In about ten minutes, I leave to go DDRing. XD But the coolest part is that my friend came back from Michigan last night, and I get to see her for the first time in two weeks! ^o^

And another friend burned Saka-sama's "Lucy" for me, and it is expectedly a frickin' kick-ass album. Life is goooooooood. ^________^*

Ha! I did it! I actually updated! XD Please go visit, so I don't feel like my efforts went to waste. ^_^;;

Quick entry before I have to get offline. Fourth of July -- fun. We ended up foregoing the Fort and the inevitable traffic, and stayed inside. The only fireworks we saw were the flashes from the neighbors' that we caught through the windows. ^_^; Instead, we watched two DVDs of Trigun, and Spriggan. It was a good movie -- but when you watch anything with the bunch that was gathered there, it's going to be like watching a MST3K. Consequently, things like "Major Fatman" seemed much funnier to me than they actually were. ^_^; We also played an inhuman amount of video games; I still suck at Super Smash Brothers, but Chu Chu Rocket isn't so bad. And I own at Tetris Attack. XD

I'm hoping to update my site today. No Soapbox, but hopefully I have enough other stuff. Look for it tonight, after my mom is done using the phone ...

No, neko-chan, I had not been initiated in DDR before yesterday. When I told you that my friends wanted me to do it, they had been bugging me and another friend to go with them; but I never actually went until yesterday. ^_^; And, hey! I didn't do too terribly. ^_^v;; It wasn't as easy as swing dancing, but after I stumbled past my first try of "I'm Alive," it was fairly decent. "Fly High" was my song! XD I may not have owned on it, by any means, but I at least borrowed liberally. XD;;;

Got my grade report in the mail today, and damn if I didn't get screwed over by my English teacher. Anyone who's been reading this blog for any substantial amount of time has probably heard me rant about her before; I won't go into all the reasons again. But suffice it to say that, by second semester, her grading system had been reduced to an arbitrary selection of grades for each student, based on what "kind" of student (i.e., an A student, C student, etc.) she thought they were. (You think I'm kidding.) When she posted our quarter/semester grades on the last day of school, I had something like a B- for quarter, A- for semester. Which is ... not what I should be getting, considering how she "sees" me (and, personally, how hard I know I worked). When I talked to her about it, she said it was just a mistake, and that it would be straightened out. But I looked at my report today, and, lo and behold, I have an A- for fourth quarter. I still have an A for semester -- and it's not like colleges see quarter grades, anyway -- but ... still! It ruins my high school record, and ... it just BUGS me. It'd be one thing if I really earned an A-, but the fact that this was, at best, a capricious decision on her part (she did the same thing to my friend, another "A student," because she "liked to see her spazz") BOTHERS me to no end.

Oh, and even though my transcript shows that I took two semesters (0.50 credits) of U.S. History out of a required 1 year for the course, I apparently still need a half credit. Grr.

Maa, ii ya. I'm looking forward to the 4th of July party(?) tomorrow. Which reminds me -- I should be going to pick cherries now~~

Yatta! I finished that "Warriors Blue" sidestory yesterday -- erm, yesterday morning. It was a little past 1:00 a.m. when I was done. ^_^;; That's not as bad as it sounds; I'm more of a night person, anyway. And, as it is, I usually stay up till about midnight regardless (and subsequently wake up around noon the next day n.n). But it's done, so I'm happy. I'm not entirely sure if I'm satisfied with how it actually turned out; it really wasn't until about halfway through the fic that I was more or less certain about the direction of the narrative; and it took a few pages for me to establish a definite tone. >.> Maa.

