+Iced Ambition+

ain't it true

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:13:28 GMT

i really need to come up with a mix album of my own personal theme songs. this one would definitely make the list.

Well this big city life is gettin' me down
There's just too many people around
There's dirt in the air and crime in the street
High-rise buildings and cold concrete
This rat race sure enough takes a toll
I wanna run off to my fishin' hole
Take me back take me back
Take me back to the country
Take me back take me back
Take me back to the country

Where the stars at night
Outshine those city lights
Take me back to the country
Where the eagles fly
And the treetops touch the sky
Take me back to the country

This traffic jam is makin' me mad
I miss the simple life I had
Peace and quite runnin' free
I wanna go home to my family
I'm sick of the clock, sick of the phone
Out in the country my time's my own
Take me back take me back
Take me back to the country
Take me back take me back
Take me back to the country

Where the stars at night
Outshine those city lights
Take me back to the country
Where the eagles fly
And the treetops touch the sky
Take me back to the country

Where the stars at night
Outshine those city lights
Take me back to the country
Where the eagles fly
And the treetops touch the sky
Take me back to the country
Take me back to the country

don't you love how bipolar my posts are?

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:37:53 GMT

i didn't know what to get for dinner last night. by the time i finally decided on yummy yummy's incredibly awesome mongolian beef, it was past 8pm. while within walking distance, i didn't feel like going out that late for a roughly 10 minute walk over there. thought about the frozen pizza in the freezer but, eh, it was covered in pepperoni i'd have to peel off. instead, i wound up making something found on yummy yummy's menu that i order quite often.

chicken teriyaki and fried egg over rice
chicken, sliced onions, and green onions in a packaged sesame teriyaki sauce (not quite the same flavor, but it works). topped with a fried egg, yolk still a bit runny inside.

the jokes translate so poorly from planet to planet

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:28:21 GMT

the man's away and i was hungry and lazy--this is what happens! i was so lazy i didn't really want to go out but it's just so nice right now and i could always use the "exercise". it was a bit on the pricey side, but i can guarantee you this will feed me at least three times so i'm ok with that. plus it tastes so great. shame i can't get like a gallon of that smoothie though...

coconut smoothie, pad thai, crab rangoon, and fried gyoza

buzz buzz buzz

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:15:13 GMT

while at work yesterday, david told me his sister had found sirotan plushes on sale at macy's on state st., of all places. in hopes they'd have more than the bumblebee version she got him, i decided i'd run all the way down there and look myself.

this wouldn't have been much of an issue if it weren't for the fact it started to rain around 1 and did not want to let up. by the time i got out of work at 5, it was pouring. i didn't really notice how windy it was until i was about a block from home. so windy, everybody's umbrellas were turning inside out; i passed on messing with one. didn't seem that bad when i went to get the bus; getting off downtown was a different story. no sooner did i step off than i get hit with a blast of wind and pelted with rain. at least yesterday was warm...

found macy's but, much to my dismay, it turns out they only had two types--sirotan the bumblebee and sirotan the strawberry. the signs say 50% off the original price ($28) so i pass on getting one myself. i wasn't that crazy about the bee to begin with and the strawberry just looks kinda dumb; macy's buyer sucks. get a bee for alissa like i'd promised and go to pay.

turns out the little bugger was only $9.26 after tax! suddenly that strawberry one wasn't looking so bad. XD i consider the bee, but david's already getting one so there's no point in having two. i figure by not buying either one, i can save the money to get the one i really want from japan, if/when i get around to that. the only other stuffed animal i like is a tiny sting ray that's part of a $50 set, so i leave--soggy, kinda chilled, and disappointed. that's ok, though, i think somebody will really like him; he's all big and soft and squishy. ^^

Writer's Block: Get It to Go

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:14:02 GMT

What's your favorite thing to order for takeout (or takeaway)?

View other answers

pad thai, crab rangoon, and a taro boba tea from the asian noodle place down the street. *drool* now i want some...

one of the faster decisions i've ever made

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 04:18:04 GMT

as a follow up to my previous post, the above is my brand new bento box--$5 and coming from hawaii. it's taken me a very long time debating and comparing and just looking, but i finally settled on this one. i liked it's pink counterpart, but lucked out finding someone who had the blue version. it's engrish is a wee bit odd, but for the most part it makes sense. XD not entirely pleased there's no dividers here, but i figure i'll get some kind of baking cups or something like i was planning on getting anyway. going that route also makes it easier to separate things if something needs reheated.

waaaant

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:08:26 GMT

i saw this little bugger at target last night and want it so badly. at the time, the only problem was i didn't know when i'd really ever use a paring knife when i already have my beloved kitchen aid set. even worse is that the first review on amazon says the knife was pretty dull. :(

in other news, i've finally decided i'm going to get a little bento box for lunches. i love all the compartmentalization and variety and challenge. unfortunately, i'm having a hell of a time finding anything for it; kinda hard to make a bento style lunch without the box... i found some nice ones at mitsuwa, but they either don't have any separators/aren't cute/have embarrassingly bad engrish/wrong size.

i'm still debating getting a stitch one from ebay, but i worry it'll be too small. and can't find anything for frog style--found a single pic on flikr or somebody who has one, but that does me no good. likely having to buy from the internet creates a whole new set of problems, in addition to those already mentioned, primarily in that i can't see how big a box is in person. many pics/descriptions also don't allude to there being separators so when i see a box like this, it's automatically disqualified.

