I went for a walk and something stung my neck. Join me in praying that this one doesn't swell up.

This morning we took 200 flyers to Firth and stuck them in people's doors. I'm sore. Firth is really hilly, and I already had sore calves from yesterday, because I took the dog for a walk and was chasing him. I knew better. I know better. And I'll probably do it again someday. And I was already a little short on sleep, because at about seven this morning, when it was still kinda misty and golden outside, I woke up hearing the sheep yelling unhappily. Turned out one of the lambs had a bucket on its head. Minor, but it was still just as well that I woke up, 'cause Honey had just decided that it was a threat and started butting the lamb, which had realized that moving around made things worse and wasn't about to run away. But I still don't like waking up that early.

B came by today. She was hoping that Owen could help her with Eastin again, and was very tragic when she heard that we're doing school today. It is true that Dad has decided that Owen's spent enough time at B's for the present, and that Owen's probably being spoiled (which he isn't, not when he's babysitting) but B still gets on my nerves. So did her reaction when she heard that the neighbor, Mike, is now a dad. They live in a somewhat run-down trailer, and B does not approve. This news is the cause of some gloating on my part, though, because I thought she looked pregnant and Mom disagreed. Enter B again. She says when she was my age she "could always tell." I can't "always tell." Anyway. It's a boy, according to the sign that I think the hospitals always issue, as advertisement for the quality of their OB/GYN staff or something.

Since the Suburban is Dad's work vehicle, and it's what we took to Firth this morning, a bucket of stain in the back got spilled when we were getting the seats back together. Dad was very carefully not hitting the roof about anything during cleanup, which is currently paused. It's strange and worrying seeing him in that mood and not mad at any of us. Actually I think it may have been my fault, but he hasn't asked or anything. Is strange. We're running out of baking soda. At least the bucket that I was offering to livestock is safe.

And we have a nest of wasps in the window cavity next to the front door. Mom got stung on her forehead, and Peter and Owen are running around calling for the insecticide, which we're currently out of.

Busy day, huh? And it's only one o'clock.

Ikkaku is fighting an Arrancar, and Rukia owned another one. Her sword is really cool. Asano, the lunatic from Ichigo's class who's really hyper and all, is going to have Ikkaku and Yamichika, which I think is Pretty Boy's name, or near it, staying with him. He's also watching Ikkaku fight and being instructed by Pretty Boy in the basics of "How Idiots Who Like to Fight Think". More or less.
Matsumoto Rangiku is staying at Orihime's house. They had a girl talk about how Orihime's jealous of Rukia, 'cause Rukia can get Ichigo out of the dumps really fast. I don't think a whole lot of guys paid much attention, though, since Matsumoto'd come out of the bath to talk. Lol.

Still reading The Lark and the Wren. We have a library card now, but I haven't had a chance yet.

Ugh. The Vaizard recruiter in Ichigo's class is going for Orihime. Can't imagine where Tatsuki was. Ichigo had to take care of it for once. Um. Uryuu swore. He wants his powers back that much. And some Shinigami are coming to school......

ICHIGO'S DAD OWNS!

We have a new Shinigami in the cast. He is SO COOL!
"I'm a non-interventionist when it comes to parenting."
"Hey, that's not true! You're really strict with your daughters."
"That's different! No, not different--an exception."
He's known about Kon the whole time, too. If he'd known about Rukia living in Ichigo's closet, though, I think the skies would fall. Doug says Ichigo never finds out. *is sad* Not even that his dad has taken care of the feud with the Hollow that killed his mother. Anyway, we're meeting a new type of Hollow. The Arrancar are Hollows that have broken their masks and become a bit like Shinigami, for the sake of more power. Ichigo's new classmate, on the other hand, is a Shinigami with a mask, more like Ichigo's Hollow.

Finished the Soul Society arc and skipped all the filler to the Arrancar arc. Uryuu's dad has shown up, and it goes both ways: he's a complete bastard who seems to hate his son, has all the Quincy techniques mastered, and doesn't want Uryuu to hang out with Shinigami any more. On the other hand, he can restore Uryuu's powers, on the condition that he stay away from his friends. He's very cutting, too, about Uryuu. It doesn't help that he's got the title of "Last Quincy", even if he technically isn't. Though, come to think of it, since Uryuu's lost his powers I guess he isn't really a Quincy anymore. Man, this bites. Anyway, in the middle of 111. The last Soul Society ep, an hour-long special that includes fight recaps, was 63. Yachiru says that Zaraki has "learned kindness." "Don't say it like I'm a dog." Doug says that wasn't in the manga, though. Who cares: it's another minute with Ken-chan and Yachiru.

Dreamed I was in a library this morning. I couldn't check anything out, regardless of library cards, because Dad was there, but I found a bunch of what looked like old Regencies. It was funny--there was this one, it was the typical "man entering ballroom framed by door", but all the men visible--no females--were wearing the Marine Captain's uniform and had white hair. Probably not actually a Regency, but you know, cover illustrators mess up so many things. I think it was a different one that I actually started reading, though. Don't remember much of the story.

Okay. Aizen took out Hitsugaya and Hinamori. Captain Unohana and her lieutenant, Isane, came and discovered the conspiracy. Aizen and Gin left for the promontory where the executions take place, where Tousen had just brought Renji and Rukia. Isane, as ordered, sent a message detailing Aizen's treachery to all officers and the ryoka. Ryoka are non-Shinigami, and refers in this case to Ichigo and company. Unohana's kinda neutral: her main concern seems to be that everything end as quickly as possible, with minimal bloodshed. I finally figured out her hair: it's crossed in the back and braided in the front. I'm envious; her hair is so long. Anyway, Aizen wanted Rukia because Urahara had hidden something that crosses Hollows with Shinigami for more power, as I understand it, inside her soul. He got it, since he's the most powerful character so far. He, Tousen, and Gin have joined the Menos Grande, the super-Hollows. Byakuya saved Rukia at the last minute, and apparently she's his sister-in-law, not simply adopted. Everyone was there to see Aizen and co leave except for Hitsugaya and Hinamori. All of Ichigo's friends; Ichigo, who was on his front in a puddle of blood; Kuukaku and Jidanbou; Yoruichi and Sui Fong; all of the captains and lieutenants except Hinamori and Hitsugaya (Ukitake and Kyouryaku's fight thankfully ended when they had to come see what was up); and Ikkaku, who may or may not have been the only third officer present.

