Forum posts automatically deleted

last modified: Tuesday, May 22, 2012 (8:03:40 PM CST)

I know there is a semi-new rule against having sales directly out of your gallery. But when I try to post in the forum under the "For Sale" section, every single post gets deleted. I'm just trying to promote my eBay listings and I'm not sure how that violates the new policies. Can someone please explain to me what's going on and how I can avoid triggering the automatic deletion? I don't want to break any rules but I noticed there were lots of other posts in that section about sales. Some guidance would be great. I don't come here much anymore and I'd love to know what's going on.

The Liberation of Consumerism

last modified: Monday, August 03, 2009 (11:16:46 AM CST)

All of us have been on the purchasing end of a transaction. You saw something you thought you just couldn't live without and immediately figured out the quickest route to ownership, be it forking over cash to a sale's person for keen new shoes or electronically wiring dough around the world to score that cel of your dreams. There's a certain level of empowering euphoria to that kind of "seek and destroy, command and conquer" behavior. It certainly feels good to see something, want it and buy it. It gives you a certain level of control over something in your life when all else may be out of your control.

But on the flip side of the consumerism coin is vending and salesmanship. I've rediscovered this all too familiar art of being the genie who grants the wishes of eager customers. When something in my possession no longer gives me that deeply satisfying feeling of ownership, when it's simply an ornament or shiny bauble lacking true sentiment for me, then it's time to fess up. It's time to relocate this gem to more deserving hands.

Among the collectibles I've sold lately, I've turned to my cel books. The image of myself in the past holding these cel books was one of tight, white-knuckled fists and a near fetal position. Desperately clinging and swearing never to let any of them go. But I up and sold something. Then another something. Not sure how, but several cels made their way into packages and out my door. And.... it felt good! Actually, it felt great! Those numbers climbing upwards in my paypal and bank account didn't hurt matters either. There was that all too familiar sense of euphoria but for a completely different reason.

So, as I watch auctions count down to an end as a seller, I find myself rooting for the exact opposite outcome I hoped for when I was a buyer. Climb, numbers, climb! Go up, up, up!

Grrr! I could just smack myself!

last modified: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 (9:33:57 PM CST)

I have been SO lazy and neglected to mail out holiday cards in a timely fashion. And every day I receive a card or note from someone, I just feel like that much more of a hopeless bum for not getting off my duff and sending out those season's greetings on time. I think this is why people send New Year's Day cards (seriously, who came up with those ridiculous things? It's dastardly genius!) I could send them late and say they are early for next year...? Nah. I will just have to send them late and beg for forgiveness for being such a douchebag.

My one saving grace at the moment is that I'm done with my Christmas shopping. But, now that I think about that, I just remembered that I have gifts for someone in Ohio that are about 2 years late. O_o Ugh....

And, to compound my problems, I have not eaten a single solitary fruitcake! Not even one sweet crumb. That is absolutely unheard of for me. I know there's a stigma attached to those delicious bricks of rum and nuts, and publicly admitting you like them is social suicide. But still... I quietly weep in the darkness for lack of fruitcake.

So, here's some history about fruitcake...
the first "fruitcake" recipe originated in Ancient Rome and consisted of pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins mixed into barley mash. Yuck!

In the Middle Ages, honey, spices, and preserved fruits were added and the name "fruitcake" was first used. It was discovered that fruits could be preserved over long periods of time with copious amounts of sugar, which opened the door to exporting exotic fruits to far off places. The fruitcake concoction resulted from an overabundance of this sugary sweet preserved fruit and its success migrated to the American Colonies in the 16th century.

Later, in the 18th century, nuts from the harvest were added to the recipe. This tradition has carried on, especially in southern states such as Texas, where pecans and nuts are plentiful. The fruitcake also remained popular at Victorian Teas in England throughout the 19th century. The expression "nutty as a fruitcake" was coined in 1935.

Puzzle Quest players out there?

last modified: Sunday, December 07, 2008 (8:28:39 PM CST)

There's an achievement to play and win a match online, but no one is ever online! I suppose this game is not the most popular, especially since it's an Xbox Live Arcade title. Either way, if anyone could help me out or needs the same achievement I need, we could help each other out. This is the last achievement I need and I'd really love to get all 250 points.

If interested, my gamertag is urabob

Also, if anyone is interested in playing Gears of War 2 online, I'm game.

Blackberr-EEEEEEEEE!

last modified: Saturday, November 22, 2008 (10:19:52 AM CST)

Oooo I am disgustingly shallow for thinking this but I am SO freakin' in love with my Blackberry Bold. Since I voted early in the presidential election this year (yay Obama!) I went out on November 4th and bought myself the new Bold. I was torn at first between the Bold and the Storm, but research convinced me the Bold was more my style. Oh my god, Oh my god! If I could marry one piece of technology, it would have to be this. It's such a tremendous waste of time and totally frivolous but I'll be damned if it doesn't feel like pure magic in my palms. Only thing that would make it better is if it were somehow composed of regenerating chocolate and left a golden coin underneath my pillow every night.

Oh and I watched Kung-Fu Panda last night on Blu-Ray. It's actually quite awesomely awesome (little movie quote there). Pretty funny stuff.

How do you search/view closed auctions on YJ?

last modified: Sunday, August 17, 2008 (11:19:56 AM CST)

Anyone know how to do this? I don't have the auctions saved or bookmarked in any way, but I'm dying to see some ended auctions on YJ. I think this type of question has been raised before but I just can't remember how to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you :)

A-kon: HOLY CRAP!

last modified: Thursday, May 29, 2008 (7:57:50 PM CST)

Completely forgot A-kon was this weekend. O_O Sheer coincidence informed us that it was, indeed, that time of year again. It's as predictable as the tide, but we just freakin' forgot! >_< Ugh. Wouldn't be the first time we forgot a con. =B Der.

We stood in line for a couple hours to pick up our early registration badges. Why don't they just mail the damn badges? I'd pay a fee for that convenience. Cons are always a smelly affair, but at least you can roam freely throughout the dealer's room, or where ever. But the pre-reg line AL-WAYS blows. Bunch of excited otakus coughing without covering their mouths, getting uncomfortably close to any available breast, overlapping personal space issues and the utter lack of deodorant. Yes, we can tell you've attended the entire con without showering. T_T Not cool.

On the flip side, lots of neato things to scope out, cel books to flip through and pics to take. EEE! ^_^

Can you imagine the utter devastation come Monday morning if we had forgotten to go? ^^; Let's not think about that screwy alternate universe and be grateful.

Radiohead.

last modified: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 (10:07:58 PM CST)

I'm still recovering from their Sunday show. ^___^ Oh man. To my recollection, it's the best damn concert I've been to. Hearing some of the old stuff was just so.... invigorating and sensual. It was otherworldly. I even called in sick to work on Monday (naughty, naughty!) =^-_-^= I doubt my students would want to deal with me the next day anyway ;)

A five foot tall jerk-off stood up on his seat in front of us and fell backwards. Anyone would assume this was an ill omen but he persisted to stand on his chair. Eventually he obstructed Senor's view and I spoke up. I pointed out that no one else was standing on their seats and he basically had two choices: 1) get down of his own free will, or 2) I could help him get down if he was somehow confused on how to descend safely. He reluctantly got down on his own. He exited half way through the show and never returned. I can only assume my online degree in Telekinesis and Mental Suggestion is, in fact, legit and the guy committed suicide in the parking lot. Go me!

I'm glad I didn't have to go to the Woodlands this time to see Radiohead. Mmmmm. Ecstasy.

AnimeFest.

last modified: Sunday, September 02, 2007 (9:29:18 PM CST)

Well, we managed not to buy any cels at this year's AnimeFest, but we did enjoy taking lots of pictures of the elaborate cosplayers. Some more humorous than others, a few freaky, a couple sexy and some you just don't know what the person was thinking... O_o

Check out the pics here:
http://welcomeconsumer.com/?p=839

AnimeFest is always an enjoyable experience because of its laid back atmosphere. There's less hustle and bustle and more casual fun to be had. I'm glad to see it grow in size every year because it's a nice con.

In non-anime related news, the new job is going great. It feels satisfying when you start to really get the hang of what your responsibilities are at any job, especially when you know that doing your best truly matters. I guess I should call it my "career" now. Sounds more appropriate and grown-up. Meh, whatever. ^_^

Oh and I can't wait for tomorrow! Paid holiday! *does a little dance* Maybe I'll upload some new cels to the gallery.

Anyone else played Bioshock yet? I've wasted so much time on that game, what with the multiple endings and various achievements to unlock. It's without a doubt my favorite game in a very long time because of its pitch perfect writing and endless style. Need to start Metroid Prime 3 and Condemned soon too.

I also want to do a quick shout out to Caroline at the Unicorn Gallery (http://unicorngallery.rubberslug.com/) for being such a sweetheart. She took the time to email me about a few auctions she thought I would be interested in. I certainly was very interested and managed to snag a few new cels, all thanks to her. I couldn't be more thrilled because they are some very rare pieces of art and I never ever would have known if she had not told me. Caroline, you're a real treasure. Thank you so much! *glomps*

Ok, time to veg. Hope everyone has a fun and safe Labor Day weekend. =)

Yoyodyne.

last modified: Sunday, July 29, 2007 (12:30:22 AM CST)

Two points to anyone who knows what Yoyodyne means/is. Hint: The number 8.

Life has been a real yo-yo lately. Tons of things have happened, inspiring a range of emotional highs and lows. So, in no particular or chronological order....

After a lifetime of long hair, I finally got my second ever haircut! This may not sound like big news, but trust me, it is. Everyone who has ever known me or met me identifies me by my insanely long hair. I even used to have nightmares about my hair being cut off by some unknown person (yes, seriously... haha). I quit being a hair model about two years ago, so my obsession with my hair was on a slow decline. It was time for change and I must say, I LOVE having short hair! *_* I didn't donate my hair due to sentimental value. I have both ponytails from both haircuts. What can I say, I'm creepy. ^^;

Without too much effort, I landed a desirable job. One in my chosen field, so my degree isn't going to waste, and one I actually want to do! Two for two! Additional bonuses include some stellar benefits and a consistent schedule. This is probably the best thing that has happened in awhile. Giving two weeks notice at my current job felt so good too. When applying for this job, I had a big revelation that I know some very cool and well connected people because when it came time to enumerate my references, the list was quite impressive. I'm really nervous and excited about this big change in my life because of the great things it could possibly evolve into in the future.

My aunt was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and has less than 3 months to live. The whole ordeal surrounding this news was a mini-roller coaster of its own because first she was diagnosed with it, then told that was a mistake, and then diagnosed again... This nonsense went on for too long and all hope was eventually lost. I wish I could say this was the first time I lost a loved one to cancer...

My husband got a promotion. Now, he's always basically been "second in command" under the owner of his company, but this promotion will make it official. The owner is leaving town for two weeks, so my hubby will be in charge of everything. No different than any other day, really. ^_~

One of our 8 babies had to be put to sleep. Blackie, our oldest dog and resident pack leader, was in poor shape for some time. He was in so much pain, we found him lying in a puddle of his own urine in his doghouse. The pain was so intense he couldn't even get up to go to the bathroom. We know it was the right decision, but having to put a 15+ year old dog down is very, very hard. It's hard not to be selfish when it comes to your pet. Losing a pet is the kind of sadness you can never fully let go of or heal from.

A picture from his younger, party animal days
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y135/welcomeconsumer/Animals/blackie.jpg

He kept all of the other dogs in line and he was the last of a line of dogs we owned for a very long time. He is sorely missed.

My father-in-law had a check-up recently and is still clear of cancer. He was diagnosed with and survived prostate cancer almost three years ago but there's always the heart stopping fear of remission.

There's been enough day-to-day good things and silly moments of splendor to make life enjoyable, but the sad news has been fairly devastating. I've been almost entirely absent from the cel community for quite some time now because so much has been going on. Above was a terribly modest summary of the major events. I just don't have the energy for online socializing right now. I still enjoy cels, but significantly less than I did a year ago. I plan to start updating my gallery again, at the very least.

Whew! Feels good to unload some of the emotional baggage. Hope everyone else is doing well. I apologize to all of my IM buddies who never see me online anymore. I miss you guys <3 I do try to stay in touch, but there's a lot of unanswered email in my inbox. Gomen. <3

SiCKO.

last modified: Friday, July 06, 2007 (10:28:20 AM CST)

Watched the new Michael Moore movie about the failing Medicare system in America and, as with all his movies, I'm left feeling hopeless and enraged. Why does every nation on earth have free medical care and we don't? Canada, France, even Cuba! They don't pay for doctor's visits, hospital stays, surgery, medicine, NOTHING! What is wrong with this picture? Why does America insist that "socialism medicine" is a bad thing?

What made me even more upset was the fact that these doctors in the UK, working in a "free-for-all" medical industry live in million dollar homes. So, no, they are not living in poverty and the system is not jammed with people to the point they can't cope. There's NO excuse for America not to have completely FREE medical care for everyone.

So, if you want to take action, please take a moment to click here
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/what-can-i-do/petitions/pnum649.php

This is a collective effort to pass H.R. 676, which would extend and improve medicare (you know that thing that's taken out in taxes every pay check?) We pay for it, it's our right to have access to it when we're in need, regardless of age, gender or medical condition.

Go see SiCKO. It's eye opening and further proves that what happens in America, how we treat our own people, is just plain wrong. Utterly senseless. Watching heroes from 9-11 have to go to Cuba for medical care made me want to cry.

Transformers.

last modified: Friday, June 29, 2007 (4:13:58 PM CST)

Got to see an early screening of the movie and I loved every second of it. Read my review of the movie here:
http://welcomeconsumer.com/?p=629

It really is every bit as good as I'd hoped and I adore the organic TFs designs. Frenzy was probably my favorite, which is saying a lot. All of the TFs were likable in some way or other.

I'm also watching V: The Series on DVD. For those who don't know, V was a sci-fi made-for-TV movie/series from 1983 with heavy political undertones. It's one of the best sci-fi series I've ever seen and the special effects hold up nicely. It's remastered, which helps.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_%28TV_series%29

The first two installments are the best. The follow-up TV series was not as good and was ultimately cancelled.

It's late and I'm still slightly wasted. Haven't blogged in a while, so it seemed like a good time to. SME's wedding ceremony is today, congratulations babe!

Time for sleep. Zzzzzzzzz......

Update: Decided to give a long overdo makeover to our gallery. WC.com was recently revamped and now the cel gallery resembles that design somewhat. I saved the old values, so we can revert back to the old scheme anytime we want. The gallery was due for a change anyway.

Thank you and Congrats SME!

last modified: Monday, April 02, 2007 (2:48:14 PM CST)

Today, I received an invitation to SME's wedding. Sadly, I will not be able to attend, but I requested she send me an invitation anyway: 1) in case I was able to go, 2) as a keep sake.

The invitation is gorgeous. It looks like SME will be having a romantic, fairy tale wedding at the Walt Disney World resort in FL. Talk about the ideal, ultimate, DREAM wedding! I'm so jealous! =)

We plan to visit FL later, and have SME show us all around. I wish so badly it could be now. I want to be there for the wedding.

Still, I wish you all the best, Crispy. Thank you so much for the invitation. You and Brad are going to make a stunning couple on your wedding day. I wish you both all the best and a wonderful future. *hugs and kisses* I love you guys :)

http://welcomeconsumer.com

Thank you Amsterdam!

last modified: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 (7:55:59 PM CST)

I received a parcel in the mail today from Ami (http://mycels.rubberslug.com/), much to my surprise. I wasn't expecting anything in the mail but it was a pleasant surprise. Even more so once I'd opened it. O...M...G!!!

Ami was sweet enough to make me a special fan cel, FOR FREEEE! I felt so bad because the art was rather complex. But the results are lovely :) I'm so beyond pleased with it, I can't wait to add it to my gallery.

While just the fan cel would have been more than enough to make me giddy today, there was another surprise packed in with the cel. Two bags of doggie treats for my babies! ^___^ I'm just beaming right now. My dogs are going to just love them to pieces.

EEEEEE!!! Ami, you are such a sweetheart. ;_; It's so wonderful to have kind and thoughtful friends. The bonds in this community are perhaps the biggest boon in cel collecting.

Thank you SO much! Those dog treats have had me smilin' all day (noooo, I didn't eat any! Geeeeeez :P) You are truly a great friend and a marvelous person. I don't deserve such a beautiful friendship. *weeping like a sap* =)

Oh, shameless plug! Check out the new http://welcomeconsumer.com Things have been completely revamped and tweaked. Heheh ^_^

Also, anyone still interested in receiving scans of the zenbu can send me a message via RS feedback.

The Sound of Silence?

last modified: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 (7:15:56 PM CST)

Some of you may know, but I'll give some quick back story anyway. My neighbor and his family are evil people. Actually, evil is a crippling understatement. But I won't be profane and quickly move along with my story. They've abandoned their property and leave at least one dog for "protection." They don't bother to maintain the property and don't visit to feed/water the dogs. One of our very own dogs, Chispa, was a puppy we rescued from them about two-three years ago.

Well, the latest dog they've abandoned is actually Chispa's mother, a rottweiler. I kept calling and emailing the city to get something done but nothing happened. I was beginning to lose hope. Then one day, there was no begging-bark. You see, I used to make the mistake of feeding the neighbor dog, so it wouldn't die. But it fattened up, so the city refused to do anything because abuse couldn't be proven. So, when it's meal time for my dogs, the neighbor dog would unleash this almost human howl/beg/bark type sound for food.

But lately, there's been no barking. I did see code compliance and city vehicles snooping around my neighbor's property. I can only hope that the city somehow seized the dog and rescued it. She was somewhat bony and covered in noticeable sores. I don't know for a fact what happened. I've looked for a corpse but I couldn't find one, didn't smell one.

*sigh* This is not exactly the best news, but I'm slightly relieved. The dog, where ever she may be, is in a better place. I love animals very much and feel a great deal of guilt for the situation going on next door. "I could have done more..." The real failure is the city and local humane society. I pointed them in the right direction many times but nothing was done. This does not ease my guilt in the least, tho.

So, please, treat your pets right. Spay and neuter your animals, don't have copious puppies and kittens if you honestly cannot care for them yourself. You don't know what others might do if they adopt or buy a pet from you. Play it safe and prevent your animal from breeding uncontrollably. Also, if you feel you can no longer care for your pet, try to find a loving replacement home or shelter. Don't just set them free and let them wander the dangerous streets.

Didn't mean to be a bummer, but I had to release some steam.

On a more positive note, the WC site has been revamped and is now live. Check it out if you want to kill some time. ^_^ http://www.welcomeconsumer.com

Chocolate.

last modified: Sunday, March 04, 2007 (11:17:06 PM CST)

I've been eating chocolate everyday since Valentine's Day because I received a few too many boxes of it this year. *_* Horrible problem, I know. ^^

Managed to update with a new cel: Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon. The original painted background is really nice but Tux obscures most of it. I probably should've scanned it separately... oops.

Can't f-ing waaaait to see 300. I think everyone feels that way. But man-oh-man, I haven't felt this giddy over seeing a movie in a while. 300 is exactly what Troy should've been, which was pure crap for those who didn't see it.

Major changes are taking place at WC. The format and purpose have been tweaked to suit our respective goals. The site will continue to feature our webcomic and reviews, but now we're a blog/news site as well. No new content has been added just yet, we've only transported some of the older stuff for now. We're pretty excited about the new direction for WC. I'll post more about all this later.

Lately, we've taken a liking to the original Star Trek TV series. The remastered colors and new special effects make the show more compelling. It's kind of crazy how saturated the colors are, I love the retro hair styles too. William Shatner has an odd appeal and charm as well. It's goofy sometimes, but so entertaining. A sci-fi show, all about one bachelor cruising across the galaxy gettin' tail. Cool!

The news is bombarding me with images of these little kids being encouraged/forced to smoke pot by their relatives (uncle and some other asshole). This footage is sickening. I understand the need to inform us about this kind of child abuse and I appreciate the efforts on the part of law enforcement to step in and remove these kids from such a dysfunctional environment. But it still inspires a great deal of rage and disgust in me every time I see the footage. How anyone could do such a thing is beyond logic. I hope something terrible is done to those guys.

I reported a person in my neighborhood for allowing his/her dog to roam around. The property is not fenced and the dog is not kept on a restraint of any kind. So, every night, he bolts around and antagonizes the pets behind fences. Texas has a very strict leash law, I hope they bother to enforce it in this case. The dog could easily be hit by a car or worse. In fact, the law states that if I hit the dog, I could civilly sue the owner for damage done to my car. I wouldn't be culpable. I've told my husband many times that I am going to kidnap that dog if he continues to roam free. He's an adorable collie mix, very short and fluffy. I like him a lot, which is why I'm going through the efforts to report the irresponsible owner.

Looking forward to St Patrick's Day. Besides my birthday, it's my all time favorite holiday. There's no gift giving or stuffy dinners with family. You get to wear green and be drunk at work. Then after work, you get to hit the bars on a pub crawl and choke down green beer. What could be finer?

