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11-01-07

As many of you now know, I'll be leaving RHPL and heading back to Illinois. I want everyone to know that both Robert and I will keep in touch. You can always friend us on Facebook. :) We're going to do one last zine, and I'll host all the GNBC meetings up through December. After that it may be Jaclyn for a while. I know RHPL will get someone super fantastic to replace me, so don't worry. Feel free to email me if you have any questions, and I am leaving all my new information on my Facebook page.

On a completely different rail of thought, I officially have too many games to play. I have Ratchet & Clank, the Simpson's Game, Folklore, AOE: The Asian Dynasties, Beautiful Katamari and Guitar Hero III to play at home. I need more time in my day! I finished reading Mouse Guard. If you haven't read it, pick it up. I think you will enjoy it. It's about the secret life of mice, and they live most exciting lives, as I have always suspected. I haven't watched any new anime lately, but I can't wait for Death Note to come out on DVD. Now if only they'd port over Monster...

10-15-07

The forums have now been locked. No new members or postings can be made on the old forums. I encourage you all to use the Facebook group for GNBC for all announcements about GNBC and other teen library related events. You may see the forums come back in another incarnation in the future, but since the library is upgrading its web site and servers, it will be a different forum software completely. Whatever we decide to do with any forum software, the Facebook group will remain. Now the official stuff is done. I want to play The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass, but I have to find the time. I've been so busy with my online playing I haven't been able to get in any solo playing. I'm starting to read some Tezuka stuff, including To Terra and Apollo's Song. It's good stuff if you haven't read it. I also tried some Invader Zim - not anime but a Nickelodeon show - it was cute, but I couldn't get into it. This week is Teen Read Week - be sure to vote for your favorite book on this site, and be sure to come to our events. You can read more about those events at our Facebook group.

10-02-07

It's official, we will be archiving the forums soon, and moving all discussion to our Facebook group. I'll let you know when that is for sure, but it will be soon. If you have an Xbox 360, you should totally play Eternal Sonata. It's all about Frederick Chopin, the composer. He's trying to figure out if the world he is currently in is in his mind or real, meanwhile in his own world he is unconscious and possibly dying. The story is interspersed with history of Chopin's life. It's also about the people in that world; taxes are bad and things are getting tougher. It really is interesting, and the battle system is fun too! I'll do a full review soon. Played some Halo of course. It's ok. Has a great multiplayer function for Xbox live - the best in fact that I have used yet. Been watching some Veronica Mars, so I don't have any anime to report on this week. Read the newest Y the Last Man. This is a more Adult series, but if you like post apocalyptic stuff, you'd like this. All the men on the planet, all the males of any species for that matter, suddenly die off in one day. There's only one guy left alive and he desperately wants to find his girlfriend. Anyway, the story has evolved nicely. Well, I'll see you guys at the next GNBC!

9-24-07

Still playing Blue Dragon and Bioshock and have added Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas to the mix. Been reading all the Penny Arcade books as well. Funny stuff, even if you have read the webcomics. Their comments on their own comics make it all seem fresh again. The last volume of the Haruhi's came in today, so we'll be putting those on the shelf soon. We (meaning Robert and I) have been discussing archiving the Snitz forums on animeted.org and moving entirely to Facebook for our online forums. Archiving means to make them viewable, searchable etc. But no longer active for posting. There are a few reasons for this. One, the library is very possibly going to be moving its web servers to Unix servers. Snitz is a Windows based forum, and it would be difficult to move it over intact. Things may be lost, people may get hurt, buildings could burn down. :P Two, the interest in the forums has fallen off of late. Since Facebook can notify members of the members of the GNBC group easily of new postings and of events, and since you all seem to check Facebook regularly, it seemed the logical choice for a successor to the Forums here. And finally, three, the Facebook groups function won't have to be maintained and updated by staff here. The website animeted.org would stay, but instead of a link to active forums, the link would take you to the Facebook GNBC group. Let me know what you all think. I will be talking to you all about it at this Wednesday's meeting as well.

9-17-07

It has been too long since I updated this. I'm still working on the T-shirt. I think I can get the price down if I do some fancy photoshopping to separate all those colors. As some of you know, I have been watching School Rumble - and am loving it! It is so cute and funny! I need to start a new graphic novel series. I want one that is finished. These ongoing series are just too much pressure for me! I have been playing both Bioshock and Blue Dragon. I have also been staying up way too late playing Age of Empires lately. Bioshock is excellent - for those who are allowed to play M rated games, I do recommend it. Blue Dragon is cute and fun so far. I'm waiting for the story to get more compelling though. I'm missing all GNBC's roaming members. I am hoping they are enjoying themselves! We have a meeting next week, I hope to see the rest of you there!

8-21-07

Great numbers for summer reading; we smashed last year's records! Bioshock comes out today, I'm looking forward to trying it. Robert just read The Eternals by Gaiman, he gives it a "meh." He was unimpressed. We had the final D&D of the summer. *sniff* The next time we will schedule D&D is for the winter. Likely we'll have some in December all close together. We'll try our sessions like that, and see how it works. Let me know if you guys have any ideas for events for next summer, and I'll start planning them. see you all at tomorrow's GNBC meeting!

8-3-07

Summer Reading is almost over so make sure you turn in your reading records to be eligible for the prizes and the finale! Everyone will likely get something if they come to the finale, I have lots of prizes to give away. We'll be playing games and having pizza as well. I finished Deathnote. The ending was really good, I had to re-read some of those passages like 3 times though. Man they were convoluted! Hope all of you are having a great summer so far!

7-19-07

I really meant to change this sooner, but this summer has been crazy. So this weekend is the HP7 all nighter. Hope you guys are all coming. We've been doing a lot of things this summer, but we have so much more to do yet! I finished playing this game called The Darkness. It was a pretty cool shooter. Now I am onto Guild Wars. Never played a MMORPG before. It's interesting. I don't know how long I'll be into it though; an endless RPG doesn't have a whole lot of appeal to me. I'll have to see how I like it in 4 weeks time. I haven't logged that many hours yet, so I can't say I've really gotten into the story yet. I'll let you know. Of course I will be reading HP7 soon, so I have cleared my reading schedule for that. I watched volume 3 of Peach Girl. I am still enjoying that. Deathnote should be out soon, the anime I mean. I'm kind of excited about that. I hope it is as good as the manga. Well, I'll try to remember to update this more often, until next time!

6-19-07

We had a pretty good turn out for our first summer events. Don't forget we are having a Scavenger Hunt this Saturday and a book swap this Thursday. I brought a lot of cool stuff to help start the book swap, so be sure to check it out. Make sure all of you sign up for summer reading! I just finished Deathnote 11. I will try very hard to hold out until the last volume. I honestly don't know who will win the battle of wits between Near and Light. I have my suspicions, but the author has done a good job at making me wonder what he'll do next. I'm going to try playing this new Xbox 360 game called Monster Madness. It looks like it is a pretty cool multiplayer game. I suppose it's possible that if it is really awesome, it will make and appearance at the game days. :) I'm also going to try to watch Samurai Seven. It's not that I don't want to, I have been running out of time lately. It's unfair that I can't stop time. :( Wish I could, but alas, I do not have that mutant power. See you guys Saturday!

