As a previous post indicated, i "watched" over 140 or so seasons of anime over a two-month period on a promotional offer. Now i get to watch the several seasons i got for Solstice (3 are 24-episode seasons). Eventually i'll have to use the $50 Netflix card my "sister" gave me (that might be about 5 months).
So, what are some of the things that am pondering.
Well, another Xmas has come and gone. The real Santa Claus has forsaken me once again.
Maybe it was the late Thanksgiving, the warm December with 8+" of rain, binging Crunchyroll, or just feeling older - but Xmas 2025 felt the least like Xmas yet. It could also be the strain from putting up lights and getting decorations out from a closet. i'm not sure it has really felt like Xmas since my older sisters started moving out when i was a less experienced kid.
Winter Solstice has come yet again. The longest night of the year* (except certain places in northern latitudes, like AK). Whether you are a pagan/neo-pagan, Saturnalia lover, or use it as a semi-Xmas like i do. i hate summer, so i don't celebrate that inferior solstice.
Back with another $1B+ jackpot post. So why do i do these types of posts anyway? Because i feel like it. Kind of wanted a general idea of how often $1B+ jackpots happened.
Once again, it is Powerball. i still contend Mega Millions "screwed the pooch" with their price change from $2 to $5 per ticket (thank some guy from the Washington state lottery for that misstep).
Update: 1 ticket winner on Xmas Eve of $1.817B
What would i do if i actually won? That is the Wile E Coyote problem (be careful what you wish for). There is a bunch of stuff i would like to do that is so far outside my comfort zone that i realistically could never attempt. Would i take the cash option? Definitely. Buy a house and rental properties? Probably. Run for president once (even though i know i could never win)? Maybe. Have a mansion with my own harem? Only in my dreams.
i could probably live out the rest of my pitiful existence for $15 million. What would i do with the other estimated $123 million (probably lowballing amount) if i solely won a $1B jackpot? i don't know. How hard, for me, would it be claiming the prize and actually getting to use it (the financial logistics could be very difficult for an introvert, like me)? Very. It would pose a big problem, but it is not the worst problem someone could have.
i cancelled my Hulu subscription, as my promotional $.99 a month offer is ending (the cost per month is increasing and i don't want to forget to cancel, so i did it early). Supposedly, i still have the subscription until January 1st.
So, what anime shows have i "watched" this annum? Note: this may not be a complete list of shows (there are probably some shows i rewatched not listed). Also, my writing sucks sometimes and mechanical pencil writing can fade. i probably can't really remember half of these. Shows with ellipses (...) are not the full title of the show (some of which are kind of ridiculous and/or overly wordy).
Eventually, maybe i'll have to buy some of the better seasons on Blu-ray. Funimation shows being out of print in the US (thanks Crunchyroll buyout) makes things a little harder (and impossibly expensive).
If i had Crunchyroll or Hidive, i'd likely clear 120+ seasons in a year (until i'd likely burn my interest out). If i could have done so prepaying with cash (and no credit card), i probably would have.
Shows watched (through last episode listed on Hulu, may not have watched the earlier seasons this year): * ongoing/didn't watch all episodes available
X years ago in October, i got my first job after college. Well, to the extent that short-term contract work can be considered a job. That also does not include my years 12-16 mowing lawns for a community area a few times a month. This after college job, at least i didn't have to save a 50lb lawnmower from going into a lake after slipping on a sloped hill.
When you first get out of college, you think a job will be a lot different than it turns out to be. My temporary job (was a 6-month contract that lasted 3 months). i was basically a cost accountant at Boeing (not for Boeing). So, you think that would be debits/credits/some type of ledger? Wrong, it was data entry (a sole sucking activity). i was hoping to do more analysis type things.
The Seattle Mariners, a baseball team, won an American League Championship playoff game against Toronto. That may be insignificant, but further wins could be a harbinger of the end of the world. Wasn't there some prophesy about that. Well, if there isn't there should be.
Update: unfortunately, the world will remain for at least another year. i guess it is just lamentations for now, instead of destruction.
