赤黄色向日葵 ~ 橙群青紫陽花

So, I finally updated to the "new" LJ style system (it's only been out for years, right?). I wouldn't have ever bothered but LJ recently ate all the custom color codes I put up many, many years ago. (Because I've been on LJ for 6 and a half years ... and I can't remember the last time I changed the look of it.) It refused to let me input new colors, so I had to upgrade. And despite having the colors the same for so long, I don't think I can get them quite right. But I've made it look *almost* the same as it used to ...

(I know, I should take this as an opportunity to change things, but I like the mellow greens that I had up before, dagnabit!)
( Words. Lots of words. )

Day 27 - This month, in great detail

And I'm going to continue to be brief instead. What has happened this past month?

-I continued to work at the same place, doing the same thing. The only new thing is that now we can't take home donated books when they come in. (I wanted to know if I can still take home donated books once they're on the for sale table, but I think it's probably better not to ask.)

-I continued to watch anime somewhat regularly. I know I watched School Rumble. I know I am watching Vampire Princess Miyu and Durarara!!. I'm not sure what else fits into the last month.

-I continued to read books now and then. I re-read Kissing Doorknobs, which is the hilarious and fascinating story of a girl with OCD. I'm reading The Fellowship of the Ring. Before those were ... the Moribito books, I suppose?

-I am watching the pets since my parents are pet/house-sitting. Only one more week ...

I don't know what else there is to say about my month.

Tonight the fog is so thick I can only just see my mailbox. The high school across the street is barely visible, and the sign in front of it looms out of the mist like some ancient monument. It's really rather cool.

Day 28 - This year, in great detail
Day 29 - Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 - Whatever tickles your fancy

Ah, another one of these days, and another entry that I almost forgot to make and thus don't feel like spending much time on ...
( Chatterings and incomplete AMVs )

So, I love books, and everyone who knows me knows I'm a reader. In grade school, I was the type of kid who pulled out a book after finishing tests. In high school, I was the type of kid who occasionally walked down the hallway reading. There are a whole lot of books I could list today. (And I will probably list quite a few.) However, I will leave out any manga because ... well, there's something different there. (Anyway, I think most/all of you already know my favorite manga is Please Save My Earth.) This is gonna be EPIC.
( Day 4 - Your Favorite Book )

How long has it been since I did a real entry?

(What amounts to a "real" entry?)
( Ikusen no hoshi no you ni )

Why am I so terrible at posting lately?

Stuff I've finished (somewhat) recently: Suppli (really good dorama series about life and work), Phoenix Wright 3 (DS game -- waaaah, why is it over?), Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (anime series -- hard to start, but good from there), Full Metal Panic! (anime series -- good beginning, good end, terrible middle), and Tales of Legendia (bittersweet ending that almost managed not to be cheesy, but despite that and the surprisingly easy final boss, my biggest feeling at the end was, "Thank goodness I'm done").

Oh, and books: Superior Saturday by Garth Nix (where is the next book? This one went too quickly!), 1-3 of the Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith (lol angst, yay! Damon is my favorite, but Elena and Stephen belong together), Extras by Scott Westerfeld (OK, enough about the "manga eyes" already! -- otherwise, pretty good, though not his best), The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld (very good, though I like Peeps just a bit more), and ... not The Host by Stephenie Meyer, because I just do not hate myself that much.

So now I've started Tales of Symphonia, which is enjoyable (even if Raine is a child abuser o.o) and have been working on Harvest Moon: Magical Melody as well (as a way to relieve the tension from playing Legendia and from actual work). I'm reading Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede.

Actual life stuff: There's so much, but in essence, so little. It all sums up in my feeling like all of my friends are going into the future, whether or not they have solid plans (and I'm happy for and proud of all of them), while I just stand still because I don't know which way to turn. The last time someone asked me what I wanted for the future, I couldn't even say, "Oh, I'm looking for a job in publishing." I just replied, "I'm trying to figure that out right now." I don't know what I want anymore. That really bothers me. I know everyone is worried about me and trying to be helpful but ... I'm in a terrible funk right now.

But, I'm sure a good deal of college grads (and high school grads and recently fired people) feel the same way. Right now, I'm just waiting.

... I guess this is why people do things like bike to the tip of Japan or catch a Greyhound to LA to "find themselves."

But anyway! I didn't post to be all srz bsns. I posted to fill out a meme!

Is there a hobby you want to take up?
-Um, exercising regularly. I don't know why I've gotten so terrible about this.

What is your favorite time of day and why?
-Evening, just after the sun has set and the stars and moon begin to come out. This is the time I always used to talk walks at Calvin ...

