Rachmaninoff

Personally I think everyone is some form of artist/author. Whether or not we've reached the point where we are actually doing so as a career vs just a hobby is another matter. Anyway, I am an artist, but of music not drawing or graphics. I wouldn't consider myself an author though, at least not in a professional sense at all. I only write for fun so it's just a hobby and nothing more.

As Sandy already pointed out DeLarge, there's no danger of this story being like Almagest. The two are very, very different based on what you've posted. And that particular rpg is in it's final posts. Some of us, like myself, have already posted our last post. I'll read the others as they go up. But for all intents and purposes, I'm done.[quote name='Darren']Don't you dare! I called it and have been rejected twice. :animecry: If you were so intent on starting it, you could have just PMd me since I've been waiting months for DB to come back and still there is nothing. [STRIKE]I don't know too many mods, but I'm sure someone will shock you if you try. :smirk:[/STRIKE][/QUOTE]DB is not returning, he had someone literally block him from OtakuBoards via his browser settings, on purpose. I see him around on AIM and that sentiment to not return has not changed. Nor has he done anything to get that blocking reversed. As for your last part... don't count on it. The shocking that is. :p

This little clip was up over at the Watercooler: [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1IvsYF3QHA"][U]Samvel Yervinyan - Violinist[/U][/URL] It's from a live Yani concert and really fun to listen too. It's got some obvious little snippets from known classical music, but at the moment the only one I recognize immediately is Bach's Tocatta in D Minor. And if you liked that clip, check out this one next. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSrH_oqnrl0"][U]Yanni - The Storm[/U][/URL] Don't let the slow start throw you off, between 20-30 seconds in it takes off. This kind of stuff is fun to listen to when the performers really know their stuff. :p

I can't recall the last time we had a birthday thread and since today is both Adam's and James' birthday... we can combine wishing the founder of theOtaku and site director of OtakuBoards a Happy Birthday with a discussion! But before we get into the discussion bit we'll start with this odd little video I found at youtube: [CENTER][YOUTUBE="Happy Birthday"]UeypOvsY91Q[/YOUTUBE][/CENTER] The two of you better have fun today or else! Or something like that. o_O Anyway... on to the discussion part! And that is when is your birthday and just what do you do? Or if yours has already happened this year what did you do? Now in the case of James and Adam, not only do they share the same day, but the same year as well, so they're both 25. Something that I find rather funny since I have the same situation with Crystia/indifference. We were both born on the same day and in the same year. Though technically she's older than me. :p As for what I do, that tends to vary every year. Usually I do something with family and friends and since it's also Halloween... Yes I was born on October 31st. There is always some sort of costume party going on. Sometimes my family has tried to seperate the day on account of the holiday, but once I was an adult I insisted that they don't. Unless it's a case of having a little gathering on the weekend to accommodate people's work schedules. Anyway, it's never anything big, but it's always fun and I look forward to it.

Fruits Basket was actually my first serious introduction to anime. One of my friends *pokes Crystia* decided that I needed to be [I]educated[/I] in something[I] besides[/I] classical music. So the end result was watching this show. It was wonderfully funny and the characters downright lovable, so I started looking at other stuff and that led to my joining OtakuBoards. It's hard to pick a defining moment or reason as to why I like this show. To borrow from Anime News Network... Fruits Basket is a show mixing in a dash of comedy, a bit of wisdom, a pinch of cuteness, and a whole lot of grief. Fruits Basket is easily one of the most enjoyable shows I've watched so far. And as it also says at Anime News Network: The show possesses a great sense of humor, varying from slapstick comedy, to perverted comments, to scenes that just seem to parody the entire shoujo genre (like pastel cherry blossoms and sparkly hair), but its real strength lies in the ability to portray feelings of sorrow and heartbreak. Everything in the review over at the other site is utterly true. Fruits Basket is a show that I've re-watched more than once since I first saw it. Because it is...[I] that[/I] good.

