The End of An Era

Today was the last Anime Club meeting of the semester. This is always a day I dread. Most of my friends are from that club and it usually means I won’t see them again for a couple of months. At least the ones who come back. While today is a sad day, it was also the end of an era because one my best friends and club staple, Greg, is finally finishing up his doctorate. He has been with the club since before I started and he is the guy who usually runs the meetings. I’ve taken over his officer position as the club librarian. I wonder what the club will be like now that he’s gone.

Aside from the meeting was alot of fun. I bought a couple of pizzas for everyone because I’m just that generous. The meeting broke down awful fast because my laptop. Everyone tried to use there laptops but nobody had the right player or the right video connections. It was hysterical because we were all laughing at ourselves. It was a good 20 minutes of fumbling around until we got it going right but it was a good meeting.

I’m really going to miss the VTAS meeting until this fall.

A Big Day For Anime

I didn’t realize that would rhyme until I finished typing it. In the past 24 hours, I have downloaded and watched the Naruto Shippuden movie and the new Evangelion movie. These are things that I’ve been waiting for to some degree for years.

The Naruto movie was exactly the same as every other movie. All the characters only have two or three moves that they seem to be able to execute. There is a new character who is bossy and emotionally damaged but has recovered by the end because Naruto “doesn’t go back on his word”. The evil lackeys are powerful enough to win the first fight but inexplicably withdraw after one little setback and in the end, Naruto beats the big bad with his regular attack that has been infused with a special energy making it unique and super-effective. In short, the movie was formulaic and completely without surprise. The only really interesting thing is that the main character dies in the first two minutes but, alas, this is revealed to be a vision. The movie was certainly entertaining with great fight sequences and excellent animation but great art it was not.

The other movie I downloaded recently was Evangelion 1.01: You Are [Not] Alone. It is the first of several new Evangelion movies being made and as such is simply a condensed retelling of the first part of the TV show. Later movies are promised to be completely new material in the form of an actual sequel. This movie also goes pretty light on the mindtrips that ended the series (and the movie End of Evangelion) and which still confuse me to this day. There is new animation and it is all beautiful with incredible visuals and action but thats not way someone would want to watch this movie. It is the feel good movie of the year because it reminds you how good your life is in comparison. I won’t go into any of the details because I’m sure that alot of people have already seen at least some of the series but every character is fucked up. In a major way. There are enough psychological issues to fill a medical textbook. Everything depression to megalomanical manipulation that would make Charles Manson blush. This movie is a must for any fans of the original series and people who are contemplating suicide.

For a giant anime nerd like myself, this morning was something like a wet dream, as disturbing a visual as that is. Days like this only happen once in a blue moon when the stars converge and align. In case you can’t tell, I’m pretty stoked.

Who Does He Think He’s Kidding?

Earlier this afternoon, I read an interesting article on DailyTech.com about Windows XP. In this article, Steve Ballmer says that customers don’t want to use XP anymore and that Microsoft will probably discontinue it in June. I must ask, who are these customers giving Ballmer their opinions? Microsoft’s newest operating system, Vista, is so prone to problems that few people I know who actually bothered to upgrade all downgraded back to XP within a month. And these were not liberal arts guys, they were computer engineers. XP is a stable OS that actually runs on most computers. For the most part, unless your computer is packing the major hardware, you can’t get Vista to work correctly.

Now, I’ve never used Vista. I don’t want to give that impression. When it came out, I was taken in by the promo pictures of the shiny new interface so I kept an ear out for reviews and impressions from users. That is what I’m basing my opinion of Vista on. I have never met anyone who likes it in comparison to EVERYONE I know that uses XP. Steve Ballmer’s high opinion of Vista leads me to believe that he is really running OS X Leopard. Oh yeah, the picture with the article makes it look like Ballmer’s heart is giving out at the sheer strain of voicing his bullshit. (Original Article)

In a note related to yesterday’s article, today I was surfing around and I clicked on a link to find out what superhero I would be. After completing the quiz in 30 seconds and spending 7.5 minutes navigating the offers for “free prizes” and other crap, I learned that I was Spider-man. This was in no way an important discovery, it’s just that after writing an article on Spider-man, this site had the single busiest day EVER with 21 hits. I hope mentioning him again repeats the success.

