azurite | Entries tagged with to-do

WHOO-HOO! Even though I'm totally screwing up my sleep schedule by being up this late, it's hard to go to bed at a reasonable hour when you're high from getting stuff done! (Well, and a can of Coke, maybe.) Last night and tonight (or more aptly, yesterday morning and this morning), I:

* Finished the new site design of Blue Eyes and Apricots. It's version 5, and I've nicknamed it "Weathered Rainbow."

* Updated the behind-the-scenes coding on all 3 of my fanlistings (BEA, Ace of Hearts, and The Firefly Room) as well as my Enthusiast 3 control panel and my collective (Azurelist).

* Changed around the content of BEA, with the focus on a brand-new HUGE media library, which includes links to great AMVs, lists of fanmixes/fansoundtracks and links to buy the individual tracks, and much, much more! I'm planning on doing a separate page for linked fanart a'la

obabscribbler's Fanart Recs; that way there's no more concern over theft (at least, someone would knowingly have to go to someone's DeviantART, save the full-size image, and then neglect to save the artist's username or a notation saying "DA" or something, and then use it without permission). However, I won't host art on BEA anymore, with the exception of manipulations for icons, banners, etc. (I might consider it if I could set up a password system, though.)

* Added a blacklist to keep track of the thieves. Did you know someone actually stole banners from BEA and didn't even bother to mention the fanlisting? I mean, HELLO? We're here to bring people together,not be more divisive through theft! -_- I'm not sure what I find more offensive, that or the people that use images that were GIFTS TO ME (like my WDKY icons or ficart).

Because the page takes so long to load, I'll probably be splitting it up in the near future, after I've finished adding all the links for the various musical mixes and whatnot.

If you have anything you'd like to see on BEA, let me know!

So check out the new layout and tell me what you think!

Left to do:
* Find some more AMVs that don't use stolen artwork (recs welcome!)
* Use Angela Sabas' style switcher (hopefully) for the new Firefly Room (Secret Society Girl fanlisting) layout, which needs to be tested and made live
* Add more content to TFR!
* Ask the people at TFL if I can become the fanlisting for the SSG series now, rather than the first book (before I couldn't, because only two books were out at the time, and TFL considers a series three books or more)
* Open some more fanlistings??? (Potentially crazy and NEW idea, bad when I've got so much else on my plate. But lots of possibilities.)
* Add icons to BEA (with the permission of the artists from here on LJ, that is... any volunteers? It's totally up to you!)

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: San Francisco, CA
Current Music: The Who　★　Behind Blue Eyes (Who's Next (Remastered))

Whoo-hoo! I finished my five quizzes for Environmental Geology (chapters 7, 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13) and my Exam (cumulative for all of those chapters) and I KICKED ASS! I got As or Bs on all of the quizzes, and an A or A- on my exam (I got a 96%, that's an A or A-, right?). Last exam, I missed 6 questions, this time, I only missed 3! :) :)

But the fun never ends, oh no. I still have a biology quiz due tomorrow morning at 10am, my flood insurance rate map assignment due for geology tomorrow night (but I want to get it in earlier so I'm not thinking about it when I'm out with the gals... ~~STALKING RPATTZ!~~ I am kidding. Sort of. More on that later.), and a paper on war (or something like that) for my gender and women's studies class.

So yeah, no shortage of school work here. But I seem to perform best under pressure, so, armed with some delicious Green Tea flavored with honey and ginseng (iced, of course) and some freshly made fudge walnut brownies I SHALL EMBARK UPON THE NOBLE QUEST OF EDUCATION!

And caps-lock of rage, too. Except it's not rage, it's something completely different and bizarre.

This month is just non-stop. Aside from already having missed my deadline for my environmental lifestyle audit for my Recreation and Tourism Management class, I've also failed to update WDKY26 within one year. *hangdog face* I'm quite ashamed, but seriously, looking at all this school work and all the drama I've had in the past year, does it surprise anyone? I'll get that damn thing done... if it kills me. HA HA I MADE A FUNNY! -_-

Coming up: thinking about getting the new T-Mobile G1, since my contract with T-Mobile is just about up, I think, and I'm due for an upgrade. Plus, I wanna get my PSP. Of course, both of those involve spending money I DO NOT HAVE but... minor detail, seriously. Also: possible Bangra dancing on the 15th, Thanksgiving coming up (Dad is mysteriously and suddenly okay with me having a room of my own at the Hilton we're staying at in San Diego. I wonder what he did? He won't tell me), HOPEFULLY a new baby cousin (Brooke said last night there's no baby yet, which means she's kinda overdue at this point afaik) and Scott (and his twin brother Ryan)'s 29th birthday! Whew. Oh, and then Alcatraz in early December, because WHY NOT!? :D

Don't get me started on all those other personal projects I've got lined up, like getting my stuff on Fanworks Finder, working on Epiphany, changing the layout for BEA and the Secret Society Girl fanlistings, adding my stuff to AnimeXX, working on the RPGClassics Star Ocean 3 shrine, fixing my laptop iTunes library, working on all my fics, and, and, and...! I've probably forgotten a few. My brain feels like it might "asplode." But I guess that's better than FURSPLODE! Ha, ha.

Oh, I'm going to love it when this semester is over. Only two more to go. And then what? I have no freakin' clue, but I imagine at least a little bit of relief will be involved. Even if I love learning.

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: San Francisco, CA
Current Music: Rihanna - Please Don't Stop The Music

The day before yesterday I got about 3 hours of sleep. Dad called me shortly after I'd finally managed to fall asleep without the help of a sleeping pill. He was mad that I was letting the mugging get to me in this way, and told me to get my ass out of bed and start to DO things. Exhaust myself each day, give myself more tasks than I could possibly handle, and stop being afraid.

It worked. I spent a chunk of the day doing some computer stuff (catching up on

30kisses stuff, including Hall of Fame banners, which has been my real crime the past few months)-- sure, not wearing me out physically any, but I did do a bit of cleaning as well. Yesterday was the real accomplishment-- I woke up at 6:30am and decided "Hell, if I'm already awake, I might as well stay awake." It looks like it's a continuing thing, since I'm awake now, too. So I went downstairs and made myself a nice (albeit a bit greasy) breakfast of eggs and sweet bread, got the newspapers, and settled down to read. It was nice to have the table all to myself-- one of my issues with living with my grandparents is that sometimes they act like I'm not here at all, and it bothered me-- I didn't feel welcome at the kitchen table, where we usually eat, because the only place for me to sit was often occupied by Baba's foot, a pile of newspapers, or a bunch of dinner implements.

Grandpa was pretty surprised when he came down about an hour later; he thought I'd up and left for San Francisco. That kind of surprised me too, for him to think I would just leave my room a huge mess, the light and fan on (I only had the light on at 42%, and I always leave the fan on the lowest mode because my room's the hottest in the house, and we don't use AC) and not tell them in advance or even leave them a note. That and I told them several times that I wasn't leaving until the end of the month....

Anyway, so I decided my project of the day would be to take one of Baba's suggestions from a while ago and switch the position of my bed and my endtable. ( Getting busy with it )

Never a shortage of things to do. No sense putting off for tomorrow what I can do today. Never a dull moment. Why become a lay-about? Etc. etc.

Also, from Mac|Life magazine (which I'm contemplating not renewing my subscription for, considering it's $24.95/year for 12 issues, which is OUTRAGEOUS for a magazine with 16 pages of non-stop advertising between pages 48 and 49): why I'm a Mac user:

Apparently that brain-scarring video is an actual Microsoft ad.

I LOL'd.

Current Mood: awake
Current Location: Northridge, CA
Current Music: JigginJonT - F-Zero Silent Progression (Remastered) OC ReMix

Today was the last day of regular class before finals. Next week, I have three days when I'm supposed to show up to a "class." I don't say, "I have three finals," because only one of them is really a final-- the other two are relatively easy (I would hope). The "real" final is the one for my ENGL 313 (Pop Culture) class, and my ENGL 355 (Writing About Literature) is a reflective final, where I mostly write short paragraphs about the class and service learning experience. Then it turns out I really do have to show up to the final hours on Wednesday, for my ENGL 408 "final," which is actually a presentation of our radical revision to our workshop story... which I haven't even started on, yet.

