It has been WAY too long since writing or posting anything. It has certainly not been for lack of material but of time. And now I'm going to have a bit more time on my hands. Reason being, my girlfriend and I broke up Sunday. Ah, what a way to start a vacation. So yes, I'm half way through my 2nd week of vacation for the year. And instead of being depressed and moping the entire week I'm getting things done that I've been meaning to do for a long time, i.e. update the ol' Journal.

Monday Dad had bought a new soft top for his Wrangler so I went over there and installed it for him. Tuesday we wanted to test it out and I wanted to do a little hiking/photography so we drove down to Cumberland Falls. It's on the Kentucky/Tennessee border and has absolutely gorgeous scenery. It even looks good wet because that was how we saw it. The forecast said it was supposed to be cloudy so we went fairly early hoping to beat the rain but no such luck. I was hoping for a mile or two hike so we did get out in the rain and walked about but no trails. We ate in the Jeep, which the top was installed correctly, mostly, and is water-tight. Mostly, because the windshield railing is a tad loose and it whistled when the windows were rolled up and it was moving over 50 MPH. Which was a significant portion of the trip.

When we got home I was pretty tired since sleep has been somewhat elusive the past couple nights. But I find out that my friend in California had Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 pre-ordered, which was released Tuesday, and was planning on playing it with me. Well, this was the first I heard of that and I wasn't going to buy it till the price went down. So spur of the moment I decided this is going to be a good vacation, picked up a copy, and proceeded to beat up some super-villans with him till 2:30 AM my time. And then today I woke up at the crack of dawn (8:30 by my reckoning) fixed the usual coffee and cereal, watched some Ruroni Kenshin, and just chilled. There was another project I was hoping to accomplish on vacation so I set out on that when I was nice and relaxed. Seeing a photo would expedite the explanation process so I will upload one as well. Basically I have book shelves installed directly to the wall. They have no end caps so instead of using 20 sets of book ends I decided to take a steel bar and mount it the the sides of the shelving. It adds space and looks pretty cool to boot. The only thing was I had to pull off all 500 pounds of books and had to drill 18 holes through the said steel. It's not hard but it takes time and you get steel shavings all over the place.So that took up most the day.

As for the future vacation, tomorrow I'm going to organize half a ton of paperwork and miscellaneous doo-dads (read, office and art supplies, tools, boxes of old origami) and trash the trash and store the rest in the closet. Friday I'm going to clean the condo to where it will be uncluttered AND spotless. I feel I do a disservice to my brother's memory to leave it as it is. This was one way we were different. He kept everything... maybe not in order but he just didn't HAVE that much stuff. He was not a pack rat. I am. On top of that, I have tools like a Dremel for random chores, an air brush for art, frames coming out my ears for photos and art, and just all the tinkery type of items I collect. For example, you cannot have just one type of glue and even then you cannot just have one type of epoxy. You need your normal clear expoy, your epoxy putty for quick jobs, and your JB Weld for metals. And I know where everything is at, as long as I have a minute to look for it. Brian, on the other hand, left the condo perfect. When we first came in to get his stuff a few days after he died, everything was in perfect order. Take a minute and look around your place and imagine if you were to die now, this is how everyone would see it tomorrow. Not sure why that impressed me so much about him but it made a mark. No matter what he did, he didn't deal in the frivolous. No matter how busy he was, everything was organized.

And between cleaning I'm going to just relax, play some video games, read, watch some anime, work on some origami projects, etc. So I've never been good after the few times I have been in a relationship but now I'm strangely at peace. I'm tired because I did everything to make things work but I was just doing it wrong. I could punch a granite wall all day long and in the end I would just have bloody pulp at the ends of my arms. If I had a sledge hammer or a pick it would be just as tiring but at least head-way would be made. So what does a granite wall have to do with a relationship? SImply put, she had LOTS of emotional defenses and I lacked the tools, experience, and the know-how of getting through to her; she wasn't about to open the door for me. I cannot say much more since she isn't around here to defend herself. Mind you, I know I had my fair share of screwing up so I can only assume that's why she locked me out all of a sudden. We had some good times and I do not wish to sully those memories by being bitter. I did what I could and it wasn't enough. Maybe next time I'll be stronger and smarter, the defenses a little toned down. I just refuse to give up, much to the chagrin of all the other eligible women out there.

So expect to hear from and see more of me in the near future! And to all the people who started watching me during my off-period, sorry for the lack of updates! It's like seeing the tail end of a cool firework and then lighting another one but it just duds out. While I kind of feel like that, I've got plenty of ideas in reserve to work on. Hope everyone is having a better week than I!