1. Comment on this post.
2. I will give you a letter.
3. Think of 5 fictional characters and post their names and your comments on these characters in your LJ.

meimi kindly gave me J, I think I know why too. Oddly though, this was harder than it seemed. I'm surprised she didn't give me A or something (I can think of a bunch there)

1. Jade Curtiss - Heh, he should be obvious enough, I only have what, 5 icons with him? Yeah, I adore the old sarcastic Colonel, probably because I have a good amount in common with him. Plus the fact that he's damn hot and one of the few video game characters older than me is a nice bonus. Now why can't I find a real single man with his brain and looks?

And according to wolfram003, I'm scarily like him even when not RPing him.

2. Jay the Unseen - One of the few Legendia characters I actually like. Jay making fun of Moses was definitely quite fun. Can't say much more sadly, it's been too long since I played Legendia.

3. Junta - Main character from DNA^2. He has probably one of the funniest quirks I have seen in an anime. Whenever he sees a girl in tight clothing or stuff like that, he ends up throwing up. Needless to say, he isn't overly popular with women, and this leads to many funny moments.

4. Jareth the Goblin King - From Labyrinth, definitely a classic one there, and well he's probably the most awesome character in the movie.

5. Julian Alexander - Well, had to include someone from one of my favorite series of books. He's the hero of Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Though that one isn't my favorite in the series (Seize the Night and Dream Chaser are my favorites), it was interesting. Julian was trapped in a book only to be released by women wanting him as a sex slave. Have to admit, I love the premises for Sherrilyn Kenyon's books, the hero and heroine usually end up meeting in some rather strange circumstances, makes things interesting.

Argh, this is so hard with my tiny little friends list! But here goes:

1. There are 30 questions.
2. Next to each number, write only the name of the person who fits.
3. Answer one question with one name.
4. Don't tell the questions to anyone who isn't doing the meme.

( Dang this was hard!Collapse )

On an unrelated note, Google's new browser is awesome, am posting this from it now. All it needs is some more ability to customize how tabs open and work and it would replace one of my currents in a heartbeat. But for now I am all too happy to have it be yet another LJ window so I don't pull the stunt of accidentally posting as the wrong RP journal and to run pages that can kill my memory (I'm looking at you gmail and yahoo games)

I know I sure don't post often outside of memes, but really just want to get this rant off my chest

( Rant about the stupidness of the place I liveCollapse )

And now a meme which is totally stolen from wolfram003

Go to my userpics (or simply click here if you're lazy) and then pick:

1. Your favorite.
2. Your least favorite.
3. One that makes you automatically think of me.
4. One that you think I should TOTALLY use more often.
5. One that you don't get/needs more explanation/you have no idea why the hell I have it.

Comment with a fandom and I'll tell you my:

One True Pairing Ship:
Canon Ship:
"If this happens I'll stab my eyes out with a spork" Ship:
"You are one sick bastard" Ship:
"I dabble a little" Ship:
"It's like a car crash" Ship:
"Tickles my fancy but not sold just yet" Ship:
"Makes no canon sense but why the Hell not" Ship:
"Everyone else loves it but I just don't feel it" Ship:
"When all is said and done" Ship:

If there are one or more people on your friends list who make your world a better place just because they exist, and who you would not have met (in real life or not) without the Internet, then post this same sentence in your journal.

Let's see, this probably applies to most of my friends list, you guys rock.

Stolen from ray_of_tales

( If you really want to see how much of an old gamer geek I amCollapse )

This one comes from miken_chan

1. Reply to THIS post, and I will select four or five of your userpics that I like.
2. Make a entry and talk about the icons I have chosen.
3. Other people will then comment on your entry and you will do the same as I have done for you.
4. Thus creating a NEVER ENDING of icon squee.

And here's the icons she chose



Picked it up from a random icon post aurons_fan made. I love the image itself, probably one of the best Asch images that can actually even be used on the Tales forum since it's in a doujin (I think it's the DNA Media Abyss Anthology volume 3).



