Good, Bad, I'm the Girl With the Gun

A Birthday Idea

phoenix13 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:37:57 GMT

I'm re-posting this to several places for Stixs. He posted this originally on Facebook hoping that I wouldn't see this... Unfortunately Facebook fails on that kind of privacy. So, it's kind of surprise fail. But it's still a very nice thing he's trying to get together. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It doesn't look like we're going to swing a large party, due to lack of space and timing of events around Thanksgiving.Instead we've set up an ink fund for anyone who wants to help her finish her tattoo. It's been on hold for most of the year and she'd love to get more work on it.If you want to contribute, I've set up a paypal account under phoenixink09@gmail.com. General birthday wishes can be sent to the same email address and I'll put them together into a presentation for her. This doesn't require any RSVP or anything of the sort. I believe that he's trying to get the deadline to be on the 26.November, my birthday. Any little bit helps.

黒執事(Black Butler)

phoenix13 — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:44:47 GMT

I've seen a lot about this... generally in manga form. I loved the look of it. It's more Gothic-Lolita. Unfotunately, as of now, the books haven't been released in English. It is being serialized in Yen magazine. Regardless, I've been curious about the series. I have been able to find and watch it in anime form. When you first start watching it, it looks like a cute story set in Victorian England about a boy who's the heir to a popular and profitable toy business and his butler. But as the series progresses you notice more. His butler isn't exactly human. He's entered in some form of a contract with Ciel (the boy). This is alluded to at the very beginning of the series, but isn't better revealed until about episode 3 or 4. Ciel, the youth, is also know as the Queens Guard Dog (referring to Queen Victoria). He protects the Queen from whatever may harm her. This includes going up against Jack the Ripper and solving the Hound of the Baskervilles. While it sounds like it's simply a re-telling of these stories, it's a bit more complicated then that. Then there's Sebastian, the butler who is also a demon serving Ciel. It is in Sebastian's best interest to keep Ciel alive, which he does by any means possible... and often fulfills commands made by Ciel. There are heavy Domination/Submission overtones between Ciel and Sebastian. Sebastian almost seems like Ciel's lap dog. There's also undertones of homoeroticism. It seems like there might be something a bit more to Sebastian and Ciel. This is probably intentional on the behalf of the writers. The story is compelling. The more I watch, the more I want to know. And thankfully I'll get to learn more. The first series ran for 24 episodes that concluded in Japan in April of this year. They announced that there will be a second season (much like what they've done with Fullmetal Alchemist). This is good. I found myself feeling a little sad that the first series was coming to an end. As for the manga. I'm pretty sure that Kuroshitsuji (the reading of the above kanji) will be fully translated into English at some point. Seeing that it's being printed episodically in a manga magazine, it seems pretty likely. My suggestion, is check this out. It's thoroughly enjoyable.

In Unique Circumstances...

phoenix13 — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:58:33 GMT

I'm in a situation where I'm not sure what to do next... I have a list of cemeteries and funeral homes to try to seek employment. But I have no idea where to start. I'm not contemplating getting my license to be a funeral director. I think, if I want to work in cemetery sales, that I need to be certified by the funerary board after I have a place to work. I also left my last job in a very unique circumstance... at least for me it's unique. I have a letter of recommendation from them. I don't know what's the etiquette on letters of recommendation. Do I automatically attach it or do I say that I can send it upon request. I'm seriously feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. I might keep trying the conventional route and do a bit more research on the cemetery/funerary industry. Also, if anyone out there has any additional information, that would be wonderful.

A Wee Bit of an Update

phoenix13 — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:07:26 GMT

Well, unfortunately I post with a bit of bad news. At the end of July I will no longer be gainfully employed.:( And as bad as I should be taking this, I kinda already knew this was coming. In a lot of ways, I feel like a weight has been taken off of my shoulders. It's something that I wasn't sure if it was coming or not. This is the downside of working at a non-profit. Oftentimes they have a board of directors. More times then not, they don't do what would be in the best interest of the staff. This is the case. The general manager is not happy with this decision. He even said that if there's anything they can do to help me, they'll do it. This is, in oh so many ways, a good thing. I feel like this time around that I have a more stable footing for getting a job. Much better then my last job. I also feel much better about my job performance at the cemetery. I'm apparently a very valuable asset (the only other person who can do one of the co-workers job), and loosing me might be very problematic. The unfortunate problem is they're loosing me for someone who's supposed to be doing outside sales.0_0 Oh well, that's the way it goes right? At least I know that I as valued (a huge plus over my last job) and that I will be missed. Now I get to delve back through many a classified in order to find a new job.

