Nihonjin kanojo boshu-chu...NOT!!!!

Battery or mouse...

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 06:30:02 GMT

The battery might be going out on my wireless mouse,but somehow when I plug the USB receptor back into the mouse and keep it that way for a while,it somehow "recharges."I just don't feel like changing the battery at the moment...

Back when filing taxes online months ago,I wasn't able to print personal record copies back then because the ink cartidges were nearly empty.I eventually managed to get new ones,but got sidetracked big time.At least I was still able to access and print them today...

Though Hot Topic doesn't seem to carry as much anime novelty items as they once did,some SMB items have me in a Mario kick again...

Happy 29th birthday to Satomi Arai.Maybe there will eventually be more seiyuu born on American Independence Day,but according to Japanese Wikipedia,she's in a class all by herself for now...

Don't know if the original Da Capo had 'rezu' characters,but...

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:33:30 GMT

Watching Da Capo II Second Season episode 5 for the first time on my 60 GB ZEN Vision W on the way home from Oto's today,it had me wondering if a supporting character(Akane Hanasaki)was either bi or rezu.During that same round trip on certain long bus legs,re-watching episodes 3-6 of Gokinjo Monogatari had me wishing that one certain male classmate of Tsutomu's had a yaoi admirer,as pairing Yuusuke with "Body-ko" would be too generous...

Back to D.C. II,it sounds like that Minatsu Amakase from the first season may be at least a partial clone of a character in the first series judging from subbed dialogue in D.C. II SS #5,though I don't plan to get into the original anytime soon...

Strangely,I've recently seen some region 1 Inu Yasha DVD's at my local 99 Cents Only Store...

Happy birthday to Kouji Ishii(who turns 49),Chie Satou(who turns 45),~~Chiaki~~ Kiyu Morita(who turns 41),and Tetsu Inada(who turns 37)...

Safer to talk about it here than on Y!Finance,but anyway...

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:24:07 GMT

Good thing I had Sunday off,because overnight Saturday/early Sunday,I had a horrendous work-related dream:I was at the store(typical 1990's interior scheme),but I was stocking store-brand products from the same Crude,Vile,and Sick Rite Aid copycat out of New England that is ruining a decades-old NorCal institution(in fact,the Longs employees now wear CVS's dark blue polos with red trim instead of green vests they used to wear).As recently as 12 years ago,they were nothing more than an East Coast regional.If I brought this up on the Y!Finance message board,those trolls would be having a field day.Let's just hope for good news from RAD in the quarterly earning department:we never want to see the California chain drugstore scene get reduced to a duopoly between CVS and WAG.Just because I enjoy stalking cvshell,it doesn't mean I ever want to be on the same boat as those unfortunate involuntary servants there...

Speaking of work,hopefully it won't have come to daily/monthly passes to get there come September.On the flip side however,if I somehow end up living alone after that date,a monthly pass would more than pay for itself...

Happy 20th birthday to Ayuna Taketatsu...

Hopefully,not a false sense of security...

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 05:19:10 GMT

This morning,no sore throat.Not only that,the weather is finally beginning to feel seasonal.Hopefully,it'll stay that way once I ease back to a normal routine at work tomorrow...

Yesterday,I did an auto-scan of the digital channels on my DTV-ready backup portable TV.Unfortunately,while it did pick up half of the locals,the built in antenna wasn't optimized for DTV.At least I can still use an external antenna with it...

Back on Friday,I only intended to use an e-mailed Barnes and Noble coupon;but while at this particular one,I got sidetracked and I ended up refamiliarizing myself with a Sacramento institution that I hadn't shopped at in 8½ years.On the way home,I re-watched Da Capo II Second Season episode 5.Apparently,baba-nuki is a popular Japanese card game in reality,not just in anime.This especially figures in a Ranma ½ season 4 episode...

