MILES to GO || before I sleep

Today I finally got the chance to go to Japantown (although not back downtown to H&M, where I wanted to get some more clothes... *le sigh!*) since Dad called this morning and said since he didn't have a place for me to stay in Alameda overnight, he could just pick me up. Yay to that, because it means I can take more things with me than I could have if I had just gone to meet him at the Ferry Station today... actually, I thought I'd be in LA again by now, so by leaving tomorrow morning, we are cutting it a little close, since the big Passover dinner's tomorrow, and I bet Dad'll be tired from the drive.

In any case, I'm glad I got to go shopping and enjoy a crepe at Sophie's. Truthfully, there wasn't much in the way of manga that I wanted. I almost bought all of the current releases of Skip Beat!, but a) I have many of those volumes in Japanese already and b) I can probably get a discount by buying them en masse at Borders in Northridge, rather than Kinokuniya. Still, I ended up buying a new "DIY: Design-It-Yourself" book that looks kind of interesting, and the two Sailor Moon S and SuperS DVD boxed sets from the Japantown Video Store.

...And, as the subject line says, they're faker than... well, the most fake thing you can think of. Sad thing is, I halfway knew it even before I put the money down for them, because I noticed several things:
(1) The wrong cover for both of them (which I knew from looking at the eBay guide to spotting fake SM DVDs)
(2) Bad spelling on the covers
(3) "MEPG-2" format listed on one box (though so far they play in my DVD player)
And then when I finally bought them and cracked open the plastic, it was "waxy cardboard" with glued-in (albeit not too sloppily) DVD holders, and the covers of the Uncut SMS DVDs (since that was the one I started with) inside, rather than individually-sleeved DVDs or anything like that. Then the back of the DVDs said the most incriminating thing of all: Made in Taiwan.

So they're fake, but I got so fed up of trying to find the legit things through legit channels (and I surfed a lot-- I went to all the DVD sites I knew of, anime stores, C&C Central here in S.F., Pioneer's own website, and countless other places), so when I saw the boxed sets for right there, I grabbed them. I paid $162 for them both, which is probably a rip-off, all things considered... and I *am* halfway tempted to tell Mom to try and return them for me (even though I know the store has a policy of no refunds on opened DVD boxes), but then I would not only NOT have the money (because again, I doubt the store would refund to my credit card, and what good would $162 in Jtown store credit do me in LA?), but I wouldn't have *ANY* Sailor Moon to get my hands on.

If someone could truly promise me a legit source of SMS and SMSS, I'd gladly fork over the money, because I believe in supporting the original creators of a series whenever and wherever possible. But sometimes distributors here on this coast make it awful hard. I'm not saying they should perpetually renew licenses, but I do think for things as big as SM, it would pay to do "anniversary editions" or something if they could. Who knows how relations are now between all the big companies, anyway...

I checked out the first episode of S, and aside from a few lines of dialogue getting unsubtitled, they're not too bad. I even tested the English audio track, and sure enough, it's the annoying S-dub I remember getting glimpses of back when it was on Cartoon Network. I think the main menu is supposed to be animated and a bit crisper looking than it is, but aside from those few peeves, I guess everything's all right.

I've been feeling kind of ill off and on this whole week, which sucks (and is at least partially my excuse for not having caught up on my Japanese, bad girl that I am). Tonight after Mom, Gary, and I saw "Zodiac" at the 1000 (I think only ONE person from when I worked there is still there now, and he didn't see me), we went to Mel's near Parker (or whatever that street before the old Coronet is called), and I couldn't even finish a whole half of a grilled cheese. Admittedly, I had a Kid's Pack of popcorn and a soda at the theatre, but still, I was hungry after the fact... it's been like that for days, where I feel hungry, and I can even feel my mouth watering, but I just can't eat. The thought alone almost makes me nauseous. I don't know why though. It's not like I *want* to not eat, to lose weight (I'm already underweight or on the low-end scale of "normal" for my height), or anything. And I hate wasting food.

