Yesterday, Tonight, Tomorrow

Seriously.  It really is an $80,000 question.  It’s a large circle I’ve taken over these past three months.  It’s been rather enjoyable (or something) to watch myself crumble with indecision every few days as I wonder what it is I’m supposed to do from now until the next thing.  I wish I could do all of it—that would be interesting, that would be a challenge (not like other things wouldn’t be).  But it seems I like too many things in a world that would rather I sit down, and for the next 45 years do one thing, the same thing, again and again.  Sitting here, right now, today, that doesn’t sound like anything I’d like to commit myself to.  Then again, I could very easily change my mind about that tomorrow.  Probably not, but then again in June I was quite certain I wanted to be a professor of writing and look how that’s turned out (so far).

When I think about it more technically, it comes down to something like this: a RED ONE HD camcorder all-together costs about $25,000 to own.  Forever.  (Let’s ignore the not knowing how to use it/paying for it in the first place problem for now.)  Two years of education in how to write films costs $80,000.  For an education that will last me forever.  But can they teach me to be funny?  To be dramatic?  Can they?  I don’t know.  From what I’ve read, it sounds like the answer is no.  And since I don’t have $80,000 just lying around anyway, it seems to me like the better option right now would be to take a more non-poverty-inducing approach on this one.  But that’s my thoughts for this evening.  Check back next week when I want to major in biology and go to medical school.

Oh, by the way.  I e-mailed the Japanese Consulate in Chicago.  That just looks cool in print, doesn’t it?  I’ve inquired about an exact interview date for the JET program and await their response.  Who knows?  Perhaps the interview will be on some other day that doesn’t work.

GGSS 2008, X

This series will soon be at an end, and shortly, the Great Graduate School Admissions Exerience 2008 will begin.  But I probably won’t call it that.

I just wanted to take time out right now to put this thought out to the world: if I go to film school, I’m going to be very, very poor for a while.

That is all.

GGSS 2008, IX

The I Obviously Just Enjoy Using Roman Numerals Edition.

This is something I just put together in my head, but here is a rough draft of the five schools I will more than likely apply to, ranked by desire, highest to lowest, though lowest is still pretty high on the list.

1. University of Southern California
2. University of California, Los Angeles
3. Columbia University
4. Boston University
5. University of California, Berkeley

GGSS 2008, VIII

Originally this post existed outside the GGSS universe, but it’s really what I’m interested in talking about right now why not continue the longest running blog series in the lengthy history of this blog?

I have decided to put the full force of my educational desires into being accepted to a film school for screenwriting.  This shall be my goal over the next several months, unless I change my mind again.  But that’s really not the plan.  My Japan ambitions also still exist and if, for some outrageous reason I am not accepted to film school, like I so obviously deserve due to my incredibly extensive screenwriting experience, I will persue employment with the JET program.  Whether or not I want to apply for Journalism school at all is up in the air still and will be determied at a later date.

That feels good.

GGSS 2008, VII

It’s almost August.  That means it’s almost Septemeber, which means it’s almost December, and December and January are when a lot of applications are due.  A staggering number of applications, unless I actually, you know, narrow it down to the select few I want.  I have to say, throughout this process, I’ve become really good at knowing what I don’t want, and really bad at knowing what I do want.  I am now beyond proficient in crossing things off lists, even though I always end up with more than one choice in the end.  But don’t worry, I’ll figure it out…soon, hopefully.  Soon would be good.

GGSS 2008, VI

I can sense it: your as-of-yet unquenched desire for more move-by-move updates on the Great Graduate School Search 2008.  Well, I’m quite the crowd pleaser right now, because I’ll give you exactly what you want.  Even more so, this is one of those sweeps week, unexpected-but-you-saw-it-coming-three-weeks-ago surprises, but probably without the you-saw-it-coming-three-weeks-ago part.  Either way, I’ve been trying to find what it is, that thing that I’d like to do, my profession, and, in the process, how to get there.

