Holy Swearing Cuss!

Many movies have their own vernacular. It's a way to set apart the world of that particular film from the plane of existence that the viewers inhabit. The movie adaptation of Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox is no different, but the jargon of that particular movie might not sit well with some parents. The film is rated PG, interestingly enough, for "slang," a reasoning that I had never seen before, but makes perfect sense once you watch the film. There is absolutely no swearing, but "cuss"-ing abounds. In the world of Mr. Fox, there is one universal swear word, and that is the word "cuss." For example:

Badger: The cuss you are.
Mr. Fox: The cuss am I? Are you cussing with me?
Badger: No, you cussing with me?
Mr. Fox: Don't cussing point at me!
Badger: If you're gonna cuss with somebody, you're not gonna cuss with me, you little cuss!
Mr. Fox: You're not gonna cuss with me!

And also:

Ash: I'm not gonna eat mud!
Beaver's Son: Cuss yeah you are.

I don't know about you, but if I was a small, impressionable child, I would think that this is the best loophole ever for getting out of punishments for swearing. In our world, cuss is a verb, not a noun; it describes the action of saying a foul word, rather then being the ultimate embodiment of one. While it may not be best for children to start "cuss"-ing, I think it would be great for adults. Imagine how much cleaner shows like Jerry Springer would be if the many wild and colorfully-tongued guests "cuss"-ed instead of swearing up a storm. I could watch the show without my ears ringing for an hour afterward from all the mandatory censorship that must take place at present. Personally, I am completely against censorship. But, discretion and censorship are not the same. I think that the way swearing is handled in Fantastic Mr. Fox is honorable, and the movie practically deserves a G rating for being more sensible in the language department than most movies I have seen over the past decade. After all, Snow White is rated G, and a woman is thrown off a cliff at the end. Think about that.
~Sushi

The Things We Do For Pizza

For reasons unknown to me, Spock's dad, as well as various other members of his family, love Monical's Pizza, a restaurant chain located in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the closest Monical's to them is about twenty minutes away from Spock and I, and an hour and a half away from them. So, every couple months, they come down to our Monical's and Spock and I have dinner with them. I'm not the biggest fan of Monical's [to me, the pizza is mediocre at best], but I like to go because Spock's family is fun. Not just fun, either; I might be mistaken, but I think they actually look forward to seeing me. I'm used to the families of the people I have dated to either be indifferent toward me or, in more recent cases, outright hate me. So being accepted by his family is really important--and somewhat shocking--to me. The brood came down last night for pizza, and I was actually engaged in conversation, rather than sitting around feeling like a fifth--or in this case, ninth--wheel. Spock's dad asked me about school, and his stepmom asked about my career goals. And we even joked with each other. I know this probably seems weird to most people reading it, but I'm not used to being anything more than tolerated. I couldn't tell you why that happens, or what aura of indifference I give out for other people to pick up on me. But I must be doing something right this time, or maybe Spock's family is just that much better than the other families of the other former lovers. Either way, I'm happy.
~Sushi

Are You Sure You're a Girl?

Today, I got a message from EIU telling me that I was missing necessary components in order to be eligible for financial aid. I assumed it was my missing high school transcript, which seems to be mussing up a great many things, even though I sent it with the rest of my application. [Note to self: visit high school to send transcript again] But, you know what assuming does. In an e-mail addressed to Ms. [insert my actual name here], I was instructed to check my requirement messages. This is what I got [emphasis added]:

Requirement Message
Request for Selective Service compliance card Please send to this office a photocopy of your Selective Service Registration Compliance Card. If you do not have a card, please call 847-688-6888 to obtain official acknowldegement of your Selective Service Registration. If you are a female, please provide this office with a signed statement indicating this. If you have not registered, you may register on line at https://www.sss.gov/regist%20information.htm. Please remember to provide us with proof after you register.

In short, I have to prove to the school that I am a girl, when someone over there apparently knows I am, as indicated by the e-mail they sent me. Maybe it's an overreaction on my part to be absolutely livid about this, but I am. Being a smartass, I even followed their link to the Selective Service site, where I found out that I am not permitted to register. Spock, however, had forgotten to register, so I signed him up instead, so he doesn't get deported. [I know he won't, but I still find it amusing.] So, when I get home today, I'll type up a statement proving that I am, in fact a girl; if I'm feeling particularly jaunty, I will type it in an amusing font, on pink paper. I want your thoughts on this, though. I registered as a female, so why should I have to prove that it's what I am?
~Sushi

The Shiny New Facebook Page!

