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It's morning...I'm in a good mood. I took a different route to work this morning that's a little out of the way, but three lanes of smooth pavement as opposed to two and bumpy. This makes for much better driving conditions in a Mustang Cobra since I feel every freaking bump in the road. I was a bit insouciant, I went 50 in a 35 and didn't use my blinker. I'm so bad...fear me.
I've almost managed to finish my borrowed book on Cicero, much later than origional intended, but almost done just the same. I got sidetracked when I decided to read the first Martin book in the Ice & Fire series: A Game of Thrones again. I bought two new books: American Empire: Blood & Iron and the 3rd book in the Otherland series by Tad Williams.
I'm looking forward to getting some books on philosophy after getting a bit of it in the Cicero book. (Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician by Anthony Everitt) I'll probably use the public library since I'm not sure where to start and can't really afford to buy more books, especially since they all seem to cost $20+ at B&N.
I don't know what I want to blog about. Nothing very exciting has happened today. I've done a little work, but there are a few things I'm procrastinating on and I'll need to take care of them on Monday before it gets rediculous.
I downloaded copies of the Hackmaster and Paranoia roleplaying books. I'm not sure why I download PDF's of roleplaying books, but I do. I guess it saves me the trip to a bookstore to flip through them.
I played Europa Universalis II a little bit. I started a new game as China, but the game has a nasty tendancy to crash to desktop at really inopprotune times. After I thought about it though, my last CTD wasn't so inopprotune as I was throwing troops away in the Mongol desert for very little gain. Perhaps it was for the best.
No big plans for the weekend here, hope everyone has a good one.
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For those of you who don't know anything about EU II this won't make much sense.
I finished my second Grand Campaign of Europa Universalis II as Nippon, my first had been as Spain/Castille. Spain was a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs with a lot challenges that I had no choice but to face. Japan seemed a little less exciting, even with all the turmoil in the 15th Century, it was too easy to side step the problems. It was still fun though and provided for some interesting situations, but I never did accomplish my goal of invading China. Unfortunately when I finally decided to attack the Chinese they were in the middle of hellish revolts and their government continually collapsed every year or so. This had the effect of setting me back to being a peace with them, which sucked hard core eventually I just gave up the irony was that my armies could squash the Chinese who were my technological superiors, but had tons of trouble with the rebels.
After a long anxious wait we finally finished the Berserk saga yesterday. What began as an impulse grab at the local video store had slowly sucked us, if not into the heart of at least the borders of, the anime subculture. As our adventure had lead us through volume 5, we had discovered from the guy at the video store that volume 6 would be coming out on May 27, but we probably wouldn't be able to rent it for a month or so. With that depressing information I felt fairly resigned to go out and buy the damn DVD, such was our lust for the conclusion to a riveting, violent series. As the 27th came and went we made a few forays into the Movie Trading Company, but their anime section pretty much womped. The video store guy had spoken true and volume 6 eluded our grasp. Amazon.com definitely had it, but I've, somewhat ironically, never been a fan of ordering things online, something to do with instant gratification or perhaps that primeval need to hunt things.
So Sunday we made the jaunt to a Mall, this was a radical step, as I rarely go to malls based on several rational, though mostly irrational, phobias and social what-have-you's. I bravely dove in, and strode head up and chin out into the thick of it, damn the torpedoes, seeking the Sun Coast video merchant. Fortune would seem to smile on us, for fate is an odd mistress and what began as a simple quest took on a life of its own.
After aimless roaming in the labyrinth of commercialism we accepted defeat and consulted the Mall directory, our desire for conclusions knew no shame. A few moments of deciphering the archaic numbering and color scheme we plotted a course to our destination, which fortunately involved a short ride up the escalator. We entered the store, I deftly found the anime section strangely positioned near the front of the store. As that shock dissipated another erupted in my face, it was a large anime section near the front of the store. As hope swelled I began to feel as if things were nearing the "to-good-to-be-true" threshold.
My preconceived notions of anime being relegated to the black sub-basement of the store where odd people dressed in Goth clothing chittered and clicked over small boxes with nymp-like school girls on the cover were reeling at this point. But before I knew it I stood basking in the glistening wall of the Japanese animation. As my furtive search began, as I eagerly sought out the B titles I heard the call of the store clerk, "may I help you?"
