Chernaudi

No, not really. I'd like to buy some of the races on DVD when I get some money saved up. I also posted in the Lemonade Stand about some other stuff that may motivate me to not watch the whole thing. I'll be watching some videos in a while and doing some gaming then.

Hi everyone. I feel a bit tired and run down today. The 24 Hours of Le Mans in on tomorrow, though I'm not sure if I'll watch all of it. It's been getting harder and harder for me to watch it every year the past few years. I just don't have the energy to stay up and watch it, and combined with the fact that I have to go back into work Monday, means that I might not watch the whole race. I have some plans for doing some gaming and stuff later today. I don't know what I'll be having for dinner and such yet, or what I'll be doing tonight aside from some gaming stuff. @Jupiter: I hope that she enjoyed the move and it's great news that she starts her new job fairly soon. And with how I feel right now, I'll be needing some luck to make it though my first day back. I'll be back later

Now I'm making my chicken nachos, then I might be taking a nap after eating them.

Well, with how PC's work and such, that's the reason why Running with Scissors is releasing a new Postal 2 expansion this fall. And it helps to remember that Postal 2 is over a decade old as far as a PC game goes. With the fail that Postal 3 was in a lot of the Postal fans' eyes and the fact that Postal 2 hasn't had a major update (aside from Postal 2 Complete, now just simply known as Steam Postal 2 or Postal 2, which has the standard Postal 2, the Share the Pain multi-player expansion, the Apocalypse Weekend expansion, and allows you to play a simple version of the A Week in Paradise mod) in years, there's a new expansion. It takes place in the town of Paradise after Postal Dude destroyed the town, but otherwise, it'll be similar to a post-apocalyptic version of Postal 2, complete with daily errands. That's what's good about PC games, vs console games, which though they have DLC, when a new game or expansion comes out, you to sometimes have to worry about backwards compatibility.

New gallery. Mostly Audi stuff, since it's from an Audi site, but has numerous shots of other cars taking part in the race: http://fourtitude.com/galleries/?c=show_thumbs;p=Motorsport%2FSportscar%2F24%20Hours%20of%20Le%20Mans%2F2014%2F06%20-%20Wednesday%20Practice%20and%20Qualifying

Video on the rebuilt #1 Audi:

It also has to be remembered that Griselda also heals/energizes the Libertus while they fight. Maybe if she has a second crystal, it could be an energy amplifier. Or it could be that she has one for mind control/her own powers, and one for the purpose mentioned for the Libertus. There's also a couple of orbs on her chest above her breasts and a couple near her hips. Could these be gravity orbs, considering that Shizu can levitate/fly/hover as Griselda?

My shake and bake chicken was pretty good, and tonight it'll be chicken nachos, with real tortilla chips.

It's getting pretty cool out today. It'll be cool and sunny (after the rain today/tonight) until Sunday when it warms up again. That's Great! It'll heat up again when I have to start going into work again. How nice...

Loic is due to be released from the hospital this afternoon. He'll be watching on the sidelines as a spectator in the Audi garage areas, but he's in one piece and not badly hurt. There's plenty of other cars that if involved in the accident would've produced a fatality. Audi also have the replacement car ready to go for the remaining pre-race sessions. Sign of encouragement from Audi Sport Team Joest: https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t31.0-8/10295930_10154291815380192_1023691449948152993_o.jpg And the new Lotus LMP1 car got shown today as well: http://www.lotus-lmp.com/car.html And Audi will have a public launch of the Audi R8 LMX at Le Mans tomorrow.

Hi everyone. Follow up from yesterday, Loic Duval is fine after his accident aside from some minor cuts and bruises, though he's sitting out the rest of the weekend on the advice of doctors from Audi Sport and the ACO. He'll be replaced for the rest of the weekend by Marc Gene, a former LM winner who has driven for Audi since 2012 with success. Here's an image of the accident in progress and shows how lucky Loic was to not be seriously injured or worse: http://cdn.images.autosport.com/editorial/1402572129.jpg As for me, I don't have too much planned for today. Mostly looking up some stuff, gaming, and making some dinner, which tonight might be chicken nachos. I finally made my shake and bake chicken last night and it turned out pretty good. Other than that, I only have to endure one more day--until Sunday--of humidity and/or heat. And I'll try and get a hold of my mom and let her know about my returning to work. I'll be back later

Believe it not, Jupiter, Loic is perfectly fine aside from some cuts and bruises (though he's sitting out the race on advice of doctors), and there is a newly rebuilt car sitting in the garage ready to go. But Le Mans did have a fatality last year with Allan Simonsen in an Aston Martin and Tetre Rouge corner has modified barriers. I really think that barrier in the Porsche Curves needs to be moved back about 50 feet and either a gravel trap or some run-off area added. Here's a pic of the accident in progress http://cdn.images.autosport.com/editorial/1402572129.jpg Both Loic and the ACO are both pretty luck this wasn't a fatal accident or one that resulted in critical or serious injury.