Well,I haven't missed a single issue of LaLa since Oto's started carrying it.However,I've been forgetting to examine the contents;and according to a quick scan of one of the issues,I believe at least one new series has started serialization.I'll look further into this when convenient...

Happy 33rd birthay to ~~Hiroyuki~~ Takihiro Mizushima,perhaps the youngest seiyuu older than yours truly...

Forgotten there was such a thing even when it's been unseasonably cool in Sac...

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:30:03 GMT

Lately,daytime temperatures have been 10-15 degrees below normal;and while I obviously don't have a flu,I've been having occasional sore throat and/or the sniffles enough to take DayQuil at least upon waking up.Having been napping half the time during the daytime since the minimum 8-day vacation week began on Saturday,I trekked all the way to Oto's today for provisions(since I figure to return to work on Sunday or Monday),and it felt more like allergies than anything.Hopefully,it's just that(albeit rather unseasonal)and not me catching what other people in the house have caught;but in any case,another El Niño is just around the corner...

Another recent eBay Buy it Now win of mine is a Futari wa Purikyua Splash Star picture book.It apparently is a digest of the first episode.Thankfully,most of my SS collectibles have only the first 13 episodes in mind,lapi...

While my Kings now have their new head coach,this already awful NBA season could unfortunately have a Tragic ending barring a comeback from being down 3-1...

Happy 21st birthday to Yui Aragaki...

Too worn out to post the past 2 weeks until now.Anyway...

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 04:52:33 GMT

Though Futari wa Purikyua Splash Star episode 24 has surfaced on some video hosting sites(YouTube included),WM Converter unfortunately hasn't always been able to convert some newer Real Player recordings of .flv's.However,though not listed at Tokyo Toshokan,an XviD version of the episode has surfaced at here,thank goodness owing to WM Converter's imperfect conversions of those stupid .mkv's(i.e.,it loses the subtitles)...

Browsing the seiyuu fan blogs,I stumbled into this.Based on the the info in the listing(despite possible reliability issues),Kappei-sama thankfully can't be married to and/or have fathered children by either of 2 josei_seiyuu that he voiced characters with in certain animated works of Rumiko Takahashi or Satoshi Urushihara.Though it's known that he definitely has fathered at least a son,it's unlikely that the biological mother was born after 1970(seiyuu or not).I could be wrong,but the chances of that are lower than the thankfully non-existant chances of my store stocking gift cards for CVS/pharmacy and/or Walgreens,though some trolls on the Y!Finance boards fantasize about it...

Happy birthday to Hiroe Oka(who turns 38),Kouzou Mito(who turns 30),Ai Nonaka(who turns 28),and Mamoru Miyano(who turns 26)...

Mobile blogging...

Tue, 26 May 2009 05:41:34 GMT

With Facebook,MySpace,and Twitter all having mobile phone versions;I'm considering a second blog that can be updated by text message and/or mobile web since Text LJ isn't quite compatible with all carriers,but I don't know which one would be most ideal.I've actually recently received a Twitter invite from a e-store formerly on eBay,and a transit blogger tweets on the side...

While the Brickyard has yet to see a Japanese winner,at least Hideki Mutou finished without crashing...

Happy birthday to both Satsuki Yukino(who turns 39 already!)and Ayumi Furuyama(who turns 36)...

While still 5-23-2009 for another 90 minutes in the Pacific time zone...

Sun, 24 May 2009 05:37:55 GMT

Kappei-sama,happy 44th.While you haven't had as many roles in the past year;you've made your first stateside appearances,have blogged about guitar music,and have been successful at running your own seiyuu management office...

As for everyone else;Shouzou Iizuka(who turns 76),Youko Asada(who turns 40),and Junko Okada(who turns 36)all celebrated birthdays today as well...

With all the available vacant retail storefronts,Sacro can use a Kinokuniya where we can get our J-book fix without traveling...

Sayonara,Longs...

