Delayed on account of rain (and fire)

Yeah yeah, it's been a while. Let's move past that and on to the more important aspect of this: me.

So it's been raining quite a bit. Springfield spring showers (it is spring still, right?) are frequent and harsh, and usually involve some sweet thunder and lightning. Typical pattern is rain, rain, blazing hot day, blazing hot day with rain at night, repeat ad nauseum. Oh, and it's humid as hell, but that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone with any knowledge of Springfield. Still, now that swimming is an option for my free time I actually look forward to the heat.

Well, I would if I was still in the house for the summer. To make a long story short, the owner of the house learned that if there is a fire in the pan you are frying things in, do not try to move it to the sink to put it out. It will likely boil onto you, burning you and causing you to drop a large amount of burning oil on the ground. This is how a five by three foot portion of the kitchen came to be burned beyond repair, along with the dishwasher. There is tons of smoke damage and soot in the house, and the process of cleaning, getting quotes, and so on has just started, so we will likely be out of the place for two weeks minimum, I'm thinking more along the lines of a month. I'm staying with the Kopaska family again, as they have graciously opened their home to me.

On a less sad note, I had three days off in a row this week; yesterday, today, and tomorrow. In taking full advantage of these days off I decided to rent Splinter Cell: Conviction since I heard it was short. Having beaten it already I can confirm that it is, but it is still a blast to plow through. When you get in the zone in this game you really can feel like a badass assassin, thanks to the Mark and Execute feature. After meleeing/grabbing someone as a human shield you are given the ability to execute targets that are in range and that you have marked. This is basically a "instant death" button, one-shotting the marked targets automatically. While making the game easier, it is no less satisfying to to this, and the game is much more action based than the previous ones to accommodate. It is simply a different feeling of satisfaction.

I'm still listening to "My Dinosaur Life" by Motion City Soundtrack. A lot. This CD just really hits it for me. That is all, I recommend at least Youtubing "Her Words Destroyed My Planet", "Worker Bee", "Disappear", "Skin and Bones", or "Sunny Day". If they don't get ya into this band I don't know what to tell you. Oh yeah I do, look up "The Future Freaks Me Out".

Until next time, enjoy life folks. Hopefully I'll be more diligent about updating this, though I hope given the excitement in my life as of late you'll be forgiving.

Storms and Stew

A lot has happened since the last post. School ending, friends leaving, work starting... been a busy few weeks. I've gotten all settled into the house I am staying at, with my room more or less situated how I like it (though I wish my book shelf had not broken, as my books are just in organized piles in the corner now). I am definitely digging my new housemates and really look forward to reconnecting with them after a few years of non-interaction. Both are great outgoing guys who are friendly and know quite a few people, so this summer should be anything but boring.

There have been a decent amount of storms this past week. Right now there is thunder sounding over "Worker Bee" by Motion City Soundtrack, and lighting is flashing through the window that sits right behind my laptop. I love falling asleep to this weather; I know it is a cliché to say this, but I can not get enough of this weather. Earlier today when the rain began I was dressed for the day in short and a t-shirt. Unable to restrain myself I simply went out and enjoyed the feeling of falling water soaking into my skin, warm and inviting. I'm sure psychologists would have some explanation for this, but I couldn't care less honestly; all I know is it makes my life better whenever a storm passes. It brings with is a sense of change, of finality and purpose.

I've been trying to renew my cooking skills, gone stagnant over the course of the school year. After several times messing with chicken and spices I tried my hand at chicken stew again, with potatoes, onions, and carrots for flavor. Unfortunately, my gauging of seasoning has apparently gotten worse than I had imagined; a little too much seasoning salt made for an off taste that accumulated with each bite. I saved half of the dish, adding some water in hopes of diluting the saltiness. I can only improve from here, and the summer is young.