Need A Distraction? Try Anime!

Nothing really noteworthy to recap from this past weekend...nothing I feel like disclosing anyway...nothing like a weekend full of parenting woes to truly bring a smile to your face! [That last bit is written with so much sarcasm, even Chandler Bing would flinch...]

Chandler Bing...a character that
I might have more in common with
than I originally thought...

Nostalgia for fantastic 90's sitcoms aside, parenting can suck. Single parenting can suck twice as much. But, this is not new news to anyone, myself included....so I'm just going to gloss over all of the painful, wince-inducing details and skip on over to better, more entertaining things...such as anime! [Yeah, yeah...roll your eyes if you must, but sometimes getting lost in a good story is the best way to cope with all the suckage that life brings!]

Sadly, I finished up Ouran High School Host Club on Friday. I enjoyed the series much more than I'd anticipated...I don't think I've ever watched a comedy sort of anime, I usually watch ones that are more action-based and have an element of comedy as an added bonus. It was definitely an enjoyable change of pace. 

Over the weekend, I watched the Madoka Magica series. [Puella Magi Madoka Magica, to be exact...thank goodness Netflix has the show listed under the shorter, more manageable title...]

Madoka appeared on several 'anime recommendation' lists that I'd checked out. What piqued my interest was the repeated mentioning of a dark twist that carried through the series despite the outward appearance of a saccharin sweet 'magic girl' anime. Even Netflix got in on the action...the little tagline under the title said "look no further than this series if you're looking to get your dark fix!" Come on...who can resist something like that!

I wanted to like this series...I really, really wanted to like this series...but I'm afraid I found it rather disappointing. 

I think that a big portion of my disappointment can be attributed to having read anything about the series before watching it. I started the series with the expectation of a huge, blind-siding plot twist...and wound up feeling like the 'big twist' was rather...meh.

Though, if I were to be honest, the 'shocking turning point' of the story occurs rather early in the series, in episode 3. That particular point is a bit jarring and can very easily catch you off-guard...but it's nowhere near 'genre-bending,' especially if you know that it's coming.

This is Kyubey...he is terrible!

There are some aspects of the series that I did like...I really liked that there are multiple animation techniques that are used, the style changes as the characters enter into different scenarios. I thought this was a clever method of bringing attention to the stark differences between the good and evil elements of the story. 

I also think that the series did a decent job of trying to portray a different side to the typical 'ruffles and glitter' presentation of the 'magical girl' anime genre...but.../sigh I just didn't love the series. 

Oh well...I would still recommend the show to anyone who has even the tiniest bit of interest...just because I didn't love the series doesn't mean that you won't. 

I started watching Deathnote last night. I'm about 3 episodes in and it seems promising so far...I'll be sure and let you guys know what I think of the series when I finish it...

And I swear that one of these days I'll finally get caught up on Supernatural...don't think I've forgotten about my Winchester boys!

More Awesome Anime!

Hey guys...

I know it's been a few days since my last post...there's been quite a bit of personal/family/moody stuff going on, so...yeah, I hadn't even thought of posting, my apologies..

To make it up to you guys, I'm going to introduce you to two amazing anime series!

The Devil is a Part-Timer

First up is "The Devil is a Part-Timer." This is a series that my brother recommended to me a few weeks back...his exact words were, "you need to watch it. It's hilarious!"

Quite a sales pitch, if you ask me! Hilarity and anime? What more could you ask for?

My brother was spot-on with this one!

As you've probably noticed, I'm not very good at describing anime...but I'll give it a shot!

This anime follows a...umm...interesting cast of characters, to say the least...the main characters are Sadao Maou/Satan and Emi Yusa/Emilia Justina. Emilia is the hero whose life mission is to defeat and destroy Satan, no matter what. The plot twist? Just as Satan is poised to take over the world, he travels through a dimensional gate and finds himself in modern-day Tokyo. How does a now magic-less/powerless evil demon overlord survive and function in Tokyo? That, folks, is the premise of the show!

It's funny, charming, and witty enough to make you want to binge-watch the series [which you can do! Thanks, Netflix!]. To make up for my lack of descriptive writing skills, above is a short trailer for the show...

