Shopping and Sake-tinis

         So today was my brother's last day here at home. Tomorrow he heads back to his girlfriend and school. We decided to actually go out today and do something (other than watching TV and playing WoW). We head into a town a little north of here and go shopping. We walk down the main street (which is home to more gift shops and antique stores than you would think is necessary in so few blocks). At the first one we found a couple gifts for his girlfriend's mother. For his girlfriend he got a shirt (as she had requested). We then went to a shopping center a few miles from our house. We wandered around a bit, checking the stores for my sandals or his shorts. We found neither but he did find a shirt (25 dollars off) to play tennis in. The stores everywhere were packed. Back to school sales or something.
         After we had lunch at Red Robin (we stuffed ourselves so that we didn't even want to think about dessert). We headed home for a couple hours before we all went to the theater to see Funny People. I'll try not to ruin everything but it's pretty dark and not exactly what I would consider a comedy even though it's about comedians (had it's jokes).
         Dinner was surely the highlight of the day. Aside from our family there was a couple and a mother/daughter pair having a mother/daughter day. They all had plenty to drink (Sake-tinis I beleive they were called). The mother kept hitting on our chef (she had the most to drink). We all had fun watching the show (but our family had seen it all before since we prefer to eat at hibachi restaurants). It was fun seeing the mother try to catch shrimp in her mouth (the chef flung a few). She offered him some of her Sake-tini a few times.
         So now we're watching the first Men in Black movie. Still entertaining. :P

Where cold winds blow

          Summoned there by the warlock known as Astral, Keyaru first saw Dalaran in all it's magic splendor. She cheerfully gave him a hug and a kiss. Just before she ran off, he offered to show her the portals. She insisted she knew where everything was and found her way to what she desired. She had worked long and hard to earn the right to be called a Grand Master of Leatherworking and Skinning and the trainers easily accorded her the honor (for a small fee of course).
nbsp;      She then wandered the city. The city air was heavy with the sweet and rich scents of magic. She was grateful for the arctic mountain breezes that puffed through. She visited the flight master so that she may fly there again from any other place in Northrend before finding the Silver Enclave. She nearly got lost finding A Hero's Welcome, the inn, to speak to the inn keeper about making it her home.
          After, she took a portal to the dwarven capitol of Ironforge. There, she bought a gryphon ride to the Wetlands. She wanted to arrive at the Howling Fjord properly. She made her way through the stagnant, soupy air to the docks and boarded the boat. She was glad when it left the bay, she always hated swamps and marshes. Once they were closer to Northrend, she climbed up to the bow and stood on the railing as the boat glided through the mist. She tried to adjust her stance but fell into the frigid waters instead. The boat paddled on ahead while she was left to swim.
          Her indignation at her clumsiness soon gave way to determination. She insisted to herself that she was enjoying a refreshing swim in northern waters. She was amused to see a burning boat suspended with chains between the cliffs. These, though, could not sustain her. Valgarde was still some distance and her leather armor did not like the cold water. She summoned what strength she could and jumped out of the water and sprinted for a considerable distance.
nbsp;      When she lost her speed she had finally made it to Daggercap Bay. She swam the short distance, now quite exhausted and moving slowly. She dragged herself ashore on the dark frozen soil beside the docks. The settlement was not small but certainly no city either. Utgarde towered to the north. She had heard stories of it and been invited more than once to join a party of adventurers to explore but had been too busy to do so. She was sore, wet, cold and tired. She would rest soon enough but first some matters to attend to.
       She spoke with a dwarf on the docks who impressed upon her the importance of keeping the settlement safe and asked that she speak to a Vice Admiral Keller. Keller agreed that her help was needed and gave her a task. She promised she would help fight the invading Vrykul and worgs the next day. She spoke with gryphon master of the area, noted with curiosity the turkeys strutting about, and finally bought a room for the night at the inn. Tomorrow she would face this cold new world and brave what dangers she found.

Calcluelss

          We had the last class meeting for calculus today. Next week: three days of review followed by the final. I feel good about it. Next Friday I move into my apartment and Saturday (maybe Sunday) I head home for a couple weeks. It is at that point I shall buy Wrath of the Lich King and power-quest to level eighty. Then I shall return to the real world and immerse myself in the wonder that is old school personal interaction. You know, like before computers and cell phones and facebook.
          Time flies by, doesn't it? Three weeks from Saturday I'll be twenty-three! I am looking forward the fall semester already when I can see my friends and take more than one class. It'll be awesome. Tonight I'm heading to a much bigger city than this humble college town with previously mentioned friends and in the morning I'll be visiting Katie for a girly weekend (to be sure).
          Speaking of girly weekends, this last one was interesting. Katie convinced me to sit through her painting my nails. A shiny, almost golden sheer polish is on my fingers and my toes sport a deep red with the same golden one on top (for sparkly-ness,haha!). She dyed my hair a bit lighter (which also tones down the fairly blond highlights I got early June). I also got started on Final Fantasy IX (9), at her insistence.
          So, hmm...Fun summer! I will try to post after I get back home and let you know of Keyaru's adventures in unforgiving snows of Northrend.