With that done, and the re-edit of "Warriors Blue" and the Kenshin oneshot completed, I could conceivably update my site (for the first time in three months O_o;;). Then again, I could also wait until I write the new Soapbox -- I missed the May/June one completely, but if I write the July/August one now, I'd be able to actually have an entry put up on time. XP I'd actually started one back in ... May, I think; but it was politically focused, and quite frankly, I am tired of politics. >.< Chalk it up to overload from the History AP. As it is, I have nothing I am currently feeling either passionate or eloquent about enough to write an entire editorial on. Except the utter unfairness of life in separating me from the people I most want to be with -- which would just be whining, anyway, instead of opinion. XP

So ... looks like what I'm going to be working on right now is chapter two of From the Ashes. I think that's a good thing; I've been writing far too much centered on Aoshi and Misao lately. XD;; Except ... this chapter is kind of centered on them, anyway, at least in the beginning. -_-;;

And you know what's sad? The rate I'm currently writing at is an unusually high one for me, in terms of fanfiction. ^_^;;;

Today ... we DDR. ^_^;; Neechan and I are being abducted by our friends and taken to someplace in Oregon to be initiated. *eep*

Wednesday is our planned Fourth of July bash. Of sorts. ^_^; We're having an all-day anime fest at a friend's house, then are probably foregoing the actual anime showing and going straight to fireworks at the Fort. 'Twill be fun, methinks. *niko*

I love this soundtrack. *_*

Maa, it's been a while since I last blogged, ne? ^_^;;; It's not that I've been busy, per se; just lazy. XD;; Hard to believe that it's only been a week since school got out -- though, if I think back on it, it all seems so far away. (And yes, that makes sense in my head. ^_^;;)

Lessee, what have I been doing ...? Lots of sleeping late and lazing around, and very little in the way of productive activity. That includes writing. >.>

On Tuesday, I had some friends over (only guys, because the only female in the Anime Posse is in Wisconsin XD;;), and we did some anime watching and general mayhem. We showed them Dual, which they liked (despite not being very big fans of Eva -- or perhaps because of it). They, too, had to be left off at the cliffhanger of the second DVD. Mwahahaha. I love that series, though -- perhaps not as much as Eva, but it's still a lot of fun. D is such an awesomely quirky character. XD

We also watched some digital fansubs (a friend hooked us up with DivX XD;;), including neechan's first exposure to Noir. That is one frickin' kickass show (even if we do make fun of the fact that every potentially important-seeming character is killed off immediately XD;;), with equally kickass music. Mitsuishi Kotono plays Mireille, which I knew -- but I didn't know until I saw the romanized credits that Noir's seiyuu was Kuwashima Houko, aka Yurika from Nadesico. O_o Change in character, ne?

Wednesday night was Vandread, Fushigi Yuugi, and Trigun at the anime showing. I liked Vandread. *bares fangs* In the middle, my friend and I left for our swing dance classes. Yes, P-chan is taking swing lessons. Don't laugh. n.n It's actually fairly easy, if you've got rhythm (which I DO have -- I may not have had tone when I played violin, but by golly, I had rhythm! XD;;). Plus, my friend already had a little experience swinging, so he helped me out.

Otherwise, life has been blissfully uneventful. I went shopping and got some new clothes that I don't actually need (^_^;;), started reading a book that I borrowed from a friend six months ago (@_@), and have been listening to RENT nonstop (*_*). We currently have some relatives over, too, so I won't get bored. ^_^; They brought a video of my cousin's wedding, which was last Saturday. Made me feel just the slightest bit wistful. ^_^;;

On a completely random note, does anyone know where I can find some good Aoshi Winamp skins? *leers*

Muse: You're getting a theme, too, suckah. XD

Me: Sadist. >.>

This is a mite disturbing. I wouldn't mind it so much, though, if it just went a little faster. *kicks Muse* Can I use jumper cables on you?

Guess! Who! Got! The! RENT! C! D! XD

*happy sigh* I so love this musical ... And now that I've heard it in its entirety, I love it even more. XD I can also say, with authority ^_^;, that this could be made into a movie by Spike Lee, but if it were a non-musical, it would simply not be RENT. *pouts* Especially if they changed the cast, which I assume they would -- I really like Roger and Mimi's actors. I don't like Benny. But I like Taye Diggs. *niko*

"One Song Glory" is my new favorite song ... I am so in love with Adam Pascal. Erm, his voice, I mean. XD It's got this husky/rough quality that I really like. I like husky. ^_^* Like Ewan McGregor. I never knew he could sing, but his cover of "Your Song" from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack is quite nice. Though I like smooth, too ... Koyasu-sama is a good example; not too deep and smooooth as velvet. *_*