Today’s drastic change, for your consideration:

(Let it be clear before the list begins that yes, I would be incredibly poor and there would be little to no hope for financial support, but in the grand scheme of things, it seems silly to choose a profession based on whether or not I can get financial aid for the associated degree. Just a thought.)

Boston University: Screenwriting
Columbia University: Film
University of Southern California: Screenwriting
University of California, Los Angeles: Screenwriting

The short explanation: why not?  It’s what I’m good at.  Dialogue has always been my strong point and every story I ever try to write is just the book form I write down from the movie in my head.

This also just goes to show that I can’t decide anything, ever.

GGSS 2008, V

Quick observation: either I can go to school for two-ish years, pay for everything, and end up with an M.A. or some such, or I can go to school for five-ish years, pay for a whole lot less, and end up with a Ph.D.?  Very frustrating.  I mean, I understand why that is maybe.  If you’re getting an M.A., chances are better you’ll end up with a job that actually pays you enough, rather than a Ph.D. working as a professor and getting paid, well, less.

Not surprisingly, a new contender has stepping into the ring for the GGSS 2008–not going to grad school at all.  What a thought…

GGSS 2008, IV

For the purpose of more clearly following my madness, I’d like to follow up yesterday’s list with a new one.  Notice how much it changes in a single day…

In no order, unless you account for the subconscious:

Boston U. – Journalism
UMD College Park – Journalism or Creative Writing
University of Pittsburgh – Creative Writing (non-fiction)
UW Seattle – Creative Writing
UMass Amherst – Creative Writing
Brown University – Creative Writing
UW Madison – Journalism
Cornell University – Creative Writing

Down to eight!  Wow.

GGSS 2008, III

I don’t think I’m really progressing at all through this.  Schools are cut, only so that I can add on different ones later.  I think I’m closer to what I want now, but this seems to sadly correspond to how expensive and financially unhelpful the schools have become.

This is the list as it stands today, without rating because I haven’t really analyzed them fully yet.

In no order, except the top six are better than the bottom three, but not by much:

UC Berkeley, Documentary journalism track
UW Madison, Professional journalist track
Columbia University, Magazine journalism track
Boston University, Print journalism track (or Screenwriting)
UBC Vancouver, International journalism track
UM College Park, Public Affairs journalism track
UMass Amherst, Creative Writing
Cornell University, Creative Writing
UW Seattle, China Studies

Know that it was down to six, but I’m not good with choice.  Oh, and going to Japan through JET (the ideal choice) might still be possible.

Neat.

Did you know double-tapping n and p in the list of Amazon results will take you to the Next and Previous pages, respectively?  Because I did not, and I only discovered it by accident.  My n-key sucks, so I was just pressing it to see if it would register, and then the next ten results on Amazon popped up.  How neat.

Whatever happened to that Japan thing?

Yeah, what did happen to that Japan thing?

I had intended/still-intend-if-possible on spending a year abroad in some far-flung land (see Japan), but a number of things cropped up to make it a bigger deal than it needed to be.  First of all, the program I originally intended on applying to holds all of it’s Midwest interviews the one week I am in Washington D.C. with Concert Choir.  I know it somehow seems strange to forgo a job just for choir, but at the same time, I could never give up a semester of choir on the chance that I would get an interview…(I would have seriously gotten an interview).

The next option were two other businesses narrowed down to one because only one has interviews in Chicago.  Unfortunately, it is the lesser of the two from what I’ve read and sounds like it is a lot more work and stress than I am looking for.  And while driving all the way to Toronto is still possible, it just doesn’t seem very likely.  Keep in mind that the original program I wanted required zero to little work, while these two are actual jobs that require a lot more work and pay a lot less.

Secondary problems include applying for graduate school from another country.  Yes, I could just prepare everything before I go, fill out next year’s forms and then mail it all to the US for someone else to take care of for me, but that would make too much sense.

