Agent of Chaos

Well….

chaosagent — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:30:17 +0000

This has nothing to do with the post, I just think this picture turned out badass and needs to be seen

Well, I found out that I did get into the CNA program. Hooray me for being able to pass a test and an interview while having laryngitis. The whole working with seniors for the past 15 years may have helped along with the letters of recommendation from my boss and the chef that I’ve put in hours with after getting my Food Sanitation License. So I’m going back to school again. I was joking that at this rate maybe I can get them to send me to medical school since the job is paying for everything. I doubt that would happen though. My other co-workers are back in school and are actually working towards getting their diplomas so I’ll be the first into the void for this one. We’ll see how it goes.

I have to get fingerprinted on Thursday afternoon. I’ve never been fingerprinted before except as a kid when we all took a tour of the county jail in school. And they didn’t really fingerprint us. Oh well. Another certification to be had. I still have this plague or whatever it is hanging on too. I thought my voice was going out again yesterday, but it didn’t. To celebrate getting into the class, we went and bought stuff to crochet with, booze and toys. WOOO!

Where am I?

chaosagent — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:54:46 +0000

I’m woefully behind at keeping this up to date, just like I did last year. Things at work have changed and I don’t have the free time I once had. I’ve taken one class and gotten a certification for work and now they want me to get another. Which is fine, but at the same time the first certification made some sense, this second one does not. And as of right now I’m the only one that’s going to be able to do it because my other two co-workers never graduated high school or gotten GEDs. Which they are both working on right now. One went for an interview/testing today and the other started classes yesterday. I did finish high school and did do some time in college, but never got a degree, which makes me kick myself now and again. I wasn’t in the right state of mind for college when I went in. I wasn’t in the right state of mind for much more than goofing off. I’m older now and the class I’m going to be taking isn’t much different than what I’ve done at my place of employment over the years, just I’ll have a fancy certificate from the state. Woo.

I have no doubt if I get into the class that I can do it easily. I’m not completely stupid. Just the thought of having to get certification for a job that I don’t do and haven’t done for quite some time just so the new owners can use it for marketing is idiotic. They would better spend their money on getting the staff CPR certified instead of what they’re doing. But that’s not a big deal, They think this a brilliant idea. Nothing will change that idea for them at all. I’ll just do it and have another piece of paper from the state and a class done that will help me get work if ever I move on from that place.

Oh well. No big deal. I’m going back to school again in my 30s. We’ll see how much fun that will be. And I’ll be working full time and going to class five days a week. I’m seeing a lot less free time than I had before. Oh yeah. FML.

Mecha Fun

chaosagent — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:14:11 +0000

I’ve been watching the awesome of Getter Robo Armageddon again for probably the millionth time. The Getter Robo series is my favorite mecha franchise, whether it be the manga or anime. Why is it my favorite? I can’t really tell you exactly except to say it’s anti-heroic and awesome at the same time. The characters are both hilarious and crazy and it’s completely over the top and violent. I’ve never been one to enjoy straight up and up hero stories, so these always make me grin gleefully because the serious and humor and action are balanced out so well. That’s not to say the protagonists don’t do heroic things at all. Or sacrifice themselves to save others. Such as Musashi demonstrates very aptly.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And the protagonists are just not who you’d expect to be heroes. They can be completely cold, heartless and destructive showing no pity or giving to quarter to their enemies, despite others trying to show pity, trying to aid those who have been destroyed by the enemies, but are used as a shield to protect the enemy. There is no pity. No empathy. And that is why you may not always want to root for them. What they’re doing is completely correct and others are incapable of the savagery, but there are times when one must just suck it up and face that there is no peaceful way to resolve matters. The people that have been taken hostage cannot be saved, because they were never going to be let go peacefully anyway. Not when they’ve been devoured by space goo.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And there are some amazing fights in Getter Robo Armageddon where the space goo, or Invaders are from. Armageddon is a AU telling of Getter Robo, and despite it’s flaws, I love every minute of it. There is quite a bit less comedy in Armageddon than there is in the manga and other animes, but the darkness appeals to me more because it’s not just giant robots fighting monster of the week for thirteen episodes. There is quite a bit of monster of the week in Getter Robo, and I’ll never complain about it because monster of the week never bothers me. There are serious moments in the series. And there are serious moments that lead to epic battles.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Unfortunately the majority of the shows aren’t licensed, and fansubs are all that exist. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. If you find the newer shows, the subs are quite good and enjoyable. The older shows unfortunately aren’t given as much love. There are translations, but for the most part they are HK subs, which are horrendous. How horrendous?

This isn’t Getter Robo however. This is Mazinger QUALITY CRABSTICK HK subs.