Done.

last modified: Sunday, March 04, 2007 (11:16:16 PM CST)

There's nothing more satisfying than being done with something. I'm basking in that euphoria right now; of course there's still the matter of the results. But who cares, I'm done. Celebrated with some margaritas ^^ heeeee

Senor and I are terrible with surprises, we always end up ruining them. For Valentine's Day this year, he got me a brand new cell phone. The Cingular Sync, blue to match his red. We love to be cel phone buddies :) Also, our color scheme is always red (for him) and blue (for me). Notice our gallery layout? ^_~

It arrives Tuesday, so I know about it but can't enjoy it just yet. Plus, he gave me a box of Godiva truffles. Mmmmmm....

Speaking of Valentine's Day, some people should be receiving some things very soon. Nothing major, just a token of my affection. Hope everyone can spend Valentine's Day with someone they love.

I've managed to update some as well, since I've got some free time. Not much, but some is better than none.

New Giant Robo
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=193628

New section has been added, Kurogane Communication
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=193897

Many more cels will be added to that section, eventually. Just a matter of scanning...

Well, there's about it for now. Hope everyone's doing well.

New idea for Zenbu 34 and BWA 17.

last modified: Thursday, January 25, 2007 (2:11:40 PM CST)

Here is the original post on Beta:
http://www.anime-beta.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=20642

Zetsuai came up with a very good idea that she has successfully implemented in the past with some German collectors and now she'd like to do it with Beta as well.

A few Beta members receive the Mandarake Zenbu in the mail, which provides a glimpse in advance of what will be for auction in the upcoming Big Web Auction for that time of year. Since most of us don't get the Zenbu, we resort to pleading for scans from these lucky people.

Zetsuai's idea is to get a group of people who are interested in seeing EVERYTHING, all 300+ pages, in the Zenbu to donate money to her for the price of the Zenbu and she will scan every single page, upload it as a .PDF file and allow those who paid to have the URL to this file. The Zenbu only costs $30, so if 30 people wanted to participate, that's just $1 per person! Very reasonable. Money would be sent via PayPal and Zetsuai has two accounts, one for credit card payments and the other for non-credit card payments. This will cut down on fees.

Here is a link to a previous zenbu Zetsuai has scanned:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/vlv56m

Sendspace is free and does not require registration. The file was originally hosted on a site that required visitors to register, but we changed that so it would be more convenient for Beta members to access the file.

The benefit of seeing everything in the Zenbu is that several of us collect more than just cels. Original art, for example, can cost much more than production cels, so knowing what's available in advance would allow potential bidders to save up funds for their dream items. Also, looking at the last BWA thread, dozens of posts were questions from people wanting to know what series were included. This way, there would be no need to ask. We could see for ourselves what will be for sale. :)

The next BWA will probably be in March/April, so we do have some time. We started this thread early to get feedback, ideas and to start the list of people who are interested in participating. The cost per person will be determined after we know how many people are interested in this idea.

Please feel free to ask questions, suggest ideas or post general feedback. We'd love to know what you guys think.

Spittin' Mad.

last modified: Sunday, January 07, 2007 (12:21:30 AM CST)

Senor has been suffering from a stomach ache/flu type ailment for two days now. Today, since it's the weekend, we decided to stay home and take it easy. It just so happens that our creepy neighbor paid a visit to his property next door to clean it up a bit. We watched him like a hawk because he can't be trusted.

Now, for those who don't know about him, he's a monster. He's abandoned the land next door to us and let the house go to shit. I don't know why he doesn't just rent the property for supplemental income. To prevent people from breaking into this abandoned property, he leaves a dog there. This guy doesn't come back for days. How does the dog get food and water? Who knows. We've called the city and the SPCA (ASPCA in TX) and nothing has been done. We report every violation we can to trouble this guy. But nothing is done by the authorities. The animal is never seized and life goes on as usual.

We've taken it upon ourselves to feed the dog in the past, but this has backfired. The dog was skin and bones when we reported the violation, but we accidentally fattened him up because we were so concerned. This situation has been going on for years and has caused me a great deal of mental and emotional distress. If I could murder this guy, I would in a heartbeat. He has no respect for living creatures.

This neighbor has a family. A wife and a few sons, from what we've seen. All of them are cold hearted. None of them are concerned about their pets. We actually had to take a puppy away from them in the past because they were not feeding it. Which brings me to today's event. This puppy we rescued has grown up into a precious member of our family. She's very sweet and loving, but becomes a little insane around food. When you abuse an animal, they never forget that treatment. It's permanently ingrained in their personality. It triggers their survival instincts and that cannot be undone. Her name is Chispa.

Chispa (meaning "Spark" the color of her coat) is a gentle dog, she's large but very loving and devoted. Today, the neighbor was raking his disgusting backyard. The place is a mess, filled with scrap metal and garbage. (Yes, we've reported this to the city numerous times. Nada has happened). The man had one of his sons with him. Our dogs tend to get excited and naturally wish to investigate what's going on next door so they huddle near the fence line we share with the neighbor to observe. The boy proceeds to spit right on Chispa and act as if he's going to hit her (he does one of those intimidating gestures fucking idiots his age tend to do).

Senor and I become unglued and run downstairs. Starting in Spanish, we proceed to tell him what we saw. The kid, in English, immediately denies it. Senor lets him have it and explicitly reveals that they are always being watched here.

I can barely type right now. I just want to scream and become physically violent when it comes to people like that. So cruel and senseless. Here's a picture of Chispa

http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/album.aspx?id=326&i=1251

She's part Great Dane and Rottweiler. The dog next door being abused is Chispa's mother. We currently have 8 dogs and cannot adopt another. My neighbor deserves to be put down and his kid is no better. To spit on a dog that wasn't barking or doing anything. There was a fence between them, there was no way she could even make contact with them. It just sickens me.

I'm starting to tear up. I should finish this up. I just had to write about this. I hate being this livid, I hate feeling powerless. The good thing is, the neighbor knows we are watching his every move. Karma, God or whatever supreme force is out there must have something big in store for this fucker and his wretched family. I just hope I'm there to witness his undoing. Anyone that can mistreat an animal is a monster, capable of anything. And that guy walks around freely in our society. How's that for justice? Fucking beautiful.

Updates and Beta Awards.

last modified: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 (12:14:16 AM CST)

I've tried to make a few small and simple changes to my gallery over the last couple of weeks. Some were due in part to the Open House event and other changes were just long overdo.

1) The Giant Robo music video on the front page of our gallery is now playable in IE, not just Firefox.

2) I've taken time to update the links page with some more of my favorite websites. It's an on-going process because I always seem to forget what I need to add! >_< You'll probably see lots of familiar names on there:

http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/links.asp

3) I've changed the sub-page banner. Here's a random example:
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/master_query.asp?SeriesID=20969

That would be the Bob and Toni chibikins! Basically chibi puppet versions of us. I thought it was kinda cute. The WC logo image is now featured at the bottom of every page (as well as the bottom of the front page).

Like I said, simple changes but things I meant to do a long time ago. I also managed to update with a few new cels and stuff.

Moonlight Knight:
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=175765

Phoenix:
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=176729

Unico:
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=176858

Serendipity:
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=178057

Daisaku in Giant Robo's eye socket:
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=184166

Ryozanpaku & St. Abey from Giant Robo:
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=185113

Fatal Fury Hanken:
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=185156

Ah! My Goddess fan cel:
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=185271

Mon Colle Knights:
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=185690

That chips away a little bit at the "waiting to be scanned and uploaded" pile.

I can't believe I won something in this year's Beta Awards! I'm just so thrilled and humbled ^__^ Thanks so much to everyone who voted for my entry in the Best Non-Anime category. I went ahead and made a special section in our gallery so it's easier to find:

http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/master_query.asp?SeriesID=26864

Maybe future winners will go there too ^_~ hehe. Thanks Brian for handling the contest!

In other news, I haven't done any Christmas shopping yet. ^_^; Which is a little scary, since I plan to do it all online! @_@ But I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I think Senor is already done! He's always trying to show me up and make me look bad... grrrr.... XD

Aside from watching movies and trying to stay warm, nothing new has happened. The home improvements have been put on hold due to the cold weather. Kind of difficult to lay down wood flooring when your finger tips are a little numb. The house is very livable as it is. Having my dream kitchen was first priority anyway, everything else can wait. ;)

During Black Friday this year, we sat outside Best Buy for 10 hours and received a voucher for a 32" LCD HD television. We bought a $1,000 TV for only $470! Definitely worth the effort. I ended up playing Cooking Mama for most of that time. It's a tough but addictive little DS title.

Oh! I will not be doing the fruitcake exchange program this Christmas. Since the move, I'm hindered in my ability to ship out thank you gifts (I was slow enough last year! >_<) I also received a ton of fruitcakes last year, which was wonderful! But probably bad for my health, hehe. Thanks to everyone who participated last time. I will probably have the fruitcake fun next year tho, so don't throw out the ones you receive this year. ^_~ LOL (I'm not kidding tho...)

That about sums it up for now. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the holiday season. Take care!
http://welcomeconsumer.com

Oops!

last modified: Thursday, November 30, 2006 (7:35:48 PM CST)

Argh. Don't you hate it when you're moving tons of files around on several computers..? Of course you do. It's not fun. Plus, you're bound to lose something. If there's an important file, chances are, you'll forget it! I've done this very thing, which brings me to this blog. I apologize for blogging with little purpose, but I need my gallery listing icon. I know it's -somewhere- but I don't know where. How I could've misplaced it, I have no clue.

I was trying to think of some interesting news or something worth while to talk about but little came to mind. Some minor news, it "snowed" today. Not much but enough to cause everyone to panic and drive like maniacs. It was visually pleasing from the window, at least.

Ah! I've thought of something, but it falls under the category of rant. Sorry but here goes. Senor and I went to the movies recently. We don't go to the theatre very much anymore since the prices have climbed so high. But when we do go, we have certain rituals. For instance, we like sitting in the very back row, right under the projector. This is due in part to people resting their feet on the back of our seats or kicking. Incredibly rude and irritating.

So, in order to alleviate this annoyance and avoid people, we always arrive 30 minutes before the movie starts and take our seats in the back. But of course, plans are rarely flawless and we usually encounter another problem: strangers asking for favors. When the movie starts, there's always people who wander in and look for empty seats. Naturally, the very front row is free but no one wants to sit there. Not even the late people who deserve to sit there. Instead, they come stumbling over to us and ask us to move for them. So their group of 5 can all huddle together and talk during the movie.

Our answer? No! Absolutely not. Why on earth would we move? There's an empty front row, go sell your sob story down there. I honestly don't care. This exact thing happened just a week or two ago during The Prestige. Great movie, btw. So, these idiots had to sit around us.

I guess now I'm wondering, why on earth do strangers ask for favors? You don't know them, yet, they feel you owe them something. I've even asked people that before, when they ask me for a favor and I decline. I reply, "Why are you asking me to do this for you?" They generally snort at me and say I could do it to be polite. Well, isn't it incredibly impolite to ask a stranger for something? I sure as hell wasn't raised to even TALK to strangers, take their candy or ask for freaking favors.

If I honestly wanted to do something for someone, to help them, -I'd- offer. I would extend myself for their benefit but not because they're forcing me to. I know if I asked those people to move seats for me, they sure as hell wouldn't. That's how life is.

This reminds me of several other episodes where people have asked (ie - TOLD) me to do something for them. All of these people were healthy, 30-somethings who were fully capable of doing things for themselves. Why are people like that? I just don't get it.

I used to get a lot of leers at the post office because I would always have the most parcels to ship. So, to avoid the lines and scoffs behind my back, I decided to utilize one of those "ship it yourself" machines in the lobby. That was nicer but people would still huff about how much time I required to process my shipments. One day, this woman asks if she and the man next to her can cut in front of me. The PO was closed, this machine was the only way to check out. Did I mention that I was already using the machine when she asked? I got there first and I had things to ship, just like her. Only difference is, I got there first. It was apparently more important to me than her. It was a particularly hot day and I was in the middle of work, so this woman's request got under my skin.

And here I thought I had nothing to blog about! Har Har. Sorry for the rant.

We got an X-box 360 for $100!

last modified: Thursday, November 23, 2006 (1:18:48 PM CST)

Update: Thanks for all the wonderful comments guys. I didn't want to blog -again- so I just decided to amend this one. We -just- got an X-Box 360 from Amazon.com for $100! There were only 1,000 available and the site crashed briefly, but we got it! I'm so freakin' excited! We were up against the entire country, which was extremely nerve racking. ;_; hehe

Again, I appreciate everyone's heartfelt comments. I nearly teared up. You guys are the best. *_* Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I'm pretty excited because it's one of my favorite holidays. I realize it's a strictly American holiday, but the sentiment behind the day is something important for everyone everywhere. Giving thanks is something we should do everyday and it's nice that at least one is set aside to pay homage to this crucial practice.

Getting together and enjoying a big meal with the family is my idea of perfection. I'm not terribly fond of my extended family, but I'm very close to my parents and Senor's parents. It makes this season very special to me because I really love (and like!) the people in my life. I feel very lucky to be able to honestly say that.

I give thanks that the house is finally at a point where we can live in it. I'm thankful for my new husband and the life we've created together and we're still working on for the future. My family and friends are healthy and doing well. Definitely a wonderful feeling; I'm very happy right now. I'm thankful for my life.

Oh! I'm also extremely thankful for the cow-pig bank Hotice sent me! She is such a dear and bought me a wonderful souvenir from Holland: a cow/pig bank! I don't have a picture yet, but it's a pig with cow spots. I LOVE IT!! Thank you Hotice =) You're the best *hugs* http://puddle.rubberslug.com/

Roughly two days ago, I became an aunt! My half-brother and his wife had an 8 lbs boy. Robin was due two weeks ago, the poor thing, and they finally had to induce labor because it just didn't seem like it was going to happen! He came out big and healthy, no complications or problems at all. He's lovely and the new parents took to him instantly. I sincerely hope their future is a bright one. Having a child is something they both really wanted and I'm happy for them both.

Sorry to gush and spam the front page, but it has been a very emotional time for all of us. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you're all safe and well. I'd like to know what all of you give thanks for this year. ^_^

http://welcomeconsumer.com

Wii-eee!

last modified: Sunday, November 19, 2006 (8:49:10 PM CST)

At midnight last night, we went to EB Games to pick up our Wii. The same people who pre-ordered their system at that location were lined up outside the store. They were in the exact same order and everything. We stood outside in the cold for about 15-20 minutes while people were allowed, two at a time, to go inside and buy their systems. We made sure to pay off our system in advance, so we could quickly checkout and get home.

The district manager was present for the transactions and when our system was rung up, we owed them ........ 1 penny! WTF?! We made sure we paid off the system ahead of time, so how the hell did we end up owing them one cent? So strange. The DM told the store manager to just let it go. It was hilarious. (We were scared they wouldn't let us have the system ;_;)

There are a ton of features to customize and tweak. The Mii aspect is cool as hell. You basically get to create little 3-D versions of yourself, they resemble Lego people. We spent a few hours making ourselves, family members and celebrity Miis. They make cameos in some Wii games, so it's worth the effort.

We have Twilight Princess, Trauma Center and, of course, Wii Sports. The game that's proved to be the most entertaining is Wii sports because of the competitive angle. You get to bowl, box, play baseball, tennis and golf. The interactive aspect to each game is SO FUN!!! And the controller is extremely accurate. You'll find yourself running around and jumping and looking like a fool while you play but you just don't care. It's just that fun. The beauty is in the simplicity. There's nothing fancy or over the top going on. It's just good clean fun. Can't wait to try Wii sports while intoxicated. :P

The Wii is everything I imagined it would be. All the pre-release hype, ads and blogs were right. The control is smooth and responsive, the graphics are superior to Gamecube (it's not just running on the old Gamecube hardware, that's a myth) and it's just so damn fun to play! Shouldn't games be fun? I'm tired of ripping my damn hair out everytime I die because a game is incredibly difficult or confusing.

Plus, you get a great workout. My arms are killing me right now. *_* I also couldn't stop laughing. The Wii makes ya feel good. It's more fun with more players. Perfect for parties. I love it!

I've managed to scan some cels that have been lying around and I might actually upload them soon. I also owe several people PMs and emails (sorry guys!)

Oh! I almost forgot! I saw Casino Royale on Friday and it's fabulous!!! I loooved it so much. It's about time a British actor took on the role (it's been a looong time). It's interesting to note that it's an American movie about a British character (novel) played primarily by Irish/Scottish actors. How weird. Anyway, the new Bond is very exciting and there are no end to the plot twists. Go see it! And buy a Wii! Right now!!! You won't regret it. =)

http://welcomeconsumer.com

Wizard World.

last modified: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 (10:23:43 AM CST)

Wizard World Texas happened this weekend and it was a blast. I think this is the 3rd or 4th year the convention has come to Dallas. Last year was not fun. There were more corporate sponsors than anything else and most of the smaller vendors were booted out. It lacked the personal touches that smaller conventions have and so we were worried that this year would suffer from the same problem. Luckily, we were wrong.

Apparently, at the last minute, the convention organizers called up several anime dealers and offered them table deals if they would attend. A few did, which made the convention a little more interesting. But, as some of you know, science fiction/comic book crowds don't necessarily mix with anime crowds. We spoke with a dealer who happens to be a good friend about this and received some interesting insights.

While I enjoy sci-fi and comics as well as anime, that's not always the case. Apparently their spending habits are quite different as well. I don't know if anime will be a permanent feature of Wizard World, but the objective is to crush other conventions. Isn't that terrible? We average about 1 convention a month here in Dallas, so we're very lucky. But I can see the fellowship vary from con to con. Wizard World wants to offer a little bit of everything, so as it to make all other conventions obsolete. I doubt that will happen, but they might kill off 1 or 2 of the smaller cons.

We had a lot of fun. Funimation had two large displays, giving away free ramen. Of course I scored several... >_> I got a couple of free t-shirts, some magnets and we entered as many sweepstakes as possible.

There was a Toyfare booth with a fun little contest. You get to decide the category and the booth runners would decide the question and you'd have to answer it in order to get a chance to spin the prize wheel. I spent my time in line trying to figure out what category would be my strength. I mean, what subject do you feel most confident on if you knew you were going to be tested on it? Without any additional prep, just go in and answer the question! It was kind of nerve racking. Senor suggested Giant Robo and I was like "yeah! duh." Senor's category was King of the Hill. Luckily, the judges didn't know anything about GR, so it made my question a lot easier... ^_^ Ultimately, we won some lame comic books.

The big highlights of the convention were Lou Ferrigno and Sarah Douglas. I got to meet both of them and take pictures, etc. I brought my Hulk TV series DVD and had Lou sign it. He is such an amazingly gentle person, despite his large size. He's incredibly sweet and personable. For those who don't know, he was born with significant hearing loss, so he tends to remain quiet. We've been watching the original Hulk series on DVD and I forgot how awesome that show really was. Bill Bixby is the f-ing man!

Sarah Douglas, in case the name doesn't sound familiar, played Ursa in the first two Superman movies. She was General Zod's girlfriend, of sorts. Her quirk was collecting patches, badges and medals from her conquests. Sarah is a very tall woman in person and positively gorgeous. She's probably 54 years old now but still incredibly stunning. She carried herself very well and she was great to talk to. She didn't mind answering lots of questions and talking about her experiences. She wore this purple blouse which was largely unbuttoned and loose. Really, just a crazy wonderful woman to meet. I got a promo signed by her that I plan to get framed later.

I'm looking forward to thanksgiving and Christmas this year. No reason in particular, just looking forward to the end of the year holidays. I hope everyone is doing well and having fun. I actually scanned a handful of cels the other day and might eventually update with them! O_O hehe.

http://welcomeconsumer.com

Captain Lou Albano.

last modified: Saturday, October 28, 2006 (9:38:40 PM CST)

Rewind to a week ago. Best Buy had a special sales event for customers with "Reward Zone" cards. Typically, we'd never have such a card, but when we were buying appliances for the new house, it kinda made sense. When we bought the washer/dryer combo unit, for example, we received about $100 in gift certificates just for that one purchase. So anyway, we're at this event hoping to maybe score some free swag. During the event, there were incentives to make purchases (of course).

Senor leans over to me and says:

"You know, Captain Lou is going to be at Comicon next weekend."

"Really? Cool!"

"You should buy the Super Mario Super Show DVD set and have him sign it."

"...hm... nah..."

"Fine. But you'll regret it."

I really did like the idea, but I thought, "I should save my money." In short, I'm such a fool.

Fast forward to today, we attend Comicon and there's Captain Lou. Looking at me. Knowing full and well that I'm dying for an autograph from him. I look over and Senor gives me the "told ya so" look of disgrace.

Thus, we rush to Best Buy and pick up the Super Mario Super Show DVD set and rush back to the convention. I bolt over to Captain Lou's table and sit my DVD set in front of him. He proceeds to sign it (addressed to me and everything! EEE!)

Senor asks if he can snap a couple pics of us together. Lou wraps his arm around me like a big ol' teddy bear and I giggle. Then, after the first pic is snapped, he smooches my ear! Hehehe! Senor asks if he can take another picture with Lou kissing my cheek. I think Lou was gonna do that anyway, so it worked out >;)

I gush about how much I loved watching Lou's wrestling career and the Mario show. He was such a sweet heart. We hug and he tells me what a lovely lady I am. I was totally beet red by the end of it and could barely speak.

