THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2004

Death. Rebirth. Evolution.

It is amazing how much can happen in a month. 30 seemingly ordinary days can hold what emotionally feels like a lifetime's worth of events, pains, tragedies, and joys.

30 days ago my world as I knew it came crashing down around me. My trust, faith, and love were stripped away, leaving my soul torn open and bleeding. And yet even in the space of 5 days after that moment of devastation there was rebirth. A new hope. Another chance to start again. The opportunity to find a piece of myself I never even knew I had. 30 days ago my spirit died. 5 days later it was reborn.

And as for the pain, it is still with me. It lingers within my heart, but it does not confine me. I have learned to love. I have learned to live. I have learned to forgive. And for the most part I have learned to let go and move on.

30 days later I am left with a scar, but unlike some scars, it is one I will cherish forever. I have no regrets, and while I still feel sad from time to time, I am a happier person because of what happened. Everything happens for a reason. And even as little as a month later, I have more answers then I thought I ever would.

FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2004

Change Is Good!

Even if the means by which you get to that change is semi-disastrous, change is a good thing. I think July will very much be a month of change for me. I have started this month off with a change in outlook, and today I underwent a change in appearance. Much to my stylist's chagrin I adopted a pseudo buzz cut. It looks a teensy bit military, but is definitely more San Francisco butch. Personally I like this new look a lot. It's short, rugged, and very sexy. Plus it requires 0 maintenance. I just towel my head dry and go.

I am a bit concerned though about how good this look really is. I like it but given all of the crazy ups and downs I have been through in the past month it is possible I am operating under a misperception. I need to get the input of my friends as so far I have had only two reactions and neither one of those was positive.. The first was from my stylist Yen, who just kept saying "I don't like it! It's too short! Too short!" I had to practically force her to give me this hair cut. I tipped her double though because she was such a good sport about it. The second was my mother who took one look at my hair and got the most shocked/disgusted look on her face and said, "What did you do to your hair!?!?!" After that she then really told me how she felt with the lines, "You had such beautiful hair. What possessed you to do that! I don't like it at all. It looks terrible!" Gee, thanks Ma!

Speaking of my mother and change (there are two concepts that don't react well with each other) after 26 years her foyer is going to be transformed from its present state as the Coco Cavern to a sleek silver-blue reception area. Yes in deed, when my parents bought the house my mother currently lives in they, rather she (Dad was far too busy working and having extra marital affairs) painted the foyer deep chocolate brown. Hey it was 1978 and at the time the linoleum was a gold color. Well in the mid 90's Ma had the linoleum torn out and replaced with a stylish white marble pattern with blue and grey trim. A few years ago she had all the front rooms repainted but somehow she and the painter both overlooked the foyer. How, I don't know.

Which brings me to last week when I realized, "Oh, Shit my mother's birthday is this weekend and I have n o gift to give her and no clue what to give her!" BTW my mother has hit that stage in her life when she wants only "practical" items and not things. She has become very non-materialistic. So you can begin to understand my panic. Well 2 days before hand it comes to me. I will paint that hideous foyer of hers and make it a modern home living masterpiece! That was the thought anyway. She actually agreed with my choice of color (this is a rare occurrence), a pale silver-blue, and this afternoon after my haircut I picked up the rest of the supplies from Home Depot and set to work priming the damn room. "How hard could this be?" I foolishly thought, "After all EVERYONE says how easy painting is."

Well let me tell you, flat walls and ceilings may be one thing, but stucco walls and ceilings are quite another! I have ALWAYS hated stucco, ever since I was a kid. Now that I am an adult painting stucco, I have developed a whole new level of hatred for it. I swear stucco is the one textured surface that should be banned from all modern construction. If you have stucco walls and/or ceilings, and they weren't originally painted with lead-based paint, get yourself a power sander and smooth those babies down before you even think about painting them!

What makes stucco so particularly loathsome when painting is all the ridges and protrusions. Even with a roller designed for rough surfaces you cannot get into all of the cracks and crevices. The roller does not roll well over the uneven surface and the paint simply does not get into all the ridges. Which results in having to use a paint brush to get the primer or paint into these crevices and distribute it evenly. This however causes VERY BAD streaking in the paint which of course shows up when dry!

After almost 6 hours of frustration, screaming, and arguing with my mother who kept telling me I wasn't doing it right and kept going 0-60 on the drama meter, there is one layer of primer on the walls and ceiling, and I have had enough!

You know I have come to realize that being an alcoholic has it's advantages. For example when you come up with a REALLY bad idea (like this one) and then pursue it, you can then blaim it on a bad bender. Unfortunately in this case I'm not an alcoholic and the idea to paint the foyer was derived totally sober.

*sigh...* Perhaps things will look better in the morning. I doubt it but you never know.

