Tonight I had a good night, me and Leah went to the Berkshire Grill and had a great meal, and then had some fun here. But I'm not going to talk much about that right now, because you've already gotten the hint above. This will be my last entry in this journal. After this, I'm going to change my screen name for two major reasons.
1. The past few months gave me a wakeup call on who reads this, as I've gotten some bizarre and sometimes threatening emails and comments from people I don't know (and some I do). This is my way of getting away.
2. I've had this screen name since 8th grade. That's 5 years. I need a new one.
And I'm not putting the new one up here, because I don't want you all following me. I just set up my new name and I'll be contacting you if you were on my buddy list. If you think I'm choosing the wrong people and you want to say something about it, or you think I'm just gonna leave you behind, I'm keeping my email and the comment box live for at least a little while.
I know, this is short notice, but I've thought about this since around the time I got the stalking Tara remarks and now I finally did something about it. If I didn't like you, goodbye and good riddance. As for everyone else, I'll see you on my new screen name!
Sat Aug 30 2003 at 0:17
Reflecting...
Since I met Leah, I've gotten a social life again. Mostly it consists of hanging out with Leah, just Leah, on almost a daily basis. And really, I can't complain. We've been able to work things around our work schedules for the most part so we almost always see each other. But being busy seeing each other, you would think, would put a little damper on my video game lifestyle, but not completely. Leah's become a little more interested in games now, she likes to play F-Zero GX, even though she needs a lot of work with it. But what about my RPGs? Surely they've suffered, especially how I haven't increased my count in a while? Granted, I haven't played as much lately. I get time to play a little, but not as much as I used to. Nonetheless, it hasn't stopped me from getting into the games as much as I used to. Case in point: When Leah was away, I really started going after Pokemon Sapphire, because I knew I was nearing the end of the game. After she got back, I was still inching my way across the game, and just a few minutes ago, Sceptile, Hariyama, Seviper, Torkoal, Magneton, and Kyogre helped me finish the game, raising the RPG count I haven't touched in a few months to 83!
We're all familiar with the Pokemon games, they're one-on-one battles where the Pokemon's type (fire, water, electric, etc.) means everything and emphasizing catching as many of the Pokemon as possible (I got 73 myself). I've never liked the one-on-one system, but it keeps the game different and adds some strategy. The game doesn't have much on the surface that makes it stand out from the other games. You've got new Pokemon, more moves, Pokemon with inherent abilities, and the occasional (very very occasional) 2-on-2 battle, but the rest you've seen before. However, they've also improved the balance of the game and generally made it more entertaining to play, making this probably the best Pokemon game so far.
Overall score: 16/20
On another note, look for an important note about this site before I close off this month.
Wed Aug 27 2003 at 23:26
A brief recap of the past few days...
Since I haven't felt like updating...
Monday: A well-needed day off. Me, Leah, and Curtis went to Friendly's for lunch. It's been kind of a while since the three of us did that. Then we wanted to play some minigolf, and decided for a change of pace to play down in Seaville instead of the boardwalk. The course we picked, unfortunately, was in horrible condition, and we agreed not to come back. We went to Leah's house and played Britney's Dance Beat later...as much as I hate to admit it, I'm really starting to like that game. After playing about an hour, I really was exhausted. Leah hung out at my house afterwards...we had a little fight, but we straightened things out pretty quickly.
Tuesday: I worked an early shift, and directly after that (as in still wearing my uniform) I went out to pick up F-Zero GX for GameCube. After a detour at the bank and a false start at another store that hadn't gotten it yet, I literally got the last one off the shelf. It's really fun, but really fast and requires a good deal of focus and concentration. I'm really happy with it, though. Leah and I went out to dinner at Lone Star, where the waitress cut some corners and only charged us for half the stuff we got (Yeah!), and then went back to my house, because Leah also wanted to try my new game. She likes it, though she needs a lot of practice.
Wednesday: Leah and I hung out early in the day, and then I went out to work. There really isn't much to tell about today.
Sat Aug 23 2003 at 23:35
So, what have I done with Leah away?
Not much, really. I did talk to her online once, she described Georgia as "hot." Seems fitting. Anyway, I've returned back to my old video gaming junkie stay inside most of the day type again for the past few days and probably tomorrow. I'm almost finished Pokemon Sapphire, but I also won't be surprised if I suddenly have to level up like a madman to finish the game, knowing how much stronger the final battles were in Gold. I also went to the boardwalk once. According to this month's Game Informer, F-Zero GX has an arcade equivalent, and considering that F-Zero's one of the best racing games out there and I'm getting the GameCube one this week, I wanted to see if there was an arcade version anywhere. Turns out there isn't. But I'll wait for the home version, it's only a few days. Work's kinda been the same old stuff...today it was really busy but then it got slow towards the end. The entire day caused me to miss a family party, but it's that family summer barbeque I've had a bad time at the previous two or three years, so I'm not really complaining. I said me and Leah could go together before, but that's not gonna work out. Leah gets back tomorrow, and Monday's a day off for me...I betcha we'll spend it all together.
