And it Begins...

So for the past three nights, I have been dreaming Japan. I really don't want to wake up from these dreams either. What's wrong with me? I know I can't possibly get there for 6 months, but I am going to start obsessing now. I did this las time, too, but at least I started in the middle of October and got to leave on the 4th of January. Now I am going to do this for a half a year. Help...

"Run, Shadowfax. Show us the meaning of haste!"

So here I sit awaiting the time where I have to get ready for work. I will invariably put it off till the last moment wherein I will have to rush and get to work within 2 minutes of being late. Of course, that is what I will do today also. It's habit. I had a great night last night. I went out with Erin to go see Return of the King, which was absolutely amazing! It was good seeing it with Erin also, because we whispered little humorous bits to each other, and not everyone I know would appreciate that. Good movie, good company, what else could I ask for? Today I was unproductive, but I went and got all the info to move into a 2 bedroom apartment with Jason. The total cost between the two of us is going to be a little high. It's going to be $460, plus rent. Ugh. That includes the transfer fee, security deposit, and two application fees. (Kitty is sneaky, and won't be included, hehe). Also, I have been looking at going back to Japan. I would really like to do it, and am starting to obsess so much that I am DREAMING JCMU again. Incidentally, I have stumbled across a website that is maintained by a person over at JCMU *As I Type This!!!!* and posting a lot. Get this, his name is Dave. Crazy huh? Here's the site: Gaijin Dave. One girl in his pics, Kelly, I was in classes with here at EMU. The earliest I could get back would be May, but that is only a 1 month program. But if I piggybacked the May to the Summer to the Fall to the Winter, then I will be there from May-Apr... But it would cost around $26,000 plus toy expenses. I don't think that'll fly. On the other hand, if I try this: Summer Program (Jun-Aug) and Fall (Sept-Dec) together, I get a week off in the middle, and I make my dad come out to visit... That would be fun, but who knows. I really do need to get back there, or I will go crazy. I have the applications already partially filled out. New Year's is a-comin, and I had planned on doing nothing. But I got a random call from Stef who says Rita will be in town. Well shiver me timbers, I haven't seen Ms. Lee in years! So I am now having a couple people over on New Year's. I am having the main gathering on the 4th, but NYE also works. I know Rita, Stef, and, if she's not up north, Erin will be there along with Jason and possibly Grabowski. But who knows. It'll be fun regardless. Okay, time to scrub up so as not to rush to work and be frantic and late.

Christmastime Passed Already

Woke up on Christmas morn, and the ground had flaky, white stuff on it. It was about time. I was not going to be happy with a not-White Christmas. Upon waking and giving the kitties their presents (toys, of course) and a special meal (wet food, not just dry), I relaxed a bit before going over to my bro's for the day. I was actually the first one to get there. Susie was slaving in the kitchen, cheffing it up for us, and Jason and I lazed with video games. My Papa showed up with a surprise guest: my Aunt Dee was down from Canada! About an hour later, two hours late total, my mom showed up with Dave and the kids, David Carter and Diana. We retired to the funky 60s basement to eat out feast. Susie had made up homemade buttermilk biscuits, homemade sausage gravy, thick cinnamon french toast, cheesy eggs, and bacon and sausage, served with a variety of juices. Truly amazing. After said feast, we opened gifts and hung about. I got a cool sweater, Pirates of the Caribbean (yarr..... click), a gift cert to Koyama Shoten, the Japanese grocery store, a really cool wizard thing from David Carter and a little wolf calendar from Diana. When the kids kept getting louder, it was decided they should go home, and Jason and I played bunches of Mario Kart Double Dash. Most excellent. We played until my dad, grandma, granddad and little bro (Kevin) showed up. Susie was already well underway making the dinner feast. We talked for a bit, had a Manhattan, which I will not drink again, and then had dinner. By the way, a Manhattan is 2 shots whisky (blended), 1.5 shots sweet vermouth, and a maraschino cherry on the rocks. No clue how they like them. Dinner was prime rib, green beans almondine, garlicky mashed potatoes, spaghetti squash and big crusty rolls accompanied by homemade au jus and gravy. Dessert was homemade cream puffs with Sanders Hot Fudge. Sweet Sassy Molassey, I was stuffed. After dinner we played Tripoley, a family favorite game. It deals with cards, poker, and is tough to explain here. I'll maybe explain later. Suffice to say I won the game by a factor of three higher than anyone else. I rock. Dad and grandparents eventually left and Kev stayed. We played Double Dash till 1am and then I took Kev to my apartment where we watched Pirates of the Caribbean (yarr....). We fell asleep at 430am, but it's all good. We woke up around 1030 or 11! I'll tell you about the day after in my next entry.

Plans for Another

Gathering is updated: Sunday the 4th to the morning of the 5th. I had the dates wrong in my head! I have tentatively set another little gathering for the 4th of January at night going until the morning of the 5th. Yes, it is overnight, and I do have quite a bit of bedspace. I do this again so that I get to see more people that I couldn't get a hold of before this last gethering, namely Engi, LaGory, Nick, Jeanette, and, of course, lil Rach. Now those who don't wish to drink don't have to stay the night. I am just saying that I have already talked to some people, and we feel if you are going to have a few, you are going to have a *proper* few drinks, such that you should not be able to operate heavy machinery afterwards, such as seed drills, chippers, Etch-A-Sketches, or motor vehicles. So, get a hold of me if you want to join, I will make sure you get the proper directions. You all know my AIM name.

One More Thing....

Oh, and by the way, Stef's eyelashes are still ticklish, even after two years.

Not a party, a gathering.

I had a gathering of friends today. Let me start off yesterday. I got a couch finally, which fit wonderfully in the back of Justin's truck, and in getting, saw my Grandma and Grandpa Berg, then went and visited my dad, saw my Grandma and Granddad Gibb, then lugged the couch in to the apartment. It was rough, and my arm still hurts from the lifting. I went to work, got home just after we closed, and thought I was going to relax. Christina took my router (which I had said she could do, since I only have one working computer anyways), but she couldn't get it to work. I went over there, fixed her internet, and came home, where Justin shortly after joined me. I had gotten Justin hooked on Coupling already, and we decided to watch more of it. Let me tell you, I had never seen this boy ROLL on the floor laughing. We watched it till we fell asleep around 5:30 or 6am. Woke up around 11:30, got Drew over here, and we watched anime till about 2. Then I cleaned, cleaned, cleaned, went to Sam's Club with Christina, and people showed up. With everyone shown up, it was Bud, Jason, Rob, Paul, Danny, Chris, Stef, Erin, and Kristen. With me, it made 10, the most I have had in this apartment. I hadn't seen most of these people in around 2 years, and it was good to do so. It was no drunken frat-house style orgy. Wait, don't leave! It was a night of hanging out, drinking some beers, making some others, and hanging out. We started with some stories, and then after Jason and I had a shot of tequila (Cuervo 1800), I was going to make a drink for Stef, who had been obstinantly sober thus far. The ladies remaining (Kristen had already gone home, tired) joined us in the kitchen. Jason decided to get out of the way, and sit upon the counter. He, however, sat in the sink. I got a picture of course. When he got up, he said, "Eh, muffin tin." I said, "Yeah, and chopsticks... Wait, one is missin---" No sooner did I say that, but the remaining chopstick fell from --I hope-- the BACK of his pants. We ALL found this utterly amusing, and he was lying down laughing for a while. I enjoyed it. By this time, I had already made the ladies a drink that I quite enjoy. They liked it too, from what I got. I call it a Drunken Stef. In a rocks glass, with ice (3 large cubes) 1 part Hazelnut Liqueur 1.5-2 part Carolan's Irish Cream stir, and enjoy until Stef is drunk. Or, in the case of tonight, until Erin and Stef are drunk. No, neither of them drank much, and they even didn't finish the drinks to get home safely. It was time for Bud Story Time. He told the stories of his sexual misadventures, which I will not repeat here. Let me say that they are funny, but in that 'Man, that is horrible, how did you put up with it?' funny. When the ladies left, the guys left. But when they got home safely, Bud, Jason, Stef, and Erin talked with me before going to bed. Good to know they're home safe. I've already started planning a night wherein everyone over here does not leave till they've had sleep. This will remove the "I have to drive" excuse, and people will relax a bit. It will be fun. More on that, when it happens. David out, to sleep, then go back to work at 4. Whoopety-doo! I am so happy I got to see EVERYONE these past two days. It was a good couple days. Tonight especially.