It was just too cool to meet Lou in person and have him sign the DVDs. I was (and still am) such a huge Nintendo fan and have such fond memories of watching the cartoon. Today rocked so freakin' hard.

Sorry, just HAD to gush about this. I know it's not the biggest of big deals, but it definitely was for me. Lou Albano is such a nice guy too. Very polite and just hilarious.

As for cels, I have about 100 to scan and almost zero intention of scanning them. Heh. Oh! I almost forgot! The open house recap. It's officially over now and I'd love to hear about other people's experiences during the event. While not everyone was capable of finishing, it was still a ton of fun. I tweaked my gallery based on some suggestions. My GR music video on the front page will now load in IE browsers and regular sized cel descriptions are featured underneath instead of on the right side. Overall, it was a productive affair and a very fun experience. I'd love to do it again.

http://welcomeconsumer.com

Father disappeared, GR revealed, Wii secured!

last modified: Sunday, October 15, 2006 (11:23:10 AM CST)

This was quite a weekend! @_@ I will recap in chronological order...

Thursday, we received a phone call from EB Games about the Nintendo Wii preorder. The manager said they would get about 50 systems. Which sounded generous and overly reasonable. The preorder deposit was reduced from $100 to only $50. More good news! So, we took a lot of old DVDs that weren't worth reselling online and traded them in that evening. We got about $200 in credit, which was nice!

Later that evening, we speak with another employee. Apparently, they are slated to receive only 20 systems. @_@ We get a little scared by this news. We rush home and eagerly await the next morning...

Friday the 13th. Getting up at 8am, we rush to the store, making it only about an hour before they officially open. There was already a small line of people. There are rumors floating through the line:

"They only have 17 systems..."

Surely not, right? 17? But alas, it's true. There were probably 20 and 3 employees were allowed to preorder their own. Makes sense. Still kinda sucked tho. We stand there for quite some time, when finally the manager steps out and confirms the rumor. They only have 17 systems available for preorder. Anyone who receives the paper he's handing out will be guaranteed a system.

He begins to hand out the sheet of paper to each and every lucky person in line. The last sheet is handed out... lucky number 17... TO US!!! I squeal with delight, as several unhappy folks behind me groan and scatter. Truly freakin' awesome.

Saturday, we had a huge scare. I'm sitting in bed, playing Trace Memory on my DS, when Senor receives a phone call from his mom. Apparently, she's stuck at the mall with Senor's sister, waiting for Senor's dad to come back and pick them up. They've been waiting for over an hour and have grown worried. Well, we shoot out to their side of town and begin searching the few places he might've visited.

Senor's theory from the beginning is that Dad went to wait for them at the wrong entrance. He asks if Mom and sis have checked the other entrance. "Uh....no" And why not? Some how, in all this, they didn't bother to check the other entrance. On top of which, once Senor suggested they do, they STILL NEVER CHECK!

My theory is that he's fallen asleep somewhere. He's a serial napper, for sure. Well, if you combine Senor's theory with my own, you basically discover what ultimately happened...

We finally receive a call from him, asking where WE are! Turns out, he fell asleep waiting for them at the wrong entrance. He forgot his cell phone, as always, and that's why he never answered the phone. Before the night was over, we were all worried sick about him. But I'm glad it was just a stupid misunderstanding.

Now for the end of this blog. The official website for the new GR anime has been revealed! You all know I'm excited ^_~ It's based more on Yokoyama's original comic and has nothing to do with the OAV series. Looks pretty interesting. The robot designs are fabulous! The new manga/comic series also looks fantastic.

http://gr-anime.com/

I should celebrate by uploading new cels, but that requires effort >_< hehe

This has been a wild weekend.

Open House starting soon!

last modified: Sunday, September 10, 2006 (12:37:14 PM CST)

Just a reminder to everyone, if you're interested in joining the Open House, please PM me (or RS feedback works too). Check out the Beta thread for more information:

http://www.anime-beta.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=19263

Basically, participants will be asked to exchange feedback with other people participating in the open house. The goal is to open the lines of communication between cel collectors and hopefully promote new ideas and possible friendships.

It should be fun and productive. The event should start soon, but if you're not able to participate immediately, don't let that stop you. Read the posts in the thread for more details.

I'm still waiting on information from three people. So, during this time, a few new participants can squeeze in if they want. The more the merrier! =)

Open House: Gallery Ratings.

last modified: Saturday, September 02, 2006 (9:33:09 PM CST)

If you visit Beta or the RS forum, you will notice a discussion about gallery ratings. I'd like to have another open house event. The point of the open house is to have your gallery rated and to rate the galleries of others. Afterwards, feedback with constructive suggestions and appropriate commentary should be sent to the gallery owner.

The Beta thread goes into more detail about this event, so please check it out.

http://www.anime-beta.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=19263

Zetsuai and I will be accepting emails and PMs for one week from people who wish to participate. Just submit your name and the URL to your gallery.

Suggestions, questions and comments are more than welcome. So please take the time to voice yourself =) The purpose of this event is to encourage communication among cel collectors and receive feedback about our galleries. Conversation, ideas and fun are the goals!

Where is everyone?

last modified: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 (10:58:50 PM CST)

It seems Beta and RS have been kind of dead lately. Where is everyone? What's everyone doing? I know people have lives which extend beyond cels and I'm curious to know what everyone has been up to lately. People don't seem to blog as often, even updates are slow.

Personally, I've been without a scanner due to the move. I now have scanner access but still too busy to sit down and take the time to scan cels for new updates. I'd like to get back into a regular updating routine but it won't be for some time.

School has started for some folks, which might explain the slow down. So, where have you been? What have you been up to? If you haven't been buying cels, what have you been spending your money on?

Lately I've been revisiting some neglected hobbies, such as video games and gashapon. I've also had to spend money on household items. We recently purchased a Dyson vacuum cleaner, which was $500+ for the basic model but it's well worth the investment. They work wonderfully and never need bags or filters. Fantastic machine!

I almost forgot! This weekend is Anime Fest, woooo! Anyone else going? =)

I hope this blog inspires others to get active again. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Brinks. Barks. Blast.

last modified: Friday, August 18, 2006 (2:20:36 PM CST)

The Brinks guy came Thursday at 8am on the dot. I was kinda groggy but curled up with my tea and let him get to work. We walked through the house, so Pete (the Brinks guy) could see what was to be done. He looked a little scared. I only learned later that, 1) he's never done a two-story house before, 2) he's never done a house with only hardwood floors (and absolutely no carpet), 3) he's never done a house as old as ours (it was built in 1912).

As I'm sitting in the kitchen, talking to a friend, Pete walks by a few times. I hear him make a few phone calls. Couple hours later, I hear the doorbell. Another Brinks person has come to help. Mind you, one technician is sent per job. A few more hours go by and another Brinks technician has arrived.

They were all very nice gentleman and worked very hard on the house. What was supposed to take about 5 hours for 1 technician required 8 hours and 3 technicians. @_@ The men didn't leave till about 6pm. I'm very pleased with the system, but it was an extremely long wait.

The 6 entrances have contacts, several windows are covered by what's called "glass breaks" and there is a motion detector in the main area on the first floor. All in all, it was a very cool and interesting set-up. The instructional DVD was hilarious, but aren't those things always hokey?

We finally got some pictures of the dogs and they are posted in our RS photo album.

http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/album.aspx

Taking pics of 8 adult dogs isn't easy, so please forgive the quality.

Our babies are (in order of album display):

Muffin - our smallest dog, she's very spoiled and thinks she's tough
Mona - Very hyper and jumps high as hell. She's like Snoopy: sleeps on top of her dog house.
Maggie - the hippo of the bunch, she's a fat ass choco-lab
Lolo - my new baby! I love her to pieces!
Hershey - I call him Bagel. Pointer. Such a doofus.
Louie - The jealous one of the bunch. Choco-lab.
Chispa - name means "Spark." She thinks she's a tiny dog.
Guts - aka - Blackie. He's the Alpha male and old man.

Several of these dogs were rescues and strays. They are all very loving and some are impossibly spoiled.

And now to the Blast! part of this blog. Today, we (the whole family) had a very good time. My sister-in-law graduated with her bachelor's in Psychology, minoring in Child Psychology. The ceremony was lovely and we had a big meal together afterwards. It was really nice.

It poured today in Dallas, which was fantastic. Broke the humidity somewhat and made everything look greener. Today was truly a beautiful day, I feel very lucky and happy with my life.

Thanks for reading my entry. Hope everyone has a nice weekend. =) http://welcomeconsumer

Assiduous.

last modified: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 (4:31:12 PM CST)

We finally moved into the house about a month ago! XD The renovations are not complete, but it's comfortable enough for now. Not having to commute as much makes life a lot easier. I cooked our first dinner the other night and it was very tasty :) I did realize, however, that I'm still without many essentials in the kitchen (like a cutting board...) >_< There's so many little things to buy! It's amazing what all goes into a house. We've been non-stop busy for so long now, it's nice to take the time to relax a little.

We finally hooked up the big computer and networked all of the laptops! =D I'm very happy about that because we'll finally be able to update again. The cel stack has been growing, so it'll be nice to share the new goodies. The WC comic should also be continuing soon as well.It's obviously more complex than simply scanning cels, but we're both becoming kind of antsy. We need that creative outlet!

We met with the Brinks representative yesterday. They walked through the house with us and we told them what kind of security we wanted. Since the house is huge and we have 6 outside doors, the installation will cost $1,000. T-T They're coming tomorrow to install everything. I highly recommend Brinks, they really know what they're doing. All of their employees are bonded, drug tested and FBI background checked.

A stray dog snuck into our backyard recently. She closely resembled a dog we own, so we almost didn't notice the extra dog O.o My in-laws tried to get her adopted, but nothing seemed to pan out for her. I hoped we'd get to keep her and it all kinda worked out ^_^ I've named her Lolo and gave her her first bath the other day. She whimpered but looks great now. In fact, I gave all 4 of the dogs their bathes. Then it rained literally seconds after I finished. -_- hehe...

Speaking of dogs, I've had to take care of a blind dog recently. He's quite old and super spoiled, but I try to stay firm with him. The owners want to keep him inside all the time and the dog pretends like he doesn't need to go outside, like, EVER! Once he's outside, he gets brave and runs around, but getting him out there can be tricky. It's amazing how much we love our animals and can bond with them and such.

Anyone see Talladega Nights yet? That movie looks very funny. Some friends gave us a gift card for AMC theatres and we've been seeing a ton of new movies (the price for admission was raised to about $8 so the gift card was quite valuable to us).

Lately, I've been rewatching a lot of movies. Like Sid and Nancy and the First Blood trilogy. Apparently they are making First Blood IV? Wowzers! It's amazing how different part 1 is from part 2. You can really tell James Cameron was involved with part 2 (to compare, think of the difference between Alien and Aliens).

I've got some pictures of the house. Post them? Maybe! :P Take care everyone, have a nice week.

http://welcomeconsumer.com

Superman.

last modified: Thursday, June 29, 2006 (4:00:32 AM CST)

Here's a short summary: I liked the movie. If you're curious to know why, continue reading. There are no spoilers here, just my insights.

Just got back from seeing Superman Returns. It's fantastic. I imagine it not appealing to the general masses, however, much like Peter Jackson's King Kong. It's a unique hybrid - homage, sequel, remake, origin film. If you are a fan of the archetypes created in the original Donner films (even though Superman II was stripped from Donner's paws in the final cut), then you will not be disappointed.

The pacing and storytelling are reminiscent of the 1978 Superman, but the plot tackles modernity. The character development and feel of the Metropolitan-world is retro. It's part physical comedy (a la Cary Grant), part complex interpersonal relationships and part apocalyptic disaster film. There are so many echoes from Donner's film, fans will be pleased. Those out of the Superman movie loop will not be lost but this is not your average action movie. Or your typical comic book adaptation, for that matter. Bryan Singer calls Superman Returns a chick-flick.

It's roughly 2 and a half hours long and the teenagers sitting near me were fairly bored by the end. There is no true build-up, the third act is... odd. I liked it very much because it seemed real, complex, modern. The movie has a retro feel but it does not leave the audience feeling disconnected.

If you're curious why Superman and Clark Kent both disappear for 5 years and no one makes the connection about the secret identity: Clark Kent is unnoticable. There are subtle clues to let the audience know that Clark almost does not exist at all. That's the true purpose of his alter ego.

The focus of the original franchise revolved around the affinity and connection between Lois and Superman. This movie picks up that torch beautifully. It's not a fairytale romance, there are realistic obstacles that impede "happily ever after" in the traditional sense. It's not predictable or cheesy.

The relationships between the characters are complicated and painful. There is invisible damage done to everyone, there's real emotion and turmoil. Ken Burns calls Superman the ultimate immigrant. Superman steps out of the two-dimensional; he is no longer the cookie-cutter protagonist. He's not a boyscout, he's a man. He's real, he's lonely, he wants to be human.

The Scrabble board on Martha Kent's table says it all: Alienation.

Can't wait for the 10-something disc Superman boxset. It features a version of Superman II that has received Richard Donner's blessing. =D

Ok, I'm done with the fangirl rant. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Giant Robo Music Video.

last modified: Thursday, June 15, 2006 (2:54:38 AM CST)

Sugarflower had a brilliant idea! She embedded a video clip into her RS gallery. Check it out http://sugarflower.rubberslug.com/gallery/home.asp

It looked so damn cool, I just had to copy her. LOL, sorry Sugar <3 Hope you don't mind ^_^ I'm sure more people will copy you besides me, hehe. I've never seen Mikan Enikki before, but seeing the intro playing in your gallery has me totally interested!

On my gallery's front page, I've posted a Giant Robo music video that was created by Kusoyaro. The music is Liberi Fatali from Final Fantasy. I believe this video won a contest at a previous A-kon. Either way, it's a fantastic video that compiles marvelous clips from GR without being too spoiler-tastic! If you haven't seen GR, this might entice you to check it out. Either way, hope you enjoy it. I might randomly change the featured video if I have time (and remember to do it).

For those keeping track, I'm finally sober! The cast party was lots of fun, I wish there was one everyday ;_; I can't get enough free food and drinks! =) Mmmm...

A family of baby chickens (or chippies) has migrated to our house, for some reason. They visit during the day and disappear in the evening. They are totally cute and surprisingly quiet! I might capture one and keep it as a pet (or dinner... mwhahaha).

I haven't seen Cars yet, but hope to this weekend. Ack! Speaking of cars, I have to get an oil change tomorrow! Ok, bedtime. ^_^

http://welcomeconsumer.com

Married on 6-6-6!

last modified: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 (2:36:01 AM CST)

Yippie!!! We're now officially married. ^_^ Life is good! We were planning to get married sometime or other anyway. This was just an excuse to do it now, haha =) I have a wretched long term memory, so remembering 666 will be a piece of cake! We've been together for nearly 5 years and our parents had never even met before.

I think we'll have several celebratory dinners with various friends and family. We planned on a small ceremony to save money for our house remodeling, as well as the honeymoon to Japan. XD So exciting!

The world didn't end or anything today, which was a huge disappointment, I must admit. There's still about 1 hour of today left in the Central Time Zone, so here's hopin' ^_~

I -finally- started shipping out gifts to everyone who sent me presents. I'm so sorry for the wait guys. But Okunichan, Mokman, HotIce, SME, Ronin and a few others can expect to receive gifts very soon. Again, I sincerely apologize for the delay but the house and stuff just slowed me down considerably. You all were so sweet to me during Christmas and my birthday, I truly appreciate that. *big group huggles* You guys are such wonderful friends to have. Thank you <3

I'm an old married lady now. I'm so friggin' happy. I can hardly put it into words. We always planned to get married and called each other "husband and wife." But there's something kind of special about going through the official process. *__* Life is grand. 666 rules!!! LMAO

http://welcomeconsumer.com

New Cel. Akon. English Aerobics?

last modified: Monday, June 05, 2006 (10:40:16 PM CST)

We've been making steady progress with the house. Purchased the faucet for the bathroom, along with the sink and bedroom nightstands. They were fun to build, compared to the huge bureaus O_o It's also kind of funny to have matching furniture!! Heee! The faucet was an amazing find too! It was originally priced at $140, but I found an unopened one on the vendor's shelf. Those are discontinued models, so they are insanely marked down. I got it for $40! ^__^ I also purchased my shower curtain on eBay. I wanted a specific one that wasn't available in stores anymore, but eBay is great for that kind of thing. (No, it wasn't -used- or anything LOL).

We've been slowly adding new cels to our collection. One major one is the one we're adding tonight. A cel from a very rare and brief scene in Giant Robo, featuring Daisaku's father. MAJOR WISHLIST! I can't even believe the price I paid too! I think the dealer didn't know who he was... *_* So happyyyy! http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=165485

Akon is this coming weekend!!!! I want to meet some Rubbersluggers and Betarians!!! I don't know what most of you guys look like, so please look for me. I'll be the short white girl with the long braid, with the brown guy. We'll be wearing matching shirts (we always do... it's sappy, I know). I'll be kicking and screaming at nerds in the dealers' room >:) Or, spot me and run the other way. Whatever ^_^

Want some fun English lessons? Check out English aerobics!
http://tvinjapan.blogspot.com/2006/05/zuiikin-english-aerobics-english.html

Hope everyone has a fun week! Bob and I are thinking about trying to get married tomorrow, 06.06.06. The blood test thing might slow us down, but we'll try our hardest! I'll post another blog tomorrow if we're successful. hehehehe http://welcomeconsumer.com

Summer. House. Comicon. Exhortation.

last modified: Monday, May 15, 2006 (11:41:05 PM CST)

Summer is already starting in Texas (what happened to Spring?!) The temperature bounces around between 80-101 degrees. While it's nice to have some free time to devote to working on the house, working in 90+ degree heat is not so pleasant.

We managed to build one of the bureaus for the bedroom. When we proceeded to build the second one, three of the tracking wheels were cracked. Puts a kink in our schedule because now we need to contact the company for replacement parts, but we may work on the nightstands while we wait. Naturally, we have matching bureaus and nightstands, heehee.

One bit of fantastic news is the kitchen cabinets: finally paid off! The problem was the company we were working with. We received an estimate from them many months ago but we had to take care of others things first. Then, when we were able to complete the transaction, we had to deal with new people and they were changing locations. We came back on the day they told us to and they had already moved. Guh. In the meantime, we installed the bathroom tile. Finally, we visited them this past week and got everything set up =D

In the last two weeks, we attended Comicon and Free Comic Book Day. Michael Gross was a guest at Comicon because he was in all four Tremors movies. I was dying to get an autograph because he was my favorite TV dad of all time (Family Ties). But I just couldn't bring myself to get his autograph because they did not have any posters or promos from Family Ties, plus the series is not on DVD yet. =\ I really wanted his autograph as "Steven Keaton" but it just wasn't in the cards for me.

Comicon was a lot of fun though. Always is. It's a small, reasonably priced convention that's low fuss, low muss. We managed to finally land a Batgirl figure from The Batman series. Can someone tell me why female characters are always short-packed? Crazy.
http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/reviews/openmike/images/sdcc2/batgirl.jpg

Bob and I also got to judge something called a "laptop battle." It's a live, improv music competition where the contestants use certain programs to create music on the fly with their laptops (and perhaps other attachments). We'd never heard of it before but it was SO COOL! The artists were extremely talented and very entertaining. Blew us away. Two winners were tied for the top spot so they split the $500 prize.

In cel related news, we decided to collect some opinions. We've had some dicussions with fellow collectors and picked their brains about preferences. Since this is our blog, we'll quickly summarize our opinions here (you've been warned):

We like to see cels with backgrounds, either matching or something that simply compliments the cel. We prefer not to see the edges of cels. It's nice and very much appreciated to see descriptions for every cel, it's sad when a cel has nothing :( Screencaps are cool! Coming Soon sections, either public or hidden, is the right of every collector who chooses to have one (you're bank statement has your name on it, right?) Being on the front page doesn't mean you'll win the lottery, thus it's not a big deal. People notice when you blog everyday just to bury people you don't like. If you cannot afford a cel and cannot produce the means to purchase the cel, then let it go. I know that opinion pisses off a lot of folks, but it's our opinion. If the choice is between paying rent and owning a piece of plastic, please pay the rent. If you have an opposing opinion with a legitimate argument against this opinion, we'd love to hear it. We're always up for a good discussion but simply spitting vemon on us is not going to convince us that a cel is somehow more important than food, rent and good credit.

Not trying to cause waves here but RS blogs don't get topic locked like Beta posts do. Seemed like a safe place to express ourselves. Not trying to tick off anyone but it's just how we feel. Feel free to tell us what you think if you disagree.

Rubber Legs.

last modified: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 (1:08:53 AM CST)

My legs are rubber! T-T We've finished applying the adhesive and the tile in the bathroom. Today we grouted... which was time consuming! It's fun but hardwork, and murder on our legs! The results are fulfilling and make it all worth while though. Tomorrow we'll mop, polish and seal the floor. Then install the sink and the bathroom will be done! (as done as it needs to be for us to move in, at any rate).

With all the household remodeling, the webcomic has taken a backseat. It's unfortunate, but we're working on our future and the house is very important. We are still updating, but the schedule is off. We should be able to move into the house in about 2 months, which will allow us to get back to normal updates once again.

