Ramblings in my head

Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.

The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.

Remember, remember
The fifth of November,
The gunpowder treason and plot.
I know of no reason why gunpowder treason,
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
'Twas his intent
To blow up the King and the Parliament.
Poor old England to overthrow.
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
Hip hip hoorah!
Hip hip hoorah!

*modified from the Sakura-Con message boards*

Hello everyone! I'm back as Sakura-Con's 2010 Masquerade Ball Coordinator presenting this year's theme Otaku Odyssey 2010: The Endless Waltz. It's a space opera theme!

Time, day, and room to be announced but please keep checking this note for updates.

There will be a mask-making panel with time, day, and room also TBA and there will also be dancing lessons before the ball and we'll be teaching (if you couldn't tell from the title) WALTZ!

Now for the dress code! Formal dress and cosplay are required. Please go to this website (thanks Dessa!) for ideas and suggestions. It's an excellent guide to formal wear for masquerade balls (and specifically for anime conventions)~

http://www.fuunsaiki.com/cosplayguide/guide-heavy.html

This website was created by Jan- so kudos to her for making such a great guide ^_^. If coming in cosplay, just think about what your character would wear if they were invited to a formal ball... IN SPAAAAACE!

Please look at this website FIRST before you post your questions regarding the dress code.

Minimum dress required for men are button-up shirt, dress slacks, tie (unless it's a dress shirt that doesn't support a tie, then it's ok to not wear one), and dress shoes.

Minimum dress required for women are a cocktail dress and dress shoes or a dress-pants suit and dress shoes.

Asian formal wear will be acceptable as well as formal Elegant Gothic Lolitas (but no deconstructed, punk Lolitas- think Elegant Gothic Aristocrats and Sweet Lolitas).

Crossplay and fursuits (yes, I have gotten questions about those) will also be allowed in as long as they are formal.

And since it's a Masquerade Ball, masks are required!

Questions, comments, thoughts, etc- please post them to this thread~

http://scmb.sakuracon.org/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=19418

But please no music suggestions. And of course please keep checking this thread (or note) for updates! ^_^

*blasts off in a rocket ship!*

Because it sounds like one! This is where I thank the people that helped me out with the masquerade ball! Let's see, where to begin (and I apologize if I misspell anyone's name- I'm working off of memory... and this is in no particular order)~

Mari Hoiland, John Krall, Dessa, Jan, Alex, Jon Bressler, Kami, Hanzaburo Araki, Vash, Cary, Erin Durdy, Ken, Mark, (gah!- I can't remember the rest of them- but Erin's band!), the awsome tech guys from Ops (I can't remember their names :( ), Jaki Hunt, Julie, Rachael, Dan, Kevin, Kirt... gah! I know there's more! but I can't remember!

It was a blast and I hope I can do it again next year!

... the fifth of November,
The gunpowder treason and plot.
I know of no reason why gunpowder treason,
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
'Twas his intent
To blow up the King and the Parliament.
Poor old England to overthrow.
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
Hip hip hoorah!
Hip hip hoorah!

It's Guy Fawkes Day! or V For Vendetta day for me ^_^.

Ok. Ok- okokok! The Heroes Season 3 premiere- oh my gosh! So good- so... WOW! What's going to happen? I think Season 3 will redeem the mediocracy of Season 2. What's going to happen? Is Niki dead? Alive, but... just a different person?

On Sunday of opening weekend, John got tickets to "The Dark Knight" (or knight for you Monty Python/Holy Grail fans...) in Imax. I was already very excited, and I was even more excited to hear that there was a trailer for "Watchmen" in it! However, at Imax, they didn't show any trailers and just cut straight to the movie, which was kinda nice, but I really wanted to see the "Watchmen" trailer. Anyway, the movie was AMAZING (and Heath Ledger was creepy good as the Joker ^_^) and as soon as I had a chance, I went online to the official Watchmen site and watched the trailer. Man, it looks good, though it visually looks too similar to "300." I know it's directed by Zack Snyder, but the mark of a really good director can make movies from different genres and make them all look and feel distinctevly different. I'm sure "Watchmen" will be a distinctevly different movie than "300" but just visually, it looks similar (I guess Snyder likes gold-tones alot...) And I must say, I'm very happy with how Dr. Manhattan looks (try cosplaying THAT at Sakura Con ^_~) and Rorschach's mask looks amazing. If anything, go to the website- the website is visually interesting as well. Oh- and I thought of another critique I have about the trailer- why does Ozymandias/Adrain Veidt look so young? At the time of the comic, he's like in his 30s/40s but the actor they got to play him looks like he's in his 20s maybe early 30s. Otherwise, I'm happy with the casting and the costume design changes. The photo of the Minutemen looks like STRAIGHT OUT of the comic.

