On the way home on a windy two way road on which the top speed is supposedly 55 mph, I encounter drivers on a regular basis who want to go much much faster. They take my life as well as their own and put it in danger, by speeding into the oncoming lane, going around me, and then flooring it as if their tail is on fire. I feel I am owed an explanation as to why they feel that I'm going too slow at ... 55mph. Apparently they absolutely need that extra 6 seconds they will gain by doing such a dangerous manuever. Do they feel that they can push me down the road by following so closely that I can no longer see their headlights? This is a false assumption on their part. Especially if this takes place at night when they're blinding me, since that causes me to slow down. While they contemplate their answer, maybe they could go one further and tell me why driving in herds like a nascar race is a well thought out intelligent thing to do? Personally I'm into dominoes and would love to see what happens when you stack up the cars like those little wooden blocks.. and then have a deer trot out in front of the lead car. Its not a race. Leave early if you are always speeding to get to work on time. Stop putting my life on the line along with yours. No one who races up and down my 20 minute drive home is going to read this, so I'm not sure why I'm bothering, except that I had to rant somewhere. I've had one too many scares lately I guess.
Last night as I was curled up in bed, I heard a beep. Now at first I thought it was my dog, because she was sleeping on her little bed on the floor at the foot of my bed, but... normally she doesn't make little beeps. Alright, she does beep, but not like a mini squeezy toy. My mind raced through possibilities. A mouse with a tiny squeeze toy? A spider sneezed? A creaky tree outside? Slinking from my bed, I prowled the room like a clumsy ape, stubbing my toes twice. My dog watched in an amused silence. This was fine with me, because earlier in the evening, she stuck her front legs unwittingly under an open door, and attempted to stand up. Basic physics lesson without the ability to understand the concept. Lots of yelping ensued. She's fine, just has some bruises, but it was nice to see her doing her little perked ears and slight smirk routine over my stubbed toes. I suppose it was only fair. Distracted by the stubbed toes I returned to my humble abode, aka the bed, and decided the ghostly squeaking would have to wait until it squeaked again. Even then, I will have to think about slipping from beneath the blankies.
Once again its night time and I'm getting sleepy why before I normally would. Part of this is that there's no heat in the house (we don't start up the wood stove until it starts raining) and I get sleepy when I'm cold, and the other is because I'm worn out again. The bed is calling me, and I think I'm going to heed its beckoning hail. So, I'm signing off. Night. :)
So, its another Wednesday and I've got absolutely nothing to post really. Just a few updates would be in order. Mission Manga is at a stand still for right now, because under more scrutiny, the online rental place was going to be a tad more expensive than first anticipated. Therefore I'm going to have to go down to one of the bookstores and just go through everything Manga. There seems to be some sort of slowdown on really good series and I'm wondering if the Manga companies in Japan have suddenly realized just how popular their books have become here and are holding out. Technically good business strategy, but irritating. My fellow branch managers will have to wait a bit before I can put together a working list.
Once again returning to my small herd of feathered dinosaurs, we've discovered that two of the so called hens are actually roosters. One is Brutus the Brahma. He's a big chicken, so I should've guessed that it wasn't a hen. But he's so docile. I can still pick him up and hold him and he doesn't care, and he follows me around like a puppy when I'm outside. The other has no name, and is one of the Australorpes. He's an idiot. I've been speculating that his idiocy is do to his unusually small head. Snapshots of him are difficult to get as he's ... well he's a chicken. In both senses of the word. The hens are all doing fine, and they keep the Lorp rooster in check. Thus his total lack of tail feathers. Apparently the hens learn early to keep the males battered and under control from an early age. Lorp has no tail and probably never will. Sad but true.