6-1-07

Summer Reading starts today, so be sure to register! We have a lot of cool contests and prizes this year, so make sure you check it out! I am reading Blankets finally. Jeff recommended it to me, and I am really liking it. I'm also going to watch the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and see if I like it. I have been playing Spider-man 3 for the PS3 a whole bunch, but I may be hitting my frustration point with the game. It was really fun in the beginning, definitely worth a check out just so you can swing around New York City. But some of the bosses are particularly frustrating for a button masher like me. Oh well. If you like fighting games you will probably like the mechanics of the game. One last thing, sign up for summer reading!!

5-15-07

If you like the new Marvel Civil War stuff, I ordered a bunch and it should be on the shelves soon, so keep an eye out for it. It will be under the call number Civil War. I am playing Spider-man 3 for the PS3. It's really pretty fun. I'm enjoying it quite a lot. I'm also reading some stuff by the writer of Petshop of Horrors. I'll let you know soon what I think. I have decided you guys will get journals or sketchbooks for completing summer reading this year. I hope this is a good prize. I thought on it a long time. You can pick one or the other when you turn in your reading record. Our Facebook group is growing, everyone should join if they can! See you guys soon!

5-02-07

As I have already mentioned on the Forums, My Cat Loki was my random choice off the cart of manga I had. It's a very good book. Check the forums for the review. I have R.O.D. at home waiting for me to watch. I hope it is as good as Rachel says. I'm confident she knows her stuff. :) I just read this really good book called Sold. It's about a young girl who is sold by her step father into a brothel. It's very, very good, and has been nominated for a Thumbs Up award in Michigan. You should read it. It doesn't take long but it is very powerful. I am working very hard on getting all the summer reading stuff together. You will see an update soon, but I think this will be the best Teen Summer Reading program yet. The theme has been really easy to work with for programs, and I think you'll really like it. more updates on that soon!

4-16-07

I just watched Origin : Spirits of the Past. It was pretty good. The animation was very nice. The storyline is very similar to Nausicaa: enhanced and unfriendly to humans forest that has taken over the planet, check; group of humans who live at peace with the forest, check; group of humans who want to tame the forest and bring back the technology that destroyed the world in the first place, check; Young protagonist who holds the key to making everybody get along, check. But, it does have some differences that make it worthwhile. I didn't like it as much as Nausicaa, it kind of falls apart at the end, but it was worth the watch. And if you like that post apocalyptic storyline where nature gets the better of man, you'll like it. I am still playing God of War II. I am very impressed with how closely the storyline of GOWII sticks to mythology. It actually has a very good portrayal of the war between the gods and the titans. I keep thinking in the back of my head when I watch the cut scenes, "this is totally what Clash of the Titans should have been like." I got so much new manga in today, I am going to pick something at random off the cart, so keep you eye on those shelves. I ordered about 250 new books. 110 came in today. I'll let you know what I think of my random choice soon.

4-10-07

God of War 2 is pretty sweet. For those of you who like a bit of mythology to your game stories, this has the mother load. It's rated M though, and for a reason. So the library won't be getting it unfortunately. But, if you get a chance, you should rent it if M games are ok in your house. I am working on updating the site a little. Putting up the new zines and art, and adding some more reviews. Keep your eye out for an article featuring gamers from RHPL's Video Game Day in the Detroit Free Press. Some of you may see some familiar faces. The photographer said maybe Wednesday for that, so bee looking. If I find it, I will buy some extra copies for people. I'm reading through The Age of Apocalypse storyline from X-men. So far it's very interesting. This was back in the 90s when the bad guys were still bad guys, and the good guys fought them. So the fact that Magneto was leading the X-men was shocking and exciting. Not so much now, since there have been so many changes in the franchise. I'm going to read Full Moon O Sagashite next, now that the series is all out. I have decided it is too frustrating to start a series that isn't finished yet in the US. Fruits Basket is killing me, as well as Deathnote (thank god it's almost done!) and Monster. I hope the anime comes out soon for Monster. Then maybe I can get Robert hooked. :)

4-05-07

We have been having some issues with our new Web server, so I haven't updated in a while. I will have the new zines up soon though, along with some new art. I'm am awaiting Motor Storm for the PS3, I am on hold for it. It's supposed to push the power of the PS3 the most of any of the new games. I have to say, as of now I haven't seen any compelling reason to pick up a PS3. I bought mine because I am clinically insane when it comes to video game systems. I held out as long as I could. I do have a complaint to lodge though. Our HD monitor only takes DVI. We bought the HDMI to DVI converter, and it works, mostly. When we read up on Sony's site about this problem, they claim we need a firmware update, that it isn't their problem. Well I am most certainly not going to ship my TV to Westinghouse to have a firmware update that may or may not work. I hope Sony gets their act together soon, because from what I can tell, this is going to be an issue with anyone who hasn't purchased an HDTV in the last couple of months. If yours is older than that, you will likely have the same problem, which is, sometimes a pink screen, often times it looks like the signal is lost. Anyway, turning it on and off seems to help. Thus, I bless you all with my tip of the day. :)

3-09-07

I'm playing Rogue Galaxy, and I am enjoying it. I find it hard to believe that this has been out in Japan for 2 years! If you have seen the graphics level on it, you might have the same disbelief. I have the newest copy of Monster now too. I can't wait to read it. We'll have GNBC next week, and The Singles are going to be here soon, so make sure you remember that! I will post more about it when the event gets closer. I'm looking forward to summer reading, I have a lot of great things planned!

2-20-07

As many of you already know, I have completed the zine. Come pick it up if you want one. We have a really big week coming up, so I am going to talk about it like crazy for the next few weeks. Teen Tech Week is a brand new library week just for teens. This year Teen Tech Week is March 4th to March 10th. We of course have a Video Game Day March 3rd. I will be handing out all kinds of flyers for Teen Tech Week. Then we will have a Guitar Hero Tournament on March 5th from 6:30-8:30 in the MultiPurpose room. You have to register to play, but anyone can watch. Then we are going to have a special Evening of Anime in the 2nd floor Conference Room on March 7th. This will go from 6:30-8:30. Finally there will be a Multimedia swap on Saturday March 10th from 2-3 in the MultiPurpose Room. You can bring games, movies or CDs and swap them for something fresh. Make sure you guys come!

1-30-07

I finished FMA. Oh woe is me! The ending, it just wasn't enough! I need more! I also finished Deathnote 9. Light is really gonna get it. I think he just may have met his match. I am now watching Naruto. It seems interesting so far. I will have to see if I can get more into it, but it isn't compelling me as much as FMA. The next Video Game Day is this Saturday. We will be playing Guitar Hero 2, Kirby Air Ride, Super Smash Bros., DDR and Karaoke Revolution. Yes, it will be a fun filled afternoon. So you should come. :)

1-18-07

I am on disc 10 of FMA. Robert and I discussed it, and we think the reason we are liking it better than some other anime series, is that it does seem to have story progression. I will be sad when it ends though. Next we are going to try Naruto. I am reading Death Note 9, and Monster 6. Great series both, so check them out! I have been ordering a bunch of new Wii games in the library, so if you have a Wii, you should definitely check some out. D&D and GNBC are next week, so get ready for some more singing and fighting! :)

1-08-07

It has been a long time since I last blogged, I was out of town for 2 weeks, and had way to much playing reading and watching to do. I am now mostly through FFIII. It's really cute, but I have been frustrated at times with it. Those old FFs would punish you big time for not level building. Anyway, it's still cute. I finished Fruits Basket 15. Yea Kyo! Death Note 9 is in the library, I am patiently waiting for it to be processed. And I am Finally getting close to being finished watching Chrono Crusade. Then I am going to check out FMA. I really got hooked after the first show. Anyway, we have GNBC this week, and we will begin the great Winter-Een-Mas celebration by having some games. I am hoping all my parts for Karaoke Revolution come in time. That should be fun. See you there!

