December 18, 2008
The Fifth Day of Duckmas 2008
On the fifth day of Duckmas, Wonderduck gave to me...
...a Santaduck at the mallllllllll!
...a snowboarding duckie...
...Rudolph the Red Nosed Reinduck...
...two snowducks...
...and a duckie in a fir tree!
...a Santaduck at the mallllllllll!
...a snowboarding duckie...
...Rudolph the Red Nosed Reinduck...
...two snowducks...
...and a duckie in a fir tree!
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December 17, 2008
Content? Oh yeah, that...
Astute readers may have noticed a lack of actual content at The Pond recently. Fact of the matter is, I've not watched much anime (or much of anything else) recently. I've been far too busy at the Duck U. Bookstore (Buyback week), dealing with the weather and car problems, and enjoying the company of my houseguest to really do such things.
Example: Monday morning, my car was completely frozen shut. All four doors and the trunk, entirely iced over. Wound up having to take a taxi into work, but only after the driver's side door-handle had come off in my hand. Might have had something to do with the nigh-on-zero temperatures we had Sunday night... and the rain we had Sunday afternoon. We had a fifty degree temperature swing in under six hours: iceblox city.
So today, my car went into the dealership to get both handles on the driver's door fixed, and while the door now has handles, they screwed up the lock and mangled the car key. Fortunately, I have a spare, but that's the sort of luck I'm having.
Monday night I watched some Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka, but I couldn't tell you anything about the episode. It was funny, it made me laugh, but if someone put a gun to my head, I wouldn't be able to say why.
So until my life slows down a little bit, expect light and fluffy, mostly content-free posting... for example, here's a picture of Alice from ARIA:
Example: Monday morning, my car was completely frozen shut. All four doors and the trunk, entirely iced over. Wound up having to take a taxi into work, but only after the driver's side door-handle had come off in my hand. Might have had something to do with the nigh-on-zero temperatures we had Sunday night... and the rain we had Sunday afternoon. We had a fifty degree temperature swing in under six hours: iceblox city.
So today, my car went into the dealership to get both handles on the driver's door fixed, and while the door now has handles, they screwed up the lock and mangled the car key. Fortunately, I have a spare, but that's the sort of luck I'm having.
Monday night I watched some Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka, but I couldn't tell you anything about the episode. It was funny, it made me laugh, but if someone put a gun to my head, I wouldn't be able to say why.
So until my life slows down a little bit, expect light and fluffy, mostly content-free posting... for example, here's a picture of Alice from ARIA:
She's crying over the lack of content, too...
Content-Free!
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The Fourth Day of Duckmas 2008
On the fourth day of Duckmas, Wonderduck gave to me...
...a snowboarding duckie!
...Rudolph the Red Nosed Reinduck...
...two snowducks...
...and a duckie in a fir tree!
...a snowboarding duckie!
...Rudolph the Red Nosed Reinduck...
...two snowducks...
...and a duckie in a fir tree!
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December 16, 2008
The Third Day of Duckmas 2008
On the third day of Duckmas, Wonderduck gave to me...
...Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reinduck on a Toyota Camry!
...two snowducks...
...and a duckie in a fir tree!
Rudy's photo was taken only an hour before the post was put up. It's snowin' pretty durn hard out there right now, and the roads in Duckford are miserable. Took me nigh on 40 minutes to get home, which is usually a 12 minute drive.
Glad to be back at Pond Central, lemme tell ya!
...Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reinduck on a Toyota Camry!
...two snowducks...
...and a duckie in a fir tree!
Rudy's photo was taken only an hour before the post was put up. It's snowin' pretty durn hard out there right now, and the roads in Duckford are miserable. Took me nigh on 40 minutes to get home, which is usually a 12 minute drive.
Glad to be back at Pond Central, lemme tell ya!
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December 15, 2008
The Second Day of Duckmas 2008
On the second day of Duckmas, Wonderduck gave to me...
...two snowducks!
...and a duckie in a fir tree!
...two snowducks!
