Reviewing Blog, Old Habits & Other Things

Today I wrote my 100 Years of Solitude review, and started another blog of the same nature as this one, but just to hold reviews. I'm gonna link to the other blog via this one in case anyone's interested. The reason I'm not posting it here is that I don't want to publicly post spoilers.

It's creatively named "Gryphon's Reviews". Here ya go: http://gryphonsreviews.blogspot.com/

Today I talked to a teacher from my old high school. It was nice. She remembered a lot about me. I found that flattering, because it must be difficult to retain so much information on all the people you must meet when you're a teacher. I'm sure it's normal for teachers to develop really good memories, but still, I felt like a bit of a standout.

I was supposed to work today, but it got called off because of unavoidable circumstances not on my end.

I wound up signing up for a replacement SIN card. I have my SIN but I lost the physical card some time ago. The only thing you need it for, if you have the number, is those temp agencies. And even then, you only need it if you're signing up. You don't have to have it if you're just updating your file.

There's only one other agency I want to sign up at. If you sign up at too many, companies won't want to hire you because they don't want to risk paying two or more agencies for you.

And I am technically signed up at the place I'm looking at, but they didn't put me through WHMIS training or the Youth Employment training or ask me to sign anything or let them photocopy my SIN card. They just took my resume, asked me a couple questions, and sent me on my way, as if I were applying at some individual store.

But there's a few reasons I think things are going to wind up differently this time.

But I'd forgotten I didn't have the card, it's been so long, so I had to go sign up for it again.

It all went fairly smoothly. I was worried they might grill me, like they did when I was getting my passport, but they didn't. All business.

I'm kinda freaked that the only piece of identification I ever lost permanently was my SIN. That is NOT the identification you want to lose, if you have to lose something. But it's been a long time, and nothing bad has happened, sooooo....

I wanted to get my hair cut today, but I chickened out. I had my hair grown out long for five-and-a-half years, and since then, I've only had it cut thrice, so I guess I've still got a phobia about it. I'll work my way up to it, like I did the last three times...

Haha, after I had my hair cut the first time, for a while after, I kept feeling it's presence, even though it wasn't there. Like phantom limb, but with hair. I think I even got a little post-traumatic stress disorder afterward, and suffered an identity crisis.

Sheesh, you wouldn't have known it if you'd seen my old, slovenly, unkempt, adolescent self, but the few times I got around to giving that old hair of mine the royal treatment, it was, if I may say so, quite gorgeous. Like, too gorgeous. Like, it's embarrassing for a boy to have such glorious hair.

Haha, but that's all done with now... I cut it off to make myself more employable, and to cut ties with my past, and to start my life anew after I graduated from high school.

I met an old friend of mine coming back from applying for my SIN card. That was nice...

Otherwise--and yeah, I know I'm stuffing this at the bottom of my post because I'm half-hoping you'll have been bored off by now, even though I'm willing to say it--today I indulged in my greatest shame.

Well... the translation of the new Naruto chapter came out. If you don't know what that is, it's a mainstream manga. If you don't know what that is, it's like a Japanese comic.

Anyway, it's really popular, and got a really bad stigma, and since it's a shonen (teen boy oriented) comic, I'd better get over the habit come Monday (my 20th birthday).

The reason it has a bad stigma is that, about.... 5 or so years back, the story devolved from a, youhavetobelieveme, pretty good story, into a series of absurdly complex battles that appeal to 2 main demographics.... people obsessed with absurdly complex cartoon battle mechanics, and a horrifying type of person whom I cannot even bring myself to name.

Anyway, considering the fact that my first thoughts upon reading the chapter was that the Raikage should use a combination of Reptillian Sage Arts and the opening of the eight inner body gates to push his chakra levels beyond that of the tailed beasts, and that his fighting style should be a combination of taijutsu and close-range elemental ninjutsu channeled with chakra conduction through the metal rungs on his forearms, and that, by channeling separate elements on the top and bottom rungs, he should be able to create a combination element in the middle rung. That it should be Reptillian Sage Arts because Cloud ninjas have already been seen to have an affinity with lizards, and that Fukasaku specified his variation of Sage Arts to be amphibian, implying there are more forms. That the frog katas, which have been shown to use natural energy to effect a larger area around the caster of the technique should resemble an enlarged animal replication of the caster, to reflect the effects of the tailed beasts, which would reflect the similarities between Naruto and Jiraiya's styles, and better explain the reasons behind the consequences of Sage petrification. And that the chakra conduction appears to be his clan's specialty based on what's been seen up until now.

That when Gaara and Sasuke initiate combat, Sasuke should've teleported Amaterasu on him, that Gaara should've shunshinned out of a husk of burning Sand Armor and created a sandstorm, blocking Sasuke's field of vision and nullifying Amaterasu, since Amaterasu can burn only what is seen by the caster. Raikage should then move through the sandstorm, then the field of Amaterasu, guarded by the cloak of Sage chakra, which would become covered in the flames and allow Raikage to barrel into the unharmed void inside Sasanoo's ribcage, which would force the Amaterasu on the Sage cloak onto Sasuke.

Anyway.... Considering those were my first thoughts, I think I'm the stereotypical fan of absurdly complex cartoon battle mechanics. I told you this was my greatest shame!!!!!