Blog 215 > Embrace of an Autumn Night
August 19th, 2009 | 26 Comments »
Fate. Destiny. Coincidence. Whatever the term may be, when the frantic follies of life begin to play more fairly, there’s no better time to let your heart beat freely and your soul flow boldly. Especially when that fumbling fairness is embodied in the subtle charm of a gentle girl. To alleviate her blushing embarrassment, let’s conceal her identity beneath the code-name “Autumn Night”, lol.
Part 1 of 1 > Embrace of an Autumn Night
Ah, 15 August 2009, Saturday afternoon at the Galleria Mall. Our search begins! Yup, the search for (1) the perfect necktie to match a recently purchased pink shirt, (2) a few good socks, and (3) a windshield shade for my Nissan Murano. Haha, “Autumn Night” manages to capture my fumbling facial expression!
Hey, not bad! Something must’ve amused me, haha. But I wonder. From this low angle, you could probably calculate Autumn-chan’s relative height, couldn’t you?
A nice far shot! Since I like angled shots (for both anime-figure photoshoots and real life), I told her to try more angled shots. Not bad!
Ah, looking down upon the oblivious mall masses.
Hmm, trying to look cool. But not *too* cool.
Haha, can’t go to the Galleria Mall without visiting the friendly neighborhood “Suncoast”. Couldn’t avoid the “Ryuk the Shinigami” (Death Note) plushie!
Umm, I forget. What the heck was I explaining to Autumn-chan? Manga? Figures? Anime?
Oh no! Not the “Absolute Boyfriend” (Zettai Kareshi) manga! Run away! I’m sure Kris-chan will have something to say about this, lol.
Oh yeah, this was funny. Here’s an early screen-cap from the amusing 12-second video that Autumn-chan accidentally recorded on my Sony digicam. But she won’t let me post the video, lol.
Then here’s a screen-cap from the final moments of the 12-second video. Aww, she was too cute apologizing for her video accident.
Ahh, trying out the Tempur-Pedic, lol.
Wake me up in an hour, okay? Haha.
This is a pretty cool photo. Especially with the motion blur. Nice!
Ehh, not as nice. But still ain’t bad. Didn’t buy it, of course, lol. What are you thinking?
Hahaha, the perfectly stereotypical “tourist” photo! Why, thanx, Autumn-chan!
So after several hours at the mall, we found a few pairs of socks to replenish my supply. But we couldn’t find a decent neck-tie for my pink shirt! Despite looking at hundreds, if not thousands, of ties across several clothing stores within the complex! Bahhh. So then, we headed off to “Target” to find a windshield shade. Nothing. Next, we stopped off at “Borders” to check out some books. Peeked at some manga and Japanese dictionaries. Hehe, amusing discussions. Then finally, “Wal-Mart”. At long last, we finally found a proper 27-inch “Jumbo” windshield shade for my Murano!
An unnecessary close-up of the “Auto-Shade”, lol.
Ahh, I was too hungry to avoid the “McDonald’s” within the “Wal-Mart”, lol. But Autumn-chan couldn’t avoid capturing the “Now Hiring” sign behind me. Yeah-yeah, thanx again, Autumn-chan!
Staying awake amidst the soothing aroma of cheeseburgers.
A random but unique angle. What were you thinking, Autumn-chan?
Well, that’s it for Saturday afternoon! Yup, those 5 hours (from 2pm-to-7pm) flew by in the blink of an eye. I gotta admit, I don’t think I’ve laughed so much, or talked so much, or had so much fun shopping or browsing, in years! Of course, that didn’t stop us from having a 4-hour video-chat via Gmail later that night, haha. And it didn’t stop Autumn-chan from visiting my house the next day! Here’s a shot of the milk-flavored “Pocky” and tomato-flavored “Pretz” she bought on the drive over. Awww, thanx, that’s so sweet.
Here’s another shot including the chocolate-standard “Pocky” from “Suncoast” on Saturday, lol.
Gahhh, the unavoidably melted mass of milky messiness!
Awww, Guiness the Soccer Menace in the gentle embrace of Autumn-chan.
I think Guiness likes her, lol.
Hey-hey-hey! Some arm wrestling with the Menace!
Come on, Guiness! You got nothing! You got nothing!
Is Guiness getting tired already?
Ready for more soccer yet?
Awww. Guiness hardly looks like he’s 8 years old, does he?