...and a duckie in a fir tree!
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Houseguest
Momzerduck and Ph.Duck are currently on their way to New Mexico. Once there, they'll be burying my grandmother's ashes. Weather permitting, they'll be back December 23rd, as they're doing this trip via car.
However, this plan brought up a dilemma: what to do with their cat? In the past, there were two cats, and they'd keep each other company in the time between the two daily visits from the next-door neighbor... but with the passing of Rumpole, suddenly that option was removed from the table. Another option was taking the second cat with them: he has traveled well in the past, but he's getting older, too... it wouldn't be a good time. But I had a solution.
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce my houseguest for the next couple of weeks... Hercule!
He does like laser pointers, though. So I've got that going for me. Which is nice.
However, this plan brought up a dilemma: what to do with their cat? In the past, there were two cats, and they'd keep each other company in the time between the two daily visits from the next-door neighbor... but with the passing of Rumpole, suddenly that option was removed from the table. Another option was taking the second cat with them: he has traveled well in the past, but he's getting older, too... it wouldn't be a good time. But I had a solution.
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce my houseguest for the next couple of weeks... Hercule!
"I'll be killing you while you sleep, Wonderduck."
Hercule is not overly thrilled with this arrangement, truth be told. I rank a *very* distant third in his "humans tolerated" list, behind Ph.Duck and Momzerduck. Still, I hope it won't be too traumatic for him.He does like laser pointers, though. So I've got that going for me. Which is nice.
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December 14, 2008
The First Day Of Duckmas 2008
Last year, we had the 12 Ducks of Xmas. In the intervening 12 months, however, I've come across a few more holiday ducks, so the 12 Days of Duckmas is born! Every day through Christmas Day, drop by The Pond to see what the newest duckie in holiday garb is up to. In fact, why not make it a whole family experience? Gather the young'uns around the computer, because here comes the first Duckie!
On the First Day Of Duckmas, Wonderduck gave to me...
...a duckie in a fir tree!
On the First Day Of Duckmas, Wonderduck gave to me...
...a duckie in a fir tree!
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December 13, 2008
Random Anime Picture #33
-Clannad ~After Story~, ep03
"The strawberry! Onii-chan ate the strawberry! Mean Onii-chan!"
-Clannad ~After Story~, ep03
"The strawberry! Onii-chan ate the strawberry! Mean Onii-chan!"
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December 10, 2008
Ikkitousen Great Guardians OVA 3
Our continuing quest to discover if the Ikkitousen Great Guardians series of OVAs can out-perv the Dragon Destiny OVAs, our friends at Studio ARMS have brought us the newest in the "sexy cosplay" contests...
...Packers zero.
And who is our lucky contestant this time around?I could hear Steven's nose start bleeding from here.
more...
None other than Kan-u Unchou herself! This has possibilities...
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December 09, 2008
The ANGRIEST Car Ever.
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December 08, 2008
I Sing The Praises...
The past 48 hours have been kinda ugly around Pond Central.
First, Saturday was the memorial service for my grandmother. It was very nice, but more than a little stressful.
Meanwhile, the Official Car of Wonderduck's Pond, a 1996 Toyota Camry, has been feeling a little ill. Instead of purring like a kitten, over a period of a couple of months its begun purring like a lion. It was still a purr, yes, but louder than normal. Unfortunately, last Friday I began to smell the unmistakable odor of hot oil. A lot of it. So, I called the Official Mechanics of the Duck Family, Ricotta Automotive. We've been going to Ricotta's for nigh on 20 years, and we're all at the point with him where if he says something has to be done, we say "do it," we trust him that much. Tom Ricotta, the owner himself, said "have it here Monday morning, I'll work on it personally!" So, I traded cars with Ph.Duck, since I had to be at work Monday morning, and began to fret.
