| Still Going |
[May. 12th, 2012|09:25 pm] |
So as of next week, I'll have been here for four months, tying Japan for the longest time I've ever lived anywhere that wasn't Wisconsin. Almost to commemorate this achievement, I finished off my last bottle of Spotted Cow I brought with me last night. Unless someone somehow brings me more, it will be my last until I return to Wisconsin, which probably won't be until December. Moreover, I haven't left the city in that entire time, and I think that's a first for me. Of course, not having a car kind of makes that a little hard to leave, though even with a car, where would I go? I'm not quite sure what to think about this entire situation. I've made no secret that I'm not overly fond of this town or area. My jobs okay, though I'm clearly underemployed. The worst part is that I won't know if this was worth it until after I leave. Until then, I must keep moving on.
I guess this is what you call a sacrifice. I knew this goal wouldn't be easy going into it. I knew I would have to be willing to go anywhere in order to get badly needed experience. Realistically, my situation could be worse. I could have ended up in an even more remote, smaller town. Still, I this is not a place I would ever choose to live if I could help it, and I am gone as soon as my job here ends, maybe earlier if I can arrange another job somewhere else. I guess my greatest fear right now is that I've made a big mistake. There are many times when I think that embarking on this career path and going back to grad school were a costly mistake. Mostly this happens after I look at what I have to pay back for student loans. It doesn't assuage my fears to hear how hard it is out there for most people my age. Over half of the people in my age group are unemployed or underemployed. And I'm in a competitive field to begin with. How can I succeed? I have to admit, giving up looks very appealing at times.
But I'm stubborn, and I don't want to give up without a fight. All I can do is try to push ahead. I haven't been looking for new jobs for five months now, but I know that I should start soon. If I can use my time here wisely, and with a little luck, maybe I can arrange something for me. Another internship is probably out of the question, but I wouldn't turn down another short term job offer. All I can do is try. Maybe I should also broadened my horizon in terms of job searching as well. I really should think bigger. Maybe I should start looking for jobs in cities I want to live in…
In other news, went to a bunch of movies last week. Avengers, obvious, but I also went to the live This American Life event too. Avengers was a lot of fun, but I think TAL was better for my soul. It's been raining a lot this week, which is strange for this area. It's made biking to work extra sucky, but I haven't relented yet! Only have one more episode of Breaking Bad before I'm caught up with the rest of the world. I finished Professor Layton and the Last Sepctor, though I still have a few more puzzles I can do. I'll probably start Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story next. Also want to replay a bunch of Zelda games in preparation for the Zelda concert next month. Really want to play Wind Waker again, but I don't have it with me. So I'll probably just settle for giving Twilight Princess another go. I didn't like it all that much the first time I played it, but maybe I'll like it more on a second play through. |
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| Stupid Cold! |
[Apr. 28th, 2012|07:15 pm] |
Bunches of stuff happened to me in the last two weeks. I'm recovering from a cold that sent me home from work earlier this week. It's been a while since I've been sick. So long, that I didn't actually have some medicine for it. I remember having some, but I think I threw it out because it was expired. But for the most part, this has been a pretty minor cold. But it's enough of the pain that its threw off my exercise regimen. I'm hoping to restart it tomorrow, but it seems like the cold is moving into the coughing stage though, so who knows how that will go. Last week, I finally had enough of the pathetically slow free internet this apartment offers, and decided to get myself set up for paid internet. I'm pretty happy with what I have now, but I've yet to get my first bill. But at least I have my own router, so I can have all my wireless devices on my network.
This entry is going to be short because I just don't have anything I fell like I want to write about. The cold has really killed my motivation to try and get anything done. My apartment is slowly becoming more and more of a mess, and I'm just spending most of my time sleeping. I hope I get better soon because I'll be actually doing stuff over the next few weeks. Next weekend I'll probably go out and see the Avengers. I'm more excited to see what Whedon does with it more than it being a team-up comic book movie. Almost want to go to the mid-night premier, but I'll have work the next day (damn you, responsibilities!) The next week, This American Life is doing another theatrical event, and I've got a ticket to go so see that. Won't be as neat as the last one, which I got to see live in person when they did it in Chicago. Plus, the ticket was $20! I'm glad Rifftrax keeps the price lower than that. And earlier this week, I purchased the hotel for my Austin trip, so I've got all the major expenses for that out of the way. And I can now start planning what I'm going to do. So I've got a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks. Just got to survive this measly little cold. |
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| Something to like |
[Apr. 14th, 2012|06:21 pm] |
Something strange happened to me this week. I was reading online how a movie theater that I loved and went to a lot in Kansas City was having a Scott Pilgrim theme night. And it was at that point that I started to miss Kansas City. I've been lucky in that I've found something to love in all the cities I've lived in over the past few years. Except for here. And now, I've officially spent more time living here than in Kansas City. And while I haven't found anything to love about the city there are a few things that I like. Of course, I could make this entry about the things I hate or dislike about this city, but then we'd be here all night.
