Psst...New Blog

For those of you who didn't get the clue a few months ago and failed to realize I have a new blog, here's the link:


Multiply Blog

DAILY: By Myself

Right now, I am typing this post from the 3rd floor Music Library in Olin. I'm not quite sure why...maybe it's because I just finished a creative writing assignment and am still in the writing mood, or maybe I'm afraid if I don't do it know it will be another four or five days before I post.

Well, whatever the reason, I am typing up here by myself. No one else is here right now, very few people usually come up here at all. It's a great place to pump out assignments, and that's exactly what I did all night. I spent three hours putting together a fiction "etude" on setting. The assignment was to describe a setting in detail, then put something in that setting that doesn't belong. I was struggling for this all day, when I came upon a picture my father had sent me in the mail. It was a picture of my father's mouth and goatee, and only his mouth and goatee, taped to a picture of a sign for the Butterfield dorms. Somehow, this inspired me, and I ran with it until I ended up with a rather gruesome tale about freshman's encounter with a deformed face tacked to a bulletin board on her first day of college. Not to sound creepy or anything, but it was really fun, I'm actually enjoying working with wordplay and imagery again. The fiction class itself is still a bit tedious, but I'm just glad I'm at least starting to come into my own in there. The past two assignments have been a blast, I hope it continues for the rest of the semester.

Well, I guess I ended up off topic from my title, eh? I put it up there because I also wanted to talk about how I'm alone in another sense: my roommate left yesterday on medical leave. He'll be gone until next fall. It was really hard to comprehend it, the entire affair came and went so suddenly. He tells me he's staying last week, he tells me he's leaving three days ago, and yesterday I'm helping him move boxes out to his van at 11 am. I'm sorry to see him go. Sure, I know techincally have a two room single, and that is pretty amazing, especially considering how ironic it is that I came into the room selection process at the bottom of the ladder, and now I end up with more living space than almost anyone on campus. But I really would have rathered for him to stay. I don't need the extra space, and I've been starting to realize that I really prefer company these days. I know we didn't talk much, but when we did it was meaningful and insightful. I really think we could have become good friends by the end of the year. Ah well, I hope everything works out for you. Take care, good luck, I hope to see when you come back.

OK, time to get out of Olin. It's getting lonely.

DAILY: I Won't Tell You What I Do On A Saturday (OK, Maybe I Will)

So yeah, another two week absence from posting. And I was doing so well for a while, too....Unfortunately, illness and schoolwork conspired to make these past 14 days or so very much not my own for the most part. This isn't to say they haven't been good, it's just that I've been very busy before, after, and sometimes during the really wonderful parts.

Today, however, I took a "break," if you will. I woke up at 12, and spent 3 hours just relaxing in bed with Julia, for once putting thoughts of 5 classes worth of homework on the backburner. Believe me, it was wonderful. After reluctantly returning to my room and taking a shower, I spent the majority of the late afternoon just getting my life in order with respect to my planner, hygiene, etc. I am very big on keeping things ordered, as most people know, and when I don't straighten everything out once and while in my mind I get frustrated. So today I got rid of the anxiety.

For dinner, Julia and I went to the AAA (Asian/Asian American) semi formal. Unfortunately, I don't have a suit with me here (though I think that will change when I tell my parents the things I want them to bring up next week), so I did the best I could (button down shirt and khakis). The lack of formality, however, did not prevent me from totally owning three plates worth of delicious food from Thai Gardens. Besides indulging my empty stomach, I also overheard a conversation involving two American students who I gathered spent at least a few years of their lives in Japan. It unnerved me to hear it at first, mainly because it reminded me how little experience I actually have with Japan and its culture, not exactly a pleasant thought when I am currently completely focused on getting a degree in Japanese Language and Literature. The more I think I about now, though, the more I realize that everyone has to start sometime, and that someday soon enough I'll be sharing experiences just as those students did.

