And now for my amusement, Memento style entry time.

Oh luscious Southern California. People may berate Los Angeles and Hollywood for being digusting, but they are wrong, misguided, unknowing of the ass-kicking nature that saturates my home turf like fat by-products in the creamy oreo middles of suburban Americans. As Fadedlight has her mystified England, so SoCal has this wonderful airy quality of power and dimension to it. Just being here I can feel life all around me, pulsating, tens of things I could within the beautiful scaled borders of this valley, this smoggy cesspool of bliss, this L.A.

My flights were generally uneventful: I got searched a few times, given some kind but stern advice from a black security officer that I should never leave my bags out of my sight...even with the scanning crew. Dissension in the airport security ranks, wow. I'm still getting over being sick so I availed myself to lots of kleenex...but oddly, I didn't get the same imminent nasal explosion feeling that I usually do during landings.

The taxi cab to the Cleveland airport was nice. I actually got to chatting with the guy about inconsequential stuff. I tipped him forty percent since it was only four bucks. The hotel room my mother and grandmother had been staying at was elegantly pimp. A TV adorned both the bedroom and main room, universal controls throwing me into several varieties of HBO I hadn't ever known existed. There was this lovely unmonitored "on your honor" snack shop, where you picked what you wanted and threw some bones down a tiny slot. I believe in the celestial goal of completely separating food preparation from the consumer. This place affirmed my culinarily misanthropic vision.

Besides Law and Order I finally saw Final Fantasy. I don't know what everyone was bitching about when they said it wasn't good and had no plot. I loved the movie and thought the genre had some real potential. Sure it was a bit different, but so was Christ. Aki reminded me of my friend Selene and how much I miss her. I lost touch with the girl some time back. I mean we talk about work and careers since we're roughly in the same field, but times are busy and meaningful dialogue...well, takes awhile. Anyway, I couldn't help but smiling even if CGI didn't get the main character's face quite right.

The second dinner that I had by myself at the spiffy Italian place was decent, but a skotch less orgasmic than last time. Chefs on the weekdays are usually understudy apprentices or not as much experience. Ah well.

I think I'm getting used to this whole being unemployed and tens of thousands of American dollars in debt thing. So far I've got a place to stay semi-indefinetely until I find a job. God, here's to Princeton recruting me. I'm up against some incredibly nasty competition, with at least people with my level of experience (~3 years in the field).

I feel fantastic. The flat wasteland of Ohio is like a dead forgotten dream...and Oberlin can grow ivy in my mind now, twisting into something pleasant to remember. But actually, when I actually got a chance to look at the campus, it really became somewhere that I'd miss. Take away the hell of work and there were these things and people that I got to relish for a week. I think that week'll be with me for a long time. But, for now, I'm going to go by the local park and lounge around in the sand, see if some of the Pagans are being silly and burning twigs to appease some dude/thingy.

Gods it's great to be back. Oh, and thanks for the well wishes about graduation. I appreciate all of you caring so much about my silly ass.

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