if i had one more chance...

Konoha Mall... I want to go there

unjaundiced — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 05:25:21 GMT

I haven't posted in like... Ever. I've had a really rough 2013 unfortunately but I would just like to say that I want to go to Okinawa and shop at Konoha Mall.

You heard that.

I'm especially keen to go to the Axes Femme shop. (Buy often and buy responsibly)

The mall is here!

And then go to the Sunshine City one aaaaall the way back in Ikebukuro. X'D

Little dog needs help!

unjaundiced — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 02:41:14 GMT

Life has been a bit of a wreck thus far but I'll update you on that later... Much later. >.>

In the meantime a friend of mine needs a wee bit of help! He's a military veteran who's homeless because the cottage he and his girlfriend rent out is apparently haunted so he doesn't like to go there and suffers from PTSD. He has an adorable little Pomeranian rescue dog that acts as his therapy. He calls the little dog Bob (but Bob's name is actually apparently Aka, lol). Bob got hit by a car on the highway last week and his leg is broken in 2 places and needs pins. My friend can't afford to get the surgery so he and his girlfriend are trying to either raise money to get the surgery or to get Bob's leg amputated. Right now Bob is surviving by being on pain patches.

They started a drive on Gofundme so if you can, any amount would help a lot! Even $1... Bob is stumbling around like a real trooper in his Thunder Shirt these days. Let's get some legs back under that boy!

LET'S HELP BOB!!!

Thanks a lot!

It's a zoo around here! And the hits keep coming...

unjaundiced — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:44:50 GMT

Because I have so many dogs but only one really rascally one, I tend to pay him a lot of attention and write about him more or photograph him more but I still love all my dogs very much. Unfortunately I just don't pay enough attention to all of them which I really regret, especially at times like these.

This kindly gentleman is Hapa. He was the first puppy I officially picked myself and I got him when I started high school. His name means "the vessel which holds the breath of life" if you break down the Hawaiian esoterically. He's been retired from hunting for a couple of years now and life in general. His birthday is May 21 (12 years this year) and he has always been the best of dogs, even when he would jailbreak and run off down the street or chewed up all the slippers. He always came back, always listened, and was always enthusiastic about everything. His puppies were always beautiful and he was always full of joy and so active for an old dog. Sometimes he'd give me skeptical looks at the things I'd do to him but he never judged.

The first time I cried for him was when he was about 6 months old and I saw my dad playing with latex gloves and Hapa trying to take them away. Seeing how white his face was from the powder, I had a glimpse of what he would look like as an old man and it made me so sad.

The second time I cried was when a truck ran him down in someone's yard and I thought I'd have to put him down. Luckily the truck was big enough to roll him over but not drag him and his kneecap was sheared rather than his leg/hip being broken.

The last time I cried for him...

The last time I teared up for him...

Is now.

I had to have Hapa put down Monday morning. We were playing on Sunday and suddenly he wasn't doing well and then lay down and could barely move. Then he started to swell up. My vet thinks he might have had gastric torsion which is basically the stomach turning over which causes bloat and fatality. It can sometimes happen in large breed dogs during play or exercise. The pet hospital fees are too high and they were sending us to another one because their vet was leaving so my dad opted to just wait until morning to have him put down. Poor old boy suffered all night and was hiding in the bushes waiting to die and couldn't even move in the morning when we put him in the crate. He was alert until the end but so so weak. I feel so guilty for his pain.

I've been crying since Sunday night.

It's a zoo around here! ~ Advancement of the Brit Brigade

unjaundiced — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:29:55 GMT

The sky cried on Saturday and sobbed for hours yesterday.

So... Saturday 2 puppies went to new homes and Mama and Papa dog realized yesterday that new visitors did NOT mean new friends and Hermes started trying to block the sidewalk with his body when people started going towards where the puppies were. Fiera sat in the rain with her dejected face once she realized that the people leaving actually did in fact have a puppy with them. What can I do? She doesn't like the puppies suckling at her like crazy and now she's trying to play with them and check on them because she realizes they're being taken away. Last time was a much slower process so it was hard on me but easier on them.

Now I'm down to 3 puppies, 2 of which already are committed to new homes and will be going home in the next couple of weeks. It's Target I'm slightly worried about but having 1 left is easier than having 6 left + 2 girls waiting to go home like we had last time.

In any case, here's the break down. Even though they were born second, this time ladies first.

Here is Peggy Sue. In spite of her sweet looks she's a real bruiser and beats up on all the boys.
She had a human in love with her who let another man take her. Her new humans are kind as well and will spoil her rotten.
I might see her sometimes in the fall~ Her name might be Emily then.

♥

Here is Quatre, our own little model and princess. She loves to dig up everything, even the food she eats.
Her new humans don't live on this island and so she will be with us for a little while longer.
Maybe I will see her again one day when she's older... Probably not.

♥

Here is Renegade who has struggled through so much. She's become a scrappy little bit, unafraid of anything.
Her new humans will be off island hunting this weekend but will be taking her home next week.
I hope her hernia heals well and that she has a long and wonderful life.

I know her new mama is completely infatuated, especially with that face hawk.

♥

Here is Ranger who's a pretty mellow fellow. His new human turns out to be some kind of relative of ours.
I hope he takes him hunting often because Ranger is a good boy and deserves the 1-on-1 attention.
I hope to see him again in the fall~

♥

Here is Mack with his face of many freckles. His new humans are a military Marine family who also have lots of freckles.
He will spend many days playing on the runway and chasing all the egrets.
Maybe I too will see him again in the fall.

♥

Here is Phantom with his Phantom of the Opera mask (which you can't see from this side).
His new humans are a young military couple who will take him hiking lots.
I don't think I will see him again. I hope he is a good boy.

♥

Here is Kir, named after a fire bomb for the march of flames down his back rather than the drink.
His new humans are farmers with 8,500 acres of wide open space to roam in the mountains.
They've invited us to come visit anytime. Maybe I will see him again soon.