Procrastination has been a big deal with me this semester, but somehow I've managed to pull through on almost everything. I've done exceedingly (maybe even surprisingly?) well in my Pop Culture class, though the final does worry me. I'm glad I've been working with the same girls all semester: we worked together on our video analysis project and again for our "chix flix" blog, and we're helping each other prep for the final by splitting up the reading and terminology definitions. The essays in our textbook, the "Audience Studies Reader" are not light reading, so I'm glad we're working together.

I turned in my fandom essay on Yu-Gi-Oh! today, and it was put together with the help of a number of members of

playthedamncard. In truth, I knew I wanted to do Yu-Gi-Oh! as my fandom of study since the start of the semester when he announced the fandom essay, but again, I procrastinated... I don't much like the essay I turned in, and would like to re-do it for my own picky self, before I post it online anywhere.

I still have two (one super-late) essays due for my Writing About Literature course, which I MUST MUST MUST get in by next Thursday, so I need to work on them this weekend along with studying for the big, "real" final on Monday (ENGL 313).

I tried to file my Grad Check today (because everyone always asks when I'm going to graduate) and they wouldn't accept it, because I altered the date to Fall 2009. Assuming all the classes I need are offered when I need them, I should be graduating after that semester. Originally, I was shooting for Spring 2009, but that won't happen with me in the Disney College Program. I thought, maybe Summer 2009, but the classes I'm required to take in my senior/final semester won't be offered in the summer, or if they are (like in the case of the journalism tutorial JOUR 498), there isn't much of a selection. I'd rather "go out with a bang," as it were, and take classes I really love and enjoy than attempt to cram a full semester into summer just to graduate when it's blazing hot and sunny. Besides, it's not as if I won't be graduating with more than 120 units anyway-- I don't mind delaying my graduation necessarily, because I've always taken classes or done things with my time that I enjoyed. I like staying involved.

I am still worried about getting credit for the Disney College Program, though, because I've basically been getting the run-around from all the departments on campus. The Career Center doesn't give credit, but they were the ones that had the presentation and said that previous CSUN students had done the program and gotten credit. The Journalism department can't give internship credit for internships that are not strictly Journalism-related, and the other courses, while recommended by the American Council on Education, are not specific to Journalism enough to qualify for Independent Study. The one course that DOES seem to have a specific department --Organizational Leadership, which is recommended for credit in the Business Administration/Management area... well, I went to the College of Business and Economics, and they told me that because I'm not a Business major or minor, they can't give me internship credit either. I left my phone number and a note about the situation for the Associate Dean of the department, but she hasn't gotten back to me yet-- and it's been three days. -_-

This weekend I'm going to San Diego for Mother's Day with Baba, Grandpa, and my cousin Erin. I already sent my mom something, but she's supposed to get it this afternoon, because actual Mother's Day delivery wasn't possible, and Saturday delivery was too expensive. Of course, it's not like I'm really going for any "fun," either: not only do I have to study (and I mean it!), but I'm broke (like, really, really broke) and can't go shopping. Actually, that's a story in and of itself, about how two banks managed to screw me over at once. Supposedly they're fixing it, but it's already been six days at this point since I knew this was first happening, and nothing's changed. It really bites.

On top of all that, I still have to pack for moving to Anaheim (Erin's volunteered to drive me at an ungodly hour of the morning). I finished faxing in my paperwork just a few hours ago, but I have yet to receive a bunch of other documentation. Am I the only one that thinks fax machines ought to die!? I mean, why do we still fax?

Anyway... I've still got a lot to do:
* ~~Presentation for RTM 330OL/Women & Leisure class~~ One down... a shitload more to go.
* WebCT discussion on what makes for sophisticated, multi-ethnic, contemporary literature worth including in a college course
* Those essays I mentioned before
* That radical revision I mentioned above
* The study guide for my ENGL 313 final I'm doing with the other girls
* The take-home portion of the ENGL 313 final, which Prof. Hatfield posted on our class blog

Brain asplodey.

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Aya Hisakawa　★　Moonlight Densetsu (The Finals) (Marching Aya)

Ugh, I'm back to drinking Brisk iced tea, and now Wild Cherry Pepsi (haven't had THAT since high school) to keep myself awake T-Th when I have classes that last 2-3 hours at a time with short breaks. It sucks because I thought I'd been getting enough sleep and eating somewhat healthier, to the point where I wouldn't need boosts that also rot my teeth. Urgh.

I don't want to get crazy-stressed, but the past few days haven't helped-- there's always so much to do. I've got to finish raking off the garage roof, clean my bathtub, clean my room, put my laundry away, do my handwashing, figure out a system for a clothesline in my tile tub, send my glasses prescription to school, get new glasses, see if I can vacuum the house (I bet Dad forgot to take the giant vacuum Baba wanted him to have, and waited months to give him) and... figure out wtf is wrong with the wireless on my NEW LAPTOP!

Last night as soon as I came home I set it up and transferred all the data from my old MBP, but while the old one connected to the home network just fine, the new one wouldn't. I tried changing the router settings-- the SSID and the password encryption, but that just screwed things up further. This morning I called AT&T tech support (gawd, I want to switch to Time-Warner Cable), and I had to change the SSID back, the encryption back to WEP-Open, and the channel back from 11 to 10. That fixed it for my old MBP, but not the new one... and I have no idea why. It's not like there are any proxies, AppleTalk, or other weird settings... I hope it's not the AirPort being half-malfunctional or anything. I've got an appt. at the Apple store today, and if all works out well, I'll also renew my ProCare and get Diner Dash. :) What's weird is that it works here on campus, and it SORT of picked up someone else's network near home for a bit, but not for long enough (to get the updates for the AirPort Express). I wonder if the updates (which I managed to get here at school) will help?

On the bright side, the new computer DOES mean I'll be able to play with my .Mac sooner, check out all the goodies iLife '08 offers, and see what's new with iWork '08. I'll also hopefully be able to work on WDKY and the BSSM Another Story novelization. But, speaking of other writing projects, all the weird dreams I've been having lately (a lot of apocalyptic stuff, for some reason) got me revising "Prophecy Girl," and the extended ideas (which will involve revising the first two chapters a bit) make the story a LOT more solid. I might end up switching between it and WDKY (since PG was around first, anyway) in times of blockage.

During all the stress last night, I played some FFX-2 while the data was being transferred. I forgot why I was where I was (I'd already beaten the Ruin Depths), so I headed around to get more Oversouls (I have about 20 left, including the dreaded Concherer). I only managed to get 1 so far, due to the randomness of battles, so later I hope to get more... :P it's my way of de-stressing. I'm planning on figuring out more Mix strategies to beat the tougher Oversouls, though.

Right now I'm in my JOUR 410 (Investigative Journalism) class, and I need to come up with 3 story ideas for our upcoming proposal. As with so many other things, I'm dry out of ideas. Help?

Oh, as for the BEST NEWS OF THE DAY (even though I'll be busy until late and busy even tomorrow and this weekend with an NSCS retreat in Malibu where I'm responsible for figuring out dinner for 10 for only $40?)...
I GOT A RAISE! Nearly 30 cents, too! Not a ton, but way better than my last raise. :)

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: CSUN - MZ 361 18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge, CA 91330

You Are A Green Girl

You feel most at home in a world of ideas.
You're curious and logical - and enjoy a good intellectual challenge.
You're super cool, calm, and collected. Very little tries your patience.
Your only fear? People not realizing how smart and able you are!

What Color Girl Are You?

( ETA: dragonfayth, dreams, food, mentality )

Which Egyptian God are you? Find out at

egypt_stamping
Sorry, Obelisk the Tormentor and Slifer the Sky Dragon are not valid Gods and will not be used in the results.