Tagging.

So, tonight was the second ever Trainer Outing at Famous Dave's. We, again, went to Laser Quest next to Malarky's, the Irish Pub I like, though it is a bit pricey at times. Before the outing, we met at Cheryl's place for a beer or two, and to just hang out. She has a 50" tv... It was impressive in her little apartment. Don't know how she managed to get it up 4 flights of stairs, though. After a couple drinks, we went to Laser Quest to shoot each other. The first round was the Free For All match. It seemed like I kept running into the same people, since I shot Linda (a Manager's Assistant) 6 times, and every time someone would appear out of the darkness, Kelly would scream. Jason, the manager, was a crazy, out of breath, bat-outta-hell. He would bolt past you, turn around, panting, and shoot, and laugh when he hit. He ended up in 12th out of 15. I, however, with my pseudonym Oni (demon) came in first! Since Linda and I shot each other all the time, we came in the top two spots. Or that's how I look at it. Between games, we ate pizza, and we officially got out Certified Trainer Pins, which I already had (I'm so sneaky). It was time to relax a bit before going in for our second round. We played Boys vs. Girls. The final score was 2720 Boys, 1986 Girls. In this round, I was Maguro, which is sushi-talk for Tuna. I found it amusing, and so did Monty, the KA (Kitchen Assistant) who wants me to teach him Food Japanese. Oh, by the way, I dominated THIS round, also! I was a killing machine tonight! My scores were 410 as Oni, and 521 as Maguro. Man, oh man. I think the Tuna kicked the Demon's butt. Afterwards, people went to Chatter's for a beer (or 10 in their case). I stayed for one, and watched Linda play the Video Poker. She did well, and then Eric and Patty sang Love Shack, so we left. I came home and watched some Oruchuban Ebichu which is a raunchy anime that is deceptively cute and simply drawn with LOADS of sexual humor, and, in fact, sex. But it's not porn, it's too silly and unrealistic to be anything except for mildly amusing. I am enjoying One Piece so much more. It's a slapstick pirate anime with a feel-good style, and everyone seems to have some Distinguishing Characteristic. For instance, Usopp, part of the crew, has a really long nose, ala Pinocchio. Uso means lie. Usopp is a HUUUUUUUGE liar. Therefore it all fits. Okay, tired of typing. I get a couch tomorrow, yay! I hope.

Chicago and Back....

In less than 27 hours. WARNING!!! Ultra-long post!! WARNING!!! So, my Japanese Language Proficiency Test was today in Chi-town. After realizing that I am broke and couldn't afford to stay in Chicago for the weekend like I had hoped, I ended up going only for Saturday night. Let me start off with the whole day Saturday. After seeing The Last Samurai, which was good DESPITE having Tom Cruise in it, I put on my Zen tunes and crashed on the couch-bed. I woke up at 8 to feed the kitties, who were starving to death.... Then I promptly went back to sleep until 10:30. Christina calls me and asks if I wanted to go to Fenton with her to see her aunt Barb and uncle Bart. I said yes because, hey, I had nothing else to do, I get free cookies, and I always got along really well with Barb and Bart, as well as their kids, Jessica and Julie. So we go up there, Christina driving since I was going to Chicago that night, and we get there as they are cookie-ing. As a matter of fact, there is an extra aunt up there. Her aunt Linda was there also. They are looking at these cookie-like decorations, where you make a tree out of increasingly smaller (is that right?) stars of gingerbread with spacers. It looked great in the book, with the icing around the edges of it to be snow on the branches. Since I knew how to use a piping bag and icing (Thank you Food Network), I got roped into doing it. It was actually kinda fun. Later on, Bart got home and we talked a bit, Christina lost at both Chess and Checkers to Jessica, who is about 9 or so years younger than us, and we got dinner. Bart made a tasty spaghetti for dinner, with the rest provided by Barb. It was around 5:30, and I was planning on leaving around 7ish, so we headed home. We almost ran out of gas, but didn't, thankfully. Jason got there right as we did, and he came in, I grabbed a quick shower to revitalize, and we were off on the road. Jason was kind enough to join me on this road trip since I would have had to drive to Chicago alone, and 4 hours in the car alone not knowing exactly where I am going would not have been good the night before a big test. As we're heading out, he gives me my Christmas present (a bit early, yes, but he'll be out of town) which is a piece of self protection that one hopes to never have to use. The drive out there is fairly uneventful, but now I know how much toll cash it costs to get to Chicago using the Indiana Toll Road. It costs $2.80, exact change preferred. Eventually we got to the hotel, a Holiday Inn. We were surprised by the nudity on the tv, but it was HBO and something like Real Sex, but not. Apparently there is a restaurant in Bavaria where they paint the menu on the waitresses' nude bodies. No complaints here. We decided it was time to hit the lounge and have a brew. Unfortunately, it was a ghost town, and there were maybe 4 other people there who were heading home. Jason had a Labatts as per normal, but I got a Boddington's Pub Ale, which was nice and creamy and smooth. First time I had that on draft! Around midnight, Jason mentioned he was hungry when I was flipping through the courtesy book they leave in the rooms. It turns out everywhere closes AT midnight, except for this one diner we were directed to. This place was a 24 hour diner that had alcohol. Not only that, but the food was homemade, and really good. The burgers we got were 1/2lb burgers served with fries, coleslaw, AND homemade soup. All under $7.50. Not too shabby. Jason also got an MGD, since, when else was he going to get the chance to get a beer at a diner? I decided to stick with water, since I had a big test coming. Back at the room, we were both insomniacs, so we watched True Lies on tv. Always a great movie. At 9am, we were woken up when housekeeping came in. She opened the door, and I said, "Sorry, we're still sleeping!" and didn't get up till about 10:30. We checked out and got breakfast right next door. We got skillets of food. They were pretty good, but I think I should have gone with simple pancakes. Theoretically, if the directions we had were accurate, I was going to get to my test with about 20 minutes to spare. Alas, that was not to be. Construction that rivals Michigan work held us up for 5 miles, and the directions ended at the stadium, which, like Eastern's, is about 5 miles away from the campus. We turned around multiple times, asked a few people, then got to the designated parking area. Using a handy map (How handy!) we got to the correct building by jogging. Where did I have to go? The fourth floor of course, by foot. Jason and I hustled up there, and I went to take the test, and he wandered for three hours. My test was to begin at 12:40, and I got there just at 12:42. Not bad with all the mix ups. The first part, the grammar, was rough, with the kanji. The second part was listening, which I did well at, as usual. The third part, Reading Comprehension was Ultra-Kanji difficulty. I'll know in March if I was able to pull a win out of my ass or not. I am hoping yes, but guessing not. At this time, I asked yet another co-ed for directions, and we were on our way to the freeway, after gassing up. The drive home had more traffic, but was yet fairly simple to navigate home.It took under 5 hours to get back, so I was pleased with it. Jason said that if we got to Famous Dave's before it closed, then he would buy dinner. We got there with 20 minutes to spare. So, I got back safe and sound, and all under 27 hours. It was crazy good times, with a numb ass on the car seat, but it was worth it. And if I passed the test, it was WELL worth it. I think I am going to sleep soundly tonight!