One of the few I had on the Tales forum and brought here. It was made by Rein for one of the page celebrations in the Graphic. I'm thinking it was 600 pages? It was funny I submitted a Cantabile render and a Guy render for gifts and I ended up getting a Cantabile icon and Cantabile sig, both are truly awesome though.



This one has been among my userpics ever since I started using LJ again. It's just funny, I love Guy, and saying something like that is just so like me. It's by higherandhigher and I actually don't think that user is making icons anymore, or is doing it under a different name now if I recall right.



A recent addition, I actually haven't used it for a post or comment yet. I was just trying to get something in for all the Abyss pairings I like, and since Frings and Cecille is one, picked this one because it was the prettiest of the icons I saw for it. It's made by nocturnalites



Yay, one by me! I admit, it's pretty simple and took me maybe 5 minutes to make. I had just scanned the whole doujin this one was from and thought I should make an icon of the cover since it's pretty and had Jade, who can resist Jade? All I did was crop, resize and put in a few smudged wave distortions and maybe a coloring effect. So about 5 layers in total when you consider my average for sigs, that IS simple, my sigs on average have over 20 layers and my avatars on average have 10 or more.

Taken from miken_chan

Leave a comment and I will:
a) tell you why I friended you
b) associate you with something - fandom, a song, a colour, a photo, etc.
c) tell you something I like about you
d) tell you a memory I have of you
e) ask something I've always wanted to know about you
f) tell you my favorite user pic of yours
g) in return, you must post this in your LJ

What's the last thing you wrote?

First two scenes of my Abyss AU fic

Was it any good?

It's nothing truly awesome, but it's not bad. Sadly, it's just filler to get to my next major plot point, but I was having fun writing from some different viewpoints (Ion's is funny to write from)

What's the first thing you ever wrote that you still have?

I lost everything I wrote in high school, so it would be Tales of the Inn

Write poetry?

No, because I suck at it

Angsty poetry?

Obviously not

Most fun character you ever wrote?

I admit it, I love writing Jade, I find him to be one of the most fun to write, but oddly, I seem to do best at writing him while at work. I still don't get that at all.

Most annoying character you ever wrote?

Right now my biggest bane is Tear, and sadly she is around a lot because I pair her with Jade.

Best plot you ever wrote

Coolest plot twist you ever wrote?

My coolest one is still only in my head. Two of my readers have heard what it will be from me and said it's quite awesome, but I can't reveal it yet.

Next best one is coming up in a few chapters, again, can't reveal.

So of ones already written, I would have to put it as a tie between Chapter 17 of my Au and Nightmarish Realities

How often do you get writer's block?

Not very often actually

How do you fix it?

It usually will go away on its own.

Do you type or write by hand?

I write mostly at work, and since I can't get caught typing things while on a call, I usually write by hand first, then type it up later. Now that I found someone who can forward a file to my home email, I can type at work at least.

Do you save everything you write?

Considering I lost a lot of old work, its surprising for me to say that I do. I actually lost all that old work while moving because it wasn't deemed good enough to type and post somewhere, or if it was, I don't recall where it was posted and my old pen names.

Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it?

Nope, never.

What's your favourite thing that you've written?

A scene that I can't share yet that had me crying like crazy. Sadly, it's for nearly the end of my AU (finally know exactly where in the plot it will happen though)

What's everyone else's favourite thing that you've written?

Going off read to review ratio, Nightmarish Realites is the favorite.

Going off sheer amount of reads and reviews either my AU or my post game Abyss fic

I admit, my AU has an advantage of being updated regularly for a year and having 32 chapters though.

Do you ever show people your work?

All the time, the only things I haven't shown people aren't finished yet.

Who's your favourite constructive critic?

Well, besides my wonderful beta, darkangel, I would have to say Aelph. She's just awesome with her long posts in the Writer's Guild detailing what needs improvement and then going on for just as long with what you did well. Most of the time you get one or the other, not both, and definitely not in the amount of detail she gives.

Did you ever write a novel?

If 300+ pages in word for one fanfic doesn't count as having written a novel, though I can never publish it, I don't know what does. I also did win NaNoWriMo in 2007.