SATURDAY, JULY 3, 2004

Progress

OK, things definitely look better in the morning. The initial primer job on the Coco Cavern wasn't too bad but it wasn't great either. It definitely needed the second coating of primer. Now the room is VERY white and looks almost like I just painted it all white. Though because of its size it is developing the very distinct feeling of a sanitarium cell.

Bad news is that I ran out of primer and the paint store is closed for the day and is not open tomorrow because it's July 4th. The framework around the door needs to be done again and the door itself has to be primed. Plus there are definitely some places on the walls and ceiling where the brown is still showing through a bit.

*sigh* Hopefully the paint store will be open Monday. I am going to be painting this damn room into next week!

SUNDAY, JULY 4, 2004

Independence Day?

Though I really won't feel like we have been "liberated" until the Bush administration is out of the White House.

And speaking of the evils of said administration, effective midnight on July 1, 2004, Virginia's new anti-gay law went into effect. This monstrous bill makes any contracts between gay and lesbian partners illegal. Yes, illegal. This means no power of attorey, no civil unions, nothing. It is the most aggressive and unconstitutional legislation to be passed against the homosexual community. It's like going back to the days of segregation during the Civil Rights Movement. It makes me sick to think that the state I live in, my birthplace, could uphold such a disgusting piece of legislation. It's descrimination, simple as that. Happy Fucking Independence Day!

But enough political shit. Today is a day of celebration (or so it's supposed to be at any rate) and in accordance with that sentiment Mari and Ian had a small 4th of July cook out today which was very fun. It rained most of the day though so we were stuck indoors. It has been so excessively hot the past few days that starting early this morning the rain just poured down in monsoon-like torrents. Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow or the next day.

Thank God VH1 was running a marathon of Back to the 80's. We all got the biggest kick out of reliving our youth during the decade of decadence, big hair, and BAD, BAD clothes. I love the 80's. After all where else could you see ordinary men in makeup outside of the theatre or a drag show?

MONDAY, JULY 5, 2004

Makeover

Well the paint store is closed today as well in honor of Independence Day. Oh, well it's not like I had any real plans this week anyway. Though any I could have had have now been squashed.

I went to lunch today with D and a mutual friend of ours Jeremy and his girlfriend Jenny. We hadn't seen Jeremy since Halloween and had not met Jenny before. It was a really fun afternoon. After lunch we went to a local sports bar to play some pool. I love playing pool. I wish I had a table of my own.

BTW, D saw my new haircut and loved it. This was a great relief to me. She is brutally honest with me and wouldn't lie about something like this to spare my feelings. And while yes it sounds pathetic that I am looking for feedback from other people in order to fully obtain perspective there is a method to my madness. Sometimes I can be blinded to reality by the preconceived notions in my head. By listening to people's honest feedback I can assess my thinking and figure out for myself if I am correct or not.

In other big exciting changes to add to July is the new look of this website. I wanted something more stylish and trendy and I think after months of trying I have finally succeeded in attaining such a look. Though there are still some fine details that need tuning. Ah well, it's still big progress nonetheless.

TUESDAY, JULY 6, 2004

Serving You When It's Inconvenient!

What the fuck!?!?! I stopped at the paint store on my way home from work today and they were closed! Hours of Operation: 9 am-5 pm, M-F. Well I'm at work then people except on Fridays. Ugh! It's so frustrating. I can understand those hours in the winter when you can't do much painting but this is the middle of fucking summer! Many of us with 9-5 jobs do paint on the weekends or when we get home from work you know. It's hard to get more paint if the store closes at the same time our offices do!

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! I'd go to Home Depot but wouldn't you know this particular brand of paint and primer (which shall remain nameless as I don't need to be slapped with a law suit just now) isn't sold there. Fucking pain in the ass! Guess I'll be spending what limited free time I have this weekend painting and priming! Oh, joy!

WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2004

Good Hair Day

The rest of my coworkers are back from vacation. Correction, the rest of my stylish and hip coworkers are back from vacation. And they have given my hair a huge thumbs up. My one coworker couldn't stop telling me today how much she loves my new haircut and look and says it is very becoming and that it was a good choice.

This made me feel so reassured. I had decided before today that yes indeed this haircut was the right choice to make and that I will be sporting this new look for a while. My coworkers comments only reinforced that.

After work I got together with D for a rare after work shopping treat. I desperately needed new pants. I have dropped 2 pant sizes since I started working out and my old pants looked like they were charity donations from Salvation Army they were so baggy on me. My Arizona Jeans were on sale, $18 each reduced from $30. I was so happy. Could only afford 2 pairs as I am really broke this month. I may have had a rebirth but it ended up costing me a fair chunk of change from which I am still recovering. Plus I have hit the 2-month gauntlet of birthdays and celebrations, all of which require buying gifts. D was so sweet though and gave me my birthday present a month early by buying me two more pairs of pants! ARIGATO ONESAMA!!!!