Current Mood: bored
Current Location: Work - CSUN 18111 Nordhoff St. Northridge, CA 91330

Sometimes just for the hell of it, I combine two topics on my mind into one warped subject line.

I had my first final today; it was for my Editing class. It wasn't too bad, actually; liberal use of my AP Stylebook really helped, as did a proofreading after I printed the first draft. I think I did pretty well, all things considered; I even got an A on the two papers Witten turned back to me, which means I might be doing better in the class than I thought.

As for the toilet, last week sometime I noticed the rec room bathroom toilet had flooded AGAIN (Let's put it this way; I was busy playing FFX-2 and had to take a break. I take ONE step within the vicinity of the bathroom, and my socked foot goes SQUISH in a very yucky way. I realize the extent of the damage, and holler for Grandpa). This time the damage was so bad (by the time we noticed it) that Baba just got fed up and said she wanted the carpet torn out. Because it happened on a Friday (I believe), we had to wait over the weekend for everything to clear up. And that meant the carpet stayed wet (despite us having the fan on and the windows open whenever we were home), and started getting mold and mildew. No good for someone with allergies, like me. So Baba kicked me out of the rec room fairly quickly whenever I was in there watching TV or playing video games.

There are guys from "American Craftsman Restoration" (their mascot is a guy that looks a bit like Captain America, RIP!) tearing out the carpet downstairs-- or half of it, anyway. Turns out there's concrete underneath. And the walls of the rec room are wood panels, and they go to the floor, so the ones near the bathroom were wet, too. So those might be getting torn out as well. Baba wants to replace the flooring with hardwood, like the kitchen, which won't be so bad; it'll be easier to move furniture in there, and sweeping will be easier than vacuuming around all that furniture. But the room's already the coldest in the house, and a hardwood floor won't make it any warmer. Not that anyone ever likes sleeping in that room (anymore) anyway.

I do hope AAA pays for the damage, because it's crazy how much we keep paying for this kind of thing to get fixed, and it just happens again, no helping it.

Anywho, I've got a bit of a to-do list for the rest of the day:
* Take the bookcase pieces and put them in their box again, before it starts raining and the box outside gets damaged beyond usability
* Work on a "character development" planner for WDKY, so I don't lose track of characterization and what is "OOC" in that universe or not (this is surprisingly important for WDKY25, as I'm coming to learn)
* Study for my graphics and Media Law exams tomorrow, which involve reading, reading, and more reading
* Assemble my books that I want to sell back to the bookstore
* Clean up my room a bit (!?)
* Try writing/planning a bit more of my scholarship book
* Read what I bought yesterday of Death Note (up to Vol. 12; is that the last one, or is there a 13? I can't remember...), and Ceres: Celestial Legend (missing volume 1 and 13, but oh well... special order!)
* Work on WikiFic

I was also thinking of a rant/poll of sorts to post here later, about what frustrates me about shoujo "heroines" and their romances. I tend to like the romances where there's a very explicit (as in "clear" not as in "sex sex and more sex") reason why two characters love each other and get together. In re-reading some of Ceres: Celestial Legend, I got a bit frustrated with Aya's obsession with Touya; I remember volume 1, when they first met, and all the subsequent volumes... I really don't think it's very justified why she falls for him when she's got Yuuhi, who loves her and cares for her very much, and doesn't bother with all the "I don't know" and mysterious amnesia/implanted memories stuff. I do get WHAT Touya is and what he represents, but... I don't like fickle or weak heroines. I still like the series, though.

And that, in turn, got me thinking about other series that I really like-- Sailor Moon was the first, and like so many other Moonies, I was a big Usagi x Mamoru fan. But why? It was well-established in canon, and it's not like there was ever a really good rival for Mamoru (let's be honest, Umino never stood a chance, Motoki had a girlfriend, Demando was evil, Haruka was gay, and Seiya was an alien AND appeared when Mamoru was gone and couldn't really "fend" for himself). I'm sure there's more to say and couples this can and cannot apply to, so I'll save that for later.

Current Mood: accomplished

I found

diaphanus's (aka Ian) LJ through a search of DIES GAUDII, the "famous" site that explains some of the interesting naming schemes, myths, and mix-ups throughout the Sailor Moon universe. I decided to check out some of the things Ian wrote, and I found this interesting video from 1967 about what they predicted kitchens in 1999 would be like.

They weren't TOO far off, but I wish more people had computers (or fridges, etc.) that could watch their calorie /mineral/etc. intake to better take care of their health. It's already 2007, and anything remotely like that (if it even exists) would probably cost a fortune. I'm not promoting being obsessive about that sort of thing, but if there were a way to be both proactive (not lazy) and have an easy way of understanding what you're putting into your body when you eat that cheeseburger or drink that soda, I don't think America would have quite the obesity epidemic that it does. Or maybe it would, what do I know?

I'm also thinking I probably shouldn't dig too intensely into summer internships since I *will* be working, at the very least, at the Call Center/Walk-In Center, and possibly also with Apple as a Campus Rep (though I have yet to receive some package from the agency, Volt). But I still have a MonsterTRAK search agent set up, and I can do the same at Yahoo! HotJobs. I didn't find the Yahoo! internship article I was looking for, but Yahoo! does have some other good resources on the subject, including Yahoo! Answers and their directory of Internships.

That said, another thing I found via Ian: Argh, it's L-U-T-H-O-R you dimwits! Which reminds me, I need to get S4 of "Lois and Clark." I actually "need" a lot of things lately. It's good I haven't gone and bought them all yet; I'm not broke, but there are so many things, and prioritizing them in order of real "need"/importance is actually pretty hard.

Opinions? What should be #s 1, 2, and 3?
eBags.com Kensington wheeled leather laptop case - $71.99
Japanimation.com Sailor Moon Memorial Music Box (10 CD Set) - $75.99
Amazon.com (or cheaper) Lois and Clark, Season 4 Boxed Set - $36.52-$41.99
Adobe Creative Suite 3 (Universal Binary) for Web - $499.00
Amtrak North America Rail Pass - $899.10 for 30 days of unlimited travel throughout the US, including a leg in Canada on VIA Rail
Something else...?

Thing is, if I'm saving up for the Rail Pass, I have to save up for where I'm going to stay, necessities like food, and souvenirs, too. Who knows how much that'll add up to? I know I can stay at hostels, and Mom might even hook me up for at least one location (hopefully Washington D.C), and if I visited New York, I might be able to stay with a relative (though staying at the Essex House again would kick ASS, especially if I weren't SICK this time around!). I'd probably need to budget at least $1000 just for that, which brings up the possibility of getting a credit card to fund it, rather than just let that idea slip away based on my current funding. Getting paid once monthly isn't fun, and this month, because I missed a few days of work due to doctor's appointments, I didn't get paid as much as usual. :( Or I won't get paid as much as usual, I should say. I haven't gotten paid yet; I just filled out the time sheets. Feels kind of old-fashioned.

Still waiting for my bookcase in the mail. Need to clean my room. And this weekend I wanted to go to Topanga Canyon to look into more pantsuits (and jackets), but James (cousin, son of Jill) is having his birthday party (Pirate-themed! Wahaha!) which I should probably go to (and what could I get James that he probably doesn't already have? I mean, all the games I know he likes are ones he already owns! Unless I get him Katamari or a GameStop gift card...). And now Apple ProCare members also get this One on One training, so I can sit down with an "Expert" and find out all there is to know about iPhoto and GarageBand without waiting for a workshop with a good time to show up on the Northridge store calendar. They have sucky dates for this weekend though-- nothing on Sunday, only Friday and Saturday evening, which is cutting it close if I have other plans at Jill's. But that can wait, I guess.

I don't know, I guess I just feel kind of busy and addled lately, but I don't want to get stressed. I want massages more often. And appointments with cute physical therapists at school. *impish grin* Alas, I don't get to see said cute guy at my next appointment on Tuesday. :P But maybe someday... Hehe.

