Very funny. I got a jury summons! Geez, they want me to be on standby starting Dec. 16th, for the entire week. In Santa Cruz, CA. Too bad I have a final on the 19th and won't even be going home on until the 23rd. But at least the pay is good...a whole $15 per day of duty. That's just enough to cover the renewal fee for my driver's license.
I'm actually looking forward to doing jury duty, if they decide to pick me. It'll actually be pretty interesting and meaningful, unlike school.
I am burnt out. Spent the entire weekend on a final project (a little program that can intercepts people's transmissions across the web, such as passwords, login names, even if it's on a "secure" connection). Say, a whole 48 hours for the project (all of which was during the past three days). Plus, spent a lot of tonight finishing two homework assignments and preparing slides for a project.
So many more additions to the DVD collection! Got Love Hina #6 (no Christmas special yet since Amazon is keeping the old release date...no rush though since I've seen it). On top of that, I got X vol. 2 and Cowboy Bebop Best Sessions. From Japan, I got the two Azumanga Daioh DVDs. Very funny to watch, but it requires my full concentration to understand...and I currently can't do that since I'm frickin busy.
Today was just not my day. So here's my daily route. I usually go to the 18th St. 1/9 subway stop to wait for the 1/9 train. Once I get on, it's usually a long ride to 116th (Columbia), but I stay on the same train. Sometimes, I hop off the 1/9 train to get on the 2/3 express train at 42nd St. and then get off again on 96st. to get back on the 1/9 train. Usually I'm able to catch the sooner 1/9 train because the express train is faster (and hence I save time). So today I go to the 18th St. subway stop and just miss the first 9 train. I wait for at least 10 minutes during which I then see THREE express trains pass (I can't get on the express train on 18th St.) before I get on the train. I decide then to do the express train jump, so I get off at 42nd St. to wait for the express. Well, I wait another 10 minutes for the express. I get on the express and when I got to 96th St., I saw my original 9 train just leave. Grr. I then wait there for the next 1/9 train, during which I see FOUR more express trains pass before I get my train. I hate those mornings.
So here's another reason I'd prefer not to have forums on my own web sites. Example from a posting on the Animenation forums in describing why it's okay to buy bootleg CDs and DVDs:
Yet another programming day. Blarg. Sorry if I haven't emailed any of you recently. I've really been lazy with emails and such. Maybe I'll respond during Turkey break...I'll be staying here. =(
It all started on 2/10/2000 when I ordered my first anime DVDs, Sailor Moon R Movie and A Chinese Ghost Story. Almost three years later, I have 175 discs in my anime collection! Wow.
Funny. I got buzzed from the front door and waiting there for me was a UPS guy with a package. Strange, I wasn't expecting anything. Then I saw that it was from Amazon. Yes, I did order from Amazon "FY: Eikoden LE," however, it still says pending shipment on my order status. Hmm...
Due to a freak accident yesterday, I had to stay up pretty late last night to correct my programming homework. It turns out that the program which was supposed to anonymize my emails didn't really do it if the first word in the sentence was the word I wanted to anonymize (say, my name). So a half-anonymized collection of email is just the same as a non-anonymized collection. It wouldn't have been such a problem, but I had already finished the step afterwords which was to hand edit all the files to put tags around all date expressions. To put it short, I had to go through 100 emails and find all the date and time expressions. Not fun.
As such, I woke up late and missed my first class (not a big deal). However, because I stayed home, I was able to pick up my second shipment of CDs from Amazon Japan! Last time, the DHL guy left without leaving anything. This time, I heard the buzzer and RAN down 5 flights of stairs (occationally flying/jumping). When I got down there, the DHL guy was really surprised that I got down 5 flights of stairs so fast. There's no way I'm going to go all the way out to the boonies (7 blocks north and 4 blocks west) to the DHL office again and have to deal with that lady.
Anyway, today's shipment included:
Rikumao Official Fanbook (not CD, duh)
Hitomi Mieno: Baby Leaf (she sings the intro to Strawberry Eggs and has a "Nashville" version of the song on the album...sounds nice...but all versions sound nice...the drama CD had an "Acoustic feel" version).
