to work.

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So, you ask, what did I do all day? Well, I spent some time playing around on the lobby computers while my brother was sleeping for a little bit. Then after he got up and went home, I went to the mall. I had really expensive Chinese food for lunch! $8.10 for broccoli beef, an eggroll and a medium pop! I don't think I'm gonna eat there again! No matter how much I want those lo mein noodles! (Great... obsessing about noodles again.) Then I went to Barnes & Noble and got a Peppermint Mocha. Yummy. I drank that while sitting in one of the comfy chairs and reading manga!

My reading list for today: Fruits Basket #1-3 and Samurai Deeper Kyo #1 & 2 & part of #3. Okay... I want both of these!!!

Then I had to leave the mall and go to work. And here I am....

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I started a doodle on a piece of scratch paper with a ballpoint pen. I switched to pencil so I can get his clothes just right. I think I'm gonna get my micron pens and ink it when I get it to the point where it looks done. Then tomorrow night I'll scan it in so you all can see!

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Well. I gotta go on a van run now, so I'm gonna quit and wander off.

Laters!

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Additional ranting: The Sioux City street department is deranged. They plow the snow into big piles down the center of the streets downtown. The streets downtown are all at least 3 lanes wide, so the middle is a nice big pile of snow. Most of the streets downtown are one-way streets. So...if you're in the left lane on one of those one-way streets and want to make a right turn, you're pretty much screwed unless you want to change lanes in an intersection. That's not exactly a safe thing to do...and probably not exactly legal. So... you better make damn sure you're in the lane you want to be!

Okay. Rant over.

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Monday, November 28, 2005

   I want to believe....

The time: 2:56 pm, CST
The place: the York Room
The mood: not quite bored
The weather: CRAPPY!

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Well, I'm hanging out in the conference room at the motel before I have to go to work. I gotta be officially here in about an hour. Why am I here? The weather! Yep, the weather turned crappy on us.

Actually, the reason I didn't go home after work last night was because my brother had to work. At the time I had to be to work, he rode with me since I had the only functioning car. He works here too, and didn't need to be here until 11 pm. That's when I was done for the night. I stayed up in a room that he set up so he could sleep while I was working. So, today, I had to take my brother down to a branch office of our bank to get a cashier's check. Then we took the check to the car dealer and got his car. Yep, he's now got his "new" car! Then back to the motel. We then ran to a grocery store and that's when the weather started to get really crappy. Snowy & blowy! Very icky. So... here I sit, playing online and watching X-Files. I really shouldn't get involved with this one since I won't be able to see the whole episode. Bummer.

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Other than the weather, not much is happening around here. I hope I don't have a lot of runs to do tonight.

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In my fit of boredom last night, I ran around looking through cabinets and drawers for a flashlight. It was rather amusing. I didn't find one, although I swear I had seen one around here somewhere. I wanted the flashlight to create a makeshift light table. I'm trying to trace something and needed it backlit. Otherwise, I wouldn't be happy with what I'm trying to do.

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Yeah....well, I think I'm gonna go now. It's not time for work yet, but I want to get some change so I can get a bottle of water and a pop. Wheee!!!!!

But first, Kyo sums it all up for me....

Laters!

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Sunday, November 27, 2005

   Bored...

Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.

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   Now what do I do?

Sunday... early evening. Work is massively boring.

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Yep. Here I am at work and I haven't even been here two hours yet and I'm bored out of my skull. Ivy is reading the ads from the Sunday paper. I've read all my email and have downloaded more manga to read. The next six hours are gonna drag.

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I'm having issues with commenting today. My last post says there are 5 posts. I checked it out and only 3 show up. I commented on a couple sites and my comment is "there." I can't see them even if I reload the comments. So... I'm just not gonna comment today. :P

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Well, I suppose I could go eat something. It is getting close to dinner time, and I'm a little hungry. Sorta... maybe... perhaps...

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Oh... the weather is wet today. It's rainy! We had a thunderstorm earlier. Very odd for the end of November. I was checking the local forecast and it's supposed to turn to ice and snow tomorrow. YUCK!!! I don't like ice. The forecast said up to a quarter inch of ice. GRRRR!!! I don't want that. Then we're supposed to get 3 to 5 inches of snow on top of it. GROSS!!!!

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Okay...enough whining about weather. I am so frickin' bored....

I'm glad I brought my writing stuff and sketchbook tonight...

Laters!

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Saturday, November 26, 2005

   Ho hum...

The time: somewhere around 8:15 pm CST
The place: work
The mood: bored

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Yep. Another Saturday night at the old daily grind. It's very quiet for a Saturday night, and I'm wishing I had the laptop. I'm suffering with the desk computers and they're slower than my dialup. Tomorrow night I am definitely bringing the laptop!

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I took my brother car shopping today. He's got one picked out and will pick it up on Monday. It was the first car he looked at and it fit all the things he was looking for in a car. There are only two drawbacks: it's white and the stereo is a cassette player. Haha!

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I think I shall go through my archives here and see when I last posted a story part and update the story site. Such a thrill...

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*falls off stool in boredom*

Ow.

Laters!

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   I know I'm not all right.....

Late Friday, almost Saturday. I should go to bed, but I've got Green Day songs running through my head.

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Hmm... that previous paragraph was brought to you by the American Non Sequitur Society. "We don't make sense, but we do like pizza."

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Well, today was a day off. Hooray!! For some weird reason, I needed it. I didn't do a bit of shopping. Nothing important got done today. For lunch we took over the party room of the local Pizza Hut. There were ten of us there: Mom, Dad, my brother, both my sisters and their husbands, a neice and a nephew, and me. The other brother and his kids and their significant others went back to Sioux Falls yesterday.

In the afternoon, I hung out with my brother while everyone else was downstairs talking, watching TV, or playing as the neice & nephew did. Then after my brother was done playing online, I did some typing.

In the evening, there was the Second Annual Christmas Light Parade. It's a very short parade in which all the entries are lit up with Christmas lights. It's cute, but was very short. After that, I did some more TV watching and a little more typing.

Exciting day, eh?

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The result of the first bout of typing is below. Yes... it's story time! I apologize for it being so long, but I couldn't figure out how else to group the parts. I just couldn't break it after the middle part because the end part won't work with the next part. And all the events sort of take place on the same day... does any of that make sense? Oh well, for those that read it, enjoy it.

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I'm off now to do something totally radical, like sleep! Brain cell is shutting down now....

Laters!

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