Sara

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]A thousand apologies to Dags if this same thread is lurking just off the first page. I'd be lying if I said I checked. I don't watch a lot of anime (the two series I've seen in entirety are probably just Digimon and Haibane Renmei), but both of those have had Christmassy themes at one point of the story, so I'm going to assume that there are other anime out there that have the same. (I'm pretty sure I've heard talk about a Love Hina holiday special.) What are your favorite Holiday moments? Haibane Renmei has an entire story arc which takes place around what is probably a new year's celebration. Everyone in the town buys little "bell nuts" (different colors symbolise different things--forgiveness, love, friendship, thanks, etc.) and give them to the people (or Haibane) they know. It's quite sweet. (There's a darker side to the story, as well, but that's spoilerrific.)[/color][/font]

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]Begging your pardon, but most guys ARE either arrogant pricks or sissy pansies afraid to talk to women. (Or gay. You didn't mention that option.) I thought everyone knew that.[/font][/color]

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]I'm sure all our artists appreciate it. :)[/font][/color]

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms][spoiler]Leonardo. The ninja turtle. No, seriously. (Okay, so I had crushes on all of the TMNTs at one point or another... what can I say? I was a fickle five year old.)[/spoiler] I've had a lot of crushes, but the most prominent (and long-lasting) started my sophomore year of high school. I had a pretty heady crush on a guy who was in drama with me , and that lasted for about a year and a half. (Amusingly enough, I didn't realise I had [i]had[/i] a crush on him until it was over. Then I was like, "Oh. I get it now. [i]That[/i]'s why!" And I felt pretty silly about the whole thing. He asked another girl out a few months after I met him, which was a pretty painful (lol) experience for me. I kept entertaining this notion that he might like me (he teased me a lot, invited me to sit with him at lunch, etc.), and then he started talking about this other girl and what kind of jewelry to buy for her. Ouch. :whoops: And I still had a crush on him for about a year after that. (It's not like I was [i]trying[/i] to, heh. Those things just sort of...happen.)[/font][/color]

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]The whole point about "be yourself!" isn't that you're naturally cool or fun to be with. You're probably not. The point is that sooner or later, you're gonna end up being yourself anyway, and then you'll get dumped. Much better to start dating someone who can actually tolerate the real you. :)[/font][/color]

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]Thanks again to everyone who reads this. I do appreciate it, and I heart your feedback. New project! It's pretty blinding right now, heh. [img]http://www.boomspeed.com/omegareh/chameleoflage.gif[/img] Yellow's not the only color, but it's the first one I did. I drew the chameleon by hand last night; took me about five hours. It looks cool, though. Working title is Chameleoflage. Yes, again, I know I'm lame. :)[/color][/font]

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]As a girl, I'd like to add something to the conversation, expanding on what Retri just said. [size=3]I [b]would not[/b] date someone who was "looking for a girlfriend." I would [b]never[/b] want to feel that I was just filling a position for that person. If I am going to date someone, it is going to be someone who wants to date me [i]because he likes me[/i], not because he is desperately searching for a female for some hormonal release.[/size] Either you're going about this the wrong way, or you need to word your initial post differently.[/font][/color]

[quote name='Who?]If you're insinuating that you usually know beforehand what you're getting for Christmas, then you, sir, are a [i]heathen[/i]. [/size'][/size][/quote][color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]Quoted for truth. I got my mom some Pink Panther stuff back this summer (a little doll or two, and a canvas bag), so that's cute and fun. My sister's getting a cool-looking clock (I have to fix it first) and a Batman watch (heh, I just noticed that they're both timepieces.) I want to get my dad [url=http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Bloodhound-of-the-Law-Posters_i1113465_c133_.htm]this sign[/url], but I m not sure where I'd find it. As for my two brothers, I have no idea yet what I am giving them. :)[/font][/color]

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]I guess I just can't help but be amused by this whole thing. Because, for the same reason that the information was put there in the first place, [b]Mr. Seigenthaler could have easily corrected it himself[/b]. That's the basis of the site. Like Mnemolth (and possibly others) have pointed out, users keep each other in check. If you see something that's obviously wrong, as a user of Wikipedia you're very nearly obligated to correct it. That's why the system works. Yes, there's a problem when someone sees an error and writes an op/ed piece in USA today. But I'm wondering where the problem lies, and it doesn't seem to be with a system that works for every other article on the site.[/color][/font]

