Little Kitten(s) Lost

So, last Thursday, we let Mama Cat and Boyo outside. Not a big deal; all the cats go outside at some point or another (except for Bear, unless he is under supervision), and then come back in. Mama Cat spends 75% of her time outside, because she doesn't really like being around the other cats, never mind that she's the one that frickin' spawned them, and Boyo gets really annoying and cries and scratches at the door unless you let him out. But they always come back after a couple of hours.

Well, they haven't come back. Which is weird - really, really weird. Because about 2 months ago we let Napoleon out because he doesn't like the other cats either, and he never came back. We were sad, but chalked it up to him being an ungrateful little bastard and moved on. Now, we have 2 cats that went missing at the same time. I highly doubt that both of them got hit by cars. It's possible that someone decided to take them in, because they are both very friendly towards people, but if that's the case, the people who did were really really mean because the cats had collars on - clearly they were already marked as being owned - although they didn't have tags, because we've never had to worry. So now I'm starting to wonder if there is someone in the neighborhood that is poisoning cats. I really don't know. But I'm really sad that they are gone. I hope they come back. Boyo lets me use him as a pillow when I go to sleep. :(

Anyways, so today when I was talking to my mom (I originally called to let her know my final exam schedule) she mentioned that she and Leanna had been to the animal shelter to see if they had been brought in. If they were, they weren't there; it would have been too soon for them to be euthanized so if they did pass through then they might have been adopted out since they are both cute and friendly. Or they might not have been brought in at all. So, all of a sudden, my mom says "Do you want to talk to Leanna?" and I, not really having anything to say to Leanna (not out of meanness, I just didn't have anything I needed to talk to her about, you know?) say "umm no not really..." but my mom just said "ok here let me get Leanna on...Leanna! pick up the other phone!..." and meanwhile I'm just sitting in my chair like wtf? Ok, something is definitely going on...Leanna tells me how they're at the shelter looking for Mama and Boyo but they weren't there...blah blah blah...so then I ask, "Leanna, did you guys adopt a cat from the shelter or something?"

Dead silence on the phone, from both my mom (who was still on the line from the phone in her room) and Leanna (using the phone in the kitchen). The short answer is: yes.

Apparently, the cat is about 8 months old and was brought in as a stray. Leanna says it has longish hair. I immediately asked if it was a calico cat, since Leanna had always been saying how much she's wanted a calico cat, but she said no it wasn't calico, it's something called "tortoiseshell," which basically means that it's black with spatters of orange in it, and sometimes a little bit of white but the white isn't required to be considered tortoiseshell. They said they will pick her up from the shelter on Thursday because they will spey her first. Leanna said the cat's name is "Zin" but we all agreed that needs to be changed. Any ideas, anyone? I sort of like "Zia," but maybe that's just me...(I looked it up, and apparently it's Arabic for "light." Kind of cool, no?) I haven't seen what the cat actually looks like myself, though. Leanna's tried sending me a picture but for some reason it just won't come through on my end... :( Anyways, help me brainstorm some names!

Today reminded me

of just why I decided not to become a doctor after all. All they care about is flushing you out as fast as possible.

Shiiiiiit.

So, I've been on my antibiotics for nearly 2 weeks now. Things seemed to be going okay, the rashy things were all gone, but I was finishing the pills as is required. Suddenly, they've reappeared - some on my leg, some on my forearm, and I think a couple under my chin (I know it's superficial, but I don't want them on my face!!). I called my mom to tell her about the sudden resurgence, and she's going to call the doctor early tomorrow morning to try and get me in tomorrow. But what sucks about this doctor's office is, we've been going there for 15 years, and every time we make an appointment they can never seem to get us in when we need to (which is right away). So basically I'm freaking out that they can't get me in for another week, while in the meantime my condition worsens. I'm freaking out that at this point, I'm going to end up in the hospital with IV-drip antibiotics. Which means I'd miss school (which wouldn't be so bad, except for Japanese). I'm freaking out that it's going to ruin my trip plans, now less than 2 months away. I'm freaking out that I'm freaking out. Literally, I was fine, until 2 hours ago. Fucking BLOWS, man.

On a side note, Frank (Jared, Rachel, you know Frank, but David, you probably don't) and I don't talk anymore, because he's a drunkie asswipe. I plan to do a whole post about it, but I'm too lazy right now. So probably tomorrow. I'm gonna go watch Spartacus instead.

Fucking BLOWS.

I just thought I'd announce

that I just shaved my legs and they feel awesome. Now I just need to find a cat to rub up against them :3

Tanuki!

