Beyond the Mirror

Two words!

Cain Heel! Cain-freaking-Heel!

(Read Skip Beat - go to onemanga and read it NOW.)

I feel all warm and giddy just thinking about what might happen in chapter 153! I'm so happy! (I'm soooooooooo addicted...)

*leaves to continue fan-girling*

Is it weird to be tempted to hate yourself because of someone else's problem?

Why is it that every so often, something will be so bad that it almost crosses back into the realm of 'good'?

Things like live action DBZ movies, although the new one might be alright. I haven't watched it, but it will probably be better than the anime, in any case. Crucify me if you like, but after watching that strangely addictive drivel for a few days straight, my husband and I gave the DVD's away for the sake of self preservation.

Failing all else, Pug dogs are a good example (along with any other dog which looks like it's been hit in the face with a skillet). They are the very embodiment of the phrase, "I'm so ugly, I'm cute".

Maybe our fondness is born out of a sense of pity, but I think it's more likely that somewhere in the back of our skulls, part of our brain is dancing around singing, "HA! Sucked in! I'm SO glad I'm not you..."

...Good grief I get sidetracked easily. All of this started because I found a fan fiction that I will never read, despite how much it's summary makes me laugh.

I have a rule that I usually obey which states, 'I will not read fan fiction with summaries ending in the words: "Not good with summaries".'

Unless I am incredibly bored or feeling generous, I consider those words to mean, "I can't write a few short sentences, so my attempt at a story is doomed from the start".

The fic in question's summary is comprised of 44 words, and my fist thought upon reading their final, fatal claim was, 'Not good with spelling, either'. (Akinarei would have a fit if she saw the grammar.)

I'll admit my spelling isn't the best, but that's what dictionaries, and at the very least, spell-checkers are for. Seriously, how do words like 'adventure' and 'revenge' end up as 'advanture' and 'revange'?

...It occurs to me that I am a very argumentative person, despite the fact that it's rare for me to have a serious argument with anyone. (The first and only time I've ever argued with my dad was towards the end of 2004.)

I play fight with my husband all the time though. One day I will make him admit that I'm right about the meaning of Cake's song, 'Friend is a Four Letter Word'!

I'm having more luck with the research now that I have discovered the words 'forensic taphonomy'.

There's still a lot of reading to do though, and I'm not in the mood at the moment...

If you were trying to find out the condition of a corpse after it had been submerged in water for two years, where would you look to find out?

I've typed all sorts of things into google and have learned a lot, but have still failed to actually answer the question.

So far, I have a good idea of what causes the body to decompose and the different stages involved, but nothing more than incredibly vague time frames. By vague, I mean sentences like 'it takes significantly longer'. As compared to what, exactly?

...It's driving me nuts.

Can anyone help me?

Just watched Bones (series 5, episode 7) and am in the middle of a major fan-girl moment!

*insert indecipherable happy noises*

If they ever actually get together, I hope it doesn't wreak everything. I love the sexual tension between Bones and Booth - forget needing a knife to cut through it, you'd have better luck with a chainsaw! If the dynamic duo ever get done over...grr...

This is not to say that I don't want them to get together - I'm just seriously afraid of what the writers might do next. A Jarod and Miss Parker (from The Pretender) situation beats a Harm and Mac (from JAG) drama any day. What made it worse is that they'd always put together footage in the adds that made it look like something was going to happen. When they brought in the 'Australian' character, I held out for a few episodes and then stopped watching altogether. It just figures that Harm finally got some after I gave up on the show completely.

On that note, I just looked up JAG on imdb so I can bag the actor out properly, his name is Trevor Goddard and he played 'Mic Brumby'. I was waiting to see the doctor once, and read an article about how he'd lied on his resume and said he was an Aussie to get the part. Apparently people were incredibly surprised to find out he wasn't.

Wow. Imagine that.

If that's how people from other countries percive us, then I think we need a better P.R. department. Although, at least people know Australia exsists. Tell anyone you're from Tasmania, and even people from the mainlaind think you're talking about Tanzania. If they do happen to realise that you're simply from another state of the same country, it's usually because they've lived there at some point, or because they've heard lots of jokes about people with two heads.

I'll admit that I sucked at geography at school, but I'm not completely ignorant. If someone told me they were from the Northern Territory, I wouldn't ask them if that was in New Zealand.

The exessive irritation I feel concerning this subject probably stems from my firm belief that other people should value me to some extent, since I value myself, and absolutely cannot stand being ignored. (Adam finds this hilarious, since I have a tendency to ignore everyone else.)

...I can't really argue with that, so I just grin at him and tell him he knows how to get my attention if he really wants it ;)

How sad is it when you dye your hair a light cinnamon blonde (after it being a dark blackish-brown), and the thing that stuns your workmates the most is that you're wearing a colourful shirt?

