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We named this tree Bark. It keeps me company during long vacant periods.

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Fuq dimens, git sum fuqen trees on dem fuqen fields

rich people took a rock and were like “this is worth thousands of dollars now” and everyone just believed them

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I get them frequently and i just make shit up like "yeah sure, this happened before, totally sure i washed laundry as a 20 year old 100 years ago"

       One thing I positively hate about déjà vu experiences is that sometimes I’ll use an aspect of the things around to prove that I couldn’t have remembered this before, and then that actually makes it worse. It’s so much worse because now that aspect has been included in my déjà vu experience and I feel like the laws of the universe around me are being defied. For example, I was walking down the hall at my new college for the first time and got déjà vu. I thought “wait, this hall curves into a circle. Everywhere else I’ve been to, school or not, has had straight hallways.” and that just freaked me out more like “God, why do I remember being here if this was the first time? Did I ever dream of a circular hallway? Yes maybe I did once. Dear Lord, do I dream of the future?!?!”

       The worst part is that you try to prevent this nightmare of a paradox by looking for proof that you remember this déjà vu experience, but in doing so you are likely to find proof that you don’t remember this along the way. And on that note, it’s a good thing that I can stop myself from searching for proof that I do remember after I’ve found proof that I couldn’t have remembered. Can you imagine if I found proof that this couldn’t have happened before, but then I can finally recall why I remember it happening? That would be a true mindfuck.

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Pokemon Posters made by Sean Donnan

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There's a lot of truth to that

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It's a Ted-ious task

Hey there! So there's this really cool homework our communication skills prof gave us and it's about blogs. Ta-da! This is it. I'm sorry, it's probably pretty boring but read on anyway.

This entry is gonna be about some random curly-haired, pimply-face, wannabe singer from a small, drug-infested village in Cebu. So this guy, right? Ever since he was a kid he would always get high off of something - sports, games, movies - but nothing gave him as much ecstasy as music. He'd rather drown in the vast ocean that is music than to live his life chained to a desk studying or working. He found the greatest adventure swimming in music's magical waters.

Music gave this maniac a reason to smile when he was down, as well as a reason to cry. He loves music, indeed he does, but there's something- or rather, someone- that he loves even more. That's the big G-O-D, the one and only. Now, I don't want to turn this into some boring religious preaching about how God saved my life and made me a better person because that's already true for everyone. What I wanna say is that this guy found someone worth dedicating all the music there is to. This guy now sings for masses and celebrations at church. He sang at a wedding, a vigil, a baptism, you name it, all for the glory of God. What you see in these pictures define who this guy is now. You see him here among the youth from church after a night of preparing songs for mass. You see him here among other musicians after a night full of music in Mozart's opera "Bastien and Bastienne". Yes, he really is infatuated with music. There is something else, though not quite as intense a passion as music (but almost there), that he loves: Anime. He's a full-blown otaku. This curly-haired nerd won't let any week pass without catching up to date with the latest chapters and episodes of his favorite anime and manga series. He' so into them he plays even the games. You can see here a shot of the map from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, a game made by Japanese developers. You can ask this guy for game and anime recommendations and you would have enough to last a year. He loves his anime, oh yes he certainly does!

Oh, would you look at the time! I don't think I've nearly said enough! It's a shame but don't worry, you'll hear more from me. Until the next one! Janne!

-This guy, Ted

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Regarding the Nami Hate Train

     Over time, I’ve seen an increasing number of people in the fandom that strongly believe Nami is the worst Straw Hat. They say she is hateful towards the crew, holds herself above them, is a bland character, and contributes little towards Luffy’s goals. All she can do is use her Clima Tact, which is something Usopp made anyways, so she’s completely replaceable. Despite being so useless, she gets away with all of this and remains dear to the heart of an average One Piece fan. Why? Two reasons: her left breast and her right breast. If she was fat or otherwise unattractive, these mainstream fans would come to their senses and notice she’s a despicable person.

     However, I would like to propose the polar opposite. She is as deep and full of character as every other Straw Hat, she treats them equally and indulges in their friendly banter, and is one of the most vital members of the crew, without which the crew would be screwed. And the only reason the Nami hate train exists is because these people have stereotyped the attractive shonen women to be a side character; a simple cheerleader who sits on the sidelines and has a crush on the protagonist. So let’s go through this step by step.

     So she is supposedly cocky and hateful towards the crew. For example, she’ll hit Usopp while he’s injured and then sigh, saying she’s the only adult member of the crew. However, this is the same friendly banter and cockiness the rest of the crew expresses. I need not explain Zoro and Sanji’s feud. But to top it off, Zoro has choked Chopper (Water 7), Chopper has chewed Zoro’s legs and put him in a stranglehold (Enies Lobby), Usopp has expressed banter towards Sanji similar to Zoro’s (Baratie), Sanji and Franky have experienced Zoro-Sanji like banter (Thriller Bark), Sanji beat up Brook and Chopper (Sabaody Archipelago), Brook laughed over Sanji’s problems (Sabaody Archipelago), Chopper hit an injured Zoro (Alabasta), Sanji hit an injured Luffy (Whole Cake Island), and the list goes on. Saying that Nami is hateful by whacking the crew members every now and then is an overstatement by leagues. As for the cockiness, well, everyone’s pretty damn cocky. Brook is entitled to panties, Sanji is also perverted as fuck, Chopper doesn’t accept compliments (Or tries not to, at least), Franky does not have to wear clothes, and Usopp is the captain of the crew apparently. But Nami claiming to be intelligent?!! Oh no Nami, learn your place.

