{ Fancy ixly Journal Title }

ixly_one @ 2009-12-25T12:38:00

2009-12-25T19:38:19Z

Okay, NOW it feels like Christmas.

Heck yes.

Oh ya PS: I GOT A CAMERA. EEEEEEEEEE I CAN POST PICS OF THINGS NAO

Avatar

2009-12-22T02:53:22Z

Might as well get this out of the way...

AVATAR:

It was okay.
:I

YES it was extremely shiny and well made and the only time I've ever seen 3D projection not come across as a gimmic involving dorky glasses and it had a message and it was well put-together and the finest example of world-building I've come across in years and years and possibly the best movie visuals I have ever seen.

But aside from that...

IT'S FERNGULLY. THIS ENTIRE MOVIE IS FERNGULLY. OH NO FOREST DESTRUCTION AND MAGICAL FAIRY MONSTERS AND HE BECOMES ONE OF THEM AND NOOO DON'T GO ABOVE THE CANOPY AND DON'T GET EATEN BY GIANT COLORFUL LIZARD WHY DON'T WE HAVE A ROMANTIC MOMENT IN AN ENCLOSED AREA WITH SHINY LIGHTS OVER OUR HEADS AND YAY KILL THE BULLDOZER THEN THE FOREST RISES UP AND SAVES ITSELF BECAUSE WE PRAYED TO A BIG FUCKING TREE.

Go watch Ferngully while throwing Magic: The Gathering cards in front of your face while wearing 3D goggles THERE you've seen Avatar.

The big fight at the end was pretty awesome, though - and don't get me wrong, as much as I complain, I am still going to buy it when it comes out on DVD. I just figured I'd get this out of the way before the inevitable shrieking horde of BUT WHYYYYY DIDN'T YOU LIIIKE IIIIT comes my way.

GOD DAMN YOU KENJI

2009-12-02T06:51:34Z

WHY DO YOU DO THIS WHEN I AM SO GODDAMN POOR

...and forever unable to order things from Japan BUT MOSTLY JUST POOR

It's hereditary.

2009-11-18T19:35:27Z

X-mas present for dad?
ix Naranda
to [Brother]

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=34739256

You order the kit, assemble it, and then give it to the recipient as if it just arrived in the mail as is.

Pretty cunnin', doncha think?

-------------------------------------------------

Re: X-mas present for dad?
[Brother]
to ix Naranda

Shiny. Let's do it.
and hey, here's an Xmas gift to think about for me: my PS3 seems to be busted and I don't know if Sony will fix it (research in progress). Maybe all y'all can pitch in for the new one. Just a thought--keep it in mind. The thought, that is. Don't keep a PS3 in your mind. That would be dangerous. Toes, that is.

Happy Tanuki Day!

2009-11-09T05:43:04Z

Happy Tanuki Day! I hope you're blitzed off your rocker! Barring that, I hope you're fatter than you were yesterday! Pudgin' up for winter, amirite? HEY-O!

Yes, I exist, and no, I haven't accomplished much of what I said I was going to accomplish, but school has been AAUGH lately. Also, we're thinking I may have had post-flu depression, which might explain why I FREAKED OUT over little things on a twice-weekly basis or so for a while. Mmmya. Not fun.
BUT: things are going verrry verry well nao, and I'm giving a rough shot at NaNoMango this month.

I will post something later this week with a more accurate and in-depth update, but for now it's bedtime and I need a nightcap.

Hugs and Chiss,

ix

Can You Hear Me Now?

2009-10-15T21:35:16Z

Today got off to a rather shitty start - my brand new glasses snapped in half less than 24 hours after I got them and I've had anxiety nightmares constantly for the past week - but I am determined to get some art done. The problem lies in the fact that I am bored and uninspired, and I thought some voice chatting might liven things up a bit.

https://voxli.com/Naranda

All you need is (presumably) a microphone and maybe a free account - it's insanely simple to sign up, and I'm not even sure you need to. You will need to install a plugin, but honestly that's to be expected. I may dart in and out to get food and cha and supplies, but chances are good you will find me there easily enough.

What're you waiting for? Drop on in!

