VCD Encoding.

I must learn how to do it again. I haven't tried in a few years.

Also, I need to figure out how to rip directly from video source into .gif image. I don't care how large the .gif is, I plan on making it smaller via careful editing. But I need that direct conversion, because otherwise I need to shut off hardware acceleration so I can screencap from media player, crop, save-as, etc.

And there's got to be a better way.

I mean, it'd be great to have some avatar images for the hell of it.... 0 have shared the love

 
I feel angered and upset.

Good things happened today. I gave a gift, and recieved nothing in reciprocation.

I feel that this is positive. I did not expect a gift in return, and I think, ideally, that this is how gift exchanges should be done. The recipients expected no gift, and they appeared to be pleased to have it. That's what it's about. Doing something nice for someone not because of an obligation, like a holiday, or a birthday, but because you CAN.

Maybe we could cut down on commercialism if we did away with Christmas and just encouraged people to do nice things for eachother.

Anyway. Unfortunately, Lord and Lady Buffington felt the need to give me something in return. I don't like this because it gives me the idea that they wouldn't have, had I not given them something first. It makes me feel like I'm (in a way) imposing on them to get me something back.

I didn't mention this, of course. I just joked about how they didn't love me because they got me nothing (which is a stupid joke, in retrospect), and then we all laughed, and she said she'd have a present for me at their Winter Holiday party, so I'd have to come and get it.

Of course, this goes back to Rose. Yes.

So I simply said, "Well, my standard proviso still applies to attendance," expecting to get a dissaproving look and have the issue dropped.

Jackie, of course, did not know about the proviso, and asked about it. When she found out that my proviso was, "I will attend, provided that Rose is not there," Jackie retorted, "Well, that's really mature, guys."

Two things about this. First, I think that considering that I will not enjoy myself if I am made to endure her, attending would be stupid. Why bother going if I know I'm going to be miserable? I've never really fit in with the 'furry' crowd, anyway, so why not save everyone trouble and not attend. If I did go, I would get upset, I'd get annoyed, and eventually, I'd explode and yell at Rose because she's so self-absord it repulses me.

A brief digression. I don't hate her. Hate is too strong. Despise is not, because she inspires the utmost levels of revulsion and disgust in all that I abhor in humanity within a single being. Perhaps the reason I dislike her so much is because she reminds me of the self-centered, egomaniacal, controlling, and simple-minded person that I used to be. With one critical difference. I wanted to become a better person. She gets no sympathy from me, because as far as I can tell, she does not.

Secondly, "guys"? What, she's got issues with me, too? Well, that's actually somewhat comforting, if so. If she's aware that she causes some form of reaction from me, then maybe she isn't such a bad person after all, and maybe it's all a miscommunication.

Or maybe Jackie just thought that Lord and Lady Buffington agreed with me, and it'd be better for me to torture myself with Rose's presense/cause an ugly scene that cost me several friends when it escalated to violence (Rose's boyfriend is actually a cool guy, and I think he'd probably kick my ass if I insulted her, but that wouldn't stop me from saying what I feel would need to be said).

So, yes, Jackie, I think this is the mature response, and I hope you understand how angry I am at you being so critical without knowing the entire story. 0 have shared the love

 
A moment of clarity.

These things never become clear to me when they should, however.

Anyway. I am having trouble getting classes. Most vexing.

I'm trying to retain my confidence. But sometimes, it's hard. 0 have shared the love

 
My blogging has become irregular.

I've decided to only try and make noise when I had something worth saying. Wow, watch me backtrack so quickly that everything looks like it's being rewound.

Anyway.

So, this week in review: Got chewed out by boss. Did buttloads of work. Started to suspect that I'm gaining weight.

Well.

Nobody likes the first.

The second is nice, after the fact, insofar as it's no longer a concern. It being ... well ... dealt with.

The third doesn't worry me too much. I'm going to be attending college again, which is about two miles from where I live. Closer to three from where I work. And that means I'll be riding my bike to school. Which will be good.

Oh, right. I'm going back to college to learn me something. I'll be taking classess year round, when I get off of work, until I make some sort of degree.

Then I'm moving to Japan for a year. But that's a good time off. Probably I'll be back in the states by the time I'm 29.

Now that's depressing.

I'll be about 30 before I'm even ready to date. Vexing.

Anyway. I had some deep and meaningful commentary to share on human growth and society in general, but somehow, it all kind of faded back into the background. Perhaps as a subtle hint that I'm meant to shut my trap once in a while. I'm sleepy, and my level 14 Amazon is tired of stabbing with her javelins.

So. Some 4chan, then some sleep. Though perhaps, not in that order. 0 have shared the love

 
So much for that idea.

I thought I had more patience than I actually did. It turns out that if someone does't want to see the world a certain way, they won't. They'll only see what they want.

And you can't make them see otherwise.

Infinite patience will just get me nowhere, so perhaps it's for the best if I ... move on.

Obsession of the moment: Tsukihime OST.

Love that music.

No new anime viewed.

