Air Fortress Ohio

Psst...New Blog

2006-05-24T03:40:00.000-04:00

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

2005-10-12T00:25:00.000-04:00

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)

2005-10-09T02:55:00.000-04:00

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

2005-09-23T13:54:00.000-04:00

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

2005-09-22T10:39:00.000-04:00

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

2005-09-21T19:25:00.000-04:00

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

2005-09-21T02:11:00.000-04:00

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

2005-09-19T19:04:00.000-04:00

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...

2005-09-19T02:20:00.000-04:00

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...

2005-09-02T23:38:00.000-04:00

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

2005-08-29T16:05:00.000-04:00

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

2005-08-27T13:00:00.000-04:00

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

2005-08-26T22:26:00.000-04:00

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

2005-08-26T16:11:00.000-04:00

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

2005-07-28T13:53:00.000-04:00

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

2005-07-28T11:49:00.000-04:00

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!

2005-07-27T23:45:00.000-04:00

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

2005-07-27T10:39:00.000-04:00

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

2005-07-26T23:53:00.000-04:00

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...

DAILY: The Day of Rest

2005-07-24T23:28:00.000-04:00

When you've been sick for almost a week, nothing makes you feel quite as good as 13 hours of uninterrupted sleep, followed by a day full of nothingness and an evening full of Atelier Iris. I completely ignored my planner and the myriad of tasks and responsibilities contained within its holographic carapace, and it was fantastic. As crappy as I have felt these past few days, I have definitely appreciated irresponsibility and independence on lists and goals. This may sound like some bad habits forming for most people, but for me it's actually a blessing. I need to remember how to let go and sometimes just do what I want, not what I feel I must, because in
reality, when I'm happy I get more done anyway.

SUMMER 2005: NYC III

2005-07-23T21:23:00.000-04:00

Due to a little scheduling switcheroo, I ended up going to visit Julia this week as well. Unfortunately, my sickness didn't take the hint and leave us alone, so it kind've put a damper on things. Still, we made the most out of it, and spent the early part of the day walking around Manhattan. There was something strange about the morning...it all seemed unnaturally quiet. Even before NYC came into the picture, the streets around Green Ridge were barren and the typically full bus of middle aged shoppers was barely half full. When I got off the bus on 48th Street, there were people of course, but so few that italmost felt like downtown Scranton on a busy day.

Regardless, after grabbing my dad's birthday present and a quick lunch at Yoshinoya (I wish we had more of these in Scranton instead of McDonald's), we subwayed it back to Queens and spent the afternoon watching DVDs with her parents. Highlights included "Black Man Hip Hop," a curiously titled instructional dance video that Julia and I grooved along with, and lowlights consisted mainly of a vicious allergy attack (exceedingly strange for summer), that ruined my voice for the rest of the day. My cold really went into high gear after that, and by the time I got to the bus to go back home, I could barely keep my eyes open.

Yet for all the complications, I'm very happy I went. Julia had had a very tough work week, and mine hadn't been much easier, so we really needed to see each other. It was very comforting to be there with her, so much so that throughout the morning I actually forgot about being sick. And while I grew increasingly frustrated at both my health and the lack of alone time we were able to secure, in retrospect I realize that we've been dealing with privacy complications since school concluded. This situation is no different, and we've made it too far to let it get to us now.

DAILY: Rags to Riches

2005-07-22T23:33:00.000-04:00

Sick as I may be, I couldn't stand staying in the house again tonight, so I played poker at Carl's again, and actually ended up getting second place. I know it was mostly luck, considering that I'm a terrible bluffer and I don't crunch numbers every hand. Nonetheless, I could feel myself making better decisions, not doing the math but simply realizing what hands were way too risky to be calling or raising. What's more, I'm really starting to enjoy the games now, win or lose. As ignorant or offensive as some of the players (and their conversations) can be at times, every time I go I always laugh a lot and get a chance to relax with some friends I haven't seen much in the past few years. Poker has become one of the most dependable social events in recent memory. Keep calling me, guys.

DAILY: Sick Day

2005-07-21T23:21:00.000-04:00

So yeah, I was right. My sore throat got worse, and I am now officially sick. I didn't go out last night or tonight, and as such have spent all my time either sleeping, talking to Julia, or reading
Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time. All in all, not a bad deal. It feels good to get 7 hours of sleep per night, and my phone conversations with Julia are the best they've ever been. Also, it's very satisfying to be reading again. There's something about it that makes me feel accomplished, probably because it's been so long since I've done any leisure reading and because my recent choices (i.e. The Asian Mystique) have not only entertained me, but educated me greatly in areas of interest. It really makes me feel like I'm back in middle school, when I spent a lot of time alone pounding through books and video games and loving every minute of it. I don't think I want to be like that on a consistent basis anymore, but I realize how rewarding it is when done in moderation. I think I'll pick up a novel I'm done with Hawking...I think I'm about ready for some fiction again...

Now only to rekindle my game addiction...

DAILY: Fool Edit Pro

2005-07-19T23:17:00.000-04:00

Well, after another long hiatus, Peter and I finally cracked open Cool Edit Pro again, and it was fairly productive. I began laying down the chord progressions for one of my new songs, but
unfortunately I couldn't add vocals due to the onset of a sore throat that I know is only going to get worse. Also, it feels like there's something missing from the whole thing. I've always intended it to be an acoustic guitar and vocal track built around the lyrics, but it needs a little musical kick in the pants to make it truly great. I have to sit down and think about it soon, because this stuff really needs to get finished...

After we wrapped up my song, Peter and I still felt like screwing around, so he put together a few drum loops on Kinetic and I played a bunch of riffs and chord progressions over them. Peter said he's going to play around with them and see if he can whip up something nice. I'm not quite sure if everything I played was in the same key or if it all really clicked together, but it did feel refreshing to create something new instead of feeling the pressure of completing a project you've had in mind for over a year now.

Our musical evening ended appropriately with the Black Mages DVD. As I watched the performers crank out Final Fantasy tune after Final Fantasy tune effortlessly, I felt both the urge to become as good as them, to create something beautiful, and also the despair that rides
on the coattails of too many failed projects. We've made so much progress this summer, I can't let it end now...

DAILY: DDR Out of Shape

2005-07-18T22:18:00.000-04:00

I played DDR with Peter tonight for the first time in a few months, and it proved to us both just how out of shape we are. Two years ago, we could do 3 or 4 3-song sets on Heavy with no problem. Now, we get tired after doing Dive on Standard.

I need to start working out.

