We got a Wii

Boy oh boy, I got word of what was essentially a relaunch of the Nintendo Wii on the 21st of January at Best Buy.  There were 52 of them available, and I was going to be one of the ones to get it. So, Sunday morning, I got out of bed at 6:15 in the morning.  I arrived at 6:45, and got into line.  Keep in mind, Best Buy opens at 11:00am.  Yes, I was there for over 4 hours, sitting in a folding camp chair, bundled up, wrapped up in my queen size comforter. Being the fifth person in line, I was guaranteed a Wii.  I just hoped they had additional Wiimotes and Nunchuks.  For the uninitiated, those are the controllers and the attachments. To my right was a sophmore in college who was getting a Wii for her boyfriend for Christmas.  What a gift! To my left was a know-it-all spoiled eleven year old brat who didn't believe that I knew how to speak Japanese, that I knew anything about video games, or that I was anything at all. Around 8:00, I called my mom and David Carter to get in line; more people were trickling in.  So, they arrived, and at 9:30, Jason showed up.  I was sneaky and brought them forward in line, so they became numbers six and seven.  When 10:00 rolled around, they handed out tickets and told us to stay in line.  The last hour was torture, but I made it.  We filed in, en masse, and they handed out our new Nintendo systems, and allowed us to pick up what accessories we wanted.  I got a second Wiimote and Nuncuk combination as well as the amazing new Zelda game. I brought it home, and the tv was taken over by a new system that forced us all to get up off our asses and jump around. A week later, and I have fallen for this system; it is no gimmick.  Wii Sports is absolutely fantastic, the Bowling is fun and easy to play for a group, Tennis is great and good to move around to, Baseball and Golf are good but not fantastic, and the Boxing game is a study in frenetic gesticulation until the other Mii falls down.  By the way, Miis are the little avatars made in game that are your characters.  My Mii looks frighteningly like me.  It is still kinda creepy. As for Zelda, I am thirteen hours in to it and many more to come. There is more to life than the Wii, though.  Kelly and I are working a lot; Kelly more than me.  I get to keep the place in good shape.  Oh well, I fail.  At least I get good use out of the Wii. Formal invite: We should play the Wii together with beverages in hand.  Contact me.  You know who you are.

Weekly Doldrums

It has been work, work, work, Kelly, work, school, and more work lately. I dream about being busy at Famous Dave's.  How sad is that? I had a dream that it took me 20 minutes to get drinks for my two tables, and I was seriously stressing about it.  I woke myself up with the rolling around and told myself I was at home and didn't have to be back for.... six hours.  Ugh. Well, at least I'm making money. In other news, Final Fantasy V Advance is coming out, and I must go and make a purchase, as well as Final Fantasy III DS (first time out legally in the US).  Alas, I have no cash to spare for it. I also have to design a ring to cast for my jewelry class.  I am thinking a woman's band with a cherry blossom on either side of the kanji for love (愛).  Either that, or a squared band with my name in kanji across it as a sort of signet ring.  My name in kanji is　義武泥舞.  Kind of hard to carve on to a ring, eh?  Maybe just the first one, meaning 'Honor.' Oh well, clean the fish tank and go to work, yay!

As I Post, Weak and Weary...

Damn, I'm tired. I didn't sleep well last night. I had a great night; Kelly and I watched our shows, had a good dinner, and we rested a bit. Well, I rested a bit while she studied. So, we climb into our delicious pillowtop queen bed. Kelly falls asleep straight away while I sit there awake and no prospect of sleep. I decided to watch Samurai III: The Duel at Ganryu Island. I watched the whole thing and was yet unable to fall asleep. Side note, Mifune Toshiro was a badass. Check his stuff out, but if you have heard of him, you already know this. I couldn't fall asleep until 4:30 this morning. I had to wake up at 8:25. I have not been a happy monkey today. I am grouchy and grumpy and a bevvy of other adjectives taht start with the letter G. If only my brain were not so groggy, I could think of them. In any case, I just wrote to say that if you ever get time for a nap, grab it with both hands and don't let go. I am sad I didn't get that opportunity.

Just Relaxing

I am very happy with my new bed. I had an Odyssey to get it, though. It all started off that I drained and dismantled my waterbed because Jason was going to give me his queen pillowtop bed. I went to my brother's house. We got the U-Haul truck. We took his bed apart and put it in the truck. We brought the couch from the basement and put it in the truck. We dismantled the desk upstairs and brought it down and put it in the truck. We took the couch to my Papa's. We brought the couch in and set it up. We took a chair from my Papa's and put it in the truck. The chair went to my mom's, where it was unloaded. Next, we went to IKEA and Jason and Susie proceeded to choose their new bed. There was a break for Swedish Meatballs and Lingonberry juice. After waiting for the furniture, we put it in the truck and went to my apartment. We unloaded my new bed and set it up. Returning to my brother's place, we unloaded his new King bed and brought it all upstairs. We also had to rearrange the room. At this point, Jason and Susie were going out to Clawson to drop off the desk. I decided to go home. I got to sleep on a real bed, and a really comfortable one at that. Here's to a good night's sleep!