I am fortunate that this town does have a theater that does satellite broadcast, so I won't miss either Rifftrax doing "Manos" in August, nor the recently announce This American Life theatrical event. Plus, the theater is owned my Cinemark, who I discovered how great they are in Kansas City. Their movies are still decently priced (about 8 for a nightly showing, and 5.50 for early bird matinee. Another, different theater is coming to the mall, but I've no idea when it will open. I think it was going to open last winter, but it didn't. I've also heard rumors that the Alamo Drafthouse was going to open a theater here too, but there was any interest from the community. That doesn't surprise me in the least. (No, I'm trying to stay positive here!).
Sadly, there aren't many good local places to eat here, but I have found a few that I like. I really should try more Tex-Mex, as that's what this area is known for. Fortunately, and somewhat surprisingly it also has plenty of ethnic restaurants too. I did an Indian buffet a few weeks back that was pretty good. There are a couple of Japanese places too that I should try. Their are also plenty of Asian Grocery stores, but I find it hard to shop at them. Most of them are kind of cramped and poorly organized. And they don't stock as much Japanese stuff as I'd like. Though having been only an 2 hours from Mistuwa for a couple years has spoiled me rotten. I was severely underwhelmed by the only BBQ places I've tried. Texas, you're not impressing me with your BBQ! This town also has any chain store you could think of, including Starbucks, Chipotle, and 7-Eleven. I literally eat at Chipotle ever week. They know my order by sight.
This city has almost no hills, so its perfect for my fixed speed bike. Gears don't help much in the wind anyway, if I remember right. I've also found a local bike shop I liked. The owner gave me a student discount even though I told him I wasn't a student! I've heard about a few gaming shops that I really should check out, but haven't had the time. Nice to know if I do breakdown and start actually buying magic cards, I'll have a place to play. My apartment is decent, with the exception of the crappy free internet. But its better than no internet. I'll probably look into actually getting my own internet over the next few weeks. I might be able to get a discount because the apartment pays for cable. I also enjoy having a dishwasher too. The central air is pretty nice too.
And that's it. I might be forgetting a few things here or there. suffice to say, I don't think I'll miss this town much when I'm gone. |
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| Games I've played this year, so far. |
[Mar. 31st, 2012|07:12 pm] |
One third of the year down, two more thirds to go! I'm not satisfied with my current situation. Did I make the right decision in moving down here? That will only be answered once I complete this job, but that's how life goes. I have decided my next move in my goal will begin after my June trip. It is at that point where I'll begin to look for a new job. Hopefully, that will give me enough time to successfully and seamlessly transition from this job to the next. And hopefully, I'll like that city better than this one. But more on that later. For the rest of this entry, I'll talk about what I've been playing! What with working most of the week, I haven't had the opportunity to play much, but I've played a few games here and there, and here's my thoughts on them. Spoilers ahead, so read on in with your own risk.
Bastion
I heard a lot of good things about this game, and I saw it show up on nearly every year-end list. That's pretty impressive for a downloadable only game. So I just had to play it. I liked a lot of the game, but it was just missing that hook for me. So I often went weeks without playing it. Then, I figured I just finish the game and be done with it. And strangely enough, my entire opinion of the game changed by the ending. The ending was phenomenal. I loved it. Questions are answered, and you're given a choice. This choice directly determines what ending you get. Moreover, the choice you make also says something about the kind of person you are, and how you handle tragedy. SERIOUSLY SPOILERS HERE. Basically, in the game, you are playing in the aftermath of an apocalypse that your civilization caused through fear and paranoia. The game refers to it as the Calamity. You find out the Bastion, which has acted as your home base which you've been building and improving throughout the game, can save you in one of two ways. The Bastion can turnback time and restore things to how they were before the Calamity. However, you and everyone you meet before will forget what happened. Or, you can turn the Bastion into a giant ship, and set sail for somewhere else in the world. The mysterious Narrator, who you find out has been telling the story to this girl you saved earlier in the game, lets you make the call. Either you can restore the world and forget it all, or you can move on and go ahead with the future. I chose the later. The offer choice felt hollow. There's nothing to prevent the Calamity from happening again, nothing else to be learned. So it probably would happened again, and this time "I" might not survive to save it again. Where as with the other choice, we have to live with the consequences of our actions. We can learn from the past mistakes, and strive to make sure they don't happen again. I guess that's the kind of person I am. Learn from your mistakes, and carry on into the future.
