One thing I've been working on for several weeks is a new blog. I'm moving from MovableType to WordPress and I'm launching this week. I plan on bloggin a lot more (I know, you've heard that before), but this time I mean it. I have more time, I think, and I am anxious to sharpen my blogging prowess. I want to become a more respected voice on politics, news, film and all the crazy junk I write about. And I want to grow in a lot of other different ways too. We'll see, I guess.

Anyways, thanks for reading and hopefully you'll be reading more and more! Expect some downtime, but in no time everything will be up at nicksblog.net.

Thanks!

It's kind of a rush, to say the least. I find it rather ironic that this point of the year beckons me back to Ohio. Though it is true that I am moving to Columbia, Mo., to attend graduate school at the University of Missouri-Columbia, I am traveling to Ohio to pick up my mother, who will help me move into my apartment in Columbia. The journey begins at 5 p.m. August 1, when my employment with Gannett ends. I will drive to Las Vegas to see my college friends Padmini and Braniff. I will spend Saturday with them before embarking early Sunday morning for however far I can drive down Interstate 70 in one day. On Monday I assume I'll be in Kansas, on my way to Ohio. I'll drive past Columbia and into St. Louis, where I will pick up my sister. Together we will go to Brookville, Ohio, where we will rest and wait for my mother to finish her night shift at the hospital. Tuesday afternoon, the three of us will head back to Columbia, get a hotel room and rest before moving the things I packed this past weekend into my new apartment.

So, yeah, that's the plan. It's really ending. My time in California has come to an end. More experiences in this wonderful state are to come, I am certain, but this detour is necessary. Graduate school, the next chapter in my life, will afford me many opportunities that Gannett and the Times-Delta will not. I will have the opportunity to develop my new media skills beyond the editing prowess and content management understanding I've mastered at the Times-Delta. My dedication to coding and Web design will be re-invested and invigorated — at least I hope. I aim to be finishing up an internship at a major media or new media corporation or Web site by this time next year. I will be cultivating the connections necessary to acheive the career goals I have set for myself in the next 5 years. Hopefully, by the end of that time, I will have re-located to my dream location — Washington D.C. — covering politics and employing my skills for a company that values my skills, intelligence and experience.

That's the dream. And it all starts today, August 1. I have been waiting for this day long before I knew it would come this day, this time, this year. I always knew I would be leaving the Times-Delta. I knew that the Central Valley was not the place for me. I love the mountains, I love the Sierra. I will miss Yosemite. I will miss the Central Coast. Los Angeles will alas quake without me. And I will continue to curse San Francisco, who not only litters my car window with parking tickets but exceeds in thwarting my flirtations with alternative transportation (translation: My bike was stolen last month on Market Street in San Francisco). But all of this is not enough to make me stay. I must move on. Finishing graduate school is something I have known I must do. Now the time has come.

As for my blog, big changes are coming. More on that when I make it a little further from California.

Thanks for reading. See you on the other side.

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Estelle Getty’s son says the 84-year-old actress has died

I will write more later. Right now I want to curl up with my favorite season of "The Golden Girls" and Netflix "Mannequin."

She will be missed!

It started for me as a late night excuse to avoid homework. I was still a college student at the University of Georgia and like many of my peers I would stay up late watching Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. At 12:30 a.m. every night, Inuyasha would come on, and as much as I resisted, I soon became sucked into the story. The anime cartoon chronicled the adventures of Kagome, a middle school student in Tokyo who stumbles upon the entryway to a door to the past — the feudal era of Japan, 500 years in the past to be exact. There she resurrects a half demon, Inuyasha, and together they go on a "collect the pieces" quest, which is an often repeated story gimmick in Japanese manga.

Well, it's been over 11 years and about two years since I picked up on the continuation of the manga version of Inuyasha, which is the ongoing storyline that the anime was adapted from. The past nine weeks have brought us the final volume of Inuyasha, where Naraku is finally killed and the Shikon Jewel is dealt with once and for all. It's sad to see the series end, but it's so refreshing that such a long standing story can be given such an appropriate send off.

