Alright, I'm posting this here and another website. But if anyone knows someone interested in collaborating with me on a comic (yes, I'd pay for art) let me know... Or, if they are an artist who's looking to do a comic, let me know (again, I'll pay for art) contact me!

Basically... I'm looking to do a growth comic starring Manami and would love to have that happen. It'd be great if we can work something out, even if it's an "over time" kind of thing.

What I'm looking for? Anyone who can draw human characters. Preferably with a more anime/manga style. But I'm willing to look over anyone's portfolio.

I know it's a big proposition to make, but I need to at least try.

Good day!

Due to some nasty circumstances, I have decided to start doing commissions! All of the proceeds will go towards bill and rent money for me and my wife. I currently am not sure if I will be getting financial aid from my school due to new federal regulations that kicked in recently and I will not be grandfathered-in. I generally pay my bills, rent and stuff with this money and, being in limbo at the middle of the month is not where I want to be.

I do have a job now but am still in the training phase which is offering few hours. I am expected to get more hours in the next week and beyond, but in general, it's not a sure thing whether I'll have money for rent AND bills AND food.

I have updated my profile information with commission information, and will be adding that information to this journal so the word can get out a bit.

If you can't donate or toss money towards a commission, please let others know that I am open for commissions now.

Thank you.
=====================================================
Commission Information
=====================================================
Let me start this off by saying that I only do story commissions. I have absolutely no skills as an artist (and would only offend you if I did draw with how terrible I am at it) and have spent many years writing (normally fiction, but have dabbled in non-fiction and fetish writing.)

Approximate Prices:
2 Page Story: $6
4 Page Story: $10
Additional pages: $2.50/ea.

The above prices are base prices. The following is for specifics that take more effort...

Add-ons:
Detailed Growth: +$5
Detailed Hyper Growth (Breasts/Members/Etc.): +$7
Detailed Special Kink Requests: +$10 (See below for kink/fetish information)

The above prices are base prices as well.

Likes and Limits:
Likes: (Likes are things I enjoy writing)
Macro/Micro
Growth/Shrink
Herm
Breast/Genital/Muscle Expansion
Sex
Couples
Romance

Limits: (Things I won't do)
Hard Vore
Diaper/Baby Fur
Unbirth
Pregnancy

The above lists can and most likely will be updated, so keep an eye on them.

If I didn't mention anything in those two lists that you like, feel free to bring it up with me. Prices will adjust depending on how many kinks/fetishes you want me to incorporate into the stories. In general I'm open to most kinks and fetishes, there really are only a legitimate few that I just refuse to touch even with a 10 mile long pole.

The general process of commissioning me is for you to contact me (via note, private message (under contact info), or posting on my FA wall) and we can sit down and discuss what kind of story you want, what kinks/fetishes you want in, level of detail and character/s you want. As of right now, I will only deal with original characters. If you want to use an original character that isn't yours, PLEASE secure permission first. In the future, this policy may change. If you want to use one of my original characters, I may charge extra for it, circumstances pending. Though it's unlikely I will.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please let me know! I like to think I'm fairly laid back about it so don't be afraid to approach me.

One last thing, since it's inevitable... Yes, I do RP. We can discuss it when/if you message me.

Also, I have a number of my own stories within my Gallery. They're fairly old, but they give you a great idea of the content I have written, will write, my detail and style in general.

Finally... I will only accept PayPal. It is the best way to pay for commissions for me.

Contact Info:
YIM: xmanami_emirux[at]yahoo.com (YIM purposes only, I don't check the e-mail account)
FurAffinity: Manami (whether response to my wall, response to a journal, a note or a private message)

Well, now that I have a solid two dozen+ posts filled with random information on random crap, I think I have enough to comfortably begin advertising my blog out right.

http://virtualvintageor.blogspot.com/

It's a fun blog and I'm shocked that I've kept it going, making daily updates and what not. If you're into antiques/collectibles/vintage/nostalgia/etc. stuff, this is the blog for you! So feel free to visit and enjoy and well, hopefully learn something awesome?

Once again, it's that wonderful time of year... Manami's birthday! Everyone's favorite vampire (screw the Twilight crew and any others) is turning a paltry 883 years old on May 28th (this Saturday.)

Those who know me know that I use Manami's birthday as a stand-in for my birthday (because I am insanely paranoid) so it is, by proxy, my birthday as well. >.> Screw tradition and logic.

Oh, and thanks to a previous court order (that has been upheld numerous times despite numerous appeals) I am legally obligated to inform people that Manami wants gifts. Many gifts... Freakin' spoiled princess. -_-

Happy Boithdayz Manami!

Taken from the immortal words of Immortal Vanguard.