Have you ever written fantasy, sci-fi, or horror?

Fantasy, yes, the others, no.

Ever written romance or teen angsty drama?

I love writing romance! It's my favorite genre. No teen angsty drama that I'm aware of, though I love writing angst and tragedy.

What's one genre you have never written, and probably never will?

Probably horror. I just dislike things that are scary for the sake of being scary.

How many writing projects are you working on right now?

Let's see, 2 on going fanfics, still have 9 prompts to finish for 12_fics and I have some other stuff to start involving new characters for a gaming system my roommate is writing now. It's funny, one of the characters is a lot like Jade, but is a vampire. His partner reminds me of Tear, but substitute a love for creepy things instead of cute things and make her a faerie.

Do you want to write for a living?

I would love to!

Have you ever written something for a magazine or newspaper?

Have you ever won an award for your writing?

The Illusion that is Life won a prize in K'Arthur's writing contest back in October. Wanderlust did make it as a finalist in Lady Usada's replica love contest, and considering my suckiness in writing Luke not bad at all.

Ever written something in script or play format?

This this and this.

What is your favourite word?

Squishy, it just sounds so awesome!

Do you ever write based on yourself?

At times I do base writing on my own experiences especially if a character has a personality that matches mine to some degree. But otherwise, no. They may have a few traits like me, but that's only because those tend to be traits that fit the character.

Which of your characters most resembles you?

Honestly, many characters have some trait that is within my own personality. For instance, at times I have Jade's sarcastic wit and brain, but I also can have Asch's quick temper and stubbornness.

But none of my characters currently resemble me too much, they just share a trait or two with me.

Where do you get ideas for your characters?

In lots of random ways, but honestly, most of my characters aren't truly mine, though I tend to put a unique spin on characters for fanfics. But I put so much into characters that I never can describe them in just a few sentences, because they have vivid personalities.

Do you prefer happy endings, sad endings, or cliff-hangers?

I love writing cliffhangers best. Anyone who has read a multi-chaptered work of mine likely can tell I enjoy them, considering that I will end a chapter before I planned to just to get a good cliffie in.

Reading, I prefer bittersweet. I consider something that makes me feel emotion to be good writing, and happy endings tend to not make me feel as much as a sad one, but I like it when the characters end up happy in the end in some way, so I like bittersweet, because it's usually happy, but there is a hint of sadness also, but you know the characters will be okay after the ending.

And yes, I plan a bittersweet ending for my AU. No ambiguity either. Not saying anything more.

Have you ever written anything based on an artwork you've seen?

Not intentionally.

Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?

While typing, yes, though I also don't catch typos sometimes since what I use for typing at work either doesn't have a spell check or doesn't have the nice custom dictionary my copy of Word does, so I usually run a spell check once I paste it all in.

Grammar, not as much so. I want to get the important stuff right, like capitalizing, periods, etc. But semicolons at times give me trouble. What I actually have the most trouble with isn't related to grammar however.

Ever write something entirely in chatspeak?

I can't even write normally in chatspeak, so nope.

Does music help you write?

Yes, because silence drives me insane.

Are people surprised and confused when they find out you write well?

No, they actually aren't in the least bit surprised usually. My co-workers know I write, though none of them have read my stuff, they just see me writing in my notebook. Anyone who has read my writing knows me online.

Quote something you've written.

I'm horrible at picking good quotes, so I'll just quote some funny lines from characters:

“At least he’ll be useful to you now. You wanted him dead, Sync. I never found dead bodies to be all that useful, well except for attracting rats and flies.” - Amzingly, it's Guy saying this.

“It’s Rose! R-O-S-E, Rose!” Dist whined.
“It’s good to see your spelling skills aren’t lacking.” Jade commented.

“So, who’s been bullying you lately? Or did you just run into a pole?” Jade asked.
“I did not run into a pole! Not like it’s any of your business what happened!” Dist whined some more.
“Give the bully my regards then,” Jade told him. “Now, what are you doing here?”

