Everyday Distractions

BNL, I love you. So much do I love you, but when it's not Steve singing a Steve song it's just...weird, you know?

I like that they put up the download for the Steve-less concert. I'm not sure it put me at ease, though.

I am a Jim fan - big time - but Jim singing "Maybe Katie" is weird. I hear the voice that should go there and my brain doesn't accept a different tone to the notes. It just doesn't.

And I'm a Kevin Hearn fan, but "Sound of Your Voice" as I know it is more...rockin' than Kevin's vocals allow for.

And Ed, have you noticed that your singing is different? Maybe it's the nerves from your first Steve-less concert, or the stress from the recent developments in your personal life, but in the recording your voice is so...far away. You're not getting into it at all; you're pulling back. You got a little better near the end of the concert, but it's still not the same.

It's like BNL is their own cover band. And it...hurts. It hurts a lot. I'm hoping the new album will give me enough to get used to this four person deal and that the old songs will perhaps be shelved when they're Steve songs.

Can't we just have our Steve back?

How many times are the following applicable:


....there was just mystical henshin sounds coming from a box
...I thought I deactivated all the henshin devices

I really miss having a writing circle right now. I've been trying to get into the habit of writing again, and have spawned a few things that could use some concrit. I'm crap at looking at things I've written, but I can't really just show things to any old person, ya know?

It's a complicated quandry and I'm not sure what to do about it. I'll have to think on it.

You know, IJ, I'd use you more if you didn't take for funking ever to load. Just sayin'.

I watched Kamen Rider Decade today and wasn't too impressed, but hopefully future episodes will engage me more. I hope. I hope I hope I hope.

My weekend has been pretty lackluster. I didn't have much to do, so I spent a lot of it reading manga and watching tv. I also slept a bit (last night being the exception...4 hours, wtf?).

I don't want to go to work tomorrow, chiefly because I don't feel like dealing with people tomorrow. No, scratch that, I don't feel like dealing with teachers tomorrow. My kids are great. I just don't like the atmospheres in my staff rooms that much. *sigh* Just need to hold out until March and I can hopefull change environments.

It is currently -2C (about 28F) outside. This means that, with heater on full blast, my house is only a whopping 13C. If not for the electric blanket, I'm sure hypothermia would have been involved.

Stupid Japan. Stupid, stupid Japan.

I just spent a few hours baking in preparation for V2's arrival. And, because Momo is the greatest phone in the world, you can join me on a bakingtastic night of song and carbs!

( Only without the song cuz I'm too lazy to upload things )

I'm in a good mood today, despite certain events. I attribute this to sleep and watching Arashi on the TV last night. I love Arashi science experiments; they make me happy.

Still no paycheck. It better be there tomorrow which is, technically, the last business day. I kind of can't do anything I want to do if it's not there, which would suck a whole lot. I was going to make bread today, but I need to go to 100yen and get more pans. Thus no breading. I made cookies last night, but don't feel like cooking up the rest of the dough yet. I'll do that when V2 gets here so she can have warm cookies and cocoa...cuz I'm going to make cocoa. (I only know how to make it for 2 or more.)

So my plans for the day are more or less shot. I'm going to clean the house a bit and call it good, I guess. Tomorrow I'll try to cram everything in before she gets here, which means that I'll have to get up at a decent hour and get to the post office when it opens at 9.

After that, things will be good fun. We'll watch stupid TV (JE Countdown!), eat stuff that's bad for us (yay Jupiter and its Hint of Lime chips!), and go to Osaka for Shitenmyu and (more importantly) the Aquarium.

Alright, time to get on with things I guess.

There were kiddies at school today (guess today is the last day and not Monday) so while I had no classes, I still had amusement.

My cleaning crew were back today, and we had an awesome cleaning session.

They came in and cleaned the room quickly with their little carpet sweepers (that really don't do anything, folks) then I decided to let them redo all the taping on the floor. Ya'll, it was as if I'd given them the biggest, shiniest Merchmas gift. Their eyes lit up as they took the colored duct tape and began doing the job I didn't feel like doing but really wanted done. And they did it well!

And they did it IN ENGLISH!

Can I tell you how my heart sang when, after finishing the blue line, the students came up and said, "Blue, please." And they said thank you's and please's in the right places and didn't just say it to say it! Even little Hallway Boy who was looking in forlornly at the fun until the others invited him in spoke in English.

That twenty minutes of beautiful made up for the fact that it was funking freezing and, even in four shirts, I was still cold as I stood in the English Room, waging a war on ameboid laminate.

So yeah, today was long and boring for the most part (and no more BBT until the 12th of January...fail!) but that bright little spot made me really really happy.

What can I say, guys? I'm not feeling it this year, for many reasons, most of them pretty obvious. Some of it, though, is the lack of atmosphere. There are not lit houses, no wrapping paper displays…nothing about that I normally associate with Christmas. I guess it's all for the better, no salt in wounds and the like, but it still feels wrong. Very wrong.