Disturbed - Land of Confusion

I was listening to the radio, and I heard a familiar song from my childhood being rocked out by a very good rawkin band. Land of Confusion (originally by Genesis) was being thrashed by Disturbed. Very good. Very, very good. My first thought is that if they have a new album out (didn't know that it was out), then I have new workout music. Today, I had free time in the computer lab. Somewhere I got a link to the video, which was done by Todd McFarlane. Yes, that's the guy. That Spawn creator. I was expecting quality, but I wasn't expecting such blatant social and political commentary. Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree with it! In fact, I quite liked it. I was reading some of the comments about it on YouTube, and was struck by how little people know about the world. Oh well. In any case -- video goodness embedded below. In case the video does not embed properly, here's the link: Disturbed - Land of Confusion. I'm out.

One of the Longest Nights...

I was at work last night (Thursday), and I was a closer.  I was set to get out at around 11:30, after clean up and check out.  However, I left at 10:15 instead.  Kelly was brought up to Novi, curled up in a ball and hyperventilating. Enter Emergency Mode. I rushed her to the closest place I can think of -- my dad's house.  Kevin woke him up for me so he was sentient when I got there.  Kelly was having a panic attack and her chest pains were worse.  She was not in a good way.  I think she overexerted herself by going to school and work.  We thought the antibiotics were working, but I guess that was not the problem. Dad sent us up to Beaumont with a specific set of instructions.  We were to get a chest X-Ray and blood test to rule out possible blood clots. And here we were without insurance. Kelly got her gown on and laid on her gurney.  Rene came and got the X-Ray ordered post haste and we got down there.  A couple minutes after the pictures were done, Rene came back and whisked her away to the Triage to go get a room.  Blood was drawn, and EKG ordered, and then we played the waiting game. Dad got us sandwiches and we got good news -- EKG clean, blood test clean, and X-Rays lovely.  I always knew she was photogenic. Turns out it was pretty much crazy acid reflux.  A couple grand later, and we find that out.  Ugh, I shudder to think of the bill. So, Prilosec and Maalox later, we are home and sleeping in our uncomfortable waterbed.  It is 3:30.  We were supposed to be home at 11:50.  A long night, but at least Kelly will be better.

Very Stressful Weekend

I just came out of a very stressful weekend. It all started on Wednesday when I was at work. I got a voicemail from my mom saying "Don't worry, but your Papa (her dad) is in the hospital. His leg (that has been bothering him for months) was red and swollen and hurting." So, when someone tells you not to worry, don't you immediately do the opposite? The rest of my night was shot and I could not concentrate on anything. The next day, Kelly and I ditched class early to go visit him. He was just hanging out watching the Tigers lose. He looked tired, but all right. My aunt came down from Canada the next morning before his surgery. What surgery, you say? There were no less than five blockages in the arteries in his legs, which is one of the reasons he has not had feeling in his legs for the past few years. He was to have an extensive angioplasty to get rid of them. He went in to surgery on Friday at 2:30pm. He was supposed to be in at noon. He got out at 8pm. I was a wreck at work. I told them if a phone call came from me, I was leaving immediately. No ifs, ands, or buts. A phone call would mean the worst. Thankfully, there was no phone call. He came out beautifully. He has feeling back in his right leg, and his left leg, the bad one, has circulation. He can wiggle his toes for the first time in years. On Sunday, I took my aunt Dee to dinner at Famous Dave's (because that was the only way for her to see Kelly) and before we left the hospital, he was shuffling to the bathroom (using a walker), and it did not hurt. He has had shooting pains when he walked for many years. This might have been his own little miracle, and he deserves it 100% Now, for Kelly. Sunday morning she woke up and her chest hurt, like it was congested. I had to work, but I got her chest congestion meds and doped her up. She was feeling moderately better by the time Dee and I got to see her at Famous Dave's. Monday morning, she was worse. She had to go to work at A&W, and about an hour and a half into work she called me in tears. That is the worst feeling ever. I raced over and took her to the medical clinic to see a doctor (since my dad is in Vegas, the asshole, hehe). We sat in the waiting room for over an hour and a half. When we were seen, the doctor mistook Kelly's explanation of chest congestion and pain when breathing to mean "I am having a heart attack." ...which was wrong. They didn't do too many tests since her insurance does not kick in until December, and we got the prescriptions for free. She gave us Advil, Clarinex, and Thalomycin (or something like that). The rest of the day I took care of my baby. She felt like crap and thought she was being a burden. I just know that the next time I get sick, she is going to have her hands full. I just like being able to take care of her. Today, she is sleeping and I am at school. I just kicked the butt of a test and have a presentation in about twenty minutes. After that is a break and then my last class before returning home for the day to pamper her. If she is lucky, I will get her The Little Mermaid.