I so love exchanges between Jade and Dist

If anyone really cares, I went ahead and made a journal where I can actually post stuff related to my writing. Because honestly, a lot still on my friends list likely don't care except the folks who were recently added.

Feel free to friend it if you actually want to read it. Just realize, I know I'm not in the least bit normal in my tastes of what I write, and I will probably spam like crazy as I try to get everything that I have on here, well everything that isn't totally discontinued, that will stay on ff.net if not end up deleted.

Anyway, if interested here's the profile: http://ladynadiad-fics.livejournal.com/profile

Though there likely will be a new tidbit added soon, since I'm in the middle of a cute one for 12_fics

Now, one nice thing is that I will post stuff here that I won't necessarily post anywhere else. However, I do promise to at least mark entries well so if there is no interest in my weirdness, no need to read it (especially if I actually do get around to writing the NC-17 Jade x Tear fic that keeps going on in my head)

This is something that I think we all learned in maybe preschool, but why does it seem so many adults cannot do something as simple as follow directions?

Anyone who knows me well enough knows how much I hate repeating myself, and it gets annoying when you tell someone to type something in three times and its still not done correctly.

Makes me wonder why I bother talking some days when its obvious no one cares to listen and will just do whatever they want anyhow.

And yeah, another fun day at work and another joyous call that would have been shorter if the customer listened to what I said.

Found out I can actually get away with accessing LJ at work (it actually comes up, unlike some sites), while I can't type an update while on a call, doesn't mean I can't type a few sentences while waiting for something to come in, and since its getting towards the end of the night, I now have some time to kill.

So I figure I will try to type a few things every now and then at least while waiting for calls, even if its silly stories of the joys of tech support.

For those who don't know, I now do tech support for Verizon DSL. So if anyone on here actually uses Verizon as their ISP and ever needs to call tech support, you have perhaps maybe a 1 in a thousand or more chance of getting me as you tech :)

And a few things I will never understand while working here is two types of annoying customers:

1. The rude customer - this is the one that feels the need to argue about everything you are doing. Makes me wonder why they bother calling if they don't want really want to cooperate. Honestly, if you don't want to do what the tech asks you to do, your problem won't be solved, so why bother calling? It just wastes both of our time.

2. The know it all - These are always fun, but require me really to keep my mouth shut. This is the one that thinks they know everything and will go on and on about what certifications they have and what the know. But the question here is, if they know everything, and are calling for more than just information like what is our POP3 server address, why are they calling if they truly know everything? I so want to say "If you know everything, you wouldn't be calling me then". The best is when they go on the long tirade about their numerous certifications and then they get connected after removing a DSL filter from the modem (which the installation specifically says not to put one on it, but half the customers seem to do so anyhow).

Now, I do honestly see those who know a lot about computers, and you can tell which ones those are, they don't brag, but they give you the information you actually need to get them online quickly again. I also can understand being upset because you have been getting the run around, I am learning well about how techs love to pawn people off on other techs (doesn't matter where you call, if they can pawn you off on somewhere else, they will), but being rude is just going to cause the tech to hang up on you and you will still not be connected to the internet.

I swear, the more I do jobs that involve my working with people, the less I seem to understand why they feel a need to act in ways that honestly are only going to cause them to be more upset in the long run. It just seems like a waste of time to me, but then what do I know?

Thought I would give the news that I do have a job again, of course pending background check and drug test (which shouldn't be an issue).

Going to be doing technical support, so I am now happily out of retail finally!

Of course, on my way home in between interviews, I got my first ever speeding ticket, oh joy.