Basically, if you're looking to be spoiled, Inuyasha and Kagome wish away the Shikon Jewel only to be separated by time again. As Kaede says, Kagome appeared with the Shikon Jewel and she disappeared with it as well. Three years pass and Kagome graduates high school, considering her future. She realizes why she has been unable to reach Inuyasha across time and makes the difficult decision in her heart to give up her live in the modern era and live permanently in feudal Japan.

The manga ends there, with epilogues revealing that Sango and Miroku marry and have three kids, Kohaku beginning to develop into a powerful demon slayer and Shippou training to become a powerful fox demon. The cutest part of the final chapter would have to be Kagome's heartfelt exchange with Inuyasha's older brother Sesshomaru, where she calls him brother-in-law. This is the perhaps the chapter's only clear implication that Kagome and Inuyasha have indeed decided to live on together romantically (though there other obvious implications that lead to this assumption). We're not given a kiss between the two, but their characters are allowed to drift happily into the sunset.

It might not be my chosen ending, but I'll take it. I always hoped that Naraku, the series antagonist, would live on forever coveting the Shikon Jewel. Kikyo, Inuyasha's resurrected ex-girlfriend, would curse him and drag him willingly to hell, the only place they could ever be together. Shattered and destroyed, Kagome would return to her time broken hearted, but forever remembering Inuyasha and regretting her sad fate. Thankfully for the fangirls and boys, that didn't happen.

I actually have a couple poems I wrote about the series Inuyasha, which I hope sometime I will bring to the surface of this incarnation of my Web site. For now, I've finally begun work on what may be my final poem about the anime/manga series, chronicling Kikyo's perspective of my vision of the fates of the series protagonists. I may save that for this blog or perhaps for my next blog's introduction. Who knows, we'll see.

Anyways, that's my sendoff for Inuyasha. It was a fabulous series and I will miss looking forward to a new and exciting chapter every week. Now what am I going to do!

Today there was a bombshell: Naraku, the villainous antagonist in the Inuyasha manga, has been annihilated! With one shot of Kagome's arrow, he's been finished.

Oh, yeah, I think it was a few months ago that I announced the untimely death of Kohaku, the one-time protector of the final Shikon jewel shard. Well, it turns out the little bastard survived (some loophole involving a dead miko's enduring light).

Well, Naraku is definitely dead, right? Well, that's hard to say. The coolest thing about Naraku's death is it appears he's taking Kagome with him. A few issues back, Naraku's last remaining detachment, Byakuya of the Mirage, used his mysterious blade to cut Kagome. It had recently absorbed Inuyasha's Meidou attack, which dispatches an enemy straight to hell. Mysteriously, Byakuya's attack didn't do anything. For the past three issues, everyone has been waiting anxiously to see what wound he had inflicted.

As Naraku fought desperately against the combined force of the Inutachi and Sesshomaru, he finally faced the purity of Kagome's arrow, allowing his body and the jewel to at last be purified. Earlier in the battle, Kagome mused about the true purpose of Naraku's quest to gather the jewel shards. What wish did he want the jewel the grant? The woman he truly wanted, Kikyo, was dead, so that wish was not granted.

As Naraku hovered above the well through which Kagome magically appeared, returning the jewel to the feudal era, he conceded that his true wish could not be granted, so he made another. His wish would be granted the moment his life was extinguished. As it turns out, Byakuya's strike was integral to this wish: With Naraku dead, a path to hell opens behind Kagome.

OMG, how cool is this manga? This is freakin' Hades and Persephone! What is going to happen next?!

I'll be sure to tell. The manga is on the verge of ending, possibly in the next two months! Sadness :'(

See, I live in a "small town." Well, it's not that small really, but it's far from what some might consider civilized society. I usually associate this with decent concert venues, a multitude of delicious restaurant fare (especially vegetarian) and most importantly a decent independent cinema. I mean, come on! I lived in Dayton, Ohio, the armpit of American civilization (and interestingly enough my birthplace), and even they had a kick ass independent cinema!

Well, Visalia finally brought a decent independent film to town. At the beginning of the month, Control came to town. For two nights only, the black-and-white film by noted photographer Anton Corbijn, came to Visalia and I was front and center during the first showing. The film chronicles the formation and demise of the band Joy Division, a post-punk British rock band whose influence can be heard in many of the artists that climbed to prominance in the 80s and beyond.

