I am not dead
I think this is the longest I've ever gone without updating my journal. Wow.
No, I haven't abandoned LJ. I still keep track of my f-list and comment, as most of you have noticed. I'm just a scattered person, lately - and not necessarily in a bad way. I feel less confined out here. It's led me to spend more time cultivating the parts of me that kind of fell by the wayside in California. I almost forgot how valuable the combination of dead silence and fresh air can be... going for a walk around one of the city lakes with no traffic noise, no interference, just a pen and a paper journal in hand. After I've hashed everything out like that, I have less inclination to come back to my computer and express myself here.
But I still think it's important. I started this journal in 2002; it contains nearly 10 years of crazy life change and a chronicle of my obsessions, the things that light me up and make me tick. I'm actually a bit sad that places like Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and the like are taking over the internet... I love and use them all, but nothing should replace a nice, long, rambling blog entry. So LJ, you're still my friend. I'm sorry I've neglected you! Let's hug and make up.
Being in a new place still hasn't lost any of its weird thrill. Whenever I go into downtown Denver, I still marvel that this is my city. I'll turn a corner I've never turned before and discover something new. I'll meet someone at a place I've never been before, and get lost trying to find my way home. The wide open spaces and unpredictable skyscape suit me well.
The friends we've made out here so far are few, but I value them very much.
Still loving my job. It's exhausting work sometimes, but so much more rewarding than anything I've ever done professionally. To further offset the low pay, the company has just implemented a new program: every employee has the option to work from home once a week. My day will be Wednesday, starting this month. That's on top of getting every other Friday off. SO MUCH FREEDOM. It's a relief to be with a company that actually values their employees enough to trust them with these incentives.
Anyway. Some things haven't changed and never will change: I am still a fixated fangirl in all regards. Currently obsessing over Deus Ex: Human Revolution because it's basically William Gibson's Neuromancer in game format, and the cyberpunk nerd deep within my soul has been sleeping too long. Adam Jensen is totally a Neo wannabe (EVEN THE VOICE), just with more gadgetry and angst. I mean, look at dat angst! "My girlfriend died and I almost died and shady corporations rebuilt me into a half-cyborg badass against my consent." SUCH A ROUGH TURN, JENSEN.
The game doesn't have the greatest characterization or facial animation in the world (especially compared to the standards set by things like Uncharted and Mass Effect), so the emotional connection isn't really there. But the the story and gameplay are so smart, complex, integrated and fascinating that it makes up for it. I can just fill in the blanks with mental fanfic and be content.
Dystopias seem to be all the rage these days. Even YA is getting in on the action, which I have absolutely no problem with because maybe that means that one day, instead of seeing an ENTIRE SHELF dedicated to "Paranormal Romance" at Barnes & Noble, I will see one dedicated to "Dystopian Melodrama". A girl can dream.
All that to say, I picked up the latest Big Deal in YA: Divergent by Veronica Roth. And let me tell you, I don't care if it's riding the Hunger Games wave: I. LOVED IT. It's brutal in a different way from THG, and although the premise is far less realistic, it is thematically rich. Lots to say about dehumanization by sectioning our ethics off and setting up virtues as idols - all that jazz. Thinky fun with the seat-of-your-pants action and streamlined character development that YA is good for.
I should probably get back to work. But hey, it felt good to ramble again!
No, I haven't abandoned LJ. I still keep track of my f-list and comment, as most of you have noticed. I'm just a scattered person, lately - and not necessarily in a bad way. I feel less confined out here. It's led me to spend more time cultivating the parts of me that kind of fell by the wayside in California. I almost forgot how valuable the combination of dead silence and fresh air can be... going for a walk around one of the city lakes with no traffic noise, no interference, just a pen and a paper journal in hand. After I've hashed everything out like that, I have less inclination to come back to my computer and express myself here.
But I still think it's important. I started this journal in 2002; it contains nearly 10 years of crazy life change and a chronicle of my obsessions, the things that light me up and make me tick. I'm actually a bit sad that places like Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and the like are taking over the internet... I love and use them all, but nothing should replace a nice, long, rambling blog entry. So LJ, you're still my friend. I'm sorry I've neglected you! Let's hug and make up.
Being in a new place still hasn't lost any of its weird thrill. Whenever I go into downtown Denver, I still marvel that this is my city. I'll turn a corner I've never turned before and discover something new. I'll meet someone at a place I've never been before, and get lost trying to find my way home. The wide open spaces and unpredictable skyscape suit me well.
The friends we've made out here so far are few, but I value them very much.
Still loving my job. It's exhausting work sometimes, but so much more rewarding than anything I've ever done professionally. To further offset the low pay, the company has just implemented a new program: every employee has the option to work from home once a week. My day will be Wednesday, starting this month. That's on top of getting every other Friday off. SO MUCH FREEDOM. It's a relief to be with a company that actually values their employees enough to trust them with these incentives.
Anyway. Some things haven't changed and never will change: I am still a fixated fangirl in all regards. Currently obsessing over Deus Ex: Human Revolution because it's basically William Gibson's Neuromancer in game format, and the cyberpunk nerd deep within my soul has been sleeping too long. Adam Jensen is totally a Neo wannabe (EVEN THE VOICE), just with more gadgetry and angst. I mean, look at dat angst! "My girlfriend died and I almost died and shady corporations rebuilt me into a half-cyborg badass against my consent." SUCH A ROUGH TURN, JENSEN.
The game doesn't have the greatest characterization or facial animation in the world (especially compared to the standards set by things like Uncharted and Mass Effect), so the emotional connection isn't really there. But the the story and gameplay are so smart, complex, integrated and fascinating that it makes up for it. I can just fill in the blanks with mental fanfic and be content.
Dystopias seem to be all the rage these days. Even YA is getting in on the action, which I have absolutely no problem with because maybe that means that one day, instead of seeing an ENTIRE SHELF dedicated to "Paranormal Romance" at Barnes & Noble, I will see one dedicated to "Dystopian Melodrama". A girl can dream.
All that to say, I picked up the latest Big Deal in YA: Divergent by Veronica Roth. And let me tell you, I don't care if it's riding the Hunger Games wave: I. LOVED IT. It's brutal in a different way from THG, and although the premise is far less realistic, it is thematically rich. Lots to say about dehumanization by sectioning our ethics off and setting up virtues as idols - all that jazz. Thinky fun with the seat-of-your-pants action and streamlined character development that YA is good for.
I should probably get back to work. But hey, it felt good to ramble again!