So that’s it for Sunday afternoon! Yup, just like Saturday, these 6 hours (from 12:30pm-to-6:30pm) flew by in another blink of an eye. Once again, I gotta admit, the weekend with Autumn-chan was one of the most enjoyable, yet also comfortable, weekends in years. If not my entire life. I mean, when the frenzied foibles of fate decide to smile more kindly upon you, you’ve gotta smile back, right? With your entire heart and soul. Even if it means sacrificing the complexity of a mega-cast. Even if it makes Autumn-chan feel guilty for my sacrificing it, hehe. Of course, I seriously doubt that Duckie-chan will mind my lengthy string of xJAYMANx photos! Will you, Duckie-chan? You’ll have to thank Autumn-chan for that, lol. ^_~
Till next broadcast. Peace. Out.
Final Flashback
This is a pretty cool photo. Especially with the motion blur. Nice!
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August 20th, 2009 at 10:12 am
#1 Did you say…a PINK shirt? Why oh why do you own a pink shirt?
#2 Suncoast? I thought they all closed! I didn’t know they were still in existence. That makes me happy…although there aren’t anymore around here that I know of.
#3 No, no. I did like the Absolute Boyfriend manga. I own it. I didn’t LOVE it, but I thought it was kind of cute. It has some pretty glaring flaws, but it was alright.
Also, do you have transition lenses (because I don’t think my transitions ever got that dark)? Or do you just have sunglasses with the same frames as your normal glasses?
I’ve never been to a Galleria mall, either. We have one near here, but I’m not a fan of shopping. I could NEVER spend 5 hours shopping. I’d die. Anything more than 30-60 minutes is way too much.
Kris´s last blog > Gokusen
August 20th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
@Kris-chan: Haha, yup, pink shirt! Couple weeks ago, when my “best friend in training” and “fashion designer” Michelle at my work offered to help me pick out some new office clothes from Kohl’s, I said, “Yeah, why not?” So last week, we finally went, and I ended up buying a new pair of jeans, 2 dress slacks, and 6 new dress shirts. And they all looked pretty sharp! Including the pink long-sleeved dress shirt with subtle striping in texture. So when I wore it the following day, along with my grey striped slacks, I got tons of compliments from the ladies! Michelle, Natasha, Allie, Mary! So over the weekend, Autumn-chan and I tried to find a neck-tie to fit the pink shirt. To no avail, lol. Maybe I’ll model the shirt here sometime?
Hey, now that you mentioned it, yeah, “Suncoast” was supposed to be gone! Apparently not! Hehehe, okay-okay, I think we’ve discussed “Absolute Boyfriend” more than enough! I just thought it was funny to see it at “Suncoast”… Ahh, great question! The answer: Two different pairs of lenses with identical “Donna Karan” frames. Because I never trusted the “Transitions” hype. How they didn’t transition fast enough, or reacted more to heat instead of light, or that the transitions slowed or grayed over time. But great observation!… Haha, I guess the shopping or simply the browsing experience depends on the company. In my case, the company was exceptional. ^_^
August 22nd, 2009 at 7:04 am
Looks like you had a fun date with ‘Autumn-chan’ there. You’re sure making full use of your ‘moteki’, eh? Funny considering it’s summer now (It is, isn’t it?). Why did you name her Autumn instead of Summer?
Don’t really think there’s anything wrong with guys wearing pink shirts… as for Pink shirts, I dunno. Don’t really qualify to comment on this as I don’t own one myself. I guess it’s fine as you long as you’re not over-pinked- there was this guy back in HS who had pink shoes, a pink bag, pink cardigan… it was really too much:p
On a final note, who cares about the Pocky- I’m more interested in that NANA DVD lying alongside it… My oh my, a shopping date, a romantic movie, and who-knows-what-Pocky games? Tsk, tsk. You show-off, you:D
aprilius20´s last blog > Eden of the East
August 24th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Eating M at a mall. I used to do that all the time for years :)
August 27th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
I havent seen that many pictures of you and so few girls,namely zero, in your blogposts since Im follwoing you! :P
So when shes Autumn Night whats your Codename?
Anyways congratulations! Enjoy your time with your sweetheart
August 27th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
@A20-man: Haha, thanx, man! Yup, “full moteki mode” indeed! Ah, that’s because her real name reminded me of “Aki”, hence “Autumn”. That’s about it, lol. Nahhh, just the pink shirt. Enough to catch the ladies’ eyes, but not too much to catch anything else! What about the “Nana” DVD? Actually, that’s my own custom cover based on a wallpaper and printed to fit the DVD case, while the inside is just a disc of the burned movie downloads. Simple. Nahhh, none of Pocky games you have in mind… But it was definitely a fun day. The most fun in years. ^_^
@Rich-man: Nothing wrong with McD’s!
