Friday: 9-21-01 ~ Oh Thank Heaven....

SLURPEE!!!! SLURPEE!!!!

After work last night, I went out with Dylon and Sophie. We grabbed food at Wendy's (gotta love their 99 cents value menu) then we went to see Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back again, and then on the way home got....

SLURPEE!!!!

And not just *ANY* Slurpee, but a Mountain Dew Code Red Slurpee. ^+^ OOOOOH... Life is good.

Yesterday was odd....I figured out my career goal objective... A Foreign Area Specialist analyst at the CIA. My sister who hasn't contacted me in nearly 15 years e-mailed me out of the blue @_@, and I was freezing to death at work it was so bloody cold. BRRRRR.

SLURPEE!!!!





Thursday: 9-20-01 ~ Bleh

For anyone who has been attempting to access my webpage it is currently down and will probably remain so for the next couple days. It seems the server it is housed on has become infected with a virus. Bleh, Bah HumBug, and all that.

My Fushigi Yuugi keychain of the character of Tamahome is now an amputee patient. His leg from the knee down is gone, and the glues aren't adhering to the rubber plastic well... I'm debating on whether to try apoxy or super glue next.

In other news, I have actually come across some American Literature authors i *LIKE*, which frankly surprises the devil out of me. I can't stand almost all the ones I've ever been forced to read. But I fell in love with Tim O'Brien's and Joyce Carol Oates writing styles and the sheer and nearly incomprehending depth of their stories. They are such rich fields that the mind can plow through yielding new discoverers with every pass.



Sunday: 9-16-01 ~ Birthday Plans...

After everything that has happened it does indeed seem quite strange to be talking of birthday plans again. @_@ Firstly, I just received some birthday presents early, my wish list shows the reflection. I have just been given the Card Captor Sakura uncut volume 1 DVD, and the Dark Crystal DVD.

For those of you who will be up here for the weekend of my birthday to celebrate with me. I was originally thinking of going out to dinner somewhere, and then heading over to Putt-Putt so that some of us could play DDR or miniature golf. However, in light of recent events, and knowing that me and many others have spent their spare money on donations to the Red Cross... I'm going to curtail some of the events. I think we should still go out to dinner or perhaps a lunch (Nagoya has a great lunch special!) and afterwards return to the apartment for anime watching, and possibly even rent some movies.

Remember, I'm not going to be a stickler for getting a present. The only thing I ask is at the minimum you send me a birthday card. They have those lovely free electronic ones. ^+^ So there's no excuse for not doing so. If you would rather donate the money you would have spent on my present to some relief organization like the Red-Cross, or United Way, then please do so. I certainly don't mind!



Saturday: 9-15-01 ~ Sickening...

There are in this world despicable human beings who are profiting off of this tragedy. They are soliciting money as "donations" for the WTC & Pentagon disasters, but are instead pocketing the money. Some places will claim they're collecting for the red-cross or claim they ARE the red-cross.

I hope they rot in hell. >_<



Saturday: 9-15-01 ~ Comments concerning Friday

First most, I'd like to start off sharing a bit of what is happening in NYC. My friend Galina, was at the armory today as helping the red cross and it's recognized chaplains deal with the families seeking word of their loved ones.

She as well as other ministers of varying backgrounds were frustrated with the Red Cross. Why? Because they will only allow "chaplains" or those who they will recognize as chaplains who have had 4 units of CPE's. What are CPE's you may ask? Imagine it as a religious residency. One unit is comprised of 40 hour work weeks in the hospital, complete with class work, group work, individual work, for several weeks. The problem with this program is you have to *PAY* great heaps of money to be in it. So there were ministers with churches and synagogues and other large congregations and over a decade of experience relegated to food and water detail and support personnel to the recognized Red Cross chaplains.

Whereas it is understandable that the Red Cross wishes to prevent prosletyzing (and yes they've had a petite catholic priest chase some of those and the press away today) and to ensure that no one does more harm than good, they are limiting people with vast experience who can be of a great deal of more good.

In her own words she wrote to me: "I'm fine, just bone tired. All of the chaplains and assistants were minstering to each other today as well. I turned around in the ladies room to look at all the pictures of missing persons and saw some people I knew."

She has heard from work (she works for a stock company which has offices international, but several offices in NYC, including 2 floors in the now collapsed Word Trade Center) that when she returns Monday they are appointing her as counselor to any employees in need of one. She's heading back to the Red Cross tomorrow, and is unsure as of yet considering what she knows is facing her at work on Monday if she will go help the Red Cross on Sunday as well.

I'm sure some international people will b einterested in how we feel about our president? Personally... he's mentally deficient. Why? Because every speech that has at all seemed halfway decent was teleprompted, and the horrible speeches were rambled off. I suspect the words he shared with the rescue workers at the site were memorized in advance, and yet when you compare his inability to speak with the Mayor of NYC, people are starting already to say the Mayor should be President.





Thursday: 9-13-01 ~ More Chaos

Just as the airline system began to operate on a limited schedule sending passengers re-directed and grounded from Tuesday to their original destinations, three New York airports are closed, and 10 men are arrested. One passenger aboard a flight that had not elft the gate reports of the flight being boarded by police yelling at everyone to get down, a man a few rows behind him violently resisting arrest, and the two men in rows before his arrested as well. Later reports say the men had false ID's *AND* had knives in their possession. It's unclear if this was true *FOR* all the arrests are just in a couple of cases.

This ony reinforces that the nation is indeed in the crisis of a continued clear and present danger to the nation. Authorities suspect a minimum of 50 terrorists now abroad in the US, and little over half of those have been accounted for. One of the key missing persons is a Mohammad Atak (spelling?) and get this folks, his last known residence is the city in which I live. @_@

Things I think have been good on campus, we have a large Arabic population, hell we have one of the top 10 most diverse Universities in the nation. We have thousands of Arabs on the campus. However, we are a community I think accustomed to seeing the Arabs around, word has gone out through the administration of the computer labs at the school to employees to be careful. Why? because most of the workers in the lab are either Arabian or Indian (which some people would mistake).

I mention this because there have been fire-bombings at US mosques, drive by shootings, e-mail and phone death threats... yet despite all this there is an equally loud message of support. Interfaith religious leaders banding together... other people sending words of comfort to the beleaguered Arab Americans who are unjustly being attack verbally and physically. Howard Stern a popular NY radio personality known for his controversial statements and sensationalism has said on air the Middle East should become a vast glass parking lot. There are of course extremists out there, I think they account for far less than 1% of the US population, most Americans are either focused on current rescue efforts, or feel that military response against perpetuators of this crime are indeed dealt with but not to excess.

