Culture on a Budget

Chicago > Rush

2011-10-10T10:36:00.002-05:00

It was Family Weekend, so EIU got a band to come and serenade us. Last year it was Kool and the Gang, and I contemplated going, because they're pretty cool (yes, I went there), but in the end, I did other things. This year, though, Chicago came, and the day before the concert, I broke down and bought a ticket; it's my senior year, so I may as well have some fun.

Perhaps I'm too used to Rush concerts; without someone smoking a joint behind me and someone else drinking next to me, it just doesn't feel like a concert. I suppose people can't get inebriated at a college concert, but still, it just wasn't the same. I didn't feel too out of place, though; I knew most of the songs (I was disappointed that they didn't play "Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?") and I got up and sang along at some points. It was weird going to a concert by myself, though, especially with this entire family sitting next to me.
In sum, I would prefer Rush, but I don't think EIU could afford them. If they ever do, I'll stop by.
~Sushi

FutureMe Says Happy Birthday!

2011-09-13T13:43:00.000-05:00

Today is my 21st birthday. I got a billion texts and Facebook wall posts, five birthday cards, and three or four phone calls from family, but only one email from the past.

The following is an e-mail from the past, composed 7 months and 18 days ago, on January 25, 2011. It is being delivered from the past through FutureMe.org

Dear FutureMe,
You are now 21 years old. Please don't make a fool of yourself, drink until you're sick, or gamble all your money away. Stay safe, and stay smart.
~PastMe

Toby Jones' _____ ASS Various Entrepreneurial Escapades!

2011-09-08T19:04:00.001-05:00

Spock recently brought to my attention a guy named Toby Jones, who makes various completely bombastic commercials. What struck me as interesting is the 708 area code on all the phone numbers; clearly, he's an Illinois native, from somewhere in Cook Country, which is where I grew up. Sadly, when I tried to reverse look-up the numbers, I got no results, so they must be cell phone numbers. Spock tried to call at least one, and the voicemail was full.

The gimmick is that Jones has several business enterprises, which all combine two seemingly random separate businesses, and all of which have the word "ass" in the title.

Here are some of the videos. These are definitely NSFW, as they contain frequent vulgarities.

Jones' Big Ass Truck Rental & Storage
"The fact of the matter is, I'm pretty drunk right now..."

Jones' Good Ass BBQ & Foot Massage
"We got fine dinosaur meats!"

Jones' Cheap Ass Prepaid Legal and Daycare Academy
"Prepaid, meaning you need to pay before."

Jones' Big Ass Truck Rental & Storage (2nd Spot)
"Your mother-in-law kinda skinny. I can fold her up, put her on my back on a bicycle, and bring her down on this motorcycle."

Trust me, he is the sexiest man on these interwebs.
~Sushi

Just Say No... To Everything

2011-08-26T23:28:00.000-05:00

Who's ready for a link- and picture-intensive blog post! ME!

Today, I went to the first Anime Club meeting of the year. We spent the meeting deciding on which series [plural] we should watch for the year. Rather than jabber on and on about how much we jabbered on and on during the meeting, I will instead introduce the top two series we chose in each category, accompanied by fan art from DeviantART [click on the picture for full-size!]. The *asterisk* indicates which series we will partake in.

ACTION

*Samurai Champloo

G Gundam

COMEDY

*Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt

Ghost Stories

DRAMA

Steins;Gate

*Black Butler

OLD SCHOOL
_{*voting in progress*}

The Big O

X

OVA/MOVIE
_{*we watch both*}

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Spriggan

And, as an added treat, have these TOP THREE WEIRD ANIME PARODIES!

1. Dragonball Z Abridged
Watch them ALL!

2. Hellsing Ultimate Abridged
And then, watch all of THESE!

3. YuGiOh Abridged: The Vagina Monologues
I believe the count was 87 vaginas. That is NOT OVER 9000!!!!

PANTSU! PANTSU! PANTSU!
~Sushi

What is your secret weapon?

2011-08-25T20:48:00.001-05:00

My secret weapon is my enormous vocabulary, and an arsenal of random facts and movie quotes. Come at me!

Engage me

Why are you/will you go to college?

2011-08-23T19:31:00.001-05:00

Why are you/will you go to college?

Answer here

How would you tell your crush that you like them?

2011-08-23T19:29:00.001-05:00

Just tell them; there's no use hiding your feelings.

Engage me

Senioritis

2011-08-22T22:18:00.001-05:00

The first day of classes went well enough. I only have two classes per day, apart from Friday, when I have one; whenever my professor and I figure out my honors independent study time, I may wind up having three classes in a day. To put it mildly, I'm going to get rather bored, rather quickly, even with the numerous papers I have to write. So. Very. Bored. I went to Gays in the Park this afternoon; it mostly consisted of the EIU Pride members and myself sitting around at a local park eating pizza and reminiscing.

I already know I'm going to wind up playing far too much Dungeons and Dragons Online (DDO), my MMO of choice. And I'm going to read way too many graphic novels and manga; just joking on that last statement--there's no such thing as too much reading.

As it stands, I'm too bored to even come up with a list. I sincerely hope that tomorrow is better, insofar as classes, social interactions, etc...
~Sushi

After a Long Hiatus...

2011-08-20T22:16:00.002-05:00

Greetings from Stevenson Tower, the ^tallest building in Coles County! Rather than living with Freak [she got an apartment with her friend, Spaghetti Laura], I decided to try a different residence hall. So, here I am, living in a suite with three people I don't know. It'll be interesting to see how they react to my being bisexual. Ah well, that's just one aspect of me, after all.

LOOK AT THIS TOWER!

_{SO HUGE!}

I'm back at school and I've made it my goal to finally get back to this lovely blog of mine. I've been sporadically posting random quiz results and occasionally LGBT-type things, but I feel that I really need to get back to legitimately writing, because this is going to be one stressful semester. I'm a senior here at EIU, and I managed to get into the department honors program for psychology [I may have mentioned that before], so I'm writing a thesis this year! Lots of stress. ALL OF THE STRESS.

Over the summer, I was a camp counselor at two local Girl Scout camps. I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences I've ever had in my life. My fellow counselors were amazing women, and I believe that some of them will be my lifelong friends. Also, we got to have totally awesome nicknames, such as:

However, rather than try and update you on the many months of my life that have not been documented in this blog, I think I'd rather just keep posting on current events as they happen. Also, lists will be happening, the first of which being....

ANIME/MANGA THAT I PLAN TO WATCH/READ THIS YEAR
Angel Sanctuary
Angelic Layer
Cardcaptor Sakura
Girlfriends
Godchild
Haruhi Suzumiya
Lucky Star
Rozen Maiden
Strawberry Panic
Wandering Son

It's good to be home, both in the physical and internet worlds,
Sushi

Which Star Trek Character Are You?

2011-08-15T21:54:00.002-05:00

Your results:
You are Uhura

Uhura		85%
An Expendable Character (Redshirt)		85%
Deanna Troi		80%
Geordi LaForge		75%
James T. Kirk (Captain)		55%
Chekov		55%
Jean-Luc Picard		55%
Data		55%
Spock		52%
Beverly Crusher		45%
Worf		45%
Mr. Scott		40%
Leonard McCoy (Bones)		35%
Will Riker		35%
Mr. Sulu		25%

You are a good communicator with a
pleasant soft-spoken voice.
Also a talented singer.

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Quiz

What was the best job you've ever had?

2011-07-09T01:28:00.001-05:00

My job as a Girl Scout camp counselor! I love it!

Engage me

What's the most fun thing you have going on this week?

2011-07-09T01:27:00.001-05:00

Assembling a Harry Potter character cosplay for camp!

Engage me

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

2011-05-31T12:37:00.001-05:00

When I was little, I was obsessed with rocks, and I wanted to be a gemologist. I still think it would have been awesome.

Engage me

Research Methods Word Cloud

2011-04-28T23:07:00.002-05:00

What's your favorite TV show from the 1990s?

2011-04-17T12:17:00.001-05:00

Pepperann

Engage me

21 Years and Counting

2011-04-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

Happy 21st Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Nerd Test! Be Excited!

2011-03-05T20:22:00.002-06:00

If you could get a tattoo... what would you get and where?

2011-03-01T00:02:00.001-06:00

If I could get a tattoo, I would get a Greek psi on the top of my left foot. The psi is the symbol for psychology, and it would be on my foot so that I could actually see it, especially in flip-flop season!

Engage me

Who was your first crush?

2011-02-15T21:43:00.001-06:00

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Bisexual literary nerd FTW!

Engage me

What do you think is the best way to defeat terrorism?

2011-01-31T14:51:00.001-06:00

We need to stop sensationalizing it, for one thing. That kind of attitude sends everyone into a tizzy. I think terrorists are like children; if we ignore them, they won't have anyone paying attention to them, and they'll stop trying so hard.

Engage me

Would you rather work at a large company or a small one?

2011-01-31T14:49:00.001-06:00

I would prefer to work at a small company, because I would like to have the chance to get to know my coworkers, rather than just being a cog in the machine.

Engage me

Om Nom Nom...

2011-01-29T19:30:00.002-06:00

Created by Oatmeal

Who's the sexiest woman alive?

2011-01-19T20:19:00.003-06:00

Eartha Kitt, hands down. Oh baby.

Engage me

formspring.me

2011-01-19T20:19:00.001-06:00

Engage me http://formspring.me/SpockChick13

+ I SUPPORT +

2010-11-19T16:41:00.000-06:00

This poster was made by Voltaira, a straight, cisgendered Deviant. I think it is beautifully done, and I'd like to share it with you, my readership.

Click for the full-sized image.

I would like to believe that all straights and non-straights can someday believe that they are equal; hopefully, that day will be short in coming.
~Sushi

XKCD - Purely Statistical Edition

2010-11-11T12:22:00.001-06:00

Lately, I've been ravenously devouring the webcomic xkcd. It's kind of like the opposite of Cyanide and Happiness, in that the stick people are extremely intelligent instead of somewhat mindless. Both are extremely funny, and somewhat explicit, so go check them out.
The other thing I've been obsessed with lately is statistics. I'm taking my second round of stats, as it's the math of choice for psychology majors like myself. I'm amazingly good at it, too, which shocks the hell out of me, because normally I'm quite terrible at math. I think I'm better at stats because the numbers actually have a meaning behind them, rather than just arbitrarily existing. When I add two and two, I want to know what significance four has, and statistics does that for me. It's like an academic high, almost--I continuously get As on my homework and tests, and my professor has noticed this. And he's recommended me to departmental honors, which makes me feel super-awesome, being that it's my first semester here.
But, enough gloating. I wanted to share some xkcd strips with you, because they make me feel happy and smart at the same time. (Oh, and to view the strips in all of their full-sized glory, just click them!)

_{Our professor put this one up for a giggle when we started talking about the correlation coefficient!}

~Sushi

What's the nicest thing someone's ever done for you?

2010-11-04T22:41:00.003-05:00

Many people have done many nice things for me. It's rude to pick just one.

Engage me

What was the happiest moment in your life?

2010-11-04T22:41:00.001-05:00

It hasn't happened yet.

Engage me

If you could go back in time 10 years and tell your younger self something, what would it be?

2010-11-04T19:37:00.001-05:00

Stay awesome. Fifth grade me was totally cool.

Engage me

What was the weirdest gift you ever received?

2010-11-04T19:36:00.001-05:00

Spaced Out: The Best of Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner [CD]. I got it for my 20th birthday from my parents, and I LOVE IT!

Engage me

That's So Honors English

2010-10-24T22:49:00.002-05:00

Recently, there have been several LGBT teen suicides. The pressure on these kids, as well as the rest of the LGBT community, is enormous, and many feel that death is their only escape from the hatred that they encounter in their lives. I wrote this paper a few years ago, for my Honors English class, but the message is still as true as it was then. We need to stop perpetuating hate speech in order to push progress forward.

_{By DeviantArtist Traitors-stead}

When you hear something stupid, or see a silly picture, what is your most common response? “That’s so stupid?” “That’s really silly?” That’s probably not the case. As nice as it would be to live in a world where dumb things were simply dumb, this is not reality. In most cases, when something strikes a person as being different, or odd, or oppositional to their own beliefs, they refer to it as “gay.” “Oh my God, that shirt is so gay.” “You listen to that band? You’re such a fag.” The truth is that most people who say these things probably don’t realize the strength their words have. It is most commonly believed that about ten percent of the American populous is LGBT. Despite the fact that this community is a minority, they still have the right to stand up and oppose the deliberate misuse of a once-neutral term for homosexuality. In defense of the LGBT community, the Ad Council has brought forth an award-winning series of commercials dealing with the phraseology “That's so gay.” The clips are about thirty seconds long, but they deliver a strong message, spoken by celebrities that Americans can easily recognize-- Wanda Sykes, who recently came out to the public, and Hilary Duff are in the two most popular of the commercials. Speaking as a friend of several gay people, and as a bisexual, I personally believe that the American people, and young adults in particular, need to come to the realization that their words have power, and can hurt people when taken in the wrong light.

The emotional weight that the LGBT community carries, due to their orientation, has been somewhat lifted in recent years, though it still seems far more acceptable to be straight. With the controversy over gay marriage and equal opportunities, LGBTs have been forced under a spotlight as of late. California's Proposition 8 has drawn a great deal of attention, as have the bans on gay marriage and adoption rights in several states. It may seem, then, that simple words don't matter much in the light of far more serious concerns. Unfortunately, though, the misuse of words like gay, faggot, lesbian, and homo is becoming so prevalent that it, too, as become one of those serious issues. A report by the Ad Council states that “Almost 90% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students report being verbally harassed at school because of their sexual orientation”. The majority of the abuse may, in fact, be unintentional because of the adoption of the orientational slurs into the everyday teenage vernacular.

Rationally, fighting the verbal abuse of an already-oppressed group makes perfect sense. Very little separates LGBTs from the so-called “rest” of the population; the separation is what truly makes no sense. Unfortunately, there are those who feel that the commercials that fight against stinging insults are themselves insulting: “This campaign from the Ad Council goes about sharing the love by creating more hate. [Hilary] Duff makes fun of the teenage girl and her ability to shop in order to make her point”. The same sentiment was expressed by several people I have personally addressed, including my own father, who is usually quite supportive of my orientation, but has always expressed a dislike for homosexual males. To him, people who have reacted to the phrase are being oversensitive, and they are simply demanding political correctness. However, while this may just be a pompous demand over childish vernacular, it must be taken into account that the word “gay” has the most commonly accepted, and certainly the friendliest, term used to address a homosexual, male or female, since the 1970s. The fact that this word is also attributed to any negative happenstance that occurs causes its degradation to all people, and takes away its safety to the homosexual community.

In order to inflict change, steps can be taken to show that you care enough about the matter at hand to stand up for it. In this case, those interested in making their mark can go to thinkb4youspeak.com. The site offers several ways to get involved with the effort, including a personal pledge to “Not use anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) language or slurs. Intervene, if you safely can, in situations where students are being harassed. Support efforts to end bullying and harassment”. Visitors to the website can also submit their own ideas for sayings to replace “That's so gay,” as well as send e-cards to spread awareness and to gain further support for this cause. Another option for supporters of the cause is to participate in a Day of Silence. The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GSLEN) sponsors several such events throughout the year; the day of silence is typically in the second week of April. The event's website aids potential participants in signing up to be counted, purchasing themed merchandise to advertise, and pages to register GSAs and other advocacy groups for involvement in the Day. Finally, the simplest way to curb the phrase “That's so gay,” and other similar phrases, is to stop saying it yourself. Check yourself when you see something that strikes you as dumb or stupid, and watch your tongue. If one of your friends says the phrase, ask them why. Make them think before they just utter pointless, hurtful chatter. All of the groups, advertisements, and events can never compare with the small act of one person addressing another; one heart needs to touch another if this movement can make headway.

By saying “That's so gay,” the speaker, whether or not they realize it, demeans the entire homosexual populous. The phrase spreads a sort of subconscious homophobia, which has turned viral in recent years. Despite its widespread use, though, change can happen, if people realize that what they are saying is very wrong, and sounds completely nonsensical and unintelligent. Words have power, whether they are used properly or improperly. Consider the way you would feel if, instead of saying “gay,” the common phrase was “That's so straight.” While most people do not solely define themselves by their sexual orientation, having a word that describes it used as an insult can be hurtful nonetheless. You probably wouldn't like to have an essence of yourself, a part of your life, targeted and trivialized. It shouldn't be cool to say that something is gay. This phrase should not be socially acceptable. Think about the words you use to describe the strange, the odd, the down-right stupid. And for those of you who do say “That's so gay,” knock it off!