P.S.
The more people show up the more likely it is I will get art done. BRIBERYYYY.

p.p.s
There might be a text chat option as well. I don't know. Go find out. ♥

ixly_one @ 2009-09-27T14:37:00

2009-09-27T20:45:13Z

Currently trying to sit down and focus on studying for an exam next week, but I'm frustrated out of my mind because today is the first day in months that I've really felt like sitting down to get some art done.

I'm months behind on gifts and commissions, and I'm really sick of still being so unreliable. I want to get so much done, but I just can't balance the creative motivation with the academic yet.

Grah, I don't know why I'm so on edge today. Probably because my glasses broke and my eyes are going a bit googly - this stupid astigmatism is juuuuust noticeable enough to make me queasy if I go megane-less for too long. Erg.

Love & peace, y'all.

GUESS WHAT?! 8D

2009-09-16T04:28:35Z

I HAVE THE FLU!

Possibly piggy flu!

YAAAAAAAAAYHORKHACKGURGLECOUGHHURKbleeegh.

WUT.

2009-09-03T04:17:48Z

Kamen Rider is a Japanese live-action show that does a new universe each year/season (for those not in the know, think Power Rangers nowadays).
Kamen Rider Ryuki is a Kamen Rider season from a few years back.
Kamen Rider Ryuki gets brought over by 4Kids (booo!), refilmed with Western actors, and called Kamen Rider Dragon Knight.
Kamen Rider Dragon Knight gets brought back to Japan, re-released as an import, and redubbed by Japanese voice actors.
The Japanese redub of Kamen Rider Dragon Knight may quite possibly be fansubbed back into English via the same groups that fansubbed the original Kamen Rider Ryuki.

Additionally,

I am a fan of Matsuda Kenji (duh).
Matsuda Kenji was in two Kamen Rider seasons.
Matsuda Kenji was never in Kamen Rider Ryuki.
Matsuda Kenji is now in Kamen Rider Dragon Knight as part of the Japanese dub cast.
I just found this out from Matsuda Kenji's blog, thus spurring my curiosity and unleashing the afore-listed feedback loop of information upon my feeble senses.

I need to lie down.

ixly_one @ 2009-09-01T00:38:00

2009-09-01T06:49:55Z

Don't you love it when pointless, stupid problems sort themselves out to everybody's satisfaction?

I'm in a very cheerful mood right now, if utterly drained. My rather neurotic meltdown the other day really made me realise what emotional hangups I still have left over from high school days, and with a bit of luck and a lot of effort, I think I've overcome them. In two days.

I am obscenely proud of myself. Well, I'm embarrassed beyond words at how I initially handled the situation, but just a year ago this kind of thing would have shattered me completely - which is also pretty embarrassing to think about. But, no, my Scottish common sense slapped me around a bit and called me names, and finally dumped me on my ass with a stern order to buck up, apologize and reconcile, and get over it. So I did. End of story. Yaaay.

Sometime in the next week or so (hopefully tomorrow, but one never knows), I will be revamping my journal with a new layout and a complete wipe of all my previous entries. I think I'm at a point where I'm ready to burn the evidence and start afresh. I'm not the person I was five years ago, and it's high time I started looking like it.

Love & Peace, y'all.

ixly_one @ 2009-08-29T22:48:00

2009-08-30T06:24:20Z

Most of the friendships I've ever had have ended because my "friend" decided it would be funny, or clever, or "cool" to keep pointless shit from me.

I understand the appeal, but it strains trust and reminds me of how much of a hopeless, stupid, pathetically unobservant and trusting moron I am; especially since I am ALWAYS the last person to find out.

I have been taken more for granted in the past three weeks than I have in the past five years, and I'm done with it. If I don't have a place here as a peer, then I don't have a place here at all. I'm sorry if you feel like you can't trust me with the small things, but at least have the decency to not just assume I'll figure it out on my own. I won't. I'm really that thick.

Don't bother trying to talk to me about it. Just stop doing it.

Bleeeeeghupdate

2009-08-27T06:25:32Z

Brief update.