Sunday night, I visited Fark.com, specifically a Pearl Harbor thread that I'd made a couple of comments on... and my various anti-virus/spyware programs started freaking out. They said they caught a bit o' venom called Vundo (on my anti-virus program) and Virtumonde (on the spyware). Please note, I said that they said they'd caught it... nuh-uh. While I wasn't getting the popups, I was getting this symptom as described at the wikipedia page:
"Another symptom of Vundo may be the desktop icons will disappear and so will the taskbar and reappear after a short period. This becomes very frustrating if you are trying to run programs as they get automatically aborted."
Yes, quite frustrating. Vundo is EVIL, and nothing but. Five hours of trying to remove this beast, I had to go to bed, as today was the first day of textbook buyback at the Duck U. Bookstore.
Yes, buyback is here, and Wonderduck is in for a busy, busy time. Meanwhile, my computer is looking more and more like it'll need to have the C drive scraped clean and Windows reinstalled, and my car is in the shop (and lord knows what Tom is going to find, and how much it'll cost).
Around 11am, Tom calls. The oil smell is coming from some leaks on the cylinder heads, an easy fix, and relatively cheap at ~$250. Even better, he'll have it done today! Great! Do it! I hang up, humming, and go back to servicing students selling back their books. A lot of them. An awful lot of them. So many that I don't even get a chance to sip my gatorade. And then the phone rings again, an hour later. Caller ID says "Ricotta Automotive", and I'm suddenly worried again... much too fast. It's Tom again, saying there's another problem, much more serious. As he got the car up on a lift to change the oil, he discovered that the CV Boots on the Official Car of Wonderduck's Pond were both ruined. This is very bad, as it can make steering difficult. During the summer, it's not too bad, as there's little bad stuff to get into the joint/driveshaft, but during the winter, the lubricating grease leaks out and is replaced by snow, slush, and most importantly, road salt. This causes corrosion, as well as interfering with the steering... and, as a matter of fact, my steering WAS stiff last winter. My wallet screaming in agony, I tell him "fix it." Tom says he'll try find some rebuilt parts, try to save me money. A few hours later, he calls back: success! The Official Car is fixed, and the total cost is $500... the CV stuff could have cost as much as $900 alone! Fortunately, only one of the CV joints was bad, the other was still in good shape. Phew. One problem solved.
But then there's the computer. I do some research at the folks' place, find a couple of tools that might help, a set of instructions on manual removal of Vundo, and as a last resort, clear instructions on how to reinstall Windows.
I get back to Pond Central, metaphorically roll up my sleeves, and download a little thingy creatively entitled Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware ("it's like bringing a M4 to a knife fight"), freeware and with good reviews. Crossing my fingers, I tell it to run.
Nine minutes later, it reports that it has found 25 infected files and registry entries, and would I like to remove them? I'm not excited as I hit "yes", as the other tools also said much the same thing. It removes most of them, and it claims that the remaining three will be removed on reboot. Sure, okay, reboot. Whatever.
It worked. IT WORKED! This thing actually worked! After a few minutes of doing the Happy Ducky Dance, I run it again: nothing found! A few minutes of the Exultant Ducky Dance of Victory, and I hit the blog.
So I sing the praises of Tom Ricotta and Ricotta Automotive, and I sing the praises of Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware! Thank you, thank you both! I'll recommend either of them to anybody!!!
Meanwhile, the Official Car of Wonderduck's Pond, a 1996 Toyota Camry, has been feeling a little ill. Instead of purring like a kitten, over a period of a couple of months its begun purring like a lion. It was still a purr, yes, but louder than normal. Unfortunately, last Friday I began to smell the unmistakable odor of hot oil. A lot of it. So, I called the Official Mechanics of the Duck Family, Ricotta Automotive. We've been going to Ricotta's for nigh on 20 years, and we're all at the point with him where if he says something has to be done, we say "do it," we trust him that much. Tom Ricotta, the owner himself, said "have it here Monday morning, I'll work on it personally!" So, I traded cars with Ph.Duck, since I had to be at work Monday morning, and began to fret.
