旅立ちの唄

Listening to:
Mr.Children
SUPERMARKET FANTASY
「旅立ちの唄」

My 3rd years graduated today, and I was pretty bummed about it. I don't even remember my junior high school graduation, but the Japanese equivalent was some next level business. Confetti, flowers, singing, speeches that never end, an afterparty...the works. I'd complain about having to work 11 hours under normal circumstances, but this was an exception. Things would be emotional anyway without any unnecessary prodding, but they do crazy stuff here like loop Mr.Children instrumentals during the ceremony just to make sure that all the students cry. I didn't quite lose it, but I have to admit that I came close once or twice.









I'm really going to miss a lot of those kids.

Wishing I Were Niko

Playing:
Grand Theft Auto IV
(PS3)

I beat Persona 4 a while back, but I’m guessing that I messed up somewhere along the way because the ending was a bag of asses. Guess I’ll just have to get it right the second time around. I’ve also pretty much abandoned Street Fighter IV and have been playing Grand Theft Auto exclusively. It’s possibly the best game that I’ve ever played, though not necessarily my favorite. Stealing cars and blowing stuff up is still fun and all, but it’s really the weird little things about the game that I love. For instance:

-Going to a burger joint every day of the week and being greeted by the lifeless girl at the register who flatly says, “Welcome to Burger Shot.” Then during the following week, some black dude is randomly working the counter and he’s like, “Welcome to Burger Shot muh-fuckaaaaa!!!” Tremendous.

-Accidentally running over your Jamaican homeboy at about 3 mph in your car, to which he simply exclaims, “Bumbaclut!”

-Doing weird shit like picking up a prostitute, crashing your car in dramatic fashion outside of a police station, then getting head while your ride is upside down.

-Taking your killer/coke dealer/gangster homeboy out to the bowling alley for a game or two, and hearing him shout, “YEAH! THIS IS FUN!” at around the 5th frame or so. Dude needs to calm down.

-Opting to get shot to death rather than arrested because the police confiscate your weapons. “Dying” will get you sent to the hospital, but the doctors and nurses apparently have no problem with you keeping your assault rifle and hand grenades.

-Managing to get laid by feeding the girl you’re dating a steady diet of billiards and hamburgers. Not quite so simple in the real world.

-Taking one of your buddies to go and grab some fast food and being inexplicably charged like $100-$200. I mean, damn, how much did they eat? I guess they probably burn a ton of calories while running from the cops, but that’s like 50 burgers right there.

Mavs Put Suns On The Ropes

Looks like things could be up. On the heels of an impressive win against the Lakers, the Suns have proceeded to lose five in a row and now effectively require a small miracle to make the playoffs. Nothing like a win over the Lakers to get me all giddy and irrational. I honestly don't even remember the last time that this team lost five games straight, but I'm willing to guess that it was in 03. I'd probably be a lot more bummed any other year, but I guess I have a lot more than basketball on my mind for once. Um, like I said, at least they're a fun team to watch. If they're going down, they may as well with guns blazing.

Taken yesterday:



Thanks Steve!

Quarter Life Contentment

Listening to:
Do As Infinity
Tangerine Dream
track: "Wings"

My 25th came and went without much to note. I was actually sitting with a student today and had forgotten that it was my birthday, a certain sign that I’m starting to get old. After work was through, I went grocery shopping, had some good sushi, spent some time with my new favorite person in the world, and stayed up past my bedtime to watch Gaki. A few years ago I might have considered turning 25 something monumental, but I think the reality is that once you hit your mid-twenties, every birthday just represents another reason why you have to settle down and be more responsible. Maybe this could be construed as me being immature, but I don’t even want to imagine what it’s like being in your thirties. At 25, I think that I’m probably as satisfied with my life as I’ve ever been up to this point. I’ve realized that it’s in my nature to be at least a little uncomfortable with my life no matter what, but if you can find contentment in your world’s little things, there’s no reason why your happiness has to be determined by size of your check or the make of the car in your garage. That being said, I certainly wish that both my check and my ride were a little bigger, but I’m also quite content and mostly at ease with my day-to-day existence. So…cheers to that. =)

More 1/2 Cents On The Way

Green and black isn’t bad. I like how the swoosh’s lightning bolts look in green, but the Royals and the blacked-out version still have these beat.



And it looks like there’s also a silver & black pair on the way, which is reminiscent of the Foamposite Pro.



I can’t imagine them not making a black & red pair, and an “Eggplant” version (there, I said it) also definitely works, so we could be quickly approaching overkill territory with this sneaker. Nike could probably put these out in pink & brown and call it the “Strawberry Dookie” and the damn things would still sell. I'm hoping that they'll stop at four colorways, but I'm not holding my breath, especially given how hard they've been milking the 6 Rings.

Oh well. I think I've got a pair of Royals in 10.5 on lock, so I don't know why I'm complaining.

Lashley Versus Shamrock Fight In The Works

Bobby “Battletoad” Lashley is reportedly set to take on Ken Shamrock in his next mixed martial arts fight. Lashley quietly won his first MMA bout by TKO, but it remains to be seen whether he is capable of having the type of impact that fellow former wrestling star Brock Lesnar has had. The similarities are there: freakish build/strength, excellent agility, an amateur wrestling background, etc., but oddly enough, much like he did as a WWE superstar, Lashley comes off as a guy who does a decent Lesnar impression (hence the "Black Lesnar" nickname) but isn’t quite as good across the board. Either way, age will likely be the determining factor in the Lashley/Shamrock fight. Lashley could very well fall due to his inexperience, and Shamrock due to the fact that he’s rapidly approaching fossil territory and is 3-7 in his last 10 fights. It’s a pairing that might be better suited to a wrestling ring, but it’s also one that should have the casual fans interested. I'd expect Lashley to overpower Shamrock and win handily, but you never know.

Suns 118 Lakers 111

I've said this before and I'll say it again. The Phoenix Suns beating the Los Angeles Lakers is as good as sex to me. Probably even a little better.



The win is particularly noteworthy given the absence of Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. I don’t want to get ahead of myself since the next 10 games or so are absolutely brutal, but a win over the Lakers is as good a way as any to kick things off. Some notables:

-The Suns are now 6-2 under Alvin Gentry, and averaging a pretty staggering 125 points per game over that span. Impressive, especially considering that they were without STAT for 6 of those games, and without Nash for the past couple. They probably won't be able to keep that 125 ppg pace up, but it's good to have the most exciting squad in the league back.



-Good to have Leandro back. Barbosa is averaging 21 ppg as a starter since Amare went down, and he’s also done a decent job running the point in Nash’s absence. I still believe that this kid is going to be an All-Star someday.



-Diesel is averaging 39 ppg as the focal point of the offense with Nash out. Not bad for a guy who supposedly can’t run. Upon being accused of cheating by Toronto's Chris Bosh, Shaq had the following to say:

"I heard what Chris Bosh said, and that's strong words coming from the RuPaul of big men. I'm going to do the same thing (in their next meeting) I did before - make him quit. Make 'em quit and complain. It's what I do."

Damn. I've got nothing against Bosh, and I would have welcomed an Amare/Bosh trade, but I suspect that the "RuPaul of big men" thing is something he's never going to live down. That's just cold.

-Grant Hill, the team’s other old man, is also playing some inspired ball and has apparently decided that he wants to dunk on the entire league before he retires. Just hope those ankles hold up.





And I kid you not, the delivery guy came with these as I was in the midst of typing this entry.



6 Rings in PHX colors. I live a fairly simple existence. My mood goes as my team goes, my happiness comes when my kicks come.