Goings-On
I haven't been channeling my thoughts into thoughtful journal prose lately, but I have been active enough to at least give you now a shallow update on my current affairs and prospects.
Graduation
I graduated. For me, graduation meant school ending, me having to drive my dad for a total of 10 hours (due to a DUI, or "OVI" now so they can slam bicyclists with it-wtf), my mother and grandmother, who flew down here, for 5-6 hours, seeing my mom and dad together for the first time in memory, sitting through mind-numbing graduation hell... (tangent warning bwoop-woop-woop)
What the hell kind of public school graduation features not one but two Christian prayers, a bunch of random music from Pirates of the Caribbean just so the 14-person band had something to play, and a 25-minute speech from a local businessman about how most people (the parrots) will never succeed, and the only successful people (the eagles) in the world are self-righteous Christian conservatives? Other features included a skittish off-rhythmed piano instrumental of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," the same senior pianist back-up-singing with the valedictorian on a redundant "Please Remember" graduation song, and every single senior walking across the stage to get his or her diploma while the local businessman locked his hawk-like gaze on every passing student with a default wide smile which would fluctuate in warmth based on his evaluation of each unknowing senior.
...Why did my mom want so badly to fly down here just to sit through that shit? Every single relative of mine looked bored and depressed the whole way through, while everyone else was being fat and jolly (and fucking loud). Anyway, after we escaped from the bowels of commencement, I was presented with financial rewards for the venerable accomplishment of not dropping out of high school. I ended up with something like $1720, a whole $1000 coming solely from my mother, who can't afford to give me a thousand dollars, dammit. Every check is going to be spent on nothing but college, because I know if I spend it otherwise I will end up homeless someday.
Work
Immediately following this graduation phase, I was offered a summer job by none other than my sensei at the dojo, as an assistant to his pest control business. Where other men are mere mortals, I am THE ORKIN MAN. (Note: I may not actually work for Orkin.) It pays decently too, considering my utter lack of work experience. I can finally afford a quality jujitsu kimono, obsolete (but cool) weapons like ninja swords, a proto-pipe, random internet store crap that I never thought I'd get to buy, and all the hallucinogens and uppers I could want.
The only 'drawback' to the work, I'm finding, is that awkward situation where, now that you have a job, your parents don't wanna give you money since they only gave it to you before because you needed it, and now you work and, true, you do earn more money, but you spend half of it on the stuff your parents used to pay for. (But since I still don't have to pay my own car insurance and such, I will shut up on this one.) Oh, and there is that whole "being exposed to toxic pesticides" bit, but I'm pretty safe there.
And since I began working, the long absences from home have given my relationship with Lindsay a deeper-felt purpose. The human brain has long perfected the ability to take for granted whatever is always there. That, and things just plain feel reeeally nice when you get home from work.
Ghost Huntin'!
Lately, my free time has been spent ghost hunting with Lindsay and her (our) friends. My 'stance' on ghosts is about the same as my stance on anything else: whatever. I haven't seen anything, but I'd like to. My camera, however, caught this sweet, freaky photo in Robin's house (old stoner party house where I used to live).
Now, about this image... The only editing done was its filename, the red circle, and the copyright, but you needn't take my word for it. I know nobody photoshopped this crap in here, as I oversaw the taking and uploading of the picture, and I'm content with that knowledge. Anyway, circled is a small face that I pegged for a mask's reflection at first viewing. (We later concluded there was nothing on their TV stand to make such a reflection, but whatever.) It was only a week later that we noticed the big freaking visage of doom towering behind/above the circled face. Take it as you wish, but look:
Use your favorite image previewer and zoom in on the picture. To the right of the red circle (to the right of the wooden windowpane divider thingy), there are "teeth." Above the red circle, there's an "eye," and there's an eye-shaped hollow to the right of it, on the other side of the wooden thingy. Piece it together, if you will. People have made it out to be a werewolf and stuff. Either way, doesn't it look cool?
We've been going out to cemeteries and old woods as well, taking pictures and recordings and generally having a good time. We have loads of pictures of 'orbs' (if you know anything about ghost pictures), but nothing else like that one picture. Nothing except...this. Happy lighting magic made this turn out to me looking like a horrible demon boring into Brigette's skull with my demon laser eyes. Or, since the bottle I'm holding looks like a toothbrush in that image, maybe I'm about to brutally brush her to death. Any way you slice it, that picture is cool as well.
Other time has been spent learning to grapple and control other people through jujitsu and aikido (rather than bust them up with violent strikes), DDR'ing (<3 Afronova, Xenon, End of the Century, PARANOiA, and AM-3P), and trying to introduce our previously straight-edgéd friends to the wonders of marijuana (but also, hopefully, the wonders of not becoming dumb stoners).
Life is being good and full to me right now. And maybe, with luck, I'll crank out some actual thoughts soon. Just wanted to present you an image of my life at present, so I wouldn't fade away.