The HK subs I have for Getter Robo are less – eloquent – shall we say. They’re very hard to understand and the names of the characters are often incorrect in sad and horrible ways. The good news is that some people are stepping up with fansubs to replace the horrible HK QUALITY subs. It may be a long time coming however. Most sub groups are a handful of people that have very little time because most are students. They do the subs because they love the shows and want to share them with others. And the people that do that are awesome. And if the shows were licensed, then I would throw my money that way. And I have purchased merchandise and DVDs from the shows. A Revoltech Black Getter is hanging out on my desk. And for those curious about Getter Robo manga, the only place to go is Dynamic Pro Scanlations. Also, Getter Robo has awesome music. One should never forget the awesome music. And if you don’t like HEATS you got no taste.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Toys, part 2

chaosagent — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 10:32:05 +0000

TaJaDol form OOO fights the evil kaijin Eris

I mentioned that I had another collection of toys that I’ve been playing with lately besides the Gunpla. I’ve taken to collecting SH Figuarts action figures from some Tokusatsu series that I enjoy. Of course these aren’t children’s toys, despite the fact that the majority of them are from children’s shows. The market for the figures are older collectors and most have a label suggesting that the figures are for age 16 and up. The figures are very articulated and can be posed in a variety of ways with or without stands. The figures are about 14 cm tall or 1/12 scale. Most have accessories that pertain to the character such as hands and weapons and sometimes effect parts. Some effect parts are on a large scale and can be purchased seperately. I have one effect part set and some add on parts sets. I’m certain that in time I will aquire more because I can’t resist the plastic crack of SH Figuarts and Gunpla. Yes, I call my toys plastic crack because no matter what, there are always more I want, even if I’ve just purchased one or have one on the way. And I have at least one pre-order and one in transit at this time. Because the damn things are addictive and little works of art.

TaJaDol form OOO approaches the kaijin Eris cautiously

My desk has been overtaken by these figures and I’m running out of room for them. We’re planning on building a shelving unit that takes up an entire wall in our living room. It won’t happen immediately due to time and cost constraints but when we have it built, we’ll have a place to display all these little pieces of art. And they are quite amazing. The figures are not, for the most part, something you can walk into a toy store and buy. Some stores, usually comic and collectable shops, will have a small amount of the figures. You have a better chance of finding them online in specialized stores like Gundam Planet, Big Bad Toy Store, or Toy Arena which are all located in the US. I’ve made purchases from all three stores and been satisfied. Amazon and Ebay are other options, but most of the prices are much higher on both sites. AmiAmi, CS Toys, HobbyLink Japan, and Mandarake are all stores that ship for the most part, worldwide from Japan. I have purchased from all but HLJ, but they are all reputable stores. AmiAmi and HLJ tend to have some decent sales and CS Toys don’t have a large selection, but they get new shipments weekly and are very active with their customers. They have a live stream of packaging, they take pictures of orders before packing, and are very active on Twitter. They also do live demonstrations online of toys and review them and talk to the customers that tune in to learn about the toys. The face of CS Toys also speaks english and has traveled to cons in the US for the store. Mandarake sells used toys for the most part. It’s a good place to find older toys, but you cannot search for specific items unless you spell them in Japanese, despite going on their english site. You can find some decent buys there however and they don’t just stock action figures.

Kamen Rider Stronger being Kamen Rider Stronger

Of course I don’t always have my figures harassing my cats. Although it is hilarious to do so. Eris is unbelievable tolerant of them most of the time. These little figures are amazingly detailed for the most part. They’re very accurate in their representation of the characters they’re recreating. Most come with several hands so they can hold weapons and do a variety of poses. Most of the older SHFs have die cast metal feet, which make them easier to pose. Some of the newer ones have die cast feet as well, which add to the weight of the figure. I don’t have many that have the die cast feet. I can think of only three off the top of my head, Kamen Rider Black who is very thin and without the die cast feet would fall over quite easily. Kamen Rider OOO Putotyra Form would be very unbalanced without the die cast feet because he’s very top heavy due to the head. And Kamen Rider Birth has die cast feet. He would be okay without the die cast, but it gives him a little extra heft.

This was all of my SHFs at one point. Then I ordered more.

I’m don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. I have a few series I want to collect all the figures for. I’m short having all the Kamen Rider Black figures. I don’t think I’ll be able to afford one of them unless I win the lottery. They make the motorcycles for the characters sometimes and Black’s motorcycle will cost a pretty penny. His second season figure is reasonable so I’ll be able to pick up that one without difficulty. I’d like to also track down Kamen Rider 1 and 2 along with Amazon, Super-1, and Amazon so I have all the original Riders that have figures out. I’m hoping that they’ll release more of the Showa era characters and some villains. I’d like to see a Mr. Titan Figuart. I’d probably sell a kidney for him. He’s my favorite villain. And yes, I have furniture for my figures. They have poker night.

