♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸❤¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Because I owe v6daisuki and phoe_enix a tutorial. :)

I don't usually write these, so my apologies if it doesn't make sense. I'm basically reposting a method I found on a Japanese website. There are a few methods out there, but this method uses the video stored in your computer’s video cache folder. The hard part is finding that video and pulling it out, so we’ll have to use a free software program to find the video. Unfortunately, I think this software only works on PC and not Mac. If anyone knows of an app for Mac that will download videos from Mio Mio, please comment and let me know. :)

( Instructions )

And there you have my secret! Hope you enjoy your files! If it didn't work for you for some reason... uh... I guess ask me? I may not know how to fix your problem, but I can try. XD;

DW! How they hangin'? Let's get started, eh?

★ Work is okay. It's busy all the time, it seems. The more fabulous ideas my boss has, the more I get to do them. That on top of having to do other peoples' jobs because they suddenly refuse to handle situations. For example, we were expecting two French students to arrive during the Thanksgiving holiday break, yet nobody had done anything to prepare for them. Cue me dashing through Wal-Mart to pick up pillows, blankets, microwave foods and snacks, fruits, etc. It all worked out because I'm a rock star, but I don't think I'll let it happen again. Need to be prepared next time!

★ The Monday of that week, Grandma had a minor heart attack. She spent the week of Thanksgiving in the hospital where they did some surgery to open up blood flow from her heart to her brain. She's currently in a rehabilitation center where she's supposed to be learning how to take care of herself again so she can go home. She's caused a little bit of trouble by being a diva, but we expected that. She seemed to be doing really well - walking wonderfully and carrying on great conversations - but I guess today she was saying that people who have been dead for years are the ones taking care of her. It's... a little... odd. =/ I have no idea what's going to happen with all of that.

★ My friend, Azusa, came from Japan to spend Thanksgiving with her host family and my family. We had her Thursday night for dinner and then on Friday, she and I went to Indianapolis to meet two other friends. One of the friends, Daisuke, is an athletic trainer for the San Antonio Spurs basketball team, so he got Azusa and the other friend courtside seats to the Spurs x Pacers game! (I'm sure he would've done the same for me but he didn't know I was in Indiana and we're not super close.) It was fun catching up with Azu. In some ways, it's like she never left. We did normal things like pig out on junk food and then go to the dollar store to buy useless crap for a buck. XD

★ I can't even with Christmas right now. I just... can't. Actually, I think I've bought all the gifts I need to, but the problem is I have NO IDEA what to tell my parents to get me. I don't want anything! There are little things that would be nice but nothing I actually need. I think I'm just going to go around the internet and find stocking stuffer items and say "Whatever. It works. There ya go." There's one thing I do want, but it's something my parents can't buy me. That'll have to wait for another entry though, because there are LOTS of pictures I need to show you. @_@

★ I was in the local German restaurant Saturday night and had a chance to run into the German teacher I knew from high school. Her name is Erica Cantin, but we all just call her "Frau" because that's what she said to call her when we were 16. She's a waitress part time in the restaurant, and I was actually hoping I'd see her because I needed to talk to her. I found out a few months earlier that Frau is basically the only one in the city keeping our Sister Cities program alive. Remember how I volunteered with the Duluth Sister Cities program? Well, I thought it would be something nice to do here as well -- especially since this is my hometown. When I e-mailed Frau, I never heard back from her, so I was happy to see her in the restaurant. I gave her my business card and explained who I was. She said, "OH! I did get your e-mail! I've been meaning to get in touch with you! In a week or two, I'm going to be meeting the school superintendent (note: my junior high school principal!), and I'm going to try to convince him to promote the Tajimi, Japan exchange to local kids. I really want him to go check out Tajimi and lead a group of students."
Me: "FRAU, TAKE ME WITH YOU. I BEG OF YOU. I lived just an hour outside of Tajimi in Nagoya! I've BEEN TO Tajimi! I can lead! Pleaseohpleaseohplease let me help!!"
I think she could tell I was enthusiastic. XD So she gave me her business card as well and put her cell phone number on the back. She seemed hopeful that there would be enough kids to go on the exchange, but it just takes getting local parents to agree to the idea. I hope it works out that I can be included in the program here, if nothing else because I know how hard it is to coordinate these things and one person alone will go crazy trying to do it.

As we finished our meal and paid our bill, I asked Frau if I could get a slice of Black Forest cake to go, and she said that was no problem. She boxed it up, I took it home, made a cup of tea, and settled in to eat it while I watched "Arashi ni Shiyagare." When I opened the box, this is what I found:


"Great to meet you! Keep making our world a better place!"

After losing 45lbs, I'm discovering old outfits that I haven't worn in ages. It's a lot of fun - especially when they are clothes I wore in Japan. Fond memories of teaching! However, this has also caused me to create a self-imposed ban on buying any new outfits because why buy more clothes if I'm *hopefully* going to keep losing weight?