I can't wait to get them in the wash and wear them. At last, pants that fit snuggly and show off my new toned up ass and legs! I am such a manwhore...

THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2004

Memories...

It's funny how we can think emotions or feelings are dead and buried, only to have them uncovered or revived by the smallest of incidents. All those memories of long ago come drifting back again. Overwhelming the mind, clouding the eyes. Life's joys and pains... So many moments eternally frozen in the depths of our sentimental hearts.

In such a short period of time I have endured so much pain and loss, and yet throughout my life I have survived even more pain and loss than what this present time has given me. Hardship is subjective I guess. It always feels so much harder than it is when you're going through it. Though hindsight can also be ignorant of the reality of just how difficult a period of hardship was. There is no clear answer I guess. No definitive perspective. We remember as we want to remember.

But right now, there is so much I want to say. So much I need to express. And yet I am at a loss and disadvantage to do just that. There was so much unspoken, yet there was more said without words. And while I know this message will probably never be read by the one it is intended for, it still needs to be delivered. To be set free. And I shall do just that...

To the man that I loved, the man that I still love. I feel as strongly today as I did then. And yet, it is so very different now. For the most part I have let you go. I have accepted that we won't and aren't meant be together. But there is still love in my heart for you. Love doesn't die, it just changes its intention.

The grief I feel now is not so much about what has been lost, but about the memories of what once was and what could have been. And though I can't, and probably will never again, hold you in my arms I will carry those memories with me forever. I won't be a slave to the past, but at the same time I won't be careless with something so precious.

Life moves on continuously like the tides that encircle this planet. And while I know love will come again someday, my intensions will always be for harmony and peace. I Love You.

FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2004

Weekend Doldrums

Well I finished priming Ma’s foyer. Because I get out on Fridays at 3 pm I was actually able to go to the paint store and get the rest of the primer. I did not however, appreciate the 2 country-esque employees that worked there staring at me as if they’d never seen a professional Gay man buying painting supplies before. Despite the fact we are spitting distance from DC, Northern Virginia seems to be densely populated with intolerant pricks. I must get the Hell out of this state. The sooner the better...

I am only sort of looking forward to this weekend. After yesterday's emotional unpleasantness I’m not much in the mood to do anything, though actually being out and about would probably be the best thing for me. The only thing I have planned is Miriam’s Graduation Party tomorrow. *sigh*

Have seriously got to pull myself out of this funky mood. It’s starting to impede almost every aspect of my life. Too bad none of my usual partners in crime are available tonight. I could seriously use a night out...

Current song mood: Rained Again

SATURDAY, JULY 10, 2004

Party Goodness

Today was Miriam’s Graduation Party. It was so good to see her, has been a few weeks. Plus Heather and Lani were there and I haven’t seen nor spoken to them in ages. I also got to meet some of Miriam’s college friends whom I’ve heard about for the past 4 years.

It was a very interesting experience. Took us all a while to sort of feel each other out and get comfy. The High School Friends meet the College Friends event. All in all it was very fun. We took lots of pictures and talked and shared stories and just all around fun things like that. The time flew by so quickly. The party started at 4 and ended around 1:30 am. Well the main party ended at around 9-ish when the family and friends of the family left, but we the friends stayed much later. I got home at like 1:30 am. Am so very tired right now...

In other exciting news Heather finally got a private sector job! She has been trying for years to break out of retail and service positions and has finally succeeded. She is going on vacation next Friday so we will have to hold her New Job Celebration off until later.

Well I’m going to bed before I pass out on my keyboard. Later...

SUNDAY, JULY 11, 2004

Lazy Afternoon

I am being such a lazy bastard today. I got up at 1:30pm and have not done much at all. I did get the photos from Miriam’s Grad party edited and mailed out. So that was something. Plus I did some more clean up on the site. But still. I have not touched the foyer except for the priming I did on Friday. God, I REALLY don’t want to do it. Maybe tomorrow... Yeah, I’ll work on it tomorrow...

Not much exciting going on today. My friend Ryan got a position with a local Opera company in his area which is cool. He won’t be in any shows or rehersals when I’ll be down there in September for Anime Weekend Atlanta. He said he’d show me his demo tape though.

Hmmmm, must do something constructive... Sitting here like a log isn’t doing me much good...

MONDAY, JULY 12, 2004

OMG!!! I May Be Getting A New Job!

I just received the MOST fabulous news this afternoon. My friend and ex-coworker Jenn may have a job for me!! The association she works for has a position open for a Customer Service/Web Associate. I read the job requirements and I am SO qualified for this job it isn’t even funny. PLUS, since she knows the guy doping the hiring and has told him about me my resume will be floating to the top and the pile and will actually get read!

I am so fucking excited about this! There is so much to be done. I have to update my resume tonight! Though that also means writing a cover letter too...

