Of Accomplishments and Disappointments

Man, sometimes I surprise myself with my own cleverness.

Shaddup, Francis! I'm not being cocky or anything! Go read a Madagascaran-English dictionary.

Well, I accomplished my goal of finishing chapter 25 BY Christmas. It was a very close one, being 1:14 am Christmas morning, but I did it! And now I am trying to work my way through the next chapter. I made a little outline of things I want to accomplish in the next two chapters, so I'm going to kick in my freaky skills and try to write all that I want to write but make it work at the same time.

which, these few chapters really suck. Who'da thunk that writing about politics would be so hard! My brain felt like oatmeal blended with soggy bread and cereal once I finished that chapter.

Luckily, I got a book to read. CB was kind enough to let me read Alcatraz vs. The Shattered Lens. He was very kind indeed, because I gave him that book for Christmas.

Alas, that is where my great disappointment comes in. I read it, enjoyed it, finished it, and started cursing up a storm at Sanderson. Man! I hate waiting for books! It was bad enough with Harry Potter but now I have TWO books to wait for. TWO! Not one, TWO! The second book to The Heroes of Olympus (the first being The Lost Hero. Sooo good!) and the fifth Alcatraz book.

Upon finishing that book, I went to his website to see he was writing it. I suspect it is the "Untitled Urban Fantasy" that says is 53% done. I say this because

1) Amazon "claims" that the latest book is the "fourth and final installment" of the series.
2) I refuse to believe that because the fourth book ends in a non-closure sense. He's still not tied to the altar!

So, I am forced to wait a whole year. Grrr. Snarl. Scream. Gnash. Bite. Fang-stab. And all that other stuffage.

I made a to-do list. It's very long. But I'll work on it.

Yeah, that's all. . .ciao!

The infiltrator has been infiltrated!

That sounds really cool doesn't it? I felt like typing that even though it's totally the wrong blog and all. man, can I handle two blogs at once? This will be interesting. For those of you who are following me on facebook, you might as well go find something else to do because I'm probably not going to be there often. My blog is the best way to know what I'm doing.

Tonikaku, Mandi's in the missionary torture center, I just sent her her first letter from watashi, and I got my christmas shopping done! I had difficulty finding my present-of-choice for the father lord (thanks to a white cherokee >:P) but it all worked out great. Tomorrow's going to be wrapping it all up and then writing. Yes, writing. You see, I have a goal to finish chapter 25 by christmas. If I don't then the consequences will be very severe. Mastah and I had a very long discussion on this.

Don't forget your words Mastah!!!

So, that should be good for me. And I'm reading a very good book: The Lost Hero: Book 1 of The Heroes of Olympus. It's the new series by Riordan. So far very good! I like it!

Anywho, my computer is threatening to reboot if I don't do something about it so, tally-ho!

*scampers*

It's alive?

Either my water bottle is alive or there's something living in the tap water of Cedar City, Utah. Some nights I hear scratching noises coming from the "Never Thrist" aluminum bottle by my head. Other times it's little pops like big pieces of pop rocks going off in your mouth.

And right now it's letting off puffs of. . .something. . . .

I think it's farting. . . .

tonikaku, it's alive. Somehow. . . .

I also saw two white cherokees today. TWO! That's DOUBLE the bad luck, bad ju-ju! I'm really concerned for what that'll turn out to be. And I saw both of them within ten minutes of each other! Scary!

For those of you who don't know: white jeep cherokees are bad luck. It started on the first jeep trail I ever went on. We were stuck behind a white cherokee the entire way and they treated ever. single. pebble/stick as a ginormous obstacle (wow, ginormous is a word!). At first, my family and I would make fun of them. But then weird things started happening. Traffic jams. Cars falling a part. Failing tests. Almost getting hit by a car.

So, we realized that they are bad luck. And I crossed the path of two of them! *cries* I'm nervous.

Although, I'm playing solitaire right now and I keep losing. Not a big deal because I'm playing it to cool down my over-worked brain before bedtime (and exhaust it further so it'll stay quiet tonight).

Okay, that's all. Toodles!

Lies and False Advertisement

So, I'm normally a happy person and I hate getting mad or annoyed, so when I do it's pretty serious. And I just got even more annoyed with the SUU Bookstore. I found out how they do their buyback stuff.

So, if the bookstore is buying it from you to put back on the shelves downstairs, then it's 50-60% buyback price. BUT if it's going into storage, or they're sending it back to the retailer, then it's 25% buyback price. I was so annoyed when I heard this. That's false advertisement! No wonder why more and more students are turning to the internet to get books and stuff. At least you can sell it yourself for a better price.

I am going to give a shot at my PE book, and i might just let them have it either way (if they take it that is). But, one thing's for sure, my goal this Christmas is to sell all the textbooks I currently own online. And next semester, I'll just pop into one of the Nutrition classes and offer to sell my clicker for $15, and I'll throw in a set of batteries for good measure.

But, yeah, it just ticked me off. I knew already that I wouldn't get a good deal, but I thought it would at least be better than four dollars for a book I paid 16 for, and $9 on a clicker that I bought brand new (which was $40 by the way). Before the recession, any and every book was bought back at 50%.

Don't worry, I'll calm down. It's Friday, finals is next week, I don't have a final in Mythology anymore because I did the reading, took all of the quizzes, and only missed two days of classes. so, I'm going to relax today and then start the study fest tomorrow. I want a break.

I also saw the second Transformers movie last night. I thought it was good but I hated how much crude humor was in it. I can handle the mom getting high, but not all the sexual references and whatnot. It's just not condusive to the storyline. And the only strong character was Sam and the ex-Section 7 agent. Everyone else wasn't that great.

Well, that's all for now. Lord Byron is behaving himself. He's been chilling on all of my scriptures, and probably reading my book (not Samurai but the one I'm reading right now: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman).

Toodles!

Thanksgiving

Aaaaaah, I love thanksgiving. One gets to hang out at home, stuff one's face, and then go play. The turkey's were delicious and the rolls exquisite. It was lovely.

