How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Well, thus far. I'm still working on that trip to Happy World Land.

I'm already dismayed that we're almost in August. This summer has played out a bit differently than it did last year where all I had to care about was bringing home Korean boys for my supper and then coasting through class (thanks, Japanese!). There's been a whole lot of downtime, which is fine, I just wish I got paid for all of it. Unfortunately, I have yet to find someone to employ me to sleep till noon (done that more than once this summer). As such, I've been trying to take stock of what I have done and what I have yet to do, so here's my internet interpretive dance of a To Do List. [Edit to add: In going over this post, I now realize how much I rely on pop culture in making my point. This is why I feel such a kinship with Abed from Community, for better or for worse]


Actual Accomplishments

Actually found work (on craigslist of all places... though I've known for awhile that people post jobs on craigslist, I never took it seriously for this purpose until a month ago), which is of some relief because I start doubting my self-worth when I don't have something to do that busies my hands while simultaneously paying at least some of the bills. For a month I serviced nerds by stuffing their envelopes. [Edit to add: this is not a sexual reference]. Some people I know of have heard of Gen Con, but in short, I filled orders for a gamers' convention in Indianapolis. I now have no oils left in my fingers, handled a lot of perforated card stock, can now do Z-folds in my sleep, and shipped out tickets for such exciting events as Drunken D&D: Hack, Slash & Chug, Poo!, and Dub that Hentai.

Moved to Green Lake and turned Lindsay's apartment into a (not so swingin') bachelor pad. Don't worry, Lindsay, I'll clean up those empty ramen containers and put on pants before you get back.

Got in my visa paperwork. Just waitin' to get my passport back.

Found a place to live in big, bad Yokohama. Sorry if you can't read Japanese, but the pictures should say all you need to know. Next up: finding my local watering hole and ramen shop.

Drinkin' with Kato-sensei: Hell. Yes.

BBQ with Kato-sensei: Tragically, no.

Became a household face (the DJ's and bartenders know my name, but I doubt it's registered with the barflies) at my favoritest place ever, The Crescent. Here's my set list since June:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g-1NRN8srY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwGGZTZ-3pM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBR2G-iI3-I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=840B27zYfOk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVTN5o9Kgu8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFEfmbAeEDY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBKdOtohALA
I will have to put in one final performance before I'm gone for good.

Watched Seasons 1 and 3 of Arrested Development, which is a little late in coming since I laughed my ass off to Season 2 back in February. Now I have an inexplicable (or not so inexplicable) urge to wear denim cut-offs under all of my clothes and in the shower.

Rewatched Seasons 1 and 2 of Dexter. As a testament to just how addicting this show is, I sat and watched a marathon of episodes each day despite the fact I know all the plot twists. I marveled at Michael C. Halls' abs (and also noted that the make-up artists would forget to reapply Dexter's scar on his left side, but I'll just chock that up to Michael C. Hall insisting on going shirtless despite it not being called for in the script. I think he took his notes from David Duchovny's consistent refusal to wear clothes on The X-Files), was disturbed by Julie Benz' increasingly botoxed face, and was reminded of why I miss Doakes so much.
Also got to relive television's greatest head butt.

And I'm still getting over Season 4. I may need therapy for that.

Listened to a whole lot of this.

Read Never Let Me Go, which was pretty mediocre. I don't know if it's that Kazuo Ishiguro has set the bar so high with Remains of the Day or if the book was just that middling. The book was too wrapped up in the somewhat gimmicky premise, and then he proceeded to beat me over the head with the moral lessons he wanted me to learn. Not to mention the fact the narrator made me want to smack her. However, I did enjoy the periodic meditations on the nature of memory, and the subjectivity of creating our life narrative from experiences past [Edit to add: my inner academic wrote that last bloated sentence].

Read East of Eden and loved it. My main criticism in the early stages of the book were Steinbeck's inability to depict women as little more than stereotypes, but he redeems himself somewhat in the end with the character of Abra (though maybe I like her because her last name is "Bacon"). There were hamfisted moral messages in this book as well, along with some really convenient plot devices, but in the end, this is a book I am sure to return to time and time again. Favorite quotes:
--"'Lord, how the day passes! It's like a life - so quickly when we don't watch it and so slowly when we do. No," [Samuel] said, "I'm having enjoyment. And I made a promise to myself that I would not consider enjoyment a sin. I take pleasure in inquiring into things. I've never been content to pass a stone without looking under it. And it is a black disappointment to met hat I can never see the far side of the moon.'"
--"When you're a child you're the center of everything. Everything happens for you. Other people? They're only ghosts furnished for you to talk to. But when you grow up you take your place and you're your own shape and size. Things go out of you to others and come in from other people. It's worse, but it's much better too."

Working on Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett. Let me again reiterate what a shame it is the only other person I know of named "Dashiell" is fictional.

Maybe-kinda-sorta got my health insurance/medications dealt with for Japan. I know this isn't of interest to anyone but myself (and probably my mother), but you have no idea how much I want to pull out my hair every time I have to deal with an insurance company.

Saw my endocrinologist (also boring, but my mom cares).

Eaten a whole lot of BBQ, compliments of the Barbers and Grill-Master B. If I had Photoshop and any kind of photo-editing skills, I'd create a picture of Brittain in full-on Run DMC Adidas gear and gold chains. Guess you'll just have to use your imagination if you know him.

Ate the equivalent of 20 oreo middles (Thanks, Kelly). Imagine getting this in your mouth all at once and trying not to suffocate as the cream turns to glue:

Probably had a couple more cocktails than needed.

Actually won at pub quiz!!... and then subsequently got trampled the following week.

Begrudgingly said good-bye to some people, though I rather they hadn't left.


Procrastination Corner

Dealing with my favorite person in the Jackson School. [Edit to add: way too many pictures of sexy harpies out there, just so you know]

Studying for my Japanese placement test. What is a kanji?

Sorting, packing and sending all my stuff in Seattle. Goddamn is moving a pain in the ass. I bet I would have gone full-on nomad if I could do without a mirror, lip gloss and volumizer.

Sorting and packing up my room in New York. Not entirely my fault since I haven't been home yet, but I bet I'll put it off till just before I have to get on the plane back to Seattle.

Getting a physical. God I hate doctors. Not having gone yet makes my mom worried and anxious, which in turn makes me worried and anxious.

Reloading the entirety of my iTunes library. Do you have any idea of how long it takes to get 40-ish gigs of music back??

Going to Portland. Maybe we will make it so that I can eat this entire box.

Going to Vancouver. Dunno if I'll make it, but my inner X-Files fangirl is beating me up from the inside that I haven't seen the cliff the XF staff painted red to make it look like the New Mexico desert and then filled with alien (or were they??) corpses.

Final encore at The Crescent.

Saying good-bye to my New York family/friends, but that also is coming up.

Saying good-bye to the rest of my Seattle buddies.

Crying uncontrollably and doing a little better than this.



So there's plenty left to do and the clock is running.


My final thought.