So, right now I'm obsessed with Tanuki - Japanese raccoon dogs. It should be noted that although a lot of people translate "Tankuki" as "raccoon," they are NOT AT ALL the same thing. Physically, a Tanuki looks like a cross between a raccoon and a badger...and some people overseas even keep them as pets!


Uwaaaaaaa! Tanuki ga hoshii~~ (^_^)

Tanuki are very prominent in Japanese folklore, as are Kitsune ("fox"). Now, Kitsune are said to be clever, cunning tricksters, capable of shapeshifting in order to take advantage of humans. Tanuki are said to be capable of the same thing; however, since they are lazy and lack the cunning that Kitsune have, their pranks are less malevolent and much more mischievous in nature. It is said that in order to shapeshift, a Tanuki requires a leaf - this is why, in Super Mario 3, one of the items is a leaf...and it doesn't transform you into a raccoon, it is actually a tanuki! Tanuki are also reputed to transform the leaves themselves into money and then, in human forms, buy things from the real humans with the transformed money...which will eventually turn back into leaves. All throughout Japan there are statues of tanuki, especially since they are popular lawn decorations. However, if you look at one of these statues, you will more than likely notice the prominent....err, testicles.





Do your ears hang low / Do they wobble to and fro?...


I'm sure you're thinking, "What the fuck?" ...Yeah. I was, too. Apparently, they used to use Tanuki skins in metalwork, for the purpose of thinning gold (in Japanese, "gold" is "kin"). Somehow, they came to be associated with the word "kintama," which literally means "gold ball," but in modern Japanese slang now means "balls." And now I've taught you a dirty Japanese word.

Tanuki are also popular subjects in other forms of artistic expression, not just sculpture, as evidenced by this ukiyo-e woodblock print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi:


If looks balls could kill...

There's even a song that Japanese kids sing about Tanuki testicles:

Tan-Tan-Tanuki no kintama wa
Kaze mo nai no ni
Bura bura

Translation:

Tan-Tan-Tanuki's balls
even when there isn't any wind
Go "swing-swing"

...Bizarre, much? o_0

You know, I would be willing to pass this all off as normal, but then Japan had to come up with this gem of a commercial. Try and guess what in the hell it's an advert for:




Stumped? Not surprising. I didn't know what in the hell it was selling either. Then I did some research, and it turns out that Anabuki is a Japanese construction/real estate agency. Now, how in the hell does that have anything to do with forest animals suddenly growing/fondling their breasts and a random Tanuki encounter? Fuck if I know. I'd actually like to ask my Sensei if he'll translate the lyrics for me.

I think I'll end this post with one final ukiyo-e print:


Forget Rekishi's stinkface - It's all about humiliation by Tanuki balls.

Results of my English midterm!

I got an A on it! (a 90, but that's still an A!) on the other hand, I think I may have failed a test in my Buried Cities and Lost Tribes class...seriously. I'm not joking, I think I failed it. :( I've never failed a test in my life...I'm just so pissed that the test was on stuff that we didn't really go over. But oh well, I'm not gonna spend too long feeling crappy about it, I learned the hard way that that's how you get ulcers. On the plus side, I've been taking the antibiotics for about a day and a half now, and the itchy bumps definitely seem to be going away...I'm just going to hope that they continue to do so.

I was talking to my cousin Alex (who lives in Vienna) on Facebook, and we were talking about things to do while I was there. Since he's a native Austrian, I asked him what suggested. One of the things he said was taking a trip to Bratislava (capital of Slovakia)! He said that a couple of years ago they started offering a boat service that traveled up the Danube and got you to Bratislava within an hour...that's so awesome! Now, I don't really know if there's anything to do in Slovakia, but hell, it's an opportunity to see more of Europe and its culture...I can hardly wait! Now I just need to save up money... ^_^;

Doctor.

So lately (last week, mostly) I've been getting these bumps on my arms and lower back that look like (and itch like) mosquito bites, only they're not. I was freaking out that maybe I had scabies or something - ewww - so today I went to the doctor to get it checked out. Her diagnosis? I have a freaking staph infection!! So now I'm on horse-pill antibiotics for the next fortnight. Nice way to spend spring break :(

Moozick

Did anyone notice I put a music player on the page? Only got one song on it, but I'm not sure if it's only showing up my end. It's one of my favorite songs :)

Also, minor computer update: my mother managed to get ahold of the guy who sold me my laptop, essentially he said he'll work with me (whatever that means; I wasn't the one who talked with him, it was my mother, so I couldn't tell you), so this may mean more money in my pocket sometime soon...since I, of course, am first going to ask for a refund. Hopefully he'll agree to that.

