my moral standing is lying down

A whole lot of stuff has been keeping me busy lately.

With last week's new iPhone 3GS release, the "old" 3G went down to $99 with a 2-year contract. With some discussion and finagling with Liz, we both got new phones -- hers is an LG Invision, mine the $99 8g iPhone 3G. I looked far and wide for a phone to compare to the iPhone and, for my personal taste and the features I'm interested in in a smartphone, the iPhone was actually the nicest. I'm slightly ashamed of myself everytime I look at it. Still, it was $99 for almost EXACTLY what I wanted. How can I argue? There still are instances that remind me exactly why I dislike Apple products, but in a phone, it's something I can overlook (whereas I wouldn't be able to overlook it in something like a laptop or desktop, or even an mp3 player). In any case, Liz's new phone is sleek and pretty and super lightweight! And I've been having fun with my new iPhone as well!

Saturday night I went to Medieval Times in NJ with a big bunch of coworkers for Danielle's birthday party. It was a blast. Our group was rooting for the yellow knight. Unfortunately, he was pretty lame. However, the "MC" of the tournament was CUTE. Long hair. Accent. Awesome. =D

Sunday I woke up with a scratchy throat. Went to eat lunch with parents and then came home to work on cosplay. Unfortunately, the scratchy throat developed into a full-blown cold by the end of the night. Stuffy/runny nose, coughing, SNEEZING, feeling weak. Ugh.

Monday and Tuesday were the worst. I've been drinking hot tea like there's no tomorrow. (Which isn't so bad, considering I love tea.) Yesterday was slightly better and today has also been slightly better, though I suspect it will be another week before the cough is completely gone. Which is fine, as long as it's all gone by the time Otakon rolls around.

Cosplay is coming along a bit slowly, though we all have a good grasp on what we have left to do. I think we'll make it in time. Haha, I'd really like to be done a couple of days before the con, so there's some relax time first, but at this point, why break tradition? We'll see how it goes.

All of a sudden today I'm in the mood for 311 (and therefore a mix of other reggae/ska/punk/dancehall stuff too). metallicapixie and lolichan are both partly to blame.

Let's see. The past few weeks I seemed to have let loose my penny-pinching ways and gone on an unprompted spending spree! (Please excuse all the aliterations, I have no idea where they've come from.) In any case, I spent several hundred dollars on costumes for me and my sister for Otakon 2002 which is still more than 6 months away! I spent $175 on a new Sony CD Walkman for myself (Liz gets to have my old Aiwa). I just spent another $60.00 on a Rangers jersey (Leetch when he was captain!). I also just spent another $50.00 on a Buck-Tick DVD when I don't even have a DVD player! But that's okay 'cause I'm going to get Tony to copy it onto VHS for me and then sell it on ebay; hopefully I'll get my money back. Also, I've yet to get my parents' gifts. My mom's gift is going to be about $15.00 (2 CDs, once I figure out what CDs I should get her, $15 from Liz, ordered from Columbia House). My father's gift is going to be around $30.00 (a $45 gift certificate to Macy's or something, $15 from Liz... my father likes to shop for clothes... kawaii, ne?). Then there's my sister's gift! I don't want to put anything in here that'd give it away, just in case she has the urge to read my LJ before we actually give the gift to her, but it's a bit expensive. ::sigh::

Not to mention I'm bidding on a rare B-T CD (Shapeless) that comes with a 96-page hardcover photo book! It's up to $42.00 right now and I'm high bidder, but there are 4 days left and who knows how much it'll go up to! And I think that I REALLY want that CD and photobook! Itai! Anyway, I hope I win. We'll see this Sunday.

So, if you have a heart, please go look at, and bid on! my auctions...

ladyreianan's auctions

Oh god, I just remembered... now I have to think of something to get for Angelica (#$@&*!) and something for Louie too! Although, I'm sure I'll find something rather easily for Louie, but Angelica, the bitch.... I wasn't prepared this year! Usually I have something for X-mas by September for her!

::slams head against desk::

Okay, I better go before my forehead gets all bloody.

Oh, and by the way, my ears HURT!!!

