So yeah, I didn't get that teaching job in Japan. It's not entirely unexpected given how horribly the interview went, but I'm still pretty disappointed about it. Ah well -- I'll mope about it for the next few days and then come up with some new ideas. It's lame consolation, but at least now I'll be around when DCUC Wave 3 is released. Grundy will crush.

And hey, "Doctor Who" Series 4 starts tomorrow, so I can't be too sad. 😐

That said, I was upset enough to hop back into bed after getting the rejection e-mail and drift off into unconsciousness for a few more hours... whereupon I dreamed I was at a strange gathering with a bunch of random people. In the end it degenerated into a brawl of sorts -- I ultimately woke up during Bill Richardson's attempt to talk me out of beating the hell out of Chris Crocker for intentionally spilling punch on my shirt. Blame the CNN political ticker and this week's "South Park" episode for that last part.

It is the first of April! Head on over to Scary-Crayon (or visit this page if you visit after April 1) to check out our little goof. As you can see, he's back! 😀

In other news, here are some photos from my ever-expanding DC Comics action figure collection. Some of us have t-shirts, I have toys. 😉

I'm still lovin' Grodd, but I so need a proper Brainiac figure. 😐

You know, you really would not believe how many action figures I've purchased this week. Or maybe you would if you knew that I had a $5 off coupon (off of a purchase of at least $25) for KB Toys and that a local comic shop has an annual Easter sale during which action figures are 50% off -- even though a good chunk of the toys weren't included in either bonus. But with the exception of Orion today, all were discounted (ranging from $3.20 to $7.50), so take heart that I didn't run myself too far into debt.

Speaking of which, I did my taxes on a whim the other day. They're arguably depressing given that I didn't make too much money this year -- far less than I made in 2006, though I think I endured far less work-related headaches in 2007 so consider that my health care payment -- but that meant that I owed the government next to nothing. In fact, given that I made an optimistic estimated payment back when I did my taxes last year, they're giving me money back. Which kinda makes me feel good, since I don't feel like I'm financing this pointless war in Iraq and contributing much in the way of finances to the bombing of innocents and the needless disruption of people's lives on all sides. And the government will supposedly be sending me money as part of this economic stimulus thingy! I'm taking away from the war effort! I'm a crusader for peace, baby.

By the way, for those of you who may or may not have been wondering why I haven't posted too much during the past couple of months, here is the reason that I've been so preoccupied.

More on that later (though if you read the Scary-Crayon blog, you already know about The Gorilla Grodd Project), but yep. 🙂

What is up with me receiving upwards of 100 e-mails per day that try to sell me on products to "turn my trouser mouse into a monster?" Luckily the spam filter catches most of it, but still -- it's bloody ridiculous. Case in point:

from: Eliah Lillenes <eliah [email protected]>
to: [email protected],
date: Sun, Mar 16, 2008 at 3:12 PM
subject: Develop exceptional length and girth

Lynn moaned in pleasure and cried that the feeling of my longer, thicker tool in her felt amazing.

http://www.lokivae.com/
Develop exceptional length and girth

Is that narrative excerpt really supposed to sell me on the product? Are men so obsessed with increasing the length and girth of their junk that they welcome these deluges of augmenting solicitations? On the one hand I guess that people are annoyed by the spam -- hence the creation of spam filters -- but on the other I think that if a significant number of guys weren't actually biting companies wouldn't keep sending out these messages ad nauseam. And that's kinda sad and gross and pathetic.

I'm not sure whether I'm drooling all over my pillow and then flipping over or what, but I had another dream last night in which I got shot in the head and spent the remainder of the dream bleeding profusely. When it began, I was traveling through a desert with a stranger in search of shelter. Eventually we came upon a gated military installation of sorts, but they refused to let us in... so my loyal companion deduced that they'd have to let us in if one of us were wounded and promptly fired a shot into the back of my skull. I blacked out.

I awoke within the installation, bleeding profusely as an emaciated man straddled me and with his hands pressed against my forehead (the exit wound, apparently) and the base of my skull to stem the flow of blood. Then, suddenly, I found myself sitting at home watching TV -- but still bleeding extensively from the head. The events of the dream were fairly normal from that point onward. I checked my e-mail and did some browsing on the computer, went to Toys 'R' Us in search of some DC Universe Classics figures, and so forth. Except all the while I continued to bleed from the head in two directions and wonder when I would finally die from the blood loss. Yep.

And then, when I finally woke up and returned to sleep, I had some odd dream involving Catherine Keener and Tom Hanks telephoning each other and showering in the woods and hitchhiking in the rain.

My subconscious is very, very strange.