jinsai

I was wondering why there's been so (relatively) few new fics and updates lately, when I remembered that this week was American Thanksgiving! So, a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all of you out there in United States land!!

I really need to give my house a thorough cleaning - tidy up, vacuum, dusting, and so on, but I just haven't had the energy or ambition to do more than keep up with the dishes and the laundry. This week is crazy busy, but I don't think I have anything scheduled on Sunday, so I'll try and get stuff done then. Hopefully I can because I'd like to also get my decorations up that day, for a small Christmas party the first weekend in December. (Early, but I'm leaving for the States early this year, so it's the only time I have to do it.)

It's only 9:40, so I suppose I could get some done, but I'm kinda beat and I teach kindergarten tomorrow, so I think I'm going to call it an early night. Try to, at least.

Hm. Not much else to share. Here, have a link to a pretty TWIN picture instead.

I have figured out what's "wrong" (quote-unquote) with me!

I don't like watching TV.

I actually really don't. THAT'S why I never end up downloading anything, even when I think it looks interesting! It's because it's too much of a pain for an activity I don't enjoy all that much.

Even things I really love take me forever to watch. I started watching season four of Psych two months after it began, Dr. Who's The Waters of Mars has been sitting on my computer a good week now (and will probably languish another one), I have a DVD I bought a month ago unopened and collecting dust, and I can't remember the last time I was arsed to watch an episode of The Daily Show or the The Colbert Report.

It's not that I don't like the shows themselves, because I do like them. It's the activity of sitting down and watching a show that I just won't do on my own. I'm much more likely to read (be it fic or novel), surf the internet, go out and do something, or even clean my house than I am to watch TV. I don't know what's up with that, but it does explain why my TV is never even plugged in.

On things I DO like -- I have delicious new tea from Lupecia. Wohoo!! ♥

Which is pretty much the only way I can sing. *le sigh* But Happy Birthday to me anyways. It was awesome! There was theater, okonomiyaki, karaoke x2, onsen, and lots of geeky presents. And now I'm home and hiding under my kotatsu, hoping the damn delivery man brings my package around sometime tonight!

Now I just need to get around to putting all this new stuff away one of these days. My house - it is a mess it is.

Edit: Dishes and some laundry done. Vacuuming will have to wait. No package yet. T_T Oh, though I did get the one from staminiarose, and it was awesome -- thank you!

Package has arrived! It's the b-day package from my mum. Tearing it open now!

Edit II: *sighs* I am out of it! Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert... I'm only just discovering these guys. Been in Japan for what - three years now? And I don't watch TV, so I don't find out about new fads and stuff until I stumble over them. So, uh, if anyone wants to share some downloads or whatever, please do so!

The weekend is over already?! *wails* No fair!

I did get some things accomplished - laundry and dishes were done, although lord knows those two things are never-ending. I also took pictures of the doujinshi I plan on selling, though I need to copy down the details I need for the post (circle, page numbers, pairings, and pricing mainly). I got my kotatsu fixed back up, which is actually an impediment due to its life-sucking properties.

Seriously. I bless it for its warmth, but the thing completely drains you of any energy once you're under it. The next thing you know - nap time baby!

I did get all my obligations fulfilled through - got to ikebana class, dropped by both my students' and my former co-worker's tea ceremonies, and made it to the elementary school's festival. A lot of running about occurred to do those things, but it was all pretty good.

Over in the geeky fanart world... Look, France and America finally have a pixiv tag: 自由コンビ -- freedom combination apparently. And on the Canada and America side, this fanart pleases me as I like it best when they actually look like twins. It's canon that they have the same face at least, so I wish there was more art that reflected this.

Or maybe that's just the twin fetish speaking? ^_~

Well, in any case, back to R.L. Speaking tests start next week. The JTE thinks each student only needs about 90 seconds. Bullshit. They need an average of 3 minutes per student. This means not only will I spend every class period giving tests, but that I'll also need to spend my few and far between free periods giving them too. *sighs* And to think, I just bought an additional $50 worth of stickers and prizes for the kiddies too.

*double-sighs* It's a good damn thing I love my job. Now off to shower, throw some clothes together for tomorrow, and maybe tidy up a wee bit before calling the parentals, then off to bed!