I think only time will tell though. This is very much a waiting game that will drag on for months. But despite what has happened, I think Americans starting to feel a sense of... calm returning are now shaken up in regards to the arrests earlier today at JFK, La Guardia, and another NY airport that escapes me at this time. Because this is indeed very much NOT over.

My roomie is shaken, and has not been sleeping well, me? I'm just waiting because this can go so many ways from a variety of extremes to something little more than one huge chasm in the road (the disasters itself) followed by a patch of bumpy road which eventually smooths out... or perhaps we'll soon be navigating canyons. There are several students heading out from my University to volunteer their efforts, and other firefighters from the area that have gotten permission to leave to help.

It's amazing, everyone knows someone who was affected. Either there was someone in the tower, or someone they knew was in the tower. Forget 7 degrees of separation were down to at the most 3, with minor exceptions of very small and isolated communities peppered throughout the US.

Galina is reporting 7am to the Red Cross tomorrow for chaplaincy work. From what I gather, the Red Cross will run her and other chaplains through some training early tomorrow morning before they release them on the masses. As I hear of her day I'll post things up here...



Thursday: 9-13-01 ~ Miscellane...y

Of course life has been proceeding more or less normally despite the crazinesss of the last few days. I'm annoyed at the University, in an attempt to bring us up to new fire codes recently adopted they have replaced our old smoke detectors, and drilled holes all through the apartment, run this horrid tacky ugly piping all along the ceilings, and have left wires dangling until our three smoke detector units are installed. Besides the fact that these "improvements" make my apartment look like ghetto trash, I'm so displeased with the new system. The up side is in the case of a fire it will alert emergency personnel as to *WHICH* unit the fire is in. However, the system they are installing is exactly what they installed into the new residence dormitory, Arlington Hall. This thing will go off when you burn popcorn, or even if too much dust collects in the filter. In other words there's a fire alarm at least 2-3 times a week during the course of the average semester. UGH. They're flaming idiots. I mean how effective of a system is it when the first intitial responses you get to an activated alarm is 3 fire trucks, then 2, then 1, then just a police car, then a police officer on either bike or foot because of all the *FALSE* alarms.

I am starting to feel significantly better, however lack of sleep the last few days (riveted to the news) has left me feeling run down again, and if I'm not careful I may relapse. My univeristy in addition to food, money, clothing, and blood donation efforts already being conducted will be holding a candlelight vigil Tuesday evening.

I'm considerably behind on my homework from both my illness and disinterest in doing any of it, especially since when I'm home I leave the news running. Talk about distraction. In some ways it's very ironic, when I was younger I could do my homework with noise and distraction going on around me, television, the radio, etc... now I need quiet. *SIGHS*

On a completely unrelated note, I was doing random blog surfing last night and came across Priya's latest layout, it is wonderfully executed, and I'm going to go look at her code later and learn ^+^ As to Priya I can certainly understand some of her feelings. My roomie is having difficulty sleeping and is worried. I am fine, and I just look at her and tell her you do what you need to do to make yourself feel better. I think that's what it is right now. I think in my case I grew up with a firm understanding of grace under pressure, working past the fear, being a stubborn onre little bastard, and to do what you need to. I mean I recall coming home froms chool in middle schoolm other telling me to kiss my dad goodbye, because he had just had an automatic passport upgrade (forget an application through the post office :P) and had received a series of shot and was getting shipped out to the Gulf, not in the military at all but as a civilian representative of Bell helicopter to help give and oversee support on Bell's helicopters in use by the military. He worked for 4 President's of the US (civilian) on HMX-1 (Marine 1 - The President's Helicopter). We'd get calls out of the blue "hi dear, I need you to pack a week's worth of hot-and-cold clothing, we leave in three hours." So mom would pack it up and make the hour commute to Quantico and hand transfer the clothes over. (Once security personnel who was fairly new to the detail, thought the exchange was a "marital" affair and Dad was getting thrown out :P). We would have no clue *WHERE* Dad was going. usually we found out when the news reported it finally.

Allowing panick to grip you, is a bad thing in these times, otherwise you've fed directly *INTO* the terrorists hands and have aided them in the accomplishment of their goals. You have to reach a point where you either let the fear control you or work past it and move on.

I'll still be watching the news... there is such potential in these events for world wide ramifications... particularly if military action is pursued.

Congly in regards to the war in Africa and your disgreement with my analysis of it as a World War... I view the facts in this way. By the time they called it the Great War (WWI) and when they began calling it WWII there were fewer countries involved than the number of countries that have been engaged in war in Africa these last three years. By that definition it most certainly is. However, because it takes place in a "third-world" interest the news has considerably glossed over accounts of the story and given the impression that what do you expect, third-world countries are always fighting amongst themselves. It's quite an arrogant view, in fact it really hasn't even been reported within the US, I only know of th eifnormation because I know how horrible the US is about recounting world events, and I seek out alternate sources of information.

I mean... what is the definition of a World War? Number of countries involved? Number of continents involved? The presence of non-third world countries?

Clone-chan: Sometimes I wonder if you read this anymore baka. And that new layout is frightening... the purple and pink, bleh, do I need to scan in Higuri Yuu artwork from my Poison artbook for you?



Thursday: 9-13-01 ~ Under Pressure

We are not (for the most part) a country in mourning as of yet. There is no time for mourning, no time for grief so long as we are still trying to rescue people, so long as we are intent on saving what life may have survived. The nation is not a country with time to grieve, but rather a nation in action. Blood Donor lines stretch on for hundreds upon hundreds of feet, millions of dollars have been donated, donations of clothing, food, water, and other necessary supplies are showing in in armfulls.

Until hope on finding survivors has been exhausted and given up like the final exhalation, we do not have the time for grief.

I must say that those NY citizens that have lined the main thoroughfare shut down to all but emergency personnel are doing a truly important task. Everytime personnel walk or drive by, they cheer their efforts, hold up signs of thanks. These emergency personnel have loved ones in that rubble, and are working past their own grief. It is extremely important that the emergency personnel is supported by far mroe than mere physical needs, but emotional ones as well. That cheering is a key ingredient to their effectiveness and morale.





Thursday: 9-13-01 ~ Tragedy Diverted?