"Should I dare risk it?", I thought. Do I want to actually admit, not only to myself, but to others nearby (strangers mind you, but it was all the same at this point) that I was an anime fan by asking the store clerk for help? Could I find it on my own? Would they be out and could I keep hope alive for a few more brief moments before crushing defeat swept over me?
I decided to confront my demons and dove in; I had already gone too far to shore up now. I told her what I was looking for. At that first fragile inception of the gamble things seemed to instantly go bleak as I told her I was looking for Berserk 6. I'm not sure how it transpired at this point, it all seemed strangely surreal. As the words, "I don't think we have " began to escape from her lips my eyes caught sight of that grotesque red box. Familiarization caught hold, could this be it or was it another volume deceiving and mocking me?
After a few double checks I discovered it was indeed Volume 6, the final revelations of the series. Oh joy, trumpets sounded and lights descended from heaven as the store clerk told me that they had been consistently sold out as they came in and how lucky we were. It was even on sale score!
What transpired afterwards was a glimpse into the wide possibilities of anime. Another store clerk tried to recommend some other titles for newly assimilated anime fans, but he had trouble. The fact that our entry point had been the Berserk series seemed to throw him off, but he managed a few ideas. We we're shown a magazine chocked full of anime goodness, complete with a DVD, but the $10 price tag was too much. Another patron of the anime section offered up what he considered a good series. My eyes widend at this point, a box with nymph-like school girls! They did exist, but this was no Goth clad weirdo! He was desperate looking, middle-aged, white man. I wasn't sure what to think, it was all too much to handle. Information overload was beginning to set in.
Desperation to pay and leave was beginning to crawl over the wife and I as we delicately began to pry ourselves out of this world. Finally the credit card was brandished, scanned, receipts were signed, a bag was stuffed with our booty and we left the store flush with victory. We had been faced full force with things we weren't quite yet to confront, but it had been an exhilarating experience, full of comedy, horror and drama. We're still not sure how far we're willing to admit this anime fandom, but we've finished our Berserk journey and perhaps, just perhaps, we may go for one of those recommendations. We'll see.
I don't want anyone to think that I'm being cruel to anime fans. Seriously I have nothing against them. I've always been a sideline fan of anime and hope to contiune its pantronage as I believe there are very few outside of anime story tellers that actually still come up with new and innovative storie
On a side note, the wife and I have accepted our geekdom. Saturday we played boardgames designed by Germans (ok, one was by a Frog, but I hate to admit that) and Sunday we spent $24 on an anime DVD. It isn't looking good.
1. Thou shall not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.
2. Thou shall not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to passs.
3. Thou shall not cross bridges before you come to them, for no one yet has succeeded in accomplishing this.
4. Thou shall face each problem as it comes. You can only handle one at a time anyway.
5. Thou shall not take problems to bed with you, for they make very poor bedfellows.
6. Thou shall not borrow other people's problems. They can better care for them than you can.
7. Thou shall not try to relive yesterday for good or ill, it is forever gone. Concentrate on what is happening in your life and be happy now!
8. Thou shall be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear different ideas from your own. It is hard to learn something new when you are talking, and some people do know more than you do.
9. Thou shall not become "bogged down" by frustration, for 90% of it is rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with positive action.
10. Thou shall count thy blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one!
This is the farewell message from our pastor as he prepares to go on to another church. Good words thinks I.
We watched My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service the last two nights respectivly. Both come from Studio Gibili and we've been big fans of them and Mr. Miyazaki ever since I randomly grabed Princess Mononoke at the video store. I like both of the films, all the qualities that made Mononoke and Spirited Away enjoyable were there, though they are obviously less technically advanced (that could have been because they were on VHS and not DVD). Totoro and Kiki are obviously directed towards children, but in a way that was a refreshing change of pace. It was cool to see the progression of talents and skill from the first movies the last.
My favorite part of My Neighbor Totoro was the Cat Bus...if you haven't seen the movie, its just what it sounds like. A cat who is a bus, it has either 8 or 10 legs and its eyes are headlights. Freaky goodness.