For the Glory

I was talking to one of my co-workers recently. It seems Cassie and her family had just seen Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. She told me that even though she had really enjoyed the movie, she had one small problem with it.

"And what was that?" I asked, fully expecting to hear a complaint about the film's plot or the humor. I was a little surprised to hear her response.

"It's my stupid brother," she replied. "Ever since we watched the movie, he keeps calling me Jetfire!"

When I heard that, I couldn't help but flinch slightly. Cassie and Jetfire share a physical trait in common; when Cassie was younger, she needed surgery on her legs. Thanks to the operations, she can walk but she has a noticable limp and needs the assistance of a cane. It was pretty obvious why her brother would make such a comment.

But then it struck me: being nicknamed Jetfire may not be such a bad thing. Especially when you consider his character.

"He's calling you Jetfire?" I said. "That's pretty awesome, actually. Remember how cool he was?" She thought it over for a moment and agreed.

To say Jetfire was cool is really an understatement. For all intents and purposes, he was at a major disadvantage as compared to the other Cybertronians. They were younger and in much better physical condition, while he was ancient and had trouble walking.

But that didn't stop him. When he needed to kick skidplate, he kicked it and did a much more impressive job of it than some of his younger counterparts. And when duty called on him to make the ultimate sacrifice, he did so willingly. He owed this planet and our species nothing, yet Jetfire gave his life to protect us. He is, in a word, a hero.

When I think about it, Cassie's a bit like him. She comes in, does her job and doesn't complain about it. She cracks jokes with customers and associates alike and almost always has a smile on her face. She's a real trooper. I'd say she's earned the nickname and represents it honorably.

I can't help but be a little jealous of her. How often do you meet someone who's nicknamed for a hero and has earned the name so well?

Cold

It's dark, cold and I am waiting for spring. Will it ever come?

We've gotten a bit more snow, but now we are entering a time of year with much more light. It is beginning to melt. The gray and brown grasses of other people's lawns can now be seen. I cannot say that I am sorry to see it go.

Although I love the snow and the cold, I am growing weary of them. Next month is March, another step closer to spring and to summer.

I can hardly wait.

The Manaphy Code

At long last, Nintendo has revealed the code for obtaining the Manaphy Egg in Pokémon Ranger. You can find break-downs on both Pokémon Elite 2000 and Serebii.net. Here's the step by step instructions, as seen on Pokémon Elite 2000:

Step 1: Access Ranger Net after finishing the game. When you see Ranger net on your main menu, click on it.
Step 2: Your screen will show "Play a special mission." On your Nintendo DS, press the top Right trigger, the X button, and left on your directional pad simultaneously.
Step 3: You should see a screen that says "Enter the password has been added".
Step 4: Tap the touch screen, and wait as the game saves.
Step 5: After the game saves, tap the screen again, and a new menu will come up that says "Enter the password".
Step 6: When you click on the password menu, you'll be allowed to enter the password!
Step 7: Enter the password: P8M2-9D6F-43H7
Step 8: You'll see a special message that says the mission is active. Turn off the game.
Step 9: At the menu screen, access Ranger Net and you'll see an option to play a special mission.
Step 10: The mission "Recover the Precious Egg" appears!
Step 11: You did it! Congratulations! Now play the mission...
Step 12: ... and discover the mystery...
Step 13: ... of who Manaphy is.
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After receiving the Manaphy Egg in Pokemon Ranger, you will be able to transfer the Manaphy Egg to Pokemon Diamond or Pokemon Pearl so you can raise a Manaphy.
Info from Pokemon Elite 2000.

If you have Ranger, now would be the time to complete the game. Once that's done, you can get your Manaphy Egg and be one step closer to completing you Diamond and Pearl PokéDex. Good luck!

Doldrums

We've finally gotten our first real snowfall for the winter; it came earlier in the week. We're expecting more tomorrow, roughly around an inch. Although I'm glad it's here, I still feel cheated: I wanted snow for Christmas and it never came. It isn't until deep with the depths of winter we get our snow at last. I can't help but feel cheated.

Unlike last winter, we've had much more sunshine this year, which has helped my SAD (seasonal affective disorder) quite a bit. It's not a cure though. I still feel stuck in the doldrums, down and depressed for reasons unknown.

Maybe it's because I'm getting older.

Maybe it's because I'm looking forward to so much this year that this month, and this cold winter darkness, feels unbearable.

I wish I knew.

I'm also feeling rather nostalgic, for reasons unknown. I've got an old '80s song running through my head (it's been going through my head for the past couple of weeks). It's called "Captain Of Her Heart" and it was performed by a group called Double. Describing it would not do it justice, so here it is, for all to hear. Enjoy.

All (Black) Thumbs

One of my basil plants is dead.

It died a few days ago. I had been raising it from a seed. And it had been doing so well, too.

When I lost one of my previous plants, I was frantically trying to do everything in my power to save it. I repotted it, gave it fertilizer, watered it regularly and put it out in the noonday sun. Nothing helped. So when my basil seedling began to droop, I simply watered it, fed it, gave it some light and waited.

This time I was a bit less sympathetic. I gave it two days to turn around. It didn't.

So, I pulled the seedling from the soil and tossed into the front yard, a death sentence, considering the time of year. But I had no time to waste on what would be futile efforts; it had a healthy sibling that needed tending.

The sibling seems to be doing well. I'm hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

I'm just not cut out to raise plants, I guess.