The Last Samurai

Go see The Last Samurai right now! You know how some movies like Gladiator or Braveheart will evoke emotions and make you feel proud and you tear up a little? The Last Samurai blows them out of the water. It is absolutely amazing. Ken Watanabe was excellent, and, I think, definitely better than Tom Cruise. The Last Samurai does not refer specifically to Tom Cruise, but to the group. It takes place during the Meiji Reformation, wherein the Emperor Meiji decided that Japan should go modern. Unfortunately, ths also meant that the samurai were becoming outdated. A shame really, since they were the embodiment of what the Japanese people stood for for hundreds of years. I must return to Japan, to breathe that air, to see those mountains, to find the perfect cherry blossom. I felt nostalgia and pride. I felt loathing at the opposing force that would willingly wipe out a living, breathing part of the Japanese culture in the name of modernization.

Count the Spots on the Ceiling Again....

Living alone is boring when you have nothing to do. I have also found that I cannot sleep at night again. My insomnia that I thought I had gotten rid of is back. I have to watch or read something until I am exhausted to be able to go to sleep. For instance, yesterday I watched An Evening With Kevin Smith until about 4:30am. Kevin Smith is the guy who wrote Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and was Silent Bob. This was a college Q&A tour, about 3 hours of him telling stories. I almost choked to death on a Swedish Fish because I was laughing so hard. Funny stuff. But I still had a hard time falling asleep. I seem to watch a movie every night to put myself to sleep, but I enjoy the movies at the time. ARGH! I need something to do right now, but nothing is coming up. Artemis and Myst and all snuggly nowadays, sitting on top of the cat tower with each other and cleaning each other all of the time. Now, Artemis is eventually going home with Christina, and Myst is staying here. Artemis and Myst initially hated each other, but Artemis decided that the little 1 pound grey puffbal of a girl kitten was no threat to this 18lb small black male panther's territory, and they became friends. This was well over a year ago, and they are about to be separated. I feel bad for them, because Artemis has to deal with Charlie, a big dumb Cocker Spaniel puppy who won't leave anything alone, and Myst will have no playmate that she's had ever since I brought her home. Poor kitties.

Day 2...

Well, today is the second day on my own, with Christina officially living at home again. Last night we moved 2 car loads of boxes back to her place, but her stuff is largely over here, since her dad says she can't move her furniture back yet. Odd, he thinks we're going to get back together again. Can't say I blame him, we always did reconcile, but it's different now. I have never felt so alone in a bed. Not only did I first get used to sleeping in a twin sized bed with Christina, but then got used to another body in the queen sized bed I have now. Sleeping in it alone for the first time, actually knowing that nobody was going to join me soon really made me feel lonely. I hadn't ever felt like that before. I grew up, of course, sleeping alone, then I was with Christina, and now alone again, bedwise. Thankfully, Myst snuggled with me. I love my little kitty. So this weekend, I have to find some way to go to Chicago to take my Japanese Language Proficiency Test so I can attempt to get certified. I have $60 to my name and absolutely cannot spend it, what with having bunches of bills to pay and to try to get Christmas presents. Ugh, what a way to start the month. Alone and broke.

Today was a Good Day

Well, first of all, I am an Official Beer Drinker. I got my American Homebrew Association kit, giving me a bumper sticker that says "I Make the Beer I Drink" a leather coaster, some info, and a membership card that has my name on it. It gives me discounts at some pubs. Yeah! Also, I went to lunch with Jason and Justin, and had some tasty grub at Logan's Roadhouse. They had burgers, I had some Baby Back Ribs. Also got some of that Michelob Amber Bock on draft. Good brew! Next, I got a phone call telling me that I will know 100% tomorrow what my employment status at Musashi is. My recruiter is going to meet face to face with him at 1pm. I should know as soon as she gets out; meaning before work. At work tonight, I had two excellent people come in. One guy had recently attended a Managment Seminar where the speaker told them to go to my restaurant to see how a REAL TEAM operates. Bonus one. They also said that I took exceptional care of them. Hey, just doing what I can! The other guy was Harry from George and Harry's, a Blues Bar in Dearborn. He talked with the Manager, because he loved the food, the presentation, the atmosphere, and, of course, the SERVICE! I was on fire tonight! Top it off, I brought home almost $110 tonight. Been a while since I have done that on a Thursday. Heck yeah! Signing off, while still happy.

What the hell is going on?

Isn't this the normal time when I should be throwing stuff, yelling, and crying? Christina have moved, after some... discussions, to a new phase of our relationship. Well, we have regressed to being friends. It is not an easy thing to get my head around, especially when we still have one bed. I sleep in the living room mostly, now. We went out grocery shopping today, and it was easier than it had been. We didn't argue, we were friends. While walking down the International Food Aisle in Meijer's, she came out of the blue and told me that I should get me a Japanese woman. . . . . . . . Let me say this again. The woman who was my fiancée less than two days ago told me, not in a mean way, but in a suggestion like a good friend to another, to get a Japanese girl. And I don't think she means to get her to cook for me. It took a while to register the shock. But just the idea that my relationship with her has changed to this is both good and bad. It is good because it shows we are fairly mature in this, and can get past the bitterness, but the fact that we came to this so quickly makes me wonder how strong the relationship was, on a romantic scale. We must have been slipping for a while. On the other hand, I got a number. Not like that! I got a number from a friend at work who told me to call her if I need to talk, because I have helped her through things also. I just had to mention that, to string you along. All two of you who read this. So, tune in Next Week. Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel.

A Busy Day

I got a few things done today. I finally got the game that David Carter (lil bro) wanted to him and on his computer. I got to see my mom and pick up some beer. I had wanted the Sam Adams Winter Lager, but I didn't have enough cash on hand, so I got a 6 of Local Colors Tomboy Red. Nice malty red lager with a smooth and crisp edge to it. Best drank slightly chilled. Too cold, and it gets bitter. I am a beer nerd. I also got to get the curly-dos off of the little ottoman I have, to make it less shin-friendly. A deposit at the bank rounded out the day, where I found an extra $30 more than I expected! Woo hoo! Tomorrow I am going to go to lunch with Drew and Jason at Famous Dave's because I won a free Feast for 2 by selling the most Bread Puddings on Sunday night. Well, it was supposed to be a Feast for 4, but two of us tied. I am okay with that. A F/2 contains, by the way: 6 Award Winning St. Louis Style Pork Spare Ribs 1/2 Roasted Chicken 1/4lb either Texas Beef Brisket, Georgia Chopped Pork, or Double Smoked Ham 12oz Shack Fries 8oz Creamy Coleslaw 8oz Wilbur Beans 2 Honey Buttered Corn Bread Muffins 2 Corn on the Cob Somehow, I think that is going to be enough. Sitting and drinking a few Tomboy Reds and watchin the tube made it a relaxing evening. I am listening to the Jethro Tull Christmas Album. Quite excellent.

Relationship? What's that?