Ouran High School Host Club

Up next is Ouran High School Host Club!

Don't worry, the show itself isn't as nauseatingly tacky as the picture...ok, maybe it is, but don't let it deter you...you'd miss out on a great series!

The show follows a ragtag group of wealthy high school boys. The boys that make up the Host Club are all very different from each other...and yet, they all seem to complement each other...again, it's hard to explain...

I ran across this title while I was trying to find another series similar to Devil is a Part-Timer...I was very skeptical of it, it looked super-cheesy...but I decided to give it a shot on Netflix and was hooked by the second episode!

I wasn't able to find a trailer for the show, so the video is the first episode...or that's what the YouTube description said, I don't have the time to watch the entire thing at the moment...

There you have it! Two more anime series that have my own personal stamp of approval!

Enjoy! ^_^

My Stupid Neighbors And Their Stupid Moving Trucks...

Here's to hoping that I don't find some reason to write another serious topic post today!

So far, it's just been a typical Saturday for me and kiddo...we were going to go take care of some errands and see about watching a movie, but one of my super lovely neighbors has blocked my car in with their stupid moving truck.

I've been sitting with my window open, listening for any sign of commotion, thinking that I would hear whomever is moving and then nicely ask them to move their stupid truck. But it's been over an hour no and there's no sign of anyone using the truck...

I called our apartment's management office to see if they might know which number apartment is moving out today. The girl that answered the phone didn't know, but one of the maintenance guys that happens to live in my building said that the truck was very much in the way...the maintenance guy is supposed to come and see what can be done about the offending truck.

***

The guy just came and kind of poked around the truck for a minute and then left. The stupid moving truck is STILL stupidly parked in the same spot, and I still don't know who I should ask to move the stupid thing.

I seriously do not understand how people can be so inconsiderate and rude!!

Ughhhhhh.

Oh! Just had an idea!

Maybe I should hijack the stupid moving truck and use it to move all of my stuff! I could move out to somewhere that doesn't suck as much!!

/sigh...if only it were that easy.

Alright. I'm going to give it ten more minutes. Just ten. And then I'm going to go door to door and see who is the deplorable dumbass responsible for the stupid truck...

I Just Don't Understand...

I'm going to go ahead and apologize for any formatting weirdness in this post. I'm posting from my phone, and sometimes the app doesn't work quite as well as I'd like.

Normally, I'd wait until I got home before typing up a post, but this one can't wait. 

Have you ever read something that you wish you hadn't? 

I was uploading part of an appraisal report earlier today when I stumbled across a headline that caught my attention. Now, this is pretty commonplace for me, I tend to read up on news and random articles when I'm waiting on files to load...but this particular article...this article wasn't like anything I've read before. 

I'm not going to post the link. The article is that terrible. If anyone would like the link, add a comment or email/message me and I can get you the link...but truthfully, you probably won't want it. 

What could possibly be so terrible?

I don't consider myself to be squeamish when it comes to news. But this news story...guys...I cried. And not just a rogue tear or two...I'm talking full-on snot running, Kim Kardashiaan ugly cried.

Guys...earlier this week, in Pennsylvania, a 3 year old boy was beaten to death, torture-style, by his mother and her new boyfriend of less than a month. Yeah...let that sink in...

A 3 year old, a toddler, was tortured via beatings...by his own mother, until he died. 

The article says that the beatings spanned over three days. During those days, when his mother wasn't literally beating the life out of this child, the adults went out and bought pizza. The boy lost consciousness and then they decided to go get food...they bought pizza, brought it home, ate, screwed around before taking a nap. After napping, the mother discovered the little boy wasn't breathing and then had someone call 911. What. The. Hell. 

Investigators say that at some point, the little boy was hanged upside-down and beaten with a frying pan while the adults laughed. They laughed.

The Mother - Jillian Tait

Geez, I feel sick even as I am typing this post...this disturbs me, hurts me to the point of literal physical pain...How can this happen? How can we be living in a world where people are committing such depravities??!?

The poor boy eventually died and I can only imagine that the last thing he saw was his mother laughing as she crushed the life out of this innocent little boy. How that boy must have felt...even after trying, I can't find the words to accurately describe how that poor boy must have felt...