~Sushi

Career Choices in Psychology and Other, Completely Unrelated Industries

2010-10-13T21:26:00.001-05:00

After completing the O*NET Skills Search, I was matched with a rather surprising 254 different careers, including my current chosen occupational path, that of a marriage and family therapist. In fact, many of the careers had to do with mental health, as well as health services in general. I was given a rating of ‘Bright Outlook’ in 108 of these career options; my concentration was unfortunately not included in this list. I pride myself on being a well-rounded person, but some of the choices I was matched with surprised even me. With that in mind, I find this test to be a tad broad, and I feel that it needs many more options, in order to hone in on the true occupational skills of the taker. However, I still enjoyed taking the test, mostly because the enormity of my list made me giggle quite a bit. As per my psychological forum teacher's instruction, here is my evaluation of three of my matched careers, all of which I chose because they seem humorous.

Career 1 – Clergy

_{And I want to look just like this guy. Holy crap is he awesome.}

I have a bright future as a pastor, it would seem. While I can understand how my fabulous interpersonal skills and penchant for writing long papers that read like sermons might apply in this area, my absolute terror for public speaking eliminates this as a possibility. Also, in my chosen flavor of Christianity, Missouri Synod Lutheranism, women are not permitted to become anything higher than a deaconess. While I don’t agree with that particular belief, I don’t plan on converting any time soon, so don’t expect to see me at the pulpit.

Career 2 – Actuary

_{Punk actuaries. Hard-core!}

Admittedly, I didn’t know exactly what an actuary was until I read the description. However, I think I might be pretty decent at that. Despite my less-that-perfect grades, I love statistics. It’s the only math that makes any sense to me. And while running stats on risk factors might get depressing, if not boring, I’d still be better at crunching those numbers than being a ‘Municipal Fire Fighting and Prevention Supervisor’, which is by far the weirdest choice on my humongous list of careers that I am mostly unqualified for in real life.

Career 3 – Food Scientists and Technologists

_{I just can't take the word 'food' seriously as an adjective.}

How I was matched with a career in science absolutely baffles me. I distinctly remember not checking the ‘Science’ checkbox, because science, along with math, is not my strong point. Seeing as the first two words in the job description are ‘use chemistry’, I cannot explain why this would ever be a good career path for me. I can just see myself ‘discover[ing] new food sources’ that eventually turn out to be toxic, or exploding a taco while I’m analyzing its ‘food content’. Science and I simply don’t mix.

Using O*NET’s skill search was fun, if pointless. A small handful of the surplus of matches I procured were actually jobs I feel I could pursue successfully. As a whole, I liked this assignment, and hope that future assignments are as amusing.
~Sushi

So I Put My Hands Up (And Promptly Clamped Them Over My Ears)

2010-09-26T11:37:00.000-05:00

Let me start out by telling you that my exposure to Miley Cyrus up to this point was minimal. That's a difficult thing to attain when one lives in a household with two young girls. Fortunately, I conditioned them to understand that Hannah Montana might possibly be the anti-Christ, and to not watch her show. _{I hope you know I'm kidding about the anti-Christ part. She's probably Satan herself.} And so, my sisters developed into pretty decent tomboys, although they still like iCarly and the Suite Life shows, which I honestly can't say I mind, because I like them, too.
But my affinity for children's television isn't the subject of this blog. Miley Cyrus is. I have had to endure that retched 'Party in the USA' twice now, with absolutely no escape. For some reason, EIU plays it at football games over the PA system. I have stood amidst a crowd full of people that I had camaraderie with not seconds before--due to the matching T-shirts, face paint, and hoarse voices that are Panther Nation--and was baffled as to why they were waving their hands in the air to what sounds like a chipmunk gasping for air. Her actual singing voice sounds like the voice I do when I poke fun at pop singers. She literally sounds like a joke to me. I can't walk out of the stadium, because enough people already have; our team isn't exactly the greatest, but aren't we expected to cheer harder for them when they're down? Panther Nation is a pep club, which to me means that we cheer no matter what, not leave in droves when the game starts to suck. But that's a rant for a different day.
This isn't to say that college football games were my first exposure to Miley Cyrus; they were simply my first unavoidable brush with the little demon. The first Miley Cyrus song I ever heard was 'Can't Be Tamed', and I chose to watch the video because there was an article about it on Yahoo News that day. It appears to me that her video is an audition for the Junior Miss Lady GaGa pageant. Just as GaGa has been a tad too Madonna-esque lately--see 'Alejandro'--Miley has skanked it up with an unholy marriage of all things Lady GaGa and Britney Spears. It's creepy, and the little kids who once followed her don't like it. Seriously. However, that song is fathoms better than 'Party in the USA', and if they play at games, I might sing along. If Justin Bieber starts playing, though, I'll walk out, no matter how much the team needs me.
~Sushi

The Dorm Life of Freak and Sushi

2010-09-18T11:22:00.000-05:00

NOTE: If and when my sister Ladybug ever reads this post, she will flip her shit for the title. She's completely obsessed with one of the twins on The Suite Life of Zach and Cody. Only one of the twins, though.

I am sitting at my school-sanctioned desk, drinking a cup of extremely strong, possibly radioactive coffee that I just reheated in the industrial microwave in the kitchen. The microwave hums whenever someone opens it, and it reminds me irrevocably of a nuclear reactor. My roommate, Freak, is either sleeping or staring at the ceiling, but she has promised pancakes whenever she emerges from her side of the room. Lately she has been taken with randomly singing like an aging black gospel singer, and the fact that she is neither black nor aging doesn't seem to bother her in the slightest. I've been looking at the website Regretsy for days now, because it makes me laugh at humanity, and because I still don't have a great deal of homework. All of these random sentences are culminating in a blog entry that I don't honestly see an end to. I could do this all day. Like I said, not much homework.
So, pretty much every day, I do the same thing. I wake up in the morning--not feeling like P. Diddy--around 8AM, so I have plenty of time to take a shower or check my mail before I head for class at about ten 'til 9. Most days, I have class for five straight hours, with no breaks, which is a total kill-joy, but I can't complain because I planned it that way. I have absolutely no reason to skip classes when they're back-to-back. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have little to no classes, so I read, or do homework, or go to Wal-Mart. There's no mall or anything like that in Charleston, so it's either 'go to Wal-Mart' or 'wither away into nothingness from the boredom'. Maybe that's a tad extreme, though. I'll have plenty to do with the student organizations I've joined once school truly gets into gear.
I think my favorite part of living on campus is that fact that I can walk to the library in under a minute. And we have an amazing library; the entire fourth floor is A/V and music books, the first floor has an extremely eclectic graphic novels section that I am readily devouring, and really, it's just a beautiful building to behold. Not as gorgeous as Doudna, which I wrote about in a past entry, but still.
More about dorm life later; we're having a stand-up comedy marathon. Because someone is holding all of the Harry Potter movies in our library system hostage...
~Sushi

I Am Old.

2010-09-14T20:15:00.000-05:00

So, yesterday I turned twenty. And I feel weird about being twenty, because I've had the -teen suffix for so long now. It was also weird not having my family around for the first time. However, I did get to party. The local LGBT group, EIU Pride, had their welcome reception yesterday, and not only did I go, but I also helped plan it and purchase food and decorations. I like to get involved. So, I was there for about three hours, and then I went back to the dorm to eat Jello and open presents. I got a signed picture of Leonard Nimoy, which is now hanging above my bed to watch over me. I also got the single weirdest CD I have ever heard of: "Spaced Out: The Very Best of Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner". The best track, of course, is 'Ballad of Bilbo Baggins', which Spock and I use to annoy the hell out of each other. In case you haven't been subjected to it yet, here you go. Dig that crazy bassoon! I also got some fun trinkets from my aunt in Southern Illinois; the bunches of matching oriental stuff made me smile.
For my birthday, despite the fact that it was yesterday, I will do a list of...
20 Things that Make Me Smile
_{In no particular order}
1. Babies laughing

2. Smiley faces in food

3. Playing cards

4. Rainbows

5. Watching scary movies with my dad

6. Halloween shopping

7. Being in love

8. Portal

9. Making avatars

10. Lolcats

11. Rush

12. Living with one of my best friends

13. Spock [my Spock, the original Spock, any Spock, really]

14. Tetris

15. Lady GaGa parodies that don't insult Lady GaGa herself

16. Singing

17. My mom

18. Rock Band

19. Lego versions of pretty much anything

20. Birthdays

Thanks for smiling with me!
~Sushi

A Benevolent Textatorship

2010-09-02T15:18:00.000-05:00

Call me a whiner, but I'm concerned about the people in my generation being unleashed into the working world, particularly those who are going into my field, psychology. I think about ninety percent of the psych majors I've met absolutely terrify me. Not just because they're morons, and they don't actually care about other people, but also because they just can't seem to put away their damn cell phones. The typical psych major, as well as most of my other peers, has a general lack of regard for others. They will tap away on their cellphones, whether they are alone, or in a group of friends, or in the classroom where they are supposed to be learning about the nuances of their chosen profession. What is going to happen when these people look up, and see that the world has changed around them? That they are not the center of the universe, and that the rest of Earth's inhabitants don't revolve around them?
What I'm trying to say is this: would you want to deal with a therapist who snuck glances at a cell phone when you were trying to divulge your problems to them? When they were supposed to be paying attention to only you, and not the person on the other line? And what if that other person is a surgeon, who perhaps was texting away during the lecture that taught them how to perform the operation they need to do on the human being in front of them? I don't want any doctor from my own generation working on me. I'm afraid of them, and I'm afraid of literally everyone else my age, because of this reasoning.
I have sat in classrooms when literally everyone surrounding me was texting. And the teachers, despite what they have all said during syllabus week, do nothing. It's very distracting. That little 'tick tick tick' or 'tap tap tap' of a cell phone keyboard as the texter creates some abomination of grammatical errors to send to the recipient, who is probably also sitting in class, distracting someone else like me, while another teacher does nothing. It's sick. I think I'm going to stick by my plan in high school and become a hermit by age thirty. I despise cell phones; I hate having one, and I hate using them. I hate the fact that I had to get texting back on my phone, after blissful years without it, so that I can communicate with my friends who, God forbid, hopefully don't text in class.
I probably sound insane for saying all this, but somewhere, deep down inside you, you know it to be true. Think about it: college is the time when our minds are most malleable, when we condition ourselves to become our future selves. The texter is conditioning their belief system to include an allowance for texting when others are present. In other words, their moral system states that it's perfectly fine to ignore the people in their presence in favor of a person that could be miles away, in the form of a small, technology-packed telephone. What about the people who will depend on these texters to make them well? And in the case of educators, what about the children who depend on these people to teach them? I fear that our world is doomed.

May Stephen King's glorious vision in Cell one day come true.
~Sushi

On the Prowl

2010-08-22T16:19:00.000-05:00

This is the last day of my first weekend at Eastern. I moved into my dorm on Thursday, and have been attending Prowl, the orientation program for new students, all weekend long. Spock was a big help moving me in, and, before we even got there, calming my nerves after my dad got into a wreck on the highway. I know it's only been a few days, but I have really acclimated to the college environment. I've found some of my friends, made some new ones, and hung out with my roommate, the amazing Freak. Eastern is really big on self-advertisement; I already have two t-shirts, a backpack, and a water bottle, all plastered with the EIU logo. I never mind free things, though. Freak and I have been having a great time just laying around watching TV, but we'll have to cut back when school starts tomorrow.
Currently, we're watching The Dark Knight, which is funny, considering that our dorm's theme is Batman. We also bought Batman Begins and Watchmen from Walgreens, which is a few blocks away. In short, I'm having a ridiculously good time. The only down-side is that I miss Spock, and my other friends and family.
~Sushi

New Zazzle Items for Little Monsters

2010-08-13T01:16:00.000-05:00

For some reason, the phrase 'GaGa in the Haus!' has been rolling around in my head. I figured enough people like Lady GaGa that they might buy a shirt with that phrase on it, so I've decided to add some new apparel to my Zazzle store. Also, I've been trying to cook up some items that people will actually buy, because I'm getting worried about money for school. I put up more 'Spock is my copilot' items, as well as some other neat things. So, my readership, unleash that Little Monster within you, and go buy some cool stuff!
~Sushi

Twi-hard Fan

2010-08-08T02:56:00.000-05:00

I must apologize on two accounts.
First, I haven't blogged in a ridiculously long time. Between packing for school, throwing a graduation party so wicked that my dad had to go to the hospital, and playing far too much Rock Band 2, I just haven't found the time. And for that, I'm sorry.
I'm also sorry for the reason I have dragged myself back online; it's not pleasant. Don't worry, nobody died or anything. To make a long story short, Bella Swan stole my birthday. Or, to be fair, Stephanie Meyer gave it to her. Let me explain. Lately, I've been suffering through the Twilight series, at the request of Spock's grandmother. She asked that I read the series, which she enjoyed, before complaining about it anymore. She even went so far as to purchase the books for me. [Secondhand, thank goodness, but still. They are festering in my home now.] The only one she couldn't find for me was New Moon, so I got it from the library, and am currently ~~being tortured into~~ reading. On page six, the ~~victim~~ reader finds out that Bella's birthday is September 13^th. Which also happens to be the day I WAS BORN. I did the math, and technically she is two years older than me, but given that I was spawned into meathood before she was vomited onto the page, it was my birthday first. If I may be so childish. _{Meathood? Really? That may well be the strangest sentence I have ever written in my life.}
So, in honor of my re-renewed hatred of Twilight, I present to you...

Seventeen Exemplary Examples of Anti-Twiligt Fan-Art
_{From our friends at DeviantART!}
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.

One last thing. Today [well, yesterday now, I guess] is Faythe's 21st birthday! Ahahaha, she's so OLD now! _{Just kidding. Please don't kill me.}
~Sushi

ROAD TRIP!

2010-07-20T08:45:00.000-05:00

Spock and I are on vacation, for the first time ever [with each other, that is]! We trekked [ha HA!] for five hours in the blistering Illinois heat--especially when my air conditioning quit working--to visit Spock's paternal grandparents downstate. We also managed to stall out my car, and I almost fainted! This is high adventure, readership!
So far, it's been nice here. Their house is nerve-wrackingly clean, especially when compared with his maternal grandparents. So, it'll take some getting used to, but other than that, I think I'll get along just fine. We watched Tropic Thunder last night, and will probably devour chunks of their extensive movie library over the course of the week.
On a sadder note, Freak and her boyfriend broke up, but I have absolutely no idea why. It still makes me sad though; Vito seemed like a decent guy. Not too pleased about being called an asshole on Freak's Facebook wall, though. Especially by someone who's got their own vendetta against me, and--
Umm... Enough drama. I'm going to have fun on this vacation if it kills me.
~Sushi

Little Monsters Unite!

2010-07-17T00:28:00.000-05:00

A sick thing happened today. Anyone who hasn't been hiding under a rock knows that the music video for Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' has held the most-viewed spot on Youtube for months now. I'm one of the people who helped it get there, and maybe you are, too. Well, we have to do it again. As of today, Mama Monster has been pushed out of the top spot by none other than, dare I say it... Justin Bieber. Some nauseating tripe that spewed forth from the gob of the Biebs is the Number #1 video on Youtube. Needless to say, this must be stopped. So, my part is to watch the video over and over, and to stay THE HELL away from the Biebs' bullshit; the name of the song is 'Baby', for Pete's sake. Would you be so kind as to do the same?

Together, we can put Gaga back where she belongs: on top.
~Sushi
P.S. I'm just crazy as hell sometimes, aren't I?

CONTEST: LOL My Cat!

2010-07-16T00:07:00.000-05:00

So, I figured out something that will cheer me up: having another contest! I am combining my love of photography and of lolcats, and unveiling the

LOL My Cat Contest!
Are you as excited as I am? I DON'T THINK YOU ARE! To be brief, I will be providing six pictures that I took of my cat, Peppermint, on a day when she looked particularly hilarious. If those pictures aren't enough, hopefully someone will comment. Anyway, I'm looking for some good lolcat pictures, ten probably, submitted by my readers. If you have Photoshop, that's super, but you can also use the Cheezburger network Lolcat Builder. All in all, I want you guys to have fun with this, and once we have enough, we'll vote on whichever one is the most epic. I will come up with a prize. Maybe a stuffed cat? I can't give you my cat, though. That's just silly.

