Let's just face it. You cannot call yourself a
great dictator until you are known only by one name. Look all through history
and several dictatorial names stick out: Caesar, Napoleon, Stalin, Hitler,
Cher. All of these figures are known by one name and one name only. That's what
I want. Granted, I am far too lazy to do what it takes. Genocide, subjugation,
and offensive warfare are all great fun, but they can take a lot out of a guy.
It's no wonder most of them end up losing their mind nearer the end of their
life. It is that kind of work that I am trying to avoid. I want to be known by
one name, but only out of mediocrity. In the history books: "Fig 10.23 - Jimbo,
who was known around the world for his viciously evil company databases. He was
capable of designing databases so convoluted that only he was capable of
understanding them, thus making him a constant necessity for several
high-paying companies. Known primarily by his electronic pen-name, Jimbo, he was
famous throughout Silicon Valley for his contributions. This was before the
super-happy-fun robots liberated the planet and purified it into the
super-happy-fun place it is today." Huh? Huh? Sounds great, right? Maybe
it'll catch on in a few decades.

Could the otaku lifestyle be considered a drug?
I mean, it has already been proven that video games are better pain relievers
than most drugs (sauce), but what about an addiction to anime? Specifically, I'm
wondering whether it bears any resemblance to other illicit substances (note:
through this post I will be using the word "anime" to mean both anime
and manga). First of all, could it be considered addictive? This is a sticky
point. I've never run any actual experiments, so everything I say here will be
from personal experience. I would say that it could potentially be addictive in
a way similar to other escapist drugs, such as marijuana or angel dust. When
you watch anime, you escape to a world where the colors are more vibrant, the
inhabitants look like nothing on this planet, and the impossible becomes
possible. It is a way to escape from the doldrums of everyday life.  In this way, it could potentially be
addictive. Maybe not physically addictive, but mentally. I know that whenever I
have a bad day, or I'm just generally sluggish, a good dose of anime is a great
pick-me-up. I'm suddenly reenergized. I have never actually gone an extended
period of time without anime, so I'm not sure of any withdrawal symptoms. I'm
sure that it would entail depression and ennui. I have no intention of ever
finding out. Aside from being potentially addictive, can it cause any sort of
harm to the body? This one is doubtful. I'm sure the only way it can harm the
body is from lack of exercise. Watching anime basically means sitting around in
front of some sort of viewing screen for several minutes, if not hours
(sometimes days). There are some that will argue that it restricts social
interactions, but this is something of a stretch. I look at Otakon and several
other anime conventions and just cannot see how anime stymies a social life.
Let us not forget about all of the anime forums out there on the interwebs. You
could say that watching all of that anime may burn out your eyes and make you
wear glasses, but I think it is the other way around. My gut tells me that it's
people who wear glasses that watch anime.  In short, I see no direct correlation between
anime and any adverse effects on the body. I would write more, but I'm feeling
a bit jittery. I better watch an episode of sweet, sweet anime (maybe some Code
Geass) and let that run through me a little bit. Ahh~

Lately I'm having fun blaming everything on
Christians. No real reason. I just think it's fun to blame all of my minute
woes on an entire group of people. I just happened to choose Christians.
Everything in my day from bad traffic (my blood runs cold when I see one of
those "Jesus fish" pull in front of me) to those "adult"
stickers they put on almost ninety-percent of manga (Welcome to the NHK is not "adult"!) I blamed on
Christians. In the interest of fairness, I will not limit myself to blaming
only Christians in the future. Tomorrow I'm thinking of blaming everything on
Scandinavians. "Damned Scandinavians, turning the traffic light red just
when I reach it."