Graduation
I graduated. For me, graduation meant school ending, me having to drive my dad for a total of 10 hours (due to a DUI, or "OVI" now so they can slam bicyclists with it-wtf), my mother and grandmother, who flew down here, for 5-6 hours, seeing my mom and dad together for the first time in memory, sitting through mind-numbing graduation hell... (tangent warning bwoop-woop-woop)
What the hell kind of public school graduation features not one but two Christian prayers, a bunch of random music from Pirates of the Caribbean just so the 14-person band had something to play, and a 25-minute speech from a local businessman about how most people (the parrots) will never succeed, and the only successful people (the eagles) in the world are self-righteous Christian conservatives? Other features included a skittish off-rhythmed piano instrumental of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," the same senior pianist back-up-singing with the valedictorian on a redundant "Please Remember" graduation song, and every single senior walking across the stage to get his or her diploma while the local businessman locked his hawk-like gaze on every passing student with a default wide smile which would fluctuate in warmth based on his evaluation of each unknowing senior.
...Why did my mom want so badly to fly down here just to sit through that shit? Every single relative of mine looked bored and depressed the whole way through, while everyone else was being fat and jolly (and fucking loud). Anyway, after we escaped from the bowels of commencement, I was presented with financial rewards for the venerable accomplishment of not dropping out of high school. I ended up with something like $1720, a whole $1000 coming solely from my mother, who can't afford to give me a thousand dollars, dammit. Every check is going to be spent on nothing but college, because I know if I spend it otherwise I will end up homeless someday.
Work
Immediately following this graduation phase, I was offered a summer job by none other than my sensei at the dojo, as an assistant to his pest control business. Where other men are mere mortals, I am THE ORKIN MAN. (Note: I may not actually work for Orkin.) It pays decently too, considering my utter lack of work experience. I can finally afford a quality jujitsu kimono, obsolete (but cool) weapons like ninja swords, a proto-pipe, random internet store crap that I never thought I'd get to buy, and all the hallucinogens and uppers I could want.
The only 'drawback' to the work, I'm finding, is that awkward situation where, now that you have a job, your parents don't wanna give you money since they only gave it to you before because you needed it, and now you work and, true, you do earn more money, but you spend half of it on the stuff your parents used to pay for. (But since I still don't have to pay my own car insurance and such, I will shut up on this one.) Oh, and there is that whole "being exposed to toxic pesticides" bit, but I'm pretty safe there.
And since I began working, the long absences from home have given my relationship with Lindsay a deeper-felt purpose. The human brain has long perfected the ability to take for granted whatever is always there. That, and things just plain feel reeeally nice when you get home from work.
Ghost Huntin'!
Lately, my free time has been spent ghost hunting with Lindsay and her (our) friends. My 'stance' on ghosts is about the same as my stance on anything else: whatever. I haven't seen anything, but I'd like to. My camera, however, caught this sweet, freaky photo in Robin's house (old stoner party house where I used to live).
Now, about this image... The only editing done was its filename, the red circle, and the copyright, but you needn't take my word for it. I know nobody photoshopped this crap in here, as I oversaw the taking and uploading of the picture, and I'm content with that knowledge. Anyway, circled is a small face that I pegged for a mask's reflection at first viewing. (We later concluded there was nothing on their TV stand to make such a reflection, but whatever.) It was only a week later that we noticed the big freaking visage of doom towering behind/above the circled face. Take it as you wish, but look:
Use your favorite image previewer and zoom in on the picture. To the right of the red circle (to the right of the wooden windowpane divider thingy), there are "teeth." Above the red circle, there's an "eye," and there's an eye-shaped hollow to the right of it, on the other side of the wooden thingy. Piece it together, if you will. People have made it out to be a werewolf and stuff. Either way, doesn't it look cool?
We've been going out to cemeteries and old woods as well, taking pictures and recordings and generally having a good time. We have loads of pictures of 'orbs' (if you know anything about ghost pictures), but nothing else like that one picture. Nothing except...this. Happy lighting magic made this turn out to me looking like a horrible demon boring into Brigette's skull with my demon laser eyes. Or, since the bottle I'm holding looks like a toothbrush in that image, maybe I'm about to brutally brush her to death. Any way you slice it, that picture is cool as well.
Other time has been spent learning to grapple and control other people through jujitsu and aikido (rather than bust them up with violent strikes), DDR'ing (<3 Afronova, Xenon, End of the Century, PARANOiA, and AM-3P), and trying to introduce our previously straight-edgéd friends to the wonders of marijuana (but also, hopefully, the wonders of not becoming dumb stoners).
Life is being good and full to me right now. And maybe, with luck, I'll crank out some actual thoughts soon. Just wanted to present you an image of my life at present, so I wouldn't fade away.