YESSSS!

After weeks, I'm finally out of the horrible Marble Zone in Sonic 1! **dances.** And as a demonstration of how awful that zone is, by comparison, when I got to Spring Hill Zone or whatever it's called, I got through the first two acts within a few minutes of arriving! I'm still in the third act and it's slightly annoying, but nothing like Marble Zone! Ugh, that zone was not fun at all. Whoever designed that zone must have been a sadist. All the lava pits and bats knocking you into lava pits when you finally thought you'd cleared them, and so many ways to fall down through the zone when it was almost complete....

I was seriously thinking of deleting the game and not even trying to finish it because Marble was giving me so much trouble. And yet I was really sure that eventually, somehow, I'd make it out. I am so glad I did. But unless I can unlock Tails or Knuckles and find new ways through that horrible place, I'm not going to want to replay the game because of that zone.

Planning my shopping spree itinerary for my birthday. I think Toys R Us will be the headlining place, of course. So hoping I can find something there I'll be able to buy. I must give them business! But I also want to get to Build-a-Bear and get that beautiful new bat, check our favorite decor store while we're there and probably peek in The Disney Store and Hallmark too. Then I plan to get to Target and I think I should visit the party store right around the corner from it. Either of them might possibly help with the costume pieces. I usually also like to go to Wal-Mart. And getting a pizza is a must.

Also pondering whether to get those Lyra and Sweetie Drops dolls after all. They sold out of the Fashion style Starlight before I made up my mind, but they still have the dolls. But ironically, I think that when I add up the cost, they're going to be ONE CENT short of free shipping. **repeated headdesk.** So I'm not sure about that, since I'd need to add something else to the order. I still kind of want a Team Rocket shirt instead, but there I have the problem that if I get the design I saw at F.Y.E., you can clearly see what Jessie is wearing and Dad would go through the ceiling if he saw me wearing the shirt. Then the other design has Meowth in front of her so you can't see how skimpy it is, but it has "Prepare for trouble and make it double" around the picture, and he'd probably try to read that and I'd end up having to explain that the characters are antagonists. Whee. Fun times. I still haven't had the courage to say that Baxter, Barney, and Z are antagonists in canon. To me they're not antagonists and I didn't make plushies of bad guys because I'm thinking of my verse (and also that in canon, Baxter started out trying to be honest and only went bad when he got unstable and later cracked up), but Dad wouldn't be thrilled, I'm sure. Anyway, I should just forget the Team Rocket shirt idea, but now that I know there really are shirts with them, it's awfully hard to make myself stop wanting one.

Ah well. Now, on to the first proofread of Electric Soul! I imagine there will be two or three proofreads overall.

A puzzlement.

So the DVD set arrived on time and it looks awesome! I think it's going to be hard not to open it and dig out some of my favorite episodes to watch, like the St. Anne ones and Holy Matrimony! (LOL.) I remember some of the utter nonsense in Pokemon episodes and I suppose it's not unlike how one must suspend disbelief to enjoy TMNT 87. Specifically, I'm snerking remembering those ridiculous "invisibility" outfits from Holy Matrimony! Also, one of my favorite lines is from that episode, when James describes a marble home: "It was like a mausoleum with bedrooms and bathrooms!" ROTFLOL.

I'm still debating whether to get the dolls. I want them, yet I worry that getting them may cancel out something else later that maybe I'd want more, so I keep waffling. The other side of the coin is that it may be my only other chance to get Lyra and Sweetie Drops dolls, and I had wanted them a couple of years ago when the first dolls of them came out.

And I'm just not sure what to ask for, for my birthday. The only thing I've seen locally that I might consider asking for is the Orange Islands set, and yet I still hesitate for a couple of reasons. One, Dad never was crazy about Pokemon. It seemed like he disliked it even more than the Turtles. But he did cave and get me some of those videos when the Dollar Tree had them. But that was years ago and maybe he's forgotten that and he'd only remember his dislike of the show. But more importantly, Two, I hate to ask for anything because one of those big expenses was supposed to be paid this month. I'd feel like a heel to add another expense. Honestly, if it wasn't for knowing that Mom will feel really sad if there isn't something they can get for me, I probably wouldn't ask for anything and would just plan to buy it all myself. There will already be the gas money expense of the shopping spree and it seems awful to even think of another one.

I guess that's another part of the appeal of maybe getting the dolls, that they would probably show up in time for my birthday too and they could be another gift to myself. LOL. If I just can't think of anything to ask for, I'd like for there to be some kind of presents for the day. But I don't really have room for them and I don't want to pay more attention to them than to my Turtles figures, even though that is highly unlikely of happening. And I also don't want to pay less attention to them than I should. I dunno; I've been pretty happy for months just focusing on Turtles stuff and haven't really wanted much else after getting hold of all the Mega Construx figures I could. But when the dolls were something I wanted and there may not be another chance ... sigh.

This is usually how it always goes, with most of what I want either existing online only or being things that I wouldn't want to ask for because of awkwardness and would rather get for myself. My parents don't really do the online shopping bit very much, so the online only stuff is pretty much out unless Dad just gives me the money and I get it myself, which doesn't really have birthday magic to it. Usually I end up having to swallow my misgivings and ask for something I was hesitant to ask for. Usually that works out okay after all. But I worry about that big expense and not wanting to add another, even a small expense....