Rachmaninoff

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Tickets to the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas concert that I just got back from going to with Rachmaninoff. The last time they were in town was over six years ago and I couldn't get off from work to attend! So at that moment, I got the main things I wanted this year. That is until after I left Rach's place and headed home. XP About three miles from the freeway exit to my house my front tire blew out. So now I need tires for my car. Whee! So that's my wish list, well sort of since as soon as I've gotten some rest and the place is open, I'll be taking my car in to get the tires. XP The only good thing is that at least it happened after the concert. I would have been so annoyed if it happened before hand and made me miss it! [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]Same here, I could be content with only getting to go to their concert as my holiday wish. They're just so much fun to see perform live. :catgirl: Other than my Cello that I already got, the only other thing I would really like to have is my own car since I use a family one that I share with my brothers. Which means most of the time I don't have a car. I'm not going to bother with a picture since so long as it runs and is reliable, I really don't care what I get. And speaking of parts for cars... I'm glad you got home safely, I'm only sorry I wasn't around to help with that, even though I've never changed a tire in my life.

I actually don't do any black Friday shopping unless it's something I really want. I did go to the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Concert with Beth in the evening though. But I'm not sure if that counts since I picked up the tickets well over a week ago. XP

[quote name='Venge;798072][FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]Short, dark hair, my height, slightly abnormal, with the exception that Joey is an A-cup and not a D-cup. XD[/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]First of all, mistake number one? [I]Too much information[/I]. We don?t need to know what size bra this girl is wearing and some girls get pretty annoyed with someone freely giving that out. Unless she has it up on her myspace account, in which case ignore what I just said. [quote name='Odin M Yggdrasi;798073]Also, have you met in person yet? Be careful with your first meeting, I recommend places like stores where there are some people around but also security cameras as well so that if anything bad happens they have some way to find 'her'. [/QUOTE][QUOTE=Venge;798072][FONT=Arial][SIZE=1][b]Its been nearly two months now. [U]Joey and I have been hanging out almost every weekend[/U], [/b][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]I would say that qualifies as having met her in person. [QUOTE=Odin M Yggdrasi;798073']It cannot be classified as anything more than puppy love untill it hits at least the three month mark- starting at the date you confessed your feelings for each other. [/quote][QUOTE=Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]This is why people like us should never [I]ever[/I] enter threads like this and attempt to give advice. We want to classify the durn thing, and that's not what you do with it. I mean, I'd try and everything, but the best thing I can tell you, [COLOR="DarkRed"]Venge[/COLOR], is to completely ignore most any words from us Logic machines. We suck at this stuff; all abstract emotional and empathic responses are redirected through that stupid quantifying matrix, and it all comes out wrong.[/FONT][/QUOTE]Truer words were never spoken. Not that I?m any better at it, but Allamorph is right, there is no such thing as classifying when something goes from simple attraction to something more deeper. So just ignore any advice that includes a time limit of how long you have to have been meeting/dating. It?s just not true at all. It really depends on each person and each situation really. I?m in my third relationship that is more than just simple attraction and I can tell you that for each one, it was different. Some moved more slowly and others seemed to be more quick. Personally I think you're in that phase of discovering if there is going to be more to it than simple attraction and yet not into the phase or actually loving her. At least not in the sense that you want to settle down, get married, have kids, etc. ;)