The film focuses its narrative on Ian Curtis, the ill-fated lead singer who desperately wants to escape his drab life in Macclesfield, England. Soon after joining musicians Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner, Curtis finds what might be his golden ticket. After adding Stephen Morris and dropping the name Warsaw, Joy Division is born. The band rocket to success in England amongst contemporaries as the Sex Pistols and Iggy Pop.

Things turn sour for Curtis as he is diagnosed with epilepsy and has to undergo a brutal drug regiment in order to handle the demanding tour schedule of Joy Division. He also becomes swept up in a love affair with journalist Annik Honoré, causing significant strain with is wife Deborah Woodruff, who lives in Macclesfield with her and Curtis' daughter.

Of course, the plot of the film spirals to inevitable end of Curtis, who hangs himself on the eve of the band's American tour. This tragedy was a great blow to music, as the world will never know what potential Curtis would have had if he could have risen above his internal struggles. So true for other musicians as well.

What separates this film from the parade of other musical biopics is Corbijn, who has photographed and filmed musicians for much of his professional career. Responsible for album art such as U2's Joshua Tree and music videos such as Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus," Corbijn makes this film just about the coolest I have every seen. The first half of the film feels like a photographer's portfolio, as even routine scenes of crossing the street are infused with such artistry that would take your breath away.

But the best thing about this film is the music. Not only does it introduce you to the wonderful band Joy Division, but also the artists which influenced the band's development. Oh, to live at the dawn of the 80s. I can think of so many worse things. If you have any sense in your brain, this will bring you back to the film over and over again.

The demise of Joy Division led Hook, Sumner and Morris to form New Order, which carried on in the shadow of Joy Division, influencing and changing the course of music in its own right. I've always been a fan of New Order, but not so much Joy Division. Happily, after this film, that has changed.

Pick this one up, definitely.

The following review was submitted for the site Gumbo Chinese Express.

Title: THUG MAN GIVIN THAT 411
Rating: 1
Pros: NO PROS
Cons: ERTHING

DAM DIS PACE AINT THUG LIKE ME MAN I BE THUG TO THE RUG AND THE SPACE OUT THERE ABOVE THE BLUE SKY GET THAT MAN THIS PLACE GOT RATS AND SNITCHS TELLEN THE PO PO ON ME

Reviewer Name: thug man

Those dang snitchs.

I watched a movie tonight that I thought was very good. I don't know when I got the urge to rent Cashback, a 2006 film adapted from the Acedemy Award-nominated short film of the same name, but I think it had something to do with iTunes. One of those advertisements you see in the iTunes Store maybe. One day, I saw it, and it was trying to rear me towards a catalog of short films nominated for the 2006 Academy Awards. I think I clicked on Cashback, watched a preview, and then filed said memory away.

It could be that. Or it could have something to do with Sean Biggerstaff, the Scottish actor perhaps best known for his role as Gryffindor Quidditch team captain Oliver Wood, the main attraction of the Harry Potter films, at least for me. Anyways, I made it a note to rent Cashback and I finally got around to it tonight.

The film is excellent. It was a beautiful film that artfully weaves in fantasy and reality without coming off as a hokey as a comic book film or fantasy/horror picture. On top of that, the cinematography is beautiful and the actors are very likable.

Sorry, I'm a bit rusty at this, but here goes...

The film centers around Ben Willis, an art student living in the UK who has just ended things with his girlfriend. After a few days, her quick recovery over their relationship leaves him winded and heart broken, and Ben develops chronic insomnia. Not hard to believe, of course. How cruel a world do we live in that we are denied sleep as an escape from the thorns of a bitter break up?

Anyways, Ben decides that, since he's got an extra eight hours every day to burn, he might as well get some cash for it. As a result he takes a night job at Sainbury's supermarket, along with a slate of other wily characters who flee to the nocturnal hours in their own vain attempts to pass the time.

Ben also finds safe harbor in this place, but he sees different opportunities for his time than hiding from clocks or horsing around. Time moves quickest for Ben when he freezes it — examining each second to uncover its deepest and most guarded beauty. The short film captured this unique story well, and it would seem to be the best place for such a story to remain. I think the 2006 film, however, expands on this narrative vein well and ultimately brings it to a poised and beautiful ending.

