June 30, 2003

Chrissy, I uploaded the new beta version of my Manga Database for you since you asked about it before. I forgot to delete all my records though. You can have fun doing that ^^;;

Here's the screenshot. Click to enlarge:


If anyone else wants it, let me know how useful it is for you for managing your collection. Requires MS Access 2000. Hmm... the colors look so much darker on my computer than on this one. I may have to do a palette change since now it looks weird.

Usa-p internally wept for Kyou at 00:30 | link |
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June 28, 2003

I finished watching Princess Tutu a couple of days ago and I already have the urge to watch it again. It was solid from beginning to end and had one of the best endings I've seen in a long time. It was a satisfying ending that was also not satisfying in just the right ways. This definitely ranks practically at the top of my all time favorite everything list.

I also got Furuba vol 12 with Ritsu on the cover which includes the chapters where Tooru visits Kazuma to ask about breaking the curse, the Kyou/Kagura resolution (poor Kagura *sniffle*), the HaruxRin explanation, and Shigure going to Tooru's Parent/Teacher conference just to mess with her teacher. Shigure, you are evil.


I have started watching Kodomo no Omocha again. I stopped because I ran out of subs. So I've watched the next 10 episodes raw, and, well, my brain hurts. I have to look things up a lot, but I've got the jist. (At least, I think.)

Usa-p internally wept for Kyou at 12:43 | link |
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June 26, 2003

Blogger's got a new interface with new options to play with. If things look funky, it's because I messed with them too much.

Usa-p internally wept for Kyou at 20:15 | link |
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June 24, 2003

Some random comments re HP5. I don't think they're spoilery, since they shouldn't make any sense unless you've read the book already: (It's almost 5am. Work with me here.)

As I replied in the comments about two posts down, I'm still traumatized by Kreacher snogging his dead master's pants. That was just entirely unnecessary.

I have decided that I was miffed at the death, because I didn't quite realize it when it happened. There were near-deaths before, I thought this was the same. I just didn't believe it. It was not until there were no more pages left that it hit me. Consequently, I still don't believe it. Steve was quoting the first rule of media death, "No body, no dead."

And to recapitulate what Steve (and many other people now that I've been reading a little on the message boards) thinks is a major plothole: the actual point of the book. Why there was all this futile fuss over what basically amounted to a fortune cookie. Thank you, Captain Obvious. I am also aware of what I think is a big flaw regarding conflicting themes of determinism. That annoys me because when you embed such a major theme into a story there should be no way to mess up and bring in an equally major opposite contradicting theme.

A lot of people seem to think that's it's too dark, depressing, and full of frustration. Yeah, it is. Maybe there is a bit too much, but since this is what I wanted to see, I'm happy. I never thought of these books as 'light hearted' or 'magical' even. I liked them because they were fun to read and pushed my buttons. One of those buttons happens to be quirky universes with normally humorous relatively intelligent witty young characters who feel too much. And no doubt there is no shortage of primal emotion in book 5.

I'm not making any sense so I'll just go back to watching more GetBackers.

Usa-p internally wept for Kyou at 05:18 | link |
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GetBackers ravings:

Ok, so we're absolutely positively certain that whoever's writing GetBackers is a closet yaoi fan, right? Because OH MY GOD, especially for a shounen show. I just saw the hot springs episode, and I was watching the end credits which included a beautiful Juubei x Kazuki pose than can so NOT BE INTERPRETED ANY OTHER WAY! And then the cute Ban x Ginji pose at the end of that.

Q, I worship the digital IM you type on for sending these to me and telling me that it was, indeed, slashy, and not slashy like those other shows are slashy, where it's just reading things in to the lines because the lines ask for it, but slashy as in subtext you could lick like a tootsie roll pop...

Jubei x Kazuki is SO canon. They need to go pick out curtains together. CURTAINS, I say. Ban and Ginji are one step behind, they can start with agreeing on what color fuzzy dice to hang from the window of their VW Beetle Love Mobile. I love the Love Mobile! It's so tiny they barely fit in it.

I have become convinced that Hevn is not, in fact, a Mediator, but is, in reality, a Pimp. It explains so much. Whats-her-face-waitress-girl hung around because she wanted close up of the action. Who can blame her? I'd work there too.

I <3 Ginji. I <3 Kazuki.

Kazuki not only has longer hair than I do, but is also prettier than me. I am forever jealous. Juubei has good taste.

And stupid Juubei going on about how he doesn't have to be able to see again. How could you NOT want to get your eyes back! How could you not want to keep looking at your boyfriend? Have you seen him lately? ::kicks him::

And I want to know who's idea it was to have Ban run around for about 10 episodes in a really dorky looking tied up midriff. He kept reminding me of Tarzan in Jeans.

I'm done for now (in case it was not apparent that I just marathoned another bunch of episodes). HP book 5 comments later.

Usa-p internally wept for Kyou at 04:45 | link |
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June 22, 2003

This is the longest I've gone without posting since I started this blog. First there was a matter of a GetBackers/Princess Tutu marathon (what a combo), and then there was the matter of trying to read the new Harry Potter book during two days of dance recitals. For a while Steve and I were calling each other every 5 minutes to comment on something we'd read. He was always at least 200 pages ahead of me, since he'd gotten his the night before. (Although I still somehow missed the "Ron ejaculated" line which Steve accompanied with a mutter of, "step away from the thesaurus.")