[x] You meow/bark to get attention.
[] You find pet's toys amusing.
[ ] You get hyper by the smell of catnip.
[] You growl/hiss when someone gets too close to your food.
[ ] You growl/hiss when someone you dislike is too close to you.
[x] You purr/shake your leg when someone shows you affection.
[] If someone tosses a ball, you chase it and brings it back.
Total: 2

[] You love to be scratched behind the ear.
[x] You love fish/meat.
[] You like to stick your head out through the window of a moving car.
[] You like when people pet your head.
[] People can make you stop doing stuff by hitting you on the nose with a newspaper.
[] You think feathers are fun to play with.
Total: 3

[x] You sleep a lot during daytime.
[] You enjoy scaring birds.
[ ] You lick peoples faces to show you like them.
[ ] You bite people if they annoy you.
[] You tend to steal food from your friends/family's plate when you have eaten all of yours.
[ ] Milk or water is your favorite drink.
Total: 4

[ ] You own a collar and you enjoy wearing it.
[ ] You own a leash and enjoy wearing it.
[ ] You own animal ears/tail/paws or a fursuit.
[x] You enjoy long walks in the park.
[] You meow/bark when you see something you want.
Total: 5

[] You call your hands and feet "paws".
[x] You tilt your head when you do not understand what someone is talking about.
[ ] You run to the door when someone mentions a walk.
[] You really REALLY REALLY enjoy cuddling.
[] You stretch your body and whimper a bit every morning when you wake up.
[x] You can wake up and go back to sleep right away after looking around.
Total: 7

[] You have your favorite spot besides your bed where you like to sleep.
[] You meow or bark very often.
[] You hide when you get scared.
[] You run to the door to see who it is every time someone comes in to the house.
[] You like to chase flying insects and try to catch them with your bare hand.
[x] You tend to chew on stuff a lot.
[] You like to do tricks to get a treat.
Total: 8

[ ] You own a wearable item/tag with your name on it.
[] You refer to your self as an animal.
[] Your username has something to do with animals.
[ ] Your e-mail has something to do with animals.
[] If you get a bleeding wound, you lick it to make it feel better.
[x] You look for edible stuff often.
Total: 9

[] You often find yourself looking through the window for a long time.
[] You like to say hi to strangers.
[] You like to be petted when you have done something good.
[ ] People think you act like a pet.
[] You growl/hiss at stuff you do not like.
[ ] You like to eat grass.
[] If you get wet, you shake to get rid of the water.
Total: 9

Pretty much what I thought; not very "furry" according to this test.

Alright, did my best to describe what kind of clothes she wears, mentioned her occupation and struggled to describe her personality. Honestly I don't think I did too well with any of it, but at least it's something to potentially build off of in the future.

Yes, her middle name is Illiandra. Shut up.

This is just a bit of a work in progress and really is just to give people an idea on Manami's physical stature. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I'm not too sure if I'm gonna edit any of the following in the future.

Ideas on other bits of information (other than a biography, will be working on that) are welcomed!

Name: Manami Illiandra Emiru
Location: Hillsdale, United States
Age: Approximately 1700 (Actual age unknown, claims 882; appears to be 28)
Birthdate: May 28th (Actual birthdate unknown)
Occupation: Meteorologist/"Weather Girl"
Orientation: Bisexual
Species: Vampire/Demon
Height: 7'6"
Weight: 375 - 400 pounds
Cup Size: 53G
Bust: 53"
Waist: 42"
Hips: 51"
Hair Color: Dark Purple
Eye Color: Dark Brown
Skin Color: Pale White

Preferred Clothing: Manami tends to wear form fitting dresses, usually black in color and of many different kinds of fabric. Other than that, she will wear pleated skirts (usually black with red fringe) and form fitting cotton t-shirts of most colors that show off her normally toned stomach. She often has small, pearl earrings.

In addition, she sometimes wears dark sunglasses. On her legs she usually wears beige pantyhose or thigh-high stockings. Finally, she prefers to wear boots, often short heeled black leather ones that go just above her ankle.

Abilities: Aside from her vampiric powers (more on those later) she has the ability to change her size and the size of anything and anyone else at will (ooc note: only works on those willing to have their size changed) and has gotten it down nearly perfectly, after centuries of practice. She also has telekinetic powers that she uses only rarely and can manipulate people (generally only when they're smaller than her) using invisible strings that attach to the joints of her victims.

She also can turn feral, entering a bloodlust where she will attack anyone near her and attempt to feed off of them. Her strength and speed increase ten-fold and it is often the only time that her wings will emerge from her back; black spines in them with nearly invisible webbing between that shines multiple colors similar to a prism. Her eyes will also turn completely blood red in this state and blood will begin to seep from them.

Personality: Manami's personality is quirky, to say the least. After living as long as she has and having to watch the vast majority of those she has gotten close to die has absolutely wrecked her psyche. She has almost always been unable to detach herself from those she holds dear to her heart and it always comes back to harm her in the end. Because of that, as can be expected, she has a bit of a harsh front. That is exasperated thanks to exactly who and what she is, as well as her powers.

Being on the bad side of Manami can be a real crapshoot. She is incredibly lazy and her bark is often far worse than her bite; but beware that she harbors grudges. If you piss her off, she will tell you in many words that you have done so. She normally does not got too physical as she considers it a waste to get into a fight with other beings, mostly thanks to her laziness, but partially due to how much she hates losing to others.

Manami's ego is massive and slightly fragile, she has evenly split feelings about herself and her self-esteem is a mixed bag. Though she originally embraced being a vampire, over the last few centuries she's begun to reject it and prefers to think of herself as human above all else, honestly hating what she is. She is confident in herself and her abilities in spite of her hatred of her own species.