Yeah, I might be wrong. There was a lot of female nudity, but you did get to see Sean without his shirt on, so I think that balances it out. I'm well aware I probably have the minority opinion in this arena, but I liked the film. It's the first film in a while that's brought me here to rant about it. Also it's the first catch on Netflix that actually had my fingers on my temple instead of on my iPod or the kitty's head.

Maybe it's worth a spin, yes? Now if only I could see Into The Wild or Control.

Oh, and I'm still around! I'm planning an update very soon.

Well, for once, I'm actually doing something this Christmas. After two years of night shifts on the copy desk, I'm spending a week with my family in Ohio. It's pretty fabulous, but it took a hell of a lot of aggravation and stress to get where I am this Christmas Night. As I imparted just yesterday to a friend...

I left in time for my flight, but not before an absolutely hellish experience. For one, I must have hit something in the road with my car in the hours before I left for the airport because my fender has been bent which has made opening the driver's side door an excruciating experience. I have no idea how this happened, and since I had to leave at 2 a.m. Sunday morning for the Los Angeles airport, I had no time to deal with it.

Then the cat got out an hour before I had to leave. I had to wake up my roommate to help me look for him and leave slightly late before he showed up shivering at the door. (Oh, and I had to double back to get my "Showgirls" DVD, which I will be watching with my mother over the holiday).

And on top of all this, the scary movie fog emerged in Tulare County at 7 p.m. Saturday night, making my drive down Highway 99 an absolutely horrific experience. I survived, made my flight, but sadly my Sunday was consumed by 20-minute naps and a flight experience akin to the sensations a small animal must feel being trapped in a cage.

But, after a harrowing week of breaking news related to the Tulare County Sheriff's detective's death and funeral (including 11- and 13-hour days on Thursday and Friday), this object is finally at rest.

Click here for a link to our coverage of the Detective Kent Haws death. I'm very sorry this had to happen, but our coverage of the incident was quite good.

And here's a Christmas treat courtesy of my good friend Suzanne.

Be of good cheer, it's Christmas!

Beacon man fends off rabid fox with bread loaf
The Poughkeepsie Journal
CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO

BEACON – A Beacon man fended off a rabid fox with a loaf of sliced bread Wednesday, after the animal ran out from under his pick-up truck and attacked his leg.

Gary Kemp had just arrived back at his home in the Oak Meadow mobile home park, when he was greeted by the terminally ill intruder.

“The fox was hiding underneath the Bronco, and he came out and charged out at me, and started making this weeping noise as he was charging,” Kemp said.

The gray fox attacked his legs, and Kemp beat the fox with a loaf of bread until it ran away.

Kemp's home security system captured the attack on video tape.

While Kemp was showering, a neighbor was attacked and beat it with a black top rake and then had to run it over repeatedly with a Lincoln Continental until it died.

The fox was tested positive for rabies by the Dutchess County Department of Health.

In the words of my friend Jerm, "Rabies is scary." Damn right.

These special days, as I mount many ambitious plans for my future, I am noticing it's harder and harder to hold on to my hard-earned cash. One of the reaons this is so is directly related to the little nuissance that wandered into my apartment a few months ago: Sue.

Yes I have a cat now. He is a little bastard but I love him. Natalie and I were having a few drinks, toasting her recent ascension in the newspaper world, when she heard what she described as two cats fighting. I went downstairs to investigate and out of the bushes romped out the source to all my financial woe. He was an emaciated little feline and Natalie was happy to share some kibble (our first mistake). Ever since, he has not left my apartment (except of course for that wonderful day we had his little balls chopped off).

I have to say, after a few months, I am really taking a liking to this cat. He really does love me a bunch (he's curled up next to me as I write this entry). As much as I wished he would have just moved on those first few days, it's kind of nice to have a pet at last. I always knew that if I was going to get a cat, the cat would have to find me.

As for why we named it Sue, only Natalie and I know the true story. But as you can guess, it has a little something to do with a little diddy by Johnny Cash. Let me know what you think of my boy named Sue!

To follow up my Google-favorite entry, titled "Kikyo's dead!", I have to announce the passing of another hallmark Inuyasha character: Kohaku.