The final part of my night was originally already planned out...Jam session at 10, then Goth party 'til I got tired. To my surprise, I didn't do either one. No one called me with respect to playing music, so I did homework until I realized it was 11 pm and there was a torrential downpour outside my window. Needless to say, I was less than inclined to leave my dorm at this point, so I wandered over to Alex's hall and playing Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga until about a half hour ago. That game is so awesome...way better than I expected, and my expectations were quite high to begin with. Slick, semi-cel shaded graphics, addictive heavy metal guitar tunes, a fresh story with some interesting religious implications, and an absolutely incredible aesthetic composed of a blend of futuristic cyberpunk and Hindu architecture make it a unique adventure worth trying, or at least looking at. Sure, there are too many random battles, but the game world is actually interesting enough to make me want to work past that for once. All in all, a pretty killer (and unexpected) way to spend a Saturday night. Playing an RPG all night is a rare occurrence these days and I'm glad I got to experience it again.

Well, my head is pounding now. It's almost 3:30 in the morning, I need sleep. Oyasumi.

DAILY: Star Fox 2

Just a few minutes ago, I discovered that there was indeed a second Star Fox game in the works for SNES, but it was cancelled due to the rapidly approaching end of the SNES's life cycle and Nintendo's plans to develop Star Fox 64. I learned this on an OCRemix commentary, where one would indeed expect to find such a topic, and quickly followed a link to wikipedia, where I was floored by the fact that it had pages of information on this game that never saw the light of day. What's more, I started searching for other game series, and before I knew it, I was reading a very long wikipedia entry about a supporting character in a spinoff series of Archie Comics' comic adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog. This may not surprise many people, but to me this uncanny concentration of information about absolutely anything is overwhelming.

DAILY: Colors

I listened to Utada Hikaru's single, "Colors," as I walked back to my dorm from English class this morning. I purchased the CD the summer before I came to Wesleyan, ironically before I had any real education in Japanese language or history. Listening to it reminds me of that time, made idyllic perhaps by retrospection, when dreams were just dreams and not a path to reality in progress. Thinking about that nurtured all sorts of fantasies about he future, and made me realize just how much I still like to dream, especially on walks to and from classes.

DAILY: Creativity

So I got back my first creative writing "etude" today, and I was surprised to find that most of the comments were positive. The assignment was to take a short vignette we had written in a ten minute period during the first class and convey it using the writing styles of Hemingway and James. I realize I really like that doing that kind of assignment, one that provides specific limitations. I just seem to achieve more fluency and clarity when I'm being held to a certain form. Speaking of which, I dug up two sonnets I wrote a few years ago while wasting time in my old documents folder. They're by no means great, but I remember it being really fun trying to work the words to fit the rules. You can check them out if you want...the first one is (rather obviously) about passion, while the second was composed for my parents' 20th wedding anniversary.

True passion is a valued tool employed
To search within and find what does inspire
Tis coveted amongst the gaping void
That turns the clearest ocean into mire
How does one seek this if he does not own
The flint to light creation's timeless flame
He shuns the race and cares to be alone
For word and work of man impart no gain
Though man's device is false and seldom sound
His zeal endeavors such to serve him well
How can it be Nirvana's path is found
By that which plunges mankind into hell
From passion flourishes both sin and bliss
While apathy spawns only black abyss.




The sacred bond of marriage oft begins
As does the care of infant newly spawned
Though promise and excitement wait within
So fester thoughts of raising baby wrong
When newborn turns to child pretense will fade
As bliss of carefree youth will take its place
But adolescence must not gaiety jade
These rocky roads too many have erased
If puberty’s surmounted child will know
The wisdom granted by maturity
Aware of self one only fosters growth
In joys of old enhanced by clarity
One factor yet sets vow and child apart
The bond is not from womb but born in heart

DAILY: Ways In Which I Put Off Work

Tonight, I watched the Naruto movie, and I have to say, I don't quite know what all the fuss is about regarding this show. I mean, it was entertaining, but the plot was trite and there weren't any characters that really jumped out and grabbed me. I know part of this is probably based on the fact that it's the movie, and therefore lacks the development only a series of episodes can offer, but still, shows where characters fight all the time and call out names of attacks kind've got old a few years back with DBZ.