For the most part, Manami thinks of herself as friendly, though that is certainly debatable. She frequently speaks about whatever is on her mind, likely to the chagrin of those who find themselves around her. Almost always there to speak to, Manami enjoys helping those she likes out, though she tends to do it in a fairly confrontational way.

I would like to ask that everyone do their damnedest to take the bad from this year and learn whatever you can from it. What's the point of negative experiences if you don't learn from them? I guess to drag you down and make you upset... Forcing you to remember that yes, you are indeed human like everyone else. But there are lessons that can help ease the negativity created by the events and you can apply them later on to help prevent those negative situations from coming back.

Example: I ended up not passing a class this year because I didn't save money for the book in that class and had to wait three weeks of the term without the required book. That set me up to be far behind and, after failing the midterm, I ended up giving up. This was quite a negative experience for me as it caused a good deal stress and I was beating myself up for it... But I learned that, if I save a bit of money for books, I will have a significantly easier time passing classes in the future to help prevent that from happening again.

Okay, not a GREAT example of a negative situation (there's been eh... Quite a few this year for me) but it was a great example of something I learned from it and I'm actually somewhat glad that I have this knowledge now, instead of being much further in my education and fucking up like that again.

I also would like to ask people to reflect on the POSITIVE things that happened this year. Things that made you feel good and brought you joy and hope at the time and in the future.

For me, the most positive thing to happen was getting married to my lovely wife and high school sweetheart, Jazzie. I've been much happier since we got married and I know that this will bring me plenty of joy in the future.

Okay, not as amazing of a journal as I had hoped... But eh, it gets the job done. I may post something extra before the new year (quite possibly blitzed out of my mind and totally not puking in a car...) but if not... Happy New Year everyone! Remember, this is a chance to build off of your successes in the previous year and to strive towards the goals that you set for yourself in the future!

That whale went KABOOM!

Yes, we've advanced THAT much, the folly of man in its attempt to blow up a beached whale on November 12th, 1970 in the small coastal town of Florence, Oregon.

The footage of that explosion has made the rounds and continues to be one of www.katu.com's most viewed footage. It was their reported, Paul Linman, who covered the explosion and its residual fallout... Of burning whale blubber.

Several years ago, I actually had the opportunity to meet Paul Linman at the KATU studios (right after he came back from China during the SARS outbreak, no less) and the first thing on my mind was "How bad was the whale explosion?" To which he replied, quickly as he was happy to be home again, "Bad."

Even today, both Paul Linman and Doug Brazil are haunted by the odor left behind by that eventful day. Both continue to be contacted by people all over the world regarding the incident.

The Oregon Highway Division (Now known as the Oregon Department of Transportation) decided that, after a beached whale died recently, they were going to literally blow the carcass up with the belief that it would be blown into tiny chunks that seagulls would eat up. It didn't work quite that way.

What ended up happening was most of the whale was left on the beach, while hunks of blubber were blown up to and over a quarter mile away; one car had its roof crushed from the impact and numerous people got sick.

The current solution employed by ODOT is to simply bury the whale under the sand. If there isn't enough sand, they'll transport the carcass to another beach and bury it there.

All-in-all, it was a memorable story from a fairly small town near where I live. I have been to Florence before and saw, roughly, the spot where the whale was. Thankfully no evidence is left.

The footage is easy to fine and if, for whatever reason, you haven't seen it... I'd suggest checking it out. It's morbid, yet funny. It's a wonderful example of how we as a species find solutions; we make good estimates of what should happen. When they don't happen the way we expect them to, we get a good laugh out of it for 40+ years and now use a much more intelligent technique (at least here in Oregon) to deal with dead whales.

...The whole point of this was to add a new journal for myself and come on, awesome anniversary.

Happy 40th Whale Exploding Catastrophe Anniversary! Buy the chitlins presents!

Next time anyone sees Jazzie and I, we'll be married!

In less than a week, Jazzie and I will be getting married. It's going to fall on the anniversary of our first date (so our 7th anniversary) and it's gonna be a small ceremony. Almost everything is done with a few crucial last minute details being hammered out.

To those who donated some money towards our wedding fund, don't worry... The money we collected went to help afford the Marriage License! So I want to thank everyone who donated from the bottom of my heart!

Never once did I doubt the important place in our lives and hearts that you held. You have enriched more lives than you could ever fully understand. May you rest in peace, my friend, forever Jazzie's kitten...

2001 - 2010

At 5pm on September 15th, 2010 (yesterday from the date of this posting) Jazzie and I were in a car accident and both had to go to the hospital.

We were fully stopped at a T-intersection, about to take a left onto a side street. It was Jazzie, her father, her step-mother and me all in the car. We were going from my place to my parent's house so all of us could meet up and flesh out plans about Jazzie and I's wedding.

Suddenly, I heard a screeching sound and began looking for the douchebag that was speeding and then WHAM! We lurch forward and my jaw slams shut. So we pull over... I call 911 and my parents to inform them that I had been in my first legitimate car accident.

The driver of the other car drove off... Luckily the man behind her saw her license plate and got the information to the sheriff that was there. The sheriff was the one who tracked her down a block or two away and brought her back to the scene.

Meanwhile a fire truck and ambulance showed up to take the car's owner (Jazzie's step-mother) to the hospital for whiplash and other injuries. Ultimately the rest of us went down to the hospital to get checked out.