Toys

chaosagent — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 10:24:33 +0000

No one can resist a big red Z’gok

I mentioned that I hadn’t posted in awhile over here because of real life, work, etc. but in that time I’ve picked up a new hobby that I had been pondering taking up for the past couple of years. Taking up the hobby was hindered by funds, but now that things are a little more stable I have a little extra cash that I can use to entertain myself.

When I was younger, my brother and I would build models. Airplanes, cars, whatever we could get for a few bucks. I wasn’t particularly good at them, but it killed an afternoon and kept us out of our mother’s hair. There were six of us after all and anything that would shut us up would probably make her happy beyond belief. I’ve started building models again, but not the models that I used to build. I could care less about building cars and planes. I’ve started building Gunpla, which are Gundam models.

One of my new toys.

I’ll be the first to admit that taking up constructing a model again after probably at least 20 some years is a bit daunting, especially since the instructions are not in english and I only speak and read english. And you don’t have to spend your time huffing fumes from glue while you’re making the models either. They’re pretty much all snap models now, so glue isn’t necessary at all, nor is paint due to the fact that the models themself are made from the proper color of plastic that the mobile suit is supposed to be. You can paint them, but if I did that I would end up destroying them. Because they would look like ass then. No one intentionally wants to build a model that looks like ass. I’m certain if I were to sit down and be patient and take my time, I could probably paint them up decently, but they really do look fine without painting them. I’ve not had the urge to go all out and buy special paints and such to go that extra mile. They look fine and I’m not building massive dioramas and taking my models to contests. Yes there are contests like the Gunpla Builder’s World Cup, though I admit the people that compete make some fucking awesome Gunpla.

SD Exia being all kawaii

Oddly enough, despite my sad state of only speaking/reading one language, it has not hindered my ability to build these guys. The instructions come with pictures and the pieces are all numbered on the sprues and in the instructions so it’s just a matter of matching the numbers and putting them together. I’ve so far just ventured into the low end of the models, which are much cheaper than the other models. I started with the SD or Super Deformed versions which are small and quite cute actually for mobile suits used for fighting. I picked up my first HG or High Grade Gunpla after I had built around 12 SD models. I purchased 5 on a whim and at the urging of another person who had never built any models, but picked up them on a whim as well. Her husband had built many in the past so she gave it a shot. She pretty much said if she could do them, I could. She was right. I did the five I ordered in an afternoon on the day the package arrived and immediately ordered another batch.

Stupid Sexy Guncannon

I’ve slowed down recently and have been sitting on the single Gunpla that I haven’t built yet. I slowed down because I had other toys ordered. What toys? Well, there are some pictures of them in the lovely splash banner. Between the Gunpla and the SH Figuarts I have become addicted to the plastic crack. One of these days I hope to get the ambition to tackle a Master Grade or Perfect grade Gunpla. I’m pretty sure that will entail a long term commitment, not a few hours one afternoon. And I’ll need a bigger table to work on. And more tools. The good thing about Gunpla is that you can have fun with them.

Decency is too hard

chaosagent — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 03:10:39 +0000

I haven’t posted for quite awhile for various reasons that add up to work, real life and laziness. Several times I have turned over ideas in my head for posts and thought about them and began to write something only to walk away and leave this page without updates. I’m kinda lame that way sometimes. I’ve watched several things unfold in the atheist community over the past year and it’s turned me off more than ever than associating with groups because of the behavior of so-called thinking, reasoning people.

It’s not that I’ve ever associated with the national or local organizations or groups. I’m fine to read what I wish whenever I wish about whatever I wish. I’m not a real sociable person to be quite honest and I hate large gatherings and groups so the idea of going to any kind of con or meeting holds no interest for me whatsoever. I’m not the most articulate person when it comes to phrasing things nor am I the most pleasant when I think someone has fucked up or is treating people unfairly. And frankly I won’t feel bad for calling someone a fuckwit when I think they’re being one.

That said, I don’t have a problem with being corrected when I have said something wrong. I don’t mind that at all. I would rather have accurate information than continue on with a smug attitude and refuse to ever be wrong. I’m seeing a lot of that out of atheists right now and I’m disgusted. Smug, self righteousness, condescending and hateful. Yeah, when the religious blame atheists for this behavior, they’re right. Too many people are making a war out of labels. Too many people are deciding that no matter what one groups says, they will always be wrong and deserve to get the fuck trolled out of them. This is fucking pathetic.

