Only 2 Things Are Certain in Life: Altoids and Taxes

-In the time between this post and my last one, I did both my state and federal taxes using TeleFile and got both my refunds directly deposited into my account. My parents also have already gotten their state refund because they filed online. Let this be a lesson...it pays to file way before the deadline.

-Altoids' new Apple Sours and Peppermint Chewing Gum are damn good. Now if there only was a way to enjoy Altoids without paying almost $2.00

-Another Random Admission: I enjoy scanlations. Scanlations are basically the manga equivalent of fansubs. Groups buy the original Japanese manga then procced to scan and then translate it (scan + translation = scanlation). The manga is normally released in chapters as .zip files and most groups stop doing a title if a company licenses it, similar to the way fansub groups stop subbing an anime once a company licenses it for release. Scanlations are perfect for me since I’m on dialup. They usually are anywhere between 1.5 MB-8MB per chapter (depending on length) and that’s a lot easier to download than a 150 MB-200MB+ anime episode. Scanlations have their quirks (poor grammar is a BIG one), but it’s definitely a good way to read some titles that haven’t been announced for release (and may never be). I first read such currently licensed titles as Hanakimi (For You in Full Blossoms) and The Prince of Tennis this way and I am looking forward to their US release.

Here are some titles I read currently: Full Metal Alchemist (the manga that the anime series is based on), Eyeshield 21 (a hilarious sports manga about an American-style football club), Gokusen (a GTO-esque comedy about the granddaughter of a Yakuza leader who becomes a high school teacher and has to keep her associations a secret), Merupuri (a shoujo romantic comedy a boy who suddenly appears out of a girl’s mirror claiming to be a prince), and Kimi wa Pet (a romantic comedy/drama about a woman who takes on a homeless young man as a “pet”). Full Metal Alchemist and Eyeshield 21 are available from Toriyama’s World. Gokusen and Kimi wa Pet are available from Ushi. Merupuri is available from Sweet Lunacy. Check out Manga Jouhou for info on new releases as well as info on the countless scanlation groups out there.

-Barring any last-minute mishaps, I will be at NU on Monday to visit Career Services again. Unlike last time, I called to confirm my appointment.

-I have some skit/script ideas floating around in my head so you may see them on my Fiction Press site in the future.

-Kanye West’s album, The College Dropout, is out now. Go buy it. It’s the best hip-hop album released thus far (although we are only in February). Great beats, intelligent (and witty) lyrics, and some good guest appearances make this a must have. Here in the Chicago area, it’s damn near difficult to find it (I picked up what looked like the last copy they had in Circuit City), so hopefully it’ll debut high. Now that the album is out, maybe (just maybe) Kanye will release another song so I won’t have to see the “Through The Wire” video for the 183rd time.