The Old Familiar Beast

phoenix13 — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:46:49 GMT

I know a good portion of you already know that I was quite sick over the past week. It hit me like a runaway train on Tuesday. I wound up with a 102 degree temp. But after some Hot and Sour soup and a luke warm bath/shower as well as a lot of sleep, my temperature finally came down to normal by the next morning. That was very good because we had two funerals on Wednesday that virtually fell back to back. The first one was for a Sicilian family. I learned that Sicilians like to talk as much as the Irish.^_~ Then Thursday rolls along. My stomach has been feeling pretty bad. I'm not eating as much, but the pain is dealable. Even the bouts of nausea are dealable. But after dinner, while I was showering I get bad chest pains. Like double over in pain, feeling like a chest burster alien's burrowing it's way out chest pain. Now, I've had chronic heartburn all my life. It's something that I've dealt with. Usually it forces me to eat a lot less... and I usually get it when I'm fairly depressed and stressed out. Anyone who's familiar with my housing situation (which I know that I've talked about ad nauseum) knows that it's been stressful. But I'm not depressed. I love my life, and other then hating the roomy situation I'm happy with things. Which is probably why I can eat... just not a whole lot. This is a pleasant upgrade from maybe eating one meal a day. But the heartburn migrating to my chest is new. And the fact that the pain was more intense... It's scary. I don't want to go through that again. So, that leaves the obvious decision. Now Stixs and I need to figure out whether or not we can afford to live without the roommate. We know that emotionally we can most definitely afford it, but not so sure if finances will allow for it. (Image: still from Death Note (the live action movie). I thought it was appropriate since he looks like he's pondering something.)

Almost One Month in...

phoenix13 — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:20:43 GMT

And I still love this job. Seriously, it's a great job. I work with two kind older Italian men. They really are. They keep telling me that they're suprised that I'm not as thin as a rail with how little I eat. They always ask if I want to share some of their food. And despite the fact that it's a cemetery we always joke. As somber as a place you'd think it would be... I think it takes a special kind of person to work there. I've been to quite a few funerals in the 3 weeks that I've been working there. They've by and large been Catholic funerals... the exception being the funeral that I went to yesterday. It was an Orthodox funeral. One thing that I see often in Catholic funerals is sprinkling holy water on the cakset before it is interred. And while I realize that as far as the faith is concerned it's consecrating the body, but a part of me giggles. I picture they're being proactive in stopping vampires or trying to curb a zombie invasion. One thing that's come across most strongly to me is the idea of impermanence. It certainly is food for thought when you're surrounded by death. (Pic info. Cypress Lawn Cemetery Colma, CA. I took it a few years ago...)

If Any of You Happen to Be Home Right Now...

phoenix13 — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:32:34 GMT

And happen to have Current TV, they're running TV Free Burning Man. I have to say, I feel a wee bit home sick just watching it.

One Week Down (and this cat macro has nothing to do with content)

phoenix13 — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 20:30:20 GMT

My first week is done at the Italian Cemetery... and I must say, I kinda like it. I attended 5 funerals in 4 days. As odd as one would think that was, it's not. The family is glad that you show up, even if you're the one making sure the deceased is interred. They all have been pretty friendly. Some have been willing to joke around. Overall, it's a very laid back job. I get to spend a lot of time walking (especially if there's a funeral). Make sure the proper place is opened, greet the funeral, etc. And I love it. I've seen almost every way someone can be buried, with the exception of a niche for a cremation. AND I got to ride in a hearse. I know, that probably sounds like no big deal... but it was neat. I'll provide a story if anyone else is interested. And I think I've been introduced to almost every undertaker that goes to the Italian Cemetery... I think. I think I'll like this job... I think.