Mikako Takahashi: Hontoo no Kimochi (ending to Hand Maid May)
Mikako Takahashi: Cho-Pon or something like that.
Yuu Asakawa: Gaze (MOTOKO!)
Miyazawa Girls: Setsu, Getsu, Ka (independent release from the three sisters in KareKano...first pressing too. =))
Yamatonadeshiko: Self-titled Album (the first CD from the duo of Yui HOrie, and Yukari Tamura...also known as the duo who sang "Koi no Tenshi Maiorite" from Love Hina Christmas movie)
Mahou Tsukai Tai Girls: Over the Rainbow Single (love the song...got it for the karaoke track).
What a mouthful.
So tired of school...got another programming & problem answering assignment handed back to me. I got 89/100 (the programming part was worth 65 points). Highest grade was 96. Only 1 guy got above 90. Which means I'm #2. Average grade was 48. It's not that I can't do the work, but rather, it's just so boring....
Must graduate.
I am pretty POed at DHL right now. So I'm supposed to be expecting a package today (actually two, but I got the other once since it's done by the post office rather than stupid DHL). So this morning, I get the buzz from downstairs. Since I was expecting it, I darted down the 5 flights of stairs as fast as I could. It couldn't have been more than 30 seconds. However, when I got down there, there was NO ONE. NO CAR. NO NOTE. At that time, I thought it was just someone pressing the wrong doorbell button. So I wait all afternoon inside my apartment patiently, and at 4pm, I see on the tracking web site that they attempted to deliver but didn't. Of course, at that time, I was pretty pissed already since I was home, they just didn't wait.
So I gave the 800 number of call telling them the situation and for them to keep it so I can pick up at night. 8pm, I tell them. Okay, so I go there around 8:30 to pick it up. Thinking that I was all set, I got up there telling them I'm there to pick up a package. They ask me for a bill number (tracking number). I tell them that I called, so they should know. They said they needed the tracking number, at which point I admitted that I didn't bring it with me. They said I had to come back tomorrow. I then try some calling to people with Internet when I realized that I had my laptop with me! So I bust out the laptop and get the tracking number. I tell them, and they go looking. But first, they try typing it into the computer, and whaddaya know, the computer's "down." But they decided to go check the "hold" bin anyway. They come back with a nada and tell me I'll have to come back tomorrow. I ask that they type the number again, and this time it worked! So they say, oh it must be in the cages. They go there, and I wait. They come back with nothing. They give me a phone number of the supervisor or someone and send me on my way with no package. BUT I KNOW THEY HAVE IT. BASTARDS.
I see that the crap is hitting the fan. So I've been spending all day working on my database project. It was supposed to be a replacement for 'scribbles, but their god-awful restricts kept it from being better. Anyway, 10 hours later of cranking out perl code and postgres database, I have something that works pretty well (unlike scribbles, this one is multi-user, which means you sign in and add your own journal entries...plus, there's a commenting system as well as a search by subject...although, I still like scribbles better for simplicity and PHP, and mySQL). But for the past hour, access to the database as well as the web site we're supposed to be developing on has been slowing down. I guess everyone else is compiling their stuff now too. I just need to put in some fake data.
Ahh! My little cross country data backup has hit a snag! I usually keep my programming projects on a CVS repository in California. So, everytime I do an update, I save it to the computer in California. That way, if I'm at a computer lab, I can always pull up the lastest copy of my work (and then save it so I don't have to deal with multiple versions). However, because of the big storms in California, I'm sure my house got a power outage, and as such, my server there is not responding! I can't do any work! Nor can I work on Hina* since it's saved in the same way!
I finished reading the bonus manga, "Itsu Datte My Santa" which came with one of the Iro-Hina mangas. Very cute story. For the next big update in Hina*, I'm planning on putting up the translations to the story (I'm not doing translated scans though, since I would NEVER break the spine of my books to scan...plus, it's blatantly illegal since anyone can buy the book that this story comes with). However, Ken Akamatsu provides the last three pages of the manga in full color on his web page, so I made translations for those. If you want to preview, they're here: next to penultimate page, penultimate page, and last page.