hell, even going to target and walmart yesterday and i couldn't even find the silicon baking cups frequently used in bentos (only ones i found were heart shaped...). my mom has some so i figured it'd be no problem to find them around here--wrong!

so weird

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:29:32 GMT

at it again

Fri, 29 May 2009 01:21:21 GMT

i am so happy with myself right now. i'm not sure how or why i was suddenly struck by a craving for lemongrass ginger soup of some kind, but i decided to try making it myself. really wasn't that hard to do, just time consuming--which is usually what happens when i cook. and i think it tastes absolutely fantastic given i just made this up. and seeing as how the weather has been cold and damp lately, soup was just the thing to warm me up.

as i had no clue how to make this beyond steeping chopped ginger and chunks of lemongrass in chicken broth, i did a bit of research on this kind of thing earlier today. i couldn't decide on an exact recipe as all either sounded too bland or had ingredients i didn't want to use/couldn't acquire on such short notice. probably the closest comparison, in terms of ingredients, i could find is an indonesian soup called "soto ayam". beyond kaffir leaves (which i have no clue where to get), turmeric (used for color), coriander seeds and cumin, mine has pretty much the same ingredients. and in terms of coriander seeds, i used fresh cilantro leaves (aka coriander) so i figure it's pretty darn close.

as i said before, it really wasn't hard to make--even guessing what to do the entire way. i brought a large pan of store-bought chicken broth and water to a boil and added the chopped ginger and lemongrass. just kept tasting it until it was flavored enough for me and pulled all the pieces out with a straining spoon...thing... threw in two chicken breasts and let them poach. while they did so, i got into my calming groove of washing and chopping up all the vegetables. by the time i was done with that, the chicken was done; pulled it out and went to work flavoring the broth further. added in my garlic, rice wine, and salt. once satisfied i tossed in the vegetables and shredded the chicken, which was also added. brought it all down to a simmer and added the lime juice and ground pepper. once everything had cooked down, i ladled it over a bowl of cold, leftover wheat fettuccine.

lemongrass ginger chicken soup
shredded poached chicken, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, bean sprouts and wheat pasta in a broth infused with lemongrass and ginger, garlic, lime juice, splash of rice wine, salt & pepper and cilantro.

Sun, 17 May 2009 14:30:17 GMT

wow

Thu, 14 May 2009 21:35:06 GMT

i just found out that the frozen food that got delivered here (wrongly apparently) and confused a handful of people is from schwan's. seriously, you city folk have never heard of it?

schwan man, drop me off some chicken quesadillas and birthday cake ice cream, please!

you do not have testicular cancer--you don't even have testiculars!

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:18:41 GMT

this whole swine flu thing has got me so out of whack--one minute i'm terrified, the next i'm not, and after that i'm just pissed off. just hearing about a potential case here in chicago doesn't scare me so much as tire me now. it really all comes down to pure confusion, though.

i don't like the idea of illness. i don't want to deal with it, don't want to feel like crap, don't want to worry about whether or not my body can handle it, don't want to die. all the fear mongering of the media obviously works--i try to avoid detailed things because of my hypochondriac tendencies, but i'm also morbidly curious and just can't help but look. all kinds of articles and supposed experts saying it's going to get worse and this and that--how can you not be even just a little concerned? but then you really pay attention to the statistics and you realize pieces are missing and things really don't sound that bad. or maybe that's just me saying that to ease my own fears?

for example, they're saying there are 60 some cases here in the states. the regular yearly flu puts something like 200,000 people in the hospital. all but one death has been in mexico but, out of 150ish, only 7 were confirmed as due to this strain while the regular flu kills roughly 36,000 a year and you never hear about it. everybody's gossiping how this strain targets otherwise healthy people (particularly those around the 25-50± age group), but isn't that really who usually gets sick from everything else anyway? you're fine and then uh oh--you feel a cold coming on, for example. all the cases i've heard the most from are about kids high school aged or less. majority, if not all, new york cases? high school students who went to cancun for spring break. kid that died? 23 months old--if your age is given in months, your body's probably not going to be able to handle a lot. kid that supposedly started it all? 5 years old and now recovered.

i'm not even sure anymore if these numbers include people who have recovered since this blew up in the media. take the previous example of the possible case here in chicago--the kid (12) has apparently already recovered. also have to remember that the media has blown all kinds of things out of proportion in the last decade or so: avian flu, sars, mad cow disease, anthrax, west nile virus... i feel like it's being blown waaaay out of proportion, but at the same time worry that this may be the "big one" we're due for.

on the plus side, i'd like to believe it would make people more aware of protecting themselves and others from communicable diseases. it's common courtesy in many asian countries to wear face masks, particularly if you're sick, to prevent spreading it. but over here, wearing a mask just isn't done. people just have such questionable hygeine practices the world over. and how many people go to work/school sick? unless you can't even move, you likely just go and spread the "love". but that's not our fault when we're only allowed so many sick days and/or time off in general.