I still want some cultural experience, to get away from it all.  But do I need to go to Japan to get that?  And can’t I always go after graduate school is over? Or during grad school?  A lot of places I am looking at offer graduate study abroad.  And won’t living in a different city in the US be different enough for me?  Sure it’s different on another scale entirely, but what is it exactly that I am looking for?  That’s a great question!

To summarize, Japan’s not out of the question, just more complicated than I had anticipated.  And in fact, as usual, the more I write about it, the more I miss it and want to do it.  Then again, I’m also rather excited for graduate school.

I’m not entirely sure what to do.  Deb seems to have the right idea: apply everywhere and see who gives you the most money–but getting that far in the first place costs so much money.  More pondering is required, I guess.

GGSS 2008, II

While the list of possible grad schools may be interesting to you folks out there, what might be even more interesting are the schools that, through many faults of their own, couldn’t even get on the list.  Here are some high-profile selections from the reject pile.  Note that the list is short because I (surprisingly) didn’t take notes on schools that looked like they wouldn’t work.

1. Every Ivy League School (besides Cornell)
Major problems? Most don’t offer creative writing OR journalism.  Double hiss.

2. Every University in California
Major problems? I guess California doesn’t believe in funding graduate school education, especially if you come from out of state.  Fine, don’t take my money (which would have been their money, really, anyway).

3. Every University in New York (besides Cornell)
Major problems? Cornell is the trend-setter, I can tell, but New York’s problem is California’s problem.  I’m sure there are some places in the western half of New York that would be better at this (like Cornell), but then what’s the point?  Western New York isn’t New York at all, it’s just a part of Pennsylvania that can’t color inside the lines.

4. Every Other Country in the World (even Canada)
Major problems? More of the same, although this time, they almost seem to enjoy throwing it in your face.  “Sure, there are lots of funding opportunities,” it always begins, until you get to, “unless you’re not from the EU, then you’re pretty much screwed.”  They then send you to a list of websites that might be able to scrape up some spare change for you so you might buy a kebab to take home to your box down by the river because it’s the only place you can afford to live–not that you can afford the education either way, so really you’re just living in a box in Europe.  Then again, the kebab might be worth it.

5. The South
Major problems? Yes.

The Great Graduate School Search 2008

GGSS2008, as I think it will come to be called, has indeed commenced.  There seem to be a number of interested parties, that number being 3, so I figure I might as well post my findings so far.  Keep in mind that all ratings are out of 5 (5 is best) and there is no scientific method behind it outside of how much I like them or not.

University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Program: Creative Writing, Fiction
Location: 4
Program: 4
Financial Prospects: 4
OVERALL: 4

University of Wisconsin at Madison
Program: Journalism
Location: 2
Program: 4
Financial Prospects: 4
OVERALL: 3.5

Boston University
Program: International Relations and International Communications
Location: 5
Program: 5
Financial Prospects: 1
OVERALL: 4

University of Maryland at College Park
Program: Creative Writing OR Journalism
Location: 5
Program: 4
Financial Prospects: 3
OVERALL: 4

Portland State University
Program: Creative Writing, Nonfiction
Location: 4
Program: 4
Financial Prospects: 3.5
OVERALL: 4

Cornell College in Ithaca, NY
Program: Creative Writing, Fiction
Location: 2
Program: 3
Financial Prospects: 5
OVERALL: 3.5

University of Iowa at Iowa City
Program: Creative Writing, Fiction
Location: 1
Program: 5
Financial Prospects: 4
OVERALL: 3.5

This is not the full list, but the top candidates so far.  Yup.

Reunited and it feels so good.

Alright.  Several things since March to get through, so we’re just gonna go 1,2,3!

1. Holy WordPress, what happened?  You got all Web 2.0 looking with your big fancy buttons and curved edges…sell out.

2. I’m living in Eau Claire this summer, in an on-campus apartment.  As lame as it might sound at first, it also means I get A/C, my bathroom cleaned, and I’m on campus.  It’s great.  I love it.