Oh, but there's more...

The 3 year old wasn't the only victim. His 6 year old brother was made to beat his little brother and investigators say that the 6 year old exhibits signs of being abused.

The Boyfriend -
Gary Lee Fellenbaum

There was also an 11 month old girl...she's the daughter of the mother's boyfriend. The article says there's no evidence that the girl was harmed. I can't help but wonder...why just the boys? Is it because the boyfriend has some sort of mental issue? How could there have not been any red flags? How could the mother not have eventually figured out that the new boyfriend was severely disturbed and how could she have let such tragedy befall her children!?!

To make matters worse, as if it were necessary, there was another adult that lived in the household...the boyfriend's estranged wife. Investigators don't say that this woman contributed to the beatings, but they say that she didn't do anything to stop them either. The estranged wife was the one who eventually called 911, but not until the 3 year old had been unresponsive for hours...

I prayed. Hard. And I will continue to pray for these kids...that the two surviving children learn that there is more than evil and pain in this world. I pray that God heal these children's wounds, especially the ones that aren't physical wounds...I pray that God comfort the poor little boy who has been put through the most unthinkable of suffering before his life was cut too short...I pray that something comes out of this tragedy, that it's part of the divine plan, that these kid's suffering isn't in vain...

I...I just don't understand. I cant understand...

Who Wants A Kitten?

Know what sucks?

Really, really, really, wanting to get a pet and not being able to.

The kiddo and I fell in love with the idea of getting a kitten while I was helping one of my cousins pick out a cat for herself. The problem?

I'm allergic to cats. I hate being allergic to cats!

I've done some research, so I know that there are a few breeds of cats that are 'less' allergenic. But I also know that there is no such thing as an absolutely hypoallergenic cat...even within those few breeds, there's no guarantee that you won't have an allergic reaction to a particular cat.

Unfortunately, the breeds that are known for being less-allergenic are quite expensive...sooooo, I couldn't afford one even if I could find one. [Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places, but I had an incredibly hard time finding Russian Blue and Siberian cat breeders...]

So, if you'd like to adopt a cat and you live near the Birmingham area, please give these two kittens some consideration! I'd love to give them a home, but my nose won't let me :( [I apologize if the formatting gets a little wonky...I'm adding the cat's descriptions from their sites and sometimes other site's formatting doesn't like Blogger very much...]

Whisper

Friends of Rescue - Whisper

A walking miracle, Whisper defied odds by winning the battle against an illness that claimed the life of her sister. This determined young girl has an incredibly strong spirit, and her voice is as soft as a breeze. Whisper enjoys each day to the fullest – playing and playing, and then playing some more! Her striking blue eyes and gorgeous coat are captivating, but her personality is what endears her to all she meets – Whisper has an amazing zest for life! Happy. Spunky. Loving. There is no mistake that Whisper is grateful for her second chance, and she makes the most of every moment.

Whisper loves children, and gets along great with other cats and dogs. At 4 months old, she’s the perfect age to adapt to any new home environment, and has already completed all her vetting. Whisper is being fostered in Huntsville, and is ready for her FORever Home. Please email us at info@FORrescue.net to learn more about Whisper, or to request an application to adopt this very special girl!

Ziva

Adopt-A-Pet - Ziva

My name is Ziva, I am a beautiful solid black little girl who really needs a home! Sometimes I can be a little timid (I'm so little who can blame me?!) but I always enjoy playing with my brother and sisters. Once I feel safe I love being held and I have such a loud purrr that I know you will love! I hope you will come and meet me, but remember to give me a chance to feel safe, I have had a hard little life. I would love to be a part of your family, I have an awful lot of love to give!

Political Soapbox Post...Well, Sort Of...

Yeah, I still love my plaid shirt...

So, yesterday was a rather important day...politically speaking, anyway...

Yesterday was the long awaited Mid-Term Election Day. I sincerely hope that every one that is able to vote went out and did so. I did! And I got the "I Voted" sticker to prove it! Everybody loves these little stickers, right?

Whatever your political affiliation might be, the outcome of these elections is irrefutable - our country now has a senate that is republican/conservative by majority.