SUMMER 2005: Cake

2005-07-18T03:58:00.000-04:00

The Cake concert, here at last! Unfortunately, this treat turned out to be rather bittersweet. The problems began last night, when we found out that there were 6 people who wanted to go and were able to attend, but only 5 tickets left to give. The show had sold out Friday night, so one person would be staying home. Unfortunately, it ended up becoming a contest between Jim, who is a diehard Cake fun but (for a number of reasons) hadn't been able to guarantee he could go when we bought the tickets, and Ann, who perhaps isn't on Jim's level of fandom, but was one of the original five. I could understand the others' point of view on why Jim was entitled to go, namely that he introduced the band's music to all of us and therefore this event in our lives wouldn't have happened without him in the first place. But I just couldn't ignore something inside me that said whoever was part of the initial purchase logically and rightfully deserved to go. I also questioned why it was Ann that was being targeted, and why no one else was willing to put their ticket on the line. Ultimately, the entire affair turned into an heated and
ultimately unnecessary 2 hour argument, and I lost. Jim came, Ann didn't.

Now, don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't want Jim to go. I really, really did. Moreover, I was glad he had an absolutely fantastic time. It's just that I felt Ann had more of a claim to the
ticket than he did. There's no hard feelings here or anything, just a little bit of disappointment. I also want it known that this is not some sort of LJ attack or gossipy rant. Everything written here I said in person today in one form or another. I'm recording this, and everything else on this site, not out of spite or some other personal agenda, but simply because it happened. And that means accepting the bad with the good.

Now as for the concert itself, this is where the "sweet" comes in. Though it took over 4 hours to get to the show, the long line of cars (hee hee) was completely worth it. The venue, Northern Lights, was a small bar/club along the lines of Tinks back here in Scranton and, while unbearably hot, it provided a much more personal atmosphere than some arena or stadium. The opening act suprisingly got things off to a good start, considering that almost every other opener I've ever seen has actually detracted from my experience. This guy, Langhorn Slim, while perhaps relying a bit too much on the same two or three chords (not that I should talk), was overflowing with energy and enthusiasm, and he really got the crowd moving. However, he
still couldn't make me forget the buckets of sweat I was producing, nor could the subsequent 45 minute wait for Cake. But just when it was becoming too much to take, there they were. Opening with their cover of The Guitar Man, and flying through a set that encompassed all five albums, Cake threw the crowd into a frenzy. Personal favorites included Comfort Eagle, Never There, Frank Sinatra, and an amazing rendition of No Phone (complete with mid-song speech and audience chant), and of course, a sing-along to Stickshifts and Safetybelts. Not to say that the rest of the set wasn't incredible. Cake is better live than I could have ever thought possible...frontman John McCrea's voice is actually better in person than on CD, and guitarist
Xan McCurdy's exceptional playing proved that Cake is not just some studio band brought to life through filters and other tricks. They deliver exactly what your hear on the recordings, and then some. I never fathomed what seeing a Cake show would be like, but now I can say it is definitely the best pit experience I have ever had.

SUMMER 2005: NYC Part Deux

2005-07-16T22:59:00.000-04:00

Today was this summer's second venture into the city where I was born, and I spent it with Julia in Central Park, a place I haven't been to since I moved to Scranton at age 3. Now that I've been able to see it again, I really regret not visiting sooner. The whole morning and afternoon seemed encased in a beautiful, floating bubble; I could see the unending hustle and bustle of the city outside the transparent walls, but the image was distorted, skewed to the point that it lost its reality and was easy to brush aside. My whole attention, therefore, was focused on what was floating around on the inside--a gorgeous day where time had no meaning. At long last, I didn't feel rushed in New York City, and it felt wonderful. From Julia's fantastic homemade lunch of rice balls and Teddy Grahams, to a leisurely stroll on the park pathways, to a frantic scramble for restrooms down those same pathways, to laying together in the grass using my T-shirt for a pillow, to watching "black guys flipping" (their words, not mine), we finally got the day to ourselves that we deserved. It didn't matter that we were surrounded by thousands of other people. At the end of the afternoon we sat on a bench in the shade, holding and kissing each other as crowds slowly migrated past us. I was aware of them, but I didn't really care. Every now and then we would stop and watch everything going on around us, but we let no one get in the way of that moment, of that entire magical day.

As time finally caught back up to us and began to steal the afternoon away, we left the park to grab some food. Due to my bus's strict 7 pm departure, we were slightly pressed for time, so we quickly chose a sure bet for a great dinner, Hatsuhana. The meal was absolutely delicious, and the green tea ice cream was a perfect dessert to both the meal and the whole day.

I need to live my life more like I lived today...

DAILY: I Spy Spiders

2005-07-15T18:56:00.000-04:00

Today at work I appreciated how good things kept happening to help get me through a rough day at the office. I could feel myself getting a cold through the morning, and by 2 pm or so my head was spinning so badly from a combo of illness and monotony that I actually contemplated going home. But that's when Gordon Lightfoot's Ballad of the Edmund Fitzgerald played on Rock 107. I've been dying to hear that song again for years, and it excited me enough to nullify the boredom directly for a good 5 minutes, and indirectly for about another 20. I must obtain this song somehow, and soon...I've been hearing it for over 10 years and I still don't have it in my collection...

Just when the song's notes were beginning to fade from my mind and a return to monotony seemed imminent, the exterminators decided to flush out the spiders from the cracks surrounding the office windows. And boy, did they get flushed. Hundreds of different kinds poured down the glass before gradually coming to a stop, their legs flailing in vain to hang on to the thread of life that remained. It was morbid to be sure, but if anything good can be made of this whole thing, it's that the sacrifices of these spiders helped to save my brain from dying for the entire afternoon. So, thanks guys.

But stay away from my truck.

DAILY: It's Bed Time

2005-07-12T23:56:00.000-04:00

I turned on Adult Swim for about five minutes, and watched one of their interludes totally demolish MTV for cutting Pink Floyd's set at Live 8. I know lots of people have been critical of that move already (I've been bashing MTV and VH1 for abandoning the idea of music television for a long time now), but a network has to have guts to directly insult another one. Well done, Cartoon Network.

DAILY: Un Forastero!

2005-07-12T17:41:00.000-04:00

Some air flow or machinery in the Keystone warehouse sounds exactly like the Ganados attack music in Chapter 1-2 of Resident Evil 4.