Some More Information

phoenix13 — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 23:02:38 GMT

I had an interview something like 3-4 weeks ago with the Italian Cemetery. At first they said they found someone else to fill the position. And then on Friday I received a call. The person they wanted to work didn't work out. They called me and asked me to come in on Monday after running a background check. I'm guessing the reason why things didn't work out was because the person may not have known a whole lot of Excel... judging by some of the questions that I got today. I am now gainfully employed by the Italian Cemetery in Colma. ^-^ In an odd way, this seems completely appropriate for a Goth. I can still go weeknight clubbing... just not this week. I'm still a bit tender from the work that I had on Saturday.

At Last

phoenix13 — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:19:53 GMT

After a year (or more... I've given up on the count), I can no longer count myself among the unemployed. It's been many interviews and countless resumes sent out, but I can finally say that I have a job.^-^ I'm a bit nervous (which I think is standard for starting a new job). But I'm excited... Yay!

A Word

phoenix13 — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:17:35 GMT

Life is beautiful sometimes. This message brought to you from randoms bouts of joy.

Some Randomness... Seeing That That is How my Brain Swings Sometimes

phoenix13 — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:41:22 GMT

~As of late, I've been thinking that everything would be better with more Hurm. It might be because of too much Watchmen on the brain... but I think everything would be better if there was more Hurm. ~I've been thinking of uploading another ninja picture of me. The reason why I haven't done it yet is because my boob was falling out (not entirely) of the costume. I might go back and look at it... that or I might post another pick from Montreal Fetish Weekend. ~Been spending entirely too much time looking for a job. An yet, I have nothing to show for it. As depressing as that should sound, I don't really feel depressed. ~I'm almost finished with the second book in the Night Watch series. I'm surprised with how much I'm enjoying these books... and how sad almost every novella in Day Watch ends. ~I've been spending a ridiculous amount of time at clubs recently. Since I finished my Japanese class I've been able to go to Death Guild every night. The bartender that tends during Death Guild, Meat and Meat vs. Death Guild now recognizes me the moment I come in and starts making my usual drink before I ask. He has also introduced me to another awesome concoction known as "Red Death". It mixes a Kamikaze with an Alabama Slammer. It truly is ambrosia. ~Speaking of Death Guild... it moved to the DNA Lounge. Which is interesting in and of itself. The dance floor isn't larger. However, you are allowed to dance on the stage which is larger then that at the Glass Kat. I spend a lot of time up there dancing. ~I had a thoroughly enjoyable time last Saturday at Alice's birthday party. It was an amazing time.

精神力

phoenix13 — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:47:29 GMT

The kanji above reads seishinryouku. It's an interesting phrase that means strength of mind. There's something awesome about strong-headed women. They know what they want. They're willing to do the what is needed to get there. And they're willing to fight for it, if needs be. And that is a truly wonderful trait to have. I think I have grown to be more seishinryouku. I have also been a bit stubborn. I have made a lot of changes in my life. And I think I've learned to have a strength of mind and will. ((the above image is of Lady Tenshoin of the Tokugawa as played by Miyazaki Aoi in the NHK Taiga drama Atsuhime. Lady Tenshoin stood strongly as Japan decided to get rid of the Shogunate and restore power to the emperor.))

Aight Blah

phoenix13 — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:14:29 GMT

Who'da thunk that this would happen. They discovered what they think is the corpse of a "vampire". Or rather, some evidence of where the myth comes from. Read and enjoy. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126985.200-vampire-discovered-in-mass-grave.html

We Got a Piper Down

phoenix13 — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:16:09 GMT

I've come down with the Peruvian Death Cold(tm). This normally wouldn't be a problem... except for job interviews. I have one tomorrow. I can't talk a whole lot right now so I can conserve what little voice I have left. Fun. I think I'm ready to be over with being sick. I'm not liking not being able to do my daily exercise.

Bacon, Bacon, Bacon, Bacon, BACON!

phoenix13 — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:52:12 GMT

Apparently there's a new diet out there. It's something that quite a few people could get behind. How about a bacon diet? Mike Nelson (Mike from MST3K) has been on a bacon diet for the month of February. He talks about it here: http://www.nbcchicago.com/health/diet_fitness/Hmmmm_Bacon_San_Diego.html I must say, I approve.

Some Randomness

phoenix13 — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:23:35 GMT

So, KFC has been running ads for a chicken and corn deal. For some reason I always hear it as chicken and porn...

