Almost a week since my last post, so my streak didn't last. But, a little bit of interest has happened this last week. First of all, over the weekend my brother and I finally got the engine pulled out of his car that I was talking about last time. Only took us about ten minutes to pull the damn thing once we got everything unhooked, disconnected, and otherwise unbolted.
Next, one of my friends loaned me his old laptop to reinstall Windows XP on it. Turns out he didn't have the right install disc, so I convinced him to let me install Linux on it. So today after class, that's just what I did. I got Mandriva 2007 running on it with very few problems (fewer than when I installed it on my desktop). It was missing a few dependencies when I first booted it up, but is working fairly well and right now I'm updating and recompiling MPlayer on it after adding a few more options in the way of rpm's for particular audio and video formats. The thing is very fast now. It's only a Compaq with 1.8GHz Intel Celeron with 192MB of RAM after the onboard graphics take their share. With XP on it before, it was slowed to barely a crawl, but now it's like a new machine.
Finally, for the past few weeks I've had a Physics lab from 5:45-7:40pm on Thursdays. This has interfered with me getting together with my friends for what we like to call IU Genshiken. (And if you know what Genshiken is, that gives you some idea of what we do.) Basically, we sit around and talk, watch anime and listen to music. Well, today in Physics lecture I was made aware that a new lab section was being opened for 1:25-3:20pm on Thursdays! I'm free early on Thursdays anyway, so I decided to let them switch my lab period to the earlier one. So now I can head to Dan's at a regular time again!
Also, I've got a Calculus test on Thursday and a Physics test on Friday this week, so I don't know for sure if I'll be able to write again this week, but if not, I'll try to catch everyone again next week. :crosses fingers: See ya.
Currently listening to: "Lonely Fighter" by ORANGE RANGE
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Wow, 2 posts in 2 days? Can he keep this up?
Probably not, but enjoy it while it lasts. Anyway, onto the pictures I didn't get to last night.
First up is one of my Christmas presents from this year. An Acme Klein Bottle!
Yes I know I'm a geek, but I just love this thing. It's a bottle with no inside. Oh, sure it'll contain things. They just won't be inside it. Trace the lines and you'll see what I mean.
Next up in my random smattering of pictures: I spent some time last Saturday helping my brother prep his car (a 1991 Nissan 240SX, btw) for an engine swap. Here's the engine in the car.
And here's the one that's going to go in it. (After it's put back together of course.)
Finally, here's a shot of my two anime figures. They are currently perched on a shelf just above my monitor on my desk. For those who don't know, the girl standing is Tsukamoto Tenma from School Rumble and the girl sitting is Hazuki from Tsukuyomi ~Moon Phase~ (notice the neko mimi). Tenma was purchased back in May of last year at the last Anime Central Convention in Chicago and Hazuki is a recent addition from my first time attending Sugoicon in Cincinnati with a group of friends. (And yes, that is a Naruto headband behind them.)
Currently I'm waiting for Acen to get their online pre-registration system online, so I can register for this year. It's acen's 10th anniversary, so they are promising big things for this year. Along with a special 10th anniversary badge, and the option to have your badge mailed to you! (No more standing in that huge registration line!)
Well, that's all for now.
Currently listening to R.E.M. - Rockville (I've been on a classic rock kick lately.)
First up is one of my Christmas presents from this year. An Acme Klein Bottle!
Yes I know I'm a geek, but I just love this thing. It's a bottle with no inside. Oh, sure it'll contain things. They just won't be inside it. Trace the lines and you'll see what I mean.Next up in my random smattering of pictures: I spent some time last Saturday helping my brother prep his car (a 1991 Nissan 240SX, btw) for an engine swap. Here's the engine in the car.
And here's the one that's going to go in it. (After it's put back together of course.)
Finally, here's a shot of my two anime figures. They are currently perched on a shelf just above my monitor on my desk. For those who don't know, the girl standing is Tsukamoto Tenma from School Rumble and the girl sitting is Hazuki from Tsukuyomi ~Moon Phase~ (notice the neko mimi). Tenma was purchased back in May of last year at the last Anime Central Convention in Chicago and Hazuki is a recent addition from my first time attending Sugoicon in Cincinnati with a group of friends. (And yes, that is a Naruto headband behind them.)