I've been rather lazy so far during my summer break. ^_^v Haven't started my AP summer reading, or really gotten anything written. ^_^;; It's my turn for From the Ashes, since neechan finished the first chapter ... But I've got friends coming over tomorrow, so I don't have that much time to work on it. It's funny; I don't think any of them really know about this blog, or my site (even though they are anime fans). It's not that I lead a "double life" >.>, but what I do online just isn't something I talk about with them. I mean, it's not like I can discuss the homoerotic subtext of FTA with a bunch of guys. XD (And yes, there will be homoerotic subtext. Though the "sub" is debatable. After all, this is neechan we're talking about. ^_~ Myself, I haven't had any good yaoi toys to play with in far too long.)

I have been quite busy watching anime, though. Like Lost Universe (I like Canal, and Kane, and am waiting for Millie to get a deeper role. ^_^) and Dual, which is a quite amusing parody of Eva. D has to be my favorite so far, but I like the professor as the counterpart for Ikari Gendo. ^_^;

Reading something about the new X-Men comics today made me feel a bit nostalgic for American comics. I used to be a huge AmeComi fan, but for some reason I just stopped collecting a couple of years ago. I think it was because of all the behind-the-scenes feuding between the writers and editors (mind you, this was back in the day of Joe Kelly and Steve Seagle, so I don't know what it's like now). I'd like to pick up an issue and see where everyone is, but I think I'd be horribly confused. Like, I didn't even know Cyclops was back from the dead. XD;;

I heard that Laruku's song for the Final Fantasy movie will have both an English and Japanese version. Coolness. XD

So ... Yesterday was the last day of school, but it doesn't feel like it. At all. I know we have a few months of break, but it feels as if, after that, we should go back to school and everything will be the exact same. And that we definitely shouldn't be going back as seniors. O_o Waaaah, the real world is scary. >.<

After school, my friends and I went to see Shrek -- and you were right neko-chan, I loved it! ^_^ The animation was gorgeous, from the facial expressions to Donkey's fur ... and anyone who can do wood that intricately and realistically earns my undying respect. *_* The story itself was great, too; at times, I can get bored by movies and start wondering how much longer they'll last (yes, I have a long attention span XP), but that didn't happen with this movie at all.

"I have to go save my ass!" XD

Following that, we went to a friend's house (well, we took a long walk first, because the weather was so gorgeous *_*), and I discovered that I suck like a mother at Super Smash Brothers, but am fairly decent at Puzzle Fighter. We also watched eps. 3-5 of Angelic Layer, which is a wonderfully cute series. Never mind the fact that I forgot most of what happened in the first two episodes and was trying to explain it to someone else. ^_^; But Onosaka Masaya speaking Kansai is funfunfun. ^_^v

For the easily amused. XD;;

This page sucks on Netscape.

And school is nigh-officially over. XD The last half of finals was today, so tomorrow is basically a free (and shortened) day in which I can get all my remaining yearbook signatures and take stupid pictures. ^_^v;;; After that, my friends and I are going to see "Shrek" and perhaps grab lunch and be general delinquents. *niko*

Today we spent the first two hours of school (the second period finals block) at Sunrise Bagels, where my English *koff* teacher subjected us to her version of a final (as well as doing some semblance of work). I spent the drive back to school crammed into the back corner of my friend's truck, listening to Rammstein. ^_^;; We bought flowers for our History teacher -- since she's been so amazing all year -- on the way. Then came fourth and sixth period finals blocks, which were rather boring, and then the day was over.

Neechan is doing quite well after her surgery, by the way ... She was sprawled on the couch watching Cowboy Bebop DVDs when I got home. XD

How's this for random quotes? "I'm going to be hog-tied to the bed. Of the truck! The bed of the truck, I mean!" XD; Or when I looked at my watch and mentioned that neechan was probably "knocked out" by now, and somehow everyone heard "knocked up"? O_o I suppose that's a sign that we are definitely hormonally charged teenagers, with selective hearing ... Though there was nothing misheard about my friend's plans of virgin sacrifice for summer solstice. >.>

... And for some reason I am unbelievably tired. o.o I dunno why ... I've actually been getting a good amount of sleep this week. *shrug* Not that it'll really matter during summer break. XD;;

Also -- happiness! <3 I now have graphics for not one, but TWO new layouts after this one. All I have to do is write the code. *niko* Not to say that I wouldn't still love to have a copy of Photoshop, neko-chan -- but this way, I won't have to worry about getting it in time. ^_^

I also heard that L'arc~en~Ciel is doing the ending song for the Final Fantasy movie! ^o^ Oh, happy day~!