Sunday night, I visited Fark.com, specifically a Pearl Harbor thread that I'd made a couple of comments on... and my various anti-virus/spyware programs started freaking out. They said they caught a bit o' venom called Vundo (on my anti-virus program) and Virtumonde (on the spyware). Please note, I said that they said they'd caught it... nuh-uh. While I wasn't getting the popups, I was getting this symptom as described at the wikipedia page:
"Another symptom of Vundo may be the desktop icons will disappear and so will the taskbar and reappear after a short period. This becomes very frustrating if you are trying to run programs as they get automatically aborted."
Yes, quite frustrating. Vundo is EVIL, and nothing but. Five hours of trying to remove this beast, I had to go to bed, as today was the first day of textbook buyback at the Duck U. Bookstore.
Yes, buyback is here, and Wonderduck is in for a busy, busy time. Meanwhile, my computer is looking more and more like it'll need to have the C drive scraped clean and Windows reinstalled, and my car is in the shop (and lord knows what Tom is going to find, and how much it'll cost).
Around 11am, Tom calls. The oil smell is coming from some leaks on the cylinder heads, an easy fix, and relatively cheap at ~$250. Even better, he'll have it done today! Great! Do it! I hang up, humming, and go back to servicing students selling back their books. A lot of them. An awful lot of them. So many that I don't even get a chance to sip my gatorade. And then the phone rings again, an hour later. Caller ID says "Ricotta Automotive", and I'm suddenly worried again... much too fast. It's Tom again, saying there's another problem, much more serious. As he got the car up on a lift to change the oil, he discovered that the CV Boots on the Official Car of Wonderduck's Pond were both ruined. This is very bad, as it can make steering difficult. During the summer, it's not too bad, as there's little bad stuff to get into the joint/driveshaft, but during the winter, the lubricating grease leaks out and is replaced by snow, slush, and most importantly, road salt. This causes corrosion, as well as interfering with the steering... and, as a matter of fact, my steering WAS stiff last winter. My wallet screaming in agony, I tell him "fix it." Tom says he'll try find some rebuilt parts, try to save me money. A few hours later, he calls back: success! The Official Car is fixed, and the total cost is $500... the CV stuff could have cost as much as $900 alone! Fortunately, only one of the CV joints was bad, the other was still in good shape. Phew. One problem solved.
But then there's the computer. I do some research at the folks' place, find a couple of tools that might help, a set of instructions on manual removal of Vundo, and as a last resort, clear instructions on how to reinstall Windows.
I get back to Pond Central, metaphorically roll up my sleeves, and download a little thingy creatively entitled Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware ("it's like bringing a M4 to a knife fight"), freeware and with good reviews. Crossing my fingers, I tell it to run.
Nine minutes later, it reports that it has found 25 infected files and registry entries, and would I like to remove them? I'm not excited as I hit "yes", as the other tools also said much the same thing. It removes most of them, and it claims that the remaining three will be removed on reboot. Sure, okay, reboot. Whatever.
So I sing the praises of Tom Ricotta and Ricotta Automotive, and I sing the praises of Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware! Thank you, thank you both! I'll recommend either of them to anybody!!!
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December 07, 2008
December 7th, 1941...
Mr Vice-President, Mr Speaker, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives:
Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
With confidence in our armed forces-with the unbounding determination
of our people-we will gain the inevitable triumph-so help us God.
Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the
solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government
and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.
Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing
Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague
delivered to the Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American
message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the
existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war
or armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on
the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and
military forces. Very many American lives have been lost. In addition,
American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between
San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya. Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island. This morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending
throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak for
themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their
opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and
safety of our nation.
As Commander in Chief of the army and navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated
invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through
to absolute victory. I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and
of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to
the uttermost but Will make very certain that this form of treachery
shall never endanger us again. Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly
attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, a state of war has existed
between the United States and the Japanese Empire.
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December 05, 2008
Honda Out of F1!!!
Bombshell news today, as Honda announced their decision to pull out of Formula 1, effective immediately.