Seriously! Several people commented on the shirt, and then an hour and a half later, two of the women noticed my hair. 

Just to clarify, it wasn't an unusual top. It's perfectly normal - it's just that I usually only wear black or blue tops at work. (One time I was complaining about the working atmosphere on morning, and halfway though saying that 'the only way it could be more like a funeral was if I was wearing black', I looked down and swore, because everything except my shoes happened to be black that day.)

I wouldn't have cared if no one had said anything at all, but sometimes I wonder just what kind of impression I give people. When I was in high school I went through a really timid stage, yet somehow people apparently found me intimidating. Maybe they were just scared I was crazy - my habit of muttering to myself probably didn't help...

LOL! High school was hell. I'm so glad college made up for every second of it :)

I've been crying so much that I feel physically ill...

I'm fine by the way, and my wedding anniversary was wonderful.  I'm just a big softie, so I cried when I watched the movie '17 Again' and then cried a hell of a lot more watching the last few episodes of 'Nana'. 

...I have to read the manga now. I'm hoping it will tell me if Ren and Nana got married, and what on earth happened to her, since the end of the series kind of makes it feel like she died.

*starts to tear-up again*

Argh! It wouldn't be so bad if the two main character's didn't remind me so much of myself and the other Liz. (Luckily, we aren't quite so angst ridden, even if we do have our moments.)

...I feel so sad for Nobuo. I thought too much had happened for them to get back together though. I can't believe I didn't realise who the voice actor was! Tomokazu Seki is my favourite seiyu! I practically watched all of Gungrave just to listen to him narrate...

I love my husband.

(It's our second wedding anniversary tomorrow, by the way.)

I just got home to check my e-mail to encounter yet another idiot on youtube who apparently can't read - why is it that so many people feel the need to ask what the song is, when I've got credits on all of my amv's? I don't expect them to bother with the 'More Information' link, but I also write the important stuff in the top line, so it should show up anyway.

Well, I wrote back a less sarcastically helpful reply than usuall:

"If you watch the credits on the end, I believe you will have an answer.

You could also try reading the information about the clip. It's just as easy as leaving a comment, and sharpens your observational skills.'"

And my hubby cheered me up by logging in and saying everything I didn't say:

"oo7565: do brains come in short supply where you come from?? I'm pretty sure the clip itself answers that question, along with the author's own description here."

*_*

It may not seem like much, but I love that he knows exactly how to improve my mood...

The Hobart anime club have come up for the weekend to mingle, cosplay and invade unsuspecting supermarkets, and day one was awesome fun.

I am so stuffed.  I dressed up as Rinoa Heartilly (Final Fantasy VIII) and we all played mini golf, took numerous photo's and snacked our way through the afternoon before taking a mass trip to Woolworths for BBQ food and tools.  (None of us thought to get oil or butter, but we had pleanty of everything else.)

.....My brain hurts.  Bed time I think.

After getting to the point where I became so angry that I couldn't sleep, I decided how to deal with my 'fan'.

(They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but trust me, I don't feel flattered.)

I looked for her amv's and studio name at animemusicvideos.org, to see if I could inform the moderaters that she'd broken one of the terms and conditions, but she's either used someone else's account for downloading purposes, or has been wise enough not to put her amv's up on the site, knowing that she's broken the rules.

Since I don't want to get into a messy round of 'she started it', by going to the extent of reporting the clip to youtube, since it's obviously using licenced music (just like 90% of everything else), I sent her this message:

First, I would just like to say that I made the 'Ghost Hunt: The Parody Medley' amv.

I've been trying to decide how to react to the knowledge that someone has used my work and put their studio name on top of it, without good cause, and without asking permission.

I'm assuming you have an account on animemusicvideos.org since you were able to download the avi, and I would like to point out that using clips from other people's amv's is a violation of their terms.

While it's true that you have credited both my work and MyraMistweave's, I haven't seen any replies to comments concerning them saying, 'Oh, if you like it, you should check out the rest of the amv it came from'.

Failing to correct what you well know people's assumptions are is the same as not crediting us at all, and I am deeply offended.

I would advise you not to do this again, if you have any respect at all for the people's work you obviously admire enough to copy.

Ideally, I'd ask for you to remove the amv and re-upload it after you've removed the parts that contain other people's work, but I'll settle for you repling to each of the people who have made a comment concerning either her work or mine, and telling them where they can watch the rest of it.

My next move is to contact MyraMistweave, since it's likely that she hasn't been asked, either. If she's pulled the same trick with her other amv's, maybe we could all form a lynch mob :)

(I'm joking about the lynching...but vengence would taste nice.)

I cannot describe just how pissed off I am.