DAILY: Ghetto Hamlet

2005-07-11T23:36:00.000-04:00

Tonight was a blast from the past. We all went to Peter's house and watched the 30 odd minutes we had filmed last year for Matt's opus, Ghetto Hamlet, before the project finally fell to pieces. Looking back, though, I think it all turned out for the best, because what we got out of all the standing around, arguing, and outright descents into chaos was a hilarious blooper reel. You couldn't put together a better sequence of ridiculousness if you tried. And we didn't. I hope Stone can get it all onto DVD so we can upload it all to repins.net.

As I watched it, I also noticed how different life was for me back then. I know it was only midway through senior year, and it doesn't feel nearly as dated as the earlier Ghetto films. But nonetheless, much has changed. For one thing, my hair is (thankfully) a lot longer now. Perhaps more importantly, the social dynamic between everyone in the video was just beginning to transform into the very different one it is today. I honestly don't think you'd ever see that group of kids all in the same room again. Thinking about this really makes me want to write a high school memoir of sorts. You know, give my point of view on how we all forged through those four years and such. I'm sure no one will really care about any of it, but I've had too many conversations with people in the hot tub about all this, so I think it's worth writing down our little slice of history someday. It might not happen anytime soon, but we'll see.

DAILY: I Stayed Home All Night

2005-07-10T23:44:00.000-04:00

I was going to rant about my borken cell phone and how a wireless phone company by the name of Cingular uses a merger with AT&T to screw AT&T customers who need new phones, but then I took a nap and woke up feeling happy. So I won't.

I finally got to see The World Is Not Enough on TV tonight. It's the only Brosnan Bond movie I've missed, though I did purchase the video game adaptation for N64. Not surprisingly, the game was pretty much true to the move, which isn't a bad thing. The plot was fairly complex and entertaining, with more than a few appreciated twists. The action scenes were typical Bond, though not overly impressive. I also wasn't impressed with some of the hammy dialogue, and the Bond cliches were starting to feel overcliched, if that's possible. So, Goldeneye is still the best Brosnan Bond film in my opinion, though this certainly wasn't a bad way to kill 3 hours.

The best part of the night came after TWINE, when I finally visited OCRemix and downloaded some recent mixes. There's been a lot of quality Square stuff added in the past 2 months, my favorites being Deadly Promises and Under a New Moon. I advise you check them out.

DAILY: The Turks' Theme Is Swanky

2005-07-09T21:22:00.000-04:00

I got my haircut this morning for the first time in about 8 weeks. I'm glad to be rid of the wings shooting out of the back of my head, but I miss the rest of it on top and on the sides. Still, my hair's not that short now, especially when I look back at terrible pictures of me from years ago. I vow never to have a cowlick again.

In one month, I will be returning to the hairdresser's for a cut and color. I've decided to cosplay as Final Fantasy VII's Reno when I head to Otakon in August, and that requires an unnaturally red hair color.

My dad is going to love this.

DAILY: Atelier Iris

2005-07-08T22:40:00.000-04:00

It's funny that I post this, considering I wrote it well before I ever read Alex's response to an earlier post. I'm glad to see we share the same taste in games...

Tonight, I bought Atelier Iris. This has to be the brightest, fluffiest, most adorable RPG I've seen in a long, long time. It has big, beautiful high-res sprites, a solid soundtrack, and includes the original Japanese voice tracks along with the English dub. Thank you, Nippon Ichi, for keeping the niche genre of quirky traditional RPGs alive.

DAILY: Reflections on the Job

2005-07-08T17:43:00.000-04:00

I think I've figured out something about why I get so bitter and defensive sometimes: I have this never-ending need to prove I'm right, and that others are wrong. Most of my problems and negative feelings, both external and internal, stem from this. I need to practice what I preach...live and let live, you know? I must stay committed to my point of view and opinions, but I need to tone down the unnecessary invective and focus on how who I am can enhance my own life and those of others.

I can still believe that I am right without saying it all the time...and when I do speak, I need to do it more effectively...

DAILY: Homecoming

2005-07-07T22:37:00.000-04:00

I don't usually do the whole song lyric quote thing, but hey, we're already messing with the norms, eh?

Life goes on
Come of age
Can't hold on
Turn the page

Time rolls on
Wipe your eyes
Yesterday laughs
Tomorrow cries

from The Offspring's "Can't Repeat"

SUMMER 2005: Florida Day 9

2005-07-06T23:07:00.000-04:00

Well, it's my last full day in Florida, and it's time to switch things up a little bit. Up until now, I've been trying to keep my ranting to a minimum in this blog. I like talking about my feelings, but I'm focused on keeping this more of a record of my daily events, for my own benefit and for anyone else who wants to look at it. I'm trying to keep it limited to reactions to the events that happen in my life, mainly because whenever I used to reread long, emotional, philosophical posts I had written, I would always shake my head and think about fake or ludicrous it sounded. It just didn't make me feel any better.

Well, tonight I don't have an exciting day to write about, it's the same thing I've written about since I've been been here: lots of reading, music, relaxation, etc. etc. Don't get me wrong, it's all well and good, but I'd be repeating myself if I went any further. I've been thinking a lot lately, though, thoughts that don't necessarily fit into any one day or sequence of events. Mainly, I've been thinking about how impossibly huge life is. Please bear with me, I'll do my best not to babble.

Every now and then, it hits me that there are so many things that happen in the course of existence at any given moment. Sometimes I turn on the television and, for instance, watch a show about motorcycles, or Law and Order, or The Fabulous Life of Paris Hilton, and I realize that these are glimpses into completely different realities, ones I'll never be a part of, but are nonetheless there, and very real. This all may seem like common sense, and maybe it is, but really, just sit back and think about what it really means. Pull yourself back, farther, farther, farther until you can see the whole world and all the people in it, each person unique, doing their own thing, with their own thoughts, own motivations, own desires. It's mind-blowing. When I think about it all, there's a certain satisfaction I get, from the realization and acceptance of countless ways of life and looking at the world. You know, I'm comfortable with myself, I'm comfortable with other people, everything's great...

That is, until I start talking to someone about an issue and they disagree with my point of view. Next thing I know, I'm feeling bitter, resentful, and incredibly defensive. Inside my head, I'm
simultaneously padding my own ego while criticizing my opponent's character. These things never get said, most of the time it's undetectable, but it's usually there. Even after I realize what's going on, the feeling doesn't go away. Maybe it's because, in the past, I've often faced considerable and very consistent opposition to my point of view, especially from my father and some other family members and friends. I know this type of disagreement is normal, healthy, and expected. But for some reason, I can't take it. I try so hard to appear knowledgeable and confident, but often times it just hides a painful feeling of incompetence and total insecurity with where I'm at in life. That's when I become vindictive, arrogant, and start stereotyping, categorizing, and excluding people to ironically make some ambiguous point about how we must try to live without stereotypes, categories, and exclusion. It's hypocritical, and I don't like it. When I'm trying to appear at my most worldly, I'm really at my most provincial. I become naive, and extremely vulnerable.

