I’m thankful for…

• my family that love and support me.
• my friends that make me happy.
• my best friend who I enjoy talking and listening to almost everyday.
• my independence for the last 2 years.
• my job that I absolutely love and enjoy doing.
• my apartment that I have slowly but steadily furnished.
• the CTA for providing me with transportation everyday.
• my laptop for without it, I’d be lost!
• CSS3, jQuery, Ubuntu, Chrome, VLC, and Eclipse (to satisfy my inner computer nerd).
• Tumblr for providing me with hours and hours of enjoyment and distractions.
• Netflix and its instant streaming for providing me with hours of television to watch.
• Joss Whedon for Buffy, Firefly, Dr. Horrible, and Dollhouse.
• my newfound love for free movie screenings.
• J.K. Rowling for HARRY FREAKIN’ POTTER.
• the finale of Lost.
• Schubas and Lincoln Hall for having lots of awesome shows.
• Chicago Comics for being my local comic book shop.
• Fables and The Walking Dead for being consistently entertaining comics.
• relationships; even though they can be turbulent, they still provide lots of good memories.
• the city of Chicago for being a wonderful place and giving me a home.

What are you thankful for?

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Guess who.

I’m having a small dilemma. Where am I going to get the time to do all the things I want to do? There are a ton of tv shows I need to catch up on. I have a couple books in the pipeline I want to read. There are some comics that I need to get back to. And then the video games… well there wasn’t a lot out before other than GTA4. MGS4 actually is coming out and I’m dying to play that, but I really want to get into Crisis Core. I had this game sitting by my desk for the month now, still in its plastic wrap. I had been saving it, not playing it until I got a job. It actually was quite an incentive to get me motivated. And now that I have a job, why not?

I think I’ll get back to my roots. I’m gonna go on a Final Fantasy VII binge. All things FF7 for the next few weeks. This includes: Crisis Core, watching Last Order, playing FF7 over again, and finally finishing up with Advent Children. Not sure if I want to get into Dirge of Cerberus though; maybe, if I’m up for it.

Okay. Time to fire up the PSP.

Aeris ♥ Cloud.

First: Got a message from a recruiter who found my resume somewhere and described a position that really piqued my interests. Called back and left a message. Recruiter calls me back and says the position they are hiring for requires someone with more experience and wanted to know if I knew anyone I could refer them to. Told them to “shove it and thanks for giving me false hope and wasting my fucking time” (in my head).

That was OK, because I was in Borders when they had called me back. I got The Oz Chronicles Vol. 2 by L. Frank Baum… took it to the register and it turns out it only costs me $1! This is a book marked as $19.99 on the sticker, but it rang up as $1! The register lady was as pleasantly surprised as I was but gladly accepted my payment. I never thought it, but buying a book unexpectedly for $1 really brightened my day.

After that I went to my favorite store which I dearly missed from my time in Florida, and saw that they had some awesome new shirts. The employees there were more than accommodating, even going so far as to show me some sweet 7 Diamond shirts that just came in.

Alright, this could be nothing, but it was a brief thing that left me smiling but thinking about how I could have done it better… the girl (very cute, I might add… you’ll have to take my word for it) who rang up my purchases at the store asked me for my last name (which they have always done to put into the computer), smiled, and said, “That’s a beautiful last name!” To which I’m sure I was blushing furiously and said, “Thank you!” She started a little conversation about how two of her coworkers were getting married and their old and soon-to-be-new last names were boring like Thompson, Jones, and such. “Aw, well, it’s wonderful that they are getting married at least! That’s great for them!” I said. So anyway, my transaction was completed and I thanked them for their help, wished them well, and went on my way.

Right, so I was saying that could have been nothing, but I have no idea if that was flirting or not. I mean, she could have been just really friendly… but if a girl is comfortable with a stranger to carry a conversation like that, shouldn’t I act on that? I won’t deny that I’m inexperienced and shy in flirting and making friendly conversations with the ladies… because I sort of am when I’m not in a bar or club somewhere buzzed after a couple drinks. But looking back, I should have said something like, “Well what’s your last name?” and learn something about her. Just anything to show that I was interested in talking to her.

