SUMMER MOVIES!

Ok, so this summer...a new Batman movie...and new Indiana Jones movie...and if that wasn't enough, a new X-Files movie!?!!! Seriously, my entire childhood all smashed into one summer!

The only thing that would make it complete would be a new Jurassic Park, but let's face it, it would probably suck (just like the last two), so I think we're ok.

Plus the new Pixar movie about the robot looks super rad as well!

Rick Makes a New Friend at Target

I had to make a quick stop at Target last week to buy some chapstick and vitamins. I park my car and begin quickly walking towards the store (for it was cold outside) when this random man, fairly young and pretty fit, starts talking to me.
“Hey,” he says.
“Uhh, hi.”
“How’s it going?”
“ummmm, not bad”—I begin walking slightly faster.
“Hey, you want to join the army?” he asks enthusiastically. I seriously thought he was messin’ around, until I notice that he was wearing an army hat and had camouflage pants on…so obviously a recruiter. I haven’t been hassled by army recruiters since high school.
I chuckled as I kept walking. “Haa…no.”
“Come on man! They’ll pay your school costs!” He wasn’t going to let this go.
“I just graduated man; sorry, you’re a few years too late.”
“It’s never too late to serve your country!” He continues to follow me as we’re walking into Target.
Now even though I have total respect for lads and chicks who decide to join the army, there’s no way one could ever convince me to join (seriously, try picturing me fighting. No? That’s right, neither can I -- though I’m sure it would make a great sitcom)…and this fantastic feat was certainly not going to happen in a Target parking lot of all places.
At the same time, I honestly felt guilty. To think, he has to ask younger guys in department store parking lots to completely rethink their life goals and leave everything behind to join the army…they must be really fucking desperate for people. And it’s not his fault if at the end of the week he doesn’t get any new recruits, I mean, the guy’s trying.
I tell him “sorry, but no,” one last time, “but good luck,” and I walk in my separate direction. I was hoping that I wouldn’t run into him again in the store, and luckily I was wearing my camouflage Target gear (a red hoodie), so I could blend in with my surroundings and not be spotted.

My Top Movies from Last Year

Alright, so while hanging out on set today, I had some downtime, so I made my list of Top Ten Favorite Movies of 2007 that I've seen. Granted, there are still some movies that I really want to catch (Control, Lars and the Real Girl, Rescue Dawn, Enchanted, etc), but it's still pretty complete I think.

My Top 10 of 2007

10. The Host
9. No Country for Old Men
8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
7. 3:10 to Yuma
6. A Mighty Heart
5. Paprika
4. This Film is Not Yet Rated
3. Eastern Promises
2. I'm Not There
#1 There Will Be Blood


Most Disappointing Movies of 2007
1. 300 (seriously people, c'mon)
2. Spiderman 3
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
4. Zodiac
5. Knocked Up (yes, even though Seth Rogen was about 10 feet from me all day today, I was still really disappointed with this one).

"Christmas is Coming..."

For the past 3 weeks or so, I've been successfully boycotting any store/restaurant with either Christmas decorations up OR Christmas music being played. I strongly urge you all to do the same. Even before Halloween came upon us, Christmas music was "delightfully" being played in department stores. This includes almost every store in the Robinson Twp (and greater Pittsburgh) area.
Unacceptable people. Simply unacceptable.
Luckily for me, I don't need any new clothes...

There's 'Hell' in Hello, but More in Goodbye

I haven’t written anything in awhile, so here it goes.

Pittsburgh summers are usually gray and monotonous, though the past 2/3 months have been rather eventful. Besides working everyday in this miserable office (where I’m currently writing this), I’ve been able to catch up with a lot of friends around town, see a few (rather interesting) shows, play some music w/others, read a few books (though not as many as usual), and just walk around and enjoy the horribly humid air.