♥

Here is Ruger, favored child and named for a gun. He's terribly cuddly and I was sad to see him go.
His new human is in love with Hermes and tries to steal him all the time. Ruger, Hermes, I will have them both.
I may be seeing him again in April if he comes to stay. His new human likes to stop by anyhow.

His new human is a silly excitable fellow who accidentally drove into a bit of a ditch coming to get him because he couldn't wait.
Please don't drive into ditches with Ruger in your car or I may have to beat you.

♥

Here is Target who has not yet found his forever home. He is a cautious little boy and very very sweet.
I hope he finds a home too so I can stop worrying and he can be loved well.

♥

From here on until everyone goes and the nights warm up, this is how we'll spend our evenings...

Curled up together for warmth and security.

Or sprawled out drunken as can be.

♥

And lest I forget, one last video before you go...

Happy Monday to all~♥

When I die...

unjaundiced — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 03:28:08 GMT

I want to be reborn as a puppy.

AND SLEEP ON EVERYONE!!!

Giveaway: NAIL STUFF!!! ~ GIVEN AWAY

unjaundiced — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 07:31:00 GMT

I just annoyed myself by accidentally paying to list stuff on eBay so I need some giving-away therapy! And sorry to all my friends for not being so active online. It's been one thing after another and now my computer won't turn on! *crying all of the tears*

I have WAY too much nail polish so I'm giving away some of it. What I'm giving away will either be new, tested, or more than half full. I have some nail decals as well. :3 Anything to the right of the NXY orangeish-pink nail polish is brand new. only the 2 bottles with the silver tops are almost half used. The rest have been used only a few times. These are all pearlescent because I was really obsessed with that at one point in my life, lol!

I prefer more matte colors now so... TAKE IT AWAY!!!

Colors 1

Shiny Green
Shiny Sky Blue
Shiny White
Milky Pearl
Iced Raspberry
Iced Blueberry
Shiny Slate

Colors 2

Shiny Lilac
Shiny Maroon
Shiny Mint
Shiny Aqua
Orangeish Pink
Shiny Crimson
Shiny Magenta

Colors 3

Milky Evergreen
Pinkish Lilac
Pearl Maroon
Ivory Glitters
Shiny Pinkish Gray

Colors 4

Milky White
UV Neon Pink

And nail decos! If you take them all I'll pop in a few other mystery sheets I have. :D

Random Retro Pack
Halloween Metallics 2x

Halloween Monsters

Retro Diamonds
Retro Mushrooms

I might be sneaking rhinestone packs or stamp molds in with your package if you get a bunch. Jest sayin'!

Is there a Coach fan in the house? Or anyone who's way too into designer goods?

unjaundiced — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 14:59:47 GMT

Yay! I'm alive! Sort of... >.> I'll do a real post later (maybe. probably not) but is anyone familiar with luxury goods like Coach? I've found myself in the uniquely odd situation where I've been Googling random search terms to find out the names of designs of designer sunglasses and handbags... Less fun than it sounds and I know it sounds freakin' AWESOME!

Oh. Does the title sound like I'm giving away some designer brand thing? Er.. I could possibly do this with the right amount of motivation. :D

Zooo Diiiired

unjaundiced — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 10:37:11 GMT

I'm so exhausted.

I feel a lot like this.

ALL THE TIME

Someone save me.

Getting up is hard to do

unjaundiced — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 10:42:34 GMT

Nuff sed.

WARNING Rootkit virus embedded in video via comment spam

unjaundiced — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 00:14:44 GMT

I've gotten a spam-bot post from this bot on another account and I auto-report stuff like that but this is good for anyone else to know. If it's weird looking, it's totes Spam!

Sorry, not Spam (that's packaged meat remnants), I mean spam.

Originally posted by campylobacter at WARNING Rootkit virus embedded in video via comment spam

Lately, I've had to delete about half a dozen spam comments from various entries on my LJ & at other communities. They've all shared a commonality: a single embed & link to a YouTube video in Portuguese titled "Camarate: A confissao de Farinha Simoes" or in English titled "Dying call from prison. Details about Portugal Premier Minister air-crash!"

DO NOT PLAY THE VIDEO.

The video contains a Windows rootkit virus that keylogs your passwords & posts spam using your LJ account, not to mention some other stuff that may be more sinister, all unbeknownst to you.

Known accounts that generate these spammy malware comments:

1310ardfey 108 comments posted
aldovid 98 comments posted
analiseacalo 93 comments posted
bolvul 86 comments posted
golubcavav 98 comments posted
hofmannfuvuw 119 comments posted
jonmeino 95 comments posted
justiczjatu 95 comments posted
mafirusii0 86 comments posted
marowov570 86 comments posted
meratee05250 97 comments posted
milburrujyvy 116 comments posted
millfordiqy 100 comments posted
ngpase 106 comments posted
omne807 98 comments posted
owenddhd 99 comments posted
proplasmoc 92 comments posted
rjwoily 99 comments posted
symanuvawe 80 comments posted
veatorecu 122 comments posted

Let's get LJ admins alerted to this exploit (the more reports, the better!) by following these instructions:
1. Hover your cursor over the little userhead next to the username.

2. In the box that pops up, click the "Ban user" boxes that apply. (Community owners & moderators see the "in my communities" ticky box.)

3. Click the "Report a Bot" link to notify LJ admin of the spam account.

Alternate link to report a bot:
http://www.livejournal.com/abuse/bots.bml

Alternate link to ban a user:
http://www.livejournal.com/manage/banusers.bml

SOURCE: [Warning] Serious rootkit virus spreading in LJ comments by luma_chan

Warn your LJ Friends:

Dark Knight Rises is very dark indeed

unjaundiced — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 18:17:18 GMT

Google/Bing/Yahoo! "the dark knight shooting" if you haven't heard already.

I don't know what kind of motivations a person has to do such a thing or what other people think while it's happening...