Sequestered in the Lab

I am currently at the Halle Library at EMU, writing this in the basement lab. I don't have that much to say other than I am sore and tired. I gave my dad a call a few days ago and set up a meeting. I wanted to use my Lifetime Fitness membership better, so I arranged a racquetball lesson. He has played racquetball for years, and I have.... not. He kicked my butt all up and down those white walls. After five games, I had scored one point. He had a total of 75. Yeah, not so good. Afterward, we worked out on the machines and hot tubbed. Always a pleasant end to the rigors of self body sculpting torture. Later that day, after a well deserved nap and a sub, I went megashopping. With an amazing deal on Pepsi at Target (this week only, 4 12pks of Pepsi for $10 and you get a $5 Target gift card!!) and $50 in Meijer gift cards, it was time to stock up. So, while Kelly was at work I slept, and while she was at school, I shopped. Dinner was an easy affair, pan seared steak with garlic mashed potatoes and fresh green beans and crescent rolls. I have yet to do the dishes, and I am not looking forward to it. The night time was not the best. There was schoolwork aplenty to be completed before this morning. I think I got to bed at 1:45. I am tired and sore. Time for lunch and then one more class before I get to go home and clean. At least dinner is easy tonight -- salads.

Long Time Removed

I've been gone from this site for an extraordinarily long time.  I hope to try to update more often. Just a few things, I have a last.fm account that I will be plugging into this every once in a while. I am trying to size down this PowerPoint presentation I made for my Labor Day week vacation, and that will be up soon.

Spring Break, WOOOO!!!!!

