In Cold Blood: The Field Trip

My mother had a Brownies meeting today, and of course, that doesn't involve the actual Brownies, just their parents/leaders. And, it doesn't involve me, even though I'm a junior leader, because two of the Brownies live with me, and I had to babysit them. All day. So, Spock and I took them to a reptile show, in the far-flung reaches of Indiana. This wasn't just a random thing; my mom has been waving the flyer around all week. What I found interesting was that the presenter, Jim Nesci, came to a function at my homeschool group when I was about the same age as my sisters. I suppose, though, that there are only so many reptile handlers in the Midwest. Nevertheless, it was entertaining, and I got a ton of pictures.
I've noticed that I will occasionally say that I took a ton of pictures, and then, realized that you, my readership, will never see them. For that reason, I have created a Flickr account to solve that very problem. So, If you want to see the pictures, go to my Cold-Blooded Creature Show set. That takes care of that.
On a final note, there are only a few hours left to vote on the Weebeast contest! Who's excited?!?!
~Sushi
P.S.
I fiddled around with the layout. I hope you like it!

CONTEST: Two Days Left to Vote!

Just as a reminder, there are only two days left to vote in the "Name My Weebeast" final showdown! Percival has an extremely strong lead, and has for quite some time, but that could change! Or not! It all depends on whether or not you vote!
That is all.
~Sushi

U(h)pdate 4

Mr. Kistler's Uh Count

Mr. Kistler's *Uh* Count
Today	404
Semester	1701

Self-Concept: Who Am I?

For as much as people don't care for him, I think that my psychology professor, who is filling in for our usual teacher, is awesome. Yes, he's an old-school university type who still wears tweed sports coats with leather elbow patches, and yes, he assigns far too much homework. But, it's better than having to listen to our teacher, who is out on an injury, whimper and complain about her aches and pains, and drop names of the people she supposedly knows in the psychology community. So, now that I'm done ranting, I'll talk about what we did today.
The prof gave us one of those giant notecards, and had us write fifteen "I am" statements; i.e. we wrote about what we are. I decided to share mine with you, and, just because I can, to have a little fun with it. So, along with my "I am" statements, I'll be posting a picture, following the rules of the Google images meme [the picture has to come from the first page of results].
Who am I?
I am a woman.

I am a Lutheran.

I am a sister.

I am a daughter.

I am bisexual.

I am short.

_{I also hate quite a lot.}
I am suicidal.

_{But I'll be okay.}
I am a blonde.

_{At least, I was born a blonde.}
I am a friend.

I am responsible.

I am intelligent.

I am dependable.

I am a psych major.

I am sleepy.

I am a Trekkie.


I like these sorts of things.
~Sushi

Graverobber Does Chicago

On Saturday night, my Repo! shadow-caster friends, Spock, and I piled into Twin's car to go to the Music Box in downtown Chicago. Why? To meet Terrance Zdunich, the creator of Repo!: The Genetic Opera. This is the equivalent of a Rocky Horror fan meeting Richard O'Brien. It was quite an experience. Being downtown Chicago on a Saturday night, there was virtually no parking. Luckily, we found a spot just in time to be five minutes too late to go to the pre-show meet-and-greet.
The show itself was fantastic. The shadow-casters, 90 Day Delinquents, did a great job of interacting with the audience, as well as staying true to the heart of the movie. I have to admit my group was a bit raucous, but some people were just too quiet! On an interesting side note, it's been pretty much decided that I'm a shadow-cast groupie, and possibly our group's, You Know You Want It acting troupe, number 1 fan. I'm quite proud of that; they're good people, for the most part, and I've been friends with may of them for a while. I was pleased to see that the majority of the audience managed to get off their ass during the Genetic Opera scene; sometimes people just don't bother to "get up, get up."
After the movie, we got in line, this time inside the theater, to meet Terrance Zdunich. It took about 45 minutes to get there, but it was so very worth the wait. He was so receptive, and very kind to all of us; he even wants to see one of our shadow-casts! Terrance also signed Faythe's Chuck Taylors; she has vowed to wear only that pair in future performances. I suppose it's not as interesting, but he signed my DVD copy of Repo as well. He knew how to spell my name without me telling him! That's very important to me.
But I'm still fuzzing it out so the general e-public can't read it.

Still, pretty darn cool. I'd go again if it didn't take so long.
~Sushi
P.S.
Mr. Kistler's Uh Count

Mr. Kistler's *Uh* Count
Today	344
Semester	1297

A Fancier Free Lunch

Today, there was a symposium at school, on the development of the modern Middle East. Understandably, I went, considering that I happen to be in a Middle Easter history class. I thought it was fascinating. We learned about the development of the countries' borders, about women's rights, and the enforcement of negative stereotypes, all before lunch! And, also because I'm in the history class, I got a free lunch, and got to meet with the presenters. It was awesome, even if the lunch was a tad skimpy. Usually, school gives pretty good lunches [I've been to more than a few shindigs, given that I'm one of those "smart kids"]; this time, it was kind of pathetic. Ah well, food is food.
Also, Spock introduced me to an awesome show: "The IT Crowd". I've only watched a few episodes, but I can already tell that the rest of the show will be just as awesome.
Just as an example, watch this clip.
And this is what Spock aspires to do?! I think he's crazy.
~Sushi

More brilliant junk mail ideas / U(h)pdate 3

It's time for part two of my international hippy name generator! This time, I am working with birthstones, so this list will only be about half as long as the previous one. Same rules apply: I will use the properties of the stones to look up names on BabyNames.com, and choose the first name that comes up for each gender.