[quote name='Lady Asphyxia'][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2] Heh, it was always in my member title. It replaced 'of'. I never had it in my custom title. I don't think I ever had a custom title. :p The basic reason for it is that I am, of course, the coolest person ever, no? [/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]That is what I was thinking, I just didn't word it right. You had a custom [I][B]member[/B][/I] title. And yes, you are one of the coolest people ever. :p

[quote name='CrimsonKnight']hey! do you play piano? i play piano, too!!!!!!!!!!!![/QUOTE]No, I play the cello. I considered playing the piano, but never went anywhere with it. In the long run, having a more portable instrument is a plus. Anyway, lately I keep waking up too early, between 3-5 am. I wouldn't mind too much if I could practice, but living in an apartment complex usually means I have to wait until between 8-9 am before I can do that. XP

A poem on what I'm trying to do! Wake up! >_> I may give up and sleep some more anyway, once I'm done here that is. XP [CENTER]Stir Movement so slow Failing to pick up speed Sleeps siren sings it's song Do not wake![/CENTER]

[SIZE="1"][CENTER][B]Goodbye[/B][/CENTER][/SIZE] [SIZE="1"]I don?t care if you had a hole in your pocket, you still lost the key. [INDENT]How could you be so foolish? [/INDENT] The night approaches, the temperature starts to drop - in time your heart begins to stop. So among this beauty, you[I] will [/I]die, never again to wake and see. [INDENT]Goodbye: [/INDENT] [INDENT][INDENT]Go with God.[/INDENT][/INDENT][/SIZE]

This is called waking up way too early and writing something that later today I'll mostly likely be doing this when I read it again: [I] *headdesk*[/I] [INDENT]You have been warned...[/INDENT] There once was a member named Prem Who would jump at your every whim Just as there use to be a boy Who didn?t understand the word coy So tell me, were they stuffed into a trash bin? [INDENT]Remember kids,[I] this[/I] is [I]your[/I] brain with little to no sleep; and[I] finals![/I] XP[/INDENT]

Something to blame on Allamorph since he mentioned [B]Charles Ives[/B] so naturally I had to go and start listening to some of his works. [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7FTIVpHvgE"][U][B]Charles Ives Piano Sonata no-2[/B][/U][/URL] He has a very different style from what one might normally consider classical music, but he's definitely worth checking out since he's often considered to be one of the first [I]American[/I] classical composers of international significance.

To listen to the case, you'd think that nothing is ever done to question police brutality when I find that rather hard to believe. It makes it sound as if such events are common place when if that were truly the case we'd be hearing about it. It's so easy to think that it had to have been brutality when one isn't the officer at the scene dealing with someone who's actions ([SIZE="1"]I will say it since people are glossing over it as if it wouldn't factor into the scenario and the responses[/SIZE]) were off and impaired on account of being drunk. That's right, the guy was drunk. Go and read up on the different statements as to what happened, because if someone is ignoring your requests to stop and subsequently hits you with the car they are driving... For a police officer, if a suspect is ignoring your commands and you can’t see his hands, you will feel that your life is in danger. Does that make what happened right? No. But it doesn't automatically turn it into a case of brutality or racism. Hell, one of the cops involved was black himself. And why are we so quick to dismiss the judge as if he were incompetent just because we may not agree with the verdict? Try reading up on Arthur J. Cooperman as well, he has never been afraid to put cops in jail if he felt the facts pointed towards that kind of punishment. Have a little more faith in the system guys and quit thinking that the whole justice system is out of whack over a high profile case like this.

I do have soda from time to time, but I don't use it as a means to wake up or to get a caffeine fix. If I really want to wake up, I have some herbal tea that works far better than caffeine ever did for something like that. Though since I don't like how it tastes, I only use it if I really need to wake up. Something that I'm sure I'll end up doing with upcoming finals this week and the subsequent grading and work that will follow said tests. XP

[quote name='Boo'][size=1]Lady Sphyx roxx, that's why there's a star in her name. Plus, she's got friends in high places.[/size][/QUOTE]Or in favor of being [I]less vague[/I], until she recently retired she was a staff member herself, the star was in her custom title and I assume that Desbreko moved it to her member title when she retired. Anyway, 8bit is right, OB chats still occur, but they don't last anywhere near as long. Don't know if they are as insane or not though, but just about any chat I've been in that has more than two people seems to be nuttier than hell. lol