...Here's to hoping?

I found an interesting site.

It's called postmormon.org, and on it you can read people's exit stories as well as post your own. I believe there is a forum of some sorts on it as well. You all might find this very interesting, so I decided to share it. Maybe you've already heard of it, who knows. Interesting nonetheless.

Today, while watching my favorite smutty gay anime...

...I was also downloading some music. They lied to me when they said your internet connection would disappear as soon as your computer connected to a P2P program. :(

As I promised, my itinerary for my trip!

I meant to post this later on Friday, but my desktop went blooie....AGAIN. So now Kyle's stepdad was kind enough to lend me a desktop unit; he's going to look at my desktop unit this weekend when we all do our usual DnD. From what I described to him, he says he thinks it might be a hardware issue...great. Oh, he also looked at my laptop - and the motherboard is fried. Literally cooked. Like, there's scorch marks on it and everything. So now I have to get in contact with the guy and see if he'll give me my money back. If he at least gives me $250 of the 300 I paid for it, I will be more than happy. But we'll see. If it turns out he doesn't want to answer my phone calls, then I guess I will just have to show up on his doorstep, huh?? I KNOW WHERE HE LIVES!! lol.

Anyways, enough of my computer update, here is my travel itinerary:


First, there...






...then back...






I hope the images are large enough to read; if they're not then I really don't know how to re-size them.

I've never traveled out of the country before, let alone overseas, so I've never gone through customs before or ever had to have a passport checked, etc. David, I know you've been through this before several times, would you mind giving me a run-through of a hypothetical airport scenario of what it's like to do all this? I'd really appreciate it, since that's the only part of the trip I'm apprehensive about (I don't want to look like a fool, yo). Thank you :)

Just a tiny, microscopic update because I don't have much time!

I bought my ticket last night! I'm going from the 19th of May to the 3rd of August, Phoenix -> Chicago -> Warsaw -> Vienna. I'm so thrilled, yo! I'll post my entire itinerary later when I've actually got time; I really should already be on my way to my midterm for my Shakespeare class - wish me luck! ^__^

Registering for Fall!

I registered for fall semester yesterday. So, I figured I might just take a few minutes to say what classes I signed up for (not that anyone really cares):

Japanese 201
Korean 101
Astronomy 111 / 113 (Lab)
SLC 201 (something about an introduction to cultural and literacy theory)

As you can see there's not a whole lot special about it, but I'm excited about the Korean since grammatically, it is exactly like Japanese, and I taught myself Hangeul just a few weeks ago ^__^
I'm sort of excited about the astronomy class too; I need to take a lab science in order to fulfill my Quantitative Science gen ed requirement, so I figure I'll take the least boring one. The Lab is on Tuesday nights from 730 to 10 (!) which sort of sucks but I guess since it IS after all an astronomy class that would make sense. In all, I'm signed up for 17 credit hours (which is fine with me). Though, I'm glad that I will have had a nice vacation in Vienna :)

Speaking of which, I wired my dad some money last night so he could go ahead and book me a ticket (since my bank will only let me charge things $300 or less, and the ticket is about $1100). My dad is actually being cool and paying for a good chunk of the ticket, even though I already have all the money. And he said he'd help me out with spending money for the summer if it turns out I'm a little short by then. I'm not really sure what to think; he said that when I get back that he's going to fly out here to visit for a week. I'm worried that he's just using it as an excuse to drink, since we can't really monitor him the way his mother and brother do. He denies it of course, but I still don't know what think because that's what he's done every other time he's come out here since he moved to Minnesota 6 years ago. Actually, when he was out here last May for my graduation, he hadn't even been in the state 5 hours when I caught him coming back from the check cashing place on the corner with a half-empty bottle of booze in hand. I love my dad but he makes it impossible to trust him. Does this make me mean?

Whatever, I'll deal with what happens when it happens, it's not even for another 6 months. I've been looking at fares on the LOT Polish website as their fares are the cheapest, and I've been looking up what kinds of airplanes I'd be taking....one of them is one of those epic triple-row planes!! Right now it's looking like I'd be going from Phoenix to Chicago, an 8-hour layover in Chicago (which sucks but there's nothing I can do about it) , then from Chicago to either Krakow or Warsaw, and then from there to Vienna :) I'm excited, yo!