I saw Departures the other day. (The trailer really doesn't do it justice. It really isn't that maudlin. In fact, it was funnier than I expected it would be, although the bit with the diaper might tip you off to that.)

It's an amazingly good movie, but the main point of this post is that Mom and I came out of the theater going "Wow, the Japanese was really easy to understand!"

I dreamed that I was moving home from college.

I was at the airport by the time that I realized that 1) I had only packed one bag and left a ton of stuff, and 2) it was paper, not electronic ticketing and I had no recollection of having one.

I think I was a little freaked out, but in all honesty, I've done that kind of shit in real life. (I was at the airport, and I couldn't remember what airline I was on, and THEN it took me 15 minutes to remember which pocket the tickets were in. E-tickets are so much nicer.)


Tonight I ate at Shokudo (whoever named it had a sense of humor,) and ate kind of trendy, but very tasty food. They make their own tofu. It was awesome. <3333333333


I needed new work shoes, which is always an unpleasant search. Mom needed to go out to Uncle's office, so I tagged along so we could swing by the Sketcher's outlet. (I stopped by the one in the mall, which is somewhat relevant to this story, but ahahaha, no shoes for Val.) Actually, the reason why the trip to the mall is important is because I saw these shoes for the first time. And I was curious enough to try a pair on. I can't say if they work or not, and I'm relying on the fact that my jeans mostly cover them, even if I have one of the more tolerable styles, but they give me a subtle inch of height. (After a day, it feels like some work was done, but as silly as they are, they're pretty comfortable to wear.)

I've been to this aquarium and the Fennec foxes weren't out that day. At least, I couldn't find them. This is not a large aquarium, and the foxes were marked quite clearly on the map. :(

They did have some sort of...I think it was a baby sloth, though. There was a NAME THE BABIES contest.
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I think I need to start a little hat collection. This would probably have to encompass mostly top hats in the goth loli vein, however, there must be some sort of other little hats out there. Perhaps little cowboy hats, or those little sailor hats. Not the sailor hats, but the I'm the captain type of hats with the little brims and the gold cordage. (Cordage is probably the right word, because firefox claims it is a word and it sounds like the kind of thing used to describe cord embellishments that serve no particular purpose. Also, extra points if the cowboy hats involve sequins, unless you are a guy or wearing the hat seriously.)

Also, the hat's can't be ugly.


I think my head might be shaped a little oddly, because one size frequently doesn't fit me. Also, straw hats with checked ribbon and a giant fake sunflower require sundresses to pull of correctly, and I do not think that I own any at the moment.


Oh, and I finally figured out what a Chesterfield is, so my mental image of it has morphed from "some sort of furniture," to "some sort of couch that sounds like it's kind of ugly." They creep me out irrationally.

I went to the airport, so I started Lux-Pain.

The dialogue really is as bad as they say it is, and I've seen some of the worst poetry ever. It was so bad it was kind of profound.

The voice acting, surprisingly, doesn't follow the written script, and, even more so, is actually phrased more naturally.

I was intending to drink some green tea, but I ended up with this blend of Darjeeling and Assam.

Or in other words, we got a giftbox of assorted teas and I'm currently drinking my way through it. Kirara Genmaicha is delicious.

I used to have a stuffed tiger I loved. Her name was Princess Marie. The other portion of this story is that I have a small ledge that runs across the baseboard of my room. It's not large enough to do anything with, not even storing books, but it means there's about a six-inch space between the wall and where I can put furniture.

Somehow, Mari-hime ended up behind my dresser, sitting on the ledge, staring at me. It's almost like an accusation.

I guess I need a PSP now, don't I?

(As an alternative, I can just steal kid brothers, or "Thoughtfully gift" him with Persona, but I don't think he's allowed to play it. Also, where is my copy of Dokapon Journey?)

Before I forget, Mom was cleaning out the kitchen cabinets the other day and as a result, I found a Candy Candy rice bowl sitting in the dish rack. (Her hair was pink, so it might have been a knockoff, for all I know.)

(Oh, and I found out today that a hairdresser who works nearby wants to cut my hair. I'm thinking about it.)

