Meme time.

[misora]

Ganked from redbrunja, and because I have some new peeps on my flist that I'm not familiar with or haven't spoken with, before.


ASK MY OPINION. ON ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING.


Go to it! Don't be shy. ^^

...But if you are shy, anon commenting is enabled as always, and IP logging for this post is off. ^^

Comments

[renagrrl7.livejournal.com]

I have a very casual idea of what you do for a living. If you're comfortable with it, what do you do? I only ask because of your interpretations of all the Bleach iconography not too far back...

[misora.livejournal.com]

Sure! I usually f-lock more of my RL personal stuff, but I don't mind divulging my day job.

I work in San Francisco as a molecular/cell biologist, for a (very small) biotech company, which happens to be a wholly-owned subsidiary of a (very large) pharmaceutical company. My background is mostly oncology and immunology work, although I'm starting to branch out into the vast and enormous field of metabolic disorders.

The projects I'm currently working on are based around a very recent discovery of a technology called RNAi, or RNA interference. (Check out a Wiki article on it, if you're curious.) It's a valuable research tool for validating gene targets, and something I've been using in my work (and publishing papers on) since about 2001. One of these projects I'm working on is a detailed study analyzing immune responses to RNAi both in vitro and in vivo.

I have a Master's degree in molecular biology, but I never pursued a PhD. Nevertheless, I've had a couple instances where I've interviewed in the past for a PhD-level position, based on my years of experience and qualifications, and I'm hoping the work I'm doing now will help continue to ensure my path in that direction. ^^

I.e., someday I'll have my own labs where I will clone versions of Olivier Martinez for my own perverted nefarious purposes. Muhahaha. :D

[renagrrl7.livejournal.com]

Ah, very cool -- I actually used to do science and technology reporting, and am actually a little familiar with what you do. And I'm in a hotbed of biotech, too -- San Diego.

Thanks for sharing! :D

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Wow, you're smart.

I feel all intimidated.

[maggotpunk.livejournal.com]

Okay, do you ever get turned on by watching animals do it on nature shows? If your boyfriend got turned on seeing rhinos do it would you get upset?

[misora.livejournal.com]

...

*laughing* Only you, Doug. I'd only answer this for you.

Okay. Human porn turns me on, quite a bit. It doesn't matter if it's guy on girl, girl on girl, guy on guy (although I haven't seen a whole lot of male gay porn, honestly) or orgytiems -- it's all hot one way or another. But animals? Not so much.

Beyond the bestiality thing, I think I actually have a reason for this. It has to do with cognizance. If I saw animals that were self-aware and intelligent enough to have sex for pleasure's sake, and not just because their lower brain is telling them to procreate, I might find some enjoyment in it. But as it is, whenever you see animals having sex, it's usually quick and dirty -- and the female does nothing. Nothing, outside of "here lemme lie down" or "here lemme move my tail aside". LOL. I think dolphins are the only exception to this rule about animal sex, but I've never seen dolphins copulate.

So sadly, my answer to you is no. I say sadly because I get the feeling you were expecting the opposite response. ^^ If John got turned on by watching rhinos fucking, I think I'd probably cock a curious eye at him more than get upset -- but whatever my reaction was, it wouldn't last long because I would use that situation to my advantage. XD

[maggotpunk.livejournal.com]

Thanks love, I love dolphin porn too. Flipper Does Atlantis is my fav.

[drisela.livejournal.com]

1. Where have you been?
2. Don't you love us anymore?
and
3. Are you still down to beta some of my doujin ideas when I get my crap straight? '_';

:D

[misora.livejournal.com]

Hey, bb! (So many questions!)

1. I have been: roleplaying (:D not as much as I'd like, though), working, cooking (now that John finally landed a job, he's been insisting that we split the household duties, chore j/k), gardening, exercising, and plenty of other stuff. I've also gotten crazily back into Bleach (as if you haven't noticed). It's going to be a bit boring for me now that Kubo just offed Ulquiorra, but I'm pretty confident he's coming back, and when he does it'll be a doozy.

Still writing fanfic and original fic, too. :D

2. Love who? Zutarians? Capstarians? Honestly, I've lost a lot of Avatar interest after that suck of a finale, and a few other things that happened right before it. I still may or may not finish my Zutara fics I've got planned (because christ, I planned them out to the very end and it would be a damn shame if they were never written), but I just can't...muster up the interest in them right now. Bleach has been *way* too exciting lately, but now that it's tapered off again, we'll see. I still have some WHR fics to finish as well, though, too -- and with WHR being my first anime love (Robotech when I was 13 yo doesn't count), I feel especially motivated to pick that fandom back up again.