Some people are upset about this and some people are ecstatic and relieved...whether this shift in political power plays towards improving our country or furthering its downward spiral...well, that's something that we'll have to wait and see.

As with every political election, there's the sideshow of rabid supports from both sides of the aisle slinging mud and stupid insults at any person or entity that has the 'audacity' to have an opinion that differs from their opinion. From my observations, a large portion of these shenanigans are mean-spirited, grade school 'political tactics' that are more based on ignorance and stubbornness than any fragment of actual fact.

Just my thoughts, but anyone that has to stoop to name calling to defend their view points probably shouldn't be in positions that hold any sort of political influence.

Jehmu Greene

One such unfortunate individual caught my attention this morning. I was listening to a local talk radio station during my drive to work and the show's host replayed a bit of audio from last night's broadcast. In the audio clip, a guest commentator was being interviewed for her thoughts on the resoundingly conservative results of the mid-term election. This person was Jehmu Greene, a staunch supporter of the democratic party who has been in and out of the media for the last 5 years or so.

Greene's outright hate for conservatives was glaringly obvious from the instant she started speaking. Greene was very quick to assert that conservatives, specifically the Tea Party, are responsible for the majority of the negative effects being felt throughout our country today. She continued to insist that the democratic party, including President Obama, have no liability for the condition of today's America. I wasn't able to find a transcript of this portion of the radio show, but her argument was something to the effect of the democrats not being liable because they've been handed impossible circumstances. The impossible circumstances? Republicans. She likened the republican party to her 3-year old nephew, going so far as to say that her nephew was actually easier to work with.

This isn't the first time that Greene has been publicly ridiculous. As a guest on the Hannity show, Greene attempted to use humor to thinly veil her hatred for the republican party by telling a joke whose punchline involved drowning Texas senator Ted Cruz and House majority leader John Boehner. Classy. Super classy. Links to information about the gaffe.

NewsBusters - Randy Hall's Blog - October 16, 2013

Carlson (Left) - the Bow-Tying White Boy

Greene - I Was Speaking the 'Stone-Cold Truth' With That 'Joke' about Drowning Republicans

Want more evidence that this sort of behavior is commonplace for Greene?

Greene Calls Tucker Carlson a 'Bow-Tying White Boy' on America Live

Yep. More name-calling, this time with some racist flair.

I looked up Carlson, and evidently he does try and rock a bow-tie on more than on occasion and it does look sort of goofy...but his preference for whimsical neckties doesn't belong in politics and neither does the color of his skin [just the same as the color of Greene's skin should be irrelevant, am I right?].

My point in writing this soapbox-ish post?

People like Greene are having an influence in politics and it's ridiculous. Rabid, poo-flinging supporters are blindly and savagely supporting both parties and it's ridiculous and it should be stopped.

How and by whom? That I don't know...but then again, I'm not in politics and I don't get paid to know these things and to spew my opinions everywhere...

But if anyone knows how to get paid to spew opinions, please let me know! I'd love to have a career that involves getting paid just to say what I think without having to do any research!!

Would You Share?

Hidden camera shows are certainly not a new concept, not by any means. But every now and then, you run across someone who seems to have found a way to use this style of media to promote something 'good.'

*onion-cutting ninja warning: this video will likely cause your eyes to water. I've attributed this eye-leakage to the onion-cutting ninjas...sneaky, sneaky ninjas....

My sister showed me this video earlier this morning...and, of course, I cried. Though, to be fair, it seems to be far easier to make me cry now as opposed to a few years ago. Now, I could cry over just about anything. I could see it now...

Kiddo: Hey Mommy! Look at those leaves that the wind blew off of that tree! Isn't that cool?!?
Me: It sure is! *Looks at leaves, turns to look at tree, then stares at leaves as they blow away. I ponder the plight of the leaves...how symbolic they are! Then I ponder the tree and it's loss...does the tree perceive the falling away of its leaves as a loss? Do the leaves rejoice in their newly found freedom or are they distraught at being ripped away from their tree, the source of their very being? How simple and mundane, leaves being blown from a tree...and yet, how wistful and tragic...oh, leaves...oh, tree....*
Kiddo: Umm, Mommy? Are you okay? Why are you crying??
Me: I'm okay, sweetie...I just got some dirt in my eye...

