Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Updated Haruhi table of doom

 Episode NameEpisode Number (Kyon)Episode Number (Haruhi)
1Episode 00: The Adventures of Asahina Mikuru111
2The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi I21
3The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi II32
4The Boredom of Suzumiya Haruhi47
5The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi III53
6Remote Island Syndrome (Part One)69
7Mysterique Sign78
8Remote Island Syndrome (Part Two)810
9Someday in the Rain914
10The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi IV104
11Day of Sagittarius1113
12Live a Live1212
13The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi V135
14The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi VI146

  1. The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi I (2)
  2. The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi II (3)
  3. The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi III (5)
  4. The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi IV (10)
  5. The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi V (13)
  6. The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi VI (14)
  7. The Boredom of Suzumiya Haruhi (4)
  8. Mysterique Sign (7)
  9. Remote Island Syndrome (Part One) (6)
  10. Remote Island Syndrome (Part Two) (8)
  11. The Adventures of Asahina Mikuru (1)
  12. Live a Live (12)
  13. Day of Sagittarius (11)
  14. Someday in the Rain (9)

Update 6/19/07: Got tired of looking at this incomplete table!

Also

I about died of cute overload this morning when I received this picture in an email from the City of Aiken:

oxygen mask with tiny dog

Explanation?

Aiken Public Safety has new tool to help save "man's best friend." Through a generous donation Aiken Public Safety will have new oxygen masks available to assist animals in need.

Busy, tired, happy, headachey

My day went pretty well, except for this killer headache, which is still plaguing me so I'll make this quick.

I went to the Riverwalk recently. Here are some uncaptioned pictures. And here are some more. I'll caption them eventually.

I have also uploaded pictures from my birthday party. We went to Putt-Putt, then Macaroni Grill, then back to the apartment for Cranium and cake. Mari, Kelly, Brooke, Amanda, and Wes joined me and Sean, though unfortunately Kelly had to leave after Putt-Putt to study for the GRE. (He and Mari both passed, yay!)

I only have pictures through Macaroni Grill. Enjoy all the pictures of cake-baking from before the party. I figured I'd be cute and photograph the entire recipe while I was making it. You can see the recipe on my laptop in some of the pictures.

Yesterday was my actual birthday. A combination of under-the-weather-ness and car trouble kept me home from the station, but I was able to work. I also received a fantastic birthday present yesterday--two 128 meg memory cards for my camera from Mom and Dad! I called them and we had a great conversation, and I got to talk to AJ too! Mom also sent me some great videos from the family's Memorial Day, including one video where pretty much everyone in the family says "Happy Birthday Heather!" one at a time. :)

I got some great presents from my friends, too :) I got a $20 Target gift card, some pretty earrings, and Friends season 8 :) And I also got three funny birthday cards :)

All in all, it was a great birthday. I really enjoyed my party. I was worried about whether or not my work friends would get along with my other friends, but people really just seemed to click. It was awesome. We had so much fun playing Putt-Putt and Cranium :)

(Great-great-uncle!)

I also tried a few sips of Brooke's drink at Macaroni Grill, and it was actually okay! It was some kind of chocolate vodka thing. The creamy chocolatey-ness masked the alcohol just enough.

I'm still not sure there's a good reason to drink alcohol, but I'm glad I'm not afraid of it anymore.

I have an appointment with my endocrinologist on Friday morning before work. I'm really not sure what she's going to say at this point, other than "you need to lose weight". How long will be it be before she decides to give up on my ovaries? I'm pretty sure I've already given up on them.

It's looking like I may need a new car sooner than November. Now it's just a matter of what car that will be. Sean is leery of buying new at this point because we haven't saved enough to pay in full. He would rather do used if we have to take out a loan. I would really like to change his mind, because I want a Yaris. I'm going to do some research and see what I can find out.

I finished Full Moon wo Sagashite tonight. Almost burst into tears at Meroko's "judgment". Good on ya, nameless deity.

Still trying to ignore the whole 12/22 thing. Must...shut off...brain...

My head is killing me, so I'll sign off here. Adios amigos!

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

I wish I had noticed this giant hickie when I picked out my outfit this morning

I would have chosen something with, you know, a collar. :>

Monday, May 29, 2006

3 reasons Italy Ishida is stupid

  1. When Jamie lost her badge, she should have checked with Vinny to see if they could get a replacement first, or at least informed someone that the badge was stolen.
  2. If that was impossible, she could have pretended she was going along with the Vilehelms, and then, once Jamie had her badge back, laughed in their faces and gone back to E3. There is no need to be honorable when dealing with people like that. In fact, there is no honor in succumbing to their demands. That's not martyrdom. It's a betrayal of Aya.
  3. If that was impossible, then at least she could have refused to eat and drink while she was up in their room. I mean, come on. She knew what they wanted. Why did she make it easy for them?
The reason this is so annoying is, I didn't think Italy was such a moron. I'm sure this was all done for the sake of fanservice.

...which isn't a problem when it doesn't totally destroy my suspension of disbelief :>

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Holiday weekend

It's officially the start of my lovely three day weekend!

I suppose some might say the start was last night when I got off work, but somehow I never feel like it's the weekend until the first day I wake up and don't have to go somewhere.

I was pretty upset at first when I realized why I was upset. I even thought about cancelling my party and asking Sean to feed Sinbad so I could take a quick trip to Kentucky. But ultimately I decided not to. I don't want to impose on other people; I don't want to cancel my party at the last minute and hope people are available next weekend; and my car's brakes really aren't doing so well, so I'd rather those were fixed before I try to drive cross-country.

Plus, taking a trip would be draining. Even though I have really wanted to go on a trip lately, I think at this point what I need is a break. I've been on the verge of burnout for awhile now. I've managed to avoid it for the most part, but I could feel myself fraying at the edges. A trip would have been nice, and long-awaited, but those sixteen hours in the car wouldn't have left much time for relaxation.

So for now I will just enjoy my weekend, enjoy my birthday, and try to figure out when I'll be able to go to Kentucky next. Maybe I can work something out for the 4th of July.

Today I don't have any particular plans, other than feeding Sinbad. If it's not too hot I might try going for a bike ride. I didn't get up early enough to catch the cool morning, so that might be impossible.

Tomorrow is my fun party! Everyone's meeting for putt-putt golf at 4, and after that we'll go to Macaroni Grill, and finally we'll come back here for cake. I decided to bake my own cake, and I think I'm going to try to use this recipe. I haven't decided if I want to make it today or tomorrow morning. Maybe today would be better.