This past week was spent for me in Delaware with Kelly.  We went out to visit her family that lives out there.  The main reason we went is because Kelly's cousin, Katie, just had a baby, Kylie.  She lives at home with her husband, Brad, her parents AJ and Debbie, and AJ's mom, Grandma Vaughn. Got that straight?  Okay. Kelly and I left Michigan at 10pm Sunday night and drove until we got there at 7:30am.  We stopped at a Waffle House as well.  On the way from Waffle House to Kelly's aunt's house, we heard school closings on the radio.  They shut down county after county until the whole state seemed to be closed.  Why, exactly, we wondered.  There was no snow on the ground, the skies were not darkened with storm clouds.  It was only with a weather forecast that they closed everything.  Snow did not roll in until 10am, and instead of the 6" expected, they got 4" on the ground throughout the day.  In Michigan we would have laughed at this.  Kelly and I did laugh at the absurdity.  It was crazy. We slept through Monday, since there was nothing to do and we had to recover from the nocturnal drive. We spent time socializing when awake with the family.  They immediately made me feel welcome, and it was made clear that if I wanted to do anything, it was but for me to ask.  We set a date to go to the local microbrewery later in the week as a result.  You know my love of beer. In this time I also got familiar with a little bundle of grunts named Kylie.  She weighs about 11 pounds right now, and is two months old.  Absolutely adorable.  I will have pictures online some time soon. It was also a challenge to keep clear of the two dogs, Tarzan and Doc.  Doc was a short spaniel-terrier mix that is black and white.  Tarzan is a big German Shepard-black lab mix.  I think.  I am going on instinct here for these.  They are quite friendly. Tuesday rolled around, and we had wings for lunch, and lazed.  At night, Brad and I went to get some drinks and scary movies.  We got Saw, The Forgotten, and Kracker Jack'd.  The third was taken because the cover was so laughable (it had the tagline "Whitebread gone bad"). When we watched Kracker Jack'd, well, attempted to watch it, we learned some things.  This should not have ever made it into any video store, the makers seem to have used a home video camera, and used a plastic Halloween butcher's knife to kill people.  We couldn't watch it after the worst death scene ever.  A guy had his throat slit, and he hangs on for over two minutes "dying" by saying things like "NO!  Shit, NO!  Baby, gimme a cigarette..."  It was shut off and replaced with Saw, which was better. Wednesday was spent on the move.  I came downstairs after shower and shave to have Brad say we should get out of the house.  We went to the Ommelanden Shooting Range (just the two of us, the girls stayed home with Kylie) to shoot skeet.  Yeah, I haven't shot a gun in over 10 years, and we are shooting 50 rounds in strong winds.  I hit 6 out of 50, which I was proud of.  Brad got twice as many, easily.  After our manly male bonding, we got ready for dinner.  We went out on the town to The Melting Pot, a fondue place in Wilmington. I hear there is one in Troy now, also. When we first arrived, we got a table with two fondue pots.  It was a pretty simple choice, we went for the Big Night Out.  That's a 4 course meal that stretched over three and a half hours.  It was amazing and relaxing.  Let me explain it all to you.  You all know how fondue works: long fork plus food in a pot of whatever cooks or coats it, and you eat. Course One -- Cheeses.      We had a Garlic Herb cheddar cheese for one and a Spicy Fiesta cheese for the other in which we dunked nacho chips, rye/pumpernickel/italian bread, carrots, cauliflower, and apple  chunks. Course Two -- Salads.      I had a California salad with sliced egg, walnuts, mixed greens, gorgonzola, and a lovely vinaigrette.  Other than that, just salads.  By this time, I had finished my Signature Margarita. Course Three -- Entree.      The Big Night Out gives two options: meat or seafood.  We got one of each and shared.  Meats included filet mignon, chicken breast, peppered pork tenderloin, teriyaki sirloin, burgundy marinated tenderloin, and portobello mushrooms while seafood included black tiger shrimp, sea scallops, ahi tuna, salmon, swordfish, and lobster.  I had moved on to a Yuengling Lager and a B-52 shooter. Course Four -- Dessert.      Two chocolate fondues.  The first was a Flaming Turtle fondue with pecans and milk chocolate, and I created the second one of dark chocolate, Frangelico, and graham crackers.  We had pineapples, strawberries, pound cake, marshmallows (covered in nuts or in dark chocolate), cheese cake, and brownies.  I had a Bailey's and Frangelico with this. It was a three and a half hour meal that I would love to repeat.  I just wouldn't like to pay the bill. That night, we tried to Watch The Forgotten, but fell asleep half way through. Thursday was DC day.  Kelly's other cousin, Lexi (Katie's sister) goes to George Washington University.  So after 45 minutes of getting a fax from her dad with directions and maps, Katie, Kelly, Kylie, and I trekked through Delaware, Maryland, and DC to GWU.  We hung out with Lexi in her huge dorm room (it has a kitchen!!!) while her roommates and neighbors fawned over the little cutie, Kylie.  She refused to wake up at all except when she was getting fed.  Must be nice to be a baby, eh? On our way out, we decide to get some food.  We went to Chipotle, where we got burritos the size of our head.  Lexi annihilated hers, leaving her bowl clean.  The rest of us ate more than half, but couldn't demolish the beast.  I don't know how Lexi did it, these girls are small!  After our day there, we dropped Lexi off back home and headed back to Middletown (in Delaware). We successfully watched The Forgotten this night and we were disappointed.  I am not going to give it away, but we expected something to actually happen in this movie. On Friday, we got out to the mall, since there is no sales tax in Delaware.  It's like every store has an automatic 6% discount on everything!  Debbie joined us to the mall and we went in her new Jag.  Man, it's nice!  I was mainly a packmule (hey, I didn't have much money, and it was the least I could do) and I watched as Kelly tried on and subsequently got some clothes.  Let me tell you that these clothes looked damn good on her.  We also picked up the prom dress that Kelly's sister had wanted and brought it back to MI as a surprise.  Or, as Debbie put it, "A little present for her."  I forced a stop at the Borders Express (yeah, right, they loved stopping there too).  I got three books: The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide by Douglas Adams, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, and Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore.   The last was a suggestion by the saleswoman there.  She has excellent taste, it is quite amusing.  Very tongue-in-cheek.  After the mall, Kelly and I went to Kohl's for a bathing suit, since I had none in my possession, and there was a hot tub waiting for me.  Also, no sales tax is very persuasive. That night we had a Delaware feast: Cheesesteak subs from Capriatti's and Pizza from Grotto's.  Debbie had AJ pick up a large sub for me.  It was 21" long.  I just finished it an hour ago.  Today is Monday.  The pizza was good, but not amazing.  The sauce was heavier, and had a distinct flavor to it also. Saturday was, in essence, our final day.  It was also Lexi's birthday, so AJ and Debbie went to surprise the heck out of her in DC for dinner.  The girls went to see Katie's wedding dress and get the bridesmaid's dresses set for her second wedding (this is the fancy ceremony).  I joined them in babysitting capacity.  Kylie slept the whole time, thankfully.  Afterwards, we were getting a bit of relaxation before we went to Legends. Legends is the restaurant at Delaware Park, the nearby casino.  Brad is head chef there.  Before dinner, we stopped at a liquor store, where I bought a case of Yuengling Lager for $14.99.  $14.99 for 24 bottles of beer.  Heck yeah!  It is back here in Michigan, safe and sound.  Finally, we got dinner, where we had to get a security escort to go upstairs because Kylie is underage.  She can't even hold her pacifier, much less pull a handle on a slot machine.  Sheesh.  The food was amazing, but the service sucked.  It was definitely not good.  I asked to substitute the dinner salad that comes with the entree for the baby spinach salad, and even offered to pay for the difference, and she just said, "No."  Katie spoke up and said, "Yes, you can.  Just ask Brad, the head chef, my husband.  I'm sure you can take care of it."  She was ungodly slow, also.  It took 10 minutes to get a draft beer!  Yuengling again, of course.  Dinner was the Delaware Park Surf and Turf, a 6oz filet and an awesome crab cake.  We also had a dessert of bread pudding and a giant eclair.  After dinner, I was stuffed.  We still had one more stop at Stewarts, the microbrewery.  I got a 4 drink sampler, trying a London Ale, IPA, American Brown Ale, and Stout.  It was delicious.  But I was in some serious pain after all of that. A hot tub was in order after that, and we enjoyed the rest of the evening before we got ready to head home. In the morning, we said good bye to Katie and Kylie (Brad was still in bed since he worked till about 1:30am) and were on our way.  It was quite a drive, with one stop at Bob Evan's, and we were home by 8.  At 10, Kelly's sister was home from work and we surprised her with the dress.  It was an excellent feeling surprising her with the prom dress. But, unfortunately, we are home and back in the real world.  School, work, and bills beckon.  Back to the grind, eh?