2009 movies to see

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:32:28 GMT

4/21 - Disney Nature
5/22 - Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
5/29 - Up
6/24 - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
7/01 - Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
8/? - G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (maybe)
12/11 - Princess & the Frog

everyone's got a song inside them

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:28:02 GMT

like the doctor always does, this brightened my day.

too much to ask for

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:06:20 GMT

i don't mind having an astigmatism, really, i don't. i do have a problem with trying to find new contacts and i'm sick and tired of it.

i've been messing around with this issue for something like roughly 2 months now. no problem with the eye exam and i got a trial pair of lenses that worked great except for the intense burning pain when they'd dry out. went back out to the suburbs a month into wearing them and decided i'd order them. talking to david, i realized i probably should try another brand. talked to the doctor and he agreed that if i wasn't comfortable, i should try another pair. still think he's somewhat confused how those didn't work well for me since many other people had no problems...

turned out to be a good thing i gave another brand a try--i absolutely loved them. they felt like my old contacts in that i didn't feel them at all and dryness resulted in minor annoyance rather than pain. made another trip out there, eager to order. when i do, i find out these have been discontinued and renamed. ok, fine, same product with different name--whatever. wait another week and have to make another trip out there on the weekend to pick up ordered contacts. leave boxes closed until april 1st, which is only a few days away.

getting ready for work on the 1st, i open my first pair and pop 'em in. vision seems a bit off but i think nothing of it figuring i just need to blink them into place/get used to them. apparently not. driving to work i can tell that my vision is blurry in my left eye, particularly noticeable when looking in the distance and peripherally. suffer the entire day and figure we'll see what happens the next day. next day is no better and i'm getting frustrated. switch back to that 2nd trial pair i kept just in case and talk to the doctor, scheduling another appointment to see him this past weekend.

when talking to him friday, i found out that i technically wasn't supposed to have been allowed to buy the contacts i did. he'd told the women working there they were supposed to give me a trial pair first before i wasted my money. because of this, it's not considered my fault and i can get all of my money back rather than half since 2 out of 4 boxes were opened. what confuses me is that the lady ordering the contacts for me called the doctor over about the discontinuation of what i was ordering. he essentially just shrugged and said "oh well, can't do anything about that" and took off. when did he supposedly tell them what i previously mentioned?

waited an hour to see him (they assured me saturday's are busy and would have a 15-20 min. wait...) and he gives me a trial pair of the contacts i bought. he figures the left contact i first tried was a manufacturing defect, which is apparently quite common as they can't test them all. pop those in and all is well. all continues to be well until yesterday when the blurriness issues occur again, just less troublesome than before.

i've never had this many problems with contacts and i'm frustrated to all hell at this point; all i want to do is see correctly! *cry* i'm really not sure if i should have this many problems even though toric lenses work differently to compensate for the astigmatism. i want to say "fuck it" and just go back to the first pair i'd tried even if they were painful every once in a great while, but what if i order them and suddenly they no longer work either? i can't keep going clear out to the suburbs every weekend trying to figure this out and apparently i can't tell if a pair will work until i've worn them a few days. i also can't keep opening new pairs of the ones i bought on the off chance that i can find another pair that behaves for an extended period.

something new every day

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:54:43 GMT

in these rough economic times, only the rich can afford actual signs.

news to me

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:22:21 GMT

Writer's Block: Jackpot

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:14:24 GMT

If you won the lottery, what would you do with your newfound riches?

i think it would greatly depend on how much i won and where i was at in life at the time.

my primary goal would be to pay off my car and anything my immediate family needs paid off (vehicles, homes, medical bills, etc...). i'd live it up in hawaii and spend a significant chunk just on traveling. i'd put some into savings and whatever was left would go to charities for animal welfare and saving the rain forest.

what do you see?

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:27:23 GMT

so i tracked everything i've eaten for the last 28 days and, really, i have no clue what to really glean from this information. i think i eat pretty decently and about all i could do to improve is just to eat more and that i already know. i did this out of curiosity and was thinking of shooting to do this for a full year, but i don't think i want to do that much.