Oh, Shit! I don’t have a suit or even a pair of Dockers that fit (my office is Jeans casual) and I am broke! Fuck! I feel panic setting in. Deep breaths... Remain calm… focus!

First things first. Must update resume when I get home. Perhaps I’ll stop at the Men’s Warehouse tomorrow after the gym and see what they have in way of suits...

TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2004

Bitchtastic

I have a new word, "Bitchtastic." I just made it up this afternoon because I had a very "Bitchtastic" day. Is Bitchtastic a bad thing I hear you ask? In this case, yes, and in general I think it will be. Since it's so new I'm not sure yet. Haven't had much occasion to use it much outside of a negative connotation.

My Bitchtastic day began with the end of last night. I spent hours updating and editing my resume to give to Jenn for that new job opening in her company. I was quite spent by the time I finished and it was late. I was all ready to turn in when I realized I hadn't updated/rewritten my cover letter. I decided to just do it this morning and e-mail it then.

Which is what I did. Though it took me two hours and a very large cup of coffee to do it (while on the job). I sent it off and it then started tackling the day's duties. Which is when things turned ugly.

Today just turned out to be one of those days when everybody that could call up or e-mail and bitch did just that. And while nobody was terribly rude, they were annoying as Hell and just further irritated the bad mood I woke up in.

The one that was most annoying was this woman in Barbados who had ordered a bunch of books last month and claimed they never arrived. This was like a week or so ago. Things got busy since then but it didn't stop her from barraging me with 10 e-mails wanting to know if her ordered had been shipped.

I didn't have much of a choice to blow it off until tomorrow so I forced myself to write this woman back. I told her we'd send her another set with a tracking number. Which meant that I would have to go to the actual post office to post the damn thing instead of sending it through our mailroom.

So I pack up a new order, reprint the invoice, make a shipping label, fill out all the customs paper, and get everything all packed up and ready to go and proceeded to the post office. When I get there I discover that because of the new federal postal regulations my forms weren't in compliance. So I had to HANDWRITE every piece of information on my customs form onto the post offices preprinted customs form. WHY mine wasn't good enough I don't know. Fed Ex certainly doesn't have a problem with them!

I also had to fill out a new shipping label as this woman wanted the package sent Express Mail and well the address had to be printed on another special peal and stick form. I hadn't had lunch before I left, which was a fatal mistake, so I was in a fowl mood by the time I returned to the office after standing in line for an hour.

On my way back D called me with some very distressing news. Apparently she got sucked into yet another family drama and had to help her sister and her sister's friend. In the process she got a speeding ticket. As you can imagine she was quite upset.

When I got back to the office we discussed the matter via IM while she surfed the DMV website for details. 20 Miles over the speed limit in VA equates to a $100 fine plus about $40 worth of processing fees and gets you 6 points against your license that don't come off for 5 years! I was outraged and then extremely horrified when I suddenly remembered my own recent speeding infraction. I had been going 20 miles above the speed limit... Sure enough I too owe communist Republican blood money to the state of VA AND have 6 points on my license that will haunt me until after the Cherry Popper is paid off!

As you can imagine I was in quite a funk. Thank God for the some of the funny rants I read on other blogs. That was the only thing that lifted my mood as I was pounding the desk laughing my ass off at some of the things that piss people off.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2004

Utterly Pathetic

I read in the headlines today (more like was bombarded by it) that the twins of the Evil Shrub Empire (i.e. prejudice Bush) have made their public debut. Or is this their "second coming?" I seem to remember their original "public debut" involving illegal alcohol consumption, the cops, and a whole lot of paparazzi. Did I forget to mention the subsequent shame and public embarrassment for the family?

I truly had to laugh at the hyped up little articles proclaiming this news as if it were some kind of ecclesiastical event. I guess, it's not every administrative term that of the presidential daughters (or children in general for that matter) come to the forefront to wave like Barbie clones and support daddy. Quick, somebody call CNN and spread the word! Oh, wait, looks like somebody already did. "Lordy Jesus, it's a Gospel Miracle!" *waves hands in the air in a dramatic "praising" fashion*

Give me a fucking break people! Does our media really have nothing else better to write about!?! This is one of the oldest, most pathetically cliché political moves ever. Today's special at the local deli counter has more surprises than this "Round up the family for campaign trail fun" charade. Though sad to say most of middle-America is stupid enough to fall for this faux family image of The Shrub accompanied by the Doublemint Twins in dull couture clothing. Well if his daughters support him then he MUST be a good man! Suuuuuure...

This is nothing new people. This is not exciting. There is nothing of significant to see or report here. It is just yet another pathetically cheap display to reassure the sheep among us so that they reelect our self-serving leader. Never mind the fact this man will steal the jobs and freedoms from these same little lambkins and send their children to an early grave all in the name of "the good of the Country."