I also played with a ladybug instead of doing my character sketch for Techniques of Fiction.

DAILY: Drop the Procrastination, Add Some Work Ethic

So drop/add period has officially closed as of 5 pm today, and my class schedule is all nice and ready to be confirmed on Wednedsay. Here's the breakdown:

Intermediate Japanese: still as awesome as it was last year. I'm very rusty, and I still choke a lot when put on the spot in class, but I'm getting there. I just wish I were able to dedicate more time to independent study. Language is just something I really enjoy learning...more than ever, I want to factor it into what I do for the rest of my life.

Premodern Japanese Literature: this class got off to a shaky start, namely because it's rather large for a discussion-oriented class, and because after the second session I could already pick out the three or four dominating personalities. I don't mind heavy contribution to discussion, but these guys are turning productive discourse into a tangential abyss of pretention. Luckily, class comments are beginning to even out out a bit more, and I'm really getting into the kind of literature and type of analysis we're doing.

Study of Literature: this is your basic English class, necessary to enter into the major (which I'm fairly sure I'm going to do along with East Asian Studies). So far, I'm not really digging it though, and it's threatening to change that "fairly sure" into a "might" or "possibly" with respect to completing a double major. I'm not a huge fan of picking apart poetry, and as that's all we've concerned ourselves with since the outset, it doesn't exactly make me feel confident. Still, it's a bit early, and there are many other literary genres to be covered, so hopefully it will pick up.

Techniques of Fiction: Ahh, creative writing. Both the supposed fulfillment of my academic dreams and the bane of my existence. I'm really on the fence with this one, namely because of my own hesitation to share my work due to a massive inferiority complex I have constructed around it. I'm really afraid of "not being good enough," though I'd be hard pressed to say what that actually means. This class is going to be the one that challenges me, not because of the workload, but because of the internal obstacles I have to overcome to get through it.

Music Theory: A nice break from all the paper writing and book analyzing. A little too early in the morning, and a bit tedious with all the notation, but a valuable asset to have nonetheless. Composing a short melody for a homework assignment felt wonderful; almost makes me consider double majoring in East Asian Studies and music. If I could get the credits in, I probably would...


Perhaps it's a bit late for me to be writing about this, considering I've been at school for over two weeks now, but last week I was really debating whether to drop one of these classes. It's somewhat assuring to put this up knowing that it's finalized. I'm still not completely comfortable with the workload, class content, and even my non-academic life here, but there's some progress being made.

I can't believe I'm 15% of the way through this semester already....

More to come about things besides class, maybe after I get my work done...

DAILY: Summerfields Actually Listened...

Hey, long time no see. I've been putting off posting because I wanted to do a big "this is what my life is like at Wes" post. However, I never quite get the time needed to make one of those posts, so I've been a bit negligent as a result. All my problems were solved tonight, though. I've found the perfect way to describe it all:

Before tonight, there was no soy sauce for my chicken tenders. Tonight, there was soy sauce for my chicken tenders.

I think I'll eventually talk about my classes and stuff, but this is good enough for now.

Jaa ne...

SUMMER 2005: The End of the End of the End...

So here I am, typing this post while sitting on a bed I will not lie in until Thanksgiving. Tomorrow I go back to Wes, to start a brand new year, with brand new classes, and brand new obstacles. I've been meaning to write a "Beginning of the End" post for a few weeks now, documenting the changes in my life as my friends leave for their respective schools as well as the August adventures we had beforehand. But I didn't get around to it. I'm really not sure why...I mean, I had ample time to write a whole slew of ideas, but I guess it turned into one of those things I look at in my planner, then cross off and put on the next day. Well, now there is no next day before sophomore year, so I guess I should say something now.