Kerstin and the undercover agent, Timothy Zeldias, were just over halfway back to where his ship as a merchant was docked. Once they arrived she would be transported directly to the transport ship that she had arrived on and they would leave to head back to sector one. Now that she had seen those who were at the meeting there was no reason for her to stay any longer. And the sooner she got back to sector one the better. As they continued to walk through the city, Kerstin couldn't help but think it was a shame that she just didn't have the time to truly enjoy where she was, like all sectors in the Versilan Empire, each one was unique when it came to the type of architecture and as an artist, she was always looking for new things to paint. All thoughts of that vanished when she felt Timothy tense and then lean over a bit as if talking to her casually. "[B]We've got a problem.[/B]" He told her. "[B]The New Alliance is cautious, they've been having each merchant followed to keep tabs on them. But some new one's have arrived and they're armed.[/B]" Kerstin involuntarily clutched his left arm tightly even as she kept her expression as neutral as possible and tried to hide how her heart had started racing at his words. "[B]What do we do?[/B]" "[B]At the moment, nothing. Just as they've been keeping tabs on me, we've also been keeping tabs on them, so the others will already be aware of this.[/B]" He turned and gave her a false smile as if they were simply chatting. "[B]However, should anything happen I need you to make a run for where the ship is docked. You'll be given priority and the others will do everything in their power to see to your safety.[/B]" "[B]I see.[/B]" Kerstin replied and would have said more but halted when out of the shadows several men moved to block their path, their hands resting on the weapons they were carrying, though they did not draw them. There was no need really, in order to attend the meeting, both Kerstin and Timothy had been required to show up unarmed. "[B]Stand aside please.[/B]" Timothy asserted in a forceful tone as he stood with both feet apart just a bit, his arms casually to the side as he readied himself to launch at the closest one if need be. "[B]I have no business with any of you."[/B] The foremost one merely drew his weapon and smiled as others arrived from the sides and behind them, for a total of eight. Timothy didn't wait for the one drawing his weapon to get a chance to take aim. With trained precision he launched himself at him even as he shouted at Kerstin to run. Kerstin barely had time to see Timothy grab one of the men's wrist and wrestle the disruptor gun from his hand as she ditched the high heels in favor of running barefoot though the streets. A flash of movement as Timothy dragged the man sideways and into one of the other men to give her a clear path to run and then they were behind her and other than the sounds of them struggling and voices calling to someone to catch her, she was on her way. Her heart pounding Kerstin ran as fast as she could, wincing at the sound of disruptor fire behind her. Then as she ran around a corner she looked back briefly to see that Timothy had taken care of two men and was struggling with a third when one of the others struck him from behind and he crumpled to the ground. Kerstin ignored the calls of the two in pursuit of her to halt and continued to run; doing her best to not stumble as the hard material of the streets began to make her feet hurt from the harsh contact of her running. She was not accustomed to going without shoes, but she already knew she could not run in high heels. She could barely even walk in them. [I] I'm not going to make it![/I] She thought frantically as the citizens of the world turned their back on her plight, ignoring that there was now four men chasing her. Several of them attempting to shoot her as she ran, their shots barely missing her. One of the laser blasts was close enough that it burned the skin of her left arm as it passed by and slammed into a building. Kerstin was developing a stitch in her side from the continuous running, she was fit, but unaccustomed to such strenuous activity for any length of time. Her breath was coming in harsh gasps and her vision was blurred from the tears in her eyes. She was running on pure fear as she attempted to lose those who were pursuing her. A flash of red arching towards Kerstin from on top of one of the buildings off in front of her, nearly made her stumble and fall as it barely missed her and took out one of the men following her. Cries of alarm from the remaining three went up as they scattered as more disruptor fire came from the same location. Kerstin heard one of the frantically calling for backup before she was out of range. [I]That must be the others that Timothy was talking about! [/I] With a rush of renewed determination she put on more speed, feeling more secure in her chances of making it to where the ship was located. [I]I hope they helped Timothy too.[/I] She thought as she passed by the building where the shots that had helped her had come from. But then as she was just getting past it a high pitched shriek filled the air and an explosion rocked the top of the building, the shock wave catching her by surprise as it knocked her and other civilians off their feet. As quick as possible Kerstin got back to her feet, ignoring the blisters that were forming and the panicked screams of the civilians who were taking off. She looked up to see that the top of the roof was in ruins. With a sob Kerstin turned and continued her flight, fighting to keep the tears from flowing down her face. She was almost to the ship when she realized that a party was waiting for her, blocking her path to where the ships were docked. [I]Hell![/I] Frantically she turned to look for someway to escape only to stagger as a light stun shot hit her, forcing her to her hands and knees. The last thing Kerstin remembered as she saw them coming for her and then felt them seize her was someone telling the others to be careful to not hurt her.

I may be a sucker for blue and intend to stick with the OB standard theme, but I do like the top image with a bit from The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. I actually have a decent scan of the full art image, though I don't remember if it was a woodblock painting or something else. Still I like that the best about the new theme, it really suits it well. Also, keeping the same background for the posts is perfect in my mind. I usually avoid darker themes since it always makes readability an issue, but this way... It's no issue at all.