Spider-Man and Friends

When it comes to my comics, I usually go for the anti-hero types. The guys like the Hulk, the Punisher, and Wolverine who usually have to deal other superheroes as well as their respective villains. I mean it’s easy to like the goody goodies like the Fantastic Four or The Avengers. Out of all these guys though, Spider-man is probably my favorite.

Alot of people who like Spider-man say it’s because he’s depicted as a regular guy with superpowers, hence that whole great power-great responsibility line. That’s not why I like him. I like Spider-man, not because he is a regular guy, but because he is a massive loser. In the Marvel Universe, he is one of the most-hated public heroes, commonly called a menace in the Daily Bugle, and the majority of the things he does is contrary to own best interest. There are dozens of comics that I could point to that show him turning away a beautiful girl because he feels that “it wouldn’t be safe for her”.

I also like how the current Marvel writers show him interacting with other superheroes. My favorite example of this is in Marvel Knights Spider-Man #2. In this one, Aunt May has been kidnapped so he goes to the Avengers for help. Jarvis, the Avenger’s butler, doesn’t believe it’s really him so he sics a couple hundred armed guards on poor Peter. Once Spider has broken into the building and through all the security, he has to actually fight the Avengers. Hell of a way to treat a good guy looking for help. When he’s asking them for help, he can’t tell them his real name, so they are trying to convince him to. This is one of my favorites scenes because of the sheer hypocrisy of it all. Tony  Stark (Iron Man) and Captain America say that they haven’t had any problems with two identities but neither seems to realize that ones a multi-billionare with an army of body guards and every one Cap grew up with is long dead.

Spider-man should have just told them all to go fuck themselves. His identity gets out there and he’ll have Doctor Octopus dropping in on him at work (He was a high-school science teacher at the time). And then there is the whole Gwen Stacy incident. The last villain to figure out his identity killed the woman he loved right in front of him.

I seem to have lost whatever point I wanted to make when I started writing this. Needless to say, Spider-man = bad-ass, Avengers = assholes. I do like the newer Secret Avengers because they not only have to fight the bad guys but they have to fight the government and sell-out heroes.

Currently listening to: “Black and White Town” by Doves

I’m Going To Go For It

In my last post, I talked about attempting to submit my writing over helium.com. I think I’m going to do it. Over the past couple of months since I started keeping this blog, I’ve gotten into the habit of writing every night either here or on paper. I like the idea of putting my thoughts down for others. I think I’m going to start writing reviews and articles for helium and their various contests. I think it could only help my writing improve and the money that I could earn doesn’t hurt either. The biggest problem I can think of are those time when I can’t think of anything to write about. Tonight is a prime example. I just took something random and minor and have typed about it for a meaningless, meandering paragraph.

Since that last paragraph, I’ve had to step away to take care of something. It gave me a little bit of time to think. The simple fact of the matter is that I love writing and updating this blog. Thats something I never imagined that I would write. I used to hate writing in school where every sentence seemed like an insurmountable challenge. Now, I view writing with a sense of freedom that I haven’t really ever experienced before. Here I can say what I want and I want to write. Sure the possibility of payed compensation helps, but the real draw is bringing my opinion to wider audience. I hope that I am successful in this new endevor.

Currently listening to: “Readymade” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Submitted Work and Lost Friends

Lately I’ve been kicking around the idea of maybe writing some stuff for submission. I’m not talking about anything major but smaller stuff like reviews. Today I came across this website called Helium.com which allows you to freelance articles. Someone posts that they are looking for 400 words about something, you write it, and you can get paid. I registered but haven’t done anything else with it. I’ve been seeing more and more of these posts being linked to other sites which is probably why I’m interested in this idea. Earlier tonight, I did submit something to the Answerman column on AnimeNewsNetwork.com. They were asking for reader opinion about the sense of community among anime fans. This is what I submitted:

I think there is a huge amount of community among us anime fans. Like any group, there are divisions among people about a wide range of topics whether it is particular shows or fansub vs. DVD but the overall enjoyment of the media will still keep everyone together. As an officer in my college’s anime club (shout to the Virginia Tech Anime Society), I attend meeting weekly and hanging out with the friends I’ve made there is the usually the highlight of my week.