If you've ever had your work copied and then passed off as someone else's then you know how I feel. The only other times I have been this mad are along the lines of finding out my boyfriend was cheating on me, or dealing with abusive men.  I'm not even sure if my sentences make sense, but at least my heart isn't pounding in my head any more...

What was copied was part of my 'Ghost Hunt: The Parody Medley' amv.  I found someone using it as their introduction for their own amv, and after posting the original amv as a video response as revenge, I was debating leaving a comment which simply stated how glad I was that they liked my amv.

Yes, I'm a vindictive bitch when I'm mad.

I didn't fully explode until I tried to have the patience to watch their amv till the end, with the intention of giving the person's work a chance.  Screw being 'nice'.

Some people will probably think I am over reacting, but when I make an amv, I pour everything I have into it.  I obviously don't own the series, but I don't claim to, and give proper credit where it is due.  Having someone's studio name blasted over the top of what is quite clearly my work is...

*breathes deeply*

...just plain f*cking rude.

Boredom + facebook quiz = rant.

Oh the horror. I think I am actually speechless. I intended to rant, but somehow, I just don't know how to express just how intensely bad it was.

I know I should know better, but I was bored, and I like quizzes.

If you're a masochist with a facebook account, click here.

My hubby has just decided that instead of asking me if I'd like a cup of tea from now on, he's just going to say, "Stupid question?"

This has mainly come about because, although I tend to be too preoccupied to bother to make my own tea, if anyone happens to offer to make it for me, I jump at the opportunity - especially if that person happens to be Pat, or my grandad.  Adam and my dad's tea are right up there though.

The guy who led the band I was in made good tea, but the leaves always left residue in the bottom of the cup, and I don't have any real reason to contact him anymore, so I guess it's irrelevant...

There's only one person's tea I will not drink - my aunt's.  She means well, but I don't classify tea as a cup of hot water with milk in it.  Flavour is everything!

...It's times like these you can tell my mother is English.

I went to update my sim card this afternoon, and was mistaken for a sixteen year old again.  The guy serving me asked me if I had a Learner's licence I could use for I.D., and was soon surprised to find out that I had a full licence, and was actually seven years older than him, rather than younger as he had originally thought.

It's understandable that people used to assume I was 16 when I worked at Maccas, but when you go to buy alchohol and the girl serving you checks your I.D., stares at it for a while and then bursts out with the words, 'holy shit' once she's done the math, it makes you wonder if your age really is that surprising.

For some reason, through no effort on my part, I seem to exude some kind of innocent nature, which is possibly to blame for this (I worked very hard to rebel against it when I was in the band), along with the fact that I still wear roughly the same sort of clothing that I wore during high school.  (Jeans, t-shirt, sneakers and a hoodie.)

Even shortly after I got married, I felt like people were looking at me and thinking 'bloody teenagers and their public displays of affection' as opposed to 'they're newly-weds, give them a few months and they'll probably calm down'. 

Admittedly, I tend to assume people are somewhere near my age if I can't see evidence to the contrary, so maybe it's just a subconcious way of trying to identify with people you've only just met....

Anyway, I feel old because I'm a little happy about being mistaken for being nine years younger, when it used to annoy me.

When exactly did I start turning into my mother?  (I always used to think I was more like my dad...)

I swear the people I work with are nuts.  (That probably means I fit in perfectly.)

Today was fantastic because my boss is on holiday, and thankfully, nobody decided they felt like pretending to be her while she was gone.  (Last time me and Ath got in trouble within the first five minutes - that's gotta be some kind of personal record.)

Even though 'the boy who cried wolf' actually managed to not be a twit for 8 whole hours, I still ran into 'Mr. Pointlessly Opinionated' getting changed upstairs, outside the men's toilets, just opposite the only strictly female bathroom in the place.  This is the second time this has happened (to me, anyway), and to be perfectly honest, I don't really care. I'm more than capable of ignoring him, and I do.

What does annoy me is that he get's all embarrassed about it when he clearly lacks the common sense to utilise the room directly beside him.

Admittedly, the odd balls that suround me amuse me enough to ease the pain of the knowledge that I'm at work, instead of at home writing, amving, reading, sleeping, or doing a million other things that I love, but will probably never be paid for.

Such is life.

I was stuck in town waiting for my hubby to finish work yesterday, so I phoned up one of my best friends to see what she was doing and ended up meeting up with her and a few of her friends at a coffee shop.

Her sister was fairly monosyllabic, but as usual I got along with the guys just fine.  The only exception was another good friend of hers whose face is probably in the dictionary under 'bitch'.  I love my friend, you'd think that her friends would be as awesome as she is, but I just can't stand that girl!