I know all these things are going on, and I want to change it. But circumstances keep arising to bring these feelings back. I'm not posting this for sympathy or anything...I really don't know why I'm writing this. I don't know if it's helped, but whatever.

Maybe there is one upshot to all this, and maybe today was more eventful than I thought. Today my dad asked me to sing the lyrics to Naomi. I got really defensive really quickly, like always...I normally don't like sharing lyrics with or singing for anyone. It took me a good five minutes of false starts and awkward pauses, but I finally did it. And it wasn't that bad. I can't really sing, and I was really vulnerable because of that fact and the personal nature of the lyrics. But it wasn't all that bad opening up a little bit. Maybe I need to apply this to other areas of my life.

SUMMER 2005: Florida Day 8

2005-07-05T21:05:00.000-04:00

Today was, on the whole, unproductive, and not in a good way. I felt useless, lacking the motivation to do just about anything. I didn't even go down to the beach to do nothing, which is
sad because it probably would have resulted in some reading or maybe some songwriting. Ah well...

I was able to watch hours of garbage on TV, though. The only saving grace: getting to see "All Good Things..." (the final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation) again. It's been years since I've seen it in its entirety, but that hasn't affected how much I enjoy it. I appreciate how it ties the series together by simultaneously going back to where it all began and taking a look into what the future could be like for our beloved crew. Also, the whole paradoxical anti-time anamoly problem was pretty clever, and I really like how Picard's deduction of its solution tied in with the whole evolution of humanity theme. Plus, Q was in it. That pretty much did it for me.

I wonder what John de Lancie is doing now...

SUMMER 2005: Florida Day 7

2005-07-04T23:53:00.000-04:00

Julia left today. I was very, very sad to see her go. It felt like she had just gotten here yesterday and now she's off again. It's been the theme of this summer due to our schedules, but it doesn't seem to get any easier. Thankfully, my consolation is the fantastic weekend we had together. Like I said a few posts ago, it was a weekend of beginnings and rebeginnings. Julia got to go the beach, fly kites, eat clams, and light fireworks, while I rediscovered the magic in all these things (though I'd trade the clams for shrimp) that I had taken for granted all these years. It was a new and exciting experience for both us, and I wouldn't have changed it one bit.

After Julia left and I returned to the condo, I did exactly what I did after the last time Julia left: played video games. No Resident Evil 4 this time though...back to Wind Waker I went. I plodded though some item fetching and sailing, and likewise plodded through the rest of the afternoon. I thought that since I had spent the first part of the vacation alone doing exactly what I was doing then, it would feel exactly the same way as before. But I was lonely. I still am. Yes, it's apparent to me that I'm young and in love, but it doesn't make things any better.

At least the fireworks made me feel a bit better. They were absolutely amazing this year, better than anything I can remember in all my years of watching here. And I'm not talking about professional displays either. Those are nice and all, but the real show is right on the beach in front of the condos. At around 6 pm, hundreds of people start setting up chairs, tents, etc. down there and some impatient pyros set off a few of their smaller rockets to warm up. By 9 however, the sun is gone and our fireworkers are out in full force. You see a big range in quality, quantity, and styles of explosives, but this year there were 3 or 4 people who had pro quality goods, and tons of them. We're not talking your 50 dollar sparkler/fountain packs here. I'm guessing that one guy directly in front of us had a few thousand dollars worth of high end launchers that produced 3,4, or even 5 thundering, beautiful bursts in the sky each. The combined visual and auditory stimulation was incredible. I'm hardly patriotic, and I don't really know whether or not the ones setting off these symbolic representations of "freedom" really understand the meaning of the word or the dangers in using it ambiguously to serve an agenda. But I don't care. I was there for explosions, and boy did I get them.

SUMMER 2005: Florida Day 6

2005-07-03T23:24:00.000-04:00

Back to the beach! We spent Julia's last afternoon here flying her Hello Kitty kite that my mom bought her....what beautiful timing, we've been talking about flying kites since we were back at Wes. It took a little while to get the thing up in the air, but it was smooth sailing for a good half hour once we did. I wish we kept it at it a bit longer, then went back to the condo to rest and recharge from the sun. Instead, we spent the rest of the day at John's Pass, a small boardwalk. Don't get me wrong, visiting the anime shop there is a great time, but their paltry selection this year coupled with my total exhaustion led to a not-so-hot time. Still, a half hour nap followed by our annual seafood fest did wonders to turn things around. We've been to so many different resturants and eaten so many different foods during the years we've been here, but snarfing down pound after pound of delicious shrimp scampi is always near the top of my list. Julia really seemed to like it too, though I must say, I don't share her newfound love for clams.

After dinner, we watched some beachgoers light off some premature fireworks before finally heading down to do it ourselves. Sure, it might not be the 4th just yet, but it's been years since I've pressed some cigarettes up against some fuses and watched the show. Besides, Julia wouldn't be here for the 4th, so why not bring a taste of the night to her before she went home?

It felt really good not staying miserable for the entire night after becoming miserable. I don't do that nearly often enough.

SUMMER 2005: Florida Day 5

2005-07-02T21:03:00.000-04:00

Today Julia and I spent almost the entire afternoon at the beach. In a way, it was a first for both of us...she had never seen the ocean before, and I can't remember a time when I spent that amount of time in or around it. We spent over three hours sitting on the beach watching my dad build a sand Buddha, walking down the beach (avoiding hot sand and dead fish), and slowly moving further out into the blue-green sea as Julia grew more accustomed to it. I was drained and burned by the end of it all, but definitely not frosted (if you understand that reference, I both congratulate you and apologize). When you've been coming to Florida for over 10 years, you get into a routine, and sometimes it takes someone new to help you rediscover just why you go there in the first place.

Floating on a raft in the middle of the ocean next to your girlfriend is really, really cool.

SUMMER 2005: Florida Day 4, Part 2

2005-07-01T23:53:00.000-04:00

Julia's here! Her flight got delayed, so she arrived almost two hours later than she was supposed to, but it all worked out in the end. I'm so happy she came...it's been years since I've shared my vacation with anyone besides my family, and it's particularly wonderful to share it with my girlfriend. We spent a very romantic night on the beach, talking and looking out at the ocean. Sure, it sounds cliched, but believe me, that takes away nothing from how good it felt.

What a great start to this weekend.