Eeech. Ichigo's Hollow took over when he was fighting Byakuya, which, btw, means "white lightning". Very appropriate. Anyway, fortunately for Captain Kuchiki, Ichigo managed to shove him back into whatever room behind Ichigo's brain he lives in. Anyway, Kuchiki decided that since Ichigo destroyed his sword, Ichigo won. Therefore Rukia has one less Shinigami trying to kill her, and it has been established that the reason he was trying to enforce the rule was because if the most powerful clan of the nobility doesn't follow the rules, who will? and that Ichigo was not so much fighting Byakuya as he was the rules themselves. Eh. That's about all that's new.

Was editing my chatango profile. Somehow zaraki81 got onto my friends list. I'm not sure whether he added me to his list, or whether it's automatic when you talk to someone. I didn't add him. Oh, well. He's nice. I'll leave him. And some guy my age tried to chat. Probably because I like Bleach, which he evidently does. I asked him why he was talking to me, and he left. I probably could have done that differently. But really, do I want to talk to someone, for no real reason, whose username has something to do with retarded chickens?

I've just made a really good reason not to put the blog address in my profile. A really good reason. And I was seeing how exact the location was if I put my zip code in, since Zaraki's just says UK, and it was way too precise. So I dug a Lincoln code out of the phone book, which feels better. Even better than Beatrice. But man, it's a pain that you can't just make it a question mark again.

Dad wants me to put the sheep into the tree belt to graze it down. We're trying to rebuild the southern windbreak, which was only possible by fencing the belt off from the pasture, but the grass and weeds are enjoying it too. We have mulberry and poplar (?) and some others too, like elm, but I think we need some evergreens. What good is a windbreak if the effect is halved in winter?

On 57.
Zaraki's fight with the foxy guy who had a bucket over his head ended when foxy (Komomura?) ran off to see why the 13 Squads Commander General had released his zanpakto. The ComGen is fighting captains Ukitake and Kyouryaku because they destroyed the execution zanpakto after Ichigo stopped it.
Our side: Captains Zaraki of 11th, Ukitake of 13th, Kyouryaku of I forget, and possibly Unohana of 4th. Yoruichi, former Commander of the Secret Mobile Squad. Hantorou, who's some sort of officer in the 4th. Shiba Kukaaku and Jidanbou the gatekeeper. Sui Fong? She's the present Commander of the Secret Mobile Squad. She used to adore Yoruichi, but when Yoruichi left without her, she felt betrayed. I think she may come over, if Yoruichi ever gets around to apologizing and explaining. Also Abarai Renji.
Ichigo is fighting Captain Kuchiki, and Ikkaku is fighting one of those lieutenants over who has to go buy more sake, with Janken for the advantage in ground. Pretty Boy beat the other one with his shikai, which eats the opponent's reiatsu. "Don't tell Ikkaku or the Captain. I don't want them to hate me." Apparently, in 11th Squad, reiatsu-related shikai are for sissies.

54 has been officially named "Best Episode" and "Best Last-minute Rescue of the Decade". Renji is providing getaway while Ichigo holds everyone off. Don't forget to watch episode 55 for the long-awaited owning of Kuchiki Byakuya!

Zaraki just beat Captain Tousen, the peace-loving one who's also blind. His Bankai creates a world where the only sense remaining is touch. Zaraki loved it. Know how he won? He let Tousen skewer him through the body and then grabbed his hand. Nuts. There was this funny bit where he was thinking of what various people in his squad would tell him.
Yachiru: "Use your intuition to attack!" "That's what I'm doing."
Ikkaku: "Isn't it that after all? See with your heart's eye." lol "I can't see with something like that!"
Pretty Boy: "If it was me? Yes, I would give up beautifully." "I don't know you."
And then he came up with his own solution, which no one would ever recommend to someone else. The closest I've ever seen was when Zoro and Sogeking were cuffed together during a fight. Zoro said they'd play Rock, Paper, Scissors and the loser cut his wrist off. Additionally, he'd run to Chopper to have it sewn back on, but still. But Zaraki's solution worked.

I think Zaraki has gained Zoro status. Zaraki Kenpachi and Roronoa Zoro: two guys who really really rock. Kenpachi is rather older, though. Zoro's twenty-one, tops. Kenpachi might be forty, though probably not. They both have really evil faces sometimes.

Zaraki is fighting two captains: the black one who likes peace, and the one whose face isn't visible through all the basketwork. He wanted to fight their lieutenants too, but Ikkaku and watsisname stole 'em 'cause they wanted fun. Zaraki was carrying Orihime on his back along with Yachiru. A girl for each shoulder, and the lieutenant seems jealous. Yachiru does not like to share her Ken-chan.

Matsumoto prevented Ichimaru from killing Hinamori. Hitsugaya can take care of himself. Ichigo is still fighting Zangetsu, and Renji has come to share the training area while he works on his own bankai. Rukia is thinking about how unworthy she is of having people risk their lives for her. Sheesh. And that brings us to the news that her execution is noon tomorrow. It keeps getting moved up. And someone is trying to steal the execution, uh, tool, because its power is that of a million zanpakto, and five times that at the moment of execution. The main suspect is currently Ichimaru Gin. My spoilering brothers may disagree. Drop dead, boys.
That brother of Ganju's that Rukia says she killed? Apparently he was just like Ichigo. The only physical difference is hair color and I think it's a little longer in the back. Kaien was his name, and Rukia worshiped him and his wife. Lol. He was possessed by a Hollow, and she killed them both when it went for her.