I was thinking the other day about the cel community and how important it is. In other words, I couldn't tell some of my friends about what I've bought cel-wise because they wouldn't care. They might listen, but they definitely don't "get" the hobby. Displaying your gallery with all your cels is satisfying. I enjoy sharing the artwork with people I know who will appreciate it. Even if you don't like the same series as me, you can still comprehend my desire to throw away my money on pieces of painted plastic. LOL ^__^

Here are our latest updates.

Apologies pan cel from Giant Robo
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=157500

Takeshi from Devilman Lady
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=157760

Mondo & Rockna from Mon Colle Knights
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=158296

Alexander Senki from Reign: The Conqueror
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=158445

Issei, Koushin, Kaei from Giant Robo
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=159719

Black Jack & Pinoko
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=160039

Mondo
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=160241

She-Ra with sword
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=160262

Teela & Man-At-Arms from He-Man
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=160668

Charlotte Elbourne
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=161090

Pegasus
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=161211

Thanks for reading my post. Hope everyone had a nice Monday ^_^ http://welcomeconsumer.com

Update: Oh, I almost forgot to mention! We added something else to our gallery, but it's not a new cel. It's visible on the main/home page of our gallery, so please have a look. See if you can find it :) I'd love to hear your guesses. Hint: It's something small and pink. Good luck!

Happy Birthday urabob!

last modified: Saturday, April 22, 2006 (9:09:43 PM CST)

I was supposed to post this at midnight... ^^; I did sing to him at midnight tho. We've been too busy celebrating >:) hehe.

It's hard to believe how incredibly profound this day is for me. It was the day my Bob-o was born. *_* I seriously don't know what I would do without him. He keeps me grounded, he keeps me sane (and drives me insane...)

This is a gushy blog, but I have to pay homage to him. He's my best friend and confidant. Every obstacle in my life, he's been their to support me and provide unending encouragement. I truly admire him for the extraordinary person he is. It's gratifying to know I have someone on my side, working with me. A partner in crime!

Startling wit, striking intellect, unrestrained generosity... all wrapped up inside a sexy package. LOL ^___^ I find him attractive, but it's more than just looks. His creativity, skills and talents never cease to amaze me. I respect him, admire him, as much as I adore him and love him.

Believe in love, believe in romance. It exists. I'm so lucky. Thank you Bob. <3 Happy Birthday!

Here is the present I bought for him. O_O Nerd-tastic!

http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/dvd.cfm?itemID=FXD033133

Ok, back to celebratin'! >:D

PS - Sorry for the girlish entry. T-T I bought some cels today. Really, I did. I swear! O_O
http://welcomeconsumer.com

Egg-cel-lent!

last modified: Sunday, April 16, 2006 (8:41:28 PM CST)

Oh, cmon, someone had to make that sad little pun! ;) Hope everyone had a great Easter holiday. I haven't colored my eggs yet (I do it every year...) so I might just do it Monday.

I had an extended weekend, with Good Friday and Easter Monday free. Spent Thursday and Friday installing the bathroom tile. We're not done yet, but it's looking fantastic! Working with tile is a therapeutic exercise because I'm a mosaic artist.

The bathroom is a major accomplishment for us and it's almost complete... ;_; sooo happy. The tile is a lovely range of blues and greens. Really sets off the entire room. It's shaping up to be my favorite room ^_^

To celebrate the holiday (or just because I wanted to indulge), I purchased some new cels. >:)

I also finished a major presentation. At first, I was nervous about it, but I really kicked ass! My jokes slayed the audience and I was actually TOO prepared. I wanted to keep talking and talking but I couldn't. Such a pity. ^_^ Bob was present and supportive, as always. <3

All in all, it's been a fantastic time. The webcomic will continue to be off schedule due to the house work, but sometimes other things take priority. Sorry <3

Have a wonderful and safe holiday everyone! :-)
http://welcomeconsumer.com

WC Comic Update.

last modified: Thursday, April 13, 2006 (12:38:51 AM CST)

Sorry to blog two days in a row here. <3 The new comic is up, finally. It's a tad late. I know Bfly girl noticed. LOL. Forgive me. ^_^

This installment is another somber episode. Hope you enjoy it anyway. http://welcomeconsumer.com

I also wanted to tell Chris from http://chriscelsite.rubberslug.com/ that I find him delightful and interesting. I always look forward to his updates and posts, here and on Beta. I meant to write an email yesterday to this effect, but I got too busy. Sorry <3 Any kind of dicussion, discourse or debate I have with someone has no bearing on how I feel about that person. Just wanted to clarify that. :)

Can you see 75 bands in this picture? http://omega.med.yale.edu/~pcy5/misc/75bands/

And apparently you can buy a cute plushie Poop Hat in Japan O_o http://welcomeconsumer.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=850

I honestly don't know what to think about that. I just hope I don't have a purse to match! >_< Hee-hee.

We finally received our Best Buy gift certificates. Bought Quantum Leap season 4 and Princess Peach for the Nintendo DS. Such a cuuute game! ^_^ You get to control the Princess' emotions in order to rescue Mario. Also bought Greatest American Hero season 1 from the closing down Suncoast.

Cmon, sing with me!

Look at what's happened to me,
I can't believe it myself.
Suddenly I'm up on top of the world,
It should've been somebody else.

Believe it or not,
I'm walking on air.
I never thought I could feel so free-.
Flying away on a wing and a prayer.
Who could it be?
Believe it or not it's just me.

It's like a light of a new day-,
It came from out of the blue.
Breaking me out of the spell I was in,
Making all of my wishes come true-.

Believe it or not,
I'm walking on air.
I never thought I could feel so free-.
Flying away on a wing and a prayer.
Who could it be?
Believe it or not it's just me.

Hope everyone has a pleasant week ^_^

UPDATE: Oh my god! Wild Wild West is finally on DVD! (The original TV series, not the movie with Will Smith.) I am soooooo beyond happy!!! I loved this show to a scary degree when I was a kid. T-T I am truly so very happy.

Wedding Bells.

last modified: Monday, April 03, 2006 (3:50:10 PM CST)

Not for meeee! Not yet, at least ;) Fooled ya didn't I?! >:) heehee. As for us, we plan to elope to Hawaii. Just a matter of coordinating our schedules. ^_^ LOL

We attended the wedding of my mentor's daughter. It was such a lovely ceremony and reception. There were a ton of people there too! My mentor's wife is a local attorney with a very good reputation, so the bride joked that the majority of the guests were there to see her mother. ^_^

I've never seen a Jewish ceremony in person before. Photography is not allowed during the exchanging of vows, as it is considered a sacred ceremony. The Hebrew blessings were lovely.

The reception was a riot. There was an open bar. Mwhahaha! >:) After champagne, cosmopolitans, and screw drivers, I got a little dizzy. Dinner was delicious. I roamed around and procured many tasty hors d'oeuvres. Buffet style dining is kind of nice, I prefer to not bother the wait staff. There were fish, lamb, beef and pasta stations. *__* Hog heaven for me! oink oink...

Can't exactly recollect how much I ate or drank, but all-in-all, it was a lovely festival and a heart warming experience. I wish the happy couple many years of success and bliss :)

On another note, I just wanted to say I enjoyed V for Vendetta and don't consider myself to have low standards. I can understand if someone doesn't like something that I do like. Variety is the spice of life, afterall. But I don't appreciate the feeling that I'm being insulted for my tastes or interests.

http://welcomeconsumer.com

Ripley's Believe It or Not!

last modified: Tuesday, March 21, 2006 (2:29:18 AM CST)

This past week was a rollercoaster. Did a lot of things and had a couple of scares. But all-in-all, everything was pleasant. Here's what happened, in no particular order...

Reunited with a old friend of mine. She was practically my sister. We both had such insane lives, which is why we lost touch. Our respective families had such issues and problems, we never had enough time to keep our relationship going. But it was so very good to hear from her again. I love her so much ^_^ That made me insanely happy.

Bob purchased a laptop exactly like mine, so we could be laptop buddies. Yes, yes, we are THAT cute, no? :P Also, we bought matching webcams. So, even if we're in separate rooms... we can see each other... God, did I just admit that?! T-T hee-hee

Went to Ripley's Believe It or Not! and Wax Museum. That trip was an absolute blast! Saw all kinds of freaky things and took tons TONS of pictures with our new digicam. About 400 pictures. LOL :D It was so cool. Can't wait to go back.

Saw V for Vendetta. Loved it. It's different from the comic in a lot of ways, but it had to be modernized. And V had to be humanized. Alan Moore is just ticked that he signed away the rights to DC. The movie actually toned down how truly horrible the government and the Chancellor were in the comic. The concentration camps, for example, were glossed over somewhat.

My mom received her results from the dermatologist. She doesn't have skin cancer. Thank god. I was slightly worried. Well, very worried. But I just felt like it would all turn out alright, and it did. Bob's father was diagnosed with prostate cancer early in our relationship. He survived but we always worry. My uncle has inoperable lung cancer and we basically have to just wait for him to die. It's... hard to feel powerless.

As Ginga has reminded me, my brother's wife is pregnant. They barely know each other, haven't even been married a year yet and now she's pregnant? Geez. And this kind of thing happened once before. But the woman my brother was dating had a miscarriage. Whew. I don't even know what to say, think or do. I'm just going to sit back and keep my mouth shut. It's not my business. He has enough to deal with. Hopefully everything will be fine.

Everything will be ok. Everything is as it should be, no matter what. We do what we can, the best that we can. Take care everyone! Hope you have a nice week.

http://welcomeconsumer.com

WC Comic Update.

last modified: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 (10:05:13 PM CST)

This week's comic is not for everyone. It deals with mature themes. In the vein of MASH, Titus, Greg the Bunny, Scrubs, Angel, Buffy, and Arrested Development, we are a dark comedy serial. http://welcomeconsumer.com

It's been a very crazy/busy time for us. We have arranged to purchase the kitchen cabinets in 2 weeks (the original style we ordered by Republic was discontinued). Not a huge set back, but we tend to get antsy.

Bought the kitchen sink tho! Needed the internal bowl measurement to be a specific width and we found it! Very happy about that. ^_^

Also bought a Sony digital camera. Suncoast is closing down, so we got an excellent deal. So sad to see Suncoast go away. Best Buy destroyed them.

Saw a sneak preview of the movie "Inside Man" with Clive Owen. A-maz-ing! I loved it. Highly recommended. There are so many plot twists, you won't see it coming.

We just got back from having dinner at a place called Rockfish. Still alittle dizzy from the margaritas and pina coladas. Kickin' it into serious mode!!! Have a nice week everyone :)

Artwork and Fancels.

last modified: Thursday, March 02, 2006 (11:11:22 PM CST)

A while back, Not Sir Phobos secretly approached us to produce some artwork as a surprise for Fetish4minx. We couldn't upload it until it was officially revealed to Marie and apparently she loves it! ^_^ So glad you both enjoy the end result. You can see it in our Spotlight art section. I think they look pretty cute
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=154173

I recently discovered the beauty of fancels! *_* SME's sister Barbwire has produced an amazing fancel for us. I can't wait to receive it and provide a complimenting background when it's finally on display in our gallery. I love it so much! T-T

The most generous and wonderful Ami (Amsterdam) is working on a special fancel for us =D I'm so totally excited about her progress! I love it *_* Check out her gallery for the scan
http://mycels.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=154172

The lovely Keeper from Beta (Heather) has also produced 1 of about 6 commissioned pieces. The results are fantastic! XD

Everything produced has been EXACTLY what I wanted!!!! I am sooooo beyond happy! You guys are extremely skilled at your crafts and I feel so lucky to be receiving such amazing works of art. Each of you are making our dreams come true! Thank you thank you thank you! <3<3<3

Have a nice weekend everyone! http://welcomeconsumer.com

New Laptop!

last modified: Monday, February 27, 2006 (2:29:28 PM CST)

Thanks to Senor's overwhelming generosity, I will have a new laptop tonight! ^_^ I say generosity, but I think it was partially self-serving. "Now I can finally surf the way -I- want..." hehe. But I don't mind, I'm elated to get a new computer, for whatever reasons. My current one is pitiful in regards to RAM.

Best Buy is having weekly sales you can find in their fliers. Every week a different laptop is marked down but they kept selling out the first day of the sale. Sunday we casually visit, assuming they would be sold out for the 3rd week in a row. But no! They had ONE left! =D So happy. So lucky. I turned to Senor and said, "Should we get it?!" and he's like "What is wrong with you?!" LOL. Well, I didn't want to appear greedy.. >_> heehee.

Being the sentimental fool that I am, I feel bad for my old laptop. *_* It still works! It's not... horrible! *violently clings to her old laptop* I've only had this one for close to 4 years. If it were up to me, I'd never buy anything. Senor got my first laptop and now the new one, too. He's more into gadgets and I honestly believe he uses me as an excuse to purchase new electronics and stuff. ^__~

Well, whether I'm ready or not, the laptop has been purchased. No backing down now! I'm always guilt ridden by "luxury purchases," so it will take some time to get over that as well. Senor's retort: "Hey, if you don't want it..." LOL =B

The worst part will be loading all of my documents, preferences, wallpapers and BOOKMARKS! >_< My current laptop does not have a CD burner, so the process will be time consuming at best. T-T

Hope you all have a great week! ^_^ http://welcomeconsumer.com

New WC Comic Update.

last modified: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 (11:48:39 PM CST)

The newest installment of the WC webcomic has been posted. It's a fun blast from the past. Another one-shot, so everyone can get a chuckle from it. http://welcomeconsumer.com

For everyone who sent presents for Christmas and my birthday, thanks so much! I have finally finished off the last fruitcake and will be ready to send exchange gifts soon. So very sorry about the long wait! ^^; I've been terribly busy (I actually work while I lurk in the chatroom, can you believe it? LOL) I appreciate your patience <3

We recently bought some more bathroom fixtures, on sale! Quite a find. On top of that, we purchased the very last LG Washer/Dryer 2-in-1 combo unit from Best Buy. It was also on sale and we received an additional discount because it was the unused floor model (it looked mint, not even a scratch!) It will be delivered this Saturday and the delivery service will also be free. :D We're both so excited!

Next up will be the rug for the bedroom. Plan to pick that up this weekend, if the weather permits. We'll also have some furniture to build, if it's not too cold and rainy.

We've been updating with a lot of wishlist cels recently, especially the pan cels. Thanks to Lemar, we're able to show em off finally ^_^ I'll blog about the specific cels later, after we are completely done uploading them all.

Have a nice week everyone! Please enjoy the comic ^_^ http://welcomeconsumer.com

New WC Comic and Polkamon!

last modified: Wednesday, February 08, 2006 (12:50:06 AM CST)

The newest installment of the WC webcomic has been posted. It's a one-shot, the general theme can be understood by everyone but the pop-culture is a Transformers (Beast Wars) reference this time. So, if you don't quite get it, you'll still laugh because it's funny. ^_^ http://welcomeconsumer.com

Does anyone have the Weird Al "Polkamon" Song? It's from the Pokemon movie soundtrack and it consists of Weird Al singing all of the Pokemon names. An mp3 would be great. If ANYone has it, please contact me!!! We've looked on Torrents and can't seem to find it.

Recently, we've been updating with our pan cels that have been lying around the house. Scanning is tricky but the real problem was putting them together. But, thanks to Lemar, we figured out a great way *_* So, please be sure to check out our Ghostbusters, Giant Robo and Vampire Hunter D sections. All of which were HUGE wishlist purchases and it's really great to finally be able to share these treasures. The D cel has caused us to receive a ton of wonderful emails! Thanks soooo much guys! =D It's fantastic to hear you enjoy the cel, which is part of the fun of Rubberslug, to share and cel-a-brate! hehehehe

So, more pan cels will be coming up soon. ^_^ Thanks again GB. <3 Big thanks to Amsterdam too! I received a lovely Christmas/Birthday/Valentine's Day card from her. Thank you Ami, it was very funny! I'm going to scan it and put it up in the art section (it's a work of art, truly!) LOL

Hope everyone has a nice week. Happy Valentine's Day! It's not just a day for lovers, it's a day for love! So, be sure to make sure your loved ones know how much you care. ^_^

Thank You - Indy, Kisara, Shipwreck!

last modified: Monday, February 06, 2006 (1:27:57 PM CST)

This entry is overdue, sorry guys! I received a surprise from my friends Indy, Special K and Mr. Sherman. I open the parcel and find the most amazing... most unexpected... insane presents I've ever received! O_O

Unfortunately, I do not have photos just yet. But I will -attempt- to describe what was contained within the magic box.

There were two cookies. One looked EXACTLY like Azegoth!!! He was pink, had blue buttons and everything! It is absolutely perfect in ever respect! I can't eat him tho >_> hehehe. I'm tempted! The other cookie? Looked like HERMAN!! EEEE! He even has black icing for his pants and stuff. Thanks to Mr. Sherman's dedication with the black icing. I love them both so much!

I will definitely take pictures of the cookies and post them in the Art section of my gallery. *_* I would love to see Azegoth cookies from Nabisco!

The parcel also contained... a fruitcake! :D~ I appreciate Indy buying me another, his dog ate the first one. Or, is THIS the first one!? >_< hehe

Also, there were pornopgraphic pictures of Kisara and a filthy note. Am I lying? You'll never know. >:P (I'm kidding of course, we all know K can't read or write).

I'm teasing ^_^ There is also a cel of boxers! I plan to stick that in the art section too, just because it feels like a Christmas gift you'd receive from a family member. LOL

Thanks sooooo much guys! You've made Bob and me so ecstatically happy!! Joy! Rapture! *dances around*

New webcomic is posted soon, so watch for that. Also, we've been updating with a new cel daily, so check out our News section to see the 4 latest additions at any given time. Thank you! http://welcomeconsumer.com

Thank You, Okunichan!

last modified: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 (9:31:29 PM CST)

*does happy dance of joy* A parcel arrived today from the English Tea Store! I tear it open, wondering and hoping what it might be... much to my elation it is a gift from the lovely Okuni-chan! (http://okunichan.rubberslug.com/) Enclosed is a Bronte Luxury Iced Christmas Cake and a Bronte Rum and Butter Cake. T-T Oh my god... please marry me okuni! I looove yooou! LOL

Well, suffice it to say, my Tuesday has been grand! =D I am really eager to send out the Thank You presents but have not had time yet. Sorry guys! *grovels* I might just end up aiming for early Valentine's presents, at this rate. <3

Still scanning and attempting to update everyday with a new cel. Several were from months and months ago. *_* Hopefully will piece together some of the pan cel scans too, those are time consuming.

Finally got around to seeing Tristan and Isolde, a chivalric movie based on the Irish legend of star-crossed lovers. It's very good, romantic with enough action to keep Bob interested. Definitely going to buy it on DVD, recommended for quixotic saps like myself. ^_^

http://welcomeconsumer.com

Thank You, Ronin!

last modified: Sunday, January 29, 2006 (1:38:10 PM CST)

Awwww, yay! Andy (http://ronin.rubberslug.com/) sent me a lovely Christmas package from England. ^_^ It included a matured Christmas pudding, which says "A matured, moist Christmas pudding packed with vine fruits, cherries, pecans, almonds and laced with port and cognac." Sounds delicious, I've actually never had a Christmas pudding before and I'm eager to try this one. It resembles a small bread pudding and is filled with dark fruits *_*

You can read more about Christmas pudding here and see some pictures too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_pudding

Andy was also sweet enough to send a Christmas card which included an original piece of art by Andy as well! T-T I'm so happy! Thanks very much <3<3 You've totally made my day and I can't thank you enough.

I plan to scan the artwork inside the card and post it in my gallery. ^_^ hahaha.

http://welcomeconsumer.com

Thank You, Amsterdam! pt 2

last modified: Thursday, January 26, 2006 (6:25:53 PM CST)

EEEEE!!!! I received a parcel yesterday from Ami... containing 2, count 'em, TWO fruitcakes!!! *_* I love you Ami, please marry me. Hahaha. I have stashed them away in my "To Do" pile. I am so happy. *explodes*

Happy Birthday to Bfly Girl! Be sure to post your well wishes in her Beta birthday thread. She's planning a wedding, has two rings and just won at bingo! Does her luck ever end?
http://www.anime-beta.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=16696

Gotta take Senor to the eye doctor today, he's an artist so he's uberly paranoid about his precious eyes. The guy practically has X-ray vision! But still complains that he is becoming mortal and that any loss of eye sight would be devastating. I humor him with these doctor's appointments but nothing is ever wrong. *giggles*
UPDATE: Just got back from the eye doctor. Yeah, ok, it's official. The doctor said Senor has superhuman eyes. His vision is 20/10. >_< I told him everything would be fine, but GEEZ! I'm so jealous. ^_^

I recently went back through my gallery and updated almost all of my cels with more informative descriptions. Eventually, I'd also like to add screencaps. But that takes time.

Question: What kind of arrangement do you prefer with your cels? Do you lump together certain characters? Or do you place them in a chronological (the order in which they appear in the anime) display? Also, how many cels do you like on each page?

