I’ve been extremely busy the last while and thus there hasn’t been much to write about. Most days consist of getting up, commuting 2 hours to work by bus, working 8-12 hours, commuting another 2 hours home by bus, eating dinner, showering, and sleeping. The good thing about being that busy is that it doesn’t give me time to be lonely or bored, both of which have been problematic for me when I have too much free time. It helps a lot that I’ve become more familiar with Seattle over the last few months so I feel comfortable hanging out in the city on my own and exploring a bit.

Since last I wrote a few major things have come to pass. The Silent Hill movie came out. Will, Chad, Max and I saw it opening night at a cinema downtown. For the most part, I was pleased…I was grinning like mad for the first 3/4 of the film, then kind of slipped into uhhhh? mode when it got to the ending. They changed the motives of the townsfolk, which sort of ruins the basis for the SH mythology. :\ Not too happy about that, but I guess it’s asking a lot to explain SH in under 2 hours. I ended up seeing it a second time the following week and was less disappointed the second time since I knew how they were going to handle the ending. Still, a worthwhile effort.

That same Friday (opening night), Will, Chad and I went to see LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad play at Chop Suey. It was after 10 by the time we got into the venue, and nearly midnight by the time Bukem got on stage, by which time I was starting to drift off. This was, of course, after a full day of work. The drum n’ bass sent me into a trance and I fell asleep about 10 times before Will asked if we should head home (around 2 AM.)

Will went to Japan last week to visit Hiroko and shop. XD Coincidentally, Ross was also there visiting his sister at the same time, so they got to meet! Ross took a ton of photos, which was really cool because I got a slightly different perspective of Japan than the one I’ve gleaned from Will’s photos. They also met up with Jon (vertigo) who now has a job in Japan. Sounds like they all had a good time. Will got me a really great Engrish shirt too.

While Will was away, my main goal was to find a new place to live. Hiroko should be coming back to the states sometime in the near future so Will wants to have a place ready for her when she arrives. I considered living with other people in a house, where rent would be a lot cheaper…and for a long time this seemed like the most appealing option. Jules was really concerned about me being lonely so he pushed for this situation. I contacted several people about places and went to look at one, which ended up being way too nice for me. In the end the idea of living alone started to appeal to me more, so I looked for 1-bedroom and studio apartments in Ballard. I looked at two places about a mile from where I live now and the second one was *perfect* so I focused on trying to get that one. And I did! :D

I must say I am rather excited about this place. Like I mentioned, it’s not too far from where I live now, and it’s basically right across from the canal locks, which means the water is only a couple hundred feet away. There’s a lot of trees in the way bordering the public park, so there’s no direct view of the water, but you can feel the sea breeze. A really nice bike/walking trail passes by the edge of the park, following the water all the way east.

And the apartment itself…wow! It’s a 1-br, second floor place with a HUGE balcony and a skylight in the kitchen! It’s something like 650 square feet…so plenty of room for one person, especially someone like me who doesn’t have much stuff. The best part of all of it is Jules will be able to stay with me there (ie, we won’t *have* to move again once he arrives here.) They also allow cats there, which is a good thing as we intend to get one some day. :3 The rent is more than reasonable for the size and location of the place…it is, of course, more than I’m paying now sharing an apartment, but the trade-off is having all that private space to myself to do with as I wish, to not have to worry about bothering my roommate, etc. I’ve never lived alone before and I think it will be a truly valuable experience.

I’m not actually living there yet as there is no internet access hooked up yet, but I have signed the lease and moved some of my things over. If all goes well, I should be able to move most of my things tomorrow night and over the weekend, and by Tuesday night be able to stay the night. Since Will and I have paid for our May rent in full, there’s really no reason to rush out of here so I’m not going to push myself too much, especially because I’m sick right now. ;_; Everyone at work is coughing, sneezing, and holding their heads in pain, so something nasty is about…and I got it too. *sigh* Oh well.

I’m quite proud of myself that I was able to find this place on my own (yay for craigslist) and pass all the screening processes to secure it as mine. They did screening for background, credit, rental history, and employment. o.o They seem to really want quality people living there. This has brought out my confidence more since I’ve had to do it all on my own, and the thought that I’m not only doing this for myself, but for Jules as well, helps a great deal.

Well, I should get some rest now as I’m really exhausted, and sick Annys need their rest.