11-28-06

Finally, 106 hours later, I have finished FFXII. I did not do all the optional bosses. I did fight the great wyrm with 5 million hitpoints. It took an hour and a half. And if there wasn't a gambit system, I probably would not have done that. But I had my little dudes set up pretty well, so I was able to leave the room to do laundry and stuff while they fought. Anyway, now I am on to my next conquest, which includes FFIII and finishing Okami, and then getting started on Zelda Twilight Princess. We have a bunch of new DS games at the library, and I have ordered a bunch of Gameboy Advance games at the library, so keep looking. Manga Claus is back on the shelf, for anyone who's interested. I'm going to start working on the Dec/Jan zine. It's going to be Dec/Jan because with the holidays, I don't think I can do the January one in time. But I will include some extra stuff. D&D starts soon. And this Saturday is the cartoonist from 3-5. So make sure you come to that!

11-15-06

Woo! Still playing FFXII, logged about 45 hours on it already. I have purchased every license you can get in the top grid. I kick so much pixel booty, you don't even want to know. Just an FYI, at the next Game Day, December 9th from 3-6 BTW, we will have Guitar Hero 2. I am also going to try to buy a Wii. We'll see if we can get it, or if they will be sold out. I'm counting on being able to get one, but you never know. We got lots of new manga in recently, so come in and check it out. Remember, next week is a special Tuesday GNBC, since the library closes early Wednesday.

11-07-06

Hey, if you are 18, and registered to vote, get out there an d vote! I am now obsessed with FFXII. I have no life outside of that game. Last night my dreams were filled with the perfect Gambit setups. I am going to be so messed up when FFIII comes out for the DS. This week is GNBC, don't forget. I have a huge announcement to make regarding video games at RHPL. Can you guess what it is? Ooooh! I can't wait to tell you, you are going to be so excited! See you there!

10-23-06

AHHHH! I have way too many games to play! I am on overload! I just picked up AOE: The War Chiefs expansion pack. I love it. I can't get enough of AOE, my brother lives in St. Louis, and Robert and I play on this end, while he and my sister-in-law play on their end, and we kick some CPU butt, I tell you what. And now this new expansion pack has really freshened up the game for me. Plus, my brother picked up Company of Heroes for me, another RTS game, only this one takes place during WWII. It's rated M, but if your parents let you watch "Saving Private Ryan", then they should be ok with this, because it's rated M for the same reasons Private Ryan was rated R. Very gritty, my only problem with it is that I can separate myself from my warriors dying in AOE, because it's so abstract for me, but I feel really bad when my little dudes die in COH because they are almost too real for me. I am also playing Bully and Okami, and FFVII comes out next week, then FFIII for the DS. I'm dying here, there simply isn't enough time in the day. I really wish the video game companies would realize that they no longer have to save up their titles for just before Christmas. This ain't just kid stuff any more. Anyway, back to library stuff, Teen Read Week was a great success. You all said you liked Capture the Flag in the library so much, I am going to try to do it again. And I think I know a few tricks to make it better. I think we can do it on the 2nd floor next time, and use just the West end of the building. Another option would be to have it in the nearby park in the summer sometime. We could all walk over there. Then you would have more room. I know you also want to do another scavenger hunt, so that is also on my list of things to do. I will bring this up at GNBC this Wednesday. Hope to see you guys there!!

10-11-06

If you haven't played Okami yet, stop what you are doing. Check it out, rent it, buy it, whatever you have to do, you should play this game. It is fantastic. Also, I just finished reading Pride of Baghdad, a graphic novel where the story takes place in Baghdad and involves a family of lions that escapes from the zoo during the initial bombings of Baghdad. It is rated for mature readers, and can be violent in places, but it is an excellent & beautiful book. We have a GNBC meeting tonight, so I hope to see you guys there. We will be finishing up the poster, and talking about Teen Read Week!

10-03-06

Come in and check out the cool bulletin board Jeff did for the Teen area! I finally finished Xenosaga III. It gets....really funky at the end. Anyways, if you liked the other ones, you'll probably like it, but I was definitely like, ?!?! I am now playing Valkyrie Profile 2. It's pretty cool, but it's weird for me, because when you are walking around, it's almost like a side scroller. The areas are 3-D, but you can't walk back into them. The Graphics are pretty good though, and the story is very interesting. I will do a full review of it soon, then I am going to play Okami. So many games, so little time.

9-23-06

Jeff is preparing a cool bulletin board for October. Next week is GNBC, and we will be finishing our hand decorated sign for the club and for the new teen area. BTW, if you haven't seen the teen area recently, come in and check it out, it has been painted, and it looks really nice. I have been getting into Xenosaga III more, but Robert keeps wanting to play Disgaea 2, so we have to fight over the Playstation. I am reading a graphic novel written by Orson Scott Card about Iron Man. I will bring it to GNBC and let you know what I thought of it. I also just got OOTS in, and I am reading that as well. If you like Miyazaki, you might want to watch Whisper of the Heart. It's a sweet story, no fantasy really, but it is pretty good. See you at the meeting!

9-13-06

Today is the one year anniversary of GNBC, so I have some special treats for tonight's meeting. And we are going to decorate the sign for the bulletin board, so think creatively! I am a little annoyed at Xenosaga III. It's been hard to get into the story, because they are kind of ignoring a bunch of stuff from number 2, but I had read about that already. Maybe after this weekend I will get that hook that happens when you play RPGs, you know, the part where you can't stop playing no matter what? Anyway, I hope to see a bunch of you tonight! I have the Winter D&D schedule ready!

9-07-06

We have a Video Game Day coming up this Saturday, from 3-6pm in the MultiPurpose Room downstairs. I have been playing a few things lately. I tried Lara Croft Tomb Raider Legend, and was having fun until this real janky boss, some kind of water snake, kept killing me. So I gave up. I know, I'm a quitter, but I also have Disgaea 2 and Xenosaga III to play, I just don't have time for janky bosses. And man, I need to talk to someone about Deathnote 7. I can't talk to Robert, he hasn't read it yet. And it has to be someone whose read it, because it's serious spoiler time. Grrrr, I seriously need to rant about it though. So if you see me in the library, and you have read it, please for the love of all things holy, let me rant! Also Fullmetal Alchemist the movie just got shipped to our library. I will have it processed ASAP!