Coming Attractions

Update coming later today, with a story of my Spring Break in Delaware.  Didn't you know?  That's where the cool kids are going these days.  I updated my age because I'll be 24 in three days.  Just so ya know.

Your Livejournal Future LiveJournal Username Age Favorite Food Gender FemaleMaleNeuterBoth Favorite Band Favorite Place Will become a famous porn star poprocks16 Will run around nude at your funeral kg1107 Will become bankrupt poprocks16 Will own a multi million dollar company tinkbella Will become a spinster and own 200 cats mega_starky Will get breast implants mega_starky Will start World War III by accidentally bombing Germany kg1107 Will be the antichrist jjprzywa Quiz created by Wodrag at BlogQuiz.Net

LJ Quizzes at Blog

Is this Who I am?

Just took a Meyers-Briggs like personality test, and it told me this: Extroverted (E) 61.54% Introverted (I) 38.46% Intuitive (N) 52.17% Sensing (S) 47.83% Feeling (F) 55.26% Thinking (T) 44.74% Perceiving (P) 73.53% Judging (J) 26.47%

ENFP - "Journalist". Uncanny sense of the motivations of others. Life is an exciting drama. 8.1% of total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs)

So, what do you guys think? Is it at all accurate? Lemme know! In other news, I am feeling like crap.  Head and sinuses all stuffed up.  Kelly brought me meds and tissues which makes me feel better though.

Oh, St. Valentine

I had an amazing Valentine's Day yesterday.  Kelly and I decided to keep it simple, and I cooked for her. She didn't know what we were eating, but I had carefully taken into account the things she didn't like, and I ended up picking some of her favorites!  She came over, and she helped me get ready for the meal. I made a lemon-garlic pork loin with green beans almondine tossed in a sun-dried tomato, basil, and white wine sauce that the pork was also cooked in.  We also had redskin potatoes with garlic, parsley, and black pepper and crescent rolls.  Dessert was simple strawberry shortcake. It took a while to cook, but in the end, it was worth it.  The pork was tender and juicy, the sauce for the green beans and pork was awesome.  I impressed myself. Thankfully, I also impressed her. We also watched The Bachelorette, one of those shows that she makes me watch.  I don't mind so much, but I wouldn't seek it out on my own.  After that, we put in The Notebook, a girly movie that was all too appropriate for V-Day.  It was actually really good.  Her friends told her that it would get the waterworks going, but that's not really the case.  There was no bawling or weeping. All in all, it was an amazing evening, and the best Valentine's Day I have had.  It didn't hurt that at midnight it became out 10 month anniversary, either.

Yarrr

Yarr, The Scourge of tha Seven Servers, I be.  A pirate like none before. Well, I do spend most of my time online acquiring some lovely bits of ones and zeros in either audio or video configurations..  In fact, my dad, Kevo, and I got together to share our music collections from iTunes.  Because of this, I now have about 3300 songs to listen to. It's interesting to look at the three of our collections side by side.  Obviously, there is a lot in common now that we have shared (and shared alike), but my dad has more of the Classic Rock and a little bit of newer stuff, while Kevo has mainly punk, indie rock, j-pop, and metal with bits of classic rock and more put in there.  I have the most eclectic (read: weird) collection, spanning blues, jazz, metal, rock, alternative, j-pop, other techno, and comedy and audio books. Not that I have listened to all of my music yet, that is.  I have my Audioscrobbler keep track of what I listen to, and when the system repopulates the list, I will be number 10 on the top 10 Tull listeners, a title which I have earned only by having Tull in copious amounts on my iTunes while listening randomly. And yes, my avatar for Audioscrobbler is Hulk Hogan selling Pasta.  That shirt indeed says "Pastamania!"  I was not about to be outdone by Kevo's Chuck Norris. Also, Jason and Susie came over to dad's last night, so dad, Jason, Susie, Kevo, and I played a rousing game of Star Wars Monopoly, wherein dad got the first Monopoly, the Coruscant properties (Boardwalk and Park Place).  Jason engineered a 4 person trade with the rest of us, giving us each at least one monopoly.  My dad was soon decimated and sent home, penniless, and Susie and I teetered on the brink of collapse.  I gave way first, but she had soon followed, and Kevo did not last much longer.  Jason was the winner with a total of $10,015 at the end of the game.  That is a huge amount!! Also, though my dad beat Jason at an 8-ball and a 9-ball tournament, he still lost at Upwords 207 to Jason's 267.

フィッシュ‐ファイト！

When I stayed in Japan back in 2001, as the spring rolled on and the cherry blossoms did their thing, a curious bit of music appeared on Japanese television.  A bit of background, the J-Pop music scene consists of a lot of group bands, either boys or girls.  This one band, called Yaen, was formed as a joke.  This is what we could tell, at least.  In April 2001, we saw a bit of variety show that had about 8 guys on stage, performing a song called "Fish Fight!" They danced a silly coreography -- poorly. They pulled extremely silly faces in their close-ups. They -- and this is la piece de resistance -- wore giant, plastic FISH HEADS on their heads as they sang and "danced." After the song, they were interviewed, as is custom.  It seemed like half of them (at least) were tanked out of their mind.  Not only were they not speaking properly, but they were falling over each other.  In short, hilarity.  We scoured the internet whilst in Japan, attempting to find a video of these guys performing their silly song. Alas, our search was in vain. Until now!  I decided to get into it again, and I found the official music video.  It may be grainy, but it is still there.  A four year search (off and on) is over with a silly music video. This may not be making any sense right now, sorry, I am watching House, and it's hard to type while paying this much attention to the program.  I am looking for a place to put it on the internet, but I don't have anywhere to host a 10mb file.