And I saw two movies that same day too. I saw Harry Potter again (and now I REALLY want to read the books again. In order since it's been a long time) and Tangled. Tangled was pretty cute. I thought the storyline was very well-done. I just wish it was in the good ol' animation instead of CGI. It would have been a lot better, in my opinion. It was really good, I would recommend it.

I also bought a book yesterday. It's called The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. It sounds really interesting, got a newberry medal award, and I had a 30% off coupon. So, it was all good.

yeah, er, that's all really. Toodles!

And in the forecast: TURKEY!!!

So, I'm home and I have ABSOLUTELY NO HOMEWORK!!! Yep, I finished it all and it's wonderful!

So, I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Saturday. I greatly enjoyed it. It made me want to read the book again, but I think I'll reread the series again, starting January next year. Or just forget all of them and read #7. dunno. I'll think about that and let you know.

Book update: finished reading Seeing Redd and got started on Archenemy. So far, it's way intense and I'm not even 30 pages into it!

So, I have a latest addition to my little animal friends. His name is Lord Byron, and he is a little black and green snake about 5 inches long. I found him alone and cold in the parking lot of my apartment. So I brought him in and stuck him on top of my dresser, well away from my three little goaties. You see, him being a snake, I figured he might try to harm my little goaties so he's isolated from them.

Unless he gets smart and jumps from the dresser to my bed and then slithers over to them. Gosh, I hope that doesn't happen. Granted, I just found the little guy so I don't know what kind of character he is, but if he turns out to be less innocent than he appears, my goaties just might have an archnemesis. *gasp*

If I end up getting some sort of story idea out of this, I will totally let you all know. you all being anyone and anybody that reads this blog.

Sooooo, yeah, that's about it. . . .oh. SUU totally cancelled classes yesterday because of the blizzard that was coming. It was pretty sweet, but hectic at the same time. CB and I were running around everywhere trying to get our stuff together so we could leave. Needless to say we got four flat tires, CB got dragged off by arctic wolves, and the rest of us got attacked by rabid prairie dogs and ravenous ravens. it was quite the ordeal. It wasn't until it started snowing that we were able to rescue and piece Chris back together, chop down a tree and fashion skis for the car and get on our way before there was twenty feet of snow on the ground. Trust me, it was pretty intense.

Well, that's all. Happy Thanksgiving!! *gobble gobble*

MIKE'S HOME!!!!!

Random Moment

Amazing isn't it? I'm posting. AGAIN!! But that's because I've had a few more discoveries.

My favorite episode of Wizard's of Waverly Place is when Alex and Harper switch bodies and they can't switch back. At one point, both brains go into Alex's head. Here is what she says to Justin when she's trying to get his help:

"I have two brains in my head!"

Harper also manages to take some control over Alex's legs. Here's what happens:

Alex: "Drat! You figured out how to use my feet!"
Harper's brain: "You have such a short attention span that it's not hard to take over."

yeah, it was awesome. I also watched Master and Commander for the first time. I had only owned the soundtrack for five years and listened to it every now and then. But my favorite part in that is when the doctor is fixing a man's skull. All the crew members are gathered around. Here's what happens:

Crewman: Is that his brain?
Doctor: No, it's just a bit of dried blood. This here is his brain.
Everyone: *moves closer* Oooooh.

Overall, I thought it was a good movie. It's kinda slow, yes, but rather fascinating I think. I also did Benson Creek again yesterday. Sooo fun! Except that the water was FREEZING and I got more WET this time than last. But, that's what makes it so fun! I love showing my body what it can handle and mild hypothermia is one of them.

don't you love fall daylight savings? I woke up and thought it's not eight o'clock, it's seven! sleep in! It was wonderful.

Psych starts again this week. ^_^ I got more of my project proposal written up. ^_^ I don't have anymore stressing tests until finals. ^_^ Today, I'm going to read and write, but mostly read. I'm reading The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. So far I like it! I recommend it to Alice in Wonderland fans. It's a fun spin-off of that.

Well that's all. Winston suggests you look up Callipygian and use it to someone you think would not hit you. We learned it from a game last night. Tally Ho!

Hellloooo. . . .

Psych comes on again next week! I'm so excited! I've been in the mood for some new episodes.

Yeah, that's all. Nothing really new to report. I have my goaties, I'm trying to retain what little sanity I have left until Thanksgiving, and try to find the gumption to work on the THREE STINKIN' SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES I HAVE TO WRITE!!!!

*deep calming breaths*

I'm not stressed out at all! Nope! Not one bit!

Benson Creek

It's not November yet!! okay, so this is the way fun Benson Creek that I did October 2. These pictures were taken by T. Banks. The first one is of me rappelling down the first waterfall which was 105 ft. That's the longest rappel I've ever done. Then the second waterfall which was only 32 ft, the third is 43 ft, and the fourth and last was 34 ft. On this one, this girl that came with us decided to do the Spiderman maneuver. It was awesome. So, see and enjoy!

Jekka Jones signing out!

PICTURES

Coming soon. . . .to a computer near you. . . .

I thought I wasn't in Kansas. . . .

Sooooo, I turned on the news for some background sounds as I made oishii yakisoba (with tuna, which was okay but not as good as chicken) when a very strange thing came on:

There is a tornado watch in Central and Southeast (Lake Powell area) Utah.

yes, that's right, a TORNADO watch. Not a lightening watch or a flash flood watch (though that is a big concern at the moment with all the rain we're getting here in Southern Utah) but a TORNADO.

That's the big funnel clouds that threaten places like Kansas, Tennessee, Nebraska, and Texas but can't survive long in Utah because of the moun'ains. It's big and black and comes out when there's mixtures of high and low pressure. Well, apparently Lake Powell's gonna get a little trip to Oz.

On top of that, this little storm system that's sucking out moisture from the Pacific and spitting it out in Arizona and Utah is supposed to keep going until this weekend. Since Sunday, it's been stormy skies and lots of rain. I'm loving it, but it does make me tired.

So, yeah, that's all. It's the end of the world, as my roommate put it.

