New Blog

For everyone still reading this blog and interested in what I'm doing now, I have my normal-life blog up and running. It's The Mind of Ben.

I've been back for a little while now...

...and it's been great. I really did miss all of my friends and my home in LA. Sure, the food isn't as great and the people are completely different (superficially), but still. LA is my home, no matter how much traffic there is.

I have to say though, it's strange picking up on a life you left 6 months earlier. You leave yourself at this single point, while everything around changes and then you have to take it all in from that point that you left. Maybe that doesn't make sense, but you get my idea.

I'm not too sure what I want to post about now. What is there that's cool and exciting? I doubt there are many readers now that I've come back anyway.

The Mighty Mouse just came out, the long awaited multi-button mouse from Apple. Not only is it multi-button, but it also has a cool little scroll ball (not wheel) to scroll in any direction you want. Personally, I'm just gonna wait for the Bluetooth version.

If anyone out there is still reading this, than please recommend some good shows on TV. I seem to have only been watching the same few shows for a while now and they're getting a bit stale (The Drew Carey Show, Family Guy, Futurama, and more recently American Dad). The shows that (luckily) are not getting stale are The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Six Feet Under, too bad the series just ended. I've heard good things about Battlestar Gallactica and I've just started watching reruns of Dead Like Me (cancelled), but there must be something to fill the void. I'm also trying Monk for no reason in particular.

My new favorite singer is now Damon Albarn, lead singer of the virtual band Gorillaz and lead singer of the band Blur. But I have to say, coming in at a close second would be Jack White of The White Stripes. Too bad Get Behind Me Satan had so many folk-type songs, I'm not too into that. But Blue Orchid (iTunes link) is so good.

I've been thinking a lot about making a MySpace, and I just found out that I had already signed up (probably because someone wanted me to look at thiers but I couldn't without being signed up). So I fixed it up a little and now it's presentable. You can visit it here. But don't bother checking it because I don't plan on using it very much. This will always be my main blog until I get tired of it.

Ja ne.

I'm a little jumpy, but an excited jumpy (Updated with links)

I've been meaning to update, but have been uninspired/lazy up until this very moment. Why, you may ask, would I update now? Well, it all started when I decided to send an email to the Podcheck Weekly Review podcast, one of my favorite that I've been catching every week since its inception. I just wanted to inform the host, Scott Fletcher, that every week his podcast would show up in iTunes with the song title going something like "Podcheck Weekly Review (the date for that day, such as 6/20/05, or something like that)" and that it doesn't fit on the iPod's playlist screen. I suggested writing it like "PCWR 2005-6-20" because if it were around 16 letters/numbers, than it would fit perfectly. Why in the world would this make me want to post? Well, he just read my email on the podcast AND my name, and he even implemented my suggestion! I feel almost... famous. Or infamous. Whatever. Anyway, when I can (this is from my phone), I'll post the link to the podcast and at what time it was said because it would be pretty bad of me to butcher his podcast and cut out the piece with my email only to post on my blog. (Update: A link to the specific show is here. He starts my email at 36 minutes, 49 seconds into the podcast.) If you aren't into podcasts, try it. If you have iTunes 4.9 than it's built right in and you can subscribe to Scott's show in one click. I'm still shivering from excitement. I literally did a Jon Stewart-esque 'Whaaa???' when I heard my name. (Have you seen the Daily Show's new studio, by the way? I think it's pretty sweet with all those big screens. (Update: I do kinda miss the couch though.))

Alright, back to normal stuff. I've been back in Italy since the 1st of July and it's been great. Of course I miss Japan and of course I miss my friends and of course I miss my host family. Not an hour goes by when I don't think of them. Who knew I'd get so attached? Being in Italy has been such a big contrast. I went to Pisa and reclined on the grass during sunset under the leaning tower on a day when the sky was bluest, I went to Rome to see all the major monuments (Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon, and others), and I even made a really good friend in Rome who also likes anime and manga, and even translates english scanned manga into italian! I think he may have a bigger manga collection than me, it really is huge. He took me to an amazing italian comic book store, the biggest in Rome, and I got to see firsthand how many comics and manga are translated into italian, and I can tell you one thing for sure: they've got a lot more stuff than we do in the U.S.