At the current moment, I believe I am either losing my voice or coming down with a cough. Possibly both. We'll find out tomorrow.
I just started classes and am already fully entrenched in homeworkland.
I have five commissions to get done by Friday and they are not going to get done by Friday.
I have no money for postage and thus cannot send packages yet. Also I'm paranoid about mailing things and need to reteach myself how to send stuff. Yes I am that lame.
I'm actually drawing stuff again YAAAAAAAAY I'M SO EXCITED
School is fun. My fashion teacher reminds me of future me. He wears fully tailored Hawaiian shirts and makes underwater basket weaving jokes while being super smart and SUUUPER FAB. So far, at least. He's pretty cool.
I have learned how to make origami x-wings. Do you ever get that almost physical feeling of a "level up"? I got that with the origami x-wings. I am becoming more awesome on an almost daily basis. JUST AS PLANNED.
I saw a four-band concert featuring Zappa Plays Zappa and Dream Theater. ZPZ was mind-blowing, and they completely confused most of the younger metal heads at the concert - poor twats couldn't understand why everyone was cheering so hard at jazzy rock in 11/4 timescale. They were there to see Dream Theater, who were as prissy as I have ever seen anyone still claiming to be "metal". I was decidedly unimpressed, and skipped out early to buy a "My guitar wants to kill your mama" Zappa shirt.

Overall, life is good.

Toodles for now, y'all. ♥

ix: A Review

2009-08-21T04:45:37Z

I DON'T MEAN TO POST SO MANY ANGSTY UPDATES LIFE IS JUST BUSY RIGHT NOW OKAY OKAY FINE MOVE ALONG WE'RE ALL GENKI HERE PEACE OUT

ixly_one @ 2009-08-20T21:31:00

2009-08-21T04:31:04Z

There's nobody who follows me on LiveJournal who I want to say this to - you're all cool, but I don't want to post this on Facebook where various kids will see it. Bad PR and all. I just need to get this off my chest, regardless of whether the people involved actually ever read it.

I am bad at keeping up with people. I know this. I try. I'm bad at getting things done for people. I try too hard to make every gift and request absolutely perfect, and very quickly become overwhelmed with creativity-crushing guilt. It's a vicious cycle, I know. I'm trying.

That all being said... do I even exist outside of work?

We were all such great comrades last year. After summer I tried keeping in touch through gaming and parties and the like, but school ate my soul and I had to forgo ALL, that is ALL social interactions. Not just with you.

This summer nobody asked me if I wanted to come back to my old job, like I expected I would. By the time I asked, my job had already been promised away to someone new. I helped train them. For free. I volunteered for the overnight camp. For free. I worked a week of lunch duty - for free, because even though my coworkers assumed I would be paid, nobody at the office got the memo. I didn't get a chance to negotiate compensation with anyone, because first I was in LA and then was warned not to bring the subject up due to in-office drama. Today I worked lunch duty again, and I will again tomorrow. I don't know if I'm getting paid. The person who asked me to come left the state for the semester a day or two after they called me. I found out about the goodbye party after the fact via a Facebook update directed at someone else.

I love this job. I love the kids, the work, the play... and I will go out of my way to help out in whatever way I can, because I love it and because I assume that my (ex)coworkers are tight friends.

Why is it, then, that I feel so used?

I know other people in the company feel this way at times, especially since the economic downturn; like their work is being taken advantage of. I understand and empathize with that, but that's not what's bothering me so much. What bothers me is the fact that I feel like I've been disowned from a family, only nobody's got the guts enough to say it to my face.

Since day one, I have felt like the cute and slightly clueless mascot character of the group. I don't understand everything, and am talked down to a little for it - I get that, because having the kids know more than I do is a problem that needs to be solved very quickly and seriously in order for me to keep my job. Politely but sternly reminding me of my place keeps me motivated. I just figured I had to earn everyone's respect.

I am instead left to wonder why I am treated like a perpetual noob, and whether there is some hidden meaning to every interaction that I'm supposed to figure out by myself. 90% of what you guys say is fine and friendly and open. The rest feels like thickly veiled, passive-aggressive stabs at my inexperience.

What happened? What did I do? Am I imagining all this? What should I do? Is it personal angst and drama stirring up and I'm just unknowingly waiting to get caught in the crossfire? I know you have your own lives and problems, but I befriended you all as a group, and I don't know you well enough to pick sides. I can't make that call.

Am I allowed to befriend you all again?