While the eps are loading I'm reading Mercedes Lackey's The Lark and the Wren on Baen Free. It's not bad, at least by my standards. Music is the main theme.

We're having flashbacks, Hinamori's. "How She Came to Worship the Ground Aizen Walks On." The main characters, aside from those two, are Renji and Kira, Ichimaru's lieutenant. They were in the same class with her. She's a mousy type, most of the time.

I didn't start this blog so people could spam in the comments.

Status:
Uryu: in 4th Squad Relief Station cell. Bandaged.
Ganju: same cell. Bandaged.
Chad: same cell. Bandaged.
Orihime: 11th Squad, somebody's bedroom? Captain's, I think. In company with the Captain, the Lieutenant, Ikakku, and whatsisname. I can't keep calling him Pretty Boy. Not allowed. Oh, well. Zaraki says he's gonna stick with her so he'll meet Ichigo again. He wants to. Zaraki has a nice smile, in a scary way. He's cool.
Ichigo: somewhere with Yoruichi and Zangetsu, trying to master bankai. Ain't going so well, though he's learning.

Oh, cool. Ichigo is gonna learn bankai so old man Zangetsu, as Ichigo calls him, can come into the real world in his human form. And he's gonna learn this in three days, as opposed to the usual ten years. Yoruichi is teaching him. *grins*

All right, Ishida won in 44. He's just bumped into another captain, though. The peace-loving one who wants to get back to normal. The one who will therefore not hesitate. *sighs* And Uryuu just sacrificed his powers as a Quincy in order to win......matane...

I'm shamelessly lifting these off the net. This picture has no bearing on the series, except for having the characters in it. Chad, Orihime (looking strangely hostile), Ichigo (this is the default expression), and Ishida, whose head has been cropped. The birdlike things in the air are Orihime's fairies, for lack of a better word.

Oh dear. Guess who the present enemy's last Quincy "research subject" was......Ishida's grandfather. Uryuu says he's glad that Inoue-san isn't here to watch this. She can't stand to see people hurt, even enemies. And Uryuu is going to kill this sadist. That's a Hollow he's just killed; Doug says this is from his duel with Ichigo.

Great. The captain of Squad 12, the icky hammerheaded researcher with the made-up face, is after Orihime. He's unfamiliar with her technique (the fairies are pretty unique, apparently) and wants "to study her until she turns mushy." Ishida is fighting him, and is still learning all the stuff the bastard can evade. We don't know yet what he can't evade. On the bright side, Ishida isn't hurt yet.
Man, who knew Tatske had taught Orihime any karate? First grade black belt level? Man......

Philip, I told him.

Okay. Ichigo and Zaraki both fell over, but Zaraki stayed on his feet enough longer to say that Ichigo won. His call. And Yoruichi has been revealed as an extremely......um....a girl. And we've got Rukia's evil adopted brother cornering Ganju and Hanatorou in the tower with her. Meep.

Um. I think I should mention that these days, most shapeshifters are not in the habit of coming out clothed. Ichigo couldn't handle it. Anime has this lovely dark shade of red......

Mom and Doug are home.

Whaddaya know. Zangetsu in person. Things always look up after he shows up. Mainly 'cause they sure can't get worse.

Did I mention that Zaraki cut Ichigo through Zangetsu? Ichigo's gonna have to fix his poor blade. What does he do it with, just reiatsu?

Well, Ichigo managed to cut Zaraki, but we're having one of those time-outs while he gets his body back under control. This happens a lot. I think the medic kid is gonna be unhappy again. I mean, he just had to stitch Ichigo up last night, and now it looks like his breastbone's been cut. Something like that. He has a high-risk lifestyle.

I'm not going to watch Inuyasha until I finish Bleach, and I'm gonna watch it subbed. Dubbed is.....gimme a minute for the mental thesaurus......inferior. That'll do.

Owen's started Inuyasha, and I, like an idiot, am watching with him. At the same time that Chad is fighting whatsisname. And he refuses to watch subbed, even though this dub is kinda dumb. The sage lady sounds like she's reciting lines from Shakespeare. Exactly like that.

Dad is being "encouraging" to Rick on the phone. It's negative encouragement. Would you like to be used as a battle cry the way the Alamo was? Me neither. It means you're dead.

Speaking of Dad, I did a crummy job in the bathroom, then said something that has been true for years, but was, in retrospect, unwise. Anyway, for those acquainted with one but not the other, a belt is worse than a strap. Oh, well. It's been awhile anyway. And it's best to keep one's mouth shut as far as possible when having dirty bits enumerated.

Mom and Doug are on the way home, which means I just finished the route for the last time--until next time Doug goes somewhere. Gag. Man, I'm hot. My dress is soaked with sweat. Which reminds me: can't wear this dress biking. I like it, but the skirt is really full, and full skirts get into the brakes. I had to kilt it up above my knees, which is a pain, and my skirt doesn't stay below halfway down my thighs. Is pain. I should probably put my hair up out of the way, but I never do, cause it feels so good if there's a breeze.
The guy who lives across from the Shoemakers was kind enough to air up my tires. I hadn't even realized they needed it. He had the compressor hose out when I came by, which may be why it occurred to him.