Even among people who are less involved in anime, once you start talking about a specific series or your thoughts on a new manga, it’s as though you’ve gained a new friend for life. There are huge bonds between anime fans that come from the mutual enjoyment of a shared passion that only someone else within the hobby can truly appreciate. In fact, the only place I’ve ever encountered hostility between fans, is on internet forums and message boards like 4chan.

It’s not my best but I like to think it’s reasonably eloquent.

In other news, my former roommate Brandon recently told me that he has broken up with his long-time girlfriend Jen. I’m so happy for him because she was a world-class ballbuster and a fat bitch. She dominated every aspect of his life for 2 years. He used to be a member of the anime club but she made him stop coming after we asked her to stop doing something specific. It wasn’t anything big, just stop sitting in the front row with her laptop screen on full brightness cause it disrupted our view. She made him stop coming because we stood up to her. I would have lived with him this past year but she made him live on campus because she didn’t want to have to travel more then 500 feet to see him. She and I really didn’t get along to well in case you couldn’t tell. One time, she was still hanging around in our room at 3am and I straight up told her to get the fuck out because I wanted to go to bed. She was pissed after that.

Anyway, since they broke up, he and I have reconnected. We have talked more the past few days then this entire year. He has asked about coming back to club and is generally going back to everything she made him give up. While any break-up is always painful, that one is a cause for celebration.

Currently listening to: “Why (What’s Goin On?)” by The Roots

The Most Active I’ve Been In A Long Time

Today was the first nice day we’ve had here in Blacksburg in about a week. I decided I would take the opportunity to go biking like I mentioned in my last post. I spent awhile messing around trying to get ready. I wanted to travel light and my shorts don’t have any pockets so I made another little storage area out a tupperware and attached it to my bike. I spent about 10 minutes running around trying various things and grabbing tools and putting stuff away only to figure out I still needed it. It was aggravating. I tried to put my MP3 player inside this little compartment but that didn’t work out because the headphone cable wasn’t long enough. Finally I gave up and put on an old pair of jeans.

Once I finally left, I went to Progress street and from there explored a bunch of old neighborhoods for awhile until I finally got over to campus. I stopped at work and bought a couple of poweraids and then set out again. I was planning on exploring over by the cow pastures and research complexes but instead I came across the huckleberry trail. The huckleberry trail is a series of paths that go from campus to the mall in Christiansburg in one direction and downtown Blacksburg in the other. I decided to go to the mall because thats a long ride but the sign didn’t tell me where on the trail I was starting and which direction was which. I ended up going the wrong way for a couple of miles.

Once I figured out that I was going the wrong way, I turned around and set out for the mall. It was a really good ride. I started out going past fields of cows, then through woods, past old mining equipment, and over bridges. The last little bit was cut through a hill so there were really steep rock walls on either edge of the path. It was really cool. I got to the mall and cooled down there for awhile before heading home. Near the end, I tried to stand and pedal up a hill but my legs just about gave out. In all I think I rode somewhere around 20 miles today.

I definitely think I’m going to do that again just not for awhile.

Currently listening to: “Take It There (Feat. Wadud Ahmad)” by The Roots

I Hate Those People

This morning (well, the morning of the 22) I was awoken bright and early (10am) by the repair crew of my current complex. They were there to fix the few incredibly minor problems that the inspector discovered after waking me up early last week. At least the guy last week had the decency to ask if I wanted him to come back later. Not these guys. They come in and immediately start pounding with a hammer and cutting with an electrical saw. The kicker is that they will be coming back the following morning (this morning I guess) to finish the job. I can’t wait for this shit to get gone so I can sleep.

The past week or so, I haven’t been able to sleep very well and last night was really a first. I’m pissed they ruined it. At least I won’t have to put with that kind of thing at my new place. I finalized everything with the new place this afternoon. It was already mine but I just needed to sign the final documents. Tomorrow I’m going to have to call my insurance agent and give them my new address for my renters insurance.

It’s supposed to be sunny and warm again tomorrow so I think I’m gonna try and go for a long bike ride and get some good exercise. I’m probably gonna go through a bunch of back neighborhoods along Progress St until I get close to Roanoke St, then I’m gonna cross Main, explore the abandoned complex in back of the stadium, and end it by exploring over by the fields and pastures of the vet school and the agri-research complexes. I hope I get to do it cause I’ve been looking forward to this kinda riding for the past week.