Super Mario 3d Land
I'm not sure what to think about this game. It was fun, so I guess I can give it a pass, but it felt like the game really didn't start until you beat it! The game borrowed heavily from the 2d Mario games, particularly form the superior Super Mario Bros. 3. But it doesn't have the same sense of fun and wonder that SMB 3 had. The Tanuki suit was kind of aggravating. You can't fly, you can't turn into a statue (well, not until you beat the game and go on to the harder levels.) It just felt like I could do more with a simpler game. Still, the game is fun, but I think its a bit forgettable. Kind of like all the other Mario Land games! It's been a while since I played this game though, so I'm kind of forgetting what I didn't like about. Maybe it's time to go back to it…
Professor Layton and the Last Spector
I was a bit wary about this being a prequel to the series. I'm not sure why that is, but I do like the new assistant character they introduced! Overall, the game is some more Layton goodness that I can't get enough of. I pretty much only play it during my lunch break, though. I guess I'm just a sucker for a good puzzle game. I'll be sad when I beat it though because no more Layton until they release the next!
Magic 2012: Duel of the Planeswalkers
It's been over ten years since I last played Magic: the Gathering. but a while a go I downloaded the demo, and after playing with it for a while, I decided to get the full game. Though its only really like half of the game. You can't build your own decks with this game, which is both good and bad. It's more or less meant to get you into collecting the real cards. I must admit, I'm extremely tempted to visit a local gaming shop and doing a Friday Night Magic event. Only problem is, I'm terrible at Magic. Sure, I can beat the computer…some of the time. But every game I've played online with actual people has seen me loss within three or four turns. Often without even hitting my opponent! I'm not looking for a serious game, just something fun. So I don't know, I kind of feel like if I showed up to a real life event, I'd just buy a pre-made deck and get my ass handed to me time and time again by kids ten or fifteen years my junior. And also, I just don't want to spend all that money on collecting cards again, especially when I have a ton somewhere at my dad's house. Still, it might be a good reason to get out of my place and actually meet some people with common interest. And that last time I did something like that was OA, where I made a lot of friends. And this time, I feel like I've grown enough to interact better with the people. Still, there's that cost to entry…
So what's next? Curently somewhat replaying my way through the 2nd quest in the first Zelda game… but dying 27 times in a row kind of madam not want to play it so much. Next Friday, I'll be popping Xenoblades in my Wii and seeing what's the fuss about. Also, I'll probably start Catherine and Radiant Historia sometime soon too. And it's not a video game, but I'll be taking a trip to Austin in June to catch the Zelda concert there. I'm expecting a butt ton of streetpasses. And after that, I'll start the next phase of my future. See, the beginning |
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| Fit |
[Mar. 17th, 2012|07:11 pm] |
So last week I wrote about my love of biking, and I made reference to that fact that I used biking to help me keep in shape. This week, I'm writing about my recent (if you call three years recent) obsession with exercising. Since my freshman year in college, I have understood the importance of keeping in shape, and I have done activities to help me get in shape. But I never really monitored it very closely until the around the end of 2008. Until that point, I figured I was young enough and active enough that I thought I didn't need to monitor things too closely. I was mostly biking everywhere, and my jobs had me standing and being active during most of it. I don't know what changed in 2008, though I have some theories. It was probably a combination of factors, though I can pinpoint two or three things specifically. The weather was getting colder, and I had moved to an apartment further from work. Biking to work, though possible, probably wouldn't be a good idea. Earlier that year, my mom was also first diagnosed with cancer. I resemble my mom greatly (especially in the height department), so I figured I'd probably get cancer too when I'm older. I guess I figured the only way to stave it off would be to making sure I stay in shape. Furthermore, I was also getting older, and as people get older, their metabolism slows down. With all of these a factor, I decided I needed to do supplemental exercises that winter.