In Bleach, Ichigo is fighting Zaraki Kenpachi. If it weren't for narrative causality, I'd say that Ichigo will never be able to beat him, but if Zaraki wins, Ichigo is dead. Really dead. Narrative causality forbids the death of the hero when he hasn't even rescued the heroine yet. Chad's fighting the flower-petal ossan with the pink kimono, basket-hat or whatever it's called, and secretary-ish lieutenant. That guy is very good at dodging--and deflecting Chad's attack with one hand.
ETA: His name is Captain Kyouraku.
And I forgot to mention that Captain Aizen has been murdered. He looks like a sweet, nerdy type, but from what Peter says, he's a jerk. Yeah, the nice ones are never pinned to walls. I'm still not certain that he's really dead, though. We'll see. And it would be complicated if he were still alive.

So I'm only kicked off for today. Dad's trying to call a "day of reading", but he's at work, instead of here to enforce it. Val was bloated too, but he should be okay. I dosed him with olive oil and burped him. Like a baby. : p

Episode 33 is filler. Don Kanon'ji is back. He's nutty. In 32, Ichigo beat Renji, who happens to have been a childhood friend of Ruukia's in the Rukon District, the slums, until the Kuchiki clan adopted her. He blames Ichigo for her present imprisonment on death row, but now he's decided that maybe Ichigo really can rescue her. Join the club, Abarai Renji. With the gatekeeper and Ikkaku, you're in good company.

Oh, yeah--Don Kanon'ji is a purely filler character who stars in a TV show where he goes around exorcising ghosts or something. At least, he can see them, but he's still an idiot. Anyway, his show is hugely popular, and everbody is always imitating his special "muahahahaha". Ichigo and Karin hate it. Ruukia only does it to bug Ichigo.

The best milker died tonight, of bloat. Kirsten was eight or nine years old, and once went two years after a kidding without drying up--and missed a pregnancy. Her only failing was a tendency to lose single kids. She was Doug's favorite, and very much his goat. She will be missed. We have only one of her kids, Susan, future breeding stock and a regular little hellion while she still can.

I'm kicked off the computer for an indeterminate period, since it was at least partly my fault and Dad is decidedly unhappy. I don't know whether I'll still be kicked off in the morning or not: we'll see. So I don't forget, I'm in the middle of episode 30.

Ichigo won, and Ganju (the thug) finally won his fight with the pretty boy. The powerful pretty boy. Who is also a biased jerk. Anyway, Ganju won. Blowing up a firework in the guy's face was either irony, or poetic justice. Probably irony. Ishita has won his fight, and Yoruichi is avoiding everything. Well, he is a cat. It figures. Man, I hope Orihime likes Ishita as much as he likes her. She's wasting her time on Ichigo: he and Ruukia are kinda inevitable.

Dad's at his first job, seeing what'll need to be done for a drywalling job so we can go to Menards. We've been cleaning out the vans for the scrapyard. Is pain.

That's right, his name's Ikkaku. Actually, nobody's called him Pachinko Head yet, but we'll get there. And it's easier to remember.

Pachinko Head is complimenting Ichigo, and they're both bleeding.

Eep! It's Pachinko Head! The insane powerful bald Shinigami with the Luck-Luck Dance! Heh.

All right, we're inside! Unfortunately the group seems to have broken up on entry......

I think I'm going to kill Owen. It seems that the bulb protector thingy on my ceiling fan fell down and broke because he forgot that my fan can be turned off with a switch and pulled the wrong thing or something. Man, the next time he wants something out of my room, he'd better ask.
On ep 25. Ichigo finally managed to make a spirit-shield. I'm watching subbed eps instead of dubbed. The Shinigami Captains are assembled. I've met Matsumoto and her captain, who is a silver-haired kid/"boy genius" named Hitsugaya. A few words about Matsumoto: she's blonde, and I've never seen her without some cleavage showing. 'Nuff said.
It has been explained to me about the name. Apparently what Shinigami do is purify, or clean. Bleach is one of the strongest cleaning agents around.

Whoa, his sis is a terror. She's going to get us into the Soul Reaper area, in the most terrifying way possible: through the air. Of course.
How did I end up with a subbed version for 24? Oh, well--I ain't complainin'.

Okay. We are supposed to only have four minutes to get in and out. I think the only explanation is that time passes differently inside the spirit world. Please note that the only reason I call it that is that I can't remember the Japanese name. Chad's found his cockatiel-possessing little friend. Ichigo has found the leader of the local equivalent to a biker gang, though maybe he isn't a complete thug. Maybe. He rides a boar.

Whew. Ichigo's five days of fighting Urahara have increased his strength a lot. Come to think of it, they've all increased power. I think Uryu fights the current problem: Gin, captain of Squad Three. Are all the Gins in anime demonic fighters? There was this guy on Baratie.....only he converted, sort of. We sympathized, anyway.

I feel very sorry for the poor cat who's leading the gang. Ichigo is another of those people who don't listen to plans. Luffy is another. Neither dies for it. Both are the despair of wiser companions.

Oh, lol. Urahara, or whatever Mr. Hatandclogs' name is, is going to train Ichigo so he can go save Ruukia from the Soul Society. "I have ten days to torture you in." One of those frank trainers. Urahara is cool. Anyway, apparently we have one month before Ruukia's trial and execution. Plenty of time, and Ichigo will finally get some education.

Dad's in bed, having apparently gone upstairs when the boys came down. I got the milking done first thing, and got Peter to chore, but Owen still hasn't gone outside. Good thing the chickens free-range.

Ep 16. Ruukia is trying to run away, because the Soul Society is after her. It is a serious crime, punishable by death, to have one's Soul Reaper powers transferred to a human. Ishido is down, and Ichigo has taken a hit to the shoulder. Not going well for the home team.