8-31-06

Xenosaga III is out today! I know what I am doing tonight when I get home from work! The next volume of Monster is also here at the library, so it may be a toss up for me, I get home late tonight. At least it's a long weekend this weekend. If you haven't read Monster by Naoki Urasawa you really should. It starts up slow, but it is definitely a gripping thriller. Also, I have the Zine done. The art for July is now in the Fan art section. The new Zine has some really great art!

8-24-06

We had a great finale last week, lots of winners and a lot of pizza. I hope all of you had a good time reading good books this summer. It's getting close to the time of year when I go broke buying video games. So many things coming out, so little money. Right now I am really jazzed about the DS remake of FFIII. Fruits Basket Volume 14 just came out, and I want to read that as well as Monster volume 4. I am currently working on the September zine, so keep an eye out for it.

8-16-06

Teen Finale is Tonight!!! Come any time from 6-9 pm and have some pizza, play some games and win prizes! You know you wanna come! Oh yeah, and Xenosaga III comes out real soon. I can't wait!

8-10-06

The teen finale is coming up soon! We have a lot of cool prizes to give away at it! The finale is next Wednesday, from 6-9pm in the Multipurpose room. Make sure you come, many of the prizes are door prizes that will be awarded to those who attend. We have had a great turn out for reviews, so check out the bulletin board as well! This Saturday is Anime Afternoon, we'll be watching 3 hours of anime, so it's just the thing to calm down those school day anxieties that will be coming up.

7-26-06

We have a GNBC meeting tonight. And we will be telling fortunes tomorrow night. And don't forget, this Saturday is a game day! We will be playing Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., Star fox Assault, DDR and Guitar Hero. I have been buying video games like crazy, trying to keep up with the demands. It's hard work, but somebody has to do it! :)

7-13-06

Ok, I got the new zine up on the site, and it's printed out and in stock. so come and get it. We got a ton of new stuff recently, some examples: Kare Kano, the anime, Teen Titans, the video game, and a whole bunch of manga, so make sure you come in and check out the new stuff, and the new space we have for it! The next D&D meeting is on the coming Monday, and I have a super cool map made up! See you guys there!

7-7-06

Ok, new fan art is up, and I am currently working on the next zine. We had a great time at the last game tournament, and we have scheduled more games for the teen finale. We are looking forward to more great events coming up! Next week is GNBC, so see you there!

6-21-06

At some point today or tomorrow, I will update the art section to reflect the newest art we have for the June Zine. This Saturday 6-24-06, from 3-6 is a video game tournament. I say tournament as if there will be a competition. There will be no prizes other than the proud fact that you can out dance/out air guitar/ or out smash your opponents. Oh, and it will be lots of fun.

6-10-06

OK, I have updated the Fan Art section with the April/May Fan Art, and in a couple of weeks I will add the June Fan Art. And I have added the April/May Zine, it's quite large file size wise, since it is a double issue, and the June Zine is done also. I will add to the reviews soon, and don't forget, next Wednesday is a GNBC day, this first one of summer. I hope everyone will be nice and relaxed and we can all talk about a ton of stuff, including all the summer stuff, and we'll register you all for the Summer Reading Program!

6-6-06

Anime Afternoon is this Saturday, don't forget, there will be more Ghost Stories! Also, for those who asked, I did get volume 5 in, so it should be processed soon. Also, the game instructions will be placed back in the cases when we get our cool new DVD cases on the shelves. The new cases have a nice place for them, where the old ones didn't. See you Saturday!

6-1-06

Summer Reading starts today! You can sign up here, and once you have registered you will want to either print off a reading record, or pick one up at the library. Filling out a reading record gets you into the contest for the Nintendo DS Lite, so make sure you sign up this year. We are working on getting more people than ever signed up. Teens will be a force to be reckoned with this year!!! I will have the new zine out by Monday, with all the details. Meeting next week, I'll bring a laptop so any one who hasn't registered yet can.

5-24-06

We have a meeting tonight, and we will be talking about the summer reading events and how you can register. I will be talking about the manga series Monster, it's very good, and the graphic novel The Thief of Always, also good. We'll watch a little anime, and I will let you know all the new stuff I just ordered, there is a lot of it. I just finished playing Atelier Iris 2, it's pretty good. I am in the middle of playing Shadow Hearts: From the New World, and am playing the New Super Mario Bros. as well. Some of the D&Ders got to play a little bit of this at our painting session. I hope sometime today to update the website with the last zine's fan art and reviews. But I also must whip up a summer reading webpage, so I am hoping to bend time-space to my favor.

5-9-06

I still have yet to update the site, but we are very busy here with the new catalog stuff, so I hope to have it changed soon. This wee we have a GNBC meeting, so don't forget. We'll be watching ep 1 of Full Moon.

4-25-06
Ok, so the zine is done, it's a double issue this month, and it's for April and May. There is a whole bunch of fan art in there, and lots of news. I haven't got all the stuff up online yet, but I will get the art and reviews up online soon. We will have a GNBC meeting tomorrow night, and we will watch some anime, and discuss some of the upcoming summer events. See you tomorrow night!

4-11-06
With all the new catalog stuff that's going on here, I haven't had a lot of free time, but, I swear I am going to have that Zine done for April! Tomorrow is a meeting, and we will watch an episode of Ghost Stories, it's very funny, you will like it. I will also talk up some graphic novels I have been reading, and we will have lots of good stuff to snack on as usual. See you there!

3-24-06
I bought a whole bunch of new games for the library this week, so I am going to put out updated lists near the game section for you all. I forgot to tell you at the meeting, I have updated the Fan Art page on the website, so the art that wasn't included in the zine as well as the zine art is there. I wanted to let you know that as soon as we get the new catalog up and running I am going to start doing the new items lists for Anime, Graphic Novels, and Video Games again. I will also include a running list of what we currently own. I am really enjoying Shadow Hearts 3, but I am now feeling the pressure of Kingdom Hearts coming out soon. I am going to have to finish SH3 before the weekend is up. :p3-22-06
I finished Grandia III, and now I have donated my copy to the library, so it should be circulating soon. It's Newtype's game of the month, so be sure to check it out! Tonight is a GNBC Night, don't forget. We will watch an episode of FLCL, and maybe a Wedding Peach. Bring manga and such to discuss, and be there early to have your art scanned in for the April zine. See you there!

3-15-06
I am almost done with Grandia III, and I picked up that Shadowhearts to play next. I missed the wheel of fate, it will be fun to play again. I am reading Fruits Basket, I like it as much as the anime. I am also now on season 3 of Inuyasha, and just finished watching the 3rd disk of Gilgamesh. That story is just getting weirder while Inuyasha pretty much stays the same. Does anyone else feel that Shippo's tiny little fox feet are soooo cute? I have been playing FFIV on my DS for sometime now, whenever I am sitting around and don't have a book I pick it up. Really low level graphics, but still pretty fun, so you should play it if you get a chance. This Saturday we will start really exploring the D&D world, so be prepared! Next week is a meeting, don't forget!

3-07-06
Still playing Grandia III, but beginning to tire a bit. I am so ready for Shadowhearts, and my newest Official Playstation Magazine puts the release date of Kingdom Hearts in the first week of April. Yea! We have a meeting tomorrow, don't forget. I have a lot of new video games to tell you about, and we have some cool new prizes, as some of the D&Ders have seen already. See you guys there!