Stars in the distance

          So the highlight of my day is full of leavings. Derek sent me a message today saying we weren't right for each other. I kind of saw this coming. I'd mentioned to someone that I didn't really see it going anywhere. For some reason, I have the song Quicksand by Natalie Walker stuck in my head. I keep thinking I should be all heartbroken and sad but I'm not. These feelings are like a star in the distance. I can see them but they are so far away, the only evidence is a single point of light in my vast sky. I honestly felt much worse when Max said he didn't think it would work out and those feelings were not unbearable. C'est ma vie. Forget sparkly vampires and celebrity crushes, my unrealistic standard for men is Ryumaru (shy, adoring, patient and understanding) and he's not that unrealistic. Someday I will find my Ryumaru...
          My brother left with our dad back home, too. Six hundred miles away they will be. I won't see my brother for three to four weeks. When he comes back here it will be my turn to go home. I may be spending my birthday with just my parents and maternal grandmother who lives with us. I'm considering going back as soon as my summer class is over and spending only a week or two at home before returning. It would just be long enough to get a new license plate and driver's license. This way I could spend my birthday with my friends and family.
          I'm wondering if maybe I'm being too cautious about love. I always say go for it. I went for it, twice, and it didn't work out so no regrets there. I just think I may be holding back, not investing as much as I could and probably should. Sure it makes things easier if it doesn't work out but am I making it more likely to end up this way by investing so little? The irrational girl inside of me wants answers as to why he's saying this but my rational self insists the means do not matter, in the end the result is the same. His reasons are his own and he owes me no explanation. [On a random note, I've just learned I don't really like cherry flavored AirHeads.]
          In other news, I aced the calculus test last Monday. I'm so happy. I just have to keep working and I can make it out with a B. I'm tired if being lazy and not studying which results in C's or D's and a repeat of the class (I don't think I've ever had an F though). I don't understand why I fight it so. I may seem nice and at times I may be too forgiving and giving but I am a willful person and I tend to do what I want. This passive aggressiveness led teachers back in grace school to believe I had ADD but I was just not interested. My dad insists if I really do have OCD it's "selective". Truth is, I'm a bit absent-minded but not ADD and my OCD is likely an overcompensation for it.
          I am so ambiguous.
          I am quiet if I'm not loud. Sweet and yielding if not headstrong and tactless. I am easily distracted when not intensely focused. I will eat with great control (parfait of granola, fruit and yogurt) only to easily down the entire meal at a hibachi restaurant (in my defense it's really good, fresh food). I show great maturity and wisdom yet later do not take my own advice. I am melancholy and almost equally sanguine. I am hard to predict at times, you don't know which side of me you'll get. I wonder if perhaps this all is my human nature warring with the spiritual...

And summer wears on...

          Taking Calculus II for an hour and a half every day for over two weeks has me burnt out. We have our second test on Thursday or Friday. It'll cover infinite series, bleh! After that though, it's parametric equations and whatever else they do for this semester. I won't be able to take Cal 3 until the spring. My fall schedule includes two major sciences classes and two education classes (which will require "field experiences") all adding up to about 16 hours. I won't have time to work and I may have to cancel my subscription to World of Warcraft.
          Speaking of which, I've made a few new characters. I made the colossally stupid decision to delete my level 26 druid and remake her as a priest. I deleted her again and made her as a druid again but it'll take a while to get her back up there and on to 70. I created a Draenei priest and made her similar to one of the characters from Ka'ne-Yuri, my story. The third one was at the request of my brother, who made a character on a PvP server. I first created a warlock but at level 5 decided a paladin was a much better choice. PvP servers are unique in that not only can you be killed by enemy creatures but also players of the opposing faction, which in this case would be any Alliance players. When I get the latest expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, I plan to make a Death Knight of a certain race (character would be from Keyaru's past, remind some time to tell you about it). I'm waiting until I finish Calculus to get it though, WoW is a big enough distraction as it is. I can wait on the new content another month or so.
          Yesterday marked the beginning of the Midsummer Fire Festival world event in WoW. Keyaru, my "main" rogue took a world tour to complete the The Fires of Azeroth and Desecration of the Horde achievements as well as Ice the Frost Lord and Burning Hot Pole Dance. Saturday she attempted an assault on Blackrock Depths but miserably failed due to having only a hunter with her of the same level. It is undoubtedly the largest instance/dungeon I've ever visited. It's easy to get lost in the labyrinthine tunnels and halls which were crawling with enemies.

