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vmcampos

Reach for the stars. Get burned.
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Where Am I?

1 min read
Everywhere, basically.

My main site: vmcampos.com
Twitter: twitter.com/vmcampos
Google+: j.mp/vmcampos
Facebook: facebook.com/thevmcampos
Flickr: flickr.com/vmcamposjr
Instagram: ink361.com/vmcampos
Soundtracking: soundtracking.com/vmcampos
Pinterest: pinterest.com/vmcampos
Klout: klout.com/klout
And, of course deviantART: vmcampos.deviantart.com
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Instagram!

1 min read
I'm so hooked on Instagram. (instagr.am). I'm sure you've heard of it. It's a cool way to share images: shoot something; crop it to square format (pretend it's 120 film), add a retro/hipster/lo-fi filter, and upload it for everyone to love and comment on it.
It's iPhone only at the moment, but you can view Instagram streams in a couple of cool ways:
WebStagram web.stagram.com/n/vmcampos
Intaprof: instaprof.appspot.com/profile/…
Check out my Instagram pics and let me know what you like.
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[as]tory

1 min read
That's my clever title for my long-winded recollection of [adult swim] memories. This year is the 10th anniversary of [as]. Hard to believe, I know. I've been a fan since Day One (even since Day Zero) and I've got some great memories to share.

As I find some scraps of time, I've been working on a blog post about my memories of [as]. It'll be online eventually. Stay tuned.
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I think I'm like most men, in that we (not very smartly), would just rather not know. The secret truth is that I've never been to the dentist. If I *have* been, though, it must've been when I was just a lad, without free will. After I got free will, though, I chose to avoid Ye Olde Tooth Mangler.

Now that I've got a job with dental benefits, however, it was time to do a check-up. Well, I was goaded into it. It's amazing how many people care about you when you think about it, isn't it?

I was recommended to Dr. M, as he was very good, nice, used the newest, high-tech-est equipment, and was totally truthful. That was the party line, anyway. But, I Want To Believe, so off I went last Monday the 20th.

Add this up: 10am plus the dentist. What do you think that equals? Me(bad attitude)^2, of course. Coupled with the thought (more and more becoming a fact, in my mind) that he was going to find some Bad Things in there. It goes back to my I'd Rather Not Know philosophy. I know that's not the best way to live, but it's worked most of my life.

I ended up paying about $44 for the time the assistant X-rayed my mouth, the dentist traced the widths where my teeth met my gums (with a *very* sharp instrument), and a diagnosis. "You must have very good genes!" the dentist said. You see, even though I've never been to the dentist, Dr. M said I had excellent teeth; a great immune system, too (although RR would disagree. What does he know anyway? He has a TracFone!). Besides a little (normal) plaque buildup, my teeth were as healthy as a horse's.

One problem, though: I had a cavity in my lower-right wisdom tooth. Now, several weeks ago when it was first "suggested" that I visit the dentist, PmD went on about how my wisdom teeth would probably be problematic. Well, the joke's on her because they grew in just fine, no problem. But I have a big-ass cavity in one, and they should come out. Joke's on me.

Oh, well, my insurance would cover most of the cost; the dentist was good; it would be quick. So I had a tentative appointment for December 28th. So soon? Yes, because I wanted to spend some of that sweet 2010 dental plan money I had. Then when The Future (2011) arrived, I'd have my full amount again. The next day, however, I was called by the dentist's office and told that that last and only slot he had available was in two days (Dec 23). At 7am. Seven. AM. I joked, "at that hour, I won't even need anesthetic!" hyukyukyuk

I put the day out of my mind until that Thursday. No need to stress myself out, after all. I'm prone to stress-a-thons at times. On that day (really, now, how can you call it a "day" when you have to wake up at 5:30am [more like 5:10 cuz of nerves] and the moon and stars are *still* out?!), PmD was my ride. She's so cool that they'd suffer with me at that hour, and be bored for the 1 - 2 hours this thing would take. We drove there (about 22.5 miles as the Google Maps flies) and got to the place with 20 minutes to spare. I took time to put my affairs in order during that trip; I bequeathed my cat to her, "just in case."

We went inside; I payed for my part of the operation (one of the super-cool and high-tech X-rays would not be covered by my insurance) and then waited. Soon I was taken to back and had said super-cool and high-tech X-ray aimed at my face. It kind of spun around, too. I guess that's why it added $300 to my out-of-pocket expense.

I went back to the waiting room for a bit.

Eventually I was taken to the operating place (the same chair where I was a couple of days ago, where I got my first-ever dental exam) where I had to remove my jacket; where I had the blood pressure cuff and heart monitor put on. (At this time, PmD tells me she was back in the car. She's got her own adventure to tell, of what happened during my surgery, but you'll have to read *her* blog!)

By now the gravity of the situation started to get to me, and my body temperature was dropping. I'm not ashamed to admit I started shivering and asked for a blanket. Two of them!

I had an intravenous dose of Happy Juice administered; but the dentist said my veins were not cooperating. So I got another dose, this time in the muscle. "It'll take longer, but it'll do the trick." After chilling out all this time with my eyes closed, and not really feeling the effects, I opened my eyes, to see the nurse hovering over me, intently. Did you ever see "Silent Hill?" Did you ever play the "Silent Hill" games? It was like that, but with less freaky nurses coming at me, drenched in blood.