SUMMER 2005: Florida Day 4

2005-07-01T18:52:00.000-04:00

I sat down right by the oceanside for about an hour this afternoon, letting the tide brush up against my feet and watching all the dead fish slowly wash up on shore. I'm not really sure why this is happening, but the shoreline is littered with half rotted fish carcasses. I think it may be related to red tide...what I do know is it's not fun dodging them as they float by your chair.

SUMMER 2005: Florida Day 3

2005-06-30T23:31:00.000-04:00

Hmmm....this afternoon was pretty much more of the same...randomly bouncing around between books, music, beach, and games. I'm really putting a lot of progress on the first and last in that list: I'm almost halfway through The Asian Mystique, and I'm plowing through dungeons left and right in Wind Waker. Both are fascinating in very different ways; in the same day I'm learning about the intracacies of race relations and the art of game design. I'll be sure to post my thoughts when I finish each of them, that is, if I can ever get the RE4 review up first...

SUMMER 2005: Florida Day 2

2005-06-29T22:50:00.000-04:00

It's going to be pretty hard to write about today in any specific or chronological sense, considering that it was one endless, beautiful blur of sleep, Zelda, The Asian Mystique, writing a little bit of music on Finale, and relaxing down by the beach. I don't really care though...I did exactly what I wanted to do, and it was completely rewarding and quite productive by my standards.

Actually, there is one thing in particular worth noting. While I was floating in the ocean, my favorite place to think creatively, I came up with the second verse to Naomi, a song I've been working on since the end of first semester at Wes. I'm very pleased with how it turned out; I think it fits the theme of the song perfectly. The whole thing isn't quite finished, as I have to add in a little bit of piano or guitar soloing to enhance the vocals and rhythm guitar I have so far, so I won't do my liner notes for the song just yet. Maybe when I get back from vacation I can polish everything up and get it recorded quickly so I can write all about it.

SUMMER 2005: Florida Day 1

2005-06-28T23:44:00.000-04:00

It's been quite a long day, but I'm finally here at my cousin's condo in Florida, and only an hour later than we should be. Fortunately, travelling went fairly smoothly (minus the storms and rollercoaster like turbulence we had on the descent into Tampa), so all I had to do was read more of The Asian Mystique and ignore the escalating hostilies between those family members that don't travel well and those who can't put up with family members that don't travel well. We pulled in at around 8 or so, and since then I've pretty much spent the night alone, seeing as everyone else was either cleaning the place up or shopping. Looking around, the condo's gotten some new furniture and a new TV, but otherwise, it's the same place I've known and loved for the past 10 years. Because the place is set right on the Gulf of Mexico, it offers immediate beach access and an incredible view, and while I have yet to take advantage of the former, I've been staring out at the water for over an hour already. I think I'm going to call it quits early tonight, sleep in late, and spend tomorrow afternoon reading, playing video games, and hitting the beach. I'm sure my family will make fun of me for not getting a tan or something like that, but I don't pay much attention anymore. I've been looking forward to Florida for a very long time now, I think moreso now than any other year, because here I get the chance to do only the things I want, with absolutely no interruption. So, off to bed for now. There's much to be done tomorrow.

Let the games begin.

DAILY: See Ya Scranton

2005-06-28T00:23:00.000-04:00

Well, tomorrow afternoon I'm off to Florida for the next 10 days. It feels so good knowing that this time tomorrow I'll be staring at the sea under the moonlight...and not worrying about getting up for work the next day. I may be able to get an internet connection down there; if so, I'll do my best to update on schedule. If not, I'll post my Florida musings all at once when I get back.

Happy trails.

DAILY: Welcome to Die!

2005-06-26T01:31:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it can be really fun to be really nostalgic. Case in point: beating Konami's 1992 classic arcade beat-em-up, X-Men. It turns out a local LAN center actually has the ancient 6 player, dual screen behemoth, so Matt, Rachel, Stone and I spent two hours totally owning it. Game companies really need to take a look at games like these so that every issue of PSM I get doesn't contain 50-60 pages of absolute garbage.

One final note: This blog is officially updated and now on track! Ironically, this will only last a few days, since I'm going to Florida on Tuesday. Still, I'll be able to get all of my entries from there up in a day now that the rest of this backlog has been taken care of. Additionally, there are a few more things I'd like to post, such as a review for the now beaten RE4, and some random thoughts on music, games, and work, but none of those are really related to any specific day. Also, I'm going to refine how the site looks, and set up things like a user profile. But none of that is essential, just as long as the real meat of this site is where it should be. Every daily entry (barring the upcoming Florida ones) will now pertain to the actual date it's posted under.

Maybe someday I'll get that Final Fantasy and McD stuff up....

DAILY: All Night Bingo

2005-06-25T19:11:00.000-04:00

Date: 06/24

Today Matt and I wandered around looking for things to do. We went to a car show near the Viewmont Mall, stopped at Borders looking for people, drove around listening to arranged Zelda soundtracks, then ended up going over to Paul's birthday party (only discovering it was a party as we were leaving his house) after we found out everyone was there. All in all, a very carefree, stress free night, which I appreciated after a very long work day.

I called it quits and hit the sack at around 1 am, which is sad when I think about my 80 year old grandfather staying up until 3 in the morning for all night bingo. Maybe I should try that one of these days.

DAILY: Pop Music Blows

2005-06-25T15:12:00.000-04:00

Date: 06/23

On the drive home from work today, I decided to see what the two pop radio stations in my area were playing now, considering I've been out of the music loop for over a year. All in all, I'm very glad I don't listen to the radio much anymore. I've always said 97.9X (local "new" rock station) wasn't that great because it's used the same playlist for the past 5 or 6 years now, but at least the songs are good ones. Every single pop/rock song on BHT on KRZ uses the exact same chords, progressions, and melodies. I'm not exaggerating. A few years back I thought it was refreshing that singer/songwriters who actually wrote their own material were getting more radio play, but now I realize that all they do is copy off of each other. They all look the same and sound the same. It's really depressing.

That said, there are a few good songs out there. Game's "Hate It or Love It" has solid rapping and a great beat, and Gwen Stefani's "Holla Back Girl" is ridiculous and slightly irritating, but very catchy. Pop music is going to have to do much more than this, however, to get me interested again.