When making rice, be sure to turn the rice cooker on. *facepalm* I was wondering why it was taking so long.

You know what's great? How you can tell someone, in Japanese, that you don't speak Japanese and they'll believe you. It's fun and just got rid of a guy trying to sell me cable...or see if I had a TV. Either or. But the fun thing is that he's gone now.

The nice Mormon lady that came by the other weekend wasn't so easily swayed, but salesfolk seem to take you for your word.

Overall, today was an alright day. There wasn't a lot of wind (it all went out when it stopped raining this morning) so the bike home was nice, even though I had some trouble breathing at times. Stupid cold.

Alright, time to get the rice started. Woot! Curry tonight!

Today wasn't all bad. It wasn't all good, but it wasn't all bad. Work was fun. The kids were great and, even though I thought it was the end of the day at third period and realized (in a very boo-hoo moment) that it was only lunchtime, all my kids were decently behaved and I enjoyed myself. It was also warmer out today so I didn't freeze in the classroom.

The Expandable Henchmen are making me work on Christmas, though, which isn't cool.

On the bright side, packages from Kouhai came today. He sent both my box and my dragon lamp. Bless him. He spent 78 to ship one and 41 to ship the other. Bless. Him.

Inside the package was a lot of clothes that didn't fit, my PMS shirt, and a few of the tighter clothes I had that are now loose and cozy.

And my RENT scarf! Oh, my wonderful, thick, warm RENT scarf. And my leather jacket. The leather isn't too good for biking in, but the scarf is. I'll be wearing the scarf tomorrow.

On the downside, the screen on my MP3 player is dying. I could barely see it today. This means I'll need to get a new MP3 player instead of buying a new camera. Fail.

I'm gonna plug my dragon lamp in and drink lemon tea.

Good thought: The year is over in 21 more days. Good riddance.

I'm still sick and my heater was broken yesterday so I spent the night freezing my ass off. It's raining. I'm hoping the cold will go away this week. Being sick for two weeks (and in a pissy clogged nose, sore throat way, not even anything that warrants a doctor's visit) is dumb.

I'm really tired todady (got to bed cerca 12:30 and kept waking up) and don't want to go to work. The idea of chibi wrangling just doesn't appeal to me today. *sigh* Oh well.

Fight-o OH!

I was reminded yesterday that I'm supposed to go for shabushabu at noon tomorrow. I...kinda don't wanna. I want to stay at home, rest, and kick this cold, especially since it's raining outside and I have to bike miles in it to get to work.

Figto OH!

I finally heard back from the family. Apparantly the router was still broken, even though they previously said it was fixed. *fumes* They know people with email. Couldn't they have shot me one in the last TWO WEEKS to let me know what was up? Gah!

I've set up a time and day to have a conversation with them, so hopefully all will be well. Hopefully. I cross no fingers.

I should not have gone in. Going into Craft Park was like that one year V2 and I were doing cosplay and we went into the Hancock Fabrics and just...saw things and bought them.

That said, I will be taking up quilting again. Why? Because it sounded like a hell of a lot of fun, and it's relatively cheap. I failed to find the stamping section, but that was because I only explored half of the store before I told myself that I needed to leave. Quickly. Very quickly considering I still have to pay for my bills this month and that Nissen order I made.

Still, you don't pass up 71 yen quilting squares. That would be stupid. Of course it was only 71 yen with the membership card, so I spent the 525 and got a membership card. *sigh* I saved more than 525 today, so it was worth it. It was even worth making the lady behind me wait while I filled out the damn form.

So I need to go back at some point (after payday, I assume) and look at stamping materials. Cuz...yeah. Need stamping materials to make postcards to send out for Merchmas.

But anyway, now I'm really glad I brought my Durasharps.

I'm going to go clear off my table and start plotting out a square. And watch CATS, cuz it's in my head.

I didn't really do much of anything today except stare off into space and make a few lame attempts at cleaning.

Oh, I also cooked some corn chowder. Instant corn chowder base, but with real vegetables and chicken that I cooked myself. It was tasty. I'll be having a bowl of it for dinner in a minute.

Chiefly, though, I just...ran out of juice today. My will do to anything was zapped out of me almost from the moment I woke up, and it's been like that a lot this year. I've just...not been myself. I'd like the world to realign itself so I can stop being exhausted please.

A lot of my 35-45 American friends are treating this election like it's the Second Coming. They're spraying Obama quotes everywhere and telling me how wonderful our future is going to be. "Change!" they say, parroting slogans like good little drones.

Has anyone been to Illinois? It ain't no Eden. Take that, then, to a larger, less easily controlled scale.

Now take your quotes and your unrealistic optimism and let the rest of us go on with our lives.

*picks up soapbox and heads to bed*

So You Think You Can Dance Canada is currently airing.

*downloads*

Here's hoping it's as addictive as the American version...cuz I miss stupid dancing.