As far as movies go, I haven’t really seen too many (my attention span is dwindling at the moment). I HAVE been listening to a lot of music though. I’ve been craving electro dance/electronic sort of stuff, but have also been receiving a heavy dose of shoegaze and
your standard indie pop. Some things never change.
I’ve been reading a lot of travel writing, along with a few select novels (yes, including Harry Potter). The best book has probably been “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh” though. Yeah, I can realllly identify with the main character, though the upcoming movie sounds like they’re really fucking up the plot.

Relationships…..hmmmm ok next subject.

One different activity I’ve been indulging in is drum corps...not playing or anything, just watching and experiencing. I’ll try to write another entry solely about drum corps, but seriously, it’s wicked. I’ve been kind of searching for some kind of subject to possibly make a documentary on in the near future since I’ve gotten back from SAS, and so far, this seems to be the most interesting. There’s this whole world containing thousands of drum corps members and fans, but the whole activity has failed to break it into the mainstream (though if you’re bored this weekend, you can definitely watch the DCI finals on ESPN, PBS). It’s seriously insane (and yes, it generally takes a lot to really impress me).

So school starts in a few weeks, and I’m NOT looking forward to it. I’ll be student teaching, and even though I’ll be at CAPA (Pittsburgh’s performing arts school downtown…which is awesome), I’m still utterly terrified and simply uninterested in completing this semester. I don’t really want to teach… at least high school kids anyways, and that’s upsetting, because I for one believe that one must really desire to teach in order to effectively do the best job. Teachers always just seem so…old. I’m still young! I can’t imagine people calling me ‘Mr. Moslen.’ Ewww. I don’t want that. Luckily I’m double-majoring so I have other options of course. I was kind of hoping to start a graduate degree soon (in another city), but I’ll have to work alittle bit before starting that; not only because I’m planning on moving into my own place later this year, but also because I need to save up for traveling in the future! That or I should just move to Japan and teach English…we’ll see.

This summer I’ve been to Erie, Allentown, Philadelphia, Toledo, LA (after this weekend), and DC/Baltimore for our little SAS reunion last week. Honestly, this past weekend in DC/Baltimore was easily the most enjoyable weekend I’ve had in a long time. I really do miss a lot of people from the Semester at Sea trip. It’s also a shame, because I’m not too sentimental and don’t care for expressing many feelings/emotions out loud, but I really do miss certain people a lot and it’s most difficult to express at times. Though it was a fun weekend, saying goodbye is always the worst. Feeling somewhat depressed at the moment.

Well, after work today I have a 21st birthday party to attend to at least, and still must find time to pack some clothes, for I’ll be leaving for the LA area tomorrow immediately following work. So I’m still sad, but still very excited.


Current listening music: “Neverland” by The Knife

Random Thought

I'm toying with the idea of buying a house in Valencia, CA when I have the sufficient amount of funds.
Why you ask? Not for any imporant reason really. Just so that when someone asks me where I'm from, I can exclaim slowly, over-dramatically, and mystically "VaLENcia!" and then disappear into the darkness.

work/out of town opportunities-related

So I’m looking at my desk and I literally have one empty styrofoam cup of coffee on one side, a half-full cup of coffee on the other side (which I’ve already refilled), and an empty bottle of Starbucks Frappuccino on the other side from this morning. This doesn’t include the half-drunken bottle of Gatorade I have stashed in the refrigerator. I think I’m starting to get sick from all this caffeine though. It's only 12:30, and needless to say, it’s still difficult to stay awake/concentrate.

Because of these coffee cups and all of these papers/folders, by the end of the summer my desk will probably resemble Dennis Nedry's. My messy antics will surely cause Samuel L to come in and give me a beatdown ("what a complete slob"). Hey at least I'm usually really clean.

In other news, my friend Jon e-mailed me this link late last night, saying that I must do this. It is VERY tempting. A friend and I went to NYC a few years ago and played in a symphony with 100 guitars, so playing with 77 drummers doesn't seem tooo far fetched I guess. Plus I am actually in the mood for an absurd road trip. I’ll e-mail them and see if they’re still looking for people.

I'm Starting to Realize How Truly Exciting My Life was a Month Ago...

I kept a journal for my trip, and it was rather interesting for the most part. Different adventures each day. Lots of fun. So much to write about that I often skipped over the more important things.