My, how a month flies by. My last week of work feels like last week, when in fact I've been bumming around since August 5th. I guess time really does pass faster when it's nonstop fun and no financial responsibility. But I'm happy with the way the whole work situation turned out. I got two months' experience at a full time job and raised a good deal of money to put toward my education. I also had a taste of what the working world is for so many people, with its pitfalls of monotony, boredom, and ignorance, and its zeniths of friendship, comradery, and perseverance. This was the real lesson...I would not have mentioned the latter part three months ago. It's nice to have a real life affirmation of the infinite facets of human beings.

After work was over, I embarked on a trilogy of NYC voyages. Each one was remarkably different than the others, and I appreciated them all. First was Julia's birthday visit and the celebration of our 6 month anniversary. Needless to say, this was a very personal day spent almost solely by two people very much in love, and it was no less wonderful than any time before it. The second trip was the one I took with all my friends, and this evolved into an adventure around New York, exploring without a destination and without any real want for one. The final trip was to see the culmination of Julia's work as a teaching assistant for the TEAK Institute, and it provided a unique insight into my girlfriend's summer job and to most of her summer. Her dedication, and that of the entire staff, was clearly visible in the terrific performances put on by the Institute's students. I'm terribly envious of the amazing opportunities provided to these children, and also very impressed by the amount of work done to give them those opportunities in the first place.

Somewhere in between all these expeditions I got hooked on the online role-playing game, Guild Wars. I've tried these types of games in the past, but they couldn't hold my interest due to high monthly fees and rather boring, level-grinding gameplay. This game, however, does with away with those problems and so many more, creating a streamlined game experience that's easy to get into (and out of), with almost no hassle. Currently I'm a level 18 necromancer/mesmer, I've beaten roughly half the game's missions, and have logged in 60 hours of game time. If you're reading this and you play, whisper Faux Thoreau if you'd like to party up.

So yeah, I think that's it. After all these things came Otakon and 311, but I've already written too much about them already. This past week was dominated by Scranton camping, and unfortunately, the weather almost totally shut down all our plans. The rain made it impossible to get to the park, and Julia and I couldn't stay in the tent because the humidity made it extremely hard to breathe. Nonetheless, we did manage to have a cookout, make s'mores, and get in a short but very refreshing bike ride around my neighborhood. It was a nice way to end the summer, looking at all the areas you grew up in before heading off to grow up some more. After Julia left, I indulged in more pieces nostalgia by playing some DDR and Time Crisis 3 at the arcade, and came upon some unexpected ones in the form of old high school friends I haven't seen since last June's graduation. I'm sure all this has happened to me quite a few times before, but this time I was actuely aware of all of it, and I'm grateful for that. It's been pretty lonely since Wednesday afternoon, and all of these things helped make it all go by a little faster and a whole lot better.

Now that I think of it, how quickly a whole summer flies by. But I really don't have any regrets. I worked, saw my friends, saw many great performances, and learned a whole lot more about New York City as well as the wonderful girl who lives there. Perhaps the only thing I'm resentful of is that I didn't write as much music as I would have liked. All in all, I got four songs posted online, and only one of them was part of the project I had originally wanted to complete by summer's end. But, hey, it's a start, I guess. I've never been this productive before, so I guess I just need to step it up during the fall. Recording may have gone painfully slow, but so many pieces of so many songs came together over these months that I don't know where to start now.

So, yes, I think I'm ready to go. I was going to write about college tonight, too, but we'll leave that until tomorrow. It feels good reflecting on this summer, and I want to keep that sentiment for the few short hours it has left.