3. I just started this job thing.  Personally, I love it and think it fits in with my kooky lifestyle…err.  I still like it.  I am a search guide for ChaCha–technically my title is Independant Contractor.  Yeah its kind of lame sounding, but hear me out: people text ChaCha.com questions about anything, they give them to me, I search the web for the answer, and in less than three minutes (usually less than two) I spit out an answer and send it to their phone.  And then I get paid.  Really, I’m playing a trivia game all day and getting paid for it.  From my own home.  I don’t drive anywhere, don’t pay gas.  I do it sitting on my butt, listening to my music, and pause whenever I like, work the hours I want, work how ever long I want, and its fun.  I like it a lot.

So there’s my life right now.  I’m still looking for a “normal” job, but now I’m a little less worried.  Anyway, there it is.

A first.

All throughout high school, I was forced to run this stupid thing called the Twelve Minute Run, in which you run for, surprisingly, twelve minutes.  And as much as I might try, or not try, I could never do it, and would always end up walking most of it.  They were basically the most agonizing twelve minutes of my high school career, at least in gym.  Now archery?  I rocked archery.

But today, I ran two miles in 22 minutes.  Out of nowhere.

I understand that I’ve brought this upon myself.

But I’m sick.  I have a concert tomorrow, a concert Wednesday, a paper due Wednesday, a paper and a presentation due Friday, a show to go see Wednesday or Thursday, room sign-up Wednesday night, and all the while there are still classes to go to, food to eat, and sleep to be had.  And I’m sick.  It’s my own fault since I knew about all of this for weeks and COULD have had it done already, but instead planned on not being sick and getting it done this week.  Failure, Aaron.  Good bye naps; hello many, many books.

But, awesomely, I have a three day week next week since the Singing Statesmen are off to Fargo, ND for two days.  Awesome, indeed.

I was going to get dinner, but then my building was on fire.

Except I guess it didn’t actually start on fire.  Someone broke the sprinkler in their room on the tenth floor and flooded that floor and the one beneath.  Then it started flooding the elevators and stairwells.  It was pretty awesome, actually.

I Don’t Have Frostbite

As an English major, I know that my title carries with it more than just the simple fact that I don’t have frostbite.  It means, more than likely, that there is a reason that I need to clarify that I don’t have frostbite–that I was given cause to think that I might have had frostbite–that a situation arose in the middle of the night where I needed to run around in the snow barefoot without thinking until two hours later when I couldn’t feel my foot, then had to dance the next day in intense pain thinking all the while it was frostbite.  Okay…maybe it doesn’t quite infer that last part, but still.

Those Weekends.

Class starts tomorrow, or today, depending on how technical you like to be.  Most people seem unhappy or at least indifferent towards it, but I’m actually pretty pumped, as usual.  I think I just miss the structure of having something to do every day–Cabaret was a taste of that, but Cabaret is off the charts insane compared to pretty much everything else and doesn’t count in the slightest.   Good thing Cabaret continues on Thursday.

Cabaret XXX: Porn Edition, or not

(LEFT: Yay Cabaret! RIGHT: Awful picture of me.)

As perfect as a Cabaret of music from porn movies would be, I guess “Diamond Anniversary” is more of an all-ages sounding show. Either way, its the end of Hell Week and I finally have a chance to breathe. Last night was our first show, and we did just about as well as expected. One down, seven to go, so we have some time to improve. If I remember to smile tonight, it’ll be a personal victory.

He’s an octopus, a purple octopus if you saw the illustrations.

I’m back in Eau Claire.  Honestly, it feels amazing.  I had almost forgotten how much more relaxed I am here.  Of course, hauling a cart of my overflowing belongings up and down the Towers elevator wasn’t the most relaxing thing I’ve ever done, but I think in this case the means were very much justified by the ends.  The highlight?  Getting my rug under both my desk and bed–that was a trick.  Well, less of a trick and more of just another example of my might.  Hah!  Sorry.

This evening, I went to a friends house and participated in a few games of Jumbling Towers, otherwise known as the off-brand version of Jenga.  Good times were had by all, I’m sure, because, well, it’s Jenga–sort of.