I will always find Capstara funny and silly, but when you lose motivation for a pairing (as well as a fandom in general) it takes some of the gusto out of your enjoyment, you know? :(

3. I would be happy to beta some ideas for you, when you get your crap straight. ^^ I'd still like to see your art, anyhow.

[belle-favrielle.livejournal.com]

Since I'm in a very policital mood:

Where do you stand on gay marriage?
and/or
Do you believe in god?

[misora.livejournal.com]

I stand for gay marriage, because I believe everyone is entitled to that right. "Protecting" marriage as it pertains to the Bible's descriptions of it is hypocritical, in my opinion, since there's nothing really sacred these days about an institutional practice where 50% of them end in failure anyway. :/

And no, I don't believe in god. My verdict's still out on the human spirit, though, strangely enough. ^^

[zelha.livejournal.com]

You totally know I'm so going to ask this...

Are you going to continue Hieros Gamos? I'm dying here. ;__________;

[(Anonymous)]

I agree. You keep saying it's coming soon, but nothing yet. :( :(

[mycha-miska.livejournal.com]

I agree as well! Some of us keep hoping to find it updated, but alas... tis so sad to not see you in WHR world. =(

[manonlechat.livejournal.com]

We both liked Avatar, you hooked me into Bleach, since our tastes seem similar what else do you recommend reading/watching?

[misora.livejournal.com]

Hmm, that's a good question. I honestly haven't seen that many anime or read that much manga, really. I certainly haven't come nearly close to having seen everything out there.

If it's manga you'd like, I'd recommend Vinland Saga. It's pretty much shounen, I think, because it's based on Vikings in the tenth century AD, and there's lots of fighting and such...but some really priceless characters. The other manga I'd recomment is Kimi Wa Petto (You Are My Pet, also known as Tramps Like Us), which is completely opposite Vinland Saga. KWP is about a woman who ....for lack of a better term, "adopts" a young man, as a pet. :D (There's also a fantastic live-action J-drama version, which I adore.)

In terms of anime, I strongly recommend Witch Hunter Robin. It's the anime that got me "back" into anime about six years ago, after a long, long hiatus. It's slow-moving and character-driven, but if you like the occult it might be up your alley.

Then there's other ones that I've seen only parts of -- Wolf's Rain, Ergo Proxy -- that some people have given really high reviews, but I can only attest to having watched a little of them. The artwork in both of those series is really beautiful, though, and Ergo Proxy is kind of a bleak dystopian world scenario, so they're definitely worth checking out.

I loved Death Note. Unfortunately my love of it ended about halfway through the series. But the characterization and the clever plot were worth watching it, for me.

Others that I've seen that are definitely worth mentioning (but are rather old anime series) are:

• Trigun


• Neon Genesis Evangelion (mind you, the end of this series will fuck with your mind though -- but in a good way.)


• Blue Seed


• Card Captor Sakura (the Japanese version, not "Cardcaptors". it's adorable.)


• Escaflowne

I wish I had more suggestions for you, but as I said I haven't really seen that many series. But I hope this at least gives you a few good ideas! ^^

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Totally going to second the rec for Trigun. Until FMA, for about 4 years straight, Trigun was my absolute favorite anime ever ever EVVVVEEEEEERRRRR.

Blue Seed is also entertaining in it's way. The first half of the series is pretty repetitive, but the second half escalates and escalates in some very cool ways, culminating in an intense finale. Not anywhere near Trigun intense, but still quite rockin'.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

When did you start shipping ulquihime and what are my chances of seeing porn written by you?

[misora.livejournal.com]

My history with Bleach is an off-again on-again one. I started out watching the anime -- the Soul Society arc -- and loved the Ichigo/Rukia interaction. After that arc had ended, there seemed to be an endless parade of filler anime episodes -- which quickly made me lose interest in the anime itself.

Fortunately I picked up the manga online, around chapters 190 or so (Conquistadores), just when the Arrancar were appearing on the scene. And even during their first introduction, when they're fighting -- but not one another -- there's some kind of tension between Orihime and Ulquiorra. Right away he seems fascinated with her, particularly with her powers. But I didn't really start to ship them until he came back for her, in 234, "Not Negotiation". The way he approaches her, the intensely blinding and almost creepy way he's sooo focused on her...I kind of knew from this point on, given his apparent possessiveness when she wasn't even in his grasp yet, that there would be something happening between them.

