State of the Neko address: week 17

song+ Build God, Then We'll Talk- Panic! At the Disco- A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
book+ art of AtLA
scent+ cheesey chips and butter cookies
quest+ saving to visit Roro
upper+ i feel emotionally free
downer+ i don't make enough money.. x(
attire+ comfy pajamas
drink+ water

my weekend was great, both relaxing and enjoyable throughout the bulk of it. i finished AtLA and loved it, and had a date with Kyu for the first time in a few years. the first bit of living on our own it seemed less important to ask to be dropped off for fun time, but it was nice this weekend. mostly spent in a bookstore, but since we both love to read, companionable silence is nice.

we mocked the obnoxiously loud teenagers and the posers who could only name Big Event titles while browsing the (American) comic section. xD you know, the ones with movies based on them; Death of Superman (animated direct-to-DVD), Dark Knight Returns (inspired Batman Begins/Dark Knight), and Sin City. it was all i could do not to openly chastise and suggest good alternatives. xD even ones made into movies, like DC the New Frontier (animated as Justice League: New Frontier) or Astonishing X-Men: Gifted (poorly merged with the Dark Phoenix saga to make X-Men 3) there's tons of GOOD stories out there for people that want to be entertained and not just look hip for being able to throw out a few names.. *sigh*

i'm not one of those comics elitists that only reads Indie books, and thinks everything should have a message or an incomprehensibly DARK tone, i'm the opposite, i love FUN books, and emotional character-driven stories. and laughing, i really love the Johhny DC and Marvel Adventures lines because they're funny. yes, they're aimed at children, but they're written and drawn well, so adults totally love them too. everyone i know LOVES Tiny Titans, and there's other really great children's books being done now too.

i read mostly mainstream books, but i follow the characters i like, and when i'm unhappy with how something is going, i move on. it seems healthier than always complaining that everything sucks and nothing will ever be good enough to make me happy again. there's so much out there that everyone can enjoy something. overall, i gravitate to strong female characters, but i like some guys too. it's just that male characters more frequently fall into the “dark and broody” cliche, and that's boring. Black Canary is never a damsel in distress, when she was knocked out and chained up, she rescued herself with a broken arm and a dislocated shoulder. Oracle can take out ninjas while in a wheelchair, a female superhero is less likely to bottle emotions then lash out foolishly, so i enjoy reading their exploits a bit more. the guys i like to read are the ones that aren't forced into conforming to expected roles to due to being around forever. like Booster Gold and the new Blue Beetle.

i do realize that ya'll don't come here to hear Comic Talk though, so i'll move on. xD just a month till Roro's birthday, so i know my trip is steadily sneaking up on me. i'm very excited about it though it's made it more apparent that i have the most trouble being responsible with my money when i have a deadline and a prior commitment.. it's when i'm most likely to decide that i absolutely can't live without this unrelated thing, then have buyer's remorse after i can't return it. X.x i'm mostly doing well, but i have bought a few things entirely unrelated to Roro-time lately.. like the Schrodinger's Cat shirt, and a few action figures i got a REALLY good deal on, and two Wii games.. -_-; i know i'll play the crap out of them when i get back, and i've wanted them for a while, and they were on SALE, but i kinda wish i'd resisted now that they've been opened and played. i'm still on track for getting my ticket on time, but skimming a bit closer than i'd wanted to. my OLS is testing me! xD

at least i don't need to buy anything else before i go.. except a few musicals i don't already own, but i'll have time and funds to cover those next week, and i'm shipping them straight to Roro, so it's not an issue at all. everything else, i already have. it's deciding what not to take that's difficult at this point, honestly. like what to wear, and for what possible activities.. like if we go out dancing or whatever, i'll dress differently than i would for a beach trip, and if we go walking about town i'll wanna be comfortable, but also protected from the sun. since i can't wear sunscreen, that involves dressing more carefully for me. also, i have a lot of Wonder Woman shirts, like 9 of them i think. part of me thinks it'd be kinda awesome to wear only them for the whole trip. xD the rest of me realizes that would look kinda like i was obsessed and crazy, so i'm thinking i'll pack some normal clothes too.

i'm nervous about flying so far alone, and trying to think about other things to distract myself, so i've got a list going of everything i need to pack, organized by where to pack it. like carry-on vs suitcase, and i'm worried i'll forget something super-important, so i'm constantly revising the list. i had about 8 other things listed before i thought to add 'clothes', then i had to stop and think about how to break that down, and that's when i started freaking out about possible activities and how to dress for them. xD i realize i'm being crazy, but that doesn't settle me any. i spent more time deciding what to dress my dolls in for the trip (i'm taking FaithAnn, Rosalie, and Momo) than thinking i should take clothes for myself. xD i decided which bear and blanket to include in my carry-on for comfort and to combat homesickness, but i have yet to actually purchase my ticket. i'm about to though. i am SUCH A SPAZ when it comes to traveling! i've been freaking out over the weirdest things, when i'm actually absolutely sure i'll have a great time.. it's just the leading up to it that could make me completely crazy..

i think sometime this week i'll call Roro and ask her what activities she has planned so i can accurately decide what clothes i'll need to pack. I mean, i expect nothing like formal, but there's levels of casual, and i like to feel like i suit my surroundings. hmm, that reminds me that i should have Moose re-do my hair before i go so i don't have inches of black roots offsetting faded green hair. xD that's a CLASSY look, lemme tell ya!

i saw a lady at the mall this weekend that kinda scared me. she had stringy hot pink hair, sun-wrinkled skin in fake-bake terra cotta orangey-brown, and about 8 facial piercings (half of them gaged- ick!) and my only thought was that she looked so much older than she probably was.. i refuse to be like that, so while i'm having fun with the green hair for now, i fully intend to return to more normal hair by the end of the year. i may keep some green streaks on the underside for a while longer, but the full head of green hair isn't a long-term thing. for now it's a cute young thing, but if i keep it up, it'll be a desperate clinging to youth i no longer possess. X.x i like to think i'm a reasonably well adjusted adult (sometimes) without any kind of desperation to maintain a cool, youthful image.. especially since i'm of the belief that youth aren't particularly cool, they're artificial- preoccupied with being anything but who they really are. lame.

i picked up the Avatar the Last Airbender: the Art of the Animated Series hardcover this weekend, and i've already read it entirely through. twice. it's awesome, like a director's commentary for the whole series that i can read at my own pace. it's also packed full of concept designs (which i love looking at) and original paintings of the landscapes and architecture. all gorgeous. i love art books, seeing all that behind-the-scenes stuff of the creative process is really interesting to me. i have a respectable collection of art books, and if we had a traditional living room furniture layout with a coffee table, i'd think about putting them out where guests could flip through them.. except Harley would probably try to eat them. she's a good part of why we don't have a traditional approach to furniture. after your dog eats your couch (and anything else she can reach), you realize you can probably do without it. xD so for the foreseeable future my art books live safely on a book shelf, all lined up together proclaiming their inherent awesomeness.

i am such a nerd. xD like a mega-nerd.