Links
LOL My Cat Pictures: Photobucket / Facebook
Cheezburger LOL Builder: here
Submit entries: here

Have fun with it!
~Sushi

I May Have Lost My Touch

2010-07-14T02:27:00.000-05:00

I really want to write a post tonight... er, this morning. Whatever. I seem to have lost sight of what I wanted to do with my blog. I look back, and I see a ton of movie reviews, and not a whole lot else. And yeah, a lot of my summer has involved going to the movies. I think I've gone at least a dozen times. Spock and I just saw Iron Man 2 last weekend. It was the second time I'd seen it, since the whole family went on Independence Day. But anyway, I feel sort of bad about just writing about movies. And then there was that post that was just a rant about my ex, Nietzsche. It just hasn't been a note-worthy summer, for the most part. Possibly, I just don't have a note-worthy life. But, I keep on truckin', or I guess Trekkin', being an unholy nerd and all.
I used to truly fancy myself a writer. It was my dream to be published, but until that day came, I knew I would write and write, and write some more. Until something stuck, you know? Until I actually found something worth writing an entire novel, or short story, or even poem about. And now, well, I think my brain may be deteriorating. I can barely go a day without forgetting how to spell a word, or not being able to articulate what the word even means. This, from the girl who was dubbed all throughout school as 'The Human Dictionary'. Now, I sit around every day, wondering what to write about, and almost nothing comes anymore. It's extremely frustrating, and I think that it may be contributing to my current bout of depression. I had originally worked this blog out. I was going to write, and have lists, and people would be intrigued by what I had to say. Instead, I have seven followers on the actual blog, and twelve on Facebook. And I'm related to three of them. So much for intriguing the masses. And it's not like I don't try to put the word out; I back-link all over the place. Any comment section that asks for a website, there's a link here. Any status message on any gaming site I use links here. I feel really naive about the whole thing.
And don't think that I'm quitting. No, I'm not giving up. I'm just not going to care as much, I suppose. And certainly not set my standards so high.
~Sushi

High Water

2010-07-09T00:33:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Spock and I made the long trek to the Charter One Pavilion in Chicago, in order to see Rush. During the earlier part of the week, I meticulously planned out exactly how we were to get there, to the point of separating the money we needed into baggies. _{I shit you not.} We arrived at the pavilion about an hour early, to a torrential downpour that appeared nowhere in the weather forecast. After having our tickets checked at the gate, we were given ponchos, which was awesome. What wasn't so awesome was that everything in my purse, including our tickets and directions home, was soaked. And continued to be soaked as I had to pull the tickets out time and again to prove that we truly were in the venue legitimately.
After navigating through the drunks, stoners, swag-hawkers, and other assorted Rushians, we made it to our seats. From there, we watched as the rain cut through the crowd like rusty scissors as we huddled under our complimentary ponchos. We could clearly see the stage, and watched as someone who appeared to be Geddy Lee popped onto the stage, and then ducked under a curtain which presumably led to the backstage area. A half-hour after the concert was supposed to begin, a random guy came up on stage and told us that our beloved Rush was rained out. And we were pissed. Spock, who is always calm, was calm, but me... well, I swore up a storm with the rest of the Rushians. And we wished it was a joke, but it wasn't. We were to check our e-mail for messages from Live Nation. And this funny thing happened. The only thing I got from them was a link to fill out a survey about how much I loved the concert. Spock had to pull me away from the keyboard before I released an acidic tirade of angry fanatic bile. Our tickets said 'Rain or Shine', and I was livid about the venue going back on their end of the bargain. At least, I was until I understood what actually happened. I settled down after learning that our heroes may have been electrocuted if they had played for us. The only thing I wish had happened differently was if one of the guys told us, instead of some random dude. Mama Bear, though, thought that it may have started a riot. Such is life, I suppose. Rumor has it that the reschedule will be in September, right close to my birthday. The trouble with such a date is that I'll be in school by then. Looks like I need to establish my priorities.
Yours "In the Mood", "In the End", and anywhere "Beneath, Between, and Behind",
~Sushi

Keine Worte

2010-07-04T11:16:00.000-05:00

NOTE: I apologize in advance for injecting so much of my personal life into this entry. I've been mostly writing about movies and events, so of course it will seem a little odd when I just talk about myself. However, if I just keep all this weirdness inside, I may explode. The title of the post, by the way, means 'No Words' in German, a language that I sometimes revert to when English doesn't have pretty enough words to describe the way I feel.

I never saw this coming. I thought he was through with Spock, and I already knew he was through with me. His name, for our purposes, will be Nietzsche, for the famous "God is dead" philosopher who was his hero for so long. It has been almost year since we parted, on the most unpleasant of circumstances. As I have already written that story once, I'll direct you to it for reference: Click here.. The shorter version, for those of you who can't access the page [it may be blocked for those who aren't members of DeviantART], is that on Nietzsche's birthday, Spock and I went to his house to throw a small party. A lot of thought went into it, and when he appreciated absolutely none of it, I flipped my lid a little bit. I had already been taking medication for depression, and the dosage was high enough that it was actually doing more harm than good, and thoroughly destroyed my sense of self-preservation. After weeks of my phone calls and emails remaining unanswered, I did the worst thing possible--I tried to kill myself by overdosing on pills and cough syrup. I spent four days in the hospital; it would have been longer if insurance had allowed. While I was in the hospital, I left him a crazed voicemail, breaking up with him and calling him all sorts of names.
Months after I was released from the hospital, I attempted to apologize through email, but the only reply I received was "Please never message me again." So, I took to forgetting about him, and trying to be a better girlfriend to Spock, who was once Nietzsche's best friend. But now, a strange tide has turned. While checking his Facebook, Spock got a friend request from Nietzsche. He accepted it, mostly because I asked him to. Even after all the nastiness that came between Nietzsche and I in the end, I still wondered and worried about him. I am just the dumbest person I know. Why should I bother with a person that will never speak to me again, and who has probably blocked me from his memory at all costs? Because there was once a time that I loved him, and because that time existed, I will never forget him.
Oh, and his birthday is on July 9th if you want to drop him a line. I can't give you his email address, because I'm fairly sure he could sue me for that, but I'll make sure that your words are heard. If, you know, you have anything to say.
Happy Independence Day!
~Sushi

Without You We Couldn't Do What We Do

2010-06-28T11:54:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's time again for another post about my favorite Canadians, Rush! I'm a bit late on this one, actually. Last Friday, a super awesome thing happened. Rush got its star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! Check this out! And here is Geddy stealing a baby! Sort of. The only trouble with this is that tons and tons of people--Rush fans, fanatics, and people who have just heard of Rush--saying that now they should be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Well, I call shenanigans, because that's ridiculous. It is the opinion of many, including myself, that to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, while still alive, anyway, is to destroy your career, or to signify that you are now washed up and done with recording. For example, years ago, when I was off my nut about AC/DC they were inducted, and basically stopped recording. When they came out with Black Ice, it sounded like the same songs they had produced earlier, with _{sort of} different lyrics. It really hurt to see them fall from grace like that. And the Iron Man 2 soundtrack--because I know someone will mention it--is mostly made of songs already recorded. Including Highway to Hell, which is secretly on every AC/DC album ever made.
The best thing to do is induct the artist posthumously; that way they can't do anything to make people wonder how they ever got into the Hall of Fame in the first place. Take Elvis Presley, for example. He was on a downhill spiral by the time he died in 1977. Imagine if he had been alive in 1986, when he was inducted. Would he still have been cranking out albums of himself talking (and shamelessly insulting) the audience at his concerts? [I wish I could say I was kidding around.] It's probably safe to say he would, because people will buy ANYTHING that has to do with The King, and thus, it made the most sense to induct him after his death. Many, many years after, when people had forgotten all the dumb shit he did toward the end of his life, and were able to only remember his pure awesomeness during the '50s and '60s.
I don't want Rush to be inducted until one of the guys dies, because then, Rush will be done. There is no Rush if Lee, Lifeson, or Peart is not still alive and kicking. Yes, there was once a Rush without Neil Peart, but that didn't last for long, now did it?
~Sushi

Stuff You Didn't Know

2010-06-28T00:37:00.000-05:00

I am super bored right now. I saw Shrek 4 today, and that was awesome, but other than that... bored bored boredy bored bored. Cracked can't keep me interested tonight. Even the sweet new Lady Gaga song was only enough to hold me for five-ish minutes. And yes, I just posted about a minute ago, but that was purely to invoke the wrath of the Biebertards. Free publicity, you know. So, being completely bored, I've borrowed a post from one of my DA friend's blog, in order to thoroughly immerse myself with nonsense. Or something like that.

STEP ONE:

Spell your [real] name out in [Rush] songs.

E - Earthshine
R - Roll the Bones
I - I Think I'm Going Bald
N - Natural Science

STEP TWO:

– Name: Erin [You would have found out eventually.]
– Birth date: September 13, Nineteen Aught Eleventy-Twelve
– Nickname: Top 3 - Sushi, Teddy Bear, Cook
– Eye Color: Green
– Hair Color: Dyed red; unsure of natural color
– Zodiac Sign: Virgo

STEP THREE:

– The shoes you wore today: Black lace flats
– Your weakness(es): Short temper
– Your fear(s): Loss
– Your perfect pizza: Soooo much cheese
– Goal you’d like to achieve: Doctoral degree

STEP FOUR:

– Your best physical feature? My eyes. They won't ever get fat.
– Your bedtime? 2 AM, on a good night
– Most missed memory? I miss hanging out with my Grandma Jean

STEP FIVE:

This Or That...
– Pepsi or Coke?: Pepsi
– McDonald’s or Burger King: Steak 'N' Shake
– Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Lipton.
– Chocolate or Vanilla: Vanilla.
– Cappuccino or coffee: Coffee

STEP SIX:

Do You...
– Curse: Shit no. What the hell are you talking about, you fucking asshole? [Don't be sad; I'd never call you that for real.]
– Sing: Yes, and I'm pretty good from what I hear
– Dance: Not near other people
– Take a shower everyday: Uh, no.
– Have a crush: Hmmm... Yes.
– Do you think you’ve been in love? A couple times
– Want to go to college: Well, I did already. How about university?
– Like(d) high school: Sometimes
– Want to get married: I surely do
– Get motion sickness: Only when I walk on glass floors
– Think you’re attractive: Depends on the day
– Think you’re a health freak: In some ways
– Get along with your parents: Mostly

STEP SEVEN:

In the past month...
– Gone to the mall: No, amazingly
– Eaten an entire box of Oreos: No
– Eaten Sushi: YESSSSSSS; and no, that's not cannibalism
– Been on stage: I don't recall
– Gone skating: No, but I went on bike rides
– Made homemade cookies: No
– Gone skinny dipping: Not yet
– Stolen anything: No

STEP EIGHT:

Ever...
– Played a game that required removal of clothing: Strip poker!
– If so, was it mixed company: Yes!
- Flashed anyone: Also yes!
– Been beaten up: Nope
– Shoplifted: Only at the flea market

STEP NINE:

– Age you hope to be married: 26
– Number of Children: 2
– Describe your Dream Wedding: Outside. Lots of Rush. Marrying my best friend. Rainbow bridesmaids!

STEP TEN:

In a boyfriend/girlfriend...
– Best eye color?: Doesn't matter, as long as I can lose myself in their eyes
– Best hair color?: Also doesn't matter, as long as they let me play with it
– Short hair or long hair? Preferably long, though short haircuts are fun, too, sometimes
– Height: Taller than me

STEP ELEVEN:

– Number of people I could trust with my life: One
– Number of CDs that I own: Legitimate or burned? Either way, it's a lot.
– Number of tattoos: Zero
– Number of piercings: Seven

PERSONAL QUIZ:

Who were you with yesterday? Severe, Mama Bear, Ladybug, and Sunshine - aka my family
What woke you up this morning? My mom, to get me to fix the pool
Is tomorrow going to be a good day? Hell yes; Beatles Rock Band ALL DAY!
Do you like anybody? No, I hate everything. Just kidding.

THE PAST:

Ever thrown up in public? A couple times
What’s on your mind RIGHT NOW? FREAKIN' ROCK BAND! Oh, and my new Etsy account. BUY MY SHIT!

THE FUTURE:

What kind of home would you like? One that's not overwhelming
What do you want to be when you grow up? A marriage and family therapist
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Almost married, and almost done with school

IN GENERAL:

Do you like candy necklaces? They hurt my teeth
When was the last time you fell over or ran into something? Recently
Do you still go trick or treating? Yes! Younger siblings mean I can trick-or-treat for years!
What was the last thing you ate? Melty ice cream
What's your favorite type of soda? Pepsi
Have you ever moved? Three times
Have you ever won an award? Bunches. I'm not even showing off; I have no idea how many.
Are you listening to music right now? No, iTunes is being a bitch
How long til your birthday? Lesseee..... 77
When were you the saddest in your whole life? Wow, that's a tough one. I don't think I want to talk about that.
What time is it? 12:17 AM
Do you use ebay to buy or sell? Both
Ever heard a song written about you? No
Something you want to happen in 2010? I'm finally going to university, after waiting two more years than I should have had to.
Honestly, do you miss 2008? A little bit; I graduated then, so I have a few found memories.

HONESTY SECTION:

1. Honestly, what color is your underwear? Black
2. Honestly, what's on your mind? iTunes, and it's suckishness
3. Honestly, what are you doing right now? Doing this so I can read the six Cracked articles I have tabbed
4. Honestly, have you done something bad today? I wasn't very nice today.
5. Honestly, who is the last person you talked to on the phone? Freak
6. Honestly, are you jealous of someone right now? Not especially
7. Honestly, what makes you mad most of the time? Family
8. Honestly, do you bite your nails? All the time
9. Honestly, have you had an eating disorder? I BEAT ANOREXIA. Not really, though.
10. Honestly, do you want to see someone this very moment? This moment, and the next one, and the one after that...
11. Honestly, are you keeping a big secret now? Nah.
12. Honestly, do you have a friend you don’t actually like? I try not to bother with people I don't actually like
13. Honestly, what was the last text message you received? It was too long ago to remember
14. Honestly, are you in denial? About what?
15. Honestly, do you get up in the middle of the night? I'm already up in the middle of the night
16. Honestly, do you like anyone? Yes
17. Honestly, does anyone like you? Maybe

RAGE SECTION:

1. What do you do when you’re mad? Freak the hell out
2. What’s the worst thing you’ve done when you were mad? Throw one of my sisters at a wall
3. Ever made anyone cry when you were mad? Yes
4. Do you swear when you’re mad? I just swear in general

CRYING SECTION:

1. When was the last time you actually cried? During Toy Story 3
2. Ever cried yourself to sleep? Many, many times
3. Do certain songs make you cry? Yes
4. What usually makes you cry? Pretty much anything

HAPPY SECTION:

1. Are you usually a happy person? That depends on who you ask. I don't think I am, but Spock begs to differ.
2. What makes you the happiest? Things going the way they should
3. What song makes you always happy? Hope, by Rush - it's our song
4. Do you believe in yourself? How corny. But yeah, I do.
5. When people say they think you are good looking/pretty, do you get happy? No, I generally don't believe them.

That's all for now, folks.
~Sushi

I stealz the basis of this blog post from

Bieber Fever

2010-06-27T23:36:00.000-05:00

Okay, shortest post EVAR. Can someone out there please explain to me what the deal is with Justin Bieber? Why is he so popular? I mean, I love Canada with a burning passion, but that kid just has no appeal to me. Hopefully, I have called down enough Bieber-tard wrath that one of you people will explain this to me. And possibly call me a Nazi. I quite enjoy that.
~Sushi

Ready, Set, Please Don't Make Me Watch This Again!