I have zero plans for Monday. I don't have to work or go to 2go-Box. I imagine I'll do something, though...I'm not the type who can sit around for very long. Maybe I'll finally drive up to the dam. I've been wanting to go see it for some time. And since Sean's off on Monday, I can take his car ;>

Wings seasons 1 and 2

My Wings DVDs arrived yesterday. I'd thought they might--the post office tends to get things down here from Amazon's distribution center in Lexington within a day of the "Your Order Has Shipped" email--but I tried not to get my hopes up. So I was pleasantly surprised to find the slim Amazon package in my mailbox yesterday after work.

The four-disc set is packaged in about the width of one DVD, with two skinny DVD cases each holding two discs each. I watched ten episodes last night, including what may be my all-time favorite, "The Puppetmaster". It was kind of surprising to see how many of the episodes I really remember were from the very beginning of the series.

Also, there was an episode featuring Norm and Cliff from Cheers. I'm pretty sure the first time I saw that episode, I had no idea who they were. It was apparently filmed back before studio audiences cheered for guest stars, so nothing seemed out of the ordinary about them. They were just two guys who happened to show up everywhere in the episode. That was kind of neat--it means the episode is still watchable even if you take the context completely away.

When I saw the episode "There Once Was a Girl from Nantucket", I did not recognize Megan Mullally at all. In fact, I forgot that she was in it. She looked and sounded so different. I suppose she must be talented at changing her voice and accent. I never would have even remembered if I hadn't seen her name in the credits at the end.

Antonio has yet to make an appearance, but since he's featured in the box art I know he'll show up eventually. As I recall, the first time he's in the show he's actually a maitre d'. I'm trying to remember who went to that fancy restaurant and why, but it's not coming back to me. I'm halfway thinking it's that rich guy who Helen almost married, but it seems early for that story arc. After all, that arc ends with Joe's proposal. I don't think Joe and Helen were married for the majority of the show...but I could be wrong.

[Edit: Duh, it was Helen and Joe's date-that-wasn't. Antonio hadn't reappeared by the time I finished the set, but I did confirm from the credits that his name was Antonio in the restaurant episode. And season 2 had to end with the "going to New York" cliffhanger. You gotta love those.

[Also, Joe is totally hot.]

There are two really neat things about the experience of watching Wings again. The first is the feeling of intense familiarity. Often I'll get a feeling of "rightness" while a scene is playing out, which is obviously borne from having watched Wings over and over in reruns on USA Network. And then there are the things I don't remember, the jokes that still make me laugh out loud. This show is funny, and not just because I remember thinking it was funny when I was a teenager.

I'm so glad it's finally out on DVD :)

Friday, May 26, 2006

I lied

I had Wife Saver for lunch.

Here's the thing

You know, I think the desk thing is just peripheral. I was also very emotional this morning when I watched the first episode of Full Moon wo Sagashite again--during Mitsuki's song, I started crying. Of course, that was a good kind of emotion, but still.

There is one thing I'm upset about in general that may be affecting my emotional state, and that is this: if I had realized I had Monday off sooner, I could have gone to Kentucky this weekend. I could have seen my family on my birthday weekend!

But as it is, I've already made plans to have a birthday party on Sunday and agreed to feed my in-laws' dog (the one who lives outside, not the pampered pomeranians) and water their plants while they're in Charlotte for NASCAR. So I'm basically stuck here this weekend, and I'm feeling stupid for not thinking about the existence of paid holidays sooner.

On the bright side, I don't have to go in to 2go-Box until Tuesday (my birthday), and Robert says he'll buy me breakfast. So I guess that's cool; I'll have a nice day of rest on Memorial Day, and free food never hurts.

Still, I can tell you that I am totally having a quarter pounder for lunch today.

I'm having a "who moved my cheese?" moment

Just as I had gotten settled in at my desk, I'm told that we'll probably be moving my desk so that a door behind it can be opened, to facilitate people coming into my office through that door to talk to us rather than going around the hall. Either these people will either be talking right over my desk, or the right part of my L shaped desk will have to be removed from the office so they can get in.

I don't want people talking over me, so if I have to I guess I'll halve my desk.

I guess it's not really a big deal, but for some reason I'm finding it very upsetting.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Riverwalking

I've been going to the Riverwalk a lot lately, and I haven't been good about blogging about it, so today, while I was there, I called in an audiopost to get you up to speed. Hopefully I'll have some pictures uploaded tonight.

this is an audio post - click to play

wh00t

My Wings DVDs have shipped! What a nice birthday present :)

Two seasons for $30 is a great price. It looks like the first season is pretty short, but still. Given what they're charging for seasons of Monk, I consider myself lucky. Hopefully none of the cast members will become freakishly popular and drive up the price of the next set (like Teri Hatcher did with Lois & Clark--sheesh!).

Reading the synopsis of the first two seasons of Wings, I was surprised by a couple of things. First, I'd forgotten that Brian was married to Carol, who had been dating Joe. (What's with ex-wives named Carol?) And second, Megan Mullally (of Will & Grace fame) is "the town tramp". I immediately thought, "Bunny? Lowell's wife? She doesn't look like Megan Mullally, does she?" But it's not her; Bunny's played by Laura Innes, and Mullally plays a woman named Cindy in one episode. Regardless, it'll be funny to see Mullally in Wings.

I can't wait to see the original Helen Chappell (I swear that's how her name is spelled, despite what Amazon and the IMDb say), the smart, funny, beautiful woman who is passionate about her music. Towards the end of the series she seemed to forget she ever played the cello. (I actually once made a webpage about how stupid Helen became in later seasons...)

Haruhi 8

Episode 9 of Haruhi is going to be episode 14. o_o

I'm starting to wonder if they're actually planning on filling in the gaps or not.

By the way, I was right about what was really going on on the island! Yay! (Kyon was hilarious.)

But what was with Koizumi staring at Kyon's mole at the end? That was vaguely disturbing/gross. I can only imagine that 1) it's not really a mole or 2) moles mean something...maybe Koizumi was lying when he told Kyon he was a normal human.

Or maybe Koizumi just has a thing for Kyon, and he was thinking, "Aww, how cute, he has a mole behind his ear."

Eww.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

I'd say it's a wakeup call, but I've had so many of those that they've lost their impact

Last night I dreamed I got on a scale and it said I weighed 320 pounds.

