Better By Nightfall

(Copied from "The Messengers'", the official JM team, website)

VISIT THE JACK'S MANNEQUIN WARPED TOUR TENT!

(Which will hopefully be up and running around July 2nd).

Casper will be out on the tour managing the Jack’s Mannequin Tent and we’re bringing a piece of California on the tour to each city!

• You can stop by and have your picture taken in the custom beach scene photo booth and see it online!
  
• Sign up to buy special edition Jack’s Mannequin flip flops (Andrew’s “Flip Flop Foundation”) where all proceeds support The Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation.
  
• Listen to “Everything In Transit” in its entirety before it hits stores! That’s right, it’s an all day listening party and you’re invited!!
  
• Buy JM merch and pre-order exclusive album fan packs.
  
• Address a "Venice" postcard to your friend, drop it off in our Jack’s Mannequin mailbox, and we’ll mail it for free!
  
• BONUS: Say hi to Casper and get a free sticker!!
  

See you out on the road!!

For those of you who aren't part of "The Messengers," Casper is one of the site administrators and a totally rock'n dude! If you are at the Warped Tour this year, please check out the booth to Support Andrew McMahon and say hi to Casper.

Earlier this evening, the sky turned gray instantly and rained sheets like I'd never seen before. Needless to say, it was accompanied by thunder and ligthening that rattled the house and scared the shit out of the dogs. Both Brandi and Lewis were visably scared as they started to follow us around the house. Usually Brandi sits in her kennel and sleeps through the storms, but the thunder was booming so loud that it seriously shook the house. Stiil, Brandi was calm throughout most of it. She's usually calmer than Lewis and usually doesn't bark too much when the thunder booms. Lewis, however, was totally freaked out by the storm. So freaked that he followed my Mom outside as she ran to roll up her car windows that she had left down. However, instead of jumping into the car or back into the house to make things easier, the dog ran his little ass out in the rain and acted a damn fool! Not only was he barking his ass off, but he was getting soaked! This, just three days after he got a bath!

After I ran outside and carried him in, we sat down and continued eating dinner as the thunder boomed every now and then. Lewis had ceased barking as he tentativly watched the from below the table for any scraps we should drop him. He didn't get any though.

At least, not until we started munching on the cookies my sister and I had made for the family.

Once Lewis realized we were eating cookies, and, partially due in part to my Mom's teasing him, he jumped up by the table and tried to grab the plate!


In fact, his eyes remained fixated on the plate long after we moved it. He, however, did not move from his vantage point with a direct shot of the cookies.

Apparently, he thought he was going to get one. I know I wasn't planning on giving him anything, especially after he ran out of the house and acted like a damn fool!

Lewis, however, thought otherwise. He started barking for a cookie, moving between my Mom's chair and mine, pleading for one of us to give him a cookie.

My Mom eventually obliged him because he instantly quit barking when she picked up the cookie.

After that, he was quiet and calm. It's amazing what a cookie will do.

And so it continues! I've researched my topics to the point that I think I have enough information to begin writing. I have four speeches, but only two of them are outlined right now. I would have all of them outlined by now but because I changed two of the topics recently, they haven't been fully researched or outlined yet. Not that the research for these speeches ever ends, but it's nice to have a very solid foundation to build upon before altering items later. Needless to say, the real writing process has begun. Though, there is still much to do.

Must keep a truckin' with the speeches! I have tournaments to dominate at and awards to win!

Yeah, nerdcore, I know. :P

UPDATE: Yeah. Whew! Working off of the three main points now. This is starting to get crazy :P

After watching four more episodes (I just finished episode 10), I am glad to report that Samurai Champloo does pick up momentum. The development of each character begins to build, adding a level of depth to each character. While there have only been hints and snips of each characters past, there is a sense of better things to come for each character. Fuu's development, in particular, has been the most interesting at this point.
(Spoilers blocked out in white for certain reader's interests. I wouldn't want to ruin the show for you, after all. If, however, you are interested in finding out more about each character as developed through the episodes, highlight below for in-depth character development up to episode 10.)

Mugen has developed a pattern of having problems with women who drug him. During the 10th episode, he meets a murderer who used to practice under the monk who's dojo/temple they are staying at. During their first encounter, Mugen is nearly killed, but the town people show up and scare the murderer away. Fearing that he is weak, Mugen trains for the battle with the murderer over the next couple of days (when the moon is full).

Jin, as it was revealed in the 8th or 9th episode, appears to have killed his master. The reason for this action, however, is not yet known. He also appears to have a distinct distrust of monks. Moreover, it is important to note that glasses are "rare" objects in the society at this time. When Jin is forced to pawn them for money, the shopkeeper notes that they are worth more than his swords. Interesting.

Fuu has no family. Her Dad died "ages ago" and her Mom died a year ago. Apparently Fuu and her mother ended on bad terms as she noted that she wished she could say things to her, but that she couldn't now because "it was gone in the winds breeze." Fuu's sword also has a small skull-marble trinket on a string that once belonged to the Samurai with the scent of sunflowers. She is told by the man from Holland to go to Nagasaki to find the secret behind it. In a flashback to the past during the 8th episode, Fuu kneels over what appears to be the samurai with the scent of sunflowers or her mother(?) and pulls the cloth off his/her face but wakes up before anything is revealed. Fuu has not had to fight anyone, though she carries a small sword.

Again, the motion in this anime is amazing. In every episode the action and motion are integral to the anime. Both action and motion truly move the anime forward and keep you attached to the screen. I especially enjoy watching Mugen "break dance" during his attacks. Also, the record skipping between scenes makes the anime interesting as it adds a beat to the anime. This is definitely the anime to check out, it's great!

BTW, in case you are curious, Champloo means "mix" or "assortment" in Okinawan. So, something like Soba Champloo means mix of noodles just as Samuari Champloo means mix of Samurai (though, obviously, not a food!). It's not a Japanese word, though. It's acutally Okinawan. Now, I know you're probably thinking, but Okinawa is part of Japan, and indeed, you would be correct. However, the Okinawan's and even the people in Hokkaido are distintly different from the mainland Japanese. You should check the history of Japan out.

Is time changing? Physics crazed Peter Lynds thinks so. That is to say, he's challenging the previously set notions on time. Disagreeing with "set laws" by Newton and Einstein, Lynds believes "reality is merely sequences of events that happen relative to one another; time is an illusion. There's no chronon, no direction for time's arrow to fly, no "imaginary time" flowing 90 degrees off the axis of normal time (Wired 13.06)."

To think of it in an easier light, picture a hummingbird's sense of time with focus on the rate at which its wings flap in comparison to our sense of time when we walk around and see said hummingbird. Is that hummingbird's sense of time the same as ours or different? (FBOW via Comics.com) Are they in a different dimension then us?