For those of you who don't want to come over to the dark side [i.e. Blogger], I have started a Facebook page with a feed for my posts. Also, If I ever come up with a contest again, it will be available on Facebook as well. I'm hoping this will generate a larger audience for the actual blog, and it will keep my Notes from being all clogged up, like it is at present. So, go 'Like' my page, please-y please.
That is all.
~Sushi

Please Please Love Me Do

Going to a Rush concert is doubtful, but at least I got to see Beatles cover bands this year! Today was Beatles at the Barn, a fundraiser held at the in Hobart, Indiana. My sister Ladybug is obsessed with the Beatles, and going to the concert was part of her birthday present. The part I found interesting was that the bands playing were not dedicated Beatles cover bands; they are local bands who just happen to love the Beatles. The three bands that played--and I recommend you check all of them out, because they were phenomenal--are Chris & Lou, The Dan Holmes Group, and The Crawpuppies. I probably shouldn't pick favorites, but I will anyway: in my opinion, the Dan Holmes Group was the best. I definitely want to check out one of their shows. They gave all of the covers their own personal touch, but without deviating too far away from the spirit of the music. I think my whole family had a great time, and we're looking forward to going next year.
Today's list is going to be a bit tougher than most. I'm not very good at picking favorite songs, and this is especially true of Beatles music. So, rather than trying to pick a top ten or even twenty favorite Beatles tunes, I'm going to pick my favorite song from each member's solo career. Also, instead of the usual JohnPaulGeorgeRingo that everyone seems to go with, I've put them in order of my own personal preference.
My Favorite Beatles' Solo Songs
George Harrison: Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)
John Lennon: Love
Ringo Starr: Photograph
Paul M^cCartney: Say, Say, Say
Have a fab weekend!
~Sushi

What An Angry God We Serve

I can't remember a time when I didn't know how to play Tetris. After all, I was born after 1985, when Tetris came out, so in my perspective, it has always been around. Tetris and I have always had a love-hate relationship. There are days when I'm absolutely wonderful at it, and others when I barely know a T-spin from a tetrimino. But, whether I love it or I hate it, I usually enjoy playing. I found a site called Tetris Friends through Facebook [no surprise there]; one day I wanted to play Tetris, and there was, naturally, an app available to me. I enjoy playing on the site rather than on Facebook, though. I being up against players world-wide, not just the few people I have on my friends list. Spock has joined me on Tetris Friends--I asked him to because they've just made a live multiplayer game, Arena Tetris. I should have known better. While I excel at single-player versions, he wipes me out in the multiplayer. I'll get over it soon enough, but for now, I'm still pretty sore over losing rank time and time again while playing with Spock. My favorite aspect of Tetris Friends is that it offers so much customization. You can pick your own tetriminos, ghost pieces, voices, and even backgrounds in Arena. The downside is that some of the cooler options are pay-only. I'm really getting tired of applications doing that, but no matter. Whether or not I'm any good at Tetris, though, I still encourage those of you who enjoy the game to sign up for Tetris Friends. And while you're at it, add me as a friend!
In Soviet Russia, lines make you!
~Sushi
P.S. The source of today's blog title is here!