I have mild whiplash and should be fine in a couple of days. I'm on Oxycodone and, apparently, it too makes me sick.

Jazzie has moderate whiplash and should be fine in a week or so. She's on much more medication than I am for pain.

We're all going to be fine, but this was a fairly scary situation. I had NEVER been in a car accident before and we all got away lucky. The car itself is in decent shape, the bumper having done its job.

Fun facts about the accident:
1. The car we were in had only ONE payment left on it.
2. The car's owner (Jazzie's step-mother) celebrates her birthday today.
3. We were en route to see my parents and start fleshing plans out for our wedding.
4. The driver of the other car may be cited with a hit and run.
5. The driver of the other car did NOT have a license OR insurance. So she's effed for a decade.

I'll keep people up-to-date on the situation if anything else happens. But yeah, this was bad.

So the convention was meh. There were plenty of good experiences, but there were a couple noticeable fuck-a-thons that did a damn good job turning the convention into the worst experience I've had thus far. That's impressive considering this was the 7th year I attended that convention. (No I'm not saying which one, don't fucking ask.)

It's basically just been the icing on the shit cake that's been brewing in my life for a while. It's draining me emotionally and physically now. Seems like more and more, I've been having months contending for "worst month of my life" and August, 2010 is yet ANOTHER example of a shitty month.

For the first time I can remember, I've had numerous cases of bad customer service. I always give them the benefit of the doubt because hey, I worked in that environment too. But when it keeps happening, my patience for it gets thin. I actually didn't tip my server last night for two reasons: I had nearly exact change and I didn't want to use my card; and the guy was either new or just completely terrible... Either way, I was rather unsatisfied with my experience.

Then my roomies and I had our first noise complaint since we moved in here. Admittedly we were in the wrong because we were playing Rock Band with the windows open and were loud. But some fucker came up, pounded on the door and just disappeared. Two days later? Formal complaint. I know for a fact that it was someone behind us that complained. So I get to wonder if it's:

1. The family that FIGHTS ALL FUCKING DAY. I've heard them fighting at 2am, I've heard them fighting at noon. I'm gonna call the police on their asses if it gets heated again. I don't feel comfortable.

2. One of the many families who have kids THAT STEAL OUR FUCKING CHAIRS. We have chairs outside and kids have decided that they can take them. Normally we're not awake when it happens, or we're not home, but we've had one chair stolen for a week before it was returned. And I yelled at the kids once who were taking them.

3. The family with the kid who has been crying, screaming, yelling, etc. all night as well. Hell, I have been woken up by that brat and, by extension, their piece of shit parents. I've heard the kid crying for up to 5 hours straight; 10pm - 3am. Fuck that noise.

4. The people who play their music insanely loudly in their dumbass-mobiles. I've had the mirror in my bathroom rattle thanks to them doing that. Don't care what time of day it is, it's rude.

ALL of those examples are from assholes behind me. I haven't reported it because, hey, we make noise too. But those fuckers opened the floodgates and I swear to GOD I'm gonna make a list of noise complaints and I WILL call the police if the situation calls for it... Especially for the fights because that shit makes me REALLY uncomfortable with all of the domestic violence that happens. I don't want to be harmed in anyway because of two dumbfucks decided to ruin THEIR lives.

I had finals for 3 weeks. Not a terrible issue, I realize... But I had three final projects and two final exams due in a 3 week window. So my social life declined AND I still had to fight off my natural procrastination that left me late on some of them. So because of my own stupidity, I took a couple hits. Oh well, ONE positive from August is that I passed all my classes so my financial aid ain't hurt.

I've had TONS of people deciding to lecture me on my habits. I don't MIND being criticized for things that I do... But why in the FUCK does everyone HAVE to do it ALL AT ONCE?! I had no time to even think about fixing issues people have with me because a bunch of people decided to basically inform me that I'm a piece of shit for a ton of different reasons. Now I'm bitter and pissed off, so fuck what they want me to fix. Like me for who I am, you dicks. I don't fucking sit there and ACTIVELY SEEK FLAWS IN YOUR FUCKING FLAWED PERSONALITIES with the intention of belittling the fuck out of you.

I'm going to be losing my health/dental insurance in either October (unlikely) or November (definitely) for who knows how long. I have terrible teeth... That like to go from fine to life threateningly infected in less than 12 hours. Imagine how worried I am about that? Yeah, insanely.

I had more things I wanted to touch upon, but whatever. I've angered my blood up too much as it is. I don't know why, but 2008 - 2010 has just been an obscenely shitty era in my life and I'm now getting fucking tired of it. Things were JUST starting to get better, but I now sincerely doubt that. I've put up with enough shit that I deserve an extended period of rest and reprieve. I don't mind dealing with little issues, but Jesus Christ! Give me a fucking break once in a while.

The GOOD news is that Jazzie and I are getting married next month! So yayz to that!

Well, I'm closing in on my 1000th pageview (finally) and I'm pretty excited. Thanks to everyone who has swung by and visited my page! Also thanks to all who have read any of my stories, or checked out any of the gift art that people have given me over the years!

I'll probably come up with something, but it likely won't be until next week. Why? Well...