The Prophesy of Doom (Dooom echo fade):
Somehow i'm off by a day. Anyway, i've said before, if malevolence had a birthday, it would be September 20th. Malevolence would also be female (obviously). For no reason at all, that date just popped into my head.
Part of me wishes the personification of malevolence (if it existed) the best, that she got everything she ever wanted.
If you want to see roughly what i think malevolence would look like - there was a Good Rx commercial titled something like "Save Even if You Don't Have Insurance" about 9 seconds in (lady who claims she runs her own business). i know it isn't the real malevolence, but she strongly reminds me of what i thought malevolence would look (even sound a little bit) like. But that lady looks much taller than malevolence's 5'2" frame (i mean, i would guess).
Another Billion-dollar jackpot came up. Tonight's Powerball jackpot is $1.0 Billion dollars (maybe a little higher). Do i think anyone will win the jackpot tonight? No (I'm thinking Monday or Wednesday for a jackpot winner). But i do have a ticket just in case.
Even a virtual statistical impossibility needs a hand.
What is the line in the Richard Marx song "Remember Manhattan"? Something like "there's no wishing well that comes through without the dime". Is $2 the new dime?
MegaMillions has got to be struggling with their new $5 ticket. Their big justification was bigger jackpots - that have yet to materialize. i hated the increase to $2 (led by Powerball). The more than doubling of the price to $5 was a much bigger mistake. What do you expect when the head of the Mega Millions coalition is from WA. WA has the most useless/incompetent government employees of any state.
Slightly better odds should partially negate the possibility of much higher jackpots. It slightly increases the velocity of jackpot growth (well at least in theory). But it might actually lower the jackpot ceiling (lower maximum jackpot potential).
UPDATE: 2 winners split $1.8B TX, and MO.
This year for my alleged birthday, i got another castle. One that i have to use a spell checker to ever spell correctly. Go figure, i actually spelled it correctly on the first try. Germany and their compound words...
Introducing newest installment in the Just Saying series
Neuschwanstein Castle (famous as the inspiration for Disney's Cinderella's Castle and various movies including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Great Escape, and Monuments Men). Unfortunately, King Ludwig II died before the castle could be completed. Of course, my pictures all cut off the top of the highest tower.
If i were rich and much younger, i would love to have my own castle. More like a mini castle. King Ludwig II's scale was too ambitious. Maybe a mix of multiple styles a little from Neuschwanstein, a little from Himeji, some other castles, and modern conveniences. A secure outer perimeter, large open courtyards, a living area with a grotto and waterfall, towers/turrets, undercroft, and a great hall/ballroom.
Well, i almost survived another year*. My alleged time of birth was 8:23 or 8:32 PM (i can never remember which one) local time, so not at the time of this post. Maybe next year is when i finally beat my pesky oxygen habit. i'm sure the second anything goes right is when the final curtain falls.
i still suspect my "life" was a biggest bomb on this annual day (yes that includes Nagasaki "Fat Man")
Unlike some entity i wrongly convinced myself i knew, at least i won't be turning 50 this year.
* Survival connotes non-cessation of core bodily functions, does not connote any form of happiness or fulfillment. After all, Paul Young was right "happiness is just an illusion filled with sadness and confusion".
How old am i? i am essentially 15.77 years old. Though i might have a few years of experience being that age. Even though, physically i sometimes feel like i'm in my 60s (kind of hope i never actually am in my 60s). i am not an, what do you call it, adult. In terms of life experience, 15.77 might be an overestimation.
When you are younger, people ask your age, you can say it off the top of your head. When you get a little more calendar experience, it becomes a math problem. Let's just say "i love the 80s", "i survived the 90s" (but wish i hadn't. If only i had the guts/tools to do what i should have done in 99), and f* the new millennium (nothing redeeming about it).
Anyway, what did i get this year for my alleged birthday (still believe the i'm an alien stranded on this planet theory. The alternative is far too frightening to consider.)? A few dollars, a castle i bought myself (just saying), and a Powerball (save me Powerball, you are my only hope) ticket.
This date, X years ago my alleged father died of cancer at home. It was right before my 16th birthday. Trust me, the image of your father's naked corpse being wiped down by a hospice nurse is not something you want to remember.