Tomorrow’s mission? Buy some sweet and sour sauce.

Both for and against.

Going to Japan…

Pro: Live in Japan, away from everything I know for x number of years.

Con: Live in Japan, away from everything I know for x number of years.

Pro: Experience a new culture.

Con: I’m not usually good with meeting new people.

Pro: Be on my own.

Con: Don’t know the language at all (yet).

Pro: Gain work experience.

Con: I don’t always love working with children.

Pro: Make some money.

Con: Delay grad school/career/whatever.

Pro: Once in a lifetime sort of thing.

Con: Hmm…

It’s still neck and neck.

The New Year

It’s 2008.  It doesn’t seem very different at all…yet.  But wait.  It’ll happen.  Otherwise, 2007 wasn’t that horrible so if this year were similar to the last, I’d be okay with it.

I celebrated this yearly event of the New Year in Neenah with some friends from high school.  We decided to stand in the bathroom at midnight with our glasses of champagne, and then drink to each passing of midnight, depending on the particular cell phone.  It was a jolly, but not a holly, time indeed.

Ron D. Moore does love his in medias res.

I didn’t really get out of bed today until 3:30pm.  How wonderful is that?  Ah, Christmas.

Retrospectives and the like.

Tonight, I went through and reread every entry in this blog of mine.  There aren’t that many, and I’m a pretty fast reader, so it went by fast, but in the end, I found myself smiling.  I’d forgotten about a lot of what I’d written all the way back in November 2006 and May 2007 (my peaks, if you will), but it was actually entertaining.  I can write!  I know that sounds self-evident, what with all the writing and whatnot, but I had, as of late, become less than confidant in my skills as a writer.  But it looks like they’re there.  If I can make myself laugh at my own sense of humor, then that proves nothing at all–but it’s better than nothing.

Over the year or so that this blog has been around, I’ve referenced a certain story I work on every once in a while–the science fiction one, more specifically.  Well, if it makes you feel better–and I’m sure it does–it still attracts much of my brain time, that is to say, I think about it almost all the time I’m not thinking about something else.  It’s morphed and evolved about twelve times now, and the original story I wanted to tell takes place before the book/whatever even begins.  It’s all very exciting, and maybe one day, I’ll actually write it all down.  Yeah…right.

The Top Ten AWESOME Things About Next Semester

10. I joined Statesmen.

9. I get to go to Fargo and Milwaukee with the Statesmen to perform at regional and national conferences.

8. I get to perform at the Viennese Ball with Statesmen and Impromptu (and get in for free.)

7. Viennese Ball is on my birthday (and the same day as the national convention) this year.

6. I’m hoping for some sort of cheap-ass Spring Break road trip.

5. I’m taking racquetball for my P.E. credit.

4. My only classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays are Choir and Statesmen.

3. Cabaret.

2. I’m moving…oh man, that just sounds so good. I’ll say it again, because why not: I’m moving. Governors was…nice, but I never really felt like spending time in my room, so getting a new one was probably a good idea. And I have shelves. Shelves.

1. I’m going on a European Tour with the Concert Choir, performing in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Yeah.

The Top Five Unfortunate Things About Next Semester

5. I’m taking a 400-level Theatre course (Modern Drama), and I don’t think I’m going to enjoy it at all, which isn’t to say I’m not going to do well, it’s just going to be three really boring hours each week.

4.  I have to take Poetry.  This doesn’t bother me as much, even if I really, really don’t like poetry.  The only bad part is knowing that I have at least one more poetry course after this one.

3. I should, at some point along the way, decide what it is I’m going to be doing with, you know, the rest of my life and/or the years immediately following college. I’ve got time, yes, but since I really don’t know what’s going on, I should probably get started now.

2. Impromptu needs to audition two new members for this semester, and three more for the next.  Awesome.  (Yes, I’ll be the only one left next year from this year.) Like I said…awesome.