Gah! It's practically one week left until Otakon!!! Jeez... I dunno if I can take the stress. In any case... boy, have I been busy lately. It seems every person & their kid brother wants copies from my distro site or to trade for something or other. Not that I blame them, of course. I mean, that's what the site's for anyway... it just seemed like it all happened within a one-week time span and I was rushing to get things copied for him, her, and the next one. o.O*

Of course, a few of them were my regulars and so I have no problem with those.... it's actually quite fun to get regulars! I feel like I'm sharing stuff with them & we get to gossip afterwards, LOL. And sometimes, like just recently, for instance... someone ordered the first 3 volumes of Kodomo no Omocha. Well, that's one of my (many) tapes that I haven't had time to see... so, since I had to copy it, I decided to sit down and watch it.... and now I'm hooked! Although I'm sure a lot of people would be insulted by my saying this, I find it to be kind of like a younger version of Kare Kano. By no means are they exactly the same... in fact there are many differences! But they are similar in many ways and the characterization of the main and certain secondary characters are similar to each other. And, I have to admit, I absolutely LOVE school stories! The only one I was disappointed in (of those I've seen so far) is To Heart. That was very disappointing... it was too episodic to be really satisfying. ::sigh:

Tonikaku... besides the copying & trading I've been doing, I've also been trying to raise (and save) money for Otakon... you'll be glad to know that I accomplished my goal. Not that I had a real number goal in mind, you understand, but I *did* end up saving several hundred dollars to throw away... uh, I mean spend!... at Otakon. I'm very proud of myself. Not the least of which was due to the very kind woman who bought my Ini-D dj at an exorbitant amount. Then again, Ini-D Ryousuke X Keisuke is kind of HTF, so I'm not surprised she paid so much. Not that I'd pay so much, but hey, if she's satisfied with what she paid for, then all the better for both of us!

I'm skipping topics like a stone skips on water. (That was a REALLY bad simile, but it's late you'll have to excuse me.) In any case... I'm very excited about Otakon. Even besides the fun & festivities (& the cel tables!) I'll get to meet so many of the people I've been talking to online for the past year!

And Sharon -- sweetie that she is -- has made a present of a certain 2x1 dj that I'd been drooling over! I'm *dying* for that dj NOW! I ran downstairs the other day and right into the car saying, "Mommy! Can we go to Otakon now, pleeeeeeease?" It's sad how certain things can bring on a bad case of regression.

And about the move! We won't be moving til the middle of September, so I don't have to worry about getting everything packed up double-time and ready to go by the end of August. That was really putting the pressure on. I mean, when you live in a place for 20 years without moving, you tend to have a pile of garbage that, when you look it over, you decide you just can't bear to part with! LOL. Even when it's a medium-sized 2-bedroom apartment that you've been living in. Does anyone really understand the amount of junk that piles up in a place for 20 years?! It's really amazing. I brought down 15 garbage bags the other day, full of school notes from 7th grade through 12th grade! (I haven't yet achieved enough distance to say goodbye to my notes from the first 2 years of college... not to mention some of my things from Kindergarten and 1st grade... I don't think you could pay me to part with some of that stuff!) I guess I'm a pack rat, what do you think?

Sheesh... this is what happens when you play DDR for a few hours straight and then go online to check your mail. Ramblings... about nothing and everything. It's pathetic. Oh well.

Things I will do before I leave for Otakon:
-- copy the rest of the tapes for which I'm distributing/trading/etc.
-- work a little (need more money, LOL... oh! and a job interview on Monday morning!)
-- play a little (DDR, here I come)
-- see some friends from junior high (supposedly to go bowling... ::shudder::)
-- complete my cosplay costume! (riiiight)
-- re-dye my hair just before we leave (it's fading a little)
-- update my distro site! (I have to let everyone know the distro won't be open while I'm away)
-- watch the rest of Kenshin (only about 8 episodes left!)
-- watch more Kodocha!

Okay! So that's my TO DO list! Let's see exactly how much of it I can accomplish!

Oyasumi nasai! (Not that I'm going to go to sleep, you understand...)

P.S. Duo's back as my default pic! I missed him! ::sniff:: Mana will come out every so often, but I think Duo got a little annoyed with me for taking him down for so long. He's so demanding!