Basically, I narrowed my choices to either join a gym or buy Wii Fit. Still harboring a bit of resentment for the athletic types in my younger days, I decided I'd be more comfortable with Wii Fit. The nice thing about the game is that the balance board can act as a scale, and it can keep track of your weight and calculate your BMI. Of course, the downside of the game was that the exercises didn't really amount to more than a light workout. But it works well to get you started, and it did work for me, as I was able to get my weight back down. Of course the other problem was that after a while, I stopped weighing myself. It was summer by then , and I returned to biking a lot. Also, that was the year I quit my job and started grad school, so I didn't really have time to keep with it.
After I finished my first year of grad school, I started feeling heavier again. Of course, it was also winter so I couldn't keep biking. Wii Fit was all right, but I was looking for something a little more harder. That's when I decided to take up swimming laps at the university pool. Since I was a student, it was free! So that semester, I swam my heart out, and when the weather got better, I just continued swimming. Even through the summer I kept up with the swimming. Of course, I started going less towards the end of the semester because I always got busier around then. But I usually started again after I got less busy. It seemed to work for me.
And then winter rolled around again. I intended to keep up the swimming, but I remember how much I liked doing yoga in Wii Fit. I thought about joining a class, but I know myself, so I decided to get an app for my phone. That way I could practice on my own time. It worked for a while, but I gradually grew frustrated with it because my phone then sucked. The app would get going, and then midway through my phone would chug and hang. Surprisingly, I stuck with it for a while, but eventually it just got too frustrating to deal, so I stopped. Also, it was getting towards the end of my final semester in school, so I had a lot of stuff to deal with.
Of course, I was back on my bike again last summer in Kansas City, but that was it. I didn't have any way to weigh myself, and only my bike provided me with any exercise. So it's no wonder that when I finally had access to a scale again, I weight over 150 pounds. And then my mother died, and the four months I was a mess. I was able to keep biking, and I also started to watch what I ate more carefully. That helped me to maintain weight, but I couldn't seem to lose any significant amounts, even with the exercise bike I got so I could keep biking through the winter.
And that brings us to my current weight loss goals. At first, I thought I'd lose a bunch of weight fairly easy given that my job keeps me up and active through out the day, and I bike to and from work almost ever day. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to work. When I finally got to weigh myself again, I was still 150. So I decided major changes were in order. I really couldn't devote as much time to exercising as I used to. When I come home from work, I usually feel exhausted. The only thing I could really change was what I ate. So I decided to eat better. It's hard to describe what my diet is like (and I use the word in the sense of "what i eat" rather than "I'm on a diet. After I meet my weight loss goals, I intend to keep eating in the same manner." Basically, I try to eat three meals a day. I know I should be eating small things through out the day, but I just can't. I generally like to eat bigger breakfast and lunches, and smaller dinners because that way I can burn off what I eat through out the day. I also try to eat more plants and less meat. My specific goal is to lose two pounds each week, from one Friday to the next.
For the most part, I've been pretty successful. There was only one Friday where I didn't meet my goal, though I didn't gain any that week. If I keep it up, by next friday I should have lost 10 pounds since I started. After that, my next goal will be to reach and maintain what weighed when I got back from Japan, or as I call it, Japan Weight Then, I'm going to see how much lower I can go. Previous experience suggest that these first ten are the easiest to lose. I would like to go below 130 to give myself some more wiggle room. The have noticed that my weight tends to go up on weekends. I blame this primarily on drinking, since I only let myself drink then. Last weekend was particularly bad. The problem not the calories from the beer itself, but the fact that it makes me feel hunger and I have a tendency to gorge. My solution is to just cut back. Now, I'm only letting myself have one a night. Fortunately, I'm enough of a light weight that this is enough for me.
