VW!

(Valentines & Waifus!)

Among the single nerds/geeks/weirdos/outcasts, I think otaku are the only ones who seem to actively celebrate Valentine's Day. Figure.fm is flooded with celebratory posts.

Personally, I can't really get into the idea of buying a ridiculous amount of expensive perishables (flowers, cake, candy) for a waifu who can't use it anyway.

... But I can understand an INexpensive perishable. ^_~

Happy Valentine's Day!

Windows XP-tan wallpaper

How disgraceful of me. I talk all about my upcoming computer in my last post but barely mention my current one. Her name is Lysandra. (Why yes, computers are female. Interpret that as you will but for me it is very much positive.) I love her very much. Boring stuff: Intel Mobile P4 1.8GHz, 512MB RAM, Radeon Mobility 7500 16MB, 40GB HD

Lysandra is very reliable and hardworking, requiring no hardware repair, the first computer I have owned with this distinction. We played lots together. Mostly Guild Wars toward the end. Unfortunately for some time, games became too difficult for her, being bloated pieces of software that can barely run on "minimum" requirements. And she's been sick for... oh, a year. I've been too lazy to back up everything to make her feel better with a fresh reinstall. (OhandIlostmyWindowsXPCD.)

Despite my naming her, I never really had any sort of mental image of Lysandra. Until a few months ago. I had stopped using wallpaper since Lysandra got sick since I needed all the performance I could get, but I badly needed to display this pin-up girl. Hopefully, you'll see why.

Meet XP-tan, the moe personification of Windows XP Professional. (Why, that's what I'm running! Really!)


XP and XP-tan just have bad publicity IMO. As an OS, I liked XP Professional a hell of a lot more than 98 or 2000. Less crash and more game respectively. That XP-tan is so wonderfully easy on the eyes is just a lucky plus.

Bedroom Bondage

(Well a long time ago when I was a wee teenage young'un, this was a website dedicated to uh... "the activities of consenting adults". Anyway, they're still around cuz I just Googled it. Nice to know. *ahem*)

Anyway, dakimakura are all the rage among otaku it seems. Or at least certain types of 'em. They depict the standard bishoujo variety, the busty, the loli, the meido. (NSFW) Weird perverse types like these sorts of things.

So I can't leave that stone unturned. Of course, I've joined their ranks.

Ryomou-chan, say hello to the nice people. (She's my first!)



I once heard that once a character flaw has become sufficiently bad, it eventually becomes twisted into becoming a point of pride. I think I've reached that point. =D

I most likey the side on the right:



I got a cheap body pillow from Sears for $10 some months ago in anticipation for this moment. Unfortunately, I stashed it out of the way since I didn't expect to use it for those some months and I'm too lazy to fish it out. Not to mention that I haven't thought of an appropriate place to store her. My collector side won't tolerate the *ahem* risks inherent with "storing" her on the bed...

What's old is new again... and Haruhi

Given that I started blogging late in the game, there's been a kind of nagging in my head. Do I just post the new stuff I've been exposed to, or do I also post catch-up material for the stuff I've already seen? Thing is, I actually am not exposed to all that much. What I know or see is just a drop in the ocean. You really realize this when you have a Japanese friend. My bubble of experience is as insignificant as the crowd in Haruhi's baseball stadium.

That said, I am committed. (And I love phrases with multiple interpretations.) So in an effort to keep myself not bored, I am going to include the older stuff. Otherwise I just may end the world and make a new one. Ah, the sacrifices I make for you people.

To the observant ones: yes, I just finished watching The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi. I plan to watch it again in the near future in chronological order. Initial impression from 1st viewing: my taste in women stands--I like my girls spunky and nuts. Am I weird? Now if only she kept her long hair...

Ah... I get goose bumps just looking at long-haired Haruhi-sama.

Even in luddite mode I'm tech-friendly

About a month ago, through my own stupidity, I got bitten by some pretty nasty adware. Its ability to cripple my work has been off-and-on, how I imagine a computer version of an STD outbreak would be like. Back in high school & college, I would format/reinstall Windows roughly every 6 months. Basically, whenever it slowed down enough to be noticeable. I held this pattern from my time using Windows 95 and 98. In comparison from the age of high performance, my current install is about 2.5 years old.

My student job in college was telephone tech support. Those in our office would often bring in personal laptops for (ahem) homework. What I noticed is that those doing tech support will often tolerate problems in our own machines far beyond what we are called upon to fix. I was no exception, except this time I let it snowball a bit too much. I would have reinstalled XP but I seem to have misplaced my CD. Argh.

On an unrelated note, a Seagate 200GB hard drive I bought decided to die on me. It's still well within its nice 5 year warranty (even a 1 year would have covered it actually...), but I haven't gotten around to exchanging it. Mostly because I haven't totally given up on the recoverability of my pr0n files. On another unrelated note, the MP3 player I bought on clearance from CompUSA decided that its real calling was cosplaying an oversized bug. I'm not quite sure why it thought this, but that's what it showed me on its display after a few hours of use. Returning it was a royal one-hour pain. And on yet another unrelated note, a rebate offer from CompUSA was having difficulty processing. "Transaction not found," my eye! (I think it's resolved now.)

All of these mishaps happened within a 2 week span of time. I was not a happy camper. So I rebelled. And by rebel I mean, "ceased to buy PC hardware and software." You know, downgraded to normal. I am still in luddite mode actually. It has pushed me into restarting my bishoujo figure collection, which is now obvious to me as a more expensive hobby than being a sometimes-PC-enthusiast/gamer. Since I ought to include more images of actual bishoujo in here, I will include another widely-available-online picture of the last figure I bought before my hiatus from this type of fandom. Incidentally, I bought it during Kawaii Kon earlier this year. I believe Asuka needs no introduction.

Actually, it was part of a (closeout display) set of four: Asuka pink and white versions, Rei blue and white versions. I like my women spunky and a bit nuts. Oh, and long-haired... oooh yes. So I favor Asuka out of the two. I'm beginning to want my digicam more and more with every post. It may be what breaks luddite mode. (As if starting a blog didn't.)

Lack of camera and Driving Miss Saber

Being somewhat behind in the technology curve, I lack a digital camera. Nay, I lack any camera. The last time I needed a camera, I bought a disposable model. I didn't even use up all of the film. Then the other day I saw Wal-Mart selling really low end digital cameras in those annoying blister packs. You know, the packages that are completely thermal sealed at the edges such that it forces you to destroy the packaging to gain access to the goodies inside.

Well, I still don't have a digital camera--I don't buy obvious crap. (Accidental crap is different.) But it opened my eyes; they could actually be quite affordable. Eventually I shall buy one... just not now. Otaku-ness is expensive, you know.

Ah, but what does this mean? I will be unable to post pictures of the actual product I acquire. Which is a shame. But! As a cop out, I shall post my most favorite recent acquisition (now in widely-available-online version!), the beautiful Saber from Fate/Stay Night.

Admire her splendor. Admire it, dammit!