I always set my cels per page display number to the max of 24. I learned recently that this practice is actually more helpful to people with dial-up connections (a single page loading with 24 images is easier on the dial-up browser than loading several pages consecutively). Something to consider when you look at the layout of your gallery. I do not have a dial-up connection and only go by what some friends with dial-up have told me.

New comic was posted earlier this week!
http://welcomeconsumer.com

New WC Comic Update.

last modified: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 (11:45:42 PM CST)

The newest installment for wELCOME cONSUMER has been posted: http://welcomeconsumer.com/

A character we haven't seen in a long time has finally made another appearance. If you can't follow the storyline, you're not alone. But for now, just enjoy the art. ^_^

Recently, we created a new section in our gallery called Art: (http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/master_query.asp?SeriesID=22446) There you can find some works that were created for us by our friends or by us as gifts for other people. Hope it continues to steadily grow ^_^ If you're an artist and would like to send us some art, please contact us via Feedback! We are always looking for new art or commissions :)

Originally, I was going to update everyday during the month of January. I got distracted and fell behind on that resolution however. T-T A couple of our latest cels were:

Donovan from Darkstalkers
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=148754

Gabriel and Miruru from Tenshi ni Narumon
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=148558

We finally put tile down in the laundry room and finished the grout. It looks nice but I still think the grout color is a tad too dark (not necessarily for this room but definitely too dark for the kitchen).

Underworld 2 was as bad as part 1. Worth maybe seeing in the theatre but definitely not worth buying on DVD when it comes out. Sorry, but they really jacked up the vampire mythos and I just cannot get on board with that. Lycans? Isn't that tree moss? O_o Hostel is worth seeing though. The main actor is hot *_*

The weather in TX has finally gotten semi-cold. It was in the 80s-90s up until recently. Can you imagine?! Whew. Anyway, hope everyone has a nice hump day >;) http://welcomeconsumer.com

Thank You, Amsterdam!

last modified: Monday, January 23, 2006 (5:55:58 PM CST)

Amsterdam (http://mycels.rubberslug.com/) told me she was sending some goodies, she is sooo sweet! ^_^ Part 1 arrived today: Some Rainbow Brite cels! EEEE! I can't wait to scan and update with them. I love them very much, they feature Murky and Lurky. =D I actually wanted some cels of these guys before, so this is extremely nice. ^___^

Thanks so much Ami!!! *huggle of doom*

I'm looking forward to receiving the fruitcake and card. You are totally spoiling me XD I'll send you some nice exchange presents too ;)

As for cel news, I finally received my newest parcel from Original Anime Arts. Those guys ship VERY slow and I've noticed their feedback on eBay reflects new buyers who don't like that one bit. I've always received my cels from them, but it is annoying to wait nearly 1 month for them to get here. O_o

A couple of months ago, I bought a cel off eBay and the seller shipped it promptly. They were very nice and even used Signature Confirmation. The parcel, however, got lost! It was in limbo somewhere and no one could find it. T-T I was devastated because it was a wishlist that I obtained for about 1/6th what other buyers had paid. Seemed too good to be true in the first place, so when it was lost, I sort of half-expected something to go wrong. Luckily, the parcel was returned to the seller and he kindly resent it to an alternative address. It arrived today, safe and sound! ^o^ It was a nail-biting transaction for sure, but it's wonderful to deal with kind and professional sellers. <3

http://welcomeconsumer.com

Webcomic, Flowers, Laughter and Beta.

last modified: Friday, January 13, 2006 (12:53:18 AM CST)

Beta is finally back! Yay! =)

http://www.anime-beta.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=16520

New webcomic was posted! I forgot to mention it tho. O_O So sorry! (Big thanks to Butterfly for harrassing me about that LOL). It's a one shot that anyone can enjoy. The visual pop culture reference is for Mokman and GB. Should be VERY obvious for them. ;-) http://welcomeconsumer.com

Today is officially my birthday now! ^_^ I think my birthday killed Beta tho! T-T Haha. I am dying to get back on there, I haven't had the chance to save down Andy's art work and post it in my RS gallery. Mwhahah! (sorry Andy, hope you won't be too mad). *hugs*

FedEx delivered the lovely flowers Senor bought for me. He always surprises me with these things. I tell him not to bother, but honestly, I'm such a girl at heart! I see them and get all melty (why are women like that?!) *_* Tee-hee. It's a nice arrangement, with Iris and Lilies. <3

I have been enjoying funny eCards all day as well. Thank you so much Jennifer! (ginga123). So sweet <3 and made me laugh too. Heather (Relena) totally smothered me in hilarious eCards as well. I will share a few with you now.

http://www.hallmark.com/ECardWeb/ECV.jsp?a=1187191670110M89225846Y

http://www.hallmark.com/ECardWeb/ECV.jsp?a=3646321670110M89226440Y

http://www.hallmark.com/ECardWeb/ECV.jsp?a=4781621675110M89226598Y

I have been playing with these things all day, they are a complete riot! Thanks so much guys! <3

Thanks to everyone who posted on Beta before it DIED. And in my blog =D RS is such a warm and friendly place *group hug*

Big Birthday Thank You!

last modified: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 (8:26:49 PM CST)

Awww goodness! T-T I'm so happy! I've been receiving some birthday wishes early this week. My insurance man, who looks like a teenager and loves anime, sent me a little birthday card. It was adorable, he printed it up on his computer and everything. Looked like a little kid did it. I giggled but the thought was super sweet <3

Lemar sent me a very thoughtful email. Even though he's been sorta MIA lately, he took the time to wish me a happy birthday early. Originally, I was not a member of Anime Beta, but I signed up explicitly for the purpose of wishing Lemar a happy birthday on there. He's so sweet to remember. <3 *big hugs*

And my darling friend SME wished me a happy birthday and paypaled me some very unnecessary money. LOL, I am not complaining tho. She is just TOO sweet and wonderful to me! She spoils me so much! I feel very lucky and appreciate having someone as cool as her in my life. *big hugs*

Holy crap! Andy started the birthday thread on Beta! He posted a wonderful picture of me! EEEEEE!!! I love it! Thank you soooo much Andy! You're the best *smooches* I'm glad my constant pressuring to see your art has finally broken you. Mwhahaha! *big hugs*

http://www.anime-beta.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=16520

Bob bought me the new Final Fantasy II (or FFIV) video game for the GBA. With strategy guide, of course. We collect those things, afterall. That is a game I fondly remember playing on the SNES back in the ancient days. Nice and very fitting gift to receive on one's birthday.

My birthday is actually January 12th, so Bob and I will be going out to dinner with my folks. And later again by ourselves. Maybe catch a couple of movies and have some fun over the weekend. Can't wait ^___^ Thanks again guys! I love you all <3

http://welcomeconsumer.com

Thank You, Kata! =D

last modified: Saturday, January 07, 2006 (10:26:08 PM CST)

Today I receive an unexpected parcel. I recognize the return address, but I'm thinking "What could this be?" I tear it open and OH MY GOD! Kata-chan has sent me a German fruitcake! EEEEE!!! It's called Marzipanstollen and it's packed with fruit, almond paste filling and sprinkled with powder sugar. Wooo! Looks so good! *hugs Kata* I am soooo happy! You've made my day honey <3 She is so sweet to think of me and surprise me with it! It was packed nicely and arrived in excellent condition too, which was tricky. *loves kata sooooo much*

For those who are not familiar with either marzipan or stollen, here is a quick lesson.

Marzipan is a confectionery consisting primarily of ground almonds and sugar that derives its characteristic flavor from bitter almonds, which constitute 4% to 6% of total almond content by weight. Most marzipan is also flavored with rosewater. It is often made into sweets: two common uses are marzipan-filled chocolate and small marzipan imitations of fruits and vegetables. It is also rolled into thin sheets and glazed for icing cakes and is traditionally used in wedding cakes, Christmas cakes, and stollen. In some countries marzipan is shaped into small figures of animals, such as pigs, as a traditional treat for New Year's Day. In Italy, Marzipan is often shaped and painted with food colorings to resemble fruit, especially during the Christmas season.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marzipan

Stollen is a bread-like cake traditionally made in Germany, usually eaten during the Christmas season as Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen. Stollen (originally Striezel) was created in Dresden in around 1450, and the most famous Stollen is still the Dresdner Stollen, sold, among other places, at the local Striezelmarkt Christmas market. Stollen is a light airy fruitcake made with yeast, water and flour, and usually dried citrus peel, dried fruit, almonds, and spices such as cardamom and cinnamon; the dough is quite low in sugar. The finished cake is sprinkled with icing sugar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stollen

Here is a place that sells them and includes some instructions for storage.

http://www.coffeecakes.com/christmas-cake-german-marzipan-stollen.html

EEEEE!! Thank you soooo much Kata-chan! You have really made my day! <3
I love you T-T hehe
http://welcomeconsumer.com

New Year's Updates.

last modified: Thursday, January 05, 2006 (8:07:44 PM CST)

Hope everyone had a nice New Year's Eve and Day! I have made a few resolutions. ^_^ One of which was to scan and friggin' update!!! Cels were looking at me, giving me a damn guilt trip. Begging to be in the gallery. Haha =D I hope to update with 1 cel everyday for awhile. But who knows how long that notion will last... ^^;

Rose from Street Fighter Alpha
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=146017

New picture, Meier from Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=97400

Karin Son from Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=145967

Rainbow Brite Cereal Commercial
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=145755

Jezmine and Conan from Conan: The Adventurer
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=145618

Chibodee, George, Argo from G Gundam
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=145310

Gin Rei in Chinese dress from Giant Robo
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=145279

Lady Death hand painted sericel
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=145229

Daisaku Kusama from Giant Robo
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=144670

Gin Rei from Gin Rei Special OAV
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=145116

Yuri Sakazaki from King of Fighters
http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=145056

As far as other resolutions go, I have decided to stop doing some things and start doing others. It's kind of nice to have a fresh start, a new year with a clean slate. Never too late to change your life. New Year's is just a good excuse for a starting point. ^_^

Also, Bob and I have posted our Top List for 2005. Every New Year's Eve, we sit around my laptop and create a little list that reflects our interests and memories for the previous year. Reflecting on our consumerism <3 http://welcomeconsumer.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=711

Take care! http://welcomeconsumer.com

Trinity Blood Question!

last modified: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 (2:04:26 PM CST)

Anyone here familiar with the anime series Trinity Blood? If so, can anyone help me out. Is there a character named Albert? If so, can you tell me about him and/or provide a picture, please? It would be of great help! You can feel free to post here, email me or IM me. Thanks so much!!! =)

http://welcomeconsumer.com

New WC Comic and Thank You, Hotice!

last modified: Tuesday, December 27, 2005 (10:55:17 PM CST)

Thank you Laura-chan! <3 Your Christmas parcel arrived and I couldn't be more thrilled with all the goodies you sent me. *shnuggles* You are such a darling. Laura sent me tons of candies, monkies and rubber duckies!!! Definitely the best stuff I got this year. *more hugs* Can't wait to send my Thank You gifts. <3

The newest installment of the WC comic has been uploaded. Bob was sick this week, so I got to produce the comic alone. =D I'm super proud of it! Heehee. There is even a couple of tiny pop culture references thrown in there. You can enjoy this one-shot without prior knowledge of the characters, but it does make it a lot funnier if you are already familiar with the cast. I tried to make it look fairly cute yet crappy. The off-centered color is on purpose ;-)

I might just completely take over the comic >:)

Hope everyone enjoys it. Thanks again Laura *smooches* Have a happy new year everyone! http://welcomeconsumer.com

Recut, Extended, Unrated

last modified: Sunday, December 25, 2005 (9:56:32 PM CST)

This was a great holiday weekend. Bob is recovering from his cold so we got to hang out and have fun. Hope to see Memoirs of a Geisha and Brokeback Mountain soon. Those movies look cool. It's nice to have a few days off (including tomorrow!)

For Christmas, I got lots of fun goodies. No cels though, I always buy my own cels (couldn't expect my loved ones to spend that kind of cash ;_;) hehe.

I got Lost in Blue for the Nintendo DS, Darkstalkers Chronicles for the Playstation 2 (rare Capcom fighting game only available in Japan), the accompanying Sega Saturn style controller (Morrigan purple!), several My Little Ponies (that's right, I collect em, so what?!), two fairy Barbie dolls (again, you are welcome to laugh), the complete Legend of Zelda cartoon on DVD, a Disgaea Prinny plushie, and some other goodies.

Bob received many-many-many DVDs. The complete Steam Detectives, complete Daiguard, complete Devilman Lady, complete Power Stone, the new special edition of Sin City, Shadow of the Colossus for the Playstation 2, and so on. The biggest gift was his Darth Vader red light saber with sound and wall mounting. I purchased it, knowing he would force me to be a Storm Trooper. *_* We also purchased some things early, like Mario Kart and the red Nintendo DS. Mario DDR is tons of fun too, great dance mats.

The serious gifts were for the house. We received a lovely counter top griddle (perfect for making pancakes), a lovely metallic red toaster, metallic red toaster oven, and a red crockpot! Ironically, we received 2 crock pots, one red and the other chrome/brushed metal. Going to keep both, for holidays and stuff. The housewares were unexpected but very welcomed. I love to cook and just loooove these things! The red is gorgeous. My favorite color is blue, but the perfect food color or restaurant color is red (I'm big on color theory, and if you really observe the color themes of most eateries, you'll generally see a lot of red).

Besides the fantastic explosion of gifts, our familes are healthy and happy. Enjoying each other and spending time together made the holiday weekend all the more meaningful. I hope everyone is as happy as we are =D *sends out loving vibes*

Don't feel guilty about exchanging presents. There is a certain pleasure I get from showering Bob with gifts. I do so love to spoil him >:) When you have someone special in your life, for some reason, it's almost a natural instinct to dote on them and to celebrate them with gifts. Nothing wrong with living life to the fullest, and if you enjoy buying trinkets, then do it. We are all consumers, be it in merchandise, CELS, food, attention, knowledge, love or garbage, that's just what we are. No shame in it =) wELCOME, cONSUMER!

Take care http://welcomeconsumer.com

Thank You, Not Sir Phobos!?

last modified: Friday, December 23, 2005 (8:14:15 PM CST)

I really hate NSP. *laughs insanely* I get home to find this parcel from him... I'm thinking, "Awww, he sent me a fruitcake! How sweet!" I tear it open, all excited. Mind you, I'm also wondering, "Why is this parcel... so light?" It didn't weigh much. There is a ton of tissue... and in the middle... the world's TEENY-TINIEST fruitcake!!!! It's adorable!

So very-very funny *rolls around laughing* Whew, definitely the best gift I've received so far. =D Now I get to send him hentai... ~_~

Thanks for the giggles, Ryan! Hope you and Marie (Fetish) have a wonderful holiday! You better spoil your son big time on Sunday morning ;-) *hugs*

http://welcomeconsumer.com

Thank You, Mokman!

last modified: Tuesday, December 20, 2005 (7:43:13 PM CST)

Oh my god!!! Thank you soooo much Ken, you have totally made my day! I came home and found a parcel from "Mooky" -- TWO FRUITCAKES!!! I am in Heaven! I can't thank you enough sweetie. I'm so pleased!

EEEEE! *dances around with lovely fruitcakes*

I will ship out your Thank You gifts ASAP! I hope you enjoy them. =D

http://welcomeconsumer.com

Christmas Parcels!

last modified: Sunday, December 18, 2005 (10:07:14 PM CST)

I did all of my Christmas shopping early this year, but I haven't shipped anything yet, doh! X-O Just haven't had time. I do have things ready to go, so hopefully Monday or Tuesday will be the day I ship my packages. This applies to everyone who has shipped fruitcakes or people who are exchanging gifts with me this year. Can't wait for Sunday morning!! =D

I already know what I'm getting from Bob, and vice versa. We are horrible with keeping secrets. >:) At least we know we'll be very happy. Mwhaha!

December is our 1 year anniversary for collecting cels too! I celebrated by going a little overboard on a cel purchase recently. ^_^; But it's worth it. And fun to indulge a little. I won't be able to update with it for a while though. Alternatively, I will celebrate our anniversary by updating with all of the cels we've had lying around for the last year. X-D

Happy Holidays everyone! Hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday. Enjoy your vacations, snow, relatives, big meals, working overtime, Christmas lights, fruitcake, winter break, free time, New Year's Eve, starry nights and whatever you associate the season with. <3 http://welcomeconsumer.com

Finally Done!

last modified: Friday, December 16, 2005 (10:05:59 PM CST)

It took about 4-5 hours, but I'm finally done scanning everything! Well, not all of the pan cels... T-T But I'm finished scanning everything I was capable of scanning. There might be one or two more cels here and there, but expect some consistent updates for a while. Whew =D

I'll take a second to recap my last few blogs:

Saw Kong, loved him. See it! Bring tissues. *_*

New WC webcomic has been posted! http://welcomeconsumer.com

Want to send me fruitcake? Would you like to receive a gift from me in exchange? Scroll down to find the appropriate entry about this.

Are you playing Animal Crossing Wild World for the Nintendo DS? If so, do you have WiFi online connection? I'm looking for fellow players to exchange fruits with. Looking specifically for the Cherry and Pear. I have everything else and am willing to trade.

Happy Holidays everyone! http://welcomeconsumer.com

New WC Comic Update.

last modified: Thursday, December 15, 2005 (12:36:41 AM CST)

Geez, we were LATE this time! So very sorry guys. T-T Never thought we'd have deadline trouble, but life happens. This installment is a holiday one-shot, everyone can enjoy it.

If you don't get any gifts this year... now you'll know why! http://welcomeconsumer.com
(and a big thank you to Bfly Girl for busting my chops!)

Saw King Kong tonight. I balled like a damn baby. Very good film tho. It's beyond a remake, it's an homage to the original, complete with inside jokes and references galore. Absolutely stunning and heartbreaking. Hope to have a written review posted on the site as well.

Anyone here playing Animal Crossing Wild World for Nintendo DS? If so, please scroll down to the previous entry. I am looking to meet up with other players on Nintendo WiFi. Would like to exchange fruit and stuff.

Want to remind everyone about the Fruitcake exchange program as well. Some of you have already contacted me and some have even sent fruitcakes! Big thanks guys! Just scroll down to the appropriate blog entry for more information if you'd like to participate. ^_^

Thank you! http://welcomeconsumer.com

Animal Crossing Wild World!

last modified: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 (2:07:28 PM CST)

Hey, is anyone here playing Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS? I am and would like to meet up with more people. I currently have Peaches, Oranges, Coconuts and Apples, but I still need Pears and Cherries. If anyone is looking to trade fruits or items, or generally wants to make more friends on this game, please contact me! We can exchange Friend Codes and connect via Nintendo WiFi. Likewise, in order to reach the Island, a player must have met up with at least 4 other Animal Crossing players. This would be a huge help to me and I'll make it worth your while. If you are playing this game, post here or contact me via Feedback.

Thanks! http://welcomeconsumer.com

Fruitcakes for Hentai Exchange Program!

last modified: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 (8:24:56 PM CST)

It has begun! Sorry for the minor delays, but I am now officially starting my Fruitcakes for Hentai Christmas Exchange Program! Basically, it works like this: You send me fruitcakes, I send you Hentai. Sounds simple, right? Well, it is!

Of course, I realize many of you offered fruitcakes to me for free. I also accept FREE fruitcakes. =) Those not interested in the Hentai will receive a Thank You/Merry Christmas card either way.

Here are some of my recommendations for the program: Wait till after Christmas, fruitcakes will be on sale! The longer you wait, the cheaper they become. I don't mind receiving fruitcakes after New Year's, so don't worry.

To save money on shipping, try either USPS First Class or Media Mail. Fruitcakes weigh a lot, but you can save on postage if you say it is a "Book." The slower shipping services are also cheaper, so take any necessary cost cutting measures you need to. I really don't mind.

Now for info about the Hentai title you will receive, if you are interested. Everyone will receive the same title, an anime which will be viewable on DVD player or on computer. Personally, I don't think anyone will be disappointed. >:) It will feature excellent video quality, Japanese language with English subtitles.

So, if you're interested, just contact me via RS Feedback. Just send me an email that looks like the following:

Your Name
Shipping Address
City, State, Zip
Email address
"Hentai" or "No Hentai" based on your preference.

I will respond with my shipping information. Be sure to let me know who you are when you send the fruitcake (I want to be able to keep track of who sent me what). I will let you know when your fruitcake has been received and when your Hentai with Thank You card has been shipped.

Thanks everyone! http://welcomeconsumer.com

All Your Fruitcakes Are Belong To Us!

last modified: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 (3:15:48 AM CST)

Just going to mention the fruitcake exchange program again! Just scroll down to the next entry to see the details. Please send me your fruitcakes, give those colorful bricks a happy home in Toni's tummy! ^_^

On another note, I just wanted to say how incredibly proud I am of my girl SME. Obtaining her green belt, despite having an injured hamstring, is both impressive and admirable. She doesn't like to boast, but I'm super duper proud!!!! =D *big huggles*

Also, I wanted to wish everyone good luck on their finals! I know this is crunch time for those in the academic world and I wish you all the best of luck with your exams. ^_^ Bet everyone does wonderfully, just remember to think positively!