It was so upsetting. :>

I don't normally wake up right away from my upsetting dreams, or if I do I don't remember it...instead I seem to go on to something else. So I didn't remember the dream until I started getting ready for my day.

I hopped onto the scale just in case.

I've been maintaining, but I'm maintaining an all-time high weight (assuming I wasn't higher during my first year of college, which is possible). I really don't want to go above this. I'd really rather go down. But my eating habits have been so unhealthy due to my schedule...it's hard to get up the gumption to cook a meal when you've been at work until 7 or 7:30 or 8 at night.

I just need to plan better and get my dinner prep done in the morning. I know this, I just haven't done it.

I also haven't been packing lunch like I should. I'm getting tired of Healthy Choice dinners, yogurt, granola bars, and raisins, so I tend to go out for lunch several times a week.

And the exercise just isn't there.

If I don't want to be unhealthy for the rest of my life, I need to start doing something.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

It's all going by so fast

It seems like a lot has happened lately, and I don't remember it all to write it down.

This morning I took 520 to work, just to be different. As my car trundled up Knox Avenue I thought that this was the only way to travel, in an old car with the window rolled down and the wind blowing my hair everywhere. I wanted to be in a pickup truck, an old banged up truck with no air conditioning--and I thought that trucks nowadays are too much like cars. They don't feel real anymore.

I wanted to be heading out on a trip, to a lake, to somewhere where I could enjoy the hot sun and cool breeze.

But instead I went to work, and it was okay.

I am itching to go somewhere, though. I may try to plan an overnight trip to Charleston with Brooke soon.

Brooke and I went to The Bee's Knees tonight and had four different tapas: goat cheese bruschetta, crab cakes, crab and artichoke dip, and samosas. After that we each had a ridiculously expensive creme brulee. It was all so delicious.

Brooke suggested we try some wine, so we each ordered a glass. And I didn't like it. I really do not like the taste of alcohol, it seems. It could be psychological, a reaction drawn from my avoidance of alcohol for so much of my life. But maybe I just honestly don't like the taste.

That would be kind of a load off my mind, I think. It would mean that I don't drink because I don't like to, not because I'm afraid to.

I've taken quite a few pictures lately that I need to get posted. Yesterday I went to Riverwalk during my lunchbreak and took all kinds of shots. It was pretty hot out, but the lighting wasn't too bad in the shade. I'm not sure where all the other pictures on my camera were taken...I need to download them and find out.

But for now, I'm headed to bed. I'm too tired to deal with it :)

I will mention that I finished off Touch before work this morning. I love that series so much. It's a nice ending; it ties things together without being final. But as I've mentioned before, I'm not sure I want to see the movies. I think the series' ending is enough of a conclusion for me.

There's a new episode of Good Witch of the West out, and I'm getting it now. I've found myself looking forward to seeing what happens next in this show more than any other lately; maybe I have a new favorite.

I doubt anything will ever match Kyou Kara Maou, though.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Bleh

Ever have one of those days that feels like nothing more than a jumbled collection of missteps?

I demand usability!

MySpace is okay...I like how customizable it is (which I'm presuming based on Spaces I've seen, not that I've actually done anything in particular with mine). But I hate the fact that the blog archives are so inaccessible. Why can't they implement a nice sidebar menu with categories and dates? I'm pretty sure nobody copyrighted that layout ;P

Best metaphor ever

While perusing this blog today, I came across the following:

I was at the urinal one afternoon this week when I felt the urge to release a bilabial fricative.
XD

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Where I'm at with my anime

(In-joke: Korn rocks!)

Huge Haruhi fan. Can't wait for the next episode.

Fate/stay night is getting retarded.

Rewatching Touch has been so great. I'm almost to the end. I'd be done if I had it all downloaded.

Yakitate!! Japan is hilarious as always. I'll be sorry to see it end.

I've given up on Gakuen Heaven. The second episode was too creepy for me. I think I'll say "no thanks" to boys love anime in the future.

Nana is fantastic. Watch it.

I'm so far behind on Bleach and Naruto it's not even funny. I'm not sure I would even know where to begin catching up.

Still waiting for more Prince of Tennis: National Championship. That first episode was so awesome. It totally made up for the original show's sucky ending.

And that's about it. I've been thinking a lot about Full Moon wo Sagashite lately. Maybe when I'm done with Touch, I'll go back and watch that again.

Addendum 5/21: I watched the first episode of Shinigami no Ballad today. Not sure I have any interest in watching more. The main character is boring, and it looks like the premise is that she goes around killing people and feeling bad about it. I can do without the depression, you know?

Sitrep from a soon-to-be 28-year-old

Our new apartment is so much better with heat than the one at Springhouse. Part of it is because our windows don't get direct sunlight; in front we've got stairs blocking most of them, and in back we've got a deck above us, and the sun doesn't rise and set directly across from our windows, either. Part of it is being on the ground floor; hot air rises and cool air settles, and I imagine the apartment above us blocks the sun's heat for us--and when they run their air conditioner, it helps us out too. Part of it is just that these apartments are newer than Springhouse; they've likely got better insulation, and it's obvious that the windows are much nicer.

What that all boils down to is this: it's 90 degrees out, but I have no need to run the air conditioner.

I love it!

Today has been pretty good so far. I met with a client this morning (the one who lives in a mansion), and that project is going smoothly. Afterwards I checked out Fury's Ferry Road--all four lanes are open now, and it's very nice. Somebody even planted pretty flowers on the median.

Since I was there, I decided to stop by 2go-Box and see if Robert was around. I had my laptop with me, and I didn't have anything else to do, so I figured I could get some work done. He was there, so I settled in and finished up a few new webpages, and then got started on a print ad, which I will finish up either this weekend or Monday morning.

After a couple of hours I realized I was really hungry, so I headed home and made hot dogs and butter noodles. Sean got up for the food and is now in his natural habitat; I'm at my desk, and there's a load of laundry in the washer.

I really felt terrible the other day. Part of it may have been stress and being tired, but I think a lot of it was allergies. I keep forgetting that I have those. They were never a problem until I moved to Augusta, but now that I'm here I get horrible headaches and a feeling that I just can't function. I'm pretty positive that's what was going on Wednesday.

We've had some rain, and I think that's why I felt better yesterday and today.

