I Won an Award? Woo!

Calendreya over at Plucking Myself awarded me

award!

Thank you, Calendreya!

But the rules for recieving this blog are:

1) Thank and link back to the person who gave me this award.

2) Tell everyone 7 things about myself
3) Pass this award to 15 other bloggers
4) Contact the bloggers that I've picked and tell them about the award

Ok, simple enough.  Seven things about myself, eh?


1.)  I am currently a sophomore in college, working to get a degree in Economics.  Isn't that boring? :-D

2.)  I like hats.  I own two fedoras, one brown and fuzzy, one black with a purple band and silver studs.  I have one railroad-style cap, blue... And a variety of winter hats...  My favorite hat is my pirate hat, which is black with a purple feather and a plastic purple rose, but I rarely get a chance to wear it.  I think hats draw attention to people and tell you a bit about their personality.  They are the perfect flavor to add to any outfit.

3.)  I play tabletop roleplaying games.  I tend to prefer DnD from original up to second edition.  Third edition, in my opinion isn't necessarily bad, but compared to the previous editions isn't all that great, and Fourth Edition is crap.  I will also play and enjoy other tabletop systems.

4.)  I am an artist!  I betcha didn't know that, huh?  I haven't updated my deviantart account in a while.  I do my best work on paper, and it doesn't scan all that well onto the computer, sadly.  I am currently in an art class at my college, hoping to get better.

5.)  I also have a webcomic.  I also haven't updated that in a while. *slaps self* Bad Cap'n.

6.)  My favorite colors are purple and silver.  (Can you tell I'm running out of things to say about myself?)

7.)  I actually don't like the number seven.  My favorite number is 9.


Ok, now that that's out of the way... I have to pick 15 bloggers to award this to...  I barely know 15 other bloggers! *eep!*  Oh well, here goes!

1.)  Dr. Buck's Nerdland
2.)  The Roaring Dork
3.)  Daydream Believer
4.)  No Ordinary Rollercoaster
5.)  Compulsive Creativity
6.)  What is it?
7.)  Cat On My Head
8.)  Arguing With a Doughnut
9.)  Teenagerie
10.)  Abombs world
11.)  Steam Me Up, Kid
12.)  Hyperbole and a Half
13.)  Zingers of Mass Destruction
14.)  Cake Wrecks
15.)  Chicken Maker

And now to go tell them.  Some of these blogs are so famous, I doubt they'll even notice... On the other hand, some of them are are very not famous and could use your clicks.

Until next time,
Cap'n Kyrie

The Stuff You Need to Know About Drinking on Campus

Most people are not ignorant enough to think that college students aren't going to drink, even on a dry campus, and even if they're underaged.  57.8% of underaged college students consume alcohol in a period of one month.  I have not, myself, been drinking.  Nor do I expect any of my friends who read this to be drinking illegally or against campus rules.  But even if you don't think you're going to drink, you should still know everything in this blog post, just in case.

Firstly, most campuses provide a car service or escort to help you in situations that you don't find safe.  The situation may not even be drinking.  It could be that it's late and you don't feel safe walking home alone.  Regardless of what you'll be using it for, learn the number for that service and put it in your cell phone.

Also, most campuses follow a Good Samaritan Policy.  This basically says, in most circumstances, if you and a friend have been drinking against school policy and/or underaged, they will not hold you accountable for your actions should you call for help of your friend.  If you are drinking with your friend and you notice your friend has had so much that you're concerned about his or her health, don't be afraid to get help.  Even if you were to get in trouble, your friend's life could be at risk.  Many people wait until alcohol poisoning has set in before calling for help, because they were worried about getting in trouble.  Don't let that happen.

I encourage everyone to read this simple page about alcohol poisoning.  Vomiting is the first sign.  Vomiting means that your body is fighting it off, and is preventing more alcohol from entering the system.  If you are drinking and you feel like you're going to throw up, don't hold it in.  Let yourself throw up, and don't drink any more.  By the time you feel like vomiting, you've already had too much.

During and after drinking, drink plenty of water, and eat absorbent foods, like crackers, to help dilute the Blood Alcohol Concentration.  this will not sober you up, it will just help prevent the nastier side effects of drinking.

If you are at a party, do not accept open drink containers from someone you don't know and trust.  Likewise, do not leave your open drink unattended.  Date rape drugs are not an urban myth. This does happen, and it could happen to anyone.  If you have left your drink unattended, don't drink it.

Those are the main things that surprisingly few students on campus know about.  I won't bore you to death with all the little facts about alcohol and what it can do to you.

Until next time,
Cap'n Kyrie

Dissatisfied

I wanted to mention that I did finish watching Fruits Basket.  Overall, the series was good, but I was left with a feeling of dissatisfaction.  I also watched Ouran High School Host Club and Tsubasa.  I would definitely recomment both anime.  However, I'm beginning to notice a pattern.

In some anime, such as Tsubasa and Tokyo Mew Mew, the creators wrapped up the current storyline, but ended the series in a way that made you believe that there would be more.  And in Tsubasa's case, the story didn't seem done at all.  Yes, the arc was completed, but there was so much that still hadn't happened that would make me believe the story was over.  I found out later, that the Tsubasa manga continues the story, but after that point in the storyline, the characters change dramatically and the lovable, somewhat lackadaisical story you once knew becomes dark and serious, an error on the part of CLAMP writers.  Very dissappointing.  I'm usually a fan of CLAMP.

In other anime, such as Fruits Basket, the overall story has been told, the ending is clear and we are not led to believe that it will continue... However, the ending wasn't conclusive.  What I mean is, very little got solved, the future of the characters wasn't clear, and none of the little sidestories were really tied up, either.

Ouran Host Club and Hetalia, also leave me dissatisfied.  The series stops with no wrapping up whatsoever.  Admittedly, with Hetalia, the story doesn't need to continue for the series to be enjoyed...  But Ouran, at least, should have had plenty more to happen. Instead, it just stopped.

What is with this theme of leaving watchers dissatisfied?  If you're going to end a series, assuredly not coming back to another season, please wrap it up nicely so it doesn't look like an abandoned project.  I mean, really... If I were a teacher and these anime were papers I graded, this is what the grades would look like:

Student: Fruits Basket
Grade: A -
Comments:  Interesting concepts.  Brilliant execution!  Conclusion needs some work.

Student: Hetalia
Grade: B +
Comments:  Interesting concept.  Adaquate execution.  Good use of humorous repetition.  Where is conclusion?

Student: Ouran High School Host Club
Grade: B
Comments:  Good concept.  Body keeps me interested.  Slight repetition.  Where is conclusion?

Student:  Tokyo Mew Mew
Paper One
Grade: A
Comments:  Nice adaptation of old concepts!  Good development.  Transition on page two could use some work.  Excellent conclusion.  I look forward to your next paper on this topic!

Student: Tokyo Mew Mew
Paper Two
Grade: F
Comments: Paper was not turned in.

Student:  Tsubasa
Grade:  B -
Comments:  Interesting concept.  Decent execution.  Introduction could be longer.  Good transitions.  Interesting development.  Conclusion?

Yeah.  Good papers, but not a single student is getting an A + in that class.

I've also started to watch Love Hina.  I've enjoyed it so far, but if this one doesn't have a conclusive conclusion, I'll be really upset.  Part of why this one is so enjoyable is because of the mystery of the ending.  Unfortunately, because college takes up so much of my time, I may not finish watching it for a while, and may actually start over at some point.

In conclusion, good endings can make it or break it for mediocre anime.  Good anime will still be good without a good conclusion, but will never make an A + grade in the class of anime papers.

Until next time,
Cap'n Kyrie