On the cel front, I've purchased several new items after a small draught (<-- left for Leah, I felt thirsty ^_^). Some free time is coming up so I plan to scan as many as possible. I still have cels from many-many months ago that need scanning. And most are not even in my Coming Soon section either.

The new WC comic will be posted tomorrow. It has a Christmas theme... sorta. Everyone will enjoy it I'm sure. Take care and gimme your fruitcakes!!! >:) http://welcomeconsumer.com

Happy Anniversary! 1461 days.

last modified: Thursday, December 01, 2005 (2:39:31 PM CST)

Today, December 1st, is our anniversary! Bob and I have been together for 1,461 days. Very exciting! We tend to forget our anniversaries because we get so caught up in being together and enjoying life. It certainly doesn't feel like that much time has passed. Then again, I don't really remember life before we met. ^_~

It's nice to have a partner, someone you can work with, depend on and share mutual support. It's wonderful to share one mind, to share the same interests and hobbies.

In the past, like some people, Bob and I were both somewhat bitter and unappeasable when it came to the opposite sex. Not sure if it was a combination of annoying relationships and cynicism or just an overall feeling of "I'll never find the right person." Guess we both sorta lost hope in discovering...

Everything changed when we met. Instant attraction that has not wavered. Everyone who meets us says we have a unique connection and relationship that doesn't come along very often. We speak a special language and always come up with the same ideas. We are just... strange people! ^^ Happy people, but truly strange. ^_~

Just to enumerate our sickening behavior: We always buy the same shirts (different sizes of course) so we look alike and so people know we are together, we have the same bed sheets (while we are living apart during the house remodeling), we bought the same unisex shoes (different sizes again), when I had to purchase a new car I bought a black one to match his, I still have the first ring he gave me (which was a little thing he bought from a gumball machine), my engagement ring is the engagement ring his father gave to his mother, etc.

Ah, and our Rubberslug anniversary is this month as well! Hard to believe we've been collecting for one year. Hope to make it many more =) Oh, the new webcomic was posted Tuesday. Go check it out! http://welcomeconsumer.com

New WC Comic Update.

last modified: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 (11:07:43 PM CST)

It's Tuesday already? -_- Whew. Time really keeps flying by, despite my incessant protest and picket campaign. ^_~ Thus, a new webcomic has been posted for your viewing edutainment.

This installment is pure satire. I'm not speaking about the joke itself, that's pretty obvious. But the layout and design were designed as a specific type of parody. It features some elements that should be rather apparent to people who read webcomics (and even those who don't).

Either way, it should tickle your funny bone. This is a one shot in the Chibikins Theatre, so anyone can read this installment and not be lost. No need to know our backstory, just enjoy! http://welcomeconsumer.com

New reviews have also been posted.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow video game review
http://www.welcomeconsumer.com/review/vg_dawn_of_sorrow.htm

The Aristocrats movie review
http://www.welcomeconsumer.com/review/film_aristocrats.htm

Last Days movie review
http://www.welcomeconsumer.com/review/film_lastdays.htm

After Thanksgiving.

last modified: Sunday, November 27, 2005 (11:49:57 PM CST)

Whew! What a holiday weekend! It was so long and hectic. Wednesday was kind of a dead day for us, since we had to stay home and finish preparing for the Thanksgiving meal. Thursday was insane! We had several dinners to visit and errands to run. Errands, as in, pamper a spoiled old dog. The house sitting job I had over the weekend involved a rather pampered dog who has a way of really manipulating people. He gives me this sad look when he doesn't get what he wants. And he's like 100 years old, so there's no way I can teach him otherwise. The owners are suckers for him I suppose. He's a very sweet dog though.

Friday was pretty crazy too, since everything was open again. We ran all over town, looking for rugs and furniture for our house. We finally settled on the perfect bedroom and living room rugs. Can't wait to go back and purchase them. The bathroom is really coming along nicely as well. It's amazing how the pace has picked up!

Saturday was annoying as hell. The delivery men were scheduled for the "afternoon." Well, last weekend, the "afternoon" meant 4 pm, which is the very last delivery they can schedule into the day. We waited all day long last Saturday for the fridge to be delivered. Well, of course, this Saturday, the men come right at noon. We weren't exactly ready for them to arrive at that time, since they didn't give much warning (they called about 10 minutes before they appeared outside our door). But the stove and vented microwave were successfully delivered!

Sunday we "took it easy." Which still involved chores and errands. But we did stop and have a nice meal, a nice ending treat to the holiday weekend. Back to the real world tomorrow. Hope everyone had a wonderful time this weekend, hope everyone gave thanks! ^_^ http://welcomeconsumer.com

What Are You Thankful For?

last modified: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 (1:08:56 PM CST)

It's Thanksgiving (basically), a time when we all stop to give thanks. This is not a holiday celebrated in other countries, but the sentiment is universal. We should, always, give thanks for everything we have in life. Even hardship can lead to better things.

In our family, before dinner, we go around the table and give a short speech about what we are most thankful for. So, if you don't mind sharing, please tell me what it is you are most thankful for on this wonderful holiday.

As for me, Senor is who I am most thankful and grateful for. He has changed my life in countless ways and never taking him for granted is my goal. Sorry to gush, but I just adore him to pieces. Fixing up our house has brought us even closer together.

I sincerely wish everyone a happy and safe holiday week/weekend. Take care! ^_^ http://welcomeconsumer.com

Send me Fruitcakes!

last modified: Thursday, November 17, 2005 (11:50:48 PM CST)

Well, it's nearly that time of year again. Christmas and the holiday season is creeping up fast. So, fruitcakes are popping up on the shelves of your local stores and markets. Which brings us to my blog...

Please don't judge me. But I LOVE fruitcake! Love love love love love it! Simply adore it. The juicier the better. It's probably my biggest, most guilty vice of all.

I'm asking everyone and anyone to please send me fruitcakes! Unwanted or otherwise, I don't mind at all. I have gifts planned for anyone who sends me a fruitcake, so it will be worth your time. Ship them slow and cheap, but please ship em! ^_^

Anyone interested can contact me via Feedback. Please don't throw away unwanted fruitcakes, give them a happy home in Toni's Tummy. =)

I will blog about this again a few more times before Christmas, just to remind everyone. And don't forget to check out the latest webcomic installment.

Thanks! http://welcomeconsumer.com

New WC Comic Update.

last modified: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 (10:23:58 PM CST)

Another "every other Tuesday" has come, which means: new comic installment! This one is kinda sad. The pop culture references are as obscure as ever, try to find them all! ^_^ New cels have been added to our gallery as well. Some Giant Robo cels, of course. And some of the older cels were updated with new information. Big love to Xeno for the help with that. *hugs*

Kisara is painting for me! XD I'm super thrilled and bubbling with excitement. Can't wait to see the finished product. I told her to go crazy and let her artistic brain do all the talking. Planning to display it here when it's complete. Look forward to that update =) Thanks, Kate <3

Enjoy: http://welcomeconsumer.com

Welcome Back, Hotice!

last modified: Monday, November 14, 2005 (7:57:27 PM CST)

I missed my HotIce sooooo much! *shnuggles* My girl isn't completely back yet, but I can't wait for her computer to be absolutely mended. It's just not the same without her around ;_; She's my quiet mousy girl and I want her to know that she's not overlooked or unloved. *more hugs* Everyone go welcome her back here:

http://www.anime-beta.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=15667

Cel ID Help Needed.

last modified: Sunday, November 13, 2005 (1:24:58 PM CST)

I added a new cel to my Giant Robo section recently and for some reason, I cannot remember the name of the characters featured! ~_~ This kind of problem doesn't come up often, but I'm totally stumped with memory loss.

http://welcomeconsumer.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=139770

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! ^_^ http://welcomeconsumer.com

Tetsujin 28.

last modified: Sunday, November 13, 2005 (12:51:00 AM CST)

Tetsujin 28-go or Gigantor (literally meaning "Iron Man #28") has been made into a new anime series. Most of us remember watching the original cartoon in syndication on American TV. This, Speed Racer, Robotech, and Thunderbirds were among the shows on my morning line up. Tetsujin was a manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama published in 1958. It was the first "giant robot" series. There is a live action film in Japan based on the original comic storyline as well. There are many indications that Gigantor is the predecessor of Giant Robo, as evidenced in the appearance of Kenji Murasame, members of the Q-Gang and Dr. Franken Von Folger in the new anime series. Also, Tetsujin 28 has the exact same battle cry as Giant Robo, "SMASH!" (of course neither robots actually speak, but exhibit grunts instead).

The journey begins when Professor Kaneda creates the ultimate soldier robot, Tetsujin, as a substitute for his son, Shotaro, whom he mistakenly believed died in a bomb raid on Tokyo during World War II. To prevent the army from using Tetsujin as a tool for destruction, the professor hides the robot on a remote island. Ten years after the war, Tetsujin is finally resurrected after 28 attempts made by the late Professor Kaneda's protege, Professor Shikishima. Meanwhile, Shotaro has grown up to become a genius boy detective and now joins forces with his beloved Tetsujin to wage a courageous battle against evil! A legendary masterpiece, which shines in the history of postwar manga, is now resurrected brilliantly!

I purchased volume 1 and watched the first few episodes. The story is incredibly dark and involving. As engrossing as Giant Robo, it's quickly becoming my new favorite series. Can't wait to watch more. Just wish there were cels to purchase. ;_;

On the domestic front, we visited a kitchen and bathroom cabinet showroom. It was very lovely and the staff members were so helpful. I fould exactly what I want for the kitchen and the price was beyond reasonable. Looking forward to completing the kitchen. ^_^ http://welcomeconsumer.com

For Cel's Sake.

last modified: Thursday, November 10, 2005 (11:45:48 PM CST)

What have you done for a cel? What are some things you had to sacrifice or do without so you could afford to purchase a certain cel? Was there a special wishlist that came up and you did some emergency selling? Did you live off Ramen for a whole year? I want to know what some people are willing to do to get what they want! ^_^ Tell me your stories. Which cel was it and what did you do to get it?

I think the most I've done is just try to focus on one particular cel and sacrifice going after others. Trying to narrow my focus ensures I will at least get that one desired cel and it spares my bank account a little ^^;

http://welcomeconsumer.com

Dee's Return!

last modified: Thursday, November 10, 2005 (5:32:55 PM CST)

Yay! Finally! Dee is back! About freakin' time too. I've missed my Clonie so much =\ Things just weren't the same when she was gone. *huggles Dee* Can't wait to see her crazy massive updates as well. *does happy dance*

7777: Jackpot!

last modified: Tuesday, November 08, 2005 (10:20:39 PM CST)

Our gallery has reached 7,777 hits today. Very lucky! ^_^

This week has been rather taxing. I finally got around to shipping off a special parcel for a friend in the UK. I feel bad that it took this long to get it out, but he seemed to understand the situation. Hope the transit doesn't take forever. =(

Made my wishlist for the holidays! It's filled with childish fun and guilty pleasures. The best part of marrying your best friend is that any gift I buy for him is really another gift for meeee! Mwhaha! >=D

Our video iPod has been shipped and will be here soon! ^__^ Bob was really excited about that purchase, you know how men are with gadgets and new electronics. Like a kid in a candy store.

We have already purchased our new Fridge and next up will be the stove/flat top range. EEEEEE!! I'm quite excited about the kitchen purchases, customizing it even to the finest details. Fun to get in touch with the domestic side of life.

God, I can't wait for the house to be finished. It's not a matter of money or anything, it's the time and effort! We are so insanely busy, the house sometimes gets neglected and the process just takes longer and longer. *begins to day dream of the future*

Take care http://welcomeconsumer.com

Wizard World and Hellboy!

last modified: Sunday, November 06, 2005 (12:40:39 PM CST)

EEEEE!! Oh my glord! Wizard World Texas was so amazingly fun. It was a lot different than the previous two years, but no less enjoyable. The biggest event for me was getting Ron Perlman's authograph! Got him to sign the jacket of my 18 inch Hellboy. Everyone else had posters and stuff. But one guy did have a promo from the Beauty and the Beast TV series. Pretty sweet! My jacket was the most unique thing he signed. Here's a picture:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y135/welcomeconsumer/ronperlman.jpg

I was so excited and smiley that I barely spoke to him. Bob did all the talking. So much in fact that Ron said: "If you keep telling her what to do, I'm going to come over there." He's so gruff! We all had a good laugh and talked about my name. He signed the jacket in blue, my favorite color. Ron also has a firm hand shake. I just melted. ^_^ What a teddy bear!

Besides that COOL experience, we floated around the con. Mostly in the dealer's room. Bought a Lady Death 12inch figure, the completed Marvel Legends Sentinel figure, Cashern DVD (which is being released next year by Dreamworks), Lady Bathory McFarlane figure, some free pins from the Ralph Bakshi dealer, won a free figure from the Diamond table, and plenty of misc things. Here are some sample pics of what we bought.

http://www.toybiz.com/image_dump/sentinel.jpg
http://www.comic-lair.com/ladydeathblackfig.jpg

Art room was spectacular. We met with a genius named Alberto Ruis. http://brandstudio.com He was fucking cool as hell. Talked about art with him for a long time. We wanted to buy one of his books but we spent our cash in the dealer's room. So he just gave us the book and told us to PayPal him the money later. Can you believe that? In this day and age? Nice and down to earth guy. And he's completely self taught. Mind blowing experience.

Ran into plenty of people we knew. All in all, another amusing escapade. We missed the porn stars from last year's convention. And several other booths were missing: DC, View Askew, Palisades, Anime Works and some others. This year was much more corporate. All movie and video game displays. Felt like a trade show or expo and less like a comic book convention.

Lions Gate Films had an annoyingly loud booth, but it was useful for one bit of knowledge: The Ultimate Avengers movie! If you have read that comic, then you know what great news this is! It's a Marvel Studios animated feature, direct to DVD. Can't wait... EEEEEE!!!

Thanks for reading my fangirl gushing! http://welcomeconsumer.com

Wizard World Texas.

last modified: Thursday, November 03, 2005 (3:01:10 PM CST)

Wizard World Texas is this weekend (November 4th - 6th) at the Arlington Convention Center. I nearly forgot about it! We are so crazy busy, it almost passed us by. And the sad part? We have been staring at the tickets all week long. Never noticed the date. ;.; We are so dumb. Haha! But at least we didn't miss it >_<

Will anyone else here be attending? Ralphy perhaps? I'm really looking forward to it. I believe this is the 3rd year for this con and it continues to get better each time. More guests, more events, it will be a madhouse for sure.

http://www.wizarduniverse.com/conventions/texas.cfm

Definitely want Ron Perlman's autograph on my 18 inch Hellboy (on the trenchcoat, woot!) Maybe I can convince Margot Kidder to chew on my head or something. She's so crazy. I love her. ^_^ Must snap a pic of her when she's not looking.

If you would like a 10% off coupon for the Wizard Store, follow this link:

http://welcomeconsumer.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=592

And big thanks to everyone who posted about the WC comic update. Overall, I think we received more feedback about the latest installment than ever before. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it! (which definitely sheds some unflattering light on you people, sickos!) haha, just kidding. Just happy to see our demented sense of humor and pop culture amuses you guys. <3 http://welcomeconsumer.com

PS - I am no longer faceless on Beta! Magician is such a sweetheart, completely fixed the problem. Big time appreciation. Now I'm sporting one of the lovely avatars Roy created just for meeee! *hugs Roy* http://backlotanimation.rubberslug.com

New WC Comic Update.

last modified: Wednesday, November 02, 2005 (12:20:50 AM CST)

The new WC webcomic installment has been posted: http://welcomeconsumer.com

Hope everyone enjoys it. There is a comic reference in the style this time (similar to how the last comic was an homage to Frank Miller). I seriously doubt anyone will get the reference, but the main point of this installment is the story and the delivery method. Kinda dig the "interview" feel.

So, male mice sing to attract mates. They say it's similar to a bird call or something. But they doubt human ears can even really hear it. Didja know that? Kinda weird. And sorta romantic. Why can't men be more like mice? ^_~

Posted plenty of new cels recently, with more to come. Just have to keep scanning and scanning. ~_~ I have gone on a cel diet as well. New payment plan is somewhat large and I don't want to get behind. Will be paying for my Manadarake purchase soon as well.

I'm currently faceless on Anime Beta. But hopefully not for long. Apparently I just keep breaking forum rules or something. >_> I didn't... mean to... <_< I'm so dumbo sometimes. >_< It is kinda fun to be mysterious tho! But I'm eager to use some of the lovely avatars Roy made for me! Thanks! http://backlotanimation.rubberslug.com

And many huge thanks to everyone who posted info or contacted me about fancels! You guys were a big, big help! Hope to buy some real soon.

Monday, I reported my neighbor. I just kept calling and emailing them till I got some responses. And I demanded to know the results of the investigations. Anonymously, of course. But I want to make sure some serious action is taken. I'll blog about that later.

Fan Cels - Help Needed.

last modified: Tuesday, November 01, 2005 (12:48:06 AM CST)

Pretty sure this has been discussed on Beta, in fact, I'm positive. But I wanted some advice here, in my good ol' blog.

I am looking for high quality fan cel artists. It seems several of the most famous websites and artists have stopped making fan cels, for whatever reasons. Which is too bad for me, I missed out. But I'm eager to find someone/some website or whatever that produces attractive fan cels. Basically anyone who is good at what they do and accepts commissions.

So, if you have any advice, suggestions, recommendations, people's names, websites, etc concerning fancels, then please post here or feel free to contact me via the Feedback system.

Speaking of fancels, several collectors on RS, including Ms. Poe, Mirai Peorth, Ralphy and others, have some very lovely pieces in their galleries. Some are so well-made, it's hard to believe a studio didn't produce it. Great stuff guys, truly inspirational! ^_^

Anyway, thanks in advance for ANY info you guys can provide. I greatly appreciate it. http://welcomeconsumer.com

The Meal Myth.

last modified: Friday, October 28, 2005 (2:40:24 AM CST)

Well, I do like to educate people on food. Especially when it concerns something that even confused me! For a long time now, everyone has said, "It's best to eat 5 small meals throughout the day." The idea behind that is, you keep your energy level relatively high and satisfy your hunger at the same time.

However, this is a myth. In some respects. Now, everyone is different. But it is actually better to eat 2-3 meals and cut out snacking all together. The reason being, when you eat all day long, you are constantly forcing your blood sugar levels/insulin to remain high. Again, everyone is different and their bodies have different needs, but this is something everyone should seriously consider. If you are a very active person or work long hours, then you should probably maintain the 5 meal routine. This will keep you going. But if you're not as active, you might want to reduce your caloric intake and consume 3 meals.

Likewise, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It's common knowledge because it's actually true. Plus, you should not eat -anything- 6 hours before you go to bed at night.

This is an interesting topic for me because, like I said, everyone has a different routine for different reasons. But if you're looking to lose weight, lower your cholestoral or blood sugar levels, you might want to adjust when you eat and how often. Just something to consider. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Giant Robo Updates.

last modified: Thursday, October 27, 2005 (12:57:38 AM CST)

For some reason, the front page does not reflect my latest gallery updates. RS hates me! =( haha

EDIT: Ah! It's finally working. I'm glad RS is back up and running again. It's always sad when it dies for a little while. I miss all my fellow RubberSluggers. =*( heehee

I have added many new items to the Giant Robo section. New cels include 2 featuring The Dazzling Cervantes, 1 of Taisou, 1 of Robo. There will be many more to come, as I scan and post them. Just have to work away at the pile that's forming. =\

Other recent updates include Chun Li and Vega in the Street Fighter section. As well as Terry and Andy in the Fatal Fury section.

Video Games Live concert tour was cancelled for North America. I'm bummed. Ticketmaster finally gave us a refund, but they kept $4.50 as some sort of surcharge crap. God, I disdain Ticketmaster. Why does no one compete with them?

Anyway, hope everyone is well. Take care! http://welcomeconsumer.com

Vega Trivia.

last modified: Monday, October 24, 2005 (12:11:57 PM CST)

We have posted a Vega cel in our Street Fighter section. In honor of that, here is some info and trivia about Capcom's infamous bull fighter. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Vega is from a Spanish noble family, but they lost everything they had. His mother married another nobleman for his money, not his looks. As he grew, Vega learned bullfighting, a tradition in his family. He went to Japan and learned ninjutsu, a style he believed meshed well with his natural grace and agility. Combining bullfighting with ninjutsu, Vega went into the underground cage fighting circuit, and quickly became one of the best. His stepfather murdered his mother because he felt she didn't respect him, and Vega killed him in return. The incident damaged his mind, and he developed a dual personality: honourable nobleman by day, sadistic masked killer by night.

* In the Japanese version of Street Fighter II and subsequent games, Vega is known as Balrog. For the American releases, Balrog became Vega, Vega became M. Bison and M. Bison became Balrog.

* Early sketches suggest that Vega was going to resemble a medieval knight wearing a full suit of armor.

* It takes exactly 14 blocked hits for Vega to lose his claw. This reduces his attack range by about 50%. Since Super Street Fighter II, Vega can pick up the claw. In Street Fighter Alpha 3, he can lose his mask as well.

* Vega was given the surname Fabio le Cerna in the anime series Street Fighter II V, but it has many variations in different parts of the world, and it is unknown if this surname is officially recognized by Capcom.