Me? Personally I'd have hamstrung the guy and jumped on him while he was reloading or even while firing because it's almost impossible to fire a rifle and pistol at the same time much less behind you, especially if multiple people join in a concerted assault in the dark. If a bunch of people had taken him they could have at least separated him from his weapons or at least got his windpipe which would have completely disabled him. Do people not carry knives and/or blunt and heavy objects ~~in their purses~~ anymore?

But then again, fear is a crippling thing.

The guy should have been nowhere able to legally purchase 6,000 rounds of ammunition from a publicly licensed shop in 60 days. That's well over the legal limit much less a drum magazine at the same time. Plus I am not sure which 4 types of guns he purchased but you can't purchase a civilian assault rifle and assault handgun within 30 days of each other unless you have a special permit. At least... That's the law here. Maybe Denver has way too lax control laws. I'm pretty sure you don't even need a license in New York.

Controversial gun control issues aside, I just want to ask: What kind of theater allows people to bring in bags large enough to carry and conceal both x-amount of pounds of ammunition + two different types of firearms, one of them being an assault rifle, and personal assault-ready body armor AND does not stop said person from roaming the halls dressed in personal assault gear while carrying said weapons as the assumption would be, especially during a very busy midnight show which assumedly, had people standing in line for long periods of time and as such suspicious things could have been noticed and reported. Backpacks aren't even allowed in theaters here. They have to be checked into Concierge. A duffel bag would definitely not fly. Personal oversight? Workers that don't want to confront someone or call the authorities? I think there is more at hand than just the surface issue of "some guy killed a bunch of people in a movie theater".

The worst thing, and the thing that shouldn't be happening, is that people are letting this event control them. That is what terror is. Don't let it win and don't make it change everything.

Some people take movies way too seriously. Some people read too much into too little or not enough into a lot. Either way, change must be conscious and conscientious. A movie and all its images should not be shuttered because of one person's actions that may or may not have been influenced by its message. Thought. This is what the world is missing now.

The irony is that it happened in Aurora (which means dawn).

It's not a language you know or buyers who just don't care

unjaundiced — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 10:23:26 GMT

I don't know if people are ignorant, inattentive, or just trolling me.

I listed some stuff for sale on Yardsellr. The photo I listed shows the manga is all Japanese text on the cover. I wrote "Japanese language" in the listing. I still get the comment: "In English???"

NO!

In Krypton.

Necomimi love

unjaundiced — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 12:02:23 GMT

[Original Japanese site]
This one looks less retarded than the English version.

I want a set of Necomimi (electro-brainwave activate cat ears) except I'd rather have Usamimi or Inumimi... or would that be Ussamimi and Kennomimi... if we're going along with the changing the names of how things are spelt. >.>

They're quite expensive and I've been seeing them around. They're produced by Neurowear and have been popping up on eBay for 2-4x the original purchase price (I should totally buy like 10 and jack up the price on eBay and make myself some moolah) or at conventions. Supposedly they've been released for sale this week in the US but I haven't wandered the mainland US to see this so just take the LA Times and Cassandra Khaw at PCworld's word for it.

I sort of wish you didn't have to wander around with that stupid black electrode on your forehead though. I suppose people could wear a wig to cover it up, but really... >.> Could we at least get a clear or flesh-colored version? Or make it look more cyberish so it could cosplay easier? It looks like you're someone working at a drive-thru window but doesn't actually want to talk to the customers. >.>

In the future I hope they can come up with an independently reacting ear rotor system and variable lift so you can have one ear perking up and on ear down or one ear partially perked or cocked.... This is where the bunny thing would be epic (but possibly too heavy? Too complex?)

They do need to change the power system. It's run by 4 AAA batteries which are costly, difficult to access, and heavy. I know compacted lithium ion batteries have a habit of overheating and exploding, but... Still... Alternative, please? The ears alone are 10 ounces so with the batteries that should put you over 1 pound (at least 0.5kg) which is tremendously heavy for something you're wearing all day. Prepare for headaches, cosplayers of the world!

If a dog disappears in the forest, does he get found?

unjaundiced — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 09:42:35 GMT

HE'D BETTER.

Unless he gets stolen.

Me and my weird fishy cravings...

unjaundiced — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 13:27:58 GMT

Rolled ika... Is dried squid seasoned and preserved with salt and honey ~~andMSG~~ and I am ADDICTED to it. If a specimen of Architeuthis washed ashore (preferably near death because I am in no condition to go toe-to-toe with a giant squid ala 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea or Moby Dick), I would not alert the authorities and/or scientific community... Instead I would ~~bribe~~ convince some people to help me string it up and do all the dirty work while I go to raid all of the bee farms I could find.

Then I could have rolled ika forever.

Rolled Architeuthis... I bet this would taste ~~awful~~ AWESOME!

If some kind of mysterious long-believed-extinct giant cuttlefish washed ashore, that would make me doubly happy! (*w*) Dried roasted cuttlefish... *drool*

And green tea ice cream over green tea shave ice...

And kinako puffs with chichi dango...

And taiyaki ice cream...

*whimpers*

Oh! Canada...

unjaundiced — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 13:14:53 GMT

Happy Birthday, Canada!

You're old!
I also didn't get you anything.
Worst friend ever.

Here's a song about you anyway.

Addicted to the fanart...

unjaundiced — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 12:21:02 GMT

Pivix and zerochan are dangerous places.

They are my drug pushers and the price is a million tabs in my browser.

I should get paid for this.

I can't stop...

*clicks more*

SOMEONE STOP ME!

He's got a lovely bunch of coconuts~♪

unjaundiced — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 22:44:13 GMT

I rarely go to the actual post office unless I need to ~~steal more flat rate boxes~~ mail international first class packages since I print and mail everything at home. Plus I hate the drive and the lines and talking to the same people (I don't even go to a shop or restaurant anymore for a long time once they start remembering me >.>) and the occasional annoying bored toddlers. Though I wouldn't mind annoying the bored toddlers. *innocent*

But every so often, when I get trapped into going to Building o Annoying, I get a little treat.