01.12.09 fruit leather dried fruit & nut mix 8oz. black tea asian noodle bowl w/vegetables & chicken kiwi 1 baja chicken taco 2 slices cheese pizza 8oz. pomegranate green tea *macaroni & cheese	01.13.09 fruit leather dried fruit & nut mix 8 oz.black tea garlic rice noodle soup apple taco pasta w/corn, red bell pepper, onion pomegranate green tea chow mein ramen pineapple cake 8 oz. orange juice	01.14.09 fruit leather 8oz. black tea taco pasta w/vegetables 8oz. black tea banana 1 almond hershey's kiss dried fruit & nut mix curry (peas, potatoes, carrots, onion) w/brown rice 8 oz. orange juice bag of butter popcorn *few sips of pepsi	01.15.09 fruit leather handful of pistachios/cashews garlic rice noodle soup mashed potatoes 7-grain fried rice chicken & pineapple chicken & green onion 10oz. orange juice pineapple cake 3 tiny danish butter cookies *4-5 bites of pita and red pepper hummus	01.16.09 8oz. black tea 1 pkt. oatmeal macaroni & cheese dried fruit & nut mix curry w/pasta 8oz. orange juice *2 tiny danish butter cookies	01.17.09 2 egg omelet w/vegetables, bacon, cheese 8oz. orange juice ramen handful of sno caps 1 chocolate orange segment pork tenderloin w/onion plain potato chips cup of chicken noodle soup 12oz. water 8oz. milk	01.18.09 1 pork chop sauerkraut asparagus w/1t. margarine mashed potatoes w/1T. sour cream & margarine 10oz. v8 splash 1/4c. fried rice bite of crab rangoon 12oz. milk 16oz. hot chocolate 1c. white rice w.soy sauce *2 small eggrolls
01.19.09 8oz. black tea pineapple cake 2 saltine crackers hamburger helper beef noodles apple 8oz. water small piece of beef jerky pasta w/1t. margarine chicken & green peppers in sauce curry 8oz. orange juice handful of candy *2 saltine crackers	01.20.09 banana 1c. creamed chicken & vegetables whopper jr. (lettuce, mayo, onions, cheese) fries w/ketchup berry fizz (1/2c. mixed berries & sprite) rice crispie treat 4oz. mountain dew ramen *1 tiny danish butter cookies	01.21.09 8oz. herbal tea 1oz. pistachios/cashews garlic sesame rice noodle soup kiwi 1c. spaghetti squash w/spaghetti sauce 1c. broccoli & carrots 1 piece of garlic toast w/muenster cheese 8oz. v8 fusion (acai berry) 4 peanut butter sandwich crackers 8oz. water small piece of beef jerky 1/4c. dried fruit & nut mix *5oz. coldstone banana ice cream w/chocolate chips	01.22.09 1/4c. shredded wheat & strawberries 3.1oz. mixed greens side salad w/french dressing southern chicken sandwich med. (4.1oz.) fries w/sweet & sour sauce 21oz. powerade mountain blast fettucine w/spinach, bacon, onions, tomatoes, & lemon juice *10oz. orange strawberry banana juice	01.23.09 apple 1pkt. maple brown sugar oatmeal fettucine w/spinach, bacon, onions, tomatoes, & lemon 8oz. water 1 leg & half breast of rotisserie chicken 1/2c. spaghetti squash & sauce 1/2 c. broccoli & carrots 2 small dill pickles 8oz. orange strawberry banana juice 1/2c. shredded wheat & strawberries *1/3c. vanilla yogurt w/frozen wild blueberries	01.24.09 2 scrambled eggs w/bacon 6oz. orange strawberry banana juice yakiniku (bbq beef & onions) w/raw cabbage 1/4c. mashed potato salad 1c. white rice 1/2c. miso soup 1/4c. fruit cocktail 6 oz. water crunchwrap supreme 8oz. baja blast 2 sticks pumpkin pocky half apple marshmallow *2 sips apple iced tea	01.25.09 1 scrambled egg & bacon 2 hard-shell tacos few sips of baja blast fettucine w/spinach, bacon, onions, tomatoes, & lemon juice 1 hard-shell taco few bites of ramen *8oz, milk
01.26.09 3 chocolate chip mini muffins 4oz. peach yogurt w/2T. wild blueberries healthy choice southwestern chicken & rice 8oz. black tea kobe-style steak 1c. white rice 1c. sauteed mixed vegetables (zucchini, broccoli, onions, mushrooms) 10oz. orange peach mango juice at least 3oz. bbq chips 1 small piece beef jerky *1 tiny danish butter cookies	01.27.09 rice krispie treat kobe style beef w/white rice and vegetables 8oz. black tea grilled ham & cheese on honey walnut whole wheat bread 2oz. bbq chips half an orange 1 pickle 1 chocolate chip mini muffin 1/4c. dried fruit & nut mix mac & cheese (sauce made with 3 slices kraft cheese, 1/4c. milk, 1t. margarine) *16oz. milk	01.28.09 1/4c. shredded wheat & strawberries ramen w/1/4c. chicken & napa cabbage and 1 green onion 8oz. water sushi (buddha, godzilla, crab rangoon rolls) *21oz. water snack	01.29.09 breakfast chinese buffet (fried chicken leg, vegetable eggroll, small piece of mango, 3 cherries, 1 bite of papaya(?), 1/2c. green beans/vegetable lo mein/vegetable vermicelli/white rice, 1 small cube red jello) 10oz. pibb pasta w/napa cabbage, peas, onions, and chicken 10oz. v8 fusion (acai berry) 2 oz. bag peanut m&ms 1-2oz. bbq chips *10oz. milk	01.30.09 1c. trader joe's blueberry pomegranate cereal pizza hut buffet (2 breadsticks, 1 sm. piece lasagna, 1/4c. mac & cheese, 1 sm. slice pan cheese, 1 sm. slice thin pepperoni) large garden salad w/french dressing 12oz. iced tea 1 piece cinnamon mint candy 2 slices cheese pizza 12oz. pepsi 2oz. doritos	01.31.09 1 slice cheese pizza chicken cutlet 1/3c. white rice 1/3c. mac salad 16oz. water 1oz. doritos 1 can pas-o-guava juice few bites of ramen *8oz. milk	02.01.09 2 scrambled eggs marinated chicken breast w/mango salsa small spinach salad w/strawberries & chow mein noodles peanut sesame noodles w/green onion 1 oz doritos 8oz. milk
02.02.09 marinated chicken breast w/mango salsa 3.1oz. mixed greens side salad w/french dressing sm. fries w/sweet & sour sauce 8oz, water 1 slice vegetable pizza 2oz. doritos 1 hershey's kiss 1 small piece beef jerky *rice crispie treat	02.03.09 1c. apple cinnamon cheerios healthy choice southwestern chicken & rice miso soup chicken & vegetable stirfry chicken & vegetable rice noodles 8oz. peach mango juice mc chicken 8oz. water 6oz. orange pineapple banana juice 1 stick pumpkin pocky lychee coconut jelly 3 jellybeans *1 serving cheez curls	02.04.09 crunch bar chicken & vegetable stirfry chicken & vegetable rice noodles 4oz. peach yogurt 8oz. water 3 tacos (meat, shredded napa cabbage, cheese, fresh salsa) *1 pkt. maple brown sugar oatmeal	02.05.09 1 pkt. maple brown sugar oatmeal pizza hut buffet (2 breadsticks, 1/4c. mac & cheese, 1/4c. chicken alfredo, 1 sm. slice hand-tossed cheese, few bites of thin hawaiian slice) large caesar salad w/french dressing 16oz. water 2 large spring rolls (rice noodles, raw zucchini, garlicky tofu, onions, scrambled egg, apple, cilantro, peanut sugar) 4oz. apple green tea 1 serving cheez curls 6oz. orange green tea	02.06.09 2 pieces cinnamon raisin toast w/margarine dinty moore beef stew cup toasted coconut banana macadamia nut granola bar 8oz. water dinner *couple handfuls of goldfish crackers	02.07.09 apple cinnamon cheerios w/milk yakiniku (bbq beef & onions) w/raw cabbage 1/4c. mashed potato salad 1c. white rice 1/2c. miso soup 1/4c. fruit cocktail totino's cheese pizza 16.9oz. gatorade *kani pan	02.08.09 bit of mac & cheese almost full pkg. miso ramen berry fizz kani pan *1 chunk pineapple