$1.00 Books and Not Complete Series

So, a long time ago I got a series recommendation from the EPG Minion Fiend to read The Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron. Well, they sounded fascinating so I added it to my ever growing list of books to read. Alas, I kind of forgot about it until today when I went into the SUU bookstore.

They have Books III and V on the dollar shelf.

So, I'm torn right now. Do I buy them or not? If I buy them, then I would be inclined to seek out the rest of the series. And because these are hardback, I, of course, would want to get the rest of them in hardback. Just because I'm OCB (Obsessive-complusive Bookworm).

So, that is my current dilemma. And its midterms and I have a test in practically every single class until next Wednesday. Luckily, I got two of the five out of the way BUT the one I'm most nervous for is this Thursday and I'm quite nervous for it.

Plus I'm trying to type up a short project I did but the more I type it up, the more I realize I didn't do that great of a job on thinking it up in the first place. But, we didn't have that much time anyways so I hope I get at least a decent score on it. don't you hate that? You didn't procrastinate at all but you still don't have enough time to do it so it feels like a half-job? Luckily, it's not my real project. That will be much better.

Well, that's all for now. I got pictures from a super awesome hike I did last Saturday (alas, I missed the first session of Conference but it was so worth it) and I'll post a few of the fun ones later. Hopefully tomorrow. My goal is tomorrow.

Until then, I will keep stewing about this book series and let you know what happens. Tally ho!

Thrashing hands and knees

I know! Crazy isn't it?! It's only been like a week instead of a month! This is just like my journal-writing habits. Only if something awesome happens do I write in it often.

But, alas, nothing really exciting happened. . .except I've become addicted to rock climbing. I blame my tallest (Christoph). he invited me to go rock climbing with the club last week and I loved it. I thrashed my fingers and knees kinda bad that time, and I did again this week. Strangely enough, its only my left hand that gets scraped, and my left knee. I must switch to using those more than my other side when I'm scaling a rock face. But, I love it. It's lots of fun.

Yesterday I did this climb called Missie's Playhouse. It was pretty fun, but then I got to the hard part where you have to try to get your body onto a ledge using practically nothing. I tried twice then decided to stop as it was getting dark. But, it was pretty fun.

So, yeah, I found a new hobby and its lots of fun. I just wish I had money so I could get my own equipment, mainly shoes and caribeners. but a nice long some-odd feet of rope would be cool too.

yeah, that's all. I like rock climbing now. I might do narrows again this saturday. My only crux is that I suddenly have a ton of homework that all needs to be done by next week. the majority being monday and tuesday. soooo, who knows what I'll do. I really want to go. Like really super uper duper bad. I love the narrows. . . .

Toodles!

Reading and writing but. . . .

It's all homework, dash it all! I want to write, but I'm sick of the computer. I want to read, but I'm sick of reading. I want to go outside and take a nice long walk but I've been practically everywhere and there's really no place I'm interested in going to. I would love to get a library card and check out some books for the library but I have some obstacles in my way:

1) I'm reading a book right now, with another book series I'm going to read when I finish it, and another one after that. (for those interested: The Dalemark Quartet, The Looking-glass Wars, and The Hunger Games)

B. As mentioned above, I'm working through homework. Nothing serious but it's just a bunch of busy work. Alot of textbook reading and 1 page report writing.

III. I have no time to read.

So, that's my current predicament. I'd really like to write. That would be nice. I do want to finish editing/revising by my birthday next year so I can start trying to submit it to editors and whatnot. Man, I'm more interested in doing that than trying to get into grad school! But, I have no money to get into grad school, so while I'm working and saving money I might as well try to accomplish my dream right?

Anywho, I've become a whiner this semester so I'm going to stop now. I had oyakodon with horensou in it. It was very tasty. I love washoku. I'm feeling very full right now, but when that goes away I think I'll have some ice cream. I bought brownie mix today but I'm too full to make that. Methinks I'll make it tomorrow.

Last week I went rock climbing. SOOOOO fun! Except that I tore a chunk of skin out of my middle finger and it hurts something fierce! I'm going rock climbing again tomorrow. I'm excited!

But, er, yeah. FLAP THE PICKLES TO THE HIPPO'S EARS AND THE PORCUPINE WILL DO A DISCO!!!

Relief

So, remember a couple postings back (or was it the most recent one? *shrugs*) I was freaking out about a girl in my group for biology. Well, she decided that seeing if big cats will react to a dog whistle wasn't cool enough for her so she decided to go off and do her own thing.

Which I was glad about. I think our current project is alright, in fact I think it is a brilliant idea. I mean we can only do so much with the animals being undergrad college students. It's not like we can get into their pens to take a blood sample. Goodness, she knows science so well that she's forgotten the basics. What is the first thing you learn about the scientific method? How do you even come up with a hypothesis?

Ask a question.

So, before I bore you all with that speel again, I will stop now. But let it be known that my friend and I (she was the one who came up with the whole idea in the first place) will be hanging around the San Diego Zoo, blowing dog whistles at cougars and leopards. I'm looking forward to it. I seriously want to know if they'll react at all.

So, yeah, I just felt like throwing that out there. And another thing to keep me happy: How to Train Your Dragon comes out in about a month!!! Happiness!!!!

Happiness is. . . .

Actually flying on a pig. Not that I've ever done it before, which is why I think I could also be 10X's more happy.

And I really do wish I had a tail. A dog's tail like Katie's (family dog) because her's is thick and strong and knocks over people and appliances when she is uber happy. I say that because smiling and skipping just doesn't quite show how happy I am.

So, I wish I had a tail so I could knock things over. Then people would see that and think "Whoa, that girl is really happy. She just knocked over the projector AND the teacher at once!" Wouldn't that be awesome?

Yeah, I could do with a pig about now. I found myself in a group about to embark on a semester-long research project in my animal behavior class. One girl gets stressed really easily and so that stresses me out when I have no reason to be stressed, and the other girl seems to want to make things more complicated than they have to be. Seriously, it's called testing a hypothesis not proving. Science is all about testing, and even if your hypothesis turns out to be right, you test it again just to make sure. And then you can repeat other people's experiments. Seriously, if you have a question you can test it!