But I won’t say it was a total bust. I left a happy camper, not grumpy at all. I love that store. I go there a lot, so hopefully she’ll recognize me next time. And the more I experience and have moments like that, the more capable I am to handle them.

Yeah, I’m a big ass liar. What’re you gonna do about it?

Sorry. I’m a bit grumpy. I have no job. heh, it’s nice to use that excuse for once. Nah, but really, it was an OK day. I bought a pair of some really nice suits today—got them at a nice discount, but still, damn… expensive! They’re being altered, but I’ll have one in time for my next interview on Monday. Woo hoo!

I started watching Battle Royale again, but somehow it wasn’t as fulfilling as my previous viewings. I guess it’s because I’ve since read the book by Koushun Takami. Trust me: the book is WAAAAAAY better. You get into better detail about the backgrounds of the kids and their motivations and fears. The film is a bit too campy now in comparison. I gave up watching it and went out to the mall to get my suits.

That was pretty much it for the day. Still taking it slowly… getting kind of lazy. Which is bad. But tomorrow is shaping up to be one crazy day. We shall see.

So let’s go through each characters’ chapters… I did try to predict their outcomes, but seriously, who would have thought that the book would end in cliffhangers?!

SPOILER ALERT.

The Ironmen. I seriously couldn’t care less about these guys. Boooo. Asha and Theon are the only ones I’m remotely interested in. Who cares about the rest? I don’t. But the slight mention of Dany in the end… hmm…

The Dornish. Slightly better than the Ironmen. Actually, it was either hit or miss. I was actually entertained by the bit of intrigue and betrayal in the plans to try and make Myrcella queen. Arianne seems like a character I want to learn more about too.

Cersei. Wow. She is really doing a great job as queen reagent, huh? hahaha, not really. She is horrible at it. Her little arrangement with Qyburn was also disturbing…. *shudder* I was actually kind of close in predicting what would happen with her. Although she didn’t get pregnant, I was just as surprised at her last chapter when she was taken prisoner for her conspiracy against Margaery. She did seduce a Kettleback, but her overall plan failed. And she did grow frustrated with Jaime, but I love how in the end she’s so desperate that she sends a letter for his help and…

Jaime. HAHAHAHA. HE. IS. AWESOME. I never would have pictured the Kingslayer like this when I was reading A Game of Thrones. He’s really got his shit together… even though he’s lost a hand. He still has his wit and he hasn’t let his handicap stop him from being an all around bad ass. The way he handled the seige at Riverrun was pretty much brilliant as well as chilling… I mean, he actually threatened to launch Edmure’s unborn child with a catapault at the walls. Just, wow. Hehehe and I just love his ending where he just has Cersei’s letter for help burn… it seems he’s seen what Cersei truly is, and he’s realizing that he’s better off without her.

Brienne. She was an interesting read. Definitely better than the Ironmen. And her last chapter… like OMG. I remembered the shocking epilouge from A Storm of Swords; but for Brienne and us as the readers to finally see Lady Catelyn back from the frickin dead… AND DAMMIT. CLIFFHANGER. Is Brienne dead?! Did they really hang her?! WTF?!

Samwell. OK, he’s an off and on character for me. I definitely see that he has really grown as a person, he thinks himself craven, but he doesn’t give himself as much credit as he deserves. I’m also glad he hooked up with Gilly. Woo hoo! Of course, that conflicts with his oath as one who took the black. But he really tries his best to do what he thinks is right, which really is what counts in my book. I’m kind of wondering what sort of exciting chapters lay for him though as he trains to be a maester…

Arya/Cat of the Canals. Spunky kid. I still don’t see what her overall role is in the grand scheme of things. I mean there are wars, conspiracies, dragons, and rebellions all about, and she’s just a little meek thing training to be… I have no idea. And her final chapter… she ends up blind? Wha? OK, you know what would be sweet? She grows up to be this awesome swordswoman and seriously gets revenge on all those on her list, The Count of Monte Cristo style; like she’ll grow to the ranks of high nobles, no one is the wiser to her true identity, and she’ll mercilessly take down every single person that has ever affronted her and her family. That’d just be so awesome.