Currently I'm waiting for Acen to get their online pre-registration system online, so I can register for this year. It's acen's 10th anniversary, so they are promising big things for this year. Along with a special 10th anniversary badge, and the option to have your badge mailed to you! (No more standing in that huge registration line!)
Well, that's all for now.
Currently listening to R.E.M. - Rockville (I've been on a classic rock kick lately.)
Monday, January 22, 2007
Getting back on track. And some anime reviews.
Well, long to see. I haven't put anything here in a long time, so I decided to update what's going on with me. Yes, I know, boring stuff first, but maybe after this I'll put up some pictures from my new digital camera. You like pretty pictures, right? Anyway, I didn't do so hot in chemistry, so I am having to retake a couple of classes. One I'm retaking this semester and the other I'll retake over the summer. LOL at me going for a BS in chemistry. I think last semester I had too tight a schedule, so this time I'm only taking 3 classes. Now granted, those classes are Calculus 3, Physics 2, and Organic Chemistry 2, so they aren't the easiest classes, but I at least have time to study now, unlike last semester.
As for anime, I've got a few series I've got my eye on, though most are carry over from last semester.
The ones I'm downloading currently are Death Note, Bartender, ARIA: The Natural, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Pumpkin Scissors, Kanon, and Bleach (finally fillers are over!). The only show I've managed to stay current with is Kanon so I guess that shows my alliances lie with the cute and the Uguuu~ ^_^. I'm almost caught up with Higurashi as well, but a new episode came out today that I haven't found time to watch yet.
Some thoughts on shows I've finished recently: (Shuffle!, Mushishi, and NHK ni Youkoso!)
Shuffle was very good for a harem, ecchi romance series and even has some good plot and shows some balls by having the main character NOT end up with who everyone thinks he will! Also, the whole style of the show changes dramatically later on and it becomes very dark and serious to counter-act the gratuitous panty-shots and obligatory trips to the beach that come standard with all ecchi romance series. I found it quite enjoyable.
Mushishi was simply amazing from one end to the other. The show starts out with a man named Ginko who travels the country dealing with Mushi which are mystical creatures composed of almost pure life force. These creature usually live in harmony with nature, including humans, but sometimes the Mushi will over step their bounds and directly interfere with human villages and that's when Ginko and other Mushishi like him step in to try and restore the balance. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. The show does not put humanity on any sort of pedestal and humans are sometimes just as guilty of overstepping their bounds as the Mushi. No real plot is ever developed and none is honestly needed. The rich beauty of the world of Mushi and Mushishi that was created is reason enough to watch. Mushishi ends as it began: soothing but filled with incredible imagery of nature and the fanciful Mushi and animals that inhabit it. This series has earned a place as one of my all time favorite anime and I highly recommend giving it a chance.
Finally, a show I've never even talked about here: NHK ni Youkoso! (Welcome to the NHK)
NHK is a show about a young man living in an apartment alone. He stopped going to college quite some time ago and now only goes outside at night to shop at the neighborhood convenience store. Then, one day he meets a young girl, and his life begins to change. This girl discovers that he is a hikikomori (hermit) and concocts a plan to rid him of his isolation. In his attempts to prove to her that he is not a hikikomori, he discovers that his next door neighbor is actually an old friend from highschool and a hopeless otaku to boot! They come up with the idea to create the world's greatest hentai game and he uses it as an excuse that he isn't in fact a hikikomori, but this is not enough to dissuade the young girl, and she finally forces him to agree to meet her every night in a nearby park to hold classes to teach him how to be a functional member of society again. Over time, the two come to have feelings for each other and the truth about why the girl chose him for her "Project" comes to light, as well as some dark secrets she had been hiding. Not to give anything away, I'll stop here, but this show features probably the most dysfunctional relationships possible. Overall, a really good show. As for the title, NHK is a conspiracy dreamed up by one of the characters and stands for "Nihon Hikikomori Kyoukai" (roughly "Japan Hermit Society") whose purpose is to make millions of people in Japan into hikikomori by showing attractive anime and otherwise inhibiting free will. This is not to be confused with real NHK, "Nihon Housou Kyoukai" or the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).