As the topic states, am feeling in a mood to rant about people in general, specifically pathetic people, its behind a cut for those who honestly don't care

( if you really want to read one of my rants, don't say I didn't warn youCollapse )

I. What does the name say on your birth certificate? Not getting my middle name that easily :)
II. What is the name that all your friends call you by? Becky
III. What day of the year do you blow out the candles? November 5th when I actually get cake with candles
IV. Which country authorized your passport? don't have one yet, but will be the United States when I get one
V. What are you Zodiac and Chinese signs? Scorpio and Horse
VI. In terms of politics, do you sit on the right or the left? Don't care enough to really even know which I actually am. I likely would fall somewhere in the middle cause from what I recall of what left and right meant, I have some beliefs from each side
VII. Look in the mirror. The color of your hair is what?: Almost brown again, but I can still see a bit of red in there, its now looking more like highlights than my being lazy and not dying it again
VIII. Look in the mirror one more time, what color are your eyes? Mostly green, but a bit of brown mixed in there
IX. Hop on the weighing scales! How far did the number jump past 0?: Don't have a scale around here, but last I checked I was in the higher 120s and getting near 130s, am happy with where I am though as long as I can still fit into all my jeans with no issues
X. Stand up straight! How high up is the top of your head from the ground? truly in between 5'5 and 5'6, so I usually say 5'6


<> Home Sweet Home <>

I. Who are all those other people living in your house? Only other person is Lucas, anyone else around here is just visiting
II. Do you get along with mom or dad better? My dad, cause we have a lot more in common
III. What do your parents friends call them? I don't think any of my friends now even know my parents to call them anything
IV. Any siblings living outside the house? Brother in San Diego, at least last I heard he was still there
V. What's the name of the place you live in currently? Odessa, Texas
VI. You love it there, dont you? Would love it more if I had a job
VII. If you could live absolutely anywhere on the Earth, what locale would you choose? Somewhere that isn't the US
VIII. Out of all those blood related, immediate or other, which single person would you list as your favorite? Would have to say my dad because he's the only one I know decently well and can tolerate, but if my mom is there, my view would change
IX. Who is one you wish you didnt share blood with? If this means so that I did not ever have to be in their presence, would be my mother then, except I did get some favorable traits from her at least
X. Overall, you like moms side of the family more, or dads? Can't say, cause I barely know my dad's side of the family, he and I hold the lack of love for family in common

<> Knowledge Is Power <>

I. First things first, private or public school? Public, cause I came from a upper middle class area where public school was just as good as private, but without the cost (up front at least, my parents sure paid for it in taxes)
II. What's its name? mascot? colors? High school? Hudson High School, the mascot was a silly green Aligator, which made no sense, cause we were the Explorers, colors were blue and white
III. What were the class(es) you could't wait to get to? Any home ec type classes I took, any computer classes I took, and band
IV. How about the class you considered bedtime? English and History, but I usually didn't sleep, I either did homework so I would have more time to play video games when I got home, or I would be writing a story if I had no homework
V. The name(s) of your favorite teachers:
VI. The name(s) of the teacher that put you to sleep: Don't remember her name, but English teacher from 9th grade, except when we were reading Romeo and Juliet and the Oddessy, I enjoyed those books
VII. Are you an English/Art, or a Math/Science person? Both, but it usually depended on the class and what we were studying at that time
VIII. What sports do/have you played: Lacrosse
IX. When the teacher checks the homework, did you usually get a "0" or a "100"? usually did good on homework if it was graded, but that honestly was rare, the teachers just usually cared that you did it
X. If you could change one thing about your school, what would it be?: Really did hate most of the people, it was a school where if you weren't smart, rich, athletic, and involved in the local church, you weren't popular at all, and well since my parents never dragged me to Church, and I was a klutz, and while I like dressing pretty, normally I could care less how I was dressed, need I say much more?

<> Confidentiality & Beliefs <>

I. What's your worst fear? Not much of anything, but I can't stand eight legged creatures
II. Have you ever acted troubled, just to get attention? nope, am more likely to not want to involve others in my problems, which drives some of my friends nuts
III. Do you believe in God? Jesus? Satan? Heaven? Purgatory? A god-like figure yes, the Christian God, no, the rest of it no way
IV. Do you have a secret that you'll take to the grave with you? If I did, I likely forgot it by now, since I cannot seem to think of a thing
V. Have you ever told somebody you loved them, when secretly you didnt at all? As a relationship was fading, yes I have
VI. (Friends, Religion, Politics, Family, Education, & Relationships) Organize the previous six in order of your personal preference in life: Relationships, Friends, Education, Religion, Family, Politics
VII. If you could change one thing about your physical looks, what would it be? Would love to be rid of my belly
VIII. If you could change one thing about your personality, what would it be? my awful temper
IX. Have you ever cried in front of someone, and felt ashamed of it?
X. Have you ever done drugs? Are you on drugs? Do you plan to take drugs? Done drugs, not on them unless you count smoking, and don't plan to take any unless you count smoking