[CENTER]Muse Thoughtful meditation Guiding one's inspiration A whisper of what's to come Poetic reverie[/CENTER]

[CENTER][B]Stepping Stones[/B][/CENTER] Alex hadn?t really known what to expect, but he wasn?t going to argue with the methods or how Nathan chose to go about helping him with training. He was simply relieved that he was willing to actually help him, he had been worried that Nathan would not. It had been bothering him tremendously, the thought of being stuck without a means to learn more. He was still wondering why the higher ups had bothered to send them after an opponent they were not ready to face. Had they been counting on Nathan to deal with any problems? If so, it seemed foolhardy to Alex. There was no point in having them work together if only one member of the team understood the dangers and how to deal with them. He put it out of mind as he followed Nathan?s instructions, only asking questions when he needed clarification. Much of it he didn't fully understand but at the same time, he imagined it was something that would take more than just a simple session. He focused so intently on what Nathan was teaching him that Alex didn?t even notice when Nall slipped off to follow Isen. He was too busy making sure he got what Nathan was showing him correctly. The idea of being in the same position as before, unprepared, was one he never wanted to face again, [I]ever[/I]. Time passed though he gave it no thought, not even to check to see if he had any new assignments. It wasn?t until they were finally wrapping up and he realized that Isen had returned that he remembered he needed to check for new assignments, something he paused to do quickly. Fortunately, nothing had come up and he sent off a query asking for his schedule for the next couple of weeks before he closed his cell and tucked it back into his pocket. If he was going to be training, Nathan would need that information. Alex looked back up at Nathan and then stared in shock at the young woman who was standing next to him. [I]What?? [/I]The aura was unmistakable, it [I]was [/I]Isen but? He knew he was staring and yet he couldn?t seem to help it. [I]When did she change into...[/I] ?[B]You?re being rude Alex,[/B]? Nall chided him softly as he landed on his left shoulder. ?[B]You?d think you?ve never seen a werecat in their human form before.[/B]? Alex glanced briefly at Nall and then back to Nathan and Isen. It was true though, he hadn?t. Now that he thought about it he knew it was possible, but he?d never had a reason to think about it beyond the few times it had come up. It didn?t help that those instances were long before he had even become a Shinigami. The few times he had run across Nathan and Isen, she had always been in her feline form. He looked directly at Nathan but he just seemed amused by his dumbfounded expression more than anything, while Isen was merely waiting calmly as if nothing was amiss. ?[B]Uh? as soon as I have my schedule I?ll send you a copy so you can decide what time works best?[/B]? He ventured hesitantly. ?[B]You do that.[/B]? ?[B]Right, I guess I should get going then, Patrick?s probably back by now and I?m sure he?s wondering where I?m at.[/B]? Though Alex found himself wishing that Patrick wasn?t wondering as to what he was up to. He was sure that he was though; Patrick had always been the curious type, at least for the surface appearance as to what people were up to. [I]I need to convince him to find his own place. [/I]Though he wasn?t sure why, he just got the feeling that Patrick would not understand, just as he also got the feeling that he would be a bit of a pain to deal with, as uncharitable as those thoughts were. Alex was wondering what else to say and finally gave up, ?[B]Thank you.[/B]? He finally said formally to Nathan before also nodding politely to Isen, with a tiny inward sigh he turned and took to the air, immediately angling towards his place. He was too caught up in his thoughts to even think about his usual pastime of checking into human forms of entertainment. The main thought on his mind as he was heading back was to concentrate on what Nathan had shown him so far; just as he wondered what else he would teach him. Once he had his schedule he would send it to Nathan. He was halfway back when he realized that he had forgotten to mention to Nathan that he could now sense vampires in the city. Alex made a mental note to make sure he brought it up next time.

[quote name='Aceburner']*coughiTunescough*[/QUOTE]No offense to iTunes... but that is pretty pathetic compared to a decent sound system. iTunes... *shudder* No, seriously, for a good listening experiance... No. And yes I'm sure you could argue that there are good systems for a computer, but why waste the money when you already have one? Even when I use something like iTunes to get more music, all I do is end up putting it on disk so I can listen to it with my real sound system. I rarely use iTunes for anything.