I was awoken by my roomate when this all began early in the morning on Tuesday September 11, and like many Americans, and later on many members of the international community, became riveted and affixed to the news broadcasts emmanating from the television screen. Just when it was bad, it got worse, as the series of tragedies progressed along the multiple event situation.

Among all the pieces of the snips of news coming into the much diluged and frantic news organizations, was news of a crashed plan in Pennslyvania. Immediately you think, Pennsylvania? Compared to the previous targets there was no conceivable target in Pennsylvania that ranked anywhere on the same scale. Add to this fact that it crashed a considerable distance away from any sizable city, and it was quite puzzling. For several hours to come we were unsure if the plane was involved on the hijackign and terrorist attacks, or if it just happened to have some sort of air calamity in an event separate from the terrorism.

Eventually news filtered in of reports of loved ones and 911 calls speaking that the plane had been hijacked. Recently one account was truly amazing... and may very well explain *WHY* the plane crashed in the middle of an isolated field surrounded by forest. According to the wife of one of the deceased, she received a series of 4 cellular calls from her husband. The first reported that they were hijacked. He called later and the wife informed him about the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. He called again asking for more information on the WTC calamity. He called a fourth and final time, saying that he and several of the passengers were going to attack the hijackers. From another cellular call from a different passenger to their own loved ones, there was mention of Washington D.C. as a target.

Surely, those passengers did fight the hijackers fully knowing the travesties that had already occurred and what they were planning: to drive a plane in a suicide run on a target in D.C. I'm sure those passengers involved were trying to not only save others on the ground but themselves as well. We may never know if the plane which pile-drived into the ground was deliberately done so, or a result of scuffling in the cockpit, but I for one am certain that had not those passengers sprung into action the way that they did under much duress, there would be more fires, more destruction, and far more deaths in D.C.

It is a sobering thought to realize that there was at least in this instance a small group of the victims themselves who stole away the terrorist's ultimate prize.

Perseverance in the face of great adversity is a mark of the human condition, but (if you'll excuse me for sounding somewhat patriotic here) it has been a long mark of America. Much of America's founding fathers and early settlers had overcome great struggles and strifes to reach a world that offered more freedom than the one they had left behind. In fact it is a distinct character of the American condition.

The overwhelming since of community is something unfelt, and unprecedented in my 22 years of life experience. People are proudly displaying American flags at their homes, at their work, on overpasses over major interstates, on their cars... a strong symblom of visible support. Many of America's citizens are starting to wear red, white, and blue ribbons.

I've heard that the countries in the European Community will have 3 minutes of silence held out of respect for what America has endured and is still enduring. I have even heard that the Queen of England has ordered a special changing of the guard today which will have the US National Anthem played.

This international support is... touching, but in other ways brings home the fact all the more of the infamous events. Article 5 of the NATO alliance has been enacted, which states that any attack of war on one nation, is an attack on all the member nations. So if indeed as information and events unfurl in the aftermath, the United States determines targets, and declares "WAR", then all those allies (19 I believe) are in the war with us.

World War 3 has been speculated upon much in the last 48 hours... but I would like to take this time to mention that we already have an ongoing World War Three. In the African Congo anywhere from 7-12 African nations have been at war in the last 3 years. There has been a genocide of well over 3 million people, and the end is nowhere in sight. People are so hungry that they are killing elephants and gorillas for meat.

The day of the attack, September 11, was an important historical date in conjunction between the US and the Middle East. A few years ago on that day the Camp David Accord was signed. The accord promised US intervention in peace negotiations between Jewish and Islamic interests in Israel.



Thursday: 9-13-01 ~ On the homefront...

I have received and noticed many wonderings and ponderings about how things are going on the homefront in the US. Beyond the disaster sites in NYC and Washington, D.C., but rather how the entirety of the nation is reacting.

The nation has come together in a tremendous show of support. Within hours after the first plane struck the World Trade Center, Americans across the nation were going to the Red Cross, and other Blood Donor centers standings in hour long lines to donate blood. Funds were quickly set up by businesses, banks, and private citizens for money to go towards relief focused efforts. Citizens near and far have scrambled from around the US to relieve Search and Rescue teams, volunteers have poured out to help with the logistical nightmare of comforting victims.

In fact the Blood Donor centers are now turning away people, simply overtaxed by the sheer number of donors that have reported for duty. For Americans within the United States with plans of donating blood, emergency personnel say that they have a sufficient supply for the time being and people should schedule with their local Blood Donor centers to donate blood next week.

Needed more than anything right now is money to purchase food, water, and other necessary supplies. In fact for the time being while the Nation's airlines are primarily grounded, and the trucking industry is being maxed in a way I doubt it has ever been before.

For others wishing to find ways to help, you can send a debit/credit card donation to the Red Cross via Amazon.com, and indeed I have already done so. For other people wishing to find ways to help, or trying to locate family members or friends the Red-Cross site has numbers and information on other ways you may help.





Wednesday: 9-12-01 ~ Good news, and the unknown

Martin left a garbled message on our friends answering machine, so we know he's alive and kicking. The message though certainly gave the impressions he was calling during a breather of being on duty. So he must be in the thick of things.

My parents may never know all those that they once knew who may lay among the dead. My father worked for four presidents of the United States. We lived in a neighborhood full of Pentagon, FBI, CIA, and other government officials. Dad has colleagues, and friends that have slipped out of touch with the passage of time that all could be potentially victims of the Pentagon attack. But with certainty, someone they knew is dead.



Wednesday: 9-12-01 ~ ... Reactions...

The media which should supposedly be unbiased is screwing up royally now into the realms of sensationalism. In the US they're focusing on the small bits of footage showing the celebratory actions of various third-world parties. We allow a few bad apples to warp our views on *EVERYTHING.* Now don't get me wrong, there are HUGE security precautions that should have been in effect. Americans get too arrogant, even I realize that.

I just want to say one thing to the various third-world articles I've seen from countries throughout the world that the American's got what they deserved. The terrorist actions were far more than against the US, but against the world. Among the unaccouted for persons in the World Trade Center, are tons of Japanese, German, French, British, etc... employees who had offices there.

Americans may be blind at times and look with eyes pointed inward for the most part, but those idiots who dare say the Americans deserve it should open their eyes and realize this crime was not just against us, but the citizens of numerous other countries as well.





Wednesday: 9-12-01 ~ prayer

May those that need succor, find it.
May those that need strength be filled.
May those that need saving be saved.
May the healing begin.