I did watch the Last Samurai, though. It was far better than I expected. Almost a Japanese Dances With Wolves.

Er. I mean that in a positive way.

Anyway, the movie had some strong moments, and was very enjoyable. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed.

....

Yami, I guess. I heard it gets less cohesive as time goes on, but the ... character designs ... are enough for me. Yeah, that's it. Character designs.... 0 have shared the love

 
I am ... still tired.

Obsession of the moment: Tsukihime.

Still.

It continues to be very enjoyable.

Sexy Commando Masaru is ... interesting.

Asagi no Miko is despised by 'miko fans' (fetishists) but kind of a fun, and particularly well-drawn anime.

Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito has nice character designs, and so far, nice story and execution. However, I have been told that the latter portions of the anime are not as good, so ... we shall see.

I still have trouble sleeping. Diablo II is actually a lot more fun than I had remembered it being.

That's about it. 0 have shared the love

 
There are no words.

Actually, that's not true, but shortly you will wish it was.

I watched the latter half of Narutaru sober. Bad move on my part.

The review:

This anime is like a solid element, if someone were to take potential, and turn it into an ore. Pure potential. Unfortunately, it's raw, unrefined potential. So many things could have been done right. So few actually were.

Technically sour points:

They introduced dozens of plot-threads that seemed relevant, and were inexplicably dropped towards the end of the anime. This is not a case of 'personal plots get dropped for the save-the-world arc', it's 'the save-the-world arc got ignored to pay attention to a personal plot'.

The intro is misleading. You have no. Idea. You see everyone running around and smiling in chibi-form, while upbeat and genki music plays. All. Lies. I can't say more without giving spoilers.

A good number of characters appear for only one episode, and then vanish. Why bother? Especially when they make vague references to events which have no relevance, ultimately.

Non-technical sour points:

Looped cliffhangers on eye-catches and episode beginings. They repeat about up to a minute of footage after some eyecatches or when begining a new episode. My main problem with this (and with the extra characters who pop in to be irrelevant) is that these things are wasting valulable time in the anime that could have been used to, I don't know, answer the questions they left hanging. They never really explain how anything works in the story regarding Hoshimaru or the other critters like him. Given that they have (ultimately) almost no impact on the story, couldn't this anime have played out better as a drama without any sci-fi fantasy elements?

And yet ... and yet ... this anime could have been great!

There's only one slightly redeeming quality, but I can't explain that without a spoiler.

So be aware.

There is a spoiler here: (hilight to read)

So, when the anime ends, you find out that evidently Sakura Akira was raped by her father, but instead of commiting suicide, she kills him. So, Shiina's father makes a comment about wondering if they'll ever find Hiroko (or whatever her name was).

Then we see Shiina running around in the uniform of the school Hiroko tried to get into, and we hear a voice from behind her, and she turns to look behind her, then smiles, and laughs, and we don't see who called out to her.

What a fucking cop-out. They want us to figure out if it's Hiroko or Akira. That's kind of a no-brainer.

The only good part about this -- the ONLY good part about this -- is that Sakura Akira didn't kill herself. So she overcame her suicidal tendancies.

However, this is a very, very dim light, at the end of a very, very greasy tunnel.

So ultimately, I ended up feeling like I wasted enough hours of my life that I feel the need to urge anyone out there who's interested in watching the anime to avoid doing so.

And if you must, please, please in the name of all that is good in this world: watch it while drunk. I got some fucking kick-ass vodka (rubbing alcohol), and will provide moral support if you wanna stick it out.

But friends don't let friends watch Narutaru alone.

Actually, friends wouldn't let friends watch Narutaru. 0 have shared the love

 
Today was, again, tiring.

I think I'm just a tired person.

Narutaru proves to be sufficiently ... different ... when sober, yet still interesting. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet.

Had not one, but TWO Confrontations With Authority, today. Neither at work.

I have issues with authority, namely, I hate to be on the bad side of any authority I respect. It just kills me. So when a peer, or someone who's superior to me in whichever group I'm currently a part of (and online, there are many) criticizes me, I always emotionally beat myself up over it.

Even if they didn't mean it, and they don't have any issues with me, or what I've done ... just that whole tone of, "By the way, what you did and what we expected to get done were two different things," just makes me feel like I'm some kind of monumental screw up.

Bleah.

Maybe in a few days, the old pride will heal up, and I can limp back into #ecb and #topseekrit once more.

But I hate that feeling.

Especially when the person who's communicating to you never made it clear what they expected the first time around.

Now, as Leo has suggested, I'm gonna aim for eight hours of sleep.

Eight.

Mmm. Sleepriffic! 0 have shared the love

 
The last few days have been without sleep.

And in an altered state of mind. Due to lack of sleep, I imagine, but even after sleeping for twelve hours I feel oddly unrested.

Hmm. Maybe working out tonight wil help clear my head.

Must get back into habit of uptating. Working on the Motoko's Dilema ECB tomorrow night with Dracos.

Phear. 0 have shared the love