...Is it worth it anymore?

...What do I do?

Please read this.

2009-08-15T06:48:02Z

No, Bernice, you ARE an anti-vax nutter.

A couple choice excerpts from the above link:

"To label me as an anti-vaxer nutter would be incorrect. I simply do not care if people want to harm their children by vaccinating them. What I do object to is that my tax dollars pay for this voo doo."

"As for another coughing newborn on a TV ad supporting vaccination, well it would not affect me in the slightest. I could walk through a ward of babies dying from whooping cough or any other infectious disease and it would not affect my decision to not vaccinate my children."

Please read the whole letter linked above, specifically the preface where it's explained just who this letter was sent to. While you're at it, go and read up on herd immunity. If you're personally unsure about the risk or safety of vaccinations, I may be able to drum up some additional, non-biased, informative links if I have the time.

Now excuse me while I go vomit in disgust and rage.

Will Art For Food

2009-08-06T18:47:37Z

Welcome to online banking!

Your current balance is: $1.43
------------------------------------------

D8

I realize not too many people who watch me here have the means, inclination, or reason to pay me for art, but if you know anyone who does, please send them this way, or to http://naranda.deviantart.com.

Due to my shocking lack of any funds, I am going to be offering $10 sketches for as long as I can handle the work. Additional characters are +$5. I will not be offering color or ink unless you commission that separately, and whether the sketch is digital or traditional will be entirely up to me. No shipping at this point in time, sorry.

If you'd like to commission me, either comment or send me a note. I will send you a private note with payment information. I can currently receive payment through PayPal only, unless you know me in person and can pay cash very swiftly.

Writer's Block: Fantasy Sports

2009-08-05T05:54:05Z

Imagine you manage a coven of baseball-playing vampires. The Cullen family is really strong this year and you want to bring in a ringer. Which currently active MLB baseball player do you sire?

Submitted By seannau

View 502 Answers

Alucard. As my entire team. I mean, I'm sure he's active somewhere.

Now, STOP WITH THE FUCKING TWILIGHT, LJ. Fans are fans and they can have their thing and like it and blah blah good for them, but PLEASE for the love of all things undead and unholy, STOP SHOVELING IT ON MY DOORSTEP.

IS THERE NO PLACE I CAN GO TO ESCAPE THIS TOPIC.

[Edit]
P.S.
Buffy can be referee.

[Edit again]
AHAHAHAHAHA OMIGAHD LJ is exploding with indignant RAGE at this question. Go check out the answers for pages of hilarity.

I will clarify that the main reason I'm pissed off at this question is that I am sick to death of the fact that there is NOWHERE I can go online or off where Twilight isn't brought up. Ranting is just my way of venting the stupid out.

More importantly... exactly what group did LJ think they were appealing to with this question? The extensive teen-romance/pro baseball/blogger scene?

Random meme time!

2009-07-22T00:22:05Z

List the first ten series that come to mind. Your friends will comment with the character from each series that they think you are most like. No favorites (...unless it's legit)!

○ Star Wars (preferably original trilogy/EU, although I know most people on my list know jack about Star Wars)
○ Star Trek (any!)
○ Hunter X Hunter
○ Yuu Yuu Hakusho
○ Harry Potter (wth I'm running out of ideas)
○ Jigoku Shoujo
○ Dominic Deegan
○ DragonBall/DragonBall Z
○ Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged
○ [Insert your own show here] (yes, I am totally out of ideas, sue me).

LA Trip, continued

2009-07-17T07:04:48Z

Today was AWESOME. Turns out my bro and I just need to each go do our own thing before hanging out together, which is fine. Today I took the bus down to Little Tokyo by my lonesome whilst my brother worked on his animatics for school. The bus ride was shorter than Wednesday's car ride (20 minutes instead of 30 or 40), had next to no traffic, and cost $2.50 for a round trip instead of $10 for parking. A++ would purchase again. What? Anyway.

I bought a shit ton of stuff and will probably get in trouble for it but FUCK it this is the second time in my entire life I've enjoyed shopping. I had a huge bowl of ramen twice the size of my skull that was tastier than most ramen I had in Japan, but I didn't finish the broth for fear of drowning in spicy soy love. By "drowning" I mean, literally drowning. It was a very large bowl.