Roughin' It

I was going to make my next post be my super long, "let's wrap up the summer and write down what I've been doing throughout the entire month of August" post, but I'd rather write about what's going on right now. Julia just got here about two hours ago, and is sleeping rather soundly downstairs right now. It's hard to believe Otakon was only a week ago....being there, seeing her feels so much farther away right now, just as sophomore year looms ever closer. Nonetheless, it's great having her here again, especially since we're going camping tonight! Well, actually, we were supposed to go camping tonight up at a place called Keen Lake, but the weather decided to be uncooperative on the exact three days we were planning to go. So instead, we're camping out in my backyard. Yeah, it kind've feels like I'm eight years old again, but I think it will be a lot of fun. When she wakes up, we're going to get the tent out, set it up, and cook some food out on a little tire ring grill (no gas allowed way out here in the country :P), then make some Jiffy Pop and just take it easy. I'm hoping tomorrow we can get up to Nay Aug Park and do a little bike riding if the weather permits. It's funny how when you're plans fall through and you're left with nothing to do, ideas almost throw themselves at you, and it usually turns out to be a great experience. I think this will be one of them...I'm really looking forward to exploring Scranton outside of the mall, probably more than Julia is. I may have lived here my entire life, but it's been years since I've really been around the city without a car window in my way. I want to stop talking about the lack of activity here and actually create some. You don't need to live someplace amazing to take a long walk or enjoy riding a trail. Perhaps I stand to gain more from "city camping" than I originally thought.

SUMMER 2005: Otakon Pics

So, for those of you who don't want to read my literary tour de force of my Otakon experience, perhaps some visuals will suffice. It turns out Peter, Julia, and Alison beat me to it with the pictures, so I'll just throw up some links. It's not like I take any pictures of my own, anyway.

Peter's Otakon Album

Julia's Pics

Alison's Otakon Post and Pics

Thanks for putting these up everyone.

Enjoy!

SUMMER 2005: 311

I promise this post won't be as long as the last one. I'm not going to backlog anything by day anymore (I'm a little too far behind for that now), but I do want to talk about this. Two days ago (Wednesday, 08/24), Matt, Peter, and I drove down to Philly to see 311 for our second time. Needless to say, it was amazing. 311 has been my favorite band since I was first introduced to them in 2000, and considering they've been around since 1990, that doesn't exactly make me an old school fan. Nonetheless, I love their incredibly eclectic style as well as their musicianship, and they certainly were up to par on stage. After quelling an inebriated, bored, bottle-chucking crowd with their opening song, "Hive," the band launched into a nearly two hour long set that covered every album. Of course, the main focus was on their latest release, "Don't Tread on Me," and they showed it by playing six new songs, my favorites being "Frolic Room" and "Speak Easy" (with its awesome 10/8 beat in the verses). Still, they managed to squeeze in a lot of old and mid school, my personal picks being "Flowing" from Soundsystem, "Applied Science" from Grassroots, "Do You Right" from Music, and "Summer of Love" a 17 year old song that existed before their first album did. All in all, an excellent show, and a wonderful way to end the summer with two of my best friends.

SUMMER 2005: Otakon Report

Hey, everyone, I'm back! I know it's been almost a month, but we'll deal with all that lost time a little later. Right now, I want to talk about one of the biggest highlights of this summer, Otakon! For five days (08/17-08/21), the rest of the world was abandoned to utter indulgence in everything I've been made fun of for for most of my life, and it was amazing. Here's the blow by blow:

Wednesday - Julia and Alison arrived in Scranton at around 10:30 pm, and Peter and Matt showed up shortly thereafter. After settling in at my house, we spent the rest of the night playing Chrono Trigger and watching Crayon Shinchan, an anime Alison brought with her. We hit the sack early (around 2) to prepare for the very long day ahead.

Thursday - After a little bit of difficulty waking up, the five of us loaded up on all the food we needed (Cocoa Pebbles, Berry Berry Coolers, and 3 Middleswarth BBQ Weekenders) and hit the road at around 1 pm. The drive was very uneventful, and our excitement was only enhanced by a half hour wait in line to pick up our badges for the convention. Still, it was a lot of fun looking at the costumes that some people were already wearing (just for the line!) and seeing all the different gaming shirts non-cosplayers were sporting (my favorite was the one with a picture of a Nintendo with the words "Classically Trained" beneath it). After getting the goods we needed, we were finally able to kick back and relax with a nice dinner at a local grill and National Geographic television afterward. Nothing says, "Welcome to Otakon," quite like measuring the bite force of a alligator snapping turtle.

