Only two more days left of Loeb, and then it's off to the Real Canadian Superstore for me.  The change in jobs is by no means a step forward, more like a step sideways.  It has its good points and bad points.  On the one hand, I sort of have to leave all my work friends behind, and my pay will go way, way down.  On the other hand, since I will now be walking to work, I'll be saving up to 2+ hours of travel time each day, as well as the hefty cost of taking the bus.  So, it's nothing to get excited over, but at least it's a bit of a change.  I am looking forward to the saved time, so that I can spend it on more worthwhile things.



The power supply in my computer went kaput, so it had to be replaced.  Alex told me he "plugged his in, and it worked" so I expected the power supply to be some kind of cord coming out of the computer, with maybe an adapter-type box or something attached.  But when it came time to unplug the power cable on my compy, it seemed that it didn't actually have any kind of doodads on it, and the only special-looking cable was the one coming from my portable hard-drive.  So, I took the power cable in anyway, and asked the computer guys if that was the power supply, and if they could replace it with a new one.  Apparently, this was wrong of me, and those who know what a power supply ACTUALLY is, will find this story extremely hilarious.
It turns out, a "power supply" is some kind of ginormous box inside the computer itself, which has several complicated tentacles plugging into about 150 different pieces of the computer's organs.  It seemed like an insurmountable task, but I figured I could at least do the unplugging part before Alex got home from work, so that would be done.  And then he called, and told Steph to tell me that I "can't possible plug it in wrong" because whatever doesn't belong won't fit anyway.  Although this did not give me any new information per se, it nonetheless encouraged me to take a further stab at it, and in the end I successfully replace the power supply with a minimum or fuss and only a slight bit of muss!  I sort of forgot to plug the DVD-burner back in, and now it won't burn things as fast as it used to, but at least I did it!  This proves I am a computer genius!  Five points for me!!



Jon showed me this cool webcomic, called The Perry Bible Fellowship, and it is the awesomest ever.  I guess I tend to say a lot of things are the awesomest ever, but... just look at this!  And this!!  I recommend it to anyone and everyone.



Umm...  I forget what else is new with me these days.  I had a bunch of stuff to say, but now I don't remember.  Well, what's going on with everybody else?  Somebody should say something good.  Ta ta for now, until I think of a new thing!

P.S.  Check this thing out, I thought it was neat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl6hNj1uOkY

The fish are not biting.  I've been dropping resumes off at several strategic locations around my neighborhood, but nobody's calling me for some strange reason.  Do they not know what a five-star employee they'd be getting by hiring me?  Granted, just because I dropped off a resume doesn't mean they are going to suddenly going to realize they need more people, but man!  How annoying.  There's even this café down the road that I applied to, and they have a sign out that says "HELP WANTED."  One would think that would mean they are actually hiring.  Hiring, my ass!  Wait, no, that's the problem -- they're not hiring my ass.  I don't see how they could hope to get better than me, frankly.  I'm not in school, can work any time, and have 4.5 years of experience in being nice to jerk-ass customers who don't deserve the time of day from me.  It's either me, or Jonny High School, who is going to work like maybe 1 or 2 shifts per week after school, if his mom doesn't call in and say he can't work because he has to study for exams (we get those at my current job, and it's pretty pathetic).
Anyways, maybe it's time to kick this whole job-application thing up a notch.  I really wanted to find a job within walking distance, but if that isn't going to happen, I guess I can still find somewhere else to work that is closer and easier to get to than Loeb.  I mean, it'd be near impossible to find somewhere worse than Loeb, so I can't lose.  Maybe I could try one of the EB Games stores, and up my nerd points a little.  I feel they've been slipping recently.  I mean, I've had Final Fantasy VI for gameboy for months now, and I'm still nowhere in it.  And Okami?  Also, nowhere.  I managed to beat FFXII, but just minimally.  I got barely any of the secret stuff, almost none of the optional summons, and Omega Weapon remains alive and well.  The old Nathan would never have allowed these crimes to occur.


Speaking of nerd games and whatnot, that damn PSP is really creeping up on me as a system I wish I had.  Like, I always thought of it as a little weiner box that didn't have any  good games on it, but it just seems like I'm seeing all these cool RPGs for it...  I'll see some cool character artwork, and become interested, only to have my hopes crushed by a little PSP logo.  There's even going to be Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid games for the PSP some time in the future!  How can I not play those?!  Still, even those can't warrant purchasing a crappy little handheld system, especially when it still costs... what, like 300 dollars or something?  Screw that, I could put money towards a real system.
I have similar feelings towards Nintendo's DS thing-a-ma-bob.  It has countless games for it now which perhaps I wouldn't want to buy, but I sure damn well want to play at some point, if possible.  But how can these companies think they can get away with charging so much for portable games?  They cost nearly as much as regular (read: real) games.  With only a few exceptions, portable games are all-around inferior to home console games.  They're generally much shorter, look crappier, are less involving, have crappy music, and have generally far less effort put into their production.  But, some of them are still good fun, and what's worse, some of them are even unique, with no home console equivalent.  I suppose I should be glad that the market has such diversity, but part of me misses the days when there was only NES and Gameboy to play games on, with a only a tiny bit of barely-worth-mentioning competition from Sega Genesis, just to keep Nintendo on its toes.  Now we have Nintendo and Sony and Microsoft and Nokia and General Electric and President's Choice and McDonalds and Pepsi and Hitler and whoever else making videogame consoles, and so there are good titles spread out across half a billion star systems, and I have no hope of ever playing a fair chunk of them, even if I had the money.  Grrrr!!




Let's see, what else is new...  well, the other night I got home from work like TWO HOURS late.  One hour because none of my stuff added up correctly (if I worked in a REAL store, this wouldn't be an issue) -- the other hour because my bus was being detained by the police.  I get on, and for some reason everyone's all panicking and whatnot because apparently some kids were throwing rocks or sticks at the bus earlier, and broke some of the windows, and some girl got her face all gashed-up and bloody.  It looked like she had been hit in the eye/temple area, which I know is generally not a good place to be hit, and yet the bus driver took quite some amount of coaxing before he did anything about it or called anyone for assistance.  Anyways, we were stopped outside the hospital for a long time, and the whole process was only lengthened, I'm sure, by the fact that the bus was packed with screaming high school kids who CLAIMED not to know the kids who threw the rocks, and yet sure had a lot to say, somehow.