忍者のクイズだってばよ！

Another waste of space quiz!

You scored as Iruka. You’re Iruka, the Ninja Academy teacher. You, my friend, are one of the kindest people there is. Sure, you can lose you temper from time to time – who wouldn’t, teaching those kids – but you have a heart of gold. You work hard and are always there when someone needs you, but you tend to worry a bit too much about those you love. Iruka 100% Shikamaru 88% Rock Lee 69% Genma 50% Sasuke 50% TenTen 44% Kakashi 38% Naruto 31% Hinata 19% Neji 19% Which Naruto ninja are you most like? created with QuizFarm.com

What a Saturday

What a day I had. I'll start off by saying how deliriously amazing my Friday was, despite having to take an exam at 1pm.  I even got to see The Bourne Supremacy, which was actually pretty good. Saturday started after perhaps the best night of sleep I had in a while.  How rarely it happens makes me appreciate it all the more, and want it every day.  Er, night.  I had to go to Bravo for a server meeting, which was actually pretty useless.  It consisted of telling us that things will be changing, in a few weeks, but not right away.  Ooooookay.  Good job on communicating it, boss.  I also stayed on and worked a morning shift, my first time alone on the floor.  It was a good day, not very busy, but everyone was happy and had a good time.  I got out of there later than I had hoped, since I was double sat ten minutes before the shift change.  On my way home, I called my dad, since we had plans to play some shafabo, drink some beers (Coke for the Kevo), and generally be music pirates, sharing our collections.  I got a lot from my dad already, but I want Kevo's music also. It turns out the the lil bro wasn't feeling too darn well, being miserable on the couch and spending some time praying to the porcelain god (even though he would be drinking Coke, not beer).  I was assured that he may feel better as the night went on, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to still come over.  I got home and relaxed for a bit before getting ready to head over.  As I was shutting my computer down to disassemble it for transport, my phone rings, and dad tells me that, if Kev's condition continues to worsen, they're going to the ER and getting him checked for appendicitis.  So, coming over, not such a good idea that moment.  I wished them well, and turned my computer back on. I spent the evening reading and bolstering my already healthy sized music collection (I am open to suggestions for tunes to acquire, if anyone is willing to offer them!), and in the mean time, I talked to my other brother, Jason, and told him that I was not going to dad's, as originally planned, because dad thought Kev might have appendicitis.  Jason got slightly worried, but I kept thinking, where better could the kid be?  He was in the home of his father, an ER doctor specializing in Trauma, who lives right near Beaumont hospital, probably the best hospital in the area, where he works and can get him in quickly.  It turns out those connections were well-used.  By 9:30, Kevin was minus one appendix, and sleeping in the hospital for the night. Cheers, kid.  Glad you got it taken care of in such a timely fashion, and as dad says, "It's a good thing it happened now, so he can snowboard at Snowmass in a few weeks."  Asshole. This morning was spent  with Kelly, the way mornings should be spent.  We went to Leon's for breakfast after she went to church, and then I helped her with her Music class homework, and then we watched The Apprentice that she had taped.  When she went to work, I came home, talked to my mom for a while, and now I am reading again, listening to my music.  I don't think I have enough songs, only 2,625 pluls some comedy I am working on. We weren't going to actually play shafabo, but play some Shafabo.  Make sense now?  I thought so.

Dr Pepper Good

I have noticed the new type of Dr. Pepper gracing my shelves right now.  It is Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper, but there is one thing wrong with it.  It is diet!!  Now let me explain to you.  I have an intense loathing for all things with aspartame (previously Nutrasweet).  I have never liked the taste and my mom never let us have it.  Besides, when real Coke tastes so good, why punish yourself drinking the swill they call Diet Coke? I wrote the good people of Dr. Pepper and asked them about the real Chery Vanilaa Dr. pepper, and they gave me a form letter in response, which I will now share with you all: Dear Mr. Gibb, Thank you for contacting us about the availability of Dr Pepper.  Your comments and inquiries are appreciated because they give us valuable input regarding our brands and their availability. We regret that you are unable to find Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper in your area and suggest that you contact your local bottler to express your desire that they carry Dr Pepper. Your local bottler information is: COCA-COLA BOTTLING CO. OF MICHIGAN (734) 397-2700 In addition, you might also speak to the retailers in your area and request they carry Dr Pepper in their stores. Again, we regret the inconvenience this has caused you.  We value your patronage and we hope you will continue to enjoy our soft drinks. Sincerely, Consumer Relations There is hope!  Also, the bottling plant is about a mile and a half from my apartment.  Hmm, late night raids?  Perhaps.