Finally, Chapter 6, and it's a long one. Natsuki narrates. In summary Natsuki get's girly, Camel shows his feminine side, and we get some dynamics of the Lia and Camel husband and wife relationship. Bio-Booster Armor Twilight Chapter 6—Party, Prom Night? What is This Again? It was early in the morning when I decided to check my phone, the though entering my mind, as if a dream was telling me, “Yo, Natsuki, check your freakin’ phone!†I awoke and checked the itinerary on my smart phone, and it seemed sort of packed. Dress shopping, hair appointment, make up consulting, and visiting Lia and Camel. Even “worse†was my email inbox on my phone—though it was helpful with sorting out my day. My friend Shizu sent me a most helpful email telling me where I can do all the stuff I had discussed during the meeting at Bella’s home to attend Nessie’s party. Want a dress? Visit Rosalie. Want your hair & nails done and a makeover? Visit Lia and Camel. I was thankful for Shizu’s advice, as it would maybe give me some of her name sake (Shizu meaning “peace and quiet†in Japanese) as far as my mind went. Only problem was that everyone chimed in with the same advice. Sarcastically, I thought, okay, guys, I get it! They meant well, but it was the repetition. Maybe I should’ve seen it as some endorsement of the services that Rosalie, and Lia and Camel could offer. At least I could kill two birds with one stone, since I promised to visit Lia and Camel, anyways. I volunteered to help Camel out with some stuff before his Mosquito launch. What that entailed, I didn’t know exactly, but Camel may’ve been playing to my inner tomboy. In other words, it seemed that he was looking for an excuse to get my dirty so I would have to have a makeover, my hair and nails done, and visit Rosalie for a dress. Wasn’t really the case as far as his thinking, but maybe something I could unload on him if he wanted me to work on a Rolls-Royce Merlin instead of party decorations. I sat in bed for a few moments before I took a look at the clock. I couldn’t believe that I was up at 4:00 that morning. Wisely, I went back to sleep, considering that I was going to be busy that day. It didn’t seem like a lot, but I didn’t know what Camel had planned for me, or how much time I’d be spending with Lia and Camel with their makeover stuff, and with Rosalie at her dress store. It was not knowing what was in store for me that left me to wonder about what was going to happen. But it was also very stimulating, since it was “girl†stuff that I’d be doing. I’d also get to meet Rosalie in person. I did talk to her in the past online though emails, chat sessions, and long distance phone calls and Skype. But, up until then, I had never met her in person. I finally sat up in bed, and got my bearings about me. I did the usual stuff for a young woman who got up early in the morning while vacationing in a land that was foreign to her. Shower, change out of my sleeping gown into a patterned T-shirt, jeans, and flats, and get ready to traverse the town of Forks. I had a brief breakfast at the inn, grabbing a muffin, an apple and a coffee. Not a great breakfast, I know, but I was sort of desperate to leave the inn. The previous night was my last night that I had paid for. Instead, from then on, I’d stay with either Shizu and Agito, or Lia and Camel, in the guest houses on their properties. I had also hoped to spend a few nights with the Cullens, too. One look outside, and I was glad that I had taken my rain coat and a hat with me. The weather was typical Forks: rainy, dark and gloomy. I opened my umbrella, and ran out to my Scion, taking shelter from the rain and mist. The cold dampness was piercing. I was dressed for the weather, except for my shoes, but even that wasn’t bad, not compared to how my neck felt. This was one of the few times ever that I regretted not having very long hair. Not long like Shizu’s, or even Lia’s, or when I was in high school, but longer than the bob cut that I had (and still have). I cranked over the 4 cylinder boxer in my GT-86, and set off for Rosalie’s dress store. It was on the other side of town. I enjoyed driving, even in the rain and wet, and I loved the heater in my Scion on that day. It was just the piercing, thick, water-logged cold that was harder to shake. I was hopeful that the forecasts that suggested that that the rain would clear out would bear true. That had not come to fruition by the time I got to the dress store. The rain had started to let up to a light mist, but it was otherwise as gloomy and miserable as it had been since I had awoken. That did allow the dress shop to stick out, being seemingly a bright beacon that seemed to alluring to me, even without the cold and rain. Being brightly lit inside, and seeing several people inside wearing light clothing, bright fabrics and clothing that was made out of said fabrics, as well as what seemed to be some dining area, it was all to inviting to me. Entering the store did confirm the suspicion that there was a dining area there. It was more of a coffee house and snack bar than an actual diner. Decorated with small tables, distantly spaced, and bright lighting and a dry and warm atmosphere to counter the cold and gloom, it was a refreshing sight to me, and, probably, everyone else there. However, it was lightly attended, like much of the store was; there was only a few visitors to either the diner or the actual store. “Hey, Nats, hi!†I heard in a soft, buy gleeful voice. I turned to the direction that the voice was coming from, and I recognized Shizu sitting alone at a table. “Hi, Shizu,†I said in response. I sat down at her table, where she was drinking a cup of coffee, and I noted how casually she was dressed; jeans, sneakers, and a sweatshirt. “What are you up to?†Shizu asked. “I’m dress shopping for the party. I hope that I can find something good here.†“You don’t have to get all dressy for the party, as Nessie said.†“I know, but if I don’t choose to wear it for the party, there might be some other occasion I can use it. You seem kinda casually dressed to be here, considering that you bought something,†I told her, noting her bag of items that she had purchased. “That’s just some stuff for my knitting and for working on my dress for the party.†“You’re gonna wear a dress, yet you say that I don’t have to?†I noted sarcastically. “Don’t freak out, Nats. I’m speaking of a goth-loli dress like what Lia likes to wear. Something that in my opinion would look good on you, if I may say so.†“Actually, that’s true, and is something that I may consider for Halloween. But why are you dressed so casually? You’re not even wearing dress flats?†“I’m gonna volunteer at the hospital in town a little later on. I’ll be a sitter for a couple of little babies—rocking them to sleep and feeding them. I like babies and I do have a nursing degree, after all. May as well put it to use since I live here now. I’ll also be going over to Lia and Camel’s place to help out with a surprise for you—and I’m not gonna tell, so uummm!,†Shizu said, as she jokingly stuck her tongue out at me. “Ummh to you too,†I replied and stuck my tongue out at her. “I think that you’ll find some interesting stuff here. Rosalie is a major fashionista, and she can help you find something to suit your form and personality. I can already tell that you want something that’s a bit restrained, yet feisty and cheerful.†“Yeah, I want something like that. I just want something that looks good on me and suits me. I assume that Agito is busy today?†“Yep. He’s out looking for Zamora and any of his cronies. Sho is back at our house with Mizuki, so you don’t have to worry about them right now. Me being alone has sort of allowed me to go sit some babies, run a few errands and work on my party dress.†Shizu then excused herself to attend to her activities for the day. “I gotta go and get to the hospital. Carlisle is expecting me to show up soon. I’ll probably see you at Lia’s place later, since you’ll be heading there to visit Camel’s hangar. One way or the other, I’ll be in touch with you soon. Anything else you’d be up to?†“I’m also gonna get my hair and nails fiddled with over there, too. You get your hair and nails done over there?