1. I have to wait five long months (damned Leap Year) before I get to go to Europe.

Jason has won, like, hardcore.

That is to say, he’s lasted on his new blog far longer than I did, and thus he wins…something.  Apparently I now owe him some kind of prize.  I’ve decided that his prize shall be the resurrection of my blog.  I’ve been planning to make a comeback for some time, and what better present could I give my brother on his birthday than a half-abandoned blog that he has little or nothing to do with!

Happy Birthday.

Running…

I can’t run.  I have no stamina.  I did make it farther today than last time, but I don’t think that last ten feet really speaks to an increase in anything but my need to make it look like I’m running more than I am.  I’m trying to kick it up to two or three days a week, just running the same thing over and over again, but I run out of steam so quickly that I feel like I must be doing something wrong.  Google Maps tells me I ran 2600 feet.  For those of you playing at home, that’s just under half a mile.  Wow.

I wonder.

Is it possible to have a weekend so lazy, so completely without action that it goes beyond simply not being constructive and passes into the realm of deconstructive??  That it may actually hinder, rather than just kill time?  I’m not sure.  I hope not.

Woah.

I know what Quantum Chromodynamics and Quantum Electrodynamics are.  Damn.

What was I thinking?

I ran an undisclosed distance (read: very short) this morning, and let me tell you: I cannot run.  We took a path behind the gym down along the river through the woods–not the most level ground I’ve ever seen.  I had been expecting something a little more, well, concrete.  But this was nice too.  I started out okay, but my freakishly low stamina put an end to me running sooner than I hoped, and I walked most of the way back.  The best part was that it was two skinny white guys, mostly blind without their glasses, racing through heavy foliage in the early morn.  It just made me chuckle…

The truth?

I had a dream about trombones last night.  I was, for some reason, supposed to be playing the trombone, an instrument I’ve never played.  But as I was failing to play the trombone, I was also playing the wrong song.  This caused some great offense, and everyone decided to hate me.  I told them I’d understand if they didn’t forgive me, and they were totally cool with that.  What a horrible dream…a trombone?  What the hell.

Weak end.

Oh, man…that title is so freaking clever, I can hardly stand it…yeah.

I watched Requiem for a Dream last night–most depressing thing I’ve seen in a long time.  It was just very disturbing.  And I didn’t like the ending very much.  There could have been a little more epilogue to wrap things up, because it sort of just comes out of nowhere.  But I guess I won’t be doing heroin after all, cause you know, it was getting to be a 50/50 chance.  Not.

Things otherwise are going quite well, I guess.  We’ve had some rehearsals for Impromptu, getting ready for A Capella Extravaganza in a couple of weeks.  It’s actually a little frightening how soon it is, since us newbies have to learn/memorize three songs by then.  Fortunately, I already know one, but that’s sort of cheating, so I’ve been spending a LOT of time arranging pieces.  I have little to no music theory knowledge, but I have ears, and the process of listening to every note over and over again and writing them down is…just as tedious as it sounds.  The part I have the most difficulty with is determining which part gets which notes and how to reduce complicated music to something singable.  My first attempt was me actually arranging something, and my second was a straight transcription of something that was already arranged.  They both sound decent, which makes me happy.  From what people have been throwing around idea-wise, I’m excited about what we’ll be singing.

It’s cause I don’t think you’d believe me.

A math teacher who can hardly add, can’t finish his own sentences and can’t spell?  A group member who blames the professor for teaching it wrong?  What does 15 mangoes times 9 mangoes equal?  A food service lady who refuses to let me walk away without trying her new, you know, stir-fry and or cheese-covered concoction?  “But I just want the rice.”  That’s not allowed?  A blue suit for $15?  Crazy freshmen who still complain like freshmen?

This is how it’s going, which is to say I’m perfectly happy, but my life is a little crazy.

And I got an 8mm camera…how cool is that??

Very soon.

The wait is almost over.  Indeed, my return to the realm of blogs is near.  That is all.

In anticipation.

