It's our birthday, precious! What do we wants? We wants to go get fancy coffee, we does!

Dear Elle:

I have some. It is of the Detective Conan sort, and should you care to read it, you can do so here.

If you would like to give me feedback, I would be so grateful!!!

It is coming. :D

I feel like I should be more depressed/horrified right now. I also think I watch waaay too much A&E. Damn you, Cold Case Files and First 48!!

In fits and starts, my friend Calico and I are going to write a webcomic. Well, technically, it's been written, and the first episode is halfway drawn. Just as soon as I get my sorry rear in gear and actually finish up the thumbnails, I'll be scanning and cleaning them up.


Ripped Spandex: Two superheroines trying to keep their jobs, pay their rent, and avoid class-action lawsuits.

And after an amazingly long hiatus, I am posting again. I keep forgetting about this journal.

In my last post, I talked about the crisis our world is facing with peak oil. To be honest, I hadn't expected to see the ramifications so soon, but the prices at the gas pumps definitely say otherwise. To anyone out there, I urge you, beg you, to buy from local farms. The prices of everything in the supermarkets is skyrocketing, and its largely due to transportation costs. Where I live, I've seen gas go for up to $4.50/gallon for the cheap stuff. FOUR DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS. That is absurd and ridiculously unreasonable.

And people are paying more elsewhere, too. The price of electricity where I live has just dramatically increased. I fear that this is just the beginning. My family and I are not well off, and I think, like many Americans, trying to maintain a lifestyle that is now beyond our means. This is simply not going to cut it any longer. If we, as middle class, are now merely scraping by, what about the people who are much poorer? The DC area is known for its hot summers and very cold winters. What happens, come winter, when people can't afford to heat their homes?

I fear that in the coming years, the deaths counts due to heat and cold will be much more pronounced. At this point, we as a nation *need* to take the steps to begin government reform. And when better to do that than an election year?

I urge every one of you to write to your senator or congressman and ask that they support the search for alternate energy. Overhauling our system will take a lot of time and money that those in charge don't want to spend. But this should go beyond greed. This is more important than power. This is about survival. We can make this happen, but only if everyone realizes how deeply this affects them personally.

I remain a strange combination of optimist and pessimist. I am continuously hoping for the best while expecting the worst. To those of you living in a city, if an energy crisis does hit, I urge you to remember the events of Hurricane Katrina. I fear that the reactions of the public at large will be markedly similar: riots over dwindling supplies, an ineffective and useless government unable to contain the chaos, etc. I don't want either myself or my loved ones to have to go through that; who would?

So I've devised a plan for me and my family. I've taken the time to set up a bug-out bag (bob, for short) for each of us, consisting of basic survival tools: fresh water (changed every few months), a few changes of clothing, a tent, matches, wind-up flashlight, radio, sleeping bag, canned goods, maps, etc. I want to add a machete, but I haven't had the time to get my hands on one yet.

To those of you who think that's an extreme and paranoid (or extremely paranoid) reaction, I counter with this: Remember all of those action movies Will Smith is in about the end of the world? Movies like Independence Day and I am Legend? Do you honestly think that people are going to act any differently in real life should a crisis like that occur? You might think that there's no parallel, but I say there is. The threat might not be aliens or zombies, but it is something looming that we have no control over, something that affects our day to day lives. And perhaps the crisis won't be energy. What if another 9/11 should occur? Given that the U.S. has alienated the majority of the world, this isn't as surprising a thought as it could be.

Trust me, I realize how extreme what I am saying sounds, and how paranoid. That's been pointed out to me by people for quite some time. I like to think that I am not insane nor paranoid, merely justifiably concerned. Having a plan helps me sleep better at night, because I know that if something does happen (riots over energy, terrorist attack, space-men blowing up the White House), I have a plan and can get out quickly.

Change is coming. I know it is, and it's inevitable. But if we work now, we can make the transition much smoother, and perhaps will usher in something much better than what we have now.

And after an amazingly long hiatus, I am posting again. I keep forgetting about this journal.

In my last post, I talked about the crisis our world is facing with peak oil. To be honest, I hadn't expected to see the ramifications so soon, but the prices at the gas pumps definitely say otherwise. To anyone out there, I urge you, beg you, to buy from local farms. The prices of everything in the supermarkets is skyrocketing, and its largely due to transportation costs. Where I live, I've seen gas go for up to $4.50/gallon for the cheap stuff. FOUR DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS. That is absurd and ridiculously unreasonable.

And people are paying more elsewhere, too. The price of electricity where I live has just dramatically increased. I fear that this is just the beginning. My family and I are not well off, and I think, like many Americans, trying to maintain a lifestyle that is now beyond our means. This is simply not going to cut it any longer. If we, as middle class, are now merely scraping by, what about the people who are much poorer? The DC area is known for its hot summers and very cold winters. What happens, come winter, when people can't afford to heat their homes?

I fear that in the coming years, the deaths counts due to heat and cold will be much more pronounced. At this point, we as a nation *need* to take the steps to begin government reform. And when better to do that than an election year?

I urge every one of you to write to your senator or congressman and ask that they

It's going to happen, and if we don't start to wean ourselves off of our oil dependency, we are going to face a very rocky future.