Yes, that is a complaint speel brought to you by Jekka G. Senoj. It makes me grit my teeth. Then again, I'm seriously hoping that she's not right about all this because that would suck. *deep breaths* she's a child of God, she's a child of God.

Have you noticed that those creepy chinese character-leaving people have disappeared? yep, I filtered them out! It was the only way to get rid of them. I will not support porn on my blog or any link to it! I have my standards and I'm sticking to them! With or without super glue!

So. Moral of the story: Pig+water+tail=happiness.

Bingo

Bingo: A game played in the car involving shouting "Bingo!" whenever a yellow car is spotted.

Rules:

• Construction vehicles, buses, boats, and jet skis are not Bingo
• Semi's count as long as the cab is yellow. If the cab is not yellow then it is not Bingo
• If two people shout out Bingo at the same time then they must spell it out. The first person to spell it wins the point
• If both spell it at the same time, twice in a row then rock-paper-scissors breaks the tie

Now, I bring this up because there are a ton of Bingos around SUU. I mean a TON! Not two thousand pounds but two hundred Bingos. There's four in my apartment complex parking lot, two I see all the time in the school parking lot, and one sitting down a street I pass everyday. Not to mention a yellow bug that zips around campus.

It's a dream come true. I just wish I had someone to fight it over with. That would be nice.

Well. . .er. . .that's all. I have a ton of homework but none of it is due immediatly so there really isn't no point in doing it right now. It's not procrastination because a lot of it isn't due til either two weeks from now or at the end of the semester. Really. I have 16 credits but quite a lot of time on my hands.

That might change though when I start having exams and stuff. Then it'll be a lot of studying. But, I'm not complaining. yeah, I can keep writing, but I've been on the computer so long that I'm sick of it. And I've been reading so much so I don't feel like reading. I could draw but I'm not a good drawer, but at least its relaxing.

Its times like these I can use a good hike or two. *sigh*

Moving Day

I seriously hate moving. It's always like "What do I need?" "I've packed way too many things but I have a sneaky feeling that I didn't pack enough" and "Where do I put all this crap in the limited space provided by the apartment."

Seriously, it sucks. And what's more is that I forgot my beloved goaties!!! They're at home wrecking havoc on my dolphin figurines and no doubt taunting Midnight and Peej. Well, I'll be home in a couple of weeks, maybe, so I'll get them then.

But, yeah, I don't like moving. It sucks. But I'm here in Cedar City reading Fruits Basket until I fall asleep in my rather comfortable bed. I'm such a boy. All I have is a sheet and a blanket, but that's all I really need. Going on a mission, and to Nihon of all places, kinda makes you live off the bare necessities with pleasure. Seriously, I'd sleep in a mummy bag on the bed if Mom hadn't been around to stop me.

Sasuga helicopter mom. Everyone give her a round of applause. yeah, that's right! Okaasan, otsukaresama desu! And give a big clap for Father Time, who works his but off to pay for my college tuition and apartment. But not mine alone but Mother's and Chris's tuition and housing as well. Not to mention transportation, fun, food, and heating.

Gosh, aren't parents great? Especially when they care more about family than their personal image.

Well, that's all for now. I'm going to see how many people are reading this by doing something crazy.

NEW BACKGROUND!!!

I'M NOT JEKKA!

I AM MELON LORD!!!

(from Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Waiting. . .waiting. . .

Sooooo, I ordered the Dalemark Quartet Vol. 2 (contains the last two books) a month ago and I still haven't gotten it yet. It's so weird because I have never been this impatient before, but I'm chomping at the bit! I want my book! I'm still reading The Drowned Ammet, and I'm only a third of the way through it. I've been on a writing spree recently (yatta!) so I haven't been reading much. But when I order a book, I do get a little impatient.

Still, it's two days past the due date and I still haven't gotten it. I sent an email to the seller but I haven't gotten a response yet. so, I'm going to try to be patient and give the guy one more week before I demand all my money back and buy it from somewhere else.

I really do want that book at a decent price. I hope it comes soon! *crosses fingers, toes, tongue, and hair* Please oh please let it come.

Rupert, that grenade launcher is not a toy to play with. Please get down from there before you waste on of my grenades. They're very hard to come by, y'know.

Slacker

So, I was sitting the other day thinking about how much I've changed since my mission and I realized that I used to post random stuff on my blog. But, lately, I haven't been doing much randomness. It has nothing to do with having a facebook page now. I don't do much on facebook as all of my friends can testify.

but, I have been more scatter-brained than usual. For the first time in my life I want to write more than read! It's a very happy feeling and I've been able to get a lot done. but I still have more to do.

Did I mention that writing sucks sometimes?

but, we went to California and spent a day at Universal Studios, two days at SeaWorld, and a day at the beach. It was lots of fun. But the highlight was that one of my dreams came true. We saw two dolphins swimming along the coast at the beach. It was really cool because I've always wanted to see wild dolphins and I got to see them. I was very happy!

but I made a very important discovery today: don't give chocolate to little brothers. Especially Girl Scout Cookies. It makes them go. . .well, gonzo.

Go look it up Francis, that's a good goat!

The Countdown Begins!

Hook: A brilliant movie and I love watching it. but I recently found two awesome quotes to add to awesome quotes. so, minnasan, enjoy these two quotes because they are brilliant!

Hook to the crew: Good morning my stupid sorrid sacks of entrails!

Smee to Hook: But Captain, you have the sleasiest sleeves of the seven seas!

brilliant right? AAAAAND Chris comes home in 18 days!! Yes, I am so excited! It's going to be talking in japanese all day, craving sushi and ramen, and learning to use chopsticks all over again. I am sooo excited.

And I recently did the Zion Narrows in one day, which my family always refers to The Blitz, and I was amazed that after two years of not hiking it my legs still remembered how to navigate the greased bowling balls, and I wasn't as sore as I expected. but it was lovely and fun and I so want to go do it again, and I brought back some water from the Big Springs and I had to chase my family away from it. Big Springs to my family is like--as my Dad so amazingly put it-- sweet Bella-blood to a newborn vampire. yeah, I had to carry that bottle everywhere with me to make sure my family didn't drink too much. Alas, it is now gone.