I haven't decided yet what to do for my birthday. The general plan is putt-putt, but I'd like to do other stuff too. The main issue for me is how to entertain in this apartment. The TV should work with game systems, presuming we can rent one or get someone to bring one over. But I don't have a table for people to eat at. We can use the kotatsu and the bar table, and people can also sit on the couch, so it might be okay. I just don't want people to feel uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, a computer can't be hooked up to that TV, and we don't have a DVD player, so if we watch anything it will be on one of our computers. That might be a little weird/uncomfortable, too.

So I don't know. Maybe I will just plan on eating out and putt-putt, and then we can come back here to hang out and not do anything in particular. That might work out better than trying to figure out how to entertain properly.

Friday, May 19, 2006

I love the title of Saddam's novel

I mean, Get Out of Here, Curse You--that's fantastic!

Apparently in Japan the book is called Devil's Dance, and I'm not really sure why. From what I can tell of the plot, I don't think it fits. Who is supposed to be the devil?

I'll have to see if I can find the actual Japanese name when I'm home tonight...but regardless, why not something like Dete ike, kuso yarou? [Edit 5/21: the title is Akuma no Dance.]

In any case, it sounds like an interesting book. However, as the article points out, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince just came out over there*. Amazon.co.jp is all about Harry Potter. Who knows if Saddam's book will get any play?

The original manuscript was smuggled out of Iraq by one of Saddam Hussein's daughters, Raghad, and a copy given to Japanese journalist and translator Itsuko Hirata.

"The novel is dated to the times of ancient tribal society but the tribal warfare depicted in the novel is strikingly similar to what happened and is happening in the Iraqi war -- totally," Hirata told Reuters before the book's release.
Like, fer sure! ;>

Hirata believes the current novel, issued in a cover patterned with violets, was written by Saddam and has a melodic clarity to it that suggests it could be adapted to the stage.

"I really think this book should be made into a musical," she said. "And once this is done, it should play in the heart of his enemy's country, on Broadway."
I could actually see that happening.

(The whole "melodic clarity" thing helps explain why Hirata might have wanted to call it Devil's Dance...but still. How can you possibly top Get Out of Here, Curse You? The only thing that might is Snakes on a Plane.)

* The title Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is translated as ハリー・ポッターと謎のプリンス. They used the English "Prince" instead of ojisama, which makes sense if you've read the book, but also makes me wonder about how they dealt with some of the discussions about who the "prince" is.

Addendum 5/21: I just bothered to look up 謎, and discovered that it means puzzle or enigma. Maybe it's too rude to say "half-blood"? Or maybe they use "half-blood" in the story, and just not for the title. I'm actually not sure how to say "half-blood" in Japanese anyway.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

It's a nice day.

Today I have eaten:

  1. 1 Slim-Fast (Strawberry)
  2. 1 tuna fish sandwich (homemade)
  3. 1 fat-free blackberry yogurt (Dannon)
  4. ~15 baby carrots
And while my readers are pondering whether or not they've accidentally opened an archived post from 2003...

I got a lot of sleep last night. I left work early and went to bed right when I got home. I woke up at around 11, and got up for a couple of hours, but then I went right back to sleep, and awoke naturally at 7:30.

I wasn't sure how I was feeling when I got up, but I got some work done that I would have done yesterday had I been at work, then I packed lunches for me and Sean, then I showered, and then I headed off to work.

The morning passed fairly uneventfully, with me catching up on yesterday's work, and then at around noon I ate my lunch, which was delicious. I can't even really begin to describe how good it was to eat a tuna fish sandwich again. I think all the fast food lately has really been messing with my system.

After lunch and the midday news, I took my official lunchbreak, heading out for a nice walk around the area. I strolled down the road I can never remember the name of, then cut across to Georgia Avenue and walked back to the left, then ran across the street at Communigraphics and took that side road back into the neighborhoods. From there I took a winding path through unknown territory until I got to Martintown Road, from which point I circled back to Observatory and headed straight back to the station.

When I arrived I still had plenty of time, so I took the opportunity to finally climb the tree in the park. It took me awhile to find a good spot to begin the climb, but I finally managed to haul myself up to a branch at about my eye level. Maybe someday I'll be able to climb higher, but that was enough for me for today.

The day is beautiful. It's hot in the sun, but cool in the shade. It feels comfortable.

I feel pretty good after that walk, and I'm glad I was finally able to climb into the tree. Now that I'm sitting at my desk, I feel like a small headache is coming on, and I also feel a little tired, but I think I'm much better off now than I was yesterday.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

I don't feel good

It doesn't happen often that I feel this run down, but whenever I do I make sure to check the mirror to see what color my lips are.

The day I was diagnosed with cancer, Mom says my lips were as pale as my skin.

Today my lips look normal, but I don't feel right. I don't respond quickly to questions. While it's not the normal sort of tired haze, I do feel some sort of dampening on my brain, and I have a mild headache, too. Earlier, while I was just sitting at my desk, I suddenly felt very dizzy, and rode out the feeling with a sense of unease.

I had just eaten a bag of chips and some cookies and drunk a grape soda, so I started wondering if my bad habits have finally come around to bite me in the ass--if I have developed diabetes. (I have no idea if dizziness is a symptom of diabetes. But since I am terrified of getting diabetes, that's one of the first things I think of whenever I start to feel weird. The other thing is--you guessed it--"Maybe I'm pregnant!")

I don't know what the deal is, but I'm going to eat my unhealthy Krystal's lunch and then rest my head on my desk for awhile. Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be affecting my appetite.

Haruhi 7 (8?)

Fumoffu!

XD

This show is too hilarious.

Kind of eager to get back to the murder mystery...looking forward to the next episode!

Because I had some time this morning, here's an episode breakdown:

 Episode NameEpisode Number (Kyon)Episode Number (Haruhi)
1Episode 00: The Adventures of Asahina Mikuru1?
2The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi I21
3The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi II32
4The Boredom of Suzumiya Haruhi47
5The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi III53
6Remote Island Syndrome (Part One)69
7Mysterique Sign78
8Remote Island Syndrome (Part Two)810

So let's put that another way. Story order, with release order in parentheses:

  1. The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi I (2)
  2. The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi II (3)
  3. The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi III (5)
  4. [no episode yet]
  5. [no episode yet]
  6. [no episode yet]
  7. The Boredom of Suzumiya Haruhi (4)
  8. Mysterique Sign (7)
  9. Remote Island Syndrome (Part One) (6)
  10. Remote Island Syndrome (Part Two) (8) [not out yet]
Fumoffu!