Currently listening to: “From The Ritz To The Rubble” by The Arctic Monkeys

I’m Both a Giant Dick and a Massive Pussy

A couple of days ago, I was clearing out the back messages in one of my email accounts and I found all the messages I had exchanged with Email Girl (go back to my second or third post for more information on her). I had been awhile since there had been any communication and I didn’t really care so I thought I would do something funny. I sent her a new message. It reads as follows:

Hi, this is Jeff. I don’t know if you remember me but we exchanged emails for a little while a couple of months back. I was clearing out my inbox of older messages and found all of them. I’m writing this to say that even though things obviously never worked out, it was fun talking to you for that short amount of time.

Since we last communicated, I have decided to believe that you probably aren’t who you portrayed yourself as with those pictures but oh wel, they were hot and my friends and I all got a big kick out of them. “You” were the idol of the dinning hall staff for about a week. You should feel proud. In the meantime, I have traveled Europe and had sex with more then my fair share of shady women. I no longer have the same interest in pseudo-anonymous sex with random, risky, women that you inspired within me. Again I thank you.

This is the last time I will ever send you a message, barring an act of God. Once I have hit send, I will erase your address and forget you ever existed. I no longer know if you are real or if you were ever really interested. All I can say is that you missed out on some serious fun.

I thought this was hysterical when I wrote it. I really didn’t care what she thought and decided to go out with a bit of a bang. She responded this morning by pretty much calling me an asshole and a loser who must have self-esteem problems because I took the time to write that. Now, those assessments of me are pretty accurate but I object to her challenging my self-esteem through that email. I wrote it because I thought it was funny and that it would get a good laugh later. I was right. Now that it’s done though, I feel bad. I stand by my evaluations of her because, well, she sent explicit, nude photos to someone she didn’t know while trolling for anonymous sex. I just hate that I lowered myself to that level of petty, vindictive mean-spiritedness.

My asshattery aside, I did have a bit of a pleasant surprise today. I think that this girl I work with, Emily, might be attracted to me. I say might because I really don’t know but I just got that idea from her behavior around me today. When it was slow, she was constantly hanging around me and we did talk for awhile. I don’t mean that she was within a couple of feet of me, I mean that she would next stand or sit within inches, even when I moved to do something. She was striking up conversations with me and pretty much seemed to be ignoring everything else. Maybe I’m just imaging it. She’s not bad looking and do kinda like her sarcastic attitude but I don’t think I would do anything. Even if she was really interested, I’m pretty much a massive pussy. Besides, I kinda like this forlorn romantic inner persona thing I got going. I’m not even sure what the hell I’m talking about anymore.

Time is Running Out

Time is starting to run out on this semester. There are only about 2 weeks left until everything lets out. I finish with work on May 5th and I have to move out of my place by May 13th. I have already found my new permenant place but I haven’t found a new temporary place. Thats my fault since I haven’t responded to any of the emails I’ve gotten on the subject. I need a temporary job for the summer and I need to finish packing and finalize arrangements for storing my stuff with my friends. They agreed to do it, I just need to remind them and find out when I can make the drop. I’ve got 2 weeks to get all this done. I’m probably screwed.

On another note, 420 has come and gone. I didn’t smoke any because I wasn’t holding any. I did shop around online for vaporizers and placed a bid for one on eBay. I don’t know why I did that since I have no money. I keep digging myself into debt. I could have paid off a chunk of my credit card debt but I wasn’t sure what my current apartment complex would charge for rent as far as May goes. I’m gonna be pissed if they charge me for a full month when I move out on the 13th.

Work was interesting. I talked with Tori, my supervisor, for awhile. We actually seem to get along pretty well. Hunter, a lazy bum friend of mine, ruined my ability to appreciate a woman’s ass forever with some horrible comments. That was a real shame cause we have this new girl Tiffany in the shop with an incredible body. She is at least 1/2 Asian and thick. I don’t mean fat, just that she is solid and curvy. The work uniforms make it harder to tell but she is DAMN hot with a fantastic ass. A friend of mine, Daniel, was fired today. Thats a major bummer because he was alot of fun to work with. Everything was going to be changing soon at work anyway since the semester is ending but it couldn’t wait a couple of weeks?

Currently listening to: “Someday Soon” by Doves