So, that is my latest happiness. I'm off now to brainstorm and jot down the dream I had during my nap with Peej. Toodles!

What was that, Francis? You want a pony? First prove to me that you can take care of Rupert and then I will get you a pony. . . .yes, that's right, Rupert. . . .Good luck, little goatie

Empty Recycle Bins

So, I must have a really small recycle bin on my laptop because i delete one tiny little item (a one-page document) and it fills it up instantly. If I delete a whole folder chock full of reports, music, movies, and stories, would it explode? would my computer have a circuit breakdown? It's very tempting to try in my opinion. . . .

so, nothing new to report except that I went straight from Memphis to Omaha in the same week. Not only is flying all day on an airplane very tiring but so is driving across two states in one day. And not little states either. We're talking Wyoming and Nebraska. Omaha happens to be on the far side of the state.

BUT my aunt took us all to this awesome bookstore. It's called Half-Price Bookstore, everything is half off or less! yeah, I was in heaven. I bought the most books out of everyone because I found a ton written by Lloyd Alexander in the Clearance section. I was happy. They had a few books by Diana Wynne Jones, but not a lot. I would have bought the Dalemark Quartet but they only had the second and fourth book. :P I'll keep looking for that series though. . . .

So, that's been happy. And since being here we saw Avatar (the REAL one), Eclipse, and Toy Story 3. Here's the breakdown:

Avatar: A bit of a bummer. Sokka wasn't funny. but the bending was cool.
Eclipse: I was rooting for the newborn army
Toy Story 3: definitely the best original trilogy someone thought up. Just as good as the first two. Kudos to Pixar

I did see How to Train Your Dragon again (yes, for the fourth time) and as always I loved it. It was Mom's first time seeing it and she got into it. She kept grabbing my arm and asking if Toothless was going to be okay. It was very funny.

So, yeah. . . .that's about it. . .*poof*

Movies and Games

Soooo I promised pictures of the Jeep in the field but. . .I'm lazy and haven't had a chance to get them from my Mom's laptop. But, I have some other fun things to write about. I watched Alice in Wonderland again (the new one by Tim Burton) and wrote down a few of my favorite quotes:

Red Queen: "It is better to be feared than to be loved."

Red Knave: "If you are hiding Alice, you will lose your head."
Hatter: "Already lost them!"

Alice's six impossible things before breakfast:
First, There is a potion that can make you shrink.
Second, There is a cake that can make you grow.
Third, Animals can talk.
Fourth, Cats can disappear.
Fifth, There is a place called Wonderland.
Sixth, I can slay the Jabberwocky

Absalom: "Nothing was ever solved with tears"

I also noticed that the March Hare says "Cup?" and "Spoon?" which really tickled my funny bone.

but, yes, that's all for now. I'm off to Memphis to visit the M.A.N.D.I for a week! Horray!
Ciao!

Birthday Surprises

So, this birthday was one of the best. My family and I went to Moab and went jeeping and hiking. I got to hike a really fun trail called Ding and Dang Canyon, Discover an awesome Valley in Goblin Valley (aptly named Jackpot Valley because hardly anyone goes there and it's full of rock scrambling goodness), drove the jeep on Elephant Hill and loved it, and caught a runaway jeep.

So, I got to explain that last one. It was EPIC!!

So, when we go to Moab, one person drives the blue jeep and the red jeep is tied to the trailer pulled behind the RV. This is how we've always done it to save on gas and whatnot. Well, I was driving the blue jeep with the cousin, Katie-Sue, riding in the passenger. We're driving through a valley enjoying the scenery when Katie-Sue looks out the front window and says, "Jekka, the jeep's off the trailer!"

I look up and sure enough the jeep has all four wheels on the road and is heading slowly off the road. I slam on the brakes, grab the ham radio (like a CB radio but ten times better) and start yelling into it, "JEEP! JEEP! JEEP! NO JEEP! NO JEEP! JEEP GONE!" But we get no response from dad and he keeps driving away in the RV. Katie-Sue's yelling for Dad to stop (even though he is in another vehicle and incapable of hearing us), and I honk the horn but the RV disappears around the corner. Katie-Sue yells, "Why is he still driving?! Does he not see that the jeep isn't there anymore?!"

So, we sit there and watch the red jeep drive itself off the road, bump over a pile of logs and some sagebrush, until it comes to a stop in the middle of a meadow. It's sitting there, red against green, looking very pleased with itself. So, because we don't have any keys for it, we pick up the ratchet straps that held the jeep to the trailer and now spread across the road, and go racing after Dad. I tell Katie-Sue to keep calling him on the ham radio. I tell her after a mile to make sure we were on the right channel (we kept getting off of mara-simplex while jeeping) and she checks it. It was on the wrong channel. So she puts it on the right one and says, "Richard, can you hear us?" Here's what follows:

Dad: Yeah, what's up?
Katie-Sue: The red jeep is gone. Look in your rearview mirror. It's gone!
Dad: What the?! Where is it?!
Katie-Sue: It's in a meadow--
Dad: It's in the middle?!?!?! You got to move it before someone hits it!! (he thinks its in the middle of the road)

Katie-Sue: No, Richard. the. jeep. is. in. a. mea-dow!
Dad: Oh. Okay. How did it get there?
Katie-Sue: It rolled off of the road-
Dad: It ROLLED?!?!?!?!
Katie-Sue: No! It drove itself off of the road and into a meadow
Dad: Is it okay? (he's very panicy by now)
Katie-Sue; yeah, it looks fine.