There is a big chance here i'll give you a little too much information.
Should the doctor have caught the melanoma sooner? Definitely. He had a disgusting large and misshapen mole on his left arm. When he originally asked the doctor about it, she said something to the effect of "don't worry about it". Of course, she never even wrote his concerns in her notes. A few months later, he bumped the mole and it started to bleed. He had the mole removed, and of course it was cancerous. Then you get the whole 75% chance they got it. All well and good until it made it to his lymph nodes. Another 70% chance they stopped the cancer. Wrong again.
Now, for some thoughts on one of my favorite active anime. i'm talking about Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in A Dungeon (otherwise known, and i'll refer to it here, as Danmachi). Though the universe also includes a spin-off Sword Oratoria (and several other set in the same universe, some prequels).
One of the tropes i like in anime is a weak character becoming strong (i "grew up" playing JRPGs). Other examples of this include Arifureta and Black Clover.
Seasons 1-4 are available on Hulu.
One of my favorite ongoing anime is It is Wrong to Try and Pick up Girls in a Dungeon (otherwise known as Danmachi). Yes, i'll admit to first watching it on Hulu somewhat for its name. But it is a series with mutated mythology and a weak adventurer, originally rejected by the big players, becoming one of the strongest.
This is musings about the future hero Bell Canel's familia (adventurer family of a god, kind of like a faction/guild in something like Black Clover or Fairy Tail). Hestia (Vesta) was a virgin goddess with no children (adventurer followers) until Bell. As Bell grew, so too did the familia.
Keep in mind, i've only seen the anime through season 4. Come on Hulu get Season 5. i have no intention of ever reading the light novels for Danmachi, Sword Oratoria, or its spinoffs.
So, what does this familia need:
i got into watching anime on Hulu when US sitcoms seemed kind of stale. Some anime have weird stories. Being animated, they can also touch on certain themes in a different way than traditional TV shows can. However, there is still a bit of a culture gap between US/European viewer and the target market in Japan. The naming can get confusing - as the US versions sometimes alternate the order (US version first name then surname vs Japanese version. ie John Smith vs Smith John).
- Anime are used to prop up sales of books (light novels, manga) in Japan. As a result, many animes remain in an unfinished state (story stops cold, does not complete). Viewing this from a US perspective, i would be looking for completed light novels/mangas before i started a show. Not using continuing series.
i hate reading. It is not comfortable or fun. Sustained silent reading forced on me in high school caused me to resent reading. An hour or so a day of reading books i didn't want to. That is why i took more literature classes than most. Another reason to hate reading is how pretentious most of the "modern classics" are.
Gareth from the show non-anime show Galavant said it best: "reading is for morons who don't understand pictures".
So, MSFT abruptly shut down their Video and TV app on the Xbox. This kind of sucks, there were a few shows i was going to buy when they went on sale. If history is something to go on, it is only a matter of time before the videos i have on there are inaccessible.
Most of the stuff i have on the app was anime i bought on sale (mostly $4.99 or less). It worked fairly well for me and gave me another thing to use my MSFT Reward Points on (now it is only really useful for Game Pass, or a few games i've been thinking of for a while but never go on a deep enough discount).
Why did i get stuff on MSFT Video? A $5 season is much more justifiable than a $50+ season of 12 or so episodes. Though that doesn't apply if they are out of print (which since i started watching anime two or so years ago, many are). $100+ seasons are the norm. Anime Blu Rays are massively overpriced to begin with, ensuring relatively low sales.
i bought Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest on sale for $3.99 (plus sales tax, which i shouldn't have to pay for a digital license). i believe that is out-of-print in Region A. In general, AMZN Prime sales on anime suck. Not nearly as good as the $5 semi-annual MSFT Video and TV sales over the past couple of years (which included the English dubbed versions and clearly state what you are "purchasing").
i noticed a few things were on sale at AMZN Prime Video. But there is a very big problem i have with AMZN Prime Video purchases - the listings are kind of inaccurate. When i got into the listing, i clicked on information: it said available languages included English - i went through every episode of the season and it said the same thing. After i bought it, what was the only audio language available? You guessed it, Japanese.