School Diaries Jun 7, 2009

          So my first week of summer school was interesting. My roommate and I seem to getting along. If it continues like this, then my first experience with having a roommate will not be unpleasant. We'll see, I guess. We're very different. She's more outgoing and worldly. I'm fairly sheltered and inexperienced. She has some mild guy stuff going on. I'm kind of interested to see how it works out. Hopefully for the best.
          Yet, I still have some things to complain about (but no my roommate) here on campus. First, the cafeteria: it sucks. It's not exactly a five-star dining experience during the regular school year but this last week was a new low. Breakfast is only the comfort line and the biscuits with gravy station. They don't keep cereal and there's no muffins or pastries. They severely cut back on their hours, making it very inconvenient to actually use up my meals for the month.
          Boys State was held on campus. I thought it was a band thing but apparently it's an experience in government or something. It was entertaining to have all those high school juniors on campus. Without the kids campus would have felt so empty. Also, it was nice to think that I had their attention, if only in passing. lol. It's only natural for them to look at college girls, right?
          Saturday I went back to the town where my family used to live here in Arkansas (my brother's girlfriend is here too). She got me an appointment at the salon she works at. It took about two hours but my hair got trimmed and now sports high-lights and low-lights. I wasn't two minutes back on the highway when my tire blew out. I didn't here it go but I did hear the flat rolling against the asphalt at sixty miles an hour. Believe me, it's not a sound you want to hear. I got off the highway and was able to pull into a tiny used car lot. The owner was getting some business so it took him about half an hour before he could help me. My tire was shredded. I was able to drive back to school on the spare. Most of the way is 70mph zone but I went sixty with my emergency lights on so people wouldn't get too annoyed with me going to slow. I called my dad, apparently the tires are about ten years old so they need replacing. I'm going to call the dealer tomorrow to order new tires. The car is over twenty years old so it might be difficult to get tires for it from other sources. Hopefully I'll get them on the car by Friday. This coming Saturday, I'm heading up to see Derek for the day. I might say hi to my brother since he has a test and I wouldn't want to bother him (too much).
          I'm looking forward to my class this week. I think should I should stop wasting time though and do some homework. ^^;

