Cozz says:

I finally found translated scans for Saiyuki Gaiden. After reading the first chapter and a half, I realized that all my Saiyuki Gaiden drabbles are now AU. I'm looking forward to seeing the backstory of Saiyuki

I can't seem to get the bar to show properly, it keeps showing up right under my icon. What's with that? Anyone have any idea how to fix it.

But anyway ... here's an update on my word count. I've had a really good couple of days. No one needed any help and Himself is working on the bulldozer. I'm not allowed in the shop while they're doing any sort of 'pull' job. Right now they pulled the right side master push cylinder and they're working on the water pump. Everything is way too heavy for me to be any help so I've got the house to myself and I'm writing. Yay!

Ahem ... so here it is:

17105 / 50000 words. 34% done!

15545 / 50000 words. 31% done!

He's so cute! ^___^

So,  for a while, my grandmother (who is in her mid-80s) has been in and out of the hospital. It started when she fell in her kitchen and scrapped herself up pretty good. Since then she has claimed to have fallen in her apartment several times - each time ending up in the hospital.

It turns out that this was a lie. She had not fallen and she was just using the hospital to get attention from her family.

Okay, a little background. My grandmother has always been a little bit, no, scratch that...a lot manipulative. She has always been the first person to lay a guilt trip on somebody. It wouldn't matter how many times you visited with her or went over to see her, it would never be enough. And while you were visiting, you would be treated to all the gossip about everyone else - even people you didn't know. This talking behind other's back has cost her a friend that she had had for 25 years, but that is another story.

This leads to now, with her being in the hospital. While in the hospital she starts not only playing up the "can't walk" thing (yet refuses a wheelchair) but also starts telling falsehoods of neglect to the nursing staff. This leads to the staff calling in a caseworker from the state. She lied and said that her family never checks on her or visits her.

Grandma is assigned the caseworker and the woman calls all grandma's children (one being my mother). She tells my mother, my aunt and my uncle that grandma needs round the clock care and that they have 24 hours to figure out what to do with her.

Well, my aunt lives in a cramped trailer over 2 hours away, my mother is nursing a broken knee and is in the process of moving and my uncle - well, he has frickin' power of attorney over grandma, which is why he checks on her damn near ever day. But Grandma lied about people visiting her, so therefore the state thinks that the family is neglecting an old woman. This despite the fact that my uncle and my cousin, D, check on her on a daily basis and my other cousin, W, drives her around.

So, due to all her lies, she no longer can go back to her apartment. The apartment where she had a lot of freedom to do what she wanted to do and all the independence to do it.  Now, the state is going to send her right from the hospital to a nursing home. One in which she has to be signed in and signed out and they dictate the schedule.

Well, I hope that she is satisfied with what her lying has given her in the end. I am quite sure that it was not her expected outcome. I can just shake my head at the situation. She didn't want to go to a home when the family asked her before, and now, she will probably end up in the same one where she committed her own mother. Irony, this has it.

So, the moral of the story is: don't lie. See, people will find out and it will come back to bite you (even if it takes a while).  I wish I had sympathy for her, but knowing what a liar she is...it may seem awful of me, but I just don't.

I am sure the family can fight the state on the case of neglect to get her back into her apartment, but you know, she has so many of us burned out and just burned now, that I don't know how many of us give a damn. Hell, maybe in the nursing home she will have whatever she wants now - people who she can talk trash to about other people and the opportunity to bitch to us how she is being treated.  I hate to say it, but I don't recognize this woman any longer and I really don't like who she has become.

On Saturday I start at the downtown library as an official Librarian. It's a second position, so I'm still at the suburban library of West Seneca as a Library Associate. I'm at both places part-time.

I'll be at the Humanities & Social Sciences reference desk (which has been combined with Business, Science, & Technology...so basically all of nonfiction). As far as I know, there's some sort of training checklist/program I have to go through. I heard from my boss today (she took me out to lunch ^^!) that it can be intense because you have to utilize the approved sources. Being that I'm familiar with the library databases, things should go well. Also, it's pretty much going to be strict reference (as compared to smaller branches where you do a bit of everything).

However, I'm a mix of nervous and excited. This is my foot in the door. I make a good impression here and I have the opportunity for more hours, a position with benefits, and security during an unstable budget period. I must do well, I will do well.

I can't wait to hear patron questions!! I learn so much from them!! The urban environment should be interesting as well. There's free parking in downtown Buffalo on weekends, which is a plus for my first day. Though, it will suck when I have to pay for parking on the weekdays, but I'll make back the money.

