Splinters, rants, elements, jambalaya fettuccini, and more!

Eric picked me up, and I told him that I'd fallen down in an undignified manner at home... of course, he asked me how I'd done that. Too much heavy knapsack stuff, I bet! Then he asked why I didn't pick up the phone yesterday - I hadn't been home! He knew I wasn't going to Lesley's thing, but had wondered if I had any plans for getting to Fellowship. I'd already made plans, thanks! The meeting included a rant by Vivian, mentions of Teresa / Grace / Richie / Andrea, and the promise of a free night on the 29th. Next meeting is a couple days before the wedding, so I should remember the date.

Went downstairs for Awana rather late, but I blame it on not having a clock in the room - we should have a clock in EVERY room, haha! (but might get expensive) Saw a bunch of the kids, Ian got a splinter in his finger, said hi to some people, and discussed the swine flu briefly with Golden. Apparently, his school was in the news because it was the first school here to have any! It is scary even if you don't know the person since they could infect lots of people by just being in a group! I talked to Chrystal, and remembered last year when I ordered jambalaya fettuccine from BP, haha. Henry drove me home, and we listened to what seemed to be an intense game: a two-man advantage for 1:42, a goal within NINE SECONDS of that advantage (yay for Alex Edler!), Salo getting injured after he scored a goal, and more.


Facebook quizzes taken from Kaitlin, Veronica, and Dana... plus some I found myself:

Leslie just took the "What type of Faerie are you?" quiz and the result is Forest Faerie. A good gardener who will often keep a section of the garden for wildlife. You can turn your hand to saving sick plants and friends can always rely on you for beautiful flowers and veggies.

Leslie completed the quiz "What "Periodic Element" are you?" with the result Boron. As its name implies, you are certainly not the life of any party. You are subdued, and what personality you may have tends to remain mostly buried around humanity at large. Your closest friends know you have one and have seen it on brief occasions but it doesn't last long. You are voted "most likely to die at your desk and no one would notice for days." On the bright side, your life tends to have few wavers in it. There is little change, which suits you since change can be difficult to cope with.

Leslie completed the quiz "Which Jeff Dunham character are you?" with the result Walter. You are a grumpy, cantankerous old codger with very little tolerance for other people's bullshit. You have an opinion on just about anything and everything, and you're not afraid to speak your mind. People may disagree with you, but so what? Screw those morons! (HAHAHAHA... I LOVE THIS RESULT!)

Leslie just took the "What colour are you?" quiz and the result is You are blue! You are a calm person. You can sometimes be glum or depressed. You are a loyal person who stands by their friends. You like nature and love swimming and being around water.

Leslie just took the "What Temperament Am I?" quiz and the result is Phelgmatic (Water). You are the harmonizer and peacemaker. You prefer life to be peaceful and flowing, rather than bright, changing, and vibrant. You are a loyal and steady friend. You have the power to merge the ordinary with the extraordinary, but because you may take your time to do this, many people may perceive you as slow or unenthusiastic rather than seeing the real you that is simply flowing and meditative. An affirmation for you would be: Visualize yourself floating / Flowing, moistening, merging / The reservoirs, river and streams of your body / Going deep within for the wisdom of life. / The depths of the unconscious mind / Facing the darkness of the unknown / Find the courage to be vulnerable. / Aging with grace and health. Massage your lower back, Avoid cold foods and sugar. Limit your salt intake. And always listen to your dreams. Do you want to know more? Why were your results so accurate? Or, perhaps you are curious as to why your questions produced an "inaccurate" result? Perhaps you have some parts of yourself you have not yet explored? Or perhaps you are actually balanced between two temperaments instead of having just one!

Leslie just took the "Which Sailor Moon Senshi Are You?" quiz and the result is Sailor Moon. You are Usagi Tsukino, a carefree schoolgirl with an enormous capacity for love, transforms into the heroine called Sailor Moon. You are an immature crybaby who hates having to fight evil and wants nothing more than to be a normal girl. However, you embrace the chance to use your power to protect those you care about.

Names, brains, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, and more!

Eric just gave me a heart attack by calling me. Yes, I know about the meeting in half an hour. So then I had to call Henry to let him know - thank goodness he answered the phone! Thanked me for telling him, as well. I can also now read Chinese characters on my screen, thanks to Corey and the regional language settings!

Facebook quizzes taken from Barb, Jessica, Veronica, Gretchen, and Jemima:

Leslie just took the "What's your true name? (Girls only)" quiz and the result is Alissa. You are a calm, kind, loving person who cares a lot about the people around you. You are a beautiful girl, and most likely people comment on your eyes a lot more then anything else. After all, your eyes are the windows to your heart.

Leslie took the Which side of your brain is dominant? quiz and the result is You use both sides equally. (Read description.) Right brain individual: Right brain individuals are intuitive, creative, and imaginative. They are flexible, and are concerned with the bigger picture rather than details. They are impulsive and spontaneous, and do not like time limits. They have difficulty explaining ideas verbally, and prefer illustrations to verbal instructions. Careers: Architects, Artists, Salespeople, Psychiatrists, Musicians, Politicians, Teachers. (Interpersonal, Emotional, Musical, Spiritual, Talker.) Left brain individuals are analytical, articulate, and to the point. They like identifying details, and are more logical than intuitive. Left-brained people have good communication and persuasion skills. Careers: Engineers, Systems Analysts, Technicians, Accountants, Librarians. (Administration, Conservative, Organization, Planner, Structure.)

Leslie just took the "Which Desperate Housewife are you?" quiz and the result is Bree Van de Kamp Hodge. Bree Van de Kamp Hodge may very well be suffering from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. The character herself refers to her "quirks" in terms of anal retentiveness and not obsessive-compulsiveness. Bree is known for her cooking, cleaning, ironing, gardening, doing her lawn, and reupholstering her own furniture, on the level of Martha Stewart. She is also known for making gourmet meals and breakfast treats, including her pineapple bran muffins. Besides being a dedicated homemaker, she also is well-versed in regards to firearm training: she owns four guns, and is a card-carrying member of the National Rifle Association.

Leslie just took the "How perverted are you?" quiz and the result is Completely Unperverted. You're not a disturbing human being who likes to watch things you shouldn't be watching.

Leslie just took the "what color are you." quiz and the result is your color is blue. You're very calm when it comes to problems, and are a good leader.

Leslie just took the "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" quiz and the result is You’re a Genius! You're way smarter than a fifth grader! So, that makes you a genius compared to most people these days. Next up, world domination.

Leslie completed the quiz "How many kids will you have?" with the result You will have 1 kid, 1 Girl. You will have your little Princess to spoil!

I'm a sock-stealing elf?!

High-scoring word of the night:

DATABASE (115 points) - against Collette W. [5W]


Leslie's just got their Naughty Elf Name. I just got my Naughty Elf Name. It's Sock-Stealer Elf.

Leslie just took the Should You Have Kids Quiz and is Almost Ready For Kids. I am Almost Ready For Kids. You have most of the basics down for being ready for kids, and are probably just about ready to start a family now. Just a couple more things to get prepared for.


Haha, now HERE is a topical quiz!

Leslie completed the quiz "Will You Survive the Swine Flu?" with the result Survivor. You didn't take the hype too seriously. You didn't even rush out and buy a mask... But when push came to shove and it became real, when people far too sick to survive were using up all your medicine, you did ANYTHING to survive - including setting the infected on fire while you raided a derelict hospital, and survive you did.

Facebook quizzes stolen from Jemima, Morgana, Gretchen, Kaitlin, and Barb:

Leslie just took the "Which one of the 7 deadly sins are you?" quiz and the result is Envy. You are envious! You like to gossip; then you can bring the people you envy down to your level, so they don't seem so cool. You are never truly happy with yourself, and your self-esteem is lower then the norm! Man, love youself at least a bit... don't love every single person besides you!

Leslie just took the "What zodiac sign are you most likely to be?" quiz and the result is Aries, the ram. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, and as a result, Arians can be a little naive. They are also very exciting, energetic, likeable, and optimistic. At worst, they can be overbearing, selfish, tactless, and hot-tempered. Arians are likely to fall in love at first sight.

Leslie just took the "What Egyptian Deity Are You?" quiz and the result is Horus. A warrior soul and a successful diplomat. Many things describe you as honorable, will-strong, proud, and most of all, cunning. Warrior soul with a cunning mind is the best King's attributes, oh Mighty King of the Lower Kingdom..... many bow to you, oh Wise One.....

Leslie completed the quiz "Which eighties female movie star are you? (Females only.)" with the result Jennifer Grey aka "Frances 'Baby' Houseman. You have a good head on your shoulders, and you are an idealist to the core. Those around you underestimate your fabulousness.

Leslie completed the quiz "Are you mentally ill?" with the result Yeah, you're out of your damn mind! Wow, how have the men in white coats not carried you off to a padded room yet? So, is there tinfoil in your hat at this very moment? Do the squirrels in your yard tell you what lottery numbers to play? Do you wash your hands every 9.7 minutes to make sure the space bacteria planted by the CIA in the pockets of your jeans doesn't make your face melt off? My money is on "yes" to at least one of those. Hey, but the good news is now you're qualified to either run for public office once they let you out of Inpatient. Or you can make a pretty lucrative living on a street corner in a major city, panhandling and screaming at passersby. You'd tell them about the impending end of the world at the hands of the Disney corporation, because Mickey is coming for us all, my friends, and he wants to make you his B!*%#.

Leslie just took the "what Superpower belongs to you" quiz and the result is Telekinetics / Telepathy. You like subduing enemies with ease, and can be the ultimate protector and offender. You are tactful and creative. Plus blowing people up with a thought isn't bad, either.

Leslie took the Which color is your aura? quiz and the result is red. The more excitement they experience, the more alive they will feel. Reds are practical and action-oriented; they love to achieve results and be successful. They have an insatiable urge to win, and create something valuable and important in their life. Their strong willpower and intense, almost unlimited physical energy allows them to be extremely active, persistent, and successful in virtually anything they do.