[Edit 5/31: For an updated table, click here.]

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Owning my experience

I've been having a strange feeling lately. Not physically, but mentally.

Today I had packed a lunch, but I haven't felt like eating my packed lunch for over a week. So I left the office without it and drove to Martintown Road thinking I'd look for the Meineke place, because my brakes are making terrifying noises. I drove towards Highway 1, and ended up on it, and discovered an antique mall...so I stopped there and wandered around for the rest of my lunchbreak.

I saw several very nostalgic things. First, I saw a "vintage luggage" set that was the same design as Mom's old set, a suitcase and a toiletry case. I had that toiletry case at Springhouse, so it was lost in the fire. The luggage wasn't exactly the same; it had a sort of tan/white swirl color instead of the beige of Mom's. But it was so close that I was tempted to buy the set.

Not long after that I came across a plate that was the same pattern as a set of four I'd gotten at a yard sale. Those too were lost in the fire.

And on my way out I found my old Wal-Mart imitation stained glass lamp. It was exactly the same as the one that used to be in my living room.

I saw other things that were familiar, things that were identical or close to identical to items that still exist at Mom's or AJ's or Ben's.

It was kind of odd to find my memories in an antique store.

I left without buying anything. As I strolled back through the parking lot to my car, I said aloud, "Something's up with me, and I don't know what it is." Then I frowned and added, "Maybe I've reached that point. I don't want to have reached that point."

That point, gentle reader, is the moment when I've figured everything out, and life settles into boring normalcy.

If I have reached it, that could explain the feeling of restlessness I've had lately.

I don't know everything, but I certainly know enough by now to be able to get by without thinking. And honestly, isn't that what I've done for the past couple of days?

Of course, lately I've been so tired that I haven't wanted to think.

It's not true that I haven't continued to learn and come up with new ideas. It's just that I seem to be less enthusiastic about it all.

I think that partly it's just coming down from the initial high, and getting used to working more than full time. After all, this is the first time in my life I've ever worked so much overtime. All of my previous jobs have been less than full time, actually.

I'm not bored. If anything, I look towards the future with a sense of exhaustion at the thought of all the projects I have yet to complete.

But I'll do them, little by little, and I'll learn proper time management.

I stayed late at work. It seemed more relaxed once I was alone in the office. First I finished up my normal duties...and then I randomly decided to rearrange my desk.

I shoved my monitors apart and put the PC between them, then put the speakers on top of the PC. I moved the phone from the left-hand side to the right-hand side, and I shifted the scanner out so it can be used (assuming I can get the driver to work). I put my calendar on the desk in front of my chair so I'll use it more often--there wasn't room before, because of the monitor footprints, but now that they're arrayed to either side at an angle the calendar fits perfectly. The scanner is where the calendar used to be, and next to it is my pen holder and paper tray, and then the laminator. I put the stapler, tape, and staple remover in a desk drawer because I hardly ever use them. My little business card holder moved from the top of the PC to the left corner of my desk, next to one of the monitors.

I felt strangely refreshed after that.

Perriair

Mel Brooks is prescient.

Exhausted Japanese workers in need of a pick-me-up will soon be able to get a hit of canned oxygen at their local convenience store.

Seven-Eleven Japan will start marketing the new product, "O2 Supli," at select stores in the Tokyo area later this month and expand sales nationwide in June.

[...]

The oxygen will be sold for 600 yen ($5.50) in 3.2-liter spray cans of 95 percent pure oxygen, each of which comes with a small plastic mask attached to the top.

Users place the mask over their mouth and nose, then push a nozzle, which dispenses the oxygen for two to three seconds.

I'm not sure what this means in the grand scale, but it feels somehow monumental

The other day, Sean and I went to Mikoto for dinner. It was really nice. Sean had his usual sushi with shrimp tempura appetizer, and I had shrimp tempura and sashimi, and we split a dragon roll to see how that was.

I also got it into my head to drink some cold sake. I have no idea why. I remembered how it was to drink it when I was in Akita--I took a sip of hot and a sip of cold, and liked the cold better. But I didn't really remember anything else about it.

So we ordered a bottle. It had a little over six ounces in it. It came with cute little cups. Sean and I aren't big drinkers, so we had no idea how we were supposed to drink it.

So, we took each ounce like a shot.

And ugh, did it ever taste terrible.

Sean liked it, actually. He said it was very smooth and there was little aftertaste, unlike other hard liquors. But I thought it was awful. "Bleah," I said, "this is worse than medicine. And it does nothing for me."

Which was true. I felt no effects whatsoever.

We each had three "shots", and then I let Sean have the tiny bit that was left.

When our waitress was clearing our table, Sean told her we were done with the alcohol, and she said "...wow, fast." So I'm pretty sure we were supposed to sip it. I don't know if the experience would have been different if I'd done that, though.

I have always been afraid to drink alcohol. Alcoholism runs in my family, and I already have a weakness for food. I was always afraid that I would like alcohol too, and that I wouldn't be able to control my cravings for it. So I don't know why I suddenly decided I wanted to have some sake. It was totally random, and the feeling didn't just come over me and pass...it settled. Maybe I had just hit the point in my life where I felt confident enough in myself to try it.

But obviously I needn't have worried, because alcohol is nasty ;>

The car next to ours in the parking lot had a hilarious hood ornament. "It's too bad you don't have your camera," Sean said.

"Actually, I do."

"I hereby give you permission to take a picture of that."

hood ornament.  and that lens flare?  TOTALLY on purpose.  yeah.

Then we went home.

Riverwalk

I went to Riverwalk before and after work last Friday, and took pictures.

pink rose

my favorite train bridge

green

broken water fountain

hotdog vendor

Now, I'm going to pout until someone posts a comment (other than "I have nothing to say". Understand, AJ? Will? ;P).

*commences pouting*

Monday, May 15, 2006

Bleah

Got up early today, expecting to do some work for my side job, but ultimately spent the morning watching Touch. That's not a bad thing, really, except that I wish I'd stayed in bed instead. I feel pretty wasted.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Matchy matchy

Today, Marie Mockett writes about why "getting dressed is hard".

Apparently, to worry too much about "matching", as in "matching in an obvious way" is considered very suburban and therefore not New York. Not at all.

[...]