Things I'll do if I ever become an Evil Overlord By Alex Kratz

1. My Legions of Terror will have helmets with clear plexiglass visors, not face-concealing ones.
2. My ventilation ducts will be too small to crawl through.
3. My noble half-brother whose throne I usurped will be killed, not kept anonymously imprisoned in a forgotten cell of my dungeon.
4. Shooting is not too good for my enemies.
5. The artifact which is the source of my power will not be kept on the Mountain of Despair beyond the River of Fire guarded by the Dragons of Eternity. It will be in my safe-deposit box. The same applies to the object which is my one weakness.
6. I will not gloat over my enemies' predicament before killing them.
7. When I've captured my adversary and he says, "Look, before you kill me, will you at least tell me what this is all about?" I'll say, "No." and shoot him. No, on second thought I'll shoot him then say "No."
8. After I kidnap the beautiful princess, we will be married immediately in a quiet civil ceremony, not a lavish spectacle in three weeks' time during which the final phase of my plan will be carried out.
9. I will not include a self-destruct mechanism unless absolutely necessary. If it is necessary, it will not be a large red button labelled "Danger: Do Not Push". The big red button marked "Do Not Push" will instead trigger a spray of bullets on anyone stupid enough to disregard it. Similarly, the ON/OFF switch will not clearly be labelled as such.
10. I will not interrogate my enemies in the inner sanctum — a small hotel well outside my borders will work just as well.
11. I will be secure in my superiority. Therefore, I will feel no need to prove it by leaving clues in the form of riddles or leaving my weaker enemies alive to show they pose no threat.
12. One of my advisors will be an average five-year-old child. Any flaws in my plan that he is able to spot will be corrected before implementation.
13. All slain enemies will be cremated, or at least have several rounds of ammunition emptied into them, not left for dead at the bottom of the cliff. The announcement of their deaths, as well as any accompanying celebration, will be deferred until after the aforementioned disposal.
14. The hero is not entitled to a last kiss, a last cigarette, or any other form of last request.
15. I will never employ any device with a digital countdown. If I find that such a device is absolutely unavoidable, I will set it to activate when the counter reaches 117 and the hero is just putting his plan into operation.
16. I will never utter the sentence "But before I kill you, there's just one thing I want to know."
17. When I employ people as advisors, I will occasionally listen to their advice.
18. I will not have a son. Although his laughably under-planned attempt to usurp power would easily fail, it would provide a fatal distraction at a crucial point in time.
19. I will not have a daughter. She would be as beautiful as she was evil, but one look at the hero's rugged countenance and she'd betray her own father.
20. Despite its proven stress-relieving effect, I will not indulge in maniacal laughter. When so occupied, it's too easy to miss unexpected developments that a more attentive individual could adjust to accordingly.
21. I will hire a talented fashion designer to create original uniforms for my Legions of Terror, as opposed to some cheap knock-offs that make them look like Nazi stormtroopers, Roman footsoldiers, or savage Mongol hordes. All were eventually defeated and I want my troops to have a more positive mind-set.
22. No matter how tempted I am with the prospect of unlimited power, I will not consume any energy field bigger than my head.
23. I will keep a special cache of low-tech weapons and train my troops in their use. That way — even if the heroes manage to neutralize my power generator and/or render the standard-issue energy weapons useless — my troops will not be overrun by a handful of savages armed with spears and rocks.
24. I will maintain a realistic assessment of my strengths and weaknesses. Even though this takes some of the fun out of the job, at least I will never utter the line "No, This Cannot Be! I AM INVINCIBLE!!!" (After that, death is usually instantaneous.)
25. No matter how well it would perform, I will never construct any sort of machinery which is completely indestructible except for one small and virtually inaccessible vulnerable spot.
26. No matter how attractive certain members of the rebellion are, there is probably someone just as attractive who is not desperate to kill me. Therefore, I will think twice before ordering a prisoner sent to my bedchamber.
27. I will never build only one of anything important. All important systems will have redundant control panels and power supplies. For the same reason I will always carry at least two fully loaded weapons at all times.
28. My pet monster will be kept in a secure cage from which it cannot escape and into which I could not accidentally stumble.
29. I will dress in bright and cheery colors, and so throw my enemies into confusion.
30. All bumbling conjurers, clumsy squires, no-talent bards, and cowardly thieves in the land will be preemptively put to death. My foes will surely give up and abandon their quest if they have no source of comic relief.
31. All naive, busty tavern wenches in my realm will be replaced with surly, world-weary waitresses who will provide no unexpected reinforcement and/or romantic subplot for the hero or his sidekick.
32. I will not fly into a rage and kill a messenger who brings me bad news just to illustrate how evil I really am. Good messengers are hard to come by.
33. I won't require high-ranking female members of my organization to wear a stainless-steel bustier. Morale is better with a more casual dress-code. Similarly, outfits made entirely from black leather will be reserved for formal occasions.
34. I will not turn into a snake. It never helps.
35. I will not grow a goatee. In the old days they made you look diabolic. Now they just make you look like a disaffected member of Generation X.
36. I will not imprison members of the same party in the same cell block, let alone the same cell. If they are important prisoners, I will keep the only key to the cell door on my person instead of handing out copies to every bottom-rung guard in the prison.
37. If my trusted lieutenant tells me my Legions of Terror are losing a battle, I will believe him. After all, he's my trusted lieutenant.
38. If an enemy I have just killed has a younger sibling or offspring anywhere, I will find them and have them killed immediately, instead of waiting for them to grow up harboring feelings of vengeance towards me in my old age.
39. If I absolutely must ride into battle, I will certainly not ride at the forefront of my Legions of Terror, nor will I seek out my opposite number among his army.
40. I will be neither chivalrous nor sporting. If I have an unstoppable superweapon, I will use it as early and as often as possible instead of keeping it in reserve.
41. Once my power is secure, I will destroy all those pesky time-travel devices.
42. When I capture the hero, I will make sure I also get his dog, monkey, ferret, or whatever sickeningly cute little animal capable of untying ropes and filching keys happens to follow him around.
43. I will maintain a healthy amount of skepticism when I capture the beautiful rebel and she claims she is attracted to my power and good looks and will gladly betray her companions if I just let her in on my plans.
44. I will only employ bounty hunters who work for money. Those who work for the pleasure of the hunt tend to do dumb things like even the odds to give the other guy a sporting chance.
45. I will make sure I have a clear understanding of who is responsible for what in my organization. For example, if my general screws up I will not draw my weapon, point it at him, say "And here is the price for failure," then suddenly turn and kill some random underling.
46. If an advisor says to me "My liege, he is but one man. What can one man possibly do?", I will reply "This," and kill the advisor.
47. If I learn that a callow youth has begun a quest to destroy me, I will slay him while he is still a callow youth instead of waiting for him to mature.
48. I will treat any beast which I control through magic or technology with respect and kindness. Thus if the control is ever broken, it will not immediately come after me for revenge.
49. If I learn the whereabouts of the one artifact which can destroy me, I will not send all my troops out to seize it. Instead I will send them out to seize something else and quietly put a Want-Ad in the local paper.