by hats99

Procrastination & Release

Normal people usually do their spring cleaning in the spring when the weather is more pleasant. The Ito household, however, has a touch of the Goldilocks Syndrome. This year, we planned on doing it early, but Weather, itself, whimsical and impervious to our pleas for stability, kept cartwheeling around us. Either it was “too hot” or “too cold”, and we were left to assure ourselves that we would get around to it – like, really, seriously buckle ourselves down for it – once it was “just right.” We were content with saying, “Well, we like waiting for things!” And then several months later summer came and swept us up into a fiery furnace of heat, making it impossible to budge even a centimeter without breaking a sweat.

And the consequences? Why, merely being boxed in on all sides by the crystallized form of our book-hoarding mentality, with not an inch of free space! Therefore, no other choice proffered up except the one: Get off our lazy butts and start moving!

Just You, Me, and Sekine

Forgive me, Readers. Here I am sitting on a wooden crate in the middle of my bedroom, surrounded by boxes upon boxes and stringed up books and manga. My laptop is resting on a detached piece of ply-wood, which I slid on top of two, stacked up filing crates from Wal-Mart to create a makeshift table. I feel like I cursed the release by setting a deadline for myself. Who knew I’d have so many obstacles in my way just trying to come online? My laptop going haywire, for one. PS keeps glitching on it. But when I think of all the obstacles the Sekine’s Love staff had to go through in order to finish the final chapter, my daily battles seem to pale in comparison.

I wish I could have least made a special card for them. I mean, we are going to be putting out the last and final chapter of Sekine’s Love, for Pete’s sake! My original plan was to release it with the revised editions of Volumes 1-4 and give everyone a big surprise. But just look at my current living situation. It’s like fighting an uphill battle right now. Revised chapters will eventually materialize. skippyskippy has already tackled the first part of it. Guess right now it’s only a matter of when. Lots of chapters I needed to get out but was unable to. I’ll chip away at them slowly until I find a new apartment.

Tonight, it’s just you, me, and Sekine.

Booked Up For Tonight

I’m desperate to finish the last few pages of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. Gilbert Markham has finally got the balls to elude his crotchety mother and is pussy-footing at the gates of Helen Huntingdon’s estate in Grassdale. I know he’s going to get in somehow. He’s waited freakishly long for this one moment, and I doubt Anne is going to have him walk all the way home, tail between his legs. When other men would be content to console themselves in the bosom of another young girl, this guy has exacted such patience as to make him a saint! He’s going to get the girl all right.

Jejeje~ It’s time for a release!

I’ve been sitting here for well over two hours, fingers hovering over the keyboard, at a loss over what to write about. It’s not that I don’t have anything to talk about, but the words aren’t coming. Usually they just gush out as I hack away at my keyboard like a madman.

777-Triple Seven- Phase 3: Party juseyo!

Hello, I’m Hatsumi, better known as Hats/Hatsu/Mimi and Stiletto Heels’ machismo Admin slash Head Translator. In reality, I’m just an oddball who went to sleep with headphones and a pair of dusty New Balance sneakers on. If it wasn’t for that darn water bug that went stealth ninja mode in my bedroom!

Water bugs occasionally sneak into our house during the summer. One was crawling its way toward my bed. My ears still twitch from remembering the sound of it rustling over the loose mail that was scattered on the carpet. *rubs ears* When I turned on the lamp, it disappeared. When I turned it off, it creeped back. By the fourth time, to my horror, it was gone without a trace. I glanced at my alarm clock – 4 AM! My eyes were like washed up sandbags. I was drooping over the side of the bed from exhaustion. So as a precaution I shimmied my feet into my sneakers and put my headphones on to cover my ears and went to sleep. I figured it couldn’t burrow its way into my ears if I didn’t wake up, but if I did, I’d at least have my shoes on to stomp the hell out of it.

Yep, that’s me. And I’m supposed to be in charge of this team? Hah. More like everyone ELSE here is helping making me look like I’m doing a decent job. Thanks, Team.

Summer is a coming~ Hu hu hu ♪|´∀｀)ノ

I spent summers as a child, sitting cross-legged on our cramped balcony in Apartment B, chewing on watermelon and spitting the seeds over the railing onto unsuspecting neighbors. My older sister would be draped over the side of our shared bed like a dainty, Victorian princess, while my younger brother would have his fleshy cheeks pressed into the metal railing, concentrating with deadly focus on the trajectory of seeds. That, I believed, was the way to squander a perfect summer vacation: Sitting Indian-style on the balcony, shooting watermelon seeds like missiles out of my mouth.

One time, this seedy missile landed – PLOP! – on the back of our apartment manager’s neck. He stopped, pressed the back of his hand to his nape, and swiping forward, realized what it was that had flown at him at lightning speed. I flattened myself on the balcony, but my dumb, baby brother still had his chubby cheeks kissing the railing and was giggling like a maniac!

So I spent my summers getting a rap on the knuckles with chopsticks as well. Ah, those were the days!

Speaking of summer, we’ll be celebrating our 7th year anniversary in July. Team Heels is working especially hard to make this year one that you will find hard to forget. That means some of your favorites will probably make more than just a short cameo. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

Currently in the works is the complete Volume 2 of Tsukikage Baby and the last chapters of Futago and Sekine’s Love. As well as a new historical project by Natsume Ono called “Futagashira”, thanks to Minelauva’s prodding. Among other things~

See you then!
Mimi & Stiletto Heels Team

[Releases after the cut.]