The trick in fashion, apparently, is to buy things that go well together, but don't obviously go well together. This is how you have style, how people look twice at your clothes and admire your ability to put an outfit together. It is what stylists do for starlets, what magazine editors seek out in the never ending quest to identify trend-setters. It is what makes someone's personal style interesting. I guess that, in the language of a writer, avoiding matchy matchy is the same as an ability to write without cliches.
And to think, I just try not to clash. Remind me not to move to NYC.

(I might have to avoid Japan, too, since young women there are so fashionable :/)

Ecchi!

AP: $10M Prize for Hydrogen Fuel Technology

Scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs will be able to vie for a grand prize of $10 million, and smaller prizes reaching millions of dollars, under House-passed legislation to encourage research into hydrogen as an alternative fuel.
This is pretty cool! But what are they calling it?

The H-Prize.

XD

Legislation creating the "H-Prize," modeled after the privately funded Ansari X Prize that resulted last year in the first privately developed manned rocket to reach space twice, passed the House Wednesday on a 416-6 vote. A companion bill is to be introduced in the Senate this week.
Via Slashdot.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Exhausted and happy

My job is so fulfilling.

Today we all got free pizza for our hard work covering the Linda Schrenko trial. Later, I was told that the E-Alert I sent out concerning Schrenko's plea bargain had made it out five minutes before the Chronicle sent theirs.

Do I rock, or do I rock?

It is so much fun working in the news.

And I love my position, because I have powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men--err, you know, I run the website. I get to use what my boss calls my "expertise". I'm not autonomous--I have to run changes past her--but typically my ideas are very well-received, and I'm free to implement them.

Our Schrenko reporter has showered me with praise lately, too.

I hardly notice when I work through lunch or stay late, because I'm good at what I do and I enjoy doing it.

It's great. :)

Tuesday, May 9, 2006

It doesn't erase what happened to Kazuya

And nor should it. It doesn't cringe away from life. It's real. It's one of the most real anime I have ever seen.

Things aren't black and white, and yet decisions still matter, and everything is a "what if".

What if Tatsuya had run after Kazuya to give him the good luck charm?

What if he'd never admitted his feelings for Minami, even indirectly?

What if Minami had gone with Kazuya to the meeting?

What if she'd let him kiss her, even though she didn't want him to?

They feel responsible, and because of that they feel they can't be together.

And there is such a long road to redemption ahead.

Minami has to grow too, and become less of a cheerleader and more self-reliant.

And Tatsuya has to give up on chasing a shadow and be who he is.

And you're left wondering...would either of them have grown, had Kazuya lived?

Did he die so they could mature?

Do they feel responsible for that, too?

I know it gets better

I know Tatsuya grows, and works hard, and learns who he is, and is finally able to separate his identity from his brother's. And he's finally able to accept Minami's love, and she's finally able to give it. And through their ordeal they bring another man back from the brink of self destruction.

I know it gets better.

But that doesn't erase what happened to Kazuya.

Monday, May 8, 2006

I know you've been missing them

I realized the other day that I hadn't uploaded photos in over half a month. My mom was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with me.

Never fear! I was still taking photos; I just hadn't gotten around to uploading them.

That situation has been rectified.

2006/04/18 - Lunchbreak in the park near work

dump truck


2006/04/18-2 - Greeneway after work

leaves


2006/04/27 - Greeneway and Hammond's Ferry construction

Savannah River


2006/05/03 - Back roads near Georgia and Knox Avenues, North Augusta

fermenting flowers


There are also some pictures of the apartment you might not have seen, starting here with our second set of dishes. They match the kitchen!

Saturday, May 6, 2006

Rewatching Touch

And the lemons are nigh.

There is an amazing amount of foreshadowing that I never noticed before, too. A glance between characters, an offhand comment...

I understood Tatsuya well enough before, but seeing his decisions again with the knowledge of why he's making them adds a whole new layer to the experience.

I wonder how things would have gone if he'd joined the baseball club despite Minami being the manager. Would he have become the backup pitcher? The regular pitcher?

Would Kazuya have left earlier or later the day of their first Koushien?

Does Tatsuya ever think about this? Does he regret?

He already regrets so many things.

It's going to be painful to get there and watch it all again.

Growing as a writer...through blogging

It always surprises me to see how my blogging style has changed (for the better) over the years. Today I reread my Pulp Fiction post in the process of writing about movie memories, and it really drove that point home.

Back when I first started blogging, I would mix topics and go off on tangents that were mainly uninteresting and didn't even relate to the rest of the post. As essays, these posts clearly fail. I've noticed that nowadays, when I'm writing something and a new idea occurs to me, I think about whether or not it will fit in the current post before I add it. Two examples: my Kyou Kara Maou post from last night (which, admittedly, isn't very well-written) has a tangent that I didn't think detracted too much. The subject wasn't meaty enough to warrant its own post, but I wanted to mention it. And today, while writing about movies, I wondered if I should include my thoughts about my personality, how I'm afraid I'm too naive in many respects, how I subscribe to the "Shibuya Yuuri school of diplomacy", how these thoughts relate to my reaction to the Moussaoui verdict, and what kind of president I think I would be. Obviously these things stray wildly from the point at hand...so I chose to reserve them for later.

I see my posts now as individual capsules. If I link to one of them, I'd like for people to know immediately why there was a link, and not have to stumble through random remarks about what I've eaten that day and references (without links!) to other posts. Reading that Pulp Fiction post really made me cringe, and I'm terribly tempted to go back and edit it.

But I'm the type who likes to leave things as they originally existed, "for the record", so if I ever do edit that post, I'll leave the original up too.

Scary movies

Andy Gray asks, "What was the first movie you ever saw? And the first time you experienced terror in a movie theater?"

I remember wanting to see a movie in the theater, and not being able to, but I don't know if I had seen a movie before that time or not. I think the movie was Snow White, and Mom and I (and the boys, probably) were walking in a mall, and I saw a poster for the movie and asked if we could see it. It's hard to remember exactly what the place looked like, but I think we were in Turfland Mall, because Mom used to always take us to the Walgreens there.

She said no, and I thought it was unfair, but the truth was we really couldn't afford to go to the movies, and we probably didn't have time, either. What with Mom's 36-hour weekend work schedule and Dad's inconsistent journeyman wireman jobs, it was hard for us to get out a lot.

I do know that one time we managed to see E.T. at a drive-in. I think we had the station wagon at the time, because I remember lying on blankets in the back. You could lower all the seats behind the driver into a flat surface, so I think that's what we did. It was late at night, and I fell asleep. Years later, I finally watched E.T. in its entirety on TV.