I'd been out with friends the night before, and mentioned going to a fairly new club which my friend didn't recognise the name of.  As I was about to explain, the other girl cut me off and made her distaste for the place clear as crystal.  Snobbishly classing it off as being exactly the same as it's previous incarnation, and calling it a gay club as if that made it 'lower class' or something. 

I LOVE that club.  It's the ideal place for anyone who might be considered 'a little different' to go.  My friends and I can wear gothic lolita outfits there without people giving us shit or assuming that we must be dressed up for some special occasion.  They have different focuses for different nights of the week, so it's not specifically a gay club either.  It's just a safe place to go, where you aren't going to get stabbed with a broken bottle thanks to a bunch of bogans who think you look 'emo'.

It is unbelievable how many of my friends have been assulted out on the town, and for a while there I'd given up on the prospect of going out at all.  It just wasn't safe.  There are far too many idiots in this world.

Anyway!  I got mad at her for dissing the club, and later on in the conversation I asked if I'd met her before.  Maybe she assumed I was a lesbian because of the club I'd mentioned and thought it was a pickup line or something, because she asnwered in the negative very quickly.  I know I've met her before.  I'm fairly certain I disliked her that time aswell, but I can't remember exactly where I know her from.

Later on, she left to got to work, and the others got bored and decided to drop by and say 'hi'.  Turns out she works at a gaming store which Adam and I go to fairly regularly, so when we were there I mentioned that might have been why I regonised her and she gave me the 'you are a freakish stalker' laugh.

I'm begining to think the song 'Some Girls Are Crazy' by New Found Glory was written with her in mind.  What I wouldn't give to put that deluded cow in her place...

1. Your Middle Name:
2. Age:
3. Single or Taken:
4. Favorite Movie:
5. Favorite Song or Album:
6. Favorite Band/Artist:
7. Dirty or Clean:
8. Tattoos and/or Piercings:
9. Do we know each other outside of LJ?
10. What's your philosophy on life?
11. Is the bottle half-full or half-empty?
12. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?
13. What is your favorite memory of us?
14. What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
15. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you:
16. You can have three wishes (for yourself, so forget all the 'world peace etc' malarky) - what are they?
17. Can we get together and make a cake?
18. Which country is your spiritual home?
19. What is your biggest weakness?
20. Do you think I'm a good person?
21. What was your best/favorite subject at school?
22. Describe your accent
23. If you could change anything about me, would you?
24. What do you wear to sleep?
25. Trousers or skirts?
26. Cigarettes or alcohol?
27. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together? (If you have no idea, just say something crazy, it'll entertain me!)
28. Will you repost this so I can fill it out for you?

...My title makes me feel like watching Sailor Moon now...I have the the Cardian from the episode called "Treed" - I think it's name is Fourface - saying "give me your energy" over and over again in stupid voices.  (Yes, I watched it in English along time before I saw it in Japanese, and for some reason I'm really good at remembering lines from movies, TV shows and stand up comedy, even if I haven't seen them in years.)

Anyways!  Today has been a really bad day for power - first we got stuck in the rain at the supermarket in a friends car whose battery promptly died when he tried to demist the windows while the rest of us were waiting in line (luckily it didn't turn out to be the starter motor like we originally thought), and once we got home after driving around for a while to re-charge it, the power went out.

It wasn't a normal power-out either, it was like something out of a horror movie where the lights flicker creepily for awhile.  Really, REALLY creepily - some things were strangely unaffected, while other lights just went dim for a bit before turning off completely.  I've never seen one do that before, so it freaked me out way worse than any normal brown-out or black-out.  I have always been terrified of the dark and I was in a room by myself at the time.  SO NOT COOL! 

Of course Liz and Timmy thought this was the perfect time to start moaning, "my eyes...my eeyeeeeees!"  (Something a ghost from the game Project Zero, aka Fatal Frame, says - it's the equivalent to calling up someone who's just watched The Ring and whispering "seven days" to them.)

Funnily enough, the thing that helped me the most until I managed to find a light source was the simple fact that the room was warm.  If it was cold, my secret fear that I'd feel some small, freezing hand take mine in the dark, would have seemed much more plausible, and I would have flipped royally....like that time I saw a pair of glowing eyes staring at me through my window at night - I usually had my door open, but I had a friend staying over so we shut it to get away with talking until midnight.  In my fear I forgot all of that, so I tripped over my friend and promptly ran into my shut door.

I couldn't find the door handle or the light switch in my panic, so I ended up screaming, crying and pounding on the door until my Dad opened it.  Of all things, it ended up being a possum :)

It is becoming increasingly apparent to me that the trials and tribulations of someone actually wishing to USE their computer are endless.

I JUST WANT TO AMV!!!!  I have requests piling up and a competition I want to enter and win, dammit!

There are times when I feel like bashing my head on a gold brick wrapped in lemon. (Congrats to anyone who actually gets that reference.)