E-I-E-I-U

College visits are supposed to be productive, aren't they? When you drive 150 miles to go to a school that you are giving thousands of dollars to, they should give a little back. I think the reason that I'm upset is because I assumed--rightfully, as this was indicated on the numerous propaganda that I received from EIU--that I would be assigned an adviser today. That was the whole point of Debut Day: to meet with an adviser from your department in order to discuss the best course of action for the coming semester. Instead, I met up with the other six psych majors that showed up, and was told that we would be assigned official advisers next week. We were then ushered to a room with some laptops set up, and faculty advisers [who seemed to be either secretaries, students, or both] guided us through the magical process of logging onto the system [OOH!], changing our default password [AAH!], and registering for courses [AS IF I HAVEN'T BEEN DOING THAT FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS!]. I'm sorry, but I could have registered for my classes in the comfort of my own home. I could have done it at 2AM, in my underwear, eating Cheetos. I didn't get to see my future roomie, Freak, either. My phone died, so I couldn't call her. the only thing I took out of this visit was my Panther Card, which is my student ID/library card/debit card/magic wand, as far as the school is concerned. It has everything except GPS; I'm sure Mama Bear wishes it had that feature, too. Apart from that, though, the day was, as my law enforcement teacher says, a "warsh." After leaving campus, we went to Little Caesar's to get a pizza for lunch. There was a girl in the parking lot wrangling cups and lids and pizza, so I got out to help her. Turns out, she's an EIU student, and she has the same name as me. Funny how that works.
After that, we went to a bunch of thrift stores on the way home; it is our nature to be cheapskates. I found the proverbial motherload of anime VHS tapes at a Salvation Army near Champaign [my state has some of the oddest town names, but that's a subject for a different day]. Pretty much nothing I found was mainstream. The best part was that all of the tapes were $1.00, making me curious as to how much they're actually worth. I don't think I have any real gems, but you just never know with these sorts of things. I was surprised to see that many of them still have registration cards in them, indicating to me that they have never been watched. The only thing that disheartens me is that they're all dubs; there are no original-language versions that I could find. Nevertheless, my anime collection has increased exponentially.
Let's see how much my pile of anime [and Star Trek movies!] is worth:
1. Area 88: Act II-The Requirement of Wolves: $6.99 on eBay
2. Blue Seed: Volume 2: $8.21 on Amazon
3. Blue Seed: Volume 6: $4.99 on Amazon
4. Blue Seed: Betrayal: $23.70 on Amazon [whoa...]
5. Blue Seed: Fate & Destiny: $6.98 on Amazon
6. Blue Seed: Rebirth: $3.99 on Amazon
7. Blue Seed: When Gods Walk the Earth: $3.48 on Amazon
8. Cardcaptors: Tests of Courage: $32.66 on GoSale.com [squee!]
9. Elf Princess Rane: $14.95 on Amazon
10. Ellcia: Part 2 - Ghost Ship: $6.99 on Amazon
11. Ellcia: Part 4 - Ship of God: $29.95 on ex.org
12. My Youth in Arcadia [aka Arcadia of My Youth]: $18.50 on Amazon
13. Princess Mononoke [in horrible, horrible condition]: $2.90 [used-acceptable] on Amazon
14. Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Special Longer Version: $8.79 on eBay
15. Star Trek: Insurrection $2.48 on Amazon
TOTAL SPENT: $15.00
TOTAL WORTH: $175.56
Mind you, these are the lowest potential prices for the videos; therefore, this is the least I could expect to get if I tried to sell them.
PROFIT: $160.56
I'd have to say I won out on this. Time to get cracking on my new anime...
~Sushi

RE: An Open Letter to Stephen King

As you may recall, I wrote a post a couple months ago concerning Stephen King. My dad and I are two of a legion of rabid fans who listen to audiobooks, and we found it bothersome that our favorite book, Christine, was not available in this format. Well, Mr. King has finally heard our plea, and is releasing a slew of audiobooks, including the one we have waited so long for, on May 1st of this year. I, for one, am absolutely thrilled, and I'd like to think that I played a small part in this by posting my letter. After all, everyone Googles their name from time to time. Who knows? Maybe my blog was one of the millions of hits that came up. Whether or not I had anything to do with it, I'm still excited. Here's the countdown!

Awww, mushrooms are so cute.
~Sushi

Stiffer, Greater, Quicker, Mightier

For those who don't know, I have to tell you that I love techno. I think it comes with the territory of geekhood. One of the best techno songs I have ever heard is "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk. If you frequently frequent Youtube, you may have noticed that others share my sentiment, in some rather creative ways. Today, I'm going to share with you some of the more inventive ways my fellow Youtubers have of paying homage to this song.
Top Nine HBFS Videos
1. Daft Hands
2. Daft Bodies
3. Daft Bros
4. Daft Scrabble
5. Daft Cups
6. Daft Mouth
7. Daft NES
8. Daft Cards
9. Daft GIF
Honorable mention: Groovy Dancing Girl
I blame Spock for this one; all I did was listen to one innocent song, and it turned into hours on Youtube. He's good like that.
~Sushi

