And this is a new beginning for this blog. It hasn't been updated with a new post in nearly a year, but that's going to change, starting now. No promises on frequent updating, but at least more often than once a year.

And, as for this update, it's to say, whee, new layout (Bai-bai, Malik), and hurrah, finally about to try writing again. It's been a while, but I think I can get words to come. Maybe not a long story/chapter, but I'm working on finishing Automatic Paranoia, so we can breeze through Route 666... and get to Season 2 of Endless Loop. That's where any of our interest lies these days, at least for Yu-Gi-Oh.

And that's it. Ciao!

 It occurs to me that, between all my journals, I rant a lot. I mean, a really lot. I rant about music, I rant about work, I rant about people, I rant about fanfiction... or I just rant. It gets stuff out of my system so I don't fret over it as much. (Please note the 'as much'.)

I'm supposed to be starting a new job here at FSU eventually. I've been supposed to start it since the end of April, but as of yet, I'm still not there. I do have a key to my will-be office now, though. That's a step in the right direction I guess.

I think when my LJ renewal comes up in May next year, I won't be renewing it. The system has changed entirely too much from when I first joined and loved it. Now it's becoming a clone of MySpace. While I have a MySpace account, I can't stand using it. I rant there about the band I'd love to be in: Azaria.

My father has offered me $100 if I lose 15 lbs. Since I was planning on doing it anyway... Might as well make a little money at it, yes?

I really don't fel like using my LiveJournal much anymore. But maybe that'll change when I feel better.

 It's always nice to know where you are on the great totem pole of life. In my case, it's somewhere towards the bottom, below everyone else, their brothers, D&D nerds, and the internet.

That is all.

 So.... Happy birthday to me? I'm now 26 - and starting to feel every minute of it.

Lots to try to accomplish today, since Katsuko and I are in the midst of moving: 4 loads of trash to go to the dumpster, 4 loads of clothes to take to the women's shelter, birthday lunchings, meet with Bob at the townhouse to do the inspection and get the key, maybe start moving boxes over.

And for the record, I'm only awake because first the smoke alarm decided it was time for new batteries, then someone decided to knock on the door and leave, then the neighbors decided to get loud, then Grandfather called to sing "Happy Birthday" to me.

It's times like these when you realize just how much family matters. I mean, Oyaji called me last night to wish me a "happy birthday seven hours early". (He called at 11 p.m. when I was driving home; I was born at 6:36 a.m.) Grandfather called this morning at 7 a.m. on his way to work. I expect I will hear from Mum, Grandmother, Obaabaa, and maybe Betsy today... and probably one of those calls will include my 2 1/2 year old nephew singing "Happy Birthday". Until very recently, I could not fathom not having a closely knit family like mine. I mean, of the whole family (on Mum's side), I live the furthest from home - and I'm just an hour and a half away.

 It's amazing how much can change in less than a month.

My last entry on One Song was 22 May. I was still working solely at Waldenbooks. I didn't think I had any other prospects, even though I had several applications out. Not too long after that I got a call from Strozier Library for an interview. By June 6th, I was hired and had started work. I'm now on my first full week of work at a Real Job. I'm hitting upwards of $9 an hour, with my yearly salary at $19,600 a year. I have a set schedule that will not change until Fall Semester. And best of all, it's a career that will help pay for my education. You read that right; after 6 months, FSU picks up the bills for up to 6 credit hours per semester. I can stand to go at that pace.

The downsides, of course, are, right now I have one night a week when I have to be here till 11:30 (This will change in Fall, I believe.), I won't be albe to go to the Meat Loaf concert because I'm asking time off a few weeks after that for Anime Weekend Atlanta, and the lack of food (I have a hard time remembering to pack a lunch in the mornings) is making my blood sugar funk out. I mean, today I had two cups of pineapple, some coffee, and water for lunch... and that's better than I've been eating. I need to go to Big Lots and Wally McMart and buy PopTarts and microwave meals. Or maybe Winn Dixie, since they have personal sizes of the vegetable lasagna I love so much. The point is, I need to eat more than I am before I collapse. And tonight, I'm going to have to eat something resembling real food. I wonder if I can get Hikari to swing by Winn Dixie so I can get pork chops and make us sweet and sour pork tonight. We haven't had it in a while after all.

And I have no idea when Klepto will be back from SciFi Summer. It ended Monday, but she wants to get Kaji to drive her back to Florida instead of taking the Greyhound again, so who knows? Of course, I've probably jinxed myself now and she's back. No, she'd have probably called, unable to find her way back.

Anyway... Time to get back to work. Ciao.

 Okay, let's not even get into the rest of the weekend. Suffice to say, I've had a craptastic one to begin with. Left GA this morning at 8:30, got home at 10:30. Checked my email, went to the mall with Dae to try to get some writing of some kind done, got a bad caramel freezer from Barnie's. Got a little writing done though. Left the mall, went to Target, went to Qdoba. Leaving Qboda, got a phone call from nitwit. Not even a 'hello' - just 'we have fleas'. Was good, didn't respond 'Didn't know you bred or what am I supposed to do about it from the car'. Was told to get something to put on carpet, bit tongue, went to Walmart, got $12 worth of flea stuff for cats & floor. Not even a 'thank you' upon return, just 'move so I can get to the vaccuum cleaner' (my vaccuum cleaner, mind you)... while she was on the phone with her mom, as always. Ready to shove that phone up her ass.

We've never had fleas in our apartments before. We've always had cats, we've always let them outside. However, we never wore our shoes around the apartment - or left so many clothes on the floor that you can't see the carpet. Yet, we're the ones shelling out money left and right -- and she's not paying a goddamn thing except utilities and rent. She doesn't help on groceries, she doesn't help with the cats, she won't do any housework - in short, she's fucking useless as a roommate.

Why haven't we kicked her out yet? Oh yeah, she's on the lease.

 This just hasn't been my week thusfar. I can't decide if someone upstairs doesn't like or if I'm just cursed.

The DSL went out a couple of times yesterday, so I had a Klepto in and out of my room, "Am I the only one not online?" The last time she proceeded to change around my computer setup to her liking. And the DSL still flickered off and on. The poor little modem box had been on for nearly a week; touching it nearly set Katsuko's hand on fire. So when I went to bed, locked my door, and cut it off for the night. The DSL has stayed steady ever since. ^__^ If only people would listen to me... Sometimes I know what I'm talking about...

So, because I had to leave for work upset, I had a whole host of things mess up. When I'm pissed off, I drain the power out of electronics, so I ended up going through three different batteries in the scan guns just to do five boxes of returns. I was hardly able to eat a thing (good for my diet at least), my head kept pounding all day, I couldn't quit shaking or get my balance to save my life, my internal hemmorages started giving me grief again, and my chest was killing me all day.

For the next couple of days, I don't even want to lay eyes on our third roommate. I want to pretend she doesn't even exist. I'm that pissed off at her, yes.

And I'm going back on AIM to continue to be a Dead Plot Kitty muse for Neechan. Ciao.