And now that I think about it, now that we've seen the last chapter (354) with Ulquiorra's discovery of a heart, and how he realizes it's born between the union of his and Orihime's hands, chapter 234 takes on new meaning, especially with this poem (thought to be Orihime's words/thoughts) in the beginning of it: http://www.onemanga.com/Bleach/234/03/

"In the fifth, therein lies the heart." It could be a reference (especially with the picture of her hand touching a mirror) to five fingers of a hand -- grasping for another. Either way, it's an eerie coincidence given Kubo's scene between them in 353 and 354...and I feel like Kubo never includes these things accidentally.

Beyond shipping, I'm actually working on some UlquiHime porn as we speak. XD Of course given the recent manga chapter, it's gonna be during Orihime's confinement. But I'm hoping to get it done this week! :D

[ladysensittiay.livejournal.com]

OKay, in regards to the CIA memos about torture, whom do you feel should be held responsible? The agents who did the torture, their bosses, the lawyers who drew up those memos, or higher up the 'food-chain?'

On a lighter note, I was going to as about Hieros, but somebody already beat me to it.

[misora.livejournal.com]

:D Ahh, another WHR reader. I really had no idea people were so anxious about HG progressing further. I realize though, looking back on TBT that I really left a lot of things unanswered, and I'm regaining my motivation to get back to writing HG and finishing the story I'd started. ^^ Thanks for still sticking around and having faith this entire time!

About the waterboarding...man, after hearing that Condi Rice actually gave the CIA the okay for that, I'm thinking we should just hold her responsible. I mean, seriously. I know even worse shit than that goes on in other countries, but we are supposed to uphold the regulations of the Geneva Convention, and we -- as this ever-touted "land of the free" -- have to be an example to the rest of the world. Degenerating into torturous and barbarous behavior just because "other countries do it" is not an excuse that we can live with anymore. We have to be better than that.

Someone should hold the Bush Administration accountable for all of the fuck-ups they did in the last 8 years. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening.

[robinsena.livejournal.com]

Since people have already asked about Hieros :P, I shall ask you a more important question...

CAKE OR PIE? Choose your answer carefully!

[misora.livejournal.com]

Cake! :D

[moko-moko.livejournal.com]

Ooh ooh, question tiems! Gotta take advantage of this, muhahahaa >:D

Have you attended any conventions/would like to in the future?
You already answered the big Q about UlquiHime porn, so...any favorite recipes to share?
Lastly...What's your perfect Sunday?

[misora.livejournal.com]

I haven't attended any cons...and I feel really bad about that. It's not as though I haven't had any opportunities to go, either! It just seems as though the last couple times that I've tried to make plans, work or RL got in the way and kind of sabotaged things. My work always comes before anything else, so if I have a big project due or something, it impedes any other social plans I might have.

I still would like to try to go to one in the future...we'll see if I can manage it.

Here's a good, simple summer recipe I've just started making again, as the weather's gotten hotter. (Karen is my mom's name. It was her original recipe, and I just modified it. :D):

Karen's Asian Chicken Salad

• one whole chicken, boiled or roasted (I often cheat and buy a small rotisserie chicken, if I don't feel like cooking an entire one.)


• one and a half heads of green Napa cabbage, chopped finely


• 3 carrots, shredded


• 6 scallions, finely chopped


• one package (not cup, *package*) instant Ramen noodles, crushed into small pieces


• one cup thinly-sliced roasted almonds


• one can diced water chestnuts


• few palmfuls of roasted sesame seeds


• bean sprouts or thinly-sliced peppers, if you like


• a few sprigs of thinly-cut basil

After you've cooked the chicken (or bought the rotisserie version), shred the meat into small bites and add to the mixture of veggies. For the addition of the ramen noodles, you can just take the crushed noodles, without the flavor packet, and heat with a pat of butter and oil over medium heat in a saucepan, just for 5 minutes or so to brown them. Drain them on a paper towel before adding them to the salad.

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar


• 2 tbspn sugar


• 3 tbspn soy sauce


• 2 tspns sesame oil


• 1 tspn grated fresh ginger


• 3 tbspns other vegetable oil (like canola)

Whisk together and pour over salad, preferably in a container where you can then shake salad to distribute it evenly. Stays crunchy for a while in the fridge, even with the dressing, because of the cabbage. :D

(I should really start putting up more of my summer food and drink recipes these days...when the weather gets hot, our entire menu changes. :D)

And lastly...as for a perfect Sunday, I'd say it's more like this past Sunday. John and I woke up late, had coffee and pancakes, did some gardening and sunbathing in our little backyard, played some tennis, came home and showered, then went for sushi and a leisurely bookstore run, during which he reads and I camp out with my laptop and write for a bit. I love days like that where we have a perfect blend of outside/inside activities. :)