~Amen



Wednesday: 9-12-01 ~ CRISIS

"These are the times that try men's soul." Words spoken by the revoluntionary patriot Thomas Paine in his pamphlet Crisis from 200 years ago. The words and connotations eerily echo today. For indeed not only our nation, but the international community has entered upon a crisis, a revolutionary of warfare that enables a handful of people to kill thousands upon thousands.

It is not as if the enemy has snuck upon us in the middle of the night, but rather like in the revolution we were too... set in our ways. Then we couldn't believe that the British would deny us parliamentary rights until it happened despite political entreaty through legal non rebellious means. Today, because we blindly turned an eye to it.

I saw the warning signs some time ago... and although there have been some horrific terrorist attacks before now, this one has rocked the world. It doesn't take much to see how people the world over are riveted to the news just like fellow Americans watching this slow motion train wreck of affairs. Or to see our fellow humans dropping off flowers at US Embassy's, donating blood, mobilizing relief and aid efforts on all so many levels.

Indeed, the comparison to Pearl Harbor yesterday's surreal events have evoked are warranted. This is the tragedy of a nation,that unites us with the world against a common foe once again. Yet our biggest thing we must overcome is the ability to recognize and combat the foe, for it is a new creature than many of any most of the world's government leaders and officials let alone their civilian citizenry have ever seen or dreamt of in their worst imaginings.

Indeed, as so eloquently spoken by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, we must eradicate this threat from our world. As in World War II, awaking the Sleeping Giant is not a good thing.

Life is surreally carrying on fairly normally in communities outside of Washington DC, and New York City. We're all riveted to the news... and some people are cautiously stocking up on canned goods, necessities, and a full tank of gas, in case the conspiracy is far more wide than originally anticipated.

As news comes in branching back from the records of passengers to left behind cars... there does appear to be a connection with the terrorist leader bin Laden. Efforts are now underway to squelch the remaining fires so that search and rescue operations can begin in earnest. The triage units and hospitals are eerily empty and acking of new wounded for the most part through the night. This is a very bad sign, hinting at the great and unbearable death toll that we won't even be able to begin to imagine nor estimate for days to come.

As the FBI follows the threads hoping to fly like swift arrows of justice, bin Laden's early warning comes back to me... that there would be surprises in the weeks ahead. Surprises plural and the weeks ahead... he was planning in my opinion by his onw words, for there to be more than this, if he indeed had prior knowledge of this attack. Israel and the US are primary targets for Laden, but I do not put it past him to strike Europe as well.

Granted this is all speculation, and as initial reports come in, rumors are reported for lack of hard facts, so now we citizens of the US play the waiting game. Waiting to see how deep this national tragedy goes, how it cuts to the quick, and waiting to find without any doubt those responsible for this heinous acts.

Somehow, Emma Lazrus's famous poem etched upon the Statue fo Liberty, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" has an entirely new connotation today, and is strangely fitting that such a landmark that is a symbol not only of NYC but of the nation, has the very words that befit, and beckon to the victims, and survivors today.





Wednesday: 9-12-01 ~ Aftermath... unclear

I finally heard from my friend Galina, and just finished speaking with her.

She was at ground zero, inside the tower when the first plane struck. She was in the sub-basement level transferring subway lines to the Path trains so she could finish her morning commute to work.

She had a sense that something was wrong... but not a clue as to the severity and made the transfer with ease.

Exiting the next stop on the line, she came out and saw the smoke cloud....

She went up to work, a skyscraper in Jersey just across the bay, but still within close enough of a proximity that they were getting minor debris damage. (If you could walk the distance you could do some from the Towers to her skyscraper in less than 5 minutes).

She witnessed the second airplane impact, the people jumping from the towers because of the intense and excrutiating heat inside the buildings, and she watched both of the towers collapse.

Luckily, our other friend Jessica was there as well. In the aftermath, they went down to donate blood, and started pestering police officials for the triage units. Finally stumbling across one, they started offering aid. Passing out water. Eventually my friend started ministering (she is a minister!) to the support and rescue workers. Hearing their shock and stories.

One woman spoke of feeling something looking down and seeing a dismembered hand. Another one spoke of how she was in the first rescue wave, and had lost a mentor and best friend. Another was asking "will the building fall?" and chanting like a sick deranged mantra "they'll come in the night" over and over.

After hours of ministering, her own strength was giving out and a completely unknown and random Hindu family took her and Jessica into their home, provided them with hospitality, and since transportation was still impossible between Jersey and New York, had offered their home to them for the night.

By 9pm local time, the trains were running, and they both finally made their way home.

They're kinda shocky, I had to talk Galina down a bit, nag her to drink fluids, try to eat something with protein in it and to bed down warmly. I nagged at her roomate Jason to buy groceries, for in the days to come that may be a very pressing problem for them.

She told me tonight, that tomorrow she plans on going down to St. Vincent's to offer her services as a chaplain. She was heading there tonight once the subways started running between Jersey and Manhattan again but Jessica made her go home. (Good thing too, they need the rest).

We are still worried over the whereabouts of a friend of ours, Martin, who is an EMT and tends to work closely with the Fire Department.

Galina's mother was quite distraught, for her sister, Galina's aunt works at the Pentagon. They have heard from the aunt, she says she saw the plane coming and ran like hell, and is ok.



Tuesday: 9-11-01 ~ Breaking news...

Roughly 90 minutes ago, 8:45 am EST, the US suffered a major terrorist attack. My mother called, and my roomate woke me up. It was a cleverly and well-executed attack. Airplanes were crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, and the Pentagon. The plane used in the World Trade Center has been reported now as a hijacked American Airlines commercial flight from Boston this morning. There are uncomfirmed reports circulating that the crash of a second impact from another plane into the World Trade Center triggered the utter collapse of the South Tower, despite all the smoke from both towers, it is quite clear the other tower is missing.

Little other information is known at this time. It was a fairly well synchronized operation, occuring moments within one another. Clearly it was a premeditated attack, for the people best adept at handling this situation were all out in California attending a conference. They are scrambling for military flight support to get back since the commercial flights have shut down. Wall Street has shut down. The chain of command for several key agencies has shut down since their HQ is currently in flames.





Tuesday: 9-11-01 ~ I've been to pater and back....

