have some boredom

Missed Otakon '09

2009-07-22T03:43:00.000-07:00

Oh well. Next year should work out. My pals Shawn and Andrew went together, and they had a pretty good time. Shawn got Mary Elizabeth McGlynn's autograph, and his AMV, BOOM, made it into overflow. They brought me back some gifts, too! Shawn got me this awesome Haruko tshirt, and Andrew got me an official Guy Fawkes mask! Whoo!!

Check out some of their pictures here.

Otakon trappings!

2009-04-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

So anyway, it's in the cards that I'm to attend Otakon this year as the lovely Chihaya from Yun Kouga's amazing Earthian manga and OVA. I've spent the better part of forever trying to find what I feel are suitable components and bases for the costume, and I hope that in the end, with some help from a few friends, I can do it justice. Here are some references:

And here's what I've managed to track down so far:

The shirt (it's green, just oddly colored in the one screenie), the pants, the sneakers, and the wings. I'd really love to even do the orange jacket, but the weather that time of year just won't permit it. As for the hair, I'm planning to just go with my own hair, cut and styled to match the shorter version and dyed purple. Just hope I remember how to do all that. I haven't dyed my hair since high school, and that wasn't exactly yesterday.

Anyway, if anyone reading this is going to be there, look for me and my group, which should consist of one gay angel (myself) an Ichigo Kurosaki, a Kisuke Urahara, and who knows what else. I'll keep you all posted, derp.

A little insight for drivers who aren't "gearheads".

2009-04-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

What bothers me the most about car owners is how quick they are to judge a vehicle based on a collection of short-comings within the time they own it.

Before you judge your car (any car you've owned, manufacturer be damned) take into consideration the following.

1. How did the previous owner treat it? Do you trust that they actually kept up on maintenance or are you just taking their word for it?

2. Odometers can be rolled back, and rather easily. Are you sure your '87 Corolla only has 58k on it?

3. 3,000 miles is not a suitable time for an oil change. Just because your quart of Syntec says it can, doesn't mean it should. Marketing ideas like that are designed to ruin cars and cost you money. It's win for them, lose for you.

4. Most cars will not hold a perfect alignment for more than a week. Every pot hole, every crack in the road, every time you curb your wheel, every hard turn is affecting your alignment. Your car is fine, evaluate your driving and the condition of your daily route.

5. Don't ever ever ever buy into hype. I hate Korean cars, but a car is a car. If you need a beater to get from A to B for about a year, there is nothing wrong with dropping $500 on a Rio or a Excel. At worst you'll change a few $75 parts here and there, and if you're lucky, it'll go longer than that. We had this one little red Rio sedan that kept coming back all three years of tech. It couldn't hold an alignment (see above) and needed a new plug every few months in cylinder 3. I think probably the most detrimental damage the car had was the fan mounts being broken on the radiator from a fender bender, but that was fixed with a fistful of zip ties. Just don't ever buy one new if you know what is good for you. They devalue way too fast to be worth the investment or a bi-yearly "trade up" plan.

6. It's annoying, but keep an eye on your warning lights. A check engine light isn't always a life or death for your car. Sometimes it can be as simple as a bad wire or fouled spark plug.

You bought a car - a collection of complicated mechanisms and electronics performing a myriad of taxing tasks to keep up with safety, emissions, and various other standards. It isn't a toaster. You don't buy it and forget about it, just expecting it to work properly every time you use it without some sort of upkeep.

That isn't to say that there aren't poorly-made cars out there. The auto industry is about returns. If they build you a prefect car, it wouldn't make them any money. If things didn't break, they couldn't profit off selling you their replacement parts and services. Some vehicles, like Korean cars, come from countries with lower safety and quality standards, so the risk of getting a money pit on wheels is higher.

Every manufacturer is at heart a business, no matter how much it hurts to hear it. Yes, even your favorite, beloved manufacturer is ripping you off. Performance cars cost more for the fun of driving one, and the expensive performance parts they are equipped with. Economy cars are cheap to manufacture, but in the long run they tend not to last as long and require more maintenance. No matter what you buy, have money ready.

So, in closing, to the general populous I say this - stop being such a snob and appreciate the thankless pack mule that carries your ass to work every day. We may not all have the money to properly upkeep our cars consistently, but at least understand why your car plays up now and then.

PSP walls, batch 1

2009-03-17T22:22:00.000-07:00

Just some PSP walls I 'shooped up.

Ms. Tron, for my Mega Man-obsessed roomie.

Some original characters from my favorite webcomics.

Left to right: Natasha from Lowroad, Ash and Emily from Misfile, Rayne from Least I Could Do, and Hannelore and Faye from Questionable Content.

derp derp

2009-03-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

Whooo. Wonder how long I'll have this thing before I forget about it.

Anyway, I need something to talk about. I'll get back to you on that one.