Tomorrow, I get up early and head in for my internship, so I will be hitting the sack soon. Its fun working in the cataloging department. Every day you get in boxes full of new stuff, so its basically Christmas every day! :) Its a nice place to work, and you learn something new every time. Well, its getting late, so I'd better hit the sack. Night to all. :)
After picking up the Transformers movie, I found a little advertisement for entering a sweepstakes for the 2009 Camero that was featured as Bumblebee in the movie, and I have to admit that I really love that car. However, I will probably still be too much in the whole by then to get one. I can always wait a few years until the car starts being resold at a lower amount of money. I'd enter the sweepstakes but apparently if you win the car, Chevy ends up with the rights to your privacy, and I am not one to be giving those away for a car. Even if its a really nice car that brings trumpet fanfare to mind whenever I see a picture of it. Ah well. We shall see what ends up happening in a few years. Its a plan, not a hope. It was pointed out to me that "only being able to deal with the public for so long" might be taken wrong. And I have to admit that this rings true. In truth I meant that I just need me time, and in no way was I slamming my job. I love my job. Please keep that in mind. The territorial comment was another statement that could've been taken the wrong way. Its nothing bad, just its an odd feeling to come back to work and feel like things have been moved. For me its a little disorienting, and I'm not fond of it. If anyone was taken aback, I apologize. If anyone thinks I'm over reacting, you can say let me know that as well. Back to the normal routine of every day life, I was back in front of the TV all day. In point of fact, I am still in front of the TV catching up on Smallville. Dinner is also a part of this little couch potato escapade. Perhaps later I will dive into the pages of a book. Or better yet I can go through my comic books... and reread some of them. Or in the more childish of activities I can rearrange the action figures. So, this basically means I will go back to doing absolutely nothing for the next couple of days.. or rather day, as I've already used up my Sunday. Until I post again. ;)
Its Saturday night, and what am I doing? The art of the hermit has once again impressed itself upon me, as I can only take so much of the public before my brain starts frying. On certain days when the wind is just right, you may be able to smell it. I've been told the aroma is akin to bacon and eggs. Whatever the smell, I tend to hold up in my room for a while where its warm, and comfortable and the only thing playing on my DVD player is Smallville Season 6. Some would consider this absolute trash, but I like it. Its a nice program to watch when becoming one with the inner potato. Couch potato that is. Surprise, surprise, the show has remained fairly stable and engaging. Not to mention the Easter egg cameos of other heroes in their infancy. It reads like the Justice League of America roster. Tonight, I reacquaint myself with Oliver Queen. Ollie follows the stereo-type much loved by the likes of Bruce Wayne; rich playboy by day, crime fighting dynamo by night. Except Ollie was/is a ladies man to a T. Absolutely loves the ladies. Alter ego? Green Arrow. No cape and cowl though. First incarnation was basically Robin Hood Errol Flynn style. The next; he wore a hood. In this one... he's a little off-track. Okay, so he's young, and has an enormous chip on his shoulder, but good grief. Ollie was fun loving, and always cared about the little guy. In this, he's being a tad self absorbed. Ah well. At least they got Cyborg, Flash, and Aquaman right. For the most part. I'm going to leave off my diatribe now, concerning the wonderful world of super heroes. Mainly because I'm probably boring the heck out of you. Its been a quiet week. All I had for class was a Mid-Term this week, and I ended up spending the rest of the time running all over the place. I've been sleeping a lot and just resting since I've been attempting to get sick and I detest getting sick. It causes problems with my job. Not exactly problems, but more along the lines of .. I'm territorial. Pathetic, but true. All in all, I am enjoying a quiet evening at home doing stuff I haven't had a chance to do in a while. And later when its all quiet, I'll be enjoying the silence. I hope. So, I'm signing off for now. Night all. :)
Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to find new Manga titles to suggest for the library. Thankfully no one said the phone would explode in 5 seconds. However I was asked to find new titles that would be attractive to Juniors and Teens as Manga has become an extremely hot item. Saturday I began my mission by stalking the Manga section at Barnes and Noble, and picking out a few promising titles... put I did not get out unscathed. Sheered of $45, I stumbled to my car and got in. There has to be a better way to do this, because I'm going to end up spending my entire paycheck on this stuff. The sarcastic little voice in the back of my head with typical cynicism notified me that I do this anyway, so why change now? I squinted my eyes and ignored his mocking laughter, but had to admit that he was right. So now I find myself contemplating signing up at a website that is not unlike Netflicks, Blockbuster or Gamefly. For a lot less than I pay for the Manga I can just rent it for a while and send it back. Unless I actually want a copy and then I can buy it for a discounted price apparently. This will take some mulling over, but it sure would be nice if I had that option. And they allow you to rent Anime DVD
s as well. That would be extremely nice since I get asked about those as well. We shall see. To sign up or not to sign up. That is the question. ;)
In an attempt to be ready for the yearly request from my grandmother, I have begun to put together my Christmas list. Most people have no problem with this. I on the other hand usually can't think of a darned thing to ask for. So I ask for DVDs, ones I know they will be able to find. Everything else I tend to get for myself. Its a problem of mine and it apparently annoys family members, so I just wait on certain things so they can get them for me. Weird, but true. Okay, I think its weird, but others may not. See, if I ask for an action figure from the Justice Line released by DC, called Solomon Grundy, I'm not sure they take that seriously, so I get it myself. Some things are just not acceptable for Christmas presents I guess, or perhaps I was supposed to have grown out of my love of comics and cartoons long ago. They said I'd eventually like dresses too, and my how wrong they were on that front as well. I still consider those things unacceptable attire for work and at home and I don't think I should have to wear them for special occasions either. A nice pair of slacks, and a dress shirt is fine. ;)
Apparently I've fallen into the dreaded pit of rambling, which means I'm sleepy. Too the bed I shall retire and I'll post again at some point. Probably soon. Who knows. Hope you all sleep well. Night.
Imagine its early in the morning, when its still partially dark and the animal world is caught between those going to sleep, and those just groggily waking up. Enter one of the groggy ones, namely me, as they stagger from a nice warm house, complete with bag and what could pass for a lunch ... if you have a lot of imagination. Which I hope you have given how this started out. The fact that Dad's car had a flat tire when it didn't the night before should've been my first clue, actually my second. The true first would've been my regular vehicle had its water pump go out after we'd replaced all the tubes for the coolant system.
Back to the flat tire, which I noted as I went past, and approached one of the back up cars. Car problems have been plaguing me lately, so I'm glad I have online courses. Even if I can't get to work, I can still get to my classroom! The curse of the car problems struck again as I started the back-up car. Those sleepy animals I mentioned before? The ones just waking up and the ones just going to sleep? Well, lets just say when the horn in the car went off... and refused to return to quiesent slumber until needed, all those little critters were very awake. Probably including the neighbors who are probably going to hang me if they find out it was me with the defective car. Several minutes later, I had the horn off, but was a little shakey because of the sudden shattering blast of sound. Dad, running on 4 hours of sleep, and I managed to remove the wires to the horn until we could figure out what has set it off. So, now hornless I traveled to work in a car I kept expecting to ... well do something. Its a distinctly odd feeling not trusting an inanimate object. Especially when you're working with it.
Aside from my haunted automobile, its been raining. Its nice when it rains. The woods smell good and the danger of fire isn't so extremely high. Things are going good at work and at the internship. Not much else to say really. I have one homework assignment left to do, and then I can sleep all weekend. I hope. I really do need some down time, but what will end up happening is me working on a Manga list for my fellow branch managers so they have suggestions/requests to make to the selector. I did something similar with Sci-Fi movies earlier, and I guess the list was popular. ;) Anyway, I'm off to veg out in front of a TV. Rare for me, but I take every chance I get. Night.
Four days! I'm slipping! I went four days without posting anything, but I have excuses. Let me know if you want to hear them, because I haven't come up with any just yet. Strikes of creativity hit me better when I'm answering on the fly.