There is one other movie memory from my youth that is also my scary movie memory. Mom took us to the theater to see Baby, a movie about a baby dinosaur. Only there were dinosaur hunters in the movie, and during one scene they attack and kill the baby's mother. The scene was so upsetting that we left immediately; I have never seen the whole movie, nor do I have any desire to.

I was always the type to be very sensitive to what happened in the story. Many things scared and upset me. As such, I have avoided standard horror movies into my adulthood.

During college I did discover that I enjoy some thrillers (Breakdown), gory action movies (Desperado), and dark comedies (Grosse Pointe Blank).

It's only in recent years that I've seen films like Carrie (and not in its entirety), Event Horizon (terrible--and not because it was scary, it was just stupid), and Piranha (which was hilarious). As longtime readers know, my attempt at watching Pulp Fiction was unsuccessful.

Kyou Kara Maou names

It's been interesting to see the name spellings in the Geneon DVDs as opposed to the fansubs.

I've mentioned Conrart Weller and Dorcas/Dakaskos before, but I don't think I commented on Khrennikov/Karbelnikoff yet.

But the real point of this post is that I just got three more DVDs, and that means I've gotten to later characters.

Rinji von Wincott is now Lindsay, which I guess is okay except that he's a boy. I don't think ji sounds very much like the zi in Lindsay, but it's possible that's what they were going for. (The Japanese language doesn't have a /zi/ sound.)

And "Flurin" (the fansubbers' version) is "Flynn". In the roundup episodes, I noticed that the katakana is furin, which would make "Flurin" wrong anyway. I would think "Flynn" would be furiin, but what do I know?

Jim Breen's WWWJDIC agrees that rinjii is "Lindsey"/"Lyndsay" and furin is "Flynn". Do the Geneon translators use the WWWJDIC to help them, or are these pretty standard name transcriptions?

Regardless, I think I do like "Flynn" better than "Flurin".

But Wolfram's name for Pochi was "Liesel" in the fansub, and on the DVD it's "Reese-aire". Surely that's a mistake, right? "Liesel" is so much better...

Other changes:

Big Shimaron => Big Cimaron
Saralegui => Salaregui
Bandarbia => Van Da Via
Yozak => Josak

There are more, but I'm tired of writing this post. You can see a few of them here.

I like that the DVDs translate soukoku as "double-black". So many of the scenes make soooo much more sense that way.

Tangent: There's a Kyou Kara Maou RP Livejournal community, and the players' names are hilarious. I mean, you've gotta love someone called "knittingismanly". And don't forget "hero_in_a_skirt".

(By the way, I don't really recommend actually reading that RP...unless you're into gratuitous pairings-off, and the fanfic "escapades" thereof. I'll just say this: ShourixYuuri = ick. However! Anissina's journal is fairly interesting, and well-written.)

Thursday, May 4, 2006

Moussaoui verdict

People keep saying things like the jury "spared his life" and that they decided "he didn't deserve" to die, making it seem like the decision was favorable to Moussaoui. But I'm not so sure it is. Wouldn't he have preferred to die immediately, to be martyred for his cause? Won't he suffer more now, living out the rest of his life locked away from the rest of the world?

Moussaoui's mother and Judge Leonie Brinkema seem to agree with me.

Brinkema firmly refused to be interrupted by the 37-year-old defendant as she disputed his claim that his life sentence meant America had lost and he had won.

"Mr. Moussaoui, when this proceeding is over, everyone else in this room will leave to see the sun ... hear the birds ... and they can associate with whomever they want," she said.

She went on: "You will spend the rest of your life in a supermax prison. It's absolutely clear who won."

And she said it was proper he will be kept away from outsiders, unable to speak publicly again.

"Mr. Moussaoui, you came here to be a martyr in a great big bang of glory," she said, "but to paraphrase the poet T.S. Eliot, instead you will die with a whimper."

At that point, Moussaoui tried again to interrupt her, but she raised her voice and spoke over him.

"You will never get a chance to speak again and that's an appropriate ending."

[...]

Moussaoui's mother Aicha El Wafi, pressed for her country to intervene, CBS News correspondent Elaine Cobbe reports. "Now he is going to die in little doses," she said. "He is going to live like a rat in a hole. What for? They are so cruel."
And so is he.

Chaucer helps you get it on

Because

a whetstone is no kervyng instrument, yet it maketh sherpe kervynge toolis.
From Chaucer's blog, GALFRIDUS CHAUCERES LYNES OF PICKE-VPPE.

Yf thou were a latyn tretise ich wolde putte thee in the vernacular.

[...]

Woldstow haue me shyfte thyne voweles?

[...]

Makstow a pilgrymage heere often?

[...]

By my soule, thou art a verye mappe of helle. For thy face lyk the rivere Styx wil make me swere oothes neuer to be fforsworn, and thy embrace lyk the Lethe shal make me foryet al else, and lyk vnto the Flegeton thyn arse ys ON FYRE!
XD

Immigrant issues in Europe

This is an interesting development. From the Washington Post:

Paula Mitchell, cutting fresh flowers in the Gale Street Florist shop in east London, said she's voting for candidates of the British National Party in local elections on Thursday -- but she hopes they lose.

"If they got in, I'd be absolutely horrified," said Mitchell, 38, who described her planned ballot for the vehemently anti-immigration BNP as a protest against what she sees as out-of-control immigration to Britain.

"We're against people coming in and taking our jobs, taking our school places, getting priority in housing," said Mitchell. "Everyone is fed up, and we want to make our feelings known."

The BNP declares itself "wholly opposed to any form of racial integration between British and non-European peoples." It seeks to restore the overwhelmingly white makeup of Britain before 1948; its leader has called Islam a "wicked, vicious faith." Support from people like Mitchell, a white mother of three whose political views otherwise appear generally mainstream, illustrates rising anti-immigration sentiment in Britain and across Europe.

Parties long dismissed by many as the racist fringe have become increasingly popular as governments that once freely accepted immigrants question how many more their nations can take.

"It should be a worry for all Western democracies," said Nick Lowles of Searchlight, an anti-racist group that publishes a magazine in Britain. Lowles said many voters were turning to extremist parties to vent anger at their political leaders. "People are shouting out," he said, "and they want to be heard."

In France, a public opinion poll last month showed that more than a third of respondents believed the anti-immigrant National Front, led by the outspoken Jean-Marie Le Pen, was in line with "the concerns of French people." Numbers like that could make the party a power in presidential elections next year.