Whoa, Ichigo has a lot of power. He just beat back something that no normal Shinigami can beat, and it retreated. There are so many good lines. Uryu Ishido's grandfather was killed by Hollows, and Ishido always blamed the Shinigami, because if they'd cooperated with the Quincys like his grandfather wanted, they'd have come to help. Ichigo pointed out that Ishido's grandfather would have been unhappy that his grandson hated the Soul Society, and Ishido sort of apologized to his grandfather by saving Ichigo's life after the battle was over. (Ichigo's reiatsu was overflowing, and the pressure buildup could have killed him. Ishido released the pressure gradually by standing on Ichigo's sword, which transfers reiatsu to him, and firing his bow, which helps because the reiatsu is what the bow seems to be made of.) Anyway, after that little crisis is over, Ichigo goes, "Man, I can't beat this guy up. He's too pathetic."

Ichigo and Uryu, if that's how to spell the Quincy's name, are already fighting back to back. Not getting along, of course, but working together. Man, Orihime took down a Hollow on her own. How unexpected.

Incredible. It was.

Hey, was the sage's name Kumadori? That sounds about right.

Ichigo is dueling this guy from his class, who is a member of some group that fights Hollows, but kills instead of exorcising them. The group is called the Quincys. I can't remember his classmate's name, so, since he apparently is the last of them, I'll just call him the Quincy until his name hits something sticky in my head. Anyway, since Quincys fight Hollows, and Shinigami fight Hollows, guess what this dude chose for the rules of the duel? He broke this coin/tablet-ish thingy, which attracts Hollows to the area. Whoever kills more Hollows within twenty-four hours wins. Ichigo naturally is rather--angry--about this type of duel, since Hollows are indiscriminate about damage. So the Quincy is standing on a bridge, calmly shooting Hollows out of the air with this extremely cool bow that looks like it's made of blue fire and materializes from the trademark Quincy cross bracelet, and Ichigo is rushing around trying to find his family so he can protect them. Chad, whose reiatsu (the English is spirit energy, which sounds relatively dumb) is high and thus attractive to Hollows, has bumped into Karin, whose reiatsu is almost as high as Ichigo's, and seems to have KO'ed a Hollow while protecting her. Chad is cool. He and Karin are pretty funny together. She calls him "mister giant guy" and stuff like that, and he calls her "Ichigo's little sister". There's this really funny bit, after the fight--he's just asked whether she's okay, and she says that the only one who isn't all right is him, and he says that that's okay then (he has this creed, only marginally less irritating than Sanji's, that doesn't allow him to fight on his own behalf, only others') and she gets mad, because in her view, it's not okay that anyone be hurt, and she starts kicking him and calling him names. And while she goes pelting off to get her dad, who runs a clinic, he says, "I can tell she's related to Ichigo. She kicks....just like him." Chad is very cool, and he's also incredibly handsome, and gets great grades, and he's unstoppable. I still like Zoro better, though. They're both nearly indestructible. Chad is extremely fortunate in this, since he never does anything about damage, he just takes it. If he can run, he will, but he can't, he just stands there and takes it.
Anyway, apparently Quincys don't like Shinigami because when a Hollow is exorcised, as the Shinigami do, the soul of the person who became a Hollow is able to find peace unless the were originally evil, in which case they go to hell. The Quincys disapprove of such merciful treatment; they do not take into account that any soul that finds peace didn't want to be a Hollow in the first place, and had nothing to do with the atrocoties committed as a Hollow. Vengeance, they say. Unkind. But apparently, haven't yet heard how, this policy led to their downfall and near-extinction. Indeed, the Shinigami were under the impression that the Quincy clan was extinct.

About to start ep 11 of Bleach. Ichigo and Ruukia make such a cute couple. Wait--no they don't. Neither one is cute at all. I think 10 was filler. Just before that was learning about how Ichigo's mom died. It is sad....but One Piece is better at making so sad, and cry. Bleach has not yet accomplished this. Maybe because the flashbacks are interspersed with fights, instead of our having it all at once? Hmm.
Why the heck is it called Bleach??

Survived the paper route, no thanks to the fact that there's a new start. Lloyd Otto, last house on the right on Apple, if you're reading this, Doug. Tell Mom that Dad misses her. He's been carefully talking to me as if I was five, but when I was five, I couldn't have gotten away with wishing out loud to hit him over the head with Lloyd Otto's newspaper. Which reminds me: Sarah did the route with us. I felt a bit guilty about talking Bleach with Peter, since she couldn't join in, but we didn't do it constantly. Which isn't much of an excuse, if any.

Waiting for Peter to get off Battleaxe.

Well, Doug and Mom left this morning before I got up. The milking has not gotten off to a good start. Neither goat has a collar, and the "milkstand" has no sides. I have sore muscles, having had to assume a very uncomfortable position whose sole virture was that I could reach to milk at the same time that my knee blocked Kirsten's way out. Gack. And Dad is trying to get the house into a state of cleanliness. Right now he's reconnecting the light in the front room.

A couple of episodes left of One Piece, but last night I started Bleach, since Doug was busy. Presently I'm on episode 6. I'm going to watch the dubbed version until I run out. Kon has Ichigo's body.

Oh, no--Dad's made a do-list. Scream and run away, as Doug would say.
..................................
Kitchen, dining room, study. Fortunately Dad suggested an ice cream break.

Rip's leg is much better, but she still limps. Few more days, it should be gone.

Just finished Sheepfarmer's Daughter. It was only published last year, looks like, so there aren't any sequels. It looks like it's supposed to be the first of a series, though. Gack. I knew better. I really did. I saw "Book One" on the cover and thought, "Uh-oh." But I read it all the same. And the ending is fairly complete, it's just that there's lots of room for more. Thank goodness I'll be able to watch Bleach without Doug. All the same, books are better about stopping places.......

Lucci's dead, finally. That cat was durable.