First off, I have another DB assignment, so I will go ahead and answer the question. "What keeps you motivated in your online course?" For me I have to say that feedback from the instructor and my fellow students plays a large role in keeping me coming back for more. Hearing from others on the same topic is generally fascinating, and I love the discussions that can spring from the depths of everyone's experiences. I will say though that I do fall down sometimes on my motivation. Usually when I tire myself out, or when stressful situations are sapping my ability to stay interested in things, however I have been very good about prodding myself to stay aware of whats going on on the DB. Even when I'm in a slump. ;) Overall, I really enjoy online classes. I never get the interaction from classmates and instructor in a f2f class, that I do online, and that's the part that I enjoy the most. Okay, as well as learning new things, or having my views turned in new and interesting directions.
Take two. You may have noticed that I mention copyright as the post title. That is there because I had some unexpected insight on the readings for my Lib Sci course. And of all placed to find it, I happen across it at the Sci Fi convention I was at. My assigned reading was all about copyright laws, infringements and so on. I wish I had gone to the costume exhibit before I'd turned in my paper, because I got to meet one of the curators for Universal Studios archives. When I say archives, I mean the place is literally a museum of items used in Movies and TV shows, all of which are copyrighted or trademarked. Everything from the hand held computer from Quantum Leap to the clothes that were worn by the characters in the movie Serenity. I was allowed to take pictures, but what I could do with these pictures after that fell into very grey waters. She said that you can probably get away with posting these pictures on a personal blog that is password protected, and can only be seen by a few people, but that you'd have to be careful on how you used them otherwise. Universal can come down on you for posting these pictures without their permission, however it was a vague set of rules, and they don't always come down on everyone. There was also some talk of how they actually have people who sit at computers and do image searches to find people abusing their materials. The conversation went one to discuss images copyrighted by families of famous people, such as Marilyn Monroe and Martin Luthor King Jr. Their image, anything they said, anything at all having do with them cannot be used without the permission of their family. If you draw a picture of them, they technically have the rights on it. The more we talked, the more I came to understand just how much copyrights are in our lives, and I have to say its somewhat frightening. So, I have some wonderful pictures of the costumes, and other things used in movies, but I won't be posting them. I supposed paranoi
a has set in. ;) It was just so odd, that we just did all this reading and discussion for my class on copyright, and I get to talk to someone who absolutely has to be aware of it, and knows it so well. Really brought it to life.
I do get to post a picture of a fellow who was dressed as a Storm Trooper from Star Wars. He said it was fine. What makes this sort of funny, is that his costume was so good that I didn't realize he was real until he moved away from the other displays. Gave everyone a good jolt when he stepped away from the rest of the dummies! ;) Up until then, he'd just walked into the room, found a place that made him look like part of the exhibit, and stood perfectly motionless until people passed by. Then he'd move out behind them and follow along until someone turned around and freaked out. Evil sense of humor, but I loved it. ;) Its not late, but I have other homework to get a start on at least, so hopefully I will be back before too long to post yet again. Heh. I sound like some phantom poster... Okay, that came out wrong. So, I'll run with it and come back again to post another day. Night.
On the way home on a windy two way road on which the top speed is supposedly 55 mph, I encounter drivers on a regular basis who want to go much much faster. They take my life as well as their own and put it in danger, by speeding into the oncoming lane, going around me, and then flooring it as if their tail is on fire. I feel I am owed an explanation as to why they feel that I'm going too slow at ... 55mph. Apparently they absolutely need that extra 6 seconds they will gain by doing such a dangerous manuever. Do they feel that they can push me down the road by following so closely that I can no longer see their headlights? This is a false assumption on their part. Especially if this takes place at night when they're blinding me, since that causes me to slow down. While they contemplate their answer, maybe they could go one further and tell me why driving in herds like a nascar race is a well thought out intelligent thing to do? Personally I'm into dominoes and would love to see what happens when you stack up the cars like those little wooden blocks.. and then have a deer trot out in front of the lead car. Its not a race. Leave early if you are always speeding to get to work on time. Stop putting my life on the line along with yours. No one who races up and down my 20 minute drive home is going to read this, so I'm not sure why I'm bothering, except that I had to rant somewhere. I've had one too many scares lately I guess. 