One of the biggest differences is the food. Don't get me wrong, my two favorite foods are Japanese and Italian, but what a difference. I lost 10 pounds while in Japan, and in 2 weeks exactly, I gained 5 pounds back. You know what? I don't regret an ounce.

Sadly, I have to leave soon. I leave Italy on the 18th and head over to New York to catch a ride to New Jersey to see my new niece. I'm an uncle! Just like in Spiderman, now I'm Uncle Ben. Then after 2 nights and 1 day I leave for LAX. I know I didn't want to go home all that much before, but now I can't wait! Screw jetlag, I'm gonna see my friends A.S.A.P.! Second only to friends, is constant, reliable internet. Oh, how I've missed you.

If you've made it this far, pat yourself on the back. I'm not the type to write this much on a daily basis, but when I'm inspired...

Email me whenever you like, and I'm on AIM almost 24/7. Hopefully I'll get some links up and working to go along with this post the next time I have internet on my iBook.

Ja ne,
Ben

Pisa

Right now I'm in this cemetary in Pisa right next to the leaning tower
and the baptistry and cathedral and everything. Turns out they took the
cables down that used to support the tower and (for 15 euros) you're
able to climb it. At 6 I'll be climbing it and maybe I'll snap a quick
pic. Let's hope the pic I attached to this gets in the blog.

Back in Italy

Forgive me if this post turns out strange, I'm emailing it from my phone
hoping that it works.

I arrived in Italy yesterday afternoon. Turns out I traveled well over
24 hours. First thing I did after getting back? Got a haircut.

I'm missing my friends from Japan enormously. I know I'm going to see
them again, but it won't be for a while...

I'm planning on going on some little trips around Italy while I'm here,
which should be fun.

I'm incredibly scared to go back to LA. I've been away for so long and
everyone has changed. It won't even be like going back home, it'll be
like I'm still a foreigner.

I've gotten the urge to stay away from LA recently. I want to keep
living all over the world making friends and having fun. I don't want to
be stuck in the same place with the same people doing the same thing
every single day. I've had enough of LA for now. It should be time for
something different. Now I just have to figure out how to get high
school out of the way...

Update: I'm no longer scared to go back to LA and I'm actually really looking forward to seeing everyone again.

My last day...

Technically Thursday is my last day, but today was my last day of school. A lot of hard goodbyes, but I made friendships that will last a lifetime. I'm even thinking of applying for a scholorship to Germany for next year. I may think differently a little later on, but I think being an exchange student in Germany for a year would be pretty cool. I know practically no German, but I can learn! I no longer really care about missing school, I can always do correspondence school again anyway. If I were to apply (December is the latest) and get accepted (I can refuse if I want to though) than I would be there from August '06 to September '07 (roughly). I'm seriously considering this. Anyone out there have an opinion on the subject?

I'm going to miss everyone. I'll remember all of you. And to the exchange students: you're all my wonderwall. You really did save me, no joke.

New Photos

If you haven't already, you should definitely take a look at all the new photos I posted on my Flickr account because I'm really proud of a lot of them.

Check out this comment I got within minutes of posting. It really makes a guy feel good to hear something like that. I've always been a Mac guy, since day 1, and I think that anyone who uses a PC is really missing out on a more productive and better looking way of life (PCs are ugly, you have to agree). That was not meant to offend anyone if it did, I still love you all, even if you use Windows.

Well, it's almost time to leave Japan. It's so sad that I have to leave so soon. And after making all these awesome friends (1, 2) too...

It's not like I won't ever see them again though. We're all planning a reunion next year in Germany. And really, in the age we live in you'd think that you'd never left. With AIM, blogs, email, phone, mail, etc. you can be in contact no matter where you are.

I know that it will never be the same again, even if I visit Japan with all of them. So I have to spend as much time as I can with them and cherish every single memory (not to mention take obscene amounts of pictures).

I love all you guys. You're always welcome to come to LA, just gimme a ring or an email or an IM, etc.

Ja ne.