Re: the Harry Potter book. Don't worry, no spoilers.

Personally I think (and thought even as I was only 50 pages in) that this book blew the other four right out of the water. There really is no comparison. I was cheering. Angst! Anger! Rage! Grief! PAIN! Lots of pain. So MUCH pain. 800-some-odd pages of powerful, heart-wrenching pain and suffering. ::wipes eyes:: I honestly wasn't expecting much before I read it. Not that I thought it would be bad; on the contrary, I was quite excited; but I really didn't expect so much... well, emotion. I hoped for it, but to actually see exactly what I wanted to see, well... was absolutely awesome.

I do have a gripe or two. I'm miffed at the death in the book, but I don't know why exactly. I figured I'd react to the death with sadness or something, not anger. I'll have to sit on that for a while... There's one or two new magical things that leave way too many obvious angles for abuse, but that can be corrected if later on she imposes limitations. Steve says that he sees a big gaping plot hole, but seeing as I finished reading the book about 5 minutes ago, I haven't asked him what it is yet. I didn't see it, but then I am also blind to the obvious (and the subtle too).

Closing note: Fred and George Weasley are gods.

Usa-p internally wept for Kyou at 23:34 | link |
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June 15, 2003

I absolutely adore Princess Tutu. If anyone can streambeam me episodes 25 and 26 (@ BrainSt0rm), I'd be very grateful.

Almost overnight New Jersey has been rapidly building a skyline and like an evil demonic temptress is enticing businesses away from the economic insanity that is NYC. It is every NYers duty to mock NJ, and now they're just asking for it by provoking us. I could not find a t-shirt ripping on them, so I got a t-shirt that says, "Brooklyn, where the weak are killed and eaten," instead. Topic A has nothing to do with Topic B, but at least it's a nice addition to my Brooklyn shirt collection.

Usa-p internally wept for Kyou at 14:29 | link |
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June 12, 2003

I stayed up 30+ hours yesterday. Or maybe it was the day before? I can't even tell. I already have no concept of time or knowledge of what day it is.

The lastest chapter of my favorite fanfic was released so I am a very happy little squeeing fangirl.

This is going to be an exciting summer. There's the next HP book coming out in two weeks coupled with my recital, followed a month later by Nimbus 2003 which is doubling as a Disneyworld vacation with Steve, and a month later still will be Shoujocon, whee. I've been looking forward to these events for so long I can hardly believe they're almost here.

Suspicious Acorns has been updated with oodles of obscure stuff.

Many *hugs* to Len-chan because she has been feeling down lately. Espero que te sienta mejor. ¡Tenemos que hablar pronto!

Usa-p internally wept for Kyou at 20:43 | link |
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June 8, 2003

After a week I finally emerged from my cave of maladies to go to dance class on Friday night and my dress rehearsal yesterday. It went off without a hitch, although it rained inconveniently. I'm 95% better now, as I've passed my illness onto Steve (and Chrissy claims I might have passed something to her over the phone ^_~). It seems I wasn't the only one who had been sick. Five other people I know reported identical symptoms, although they all recovered infinitely faster, having eschewed the stuffy nose phase. According to their doctors, it was some sort of 24-hour strep throat. It had occurred to me that it might be strep, what with the violent sore throat, piercing headache, and glands so swollen they felt like they were going to burn up, burst, and die; but when it all passed quickly in favor of a runny nose and some watery eyes, I wasn't sure what to make of it and wrote it off as a particularly nasty cold.

We chose a winner for the contest at Suspicious Acorns, it is this banner by RubyD:

I think it speaks for itself.

Usa-p internally wept for Kyou at 21:40 | link |
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June 6, 2003

Just be thankful that your internal body clock is still tuned to somewhere on earth. Mine thinks it's on Uranus, even going retrograde and all.

Usa-p internally wept for Kyou at 15:29 | link |
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June 4, 2003

I am watching many episodes of Saiyuki in a row since I am sick and immobile. They have all been standard quality subs until episode 34. The only sub for 34 that I have is of the infamous, notorious HK version. Yes, that means Engrish. I have only gotten one sentence into the theme song and I have already laughed so hard I think I popped my spleen.

Observe the line as it had been translated previously:

Picking up the past
that somebody dropped,
I frantically extended my hand,
flinging the answer.

And the HK version:

I don't know who left it there;
I picked it up yesterday.
It is a spaghetti but looks like a chewing gum.
It is wide as a bandage.

This episode promises to be the most entertaining of them all.

Usa-p internally wept for Kyou at 01:27 | link |
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June 2, 2003

Also, Chrissy tracked down the first episode of Ultra Maniac so we have it up for download at Magically Delicious.

Usa-p internally wept for Kyou at 22:18 | link |
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New layout, or, rather, an old layout revisited. Why? Because I'm sick and I demand to have Yue on my screen again. I can't breathe. I am off to go wheeze elsewhere.

Usa-p internally wept for Kyou at 20:16 | link |
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June 1, 2003

I came home. Then felt strange. Now am full blown sick and I feel like truck go splat on head. Brain not work. Maybe next time.

Usa-p internally wept for Kyou at 13:48 | link |
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