Just say no people. John Kerry may not be the brightest light bulb on the shelf but he certainly can't perpetrate any more evil than has already been unleashed. It's high time we let someone else have a go at this game of Russian Roulette we call "The Running of America."

THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2004

Rat Bastard

Well I received the most interesting news from Laura today. Apparently our father is gearing up to build a house on Lake Hatteras. And while this may not seem like much of a big deal to the untrained eye, it is very significant. Especially in light of what else she told me.

It turns out that the lakefront property on which he is planning to build on is owned by my grandmother. My father found out about its existence a few years ago. He claims that a while back she decided to give him the land and handed the title deed over to him but didn't sign the necessary paperwork. Well, now that he wants to build on it he needs her to sign the papers so that the land will be in his name. Here's the kicker, my grandmother is claming now that my father stole the property deed for her when he went to help clean out my grandparents house a few weeks ago! And knowing my father, that is probably the case. Though also knowing my grandmother it is possible that she did give it to him and forgot that she had. Both of them are nut cases, so this situation is quickly spinning out of control.

But that isn't what has me pissed off. Quite frankly I could give a flying fuck. I think it's disgusting that with the danger our wetlands are in, that my self-serving father would build a house (or McMansion as the case will be) on a piece of property that has been untouched for hundred of years thus killing off more of our endangered species and adding to the erosian of the shoreline.

What pisses me off even more than that is that yet again I am slapped in the face with the knowledge of just how much of a bastard my father is to me. This is the same man who has time and again promised to help me with financing my education and then has broken that promise at the last minute, claiming that he is in massive debt, his practice is failing, and he just doesn't have the money. Then runs out the next day and buys two HUGE, $70,000+, Earth destroying SUV's! I am not shitting you. Believe me, I really wish I was.

I decided long ago to estrange myself from this man as much as possible and not to ask him for anything. And to this day I have maintained that position. What has me so fired up is yet again I am reminded how I am stuck unable to afford my education (don't qualify for the financial loans at this point in time) and here he is building a fucking on Lake Haterras!!!

It just reiterates once again the very ugly truth about my father. He is a rat bastard of the highest degree and as far as I'm concerned was and has been nothing more than a sperm donner! It makes me sick to even think he is half responsible for my creation!

As for the brewing storm over who owns the lakefront property, apparently my father, sisters, and his wife are headed to Richmond so he can have a "visit" with granny and coerce her into signing the papers. Laura has asked me to come so I can a) keep her sane and b) witness the juicy and exciting drama that is bound to explode. We haven't had a good showdown like this in years, and I quite frankly need some entertainment. So while those two loonies go at it I'm going to kick back with a drink and let the catty remarks fly. It's nice sometimes to partake of drama that doesn't involve you. And the conservatives are saying that the American family and its quality time are in jeopardy.

FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2004

Invasion Of The Bar Snatchers

Tonight Miriam and I went to Guerilla Queer Bar DC, a social event where local Gays and Lesbians descend upon a straight bar and commingle with the inhabitants. At least that is the idea anyway. I heard about this event in the Washington Blade, and knowing how Miriam loves social experiments like these I asked her if she'd care to join me.

This event is held monthly and each time it's a different location. This month's location was The Big Hunt down by Dupont Circle. Now back in January of this year I took a firm boycott against Gay DC because of the catty, self-absorbed, cliquecentric behavior that exists in that social sphere. For this event however, I made an exception in hopes that it being a social experiment that the kinds of people it would attract would be of a better caliber than you find at most Gay DC events. And based on the reports I had read there was lots of mingling going on at the previous events.

How singularly focused Gay news reports can be. When Miriam and I arrived it was quite crowded but we found a table and sat down. It was apparent after about 15 minutes that the Gays and Lesbians in the bar were in large groups together and not commingling with their fellow Guerillas. Carl, one of the co-founding members of this event did introduce himself to us and spoke to us for all of 1 minute before some friends of his came by and that was the end of that. He immediately forgot that we were sitting right there in front of him.. I kid you not the man was in mid-sentence with us when his friend came up and started talking and he immediately jumped into that conversation and just dropped us.

Miriam and I were both a little stunned but decided to keep a look out for other opportunities to mingle with the people there. This proved unfruitful as everyone we attempted to speak too either turned around and walked away as soon as they saw us open our mouths to say something or they would say hello then quickly walk away. The most we got spoken to was by people who wanted the extra chairs at our table. About halfway into the evening Miriam said to me that she could understand completely why I boycott Gay DC if this is the way the social functions are. It was nice to see that somebody not part of the Gay community could also recognize the blatant social snobbery at work.

We journeyed to other parts of the bar including the terrace but after being there 2 hours we decided it was time to leave as this event was a total bust. As for the heterosexual population of the bar many left as soon as they realized what was going on and there didn't seem to be many who were showing up period. Me thinks the word got out ahead of time that this bar was our intended target.