Oh! And early birthday dinner for me tomorrow. All-you-can-eat/drink tea and scones!! WIN!!

It's not out of not caring or disrespect or whatever. But living in another country - like Japan - that doesn't mark those days, you forget about certain ones.

Like Veteran's Day. Or Good Friday. And even, good help me, Easter and the 4th.

So, uh, just wanna say lack of posting isn't from lack of caring. That's all.

In other news, it's getting cold here. I hope I get my kotatsu fixed soon!

All right, warning for mpreg now. So, uh, if you don't like that, wander the other way, okay? Posting this here because, well, I'm not sure where else I would post it.

( Was thinking about Canada and his provinces. )

America & Other Poems is a collection of the poetry of Ayukawa Nobuo, translated by Shogo Oketani and Leza Lowitz.

Ayukawa is considered by many to be a sort of father to modern Japanese poetry, yet is unknown by many in the West. He was a founding member of Arechi (Waste Land), which was a group of young writers and intellectuals inspired by T.S. Elliot and his ilk. Impressed into the military in WWII, Ayukawa was fervently anti-nationalistic and anti-fascist. After the war, he continued to speak out against the sources of it, and to rail against his contemporaries, many of whom has written pro-war poetry and now wrote pro-peace works. He lectured them to accept responsibility for their own actions, and to speak their own minds rather than following the social mindset of the period.

All in all, his life was as incredible as his poetry. Mr. Oketani and Ms. Lowitz have done a rather incredible job in writing a neat, tidy biography that is intelligent and interesting without being over-bearing, and in collecting and translating Ayukawa's poetry. However, it is my personal opinion that in regards to the poems themselves, in some places they sacrificed poetry for accuracy.

( Con't )


I think Mr. Oketani and Ms. Lowitz have done a fantastic job, and I think America & Other Poems is an excellent book still. Mr. Oketani gives a very well written biography of Ayukawa, explaining who he was and why he and his poetry matter. However, I think the 2008 version has sacrificed the poetry of his work –the beauty of it -- for “more correct” translations. I use quotations because I think that stripping the poetry from such a work may make it more grammatically accurate, but it does not in fact make it more right. Translation is an incredibly difficult field. Language has so many different nuances and mannerisms – it’s not enough to know merely that this word equals that one. If you fail to keep the tone and attitude of the original, the translation may be 100% accurate, but the true meaning is lost. In the 2008 version, we lose the flow and the beauty of these poems, and those things are what make poetry, well, poetic.

Going home for Christmas - the 17th until the 29th. Will hang about Tokyo for a few days after that, enjoying the New Year in Japan.

Have send an email asking my parents (and relations) to refrain from buying me gifts this year. I said if they wanted to get me something, I would appreciate a) books; b) something homemade/emotionally significant (ie. heirlooms or photos or the like); c) a donation to an environmental charity.

I haven't gotten a reply yet but I hope it goes over well... And that I didn't catch my mother too late to avoid the loads of Christmas Tree Shop and Dollar Store stocking stuffers I always end up with (and leaving behind)!

Title: The Sun Also Sets
Author: Ish
Characters/Pairings: France/America
Rating: PG-15
Warnings: Implied sex. Underage drinking I suppose, depending on how you judge America's age. I suppose it could be an earlier companion to Afición but it doesn't have to be.
Summary: I stole a bunch of quotes and tried to make a story.

But honestly -- America spends some time in Paris in the 1920s, trying to get away from himself. (Thanks to tanya_tsuki for the beta!)

( It was not what France gave you but what it did not take from you that was important. )

( Halloween Picture here )

Waiting for purikura to be scanned. Will have more then. My hair should have been parted more to the side, but I'm otherwise happy with the costume. We decided the headphones were too much of a pain in the ass to wear for Halloween, but we have them. Of course, looking at gorgeous Japanese cosplayers wasn't a huge ego boost (at all), but ah well.

Many thanks to those who commented on my last post to try and cheer me up. I still feel sad that I missed it, but I'm better now.

Have finished a bit of fic. France/America. Want to give it another go over or two but am rather wiped tonight. I would rather post it tomorrow when I'm fresh, so I'm afraid there'll be a day of waiting.