Anyways, I'm outta here.  Hope everybody's well!  Somebody else post something!

So, I'm having a big day so far, at least as far as Nathan Standards go.  Got up and started my day off right with some delicious burnt waffles, burnt bacon and burnt eggs (this is what you get when you can't cook), but they were still edible, so who am I to complain.  And then I polished off the ol' resume and hoofed it around Westboro a bit to shop myself around.  I applied to a few places, but nothing fancy.  Just the grocery store down the street, and the LCBO (I doubt they're hiring at all, though), and I even applied to Tiggywinkles, which seems like a weird place for a Nathan to work, but what the hey.  I thought about applying to that little café Steph said was hiring, but it looks like a creepy little old lady restaurant or something, and I didn't even want to go in there.

So now, we play the waiting game...  no one seems to be phoning yet, but you'll see....  soon the lines will be on fire with all the activity.


Now, I have a question for the anime nerds in the audience...  are there quite a few French historical animes out there?  Because of the few I know of, they seem to be really awesome.  First of all, one of my favorites ever is Gankutsuou, which is (somewhat loosely) based on The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas.  I wanna read that book some time, I bet it's super.  It's like a MILLION pages long though, so I dunno, maybe the movie version will have to tide me over for a while.  Anyways, I found another couple animes recently that are also pretty awesome, and also based in oldey-times France.
Chevalier d'Eon is also wicked so far, and is about government corruption and secret police and weird zombie death cults.  Some of those jerks killed the main character's sister, and so her spirit possesses him from time to time to do some zombie butt-kicking.  Despite how all that just sounded, it's actually pretty classy.  Sort of like if they made Final Fantasy Tactics into an anime, minus the horrendous translation.


*the following is a note from Steph*

hi there!

go on...


*so ends the note from Steph*


Okay, so finally is Les Miserables, which I guess is based on the book by Victor Hugo, another one I'll probably have to read eventually, but I'm guessing it's also a million pages long.  Anyways, apparently the boradway musical version of Les Mis is really, really popular in Japan, so I'm surprised it took this long to have an anime made about the story.  I am also a huge fan of the musical as well, and I have a couple different versions of the soundtrack, which I've probably listened to more than is healthy.  Only problem is that the people translating it have only done one episode so far, and they are being very SLOW...   *whimper*


Anyways, enough about the anime stuff for now.  Does anybody know why I can't post my picture at the beginning of an LJ post anymore?  It doesn't even give me the option to choose a picture now.  WTF is going on with that?!  I didn't order the deactivation of any pictures.  Livejournal is a jerk.



Does anybody know where I could get a Playstation 2 adapter that will let me plug a controller into a little USB doo-hickey that will go into my computer?  I really want one so that I can play all those awesome DDR-type games on PC, with like a billion gazillion songs on it.  Then I could have the compy hooked up to the TV, and have like a killer DDR party or something.



I guess that's all from me for today, so until next time...  Nathan out!


P.S.  Who's gonna go see Grindhouse with me?  I must see this movie, it will be 200% wicked awesome.

Alright, jerks, here's a friggin' poll that I can finally beat your sorry asses at.  Put an X beside every SNES game you've played.

Alright Holly, here's my movies list...  I'm totally gonna beat you at this.

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
( ) Airplane
Total:6

(x) The Princess Bride
(x) AnchorMan
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
(x) Saw
(x) Saw II
(x) White Noise -- I'm, like, 55% sure I've seen this movie...?
( ) White Oleander
( ) Anger Management
( ) 50 First Dates
( ) The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 13... damn, I'd better step up my game

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
( ) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 19!  We're tied so far.

(x) Harry Potter 1 -- I saw 99% of this movie, in bits and pieces...
( ) Harry Potter 2
( ) Harry Potter 3
( ) Harry Potter 4
(x) Resident Evil 1
(x) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 25... still a tie.

(x) Finding Nemo
( ) Finding Neverland -- damn, I want to see this one, though.
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
( ) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots -- uh, I THINK I saw this...?  If I have, it SUCKED.
Total so far: 31... still a tie.  But I will pull ahead soon.

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
( ) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
( ) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
( ) KING KONG
Total so far: 35... damn, I took a major hit on that round.

( ) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
(x) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
( ) Flubber
Total so far: 38... this is getting shameful.

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
(x)Chicago
( )Ghost Ship
(x) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
(x) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 42... okay, I made up a little bit...

( ) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
( ) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
( ) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
(x) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 44... ouch, that one hurt.

( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Slevin -- I TRIED to watch this, but the DVD wouln't work!
(x) Ocean's Eleven
( ) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
( ) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog -- I will never, NEVER watch a horror movie about FOG.
(x) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
Total so far: 47... this is embarrassing.

(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
( ) Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
( ) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 49

( ) Best Bet
( ) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( ) She's All That -- Not fair!!  What male would be caught dead seeing this?
( ) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz -- WTF Holly, Wizard of Oz???  WTF WTF WTF.
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 57... like the ketchup.

(x) X-Men
(x) X2
(x) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
( ) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
( ) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 66

( ) Swimfan
( ) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
( ) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
(x) Krippendorf's Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
( ) The 40-year-old-virgin
Total so far: 68

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 74

( ) Baseketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
( ) Elf
( ) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
( ) Three
Total so far: 75

( ) The Jacket
(x) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x)Monsters Inc.
(x)Titanic
(x)Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard -- Ooooh, I keep forgetting about this thing.  I wanna see it.
Total so far: 80

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
( ) Chronicles Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(x)Waterworld
Total so far: 83

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
(x) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
(x) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 88

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage -- WTF is this?!  This isn't real, Holly, and you haven't seen it.
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 94

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
(x) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
(x) Team America: World Police
(x) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
(x) Hannibal

Grand Total: 102 Movies

SCREW!!!!  @%#@$!!!!  You beat me!!  Just by a small margin, though.  Those last few nerd-movie categories really helped me catch up.

So, nuthin' much new to report, which is why you haven't been seeing any LJ posts from me lately.

There's been some excitement at the ol' grocery store lately, though!  A few nights ago, some scuzzy kids came by and hung around for a while.  They sometimes swing by to vandalize our washroom, but  we sent a dude in there to keep an eye on them, so I guess they got discouraged and gave up.  So, they set a fire out behind the store.  Yes, they are certainly some cool folks...  :-S
Then a couple nights after that, there was a robbery!  Well, more like some random guy grabbing some food and running out the door with it.  He's on our security cameras, of course, and we got his license plate number.  The police came, and apparently they know who he is and that he's been doing this at a couple of stores.  They expected him to be in jail within a few days, max. 