* In the game Resident Evil 4, There is an enemy who looks suprisingly like Vega. This would make sense, as the Resident Evil series is also made by Capcom.

Rumor has it that Vega was asked by the Mafia to kill Lee since Lee didn't win the 1st World Warrior Tournament,This info has not been confrimed.

Vega has an interest in Chun Li and has a love/hate relationship with Cammy,In his Street Fighter Alpha 3 ending Vega takes Cammy to england.

It is belived that Vega was trained by Geki from the original Street Fighter game this could be the reason why Vega has the claw but it has never been confirmed or denied by Capcom.

Chun Li Trivia.

last modified: Sunday, October 23, 2005 (1:31:34 PM CST)

I added a Chun Li cel to my Street Fighter section and decided to blog some trivia about the first female fighter. I have fond memories of kicking ass with her in Street Fighter II, so I'd like to pay an homage. http://welcomeconsumer.com

* In the Marvel vs. Capcom series, Chun-Li receives an offer to join the X-Men despite not having any mutant powers. She considers mutant abilities to be nothing out of the ordinary, citing her abilities to fire a projectile (the Kikouken).

* Some fans believe her to be a good romantic match for the main character of Street Fighter, Ryu. This is bolstered by the fact that Ryu and Chun-Li were a couple in the 1993 Malibu Comics' Street Fighter series, and were romantically close in Masaomi Kanzaki's Street Fighter II manga translated by Tokuma Comics; both comics, however, are not considered canon. The two are acquainted, however: In SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom, their pre-fight dialogue hints that of all her opponents, Ryu is her favorite, since she was very happy to see him again. He enjoys fighting her as well, and considers her to be a good friend and ally. Alternatively, in the Street Fighter II amimated movie, she becomes romantically involved to Guile.

* Chun-Li has an alternate version in Marvel vs. Capcom called Shadow Lady. The apperance is a palette swap of Chun-Li but with darker colors. Her fighting style hints that it may be a clone of Chun-Li similiar to Shadow. She also has a Shun Goku Satsu-like move like Shadow does, sending her opponent to the air by her High Kick.

* In the live-action Street Fighter movie Chun-Li was given the last name Xiang, however Capcom hasn't officially recognized it.

* Chun-Li is a favorite cameo personality of anime and manga directors. She has appeared in cameo in various settings from the manwha Fairies' Landing to a background scene in the US cartoon Jackie Chan Adventures. She is also a regularly-used cameo character in other Capcom games, such as the RPG Breath of Fire and in the first stage of Final Fight 2.

* In the Jackie Chan live-action movie City Hunter, he magically transformed to Chun-Li and fought against his adversaries (he was first transformed into Honda in the beginning).

* On the American and European SNES version of Street Fighter II, the thong that she wears was edited.

Giant Robo.

last modified: Sunday, October 23, 2005 (1:24:02 PM CST)

We have finally got around to scanning cels and slowly adding them to our gallery. Among the series updated is Giant Robo, our largest section. To celebrate, I've decided to blog about the series. If you haven't seen GR: The Animation, you're really missing out on a stylish anime with impregnable substance and depth. Here's some very basic information concerning a incredibly complex plot. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Giant Robo takes place in 2049. It is a retro-esque future where the invention of the Shizuma Drive has brought about the third energy revolution, ascending mankind into an age of prosperity that began ten years ago. At that time, Dr. Shizuma and his four colleagues began to develop the drives. They were to be the perfect energy source; non-polluting and recyclable.

With this new revolution there came a heavy price...

Dr. Franken Von Vogler, one of the five men who created the drives, went insane and activated an experimental reactor core that was being developed by the five scientists in their laboratory in Bashtarlle. A core meltdown ensued, causing a world-wide energy neutralization field and an explosion that resulted in the destruction of the entire city, and the loss of one third of the Earth's population. The event was entitled The Tragedy of Bashtarlle and became the greatest tragedy in the history of mankind.

Now Dr. Von Vogler, along with his associates, the would-be dictators called Big Fire, dispatch a giant orb to float across the world, draining the energy from all major cities and causing global chaos. The Experts of Justice, a group of martial artists, scientific geniuses, and secret agents are set to stop Big Fire. Its members include Ginrei, Daisaku Kusama, Professor Go, Taisou and many others. Only the voice of Daisaku, the son of a scientist murdered by Big Fire, can control Giant Robo, a 90-foot tall war machine originally designed by Daisaku's father for Big Fire but now devoted to fight crime.

Diabolical Spoon.

last modified: Thursday, October 20, 2005 (1:30:24 PM CST)

The title of this entry is the name of a friend of mine. He has a pet bantam chicken named Fluff. That's not really relevant. I didn't have a better title for this blog entry, so I just used his name. Maybe it will grab some attention or something. ^_^ Would the opposite be a Complacent Fork? I think he ran away with the Dish...

Hard to believe the end of the year is coming so soon! Very exciting. I haven't started on my Christmas list yet. Hopefully I will knock out my shopping early this time around. It's amazing how time flies when you're swamped with work.

Planning on scanning some cels this weekend. Really looking forward to updating my gallery.

Bob and I have an anniversary coming up in December. And our Rubberslug anniversary will also be coming up that month. Such a crazy-busy time of year. Hard to believe how many cels we've purchased in such a short period of time. Thankfully, things are beginning to slow down. Sorta. ^^;

I got to know some interesting facts about my elusive cel husband Indy recently. Very enlightening (ie - blackmail!) Heehee.

The new installment of our webcomic went up Tuesday. Experimented with the style, this time it's an homage to Frank Miller. All the way down to the inking, font, writing style, even the paneling. Always fun to test the bounds of ability. Check it out! http://welcomeconsumer.com

Video Games Live.

last modified: Monday, October 17, 2005 (11:40:01 PM CST)

Video Games Live is the first major North American concert tour featuring music from some of the biggest video games combined with video footage, lasers, lights and live action. Tickets went on sale recently. We purchased ours immediately. We are dead center, nearly front row. Our concert is in Grand Prairie, TX at Nokia Live on Friday, December 2nd. Can't wait! It's geeky-chic, for sure. ^_^ http://www.videogameslive.com/index.php?s=home

Comicon.

last modified: Friday, October 14, 2005 (1:47:43 PM CST)

Comicon is this weekend, in the Dallas area. Should be fun. Hope there is nothing worth buying, I'm actually trying to continue saving up my funds. So far, so good. I hope Ralphy goes! Want to meet him eventually. ^_^

We also have a house sitting gig this weekend for a friend. Get to feed the dog and stuff for more money than the service is actually worth. But anything to help build up our nest egg is appreciated.

Bob had two voice acting assignments this week, I actually sat in on one session. The director is a wonderful guy, very animated and funny. I'm not sure if I can discuss the title, non-disclosure legal stuff. But I can say the number 7. If you can figure out what I'm talking about, good for you.

I have so much work to do this weekend. I ended up wasting my additional time off, unfortunately. Everything will work out fine, but it would be nice not to stress out for once. Blah.

We are continuing to add new art work to the wELCOME cONSUMER section of our Rubberslug gallery. Hope everyone is enjoying it. Put up several DVD covers we created. Etc.

New webcomic installment will go up Tuesday. Gotta go get to work now. Have a nice weekend everyone! http://welcomeconsumer.com

wELCOME cONSUMER.

last modified: Wednesday, October 12, 2005 (1:27:20 PM CST)

We have created a new section in our Rubberslug gallery: wELCOME cONSUMER. There, you can view our art work. Some are random elements from our webcomic. Other works are from various projects and exercises. I thought it might be nice to share our creations, I've seen some other RS members doing this as well. It's always fun to meet fellow artists and exchange feedback. New pieces will be added at a slow yet regular pace. So, if the section seems small now, it won't be that way for long. You are also welcome to visit http://welcomeconsumer.com and http://urabob.com for more artwork.

Dallas Comicon is this weekend! Can't resist a reasonably priced, small convention. I never see any cel dealers at our local Comicons, but hopefully that trend will change eventually. I wonder if Ralph will be attending? I need to ask. Anyway, have a happy hump day everyone! ^_^

Wish Granted.

last modified: Tuesday, October 04, 2005 (11:48:07 PM CST)

Yessss! I finally got my filthy mits all over a delicious wishlist cel recently. ^_^ Can't say how incredibly delighted and elated I am! A cel from the same sequence was for sale on a website but it sold nearly the same day it was posted. Didn't really matter, I couldn't truly afford the pricetag. Never thought I'd see another cel like it anytime soon. And for much less money! I cannot wait to receive it and give it a decent picture. EEEEEE!

In other news, all of my friends have fallen on somewhat unhappy times. One friend is having ex-boyfriend trouble, another friend hurt her leg. One guy is worried about his job, looking for a girlfriend AND a new place to live! Bothers me to see my friends unhappy. And so many people are suffering from medical issues, financial problems, emotional situations, and so on. Hope everything works out for my marshmallow peeps. They deserve the best! *hugs yummy friends* I'll just continue to support them and send happy love vibes. =)

Thanks for reading my gushy entry. XD The newest installment of the comic is now live, so go check it out! http://welcomeconsumer.com

Rubberslug Returns.

last modified: Monday, October 03, 2005 (4:20:52 PM CST)

Yay! I missed RS while it was down. ^___^

Tons of new cels came in. Currently, we have about 50% of our collection online. Maybe even less, given the amount which was received these past few weeks. Which means tons of scanning =(

We have finally created a Coming Soon section. Mostly to assist in keeping track of our purchases. I'm not really a fan of taking images from auctions and using them in my gallery, so the Coming Soon section is locked from the public. It's really just to ensure we don't miss any cels that were purchased.

Don't you just love that, "I bought THIS?" feeling when you receive stuff in the mail. :)

Speaking of scanning, it's a lot of trouble and work, but I really do enjoy it. I prefer to color balance and control the quality of my images. I really love my cels and want to do them as much justice as possible with decent scans. Of course, some of the pan cels we own cannot effectively be scanned. We do our best with those. Likewise, there are a couple of cels we need to re-scan because I'm not particularly content with the quality (for whatever reason).

New comic goes live on Tuesday. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Botcon Day 2.

last modified: Saturday, September 24, 2005 (10:47:44 PM CST)

Whew! I had to skip yesterday's entry because we were so tired when we got home. So, I'll just post a recap for yesterday and today.

Friday, which was technically the first day of the con's events, was great. There wasn't a terribly large number of people at the panels. Friday was geared towards the TF club members and pre-registered ticket holders. The crowd was fair and friendly.

We attended the Hasbro/Takara Working Together panel, which was informative somewhat. But the speakers were very shy. The audio set up was lacking, so everything sort of roared/echoed. Powerpoint seems to be the program of choice for these panels too. The man from Takara seemed like he a lot to add, but never really spoke up often enough.

The Transformers Return to Comic Books (IDW) panel was kick ass! The Beast Wars 4 issue mini-series is what I can't wait for the most! So many of the characters in the comic will be based on all the figures that came out but were never featured in the show. Beast Wars is my favorite TF series, so it meant the most to me to see that. The old Marvel comics will be reprinted for $1.99 an issue (excluding issues which featured Marvel crossovers, like Spider-Man and Death's Head. Yes, I know, Death's Head didn't appear until the UK). Simon Furman will write or have something to do with all of the new TF comic series as well. There was a special Botcon exclusive cover issue #0 for sale as well for $1.

We accidently became the front of the line for the Friday Dealer's Room Preview. Pretty neat. We are even featured on their website (snapped a stupid picture of us without our knowledge). I purchased Depthcharge, but continued to debate on other TFs. Couldn't find red Gimlet though...(he's a lobster robot!) So the hunt continues... http://welcomeconsumer.com

Botcon Day 1.

last modified: Friday, September 23, 2005 (12:37:29 AM CST)

I know I'm probably boring everyone with these Botcon related blogs. But we're super excited! XD Today we had to go and pick up our badges and exclusive figures. The badges are very good quality, heavy lamination (done prior to the con) with a schedule printed right on the back! All of the weekend's events are right there, around your neck with their spiffy red laniard!

We picked up 2 of the boxed exclusive figure sets, 2 of the loose figure sets, 2 Flame War exclusive freebie figures, as well as several other assorted figures that were for sale at the souvenir store. We also purchased the 2 V. Clone buggalos, Flareup and Ratchett exclusives (which are limited to 400-500 pieces, depending on the set). All of the Arcee recolors are just heavenly. The teaser pictures featured online really did not do them justice. I love every single one! The paint jobs and choice of plastics are great. Very happy with the exclusives.

The entire con staff consisted of grandmothers and wives! They were all so nice, too. Hearing a 90 year old woman talk about Deathsaurus is just hilarious. XD

Can't wait to attend all of the events and panels. The Saturday evening dinner might be fun. EEEE! ^_^ Expect more boring blogs as the days go by. Here's where we discuss all things TF: http://welcomeconsumer.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=345

Thanks for reading my fanatic rantings <3 http://welcomeconsumer.com

Botcon.

last modified: Wednesday, September 21, 2005 (2:19:52 AM CST)

Yikes! Botcon is this weekend! I still have a free ticket remaining, for anyone who wanted to go. We found a few people who wanted it, but it seems like no one's work schedule permits. =(

Botcon will be held this weekend, Sept 22-25, in Frisco TX. Which is only about 10 mins from Dallas (me!) Visit http://transformersclub.com for more information.

Anyone that will be there or wants to go, please contact me. We'd love to unload this ticket ASAP. The ticket includes admission to all of the panels and events, but no exclusive figure sets.

We're really looking forward to the dealers room and several panels. Meeting a few voice actors will be fun stuff too. I think Master Collector is doing a great job so far. The con will most likely take place in another state next year (even tho MC is based in Fort Worth TX). I say this because the GI Joe cons they manage are in a new state everytime. Which is fair, let's everyone everywhere enjoy the con experience.

New webcomic has been posted. Check it out ^_^ http://welcomeconsumer.com

Black Jack.

last modified: Tuesday, September 20, 2005 (7:11:39 PM CST)

I added a new section to my gallery today: Black Jack. Thought it would be fun to add some information about my favorite Tezuka character. Oh, our new webcomic installment goes live tonight. Be sure to stop by and read it, once it has been uploaded. Enjoy! http://welcomeconsumer.com

Summary

Black Jack is a medical mercenary, selling his skills to the highest bidder. He is a shadowy figure, with a black cloak, eerie black-and-white hair, a scar across his face and partially black skin. Black Jack cures patients indiscriminately, from common folk to presidents and yakuza leaders. To his VIP patients, he charges absurd sums. All this has given him a reputation for callousness and greed which he gleefully cultivates. However, to the reader it is clear that Black Jack actually is a good man: he is anti-wealth and anti-prestige, and believes he is actually doing rich people a favor by removing their material wealth. The opposition to wealth and power is a common theme in Tezuka's work: powerful men are almost always portrayed in a negative light.

Black Jack's real name is Kuro Hazama (? ?? Hazama Kuro). A bomb destroyed his home when he was a child, killing his mother and giving him a lust for revenge. Kuro's body was nearly torn to shreds, but he was rescued thanks to miraculous surgery by a Dr. Jotaro Honma (????? Honma Jotaro). Marked by this experience, Kuro decided to become a surgeon himself, taking the name of Black Jack. Despite his surgical genius, he has chosen never to obtain a surgical license, operating instead in the shadows. He scorns such things as licenses as a meaningless symbols of social status, preferring to live in anonymity. He is based in a secret private clinic far away from the city, but frequently travels to hospitals around the world to covertly assist terminally ill patients.

Most of the episodes involve Black Jack doing some good deed, for which he rarely gets recognition --- often curing the poor and destitute for free, or teaching capitalist fat cats and his pompous fellow doctors a lesson in humility. They frequently end with a good, humane person enduring hardship, often unavoidable death, to save others.

Osamu Tezuka drew on his knowledge as a physician in writing Black Jack, and the manga contains frequent medical details. However, Tezuka chose to generally eschew medical plausibility in his manga: Black Jack is superhuman, regularly performing spectacular and impossible feats of surgical virtuosity.

Trivia

There is widespread ignorance as to how Black Jack got his name. Some believe (wrongly) that it is because parts of his skin are dark (said by some sources to be skin grafts from a friend who was Black). Most believe (again, wrongly) it's a reference to the card game of the same name and/or the Jack rank in the deck of cards. Neither of those are the actual meaning of the name according to Tezuka. He once said that because Black Jack operated illegitimately (i.e. outside the official medical system), he was like a pirate and that the name referred to the universally known "skull and crossbones" Jolly Roger pirate flag-- which is also known as the Black Jack. Yet, Tezuka might have said this in response to comparisons to Captain Harlock who has a similar scarred facial appearance and is also a "by his own rules" outsider.

Black Jack made a brief cameo appearance in the 1980 movie Phoenix 2772 which was based on another Tezuka work. Here, he is seen as the foreman of the prison planet work camp.

Updates.

last modified: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 (11:16:29 PM CST)

Well, we finally got around to changing the front banner in our Rubberslug gallery. Nothing too fancy, but it does show off the main cast of our webcomic. (Psst... I'm the girl, hehe).

New images will be added soon. We will have new subpage images and all that fun stuff. Just takes a little time.

New cels are being added, slowly. Our "to do" stack is getting really tall. O.o Scanning is less than fun, ya know? >.<

I am getting over my illness too. I have been sick for a few days now. But I at least look better now. Walking around with a red nose is not fun. People keep stopping, briefly thinking I'm a traffic light or something. :O) <-- Look at my big ol' red clown nose. Heheheh.

I've been reunited with Dee! Life is looking good. Thanks for reading ^_^ http://welcomeconsumer.com

Yay!

last modified: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 (4:36:47 PM CST)

Thanks for the responses about Dee. I was starting to worry O.O But she contacted me briefly via IM. Sooooo happy. I was very concerned. Glad to know my cloney is ok. Wonder when she will return... and rule this mighty land... http://welcomeconsumer.com

Where is Dee?

last modified: Tuesday, September 13, 2005 (10:36:11 PM CST)

I really miss my clone. Has anyone seen or spoken to MDKiller1 lately? I haven't received an email from her in forever. And I'm totally insane with worry about her. If anyone knows anything, please let me know. Post it here or contact me, whatever. She had the flu, last time we spoke. She briefly signs on AIM, but leaves immediately. It's just not the same without her :( http://welcomeconsumer.com

Botcon.

last modified: Sunday, September 11, 2005 (10:09:13 PM CST)

If you're a Transformers fan, you are probably aware of Botcon. It will occur in Frisco, TX on September 22-25. We will be attending but we have some extra free tickets. One ticket has already been given away, but we need another person to take the additional free ticket off our hands. The ticket seems to be free admission to all of the con events, but does not include the exclusive figure set. If you are interested in attending the con and would like a free ticket, please contact us ASAP. The ticket can be mailed to you or given in person, whatever is easier. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Important Information.

last modified: Thursday, September 08, 2005 (10:08:21 PM CST)

This post is about hurricane Katrina and its victims. Here are some important phone numbers and websites that may assist you or someone you know.

http://scipionus.com/ - An interactive map of New Orleans and the gulf coast. People who have seen the affected areas are posting information about specific locations.

http://weather.gov/ - See satellite photos of the region from the National Weather Service.

http://nola.com/ - Website where people can post messages to find victims, missing persons and loved ones.

http://wwl.com/ - Website where people can post messages to find victims, missing persons and loved ones.

http://bushclintonkatrinafund.org/ - A joint effort between Bush Sr. and Clinton.

http://redcross.org/ - Red Cross.

1-800-HELP-NOW (435-7669) - Red Cross phone number.

http://salvationarmyusa.org/ - Salvation Army.

http://katrina.salvationarmy.org/ - Ways to help.

1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769) - Salvation Army phone number.

To donate by mail, send checks earmarked "disaster relief" to:

The Salvation Army
Hurricane Relief Fund
PO Box 630243
Baltimore, MD 21263-0243

Or, to donate in person, visit your local Wal-Mart or Sam's Club.

Updates and Efforts.

last modified: Tuesday, September 06, 2005 (12:25:28 AM CST)

Hope everyone had a safe and pleasant Labor Day weekend. I know I did. We've acquired lots of new cels lately but haven't had any time to upload them yet. Scanning is so time consuming. When did cel collecting become a job? ^_^

I also wanted to say, one more time, that my thoughts are with the victims of Katrina. They still need food, clothes, medicine, blankets, toys and help, so don't hesitate to do whatever you can. Don't turn your back on your fellow human beings and compatriots. The relief effort and recovery period will be long and cumbersome, but it can be successful if we work together. Check out http://redcross.org/ and http://salvationarmy.org/ for ways to help. Huge thanks to those who have done their part already! SME, I'm so proud of you :)

Our webcomic has been updated as well. Technically it's still Monday, but we will now update every-other Tuesday. Eventually, we can update every Tuesday. But we just don't have the time for that right now, our schedule is too intense. Check out our latest efforts. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Anime Fest.

last modified: Sunday, September 04, 2005 (4:29:53 PM CST)

Whew! Dallas seems to have a lot of cons O.o I never really noticed before. Actually, we almost forgot to go! Haha! We are so crazy busy and stupid, that we remembered that morning. Glad we didn't remember after the con was done and over with. That particular problem *has* happened before, kid you not. We got the dates screwed up for a small Sci Fi Expo. Ended up going the weekend after it was over. There was a convention going on though... an antique show! I remember saying, "Why are there so many octogenarians at a Sci-Fi convention?" I just thought Captain Kirk and Wolverine were hitting it big with the older ladies. Great experience tho! Can't really top that memory ^_^ heehee

Anime Fest was a lot of fun. We attended Friday and Saturday, taking Sunday off. Might visit Monday too, just to kill some time. I didn't get to meet Ralphy, hopefully soon ^_~

Anime Fest is considered "small" by some standards, which is why I tend to enjoy it the most. More people attend each year, but it's a very nice, relaxing place to wander about. Met amazing people, shook hands, saw some interesting art and bought some goodies. Even exchanged some Nintendogs items with a fellow player.