     As for uselessness, most people think only in terms of fighting when they say this. After all, she is the weakest one. But what she lacks in strength she gains in strategy. In Whole Cake Island, Nami became the sort of ringleader of their escape halfway through. Enslaving Zeus was genius and made for a clean getaway. And while the Straw Hats rarely plan, she is always a helpful provider of good plans. On the train to Enies Lobby, or at Bege’s the night before wedding, Nami is always a key member and typically provides advice no one else considered. And this is just for the adventures. As for the voyage as a whole, Nami is the most crucial member in helping Luffy become Pirate King, second only to Nico Robin. (Who if she died, they would be incapable of deciphering the Road Poneglyphs, as no one else alive can read the ancient language.) Her navigating has always been exceptional from the beginning, but it becomes a requirement once they get into the New World. We see in Zou that a crew without Nami can be hopeless on the seas, and have only gotten by on dumb luck. We also see in Strong World (While not canon, it was written by Eiichiro Oda, so details should be noteworthy) that she has an inner ability to detect pressure, and can forecast weather better than any meteorologist out there, which is especially vital when the weather is literally otherwise unpredictable, like on the Grand Line. If we need any more proof, Luffy says himself that he would surely die out there without his teammates. Granted, he named everybody, but I think his statement was especially true for Nami. As for her Clima Tact being something Usopp made anyways, yeah he made it, but only she can use it. I think Usopp gave it to her knowing that he wouldn’t be able to use it to its full advantage. Nami says in Alabasta that she doesn’t think Usopp actually realized the Clima Tact could create lightning out of thin air.

      There’s also the suggestion that after Arlong Park she becomes bland and two-dimensional. Like now that she isn’t being oppressed she’s just boring. And I mean, she doesn’t cry as much, but crying isn’t all there is to being a deep character. She’s cheap, smart, funny, has her own gags in the crew such as punching Brook when he asks for panties. She also gets along with Usopp well, as they can relate to each other’s weakness (A good example is their scene on the Ark Maxim). And I will admit she can get a little bit on the fanservice side after the timeskip, but that’s more of the fault of the anime than anything. In the manga there’s only like three or so scenes where the fanservice is equally obnoxious. Her past can also come up interestingly. Like in Punk Hazard she wanted to give the kids to Tashigi because she reminded her of Bellemere. She also used to be more skeptical and would do her best to tell Luffy no. But after Jaya and Skypiea she learned an important lesson that sometimes a leap of faith can earn great reward, even if the skepticism was valid. She is still mildly skeptical, but only out of concern for Luffy’s safety, and never beyond reason. But in the end, characterization is a matter of opinion, I can’t make you like her. But I’m just throwing it out there that she can be interesting from a point of view.

     I also addressed at the beginning that hatred towards Nami can derive from sexism. A lot of shonen unthinkingly will have the cute girl just laugh along the sidlines and just be there for emotional support. She will also be in love with the protagonist, and be the butt of a lot of fanservice jokes. Lucy from Fairy Tail for example, a member of the Guild could just slap her ass any moment and everyone would just kind of laugh, because apparently sexual harassment in the workplace is hilarious. And I’m not saying being in love with the protagonist can’t work. I think Chichi and Goku are pretty cute together. But just, the relationship shouldn’t be forced. Like a lot of people were disappointed Nami didn’t love  Luffy after Arlong Park, but Luffy just doesn’t want sex. Nor does saving Nami from slavery entitle him to it, as much of a huge favor that is. And while Nami herself does seem to be attracted to men, she prefers independence. If she ever did develop a relationship, it would be like friends with benefits or something. And sure Brook and Sanji are really perverted towards her, but she rejects the perversion, and also Brook and Sanji never touch her. They respect her enough to not just randomly slap her ass or something. And like I said, she indulges in friendly banter. She doesn’t just laugh awkwardly from the sidelines, she typically engages in the interactions because she is their equal. Oda could’ve made Nami just that girl that’s always like “Gambarai! You can do it! I believe in you Luffy!” and then when friendly banter goes on she’s just like “Sigh, men am I right? Come on Robin let’s go in the other room and talk about hot guys and nails.” A lot of people point to her bikini after the timeskip and say it’s sexist fanservice, but I don’t think it’s a problem because Nami is completely consensual. She’s not like “This was all the clothes they had on Weatheria” or “An acid monster melted my T-Shirt off.” In fact, in Punk Hazard, Kin’emon asks her why she’s dressed so lightly and she says that “This is just how I like to dress.�� And I mean, we let Franky get away with not wearing pants because that’s just how he likes to dress. It shouldn’t be a problem. I would even go so far as to suggest that Oda believes a girl being topless demonstrates independence, because when he shows Amazon Lily, all of the girls are shirtless. Margaret’s top is even completely bare at the public bathroom when they are taking off Luffy’s mushrooms. Yet, the narrator states that “A man would find no place here” instead of something like “If a man where to come here, he would discover paradise.” Anyways, I don’t want to delve too deep in the rabbit hole of feminism, but I just want to make the point that Nami would be a valued member of the team even if she was a man or unattractive.

     In the end, you don’t have to like Nami. She doesn’t have to be your favorite or anything. But she’s not despicable, and she doesn’t get away with it because she’s hot. She is a true Straw Hat, worthy of her role in the crew and the story, just like all the others.

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Higher education

separates you from your bed and slowly takes away your sanity.

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Sleep

i miss it