CASE CLOSED.
*cue DragNet theme song*


I want a dust buster!!  Do they still exist, or what?  There's this really sketchy store down the street from us, called "VACUUM CLEANER CENTRE" (no joke, that is the name of the store, which is displayed in huge, nondescript lettering), and it is weirdly gray and green and shaped like a box.  The windows of the store are all barred up and covered in signs that say mysterious and vague things like "SALE!", but they don't say what there is a sale on.
I went down there on Sunday, which I suppose was foolish, because they were closed.  But they didn't have any business hours posted anywhere or anything.  Their main entrance was off to the side, around the corner of the building in some alley-like parking lot, with a little sign that says "Entrance" on it.  There is a door on the front of the building, but apparently this door is just for show, and is not meant to be used.  So I went up to the "Entrance" door, which was on the side, but there were garbage bags taped to the inside of the door, so I couldn't even see in.  I was beginning to suspect this wasn't even a real vacuum store, but merely a front for the mob.

Even when I went back today, when it was open, it still seemed sketchy.  There was some couple in the store talking to the guy about some vacuum, and they were going through the motions of trying to haggle for a better price, as predictably as can be.  I don't think they were real customers, I think they were hired actors or something.  I asked them if they had any hand-held, dustbuster type things, and he was like "No, we've been trying to get those, but they haven't come in yet."  A likely story, Al Capone!  I sure bet they have a lot of carpet shampooers, to wash the blood out of their back room floor.

Anyway, Alex downloaded some game I have to play, but it doesn't look very good yet...  we'll see.

So, there was a fire in my house.  Yup.  We were making some kinda scalloped potatoes thing, and I guess the dish was too full and some of it spilled over, so it fell and the inside of the oven burst into flames.  Much like the last fire I experienced, we were all kind of calmly apathetic about the situation.  I suggested water, which according to most videogames I play is the opposite of fire and will exploit its elemental weakness.  Apparently grease fires are only strengthened by water, however, so I dunno, maybe it was a fire from outer space, because that is not at all how a fire should behave.  Other people suggested baking soda, which must be some kind of crafty "sciencey" solution, and I have no idea why that would work, unless it created a baking soda volcano effect and blew the fire up through the roof and out of the house.
Alex came up with a much easier and surprisingly more successful plan, which was "Leave it alone, and it'll burn itself out."  I've never known a housefire to just "burn itself out" -- that sounds like Homer Simpson's short-lived boxing career whereby he would just stand there and take a pummelling until his opponent tired himself out by over-punching.  Or, I just thought Alex was confusing fire with bees... like, you know, don't bother them, and they won't bother you.  In both cases, that is normally an old wives' tale, but in this case, it worked.  The fire got tired, and eventually puffed-out from over-punching, and then we cooked some beer steaks in there, and they tasted really good after.  So, that's my anecdote about that.  The moral of the story is:  fires are cool.


Also, I got back from my little trip to Peterborough.  At least, I tell people it was Peterborough, because that's the nearest civilized colony to where I really was, which was Ennismore.  I went with Chris and Brenda, because Chris and I have know each other since kindergarten, and we both grew up there, and we were visiting some old friends who still live there.  I'm not sure why Brenda would want to go there, because it's not a fun town or anything (maybe she lost a bet?), but it was good to have her along anyways.  :-P


Let's see, what else is new...  well, Marnie seems to have sent me a condom in the mail today.  Thankfully it was still in its package, and not already used or covered with human secretions.  I'm not sure why I'd mention that, but it seems newsworthy.

What else... um, I'm glad February is overwith.  Talk about a crappy month!  Freezing cold weather, Valentines Day, and me not being able to go to Chris's birthday are just some of the highlights.  Bring on March, I say -- I get St. Patty's Day, at least, and the weather is good.  It's both my sister's, Marnie's, and Louisa's birthdays, too!  Talk about excitement!

...Oh!  I got this awesome phone call at work today.  It went a little something like this:

Me: Good afternoon, Loeb Stafford.
Guy:  <in a raspy voice>  H-hello?
Me:  Hello.
Guy:  Hello, is this Loeb?
Me:  Yes.
Guy:  Who am I speaking to right now?
Me:  Uh... well, I'm... Nathan?
Guy:  Oh, okay.  Well, um... hello.  This... this is a courtesy call, and I just....  hello??
Me:  Hello.
Guy:  Ah.  This is... this is a courtesy call, and I just wanted to say... the.... the Asian girl in the bakery...  I was in the store a while ago, and... this is just a courtesy call...  the Asian girl in the bakery... I just wanted to say that she was very helpful.
Me:  Oh, well that's good to hear.
Guy:  Mmnnnnggg-gyyyyyyy!!  <this part can't be transferred through writing, as it was almost an inhuman sound>

And then he hung up.  I don't know whether this was a prank call or not.  Immediately afterwards I suspected it was, but considering the kinds of people we get in that damn store, I'm not so sure.


Well, that's all for now.  Hey, somebody else make a post on LJ or something, okay?  It's like I'm the only one on this damn internet anymore.  Facebook has stolen you all away, and that is not good!



P.S.  You know what, guys?  During that fire incident, we totally missed an AWESOME opportunity to make a gag about Aurora Borealis!!  Damn it, why didn't one of us think of that?!  We really dropped the ball on that one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsxFOH8PvA4

Well, there is now significantly less of me.  I finally got a haircut.  It's been a long time coming, too, though I think now it'll stay short for a while.  I still don't believe I look better with short hair, despite what everyone I know says.  :-S

We have an LCBO that just finished being built at the end of our street, and it looks as though it'll be ready to open soon.  I'm actually really hoping they'll let people apply to work there, because that'd be a pretty sweet job for me, and I could quit that damn store I'm in now.  However, another LCBO is closing not too far away, so they may be simply moving existing employees to this location.  I looked up on the LCBO website, and the only way to apply to one of their stores is either online or by phone, through an automated process.  But you need a store reference number, which will be posted on the door of the store, if that store is looking for people.  It's a tricky store to get into, that way.
Anyhow, working there would be sweet for several reasons, including but not limited to:
i) My pay would not decrease very much, as I believe their starting rate is $10.50/hr.
ii) Much less travel time, since it's a 5 to 8 minute walk there.  My job now can take up to an hour to get to, so that's potential 2 wasted hours per day where I am now.
iii) Much less hassles, bureaucracy-wise and customer-wise.  Not so much a pro as it is a lack of cons that I currently have to put up with.
iv) Since I wouldn't be taking the bus to work everyday, I wouldn't need to buy a bus pass every month, and would therefore be rich!  :-P
v) I wouldn't have to tell people I work at a grocery store.
vi) Better hours, with none of this getting-home-at-midnight crap.