Like this guy and his coconuts of plenty.

I don't know what the cost is now, but you used to be able to send the coconuts (which are actually postcards... coconut-cards >.> that you can draw on) for the same cost as a letter. I know it's gone up now though, lol. I think they charge by weight now so you'd better hope you have light coconuts! I think that guy had about 12. Maybe more. I think I saw a bin of coconuts. >.>

Kemonomimi Bonnets: TAKE 2

unjaundiced — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 01:02:15 GMT

On February 18 I wrote a review of what should have been adorable bonnets from misscandyholic that were finished and arrived a month late in terrible condition... I'm sure everyone remembers this. I'm still glad I didn't go on the trip I wanted to wear them for. :/

In any case, a few days ago... (Let's count the months. It's mid-June now. I paid for the bonnets mid-January.) I finally got the bonnets.

The commission...ee took a long time to respond about the problems. Then she said she had had a funeral and exams which was why the bonnets were messed up and that she would try to redo them when things calmed down. It took one month for that to happen. If she was having personal problems, then I think she should have declined my commission at that time or refunded my money and canceled rather than churning out flawed work. She said she had other complaints at that time as well.

Then she had to go back to school where she had no sewing machine.

Then she didn't have the right ribbons so would I mind pink ribbons on all the bonnets (white and brown bonnets). I had to wait for her to go home again to get the proper matching ribbons which took another few weeks.

Etc.

Etc.

Etc.

Then she said she was done about 1.5-2 months ago. I requested photos so I could make sure everything was okay given the previous problems. She took photos and I pointed out some noticeable crookedness which she said did not exist. She also made the ram horns HUGE after I made the comment that the ones I had received had itty bitty horns. I'm not sure if this was a TAKE THAT, but at this point I just want the bonnets! So I (sucking it up and assuming they'd be crooked but wtf at this point, it's been 6 months) just told her to send them along.

About a week later she messaged me again to say that okay, maybe the ram horns crooked and she'd try to fix them. She finally got them done about 2 weeks ago and sent them out last week.

Utilizing my newfound love of the spoiler option, you can click each link without worrying about navigating away from this page. ^^ But you can't close the spoiler once opened. OTL

Initial Complaint

Hi, I wanted to let you know I got the bonnets in on Thursday but I had a few things I wanted to discuss so I've been thinking about it since then.

First of all, thank you for producing the bonnets for me. I appreciate it. However, there were some quality issues that I noticed. I will list them so you can clearly see what my concerns are.

1) There were slightly curly black hairs on all the bonnets and I don't know if they're from wigs or furs or whatnot but there are a number of them on each bonnet. There are also black and gray lint balls speckling the two sheep bonnets.

2) The ribbons for one of the sheep bonnets wasn't cut and was starting to pull apart. The other sheep bonnet ribbons were starting to fray a little as well.

3) One of the bonnets is significantly shorter than the other two. It was the ram bonnet.

4) The ram bonnet has balding fleece on one side which is noticeable even from a distance.

5) The horns and ears on the ram bonnet are different sizes and shapes from their mates and placed slightly different distances apart which are noticeable when worn.

6) The ears on the sheep bonnet are noticeably different heights and I think one is set further forward as I haven't been able to find a way to make them sit equally, even with shifting the bonnet around.

6a) Regarding both sheep ears: They don't have the appearance, shape, or fall I was expecting. I don't know if this has to do with the pink fleece used, but they point out more than anything else when I was expecting more of the downward sloping point as shown in the sample photo and the worn photo.

7) The bonnet ends by the ribbons on the sheep bonnet are different shapes. One is rounded and the other side is pointed.

8) The left ear on the bunny bonnet is sewn on oddly so the side seam sits right in the middle on top and forces the ear to stick out to the side. I have tried twisting it around, but I can't get it to fix itself.

9) The black thread used is noticeable from a distance. Even if it was not properly color-matched, I feel as if cream or beige or possibly even white would have been more appropriate and less noticeable.

I don't know if this was caused by a lack of time, but I honestly don't feel as if the bonnets match the look or quality I had expected when I saw the sample photos. As they are, I can't wear them unless I try to cover the ears to minimize the problems.

I hope this isn't too overwhelming, but please get back to me about this as soon as possible.

Thank you for your time.

Second Attempt

BONNETS

Bonnets different sizes again (not really going to say anything about it).
Already you can see the ram looks a little crazy.

SHEEP

Again, the best looking of the bunch.
Note the left side finishing seam is sewn on the top.
The pink has also change fur type to a pink check (which is all dirty and gray at the tops)
I actually like the new fuzzy fur, only wish it wasn't dingy.

Weird stuff and balding on it again. Still have no idea what those black hairs are...

Ears mostly even and pretty close in size, one side sewn odd.

Worn: Front.

Worn: Back.
HAHAHAHAHA I give up.

Sheep Passing Inspection: Barely - Could be better (ears still .5" crooked)

BUNNY

I do believe we have a problem...
Edge seam also sewn on top.

More weird black stuff. Also, the end wasn't sewn all the way in.
That's an edge of the faux-fur sticking out.

IT'S NOT EVEN!

Worn: Front
I'm not going to say what I really think at this point.

Worn: Back

Where the ear tops are on my head.

Bunny Passing Inspection: Fail. (2" ear height difference is too much)
Also, worn in reverse is less crazy looking than worn forwards..

RAM

It's crazy. Nuff sed.
Center seam is angled, left horn and ear drifting forward.
Bonnet sides are REALLY weird.

Like an oar weird. That shape is not right.

... OTL
At least the thread isn't black...

Also, it's hard to explain but this is a weird pocket caused by a double sew.
Plus more of those black hairs. This one had a long 3" hair thing on it...

Worn.
Everything is huge on this as you can see. I've gotten used to it already... Had to.
You can also see the odd curl in the bonnet itself caused by the misshapeness and crookedness of the ears and horns.
Horns are crooked and sewn so they stand straight up. Ears different sizes and crooked.

