Transitioning

At first, I'd written that the apprentices had their lives flash before them in a dream, but then I thought about Lea dreaming about Roxas. His heart's desire was to see Roxas again, so maybe the others had dreams about the people they wanted to see. I'm sure you know where I'm going with this, so here it is. (I also had the clothing change, since Lea's stayed the same too.)

Zexion passed out after Replica Riku strangled him and took his energy. While dreaming, he stirred and woke up, hearing a voice calling out to him. "Ienzo...? Wake up, sleepy-head."
In the dream, he stood up still wearing the black coat of the Organization. "Mom? Dad?" he exclaimed upon seeing his parents. "Is it really you? Am I dead?"
"No, sweetheart. You're just reconstituting," his mother said.
Ienzo suddenly felt cold, and he realized the coat was gone. "I...I don't understand."
"You didn't die when you lost your heart, and you didn't die when you lost your non-existence either," his father explained. "You can go back to normal."
Ienzo was now wearing his blue shirt. "I'm sorry...I failed you."
"It shouldn't have been your decision to make. I should've been there," his father said ruefully.
"I don't blame you, Dad. You were just trying to help Mom."
"We didn't mean to leave you alone. We thought you would be safe," his mother added sadly.
"It was my fault too. I helped. I promise I'll do better." Ienzo finally had on his apprentice uniform.
"There's my handsome boy." His mother smiled and touched his face; he felt the cold energy on his cheek.
"Mom..." He felt slightly embarrassed but didn't know why, since he was alone with the spirits of his parents in a dream. Then they started to drift away. "Wait, where are you going?"
"It's time to wake up for real," his father said. "You have a chance to redeem yourself. Good luck, son."
"Please stay just a little longer," Ienzo pleaded, but it was no use. His parents disappeared in a flash of light, causing him to shut his eyes tight. When he opened them again, he found himself face-down on the cold floor of the secret room. He tried to get up but was still too weak. To his surprise, someone helped him up part of the way. Upon seeing Aeleus, he knew he would be all right.

Jelly Beans

This fortnight on Sailor Moon Crystal, Avery can channel her sisters' spirits, and Mamoru can channel the four knights' spirits. Now he has a laser attack to protect Usagi and Chibi-Usa. Unfortunately not much character development for Mina, if any. Naru was worried about Usagi, plus Rei's classmate and the underclassman who likes Makoto. No love for Ami. This is why we need Greg or anyone else she interacted with in the first anime. I'm not really sure which R episode(s) this corresponds to, but next time it's Sailor Pluto.

Sacred Star of Milos is just as bad as the first FullMetal Alchemist movie except with no direct ties to the main plot. It's not even star-shaped or in any kind of star ornament - it's just the same kind of  philosopher's stone they've encountered the whole time. I found out that they've animated the four-panel comics from the manga and dubbed them. They're as great as the cast outtakes. I especially liked the imagery of Todd the Tank Engine (LanFan was afraid Ling would put his soul inside a train, stylized like Thomas). And apparently Darius has a thing for paw pads like Presea from Tales of Symphonia.

I got the Mango Salsa chips. I liked the seasoning, but the fruity taste of the mango was a bit off-putting at first. It's pretty much the same reaction I had to the Chicken and Waffles chips, but it's also more similar to the Doritos melon chips than the Kickstart mango drink.

Power Rangers Dino Charge has been teasing the Gold and Aqua Energems, but so far all they've found is the Ankylo Zord. I guess looking doesn't necessarily guarantee finding in this case, maybe not even until the half-way point or second season. I liked the unmorphed Rangers doing acrobatics because it reminded me of a video I saw of the original Rangers putting on a show at a D.A.R.E. conference. (4:14 mark) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A3gOMsvBw8

Easter Eggs

I didn't like the pineapple mango but I didn't hate it either. I guess Bacon Mac and Cheese won last year's contest because I've been seeing that everywhere and also the mango salsa and wasabi ginger (which I haven't tried and still probably won't, except maybe the mango since I just drank that). Cheetos is actually making cinnamon snacks now, so that's pretty weird too. Russell Stover came out with a cookie dough cream egg, among other things, but I don't think I'd want to try that either.