crazy days crazy feeling

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 23:02:48 GMT

i am so productive when the weather gets nice. it was supposed to rain today, but somehow didn't; sunny and comfortably 58°F.

was up pretty early at a couple minutes to 8 although, if i remember correctly, i was in bed early the night before, too. got some breakfast, directions, and made an eye appointment for later in the morning. got ready, locked panther in the bathroom, and was out of here around 9:20.

traffic was incredibly light this morning so i made it clear out to arlington heights in probably record time. i wanted to leave early since the traffic gets kind of slow around the airport, but no such issue today. only i would get as much enjoyment as i did out of zipping around 90 on a clear day, grooving to buffett. took an easier route to walmart and found myself with an hour and a half to waste until my appointment. shopped around for an hour, put the stuff in the car, and went back in to see if they could take me a bit earlier.

on the upside, i can see again! no more squinty squinty trying to read things. and hopefully my vision won't be nearly as blurry as it gets later in the day. on the neutral side, i guess, i apparently now have a very mild astigmatism. *sigh* it's always something... luckily it can easily be corrected by switching the contacts i wear; the shape's slightly different to accommodate my weirdly shaped eye. still haven't bought lenses as i'm testing this pair out first, but on the downside, paying for this crap su~cks. XP

finally went to mitsuwa, which was my original plan. things were timed perfectly as i got there around noon for lunch. yaaay, yakiniku set! didn't really get much (2 pkgs. miso ramen and 2 pudding-filled crab breads), but was really only there to eat at the food court anyway. sample day, too, so i tried some higher quality beef they were cooking with onions and tofu. damn was that tasty. and today i noticed they were playing both "chocolate disco" by perfume and "but" by koda kumi. i swear i always hear perfume when i go there, and i know they played "but" last time i was there but couldn't remember for the life of me what it was despite my knowing it used to be a fav song. left a bit after 2; can't believe i spent that long there, even with eating.

traffic back sucked, but oh well, i'm used to it. parked and went to a couple stores in this area just as an excuse to be out longer. at this point, i think i'm pretty much in for the rest of the night now. i'm tired and as much as i want to go out for dinner, i spent waaaay more today than i'd planned on. at least i got paid this week. oooy...

god don't own a car

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:06:12 GMT

note to self: leave earlier.

new day's dawn

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:25:41 GMT

so today was my first day driving bruce (my car for those of you who may not know) to work. I left at 7:45am thinking that around 8ish is morning rush hour--apparently it's not. hell, i think i spent the most time just maneuvering out of my parking space since there's a concrete pillar to my left and an suv parked right behind me. even going down fullerton (which has many stop signs and lights) and taking i-90 2 exits farther northwest than the bus i'm usually on (it clogged up right around this point and i went from 60mph to about 10mph) i still made it to work 40 minutes early. really, both effort and time wise, it wasn't much different than driving from my parents' place to, say, peru or mendota.

i had absolutely no problem getting here and didn't even freak out once or go the wrong way, like i usually do. i got kind of scared when the 6 lanes of the kennedy expressway split into i-90 and i-94, but i knew i was supposed to go west and be on 90 so that's what i did. luckily i've driven into and around chicago a few times so i've gotten the hang of how to drive and not let the dizzying array of exit signs scare the hell out of me (which there are a lot of just going the short distance i did).

just going down fullerton was nice because, if i take that back home, i go right past a burger king. i can finally easily access one and it's on the way! actually, there's all kinds of things within easy reach now. the only problem being that i have to readjust my thinking; rather than worrying what buses stop where and if they go where i need, i have to consider if and where i can park. while i'm really just adding onto what i know, it feels more like i'm resetting altogether.

against the grain

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 05:04:16 GMT

a message to the fans

"I wanted to correct the situation and make it easy to get a hold of Japanese music no matter where in the world you were so I studied my ass off and started a 5 year journey to make HearJapan. This trend was particularly strong with visual kei, so I decided to create a store that focused on visual kei."

except you have barely any true visual kei available. 2 piddly pages to choose from and artists such as dueljewel and hibiki aren't exactly what i'd consider visual kei. just browse their catalog, it's dominated by the most obscure artists that the average jrock fan would never know or come across anywhere else. these supposed vk fans he's trying to reach out to don't want this crap, they want their well known artists like alice nine, gazette, kagrra, and whatever else the kiddies are listening to these days.