Current Mood: geeky
Current Music: Kotono Mitsuishi - Ai o Shinjiteru

Get your own valentinr

I really detest Valentine's Day. It's all commercialism and chocolate, and heck knows there's no one able or deserving enough to receive any handmade chocolate from me this year (the Japanese tradition for girls to give them to the boys they like, or men that they feel "obligated" to give chocolate to, FYI). But if some people think of me --through email, one of these little memes, or something else, it's nice. I'm not very big on spending time making Valentines like I used to as a kid, since it ends up being so heartbreaking to go through all that effort and not have anything in return... plus I don't want to send any mixed messages (as I'm apt to doing now that I'm older and supposedly wiser). So if anybody, y parents and grandparents might get a Valentine, with a digi-one out to my friends (if you want one).

I'm sure someday I might like it, but it, like Mother's Day, seems like an excuse for doing something that the people you care about most should be doing ALL YEAR LONG (and by that, I don't mean showering you with presents or chocolate, I mean being grateful for having you in their lives, and showing their appreciation without a holiday as a reason).

That said, today generally kicked butt. It was nice not having to wake up super-early for work (which I won't HAVE to do for the rest of the semester, if my schedule stays the same), and I did well in most of my classes today. I even stayed after for a while after JOUR 331 and talked to the Prof. about careers and such, and it was a great conversation. So maybe Scott's not so crazy with focusing on his career the way he is-- I might still be in college, but I do have to start considering my options, regardless of when I end up graduating. And to do what I supposedly "love" then I have to be willing to take risks and push myself in ways that I've always "justified" not doing before.

And the thought of going out there and JUST DOING IT really makes me happy. I managed to clean up the rec room a bit, get rid of my entire stack of old magazines, clean up a bit of my room (many books to get rid of, and hopefully soon, Yu-Gi-Oh cards, Valuable Books -after I scan the artwork- and maybe my Hot Gimmick manga, which I no longer like), and do a load of laundry in about an hour or so. I still have more laundry to do and my room to clean (MUST FIND PS2 MEMORY CARD!!!), and plenty of other errands (post office for mailing presents to Mom and Dad; need Dad's new address; must lecture Dad about bitching and/or suing landlords that cheat you of money due; must also get a ¥6000 international money order for sending to the International Center for my Yahoo! BB bill which I forgot about- yipes!).

Busy, busy, busy... but now I have to try and sleep and read Ch. 3 of my Editing book.

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: Home - Northridge, CA, USA

Rules: Each player of this game starts off with 10 weird things/habits/little known facts about yourself. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 10 weird habits/things/little known facts as well as state this rule clearly. At the end you need to choose some people to be tagged and list their names. No tagbacks.

( Maybe you didn't want to know... )

TAG!

mklutz,

dqbunny,

a_white_rain,

cutieme4u,

schmollieollie,

geniusgirl,

obabscribbler,

praiseofshadows

You Should Maybe Go to Grad School

Grad school may be the right choice for you, but you need to investigate further.
So put those studying skill to use, and pick a program that's perfect for you.
And make sure you're going for the right reasons - not just to avoid getting a job.

Should You Go To Grad School?

Ugh, I have a headache and SHOULD go back to sleep (even though it's already 8:30am), but I'm not really "tired," per se. And I still haven't found the combo page to my Master lock... I don't really want to buy a new one, even if they are cheap. What the heck did I write the combo on? And where's the original slip that came with the lock? I swore I had it somewhere near my desk...

Oh well, at least I emptied the boxes mom sent me (more art supplies and books... yay, room is a TOTAL mess), and I fixed up all the Chapter Notes for WDKY on Dragonfayth (all you people posting delish Seto x Anzu here on LJ, come on, share the wealth! Put it up on Dragonfayth so it can be easily found and favorited! That includes all the smut!) I'll re-read the whole fic soon and maybe make some progress with 25 before school starts on Monday. And today-- must go do some shopping, even if it's just shoes and a few books.

Current Mood: awake
Current Location: Home - Northridge, CA, USA

Back in the States. Have been for a few days, actually, spending all the time I could with Scott. Grandpa hasn't been feeling too well though, and that's got me worried... and I've got lots of cleaning and other random things to do. And the weather is weird. It's 64 degrees out-- balmy, considering it's supposed to be WINTER.

Okay, so I've got a few days before my United certificate expires, so I just want to buy my Spring Break trip and get it over with. But when I called Dad, he suggested I buy a one-way ticket first class, since we could drive down together (since we're both going back for Passover on April 7th). It's a great idea, but all the flights I've found going from LAX to SFO (Burbank to Oakland is out of the question; United doesn't do any non-stop flights in that direction from those airports) are $165 for first class at the lowest fare. And that's ONE WAY. When I was looking for round trips, it was only $98 or so, tax and fees inclusive. So even though I'd only pay $65 or so in the end (because of the certificate), is it really worth it to pay so much more for a ONE way trip? I've tried modifying the dates (I can do 3/30, 3/31, or 4/1), but it doesn't seem to make a difference. And the certificate HAS to be used on United.com, so I'm kind of stuck wondering what to do. Any suggestions?

I got into SDSU! Hahah. Scott just left here about an hour ago, and I called him to tell him, but basically everything's still up in the air because he doesn't have a steady job at the moment. He's looking into a cruise ship job (photography, that is), and he still has the option of applying for a teaching position somewhere through Oxford Seminars. To be honest, I don't like EITHER of those ideas, because it would take him far away from me, but I understand the necessity of putting career/money/stability/security first. Even if he were in San Diego, that's not really the proper way to have a relationship. An ideal relationship would have the people living within an hour or less of each other, not two hours and 250+ miles. So to be picky, we're not REALLY in a relationship, but I have absolutely zero interest in anyone else or meeting anyone else (which is why it partially bothers me when Scott gets so insistent on me "getting out more" and meeting people or "making friends," because to me, it often sounds like I'm bothering him or he wants me to meet others and not think of him so much). But if something happens and he CAN get a stable job he likes in San Diego, then I can move down there and we can have our own place. That would be kinda nice...

To-Do:
* Clean my room
* Pay Mom back
* Pay T-Mobile bill
* Buy school textbooks (within the next 2 weeks)
* Buy new boots ($25 off at DSW!)
* Spend my Borders Rewards Credit (probably on manga.)
* Buy an external HD? I can't believe I'm saying this, but 80GB doesn't seem like a lot with all the photos and music I have...
* Work on my scholarship paper!
* ~~Update 30kisses things that need to be updated...~~ (I'm downloading emails from that account again, so I should be on top of the claims list. Hopefully I'll still have the wonderful support of the other mods, too).
* ~~Watch An Inconvenient Truth and return it to Blockbuster tomorrow~~ (YOU MUST SEE IT. I don't usually go for things that are hype, but this is a damn good documentary, strongly supported, well-presented, and not too hard on the ears or the eyes. Watch it. Learn. DO SOMETHING.)
* Get involved in SOMETHING (club, NSCS, etc.) this semester... go out more. Not just 'cause Scott said to, but because I want to, anyway.

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: Home - Northridge, California, USA
Current Music: Vanessa Carlton ★ Pretty Baby (Be not Nobody)

Well, I did it. I spent ¥11,920 on my hair-- more expensive than I thought, because according to the stylist (who was a super-nice, gentle guy with nice style), a "C-Curl" (the kind I was hoping for) wouldn't produce the effect I wanted (something that I saw in Mina magazine-- sort of loose curls on the bottom half of my hair, with the rest being semi-wavy). What I ended up doing was paying ¥9000 in cash and putting the rest on my card, and I was hoping it didn't hit yet, but my account is already showing the deduction as on hold. To make matters "worse," the Skype payment that usually takes more than 2 weeks to go through went through, as did the charge for a taxi ride I took MONTHS ago. I still have enough for the extra suitcase on the way back, BUT ONLY ONE. I will raise holy hell if I have to if they even THINK about making me check my stupid blanket-and-cat in a bag, or if they say any of my bags are "overweight" (even though I do want to try and stuff the contents of some of my mailing boxes in my suitcase; I'm going to do my laundry tomorrow and put all my clothes in except for the Mon/Tues ones and my pajamas, and I hope there'll be enough room leftover for the stuff in the box so I can save ¥6000 that way).

