Currents of Time

Goodreads needs a rating or a marker or something that means, "... yup. This sure was a book I read." For those books you didn't like but which you don't want to hit with the 1-star.

At the end of September, during the neighborhood-wide yard sale, I picked up Franny and Zooey by Salinger because my mom said that people who liked his stuff really liked it, and even though I kind of really didn't like Catcher in the Rye (I guess I didn't actually do disillusioned teenager very well, haha!), it was short, and it was ten cents and what the heck, I guess.

Today I discovered she has never actually read any of JD Salinger's work, haha. I finished the above at lunch and sent her a text saying that, whatever the point of the book was, I sure missed it.


FORTUNATELY I have spent the past week or two finding all sorts of exciting things to load my kindle with.



Also I have to ask my roommate if he's willing to go bust heads down at the post office and UPS for me, because Masterpiece Prowl was supposedly delivered to my PO box two weeks ago. WHERE IS MY ROBOT, WORLD. WHERE.


also darn it I thought I'd uploaded a new icon and I didn't and I wanted to use it here but can't be bothered to go find it right now. Oh, well.

AND I FOUND A SHINY NEW GIF I WANTED TO UPLOAD, TOO, but it's 116x120 and I don't know how to make them smaller and so instead I just cry.



... oh, plus I went to Boston at the beginning of the month, maybe I'll write about that at some point ever.



post script - the things people write on Facebook. I QUOTE: i didn't know that when you posted things "public" that it meant anyone could see it!

LJ keeps sending me emails telling me, oh, no! Your paid account is about to expire! You'd better hurry and give us moar monies if you don't want your paid service to be interrupted!!

LJ, piss off. I am angry with you and have no intention of giving you moar monies. Stop sucking so much and maybe I'll entertain the idea. Maybe.


I all but gave away a bunch of Transformers toys to my coworker's son. He's really digging them, and they were ones that I never really played with, so I'm glad they've gone to a better home, but it's kinda weird. I've never actually got rid of any of them before. I keep waiting for something in me to freak out and for me to go screaming over to her and demand them all back. ...Hopefully that does not actually happen. (Also last night they invited me over for a barbeque/grill/meal thing and it was a lot of fun except then I also had to go to a wedding shower today and now my social stamina's run out on me.)


Speaking of Transformers, sort of, er, there are a couple of you on my LJ friends list that I met either on the friending meme or at BotCon (if we're friends on DW, you can skip this entire paragraph. And if we're not friends on DW for whatever reason, feel free to add me. Every entry links back, anyway) that I do not see around at all anymore? Er, I am not sure if any of you are even reading this, but because I am weird about such things, I am thinking I might do a small list trim. Basically if I've seen you update or comment any time in the last four or five months, you're fine, and if you haven't, you're... probably not reading this, anyway, and won't notice or care if I remove you, but here's your fair warning, I guess? I don't know.

My life feels too cluttered right now. AND PPARENTLY JOURNALS ARE CLUTTER. Maybe I need to up my meds.



Also, hey, remember, it is April First, so keep your wits and expect people to be trying to prank you everywhere.

So, um, sorry about that hopelessly vague previous entry. This has been a long-running bit of drama, and now that we're so close to a potential end, I am more anxious than usual. I've tried to post about it before, but I've never actually managed to put an entry up. Maybe once a verdict comes down.

TODAY'S ENTRY features good things. FIRST: On Sunday, I was put in charge of decorating cupcakes! Which I always enjoy doing. We do seven packs of small cupcakes, which you can really go to town on, and then jumbo cupcakes, which can be a bit more tricky, but are still fun. And I made sixteen jumbos and three seven packs, and they got so many compliments. ("These cupcakes are badass" was probably my favourite, haha. Badass cupcakes, wtf.) eeee! And all sixteen jumbos were gone by the time I waltzed into work today – so less than 48 hours for them to fly off (which is pretty excellent). One of them never even made it to the floor. One of my coworkers walked past and was like, ohmygosh, that one is adorable and I must have it, so we left it on the back table and she bought it after she got out. The seven packs have moved slower – the Spiderman one sold, but then some jerkass dropped my space / moon and stars one!! I was able to fix it back up, since we still have some of the blue I'd custom mixed, but, man! I was so sad! But someone else ordered a cake with the same pattern as I'd put on another of them, which, yay. (It is a supercute pattern that only I do, and I like to make it on everything.)

Also, the pie I made is delicious. If you were wondering. And I am going blueberry picking (for the second time this month) tomorrow! So maybe I will make another pie once this one is gone! AND. One of my coworkers and I are engaged in a cookie trade-off, which is fun. I made her cookies as thanks for her staying late so many times to help me through the madness we've been seeing in the store lately, and now she is making me cookies for helping her out with some really tricky cake decorating and colour mixing. So. That'll probably keep going, just 'cause it's fun.