I've been hard at work making and planning videos. I changed the order around with Organization XIII and the trolls by switching Xemnas and Saix plus Axel and Luxord (putting Roxas in a bonus video with the protagonists which I will release around the same time - November/December). I'm also working on a fifth Digimon video which hopefully won't get taken down this time. While I could finish it now since I could just reuse stuff from the first four videos, I want to wait until Adventure 3 or Zero Three comes out. Whenever KH3 comes out, there will be another video for that as well. I have a feeling I'll be posting the two troll videos (and perhaps one other) before that happens, though.

I get that Funimation is competing with Crunchyroll for streaming anime, but with them people expect an English dub the following year since they are a dubbing company. So if they didn't intend to dub Soul Eater NOT, why get our hopes up?

Legacy

    Ienzo continued sparring with Dilan and Aeleus. He had moved on to countering, using the daggers to push back against their weapons. They were still stronger than he was, but at least he was making progress. "Be sure to take proper care of your weapons," Dilan advised when they were done for the day.
    "They don't look too bad," Ienzo protested.
    Dilan and Aeleus exchanged uneasy glances. "Even so, they require upkeep just like anything else," Aeleus explained.
    "Okay." Ienzo didn't really see why it was a big deal, but he figured it had to be important if they were making a point of telling him.
    While cleaning the daggers, Ienzo happened to examine the blades more closely. "There's something etched on here," he uttered in surprise. "'Marian.' That's my mother's name." He looked at the other one and saw his name. "'Ienzo.' But that means..." Realizing at last why they had appeared in his hands, he sought out Ansem to ask him about it.
    "They were your father's," Ansem confirmed. "No use hiding it from you anymore. He etched your names on them because you two were the ones he wanted to protect most of all. You should be proud to wield them yourself now."
    Ienzo looked like he was about to cry. "It makes sense. Even has a shield. No reason Dad couldn't have had weapons also."
    "True, he didn't use them much. You were probably too young to remember." Ansem smiled sadly and put his hands on Ienzo's shoulders. "You are very much your father's son. Don't ever forget that."
    Coming from Ansem, those words meant a great deal to Ienzo. "Thank you, Master. But...why were you all keeping it a secret from me?"
    "We wanted you to come into your own without any prior expectations," Ansem said. "Are you angry with us?"
    "...No." Ultimately, he couldn't blame them for withholding sensitive information until they thought he was ready for it. "My mind's made up, though. I'll be taking my training very seriously from now on. I have to live up to the legacy my parents left behind."
    The next time Ienzo trained with his fellow apprentices, they noticed the difference in his resolve. He explained that he knew why he had the daggers. "I've always wanted to be a scientist just like my dad, but now I have to work twice as hard knowing he had this skill as well."
    "Just remember to take care of yourself and work at your own pace," Even lectured him, voicing everyone's concern.
    "I know."
    Ansem came in to check on them. "Ienzo, would you do me a favor and find where the schematic paper has gotten to?"
    Ienzo recognized this tactic; Ansem was distracting him with a mildly important task so he could talk to the others without (and probably about) him. Still, there was no sense in arguing. "Yes, Master," he said obediently, leaving the room.
    Even sighed. "I understand he wants to become stronger and honor his parents' memory, but..."
    "You don't want him on the front lines,"  Ansem concluded. "I understand, but it's his decision."
    "Isn't it also your decision, Master?" Braig asked. They all wanted to be where they were, but their instructions came from Ansem.
    "We're supposed to be the ones protecting him and everyone. After everything that's happened, I know some people still won't forgive us," Aeleus pointed out.
    "They either fear us or hate us, and with good reason," Dilan added.
    "You make everyone around you feel safe," Ansem reassured him. "Those who know you know that you are dedicated to your job and to them. I was angry with you all for a time over your betrayal, but now that time has passed. Like all of you, Ienzo thought he was only doing what was right, and this training of his is no different."
    "But we were wrong before," Aeleus protested.
    "Then we will have to make sure he does not overdo it without alienating him in the process."
    Ienzo found the supplies and returned them to Ansem's office. He was then instructed to help Even in the lab. "What did Ansem want to talk to you about?" Ienzo asked Even.
    "He asked us to monitor your training because he doesn't want you to overwork yourself," Even replied honestly.
    "Does everybody feel that way?" Ienzo asked suspiciously.
    "We just want you to be happy. Ienzo, you don't have to do everything your father did to live up to his memory."
    Ienzo frowned. "When I realized those were my father's weapons, I didn't know what to think. But ultimately, I was happy. It gave me something else to hold onto."
    "I understand, but that shouldn't change who you are. Your parents wouldn't want you to deny your true nature for their sake. You honor them every day just by being yourself."
    In a rare moment of clarity between them, Ienzo felt the bond he had with Even strengthen. "Thanks for saying that. I'll keep it in mind."