Things are falling apart once again with Christina. She is in one of her phases, and this one may be the straw that broke the camel's back. She is in the midst of figuring out what will make her happy. The way she is treating me, well, I am not what makes her happy. She won't tell me about anything until she figures herself out so she doesn't make me sad. Great. Things look good for me. Let me give a bit of backstory. On Star Wars Galaxies, which she plays about 3000% more than me, she is in a guild, surrounded by guys, who are states away and don't exist in this apartment. When she plays, it was Ignore David time. Then she got a headset so she could get on Teamspeak to talk with the guildies. This was good for organizing raids and tactical, but she got to talking with some of the guys. Now, almost every night she is talking to one of them in particular. And she is giggly and happy. When she talks to me, IF she talks to me, it's in one word sentences with her eyes lowered and quiet. One day, I was trying to have a fairly important conversation with her and the phone rang, and she disappeared for the rest of the night and talked to him. The same thing happened the next day. The day after that, I got home from work, and she was in the bathtub, and she is relaxing with some candles lit in there. No problem. Her phone rings and she talks to him while in the tub with candles lit. It felt like a slap in the face and a kick in the groin. I still want to be with her, but I don't know how to act around her any more. She doesn't respond to anything, and it seems like I have a roommate and not a fiancee. What did I just hear? Did the Death Bell just ring on this relationship? I'll have to wait and see. Wait and see.

Summers's Last Hurrah

Today got up to 75 degrees. The hottest is has been on record is 72 back in 1978. I tried to take advantage of the day after watching a bit of tv. I ran out to the bank to make a deposit, to buy Finding Nemo, and to just putz around town. When Christina got home, I got no response about whether she was pleased that I bought Finding Nemo for her. She just said, "How did you pay for that?" Sigh. I have been bored to tears lately. I am downloading anime and movies like crazy, I beat Jedi Academy already, and Quidditch World Cup is way too easy. I need something else to do, especially at night when Christina turns off her responses to the outside world. I'm going to go crazy. It really was a beautiful day today, and I really enjoyed the weather, but that wasn't enough to pull me out of my funk. I am really feeling lonely. I know that Christina is right on the other side of the room, but not in this world. It is kind of awkward. I think I am going to go to bed early again tonight.

Ima, Matamata Matteru no...

Translation: I am STILL waiting. I am on the end of a chain. A chain, I tell you. And it is being jerked. Constantly. I leave a message with Kathy, asking her if, please, will I know if I am employed before the next Ice Age (set to occur in Sooner Than You Think). She replies via email and tells me, nay, assures me, that they are having trouble getting everyone together to make a decision. And promises me, yet again, that I will know by the next day, Thursday. Guess what? It's Saturday, and no further word. I really am starting ot give up on it. Christina has a new job here, I have the outline of what classes I plan on taking next semester, and I cannot do that if I am to move to Battle Creek. I know this is a huge opportunity, but since the interview, a lot has cropped up to hold me here. I don't really think I am *supposed* to leave this area yet.. (Sorry, kinda profound statement from me now.... ignore that if you wish) Well, on to Halloween. It was really, really dull at work, what with us all dressed up and having no guests to serve. We ate candy for a few hours, and then people went home. Afterwards, I went to a party at Josh Hunt's house, who is a guy I have known since High School but never really hung out with. He's a good guy, and we had a good time, making piles of people on the floor :) and just talking. One of the guys there, Josh's roommate Matt, had a little panic attack, but that was straightened out, and he felt better. I am glad that I could be there for him, even though I had only met him once before. Alrighty then, I have to go to work now and make the big bucks, provided that it is busier than the past two days, otherwise I will make the tiny bucks.

One Nail-Biting Weekend

I had to sit and wait for the weekend to end to hope to hear about anything from Musashi. Everybody at work constantly asked me if I had heard anything. I really did get sick of answering no to them, but I guess I have to deal with it. On Sunday, I got to go to my Quarterly Gibb Family Gathering. I only got to be there for an hour or two, but it was good to get to see them all again. I also stole Kevin after the party and got a coat I thought I lost two years ago! So, I brought Kev and his computer over to my apartment where he and Christina played lots of Galaxies and stuff. When I got home from work, we watched movies and played more games, then fell asleep. Sunday I had to work during the day, and the internet was down, so more anime was watched. I got home and I did a dance to appease the Internet Gods (read: The Chicken Dance), and was able to play a bit of Galaxies myself before taking Kev home. It was pretty cool having the kid over for a while. So, along came Monday, and no word from Musashi. I am pretty much giving up hope. It would be cool, but moving would be a pain. I just want to know.

Shin Anime Get!

Okay, in the past two days, I have been a pirate to the extreme (Yarrr.....) I have been downloading copious amounts of new anime. I have the first episodes of a bunch of new shows. So, without further ado!

Bottle Fairy - 12 minute episodes, ultra cute. It seems like these little superdeformed chibi fairies who live in these bottles are naive little kids, learning about Japanese culture and aimed at little kids to boot. Still, exceedingly cute and think I will follow it.

Gunslinger Girl - I have the first 2 eps but nothing else yet. I have yet to watch them, but the same designer who worked on Noir is back for this one. It is promising, but it looks kinda, uhm, REALLY dark. We'll see.

Maburaho - Imagine you are in a private school (high school in modern Japan) that specializes in teaching you how to use the magic in you. The catch is everyone can only use magic a certain amount of times, and then it's all used up. You turn into dust then, I hear. Some people, the powerful ones, in the school have around 10,000 to 14,000 uses. You, however, have 8. Yes, only eight, and you feel like a loser. Then, all of a sudden, you are told (after the girls know) that you come from a line of great magicians and your child has the potential to be an amazing wizard. Now all of the girls in the school, who, let's face it, it's anime, they are all made to be super-cute, all want your sperm. I'll leave it at that, but it looks wacky and funny and I will watch it.

Mahoujin Guru Guru - One of my favorites from years back. I had seen a few eps when I went to U of M's Con Jya Nai 3 years ago, and fell in love with it there. It is about a "Hero" who is 12, forced on the road by his parents (his dad desperately wanted to hbe a hero, but there was no great evil in his time), with Kukuri, the last remaining magician who uses the Guru Guru magic, and messes up most of the time. It spoofs the classic console RPGs. Characters are introduced with the classic Final Fantasy blue-box with white borders including info such as name, class, level, HP, and MP. Wacky Hijinks Ensue. Most definitely a follower. Mahoujin Guru Guru means Magic Cirlce Guru Guru (guru guru is te sound of swirly circles).

Mujin Wakusei Survive - I don't know all that much about this one yet, as I only have one episode. It takes place on colonies, since the earth is now uninhabitable, thanks to the poor environmental concerns of the people who lived there, thank you very much. It looks like the "School Field Trip" to a planet that is being terraformed is going to turn into their little Swiss Family Robinson meets Lord of the Flies, but no killing. Mujin Wakusei Survive means Uninhabited Planet Survive.

Peace Maker Kurogane - This anime rocks already and I only have the first episode. It takes place at the beginning of the Meiji Reformation (1860s) in Kyoto. If this sounds familiar to anyone, it is because you may have seen Rurouni Kenshin, and remember the Shinsengumi (The Order of the New Way) who were pretty much the Shogunate's personal police force. Saitou Hajime in Kenshin was in the Shinsengumi. In this show, however, there is a 15 year old trying to join because of what happened to his father. Of course, killed before his eyes by the enemy. The animation is clean, the fights were cool, and it still had the kinda funny parts. But, come on! How could I pass up the Shinsengumi?! Kurogane means Black Gold, or Iron.