Poo nugget for this weekend: Doo You Know? - The Sacred Poop - In rural India, people put cow manure into round disks and press them onto walls to dry. After the poo dries and falls off the wall, it is burned for heat. India burns approximately one-quarter of all the dung produced by sacred cows.

Metrotown and Superstore with Billie: YAY!

Bought chewy caramel Tim Tams, Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner ($2 cheaper than Save-On), two-packs of Big Turks (cheaper than one at Save-On!), a bubble-wrap envelope which turned out to be too small, buttered popcorn Jelly Belly candy, and a Cote d'Or Experiences 70% bar (for the polyphenols!) at London Drugs. Then I successfully returned the Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner at Save-On, and noticed sensitivity in my fingers - I blame the fingernails, man. Made it to Metrotown in one piece, and saw Billie at Superstore. We went in there for a bit to talk (before going to the food court / Chapters) and look at the enormous selection! Covered stupid people, TMI, gay stuff, Iran, pronunciation, Persian / Farsi things, people thinking we're the wrong ethnicity, women's studies textbooks on gender, former friends, parents, characters, exes, disgusting Net weirdos, KFC, overbuying stuff to satisfy cravings, Aji Taro being closed, Sakura Media, and more.

While we were upstairs, I noticed a Sweet Factory store (and one downstairs) and a Big Orange store! We discussed how it would be great to live by Metrotown: grocery store, bookstore, a dollar store, and other things all in one big building! It would be even greater to live by West Edmonton Mall, which has a skating rink / hotel / amusement park / swimming pool / MORE inside its HUGE complex! Went to Chapters, and discussed anime, manga, stories, the OUTLANDER series (I need to get her the companion...) / ANNE OF GREEN GABLES series / TWILIGHT (bad writing!) / GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST (movie) / PRIDE AND PREJUDICE WITH ZOMBIES! Do people really have no GOOD ideas these days?! Honestly, vampires do NOT sparkle! They sort of explode when the sun hits them! Agreed that parents don't need to know about bathroom things, and that sibs don't need to know if you have a sex life! (also saw cute mixed kids, and one who waved to us from the train going around the mall - so cool!)

We went into Superstore again so I could find a dish drainer - found that along with mouthwash and teaspoons. Too bad I forgot the Shake and Bake: I'll buy it later, along with Pepsi Max maybe. Marveled at the SELECTION of body wash and hair stuff - we could spend HOURS in there, man! Bused home, and found calls from both Billie and Eric on my phone: not sure why Eric called, as he knew I wasn't going to Lesley's African thing tonight. Maybe it was force of habit, haha... I'll bug him about that later. Changed a light bulb, and noticed that Dallas' peanut butter expired in March, so I threw that out along with the old dish drainer.

DARN YOU, GARNIER FRUCTIS!!!

I have to return my shampoo and conditioner because I can't open them! DARN YOU, GARNIER FRUCTIS!!! Good thing I decided to use them NOW as opposed to in a month's time... this machine also restarted overnight.

Facebook quiz taken from Kelly:

Leslie completed the quiz "your nickname is!?" with the result QTPie. You are quiet, but can be a totally different person once you get to know someone really well.

Which Hobbit Actor Would be Your Prom Date? by Diamond
Name
Birthday
Your Date	Sean Astin
Your Ride	School Bus
Your Restaurant	Cozy Italian Restaurant
Your Song	Horizontal Tango ;)
Cost	$876

What Tori song are you? by sullen_boy04
Name:
Age:
Your instrument:	harpsichord
Your era:	To Venus and Back
Your crisis:	Miscarriage
Your Tori song:	Space Dog

Metro plans, dessert envy, drinks, and football poo

High-scoring words of the night:

VATIC (140 points) - against George M. [5W, 4L on V]
BORIC (132 points) - against Anne R. [3W, 4W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
TOADISH (284 points) - against Mark H. [two 4W, hook off GUNK for a plural] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
PED (120 points) - against Itamar R. [two 4W, hook off MOD to make MODE]
VISE (170 points) - against Alice P. [5W used twice, 4W used twice, hook off INSULAR to make VISE] {a good deficit-erasing word!}

Billie and I made Metrotown plans for tomorrow, Teresa (Gwyneth and Evelyn's mom) is envious of my top five desserts (Black Forest / Cheese Cake / Ice cream / CHOCOLATE / Tiramisu), and Korey just showed up in my email inbox because he "bought me a drink" from FUBAR. Well, I just deleted that one, and would have if we were still together... yuck. I've been known to spam my friends via email too, so the deletion isn't about that so much as it IS about who it's from! I don't have any desserts that look like the ones in the pictures (she'd come over right now if I did), although those do look absolutely scrumptious!

Facebook quizzes taken from Darren and Flora:

Leslie took the what Seattle neighborhood are you? quiz and the result is Mount Baker. You are a neighborhood pioneer, and enjoy carving your little piece of perfection out of the raw urban wilds. You aren't afraid of a few seedy places nearby. You have high standards, and want to be involved in seeing them implemented in your community. It's all about the future, improvement, and riding that brand-new light rail!

Leslie took the What 70s TV show character are you? quiz and the result is Laverne. You're a great friend - loyal, funny, and easygoing. People feel relaxed around you, and love your great ideas. Sometimes, you wish you were more driven because you know you are capable of doing so much more. Enlist the help of one of those many friends to help motivate you to move toward your dream!

Leslie took the What type of Asian are you? quiz and the result is Converted Asian. You're the Twinkie Asian: Yellow on the outside, white on the outside. You were either born in the United States, or came at an early age because you're given up most of your Asian customs and adopted American customs. You're in style, listen to modern music, surf the Internet in English, you understand at least some English slang, and you constantly complain about how Asian your parents are. If it weren't for your yellow skin, dark hair, and slanted eyes... you'd be white. (Try "born in CANADA"...)

Leslie took the What Disney Prince do you belong to? quiz and the result is Beauty and the Beast's "Prince Adam" aka The Beast. Your Prince will be a bit of a Bad Boy. Though he has a temper, he will always try to protect you and make you happy. Never forget that underneath that rugged hunk of man, there is a heart of gold that loves you with every inch of it, just look deep into those beautiful eyes. (I knew someone with a temper, once. He didn't fit the rest of this description, though...)

Poo nugget for Friday, May 1: Performance-Enhancing Poo - Synonyms: Pre-Game Poo, Preparatory Poo, The Running Runs. (POO OF THE MONTH!) [this one has a drawing of a guy in a football uniform on the toilet, complete with helmet and jersey!]

Banned for calling it like I see it / 5-3 win / Black heart

HAHAHA. I've been banned from a certain community (which I joined only for the drama / snark) for calling someone a creep. Hey, I call it like I see it! I understand that there are rules, but "creep" is hardly a personal attack! This especially applies if the poster said that he was much older than his partner, AND thinks that there's something inside her which will make her like sex clubs. There was something in there about how sex clubs would increase trust: YEAH RIGHT! Oh well, I still stand by what I said!

The Canucks won 5-3 against the Blackhawks... YAY! Helped Andrew with school stuff / UBC applications, as well: grammar, science, biology, redundancy, geology, "the wonder life," proofreading for friends, chemistry, physics, and more! Talked to Corey about haircuts, showers, lights going out, and some more stuff too.

Facebook quizzes taken from Robin, Morgana, Kaitlin, and Candy:

Leslie just took the "What Marvel superhero are you?" quiz and the result is Captain America. Strong and proficient, you are the ultimate soldier and ultimate patriot. Honor bound, you've taken it upon yourself to defend your people. Reserved and a great leader, you take on the world one problem at a time.

Leslie just took the "Which Celtic Deity or Hero Are You?" quiz and the result is Goibniu. You are connected to Goibniu, one of the three Irish gods of art, who could forge the most magnificent and magical weapons ever known. What he makes, lasts forever. When he speaks, thunder rumbles and from what the Irish say, the stars are all sparks from his heavy clanging anvil. He is the Great Smith, who transforms and strikes the soul like lightning, with a power to cleanse, temper, and re-forge. Smiths are the alchemists who know the secrets of Life, and the craftsmen who make manifest the patterns of Life. He takes the old and reuses it, fitting it to what is needed most. In this sense, Goibniu holds the key to long life and health. He just gets on with things! Goibniu rules over all smithcraft and metalworking, the purifying and transforming power of fire (the forge), air (the bellows), water (to cool, solidify and help temper), and earth (the iron or metal) all coming together in unison, as well as things like thorns, mead, storms, thunder and lightning, and invincibility.

Leslie just took the "What does your mind look like?" quiz and the result is The Deep Ocean. Your mind is like The Deep Ocean. You are always active, but aren't easy to get to know. Once people do, they see a clever but relaxed person. Many people look up to you: you're a hard worker, don't waste time, and are loyal to those close to you.

Leslie just took the "What kind of muscle car are you" quiz and the result is 1968 Dodge Charger. Your car is a powerhouse for muscle! You are not everyone's first choice, but you are the fastest!

Leslie just took the "How Metal Are You?" quiz and the result is sorta. Eh... you need to go to a show, and go to Hot Topic more often. (Ew, I don't think I'd ever go to Hot Topic!)

Leslie just took the "What color is your heart?" quiz and the result is Black. You don't care. You do what you want, and don't give much of a thought to what people might think about it. You have a creative side, and want to be left alone with it. If you could spend your life in a dark room writing or reading, you would. Some might call you Emo or Goth.

Leslie just took the "What mythological creature are you?" quiz and the result is Cerberus. Location: Greece *************** In Greek mythology, Cerberus or Kerberos was the hound of Hades, a monstrous three-headed dog with a snake for a tail and snakes down his back like a mane, whose analogs in other cultures are hellhounds. Cerberus guarded the gate to Hades and ensured that spirits of the dead could enter, but none could exit. Religiously, Cerberus represents protective people.

Leslie just took the "WHICH HISTORICAL PERSON ARE YOU?" quiz and the result is Alexander the Great. Your dreams lead you through life. You imagine something, and it happens. The strength of your charisma is big as the strength of your spirit. Your military skills are unmatched, and your soldiers are both your friends and your brothers. But sometimes we want more than we can take.