And that's how I process things. For real. Odd, isn't it?

Oddities aside, give the video a watch, have a good cry, ponder humanity or lack thereof [or don't...that might be just a 'me' thing...], and pass it along if you feel lead to do so...

With so much garbage going viral, wouldn't it be nice to see a worthy cause get the same attention?

I Love Baymax!

Here's something else I'm excited about:

Big Hero 6 comes out next weekend!!

If you haven't seen a trailer for the latest Disney movie yet, give the one I've posted above a shot...

It's going to be awesome!!

Sunday Evening and 'Gone Girl' Thoughts...

Hey, hey...

Well, the Grandmother's birthday shindig went...well...it went.

And I'm going to go ahead and make it official...I'm in love with my grey and white plaid shirt. Love it. I think I'm going to have to go and pick up a couple more of the buggers.

I got a few things accomplished today.

The kiddo and I went grocery shopping [hey, it may sound like a silly thing...but grocery shopping can be such a drag!].

Love this minion!

After that, I got some cleaning stuff done...sometimes, trying to keep our apartment clean feels like an exercise in futility, but I can't deny that I feel much better if it's been tidied up.

Oh!

Yesterday, I saw the movie Gone Girl...

The movie was pretty good considering I already knew what to expect [I'm going to start reading books after watching the movie...seems like there would be less disappointment that way...]. Some of the big "holy crap" moments in the book are captured excellently in the movie...and some of them are more or less glossed over. I know that this ends up being necessary for movie production, but it just leaves so much to be desired! Yes, yes, of course the book is better than the movie...the book is always better than the movie [it's practically a scientific law]. But, I would still recommend the movie to both those who have and haven't read the book...it's that good of a story!

NPH excellently captures the blend of
charm and malevolence that is Desi

Plus, Neil Patrick Harris is absolutely brilliant in the role of Desi. Brilliant!! Then again, he's pretty much amazing in any role he plays...so yeah, definitely no complaints in the NPH/Desi department.

Just...../sigh....no.

I'm still far less than thrilled about the casting choice for Andie. They
cast Emily Ratajkowski...and I'm not really sure how she fits the role at all...aside from the description that Andie has big breasts. [Seriously. In the book, Andie is described as being authentically Irish...sooooo, yeah.]

Don't get me wrong, I thought she looked fabulous in the Blurred Lines music video, but does that really give her enough 'acting' cred to land roles in movies? /shrug Maybe it does and I'm just getting old and cranky...

Contrary to the book, Andie gets very little mention in the movie...which [to my relief] translates to little screen time for Ratajkowski. She did...alright, I suppose. But I really think she's had too much done to her lips already [she's only 23 for crying out loud!], so much so that they were distracting. But aside from that.... /shrug I guess it could have been worse.

It was a pretty a good movie. If you've got a few hours to kill and about $40 to burn, maybe go see it. Oooooor, take the money and go buy the book!

The book is always better. Always.

Cozy Plaid Shirts!

Good Sunday morning to you...

Yay Cozy Shirts!

The cooler autumn weather has finally made its way down to Alabama...well...for the most part. Pretty much overnight our temperatures dropped about 20 degrees, so a good bit of people would probably say that we skipped straight over autumn into winter! [We Southerners tend to not tolerate the cold very well...most of us anyway. It just so happens that I love the colder weather!]

We have a family [kind of] get together planned for today. We're celebrating my Grandmother's 80th birthday...the lunch-thing is going to be at the church that I grew-up in [more or less]...so I had to try and find something other than my work-from-home clothing arsenal of yoga pants and t-shirts. I broke out last year's leggings and went to Old Navy and picked up the button I'm wearing in the picture. I'm pretty sure that plaid, flannel button down shirts aren't very dressy [yes, yes...I actually do know the differences of casual, business casual, formal, etc...] but I'm in love with this cozy shirt!

I blame my Supernatural binge-watching for the newly-found love of the lumberjack-chic shirts...but now I also know how cozy it would probably be to cuddle up next to Sam Winchester! [Dean doesn't rock the plaid near as often as Sam...]

Alright.

I'm off to get my church on and then muddle my way through the rest of the afternoon...

Wish me luck!