More Giant Quiz Super Happy Fun Plus!

Lil bro Kevo took another intriguing quiz.  Thought I would do the same.

LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN A THEATER:	Meet the Fockers
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW:	Candide by Voltaire (for class)
FAVORITE BOARD GAME:	Monopoly (That's my $500)
FAVORITE MAGAZINE:	Outdoor Life
FAVORITE SMELLS:	Country Heather, Basil, Girls
COMFORT FOOD:	Anything Japanese, Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup
FAVORITE SOUNDS:	the flute, a 100Y coin flipping, waterfalls
WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD:	Disappointing the ones you love
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING:	"I'M LATE FOR WORK/SCHOOL" That, and pie.
FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE:	Arby's
FUTURE CHILD'S NAME:	Zach, Elena, Ian (though I like the name, that's not happening)
FINISH THIS STATEMENT: "IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY, I WOULD":	finally buy an iPod
DO YOU DRIVE FAST:	Only when I am in the driver's seat.
DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL:	Not exactly... Though I still have a couple.
STORMS -- COOL OR SCARY:	Friggin sweet
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR:	1990 Ford Aerostar (Big Blue Whale)
FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK:	Bailey's and Frangelico on the rocks
FINISH THIS STATEMENT,'IF I HAD THE TIME, I WOULD LOVE TO':	Travel Europe
DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI:	Yep
IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY COLOR, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE:	Well, I kinda like mine the way it is.
GLASS HALF-EMPTY OR FULL:	Glass is twice as large as it needs to be.
HOW MANY CITIES/TOWNS HAVE YOU LIVED IN:	8 -- Detroit, Livonia, Royal Oak, Ypsilanti, Westland, Canton, Belleville (Michigan), and Hikone, Japan.
FAVORITE PLACE TO RELAX:	my waterbed. I wouldn't be against mountaintops, either.
FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH:	Extreme ones. No stupid team sports.
WHAT IS UNDER YOUR BED:	the apartment below me.
TOILET PAPER/ PAPER TOWEL--OVER OR UNDER:	Over.
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

Training... COMPLETE!

Tonight completed my training at Bravo, and all I have to do now is go in on Thursday morning and take the server final.  It is a 7 page test that will take me approximately 1.5 hours, or so I am told.  I hope I pass, so I can get on the floor and actually make a few bucks.  That would be great. On another note, school is actually going pretty well, but the whole 12 hours on Wednesday is going to wear me out by the semester's end. I know it's my good buddy's birthday (Justin) tomorrow, and I have to be at school until 10, and then take my server final at 9 Thursday AM, so I am unable to take him out to the bar on his birthday.  That saddens me, but we'll have to wait to go out. The weather today was surprisingly pleasant.  When I first went outside, expecting bitter cold that would chill me to the core within moments, and was not frozen instantly, I thought that it was almost shorts weather.  Well, not quite.  You see, after the Michigan winters, my brother and I would wear our shorts and revel in the warmth when spring reared its head and graced us with balmy 45 degree weather.  I was talking with Kelly, and her parents wouldn't let her wear shorts until it was 75 outside.  That would have killed Jason and me growing up. I can't wait for spring.  Spring brings kilt weather! .......I just hope it isn't too windy.

A Few Days in the Life

Okay, so life hasn't been amazingly exciting this week. I went to all of my classes, which is never fun, took pages of notes, and was exhausted.  Did I mention that I am in class for 12 hours on Wednesday and 8 on Mondays?  Yeah, that's fun. On the other hand, I have been working more at Bravo, training.  The longest day was Thursday, when I got there at 10:30am and stayed there for the morning shift, a classroom training session, and a night shift, heading home at 11:00pm.  Twelve and a half hours there, I think I got fairly well acclimated. Saturday morning brought, other than a pretty hellacious snowstorm (only 8 inches overnight...), a server meeting scheduled at 8:30am.  I hauled myself out of bed and drove the 14 miles to work in 45-50 minutes, only to find out that it was cancelled and nobody decided to let the new guy know.  So I went home and slept.  Of course. Saturday night, I ran food and kept busy making sure people didn't have to wait any longer than necessary.  Luckily, because of the storm, we were off the wait early, and I got to go home after less than 5 hours. Sunday was breakfast with Kelly and some shopping, which was fun.  I came home, and went to work at 345, and was unbearably bored.  Two peoplw were sharing a banquet that was supposed to have 22 people at it.  Only 15 showed up, so three of us (me being the trainee/bitch for them) doing nothing for three and a half hours.  Then after they left, I got to do something, but I was so bored. Today, I am putting off getting ready for school, but I have to.  Stupid school.  Always getting in the way.

What? A Music Quiz? I Believe I Shall!

Hey there.  My lil bro had this quiz in his Livejournal.  He said he was somewhere around Punk and Pop Punk.  Makes sense since his iTunes plays more Red Hot Chili Peppers than anything else.  I decided to give it a shot and I hav e decided that it's pretty accurate.  Then again, it is a bit off for the Hip Hop/Rap and Country categories.  I think those are supposed to be negative...... In any case, an update on my first day of work at Bravo! should be coming soon.