So, we catch up to the RV where dad had pulled off to the side of the road. he and mom hope into the blue jeep with us and we drive back to the meadow. All the while, Dad is asking us exactly what happened and if we are sure the jeep is okay. We just keep repeating that it drove itself off the road and is perfectly alright as far as we can see. So we get to the meadow. Dad checks it out and finds out that everything is perfectly alright with it. It's still drivable, not even a scratch, but it did collect a lot of twigs in the axles. :D So, he drives it out with no problem, and because one of the straps had broken, Mom drove the red jeep into Moab. Katie-Sue and I doubled back a little bit because Dad was missing a strap (he uses four to tie down the jeep), and though we didn't find it we did find the tire marks from when the jeep's back wheels and then front wheels fell off of the trailer. It was pretty intense. On top of that, if the jeep fell off fifteen feet before or after where it did, it would have gone off into a ditch filled with huge boulders and lots of trees.

Yeah, guardian angels are looking after my family, and probably hating it. But, that was the ultimate birthday experience: The jeep tried to runaway. Once I get the pictures from Mom, I'll post them. It's really funny.

so, yeah, I had an awesome birthday. Toodles!

Sadistic Parents

I have sadistic parents. I think it's because BOTH of them are EMT's.

(Brief Explanation: EMT= Emergency Medical Technician. They're the people that get to the scene before the Ambulance, take care of the victim as best they can, and basically get all info ready for the paramedics)

So, it's wednesday night and my parents walk in from an EMS meeting down at town office. I'm in the kitchen, minding my own business and trying to fit leftovers into our overflowing fridge when Dad walks up to me.

"Hey, Jekka, look at this!" says he.

I turn to look, thinking it's a cookie or some nifty gadget Dad found at the meeting. well, my second thought was right. It was a gadget, but a sadistic gadget. He was holding a shot. Basically, it's the needle and tube that stick out of your veins. And on top of it, Mom was holding another needle and had that thirsty glint to jab that length of silver in some poor victims vein.

Don't worry, I armed myself with a dirty frying pan and kept the fridge door between me and my parents until they put the needles down.

I didn't sleep well last night either. No joke. I was afraid they would stick me in my sleep.

the needles are still on the kitchen table, in plain view. It's quite scary. So, my advice to all of america today: Don't have BOTH parents become EMT's. that equals an increased fear of being poked by needles and many sleepless nights.

So that's all. BEWARE OF NEEDLES!!

mata, chuugokujin, yamete kudasai. honto ni watashi wa chuugokugo ga mattaku wakaranai shi yomemasen! eigo ka nihongo de comment wo kaite kudasai! arigatou gozaimasu.

Midnight Fury

Yes, I post a lot about my cat. Why? Because she's cool. She's the cat of the devil and part-dragon. You don't believe me? Check out these pictures!


Seriously, she and Toothless have a lot in common. When I last saw this movie, I noticed that Toothless kinda wiggles his bum at one point, just like a cat! I thought it was awesome. But yeah.

Randomness brought to you by Jekka G. Senoj, signing out!

Of Kitties and Pigs

So, I have Midnight sleeping on the couch next to me. She used to not do that before, either chilling on the floor or the back of the couch, but i kind of like it. She's in petting distance and it's like snuggling without really snuggling. So, yeah, I really like it.

I went and bought The Red Pyramid yesterday. I'm looking forward to reading it, but I have to finish Warbreaker first. That's a pretty good book by the way. I recommend it to all you fantasy fans.

but Mistborn is by far the awesome-est!

so, I've noticed a mistranslation I always do. in japanese the swine flu is called "buta flu" which literally translates to pig flu. So, when a conversation comes up about buta flu, I naturally say pig flu. In return, I get confused looks and "Pig flu? Don't you mean swine flu?"

Dunno, in my book Pig sounds better. But, that's me: the returned missionary from Nihon.

So. . .Mother's Day talked to Jones chourou and Webster chourou. That was pretty fun. I also begged for some goman dressing from jones chourou. I miss that stuff. I don't care for salad dressing but that is seriously the best. I'm going to hog it like I'm currently hogging The Red Pyramid. I feel kinda bad. Steph doesn't know I have it and she's itching to read it. But, when I'm done she can have it then.

So, yeah, all this random update thingies brought to you by. . .JEKKA GOATY SENOJ!!!

boop, bleep. blawp.

New awesome trialer!!

So, I lack technology skills to upload the video to be viewed from my blog but if you go to www.iwatchstuff.com and look up the latest trailer for Avatar (REAL Avatar not Blue-people--which I'm thinking of calling Ratava because it's the complete OPPOSITE from the REAL Avatar). so go watch it. It's so cool! I'm excited! July 2!!! Yay!!! Yip yip!

yeah, that's all. *poof*

Apologies

So to all of the devoted fans out there--oof! *gets knocked off the high box* Okay okay! But, I wish to apologize to all those fiends and minions who read this blog. There are three reasons why I have not been up to date or as random as I used to on this blog:

A) It was finals week
B) I had a lot of projects requiring extended hours on the computer (which equals me becoming sick of the computer)
C) I was absorbed in a really good book.

which reminds me. . .HOLY COW!!! MAN!!! MISTBORN IS AWESOME!!!
I finished reading The Hero of Ages, the third book in the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. It was so cool! Holy cow!! *goes crazy and bounces off walls*

I almost didn't know what to read after finishing a book like that. It left me reeling and at a loss for direction. For those of you who are bookworms, I'm sure you know that feeling quite well. You have no idea what sort of book is worthy of your attention. That's how I felt.

Luckily, there's another book by Brandon Sanderson that I haven't read yet so that's the next one on my list.

so, yeah, random update by Jekka. I'm home now for the summer, which means relaxation mingled with responsibility, and job hunting. :P

But, no homework!!! Yay!

This message was brought to you hastily by Jekka G. Senoj. Drink lots of water and enjoy your day!

Facebook

I know, I just posted and I'm posting again. Don't die from a myocardium infarction!

yes, that was really fun to say.

ahem, so as many of you have probably found out to your surprise and shock (no myocardium infarctions please!) that I recently started a facebook account. yes: about time. No: I won't be on it very much most likely. this week is insane with papers due, projects to complete, a nasty test to study for, and nothing but stress to make the cardiac contractile cells work their measly little channels out.

yep, so with that, off to go home and study and read and study some more. and when I say read I mean textbooks and nasty graphs and research papers.

so, toodles!
and if you don't know what a myocardium infarction is, go to wikipedia. It'll tell ya!