I'm going to KumoriCon 2010! This will be my 7th year attending the convention and I'm pretty excited. The big thing I'm planning on doing this year is entering the Rock Band 2 tournament with my wife-to-be, roommate and another friend. Jazzie and I entered the tournament last year and ended up in 3rd place overall. Impressive considering it wasn't until the tryouts that we even had a band @_@. So I hope we're gonna take home the gold this year. If not, we're gonna be video taped if we make it to the finals and we get to play in front of 100+ people!

Unfortunately, I likely won't be online at all from Friday night to Monday afternoon. So you guys have to survive 3 whole days without Manami.

Anyways, thanks again for the views and here's to another 1000!

........IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

.....Until my first concert EVAR!

Going to see Weird Al when he comes to my town tomorrow. It's gonna be awesomesauce. I've been a huge fan of his since I was really young!

I'm STOKED!!

As the title states: I need an avatar. I've been running around with the default avatar for quite some time and now I wanna spice things up. I'd like to get one of just Manami's face, to be honest. I'd LOVE to have it colored; but if it ain't, no big deal. Though any avatar is better than none for sure!

While I'm not a particularly amazing writer, and my writing desire being eaten away by school... I'm gonna offer a short, short story in return for it. The story will feature Manami and I'll allow you to choose the theme (I tend to write macro/micro stuff, but I'm willing to give hyper a shot and a few other kinks. If you have a personal preference and you're not sure if I'm willing to write it, ask! I'm really, really open to most kinks/fetishes.) Feel free to send me a PM on FA if you are interested, or drop a comment in the comments section below. I'll do my best to respond to everyone who expresses interest.

Reference images of Manami are all over my gallery and if you need another reference; Manami is HEAVILY based off of Misato Katsuragi from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Manami IS a vampire and wings are optional. She's also got fangs that are often visible. If you happen to have other questions or need additional information about her, feel free to contact me in the previously mentioned ways.

...Sorry if this seems a bit weird to most people. Didn't get much sleep last night and this is the first commission/contest-esque thing I've done. Not quite sure how they should work.

Eternal gratitude to everyone who offers to help!

This contest thingy will run from July 12th until July 16th, 2010. I'll contact the winner via Private Message here on Fur Affinity after the 16th.

Taken from  Rattlehead!

[01] Do you have the guts to answer these questions and re-post as The Controversial Survey
Doing it now.

[02] Would you do Meth if it was legalized?
Fuck no. Absolutely not. The state I live in was plagued with Meth and I've seen what happens to people who are on it. It's a deadly, life altering, fucked up monster.

[03] Abortion: for or against it?
Very much for it. There are many circumstances where abortion is a good idea. BUT! I will say that third trimester abortions should only be legal if a doctor believes the mother's life is at risk.

[04] Do you think a country would fail with a female president?
Many countries have had female leaders and have done fine.

[05] Do you believe in the death penalty?
One of the few heavily conservative marks for me: I'm VERY pro capital punishment. People who are sentenced to be in prison for 40+ years and are already adults should be considered for the death penalty. The death penalty should happen sooner, too. The amount of money that goes into paying for EACH prisoner in prison for life or on death row is obscene. We have better places to put tax dollars and, likely, those being considered have robbed the life of another. Don't give them a chance at freedom, don't give them any more chances to procreate - Kill them.

[06] Do you wish marijuana would be legalized already?
I do. I don't do marijuana and actually? I dislike it. BUT! We'd be able to easily add it to the current regulations that alcohol/tobacco are under, the amount of taxes we could get from it would certainly make it a profitable endeavor. That, and the "war against drugs" is putting people who have an ounce of marijuana on them in prison, while our prisons are getting overcrowded. It's a tax burden and legalizing it would not only eliminate the problem, it'd be a new source of revenue.

[07] Are you for or against premarital sex?
Absolutely for.

[08] Do you believe in God?
I'm of the belief that it's possible God exists. Though we haven't proven his existence in my eyes, we can't really prove he doesn't exist at this time. I also have recently found that I do like the idea of having a heaven of some sort, it certainly makes death less of a frightening thing.

[09] Do you think same sex marriage should be legalized?
Absolutely. I know many gay/lesbian people and think it's stupid it isn't legal yet. As far as I'm concerned, those worried about the "sanctity of marriage" need to understand that divorces are sky rocketing. Simply put: Fight all you want, marriage hasn't been that sacred for a while now.

[10] Do you think it's wrong that so many Hispanics are illegally moving to the USA?
Sorta. I'm fine with them moving in because white Americans think they're privileged and shouldn't have to work shitty jobs. So they're taking the hard, low paying jobs white Americans don't want. I WISH they'd do it legally, but the system is broken. We need to fix it, make it easier for people to get in and then make it a serious felony if you're an illegal immigrant.

[11] A twelve year old girl has a baby, should she keep it?
...No. I mean, she COULD pass as the child's sister, but that's just weird.

[12] Should the alcohol age be lowered to eighteen?
We should lower it.

[13] Should the war in Iraq be called off?
Iraq is definitely a murky area. On the one hand, we really have quantifiable success there. On the other hand, we're losing many good men. A slow withdrawal would be best. Afghanistan on the other hand is nearly a lost mission. We really need to pull out of there, but my judgment is biased; my cousin lost his leg over there.

