After at more than a month in purgatory not knowing whether or not I had completed my bachelor's degree, I get a letter from my University that I should've gotten back in November saying that I'm done and my diploma's in the mail (or at least will be in the mail within the next month or so) so I am now a graduate!

Bachelor's degree of Science in Computer Science get! 

So my desktop finally crapped out; Vista (I know, I know) finally corrupted itself with what I believe is an astonishing 2500~ registry errors.  Now the problem is how the fuck I find the discount I'm entitled to with the 'upgrade' version of Windows 7, sure it's easy to find it for 8.  But like hell I'm putting that on my machine if I can help it.

Now I could just go to a computer repair shop, but that would cost me $70+ that I shouldn't need to spend--and would be quite useful given the current steam sale--if I could just get through the confusing mess that is trying to find an upgrade to 7 online, and I'm damn sure I won't find what I'm looking for in real life retail.

Seriously, fuck you, Microsoft, I will not buy a second defective OS from you in a row!

Speedruns of this game are going to be nuts if I'm right.

Yeah, seeing as I beat the game 99% my first run in two days, ridiculous speedruns are quite inevitable.

In a stupid, slightly related note, the only item I missed was the heart piece from racing across the map in 65 seconds.

I actually think I would've liked to have seen one or two more items found in dungeons.  Or at least dungeons having the non-rented version of items--nope!  The only way to have get non-rented, upgradable via an adorable alternative to skulltula tokens, items is to buy them.

Final negative points: I wish the L and R button functions were switched.  I just like having a more action oriented R button and a more defensive oriented L button function, as opposed to the shield/pegasus boots mapping they went with. And the effort needed to upgrade the bug-net is not at all proportional/worth it.

But other than those few things, the game really is great.

I'm more of their bouncer than their thug.  I only stop their fights.

So today I find out that I've been wrong about something important for literally years.  I only need to pass the lowest level (or equivalent) of the JLPT to graduate.  Meaning I could've been done with college half a year ago, because I know I could've and still can pass the lowest level easily.  Also, it's a month and a few days late to change what test I'm signed up for this December.

Posting here because I'm still banned from posting in Thaddeus Boyd's Panel of death, also it doesn't really fit any particular thread anyway:

Recently I've been going through my late Grandfather's* collection of Harper's Weekly**, and I've noticed an odd insult thrown around that applies to EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN MEMBER OF CONGRESS nowadays; 'Caesarist' or 'Caesarism', its meaning being when a politician is more concerned with getting reelected than actually doing their job/acting in at least what they think is the best interest of the country.  The reason this merits bringing up is this strongly implies that there was a point in time when politicians in the country, in some significant number didn't all act this way.  Giving me the distinct feeling that a good majority of our political dysfunction would be solved if only we could rob them of the collective bad habit.

Another thing that came up for a while, which I have no idea what it means, is the symbol of the "Rag Baby," and no, I'm quite confident it's not something racist--Remember, this was a highly liberal Republican newspaper when it literally was the party of Lincoln and often had a good deal to say damning racists and defending the recently freed blacks and their children.

*Arthur Okun, Notable Economist and chairman (or whatever the highest ranking title was) of Lyndon Johnson's Council of Economic advisers after his tenure as a Professor of Economics at Yale.  Died 1980, no doubt saving him a great deal of rage at Ronald Reagan. [/familial pride]

**He had a large number of entire years bound together, then a box of single issues and sometimes single pages/scraps.  The latter of which I was tasked with seeing what I could salvage for sale, which mostly meant cutting out a lot of Thomas Nast cartoons, the guy who came up with the Republican Elephant and the Democratic Donkey, the latter of which was originally a Shakespeare reference, also I couldn't help but save all the extremely racist stuff I found--especially the most racist thing I've ever seen, a picture of the 'food vendors of the world for the America's centennial celebration as interpreted by some cartoonists' I kinda want to upload it do the internet, but I don't think that would be a good idea.

Now I'm even more mad a Comcast for cutting Nickelodeon off from their cheapest package.  First no Spongebob, now they'll have me miss this!

Back in America, currently at LAX. Some asshole TSA agent stole all my pocket change.  Which was in yen, which means it's easier to have a lot more money in a lot fewer coins, which means they stole at least $10 USD equivalent from me.  My money was in a tub to go through the xray, I find on the other side that everything that was in the tub is just on the rollers with no tub, I ask about it, and look for my money on the ground, no one is any help at all.  A lollipop that was also in the tub was sitting on top of the xray scanner, they let me have it back but no one would say how it got there.

Yeah, one of them stole my fucking money.

I wish... perhaps tomorrow (which starts at noon EST). Today I just getting set up; wondering what is socially acceptable to buy at a convenience store (I want to get a toy/candy, but I'm pretty sure it has a silent NERD!!! alarm set up to it that goes off if one even looks at it too intently), getting lost on on the train system, having one awkward conversation after another in which strangers get the impression I don't speak a word of Japanese until the very end where I become momentarily fluent, renting a smart phone so I don't get lost again... Y'know, the basics.

I've got Cherries, some apples and all island fruit sans Coconuts.  So I need oranges, peaches, pears, and persimmons.  Haven't gone to a single other person's town yet, nor have I had any visitors.  I should really do that.