More Training

There's really no limit to the number of training stories I could write. It takes me a couple hours to fall asleep every night, so I've got time.

Dilan trained Ienzo by swinging his lance at him so he would dodge it, but once again Ienzo ended up being too slow. Unable to keep up, he tripped over the lance instead of jumping over it successfully and landed on his knee. "Oww..." he bleated, clutching it.
Dilan put his weapon away and checked on him along with Aeleus. "Are you all right?" he asked with concern. Ienzo had squeezed his eyes shut and was controlling his breathing, so Dilan thought he might be angry with him. "I'll go get some ice," Dilan volunteered when Ienzo didn't answer him.
Aeleus stayed with Ienzo while Dilan did that. "Are you holding back on how much that actually hurts?" he asked. Ienzo nodded. "It's not childish to admit to how much pain you're in. Let's have a look at it."
Ienzo rolled up his pant leg with some difficulty. His knee was starting to swell, so he was relieved when Dilan returned with the ice pack. "Thanks," he muttered.
"Don't try to put your weight on it yet," Dilan advised. "For now, just sit there."
"I'm sorry," Ienzo said pathetically. "You both have been doing your best to train me, and I keep letting you down."
Dilan and Aeleus shared a concerned look. "You're not letting us down. You're still learning," Aeleus said.
Dilan nodded in agreement. "We'll adjourn until your leg is better."
Ienzo wished he could say his pride was hurt more, but the throbbing pain in his leg was pretty much on par with it. He accepted their hands when they pulled him up to stand, but he wanted to limp back to his room on his own. "Are you sure?" Aeleus asked when he refused further help.
Ienzo explained, "It'll look worse if Master Ansem sees you carrying me. It was my own clumsiness that caused me to get hurt, so I'm okay dealing with this by myself."
"All right, but you're not by yourself," Dilan corrected him. "We're all here if you need us." Ienzo would always be the youngest out of their group, and in that way they would always see him as a kid, but they were showing no more care towards him than they would any of the others.

Anger Management Sequel

I don't really have a title for this one either. It's a continuation of Anger Management for the Vertically Challenged, but from Yugi's perspective since he was headed to another meeting after that. This is that meeting. (Note: I haven't seen DNAngel in a while so I don't know if this is 100% accurate.)