Also it is summerfest in Vana'diel yessssssssss video game world summer festivals you are the best thing.

AND. Since Mom's been out of town and remains out of town, I've been borrowing the Honda. Aaand, with reports of Masterpiece Rodimus showing up in Toys "R" Us stores, well… I knew it was silly, since we don't see store exclusives half the time, and Grimlock didn't turn up until months after release (and then I couldn't afford him, much to my sobbing dismay), but I had to check. Good thing I did, 'cause there were only two of him. But now he is mine! X3 Yaaay, Roddy! He is super pretty. I cannot wait to bust him out of his plastic and cardboard prison. (Just as soon as I get this entry up, ohohoho.)

But for now, oh, look! Distractions! Five question meme, questions from mininise28 and naboru_narluin

- Comment with "Hit me!"
- I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can get to know you.
- Update your journal with the answers to the questions.
- Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people.

( Go! )

I am thinking I might go see Captain America. Has anyone seen it (probably a stupid question)? Will I suffer horribly if I opt to see it in 2D, 'cause it costs less and I don't need to wear glasses over my glasses? Or would it be better to do the 3D?

Guess they've rescued the first of the miners down in Chile! That is so awesome! Yay!

Mom was in town today giving me grief about the place (I've been working a bunch of 8-9 hour days and now with being sick, I've just been too exhausted to keep it looking decent), but she did also help me tidy it up a little, so, not too terrible. Then she basically told me to shut up later over AIM as I attempted to express my confusion over Thanksgiving suddenly being some holy family-time, since, in our house, it has never been as such. I mean, I was doing a poor job of explaining that, since with the topic at hand, there wasn't really a way to do it that didn't sound like I was whining, but ... I dunno, I'm feeling like crap physically and emotionally, so I took it harder than I should have. Emo. Emoooo.

And now I'm sitting on the floor trying to rearrange my Transformers figures. Or, at least, I'm pulling them out and trying to put them all into vehicle form, because they pack up better that way, but instead mostly find myself getting distracted playing with them and/or losing the fight to get them back into their alternate modes. Animated, for example. I love the cartoon, and I love how the toys look, but about half of the figures I own have troubles lining up properly. I actually gave up on Starscream (which is embarrassing, because he's got that morphing feature that does most of the work for you, but he wouldn't stay together), and Prowl's still not quite right, either, but I couldn't bring myself to care anymore. And the movie toys, argh. Fiddly. The ones that are well done are amazing, but the rest of them...

And maybe I need to trim my collection down some. Hurg. Especially with Generations coming out and me wanting to own almost every figure announced for it so far...


So I guess mostly I've been fussing about with instructions and trying to force parts and stopping on occasion to grab air because my lungs have decided that breathing is for chumps. Only I've just looked at the time and I need to be at work in less than nine hours, so I guess I need to get to bed now.

MY TOWN IS MORE AWESOME THAN EVER.

I live within two blocks of both a books-and-music (and DVD and now video game, wtf, Borders?) store and a video game store, as well as a post office, a bunch of awesome little shops and restaurants, and some other neat things. I am no longer right next to the awesome little community college, but since I graduated (twice) already, that is less important. No toy store, though, which has always made me sad. The closest are all a couple towns over, and I have no car! Alas.

Except oh wait apparently we just got a Toys "R" Us Express right next to the game store. Okay, cool! I had to run a few errands today, anyway, I will go check it out! They probably will not have anything. My figure list is very short and full of toys that I do not expect to find easily. I am pretty sure Rodimus is going to be Arcee 2.0 or something.


...Except maybe not, 'cause they had all four store-exclusive characters.

Glee!

Again, Aniko's Watchmen figures. Not Sally diving off the DVD case, though. Actually, she hasn't fallen off once since Reno started threatening her! It is amazing. She did stumble once, but, hey! No falling!

No, now we are looking at the three she keeps in her room. Or, well, one of them. Rorschach has caused a few ... puzzles already. When no one is watching, he will, on occasion, catapult across the room. We can't figure out how this happens. (It really is not a trick. On on occasion, she was at work and I suddenly heard a clatter-thunk from her room, went to investigate and... WHY ARE YOU OVER HERE GET BACK ON YOUR STAND. How does he clear the chair? How?) Also, one time he got worked into an impossible tangle in the cables behind her desk. Trying to climb down? Or trying to climb back up? We don't know, but it shouldn't have been possible for gravity alone to do it.

He doesn't seem to have much regard for gravity, anyway, though.

Aniko's still watching Supernatural (about halfway through season 2). Rorschach is apparently curious.

( Three images )

Aniko and I agree he does not entirely approve of Sam or Dean, but he could be a fan of John (which is kinda funny, when you consider...).