Quote of the entry:
"You know how you're sitting down watching TV, and you can't find the remote, and you look and look and look, and you still can't find it and you say a few cuss words, and then you look in all the weird places and find the remote was sitting next to you the whole time? Finding a girl is just like that."
-- Today's RPGamer Q&A
Wed Aug 20 2003 at 0:04
I know I missed a few days...
...but really, there hasn't really been anything I wanted to write. Everything's been the same as it was. I'm still hanging out with Leah on a consistent basis...mostly we're just hanging out here, as right now neither of us have money to spend. At least not until pay day. Leah's going on vacation with her family on Thursday, and she doesn't want to go...mostly because she'll miss me and she's going with the family she could care less about. I wish her luck getting through it, even though I'm sure she'll be fine. Also on the subject of vacations, Mom and Dad came back today. So things'll be a little better around here, considering the pets get really strange when they're not around. I guess that's the update on my life for now...back when I feel like it.
Sat Aug 16 2003 at 23:36
Everyone's away...
Mom and Dad are on vacation for the weekend, so I've got a little time to myself...which is always nice. Today I hung around here most of the day...I saw Leah for a little bit during her break, but apart from that I've been either here or at work. Definately a change from yesterday, where the two of us got a haircut together and later went to dinner and Border's so she could get a book she needed for summer reading. Work tonight was pretty peaceful...the last half hour consisted of me, Kathy, Megan, Abigayle, and Lee just standing around talking. I like these kinds of social atmospheres at work, even if I have no clue what they're talking about. Not sure what's in store for tomorrow apart from my work schedule...I don't like what they gave me this week for some reason, probably because it may get in the way of some plans I'm trying to make...hopefully those'll still stay together.
Quote of the entry:
"Saddam's Weapon of Mass Destruction Revealed -- Killer Dinosaurs!"
-- This week's Weekly World News headline
Fri Aug 15 2003 at 10:53
Since I didn't feel like updating last night, here's what's new.
Once again, it was one of those hang out with Leah all day days. I picked her up from work and we just hung out at my house. Mostly we just watched TV, a quiet day but it was fine with me. I went to work at 3:30, but it was never really busy and actually got sent home early, just in time for The Amazing Race. Turns out it wasn't the finale like I thought, that's next week. I'm still rooting for David and Jeff. I watched half of it with Leah and her mom, and we kept watching through CSI and Without a Trace, two shows I don't usually watch but are still good shows. I think today's gonna be more of that kinda thing...I know I'm spending most of the afternoon and some of tonight with Leah...
Quote of the entry:
"Hey, which one of them is Dave Matthews?"
"The one playing the guitar."
"I kinda figured that, but...he doesn't look like a Dave. He looks more like a...Bill."
"Well, maybe his real name is Billiam Dave...Jehovah...Matthews."
"No, his name's Billiam David Jehovah Matthews Band! Five names!"
-- Conversation between me and Leah watching a rerun of Saturday Night Live
Wed Aug 13 2003 at 22:46
Dancing is fun!...well, sometimes.
After a quick and not especially busy day at Acme, I hung out with Leah the rest of the day. I tried to dance using her dance pad...turns out that me using that and Leah playing against me on a regular controller is a pretty close match. I'm actually decent dancing, although I'm much better with a controller. Leah also had dinner here, and then we watched TV for most of the rest of the night with a small surprise during that I won't specify. Speaking of TV, tomorrow's the final episode of the Amazing Race's 4th season...I'll have to watch it on tape, unfortunately, but I'm still looking forward to seeing it.
Tue Aug 12 2003 at 23:54
I spent the entire day with Leah!
I'll break the entire day down here.
- Picked up Leah pretty much after I woke up, because she left work early.
- She wanted to get her eyebrows waxed, so I dropped her off there as I went back home and took a shower.
- We came back home to eat lunch and get the day straightened out.
- I went to the bank to get some well-needed money.
- Then I went to Stockton, where I gave Leah a little tour of the main campus and got the fall semester's books. I got 3 books which totaled to $400. Sad, isn't it?
- We made a quick stop to Best Buy so Leah could get a few things. Specifically, The Lizzie McGuire Movie and the dance pad for her Britney Spears dancing game. Saw Ralph from my old group...told him to say hi to everyone for me.
- Then was Mandi's birthday party! It was a pool party that just ended up getting wild. They (not always me) ended up playing "games" like Marco Polo, pushing people in the pool, throwing birthday candles down the girls' clevages, saying stupid and embarrasing stuff on camera, and other stuff that got me saying the party's going from bad to worse. I kinda like this atmosphere as long as it doesn't get too chaotic, though. Next time, though...let's take Evan out.
- Leah and I came back to my house after that to watch the movie she got. It was okay...nothing too special but still not a bad movie. *puts up shield to defend from rabid Lizzie McGuire fans*
That's pretty much the entire day...now I'm kinda tired though, so I think I'll go to bed.
Sat Aug 9 2003 at 0:24
Mario and friends delayed my update...