Owatta! Just finished the last book, book 4, of Azumanga Daioh. What an entertaining series! Now I've just gotta wait 3 more weeks until the DVDs come!
And thank goodness I don't have any more classes until Monday. I'm down with a nasty cold. Looks like someone's not going to go outside for a while (I was really planning on anyway since I've got projects up the *** to do). Sucks.
I saw someone get rescued today. So during my lunch break, I decided to drop by Asahiya to get my weekly fix of Shonen Magazine. Took the 9 train down from school, went on the shuttle to Grand Central and exited towards Asahiya. Just outside Grand Central, there was large gathering of firetrucks and police cars, as well as a large group of bystanders looking up. I looked where they were looking and saw a window washer's platform (you know, those things they stand on that are suspended by rope from the top of the building) in a very awkward position. Rather than being flat, I believe one of the ropes loosened and the platform was at a 30 degree angle. Yeah, it was only on about the 4th floor, but still, falling from that onto asphalt is not going to be pleasant. As I walked by, a firetruck was extending it's ladder towards the guy. When I came out of the bookstore, I could hear people clapping and cheering because the guy was safely rescued. I don't know what they're going to do with the platform, but at least there's no guy in there.
Back in my little apartment, and I finally get to watch Love Love Hina: Tokyo on a TV! I brought the DVD with me (yes, I have TWO copies of it. The first one is the regular edition, which I bought before I knew there was a limited edition...and so this ine is just a backup copy =)...I also have two copies of KareKano Vol 1 soundtracks with the same excuse...maybe I should sell one of them).
Anywho, I got a nice call from the CC company today because they were curious about a Amazon charge of $200 bucks. I say it's the Japan wing of Amazon, right? She says yes. And then she proceeds to ask me some security questions. Blah. Stupid. 90% of my purchases with this credit card since April have required Yen conversions. You would think they'd get a clue. But it's okay...better than actually having someone else use my credit card and then trying to fight the CC company to prove that it wasn't me.
Less than 12 hours before I take off on the plane trip back to New York. Of course, I have some things to take along. This time, it's a few manga books that I've had, but never got around to finish reading. So...I'll be bringing "Ai ga Tomaranai" Vol. 1 (bought this a while ago...actually have vol. 2 in NYC, but can't read that until I finish vol. 1, which was here in Santa Cruz) as well as the first three books to KareKano. Vol. 2 & 3 are still in the plastic wrappings. Tempted to bring my Sailormoon stuff, but I know I won't finish it in a month, given that KareKano is rather long...longer than Love Hina I think.
I finished Azumanga Daioh #3, and probably finish the last book by the end of the week. I ended up ordering from Anime Jungle after all. I'm getting the 3 Drama CDs to Hand Maid May (Usually Y3000 each, I'm getting them for Y1600 each) as well as the Anime Jungle production "Junko Jan-Jan!" DVD (it's a live action cosplay).
I've just voted, have you? (Since I'll be on a plane all day tomorrow, I filled in my absentee ballot).
Sucks that I have to go back to NYC tomorrow. Not that I don't like NYC, but I have to crunch through a pile of homework (finished one today, one more to go for Thursday).
Ah, screw the staying up. I'm tired. Plus, there's nothing I really need to buy anyways. I've already got about $500 bucks worth of anime/manga related merchandise on my Amazon Japan order list (already confirmed order and waiting for backorder/preorders to come in)...and I'm torturing myself so I can save $4 dollars on a CD?
Consider yours truly PASSED OUT!
I have to stay awake for another 2.5 hours until 2am PST. I was 45 minutes away from doing that last night...but tonight, I will achieve! Reason being, there's a huge sale going on at Anime Jungle and they update their list at 7pm JST, which is 2AM PST.
At least I can keep myself busy by finish up one of my homework assignments.
At the airport today, I was one of the unlucky ones singled out for a frisking in front of the gate. Since I don't like my kanji flashcards becoming loose in my backpack, I put them in a ziplock bag. The inspectress there look a long hard look at it, probably thinking they were drugs or something. "They're flashcards, I say."