I felt so shitty yesterday, I thought for sure it was some form of hangover from my one lousy mango margarita (admittedly, I think it really *WAS* a whole pint), and Mom was saying something about how tequila isn't exactly a trustworthy liquor, but... who knows? My whole body's just on the fritz.

It's been nice being back here in S.F., in a way, and I do wish I could stay longer and help out more, see more people, and get more done (both doing stuff-wise and finishing things that should have already been done a while ago-wise). But I do sort of look forward to the big Sweet family gatherings. Shaina I know is going to want to trim my hair and probably pluck my eyebrows, but that's about as far as I'll let her go. I honestly think my time is better spent catching up on homework. Now that I don't have to worry about people butchering the computer (because the PC really isn't my problem anymore; I only use it for the rare PC games I have the random urge to play), they can park themselves on it and I won't care. Wireless is nice... :D

That said, I better try and sleep, since I will be waking up in less than 6 hours to shower. But I guess I can always sleep in the car ride back to LA.

Oh yes, and my birthday is in 7 days. :D :D :D :D :D

Note to all: never watch a DVD on your PC. Okay, maybe if you have a DVD Decoder, which always costs money, and never comes on your computer by default, even if you shelled out extra cash for a better video card (save maybe nVidia) or the Media Center edition of Windows XP.

What the hell?

So I tried watching in PowerDVD, but the anecdote tracks (I'm trying to watch Back to the Future, Part III) will flicker and then show up again-- or sometimes the anecdote signals (icons like the Hoverboard, an arrow through a bowler, etc.) will show up, but there'll be no anecdote. This didn't happen before on the PS2 and Part II! PowerDVD is supposed to be great for capping though, but apparently the version Dell includes with their comps isn't one with the extra/advanced features... it's Ver. 4, and Ver. 6 is already out! >_<

I also tried to watch with VLC, but even though VLC sees the anecdote tracks, it doesn't display them. VLC is even better for capping, though (since it's FREE).

There's just no way to win! ;_; Any suggestions?

Whee! That pesky mySQL (my Sequel? That's how the guys at ITR say it. I've always called it "my Es-Cue-El.") error that was essentially ruining Blue Eyes and Apricots has been solved. ;_; It was all my fault too, for trying to include the config.php unnecessarily. I also didn't check where the paths led, so I fixed them so they led to the right place in the Enthusiast admin panel. Hopefully everything will work smoothly from here on out. I removed the flags modification, too. :P

I've still got to figure out how the affiliates images directory works, but in the meantime, the BEA affiliates still show up on the side bar, which I can edit at any time, should someone/someplace else wish to affiliate.

And I was ( thinking about WDKY24+ )

I was feeling a bit generous earlier, and I think I might do something nice for some people, so long as they notice this... hopefully not JUST for this, but you know. I'll make a complete moodset with up to 5 extra "moods" (for the ones LJ doesn't have, like "evil" and such) for the first person who requests it, with a specific theme to it-- that is, Yuugi Mutou from Yu-Gi-Oh, or eLouai-style Ryou Bakura. Also helpful would be size specification, preference as to file type (can do JPG, GIF for animations, or PNG), and whether or not you want text on the moodset. Especially helpful is if you have preference toward anime or manga, mixed bag, etc. If you have a SOURCE of images you'd like to use, or particular images per theme, please include them.

Note: I would publicly share this moodset, but it would essentially be made per-request. You need to have a Paid or Permanent (or Early Adopter, but I don't think anyone who's an EA is on my FL!) account to use a custom mood theme. You can read the LJ FAQ to find out how to install it.

I will NOT:
-do an entirely animated set
-do moods that are over 100x100 in size
-do moods that contain graphic or explicit content (because anyone can see the moods, even if YOUR journal is FO)

I have already made one mood theme, the one in use by rhapsody_dragon, of Seto Kaiba. In turn, she made me my mood theme, of Anzu Mazaki. :)

First come, first serve. I'll do no more than 3 mood sets, assuming I can handle that much within the next week. But the first one will be the one I start and complete before I start the 2nd or 3rd ones.