Turkish Angora

Newsflash: Midnight's breed

What is it? What could it be? Turkish Angora!

If you just rolled your eyes please raise your hand. *counts* Wow, really, so few. I guess not a lot of people understand my love for my black furry kitty. But, after consulting an encyclopedia out of curiosity. I with my family figured that she is a rare breed of cat known as the Turkish Angora. Medium-length silky hair with tufts inbetween the toes and coming out of the ears. There was also a picture that looked like her except the cat was white.

So, we have a rare cat that's taken over the house and is the devil's very pet. I love my house! (in case you're wondering, Peej is part siamese and leo is tabby. Katie, as many of you know, is a canine of the breed Holus digguslotus).

So, yes, another update to random. It's conference week and on top of a mission reunion where I got to see a lot of friends and ai suru Hill kaichou and Hill shimai, my roommate and I got tickets for the Saturday morning session of general conference. It was my first time going and it was really cool. Much more fun than watching it on TV. Only a few protesters were out. I wish I had gold stars to give to them because it was really cold and windy and they showed a lot of devotion in coming out with the rest of us. I hope they weren't out the whole time. That would have been freezing.

So, yes, my cat is a turkish angora. she is a turkey. MUAHAHAHAHAAAAA!
*poof*

P.S. And to whoever is posting in chinese: I don't speak or read chinese. chuugokugo ga wakaranai shi mattaku hanashimasen. nihongo demo ii desu ga kondo, eigo de kaite nokoshite kudasai. arigatou gozaimasu.

Spring Break

Well, I'm ready for spring break now. yesterday was a wild wednesday. two tests and a super-face paced lecture on the heart. I think my teacher was talking as fast as a pacemaker cell depolarizing! It was crazy. but, it was nice to get that all done and over with. today and tomorrow's going to be relaxing.

so, yeah, that's all. people out there are probably thinking "what kind of post is that?! we don't care about school and silly tests! we want randomness!"

okay, here's randomness: I bought a half-pint carton of chocolate milk, exactly like the ones I used to have for lunch in elementary and middle school. It was fun drinking it. And it was cheap. only 39 yen. It was great.

I finished the last book of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Awesome! And it left me in that familiar void of "Now what? What do I do after an ending like that?" but, I solved that in picking up "Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians" figured I could get caught up with those books. but, yeah, for all you out there who haven't read the Percy Jackson books (a.k.a. The Lightening Theif) I highly recommend them. they're really good. And: don't judge a book by its movie.

the movie was nothing like the book. It was just a scratch of the plot line.

so, yeah, I'm done now. Time to see if my teacher posted questions. I like answering questions. (not!)

And that was some good advice from the Elvish Pirate Gypsy: You can't run away from your own two feet. Wise words!

toodles!

Snow craziness

Hello Jekka Jones, this is America!

I feel like doing a post, but I don't know what so I'll fall back on the good ol' weather approach.

Besides my cousins coming down and spending the night as they were on their way to Zion's *jealous growl* it was quite the interesting day. I got up in the morning, had breakfast and went to institute. As i was walking to institute, it was a really nice morning except for the super strong wind blowing from the south and a big ominous dark cloud creeping over the mountains. It was actually quite pretty. The sun was on the verge of being covered by the clouds, but it still shot out a sunbeam through a little indent. I wish I had a picture of it. It was really cool.

then, within twenty minutes (I was well and comfortable in my class) it all erupted into a blizzard of the Elvish Pirate Gypsy Minion Fiend's white bugs which last until 1:00. Then the clouds disappeared, taiyou-sama came out, and the two inches of snow melted away. Now it's a beautiful day and hardly any snow on the ground.

So, yeah, it was a cool day. coolio enough, it stopped snowing by the time I was walking home from classes. so that was nice.

I watched gakeno ueno ponyo. It was cute, but I really wanted to watch it in nihongo. Alas, I was watching it on our TV and the DVD remote has been lost for many months. so. . I watched it in english. It was cute, but I was dying to watch it in nihongo. especially because I kept translating it into nihongo in my head. And, when it came to the awesome theme song I was dying to hear, it was in english! yeah, I was bummed. I'm going to watch it in nihongo next time. most definitly!

well, America reporting out! Catch ya later Jekka Jones!

(I wonder how many people will get that. . . .)

FOUND

Found: Elvish Pirate Gypsy Minion Fiend

Circumstances: a shiney sword and strawberry cheesecake WITH the strawberries

Place: my house

Events leading up to finding: a wedding, emails, and a phone call made in a hospital

current status: URESHII!!!!

So, yeah, last weekend was lots of fun. My cousin got hitched, I found my fiend, and saw a really good movie called Blind sight (site? something like that) with Sandra Bullock. I also watched Princess Mononoke. eigo de mitandesu. zannen. shitsurei sareta!

but, I got an email from my companion, hamada shimai. I was happy. she was one of my favorite companions. then again, all of my favorite companions were my nihonjin ones. nihonjin wa saikou desu! banzai!

but, yeah, that's about it. the wedding was really nice. my cousin got sealed for time and all eternity at the Manti temple. that's a really pretty temple. I like going to the old temples, they really do have a special feel to them. these temples are huge, but they were built by the sweet and blood of the early saints. no machines, cranes, or computers helped in building these temples. It was all man labor. And you can feel how sacred they are. They truly are special places on earth.

So, I'll make a brief comment before I scurry back home to work on homework: I really like those Percy Jackson and the Olympian books. They're very good, and lots of fun. It's like a fun review of greek mythology and I'm learning more about it. Lots of fun.

and I can't smash two chapters into one but I'm fixing some parts to make the beginning better in my opinion. then I'll have to keep the typing going. gotta finish typing it so I can get other stories going.

well, that's all.

*poof*

This page is in Japanese. Translate using GoogleToolbar!