Sat, 16 May 2009 06:27:07 GMT

Recently,the Longs Drugs near my work had its register/POS systems converted to those of its new parent chain.Buying one of the last packs of Longs brand AA batteries left on the shelf yesterday,the cashier tried to get me to sign up for an Extra Care card(I passed).Additionally,on the way home from Borders today(where I scored a copy of Ouran High School Host Club volume 3),I stopped by another Longs(between buses)to grab a few things that Rite Aid doesn't sell;and they tried to lure me into that card,but I was truthfully in a hurry.Having been on this site,I'm a bit wary about the Extra Care program.I have a Safeway Club card,but they're more careful about protecting personal information.After today,it's unlikely I'll even want to step into an actual CVS anytime soon.When I did access my CU account online for routine checkbook balancing,I couldn't bring myself to write "CVS" for the debit transaction(for today's purchase)and opted to put Longs Drugs instead.Though they still wear Longs Drugs uniforms to work,I can never allow myself to find out what CVS uniforms look like.I grew up with Longs,and it'll be missed.Even my employer didn't ruin Thrifty Drug and Payless Drug when buying them out over a decade ago...*is thankful that Rite Aid's stock is on the rebound*

Lost in all this,Walgreens is unfortunately the only national drugstore chain with a mobile version of their .com...

With swine flu having reached Japan and some Japanese guests cancelling American con appearances due to quarantine hazards,at least Sakura-Con 2009 was already held beforehand...

Happy 29th birthday to Eri Nakao...

Aside from finding a good Bluetooth headset...

Fri, 15 May 2009 04:56:48 GMT

...I'll be sure to enable/activate LJ-texting as my new handset can text instead of only receiving them(unlike the last one),though the main function would be as a mobile web device(because of the big screen and sliding QWERTY keypad).I wonder if any key animanga portals have a .mobi...

Happy birthday to Masako Isobe(who turns 52),Tomoko Akiya(who turns 33),and Chie Nakamura(who turns 30)...

New handset

Wed, 13 May 2009 05:42:06 GMT

Tying to get accustomed to my X-tc as I speak...

Happy 38th birthday to Naomi Nagasawa who was once Mrs.Ryoutarou Okiayu...

I know it was years before Plastic Little,but still...

Fri, 08 May 2009 05:04:08 GMT

According to this recent edit to Kappei-sama's Japanese Wikipedia article suggests he had at least a small role in the Mezon Ikkoku anime.In case it wasn't a vandal edit(unlikely since it was by a register user),hopefully it was before Ibuki Yagami was introduced(or it least in an episode without that character)for obvious reasons...

Happy birthday to Shigeharu Matsuda(who turns 57)and Youko Teppouzuka(who turns 45)...

Somehow,I need a new handset...

Thu, 07 May 2009 05:02:37 GMT

Even prepaid and flat-rate providers are now offering smartphones with querty keypads.Though full-priced($450),MetroPCS finally has a Blackberry(the Curve)...

My advice to those naysayers(especially those on the Yahoo! Finance message boards)who say my employer is destined to crumble:keep scoring those own goals...

Yao/Kobe is getting very testy...

Happy 37th birthday to Shiho Kikuchi...

Though I've yet to get into that series...

Tue, 05 May 2009 05:36:34 GMT

...I recently won a Yuu Yuu Hakusho character song CD which features a Kappei song sampled at seiyuu...

Though the Futari wa Purikyua Splash Star fansub project has reached episode 24,I'm in no hurry to bother with the torrent since I have the ZEN-friendly raw,not to mention that Anime Magic Box has gone from .com to .bomb...

Happy 42nd birthday to Akiko Yajima...

I'm surprised they stuck it out as long as they did...

Fri, 01 May 2009 04:51:30 GMT

Though they somehow managed to surprisingly outlast Geneon's North American operations,Central Park Media folded within the past week after being on financial life support for the last couple of years.As many of their licenses have lapsed over the past few years(with some affected titles re-licensed by rival companies),it would be interesting what becomes of whatever licences they still had at the end(the most notable ones being Shoujo Kakumei Utena and Lodoss to Senki)...