Out on the street we were feeling very let down and in the mood to actually do something fun, like go dancing. I suggested that we go to Polyester's because the music there is good and the people are decent.

So that's where we went and we had the best time dancing our hearts out until 2 AM. The door fee was a bit pricey but it was open bar on all single cheap liquor drinks so we took advantage of this. We were quite tired and tipsy by the time we left and got back on the Metro.

We had even more fun being tired, tipsy, and insanely silly. The other people in the train were quite amused as were we. Instead of splitting up at our individual stops I rode with her to her stop then she drove me all the way to mine. I didn't get home until after 3AM, and having washed the biggest of the bar smoke off of me I am now ready to collapse into bed.

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2004

Pre-Birthday Otaku Goodness

My birthday present to myself finally arrived! Which was a good thing as I was in a down mood today. I am now the proud owner of a very rare classic Anime soundtrack. The one, the only, Project A-ko 4 Final Soundtrack!!! I ordered it almost a month ago from a vendor I know in Japan who at long last located a copy of it. Years I have waited for this illusive soundtrack, and what makes it even better is that it included the ultra hard to find miniature Robo A-ko figurine! The CD was sold together with this figurine way back in 1989 in very limited numbers.

I am very happy about this. I had the CD shipped to my office so I listened to it on my way home. It is so very beautiful. The only thing that pisses me off though is that all of the instrumental tracks have annoying dialogue and sound effects overlays. I would say the majority of these tracks are just instrumental but the amount of dialogue that has been added to them completely detracts from their full listening quality.

Over all I am very pleased and am loving this CD a lot. Though unfortunately I discovered the other Project A-ko CDs I bought a few years ago from a private seller in California were VERY cleverly made bootlegs. Unlike typical Anime CD bootlegs, these were sold as originals and of course had all the proper identifying logos and product codes. Even the CDs themselves have silver undersides which is usually only found with official pressings. Most bootlegs are gold. It is the quality of the liner inserts that reveals the truth about these CDs though and the way the ink didn't print very well on each disc. I had suspected that they were bootlegs for some time but had this confirmed when I bought a duplicate of one of them from a trusted vendor. Sure enough the one from my vendor had inserts of a much higher quality.

TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2004

Headlines, Hangovers, and Hard Asses

What a day it has been. I get in this morning to see the breaking headlines that one of my favorite singers, Linda Ronstadt has been thrown out of a casino! You read right. And my brother says that the artists I like are dying acts. Apparently Linda was about to perform her hit song, Desperado, as the closing of her act. Before doing so however, she started praising Michael Moore and his new movie Fahrenheit 9/11. She called him a "great American patriot" and "someone who is spreading the truth" and encouraged the audience to go see the film.

Well, this caused the right wing nutterists in the crowd, only about 25%, to start booing and carrying on like a bunch of rednecks at a tailgate party. These hooligans stormed out of the concert ripping posters off the walls and tipping over trashcans and carts in their wake.

The hotel manager, who is English, was so pissed off that he threw Linda out of the casino and has said that she will never play there again so long as he is manager. According to this man, what she did ruined a perfectly good evening and offended the guests. Um, excuse me, since when is 25% of the people at a concert become the majority of all the guests staying at a hotel!?!?

In response to all this Michael Moore had the following to say to the manager of the hotel:

"For you to throw Linda Ronstadt off the premises because she dared to say a few words in support of me and my film, is simply stupid and Un-American." He says that Linda is owed an apology and suggested the following as a way to make it up to her: "Invite her back and I'll join her in singing 'America the Beautiful' on your stage. Then I will show 'Fahrenheit 9/11' free of charge to all your guests and anyone else in Las Vegas who wants to see it."

I had to howl at that. And I couldn't agree more. I'd love to see that show if it ever happened.

And as if things couldn't get any more amusing, a gentleman from the Department of the Air Force showed up at my office to investigate a former employee. Well the only competent person on staff (sad to say) who could answer this gentleman's questions was our VP. And it just so happens he took one of his random power lunches this afternoon which in reality turned out to be a drink-a-thon with the company secretary. That poor dude from the Air Force was waiting for an hour and a half before he finally left and then came back 30 minutes later. The VP still wasn't back yet which caused the man to exclaim, "You're kidding me!?!" when I told him. When our VP did finally come back, quite potted, he looked horribly embarrassed as he led this man into the conference room and talked with him.

About an hour or so after Mr. Air Force was gone, the VP staggered out of the office, gave me a Verizon commercial peace sign and left for the day. I was thoroughly shocked as well as highly amused. I so need to get the Hell out of this place. Which reminds me, I have an interview set up at Jenn's company on Monday.