    Yugi’s other support group was run by a man named Spirit, but he was not possessed by another self. He used his meister Professor Stein as an example of partnership (although instead of being two souls in one body, a meister-weapon duo is like having one soul in two bodies). Ryou was already there, as well as a boy about their age and Yugi’s height with red hair. His name was Daisuke, and he was possessed by another being called Dark.
    “Hi, Yugi,” Ryou said cheerfully. “I thought you might show up.”
    “Hey, Bakura,” Yugi said, not knowing whether or not Ryou’s cheerfulness sounded forced. At the very least, he seemed relieved to see someone he knew and trusted. “I just came from another meeting.”
    “Oh?”
    “Uh...I’d rather not talk about it.”
    “All right, let’s get this show on the road,” Spirit began. Behind him, Professor Stein was writing their names on the board. “My name is Spirit Albarn, and my partner here is Franken Stein.”
    After the stunned silence, Professor Stein sighed in frustration and added, “Yes, it is exactly as it sounds. Only my closest friends call me Franken, but you may address me as Professor Stein.”
    The name was not the only cause of Yugi’s concern. Is it my imagination, or does Spirit sound a lot like...? He tried to remember Fai’s and Ed’s voices clearly.
    “What’s wrong, Yugi?” Ryou whispered, seeing that his friend was still unsettled.
    “It’s nothing,” Yugi assured him.
    “You two!” Stein shouted sternly. “No talking!”
    “Yes, sir!” Yugi exclaimed, hanging his head.
    “Sorry!” Ryou apologized at the same time, bowing his head also.
    “To start off, we’d like each of you to discuss how you came to be possessed by another being who has become your other self,” Spirit continued. “And since it seems like two of you already know each other, we’ll start with this one.” He pointed at Daisuke, who nervously stood up.
    Daisuke didn’t look as though he liked being singled out. “Hi...” he stammered. “My name’s Daisuke, and I’m possessed by a phantom thief named Dark. It’s sort of my family business. I wasn’t so happy about it at first, but then we ended up becoming sort of friends.”
    Yugi and Ryou quickly related to Daisuke, as they shared a similar backstory. The two of them explained about the Millennium Items they each had; Yugi’s caused him to be possessed by the spirit of an Egyptian pharaoh calling himself Yami, while Ryou’s caused him to be possessed by an unnamed spirit of a thief, the pharaoh’s “opposite number.”
    “What’s yours like?” Yugi asked.
    “Dark’s kind of a womanizer,” Daisuke admitted. “Well, actually, it’s just this one girl, who’s the twin sister of the girl I have a crush on...”
    Instead of interrupting with any sort of advice yet, Spirit and Stein sat back and were entertained; they’d even brought snacks. Stein, of course, also smoked a cigarette.
    “That...sounds...awkward,” Yugi mumbled, thinking about Yami’s relationship with Tea, the friend he had special feelings for.
    “But he steals things?” Ryou asked, confused.
    “Well, it’s more of a publicity stunt or a prank. He’s really not a bad guy. There’s someone trying to catch him, but we haven’t really run into anyone aside from the police and one of my classmates,” Daisuke explained. “He seemed pretty interested in me for some reason...”
    Yugi and Ryou shared an uncomfortable look; if their relationship was any indication, Daisuke’s classmate was probably possessed by a spirit himself, though he wasn’t there with them. “You should probably watch out for that guy,” Ryou advised nervously, having been “that guy” before.
    “Okay. Why?”
    “Just trust us,” Yugi agreed.
    “Speaking of trust,” Spirit interrupted, “We’ve arrived at the part of the evening where your other selves take over and talk to each other...assuming you can swap places at will.”
    Daisuke looked at his watch. “Yeah, it’s almost that time.”
    “Sure thing,” Yugi assented, promptly switching places with Yami.
    “Do we have to?” Ryou asked somberly. “Something bad always happens, and I always wake up starving or with new injuries to my body.”
    “This is a safe environment,” Stein reassured him. “If anything happens, we can handle it, and I’m a doctor.”
    Ryou reluctantly let the evil spirit take over his body. “So, Pharaoh, it seems my host has staged an intervention. Is it time to talk peace?” Yami Bakura asked sarcastically, but his facial expression suggested he was in no mood to talk.
    “This isn’t about just you,” Yami Yugi retorted. “We all have some issues to discuss.”
    Daisuke looked at the two uncertainly until the clock chimed and Dark took over. “I’m here. Now we can get this party started.”
    No way! Again? Yugi said inside his own mind.