Leslie just took the "What Rock Song Are You?" quiz and the result is the Avenged Sevenfold song Bat Country. You are just awesome. END OF STORY.

Leslie just took the "Which AC/DC song are you?" quiz and the result is For Those About to Rock (We Salute You). Stand up and be counted! You are a soldier for Rock and Roll. A proud rocker who would die before going emo or anything else! You roll tonight to the guitar bite! We Salute You!!!

Wolves and strawberry smoothies in anarchy! / April 2009 BBT Tally

High-scoring word of the day so far:

ANARCHY (450 points) - against Collette W. [two 5W]

Leslie's just got their Hawaiian Name. I just got my Hawaiian Name. It's Iolani Hoapili.

Facebook quiz taken from Morgana:

Leslie just took the "What animal represents your spirit?" quiz and the result is Wolf. You are a wolf personality -- one of the most sought-after personality groupings in the world, mainly due to the respect and kinship the wolves have had from mankind in many cultures and societies. The Wolf Personality or spirit tends to fit a very determined and hardy individual: after all, wolves have been found in climates ranging from deserts to frozen tundra. Wolves have been respected and feared in mythology of almost many different mythologies and folklore. Many people assume that this personality type makes them a lone wolf -- and though that is the case in some, they are extremely few and far between. Like most wolves in nature, wolf personalities tend to thrive in a social structure. Wolves have many friends that they do everything with, strong friends that they are loyal to, as the wolf spirit usually inspires others to be loyal towards them. This is very true when it comes to relationships: wolf personalities make strong connections with other people and even if a relationship ends, most wolves tend to stay in contact with their former lovers. Wolves are typified by their unwavering loyalty, close relationships, and determined dispositions. Wolves are great with other wolves and horses and foxes, but should avoid tigers, eagles, rabbits, and bears.

You Are a Strawberry Smoothie

You are a well-rounded, complex person. You have many sides to you. You are quite sweet, but you are not fake or sugary. You keep it real. People appreciate your fresh and honest approach to life. You call things as you see them. You are comfortable with who you are. You know you're well-loved, and you love yourself.

What Flavor Smoothie Are You?

MONTHLY BUBBLE TEA TALLY, APRIL 2009 (1)

mango @ Big Orange (Monday, April 6)

That's some boomy typing under someone's aegis!

High-scoring words of the night:

BOOMY (2435 points) - against Shelley R.-B. [4W, two 5W [one used twice], 2L on B, hook off OLE to make MOLE]
AEGIS (125 points) - against Heather S. [5W used twice, hook off QUADS to make SQUADS]
TYPING (180 points) - against Pam B. [3W, 4W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
SCRAPS (192 points) - against Karla M. [two 4W]
QUOIN (400 points) - against Itamar R. [two 5W]

Apparently, Pepsi Max IS supposed to be Diet Pepsi Max here in North America. All hail Wikipedia! Twice the caffeine?! WOW! Ugh... I could have bought it this afternoon without having to make another trip. Guess I'll do that on Friday!


Facebook quiz taken from Mike B.:

Leslie just took the "How Irish are you?" quiz and the result is A true son of Eire. Your a true and proud son of Eire. You know your history, culture, and the beliefs of your fellow Irishmen. You could be called a Fenian.

Poo nugget for Thursday, Apr. 30: Evolutionary Poo - Some scientists have credited poo with causing the explosion of complex organisms that occurred in the Cambrian period over 500 million years ago. They claim that poo increased oxygen levels in the atmosphere, thereby allowing for the growth of more complex organisms. For some reason, Darwin never really focused on the critical role that poop played in the evolution of species.

Liquor and souls / More of Dallas' stuff, including a large knife!

Jon called me at 9:35 after dropping Dallas off at the airport. I could definitely guess that Dallas had MORE stuff to store here! ("Guess what?" "Dallas has MORE stuff!" "Wow, you're very good!") This evening's stuff consisted of lettuce and strawberries which I need to eat fairly soon, Becel RSF margarine which Jon doesn't like (looks familiar from last year!), premium North-Eastern rice, cuttlefish, Kraft Signature Greek salad dressing with feta and oregano, Hazelnut Fudge Fantasy ice cream from Safeway / Lucerne, utensils, a dark blue basket, mouthwash, black bean sauce, a huge strainer, and more. It included toothbrushes, razors, Alberto styling gel, pens, rubber bands, soap, toothpaste, shampoo, and conditioner in a huge Ziploc bag.

Also had a computer mouse, sandals, a rather large knife in a huge bag (an eight-inch Forged Chef Knife from EarthChef), Kraft crunchy peanut butter, a green onion, Swiss cheese, a boneless centre chop pork tenderloin, medium Glico curry, and Aunt Jemima Original pancake / waffle mix. Jon asked whether I was as crazy as I had been last night, commented on my own rice and chili sauce, and said that Harmony comes back at around 3 tomorrow afternoon - says he'll try to keep me posted about possible family events. Sounds fine to me! I decided to use the lettuce on my rice, actually.

Leslie just took the Are You An Evil Villain Quiz and is Potentially an Evil Villain. I am Potentially an Evil Villain. There are a few things about you that are evil villain-like. They're not enough to make you an evil villain, but enough to get started on your road to ruling the world.

Facebook quizzes taken from Morgana, Kaitlin, and Jane:

Leslie completed the quiz "Which Liquor Are You?" with the result Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey. You are Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey! Definitely a classic, you adapt to all situations. From quiet nights to loud parties, you fit in! While you have a feisty side, there is something unmistakably smooth about your character.

Leslie completed the quiz "what kind of soul do you have" with the result Solar. You have come out with Solar for your soul type. A solar person is very unique. Also very potent. A little goes a long way. A person persuaded by solar power is very outgoing with many acquaintances, but few very good friends. When a Solar person finds true friendship, it is for life. A common goal amongst the Solar community is to bring knowledge and justice into the world around them. They must, though, remain objective (from a distance) in order to carry this out with precision and success. A solar person needs to feel loved, and has a very strong sense of family loyalty and devotion. For a person of this nature, a broken or dysfunctional environment growing up can be particularly difficult to overcome later in life. However difficult or not a Solar person's life is, they are gifted with a sense of knowing that "the sun will come up tomorrow." That is why, as a Solar Being, the best thing to do is put that gift to work in helping others to realize it is true. However, it shouldn't be in a "telling them how it is" way. It should rather be in a "showing them silently how it is done" way. Come on, shed some of your cosmic light, Solar soul!

Leslie just took the "What is your Totem Animal?" quiz and the result is Your Totem Animal is the Fox. Your Totem Animal is the Fox. He is cunning and clever, and he moves with the utmost discretion. Fox teaches us to slow down and observe.

Leslie just took the "What Elemental Force are You?" quiz and the result is Fire. You are short-tempered, and explode at any fustrating situation. No matter how calm you try to be, annoying situations triggers your anger. You are not very patient, and have little tolerance. Poor fool who gets in your way. However, you are a very warm and caring person. You always put others before you.

42 questions about the last 21 people I mentioned in here

Got this from Gretchen via Facebook note. Go through your journal and list the last 21 people you mentioned. Do not list any repeats; simply go to the next name in the list. Then answer the 42 questions pertaining to the 21 names. When you're finished, tag all 21 people on the list, so the cycle can continue. If you've been tagged, copy and paste this information into a new entry and follow the directions above.

1 ~ Barry
2 ~ Corey
3 ~ Vanessa
4 ~ Nathan
5 ~ Marcel
6 ~ Elizabeth
7 ~ Joyce
8 ~ Ray
9 ~ Megan T.
10 ~ Arthur
11 ~ Korey
12 ~ Fidela
13 ~ Dallas
14 ~ Jocelyn W.
15 ~ Eric T.
16 ~ Stanley
17 ~ Samantha
18 ~ Rosanna
19 ~ Adam
20 ~ Andrew L.
21 ~ Eunice L.


1. How did you meet 1? Met Barry through Mike W.

2. What would you do if you never met 15? I wouldn't have a lot of SAXOPHONE LOVE for Eric T., hahaha.

3. Would you date 20? No, I wouldn't date Andrew L. Sorry. He's too young!

4. Have you ever seen 8 cry? Haha... no, I've never seen Ray cry.

5. Would 3 and 13 make a good couple? HAHAHAHAHAHA! Vanessa and Dallas? NO!

6. Describe 9... Megan is almost four years old, and likes stickers!

7. Do you like 16? Stanley's all right.

8. Do you think 6 is attractive? Elizabeth? Sorry, I don't swing that way!

9. When was the last time you talked to 8? I briefly congratulated Ray on his graduation earlier this week.

10. Would you ever date 10? EWWWWWWW, THAT IS JUST WRONG! Arthur is barely THREE! (I think)

11. Where does 15 live? Eric T. lives in Vancouver.

12. What is the best thing about 4? Nathan is very random!

13. What would you like to tell 21 right now? "I hope you do well in Awana, Eunice!"

14. What is the best thing about 8? Ray is very interesting!

15. Have you ever kissed 3? ... NEVER kissed Vanessa!

16. What's the best memory you have of 10? Arthur gave me a little bear on Valentine's... so sweet!

17. When's the next time you're going to see 12? I might see Fidela in the summer when she's here for her cousin's wedding!

18. Is 19 pretty? Sorry, Adam - I refuse to refer to you as PRETTY!

19. What was your first impression of 2? "This guy sure is nuts about weird stuff!"

20. Is 13 your best friend? I wouldn't say Dallas is my best friend, no.

21. Have you seen 16 in the last month? Saw Stanley last weekend.

22. When was the last time you saw 14? I last saw Jocelyn in August, at the short-term missions Fellowship night.

23. Have you been to 21's house? Never been to Eunice's house.

24. When is the next time you'll see 3? I'll probably see Vanessa on Sunday.

25. Are you really close to 1? Definitely NOT close to Barry!

26. Would you give 20 a hug? Of course I'd give Andrew L. a hug! He might not like it, though...

27. Have you ever been to 7's house? I was at Joyce's house years ago, and I think they may have moved on since then...

28. Do you know a secret about 19? I possibly know something about Adam... ;)

29. Describe the relationship between 14 and 19? Jocelyn and Adam are complete strangers.

30. What's your friendship like with 2? Corey and I like to freak each other out, haha!

31. Have you ever danced with 17? I've NEVER danced with Samantha!

32. How do you know 21? I know Eunice's parents Andrew and Flora through church.

33. Does 10 have a boyfriend? Arthur is three... FAR TOO YOUNG to have a boyfriend!

34. Have you ever wanted to punch 18 in the face? NEVER wanted to do that to Rosanna at ALL!

35. Has 6 met your mother? Elizabeth may have met her once or twice.

36. Have you traveled anywhere with 11? Korey and I traveled via Greyhound to and from Chilliwack / Vancouver, so if that counts... then yes.

