Yesterday I went to Asel Arts to get some supplies.
Today I gave them to my friend, C-san, when rat and I met him for lunch. It was a farewell lunch, since he is moving to Houston in a few weeks for a new job. So while it is good news he has a new job, it is bad news because he is leaving and we won't be able to have fun in Japanese class any longer.
I got him a tin of drawing pencils, some sumi-e ink and brushes and some stumps. We have been sharing pics back and forth via email and we have been encouraging each other with art and Japanese, as we plan to do in the future.
The wonder of the internet is now people are no longer far away anymore.
I was a lazy-ass today. Stayed in bed and finished a pic.
I was running a slight fever yesterday (99) and slept a lot again, but that did not stop me from going out later in the day. rat took me out to the 'surprise', which ended up being a half-hour drive to where my ob-gyn has moved, all the way to Frisco, about 35 miles north. Understand, the doc used to be located at the hospital a little more than a mile away, where all my other docs are. Since I need to go in soon for my yearly 'well-woman' exam, I guess I will drive to his new location, then look for another gyn over the next year. Of course, he moved his practice to a quickly-growing new community with lots of young couples flocking there, ready to shit kids in abundance. Frisco is a new and wealthy town. Our town, Richardson, (http://www.cityofrichardson.com) is a hundred and thirty years old, filled with an aging community and it is not really growing anymore. Not many old folks have babies.
Anyway, after that, rat cruised around the town a bit, showed me the new mall that has caused at least two malls to close in Dallas, and where Neiman Marcus moved. He finally found what he was looking for, a Krispy Kreem shop. We went in and got a dozen of our personal picks, got a bottle of milk to share, and ate some right there while watching the kids pressed against the glass, watching the donuts being fried and glazed. My mind went to seeing Shiyuu doing the same thing, nose pressed against the glass, excitedly watching the donuts do its little flip thing and getting drenched in glaze, then turning and grinning happily at us. I told rat about my thought and he laughed at the image.
Neither of us had eaten since breakfast so we stupidly scarfed down three donuts each immediately. I had a wonderful raspberry filled, sweet and tart at the same time, a glazed, and a cream filled - not Bavarian cream but that type of cream that's like a whipped cream and vanilla icing combo. Talk about sugar buzz! I was actually feeling a little dizzy and shaky at the end of the third donut - I guess it was sugar shock. It was time to eat real food, and we needed to do it quickly.
So we scoped out the long line of restaurants along the street and finally picked something we hadn't heard of before, a Chinese place called Big Bowl. (http://www.bigbowl.com) Very nice atmosphere and the food was very good. My beef with brocolli was made with high-quality and tender steak, not that tough stuff most places use. We will go back and will probably try the stir-fry bar next time.
Of course, my brain said this place is elegant enough for Eiri yet friendly enough for Shiyuuichi so it would be one of the places rat and I would take them, after feeding Shiyuu Krispy Kreem! LOL!
I finally had a dream, which means I am finally getting enough sleep. Weird dream, with some kind of game final beginning, one person using fleas as a weapon, the fleas turning into flesh-eating mutant termites, the five Gundam boys fighting them, lots of bits of dead people lying about.
Between sleep, I worked on three separate drawings, read some SF, picked up rat's hard drive package from the apt. office, had some tiny snacks.
Stayed away from the computer because it stormed most of the day.
rat sent an email to my office so he got my automated response saying I was on vacation next week. Oops, the surprise is out of the bag, oh well.
I am still feeling tired so I will be slithering off to bed soon.
I guess it is obvious I am in more of a creative mode than I am typically. It is mostly because I have the time to do so and I am taking advantage of it completely. It was like this in March 2003, when 'the fic that will not end' was born and a lot of drawings were spit out. March, April and May of that year really were creative months, and some of the older pics I am completing now are from that time period.
So, in case you see me out here less in the evenings, commenting and such, it is not that I am dead or I don't care, I am just being bullied by the muses to "produce, produce, produce!" during my off-work hours.
I know some of people out there would like to hear less of me and read fics and look at pics anyway... LOL!
rat has never been in a pool, ocean or lake with a naked woman before.
He is taking care of my folks house while they are vacationing and this new house has a pool.
Guess what he wants to do before they get back tomorrow?
When he told me this, I just looked at him funny, not because the suggestion was distasteful, but because he has never done this before. I can't even remember how many times in the past I frolicked in a body of water with a lover or two (and I mean frolic, not sex), none of us with a stitch on.
I find this highly amusing.
It was raining hard earlier today so we almost thought this would not happen. The rain has blown through and it is a tad bit cooler outside, perfect for a skinny dip.
We will hit the Sonic first for some dinner so I need to go get ready now.