2-23-06
Okay, so I have been playing Grandia III for the last couple of nights, and it is pretty darned fun. I am now working on picking up a copy of Shadow Hearts From the New World when it comes out. It's gotten pretty good reviews so I thought I would check it out. I'm watching this funny anime called Ghost Stories. I will tell you more about it when I finish volume 1. I am reading Fruits Basket, because I watched the anime and thought it was good, and now I need to find out more!! I have added the rest of the meeting schedule up and members are still working on the script on the forums! Keep at it!

2-22-06
GNBC meeting tonight, I have lots to talk about -- I will be reviewing ElfQuest and Star Wars Dark Empires!

2-18-06

Don't forget there is a GNBC meeting this week! Also, I have been reorganizing parts of the site, particularly the reviews section. I wanted to make it easier for you to find reviews. They have also been updated with the reviews from the last few Zines. The Fan Art I received for the Feb. Zine, is online, so go take a look, we have some nice stuff in there. Also, if you have any comic strips you want to include in the next Zine, remember to bring them to the next meeting.

2-15-06
We have so much anime now, I had to shift the whole collection! The next time you come into the library, you will notice the video games are now on the bottom shelf, and the anime section is bigger. Unfortunately the space we need for this new collection is going to take some time to get, but don't despair, I'm on the case. Remember at next week's meeting we will be watching episode 2 of Kaleido Star. I have begun ordering the prizes for the summer reading. I have lots of cool stuff, and may even have some of it to show you at the next meeting.

2-10-06
Ahh, the weekend is almost upon us. I will likely head out an pick up some more video games this weekend. I'm really bummed, they keep pushing back Grandia 3. They are now saying Feb 14 is the release date. Grandia is a fun RPG. It's turn based, but your characters don't move that way. Let's say you have 3 people on the screen. You get kind of a round circle of fight area to play in. Then you tell the first one to attack. As soon as you tell him he starts running after the person he's going to attack. While he's attacking if you can decide what the second person is going to do quick enough, they run in and start to attack, and if you are really fast, you can get the third one in on the action. I know, I have described it badly, but even though it's turn based, it has a really active feel to it, the action gets kind of crazy. You characters don't stay in a little line, when they have attacked, they stay where they are, they don't move back into formation. Anyway, it's a pretty cool game, I'll see if I can find Grandia somewhere and pop it into the collection. Keep working on that script!

2-06-06
Don't forget there is a meeting this week, and I did get the Zine printed, so you can pick up a print copy in the library. This week at the meeting we will be watching an episode of Kaleido Star and talking about the script and how it's going along on the Forums. The meeting starts at 7pm and goes until 8:30, I'll see you there!

2-01-06
I know I told everyone I would have the Feb Zine done by today. It is done, but we are having issues with the color printer. I am hoping it will be fixed by tomorrow, but if it isn't, and you get a Zine tomorrow with a big streak through the color pages, then you can print it off of here. I am posting it here before it hits the stands so to speak, so you all can look at it, or print it off on your own if you wish. I have lots of good Fan Art in there, which I will update on the site tomorrow as well. We have a club meeting next week, and there are a couple of announcements in the zine about it. And we will also begin registration next week officially for the D&D days, so be sure to pick up your packet if you have registered.

1-26-06
We had a really great turnout at this week's club meeting. What did we do? Well for starters we decided to have meeting twice a month permanently. This means we will meet the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. I have updated the club page and I have put the next dates in the forums. Also, I have been including the next club meeting date in my signature on the forums. We also decided to keep the hour and a half format of the meetings, but move it back. So the meetings will now start at 7pm and go until 8:30. Don't worry if you can't stay the whole time, you can leave early. We also talked about the D&D days coming up as well as started our script, which is a work in progress on the forums. And of course we talked about Graphic Novels. We had some rave reviews for X-men in general, as well as some recommendations for Snow Drop and Kare Kano.

1-24-06
I finally....finally got the fan art from the Zine up. Check it out, there is also stuff that wasn't in the zine there. I am sorry it took so long, but the February stuff will be up quicker, so there will be a bunch of stuff from Ross on this site, and he is definitely getting better with his drawing!

1-23-06
We have a GNBC meeting coming up, this Wednesday, don't forget! We will be introducing the carbonated drink known as Dr. Pepper, due to popular demand, as well as some other equally impressive selections. So in this case, if you think Dr. Pepper is impressive, then I am sure you will be pleased, however, if you are like most, Dr. Pepper is most unimpressive, it's just a tasty beverage. But it will be there as promised. The library now has more than 130 video games, mostly PS2, but a respectable number of Xbox and Gamecube as well. When the 360 is actually available to the general population, we will include those as well. See you soon!

1-16-06
We had a great meeting last week, we had 17 show up during exams week, I hope everyone did well. We are having an extra meeting this month, due to popular demand. We need to have a good turnout though to justify 2 meetings a month, so if you want to meet twice a month, make sure you show up. The next meeting is Jan 25, it begins at 6:30. We will be sharing some comic strips to include in the zine, discussing a name for our club, and we will be writing a script for a film the club will be making. So make sure you come if you want a say in all this stuff!

1-04-06
Don't forget, this Saturday there will be some gaming going on at the Saturday Teen time in the 1st floor story time room. We will have Donky Konga, and four sets of bongo's, so get ready to make some music! I am working on getting the Zine together now, so post any reviews you want included in the forums. For those of you wishing for an Anime Festival, we are going to have a Mini Festival in May, Saturday in fact. 5-6-06 from 3pm to 6pm we will be watching some Anime for the May Teen Time, so make sure to mark your calendars. I will work on scheduling more dates for this. Again, I have posted the dates for the spring D&D days, so check it out on the forums.

12-28-05
I am working on getting permission to show some anime at our club meetings and at special anime events, so keep your eyes on the forums for more announcements of specific dates and times. And, I have posted the times and dates of the Spring D&D days, so check it out. I have also called for any reviews for Games, Anime or Graphic Novels for the Jan. zine, so if you have some opinions about something you've played, read or watched over Christmas break, be sure to post it if you want it included in the Jan. zine. Also, I need some quotes from you about what you think about the library having Anime and Video games, the place to talk about that is also in the forums. You may be quoted in the local newspapers, so speak you mind to let people know what you think about these new collections. We want people to know how important the teen voice is, and that these collections are as important as collections catering to adults, so let your voice be heard!

12-14-05
GNBC Meeting tonight! Don't forget, I will be announcing the titles of all the new Anime purchased and taking requests for more. I will also have a list of the games we have, and will be announcing plans for the spring programming!

12-13-05

The GNBC meeting is tomorrow night, don't forget! If you want you stuff scanned for the next zine, or to put online, you can come early, I open the door at 6:30, and I will scan it then, that way you don't have to hang around afterward. I have some big announcements about the Dungeons and Dragons games planned for the spring, as well as some other announcements. Be sure to check out the video games and anime when you come in. There is a bit of a backlog with the processing of those things. Turns out you can order too much stuff all at once. Ooops! But more should appear in the next couple of weeks, until then you can place holds on what you want to see, just keep you eyes on the new items lists on the library catalog pages. See you tomorrow!