Night of the Jedi

When I agreed to go with Spock to the dentist on Friday, I was prepared for the blood, and the pain that he would be in. What I wasn't prepared for was his Deathbreath-- a horrendous mixture of old blood, gauze fumes, medicine, and a wicked onslaught of halitosis. He has trouble smelling, so it doesn't bother him, but from the time he woke up from the anesthesia he has had the worst breath, and I can't kiss him because of it. The reason Spock was at the dentist was because he had to have all four of his wisdom teeth pulled; they were growing in sideways. The operation went well, but he was woozy for a while, and threw up blood at one point; that wasn't pretty.
So, I've spent most of my weekend at Spock's house, taking care of him. I made Jello and chocolate pudding for him on Saturday, and we decided to have a Star Wars marathon. We watched Episodes VI, I, and V on Saturday, and IV and III today; he doesn't own II, and I couldn't find it at the video store. We also watch the third X-Men, which neither of us had seen in a while. I don't think I ate a single healthy thing all weekend, apart from dinner on Saturday, which was somewhat nutritious. Today was mostly Jello, pudding, and candy. Sometimes, I just have no self-control.
My list today will be have two parts. I have found a list of Star Wars title translations, and I will pick the most interesting out of these for each of the six movies, noting what language they are. Then, I will pick a quote from each.

Episode I: Sinister Shades [Hungarian]
Qui-Gon Jinn: I can only protect you, I cannot fight a war for you.
Episode II: The Clones are Attacking [Czech]
Yoda: Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.
Episode III: Revenge of a Sith [Finnish]
Darth Sidious: His death was a necessary loss. Soon I will have a new apprentice, one far younger and more powerful.
Episode IV: Celestial Body Great War [Chinese]
Han Solo: Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.
Episode V: The Empire Punches Back [Norwegian]
Princess Leia: This bucket of bolts is never gonna get us past that blockade.
Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi Knights [German]
C-3PO: I do believe they think I am some kind of god.
Han Solo: Well, why don't you use your divine influence and get us out of this?
C-3PO: I beg your pardon General Solo, but that just wouldn't be proper.
Han Solo: Proper?
C-3PO: It's against my programming to impersonate a deity.
May the Force/Schwartz/forks be with you.
~Sushi

The Eyes Have It

Eye appointments aren't usually as disappointing as this one was. I didn't even realize how sad I was until I found myself stuck in bed this morning, too depressed to move. The appointment was going well, with the usual tests. I looked at pretty colored dots with numbers to see if I'm colorblind--I'm not. I got the puff of air in my eyes to find out if I have glaucoma--I don't. My eyesight has even improved the tiniest little inkling--the left eye is -8.50 instead of -8.75 [either way, it really sucks]. I still have an astigmatism, but apparently all that means is that my eyes aren't globular; instead, they're egg-shaped. All that does is make my glasses more expensive. I asked about legal blindness, because I was really that concerned about it--and I wanted to see if I qualified for more scholarships. I'm not and I don't, which is probably good.
But then, I asked about laser eye surgery, because, as smoldering as I look in these coke-bottle glasses, I don't want to wear them forever. So, the doctor explained. For one thing, I can't get the surgery until I'm twenty-one, which I already knew. It has something to do with how eyes develop. But then, she dropped a bomb on me. I have to have a stable prescription in order to get laser eye surgery. That might seem bad, and it didn't phase me at the time. But then I thought about it, and realized that my prescription changes every freaking year. What this means is that I'm doomed to glasses [because I refuse to get contacts; I can't stick my fingers in my eyes] FOR ALL TIME.
This has been my utterly ruined day. I'm going to see Billy Elliot up in Chicago, so that might improve things. Until then, you're invited to my pity party.
~Sushi

Where Are They Now?: Jesus Christ Superstar

My family doesn't have many traditions, but one of the few that we do have is to watch Jesus Christ Superstar at some point during Lent, usually on the night before Easter. We are bizarre, I know. This particular post is coming at you from a suggestion of Severe's; he was curious if anyone had ever done a "Where Are They Now?" kind of thing for the stars of the movie. Well, I love a good research project; I am such a nerd. So, despite the fact that I have been researching for a law enforcement paper on Neighborhood Watch, literally all day, I present to you:
Where Are They Now? - Jesus Christ Superstar
Ted Neeley
Jesus Christ
Born: 20 September 1943
Last role: Rip Tide: Larry Bloom (1985)
Current projects: Neeley is still touring in JCS. Some suspect that he believes he actually is our Lord and Savior.
Website: Neeley On the Road

Carl Anderson
Judas Iscariot
Born: 27 February 1945
Died: 23 February 2004
Last role: Mello's Kaleidoscope: Dr. Klip (2002)
Current projects: None. Anderson died of leukemia in 2004.
Website: Carl Anderson