[quote name='8bit'][FONT="Tahoma"][COLOR="DimGray"]The first forum I check is always Arcade. This is probably a habit I picked up from when I was the Mod and would always check there first but it has stuck with me even after that.[/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE]I can relate to that. I always check the Lounge first for the same reason. Then I end up checking my subscriptions, pm's, etc. Once I finish that I move to anything else that catches my interest. No particular order, just whatever section has something in it that looks interesting.

Once it warms up enough I always end up spending time on the weekends hiking, but the biggest thing that changes is keeping my window open. I'm up on the third floor in the apartment complex I live in so I don't have to worry about trespassers. But in the winter, it's just too cold to have it open. But once it's warm/spring, I just about always have it open, even it's just a tiny bit. Oh and though I don't rearrange things in my room, I do end up clearing out any dust. That kind of goes along with making sure things are still organized in my room. I hate having to hunt for stuff, especially any music cd's, that just annoys me to no end if I can't find a particular disk. Though I tend to do that several times a year and not just in the spring.

[quote name='chibi-master']Umm...I can't tell if you're being sarcastic.:confused: If so and I offended you in some way, I'm terribly sorry. I just don't think that this guy should be mouthing off about a topic that he obviously hasn't researched.[/QUOTE]Well if he's mouthing off over a topic he doesn't understand, how smart does it make you or anyone else look if you want to harm them for having an opinion? Right or wrong, they're entitled to that opinion. ;) Resorting to violence only makes his claims that anime is bad more valid. Where calm rational responses are far better and prove that he doesn't know what he's talking about. That more than anything will prove to others that the writer doesn't know what they are talking about.

Basic and next to no rules poetry for the win! Though I suppose it wouldn't hurt to learn more about how this form of poetry is meant to be done. XP [CENTER]Final Decisive ending Treading a winding path Stirring the receptive heart Closing melody[/CENTER]

[quote name='Darren']By the way, do you think it would be easier for me to be accepted in the family if I actually [I]used[/I] AIM???[/QUOTE]Wouldn't hurt. What makes you think you're not accepted though? Silly. :p I can't forget that you're around since you stole my name after all. Not that I would have used it anyway since I prefer what I have, but still, every time you post it catches my attention, because who doesn't notice their own name? Oh and Stephie... Stop changing your user name so much! Every time I turn around you're someone else! I think you're on change number four in less than a year if I remember correctly. lol You and Prem must be related, based on how often the two of you change your user name. XP

And the first post is updated with the new info, along with a minor change to Sabrina's part since I linked to the picture instead of the actual post with the information. I just realized that I did that. XP Anyway, I like the idea of a female villain, especially one dressed like an idiot because seriously, what fool goes into battle half dressed? That and it'd be hilarious for either Lucia or Phaidra to clobber the idiot and then point out that they should have been better dressed for protection. lol

Someone told me I should check out [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOEZ1Fxsh6I"][U]Therion - Der Mitternachtlöwe[/U][/URL] So I did. To be honest, I was not impressed. It had a very flat and stale feel to the music. It was like it tried to be impressive, grand, sweeping, etc. However, it just never managed to quite get there. It was interesting to listen to once, but I doubt I'll listen again.

What's really entertaining is the replies that silly article got. Now as for my opinion on the nonsense they posted. This reply here says it all so check it out. [URL="http://www.activeanime.com/html/content/view/1919/36/"][U]WHAT? JAPANESE ANIME DESTORYING AMERICAN SOCIETY - NOT BY A LONG SHOT[/U][/URL] My favorite part is where they pointed out that his silly claims over children being affected: [I]"school children, were rushed to hospitals Tuesday after suffering convulsions, vomiting, irritated eyes and other symptoms" [/I] was due to a medical condition and not the actual content of the show. I mean, talk about the author being ignorant. Confusing a medical condition/reaction with corruption. That sort of reaction is true for a lot of things, not just a television program. lol