Names According to Birthstone Lore
_{In other words, the ideal name to give your child, according to the month in which they were born}

January - Garnet
Stability, devotion, commitment

Male: Constantine Yatin Ahadi
Female: Constance Demetra Sheva
February - Amethyst
Stability, intuition, peace

Male: Constantine Odin Dinh
Female: Constance Odina Aquene
March - Aquamarine
Courage, preparedness, self-expression

Male: Isamu Aragorn Ixtli
Female: Welmoed Zelia Calliope
April - Diamond
Courage, healing, spirituality

Male: Isamu Jase Ruhan
Female: Welmoed Eirny Reiki
May - Emerald
Love, sensitivity, loyalty

Male: Luthando Ly Daemyn
Female: Agape Bhavna Karida
June - Pearl
Purity, faith, sincerity

Male: Apu Foy Ernesto
Female: Chastity Creda Sarla
July - Ruby
Spiritual wisdom, wealth, love

Male: Ganesa Otis Luthando
Female: Minerva Laxmi Agape
August - Peridot
Healing, friendliness, understanding

Male: Reiki Benigno Hieu
Female: Eirny Hetal Tvuna
September - Sapphire
Beauty, prosperity, intuition

Male: Alagan Imaran Odin
Female: Belle Lakshmi Odina
October - Opal
Hope, health, wealth

Male: Umed Balint Otis
Female: Amali Valentina Laxmi
November - Citrine
Optimism, joy, mental awakening

Male: Aman Gilon Vitalis
Female: Amani Allegra Onawa
December - Turquoise
Cleansing, protection, valor

Male: Apu Branislav Fergal
Female: Kiyko Csilla Evera
P.S. Thanks to the following websites for images:
Alpha Imports
Gem Player
The Diamond Guru
Custom Jewelers
Jewelry Spice
Tanzanite Jewelry
Bocco & Boltz
Superb Gemstones Market
P.S.S.
Mr. Kistler's Uh Count

Mr. Kistler's *Uh* Count
Today	429
Semester	953

Thank you, junk mail; you give me such brilliant ideas

A few days ago, I got a massive amount of junk mail. In real life, not the internet, mind you; this was actual, paper junk mail. Among the things I got was a free guide [i.e. piece of paper] to gemstone lore and modern birthstones. Each of the gemstones named has three properties supposedly attributed to it. So, looking at it, I thought, 'Names have three parts to them. Why not make names from the properties?' Which is what I'm going to do. I'm going to reverse search name meanings on BabyNames.com, in order to make up names for each of these gemstones. I will choose the first name that comes up for each gender. That way, there is a female name and a male name. Less bias that way. I will also include a picture of each of the stones, because I like shiny things. So, here we go...

Names According to Gemstone Lore
_{In other words, the international hippy name generator, extreme version.}
1. Agate
Balance, inspiration, perceptiveness

Male: Kazou Odin Kato
Female: Hokona Odina Dena
2. Amazonite
Success, joy, harmony

Male: Kamran Artaxiad Kazou
Female: Inari Abigail Hokona
3. Amber
Purification, spirituality, cleansing

Male: Apu Ruhan Asho
Female: Agnes Mecca Kiyko
4. Aventurine
Independence, leadership, motivation

Male: Kesler Alem Dumi
Female: Indy Caesarea Deserae
5. Bloodstone
Intense healing, renewal, strength

Male: Jase Aviv Angus
Female: Kayson Aviva Abrielle
6. Carnelian
Precision, action, stimulation

Male: Radko Gram Ryota
Female: Rada Charisma Onawa
7. Coral
Diplomacy, quieting emotions, visualization

Male: Joost Kamau Darshan
Female: Calla Ballari Brea
8. Fluorite
Order, discernment, concentration

Male: Bao Kato Chikafusa
Female: Cosima Maizah Mao
9. Hematite
Order, insight, regeneration

Male: Bao Rishi Akintunde
Female: Cosima Ephiphany Natale
10. Howlite
Awareness, patience, observation

Male: Sprague Dzigbode Gregory
Female: Vinita Subira Atalaya
11. Jade
Fortune, longevity, accomplishment

Male: Chance Dante Cheng
Female: Fayola Mandana Wakana
12. Jasper
Insight, awareness, protection

Male: Hieu Sprague Branislav
Female: Ephiphany Arin Branka
13. Lapis Lazuli
Knowledge, wisdom, perfection

Male: Arif Daichi Kamal
Female: Arafa Akili Kamili
14. Moonstone
Introspection, reflection, tenderness

Male: Tancred Tut Osman
Female: Suchin Kawena Edna
15. Mother of Pearl
Mental clarity, adaptability, cooperative

Male: Akira Calais Kyo
Female: Galina Melba Kyou
16. Obsidian
Deflecting negativity, protection, healing

Male: Birungi Branislav Balint
Female: Yoko Branka Eirny
17. Onyx
Self control, decision making, intuition

Male: Jarl Dempster Darshan
Female: Temperance Valkyrie Ephiphany
18. Rose Quartz
Love, calming, gentleness

Male: Carwyn Dinh Bonner
Female: Agape Malana Mayu
19. Smoky Quartz
Clearing the mind, cooperation, grounding

Male: Howell Kyo Acoose
Female: Edda Kyou Mita
20. Tiger Eye
Optimism, peacefulness, clarity

Male: Ziv Arav Arjun
Female: Meora Chessa Bayan
21. Topaz
True love, trust, success

Male: Ipo Aman Fateh
Female: Aimi Amani Yusra
22. Tourmaline
Energizing, soul-searching, releasing

Male: Chi Can Eliphalet
Female: Urja Enid Hippolyta

I think this is the most research I've ever done for one list.
~Sushi
P.S.
Oodles of thanks to the following websites for their pictures:
Crystal Cure
Serendipity Direct
Gehna Bazaar
Jewel of the I
The Leaf Lady
Aura Sutra
Pedra Selua
Bead Charmed