The Wildcat's Den

...sigh... sometimes, I really really hate Facebook.  A friend of mine from high school recently got married and I stupidly clicked on the pictures on Facebook.  You have to know, I haven't been in touch with this friend for a good number of years and I didn't even go to her wedding.  You know how these things go - who really keeps track of people from high school?  It was a little unnerving to see her married (I have no clue who the guy is) because we were the little tomboys that pointedly avoided dating at all costs.  I know that people change and get older and things... but still, it's really strange.

It's so odd - I see people that I've known all my life getting married and having kids and I'm ... not.  Not that I want to run off and get engaged to the first loser that comes along (one of these days, I should tell you all about the bastard my aunt married - listen to enough about him and you'll be off to the nearest convent), but it's just... bleagh!  You all know what I mean, right?

Luckily for me, I collect things that help me feel better about things like this, particularly music.  I love uplifting lyrics - and they don't even have to be in English!  For example, this song from "Sailor Moon" is amazing.  It's called "Otome no Policy," which translates to (depending on who you ask) "A Lovely Maiden's Policy."  Basically, it's all about being brave on your own even when things are totally going to crap (and if you know anything about the second season of SM, you can tell that it fits the story very well.  At least, I think so).  It's just one of those songs that give me the warm fuzzies and I love it!  Anyway, this video is the full version of it and I've included the translation beneath the cut.



( There's nothing I'm afraid of! )

 E, by the way, stands for Emily who is my sister who is having a birthday today.  I have long maintained that she has more claim to April 22 than any crazed tree-huggers ever did or will.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIS!

PS - I finished watching the Japanese sub of Sailor Moon's first season last night!  Holy cow - it was amazing!  The ending of the first season always gets me emotional and junk, but this was something special, to say the least.  On to the R season, which is hands down my favorite - I'm a sucker for a good love story and a good backstory - or is it a little front story in this case, since the antagonists are from the future - and a little angst never hurt anybody. ^_^

ETA - I remembered this little gem from Strong Bad and I had to share in the joy (hit that Enter button a couple more times, SB!)



(It's got a picture of a little leaf so you know it's good for the environment!)

Ahhhh... Spring is starting to want to stick around.  I've been cleaning my room and I got my summer-ish clothes pulled out of storage the other day.  You know, after a while you get sick of wearing the same stuff, but then the seasons change and you get a whole new wardrobe without having to drop a dime!  At least, that's how I operate.

My school projects are coming along nicely.  Not finished by any means, but I'm closer than I was a week ago.  I think a couple more days where I am strongly-motivated might just do it.  Now the fun part is getting to that strongly-motivated state.  And yesterday the yearbook kids got the cover design finished so now we can send it to the printers and they can get started on it! (Oh Happy Day!!!!!)

Oh, and my grandma called yesterday for some insignificant something-or-other.  You have to know, my parents aren't exactly on speaking terms with my grandparents (something that happened while I was on my mission - I've gleaned details of it here and there, but it wasn't pretty).  Among other things, my mom is not happy with the amount of favoritism my grandparents show some of their grandkids and not others.  A few weeks ago, my cousin posted on Facebook how great it was that Grandma and Grandpa came to visit.  Coincidentally, Mom found herself on the phone with Grandma and asked about it and Grandma said that they hadn't seen anybody for months (Grandma doesn't quite savvy how all this internet social-networking stuff works).

So, anyway, I kept my conversation with Grandma short and light on the details.  Not that I enjoy giving my grandparents the cold shoulder, but it's so much easier than having to deal with my parents sniping at me for telling them our business.  Personally, I don't have a dog in this fight.  I just think there are some adults who have been acting like children and need to grow up.  But try telling them that - it's better that I stay out of the drama and let the soap opera play out from here (pass the popcorn, please).

In happier news, I found a high quality fansub of Sailor Moon that I've been watching in my free time.  I've decided to shelve my pride and try it out in the original Japanese - and I have to say, it's grown on me.  There will always be a special place in my heart for the English dub, but as one YouTuber noted, it is possible to like both (I love the music in the English version - and I highly doubt that the Japanese names would be the same if spoken in English.  They rarely are with dubbed anime).  There's a lot more to the story that got cut out of the English version and some of the jokes make a lot more sense in Japanese (of course, I had to look some of it up on fansites to get the full explanation, but once I did, everything was great).  And the phrase, "Tsuki ni Kawatte Oshiokyo" ("In the name of the moon, I shall punish you") is a lot catchier in Japanese too. ^_^  Maybe after this, I'll give the live-action version a try.

Also in the "Happier News" column, Sunday is the first day of the singles branch in Delta, which I am looking forward to.  I met the first counselor in the branch presidency when my brother-in-law was ordained an elder last week in stake conference and he's a pretty nice guy (the first counselor, I mean.  My brother-in-law's a nice guy too ^_^  Strangely enough, the first counselor is my brother-in-law's boss.  Small town living - gotta love it!)  I decided that I need to take the attitude that I'm not here solely to date and find a husband.  In fact, the letter that the stake presidencies sent out about this said that a Young Single Adult (YSA) branch gives YSAs opportunities to serve that they wouldn't normally have and helps prepare us to lead the church in the future.  So, I am going into this as though it's a training and teaching opportunity.  After all, I served my mission faithfully and learned everything I did there and now I need a chance to put that into practice.  I've heard it said somewhere that serving a full-time mission (whether 18 months or two years) gives you the equivalent experience of serving in regular church callings for 50 years.  Whether that's true or not, I figure I should use that more fully than I have been.

It's certain I'm going to get some kind of calling.  Everyone in singles wards gets a calling.  Where this is a branch and it's much smaller, it's even more important that everyone has a job.  Plus, it's standard operating procedure that if a bishop/branch president of a singles ward/branch has a returned sister missionary in his congregation, she must be given a significant position (I'm not saying this to prop myself up - I served as Relief Society president in my student ward a few years ago and when I was selecting my counselors and teachers, the bishopric strongly encouraged me to consider the sisters in the ward who had served missions).  It's not a matter of if I'm going to get a calling, it's when and what exactly I'm going to be.  I make it a point not to say what I would like to do, because you usually end up as something you really don't want to be.  That's how the Lord works, I've found out.  If you say you want something, He gives you something completely different to help you grow and learn.  So, I am just going to say that I'll go wherever the Lord wants me and it'll be great. ^_^