@FlyingBlow-man: Been a while, man! Yup, a rare post indeed. But if I may correct you, Autumn-chan does appear in 2 of the pics above, lol. Hmm, my codename? Actually, I was just thinking of this the other day. Something Japanese. Damn, what was it? Oh yeah! “Karasu”! Since Jay is derived from “crow”, I figured “Karasu” would be perfect, lol. Ahhh, I wouldn’t call her “sweetheart” just yet. But thanx for the wishes! ^_~
August 28th, 2009 at 12:13 am
@Jay: Ooh, sneaky, sneaky. I can’t do that as most of my burned DVDs are compilations of various stuff- unless I photoshop an image, of course. Imagine Nana piloting a sailor-uniform-clad-Gundam… No pocky games? Too bad- but good luck getting to that stage. Cheers to the two of you:D
aprilius20´s last blog > Of Ill Omens and Pointlessly Delightful Gossip
August 28th, 2009 at 5:45 am
So when’s Winter, Summer and Spring-chan coming?
The Envoy´s last blog > Kamikaze
August 30th, 2009 at 4:26 am
LOL! Jay Man visual overdose! I love going to the mall but I don’t think I’ve ever shopped for 5 hours and bought that little, every sale calls my name! Lately I only go to the mall unless I have a real purpose, if I wander around I’ll find way too much stuff. And I’ll tell myself “you’ve been saving a lot of money lately…go for it…splurge…” and then the downward spiral! Suncoast…every Suncoast I’ve ever known in my area has been closed for a long time. I used to buy my anime from there and Media PLay.
lovelyduckie´s last blog > A Haul and a TV
August 30th, 2009 at 7:56 am
I want to say I bought my first anime at a Suncoast. Or an FYE. I know what my first anime was – the Escaflowne movie, collector’s edition. In either late 2001 or early 2002.
But honestly, good company or no, I can’t go shopping for that long. I personally don’t enjoy shopping (likely due to the hours I had to sit around in department stores waiting on my mother as a child), and I normally don’t have any money to spend anyway. If I want to spend time with people, I’d rather go someplace where we could sit down and chat, and it’s not noisy.
When I go shopping, I’m usually looking for something specific, and I know where I need to go. I do very little browsing (when I do, I’m quick). I also don’t care for shopping because I have to try stuff on, which is one of my least favorite things to do, ever, lol.
And anyway, the mall where I live sucks ass. All we have left is a Sears, a really crappy Macy’s and an out-let Dillard’s, as far as dept. stores go. The Circuit City closed (well, they all did) and was replaced by what is essentially a flea market (it’s a discount store). If it weren’t for the Old Navy and Barnes and Noble, I’d never go there.
Kris´s last blog > Gokusen Live Action
August 30th, 2009 at 8:46 am
@A20-man: Sneaky? Why so sneaky? LOL, but that’s why I keep my burned discs to within a single related title or series. Unfortunately, I’m sooo behind. Still have about 50-70 anime titles without DVD covers. Gahhh… Haha, no Pocky games yet! But yesterday, after a sushi-party-tray lunch of California rolls, surimi, ebi and edamame, we enjoyed live-action “Death Note 1 and 2″ film marathon, laying in front of my 24-inch iMac. Let’s just say, that as both adversaries met their unfortunate fates, Autumn-chan had her head on my chest while I had my arm around her shoulders. Awww. Thanx for the cheer!
@Envoy-man: Haha, let’s put it this way. I hope the seasons never change, lol.
@Duckie-chan: Haha, overdose? So that’s a bad thing, right? Hehehe. Ah, true, hard to resist the sales! But in our case, when the actual purchases are secondary to the all-around shopping experience and enjoyment, it doesn’t really matter what we ended up buying, lol… Yeah, Kris-chan and I agreed above that “Suncoast” was supposed to be gone. But hey, there it was! I wasn’t about to complain, lol. So I bought a box of chocolate “Pocky” for the heck of it. For the old times. Why not? ^_~
@Kris-chan: Hmm, I don’t remember the first thing I bought at a “Suncoast”. But if not a DVD, I’d probably have to say “Pocky”! Ahh, understood. I guess some people don’t like bustling crowds at all, while others don’t mind them so much. Personally, when I’m in the mood for it, I like the *energy* of the crowd. The activity. Plus the exercise, lol. Invigorating… That’s it? That’s your mall? Here’s my local Galleria Mall (PDF format). Maybe 150 or so stores, including Macy’s, JCPenney’s, Dillard’s. Two levels. Pretty nice. Can’t wait for the new Kohl’s! To enhance my already-enhanced office wardrobe, lol. With some critical female companionship, of course. ^_^
August 30th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Awww, Jay. You sound like you had a really delightful time with Autumn. Are you in your boxers in that one picture with Guinness? Then, that means you really had a nice ‘ol time XD I’m just kidding…or am I. I used to frequent the mall quite often with my family and we would do a bunch of window shopping and eye-ing some goods that we’d like in the future. Most of the time, there tends to be something bought on these excursions. I haven’t been to a Suncoast in such a long time. I remember getting some dvds of anime there back in the day.