2010-06-22T17:46:00.000-05:00

When I was younger, I was absolutely mortified by a movie called The Halloween Tree. I can't even remember why, but I couldn't watch it without crying, and I've never seen the end. The reason I'm telling you this is because I happened across The Halloween Tree while doing a library search for media involving Leonard Nimoy but not Star Trek. [Taking Trek out cuts the list down by about 90%, in case you're wondering.] I had no idea Leonard Nimoy was in The Halloween Tree, because the last time I tried to watch it was at least a decade ago. So, I put the movie on order, mostly because I wanted to figure out why it's so damn terrifying, and of course, because Leonard Nimoy is, in my world, the human equivalent of God. The movie came in, I popped it into a VCR, and...
90 Minutes Later
I am almost twenty goddamn years old, and that movie is still scary as shit. But, now that I am an articulate adult, with a pen and paper sitting right beside me, I can tell you precisely why I was afraid to walk up my stairs in the pitch-blackness of my house after watching The Halloween Tree.
First off, it's a cartoon based on a book by Ray Bradbury. I've read a lot of Bradbury's work, and while I enjoy it, most of it is not suitable for children. He's a spooky guy, even if he's not exactly trying to be. Oh, he's also the narrator of the movie. The Halloween Tree also features one of the spookiest soundtracks I've ever heard for a cartoon; those vocalists haunted my nightmares. Then, after the intro, the children show up. These kids, apart from the token fatty, are skeleton-thin, and not just the one actually dressed as a skeleton. Then, when the kids gather into their little clique and realize their buddy Pip, the "greatest kid on earth," is missing, they take a trip through the forest from Snow White to get to his house. I am dead serious; this forest wanted to eat those kids alive. But all that weirdness seems minor when compared to Leonard Nimoy's character, Mr. Moundshroud. He is, among other things, a "scary yellow pointy magic bastard"--at least, that's what I have in my notes. When the bony kids make it to his house, which also wants to eat them, they see Pip, who is clear, climbing a tree growing pumpkins, which are apparently souls, and then flies away clutching a pumpkin that looks like his face. Oh, and a sidenote: in order to get Pip back, Moundshroud and the band of anorexic children must go to the "Undiscovered Country". Yes, like in Star Trek. Oh, and in order to get to the Undiscovered Country, they have to fly a time-traveling kite, made out of pieces circus posters that are alive and trying to eat them. Fun. Thankfully that gets torn to shreds when they land in Egypt. Okay, at this point in my notes, I wondered if I was just a sissy when I was little, and I decided to stop writing things down until I was truly spooked. But then, Moundshroud's cape turned into bat wings and he started to fly. Maybe every single thing that happens in this movie really is disturbing as hell. Later in the movie, in France, it is revealed that Moundshroud can't walk on holy ground. Is he the Devil, or the Grim Reaper or something? Nothing extraordinarily bad happens until they get to Mexico, during Dia de los Muertes. There we find Pip in a crypt, stuck in a giant spider web, surrounded by animated corpses. When the first of the skinny children tries to touch him, he turns to dust. I have pinpointed this as the exact point in the movie where I ran screaming from the room. Right about there. Well, not this time. This time I just watched in awe, wondering why the film was ever made. That, and why it features, among all those other frightening things, soul-sucking sugar skulls. Try saying that ten times fast.
Here, I made this for you:

~Sushi

Facebook Obsession Quotient

2010-06-16T17:12:00.002-05:00

Created by Oatmeal

The Invisible Child-Eating Crocodiles that Live Absolutely Everywhere

2010-06-13T01:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever gotten a forward filled with funny, Photoshopped versions of children's books, all with seemingly the worst possible content and titles? Well, I get them a lot, and they never fail to amuse me, almost to the point of falling-out-of-my-chair laughter. ROFLing, if you will. I've written a half-dozen or so unpublished children's books, mostly for school, but I've never reached the raunchy caliber of some of the 'Shopped horrors that I have found while trolling about the internet. I hadn't thought about them for a while, but today I ran across another or Cracked.com's Photoshop contests. I'd like to share that, and a few more links to awful conceptions of books that should never be read by anyone, let alone children.
Just as a warning, a lot of these may be NSFW. _{That is, Not Safe for Work, for the less acronym-savvy among my readership.}
Books Your Local Library Will _Probably Not Have in Their Children's Section
Cracked: The 40 Most Inappropriate Children's Book Covers
DeviantART: Evil Children's Books
TresSugar: Recalled Children's Books
SlashFilm: Pixar Artist Josh Cooley’s Lil’ Inappropriate Golden Book Movies R Fun
Listverse: Kids Books Your School Doesn’t Stock: Part I & Part II
Something Awful: Children's Books: This goes on for 10 pages. And they are all awesome.
Huffington Post: The Creepiest Children's Books EVER: They all exist. For real.
For those of you who don't have the greatest internet connection, here are a few list-only links
1Funny: Top 50 Children's Book Title Ideas
Lots of Jokes: Children's Books Not Recommended by the National Library Association
University of Michigan: Children's Book Titles You'll Never See
Facebook: Children's Book Titles Never Published
For people with quick, amazing, awesome internet _{unlike me}, here is a video.
Strong Bad E-mail: Kid's Book
And yes, I know that there are some repeats across these lists. But how many awful parodies of juvenile literature did you honesty want in existence?
~Sushi

The Feverish Flux of Human Interface and Interchange

2010-06-11T01:54:00.000-05:00

Time to start talking about Rush again. Today was the one and only American screening of Beyond the Lighted Stage, the Rush documentary. I, for one, am glad I was smart enough to pre-order tickets online. When Spock and I got to the theater, the show was sold out. There were maybe three seats left by the time everyone got there. I severely underestimated Rush's impact on northeastern Illinois, I guess. There were so many of us! But, in retrospect [pun intended], I'm not all that surprised. The movie was great. It's not getting that great of reviews, but then, Rush never has. And they make a point of saying that. Giving Beyond the Lighted Stage bad reviews is along the same lines as burning copies of Fahrenheit 451; the action only serves to drive home the point that the movie/book is making.
But, back to humor. I've never been in a theater that was so... loud! Well, apart from Rocky Horror and Repo! shows. But those are meant to be especially raucous. This was like going to a concert. Which reminds me... Spock and I decided to split the cost of tickets to one of the shows Rush is doing in Chicago. This morning I found tickets on Ticketmaster that are $49.50 each, which, while it might sound expensive to some, are the cheapest tickets I have ever seen for a Rush concert. Ahhhh... Now that that's over with, I have a little bit more to discuss about the movie. Okay, Jack Black is great and all, in his own right, but I really didn't want to see him in his usual semi-retarded state in a movie about my favorite band. He's more of an irritant than an actor. Other than that, most of the people who were interviewed behaved fairly well. And the home videos and childhood pictures that were shown were practically a treasure unto themselves. We got to see Rush perform when they were younger than I am, in basements and bars. Not basement bars, though; at least, I don't think so. Sorry, no more puns.
The musical selection was good, although most of the tunes are the same few songs that show up on every greatest hits album Rush has ever made-- Chronicles, the Retrospectives, et cetera. I think that, with the extensive catalog Rush has put together, there could have been a lot more deep tracks. After all, this is a movie made for Rush fans, by, presumably, Rush fans. With that, I present to you my suggestions for...
15 Rush Songs that Should have been Included in Beyond the Lighted Stage
^{Alphabetized, in order to avoid a ruckus}
1. Available Light, from Presto
2. Chemistry, from Signals
3. Cinderella Man, from A Farewell to Kings
4. Different Strings, from Permanent Waves
5. Digital Man, from Signals
6. Here Again, from Rush
7. Hope, from Snakes and Arrows - Spock and I were sad that our song wasn't included
8. I Think I'm Going Bald, from Caress of Steel
9. Leave That Thing Alone!, from Counterparts
10. Madrigal, from A Farewell to Kings
11. Mission, from Hold Your Fire
12. Resist, from Test for Echo
13. Summertime Blues, from Feedback
14. Tears, from 2112
15. Vital Signs, from Moving Pictures
And some Lerxst rants! _{That last one is totally worth the wait}
So, apart from Jack Black and a lack of deep-cut tracks--wow, that's a lot of rhymes-- I absolutely adored Beyond the Lighted Stage. And I can't wait for the VH1 premiere on June 26th, so I can watch it again!
~Sushi

No Zombie Is Safe from Chicago Ted

2010-06-08T01:14:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, June 5th, 2010, in a move that unequivocally proved to my family that I do in fact think that every day is Hallowe'en, I dressed up as a zombie and lurched my way through downtown Chicago. Otaku, her girlfriend [let's call her Squeak], and I had heard about Zombie March Chicago 3 through Facebook, which is where we hear about most fun things, and decided to give it a try. I kept notes throughout the day, in order to compile a checklist of...

Things To Do: Zombie March Edition
Spray fake blood on clothes, floor, etc.
Get fake blood all over tub, hands,
Take a ton of pictures - repeat as necessary
Learn how much I have in common with Squeak [it's almost ridiculous]
Load blood-soaked clothes into large trash bag
Load clothes, make-up, camera equipment, people into small car
Drive and yell at cars and drive and get Mountain Dew and drive
Listen to awesome tunes: Daft Punk, The Birthday Massacre, My Chemical Romance
Yell, "FUCK YOU BP!" because fuck you, BP
Close Squeak's bank account
Drive more
Realize that we are all using the same tone of voice, and all sound like we're seven
Go to Squeak's second cousin's eight grade graduation party; watch family shenanigans; receive free food
PRODUCT IDEA: T-shirt - "Don't touch me; I'm sick. _{No, seriously. I am.}"
See Hindu temple; freak out
Put on much make-up; get dressed in bloody, damp zombie clothes
Try to catch train; go to wrong train station
Fall asleep during drive to Chicago
Go. Stop. Go. Stop. Go. Stop. TURN!
Get to Chicago two hours after march has started; zombie it up anyway
PRODUCT IDEA: Bumper sticker - "I have a horn, too."
Park car; put on more fake blood
Look for other zombies
Find one zombie, one homeless person, get distraught, go to Starbucks
Explain esoteric American culture to Chinese tourists; try to explain what zombies are
Find nice zombies, asshole zombies, mohawk zombies, zombies with sweet pants
Here the phrase, "Can I ask you a question? I keep seeing all these zombies..." about two dozen times
Get picture taken twice by people who asked, a billion other times by people who didn't
See someone whip out a video camera as you lurch past them in full zombie regalia
Scare the shit out of small children, especially that one little girl who looked like she was going to cry
Realize that your feet hurt, because you've been walking/lurking for several hours
Hear the phrase, "Why are you doing this?" over and over again
Have one person ask you, "Do you dress like that every day?" Do not punch this person.
Cut bottoms of Otaku's pants off with a key and a pen; this takes skillz
Have a total Rush-gasm over Rush carpet, Quebec license plate, Ontario Street, Rush Street
Find car; drive to Squeak's house
Take shower to wash fake blood off
Eat ice cream and drink orange pop while watching True Crime channel until midnight
Drive home
Sleep.

For more information about the Zombie March, as well as other zombie-related activities in Chicago [there are far more that you'd think there would be], visit Chicago Zombie.

Next year, Spock and I plan to go as zombie Vulcans, complete with green blood. Don't take our idea, or I'll eat your brains.
~Sushi

Rush Are Coming

2010-06-04T00:59:00.001-05:00

My favorite band of all time is Rush. I have been a big fan of other bands, like The Beatles, AC/DC, Mindless Self Indulgence, and even that awful period when I used to listen to Nickelback. But, after being introduced to Rush in high school, I have stuck by them like foot odor in Geddy Lee's Converse. Oh, and I have a huge crush on Geddy Lee, and I'm not afraid to say it. If I ever met him, I could die peacefully, knowing that I would never be as happy as I was in that moment. Wow, that's a tad creepy. Anyway... Rush is currently on tour, and while Spock and I most likely won't make it to their concert in our area, which is in early July, we will be going to the one-night-only Rush documentary that hits theaters on June 10th. Yes, it's next week, and we are just... freaking OUT right now. Also, on June 1st, Rush released two songs, Caravan and BU2U, from their upcoming album, Clockwork Angels. Spock's dad gave him an iTunes card for Christmas, which was regifted to me, since I am a total iTunes whore, so I put two and two together and bought the songs. They are awesome. You will listen to them.
In the spirit, not of radio, but of my recent obsession with Cracked.com, I ran a search for articles about Rush. While most of the articles I found are quite negative, I'll still share them, as it is every Rush fan's duty to learn that nearly everybody either hates or has never heard of Rush. Sometimes both.

8 Cracked.com Articles on the Canadian Supertrio
1. Cracked Topics: Rush
2. Cracked Topics: The Most Overrated Rock Bands: I'll just say I don't agree, and try not to choke anyone sitting by me
3. Cracked Topics: The Best Rock Drummers: ummm.... that's not nice, either
4. Cracked Topics: Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Neil Peart, briefly
5. Cracked Topics: Progressive Rock
6. Cracked Topics: Alvin & The Chipmunks: I bet you weren't expecting that; nor was I
7. Cracked Topics: Drums
8. Cracked Topics: Musical Instruments

Just as an aside, I wonder how many Rush fans absolutely despise Rush Limbaugh. That fat bastard makes it almost impossible to run a search on Rush. He's freakin' everywhere! Oh, well. When Limbaugh is dead and forgotten, we will always have the dulcet tones of Lee, Lifeson, and Peart. Amen, Rushians.
~Sushi
P.S. Also, the Rush Hour movies... Very annoying when looking for band news of a maple-y nature.

Hyrumisms

2010-06-03T00:22:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite teachers from KCC, Dr. Hyrum LaTurner--yes, I had an actual doctor [of philosophy] for a teacher--is leaving my alma mater to teach in Utah. Even though I'm friends with him on Facebook, and even though I don't go to KCC anymore, having graduated a few weeks ago, I still feel like something will be missing once he is gone. And so, to immortalize Hyrum on the internet in a way I'm sure he won't exactly appreciate, I dug up my notes from the class I took with him my first semester at KCC. You see, Hyrum is absolutely, and unintentionally, hilarious. I wrote down some of the funniest things he said, and I had planned to publish them at some point. This is that point.
Without further ado, I present, in no particular order:
Hyrumisms
9/2/2008
"And it made me want to vomit... It just rubbed me weird!"--on the textbook/curriculum

8/26/2008
"Do dogs have math?"

9/2/2008
"Is it going to be easy to involve people in an activity that'll suck for them but'll be absolutely great for your mother?"

9/22/2008
"...wild 'n' crazy crap..."--on Thrasymachus, from Plato's Republic

9/22/2008
"...locked in the closet, thrown dog food... Hey, this is my autobiography! My parents did that to me!"--on making humans less human

9/22/2008
"People they call righteous get away will all kinds of crap."

9/22/2008
"Happy is its own kind of thing, isn't it?"

9/22/2008
"Neither that either!"

9/22/2008
"I take some of the names that you call me and I turn around and tell them to my grandkids, and they think it's hilarious."--on how old geezers can play pranks, too

9/22/2008
"We can't let our evil guy ever slip up because then he'd just be an idiot. This guy is just really good at being evil."--on justice vs. evil

9/30/2008
"Maybe I'll find a really good gruesome picture to leave it on."-on watching awfully depressing movies on Youtube

9/30/2008
"If you starve to death, you can have as much hope as you want; you're still dead."--on hope

9/30/2008
"There is a kind of positive spin on suffering."

9/30/2008
"Right! You're uniquely alone in the world!"--on being an individual

10/7/2008
"Lots of money equals lots of rules."

10/7/2008
"They're a perfect storm of wisdom."--on true guardians, from Plato's Republic

10/7/2008
"Even if you're schizophrenic, there's still just one of you."--on the soul

10/7/2008
"Wow, check that out! There's body parts all over the highway!"--on not wanting to look

9/9/2008
"You boyfriend hasn't been coming to my class!"

"Well, my boyfriend also dumped me..."

"Huh. Well, whenever he comes back, I'll give him an 'F'."--on my failed relationship

9/9/2008
"What in the heck is so important about this crap?"--on Plato's Republic

9/9/2008
"You know... they don't have Viagra in the 4th century B.C."

9/9/2008
"You should turn the other cheek because you... preserve your cheeks."--on morality

9/9/2008
"You freakin' idiot! You ruined my horse and turned it into a dog!"--on proper training

10/28/2008
"If you're a cobbler and somebody's robbing old ladies, you can't just be like, 'I'm a cobbler! All I do is make shoes!'"--on justice

10/28/2008
"I can hit you with a hammer just as well as anyone, but it won't get rid of the tumor."--on useless philosophers

10/28/2008
"When you see the truth, people will think there's something wrong with you."

11/4/2008
"'Wow, he's hot.' And the other one would be like, 'No, he's not...'."--on beauty

11/4/2008
"If I and you had a different meaning of the word beauty..."

11/4/2008
"Oh gross, it's so beautiful!"

11/4/2008
"Somebody might say that's beautiful and you say 7.5. That's just double-pretty. That's not beautiful."

11/4/2008
"That happens all the time with dumb masses!"--[say it quickly; I dare you.]

11/4/2008
"To say something is to imply its is-ness."--defining "is"

This one just about sums it up:
11/4/2008
"You know, I know that I'm weird... in lots of ways..."
We know, Hyrum. We know.
~Sushi

It Is Hard to Fill a Cup That is Already Full

2010-05-30T00:51:00.000-05:00

It was a dull day until about three hours ago, when we popped in the newly-released DVD of Avatar. Despite all the bad press I had read about it, I absolutely adored the film. The effects are stunning, the all-star cast was believable, and, most importantly, the transition between Pandora and our bases there were seamless. I especially like that Zoe Saldana was involved; I enjoy her increased presence in Hollywood since Star Trek came out. I think one of the only things that bothers me is that the movie rips off the plotlines of so many films that came before, among them Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, Pocahontas, and Braveheart. I can't complain too much, though; after all, Hollywood hasn't come up with an original idea in years. Another issue is the improbability of the creatures that live on Pandora> Why does everything except the Na'vi have six legs and four eyes, or two sets of wings and multiple breathing holes? The only added appendage the Na'va have is a tail, and an interface cable that looks like a braid with a squid coming out of it. And I'm not the only person who wonders about the inexplicable nature of Pandora's fauna. But enough about complaints. What I want to do with this blog is round up some of the best resources the internet has to offer in terms of learning more about the movie Avatar and the Na'vi, who are the humanoid beings who reside on Pandora, which basically looks like Jupiter Photoshopped blue. So, I give you:
15 Incredible Avatar Links
1. Official Website
2. Avatar Wiki
3. Na'vi Translator
4. Official Facebook Page
5. Avatar Forum
6. Wikipedia article
7. Encyclopedia Dramatica article: contains a LOT of foul language
8. Rotten Tomatoes review
9. Hate By Numbers review
10. Unhealthy side-effects of watching Avatar
11. Create a Na'vi Avatar Maker
12. Cracked.com's hilarious overview of Avatar: more loads of swearing
13. Avatar fansite
14. Avatarize Yourself
15. Jake Sully's Facebook profile

I hope you have fun with all the links. Until next time, Oel ngati kameie.
~Sushi

The Voyage Home

2010-05-24T08:47:00.000-05:00

NOTE: Latecomers will note that the Spock mentioned in this post is the author's boyfriend, not the Roddenberry creation portrayed by Nimoy, Quinto, and others. This is not fan-fiction. I just wanted to avoid confusion, considering the title of the post.