As you may have guessed, I don't take religion
too seriously. I will say, however, that religions make being angry at
something more entertaining. Religion gives you access to all sorts of great
curses. Probably one of the favorites across all of America is the classic
"dammit!" Whether it's a minor inconvenience (exploding water heater)
or a major tragedy (stubbed toe), you want to do more than just get huffy at
whatever forced you into the rage. You don't want to stop at glaring at that
errant table leg; you want to make sure that your deity of choice damns it to
an eternity of fire and brimstone. Ditto goes for the prick that cut you off on
the highway. If your god(s) listened to every one of your "dammits,"
I don't think anyone would get into Heaven or the like. It's not only for anger
though. Religion can be used to spice up other bits of conversation too. Say
you are laughing at some off color joke. You can append to the joke a humorous
"you're going straight to Hell". I'm especially fond of this one, as
it lends itself to further laughter and merrymaking. Another good one is when
you cry out "Allah!" just before doing something fun and dangerous
(read: stupid). Ever drive down a fairly steep hill going twenty-five over
without tapping the brakes once? That's the perfect time for a loud
"Allah!" from the depths of the diaphragm. How about when you are
doing something you don't really want to do and need a little motivation?
"By Thor's hammer, I will finish this asparagus!"

On a final note: here is an article I noticed over at Time magazine. It seems that some parents in New Jersey are not being allowed to adopt a baby because they are atheists. The reason cited? The agency stated that "the child should have the freedom to worship as she sees fit, and not
be influenced by prospective parents who do not believe in a Supreme
Being." I'll let you draw your own conclusions, but I think this is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.

Advanced Global Personality Test Results Extraversion |||||| 23% Stability |||||||||||||||||||| 83% Orderliness |||||||||||||| 56% Accommodation |||||||||||| 43% Interdependence |||||| 30% Intellectual |||||||||||||||||||| 83% Mystical |||||||||| 36% Artistic |||||||||| 36% Religious || 10% Hedonism || 10% Materialism |||||||||||||||| 63% Narcissism |||||| 30% Adventurousness || 10% Work ethic |||||||||||| 43% Self absorbed |||||||||||||| 56% Conflict seeking |||||| 30% Need to dominate |||||||||| 36% Romantic |||||| 30% Avoidant |||||||||||||||| 63% Anti-authority |||||||||||| 43% Wealth |||||||||||| 50% Dependency |||||||||| 36% Change averse |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Cautiousness |||||||||||||||| 63% Individuality |||||||||||||| 56% Sexuality |||||||||||| 43% Peter pan complex |||||||||||||||||| 76% Physical security |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Physical Fitness |||||||||||||||| 64% Histrionic |||| 16% Paranoia |||||||||||||||| 63% Vanity || 10% Hypersensitivity || 10% Indie |||||||||| 36%

Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
personality test by similarminds.com

On the whole, it told me that I am a very introverted individual that has difficulty making friends and does not like asking for help. So far, so true. It also says that I am very secure with myself and easy-going. That works for me.

Note: This list only contains anime that I have seen every
episode of. It also does not list manga, which is a rather sizable list in
itself. Also not listed are anime movies, since Miyazaki would probably
dominate much of the list.

1. Kanon
   (2006)
2. Nodame
   Cantabile
3. Midori
   no Hibi
4. Lovely
   Complex
5. Melancholy
   of Haruhi Suzumiya
6. REC
7. Air
8. Potemayo
9. Minami-ke
10. Code
    Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch
11. Neon
    Genesis Evangelion
12. Fate/stay
    night
13. Azumanga
    Daioh
14. School
    Days
15. Shakugan
    no Shana

 

Anime that will probably make the list if the ending is
good:

1. Clannad
2. Kimi-kiss
   ~ pure rouge
3. Shakugan
   no Shana II

 

Anime that will probably never make it onto the list in a
million years:

1. Asatte
   no Houkou
2. ICE
3. Love
   Love?
4. Tenchi
   in Tokyo
5. Keitai
   Shoujo

The other night I had a dream about some eggplant. There was
also something about a hawk and Mt. Fuji, but it was mostly about eggplant.
That being said, it's time for another rousing rendition of everyone's favorite
program: Cooking with Jimbo. Last time, as you may recall, we made a
scrumptious dish of pasta
salad. It's time to throw that success to the wolves while I attempt
an even more daring and difficult dish. This time, I shall be teaching you all
how to make some fried eggplant with pasta. I'm sure you are all on the edge of
your seats with excitement.