Tenchi Muyo! OVA 3 Ryo-Oh-Ki - This is the long awaited third OVA series about Tenchi, which is, for once, NOT a new story! It picks up where the first series left off. I only have one episode so far, but it is up to the original standards, and is still very pretty. I am still getting used to the Japanese voices, since I had only seen it in English up until now, with the exception of the second and third movies. Good stuff.

Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito - This is a wierd one. I haven't figured it out at all, especially how these women don't have horrible back problems. There is something about a girl searching for her sister, who is a being who can travel between worlds, and there is demons, and magic, kind of, and trains... Hell, see it for yourself. There is mucho fanservice. You were warned. Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito means Travelers of Darkness with Hats and Books.

I have been busy, as you can tell, and I am trying to make room for it all by burning my other anime on to disc. I have Kokoro Library and Scrapped Princess almost all burned by now. Woo, let the CDs pile up!

More Work Stuff

Well, Christina and I both went to our respective interviews in opposite directions on Monday. It was kind of weird, driving for 2 hours only getting to the place and interviewing for one hour, and then turning right back around to drive home. On the way there, there was a huge accident on 94, 5 cars and a semi, so I had to get off the freeway and drive through exciting Jackson for about 7 miles and then get back on. No biggie. On the way back, I found the St. Julian Winery, where I stopped and had a few samples. I also bought a bottle of their newest label, Blue Heron, a semisweet white. While at the interview, however, I was not nearly as relaxed. I got there, and all of these people in white jumpsuits were passing by. Apparently, you wear white pants and a white long-sleeved shirt to work. Everyone from lowly grunt to upper management does. The interview started normally, with a guy asking me about my work experience and so on and so forth, and then the Japanese started. It was a half hour of Japanese wherein I was told what my responsibilities were going to be, what was expected, and so on and so forth. I was asked to read a magazine article, which had lots of impossible kanji. I think I did well, and so did the recruiter, Kathy, because when I talked to her an hour and a half later, she hadn't heard anything, so that was good. By the time I had gotten in cell phone range and bought the bottle of wine, Christina had left me a message telling me that she got the job! Woo Hoo!!! I am so proud of her! After the interview and lazing at home for two hours, I had to go to Ypsi to take a Japanese exam, even though I felt like I had already gone through one. It was pretty easy, though. Skip ahead to Tuesday, I get an email from Kathy saying that the interviewer was out of town and would call her in the AM with details, and she would call or email me in turn. Good, a response. I hadn't expected one immediately, of course, but I want it now! I wake up in the morning, and I have an email. From Rent.com where I had been browsing the night before. So I leave my monitor on and try to ignore it using the "Watched Pot Never Boils" theory. I get another email! Woo! It's my American Homebrew Association newsletter. Okay, okay, two emails in one day isn't unheard of... Then while watching new anime (see next post) I get yet more email! This is unheard of. this time it is from a guy in my Japanese class who got a job listing for Viz who is a huge anime/manga supplier in the US. I am starting to break down. I never get three emails in one day, and especially not when I am expecting a different one! So I went to class and had my oral exam, which didn't go so smoothly since I couldn't concentrate on anything. I come back and check my mail one last time. One more new message... Is it it? Nope! My dad emailed me about a family party on Saturday. ::sigh:: I am going bonkers! This morning, Thursday, however, I am awoken by my phone. It is Kathy on the phone telling me she heard back from Musashi. They think the interview went very well, they said it was excellent. But they have to still talk to the Head of HR, and they may have a different position open for me, whatever that means. They said if they don't get a hold of me today, it will definitely be by tomorrow afternoon. So by Friday PM I will know if I have a new job speaking Japanese. Keep them fingers and toes crossed...

Tomorrow.. Brain Melting....

Okay, now Christina and I both have in terviews tomorrow morning. I have mine in Battle Creek, and hers is in Troy. Opposite directions, eh? We both have challenges in front of us here, she hasn't had many interviews and isn't as comfortable with the process as I am. I, however, have never had an interview in a foreign language. I think I have all the necessary materials. Suit, check. Resumes/Ref letters, check. Pad/Pen for notes, check. Driections and phone numbers, check. Confidence, getting there. All I need is a tie to match the suit........ On top of all of this, I also have my exam after the interview. Holy hell. Holy hell, Holy hell. Time to watch a movie for us to relax to. Bye!

Can't Wait Until Monday

Ergh. I really, really, really can't wait until I get my interview done. I mean, I know I am the man for the job. I will get this job. At bare minimum, I will make a good impression and make them love me. Any interview experience is a good experience. Preparation Checklist: 10 Resumes on Bond Paper 5 References Letters on Bond Paper Nice Pen to take notes with Good paper to take notes on Professional folder to hold said stuff Suit ala Daddy (hehe, thanks Daddy-O) Confidence in Buckets Remember: You Can Speak Japanese. Deep Breaths.... Deep Breaths.... Jya, Yatte Yaru zo!

Another Job?

I was awoken yesterday morning by my cell phone. I looked at the display and thought "Hell, why would a bill collector be calling me?" because I did not recognize the number. It turns out that it was a recruiter from Monster.com, and to make a long story short, they think they have a job I would be suited for. After talking for a while, I hear that the place is called Musashi Automotive and they would be interested in having me work in either sales or production in a translatory capacity. Holy Crap, eh? David is floored. I want desperately to get this job, they start off at $35000 a year plus benefits at not cost on day one, and tuition assistance, and travel possibilities across the country and to Japan even! Only catch: the job is in Battle Creek, which is a 100 mile commute. Then again, in another two months, I could break lease here and move out to Battle Creek where the rent is cheap (I found a 1400 square foot townhome with 2 bed, 1.5 bath, balcony, patio, yard, et cetera for $650 a month!) and only drive 15-20 miles to work. Visiting would be tough, however.. Had to share. I have the interview Monday morning at 10am. I still need to get my references fleshed out, as well as printed along with my resume, and get a suit. Hm. This is going to be a busy weekend. Not to mention I have to interiew in English and in Japanese. Better not count my chickens before they hatch, eh? David out.

More and More??

I hit post on that one and thought I would mention the few sites I have been frequenting lately. I have been reading posts at many sites about Japan. Since returning to class, and the anime kick I am on, I am kind of pining for the Land of the Rising Sun. Of course, I tie myself here, because I know I can't take Christina or the kitties over with me, I wouldn't want them to be confused with the language barrier, or lonely. (I hear Japanese kitties are stuck-up) Okay, websites.... GaijinPot -- Good for forums, job listings, and making connections. Gaijin in Japan -- All forums. Pretty much just an amusing forum that is posted on almost excusively by people living in Japan. Hen na Gaijin -- It is a fairly amusing site, also has a link to the woman's professional site as a translator. Maybe me in the future? Note how all of these sites have Gaijin in the title.... Hmmmm........ Stupid foreigners....

Update So Soon?

