Greg Trek IV: The Journey Home

Wow, I’ve been slacking this vacation. Oh well, not really much to tell. My uncle snores, so being in my own room will be nice. ^-^ The fact that I haven’t cleaned my room is a bit of a downer, but whatcha gonna do, eh? By the way, I’m headed home now, as I write this (9:52pm by my comps internal clock). This trip made me realize how much I miss my mini-disc player. I have a buncha crap tracks on this computer. I can’t wait till I’m out on my own, er… with Matt, actually, who will give me all the songs I demand. Cuz he’s a good friend like that.

So, what’s new with Greg? Lessee, Blogger got a new interface. You folks don’t notice it, but it looks neat from my perspective. I’m actually hopeful that this letter will work and not replace odd characters with even odder ones. Yep, that’s what I did on my vacation, surfed the internet, and noticed the home page was different. Actually, that’s not the ONLY thing I did. I chatted online, as many of you prolly know. I also read some new articles and stuff that interested me, but (shock and awe) I also did stuff AWAY from the computer. Aside from playing with my little cousin (which is a lot more boring when we’re at her house, cuz she doesn’t have a Playstation or ANYTHING u.u) I managed to catch a couple of movies on my Aunt and Uncle’s satalite TV. W00t! Trouble is, they also have TiVo, so watching live TV doesn’t work, cuz they have a seemingly 24 hr TiVo schedule. I did get to watch a few movies, though: Mission: Impossible, Star Wars Episode 2 (which I got my laptop during the middle of, because Hayden Christian [Anakin Skywalker] gets on my fucking nerves – the guy can’t act! I would’a made a WAY better Anakin Skywalker. I go the height down, and could prolly have developed into a halfway decent saberist, or whatever the word is. */Rant*), and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The last one made me somewhat want to go see the third one. I’ll look into when it comes out. If its any time near when Lena’s coming to Tennessee to visit me, I’ll prolly see it then.

Also, I did a bit of shopping. Not much mind you, but still, my grandfather gave me $40 when I got to Tennessee, and I don’t have it anymore. What did I spend it on, do you ask? Well, for starters, we somehow ended up going to the mall for mother’s day. After getting lost in a “+”-shaped-mall (they need more directories), we eventually found Waldenbooks. And let me tell you, this is like the king of all WB’s, from a manga standpoint (the only standpoint I look at them from). It was seriously almost like a mini-B’n’N in there. So, since I recently had finished Love Hina, and was looking for a new series to follow, I picked up something called Tsubasa, by Clamp. It’s got a really cool story, involving characters hopping from one universe to another, in search of a girl’s lost memories. The girl in question is Sakura, but not the Cardcaptor from Clamp’s other series. Rather, its her in a different universe, and she’s unconscious for most of the series anyway, so she doesn’t matter much. Catch me later, and I’ll explain later; I’m a tad confused about it right now. I also picked up Love Hina #1, the American version, because the bilingual Japanese version I got earlier is missing two chapters. So, now I’ll have to find some time and go back and re-read them all. Shouldn’t be any problem, since ATM I have no other books that I need to pick up. Of course, Megatokyo, .Hack, and Tsubasa are still being read, but I have all the volumes of them published as of yet, so…. I got some time. If anyone out there has any suggestions, I’d be greatful.

“Ah, but two Manga, that’s only $20!” you think. “Where’d the rest of the money go?” Well, child, I also bought something in the greatest store ever: SAMS! (Okay, not really the greatest ever but still...) I walked in the front with my aunt, and immediately headed for the game section. Usually, most of the games Sam’s keeps in stock are crap, but every once in a while, they’ll carry a gem or two, if you’re looking. Case in point, I saw FFTA a while back, and this most recent trip saw Metroid: Zero Mission. That would have probably been the game for me, except for it was a few dollars out of my range. Just barely, though. I’ll have to try and catch a ride with mom next time she goes to Sam’s. Anyway, dejected, I sidled down to the PS2 games, to see what bargain-bin games they were offering there. The thing about that is, greatest hits games are usually about the same price as normal crappy games, so Sam’s just lumps them all in together, in the “Under $20” category. As I’m looking, I spot Xenosaga 1, a game I recognize from some old EGM’s as being a good game, though with exceptionally long cut-scenes. I, for one, like watching cut-scenes. It’s like a little reward for playing so well. ^-^! So I bought the game, and that’s where the rest of my money went.