I don’t care if you disagree with a person. I could give two shits less. However, when you accuse people of behaving dogmatically for actually wanting to treat fellow humans like fellow humans for being different from the old boy’s club, I have no fucking use for you. Why is treating someone who is not male, white, and straight so fucking wrong? No really, why is that wrong? Are you afraid of women? Gays? Trans people? Black people? Foreigners? Honestly. I would like to know what the fuck is so wrong with including everyone?

The people that are dedicating hours and days and weeks to trolling others because of this are sad. And the trolling isn’t even good trolling. There’s nothing funny at all about any of this. It just shows how fucking immature people are. And that’s what it boils down to. If you don’t like something, that’s good. What is the harm that is being done by allowing everyone in? What is the harm at learning what it’s like in the gay community being an atheist? Or the trans community? Or as an atheist PoC? What is so harmful in intersectionality? I’m not seeing any downsides to this. I’m seeing a lot of hatred for people that are promoting this. And it’s fucking sad.

It’s fucking sad that people have to throw a fit about being asked to be a decent human being. If you don’t think you want to be a part of it, don’t. Don’t throw out terms like cult and dogma and shit like that. Because I’m not seeing any dogma. I’m not seeing any cultish behavior. That’s bullshit. And going out of your way to attack others because they think it’s a good idea to be more inclusive, is fucking pathetic. You don’t like it? Continue to live in your bubble. I mean, bitches ain’t shit, right?

Sprog!

chaosagent — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 22:29:16 +0000

Well, my overlarge very pregnant sister finally popped producing the little sprog she and her boyfriend have named Wednesday Autumn. Poor kid is going to be spoiled rotten. For the record she obviously is not the massive chunk of lard my sister swore she was. I’ll be waiting patiently for her brother, Pugsley.

I’m still a lazy fucker

chaosagent — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:32:34 +0000

No, really. I haven’t made a post over here since August. It’s now the end of October. I need to give this place a little more attention. I’ll have to get back into the swing of things like making posts. I’m just not feeling it right now. Until my laziness fades, have a kitty train.

Click here to view the embedded video.

To make you hungry

chaosagent — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 02:08:57 +0000

Yeah, I made up some shit today because I do stuff like that. Come up with something in my head that sounds good, but have no basis for a recipe and make the entire thing up from scratch, but throwing stuff in that sounds good. I guess that I have pretty good luck with it because nothing has tasted like utter shit yet. I decided that I was going to make some pasta with fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, sweet peppers and prosciutto. Of course the scope always increases and I end up adding more and making it more elaborate. Because that’s how shit goes. So I made some pasta that turned out pretty damn good, but of course the amounts for two people are always off so we have exactly one metric fuckton of dinner. Or as we call it, leftovers.

Fresh Tomatoes, Sweet Peppers, Fresh Basil and Garlic Cream Sauce with Prosciutto over Penne Pasta

1 package of small assorted tomatoes
3 medium sized sweet peppers or 1 large sweet bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh basil leaves, about 10 or to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan and Romano cheese
1 cup white wine
1 teaspoons cornstarch
8 oz heavy whipping cream
2 cups milk
prosciutto, shredded
pasta
4 Tbs. butter

Put minced garlic in skillet with 5 Tbs olive oil and sauté until golden at medium-high. Add halved tomatoes and sauté for 3 minutes. Add diced peppers and fresh basil. Stir frequently. Juice will come from the tomatoes. Add wine. Continue to cook until tomato juice and wine reduce making a thick sauce. Set aside. In saucepan melt butter. Add cheese to butter then add cream. Whisk constantly at medium high. As cheese begins to melt cream will thicken. Add milk. Put cornstarch in cup and add cold water, making a thin paste. Add to bubbling sauce to thicken, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. When sauce is thick, add prosciutto and tomato mixture. Pour over cooked pasta and eat the fuck out of it.

I’m a lazy fuck. I admit it.

chaosagent — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 20:33:30 +0000

I’ve been back for awhile. I’ve also tried a few times to actually put together a post. I’ve failed all kinds of ways with that. So we made our trip to St. Louis for RelUnrelated’s stem cell transplant. Day 0 for that was August 1. Which is the day before we quit smoking 2 years ago. Yay us! We quit smoking and he got cancer. (How does that work out?) He did well and was released earlier than was scheduled. It’s better to let him speak on the process. I missed quite a bit of it being as I was with my parents a good chunk of the time being baby sitter for my father a good portion of that as well. All of his posts are here at Dexterity Unlimited. They have lots of pictures that the two of us have taken over this almost 2 year battle against cancer. His fight more than mine, I’m just back up.