DAILY: "Toolesque"

2005-06-25T15:05:00.000-04:00

Date: 06/21

Tonight we began yet another song, bringing our grand total of Cool Edit projects to 5 (3 done, 2 in the works). We don't have a name for this one yet, or anything really besides an intro, but Peter and I really like the little we've got. So far it clocks in at almost 2 minutes, and is very reminiscent of many Tool songs and the beginning of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters." I'm unsure of where to go from here...the chords we inserted after the intro sound OK, but I'm not sure if their slow pace and semi-acoustic feel are what I want, especially if we want to keep it sounding metal or hard rock. I could really use some drums to get in a riff writing mood, because it's very hard for me to do anything but 4 chord progressions with just a guitar in hand. I hate to say it, but I might have to crack open MTV Music Generator until I can afford some real equipment....

DAILY: King Rag

2005-06-25T14:59:00.000-04:00

Date: 06/20

Today I played poker for almost four hours with the guys in Carl's basement. What began as a quick game turned into a marathon that only ended after the last three players (me, Carl, and Torba) decided to split the pot. All in all, I made a profit of eight dollars, aka a nice free half tank of gas.

DAILY: RE All Day

2005-06-25T14:48:00.000-04:00

Date: 06/19

After Julia left, I didn't feel like doing a whole lot, so I stayed in all afternoon and played Resident Evil 4. Currently I'm on Chapter 5-1 and rapidly approaching the end of the game. I love how Capcom never stops throwing new gameplay curves and challenges at you, even in the final areas. New settings, new enemies, and new obstacles always keep you on your toes. Now that I'm on the island, I can hardly remember playing the earlier chapters in the village. Without the story and characters (not to mention the persistently creepy atmosphere) holding everything together, I'd almost think the two places were different games. But thanks to Capcom's incredible sense of artistic design, gameplay mechanics, story, and pacing, RE4 pulls it all together and then some. I can't wait to see how it all ends.

After turning off RE4, I went downstairs for Father's Day dinner. My dad really enjoyed Kill Bill, and I hope he tries to teach himself enough Japanese to translate the card I wrote for him entirely in hiragana and the kanji I know. After dinner, Silv, Stone, Peter, and John talked me into going downtown to the little park by the courthouse. We were supposed to work on lyrics to Invisible Bug Monster, but we ended up talking and brainstorming for the DVD instead. I was also able to come up with a few simple riffs I liked, and I may use them in a new song. We all disbanded at around 10:30, but Peter and I were still looking for something to do (and still hungry), so we met up with Spager and went to Chick's Diner. We sat up at the counter and talked while I totally owned a hot roast beef sandwich. It was a nice change of pace and a fulfilling way to end the night.

SUMMER 2005/MUSIC: It's You

2005-06-25T14:47:00.000-04:00

Date: 06/18

Today Ben and Peter (along with supporting hand claps from me, Julia, Stone, and Matt) wrapped up "It's You," our third completed song of the summer. Spager wrote the lyrics and the main melody, with the Concertmate 680 providing chords and beats, and lil' ol' me writing the ultra cheesy guitar solos. The whole thing is pretty much a parody of annoying synth pop love songs, and I can honestly say it lives up to the gnre. I really like how the whle thing came out; it easily has the cleanest sound of any song we've yet recorded on Cool Edit Pro. And man, the rap part is just unbelievable. It's total late 80s/early 90s innocent party lyrics, and it's so bad it's hilarious. It simply makes the song. Check it out at www.repins.net and tell us what you think.

SUMMER 2005: Julia Comes to Scranton

2005-06-25T14:21:00.000-04:00

Dates: 06/17-06/19

On Friday, Julia came in from New York to visit for the weekend, and what a wonderful visit it was. She arrived at around 6 pm, and after getting her settled at my house, we went to Kyoto (the restaurant, not the city) for a delicious dinner. Sure, the place is overpriced and caters to Americans with its widescreen, ESPN blasting TVs, but that doesn't mean the food isn't really, really good. After spending a good hour and a half there, we returned to my house, walked Gypsy, and spent the rest of the night relaxing and enjoying just being together again.

It was a good thing we rested up Friday, because the next day was quite a busy one. Waking up at 9:30, we were done shopping for Father's Day gifts by noon. I got my dad Kill Bill vol. 2 (hopefully now he'll actually watch the first one), and Julia bought her father Infernal Affairs, part of a Chinese action trilogy they showed quite a few times up at Wes. Afer our mall excursion we went over to the Scranton Center on Adams Ave., and I taught Julia a little bit about driving. Sitting in the passenger seat telling her to brake, gas, and turn was humorously reminiscent of when my father taught me how to drive in the very same parking lot, though Julia did much better than I did way back then. It will probably be some time before she gets her license (living in NYC isn't really conducive to driving), but I think (and hope) she enjoyed being able to at least experience being behind the wheel.

By the time we wrapped up driving 101, we were already late meeting Matt, Stone, Peter, and Ben up at Nay Aug. Fortunately, they were later, so we had time to grab some lunch before beginning a quick game of Frisbee (I've noticed I've been playing a lot more of this lately). We had to keep the game short since we were also trying to finish "It's You" before 4:30 pm and we were already behind schedule. Astonishgly, we somehow managed to finish everything on time (I'll make a separate post about the song later), but Julia and I were beat after running around all day, so we got ready for my grandfather's birthday dinner and took a nice half hour nap.

Dinner didn't do much to wake me up, however, considering that I pretty much sat, smiled, and nodded for about 3 hours. I'm so glad Julia was there to talk to, otherwise I don't know what I would have done there. Unfortunately, her presence there also caused my uncle to continuously and awkwardly put her on the spot, to my constant irritation. But hey, everyone else was fine, Julia thought my family was cool and vice versa, and the food was fantastic, so it wasn't all bad. I was happy to get home, though, and spent the remainder of our final night together alone with Julia.

Sunday morning brought an interesting development. Julia thought she had to leave at 11 am, but in reality the bus left a half hour earlier, so she had to stay in Scranton until 1:15. Not that I complained or anything. It just felt so good to see her and be with her again. This weekend was very different from our last one together (June 4th), but no less wonderful.

Only two weeks until she comes to Florida!

DAILY: An Edge That's Smooth

2005-06-23T23:01:00.000-04:00

Date: 06/16

So tonight we started recording Spager's latest masterpiece, "It's You." This thing has been "in the works" for over two years now, ever since Ben started screwing around with my cheap Radio Shack keyboard. We laid down most of the vocal and instrumental tracks, a pretty simple task considering most of the music is generated by the keyboard anyway. I'll post more about the song, as well as the link, when we inevitably finish it up this weekend.

DAILY: Nothing Major

2005-06-23T23:00:00.000-04:00

Date: 06/14

Today I took some much needed downtime and stayed home all day. I had a wonderful conversation with Julia and cleaned up my room. RE4 will have to wait another day.