If anyone has been keeping up with the goings on of the Inuyasha manga, you have got to be stoked. So many plot points are becoming neatly tied into little knots all up and down feudal Japan. To name a few, Inuyasha has finally bested Sesshomaru as far as the disputed Tessaiga and Sesshomaru himself has resurrected his long-missing left arm and in its grip was his own daiyokai sword, Bakusaiga. Kagome has delved into her spiritual self to reveal why she has always been such a pussy — the reason being because the dark force in the Shikon jewel named Magatsuhi has sealed her spiritual powers. And the loving duo of Sango and Miroku have risked their lives to sustain their only weapons against Naraku, Sango strengthening her Hiraikotsu and Miroku dangerously pushing his body to its utmost limit, with a line of shoki inching closer and closer to his heart.

Needless to say, our heroes have been very busy. And in the most recent installment, Chapter 528, Kohaku, damned brother to Sango who was revived by a shard of the Shikon jewel, overcomes his many sins and grabs hold of his false life, vowing to defeat Naraku and purify the jewel once and for all. After freeing Kagome, who had characteristically been captured by Naraku, Kohaku stands triumphant, vowing from now on, he would live his live like it were his own.

It is in that moment that a discarded piece of Naraku's flesh, like a magic bullet, shoots into Kohaku's back and out his neck, CAPTURING THE SHIKON JEWEL SHARD AND KILLING HIM! This is humongous news for Inuyasha fans! With Kohaku's death and a lily piece of Naraku flesh darting up to momma Naraku with a jewel shard surprise, that can only mean the manga's end is nigh!

I get a lot of comments asking where to go to see Inuyasha scanlations. Well, click here and here. They are great!

More to come, I promise!

Marathon record is set in Berlin
By Liz Robbins
New York Times

BERLIN, Sept. 30 — Cruising alone for the final seven miles on the Berlin city streets lined with damp, golden leaves Sunday morning, Haile Gebrselassie shattered the world record in the marathon by 29 seconds, securing a mark he has coveted since he was a teenager in Ethiopia.

The rain and wind had stopped by 9 a.m. after a soggy three days, and, along with a flat course and five pacesetters flanking him, the conditions were ideal for Gebrselassie’s record run of 2 hours 4 minutes 26 seconds for the 26.2 miles.

It was 29 seconds faster than Paul Tergat’s previous world record on this same course in 2003. To the 34-year-old Gebrselassie, this world record, his 23rd in distances ranging from two miles to 5,000 meters to the marathon, this record was the most satisfying.

"Without question,” he said, grinning, “because it is the king of distance."

I need to run another marathon...

The iPod touch is the video iPod the world has been waiting for (one that doesn't necessitate the need for a 2-year contract). I personally made a vow, after reading rumors reports widespread across the Internet at the time, that I would put off purchasing my first iPod until I could claim the true video widescreen iPod. Well, the wait is finally over, and after pacing on it for a few days, I bought it and it's on its way to me right now.

I understand the limitations of the iPod touch. For one, it has some of its iPhone-like cababilities intentionally amputated. What is the harm in allowing an editable calendar application and personalized e-mail application? Who knows. Perhaps the rawest deal would be the device's storage limitations. I am basically downgrading from a 20-gigabyte iPod (which I got for free by selling a piece of my soul, long story) to a 16-gigabyte iPod. I think I can make it work since I mostly only ever listen to my highest-rated music. I am also fulfilling my previous iPod's role as a music-backup system by placing recently-added music since the last DVD back-up. So I think the size limitations will be a non-issue. Perhaps one day, when a 60 to 80-gigabyte iPod touch emerges, the days of carrying my entire music library on my arm while running in Yokohl Valley will return.

In the prenuptial days before my iPod arrives, I've been doing some research on it and I've found some helpful reviews and videos that may be useful for the few Podheads out there considering their own iPod choices. Best of luck!