Don’t worry, I’m not broke. I got money in the bank. I just can’t get at it right now cuz my ATM card has a once per month limit, and I used mine last on like May 2nd. Cuz I’m a dummass. *Shrugs* Anyway, I also have a buncha quarters. This comes in handy in two places – Arcades (more on that in a second), and those machines where you put in quarters, turn a metal knob, and a prize drops out, be it gumball, peel-off Tattoo, or !?CONDOM?! Yeah, that’s right, truck stop bathrooms, which I have been frequenting lately, have condom dispensers. I saw one on my way up here and wondered… should I? I mean, I am of age, verile, and exceptionally horny. So, it’s not like I wouldn’t use it, given a willing partner. Course, the problem is just that. I don’t have a partner. I’m not in a relationship where I need a condom, and thus, I don’t need one at all. Anyway, just thought I’d clue you all into that amazing moral quandary of mine. (I didn’t get it, if you’re a bit dense.)

About arcades – Lena’s 7th birthday, the one I arrived in Tennessee just in time for, was held at Chuckie Cheezes. I really don’t know what the draw of that place is. I mean, it’s got some good games, but for the most part, they’re all kiddy games. *Thinks for a sec* *Remembers he was there for a SEVEN-YEAR-OLD’S BIRTHDAY* Duh. Anyway, the afternoon wasn’t a TOTAL loss, seeing as the place had a MW4 game. Yeah, that’s right, MechWarrior 4! W00t! I proceeded to sit in it and kick total ass at it, as well as inputting a bunch of quarters. (It’s not that I died a lot; it’s cuz the game ran on a timer.) Anyway, I went through and beat the ass of the game. I got first place on the Moon – 700000 or so. Beat THAT! Of course, despite this amazing feat, Lena couldn’t understand why I’d waste so much time on a machine that didn’t give out ANY TICKETS AT ALL. (I then gave her all the ticket’s I had from random Ski-ball encounters.) By the way, thanks Uncle David, for funding my MechWarriorage.

There was one last thing I needed to say, and I JUST remembered it. E3 is going on now! W000000. For those of you who may not know, E3 (Electronics Entertainment Expo) is the video game industries major yearly campaign, where they unveil all their new goodies. New systems, new games, new awesomeness. This years high mark, for me anyway, was the revealing of the Nintendo DS (Dual Screen) It’s a portable device with, you guessed it, TWO screens, one above the other. It’s rumored to have power at least equal to the Nintendo 64, and features a touch screen and a rechargeable battery like the SP. Also cool is the fact that, like all previous Nintendo Portables of the GB line, the DS is backwards compatible with all the older games. So now I can switch from Metroid Prime: Hunters (a FPS for the tiny thing) to old school Tetris vs. PJ, should I want, or any other combination. True, I can do that NOW, too, but still… I gotta get this. Its got TWO screens! As for PSP, Sony’s competing product… eh. It looks alright, but I do still have to go with the DS on this one. Not only does it let me play all my old games, it also comes from the experts in the hand-held gaming, i.e., the team that managed to beat out the Game Gear with a green and black fuzzy screen. *Sniffles in remembrance of the wonder that was Tails’ Adventure.* Sony still has my support in the home market, but being able to play Tetris, Pokemon Red, Mario DX, and FFTA, in addition to whatever new stuff Nintendo releases for the DS, all on the same device has it’s merits.

Okay, I’m sleepy, and they’re prolly gonna want me to drive before we get home. It’s 10:45 now, and my computer tells me there are 2hrs, 45 mins left before I get home. See you tomorrow!