The Hangout....where sanity is overrated.

[Xalome]

AD: I once tried to break into my house. My parents were camping in BC and I came home from work and while opening the door my key fell off my keyring. I grabbed it and put it next to the key ring thinking that I'd be able to put it back on later. I make dinner and such and later two of my friends stop by and want to go wandering about (we do it all the time) and I grab my keyring, step outside and slam the door. I then realize the key to the house is still inside.

;-; My house is totally fricking burglar proof. On the brightside I feel safe now. But we even called my other friend who lives just down the street and another friend dropped by too. So we had me, and four friends. So we had three guys plus myself and my friend trying to get into my house and we couldn't do it. It was so sad. I ended up having to stay with a friend til my parents got back.

I obviously live in some kind of super-fortress.

Diethel: Hi!

*dies* I just keep reading Diethel and hearing someone lisp the word diesel.


Whee. It's too cold out for the hour and a hlaf bus ride to school so I get to stay home today. Glee!  

[Iyou]

Aaagh! I got my Gamecube today, and it came with everything the seller said it would come with. All the appropriate cables, a controller, three games... I was overjoyed. crying I had so been looking forward to this that I even went out and got an extra controller before I got the package so I could play SSBM with my friends as soon as I received it.

When I hook it up to my TV, the screen comes on with the little Gamecube logo. Yay!

I press the open button to put in the copy of SSBM I got in the bundle. And... The lid of the system will not stay closed. I discover that the open button hasn't popped back up yet, probably due to a broken spring or something. Well, the seller said everything worked perfectly, but I suppose this is nothing that I can't handle... I can just put something heavy on the top of the Gamecube or poke at the lid latch a few times to get the button to pop back up again. No biggie.

So I manage to close the lid and I wait for the disc to read.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait some more.

And all the while the system is making funny little squelching noises until it finally gives up on reading the disc. Oookay... maybe that game is defective. So I try the other two games out (all three look fine - no major scratches or anything). Same problem.

Needless to say I tried to get the stupid thing to work for about 15 more minutes, switching games and mercilessly abusing the power and reset buttons, before I could accept that I had been sold a defective Gamecube.

Long story short: My Gamecube doesn't read any of the games it has, and I'd really like to get it repaired somehow. Does anyone know of anything I can do to finesse it a little bit and get it to work properly? (Short of taking it apart - I'd rather send it off to Nintendo repairs if it came to that.) I already sent an email to the guy who sold it to me to see if he can help me at all, and if he doesn't respond soon or acts like a jerk about it, I'll probably file a claim with eBay, since the stuff that I received was significantly different than what was advertised (considering he had "WORKS FINE" plastered all over the sale page stressed ). I'm hoping this guy can either tell me something I can do to it to make it read the games (I know my PS2 has developed little quirks that might throw someone else trying to use it) or refund me at least $25 so I can send it off to get repaired by Nintendo.

Le sigh. sad  

[Abandoned Dreams]

...can't...stay...focused...at...work...


Shiro - Well, it's funny, but I still don't see the connection to Trogdor.

Laitue - ROFL! "super-fortress"! I can't believe you never found a way to get in! You and your friends wouldn't make very good hoodlums.

Iyou - Awww, that sucks. sad I'm sorry to hear that. (Although it's kind of the reason why I don't trust ebay.) You might want to try a friend's game in the system and your games in their system before identifying the problem. Even if you can't see the scratches, they might still be there.



In ADNews... Ugh. Why are graduate programs so high and mighty? No, I wasn't published as an undergrad. Tch. I doubt they'll accept my "but college was so damn BORING" argument, but it's true. So now I'm all mopey because I'd like to attend Northwestern, but they only admit 9% of applicants to their Psychology Ph.D. program. Mad flailing ensues.  

[Iyou]

AD - I know. At least I'm covered by some of eBay's policies if this guy turns out to be a big jerk, but I'm hoping he'll work with me to fix it. I wouldn't have bought it if it had been a completely blind purchase... but maybe I should be a little less trusting of people. sweatdrop

Although I'm probably one of those geeks who'll publish as an undergrad (sorry gonk )... that still sucks. But you're one of the most intelligent and convincing people I know, so I'm sure you'll find a way to do what you want. whee I don't really know what kind of stuff they'd like to see for psychology graduate school (except publications, apparently) because I'm in chemistry, but there are areas besides publications that you can excel in which will get their attention, right?