Having said that, I made a few exceptions yesterday. If there's one thing that's hard for a plus size girl to find, it's suit pieces. For those of you taller and thinner folk, consider yourselves especially lucky when it comes to professional wear. Most suits are made for people of a certain height and frame. Anything outside of that shape just looks odd and box-y. =/ So when I saw Lane Bryant had light-weight spring jackets on sale, I snatched two up; one in white and one in black:



The camisoles underneath were suggested by the shop's staff, and I really like them. The jackets are amazing because they completely fit without any tailoring whatsoever. Do you know how hard that is for hippy, slope-shouldered, 5'2" me??! I'm super excited to finally have decent fitting jackets for potential job interviews. Ones made out of BREATHABLE materials so I won't roast in the summer sun.

The other thing I picked up was a pure indulgence. I certainly don't need one more top, but this was too cute to pass up:



These shirts were really popular in Japan when I was living there, but the style hadn't come stateside yet, so I was always disappointed that I couldn't find similar clothes to match the Japanese girls'. I'm sure even their styles have moved on from this point. Leave it to the U.S. to be behind the times. :(

Pisces - April 25, 2011
You are easily enamored with your own fantasies today as the Moon moves through your 12th House of Imagination. You might even forget when to return to reality. Although drifting off into your dreams is often a rejuvenating activity, you won't be able to turn your back on your responsibilities now. Planning a temporary escape can work as long as you cover your bases in the real world.

Oh shut up, horoscope. I don't need you rubbing it in that my Inner Mind Theatre is more awesome than what's actually going on around here, and I'm not allowed to fully retreat into fantasy.

I had a really strange dream Saturday night/Sunday morning. I was in my current job and doing a site visit to a university in Nagoya with a short-term intensive Japanese program. Upon arriving in Nagoya, I noticed everything was different. It was, for lack of a better phrase, broke down. Like the city leaders had just "let it go." I felt very sad that the city I love had suddenly gone to pot.

I met with the foreign students at the school and asked them how they liked everything, and of course they said everything was great. I was kind of jealous of them (in a positive way), so I said, "Wow, wish I could stay with you all and study. I could use a little brushing up on my Japanese." They said, "Why don't you?," so I stayed! I completely shrugged off my duty as a study abroad coordinator and said, "To hell with it all, I wanna study again!" It was a Monday, and classes were over for the day, but I knew I had a lot of homework to catch up on since the program had been going for a week already. However, as I looked around, I couldn't focus on getting any studying done because I wanted to explore Nagoya and figure out why it had changed so much. (I also really wanted to find the nearest Coco Ichi and get some curry. XD) Then I woke up because Mom called me.

As I hung up the phone and wandered into my kitchen to make coffee, I wondered why I'd have such an odd dream. Was it the chocolate I ate before bed? Had I been stanning and translating too much and worked up some emotions?

Then I realized it was Easter morning. It was nine years ago Easter morning that I left my family and went to Nagoya to study.

Did LJ get hacked again? Or is it just my connection? I swear, they need to get their shit together...

Need to get rid of some surplus items and wanted to give the friends list first dibs. :D If you see something here that you bought me, fear not! I kept yours and am giving up the one I paid for. (And yes I did keep track of which one you actually sent me.)

★ Pictures are thumbnails. Click for the larger image. Oh, and pardon my camera's awkward flash and the bad lighting. =/

★ Laminated posters are 16 1/2" by 12". Larger tour posters are roughly 36" by 24".

★ Things marked "official" are goods bought from either the Johnny's shop or while attending a concert. If it's not marked, it's from an idol shop in Osaka, Nagoya, or Tokyo.

★ Everything's in USD, just fyi. Prices aren't set in stone, just quote me something. If you're getting some of the bigger items (ex. posters, bags, pamphlets, etc.) and are interested in the smaller items (straps, can badges, keychains), let me know and I'll probably be inclined to just throw it in as 'omake.' ^_~

★ I can calculate shipping and get back with you.

★ Paypal, postal money order, other money order (for U.S. folks), and personal checks (also for U.S. folks.)

★ Comments screened, ya know, for the privacy. Non-LJ folks, be sure to sign your comment so I know who you are!

Did I forget anything...? 8D



( posters )

( tour goods )

( stationery )

( fun stuff )

LJ customization is hard. ;o; I'm trying to find a new layout to work with this header, and it's proving difficult. I like this layout, but the header isn't exactly 800x450, so it's off-center a bit. And I'm not too sure how to solve that without having an image that fits the height and width to the pixel.

Dammit.

[Error: unknown template qotd]

I can't let this LJ Writer's Block slip by -- not today, of all days. Not on my third Arashi anniversary. ^_^

So, my most memorable concert? Not that I have many to choose from, but I'll say the Time tour. I could say that Yokohama was best because I was able to realize the dream of being under the moving stage, thanks to aeslis. Not to mention the Neen wheeling right past us and winking. But I also don't want to disregard the immense fun I had with inuhariko, goingasajet, and renchan5 in Osaka. Both concerts were wonderful (despite the rain and typhoons), and will always be among my best memories of Japan.♥

:DDDDD

オバマ大統領っていいひびきよね～！^_^

So where was I on Tuesday? ( Ironically... )

I promised elenniel   that I'd screencap and give her a summary of the recent V6 talk on "Hey Hey Hey." So I'm doing just that.