Anyways, I’m still in a journaling mood, but have no cool adventures. So here’s a recap of my exciting day at my summer job, just to prove how boring and uneventful life suddenly becomes.


My Work Journal for 6/12/07

8:31. I arrive to the office one minute late. Oops

8:32. The girl next to me asks if I saw myself on television Saturday night (she thinks I look like one of the cast members on Saturday Night Live). I say “no, but thanks for asking.”

9:25. As I’m filling out one of these escalation sheets, I realize that the word “institute” has way too many ‘t’s in it. 1/3 of the word is taken up by ‘t’s. This troubles me.

9:43. Almost every girl working in the room sneezes at about the same time. This is weird. This occurrence causes much laughter throughout the office as many snot germs fill the air.

10:50. I have to call numerous places and people to confirm addresses, and some really don’t like to disclose this information. For example, it’s the second time in the past week that I’ve had to verify an address with a secret “WMD Warehouse” on a military base in Colorado. The feds are gonna bust through the door soon because I know too much.

12:00. I’ve always thought that I was very good at understanding different accents…until I talked to someone on the phone from southern Texas.

12:02. Lunchtime at my desk, except both people who sit next to me are at a meeting, so I have nobody to talk to :(

13:11. This is how sad I am: My computer clock is one hour behind, so I look at the time and I’m like “aww it’s only 12:10,” but THEN I look at my watch and I’m like “yea!!! It’s really 1:10.” Quite simple, yet quite refreshing every time.

13:33. I’m gonna make a shout out to the Westchester Medical Group. "Holla!" All I need from them is a suite or building number, but they’ve put me on hold for the past 10 minutes. After listening to a recorded loop of information at their number while on-hold over and over, I now understand that I should schedule a physical appointment at their office at 3020 Westchester Ave, Purchase, NY 10577. “When was YOUR last exam?” Did you know that people with high anger problems and high blood pressure are prone to heart attacks or sudden cardiac death? High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and physical exhaustion can all predict heart attacks. So says the Westchester Medical Group on-hold radio station.

13:43. Sign onto http://www.westchestermed.com/ where you can register for their new feature messaging services! Brown or multi-grain bread isn’t necessarily “whole grain.” It must be made out of 100 % wheat flour for it to be considered “whole grain.” Check the nutrition facts for more info.

13:45. If you have diabetes, then walking barefoot or with sandals can be a hazard. Schedule regular podiatry exams if you have any further questions. The Westchester Medical group cares for YOU!

13:46. I hang up.

14:14. I try calling this “medical group” again, but now the number’s apparently been “disconnected.” They’re trying to avoid me. I can play this game.

14:56. Looking through shipping addresses, I magically discover that there’s a street in Kentucky named “Cinnamon Children Road.” That’s right folks. I’ve discovered that there’s something cool in Kentucky.

16:03 I finally get in contact with the bitches at Westchester Medical. They gave me my information…good thing for their sake.

16:15 I’m posting all of this stuff up on my blog. Shouldn’t I be working? Yes, but every time I walk past almost every girl in this room, they’re either on their facebook or myspace page. At least I’m working with people my age I guess.

And at 16:30, I’ll leave a half hour early, because I ate my lunch at my desk.



So yeah. The blog has suddenly taken a turn for the worst, because life is back to normal.

SAS Conclusion

So I wrote this little blurb on my laptop while sitting on the floor at a Chicago airport while my flight was delayed—May 15th. Sorry for the INCREDIBLE delay, but I still feel like posting what I wrote:


This sucks.
I just realized that for the first time in the past three and ahalf months, I’m truly alone. I’m all by myself. I’m waiting on the dirty floor of this airport for my flight to take me back to Pittsburgh …back to the place where I was honestly trying to run away from. It looks like hell outside—thunderstorms, lightning, my kind of night I guess. Sure, while on this global journey there were a few times where I’d travel to a store, a movie theater, or an Indian museum by myself; I always hated traveling alone for brief periods of time, but I’d also always make it back to the ship where I’d meet up with familiar faces Not this time. I surprisingly loved being around people all the time, and honestly never got sick of it.