Additionally,it would be interesting how Wall Street reacts to Chrysler's bankruptcy,though my dad has never owned any of their models as far as I can remember...

Happy 45th birthday to Misa Watanabe...

Interesting Kappei blog find...

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:01:19 GMT

According to his latest entry,he may have a liking for Jimi Hendrix as it appears he visited a memorial and/or museum while in Seattle for Sakura-Con.I happen to have his greatest hits in each of my 3 ZEN's.Go figure...

Recently,I asked my battery-operated keychain magic 8 ball whether my employer would still be operating in NorCal when it celebrates it 50th anniversary in 3 years.The response:"clearly yes,"thankfully.I would have sledgehammered that thing if I got a negative response...

Happy birthday to both Kouji Tsujitani(who turns 47)and Shinnosuke Tachibana(who turns 31)...

A server error may have been the best thing to happen to me almost 11 years ago...

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 06:19:45 GMT

At that time,I was trying to set up shop at Geo$hities in mid-June 1998.However,due to glitches at the time,I kept getting server errors when I tried to sign up.I had success trying Tripod,and the rest is history.My site has moved twice,but is still up despite being dormant update-wise(mainly because Ranma ½ is basically old-school at this point).Good thing it was never a GeoPage,because the Geo$hities service is folding after some 15 years.Many earlier ani-fansites were GeoPages...

Though beaten to the punch by communities such as cvshell and walgreenworkers,I've been contemplating starting a community for those(myself included)who work at the one pharmacy anyone needs if someone doesn't beat me to the punch;but the one reason that I've been hesitant to do so is the "jinx" factor...

Happy 38th birthday to Tomoko Kawakami...

Hopefully,it won't get Razzied stateside...

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:50:08 GMT

According to this ANN release,Dragonball Evolution(already out of the top 10 stateside)didn't fare too much better in Japan.I don't plan to get into the anime or manga,but I just wish they include Japanese audio in the region 1 DVD release...

If this site is any indication,I can only wonder what the loyal employees of Longs Drugs could soon have to endure(yes,I got this link from cvshell)...

Happy 34th birthday to Ai Maeda...

Interesting thoughts on chain drugstores operating in Baltimore and Seattle...

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 04:47:13 GMT

It just happens that Kappei-sama's North American con appearances(Otakon 2008 and Sakura Con 2009)have been in markets where Rite Aid has a market share-leading presence.Walgreens only entered the Pacific Northwest and greater Baltimore with the past decade.Additionally,the same CVS/pharmacy that has bought out Longs Drugs has a fairly strong presence in Baltimore,but thankfully has yet to enter the Pacific Northwest which Longs actually pulled out of years ago.Finally,the Puget Sound still has an independent regional player.Of course,who knows if seiyuu being hosted by North American cons actually shop at our drugstores or supermarkets;but it would be interesting if Kappei had to make a shopping trip or two while on this side of the Pacific(hopefully at Rite Aid and not its competitors,I actually have to sympathize with the members of cvshell)...

Speaking of Kappei-sama,though I'm waiting for the region 1 DVD release(which hopefully will include a Japanese audio track),Dragonball Evolution debuted in a measly eighth place despite not being screened in advance to critics...

Onto other seiyuu,happy birthday to Kenji Hamada(who turns 37)and Kiyomi Asai(who turns 35)...

Thought I struck seiyuu video gold...

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 06:14:20 GMT

I thought I had it made stumbling upon this Japanese video aggrgegator/search engine;but unfortunately many of the videos are either hosted by Nico Video,have slow loading times,or are nothing more than music playing on a blank background...

Happy birthday to Shouko Kanoki(who turns 49)and Kazuya Ichijou(who turns 43)...

Couldn't make it to Sakura-con 2009 after all,but still...