And speaking of my interview, I had to unfortunately sell my soul to Banana Republic this afternoon in order to have a decent pair of dress pants to wear to my interview. My office is VERY causal which means I wear jeans to work everyday. And because I've lost so much weight none of my old dress pants fit anymore. *Sigh*

And last but not least I had a very unpleasant e-mail when I came home this afternoon. I had bought a rare sealed Juice Newton LP from this woman on ebay who improperly packed the damn thing when she shipped it, which resulted in its getting bent in two and thus being ruined completely. I was quite pissed and demanded a refund, which she refused to give me because I hadn't purchased insurance on the item. I fired off a moderately bitchy e-mail back to her telling her disgusted I am with her. Worse still, the damn bitch didn't even leave me feedback for the item when I paid for it IMMEDIATELY after the end of the auction. Grrrrr

WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2004

Materialistic Woes

I saw on ebay today that somebody was selling all 18 of the Japanese DVD volumes of Cat's Eye. Best of all they had the special limited edition boxes to house the DVDs in. These boxes were only issued to those who preordered the series. They were selling the whole lot for about $200. I wanted to bid on it so badly. Technically I could have afforded it but I need to finish updating my wardrobe and paying things like my speeding ticket.

This made me very sad. The last time I looked at the auction it looked like someone had bid on the set. The series isn't that well known here and usually Cat's Eye stuff doesn't sell well on ebay. Oh, well...

In other irritating news, I had to sell my soul to Banana Republic in order to get a pair of dress pants for my interview. I searched EVERY store in the mall and that carried Dockers only to find that either (a) they were sold out of my size and (b) the pants were cut so fucking baggy they looked like they were made for greasy, stick-thin high school kids applying for their first job waiting tables. After an hour I gave up and upon entering BR I found a pair of black dress pants that were tight fitting and becoming. Too bad they were TWICE THE PRICE of a single pair of Dockers. I only bought the one pair and am hoping I can find a cheaper alternative and fast.

THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2004

Rediscovering Bonnie Tyler

So last night I popped in my Bonnie Tyler Super Hits CD cause I wanted something different to listen to. I bought this CD a few years ago because I liked some of her songs though it was missing a couple. I remember the first time I listened to it I was like, "Eh, it's OK."

OMG! What a difference a second listen can make! I was completely rocking along to this CD and loving every minute of it. I took it with me to work and have been listening to it most of the day.

At lunch I decided to do a search on Ms. Tyler and discovered that yes she has an official website AND that she is still recording. Apparently she was a huge success in Europe and still is, wheras here she only had a few charting hits.

I am poor now but intend to buy some of her other works as I can. I love her deep, powerfull, husky vocals. And the driving rock beats of the songs are great. Mike is a happy boy.

In other happy news I took the What Color Crayon Are You? quiz on Quizilla and here is what I discovered:

You are the Crayon Box. You have a multicolor
personality. You mix well with all the other
colors because there's a small part
of every color inside you.

Pretty nifty huh? "You have a multicolor personality" I like the sound of that...

FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2004

Megazone 23 Part II

Well my DVD copy of ADV's release of Megazone 23 Part II, which I preordered, has finally arrived and I have just finished viewing. If it's one thing I can say about ADV and their mistakes it's that they are consistent with them. The same mistranslations and non-attention to detail is just as present in this release as it is in Part I, which I reviewed back in May. With the exception of any re-colorizing to the footage (That was unique to Part I only) all of the other things I complained from the first DVD are here. Though I must admit that the coloring and restoration of the footage is actually quite good, and not as distorted as Part I. Though I am still very annoyed that they edited the Japanese credits out and put only English language credits up instead.

I was very pissed off at the mistranslation of the subtitle of the film. The full Japanese title of the film is "Megazone 23 Part II: Himitsu Ku•da•sa•i." The later part translates as "Please Tell Me The Secret." It is a very tricky translation but having done hours of research and translation of it myself several years ago, I determined that "Please Tell Me The Secret" is the correct translation. ADV decided the less-than-accurate and nonsensical "Please Give Me Your Secret" was how it should read. This subtitle by the way is not only the title to the film but also the title and main lyric of Eve's featured song.

I could slightly forgive the "Your Secret" part on the grounds of intention, but not the word "Give." It isn't grammatically correct. You don't "give" a secret you "tell" it. And what their idiot translators fail to appreciate is that Japanese is a language of intention. There are very few absolute English translations of Japanese words and characters. It is all about derived meaning and context. Take "Himitsu Ku•da•sa•i" for example. The direct, literal translation is "Secret Please." But because the "Kudasai" part is written with the breaks in it, it takes on additonal meaning. Only when you break it down into its subcomponents and translate those that you discover it's full meaning. If you actually listen to the song and not the way in which the words are song with deliberate pauses, and not just translate the written lyrics, you discern the correct and full meaning of their use.

