hikuro

stuff

2009-09-16T07:29:27Z

Went to Oktoberfest last weekend. Kind of a let down as we got there late, and the brats and free homebrew beer samples were all gone. Not much on beer, though I'm still hoping to find one I like, but we were all in the mood for brats. Still had a great day, though next time we'll get there earlier.

Work has been jacking me the last few weeks. A couple of weeks ago I was told I need to start coming in at the right time on Fridays; as they had me coming in two hours later and I kept coming in at the same time I used to. And later I noticed they didn't pay me for the two hours that I did work the Friday before they told me about this. Jacking my hours is one thing, but not paying me for them and telling me about it later is another. Technically I shouldn't have come in before I was scheduled, but it's still illegal and still pisses me off. I'm also coming in a little later a couple of other days as well, so I'm getting about three hours less a week than I was, even though I'm trying to get out late each night to compensate a bit. They're blaming it on labor costs being too high, but I know that's bull. Scheduled me six days this week, which they do on occassion, but with my adjusted schedule I won't even get 40 hours with it. I'll do it this week(unless I can find someone to work for me on my usual day off), but I'm going to make it clear that I'm not going to work six days unless I'm getting overtime, and I'm also going to ask if they want to keep me at my new ~32 hours a week, if I could actually come in earlier, and get it in four days. If not, I'm I'll talk to another manager about it, and the owner if I get a chance.

I've been wanting to get a new job for years, so maybe this is just a sign that I need to get off my ass and actually do it. I've been looking for a good job for years, to no avail. I recently changed my jogging route I pass a building for rent, and combined with my long hatred of my job with new hours cutting, it got me thinking. My roommate and I have talked about opening a hobby shop of our own for years, and it may be time to try it. We'd sell yu-gi-oh cards, magic the gathering cards, DnD books, dice, etc. We've talked about it a bit, and he said if we think we can at least scrape by we should go for it. We both hate our jobs, and this would be something we'd actually enjoy. Thus far in doing severe guesstimation work, I'm not sure if we could even scrape by with the costs of running a business. I'm sure we'd do a little bit of business, as there's not a similar store in town, and we'd have a lot of things to draw people in such as tournaments(we'd be the only official yu-gi-oh tournament place in the state, and the closest one for several surrounding states as they either don't have one, or they're far on one side). Combined with the building having an apartment on top so we wouldn't have to pay rent and that utility/cable/internet bills would be tax write-offs, it sounds pretty good. But in doing guess work I don't think we'd do enough volume of sales. There's two buildings I'd be interesting in looking at, one's for rent and the other for sale. Both would probably need rennovated a good bit. Assuming we could even get a loan to get us started, I don't know yet how much rent/loan on the building would be, nor much about taxes or cost of insurance, liscences, etc. It may never happen, but I'm planning on getting motivated enough to make phone calls and talk to the right people to get an accurate ballpark figure on how much we'd have to make to stay in business; and doing some local feeling out to see how many people would want to support us with their business instead of buying online, wal-mart, etc. E-mail manufacturers to see if they actually sell to us direct, of if we have to go through intermediary wholesalers(most likely considering the smaller volume we'd need). It probably won't happen, but hey, we're going to check to see if it's feasible, and if it is, we may just give it a shot. It might be possible to do a lower risk scenario with just renting, starting off with a smallter inventory, and working slightly off hours while maintaining our current jobs. I work evenings while my roommate works days, so we could keep the store open most of they day most of the week. If it seems to be going well, we can go full time later.

Guess that's it for now.

Stuff and things

2009-08-28T18:55:14Z

Been a bit since I last updated, so this will likely be long and random.

Still haven't seen much results from my exercise regime. I had slacked off my 30 day challenge on EA Active, but I'd still been jogging or walking every night. So I decided to kick it up a notch, and I've started a new 30 day challgen on EA Active, and put sprinting into my regime as well. My roommate's doing the 'getting in shape' thing with me, and I've noticed a difference in him. He hasn't been/doesn't do the EA Active as well, so there might be something to this running thing. Diet wise I eat the reccommended 5-6 meals a day compared to his 2-3; and he eats out a lot more than me, so one would think that my diet would be better, but maybe not. I've been eating pretty healthy; I have stopped eating salad, but but 80% of my meals are healthy cereal and yogurt. Mondays are about my day where I eat junk food, as I make some to take to my family. But perhaps I should cut that out. I might try counting calories to make sure I'm not getting too much, but since my weight's fine I'm guessing I'm just not stressing my muscles enough. I've been experimenting with making homemade nut milk as well, since it's cheaper and healthier than buying milk at the store. Haven't had much success yet, though I've only done two batches. I'd like to try storebought nut milk, but they don't carry that stuff around here. Regular milk, two soy milk options, and a rice milk is it. Though I did actually see organic milk last time, so they might start carrying more stuff. I'd like to see raw milk(not homogenized and pasteurized) and coconut milk there so I could try those. Anyway, enough about this stuff.

I'm still liking my car okay. The air conditioner doesn't work fantastically, probably due to the large amount of window space on the car. I think next spring if I have some money to spare I'll get my windows tinted. It's a little jumpier accelerating than I'd like, kicking between gears. I'm easy on the gas pedal, but it doesn't seem to think so which hurts my gas mileage. Got 28mpg on my first tank and 32mpg on my second one, so averaging 30 isn't bad. Doing the math on my current one puts me at about 29mpg, but I'll see how it ends. Still haven't read the users manual or anything, but I'll get to it eventually.

My mp3 player or earbuds went out, so I've been going without music on my walks and jogs. I decided if I was going to get a replacement mp3 player, I wanted an iPod touch because having wireless internet sounds awesome, as does having lots of cool apps. I've ordered replacement earbuds, but I had also been bidding on some iPod Touch's on eBay hoping to get some cheap. Never did, which was a good thing I guess because I discovered the third generation should be out in September. Estimated prices put the cheapest one at $200, and while it's more than I'd like to spend on an mp3 player, I'll probably go ahead and do it. I know Apple doesn't generally discount their products much, but if anybody comes across any discount codes in mid-late September, let me know.

Still hate my job, but I haven't found anything else yet. I was hoping to get a raise after minimum wage went up, but that didn't happen. Five years at a company being a star employee isn't worth shit I've noticed. I really can't afford to, but I'll take a small paycut if I come across a job where I'm treated better and don't have to work as much. My Australia trip is just a few months away, so I need to start preparing for that. Get used to using my camera again, might buy a video camera depending on my finances, might have to buy luggage, I'll see what I can borrow from my sister/parents and how much I need to pack. That's about it I guess.

Something I forgot

2009-06-16T08:51:28Z

I don't like editing entires with cuts, as it tends to screw them up, so I'll just make a new entry as there was something I forgot to mention. After eating at Olive Garden with my parents and sister, I go out to my car and it wouldn't start. The electronics were acting funky, as the lights would come on dimly, one window would roll down, the air conditioner was working but the stereo was not. Then the stereo came on when no one was near it. We figured it had to be a weak battery, and I tried to remember but was pretty sure I had the lights off. I called my salesmen and he came up there, also figured it was the battery, jumped it with one of those portable car jumpers, and then it started. He said it still sounded weak(one thing I didn't like about the car, no real instrument gauges, just warning lights when something is already broke, so no battery gauge), and to call him in the morning to tell him if it started or not. I guess we're chalking it up to human error for now, which I guess it probably had to have been. Still, while the battery didn't completely die, leaving lights on for an hour and it going dead enough not to start is signs of a weak battery in my opinion. But, hopefully this will be the last of the problems, and it's a good think it happened not too far from the dealership. The car started fine when I left my parents house, and it started soon after I got back when I drove me roommate around so he could see the car, so I expect it will be fine in the morning.

Okay, should be everything this time.

Long post - Car

2009-06-16T08:39:13Z

Got up today, and tried printing some stuff; quoted online prices from car dealerships, and the edmunds true market value. But apparently my printer didn't want to work right. It barely printed, cut off half pages, was faded, etc. Ink levels are fine, so I don't know the problem. Was printing from Google Chrome, so I'll try when I have time to print a test page and see if it's just Chrome, or if my printer is messed up.

Anyways, went to the first dealership. (Honda, getting a Fit Sport) I had test driven one before, and this time it didn't feel as smooth, but I know that engines get worked in, and I decide to ignore it. They only wanted to take $200 off MSRP, and we were trading in my parents Isuzu Rodeo, Kelly Blue Book for fair condition is $1600, and it's in fair to good condition, and they wanted to only give $1000, though they went up to $1200. Interest rate was inflated. I apparently am a ghost in the system, and have no credit whatsoever. Which having been paying rent, utilities, and cable bills, I would think that I would, but apparently none of that stuff gets reported. A car will help me establish credit, but I should also probably get a credit card. But my parents have great credit, and as my dad was co-signing we should have gotten a fair deal. They wanted 7.75% or something like that, I've been figuring 6.25% and my dad was thinking 6%. We told them that was too high and they eventually got back to us with 6.45%. There were three acessories that I wanted(center armrest, floot mats, interior ambient lighting), I knew the retail price off the Honda website, and they wanted about double that, which I suppose is installation fee as retail price doesn't cover that. But considering that I can get them cheaper than retail online, and don't think I'd have too much trouble installing them myself, we passed on the accessories. Anyway, the finance manager came over to show monthly payment, which wasn't very detailed and the price of our trade in was back down to $1000 while the price seemed to have gone up. He was also talking about a mysterious $500 that we'd get for financing with Honda that was already applied, but that didn't seem to be the case and our sales guy didn't know anything about it. We got our sales guy(who we had met with and test driven with before) to run it his own way with a little more detail, and the price of the trade in was back at $1200 and the price of the car was the same as mentioned before. But we said we'd think about it, and we went to another dealership a couple of towns over.

Arrived at the other place, and we got a nice friendly sales person. I went ahead and test drove here, and it drove a lot better, probably better than my first test drive. I also took the time to test my usb drive in the usb port, which I had previously loaded with some good 80s, and it worked fine and the guy seemed to like my song picks. I mentioned that one of the things at the other dealership was the interest rate they

wanted us to pay at the other dealership, and that my goal was 6.25. The guy gets back to me, and wants full MSRP; which there's not a whole lot of markup on these, but I know what the invoice price is, I also know there's additional dealer kickbacks, so I know they can steel wheel and deal, even if there's not as much on most/more expensive vehciles. However, they were offering us $2000 for the trade in(which is actually probably right, maybe low for good condition, but good enough for us), and 6.25% interest rate, so at this point since they've beat the other dealer and we're both ready to be done for the day, me and my dad were optimistic about the terms. I mention that there were three accessories that I wanted, and that since I was paying MSRP, I wanted them thrown in or at least a good deal on them. About this time, the first dealership calls, and offers to pay sales tax. Which was tempting, but we had already started here, and I prefer straight up deals to walking away, more negotiating, walking away again, etc. to get to a price. Cars should have set prices and salesmen should be on salary. Anyways, I don't express much interest(though that was something I was after the first time I looked at them) and I hear the manager say he'll throw in a $300 gas card, which the salesmen repeats. I tell him I appreciate the offer, but we've already started at the other place. He didn't want to get off the phone, but I repeat myself a few times, and say that if the deal goes south here, we'll give them another shot. I get off the phone, but in the mean time our new salesmen is taking forever, eventually with my dad poking in the room with the guy talking to his boss, and longer after that. Probably a good half hour or so. Before he had been a little slow, which I know the waiting game is a standard car salesman tactic, but he started at the same pace the other dealership went at. He finally comes back with a figure of about $600 for the accessories, so we say we'll pass, and we'll buy the car at the aforementioned price. We wait a little bit longer, and they give us a loaner car as they say it will be a little while to get everything ready, only one finance guy is in and there's two people ahead of us. We wait a while, but eventually drive to Sonic where we get drinks and wait longer. We get back, wait a little bit longer and say if it's not ready, we're going to leave. Magically at the same time, they were just finishing printing up the paperwork, so we sit down and start signing stuff. They pull a fast one where they 'accidentally' gave us the wrong one that had the accessories with it, but I spot it. Anyways, we sign several papers, and wait another 20 mintues to half hour. My dad who isn't that patient to begin with(I was amazed with how long he was able to today) finally gets fed up and starts walking out. The salesmen tries to stop him, asking if there's anything he can do, and if we'll just give him another two minutes. His manager also comes out while we're in the car, doing everything short of begging. Not in actual offers per se, as it was mostly is there anything at all he can do to earn our business, and the only offer he threw out was a free accessory. But when my dad gets like that he up and leaves, and that's what we did. They call me on my cell phone, and I explain we're not that interested today and we don't have more time to waste. Then they call my dad a few times. He tries to explain there there's no hard feelings, he understands there were other customers and he's glad they got their sales, but there's nothing they can do for us today, and they didn't want to hear that.