Yvonne Elliman
Mary Magdalene
Born: 29 December 1959
Last role: The Passion- Films, Faith, & Fury: Herself (2006)
Current projects: Elliman occasionally reprises her role in JCS, but she is primarily focused on her own music.
Website: Yvonne Elliman

Barry Dennen
Pontius Pilate
Born: 22 February 1938
Last role: Dragon Age: Origins: Various voices (2009)
Current projects: At present, Dennen is keeping busy doing voiceover work for video games.
Website: Barry Dennen

Bob Bingham
Caiaphas
Born: 29 October 1946
Last role: The Nostril Picker: Unknown role (1993)
Current projects: Bingham seems to have fallen off the grid after his 1993 film, The Nostril Pickers. I shit you not.
Website: Wikipedia

Larry Marshall
Simon Zealotes
Born: 3 April 1944
Last role: Soul Food: Jeremiah Joseph (2000-2002)
Current projects: Marshall has played a few bit roles on television as of late, but nothing very major.
Website: Wikipedia

Josh Mostel
King Herod
Born: 21 December 1946
Last role: State of Play: Pete (2009)
Current projects: Mostel played a modest role in the Adam Sandler films Billy Madison and Big Daddy, and has also been on Law & Order, as well as a few other television shows.
Website: Wikipedia

Kurt Yaghjian
Annas
Born: Unknown
Last role: Hair: Ain't Got No (1979)
Current projects: To say there is little information about Yaghjian is an understatement. After the '70s, he just disappeared.
Website: Wikipedia

Paul Thomas (Philip Toubus)
Peter
Born: 17 April 1947
Last role: Imps*: Roger (2009)
Current projects: After JCS, it seems that Thomas became a porn star. The most interesting career move I've uncovered all night.
Website: Wikipedia

Andrew Lloyd Webber
Playwright
Born: 22 March 1948
Last role: Live From Studio 5: Himself (2009)
Current projects: Love Never Dies, the highly-anticipated sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, was released in October 2009. How I didn't hear about is a mystery to me, seeing as I'm an ALW fanatic.
Website: Andrew Lloyd Webber

Tim Rice
Composer
Born: 10 November 1944
Last project: Nutcracker and the Rat King: Songwriter (2010)
Current projects: Rice's songs have been far busier than he has; while they have been making the rounds on television shows both in English and Spanish, he hasn't done much significant writing as of late.
Website: Tim Rice

Happy Easter! Enjoy your colorful chicken embryos!
~Sushi

After All These Years

Yesterday was my parents' 20^th anniversary. Yes, they got married on April Fool's Day; I can't complain if you have a laugh about it because everyone does. In order to celebrate, I stayed up all night making a video for them, with a bunch of old pictures and the song "Still the One" by Orleans; it's one of their favorites. As usual, Youtube denied me the permission to put it up with the song, because of copyright issues. I'm so tired of that happening. So, I put it on Facebook instead; I apologize if the link doesn't work, even though it should be a public video. Youtube really has to get over themselves about copyright violations; no-one is making money off of the uploaded videos except them, anyway.
The Nationwide Equality Prom was today, so Spock and I, along with a few of our friends, dressed up in our high school-prom finest and went to school. I was very disappointed. Despite all the staring and outright jeering, almost no-one asked us what we were all about. It was fun, sure, but did it actually have a purpose? I doubt it.
Anyway... In honor of my parentss anniversary,and because we've been watching America's Funniest Home Videos a lot lately, I give you:
Twenty Hilarious Wedding Videos!
1. Wedding Mishaps Compilation
2. Wedding Fainter
3. Wedding Guest FAIL
4. Wedding Bloopers
5. Drunk Scottish Wedding Guest
6. How to Ruin a Wedding in 1:37
7. Idiot Ruins Brother's Wedding
8. Bride Cheats with the Best Man
9. Bride Gets Dress Caught on Fire
10. Cat Fight at Our Wedding
11. Maid of Honor Gets Knocked Out!
12. World's Shortest Wedding Toast
13. Bride Falls in Pool
14. Wedding Mistake
15. Worst Wedding Moments
16. Trying to Drink at Wedding Fail
17. How NOT to Make a Wedding Entrance
18. Wedding Disaster
19. Best Man Fail
20. Top 20 Stupid Things to Do at a Wedding
Congrats, Mom and Dad!
~Sushi