12-2-05
Whew! I did it! I finally got another Zine done. So for everyone who has been asking and asking....and asking, I know it has been a long time coming, but I hope the wait wasn't too bad. There are a couple of big announcements in the Zine, including Anime in the Library! and Video Games in the Library, as well as information about D&D. Mostly it's just teaser stuff, but I am definitely getting a schedule together for these things. A couple of people have asked me what a zine is. Zine is short for magazine, so it's pronounced "zeen." It is appropriate that zine is short for magazine, because a zine is generally a handmade magazine, so it is often much smaller than your magazines published by Time-Warner and such. This definition is from Wikipedia, I love Wikipedia: A zine—an abbreviation of the word magazine—is most commonly a small circulation, non-commercial publication of original or appropriated texts and images. There's more here if you want to read it. There are some zines that eventually started being distributed widely, but when I was in school, you could subscribe to a zine from someone in Washington, and they would mail you a little black and white photocopied thing, with stories, musings and drawings. Some of these can be collectible. I just thought it would be neat to do one for the library. Anyhoo, I have to get the new fanart up, and the new reviews. Don't forget to check the forums; I have been putting a bunch of announcements in there, too.

11-18-05
Wahooo! My life is finally returning to mostly normal! We have recently hired a new tech person at the library, which means I have more time for my real job. Yay! I have a meeting to discuss programming for teens coming up after t-giving, so be ready for some great news. For those of you who were at the last GNBC meeting, you know we discussed the new Anime collection at the library. Well, I finished spending my money, and I got a bunch of cool stuff. The best part is my budget starts all over again next year. Yea! Okay, this weekend I am really going out to buy more games, really! I have all your suggestions, and I am ready to roll. I am going to visit my parents on T-giving, the live in Illinois. I am bringing all four sets of my Donkey Bongos, and I am going to have everyone play Donkey Konga when I get there. This is a game even my dad will play, since it's just hitting the drums. I am going to see if I can get a camera so you guys can witness the madness. Such fun! Do I sound a little manic? Of course I do, because I get to make big plans now for the club. Keep an eye on those bulletin boards, because I have every intention of posting a list of all the anime I just ordered. Oh yeah, and here's another shot of our d&d game.

10-31-05
Happy Halloween!! So we had a great turnout at Saturday's D&D game. 8 of you showed up and played the heck out of a D&D basic game. I haven't been able to get the Zine copied yet, but it's just about finished. The next meeting of the GNBC is on Nov. 9th. We will discuss among other things, the new Video Game collection as well as make plans for some more official outside GNBC sponsored events, like D&D games and Video Game tournaments. Bring your ideas!

10-24-05
Hey guys, are you excited yet? The big D&D game is this Saturday, remember to sign up in the forums! I have to go to the Michigan Library Association meeting this week, so I won't be in starting tomorrow afternoon until Friday afternoon, but the hotel I am staying in has internet hookups, so I will be checking my email, and watching those forums. I know I haven't been able to get the Zine done because of emergencies that have happened in the library, but I have gotten fanart, and I went ahead and put it up on the site, for those eager to see some more great art. And there is some great art here, so take a look. I should have the Oct/Nov Zine out Oct 31, on Halloween, and you will see some new reviews there, as well as news of the club goings on.

10-18-05
We had a great turn out at last week's GNBC meeting! We had a lot of great manga to talk about. I discussed FLCL and talked about how crazy the story is, but how funny it is too. I made two big announcements. The first one, if you have been reading this blog, you already know about. We will have a lot more giveaways in the future because I have been donated a bunch of collectors cards and such. Check the past blog for this story in full. The next big announcement is that I was told I could start a circulating Video Game collection for the library! Yay! I will be purchasing Gamecube, Playstation I & II and Xbox games for the library. They will circulate for 1 week at a time, and we already have a starting collection of ten titles. I took requests from the GNBC members and they were all excited about the announcement. Other news from the club front, we will be having a special all day club event on Sat. Oct, 29. Club members really wanted to do a D&D game. They also wanted to do some kind of COSPLAY event for Halloween. So I have scheduled a COSPLAY D&D game on the 29th in the conference room, this is where we meet normally. I got the okay from the big boss, and we are set to go. I am still working out some of the details, like lunch. ;) I will go to the forums now to start up a sign up for this event, you will need to sign up to be there, particularly if I have to order lunch. Also the group cannot be too large. There will be more details in the forums. On that note, if you are having trouble signing up for the forums, let me know. You can either send me your sign up info and I will register for you, or you can come to the library and I will help you sign up. To answer one member's question, you should be able to sign up from home, but your PC needs to accept cookies to sign up. Now it's time for me to get my post on, I'm off to the forums!

10-11-05
I feel so horrible that I haven't been able to dedicate more time to this. Our tech guy is still out. But from what I hear he'll be back next week, which means I can be more on the ball for you guys! Since I am his back-up, I have been soo busy! But I am going to make it up to all the club members! I have just been given a great gift! A store went out of business near where my parents work and they auctioned off their stuff. They were a comic book and collectible store, so my dad got a lot of cool stuff! There were a lot of baseball cards and sports stuff that is going to sell, but he also got a lot of gaming (Yu Yu Hakusho, Magic, Yu Gi Oh and others) cards too! And guess what he's going to do with that stuff! He's going to donate it as prizes for the club! Very Cool! I should be getting a little sample of this stuff late this week, and he will ship me more before the November meeting. That means we can have more drawings for more prizes! So cool! I also wanted to let you know what we would be doing at the meeting this week. I didn't get a mailer out in time, because of all the stuff I have been having to do, but we will be talking about some of the stuff that has been discussed on the Forums. I will be reviewing FLCL the book, and showing a little of the Anime. And we will also share your reviews, and try to schedule times for additional events. See you tomorrow!

10-03-05
Hey guys! Okay, so the new Zine will be a little delayed this month. Here at the Rochester Hills Public Library, we have had some tech people out and I have had to fill their shoes. I plan to have the new Zine out by the next club meeting. At the next club meeting I thought it would be neat if we looked at a little FLCL to see what it was like, so if we wanted to watch it sometime for some club event we could. I also have a plan to start our own comic strip. We would publish it in the Zine. The forums are getting more action; make sure you sign up before the next meeting! Oh yeah, and before I sign off, I watched Serenity this weekend, and it was totally cool. If you haven't seen it you should. It's smart and funny and a great Sci Fi trip. Go watch it!

9-27-05
I just wanted to let you all know that I will not be here Thursday night. I have the conference room booked, so if you guys want to meet on your own you can. There will be librarians here who can help you sign up for the forums. I have to take those orphaned kitties into the vet, and Thursday night was the only night they had rooms for 6 little kitties, soooo, I won't be in. If you read this and know others in the club who were planning on coming you would probably want to let them know. But like I said, feel free to come in and use the room, and chat it up with fellow club members. I have booked the room from 6:30-8:30, so you guys could check it out for then, you can get the key at the adult reference desk.