Anyways, we thought about calling it quits for the day, but we decide to call the first guy back, and I say if we can get in and out of there, and stick to what he said on the phone, we could buy today. We have to refill out the credit applications and such, as we brought in a lot of our papers from the first Honda place to the second one, and left them all when we left. But to begin with it did seem to be going much faster. My dad decides to have my mom and sister meet us in Fayetteville so we can all eat, and the salesmen said he thought everything could be wrapped up in 30-45 minutes. My dad said an hour to them, which is good as it did actually take longer than that. Our salesmen mentioned getting the accessories and not the gas card, and that was even better. After doing the initial paperwork(which was much less here actually, whether it would have ended up the same at the end at the other place I don't know) our salesmen left us, as he had other customers, but said he'd be back. The finance guy took a little while to get to us, and I began to wonder if we were going to have the same problem here, which would be surprising because we explained to them that was the problem at the other place. The finance guy comes over, gets our title and something else, and disappears for another while. But we finally get called back to his office. Sign some paperwork. He was trying to sell us an extended warranty, which my dad said no to. They offer three, and the guy seemed surprised anyone would turn down even the basic one, tried to explain how good it is to have, and even lowered it to 'his cost'(which could be technically true somewhere but there's always kickbacks for them) which is about half or so. It's $1300 for a 7 year, or what they would rather do is an extra $30 a month or so(which when I first saw the page I got annoyed as I didn't see my $250 a month figure and thought they they were doing something fishy). My dad finally asked if we could make a decision tomorrow, and we'd let him know in the morning. I thought we were going to research it, but I guess my dad was just saying that to move things along. I still might look at it, but I probably will turn it down. We sign the final papers, I write my check, the guy explains they'll send us a check for the sales tax, and mentions the gas card. So for a minute I thought I was just getting the gas card, and the appointment I was making to get the accessories was going to be at the $600 value I have on a form the salesman gave me. But after that our salesman came back, my dad mentioned the gas card, and the guy said he was doing the accessories instead, which is what I originally though. So all was good. Kind of. We go to have our saleman show us how to put the code in for the anti-theft device on the cd player(which is easy... you input the code), and he discovers he can only find one set of keys. He goes off and looks for them for a while, but comes back and he couldn't find them, and we decide we'll just get it when we get the accessories put in.

Anyways, after a long drawn out day, I finally drive away with a new car. My monthly payment is about what I figured, with a smaller downpayment and higher interest rate than I was expecting, but with a trade in which I wasn't entirely(my dad had mentioned it before, but wasn't sure if he was going to). Our Rodeo has been giving them some trouble, one reason we both wanted to get this done. Also sales tax paid, so I think I actually came out ahead of my target price. I'm going to go through the paperwork, users manual, etc. and hopefully when I make my first payment it will be at the same amount we agreed upon, and we should all be good. On to lessons learned... I was initially planning on negotiating fairly aggressively, but my personalitly is more stoic, and the saleman targeted my dad which I was fine with, and I was willing to pay more than I really wanted to. Good to have an impatient dad with you. Always leave the dealership and say you're going somewhere else. Before I thought this was just a 'we can get this price can you beat it?' tactic, but apparently they're not even willing to begin negotiating until your at another dealership. Stick with your plans. Probably one of the best ways to do it is to test drive one day, then later contact the internet manager, tell them the price you are willing to pay, nothing more, and you want everything ready to go and no surprises at the dealership(unless you do it entirely online, which I guess you can) or you're walking, and walk away if they do.

Anyway, new car. I like it so far I guess. It's not perfect, it actually drives better than my first test drive today, about the same as the first time I initially test drove it, though I think the one at the other dealership was slightly smoother. But I've been saying 'wait a little longer, something might come out' for a while now, and I have looked at other vehicles, and I decided being okay with a car and getting it done with was best for me and my parents. There's always what ifs and there might not be a car out there that I like better, so might as well get one now.

On to non-car news. My roommate's been hanging out with a friend of a friend of ours, and decided to ask her out. Only problem is she'll be leaving for college in Texas in a month and a half. She said she wasn't sure, and they're going out on a 'date' tomorrow before she decides if she actually wants to date him. I hope it works out for him, but her being in Texas is problematic even if she says yes, but oh well. I now have a car I actually wouldn't mind picking a girl up in(an 89 pickup just isn't that sexy), but am not even poorer than before. To be honest I was about coming out even every month already, so this extra $255 or so a month is not going to be friendly to my bank account. I really don't spend that much outside of bills, but mathmatically I should be able to do it, so I'm going to cut back even more on my spending, and hope for the best. I do have a little bit of a cushion or course, I can also tell work I want to work an extra day a week if I have to(which I really really don't want to), I'm expecting a .25 cent raise in late July due to minimum wage going up hopefully them giving me a small boost to compensate for everyone else making more. Which isn't that much, but I think it works out to about $30-$40 for me a month, which will help. I'd really like to get another job though making more money. If I can, then that should not only allow some spending, but actually let me start saving some money up again.

Also, next week my family and friends are both coming in. It's going to be a little tough trying to juggle both, but overall it will be good and I'll also have a week after that for myself. Still been doing my workouts, and trying to eat slightly healthier. But about two weeks in and I haven't noticed much results. I think I can jog a little big further now. My jog/walk takes me about thirty minutes, which google maps figures to be about two miles and my roommate's pedometer figures to be about 3. For now I'm going to think of it as two, until I get a third account and see what it says. But even if it's three miles, thirty minutes isn't good, and I don't seem to be improving much if any. Which is why I usually stop workout regimins, as my body doesn't improve. But I'll see if I can get it to averaging about 25 minutes within the next two weeks. My goal is under 20 minutes, or to be more precise, be able to job the entire way without stopping to walk.

Anyways, this has been far too long, so fin.

Stuff

2009-06-10T19:40:08Z

Been a week since I started my 30 day challenge. So far no noticeable results. Also, I came across mapmyrun.com and using it I found a route I figured was about three miles is actually about two; so I'm in worse shape than I thought. I've been going on different routes on my walks/jogs(mostly walks), but I decided to stick to one way so I can notice any improvement(or lack there of). If my knee is feeling better tonight, I'll try one that's a little over 3 miles(thinking about training for a 5k run). Also, since I jog at night, I've been pulled over three times so far as they have to check up on anyone out after 11pm(and it's illegal for minors to be out after that late without an adult). Some also seem a little jumpy, keeping their hand on their gun holster as they talk to me. I'm sure at their training place it was the burglars that wore yellow shorts, a white tanktop, and an mp3 player; while it was the pedestrians that wore all black, a face mask, and a bag of loot over their shoulders. But I'm hoping eventually they'll learn to recognize me and stop pulling me over.

In other news, I got my passport info dropped off the other day, so I should be getting my passport in a few months. I also dropped my broken cell phone off(see about six months back where it broke). I took it to a AT&T store, who pointed me to a cell phone repair place(also gave me a $5 off coupon), and I dropped it off there. I was with my sister and we had to kill two and a half hours to wait on it. Finally went back, and they had the same problem I had, they couldn't get two of the screws out. But they were able to point me to another place, and we dropped it off there. They called me yesterday, and they said that the part I gave them(I bought a replacement screen off e-bay) wouldn't work, but they put one of theirs in and it worked fine. But they wanted about $120 for it, so I said I'd pass. My mom was in town today, so I had her pick it up, and they charged $10 for the time they had spent on it. So far I've spent about $35 on it to no avail. When I get it back from my mom, I'll see if I can finally take the back panel off myself, and if so, double check the info on the back so I can make sure I'm getting the right part off e-bay. If I can, I might invest a final $20 or so before giving up on it. Definitely getting the extended warranty next time I get a new phone(year and a half or so) and I think I'll try to 'I lost it' excuse, as that seems to be about the only thing covered.

Stuff

2009-06-04T19:52:44Z

Started my 30 day challenge. Actually twice, as I began on the third, but finished after midnight so it was the fourth, so I had no accomplishments for the third. So I started over so everything would be alright. But I should have done it later, as with having exercised for the last few days, doing two workouts last night, and then a walk/jog, I'm getting sorer by the day. Fortunately Sports Active puts in built in rest days, and I think I'll take their advice and take it easy on those day, maybe just doing my body test and some yoga. But speaking of walking last night, I got 'pulled over' as we have a local ordinance where the cops have to talk to anyone out after 11pm. I understand the point of the law, as it's to check on people coming home from parties and such, and to have a witness/suspect if there's a robbery or such in that area at that time. The guy seemed nice enough I suppose, but I kind of got the impression he was checking up on me, as he asked me various questions(do I have id, etc.) and rand my name, address, and date of birth. And as I was in bright yellow shorts, a white tanktop, and headphones on, I was clearly out for a walk/jog; I imagine most vandals and such wear solid black, and possibly carry a bag full of tools. Anyways, no big deal, and I think it's happened to me before a while back.

In other news, I'll be going to Australia this december. It's somewhere my sister has always wanted to go, and she decided that she's going to do it now. She didn't want to go by herself, and neither did I or my parents, so I decided to go with her. I was originally hesistant as it's expensive, and she said she would buy my plane tickets. I didn't want her too, but I eventually let her do it. After I get my car, I'll pay her back some, depending on how my bank account is looking. I'll also be in LA a little bit, as that's where our connection flight is.

Hmm... guess that's about it. I am also switching to soy milk. As I'm pretty sure I'm about 82% lactose intolerant. I've known this for a long time, but one, soy milk is a little more expensive and two, I figured that if I kept regularly consuming milk my body would eventually get the picture and make more enzymes. Never seemed to happen though, so I thought I'd finally switch.

Stuff

2009-06-03T08:01:17Z

The girl I like at work quit again. Meh. Didn't get a chance to talk to her as I saw it on the schedule week before last, and then this last week she gave away the only day I work with her. Oh wells. I'm taking my vacation in a few weeks as I have family and friends coming in. After that I'll start looking for another job as I don't have much reason to stay; when minimum wage goes up again in July, I'll be making .75 cents above minimum wage and I'll have been there five years. Doesn't cut it for me anymore.

Watching t.v. one night me and my roommate saw a recipe for a spicy grasshopper drink, which uses chipolte vodka. Sounded pretty interesting, so I looked it up and it's made by Hangar One. A friend of mine makes his own lemon cello and basil cello, so I thought I'd try to start doing infusions of my own. I should have probably tried a recipe that's been tested by others for starters, but I went my own way instead. I'm about three weeks into a blueberry Mike & Ike infusion right now. My friends thought it was a horrible idea, and they were probably right. Tried it about two weeks in and it tasted like poison. Though I am using everclear instead of regular voka, and undiluted it basically is poison(though having tried the straight everlcear beforehand, the infusion is actually worse). Filtered it at two weeks as I was originally planning on diluting/finishing it at that point, but I decided to go longer as the mike and ike's weren't losing their colour yet. Three weeks in they still have most of their colour, but four weeks is as long as I want to go, I'm patient but not that patient. My dilution plan is to use the blue hawaiin punch, but I may also try water and club soda. I tried a small sample of it in simple syrup, and it just tasted like very alcoholic simple syrup. Anyways, more on that later. Next projects are skittles voka(as this is actually documented and doesn't take very long) and chipolte voka.

I bought EA Sports Active today, but haven't had a chance to try it out yet, I will tomorrow. I'll get back to you on how it is. I'm going to do the 30 day challenge, as once again I'm going to try to get in shape. I got Wii Fit out yesterday to make sure it still works, as it had been dripped on from the leak in the ceiling due to my roommate's shower. But we finally got that fixed, and also my bathtub faucet, as it's dripped forever. Now we just need to get the sheetrock on the celing fixed. Anyways, it fortunately works though the battery was dead. Hadn't used it in 108 days, and my weights stayed the same. Bought a tennis racket the other day, as we found my parents old tennis rackets, and me and my sister have tried playing in our driveway. She bought her own, so I decided to get my own too. We might go up to the park at some point, I'm not sure how busy the park around here is as I never go. Not to mention we're not exactly good, and the tennis courts are right next to each other, and if other people are playing I don't want to mess them up. I hadn't jogged/walked in a while, but my roommate did the other day and said he was going to try to start doint it every day, so I thought I'd try to too(again, as I've had that goal before). The problem I have with jogging/running is that I never get better, like most exercise. But with this 30 day trial, I'll have documented proof that exercise does me no good.

Guess that's it for now.

Hmm

2009-04-13T07:17:16Z

That friend got me his copy of XP, but it says it's only for Dell computers. I already could have used my old one for HP or my roommate's Gateway one, but I decided to go ahead and give it a shot anyway. The install seemed to be going fine until the restart, when it started the whole process over again. So I did it again, removing the disk before the restart, and it froze up because it couldn't find the disk. Tried it a few more times varying some stuff, but to no avail. About the third time though I kind of became aware of what I was doing, because although I noticed the first time it didn't tell me the hard drive names(I have three hard drives in my machine), for some reason I was thinking what it said was drive c would be my drive c, even though the disk wouldn't know that. So there was a one in three chance I was trying to install it on the right drive, one in three it was the drive with all my data on it, and one in three it was my drive I have linux on. It was too late by this point so I kept trying, but when I finally gave up for tonight, I booted the drive I meant to install on, and windows started normally with my username and background, but.... fortunately I checked my data drive and it was there. Also an inaccessible drive which shouldn't have been there as linux is formatted differenty and Windows can't see it, but just to double check I tried to boot my Linux drive and it is indeed boned. Not that big of loss as I rarely used it, and didn't have anything important on it. I have a couple of things I want to try tomorrow night, but if that doesn't work I'll have to hit Google, and probably go back to downloading oem copies and trying to get them to burn right. But this time I'll know to disconnect my other hard drives to make sure any accidents don't happen.

Random stuff

2009-04-09T06:41:39Z

Been a little while since I posted something, so random meaningless updates.

Still haven't bought a car. I did get to see the colour I wanted, and it is pretty purple in direct sunlight. But even though I still like the colour, I'm going to go with black instead because I know I'll get a hard time for having a purple car. Not sure when I'll actually buy though.

Still at my same old job, which I still hate. But on a good note, the girl I like started working there again. She only working mornings though, so I only get to see her once a week.