Better Then Dostoyevsky

phoenix13 — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 23:42:13 GMT

I've been reading the Watch series (the same series the movies "Night Watch" and "Day Watch" were based off of). I like it. I like the fact that the author doesn't seem to put a lot of descriptions for the characters. It allows for you to visualize the character how you will. Unfortunately, I keep picturing Anton from the movies (see above). So far I haven't been given much of a visual impression. I like that, I like that a lot. I'm also enjoying they fact that the series isn't as wordy as most Russian authors. It's gotta a nice pace and the story is conveyed nicely. I'm also curious how the stories differs from the movie. From what I can tell, some of the things that happens later in the movie are up front. And you don't get a whole lot of information about Anton. That being said... I don't mind that so much. It's a well written book. I already want to go back to the book. I also want to go and watch "Night Watch" again. I agreed to watch it again after I finish the first novella.

Of Relationships and Ownership

phoenix13 — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:17:00 GMT

There are certain things that I don't quite understand. And I claim that because I definitely have a different way of looking at the world, especially where relationships are concerned. I'm typically less clingy and possessive of my significant others. So, I don't understand the mentality of calling someone "my man" or "my girl". While it might seem like a term of endearment of sorts, to me it just feels creepy. Maybe it's because it almost seems like you finally won a person of specified gender in an auction like a slave. To me it comes across like you view them more as a possession rather than someone whom you're having a relatively intimate relationship with. So much so that it surpasses friendship status. Now, I have a significant other. This is someone who I would consider a friend and lover. Someone who I enjoy spending copious amounts of time with. And while I'll use the statement my significant other, it doesn't seem to take on the same significance as calling him "my man". He's mine in the extent that we're sharing an intimate relationship that's not being shared with anybody else. But other then that... I don't know. It doesn't come across as being possessive. It's simply a statement of fact. Perhaps it's the the fact that the term used isn't my boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband, lover, life partner, partner, etc. But only specifying the gender of the person that is what creeps me out. It almost sounds like this person is a set of genitalia and nothing more significant. For some reason that phrase just gets under my skin.

Live! Tonight! From the DNA Lounge!

phoenix13 — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 05:21:17 GMT

Reporting briefly from the DNA Lounge... at the Combichrist show. I'm feeling a wee bit sassy tonight. That is all... Bis Spaeter!

Momentary Lapse of Hope

phoenix13 — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:41:42 GMT

I like to be a strong woman, or at least try to be one. I like being able to take care of myself. But there are moments where I don't feel that way. Or rather... it's something else. My roommate occasionally lacks internal filters. Which is something that I can empathize with because I always lack internal filters. It goes right from my brain to my mouth. I've been better about not always saying things as they occur to me. However, that is not the point of this post. So, my roommate occasionally lacks internal filters. We were watching something and the crazy "Christian warrior" lady from Wife Swap comes on (this is the same lady they sampled for the Combichrist song "Christian Warrior"). And she says she needs to be like that lady in order to get married. Other then the woman being zealously crazy she's also obese and not the most attractive woman, IMHO. I'm sitting there with my fiance... Yeah, that made me feel great. Granted, she was probably venting without thinking. And I wasn't in the greatest mindset because I was still a bit jet lagged from coming back from Philly. But that stung a bit. Then I started thinking, because that's what I always do. And I was getting annoyed. It made me think that there was something wrong with me. I was trying to figure it out. But after some talking to by Stixs and Kai, I realized that it wasn't me and she really needs to think before she opens her mouth. And I shouldn't let someone who says stupid things like that get to me. And if comes up when I'm tired and sick I need to remember that I'm sick and tired and what someone says to me isn't as bad as I think at that moment.