"Honda Motor Co. has come to the conclusion that we will withdraw from all Formula One activities, making 2008 the last season for participation," said Takeo Fukui, president of Honda Motors. He cited the costs of the sport, lousy car sales, and the global economy as reasons.
Honda supplied engines to BAR from 2000 to 2005, then took the team over in 2006, but has had a long history in the sport to boot, originally joining F1 in the mid 1960s. Earlier this season, they withdrew funding from their junior team, SuperAguri, citing rising costs. This led to SuperAguri closing up shop.
Honda will spend the month trying to sell the team, but considering the state of the global economy, it seems unlikely that there'll be much interest. If nobody steps forward, they'll start laying off staff and (presumably) auctioning off stuff.
Of course, this leaves Jensen Button and Rubens Barrichello without drives for 2009. I know I'm curious as to what sort of interest they'll generate; neither has burned up the track as of late, but that's certainly due to the miserable Honda chassis. Remember, Button won the 2006 Hungarian GP (albeit in the wet, with breakdowns from both HWMNBN and Slappy Schumacher), and Barrichello outdrove Button in 2008, earning 11 points to Button's 3. There still are a few seats out available out there, and I'll guess that one of the two will get a drive. And then there's Ross Brawn, team principal and architect of Ferrari's dominance in the first half of this decade; where will HE end up?
I've been hard on both the team and the drivers over the past few years, but I didn't want them to leave the sport. Like Toyota, they spent too much money for (practically) no results. They could have dominated F1 if they used their cash well. The 2007 windtunnel debacle, though, is a perfect example of why they were so unsuccessful (short version: at the beginning of the season, they didn't calibrate their wind-tunnel correctly. All their aerodynamic data was wrong, and as a result, every fix they put on the car just made things worse).
Nine teams, 18 cars will take to the grid in Australia. That'll be VERY strange...
Bombshell news today, as Honda announced their decision to pull out of Formula 1, effective immediately.
"Honda Motor Co. has come to the conclusion that we will withdraw from all Formula One activities, making 2008 the last season for participation," said Takeo Fukui, president of Honda Motors. He cited the costs of the sport, lousy car sales, and the global economy as reasons.
Honda supplied engines to BAR from 2000 to 2005, then took the team over in 2006, but has had a long history in the sport to boot, originally joining F1 in the mid 1960s. Earlier this season, they withdrew funding from their junior team, SuperAguri, citing rising costs. This led to SuperAguri closing up shop.
Honda will spend the month trying to sell the team, but considering the state of the global economy, it seems unlikely that there'll be much interest. If nobody steps forward, they'll start laying off staff and (presumably) auctioning off stuff.
Of course, this leaves Jensen Button and Rubens Barrichello without drives for 2009. I know I'm curious as to what sort of interest they'll generate; neither has burned up the track as of late, but that's certainly due to the miserable Honda chassis. Remember, Button won the 2006 Hungarian GP (albeit in the wet, with breakdowns from both HWMNBN and Slappy Schumacher), and Barrichello outdrove Button in 2008, earning 11 points to Button's 3. There still are a few seats out available out there, and I'll guess that one of the two will get a drive. And then there's Ross Brawn, team principal and architect of Ferrari's dominance in the first half of this decade; where will HE end up?
I've been hard on both the team and the drivers over the past few years, but I didn't want them to leave the sport. Like Toyota, they spent too much money for (practically) no results. They could have dominated F1 if they used their cash well. The 2007 windtunnel debacle, though, is a perfect example of why they were so unsuccessful (short version: at the beginning of the season, they didn't calibrate their wind-tunnel correctly. All their aerodynamic data was wrong, and as a result, every fix they put on the car just made things worse).
Nine teams, 18 cars will take to the grid in Australia. That'll be VERY strange...
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December 03, 2008
It's Meme Day 'Round These Parts, It Seems...
Well, Don's doing it, and Steven's doing it, and I've got nothing better to blog about today, so here goes:
• What anime are you watching now?