The only bad thing about moving there, if it were to happen, is I'd have new coworkers, and much fewer of them.  And while, honestly, I wouldn't miss most of them very much, there are a few of 'em that I'd miss, especially my best bud Holly.  Besides, who knows what LCBO people are like...  I'd wager a lot of middle-aged or old people that I couldn't really relate to anyways.  But, no use thinking about it at all unless that stupid store puts a darn sticker on their door with a reference number!!   Grrrrr....  already they're acting like snooty jerks, and they haven't even opened!


Sooo, let's see.... what else is new...   oh!  So you can officially call me a nerd now, for I have a new website I'm gonna work on from time to time.  That's right, I made one!  See, from time to time, I like to just make up crazy articles about this and that, or go on a rant-page about whatever issue I feel like grumbling about.  So, this website will be for those purposes.  Livejournal will be more about what is going on with me personally, and the new site, Dragon Power!, will be for more wacky and off-the-wall craziness.
I just started it last night, and it sure as heck ain't gonna be pretty to look at, but here's a link to it!  I only have one article so far, and it's not about anything in particular other than the fact that the website now exists.  I can't promise you'll like it, and it'll be an acquired taste, and maybe you should keep the younger folks away from the monitor for a while, but I think it'll be pretty down the road.  I'll try to have another thing up on it in the next couple of days.

I gotta start doing my comic soon, too.  I'm gonna make a webcomic some day too, I swear!  I've been drawing a lot lately, planning it out, and I think it's gonna be swell.  Busy times for Nathan!


Anyways, that's about it from me for today's post.  Hope everybody's having fun, and...  oh!  Me, Steph, Alex, Anna and Jon are supposed to all go do something on Saturday afternoon/evening I think, most likely skating on the canal.  Or, if you're like me and my roomies, walking on the canal while others skate around you, because we don't have skates.  My understanding is we're supposed to invite others to joing our posse, so if anybody reading this would like to come hang out and have some wintertime fun and then hang out at one of our houses later on, please do so and speak up accordingly!  Okay!  Sooo...  buh-bye for now, and have a good day!

You know what Alex has me eating now?  Eggs!  Honest to god, eggs.  Those who know the old Nathan of yesteryear will be able to tell you, "Nathan does not eat eggs, it goes against his religion, something.  He doesn't like 'em for some reason.  He's a dummy."
But, no more!  I have eaten eggs on several non-sequential occasions now, and they're pretty alright.  Especially Eggs Benedict, Alex made that a couple of times, and I like that stuff very much.  Puts me in good spirits for the rest of the day, it does!
So, there you have it, it's a new Nathan for a new millennium.  And seeing as how we've been in this new millennium for like 7 years now, it's about time, I guess.  I still don't like the yolk part, though.  It's pretty gross.


Ummm...  what else is new...  well Chris, I listened to that Opeth album I got from ya, and I'm still not sure about it yet.  It's good music, but I still have issues with the growling parts.  Not that I'm against the growling in and of itself, but just the fact that the growling is, by nature, without melody.  He might as well be just saying the lyrics, like... dare I say...  a rapper.  A rapper is not someone you want around, at any time, for any reason.  There is a time and a place for everything, except rap.  There is no time and no place for that.  I mean, it's a bit different, but...  yeah, I'm still not sure yet.   ...Oh, but don't forget to let me know if Ian and Derek are coming down for the weekend!  I work until 2:00 on Saturday, but I don't have my schedule for Sunday yet.



Hmmm, not much is going on around these parts lately.  I'm kinda bored, actually.  Maybe we should have a party again...?  What is this, January...  um... not really any excuses for parties on the horizon, but we can have one without purpose, right?  Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.

Anyways, I have to go to work in a bit, so this is Nathan, signing off for today!  Hope everyone's doing well and is knee-deep in candy or gold or something.  Ta!

*cough!*
*sneeze!*
*blow!*

Hewwo, eveybuddy...  I hab a code!  My node id all stubbed up, ad by throde id sore.

...but not anymore!!!  Wooooooo!!!!  I was sick all this week, in case you can't tell what that stuff up there says.  And while I did appreciate the whole stay-home-from-work part of things, I did not appreciate the "feelin' like a bag of snot" side of it.  At least I got a whole lot of quality time with the ol' Final Fantasy XII in there...  :-P

So, due to the whole being sick thing, I haven't been doing much with myself since last post.  Oh, before I forget, Brenda and Chris, thanks again for Astroboy!!  And yeah, you'll have to borrow it soon, maybe I can bring it next time I'm over there, if you wish to rip some.  Did you guys watch the rest of Aqua Teen Hunger Force?  I think I saw a second season of it at the store, but I'm not 101% sure.