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 06:24:15 GMT

...it's nice to read in his blog that Kappei-sama has made it to the Emerald City safely...

Happy 39th birthday to Yuka Uchiyae who apparently is synonymous with Precurean OP/ED themes...

The upgrade isn't worth it...

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:18:33 GMT

It just came out,but for some reason,the DSi actually seems to be steps backwards from the first generation DS which still works for me.Maybe it's just me...

Happy birthday to both Motomu Kiyokawa(who turns 74)and Kazuko Sugiyama(who turns 62)...

After multiple viewings of the first 2 uncut/subbed Pocket Monsters episodes...

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:54:28 GMT

I can determine that Pikachu and Caterpie have the same English names as they do in the original Japanese.As for the others in the first 2 episodes(English/Japanese order)...

Bulbasaur=Fushigidane
Charmander=Hitokage
Squirtle=Zenigame
Pidgey=Poppo
Rattata=Koratta
Spearow=Onisuzume
Coffing=Dogas
Ekans=Arbo
Goldeen=Tosakinto

As for the humans...

Ash Ketchum=Satoshi
Professor Oak=Professor Orchid
Gary Oak=Shigeru Orchid
Misty=Kasumi
Jessie=Musashi
James=Kojiro

BTW,I've finally uploaded all my music and video to my 60 GB ZEN Vision W.Maybe I just might look for seiyuu-related podcasts,lapi...

Happy 64th birthday to Akio Nojima...

Case closed...a couple of days ago...

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:34:10 GMT

While it took half the time of that other trial I was on(over 6 ½ years ago),it did have its complexities:While the 12 of us agreed that the particular act happened(aggravated assault/battery),it was also obvious that the testimonies of the main witnesses had major inconsistencies and even self-contradictions.While the truth may never be known,the eventually acquitted defendant(whose "victim" may have been armed)turned out to be his own best defense.As for that other case I was on(a August 2002 case of a spousal abuse incident that occurred some 2 years earlier and involved a "sanity" plea),that case actually produced an unlikely smoking gun.I'm just glad I never even considered a career in law.BTW,I brought several manga volumes with me,though I only managed to read a little bit of Fairy Tail...

Turns out that Google Street View also works for larger Japanese cities...

While there's a few hours left in today's date stateside,happy 37th birthday to Junko Takeuchi.Barring some fluke in the near or far future,Futari wa Purikyua Splash Star(including the associated Purikyua All Stars DX movie may be the only time ever where she and Kappei-sama are ever together in an anime(or any voice project,for that matter).I wonder,would either Gon or Naruto cry "miminga" if they met Inuyasha)(as indicted by the image below)?

While under admonition,I'll only say this...

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 04:14:54 GMT

Not only does my second ZEN Vision W work fine,but also a flaw with the first software installation for my 30 GB one was fixed when I (re-)installed the software for the new one.I gave it a test drive today,and it displayed the artwork for every album,something that didn't happen initially on the 30 GB one(until months after I got it).However,it remains a work in progress,as I haven't quite uploaded all my video clips onto it yet.Not to mention that I've generally been taking the mini-sized ZEN with me on trial days mainly because of its compactness...

It's official:my my 2009 March Madness bracket was a bigger bust than last year,as basically all West Coast teams were out by the Elite Eight and my 2 national finalists(Washington and UCLA)didn't even make it to the Sweet 16...

At some locations,the transition from Longs to cvshell is underway(aside from CVS brand products on the shelves at all locations).I stopped by one on the way home from Borders Saturday;and while grabbing a couple things there,their registers were replaced and their receipts now had 3 big initials at the top(replacing the Longs Drugs script logo)and the infamous "for all the ways you care" slogan...

Happy 28th birthday to Ryouko Shintani.I seriously have got to get into DearS if I ever have the urge to watch all those unopened region 1 DVD's that I have lying around...

Especially if it's a long day,don't count on me looking up anything online tomorrow.No joke...