Weirdness of the day
Today was a great day, in terms of work. I got to work for 2.5 hours at the online pickup room (which we're now calling the "peacock room" because of how one of the onliners pronounces "pick-up"; it's very cute) which I enjoy very much, because I'm alone, I can eat, drink, and surf LJ. :D I rarely have any problems whatsoever.

I also deposited both my paycheck AND my financial aid check (which I got today!) in my checking account, so that should hit tomorrow. And for once, I don't have some insane urge to go out and buy something. I had enough money to buy a new Duel Pass since several days ago, but MEH! Why should I? I didn't feel like it. I won't go and buy a new PS2 and a mod chip with installation service; I'll wait until the PS3 comes out, and I'll buy THAT! (I wonder if the controllers are cross-compatible? I don't like the shape of the new controllers. Too N64-y.) I will be buying my textbooks, of course, but that's usual of me-- and I'll get a 10% discount! :D I should also buy Grandpa a CSUN hat and myself a nice kelly green CSUN tee (or hoodie? Which to pick!?) while I'm at it.

I do want some DVDs, though-- the Back to the Future trilogy, the Phantom of the Opera movie (2004)...

The weirdness started (of course) when I got online earlier tonight; cs_kasumi was reporting that slytherinjolie was plagiarizing slyfatale (not sure if that's an LJ name). And then, not hours later, cs_kasumi revealed that she WAS slytherinjolie! What the hell?! I don't get it. I really don't.

Oh, this isn't weird, but I have to share: The Greatest Story You've Never Read. I kid you not. It is for story writers and readers everywhere. ^^ Just go and read it.

Psueside? If it made it to fandom_wank (NEVAH FORGET!), it's genuine wank-gold! Apparently limeybean faked her own LJ death. This is what freaked me out about missandrony's post earlier; I wasn't sure whether it was real or not. I have a lousy sense of humor, see. I knew the whole cappuccino-machine-implant was ridiculous, but cute and funny... but I was never one to take jokes about death lightly. And I'm not even from one of those mass fandoms where I'm some sort of BNF and everyone knows my name! (Some people. Maybe. ^_~)

Anyway, I don't see the point. Pathetic cries for attention are just that-- pathetic. If you can't get attention where you want, seek it somewhere else where you're more likely to be received. Either that or get a personality makeover, because some things don't carry well no matter where you are. Sometimes it really "is not you, it's me" and by "me" I mean the speaker, which is you. (Did that make sense? In other words, don't be afraid of changing yourself. There are sometimes when you shouldn't have to, by any means, but honestly? No one can get along with everyone, so everyone has to adapt at some point.)

Apparently this is a pretty wide-spread thing, because there exists fake_lj_deaths. o_o You have to join to really get the funny going, but still!

I wonder what would be considered a more embarrassing incident-- getting railed and humiliated on fandom_wank (if you know, you'll go) or on LJDrama.org?

Change of topic...
Ugh, this is what I get for not paying attention to f_w for a while. Where did 'O RLY?' come from? (and the requisite children, 'YA RLY!' and 'CHO RLY?') And why does it always have to do with Hedwig (or grotesque versions of Hedwig with MULTIPLE SETS OF TEETH)!?

Oh, and Baba and Grandpa bought me "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Season 2" at Wal-Mart last week; I've been watching it on and off ever since. Now that I've been paid, I shall pay them back as promised. :D But teh yay for Lois x Clark! Makes me want to read nFic. Mmm, nFic.

Everyone is coming over tomorrow or Saturday (my dad being on Saturday) because of Baba's big birthday shebang-bang. Hopefully it'll be fun, without the usual drama-rama that family brings. The house has been totally cleaned up, minus the cleaning lady who was SUPPOSED to come to day, but she pulled a Houdini ('cept without the scantily clad assistant, the newspaper coverage, and such). I'm going to work from 12:00-6:30 tomorrow, my first "full" shift deserving of a lunch break tomorrow. Methinks I'll walk the block and a half to Papa John's and get myself Pizza, because I'm getting damned sick of pre-packaged tuna salad sandwiches and iced tea. :P