I'm rooting for you. heart  

[Abandoned Dreams]

Ohhhman. The warning on the bottom of my new keyboard reads thusly:
Feeling the discomfort, Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI), caused by the long periods had habits & repetitive motion at improper working environment, please cease to use consult your professional immediately.

A few questions come to mind: What are 'had habits'? Was the ampersand necessary? And what kind of professional?!


Iyou - Well, it isn't good never to trust people... I guess it's hard to find a happy medium.

(GEEK! How I hate your kind! Making us "sit in the back of class and occasionally offer a witty comment" type look bad!) But, thank you. heart You guys always make me feel better by tolerating my silly concerns. I guess I can always knock them flat with my test scores and GPA, right? Yeah? Maybe? I'm suppressing the urge to flail some more.

Thanks for your support. heart heart  

[QAtheTenkou]

Iyou - Aw, but he was cute. Young, but cute. heart And very sweet about beating me. (And it wasn't even by that much, all considered.)

If it makes you feel better, my guitar controller at home SPAZZES now. I've had the toolbox sitting next to it, debating to open it and fiddle with it myself. *a fix-it-yourself-er* I COULD return it, but that's so typical. Or I'll just buy a new one later...

Depends on the person and their alcohol level. Though if one has too many shots too close together of ANYTHING, the results are their own fault. xd

Sorry about the GameCube. Stories like that remind me to avoid eBay as much as possible. ._.;

Yume - Not all retail is fun, depends on the co-workers and management. The same for offices. You really think I wouldn't try wearing a cape even in the office?

I believe Iyou said it best, but don't worry too much, Yume. You're smart with just enough determination. I have no doubt you've got the grades to prove it too. A little push, a little shove, and a nice folder to prove as such, and you'll be in. heart

Shiro - That's basically the reason we're allowed to goof off and play with stuff. We display it, and thereby attract sales.

The catch phrase wasn't even my idea. S'my "twin"'s idea. What I find really odd about it is if I tell this catch phrase to the straight guys, they stare at me for a long, long moment, expression blank. Then just walk away. (Well, one I refer to as "Little Brother" shook my hand, and then walked away. xd ) I toss it at the gay guys and they latch onto me, "YES~! heart " And then I have to peer down my shirt and make sure I'm still female. sweatdrop

Have you ever had Romulan Ale?

******
Uh...I haven't had a seperate story in a few posts, have I? Hn...

Thursday nights tend to be the night my friends and I go out. (Sometimes Sundays, too.) Mostly because that's payday. We've always gone to the same place before, as it's Ladies night, Thursdays.

This past Thursday, we went to karaoke instead. Only it was just my "twin" and a female friend of ours. While at the place, this drunken guy kept hitting on our female friend. She said she had a boyfriend, but he shrugged, "I'm just having fun tonight."

This guy started buying her drinks and she got fairly buzzed. Then she started hitting on me. o_o; At first it's mildly funny, but then I was a little weirded out. My "twin" asked if I wanted to leave, but I insisted I'd be fine, I can handle it.

We con her into karaoke by me agreeing to a duet. We'll sing N'Sync's, "It's Gonna Be Me". Drunk guy decides to join us.

He's putting on a huge show, singing obnoxiously, dancing, jumping, etc. My friend keeps leaning over to me and trying to latch on. And me? I'm slowly scooting away.

My "twin" is laughing hysterically at the sight, but didn't take any pictures or vids on his phone as he insists he wouldn't do that to me.

Eventually, drunk guy goes off for another beer. The three of us grab our stuff and run before he's back. xd

And that was just 1/3 of the night! xd  

[Abandoned Dreams]

QA - Well, OK, the office IS fun sometimes. I don't have a cape, but I have had leis, reindeer antlers, and various hats. And my cubicle has a big self-made sign that says "DON'T PANIC."

*flails at you* heart

Drunken karaoke! Always good stuff! (Strangely enough, many of my friends are tone-deaf, so nearly every kind of singing might as well be drunken.)  

[axel]

Iyou

I'm rooting for you. heart

i'm rooting for you too, aydee. heart grad programs are indeed a b***h to get into but i've seen some real pieces of work get in. i have faith in you. 3nodding


ps. i finished okami!!!! *mad dancing*
must......get......artbook...... gonk  

[Iyou]

Axel - I just got Okami! So fun... x_x

QA - Aww, that doesn't make me feel better. Everyone should be able to enjoy the awesomeness that is Guitar Hero.

xD Romulan Ale? I know that's a Star Trek reference... but is there an actual drink named after it?