Multiple that are airing in Japan. If you mean, "what anime that's been released in the US am I watching," then I'd have to say Please Twins. I picked up the thinpack boxset a month ago, and only now have I gotten around to watching it. Oh, and it's not a 'secret shame' anymore; it really is pretty good.
• What is your favourite time to watch?
Night-time, generally around about 10pm-ish, more or less.
• And your favourite place?
In front of my computer for fansubs, on the couch for DVDs, though the wing chair is common, too.
• Who is your favourite auteur?
None. I don't do auteurs, I do shows.
• Your favourite OST?
Probably Kanon, though the soundtracks for Bubblegum Crisis 2040 and Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex would be right up there.
• What is the most difficult anime you’ve ever watched?
Eiken. Oh, different "difficult," sorry. The two Ghost In The Shell movies. Thought-provoking stuff, and not particularly accessable. Or you could just watch them for the pretty pictures, your call.
• What was the first anime you remember watching?
Ranma 1/2, followed by the OVA for Oh My Goddess. 1996 or so. Get off my lawn.
• Do you have a comfort show that you re-watch?
ARIA comes the closest. I've watched ep09 of ARIA the Origination more times than I can count.
• What is the most erotic anime you’ve watched?
Nothing, really. I don't watch hentai, so that takes out a lot of it.
• Which classic should you have watched?
I've been told that Haibane Renmei is fairly good.
• Which series did you never want to end?
ARIA. They could make another 200 episodes about the gondola girls of Aqua and I'd watch 'em all. I wanted a few more episodes of Azumanga Daioh, too, but mostly because I wanted to see what happened to the characters when they went into their first year of college, not because I wanted the show to go on forever.
• What is your most overrated anime?
Today, tomorrow and forever: Naruto. Why that piece of drek is so popular is entirely beyond me.
• Which character could you have an affair with?
Like Steven says, "you're joking, right?" Right?
• Who is your favourite character?
Alice Carroll, from ARIA. Followed closely by Mai Kawasumi from Kanon.
• Which character do you most dislike?
Saji Genpou from the Ikkitousen series of shows.
• Which character do you identify with most?
I don't know that I identify with a character in any anime. That's probably a good thing, all things considered.
• Which anime changed your life?
Ranma 1/2. Not because it is anything particularly special, per se, but it was the show that introduced me to this medium that I enjoy so much.
• What anime are you watching now?
Multiple that are airing in Japan. If you mean, "what anime that's been released in the US am I watching," then I'd have to say Please Twins. I picked up the thinpack boxset a month ago, and only now have I gotten around to watching it. Oh, and it's not a 'secret shame' anymore; it really is pretty good.
• What is your favourite time to watch?
Night-time, generally around about 10pm-ish, more or less.
• And your favourite place?
In front of my computer for fansubs, on the couch for DVDs, though the wing chair is common, too.
• Who is your favourite auteur?
None. I don't do auteurs, I do shows.
• Your favourite OST?
Probably Kanon, though the soundtracks for Bubblegum Crisis 2040 and Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex would be right up there.
• What is the most difficult anime you’ve ever watched?
Eiken. Oh, different "difficult," sorry. The two Ghost In The Shell movies. Thought-provoking stuff, and not particularly accessable. Or you could just watch them for the pretty pictures, your call.
• What was the first anime you remember watching?
Ranma 1/2, followed by the OVA for Oh My Goddess. 1996 or so. Get off my lawn.
• Do you have a comfort show that you re-watch?
ARIA comes the closest. I've watched ep09 of ARIA the Origination more times than I can count.
• What is the most erotic anime you’ve watched?
Nothing, really. I don't watch hentai, so that takes out a lot of it.
• Which classic should you have watched?
I've been told that Haibane Renmei is fairly good.
• Which series did you never want to end?
ARIA. They could make another 200 episodes about the gondola girls of Aqua and I'd watch 'em all. I wanted a few more episodes of Azumanga Daioh, too, but mostly because I wanted to see what happened to the characters when they went into their first year of college, not because I wanted the show to go on forever.
• What is your most overrated anime?