37. If you gave 7 $100, what would they spend it on? Not sure... maybe Joyce would spend it on dog food!

38. What's your best memory of 2? The one where Corey decided to talk to me for fourteen hours straight - good times!

39. What is the one thing you most want 17 to know? "Hey Samantha! I know you were being silly when you said you didn't remember me a couple weekends ago!"

40. What was the last thing you did with 6? Elizabeth and I may have gone to some movie or other... don't recall which.

41. When did you meet 18? Met Rosanna in toddler Sunday School in 2003.

42. What do you wish for number 5? I don't wish anything really for Marcel...

Turkish Delight in chocolate is very good!

Went food shopping, and I couldn't believe that Barry hadn't heard of online fliers before - there is also online shopping and delivery which might save on gas, but still. Got Skor / Eat More / Big Turk (with Turkish Delight!) / Aero bars for Corey and myself at Save-On just now, and almost all of those were twenty cents off. Since someone mentioned Chapman's (a lactose-free ice cream), I got some of that too in butterscotch. Unfortunately, it came in a 4L tub... oh well, I don't think it's too bad for a one-shot deal.

Decided to get some Island Farms mango swirl frozen yogurt, on-sale bottled water, vanilla-caramel Drumsticks, on-sale bread, on-sale grape juice, on-sale Kashi cereal (since Vanessa had it last Friday), chocolate milk, on-sale parmesan / butter rice, on-sale noodles / rice vermicelli, veggies, on-sale boneless / skinless chicken breast, on-sale Thai chili sauce, on-sale pads, chocolate chip cookies, cheese, on-sale Chunky Soup, bananas, Coke Zero (I saw it at Nathan's last week), shampoos / conditioner, on-sale Earth's Own almond soy milk, on-sale Sunrise soy milk, and other stuff. I didn't get any Pepsi Max, since it appeared they only had diet - maybe they'll have the regular sort at London Drugs when I get a bubble-wrap envelope later. Saw Marcel at the store, too - he's seen both Elizabeth and Joyce recently for a family dinner since it was Joyce's birthday, and wouldn't recommend THE HAUNTING to me!

Saw the Activia muesli / apple / nuts yogurt I was going to get last time (but was thwarted by bad expiry dates), so got that along with some apple / blackberry stuff. Bought a grad card for Ray, a birthday card for Megan, and a funny card for Corey. I'd have bought crayons, but figured that my pre-existing pens work as well as those for putting the kids' names on their papers at toddler Sunday School. Speaking of them, I got an on-sale Beanie Baby (lion) for little Arthur; I should have given him the stuffed tiger that Korey left behind, too. (but found another person for it) I saved $23.81 today! Have told Corey about the Big Turk (it's GOOD!), and he says the Bridge Mixture had Turkish Delight pieces.. which was like jelly stuff in chocolate. Yes, it's exactly like that goodness!

[14:55:03] Flami: learning about martyrs: do you have Skor or Eat More bars there?
[14:55:28] Corey: Skor, yes... don't think I've heard of the other one
[15:15:09] Flami: okay, I'll send you some along with Big Turk - finally got some today!
[15:16:30] Corey: so is the mission here to send some of everything ever made in Canada? :P
[15:19:02] Flami: Hahahaha. NO
[15:23:59] Corey: well, I think we're getting close at this point :P
[15:27:39] Flami: hahaha... I was shopping anyhow, and decided to get it
[15:27:46] Flami: they were on sale too.
[15:37:16] Corey: and we love sales :P
[16:04:14] Corey: we have one called Big Hunk, I think, but no Turks
[16:15:50] Flami: Big Hunk?! What does THAT contain?
[16:17:52] Corey: I don't think I've ever had one
[16:18:16] Corey: Big Hunk is a candy bar made by Annabelle Candy Company. It is a bar of roasted peanuts covered in honey sweetened nougat. It was featured in Steve Almond's book, Candyfreak, as being one of the only successful candies made by a small company. A new bar spin-off, Skinny Hunk, was recently introduced.
[16:18:29] Corey: that's the entire Wikipedia article :P

She has the same name as I do, AND a sister with the same name as mine?! FREAKY!

UGH... This thing just restarted! If that wasn't enough, Firefox kept having errors like it's been prone to do lately. NOT my morning!

OH MY GOODNESS. I have a Facebook friend with the same first and last name as me (Fidela's friend), and it turns out that she has a sister named Stephanie. *I* have a sister named Stephanie! FREAKY! I don't have a brother named Christian or a sister named Lauren, but still! (reminds me of junior high, or how Dallas met someone with his first and last name at rez last year, or how Jocelyn met someone with her first and last name at Winter Con years ago) I know that Stanley's brother's first and last name is the same as Rosanna and Samantha's dad's name, and that Adam's twin's name is the same as little Eunice's dad's name! YIKES, haha.

You Believe that Love is Commitment

When you think of love, you think of two people devoted to each other for the rest of their lives. In love, you see things how they could be. You are wrapped up in your own dreams. If you are in love, you want the whole world to know it. You don't hold back with letting people know. You are patient in love. You are willing to wait for the right person and the right time.

The Rose Test

Marinating chicken and storing Dallas' stuff

High-scoring word of the night so far:

JERIDS (411 points) - against Peg P. [2W, 4W, 3W, hook off FERN for a plural]


Took out various things that needed to go into the garbage, and consequently missed a call from my brother. Says Dallas is moving, and probably will need my place as somewhere to store stuff... kinda like last year exactly at this time, only he won't come back suddenly because of a scholarship after about a week or so! Sounds fine to me even if it is for a few months, haha! I fielded his email at midnight, but he called half an hour later - he's coming at 1 AM or thereabouts. So much for sleeping early!

Edit at 0130: Jon came by with four heavy boxes (one for a printer), and a heavy large blue suitcase with wheels. Laughed over socks and nothing, hahaha.


[20:53:23] Flami: learning about martyrs: I'm looking up recipes on the Internet
[21:17:10] Corey: for what?
[21:33:43] Flami: chicken breast
[21:35:21] Corey: well, what do you have around to use with it?
[21:35:44] Corey: just marinating it in some soy sauce and throwing in a little bit of seasoning is easy
[21:36:16] Corey: if you have spaghetti sauce, cheese, and maybe some pasta, you can make a pretty decent meal
[21:55:48] Flami: I have soy sauce and salt. and pepper.
[21:56:07] Corey: seasonings and sauces would be the main thing to look at, then you can easily make noodles or rice or something to go with it
[21:56:30] Corey: that's everything? :P well, use 'em all, that'll work
[21:58:43] Corey: thaw the chicken out first, then put some soy sauce on it (I like to cut it up first.. the inside doesn't get dried out if it's in chunks), and I guess you could salt and pepper it then, too. you can cook it in the microwave from there, which is faster and if and only if it's cut up first, it should come out pretty well... do it on like 60-80% power for 6 minutes or so, and check it.. cut one in half and make sure it's cooked through, and if not, do it for a few more minutes. too much is better than too little with chicken.. you don't want it undercooked

Facebook quizzes taken from Karla and Jennifer:

Leslie completed the quiz "Which book character are you?" with the result Holden from The Catcher In The Rye. You always complain about the things happening around you, and you are never satisfied with them. You like to criticize people, and you hate phoniness. Even though you don't clearly show it, you are sensitive and intellectual. Little things in life provoke you to think, and you are actually very creative!

Leslie completed the quiz "What kind of crazy are you" with the result Depression. You would be depression - it take a bulldozer to pull you out of bed in the morning. You'd just as soon sit half-asleep in the couch watching reruns of old game shows as get out of the house and go to work or school.

Leslie completed the quiz "Which is your SEXIEST feature?" with the result Eyes. Your eyes give off natural sparkle which captures people's attention. Use this to create sparks with the opposite sex. You're a cutie! (Ha ha. This doesn't work - I've tried! :P)

Poo nugget for Wednesday, Apr. 29: Dr. Stool Says - The Effects of Antibiotics - The use of antibiotics upsets the natural balance of "good" and "bad" bacteria in our intestines. The overgrowth of a specific bacterium in the colon called Clostridium difficile results in inflammation of the colonic lining. It causes profuse diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever. Medical treatment comes in the form of a different type of antibiotic that specifically attacks Clostridium difficile.

Tony is evil, and the fake lawyer is a slut...

This week's episode of 24 was interesting...

We pick up after last week in the fiery aftermath of the apartment building Galvez blew up at Tony's behest. Macer gives Jack some drugs to take the edge off the bug-eyed "my best friend is an evil murderer" seizure he was gripped by at the end of last week's installment. Jack is still mumbling incoherently, but manages to tell Renee that Tony was Galvez's accomplice, and gets her to issue an APB. Speak of the devil, cut to Tony approaching two agents guarding the perimeter of the area. Just as Walker's comm transmission about the evil cat being out of the bag pipes over their comm units, they spot Tony. Tony wastes no time gunning them both down and swiping their SUV, en route to rendezvous with Galvez and collect his precious canister.

Macer gives Jack another med pack, and cautions Walker to "make sure he doesn't lose this one." Heh. Now that Jack has regained control of his faculties, he explains to Walker that Tony murdered Larry and has been playing all of them all day long like cheap violins from a Brooklyn pawn shop. He apologizes for the terrible mistake he made in convincing the FBI that Tony could be trusted. Just then, an FBI peon radios in and tells Walker that he's just discovered the bodies of two agents who were guarding the perimeter. Tony's handiwork. The hunt is on.