It had been about forty-five minutes, and we were about to get under way. I didn't feel like Jimi Hendrix; I didn't feel like I could kiss the sky yet. I asked the dentist, "how do we know it's working?" "By the way the patient speaks *chuckle*" he replied.

Soon he was working me over with his medieval tools. He told me at one point, "you're going to hear a few noises." *the sounds of bones breaking* "Like that!"

I could hear it, but felt nothing. Just a gentle tugging.

I don't think I ever went completely asleep during the surgery. I'm just *that* tough!

After it was all over (it felt very, very short), PmD was brought in (I wouldn't have to will my cat to her, after all!), and the doc talked about how well it went. I wanted to say things, but my mouth felt like it looked like Holyfield's ears. I asked for a pen and pad, to help communicate. The doc told me to call if there were any complications. I half-spoke, half-wrote, "if I can't, can my cat do it?" LoL

The drive back was a blur. So was stopping by Kaiser to pick up my meds (although,I *do* remember spending time in the pharmacy's waiting room, dammit). I kind of remember taking the medication at home, and getting into bed.

So this is about to be day three, and I think everything is going well. I'm taking antibiotics every six hours, and Hydrocodone/Ibuprofen once in a while for the pain. There's been very little, actually! The worst was on that day, around 11:30am. My lower lip and chin felt like dead meat, and the empty sockets where killing me. Happy Pills fixed that right up. I haven't been able to eat, very well, though. I've been surviving on protein shakes, soup, and water. I want a frakking In-n-Out burger! Or a slice of Fatte's Pizza!! On the plus side, I'm just about back to the weight I had when I first moved to my new place a year-and-a-half ago.

So, kids, if you want to lose weight, get some sort of invasive surgery done to your mouth.

I've been in my pajamas mostly, online. Sleeping. Watching tv. Sleeping. Doing computer stuff. Sleeping.

We'll see how the next few days play out.

That's my Winter Vacation so far. How's your's?
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I started watching Yu yu Hakusho several years ago when [adult swim] was new; when they were first experimenting with Anime. I enjoyed the animation, characters and plot. The story of Yusuke Urameshi, spirit detectives, demons, and friendship was enjoyable. 

Back in in the early days (2002, I guess) YYH was relatively uncut on [as]. It could be pretty violent and vulgar (hey, it's a story about a smart-mouth, bad-ass kid fighting demons, after all!). It was pretty ballsy to put something like it on a children's network, even late at night. That didn't deter the popularity of the series, apparently, as it was eventually moved out of [adult swim] and into Toonami.

I stuck with YYH after the move to Toonami, but it was clearly a different show in that it was heavily edited. All the good stuff was watered down for the earlier time slot. I still enjoyed it, though. The Dark Tournament storyline was excellent. We saw the characters become more interesting, and face a fascinating and seemingly unstoppable foe. 

When it was over, the Sensui story line began, and I felt it didn't quite live up to my expectations. The show was still enjoyable but not as before. 

Something happened in that either the time slot was moved or the show never finished its run on Cartoon Network. I never found out what happened to the Sensui story line. Eventually did come around and I felt the new characters and situations were worthwhile.

I was left at a cliffhanger, and a damn good one. Multiple personalities and such. It would be a long, long time before I would see the resolution and what lay beyond. 

The DVDs of the series were obviously available. But I never bought them for various reasons. The most obvious being lack of funds on my part. You have to know that back in those days (early New Millennium) DVDs were still expensive, and Anime DVDs were more so. Also, in those days, Anime DVDs portioned off episodes very frugally; a disc with five episodes was a treasure trove. As such, the first 26 (out of 112) episodes of Yu yu Hakusho were at least $60. And that price is for the cheaper box set. 

At one point, two to three years after I saw that last episode, there was a trend of re-releasing Anime on DVD where the series was compressed down to a relatively inexpensive set of collections. I recall each box set including a neat key chain of each of the four main characters. I never bought this sets either. 

Eventually, less than a year ago, I think (I write this in July 2010), I began buying the new re-re-release of the series. It was the cheapest I had ever seen: $20 for 26 episodes. Back in the day this price would've been one-quarter of what I would need to pay. 

I had the discs, and then it was time to start watching the series again. 

I would not start off where I left off those years ago. I started from the beginning as it had been so long since I had seen the story lines. 

Death and rebirth. The Spirit Detective's first case. Training, and fighting against Rando. The Saint Beasts. Meeting Toguro. The Dark Tournament. Sensui.

Then it was uncharted territory.

The battle with Sensui ends (I won't spoil things for you from here), and Yusuke learns about himself. And the final story line begins. 

I'm afraid I must say I was disappointed with the resolution of the Sensui plot. And perhaps even more so with the final story. I felt thar, with the knowledge that there were so few episodes left to properly wrap up the series, the end was rushed. The underlying, grand plot is addressed, as expected. But the final story left me shaking my head. It felt like a pale version of old times. 

Perhaps that's why I'm disappointed. I realize it has been nearly a decade when I first saw the series. I have seen the first 80 episodes enough times that the last 32 episodes don't match up; my expectations were too high. I was a different person when I first say Yu yu Hakusho. There was such a large gap between the resolution to my hobby.

I almost feel sorry to let it go. It's kind of a part of me. I feel that there isn't the thing in the back of my mind any more. What else is there to do?

Maybe I'll watch the whole series again, but maybe this time in the original Japanese and subtitled.  
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Featured

Where Am I? by vmcampos, journal

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