Yes, yes, an update only THREE MONTHS after the last entry?! I mean, what, am I trying to kill you guys with too much information about my life? Let's give a quick update about what has been going on lately. I quit Best Buy just after I wrote that message. I haven't been working the 85 hour work weeks like that in some time. I now only sling Que at Famous Dave's Thursday-Saturday nights and Sunday morning. I have my one lonely Japanese class Monday and Wednesday evening. I am looking to do well in this class, take a full courseload next semester, and try to get this damn school thing over and done with so I can get a real job, be it here or in Japan. Christina had some friction at CVS and subsequently told them where to stick it. She has been trying to replace that job as of late, but yet to no avail. I tell you, I know she works hard, I know she knows her stuff, but why will people not hire her right now? Stupid employers. She is a hard worker! Other than work and school, what has been happening? Let's see, I saw Tull twice in a row (Hell yeah, great shows!), I regularly play Star Wars Galaxies (on the Naritus server, name Ajime Kobalis), I hang out with Jason, Drew, and Nissa most, and see Justin once in a while, and bother Christina as often as possible. Since that last thing around the 4th, Christina and I have been doing well. There was a little bit of something, but that's not an issue any more. It worked out for the best, for now. In anime news, I am a major Pirate again (Yarrr....) by frequenting the best anime download site in the world today, AnimeSuki. I am currently obsessed with Naruto which is an anime about a ninja-in training (in the ninja village, of course, at the ninja academy) and he has a demon sealed inside of him. Because of this, he is reviled by the adults who know about this. He takes on the prankster role to get attentiopn, and wacky hijinks ensue. Well, that's not it. It more or less details his school and training progression, bringing in a large cadre of ninjas (and ninjas-in-training) each with their own family techniques, and just is a really cool show. The manga is still currently ongoing, and is up to chapter 188 as of today, and episode 53 of the anime. The anime is about 30 episodes of content behind. There is still no unforseeable end to the manga or anime.

Quick Update

I ended up getting Sunday night off in exchange for working Sunday morning. It was godawful and boring, and I made a mere $45 for eight hours of work. Whoopety-doo. Sunday evening was a giant bad thing. I am not going to go into it but to say that I am sorry that Drew and Jason had to see it, and that it has worked out, for the most part. Anywho, I put in my notice at Best Buy, and my last day there is the 19th, a Saturday not far from now, and I may even be leaving early to help Barb and Bart (Christina's aunt and uncle) move to Fenton. This sucks since they won't be only four miles away... Well, time to go to Olive Garden for lunch and then to work at 4, then work two doubles in a row. My life is so packed with fun, I don't know what to do.

Fourth of July

And I am sitting here alone. Christina is off to her family gathering where she will have a lot of fun going to the belly-flop contest they have every year at Fenton Lake, and forget about me. She is pissed because I didn't get today off, even though I tried to get it off. Too many people had requested it off before me. Why I didn't try to work a day shift instead of evening? No clue. I wasn't sure if I was working Friday at Best Buy, so I couldn't request it in advance, and I just didn't think about it since Famous Dave's is my night job. I am still going to try to get the night off for tonight and Sunday (woo, then I won't make ANY money this week!) because Christina wanted me to. Why can't she tell me what days I should take off in advance? I mean, 4th of July was a no brainer, adn I tried, I really did! She says I am not trying hard enough, and I will be very lonely working my two jobs all of the time. I don't need this, it is not designed to make me happy or try to feel better about myself and make me a better person. It is just threatening and hurtful. Hurtful, the word of the week.

Don't Know How Much Longer

I can take this. Christina is getting extremely pissed off at me for every little thing. I honestly believe now that she is trying to find a reason to break it off with me once and for all. I have to change, I have to become the ideal that is in her head, even though she won't tell me what it is, I have to try harder. Yes, she is a god and very helpful woman, but she is not the be all end all to the world. I am hindered by her, for example: I don't play nerd games any more, I don't talk to Bud, Casey, or some other people because of her. Because she is dissatisfied with the fact that Jess and Dan didn't thank her profusely for the party she threw, she doesn't talk to them. She hates my mother, which nobody can understand. She thinks that our kids (if we ever have any) will never see my mom's family. But I still love her, love being with her, and want to be with her. Am I crazy? Can I make it alone? Do I want to? I don't want to be alone, I don't want to lose her for the good times we share. I don't want to lose her for the lazy mornings, the peaceful evenings, or the trips to Dairy Dan for Cherry Amaretto ice cream. Please, somebody, help me do what I need to do to make her and myself happy.

I Like Pie

I think everyone should love pie. Today was a fantabulous day. I got out of work early, got to see Jason for lunch (we went and had a Happy Meal at Malarky's, consisting of a burger, fries, and a Killians), play lots of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, go out to dinner at Akasaka with Christina, Drew, and Nissa, as well as have pie and then watch the first episode of Rurouni Kenshin: Trust (for the second time today, the first was with Jason). A full day, indeed. Alas, all good things must come to an end, and my belly is very full and needing sleepy time to digest it all. I work a double tomorrow, followed by two nights, a double.... lovely. Must loosen pants, too much pie. I only had 2 slices, Drew had 2 plus the remnants of pie from the ladies. Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeee......

Good Lunch, what's next?

I am not rich. I live with Christina in a relatively small apartment. I do have a higher income than I did before, but it does not afford me to spend hundreds of dollars on furniture. Each purchase, to me, is weighed on a few factors. First, do we have furniture/accessories that perform the same function? Second, how much money have I spent this week? Third, do we need it? That's where I am usually convinced as to whether or not I am going to purchase this at this time. Did that make sense? I say this because we were at Cost Plus and I like some of the chairs and tables there, but I can't afford them, don't have room for them, and have stuff that does the same job, but I still want them. Cursed logic and money-saving (at least attempting) ways. Not sure what to do tonight. I had La Shish tonight. La Shish is kinda pricey, but it seems odd that it is in an old Taco Bell. We went in there, and a waiter with white dress shirt greeted us and sat us in a small ex-Taco-Bell-now-La-Shish booth and let us look at the menus. There was seating for 48 at 16 tables. Kind of surreal, really. Great food, though. Carly, Christina and I had lunch and it was good. We started with Tabbouli, then I had a Lamb Schwarma (pita-like sandwich with savory lamb, tomatoes, onions, and a sauce similar to that which is on gyros. Oh, and pickles were on it, too. Carly had a Chicken Schwarma and a Hummus and Tabbouli Schwarma. Christina had Hummus with Lamb over it. The lamb was mixed with pine nuts. Christina had a Papaya smoothie. I will go there again. Yes, I shalll.

My Apartment Changed...

I mentioned Christina's design compulsion. I must admit that the newly styled living space looks very nice and open compared to the other way, what with the book cases lying on their sides and not towering up and covering the white walls, no bedposts on our "couch," et cetera. All that is left is for me to hang up my LeRoux Irish Cream mirror and to clean up my desk area. Of couse, mine is last to be taken care of. Of course. Worked lots so far, but I have the evening off, yay! Later. Maybe I'll play more Vice City, then again, I'll more than likely just visit with Christina.

Updates for a Sunday

So, the Spree thing was a success. We were the only place to not run out of food, we were the ones who generously gave out seconds and thirds, and we were voted People's Choice Award of the Spree. And we're not even in Livonia. I bought tickets for the Jethro Tull show for Soaring Eagle Casino, which means I will be relaxin at a table close to the stage. Woo! Christina wasn't expecting me to put $150 on the debit, though. Then again, it is for three tickets front and center. I don't think it's so bad, but I guess it was kind of a surprise to her. Christina's been restless. She watches the Style channel, HGTV, all the design shows, et cetera. First off, she thinks we are rich and should buy a $3000 plasma screen TV. Riiiiight. I'll just pull that out of my wallet, oh! Nothing there. Second, she rearranged the living room and dining area. It now looks more open and inviting. More like a home and less like a dorm. In order to set up Christina's desk area, we had to, uhm, buy her a desk and comfy comfy chair. It's actually the one I had wanted. Now I think I will go find the drivers for the XBox/USB converted gamepad. Wish me luck!