Cut back to Tony, pulling up to a motel a short four-minute drive away from the FBI's perimeter in his stolen ride. He approaches one of the doors and knocks. Galvez answers. Tony enters the room and wants to see the canister. Galvez wants to see his money. Tony gives him a PDA, and tells him to check his account. Galvez, satisfied, tosses Tony the black manbag. Tony opens it and finds a phone book inside. Oh shit. Wrong move, Galvez. Double-crossing Almeida? So, so dumb. Anyway, Galvez pulls a gun on Tony, demanding the name of his buyer. Greedy mofo. Tony warns him once, calmly, that he really doesn't wanna go through with this, but we can practically see the dollar signs in Galvez's eyes as he salivates over the idea of getting paid for the canister twice. Tony sighs, and knocks the gun out of Galvez's hand with one well-timed Krav Maga chop, and they struggle, ending up in the bathroom. Despite the fact that he just shot himself less than two hours ago, Tony easily overpowers Galvez, who is a rank amateur compared to Tony, and kicks him in the face while he's down. This is the third time this season where I've been delighted watching Almeida give someone a boot to the face. Tony then quickly rips the shower curtain off its rack and proceeds to stick it over Galvez's face a la Jack and Graem in Season 6. When a gunshot just won't do, asphyxiation seems to be Tony's preferred method of execution. At least he's consistent.

Meanwhile, over at the White House, Tim Woods is briefing the President on Hodges' suicide attempt, explaining that the soldiers transporting him got him to the hospital before the pill was completely dissolved in his stomach. He also fills her in on how Hodges' lawyer was actually Fake Lawyer, and that she supplied him with the suicide capsule. Just then, Jack and Walker call in, and they explain that they did not recover the canister because Almeida helped Galvez escape. Sic! Jack apologizes to Taylor for trusting Tony, and says they are pretty well out of leads. Taylor mentions that Hodges alluded to a larger conspiracy during his arrest, and that it could be a lead in finding the canister. Jack deduces that Fake Lawyer must have threatened Hodges' family if he was willing to commit suicide, so suggests that they offer Hodges a deal — "proof of death" and witness protection in exchange for any information he has on the canister.

Back at the No Tell Motel, Fake Lawyer arrives on the scene, and is mildly perturbed to discover a dead and bloody Galvez slumped on the bathroom floor, but Tony is in no mood for a lecture, so Fake Lawyer gets down to business: the bosses are expecting delivery of the canister imminently. Tony, however, has other ideas. He tells Fake Lawyer that he's not about to hand over the canister that he "sweated blood for" just so her employers can sit on it for the next six months. He's pushing for Fake Lawyer to call her bosses and convince then to move up their timetable and launch an attack now, while the government is vulnerable. Fake Lawyer caresses Tony's 3:11 AM shadow tenderly and explains that while she agrees with him, it is not their decision to make. Tony makes a point of reminding both Fake Lawyer and the audience that he is completely in the dark as to who she is working for, but posits that if they are serious about their agenda, they'll realize he's right. Fake Lawyer, hypnotized by Almeida's piercing black stare, agrees to make the calls. Tony, satisfied, begins to strip, on his way to grab a shower while a very dead Galvez watches. Good thing the No Tell Motel doubles up their shower curtains, eh Almeida?

Moving back to the White House for a moment, Pierce escorts Olivia to an important briefing with her mother. Olivia questions the President about the canister, and the President explains that she has no choice but to make a deal with Hodges. She asks Olivia to draft up the paperwork. Olivia is outraged, reminding her mother that Hodges ordered Roger's murder. Things get emotional, but ultimately Taylor reminds Olivia that as the President's Chief of Staff, she needs to act like a professional and follow orders.

Cut back to No Tell Motel. Fake Lawyer is in the middle of a teleconference with The Group. She is explaining the plan: an attack during the morning rush hour with the canister Tony "recovered" from Starkwood. They will set up a Middle Eastern civilian man, Al-Zarian, to carry out the attack and make it look like a suicide bomber-type scenario, with staged emails and other digital evidence to help sell the cover story. Al-Zarian was last seen in Season 4 when Jack Bauer helped him and his brother defend their sporting goods store against looters during the EMP blackout. Only back then his name was something else. And his brother was way older. But anyway...

At this point, The Group, who are all identified only by numbers and are using digital voice disguisers, begin to debate the faults and merits of Fake Lawyer's plan. They question Tony Almeida's motives and capabilities. Fake Lawyer sends Wilson a private message: he has thus far has remained silent. He responds that he's not sure which side he's on, as the plan is risky. Fake Lawyer pleads with him to do it "for her," and defends Tony, saying that he came through for them. At last, Wilson chimes in. He echoes all the sentiments Tony expressed earlier when convincing Fake Lawyer to support his strategy: Hodges gave them a unique window by softening up the FBI for them first, and they shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Fake Lawyer, who is both relieved and satisfied, calls for an immediate vote. As the panel votes, Tony emerges shirtless (!) from the shower. Fake Lawyer happily shows him the results... unanimous in favor of moving forward. Tony plants a dangerslutty kiss on Fake Lawyer.

Meanwhile, Jack and Renee are prepping for the interrogation of Hodges. Janis questions Renee as to whether Jack is up to the task, given the "Tony Almeida situation." Renee disregards her concerns. The three of them observe Hodges ranting about how they killed his family by saving his life. Jack enters the room and explains that Hodges' associates don't know he survived the suicide attempt, and if Hodges cooperates by giving him their names, they never will. Hodges will get witness protection and a new identity. Hodges briefly outlines what he knows: The Group planned to launch simultaneous multiple attacks in cities nationwide and offload the blame onto Islamic extremists in an effort to create public pressure to authorize the involvement of private companies in the country's defense strategy. Jack tells Hodges he wants names. Hodges says he doesn't have any names, claiming that everything was done anonymously through the help of an intermediary — Fake Lawyer. Renee's biometric equipment confirms that Hodges is telling the truth. Jack and the President discuss their options. Jack feels they need to assume that The Group plans to follow through with the attack immediately, and that they need to recommission CTU servers to get information on potential leads. Taylor agrees.

Jack calls Chloe, who is asleep in a hotel room with Morris and her son. After a brief moment where Buchanan's death is acknowledged, Jack gets down to business: he briefs Chloe on the bioweapon, and needs her to come back to the FBI and resume technical lead on getting the CTU servers up and running, and using them to track down anyone linked to The Group's plans. Chloe agrees, and tells Jack to send a car. Chloe wakes up Morris and explains the situation. She implores him to leave the city with their son, saying she needs to make sure they are safe.

Shortly thereafter, Renee and Jack brief the rest of the FBI team on the operation, identifying Tony and Fake Lawyer as the two prime suspects. He further elaborates that they are working under the assumption that the people behind the attack will try to lay blame on established groups or individuals with terrorist ties, and they can use the CTU servers to look for traces of that manufactured evidence. Janis voices concerns that the tactics are illegal, and violate the Constitution. Renee replies they are going forward with their directive, with or without her. Meanwhile, Chloe has arrived at the FBI and Jack explains to her that Tony is working with the people behind the attack. Chloe expresses doubts that Tony is really a terrorist, but Jack is adamant the friend she knew no longer exists, and that they must both be prepared to treat Tony like an enemy combatant. Chloe agrees to support Jack, but still seems conflicted.

By this point, Tony and Fake Lawyer have arrived at the residence of the man they plan to use to execute the attack. They discuss how they can use the man's brother and his illegal immigrant status to force him to cooperate, and that his history as a loner with parents who died in the conflict in the Middle East will lend credibility to him being a terrorist sympathizer. Fake Lawyer's backup team arrives, and they head toward the townhouse.

Meanwhile, Olivia gives Pierce the details on the witness protection order for Jonas Hodges. She rants about the injustice of Hodges living out his days in comfort while her brother rots in his grave. Pierce talks of all the many injustices he has seen in his years as a Secret Service operative, and the many guilty people who got away with their crimes. We get the feeling Charles Logan is at the forefront of his mind. Pierce asks Olivia if there is anything more he can do, and she replies other than killing Hodges, no. There is a weird beat, and then Olivia quickly retracts her statement, saying she was just venting. Exunt Pierce. Olivia picks up the phone and makes a call to a man named Martin, who appears to be some kind of political consultant. She asks him to meet with her. He asks for details. She alludes to a drunk conversation they had some time ago during her mother's campaign, in which Martin talked about "handling and eliminating problems." Martin says he can be at the White House in 15 minutes.

Over at the FBI, Janis and Chloe are sniping at each other while trying to get the CTU servers back online. Janis has a problem with doing things that violate the Bill of Rights, and refers to CTU as "Big Brother," which makes Jack lose his shit big-time. Jack gets in Janis' face and starts yelling at her about how President David Palmer ordered the servers recommissioned, and it dawns on Chloe that there is something severely wrong with Jack.

Back at the Pasty's townhouse, Team Almeida cuts the power and ambushes the brothers. Almeida holds a gun to Al-Zarian's head and tells him to shut up — one more word, and he puts a bullet in his brain. Boop beep.

Amazing bare hands, Taylor Swift, and spring fairies!

Bingo of the day so far:

BAREHAND (460 points) - against Karla M.

High-scoring words of the day so far:

BAREHAND (460 points) - against Karla M. [bingo, two 5W]
AMAZE (378 points) - against Louise G. [two 5W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}


It's been two months and four months since I've done two separate things. YIKES! And this thing just restarted again - why am I not surprised?!

Leslie just took the How Friendly Are You Quiz and is Extremely Friendly. I am Extremely Friendly. You are extremely friendly. We doubt you could meet a person that didn't like you. You are the life and soul of any party.

Leslie's just got their French Name. I just got my French Name. It's Marielle Leveque.

Find out how friendly you are with the How Friendly Are You Quiz

Taken from Kaitlin and Candace:

Leslie's just got their Spring Fairy Name. I just got my Spring Fairy Name. It's Aster Lake-Mist.