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]If we're going to get into favorites... their first album is still my favorite out of all of them. But then over half of the album is the style I like the best. XP[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]Same here, the rest of their albums could do with more of what they did in the first one, even though I do like a lot of the other songs. But there is no denying that I like what they did with the first album the best. In my opinion, they've strayed from that format quite a bit with each album and I especially dislike the ones with more modern singers like Johnny Mathis and Olivia Newton-John in their newest album. That sort of thing is why I like their music since I've no interest in some popular singer doing Christmas songs. So for them to add that to their newest album was to be frank, a disappointment. I wasn't thrilled with it in the Extraordinaire album so I dislike that they did it again. Each song with them in it got listened to once and I won't be listening to them again. Anyway, the Christmas album really does have some of the best in my opinion: [B]We Three Kings of Orient Are: [/B]The American carol written John Hopkins Jr. in 1857, retelling the legend as it's known. [B]Bring a Tourch, Jeannette, Isabella:[/B] A beautiful old 17th century French carol. [B]The Coventry Carol:[/B] Originally from the mid 1400's but I understand that they did later version of it from 1591. [B]Wassail:[/B] An ancient English carol done in the renaissance style. [B]Carol of the Birds:[/B] I believe this one is an ancient old French melody about a flock of birds that flew to the manger to bring gifts, again done in the renaissance style. [B]I saw Three Ships:[/B] An English carol of 15th century origin I believe and also done in the renaissance style. [B]God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen:[/B] I believe this one dates to the 15th century and the different wording is because the Old English word for "merry" did not mean gay and lively, but rather merely pleasant or agreeable. Anyway not that I don't like the other albums, but there is no denying that some of my favorites out of everything they have done is in the first one.

[quote name='Vicky'][SIZE=1]I think what they did was use classical and put the electronic sounds in where nescessary. A Clockwork Orange's soundtrack should indeedly be a classical score.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]If you are talking about the movie A Clockwork Orange, then you are correct. The main theme is an electronic transcription of Henry Purcell's Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary, which was composed in 1695. If you are referring to something else then I wouldn't know. XP

Well, even though you didn't say anything about my picture... I uploaded the better version for you anyway. So that should make it easier for you to resize and crop it as you see fit.

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]My guidelines: [list][*]If you can function, go. [*]If function level is impaired more than 43.68%, don't go. Anything attempted past this level of impairment will be distinctly less than best quality.[/list][/FONT][/QUOTE]Plus there is the danger that you'll go and end up puking all over the place when you arrive. XP At that point every student knows who you are and wants to toss you out the window for exposing them to what you have, even if it is on the second or third floor. No one is happy when that happens. Most of the time I just go to school when I'm sick, but when I'm [I]that[/I] kind of sick, I just stay home and get better. I can't concentrate when I'm doing my best to keep from throwing up while I'm at school. It's just a total waste since I go home and can't remember anything that was said anyway. I only made that mistake once and I'll never do it again. lol[quote name='Konata']But if you don't go, then you're not only taking away money from the school, but you are also eliminating a part of your resume =( Besides, you won't have to catch up if there's nothing to catch up on (if you go to school regardless of health). And ultimately, you'll learn more =P I mean, I know my limits though. If I'm so sick, I might literally die if I go to school, I won't go to school. That's sorta the reason why I didn't get a perfect attendance award last year, since I had to go to the emergency room >_>[/QUOTE]Taking money from the school? Perhaps you could explain that one since it makes no sense at all. Meh, I'd argue otherwise, especially if you have something that is contagious. Getting everyone else sick accomplishes nothing really. And I already argued the point that depending on what ails you, it's possible you'll learn absolutely nothing other than how much it sucks to be at school when you feel bad.

I'll second everything in your list Beth, but then there are far too many composers that I like and I'm not even going to get started on that here. XP I'd be typing for far longer than I want to. But I will address this:[quote name='Avenged666fold']So can anyone recommend me something that sounds like Beethoven or is from the 1800's?[/QUOTE]If you?re looking for something that is similar to Beethoven and is also from the 1800?s, then a good composer to look up would be Johannes Brahms since he has some imitations of Beethoven in his works. For example his First Piano Sonata is similar to Beethoven?s Hammerklavier Sonata and his First Symphony carries a similar theme to Beethoven?s Ninth. Though I wouldn?t stop there, his music has appeared in many films and other works of popular culture so it?s likely that exposing yourself to his works will have you realizing that you?ve heard the melodies of many of his pieces before.