<> The Hills Are Alive With The Sound of Music <>

I. If you had to pick, what's your favorite song of the moment?
II. Do you get most of your music from the internet, or from the store? Usually from the internet, because I don't believe in paying almost $20 for a CD for one or two songs that I like, am indeed appreciative of the ability to download single songs now
III. Even though you can download music, do you still buy cds just because of the cd-case, CD itself, booklet, or just general authenticity?
IV. What lone genre of music do you prefer above all? Video game remixes most definitely!
V. What genre of music would you never be caught dead with? Rap and gospel

<> The Small & Silver Screens <>

I. What's your favorite movie?
II. Generally, what genre of movies do you jump at the oppurtunity to see? (Action, Adventure, Comedy, Horror, Drama, Romance, Science Fiction): Love a well done fantasy movie, but since they are so rare, usually would be romance or sci fi
III. Who is the actress/actor you most admire? honestly don't admire most actresses or actors
IV. Do you cry during/after certain movies? I most definitely have
V. What time of day do you prefer to see movies at (morning, noon, or night): Have gone to midnight showings of new movies just for the experience, but if I am not going to that, I tend to choose to go to the earliest showing of the day on a weekday when kids would be at school, I hate squalling brats whose parents won't keep them quiet and bring them even to movies they should not be seeing
VI. What is the tv show you never miss? Don't watch TV
VII. What is it you like about it so much? see above
VIII. Whats the one tv show you can't stand? see above
IX. Do you think you spend more time watching the television or using the computer? computer most definitely, unless you count playing video games as watching the television, then as of late it would be the TV, cause the ps2 keeps calling to me to play either Xenosaga 1 or 2 (and I have beaten them both, just keep playing cause they are awesome)
X. Do you personally think that you spend too much time watching tv? nope

<> Bon Appetite <>

I. Whats your favorite meal? Anything with fish
II. How about your favorite desert? Cheesecake, plain no fruit or other icky stuff to ruin its taste
III. When only a kid, did you eat your vegetables? yep, except broccoli, my parents couldn't get me to eat that after trying it once, so we made a deal that I could have a small bowl of lima beans instead
IV. Do you still eat vegetables?
V. Are you a poor, average, or excellent cook? average, but definitely creative with what little I have to work with at times
VI. What type of food do you perfer? fish
VII. Salt or pepper? depends on what I am putting it on
VIII. ketchup or mustard? ketchup, cause I hate mustard
IX. Do you prefer going out to breakfast, lunch, or dinner? dinner, but breakfast can be fun too depending on the place, I love pecan waffles with lots of sugar on them :)
X. Do you eat to live or live to eat? eat to live, cause I like keeping my adorable figure

<> All's Fair In Love and War <>

I. Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend/crush? yep
II. Are you in love? Or are you using them? in love
III. Do you find most of the time you dislike the people that like you and vice versa? yep
IV. In terms of relationships, are you loving or manipulative? Loving
V. Do you live to love? or would you rather love to live? live to love
VI. Do you believe that sex should come before or after marriage? before, as a friend of mine put it, you should try it before you buy it
VII. Do you plan to marry, if so at what age? yes, and whenever someone gets around to asking me
VIII. Do plan to have children, if so how many? however many come, would like no more than 3 though
IX. Are your parents married or divorced? married
X. Do you want to have a big, spactacular wedding with everyone you know invited or a small, traditional, get-together?: I admit, I would love a big fairytale wedding, but I know the honest truth would be whatever can be afforded, as I don't know how much my parents will be able to help with it (they have joked they would spend as much for my wedding as they did theirs, they got married by a justice of the peace, need I say more). I can say for sure that it won't be totally traditional and my dress would not be white, I am thinking a nice blue, or red (if red, the dress will be in a japanese style, as I would be doing it because their brides wear red, not white)

Definitely amusing

The Lovely Heroine
-
Required: brunette hair, heart-shaped face,
sweet smile. Must have basic knowledge of
White Magic (on-the-job training will be
provided). Must also be willing to gradually
fall in love with the Hero Without A Past.
CAUTION: There is a guarantee of near-death
experiences inherent in this job, with a 1-in-4
chance of actually dying. You have been
warned.