Friday - And the actual con begins! After another late start (soon to become a theme of our trip), we met up with Will, a friend from Wesleyan, and finally made it there by 12:30 pm. The beginning of our day was spent with much unabashed ogling of costumes. It was surreal seeing so many people dressed up as the characters we all grew up with and loved so much. Of course, we were also decked out in our anime and video game finest....Peter, Matt, and myself went as the Turks from Final Fantasy VII, Julia went as Tatara from her favorite manga, Basara, Alison went as Kira from Gundam Seed, and Will had a particuarly impressive handmade Kamen Rider outfit (made with spoons and basketballs and tee ball helmets, oh my!).

After we were able to stop taking pictures every two seconds, we wandered into a panel with the director of Full Metal Alchemist. I was really psyched about it, but I'm afraid to say it was a bit disappointing, mainly because the people asked questions that really didn't have anything to do with FMA. Afterward, things kicked into high gear when The Entertainment System, a video game music cover band, hit the stage nearby. It felt so wonderful to actually see people playing the songs I've been listening to in games and on CDs for years, and while many of their songs fell into the category of NES power chord anthems, some of their arrangements, like Chemical Plant from Sonic 2 and Bloody Hell from Castlevania 3, were truly outstanding.

The show lasted about an hour, and when it was over, we headed down to the freshly opened Artist's Alley. The amount of artists, not to mention the quality of the artwork, was incredible, and I spent over an hour perusing and buying prints of the Turks and Vincent from FFVII and a Zelda T-shirt. With my browsing and buying fever peaked, we all headed over to the Dealer's Room next, and it was no less astounding. Anime, manga, posters, video game music, J-Pop, J-Rock, Japanese video game systems (and Neo-Geos!!)...you name it, you could find it there. And the figures....oh, the figures! I went back to the hotel that night with a beautiful (if costly) Advent Children Sephiroth figure, fully poseable with the detail I've come to expect and love from Play Arts products. I also starting making out my list for Saturday's purchases....

After a quick rest back in the room and an even quicker bite to eat, we concluded the evening with the Anime Music Videos! Two hours of what Otakon deems the best anime music videos of the year. To those unfamiliar with AMVs, they're pretty much clips of one or many anime shows set to music...very similar to the stuff that used to be on MTV and VH1, only usually much better. Overall, I was impressed by the quality of the 30 or so videos they played, though there were a few duds mixed in, I'm afraid. I'll post up some links to some of my favorite videos when I inevitably put all the pics from the con up. Otherwise, the rest of the night was just crashing from the hours of walking, watching, and buying.

Saturday - Day 2 of Otakon started off rather slow yet again, but by 1 we were in the center and ready to roll. It was back to the Dealer's Room for me, and I started acquiring everything I was looking for, from Suikoden III figures and manga to Otakon merchandise to Full Metal Alchemist chibi figurines (plus, Julia got me an awesome Megatokyo NPC T-shirt. Thanks, chief :D). But my favorite part about the trip to that hall was the small concert Indigo, a Japanese pop/rock band, gave at the Geneon booth. It was not only a wonderful relief from walking and uninhibited consumerism, but some quality time spent with Julia. When you're at an event with more than 22,000 people, it's hard to get any alone time with the one you love, but somehow, the whole atmosphere of that short show was very personal and it felt very right sharing it with her. So I guess I owe Indigo a thank you.

By mid-afternoon I had seen everything I wanted to buy or dream of buying, so I headed up to the video game room to check it out with Matt and was sufficiently blown away. The number of machines was staggering, with rows of Xboxes, PS2s, Gamecubes, Dreamcasts, and Neo-Geos (yes, Neo-Geos!). When you add to this 2 or 3 DDR machines, a section with old school arcade games, Beatmania, an area for PC LANing, and giant projection screens continuously running Halo 2 and SSB, it's all a bit much to take. I didn't end up playing that much due to lines and a lack of interest (I can play video games anytime at home), but just walking around and looking was more than enough. This place is something every gamer needs to see.