Speaking of her being back, it hasn't cured my depression, although it's helped a little bit. I'm pretty sure getting a new job would help fix it, but that's been a long battle that's still never happened. In the mean time, I'm going to try getting in shape, because that's supposed to help, and something I always wanted to do. I've tried many times, and I've always been at the right weight for my age/height, but when it comes to jogging/strength/etc. my body just never seems to improve no matter how much I try. My diet has never been great, living on my own trying to eat cheap hasn't helped, but I'm going to try to eat a bit healthier. Any good exercise/cheap healthy food tips would be appreciated.

A few weeks ago my roommates brother-in-law passed away from Leukemia. It's been really hard for their family, he left behind a wife and two kids. Here's a link to more information: http://zanekadeemelissapickering.chipin.com/mypages/view/id/4eb7840bd93aee35 Something he wanted to do before he died was setting up a foundation in order to help families in our are that are in situations like his was in. Now my roommate's working to make that dream a reality. I'll be involved as well, and if this turns into a full functioning foundation then that may be a new full time job for both of us. I don't know what the chances of that really happening are though. We've heard both that it's very difficult and fairly easy to become an established foundation, but from everyone we've heard getting funding is very hard.

I've been meaning to reformat my computer, but my copy of Windows XP is missing. I tried downloading and burning a copy, but to no avail. I asked a friend to borrow his copy, but he hasn't brought it over yet. Have to mention it to him again next time I see him.

I'm probably missing several things I'd normally mention, but as always nothing important. I'll try to update more often though.

Happy Nivea

2009-01-02T10:24:33Z

Happy New Year everyone, I suppose. We kind of had a party here, but I didn't get off work until almost 11:00. It's alright though, as it was mostly minors my roommate works with and Jason promised there would be no booze. Had a couple of drinks after they left though. Unfortunately not everyone left until 6:30, which kind of annoyed me. Anyway, it was alright I suppose. There's actually a short video we put on youtube. I make a brief appearance, but fortunately it's blurred as I hate cameras/being recorded. Here's the link if anyone's interested. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUeCzLjbRNU

Christmas was alright, even though I kind of had three days of it. I didn't feel like I spent too much, and I got some alright stuff. Got stuff I don't need, but that's Christmas for you. Gave the cologne I got from my grandparents to my dad, haven't decided if I'll take some pants I got back or just never wear them, and I think I'm going to exchange the dvd player I got for one with a usb port. I mentioned once about a dvd player as mine messes up on occasion and had been the night before, but off course since then it's been fine. Oh well, if I exchange it for one with a usb port it will make watching stolen stuffs easier(we already have one downstairs, and it's damn convenient). Of course I am sad because my original plan was to go up to the casino so I could see the girl I like as she was working at the steakhouse there. But unfortunately she ended up quitting before Christmas. She's working at a nursing home now, which is much harder to find an excuse to go to; but my genius solved that problem. I'm planning on asking if they want any donations of Little Debbie's, and since most places like donations like that, I should be able to see her at least once a month. I haven't done it yet, and technically I don't know for sure which nursing home, but I'm hoping everyting will work out.

A few days ago apparently our network got infected as my roommates computer got hit, then mine, then my laptop. Jason's got hit worse as it wouldn't let him login, and he ended up having to use the windows disk to repair windows. Then he was able to move his files off and reinstal windows. Mine was just popups at first, but it started messing with other stuff, wiped my system restore points, and was freezing me when I logged on outside of safe mode. I've got it back to just popups now, and hopefully can get rid of it. But I'm going to copy all my data and probably reinstall windows as it needs a good reformat anyway.

Anyway, the new year is supposed to be a time of reflection. But nothing has really changed, and I haven't really changed I don't think. So I'll just let meme's handle this.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Nothing that I can think of.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make resolutins per se. I had the goals of getting in shape and getting a better job, but that didn't happen. I am making resolutions for this year. I want to get in shape. I want to get a new job. I want to get laid. I want to become better friends with the girl I like. Those sound good to me.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not that I can think of.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not that I know of.

5. What countries did you visit?
None.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A girlfriend and or sex.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I have a terrible memory, and dates aren't a trigger for me. Holidays like Black Friday and St. Patrick's Day are about the only dates and memories I can put together.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I don't think I really had any.

9. What was your biggest failure?
My life is pretty much my biggest failure.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just the usual.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I don't know.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I don't think anybody's really changed.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Nobody that I know that I can think of. Politicians and stuff of course though.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Bills. Pretty much all my money goes to bills.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to see that girl at her new job. I went twice for that purpose, and the first time she wasn't there, but my sister waited on me. The second time she wasn't scheduled to be there, but got called in and showed up right after me, but unfortunately was hostessing so I really didn't get to talk to her that much.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
I don't really do songs for years.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: happier or sadder?
Probably sadder.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Finding a way to get my life on track.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Pointless time wasting things rather than bettering myself.

21. How will you be spending New Years?
New Years is over, see above.

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
I fell more for a girl that I already liked.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
House, Supernatural, Bones, Heroes, and Bleach were the main ones I kept up with.

26. What was the best book you read?
I really didn't do a lot of reading this year.I don't recall reading anything particularly great, though for a whole year I could be forgetting lots of things.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don't know.

28. What did you want and got?
Nothing really, outside small stuff.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Dark Knight, Iron Man, probably a few others are all good contenders for that.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I cleaned my room and apartment, then went to work. I might have drank a little after work, but nothing really important.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
lA girlfriend.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Same as it's always been the last few years. Cargo pants and t-shirts when not at work, and old windpants and work shirt on days I work.

34. What kept you sane?
Unfortunately nothing. I'm pretty much completely bonkers at this point.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I don't know. If you mean by fancy what I think you mean, there's people in real life I know that I fancy more.

37. Who did you miss?
I miss Dan, cause he's still living in Florida, and Lisa is still living in Virginia. But the girl I like quit a few months ago and I've only gotten to see her once since then, so I've been missing her the most lately.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
I thought I had learned in years past that life sucks then you die. This year I have learned the unfortunate truth. Life sucks, then you go on living.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I don't really do song lyrics summing up years.
And...

1. Where did you begin 2009?

In my apartment, with a few friends.

2. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?

See the last meme.

3. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

See the last meme.

4. Were you in school (anytime this year)?

No.

5. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No.

6. Any new additions to your family?

No.

7. Did anyone close to you die?

No.

8. Did you know anybody who got married?

Not that I can think of.

9. What countries did you visit?

None.

10. How did you earn your money?

Same as the last four and a half years, making a lousy wage with lousy hours at a lousy job. (Washed dishes at Callahan's.) Hopefully next year this time I'll have a job where I not only make decent money, but don't feel ashamed to say what I do for a living. Actually at the moment I'm not really thinking about money, but working at the nursing home where that girl works. Not only would I like my job a lot more, but I wouldn't be ashamed of it, even if the money isn't any better.

11. Where did most of your money go?

Bills.

12. Did you have any encounters with the police?

Actually yes. On my birthday I got pulled over. I ran a yellow light, but I suppose it turned red as I went under it. I got pulled over, but as I'm pretty sure the cop was behind me, he put people in danger by also running it. As it's not really illegal and wouldn't stand up in traffic court, he was 'kind enough' to let me off with a written warning, which was better than having to fight a ticket, but sucky as written warnings actually get recorded.

13. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

A girlfriend, sex, playing D&D again.

14. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

above meme

15. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

above meme

16. What was your biggest failure?

meh

17. Did you suffer illness or injury?

These meme's are very similar. I should have just combined them I guess.

18. Where did you go on holidays/vacation?

Stayed at home in my apartment.

19. What was the best thing you bought?

llll

20. Whose behavior merited celebration?

hkjhkhk

21. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

ggfg

22. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

fffffff

23. Did you move anywhere?

Nope.

24. Where do you live now?

Central Pointe Townhomes, in Siloam Springs Arkansas.

25. What song will always remind you of 2007?

Music has never been my strong point compared to other people, and I don't have a very good music specific memory. So... nothing I guess..

Anyway, that's it for now. Also, I think I'm going to make this friends only, so if you care to read this boring crap and I don't have you friended, tell me.

Random stuff

2008-10-30T08:30:51Z

Halloween is almost here. Which despite being one of my favourite holidays, I don't really do anything for. I'll be working all evening anyway, which is typically the fun part. But since fall is here I'm currently making pumpkin ice cream. Haven't made ice cream that much lately, so I think I'm going to go on a little spree, and actually start writing down exact recipes and tweaks for the next time. Peppermint ice cream will follow soonish, and while last year the both turned out great, I want to have everything down in notepad for next year in case I forget anything. In a few weeks it might also be time to make eggnog. Same thing with that. I never used to be a fan of eggnog, but I made some last year and loved it. For you alcohol people's, I used peppermint schnapps instead of brandy/rum, and thought it was a nice switch.

Speaking of alcohol, question. Having recently restocked my bar, and for the first time having all the needed requirements for a long island at the same time, I tried to make one. Two really, and neither one has turned out. As far as I recall, I've only ordered two one at an Applebee's/Chilli's(can't remember which) which was great, and another at a bar, which was mediocre(but better than mine). Any suggestions or tips from people that have made them? It's been a while, but since mojito's are one of my favourite drinks, I've tried making those, and haven't gotten them to turn out either. Any suggestions on those would also be welcome. I'll also add a tip of my own. Came across a Hogwart's recipe site a while ago, which tries to immitate some things found in the Harry Potter books. There was a recipe for butterbeer that caught my eye, which was butterscotch snapps and cream soda. I'm not a big fan of cream soda, but I'd never had butterscotch snapps but wanted to try it, so I got some of it and some cream soda(couldn't find regular cream soda so I actually used A&W Vanilla cream soda, which I actually imagine might work better, but I don't know), and tried it; and it came out pretty good. I'd recommend more butterscotch schnapps in the recipe than they did, but this could be because I don't reallly like cream soda(or soda in general these days). I'd also recommend buying the cans if you can find them, because I bought a two liter, and it was flat by the time I went to make one a second time, and it didn't taste nearly as good. On a slightly unrelated note, this I think is the third schnapps I've had, and the first two definitely had this magical property where they tasted good on first taste, but not so good afterwards(peppermint schnapps tasted great at first, but later only quickly tasted okay and then not so good, the wild berry schnapps or whatever it was tasted okay at first, and then like cough syrup, and the butterscotch snapps tasted great at first, but never tried it straight after that because it went to different butterbeers. I imagine it would retain it's great tastiness though). Anyway, enough about alcohol. Hmm. Apparently I have to correct my typing more than normal after a butterbeer and a long island.

Still haven't gotten a new vehicle yet. I just don't have the time to drive to Fayetteville in order to do test drives, or at least I don't want to test drive by myself, and haven't been able to work out something on my schedule. Though perhaps I should just ask somebody, rather than just hoping the oppurtunity presents itself. Still looking at the Fit for first choice, in blackberry pearl(a purple colour). Most people I've mentioned that two looks at me odd and says purple is a gay colour, but suppose it could be okay depending on the shade. I think it's a cool enough shade to not look gay/girly, but then again I also guess I don't care what people think. If I like it then that's all that matters. Though I haven't actually seen it in person yet. I kind of hope to get one before too long, because I currently have a radiator leak with my truck, and I'll be able to push that problem on to my parents. Not to mention the heat doesn't work that well with my truck(not that I use it), but more importantly the defroster doesn't work that well. Winter approaches and my truck fogs up greatly in cooler weather. Scraping ice off my truck doesn't bother me, but I have to wipe down my windows in order to see, and then continually wipe down my windshield in front of me to continue to see. I think newer vehicles are more condensation proof. Not to mention other neak things like window tint, better gas mileage... umm... newness(which will actually be a new thing), and something that's actually mine. I know better, more fuel efficient vehicles are on the horizon, but I still want to get one now anyway.

I've been zoned out more and slightly pissier at work lately. Probably due to the fact that the girl I liked there has quit, and is no longer there. She's gone to the new steakhouse going in at the casino(they're expanding and becoming a hotel/resort). I don't think I mentioned this, but my siter also quit several months ago(which some of you might recall worked at the same place as me at my restaurant), bounced around a couple of places briefly before working for McKee(which some of you might know is the maker of Little Debbie's a junk food type manufacturer kind of like Hostess), where she was actually a temp, and while offerered a full time position also decided to work at the new steakhouse. So my sister gets to work with the girl I like and I don't. So far it kind of sounds like the restaurant is going to be run fairly stupidly, which isn't that much of a surprise. It's possible she might quit there and come back(she though she was going to be a server, but since she's 21 and can't serve alcohol, they made her be a back server instead). I'm going to see how it turns out, if she stays and the restaurant seems to run smoothly, I might quit and try to get a job there. Their minimum wage is more than I'm making now, unless I'm a server which minimum wage is slightly less than I'm making now plus boockoos of tips(it's supposed to be a 'nice fancy type restaurant' though I'm not really buying it). Not to mention benefits(which I'll also have to see how plays out, because the restaurant will only be opened 30 hours a week, and typically you have to work 40 hours a week to get benefits), which I have none now so if I can make more money there(which I easily will, possibly a lot more) and get benefits, that would be nice. Anyway, it will be open in about two weeks, so I'll hear how it goes from my sister, and go see what it looks like for myself. Supposedly were talking about $50 dishes here, but personally I doubt they'll actually do that, I should see a real menu before going, and if worse comes to worse I'll just order water.