The Hierophant often represents learning with experts or knowledgeable teachers. This card also stands for institutions and their values. The Hierophant is a symbol of the need to conform to rules or fixed situations. His appearance in a reading can show that you are struggling with a force that is not innovative, free-spirited or individual. Groups can be enriching or stifling, depending on circumstances. Sometimes we need to follow a program or embrace tradition, other times, we need to trust ourselves.
For a full description of your card and other goodies, please visit LearnTarot.com
We watched "Escaflowne: The Movie" last week. Very pretty, pretty bloody and interesting since we did not know the plotline at all.
Thought one of the chara's seiyuu had some Kazuhiko Inoue (Yuki Eiri/Kagetsuya/Kakashi Hatake) voice quality in the reading but it ended up not being him. HOWEVER, Van's seiyuu was none other than Tomokazu Seki, our beloved Shindou Shuichi, among others. Did NOT even recognize the voice. Seki-san's Shuichi has so much range I never recognize his voice when he is being 'normal'.
Bought mangas Gravitation 6 and DNAngel 2 late last week and devoured them.
Watched a few more eps of Yu Yu Hakusho this past weekend. The subtitles are incredibly terrible.
One of my bosses got back from his over-seas business trip to Vietnam and brought me anime. The cover is in bad English, saying something like Tohyo Bayoln (I don't have it close by) so originally I thought it said "Tokyo Babylon", which did not make sense. The chara art is close to DNAngel and a Gundam-like machine is in the background. I do believe it is going to be Candidate for Goddess, which WAS designed by the same mangaka as DNAngel.
Watched the second dubbed ep of Gravitation late last night. Some real changes in the English script to match the lip flap have been made. I found watching the English with English subtitles amusing. And since I know by heart what some of the sections sound like in Japanese I find some of the English to be just wrong. It helps having the original Japanese eps on the DVD. I sighed contentedly when I switched over in the middle because I was missing Kazuhiko Inoue and Tomokazu Seki's voices.
Signed up for the World Lit class. Was able to check my Spring CE Japanese class grade at the same site, which I did not know I could do.
Failed the class.
After about five minutes of being pissed about it, I decided it wasn't worth it. I will be taking it again next Spring anyway.
Decided to take Japanese I as a CE course again in the Fall. Still seriously considering the supplemental class, if I can afford it.
I cannot find the Office 97 disk so I will have to load Office XP onto the new craptop so I can work. Damnit.
Car's AC went out. rat took it to the dealership today. Gonna cost $200 for them to fix it, fuck it all. Been trying to avoid paying that much for a tiny part.
My main boss loved the latest pic, saying it was the best I have done so far. That was nice to hear. Yes, the main boss looks at my artwork.
On a better note, started another pic. Evan the art muse is so happy.
We regret to announce the disturbing passing of bakayaro onna, who on the 7th of May of this year was viciously minced by a pretty hefty woman. This unfortunate incident occurred in a manure pile behind an outhouse. The deceased was reported to have shouted "Well, there goes the rest of my day..." just before expiring. bakayaro onna is survived by some large debts. Funeral services will be held the 5th of next month.
With an underscore:
We regret to announce the unpleasant expiration of bakayaro_onna, who on the 4th of December of this year was delicately crushed like a grape by an angry cow. This unfortunate incident occurred in a murky swamp somewhere on Interstate 52. The deceased was reported to have shouted "Not again!" just before expiring. bakayaro_onna is survived by some large debts. Funeral services will be held the 19th of next month.
I am seriously considering taking the first semester Japanese class for credit this fall.
But I also want to take the honors World Lit class with Anime as the discussion theme and that would be for credit because continuing ed is not an option.
I think I can take both since I know what will be expected of me in the Japanese class.
But I was also wanting to take the supplemental Japanese class from the Japanese Learning Institute on Saturdays...
I have the weekend to think about it, before registration on Monday.
I did pretty well with my purchasing this weekend, not spending too much money I did not have. I think this is the complete list...
01. antique silk obi with an obi makura (obi pillow), an obi age (dyed silk scarf to cover the obi makura) and an obi jime (silk braided cord that ties around middle of obi) from Rising Sun Imports (http://www.risingsunimports.com/), the same place I got my cotton kimono two years ago.
02. airbrush print of anime Shu and Eiri I then got signed by the artist.
03. one yaoi doujinshi - Sanzo and Goku (cover art looked interesting).
04. a Backgammon Remix artbook (includes Saiyuki).
05. two Inuyasha pins, Sesshoumarou and Kirara.
06. 2003 photo tour book of one of the JPop bands at the con, Psycho le Cemu. (http://www.psycholecemu.jp/)
07. first Saiyuki translated manga (I found it on sale and got it since I had given my copy to our jouster friends).
08. a small MYTH bag, black silky fabric with red embroidered dragons.
09. two packs of grape Haichuu candy (yum!) and one bottle of Ramune (yum!).
10. Hand-knitted hot pink neko ears with really soft chenille 'fur'.
Still working on getting everyone's comments into the Friday pics. Haven't begun working on Saturday or Sunday yet. I am changing the page interface a little so people do not have to scroll so much to see the longer pics.