Cross your fingers for me everyone!! ^___^

Okay, here I am. I started the crack Hybrid fic. God only knows where it will take me. It's already way more serious than I ever planned this fic to be.

13420 / 50000 words. 27% done!


Chugging right along. I'll have some making up to do this weekend. Saturday I'm teaching my second bookbinding class. Pamphlet and Chap book this time.

And a later class is going to be aimed at artists.

I have bought two or three watercolor journals and given them all away. I like hot press paper 140lb because I use a combination of pencil, stick and pan colors and the pencils don't work well on cold press, let's not even talk about rough. So I wound up making my own. I'm going to teach a class on making your own journal book.

Finally starting to keep track. Makes us feel accomplished and that in turn keeps us motivated.

Goal: Read as many books as we can (hoping for at least 35) from September '09 -- September '10. Since we have to share time this is an acceptable goal. Hopefully we will shatter this.
Definition of "book": any book/any length, whether fiction or not; does not include textbooks that we have to use (unless that text is read purely for pleasure), but will include books used for book reviews and critiques; re-reads are okay
Books read so far: 11


What We're Currently Reading:

Some Trouble With Cows: Making Sense of Conflict by Beth Roy
Across The Pacific by Akira Iriye
Bound by Donna Jo Napoli

Recommendations always accepted.

Apparently people are starting to report reinfection with H1N1.

From the article: John Law, spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Resources, said the information his agency has is that the likelihood of getting the virus twice is "very, very, very rare."

"Once you have had it, you have a natural immunity to it. It's like the mumps or the chicken pox," Law said.

Problem with this? Chicken pox can recur spontaneously via the virus taking up residence in the body and never leaving. So...I'm not really comforted by his statement. We still know far too little about the behavior and life cycles of viruses to be making such bland announcements.

The reason for this post? Romy's sickly again and we're not sure what's going on there. We'll be keeping a close eye on this.

10044 / 50000 words. 20% done!

Whoot!! I is writn'!! Yes, I am!!

And, so far, it makes sense.

Maybe I am getting to old to be in school or something, but I wish that some people in my psychology class would grow up.

Now granted, this is a 100 level class (and it is a last minute elective for me), but you people are in college now...be adults.

For example: today in class we are talking about emotion, which also includes arousal and goes to the theories on sex and so forth. Some people are giggling behind me while talking to their friend about how men are whores and such.

Maybe I'm a hardass, but I am here to learn something. And the sad thing is that the professor can barely control the flow of conversation around these assholes.

*grrr*

/end ranty rant

besides the brief posts lately.

- As I was walking through the park on my way into school today, something hard dropped on my head. I look up and a squirrel was in the tree. I am surmising that it was a nut shell. I also saw quite a few of those red capped brown finches eating berries off of the bushes. Now that the leaves are falling away they can really get at them.

- Study study study. As always. We are getting toward the end of the term here - have about a month and a half to go and wow, are a lot of things coming due. We have several book critiques to do, so we spend a vast amount of time reading the textbooks (or rather, books that the instructor picks out to read for the critiques. So, long story short - we are spending a lot of time on school.

- Just finished a wonderful text (that was used for one of the above critiques) called War Without Mercy by John Dower. It essentially poses the thesis that the Pacific theater of World War II was a race war. He provides several compelling examples, such as propaganda that depicts the Japanese (from the Western world) as monkeys or subhuman individuals whereas the Anglo-Americans and Europeans (from the Japanese) were depicted as demons or devils. He also makes the case that while the Western world could separate Germans into "good Germans" and "Nazis" there was no differentiating between a "good Jap" and a "bad Jap". This would suggest that whereas Westerners could separate the German culture and people from behavior, they could not do so with the Japanese. Also, while the Nazis committed horrendous atrocities against a select populace, they were never incarcerated in camps in the U.S. even though there were Germans that agitated for the Nazi party present. The Japanese however, were incarcerated even up to the third and fourth generation born in the States even though they were never agitated for either side of the war and many military experts considered the second-born Japanese-Americans more dangerous. This was primarily because in the Western world, a common enemy was the Jews, in fact, the U.S. had many immigration restriction on the Jews as immigrants to the country.

If you are interested in this sort of thing, I suggest you read the book. It was eye-opening and very interesting. I find it fascinating with how many peoples have been depicted as monkeys or gorillas over time - from the Irish, to the Blacks, to the Japanese, all the way up to President Bush - and how that has been deemed as a fine way to portray someone.

- Next reading will be: Some Trouble With Cows - an ethnography of a village riot in Bangladesh (or the former Pakistan colony). I'll let you know how it turns out.