†Shizu’s hair was always beautiful in my opinion—though it’s length wasn’t my cup of tea—and she seemed to like having her nails done. On that day, they were dark maroon, the color contrasting with her pale skin. “Only when I’m lazy,†she stated. “I usually do that myself. Even with knitting, cooking, dress altering, and me working as a nurse and volunteering at the hospital when I’m not needed, I have enough time to pamper myself.†At that moment, a tall, blonde woman, who I was sure was a vampire and I though was likely to be Rosalie, came over to our table. “Hey, Rose,†Shizu addressed her cheerfully. “Here’s my tab. And here’s Natsuki. She’s the one who I was telling you about earlier, with her wanting to buy a dress and stuff. I think that she’ll be a joy to work with.†“Yeah, I think that, based on what you said, Natsuki will be great to collaborate with.†“Bye! Have a nice time!†Shizu told us as she departed for the hospital. “Have a safe trip!†“Since you’re at the diner section, is there anything I can get you Nats? You gotta be soaked and freezing.†“Not really. I only feel cold when I’m outside. The climate here is very different than what I’m accustomed to, being from Tokyo. I wouldn’t mind some French Vanilla coffee, if that’s available here?†“Sure thing, Natsuki. When you’re done, you can come and get me to help you with what you’d like to find.†After I finished off my coffee and got ahold of Rosalie, who I drug over to one particular display at the store. When I was outside, as I was entering the store, I noticed this black beaded, sleeveless dress that came down to above the mannequins knees. “I so want this dress!†I exclaimed when I showed it to Rose. “It seems to suit you, but wouldn’t you want to try it on before you bought it?†“Of course! I wanna know if it looks as good on me is I think it will.†After Rosalie found one in my size, I changed out of my jeans top in the changing room and slipped the dress on over my lingerie. In short, it was great! It felt good, it looked good on me, and, even though it was off the shelf, it suited my form exceptionally well. “You like it, Natsuki?†“Yeah, Rose, I love this dress. Love at first sight worked here for sure!†“You seem easy to please?†Rose joked. “Well, Rose, you do have to understand something. We have talked in the past, and I think that you know from our Skype calls that you could sense that I was a tomboy.†“Yeah, I sensed that, big time, in so far as that you are actually very chic and fashionable, but you’re not the most ‘dressy’ woman out there.†“Well, I’m not a total tomboy. I’m usually a T-shirt and jeans or a simple top and slacks girl. I also don’t wear heels. It’s sneakers, flats, or flip-flops on the shoe front. I actually wear hiking boots more than I wear heels. Though, to be honest, I think that heels would go great with this dress if I can find a comfortable pair.†I was never a really “dressy†girl. I wasn’t like Shizu in that respect most of the time. It’s not that I didn’t dress femininely, but I rarely wore skirts or dresses, and I almost never wore heels. For that dress, though, I was willing to make an exception—if only I could find a pair that suited my feet, which hated heels more than the rest of me did. “Wow, Rose, a pair of heels that I might like!†I had found a pair of strappy heeled sandals that appeared as if they had a fleece lining on the sole. They also had a broad, wedge like heel that wasn’t very tall, but they looked fancy while being comfortable. I found that one of the pairs that was out was in my size, so I slipped off my flats and tried the wedge sandals on. I knew that today wasn’t the day for wearing them, but they were more comfortable than I thought that they would be. And they looked great on me, though, with the few dull remnants of worn black nail polish on my toenails reminded me of one reason why I wanted to visit Lia and Camel later—and the flushed light violet polish on my fingernails, which had faded and started to flake off near the tips of my nails reinforced the thought. “These shoes would look better if I had gotten a pedicure before I showed up here.†“They don’t look that bad, even with your nails needing some TLC on them—they’d probably do with just having what little old polish on them removed.†“You think so, really?†“Yeah, why? Ohh, the tomboy stuff…in my opinion, I think that you straddle that line as far as your fashion very well.†“Indeed she does,†said a new voice. “Hi, Lia,†I spoke up to her as I noticed her walking towards me and Rosalie. As with Shizu, Lia was dressed casually in jeans, sneakers, and an unzipped sweater over a tank top. A short distance behind her, I noticed Camel, who was looking at some fabric. “Why are you two braving the elements?†I asked. “We’re looking for some waterproof fabric for some car covers and also as covers for some aircraft parts that Camel’s been working on. By the way, Nats, love the dress and sandals.†“Thanks. I really like them. Of course, the state of my nails—all twenty of them—is one of the reasons I’ll be seeing your two later.†“I don’t think that your fingers and toes look that bad Nats,†Camel opined. “However, if you want your hair and nails done, we’ll be at your service later on. Of course, the shoes and your dress really suit you. Those for the party, for did you buy them for something else?†“They’re not for the party, really,†I responded. “I’ll just be going in jeans and some kinda top, though I may wear the sandals—they’re just so comfortable and look so good.†“I’d buy Lia a pair of those wedges, but she’s already got like four pairs of them.†“Camel!†Lia sarcastically said. “Well, when it comes to clothes, you’re sorta spoiled—but maybe not as much as Shizu is!†“Yeah, Nats,†Lia spoke, “If you think that me having four pairs of those shoes is bad, Shizu has like six pairs. But for each of us, only one pair of those shoes were gifts—the rest were bought with our own money.†“Speaking of which,†I said, “I should finish making my purchase. I haven’t hand lunch yet, and I have to get ready for the hangar visit and the ‘surprise’ that Shizu informed me of.†“Yeah, and it’s gonna stay a surprise for right now,†Lia stated. “Yeah, that’s how it’s gonna be, isn’t it, Rosalie?†Camel noted in response. Rosalie nodded in agreement. “So, Rose is in on it, too?†“Yes I am, and it’s gonna be a secret until later.†I finished buying my dress and shoes, and tried to grill Lia, Camel, and Rosalie for answers. Of course, they weren’t budging. I had to wait and find out later. “Okay, guys. I guess that I’ll be seeing you later. I hope that the surprise that you have for me is a good one.†Having changed back into my “normal†clothes, I paid for my items and left the store after my good-byes to everyone who I had met inside. I made my way out to my car, and was pleased that the weather had changed while I was in the shop. It was no longer raining, the wind had relented to being virtually nonexistent, and the sun was out, peeking through widely broken clouds and clear skies emerging from the west. After being out in a rain storm earlier, one could understand my appreciation for such a change. I walked back to my car, popped the lift gate, and sat my dress box in the back behind the rear seats. Upon lowering the hatch, I found this awkward looking man standing a distance away from my car. I wanted to think nothing of it, but I thought that I recognized him. Pretending like he hadn’t caught my attention, I started to walk away towards my new destination. I had spotted a small restaurant that was a short walk away from Rosalie’s store, and I decided to try it out. After a few seconds, I felt a presence behind me. I gathered that the strange young man was following me. I tried to ignore him, fearing that he was a purse snatcher or simply wanted to harass me. I had guess at who he was, and I hoped that it wasn’t him, but I couldn’t ignore this person much longer. “Hi, missy,†I heard him say. I turned and faced this man. Needless to say, it was who I thought it was, and, needless to say, I wasn’t impressed. Either with his attention getting techniques, or who it was to begin with. “I saw you carryin’ some stuff from Rosalie’s dress store, and I thought that you’d need help.†“No thank you, I’m cool,†I replied politely, while trying to make it know that I’d rather have him leave me alone. At first, he seemed to get the message, but then he didn’t leave. “You seem lost. Wouldn’t you like for me to help you find a place to eat?