Saturday night ended with the Masquerade, a 3 hour long series of skits by cosplayers. It started off with a bang due to some hilarious acts, but quickly sunk below tolerable because of some very unfunny sketches. When I talked to Ann last night, she said it picked up as the show went on, but we couldn't stay, even if we wanted. We had to make it to Will's cousin Tom's house by around 10 or so, and make it we did, though the drive was confusing and a bit cramped. However, we were rewarded upon our arrival, mainly because Tom is a World of Warcraft nut, and, though I don't play the game, I sure enjoy talking about it. Not only that, but Peter, Matt, and I even got to install Guild Wars and do a little LANing ourselves. Unfortunately, after it continued for a few hours, I got tired of it, and with being conscious in general, so I made my way to bed before I became agitated. All in all, a bit trying, but a good night indeed.

Sunday - We finished up the trip in proper form, trying to get to the con by 10 and failing miserably. Still, we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast thanks to Tom and his wife Louisa's great hospitality. I was impressed by and grateful for the way they took us in, especially since they have their hands full with two young kids. Thanks a lot, it really was appreciated. Will stayed behind, as his flight home was leaving later that day, so we said our goodbyes and started back toward Baltimore.

We made it to the last day of the con just in time for the Piano Squall concert. Julia and I had some more business in the Dealer's Room, so we only got to see the final portion of the show. Luckily, we walked in just as a man was proposing to his girlfriend on stage following a beautiful rendition of Aeris's Theme. It was really touching, and the FF victory theme was a nice touch on Squall's part. The remainder of the show was very enjoyable, and a fitting end to a wonderful weekend in Baltimore.

So, that's about it for my report. After the concert, we began our preparations for the long drive home. We said goodbye to Alison, who was taking a train home, then started back to Scranton, getting some Arby's (!) on the way. Julia stayed at my house another night, and we spent the evening alone together, playing old SNES games and simply enjoying the existence between one of the biggest events of the summer and the start of a brand new year at school. I loved that night, it was a wonderful reminder of what's to come in less than two weeks....

Overall, I am incredibly happy I went to Otakon. I've never seen video game and anime fandom, merchandise, and activity on quite that large a scale. Maybe when I go next year, it won't have quite as much impact, as Julia has talked about in her blog (http://tabula.com/~juri), but these past few days will be forever ingrained in my mind. I highly advise any fan of anime, manga, or video games to attend at least once. You won't regret it.

Pictures to come...

DAILY: KFC

Man, I love KFC. I love KFC even more when Matt and Peter surprise me with it while I'm at work. I love it most when they surprise me with it on the one day my mom forgets to pack the meat portion of my lunch.

Thanks a ton, guys. This made my day.

DAILY: Scanning and Thinking Pt. 2

I'm falling back into the vicious cycle again, and it's really starting to get me angry. Moreover, it's starting to scare me in terms of how easily and quickly it can reoccur. I realized just what is happening now after thinking about the unfocused frustration I felt when I went to bed last night. This statement may appear incongruent with my last post and the positive vibe it conveyed, but the truth is that a great night can actually become a part of a bigger problem under certain circumstances. So what, then, is wrong? I can't stand losing control. When I go to work all day, come home, go out all night, then start all over the next day, I never go to bed feeling satisfied. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of the individual events each day. On the contrary, I'm usually perfectly content with how each one plays out. Work is monotonous, but completely benign, and the various things I do with friends are almost always a great time, as evidenced by posts like last night's. But when it all comes at me, one thing after the next, and especially after I start thinking about all the things I need to get done, I get extremely neurotic, obsessive, and overstressed. I think about trying to do so much in one day that I don't get anything done at all, then freak out the next morning when I look at my planner.

