Japanese sure is a difficult language to learn. Verbally, the vocabulary is quite easy. In terms of writing however, it takes on a whole new meaning of "difficult" to say the least. I have a real-life friend (not naming any names here) that supposedly speaks the language fluently. He can't read or write it though. I am finding more people that can speak it; far less can read or write it. I am making attempts to do both simultaneously. My aunt is considering purchasing Rosetta Stone and learn the language at my side. It would be nice to have a "study buddy" to tackle this opponent with .

You may or may not know this, but the Japanese language consists of four alphabets. Hiragana is the first one, it is made up of 92 different characters. Katakana also has 92 different characters but it is used primarily in foreign words (names, for instance). Roumanji uses the Latin character system (the character system that is used in English) to verbalize words. The final, and by far the most difficult, system to learn is Kanji. The kanji are those oh-so-complex characters that you see in the Chinese alphabet. As a matter of fact, that is where the kanji came from. To be "fluent", one must know over 1,900 kanji .

Needless to say, I will have my plate full with this one for quite some time. After a year or two of hacking at it myself and with my aunt, I plan on taking college courses over the language. If you can offer me any help with the language, please send me an e-mail or post a comment. I have a book and a few CDs to help with speech. I am going to try to learn verbs alongside hiragana and katakana. That should teach me some kanji on top of the whole shabang!

TIME TO PLAY MORE GAMES! I dug out my N64 out a few days back. My mom and I have been playing Super Mario 64 and Animal Crossing on the Gamecube. I have also been going after it on Banjo-Kazooie on the N64. They may be cartoony games, but they are fun . I'll post again later!

So I spent the past ten days up in Kansas City, Missouri. I stayed with my aunt and uncle for a week out of the ten days; I stayed with my cousin for the other three. We did a few things up there. Aside from gaining ten pounds off of my aunt's wonderful cooking, my aunt, uncle, and I went to a museum. The museum we went to was a mental health museum up in St. Joseph, Missouri. We spent a few hours looking at the progress of mental health care. I had a few hallucinations while we were there, but I managed to pull thru. I only had to take one emergency med when I was there.

Unfortunately, not all of the trip was well. My eleven year old cousin really knows how to press buttons on the old piss offo meter. What really got my goat was when he started to look at me, giggle, and masturbate. It was rather nasty. He also made it clear that he likes two girls, one cup. For those who are not familiar with 2 girls one cup, it is two lesbians taking a shit in a cup and then eating it. Another cousin that I have is three, going on four, years old. He is very friendly and energetic; also quite playful. "Up, up!" he yelled at me. This cousin also asked, "Do you want to be a lesbian with me?" Lord only knows where he learned the definition of "lesbian" at.

I plan on going back on October 21st of this year. My aunt has her 65th birthday on September 13, 2010 . I plan on saying this early...happy birthday, Aunt Sissie! My aunt is also helping me with my Japanese. We are considering purchasing Rosetta Stone. I will gladly split the cost . I am feeling rather ill at the moment. Ragweed has come off a case of hay fever for me. I haven't had hay fever for a few years . On a side note, I had my picture taken while I was up there. Here it is!

I have been reading (shocker!). The book I picked out from the library is Something Wicked this way Comes; by Ray Bradbury. This book tops even The Cather in the Rye. This means that I have a new favorite book and a new favorite author . I am 75 percent of the way thru the book. It is just like watching a movie or TV show. I stop every 20 pages to simulate commercials. I find that this keeps me more interested in the novel. I won't tell anyone what the book is about. If you really want to know, then pick up the book and read it yourself, watch the movie, or wait until I finish and I will review it (blocking out spoilers of course). I have read three novels by Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451, Dandelion Wine; and most recently, Something Wicked this way Comes. I love them all with the exception of Dandelion Wine.

Well in personal news, I am probably going up north to Kansas City (Liberty) to visit family. I love it up there in the city! There is a chance that I might not get to go this weekend, though (car problems). Even with car problems, I think that the trek can take place. Worse case scenario, I can take a bus.

I will post again once I finish Something Wicked this way Comes. Until then, keep your nose clean!