Also, since I got my new phone, I've been able to do my yoga program again. I generally do it in the morning before work, but I only have enough time to do a 30 minute program (which is the shortest work out the app offers). It feels like it's getting to easy lately, so I'm either going to have to up the difficulty or the amount of time. On the weekends, I try to do either 45 or 60 minute programs. I think I have been noticing a different in my physique. My stomach area feels a firmer than it used too, and I can stick with it. I've got a good routine established, so that should make it easier. The hard part is going to be reestablishing the routine when something comes to break it up in the future. |
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| This is Why I Bike |
[Mar. 3rd, 2012|01:33 pm] |
Every working day I pass by a couple gas stations, and I can't help but smirk a little to myself as I watch the prices rise. I should mention that I'm on my bike at the time, so I'm not paying for gas at all! Of course, it would be completely naive to say it doesn't affect me at all, but at least I'm not directly paying for it. But my secret wish is that the higher the prices go, the more people will seriously consider alternative methods of getting around, such as public transit or my preferred mode of transportation, biking. But again, perhaps I'm being too naive. Biking every day isn't easy. You need to have power, wisdom, and courage: power to operate the bike, wisdom to fix the bike and find the best route to take, and courage to share the road with people haphazardly operating a ton of metal at speeds much faster than you'll be able to achieve. But I've been biking steadily for seven years now in cities large and small. I even if it ends up being the death of me, I wouldn't regret it for a minute. Biking has changed my outlook on life for the better.
I first started biking as a solution to a problem. Like most children of my generation, I owned a couple bikes as a boy, but I stopped as I grew up. As an adult, I did have a bike for part of the time I was in Japan, but it got stolen. I truly started biking when I got a part-time job off campus in college. I needed to be at my job most days by 5:30. However, I had class until 4:50. I had a car, but it was in an economy lot away from campus, and regardless finding parking on lower campus was daunting. If I biked, however, I could make it in plenty of time. And so I took part of my paycheck and bought a used ten speed bike. Even when I secured a closer parking spot, I continued to bike to work. Even when I moved to the other side of town, I continued to biked to both class and work. I was hooked.
Biking just solved so many problems for me. Maintenance on my bike was cheaper by far than driving, and the only fuel it required was provided by stuff I was going to eat anyway. I was also looking for a good way to get a workout without having to take extra time from my day. I used to be very obese due to some poor life decisions I made in high school. I was close to 200 pounds at my worse. This might not sound so bad until you see that I'm only 5'3". In my first semester of college, I dropped 15 pounds by a combination of walking everywhere I needed to go, the hill, and playing Dance Dance Revolution. I continued to lose more when I started cooking for myself, but the most dramatic reduction in weight came when I was in Japan. I joke by saying that I bought too much so I didn't have money to eat, but really it was that I was eating very healthy (as Japanese food generally is) and walking and biking even more than before. Except I didn't realize it at the time that all my cloths were way too loose. It was only when I returned to the States and weighed myself did I realize that I was only 135. I desperately don't want to weigh that much again, so I've been trying to keep the weight off. And biking helped me keep it off, for the most part. My weight has fluctuated a lot over the last 10 years, but I've never weight more than 150 for any length of time. Most of the time in the summer months, when I could bike a lot, I was under 140. Biking does take a little longer, but honest when I don't bike, I just use the time I would save doing other exercises. So biking has helped me to stay in shape, and make me more health conscious.
Biking has also helped me to develop as a handyman and problem solver. I kept getting flat tires, and I didn't want to have to pay to get my tire fixed overtime I got a flat. So I just taught myself how to change the tires. It's pretty easy if you have the right tools. I also figured out a way to attach a basket (or in my case, a milk crate) to the back so I could actually carry groceries home with me. Once I learned I could fix my bike myself, I tried to see what else I can fix. I used to think I was incompetent with tools, but now I know better. I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I can generally figure out how to do something. Comes in handy a lot during my current job. Some repairs are still beyond me though, so then I leave it to the professionals.
Finally, biking has taught me patients and persistence. It takes more time to get where you are going on a bike, so you learn to plan ahead a little. The going can also be hard, especially when the wind is blowing against you. And an inopportune flat can mean you're walking home. but I've learned just to deal with it and keep at it. It might take longer than you'll want, but you'll eventually get there. This has warped my sense of what is walkable, as I'm much more willing than most people to walk a greater amount of distance.
The one of the few things I've actually liked about moving down here is that I can bike for most of the year. Of course, I'll bike as long as it is above freezing. I don't think I'll ever give up biking completely. I'll probably be biking until the day I can no longer use my legs. And then I'll just see if i can use my arms! |
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| What the Hell can you do in this place that you call your town |
[Feb. 18th, 2012|08:38 pm] |
Well, I've been here for over a month now, and my life has become routine. I still don't like this city very much, but I'm gradually exploring more and more of it. If I had more time before getting this apartment, then I think I would have tried for something a little closer to the Tech because I think I would have liked that area a little better. But it's not like I hate the place I'm at right now. At least I don't have to pay for the crappy internet, and occasionally I'll get good speeds out of it.