Tomorrow is finals ... then the second half on Thursday ... and then I will be DONE! Oh, the sweet, beckoning song of freedom ...! XD

I've typed up and coded that RuroKen oneshot from way back, as well as the edited version of "Warriors Blue" ... But I think I'll hold off on updating until I finish the companion fic, as well as my obscenely delayed Soapbox. I swear I was more opinionated when I started the bloody thing ... XP

... And I also swear that I had more to talk about before I started this entry. XD;; Ne, maybe it's a sign I need to shut up? o.o

Today was the last day of tutoring for me and Hanne. It was kind of sad. ^_^;; I know there were times when I felt worn out and overburdened and wondered WHY I had to do this ... but when it came down to it, I'm glad I agreed. The two girls we tutored were really cool people. And at the very least, it felt like I was doing something worthwhile. See, there's a use for this tori-chan, after all. XD

Hm ... neko-chan wants me to take the flavor test at eMode. I think I shall go do that now.

It feels odd to still be in school (THREE MORE DAYS!! ^O^), and yet, it will feel terribly strange to go home on Friday and know I won't have to come back on Monday, prepared to take on yet another herculean AP task or eager to see my friends again. Of course, I will see a lot of them often this summer (and as for the herculean AP tasks, I've got summer reading/writing/analyzing/coma-inducing to occupy me XP), but it just won't be the saaaaame. ^_^;;;

My backpack, by the way, is huge. I turned in my Physics book, but have replaced it with my gym clothes/shoes and college portfolio, and, as always, my bigass binder. The entire thing is currently about twice my width. I'm afraid if I turn around too fast with it on I might take someone out. XD;; This must be what Christina Aguilera felt like with her hair in the "Lady Marmalade" video. XP

Currently working on another new layout, to tide me over during the summer if neko-chan can't get me a copy of Photoshop after all. I'd wanted it to be summery, but I found this really cute image of Sana and Akito that I just couldn't resist. ^_^v;; It's still sort of summery -- perhaps more springish, but it works.

The Writer

Name: Sigel Phoenix
Gender: Female
Age: SSNBK >.>
Location: Pacific Northwest

The Fetishes

Anime: Rurouni Kenshin, Kodomo no Omocha, Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou
Fanfic: Hikaru's "And All the Trimmings"
Website: Radial Keratotamy and Other Philosophical Issues
Song: "Anata," L'arc~en~Ciel
Artist: L'arc~en~Ciel, Hamasaki Ayumi, Sakamoto Maaya
Quote: "Never point a gun at someone unless you're planning to shoot them."
(A friend's insightful dad)

The Layout

Image: Scan from Kenshinny's Homepage and Doujinshi Gallery of the doujinshi "Pure Girl," by K&K World
Quotes: "I Should Tell You," RENT
Viewed: 800x600+ res, MSIE 5.0+

The Stomping Grounds

The Phoenix Nest
Off the Wall

Partners in Crime

Valhalla
which way is up?
quirk of the day
Freely Will Do
LoveSealed
the bishounen diaries
Bishoujo Diaries
Riven's Blog
freetalk
the pillow book
Firedancer's Handbasket
Ayuru's Blog
Yaoiland

The Local Hangouts

Hits Against Hunger.Com
The Breast Cancer Site
The Child Survival Site
The Hunger Site
The Kids AIDS Site
The Landmine Site
The Rainforest Site

Follow the Trail

5/18/01 - 6/17/01
5/03/01 - 5/16/01
4/22/01 - 5/02/01
4/08/01 - 4/20/01
3/23/01 - 4/06/01
3/05/01 - 3/21/01
2/19/01 - 3/01/01
2/10/01 - 2/17/01
1/30/01 - 2/09/01

Pitas