Step one: Buy pretz (This marks this as an awesome plan already, because I like pretz.)
Step two: you know those wooden chopsticks? they're like 44 cents a pack and we happen to have some lying around the house.
Step 3: Figure out what the hell happened to those sharpies I bought, because they were expensive. (And mini! And cute.)
Step 4: Convince younger brother that Vulcan 3000 is coolest thing ever. Might be difficult as youngest brother is already a teenager. Also, maybe get some clay so Vulcan 3000 can stand upright but that would kind of be like giving him shoes which would be wrong.

I had my bangs trimmed today. (Have you ever seen characters with a bang over their eyes? Kind of like Belgaphor from KHR, or um... a bunch of girls whose names I don't recall offhand. It's totally possible to see with your bangs like that. It's annoying, but completely possible.)

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Yuzu soft serve~! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

(It's not a daily flavor, but it's in the rotation, and the yogurt base is nicely tart. Not good as yuzu sherbet, but I AM CHARMED.)



Also, I bought a jar of cocoa butter because it was cheap. NOW MY HANDS SMELL LIKE CHOCOLATE. 8D

I've just started watching Kamen Rider Kabuto, and have discovered that 1) the fight scenes are wonderfully amusing and 2) Tendou has made the short list of fictional guys that I'd like to marry. (He cooks! Even if I'm not that into saba.)


The downside was that about five minutes ago, I've just realized that I can think of two places where I have a decent chance of getting merchandise offhand, and I've just thought of a third. i do not need a belt buckle. i do not need a belt buckle. OR ANY MAGICAL GIRL MAKE UP DEVICES NOOOOOOOOOO. ;____;

GUESS WHO GOT THE ENTIRE TWILIGHT SERIES FOR HIS BIRTHDAY. XD

HE WAS HORRIFIED.

(On the other hand, he also got $50, so it wasn't that bad a deal. I still just about laughed my head off.)

The vog never used to give me this much trouble. DX

The downside is that today, instead of nausea, my ears are totally plugged. As in, for a few hours this morning, I couldn't hear anything out of one of them.

The upside is that I've figured out the probable cause. Vog. Someone told me the same thing happens to them, and it explains why it's so much worse at work than at home, when the distance between point a and b is....really, really short. Home's at higher elevation.

But now at least I can curse the weather.

I kind of want to fall into a hole and die, in the "oh please, let me be less nauseous" sort of way.


edit: Oh, and I've just noticed that the milk expires in 5 days and I have naught to do with it save those 4 bottles of Kahlua and two of Frosted Flakes. Whatever am I to do? (Although it probably would be imprudent to drink while sick to my stomach. Also, my head hurts.)

Dampness is a transitive property. If you put a damp shirt on the rest of the clean laundry, then the laundry it sits on will become damp.


In other news, the boys did the laundry today.

Amazingly, a different bungee jump game had another winner. It was a young couple.


Ever seen the cup and ball game? The one with three cups, a spike, and a ball on a string? The girl jumped off the bridge with a ball, and when she came up on the other side, she threw the ball at her boyfriend, who held the cup thing.

They failed the second time- the boy talked the girl into it, and afterward, he said that everyone was going to blame him for going for it. (When they walked into the studio, the female guests were NOT HAPPY with him in the slightest.)



Also, they're doing the 30 kids, 31 legs thing with a bunch of Kenyan kids who need to run the 50 meters in under 10 seconds. (It was suggested by an Olympic marathoner, who alleged that Kenyan kids can run faster. The kids are the ones from his old elementary school. I wasn't sure how fair a time it was, but it looks like the teams who are in the finals usually did under 10 seconds. On the other hand, those were 2006 times and this show is from the mid 90's, I think.)

If those kids don't win the 10k, I'll feel terrible. They had an interlude about how two of the boys detour on the way to school in order to build a trap to catch a hedgehog. Apparently hedgehogs are a delicacy in Kenya. They cut off the conclusion until next week, but I...I just want to see them go to Japan. ;_____;

I think I might save the healthy choice container to just cook regular pasta, but is it entirely too much trouble?

The thing looks sturdy. >____>;;