Another Steamy Day

Yeesh, it is muggy out! It got up to 90 and it doesn't help that the air was out at Famous Dave's last night. I was a closer, which means I have to make sure that everyone else does their job before I leave. Every one left before me, and decided to not help me at all. I started my cleanup at 12:00 when we closed at 10:00. Nice fucking teamwork. Today, I am going to go to Adventures in Homebrewing so that I can sign up as a judge for the Michigan State Fair Homebrew Competition. Woo! Drink beer and choose the best! Christina made our living room much bigger-seeming. She decided that she was done with my complaining about the bedposts and removed them from the couch and changed up the mattress covering, and it looks great. Well, time to put laundry in the drier. I work at the Spree tonight doing the Taste of Livonia at Eddie Edgar for $6 a person starting at 6pm. But, I think they are sold out, so why give out all that ingo? I was typing, and just couldn't stop. Try to keep cool...

Shooting People for Pleasure and Profit.

Let me start with two days ago. David went to work at Best Buy where he noticed that a certain nifty computer (a Medion) happened to have two displays. Now, knowing that there should only be one, and he was indeed not seeing double, he went about asking whether or not he could purchase said computer. As it turned out, he could, without the keyboard and mouse, which was not a problem; David already owned a mouse and keyboard both. The following day, David went and placed $500 in cash in front of the computer salesman and said 'put the rest on my debit' which was a much smaller amount. David enjoys his new computer, and hopes that it will be friends with his old one. The end. So, as you may have gotten, I bought a cool computer. Here are the specs: Pentium 4 processor, 2.4GHz 512MB DDR RAM 80GB Hard Drive 5 USB 2.0 Ports, 2 Firewire Ports Media slots (Compact Flash, Multimedia, Secure Digital, Memory Stick, and Smart Media) 16X DVD-Rom Floppy Drive Integrated video and sound cards capable of 5.1 surround sound and the piece de resistance... 4X DVD-R/2X DVD-RW/16X CR-R/4X CD-RW drive I have a DVD BURNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, tonight, I went and played Laser Tag with the trainers and managers at Famous Dave's, and we all had a blast. I got bopped in the face with a gun, but the first game I got in 4th out of 23, then 12th of 21, then 7th of 20. Not bad, I must say. I did worst when we were on teams. We should do this again, and the managers were really fun to hang out with! Well, bed calls, and so does the new Harry Potter book. I am now over 400 pages into it! Night!

Books and Games

Just a note, I get to read the new Harry Potter book in less than a week, and I just beat the Game Boy Advance game Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and I am still not done with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. I am a slacker. On the anime front, however, I have made mucho progress. I am going to upload the new Anime CD spreadsheet I have which details how much of which anime I have. I now have all of Fruits Basket on disc, we got Vandread: Second Stage and Kare Kano (His and Her Circumstances) on DVD from Singapore (gotta love eBay). I am sure Christina has said something about eBay in her journal [link to journal removed] recently. Gotta go cook steak. Later!

Back from the Dead

Welly well well well... I do still breathe and blood still pumps in my veins yet, though I have not updated my poorly neglected web journal for quite some time now. You see, as my last post stated, I have been working 80+ hour weeks and have had time to sleep in between. This past week, however, I had off so that I could use up my Personal Holiday hours at Best Buy before I quit. Yes, I will quit BB. Eventually, after I milk them for all that they are worth. I have to wait for my tuition reimbursement from them, and for July 7, which is the 1 year anniversary of my being full time there. I get 40 hours of Vacation time that they cannot take away, even if I quit. Enough of that though. I have been pulling down fat cash from Famous Dave's which allows me to pay off more and more of our debts more easily and save up for future expenses like school and a shiny new computer for me. Well, must prioritize. Christina and I got a neat little digital camera, a 3.2 megapixel Canon Elph. It's cute. Here is a link to where Christina is uploading some of the pictures: Christina's Pics on Yahoo! We've been having Drew and Nissa over a lot, as well as Jason. It's cool to get to hang out with other people sometimes, it brings a bit more variety, and allows me to watch movies that Christina usually wouldn't want to watch. Sometimes. Nissa seems to agree with Christina's thought processes sometimes, which makes it Men vs. Women more often than not. Speaking of Men vs Women, I went out to the bar with my coworkers after we closed up at Famous Dave's for the first time last night. I called Christina and she encouraged me to go, but was hinting at the fact that maybe I should come home. Being uncharacteristically decisive, I actually decided to have a drink with them at Chatters, a bar quite close to Christina's parent's house actually. Here is the problem. I told Christina I would be out for "probably only a half an hour." When I got in there however, it turned into around two and a half hours. Christina was extremely pissed, and she has reason. I didn't do what I said I was going to do, and disappointed her. She had gotten sunburnt out golfing and had wanted me to help her put aloe on her back where she couldn't reach. I didn't know this, however. So, I slept on the couch. Today, I did some laundry, after the neighbor downstairs relinquished the washer and drier at noon, cleaned up around the apartment and generally tidied up while listening to some music or the TV. Saw a good couple eps of Ground Force (surprise! we redid your yard) and Changing Rooms (I'll change your house, you change mine!) on BBC. Christina neither noticed nor mentioned anything about cleaning at all. I don't think she really cares about it.

Lack of Sleep, Lack of Company

This has been the week from hell, in a few ways. Now, don't get me wrong, I am enjoying the new job. I get fairly good tips so far, and we will see how we do in the long run here at Famous Dave's. I worked a tough schedule, too. I worked 6-230 at Best Buy most days and then 4-12 at Famous Dave's. I think I saw Christina awake for about 45 minutes the whole time. Also, Thursday night I really started to feel bad. I was thinking that Christina was going to bed early to avoid me, because she hadn't gotten to see me, or because I was holding on to my money from the tips. So, just as I am falling asleep, she gets up and goes to the "couch" in the living room and sleeps there for the night. I felt bad, but still didn't chase her; she must have had a good reason, but I was in no state to think coherently. That was just one of the capping moments. Everything has just been tense since I started at the restaurant. I think we are getting better about it, but pulling 80 hour weeks is going to kill me, especially since I have an online class starting Monday. C'est la vie.

Chinese Food and more

Today was a busy day for me. For starters, my computer tried to die yesterday and subsequently ate my 5 minute speech I had written in Japanese for my final. I also had my final written exam in my other Japanese class and was supposed to take my oral for the same before, since I am unable to be there at the appointed time on Monday. Add to all this that I had a "Study Session" for Famous Dave's in the middle of it. I was frazzled. I rushed (kinda late since I was stopped by the stupid train) to get Christina from work, who took her sweet time to get out of there. Love ya, hun! I got there too late for the oral, so I am doing that tomorrow. My exam went fairly well, and I had time to figure out how to improvise the rest of my presentation, since I had time to rewrite only half of it. I did all right, I guess. Oh, and Christina sat in on the class, and was thoroughly confused. We were all speaking in Japanese, and we didn't have subtitles. Afterwards, Kristy (one of the girls I knew from Japanese and Christina knew otherwise) asked us if we wanted to go out to dinner with her and her boy, Dion. We eventually said yes, and the two Chinese girls, Jiang and Ching-Chang (I think I spelled those right...) and Mary came out, too. We all went to Emerald City at Christina's suggestion, and had an awesome time. We ordered 5 dishes and split them between the seven of us. There was Chicken Mushu, Emerald City Chow Mein (with beef, scallops, and shrimp), General Tsao's Chicken, some Tofu with Mushroom dish, and a Sizzling Beef and Broccoli Skillet. Add to this an appetizer of Korean Style Dumplings (deep fried and crispy instead of steamed and pan fried. All in al, it came to only $11 a person, including tip. And this is not a cheap place! We made out well, with great food, good friends, and an enjoyable evening was had by all. A wonderful end to a frustrating day. And I get to snuggle up to Christina later on, too.