I’m not too sentimental, but I’d be lying if I said that I’m not going to miss the experiences, the countries, the laughs, the ship itself, and the people. I’m going to miss sitting in that global studies class. I already miss the many inside jokes that no one at home will understand. I’m even going to miss getting hit in the stomach with a pillow in the middle of the night in my cabin because I was snoring. I'm going to miss those milkshakes they made for me up on the 7th deck. I’m going to miss the wonderful peanut butter and cheese sandwiches I'd make and ALL of the positive praise (and some jealousy) my friends had for this fantastic sandwich. I’m REALLY going to miss walking off the ship the morning we enter a new country, excited for new adventures; new plans; meet new people; etc.

So yeah. It’s weird. Actually…have you ever had a really awesome dream? I mean, an unbelievable dream. One of those dreams where you know you’re dreaming, and you never want to wake up. Maybe you’re living in a perfect world, where you work at a perfect job and have that perfect house you’ve always wanted. Maybe in your dream you’re kissing that person you’ve always had a crush on, but never had the guts to express your feelings to him/her. Maybe in the dream you’re talking and hanging out with a loved one who passed away years ago. I love those dreams, but the worst part; the part that’s really horrible and depressing is when you wake up and realize that it all wasn’t real. It never happened. It was a dream and you’re back in reality, and reality bites. I’ve honestly just awakened from a 3 ½ month perfect dream…and I have a feeling that reality’s really, really going to suck from now on.



Just thought that I’d share that. Honestly, it’s been a few weeks, and at this point, I just have to deal with it. Sure life’s boring. Sure the summer’s going to suck working a job I dislike, and of course I still miss everybody and miss everything…but there’s nothing I can do about it. Oh well. It’s ok.
I actually feel like writing a lot more. Maybe I’ll try and write some short stories or something if I have free time, but I also feel like making the most out of this summer. So hopefully, my free time will be limited.

If you're really bored and feel like reading about Japan, then do so!

Sorry I haven’t posted anything recently. My internet minutes were up while on the ship the last couple of weeks, and I didn’t even think about posting this until today. I’m sure nobody’s reading this anymore since I’m home, but I don’t care. I wrote this about 2 weeks ago, so I might as well not let it go to waste. …

JAPAN! I’ve been waiting for years to visit. Here’s a quick recap:

Taiko Drumming

During the Japan pre-port, we experienced a taiko drumming performance. I was happy to cross that off the list of things I need to see in Japan…but that wasn’t the last taiko drumming I experienced.

My friend James and I stopped at probably every arcade (they called them amusement parks) we passed (A LOT of arcades). Some places were literally towers with floors and floors of games. They’d have a different theme on every floor (crane games, pachinko machines, action games, photo machines, etc). some of the games were incredibly hi-tech/advanced; any gamers dream come true. The objects one can grab in the crane games are ridiculous in itself. We literally spent tons of money trying to get a few souvenirs, but all I ended up grabbing were 2 weak little yellow birds, and James got a small Mario doll.



Anyways, there’s this taiko drumming video game where two people each have a large drum and hit it according to the spots/times indicated on the game. Think Dance Dance Revolution with drums instead of dancing.
Because of the sheer quantity of Japanese video game buildings, we slowly became expert taiko drummers. We engulfed our money into these games. No regrets.

Also, seriously, when you’re in Japan, visit a pachinko machine building (they’re on every damn corner) and watch the poor souls who just sit and stare at the tiny balls dropping down the machine. These guys must all be single…