Ram Passing Inspection: FAIL. (It just looks crazy...)

1) Black hairs - Still have them
2) Unfinished and Unraveling ribbons - Fixed
3) One of the bonnets is significantly shorter than the other two. It was the ram bonnet. - This time it was the sheep.
4) Balding fleece - Still got but less bad (sort of fixed)
5) Horns and ears on the ram bonnet different sizes and places - Less bad, but still existing. (sort of fixed)
6) Sheep ears different size and placement - Closer in size, one sewn weird (sort of fixed)
6a) Sheep ears stick out too much - Still do (I'll pin them down)
7) Bonnet sides are different shapes - Ram still crazy
8) Bunny ears sewn oddly - Bunny ears sewn wrong
9) Black thread used - Fixed

I think she has a good heart, but lacks either or both the skill to execute her designs consistently or properly and to make a critical inspection of her own work. I don't expect perfection, but I do expect a best effort without extremely noticeable fails or failure of description. I also think the duration of this exercise was far too long and tedious and it shows in my messages to her: from excited to worried to annoyed. It makes me become a bad buyer and her a bad creator and seller.

She offered a discount for my next purchase because of my patience but I really honestly cannot recommend her to anyone. It would probably be cheaper and easier to just buy the materials and figure it out yourself. I've already mentioned that I was a bit disappointed, especially by the ram bonnet and how crazy it looks. When I asked if she had a pattern she used so I could try to have them mended, she said she just cut out ovals and didn't use a pattern.

She needs to use a pattern.

If/when I deconstruct the bonnets I will see if there are measurement or construction marks inside because I have a feeling she hasn't been measuring. She said it takes about 1 hour, maybe 2 to complete a bonnet. Maybe it's just my experience with her but I feel as if she isn't using that hour wisely. Measure twice, cut once and all...

At this point, I'm just glad I actually got something rather than nothing... But receiving what I did... Maybe nothing would have been the better choice. OTL I kind of just want to return them and ask for a refund...

I don't think I will ever make a commission ever again. (-__-)

Also, relentlessly bad allergies have been relentless so I've taken to wearing a mask like some kind of refugee from nuclear fallout... Or a bandana like a panty thief. >.>

L'arc en Ciel 20th L'anniversary World Tour 2012 ~ SO AWESOME!!!!

unjaundiced — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:29:05 GMT

See, this is me being on Hawaiian time. >.>

On May 31st I went to the public concert for L'arc en Ciel's 20th L'anniversary World Tour. June 1 was the fan club only event and I did NOT spend 50,000 yen to join just so I could buy tickets. >.> No, srsly. Did not.

Turkey couldn't go but Toph and Alice (FROM WONDERLAND!) came so we half-heartedly wracked our brains to come up with someone to take the other ticket but unfortunately the only person we could think of was in Japan buying lots of candies. No, really. Someone asked him to buy 100. >.> Though after all that, we should have just called Danimals because there turned out to be tons of girls in bikinis and I could pretend I was doing my job as his "wingman" for once. Sort of. >.> From a far distance...

If you don't know who L'arc en Ciel is, I shall slap you right now. And then promptly tell you which anime you know and love that their songs are opening and ending themes for. Like Fullmetal Alchemist. Anyone heard Ready Steady Go!, Good Luck My Way or Lost Heaven? How about Fourth Avenue Cafe from Rurouni Kenshin? Or Daybreak's Bell from Mobile Suit Gundam 00? Long live Gundamverse... *chest salutes*

The line was ridiculously long but moved very quickly. It stretched out down the street at least a quarter mile... But I could pretend I got DAMNED GOOD SPOTS IN LINE since it moved so fast. Most of the ladies ahead of me were middle-aged Japanese ladies (but then Laruku is made up of middle-aged men... >.> desperately well preserved middle-aged men... ~~Hyde is a vampyre~~)

It was funny because I was given a special sheet where I could write requests or comments to ask each member (because they though I was part of the fanclub) but Toph and Alice were denied. >D But I wasn't coming back for the fanclub concert so it was a little useless. ^^;;;; But everyone got free tour fans, yay! And the tour hooded towels at the goods table was kind of expensive... >.> But the Japanese ladies (the millions of Japanese ladies) who followed the band had them from shows in Ajinomoto (not the togarashi pepper flake...) in 2011 and Kyoto 2012. (*w*)

In front of us at the back of the seating area was an adorable little girl, totally knocked out in her stroller hahaha. We spent most of the time before the concert arguing over useless stuff, Toph and I bickering like twins. *shoves pencils up his nose* He only likes 5 of their songs so it was a huge $20 risk for him to go, just in case they didn't play anything he liked, lol.

I will tell you now, if you have never been to a concert with lots of Japanese (or even Korean) people, you will be surprised by the way everyone reacts in unison like a real live game show. Like when the announcer tells everyone they cannot bring out their cameras or stand on the chairs, there is a simultaneous: EH?!?! from the audience. Because what is a concert without the risk for a broken neck!

I sort of thought I was half-heartedly interested in going to the concert since it was a sit-down and not like I'm used to even though I LOVE Laruku... Then they opened with Ready Steady Go! and everyone screamed and jumped up. And apparently we all missed the dress rehearsal where the audience practices when to jump and when to move their arms in a certain manner and where you pick up your limited edition 20th L'anniversary World Tour concert light sticks because we were very much not prepared for the choreography. Obviously the rehearsals was every other concert in the tour before us. (Ours was the last stop for the tour)

Little sleeping girl woke up and she was well-versed in the choreography and waving her light stick to the same rhythm as all the other privileged light stick holders. >.> *super jealous*

I have to say, they did spend a lot of time talking story but it's understandable since it was the last (2) days for the tour and it was mostly fanclub members. What a treat to just hear them dialogue! And so funny! A spotlight went up behind us and Hyde-sama was so surprised and pointed it out during one of his conversations and everyone turned around to see it, lol. But it was already gone. >.> Tricky, tricky. Then he asked if it was looking for a big bird and said there should be a big sign for Laruku that it points to. XDDDDD He also kept saying it was so cold and he didn't expect Hawaii to be cold.