More adventures in the Life of David

At Best Buy on Saturday, we had a huge truck come it. Of course, this is the day we are supposed to have our smallest. Just my luck, eh? We are asked if we can come in at 5 in the morning instead of 6. Okay, I have bills to pay, I would have to leave at 9 anyway to go to my new job's orientation. I woke up at 4 to go to work at 5 and put up televisions for four hours. Yay me. Even with about 25 minutes snuggling up with Christina at home and changing before going to Famous Dave's for orientation, I was still kinda sleepy. I did get a great parking spot, though, right next to what I thought was a manager's car. It was a silver, brand new Mercedes-Benz 4-door. Very spiffy. Going inside, we all got mug shots taken for the corporate trainers (when they come on the 21st) and helped ourselves to some pop or coffee (ahhhhh, caffeine!). I was actually surprised to see that one of the waiters was a Best Buy Survivor named Bill who used to work in Home Theater. We ended up at the same table, and got to catch up. After many introductions and made up words (Ribalicious, Snoutstanding, Stick-to-it-ivity, and more, I am sure) we were broken up into three groups and we had to make up a cheer with choreography to promote the restaurant. Ours was the worst, we were barely in time with one another, and we stood stock-still. No biggie to me, I was never one for cheering. Since I knew the menu, they had me try to name off all of the items during a pause in the "cheer" but nobody stopped at the same time for me to spout stuff off. Ah well. The restaurant actually looks pretty nice to me. The smoking section is cramped and the bar is about 5 or 6 seals long, but the non-smoking section is roomy and well laid out. The kitchens are huge, with only a little bit of tightness around the initial prep area. My favorite feature, however, is the fact that the towel dispensers in the bathrooms (well, the Men's Room at least) is motion sensitive! You wash your hands as normal, then simply put your hand in front of the dispenser and, voila! towel in your hands. Simply tear, use, and discard. Three hours of the orientation and about four hundred speeches later, we are released into the wild once more. The owner of the Benz is none other than one of my fellow trainees. Another server. Not a manager, not an owner, but a server. Damn, why do they need tips? Anyway, at work on Saturday, Art (remember, the Almighty Slapnut?) told us -- not asking this time -- that we were coming in at 5 once more on Sunday to set up the ad due to a meeting we were having. We grumbled, and groaned, but did it regardless. It really wasn't that bad. I mean, hell, we got free donuts (I actually had a bagel) and since we were here early, we set aside some office chairs to sit in instead of having to sit on the floor. I just have a little more Japanese class for the next week, then I am done with Japanese till the fall. Ganbaru ZO!

Anime List

I know you've been waiting for it, so here it is... My anime list. Commercially Released Anime DVDs: Escaflowne Box Set Escaflowne Movie Lain Box Set Nadesico Box Set Love Hina 1-3 Love Hina Christmas Special Gunsmith Cats Vampire Princess Miyu TV 1 Oh My Goddess! 1&2 Oh My Goddess! Movie Marriage Record of Lodoss War OAVs 1&2 Rurouni Kenshin OAVs 1&2 Tenchi Forever Castle of Cagliostro Princess Mononoke Legend of Crystania Blood: The Last Vampire Saint Tail 1 Downloaded Anime CDs: Berserk 1-26 Love Hina 1-25 Love Hina Specials Love Hina Again 1-3 Love Live Hina Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (His and Her Circumstances) 1-26 To Heart 1-13 Hack\\Sign 1-15 Hack\\Liminality 1-3 Hack\\Dusk 1-11 Jungle wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu 1-26 and I am sure there is more. I just thought I would share......

Shigoto wo shinakya....

Workety-work work work. For the past two days, I have been pulling 12 hour shifts at Best Buy because our jobs were threatened. We were told, right when we were leaving on Thursday, that we had to gut and completely organize and rearrange our warehouse to the managers' specific standards by Saturday night at close. Our supervisor, the almighty Slap-Nut Art, decided to not be there Saturday, since he was going up north. I would have done the same, mind you, but he's probably going to get fired because of this. Oh well. So, Michelle (the senior of the dept) took charge and worked two 14 hour days and we, along with some part timer help, rocked out the warehouse cleaning, and a mega-super-ultra truck shipment from hell. It looks damn good back there now, but, man oh man, it was not fun getting there. I finally bought Zelda: The Wind Waker. I have yet to play it since I was so tired last night. Figures, eh? I will get to it soon, though. I guess I am going to go to dinner at Christina's parents' house now, so I guess I should get ready. I'll check back here and post a few thoughts in another two or three days... maybe.

Had an awesome day!

Well, everything's comin' up Milhouse! Er, David.... It was a beautiful day in the small town of Westland: the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the Davids were humming happy little tunes. Allow me to elaborate. I woke up refreshed, having been able to sleep in till 8. Three hours longer than usual. After taking the lovely little lady to work, I came back and prettied myself up for my final interview to be a waiter at Famous Dave's (see prior post). Back at the "office" (the trailer outside the restaurant-in-progress) I met with Dan, the General Manager, and interviewed with him outside in the lovely weather. I wowed him with my product knowledge (why, yes, I do believe the beverages are best served IN GLASSES) and my prior experience (I eat almost every day!), and he went inside to confer with his fellow Daveites. I sat outside for about 15 minutes, during which time, I received a wonderful phone call, telling me my car that I wanted would, in fact, be mine. More details there later. I went in to talk to Mike, the Director of Operations, and then back outside to talk once more to Dan who told me that I had a job. Woo! Car and a job! All in one day! After the interview, I went to do some mundane errands. I jumped through hoops to get rid of my old Talon (now a large paperweight that plays the radio), and went home to get ready for class and take Christina to get my new car. An hour and a thousand signatures later, the car was mine. It is a 2003 Honda Civic LX 4-door sedan, and, for the next three years (and 36000 miles) it is mine. It is Pearl Blue, with a Grey interior, built in dash CD player, air conditioning, brake AND gas pedals, light up displays (blue, also), and a spacious trunk which would comfortably fit two bodies. I got hooked up big time. Dan Hedges is a great guy, of course. He hooked me up with the detail job of a lifetime. It sparkled. Hell yeah. He scotch-garded the interior, and clear coated the exterior. Clean as clean can be. I am pleased with it all. Top it all off with going out to dinner at Don Pablo's getting some fajitas and a giant Killian's, and David had a pretty rockin' day. I'll leave it at that. Maybe I'll inform you of the next few days I will spend cleaning the warehouse at Best Buy. I'll see how horrific it is when I actually do it.

New Year, Same David

At the behest of Drew, also known as Kouzou_Fuyutsuki, who just happens to have a blog himself ( http://www.msu.edu/~reichenb/blog/JSoC.html ), I am FINALLY updating my pathetic excuse for a blog. Not much has been happening lately, that I should note. I am back in school, retaking Japanese for International Trade (JPNE 361) and Advanced Japanese Conversation (JPNE 444) at Eastern, I still work at Best Buy (going on 10 months), I am still living with Christina (she keeps me sane while driving me nuts. hehehe), and I need a new car. Yes, my car decided to have the engine seize on the way to work this past Sunday. It makes it difficult, since I have no money to buy a new one. I will probably end up leasing or financing a cheap-o. I also applied for a second job today at a restaurant called Famous Dave's where I hope to be a server and bring home some fat cash. They open on the 28th of April. I love my Gamecube, and my game library includes: Animal Crossing, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Master Quest, Mario Sunshine, SSX Tricky, and Starfox Adventures. Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker forthcoming, not purchased yet due to my car dying and creating a money-vacuum. Next issue: My Anime List. I know you're all hanging on the edges of your seats!!