I went swimming at a friend's pool today. It really helped work out my shoulder pain. There were tons of wasps making homes around the pool's parameter; I am lucky that I didn't get poked by one . This time I did not wear cologne; they are less attracted to you if you don't wear anything like perfume or cologne. It was nice swimming around and getting on a floatie and just relaxing. I hope that I don't get a sunburn . Oh well...if I do, it just means that I will get a tan to top off my pasty complexion. I will take anything to top off my Irish tan. I am not fully Irish, but I tan like one, that's for sure; call me paste man, man what looks like paste! Oh well, I need to wash all the pool goo off of me (after I finish writing this blog). Before that, some kids in a nearby town decided to do nasty things in a public pool. They broke in after hours and took a monster shit in the pool. Then shortly after that, another kid did the same thing. The kids are still at large; I am never going to a public pool again (except at the YMCA).

I am for sure going to go to the gym this coming Monday. The pool has helped my injury out, so I should be back in action! I have learned not to trust random newbies to spot me. Not just on a bench press, but on any machine or free weight. I have a workout partner, and he was not there yesterday, but even if he was, I would not trust him with my life to spot me (then why did I trust a total stranger??). Also....for not being there to lift with me yesterday, I am going to PUNISH my workout partner when we lift on Monday (if he even shows up). He does his "usual workout" on a Bow Flex. I've used a Bow Flex a few times, and they don't do jack for me like free weights or any other weight machines do.

Tonight, I am going to watch Evangelion 2.22 - You Can (Not) Advance. This is the only Evangelion movie I haven't seen. I look forward to watching it. If it is like any of the other movies and / or the series, then I will totally crap my pants in ecstasy. I just can't wait to watch it. I'll watch it after my shower. I will post what I think of it tomorrow after I get back from Sunday School and church. I promise to watch Viper's Creed soon! Until next time, GAO!@~

Well my mom had a wonderful birthday this past Wednesday! Unfortunately she wound up cooking for the house. I guess she does not trust my cooking . I was going to make nachos. Even though they are hard at first, the cheese makes the chips nice and soggy after around five minutes. She really does enjoy her wind chimes . Yesterday I tried to get her some of her favorite candy, but the candy store didn't carry it. The other store in town did carry it, but I did not have enough money to get even half of a pound. I learned yesterday that cheaper is not always better. Sorry, mom .

I hurt myself lifting weights today. I was doing a flat bench press and the guy spotting me was a total newbie and dropped the weight right where my left deltoid and right pectoral connect. I had to stop my workout right there; too much pain and I couldn't move my left arm hardly at all. This is the last time I do any free bench exercises without a spotter I trust; not a random pud that can only lift 200 pounds. I am feeling better, but it still hurts like holy hell. I should be back on track at my normal workout time this comming Monday .

Joplin is an odd little city tucked away in the southwest corner of the state of Missouri. It has many perks; the big buildings and traffic of a large city, and the quaint charm of a small town. I am going to run down a list of the things that make Joplin what it is. It varies in climate, population and weather. Each has their pros and cons; I personally like it here for the most part, but there are a few things that I would like to have changed around bit. Let's start out with Joplin's variable, and rather unpredictable climate.

There is a saying that they say around here: if you don't like the weather around here, wait ten minutes. The city has a "dome" around it. Where the city is positioned makes it difficult for storms to hit. When storms do hit though, boy howdy is it a big impact! The summers are dry and brutal; the humidity is most always between 85% and 100%, so heat indices are up there too. July and August temperatures hover around 95 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter is also dry for the most part. We get snow, but we also get wind and that makes it incredibly cold. Winter temperatures are around 10 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter isn't too god awful bad, but summer is horrible!

We get a below-average precipitation rating, but flowers and vegetables manage to blossom just fine. As a matter of fact, my mother usually plants tomatoes, peppers, radishes, and herbs every year and they manage to blossom into beautiful, and tasty, plants. She didn't get around to planting them this , but her herbs came up from last year and they turned out just fine! She even grew carrots last year. They didn't turn out so hot, but she gave it her best shot. She harvests and saves parsley and basil and some other herbs which I don't know of every year. From the soil to the freezer they go. Boy they sure do make her food taste a hell of a lot better. In fact, I just can't imagine her food without her herbs.

Transportation in this town is a hoot. You have three options for public transportation. You have the bus, the trolley and the cab. The bus is horrible. You have to call about 24 hours in advance and they charge you 4 dollars each way you go. The trolley, which is what I use, is the best out of the three choices. You have to meet them at a designated stop. The drivers are idiots and keep the A/C off and doors open half the time. They even miss your stops, which can be bad if you are on your way to work! It one dollar each way, two if you have them come to you, 50 cents if you have a disability card, and free with a prepaid pass. The pass is $30/month ($15 for disability). The cab is just that, a cab. It costs $15 to go across town, gg.