DAILY: Frisbee

2005-06-23T22:54:00.000-04:00

Date: 06/13

Today was pretty good. Work was a drag; my uncle had me multitasking practically the whole day, so of course my half awake mind was running in circles the entire time. But hey, at least it made the time go by pretty quickly. Post work was the complete opposite...just a lot of me lounging around and getting nothing done. Today it felt good though, maybe because my insanely goal oriented mind allowed it to be an unproductive day for once. At about 8:30 we played frisbee up at Pretzel Park, and it brought back some great memories of when I was a kid riding my bike or walking Gypsy through there. I also really enjoyed looking at the sky as the sun was about to disappear completely. The ash colored clouds slowly moving against a steadily darkening cerulean sky somehow brought all these ambiguous but intensely creative thoughts to my mind, while at the same time filling me with an indescribable mixture of contentment, inspiration, and adventurousness. It was as if the whole world was mine to explore, and it felt wonderful. I know this is all starting to sound a bit hokey, and I didn't really mean to talk about this particular event, but it's been a long time since I've felt like that and I figured it was about time to try explaining it.

DAILY: Michael Jackson Verdict

2005-06-23T22:51:00.000-04:00

Date: 06/13

So the verdict is in, and I really don't care. I haven't been following the case at all, in fact the ridiculous amount of hype and non-stop media coverage has completely turned me off to it. But I couldn't ignore Jackson's fans' reactions to the not guilty's...it's as if their own lives were on the line. People crying, hugging, LETTING DOVES FLY OUT OF A CAGE INTO THE SKY?! Yes, I know the man is one of the most popular entertainers in history, but he is still just a man. It is fine to support or oppose him, but you should never allow any celebrity to have that sort of impact on your life. He is just one man, being tried for a crime countless others who you will never hear of or see have been tried for. This type of celebrity worship is a major factor in why so many people are unhappy...start doing something with your life instead of living vicariously through others. I know millions of other blogs have said something like this, and much more eloquently, but I'm still fed up with all this.

SUMMER 2005: Neon Genesis Evangelion

2005-06-23T22:47:00.000-04:00

Date: 06/11

Tonight we finally finished watching Neon Genesis Evangelion, and I was very impressed, to say the least. I wasn't so sure of the series when we first started, mainly because it seemed dry and fairly bland, but I'm quite glad we kept at it until the end. The story really twists and turns as the series progresses, so much so that I was rabidly pushing to watch it almost every night just to see what happened next. It brings back some good memories of FMA up at Wes. I won't spoil any of the story, but I will say that I really liked the themes behind it, and I recommend that one see both endings to really get some different perspectives on how the whole thing can turn out. I can't really decide which ending I prefer, since they're so completely unique and independent of each other. I will say, however, that I thought the final scene of Evangelion was one of the most disturbingly beautiful I've ever seen. Watch it or look at the DVD cover art and I think you'll see what I mean. That said, for all the profundity and complexity of Evangelion's final episodes, my favorite is still the one (I think it's episode 9) where Shinji and Asuka defeat the enemy with a dance routine.

Watch this series. Please. You won't regret it.

SUMMER 2005/MUSIC: In Da Club (C-Unit Remix)

2005-06-22T01:14:00.000-04:00

Date: 06/10

Well, I kept my promise--tonight we completed In Da Club (C-Unit Remix), and it came out wonderfully. My singing is pretty weak, but I love what Peter and Stone did with the verses, especially with the backing vocals and vocal filters. In some parts it's done so well I think it sounds professional. I also enjoy the fact that the parts of the song each person had control over really embodies his personality--My chorus and bridge have a clean, acoustic feel, Peter's verse has a distorted, hard rock edge, and Stone's has a flange-filled funk. The modifications to the lyrics are a nice touch, too. I hope everyone likes it, because we had a blast putting it together. Any and all feedback is welcome.

Check it out at www.repins.net

DAILY: See the Bimmer on Dubs

2005-06-22T01:12:00.000-04:00

Date: 6/08

Wow, so this makes two music-filled nights in a row. We cracked open Cool Edit Pro once more and spent the first few hours tweaking and expanding on Sakura and Samurai, and given the equipment we used (cheap electric guitar, even cheaper 8 year old keyboard, and crappy headset microphone), it didn't turn out half bad. So far we have the intro and verse instrumentals laid out, as well as the vocals for the chorus. If we can just get a better mic, we can the whole song nailed down in a week or two.

After we decided to give Sakura a rest for the night, Peter, Stone and I moved on to starting something I've had in mind for a long time: an acoustic version of 50 Cent's In Da Club. The chorus and bridge of the song really lend themselves to singing, so that's exactly what I did, and Stone and Peter are nailing down their own tweaked versions of the verses. The whole thing is so ridiculous it's awesome, and it should be done by the end of the week. I'll definitely put a link up for it.

DAILY: New Things

2005-06-22T01:08:00.000-04:00

Date: 06/07

Why is it that everytime the "enhance your sexual performance" commercial comes on the radio while I'm at work, there's always someone in the room there with me? And why is it almost always the sweetest, oldest woman out of the entire staff?

In other news, tonight Peter and I fooled around with Cool Edit Pro again. The result was the beginnings of Sakura and Samurai, a song I've been working on since about March or April. We only laid down the basic chord progressions on guitar, but it's great to see some tangible progress being made. I even tried singing the chorus, and though my range and voice are weak, I'm not as off key as I thought. Hopefully technology (i.e. voice filters) will mask my lack of ability. I mean, it works for plenty of other, far more famous musicians, so why not for me?

Right before Peter left, we chilled to some My Downfall and Drama Club. I didn't think much of either band at first, but they're really starting to grow on me.

Also, Julia's (hopefully) coming to Scranton in two weeks!

SUMMER 2005: NYC

2005-06-22T00:56:00.000-04:00

Date: 06/04

So today I went to go visit Julia in New York City, and (not surprisingly) it turned out to be one of the best days of the summer thus far. Waking up at 6 in the morning to catch the bus was rough, but I was in by 10 am, and after a short interlude of walking around and listening to music by my lonesome, Julia and I finally met up at around 11. It had only been two weeks since we'd last seen each other, but it was still completely exhilirating and immensely
satisfying to have her in my arms again. I guess we really were spoiled up at Wes....

Anyway, after all the hugging and smiling and laughing, we set off for about an hour through downtown NYC. Highlights included Kinokuniya (a staple for every NYC visit) and, to my sort-of-surprise, Nintendo World. Realizing that Pokemon is very rapidly on its way out, Nintendo converted its NYC Pokemon Center into a general store for all its games and merchandise. I think the coolest thing there had to be the Game Boy damaged in the Gulf War. Perhaps the greatest testament to Nintendo's quality workmanship, its shell was literally melted into
a brown blob, but it still could play Tetris.