Okay, here’s the deal:  I move back to Eau Claire this Saturday, and once that’s happened, I’ll be back here rockin’ it out on the blog a lot more often.  This is due to two conflicting factors—my life is much more interesting and fulfilling while at school, and I somehow end up with a lot of downtime near computers.  This just works out to life being easier.  Also, I might become a texting Twitterer.  I haven’t decided though, because the whole Twitter thing walks the thin line between convenient and creepy.

Sometimes.

This has happened at least ten times:

Aaron: “When do I get my break?”

Supervisor: “You already had it.”

Aaron: “Oh, I wonder if I enjoyed it, since I never left.”

Supervisor: “No one sent you on break?”

Aaron: “No.”

Supervisor: “They were supposed to send you half an hour ago.”

Aaron: “And yet, saying that doesn’t get me a break.”

Supervisor: “Well you should tell us if we forget.”

Aaron: “Um, hello? I’m standing right here, telling you right now.”

Supervisor: “You can take your break now.”

Aaron: “Oh, good, since I’m done with work in an hour. Awesome. I hate you.”

Unfortunately, I’m never that witty or sarcastic when I talk to my bosses, but I’m trying to convey the sense here that every time I wish to take a break, my contractually stipulated break, I am pestered with minor incompetencies. Clocks, people…all it really takes to get someone their break at the right time are clocks.

Thank you.

The weird things we do.

I was standing at my register today, checking out someone’s groceries. I came to the little white bag from the bakery and held it up to the customer. “What’s in here?”
He looked back at me, tense and unsure. “Muffins?”
As helpful as it was, I usually don’t open the bags and wasn’t going to just divine how many were in there. “How many?”
“Oh. Two.”

People get all crazy-defensive whenever you ask what they got from the bakery or how many corn there are in their cart, like I should just assume they’re muffins. They aren’t always muffins, people. Let’s just remember that.

These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.

This is only a test of the WordPress.com Facebook application. I can see that you’re obviously busy. Please, don’t let me interrupt you. This isn’t important. Move along.

The Chain of Command

Perhaps I over-romanticized the idea of a late night working at Trig’s.  When it comes right down to it, it sucks.  You’re all alone, and when it gets busy, there’s little you can do if there’s a problem.  That’s all I really have to say about that.  I blocked out everything else from that night.

No more night shifts, please.

If not now…

I’ve written about this before, but it bears repetition and elaboration.

I love to travel. It’s funny, because as I look back through all of my travels, there aren’t exactly a ton. To the east, I’ve gone as far as Ireland, and to the west I’ve made it to Wyoming. There’s the Caribbean to the south, which was a while ago, and…well Ireland is my northernmost trip, too. So I’ve been places, and I’ve enjoyed it. But now I’m in the mood to go somewhere and stay there, for a while at least, this no doubt stemming from my presence in Wausau right now. But I want to live somewhere exotic and different and experience new things and be forced to step outside my little box.

I know before I said my big goal was a year in China, but I am also very tempted by Japan. They’re both distant…and in Asia. I don’t know where this particular interest in Asia comes from. They do have very cool gadgets and technology, and it would put me outside the English/American/European sphere of “Of course someone around here speaks English” safety net that is…well, a lot of places.

Between the two, China seems like it would be much more of an adventure, maybe because of the culture, or maybe because of the, er, Communism. Japan is an island, which I like because something comes from living there–which is why the UK and Ireland have always intrigued me, too–but their language is completely foreign to me, which is thankfully fixable due to the wonders of the internet. China has big cities, which I like, but Japan still seems more metropolitan. And Japan has the Bullet Train. China has the Great Wall.

I could go on and give you the illusion that I can’t decide, but right now I’m mostly interest in Japan. However, my ‘mostly interested in’ is always changing. Maybe next week I’ll want to live in Jordan. Oh wait, I already tried that one. Never mind.

Tour flashback.

I normally dislike pictures of myself, but this one turned out well—it’s me walking into someone’s shot while inside Rockefeller Chapel in Chicago.