Managed to finish 308, and watched 309. Luffy won at the very end of 309. He very nearly didn't, except that Usopp is very good at hitting the right buttons to get his captain off the floor. I'm hoping to finish OP tomorrow so I can start Bleach. Beginning to feel treacherous, but I'll watch new OP episodes first, once they get out of the filler arcs. It's occurred to me that Doug's going to be gone when the new manga chapter comes out. That is dratted, since it's more fun reading with him. Peter and I went with him on the route today, since we'll be doing it while he's gone. Gack. Oh no--who's gonna be stuck with the hogs?!??

Finished painting the front room, but I haven't gotten all the masking tape off yet. The next person who paints it is gonna be going, "Hey, this room used to be green???" Trust me, it shows. It just isn't obvious to the casual glance.

Better go see whether the rice has come to a boil yet. It's leg of lamb tonight, and Mom's at work.

So on Friday Mom's going to head for Colorado. It looks like Doug's going with her, too, as insurance against flat tires and stuff. No way will she get one if someone's along who can change tires. This is always a big arghh, since I'll have to milk for him, and both of the people I can actually talk to will be gone, if only for the weekend. Still, I expect Grandma will be glad to have Mom, and it's possible that Mom will be glad to have Doug.

Paksennarion is following her Duke against the Honeycat, after that personage's troops killed a bunch of the Duke's soldiers, including one of Paks' best friends. Well, two, I guess. I suppose so. In between being on the comp I'm rereading The Unknown Ajax, which is Heyer.

I don't think Rip's leg is as bad as it was. The sheep and goats are all making free of the garden. It gets extremely irritating after a while. I was kinda surprised that Val didn't take exception to being shoved out like that, but he put up with it. It's gonna be a bit of a pain training a ram like that all over again with Tag, but it'll be worth it for the genetic variety and the reduction of the shearing ordeal.

Luffy has almost beaten Rob Lucci, and now his crew are having to fight off Marine Captains and Commanders. All the best fighters are always the weirdos. Fighting my way through 308. The computer has frozen up at least once, and we keep getting interrupted.

So Mom very kindly told Dad about Rip. Livestock illness is always much more stressful for us after Dad hears about it. I think maybe the worst bit is asking how many lambs that ewe had this year, and that sort of thing. I'm not sure whether it helps that he seems to have gotten the impression that her leg was broken. But he always drives me nuts.

NICO ROBIN'S HANDCUFFS ARE OFF!

Episode 300 is on the list of my favorites. The first half is all Zoro, and he has a new technique. It's like 119 in Arabasta, only better. Total ownage. Just finished 301, which ends with Robin slapping Spandam with six arms at once. Sogeking has a star moment, fulfilling all the dramatic yearnings of his soul. And Merry is on the way. Luffy is fighting Lucci in Gear Second, and the Buster Call has begun. Ah--in case I never mentioned it, all of CP9 has had its collective behind kicked through three or four walls. Most of the members are dead, or seem to be. I hope Kaku isn't: he was the nicest.

Paksennarion has survived her first battle, and I'm on chapter 11.

Mom is talking to Philip right now. Grandma Jane is in the hospital from a stroke. It seems to have been pretty minor, as strokes go, and they're going to keep her in hospital for a few days.

The chat engine on OPseries.com is causing my punctuation to degenerate. *sigh*

Facing the lack of library books, I am partially relieved by the discovery of a source of books on the Internet. The Baen Free Library is a source for sci-fi and fantasy on the Net. Presently I'm reading Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Book One in The Deed of Paskennarion. Eep--looks like it's time for One Piece. Yeeha!

Okay. Franky has owned Fukurou, Chopper beat up the sage guy whose name never stuck, Sogeking and Zoro are fighting (sort of) Kaku and Jyabura (the giraffe and the wolf), Nami is fighting Califa, Sanji is lying on the floor completely owned by Califa, and Luffy and Lucci are about to start. Lucci has a very evil smile when he hears Luffy catching up. He really wants this fight, though probably not more than Luffy does.

Rip, one of the ewes, is lame in one foreleg. I think it may be in the shoulder, because for one thing I can't find anything wrong with her hoof or leg, and for the other she was caught in wire the vening before the lameness showed up. Maybe she bruised her shoulder pulling against the wire? Meh. She's been grazing on her knees. Not good.

Do you know, we aren't sure about this, but Doug and I think that Luffy made Robin actually laugh even before she joined the crew. Quite an accomplishment, that.

Goodness. 280-283 are all filler, made up of recaps of crewmembers being rescued by Luffy. Yeesh. 280 was fun, though, 'cause it was Zoro. :D

Last night Doug and I got clear through Robin's flashbacks and to the point where she says, "If I am allowed to declare my real wishes, I WANT TO LIVE! TAKE ME OUT TO SEA WITH YOU!!" That's the end of ep 279.

Oh, yeah. Ep 280's opening is the first one, but sung by the Strawhats. Happiness!

*sighs* Peter and Owen are back on.

Oh, dear. Robin's flashbacks. I like Saulo. : D

So now we're cleaning up the basement. Big pain. On the bright side, Mom's running errands and Dad told her on depature to get the makings of root beer floats.
Peter and Owen are both kicked off the comp for the day, oh joy oh rapture. Peter called Owen an idiot for some mild hypocrisy, and Owen retaliated by not letting Pete plug in his headphones. The fight came to Dad's ears, so now they're both off and I'm on. Lucky me.

Spent yesterday biking all over town with the little brothers, sticking handyman flyers into people's doors. Today we've been painting in the front room, and there's a new shelf in the basement, about where Philip's desk used to be when he lived at home. My room is a mess, because Dad finally took the warped back off the wardrobe a couple of days ago, but the new back is also a little out of shape, so it's lying on my floor being flattened from being walked on, and in the meantime the wardrobe (Dad calls it an armoire, which is extremely annoying because a) he can't pronounce it and b) he only does it because "wardrobe" reminds him of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.) is pulled out from the wall, with no back, and the old back is also still in my room. Gack. And Amazon is out of commision, because I can't seem to get the monitor out of standby--it just stays blank. I should probably get the ultra-junk one from Doug's room and see whether it's the fault of the processor or the monitor. The colors will be weird and stuff, but at least I'll know.