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]I don't think we really need to add the prefix "wiki" to everything, do we? I mean, come on. This isn't Digimon. ;)[/color][/font]

[quote name='renayiiq']Do you have any idea how long that could take? Working at McDonald's for a few years doesn't really sound too great.[/quote][color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]At the same time, many people do it. Incidently, once you're in college, look for jobs on campus. I don't know about other places, but there are a TON of jobs here that are only available to students. Wages vary a lot, but the current starting rate at the cafeteria is $8.25 an hour. Pretty ridiculous, actually. :p Plus, they take college schedules as a given, and are super-lenient around finals week and such.[/font][/color]

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]Financial aid comes in many different forms--grants, scholarships, loans. Definitely look into it. Many things are need-based (how much money your parents make), many are merit-based (good grades, etc.), and others are field-based (many scholarships are specific to majors--"This is for high school seniors intended to major in physical therapy" or something like that.) Talk to your school counselor, look around, apply for whatever you can.[/color][/font]

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]Circuitree is up now. (Actually, it has been for a couple days--yay for being on top of things!) Anyway, yeah. That's pretty much all. If you vote, please leave a comment, because that would totally make my day. [url="http://www.threadless.com/submission/62115/Circuitree?streetteam=Verdana"][img]http://www.threadless.com/submission/banner/1/62115.png[/img][/url][/font][/color]

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]Again, thanks a lot for the comments. For those of you following along at home, here's the current version of our friend the tree. I think there's a world of difference between this one and the last. Subtle, maybe, but there nonetheless. I balanced out the size of the top and bottom a bit--the tree no longer looks like it might blow over in a stiff wind. I also redid the circuits, making them more even and spacing them out. I also worked on the transition from "tree" to "tech," like John suggested. I'm [i]much[/i] more satisfied with this. If you're not completely sick of this image, please tell me if you think it works. I really do appreciate the help. :) [b]Edit: And while we're at it, here's my virgin attempt at Flash: [url=http://img488.imageshack.us/my.php?image=circuitreetemplategood7ql.swf]Yay for Glow-in-the-Dark[/url]. (Hopefully that will work for you. It works for me and Azure, but apparently not for Robb. Oh, well.)[/b] [/color][/font]

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]Thanks for the input, guys. I'm kinda surprised that everyone likes the darker version of the tree better, heh, but that's fine. :p I originally intended for the tree to have a more "techy" look, but added the curly roots instead. I've also (finally) gone back and done a second (or original?) version that has a different feel to it. I kinda like the curly one better, but I feel like the techy one fits the theme of the contest better. I'm trying to figure out how to integrate the two styles so it doesn't look too awkward. Maybe if I shrink the tree/branches part a little, it won't look so lopsided. I found a name, by the way: [b]Circuitree[/b]. What else could it have been? I like this color combination a lot in the other version (normal roots), but it makes the techy roots look kinda... odd. I guess I'd need to find more contrasting colors for thse too look right. Anyway, just to show you, I guess. And the glowy version looks cool, sorta, but it bugs the heck out of me because it doesn't look balanced. (Not to mention I've been given a crash course in electronics by one of my IT friends, and the diagram is completely inaccurate and would not actuallywork... something I'll fiddle with, I guess. :) ) Again, input and suggestions would be swell.[/color][/font]

[QUOTE=Hug Monster][COLOR=Purple]Can anyone turn this into a sig? I'd really appreciate it. Perhaps make it orange and purple as well? [IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/MetalSonic700/bush.jpg[/IMG][/COLOR] [COLOR=Purple]I tried and made one mysef but if someone can do better I'd like that.[/COLOR][/QUOTE][color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]A slightly abridged version of the quote. [img]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24909&stc=1[/img][/font][/color]