"To provide a clear example for this letter I will use the example of XodiacK, whom HearJapan just released their 1st single on January 1st of this year."

that's great except the link to aforementioned single doesn't even work and the first free song offered has already been pulled. i'm vaguely intrigued by the description of their sound, but there's no way to preview anything. and given how unimpressed i've been by bands like this in the recent past, i doubt they're that good and i'm not going to go out of my way to dig up info on them.

"I checked the listening now section of XodiacK’s page on Last.FM (which lists 10 users who had most recently listened to a particular band). All 10 users had listened to XodiacK in the past hour and every time I checked there were different listeners."

yes, because last.fm is such a reliable source of information. unless this info was from an area of the site i'm not privy to, it's only tracking what you're listening to, not whether or not you actually like what you're hearing. if any of these listeners are like me, they'd be listening primarily to figure out whether or not they actually liked the song. even if you like the song--like, not love--that doesn't necessarily warrant a purchase. and go back to the core fanbase--i would think they'd have to absolutely love something before they dropped any money on it.

"Unless the band does extraordinarily good in Japan, chances are they won’t come back for a long time and their album sales from abroad aren’t helping in that effort either."

and what album sales are we talking about here? the number of bands that even sell albums outside of japan (the united states in this case) can pretty much be counted on two hands with most of these being already well established bands such as dir en grey. there's really no domestic albums for fans to spend their money on. if they mean albums in general, that's not a fair argument.

while jrock cds are far easier to come by now (as opposed to the mere 7ish years i've been a fan) that doesn't mean they're easily accessible. i think i've mentioned it before, but i'll mention it again--when the staff members of sex machineguns saw i had the newest album, they were shocked and asked how i'd gotten a hold of it. smg's a well known band who have releases everywhere; lesser known indie releases aren't that ubiquitous. major online stores such as cdjapan, hmv, and yesasia stock only so much. brand-x is better for such things and amazon japan is an option, but both are likely overwhelming in that they're entirely in japanese. both ship overseas and even allow paypal, but you have to do some in-depth searching on where to go and how to order, pay, etc... wouldn't surprise me if potential buyers give up as soon as they see the japanese characters. third stage was an awesome site with a vast collection of music and merch from all sorts of artists but, as of recently, no longer exists.

even if you could find what you wanted from such sites, you're going to pay through the nose for international shipping in addition to the already inflated costs of what you bought. i spent thousands of dollars on cds/dvds from cdjapan alone--not including what was spent elsewhere; i'll bet i spent half that total on shipping. assuming the core fanbase is in their early teens-early 20s and anything like me at those ages, they're not going to have a lot of money to spend. of course you'd download, if only to prevent yourself from spending an exorbitant amount of money on a crappy release.

"But when a band makes an effort to connect with you the fans through HearJapan, a domestic release, an international tour, etc, you need to show your support with your wallet, otherwise your voice will never be heard."

i don't know about other jrock fans, but hearjapan is actually a relatively new, obscure concept to me. the only reason i even have an account that i put like $5 into is to access a song dueljewel released only on there. if someone like me, who's been in the jrock loop for roughly 7 years, just recently found out about the site, i would assume a good chunk of the core fanbase is also new to this and may still have no idea what this site is.

international tour? if they're so difficult to pull off, why do all the european countries get tons of appearances by a wide variety of bands--sometimes multiple times by the same band. here in the states, a band comes once or twice to an anime convention and that's about it. d'espairs ray, dir en grey, dueljewel, and camino are the only bands i can think of that played more than once here. anything else we get is lesser known/practically unheard of/of no interest (tsushimamire, halcali, loudness, etc...).

* * *

he can complain all he wants, but even with the impact japanese music has made on the world, it's still pretty damn inaccessible. to be a fan that can actually buy releases/attend lives/etc... is to be elitist in the sense that you can prove you have the money to blow on this stuff.

twas the night before christmas, and i got to bed late...

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 04:10:22 GMT

as time goes by, i realize how much i really do hate the holidays and this one's no different--possibly one of the worst.

for starters, my christmas eve was, as my friend put it best, like a bad christmas movie.

i left for union station a few minutes before 5pm and prayed the bus would make it there in time. things were fine until we barely got downtown and it was already 5:30; naturally things kept stalling us. i gave up and got off with david to get a cab. got to union in roughly 5 minutes, so i had plenty of time to pick up my tickets and find my boarding gate.

get downstairs to the amtrak waiting area and find it completely packed--no surprise. it's impossible to tell if and where any lines are so i dodge and weave my way to the nearest screen listing departures and find that mine is delayed... my train should've left at 5:55, but boarding doesn't even start until 6. upon getting on the train, i found a seat and was about to sit down when i swore i'd heard my name. looked up to see a friend, ed, who i haven't really talked to since high school. sat with him and catch up on things. train leaves at 6:20 and all is well.