But what scares me more than an overloaded planner is that this behavior might affect my conversations with Julia. By the time I got the chance to call her last night, I was ecstatic. We've been having great talks over the past few weeks, so of course I was excited as I dialed her number. But after I actually got on the phone, ready to talk away, my mind just turned off. I was so physically drained and trying to juggle so many tasks in my head at once that I lost focus. This cannot happen anymore. She should not have to suffer because of my excess of unnecessary organization and my lack of practical organization. I love her so much, and I love talking with her about anything and everything. We've had a few problems with talking on the phone in the past, but we've worked them out and I truly cherish our conversation as something totally engrossing and wholly unique. There's no problem now except for my failure to get a grip, and I won't let this descend into neglect. She is one of the most important parts of my life, whether we're physically together or not.

I won't let this happen again.

DAILY: Thank You for Shopping at Giant!

Tonight we walked to Giant for one of the first times since the pre-car days. It definitely brought back some memories for us all, evident in the fact that we spent the whole walk down reminiscing about the different experiences we've had at this place. Sure, it may sound pathetic that we spent a good two years of our lives frequenting a supermarket, but before we could drive (and before the glory of Sheetz existed), it's all we had. It was good enough then, and I can still say it's good enough now.

Even so, I have been working on a summer fun list of sorts. Consider it a preview of what I'll most likely be writing about for the rest of the summer:
7/29 Drama Club Concert
7/30 Dance Club
7/31 Possibly Tim Chase Day
8/06 NYC Trip for Julia's Birthday
8/10 NYC Trip with Friends
8/13 NYC Trip for Julia's Last Day of Summer Institute
8/18 Otakon
8/24 311 Concert in Philly
Dates not worked out yet: Japanese Movie Night, Six Flags, Camping

DAILY: Scanning and Thinking

I was originally going to write about this on Monday, when I first started thinking about it, but it doesn't really matter because it's not a day specific issue. The start of my sophomore year is rapidly approaching, and for the first time in my whole life, I actually want it to come as quickly as possible. It's highly probable that Fall 2005 will be the most demanding semester yet, taking into consideration five humanities classes (including creative writing) and leadership roles in two clubs. But I'm really ready to take it all on. I'm starting to realize that the part of me that enjoys staying home is typically the unmotivated one. Of course it's great seeing family and friends, and in a certain sense it's very fulfilling to have a full time job, but more and more I feel locked in a content, streamlined, and slightly more productive version of last summer. I'm actually starting to forget what life at Wes was like, and that terrifies me. During those two semesters I felt so accomplished...whether it was doing schoolwork, club activities, or just playing my guitar, everything felt like it was contributing to that master plan for making an awesome JJ. Now I work 8 and a half hours, five days a week, and while it's certainly not a bad job at all, I don't anticipate a career path in the automotive industry. When I get home from punching numbers, I'm usually too drained to do anything constructive, but I try anyway, usually fail, and repeat the process the next day. It's a cycle that's really starting to bother me, and despite brief, exciting intermissions, it always seems to fall back into the motions after enough time. Maybe I'm writing this because it's the mid-summer doldrums. Maybe I'm just like lots of college kids floating on cloud 9 after their first year. Maybe (and hopefully) I'll be singing a different tune after all the awesome events scheduled for August (two NYC visits with Julia, one with my friends, Otakon, 311, etc.), I don't really know. But I do know that when I had the world at my fingertips for 9 months, I want it back, and I want it to last. One of the biggest factors in my failure to go anywhere else this summer, for either study or work, was my inability to realize that fact earlier. I was lazy, I didn't push myself to keep going forward because I figured I'd just keep doing that in the fall. Well, I have mixed feelings about that decision now, and I don't know if I'll make the same one next time.

DAILY: Don't Tread on Me

So I finally heard 311's new single, "Don't Tread on Me," and I couldn't be happier. It's quintessential 311--mellow reggae guitars and melodic vocals interspersed with driving hard rock sections, with some programming in the background. It manages to sound like so many of their songs, but retain a feel all its own.

Only three weeks until the album...