Black Friday is coming up. No good specials posted yet, but I'm sure I'll end up at Best Buy before midnight. I'll be prepared this year, two paris of socks, those heat tablet things, thermos of hot cocoa(with my special ingredients added), gloves, chair, and everything else we've thought of that I can't think of at the moment. Though my roommate and I are also pretty sure that although we're going to be fully prepared this year(last year we spent over six hours in twelve degree temperature; neither one of us typically gets cold but eventually the hours got to us both) My roommate and I might also have someone else going with us this year. Unfortunately my roommate and I are also guessing since we're going through all the preparations this year and are perfectly ready for sub-zero temperatures for longer(we're getting there earlier this year), it's going to be pretty nice. Arkansas is capable of 50's-60's in November although it's rare, but we're guessing since we're ready, it's going to taunt us just because.

I saw Steven Wright's "When the Leaves Blow Away" comedy special before/during/ making ice cream, pretty good. I think I'll start Angel season four tonight, and watch La Dulce Vita if I still don't feel like sleeping. Speaking of ice cream, I need to finish making it. So I guess that's pretty much it for now. Longer post than I intended, but that always happens when I don't post that often. I'm not posting much lately, so in order to encourage me to do so, I'm going to try and do a word of the week, starting this week.

WotW: Long pig - human flesh as food for cannibals

hikuro @ 2008-07-21T11:39:00

2008-07-21T19:25:33Z

Birthday was Friday. Meh, getting older. I didn't do anything for it, me and my roommate caught the midnight showing of the Dark Knight Thursday night. Then I worked all day Friday. Got my free five at the casino before going to work, plus ten bucks because it was my birthday. Played it, didn't hit a single cent; no cherries, no single bars, nothing. On my way home from work, I went on a yellow light and got pulled over as the light turned red as I went under it. I got let off with a written warning, which is better than a ticket I suppose, but you can(and I would) contest a ticket, where there's nothing you can do about a written warning. Good ending to the day anyway.

My laptop also completely died a couple of days before that. The laptop really isn't worth fixing, as it completely sucked anyway. I imagine it would cost at least a hundred bucks to fix, and I only paid $500 for it. I kind of want to sell it, but it has saved data on there I don't want people to have(saved logins to e-mail, etc. and possibly credit card info) if they fix it. I suppose I could sell it without the hard drive, as I doubt I'd get much for it anyway, I don't think the missing hard drive will lower that price by much. Now I want to get a new laptop, but if I get a new car(which my current pick is the Honda Fit), I really can't afford to get a new one.

Guess that's it for now.

hikuro @ 2008-07-03T00:37:00

2008-07-03T05:45:41Z

Haven't updated this in a little bit, so here's some random crap.

Bought the Japanese Chrono Trigger cartridge off e-bay. I wanted to test out a sniping service, and for some reason decided to try and pick up the cartridge version of Chrono Trigger. Of course it was late/early and when I bid I didn't notice it was in Japanese, but oh well, historical gamer value I guess. It's still in unopened condition, and I'll probably keep it that way. Probably won't get the regular English version.

I've started playing Yu-Gi-Oh again. A few weeks ago a friend of mine and my roommate came over and brought his cards, and we all dueled. And then we kind of decided to get back in the game. Which kind of sucks in a way because Yu-Gi-Oh is such a money pit. We're going to have to set strict limits on what we can buy. It also kind of sucks as my D&D campaign was going to start soon, and this might kind of get in the way. I'm in more of a yu-gi-oh mood now though, and a few weeks ago I was all psyched on getting the campaign started. Oh wells.

I'm planning on getting a new vehicle soon. I'm not really sure what I want though(other than good gas mileage obviously). I've looked a little bit online and the only thing that's really caught my eye is the Volkswagen Jetta Sportswagon(the TDI version). I've been driving a compact truck for about eight years now, and probably anything is going to be a big adjustment. 90% of most vehicles just seem to huge to me, which is a good thing because smaller vehicles typically get better gas mileage. I figure a car will seem to low to me, and I don't really want another truck because you always get roped into helping people move/hauling stuff/etc. I figure an in between model will be best for me. Once I get a new vehicle though I'm going to start paying my parents back for my insurance(it will still be on their insurance as it will be cheaper for all of us with the multi-car discount), and then I'll be entirely self sufficient.

Birthday soon. I'm creeping up on old age. :(

Blah. That's it for now.

Stuff

2008-04-18T06:24:45Z

My computer acted like it was dying the other day. My roommate and another friend of ours came up to use my computer to finish something they were working on on my laptop(doing a tax amendment), and I noticed them looking at the back of my computer and it was off. They turned it back on, it booted, they used it for a couple of minutes, and it turned itself off(which they said it had just done a minute ago). So we turn it on a couple of more times, and it shuts off somewhere between a few seconds to a couple of minutes later each time. I had a few suspects, one of which was dust. So the next day I went and got some compressed air(why it's expensive and no store but Wal-Mart sells it I don't know), used it... and apparently it's all fixed! Crisis averted.

Bought my first shirt woot tonight! Gamer/Zelda fans should check it out, though reading the comments it wasn't to everyone's taste(the colour choice in particular, but I like cream, as long as they're not a pinkish hue).

There actually is something worthy of posting about, but since I typically only post useless random stuff and not personal things, I'll leave it be. *gasp* Mystery!

My sister quit her job too! Sure, she's quit before and come back, but this time I'm sure... oh wait, she has already asked for he job back. I'm not actually sure she'll get it this time though. My mom actually hopes she doesn't, which I kind of understand, but personally disagree with. My parents think her job is holding her back, and that it's her safety net. But I know there's not any good jobs around here, and since my sister actually really likes her job(most of the time), she should stick with it for now. Of course my parents think I should get a different job as well, and I kind of agree, since like most people I actually hate my job with a fiery passion and loathe the very thought of waking up in the morning because before long I'll be off to that despised place. But once again, no good jobs. But since I don't want to move away right now(especially now due to aforementioned personal thing), I'm kind of stuck there.

Started watching Buffy, since I've had the series a little while now. Also been watching Rurouni Kenshin, since that's one of the first real anime's I started watching back in the day, and having watched a good bit of it wanting to see how it ends. I'll watch YuYu Hakusho after that, and then we should be good.

Hopefully I'll get a D&D campaign going soon. We've been talking about doing one ever since... well, we weren't doing one; which has been a while now. Probably a solid two years at least. A few months ago I decided I'd have to DM if we were ever going to get one started, and I started piecing some adventure books together along with some of my own stuff. Though mostly all I ever do is start making new characters and new character classes. But Jason said something not too long ago about Spencer being interested in it, which would give us enough people. So I finally put an X on Saturdays, which I actually got last week, but they didn't schedule my any extra days, so I only got about 24 hours. This week I am working it, but I think that's just a glitch because of proms going on. I talked to Cody about working Tuesdays for him, and he said I probably could. Unfortunately it seems he's going to want to tell me that day if he wants me to or not, rather than telling Pat to do the schedule that day. If he calls me both times the next two weeks, I'm just going to tell Pat that he said it was okay to schedule me on Tuesdays. I tried to pick up Sunday mornings from him, but he said then he wouldn't be getting enough hours if he gave both those days away. He also mentioned however, getting a new job in the summer, which sounded like he wouldn't be able to work at Callahan's as well. If that be the case, I'll talk to Pat around the time he plans on quitting and see if I can secure Tuesdays and Sunday mornings then. I'm sure there's some people that only want to work 15 hours a week or so. Anyway, hopefully DnD soon.

Weird

2008-04-08T22:35:12Z

The last few days I've been looking at my friends page, there's been music playing in the background(sounds a little like Chrono Trigger music). Only appears when I'm logged out too(livejournal usually keeps me logged out, so I'm usually checking my friends page whilst logged out); as I just logged in and it's not playing anymore. My download helper FF extension says there's a midi file on the page, but checking in the page source, it doesn't exist. Weird.

Randomness

2008-02-12T06:47:04Z

<a href="http://www.the-n.com/games/quiz/3321"><img src="http://www.the-n.com/media/quiz/badges/timeofday_quiz/1159.gif" border="0" /></a>

I'm thinking about buying this . Expensive, but cheaper than buying individually.

I'm thinking about reading through the whole Bible, since not having read it before is one thing that gets brought up on the rare occasion I get in a religious discussion.

Eventually I need to get a new vehicle since technically it's my parents, but I'm kind of considering going new. One problem is I can't really afford it, but the main thing is if Jason and I do go on our trip as planned, in '09 or '10, I don't want to leave a new car here for a couple of years, especially if I'm not going to have a job to pay for it; but I can't take it with me either. So I'm stuck trying to hold off, or seeing if I can find anything used around here I like.

I have having a two party system of government.

Smash Bros. soon.

Package arrived from Buy.com today, they brought me Rocketeer instead of RocketMan. So now I'm going to torrent it before I open it to see if I'm okay with the mistake, or I'm going to contact them to rectify it. I don't like having to send stuff back, even if they do pay for shipping back(which they should).

Meh, that's it for now.

hikuro @ 2008-01-17T02:48:00

2008-01-17T09:21:55Z

[ ] I was born with a disease/birth defect/impairment.
[] I've gotten stitches. (I've gotten staples though!)
[] I've broken a bone (I probably have, but I'm not the going to the doctor type)
[ ] I've had my tonsils removed.
[] I've sat in a doctors office with a friend. (I've been to a doctor's office with my parents, but I stayed in the lobby)
[] I've had my wisdom teeth removed. (I don't go to the dentist anymore.)
[] I had surgery
[X] I've had chicken pox. (I only had a few spots when I was really young, hopefully enough where I don't get the worse version later)

Traveling

[] I've driven over 200 miles in one day. (I have been in a vehicles that's traveled 200 miles in a day, but I wasn't driving)
[] I've been on a plane. (Technically I have, but I was a baby and don't remember it)
[] I've been to Canada.
[x] I've been to Disneyworld, Orlando
[ ] I've been to Mexico.
[ ] I've been to Niagara Falls.
[ ] I've been to Japan.
[ ] I've Celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
[ ] I've been to Europe.
[ ] I've been to Africa.
[] I've been to the Bahamas.

A friend of mine and I are planning on traveling across the globe in a few years, so hopefully all of those except Mardi Gras will be done within five years.

Experiences

[] I've gotten lost in my city. (My cities are kind of too small for that, anytime I'm not exactly familiar with where I'm at, I can figure out where I am quickly)
[] I've seen a shooting star.
[] I've wished on a shooting star.
[] I've seen a meteor shower.
[] I've gone out in public in my pajamas.
[ ] I've pushed all the buttons on an elevator.
[] I've kicked a guy where it hurts (It's possible I've done this, but can't recall it at the moment)
[x] I've been to a casino. (I went a few hours ago in fact!)
[] I've been skydiving.
[ ] I've gone skinny dipping.
[ ] I've drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour.
[] I've crashed a car.
[] I've been skiing.
[ X] I've been in a play. (Stupid school plays)
[X] I've caught a snowflake on my tongue.
[] I've seen the Northern Lights.
[X] I've sat on a roof top at night.
[ ] I've played chicken.
[x] I've played a prank on someone.
[] I've ridden in a taxi.
[] I've seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show. (I think I've seen parts of this, but can't remember for sure)
[ ] I've eaten sushi.
[ ] I've been snowboarding.

Honesty/Crime

[X] I have lied to my parents about where I am.
[X] I am keeping a secret from the world.
[X] I've cheated while playing a game.
[] I've cheated on a test.
[] I've run a red light.
[] I've been suspended from school.

Death and Suicide

[ ] I'm afraid of dying.
[X] I hate funerals.
[x] I've seen someone dying. (Sick people, not a a stabbing/shot victim or whatever)
[] Someone close to me has committed suicide/tried to commit suicide.(I've known people, but don't consider them close)
[ ] I've written a eulogy for myself.

Materialism

[ ] I own over 5 rap CDs.
[X] I own iPod or MP3 player
[] I own a real designer purse
[] I own an accessory other than a purse from a designer
[] I own something from Hot Topic.
[ ] I own something from Pac Sun.
[] I collect comic books.
[X] I own something I got on e-bay.
[ ] Some of my closet is abercrombie/hollister/american eagle

Random

[ ] I can sing well (I was in choir for about eight years, but I don't know about well)
[ ] I've stolen a tray from a fast food restaurant.
[] I open up easily to others.
[ ] I watch the news.
[ ] I don't kill bugs.
[] I hate hearing songs that sacrifice meaning for the sake of being able to rhyme.
[] I curse regularly.
[] I sing in the shower.(Sometimes, but not often)
[ ] I am a morning person. (I'm not not a morning person, but I do prefer night)
[ ] I paid for my cell phone ring tone.
[X] I'm a snob about grammar. (I'm not a big snob, but I'll correct people on occasion)
[ ] I am a sports fanatic.
[ ] I twirl my hair.
[ ] I've copied more than 20 CD's in a day.
[x ] I bake well. (Probably more alright than well, but I figured it was close enough)
[] My favorite color is either white, green, yellow, pink, red or blue.
[ ] I would wear pajamas to school.
[ ] I like Martha Stewart.
[X] I laugh at my own jokes.
[] I eat fast food weekly.(Sometimes I'll eat it a couple of times in a week, but other times I can go a month or more without going. Taco Bell is about the only fast food I do ever eat)
[ ] I believe in ghosts.
[] I am online 24/7 even with an away message.
[] I've not turned anything in and still got an A in a certain class(I'm pretty sure all my classes required work...)
[] I can't sleep if there is a spider in the room. (I have to kill it if I can get to it, but if I know it's there and I can't, I'll eventually fall asleep anyway)
[] I am ticklish. (I'm not sure on this one. I'm not big on physical contact, and kind of flinch or jump anytime something touches me, so I'm assuming I don't have regular ticklish reactions)
[ x] I love white chocolate (I don't know about love, and I... never actually have it. But I think I prefer it to regular chocolate. The Hershey's Cookies and Cream bars were the awesome, but I haven't had one in years)
[ ] I bite my nails. (I use to... but now I peel them instead...
[X] I play video games.
[] I'm good at remembering faces.
[] I'm good at remembering names.
[] I'm good at remembering dates.
[X] I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life

WHO LAST..