Examples: Aeris Gainsborough, Rinoa Heartilly,
Princess Garnet Til Alexandros, Yuna


A Final Fantasy Casting Call
brought to you by Quizilla

South Korean Man dies after 50 hour Computer game Marathon

For all those US folks who also smoke and enjoy a nice smoke in a car, this might concern you, even if you don't live in or near New Jersey

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20050725034209990010&ncid=NWS00010000000001

Don't see where the issue is with smoking while driving, its like the radio, once you get the hang of lighting up a smoke while driving, there is little distraction at all, and for shorter drives, most people light up before they start driving anyhow.

I know this much, I would have been annoyed in my past few long trips if I had been unable to smoke in my own car. Having to stop every few hours does not make things any easier, and on my most recent trip, places to stop were quite minimal. So I really hope this doesn't go outside of New Jersey.

Computer is basically set up and I now have internet (however we don't have net at our place, but the computer is set up elsewhere, it will work for now).

Got up at 6pm as planned. The car was mostly packed up, I just had to fill in some space in the backseat and fill up the front seat and get rid of the last of what I could not fit. I estimated this to take about 2 hours, it actually took a bit over 3 hours to accomplish this, so I did not leave until about 9:25 my time and it was already dark, which was not a bad thing, I planned on doing the trip mostly at night anyhow.

The trip itself was mostly boring except for a few things. Right after getting out of San Diego county there is a nasty incline (6% actually, last 9 miles, not too curvy though). After that joy, I had to stop for the first stop at a rest area. Seemed like a good idea, but I have never seen a more foul rest area in my life. Upon going in, in a crack on the wall there was a mouse, I am not kidding, it skittered off upon seeing me. Looking in all the stalls there is not a bit of toilet paper except for that which people left on the floor. So I went outside, was about to consider making use of the men's room to at least find some toilet paper when another group arrives with a male in their group, I warned the girls about the lack and the guy grabbed us some toilet paper. Then when entering the stalls, I found that there were more spiders than the bathroom at my old place had (and I know wolfhound knows how many spiders my old place had, as he heard me turn two into black spots on the wall during a phone conversation). And then when washing my hands, one of the sinks was filled with crickets. Needless to say, I left as quickly as I could and went back on my way.

Got to Yuma and was ecstatic, as that was one state out of my way. I stopped and got gas, even though I had yet to use a half a tank. As I was told that gas would be hard to get at times, and Yuma was a good place to stop, I filled up and got some food, as my stomach was starting to growl a bit.

Around 1 am I started getting sleepy, so I stopped again and rested my eyes for a few. Felt much more refreshed after a few minutes. I ended up getting some cookies from a vending machine and walked around a bit and hit the road again.

After finishing up the first leg of the journey on the 8, stopped for gas, only used half a tank, but better safe than sorry as far as gas goes and I was told Arizona has a lack of civilization. However, Arizona did have a bonus of marking nicely at each exit that did have gas and food how far the next exit that had gas and food was so you can determine if there was a need to stop now or if you could press on.

Around 5:30 am (still going off pacific time, for ease of reference) I felt a need to stop and stretch my legs. Of course, since it was fully light out, and I had been going for a time at 75+ ran into a problem. When I got out, I noticed an orangish fluid coming from the bottom of my car. After having enough issues in the past with leaky cooling system, I knew right away that my car likely tried to overheat again. I lifted the hood, noticed steam coming up from around where I put coolant in. I let the car cool off for a bit with the hood up. After thinking about it and reading over the manual, I decided to just refil the coolant, watch the temperature guage and see what happened from there. As it turned out, it just did that because I went from a good time of high speeds which helped cool things off to nothing real quick, that caused the coolant to boil up and then drip out, there was no problem, I just had to be more careful about stopping, from there out, I turned the heat on when I was going to exit to prevent further issue, since I was low on spare coolant and buying the kind my car uses was going to be hard until I could find a store that actually sells auto parts.