†Great, I thought. He knows that I’d like to have some lunch somewhere. What does he think I want? A date?! No way! “I know where I want to go, and I’m fine. Thanks for your willingness to help, but I’m okay,†I told him, still with an overwhelmingly polite air in my voice, but with more firmness. “Wouldn’t you want a companion to be with you to show you ‘round town?†I responded with a little white lie, hoping that he’d get the picture that I wanted him to leave me alone. “Sorry, but I have a date, and I’ll be meeting him in that restaurant. And he won’t like me telling him that you were antagonizing me.†I turned and started to walk away, when I heard him say, “you even know who I am, Miz Taga?†How did he know my name? Doesn’t matter. I know his name—and his “gameâ€. Time to call his bluff. “Well, it seems that you do know me from somewhere. Thing is, I know you too, Ricky Zamora, and I know that you’re some type of dhampir, a vampire hybrid!†“What, wha….†“I have friends who confirmed this for me, but I suspected it from the start,†I stated to Ricky, with a hint of definite aggression in my voice. “I know that you’re responsible for the ‘Slenderman’ sightings in the woods near Forks, and I know your secrets, too!†“…†He stood, in shock, that I, a recently graduated college student from Japan who was here in Forks on vacation to study the phenomena he was liable for creating, already knew so much about him. And I also knew of his past dealings with some of my friends on top of that. “I know that you ditched Melinda on her wedding day—a wedding where she was your bride! How could you do that to her? The woman’s had enough trouble in her life without you ruining that day for her! And how you confronted Shizu Onuma in the forest the other night. You had dealings with her and Agito Makishima before. You had to have known that they were Griselda and Guyver III! Shizu’s a nice girl, but she has her limits. I’d have thought that the ass-kicking that she and Camel gave you would’ve taught you to leave ‘pretty li’l ladies’ alone!†I wanted to end the conversation then and there, and tell Ricky to buzz off by giving him one last ultimatum. “I may be a normal human being, but I have plenty of friends here who’d stick up for me if they find out that you accosted me and if you do it to others!†Ricky then grabbed for my phone as I pulled it out of my purse. I had wanted to check on any messages I may’ve received, but he took it as some type of threat—so I made one. “You try and lay another freakin’ finger on me, I’ll call the police department, or one of my friends, and have you charged with harassment and assault!†That seemed to make him back off, but I knew that he’d try and make a strike again. I sensed that he was trying to lunge for my purse. When I heard that he was within almost arm’s length of my purse, I simply moved off slightly to one side, and he slipped and fell into a puddle near a storm drain on the pavement. “Ricky, you’ve just added filthy, failed purse snatcher to your list of ignominious titles,†I cheerfully commented. “How does it feel to make an ass of yourself in public? Gotta be embarrassing, isn’t it? Now will you leave certain women around here alone? I suggest that you damn well consider starting.†I stood over Ricky, as he was laying, face down, in the puddle, trying to conceal the fact that he was out-foxed by a young woman who shouldn’t have stood a chance against him. Is he a horrifying vampire hybrid, or some weak, awkward idiot trying to seem like he’s a big bad? As I was standing with my hands on my hips, looking down at Ricky, in a pretty pathetic state from failing to do anything other than annoy me, I noticed that Rosalie had come out to see what happened. “You alright, Natsuki?†“Yeah, but he does seem to be a little worse for wear.†Rosalie giggled as she saw him making an embarrassing attempt to conceal his own embarrassment from me putting him in this state without laying a finger on him. “I think that you can go on your way, Natsuki,†Rosalie told me, “I think I can handle him.†I gladly continued on my way as Rosalie “dealt with†Zamora. I didn’t bother to look behind me to see what happened, but I can recount from what I heard what happened: “Why do you have this idea that you can irritate certain young women? Especially those who are associated with vampires, vampire hybrids, and humans who possess bionic battle armor? And even one who’s part human, part Zoalord, and part vampire? We all know now that you got your ass handed to you by Shizu and Camel. But yet, you still haven’t learned. Maybe you’ll learn your friggin’ lesson, you pathetic piece of crap!†From what I heard, she did slap and punch the crap out of him in an alley as I walked away. Perhaps he’d learn not to bother us anymore, but based on his persistence, or maybe ignorance—or maybe he had some type of death wish, or was big time into sadomasochism—I doubted it would be my last encounter with Ricky. My lunch break went without incident. It was just a small restaurant that was intimate and private like Rosalie’s diner was. I ordered a small baked chicken breast, mashed potatoes and gravy plate, and after I was finished, I walked back to my car—no sign of Ricky, thankfully—and set out to drive to Lia and Camel’s residence. With drying roads, no rain or fog, and much reduced wind, the drive was a lot more tranquil and enjoyable than the trip into town a few hours earlier. I found a road that lead into the tree line beyond the edge of the main road I was on. This road was actually the driveway to Lia and Camel’s house, which itself sort of stood out. It possessed a simple, outstanding beauty about it. It seemed like a peaceful, sturdy, safe “mini-mansion†with a limestone façade and wrought iron and wood balconies, and a twin front door that looked almost as if two giant sheets of tinted, etched glass. Of course, this was dwarfed by a three large buildings at the rear of the property. One was a limestone and marble-faced building that was large in and of itself. It looked like a two floor, wide, windowless version of their home. Based on what I had been told in the past, this was their car park, where they stored most of their cars. A much larger, but otherwise similar building was nearby, its other marked difference in that it was taller and had a much wider entrance/exit door. This was the aircraft storage hangar. And finally, there was what appeared to be a simple steel building with a domed roof; this was the aircraft maintenance and restoration hangar. This was where Camel most likely was, though I went up on the front porch and rang the doorbell. “Hi, Natsuki,†Lia said after she opened the door. “Here to see Camel before your make up appointment?†“Yeah. He’s in the restoration hangar?†“Yeah. You can just go over and knock on the door—he’ll know it’s you.†“Is Shizu and Rosalie here yet?†“Rosalie is, but Shizu is the main one behind your surprise, and she’s not here yet, so you’ll have a while before we can show you what our ‘present’ for you is.†I decided to go into the hangar to pass the time until my hair and nail appointment, and at least hang with Camel before then. I walked over to that hangar, and knocked on the door. “Come in,†a voice told me. “Now try and find me once you find your way in.