Most everything I bought was intended to be souvenirs for friends back home, but looking at my stash now I'm probably going to keep some of it to balance things out. I still haven't bought everybody something yet, and some people's piles are twice as tall as mine. So, redistribution shall take place pretty soon. I think I'll keep the bento boxes.

OH OH LAO HEY LAO HEY HEY i got you something.

I dunno if it's what you like but it's Kuroshitsuji and like a mini transparent plastic poster set or something and it has a sexy butler on it and some shota kid wearing pink frilly loli drag so I thought "y'know, what the hey". Addendum: Knives!! I really need to read this show. Manga. Something.

Soooooooo that's that. I did a lot of stuff today, but most of it can be summarised by "saw stuff, did stuff, bought stuff", which is much more exciting in person than it is on paper. Especially when that paper is a screen. Of text. Written by a phenomenally exhausted tanuki.

GOOD NIGHT LOVE YOU ALL CHUUUU~

In Which Insomnia Induces Clichés

2009-07-10T07:20:45Z

What does your ideal lifestyle look like 10 years from now?

Presented by Intel, Sponsors of Tomorrow.

View 502 Answers

   "Did they ask you to come back?"
Ix shifted her tablet PC to a more comfy position, moving her phone from one ear to the other and wincing as she accidentally stabbed herself in the earlobe again. One would think the craze of making the damn things smaller every year would have stopped by now. "Yeah, just for a couple cameos, it sounds like. Most of the other actors aren't around anymore..." She continued sketching as her phonemate chuckled.
   "I bet I know who will be there."
Ix ignored her friend and continued sketching. "...I'll have to squeeze it into my schedule between my other projects, too..."
   "A certain someone we all know.."
"...I mean, I'm already missing The Amazing Meeting 17 for a vaccine drive charity..."
   "A certain sexy someone you made it into the tabloids with..."
"...I don't really want to miss Anthrocon again, too."
   "Well Christ, ix, don't sound so excited about it."
ix blinked. "...About what? Missing Anthrocon or tabloids?"
   "NEITHER. You've still got the hots for him, don't you?"
"...Uncle Kage?"
   "YOUR CO-STAR you dipshit."
"What? Him? No way! Dude's almost fifty!"
   "And still smokin' hot."
"And still fifty, Kira. Well, fine, forty-seven." Ix took a moment during her friend's long-suffering sigh to chug the last of the udon and pour another glass of champagne, which she promptly wrinkled her nose at. "Bleh."
   "Fuck, ix, he's not THAT bad."
Ix exchanged the glass for her stylus again. "Oh, no, sorry, I just drank some lousy champagne."
   "Don't you hate champagne?"
"That would be why it was lousy."
   "Then why the hell are you drinking it?"
"I just um... I just felt like celebrating a bit... is all." An awkward elbow sent the champagne glass toppling onto a pile of press photos and fabric scraps at ix's feet. "Fuck."
   Kira didn't seem to notice the hissed expletive. "Kamen Rider is a pretty good thing to celebrate," she agreed. "How'd you weasel your way into that, again?"
Ix scoffed. "I'm an eccentric Oscar-winning millionaire celebrity!" A bottle of vanilla vodka replaced the champagne and ix waved it around enthusiastically. "As long I make a box-office hit every now and then, I get to do whatever the hell I want!" The bottle was promptly taken away. Ix made a face and scooped up the shiny gold statue sitting on the coffee table. "Silly Oscar."
   "Speaking of eccentric," Kira mused pointedly, "you aren't secretly selling arts and crafts on Etsy again, are you?"
Ix put her PC away self-consciously. "...No."
   "Uh-huh."
"Honest." Her glass was retrieved and refilled. "Oh, thanks."
   "For what?"
"Huh?"
   "...What?"
"...Nothing?"
   Kira's voice suddenly grew suspicious. "Is there someone else there?"
"No."
   "Is he THERE?!"
"NO!"
   "I KNEW IT!"
"WELP look at the time big day tomorrow still jet-lagged got a big photoshoot some superhero lingerie thing I think well I've drunk too much show must go on and all that jazz gotta go see ya BYE!"
   "CALL ME BACK YOU NERDFACE-" *clikbeep*
Ix put the phone down and picked up her Oscar, took his half-knitted sweater off and plunked it over the vodka bottle. "There." She pondered the project carefully for a moment before glaring sideways at the man beside her. "Stop grinning at me like that."
   The man chortled and put his hands up defensively. "Did I say anything? I didn't say anything! Now here...." he reached past ix's angry-samurai face and moved the sweater back to her impromptu gold mannequin. "You'll get bad feedback if your crafts have booze all over them."
"Yeah, well." She cuffed him on the shoulder playfully. He kicked her shin.
   "Sounds like you were found out," he remarked, motioning to the phone with his glass.
"Oh, that? Well... sort of," ix said. "She did figure out you were visiting."
   He laughed. "Yeah, 'visiting', right." The two grinned at each other over their drinks in a shared moment of silent mirth. "So when are you going to tell her I've been living here for three months?"
   "I dunno," ix murmurred slyly. "When are you gonna tell your mother we've been married for two?"