You scored as Classic Rock.. Classic Rock. Classic Rock. 88% Indie 83% Indie Rock 75% Emo & More 58% Ska 54% Britpop 50% Punk and Pop Punk. 42% Hip Hop and Rap 42% Industrial 33% Hardcore 33% Country 33% Mainstream 21% Music Recommendation created with QuizFarm.com

Gainfully employed

Yesterday, Friday, I had two interviews.  The first was at Bravo! and Mitchell's Fish House, both at 6 & Haggerty in Livonia.  First was Bravo, where Angela (manager) wanted to set up a second interview.  Unfortunately, I had to go to interview at Mitchell's. Let me explain. Bravo is an Italian place with moderate prices and good, clean decor.  It just opened three weeks ago and they still need more staff.  I am here to help!  Mitchell's is planning on opening on the 9th of February.  They are upscale dining ($15-25 for lunch, $25-40 for dinner), and have not finished their interior. Bravo was scheduled at 3:30, but I got out the door a few minutes late, hit hellish traffic on I-275, and got there at 4.  I was interviewed until 4:26.  I ran over to the trailer behind Mitchell's and got to my interview there.  He, at Mitchell's, told me that the ball was in my court because training would conflict with 4 classes.  I have to call him back and tell him if I would like to continue. Angela at Bravo told me that she was going to call me later on and set up a second interview. Laer that night, Angela called me and told me that she couldn't set up a second interview, but she was going to trust her instinct and hire me!  YAY!!  So, now, I am an employee of Bravo.  Orientation is Sunday, and then I train Mon-Thurs.  After that, I am on my own.  Woo hoo!

Earth is Having Its Revenge

So, is it my imagination, or is the planet earth trying to kill off all humans? Let me enumerate the reasons for which I say this:

1. 9.0 earthquake on the bottom of the Indian Ocean causes a bunch of tsunamis to kill over 155,000 in Indonesia, Malaysia, and other countries.
2. landslide in La Conchita, California has dumped tons of mud on homes, killing at least 10 with 19 still missing, but the search had to be called off because they think another mudslide will occur.
3. Also in California, the rain and snow has been wreaking havoc.  A 25 foot boulder fell on to a freeway.  TWENTY FIVE FEET!!
4. A tornado in Kansas killed two yesterday.
5. I heard on the radio that somewhere in the midwest was at -20 this morning, while we in Michigan were at about 15.
6. Finally, what the hell has been happening with Michigan's weather??  Snow and bitter cold for Christmas, 45 and sunny for New Year's, then back to snow and cold, then a warm snap hits and the state gets covered in a fog bank, causing a massive 100+ car pile up on I-96 killing a few and injuring many.  Now, it's 18 degrees outside, trying to warm up to 20.

The earth hates us.  Not that I can blame it, look how we treat it.  Anybody dispute what I am saying?  Just read the news and look at the weather report.  It's like when cops play really loud rock music over and over to try to flush people out of their hideouts.  Earth is trying to tell us to leave.

It's Been Way Too Long

Hey there everyone, I must apologize for being so lax in my updating techniques.  It's been pretty lame having the same thing in front of the screen for the past.... well, since September. Let me just update you with what's been going on.  I worked out in Birmingham this past semester, which was bad since I had school and live in Belleville. My free time has been spent petting my kitty, spending as much time as possible with Kelly, and watching good ol' American tv. The holidays were hectic because Kelly and I had 9 stops to make in 3 days (Christmas Eve, Christmas, Day after Christmas).  Woo, what fun. I played the beta of World of Warcraft, Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, and am currently slogging through Final Fantasy: Dawn of Souls. As for current things, I am searching desperately for a new job in the area.  I have two interviews tomorrow, so that's promising.  I also have 16 credit hours in school.  I am taking two management courses, chemistry with a lab, history, sociology, and health.  Wednesdays are 10am-10pm with an hour and a half off in the middle.  It's going to kill me, isn't it? I just installed an Extension for Firefox today called Deepest Sender, which is a LiveJournal blogging thing that I can access directly from the web browser, which is handy.  I think I like it. I have noticed a trend lately that is pushing me further and further from the previous standards.  My email account is through GMail instead of Hotmail, I use iTunes instead of Windows Media Player, Trillian instead of AOL Instant Messenger, and Firefox instead of Microsoft Internet Explorer. GMail allows you to have a gigabyte of storage, and a pretty dang stable spam blocker. iTunes is much more customizable than WMP, and much cleaner of an interface.  Also, when I get an iPod (not if), it will sync seamlessly with it. Trillian is a messaging service that has no annoying ad at the top of the window that will randomly pop up and play a clip of a movie that I don'e want to see, unlike AIM.  Not to mention it will support AIM, ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and IRC accounts... all at the same time. Firefox is the most stable web browser I have ever used.  I can block ad images (banners) on websites, popups are blocked, I can open multiple websites in tabs (not separate windows, but tabs switch through them), and the extensions add more functionality and customization possibilities. Now that I have pimped all of the free programs I use to you, I shall bid you adieu once more, but not for another 4 months like last time.... probably.