Celesta wondered if it was even worth granting her power to yet another soul. No amount of healing could reverse death and yet at this rate, it would never be decided. She had no more clue than the others did when it came to making the necessary move to bring things to their conclusion. [CENTER][IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/Ragnarok/ragnarok-soul-patrick.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/Ragnarok/ragnarok-soul-marta.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/Ragnarok/ragnarok-soul-jeanne.jpg[/IMG][/center] "[B]I wonder if Charlotte and Naomi are alright.[/B]" Marta wondered as they finally continued their search now that Patrick was awake. "[B]What does it matter? If you are correct other than one of us, everyone will die.[/B]" Jeanne replied. "[B]Oh I don't know about that.[/B]" Marta said. "[B]The fact that they would even need us to finish their fight would indicate that they aren't as powerful as legends would have us believe.[/B]" "[B]You're so full of it Marta.[/B]" Patrick snapped. "[B]Everyone knows that you can't go against God, even believing in other Gods is stupid and foolish.[/B]" "[B]Yes Patrick, that's why you're been cursed by one of those Gods that doesn't exist.[/B]" Marta taunted him. "[B]It's amazing how one so young can be so naive as to think that he knows everything.[/B]" She turned her back on him when he flushed with embarrassment at her statements to his stupidity and arrogance in thinking he knew better. It was one thing that Marta despised. People thinking that they knew the truth when no one did. She did not notice, nor did Jeanne when Patrick simply slipped away and took off on his own. It was some time later before Marta realized that Patrick was gone and both her and Jeanne were not inclined to hunt for him, more concerned with returning baby Kenneth to Charlotte and finding Naomi as well. "[B]Well that's just great.[/B]" Jeanne groaned. "[B]That crazy messed up kid is out there on his own. I just know he's going to be trouble.[/B]" "[B]It can't be helped.[/B]" Marta knew she should care, especially since she was no longer cursed, but she just couldn't bring herself to do so. Jeanne sighed. "[B]Well if he pulls any stunts again, I meant what I said earlier, I will shoot to kill.[/B]" "[B]Well hopefully that won't be an issue.[/B]" Marta replied and then she smiled when they finally came to a door leading outside into a lush garden with fruit trees and flowerbeds. "[B]How about we take a moment to eat something and rest? I'm sure I can mash up some of the fruit to feed Kenneth.[/B]" Jeanne just nodded and after grabbing something to eat she sat down next to Marta who had carefully set Kenneth down in the grass so she could work on preparing some food for him. They hadn't been sitting long when Jeanne felt something odd enter her, like a feeling as if she could fix anything and the briefest of words echoed in her mind. [I]You will house my power to heal, remember, it is tied to your own strength.[/I] And then it was gone, leaving Jeanne to wonder if she had just imagined it. [CENTER] [IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/Ragnarok/ragnarok-healcard.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/Ragnarok/ragnarok-soul-jeanne.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

I'd do a realistic night sky painting or something like that. Even simple color would be more interesting than the plain white ceilings I've always had. XP Seriously though, sky lights so long as there was a way to block the sun if you needed to sleep during the day would be pretty nifty as well.

Right now I'm listening to my newest purchase, Christmas Song. Mannheim Steamroller's newest Christmas album. It's got a lot of good songs on it like [B]Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow[/B] and [B]Feliz Navidad[/B]. I haven't really listened to the others enough to know if I'll like them as much as I do the two I just listed. As much as I like this group, they're sort of a make it or break it deal with their songs. Either I like or I just don't. Like the Christmas Song with Johnny Mathis singing... that one is a definite don't like. lol Fortunately, I tend to like over 80% of their Christmas music. Otherwise, it would be a waste to buy an album for just one song. XP

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I tend to make a mixed disk of their work and then listen to it once Thanksgiving is over until Christmas arrives. I always look forward to it since I really like their music a lot. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]Same here, I take all the songs I like the best and put them on a disk as well as a seperate play list for my computer. In fact I'm getting the ones off the newest release that I like the best to add to my current list on my computer. So which one is your favorite out of the songs on the new album? Right now I'm leaning towards Feliz Navidad.