Fin

ixly_one @ 2009-07-02T11:45:00

2009-07-02T19:05:11Z

The Humorous Adventures of ix the Tanu.
All times are ~~pulled out of my ass~~ approximate.

Yesterday
2:00pm-6:00pm
Spent several hours hanging out with my good friend and her visiting Japanese host family, walking up and down the mall and practicing my horribly rusty Nihongo. I bought a wooden flying cat. I spent half the time trying to convince the Japanese ladies not to buy me something. They bought me sake. Being a tanuki, I contractually cannot refuse free sake. Happy joy was had all around.

6:30pm-10:30pm
Had dinner at good friend's house with her family, Japanese host family, and her family's Chilean, Hungarian, and British friends. The Japanese ladies gave us senbei, cheese, more senbei, and omiyage. I got postcards and instant ramen. Happy joy was had all around.

10:30pm-10:45pm
Drove down long canyon back to town with friend during pants-wettingly terrifying lighting storm. Awesome happy joy was had all around.

10:45pm-12:15am Today
Went to a "soul party" with aforementioned good friend. Saw a bunch of people I haven't seen since middle school, including the one who got hit by a train earlier this year. Aside from a very fancy looking medical ~~corset~~ brace, he is a picture of health. He was also not noticeably weirded out by my concern even though we haven't talked in ten years, so that was also good. Spent the rest of the night dancing to James Brown alongside the very crazy chef from my favorite restaurant (when he wasn't blatantly hitting on frequently-mentioned good friend who is much younger and already in a relationship). Happy joy was had by most. Awkwardness was had by several.

12:30am-1:15am
Went home. Was told by exhausted mum that our older cat had got out just before terrifying storm and had not come back after downpour. Went looking for stupid cat. Found stupid cat. Brought stupid cat back inside. Went to take shower.

1:16am
Hear stupid cat pry cat door open and get back outside. Nearly run out of bathroom to go get cat before remembering I'm completely buck-naked.

1:20am-2:00am
Go back out to look for stupid cat (clothed, this time). Cannot find stupid cat. Succumb to pathetic cries of separation-anxiety-filled kitten locked inside and give up search. Fall asleep on floor in front of cat door.

2:30am-5:00am
Give up and go back to bed. Have no recollection of having actually slept. Kitten crashes out on my stomach.

5:15am
Hear cat door open. Listen for a moment, then get up and go out to hallway.
     MYAAAAAAYOW
     STOOPID $&*#ING CAT
     MYEEEEYAAAAOW
     WHERE WERE YOU YOU STOOPID $&*#
     MAAYAAAAARYOW
     SHUTUP SHUTUP YOU STOOPID ANIMAL
     MEEEEEEEEEEHHYOW
     LET ME $&*#ING SLEEP
     MYEEEEEEEEEEHHHHH
     AAAAAAAUUUUUGGGGHH

5:16am
Go downstairs, lock cat door. Go back upstairs to sleep.

5:20am-6:00am
Stare at wall and curse sleepless existence. Determined kitten adapts to my tossing and turning by alternating between passing out on my head, chest, back, and face.

6:00am-6:30am
Go downstairs and eat some delicious yogurt. Curse joyously singing morningbirds. Nap. Give up and go back to bed.