Sansa/Alayne. Well, she really is better off than when she was in the company of Cersei and *shudder* Joffrey. While I have no idea of Littlefinger’s true intentions for her, at least she is not that terrified for her life as she once was. I mean, yeah the fear of her identity being discovered is there, but she has learned to really adapt to her situation. I’m still rooting for her to be saved and somehow live happily ever after (hah! tough chance!).

The A Song of Ice and Fire series has been awesome so far… but it has yet to be completed! ARRGH!!! Come on, George R. R. Martin! Finish it up! LOL… check out his latest blog entry:

lol. What a great guy. He’s even more awesome for being an NFL fan too! See? Sci-fi guys can still be interested in sports! And oh yeah! He’s actually making an appearance here on the east coast, at the World Fantasy Convention! I really wished I had gone to Comic-con this year… so now I vow to try and meet this guy at the convention! I don’t care if I have to spend my whole day waiting in line; I seriously want to shake his hand, get my picture with him, have him sign my ASOIAF books, and just tell him personally how much of a fan I am of his. LOL… wow… I’m such a fanboy…

OK. So that’s it… geez… how the hell am I gonna get my ASOIAF fix? I know! Fan art! Yay!

I was trying to look for some awesome work of Daenerys, and then came across this by Mark Evans. Which lead me to the rest of his A Game of Thrones card game illustrations. Although his Arya Stark looks like a dwarf or something… lol.

OK. Time for the next book! I’m looking at you, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone!

I love the socks!

And here’s a little quote about the picture by the artist:

I have her casting a made up (but probably feasible) spell that basically translates to “butterfly light”. Lumos is the common wand-light spell from the HP books and Nymphalidae is the family of some 5,000 species of butterfly.

OMG. Lupin, I’m so jealous of you right now… well…not really, since you’re both kinda dead… SPOILER! LOL!

My friend said that Cersei is totally crazy… and she is! I can’t believe she is the queen regent… she’s paranoid about everyone, doesn’t care about the welfare of the kingdom, and only wants to control and kill everyone. I wish she would be more trusting, but then she wouldn’t be such an interesting character! But when she started hanging with Lady Merryweather, I had a sneaking suspicion… and then here we go, one of the craziest passages from the book…

Cersei cupped the other woman’s breast. Softly at first, hardly touching, feeling the warmth of it beneath her palm, the skin as smooth as satin. She gave it a gentle squeeze, then ran her thumbnail lightly across the big dark nipple, back and forth and back and forth until she felt it stiffen. When she glanced up, Taena’s eyes were open. “Does that feel good?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Lady Merryweather.

“And this?” Cersei pinched the nipple now, pulling on it hard, twisting it between her fingers.

The Myrish woman gave a gasp of pain. “Your hurting me.”

“It’s just the wine. I had a flagon with my supper, and another with the widow Stokeworth. I had to drink to keep her calm.” She twisted Taena’s other nipple too, pulling until the other woman gasped. “I am the queen. I mean to claim my rights.”

“Do what you will.” Taena’s hair was as black as Robert’s, even down between her legs, and when Cersei touched her there she found her hair all sopping wet, where Robert’s had been coarse and dry. “Please,” the Myrish woman said, “go on, my queen. Do as you will with me. I’m yours.”

LOL. Of all the passages I could have picked from the book, I had to share this one. Oh Cersei, what crazy shenanigans will you get into next?

On a more serious discussion… I’m wondering who would actually be a decent king right now. Tommen has the heart and enthusiasm, but he is way too young… and his mom is really, really scary. -_- Euron Greyjoy, or any of the Ironmen for that matter, not even Asha, don’t seem like the type to control so much land. Myrcella… I don’t know her that well, but she’s obviously too young to rule, even though some Dornishmen thought to use her in that capacity. Personally, I think either Stannis or Daenerys seem like strong, fair rulers compared to the others. Stannis actually answered the call to the Wall and seems to work more for the common good rather than for his own ambitions. I’m still kind of wary of Melisandre and her intentions though… But really, I think I’m rooting for Daenerys. She started out so meek and pitiful when her brother was around, but she has grown to become such a strong and powerful woman. She has the growing power as well with her dragons and Unsullied army. And she always seems to have a more caring nature about ruling…

I still have to finish this book and the series has yet to see an ending. I can only guess what new players and twists will occur. Anyone… anyone… is pretty much susceptible to death. It’s great.