Who knew that paying $5.99 for a Haruhi single would be so worth it?
When I saw the Master Keaton DVD 1 on Deal of the Day for $0, it seemed to good to pass up (what I'd wind up paying was shipping on it, at about $3). So since extra item ship at $1 more, I reasoned that I might as well throw a few things on the order, which got me to order one of the Haruhi singles for $5.99 (still overpriced though for 3 tracks).
So how was I to know that 2 songs (I really don't like "Koi no Mikuru Densetsu", which was the op for the episode 0 of Haruhi) would significant entertainment for most of the weekend so far? Not I. Granted, my feeling is that the "A" side ("God Knows...") is stronger than the "B" side ("Lost My Music"), but the latter is pretty decent (it's just that "God Knows..." is much more likely to get stuck in my head).
At 12:18 for the disc, and paying $5.99 for it, that's still about $2.00/track, or about 49 cents/minute, which really isn't particularly good as music goes (it's better than if I had imported it, which you more or less have to do for a lot of OST's these days, or wind up buying what you would reasonably conclude is a bootleg copy), but I think it's paid for itself thus far. Now if they would just release a real OST for the show, that might be nice, instead of about a dozen character song singles.
In other news, Tokyopop's rerelease of Aria 2 hits the streets on Tuesday (volumes 1-3 were originally released by ADV), which I'm certainly looking forward to.
METAR KIGX 111556Z 36012G37KT 4SM BR OVC008 13/12 A2964 RMK SLP033 P0001Labels: anime
Well, it's time
Today the second volume of Twelve Kingdoms, Sea of Wind, has its street date (it's $11.55 at Amazon, $12.74 at Right Stuf, and $13.59 at Barnes & Noble (online), with a $16.99 MSRP). My copy is scheduled to arrive Friday, but based on the way things have played out before, it may get here Thursday if I'm lucky.
I have a feeling though that some people will be disappointed at the turn in the story; the second book is about Taiki (referred to in passing in book 1) instead of Yoko. And while I too am eagerly anticipating this volume, I do want to be careful not to be too eager--while book 1 was very good, the story had some pacing and unevenness issues.
I don't know yet when (or if...*sighs*) volume 3 comes out; Tokyopop isn't listing all of their dates for a series liked they used to on their old site, but as I recall it was planned for next March at about the same time. At the same time, I have to be concerned that it will never come out given Tokyopop's issues with certain other novels (I still have a 1 year old Kino no tabi volume 2 preorder [it's older than my niece!] sitting at Right Stuf). But this series is probably the last best hope for Tokyopop's novel franchise--if it goes bust, it's probably curtains for that venture.
METAR KIGX 111256Z 36005KT 10SM CLR 08/02 A3019 RMK SLP222Labels: anime
Good news...
It appears that the paperback Junni Kokki volume 1 successfully hit the street for its February 12 release date last week. Given my poor luck with some of Tokyopop's novel releases, this seems to be the last good omen remaining for the March 11 street date of the hardcover volume 2.
Now if only the series that's dead and the other that's dying would have releases....
METAR KIGX 172156Z 13502KT 10SM SCT040 BKN048 17/11 A2991 RMK SLP126Labels: anime
And I can give you that baroclinic low for a great monthly payment!
Couldn't pass this one up:
I’m sorry, I’ve just been lied to by smooth-talking meteorologists that promised snow so many times…
METAR KIGX 200356Z 00000KT 4SM -SN FG SCT032 OVC085 00/M01 A2999 RMK SLP158Labels: meteorology
Twelve Kingdoms - Sea of Wind!
The link on the righthand bar for Junni Kokki novel 2 is now active on the Tokyopop site. The cover is similar to volume 1, but has Taiki (I think?) on the cover instead of Yoko. The street date is March 11, and it was solicited in the December Diamond Previews (see DEC07 3895) for a February ship date.
With just about two months to go to street date, and given this new sign (the paperback version of the first novel has a street date in February too), it's almost certainly a done deal. And while Tokyopop has done this before (compare this page to an earlier post), this is just about a done deal.
METAR KIGX 040356Z 00000KT 10SM CLR M08/M13 A3074 RMK SLP417Labels: anime
New Email Address
I've shifted back to my previous email address from my NCSU account. Since I graduated in the summer, my post-graduation access will end in a day or two. However, I have forwarding on the old account for about five months, so if you want to know what my "new" address is, drop me an email to my NCSU account, and I'll let you know.
My instant messaging screenname is still the same, and this blog should still be around (sorry, I've made it through 4+ years without Facebook, and I sure ain't going to start now).
Noncharacteristically, I haven't done much investigation for the upcoming winter weather "event" tomorrow morning. The word on the street is that moisture levels are going to be very low, and given the warm ground temps of late, there's going to be minimal risk of sticking. Still, I would advise caution during the event; rapid or relatively heavy amounts could cause some minor accumulation on troublesome surfaces in the typical locations (typically north of the Triangle).
METAR KIGX 020456Z 31507KT 10SM CLR 01/M11 A3007 RMK SLP184Labels: meteorology, other
Good News
Today, as noted in the Federal Register, the EPA reclassified the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area as being in attainment for the 8 hour ozone requirement for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (concentrations as measured by monitoring stations rather than direct emissions). The rule is available online in PDF and plain text (my sister tipped me off to this; I certainly don't browse the Federal Register on a daily basis).
The 8 hour standard for ozone means that the "three-year average of the fourth-highest daily maximum eight-hour average ozone concentrations" cannot exceed .08ppm (it's a messy way to calculate this kind of thing, but that's the law). It does mean that certain regulations for permitting are relaxed (this is a complex issue to say the least!).
To be true, I'm not particularly satisfied with the distribution of monitoring stations in the area, although I suppose it can be controlled for to a certain extent. But this is certainly good news. Hopefully the area can stay in compliance.
METAR KIGX 262056Z 31508KT 10SM BKN080 06/02 A3000 RMK SLP161 60001Labels: law, meteorology