Trying to read, and write on a graduate level while combating coughing fits, and a sinus migraine... is a very difficult task... somehow I managed it, and came out with this... I'm proud, it actually turned out fairly well considering... @_@ This is unedited... and as a result probably has flaws, but at this time, I. D.O.N.T. C.A.R.E. >_<

Walter Pater is noteworthy as a student of aesthetics. He understood the futility of trying to define beauty in the abstract and most elementary of terms and forms. This futile practice delegated beauty to the realm of undefined and open-ended je ne sais quois. These attempts at describing beauty failed to recognize that the beauty inherent in any object is relative to the viewer. The aim of any true student of aesthetics is to find the formula of beauty and all its component variables. The variables of the equation are enacted upon by the limiting purview of an individual within the prescribed aesthetic text. The individual becomes the driving force of interpretation, analysis, and calculation. The aesthetic text is the formula inscribed by the creator; the individual acts as a catalyst making the dormant text interact to produce the calculated and unique definition of beauty in a relative relationship between the aesthetic text and the catalyst viewer.

The calculated answer of the formula for beauty becomes the aesthetic criticism of the viewer. The field of aesthetic criticism comprised by objects of “music, poetry, artistic and accomplished forms of human life” (xii) are beneficiaries of various powers and forces. These powers and forces evoke recognizable impressions in the aesthetic text within the viewer. Upon recognition of these impressions the viewer must begin the process of discrimination, asking what affect any given aspect or detail or interaction between aspects of the aesthetic text mean to the individual. ‘How and why does this affect me and pleasure me’ becomes the functional modus operandi. As a result, the aesthetic critic distinguishes all objects that he interacts with as powers or forces that produce pleasurable sensations; these sensations differ notably and yield results unique to the individual aesthetic critic. In this equation, the aesthetic critic need not abstractly define beauty, but rather focus on “the power of being deeply moved by the presence of beautiful objects” (xiii).

Pater’s “The Renaissance” discerns the aesthetic qualities inherent in Sandro Botticelli’s artwork. He thought that the subtext of Botticelli’s works elicited pleasure by providing something meaningful in the artwork as compared to his contemporaries’ works, which lacked that intrinsic quality. This discernment is emphasized by Pater’s use of a quote by William Blake: “The ages are all equal, but genius is always above its age” (xiv). Botticelli’s Madonna , unlike the benevolently adoring and content mother of his colleagues, is troubled and dejected for she has not a son but a saint. Botticelli’s work engages an interaction between the viewer and the work. He exhibits subtext that humanizes and deepens the depiction affecting a connection between the aesthetic text and the aesthetic critic. This visionary style of artwork is a far contrast to the transcribed and impassive artwork produced by his fellow artists of the time.

Neil Gaiman’s The Dream Hunters takes a unique look at the Sandman or, as he refers to him, the King of Dreams, which is an allusion to the Greek god Morpheus mentioned in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Gaiman weaves together the mythos of many legends and cultures, such as Japanese, Buddhist, Greek, and Teutonic religions and deities into a seeming whole. The story revolves around a solitaire monk, a kitsune (fox), the Master of Yin-Yang, and the King of Dreams. The Master of Yin-Yang magically transfers his upcoming fate of death onto the monk. The kitsune discovers this, and endures many trials to be able to take the place of the monk whom she loves so she may die instead. The monk travels through the world of dreams and meets the King of Dreams to save her. He saves her with the cost of his life. The King of Dreams offers to him one night to be with the kitsune, and leaves. The monk forsakes his vows and spends the night in love with the kitsune in her shape-shifted human female form. At the end of the book a raven, servant to the King of Dreams, asks what good did it do for the King to have granted the kitsune her wish to be with the monk for that night. “ ‘Lessons were learned,’ said the pale king. ‘Events occurred as it was proper for them to do. I do not perceive that my attention was wasted … but there were lessons in here for you as well’” (124, Gaiman). The raven then asks if there was a lesson learned by the king, but the king’s only answer is silence and he stares off into space after a time the raven flies away to leave him alone. The reader is left to formulate what the lessons were, and who learned what, if anything at all. Each individual aesthetic critic will determine the answer to that last question: did the king learn a lesson, and if so, what was the lesson, and why do I care, and how does the answer affect me?

The King of Dreams has a displaced air similar to the people in Botticelli’s artworks. He, juxtaposed between the lovers and their fates, bears witness to the energy and passions of the lovers yet is kept separate from it. Gaiman expresses the King’s great neutrality through this displacement. A neutrality that is reminiscent of Botticelli’s embracement of “a middle world in which men take no side in great conflicts, and decide no great causes, and make great refusals. He thus sets for himself the limits within which art, undisturbed by any moral ambition, does its most sincere and surest work” (50). The intersection of this neutrality and displacement inscribed into the formula of the aesthetic text reacts with the aesthetic critic to yield the calculated and unique interpretive result.

See the @#$% I have to turn out? Bleh.



Monday: 9-10-01 ~ Disney is evil

Disney after buying Studio Ghibli a few years back, and dubbing Laputa for theatrical release, has decided not to release any more Miyazaki films in the US. >_<

In an effort to hopefully change Disney's moronically assinine position, a petition has been started.



Monday: 9-10-01 ~ I can see clearly..

New information has shed some light onto the in production Rurouni Kenshin OVA's. This information comes from the last issue of Shonen Jump, Issue #40. I will be summarizing what Richard Fung translated from said issue from the SASSE ML.

The new Kenshin OVA's are indeed only a 2-part OVA series. The setting is Meiji 28. Japan at this time was involved in the "Nissin War," which should be a war that had China and Japan fighting over Korea as Japan starts to grow imperialistic tendencies.

The title of the ova, "Seisou-hen", means passage of time. It seems likely that the story will show a reflective Kenshin looking back on his life with it's many trials and tribulations and how he overcame them. It does not appear now that the OVA's will be the much hoped for animation of the Jinchuu arc. However, a possiblity of perhaps a reference or two to that story arc may still be made within this new ova series.

Other Shonen Jump series have plans for animation:

• Hikaru no Go
• Prince of Tennis

Shonen Jump also announces that there will be 2 new Hunter x Hunter OVA's which will continue where the 62 episode television series left off. I haven't seen past episode 9 of Hunter x Hunter, but I *ADORE* that series for the challenges of the mind in all sorts of fields!

In other news, I have returned to hibernation mode, and whereas my sinus congestion is finally breaking up, it's all moving down into my chest... I'm worried I may be relapsing badly into bronchitis. Bleh.

I found out that our Anime club's Vash Whore, now has an official fanclub. Several of his "customers" over the weekend have created a website and a mailing list in his honor. I am trying to track down the url now... I'm scared.