I also made chocolate chip cookies, and they turned out pretty damn good if I do say so myself. I don't have to guilt over not giving Chisato or Hiromi a present from Hong Kong; I'll give them handmade chocolate chip cookies! Also, Holly's advice on using pancake mix to substitute for the baking powder (because why buy such a giant can when no recipe ever calls for more than a few teaspoons) worked quite well!

That said, my hair is SO DARK now, I wonder if it's even darker than my natural color. It's all ONE color, so I'm glad-- I'm done with all those crazy highlights and streaks and such. But as Holly said, from behind, you probably couldn't tell me apart from a Japanese person. And Baba will throw a fit, because she thinks I should be blonde. :P But I like it. It's a little frizzy and not as nicely curled as I hoped the perm would be, but I think if I buy some Product (mousse or wax or something), I can keep up the curls. I'm sure none of the pretty Japanese girls get those dos without ANY work involved... maintenance is key for all things beauty, no? Maybe on Monday I can use my bun-maker thing to roll up my hair so it'll curl overnight. :) I want to be pretty when Scott sees me, even though I'll be on an 11-hour flight...

What's left?
-Mail the Yahoo! modem back on Monday
-Mail some postcards and 2 packages, one to each parent (hence the reason why I'm hoping I can avoid paying the ¥6000 SLOW METHOD for the larger package)
-Finish every last shred of packing (that would include the random toiletries, a few pieces of dishware, and my bears which I could probably shove in the bag with Toro-kun)
-Pay the current Yahoo! BB bill (it seems as if my roommates were able to find out SOMETHING, but they couldn't take the faulty BBTV charge off, because I *DID* leave the set sitting around for a week, even though I never could connect it and take advantage of the most expensive thing on my last bill-- the Basic Channel Pack. But whatever, water under the bridge. They also couldn't find out what the next month's bill will be, but I have to arrange things with the Intl. Center and send THEM the money-- an International Postal Order, probably.)

I also updated Epiphany to eFiction 3.1 soon, but I have yet to finish deciding all the categories I want, creating ANY custom pages, creating a FAQ, or making the category images I want. But at least it's a step in the right direction.

And I got to see "Firewall" at last-- does Paul Bettany *EVER* play a good guy? I mean, he's so good at being evil. I wonder if that's just the way he looks-- something about his eyes, he just looks like the perpetual bad guy. Not that I think any actor should be consistently typecast-- they always manage to surprise us-- but from what I know of him, he's always playing some sort of bad guy.

Meanwhile, I still love Harrison Ford, even if he gets his ass handed to him more in "Firewall" than he ever did in any given "Indiana Jones" movie. I respect the guy a lot, and I enjoyed the movie. :)

And now... I'm actually pretty damn tired. I fell asleep a few times while I was getting my hair done, but it'll certainly be nice to sleep in FOR REAL tonight. Except ugh, I think the cookie dough's catching up with me...

ONLY 3 MORE DAYS!

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: Tokiwa University International Exchange Hall, Mito, Ibaraki, Japan

So it's 3:37am on Saturday here, and I'm only awake because I went to bed EARLY (I was exhausted by 8:30pm) and didn't eat dinner. Later today (which feels "technically" like tomorrow), I have to go to both the Hyaku-En (aka Daiso) and Kasumi (aka Supermarket) and get some necessities, but generally speaking I'm still yen pinching. Thankfully I only have to deposit 30,000 yen by November 27, and the rest by December 5. I think I can manage that, even if (alas), there's no payday in-between now and then. I got paid today, and I went to the post office and did a transfer, but because I had no idea if a "bank code" was my routing number (which I put) or not, they have to do the slow, probably-by-mail transfer. -_- It takes a week. But I can just go to the post office again, withdraw cash from my bank account, and then fork it over to them with the IACE invoice saying "here you go, can you make this transfer for me?" No harm, no foul.

I do have a question though: for all you Mac users, is there a BitTorrent client that lets you choose WHICH files from inside a torrent that you want to download? I'm actually trying to catch up with the NANA anime, and two currently-seeding groups are doing batch downloads. Alas, my HD ran out of space at episode 10, and Tomato Torrent didn't seem to want to let me choose which files I wanted to finish downloading (11, 12, and 13). But I don't want to re-download 1-10 again (after I burned them to DVD and then deleted them from my HD)! Maybe there's something I can do in AppleScript, or should I just look for a better client? Or will that disrupt the hash, and I would have to re-download ALL of 11-13 again, even though I already have the majority of the episodes? I tried looking for individual episode downloads from the trackers, but they don't offer them anymore-- and honestly, I am a bit picky about my subtitle standards. I'd prefer Live-eviL or Ureshii, especially since they have the most seeders, too.

Does anyone want to help me with weekly_ygo? I feel silly for asking this again, but those that volunteered before I left for Japan now have other commitments, and while I DO have regular internet access, I'm also pretty damn busy with teaching English, writing papers for all my classes, applying to SDSU, and so on. So I could use a helping hand, even if it's just someone who browses

playthedamncard for updates and emails them to me. I MIGHT be able to handle the rest, but I thought I would ask anyone who has a free hour or two each week if they can help out. I will also be out of town (i.e. out of Japan/away from Internet) from Dec. 23-Jan. 2, which means I'll ESPECIALLY need help during that time, unless I put the community on suspension and resume when I have time. Demoerin said she can return in February, which is most likely true for me as well... but if anyone can help, please, please speak up!

Current Mood: aggravated

ETA (2/18/07): This post was formerly a paid post sponsored by PayPerPost. However, because such posts are against LiveJournal's TOS, I've removed the "ppp" tag, any sponsorship notices, and the link which I was paid to include. However, because the words and opinion in this entry are still my own, I'm keeping this entry up. I am still a member of the mailing list on the "Productivity 501" website, and I find it very interesting and helpful, so I recommend you Google it if you find this entry interesting.

I remember a few years ago, I started to believe that there was an anime for any subject. Go to OtakuWorld and you'll see anime listed under the most strange of "genres," like Flowers, Mega-Conglomerates, or Cooking. So it probably shouldn't be too surprising that there's a website for practically everything, too. But part of me is still a bit skeptical that people would take time to purchase, design, and maintain a website for something that doesn't bring them any money. But then, here I have my own domain that never generates a cent for me, my own LiveJournal, and plenty of other such places. I guess personal satisfaction is a big drive for many people-- and that's a very good thing, because if you truly want to be PROUD of something you present to the public, then you will do your best to make it visually appealing, and have content that's useful.

So go figure, I find one such site... about productivity. It's kind of strange saying it, but that's what the site's about-- being productive, becoming MORE productive, and HELPING you to increase your productivity. (I used to have a folder on my computer with all my Microsoft Office programs called "Productivity." For some reason, the more I say it, the more I grin. I wonder why?)

I browsed through the site, and right off the bat, I found something interesting: The Two Types of Technology Users. It's funny, because in my time working in "tech support," I've recognized that there are different types of people that use technology, but I've never thought to try and class them before. Now that I've read this, the two classes of tech users actually make sense.