Japanese Toilets

After my many crazy adventures in Japan, here’s what I’ve come to tell all of America: the Japanese toilet is the single greatest invention ever.
Granted, after the holes in the ground in China (I’d have to “hold it” until we made it back to our hotel everyday), anything would seem nice. But come on… the lid automatically opens for you when you walk up to the toilet…just like magic (just like the taxi cab doors do too). The heated seats. Spurts of warm water that…well…you know…and well, they shoot…up (alittle discomforting). A whole little computer console next to the toilet with other buttons that I didn’t even dare touch…I was too scared after the spurts-of-water button. You’ll probably end up detonating a nuke or attacking some random Asian country if you press the wrong button on the toilet computer console. I’m sure the Chinese would rate almost every toilet as a “5 Star Toilet.”
Pardon my French, but after you use a Japanese toilet, you’ll seriously never want to wipe your ass again. There was another weird contraption that we didn’t recognize. It took me a whole 2 minutes to figure out that it was a hand dryer. After placing both arms in this plastic torture device hanging on the wall, ones hands get dry within 2 seconds.

SOOO efficient; so energy-saving too. I mean, the Japanese have nailed down energy efficiency. Even the escalators won’t move until you walk up to them. They sit dormant, until they actually NEED to be used. I love Japan. Let’s get started:


Day 1: Tokyo

I was so happy that I got a Japanese Rail Pass way back in Vietnam. We were ahead of the game. Not only that, but James and I knew exactly where and when to catch our trains to Tokyo, because we did the research the night before (I seriously think we were the only ones on the ship who figured all of this out ahead of time). I also definitely took advantage of using the Japanese that I’ve been taught. An older man surprisingly complimented me on my Japanese accent, so of course, I felt really proud of myself. Maybe he was just being nice.

The shinkansen (bullet train) to Tokyo was smooth, fun, and FAST. The US can seriously learn a thing or two about transportation from the Japanese.

Tokyo was unbelievable. Some of the activities on the first night included traditional Japanese food, meeting up at the Park Hyatt Hotel (the “Lost in Translation” hotel) and completely denying the insane $20 cover charge + $30 drinks at their bar. Just walking around Tokyo and visiting some of the crazy stores is an adventure in itself.

Eventually, James and I met up with others in our group of friends and we had a rather boring night at a karaoke bar. Halfway through the singing, a couple of us left and searched the area, which turned out to be the talked-about Red Light district of Japan (I swear, I don’t wonder into the red-light districts on purpose!). Just roaming the streets proves to be more than enough of an adventure. All of the colors everywhere…wish we had a place with so many colors in America. I love lights! Some of the characters we met were also rather…ahem…interesting. I’ll leave it at that.

Day 2: Tokyo

We slept rather uncomfortably in the karaoke bar. I was awaken at 5:30 in the morning when the employee knocked on the door where Mark and I were sleeping, and informed us that it’s time to leave. At 5:30 in the morning, there’s absolutely NOTHING to do in the Shinjuku part of Tokyo.

Me and James stopped at an internet café for alittle while to waste time. We then got some early morning food/coffee, and visited the Godzilla statue, spent some time at the Imperial Palace/Imperial Palace Gardens, walked through the Sony Building/Spiderman exhibition they had set up (Spiderman was EVERYWHERE in Japan), explored Tokyo Dome City, visited a Disk Union (a 7 floor cd shop with a different genre on each floor. We both loaded up on some goods), and did a bunch of other stuff along the way. That night, we went to a Tokyo baseball game. The game was one of the most interesting experiences I’ve had on this trip. I never want to go to an American baseball game again…it just doesn’t compare. You have to see the video footage I got!


That night we walked around the city again, then decided to settle in at a manga café for the night. At the manga café, I had my own little booth with a computer, a flat/cushiony Japanese-style floor to sleep on, and an endless supply of manga, internet, DVDs, coffee/drinks, blankets, and ice cream. So much better than a hotel.


Day 3: Kyoto

We woke up early in order to catch our shinkansen to Kyoto. We were told by all of the people we came in contact with that Kyoto was the greatest city in Japan. It was certainly an unbelievable city, where the old, traditional Japanese culture mixes in with the new (for example, there’s at least 2,000 temples in the Kyoto area). We began the day visiting a temple right near the train station. One temple down…1,999 to go!

Soon enough, we met up with a group of friends, and the rest of us traveled together through the rest of the day.