For the nerd set, perhaps you'd like to direct your attention to 1UP's recent article on 101 Free Games.  I haven't had the chance to try many of them yet, but it seems quite promising.  RayHound is really quite fun, once you figure it out.  It looks really nice, and it's just so damn fun to say "RayHound."  That's a title you can set your watch to.  It sounds like the title of some Japanese anime or something...  just two random English words, that don't have anything to do with each other, strung together as one.  I mean, I supposed it *sort of* describes what happens in the game...  there are rays...  and when you hold down the mouse button, they "hound" you...  Anyway, I love it.  "Take off every RayHound...  for great justice!"   ...yes, that's "All Your Base" reference #374 for my LiveJournal, now.
Anyway, I'm more excited about this recent King's Quest III remake they made, because I played through the KQ1 and KQ2 remakes, and they were just stellar.  They stayed true to the originals, but fleshed them out a lot more and made them easier to play.  I dunno, I'm probably the only person here who still carries a torch for Roberta Williams's long-defunct series, or even remembers it at all, but it's a neat little piece of computer nerd history.  It comes from a simpler time, when all the artwork was hand-drawn, and every part of the production was put together by maybe a small handful of people, rather than the teams of 100s that are employed today.  I think the original King's Quest was pretty much all just made by Roberta Williams herself, with her husband doing the programming to make it all work.  ANYways, you don't want me to go off on THAT tangeant right now, because then I'll start lecturing y'all on the whole "PC adventure games" issue, and how it's really sad that the genre died out because of commercialism and whatnot.  I mean, you got your King's Quest series, which I guess Sierra didn't want to publish anymore because it wasn't "actiony" enough (the final, 8th installment tried to save the series by being "darker" and "edgier" and shoehorning a battle engine into the gameplay, but that didn't work).  Then you have your Tex Murphy games, masterminded by a couple of guys (Chris Jones played the main character himself), and they were just brilliantly written and full of great humour.  The puzzles were cunning, creative, difficult, and well-crafted enough that you could figure them out with the right amount of effort.  And all the story scenes were acted out by real people on the screen, not just computer-animated models.  Sure, the acting was campy and amateurish, but when you're portraying an homage to 1940s private eye stories, and the setting of the game is closer to 2040, you can't take yourself too seriously.  Anyway, the company that published the games, Access Software, got bought out by Microsoft because apparently they also made a successful golf game that competed with Microsoft Golf.  So, as soon as that was out of the way, the company was destroyed and that was the end of that.   ...And, of course, there is the third great adventure game company from back in the day, LucasArts.  Manian Mansion, Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, Sam & Max, Monkey Island... they're responsible for all kind of great stuff that got more than a few chuckles out of me, as well as a fried brain at times.  But, naturally, their Star Wars games because more of a priority for them.  Now, all LucasArts makes is Star Wars this and Jedi that.  Not interesting, but I guess Lego Star Wars 2 must be making them some money, or they wouldn't be doing it.  I think I heard most of their creative talent sort of left the company gradually, so I doubt they could make a good game puzzley game anymore if they tried.
So, I guess you DID get to hear my "PC adventure game" speech after all.  Man, I sure get fired up about old videogames, eh?  I'm like some crazy old man in his rocking chair on the front porch, trying to figure out how they can cram a 3D character onto a two-dimensional DVD.


Anyways, before I start up another crazy tangeant about how 3D technology has forever poisoned the gaming ecosystem, or some such thing, I'd better go see how Alex is doing in FFXII now.
...oh, and by the way Anna and Jon, I still say Vaan sucks, and he's the cruddiest character EVER.  :-P

Salutations, all!

'Tis I, the Mad Midnight Bomber Who Bombs at Midnight!  Ha ha ha, no no, I jest.  It's just regular me.

Anyways, what've I been up to recently?  That is the question that has been on scientists' minds and stray dogs' behinds for years, and now I intend to answer it.

Well, if anyone is wondering what is going on with this comic-making thing I keep mentioning, it is indeed still being planned.  I just plan very slowly, that's all.  Also, the comic I intend to do is an adaptation of a novel that I've been working on over the years, and as such there are several changes that must be made to it before it, including MAJOR character tweaks, and some new characters just plain being made from scratch.  I work VERY slowly at this, however.  For instance, I just now came up with a good name for one of the minor new characters, after much time in thought.  Character names are very important to me, and I just have to have the right one that suits them perfectly, or else I won't feel like it's really them. 
Anyway, things are starting to come along in my head, so I should actually start doing more drawing soon, and perhaps even upload some character sketches in the near future if you're all (un)lucky.


Man, Final Fantasy XII is like the biggest game in the world.  I think I'm up to 60-some hours, and still nowhere.  And I KNOW I've completely screwed-up or missed a ton of side-quests so far.  It's just so overwhelming how much there is to do and keep track of in this damn game.  I know RPGs are usually pretty long, but man, this is definitely the longest for me, I'm sure.  I can recall sinking like 100 hours into FF6 back in the day, but that was after finding everything in the whole game, with all characters to level 99.  This game... I'm 60 hours now, and everybody's level 35, average.  And I have a measly TWO of the 13 espers...
And then, if I finally get through that, the Vampire game on my computer, Zelda: Wind Waker (I borrowed Chris' gamecube), and Metroid Fusion, I can finally start playing Okami, which I am dying to try.  I have enough games to last me til I'm 40, I'm sure.


Oh, so in more nerd news...  this guy at work wants me to go to an anime convention with him.  Specifially, Anime North in Toronto.  I think it's in May or something...?  I forget.  I dunno, it sounds like fun, I might go and nerd it up, but it'd be way better if I could get some other people to go with us.  Does anybody want to go with us?  I figure the main suspects are probably Jon & Anna or Chris & Brenda.  You know you want to come.  I will bug you guys about this, so have your excuses ready.  :-P



...Oh, and Chris!  I was listening to Pain of Salvation's new album "Scarsick" again, and I MIGHT have changed my opinion on it.  I mean, I'm not entirely loving it yet, but it's starting to grow on me.  "Disco Queen" is still a crappy joke of a song, and the album as a whole does not represent what pops into my head when I think of Pain of Salvation, but some of the songs on the first half are pretty decent.  Some day soon I'll have to bring my hard-drive over again, and we can do a little music trade.  I'll get some of that Opeth you've been talkin' about, and you can have some of that wonderful, delicious Spock's Beard.  You'll love it, man.  I saw your MSN name was from that song I sent you!!  I am the catfish man, indeed!
...oh, and I forgot to give you the little book for Castlevania, which you borrowed.  It will explain the story details you probably should know about before playing either of 'em.  Are you playing either of 'em?  Cuz you should be, ya goon.



Hmm, you know what, I can't think of anything else new that's happened to me, really.  I haven't been up to much lately, just working and whatnot.  I'm kind of in a rut, I guess.  :-P

Anyways, hope everybody's doing well.  Update yer journals too, people!  Ta!

Well, I'm older now. The party last night was much fun, thanks to everybody who came out to join the festivities!

So, now that this party is done, time to focus on the next party.  It's a non-stop partyland around here, eh?  :-)    Anyways, anybody who hasn't replied yet about our upcoming Christmas Party should get on that ASAP.  It's on December 28th, and it's semi-formal, and it's a potluck dinner sort of thing, so hopefully everybody can bring a food item of some sort.  I believe I've added everyone to the e-vite list, but if I missed anyone please let me know.

Also, due to popular demand, I'm going to try out changing the settings on my LJ from now on, so that anyone can reply to my entries instead of just people on my LJ "Friends" list.  This setting should be effective as of this post, so give it a try, everybody!  I don't know if I did it right, so it'd be cool to see how and if it works.