It seems like the theme of this last week was, "how can we make getting to work difficult." On Sunday, we had 4 inches of snow (versus the no inches of snow this town usually gets), and that basically shut everything down Monday morning. Yesterday, It rained in the morning, so I rode the bus. On my way home, my bike's front tire sprung a flat. I had been meaning to buy materials to fix a flat, but now it was critical that I do so. So today was spent primarily running around town. However, I also wanted to see the new Studio Ghibli movie The Secret World of Arrietty, which got a theatrical release this weekend. So I decided to role them both into one. Besides, this trip required me to take the city bus because they don't run on Sundays. So basically today involved a lot of walking. Unfortunately, today was cold, and it drizzled for most of the day.
So now I've seen more of the city, and yet I'm still unimpressed. I still haven't found the places that make this city "unique." A good place to eat is a great example of what I'm talking about. I'm sure they exist in this town, but the few I've been to haven't been all that spectacular. That is really my problem with this town in general. I haven't found something about this town that I like, while the list of things I don't like keeps growing and growing.
But if feels like I keep treading the same water here. I know this isn't a very inspired update. I just don't have that much to talk about here. But the fact I want to leave is good. I can use that as motivation to find my next job. My plan is to start looking June/July, and start applying around August. Hopefully, I'll be able to find something by next December/January. And if not, at least I can move back to Wisconsin.
Oh, and I'm getting paid finally. Nice to have a paycheck finally, and this is the largest one I've ever received. Too bad most of it is going for bills and such. I'm finally getting a new phone next week. About time too, since my old one is seemingly on its last legs. It's still having the charging problems, even though I found a charger that it mostly works with. While it did fine for most of today, most of my apps were crashing by the end. I'm not going to be sad to see this phone gone, but I'll probably keep the memory card. Hopefully I can get some money for the phone itself through the buyback program t. So there's that... |
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| This Town Sucks |
[Feb. 4th, 2012|08:43 pm] |
It has been three weeks since I left Wisconsin. When I wrote the last entry, I had only worked about half a week. Now, I've worked that plus two more weeks, and I've "explored" a little more of what this town has to offer. So I feel more honest in saying how much I don't like this town. It is not somewhere I would choose to live. Maybe I'm not being that fair to it, and I haven't really gone out to see what I can find. The most interesting area looks to be around the campus, but usually most days after work, I just want to head home. Maybe I'll stick around and check it out sometime later this year, when it stays light out longer.
It's feels really different begin in this city without having a car in a way I didn't experience in Kansas City or Milwaukee. This city is kind of easier to bike along because it's all flat. Problem is, there are a lot of cars with poor drivers. And there are some areas of the city that are inaccessible to me without going down busy street with speed limits of around 40 or 50. That's kind of unnerving for someone on their bike, to have cars whizzing by you at that speed. I'd ride on the sidewalk at that point, but not all streets have sidewalks along them! Even these busy streets are deprived of sidewalks. The bus system isn't much better. If I wanted to take the bus to work, I'd have leave my apartment at 7am in order to get to work at 8. The busses also don't give transfers. And the service is worthless at night, as it doesn't go later than 7 pm. At least the route along me doesn't. When on my bike, I never trust drivers, and I especially hold true to that in this city. I was almost hit by someone earlier this week! Not sure what I'll do if the bike breaks down. I have been having trouble with the seat coming loose recently. I've tried my best to fix it, but it seems only to hold out a week before it comes loose again. Probably should just by a new seat for it anyway. Should probably also buy some extra inner tubes and a pump in case I get a flat tire.
Of course, half the reason I haven't been going out is I don't have money to spend freely. Spent most a good portion of this week running around to make sure I get paid next week. I'm still waiting for the first few paychecks so I have a baseline for what I can expected to be paid. I have a rough idea right now, but I'm not exactly sure how much they're going to take out in taxes. Maybe once I have some money in my pocket, I'll be more inclined to see what this city has to offer. Assuming I can get there on my bike. Also this city doesn't offer recycling pick up. If you want to recycle, you have to take it to a center yourself. What's up with that?