1. Made you smile:
Jason
2. Hugged you?
Can't exactly remember, but logically speaking I'm pretty sure it must have been one of my grandmother's, as they're about the only ones I ever hug.
3. Saw/heard/knew you were crying? ...
Seeing as how I haven't cried since I was a kid... who the heck knows.
4. Went to the movies with you?
Jason and Spencer.

WOULD YOU RATHER..

1. Be serious or be funny?
funny
2. Drink whole or skim milk?
whole
3. Die in a fire or drown?
Fire. Pain I can deal with, but damn it I need to breathe.
4. Spend time with your parents or enemies?
Parents

DO YOU PREFER..

1. Do you prefer gray or black?
Black
2. Lust or love?
I'm not sure I really believe in love, but I'll say it anyway.
3. Empty or whole?
That depends on what the subject in question is.

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY..

1. Do you like anyone?
Yes
2. Do you drink?
yes
3. Do you steal?
No... though I do pirate stuff on occasion.
4. Do you believe in love at first sight?
I'm not sure I really believe in love, but if so I'm not sure. I've experienced a few what people would call love at first sight, but then I'm not sure if you can really love someone without even knowing them.
5. Do you fall for the wrong guy/girl?
Apparently, seeing as how I've never had a girlfriend. But I don't think it's so much as me falling for the wrong girl, as much as I'm the wrong guy for them.

I found this quite hilarious.

I had more stuff earlier to add, but I forgot.

Update

2008-01-08T10:12:01Z

Haven't updated in a while, so here's some random crap, followed by the new year meme things.

Finally installed my printer today that I bought on Black Friday. Takes a good bit of my desk up, and I had to squeeze everything over, so I might reorganize my desk at some point. I do need to do some house cleaning at some point, labeling disks and throwing out ones I no longer need.

I hooked up the printer so my roommate and I could print out a ticket we presented when we test drove a new Mazda and they'd give us a $25 Circuit City certificates, but for some reason my roommate's worked, and mine didn't. The website is http://www.mazdaholidaydrive.com I think if you're interested.

On the way there, my truck started overheating. Maybe, my roommate and I suspect it's just the gauge saying it's running hot. We stopped at the post office and got some water to throw in the anti-freeze, radiator, I suck at vehicle knowledge so whatever the heck we did. Didn't help any, and since I had anti-freeze refilled a couple of months ago and it looked at the right level for us, it adds more the guess that it's just the gauge. Unfortunately I stopped on the way back(we turned around after the post office so no Circuit City gift certificates yet) at the service place I usually go to, and they said they couldn't help me. My roommate suggested going to AutoZone, as they should be able to tell me if it's the gauge for free. Hopefully will do that tomorrow, along with going to Mazda place. Hopefully a guy there will just sign our papers, as they know we have no interest in test driving the thing and we don't want to waste thirty minutes with each of us(might possibly go with my roommate's mom and another friend of ours) driving it a little bit to make the dealership happy. Though technically I should look at used vehicles there as I'll need to by one soon(as my truck is technically my parents and they want to sell it at some point). It would be nice to actually own my own vehicle I think, as that's about the only dependence I have on my parents.

Christmas('s) and New Years went okay. Had a thingy with one set of grandparents the Sunday before, we went out to eat and then came back and did presents, then after they left my mom, dad, sister, and I had ours. One of the things I got my sister was a custom calendar with pictures I took at the Tulsa Zoo, but it came in late(though I did of course order it late, but it should have been done in time). Fortunately she really liked it when I gave it to her the next week, and even showed it off at work. Unfortunately, I didn't think it came out well, as to get it to look right in the preview, I kept widely adjusting the borders, which I thought would be alright, but it seems that they don't use real black for their backgrounds, so you can see funky and wildly different borders on each pictures. My sister ended up showing it off at work, and I got a couple of compliments, but I wished the borders were right, and unfortunately the waitress I happen to like was off that week. Anyway, I went back to my parents Monday I think, and then Tuesday we went to my other grandparents and afterwards I hung out at my parents house for a while.

New Years my roommate and I of course said we were going to get drunk(I had bought booze the week before), and of course we didn't. We just hung out watching t.v. and talking and stuff, and it was already one or two before we realized it was past midnight. We tried to make mojito's, as those are my favourite drink, but to be honest they came out pretty bad. My sister had gotten me some Tom Collins mix for Christmas though, and it was delicious, and actually tasted more like a mojito than ours did. And of course we had various other drinks throughout the night.

Meme's.

I of course have a terrible memory, so this will be pieced together mostly by looking at my journal and making stuff up. Mostly making stuff up, as though I posted a couple of long entries, the year only goes back one page and those were mostly meme's I think.

January

Discussed mostly my roommate and I finding the apartment we live in now, and getting ready to movie in. Also has several mentions of Heather, which is the waitress at work I particularly like. This technically somewhat confuses me as it sounds like a new crush, but I know it should be about six months old as she started working there that summer. Anyway, also mentions last new years(hehe, me not drinking). I can't really think of anything other than what's in the journal.

February

Moved into my apartment, and that's pretty much the excitement for February I think. Makes note of me jump starting a waitresses car after work, this actually came up earlier today(we were looking in my autos safety kit for something to open some valve thing up on my truck and I pointed out I had used those jumper cables already), and I was trying to remember who's it was. We both assumed it was an attractive one, but I actually remembered who it was just a minute ago, and she wasn't. I'm not sleazy(always), I'm a good samaritan(sometimes, and for some reason livejournal thinks that is spelled wrong)! This brings up something random I'll put below this. Not much else I can think of. I think we got kind of a nasty winter storm sometime in February, but if we did I didn't make note of it. Also I've noticed a lot of spelling errors, random trains of thought, and... stuff that doesn't make sense in certain entries. Some of this is due to just due to me being be(I'm a random guy), though some of it has to do with me usually typing my entires early in the morning. Anyway, apologies to those that want to read these and get frustrated in confusion).

March

Was still mostly getting settled in. Wooted for the first time. Not much else going on that I recall. Thought my roommate might get his own computer within six months. lol. Though he did eventually get a computer desk given to him.

April

My laptop arrived. I kept it upstairs about the whole month, and it also had a bad habit of dying all the time as the charging cord doesn't go all the way in. I later moved it downstairs, and that problem did kind of go away, but it still kind of annoys me. I kind of wish I'd saved my money and gotten one new. Also got my ice cream maker, which is probably the best thirty bucks I've ever spent. I made ice cream continuously for a little while, but that ended up slowing down a lot. It's been about 8-9 months, and I've probably used it about fifteen times, definitely worth it. Especially as I'm from content to very pleased with how most of them came out. I made one yesterday in fact, and I think it will just be mediocre, but oh well. Not a lot of ice cream fans around here, my family and roommate like it, better than anything you can get in stores, and sometimes samples it when I make some, but they all say they're not big ice cream people... Though they all buy ice cream on occasion anyway. Oh well. Also started drawing a little bit, but that didn't last long. Finally sent my camera off to get fixed.

May

One of my best friends Dan got married in Hawaii, and my other best friend Jason went with him. I regretted not coughing up the money and going later, but oh well. Once they got back, Dan and Mel(his wife) moved down to Florida. :(

June

Like May, nothing written for this month. But I imagine it was complacent, non-changing, and not important like most of the rest of my life.

July

Turned 21. I think I had my first drink a few weeks beforehand, just a smirnoff ice. But I cleaned my apartment and then wend to work on my birthday. The waitresses/hostesses did the birthday song to me that they do to the customers, kind of embarrassing. Guess I'll have to start taking my birthday off. Somebody at work gave me a small bottle of Crown Royal, so my roommate and I drank it that night. Tried it straight, but ended up mixing it with Dr. Pepper(all we had on hand, heard it's better with 7-Up) to make 'ball chain blasters'. Also went to the casino to get my fifteen bucks or whatever it was... and that's when we got hooked on going to the casino. I also got a third hard drive in my computer and put Linux on it, and Jason and I both got ordained as ministers. Pretty eventful month I guess.

August

Got vacation from my job for the first time, spent it at home watching t.v. Went to St. Louis with my sister. That's about it. Probably about the time we started hanging out with Davin, but I'm not really sure.

September

Not a whole lot happening. Bought my first bottles of liquor and started making drinks, went to the casino a lot. Watched t.v., etc.

October

Same as last month, nothing new probably. Tried to stop going to the casino as much.

November

November was alright. The ever epic Black Friday adventure occurred. Jason and I got our peacoats a week or two before that. Jason and I made a vow to not play our money at the casino for the whole month. We both failed once or twice, but I think I lost both times while he won both times. Thanksgiving was alright. Nothing else I can think of.

December

Just Christmas stuff I guess. Jason and I succeeded on our not playing our money at the casino thing. So I guess we have our 'gambling problem' beat. I guess our 'drinking problem' is next, though not sure how we can 'tackle' that one. As we never really had a gambling problem and we don't have a drinking problem(in fact, the kitchen bar is almost full! hehe), but oh well. Bought more crap I don't need(movies and t.v. shows). Been a bit more reflective lately than the last couple of months. I think about the only time I update my journal is when something important happens(rarely) or I'm in a reflective mood. I've been seeing Christmas and New Year meme's I've been meaning to do(such as this one) but have been too lazy.

Brought up by something I've been thinking about a little the last few days, and something mentioned in February. But people really do have varied tastes in attractiveness. Now this is somewhat of a sensitive issue I guess. Some women might say all guys care about is looks(which is true in some cases), while men might say all women care about is power, money, or the guy being an asshole(which is also true in some cases). Maybe pheromones do play a role, as I've found women attractive that I might not so much just looking at pictures. Though I think actually meeting and liking someone does make them physically more attractive in your eyes. I've heard a lot of guys say that they have the most beautiful wife in the world. I think in most of these cases they're not just complimenting their wives, but they truly do think that their wife is the most beautiful person in the world. I know I've met a few girls in my day that I find more attractive than Jessica Alba/Simpson or whoever most of the guys are fawning over these days(not saying those two aren't hot of course). Anyway what really brought this up is that the other day Kelby(the new dishwasher, kind of a dumb as rocks country hick guy) asked if I thought Mindy was the hottest waitress at work, and seemed kind of annoyed/upset when I said no. [Technically speaking she's about number five or six out of about 50-60 female employees, though technically probably only about 20-25 are of the proper age group. Random irrelevant data. I should probably make this journal friends only at some point having stuff like 'dumb as rocks' and hotness ratings...] Which is a reaction I've noticed before, and find rather interesting. Gimli in Lord of the Rings is a perfect(though fictional) example. He asked who I thought was hottest and I kind of stared as him, as he knows I kind of have a crush on Heather, but he still seemed confused and upset when I said that. I've only noticed this in guys, this need to establish that who they think is attractive other people find attractive, and in some, annoyance or aggressiveness that their 'top picks' are not universally shared. Though of course sense I don't really hang out with many girls, let alone hear any discussing of 'who's hotter', my guess would be that if it exists in women it's to a much smaller degree. Fill free to inform me if this is incorrect. Thinking back I've heard a lot of 'so and so is hot... don't you think?' and what not. When Ashley Ray was playing at the casino, I noticed at the time that he seemed to find her much more attractive than I did(he went up there just because she was there, though so did lots of guys that week I'm pretty sure), but I think there was some kind of justification he was looking for in me to agree how hot she was; and I think he's like me and much more 'immune' to this then some(most?) other guys.

Anyway, sorry that turned out much longer than I intended, and is probably another one of those confusing rants mentioned earlier. I also didn't mean to 'objectify women' or anything like that, I just think 'physical attractiveness' is kind of an interesting thing. Not to mention a kind of 'alpha male - my mate is the best - agree or die - kind of thing'. Sure, take pictures of a 100 super models and you'll get pretty much every straight male to say they're all attractive. Limit it down to 'hottest one' though and they'll probably all get 1% of the vote each. Though it seems the whole 'hot skinny blonde' stereotype/thingy is actually losing some ground, with more guys finding girls that weigh more than a bag of lettuce attractive, so that's kind of cool. Rand off.

Other meme.

1. Where did you begin 2007?

At Dan & Mel's, about forty feet from here, right across where I live now.

2. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?

Drank, gambled... all I can think of.

3. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Not really. I did move out, but that was kind of luck I guess. I did not find a better job and I did not get in shape. I'm not making 'resolutions' per se, but those last two are still kind of goals for me to do, soon, not just for the year.

4. Were you in school (anytime this year)?

No way bitches, I'm too old for that shit.

Seriously though, I'm somewhat thinking about going back if I can ever find an affordable way. Maybe going into pre-med, as that way I'd have the option of going to medical school later. Of course I don't really want to be a doctor I don't think, but eh, I dunno.

5. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Not really. Jason's sister had her kid not too long after we moved in. Some of the waitresses I work(ed) with might have kids, I dunno.

6. Any new additions to your family?

Not that I can think of.