And now, everyone please direct your attention to the cutest little flash game ever made...

Bunny Hop!!!

I love that little bunny!  This game is soooo pretty and cute!  I got a score of over 6,834,600 so far, but I plan to overcome my personal best soon...



Oh, and most people have seen this video already, but incase there's anyone who hasn't...

All Palindromes, All the Time!

My favorite is "No X in Nixon."


That's all for today, peoples!  Ciao!

SOME QUICK FACTS:

We put up our Christmas tree the other night, and it looks pretty swank.

My CD player got beer spilled on it and now none of the buttons work anymore, so I had to get a new cheapie one at Walmart. I like it so far, but for some reason it plays all my songs out of order...? I'll have to figure that out.

Some crazy lady at work just shoved her way right through my line up at work and asked me: "Do you sell cigarettes at this counter?" I told her we did, so she walks around and stands at the counter behind me, off to the side, expecting to be served ahead of everyone she just pushed out of her way. So naturally, I completely ignored her until her ACTUAL turn in line WOULD HAVE come up, at which point she of course gets fed up and leaves to ask somebody else for help. I have discovered that this is what crazy people do, without fail, EVERY TIME they come in the store. They stand somewhere outside the rest of the line, make a fuss, and always leave right when I was about to serve them. Why do people do this?

I am looking forward to this weekend, it's gonna be great! I'm booked off from work for Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Saturday night is Holly's birthday, so we're going out drinking that night. Sunday I'm going to my parent's house to have a family birthday thing for me. Monday is my actual birthday day, and my party is that night. Tuesday is just another day off, cuz I sure as heck don't want to work the night after my party! Fun times!! :-)

Awright, enough Quick Facts, time for some video fun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdS5lkeN8_8

I've only seen about two of these "Ask a Ninja" videos, but all two of them were AWESOME, if you ask me. I intend to watch them all many times, and be very much amused.

He has a website, too!

http://askaninja.com/


Okay, so that's it from me for today. Peace out, y'all.*



*forget I just said that last thing, please.

Well folks, next time you see me in person, you might not recognize me. Remember that goofy kid with all the long hair? He is DEAD. In his place is some short-haired guy. Yup, I got my hair cut today, and I look like a freakin' norm, man!

I guess my new do looks alright, or so says my roomies... my haircutter guy was a complete moron though, and had no idea what he was doing. He was a rapper, too, so it was pretty funny to hear him talk about his lame rap group: "We're called 'Underrated,' see... our line is 'If we're underrated, that means you're OVERrated!' Pretty good, huh? Yeah, I made that up." It was all I could do to not burst out laughing, I tell you. Never have I heard anything so lame. He did a little rap thing for me too, but I forget how that went, it wasn't really about anything inparticular.


I'm supposed to dye my hair too... I dunno when that's gonna happen, maybe tonight if I feel like it. We might do the Christmas tree tonight too though, so we'll see.


In other news, I cashed in a few "Canadian Premium Bonds" that I had lying around... three of 'em, of 100 bucks each, which apparently my grandma had given me for a present a few years back, but I completely forgot I had 'em. And all this time, the $100 each had matured into $134 each. Wow. Thankyou very much, government of canada! Of course, it was still nice to get all that money though, since it is Spending Season and all, and all you jokers need presents. :-P



Let's see, what else is new... umm, I got new headphones! They seem pretty good so far. And if you thought my old ones were huge, just wait til you see these puppies, they're even bigger! :-D The cord's way too long though, so it has to be all tied up in a bundle and I look like some kind of weirdo... well, more so than normal.



My berfday is comin' up soon!! I hope you're all excited about it, and are gonna come over and celebrate at our place on the 11th. I'll be freakin' 25 years old. That's a quarter century! Yup, I'm an oldie. Anyways, everybody get over here next Monday night, and it'll be rad.


...and now we beging a new segment of Nathan's LJ post entitled "Nathan's Webcomic Discoveries." In this segment, Nathan (that's me) will be providing a link to a noteworthy/hilarious/interesting webcomic that he finds of particular importance.

Today's comic is Story Stones, by Dani Atkinson:

http://www.webcomicsnation.com/atkinson/storystones/series.php?view=current

Now, in my various internet travels, I have come to find many creative and original ideas swirling about the webcomic community. Some of these artists have found really inspired ways to merge images and words using sequential art. This example just barely qualifies as a "comic" in the traditional sense, as the artist has presented her story as very simplified illistrations on tiny stones, and then presented photographs of them in sequence on a web page. But, you don't need me to explain it for you, it will explain itself. Take a look! It's not uber-long, and unlike most webcomics, it has actually already reached a complete conclusion.


That's all for tonight! See ya next time, ladies and germs.

Greetings, Earthlings!


You may not remember me, but I used to have an LJ blog, back in the good ol' days. Well, I figured it's about time to take a break from all that weight-lifting and home-finding-for-orphans and time-machine-building I've been doing, and just take it easy for once and make a post for old time's sake.

So here it is.


Many people have been telling me I need glasses lately, and I find myself inclined to believe them. I mean, as far as I can tell I can see just fine, but some small-and-far-away words are becoming hard/impossible to read, while others around me seem to be able to read 'em easier than I. This is very distressing, since I have always prided myself on having the eyes of a hawk. I don't mean that literally of course, those damned animal rights activists caught on to my pickled-hawk-eyes collection I kept in the basement. No, I mean figuratively: I used to be able to read anything, from any distance! Why, I could look over my right shoulder, all the way around the earth, and back to my left wrist, and tell you what time it said on my watch! These days I can't even read the menu at a McDonald's restaurant in Berlin. I guess that's never going to change, though, unless I learn German.
Anyways, Steph recommended a good eye doctor, so eventually I'm going to have to make an appointment. I wonder if eye doctors purposefully make their eye charts blurry so that you have to buy glasses? That would be a good trick... I should become an eye doctor!
I'm not happy about getting glasses, though. I don't think they'd look good on me, and it would up my Nerd Factor by like 50%. I'm not a glasses person! Then again, I'm not a receding-hairline person either, so there you go.