So set your calenders for March 6, 2009 (3/6/09- coincidence? I think not...)

Who watches the Watchmen?

I don't know if everyone knows this, but for the past 7 months, I got a job as a cashier at Office Depot. It's mostly good (it's at least a job ^_^) except occasionally, people suck. I have stories about irrate customers that could go on for DAYS! I don't feel like going into those stories right now, but I've observed a (somewhat) disturbing trend among the irrate customers I get. An overwhelming majority of those pissed off customers are... WOMEN! And this makes my soul cry as a women because I feel it takes the women's movement back a few steps. I'll elaborate.

Sometimes, I have to tell people some bad news such as there coupon's expired or we can't return the item anymore or anything of that matter related to retail. Ok, it's not that big of a deal and somehow men are able to take this news so much better than women. More than once, I've had women get angry and mad because we couldn't return their item or the item they wanted was out of stock, etc. Men have also gotten angry, but not to the degree that women do. It's like women throw a tantrum until I call my manager and then my manager will give me authorization to please the customer or they'll tell them the exact same thing I told the person. And you know who else throws a tantrum until they get their way? Children! If you're going to act like a child, I'm going to treat you like a child! Well, I really wish I could put that into action, but I'd lose my job anyway (and any job is better than no job), but I can't understand why women can't handle the news as well as men. And usually, when it's a guy that's gotten upset, he's usually angry at himself for a mistake. Women like to blame me and Office Depot. I don't understand why, though I've developed a theory. My theory is that for centuries, since men have fought the wars and done the diplomatic stuff and made the big decisions, when the small stuff happens, they don't worry about it because they know it's not that important in the long run. Because women have been side-lined for so long, they've never had to deal with the "big stuff" as much. Am I saying that's it's right that women have been side-lined, absolutely not, but I think now since the women's movement women now have a chance to deal with the big stuff, they sweat the small stuff and freak out when things don't go their way. And I've noticed this mainly happens with older women too. Younger women seem more "resonable," but older women (like women my mom's age) seem to freak out when I tell them something they don't want to hear. I just don't understand it and it makes me sad as a women because this kind of attitude just confirms every stereotype about women. That we're unresonable, we think and act based on our hormones, and we're emotional and sensitive. I just want to slap every irrate customer and say "just calm down- it's not that big a deal!"

So please, as a cashier and person that works in customer service, please remember- it's not my fault! Please don't take your frustrations and anger out on us. And if it turns out to be our fault, please understand we'll do what we can within our power to correct it, but we're only human and not Jesus! And the next time you start feeling angry, just ask- is this really worth the time and breath to get mad at? It is really that big a deal?

*sigh* People suck the big one.

The other day, I was lamenting to Slicks about how I kind of wish I could see some of the Sakura Con peeps outside of a meeting or Sakura Con sponsored party. I mean honestly, I feel like alot of the Sakura Con staffers aren't really my "friends" per se, but really good aquiantances cause' I really don't see them outside of Sakura Con related stuff- and sometimes, I just want to hang out with people and not talk about work.

Anyone want to hang out now?

I took the daemon test and this is what I came up with~



This kind of surprised me cause' I always thought I would be a bird.

Either way, I saw "The Golden Compass" on opening day, and I must say, I was a touch disappointed. I read the book when I was a kid and when I heard that a movie was going to be made from it, I re-read the book because it had been so long, I forgot what happened in it. So I saw it with a friend and I think it's one of those movies where you'll enjoy it better if you haven't read the book. I thought they tried to stay too true to the book and so it seemed really rushed and fast. I would've been okay with a few artistic licenses. They also left out a pretty important ending scene about what Lyra was suppose to bring to Lord Asrial (if you've read the book, you'll know what I'm talking about...)

And I also saw "Beowulf." I thought that movie was good, but a little too much of a soap opera. I mean, if you're familiar with the original epic, I was a little disappointed with how Hrothgar was depicted. He wasn't "heroic" enough. But yeah, it was good- and there was even a preview for "Coraline!" I love Neil Gaiman ^_^.

Next movie I want to see is "I Am Legend," which is based off a 1950s novel of the same name. They apparently made a movie of it in the 60s/70s called "Omega Man," which is also suppose to be really good.

I was channel surfing just a few minutes ago and on the Discovery Channel, they're doing a whole series on videogames! It's in the middle of episode 2, but they're probably going to rerun the series later.

And that's all I have to say.

It's been a while since I posted a poem, so here's a little ditty I came up with~

The Fury

The sound.
The sound!
THE SOUND OF HER WINGS!