Hyde-sama, you have a huge floppy granny hat on and a long trench coat... LET ME HUG YOU TO KEEP YOU WARM! *claws way to stage* They were all so tiny though. ^^;;;; Like, I feel as if I would be giant next to them... Even Toph agreed (though he made his standard snarky "you're short" comment anyhow >.>)

Ugh, but they played basically all the songs I love and every song Toph knows. Sorry, Alice knows nothing because Wonderland doesn't have the radio. >.> Like Daybreak's Bell and Joujoushi... Part of me was mentally screaming at them to sing Shine which is my media text message notification sound (because it makes me smile so hard to hear it). It feels like someone's giving me a present whenever I hear it. ^^

I want to shiiiiiine on you~♪
And always light the dazzling sun~♪
I will defend you~♪
From all the darkness~♪
This is the truth from my heart~♪

But they didn't. So that song will stay in my dreams. OTL

I also spent waaaaaay too much time and effort trying to hide my camera since the whole "you cannot film or photo this show" announcement but apparently even the bouncers took the "hangloose" motto to hear that night because they didn't give a rat's fat butt about it (not like the psycho's in Anaheim for SMTOWN) so I wasted my time and didn't get good video. Boo. I spent a lot of time cursing my camera for being old and pathetic. Ugh. Can you say overexposure??? OTL

In any case, here are some partial videos which are hilarious~♪

1.
Ken-kun ranting and rambling about Hawaii. In his hand is an ABC bag. ABC is a crazy phenomenon that occurs and exists within Waikiki. EVERY SINGLE HOTEL (or almost every one) has an ABC store and each one is busy. You can walk ten feet and find another one. Japanese tourists love the ABC store. You can buy snacks or beach mats or clothes or pink ukuleles and liquor from the store. It's weird.

In any case, he mentions that he went to the store and wants to know what's up with it (before I started filming OTL). He complains about the slow pace and about catching a cold and tests out his Hawaiian vocabulary when the audience seems lackluster. Of course, halfway through he has to go ~~poison his lungs~~ grab himself a smoke because it's way too much talking ~~with clean air~~ for him. XDDDD

Oh, and he adds to Hyde-sama's commentary about the cold, lol. IT'S NOT SNOWING!!!! XDDDD

If you listen, you can hear a guy shout CHEEEEEEEHOOOOOOO in the background. >.> I can't explain it, but it's a Hawaii thing. OTL

2.

Picks up where video 1 got cut off (because a guy's big head got in the way) where Ken-kun gives Tet-chan the lovely ABC bag full of lovely Hawaii tourist goodies... (you can see how windy it is, lol)

Special "L'arc en Ciel" sea-pants (which makes me crack because I think of One Piece's Franky-kun's "sea panties")
Pink Snorkel
Beach ball (you can hear Tet-chan complaining about the beach ball)
Flower Lei
Pink Hibiscus

And they launch straight into Seventh Heaven after which I wasn't able to film the entirety of (because of my fear of the guards... >.>) I almost screamed when it came on and it was super hard to stay still anyhow. *excuses*

3.

I didn't mention this before but there were a lot of girls with light up bananas...
There is no explanation for it except this...

~~There is one guy out there that wants to both eat Tet-chan's funky banana and lick his lollipop. XDDDD~~

If you watch carefully, you can see Hyde-sama pop out of the pool area (and the choreographed crowd). It's a good thing I wasn't there because I would have grabbed him and run away. >.> No kidding. I know that area well.

4.

Last song, lead-in by the wonderful crowd. ♥
Earlier, Hyde-sama's voice gave out partway through a song and everyone filled in for him and finished the song for him. Wai~♪ It was so wonderful! I feel the tears welling up even now and my heart feels as if it will explode! (into a thousand supernovae ||D)

Anata~♥

Mune ni itsu no hi mi mo kagayaku~♪

Anata ga iru kara~♪

Namida kare hatetemo taisetsu na~♪

Anata ga iru kara~♪

The slow spinning stars bleeding away into a rainbow... ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥!

I cannot imagine how one could stay numb in the face of such glory!

5.

And the best for last...

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHASHAZAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In the words of Hyde-sama: Sugoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooi! Honto ni cho sugoooooooooooooooooooooooi! There will definitely be another concert and I will definitely see them again!

Oh, and bonus pictures...

It's super blurry, but you can see the very cool way they used the ampitheatre at the end here.

L'arc en Ciel means "rainbow"... Pretty clever, ey? ^^

LARUKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU and the stupid big head that kept getting in my way...

But never fear!
When my powers and Paint combine...

SAKUSEN! XDDDDDDDD

Gas is soooooo expensive...

unjaundiced — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:31:07 GMT

Wanna-be whales are such Indian givers. >.>

Orca: Here, you can use my credit card and put gas in your deathtrap.
Me: Oh gee thanks. You haven't died yet.
Orca: I'm waiting for it! Your car is like one bump away from shattering into a million pieces. My obituary will read: Died in a fiery explosion.
Me: There won't be an explosion. Hektor is almost empty. Gas is so expensive again. Boo.
Orca: Well, it fluctuations depending on which station you go to.
Me: No! It's been -35 for a while now, but it went down to -29 for ONE day and I missed it! It's back at -35 again!
Orca: Haha! It's because the whole world hates you.
Me: I know!
Orca: Well it's only 10 cents so whatever. I'm paying so fill it up!
Me: Ten cents, fill up four times and that's one whole gallon!
Orca: Hey wait, how many gallons does your car take? Are you filling it up?
Me: About 10. And yeah, okay I am! Geez!
Orca: ONLY TEN!? That's so little! Hey, fill it up all the way, okay? All the way!
Me: Filling! I'm filling! And yeah, I think it's 10. Hey, he's old you know! Old cars have small tanks!

