When I checked my blog today, at first I was shocked - I didn't recognize the layout. I think it's beautiful but not perfect, so I'll think about revamps when ideas occur to me. I need to update the links section - I'll probably fill it with links to sites that no one who reads this blog cares about.
Today, Benjuh and I went to the Toys 'R Us in Washington. He bought toys, and I browsed the video game section. Since I received my DS Lite (squee!) for Christmas, I've been obsessed with buying nice things to protect my lovely. I applied Pelican-brand screen protectors before I began playing any games. Dan laughs at me for being OCD, but I may try to re-apply the bottom one to get rid of a few air bubbles on the edges that can't be seen unless the screen is black/dark but drive me nuts! I've been on a desperate search for a DS Lite case that will allow me to charge the machine while it's in the case, but as I was driving home from Washington, I realized that I can't charge my computer or camera while they're in their cases, so I think I should give up this weird search. I'm thinking about getting the light-up dock for my DS Lite - shiny, pretty, possibly useful!
I've been positively addicted to Animal Crossing: Wild World! It's wonderful - it's just like the MUDs I used to play, except I can play by myself. I started on December 26th, and by December 27th I paid off my first mortage. The town's population is also growing at a fast clip. o_O; I started out with Olivia, Freckles, and Chief - the next day, Genji moved in, and today came Alfonso! I'm afraid I'll turn on the DS tomorrow and find someone else, too! Right now it's totally managable to write letters to residents and talk to all of them multiple times a day. Maybe that's why they keep coming - life is good here. (I hope!) I just worry that I'll have too many residents to butter up befriend. That and I've stripped every single orange tree for fruit to sell for money and send as gifts - if they don't resprout soon, I'll have no good gifts to give!
Today, Tom Nook's was closed for expansion, which is KILLING me - I have all this STUFF, and nowhere to sell it! In desperate boredom, I've started donating fish to the museum and making constellations, and I can't wait to get a shovel (and maybe a net) to start planting and digging for fossils. Money-money-money-money! (Money!)
The game just gets cuter and cuter! I figured out today that I could sit in the chairs in my house, and just a few hours ago I figured out how to get service at the cafe. I managed to sit in a chair at the bar and got served a cup of coffee - a tad expensive, methinks, but it was worth it for the experience. I also figured out the cafe in the basement of the museum is the cafe that K.K. Slider'll come to on Saturdays, so... \(^.^)!/
After Toys 'R Us, we went to Long John Silver. It sorta satisfied my craving - the lobster bites looked a lot better in TV ads than they actually tasted. I'm not sure if that was due to cunning advertisement or the bites being over-fried. I also ordered two hush puppies, which was just enough to satisfy my hush puppy craving, as well as deep-fried broccoli and cheese things. (As I type this, I'm ashamed to admit that I a) ordered those, and b) thought they might be tasty.) I didn't finish the lobster bites or deep-fried broccoli bites because my small intestine started to rumble the greasy warning. >.>; I'm afraid my coat and sweatshirt smell like fish now.
Cuteness, cuteness, cuteness = Tara and An Cafe's new album. Elegant and cool = Kana.
I got all sorts of wonderful things for Christmas. ^___^
EDIT: this is getting longer and longer as I think of new things to ramble/complain about, isn't it!
I'm terrified with medical school applications. Since I haven't gotten anything from NYU, I worry I may not get anything at all, even though technically I could still get a good letter from them in January... it's in February that the bad (ie. rejection) letters start going out.
I really miss my guitar. In the new year, I want to work really hard to get good with a pick. I also don't think I'll have time to visit a guitar shop this break, so when I get back to New York, I'll screw up my courage, march into Guitar Center, and ask about good basses for beginners. I don't have anyone to play with, but maybe I should become better by myself first.
It's taken me a few hours to get this new layout up, but that was due to me being rusty and having to hack the old template code to get this. I daresay I'm pretty darn satisfied with things. I may continue tweaking, if I feel like it.
Christmas presents discussion coming up!
I saw the trailer for 300 yesterday, courtesy of Benjuh. Horrifically historically inaccurate - there's no way that could've been conceived of by anyone other than a comic book writer. Gayest supposedly-non-gay movie trailer ever. There'll be legions of people beating off to that film. When you're in the theater watching it, I'm warning you - keep your head down and don't touch anything if you can help it.
Saw The Bourne Identity on USA on Friday night, and I liked it so much that I watched it again last night. Jason Bourne has hot shoulders. I might watch it again tonight - one of the nicest seduction scenes I've seen in a long time. One of the most "realistic" action movies I've ever seen. Comparing this to the last half-hour of Bad Boys II that I caught while waiting for The Bourne Identity to come on, well...