Feirce, flying, A fwip,
A flap,
Vengence in her cry, Blood in her song;
Pure, primordial, primal red-
Soaring swift against the wind.

The sound.
The sound!
THE SOUND THAT DRIVES MEN MAD!

And I've got a case of writer's block >_<.

... but I like the artwork of Mark Zirpel. I saw an exhibition of his a few years ago and I don't know why, but I've been recently thinking about it.

http://www.bullseyegallery.com/Artist-Detail.cfm?ArtistsID=296

I just really liked the exhibit and then I found out he lives in the Seattle area! Maybe I'll try to meet him someday (ha! fat chance), but I just really liked his art. It was all about time, space, and nature. And he's a glass artist too, which adds a really delicate quality to his work.

Yeah, don't ask me why I feel ever so compelled to post this, but I do. That's what LJs all about, right? ^_^ Besides, for those who really know me, does this really come as any surprise?

Remember, remember! Yup- it's November 5th, my favorite non-American holiday, and having nothing to do with the actual Guy Fawkes day, but having everything to do with V For Vendetta! The coolest movie ever (or 2nd coolest).

*burns an effigy*

So I'm trying to refresh my skillz with Photoshop (especially with the Pen Tool) and I am having many difficulties with it. Arrr >_< my paths don't seem to be going right and I can't figure out how to add new Anchor Points.

*sigh* I swear! I shall master it someday! *shakes fist*

A friend and I are starting an anime club at Chemeketa ^_^! All we need now is an advisor- and we may have found one! So it's pretty close to getting started. What I need now is a list of titles to show. I know I want to show a few older anime because I think older anime don't get enough love ^_^. Alot of anime fans I know haven't seen anything older than 2000, with a few exceptions. So I need ideas. Anyone got any ideas?

So at school one day, I was sitting with my friends and the subject of Sakura Con was brought up. One of my friends is planning on going, but she has the attitude if she's going to an anime convention, she HAS to cosplay. Now I'm not sure how I feel about that. I've never felt like I MUST cosplay whenever I go to a convention- in fact, at this past Kumori Con, I didn't cosplay at all. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I prefer casual cosplayers to the hardcore ones. It's like, some people just cosplay for attention and not because they really like the character. For Sakura Con, I just have 1 or 2 costumes planned. I will admit, one reason why I cosplay is for attention (cause' it's such an ego boost when someone asks to take your picture ^_^), but I also do it because I really like the character and series. Also, some "professional" cosplayers have this "holier than thou" attitude because they have such a better costume- and they know it and they'll let you know it. But it's also been my experience that those cosplayers that feel like they HAVE to cosplay at a con are also people that have a low self-esteem. It's like they feel since they can't get any recognition in their mundane life, they can get some fame (and their picture on the internet) if they cosplay at a con. It's also how I like the casual anime fan a little better than hardcore anime fans. Though I consider myself to be pretty hardcore, I can also function in normal society. Most hardcore anime fans are just SOOOO otaku, I can't stand them. It's like, get a life. What are you doing to work for your future? I've never heard of a career of being a professional fan. Don't get me wrong- I know lots of hardcore fans that can also function in normal life and those people I like. It's just that, I don't want to be talkin' anime ALL THE TIME. I have other interests other than anime and maybe I want to talk about those other interests.

That's just what I think...

Even though I'm not a fan of the show, but John and I were once talking about Friends. Anyway, on one episode, they talked about a "Freebie 5" list, which is 5 people you're allowed to sleep with and your S/O cannot say anything. Anyway, these would be the people on my list~

1) Orlando Bloom! (did that really surprise anyone?)
2) Takeshi Kaneshiro
3) Tahmoh Penikett
4) Sendhil Ramamurthy

Ok, so I cheated and I only have 4. I can't really think of 2 others. Anyway, so who would be on your list? And you don't necessarily have too sleep with then- it could just be a date. Anyway, the rules are it has to be someone you haven't met in person.

I can't remember how I got onto this (usually it starts out with me being really bored), but I watched America's Ballroom Challenge back when it aired and I remember these two AMAZING show dances~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jBi6yR-PAs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE-nH0G6t0Y

This is proof you can dance to ANYTHING! Maybe I'll play death metal at the ball...

This might seem kind of pathetic (unless you've actually read it) but after almost 2 years of trudging through it, I've FINALLY finished The Silmarillion! And yes, I'm very proud of myself for that. The thing is, though it's a fantasy novel, Tolkein writes it like a history text, and not a very exciting one either. I did find it interesting because now it definitely puts things in the Lord of the Rings into perspective (and I'm a huge LOTR buff).