9/21/2005
I am so tired. I know, you guys aren't interested in my whining, but I have been taking care of orphaned kittens, and it is wearing me out! I am working on putting together the new Zine. Starting October, the Zine's going to be bi-monthly to allow for greater participation from club members. I am working on doing a new order for Young Adult Graphic novels, but if you come in, you will notice there are some new things here. I have a few members posting the the forums, and that's great! Let's get the rest of you on there! Remember, everyone who signs up will get a cool prize at the next official club meeting, so sign up soon! We will be having an informal meeting Thursday, the 29th of September, for those who wish to sign up to the forums with my help. I have put up some of the suggestions people had for Graphic Novel Book Club events, let me know what you think of them so we can try to schedule the appropriate spaces.

9/15/2005
Well, we had our first club meeting and it was totally cool! We had 18 show up, and we all shared our thoughts on graphic novels, anime, and even a little video game talk. There was some talk about some of the other things we could plan to do. The members had lots of ideas, and every thing from a Cosplay Halloween event to a D&D tournament. I am really glad everyone has some great ideas! Several series came up over and over again. Inu Yasha was a series most everyone agreed was an excellent series. They were all glad to hear that I recently ordered multiple copies of this series up to volume 20. Another series that a lot of people liked was Fruits Basket. They agreed that it was a funny series, and a fun read. I will have a more complete listing of some of the titles we looked at soon, as well as an updated list of new items for you all to look at. Members who have signed up for the forums can look forward to a cool reward at the next official meeting of the club, on October 12, and members who want to come in for an informal meeting to get help signing up for the forums can come in Thursday, September 29th at 6:30 to the conference room. To those who can't make it, don't worry; we won't have any drawings for prizes on that day. Many of you wanted to meet more often. One way for you to meet more often is to use the forums to leave messages for each other. I will work on finding ways for us to meet more often.

9/09/2005
Okay, I have been ramping up for the club meeting next week. We are going to have a full house. I have sent mailers out to the members today, so you will start to see them Monday most likely. If you don't get one, don't worry, you are still a part of the club. Some of the addresses were unclear, but I tried my best. The mailers basically say what we are going to do at the very first meeting. We will be going over the Zine, discussing what parts you like, what parts you don't like, and what you would like more of. We will be discussing the website, and I will help you all sign up for the forums so you can discuss things amongst yourselves in between meetings. We will also talk about what kind of events the club might like to sponsor. I have a lot of ideas, including having someone come and talk about starting your own graphic novel, and another possibility is having a voice actor come and talk about how you could become an Animé voice actor. I don't know if all of this is possible, but if you guys want to do it, I will be willing to try and make it happen! Another thought I have been toying with is the idea of sponsoring game nights at the library. Many other libraries are doing this, and it sounds like they have a lot of fun. I will be reviewing a Carl Barks Uncle Scrooge. I know, it sounds like kids stuff. But it isn't. Really. I will try to convince you of that anyway. :) We will have refreshments, and you guys can talk about what Graphic Novels you have read recently, and let us all know if you loved it or hated it. Now I need to go order some more Graphic Novels!

9/02/2005
Hey all! My web server is on the mend! So I have added a new review to celebrate, just for those of you who read the website. It's for Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Miyazaki. I just got my newest EGM in the mail, you can check out what I have to say about gaming magazines in the forums here. The newest EGM has a great big picture of characters from Final Fantasy VII for the new movie Advent Children. I think I will replay FFVII and review it. If you haven't played it you should. It is a PS1 game, so it should be pretty cheap to pick up, and will still play in your PS2. If you play it, it will get you familiarized with the characters from the upcoming movie. Have a great weekend guys, and be sure to read something great!

8/31/2005
I have the new Zine all done, and there's some good stuff in there. I also put my thoughts on Game Review Magazines in the forums. You should take a look. You will be able to see the new art and reviews on this site, and feel free to post your comments in the Forums. The club is starting up soon, members can bring a graphic novel to talk about. Our subscription to Shonen Jump finally kicked in, and the October issue is now in the YA Magazine section of the library, so come in and check it out.

8/25/2005
Hey All. Sorry I haven't been in here in a while, but I have been having some trouble with my server. I will be sure to write something soon. I am working hard on the new Zine, it's going to be great so be sure to check it out on September 1st. As soon as I get these bugs figured out I will be back on here! ;)

8/19/2005
I've got some great fan art for the upcoming Zine, so be sure to check it out when September 1st comes. I am currently reading Aria by Amano Kozue, or is it Kozue Amano. I know it's last name first, but being unfamiliar with this author I am not sure which is which. Anyway, I am enjoying it. I will be reviewing it for the next Zine. I will also be reviewing Angel Sanctuary the movie. I am warning you now; I wasn't very fond of it. So it will have a poor review. But you will get to read why when the Zine comes out. I am still working on getting the library to purchase The Cat Returns. The Cat Returns is, well, I am not going to be able to get around this... but it's cute. Och, I know, cute is like the kiss of death if you aren't into that. But if you like cats, you should totally see this film. I think Steamboy should be coming out on DVD soon. It's by the director of Akira. I'll watch that when it comes out. Oh yeah, in my latest Official Playstation Mag, they showed screenshots of the new Kingdom Hearts. You get to play Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean! How cool is that?

8/17/2005
Okay, I finally got the camera, and then discovered my newest dilemma. Because of the location of the bulletin board, it is almost impossible to take a good picture of the whole thing. But here is my best try, and I plan to try again this afternoon. The Graphic Novel Book Club announcement is now in the RHPL Reader, that's the library newsletter that goes out to library card holders. Drumming up some more interest there. I am now working on the September Zine, so if you have any art or reviews you want added to it, send them in. If you have joined the club, you will soon get something in the mail letting you know about the first meeting. If you would like to review something you have read recently that would be great. We will have light refreshments at the meeting, basically some snacks and drinks. I'll let you know more as the date gets closer!

8/15/2005
I have to get more on the ball with this, but unfortunately reading graphic novels and rating them is not my full-time job. I have had other woes last week. But this weekend I blew off the pressure by playing a bunch of Digital Devil Saga, and I really like it. It's very dark, but the story is an interesting one. Much different from other RPG's I have played. The game play is very good I think, but I have died a few times now, and that is really different from other RPG's I have played. Usually if you are careful and level build properly, you can pretty much play a Final Fantasy all the way through without death until the final boss. On Digital Devil Saga, I have bought it a few times simply by walking around, and I have done some serious level building. But even though this is a challenging game, I am enjoying it. I realize my mistakes, and fix them. It's very strategic. On other news, I promise I will get a picture of the new bulletin board up tomorrow. And I just read that Tokyopop is going to have a manga of Neil Gaiman's new movie with the Henson company Mirrormask. Very cool! I have put the interview with Gaiman up on the forums. Take a look.

8/09/2005
Okay, I have been working on the bulletin board display most of the day today, tomorrow I will have a picture of it for you. The fan art from the site is up there, and so are some of the reviews. Once the club gets going we can swap out the stuff that is on the display for new stuff. I have been loving Digital Devil Saga by the way. I will talk more about it tomorrow. I love the style and it has a great soundtrack. Oh yeah, and check out the forums! :) Just another shameless plug!