7. Did anyone close to you die?

Not that I know of. I did kind of find out throughout the year that several people in my class have already died, which is kind of shocking really. Though not all of them actually died this year.

8. Did you know anybody who got married?

Yep! I technically went to one in fact. One of my best friends Dan got married, and Keith and Renee, who are friends of Jason and his mom and whom I see at the casino a lot got married as well. That's all I can think of.

9. What countries did you visit?

None. :(

10. How did you earn your money?

Same as the last three year, make a lousy wage with lousy hours at a lousy job. (Washed dishes at Callahan's.) Hopefully next year this time I'll have a job where I not only make decent money, but don't feel ashamed to say what I do for a living.

11. Where did most of your money go?

Rent, gas, food. Gambling, booze, movies.

12. Did you have any encounters with the police?

Officially no. The aforementioned Keith is the chief of police in Gentry, and my sister got pulled over the other day for having outdated tags, though she was let go with a warning since she actually did have them with her, just not on(the fuzz knows better than to mess with me and my peeps around here.... maybe).

13. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?

Lots of things actually. A girlfriend, most importantly. Failing that, but hopefully including that, at least having sex. Damn virginity burdens. *shakes fist* The other important thing that comes to mind is playing D&D, which I haven't really been done for about two years now.

14. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Black Friday is the only thing I can think of, but that's kind of cheating I think.

15. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Moving out I think.

16. What was your biggest failure?

Not finding a better job... and possibly not having the guts to ask a girl out.

17. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Enough to send most people to the emergency room? Quite probably. Enough to even get me to a doctor? Hell no.

18. Where did you go on holidays/vacation?

I kind of mentioned all those in the last meme's/journal entry, so I'll leave this blank(kind of).

19. What was the best thing you bought?

Hmm... I think I'll have to go with my ice cream maker. Though my roomba is a good second choice. And my new printer a third!

20. Whose behavior merited celebration?

No one's really. I guess Jason and me for moving out on our own and stopping our 'gambling problem' before it got serious.

21. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

No one's really, but Dan's a little bit as that boy is whipped. The poor soul doesn't have any of his own opinions anymore. Of course people give me a hard time about being whipped, and I'm not even the girls boyfriend, so I guess I can't really say anything.

22. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Black Friday I guess.

23. Did you move anywhere?
I did in fact!

24. Where do you live now?

Central Pointe Townhomes

25. What song will always remind you of 2007?

Music has never been my strong point compared to other people, and I don't have a very good music specific memory. So... nothing I guess.

Anyway... it's after four in the morning so I guess this is quite long enough...

An epic tale of Thanksgiving/Black Friday/and Narnia Help

2007-11-25T11:31:01Z

(Important question at bottom)
Thanksgiving was alright. I was originally going to help my roommate a good bit with preparing his Thanksgiving meal, as he was doing most of the cooking for his family. Unfortunately I worked Wednesday night, and he was pretty much done with the preparations when I got home. I helped him a little Thanksgiving morning, and he rewarded me with breaking one of my cups. Oh well. I made pumpkin ice cream, which was alright. Went over to my parents house, and had Thanksgiving. Everything went okay I guess. My cousins weren't too out of control ignore family let's play Ryan's Wii and stuff. Food was good, had some okay conversations, nobody had any fights or anything. Had to listen to a prayer before eating of course, but I can deal with that. My cousins had made some stupid/funny videos that they showed me. I told them to put them they could put them on YouTube, and they wanted me to show them how; but I kind of drifted out of that as I'm not sure my aunt and uncle would appreciate me putting their kids out there on the interwebz. I stayed a little while after everybody had left, talked a bit more about Black Friday plans with my parents and sister, but then I too left and came back home. My roommate was already back, and we chilled for a while, watched some t.v., looked at black friday ads a few more times(online, we didn't get mailed any :( ). Started to make lists, but then decided to half ass it, though I took what list I had. Later we both decided that we were hungy, and both our Thanksgivings foods were all at our parents houses. Soooo, we went to Taco Bell, which is like our holy land. Awesomely, it was open, and it was also about the only fast food place open, so I guess we got lucky. Went back and hate, hung out some more, and then about 11:00, we headed off to camp out at Best Buy.

I was initially thinking we were going to hit the Rogers Best Buy, I don't know why. But we hit the Fayetteville one, as it has Circuit City, Wal-Mart, and Target all nearby. So, we got to Best Buy about 11:30, and we were in it for the long haul. It was twenty degrees when we were leaving Siloam Springs, but we found out later it got down to twelve degrees, as one of the news stations did a little thingy there. Going to look online to see if I can find any video of it. Now I love the cold, and I rarely wear gloves or jackets. People think I'm a freak for that a lot, but I always mention that most of the time, people aren't in the cold for very long, basically just from their cars to less than a minute of walking to whatever building they're entering. If I was outside for several hours, I might consider wearing a coat. Which I didn't even one a coat coat until a couple of weeks ago, just a few light jackets I had gotten for Christmas gifts. But ever since seeing Boondock Saints, I decided I wanted a peacoat, and my roommate had been wanting one as well. I'd looked online a few times, and gone with my roommate to the mall looking at them, but of course they're generally exepensive, the cheaper ones online... we're online, and I kind of didn't want to buy one online. The one I liked best was at Old Navy, but I looked at Fayetteville's Old Navy, and they didn't have any. When we went to Tulsa a few weeks ago, my parents made me look at Burlington Coat Factory for one as I had mentioned it before, even though I mentioned several times I didn't want to look there that day. They were of course a little more expensive and not quite as likable. Anyway, a few days later my mom called me to tell me that Old Navy was having a 40% off sale, and this time I went to the Rogers one with my sister, and they had some in. So I ended up finally getting one(also grabbed a sports coat while I was there, as I could get both for cheaper than the peacoat regular price). I told my roommate later that day, and he ended up getting one as well(in Fayetteville, which apparently had them in stock now, possibly because Old Navy was doing lots of commercials with them in it). Though ever since I've gotten mine, I've seen them everywhere in different stores. Guess they're really popular this year and when I first started looking, it wasn't the season for them yet.

Anyway, I told you that story to tell you this one. I stood outside Best Buy for five and a half hours, with my peacoat, and I was really freaking cold. Now I don't get cold, but I was cold. This is mostly my feet's fault, as my socks were pretty thin and my shoes let air in, and if my feet get really cold I guess the rest of my body gets that way. My roommate likes the cold as much as me, and he seemed even more ill effected than me. Anyway, we arrive around 11:30, and of course people are already there. I guess the guy at the front of the line said that when the store opened, he'd have been there for twenty-seven hours. There were lots of tents of course, up to just in front of us. Our position was just a little off the sidewalk. Shortly upon arriving, having no gloves, layers, tent, chairs, etc. we realized we were screwed. Probably about 12:30, Jason decided to walk to Wal-Mart and come back with warming supplies. Whilst he was gone somebody else from the group behind us had come back(possibly from wal-mart) with these things you shake up, and put in your pockets, as they generate heat and warm you. I was hoping Jason would bring back those, but alas he eventually came back with two small blue thin blankets. So I walked over to Wal-Mart myself, used the restroom, and looked for these magic pellets. But alas, could not find them, so I walked back. I did hold my shoes up to the air dryer thingy at the bathroom at Wal-Mart though, it helped a little bit. Anyway, got back, opened up my blanket, and kind of sat indian style with it wrapped around me, plus an extra wrap around my feet. Although probably not all that great, I hold the belief that that blanket probably saved my life, or at least some toes from falling off from frostbite. Anyway, about 1:30 I see people moving forward in line. I had heard something earlier about how all tents had to go at 1:00 or something, so I thought perhaps this was it. I guess it wasn't, and I never quite figured out what it was. I awakened(sort of, he wasn't actually asleep) my roommate(who had cocooned himself in his blanket, both of our blankets were now covered with woodchips by the way), but immediately after the sudden forward movement in line, the other side of the line(we were lined up at the side of the building, but this line continued on of course by this time, like so

(Best Buy)__________________________________________________
(sidewalk/line)---------------------------------------(round thing with tree/us)---|
                                                                                                                                |
       (small roadway/parking lot)                                                                        |(people
                                                                                                                                |forming
                                                                                                                                |line bridge)
(continuation of line)--------------------------------------------------------------------

But immediately after it happened(the sudden odd line moving forward thing), people from (continuation of line) ran over to the sidewalk and tried(mostly succesfully) to merge with the line on the sidewalk. At first we just saw many of them start walking over, and we went what the hell, no cutting. Then madness and boom, everyone was all in one line on the sidewalk. While technically closer to the door, as I started walking forward while it happened, I was actually much further. As there was about fifty people in front of us when we got in line, but as all those people merged and cut, we were condensed and now there was about 125 people in front of me. I saw my roommate get up from my new position, and walked around the line, then I saw him up ahead a little bit later, a good bit in front of me. So I get out of line, walk around, and join him. Our new friend Juan and his buddies who we had previously talked to a little bit had recognized Jason, and told him to get in front of them. So we ended up getting into about the same position as before. Juan told us that if anybody else tried to cut, he'd cut them, and he pulled out a little knife/shank. A lady next to us said she was a lawyer and that she'd defend him, and I said he has witnesses, the guy stabbed himself in back. So we were prepared now.

Anyway, the line gradually moved forward somehow, until we actually just rounded the corner of the building and could see the entrance. Best Buy people's started coming out and saying different things, like doughnuts and coffee were coming. Donuts did come, but never to out great upsetness, did the coffee. I don't drink coffee, but I must reinerate the coldness, and would gladly have taken some. Anyway, despite the great coldness and slow passing of time(possibly worse than before as we were all standing close to each other now, prepared for more cutters), we kind of had an alright time, I mentioned whiskey a few times, and really wished I would have had some. Best Buy started handing out tickets for the big items at three, and I could have probably gotten anything I wanted, but I didn't this year. The last hour, particularly the last fifteen minutes might have been the slowest. About ten minutes before opening, most of the Best Buy employees came out clapping and stuff, and said some things. Couldn't really hear them, but they ended with the 'Woo, Pig Souey' thing(which is an Arkansas Razorbacks thing, which I'm sure pretty much all of you all are unfamiliar with), which just kind of pissed off the crowd. Anyway, they let us in in waves, and... they cut off the first wave right at Jason and me. On the inside. Last two people in the first wave, boojah. Anyway, madness in side of course, but Best Buy was laid out well and they and their staff were very well prepared. Jason and I were mainly there for movies, and we quickly found the bin of $4.99 movies, and then the stand of $14.99 tv shows. I grabbed my 2gb memory card for my camera(unfortunately compact flash and not SD, SD tends to run cheaper and is the more carried and popular type). We quickly scanned the aisles but apparently my shopping senses failed me. I found a few things on sale that weren't in the ad, but later that day and today Jason kept mentioning different things he saw on sale that I never did(ninja turtle 3pk and die hard 3pk for $8 a piece for example). Anyway, I had Jason look for my blank dvd-r's while I found my printer. Found it I did, but didn't see it out on display, or even labeled. So I asked someone if that was the one on sale, and they said it was. And then made me feel stupid by saying there was a big spot for them somewhere, which I hadn't gotten to. Anyway, while we both like BestBuy and probably wanted to look around more, we decided to book it... kind of. Just like last year(which I only had to wait about an hour and a half to get in for, as I got there at 4:30, but it was much much warmer), the checkout line was big. But, it moved pretty quickly actually. Some Best Buy people's were doing trivia questions, and tossing out t-shirts to the winners. Unfortunately they moved to the back just as we were getting to the front, so we didn't get any.

Warmed up in the car a bit, and then fifty yards away to circuit city! Parking was much harder here as it was no longer 11:00 at night(at Best Buy we pretty much got the closest parking space to the doors) and Circuit City's parking lot is much smaller. Anyway, we get in(Jason went in the online pick up entrance, but I sorted him out) , it's much slower moving than Best Buy, much more poorly laid out. We're both Best Buy people over Circuit City people, and this greatly illustrated why. They really weren't prepared I think, and I never got asked if I needed help once. We saw lines at various places that didn't seem to move at all, and no displays of sale items. We went to leave, and Jason had walked out the door when I noticed some tables with baskets on them full of movies to the right of the entrance/exit. I caught up with him and we went back in, and started looking. They were fairly picked over, but we grabbed a couple of things. Jason was particularly looking for Season One of House, MD(me as well, we both got season two at Best Buy), and he asked a lady who had just picked it up if they had it in there, and she said(kind of to herself) 'Season One of House...' and then she walked away. Soon after that though Jason had the brilliant idea of just going to the regular shelves to get stuff, as nobody had touched them. They were disorganized as always, but we found pretty much everything we were looking for. Stood in a line for a while, then switched to a different line which actually moved, then we left.

Warmed up a bit in the car, then off to Target. We get there... and it's madness. It's probably seven or so, and we saw the checkout lines wrapped all the way around the store. We navigated a little bit to the movies, never saw any special displays or anything, but then we quickly decided to get the hell out of there. Onwards to Wal-Mart. Much less insane, but seemed like it had been picked over pretty well. But then, kind of hard to tell as we never say any displays here either. We saw some carts that had some movies in them, but there were no labels and they had some other stuff too, so they might have just been somebody's carts, or non-sale items. So we got out of there, and went to Denny's. Got there, Davin called and we talked to him a little bit. The food really wasn't that great, but they were really busy. I got pancakes with cherry topping, and I think they were probably slightly undercooked.