[color=#333333][font=treuchet ms]Thanks for the comment, Solo. (When you mentioned the eyes, I had to laugh. I never actually made pupils for them, because the way the hair fell, I didn't have to.) Anyway, this is the design I'm currently toying with. If I finish it in time, I may submit it to Threadless for the SXSW competetion. (The theme is "Interactivated," whatever that means.) There are a couple different color versions of this, but since I like orange on principle, I thought I'd show that one. (And I threw in the lighter-colored one just now, because the dark brown was bothering me. Though looking at it again, I should probably lighten the leaves and things, too. The dark orange looks a little wonky against the lighter trunk.) I'm not really sure how to attach the little tendrils to the trunk without something looking weird, so suggestions on that end would be nice. And does anyone have a suggestion for a name/title?[/font][/color]

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms][b]I have posted this before, but I think it describes me pretty darn well. It's a bit more than just a blurb, though, so be prepared.[/b] I grew up with more friends in books than in real life, which sounds kind of pathetic, but I was very happy. In high school, I joined Drama, which was probably the best thing I ever did. I love bad old movies (and bad not-so-old movies) and can probably sing almost any School House Rock song ever written. I believe that peanut butter tastes better stright from the jar. I have almost thirty penpals, mostly in the US, but some abroad. I owe them all letters. I hate roller coasters--I'm not scared of them, I just don't like them. I love stickers. I hate popcorn, but love Buttered Popcorn Jelly Belly beans. I have an old fashioned alarm clock (the kind with a hammer that goes back and forth, like you see in cartoons). I have never been to DisneyLand or DisneyWorld. I love Disney movies, but hate how commercialized they are. I am the eldest of four children and seven cousins. I can't swim, rollerskate, ice skate, skateboard, snowboard, or ski. My favorite Care Bear is Secret Bear, and it upsets me that he is now portrayed as being hot pink. I like to snack on wasabi peas and CCEBs (Chocolate Covered Expresso Beans). My favorite color is Orange, but I like bright things in general. I believe that Yellow is underrated. I love buying school supplies, and have more notebooks than I will ever need in my life. I spend my free time quietly building a digital empire on a network of sites known as theOtaku.com. I would rather draw than go bowling, but I covet a pair of ugly bowling shoes. I love snow and hate the cold. I am mildly obsessed with koi fish, and also I am mildly obsessed with swedish fish. My prized possession, next to a box of letters with great nostaglic value, is a paperback dictionary that I got for Christmas in 1997. I keep my pens and pencils in an empty Campbell's Soup can (Tomato Condensed.) This is possibly a tribute to Andy Warhol, but more likely evidence of the fact that I am in college. Hobbes is my hero. I guard my geekiness (what little of it I have) jealously, and I am apprehensive of the fact that they are making a HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie, because I've known about Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters, talking mattresses, and the number forty-two for a very long time and resent the idea that people who have not read the books will soon be in on the jokes. I own a shiny white iBook, which I call Mercutio, after the character in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. I also call it sushi, although no one is quite sure why. I love cheese curds, but only if they are squeaky. I know what "kringle" is, and I have eaten it for breakfast (cherry is the best, but pecan is excellent if you have milk and slash or juice available). I am wary of eating chocolate, because a friend once told me that "the chemicals that go through a female's brain when she eats chocolate are the same as when she falls in love," and I don't like feeling manipulated. I remember when internet fads were .gif images of dancing hamsters, not flash movies of dancing badgers. I hate fruitcake. I knew about The Unbreakable Nalgene before it became a fashion statement. I like rocks. I also like koosh balls. I have never solved a Rubic's Cube, but I've gotten maddeningly close. I mock companies that produce things in "collectors' edition!" boxes, despite the fact that I have dozens of collectors' edition Altoids tins in my room. I cannot enjoy any drink that is more than half coffee, although I am an avid tea drinker. I believe that driving too fast down the highway while belting out 80s rock with the windows down is possibly a gateway to achieving nirvana. Theodore Seuss Geisel is also my hero. I'm not a big fan of Klondike Bars, but I would do some interesting things for a Dreamsicle on a warm summer morning. I believe that The Really Big Button That Doesn't Do Anything is both annoying and delightful. I can recite the movie The Princess Bride. I believe that newts are beautiful and delicate creatures. They also kick some serious amphibian butt. I believe that any person who is familar (by choice or force) with Mister Edgar A. Poe's works should read "Usher II," which is contained in Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles. I believe in the inner goodness of man, and some other serious stuff, too, but I also believe that life is easier if you're laughing. I can read and write in IPA (the International Phonetic Alphabet). I love puns (I'm sorry, but I do). I make a point of not swearing, although there have been occasions of extreme frustration where I have let something slip. I have written a letter while sitting in a tree, and I believe you cannot have lived life to the fullest until you have done so. I love rummage sales and clearance racks. I think van Gogh's "Starry Night" is a beautiful painting, but overrated (and I prefer "Cafe Terrace at Night"). I believe that Tinkerbell is a wench, and while I like her, I can't understand why anyone else does. I appreciate ridiculous crusades, such as the Traffic Cone Preservation Society (google and enjoy) and People For Uniting the World (Reunite Pangaea! Fight Continental Drift!), and I while I have met a man or two I didn't like, I tend to get along with folks alright.[/font][/color]