A few minutes later...

Me: *gives Orca the receipt* It's soooo expensive.
Orca: Hey, actually, you're right! Go tell the gas station person you want to give some of the gas back for a refund!
Me: And how will I do that! Ask them to open the hole in the ground so I can dump it back in?
Orca: Ask them if the pump has a reverse button! Or better yet, get a siphon and do it yourself!
Me: Yeah, how I do that? Suck it out with a straw?
Orca: See that lady over there? The one about to put gas in her car? Go tell her you'll sell her some gas out of your deathtrap for 10 cents less than the station is charging!
Me: Me and what siphon!
Orca: Just tip your car over so it pours out. You're strong, right?

Johari Window ~ Do you know me like I don't know me?

unjaundiced — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:03:40 GMT

Stealin' from sylvir like a stealer. >D

I remember doing this a long time ago, but this is the Johari Window where you can pick 5-6 traits you feel best describe you. Then your friends can pick 5-6 traits they believe fit you and somehow... it is supposed to build up a better overall picture of you. Or something like that. >.>

In any case, this is mine if you want to try it! :D

Also~ Seriously still annoyed about the envelope that came in through the mail basically empty. I really think someone stole the books from the sender's mailbox is what I think. I am owed a refund!

Shopping Service Swag: Post 2

unjaundiced — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:09:59 GMT

My magazine girl~yes, my magazine girl~ has decided to close out her order so I get to show you her box of goodies! This is totally pre-approved and I'm not naming names so she's safe. :3

Also, since this is my first post about the magazines I'll give a wee bit of information about Japanese magazines. But only this time. Promise!

Packing Step 1: Unpack and Catalogue

From left to right, top to bottom.
Figue 2012/05 + Nano Universe Clear Tote
Mini 2012/05 + Milkfed Insulated Bottle Sleeve with Star Carabiner
Mini 2012/06 + United Arrows Leopard Socks
Love Comic Aya 2012/03 + oneshot booklet
Love Comic Aya 2012/05 + oneshot booklet
Soup 2012/06
CanCam 2012/05 + Coach scrunchie and bag
Ray 2012/05 + Hello Kitty Wristlet
Renai Revolution 2012/06 + oneshot booklet

All the furoku (extras) have been unpacked with permission because aaaaaall those little things come in boxes and there's no way for the boxes to fit during shipping. Also, my girl doesn't like all the rubbish. XD My girl, lol.

Japanese magazines tend to be a bit more costly than American ones but they often come with furoku or "extras" which are oftentimes the sole reason people buy the magazines or certain issues of magazines. Furoku have different names depending on the type of item it is or that it comes with. These items are considered freebies are are generally of relatively cheap quality but are not necessarily cheap to look at or use though sometimes size impressions are misleading. Usually the items will be created in collaboration with a well known designer of some sort who is trending and appears within the magazine issue or style the magazine represents such as Coach, Anna Sui, or shijitaki (clear plastic paper boards) and mini clear files which are popular with anime magazines. Even the ever-powerful I has succumbed to the flirtatious wiles of the furoku before! *is shame*

My magazine girl's current styles are more mature modern woman and trendy indie 20s-30s aged style magazines. Previously I was purchasing Gal-style and Mori-girl magazines for her collection. She said one of her greatest interests are the hair and makeup tips, which are also some of my favorites as well. I especially like the ads in the Ginza+Tokyo magazine, though that's basically all I like about that. XD

The manga phonebooks or "monthly manga magazines" are jousei or "for women" essentially. They're full of romance and er... smut. As you can see from the second phonebook... NOT FOR CHILDREN~! The phonebooks are called so because they're as thick as a phonebook, though much smaller (A5 size) and are about the size of a standard American-release manga or comic anthology. Some are B5 and much closer in size to an actual phonebook. Page counts tend to run about 300-400 pages. Shoujo phonebooks tend to run about 600-1000 pages. Shocking, I know! I own some... >.>

Jousei phonebooks come with furoku booklets as well. The booklets contain oneshots, standalone side stories, and sometimes mini-snippets from the ongoing stories within the main book itself. Phonebooks are a popular and excellent way for most artists and writers to start out since it allows them to release chapters singly and to gauge reader response. There are some phonebooks that do contain solely novel sections. Jousei phonebooks have no furigana so, while useful as a learning tool... Not so useful as a shounen or shoujo manga/phonebook. :P Plus you get lots of boobs.

If you want to know why there is a March AND a May edition of Love Comic Aya... You can point your fingers at me. OTL I packed up her last two shipments and somewhere along the way, I forgot to send the March issue. The thing is... I keep a rolling tab for her so every time her magazines come in, I pick them up and stash them all over the place. March ended up in a box which I only discovered two days ago while packing my things. I didn't realize it hadn't been sent already. ^^;;; It's the first time it's happened.

Long lecture aside, I'll give you a glimpse at my obsessive packing tendencies. I warn you now: I have a crazy love affair with bubble wrap. No. Seriously. I am in love with the stuff. Here is how in love...

This is in the garage and yes, this is bubble wrap.

My story of how I came to be in possession of a gigantic roll of bubble wrap is one for another day but as you can see, it's gotten a little dusty so I have to wash it every time I use it. DON'T JUDGE! But I am paranoid about bent books and corner stubbing so I wrap the hell out of everything I send.

Packing Step 2: Bag by Size

As you can see, the magazines all go together. This time around they're basically the same size so I can easily pack them together. Sometimes they're odd sizes so I stack them according to size to minimize cover depressions and imprints or pack them separately. I have TONS of those biocompostable bags from work, though... If I stay in trouble for the bread thing my access to said bags might be severely limited. I don't know why they think it's rubbish. They're so useful!

Manga phonebooks and their extras go in a separate bag because they are a different size than the magazines but the same as each other so they fill out to about an A4 size. I laugh to myself when I anonymous brown paper bag them... Like I'm delivering porn to someo... Okay, I kind of am. XD

Furoku are separated into bags by size. If there's one that's a large bag, I will put them all in the one large bag. This time however, the large bag has hard plastic handles so there's no way to nicely pack everything in there so there are two bags. :) The bags came with the magazines and have printing all over them.