Today, tomorrow and forever: Naruto. Why that piece of drek is so popular is entirely beyond me.
• Which character could you have an affair with?
Like Steven says, "you're joking, right?" Right?
• Who is your favourite character?
Alice Carroll, from ARIA. Followed closely by Mai Kawasumi from Kanon.
• Which character do you most dislike?
Saji Genpou from the Ikkitousen series of shows.
• Which character do you identify with most?
I don't know that I identify with a character in any anime. That's probably a good thing, all things considered.
• Which anime changed your life?
Ranma 1/2. Not because it is anything particularly special, per se, but it was the show that introduced me to this medium that I enjoy so much.
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December 02, 2008
The 40th Ducks In Anime Post!
-Hidamari Sketch x365, ep13
Now that, my friends, is a fine duckie.
-Hidamari Sketch x365, ep13
Now that, my friends, is a fine duckie.
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11:01 PM
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December 01, 2008
Portal (Continued)
There is cake. You just can't have any.
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01:56 AM
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November 30, 2008
Sad Duck In Snow, 2008 Edition.
For the third year in a row, it's looking like Duckford is going to be getting substantial amounts of winter dumped on it on this date.
In 2006, it was 12" of snow on November 30th. In 2007, it was snow and ice from November 30th to December 1st. This year, they've trundled out a Winter Storm Warning for 7" or more of the white stuff. It's been flurrying all day, and the skies look leaden and bitchy. I dunno if it's really going to happen, but suddenly I'm really glad I woke up ridiculously early. As a result, I wound up going to the grocery story, where maybe I wouldn't've if I had slept to my usual time on Sundays.
They also are saying that the winds'll be gusting to 35mph from the North this evening, which'll make me happy that Pond Central faces South.
Well, we'll see what happens... however, as is the norm with these Sad Duck In Snow posts, here's the usual photoshop:
Gotta admit... I'm still amused by it, after all these years.
UPDATE 857pm: 50 flights have been canceled at O'Hare, and delays of up to an hour are being reported... but Chicago is on the edge of the snow zone. I just took a look at Pond Central's parking lot, and there's maybe three inches on the ground already. It's supposed to keep doing this all night, too. The snow is very wet and soggy... good packing snow. The TV stations are saying that roads are snow-covered and treacherous. Whee.
UPDATE 954pm: The Winter Storm Warning was canceled at 945pm, but we're still supposed to get another four inches overnight, and maybe an inch more Monday morning. Slightly less "whee".
In 2006, it was 12" of snow on November 30th. In 2007, it was snow and ice from November 30th to December 1st. This year, they've trundled out a Winter Storm Warning for 7" or more of the white stuff. It's been flurrying all day, and the skies look leaden and bitchy. I dunno if it's really going to happen, but suddenly I'm really glad I woke up ridiculously early. As a result, I wound up going to the grocery story, where maybe I wouldn't've if I had slept to my usual time on Sundays.
They also are saying that the winds'll be gusting to 35mph from the North this evening, which'll make me happy that Pond Central faces South.
Well, we'll see what happens... however, as is the norm with these Sad Duck In Snow posts, here's the usual photoshop:
UPDATE 857pm: 50 flights have been canceled at O'Hare, and delays of up to an hour are being reported... but Chicago is on the edge of the snow zone. I just took a look at Pond Central's parking lot, and there's maybe three inches on the ground already. It's supposed to keep doing this all night, too. The snow is very wet and soggy... good packing snow. The TV stations are saying that roads are snow-covered and treacherous. Whee.
UPDATE 954pm: The Winter Storm Warning was canceled at 945pm, but we're still supposed to get another four inches overnight, and maybe an inch more Monday morning. Slightly less "whee".
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02:31 PM
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November 28, 2008
My Four Favorite Wargames
Over at Twenty Sided, there recently was a post on Shamus' personal "Worst Rule Ever." Now, Shamus is primarily writing about Role Playing Game rules, but in the comments, there are more than a few board games involved. That post, the recent "Life Events" that have been occurring over here at The Pond, combined with the holiday season got me thinking of The Old Days. Long evenings and weekends spent poring over hex maps, sewing boards (huh?), and rolling dice... lots and lots of dice... pretty much all of which were really quite fun.