†I opened the large, windowless metal door, and entered. I started to look around inside that hangar to find where Camel may be hiding or what he might be working on. Among the aircraft that I found was a North American P-51D Mustang that seemed to be undergoing engine work, A fully-assembled Hawker Sea Fury, a fully built up , dark blue-colored North American F-82B Twin Mustang, with a pod sitting on a dolly under its center wing, and another aircraft was sitting at the rear of the hangar that I couldn’t identify at that moment. The one, though, that caught my eye was a de Havilland Mosquito Mk VI fighter/attack bomber. It was painted in a medium grey/dark earth green camouflage upper surface, with black undersides on its wings, engine nacelles and the bottom half of the fuselage. This was the so-called “intruder†color scheme that many Mosquito night fighters used before 1944. I also noticed that the engine cowlings were detached and that the cockpit entrance door was open, with a ladder hanging out of it. Out of curiosity, I started to walk over to the Mosquito. I wondered if Camel was nearby, and if so, where. The engine cowlings were arranged in such a way that they were organized in the order that they were to be reattached. And the ladder simply lead up into the cockpit. Camel didn’t seem to be around any of those areas. The only place I could think of him hiding was in the bomb bay, the front half of which housed the breaches for the four 20mm cannons and their belt-feed storage magazines. This seemed unlikely, as the bomb bay doors were shut. I decided that if he wasn’t in the cockpit, he had to be somewhere in the back of the hangar. Or, perhaps, hiding in the Mustang or one of the Twin Mustang cockpits; they could house a person up to 7 feet tall in comfort, after all. I inspected the nose area of the Mosquito more closely. I noticed the four 7.7mm machine gun barrels that protruded from the nose cap. Then I noticed the door: how could Camel fit in there?! I decided to climb up the ladder to see if he may’ve left some clue as to where he was in the cockpit. As I reached the top of the entry ladder, I noticed that Camel was in the starboard (right hand side) of the cockpit. “I see that you finally found me, Nats.†“Yeah. One question: how were you able to fit in the door?†“It’s cramped, for sure,†Camel admitted,†but I wasn’t wearing a full flight suit. And once I do get this thing airborne, I’ll have the parachutes stored inside.†“Parachutes?†“Yes, Natsuki. The Mosquito carries two people usually, even in the fighter versions. The pilot sat in the left seat, the navigator/radio operator sat in the right side, slightly behind the pilot’s seat.†It was then that I noticed why Camel was hunched over in the way that he was. He was trying to work on the center section of the control panel—a plane’s equivalent of a dash board. It seemed that he was just checking to see if all the wiring was hooked up properly before he did some checks on the Mosquito. “I’m gonna try and so some taxying runs to see if the engine and gauges work right. I thought that you’d like to help, along with Lia in a while.†“Sure, I’d love to help.†I was thankful that I didn’t have to work on an aircraft engine before my appointment. “Wha’dcha want me to do?†“Since Lia has experience with working with and flying aircraft, she’ll help me work on lookin’ at the gauges to see if they work and if the engines are working right. I’d like for you to try and see if stuff leaks out from around the engine assemblies. Look for coolant or oil or anything unusual.†“Okay, I guess that I have to be careful of the propellers.†“Yeah, but since you’ll be behind them, and back away from them, you’ll be safe. If you see something unusual, just come out in front of us in a calm fashion and wave. We’ll take that as a sign to shut the engines down.†I did have experience with doing such things with car engines in the past, since I sometimes did maintance on my own cars. Of course, the Mosquito’s Merlins were much larger—and, thankfully, much easier to look at for fluid leaks—and had propellers that as they spun were of twelve feet in diameter, so it was also going to be much windier. Lia then came out and climbed inside the Mosquito next to Camel for the engine test to begin. The engine tests and taxying went without a hitch, which I was glad for, though that was expected. With Camel being a hybrid, it was very likely that everything would’ve been screwed together right the first time. “Okay, Nats, you can help Camel attach the engine cowlings while I get your hair and nail stuff ready,†Lia called out as she slid out of the Mosquito’s cockpit door. “That might help keep you occupied while I finish that up for you.†I noticed some the standard top and side panels for the cowling, and two different variations of lower cowling sections. One pair had the standard supercharger intakes, the other had enlarged and elongated intakes. “Those have ‘tropical filters’ in them?†I questioned, a “tropical filter†being a engine intake filter to keep dust and other grit encountered in desert or tropical conditions from destroying the supercharger and other engine parts. “Yeah, Natsuki. I see that you’ve studied some World War II stuff, obviously an interest of yours.†“And of Shizu—she’s the one who got me started on it.†“Well, let’s install the standard lower cowlings and we’ll head in and get started with your make over.†After we attached the engine cowlings, I made my way into the house with Camel—and noted the airstrip near his home. I also noticed noises coming from room that we walked by on the way to their “spaâ€, AKA their kitchen. I swore that I head Shizu and Rosalie giggle in there, but I followed Camel. I suspected that my surprise had something to do with that room. I changed into a robe and a swimsuit for the makeover. Lia started by washing my hair to get what oil and junk that might have built up in it since I washed it earlier that morning. After my head was wrapped in a towel to dry my hair quicker, I took some nail polish remover pads and took the old polish off my fingernails, while Camel and Lia each went to work on a foot, after which my hands and feet were placed into containers of warm water. “Okay, Nats,†Lia called out. “I’m gonna take off that towel and we’ll figure out what we want to do with your hair.†After she removed the towel, Lia went back and stood with Camel, both of them examining my hair as if it were an artist’s canvas. “I wonder if we should frost it, but something tells me that it’s not gonna work out great,†Camel opined. “I was thinking more along the lines of some light highlighting,†Lia replied. “Well, the nail stuff will be easy,†Camel stated. “Red will do it on all twenty digits.†“I agree, and Natsuki does like red. Could it work on her hair.†“Such as you’re highlights, Lia?†Camel said, as he and Lia examined a lock of her hair that had dark wine red highlights in it. The then looked up at each other. “Let’s ask Nats,†the said in unison. Camel then grabbed a mirror and Lia knelt down next to me and showed me that same section of her hair that had the translucent wine red dye in it. “Now, I think that this will work well with your hair, especially the front. Wad’cha think?†Lia asked. I looked at her hair, and then in the mirror. I wanted a second opinion. “What’d you think Camel?†I quizzed. “I don’t know, Nats, I’m just holdin’ the mirror,†her retorted sarcastically. “But, seriously, I think that Lia’s suggestion would work pretty good. And it will also match you girls’ nail polish—well, at least what Lia has on now, and what you’ll be wearing soon.†I thought about that. The color matching, along with the color and pattern of my dress. Then I started to think about the jeans, T-shirt and flats ensemble that I’d be waring to the party. Black jeans, black flats and a dark red shirt. It’s gonna work, Natsuki. Done! “Okay, guys, just put the highlights in lightly. I think that a little will go a long way.†Lia then said, “Alright. This won’t take long. I didn’t take long when I did mine, and that was with me doing it myself.†Lia then gently streaked the dark red dye in my hair, using only enough to get the lightly streaked and layered effect that I wanted. The sticky, colored liquid dried very quickly, and I was happy with the results when Camel showed me what it looked like in a mirror. Then it was time for my manicure and pedicure, which, of course, explains the containers of water that my hands and feet resided in while Lia and Camel worked on my hair. They seemed to have a system going to make things go quicker. It seemed that they had their own specialty; Lia worked on my fingers, and Camel worked on my toes. The order that they worked was also set to a plan. Buff, file, clear based coat, wine red (brighter than the highlights in my hair) color coat, and clear top coat. I can tell that this wasn’t their first time with any of this. Camel I knew, from living with him while I had him help with some research after the events of Volterra, like working with women’s hair and nails. But Lia was every bit as good as he was at that stuff. “Well, Lia’s a girl,†Camel opinioned, as if he was reading my mind. “Lia has been doing this since she was a teenager, I’d guess, in hybrid years, that’s been since ’94?