Step 1: Purchase ingredients

We come full circle to the step that starts almost all
cooking endeavors. To begin with, you need to pick up the most important
ingredient: the eggplant. They are generally dark purple and long. Should you
pick up something orange and long, you have a carrot. Put it back and try to
find the thing that looks purple and long. Along with that eggplant, you will
need bread crumbs (store purchased are better than toaster dregs), noodles (I
used spaghetti noodles, put it probably doesn't matter), pasta sauce (the
tastiest kind you can find... that's on sale), oil (for eating, not engine
maintenance. Canola oil is a good choice), flour (not available at the florist
stand), milk (whole milk, you wussies), a half-pound of Swiss cheese (for the
much necessary cholesterol), and a single egg (the chicken variety). Armed with
your culinary arsenal, it's time to return home only to realize the milk you
thought you had at home has run out and you have to go back and get more.

Step 2: Prepare the eggplant

Before you fry the eggplant, you need to give it a good
stern talking to. You should begin with some waterboarding to loosen its lips
(and, y'know, clean it). Then you should place it on the hardest wood block you
have and start cutting it, slowly, with the sharpest knife in the house. You
will want to make this last as long as possible by cutting it all the way
through in half-inch intervals. Next, you will want to prepare a total of three
dunking booths. Fill one with a layer of flour, the next with a mix of the
beaten egg and quarter-cup of milk, and the last with a layer of bread crumbs. Take
your slices of eggplant and dip each into the bowls until each is completely
coated into submission. Place them on a separate plate so they have some time
to think about what they've done.

Step 3: Do lots of stuff at the same time so everything gets
done at the same time

This is a difficult one since it involves doing a lot of
things at the same time. I will try to make it easier by dividing it into
substeps that you should do at the same time. Now is the time to start evolving
that third arm. Go ahead. I'll wait.

Step 3.1: Boil the water

A most difficult step. Get a large enough pot to fit in all
the pasta you will use, and then fill it with water (aqua). Put it on the stove
and wait until it boils. I would recommend turning on one of the burners, but
the sun should expand far enough in a few billion years to heat up the water if
you're patient.

Step 3.2: Heat the oil

Get a fairly large pan that can handle a few of your
eggplant slices and fill it with a thin layer of oil (once again, not motor
oil). Put it on a burner set to low and let it sit for a few minutes. It should
be hot enough when you can drip in a drop of water (or drop a drip?) and watch
it fizz.

Step 3.3 Add the pasta

Go ahead and put the pasta into your pot with now boiling
water. If you're using spaghetti noodles, then you should prod them until every
last piece is engulfed in the rapidly boiling water. Now you can leave the
noodles alone for about ten minutes so they can contemplate their existence.

Step 3.4 Fry the eggplant

Take a few of your eggplant slices, which should be quite
defeated in body and spirit, and place them into your pan of hot oil. The
sizzling which takes place should be natural. That's all part of the eggplants
transition from viciously poisonous nightshade, to delectable pasta topping.
Give them a few minutes until the bottom is a slight golden brown. At this
point you should flip them to make sure that no side is given mercy. After you
flip it, drop a square of Swiss cheese on top.

Step 4: Serve the lot of it

Once everything is cooked, you can, as they say,
"serve it up". Drain the pasta from the water. Take the eggplants
away from the oil. Lastly, take the pasta sauce from the pantry. Serve it all
on a plate and enjoy. Might I recommend that you turn the burners off, however,
as they have a tendency of to be hot and expensive.

Is this blasphemy?

No, good sir, this is Sparta!

300 is made

Are you nerd enough?

Jimbo goes to Otakon

Have you had the chance?

One of the best games

A new Harvest Moon is out

Name: Rune Factory

Net neutrality

Comcast versus BitTorrent

Begun this war has

The price is not right

Bob Barker gets last paycheck

To retirement

Anyone use it?
Windows Vista cuts corners

And does not dazzle

The trilogy’s end

Pirates of the Caribbean (Yes, I realize it’s eight syllables)

Keira Knightley… swoon

The Writers’ Guild strike

Does not affect me at all

Yet I still hear it.