You'll see why in a sec. Pretty much right when I woke up, I went to Leah's. I promised her yesterday she could drive around Mainland, where I used to practice, so we did. She drove a few loops around there and stopped by a few friend's houses, then we came to my house. While I was making lunch, I got a call from Acme. Rich, who did self-checkout this morning, went to the hospital from work due to a seizure (I think), so I got called in to come in early. I took it, and got there an hour early. The day itself wasn't much different than any other day, there was one little incident but not much. I found out that I got my request off for Mandi's party (both of the requests, actually, since they misinterpreted me changing the request date as two separate requests), but one little thing with Leah next week I have to cancel. It's alright, though, I don't mind missing it. When I got home, it turned out Phil decided to buy the new Mario Golf game. I'm not much for golf in real life, but I do like video game golf, and this one's fun. I think I'll play another round before I go to bed...
Quote of the entry:
"Okay, before Leah goes back on the road...your insurance is paid up, right?"
Leah's aunt Raine, after we left her house
Thu Aug 7 2003 at 23:06
Some more stuff we did...
We did try to do some different stuff today, but most of the day we were here. We had lunch at Friday's, then came here to hang out. I attempted to teach her to play an action RPG (Seiken Densetsu 3), and it went alright, though she seems really bad with knowing which button does what. But she did seem to like it, and we'll probably play it again later. I took her home then because she was feeling really tired due to poor sleep and having to wake up around 6, and I caught a little rest too...but Leah came back to get dinner here. Then we watched The Amazing Race, I think the final episode is next week. Sad to see my favorite team get eliminated, the one I had picked to win...I think the winner will be a toss-up between David and Jeff (the best friends) or Reichen and Chip (the gay guys). So it was pretty fun today...but tomorrow I go back to work...
Wed Aug 6 2003 at 22:17
Leah got what she wanted today...
When I picked up Leah from her house, I knew I was gonna be doing a lot of stuff for her...it turned out pretty much the whole day was devoted to her. First I had to take her to her therapist, and I just waited in my car listening to the radio for most of that. Then I took her for what I think is the fourth time to the DMV for her written test to get her learner's permit. Instead of going to the one nearby, we went to Rio Grande because I found out when I needed to replace my license that it's a lot less crowded and peaceful. Case in point: when we got there, there were only four groups in the entire agency. I went to a nearby EB Games to just check stuff out while she was waiting, and as I'm in the middle of playing a game she gives me a hug from behind because she passed! From there, we went back home, making a stop at a TJ-Maxx on her request where she got a nice bag, and went back home. We agreed later we should come down around there again to play on one of the miniature golf courses before school starts. We went to dinner at Pizza Hut and then went to the theatre to see a movie she wanted to see, Freaky Friday. I was actually surprised with it...I thought it would be fun but not as good as it turned out. I really liked it and would recommend it if you've got even the slightest interest from the preview. That was pretty much our night, and I had a lot of fun, but we agreed next time, we'll do some stuff I wanted to do.
Quote of the entry:
"Can I drive can I drive can I drive can I drive can I drive can I drive?"
Leah, pretty much every time we were about to go somewhere new
Sun Aug 3 2003 at 22:13
A little disappointed, but it's all okay.
Remember when I said Leah and Tara would meet each other at lunch? Well, Tara never picked up and. Since I know you all love to jump to conclusions, I'll let you tell me why she didn't. But Leah and I still went out, and still had a good time. Leah and Rachel also came to visit me at work, it was nice of them. Leah said she wanted to sneak up behind me and give me a hug from behind, but I noticed her standing right next to me before she could. Then I told her the reason I turned around was that I thought I saw Rachel. Turns out her surprise didn't work. But that's okay. In other news, I was thinking about making a trip to see my grandparents on my off days this week, but now I think that's not gonna work anymore and I'll stay here instead. But Dad says that Grandma might come here for a day or two, so it works out partially. That's...about all for today.
Quote of the entry:
"My job consists of me staring at a screen and yelling at the people who can't follow directions."
-- Me, oversimplifying a description of what I do at self-checkout
Sat Aug 2 2003 at 23:57
I'll have a day to look forward to...
Before work, I didn't really do too much interesting. Leah and I decided not to do anything, so I just hung out here. At work, it was Sara's last day, everyone was giving her goodbyes and hugs and everything, I fell into the last category...it was sweet. For a few minutes self-checkout was down, my screen wasn't working and thus I wouldn't be able to help customers...we got it working again. But the good part was that I saw Tara at work...we're gonna have lunch tomorrow. Leah and Tara expressed interest in meeting each other before, and now they have a chance to do just that. After work I just hung out with Leah watching TV...turns out she's also anticipating tomorrow, just like Tara and I...
Fri Aug 1 2003 at 22:27
One more month of summer...
And not too much going on recently. Today Leah came over and we had lunch here, and then we went to work. Work was alright, it was kinda busy but not too much so, and it seemed to go by kinda quickly. I found out that one of our service desk girls is leaving after about 7 years at Acme...I signed her going away card before I left. Not much else is going on...I guess we'll leave it there for now.
Quote of the entry:
"There's three kinds of people in the world, those who can count, and those who can't."
"...okay, so what's the third kind?"
"Proof that I can't count!"
"Huh?"
-- Conversation excerpt between me and Steve from dairy