8/06/2005
A couple of people have already signed up for the forums, and that's great! I can't wait to get some discussion going on the boards. I just picked up two games yesterday, Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga and Makai Kingdom. Both look like they will be fun to play, both are RPG's though Makai Kingdom is more of a tactical RPG. I know, I know. Do I only play RPG's? Well, I do play other things, RPG's are just my favorite. I love the stories and often RPG's just go deeper into a story than other games. Though I am going to pick up the Splinter Cells when they go down in price I think. But I also love platformers. I really liked the first Jak and Daxter, and I love the Ratchet and Clank series. I like a good fun racer game as well. Mario Kart is a blast. I like to drive the really neat cars in Gran Turismo the best. I like some sports games, but only when there are 2 or more players. I really prefer it when there are four. Of the sports games, I like them in this order, Basketball, Soccer, Hockey and Football. I don't really care for the baseball games, but golf games can be fun, and they are easy to play with four players. Anyway, that's my gaming profile in a nutshell, though I will try most anything for about an hour, but if I am not hooked by then, I move on to the next game.

8/04/2005
Woo Hooo! I am totally excited, I got my forums up and running! Yea! Okay so I hope you guys use them, remember to be respectful of everyone, please. I also finished up my review of KOTOR I so check it out if you like! Let me know if you guys want anything added to the forums. My next big thing is to add some background music to the site. I bought this program called Acid, which allows you to make music of your own, I have been having a loads of fun with it! Maybe I will have something up here soon. Enjoy those forums! One more Wooo Hooo for good measure! :)

8/02/2005
Hey guys! I hope you are enjoying your copies of the August Zine! I just finished up re-playing Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic this weekend. It still holds up even with the lower res graphics. The story line is really good. I am going to put a full review of it soon. Now that it has gone platinum its price ($19.99) makes this game a must buy if you haven't already. Also, I found a program for a bulletin board system that I think I like, I am testing it now, so I hope it will be up soon on the forums page! So keep your eyes open for it. I also added the newest Young Adult Graphic Novels to this list. Guess what? We have more than 1,000 Young Adult Graphic Novels! Totally cool!

7/29/2005
Alright, the new Zine copies have been made, and they are being stapled as I write this. This evening, after the Library closes, they will be put up in the racks. But, for the lucky ones who visit this website, you can see all the great reviews we have and the new fan art now! You can also see the new Zine in PDF form. Enjoy!

Oh yeah, don't forget about that Anime I added to the List! So check them out!

7/28/2005
I know, I know, it's been a long time. I have been busy with the August Zine, you can see a sneak peek of a review we received from a reader for ElfQuest here. This Zine will be bigger than the last one, we have doubled the reviews, and we have 2 really great pieces of Fan Art this month, so make sure you get your copy. We're gearing up for the club that starts in September, we should have a pretty nice display advertising it on the big Bulletin Board in the YA section by mid August, so keep your eyes peeled for it, it will include printouts of our Fan Art received so far, so if you want your art included in the display, drop it off soon.

Also, I just added 4 new movies to the Anime List! So check them out!

7/19/2005
Well I finished reading the new Harry Potter yesterday, and simply can't wait for the next one. I am surfing the discussion boards and seeing what everyone else is saying about the book. I really enjoyed the book, I listened to most of it on Audio, and Jim Dale really is an excellent reader! He also does the Peter and the Starcatchers book, and that one is also excellent. I know, I know...this really isn't graphic novel, or anime stuff, but they will likely make a video game out of it, so it fits! I think it would be cool if they made a graphic novel out of the series. In other news more related to this website, I just got Donky Konga from my older brother for my birthday, so I am looking forward to starting to play that as well. We have had a lot of interest in the club, so make sure you sign up if you are interested. If we have a large number of signups, we may add an additional night for meetings. Right now the meetings are scheduled for the second Wednesday of each month.

7/13/2005
I just added a new Anime link to the website today, it links to the Anime that RHPL carries. I also had a question about the Graphic Novel Book Club. The question was whether or not it was free, and it totally is. Not only that but we will have goodies when we meet, and you will get the lists of new items first, so you have first crack at all the new stuff at RHPL. I am pretty close to finishing Atelier Iris. I have really enjoyed playing it so far. I will have a full review of it for the August Zine and for the website. I should probably put up a little review of Paper Mario as well. The next game I am going to play is the Oddworld: Strangers Wrath game for Xbox. I have played all the others, and am interested in this new format. I hope it is as good as all the rest were. I am reading the manga Petshop of Horrors right now, and I have to say, I have been enjoying it. I am making progress on getting the Forums up and running, so keep checking! It won't be long!

7/11/2005
I am still playing Atelier Iris, and now have logged about 42 hours on it. Mostly level building. And there was a frantic search for gold legien last night. If you play it, you'll understand. When I went to go buy the game, they told me the new Final Fantasy Advent Children DVD would be coming out soon. I am quite excited about that. My very first RPG ever was Final Fantasy VII, so I have a real attachment to all those characters. I have read about games based on the characters from FF7 in the works, but I am not holding my breath, I just hope the rumors are true. I have been reading really bad reviews of the new Fantastic Four movie. Since I have never read Fantastic Four, I wasn't planning on seeing it. I do want to see the Batman movie though, but I will wait for DVD. Too many commercials at the theater for me. I am also getting pretty excited about the new Graphic Novel Book Club that will be starting in September. The next Zine will have the official dates of the club, but it will be the second Wednesday of every month. I also got a really cool piece of art to include in the August Zine and on the website. I can't wait to show it!

7/07/2005
So I started playing Atelier Iris and imagine my delight when I heard the (english) voice acting! I looked everything up on IMDB and sure enough, the voices were the same as those in Cowboy Bebop (english voices), perhaps one of my very favorite Anime series. If you haven't seen it, you really should, I also picked up the soundtrack sometime ago, and it's really great. Anyway, I can understand now why one reviewer said if you liked Disgaea you will like this. The playing style is completely different from Disgaea, Iris is a much more traditional turn based RPG, and Disgaea was an interesting strategy RPG. But the humor is still the same quirky humor. The voice acting is really excellent, and even though the story isn't all that original, you will find yourself caring about the characters anyway because of the voice acting. I have laughed out loud a couple of times already, and have only been playing for about six hours or so. When I finish I will include a more thorough review.

7/04/2005
Hey, welcome to the website. My plan is to have a continual running blog of all of the things I am currently reading or playing or watching. I might not have time to write up detailed reviews of everything I read or watch or play, but I will mention it here in my blog. Tonight I just finished playing Paper Mario all the way through. It was really quite fun. I was worried the graphics would be bad when I read about how it was done, but you really have to play it to get an idea of what they look like. I almost broke down and bought The Cat Returns on DVD when I was out at Best Buy this afternoon. But, I decided to wait, I am trying to curtail my DVD buying habit. If you get a chance to see it your really ought to. It's a great story by Hayao Miyazaki, who should have his name appended with "The Great" if you ask me. I did go ahead and buy this new RPG for the PS2 called Atelier Iris. I will let you know how I like it as I start playing it, which should be tonight, if I am lucky and have time after I finish all this other stuff up. I read a review of it that said if you liked Disgaea that you would like this one, so we'll see. Let me know if you would like me to read anything or play anything you think is good, just email me at meganj@rhpl.org. I'm looking forward to getting this site off the ground!