The anti-immigration Danish People's Party in Denmark and Progress Party in Norway, meanwhile, both reached record levels of the vote -- 13 and 22 percent, respectively -- in elections last year.
Will this sort of shift take longer in the US, given our country's size?

I really find the idea of British people secretly voting for an obviously racist political party intriguing, and scary. I understand why they're doing it, but ick. What if that happened here in the US...can you imagine the riots?

(Living in "flyover country" ;P, I might not have to deal directly with something like that, but it would still have an impact on me emotionally, and probably economically.)

ORIGINAL STAR WARS TRILOGY ON DVD!!!!!!!!

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

In response to overwhelming demand, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release attractively priced individual two-disc releases of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Each release includes the 2004 digitally remastered version of the movie and, as bonus material, the theatrical edition of the film. That means you'll be able to enjoy Star Wars as it first appeared in 1977, Empire in 1980, and Jedi in 1983.
Via Kelly.

Man! I half-wondered if I'd ever see the original versions again, after I lost all my VHS tapes and laserdiscs in the stupid fire.

I love that we get both the cleaned-up versions and the original versions. :D :D :D :D

Note that they didn't call Star Wars by its retcon name, A New Hope. They've been trying for years now to rewrite history, to say that the movie's name is Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, or A New Hope for short. But the movie's name is Star Wars, damn it. Maybe they've finally given up. ;)

Tuesday, May 2, 2006

New (to me) opinion writer

Mom sent me an article by a gentleman named Shelby Steele today. It is really interesting.

White Guilt and the Western Past

There is something rather odd in the way America has come to fight its wars since World War II.

For one thing, it is now unimaginable that we would use anything approaching the full measure of our military power (the nuclear option aside) in the wars we fight. And this seems only reasonable given the relative weakness of our Third World enemies in Vietnam and in the Middle East. But the fact is that we lost in Vietnam, and today, despite our vast power, we are only slogging along--if admirably--in Iraq against a hit-and-run insurgency that cannot stop us even as we seem unable to stop it. Yet no one--including, very likely, the insurgents themselves--believes that America lacks the raw power to defeat this insurgency if it wants to. So clearly it is America that determines the scale of this war. It is America, in fact, that fights so as to make a little room for an insurgency.

Certainly since Vietnam, America has increasingly practiced a policy of minimalism and restraint in war. And now this unacknowledged policy, which always makes a space for the enemy, has us in another long and rather passionless war against a weak enemy.

Why this new minimalism in war?

It began, I believe, in a late-20th-century event that transformed the world more profoundly than the collapse of communism: the world-wide collapse of white supremacy as a source of moral authority, political legitimacy and even sovereignty.
It's a fascinating article; give it a read.

Mr. Steele has written other intriguing pieces, including the following:

Selma to San Francisco? Same-sex marriage is not a civil rights issue.
The true problem with gay marriage is that it consigns gays to a life of mimicry and pathos. It shoehorns them into an institution that does not reflect the best possibilities of their own sexual orientation. Gay love is freed from the procreative burden. It has no natural function beyond adult fulfillment in love. If this is a disadvantage when children are desired, it is likely an advantage when they are not--which is more often the case. In any case, gays can never be more than pretenders to an institution so utterly grounded in procreation. And dressing gay marriage in a suit of civil rights only consigns gays to yet another kind of mimicry. Stigma, not segregation, is the problem gays face. But insisting on a civil rights framework only leads gays into protest. But will protest affect stigma? Is "gay lovers as niggers" convincing? Protest is trying to hit the baseball with the glove.

The problem with so much mimicry is that it keeps gays from evolving institutions and rituals that reflect the true nature of homosexuality. Assuming, as I do, that gays should have the option of civil unions that afford them the legal prerogatives of marriage, isn't it more important after that to allow quiet self-acceptance to lead the way to authentic institutions?
Hillary's Plantation

Precisely because Republicans cannot easily pander to black grievance, they have no need to value blacks only for their sense of grievance. Unlike Democrats, they can celebrate what is positive and constructive in minority life without losing power. The dilemma for Democrats, liberals and the civil rights establishment is that they become redundant and lose power the instant blacks move beyond grievance and begin to succeed by dint of their own hard work. So they persecute such blacks, attack their credibility as blacks, just as they pander to blacks who define their political relationship to America through grievance. Republicans are generally freer of the political bigotry by which the left either panders to or persecutes black Americans.
Witness

In the '60s--the first instance of open mutual witness between blacks and whites in American history--a balance of power was struck between the races. The broad white acknowledgment of racism meant that whites would be responsible both for overcoming their racism and for ending black poverty because, after all, their racism had so obviously caused that poverty. For whites to suggest that blacks might be in some way responsible for their own poverty would be to relinquish this responsibility and, thus, to return to racism. So, from its start in the '60s, this balance of power (offering redemption to whites and justice to blacks) involved a skewed distribution of responsibility: Whites, and not blacks, would be responsible for achieving racial equality in America, for overcoming the shames of both races--black inferiority and white racism. And the very idea of black responsibility would be stigmatized as racism in whites and Uncle Tomism in blacks.

[...]

Bill Cosby's recent demand that poor blacks hold up "their end of the bargain" and do a better job of raising their children was explosive because it threatened this balance. Mr. Cosby not only implied that black responsibility was the great transforming power; he also implied that there was a limit to what white responsibility could do. He said, in effect, that white responsibility cannot overcome black inferiority. This is a truth so obvious as to be mundane. Yet whites won't say it in the interest of their redemption and blacks won't say it in the interest of historical justice. It is left to hurricanes to make such statements.
I think I may start reading this guy regularly.

Captchas for the visually impaired

I haven't enabled captchas on my blog, partly because I think they're annoying, partly because I really haven't had trouble with spam comments that I know of (I must not be popular ;_;), and partly because the Blogger captchas weren't accessible to the visually impaired--if you can't see, and your browser can't read the captcha to you (which is kind of the whole point of captchas, not being machine-readable), then you can't post a comment.

I'm pleased to say that the last issue has been resolved.




Good for Blogger!

Sushicam has an interesting captcha system: instead of being some weird warped letter-number combination that you have to read and type in, it's a math problem. I thought that was a unique solution, though I wonder how long it will take for spam proggies to be programmed to pick out the numbers and the math terms and figure out what the answer should be.