Let's see, what else have I been up to... well, I've been thinking about this whole comic-drawing thing a lot, which I know I talked about a long time ago and still haven't gotten around to doing... but, it's still being worked on, to some degree. Except, I'm not sure if I want to do the light-hearted, funny that I mentioned once before, or this other more serious, fantasy story that I've been working on for quite a while now. I'm thinking the latter option these days. It used to be a novel I was working on off-and-on for years, but some major overhauls are required to make it more cohesive, and I think a comic format would work better for it, because I like to design my characters visually, and there are just a lot of things in the plot that need to be seen, rather than read about. However, all these changes are leading me to rethink the characters, redesign them, alter some plot arcs, and take into more consideration the look of the setting it's going to take place in. Even though I've got a really good idea of what's going to happen in detail, it's still going to take a lot of work before I can get this bird off the ground. I think it'll be loads of fun to work on once it gets going, though.
I still don't know how I'd publish this thing on the web, though... how to organize it, etc. Maybe I could have a blog just for the comic?? I'm sure there are many ways of doing this.
Also, what is a good kind of paper for drawing the comic, for scanning purposes? Does it matter?

One other good thing about this whole thinking-about and reading-about comics stuff that I've been doing lately has made me realize something. Comics kick ass! Well, Japanese manga kicks ass, anyways. American comics I don't have any experience with, and am not interested in. But, this whole manga thing that I've been into has made me think that maybe I want to be a comic artist! Yes, I think that is why I was put on this planet. I'll have to vastly improve my drawing ability, but I think I could really get into this. My two things have always been writing and drawing, and I wanted some job where I could do both. Until I got into reading Japanese manga, the only comics I'd ever been exposed to were in the newspaper, and I was vaguely aware of superhero comic books like X-Men or whatever. Those aren't anything to get excited about. But, with manga, you can tell a real story that doesn't have a joke every four panels, or have a guy in a cape who has laser eyes, and you can focus on telling a real story, and be artistic with things. I think getting into this whole manga business (if there is a manga business to be had, or perhaps formed, somehow) would be really rewarding as a career. Of course, that would be very unlikely, and difficult, and I would be a very poor man living in a wet cardboard box on the street corner, but that's okay! It beats being an accountant or something.


Anyways, that's all for me for tonight, I gotta go to bed. Nitey nites, world!

1. YOUR SPY NAME: (middle name and current street name)
Michael Tweedsmuir

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your dad's side, your favorite candy)
Tom Glossette

3. YOUR RAP NAME (first initial of first name, first three or four letters of your last name)
N-Ly (Although, this is not my true rapper name. I already have a rapper name, and it's Nate-Dog.)

4. YOUR GAMER TAG: (a favorite color, a favorite animal)
Red Raccoon! Awesome!

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Michael Ottawa. Lame!! I already have a soap opera name though, and it's Dakota Masterson.

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name, last 3 letters of mother's maiden name, first 3 letters of your pet's Name)
Lylolk Kal

7. JEDI NAME: (middle name spelled backwards, your mom's maiden name spelled backwards)
Leahcim Klop (wow, that "Klop" part is really the icing on the cake)

8. PORN STAR NAME: (first pet's name, the street you grew up on)
Comet Arnott

9. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The", your favorite colour, the automobile your dad drives (i'll fill in mom since my dad is blind)
The Red Kia!

10. YOUR ACTION HERO NAME: (first name of the main character in the last film you watched, last food you ate)
Rose Corn Flakes (they really gotta rework these name formulae...)

WOW, I certainly have not updated in a long time... and it seems it's the same for everyone else I know, too. My "friends" page is just a long column full of somewhat crappy Penny Arcade comics right now, and that must change!

Anyways, not much is new with me since my last post, which is why I haven't said anything for a while. I'm still excited about, and planning for, this upcoming Hallowe'en party. It's gonna be superb!

Now, for those in an Octoberweenie mood, here are all the Homestar Runner cartoons that came out about Hallowe'en... the earlier ones are pretty sucky, but they get better as they go. Enjoy!

http://www.homestarrunner.com/homestarloween.html

http://www.homestarrunner.com/halloween2001.html

http://www.homestarrunner.com/halloween2001.html

http://www.homestarrunner.com/malloween.html

http://www.homestarrunner.com/costumes.html

http://www.homestarrunner.com/ween03.html

http://www.homestarrunner.com/oldtimeyween.html

http://www.homestarrunner.com/ween04.html

http://www.homestarrunner.com/ween05.html

http://www.homestarrunner.com/costumes05.html



Also on the "funny links" front is this interesting page, advertising some brand of cutesy animal shirts for girls:
http://www.flatfalls.com/
Click on each animal, and read the description of their character. I think they're hilarious!


Now, I direct all computer game nerds' attention to... THIS!!
http://www.southparkx.net/episodes/1008-make-love-not-warcraft
Yes, they went and made an entire South Park episode about World of Warcraft. It's not one of their best episodes, but it's amusing if you like WoW, or South Park, or both. I know there's quite a few people reading this who'll want to see it! But, be warned: it IS South Park, and it is for mature audiences, which means cuss words and projectile waste excretion do happen.


And, in the "Links Nobody But Nathan Cares About" section, we have this weird music man my friend Chris told me about...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_doll
Oh, Mr. Doctor... you crazy artist you... I have all his albums downloaded now (thanks Chris), except of course the first one that there was only one copy ever made of. But, when I become an eccentric old billionaire some day, I will have an underground bat-cave full of the world's rarest and most valuable treasures, and that first album will be on a pedestal, within a glass case.


I think that's about it for tonight's edition of "Nathan's Random Links to Stuff," so stay tuned for more later, and for Pete's sake, somebody else post something too! The internet is getting cold and lonely. You don't want me to start resorting to REAL LIFE, do you??!!

Let no one ever again doubt my baking finesse, for today I have made... a cake! A chocolate cake! And it turned out perfectly, and it tastes damn good too! So, I'm relatively proud of myself today.
I tried writing the Japanese word for cake on the top of it in icing sugar, but it became immediately apparent that icing sugar is not something one can write with, so I ended up just covering the whole thing. Meh, there will be other cakes.

Tonight we made chicken wraps and sweet potato fries! Yup, we MADE fries! In a frying pan! And they were prooty good, too! Well, I just sliced 'em, Alex fried 'em up... but, I now know HOW to make 'em, and it's easy. Some day, I will try it myself.