6:30am-I really stopped giving a fuck am
Blissful slumber. Dream of MatsuKen bringing me tea and pillows.

fuckit it was morning am
Hear mum making tea. Put on bathrobe to keep neighbors from seeing my questionable taste in manties. Stagger halfway down stairs. Give up and sit in middle of stairs. Mum brings tea to middle of stairs. Exhausted moderately satisfied meh is had by all.

Present moment:
Stupid cat is passed out on floor. Stupid cat obviously got less sleep than we did. Bitter vindictive glee is not had by stupid cat.

Happy End

True Believers

2009-07-01T19:10:56Z

A telling exchange in the comments section of this article [link]:

wreck86 June 28, 2009 - 4:01 pm EDT

Mr. Arcaro,
I can tell that you are an insightful, intelligent person who I would enjoy playing golf with, drinking a beer with, etc. and therein lies the problem for you being an atheist. If all atheists would just be arrogant jerks that no one can like or respect, it would make it a lot easier to just not to care about you. Instead, I end up liking you and caring about your well being. So if I see you step out in front of an oncoming bus, its hard for me to just say, "well, that's his decision." So here I am knowing that there is something much worse than a bus headed your way. I am conflicted between not wanting to offend you by telling you that at least part of your understanding of life is a complete lie and letting you know about a truth that will save you for eternity. I would assume that you have pondered these issues before but in case you needed some insight into how a true believer in Jesus Christ views his relationship with you, there it is. Loving my neighbor doesn't end at loaning him tools or bringing dinner him when he's sick.

The replies:

JeffMo June 29, 2009 - 2:28 pm EDT

>"So here I am knowing that there is something much worse than a bus headed your way. I am conflicted between not wanting to offend you by telling you that at least part of your understanding of life is a complete lie and letting you know about a truth that will save you for eternity."

Are you similarly willing to participate in discussions about part of YOUR understanding of life being a complete lie?

Are you similarly willing to learn about truths that will save your life from being wasted on fairy stories about eternity?

As long as you are not easily-offended by such discussions, you would soon learn that other kinds of believers and nonbelievers can be just as firm in their convictions as you are in yours. There will even be some atheists who think they can't possibly be wrong when they say they "know" something (like you, apparently), and there are others who are mindful of the fact that none of us are infallible or omniscient, and continue an agenda of lifelong learning.

Some believers think they can sidestep their personal fallibility or ignorance by pointing to a book or to respected religious leaders that represent a supposedly-higher authority. They are wrong. This is easily seen by reference to the multitude of contradictory holy books that have been written and read by fallible men, each claiming to be directly written, revealed, or inspired by a god or gods.

And even if one of them turned out to be divinely sourced, against all odds, that would still leave fallible humans in charge of interpretation of the text. Everyday experience shows us that believers collectively have consistently failed to detect the one true interpretation of ANY holy book in history.

rubydynamite June 29, 2009 - 3:38 pm EDT

I have never heard anything more arrogant and condescending in all my life.

A_Pickle June 29, 2009 - 6:24 pm EDT

JeffMo puts it quite succinctly. In effect, you're placing your own belief above Mr. Arcaro's belief -- which is perfectly normal and acceptable on a personal level. Obviously, in your own mind, you have decided that you believe the account as told by religion more than the account as told by science. Mr. Arcaro has obviously arrived at the opposite conclusion in his mind.

But the problem occurs when you, based on nothing more than your own comparison of the beliefs, assume that it is acceptable to ask someone: "Have you found Jesus?" That's a deeply personal question for anyone, and it's an area that other people have no right to go willfully probing around in.

I believe that the Bible is no more significant than the fifth Harry Potter book just as strongly as you believe that the Bible is the most significant book on the planet. You can show your respect for that belief (and my right to hold it no matter what you say) by simply avoiding the topic altogether. And before you think otherwise, RESPECT and ENDORSEMENT are NOT THE SAME THING (IE, you can still respect my opinion while holding a different one).

So, let's try this from the top now:

"Hi! My name is A_Pickle. I do not believe in any deities, I believe that humanity can and does make it's own moral framework, and I believe that the Big Bang and Evolution are responsible for putting us here."