    What is it, Yugi? Yami asked him telepathically.
    Dark sounds exactly like Spirit, who sounds a lot like two of the people from the last meeting. Am I going crazy?
    I’ll just have to take your word for it.
    “I like parties,” Yami Bakura was saying, “but this doesn’t feel like one.”
    “It was a figure of speech,” Dark explained, insulted. “Are you daft?”
    The Millennium Ring started glowing menacingly. “How dare you?!”
    “Calm down!” Spirit shouted, slamming his hands on the desk as a warning. Yami Bakura might have noticed the voice similarity as well, but all he did was glare at both Dark and Spirit; Stein hadn’t yet drawn his ire.
    “You seem lost in thought,” Stein said to Yami Yugi, ignoring the kerfuffle.
    “Yugi and I are having a conversation in our minds,” Yami Yugi explained.
    “That’s good. It’s important to work as a team. What about you two?” he asked, addressing Yami Bakura and Dark.
    “Daisuke’s here,” Dark answered, pointing at his head. “I should probably listen to him more, though. We tend to have our disagreements.”
    “About stealing?” Spirit asked.
    “At first, but since that’s the family business, now we argue about how to do it.” He added with a smirk, “And the ladies. We argue about them a lot.”
    “Twins, huh? Nice.” Spirit’s eyes were aglow, and he gave him a thumbs-up.
    “Not the point, Spirit,” Stein chastised; his partner’s womanizing had gotten him in trouble on multiple occasions.
    Up until the mention of the twin girls, Yami Bakura had been looking at Dark with newfound respect as a fellow career criminal. He’d of course been listening while the first three were talking, but it was different meeting him face-to-face.
    “What about you?” Stein asked him suspiciously, remembering what Ryou had said earlier. “Have you been abusing your partner?”
    Yami Bakura tilted his head. “Perhaps. It’s an occupational hazard.”
    “I’d never do anything to put Daisuke in danger!” Dark yelled, disgusted. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
    “I’ll admit I do get carried away from time to time, since I’m not really phased by physical punishment anymore, but believe me...” Yami Bakura narrowed his eyes seriously. “Nobody hurts my host but me.”
    “Does he know you feel that way?” Yami Yugi asked incredulously.
    “I always make him go to sleep when I’m in control. It’s easier that way, so he doesn’t know what’s going on.”
    “So you’ve never talked to him, then? What a shame,” Spirit scolded.
    “We talked once. Then I started making him lose consciousness.”
    “How?”
    “Hypnosis. I’m a lot of things, but I’m not a monster.”
    “You use him to do terrible things to his friends!” Yami Yugi objected.
    “And his enemies. I do have compassion when it lines up with my interests.”
    “You’re a monster in every sense of the word!”
    “Careful, Pharaoh. You’re not so innocent yourself.”
    “How dare you?!”
    The other three listened to them argue for a bit, which became increasingly uncomfortable. Spirit whistled, causing the two to stop. “That’s enough. I understand that the two of you are at odds with each other, but think about your partners. Your being here has gotten them dragged into your problems.”
    “You’re right,” Yami Yugi sighed, feeling guilty about involving Yugi and his friends.
    “If I promise to think about talking to my host-” Yami Bakura grumbled.
    “And call him your partner instead of your host,” Stein interjected.
    “Whatever. If I say I’ll do those things, I can go?”
    “First switch places with your partner, and then you can leave.” Stein and Yami Bakura stared each other down in silence for a moment before the latter relented.
    “What happened?” Ryou asked, suddenly awake and in control.
    “Progress, I hope,” Stein replied, lighting another cigarette.
    “I’ve got to be going myself,” Dark said, excusing himself. “Krad is out there somewhere.”
    Yugi decided to walk part of the way home with Ryou. “If the spirit of the Millennium Ring has been torturing you this whole time, why didn’t you come to one of us for help?” he asked.
    “I didn’t want to cause any more trouble for you all,” Ryou replied sadly. “It’s just me and him in that apartment, and Father whenever he’s not working. I need to learn how to stand up for myself and control my own space.”
    The evil spirit probably wouldn’t let him ask for help, Yami told Yugi telepathically.
    “Once in a while, maybe you can have dinner with me and Grandpa,” Yugi suggested.
    Ryou smiled. “Really, Yugi? I don’t want to impose.”
    “It’s fine. Grandpa wouldn’t mind having someone else to talk to. I’ve already heard all of his stories.”
    Ryou looked like he was going to cry. “Thank you, Yugi.”