Well first of all here's a link to a news article on this: [URL="http://news.aol.com/entertainment/television/tv-news-story/ar/_a/panettiere-wanted-for-dolphin-protest/20071115133909990001"][U]Article[/U][/URL] And second, so long as it's not one of the species of Dolphins that is endangered I don't see a problem, at least so long as the fishing is reasonable and not going to eventually lead to extinction by over harvesting, etc. I couldn't find anything to indicate whether or not the dolphins killed are among the ones that are considered endangered or not. So I can't really say one way or another on this.

"You've got to be kidding me." Alex muttered under his breath as he watched Adrian take care of the undead dragon in less than a minute. But Nall just laughed at him as he took off and changed into his full form. "Perhaps you should have spent more time honing your own skills instead of playing video games or watching those silly shows the humans make." He teased Alex. "Don't be absurd Nall," Alex replied as he dispatched a wraith that got past Nall's flames. "No one ever said anything about needing to know how to fight." "True, and for most Shinigami it is instinctive, and for others..." Nall just favored both Adrian and Nathan with a side glance before giving the fight his full attention. "Lets just say that they have their reasons." Alex glared a bit at Nall, "I hate it when you do that, dance around the fact that you know far more than you're willing to let on to." He paused for a moment to dispatch yet another wave of wraiths that attempted to take out him and Nall. "What the hell is going on here? These things are spawning so quickly! At this rate we'll never get rid of them!" For every one that Alex dispatched, two more appeared, if not for Nall taking out waves of them at a time, they would have already been overrun, even with Adrian's unnatural speed with which he was dealing with the undead dragon each time it reappeared. His next slash brought him back to back with the tiny Aeru and her familiar who had joined in the fight. "What are you doing? You're suppose to be watching the little vampire girl!" Alex cried. "Nathan is taking care of her!" Aeru replied as she took to the air and with a graceful back flip and took out a set of wraiths dropping from the ceiling and then turned at Joe's sharp warning to clobber another one that was coming up from the floor just behind her. Alex spared a quick glance in Nathan's direction to see him actively keeping more of the creatures away from the little vampire girl and Astera who was clinging to her shoulder. Quickly he turned his attention back to the monsters before them and to what Lucia, Ruby and the others were up to. "Lucia!" Alex cried out. "What's going on?" "Some outside source is feeding them. There has to be some way to severe that connection." She called back even as she sent a wave of flames from the palm of her hand, turning the wraiths coming towards her to ashes. "I'm searching for it right now!" Lucia finished as she looked at her crystal communicator, checking the readout. Alex wanted to tell her to hurry, but instead started working his way towards her location, thinking it was best to keep the creatures away from her while she searched for whatever it was that was feeding the creatures unnatural spawning rate. What kind of punishment zone is this? No human could ever hope to survive more than but a moment in a place like this. Or vampire for that matter.

Cheating to me is when your girlfriend does something with someone else that they know you would be uncomfortable with. The same with marriage as well. I can't list specifics other than for myself, which means anything other than a simple hug and a kiss on the check is cheating. Especially if we've both made it clear that other than a few dates, we intend to actually get to know each other better. And by few dates I mean when you first meet and you haven't reached the point where you've decided to actually date seriously. Those first few dates don't really count in my opinion since you don't know if you like each other enough to even consider dating on a more permanent basis. I'm sure I'm not the only one to go out on a date and after two or three times, it's obvious that you have nothing in common and no interest in getting to know the person better. Now for those relationships where you have moved past the initial dates, if you really find yourself wanting more, then at that point you need to be asking yourself why you're even in a relationship or why you're staying married. As Gavin mentioned, if it's not working, you need to either resolve it or end it and move on before you and everyone else involved ends up hurt.