In OP, Luffy is fighting Blueno, the member of CP9 who looks kinda like a cow, and Blueno is in the process of getting owned. They're on a roof right in front of Spandam's office: they'd be visible from the window if anyone looked. Blueno is a Devil Fruit user: if he touches something, he can turn it into a door. This includes the atmosphere, and enables him to travel silently and invisibly through the air. Cool, but it's a pain. You should see Luffy react to this. Sogeking has picked up the two giants, Oimo and Kaashii, who were tricked into being gatekeepers on Enies Lobby. The deal with the government was that the pair would work for the World Government for one hundred years, and at the end of that time their former pirate co-captains will be released from prison. Well, those captains aren't imprisoned at all; in fact, the crew met Dorry and Brogy on Little Garden, on the way to Arabasta. Sogeking informed Oimo of this, and now he and Kaashii are out to get revenge on the WG by helping Luffy's friends before going home.
Spandam is scum. He's been gloating, practicing his maniacal laugh, and beating up Franky and Robin--both of whom are thoroughly tied up, of course. Franky's in better shape than Robin, though, because even when he's tied up, he can still bite. LOL, in the sense of LOTS of laughs. On ep 272. Better hurry up if i'm gonna watch it before bed.

So Dad's trying to start a handyman business. Gonna cost, but there'll be less initial overhead than there was for the corn stoves. And this time he'll try to have a job in the meantime, thank goodness.

Sanji and Sogeking got owned on Puffing Tom, and now they're back on Rocketman. Luffy is on Enies Lobby, having sat through the statement of the plan, looking serious and concentrated and nodding at the right moments AND EVIDENTLY NOT HEARING A WORD!!! And his crew is always surprised when this happens....

The crew has learned about what happened to Robin's home island of Ohara when she was eight years old, and why she's so terrified of the Buster Call.

Dad and Doug are getting the front room ready to paint. Got a new phone with an answering machine (finally!) for Dad's handyman thing. Working on the message right now. I think we're gonna write one out and have Doug read it; he has a good reading voice.

A couple of months ago Mom and I went to a library sale and she found some books from the very early 1900's--kid's books, stories about kids in various countries, written for the purpose of interesting the kids in geography. Anyway, I'm working on putting them on Ebay. It's a little more complicated than it should be, sionce we have to figure shipping costs, and we need to find the camera batteries before we can take pictures for the listing.

DAD, GET A JOB!!!

So starting Sunday night, our bedtimes are nine-thirty and ten o'clock, and Dad is trying to get me up at eight. Not much success there, but not for lack of trying. He, unlike Mom, can get me up and moving simply by bellowing my name at intervals. Drives me nuts. But I managed to stay upstairs until about nine-thirty, with help from a difficult hairstyle that keeps everything out of the way.

On ep 258. Sogeking has arrived and has conveyed to Robin the information that she isn't going to get away with this. Through a window. Franky is fighting Nero of CP9.

Gonna go watch 259.

Back from B's. Watched three Pokemon movies in a row (Lucario and the Mew, Pokemon Ranger and the Sea Temple, and Latios and Latias), then went outside. Groomed Hoshi and Bunny, came inside, plowed through episode 249 (Franky, beat up by Lucci, has a flashback about Tom, his old teacher), refreshing three times while I was at it, and then it was time to go.

Looks like I'm not gonna be able to get stuff from the library for a while. The card expires tomorrow, and it costs forty bucks to renew it. Gack.

Gonna go watch 250.

Waiting for B to come pick us up.

Yesterday we got to Chopper, Paulie, and Iceberg stuck in a burning building. Nami has been captured by angry Galley-La carpenters, I think Luffy is stuck somewhere, and last time Zoro was seen he was sinking. Fortunately he can swim. He and Sanji are the official Rescuers of Drowning Devil-Fruit Users. Usopp is hanging out with Franky and the Squares, having a nice cup of tea. CP9 is on the way, though.

Assassination attempt on Iceberg, the mayor of Water-7. Strawhats framed. Actual perpetrators: CP9 and Nico Robin. Robin has told Sanji and Chopper that she's leaving, that she framed them. Nami tried this too. She even pretended to kill Usopp, stabbing her hand to add authenticity. The problem here is that Luffy tends to pick up a certain type of woman, one that makes extremely powerful enemies at the approximate age of eight, surviving through betrayal until she meets Luffy (Nami did this for ten years. Robin did it for twenty.), at which point she stays with him for awhile, enjoying herself more than she has since she was eight. Then something comes up and she leaves. The Strawhats follow her, and she informs them in no uncertain terms that she is through with them. Conference. Decision to go after her. Fight a bunch of grunts. Inform her that she's stuck with the Strawhats. She resigns herself to having some great nakama who are willing to risk their lives for her. Fight a bunch of really powerful people. Beat them. Recuperate, then party. It's fun! Vivi wasn't like this at all, but she is a princess, a basically nice girl, was stuck with them until Crocodile was dead because Croc was gunning for them too, and aware that she couldn't keep Luffy from fighting Crocodile anyway. Furthermore, Vivi didn't stick around after her problems were solved, being a princess and all.

Finally got the boxes of books from the hallway out of my room. They were going to go back in the hallway, but Dad didn't want the bookshelf there, I forget why, so they're all in his room now. Nice and organized. Old picture books and Search the Scriptures booklets on the bottom, history and philosophy/religion second, then adult fiction, then kid's fic, then old translations, guides /handbooks, and languages on the top shelf.