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]I've only been to one concert (not counting school groups and the like). I went to go see The Newsboys, a Christian rock (?) group a couple years ago. It was seriously so much fun. ^_^[/font][/color]

[font=trebuchet ms][color=#333333]Yeah, the arm is a little wonky. And the shoelaces are kinda pathetic. I'll try to fix that. You know, it really is amazing how much better something looks when you've been working on it and all you want is to be [i]done[/i]. I can't tell you the number of times I've thought this dino was "perfect!" only to come back later and be frustrated as all. It's good to get some fresh eyes on it. [url=http://www.threadless.com/submission/60542/dinoXcore?streetteam=Verdana][img]http://www.threadless.com/submission/banner/1/60542.png[/img][/url] And, of course, if anyone's missed the shameless plug in my signature, the design is now on Threadless. ...Honestly, I'm postively embarrassed about it by now, but oh well. There you have it. :p[/color][/font]

[font=trebuchet ms][color=#333333]This is over a year old. Please don't bring dead threads back to life. Necromancy is bad.[/color][/font]

[color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]I would make an [i]adorable[/i] [url=http://www.darylandjoel.com/Canada99/Photos/GoldenMantleGroundSquirrel2LG.jpg]ground squirrel[/url]. Failing that, I'd settle for one of those adorable [url=http://www.europeansquirrelinitiative.org/red_squirrel.jpg]european red squirrels[/url]. Let's face it: squirrels might be annoying, but they're agile, climby, and darn cute. Or a mink. Because cute, vicious, furry water animals are just about as cool as you can get. They're like mini-otters. Sorta.[/font][/color]

[quote name='Doukeshi][SIZE=1']Have you exhausted all methods? Now I'm not saying get all kinky and S&M here[/SIZE][/quote][color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]Not that there's anything [i]wrong[/i] with that.[/color][/font]

[quote name='kuroinuyoukai']I don't know where to find single men my age at all. I don't go to clubs because I don't like large crowds(anxiety atttacks). Somebody tell me where I can find bachelors my age? Please no dating services!!Help! :animesigh[/quote][color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]I'm hardly a guru, but I'd suggest finding a niche where you feel comfortable being yourself. If you're at a university (or a city that has clubs, heh), there are undoubtedly some small-to-mid-sized groups around. Poetry readings, book clubs, film clubs might all be free. You can probably take a ballroom dance class or something like that for about $30. Good places to meet the more subdued people in the world.[/color][/font]

[quote name='Gavin][SIZE=1']Aside from Raiyuu or any of the other Moderators just editing your post and removing it.[/SIZE][/quote][color=#333333][font=trebuchet ms]Because we do that, right? Living in an IT (read: computer geek) heavy dorm last year changed my perspective a bit on 1337speak. I didn't think there was anyone who [i]actually[/i] still amused themselves by writing like that (as opposed to those who amuse themselves by parody; the distinction is small but important). I was wrong, heh. I would also like to point out that using 1337speak terms in casual conversation is about the funniest thing ever.[/color][/font]