I'm back, and empty handed. Also anime and games and manga, oh my.

Okay, so I'm kind of freaking out that it's been so long since I've last posted anything that I literally had to look through my blog and see what FORMAT I used to use on here for posting. It's ridiculous that I have been MIA like this (again) but I'm doing my best to remedy that. I just haven't wanted to post since I wanted there to be so much more to say.

So, first things first: what the hell is going on with the store?

Absolutely nothing. 

i know michelle, i'm bummed too.

You see, the first time we applied for funding, we were promised a certain amount. Things were looking good, and we were stoked. Then, it turned out we only got around 45% of what we originally planned for. And... That sucked. 

So, we tried again. We jumped all of the same hurdles that we had to jump the first time, including repairing credit, building it, and submitting papers and spending money. Literally, we wrung every last dime we had into the process--yet we're still facing 60 days of wait time currently, and the process hasn't even started. And this time, we were only promised half of the original amount... So now I'm wondering if we'll only receive 20% of that this time. And of course, time has kept moving forward, and we DO have living expenses that pile up--so the original funding we received has slowly been dwindling the longer the process takes, leaving us with significantly less money than what we originally designed our store to be launched on.

Needless to say, the process has been arduous, emotionally draining, and a giant wave of disappointment. However, we're not giving up.

SHIT, WRONG GIF 

I still have one more option available to me, which I am employing right now. While it's not the very best option, it's one that I feel could bring in at least a glimmer of hope to this wretched situation. We'll still open, but it will be a significantly toned down version from our original plan. Hopefully people will still like us. 

probably not

...

Oh, and as if things aren't deliciously awful enough: 

-My husband was laid off (so there went a large chunk of our income)

  -One thousand five hundred dollars of my money has been tied up in a chargeback issue with my bank, the same bank that is now stating that I might not be able to get my funds back (despite being charged twice) because the merchant is holding the funds--to which the merchant responded that the bank is holding my funds

-I've gained like 15 lbs of stress weight (yum, so sexy... NOT)

i do. i really do.

Fun times.

BUT!

On the non-heartbreaking and utterly serious front, I have been drowning my sorrows in video games,  forums, manga and anime (since working on my novel when I'm like this is out of the question)

My highlights thus far:

Gaming:

Pokemon X and the 3DSXL (omg)

Ni No Kuni

Anime: 

KILL LA KILL

JUMP ABOARD THE KLK FUN JEEP

You know what? Let's just stop right there and take a moment to talk about what a glorious series this is. 

Now, I love anime--I can give almost anything a shot, and tend to stay open minded about what I'm watching. However, there are times that certain anime cliches get old, like the whole 'overuse-of-monologue' thing (can you say Deathnote, anyone?) or the ridiculous fanservice in some (not that I mind, but Free! or Sakura Trick are def. some of those). When it comes down to Kill La Kill though, I can honestly say that this is an anime that looks at itself honestly and KNOWS that this is what makes anime, well, anime. 

Kill La Kill takes these concepts and uses them to its advantage, spinning both drama and insane action with self-aware humor and major girl power--because that's another thing: this series is RUN BY GIRLS. 

Every single major character is female, their disputes are with females, and the only male characters in the show are supporting characters that rally behind female protagonists at all times. It was definitely refreshing to see such an action packed anime (because let me tell you, KLK plays out like a final episode EVERY SINGLE EPISODE) fleshed out this way since it's usually men that fill these character roles. 

Granted, KLK isn't as feminist as it would seem, as the show has gratuitous fanservice (but again, I don't mind in the slightest) and I would even say that it's NSFW. Here's Ryuko's (the main protagonist) uniform:

and this is a tame version of the uniform... it gets much smaller at times during the show

All that being said however, I do see some major points of empowerment in the show for women, but as to whether the show is feminist or misogynist is not something I'm going to get into as there are HUNDREDS of similar arguments online. 

also for fans of interpretive dance

Overall, I recommend it if you like lots of action, T&A, parodic humor, fast paced story lines and explosions. 

Other anime I've watched lately: 

-Witch Craft Works

-Free!

-Sakura Trick

-Toradora

-Danganronpa

-Gatchaman Crowds

All fun watches, but I don't have as much to say about them, yet.

As of late, I've also been reading a LOT of manga, and in a non-surprise, I really am starting to prefer manga to anime. Non-gasp.

Some favorites:

-A Silent Voice by Yoshitoki Oima

OMG A SILENT VOICE GOD WHY TEARS SO MANY TEARS ARGH SO FEELS PAIN STORY ARGHHHHH. And that's all I have to say about that.

-Inside Mari by Shuzo Oshimi

Man, this manga is so nerve wracking. The premise is that one day a man wakes up in the body of a woman with no context other than the fact that he used to watch her every night at 9 PM at a convenience store. It's just horrifying to see how he slips up in the world of the feminine, and how desperately he tries to resume his previous life. Definitely a fun but scary read. 

-Citrus by Saburo Uta 

Gyaru gal falls in love with her tight laced school president step-sister. Of course. 

-Is This Girl For Real?! by Tsutomu Mutsuki

Drunk thirty-something falls for teenage boy she ends up living with. Of course.

-Love Theory by Keiya Mizuno

This is hella misogynist but soooo entertaining. Basically a POA tries to improve the life of a love-impaired virgin with a ghostly twist. 

And others that I'm forgetting but were fun nonetheless. 

yeah dude i'm not gonna list like the 25 manga i've just read

I've also taken up Pilates, Boxing, and MMA Fitness. But since I suck at all of those currently, I'll talk more about that when I can actually post something meaningful about it. 

I'll try and post more as my life changes, but as it's going currently, this is pretty much it.

So, 

Ttyl. :)