Ars Technica iPod touch review
iPod touch product news and reviews
iPod touch scratch test
iPod touch unboxing
MacRumors iPod buyer's guide

Natalie and I went hiking up Half Dome last weekend. It was part of my super weekend in Yosemite. It all began on Friday evening after Braniff and Padmini came to visit for the weekend for National Parks adventures. We went up to Yosemite and found a nice campsite and roasted up some soy dogs and soysauge and rode the weekend along as it drifted away, like the pristine constellations that wafted in and out of the endless sky. I haven't been anyplace like Yosemite Valley in the two years I've lived here, it was amazing. It was a microcosm of everything that the Sierra has to offer.

On Sunday, Natalie came up for our big finale. I might not have mentioned, but Natalie was awarded a fellowship with the Metcalf Institute, so she is moving to Rhode Island this week to begin her studies and her eventual placement at the Providence Journal. It's a real bummer, she's been my best friend for a year now here, and I'm really going to miss her. Since we have been talking about tackling Half Dome since October of last year, we had to take the trip while we could.

This hike was unlike anything I have experienced so far. For one, instead of tackling a 16-mile hike in a day (much like my 22-mile hike up Mt. Whitney, which took 16 hours), we decided to split it up over two days, camping at Little Yosemite Valley, which is about half way to the summit. Because of this, I had to rent a large pack so I could carry the food, sleeping bag and tent for us. It was very rough to say the least.

On the way to Little Yosemite, we took the Mist Trail, which brings you up close to Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls, some spectacular sights. Unfortunately, though the trail is relatively short, the elevation gain is brutal, so I tired very easily carrying my large pack around. I was dying to get to Little Yosemite, where, once I arrived, I quickly assembled the tent and laid back on my new sleeping bag for a snooze.

That evening, Natalie and I shared our food with fellow campers and scored some tasty potatoes and a shot or two of tequila. In the morning, though we started out two hours after we had intended, I was slow to keep up with Natalie, who was on a rampage like always. We started at 7:30 and reached the cables by 9.

The cables are something else. Sure, they are the most dangerous part of the Half Dome hike, but Natalie and I agreed the section from "the step" to just before the cables was pretty scary. Bascially, after climbing all these steps and making it to at least the point that you can begin to see the end, you have to scale these semi-steep granite slabs without any indication of direction. Natalie and I mistakenly opted for a course on the right, which was very grainy, where one slip would have us sliding down the mountain. Luckily, we were alright.

You absolutely need gloves on the cables. If I didn't have them, I would be toast. As long as you have a firm grip on the cables and are able to pull yourself steadily up the very steep granite dome, you can do just fine. My biggest annoyance was Natalie's stop-and-go pace up the dome. I would be right behind her and she'd swat me away from her wooden plank. But if I waited, she'd be five or six planks above me and I'd have to scale the cables by myself without anyone nearby to help.

The view was spectacular. The best thing about the trip was on Saturday, when I was with Padmini and Braniff, I looked out into Yosemite Valley from the Tunnel View. By Monday, I was looking out toward the same tunnel from the very top of the Valley. You can't beat it.

The hike down was dramatic, to say the least. Natalie and I pulled it together, though. It was a great weekend, but by the end of it I was getting sick of all that fresh air and dirt under my fingernails. But I still can't complain too much — though it can be a real drag, living in the Central Valley, so close to the Sierra, certainly has its perks.

So Natalie moved out on Sunday. If you aren't clear on who she is, I mentioned her here. She's basically the reason that I stopped writing in my blog so often. She's my best friend in California and it hasn't quite sunk in how much I'm going to miss her. Thankfully, I replaced here (roommate wise), so I don't have to focus on the negative aspects of her move (that being the negative effect it's going to have on my financially). I'm really happy for her, but already I'm felling that vivacious and adventurous spirit she inspired within me deaden.

But that won't last. Even though people in my life drift in and out, I like to think that I take of piece of them with me. Though I won't get to see Natalie every day and rampage across the state with her (Los Angeles, Sequoia National Park, Fresno, Santa Cruz, Sacramento and Half Dome to name a few), I can already feel that little piece of Natalie within me finding its place. I have my reusable shopping bag ready to go and florescent light bulbs are all over my shopping list. Oh, and I cleaned the kitchen today...but that habit won't last. I guess I'll always be me.

My computer is on the fritz again so I will be back, new and improved...well, all over again. So woopie! If you've been wondering what I've been up to, go to the Times-Delta video page and you're sure to see I've been busy.