Japanese schoolgirls and older businessmen monopolize the streets all over Japan. This was especially true in Kyoto, for we were stopped various times by young, trendy groups of girls who waved to us with bashful/awkward smiles and/or wanted us to take pictures of them. The older businessmen obviously didn’t show the same kind of interest in us, but still, a nice contrast.

While in Kyoto, we visited a bunch of other temples, gardens, and shrines. We also tried some sushi, and even spotted some geishas walking to their appointments while in the Gion district! Not only did we spot some geisha, but also came in contact with THE Peter Macintosh…the famed geisha expert from the Lonely Planet books! I could easily write an entire story about our “geisha hunting” shenanigans, but I’m worn out and don’t feel like writing too much. Ask me about it, and I’ll guarantee a good laugh or two.

The night was spent wondering around the crazy shops around the city and visiting a few amusement parks (arcades).

We searched and searched and searched for a place to stay that night in Kyoto. Keep in mind, hotels are really expensive in Japan. None of us wanted to waste cash on one, but after some intense searching, we split up and found another manga café. While walking around the café, we ran into this Asian dude from California who’s backpacking all the way across Japan. I was insanely jealous of him. That be sooo much fun….but I’m on a ship. Guess I can’t complain. I surprisingly got around 5-6 hours of sleep! Finally!!!

Day 4: Kyoto/Kobe

We woke up and explored some more gardens and temples around Kyoto before leaving for Kobe.
The train ride back wasn’t too long, and it felt good to stop back at the ship again and FINALLY take a shower.

James and I then began our journey to Kobe’s Home Stadium (a stadium designed specifically for the 2000 Japan World Cup), and experienced a soccer game. It was Kobe vs. Tokyo, and in the end they tied. Just like the baseball game, the fans were totally mad. We had seriously been trying in the last few countries to find a soccer game, and folks, Japan is the place where dreams definitely come true.

After the game, we walked around for a bit around the city. There were tons of street musicians playing along the streets and tons of kids shopping. There were ALSO tons of drunk SAS guys and girls making complete asses of themselves. I totally witnessed the term “Ugly Americans” in action that night. After 1 AM or so, I made it back to the ship. Keep in mind that within the last 4 days or so, I maybe got about 12 hours of sleep. I was very, very tired.

Day 5: Osaka, Nara, Kobe

I left early for Osaka. After arriving I met up with some friends for an early lunch. Afterwards, I made my way to Nara. Nara also has tons of temples and interesting sights. One of the most interesting sights was the tons of deer that just walk around everywhere. You can feed the deer anything, and they also bow when they walk up to you. Pretty shabby...even kids in wheelchairs like the deer!
(are they screaming in terror or are they happy?)

Among other things seen in Nara was the world’s largest wooden building and other gardens (I could literally take an entire tour of Japan just to visit all of the gardens).

After Nara, I wondered around Osaka for a bit, and appreciated the city that has brought us all probably the greatest Japanese band in existence…Boredoms!

Osaka was pretty cool, though it was huge, so I didn’t get to see tons of sights. I arrived back in Kobe, and went out for some sushi with a big group of friends. After that, we stopped at an Ice Cream Sundae shop. Delicious!
(somehow Eric, me, and Natalie ate this without creating a mess and making fools out of ourselves)

I shopped around for another half hour or so, and then boarded the train that took us back to the ship. I really wanted to catch an anime at the movie theater, but didn’t have enough time. Theater tickets are about 15 bucks anyways, so at least I saved some money.

That night, I was incredibly pissed off and truly sad that we were leaving Japan. It was the country that I was most looking forward to on this trip. It was the last foreign country that we visited, and it was definitely my favorite country. I’m considering traveling back in the near future…hopefully to teach English or something.

Out of all the countries we’ve visited, the people here were the friendliest. They had the greatest fashion (though the India youth were pretty stylin’ too). The music/movies/comics are all awesome. The art is enriching. Their history is SO interesting. And the language is great too.

Let’s all move to Japan!

I have one more blog entry that I wrote while at the Chicago airport on my way home from the ship. I'll post it tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.