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It started raining late afternoon, which is fine by me. Rain in winter in California is the equivalent of snow in Ithaca. Except we're actually getting our precipitation, unlike tragically warm Ithaca.
I keep feeling sicker and sicker. This isn't good. I'm knocking back tangerines and Vitamin Water and tea like it's candy. I wonder if it's allergies brought on by inhaling all that box dust. I didn't start feeling sick till the second day on the job. Now it's just worse. All yuck, mostly. I just want to sleep all day tomorrow.
Unfortunately, no. Call it real world experience--having to go to work while deathly ill. I need the money. I shouldn't be gift boxing anymore since the season is over, but now the half yearly sale for men is on, which means it's going to be psychotically busy. Why the hell would Nordstrom do this to themselves? Put on a major sale in the days after Christmas? So there's that to deal with, on top of all the returns? Dear god. I managed to skiv off today, but no more. I'll have to see the sale through to the end, whenever that is. It started today and I don't know how long it continues for. If I'm dead tomorrow, you'll know why.
Went shopping today. Couldn't help myself. That's what Christmas spending money is for, anyway--for spending on the after-Xmas sales. I got the latest Busou Renkin, Monster, Fruits Basket and Immortal Rain in the way of manga. Also got Lady Knight and the first in the Nursery Crime series--of which I have reported--called The Big Over Easy.
Also got A Scanner Darkly--the novel, not the graphic novel--because I saw that movie last night with my brother and it's one of the most awesome movies I've ever seen.
The premise is that it's a few years in the future, and there's a crazy, mind-altering drug on the market called Substance D, and 25% of the population is addicted. The movie examines one such addict, Bob Arctor (I think that's his name), who is also a detective who goes by the name Fred. But Substance D pretty much causes a split personality or some such, so what ends up happening is that Fred is investigating Bob--as in, himself. The unfolding of the plot is awesome, the examination of the addict's mind is scarily accurate, and the ending is simply brilliant.
Oh, and, visually? Best. Movie. Ever.
At first glance, it's animation. But what they did is they filmed the entire movie in live action, and then animated right over it onto the cells. So you've got this beautifully fluid animation, so everything moves as if it's live action, and there are times when you believe you actually are watching live action. I think the term is cell shading? I'm probably wrong. Ohhhh, man. The effect is that when Bob really starts to unravel, everything is really disorienting. The movement. The colors. Ah, can't get over it.
The movie is also a statement without acting like one. There's a dedication at the end that makes it clear this movie is about the LSD crowd after everyone realized the stuff had been released by the FBI (CIA? one of them). But the movie isn't all preachy or anything. It just is. It's funny and dark and wonderful.
I think Ima have to buy this one.
Score: 8 out of 10
Also got a new cell phone today, and switched to Cingular. The cell phone is adorable. It's so tiny! Same number, though, so no worries there. It's also my first time having a camera phone, so I've been having fun with it.
Meh. I don't want to work tomorrow.
I keep feeling sicker and sicker. This isn't good. I'm knocking back tangerines and Vitamin Water and tea like it's candy. I wonder if it's allergies brought on by inhaling all that box dust. I didn't start feeling sick till the second day on the job. Now it's just worse. All yuck, mostly. I just want to sleep all day tomorrow.
Unfortunately, no. Call it real world experience--having to go to work while deathly ill. I need the money. I shouldn't be gift boxing anymore since the season is over, but now the half yearly sale for men is on, which means it's going to be psychotically busy. Why the hell would Nordstrom do this to themselves? Put on a major sale in the days after Christmas? So there's that to deal with, on top of all the returns? Dear god. I managed to skiv off today, but no more. I'll have to see the sale through to the end, whenever that is. It started today and I don't know how long it continues for. If I'm dead tomorrow, you'll know why.
Went shopping today. Couldn't help myself. That's what Christmas spending money is for, anyway--for spending on the after-Xmas sales. I got the latest Busou Renkin, Monster, Fruits Basket and Immortal Rain in the way of manga. Also got Lady Knight and the first in the Nursery Crime series--of which I have reported--called The Big Over Easy.
Also got A Scanner Darkly--the novel, not the graphic novel--because I saw that movie last night with my brother and it's one of the most awesome movies I've ever seen.
The premise is that it's a few years in the future, and there's a crazy, mind-altering drug on the market called Substance D, and 25% of the population is addicted. The movie examines one such addict, Bob Arctor (I think that's his name), who is also a detective who goes by the name Fred. But Substance D pretty much causes a split personality or some such, so what ends up happening is that Fred is investigating Bob--as in, himself. The unfolding of the plot is awesome, the examination of the addict's mind is scarily accurate, and the ending is simply brilliant.
Oh, and, visually? Best. Movie. Ever.
At first glance, it's animation. But what they did is they filmed the entire movie in live action, and then animated right over it onto the cells. So you've got this beautifully fluid animation, so everything moves as if it's live action, and there are times when you believe you actually are watching live action. I think the term is cell shading? I'm probably wrong. Ohhhh, man. The effect is that when Bob really starts to unravel, everything is really disorienting. The movement. The colors. Ah, can't get over it.
The movie is also a statement without acting like one. There's a dedication at the end that makes it clear this movie is about the LSD crowd after everyone realized the stuff had been released by the FBI (CIA? one of them). But the movie isn't all preachy or anything. It just is. It's funny and dark and wonderful.
I think Ima have to buy this one.
Score: 8 out of 10
Also got a new cell phone today, and switched to Cingular. The cell phone is adorable. It's so tiny! Same number, though, so no worries there. It's also my first time having a camera phone, so I've been having fun with it.
Meh. I don't want to work tomorrow.