- Still have not heard from financial aid, but hoping to this week. Then decisions will be made.

- Finding some time to watch some movies with the Wers. Finally saw Wolverine and Hellboy. Hellboy was just fun crack, but Wolverine was a little disappointing for those that read the comic. Talk about ret-con! But aside from those changes, the special effects were outstanding and the story good for the changes that they made, but I probably wouldn't watch it again.

- Probably going to be helping our mom and dad move back into their old house over the weekend. The place where they were living has been sold. So that will be fun - haven't seen the parents in a while.

- Reno threw out upper back out a couple days ago. It was incredibly painful - who throws out their upper back at the shoulder-blade level? Anyway, Zack fixed it yesterday. He just snapped whatever it was back in place with a crunch. Go Zack!

- I suppose that I should probably pay attention in class...

If an English speaking child of five or six was taken to Russia, spoke both Russian and English there after, with more Russian than English, would they have a Russian accent?

Paso Doble to Joan Jett/Hate Myself For Loving You? Not even.

Who the hell picks the damn music? What are they thinking? And how do I strangle them?

There are certain dances that should be danced to traditional music for a reason!!!

Just saying.

3959 / 50000 words. 8% done!


Of goal for 48hrs.

3959 / 5000 words. 79% done!

Ended up being late for my history class today.

Decided to go to the restroom before sitting in class for 45 minutes, did my business and was washing my hands when I took note of a girl that was in the restroom when I arrived and was sort of huddled near a sink in the corner (when I came in, I assumed that she was fixing her make-up).

Between classes the restroom is usually bustling - women coming and going at lightning pace. And yet out of the ten or so women that were in the restroom at the time, I was the only one who looked at this poor girl and noted how unusual her behavior was. I asked her if she was alright to which she shook her head no.

Even after that exchange, the women cleared out of the restroom in quick order leaving only the young lady and myself.

Turns out that she went to blow her nose and acquired a nosebleed, but not just any nosebleed. This one was really gushing and wouldn't stop. She was crying and scared and bleeding all over the restroom. The paper towels that she was using were filling up very quickly, and I was concerned for her.

I got some basic information and told her that I would be right back that I would go get some help. I rushed to the Political Science department which is right across from the restroom and had them call public safety. Then I went back to her side to wait with her so that she wouldn't be afraid. It was all I could do, not having much medical knowledge but I felt good for doing it. Within about 5 minutes, they were there and able to attend to her.

I don't know what happened to this young lady after I left her, but I hope that she is alright. While waiting for public safety I told her that I wouldn't leave her until they got there and she made the mention that I was the only one who stopped to ask if she was okay and that she was very grateful. We chatted about how she had been sick with the swine flu and was just now getting back to classes and she was terrified to miss any more school. And most importantly, she was very scared about the fact that she couldn't get the nosebleed to stop and "what if it won't stop" and the prospect of having to go to the hospital. I admit that I was afraid for her too. I have never seen a nosebleed that bad.

But one thing that she said just caught me (in her words): "people were just walking around me. They wouldn't help me and I didn't know what to do." People could see the blood everywhere and they did nothing and I am ashamed for them.

Yes, I was late to class, but sometimes there are just more important things to attend to - like your fellow human beings. When I apologized to my professor after class, even he said that what I did was the right thing and in no way did I owe him an apology.

I feel a little sick that no one else wanted to take notice, but I am on top of the world for that little difference that I made to someone today.

I attended a Japanese Culture Day at the Buffalo Historical Society, so when the opportunity came to dance a traditional folk dance, naturally I grabbed some newfound friends and joined in.

A few hours later, I get a message from my Kendo Sensei that said he was there with his wife and saw me dancing. *facepalm* I didn't even know he was there!!!!

*pwned* LOL!!

It is 8:36 pm.

I haven't written anything. I am seriously considering writing the stupid neko!crack GW fic plot bunny I had about a year ago. It keeps poking me.

I also spent a very productive end of afternoon yelling at Youtube being down for maintenance in the middle of me watching some tasty yaoi OVAs. I am shallow like that.

I broke a glass cup while I was making breakfast. Not a big deal, in one way, as the cup was cheap. But, no one wears shoes in the house, so ... here I am, barefooted in the middle of a scattering of glass. Not so good. So I yell, "Honey, put your shoes on, I broke a cup." He doesn't even ask, just puts on his shoes, comes and gets me, carries me out of the glass and goes to take his shoes off again. Tole? A kiss, of course. *hugs him* My hero!