There are good parts to the transportation dilemma. It is a pain the ass to walk across town in the summer heat. Say you don't have a standing bus order, call a trolley deviation! Not near a trolley station or don't feel like walking, choke out some cash and call a cab! Say you are at a trolley stop, wait for the trolley to stop by and shell out a dollar for a cool, refreshing ride across town. Even if you don't want to take a cab or don't feel like walking, call in a deviation for the trolley and pay two dollars. Still less money and you won't die in the heat. I know people in Texas and Arizona deal with greater heat, you have to take into consideration we are only lacking in a few degrees from you.

The last part about Joplin I want to tell everyone about is the population. Joplin has a huge population, that's what gives it the big city charm. There is a bad side, though. With such a diverse population, you are bound to have assholes lurking around. They range into people cutting you off on the road, yelling at you while you're walking, giving you glares, and just plain flipping you off. Yes it is very easy to get frustrated and just downright pissed off in this city. You will run into the person who likes to bump into your shoulder in attempt to move you. Usually they stay away from me because I am muscular, but there is always the exception. Why do they insist on being asshats? I have not the faintest idea...

There are good citizens in town, too. There are those that make way for you. There are ones that wave and say, "Hello!" I am one of those. If I make eye contact with someone, I almost always say, "Hi," or "Hello." Just today I made three female friends by introducing myself; it seems that my shyness is gone! I made two friends at the mall and one on the trolley ride home. While I was at the mall, someone helped me shop for shirts. While I did not buy anything today, I know what I should buy when I go back to Hot Topic. Speaking of shirts, my Dad bought me a nice olive-green polo shirt today. It fits and breathes easy. It didn't cost much, so I don't feel all that guilty for him buying it.

On another subject...anime! I found a more recent anime to watch and review. It is called Viper's Creed. I think that it was released in 2008. It is supposed to be in the same genre as Ghost in the Shell. It is short, only l2 episodes, so I should get it done farily quickly. I will start on it tomorrow . One last matter...there is a special event that is going to take place on July 21st. I will post details on the 20th and set it off on the 21st. I will post again when something comes up. Until then, stay happy~

Yesterday and today have both been pretty interesting days. Yesterday, a storm came wailing in around 9:00 and I went to the gym with a friend around 12:00pm. That shit is waaaay too early for me. I am more of a 2pm to 3pm person. Any earlier and I just have don't have any energy to spare. Today I went on a great adventure. The trolley driver missed my spot once, and he almost missed my second stop. I kept yelling at him, but he never answered. When he eventually realized what he had done, he apologized profusely. So I was stuck on one trolley for two hours, and a second for one hour. Three fcking hours on a trolley... sucks! Considering half of trip was unbearable; the driver thought the weather outside was perfect, so why crank the A/C up... it is perfect ! Needless to say, that wore me down. When I got back home, my folks asked what was wrong with me. "Nothing," I said, "nothing at all!". I was pretty angry at the trolley drivers. I mean, they are good people, they were just acting like morons today. Here is a new picture of me. The quality is low because it was taken on an old cell phone. Also, excuse the Irish tan. Plus I have my shamrock hat on!



I am in need of some good music. The kind I crave is techno / trance. I have means to acquire music, I just don't know any worthy artists. Please name some artists and I will be eternally grateful! I don't know many artists, just "DJ Quicksilver". Please help me out!

Two posts in one day...omgwtflag!

So tonight I watched End of Evangelion for the second time. It is a very interesting movie; a must see for any Eva fan. You know that crappy ending ("CONGRADULATIONS!"). Well this movie provides an "alternative" ending. Oh it is such a super-duper movie. It has an exciting, unpredictable ending. With out further ado, here is a short summary of the movie. I put in in "spoiler" fashion. Hover over the black lines if you wish to hear about the movie. Don't want to know? Then don't hover over it, silly! The pictures are snapshots I took during the movie. They are pretty cool.