So to hook Amazon up to the Net I need a network card (fifteen bucks at Wal-Mart, cable included), either a wireless router or a really really long cable (seventy bucks or so--ack), and probably a new hard drive to make it worthwhile. Gotta ask Philip what the point of Linux is. Which reminds me--thanks to Dad's advice, I now have Wordpad, Calculator, and Paint. Paint isn't good for much, thanks to the sparse color selection, but it's something to mess around with. And Wordpad is to Notepad what Della is to Amazon. More or less. I'm on Della right now, since Battleaxe is better for contraband activities, being in the study. This blog is contraband too, but it's easier to save and close if Dad walks past than gaming is. Or watching video.

Went to Wal-Mart yesterday. Needed groceries, and had to take Dad to the chiropractor. Got some five-dollar headphones. More comfortable than earbuds. Note: Mom owes me ten bucks.

Watched ep 236 and most of 237. Luffy and Usopp duel over Merry. Surprising to see that Usopp can give Luffy such a hard time. Usopp lost, of course, but Luffy gave Merry to him. Just as well, since there was no point in keeping the ship.

Been rereading Lord of the Rings. Only gotten as far as the Prancing Pony in Bree.

Well, the fireworks show went pretty well. The cheesecake tasted great. B and Darrel got here in time, and Sarah from up the street ended up coming over. There was no problem with that, especially since she brought some fireworks with her.
Tag was hanging out next to us when the fireworks started, being a conversation piece, trying to eat the fireworks, making B object to the smell, and trying to get in Dad's lap to see into his coffee-cup. When the boys started letting things off, he did not like it. I had to carry him to the barn, which will probably give me some sore muscles. The others went rushing into the barn partway through, apparently having been grazing in the south pasture. Nobody came very close again, though Tag was considering it at first. Baka.

I'm done with the kitchen, gonna have to go to bed soon. Man, the weather is really warm. Wangled a turn on Battleaxe while Peter was washing his dishes. The Mugiwara Kaizoku wreaked vengeance on the Franky Family for beating up Usopp. Lovely sight to see, and strange to think that we're going to be fighting side by side with that lot on Enies Lobby. Luffy has a new attack, Cannon.

Got home from Colorado Springs on Saturday night. Spent a little over a week there with Grandma Jane and Philip. Actually Philip spent most of the time in Golden, taking Peter with him. He goes to school at Mines there. He, unlike me, was blogging through the visit, at Plains of Hesitation. It is beyond me why he called it that.

Anyway, been home about five days. Dad was home when we got here--actually he was the one who had Phil bring us home before two weeks were up--so I haven't been able to watch much One Piece. On Monday, when Phil was still here, they all went somewhere, so I got to watch eps 229-234. I'm in the middle of 234 right now. We're in Water 7, and Robin has just gone somewhere with a member of CP9. I'm pretty sure it's Blueno. Also the Galley-La foremen have broken the news that Merry can't sail anymore, and Usopp is trying to get the money back from the Franky Family, which has stolen it. It's not going so well for him.

Yesterday I spent most of the day in the basement filling five-gallon buckets with various non-perishables, filling in the gaps with carbon dioxide, and sealing them. It took a long time, and I have sore muscles from lifting bags of rice, but it's not a bad job. It's not difficult, at least.

In Colorado we went to the library a couple of times. Watched V for Vendetta a couple of times on DVD--liked it--got the latest Patricia C. Wrede Regency, which is Cecy and Kate again. The title is The Mislaid Magician, or Ten Years After. The two couples have children. And there was The Raven Ring, which is set in Wrede's own universe Lyra, which she visits only in fiction for adults. Which reminds me of a complaint about the Co Spngs libraries: they seem to have difficulty with the concept of putting the science fiction in the science fiction section. Drives me nuts whenever I think about it, which isn't often.

No chores assigned yet today. Mom and Owen went to town this morning. I didn't go, because getting up at eight isn't worth it when the libraries are all closed for the holiday. Bah. They did go to Barnes and Noble, since Dad wanted Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival (very good), but retail is too expensive. Tonight Grandma B and Darrel are coming over after dinner to see Owen's fireworks display. He's the only one who spends any money on them these days, and this time it was quite a lot. While Peter and I were gone he and Doug made a pile helping Darrel with hay. Peter is put out about the fireworks because he was hoping to get Owen to buy a computer game with the money.

The livestock is all doing well. The pigs don't seem to have gotten loose since I came home, and they're all big enough to slaughter. The only hitch is that we can't afford to pay the butcher right now, so they'll have to wait. Such a pain for Doug. My main complaint about it is that I can't sell my lambs until we have the truck and trailer for the hogs. That's another thing: I'm told Darrel has a new truck. Big, expensive, and Grandma can't even get into it for lack of thing to hold onto and step on. And as far as I remember, the old truck still even has air conditioning. Mystifying. B wants me to come over sometime soon and help get Bunny and Babe ready to sell. Babe is tall and brown, except I think she has some white on her face. I don't know her very well. Bunny I do know, because she shares a pen with Hoshi. She's not all that tall, but she's a lovely reddish brown with white patches. I think this is sorrel overo. Anyway, she's a beauty, and she's not too terrible about me petting Hoshi instead of her. Actually, most of the time I pet them both. A bit difficult, but manageable.

The boys have been monopolizing Battleaxe. Dad's home full-time, and all they want to do is play Tribes or Runescape, or watch Bleach. So I'm stuck on Della, praying that Dad stays on the couch. I also have Amazon up in my room: no Internet, the only word processor is Notepad, no speakers, ack. I have been using Notepad, but it's annoying. The font, the lack of margins, no bold or italics. The main plus is that I can do it in the middle of the night.

I'm gonna go read Philip's blog now. Gonna go through the archives. : )