Finished or Unfinished

There are some stories I haven't gotten around to finishing, and sometimes I think I never will either because they're stupid or I've lost the spark behind them. Other times I don't have all the facts, and in some cases probably won't. For example, I wanted to write an Organization XIII story about The Haunted Mansion, but then I realized that maybe the one in Twilight Town is a stand-in for that. I would have called it "Grim Grinning Ghosts" after the song, but now I'm too confused and stuck to continue. As I mentioned before, many stories lately come from me trying to fall asleep at night, so they can be sort of meandering and I don't know when or how  to stop. Here is a follow-up to "Make a Man out of You" without a definite title or a definite end about Ienzo turning twenty years old, which is a big deal in Japan (after looking it up half-way through the story, I found out it was the legal drinking age there too).

Ienzo looked at the picture of his parents he kept hidden in his room at all times. "Mom, Dad, I'm twenty years old today," he said. "I promise I'll make you proud. No more forbidden experiments." He tucked the picture away again and went to the kitchen, where the others were already waiting for him.
Dilan and Aeleus had baked a cake the previous night and were putting the finishing touches on it when Ienzo joined them. "Happy birthday," they all said.
"Thank you," Ienzo replied.
"Twenty," Ansem sighed. "Where has the time gone?" He gave him a book he'd picked out from their library. Ienzo hugged it to his chest; moving a book from the library to his room was indeed an honor.
Braig's gift to him was a stack of hand-written coupons. "You can redeem them whenever I'm annoying you and you want me to leave you alone," he explained.
"Those won't last long," Aeleus joked, prompting Ienzo to check for expiration dates; he found none.
"I knew I was forgetting something," Braig replied with mock regret.
Even put his hand on Ienzo's head before he started speaking. "Treating you as a peer will take some getting used to," he began, "although you are still technically subordinate to me."
"Uh..." Ienzo was unsure how to react; he was still shorter than Even, who still hadn't taken his hand off of his head.
"From this day forward, I will have to treat you with more respect," Even concluded, finally taking his hand away. "You look so much like your father," he added. Ienzo scrunched his shoulders self-consciously at the compliment.
"Not like you to be so sentimental, Even," Braig remarked, trying to lighten the mood. Even shot back an agitated look.
"It will be difficult not to think of you as a child anymore," Dilan admitted. "It seems like only yesterday you were..." He stopped himself before he said anything embarrassing; Ienzo appreciated that.
Aeleus smiled in agreement and clapped Ienzo on the shoulder. "When you're ready, come see me for training."
"Okay," Ienzo agreed. As he'd promised, he was taking both his work and his training seriously.
Later that afternoon, he met Aeleus in the training room. "Today we're going to work on your evasion," Aeleus began, holding up his axe. "I won't actually hit you, but you must react as though I will."
"But if I know you aren't going to hurt me..."
"Accidents happen. You have to keep an eye on your opponent at all times. Once you've mastered that, we'll move on to countering." Aeleus started out telegraphing his attacks, giving Ienzo enough time to dodge them; then he moved faster and without warning, requiring Ienzo to keep up with him. They stopped when Ienzo didn't duck fast enough and got bonked on the head by Aeleus' fist. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Ienzo replied, rubbing his head.
"All right. Let's take a break."
Dilan came in to check on them. "Are we still on for the tavern tonight?"
"Sure. We're just finishing up here," Aelueus said, putting away his weapon.
"Can I go with you?" Ienzo asked.
"Oh that's right, you can do that now," Dilan exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't think you'd be interested."
Ienzo shrugged. "Only one way to find out."
While Ienzo did have no particular interest in drinking, he wanted to be included in their adult activities. Sure enough, he could not keep down a single drop of alcohol, as he coughed it up immediately after every sip; though he tried, he couldn't get used to the burning sensation in the back of his throat. He decided that drinking wasn't for him, and after Dilan and Aeleus had their fill, they took him home.
"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you," he apologized, feeling embarrassed himself.
"That's all right. It's not for everyone," Aeleus said, patting his back. "I'm just glad we're not bringing you home drunk."
"That would be the last thing we'd need," Dilan agreed. "Braig is sure to have a laugh, though."
"Not for long," Ienzo said. "I still have his coupons."
Braig did laugh when they told him Ienzo had gagged, and although he left the room after Ienzo redeemed one of his coupons, they could still hear him laughing as he walked down the hall. "He would've laughed no  matter what you did," Even said kindly. "Perhaps you should try some hard cider next time."