First and foremost, let me break this down. In this movie, everybody dies! Everybody except Shinji that is; I'll get onto that later . The movie starts with Shinji as Asuka's bedside, she got fucked up majorily eariler. He goes crazy and hits her limp body. This pops her top and leaves her "exposed." Well Shinji likes this, because he stares and faps. Soldiers from SEELE then begin attacking NERV headquarters. They get far in; around this time the eva pilots are ordered to get into their EVAs. Asuka gets thrown into her's while she's still dead to the world. She recovers quickly and was ready for action. Shinji was blubbering like a baby; Rei left her room and went to the location of the first angel. SEELE sends their own, fully-mature EVAs. Then it's Asuka -vs- Nine mature EVAs. Her plug gets yanked, so she's on borrowed time. She was doing well until the other EVAs regenerated and then jumped her and ate her....gg. Misato gets shot and says her final words to Shinji; she gives him her cross, kisses him, then throws him in an elevator...then she dies. Shinji then comes out in his EVA and sees Asuka's remains; he flips out hardcore. Rei turns on Shinji's dad and merges with ADAM (the first angel). After rescuing Shinji, thousands of little Rei's spawn and kill everyone. They turn people to liquid...again, gg. That's about it for the movie; I won't give out the absolute ending right here...go watch it yourself !



So I went to the mall again today. I decided to STUFF my shy side and make conversation with everyone I could find, mostly females though. I made a few friendships. I figure "don't rush things and don't act desperate!" So I just said "hi" and had small, five minute conversations with them. Every time I go to the mall, I will STUFF my shyness again and make more friends. Eventually I will find a "special friend" if I keep it up . Until next time, enjoy a good song!

Today I would like to introduce you, the reader, to an old time favorite game of mine. As you may guess, the game is Lufia & the Fortress of Doom. The game is about four villains called the Sinstrals that are made with pure evil. At the start of the game, you are on the island known as Doom Island. This is where the Sinstrals reside. Your character's levels are the mid to high 70s, so all of the enemies are defeated quite easily. The objective here is to defeat the Sinstrals using the Dual Blade that is bestowed upon Maxim (the hero). This is literally foolproof; once you do this, Doom Island falls into the sea. Now, 99 years later, the game really begins.

The battle system is like that of Final Fantasy is as because it is turn-based. Leveling in the game is very easy. Don't go overboard though! You will want to get by on bare bones leveling until you get your last party member or else your party's level range will be a bloody mess. The controls are very easy: control pad to move, and the A & B buttons to select/deselect. X & Y to check status on items. So we can see that the controls and battle system are easy. I see no need to go any further into the game mechanics.

Yesterday I checked out a book at the library (yes, ): Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. I read one of his more famed novels, Fahrenheit 451 and figured that I should give his other books a chance. I have gotten into chapter IV and am hooked on it. I read one or two chapters at a time, then I take a break. I am not a power reader, so I read very slowly. I have three weeks to read it before I have to return it. I think I'll have it knocked out in one--like I said, I am a slow reader! After I read this, I am probably going to read Lés Miserables (sp?). I loved that book, Jean Valjean (sp?) was perhaps best character in any book that I have read.

On another note, I am feeling much better. Not suicidal, not depressed, not crazy, just feeling gooooooooooooooooooooood. That's all for this post: bye~

While at the mall a few days ago, I ran into an old crush/girlfriend of mine. I engaged in conversation with her, and she did not even remember my name! Needless to say, my heart was broken into a billion little pieces. She was only one out of a a handful of "girlfriends" that I have ever had. She is also the only one that I miss with my whole heart. I am not saying her name, just in case some reader recognizes her. Needless to say, I wrote a poem to express my feelings. I don't know if it is "well-written" or not, but try not to critique me too badly. With further ado, here it is: Anonymous Love.

Anonymous Love...    Say I to my Anonymous Love, why pain? Why...    What have you done    With my lonely heart;    Why hast thou torn it apart?    Sweet, sweet, girl    Such cruelty you hast shown    Showing pain and make my emotions twirl.    Spiteful love, tear my heart,    Why show such pain and anguish on my heart    Anonymous love, go and tear mine apart.    Say I to my Anonymous Love, cease the pain so our love can flourish once again... Anonymous Love...

I start Adult Sunday School next Sunday at 9:30am. I am looking forward to increasing my knowledge of the bible and of the religions of the world! Well that's all I'm going to post today. Just another post that shares my sorrow. If it's not suicide, it is being ignored by my old high school crush. Oh well, I hope you all had a great 4th of July~