Anyway, we get home, probably around ten or so. We spotted Jason's mom on the way, and she followed us back here. We chilled for a short while, but then we both went to bed. I got on the computer for a little bit first, but I probably got an hour of so of sleep mixed up with some half sleep stuff. Because I'm a heavy sleeper, but Jason whispered 'Hey dude' about 5pm, but I was coherent enough to hear him and get up. So we went to his mom's and ate leftover Thanksgiving foods. We then watched Borat and then the 40 Year Old Virgin. We had previously discovered that they had overcharged him on his copy of 40 Year Old Virgin, and my copy of Terminator 3. Also, though we tried to seperate, I had ended up buying both mine and his copy of Big Daddy and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Came back to the apartment, where I pulled up Buy.com's specials, where I ended up buying more stuffs, and my roommate did as well. I meant to watch a movie before I went to bed(Hocus Pocus, not a movie I got Black Friday, but something I've had for a couple of months and still hadn't opened, I ended up watching it tonight), but I got hooked on trying to find Narnia books for my siter, which brings us to...

Important Narnia Question

A few weeks ago my sister bought a couple of used Chronicles of Narnia books at the library. She's tried to find the rest of them in the same edition she just got, but hasn't been able to, so she's asked for them for her birthday/Christmas. I don't have many other ideas, so I definitely want to try and get these for her. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the exact editions thus far. The kind she wants has C.S. Lewis written in silver on the top of the cover. They look exactly like this: http://www.harperchildrens.com/coverimages/large/0060764929.jpg I can find the paperback version of that easily, but she wants the hardback versions of those. I have found some leads and bookmarked some sites where I believer the sellers are selling that specific edition, but I thought I'd ask you guys before I went around contacting different sellers. I know some of you like Chronicles of Narnia, and might have some insights on good places to try to find exact editions. Or good ways to find ISBN's of the rest of the books in the series. I borrowed one book from my sister to help me locate the others, and using it's isbn ( 0-06-088482-7), lets me easily locate the hardback correct edition of that one, so if I can find the isbn's of the others, it should make searching either. Or I could just e-mail some amazon sellers, I guess that's really not that hard.

hikuro @ 2007-11-13T22:30:00

2007-11-14T07:01:54Z

1. If you were to find out you were pregnant what would you do?

Be hella confused, obviously. If I found out a girl was pregnant with my kid, I'd still be very confused.

2. Do you trust your friends?

Basically, kind of. Depends on the situations. I can trust them not to steal from me and stuff, but say I do something stupid and their going to make fun of me and tell people.

3. Would you move to another state or country to be with the person you love?

Sure. But I'm less attached to my state/country than most people probably are, and if my girl is a big family person/attached to her area, I want to make her happy and let her stay there. Though this as limitations(say, for example, moving to the middle east), and I really don't see how people fall in love with people far away, though I know it happens all the time.

4. Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?

Not really. I believe it's possible there's some kind of fate/plan/reason for everything, but I have no reason to believe this.

5. Name one thing you will NOT tolerate in a relationship?

Well I'm pretty tolerant I think, but things like cheating, lying, stealing, etc. obvious signs of a bad relationship.

6. Which one of your friends do you think would make the best room mate for you?

Well Jason is my current roommate, and I think he's the best choice. Dan's married now, so that really wouldn't work out. It's kind of hard to say how well I'd get along with Davin with us being roommates. And that's pretty much all the friends I hang out with anymore.

7. When was the last time you snuck out?

I've never actually snuck out.

8. Are you afraid of falling in love?

Possibly. I've had various crushes before, which is the same thing as 'falling in love' in today's world. Which sucks, because the feelings aren't returned, but at the same time I wouldn't change it if I could. But I've never asked a girl out, which definitely shows a fear of something, but I don't know what.

9. Is there someone who pops into your mind at random times?

Sure. Sometimes when I hear something funny or think of something DnD related, I think of Jason so I can tell him. And of course being a guy, the girl I happen to like pops into my head frequently.

10. Would you stop talking to your friends because you hooked up with a new guy/girl?

No way. Sure I might not hang out as much, because I have to(and want to) spend time with her, but if I'm going to really like and have a relationship with a girl, she has to accept that I'm going to spend some of my time with my friends, and that shouldn't bother her.

11. When was the last time you flew in a plane?

When I was a baby, when my family and I flew to Chicago 'cause I was all modeling for a Sears catalogue and stuff, then we flew back.

12. What was the last text message you sent.

I've never sent a text message.

13. What are some things you find most attractive in the opposite sex?

I typed out an answer but it was kind of long and I didn't want to sound like an average guy asshole who needs a supermodel, so I'm not going to answer unless someone wants me to.

14. Fill in the blank. I will NEVER cheat on you ___.

Period. Seriously, I don't think I need to fill in the blank.

15. What are your goals in life?

I definitely want to have traveled the world by 24. This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, and shortly after moving in here with Jason we learned that we both wanted to do it, so we said we'd do it together. I think one reason I've never quit my job is I didn't want to get too involved with my new job to not be able to do this, and honestly I'm a little worried that this will happen to Jason.

Other plans are to get my own house, preferably with enough land where I can't see any neighbours(hopefully soon after my return trip around the world, which ideally would take about two years). And to get a girlfriend(hopefully sooner than those other two; I don't want to have to cry through 40 Year Old Virgin because it's an accurate reflection of my life). I still don't know if I want to get married, but I know I'm more open to it than I used to be. I don't think enough to call it a goal though. Good paying job that I enjoy, definitely a goal though. Something better than my current one at least.

16. What can you tell about a person by kissing them?

Nothing, I have no experience with kissing, so I doubt I'll be able to tell anything about a girl when I do, except maybe how hard she then tries not to laugh.

17. When you get married, how would you envision your dream wedding?

I don't even know if I ever want to get married, so I never think about my 'dream wedding'. I'm going to try and make my future wife happy by letter her have it how she wants it(the wedding is almost always much more important to the bride). But I'm going to try to be supportive(not just 'do whatever you want, spend less than $$$ amount), and try to offer my ideas and input(for example if she has no food I like, I'd add at least one thing I like, if she want a coconut cake, I'll say let's get something else she likes because I don't like coconut, etc.).

19. If you were to wake up from being in a coma for an extended period of time, what would be the first thing you would want to eat?

Doesn't really matter, anything I'd eat regularly.

20. How many kids do you want to have?

I've never really wanted kids, though I've always been kind of open minded, because I know there's a good chance one day that if I meet that 'special someone'(who also thinks I'm their special someone), there's a good chance she'll want to get married, and a good chance she'll want kids. I'd try to say two or three max though. I don't really have a preference on boy or girl though.

21. Would you make a good parent?

Actually I kind of do. I really kind of... well, hate kids, but I think I could do a good enough job where my kid wouldn't be like most of those snot nosed little brats which most kids are today. I think I could remember enough about growing up where I could pass my experience on to them, be a cool parent, etc.

22. Where was your default pic taken?

I made it from scratch, originally for my dA account.

23. What is your middle name?
Blake

27. What's on your mind right now?

Based on the number of romantic/marriage/kid like questions; the girl I happen to like, and also the fact that I'm a loser who's never had a relationship.

28. Are you musical?

Not really. I never really listened to music when I was younger, so there's a lot of songs/artists most people know that I'm not aware of, I'm also not good at naming songs/artists/lyrics/people in bands even if I've heard of the song or artist. The last four years or so I've been listening to much more music than I used to, I still need to expand my musical library/collection/knowledge though. As for myself, a little bit more. I was in choir all of elementary school, as it was required. I was in choir all of middle school, as it was either that, band, or some other class thingy. Which that class thingy turned out to be either a free period, or a busy work class, depending on who your teacher was, so I guess it wouldn't have been that bad. As I didn't want to be in choir, but didn't want to do the other two. I was also in choir my first year of high school, as I think I needed that type of credit, and there wasn't that many options. I don't really 'sing sing' much, but I kind of 'half sing' sometimes when I'm by myself at home, or sometimes at work, which seems to amuse people. For instruments, I have a harmonica, which I actually used to be kind of good at, as well as a guitar, which I never really got good at. But an uncle of mine is actually quite good at both, and can sing pretty decently as well. But I wouldn't call myself musical, and other than that one uncle, I can't think of anyone else in my family that is.

30. If you could go back in time, and change something,what would it be?

There's a lot of things I'd go back and do. I'd have tried harder in college, and most definitely would have stuck in for a second year so I could have gotten my associates degree. Definitely would have never gone to the casino... as I'm probably down $500-700, which I really can't afford to be down by, because I barely break even with bills, let alone afford upcoming Christmas presents.

Height:

5'8"

What are you wearing right now?

Shorts and a t-shirt

Righty or lefty:

Lefty, though I can do most things with either hand.

Can you make a dollar in change right now:

Yeah, I just got Taco Bell a couple of hours ago with just change. I always have a lot of change around, so I even have change pouches now.

Best place to go for a date

I've never been on a date, but I've always though a movie date would be best, followed up with eating at a decent restaurant. I'll quote Linta here because I liked her answer: "I am always in favor of movie dates, because there's no pressure to avoid the 'awkward lull in conversation' that sucks so hard, because you are watching a movie. And then afterwards you can discuss the movie!" though once I told a friend of mine that on a first date, I'd take the girl to a fancy restaurant, because girls typically like to do that. On the second date, I'd cook for her at my house, because that way I can show her that I can cook and that I can be romantic. On the third date, I'd take her to Taco Bell, because I like eating there, and she should get to know me and accept me for who I am before we go any further in this relationship. Though honestly it might not quite go like that, as for one, we might eat at a restaurant a couple of times, because having a romantic dinner at my place on only the second date my send off the wrong signals(bedroom being right upstairs and all), and second, I never actually eating in Taco Bell, I always get it to go, so we'd be eating it probably at my place(why always my place I don't know, I'm kind of assuming here that I'm setting up the dates, and I'm not going to invite myself to her house this early, but perhaps eating a Taco Bell picnic in the park would offset the fact that it's Taco Bell a little bit).

FAVORITES
Kind of pants: Cargoesque pants, I don't think I've worn blue jeans in over a decade, though technically I don't think I have anything against them, though people that know me would be quite shocked to see me in some.
Number: 7/13/42/lots of various numbers
Animal: Cats
Month: October
Juice: I'm not really sure. I usually buy apple juice, as it's about the most cost effective, at least around here. But most juices(except grapefruit, prune, etc.) are pretty much equally delicious. Although, after several months of drinking, I remembered a popular drink on Angel, which is the seabreeze, which was a coincidence as Jason had just bought some grapefruit juice(which it uses) and discovered he didn't like it. Unfortunately I used the rest of my vodka on appletini's after my second seabreeze.

HAVE YOU HAD:
Chicken pox: Kind of. I think I only had like three of four spots though. Hopefully enough where I don't get it later in life.
Sore Throat: Yep... pretty sure that's a guaranteed thing multiple times a year from birth until death.
Stitches: No, but I have had staples.
Broken nose: Not that I'm aware of, but I think I've had a few nose injuries in my past, and random inexplicable nose bleeds all my life, so it's actually possible.
Plastic Surgery: no

QUESTIONS
Who knows you the best? Other than me, probably Jason.

Do you wear contact lenses or glasses?

Nope.

What are you doing today?

Yesterday I didn't do much, slept in, got on my computer, went over to my parents for a while, came back here and chilled with my roommate, then got back on my computer and today is over. New today I'll sleep in, get on my computer, go to work, go to casino to get my free $5 if I get off work in time, then back home, on my computer, and then to bed.

Do you get along with your family?

I guess. I usually go over to my parents house once or twice a week. Definitely better now that I've moved out. But it was mostly my parents that fought with each other, or one or both fighting with my sister. 'Cause my dad can be kind of an ass/pushes people's buttons(though he doesn't get angry/mad like he used to) while both my mom and sister have the super emotional/insane thing 'Hello. 'Hello? HELLO?! What the f****** hell do you mean by that?! I hate you! I hate you all!!!', etc. etc. thing, with my mom having the additional pampered princess/occasionally kind of suicidal thing. Which I was the stay cool, logical type, but siding with whoever happened to be right always got me hated by one side, I eventually just ignored everything stayed secluded in my room, so both sides hated me for ignoring everything. Which probably kind of explains why today I'm the secluded/shy type. (Note I'm pretty sure this normal, I'm not trying to say or sound like I come from a broken home or anything)

Ever been in a fight with your pet?

Not....really...? o_0

Been to Mexico?

Nope.

TODAY DID YOU
1. Talk to someone you like? Depends if you mean like or "like". 'Cause I'm friends with/like my roommate and I talked to him, but I did not talk to any girls that I "like".
2. Buy something? Just groceries, and Taco Bell.
3. Get sick? No.
4. Talked to an ex? I don't have any exes to talk to. :(
5. Miss someone? Not really. I try not to focus on that, and really only miss people when I'm talking to them on the phone or online. As for missing dead people or people I don't really talk to anymore(friends that have kind of gone separate ways, crushes that never became friends so can't really talk to them, etc), since I kind of block all that out I never really miss them.
6. Get in a fight with someone? Nah. I'm kind of the cool suave logical sarcastic asshole type, so while I might push people's buttons and get them screaming at me, I don't get emotional and yell back. As for physical fights, never had the pleasure to be in one. :( Everyone around here is just talk I guess, or I guess I don't go far enough to piss people off enough.
7. Have sex? Not today, nor any day. :( Thanks for reminding me. Jerk. >_>

LAST PERSON WHO

6. You slept in bed with? I don't recall ever sleeping with anyone else. Thanks for yet another reminder. Honestly, what did I do to you meme creator? ;(
7. Saw you cry? I really have no clue, since I haven't really cried since I was a little kids, so probably my parents.
8. Made you cry? See above comment.

hikuro @ 2007-11-06T13:48:00

2007-11-06T19:52:34Z

One Word Quiz.