Choose the appropriate response:

A.) "Hello, nice to meet you! My name is wreck86, and I believe that the Universe and Life on Earth came to be as a result of divine will."

B.) "You do? Well that's unfortunate. Do you know what it means to be born-again?"

Birthdays.

2009-06-26T05:42:20Z

Being as I am currently slap-happy from a hazy day of sickness, cramps, and many happy hours of failing at Team Fortress 2, I absolutely can't remember who I got what for birthday presents. Lao and Vocal, I know I haven't got/made you anything yet, and being as how I am poor, all I can really offer right now is art (and/or some old anime crap I found in the storage shed - if so, I hope you really like Yuu Yuu Hakusho).

SO. To the drunken point. Whom did I get what, and if I didn't get what, what should I get? Or draw? I can draw, you know. I need to sleep.

TELL MEE.

Streeeeesss

2009-06-08T05:49:23Z

Ugh, self employment is stressful. Especially when you're stuck with non-paying work that's keeping you from accepting paying work.

The news now is that I will be working primarily from home, selling and teaching art, and likely offering black and white digital photo restoration as that's what pays the most per hour. I've been volunteering at my old job a bit for the past couple weeks, mainly to stay in touch and stay social, but also for contacts, advertising, and exercise.
I've been encouraged by them to advertise my art at the camps, as long as I'm classy and I let any buyers know that none of that money goes to the company. The camp is LARP-based, so all the kids invent their own characters, and at the weekly Friday bazaar I sell character portraits for in-game gold. As usual, I'm very popular, no matter what I charge, since I'm the only merchant who sells something that also exists in real life. I've already had one parent compliment me, and I'm hoping to get some business cards made to hand out discreetly.

Unfortunately, instead of being ready to accept paid commissions, I've been stuck with unfinished commissions from last year (completely my fault) and an HTML coding commission (wtf I draw thing not code things) my mum got me into without consulting me first (decidedly not my fault). I love my mum, and she's feeling really bad now that she sees how stressed and angry I am over it, but DAMN was I angry. I'm stuck doing it, because it's now my mother's reputation on the line, but from here on out I am refusing any work she gets for me without telling me. This is not the first time this has happened, but by my belly pooch of unhealthiness, it will be the last.

That all being said, OMFCHEEZIT I LOVE CODING. I haven't used a jot of HTML outside of <b>, <i> or <u> in seven years, and I'd forgotten just how addicting it is. My dad teaches that kind of stuff for a living ,so he's started giving me some great lessons on coding in Flash. Once I'm a little more relaxed and sane, I'm going to start making myself a shiny-shiny website.

ON THE SUBJECT OF: shiny-shiny websites, I HAVE MADE FOR MYSELF: a Facebook fanpage for my company/studio/thingie "Draw ix Draw", AND: an account at ConceptArt.org. Kindly do check them out, and if you like what you see, please add me on Facebook and/or just spread the word. Every new person you tell about my art is one more potential customer (and thus food-provider) for me.

OH I'M GETTING PAID TO KEEP KIDS ALIVE FOR AN HOUR EACH DAY SO I GOTTA GO TO BED NOW HURRAH CAMP LUNCH DUTY (AND MONEY) YAAAY

Peace out.

ixly_one @ 2009-06-07T00:30:00

2009-06-07T06:31:18Z

In an effort to save some money, my mum and I went and emptied out our costly storage shed today. I was particularly gleeful about this endeavor, as I was well aware of the precious contents hidden away amongst the dingy cardboard boxes. Namely, my Star Wars toy and book collection.

YESSSSSSSSS

Within minutes of my having opened the first box, I had verified my current theory that ADD combined with overly nerdy behavior enables a person to become incoherently drunk without a single drop of alcohol:

ix: *picks up "Heir to the Empire" and takes a deep sniff from the middle of the book* SNNNNNFFFFFFFMMMMMMMmmmm, Thrawn, you smell like old books. *Sits back looking at ceiling with stupid smile on face* ....That's kinda sexy.
Book: ........
ix: .......SNNNNNNNNNFFFFFFFFFFF

Still haven't found my 12" Darth Maul doll, though. D: Although I do have a mini Slave I with itty-bitty Boba and itty-bitty Han Solo in carbonite.