Speaking of drinks, is it wrong to be scared of my Cherry Coke? I normally don't drink carbonated stuff, but my friend had some coupons for free twelve-packs and she gave me some soda because she couldn't carry it all the way home. Now I've got an open can sitting next to my computer, and I can hear little poppy noises emanating from it. I know it's probably just the carbonation (they sure carbonated the hell out of it if I can hear it while I'm two feet away), but if I put my ear up close the can it sounds like there's something inside tapping the sides of the can really fast. Creepy. gonk  

[Abandoned Dreams]

axel - Thanks muchly. heart You're right: some real idiots get into grad programs on occasion. Maybe I'll play the "I'm an idiot so please let me in" card if I run out of ideas.

Isn't the ending AMAZING? Like, CAPSLOCK amazing?! And the song was so pretty. heart


Iyou - Yes, it is, in fact, wrong to be scared of pop (OhioSpeak). If your can is filled with invisible weevils, it needs to be dumped immediately.  

[Iyou]

xd ! We call it pop in Indiana too. I just called it soda before because my mom always makes fun of me for saying "pop" (she's originally from St. Louis), and she's burned it into my brain that everyone outside of Indiana calls it "soda." Apparently that's not true - hooray!

No more of your malicious lies, mother! crying  

[Abandoned Dreams]

Iyou - It's pretty polarized around Cleveland. Half of us say "pop" and half say "soda," and we all torment each other endlessly. Every now and then we'll get someone from some crazy place in the South where they call everything "Coke" and both groups team up on the poor soul.

http://www.popvssoda.com/ <-- amazing map  

[Xalome]

Iyou/AD: Do you know how sad it is that someone put that together? Or that the US needs one?

Last time I checked all the nice, sane Canadians call it pop. Because, honestly, soda sounds like.. you've teleported in from the fifties. razz And.. pop is pop. Not soda. Freaky American-types.

***

So.. some kid at work has been caught stealing from the till. We're just all teeny and in the food court so we don't have security tapes or anything but apparently customers have been complaining that a boy (of which there is only one at work) has been putting money from the till directly into his pockets. He actually did it today and we all saw him. When there is one till and three other people around, including your boss, how dumb do you need to be to try that? Though for some reason, even though this has been going on since before Christmas he's not being fired and gets a second chance?

... I am greatly confused and am positive my boss is insane.  

[QAtheTenkou]

Yume - There, see? Silver lining and all that. During Christmas, cashiers were allowed to wear antlers or a Santa hat. xd Hell, Management paid for the stuff for us to wear if we wanted to.

OMG you know you must take a photo of the "DON'T PANIC" sign. heart

If you're gonna flail, I'm gonna stick you in front of a mic. xd I'll sing, you be my back-up dancer.

Yeah, but...while my drunken friend isn't a good singer, I'm decent enough, and my other friend? ZOMG. Call me a fangirl. He sang Gary Allan's "Man To Man" and I'm sorry, Gary Allan has NOTHING on him. *happy sigh*

We also sang "Summer Nights" together. whee

Iyou - I did! And still do at work! Think of it this way, I get to play with an electronic device and tear it apart. whee

Romulan Ale:

1½ oz. Bacardi 151
1½ oz. Blue Curaçao

It's supposed to be a martini, but it's a shot so far as I'm concerned.

Soda vs. Pop:

I have NO idea what people call it around here. I don't even pay attention. All I know is my Mom grew up down South, Dad up North. One said "pop", one said "soda". My sisters and I gave up, referring to it as "Soda-pop". And I've been known to switch back and forth between the terms in the same paragraph without even noticing. o_o;

I've never called it "Coke", though. That's "Coca-Cola" in my book. Though I suppose I have a habit of referring to specific names, like "Pepsi", "Dr. Pepper", etc.  

[axel]

iyou: it's awesome. ;_____; i guarentee you'll want to try sumi-e after you finish *_*
or at least, i wanted to xD;;;

aydee: YES T___T
i almost cried at one part. ninja
and i already got my filthy hands on the soundtrack. thanks so much for gushing about it a month or so ago, i would have never known about this game otherwise. xd


that popvsossoda site is hilarious.
what is "other"???
what else can you call it??

laitue: gonk your boss is insane. that would have passed for about .0064 seconds at my job.