Jem´s last blog > Belated April Haul [Small]
August 31st, 2009 at 6:48 am
@Jay-san:
Yeah our ghetto-ass mall is pretty small. It used to have a JC Penny’s, but it closed years ago. The nearest Penny’s is about 30 miles from here, in a much nicer mall in another city. I think there’s 130-140 stores (it really doesn’t seem like that much; they must be including the food court and stuff), but it’s all very small. Oh, I think there’s a Burlington in there too. There’s an AMC theater, a small food court, a Dave and Busters, a Lens Crafters, 2-3 jewelry stores. And then the standards – GameStop, Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, some shoe stores, kid clothing stores, teen clothing stores, Hot Topic, and other various crap. It’s pretty pathetic, honestly. There’s not even a decent electronics store in there anymore; but there’s a Best Buy in a nearby shopping strip (but I prefer the Fry’s Electronics on the other side of town). Like I said, I only go there for the Old Navy (and less now that we found a nice Kohl’s on the other side of town) and the Barnes and Noble.
Kris´s last blog > Gokusen Live Action
September 1st, 2009 at 1:17 am
@Jay: Sneaky, in that it makes it look as if you actually spent money on it, haha. Endless Autumn, eh? Just don’t pass that on to KyoAni:p
@Kris and Jay: I’d like to brag about the numerous mega-malls over here, but since I can never really find what I want I think I’ll pass, hehe.
aprilius20´s last blog > Of Ill Omens and Pointlessly Delightful Gossip
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:30 pm
@Jem-chan: Awww, thanx… Haha, no-no, not boxers. Just shorts which kinda look like boxers, lol. Oh yeah, it was definitely a nice time, but maybe not as “nice” as your “wild” imagination. LOL, or was it?… Yeah, I kinda missed the window shopping too. But it’s never quite as fun without a female companion to laugh with, is it?… P.S. Btw, thanx for the audio-chat, that was fun! Yet strangely comfortable too, lol.
@Kris-chan: Haha, ghetto malls? Umm, nooo, lol. But yeah, those are the standard stores. So maybe it’s the nasty neighborhood that paints a darker picture. Or casts the darker clouds. Funny you should mention Fry’s Electronics. Autumn-chan and I just visited it last Friday. And have I mentioned my newfound semi-addiction to Kohl’s? ^_~
@A20-man: Well, technically, I indeed spent money on the DVD discs, cases and disc inserts. Not to mention, spending the hours to print the full-color inserts. Gahhh. But wait? What about KyoAni? How would that relate to Endless Autumn? Am I missing something here?… Ah, but mega-malls aren’t about “finding” anything. They’re about “browsing” through everything. In essence, the journey, not the destination. A lot like life.
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:05 am
Fry’s Electronics is one of my favorite places on the planet. :)
And my boy has taken a liking to Kohl’s as well. There’s always tons of stuff on sale. Unfortunately all I’ve managed to find there so far was a purple camisole (the spaghetti strap tanks with the built-in bras). I’m at that awkward age (and body size) where I’m not really old enough for women’s clothes, but too old for a lot of the junior’s clothes. So department stores are a little weird for me. Basically I just don’t want to take the time to find the stuff that will work on me; it’s a hassle, and I don’t really want to be there (meaning shopping) anyway.
Kris´s last blog > Tokyopop Dismay
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:41 am
KyoAni as in the second season of Haruhi, which had 8 episodes of endless repetition with its ‘Endless Eight’ (Eight as in Summer, or Infinity) arc. Therefore, ‘Endless Autumn’ for you.