I get so frustrated with shit like that. ADV is notorious for those kinds of mistakes or over simplifications in the translations of other titles they have released. In some cases it is an obvious chop job, of hasty translation and just lack of care for accuracy. They seem to operate using the "Ballpark" method: close enough is good enough.

The mistakes aside I did enjoy the film and it is nice to have Part II on DVD. I am seriously considering tracking down the Japanese DVDs an creating my own homemade, personal DVD set with correct translations and full, uncut footage. Though that will be very time consuming and costly. I don't have the money, time, and computer system with which to do that at the moment. Perhaps one day...

For those of you curious to see just how drastically the character designs and style changes are between Parts I and II, here are some comparison stills of the four main characters:

Eve Tokimatsuri - Part I Design	Eve Tokimatsuri - Part II Design
Shogo Yahagi - Part I Design	Shogo Yahagi - Part II Design
Yui Takanaka - Part I Design	Yui Takanaka - Part II Design
B.D. - Part I Design	B.D. - Part II Design

MONDAY, JULY 26, 2004

Interview

Today I had my interview at Jenn's company. It is a very nice place with a beautiful, colorfully decorated interior and very clean. Plus EVERYONE has an office. That's right, not cubes, offices. Though I'm not sure if I'd have to share with someone if I get the job. Hope not. Either way I could easily see myself at this place.

The interview itself went very well. My interviewer and prospective boss was very nice and friendly. He cut right to the chase with his questions. It was a good and bad experience. Good in that we finished in 15 minutes and all the important ground was covered. Bad in that there was almost no room to BS or enhance. I got a bit nervous, but over all think I did OK.

Afterwards I visited D. She only works 2 blocks away from this place, another perk. She wasn't feeling well so we had to cancel our plans to celebrate her birthday by eating Chinese food and watching (and laugh at) Cat Woman. We will have to go see it another time. Plus her gift hasn't arrived yet. I have a feeling it will be arriving today, but seeing as how I had it mailed to my office (and I took the day off) that won't do me any good.

I still got to spend some time with her though. After she was home from work I drove over and had some ice cream with her and we talked for a while. It was lots of fun but I got in so very late. Am very sleepy and ready for bed. Later.

TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2004

Too Damn Tired

I am just too damned tired to write much of anything. I didn't fall asleep last night until about 2:30 AM and didn't sleep well (as usual).

I am so feeling it today. I barely got anything done and having had yesterday off my whole sense of time and balance is off. I think I will call it an early night tonight. With any luck I'll be more awake tomorrow.

One bit of good news before I head off though, my friend IMed me this afternoon and told me that her colleague that interviewed me stopped by her office to tell her that he really liked me and enjoyed my interview. Am trying not to get my hopes up but I may just have a new job really soon.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2004

Samantha Sang Is Coming Back!!!

Yes, you read right. Call up every Gay man with a disco addiction you know because it's time to boogie once more!

I was doing an image search today on Google on the divine Samantha Sang to see what I could find and discovered that she FINALLY has an official website and that she is starting to reactivate her career! Best of all she has released a new 2 CD set that contains all the tracks from her 3 long since extinct albums!

Of course I placed an order for this CD immediately. Hopefully it will get here soon, I can hardly wait! It's not every recording she's ever done but 85% of them so I'm not complaining! Plus it has SO many songs I simply adore and have only had on vinyl until now! Mike is a very happy Gay man!

I read on the site that she is planning to reissue her three albums individually on CD in the future as well. I am so excited! She's only touring in Melbourne, Australia for now but who knows what could happen in the future.

FRIDAY, JULY 30, 2004

Here Kitty, Kitty....

In celebration of D's birthday we went and saw Cat Woman. It has been a long and stressful week for both of us and we seriously needed the laugh.

Over all the film was not as bad as the reviews made it out to be. Though Ms. Halle's open toed platforms were very unbelievable. Had she been wearing different shoes it would have been more realistic. Though the cats resuscitating her with their kitty breathe was also a bit of a stretch too...

Anyways, we enjoyed the film. It wasn't as laughable as we had hoped but not painful to sit through. Halle Berry and Sharon Stone did an outstanding job performing their roles. One of the big problems with the film was the poor plot and discontinuity. No mater how great the actors are a bad script will kill everything.

There were also many scenes from the trailers missing in the film. I am hoping they will release an extended edition DVD. I will definitely buy it... on ebay that is... for cheap. That way I can have a party and play the movie with the sound muted and have my drunken guests make up their own dialogue. It is a very good film for that.

On a side note, I spotted that Sharon Stone's character in the end of the film as sporting an outfit straight out of busty Anime super heroine Cutey Honey's closet. Look at the stills below. The resemblance is too close to be mere coincidence. And Honey has been around since the seventies, so I'm pretty certain of the imitation factor. It may not be exact but it's close enough.

Sharon Stone From The Film Cat Woman	Cutey Honey