[14] Assisted suicide is illegal: do you agree?
What? It's legal in my state! There are times where it's cruel for a person to live. If the doctors don't do it, then those suffering will either die in absolute pain and misery, broke with their famly stuck with $100,000s worth of debt... Or just off themselves anyway.

[15] Do you believe in spanking your children?
Absolutely. Just don't do it too much or the kids will become used to it.

[16] Would you burn an American flag for a million dollars?
Nope. Though our path may falter, the core values of America, as I see them, are wonderful. We just don't have the right people representing them and too many others who don't understand the values vote in numbers. Now if the flag was already tattered, then yes... Because that's what you should do.

[17] Who do you think would have made a better president? McCain or Obama?
Obama. Obama didn't have the experience but he had the heart. McCain was going to simply carry on the policies of the Bush Adminsitration.This was another 2004 all over: Either take a chance with someone you don't know. Or take the sure thing of failed policies. I'd rather gamble than know I'm fucked.

[18] Are you afraid others will judge you from reading some of your answers?
Nope. If they have an issue with it, they can fuck 'emselves.

May 28th is Manami's birthday! Happy birthday to the rather odd, annoying and very moody vampire! She's a scant 882* years old today!

Oh and this is a stand-in for my birthday. I haven't revealed when my IRL birthday is, so I "celebrate" it on the one day of the year I guarantee you it is not.

Don't have much else to say other than that Manami wants gifts. I'm legally obligated to mention that thanks to a previous court order.

(* Manami's age may-or-may-not change inexplicably now or at any time in the future. Her birthday, though, will remain the same)

Alright, I hate myself for doing this, but it's time.

Rules you need to know if you want to RP with me!

1. I am a human first, a roleplayer second and an object to masturbate to last.

Please keep that in mind. Whenever you want to roleplay with me, you're going to have to ask me how I'm doing, or engage me in conversation. I don't hide my emotions that well online and I try hard to make it so people know how I'm feeling if you simply either ask me or bring up a topic of conversation.

Perhaps one of the quickest ways to piss me off is to IMMEDIATELY begin roleplaying with me. I hate those surprises. I hate having people message me expecting me to roleplay with them because it's convenient for them. I am a human, I have this thing called a life. I have tasks that need to be done and I have a social life... I have hobbies outside of this, I have emotions and I have freewill. If you can't respect that in my eyes, the odds of you playing with me drops down to nearly 0.

I'm not always in the mood for roleplay and for whatever reason, too many people think that I'm always in the mood. If you assume I'm in the mood to RP, don't expect me to drop everything to play with you. Message me, see how I'm feeling and then ask to roleplay.

2. Do not constantly bug me for roleplay.

The more you bug me about something, the less likely I am to do it. That's how I've always been. Do not constantly badger me for roleplay because it WILL turn me off from you and significantly reduce your chances of playing with me.

3. I've got very few limits in roleplay and am willing to play most things people want to play. But understand, if I play something that you want me to; I expect to have you play something I want to.

Many people forget that RP is not a one way street (myself included.) If you have something you want to play with me, ask and I'll likely answer yes. But I am going to want to add my various kinks in there. You scratch my back, I scratch yours.

---

All rules are subject to change and more may be added all without warning.

I don't like doing this, but I also hate feeling like an object and NOT a person. I try my hardest to treat those on the other side of the monitor from me as people first and RPers second and I expect others to treat me that way too.

Well, where do I start when talking about May, 2010?

Do I start with the fact that I lost virtually all of my personal identification?

Or the time I had nearly $800 lifted from my bank account.

Or the time I told my boss I was quitting before the end of the month?

Hmm.... I guess I can start from the top. But all of these are virtually intertwined.

1. Yeah, so I learned that I didn't have my debit, credit, food stamp and ID cards on me. That sucked. I spent days looking for them and was about ready to call the credit card company and the Oregon DHS office to tell them that my stuff had been swiped. Then I found out they were all in my roomie's car... Yeah...

2. So I had a ton of money (all my rent money) lifted from me on the 2nd and 3rd of this month. I've filed a bank report and will be filing a police report later today. The day I learned that my bank account had been infiltrated, I found out my cards went missing. Yep, thought someone had stolen my stuff and ran off with my information and that I was on a steady decline into ruination.

3. And yesterday I told my boss that I was quitting before the end of this month. He took it fairly well, but it still doesn't sit well with me since I didn't want to say anything until a bit later. Sadly, I spilled the beans to him earlier thinking that it'd be better if I did rather than wait and let this fester within. Of course I was sick to my stomach since I still have a ton of money missing and at the time didn't know where my cards were.

So yeah, it's been a pretty shitty month for myself and from what I've heard from friends, for others too. But this may just be the start of a new chapter in my life.

I left work because I wanted to focus on school and that financial aid should pay around as much as my job did... From the sounds of it, I MIGHT be able to earn more than I did while working. So I basically considered it a golden opportunity to return to school and finally make a decision about the direction I want my life to go.

I'm taking a 2 year course in Business Management and Administration and am taking a bunch of history classes as well. My goal is to own an antique shop, geared towards younger people. Guess more of a "collectibles/nostalgia" shop than TRUE antiques. I've also wanted to get a degree of some sort for a couple years now.