Haha, well I’ll have you know that I’m the greedy sort of person who wants the best journey as well as the best destination:D
aprilius20´s last blog > Of Ill Omens and Pointlessly Delightful Gossip
September 4th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
@Kris-chan: Haha, thankfully, my budget is low enough to keep me out of the radar range of “Fry’s” magnetic clutches! But I don’t mind an occasional visit every few months. While my recent “Kohl’s” wardrobe upgrade with my fashion designer Michelle only cost a couple-hundred bucks (ah, the sales), my wallet is (like I said) skinny enough to avoid the too-natural addiction, lol… Ah, shopping or simply looking is fun! Luckily, I can still pick and choose from the “young men” or “teen” sections and look convincing, lol. ^_~
@A20-man: Ahh, thanx for the semi-spoiler. Haven’t dug too deep into the 2nd “Haruhi” season yet. But I forgive your selfishness. Probably. Haha, fittingly, may your greed reward you with the most heroic rags-to-riches, pain-to-gain story-ever-told! Gambatte!
September 4th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Trust me, you’ll be glad for the warning- would you watch eight episodes of the same thing hoping for the teeniest bit of something new? I did that all the way till the 5th or 6th episode of Endless 8 before finally snapping. So here’s another tip for you to file: for season 2 of Haruhi, watch episodes 1 to 4, and 9 onwards:)
Haha, many thanks, I’ll get there someday soon:D
aprilius20´s last blog > Announcement: Out With It.
September 5th, 2009 at 7:55 am
Oh, I don’t have the money to be going to Fry’s regularly either. We don’t go often. But it’s like, a geek paradise. Some people really like clothing stores, some people like books stores, I like Fry’s. We always spend too much money when we go, though. I’ve been going less, though, because I’ve been ordering my anime online instead of picking it up in a store. I got annoyed that the things I wanted weren’t on the shelves, and while Fry’s has decent pricing, I can still get it way cheaper (even with the shipping) if I shop properly (meaning wait for a big sale at Rightstuf).
But before, I went there for everything. And it’s useful if I need a quick computer part (like when my power supply died).
Kris´s last blog > Tokyopop Dismay
September 5th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
@Anytime, Jay. Anytime ;]
Jem´s last blog > Belated April Haul [Small]
September 6th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
@A20-man: Hehe, perhaps. In any case, the more I hear about it, the more it sounds like “Haruhi 2″ is a “fucking piece of shit”, pardon my French, lol. Oh well, maybe I’ll get around to watching it later this year. If at all… Hey, no problem. What do you mean “someday”? Since it includes everything, from bad to good, your most-heroic-story-ever-told should be in-progress right now!
@Kris-chan: Ahh, understood. But after acquiring an iMac, browsing through PC parts is amusing, but no longer as alluring. Hence, the “Apple Store”! Fortunately, even “Fry’s” has a mini “Apple” section too, hehe. ^_^
@Jem-chan: Haha, anytime? Hey, just name the time. Otherwise, just pop up whenever at random… Umm, that is, if I’m not chatting with Autumn-chan online, of course! ^_~
September 7th, 2009 at 2:47 am
No problem with profanities here. According to google translate, the French version is ‘putain de merde’, which sounds a lot better actually.
Haha, of course it’s someday! If you want it now, I’d have to give you my diary, all four volumes of ‘em. You’ll just have to wait for the autobiography to hit the stores later on. It is a work of progress, after all:)
aprilius20´s last blog > Announcement: Out With It.
September 9th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
@A20-man: Ahh, but just because the “riches” appear someday, doesn’t mean the “rags” isn’t occurring right now. Therefore, in-progress today… But nahhh, hold the extended volumes. I’ll just access the abridged bits via your in-progress blog.
September 13th, 2009 at 12:03 am
*looks at post date* Oh, say what!? Jay found himself someone the same time the uncontrollable nature of life rips me away from my man(now ex)? Something’s fishy here… LOL. j/k
Suncoast lives!? I thought they all disappeared. The one that was in my local mall closed down a year ago, and I still have a $10 gift card. I need to go Suncoast-hunting!
September 13th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
@Coco-chan: Awww, sorry to hear about the “uncontrollable nature of life ripping” you from your ex. Don’t you mean “uncontrollable nature of women”? Hehe, kidding! But yeah, been there, done that… In fact, anytime you’re interested in a Gmail video-chat, I’m always open to the cute friendly smile of a lady otaku blogger… As long as you understand that I may drop or pause your line when Autumn-chan logs in, lol. Even though she wouldn’t want me to drop anyone just for her. ^_^
Yup, the “Suncoast” still shines! That fact never really struck me until Kris-chan’s comment pointed that out! Hmm, well, if your “Suncoast” hunting proves fruitless, you could always snail-mail your gift card to me, couldn’t you? Vegas ain’t that far, lol.