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Friday, April 13, 2012

Of Luck, Excitement and 13


Rain, rain, come to stay, go away another day! Hmm I think that's right...
Hello and welcome to Weekly Ramble number 7 on Friday the 13th! Today I had the day off from work, so I apologize if today's ramble seems a bit late, there's a reason; probably not a good reason, but a reason none-the-less. Anyway today I'll share my Friday the 13th experiences (from today), I've also got some random news, a special "The Creator's Corner", and as always we'll take a look at some items in "Semajj's Bookshelf" and finish things off with a new Song of the Week.


So depending on what time-zone you are in while reading this, Friday the 13th might already be over for you, but for me it's about three-fourths done, and I'm pretty sure the worst of my bad luck has come and gone. Because it is Friday the 13th, and I have come into some bad luck today, I figured I'd share my misfortune with you, my dear readers.

This morning started like any other morning that I don't have work, first I sleep in for about an hour then I go get some breakfast (just a bowl of cereal) and turn to my computer to make sure the world isn't falling apart without me knowing (good thing; it wasn't). After reading all the interesting news that I came across and catching up on my favorite forum thread (/AMP/)  I decided to catch up on all of the new anime that have been premiering this week (see more about that later in today's ramble). Eventually lunch time rolled around and I looked out my window; it was windy but it didn't look like there was a big chance of rain. After freshening up and getting dressed I looked out the window once more before gathering all of my effects (cell phone, keys, wallet, etc.) and heading out to my local grocery store to buy a sandwich (and an umbrella because my house oddly lacks any form of anti-rain gear). About a quarter mile down the road (out of about a half-mile walk) rain started to pour down out of nowhere. Caught off-guard, and closer to home than the store, I turned around and ran home in the rain. Once home, I changed into some dry clothes and went to the kitchen to find something to eat (since my original plan of buying something at the store was ruined by the rain) I opened the cabinets to find them bare, save for a few cans of beans. Luckily there were a few tortillas on the counter, so I made myself burritos for lunch. As I was a few bites into my burrito, the tortilla decided to tear down the middle and the entire inside of it fell, luckily, onto the plate. Luckily that's where my bad luck ends since I decided to keep myself out of trouble and spend the rest of the day relaxing. And now I'm typing my ramble, hopefully things stay on the better side of luck for me for the rest of the day.

Hmm how's your luck been today? If you have a tale to tell, leave a comment below (although with my luck this'll turn out like the whole question thing I tried a few weeks back, ha ha).


So as I've said in earlier rambles, the new Spring 2012 anime season is under-way and I'll tell you, so far it is exceeding my expectations (which initially weren't very good). Crunchyroll has a large line-up of simulcasts scheduled for this season, a few titles that I would recommend, based on the first episodes, are Tsuritama, Kids on the Slope, and Polar Bear's Cafe. First off is Tsuritama, a show about an obscure group of friends who go fishing, and end up on an epic adventure. From the first episode I can tell this show is going to be fun to watch, the animation is bright and colorful, the characters are unique (and odd might I add) and, well it just seems fun. Next is Kids on the Slope, a show about Jazz music,  I'll leave it at that: Jazz. And lastly is Polar Bear's Cafe, a show that follows the daily life of the patrons of a cafe owned and run by a Polar Bear. It's light hearted, punny and funny. There are many other shows that seem like they could turn out to be great (I'm watching a lot more than just these three, but I feel like these three deserve a recommendation). There are also a few titles that will start simulcasting at NicoNico and a couple titles that have already started over at Viz. I have a bit more to say on this subject, but it'll come up a little later...


Before we get to "The Creator's Corner" I'd like to talk about an event that is coming in a few months. This certain event is more-or-less the highlight of my year, if you've followed by rambles since way back when I was just rambling on G+, then you might know what I'm talking about. But since I think there were only one or two people who actually looked at my stuff there, I'll fill the rest of you in: Anime Expo is coming up, and even though it's still a few months off, I'm already getting excited for it. Last year was my first trip to Anime Expo, and I had a great time, I met lots of fun people, saw a bunch of great cosplays, spent quite a bit of money and I got to see Hatsune Miku live in concert!

"Wait a second there Bucko, Miku live in concert, isn't Miku that 'vocaloid' or whatever you're always talking about?" You might be asking.
To which I respond: "Why yes, Hatsune Miku is a vocaloid, but I did see her, as well as the Kagamine Twins and Luka Megurine, live in concert last summer."
"Impossible, I know enough to know that those vocaloids are computer programs!"
Once again I respond: "True, they are digital idols, but they did have a concert. Here:"



Ah I have fun writing these. Anyway, yes Miku was there in concert and I was there to see it, it was amazing. The folks who run the Anime Expo have only so far announced a few guests of honor, but they only play a small part in the fun of Anime Expo. Apart from the concerts and the guests of honor, there are plenty of things that make it fun such as the vendors, the artists (who sell their own art in a section of the dealer hall), cosplayers and fellow anime fans. Yup, I can't wait for the end of June to roll around!


Okay the time you've all been waiting for: "The Creator's Corner"! Today's CC will be a bit different from previous editions of "The Creator's Corner". Today I'm not going to talk about any of my creative writing projects, today I'm going to talk about another project that I work on every week; this one! That's right, today I'm going to ramble a bit on rambles, mainly some extra ramble stuff that might be happening in the future. First on the small list of possible changes is the possibility of informal and seasonal anime reviews. Basically what I'd do, is at the end of every anime season, I'd share my thoughts on all of the shows that I'd watched and that had ended that season, then a few weeks later, at the beginning of the new season, I'd share my first thoughts and out-looks for the new shows that started that season. So that might happen at the transition from the spring 2012 to the summer 2012 season, so more info on that later. Another thing that might be happening around here is a page make-over! I've been rambling on this page for seven weeks now, and I think it's about time I put some effort into the layout of this page. What I was thinking (other than a new background) was to make some sub-pages that archive the songs of the week (and provide links to where you can listen to said songs) and a second page that compiles the entries to "Semajj's Bookself", complete with pictures and everything! Like I said, these changes may or may not happen, and if they do happen they won't be over night (maybe they will, it depends on how much effort and help I get on working with this page layout).


Well then, even though to me it seems I'm cutting it short, I'm actually quite a bit over my 1k word target. So I'll wrap this up quickly! This week I added two actual items to "Semajj's Bookshelf" and one digital item! The two items I got this week are the complete series of Canaan on Blu-ray and the complete second season of Sora no Otoshimono on DVD (lame Funimation, where's my BD). And finally the digital item I acquired this week is a new game by Sega for the iOS: Miku Flick. Quickly:



Yup that's this week's Song of the Week: "World is Mine" by Hatsune Miku! Anywho I'm going to make like a banana and split, as always thanks for reading, and if you have any comments, questions, tips or concerns, you can e-mail me at Semajj07@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

... To Be Continued!

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