You can also see our special "exclusive" flat rate boxes... Totally collectible! Don Quijote sometimes has mock-ups of what you can fit in them when you want to send care packages. People love to send them to kids away at school or to family and friends in Japan. Oh~ Crazy love affair with Japan... Never leave us. XD

Packing Step 3: Consolidate and Pad

See? My beloved bubble wrap has come out to play~ I wrote her a note complete with hideous handwriting and weird shaped letters (because my fingers like to make up their own spellings for things) about the Love Comic Aya mix-up. So weird, she didn't even notice. XD

Oh yeah... It's bad. XD Also, she said I can flip through her magazines but I don't feel like I should so I never do. But I really want to see this Big Bang spread so I should find scans of the magazine online now! My loves~♥

Packing Step 4: Box It Up!

I think I'm getting really good at timing when I tell her to finalize an order for shipping (or have really good luck) because it has always been an exact or almost exact fit. If you can see it, the top of the magazines is right where the crease for the box flaps are. See? PERFECTION! :D

I always tell her that I probably send her many monies worth of bubble wrap each time and she said her house is like a packing center because of all the packing material she's got saved up. Ah~ Yet another thing we have in common. My dad hates it, but when he wants an envelope... Who does he come running to?

Hm... For anyone outside the US, flat rate mailers are exceedingly cheap and/or reasonable. For a box, up to 70 pounds of things can be mailed through them and up to 20 pounds in an envelope or small box so long as it's marked flat rate and sent domestically, 20 and 4 pounds international (though what kind of 70 pound object one would be shipping in the box, I have no idea... Lead ingots?). So a box of that is is just under $15 to ship. Including insurance up to about $200 worth is about $17.50-$18. Not bad, eh?

Also, here is the final round-up for April's Q-pot pick-ups. :P

Summer Festival Balloon Dog Earring: Yellow (Discontinued, VERY LAST ONE!)
I actually wanted one for myself...

Hawaii's Rainbow Shave Ice Phone Strap and Charm
Not a typo. We call it "shave ice" here. Because you shave it. Oh us and our FOB-isms...

Pate de Fruit Rose Ring: Orange Color
This is actually a ring...

Pate de Fruit comes in mostly fruit shapes like pears and apples or cubes like agar agar jelly (omnomnomnom~) and are designed to have a sugar coated look. Pate de Fruit is supposed to be a jellied fruit dessert. :3 They only had orange and green of the rose style and only orange left. Isn't it cute? AND DELICIOUS! >D

There were two special freebie items but my camera is locked up in my storage because I forgot it there so... You will get pictures of them later. :3

And... That's all for now~

China, Korea, Japan, oh my!

unjaundiced — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:51:57 GMT

This is very important.

China
Korea
~~Japan~~

Which one should I pick!?

Every semester (meaning 3 times a year) there is the chance for someone to apply to and win a scholarship that involves one rigorous 40-hours a week language and cultural lessons semester of preparation and one semester of in-situ study abroad in the leading university of each country. The catch is: you can only win the scholarship once. None of the semesters overlap so you have to decide which one you want to apply for and wait for the semester to arrive.

So it looks like this... Spring-lessons/Summer-China, Summer-lessons/Fall-Korea (Seoul University)? I can't remember anything except the China one for sure and I already don't qualify for the Japan one because you can't be over a 101 study level for the target language. Apparently you can also get shuttled off to Vietnam though I kind of don't want to go there for school... >.>

I've been looking at it for years but I could never decide on which one to pick. I'm strongly leaning towards Korea because I've always wanted to semester at Seoul University and had considered it through the University sistership (that and Tokyo University and Johto and Cambridge... OTL) The problem (or part of it) is that I have to go back to school and pull up my grades and show a full courseload before I can reapply which means... applying at my school again and getting a TB test...

All without having a job. ;___; I already know I won't be able to hold a job if I win the scholarship because of the hours it requires which... even though they only award 10 each semester, almost nobody applies for it...

I think there's a Korea scholarship and a Japanese business scholarship that I could try for at a later date... UGH! Is this a trap to make me go back to school???? If so... IT'S WORKING!

I'm so sad because Turkey is getting her passport and trying to get a study abroad in Korea put together and I'm determined to go with her so I HAVE to pull myself together! >:| I have no idea how I'm going to be able to afford this though... My college fund has enough money for me to pay for school since I was paying out of pocket instead, but since my dad is kicking me out I will in no way be able to afford to pay rents and food and bills and transport which is why I ended up dropping out in the first place. OTL Or part of it anyhow...

*runs around like a cat with its head in a jar*

I really really really want to take classes... ;__; But my dad wants me to go back and renew my application with the military. *scuffs foot* I don't want to do that until after though because once I sign up... I lose all my freedom so I won't be able to travel and I sure as heck don't want to live until I'm 30 so I need to cram this all in before I miraculously drop dead at 29! I REFUSE TO GET SO OLD! D<

No offense to anyone over 29. >.>

Giveaway: POSTCARDS FROM HAWAII!

unjaundiced — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:41:37 GMT

Since I've been packing up my stuff, I came across some postcards Shenanigans wanted to send to the boys (yes, the boys) and ended up leaving with me... Of course, the boys all came back home and the postcards were never sent and just sat around with me waiting for their chance to be embarrassing.

Said embarrassing moment came with a whimper two nights ago when my mom moved them. She didn't say anything (they never do) but I felt awkward about it... >.> That being said... I have three postcards and I'll give them to whomever claims them! One per person though. It's only fair!

I can mail them blank in an envelope (all except the big one because it is big so that one gets full exposure >D) or you can give me a prompt and I'll write you a nice fake-cation message. XD

Er... And somehow it's NSFW so consider yourselves warned.

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!