Saturday: 9-08-01 ~ Heart of Sword

New info just in on the new/in production Rurouni Kenshin OVA(s). The OVA called the Seishou Hen shall feature the following characters in a Meiji 11 setting. (Keep in mind Meiji 10 is when Kyoto Hen takes place (the battle with Shishio)):

• Kenshin
• Kaoru
• Yahiko
• Sanosuke
• Megumi
• Tsubame
• Hiko
• Enishi
• misc. others

Considering the timeline and the fact that Enishi is present, the story has a very strong possibility of being the animated Jinchuu arc! WOOHOO! Sony's site for the NEW OVA where this information was derived from can be found here.



Saturday: 9-08-01 ~ Order of Assasins

OOOOH, this just in. Both Koyasu Takehito's personal site as well as the main Weiß Kreuz site, both agree and concur. A new season, a third season, of Weiß Kreuz will be made. This means... more music!!! More Seki Tomokazu *dances around and does the da dance of glee*. Life has been really good to me anime wise of late.





Saturday: 9-08-01 ~ Restless Slumber

My sleep has been intermittent with odd and brief bouts of wakefullness. In one such bout I watched the old science-fiction classic Dr. Who. There's something magical about a sci-fi series with BAD special effects and props with the Moriartry equivalent "MASTER" mind killing people off with plastic armchairs, yet the actors being soooooo serious. I laughed so hard, it triggered a rather nasty and painful spell of coughing. I think I lost a lung. -_-





Friday: 9-07-01 ~ I cannot go to school today...

*points above* an excerpt from a poem by Shel Silverstein entitled "SICK." Currently I am so incredibly ill. I started coming down with a sore throat this weekend. I've been hibernating since Monday. I felt infinitely worse today, so I trekked 20 minutes over to the health center on campus in this ungodly Texas heat. You know I'm *REALLY* feeling bad when I make that walk.

I've been sleeping and plain out commiserating with my various anime plushies all week. I'm sleeping around 70-80% a day. When I am awake, I have been watcing anime. First I went through all my new DVD's and my roomies, now I'm watching Mysterious Cities of Gold.

The scary thing about this series is that I have no recollection of having ever watched it. Roughly 6 years ago, give or take 2 months, my friend Ben goes hey, look what I found, and beginning playing the opening song from the series. A look of absolute stricken horror crossed my face as I began to sing dumbfounded, because I dind't know where the words for the lyrics were coming from. Eventually I acquired the series from when it was aired on Nickelodeon and someone recorded it. So now, I am finally watching it. I still don't remember any of the series, but gods do I ever know that opening song.



Monday: 9-3-01 ~ I'm Such a Criminal...

*cackles like a deranged lunatic on parole*

I just returned from AnimeFest a 4 day anime convention held in Dallas. The con was the best con I've been to in over 6 years, and I behaved, and made out, like a bandit.

I acquired some DVD's for Blue Seed, Nadia, and Rurouni Kenshin. The Fushigi Yuugi Animation World artbook I've been trying to get for several years now, Backgammon 3 (artbook for Saiyuki and some of that artist's other works), a Gundam Wing Portfolio, and Record Of Lodoss War OVA artbook v. 1. I also purchased a BEAUTIFUL Yue cel from Card Captor Sakura, and the cutest stuffed animal set of Kero and Spinel (also from CCS). I picked up the Mitsukake and Tamahome character boards as well, plus duplicates for my friend. I'm still waiting to hear what loot if any I got from my buyer at Yaoi Con. I was very fotunate, many of the dealers were leaving the con a day early, and were willing to do some major discounts. :)

I updated my anime titles list, my manga list, and my wish list with the new purchases to help those people who may be shopping for my upcoming (less than 30 days from hence) birthday. I will try to keep this updated as any gifts show up :) I recommend that you keep the receipt on the off-chance I get a duplicate, which I highly doubt.

I was also behaving like a bandit, I became a pimp. Literally. I was renting/whoring out one of the male anime officers who was cosplaying as Vash the Stampede from Trigun. So much money got you so much time with him. All proceeds went to the anime club. We made around $100 if not more money off of him. *CACKLES* I got to drag him around on a leash! It was devious and demented and such sweet sweet pleasure. :P

I missed Friday at the con due to work, and homework. I didn't show up until late Saturday after spending over an hour lost in Dallas, because they refuse to label signs on how or where Loop 12 is. Bakayarous. Saturday night the British band Boa, who sings the opening song "Duvet" to the anime Serial Experiments Lain, performed in a special live concert at the convention. It was a great concert, a great deal of fun, and I managed to score one of the few free cd's they were tossing into the crowd of their new album, the first one to release state side, Twilight.

Earlier in the day, Boa came by to the table we had, and signed some things for us, and we gifted them with some Anime UTA club t-shirts. Even I don't have one -_- Granted, there's none in a large enough size to accomodate my... bountiful breasts >_<

After the concert, I went and did karaoke for a while, and eventually coupled with Usagi went on a hunt up into the hotel rooms seeking out her husband. We found him in a room that had several staff heads for various cons, Ohayo-con, Project A-kon, the new forming Ushicon, and the infamous/famous Steve Bennet. For those of you *NOT* familiar with Steve Bennet, he's a domestic guest of the manga persuasion. He's notorious for partying with liquor and women, and is a con staple. *IF* he's not at the con, it's just not a con @_@. There's a joke of a t-shirt that circulates on the con circuit with the caption "I slept with Steve Bennet." Anyway, they had been drinking, and Steve for a while had dozed off, kneeling on the floor with his head on the bed and his shirt off. One of the people connected with Ohayo-con, started drawing an advertisement for their con on his back. The scary thing about all this, is I was waiting to write "no da" on his back... but he awoke before I got the chance. ALSO, although I did by no means sleep with Steve Bennet, I was in a room where he was asleep... and that was my near brush with death :P Oh yeah, I did get a chance to write no da earlier in the evening as I stood inline for the Boa concert on some random fanboy who was having people write kanji and kana on him... kokoro, and baka, were already proudly scribbled on with permanent marker.

Eventually the guests thinned out and then, boom, Megatokyo connected people showed up. I had a great conversation with the 3 guys, whose names were never given to me. However, one of them is making the Boo prototype (hamster with wings, character of a guardian angel in training from the online comic Strip Megatokyo). They actually retrieved Boo, and I got to hold him. He's so gosh darn cute ^_^

I had been carting my graduate school homework, the most anal retentive, boring thing I've ever read in my life. This piece of utter crap is attributed to a Elizabeth Bruss. This packet was with me in the aforementioned room, where one of the guests, Mark Mandolia, started flipping through it. He does some artwork in various aspects of the anime industry. Well, I was damned impressed, he actually was questioning me why they were having me read something so strongly philosophical based for literary theories and criticism, and why on earth the woman had to bring Kafka into the whole mess. I was impressed, highly. Strangely, I was also comforted to know that finally someone truly knew my pain from graduate school.

