• A Different World

    A Different World

    Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to announce that this post officially marks the first time in almost two years that I’m actually writing about the country I’m in! Welcome, at long last, to Cambodia 😀

  • Into the Lion's Den

    Into the Lion’s Den

    How many of you have heard the name “Transdniestr?” Not too many, I’m guessing. Transdniester – also known as Pridnestrovie in Russian – is a small rogue nation occupying a narrow strip of land along […]

  • Golden Week 2: Archery

    Golden Week 2: Archery

    Picture yourself looking up at a blue sky peeking through a huge canopy of leaves on a perfectly clear day in Kyoto. As the faint sound of Japanese flutes recedes softly into the background, it’s […]

  • An Average Night Out

    An Average Night Out

    The following is not actually a single narrative of one continuous evening, but a composite of many. It’s written as a representative summary of my average night out in Kyoto. Nothing is exaggerated. It’s Saturday […]

  • Long Walk Down a Longer Road

    Long Walk Down a Longer Road

    Peder and I left our pousada in Trancoso and started out for our day’s 30 km walk at around 11am. The plan was to follow the coast all the way to Arraial d’Ajuda, a neighboring […]

  • A Different Experience

    A Different Experience

    I’m here. In Tokyo. Finally. During my idle time on the flight over I kept on thinking, “what am I going to write to everyone once I finally get to Japan?” Most of you already […]

I was last seen 5 months ago in Los Angeles, .

E3 and Comicon

 Public, USA  3 Responses »
Aug 242006
 
Goodbye 40,000 square-foot booths of pure happiness. Goodbye 40,000 square-foot booths of pure happiness.

It is a sad, sad day. E3 as we know it is gone.

That’s right, the multimillion dollar convention of video games, pro athletes, gorgeous models, movie stars, live concerts, and free giveaways is now a thing of the past. In its place will be a series of small, quiet, and professional business meetings. Bummer.

Comicon cosplay…TO THE EXTREME! Comicon cosplay…TO THE EXTREME!

While I’m grateful to have been able to attend for the past six years, I will be really sad to see it go. Not only was it one of those times of the year that I always looked forwards to, but now that I’ll be moving to work in the Japanese gaming industry it means no annual trips back to California; each and every time I want to see my family it will come straight out of my own vacation days, and my own wallet. Bummer.
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Michigan

 Public, USA  4 Responses »
Aug 222006
 
Me, my dad, and his dad…goin’ nuts with the Old Man Hats. Me, my dad, and his dad…goin’ nuts with the Old Man Hats.

Just four days after returning from Vegas I left for my next trip: Michigan. It would not be one of my usual adventure trips, but a calm week of daytime TV, family BBQ’s, and mid-afternoon naps. It would be a visit to the grandparents.

Since I’ll soon be moving to Japan for an unknown period of time, I’ve recently been trying to see my dad’s parents (who live in San Diego) as often as possible. But as my mom’s parents live halfway across the country, opportunities are much more limited. So when one arose, I took it.

Pops and Grandma…I call my dad’s parents Bubbi and Papa (Don’t laugh!) Pops and Grandma…I call my dad’s parents Bubbi and Papa (Don’t laugh!)

And to be honest, Michigan was really pretty interesting to me. Since both my parents grew up there I used to go fairly often as a child, but as more and more of the family moved away my reasons to visit faded, along with my memories. Going back for the first time in over a decade felt like I’d just entered a time machine and traveled backwards…not just in terms of my own life, but also in terms of the world in general.

Why did Michigan feel like a trip backwards through time? Well…
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Vegas, Baby, Vegas!

 Public, USA  4 Responses »
Aug 212006
 
Damn. Damn.

Because Nick, my dad and I were driving to Las Vegas from the Grand Canyon instead of from LA, we figured that we might as well use the opportunity to make a quick stop at the famous Hoover Dam along the way. It’s one of the Western US’s more well-known sights, and neither Nick nor myself had ever seen it in person.
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The Grand Canyon, Part 3

 Public, USA  4 Responses »
Aug 112006
 
Condors. Condors.

When I awoke around 4am in my cabin at Phantom Ranch, I felt for the first time the true extent of the toll that the previous day’s hike had taken on my lower body. My left knee, which has caused me problems for years, felt destroyed, and both of my calves were unbearably sore. But there I was, a vertical mile below my dad and my only way home. Why do I keep getting myself into these ridiculous situations? I’ll tell you: because I completely neglect my legs in virtually every workout. I don’t even work them through cardio. Nothing. Yet the gym habit of pushing my body farther than I should carries over, even if the lower half isn’t prepared. And I find myself, once again, with no choice but to push myself back up to the top. I’ll just have to regret it later I guess.

Looking back over Bright Angel Trail, significantly more lush than the barren South Kaibab. Looking back over Bright Angel Trail, significantly more lush than the barren South Kaibab.

Over breakfast, Nick and I learned two things about hiking the Grand Canyon. First, that we’d somehow managed to descend at an unusually fast pace: apparently we’d arrived at the base at the same time as a number of groups who had left over 3 hours earlier. Second, that in this, the hottest season of the year, many people spend an entire day and two nights at Phantom Ranch resting before an attempt to return to the rim. At first a two-night stay sounded a bit excessive, but as I sat there unable to straighten my left knee I gradually came to understand their motives…and wish that I’d taken my time a bit more on the way down 😛
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The Grand Canyon, Part 2

 Public, USA  6 Responses »
Aug 082006
 
Aw, what a nice welcoming sign. Aw, what a nice welcoming sign.

Nick and I decided that since we’d traveled over 500 miles, overcoming leaky radiators, leaky noses, and multiple-car-pileups on our way to the Grand Canyon, we couldn’t call our trip complete without hiking our way to the very bottom. But since park authorities “forbid” visitors from attempting a round-trip journey in one day, we called in our reservations for an overnighter at the base. Apparently, every year around 250 people die or have to be helicoptered out because they think they’re fit enough to complete the round trip. Then they pass out from exhaustion or dehydration. But not us. No, sir.

Nick is excited to be here. Nick is excited to be here.

To keep the trip interesting, we decided to take different trails in each direction: South Kaibab down, which takes an average five hours to complete, and Bright Angel up, which takes an average eight (according to the clerk at our lodge). My dad, with his injured knees and hips (from the motorcycle accident I mentioned two posts ago) didn’t join us, but stayed near the rim doing shorter hikes on his own – and driving back into town to fix the car’s leaky radiator. Nick and I set off at about 8am, much later than we’d initially planned.
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