Going to try and get to bed early tonight. The bloody nose I got first thing in school this morning might have been a sign in favor of that. I had to wash my super-warm turtleneck in the sink and then wear the principle's extra t-shirt all day. *le sigh*

As a couple of people have already heard, I just finished bawling like a little girl about ten minutes ago. Why, you ask?

Because my favorite school's culture festival was Today and I missed it!

You see, I had it written down on all my calenders and schedules and in my phone and all that, that the festival was the 7th. Everyone I talked to and made plans with I made sure knew I was busy on the 7th because that was our school festival. I looked forward to it, scheduled around it, helped prepare for it almost as excitedly as my students. Perhaps most importantly, I promised my students -- whom I love and adore -- that I would be there.

And then I woke up at 10:30 this morning, lounged about till noon, ran to the store for some necessities, cooked and cleaned and made a few lj updates... And found out I'd missed the entire festival!! My teacher came by to drop off the food I'd ordered and I apologized and explained and teared up a little. Then she left and I cried hardcore.

The kicker is that it turns out they were all worried about me. They thought maybe I caught the flu from my other school. Shit. Feel like I deserve to catch it now. This was just such a big deal, for them and me, and I blew it. I don't even know how. I just somehow got my dates screwed up, and that fucked me up majorly. Now I'm at my other school all month, which is both good and bad. 'Cause I don't know how I'm going to face the kids when I go back.

There are not words to describe how much shit I feel like right now.

Sorry peeps. I was going to do a sales post today, but I don't think I have it in me right now.

Huh.

I didn't realize that foreign language study wasn't mandatory nation-wide in the United States. Everyone I knew had to study one, so I assumed it was. *shrugs*

Then again, public education is primarily the domain of the state government. I suppose that's why? Still, I remember that studying either Spanish or French was mandatory from junior high on when I went to school.

In other news, I slept in till 10:30 today! HOORAY!! I love you national vacation day when I have nothing I have to do!! ♥♥♥

Back from Halloween. Exhausted. Still need to load photos, but costume was a hit.

Was molested by Japanese cougars. T_T

Think this article is interesting: Canada's royal link has rusted out, in part due to Hetalia and in part due to a Canadian friend here with rather strong opinions on Canada as an independent nation from the UK.

Back from Comic City! Have a decent haul. Not many of the pairings I liked, but I found a few, and was able to check out a couple of new ones. Met my favorite doujinshi artist and fangirled a little over her (&hearts!). Got just about everyone's (the local everyone anyways) Christmas shopping done, 'cept for one or two of the boys.

NEED TO MAKE A SALES POST!! Seriously. I know I keep saying that, and I keep meaning to. It just takes a long time, and I'd hate to do it if I'm not going to be around to respond promptly to people interesting in making purchases. I have close to 40 doujinshi to put up, which will of course get divided up into series. (Series range from old ones like Gundam Wing and Trigun to newer ones like Saiunkoku Monogatari, Gintama, and Hetalia.)

Now, to finish off that meme!

Day one: a song
Day two: a picture
Day three: a book/ebook/fanfic
Day four: a site
Day five: a youtube clip
Day six: a quote
Day seven: whatever tickles your fancy

Because it's late and I'm pretty whupped from my weekend, you get another song. But not just any song! This is the epitome of a Revolutionary War era England + America song for me. This is the song I hear whenever I think of the two of them around that time, and whenever I hear the song I think of them.

The Flag by the Barenaked Ladies:
He tells her he's sorry, she tells him it's over.

The phone rings, it's early, it's seven o'clock.
He says sorry I woke you, but I just had to talk
you know last night, remember when I
tried to choke you?
I didn't mean it, I was drunk, it was only a joke
you should know that by now,
when the chequered flag comes down,
no one no one no one has won the race.
(Being England's part; reference to Boston Massacre, Intolerable Acts, etc.)

The next night he's over and over and under
and after he's finished she lies there and wonders.
just why does she need him and why does she stay here
and then in the darkness she'll quietly say Dear,
you've never really known that when the white flag
is flown, no one no one no one has won the war.
(Being America's part; referring to the shift in colonial opinion in favor of independence, especially after the rejection of the Olive Branch petition)

And this is the fic I always relate to it, as a bonus. (By pyrrhiccomedy, relating to the Quartering Act.)