Chowed down on milk tea, takoyaki (sp?), red bean cakes, chocolate breads and other assorted treats. Bought the diecast version of Kaneda's bike by Bandai. It's mind blowing. Topples anything McFarlane made (I have all of the Akira McFarlane toys and I love them, but you simply can't beat diecast). Sadly, could not find the scale size. The Kaneda figure included is definitely not to scale, he's much too big. No complaints here though. Akira fans really should not be without that bike. Internet pictures really don't do it justice, I've noticed. And the box is perfect for display (I typically open my items for display, but the packaging is pretty much ready to go as it is).

Purchased a new cell phone mascot, couple sets of gashapon, couple cels, etc. I don't think I purchased any plushies though, which is pretty weird for me. All in all, it was a great experience. I only had to drop kick one person, the least number ever! XD

I know some people had cons coming up, like KaibasTreasure. Anyone else? Feel free to share your convention experiences here too, if you want. Love to know what's going on in other states. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Hurricane Katrina.

last modified: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 (5:22:14 PM CST)

Watching the news, I see the damage is devastating. Some of which is beyond repair. My extended family lives in a state neighboring the affected areas and I am so grateful they are safe and unharmed. My heart goes out to everyone that has been touched by this horrendous natural disaster. I know of some Rubberslug members who live in or near New Orleans, Mississippi and Alabama. Has anyone heard any word from them? I sincerely hope everyone is safe and well. Please post anything you know. If you want access to information about the storm via the internet, check out http://cnn.com/ and http://weather.com/ And please donate money at http://redcross.org/ and http://salvationarmy.org/ The websites are very busy and have trouble loading, but please be patient. Try donating online during non-peak hours. The survivors need all the help they can get! Thank you for your time and consideration. http://welcomeconsumer.com

5,000+ Hits.

last modified: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 (10:55:10 PM CST)

I've seen other people celebrate similar milestones, so we (Bob & Toni) thought it would be fun to do so as well. Wow! Our gallery looks so much different than we originally intended. We only planned on purchasing one cel and that was it. Obviously, we had no idea how addictive this hobby can be! ^_^ We never imagined receiving 5,000 hits or so many Votes! Thanks so much everyone. Maybe we will change the welcome banner image on our gallery or something.

We began cel hunting less than one year ago, but we have been fortunate enough to purchase nearly everything we desired. We will probably never stop collecting completely, but we will slow down.

So far, I've been lucky enough to never have to touch my salary or credit cards in order to purchase cels. This financial restraint forces me to be choosey, and I have missed out on some amazing cels. But it's nice to know I'm not putting myself into debt with this hobby. The minute it feels like work or becomes a burden, I want out. Cel collecting brings us a lot of joy, but I never want it to prevent us from doing what we want in life. Like traveling, purchasing another home, etc.

As many of you know, we are currently remodeling our house and hope to move in this year. This obligation makes our schedule chaotic, but it's nice to be in control of your future. Soon we will have pictures posted online to display the (slow) progress. ^_^

I want to express my appreciation to Rubberslug and the people who keep it running. It's a splendid place to display your collection and meet fellow cel collectors. I've met some of the coolest, nicest people:

MDKiller1, SME, GB, Mokman, RalphVBoy, Blueheaven, Shampoo, noisywalrus, Rheytarian, indy, purple-plum, fetish4minx, Not Sir Phobos, Zag, Drax, HotIceHilda, Al and Nic, HyELaKinGsFaN, KageNeko, Kisara, Klet, Leah, tex-chan, Kata, jckun, JWR, backlotanimation, magiktori, Mirai Peorth, Gabriel, MacKettric and sooooo many others!

I love all of you guys. The RS community is the best. If you need help, advice, opinions, assistance, etc, RS people are always there for you. Thank you! And visit our webcomic http://welcomeconsumer.com

Behind the Scenes.

last modified: Monday, August 29, 2005 (1:53:24 PM CST)

Our Rubberslug gallery has been without major updates for quite some time now. At least, it feels like a long time for us. However, we are still purchasing, procuring and scanning new cels. We are preparing for some massive updates, many new sections and new cels will be added soon. A couple, I am happy to say, were major wishlist acquisitions. We have been extremely fortunate in our cel hunting.

In the next few days, our schedules will become even more complicated and chaotic. But we hope to continue with consistent updates and blog entries.

I am still enchanted with Nintendogs. Can't get enough of that quiet and relaxing little game. We are such fanboys when it comes to Nintendo. ^_^
http://welcomeconsumer.com

Happy Birthday!

last modified: Monday, August 29, 2005 (1:00:59 AM CST)

It's one day early, but Happy Birthday mom! Today, my husband and I visited my mother and father. We all went out to eat lunch and have a nice time. It's fun to spend quality time with our loved ones. Taking advantage of or forgetting the importance of family and friends is all too easy. So don't let time pass you by, get together and enjoy the company of the special people in your life.

My aunt and uncle had a short layover in Dallas today as well. We decided to stop by the airport and socialize during their brief sojourn. They were on their way home after a week long cruise around Alaska. My extended family lives in another state, about 1,000 miles away, so seeing them was quite a pleasant and rare experience.

I believe they planned their vacation based on our personal recommendation. Alaska is a wonderful place to visit, particularly in late summer. If you don't mind the sun not setting for six months, I highly recommend vacationing there. Anchorage, Denali and Juno are especially picturesque, while Fairbanks is not. I would not recommend a cruise if you prefer interacting with nature. The guided tours, wild life and horse back riding are superb. The history museum in Anchorage is intriguing, with meticulous displays about Captain James Cook. My favorite animal was the Muskox and my least favorite thing were the mosquitoes.
http://welcomeconsumer.com

Capcom Minimates.

last modified: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 (7:26:43 PM CST)

Yay! Originally, Medicom released two Kubrick figures featuring Morrigan from Darkstalkers and Chun Li from Street Fighter. As with all Medicom merchandise, these items were a limited release and difficult to obtain. Everything's possible with eBay, as long as you're willing to pay inflated prices of course.

Now, thankfully, you can purchase a variety of Capcom characters from a new Minimates line, slated for release in January 2006. Can't wait! I have already pre-ordered mine via Previews and Diamond Select at my local comic book shop. I suggest you do the same because solid support will ensure a Series 2 and possibly Series 3 - think of all the adorable Capcom characters they could release! Personally, I'd love to see more Darkstalkers fighters, but Devilot from Cyberbots or Strider would make nice Minimates as well.

The Series 1 set consists of 7 molds: Ryu, Akuma, Demitri, Morrigan, Lilith, Chun Li and Bison. With several color variants, which include a repainted Lilith, Chun Li, Bison, Ryu and Akuma. Of course, nothing is set in stone, considering there are several months between now and the release date. Anything's possible. But I'm excited just the same.

Check out pictures and pre-order information here:
http://welcomeconsumer.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=437

Nintendogs.

last modified: Tuesday, August 23, 2005 (9:34:40 PM CST)

Purchased Nintendogs today for my Nintendo DS. Originally, I pre-ordered Lab & Friends because I really wanted to raise a Shiba first. But there was a shortage on the game, of course. The alternative Dachshund & Friends edition was a fine substitute. I opted to adopt an energetic male Husky and named him Moro. Technically, you can unlock all of the available dog breeds with Owner Points, so it doesn't matter. I will more than likely have a tiny herd of puppies in no time.

In usual Nintendo flare, they hit all the marks. The game is deceptively addictive and extremely intuitive. The behavior and demeanor of the dogs is immeasurably realistic and unique. Every dog has a distinct temperment, personality and skills. Some dogs are nervous and shy, while others are outgoing or difficult to train.

Looking for longivity? Never fear. You have Owner Points and Cash. To unlock new breeds of dogs, you must take very good care of your puppy. Train him, raise him, walk him and enter him in contests. Do well, and you will reap the rewards. Which benefits you as much as your dog! The more Owner Points you recieve determines the variety of dog breeds available for adoption. This means your little puppy can have some friends. The more money you have, the more toys, food and accessories you can purchase from the store. You can even expand your home with the Interior Decorator. There is lots to be done and plenty of time to do it.

You must train your dog to do tricks and be obedient. Additionally, you should take your dog on frequent walks, for exercise and to do his "business." Playing and running all of the time will result in a dirty dog, so you should purchase shampoo and a brush from the pet supply store. A clean puppy is a happy puppy. There is a multitude of items to find, purchase and collect, so keep your eyes peeled when you go out with your pup.

Nintendogs is an amazing experience. An engrossing and interactive pet that is enjoyable and just complex enough to remain interesting. The environment is peaceful, enhanced by the subtle atmospheric sound effects of birds, cars and, of course, doggy barks. The graphics are stunning; pay close attention to your dog's facial expressions.

Nintendogs is one of many shining gems in the Nintendo library. If you appreciate simulation games, deft incorporation of the stylus, virtual pets, or even just wonderfully well-made games, then Nintendogs is definitely for you. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Game of Words.

last modified: Monday, August 22, 2005 (12:35:25 AM CST)

I recently went to Toys R Us, during a "green tag" sale. Everything with a green price tag received an additional 25-50% mark down. I purchased several items, including some GBA titles. One in particular was Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars. This point-and-click style adventure game was originally a PC title which was later ported to the PS1. There has since been two sequels: BS2 - The Smoking Mirror and BS3 - The Sleeping Dragon. Each were PC titles, then PS1 and X-Box titles respectively.

If you enjoy Metal Gear Solid, then you may be familiar with Kojima's "Snatcher" for the Sega CD. Snatcher was a true "choose your own adventure" style digital comic video game, ladden with heavy references to the movie Blade Runner. If you were fortunate enough to own and enjoy Snatcher, then you'll most likely enjoy the Broken Sword series as well. Especially the GBA incarnation. Sprung is another similar video game, but it is of the "dating sim" genre.

All of these games have something in common: a sharp sense of humor. Broken Sword is full of conspiracies and murder mysteries. Snatcher is a cyber punk adventure. Sprung is all about hooking up and back stabbing. Upcoming games of comparable nature include Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Trauma Center. One is legal, one is medical, obviously. But each and every game mentioned above is definitely worth a purchase, if possible. I simply adore dialogue based games and if you do too, take my advice.

New WC comic has been posted as well. Be sure to check it out: http://welcomeconsumer.com

Piggy Bank.

last modified: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 (11:36:49 PM CST)

Something most RS collectors are familiar with. Many of us have probably busted a few open to purchase our favorite cels. So, let's take a little time to learn some more about our pink penny holding friend.

Piggy bank (sometimes penny bank) is the traditional name of a coin accumulation and storage container, most often used by children. Piggy banks are often shaped like pigs and made of ceramic or porcelain. In Middle English, "pygg" referred to a type of clay used for making various household objects such as jars. People often saved money in kitchen pots and jars made of pygg, called "pygg jars". By the 18th Century, the spelling of "pygg" had changed and the term "pygg jar" had evolved to "pig bank." This name may have caught on because the pig banks were mostly used by children, and the pig is a child-friendly shape that is easy to fashion out of clay. The actual origin of the name bears no relation to the pig itself. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Assistance.

last modified: Thursday, August 04, 2005 (10:26:59 PM CST)

I know many people are strong and independent. When a problem comes along, they whip it (haha). They believe there is no situation they cannot handle. However, sometimes, a situation is too big for one person to manage all alone. They do more harm to themselves and others by not accepting outside assistance. Whether it is advice or intervention, sometimes a solution can be reached when other people are involved.

Now, I'm guilty of this myself. For many years, I felt my problems were my own and I should cope however possible. That mentality can be confused with confidence. It's just a disguise. If you look at the ones you love, you are harming them. You are refusing to allow them into your life, fully.

Discussing our worries and concerns is healthy. People are social animals: we live in cliques, packs, groups, gangs, communities, cities, states, countries. There is a wealth of resources and support available to us if we just look up.

You cannot make someone accept your help. They must naturally come to this conclusion themselves. But, speaking from experience, I hurt the people I love because I shut them out. Reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness. And watching someone you love struggle, refusing your good intentions, is difficult as well. It feels like punishment.

Ultimately, we are all different and cope in different ways. Some people seek the constant aid of others, while some people shoulder all the burden upon themselves. Neither extreme is healthy or productive. Be strong and independent, but not at the expense of your own well-being and the well-being of those around you. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Thank you!

last modified: Monday, August 01, 2005 (12:41:09 PM CST)

I just wanted to say "thank you" to everyone who contacted me about the Animal Abuse entry in my blog (below). Your emails and posts of support and suggestions have helped me greatly. I appreciate the strong community that exists here on RS. I will update my blog with new developments. I think the safest thing to do is to feed the dog until my husband can move into our new house. Then, with insurance protecting our investment, we will report the owner to Animal Control. Again, we have every reason to fear that he might burn down our house out of revenge. Even if he goes to jail, we would be completely devastated by the loss of our new home. In life, you will encounter people who do not fear retribution and lash out without thinking. Even if he is punished by law, there is no safety net for my family, no compensation for our loss. Situations like this require a delicate hand. I want to assist the dog as well as protect ourselves. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Animal Abuse.

last modified: Sunday, July 31, 2005 (11:03:29 PM CST)

Every Saturday morning, my husband and I work on our house. We cannot reside in this house yet, but soon. So, every Saturday, we go and improve the place. Our next door neighbors actually do not reside next door at all. They abandoned their house and reside elsewhere. Their property is littered with broken-down vehicles, garbage and other assorted items one might find at a junk yard or trash heap.

In the midst of this land fill are two adult dogs and one litter of puppies. All of which appear completely emaciated. My initial reaction was to immediately report them to Animal Control/Welfare. However, as I stated before, we do not currently reside in our house due to repairs. Thus, we do not have home owner's insurance. We will not have it until someone actually resides inside our new home. In fear of retaliation, we opted instead to speak directly to the owner of the dogs. There was a strong implication that "anyone could drive by your house and see these dogs, they are obviously being neglected." The owner assured us the matter would be taken care of and there was nothing further to worry about.

Today, another Saturday, has come. We have just finished making additional improvements to our new home. The mother and litter of puppies are now gone. However, the adult male dog remains. Desperately hungry. His ribs are showing, he's constantly moving and dehydrated. I live in Dallas, TX and I know these 90-100 degree days are taking a toll on this animal.

My husband and I feed the dog what we can, but it's not enough. We sprayed water into his filthy bowl, hoping it will prolong his existence. Seeing a creature in pain, starving, unable to escape or take care of itself, breaks my heart. It disturbs me to the core to witness these atrocities. And, the worst part, I feel powerless to help. I fear what may happen to our home. It's completely paid for, so losing it would be devastating. I have every reason to fear they may burn down our house, and without insurance, we could never fully recover our loss.

What am I supposed to do? I took pictures of the dog as it is now, to assist any future investigation. I feed the dog what I can: dog food, treats, hot dogs, whatever. But the fault lies in this heartless monster who abandoned him. And I really don't know what happened to the mother and puppies.

Things like this weigh on my mind and conscience. I can't hardly take it. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Importance of Time.

last modified: Saturday, July 30, 2005 (5:30:29 PM CST)

Spending time together is crucial; communication and cultivating bonds with those we love are gifts with expiration dates. Take every single second you can to express yourself. Cherish the ones you love, say everything in your heart. Do not allow regrets. Let them know you care, let them know you are thinking of them. Our time is perhaps limited, but we can choose to measure it in teaspoons. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Ranma 1/2.

last modified: Saturday, July 30, 2005 (5:30:15 PM CST)

A new section has been added to my gallery: Ranma ½. One of Rumiko Takahashi's most beloved manga series. It was the first anime TV series I ever watched (I had only seen movies and OAVs prior) so it holds a sentimental place in my heart. I'd love to collect a couple cels. So many wonderful characters. Probably a series a lot of people were exposed to back when anime was not as mainstream as it is today. http://welcomeconsumer.com

Jem and the Holograms.

last modified: Saturday, July 30, 2005 (5:29:49 PM CST)

I'm confident most people remember this American cartoon series from the 80s. It featured catchy music, trippy sequences, a bright color palette, and stylish yet economical animation from Sunbow. Rhino acquired the rights to remaster and release this cartoon on DVD. Seasons 1 & 2 were sold together in a set, while Season 3 was supposed to be released in Parts (Transformers fans can empathize). Season 3 Part 1 was released and that was it! What became of Part 2? Unfortunately, like many of the properties acquired by Rhino, the rights were abruptly lost, Part 2 was cancelled, and the already released DVDs became instantly sought-after. You can purchase the Season 1 & 2 set for about $120 on eBay. Season 3 Part 1 goes for a considerable sum as well. Today, the God of Luck smiled upon me. Out of the blue, I found the entire (available) Jem & the Holograms collection at a well-known consumer electronics store. Brand new. Factory sealed. Perfect condition. No mark-ups. In fact, I got quite a bargain, even discounting the ridiculous price I might have paid from someone online. Can I resist the temptation to purchase the dolls? Those wonderful, crazy-colored dolls that came with cassettes featuring the music from the series. Perhaps there will be a Jem section in my RS gallery in the future, who knows. But having the show on DVD, remastered in all its psychedelic glory, is orgasmic adjacent. http://www.welcomeconsumer.com

Harry Potter Review Added.

last modified: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 (12:55:56 AM CST)

New book review has been added to our website. The lovely BitterNeko (Jaime) has provided a spoiler enhanced account of the latest Harry Potter novel, volume 6. Enjoy! And feel free to browse the site. http://www.welcomeconsumer.com/review/book_harry_potter_6.htm

The Queen of ID.

last modified: Monday, July 25, 2005 (9:45:57 PM CST)

I purchased a cel sometime ago because I enjoyed the artwork very much. However, I had no clue who the character was or even what series the cel was from! Every so often, I would seek assistance in the RS chatroom, but no one seemed to know about the cel either. Bummer. But... there is one lady on RS who knew! She's an amazing chica, you've probably heard of her: Zag! Check out her lovely gallery and be sure to send her some pleasant feedback: http://zagcels.rubberslug.com I just love her to death; she is certainly the Queen of ID. Thank you Zag! http://www.welcomeconsumer.com

Reviews Added.

last modified: Sunday, July 24, 2005 (10:50:29 PM CST)

Many new Reviews have been added to http://www.welcomeconsumer.com
Some of which include:

Haunting Ground game review http://www.welcomeconsumer.com/review/vg_haunting_ground.htm
The Machinist move review http://www.welcomeconsumer.com/review/film_machinist.htm
Vector Prime toy review http://www.welcomeconsumer.com/review/toy_vector_prime.htm
Scourge toy review
http://www.welcomeconsumer.com/review/toy_scourge.htm
Midori Days anime review http://www.welcomeconsumer.com/review/anime_midori_days.htm


Please enjoy the updates to our website. Don't forget to join the forum: http://welcomeconsumer.com/phpbb2/index.php

Life of the Cloney.

last modified: Friday, July 22, 2005 (1:18:59 AM CST)

This week has been taxing. I'm quite tired and worn out. Looking forward to the weekend, as usual. Some stressful news has been delivered but I hope my clone will be ok. I know she is probably struggling more than she admits. But I am confident she realizes that I am here for her. A wealth of support and love are available when needed. Positive thoughts keep us going. http://www.welcomeconsumer.com

About Me.

last modified: Tuesday, July 19, 2005 (3:54:23 AM CST)

We have decided to add the About Me page feature to our Rubberslug gallery. Cute little thing to do, I guess. Not sure what kind of info I should include. Perhaps I will round it out more later, but it is about as informative and topical as it needs to be. If anyone has any suggestions or questions they would like answered in our About Me page, let us know and we will add it. Or, tell us what kind of info you included in your About Me page. What do RS gallery members and fellow cel collectors want to know? That is the question. http://www.welcomeconsumer.com

Street Fighter.

last modified: Monday, July 18, 2005 (10:01:38 AM CST)

A new section has been created in our gallery: Street Fighter. The first cel posted in that section is Chun Li. Purchased her and a couple others from a Manga Entertainment voice actor at Akon, an anime convention in Dallas. Not sure how long she will remain in my collection, however. I will probably accept offers if anyone is interested. Additional cels added to the Street Fighter section include: Ken and Ryu. http://www.welcomeconsumer.com

Birth of our Blog.

last modified: Monday, July 18, 2005 (8:48:00 AM CST)

wELCOME cONSUMER to our new weblog. This is the first entry of many. Any time there is a change to our website or a new webcomic is posted, the blog will be updated. Thank you! http://www.welcomeconsumer.com