What kind of books do you read?
-Fantasy/Scifi, YA lit, children's lit, occasionally classics

What is the weather like today?
-Cool, with sudden rain showers.

What's a major wishlister of yours?
-Something I really want (to do)? Travel (Europe?). Return to Japan. Become a wildly rich author.

Who is your celebrity crush?
-Uhhhh ...

What's your current fandom/obsession/addiction?
-I guess ... video games. At least, that's what sucks up most of my time right now.

What are you listening to right now?
-A cricket chirping right outside the window (stupid crickets).

What food could you eat every day for weeks and not get sick of?
-Ha ha, pizza. OH OH and melon pan ♥

What websites do you always visit when you go online?
- LJ, gmail, ANN, AoD forums, a few blogs

What was the last thing you bought?
-Hrmm. I think it was a sort of carbonated slushie (tasty!) at some ice cream place by a friend's house

What was the cutest thing you've seen today?
-Uh, my cat? I haven't seen anything else cute today :(

Does the weather affect your mood?
-Sometimes. I like rain and cloudy days, but sometimes in winter the lack of any visible sky for weeks on end can get oppressive. Really violent storms frighten me. (I'm talking the kind where lightning strikes right next to your window, and you can almost feel the air sizzle -- I remember too well the day a tree fell on my house.)

What is your zodiac sign?
-Aquarius.

Do you want to learn another language?
-Yes. Even though I'm pretty terrible at self-study.

What do you like to do when you need cheering up?
-Take a walk. Dance around with my iPod, screaming at the top of my lungs. (These are not necessarily mutually exclusive.)

If you had to live in another country, what country would you live in?
-Hrmm. Japan, Scotland, Australia ... all seem quite agreeable.

One thing you want to change about yourself.
-My lack of motivation.

What are you looking forward to?
-Um ... playing some more video games after work tomorrow, I guess. I don't have much of a life right now, heh.

I'm finally updating, etc., etc.
( Aches and Pains (champagne?) )

I keep meaning to update, but somehow never get to it. Not that there's terribly much to say, but ...

1) I finished Star Ocean Second Evolution. Good game. 80+ endings. Unfortunately, because of all my pickpocketing (which, if you do outside of PAs, will cause random members of your party to lose relationship/friendship points with you -- I didn't know this until over halfway through the game), Claude ended up alone T_T Well, next time, I will get one of the other endings!

(Also, Rena, who is obviously supposed to be with Claude in the cutscenes, ended up with Ashton, who is adorable but kind of gay. WTF. I should say, it wasn't really a romantic ending; she just took him back to her hometown and he became friends with everybody.)

I tried to finish up my PS1 version of SO2 since I was near the end when I quit (and I wanted to see a different ending). I made it to the final boss, but ... I think the PSP version is a whole lot easier (not to mention, the graphics are smoother and the anime characters prettier). My PS1 party members are 10 or more levels higher than my PSP ones were, but I couldn't seem to manage. Well, maybe I'll try again later ...

2) Apparently, L.J. Smith's Vampire Diaries book series is being made into a TV series. ROFLs. I found this out by seeing a commercial on channel 9 (the CW? Something like that). I couldn't believe it. And yet, I can, because TV execs are not so blind as to not have noticed the Twilight mania. Hot vampires and human girls? It must sell! (Anyway, L.J. Smith's characters could kick S. Meyer's characters' butts any day of the week.) More info can be found on Vampire Diaries Online. Even though it's kind of ridiculous, I'm pretty excited for it (since, OMIGOSH, L.J. Smith!), and I'll definitely be watching it come fall 2009.

3) Read some books too. Good Omens, by the esteemed Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, was very good. The Raging Quiet, by Sherryl Jorden, not as much (matyr!Sue for the win!). I might rant on the second in the future. Right now I'm reading Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold!, and it's interesting though very slow at this point. Ah, well.

Tomorrow I'm planning to go to a writers' meeting at a local library. I still haven't decided if I want to bring anything of mine to read -- I've never gone before so I have no idea what kind of environment it is, and I don't know if I'm quite ready to share my stuff with complete strangers. I don't even know if it's a regularly meeting group; I guess I'll find out. Wish me luck!

OK, that's all for now.

Humm. My C.C. figure (this one) shipped out last Friday, which was also the day my family's mailbox got decimated by a car spinning out on the ice. We still haven't put up anything to replace it ... I hope it reaches my house without too much incident (and without too much questioning ^^;).
( Moooooeeee )

I think it has been snowing without stopping since Sunday morning. Certainly, the drive up here was not so wonderful, and a new layer of white falls to the ground every moment. It is certainly pretty, but ...
( dreamless dorm, ticking clock )