I can't believe I never commented here since The Wind Waker is one of my favorite Zelda games. Putting aside the stun and slash aspect of the final bosses, I loved pretty much everything about it. Especially the cel-shaded look to the graphics. All the funny expressions by Link and just how colorful the world was really stood out. I really loved how Link could sneak along the walls and peek around corners, hide in barrels, have parry and counter moves since it just made the game fun. And it's ironic that the one thing many of my friends complained about, the sailing, is one of the things I love best about this game. Finding all the treasure maps, dredging the bottom of the ocean at the glow rings, beating all the cannons in the reefs to get a treasure chest... I spent hours finding all the stuff you can at sea. Which incidentally makes the issue of having money for Tingle irrelevant. This game gives you more money than you'll ever need. lol As much as I enjoyed Twilight Princess, I wish they had done another cel-shaded game for the gamecube or now the Wii. I know I would probably fork out the money for a Wii if they made another one. And if not for disliking what I saw of the sailing aspect in Phantom Hourglass... I would have finally broken down and gotten a DS Lite. Anyway, talking about this is making me want to go and play it again.

[B]Name:[/B] Alexander Edward Madison Almagest [B]Age:[/B] 25 [B] Your Position inside the Almagest family: [/B]Alexander is married to Alecia Leanna Almagest, granddaughter of Leonheart Almagest. [B]Your Portrait:[/B] [URL="http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/5043/alexander01hq8.jpg"][U]Alexander[/U][/URL] [B]Your occupation:[/B] Alexander is a member of the Royal Police Guard assigned to patrol parts of the city in High Czenoble. [B]Your Story:[/B] Alexander’s family, the Madison’s have no influence other than most if not all of them have served in either the military in the past or in the current militia. Alexander has several older brothers who serve in the Guard in New Czenoble, but unlike his brothers, Alexander’s sense of duty for upholding the law does not include a tendency to be brutal or merciless towards others. Alexander has a keen interest in studying law and in fair treatment for all citizens regardless of rank or status. This kinder attitude resulted in him being assigned to High Czenoble when Alexander finished his training to become a member of the Royal Police Guard. As well as his eventual meeting of Alecia Leanna Almagest who worked at one of the medical clinics in the area he patrols. After obtaining permission from Alecia’s relatives to court her, a year later the two of them, after gaining permission were married. Adjusting to being a part of the Almagest family is something that has been difficult for Alexander due to the resentment he has faced from fellow members of the Royal Police Guard as as well as from some members of the Almagest family since he married Alecia.

[quote name='indifference'][COLOR="Indigo"]Just a quick plot point. Yes Adrian made dealing with the dragon look easy, but at the same time that's suppose to give an indication that dealing with the Count isn't going to be easy. Though I'm sure Alex can be thinking what the hell? :p [/COLOR][/QUOTE]Naturally, after all his fight with the thing did not go so easily. XP But then Alex already expects Adrian to be meaner than he is. Anyway, I'm a bit tired but once I've gotten some sleep I'll get a post in.

I'll try to think of something Sandy, but truthfully, I'm coming up brain dead on ideas here. Though that could be because I had a very long day yesterday and I just need some sleep. XP Still I really am coming up blank at the moment. Sorry.

I just love drama when I have no clue what happened. XP Or rather I didn't see the original post so I'm not completely clear on what happened. So obviously I'm fine with how things were decided since I didn't really see otherwise. [quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']More importantly though. There are only four souls and five gods, so someone at this point should be out of the game unless something is played to keep them in. I wonder just who is out this time?[/QUOTE]Yeah, now that I've read Shy's post... I'm wondering the same thing. Someone is out of the game unless they already have a card that will let them continue.

[quote name='Vicky'][size=1]There's no such thing in my school. Well, barely.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]Well when I was in Junior High and High School... There wasn't much in the way of groups at the school I went to. Other than one exception that I remember quite well. And that was the question of whether or not the person was LDS/Mormon or not. No matter how much anyone would deny it, I clearly remember being taught by both my parents and teachers at church to avoid others who were not a member. Though that just opened up my questioning things and eventually refusing to be a member of the church. But really, that's the only one I remember, the ones who once they found out you weren't a Mormon and that you weren't going to become one, they wouldn't give you the time of day for nothing. Though that too just made me wonder what the hell I was a part of. Especially when that snobbery would extend to your friends who weren't LDS. I wasn't about to ignore them over something so trivial. Anyway, I'm sure the other groups existed, but there wasn't really any friction between them so you didn't give it any thought if someone was listing to rap, skateboarding or dressed in black.