So, my friend has a bug - sore throat and fever. It might be the flu.

We were supposed to go to Comic City 76 in Osaka this weekend, AND she's my Ren for Halloween. Bad luck dammit!

Can still do Osaka on my own. Will just be lonelier and not as fun. Boo. In the meantime, crossing my fingers that she's better by Halloween.

Sharing is Caring meme nabbed from cozzybob, continued.

Day one: a song
Day two: a picture
Day three: a book/ebook/fanfic
Day four: a site
Day five: a youtube clip
Day six: a quote
Day seven: whatever tickles your fancy

Day Six: “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has this to say on the subject of flying. There is an art, it says, or, rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. Pick a nice day, it suggests, and try it.

“The first part is easy. All it requires is simply the ability to throw yourself forward with all your weight, and the willingness not to mind that it’s going to hurt. That is, it’s going to hurt if you fail to miss the ground.” - Douglas Adams

Damn good advice about life I think: All it requires is simply the ability to throw yourself forward with all your weight, and the willingness not to mind that it’s going to hurt.

Because sometimes - sometimes mind you - you fly. And then all those bumps and bruises? They're worth it. They're more than worth it.

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And now, for some Hetalia stuffs! (See the pretty new layout I'm trying out? I like it, but need to tweak it more. I want my 'friends' and 'user info' quick links back, but I'm not sure how to get them yet.)

Anyways. So miaoujones is managing hetaliasunshine to sponser brighter, happier fics in the fandom, and puella_nerdii is working on Saying Yes! to sponsor sex positive fics in the fandom. I am very behind both of these, but it got me thinking - what would I like to see more of?

Okay, okay, so I have my kinks and my pairings and all that. But those things aside, what is something that gets me, or what is it that's absent that I long for? Finished watching 1776 today, and it dawned on me.

( If you can guess where I'm going with this from that hint, you'll get an internet cookie! )

And America with animals. There should also be more America with animals. =^.^=

Title: Migration
Author: Ish
Characters/Pairings: Canada, America, Mexico (OC)
Rating: G
Warnings: OC Mexico? Drabble series, 100 words each.
Summary: Inspired by this article and childhood memories of raising monarchs in school.

Every year, monarch butterflies follow an annual migration from southern Canada down to Mexico. What's amazing about this is that the migration is longer than the butterflies' life-spans; the ones who will return will be the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the butterflies who left. The pattern of the migration is somehow passed down by instinct.
***
( Migration )

Sharing is Caring meme nabbed from cozzybob, continued.

Day one: a song
Day two: a picture
Day three: a book/ebook/fanfic
Day four: a site
Day five: a youtube clip
Day six: a quote
Day seven: whatever tickles your fancy



And for the non-Hetalia fans:



Yes, they are all girls cross-dressing as boys and rockin' it!! ♥♥♥

It was a long, busy, tiring, but good weekend. Next weekend looks to be the same. Also, my computer is being bitchy tonight for some unknown reason.

Sharing is Caring meme nabbed from cozzybob, continued.

Day one: a song
Day two: a picture
Day three: a book/ebook/fanfic
Day four: a site
Day five: a youtube clip
Day six: a quote
Day seven: whatever tickles your fancy

Day four: The Saying YES Challenge, sponsored by puella_nerdii.

I'm not really sure if this counts as a site, but I'm 100% behind this concept, so I'd like to pimp it anyways. To quote: The point of this is to showcase characters who like sex, enjoy sex, and want sex -- characters fully capable of giving informed consent, and giving it enthusiastically. It's about characters who don't view sex or any of its aspects as something demeaning or shameful and don't pass similar value judgments on their partners' choices.

Am doubly behind this due to having a good, drunken time at a party and sharing rants with another gal about how SICK we are about being made to feel guilty about wanting/enjoying sex because we're women.

Also, ( Halloween costume update )

If her check was bigger, 76-year-old Agnes Conti might be able to spring for a better cut of meat for her pot roast. She could afford to send her nine grandchildren more than $20 for their birthdays and Christmas. She'd be able to spring for some nice new clothes, like she sees on QVC, not what she settles for at Walmart.

What is wrong with this paragraph?

Go ahead, take a look.

( Then click the cute little linky for a rant of wants versus needs )

And I'm done preaching for now.