After we got tired of shopping, Julia and I took the subway to Queens, where she lives. We didn't have any set plans, so we wandered around a local flea market for a good half hour. We had a blast looking at and commenting on the different things we saw, and, now that I think
about it, it really reminded me of something we would do up at Wes, as did the subseqent trip to KFC for lunch. Sure, we've never actually gone to KFC while at school, but the "quick food break" that turns into a deep two hour discussion is something I have quite a bit of experience with. But, honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. The conversations I've had with Julia are one of the facets I love most about our relationship, and this one made me appreciate that a lot more. I don't remember quite how, but we got into a huge discussion about race and the unfortunate persistence of racial stereotyping, particularly with respect to Asians and Asian Americans. Coincidentally, I'm currently reading a book, The Asian Mystique, that examines this very topic, and it was very satisfying to bring up points made by the author during our talk. It was even more satisfying (and incredibly refreshing) to be talking with Julia about this, first of all because we both want people to move past these unnecessary prejudices and misconceptions, and secondly, because I live in Scranton, where many of these stereotypes are ignorantly perpetuated by otherwise good people. In this case and in others, when so many people around me have passively or actively put down or disagreed with my point of view, it's wonderful to have someone so close to me on the same page and supporting me whether she knows it or not. So, thanks Julia. I love you.

After KFC, we walked back to Julia's house and, after seeing her father and brother again, we got some much needed alone time. Needless to say, just laying there next to her felt absolutely
fantastic. I'm glad I got to go from saying so much to nothing at all and not feel like there was something wrong...intellectual and physical closeness are really two sides of the same coin, and I'm glad I've gotten to experience them both.

At around 5:30, in true Julia and JJ fashion (read: being late), we rushed to catch my bus in Manhattan. It was sad to say goodbye again after only eight hours, but it was also comforting to know that the entire day had been completely perfect. I can't wait until she comes to Scranton.

SUMMER 2005/MUSIC: Invisible Bug Monster Update

2005-06-17T00:08:00.000-04:00

Here's the link to Invisible Bug Monster. Sorry I didn't put it in the original post, but it wasn't on the internet at the time I wrote it.

Go to www.repins.net and click on the link under 6/01/05. There are also links to other things we've done, and I'll put up my posts about them soon. Sorry again for all the backlogging.

DAILY: A Little Bit Too Zesty

2005-06-14T23:35:00.000-04:00

Date: 06/03

Popular demand (namely, one Peter Kuhn) has forced me to include this post in my list of important summer events. We all went over to Peter's to hang out and watch a little bit of Evangelion, and I figured that a little bit of "Zesty Butter" popcorn would be the best way to make a great night even better. Unfortunately, I underestimated Peter's microwave's ability to totally nuke things if you overcook them, and the result was a clump of buttery ash that smelled so bad Peter's mom thought the house caught on fire. At least Evangelion was good.

SUMMER 2005/MUSIC: Invisible Bug Monster

2005-06-14T23:28:00.000-04:00

Date: 05/31

This was the first music project I really worked on since the
completion of the McDonough Song about two weeks prior. What started out as a test for Peter's new Cool Edit Pro software turned into a four hour marathon that resulted in an instrumental made completely with a guitar. It's quite rough around the edges, and probably needs a bit more complexity and rearranging, but I think it sounds pretty cool so far. I'll post a link to it soon.

By the way, the song's title (which must be credited to Stone) quite literally describes some enemies Silvestri was killing in Resident Evil 4 when we were thinking about a good name.

SUMMER 2005: Final Fantasy

2005-06-14T23:21:00.000-04:00

Date: 05/20

Wow. Wow wow wow wow wow. The bang has turned into an all out explosion. This trip has to be one of the coolest things I've ever done in my entire life. I never, ever thought I'd actually get to see a game concert in person, much less one of this caliber. But I did, and it was worth everything I had to endure to get there. The five hour car ride, the multiple traffic jams, the agitation and edginess of everyone as a result of these obstacles, the hunt for cheap food a half hour before show time...it all melted away as the first notes of Liberal Fatali reached my ears. Everything bad in the world ceased to exist for those two hours as the orchestra delighted us with two sets filled classics like Aeris's Theme, lesser known but powerfully arranged versions of Not Alone and Vamo Alla Flamenco, and even a brand new melody from Advent Children. However, my favorite performance in the program, suprisingly enough, was Ronfaure from Final Fantasy XI. I never really got into that game, but the melody and medieval, adventurous ambience of the song always impressed me, so the orchestral arrangement simply blew me away. I never thought they'd arrange that song in a million years, but they did and I truly appreciated every moment of it.

This being said, the best part of the entire night had to be sharing it with Julia and all my friends, from both Scranton and Wesleyan. Thanks for coming, and I hope you all had as much fun as I did.

SUMMER 2005/MUSIC: McDonough

2005-06-14T23:20:00.000-04:00

Date: 05/18

And so the summer begins with a bang! Today we performed "McDonough" for the man himself and his English AP class. The song, written by myself and Matt Silvestri in tribute to one of the finest men (not to mention English teachers) to ever walk the earth, is a rollicking ballad with a clear Old Western melody and attitude. It features me on guitar and vocals, Matt on vocals, and Jim lending his talents on fiddle. I'm extremely happy with the way this piece turned out. The spoken verses (written by Matt) and the sung refrains (written by yours truly) complement each other and the epic feel of the music perfectly. This song may have taken over a year from initial conception to complete performance, but it was well worth the wait. I must get this recorded by the end of the summer. The legend of this one man is too good to pass up.

Welcome

2005-06-14T23:18:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my brand new blog! My first attempt at starting one at blogthing.com failed, namely due to that site's database crashing for the past two weeks. So here's my second attempt.

This blog's purpose is threefold: First, to record events in my life on a day to day basis. Second, to record and reflect on major events of this summer (May-August 2005), mostly to prove to myself that I actually accomplished things this time around. Third, to record and comment on progress on the different musical projects I'm currently working on.

I've been writing down posts as text files ever since blogthing went haywire, therefore I'll be putting them all up shortly. I'm hoping blogthing will come back long enough for me to transfer my McD and Final Fantasy posts...they're key summer events I've already discussed at length and don't feel like rewriting. If I have to do it again, I will, but it might take a while. Hopefully, this site will be up to date in about a week's time. Enjoy!