So I got to pondering: which of the games I played 30 years ago with Vaucaunson's Duck, Gainesburger, The Other Jeff and the rest of the crew did I like the most? In the end, I've whittled it down to four. It wasn't easy... quite a few really good games didn't make the cut (Snit's Revenge, Kingmaker, MAATAC and its sister game Star Fleet Wars, Squad Leader, and Wooden Ships & Iron Men, you were great)... but these four are all games that if someone said to me right now, "Hey Wonderduck, wanna play?", I'd drop everything.
They're in no particular order, so let's get started!
more...
So I got to pondering: which of the games I played 30 years ago with Vaucaunson's Duck, Gainesburger, The Other Jeff and the rest of the crew did I like the most? In the end, I've whittled it down to four. It wasn't easy... quite a few really good games didn't make the cut (Snit's Revenge, Kingmaker, MAATAC and its sister game Star Fleet Wars, Squad Leader, and Wooden Ships & Iron Men, you were great)... but these four are all games that if someone said to me right now, "Hey Wonderduck, wanna play?", I'd drop everything.
They're in no particular order, so let's get started!
more...
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11:12 PM
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November 26, 2008
Portal
So I went out and purchased Portal today.
Um...
Wow, that's fun stuff.
Even the Strike Witches like it!
Um...
Wow, that's fun stuff.
Even the Strike Witches like it!
I think I'm going to be enjoying it for a long, long time.
Too bad there's the whole Steam activation thing. That's the only blemish on the whole concept. Other than that, though? Wow.
Too bad there's the whole Steam activation thing. That's the only blemish on the whole concept. Other than that, though? Wow.
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07:43 PM
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November 23, 2008
Goodbye, Nonnie...
My grandmother passed away about a half-hour ago, at 1201am.
However, in the past week all her children came to see her. This included Duckey, Momzerduck's younger brother (JDuck is her "baby brother"), who I've only met once before even though he lives just up the road in Milwaukee. A couple of other assorted family members stopped in as well (we're actually a very small family; her visitors made up a substantial percentage of us).
She never regained consciousness after her stroke 10 days ago, but up until a couple of days ago, she still had some reaction to some external stimuli. Thursday, however, she stopped reacting to pain (to be clear: she was a diabetic, and her feet had large sores on them. When the nurses changed the dressings on her feet, she would grunt or twitch.).
The nurse that was with her at the end said that my grandmother made the transition from being alive to not being alive very quickly, with nary a sound or complaint.
While I'm not a Believer, my grandmother was. Because of that, I hope that she's truly in a better place, in the hands of the Lord she believed in.
Everybody, have some pierogi and kielbasa today if you can... she would have wanted it that way. Thank you all for your words and actions of support.
My grandmother passed away about a half-hour ago, at 1201am.
However, in the past week all her children came to see her. This included Duckey, Momzerduck's younger brother (JDuck is her "baby brother"), who I've only met once before even though he lives just up the road in Milwaukee. A couple of other assorted family members stopped in as well (we're actually a very small family; her visitors made up a substantial percentage of us).
She never regained consciousness after her stroke 10 days ago, but up until a couple of days ago, she still had some reaction to some external stimuli. Thursday, however, she stopped reacting to pain (to be clear: she was a diabetic, and her feet had large sores on them. When the nurses changed the dressings on her feet, she would grunt or twitch.).
The nurse that was with her at the end said that my grandmother made the transition from being alive to not being alive very quickly, with nary a sound or complaint.
While I'm not a Believer, my grandmother was. Because of that, I hope that she's truly in a better place, in the hands of the Lord she believed in.
Everybody, have some pierogi and kielbasa today if you can... she would have wanted it that way. Thank you all for your words and actions of support.
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01:00 AM
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