So, in an attempt to maintain insanity in a college officially devoid of nihonjin (japanese people), I have changed my gmail account so that it is in nihongo. It's not hard to navigate. I understand quite a lot of the kanji. When I say understand I mean that I don't know how to read it correctly but I understand the meaning. For example I think the "send" button is "tenshin" but when I plug it in to my awesome little white demon denshi jisho. . .

boop bleep blawp

it turns out to be "soushin". But, I understood the kanji characters so it was no problem before. but now I can read it! kampai! *smashes glass of water into air*
Drink water it makes you happy!

So, I just thought it was funny that google keeps badgering me that my email account is in Japanese. As if some crazy person logged on and changed the language settings and I am utterly incapable of changing it back. Oh wait. . .a crazy person did do it.

*insane cackle*

but, I'm currently in limbo right now. I just finished reading The Lightening Theif. I give it 5 stars. I'm going to see the movie tomorrow with my roommate. I'm debating whether I like the new addition to Samurai or not (I'm currently in the process of taking two chapters and smashing it into one. My only concern is that I'm rushing it, but I think it's better than the first write-up. I have a knack to dilly-dadle too long in starting off the story). And with that change trying to make that fit in with the parts I do want to keep.

Whoever though that writing a story was as easy as eating ice cream never tried to take on a novel.

So, your latest update from Jekka Goaty Senoj chan.
sayo~nara!

*sneaky MANDI moment*

Muah ha ha ha! the Mechanical Android is back to take over the Jekka Blog and disrupt the flow of insanity yet again....('cause Jekka sure isn't sane and normal)

>.>

<.<

I'm watching you all! Any Nuisances WILL be detected and infiltrated upon Mastah's orders...

I wanted to post this because it's too cute...

Bye!
The Mechanical Android Nuisance Detector and Infiltrator
M.A.N.D.I.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

soooo, I finished watching Book 3 this week. . .yeah. It was amazing. loved it. can't believe it's over. owarimashita. honto ni shinjirarenai kagiri bikkuri shimashita.

It was an awesome ending. I loved it. I actually went back and watched Sozen'
s Comet, all four parts again the next day. I just couldn't get enough of the ending. it was amazing!

so, yeah, that's all good.

And I've realized two things:
1- still haven't found the Elvish Gypsy Pirate Minion Fiend
2- my goats are missing. they're at home. I'll have to fix that very soon. . . .

but, yeah, that's all. . .flamio hotman!

(picture taken from a quick search on google images)

You can't stop it, Satan!

So, word is probably breaking all over the emails and institute and seminary buildings in the LDS community world-wide. . .especially in Utah, because it was announced yesterday that there will be a new temple i~n. . .

PAYSON!!!

ureshii dayo! I was so happy! First a temple to be built in Sapporo, Japan (bringing it to THREE temples in the land of the rising sun) and now Payson!

What's funny was that ever since I moved to Elk Ridge when I was eight years old, I always thought it would be really neat to look out my window and see a temple right outside of it. Even in Orem I couldn't see the Provo temple, and you definitely couldn't see it from Elk Ridge (you could find the general location but you couldn't see it). It was just a little fantasy but I always wanted it to be real. I'd even daydream about it. In my first year of college, I shared that little fantasy with a roommate and she just laughed at me and told me that it wouldn't happen. Payson was too small and the Provo temple was close enough.

*big happy grin* take that old roommate! My fantasy's coming true! honto ni ureshii desu yo! ureshii!! ureshii!!

Jekkatran: ureshii=happiness, happy, that's great!

yep. I happy is!

Trunky or Lazy?

So, I feel like posting again. I got an email from my Mom which was a forward from my Aunt Leanne (see new blog link posted migino shitano hou) asking if I had a facebook. Which comes up something. I want to start a facebook but I currently feel too lazy to upload pictures and whatnot. I mean, I want to start posting some of the more fun pictures I have like when I went to the Ghibli museum, jinjas, and saw Fujisan from a park, but to do that requires more than an hour on the computer.

In my defense, I got to the point where I wouldn't be on the computer for more than 45-mins. One time, I only used the computer for 30 mins. To put this in perspective, I'll remind minnasan that as a missionary you get one day out of the week (called Preparation Day/P-Day) where you got to go sight-seeing and email your family. but becuase you either had a cost or time limit, you didn't get a lot of time to do email. So, I got down to being done in 30 mins.

I've only been home two and a half weeks! shinjirarenai! crazy desu yo!

But, oh well, on to more exciting things. . .it slushed today. You could say snow but it was sticky wet snow that becomes slush. So, that was fun walking to and from the school today.

And I'm thinking of going on a quest to find the Elvish Pirate Gypsy Minion Fiend. She has disappeared from society. I suspect she got trapped in a library (again) or got lost when travelling to Neverland. I will inform you all of how the journey goes. ja matta ne!

*shoulders backpack and goes marching off singing* Oh where oh where is ElvishPirateGypsyMinionFiend? Oh where oh where can she be? She's got a long green cloak and wicked cool knives. Oh where oh where can she be?

Konnichiwa!

Minnasan! Konnichiwa! o-genki desu ka! Jekka desu! Kaette shimaimashita! Japan wa sugoku FUN deshita! Desuga ima College ni imasu. hayakutemo Class ni ittari shukudai wo oyoidari shiteirun desu.

So, I'm back. I'm alive. I'm at school now. I miss nihongo. Eigo is weird. I have a lot of homework to catch up on. Homecoming talk is this sunday, January 17 at Elk Ridge 2nd ward (the church behind my house) at good ol' 9:00 am. Hope to see peoples there! You can point and laugh as I struggle to do a talk in eigo. It's been 18 months since I've done a talk in eigo.

*examines picture* is that me? When was I holding a snake that big? doko de tottano? Where was that taken? Is that really me?

*mumbles more japanese* Joonze chourou ga itara i~stumo nihongo wo shaberu tsumori da. ima taihen desu. ato de shasshin wo shimasu.

ja matta ne!

RETURNING WITH HONOR!!!

Jessica Jones Shimai comes home today, Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 1:00pm.

YAY!!!!!!