You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.

Not as easy as you might think.

1. Where is your cellphone?
near

2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend?
nonexistent

3. Your hair?
wavy

4. Work?
hate

5. Your father?
hmm

6. Your favorite thing?
fun

7. Your dream last night.
dunno

8. Your favorite drink
majito

9. Your dream car?
cool

10. Room you're in?
okay

11. Your pet(s)?
miss

12. Your fears?
poor

13. What did you want to be when you were ten?
dunno

14. Where did you hang out last night?
parents

15. What do you think of your last boyfriend/girlfriend?
nonexistent

16. Eyebrow rings on the opposite sex?
nuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

17. One of your wish list items
powers

18. Where you grew up?
podunk

19. The last thing you did?
imported

20. what are you wearing?
clothes

21. What aren’t you wearing?
cape

22. The website myspace.com?
ick

23. Your computer?
dying

24. Your life?
nowhere

25. Your mood?
mediocre

26. Missing?
girl

27. What are you thinking about right now?
her

28. Your car?
old

29. Your best friend?
nifty

30. Your summer?
no

31. Your relationship status?
single

32. Your favorite color?
black

33. When is the last time you laughed?
night

34. Last time you cried?
born

hikuro @ 2007-09-29T03:41:00

2007-09-29T08:45:28Z

Thanks to Dr. Mcninja for bringing this to my attention; I'll have to read the rest now for good laughs.

Random crap

2007-09-12T08:26:14Z

So, it's 9/11. Well, was 9/11. Eh, big deal. Sorry country, but it's time to move on. Fortunately I didn't have to hear too much about it today since I happened to be off, didn't watch much t.v., etc. After Bush leaves office it should slowly fade away. On a much more important note, Supernatural Season Two came out on dvd today, so my roommate picked that up. We started some of the first season again tonight. I'll watch the first three tomorrow, since we had a friend over and he had seen the first three episodes. Since I believe season three starts airing in a few weeks, we should be able to watch all of season one and season two before we burn the first disc of season three(reminder, buy more dvd-rw's next time at Wal-Mart).

A girl fed me a french fry the other day at work. That was kind of odd, and some odd looks and laughter was brought to a couple of people. Technically it was a sweet potato fry, which I don't like; but she insisted. Okay looking, but also married. For some reason I seem to click better with married women/girls with boyfriends. It's kind of odd, as a natural guy reaction is to back off when a girl is taken(not always the case obviously, but generally speaking, especially when guys are just cruising); same way a guy will do a second look at somebody he knows is single. Seems to be the opposite reaction of women. Anyway, I don't know if it's because women that aren't single can more easily make friends with guys because they're less likely to think the guys are just trying to get in their pants. *shrug* Whilst on the girl note, I ran into the girl I like at Wal-Mart the other day with whom I assume is her boyfriend. We were talking at work a few days after, and she mentioned how she didn't like to go grocery shopping alone because people stared at her. My first reaction was to say it's probably because people are checking her out, but instead I kind of mumbled something and walked away. Five minutes later, I go and ask her if I can have her to containers(as it's nearly close), and I mention if she ever needs someone to go shopping with, I'm always available. Whilst doing this, I'm filling her tea pitchers so I can take the tea containers, and one overflows and makes a mess. When she first mentioned it, it would have been a good line. Five minutes later, not so much. Also the mess making doesn't help, and I didn't really say anything to her whilst I was cleaning it up. Generally I'm good with lines and humour, but... meh.

Won $40 at the casino the other night. Went in, got my free five bucks, went upstairs and cashed it. Someone I know won a thousand dollars last week, so I played one of the quarter machines like the one she was on. Put my five bucks in, lost it. My roommate was there, and he told me to put another five in, and I won a little bit of money. So I put ten in, and then won some more money. And then I cashed out and left. Five minutes in the casino, and I made more than I made at work that day. If I make it off work in time, I'll probably go Wednesday, but just to get my free five bucks, probably won't play much.. I'll also go Thursday, to actually play though. I've always done the penny machines, but generally had bad luck with them. I'll see if the quarter and dollar machines treat me any better. I've been told the dollar and three dollar machines there are the only ones that really pay. The casino gets in trouble all the time because the machines are too tight, which is why they're giving away cars every week this month. My roommate wants to go because there's a hot girl singing there Wednesday and Thursday night. But eh, she was attractive but not attractive enough for me to go just for that.

I've been meaning to try purple nurples and appletini's for a while now, so I bought some stuff tonight. I'm wanting to try and test my limits, so since I'm off Thursday I'm planning on drinking a good bit then. We sampled everything tonight, so now I can say I've had straight rum, vodka, and curacao. But, I didn't get any triple sec for the purple nurple's. I knew I was missing something, but couldn't think of what it was. I don't recall seeing any there though. I might check Wal-Mart to see if I can find a good non-alcoholic substitute, I don't want to go back to the liquor store just for it, so I'll just use more blue curacao in place of it. Also, other than trying to test my limits, I'm getting kind of tired of 'light-weight' comments and 'such and such would knock you on your ass'. As alcohol has never effected me(not that I've had enough to do so before), and my friends, while having more experience in the drinking ring, can't exactly say anything about anybody else. Well, Davin might. I haven't known him too long, but I believe he was more of a drinker/partier when he was younger. But still. I'm much more sure the stomach hurts/feel sick result will happen before the buzz/drunk result(if it happens). My roommate mentioned we'd have to hide the liquor when his sister comes over(she really hates alcohol, and suspects he drinks and he doesn't want to encourage that), but then he said she wasn't coming over until Saturday. So I mentioned it would probably be all gone by then, it would probably be gone by Thursday. Another light-weightish comment was made, and we almost made a bet, but I stood by 'probably' and did not succumb to bet pressure. But I'll probably end up stopping later now if I don't feel like drinking it all because of it. Also I had meant the two of us drinking it, and not just me. The liquor store actually seemed like a good one, and my roommate knew the owner alright, so it seems like a good place to pursue(slowly) my quest for alcohol I like. Though really they weren't terrible by themselves. Random alcoholic question: Why is beer manly, and a lot of mixed drinks are girlie drinks, while the 'girlie drinks' usually have more alcohol? Taste is a lady thing, while drinking something that tastes like dirty rainwater is manly?

Been wanting to play some games on my computer lately, so I've been going back to SNES emulation. I never moved my games over to this computer, so I downloaded ZSNES(as that's always been my emulator of choice) and various roms. I started playing Star Ocean, but it ended up freezing on me, and I couldn't ever get it to not(I have a savestate, and it freezes a few seconds after I open it, no matter what I do). So I started playing Super Mario RPG, and it's frozen on me a couple of times, but each time I've opened up a saved state and eventually manage to not get it to freeze there, then it will be fine for a little bit. This is making Hikuro a sad panda.

quizzes

2007-09-02T05:06:08Z

Still nothing new. Saw Balls of Fury today. Won money at the casino for the first time the other day, put me about twenty-five bucks up. So about a quarter of what I lost last week.

<table border='0' cellpadding='5' cellspacing='0' width='600'><tr><td><img src="http://quizfarm.com//images/1149154617russian passend.JPG" ></td><td>You scored as <b>Russian</b>, <br><br><table border='0' width='300' cellspacing='0' cellpadding='0'><tr><td><p><font face='Arial' size='1'>Russian</font></p></td><td><table border='1' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='88' bgcolor='#dddddd'><tr><td></td></tr></table></td><td><font face='Arial' size='1'>88%</font></td></tr> <tr><td><p><font face='Arial' size='1'>Danish</font></p></td><td><table border='1' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='63' bgcolor='#dddddd'><tr><td></td></tr></table></td><td><font face='Arial' size='1'>63%</font></td></tr> <tr><td><p><font face='Arial' size='1'>French</font></p></td><td><table border='1' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='50' bgcolor='#dddddd'><tr><td></td></tr></table></td><td><font face='Arial' size='1'>50%</font></td></tr> <tr><td><p><font face='Arial' size='1'>Molvanian</font></p></td><td><table border='1' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='50' bgcolor='#dddddd'><tr><td></td></tr></table></td><td><font face='Arial' size='1'>50%</font></td></tr> <tr><td><p><font face='Arial' size='1'>Dutch</font></p></td><td><table border='1' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='50' bgcolor='#dddddd'><tr><td></td></tr></table></td><td><font face='Arial' size='1'>50%</font></td></tr> <tr><td><p><font face='Arial' size='1'>German</font></p></td><td><table border='1' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='50' bgcolor='#dddddd'><tr><td></td></tr></table></td><td><font face='Arial' size='1'>50%</font></td></tr> <tr><td><p><font face='Arial' size='1'>Irish</font></p></td><td><table border='1' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='50' bgcolor='#dddddd'><tr><td></td></tr></table></td><td><font face='Arial' size='1'>50%</font></td></tr> <tr><td><p><font face='Arial' size='1'>Polish</font></p></td><td><table border='1' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='38' bgcolor='#dddddd'><tr><td></td></tr></table></td><td><font face='Arial' size='1'>38%</font></td></tr> <tr><td><p><font face='Arial' size='1'>Turkish</font></p></td><td><table border='1' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='38' bgcolor='#dddddd'><tr><td></td></tr></table></td><td><font face='Arial' size='1'>38%</font></td></tr> <tr><td><p><font face='Arial' size='1'>British</font></p></td><td><table border='1' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='38' bgcolor='#dddddd'><tr><td></td></tr></table></td><td><font face='Arial' size='1'>38%</font></td></tr> <tr><td><p><font face='Arial' size='1'>Belgian</font></p></td><td><table border='1' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='25' bgcolor='#dddddd'><tr><td></td></tr></table></td><td><font face='Arial' size='1'>25%</font></td></tr> <tr><td><p><font face='Arial' size='1'>Spanish</font></p></td><td><table border='1' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='25' bgcolor='#dddddd'><tr><td></td></tr></table></td><td><font face='Arial' size='1'>25%</font></td></tr> <tr><td><p><font face='Arial' size='1'>Swiss</font></p></td><td><table border='1' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='25' bgcolor='#dddddd'><tr><td></td></tr></table></td><td><font face='Arial' size='1'>25%</font></td></tr> <tr><td><p><font face='Arial' size='1'>Italian</font></p></td><td><table border='1' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='13' bgcolor='#dddddd'><tr><td></td></tr></table></td><td><font face='Arial' size='1'>13%</font></td></tr> </td></tr></table><br><a href='http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=10622N'>Which European nationality should you have</a><br><font face='Arial' size='1'>created with <a href='http://quizfarm.com'>QuizFarm.com</a></font></table>

hikuro @ 2007-08-23T01:59:00

2007-08-23T07:26:43Z

1. Who was your first prom date?
I didn't go to prom.

2. Who was your first roommate?
Jason

3. What was your first alcoholic drink?
Hmm... Smirnoff original?

4. What was your first job?
Working for the Box Factory(Yes, I was a boxer!)

5. What was your first car?
1989 Nissan pickup red.

6. Who was the first person you texted today?
I don't text.

7. Who is the first person you thought of this morning?
Me! I'm a narcissistic bastard.

8. Who was your first grade teacher?
I don't know, I can barely remember today, let alone decades ago.

9.Where did you go on your first plane ride?
Chicago, but I was just a baby so I don't remember it at all.

10. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was with you?
I never snuck out, I was a good kid.

11. Who was your first best friend and are you still friends with them?
Thomas, and not exactly. We hung out less and less in high school, didn't see each other first semester of college, hung out some during my second semester, but I haven't seen him since then.

12. Where was your first sleep over?
Thomas' probably. Video games, movies, shaving cream on somebody sleeping if I recall correctly.

14. Whose wedding were you in the first time?
I've never been 'in' a wedding if that's what you meant, but my aunt and uncle's wedding was the first I ever went to.

15. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Eat breakfast.

16. What was the first concert you ever went to?
Never been to a real concert.

17. First tattoo or piercing?
Never had either, and I doubt I ever will.

18. First foreign country you went to?
Haven't left the country yet.

19. First crush?
I dunno.

20. When was your first detention?
I had one detention in middle school. We had to get stupid agenda things signed three(or five, I can't remember) times a week, and I forgot once. Our school had a policy where they announced everybody who had detention that day on the intercom on the morning announcements, but fortunately I was able to serve it that day(after that was called), so nobody knew 'good kid Ryan' got detention.

21. What was the first state you lived in?
Arkansas. W, not s. I will kill you.

22. Who was the first person to break your heart?
Guess it really hasn't happened yet. Because I've never exactly been with anyone.

23. Who will be the first to repost this?
Christopher Walkin

Not much going on lately. I actually finally took two weeks off work. So I plan on doing much t.v. watching. Wasn't planning on going anywhere, but my sister is wanting me to go with her to St. Louis to see a ball game. I'm not much of a sports person, but I guess I might go with her so I can use my camera some. Going to the zoo, Union Station, and some park as well. Should only be gone two days. She wanted to leave early on Friday, but I said I wanted to go to the casino at 11:00, so I could get my free five bucks. Speaking of which, I lost $60 there tonight. :( Won't gamble though. I'd get a drink if my sister wasn't going in with me, and most people seem to thing negatively on drinking that early in the morning. But I was counting on getting something to drink tonight, but decided to spend my last two bucks on trying to win my money back. >_>

Anyway, guess that's all.