Well we eventualy got thrown out of the hotel room by the manager, not for being drunk, or any disorderly conduct, but just because he could hear our talking voices as he walked by. We weren't horribly loud... but I suppose we were loud enough. Then I roam the halls with Usagi in turn... somehow we had lost her husband as we had spoken with the Megatokyo guys. We eventually found him again and finally split off to our rooms.

By some miracle, the folks I was staying with left me half of a bed, which I took advantage of with no real results. Despite having gone to bed at 5am, I was still awake when the courtesy wake up call woke us up at 8am. The girl in my bed left, and I had Sophie move over, so she could escape from sharing a bed with my roomie. She (my roomie) is very defensive of her personal space, and has even punched out her own mother when she approached her while she was sleeping. Well, then my roomie gets up and joins our bed, at which point, Sophie and I break for the other bed and cuddle up in terror with Keegan... after this and everyone getting ready... I was up talking a bit, and when everyone left at around 10 am I finally was able to go to sleep. I managed at best 4 hours of sleep, and then my Sunday at the con took off.

Sunday was far tamer than Saturday had been, we went out to dinner. I ordered a daiquiri. This thing was huge, it was easily 3 times the size of any I'd ever had before. I had ordered it because my back was in agony from the short stint of being in bed with Candace, as well as all my tossing and turning. So lacking pain killers, I hoped the alcohol would do what it usually does, relaxes my muscles, numbs pain, and makes me sleepy. Thankfully it did, and when we returned to the hotel we watched the new "Adult Swim" programming block on Cartoon Network. I laughed my head off at Birdman, attorney at law for Dr. Benton Quest as he fought custody with his former "buddy" Race Banner. YES... yaoi has snuck its way into Johnny Quest! *snerks* I also watched some Brak, and Space Ghost. It was highly amusing. After this, I went downstairs, and since our club was running karaoke went down and goofed off again.

Quite a while later, I found one of the smaller video rooms, and stumbled across a series "Kiko-chan's smile" that hooked me. You have Kiko a kindergartner who's super intelligent (she's reading economic theory). She's perpetually pissed off looking, and a guardian angel in training, in the form of a cat, has come down to ehaven to get her to smile. (I think... I missed the first 3 episodes). I'm hooked, and that's where Usagi found me, we talked and coo'd together over the kawaii-ness, and then I gave the wench a hug and said goodbye, and left for home, after making my Vash whore escort me to the car in the parking garage. It was nearly 2am.

I'm home and doing laundry as I type this and unpack. Tomorrow is for

1. grocery shopping
2. homework: reading + paper
3. returning Dad's car to him
4. SLEEP

So much to do and not enough time....

*sighs*

And miles to go before I sleep.



Friday: 8-31-01 ~ Late... late... for a date

Yes, I realize I have been neglient recently with updates to this pita. A great deal has happened in the lives of a few close friends, and as a result affected me as well. As soon as the world stopped spinning with psychadelic infusions of color from that, I was swept away into the vortex known as graduate school. Yes, school started for me this week. *moans* I'm taking: Medieval English Literature (the reading load is light because we have to read everything in the *ORIGINAL* Middle English texts), Theory & Criticism (the only mandatory class for the English Master's program, and American Literature from roughly 1860-1960.

Books cost me around $300 this year, and I'm missing 4 crucial texts that are roughly $50 a piece. *sighs* Luckily, my one professor, Dr. Frank who I had last semester for Semiotics and this semester for Theory & Criticism, has made all her "xerox'd readings available as en electronic source online through the University's Library. This is a *HUGE* benefit for me. What this means is I don't have to physical go to the library to check out said packet from the reserve desk and pay money to xerox it off. Instead I can access the files from any internet connected computer and print thme off. If I print them off from campus labs, the copies are completely and utterly free. Considering that I spent over $300 on xerox's last year all for *REQUIRED* texts... this is a *HUGE* time and money saver. I'm very ecstatic over that. Odd how it's those strange little things in life which are so appreciated.

On a completely subsidiary note and tangent... let's talk about one of my favorite things: Anime. I have the latest information on the new Fushigi Yuugi OVA's, it appears to be a series of 4, the first to be released this December, the rest in the first half of next year. Information I received from kailing is provided below:

News about the new OVA can be found here... link with thanks to Kay! =D

Briefly, here's what it says....
OVA "Fushigi Yuugi - Eikou Den"
Chapter 1 "Shinwa Kaigen"
2001 Dec 21st release

• DVD: BCBA-1057/ 30 minutes/ 4,800 yen
  
• VHS: BES-2867/ 30 minutes/ 5,800 yen
  

Includes special features: Character creation collection, Interviews and freetalk

CAST (that I can read ^^;)

• Yuuki Miaka: Araki Kae
• Sukunami Taka: Midorikawa Hikaru
• Sakaki Mayo: Noda Junko
• Yuuki Keisuke: Miki Shinichiro
• Chichiri: Seki Tomokazu
• Tasuki: Canna Nobutoshi
• Hongou Yui: Touma Yumi
• Tetsuya: Narita Ken
• Reizeitei (Boushin XD): Yajima Akiko
• Youtaikou (Houki): Sakamoto Chika
• Taiitsukun: Kyouda Hisako

RELEASE SCHEDULE

• Chapter 1: 2001/Dec/21
• Chapter 2: 2002/Feb/25
• Chapter 3: 2002/Apr/25
• Chapter 4: 2002/Jun/25

Oh, and if I remember correctly, Pioneer already has the rights to this so here's hoping they'll release it sometime next year! ^_^

This has me excited. Why? If you know me you wouldn't be asking that question. -_- It means more CHICHIRI! More unadulterated, uncut, beautiful animated images of CHICHIRI. Means there will be new must have Chichiri cels from certain key scenes. Means I will get to hear more of his no-daing voice from my beloved seiyuu Seki Tomokazu. It means: CHICHIRI, CHICHIRI, CHICHIRI. And if I'm fortunate, new Chichiri character songs.