I realized last month that I'd never do that if I stayed with my job. I was comfortable... And comfortable isn't always good. I mistook comfort as happiness and thought that I was fine in life and that I was happy. But I wasn't. I wasn't happy about where I was. But since it was familiar, since it's what I knew, I didn't want to leave.

Well, I forced myself to leave. I have no choice BUT to return to school and continue to my education. Yes, I could have stayed at work while going to school, but I wasn't going to... Nor am I disciplined enough to toggle school and work again.

I'm seriously hoping now that I hit some sort of bottom that I won't break through the floor and continue falling. But things ARE looking up. I found my important cards, I've got enough money coming to live without too much worry for May/June. I've got stuff I need to sell online and want to start getting back to doing the eBay thing again and do that while I go to school to help supplement my income.

I think I'm looking forward and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I think I've got direction in my life and that I have more meaning to it now. Living in the comfort zone has rendered me nearly useless and I want to be more, make more of myself.

And all it took was several months of soul crushing depression, anger, sadness and a glimmer of hope. Might be a new record for me! ^_^

Really, Arizona? You're gonna give more power to police officers in hopes of curbing illegal immigration? Doesn't anyone else see the hilarity in this? I admit that we desperately need to overhaul immigration in the United States... But this law is far too over the top. Here's why I think this is a terrible idea:

1. Illegal immigrants in Arizona account for nearly 10% of the economy in the state. Yes, you want them gone and heading back to Mexico, but the vast majority of them are just going to migrate to other states. "Good riddance" you say? If 90% of them leave, you're losing out on nearly 9% of your economy.

2. Another positive aspect that was pushed is that the law will make it so Americans can pick up these jobs that the immigrants are going to be vacating. But the fact of the matter is that Americans feel entitled to everything. If we wanted these jobs, many of them WOULD be in the hands of Americans. Americans don't want many of those jobs and if the amount of jobs available suddenly increases, be prepared to learn that we'll skip out on shitty jobs for better paying ones... Leaving a nice hole at the bottom of the totem pole for your economy.

3. Ever heard of racial profiling? It's a very ugly thing that can cause these little things called "lawsuits" to pop up. Now if citizens (legal ones) get pulled over and harassed for being latino, there's a slim, but real, chance that they can sue the state. Now what happens when people sue states? That's right! The state has to use TAXPAYER MONEY to fight these lawsuits. What's more is that if the plaintiff wins in cases like these, the defendant MUST pay for court costs of the plaintiff... Yes, more taxpayer money.

4. It's going to affect MORE than latinos. While the majority of cases will be about Mexicans being here illegal (see point 3), what's stopping the police from pulling white people over? Or Asians? Or Arabs? What about foreign tourists? I'm sure tourism is a huge part of your economy and you're potentially damaging that sector as well by investing the police with this power. This conveniently brings me to the most aggravating and mind numbingly horrible part of this...

5. You're giving the police to pull ANY of your citizens over... Legally. You look at one wrong and they can pull you over. Yes, they may not be able to charge you with anything, but the fact remains that you can still get pulled over.

Point 5 is what boggles my mind the most. Why are conservatives so against the government (they are, face it: they want smaller government and no that doesn't mean ONLY small FEDERAL government... State and local governments too) yet they're in favor of giving far more power to them with this law?

My theory is that conservatives honestly like a big government as long as it's "their" government. A government that agrees only with them and only works on behalf of them. This, of course, will never be a reality. Yes... I too would love a government that'd enact policies I agree with 100% on... But I don't live in this made up planet... I live in this fucked up dream we call "reality." In reality, people disagree with you and people should try to find common ground. But fuck that, it's my way or no way... Amirite? (I'm right.)

Another beef I have with conservatives is that they often DO have good ideas. I embrace ideas from the far right wing and even the tea party movement. A few of their ideas are definitely good... The sad thing is that to adopt these ideas, we basically have to adopt ALL of the other ideas... Which seems unfair.

I'm of the belief that the vast majority of Americans can actually come together on many ideas and strive together for common goals. Unfortunately we've all been whipped into a frothing "us-against-them" mentality. That if you don't agree completely with us, we're against you. This is true with all parts of the political philosophical spectrum... The left is just as guilty as the right about it.

Instead of arguing how the other side is wrong on a number of issues, we should spend our time finding common ground, things that we can simply agree on. If you can build a relationship of respect and prove that you're willing to work with others; things will get done.

The antithesis of togetherness at this juncture is the United States' Congress. Nowadays the left is refusing to work with the right and the right is refusing to work with the left. The left is now passing bills with as little insight as possible from the right. And the right, during the Bush administration, frequently passed partisan bills with no bipartisan effort.

History has frequently taught us that one party rule doesn't work. The fall of the USSR is proof of that. One party rule creates a nation of fear. Fear is one of the most powerful emotions a person can feel and thus makes us the most rash. We don't have time to think, it's fight-or-flight. In the world of politics, the politicians have long since learned to play on our fears. Fear limits progress, fear limits potential... Fear kills.