I suppose I haven't said anything much about my apartment. Well, for the most part, I like it. There's only a couple of things that kind of bug me. One is the location. Right behind it is a major highway, akin to the beltline in Madison. This means that when I'm in my bed room, I hear a constant stream of cars going by. Fortunately it doesn't keep me up at night. However, it did kind of bug me a little when I had my main computer and desk in there. I've since moved the computer into the my living room to rectify the problem. Unfortunately, my bedroom is my biggest room, so I have a lot of poorly utilized space in there. Most of it is basically just boxes right now. I'm only going to be in this city a year, so there is no sense in throwing out boxes I'm going to need a year from now. Also, this apartment complex was clearly made for people with automobiles. It's location is why I have to cross several busy roads to get to work everyday. It'd be nice if I had I car, but I don't. And even if I did, I probably wouldn't drive it anyway!
The other thing that kind of sucks is that internet. One of the things that sold me on this apartment was the free wifi (and free cable, though less so). But as I should of none, free stuff like that usually sucks. The problem with wifi here is that the speed varies greatly. When I first got here, it was around 1MBS. However, times after that, I've clocked it at around 4mbs. The problem is the times when it goes below 1mbs. I really like to stream videos through netflix and hulu, and it makes it kind of a pain to do that when speeds are that slow (and don't' even get me started about youtube or blip.tv). I was more upset about this,until I did some research on other ISP around here. Most of them charge too much for too crappy of service. So now I'm glad I that at least I'm not paying for crappy internet. I've also been able to get my 360 online via a trick I learned last summer. I've even been able to sneak my 3ds online, though I can't seem to make the same trick work for my Wii. Guess I just won't take it online.
As for the good things about this apartment? Well, the insides look very new, and the office is very responsive in getting shit done. I also can't hear my next door neighbors through the wall, so that's good too. It's also comes with a dishwasher and garbage disposal, which is something I haven't had in an apartment since I lived in Chancellors YEARS ago. The dishwasher is a little noisy, so I usually set it going before I go to work in the morning. Other than that, I'm pretty satisfied with it. It should serve me a well for the year.
Fortunately, I do find my job personally fulfilling. I'd be right where I want to be if only for two things: the job only last for a year, and I don't like this city. I've already expressed my displeasure at length of the later, but the fact that this gig is only temporary still bugs me. I'm so close to accomplishing my goal I set out for myself a year ago. I just need to get something permanent with no stated end date. Of course, when I do, it'll probably be someplace worse than this. Though quite frankly, I find it hard to believe it can get worse. Famous last words, huh? |
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| Texas, I am in you! |
[Jan. 21st, 2012|06:28 pm] |
Well, I'm now where I'll be for the majority of the year. It's been an odd two weeks, and I'm still adjusting to this new situation. I left Wisconsin exactly a week ago today. Half of the trip was vaguely familiar, as I had made the same trek earlier last summer. It a lot of ways, a lot of this reminds me of last summer. We got a larger rental truck than I expected since they didn't have any of the smaller ones for some reason. In retrospect, I kind of wished we had the smaller one, cause I would had to more carefully consider what I was and wasn't bringing. As it stands. I have a few pieces of furniture that I just didn't need. Maybe I'll find a use for them soon. I thought the truck would be a lot harder to drive than it was. It didn't have cruise control, and only had a standard radio. Fortunately, Iowa Public Radio mimics Wisconsin Public radio, so I was able to get a dose of Car Talk, What do ya know?, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell me, and This American Life for a good portion of the drive to Kansas City. Otherwise, I just listened to my backlog of podcast.
Of course I demanded we stop at my favorite BBQ place in Kansas City (Oklahoma Joes!). My dad was helping me with the move, so we switched off driving duties overtime we stopped for gas. Even though the truck had a 30 gallon tank, it only got about 8 mpg, so we stopped frequently for gas. I brought my cat with me, so she spent most of the trip in her little cat bag. Once we got going on the road, we'd open it up for her. Strangely, she didn't jump out as soon as it was open. She did quite well for most of the trip, even when we stopped for the night in Wichita. She mostly hid under the bed, but she did eat and used her litter box a little. On Sunday, we departed from Wichita. Again, the trip was mostly uneventful, though I did the majority of driving this day. We switched after lunch, but my dad was getting sleepy, so had to take over for him. Once we got to Lubbock, we stayed overnight because I couldn't get into my apartment until Monday.