train gets to plano, probably about 45 minutes after we left, and when we stop the train just shuts down. lights go off and all that jazz but this has happened numerous times before so i think nothing of it. then we sit there for awhile as people tinker with the train and we eventually find out there's severe engine trouble. things come back up eventually but we now pretty much have to crawl the entire way to mendota, which is something like half an hour away at normal speeds. because of the mechanical problems it's mentioned that, once we get to mendota, buses will have to be called in to take the passengers who are going past mendota. "sucks to be them" we thought, grateful mendota's the end of the line for my friend and i.

fast forward an hour and a half and we're on the edge of earlville and 5-10 minutes outside of mendota. as we came into earlville, we pass another passenger train that, i assume, was also running late given my familiarity with the schedules along this route. we slow and then stop slightly past it and i figure they're trying to get extra help. sit there awhile longer as they tinker away even more. suddenly the train jerks slightly and we start moving backwards--at full speed. the conductor hurries through the car and announces we're being taken back to chicago so they can switch engines and will only make stops in naperville and la grange. once everyone realizes she's not joking, phones are whipped out and calls made left and right. according to an amtrak employee on the train, they decided to go back because there were reports of ice storms and apparently figured it would be unsafe to get buses. strange as there was no precipitation where we were at and nobody had heard of any of those supposed ice storms.

ed made some calls trying to figure out what to do since his mother and brother have been waiting for him in mendota since 7:20, when we were originally supposed to arrive. his brother balks at the possibility of having to drive to naperville and not getting paid for the gas to get there. at the complete mercy of amtrak, i'm lost as to what to do. it's not sounding good for ed to hook up a ride and if we have to go to chicago, my christmas will be miserable as there's no way i can impose on anyone in david's family to take me home early in the day. tired of arguing with them, ed hangs up and the train luckily stops in plano at 10:30. we get off despite the conductors asking if we really want to do this and that it's only 6-7°F out with nowhere to get warm. those of us that get off don't care--this is as close to home as we can get.

in no time, people have spotted a lone bar open just down the street. a few more phone calls and it's decided my parents will make the 45 minute trip to pick us up and we join everyone else at the bar. at 11:15 my parents pick us up and we head home. after dropping ed off at the truck stop near our house, we get home sometime after midnight and go straight to bed instead of opening presents like we've been doing on christmas eve.

fish are friends--not food!