Leslie completed the quiz "What Taylor Swift song are you?" with the result I'm Only Me When I'm With You. The people closest to you mean the world to you. You are down to earth, not uptight. You are yourself no matter who's around, but you feel most comfortable around people you are most comfortable with. You are who you want to be, not what other people tell you to be.

Cockney rhyming slang / KFC prank, parts 8 and 9

Barry called to see if we could change the shopping appointment to tomorrow at 12:45 - I guess it should be okay if I don't sleep at a crazy time again! Called Jon about Jen's Evite: her birthday event IS right after Danielle's, and Harmony's back in town too. So he doesn't know what's going on since of course he needs to talk to HH about things. We'll see! Alex emailed me back, which was cool too! Gave him my number, Facebook ID, and information about the church building. Ah, technology is great... I also used it to change my RSVP for Andy and Megan's wedding / banquet, since I'd feel weird going to the banquet without having gone to the ceremony. She thanked me for letting her know, at least!

Flora linked me to this Cockney rhyming slang site - cool stuff, since I like reading about words and things like that. MAD MAGAZINE has released its 500th issue: I remember reading that ages ago!

From Corey: KFC prank parts 8 and 9 where they call one of the girls 2 months later, and then add her boss to the conversation when she won't talk to them about her feelings about what happened.


Facebook quizzes taken from Candy and Morgana:

Leslie took the Which rock star are you? quiz and the result is Randy Rhoads. You rock hard, party, and do it all for the fans... and do it well! You are highly talented, and have many friends and fans!

Leslie completed the quiz "Which Planet Do You Come From?" with the result Sirius. You are Sirian, from the planet Sirius (also known as the Dogstar). Sirius is actually home to feline Christ energy, and beings from Sirius will have strong ties to ancient Egypt and Maya culturally. A strong tie to the Ascended Masters, enlightenment, and spiritual growth will be prominent in your life. Sirius is within our Solar system, being a short 4.5 light years away from Earth. As a being from Sirius, follow your highly developed intuition, and allow your heart to spread healing and love everywhere you go! (I don't understand half of this, but okay...)

Your Birthday's Wisdom is Creation

You have learned that you're happiest in life when you're working with your hands. Whether you're cooking or writing, being creative is what fuels you. You don't like to be stagnant, and you are always thinking of new projects. You believe that a wasted day can lead to a wasted life. You make the most of the time you have.

What's Your Birthday's Wisdom?

Rednecks and seasons / A pooping doll by Hasbro!

Great. This thing just restarted!

Leslie just took the Which Season Are You Quiz and is Spring. I am Spring. Fresh blossoms on trees and crisp dew-covered grass is what you enjoy. (The spelling on #7 was NOT GOOD! "Desert" and "dessert" should NOT be easily confused... ugh!)

Facebook quizzes taken from Candy, Kaitlin, Kelly, Gabriel, Darren, Gretchen, and Becky:

Leslie completed the quiz "Are YOU a Southern Belle or a Redneck Princess?" with the result Yankee Woman. You know what they say! If a cat has kittens in the oven, it doesn't make them biscuits! Your parents are most likely Yankee-born trying to make it in the South. Honey, that's all peachy, but it doesn't make you a Southerner! Southern women are from long generations of other Southerners, and we'll love you like you're the best thing since sweet tea, but it doesn't mean we understand you! (HAHAHAHA!)

Leslie took the How will you die? quiz and the result is Spontaneously Combust. You never really worry about dying. The world is your oyster, and you like to live life on the edge. Except - one day, you will blow up for no reason.

Leslie just took the How dirty is your mind? quiz and got the result: you are cheeky monkey. You are cheeky monkey: You are not fussed, but you are aware of sex in the media. Sexuality does not bother you, and you don't think about it too much. To you, it is no big deal, but you do enjoy a rude joke here or there.

Leslie just took the What's your mental disorder quiz and got the result: Anxiety. Anxiety: You can't control your thoughts, your heart races, and you being to sweat. Only the feeling of something going to happen and not knowing what will happen can make you uncontrollable. All you need are some pills....

Leslie completed the quiz "Which Retarded Cartoon Character are You?" with the result Barney. You are Barney, the Retarded Purple Dinosaur who drives you nuts by singing his songs! AHHHHHH!!!!! "I love you, you love me, we are a happy family......... (and so on)"

Leslie completed the quiz "Which of the X-men are you?" with the result Jean Grey. Well look who's Little Miss Goody Goody Two-Shoes. You are the girl next door. The one that your elders can trust, and boys dream of making their wife. You are the girl who always dobs on the fun kids, and goes sooking to mummy whenever things don't go your way. People pretend to like you, but find you irritating in general. Oh, and your man wants Psylocke.

Leslie just took the "How Shitty Is Your Life?" quiz and the result is 60% Shitty! Hanging somewhere in the middle of being splendid or shitty, you have the option of swinging the pendulum better than anybody else! The issues you face can clearly be solved, so get cracking! Even a partly-shitty life sucks!

Leslie just took the "are you insane?" quiz and the result is you are insane!!! but in a good way!! You must be a really funny and crazy person. It's a good thing there are people like you here. Keep making people smile!! (HA! That's what I keep telling certain people! :P)

Leslie just took the "what kind of ninja are you" quiz and the result is Fire ninja. You have great leadership, and you are an expert at mixing hand-to-hand combat with your element bending. Your spirit guardian is the phoenix.

Leslie just took the "What Martial Art are you?" quiz and the result is Ninjutsu. You like to sneak up on your opponent and take them out without them even knowing you're there. Hide in the shadows and strike when they least expect it. You play it smart and stay where your opponent can't hurt you and take them out.

Leslie just took the "Are you a good lover?" quiz and the result is Veeeeeeeery good lover!! You are really a good lover! You know how to enjoy, and how to make your partner happy! You never let her / him down, and you care about your relationship. Congratulations! (The spelling on THIS one was absolutely ATROCIOUS!)

Leslie just took the "What legendary creature are you?" quiz and the result is Werewolf. You are a frightening figure of uncontrollable rage and lust for blood. Even you can sometimes fear yourself: it's a tormented existence. Part of you wants to die, and the rest wants to hunt.

Leslie just took the "What nickname best suits you?" quiz and the result is Steady Water. That nickname is assigned to you because you're neutral. You have no bad or really bad sides. Keep going... luck is coming your way!

Leslie just took the "what do your eyes do to people" quiz and the result is trippy. Totally awesome eyes! If you got this result, you lucked out! You have the eyes that would get people just staring at you all day.

Leslie just took the "What vampire eye color do you have?" quiz and the result is Golden eyes. You are a compassionate creature: you care, and are controlled. It is easier for you to live with people and other vampires. You are practically perfect in every way, and people are very attracted to you, so be careful. You should still live out you long and glorious life how you want it, though! :)

Leslie just took the "would you survive a Zombie apocalypse" quiz and the result is ZOMBIE DESTROYER!! There's no way you gonna die in a zombie apocalypse. You will kill tons of zombies, and you will be at least 90% sure that you will survive no matter what!!

Leslie just took the "What Bollywood Song Are You??" quiz and the result is Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Sweet, lovable, and corny. You can't resist a true romantic!

Poo nugget for Tuesday, Apr. 28: Too Alive - Hasbro, Inc. has brought back the Baby Alive doll, which does EVERYTHING (and we mean everything) that a real baby does. Not only does this doll eat, speak, and make facial expressions, but she also poops. The doll was first introduced in 1973, and has recently been re-released due to popular demand. Retail price: $49.99.

Regent graduation 2009 - yay for abalone?

Steph picked me up earlier, and we were off to dinner at some restaurant in the T&T plaza before Jon's grad ceremony. Discussed Teresa, reasonable noise level at 10 AM caused by the piano when you're trying to sleep, idealism, history, studying, wedding stuff, money, Jon's pub gig with his violin later, poop, Pastor John, and more. We checked out a townhouse area, and dropped by the church to pick Dad up. Dinner was all right, although Grandma insisted on ordering abalone and shark's fin soup for presumably STATUS reasons. We're simple folk, really (except maybe Jon) - Pho is much more efficient in terms of cost, haha. Discussed tea ceremonies, soap, interesting speech material, MC gigs, mushrooms, Cecilia / Wilson / Angela / Mr. Tee / Anna / Michael / Ethan / Brigitte / pictures, Laughing Bean coffee (Grandma thought we were going to Mui's after dinner!), Chung, Allison, Mattias, little kids, Mike K., and more.

I did the dutiful thing and accompanied Grandma to and from the washrooms: my sister thought that was a good-hearted thing to do as well. Not like I really MINDED doing that! She made a comment about a kid being really quick inside the washroom - IGNORE and DISREGARD! There was a Pho Thai Son inside the plaza, which I didn't know was there... should tell Jon or Jeremy about that, haha. My sister and I took the stairs instead of the elevator: exercise, NOT smelling pee everywhere, and NOT getting stuck inside the machine between floors were good incentives!

Broadway Church was CROWDED even when we got there twenty minutes earlier than the stated time of the grad! Saw Vanessa, Wai-Mui, J-Mak's parents, Kevin's mom, and a few others that we knew. Discussed Sean, moving, New York, weddings, Alan and Tracy, Andy and Megan, the Awana extension, and more... talked about Jack Bauer as well. (I need to catch up tomorrow!) The grad ceremony was all right; Steph, Vanessa, and I noticed some of the impossible / funny names in the program (like someone whose long first name started with G, and whose last name ended with "kerkerker" OR someone else whose first name was Wee Wee [she had an English name too, thank goodness!]), and winced when "Ng" was mispronounced. It's "ING," not "ning."

We were amazed by the VERY academic titles of some of the grads' papers - who knew you could analyze a psalm or Amos so thoroughly?! (letters and such...) Vanessa noticed Jon's friend Andrea's name in the program, I noticed Ray's, Steph recognized Jon's friend Drema's name when she was called, and there was one husband and wife graduating together! (someone took her baby up with her - how cute!) Jon was part of the music offertory, so Steph took a couple of pictures. Receiving the degree and hood must be exciting... the charge to the grads was interesting, too. It mentioned death, being good, the Christian life, and more.