Regarding the subject: it keeps happening. One of these days, I really will make a sign and wear it around at the convention. Until then, I will be confused and awkward, and then feel bad when I figure out what's going on. (Sometimes they ask. Sometimes they don't. The times they don't, and so just assume, are definitely worse.)

Um, anyway, survived Transformers convention! Flew red eye home and am too tired to think, never mind type, anything remotely coherent. It took me four tries to get the words in that sentence in the proper order.

( Long post about robot convention. )

Now, photos!

( PRETTY PRETTY VEHICLES. And other things. )

So, the weekend ends now with me being, effectively, mute. My throat really hurts and my voice barely works. I've no idea why. BUT BOTCON WAS AWESOME FUN. Of course.

... Now we just need to see if Aniko's US Masterpiece Starscream is ruined for ever or if she can do something about his funky hip.


EDIT:
More on BotCon over here in this entry!

OKAY HEY SO Because it was cheaper for Aniko for me to get a Primus package and sign her on as my Mini-Con, I'm getting the BotCon toys. I'm not sure I want them, but I suppose the benefit of that is being able to sell them to get back some of the registration fee.

Anyway, you folk, I'm not promising anything - maybe I'll get there and get the set and fall in love with it, you never know - but if anyone thinks they might want any of these guys (including the box, but with the definite exception of the pin, and the probable exception of Kup, because Aniko really likes him, so if I don't want him, she gets him FLATMATE ADVANTAGE SORRY, though maybe she'll change her mind when she sees it in person, so hey), uh. Well, let me know. I won't give them away for free, but I promise I'll charge less than eBay. Not sure what. Probably something between 20 and, at the max, 50 dollars. Or a trade of some sort. (That's each, not total.)

I offer ahead of time because, if I don't like the set, there's a fair chance I won't want to bother hauling it back across the country and will instead try to get rid of pieces of it at the convention. (And if I get back and you've changed your mind, that's fine. NO PROMISES MADE ANYWHERE except that if you want one and I know this, and I don't want it, I do promise not to sell it to the highest bidder or throw it out a window or anything.)

And of course I can't say anything about the at-con exclusives since, you know, no idea whether or not I'll like any of them, and if I don't, I probably won't waste the money.


And again - this isn't a promise. I can't say I won't have a change of heart until after I've got them in my hands.




ABRUPT CHANGE OF SUBJECTS NOW About a mo--- no, a month from now classes will be over ...

...Woah.

Okay, um, anyway, two and a half weeks from now, I am going to be horribly assaulted by writing ideas, and then I will angst because I have to finish up all my schoolwork. For now, I will unhappily work on other schoolwork and wish I had words to go with the plotting I can feel going on in my brain.


This essay. Is so. BORING.

TODAY WHILE I WAS OUT BEING BUSY AND DOING THINGS AND TYPING IN CAPSLOCK, APPARENTLY, my mother and my brother went into my room and put all the robots back in it.

( Because you totally care about this. )

My class ends tomorrow, but I've managed to finish all the work! Free! Freeeee! For I think two weeks? Maybe three! Then more classes again.

Edit to add:
Also have I mentioned yet that it is SO WEIRD having my most recent entry be the entry at the top again? BECAUSE IT IS SO WEIRD.

VT primaries today! No one actually campaigns here (no, radio and television commercials do not count) because no one cares, because we are tiny. But I voted. And I got a sticker to prove it. Go, me!


So. More Target exclusives. Because what the world needs is another set of repaints for these guys!

Haha, I know, I know. They're using them and making money off them while they can. People are still buying them, parents are still looking for them, etc. Give me some credit (I'm really not always as dumb as I seem... promise). I'm sorry, though, the obscene amounts of repaints (as the same character, so Cliffjumper and Evac, for example, don't really count, but, Jazz, I'm looking at you something fierce, here) we've seen from this line just crack me up. I don't really like that blue, either, but maybe it doesn't look quite so out of place in real life.

I like how this Target-exclusive Jazz seems to have undied in a different way than the other Target-exclusive Jazz. And, ha, Barricade. Nice to see the Frenzy-Rumble conundrum is still alive and well. Recon's blue, and now this one's red... and then we have the original, and the black one from the screen battles, but whatever. Frenzy is a chameleon. PROBLEM SOLVED?

I do think that Starscream looks nice! If I didn't have the mold or if I was interesting in buying anything else, and if there were any Targets in this state, I'd probably consider picking one up. But I don't want or need any more from the movie line, and I need to be saving money, anyway.

This all said, Hasbro, whoever's doing that site up for you? Needs a beta. "Be sure to head to target this spring and summer fore these great movie exclusive TRANSFORMERS action figures."