Birthday Time!

phoenix13 — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:22:18 GMT

Froehliche Geburtstag fur meinen Liebling. Happy Birthday Stixs. I hope that you have a fun night. From your ninja pirate girl.^-^

Sayonara Nihongo

phoenix13 — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:00:29 GMT

After two years of studying Japanese, I finished my last Japanese class last night. I have to say that I'm quite sad about it. I really like my sensei. He's wonderful at teaching Japanese. He makes sure that you understand it... really understand it. And it made me put thought into wanting to get a degree in the language. But now I'm a bit sad. I learned how to translate and can pretty much do o on my own. I plan on buying more books and magazines in Japanese and work my way through it, kanji and all. We read many children's stories in Japanese this year. Particularly, we read the story of Hachiko. There's a bronze statue of a dog outside of Shibuya station (I'm not sure which entrance it's by). The statue was erected because of the story of an Akita Inu who would always wait faithfully at the station for his master... even after the master died of a heart attack while teaching at Tokyo University. The picture above is of this statue. After we turned in our stories. Our final was to write a short children's story in Japanese. Mine's about a monkey and a dog. Afterward we watched the movie Hachiko. It's based on the story that I briefly related above. It was nice to get to watch a movie instead of taking a final exam. But the movie is so heart breaking... and ends with the death of Hachiko. It's well acted and the dog is absolutely adorable. Now granted, this isn't the kind of movie that most of you would hear me write about... I normally write about Horror films. This is certainly different. But the story is so wonderful. It's definitely worth a read (if you can find an English translation) and the movie's worth the watch. Apparently, the story is so impressive that they're making an American version of the film starring Richard Gere (like Shall We Dance). I'm going to suggest to see the Japanese version. There's a lot of cultural differences between American and Japanese culture and I think that the story of Hachi might suffer from that... Kind of how I thought the story of highly repressed salarymen who find an outlet in dancing suffered because there is no stigma against ballroom dancing in the US. For more info: http://su-yee.blogspot.com/2008/03/hachiko-movie.html

Kickin' it Wii Fit Style

phoenix13 — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:42:26 GMT

A quick update before I go on to work on a rough translation of Urashima Tarou. I enjoy me some gaming. I'm eagerly awaiting my copy of Persona 4 to show up in a few days. I've had a Wii for about 7 or so months. And it's fun. But honestly, I don't get a lot of use out of it. It's more of a novelty thing. I did enjoy playing Zelda on the Wii. It was nice to get actually swing and have it effect the character. Stixs finally gave me my birthday gift. It's something that I've been wanting for about 6 months or so. And I finally got it. Even though it still sells out after about 2 days. I finally got Wii Fit. And I'm truly enjoying it. It forces me to keep a better eye on things. Which is something I've never really had, even when I was going to the gym on a daily basis. Like most people who are heavier (though I know that there will be some people who would disagree with me saying that I'm fat) I have grown to hate looking at the scale. Every time I weigh myself I feel very self-conscious about my weight and feel defeated when it says that I've put on weight. Everyday, you step on the Wii Fit, it weighs you. And that's hard for me, but I'm not letting it defeat me this time. It also allows me to do some of my favorite outside activities indoors (like hooping). And I've been jogging, something I wouldn't normally think about doing outside because it's very hard on the knees. The last thing I need is for my knee to go out on me. I've had it do so in the past after doing things that are too strenuous on the knee... like tap dancing which I can no longer do, much to my lament. And I'm really enjoying this. I enjoy this more then going to the gym. I haven't quite worked on the strength training yet. I also learned that my left leg, the one that I had to keep off of for over a month because I injured my ankle. So, I've been trying to steer clear of putting too much strain on it. I tried doing the Tree pose (which I've been able to do with no problem before). It also let me know that I have a poor center of balance. Now, I'm not going to say that this thing is flawless or even foolproof. The jogging can easily be emulated by just pumping your arms while jogging. And the balance stuff is really touchy. But overall I'm enjoying it. So, hopefully this will help me with the discipline that I've been needing. And I can do much better then I have been. However, I'm still down from last year. It's only 2 lbs. Hopefully I can make it better next year.

The Official Post Where-In I Discuss my Early Birthday Celebration Plans...

phoenix13 — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:16:04 GMT

So, we're planning on giving this get dinner before going to Death Guild thing a try again this year. We tried it last year, but we got back too late from LA to get people to try and come with. Here's the plan: Meet at Peace Plaza at 7:30 for foods and drink type substances. We're not sure where we're eating at this point. But there will definitely be food involved... and possibly sake. After dinner we head over to the DNA Lounge for Gothiness. So, if you want to come out but don't want to commit entirely to going out to Death Guild tonight, feel free to come by and get dinner.^-^