It's done.
The trip that has caused so much ambivalence has been completed. I can now say I've been to Japan. And yes, I would like to return.
I really only wanted to go there to shop, and shop I did. I didn't want to go with inflated expectations. Too many people think Hawai‘i is all grass huts and hula skirts, not realizing Honolulu is a major city like any other city on the Mainland.
I had some notion of what the topography of Japan would look like from media -- music videos, anime -- but I kept my mind open about everything else. And I'm glad I did.
On a more personal level, this trip really demonstrated the stark differences between my brother and me. At the very least, my efforts at more healthful living have paid off. Also, it would really be nice for everyone in my family if dad could just let go and shuffle this mortal coil. (Yes, I said that out loud.)
So, how do I proceed? Report on the sequence of events as they transpired from day to day? Summarize the experience in more general terms? There's the trip to Japan, and there's also my current stay in Hawai‘i. (I return to Austin on Dec. 2.)
The flight to Hawai‘i managed not to piss me off as badly as it usually does, even with a four-hour layover. I think I've discovered the secret to make it tolerable -- alcohol. I had a pair of margaritas at a Mexican restaurant in LAX, and it made me sufficiently tipsy to sleep on the plane. I know what I'm doing on my flight back to LAX.
Before leaving for Japan, I spent five incredibly uneventful days in Honolulu, just watching TV or surfing the web. I paid a visit to Ala Moana to see if I could get some items on my shopping list before heading to Japan, thereby allowing me to get more things there. I was unsuccessful. I did, however, get my ABC Store Men of Hawai‘i calendar.
It got a bit boring, but it just feels nice to be away from Austin -- from the angst about money issues, from the disillusionment of living in a city of which I've grown tired, from work. I would get restless, but then I would pull back and realize I keep myself busy enough when I'm in my own place. Why not relish this time to do absolutely nothing?
The trip would be activity enough.
Five Things that Would Draw Me to Living in the Bay Area
- A chance to catch the Mythbusters at work.
- Easy access to Kronos Quartet concerts.
- Kinokuniya and Book Off. Have yet to see how Amoeba Records compares with Waterloo, though.
- Teh gay
- Work
Five Things that Make Me Sick of Austin
- Longhorn Football
- Rednecks
- 70 days of triple-digit heat
- Allergy seasons
- Texas self-aggrandizement
今月号(11月号)の月刊アスキードットテクノロジーズで、Android特集の記事を立ち読み(買ってないｗ)していたら、x86で動くLiveAndroidのことが載っていたので、「どんなもんだろー」と思って、さっそく試してみました。
Try WiMAXで借りたUSBモデムのスピードを、自宅で測ってみました！
まずは、いまのうちのADSLのスピードはというと・・・
正直ショボイですね・・・12MbpsのADSLなんですが・・・収容局からかなり離れてるんで、仕方ないです(涙)
で、WiMAXのスピードはというと・・・
UQの接続ツールの電波強度を見たら、5段階のうち、なんと下から2番目の弱さでこのスピード！
UQのWebサイトで、マップで実測値を見るとだいたいうちの近所がこんな感じなので、そうぞうはしてましたが、それでも実際に測ってスピードを実感すると、速いっ！って体感スピードが凄いです。
これは、もうADSLからWiMAXに変えるしかないですね。
光の方が速いのはわかるんですが、自宅とモバイル環境の両方で使おうと思ったら、光の場合はイーモバとかとまた別の契約をしないといけないですが、WiMAXなら、自宅とモバイルと一つでいけます！
モバイルの場合、電波の入り具合によってはイマイチな場所もあるでしょうが、それでも、契約が一つで済むってのはコストのメリットが大きいですね。
久しぶりに更新...以前書いたのは1年以上前だったのか... (笑)
ぼちぼちとまた書いていこうと思います。
I bought a guitar today. No, I can't really afford it.
Guitar Center was offering 12-month no interest on their store card, which I have. I thought about getting some bass traps, but I don't want to install anything in the studio if I may have to uninstall it, should I relocate. I could have gotten a Shure SM58 dynamic microphone or some Sony MDR-7502 headphones, but I don't really use the dynamic mic I already have. The Sennheiser HD280 headphones I already have are good enough for monitoring.
So I got a guitar. It's not even a priority purchase. (I would like to get a Nord 2 synthesizer, for the time I may want to start playing live.)
But it's one that's reasonable when spread over a year.
Also, the acoustic guitar I bought back in 1998 is ... OK. But I could never really play it. I always chalked it up to my deficiencies as a guitar player -- piano is my primary instrument -- and I put up with the too-narrow bridge for my thick fingers. I never really got as much pleasure playing that guitar as I did playing my piano.
Then a few weeks back, I started browsing Ask Metafilter for pointers on how to buy a guitar, and the advice I saw was to audition as many guitars as possible. A cheap guitar that feels comfortable will trump an expensive guitar that doesn't, the consensus seemed to say.
So yesterday, I decided to cure my cabin fever by going to the Guitar Center down south. I played on a few guitars but didn't fall in love with anything in particular. I aimed for instruments in the $250-$400 range, and I could tell they felt different than the one I have. I got there late enough that the store closed half an hour later.
Today, I went to the store up north and played another few guitars. The salesguy pointed out a few models, and I checked them out. I was leaning toward a Seagull guitar, but then I was shown a Breedlove. I'm no good with barre chords, but on this guitar, I managed to make them without much effort. The action felt comfortable, the sound was great, and the neck was wide enough to accommodate my fingers.
Yes, I connected with the guitar, and I wanted to bring it home with me.
So I put it on the Guitar Center card, and for the next 12 months, I'll be chipping in approximately $32 to pay it off.
With trips to Seattle and Japan coming up, plus trying to square away my credit card balance, I haven't let myself get anything fun. I spend all my money on bills and food. I haven't bought any CDs, and last week, I agonized whether to get both a haircut and an oil change for my car. I was about to buy Please Understand Me II from the bookstore, but I put it back on the shelf.
All this self-control, and I lose it for a guitar? It's not inconceivable, but in reality, I'm tired of waiting.
I'm tried of forecasting my finances and discovering that, no, I cannot renew my Flickr account, and no, I cannot get a replacement for the wireless access point just yet. No, I cannot go CD shopping this weekend, and no, I cannot go to Oilcan Harry's and ignore guys who may want me.
I'm tried of waiting to make myself happy. I'm tired of waiting for the trips to see how much is leftover. I'm tried of breaking even. I'm tired of getting paid half of what I should be making. I'm just fucking tired.
I can't afford this guitar -- and I am seriously considering selling the old guitar to help pay for the new one -- but I don't want to just maintain my vital signs. I want to live a little, even though I know full well a little is a lot to ask right now.