We later saw Vivian, her mom, Auntie Catherine, Andrea, Lesley, Pastor Edward, Christon, and other people there to support Jon with flowers, cards, gifts, pictures, and their presence - very nice of them! I had to go downstairs to look for Grandma, and bumped into Ray - he was on the phone, but I said my congratulations to him anyhow; he did thank me to show he'd heard. (I should have got him a card, but I'll do that on Thursday) Very nice, haha. Going against the traffic flow was tough, but we made it! I told Lesley that something had come up, thus why I couldn't attend her school's event on Friday. (I can spend a lot of time with Billie instead!) She's been immersed in the African fundraising function for a while now - I bet!

On the way home, we listened to what sounded like a season evaluation on Team 1040. Learned that the Giants lost against the Kelowna Rockets - AIYA! The Sharks lost against Detroit, and the Flames lost against Chicago: this means a Vancouver-Blackhawks series, and a San Jose-Red Wings series. Steph warned me that I should look after Grandma when the lards go on their cruise in August, especially with Jon out of there, and her working. I don't mind, really - I'm sure Grandma might want my company, and THAT isn't a bad thing at all. I'll spend time with her between now and then, of course! Got home to find an Evite from Jen for her birthday - which happens to be right after Danielle's birthday thing! (on the very DAY, yes...) I'll discuss things with Jon first before I commit - maybe I'll call him tomorrow!

Assassins, ninjas, and badasses - oh my!

I just found some mail and receipts from last July and August around here! Buying seven-layer dip, vegetable lasagna, shortbread cookies, green grapes, milk, mini-croissants, McCain Deep and Delicious chocolate cake, organic strawberries (not my money - he didn't care!), potato wedges, and peaches? It's hard to believe that I was continually doing this stuff a year ago (with cab rides home), and not really getting what I needed from it. Onward and upward, I say! Besides, deliberately freaking me out by telling me that he DID NOT have the keys (when he told me not to bring mine) was NOT COOL. I should have brought them anyway, and countered his test!

UGH... this thing JUST restarted. Not a good time, since I have to be out of here at a specific clock hour - I hate that anyway, but not when coupled with restarting!


Leslie just took the "Which Book Are You?" quiz and the result is Winnie The Pooh. You are a children's person, plain and simple. Kids absolutely love you. However, that doesn't mean you have problems dealing with other social circles. You speak plainly and kindly to everyone, and you enjoy helping people. You try and solve other people's problems, often smiling about it. Your main setback is that you can come off as rather childish, and perhaps even slightly annoying. Don't let this bother you, though. You have many good friends who will always put up with you, and cherish fond memories of you when they leave. You are clever, and can offer some interesting thoughts, but you aren't a deep thinker.

Facebook quizzes taken from Arctic Sapphire, Ellen, and Gretchen:

Leslie just took the "Would you be a good assassin?" quiz and the result is Yes! Of course! You are the synonym for stealth! The Night Mother truly favours you!

Leslie just took the "What Type of Ninja Are You?" quiz and the result is The Ruthless Ninja. You are a Ruthless Ninja. You are usually a hired assassin. You don't care who it is that gets in your way, since you just slash your way through until your mission is complete - leaving no one left alive. Hey, at least no one can be a witness to what you do, right?

Leslie just took the "Which Movie Badass are You?" quiz and the result is James Bond. You have to be the coolest spy. You can kick ass, but can cover your ass at the same time. You have picked up more chicks then anyone on Earth, and are still picking up more. You have a license to kill, and have the coolest cars. YOU ARE A BADASS!

Leslie just took the "What Kind Of Sword Fighter Are You?" quiz and the result is Dual Wielder. You hold two swords in your hands. You are fast, strong, and can take on many people at once, but be warned that it will be hard to defend yourself if you make even the slightest mistake!

Leslie just took the "Who were you in your past life?" quiz and the result is An Artist. You were the depiction of the tortured soul solving all of life's questions with the stroke of your brush. Unfortunately, spending all that time in your dark and dingy studio meant you stunk worse than a French Prostitute, and drunk like a fish. No worries for you, though - if you had been a male artist, your rugged exterior and sensitive gooey insides meant you were a total chick magnet. The downside was that you then created a dark half-human breed called the Emo - shame on you.

Leslie just took the "What Videogame Hero Are You?" quiz and the result is Snake. Tactics and precision are your weapons. Those and any gun you can pick up. As Snake, you can take down your opponents while hiding under a cardboard box! (I need to ask Corey who that is... Google would give me imprecise results! But Cody's just told me that Snake is from Metal Gear Solid, so that's fine. :P)

Leslie just took the "Your Dark Side" quiz and the result is Deadly. Your dark side makes you capable of incredibly dangerous things. Revenge is always sweet for you, and you even have the capacity to murder if pushed too hard. (People who are relatively close to me should really just keep quiet if they see this result... muhahahaha!)

Leslie just took the "what Greek god are you" quiz and the result is Zeus. You are god of all gods! Oldest brother of Hades and Poseidon... fuck, yeah!

Leslie just took the "What is your Sex Song???" quiz and the result is The Righteous Brothers' Unchained Melody. Too carried away by Ghost... you are one romantic human being! You even cry during the chorus / ending part... or even have a climax. You must be surrounded with roses around your bed, and have a very long foreplay session with your partner...

You Are a Mullet

You are a total character. You're quirky, unique, and there's no one quite like you. Your idea of style is doing your own thing and defying expectations. You're eclectic. At your best, you are funny, observant, and a bit sarcastic. You see life's ironies clearly. At your worst, you are a bit weird and creepy. People sometimes take you the wrong way.

What Hairstyle Are You?

HAHA! At least this one is VERY accurate! Quirky and weird... that's me! :D

Words, Rock Band Name, dream houses, true nature, and more!

High-scoring word of the night:

PANTRY (119 points) - against Itamar R. [2W, 4W, hook off LEA to make PLEA] {a good deficit-erasing word!}


Leslie's just got their Rock Band Name. I just got my Rock Band Name. It's Sadistic Explorers. (HAHAHAHAHA. Oh my!)

Leslie just took the How Much Are You Worth Quiz and is worth $1,606,313.

Facebook quizzes taken from Morgana, Kaitlin, and Billie:

Leslie just took the What word best describes you? quiz and got the result: Boring. Boring: People meet you and five minutes after they leave, they have already forgotten you. You fail to make an impression. You love spending time at home alone. You go to bed early and make sure to get a solid eight hours a night. You would never do anything exciting or risky, it just isn't your style. [HA, I hope not! Good thing that these quizzes aren't supposed to be terribly accurate, anyhow. ;)]

Leslie took the What is your dream house? quiz and the result is Southern Comfort. You know the feeling after you eat a good home-cooked meal? That's the feeling you feel when you come home to a southern dream. Warm and hospitable. You know everybody in the neighborhood, and make it a priority to always have some tea to share with unexpected visitors. Your room decor is full of warmth and love. No fancy-shmancy pants here. Fancy is a house, not a home. Home is hugs and fried chicken.

Leslie took the What's your true nature? quiz and the result is Outsider. You feel stuck on the outside, no matter what you try. Nobody understands you. You have a vision and a dream, but you feel cut off from the world. Everyone around you seems to be part of one entity, and the opinion of every one person seems to be the opinion that everyone else has about you: It's all good or all bad.

Leslie completed the quiz "What type of girl are you?" with the result A Good Girl. You are a good girl! You are a generally nice person and everyone loves you. You know how to have fun, but you know when enough is enough. You are bright and intelligent and success is always on your side!

Leslie took the What Color do Your Eyes Reflect? quiz and the result is Pink. Your eyes reflect the color Pink. You are a person who wears their heart on their sleeve. You are full of emotion, and have a tendency to be very open with people. You adore the simple things in life, and refer to them as "gifts." You have an aura around you that radiates how loving and caring you are. You spend most of your time trying to make others happy. You also try to focus on yourself as well. You are also very supportive and sensitive. Because you are so emotional, you have a tendency to also be very depressed, and can be devastated by a loss. You can also be moody and angry at times when people diagree with you. In all, you are Emotional.


Poo nugget for Monday, Apr. 27: Fart Lightning - The high concentration of methane and hydrogen in human farts is what lends these gaseous emissions their flammable properties. While blue is the most common color of a lighted fart, colors such as orange and yellow are possible depending on both the fart's gas composition, and the type and concentration of the bacteria residing in the colon. (HAHA! This reminds me of a Roy D. Mercer prank call entitled Lighting Momma's Farts!)

Rock Revolution and the insane IIDX

High-scoring words of the evening:

ALFREDO (240 points) - against CJ N. [4W, 5W]
JETTONS (360 points) - against Nancy L. [5W, two 2W] {a good deficit-erasing word!}
KAFIR (144 points) - against Joyce T.-W. [two 3W]
EXCEPT (156 points) - against Luella R. [two 2W, 2L on X]

Corey and I had a conversation about Rock Revolution earlier:

[16:32:16] Corey: well, I got Rock Revolution today! :P it's not very good! but it was really cheap and has some good songs
[16:33:23] Corey: it's Konami's fairly pathetic attempt at copying Guitar Hero / Rock Band, which is kind of surprising since Guitar Hero and Rock Band sort of copied Konami's guitar and drum games in the first place.... Konami just never releases much over here and other than DDR, when they do, they do it half-assed
[16:33:47] Corey: they use their whole ass in Japan and make tons of money on them, so I'm not sure why they keep screwing up their American releases
[16:34:00] Corey: oh well, new guitar game for super cheap :P
[16:34:45] Flami: learning about martyrs: Konami did DDR?
[16:37:43] Corey: Konami completely owns the music genre in Japan.. the music line is called Bemani, which I think started with Beatmania (DJ simulation.. came out in the 90's)
[16:38:11] Corey: they have Beatmania, which has now turned into Beatmania IIDX... they're on the 17th IIDX game now
[16:38:34] Corey: DDR, GuitarFreaks, DrumMania, Karaoke Revolution (I think.. one of the singing series is Konami)
[16:39:17] Corey: Pop'N Music, which started out as a little kids' game, and is now about the hardest music game out there... it uses huge colorful buttons that would be as big as a kid's whole hand :P
[16:40:42] Corey: over here, we have DDR and the singing stuff. they released a very shitty version of Beatmania IIDX here, which I bought to get the controller, then downloaded all the Japanese IIDX games.. so they fucked up IIDX here.. bad songs, and not enough variety to be able to possibly get good at it (the learning curve is STEEP on that game.. I'm basically nowhere near even getting to the mid-range difficulty songs on that)
[16:41:37] Flami: but why?!
[16:41:49] Corey: so now Guitar Hero / Rock Band have really taken off here, and just now, they decide to release their own... Rock Revolution. it's not nearly as bad as reviews claim, but it's clearly inferior
[16:42:44] Corey: the notes are like DDR or Beatmania, if you've seen those... they just fall down the screen, like Tetris or something.. all 2D... Guitar Hero / Rock Band have the 3D "notes-coming-at-you" view thing that people are definitely more used to
[16:43:30] Corey: also all the songs except a couple are cover versions, not the original song... Guitar Hero / Rock Band have been all master songs by the original artist since after Guitar Hero II
[16:44:02] Corey: but why?? to what part? :P
[16:45:07] Corey: the arcades in Taiwan were like 75% Konami music games.. arcades over here are half dead now, so I don't see why they don't bring more of those over.. especially with music games being more popular.
[16:45:36] Flami: why are you not learning on the steep learning curve? or at least, why is it so fast?
[16:47:22] Corey: well, when IIDX was released here, it'd already been out in Japan for well over a decade, and all the new stuff (and basically all of IIDX) is tailored to people that have been playing for years and years and are really good at it
[16:47:31] Corey: it's a LOT harder than Guitar Hero
[16:48:14] Corey: and it's hard to get good because the songs go from easy to HOLY SHIT WALL OF NOTES AND CHORDS
[16:49:31] Corey: not a lot of room between to learn... and IIDX has 7 buttons and a turntable, so 8 buttons really, and chords are any combination of those, not just two keys next to each other or whatever, so you have way less than a second to react and you have to learn how to twist your hands around to all those different chords.... they just throw it all at you, it's not like they teach you how by introducing new ones every couple songs or difficulties or whatever
[16:50:52] Corey: also, you really play the songs in that game, not like Guitar Hero where it just turns off the guitar track if you miss. oh, and it's also graded on accuracy, which has to be EXACT.. it can look exact, but you won't get full points on the note.. if it's even a millisecond early or late, you get docked points, and your meter that determines if you pass the song or not goes down :P
[16:53:43] Corey: check that out. that's not even that hard for a lot of those people
[16:53:45] Flami: what?! that IS insane
[16:55:00] Corey: when it flashes GREAT, that means they got it perfect.. if it's just a yellow GREAT or a GOOD, it means they were a bit off. that video goes so fast that you probably can't tell where it's off or not, but I sure as hell can't see anything significantly off, but they do get some normal GOODs and GREATs
[16:55:28] Corey: I'd lose at that song almost immediately.. that one really doesn't look all that hard (it's hard, but there is much much much worse)
[16:56:09] Corey: watch this one next... it's hard to see, but that's basically a wall of notes :P
[16:56:28] Corey: and you're supposed to be able to decipher that one the screen AND play it? not me :P
[16:57:22] Corey: so if you ever want to get that good, it's a LOT of practice, and you'll need a lot of help by playing easier songs to get to that point :P
[16:58:04] Corey: the US game has learning WALLS more than a curve, and the Japanese one is already pretty wall-y to me :P
[16:59:07] Corey: and that's with like 15 games to choose from and hundreds of songs... I think the second video is a 12 ranked song.. on "Another" difficulty (hard).
[16:59:33] Corey: there's Normal, Hyper, and Another. I fail miserably at 4-5 ranked songs in Normal
[16:59:45] Corey: and I can beat SOME easier songs on Hyper
[17:00:04] Flami: Hyper? hahaha.
[17:00:06] Corey: most games only have one or two 1's, and very few 2's and 3's... so you only have a few songs before it starts getting insane
[17:00:17] Corey: oh and if that's too easy, there's DOUBLE mode
[17:00:44] Corey: that's where instead of 7 buttons and one turntable, you use both controllers on the machine at once... 14 keys and two turntables
[17:01:04] Corey: it's really damn hard :P
[17:01:37] Corey: it's also a bunch of J-pop shit I don't like for the most part, so while I do like the gameplay and would like to get better, I enjoy Guitar Hero a whole lot more
[17:02:51] Corey: oh, also in that game, you're playing the whole damn song. so like one hand might be doing the drum beats, while the other plays the melody or whatever.. you just get so lost so easily, it switches instruments you're playing and stuff, so it's hard to "feel" the song and know what you're doing, other than just pushing a ton of buttons
[17:03:12] Corey: so Guitar Hero is about a million times easier and more straightforward
[17:05:47] Corey: check this one out too... that's a guy playing some insane classical song on Pop'N Music
[17:06:46] Corey: on Beatmania, you can at least place your fingers on the keys... Pop'N Music is like 9 buttons, so it's already a lot more complicated, but you have to move around a whole arcade panel to even push anything :P
[17:07:27] Corey: Japanese music games are way more hardcore than anything we have :P yet they completely suck at making good ones here....
[17:08:14] Flami: that is so insane, man.
[17:08:42] Corey: there's a girl playing a fairly calm (at least at the start) song on Pop'N Music
[17:09:45] Corey: even that, with easy-to-follow music... just look at all those chords and stuff. you have to figure those out on the fly, or play enough to know all the various hand positions (which would cost about 9 billion dollars at an arcade, so I don't know how these people do it if they're not practicing at home...)
[17:10:54] Corey: Pop'N Music was designed for kids, or couples on dates that wanted a light-hearted fun game.. that's why the buttons are big and colorful :P you can't see it on the videos really, but the notes are little animal guys that pop when you play the notes. the original ones were all kids' songs and stuff.. there's Disney version, too :P
[17:11:12] Corey: then they turned it into ultra-hell wall of notes game for music game freaks :P
[17:12:23] Corey: I'm probably going to make a Pop'N Music arcade controller one of these days... I have all the games, but it's really just not possible to play on a regular controller... you can set up a Beatmania controller to play it, but then you have to use the turntable up and down as two buttons, and that doesn't work at all for chords
[17:12:36] Corey: I can buy those big buttons from a couple arcade places online
[17:13:19] Corey: the controllers they sell for that are pretty expensive and way smaller and suck... best bet is to build one or buy one from someone that does (for hundreds of dollars)
[17:13:52] Corey: building one is just mounting buttons to some plywood and soldering wires from the buttons to the contacts on an old Playstation controller you don't need anymore
[17:17:56] Flami: that sounds cheaper
[17:19:13] Corey: there's a Rock Revolution video
[17:19:34] Corey: it works, but it should be pretty clear why people would prefer the look of Guitar Hero :P
[17:19:49] Corey: but it's the same Konami-style notes...
[17:21:06] Corey: also, the whammy bar does NOTHING... it works, but there's no reason for it... in Guitar Hero, that charges up your star power on star power sections with held notes. the star power stuff in this game is essentially tacked on and useless too... after a while, it charges up... and when you use it, all that happens is you get some bonus points.. it doesn't save you from failing, or give you bonus points on notes while it's active or anything
[17:21:34] Corey: it just briefly makes the screen blue and you get 3000 points, or however much it really is :P
[17:23:52] Corey: so basically, Konami made GuitarFreaks / DrumMania, then Guitar Hero / Rock Band took that idea and made it a lot fancier... then Konami copied THEM to make this, but they didn't really update their game to match :P
[17:24:32] Corey: the biggest upgrade is that there's 3D graphics of a band playing in the background.. the Konami music games usually just have some video playing in the background, if anything... so they made that, but barely did anything new with the gameplay...
[17:25:23] Corey: apparently, it sold 3,000 copies TOTAL across North America when it came out.. and that's the combined number across the PS3 / 360 / Wii / Nintendo DS
[17:25:31] Corey: so basically... total failure :P
[17:26:07] Corey: if they'd been releasing them here all along, they'd already be the kings of the music genre... but instead, they let someone else do it better, so now they can't win at their own game
[17:27:52] Corey: but anyway, I got it for $10, so that works :P it's really not BAD, it just has no chance of even competing with what's already out
[17:30:49] Corey: this is the same company that makes millions on Metal Gear and Castlevania and all kinds of awesome games, so I don't understand how they can continually fail at music stuff, when that's one of their main specialties in Japan
[17:31:39] Corey: other than DDR, they have a horrible music track record.. and they put English menus on all their Japanese games, so they could so easily just do some minor translating and release the Japanese ones over here :P
[17:33:49] Corey: lots of people import them from Japan (I download them from Japan or whoever is willing to copy them and put them online :P I bought the US release of Beatmania, though)
[17:40:24] Flami: that sounds crazy
[17:40:57] Flami: why wouldn't they just do that, then? (translate and release)
[17:42:22] Corey: well, they SORT OF did that with Beatmania.... but.. the problem is, Beatmania IIDX is fucking HARD, and like I said, most of them don't have easy songs to learn on.. so they TRIED (and failed at) making a US- / newbie-friendly version instead
[17:43:11] Corey: original Beatmania (not IIDX) was 5 keys + turntable, so they added in a bunch of old 5-key songs to try to give people a chance to learn.... but that's really different from normal 7-key, and doesn't help a lot
[17:44:21] Corey: they also tried to make the songs more Western, and there aren't many Western songs in IIDX.. so the one we got has Britney Spears, Moby, that cheesy "CELLLEBRATE GOOD TIMES!! COME ON!!" song... nothing really that great :P it has Japanese songs too, but anything good is really really hard
[17:45:14] Corey: what they needed to do was just make new songs that were easier or something, not go for songs from regular Beatmania, which while very similar, isn't really the same game since the hand positions and stuff are all different
[17:46:12] Corey: the only good that came from that is that the US controller is better than the Japanese one, since they fixed most of the issues they had with keys sticking and stuff... so it gave US players an easy-to-get superior controller instead of importing an expensive one
[17:47:40] Flami: OH, THE WEDDING SONG!