Well, that ran on a little longer than I expected. So just one picture tonight. Hey, be glad you're getting anything at all. ;)
I went home last weekend, and on Sunday I woke up to a fresh layer of snow outside as well as this. It's our apple tree outside my bedroom window, and every little lump in that tree is actually a cardinal! I don't think I've ever seen so many of those birds in one place before. We do see them regularly, but usually just one, two at a time if you're lucky. This tree had probably a dozen in it at one time!
Well, that's it for now. I'll try to keep this up, but no guarantees, ya know. Until next time.
As for anime, I've got a few series I've got my eye on, though most are carry over from last semester.
The ones I'm downloading currently are Death Note, Bartender, ARIA: The Natural, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Pumpkin Scissors, Kanon, and Bleach (finally fillers are over!). The only show I've managed to stay current with is Kanon so I guess that shows my alliances lie with the cute and the Uguuu~ ^_^. I'm almost caught up with Higurashi as well, but a new episode came out today that I haven't found time to watch yet.
Some thoughts on shows I've finished recently: (Shuffle!, Mushishi, and NHK ni Youkoso!)
Shuffle was very good for a harem, ecchi romance series and even has some good plot and shows some balls by having the main character NOT end up with who everyone thinks he will! Also, the whole style of the show changes dramatically later on and it becomes very dark and serious to counter-act the gratuitous panty-shots and obligatory trips to the beach that come standard with all ecchi romance series. I found it quite enjoyable.
Mushishi was simply amazing from one end to the other. The show starts out with a man named Ginko who travels the country dealing with Mushi which are mystical creatures composed of almost pure life force. These creature usually live in harmony with nature, including humans, but sometimes the Mushi will over step their bounds and directly interfere with human villages and that's when Ginko and other Mushishi like him step in to try and restore the balance. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. The show does not put humanity on any sort of pedestal and humans are sometimes just as guilty of overstepping their bounds as the Mushi. No real plot is ever developed and none is honestly needed. The rich beauty of the world of Mushi and Mushishi that was created is reason enough to watch. Mushishi ends as it began: soothing but filled with incredible imagery of nature and the fanciful Mushi and animals that inhabit it. This series has earned a place as one of my all time favorite anime and I highly recommend giving it a chance.
Finally, a show I've never even talked about here: NHK ni Youkoso! (Welcome to the NHK)
NHK is a show about a young man living in an apartment alone. He stopped going to college quite some time ago and now only goes outside at night to shop at the neighborhood convenience store. Then, one day he meets a young girl, and his life begins to change. This girl discovers that he is a hikikomori (hermit) and concocts a plan to rid him of his isolation. In his attempts to prove to her that he is not a hikikomori, he discovers that his next door neighbor is actually an old friend from highschool and a hopeless otaku to boot! They come up with the idea to create the world's greatest hentai game and he uses it as an excuse that he isn't in fact a hikikomori, but this is not enough to dissuade the young girl, and she finally forces him to agree to meet her every night in a nearby park to hold classes to teach him how to be a functional member of society again. Over time, the two come to have feelings for each other and the truth about why the girl chose him for her "Project" comes to light, as well as some dark secrets she had been hiding. Not to give anything away, I'll stop here, but this show features probably the most dysfunctional relationships possible. Overall, a really good show. As for the title, NHK is a conspiracy dreamed up by one of the characters and stands for "Nihon Hikikomori Kyoukai" (roughly "Japan Hermit Society") whose purpose is to make millions of people in Japan into hikikomori by showing attractive anime and otherwise inhibiting free will. This is not to be confused with real NHK, "Nihon Housou Kyoukai" or the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).
Well, that ran on a little longer than I expected. So just one picture tonight. Hey, be glad you're getting anything at all. ;)
I went home last weekend, and on Sunday I woke up to a fresh layer of snow outside as well as this. It's our apple tree outside my bedroom window, and every little lump in that tree is actually a cardinal! I don't think I've ever seen so many of those birds in one place before. We do see them regularly, but usually just one, two at a time if you're lucky. This tree had probably a dozen in it at one time!
Well, that's it for now. I'll try to keep this up, but no guarantees, ya know. Until next time.
Transition period
Woot for no posts in almost 4 months. And even longer than that since they were worthwhile reads. Hopefully I can do something about that this semester. And I got my own digital camera now, so maybe I can include some pictures of my dull and dreary school life. Look forward to it.
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