Edward Steven Windsor was as always taking advantage of a few minutes alone in the private gardens attached to his personal suite. Though dressed in the finest clothing of both satin and silk in rich purples and gold, Edward was without the burdensome outer robes cloak and mantle that he would have rather foregone altogether. The cool and soft autumn breeze among the carefully maintained trees and flower gardens was refreshing and for just a few minutes he could forget that in just a moment he would be required to deal with matters of state. As if that thought alone summoned one of his closest advisor, the sound of leather on stone came from behind Edward, telling him that for now his brief break was over. With the tiniest of sighs he turned to face Jeffery Madison who as always was right on time for their afternoon meeting. He came to a halt, bowing deeply while he waited for Edward to finally address him. “[B]It’s that time already is it?[/B]” Edward asked even though he already knew the answer. Jeffery straightened up. “[B]Yes your Majesty.[/B]” He offered up a copy of the papers with the details of several reports that had come in earlier, waiting patiently while Edward glanced through them, frowning just a bit over some of the details in each one. “[B]So once again Eoghan Kearney has eluded your grasp. And the agents sent to retrieve him are dead.[/B]” Edward was not amused, three men should not have had a problem taking one terrorist into custody. “[B]Yes Sire, along with the Herr Ludwig Von-Wolfhausen who was his employer. I’m afraid that for the moment we have no leads on him.[/B]” Jeffery kept his gaze properly focused downward, knowing that the lose of any of the police service always irritated the King. “[B]He’ll show up again, scum such as him are incapable of remaining hidden for long, anyway, good work on our Chief Superintendent Richard Stark’s part. Those fools never learn do they?[/B]” Edward set the papers for the first two reports down on the elaborately carved wooden bench neatly set along the path and surrounded by bushes. “[B]No Sire, they don’t. Though perhaps it would have been better if some of them were brought in for questioning instead of being killed on the spot?[/B]” Jeffery tried to suggest but Edward silenced him with a wave of his hand. “[B]Don’t be absurd, what could possibly be learned from scum like that?[/B]” Edward folded his arms across his chest, heedless of the creases it would produce in the fabric of his sleeves. “[B]Now more importantly, enough with the attempts to find me a suitable wife.[/B]” “[B]But Sire! The people need a Queen and a future heir to the throne…[/B]” Jeffery tried to protest as he shifted a bit nervously in place. But the King overrode his objections. Making Jeffery nervous with how he simply held the third and yet most important report, the one on the Queen of Germany. But the King had not done more than to briefly look at the first page and had ignored the rest. “[B]Nonsense, should anything happen to me both of my younger brothers are fit to rule. I will not marry just anyone for the sake of delivering a heir for the population.[/B]” Edward crumpled up the remaining papers in his hand, the report about some Queen in Germany, he had not even bothered to read the details as to her circumstances or even her name. Or to even look at the portrait that would have been included. He let go of the crumpled papers, letting them fall to the ground. “[B]You’re dismissed Madison.[/B]” Edward replied in his coldest and most formal tone of voice. “[B]But Sire.[/B]” “[B]Leave.[/B]” Edward turned his back on him and went back to admiring the beauty of the garden, he would not spoil the rest of his afternoon with such trivial matters. He would marry when he was good and ready and not a moment sooner and most certainly not to someone picked out by his advisers.

I completely forgot the Harlock Saga opening. Definitely one of my favorites since it?s based off the opera ?Der Ring des Nibelungen? and it uses the music by Richard Wagner. The Harlock Saga is one of the only anime shows I?ve watched that I was hooked before the show even began, just by listening to the opening music. Here?s a link to the opening: [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H62haO1YOm4"][U]Click[/U][/URL] it also includes the ending but it?s only the opening that I really like. I also love how it was performed by the Moscow International Symphonic Orchestra so it actually sounds good. And surprisingly, for an older styled anime, the actual show was pretty good as well. Heh. The English opening to this though is just horrid beyond belief since the show is an adaptation of the opera Der Ring des Nibelugen so changing the music just ruins it in my opinion. XP