Eventually hit New Mexico, that was a long and boring state amd pretty much had nothing of note other than a lack of civilzation and too many Mexican import stores and few places to stop for gas.

Around 8:30 am I finally hit Texas. I sure was happy at that point, even though I still had a good 300 miles left to go. El Paso was an interesting city, there was actually more cars to dodge and all the roads were a pinkish red color, plus some of the bridges were real neat looking. If I ever drive through there again and have a camera, I will so have to get a few pics of that area, it was neat.

Texas definitely has interesting roads. For one thing, they have posted seperare speed limits for night and day. The major roads have differnt type of names, like there are loops and something there is a FM (still haven't figured that out, will eventually ask about it). There is also oddly enough at some points a specific turn lane for U-Turns, am not kidding, I found one earlier today that I likely will use every day to get to work, it is for the specific purpose of getting over to the other side to get to where I will be working.

Anyway, I arrive a bit past 2pm pacific, 4pm cental, after accidentally passing one street I was supposed to turn on and finding it by the joys of zen navigation. Then I miss the next street as I was past from the location I entered the first street at. Found the street I was to live on okay, but then passed the house. Got there, and my luck was that no one was home. But the door was left open (seems this is such a quiet neighborhood that one can do that with no worries, just as long as its closed but not locked, as a wide open door is an invite to bugs. So I bring in a few things and find the bedroom that looks to be mine and decide to take a nap. Eventually my roommate arrives and shows me around the street and introduces me to a few folks.

I ended up going to bed early and then today I went exploring a bit and found the Wal-Mart again so I could pick up a few things, like some food and such. I also unpacked the car a bit more. Once some folks arrived I got my computer set up and now have net access again.

So far I think its pretty nice. Things definitely cost a lot less out here, there is pretty much no traffic to speak of and its nice and quiet and not as hot as I was expecting, there is actually a nice breeze. Also everyone here seems nice and friendly, of course I am a new female gamer to the area, and male gamers tend to be nice and friendly to females willing to game.

Anyway, in about an hour I got game to go to. So I am going off to take a shower and get ready. Game is at our place, so no worries about getting there at least :)

Arrived safely to Texas and had myself a nap,willhave a bit more of an update once my computer is unpacked

For those who know or care, going to be leaving for Texas here soon. I am about to unhook the computer and the last few things just need to be packed.

Will leave a message when I have arrived safe and sound.

1. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
2. Am I lovable?
3. How long have you known me?
4. When and how did we first meet?
5. What was your first impression?
6. Do you still think that way about me now?
7. What do you think my weakness is?
8. Do you think I'll get married?
9. What makes me happy?
10. What makes me sad?
11. What reminds you of me?
12. If you could give me anything what would it be?
13. How well do you know me?
14. When's the last time you saw me?
15. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?
16. Do you think I could kill someone?
17. Describe me in one word.
18. Do you think our friendship is getting stronger, weaker, or staying the same?
19. Do you feel that you could talk to me about anything and I would listen?
20. Are you going to put this on your livejournal and see what I say about you?
21. If I was an ice cream flavour, which would I be and why?
22. What song (if any) reminds you of me?
23. If you could change one thing about me, what would it be?
24. Do you consider me a good friend?
25. What makes me, me?
26. Would you make a move on me?
27. Do I cross your mind at least 2 times a day?

For those who might be concerned, my internet connection has been dead since at least last night, and still is dead, I am currently borrowing the phone line and using AOL dialup to even leave this message so some do not worry

wolfhound if you still plan on calling me tonight and I am not online, you can call anytime between 3am and 6am my time, which is around 6pm to 9pm your time if I am recalling correctly the time difference, since likely no one else will be up, I will pick up the phone between those times.