I really want to see The Bourne Supremacy now, but I don't think I want to read the novels. Apparently, they're a hotbed of Cold War paranoia. Frankly, I'm perfectly capable of generating all the paranoia I need all by myself - there's no need for a novelist to create some more for me. I hope Ben and I can rent both movies over break and watch attractive young people run around and blow things up.
Oh, while I'm thinking about - "Adebisi" appears in The Bourne Identity, and both "Robson" and "Guerrera" appear in Bad Boys II. Seriously, six degrees of Oz to the whole wide world.
Yesterday, I went to Book-Off, Kinokuniya, and Nintendo World Store. At Book-Off, they've got a red-haired white boy working. When I was checking out, we chatted briefly - apparently, he's a Japanese lit major. His Japanese sounds pretty darn good - good enough to joke around with the native speaker staff, anyway. I bought Miyavi's Gagaku, which was a bit pricey, and the last volume of Hanazakari no kimi-tachi e, which completes my collection. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't find the second volume of Saiyuki Gaiden, but technically I'm not even sure that it exists.
At Kinokuniya, I browsed aimlessly - they've lowered the prices on CDs, which is great since they were ridiculously overpriced before. I should've bought Miyaviuta ~dokuso~ for Ben, but at the time, I wasn't sure how much he liked it, so pooh. They've also now got a table with back issues of SHOXX, but I didn't care enough to find out the price since there were no issues that I really wanted. Also, apparently they carry Baby The Stars Shine Bright clothes now. Really weird.
I nearly missed out going to the Nintendo World Store because I couldn't find it, but the blue-neony lights in the windows gave it away! The place, predictably, was a zoo. I got to play a few different DS Lite games while I was there - Tetris DS, Nintendogs, Brain Age (again), and Metroid Prime Hunters, which I couldn't make heads or tails of. I didn't bother going upstairs to the second floor. Some of the kids there had such attitude - if I'd ever dared speak to my parents that way, I'd have been slapped to next Tuesday.
It was really cold that day and I forgot to wear my long underwear. Walking outside was cold! On the plus side, when I came home, I stopped to buy really cheap blackberries (not the sweetest ever, but considering the price...) and expensive but sweet cherries. Yummy. Wouldn't have expected berries to be in season at this time of year, but I'm not complaining.
I don't know if this is always a problem for me, but I've noticed lately that I constantly need to touch something with my hands. Whether it's my hair, a pencil, keyboard, my guitar, I've got to be doing something. Either I'm super-stressed or have major stimulation issues. I've also become super-clumsy lately, mostly by whacking myself into walls and being totally stunned when it happens - wait, I thought I was walking around the corner, not swinging my right arm into it! Isn't weight-lifting supposed to improve your sense of where all your body parts are, relative in space? If so, I really need to take that up.
When I get home, I need to buy new underwear and socks.
Early New Year's Resolution: after I graduate, I'm getting my hair cut short. There's no point in keeping it long any more. I don't have the inclination to style it, so it just ends up pulled back so I don't drop hairs all over my lab work. If it's short, I could spike it or something. Wonder what the hell I'll play with when I'm anxious, though.
Magnya Carta's a great pop-rock album. An Cafe does it again! I'm all listened-out of the D stuff I have on my computer - boys, it's time to release another mini-album. Not that your stuff is bad - I've just had it on repeat for so long that I want to hear something new!
I could be doing homework... but I could browse for Nintendo news on Google instead! I could sleep... or I could watch sexy middle-aged men prance around on the television! So many things to do... so many other things to do.
Everyone's doing it! Yay!
New activity, guys: when I get home, we should all go to Burger King, order value meals, and get the Burger King games. The Burger King creeps me out, but the idea of sneaking up on people and giving them terrible fast food in Sneak King tickles me pink. I'm sure the games will be interesting for all of two days, but well... sneaking up on people and throwing food at them!
Um, so, um... work, yeah... didn't happen at all... this weekend... so far... crap. The church bell is tolling midnight!
So, Ben's been bugging me for a wishlist, so I thought I'd make one here, in no particular order of desirability:
Nintendo DS Lite (Polar White)
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
Nintendogs: Dachshund and Friends
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (first season)
House (season 2)
gift certificate to CDJapan (any amount)
gift certificate to Best Buy (any amount)
gift certificate to Amazon.com (any amount)
gift certificate to bodyartforms.com (any amount)
donation to Heifer.org (any amount)
Magnya Carta, Antic Cafe (CD+DVD) [I actually... really want this.]
Gokusai, MUCC (CD+CD) [I want this, too.]
Deep Forest, Lareine
Hitorigei 3, Miyavi (DVD)
Miyaviuta band score, Miyavi
MYV*POPS band score, Miyavi
dignity of crest, Hizaki grace project (CD+DVD)
nice surprises (of any sort)
That took a lot longer than it needed to because stupid cdjapan.co.jp was being slow!