( What kind of tech user are YOU? )

Oh, and this made me giggle: The Sacred To-Do List. I always felt kind of silly making endless To-Do Lists. In fact, my obsession with little pieces of paper led to me writing all number of fanfics, sketching all sorts of things when I was supposed to be paying attention to class/work... but still, I thought of myself as productive, because I didn't attempt to REMEMBER, REMEMBER, REMEMBER! Having something written down and where I can see/find it ('find' being the keyword when you're disorganized like I am. Productivity and organization DO go hand in hand) was the best. At least now I'm getting better at actually crossing out the things I've done, and throwing the list out when EVERYTHING is done, so I don't have millions of scrap papers lying about my room. Am I really silly for putting such emphasis on a list of random things I think of? After reading this, I don't think so anymore. :)

Current Mood: productive
Current Location: International Exchange Hall, Tokiwa University, Mito, Japan
Current Music: Tomoe Shinohara - Ultra Relax (Ultra Relax)

Ugh. Just ugh.
First, I managed to get to the Mito Central Post Office to return the BBTV box, mail my mom's Christmas present, pay my NTT bill, and send out two more postcards (

katiat325 and

nekokilala, they're on their way!). But despite my best efforts and planning, I was about 10 minutes late to EC... and being late to ANYTHING in Japan is a CAPITAL SIN. Which is ironic, because that's only true if it's important (i.e. money is at stake), and sometimes that can be subjective. So I got the guilt laid on me MAJORLY by one of the workers at the International Center.

Second, I've been putting off my grocery and other shopping for a few days now, but I finally went and did it about a half hour ago. I knew my arms would suffer for how much I'd been carrying, but what ended up happening was that I started feeling sick to my stomach (still am, actually) at the store, and all the way back to the dorms. I think it was the tomato pizza I had for lunch (around 3pm; I was so exhausted after Japanese class that my "short nap" turned into "sleep through lunch and your tutor meeting again", so I picked up my paycheck "late" as well... one more reason why Nagatomi-san wasn't too happy with me today, though when Japanese women are mad, it's not their words that will kill you, it's their SMILE). I already took my stomach meds and went to the bathroom TWICE, but I've been feeling hot flashes... so I'm eating a simple meal (a piece of toast, if you wanna call that a "meal") and then going to bed. I have to wake up at 6am or so tomorrow to get to the International Center by 7am... we're going to Nikko, and sick or no, there's NO WAY I am missing that. Let's just hope I remember everything and aren't late AGAIN.

Anyway, I got to thinking that with all the bills and things that I've unexpectedly had to deal with, maybe I should start selling things on eBay. I know I can sell on eBay USA from Japan, the question is, what? I already have that oversized cupcake tray, never before used... Christine thinks that the fake nails (pre-decorated) might be a big hit, because they don't have ones that are quite so "cute" in America (for so cheap). I don't know, what do you think? What would you like (from Japan) that you would be willing to buy on eBay, either through Auction or Buy It Now?

The obvious answer for many, I think, is things like anime, figurines, manga, and doujinshi. The problem with that is, specific titles or items tend to be difficult to find here in Japan, just due to the wide variety of what's available. You're not guaranteed to find the same item from store to store, even if that store DOES specialize in those goods, or even if those stores are part of the same chain. Anime is its own problem because it's Region 2 only, and for the most part, you're not going to find many bidders for it. However, figurines, manga, doujinshi, and possibly soundtracks or movies might find an audience. The problem is, the latter two are quite expensive here in Japan, and in order for me to justify buying it, I'd have to know for sure that someone would buy it from me-- with a profit.

Of course, if anyone has other ideas (preferably the kind that don't involve lots of work at Customs), please, let me know!

I would like to justify wanting to buy Photoshop or the whole Creative Suite, but I *CAN* theoretically wait on that. I might even be able to buy the one here in Japan, IF IT WORKS on an MBP. I was also thinking of Quicken, so I can keep track of my finances better. I'm so out of it though, I can't think. I really ought to sleep.

Current Mood: sick

Let's see...
* Upgraded Dragonfayth and the site-that-will-be-known-as-Epiphany to eFic 2.0.5 with patches from 4/27 and 4/29.
* Added Story Type and LJ Link mod; still need to add Featured Author, Poll, and others
* Screwed around with this new option in cPanel called ClickBe! Made a weird, semi-ugly version of a new layout, seen here. Has anyone used this ClickBe! thing before? I can't figure out how to change the masthead, add my site title, change the name of links, get information to show up on the main page, or get more than 2 links to show up in the links page.

I also talked to Scott for nearly an hour tonight-- turns out he's not so worried about his phone costs, because he accidentally already paid his May bill, and he even had credit leftover! Hah, funny how that works out. It's almost weird that we're talking so much ABOUT so much, because really, we go all over the map with our conversations. One of the big ones is us going up to San Francisco from 7/17 to 7/21 or 22, though, and I'm not sure how we're going to do it-- drive, plane, or train are all feasible activities, with plane just being slightly more expensive and ludicrous compared to the others. It's quicker, too. Anyway, he's still got to find the time off, and I have to get the money from working.

>_> Dr. Lopez hasn't gotten back to me yet about Tokiwa's credit transferring, or whether the courses I plan to take are upper-division or unit equivalent. Prof. Hirota might be able to help, but she won't be here or available until next Thursday! ARGH!

Still need to:
* clean room
* write papers
* play FFX and FFX-2 (I WILL BEAT YOU, VIA INFINITIO!)
* scrapbook
* figure out website crap
* watch Indiana Jones
* stop staying up so damn late when I WAS tired before!

Meeeeeeeeeeh. Lately I just don't have much to say. It doesn't come out right, anyway.

Current Mood: apathetic
Current Location: Home

Ah, I've been suckered. Suckered like a fish. A seersucker fish!

I've been caught in the wave of Da Vinci Code movie madness, and now I'm on Level 2 of the challenges. I just finished the Sudoku-like symbol challenge #2, and it took me a while... but I did it without hints or resetting the puzzle! I did draw a diagram with highlighted regions in my notebook, though. :D I feel smart! Tee hee hee!

I have a test coming up in Japanese in about a half hour... but as always, I think I'll do okay on it. I usually get a low A or a high B on my tests. (The thing that always gets me is stoke order of kanji.) I also "skipped" English class last night (I had a really bad headache and what felt like the onset of an ear infection. I took some painkillers and antibiotics, and was out from 4:15pm to 8pm.) and now I have to do my paper OR ELSE! I actually DID finish reading Kate Chopin's "The Storm," but as my coworker is so fond of pointing out, I procrastinated to the last minute, so I didn't have any portion of the paper done.

Same goes for my WWA paper, but I'm DEFINITELY going to get going on that tonight, if possible (hey, why not start re-reading Yoshimoto and/or Battle Royale while I'm waiting for eFiction to upgrade? The upload will probably take a while for both sites...). There's 2 books that I referenced in my proposal though, and I can't check them out from the library. :P

And then there's my profile, where my lousy teacher thinks the lengthy email I got from Kysra wasn't nearly enough, and I need MORE MORE MORE! (So Kysra, ready yourself for MORE MORE MORE!)

Money isn't coming fast enough. ;_; It's not that I'm buying things unnecessarily (though I could have waited to buy the Indiana Jones trilogy), but payments! Yicky payments! $6/mo. for the domain is chicken-scratch, but I paid $35 for my Hawaii pictures to get developed, and I'll be damned if I just let them sit around and collect dust. I have two major projects this summer:
* WEBSITES! Get them up and running and fabulous!
* SCRAPBOOK! because it's long overdue.
Also FANFIC WRITING, GET READY FOR JAPAN, WORK BUTT OFF, SEE SCOTT, GO TO FANIME, GO TO SAN FRANCISCO JUL 17, etc. etc. These all involve little sub projects, like cleaning my room, giving my wardrobe and overhaul, buying a laptop, buying plane tickets to and from San Francisco (and if Scott comes, tix for him too- though I certainly wouldn't object to him paying for his own tix. But I don't want him to take Greyhound again! :P), blah blah, things I'm forgetting, blah.

Oh, and what am I going to do about medical insurance, my prescriptions while I'm in Japan, my cell phone, etc.? It's one thing to maintain my bank account, but I don't want to be stuck with surcharges for international withdrawls (Traveler's Cheques, maybe?), and carrying around 10,000 yen bills is like asking to lose it ("it" being the money or my sanity, take your pick) or go on a spontaneous shopping spree.