I'm about to head out, so this will be a relatively short post, at least compared to some of my previous masterpieces. There is only one sentence that can sum up all the insane thoughts buzzing in my head: Spock is gone. Yesterday, Moose [Spock's mom] got the brilliant idea of moving all the furniture, clothing, and what-have-you out of his room and into their new house. In one day. Without telling him that he would be sleeping under a new roof that night. We knew that the day was fast approaching, but I still didn't think that it would come so soon. Needless to say, I cried quite a bit throughout the day. I'd like to think I did a good job of hiding it, though. Today, I'm going up to the house to help organize all the furniture that was haphazardly landed in Spock's room. We got his bed put together, but then it was time for me to leave; his grandma was my ride home, and she was ready to go. Hopefully, if I just keep working, I won't have to think about the fact that when I leave the house, Spock won't be coming with me.
May all your drawers be organized,
~Sushi

Ethnic Hair Dye and Booty Dancing Seven Year Olds

2010-05-20T22:21:00.000-05:00

Most people in my small group of friends know me as a person who is always willing to try something new. I'm also one of the few of my friends who goes out of her way to have some of the weirdest hair colors possible. I've had Challenger Orange, violet, and burgundy, yellow, among other colors. But, I wanted to try something a bit daring even for me: red. Not like Orphan Annie red--firetruck red. I'm kind of broke right now, so before going to a salon, or even Trend Setters, which is the cosmetology school in my area, I hit Wal-Mart. And, believe it or not, I found what I was looking for; what surprised me was the aisle I found it in. After giving up on the hair dye aisle--nothing was bright enough--I walked back to the pharmacy, and there was this glorious box of hair dye--> ! It was the perfect color! And the woman on the box is a total babe, too! I don't know about you, but I call that an epic win. Why wasn't she in the hair dye aisle, with all the other, not-as-red colors? Well, she's black. And the hair dye is Creme of Nature, a company that makes products specifically for black people. See, I'm not just writing this blog to tell you about my awesome dye job--though it is awesome, and I will put up pictures eventually. For the most part, I'm writing this because I don't think hair dyes should be segregated. Nor should books, for that matter. And yet, the library I used to work for separated all the Spanish-language books into one small, dark corner of the building, fiction and non-fiction, juvenile and adult. Maybe it makes lives of stockers and pages a little easier, but it has to feel the slightest bit embarrassing to be told that the book, hair dye, food, et cetera that you're looking for is in another aisle, simply because of the ethnicity of the product. Yes, there are entire salons devoted to the treatment of African-American hair. I used to pass one such salon every day after school. But as I stop to think about it, that store may have been opened because every other salon in the area caters to white people. I'm fairly sure that I could count on one hand the number of white hair techs in my area who can do a proper weave. [I apologize if I'm wrong, but from what I've experienced, it's very likely.]
Before I go off on a racially-charged, crazy-insane tirade, I'm going to move on to the other topic that I would like to tell you about: the booty dancing seven year olds. It's been brought to my attention [by Severe, who thought it would be a good blog entry] that a group of six to eight year old girls dancing to Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" has been pasted all over the internet and the news as of late. These aren't just little kids dressing up and playing around; they are trained dancers, working it in ways no small child should. Being not-quite-straight and all, I feel like a pedophile just for watching this! Here's some of the news coverage I mentioned earlier:

CBS News
CNN News
ABC News
FOX News

And, from the World of Dance site comes this group shot of the girls; seeing their young, tiny faces really drives the point home for me.
I hate to show my age, but I'm three times as old as the little girls [who happen to be the same age as my sisters], and I would never dance or dress like that, especially in front of a live television audience. And this is coming from someone who regularly dresses in ridiculous costumes at midnight movies and anime conventions. I'd like your opinions on the matter.
~Sushi
P.S. Personally, I blame The Chimpmunks...

Pomp and Circumstance

2010-05-16T00:17:00.000-05:00

It doesn't seem like it's been enough time since I graduated high school in 2008. Has it already been two years? There are days when I can't even remember high school, and others when it feels like I was just there. Today, I can clearly remember standing in the kitchen, ironing the hideous green gown I wore then, and I can recall sitting at my kitchen table decorating my mortarboard with foam cut-outs of the colleges and universities I thought I would attend [I made it to one out of the three]. But now, I've traded my green cap and gown for black, my green and gold tassel for blue and red, and my high school diploma for an associate's degree in psychology. Some things stayed the same, though. For instance, I didn't actually receive my degree today--the school will mail it after they do a degree audit. Instead, I crossed the stage and was handed a snazzy folder with a letter inside:

Dear graduate:
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, faculty and staff, I congratulate you on your accomplishments as a graduate of Kankakee Community College.
We trust your experiences at KCC have prepared you for your next steps in life. More importantly, we wish you to always look at KCC as part of your life-long learning experiences and intellectual growth.
It was our pleasure to serve you through our programs and services. This letter will serve as your provisional diploma. Upon final verification of your completion of degree requirements, your diploma will be mailed to you.
As you go on to new and greater challenges, let me wish you success in realizing your highest potential and accomplishing your goals. I sincerely hope that your efforts also bring you happiness, prosperity, and a sense of fulfillment. KCC is proud to include you in our growing family of alumni.
From the entire KCC family, we wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
[signature]
John Avendano, Ph.D.
President

When I was in high school, the same thing happened, minus the provisional replacement on official school letterhead. In fact, I don't remember why the diplomas weren't in the folders, since they had our names on them and everything. No matter, though. I had an enjoyable day. Another interesting parallel was that Ted Petersen, the athletic director at KCC and an EIU alumnus, was our keynote speaker; when I was a freshman, he came to my high school to give a speech. After snapping a million and a half pictures, Spock and I went back to his house and watched Star Trek. We got through four episodes, all third season:
1. All Our Yesterdays
2. Turnabout Intruder
3. The Cloud Minders
4. The Savage Curtain
And I'm well-aware that they aren't in order; I put them in which they were watched.
College has brought a lot of interesting changes for me. I've got five more piercings than I used to. I have dated five people since I started, and found, I hope, the person I will stay with. I've changed my major, and gotten far more experience in the field than I ever thought I would. I've met new people, and made friendships that I will keep for a lifetime. I've gone to midnight shows, anime conventions, pride parades, and not a whole hell of a lot of parties. [There really isn't much partying in community college; either that, or I didn't hang out with the partying crowd.] I discovered my sexual preference, and flaunted it like a tad too much at times; my parents didn't appreciate that. Most importantly, I developed a sense of who I am and where I am going in life. I'll take all these experiences with me, and move on to the next part of the journey. IN THREE MONTHS!
I'm super-tired after all this, though, so I'd just like to close by saying congrats to the entire Class of 2010, no matter what school, or even what level of education, you are in. We all did well.
~Sushi, A.A.

Episode II: The Attack of the Meme

2010-05-14T23:06:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, I will go on and on about my graduation, but tonight, as promise, I will continue with the Aruebesh image meme.
Cherek - CH

^{Now that's the way to start an image meme! With kitties!!!}
Enth - Æ

Onith - EO

^{Well, what do you know... A Star Wars action figure, in a Star Wars-based image meme.}
Krenth - KH

Nen - NG

Orenth - OO

^{Click it! It's a DEVIANT!}
Shen - SH

^{That's nasty.}
Thesh - TH

Looks like I spelled my name wrong the last time around!
~

Man's Corruption of Nature

2010-05-09T23:04:00.002-05:00

I'm very sleepy from being outside all day, so this is going to be a short entry. Being that it's Mother's Day, Mama Bear got to pick what we did today. So, we packed up the family and headed out to Starved Rock State Park, in Ottowa, IL. We used to go there when I was younger, and I always enjoyed being surrounded by the natural beauty of the park. Needless to say, it's not the same anymore. In an attempt, I assume, to prevent lawsuits, the dirt paths have been covered with boardwalks, most with railings. There are stairs leading up the hills, rather than dirt trails. The cliffs overlooking the Illinois River have been fenced off, and there are signs posted that inform the hikers that leaving the marked paths is illegal. Not unsafe--illegal. However, their website doesn't entail what the punishment for such a grave offense would be. Maybe the offender is hauled off by the Forest Police, or forced to make cheap crafts to sell at exorbitant prices at the state park's numerous gift shops. It's fair to assume that I was not pleased with the trip, though I did take some good pictures. I'm putting them on Photobucket, as it seems I have almost used up my space limit for the month on Flickr. How sad.
Enjoy the pictures, and if you want to go on a real, come out to Kankakee River State Park. It hasn't been sterilized yet.
~Sushi

A Meme from a Galaxy Far, Far Away

2010-05-06T00:16:00.001-05:00

Lately, I've been on the Star Wars kick from hell. I've drown myself in games, movies, novels, and websites all about that galaxy from a long time ago. Combine that with the fact that I haven't done very many lists as of late, and the fact that I love image memes, and you will get today's Force-tastic list. The same rules apply as the first alphabet meme that I did; the first result is taken, no matter what. And I'm a firm non-believer in Safe Search.
The Aurebesh Image Meme
- Aurek

- Besh

- Cresh

Dorn

- Esk

- Forn

- Grek

- Herf

- Isk

- Jenth

- Krill

- Leth

_{Wow, this is double-nerdy: That's a Klingon weapon.}
- Mern

- Nern

- Osk

- Peth

- Qek

- Resh

- Senth

- Trill

- Usk

- Vev

- Wesk

- Xesh

- Yirt

- Zerek

Oh, but there's more...
This meme will be continued next time in Episode II: Aurebesh Letters that have No Technical English Equivalent. Or something like that.
~

Getting Our Kicks

2010-05-04T00:12:00.001-05:00

This weekend was just chock-full of entertainment. As I said in my last post, Spock, Severe, and I went to Rocky Horror, and yesterday, my family took a road trip down Route 66 for the Red Carpet Corridor Festival. I took a ton of photos, and had a fun time. I will be giving a run-down on what we did at each town along the way.

Towanda, IL
There was a flea market to wander--always a family favorite--but many of the items for sale were a bit beyond our price range. Also the band Cattle Bandits was playing in the pavilion, and they seemed to be pretty cool.
Lexington, IL
As it was held on an actual portion of the Mother Road, I liked this part of the festival the best. There was a children's area, which my parents and I appreciated, with bounce houses, face painting, and a very unique balloon artist. A pavilion on the Lexington portion of Route 66--which is used as a bike trail--was dedicated in honor of Ollie and Dorothy Myers, who, as far as I can tell, made generous donations toward the restoration of the Mother Road. There was even a song written for the occasion, and it goes something like this:

Route 66 Trail
1. We're on "66" Trail, We're on Ollie and Dorothy's Trail
Walk-ing, walk-ing, ev-'ry-bod-y walk-ing, As we go!
We're on "66" Trail, We're on Ollie and Dorothy's Trail
Walk-ing, walk-ing, ev-'ry-bod-y walk-ing, As we go!
2. Jogg-ing, jogg-ing etc...
3. Cyc-ling, cyc-ling etc...
4. Skat-ing, skat-ing etc...
5. We're on "66" Trail, We're on Ollie and Dorothy's Trail
Sing-ing, sing-ing, ev-'ry-bod-y sing-ing, As we go!
We're on "66" Trail, We're on Ollie and Dorothy's Trail
Sing-ing, sing-ing, ev-'ry-bod-y sing-ing, As we go!

We also came across a booth for Mother Road Music, and we met Jess M^cEntire, a performer and president of Project Route 66, which aims to promote Route 66 through music. We bought a CD, which he signed, and a t-shirt; all the proceeds go toward the project, which will help to restore the Mother Road.
Chenoa, IL
There was absolutely nothing going on in this town. How sad.
Pontiac, IL
What can I say... Pontiac is where it's at for Route 66. They have an amazing museum, which is also coupled with the Livingston County War Museum; both of these are housed in an old fire house in the center of town. The entire town is painted with gorgeous murals done by artists from around the globe, and those artists are celebrated in the newly opened Walldog Museum, which was dedicated during the festival. One of my favorite sights was all of the little cars that could be found at several of the street corners; they remind me of the cows in Chicago. On display at the Route 66 museum were several pictures by Michael Campanelli, a photographer who traveled the whole of the Mother Road in order to allow people to experience it from anywhere they want; he has put his shots together in a book called Route 66: A Photo Journal. On the way out, we grabbed some baked goods from a sale donating their profits to Relay for Life.
Odell, IL
There wasn't a whole lot going on here, apart from a small gathering at a beautiful Standard Oil gas station. We took a quick peek inside, admired the old tools--some of which Severe owns and uses on a regular basis--and headed toward our next destination.
Dwight, IL
We followed a bunch of old Fords into town, but the festivities had already shut down for the day. However, we did come across the Route 66 Java Stop, which unfortunately has closed down. The building is interesting because it is actually made of two train cars stacked one on top of the other.
Gardner, IL
No big festival here, either, but there is a very cool two-celled jail that Mama Bear snapped a few pictures of.
Braceville & Godley, IL
Nothing to see here.
Wilmington, IL
Also no festival here, but there is a Muffler Man. Those are always cool.
Braidwood, IL
We stopped to eat at the Polk-A-Dot, a 50s-style diner with un-50s-style prices. The consolation is that the money goes toward keeping the building, and the spirit of Route 66, alive and well in our community.
Elwood, IL
There was so much "not going on" here, the town didn't even make it into the pamphlet of things to do. Why is it on the site? However, if you find yourself in Elwood, visit the children's garden; I loved going there as a kid.
Joliet, IL
By the time we got to Joliet [pronounced "Joe-lee-ETTE" unless you want to be fined], the festivals were all done. I did take some pretty cool pictures of the race track, though.
I hope you've enjoyed reliving my trip as much I have. I'm very excited to go on the Red Carpet Corridor tour again next year.
~Sushi

What Diabolical Chicken Stepped on Your Face and Stole Your Neck?!

2010-05-02T03:30:00.001-05:00

There is confetti in my bra, white make-up in my hair, and a smile on my face. Spock, Severe, and I have just gotten home from a Rocky Horror Picture Show midnight showing. For the first time since I started going to shows, I full-on dressed up. Don't panic, you will get to see. Spock had never been to--or even seen--Rocky Horror, and my dad hadn't gone since before I was born. So, it was a lot of fun for all of us, what with the flying rolls of toilet paper, party hats, and squirt guns. We did the Time Warp as best we could, because, well, we were in a theater, and there isn't a whole lot of room to wave your arms about, or pelvic thrust, or anything, really. Faythe was there, and she and I heckled the entire time, trading loud, obnoxious comments back and forth. It was much different than Repo!, where everyone except for the four people that have been there before are afraid to say anything.
Today's list helps to promote my fellow Deviants, and their endeavors in Rocky Horror-based fan art. Click on the pictures to see larger versions on the DeviantART website.
Thirteen Sweet Rocky Horror Pictures
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. : You really need to view this full-size to take in all the little details
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
And a poem!
Quake in fear, you tiny fools!
~Sushi

Holy Swearing Cuss!

2010-04-30T23:09:00.000-05:00

Many movies have their own vernacular. It's a way to set apart the world of that particular film from the plane of existence that the viewers inhabit. The movie adaptation of Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox is no different, but the jargon of that particular movie might not sit well with some parents. The film is rated PG, interestingly enough, for "slang," a reasoning that I had never seen before, but makes perfect sense once you watch the film. There is absolutely no swearing, but "cuss"-ing abounds. In the world of Mr. Fox, there is one universal swear word, and that is the word "cuss." For example:

Badger: The cuss you are.
Mr. Fox: The cuss am I? Are you cussing with me?
Badger: No, you cussing with me?
Mr. Fox: Don't cussing point at me!
Badger: If you're gonna cuss with somebody, you're not gonna cuss with me, you little cuss!
Mr. Fox: You're not gonna cuss with me!

And also:

Ash: I'm not gonna eat mud!
Beaver's Son: Cuss yeah you are.

