4/10/2002:

Ah, the hypocrisy is revealed! Ever since we started this series (so long ago, it seems, blush blush), I've been awaiting emails that point out grammar or spelling mistakes I've made in these blurbs. I haven't gotten any yet, but I'm still waiting. It's like that in life. As soon as you show people that you appreciate language and the skillful use of it, they get really vigilant about catching your mistakes. We were at this bar the other night with Akiko's friend from out of town and when she left the table briefly, Jason said, "Hey, she's smarter than you. She goes to Oxford." I was about to say all this stuff, like why does he think I have this overwhelming desire to be seen as the smartest in the group. Just then, she had to be shown the bathroom with very precise directions and I said, "Oxford, my ass." Lots of laughing from everyone else at the table but the root problem's still there.

For those of you waiting for us to move on from this whole grammar police thing, don't worry. It's almost over and then we can get back to the business of whining about romance. Haha.

For those of you who haven't checked out my vacation pics, you should. You don't even have to read the exciting story that accompanies them. Really, I just live for watching web logs, so you don't even have to look at anything, just click through it.

It's Jason's birthday today. He's 22. My present to him is that I won't embarass him when we go out tonight, since Jenny's bringing this new girl. Here's the thing with the new girl: she thinks I'm creepy because I used to stare at her freshman year. I don't even really want to meet her now, but I should go since it is his birthday. My plan is to meet her and then ignore her. My question to you is, would a staring incident from 4 years ago mean that you would be closeminded about meeting the person today, even with a friend vouching for the person? I was a completely different person freshman year, I think. Or if I'm not, I can hide it better. And I dress much better now than I did also. Yeah, definitely going to ignore her.

I finally got Virtua Fighter 4, and let me say that I really wish I'd gotten into this series earlier. The amount of depth that exists in it now is truly staggering. Also, the Kumite mode is exactly what I always wanted in a fighting game. A series of random pairings. I'm in awe of the storytelling in Kumite mode. There are no cinemas or anything, but you start to recognize certain characters and know how they play. You can see their win/loss records changing along with yours. Ranking matches take on a new level of "I have to win this fight." I'll be playing my Lei Fei character in Kumite and all of a sudden, the next challenger will be 5th dan (I'm only 1st kyu) and there'll be this pit in my stomach. To win against such odds... this feeling is what games are supposed to elicit.

I finished this book last weekend, The Man Who Ate the 747. It's a breezy little book, and as the reviews say, full of wonder. But in the end, I guess I'm just jaded because the characters just worked all too well together. I don't want to give out spoilers, but suffice to say that everyone gets what's "best" for them in the end. It's books like this that cause kids like me to have unrealistic expectations for the world. And love. The idea of love presented here is much less layered than anything in Sandman.

Speaking of Sandman, Neil Gaiman is coming to town to the Evanston Public Library on Thursday (5:30-8:30) with a bunch of other authors. I want to go, but I have rehearsal to run. I'm going to run over right when it's done, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it in time for a signing. What should I get signed? My copy of American Gods? Or my Sandman? Which Sandman? I think in the end, it'll be The Kindly Ones. Still a favorite book, after all these years (or perhaps because of them).

-kip