The first part of Monday was spent unloading the truck. Fortunately, that went fast. The second part was spent buying some supplies and a new desk. Unfortunately, the wind really started to pick up on that day, and we got caught in a huge dust storm. This was kind of murder on my contacts. I really need to pick up some googles or something. On Tuesday, I saw my dad off as he returned to truck to the rental place, which was near the airport. I then spent the rest of the day unpacking, and generally feeling depressed because of the unfamiliar surroundings and all that. Plus the dust storm killed my urge to ever go out.
Wednesday I started my first day of work. I'm happy to say I do like my job. Everyone I work with is really nice, and I'm doing a ton of stuff which I've never done before. Most of it is manuel labor, so I'm not really "using" my degree. However, I still think the experience I'm getting will be invaluable for my future career. It also feels a little different from Kansas City, even though my hours are similar. I only come in a half hour earlier at this job, but I leave at the same time. Most be because of the difference in the time of year and the type of working I'm doing. Because of the laceration, its stays light out here longer into the night, but sunrise is also later too.
I'm still in a state of confusion, so I haven't sorted everything out for myself yet. This entry is kind of jumbled in a way. I think I'll continue to like my job here, but I'm not sure if I'll ever to grow to love the city like I have in other places. I loved living in Eau Claire. Milwaukee was a nice surprise at how much I enjoyed big city life. I was more neutral on Kansas City, but I was still able to find cool and interesting things about it. Lubbock…I don't know. There's not a lot here for me. I guess time will tell. Anyway, hopefully next's time's entry will make a bit more sense. For now, I still have some unpacking to do! |
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| The Texas Soujourn |
[Jan. 5th, 2012|05:26 pm] |
That was fast. 2012 is certainly going to be an interesting year for me. I accepted a paid internship working on exhibits in a museum in Lubbok, Texas, so my next few weeks will be spent moving there. Still, this doesn't feel like a victory because I haven't achieved my goal of getting a long term job. I would rather it be something more permanent and better paying, but this will be a step towards that direction. With this internship on my resume, hopefully I'll be able to arrange something more lasting in a year's time At the start of this, I knew that for me to be successful, I needed to be willing to go and live anywhere.
The most important and valuable thing I can do is to gather experience. It will also be good to get me out of the house and do something different. It's a very heady time in my life right now. For the first time in a while, I'm feeling the pangs of adventure. It's a strange miasma of excitement, hope, nervousness, and dread resulting in kind of a bubbly energy. What kind of new adventure will this be? What will happen to me over the next year? I am very eager to find out. It's a new path in to the road of my life, and I'm ready for it.
Originally, this was going to be the standard "State of the blog" address I give every time around this year. For the third year in a row, I've have documented my life on at least a bi-weekly basis. I'm mostly satisfied with my entries, though I kind of wish I wrote more when I had more time this fall, though I didn't have much to write about. Still I always like to evaluate how I did, and remind myself of the overall point of these entries.
Though I have no evidence for this, I believe this year saw a drop in readership. This is mainly because of both changes in Facebook's note system and LiveJournal's continual march in to oblivion. This has me question, "who do I writing these entries for?" and "do I really want to have more readers?" I'd be lying if I said having people read this doesn't matter to me. I do like it when I get comments, and I'd love it if it sparked a discussion. However, if I did have more readers, then I would have to deal with trolls and the like. Also, assuming no one reads this lets me be more free to express myself, so I guess not having so many readers can be a good thing too. As for the first question, I'd like to think I write these for other people, but social networking has pretty much eliminated that goal. I write these things for me. It's a way to share my joy with the world and vent my frustrations. It's therapeutic. I also write for the future. Who knows, in a hundred year's time, someone might come across these entries and use them to understand what people in the early 21st century were like. And to these future people, you have my deepest symphonies. Sorry about the poor spelling; hope you found at least some of this useful!
For the most part, I'm going to keep things the same this year. For the next year, I'll post a new entry or around 500 (probably more) every two weeks by Saturday at the latest (the rules are really arbitrary, aren't they?) I'm tempted to put myself on an every week schedule, but I want to see how things go first. Also, to make it easier for my friends to read these things, I'm going to also post a copy as a note on Facebook. On the LJ, I'm going to stop cutting them. I did it originally because a friend complained, but since nobody's posting on there anymore, why bother!? Before, my LJ would auto-import to Facebook, but then they did away with that feature. For the time being, I'll continue to post on my LJ as well, for continuity sake. Finally, in an effort to make sure at least ONE person reads these, I'm going to make sure I proofread every entry at least once. After all, why should I expect anyone else to read this if I don't myself? |
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pk_gojira's journal