BLAH! I should head to class now, squeeze in the extra study time, and then pray for the test to end quickly so I can get lunch before work.

Current Mood: anxious
Current Location: Collaboratory, CSUN

I had a weird dream last night/this morning. I get the feeling I've had the dream before, but I don't know from when or where. I should have written it down when I woke up, and it was more vivid, but I stupidly dismissed it as too weird. I remember there being a gang of people on motorcycles/scooters, but instead of the "leader" being in the front of the group, s/he was in the back (there might have been 2 leaders, one male, one female). They all had one intensely bright headlight on their motorcycles as they drove past -during what looked like overcast daylight- a rest stop of some sorts, like the kinds right off a highway.

For whatever reason, I (whoever "I" was) was coming out of the wooden building, and I got shot in the leg. I remember stumbling around and screaming profanities at the idiots, something like they'd ruined something and they didn't understand (or was that the female leader yelling that at ME?) and then I wasn't in a rural rest stop any more, but in a police station. o_o; There's something important that I'm forgetting too...

I tried to close my original PayPal account yesterday, which spells the end of a long time (3+ years, I think) of account history, my Verified status and good Buyer reputation... but it needs to be done. They can't change the name on the account from my mom's (I opened it under her name when I first bought something off eBay when I was 16-17) to mine. But I had both my anzu.kaiba email and my account/routing info already attached to that account, so before I can add that info to my NEW account (under my name), I have to wait for this measly $1 transaction (to AnimeMusicVideos.org) to go through from my bank account, and THEN close the original account. Then I can add my bank account to my NEW account, which so far has only my new gold MasterCard (WaMu switched from Visa. I guess if the cards DO the same thing, essentially, I have no reason to complain, except that I have to set up Auto-Pay for the new card number) and my anzu.kaiba email.

To Do List:
1 - WalMart. Yes, spawn of evil, seat of darkness... also a good place to get cheap home fixings, such as compressed air, electronic dusting spray, switch and socket faceplates, and possibly frames and nails for the pictures and mirror we need to re-hang in the rec room bathroom.

2 - Clean room. Ever since I moved the computer up there (Did I not mention it? I did it the other night! Aside from some insanity with the wireless adapter last night -which I hope does NOT continue- everything works out great) my room's been a mess, because I had to clear off my desk to make room for the Mega-Monitor. I'd save up to get a flat screen LCD monitor, but why? I'll be leaving in September anyway, and if Grandpa gets himself a laptop -or if *I* get one, what's the point?

3 - Custom air filter. I don't know what was wrong with the one we had, but Dad knows more about it than I do. Now I have to find a place that MAKES them!

4 - Papers! That is, English paper (on Kate Chopin's "The Storm"), Women Writers of Asia paper (on Banana Yoshimoto, Naoko Takeuchi, Kazuki Takahashi, and Novala Takemoto/some other male Japanese contemporary fiction writer), and a Journalism editorial... of which I have a few ideas, ranging from the rudeness/disgusting habits of students these days to complaints "from the other side of the desk," i.e. from the people like me that spend all day helping people fix THEIR computer problems. There's also the profile that's due by the end of May, which I hope to do on Kysra. I think I'll formulate some questions now and email them to her... ~~er, if I can remember her email. o_o~~

What else? Ah, yes, I'd love to actually WRITE MY DAMN FICS, GET SOME ICONS MADE (need inspiration! Styles! Trends!), PLAY SOME VIDEO GAMES, take a bath surrounded by incense, candles, and pikake bath crystals, work on my webpages, and probably a ton of other things I'm forgetting. *brain massage*

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: Collaboratory, Oviatt Library, CSUN

I'm not someone who just sits around and writes in LJ all day. Honest. I actually go to university. :P And today I got my 10-question Weather & Climate test back, along with my "midterm" (I guess?) paper on traveling from Crescent City across the state (describing the geographical features we'd seen on our way). I got a 80% on the first one, and a 14.5/15 points on the second. So it's not perfect, but I'm pleased. :)

o_o... would someone please tell me why I have 132 userpics? No, not really-- I only have 81, but there are 132 SLOTS. ;_; That's too many! I NEED MORE ICONS! (I don't have that many lying around... at least, not that many that I haven't used already and WANT to use again)

Too many people have birthdays in March. *shakes fist* And me without my rainbow-colored font colorizer. Maybe I'll take a page from

crpsaiyan's book and make a massive monthly-themed birthday image and put everyone's name on it. :P

Speaking of birthdays and birthday-type food, does America have a Cupcake Day? I mean, we have National Craft Month and Hug Your Dog day (maybe?)... every day and every month is something; every color and pattern has some sort of significance. We're holiday-crazy. I want a Cupcake Day.

mklutz says she had one on the anniversary of her school (founding, perhaps?) and they actually had a RAINBOW of CUPCAKES. Who the hell wouldn't want one of those? I've actually been (unreasonably) craving cupcakes for a while. Just one, delicious rainbow-cupcake, and I'd be a happy camper. In the meantime, CUPCAKE DAY, DAMMIT! Quite possibly on my birthday.

Hawaiian cupcakes? *shrugs* Why not?

Back to the fun that is Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease, I find it incredibly difficult to do that whole "wiggle" thing where you shift the top part of your body to the side, but without moving your hips or feet. As in, moving just your chest using your ribcage. o_o... This makes it harder to do the full body roll, because even though I can do the "Cat Cowl" thing, trying to combine all the moves into one causes me to become really short of breath, for some weird reason. But for everything else, I breathe just fine. I know I'll never be able to do the workout on Mondays, because I'm so busy, but I can do it for the rest of the week.

Scott finally "guessed" (I dropped about 10 tons worth of hints; sometimes that boy is so adorably dense) about what I'd got, and he was pleasantly 'surprised.' He was working out too, to build up his own endurance (and for me, he said. That makes me giggle). So now we're "even." He's definitely coming up here for Passover now, just to see if he can get a sneak preview of me supposedly knowing how to striptease. *laughs* something tells me I'm going to turn into a potted plant and not be able to do it without looking stupid.

When I have some free time:
* Get a wireless card
* Move everything around/clean for Passover (since I won't be here during Spring Break)
* Finish up my scholarship applications
* Finish up my 5 on-hold fics for

30kisses - "Kaiba the Virgin Sacrifice," "Girls' Club", "Sight Unseen," "Voice," and "Someone Else's Wife." Just by looking at the titles, which TWO would you want to read the most? (

atlantian_magic, if you read this, your choice is important. It's your birthday coming up, and I wanna give you a fic. :P)
* Layouts? Everywhere (LJ, seventh-star.net, etc). I need to get the site-formerly-known-as-AMC up. I need a new site title. HELP!
* Tax return? Hey, it was $100 I didn't have before. And now the damn school is jumping down my throat over it. So I need a 'dependent' verification form (shiz. Am I still considered a dependent in school/legal/medical terms, even though Mom doesn't financially support me?), her tax return (copy), and my tax return (ugh).

So much for the end of stress. I can't wait until spring break.
19 MORE DAYS!!!

A little bit more of a lighthearted post. I haven't gotten too much done today, and I still feel rather weird/sad, but at least I have enough to do tomorrow to keep me occupied:
* Midterm paper for Mythology
* Memorization for Japanese
* Dates for Tokiwa Application
* Check Waseda Application
* Clean room
* Work on scrapbooking?

Anyway, I just finished watching the last episode of Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid. I'm still in a bit of shock that it was another short series (only 13 episodes), but as is the par with FMP, the way they ended it was the way it "should" be, and not necessarily the way the sappy fangirl in me wanted it. Nonetheless, there is more than enough material (both in the novelizations of "Owaru Day by Day" and "Continuing On My Own", plus the FMP: Sigma manga adaptation of ODBD. And there's the short stories and "A Dancing Very Merry Christmas", too!) to work with a sequel, and the anime did seem to drop some hints.