I don't know about you, but if I was a small, impressionable child, I would think that this is the best loophole ever for getting out of punishments for swearing. In our world, cuss is a verb, not a noun; it describes the action of saying a foul word, rather then being the ultimate embodiment of one. While it may not be best for children to start "cuss"-ing, I think it would be great for adults. Imagine how much cleaner shows like Jerry Springer would be if the many wild and colorfully-tongued guests "cuss"-ed instead of swearing up a storm. I could watch the show without my ears ringing for an hour afterward from all the mandatory censorship that must take place at present. Personally, I am completely against censorship. But, discretion and censorship are not the same. I think that the way swearing is handled in Fantastic Mr. Fox is honorable, and the movie practically deserves a G rating for being more sensible in the language department than most movies I have seen over the past decade. After all, Snow White is rated G, and a woman is thrown off a cliff at the end. Think about that.
~Sushi

The Things We Do For Pizza

2010-04-28T11:16:00.000-05:00

For reasons unknown to me, Spock's dad, as well as various other members of his family, love Monical's Pizza, a restaurant chain located in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the closest Monical's to them is about twenty minutes away from Spock and I, and an hour and a half away from them. So, every couple months, they come down to our Monical's and Spock and I have dinner with them. I'm not the biggest fan of Monical's [to me, the pizza is mediocre at best], but I like to go because Spock's family is fun. Not just fun, either; I might be mistaken, but I think they actually look forward to seeing me. I'm used to the families of the people I have dated to either be indifferent toward me or, in more recent cases, outright hate me. So being accepted by his family is really important--and somewhat shocking--to me. The brood came down last night for pizza, and I was actually engaged in conversation, rather than sitting around feeling like a fifth--or in this case, ninth--wheel. Spock's dad asked me about school, and his stepmom asked about my career goals. And we even joked with each other. I know this probably seems weird to most people reading it, but I'm not used to being anything more than tolerated. I couldn't tell you why that happens, or what aura of indifference I give out for other people to pick up on me. But I must be doing something right this time, or maybe Spock's family is just that much better than the other families of the other former lovers. Either way, I'm happy.
~Sushi

Are You Sure You're a Girl?

2010-04-26T11:37:00.001-05:00

Today, I got a message from EIU telling me that I was missing necessary components in order to be eligible for financial aid. I assumed it was my missing high school transcript, which seems to be mussing up a great many things, even though I sent it with the rest of my application. [Note to self: visit high school to send transcript again] But, you know what assuming does. In an e-mail addressed to Ms. [insert my actual name here], I was instructed to check my requirement messages. This is what I got [emphasis added]:

Requirement Message
Request for Selective Service compliance card Please send to this office a photocopy of your Selective Service Registration Compliance Card. If you do not have a card, please call 847-688-6888 to obtain official acknowldegement of your Selective Service Registration. If you are a female, please provide this office with a signed statement indicating this. If you have not registered, you may register on line at https://www.sss.gov/regist%20information.htm. Please remember to provide us with proof after you register.

In short, I have to prove to the school that I am a girl, when someone over there apparently knows I am, as indicated by the e-mail they sent me. Maybe it's an overreaction on my part to be absolutely livid about this, but I am. Being a smartass, I even followed their link to the Selective Service site, where I found out that I am not permitted to register. Spock, however, had forgotten to register, so I signed him up instead, so he doesn't get deported. [I know he won't, but I still find it amusing.] So, when I get home today, I'll type up a statement proving that I am, in fact a girl; if I'm feeling particularly jaunty, I will type it in an amusing font, on pink paper. I want your thoughts on this, though. I registered as a female, so why should I have to prove that it's what I am?
~Sushi

The Shiny New Facebook Page!

2010-04-25T15:41:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't want to come over to the dark side [i.e. Blogger], I have started a Facebook page with a feed for my posts. Also, If I ever come up with a contest again, it will be available on Facebook as well. I'm hoping this will generate a larger audience for the actual blog, and it will keep my Notes from being all clogged up, like it is at present. So, go 'Like' my page, please-y please.
That is all.
~Sushi

Please Please Love Me Do

2010-04-25T01:06:00.000-05:00

Going to a Rush concert is doubtful, but at least I got to see Beatles cover bands this year! Today was Beatles at the Barn, a fundraiser held at the in Hobart, Indiana. My sister Ladybug is obsessed with the Beatles, and going to the concert was part of her birthday present. The part I found interesting was that the bands playing were not dedicated Beatles cover bands; they are local bands who just happen to love the Beatles. The three bands that played--and I recommend you check all of them out, because they were phenomenal--are Chris & Lou, The Dan Holmes Group, and The Crawpuppies. I probably shouldn't pick favorites, but I will anyway: in my opinion, the Dan Holmes Group was the best. I definitely want to check out one of their shows. They gave all of the covers their own personal touch, but without deviating too far away from the spirit of the music. I think my whole family had a great time, and we're looking forward to going next year.
Today's list is going to be a bit tougher than most. I'm not very good at picking favorite songs, and this is especially true of Beatles music. So, rather than trying to pick a top ten or even twenty favorite Beatles tunes, I'm going to pick my favorite song from each member's solo career. Also, instead of the usual JohnPaulGeorgeRingo that everyone seems to go with, I've put them in order of my own personal preference.
My Favorite Beatles' Solo Songs
George Harrison: Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)
John Lennon: Love
Ringo Starr: Photograph
Paul M^cCartney: Say, Say, Say
Have a fab weekend!
~Sushi

What An Angry God We Serve

2010-04-23T12:14:00.000-05:00

I can't remember a time when I didn't know how to play Tetris. After all, I was born after 1985, when Tetris came out, so in my perspective, it has always been around. Tetris and I have always had a love-hate relationship. There are days when I'm absolutely wonderful at it, and others when I barely know a T-spin from a tetrimino. But, whether I love it or I hate it, I usually enjoy playing. I found a site called Tetris Friends through Facebook [no surprise there]; one day I wanted to play Tetris, and there was, naturally, an app available to me. I enjoy playing on the site rather than on Facebook, though. I being up against players world-wide, not just the few people I have on my friends list. Spock has joined me on Tetris Friends--I asked him to because they've just made a live multiplayer game, Arena Tetris. I should have known better. While I excel at single-player versions, he wipes me out in the multiplayer. I'll get over it soon enough, but for now, I'm still pretty sore over losing rank time and time again while playing with Spock. My favorite aspect of Tetris Friends is that it offers so much customization. You can pick your own tetriminos, ghost pieces, voices, and even backgrounds in Arena. The downside is that some of the cooler options are pay-only. I'm really getting tired of applications doing that, but no matter. Whether or not I'm any good at Tetris, though, I still encourage those of you who enjoy the game to sign up for Tetris Friends. And while you're at it, add me as a friend!
In Soviet Russia, lines make you!
~Sushi
P.S. The source of today's blog title is here!

E-I-E-I-U

2010-04-16T23:20:00.001-05:00

College visits are supposed to be productive, aren't they? When you drive 150 miles to go to a school that you are giving thousands of dollars to, they should give a little back. I think the reason that I'm upset is because I assumed--rightfully, as this was indicated on the numerous propaganda that I received from EIU--that I would be assigned an adviser today. That was the whole point of Debut Day: to meet with an adviser from your department in order to discuss the best course of action for the coming semester. Instead, I met up with the other six psych majors that showed up, and was told that we would be assigned official advisers next week. We were then ushered to a room with some laptops set up, and faculty advisers [who seemed to be either secretaries, students, or both] guided us through the magical process of logging onto the system [OOH!], changing our default password [AAH!], and registering for courses [AS IF I HAVEN'T BEEN DOING THAT FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS!]. I'm sorry, but I could have registered for my classes in the comfort of my own home. I could have done it at 2AM, in my underwear, eating Cheetos. I didn't get to see my future roomie, Freak, either. My phone died, so I couldn't call her. the only thing I took out of this visit was my Panther Card, which is my student ID/library card/debit card/magic wand, as far as the school is concerned. It has everything except GPS; I'm sure Mama Bear wishes it had that feature, too. Apart from that, though, the day was, as my law enforcement teacher says, a "warsh." After leaving campus, we went to Little Caesar's to get a pizza for lunch. There was a girl in the parking lot wrangling cups and lids and pizza, so I got out to help her. Turns out, she's an EIU student, and she has the same name as me. Funny how that works.
After that, we went to a bunch of thrift stores on the way home; it is our nature to be cheapskates. I found the proverbial motherload of anime VHS tapes at a Salvation Army near Champaign [my state has some of the oddest town names, but that's a subject for a different day]. Pretty much nothing I found was mainstream. The best part was that all of the tapes were $1.00, making me curious as to how much they're actually worth. I don't think I have any real gems, but you just never know with these sorts of things. I was surprised to see that many of them still have registration cards in them, indicating to me that they have never been watched. The only thing that disheartens me is that they're all dubs; there are no original-language versions that I could find. Nevertheless, my anime collection has increased exponentially.
Let's see how much my pile of anime [and Star Trek movies!] is worth:
1. Area 88: Act II-The Requirement of Wolves: $6.99 on eBay
2. Blue Seed: Volume 2: $8.21 on Amazon
3. Blue Seed: Volume 6: $4.99 on Amazon
4. Blue Seed: Betrayal: $23.70 on Amazon [whoa...]
5. Blue Seed: Fate & Destiny: $6.98 on Amazon
6. Blue Seed: Rebirth: $3.99 on Amazon
7. Blue Seed: When Gods Walk the Earth: $3.48 on Amazon
8. Cardcaptors: Tests of Courage: $32.66 on GoSale.com [squee!]
9. Elf Princess Rane: $14.95 on Amazon
10. Ellcia: Part 2 - Ghost Ship: $6.99 on Amazon
11. Ellcia: Part 4 - Ship of God: $29.95 on ex.org
12. My Youth in Arcadia [aka Arcadia of My Youth]: $18.50 on Amazon
13. Princess Mononoke [in horrible, horrible condition]: $2.90 [used-acceptable] on Amazon
14. Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Special Longer Version: $8.79 on eBay
15. Star Trek: Insurrection $2.48 on Amazon
TOTAL SPENT: $15.00
TOTAL WORTH: $175.56
Mind you, these are the lowest potential prices for the videos; therefore, this is the least I could expect to get if I tried to sell them.
PROFIT: $160.56
I'd have to say I won out on this. Time to get cracking on my new anime...
~Sushi

RE: An Open Letter to Stephen King

2010-04-13T23:44:00.000-05:00

As you may recall, I wrote a post a couple months ago concerning Stephen King. My dad and I are two of a legion of rabid fans who listen to audiobooks, and we found it bothersome that our favorite book, Christine, was not available in this format. Well, Mr. King has finally heard our plea, and is releasing a slew of audiobooks, including the one we have waited so long for, on May 1st of this year. I, for one, am absolutely thrilled, and I'd like to think that I played a small part in this by posting my letter. After all, everyone Googles their name from time to time. Who knows? Maybe my blog was one of the millions of hits that came up. Whether or not I had anything to do with it, I'm still excited. Here's the countdown!

Awww, mushrooms are so cute.
~Sushi

Stiffer, Greater, Quicker, Mightier

2010-04-12T20:26:00.002-05:00

For those who don't know, I have to tell you that I love techno. I think it comes with the territory of geekhood. One of the best techno songs I have ever heard is "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk. If you frequently frequent Youtube, you may have noticed that others share my sentiment, in some rather creative ways. Today, I'm going to share with you some of the more inventive ways my fellow Youtubers have of paying homage to this song.
Top Nine HBFS Videos
1. Daft Hands
2. Daft Bodies
3. Daft Bros
4. Daft Scrabble
5. Daft Cups
6. Daft Mouth
7. Daft NES
8. Daft Cards
9. Daft GIF
Honorable mention: Groovy Dancing Girl
I blame Spock for this one; all I did was listen to one innocent song, and it turned into hours on Youtube. He's good like that.
~Sushi

Night of the Jedi

2010-04-12T00:09:00.000-05:00

When I agreed to go with Spock to the dentist on Friday, I was prepared for the blood, and the pain that he would be in. What I wasn't prepared for was his Deathbreath-- a horrendous mixture of old blood, gauze fumes, medicine, and a wicked onslaught of halitosis. He has trouble smelling, so it doesn't bother him, but from the time he woke up from the anesthesia he has had the worst breath, and I can't kiss him because of it. The reason Spock was at the dentist was because he had to have all four of his wisdom teeth pulled; they were growing in sideways. The operation went well, but he was woozy for a while, and threw up blood at one point; that wasn't pretty.
So, I've spent most of my weekend at Spock's house, taking care of him. I made Jello and chocolate pudding for him on Saturday, and we decided to have a Star Wars marathon. We watched Episodes VI, I, and V on Saturday, and IV and III today; he doesn't own II, and I couldn't find it at the video store. We also watch the third X-Men, which neither of us had seen in a while. I don't think I ate a single healthy thing all weekend, apart from dinner on Saturday, which was somewhat nutritious. Today was mostly Jello, pudding, and candy. Sometimes, I just have no self-control.
My list today will be have two parts. I have found a list of Star Wars title translations, and I will pick the most interesting out of these for each of the six movies, noting what language they are. Then, I will pick a quote from each.

Episode I: Sinister Shades [Hungarian]
Qui-Gon Jinn: I can only protect you, I cannot fight a war for you.
Episode II: The Clones are Attacking [Czech]
Yoda: Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.
Episode III: Revenge of a Sith [Finnish]
Darth Sidious: His death was a necessary loss. Soon I will have a new apprentice, one far younger and more powerful.
Episode IV: Celestial Body Great War [Chinese]
Han Solo: Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.
Episode V: The Empire Punches Back [Norwegian]
Princess Leia: This bucket of bolts is never gonna get us past that blockade.
Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi Knights [German]
C-3PO: I do believe they think I am some kind of god.
Han Solo: Well, why don't you use your divine influence and get us out of this?
C-3PO: I beg your pardon General Solo, but that just wouldn't be proper.
Han Solo: Proper?
C-3PO: It's against my programming to impersonate a deity.
May the Force/Schwartz/forks be with you.
~Sushi

The Eyes Have It

2010-04-08T12:28:00.000-05:00

Eye appointments aren't usually as disappointing as this one was. I didn't even realize how sad I was until I found myself stuck in bed this morning, too depressed to move. The appointment was going well, with the usual tests. I looked at pretty colored dots with numbers to see if I'm colorblind--I'm not. I got the puff of air in my eyes to find out if I have glaucoma--I don't. My eyesight has even improved the tiniest little inkling--the left eye is -8.50 instead of -8.75 [either way, it really sucks]. I still have an astigmatism, but apparently all that means is that my eyes aren't globular; instead, they're egg-shaped. All that does is make my glasses more expensive. I asked about legal blindness, because I was really that concerned about it--and I wanted to see if I qualified for more scholarships. I'm not and I don't, which is probably good.
But then, I asked about laser eye surgery, because, as smoldering as I look in these coke-bottle glasses, I don't want to wear them forever. So, the doctor explained. For one thing, I can't get the surgery until I'm twenty-one, which I already knew. It has something to do with how eyes develop. But then, she dropped a bomb on me. I have to have a stable prescription in order to get laser eye surgery. That might seem bad, and it didn't phase me at the time. But then I thought about it, and realized that my prescription changes every freaking year. What this means is that I'm doomed to glasses [because I refuse to get contacts; I can't stick my fingers in my eyes] FOR ALL TIME.
This has been my utterly ruined day. I'm going to see Billy Elliot up in Chicago, so that might improve things. Until then, you're invited to my pity party.
~Sushi

Where Are They Now?: Jesus Christ Superstar

2010-04-04T00:39:00.000-05:00

My family doesn't have many traditions, but one of the few that we do have is to watch Jesus Christ Superstar at some point during Lent, usually on the night before Easter. We are bizarre, I know. This particular post is coming at you from a suggestion of Severe's; he was curious if anyone had ever done a "Where Are They Now?" kind of thing for the stars of the movie. Well, I love a good research project; I am such a nerd. So, despite the fact that I have been researching for a law enforcement paper on Neighborhood Watch, literally all day, I present to you:
Where Are They Now? - Jesus Christ Superstar
Ted Neeley
Jesus Christ
Born: 20 September 1943
Last role: Rip Tide: Larry Bloom (1985)
Current projects: Neeley is still touring in JCS. Some suspect that he believes he actually is our Lord and Savior.
Website: Neeley On the Road

Carl Anderson
Judas Iscariot
Born: 27 February 1945
Died: 23 February 2004
Last role: Mello's Kaleidoscope: Dr. Klip (2002)
Current projects: None. Anderson died of leukemia in 2004.
Website: Carl Anderson

Yvonne Elliman
Mary Magdalene
Born: 29 December 1959
Last role: The Passion- Films, Faith, & Fury: Herself (2006)
Current projects: Elliman occasionally reprises her role in JCS, but she is primarily focused on her own music.
Website: Yvonne Elliman

Barry Dennen
Pontius Pilate
Born: 22 February 1938
Last role: Dragon Age: Origins: Various voices (2009)
Current projects: At present, Dennen is keeping busy doing voiceover work for video games.
Website: Barry Dennen

Bob Bingham
Caiaphas
Born: 29 October 1946
Last role: The Nostril Picker: Unknown role (1993)
Current projects: Bingham seems to have fallen off the grid after his 1993 film, The Nostril Pickers. I shit you not.
Website: Wikipedia