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:51:31 GMT

killed just for their fins

01.12.09 fruit leather dried fruit & nut mix 8oz. black tea asian noodle bowl w/vegetables & chicken kiwi 1 baja chicken taco 2 slices cheese pizza 8oz. pomegranate green tea *macaroni & cheese	01.13.09 fruit leather dried fruit & nut mix 8 oz.black tea garlic rice noodle soup apple taco pasta w/corn, red bell pepper, onion pomegranate green tea chow mein ramen pineapple cake 8 oz. orange juice	01.14.09 fruit leather 8oz. black tea taco pasta w/vegetables 8oz. black tea banana 1 almond hershey's kiss dried fruit & nut mix curry (peas, potatoes, carrots, onion) w/brown rice 8 oz. orange juice bag of butter popcorn *few sips of pepsi	01.15.09 fruit leather handful of pistachios/cashews garlic rice noodle soup mashed potatoes 7-grain fried rice chicken & pineapple chicken & green onion 10oz. orange juice pineapple cake 3 tiny danish butter cookies *4-5 bites of pita and red pepper hummus	01.16.09 8oz. black tea 1 pkt. oatmeal macaroni & cheese dried fruit & nut mix curry w/pasta 8oz. orange juice *2 tiny danish butter cookies	01.17.09 2 egg omelet w/vegetables, bacon, cheese 8oz. orange juice ramen handful of sno caps 1 chocolate orange segment pork tenderloin w/onion plain potato chips cup of chicken noodle soup 12oz. water 8oz. milk	01.18.09 1 pork chop sauerkraut asparagus w/1t. margarine mashed potatoes w/1T. sour cream & margarine 10oz. v8 splash 1/4c. fried rice bite of crab rangoon 12oz. milk 16oz. hot chocolate 1c. white rice w.soy sauce *2 small eggrolls
01.19.09 8oz. black tea pineapple cake 2 saltine crackers hamburger helper beef noodles apple 8oz. water small piece of beef jerky pasta w/1t. margarine chicken & green peppers in sauce curry 8oz. orange juice handful of candy *2 saltine crackers	01.20.09 banana 1c. creamed chicken & vegetables whopper jr. (lettuce, mayo, onions, cheese) fries w/ketchup berry fizz (1/2c. mixed berries & sprite) rice crispie treat 4oz. mountain dew ramen *1 tiny danish butter cookies	01.21.09 8oz. herbal tea 1oz. pistachios/cashews garlic sesame rice noodle soup kiwi 1c. spaghetti squash w/spaghetti sauce 1c. broccoli & carrots 1 piece of garlic toast w/muenster cheese 8oz. v8 fusion (acai berry) 4 peanut butter sandwich crackers 8oz. water small piece of beef jerky 1/4c. dried fruit & nut mix *5oz. coldstone banana ice cream w/chocolate chips	01.22.09 1/4c. shredded wheat & strawberries 3.1oz. mixed greens side salad w/french dressing southern chicken sandwich med. (4.1oz.) fries w/sweet & sour sauce 21oz. powerade mountain blast fettucine w/spinach, bacon, onions, tomatoes, & lemon juice *10oz. orange strawberry banana juice	01.23.09 apple 1pkt. maple brown sugar oatmeal fettucine w/spinach, bacon, onions, tomatoes, & lemon 8oz. water 1 leg & half breast of rotisserie chicken 1/2c. spaghetti squash & sauce 1/2 c. broccoli & carrots 2 small dill pickles 8oz. orange strawberry banana juice 1/2c. shredded wheat & strawberries *1/3c. vanilla yogurt w/frozen wild blueberries	01.24.09 2 scrambled eggs w/bacon 6oz. orange strawberry banana juice yakiniku (bbq beef & onions) w/raw cabbage 1/4c. mashed potato salad 1c. white rice 1/2c. miso soup 1/4c. fruit cocktail 6 oz. water crunchwrap supreme 8oz. baja blast 2 sticks pumpkin pocky half apple marshmallow *2 sips apple iced tea	01.25.09 1 scrambled egg & bacon 2 hard-shell tacos few sips of baja blast fettucine w/spinach, bacon, onions, tomatoes, & lemon juice 1 hard-shell taco few bites of ramen *8oz, milk
01.26.09 3 chocolate chip mini muffins 4oz. peach yogurt w/2T. wild blueberries healthy choice southwestern chicken & rice 8oz. black tea kobe-style steak 1c. white rice 1c. sauteed mixed vegetables (zucchini, broccoli, onions, mushrooms) 10oz. orange peach mango juice at least 3oz. bbq chips 1 small piece beef jerky *1 tiny danish butter cookies	01.27.09 rice krispie treat kobe style beef w/white rice and vegetables 8oz. black tea grilled ham & cheese on honey walnut whole wheat bread 2oz. bbq chips half an orange 1 pickle 1 chocolate chip mini muffin 1/4c. dried fruit & nut mix mac & cheese (sauce made with 3 slices kraft cheese, 1/4c. milk, 1t. margarine) *16oz. milk	01.28.09 1/4c. shredded wheat & strawberries ramen w/1/4c. chicken & napa cabbage and 1 green onion 8oz. water sushi (buddha, godzilla, crab rangoon rolls) *21oz. water snack	01.29.09 breakfast chinese buffet (fried chicken leg, vegetable eggroll, small piece of mango, 3 cherries, 1 bite of papaya(?), 1/2c. green beans/vegetable lo mein/vegetable vermicelli/white rice, 1 small cube red jello) 10oz. pibb pasta w/napa cabbage, peas, onions, and chicken 10oz. v8 fusion (acai berry) 2 oz. bag peanut m&ms 1-2oz. bbq chips *10oz. milk	01.30.09 1c. trader joe's blueberry pomegranate cereal pizza hut buffet (2 breadsticks, 1 sm. piece lasagna, 1/4c. mac & cheese, 1 sm. slice pan cheese, 1 sm. slice thin pepperoni) large garden salad w/french dressing 12oz. iced tea 1 piece cinnamon mint candy 2 slices cheese pizza 12oz. pepsi 2oz. doritos	01.31.09 1 slice cheese pizza chicken cutlet 1/3c. white rice 1/3c. mac salad 16oz. water 1oz. doritos 1 can pas-o-guava juice few bites of ramen *8oz. milk	02.01.09 2 scrambled eggs marinated chicken breast w/mango salsa small spinach salad w/strawberries & chow mein noodles peanut sesame noodles w/green onion 1 oz doritos 8oz. milk
02.02.09 marinated chicken breast w/mango salsa 3.1oz. mixed greens side salad w/french dressing sm. fries w/sweet & sour sauce 8oz, water 1 slice vegetable pizza 2oz. doritos 1 hershey's kiss 1 small piece beef jerky *rice crispie treat	02.03.09 1c. apple cinnamon cheerios healthy choice southwestern chicken & rice miso soup chicken & vegetable stirfry chicken & vegetable rice noodles 8oz. peach mango juice mc chicken 8oz. water 6oz. orange pineapple banana juice 1 stick pumpkin pocky lychee coconut jelly 3 jellybeans *1 serving cheez curls	02.04.09 crunch bar chicken & vegetable stirfry chicken & vegetable rice noodles 4oz. peach yogurt 8oz. water 3 tacos (meat, shredded napa cabbage, cheese, fresh salsa) *1 pkt. maple brown sugar oatmeal	02.05.09 1 pkt. maple brown sugar oatmeal pizza hut buffet (2 breadsticks, 1/4c. mac & cheese, 1/4c. chicken alfredo, 1 sm. slice hand-tossed cheese, few bites of thin hawaiian slice) large caesar salad w/french dressing 16oz. water 2 large spring rolls (rice noodles, raw zucchini, garlicky tofu, onions, scrambled egg, apple, cilantro, peanut sugar) 4oz. apple green tea 1 serving cheez curls 6oz. orange green tea	02.06.09 2 pieces cinnamon raisin toast w/margarine dinty moore beef stew cup toasted coconut banana macadamia nut granola bar 8oz. water dinner *couple handfuls of goldfish crackers	02.07.09 apple cinnamon cheerios w/milk yakiniku (bbq beef & onions) w/raw cabbage 1/4c. mashed potato salad 1c. white rice 1/2c. miso soup 1/4c. fruit cocktail totino's cheese pizza 16.9oz. gatorade *kani pan	02.08.09 bit of mac & cheese almost full pkg. miso ramen berry fizz kani pan *1 chunk pineapple