Both the novels (I read everything that's been released so far, except for a few chapters of ODBD) and the anime supply people with so much goodness, it's a wonder there aren't more FMP fics out there. ^_^ Being a diehard Kaname x Sousuke fan, you just know I'll be contributing to the mess. (

mklutz, expect Chapter 2 of "Counting" soon!) I hardly doubt that means I'll be dropping out of the YGO fandom, just that for once (in a long time) I will actually be dividing my time!

Now I just need some good FMP icons! :O

Current Mood: crazy

Well, today was better than yesterday, purely because:
a) I didn't embarrass myself in Japanese class and lose credit (when I shouldn't have)
b) I got to see Scott (even though he was rather difficult to get along with, let alone TALK to)
c) I woke up determined to make this day better, and I think that actually made the difference.

The downside is that I'm still very much worried about the laptop that I blew so much money on, and my current sorry state of funds. I also find myself getting bored by everything I do, lacking inspiration or motivation to do the things I want and NEED to do, and generally becoming very cynical about everything around me. I want a challenge, I want freshness. That doesn't mean I want to change my religion, rearrange my room, or start eating an all-sushi diet. But I *AM* trying to be more fit (I signed up for the gym at last and had my first workout session of this week; I would have done another today, but I thought it would be yucky to get all sweaty and then go to class), eat better (note: foods I once enjoyed make me sick now-- that's how healthy my body is!), and do things that will improve my life, even if I don't see some immediate benefit to me.

With the laptop, I'm still waiting on the Drivers and Utilities CD. It's not that I think I'm lacking much in terms of drivers; all the necessary devices work just fine. But I do want to have all the original Dell programs that were likely included in the cost of my laptop (Norton and WordPerfect excluded), and the Owner's Manual. I also wonder if maybe some obscure driver NOT listed in the Device Manager has something to do with why the computer is so sporadically slow to shut down, open up some programs, or download email. Worse, when I try to use Firefox on my laptop now, I get the browser with the title bar of the webpages, but no tabs, no screen-- just white! It's freaking me out, and I don't know what to do.

I'm also waiting on my new Kingston 1 GB memory chip (which I paid a lot for, so it better damn well make a difference), my PS2 (I pray that it got to Dave okay; he hasn't emailed me back yet), and a bank statement, because WaMu online is being a bitch.

I want to have more time to myself, to actually SLEEP, perhaps get some more writing/work (icons!) done, webpage design, and the inevitable CLEANING OF ROOM. The right side of my room is all paperwork; the leftside is all clothes that need to be put away or hung up. ;_;

When I finally DO finish my icon sets for

iconfiend100 and

7sinvirtueicons I want to pimp them over at the usual places:

goodygoicons and the like. The same applies to my fics; when I release a new chapter of WDKY, I have to remember to post announcements at

setoanzulove and

pro_anzu_fans along with

ygowritersguild (any others?). Same goes for the completed

30kisses set! X_X I really think I need to make lots of colorful to-do and checklists that are laminated or something.

I really want to be enthusiastic about October and November:

* October 1st is the all-day Clubs & Organizations Recognition Conference. Workshops and free food = fun!
* October 1st-5th, Baba and Grandpa are away in Seattle. PARTAY!
* October 3rd is the Student Development and International Programs (SD&IP) workshop for potential Study Abroad students. I plan on commanding and conquering the competition!
* October 3rd or the 13th I can apply at Red Robin. Hopefully that will lead to a new, more challenging job where I can make friends, get good pay, and learn more.
* October 30th is Daylight Savings Time-- one more hour of sleep!
* October 31st is Halloween/Samhain, my favorite holiday EVAR! If only I could come up with something cool to do/dress up as...
* November 1st-2nd, there are two Leadership Institute workshops I'd like to attend.
* November 20th is Mai's birthday, and I'd like to have several of the late 20s WDKY chapters out by then, when Mai has some pretty big, kick-ass roles.
* November 21st is Scott's 26th birthday, and even if we're not together, he is still technically the best friend I have down here, and someone very dear to me, so I want to think of something special to do/give.

There's cool stuff coming up this month, too. September 25th is both a speech about the miracles of twins (too bad it's at CalTech; I have to find a speech to attend for Story #2 for my WRP2 class), plus a scrapbooking workshop at this lady's house in Granada Hills. September 26th, Eva comes back to SoCal. September 29th, UCLA starts and Alias premieres.

The big kicker, as I kind of mentioned before, is my lack of funds. Food, clothing, treats (manga), and all the computer stuff I bought has added up, and now I don't have the $400 to take a Driver's Ed course, which I really wanted to do before December. So I sent Mom an email (early Xmas present?) and asked her to call me back, but I haven't heard from her yet. I can't ask her over the phone... ;_; If I get the money (regardless of who) I will take and pass that damn course. I want my driver's license, dammit, even if I don't have a car.

( A slight update on my 30kisses )

I have to do my

ygo_lyricwheel entry soon, plus there's (as I said before) all those icons... and hey,

rhapsody_dragon, we need to brainstorm more themes for

ygo_offtopicon ne? I have a good idea... ^_^;

Current Mood: blah
Current Music: Meu - Rashiku Ikimashou

Like Mamono, I'm a bit busy but somehow not feeling it. Now that I've resolved my computer issues (I can transfer things from one comp to the other easily; I bought a memory card by Kingston/1 GB), I'm better. Scott's also agreed to go with me to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) museum when he gets back from San Diego next weekend; there's a Star Wars costume exhibit there through December. I also have to get tickets for the King Tut exhibit, because I will hate myself forever if I don't go to that while it's here in LA, even if it is at LACMA.

Tonight was a pretty defining night though, because I have resolved once and for all to get my freakin' driver's license. Seriously, I can't depend on my grandparents for rides, but I hate worrying people (or worrying myself) when I claim that I can do what I did in San Francisco and WALK everywhere. Northridge doesn't have the transportation San Francisco does, which is the big pitfall of a suburban neighborhood like this; it's really a sub-town of LA, it's got its own area codes and zip codes, but it has none of the ease of getting around that a big city does. So I think I'll stick with DriversEdDirect.com and try and take lessons through them. Where I will get a car from is another matter entirely.

Also, a bit of a to-do list:
* More ideas/forums/layouts for the

betasquad forum (the forum directory will be locked on opening, so only people from the LJ community will have the PWD to access it. This will help prevent spam and indexing.)
* Open up the

betasquad LJ community to all fandoms, but lock the membership so people must apply
* WEBSITES!! zOMG, must update Blue Eyes and Apricots, Dragonfayth, and Darkness Rising.
* Get the hell started on

ygo_icontests, and keep track of all the icontests. Maybe enter a few more than I have been as of late...
* Work on my entries for

iconfiend100 and

7sinvirtueicons
* Work more on WDKY19 (

atlantian_magic? guardian_kysra? Actually Kysra, you just stay safe. I'd rather dump a bucketload of steamy SxA goodness on you as a THANK GOD YOU'RE OKAY present once you're all safe and sound again.)
* Work on CO7 (I've already finished Chapter 1, and I have a nummy idea for some of the "later early chapters"
* Read all my books (1 for Harper Teen, finish Genpei for myself, 3 ~~sappy~~ modern romances, and 1 new Shopaholic novel in paperback).
* zOMG Story #1 for WRP2, VComm homework + reading, Mythology assignment on Yahoo! Group (?)
* Clean closet/room

Current Mood: tired

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Page Summary

Page generated Jun. 14th, 2025 05:19 am

MILES to GO || before I sleep

lovely // dark // deep

Entries tagged with to-do

Dou me vouz?

Give me pep!

Wake-Up Call

&THEfinals;

There's gotta be a better way

At least make sense

The Final Toilet

Browsin'

~Risk~

Starless Night

Is it worth it?

Back in black

Well PHOO!

If you can think of a word, there's probably a website for it

Totally not feeling it

Oh, the insanity

What in god's name is a yottagram?

You should know that I get what I want

I need to establish an American Cupcake Day.

Ano kaze no youni

Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints

Shine, bright morning light