Storm Clouds Gather

Yeah, all but one of the Black Moon Sisters are dead, and the last is sure to follow next time. I was hoping for more info and character development for Makoto, but the episode was half about Chibi-Usa's problems and the latest threat (which was funnier in R, assuming it was "No Thanks, Nurse Venus" with everybody getting sick; otherwise, the episodes followed Prisma and Avery as a pair fighting against Jupiter and Venus, ending on a fight on the bridge). Still thought of a couple of abridged jokes, such as Mina being weirded out by the Sailor V dolls, anyone cautioning Chibi-Usa about eating all the candy, and another harem reference.

The last two episodes of Dino Charge explained when Koda and Chase got their Energems; apparently Koda was frozen in a glacier after he got his and fell off a cliff from saving a kid from a saber-tooth tiger (which will forever be associated with MMPR Yellow), while Chase got his when he saved a woman's cat from getting run over. I could make a reference to The Cat Returns, but it more mimics the chasing a carriage scene from MMPR with Rocky, Adam, and Aisha. The weirdest part was him not getting it directly from a fossil like the others, but I guess finder's keeper's doesn't work if the person wasn't meant to have it...or maybe that's not the last we'll see of that woman.

Kickstart Strawberry Kiwi and Pineapple Mango come in smaller cans, which I'm grateful for because that's a lot of caffeine. I'll probably try the pineapple mango one at some point, but I don't really like that flavor. Strawberry kiwi I can take or leave, but this was pretty good. I'd drink it again. I'm used to getting heckled at work for being a girl, but yesterday I got called homeless, so I needed the pick-me-up.

There's Still Hope

I saw an article that says employment for librarians is the slowest and doesn't hope to pick up until 2022 when older librarians start to retire. While that gives me time to pay off my undergrad loan and think about enrolling in grad school, there were also more requirements to consider. The article talked about computer whizzes being preferred as well as extroverts. That puts me at a slight disadvantage; although it's competitive now, I really did get beaten out by extroverts no matter how confident and enthusiastic I was (those extroverts usually weren't very nice to me, to the point that I considered giving up on librarianship if those were the type of people that got to be librarians).

CSI looked at NCIS and went, "Remember when we used to have three shows at once? Let's try that again, shall we?" and came up with CSI: Cyber. I'm not really interested in Patricia Arquette (liked Holes, hated Medium) so I'm not going to watch it. I stopped watching NCIS: LA long ago (like Castle, two of the main characters getting together really turned me off). I'm giving NCIS: New Orleans a one season probation, and I like it so far. CCH Pounder is really the reason I'm staying, plus Darryl "Chill" Mitchell whenever his character's not being obnoxious. If David Dayan Fisher ever comes back, it'd be cool if Kort showed up there (though I bet everyone would already dislike him like they did in LA; such a pity). I had no notes to take for this past week's Survivor other than who got voted out. That hasn't happened in a long time; usually there are some shenanigans involving hidden immunity idols or islands of redemption and/or exile. It was sort of weirdly refreshing. I honestly don't care who wins.

It's way too early to be thinking about Christmas (though there is all this snow on the ground and I have caught one or two people singing Christmas carols to themselves), but I've been thinking about what holiday video (or videos) to make this year. I'm going to get to work on them as soon as I get some free time to go home and also post one I have finished when it gets closer to my birthday. And here's a video I found that captures my feelings about winter perfectly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk2wqYPlLoc