Alex hooked the XBox up with another cool wire or something, and updating the Media Center program on it, so now I can actually watch nerdy anime and shows and stuff on the living room TV without immense amounts of work and inconvenience. Bless that man, he's a genius! Anyways, it finally got me to finish watching all 74 episodes of Monster, which I think I originally started watching around a year or more ago. Anna or Jon, I don't know if you've heard of or have seen this anime, but it is top-notch, and I give it the highest recommendation a nerdy anime fan can give: the coveted Golden Albatross Award of Excellence. Honestly, animated or not, this is just one of the greatest television series I've ever seen. If you wish, I'd be glad to whip up a disc or three of all the episodes. Same goes for Chris and Brenda, if I haven't given you this already (I forget).


Man, I blew over 570 bucks over the last couple of days... grocery bills, gas bill, rent, bus pass, etc. Quite a dent in my wallet now... not a problem since I had saved up for it, and I still have enough left over, but still! Yikes!!
In other money matters... I got my Mastercard, finally! So, it's like I have unlimited money, now! :-P Took long enough to get, too. Those goofs kept messing up my application. Anyways, now I can buy all that stuff I always wanted to get over the internet, which... I can't remember what it was... well, it'll come to me.


Another interesting thing that happened to me lately... I got suspended from work this week! Apparently my cash has been out over 20 bucks every week for the past few weeks. So, after a "verbal warning," then a "written warning," it is store policy to suspend me for a day. And, apparently there was another week not long ago that I was also out money, so they might have to suspend me for a few more days, but we'll see. It's really weird though, I don't know WHY my cash was out so much, every week. Kind of unsettling to not know what the heck is going on, but I don't see any reason why it would continue to happen, and this past week things were okay, so I guess my curse has been lifted. Anyways, it meant I had Friday off, and I also had today (Saturday) off already, so I had a nice little weekend there. Apparently I'm back to working a lot next week though, so they must not hate me too much. :-P


So, that's it from me for tonight. I will now leave you all with this fun little flash game:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/40255643/

Even if you do poorly, it's STILL hilarious. Oh, the possibilities...


(Holly, I still am trying to beat your score in Monkey Kick-Off. And I WILL, some day! Just you wait!!! ...But, what is your score in Monkey Lander? I forget what I got, and am too tired to try again now.)

http://www.totebo.com/monkey-lander.php

And now, some funny videos I like...


Lord of the Rings Synopsis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hquCf-sS2sU
That's pretty much how the movie goes, right? ...right?


Now, a lot of Daily Show crap...


Kurt Vonnegut!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI-jlbyDf0k
Not especially funny, but I thought it was neat to find out he was on the show.


Kermit the Frog!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHUWctCYtG8
Yes, Kermit the Frog on the Daily Show. Awesome.


Explanation of Tax Cuts for the Rich
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE8_Fo553FU&mode=related&search=
It's funnier than it sounds!


Trendspotting - MySpace and Internet Social Networking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsff8px_vPI&mode=related&search=
I love Trendspotting, it's RAD!!!

Trendspotting - Xbox 360!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1N2PgopbJw
Yeah.


And now for some Nathan-related news.

So, I went out costume-hunting the other day, in preparation for our big Octoberween Party, which EVERYONE READING THIS WILL ATTEND AND DRESS UP FOR. However, I was unable to find anything cool there, and most of their stock was generic scary things, pimp costumes, ugly masks, etc. Up until now, I've been considering 3 main options:
a) Dante, from the Devil May Cry games (would have been awesome, but I can't find a big red coat anywhere!)
b) Spend 90 bucks online for a cool Cloud (FF7) or Squall (FF8) costume. (I just watched FF7:AC for the millionth time last night, and man do I have to play FF7 again soon!)
c) top secret option, which only a small handful of people know about

I've decided on option C, and it'll be pretty wicked if I manage to pull it off. However, nobody's gonna know what it is until Halloween night, except for of course those handful of people I told, because I can't keep my damn mouth shut. But THOSE people won't tell, so don't ask 'em!


Hmm, let's see, what else is new... ummmm.... well, I'm still drawrin' junk for my comic. Steph says she wants to color it, which would be super-rad, but then again I don't know how exactly that's going to work out. I hadn't really planned on it being colored at all, since it's sort of manga-inspired (Japanese manga is always B&W). Also, if it's being colored after, I couldn't do any shading or anything to it, which SHOULD be part of the drawing process... and what about the patterns on people's clothes, and stuff like that? This is going to be complicated, I think!


Well, I can't think of anything much new with me these days. Just planning my wicked 'stume for Octoberween, and being psyched about the PAH-TAY! Anyways, I'm going out and getting drunked-up tonight, so hold my calls! Ciao!

Your Seduction Style: Au Natural

You rank up there with your seduction skills, though you might not know it. That's because you're a natural at seduction. You don't realize your power! The root of your natural seduction power: your innocence and optimism. You're the type of person who happily plays around and creates a unique little world. Little do you know that your personal paradise is so appealing that it sucks people in. You find joy in everything - so is it any surprise that people find joy in you? You bring back the inner child in everyone you meet with your sincere and spontaneous ways. Your childlike (but not childish) behavior also inspires others to care for you. As a result, those who you befriend and date tend to be incredibly loyal to you.

You Failed 8th Grade Spanish

Sorry, you only got 5/8 correct!

Your Personality Is Like Acid

A bit wacky, you're very difficult to predict. One moment you're in your own little happy universe... And the next, you're on a bad trip to your own personal hell!

You Are 73% Indie

You're a very indie person, and admit it, you look down a little on people who strive to be normal. You'll indulge in a little mainstream pop culture every now and then. But for you, anything not indie is a guilty pleasure!

You Are 30% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well. In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

You Should Be A Cancer

What's good about you: you're incredibly kind, caring, and generous What's bad about you: you can be too moody and impossible to understand In love: you enjoy wining and dining the object of your affection In friendship, you're: likely to depend on other friends for emotional support Your ideal job: historian, marine biologist, or religious figure Your sense of fashion: you dress to match your mood You like to pig out on: classic home cooked meals, like mac and cheese

Your Hair Should Be Red

Passionate, fiery, and sassy. You're a total smart aleck who's got the biggest personality around.

See?! I told you, red is the color for me!!

You Are 40% Boyish and 60% Girlish

You are pretty evenly split down the middle - a total eunuch. Okay, kidding about the eunuch part. But you do get along with both sexes. You reject traditional gender roles. However, you don't actively fight them. You're just you. You don't try to be what people expect you to be.

You Should Travel to Japan

From freak sightings in Harajuku to awesome sashimi, you'll love Japan. And who knows? You might end up on Japanese TV!

Well, there you go, guys.