*end raving fangirl insanity*

This weekend is Anime Fest, a 4-day anime convention that runs Friday-Monday. For those of you outside the US, Monday is one of our National Holidays, Labor Day. The day began as an odd offshot of the groth of work labor unions who wanted appreciation ie. vacation from work. So most places of business and educational facilities are closed. Hence, why it's a 4-day convention as well. The key-note guests this year will be the band BOA, who performs the opening song Duvet from the anime Serial Experiments Lain. Why do I have a feeling my BOA cd shall soon be John Hancocked??? Hmmm... I've also got a little spending money in courtesy of left over money from my graduate grant. So I'm looking to pick up a few DVD's. I'm also looking forward to visiting with some of my friends who live roughly 4 hours away (by car) in Austin, who are driving up here for the con. YEAH!

Now a reply to various people:

Clone-chan:: aka miss I can't make up my mind where I want to be so I keep moving all over the place, has moved her blogger, yet *AGAIN* I really need to staple you or superglue you down, wench. As to Ryoute Ippai, yes I do have it, in fact it was on my Jukebox site not to long ago (bad Tin for not seeing and getting it then). I will be probably updating my jukebox sometime next week, at which time I will add that to my update. Check her for an announcement of when it does get updated.

Stephen: Firstly.... *pulls hair out* Some idiot at work used my zip disk, and deleted all my files, so I lost the summaries I'd done of AnC, I'll have to redo those. BLEH. Secondly, all me to comment on your recent research into Japanese stories and texts. I *LOVE* Book of Tea. The text is from the early 1900's I believe, possibly late 1800's from a Japanese native who came to the US and ended up becoming a procurer of Asian art for various East Coast US museums. (I'm thinking Boston, but I may be wrong). The Book of Tea, is looking at the Tea Ceremony and Zen meditation and how the two compliment one another. Some of the passages are elegantly beautiful and vivid explaining the Eastern aestheticism to a Western indoctrinated culture. Also, you may find this online essay/article, Women Warriors of Japan to be of interest.

Usagi: Jillypuffing-tacular no da. I want to see your cute cosplay frog. ^_^ And are you just as.. stark-raving mad re: new Chichiri animation scenes, as I am?

Squirt, you my kawaii munchkin of a worry-wort.

And now, I shall go return to my graduate readings. *SNORES*



Friday: 8-24-01 ~ Summer Cleaning...

I think I'm too paranoid. Why, may you ask? Well I cleaned out my hard drive last night, I had duplicates, triplicates, quadruplicates, of various files on my hard drive last night... one back up after another. Eep. I cleared up well over a gig of harddrive space. Scary.



Friday: 8-24-01 ~ Walking... After Midnight

I was too wired to sleep, and I caught my friend Keegan online, the following is an excerpt from our AIM conversation, explanation to the significance of 'sheets' can be found in archive 4 , in the entry entitled "Tuesday: 7-03-01 ~ Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot."

• KeeGander: I was up every other weekend last semester.... -_-
• wmchichiri: ye gods @_@
• KeeGander: But ofcourse it was because a girl was involved
• wmchichiri: actually it's 4 hours, unless all the construction on I-30 has cleared
• wmchichiri: OH a girl.
• wmchichiri: I should feel offended
• wmchichiri: before my sheets there was someone else!
• wmchichiri: :P
• KeeGander: Hehee that explains everything stupid a guy does
• wmchichiri: ^+^
• wmchichiri: doesn't it?
• KeeGander: Yeah but I've never loved anyone'sheets before yours
• KeeGander: Yep everything
• wmchichiri: Spiffy
• KeeGander: Ever stupid act has a girl behind it
• KeeGander: err every

I should be accompanying several of our friends for part of "KeeganCon" this weekend, Keegan's blast off to school blast before he makes the road trip down to Austin.

Stephen, I'm waiting for feedback on the desktop! *pouts* And I recommend Book of Tea as a Japanese work.

Clone-chan: *SNARFS* OH ye many gods... that fic is so *WRONG* Have you been watching Ebichu?

Squirt, I will share with all my friends that "Catfish ain't ugly." Go torment the fellows into reading you stories. Give them a noogie or two as well. K?





Thursday: 8-23-01 ~ Desperate times...

*SIGHS* It has not been a good time for two of my friends. Both of them have lost someone recently. One it was simply his time to go, and the other had made a stupid decision. My thoughts and prayers are with both of you, for your grief. My thoughts and prayers are also with those that have passed on.



Thursday: 8-23-01 ~ Demented plot er muse bunnies...

Although my writing muse seems to be on permanent hiatus, and threatening to exact revenge on my associates at the insane_musings list if they *DO NOT* return my kidnapped muse pronto I shall inflict them with my revenge. I will give them all my plot bunnies that I can't write.

*snerks* They are trembling in fear....

Anyway... seguing back, it seems my artistic muse is very much up and running well. As noted in my previous entry I updated the pita. Pretty.... BLUE... PRETTY... *ahem* But I am also working on Stephen's design for his site. A working title is "The Lab: a descent into madness." I have created... something I can't stop cackling over... it's the premise for a new layout, and I've made it into a desktop wallpaper at 800 x 600 resolution. Grab it while you can, I'll be deleting it in a couple of weeks. It's in bitmap format, so you've been warned. Yes I know I have a twisted sense of humor... So Stephen, if the basic premise works for you, I'll work on carrying the design further.

Clone-chan, it seems we keep missing each other... I was reading your live journal, hit refresh and a new entry popped up. We were on at the same time!!! *sobs* I never get to speak with you anymore. Although... who coined the terminology "Everstanding Bunnies" for that part of the male anatomy?

Speaking of that part of the male anatomy... Clone-chan instigated a discussion between her and Stephen regarding if Everstanding Bunnies do in fact "throb." Stephen scared me by telling me that he has found scientific images to show to Tin to ... prove his ... POINT. (pun intended) *ducks flying debris*





Wednesday: 8-22-01 ~ Time for a cool change...

I was surprised when I first made the web design for this page, that I had used tans and greens. Why, you ask? Well, I'm hopefully and helplessly addicted to the color blue. Any *SHADE* of blue. So, my smurf like obsession with the color had me constantly trying to re-envision the layout. Finally, with a bit of inspirational help from one of the Sailor Moon watercolor illustrations where Mamoru and Serena are dancing in formal clothing beneath and arch and the moon sky inspired me. The fanart is an image of Chichiri and I that was so brilliantly exexcuted by Yanwen.

Anyway... *cackles* I think it's pretty, elegant, and the stuff that dreams are made of no da.