†“’96,†Lia corrected him. “I’ve told Shizu this story, and Lia, and all my past girlfriends, and I probably told you about it a bit, too,†Camel itoned. “Yeah, I know,†I replied. “You’ve always gotten along with girls better than men. You’ve always been interested in ‘girly’ things, and you’ve seen women as being smarter and more ‘sane’ than most men you’ve encountered.†Camel then turned to Lia, saying, “see, she remembers the ‘talk’.†Lia then reared up while Camel ducked down, and they shared a kiss. A “we’re in love and always will be soul mates†kiss. Lia then turned and walked out of the room, saying as she left, “I’m gonna check on the girls.†My nails were almost dry by this stage, but not enough for me to move freely though the house. None the less, I watched Camel move around the kitchen. I noticed that there were streaks in his hair, that matched mine and Lia’s as far as color and style. I also noted that some of his hair was done up in a pony-tail—like Shizu’s. And on top of that, he had this layered thing going on with a layer of hair on the sides of his head cut into a chin-length bob cut, like mine was. Has he let us girls get our claws into him a bit too much? I wondered. “No, you haven’t,†Camel spoke up, again as if he read my mind. “I’d rather have Lia experiment with me with things that have me do it with her.†Camel then turned to face me, using one of his hands to brush some of his hair—which was extraordinarily long—over his shoulder. “Your nails should be dry by now, you should be able to put on your flip-flops and walk around if you want to.†I happily obliged, and I walked over next to him to make a cup of coffee. After I was finished, I perched my butt on the counter—as I’ve seen Lia do—so I can be more able to talk to him without having to crank my neck back. I then noticed a puzzled look on Camel’s face, followed by him asking, “anything interesting happen today?†“You should be able to guess, since it seems that you can read minds,†I responded. “True enough, but I’d rather hear it from you.†“Okay…after I left Rosalie’s store, Ricky confronted me. I think he was either trying to steal my purse or ask me out. I may be single, but I’d have to be pretty desperate to ask him out.†“Go on,†Camel said, with a smarmy smile. “He tried to grab for me a couple of times. He missed the first time, and the second, I just moved and he fell into a puddle. He seemed to be quite embarrassed about it. On top of that, I think that Rosalie beat the crap outta him in an ally after she pulled him out of the puddle.†Camel then looked down at me—I was still not quite level with him, even with him slightly hunched down next to me—and scratched under his chin. “Well,†he started to say, smarmy smile and all, “it seems that this guy would make Sho, in his early days even, look like Charles Bronson. All’d that Mizuki would have to do is give him a death stare and he’d back off from her. Probably over simplifying, but I’ve fought him, and Shizu has fought him. He’s nothing special at all.†A gentle smile then came to Camel as he looked at me. He had one of the most beautiful smiles that I’ve ever seen on a man. And with his life straightened out and him being back with Lia and having his parents back, I was glad that he was able to show it more often. At that moment, Lia came back into the kitchen. “You ready for your surprise, Natsuki?†she asked, with a huge smile on her face, which was as beautiful as Camel’s was. “Yeah, considering that I’ve been waiting most of today for it.†I was then lead to the room where I heard a commotion when I first came in for my spa treatment. Lia then cracked open the door and peeked inside. “You girls ready?†“Yeah, about as ready as we’ll be.†I heard, suspecting that the voice was Shizu. The door was opened wide and I was allowed to step in that room. I noticed that Shizu was sitting on a bed, and Melinda, Jess, Rosalie and a short-haired, very short—shorter than Shizu or Mizuki—young woman, who I recognized as Alice, were standing next to the bed. “This was our guest room,†Lia told me. “So, I thought that we’d use it for our guest, that being you, Natsuki.†“We knew that you were getting tired of staying at the inn, so Lia and everyone here thought that we’d try and help you out,†Camel noted. Shizu joined in, saying, “I was put in charge of the redecorating.†She then climbed out of my bed and slipped her sneakers back on, and walked towards me. “I mostly worked on the bed. Rose and Alice helped with furnishings, while Mel and Jess worked on blankets and coverings.†I looked around the room, focusing first on the bed. There was a knitted bed spread covering what appeared to be a fleece blanket. And around the room, there were various furnishings—a recliner, a small couch, and an end table next to my bed—all finished with knitted coverings. The room’s walls were finished in a cool light bluish violet. As for other things that were in that room, there was a TV set, a radio, and a couple of lamps, as well as a work desk for my laptop. For a simple guest room, it was spacious and comfortable, and it did appeal to me. “Anything that sticks out to you?†Alice asked. “I’d like to try the bed,†I stated. I knew that it had to be not very warm in there, but I took off my robe, and climbed into the bed in my swimsuit. Strangely, I found the bed to be surprisingly warm. “I love this, but why is it so warm?†“Well,†Shizu started to say. “It’s an electric blanked, like what I have at home, and, of course, Mel and myself spent a lot of time in the bed working on stuff.†“Yeah,†Alice noted. “If it was me or Rose in there, it’d be a lot colder right now.†“None the less, I helped with the fabric items,†Rosalie told us. “However, Shizu and Bella worked on the bed covering, while Mel and Jess knitted the ones for the couch, end table and recliner.†“And we had Jasper and Emmett work on the furniture, such as the entertainment center, work desk and the tables,†Alice noted. “And the knitting gave us some stuff to do when we were sitting at the hospital,†Jess told me. “We’d work in shifts, and when we were on break or at home, it was a nice distraction,†Melinda added. “Well, guys, I don’t think that ‘thank you’ is enough for me to say about this.†“You don’t have to thank us,†Lia said. “You’ve done plenty for us and brought us much cheer. Giving you a nice place to stay while you’re here is the least we can do for you.†“After all,†Camel started to say. “I gave you a good place to stay when you visited me in the past, and Melinda and Shizu did the same for us in Volterra. They wanted to continue with that.†“Well, thanks guys.†“Again,†Shizu said, “no problem. It was just a nice project to keep some of us busy during down time and help out a friend.†Everyone started to leave my room, as if they knew that I wanted to take a nap. “I hope that you enjoy your little nap,†Alice noted. “Okay, I know that I’ll be seeing all of you soon. Good bye.†I curled up in my very warm bed. Again, this was a good contrast between the cold and wet of the morning when I got up and started my day. I had nearly faded off to sleep when my phone started to go off. I turned on the lamp and grabbed my phone. It was a phone call that I had been waiting for. “Hi, Tetsuro. You in Seattle yet?†“Yeah, Natsuki. I’ll be in Forks by tomorrow morning. I have a small charter flight to Forks airport.†“Okay, I’ll see you there tomorrow. And we won’t have to stay at the inn now.†“Oh? Why’s that?†“Lia and Camel had Shizu and some of their friends work on a guest room for us. I’m there now. It seems like a nice place for us to work on our research in privacy from those who we don’t want to have interference from, and with Lia and Camel, and their friends, we’re all safe. I’ll be seeing you tomorrow morning. “Okay Nats. Have a good night.†“Good night, Testuro.†I put down my phone, turned off my light, and looked back on the day. Got a dress and shoes, got my hair and nails done, had a good place to stay while I was in Forks, one of my best friends was now about to come into town, and my research was going well. I then looked back at my confrontation with Zamora. I was mightily frustrated with his confronting of me, but I looked back on the actual confrontation with a light heart, being able to defeat him so easily without even lifting a finger. I did still wonder, however, what his purpose for being here and pursuing us was. What did he want, why was he here? Hopefully the days what would come would let us know what was going on.

