So, here is a sneak preview of the costume that I will be wearing at Kumoricon this weekend. Guess who? :D  I've got some pictures of the construction, but I'm not sure if I should post my cosplayin' mug online. Total blackmail fodder.

Okay, I know that I have gushed quite a bit about the series, Bones, in my pod, but darn it! I'm really hooked on that show! There's nothing cooler than watching an 'anthropologist' do cool stuff and still get to work with handsome men. For once, I have found a reason to indulge in fanfiction. I actually ran across some great work, but there's some bad stuff out there, too. Beware. 0_0

While uploading massive amounts of AE pics on my Facebook, I read the three volumes of Eternal Sabbath that I purchased at the con in the dealer's room. Good gravy, I love this series! 0_0 I'm rather sad that only two more volumes remain, because I'm not sure how this one is going to end. More than likely, this will be a "Japanese romance" ending and not the 'happily ever after' that my American side craves. (Anyone else notice this trope in Japanese literature/film? Romance is usually tragic and beautiful. That's what my Japanese friend and I noticed...)

The convention was tons of fun, but I opted to skip the last day in order to get a head start on my costume for Kumoricon next weekend.  It poured today, so it's probably for the best. 

I'm in the middle of crafting the key pieces for the costume, but I'm excited! I haven't had an opportunity to be this creative since my last cosplay experience in 2005. It's tons of fun. :D

Today was the first official day of Anime Evolution at the UBC campus. I had a great time walking around, taking pictures, and chatting with fellow convention goers. I was lucky enough to get an interview with four cosplayers today, thanks to my best friend who is much more brave than I am. ;)  I'm very much excited about my research, and I hope to run into more people who are willing to share their experiences. I hope to have some pictures up soon!

Tomorrow is another big day, and I can't believe that I'm off to Portland next Tuesday for some time with friends (we're going to Tillamook!) and then yet another anime convention, Kumoricon!

:D

Sorry about the blurriness of the picture. Bunnies are just too fast about everything they do. It's tough to catch them on camera!

Tomorrow, I head to Anime Evolution at UBC for some more exciting fieldwork. I'm hoping that I can find someone that will talk to me about their love of cosplay. There are several cosplay events going on: a contest, a chess match, and even a soccer game. :D I'm pretty ecstatic about getting back in research mode. Here's hoping!

I had the amazing luck today to run into one of my favorite students from last term. I chatted with her over bubble tea for nearly 2 hours. :) I really enjoy her company and I'm hoping that I'm not just going to be the "TA". She's so positive and kind. I need that kind of influence in my life.

I had another weird dream last night, and I'm not sure if it's because I watch way too many tv shows like Bones and Law & Order.  I dreamt that I was pregnant (but not showing or physically affected by it) and that my house was flooded, only on the outside, with clear, ocean water.  The first dream analysis page found through a google search indicated that the pregnancy was the generation of a new idea and the water was the stress trying to overwhelm me. I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't watch tv anymore...

I really have to stop watching multiple episodes of Bones, because I dreamed about some of the plot elements. Sadly, it was the episode about the ritualistic cannibalism... and somehow I dreamed about a mix between those story elements and the Headhunter from Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, but without the period clothing. Anyways....

I made muesli! It's my favorite summer solution for getting oats in my diet. I can't stand eating anything hot these days, not even coffee. I love that it's cheap to make, too. Always a good thing.

I started my next book yesterday, In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World it Made by Norman Cantor. And, wow, it's definitely more interesting than Fagan's Little Ice Age. I'm still amazed at the rich history France has - I was surprised to read that Poitiers, the city that I lived in for my exchange, was the capital of Eleanor d'Aquitane's political world. I guess that just slipped my mind. Anyways, I am enjoying this book quite a bit so far because I'm learning some interesting facts about how epidemics can alter culture, and not just human genetics.

Factoid: Upwards of 15% of people from European (ancestral caucasian) populations owe their immunity to HIV (and subsequently AIDS) to the genetic mutation CCR5, which scientists attribute to the survivors of the plague in the mid 14th century.

A-frickin'-mazing.

A picture of my little beastie, Punker, who will be headed to the vet for her wellness check tomorrow. I have yet to experience the Canadian veterinary system/process, but I think it'll be okay. Punker may not think so...

The weather has been rather warm these last few days, and I can't say that I'm a fan. I tried my Kafka cool tie, which I bought from REI for my long trip to California. I didn't end up using it, since the weather was rather mild. The cool tie doesn't quite live up to the claims of the website, but I felt an improvement. I'm sure it's an improvment from just a bandanna dipped in cold water. ;)

Plans are getting solidified for my trip down to Portland - yay! - which is fantastic. I will be staying with a good friend for a few days before and during the Kumoricon convention. This will be my last chance to get any information for my thesis, but luckily, next weekend there's a con in town- Anime Evolution. Perhaps I can get several interviewees from there, too.

I'm not sure if I've babbled about this before, but I'm a sucker for European pop music and I wish that I had a chance to watch the latest Eurovision contest.  I urge you to check out a few songs on youtube - "Shady Lady" by Ani Lorak from Ukraine, "Hero" by Charlotte Perrelli from Sweden, and "Qele Qele" from Sirusho from Armenia.  So much pop-y goodness!

Off to read. ;)

I have this tendancy to have weird dreams during hot weather, or if I get overheated while sleeping at night. I'm not sure how my brain got this concept, but I dreamed that my hair started falling out. Not in clumps, but just balding like men typically do.  Here's the potential significance:

To dream that you are losing your hair, denotes that you are concerned with the notion that you are getting older and losing your sex appeal/virility. You are preoccupied with aging and your appearance.  Losing you hair also signify a lack of strength and that you do not possess the power to succeed in an undertaking. You may be feeling weak and vulnerable.

Interesting, but kind of weird.

A picture of my favorite bunny who lives at Jericho Beach. I didn't see him on the last visit, but I hope he is well. :)

I started playing with my tarot deck today, and from what I can tell, I had a couple positive answers to some questions in my life. Maybe all the hope I have been feeling isn't so ill-founded. Thanks, forces of the Universe! ;D

My dream career is to be a professor of anthropology. I want to deconstruct some of the prevailing beliefs about the discipline - anthropology is a study that does not have to be relegated to the priviliged few in academia.  It has many practical applications and does not have to be rendered inaccessible by abstract theories and complex, pretentious language.

Anthropology is about investigating what makes us unique, but at the same time, so very alike. This is what I want to teach.

This picture really doesn't have a direct logical link to the contents of this post. I just always laugh at the antics of rabbits, whether it be my own domesticated beast-friend or the little citizens of the bunnytown by Jericho Beach. I can't help but think of Watership Down. This was found on the Internet through a random Google search. :)

Back to the main purpose of my post. I have been feeling rather hopeful, in spite of the recent medical issue.  I want to have a better school year. Honestly, last year was the roughest and absolutely the least optimal it could have been. However, I want things to be different this time around. So, I have decided to set reasonable goals for myself that take into account my physical and mental health. Instead of trying to get myself into an unrealistic fitness routine, I have decided to take two classes at the local community center: Irish Dance and Wing Chun. They'll be perfect with my schedule, since they are held at night. In addition to that, I'm going to take up water aerobics at the university's aquatic centre. Guaranteed, I will get 4 hours of fun, social exercise.

I'm hoping that my overall perspective is changing, and that I can start to feel less anxious about the unknown future.