Another con has ended and we are pooped. My body hurts from lugging things around, climbing stairs and being weighted down.
Today was pretty disapppointing overall-hardly any cosplay or panels. The punkish Shi and Eiri were back in different costumes, this time more bondage bits! Eiri had a fake cigarette she showed me, with a glowing tip, and when she blew through it, train 'smoke' came out.
It will probably be later this week when I get the Sat and Sun pics all ready to go and posted, as well as a repost of Fri with all the GREAT label comments I have received from everyone!
One of the disks I used for the digital camera said it took some pictures but it really did not. So I lost togabitoion's great costume whose chara name I was going to get for the label, someone dressed in a killer blue cat with short white feather wings and a single horn in the forehead, complete with full body makeup and prosthetics, and a Shuichi, Ryuichi and Eiri. I did not even recognize Eiri until the long-haired girl stepped into the pic and I saw the blue shiny shirt. I wanted this pic to show how NOT do do Yuki Eiri. Eiri's shirt would not have princess seams...
I am dead meat so I will not be posting today's pics today. My carpel tunnel-ed wrists are killing me as well as the rest of my body so I will be going to bed soon. You will just have to wait for a well-done costume of Shuichi, with Eiri kneeling at his feet.
I emailed the vp this morning to tell him the check was here. So he calls me while I was at lunch this afternoon so I missed the call and he did not leave his number so he did not come by to get the check.
This means I have to go to the hotel tonight to try and find the contact person, pay her, and get a receipt.
Hopefully I will be able to get everything handled tonight, find the vp, hand over the tickets with the club member list and not have to fight the morning traffic downtown to show up at 9am to pass out tickets.
Ugh...
Since I will be going there anyway tonight I will pick up my ticket and get a one-day pass for ratling. ratling is going to drive me.
I have no idea if/when I will be here Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
"Let's change the routers the day before classes begin and not test them, okay? It will be FUN to watch the staff scramble around trying to do their work without fully functioning computers on the first day. While we are at it, let's take the last backup we did, back in early November, randomly pick about a 100 pages, re-upload them before noon and see how long it takes for them to notice!"
"Then, let's come back the next day and change the routers again so EVERYTHING goes to hell in a handbasket, especially since we know new student orientations are scheduled!"
"Ready, boys and girls? Let's do it!"
rat goes back to his three days a week, 12-hr days tomorrow morning.
I STILL haven't gotten the check to pay for the tickets.
I am exhausted and I will be needing every bit of energy for the weekend. I think I am going to bed soon, maybe to draw, maybe to crash.
Deadlines no one told us about are upon us and chewing our asses and by the time I get home I am dead. Went to bed at 9pm last night, slept some, got back up and dealt with some online things then went back to bed.
a-kon is this weekend and they cannot find the check for me to use to pay for everyone. I am not about to write a check for $612.00 because that will screw up any chance of me having funds to buy something I really want at the con.
From what was said and not said at the final joust Monday evening, it would seem our jouster friends will not be back next year.
It will be strange not having them there to cheer on, to visit with. They have been doing the faire for something like 15 years. They began with just two knights and two horses and now they have enough staff/horses they can divide the group up and do two faires concurrently, having four knights and eight horses at each site.
Later at dinner, I made the comment about us just having to travel to Tennessee to see them at that faire next year. The idea was met with enthusiasim, so perhaps next year we will do that.
My folks will be going to New Mexico for a Toastmasters event, then afterward they are going to swing by Colorado to say hi to our jewelry friends who have a shop in one of the posh 'holiday' towns, you know, a town where the rich come in Memorial Day weekend to open their summer homes and close the house up on Labor Day weekend.
Work is going to be hell again today. First day of classes and we have no idea if we will be cancelling more this morning or not.
I guess I should get there early, just in case. I also need to post the new hours sign, help direct traffic and keep non-multimedia students out of the lab.
Oh joy!
Doesn't help matters I only got two hours sleep last night.
Thanks: --> to Lia, my sensei, who has inspired me to draw again. I
wouldn't be doing this without your support, Domo Arigato!
--> to Talon, for sending me her fabulous fics, inspiring me with her writing to draw my first
illustration for a story and actually liking what I drew.
--> to Dasia, for her words of encouragement when drawing her original chara.
--> to Joules, a wonderful epic fic writer, for liking my art enough to want to post them with Talon's
and her own stories.
--> to Lutra, the other half of the epic team, for being so supportive.
--> to Jacque' & Becca Raddittzu, we met on eBay as bidder and sellers and now we are face-to-face
friends. You showed us the real DBZ with your fansubs. It's all your fault the house is full of
doujinshi! *LOL*
:: welcome to bakayaro onna's mindless ramblings, rants & raves :: 
I am The Hierophant