Don't believe me that we're more partisan than ever in congress? Let's look at the use of filibusters:

1800 - 1899: Filibusters < 24
2009 - 2010: Filibusters > 150

Enjoy the career politicians, don't you? Enjoy the lack of progress at the time we need it the most, don't you?

And Republicans, remember this: Democrats are taking tips from you guys. Democratic senators are just as likely as Republican ones to use filibusters graciously now.

That's why we need to get rid of the 60-vote super majority. In times when the "other" party is in control, it may seem scary. But what's worse? The "other" party easily passing bills? Or NEITHER party passing bills? It's the cold reality of it, but if we don't abolish that rule, we're heading towards a complete stagnation of our nation.

All-in-all, here's the tl;dr version:
1. Fuck you Arizona. I'm not saying that JUST because of the immigration bill. I'm doing it to preempt the Portland Trail Blazers likely 4th loss in the playoffs to Phoenix. Never REALLY been a fan of Phoenix and Arizona anyways.

2. Fuck you, partisanship.

I'll have a new journal up soon, so get your kicks in now while you can. I'm always interested in learning about other people's views; provided they offer them in a polite and compromising way.

Thanks for letting me rant!

Okay...

1. http://jazzieday.blogspot.com/

As with last time, Jazzie and I wanna get married but we've been coming up short on the funds. We're planning on just getting a fairly bare bones wedding. We've been together for closing in on 7 years and it's definitely time that we get hitched. So please, please help and donate!

2. I want to announce that, as of this time, I will not be producing a book. That is likely to change eventually and I'd like to get one released in 2011. But for now, I am putting my plans on the back burner.

That said, I am going to be putting up quite a few of my stories here. I might do some sort of rotation, or might post them all. Either way, expect a bit of a submission dump from me over the next few days.

3. Does anyone know how to beat procrastination? It seems that I've gotten one helluva case of it and I really, really need to stop it fast. I've put off doing numerous important things in my life and I've thought of a number of different techniques to beat it.

If you have an idea, PLEASE let me know. I know "Stop being lazy" is one of them, but it's hard to break a cycle that you're comfortable in (even if you hate it) regardless if it's good or bad. Maybe if I can get some perspective or tips from people I can try to apply those to my life.

Anyways, ya'll have a great week!

I REALLY should be sleeping because I'm unbelievably tired. But if I don't do this now, I may never do it. EVER!

1. http://jazzieday.blogspot.com/

My real life fiance and I are intending on getting married this year... Actually, we've intended on getting married since 2008 and have been coming up shy on the funds due to bills, school, rent, etc. After many months of discussion, we both decided to put up a tip jar to help us afford the cost of it.

I'm simply asking for a bit of change here and there and honestly? I don't expect a penny from anyone. Though if you DO donate, it's incredibly appreciated and is going towards a union that has already lasted over 6 years and will hopefully last for the rest of mine and Jazzie's lives.

Also: Discounts on insurance policies and other things for getting married.

2. Manami's Tome of Stories and Outright Lies (Possible title)

I've been working on collecting a large number of my stories, re-editing them a bit and adding a couple extra stories to them and releasing it as a book. It's going to be self-published (to help keep costs down) and will be released as a physical copy that will be printed when ordered.

The book currently looks to be roughly 100 pages long (possibly longer) and will include most of my work from 2007 - 2010. It'll also have character profiles and some artwork from Jazzie as well. It's nothing TOO impressive, but if you want to get your hands on the current Hillsdale story arc, then you're gonna want to purchase the book when it's released.

The price looks to be between $5 and $10 (though this is subject to change) not including shipping. I don't have a release date, but I am currently unusually far with it and it could be released in March or April of this year.

I'm fairly excited about this and it's spurred me to write a few more stories. Hopefully, if it sells well enough and I really get my writing mojo flowing, I might be able to release more books and better versions of this one.

I think that's it for now, expect silly journal posts to make a return soon! Thanks to everyone!

http://www.redcross.org/

You know what to do: If you can spare money and want to, donate a little money to the Red Cross to help out with the disaster in Haiti. They got sucker punched something fierce and well, let's help them out!

I do want to say that at times like these, you'll see the worst and best in people. I could rail all day against Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson (I absolutely despise and hate these diseased riddled douchebags) but I'm not going to. The best thing I can say is that I want people to ignore any acts of hatred like that. (Oh, before it gets too politicized: I would like to note that Obama is doing the same thing any president worth their weight in gold would do. Going out and helping other nations that get hammered by disasters crosses party lines and is part of the American spirit. Don't demonize someone for doing something you'd want them to do and something that is right.)

This is a great time to look at our species as a whole: The INSTANT people across the planet heard about what happened in Haiti, we stepped up and said "We need to help them out!" This is a perfect example of the human spirit. Within seconds after hearing of a massive tragedy like this, we WANT to help out. Yes, within a day or two, you'll find the bottom feeders going out of their way to make any disaster benefit them... But I say that we shouldn't think about them. We need to focus on helping each other out.

If you can't afford to give cash to any charities, I'm sure you can donate non-perishable foods and clothing and blankets. If you can't donate that, just keep them in your thoughts, hearts and prayers.

Oh! I want to also mention that if you DO donate to a charity, make sure to do research on them. Too many scammers will come out of the woodwork to benefit from this. I'd recommend sticking to the bigger, proven charities.