Final video in the R18 tech series: If you read my blog or Lemonade Stand posts, Audi driver Loic Duval escaped serious injury when his R18 spun and got airborne during practice for today's race. Though the car was destroyed, Duval only suffered minor injuries. The car is being rebuilt around a spared monocoque, but Loic himself won't see further action this weekend on the advice of Audi Sport and ACO doctors, who may be worried about Loic possibly having a concussion. Marc Gene will replace Duval for the rest of the weekend starting tomorrow when the new car will be ready. Porsche have provisional pole as of qualifying session one. And they're may be issues at Toyota, as one car stopped in the session with low oil pressure.

Hi everyone. Sorry for being late, but early in practice for Le Mans this morning, there was a massive accident and it took a while to get news on driver condition. The #1 Audi was totaled in a massive accident in the Porsche Curves. The car and surrounding barriers were totaled, though thankfully driver Loic Duval walked away without serious injuries, and is alert and talking in the medical center. Apparently, he'll stay overnight in a local hospital for observation, but Loic's damn lucky seeing the state of his Audi R18: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bp3BcKuCQAIKKYA.jpg:large https://o.twimg.com/2/proxy.jpg?t=HBhXaHR0cDovL2kua2luamEtaW1nLmNvbS9nYXdrZXItbWVkaWEvaW1hZ2UvdXBsb2FkL3MtLXBJTnl0N2FyLS0vdXFtcDV3bXoybWJjamNuaXRobHYuanBnFJQPFPAGABYAEgA&s=_Sth5PpIzaJqBwAou-tFZooVF5dfM1BfQ5jx96LXuOM As for Audi's plans, they're hoping that Loic will be cleared to drive, but they have a reserve driver to replace him if he's deemed unfit to drive or feels he needs to withdraw from the event as a driver. A spare chassis is being readied and will turn a wheel in anger in tomorrow's practice sessions. The two other cars will continue in tonight's practices. As for my plans, I have some stuff to finish up and then I'll be taking a nap. Then it's more of the usual as far as my day's concerned I'll be back later