Larry Marshall
Simon Zealotes
Born: 3 April 1944
Last role: Soul Food: Jeremiah Joseph (2000-2002)
Current projects: Marshall has played a few bit roles on television as of late, but nothing very major.
Website: Wikipedia

Josh Mostel
King Herod
Born: 21 December 1946
Last role: State of Play: Pete (2009)
Current projects: Mostel played a modest role in the Adam Sandler films Billy Madison and Big Daddy, and has also been on Law & Order, as well as a few other television shows.
Website: Wikipedia

Kurt Yaghjian
Annas
Born: Unknown
Last role: Hair: Ain't Got No (1979)
Current projects: To say there is little information about Yaghjian is an understatement. After the '70s, he just disappeared.
Website: Wikipedia

Paul Thomas (Philip Toubus)
Peter
Born: 17 April 1947
Last role: Imps*: Roger (2009)
Current projects: After JCS, it seems that Thomas became a porn star. The most interesting career move I've uncovered all night.
Website: Wikipedia

Andrew Lloyd Webber
Playwright
Born: 22 March 1948
Last role: Live From Studio 5: Himself (2009)
Current projects: Love Never Dies, the highly-anticipated sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, was released in October 2009. How I didn't hear about is a mystery to me, seeing as I'm an ALW fanatic.
Website: Andrew Lloyd Webber

Tim Rice
Composer
Born: 10 November 1944
Last project: Nutcracker and the Rat King: Songwriter (2010)
Current projects: Rice's songs have been far busier than he has; while they have been making the rounds on television shows both in English and Spanish, he hasn't done much significant writing as of late.
Website: Tim Rice

Happy Easter! Enjoy your colorful chicken embryos!
~Sushi

After All These Years

2010-04-03T01:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my parents' 20^th anniversary. Yes, they got married on April Fool's Day; I can't complain if you have a laugh about it because everyone does. In order to celebrate, I stayed up all night making a video for them, with a bunch of old pictures and the song "Still the One" by Orleans; it's one of their favorites. As usual, Youtube denied me the permission to put it up with the song, because of copyright issues. I'm so tired of that happening. So, I put it on Facebook instead; I apologize if the link doesn't work, even though it should be a public video. Youtube really has to get over themselves about copyright violations; no-one is making money off of the uploaded videos except them, anyway.
The Nationwide Equality Prom was today, so Spock and I, along with a few of our friends, dressed up in our high school-prom finest and went to school. I was very disappointed. Despite all the staring and outright jeering, almost no-one asked us what we were all about. It was fun, sure, but did it actually have a purpose? I doubt it.
Anyway... In honor of my parentss anniversary,and because we've been watching America's Funniest Home Videos a lot lately, I give you:
Twenty Hilarious Wedding Videos!
1. Wedding Mishaps Compilation
2. Wedding Fainter
3. Wedding Guest FAIL
4. Wedding Bloopers
5. Drunk Scottish Wedding Guest
6. How to Ruin a Wedding in 1:37
7. Idiot Ruins Brother's Wedding
8. Bride Cheats with the Best Man
9. Bride Gets Dress Caught on Fire
10. Cat Fight at Our Wedding
11. Maid of Honor Gets Knocked Out!
12. World's Shortest Wedding Toast
13. Bride Falls in Pool
14. Wedding Mistake
15. Worst Wedding Moments
16. Trying to Drink at Wedding Fail
17. How NOT to Make a Wedding Entrance
18. Wedding Disaster
19. Best Man Fail
20. Top 20 Stupid Things to Do at a Wedding
Congrats, Mom and Dad!
~Sushi

Something Tells Me I'm Into Something Good

2010-03-31T23:37:00.000-05:00

I'm very excited for Friday, for one reason in particular. Friday is the Nationwide Equality Prom, a first-time event in which people are encouraged to wear promwear and go about their daily activities. I want to be a part of this [and I encourage you to be, as well], so I went to a local thrift store to buy a prom dress, as my old ones won't fit; I seem to have put on the Freshman 15. In order to "test drive" my dress, Spock and I wandered around town a bit on the way to the post office. I didn't enjoy the stares, but I ran into a friend and explained what the dress was all about, so I felt better about it in the end. Friday is going to be so much fun!
Today is my sister's 9^th birthday. She absolutely loves the Beatles, and Sir Paul M^cCartney in particular, so in her honor I give you...
Nine Pictures of Sir Paul M^cCartney Making Various Faces

Happy birthday, Ladybug!
~Sushi

Dually U-Turns, Free Internet, and Machelor's Degrees: My First College Visit

2010-03-27T23:50:00.000-05:00

Maybe you hadn't noticed by the content of my posts, but my parents, as well as myself, are extraordinarily antisocial. Particularly Severe, my dad. So, when I asked the both of them to come with me to You Are EIU Day, which is the open house at my college of choice, I was shocked when both of them agreed. Honestly, I even think Severe had a better time than my mom. Freak, who is one of my oldest and closest friends, goes to EIU as a music major, and we've decided to dorm together. Severe has always gotten along with her, possibly because she's one of the few friends I have that isn't a troublemaker. So, after I went to a workshop with the other psych majors, who were all younger than me, the few of them that they are, we hung out with Freak. My parents went to a panel to learn how to be empty nesters, even thought they have two other children, and Freak and I wandered the campus, especially the very shiny fine arts building, Doudna. Here is a picture of some of its shininess:

We also went to the library, where I drooled an awful lot, and contemplated attempting work study. I'm still salivating just thinking of all those books...

We found my parents and had lunch, which was complimentary for us, as well as Freak, because Severe, a renowned kleptomaniac, swiped another meal ticket. I can't really feel too bad, because a lot of people didn't show up in the first place. Freak told us about the campus, and answered the half a million questions Mama Bear bombarded her with, and then she showed us McKinney Hall, which is where I will be dorming. Here's a picture [it's not as impressive as Doudna]:

After that, we showed my parents around Doudna until they got tired, and remembered that I still had homework to do. So, Mama Bear took a bazillion [her word, not mine] pictures of Freak and I in front of the campus, and in trees, and being dorks, and then we went home.
Once at home, I finished my homework and sent it in [ah, the wonders of modern technology]. Mama Bear ordered pizza, and I invited Spock to come over and watch Saw II, the only movie out of the series he hadn't seen, and my favorite one of the bunch. That needle pit is wicked. Here, have nightmares with me:

And now, since it's been a long time, it's time for a list!
I'm going to be doing an alphabet image meme, with a slight twist. Instead of the standard alphabet, I will be using the NATO phonetic alphabet; you know, the one used by police and the military! I'm betting the results will be quite different!
A: Alpha

B: Bravo

C: Charlie

D: Delta

E: Echo

F: Foxtrot

G: Golf

H: Hotel

I: India

J: Juliet

K: Kilo

L: Lima

M: Mike

N: November

O: Oscar

P: Papa

Q: Quebec

R: Romeo

S: Sierra

T: Tango

U: Uniform

V: Victor

W: Whiskey

X: X-Ray

Y: Yankee

Z: Zulu

I feel so patriotic...
~Sierra-Uniform-Sierra-Hotel-India

We Started this Op'ra Shit

2010-03-20T22:25:00.000-05:00

Early this morning, Spock, myself, and two of our friends went to yet another Repo! shadowcast. This one was special, though. In addition to the standard shenanigans of a midnight show-- yelling, swearing, singing, jumping up and down waving glowsticks-- we were also treated to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As you may know, the movie Repo Men came out yesterday; it's a movie so nauseating and unapologetic in its similarity to Repo! that RtGO fans chose to boycott it. The movie also caught the attention of Terrance Zdunich; he was really pissed. As faithful portrayers of Repo!, each shadowcasting troupe was sent a special DVD to show at the end of the movie. It was about seven minutes long, and showed the evolution of Repo, as well as cut scenes that were not available on the DVD. I felt special just for being there.
Despite mine and Spock's prediction that the footage would leak online, people seem to have heeded the DVD's menu and credits specifically asking not to distribute or duplicate its contents. I haven't found any of the footage yet. Could it be that some people still harbor common decency?
~Sushi

Mixed Nuts

2010-03-18T22:53:00.000-05:00

WARNING: EXTREME SARCASM THROUGHOUT ENTIRE POST. THOSE WITH WEAK CONSTITUTIONS CLICK HERE. THAT IS ALL.
Yesterday, I returned to the local mental health facility, this time for a fun-filled social psychology field trip. I didn't walk a mile this time, but I did climb seven flights of stairs, along with the rest of the class, in order to see the room at the top of the clock tower at the center of the campus. According to our thrilling tour guide, this may or may not be the highest point in the county, or town. He wasn't too sure. In fact, he was unsure about most things, and I don't know why he was our tour guide. For one thing, he actually believe that the mentally insane were never tortured at the facility, when the video that we were shown, about that very same facility, explained the brutal methods that were once used there, and the advancements that had come about in more recent times. He did know a few things, though.
1. There are about 600 residents at the facility.
2. There are 10 living units, which each house 50-75 people.
3. The oldest resident is 94, the youngest is 18 [that's the youngest that they will accept], and most residents are in their 30s and 40s.
4. The Department of Health Services [DHS] is divided into two sections: Developmental Disabilities [DD] and Mental Illnesses [MI].
5. Before electricity, surgeries were performed in the room in the clock tower, because it was the best source of light.
Other than that, we were mostly on our own. So, here are some fun psychological terms for you and I to learn about. Many of them are methods used to restrain mental patients. Whee!
1. Utica crib: a person at a former incarnation of this facility was kept in an Utica crib for 14 years!

2. Restraining chair

3. Calming chair: a restraining chair with a nice box for your head

4. Kissing chair: this has nothing to do with psychology, but there was one up in the clock tower, and I thought it was spiffy.

5. Dorothea Lynde Dix

6. Hydrotherapy

7. Electroconvulsive therapy [ECT]

8. Wet sheet packs

9. Psychosurgery: more commonly known as lobotomizing

10. Idiot, imbecile, & moron: legitimate terms for levels of mental retardation in the 18th century.

^{Without the blessed intervention of the 3 Stooges, psychologists might still be using these outdated terms}
Let's end on a positive note...
KIRBY DANCE! <(*.*<) ^(*.*)^ (>*.*)> ^(*.*)^ <(*.*)> KIRBY DANCE!
~Sushi

Boots on the Ground

2010-03-16T22:54:00.000-05:00

My Middle Eastern history class went to a discussion about this lovely war that our country is waging over in Iraq. A growing organization of veterans has formed in order to inform the American public about what actually goes on overseas. The Iraq Veterans Against the War, or IVAW, was established in July 2004, by seven soldiers. Today, there are over 60 IVAW chapters in 48 states, Washington D.C., Canada, and on various military bases in Iraq; this amounts to about 1700 soldiers protesting the war. These aren't just guys who watched the news and formed an opinion; they have been there, amidst the blood, and the death, the shoddy equipment and the dirty drinking water. The way our country the military is pathetic, and I'm glad that I live in a country where men have fought and died so that I have a right to speak my opinion.

"We hold the weapons. We pull the triggers. We have the power."
The group that came to speak to use consisted of four young men. They couldn't have been more than six or seven years older than me, which made their stories even more terrifying to hear. They told us about the "new equipment" given to military companies; in reality, the old trucks, guns, and even body armor are passed down and reused. Our soldiers are using the same equipment that was used by their grandfathers in 'Nam. Not the same design-- the same exact product, worn out and passed down despite the hazards involved.

"I'm not here for forgiveness. I'm here to take responsibility."
One of the speakers was in an Illinois National Guard company in inner-city Chicago; they were deployed to Iraq so that the rest of the companies could get newer equipment. He talked about the children who ran through the street, jumping onto trucks to try to get food and water. Those were the people he wanted to help. When he left Iraq, two years later, hungry children still ran through the streets begging for food.

"I think I died a little on the inside, I was so happy."
Another of the speakers, a fast-talking, humorous Marine, talked mostly about his experience in Iraq, as he was still fairly new to IVAW. He explained what a conscientious objector is, about his trouble with PTSD, and why he was forced to go AWOL twice in order to get paperwork to get to the right people.

"I did not sign up for this. This is not my mission."
The last man to speak is currently facing redeployment to Iraq; he will be shipped out in a matter of days. He has decided to go, in order to inform the men and women overseas of the injustices this war is supporting. He talked about how, when he enlisted, he was ready to fight, as he had been trained in combat, as is every soldier. Instead, he was expected to teach, a task he had no training for.

I strongly suggest visiting the IVAW website, in order to understand the many reasons why Iraq veterans are deadset against this war. Today's list will consist of some of the more interesting words, phrases, and people I heard about today:
1. Pundit
2. Insurgent
3. Conscientious Objector
4. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD]
5. My Lai Massacre
6. General MacArthur
7. Warrior Writers
8. Divestment Projects
9. Contractors
10. Military-Industrial Complex
11. Smedley Butler
12. War is a Racket
13. Quantico
14. Absent Without Leave [AWOL]
15. Department of Defense Qualifications for Service
Never did joining up look so bad.
~Sushi

Nobody's Hero / 100th Post!

2010-03-14T04:02:00.000-05:00

I have never done wiring in my life. And yet, Spock's mom, Moose, trusted me to wire the chandelier that she bought for her new house. I suppose, given that there were no directions to follow in the first place, I did a pretty bang-up job. It works, after all. And we only had to rewire it a few times. Moose's friend from work was helping us along, but he didn't know how to wire the thing either. So I wired it, we wired it into the main power, and... nothing happened. After taking it apart and checking connections, we tried again.. nothing. Then, the guy realizes he told me the wrong way to wire it. I took the entire thing apart, rewired EVERYTHING, and then, and only then, it worked. Oh, that glorious chandelier finally worked!
So, Spock and I went back to my house to watch my sisters, because my parents went out to meet a friend of Severe's and his wife for dinner. They couldn't have been gone more than five minutes when Severe called, and told me to jump in the car and meet them, in the dark, on the side of a road about a mile away. Mama Bear, valiantly trying to avoid killing a dog, still managed to clip the beast, and while the dog lived, her van didn't fare so well. There is a gaping hole in one side, and to top it off, she also got stuck in a ditch. We used my itty bitty Plymouth to pull a minivan out of a ditch. It was so epic.

I am happy to announce that this is my ONE HUNDREDTH POST! To celebrate, I will be doing a Top 10² List. It's going to be time-consuming, lengthy, and freakin' awesome!
Top 10-Squared!
1. Top ten Most Frequently Used Blog Tags
1. spock (43)
2. family (17)
3. school (13)
4. star trek (13)
5. movies (12)
6. top 13 (9)
7. contest (8)
8. weebeast (8)
9. death (7)
10. halloween (7)
2. Top Ten Nicknames of/for Former Boyfriends/Girlfriend
^{Not in chronological order}
1. Puff
2. Spock
3. Squishy
4. Beaver
5. Goofy
6. Stupid
7. Bunny Boy
8. Bear
9. Shadow [applies to two]
10. Shithead [applies to most, but not all]
3. Top Ten Bad Habits
1. Nail biting
2. Picking scabs
3. Facebook
4. Staying up too late
5. Correcting spelling mistakes in IMs
6. Picking fights
7. Swearing
8. Lurking on other people's Facebook pages, trying to remember if I know them, and looking through their friends to see if I missed friending them
9. Making e-mail accounts that I never check
10. Talking back
4. Top Ten Most Frequently Played Songs on My iTunes
1. Hope, Rush [44]
2. Sunday Morning, Maroon 5 [44]
3. Planet of the Apes, Mindless Self Indulgence [38]
4. Madrigal, Rush [32]
5. Valley Girl, Frank Zappa [31]
6. Wonderous Stories, Yes [29]
7. Superconductor, Rush [26]
8. On It, Mindless Self Indulgence [25]
9. Pick Up the Pieces, The Average White Band [25]
10. For Your Entertainment, Adam Lambert [23]
5. Ten 100x100 images
^{Using a random word generator for searches!}
1. Undesirable =
2. Behalf =
3. Contributor =
4. Brown =
5. Gig =
6. Troop =
7. Outset =
8. Logic =
9. Freeze =
10. Net =
6. Ten Musical Artists I Have Recently Latched Onto
^{Keep in mind I usually just listen to Rush and Yes}
1. Lady GaGa
2. Adam Lambert
3. Beyonce
4. P!nk
5. Marilyn Manson
6. Eurythmics
7. Korn
8. Katy Perry
9. No Doubt
10. Disturbed
7. Ten 100x100 Pictures of Random Body Parts
1. eye =
2. nose =
3. toe =
4. hand =
5. leg =
6. buttock =
7. joint =
8. thumb =
9. knee =
10. stomach =
8. Ten Fun Flash Games
1. Sushi Cat
2. Kitten Cannon
3. Red Remover
4. Seed
5. Mind the Blox
6. Woobies
7. Linyca
8. Columz
9. Combine
10. Bomboozle
9. Ten Videos of Large Men Dancing
1. Single Ladies, by Beyonce
2. Hips Don't Lie, Shakira
3. Headsprung, LL Cool J
4. The Fat Dance
5. Push It, Salt-N-Pepa
6. Various rap songs
7. My Humps, Black Eyed Peas
8. Yo, Chris Brown
9. My Milkshake, Kelis
10. Dragostea din Tei, O-Zone
10. Top Ten Ridiculous Apparel Items
1. Brossiere
2. Muu Muu
3. Crocs
4. Dog Sweater
5. Ugg Boots
6. Beer Hat
7. Stirrup pants
8. Pink cowboy boots
9. Shirts with fake pockets
10. Sweatpants
Here's to a hundred more!
~Sushi