Basically, Peak oil, for those that don't know, boils down to simple supply and demand. Oil is a finite resource, and the world is using more and more of it. Peak Oil is *not* when we are almost out of oil, but instead when we need more oil than there is left in the earth. Granted, this is my super, super, *super* condensed explanation. For a fantastic, informative, and detailed article about Peak Oil, written by the lovely Amy, please visit here. I really recommend that you do. Amy's awesome and made of cool.

Now, one would think, at first, that this only entails paying more at the pump. However, oil is in almost *everything* we use. We're surrounded by it. We're addicted, and given the way things are, that's not going to change anytime soon. Prices are going to go up on everything, and unlike what economists (or even our own common sense) says, people aren't going to stop paying for the things they need just because it becomes more pricey. People are going to still pay, and pay through the nose for basic commodities, because people *like* the current standard of living. Hey, I'm rather happy with my standard of living, too. But that doesn't mean I want to avoid a very real and pretty frightening issue just to maintain all of my creature comforts and luxuries.

So, this is what I plan on doing. I live in the suburbs, and it's not like I can go raise livestock in my backyard, nor can I convert said yard into a veggie garden of awewsomeness. I simply don't have the means. What I *can* have, however, is a few tomato plants and some lettuce plants, and maybe a dwarf fruit tree. It's not much, but it'll save on groceries, help the enviornment, make me healthier and give me yummier food to eat, and reduce my dependence on store-bought goods. All of this helps me with the Peak Oil crisis because I won't be an utter slave to "the machine", as it were, to provide for myself. It's not a cakewalk, but it's certainly not brain surgery or rocket science.

I also plan on spreading the word. The more people who understand what's going on, the better.

Wanna read more about this? Check out Casauban's Book.

Wanna see a guy who's taking this to the extreme with his family? No Impact Man lives in NYC and is still trying to make a difference.

Wanna help make a statement? Sign the petition

Wanna know what you can do right now? Learn about the possibilities

This is scary, and big, but if everyone does a little bit, then we're going to be better off in the long run. And we can make a difference. And if everyone does a little bit, then it's not going to be so big and scary anymore.

( my xmas stocking )



Because I support the materialistic tendancies of cyber space? Damn you, memes!

Repetition

1. Reply with your name and I'll respond with something random about you.

2. I'll tell you what song/movie/book/fictional character reminds me of you.

3. I'll pick a substance to wrestle with you in.

4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me. Or at least me.

5. I'll tell you my favorite memory of you.

6. I'll tell you what animal or plant you remind me of.

7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.

8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal. You MUST. It is written.

I wonder if I'm just a little girl inside a big girl's body.

I wonder if that's a bad thing.

I wonder if I'll ever see myself as anything other than a bystander.

I wonder if I'm really missing out on that much.

I wonder why I can be so at peace with myself, and have moments of such self-doubt.

I wonder if I'll ever be kissed.

I wonder if I'll like it.

I wonder if I'll ever really find myself attractive.

I wonder if others will ever really find me attractive.

I wonder why it matters.

I wonder if I'll ever relax enough to be physically intimate.

I wonder what I'm so afraid of.

I don't even have anyone I like right now. Where on *earth* did all of this come from? Gracious. Well, I certainly feel better for having penned it, however maudlin and trite it may be.

Saw a delivery truck on my way to school today, proudly offering Bimbo Bread. A cute, cuddly, white, anthropomorphic bear was the mascot. Beneath the company logo and mascot, someone had scribbled "Cunt Bay" onto the truck in purple spray paint. I was amused.

Continuing with the old school games-- UmJammer Lammy is more fun than it really should be. It's DDR for your hands. About as addictive, too. Funky cool art style, and there are a couple songs that are pretty fun. Hooray for dollar store video games!

So I'm finally getting around to playing Final Fantasy 8, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. And all I have to say is that Kiros = love. Forget Laguna, Squall, Seifer, or any of the other guys, I'd choose Kiros, hands down. -3 on the manliness scale, indeed.

Well thank you *so* much, Wiki, for not only not having the bit of info I needed on Kagura Sohma (her mother's name), but for COMPLETELY RUINING THE ENDING AND DASHING ALL OF MY OTPS TO TEENY, TINY, UNCANON BITS. My fanfic is now an AU. Dammit!

If you can, ladies and gentlemen, go see the One Man Star Wars play. Lie, cheat, steal, kill, do whatever you have to-- it is just That. Funny.

For one hour and fifteen minutes, I was retold the classic saga of Luke, Leia, and Han, and practically EVERYONE ELSE in the Star Wars universe. It was seiously the single most hilarious thing I have ever seen.


One Man Star Wars for teh win!

http://www.onemanstarwars.com

Today is not going to be a good day.


Seriously, is there a word for exhausted and livid at the same time? exhauvid? livausted?

Maybe exhausted and frustrated would be better? exhaustrated.


And if today is a model for the rest of the weekend, then I have discovered my own personal hell. I have a sinking suspicion that this is to be the case.

Gone for the next week-- I'm going to be working at a sleepaway camp for kids with mental disabilities! Wish me luck!

Vote Shinji 2008!!!

Spread the word.