I'm also kinda a nut at times on why go and eat out when you can make stuff just as good at home, and probably save some money? However, since I'll be headed back to work soon, that might change a bit. That aside, there's things that I find feminine that I like doing--reading in bed, writing for fun, trying to get comfortable sleeping, and the way I sleep is even something I'd consider a bit feminine.

A couple of new galleries: http://fourtitude.com/galleries/?c=show_thumbs;p=Motorsport%2FSportscar%2F24%20Hours%20of%20Le%20Mans%2F2014%2F05%20-%20Tuesday%20at%20Track http://fourtitude.com/galleries/?c=show_thumbs;p=Motorsport%2FSportscar%2F24%20Hours%20of%20Le%20Mans%2F2014%2F03%20-%20Scrutineering%20Day%202%2C%20Monday And some videos:

There's Yuki and Lost Unit, both of whom are pretty good. You could try messaging them about your request. I hope they can help you out

Chapter 6 will more than likely be out tomorrow. Got some stuff to do today, but I'll have some free time tomorrow to post and edit the chapter.

Actually, I don't know about the scanning job. The front desk will be three days a week, two hours a day, but that's just a hold over until the scanning job comes online, which will be part time and 20-25 hours a week. But I don't know the exact schedule for that job yet.

Hi everyone. First off, I have some good news. As soon as next week, I'll be going back to work. It'll be my old front desk job for a couple of weeks or so then my new scanning job will start. So I'm pretty happy about that. As for my plans today, aside from some grocery shopping, I plan on finishing looking up some stuff and doing some gaming and making myself some chicken for dinner at some point tonight. I also have like the weirdest cat. It usually either sleeps on a tractor that we have in the front yard. I mean an old, huge farm tractor. And I've seen him climb on and lay on the roof of my house, too. But the fact that I'm heading back to work is the big thing. @Jupiter: Good luck on the bird Hope your wife doesn't get too ticked. I'll be back later