In which I remember why I stopped drinking black coffee.

So after a horribly mediocre pot of coffee I made earlier this week (It's been a while since I've used a drip coffeemaker) I perfected it. No longer is it coffee-flavored water but a tastebud burning pot of hellfire.

And no milk. Or sugar. I no longer have a taste for splenda. It's not that I don't like the taste of black coffee. But when you're drinking a few cups a day on an empty stomach, that's when you lose the taste for it. By cup 3 I'd be cursing the brilliant logic behind what posessed me to drink that much coffee. If I'm totally awake I'm able to pay more attention.

Yeah, that doesn't work so well, especially when you're trying to do work or if you're dealing with panic attacks. But boy it sure gets you awake. Now I like to leisurely sip my coffee and not shock myself into life in the morning.

Wow.

All I gotta say right now is wow, the weather is nice. It's been overcast but not cold. I'm sitting outside without being bundled up. It's very peaceful here. All I can hear is some cars now and then. I'll probably be shooting the pictures for Legoman tomorrow. It shouldn't be that hard to put together. My sunburn from Saturday in Santa Monica has healed. I'm kinda hoping the sun comes back, though.

The Vicissitude of Legoman, Take 2

My senior year I misinterpreted a photo assignment. We had to take a series of photos that somehow showed movement. At least 8. So our teacher told us to think of it as a stop-motion assignment.

Well, I took it a little too literally. Come Monday my classmates had around 8 pictures each. I don't even remember how many I had. I got to make mine into a movie. Towards the end of its completion I was tired of it. Tired of the sound effects (scrape scrape, head rolls in to drumroll, pop as he puts it on, tires peeling out, sound of my friend bashing a PC case to simulate a car crash, and the Super Mario death jingle to signify the end of the little plastic man's life), tired of the first 30 seconds or so of Depeche Mode's "Suffer Well," and just tired in general.

And I lost it. After I graduated the computers were formatted and the DVD disappeared. But this time around I know I can make it so much better.

The Vicissitude of Legoman is about the fragility of life, our material desires, and molded plastic. But mostly molded plastic.

Packing, packing, packing.

I forgot how much fun this can be. See you Saturday morning LA.

I'm trying to fly without checking a bag. On Southwest you can check two for free but I cannot stand waiting for my bag. This is the first time I've flown to a place where I didn't need a heavy coat in a while so it's definitely easier to pack. I also need to learn how to pack light.

I absolutely hate the liquid/gel restrictions.

Vacation Time

I booked my tickets to and from LA last night. Time to chill out and enjoy some beach time! This is the first trip I've taken since spring 09 to Wash U. I don't remember too much other than changing my flights because of someone's incompetence (leading to a million and a half layovers on the way back), disappointed expectations, admonishments about not trying hard enough and why don't you go here, and rain.

I have to admit I was weary of traveling again. What if I can't get picked up, what if it changes, what if...

Life doesn't have to be about what ifs. The past is not doomed to repeat itself. It's going to be a wonderful eight days.

I'm especially excited because I haven't been to LA outside of Disneyland since I was 4 or 5 when my mom and I went down to visit my dad after he covered the OJ trial.

Back to Our Normal Summer

The heatwave ended last night. After temps of 100F during the day it fell to 60-70 at night. This morning I woke up and it was overcast. Joy of joys! No more sun falling right on my bed and nuking me at 9 AM. I get up at 9:30 anyway but I don't like starting my morning feeling like I have to shower. I cleaned out my closet (again... seems to be a neverending cycle) and got rid of a lot of things that don't fit any more or just aren't my style. It feels good to get a bunch of things out and to get rid of things that remind me of not-so-good times.

I've also been playing Super Mario RPG. I'm glad I gave it a second chance (what, 13 years later?) and I'm fairly close to the end. I don't start my classes at FIDM until October so I have time to let my brain drain out more. Ah, relaxation.

All Caught Up

I've been taking pictures for the 365... just lazy about uploading them.

After a backlog of 20+ pictures I think I'd like to stay on top of things again.