Unusual Spares and Competitive Applicants

2010-03-11T23:03:00.000-06:00

Some jobs are quite easy to obtain. A job at a mental health facility doesn't fall into that category, however. In order to even be placed on their waiting list, I had to spend the day at my local facility, taking test after test:
1. the initial application
2. a written test
3. a physical agility test [not kidding]
4. a video test
5. a form-writing test
6. a personal interview
There was no moving on unless you passed each section. Despite its being at about an eighth-grade level, half the room was cleared after the written test. We didn't even have to do the math sections, only reading and basic English. I suppose I had an almost nauseating advantage there; my ACT scores for both reading and English were in the high 30s. My only real concern was the physical agility test; I might not be completely out of shape, but I'm no Olympian. In order to pass, we had to do the following:
1. Walk a mile [20 laps around the gym] in less than 17:42
2. Transfer a 70 lb. dummy patient from one table to another, without a struggle
3. Pull 145 lbs. from an upright position
4. Complete a shuttle run in less than 32 seconds
I had fifteen seconds left by the time I finished the mile; it's tougher than it seems. And, of course, I managed to fall during the shuttle run, and skin a hole in my knee. But, I did it in about 25 seconds. No sweat.
The video test and form test were no big deal, and the interview was almost completely about ethics. That's something I have no trouble with. If you see someone yelling at a patient or stealing staplers, you tell someone. You don't encourage it, or ask which supply cabinet is unlocked.
So, I passed the entire test, and have been placed on an applicant list for a year. If they call me, though, I could have issues. Their training program is run for four to six weeks, Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 4 pm. In order to do that, I'd have to quit school.
So, in spite of passing, there was actually no point in me going. Not too pleased about that.
In order to cheer me up, I am including a pictoral, though not necessarily representative, list of bowling terms. Spock and I went bowling on Tuesday, and I managed to break our lane. We think it was because I managed to hit what the computerized bowling coach called an 'unusual spare'. Too much awesome.
20 Hilarious Bowling Terms
^{with pictures!}
1. Baby Ball - a delicate release

2. Turkey - three strikes in a row

3. Snake Eyes - a 7-10 split

4. Logs - heavy pins used for practice

5. Bicycle - a pin hidden behind another pin

6. On the nose - hitting the headpin dead-on

7. Pie - a lane that is easy to score on

8. Mother-in-Law - the 7 pin

9. Honey - a good ball

10. Woolworth - the 5-10 split

11. Apple - a bowling ball

12. Puddle - a gutter ball

13. Umbrella Ball - a high hit on the nose resulting on a strike

14. Snow Plow - a ball that clears all the pins for a strike

15. Rat Club - a team shooting low scores

16. Lilly - the 5-7-10 split

17. Jam - forcing the ball high in the pocket

18. Graveyards - low-scoring lanes

19. Dodo - a ball out of legal weight or balance

20. Chicken Wings - a bowler's elbow leaving their body

Alley-oop!
~Sushi

We Will Fight in the Shade

2010-03-09T00:42:00.000-06:00

The first time Spock watched 300 was at a military base in Spain. The first time I watched it was in my living room, with Spock and Severe. Either way, and in either place, it was fucking amazing. There is no other way to describe it. There was so much blood, and so much yelling, and stabbing, and piercings, and pert naked breasts... so much of everything that is awesome in life. I know I'm behind in watching 300, seeing as it came out almost four years ago, but the hype was definitely true to the movie. Few hyped-up movies can live up to expectations, but this one has. And, so that you can enjoy it further, I present...
Top Ten 300 Spoofs and Parodies
^{...and my favorite line from each}
1. 300 - PG Version
^{This is delicious!}
2. 300 Trailer - Second Best Parody Ever
^{He's always kicking Persians}
3. This is Sparta! Last techno remix
^{I'm gonna die!!!!!}
4. The Latino Comedy Project's "300"
^{*Mexicans roaring*}
5. The Spartan 300 Workout Program
^{Learn how to kill walls with your bare hands.}
6. It's Raining 300 Men
^{It's raining men! *Persians fall off of cliff*}
7. Failed "300" Auditions
^{Yes, we are looking for big nipples.}
8. 300 Parody - Where's My Cat?
^{FIND MR. SCUFFLES!}
9. Sparta Remix - Chocolaaate!
^{This! Is! CHOCOLATE!}
10. 300 LEGO Trailer
^{We're in for one wild night..}
Even a god-king can bleed.
~Sushi

Weighing In

2010-03-06T22:16:00.000-06:00

I should be more excited than I am at present. I've done a lot of interesting things over the past few days. I saw the new Alice in Wonderland; it was a midnight show, and I dressed up as the Mad Hatter. Spock and I drove up to Lombard to go to a wake for his step-mom's grandfather; while that isn't exciting, it certainly is interesting. I met a lot of his family members there, and they gave me lots of hugs, and actually paid attention to me. Today, Spock and I, along with my mom and sisters, went to a birthday/retirement party for my papa. Spock met a lot of my relatives, who proceeded to ignored both he and I for the duration of the day. We came home and watched Seven Pounds, which, from what I can see, glorifies suicide as long as it's for a so-called noble cause. In my view--and I am allowed to have this view, considering that I've attempted suicide a number of times--is that suicide is never noble. Suicide is selfish. Impersonating an IRS agent is illegal, not virtuous. That movie didn't move me, it just pissed me off.
I did, however, like the idea of giving away pieces of oneself. That interests me. The part about giving them to random people, not so much.
Here are my seven pounds:
1. My kidneys, to Spock, who needs them more than I do.
2. My lungs, to Nonny, because all the smoking has destroyed hers.
3. My legs, to that boy in the wheelchair who always sits in the lobby at school, waiting for his ride; no-one ever talks to him...
4. My writing, all of it, to any publisher that will have it, so long as all the proceeds go towards mental health research.
5. My heart, to Severe, my dad, because he clearly needs a new one.
6. My hair, to the next person in my family/circle of friends who gets cancer and has to go through chemo.
7. My blood, to the Red Cross; maybe they'll figure out some way to actually get it out of my body and use it.
~Sushi

Now in Store Form...

2010-03-03T21:27:00.000-06:00

Thanks to my buddy, The Payne, I have decided to open a CafePress store for my blog, in order to raise money for college. I've already designed a t-shirt and a button for the store, but I want ideas. What sorts of stuff would you guys be willing to buy? What designs? Any input you have would be marvelous; I really don't want to take out student loans. So, comment freely, and I'll try to incorporate as many of your ideas as possible!
~Sushi

Different Ending, Same Reaction

2010-02-27T22:14:00.000-06:00

I don't remember the last time I read a book that made me cry. However, I often cry during movies. I think it's because of the added visual element; rather than merely reading about someone's pain, you see their faces twisted with grief or disgust, families ripped apart, people's brains blown out. Today, though, I finished a book that made me cry, and is still forcing tears to my eyes.
The first time I read My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult, I didn't even know what medical emancipation was. I was simply reading it for the book club I belonged to at the time. While it may have sparked some passion--though I don't know how much passion I could honestly muster up when I was fourteen--it was just another sob story in a long line of books to read and discuss. But, then the movie adaptation came out last year. I recalled reading the book, as did my mother, so we borrowed the DVD from the library. Now, there are films that have been described as tear-jerkers, or three-hanky movies; this movie came closer to ten hankies. Upon finishing the movie, I had this nagging in the back of my head that all was not well on-screen. A couple days ago, I picked My Sister's Keeper up from the library (yes, the same library; we really only go to one), and from the moment I started reading, I couldn't put it down. I finished it about five minutes ago, and the same tears I had throughout the movie are coming back to haunt me. All this, despite the book and movie having drastically different endings.
From what I read on her site, Jodi Picoult is none too happy with the way her story was adapted. Certainly the original ending was sad, but so is the ending of the movie. The only difference is that a different person dies. But that makes all the difference. I encourage you, my readership, to experience both the book and movie for yourselves. As far as the order is concerned, I tend to read the book first, but that's just because it's what I know best.
~Sushi
P.S. Thank you, Faythe, for giving me a bit of steam back.

No more u(h)pdates

2010-02-25T22:52:00.003-06:00

Hi, folks! I've decided to discontinue Mr. Kistler's Daily-ish U(h)pdate. I think he may have caught on, because he doesn't stutter through his lectures nearly as much as he used to. So, being that it's not fun for me anymore, I will not be posting his "uhs".
Oh, and I'm sorry I haven't been posting much lately. I've kind of lost my steam. Will post more upon recovery of said steam.
~Sushi

Well, there are advantages to being me...

2010-02-21T00:48:00.000-06:00

Many of my family members have my e-mail address. Therefore, I get many, many forwards. I decided to have some fun with a few of the traditional fill-in-the-blank forwards that I'm sure all of you have received yourselves, many a time.
I'm going to treat them as Google Image Memes, because I have a certain affinity for random images.
The same rule as always applies: the picture must be taken from the first page of results

Forward #1
If you've opened it, you have to do it (it only takes a couple of minutes I promise!) Then send it back to the person who sent it to you and the Rest of your friends.

Six names you may be known as:

_{I wasn't expecting to find anything for this. My mom calls me Cookalicious, by the way.}

Three things you are wearing right now:

Three things you want very badly at the moment:

Four people who will send this back:
_{Supposing that was an option}

Two things you did last night

Two things you ate last night

Four people you talked to on the phone yesterday

Two things you are going to do tomorrow:

Four of your favourite beverages:

Forward #2
I want to see your answers!

1. What is your occupation right now?

2. What color are your socks right now?

3. What are you listening to right now?

4. What was the last thing that you ate?

5. Can you drive a stick shift?

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone?

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you?

8. How old are you today?

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?

10. What is your favorite drink?

11. Have you ever dyed your hair?

12. Favorite food?

14. Favorite day of the year?

15. How do you vent anger?

16. What was your favorite toy as a child?

17. What is your favorite season?

18. Cherries or Blueberries?

19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back?

20. Who is the most likely to respond?

21. Who is least likely to respond?

22. Living arrangements?

23. When was the last time you cried?

24. What is on the floor of your closet?

25. Who are the friends you have had the longest that you are sending this to?

26. What did you do last night ?

27. What are you most afraid of?

29. Favorite dog breed?

30. Favorite day of the week?

31. How many states have you lived in?

32. Diamonds or pearls?

33. What is your favorite flower?

If you have any other fun fill-in-the-blank forwards that I might enjoy,

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I don't own enough black for this...

2010-02-16T09:12:00.000-06:00

In an ironic twist of fate, everyone around me is dying. It started with my sister's friend in January, followed by my friend Squishy's sister, who died in a snowboarding accident, and my un-sister Mistake's grandmother. And now, my uncle, and my dad's baby brother, is gone. I find it ironic because last summer, I tried to kill myself. Obviously, I survived, because I'm writing this. I'm not particularly happy about being alive at this point, though. I was just a funeral two weeks ago, and had my uncle not died so very suddenly, I would be going to one tomorrow. But, as my dad is the most responsible of the five remaining siblings in his family, it is up to my family to arrange, and pay for, cremation and other various expenses that will most certainly crop up. So far, this year has not turned out well.
I think I'll go play Portal, and try to forget I live in the real world...
~Sushi

R.I.P.

Guffrey Michael "Guffy" Williams

U(h)pdate 8

2010-02-11T21:21:00.000-06:00

Mr. Kistler's Uh Count

Mr. Kistler's Uh Count
Today	58
Semester	2579

Religulous: Up in Arms Againsts Belief

2010-02-09T22:32:00.001-06:00

I can't recall who first told me about the movie Religulous, but I finally got around to watching it. I've come to this conclusion--the movie is not so much about bashing religion as it is about promoting Bill Maher. Maher wants to convince us that he's right so badly that he'll interrupt a perfectly rational person to make his own rash assumptions, finish their sentences, or make a lewd comment concerning their particular religion. And he doesn't just do it once, or ten times. He butts in over and over and over again. How am I supposed to take anything good out of this movie when all I see is a smart-ass comedian interrupt and override respected religious authorities and innocent bystanders. Some examples: accusing an "ex-gay" counselor of having an erection after giving him a hug; cracking gay jokes at the owner of a burka store; repeatedly referring to an actor playing the Lord as "Jesus," as though it were his actual name. This is a movie I do not plan to see again soon. I'm pretty sure that even Spock, who is an atheist, would be upset by the crude way this shoddy film is put together.

To make up for that tirade, here are some links on the more interesting topics that came up during the course of the film.
Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda: believes he is either Christ or the Antichrist, depending on the source
Cerne Abbas giant: If this was in America, the whole field would have been burned by now. Luckily, it's not.
The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie: This book certainly caused an uproar.
Joseph Smith: The founder of Mormonism, and all its wonders.
Scientology: Just ask Tom Cruise.
The Lucifer Principle, by Howard Bloom: this book seriously pissed off pretty much everyone in the Big Three [Judaism, Christianity, and Islam]
Raelism: Very alien-centric.
Wow... I don't even have to go to church this week, I've learned so much.
~Sushi

U(h)pdate 7: A Strange Thing Happens

2010-02-09T14:00:00.000-06:00

Mr. Kistler, now to be known as Kistler the Inexorable [Unstoppable], only said "uh" fifty-five times today. I think he may be taking some sort of performance-enhancing drugs. Nevertheless, good job, Mr. Kistler!

Mr. Kistler's Uh Count

Mr. Kistler's Uh Count
Today	55
Semester	2521

Been There, Done That

2010-02-07T14:42:00.000-06:00

I recently found one of Facebook's more interesting applications. It's a map, upon which you can show off every place you have ever been in the entire world. I'm sure I'm missing a lot of places, but here is mine:

Create your own travel map or travel blog
TripAdvisor has airfare search

U(h)pdate 6

2010-02-04T20:33:00.000-06:00

Mr. Kistler's Uh Count

Mr. Kistler's Uh Count
Today	328
Semester	2466

Hamlet Goes to Hollywood

2010-02-03T22:40:00.000-06:00

Spock and I are taking an Introduction to Shakespeare class, and one of the requirements is that we read one play a week. Last week, we read Hamlet, which I thoroughly enjoyed, because one of my favorite movies is The Lion King, which is based upon that particular play. I was reading Hamlet's soliloquy, and I noticed that there are an awful lot of movie titles within the text. So, I've decided to do a bit of research, and find every single movie title within his famous monologue. And, as usual, I will be using the Internet Movie Database extensively.

To be, or not to be--that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep--
No more--and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep--
To sleep--perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly/ to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprise of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action. -- Soft you now,
The fair Ophelia! -- Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remembered.

Wow... Just... wow.
~Sushi

U(h)pdate 5

2010-02-02T21:20:00.002-06:00

Mr. Kistler's Uh Count

Mr. Kistler's Uh Count
Today	437
Semester	2138

CONTEST: We [Finally] Have a Winner!!

2010-02-01T08:30:00.000-06:00

After month upon month of polling, I can finally declare a winner for the "Name My Weebeast" contest. Kirk D. with the entry 'Percival', won by a a landslide. I will be on later to post the badge he will receive, watermarked, of course, so no-one can steal it. Wouldn't want that, now would we?
Thank you to all who entered and voted in the contest; it's been an interesting experience. I think Percival's going to come to school with me today. *grin*
~Sushi

In Cold Blood: The Field Trip

2010-01-30T20:58:00.002-06:00

My mother had a Brownies meeting today, and of course, that doesn't involve the actual Brownies, just their parents/leaders. And, it doesn't involve me, even though I'm a junior leader, because two of the Brownies live with me, and I had to babysit them. All day. So, Spock and I took them to a reptile show, in the far-flung reaches of Indiana. This wasn't just a random thing; my mom has been waving the flyer around all week. What I found interesting was that the presenter, Jim Nesci, came to a function at my homeschool group when I was about the same age as my sisters. I suppose, though, that there are only so many reptile handlers in the Midwest. Nevertheless, it was entertaining, and I got a ton of pictures.
I've noticed that I will occasionally say that I took a ton of pictures, and then, realized that you, my readership, will never see them. For that reason, I have created a Flickr account to solve that very problem. So, If you want to see the pictures, go to my Cold-Blooded Creature Show set. That takes care of that.
On a final note, there are only a few hours left to vote on the Weebeast contest! Who's excited?!?!
~Sushi
P.S.
I fiddled around with the layout. I hope you like it!