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I've finally summoned the will to write again so, in no particular order, here's what I've been up to:

I went to Ohayocon 12, and didn't enjoy it. The doors opened at 10 AM Friday, but the con didn't really "start" until the Opening Ceremonies at 5 PM, during which the host announced Ohayocon's plans to become the biggest convention in the country - sacrificing quality for quantity. The staff shirts were color-coded this year, which made me think of an aircraft carrier's flight deck crew. This gave me the impression that Ohayocon's staff was well-organized, until I attended a panel in which it took 5 people 30 minutes to find a video cable and connect the panelist's laptop to a projector. Also, to make up for the low number of staff members, Customer Service kiosks were placed throughout the convention center.
These small improvements do very little to make up for the huge setbacks. The schedule wasn't available online until after the cumbersome paper copies were released at the convention, which made it impossible to plan ahead for anything on Day 1. Panel information was supposedly put on the website at the same time as the schedule, but it should have been printed in the program guide so I could use it at the con. I spent more time hunting through the giant schedule with tiny font, trying to find panels with interesting names and hoping they're as good as they sound than I did actually attending the panels. Sometimes, I would choose consecutive events because I can't find anything better, and can't stay for the second panel because Security clears the room at the conclusion of the first. In their defense, lines for some of these panels had wrapped around to other halls of the convention center (and exceeded maximum occupancy of the room) so I guess they were just trying to ensure everyone has an equal chance of getting screwed out of enjoying themselves.
The Dealer's Room opened at 2 PM the first day, and had some good stuff if you could reach it through the massive crowds. I picked up a couple of wallscrolls: Misa from Deathnote, and Nami's Wanted poster from One Piece. I found some Kidrobot Street Fighter blind-box mini-figures and bought three to improve my odds of getting one of the two I wanted; Ken in his red gi, or Guile in green camo. I actually got both, and the third was a blue Blanka, so each of the primary colors (of light) is represented. In the manga/anime department, I stocked up on Gunsmith Cats volumes 2-4 and Gunsmith Cats: Burst volumes 2 & 3. If I could find any volumes of Hyper Police or Kurohime, I would've needed a bigger bookshelf. Last, but by no means least, I bought a Japanese Liger Zero Schneider model kit, apparently for exactly twice the going rate. The guy assured me that it all snaps together and I wouldn't need glue, but I could only complete 99% before going to a hobby shop to pick up adhesive for the tiny pieces that wouldn't stay in. Of course, this was after I bookmarked a website with English instructions, because naturally, the manual included in the box was printed in Japanese.
Excuse my language, but parking for the convention was a bitch and a half. It seems there was a massive construction project around the Greater Columbus Convention Center which reduces Convention Center Drive to one lane, and some renovation going on inside the Arena District Parking Garage, where I had to park on Saturday because the GCCC parking garage was full. I have attended Ohayocon three times and Anime Punch: Armageddicon at least twice at that convention center, and this is the first time I couldn't get a space in the proper garage. I almost couldn't find a space in the alternate garage and had a panic attack when I was forced to go the wrong way on a normally one-way section of the 3rd floor. After what seemed like hours of driving around towards the top floor, I found that I had to go back down and try one of the lower levels. It seems the entrance is on the 2nd floor and a lot of people don't notice the turn that leads to the 1st.
After all of that frustration and disappointment, I decided one and a half days was enough. I might try again at Ohayocon 15, but I'll probably just stick to Anime Punch.
In gaming news, I picked up a few new titles: Sonic Generations and Soul Calibur V for the Xbox 360, and Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS. I had Soul Calibur V pre-ordered at GameStop, and I must have lost the pre-order bonus (a bobblehead doll that vaguely resembles Ivy Valentine) when I upgraded to Collector's Edition, but at least I have the art book and soundtrack. Also, it seems SCV isn't very fight stick-friendly; there are 3 pre-set button layouts, and they're all designed for a standard controller. However, the analog sticks aren't vital to any aspect of the game, so you can play with a fight stick if you reconfigure nearly every button.
Sonic Generations and Super Mario 3D Land renew the rivalry between the Italian plumber and the blue hedgehog. Both can be played in 3D and have very nostalgic level designs, but without most of the punishing difficulty of the original games. The difference with Sonic Generations is the ability to play with 2 Sonics. Act 1 of each stage is played with Classic Sonic (and Tails in some of the Challenges), and Act 2 is played with the newer green-eyed version with challenges involving all of his friends. The additions to Super Mario 3D Land include a Boomerang suit and StreetPass challenges and gifts. There's a golden Tanooki suit that makes you invincible and capable of flight/gliding if you lose too many lives in one level, and I've come to appreciate it.
I almost forgot that Star Fox 64 3D also came out since my last post. That goes to show how much I enjoyed playing it that one time. There are a handful of titles from the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program that I still consider worth playing; Metroid, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Metroid Fusion, Yoshi's Island, Wario Land 4, Mario vs Donkey Kong, and Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. Only one of those is from the original 10.
After a bit of a drought, there are some new movies worth seeing in theaters. I loved Red Tails, and I enjoyed Star Wars: Episode I in 3D but I don't know how much difference the conversion made. The Avengers will be in theaters soon, and I'm probably going to have a nerdgasm.
The Columbus Blue Jackets moved up their upcoming day game. They will now host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, February 18th at 1 PM instead of the originally scheduled 2 PM. That means I'll be able to stay for Overtime it it proves necessary. The final game in my 6-game pack is against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, March 23rd at 7 PM.
This season is a total write-off, but Columbus will host the All-Star Game next year, and the divisions might be realigned to cut down on the Blue Jackets' travel expenses.
I've unofficially stopped using Twitter. I couldn't go an hour without being inundated with tweets, and even 140 characters is usually too much to ask of me. It's no big loss; I never had more than 5 followers.
I'll try my best to do this more often, so it won't be as much of a chore next time.

I've decided that the timely format is holding me back, so now I'll just make sporadic posts when I have something important to share. I've got five months of material to cover, so I can't give you every last detail.

Movies:

I joined AMC Stubs for $12, or "$1 a month" as they like to say, so now I mainly watch movies at the AMC Lennox 24 near OSU Campus instead of the Regal Georgesville Square 16 (well over 5 miles closer to my house). Also, the Lennox has AM showtimes, so I can occasionally make it a double feature and still get home in time for dinner.
As I mentioned last time, I saw Arthur on opening day at the Regal and saved Hop for Easter, which was Day 3 of Anime Punch: Armageddicon VI. I had to go to the Movie Tavern in Hilliard and catch a breakfast show to fit it into my schedule.
Super didn't hit theaters when Fandango said it would, so I had to wait until April 29th to see it at the Gateway Film Center, my new destination for Indie films. I also went there for Hobo With A Shotgun in either late May or early June, and Trigun: Badlands Rumble in early August.
One more thing; Netflix decided to break up the Unlimited Discs and Unlimited Streaming plan ($27.99/month) into two separate plans ($21.99 and $7.99 respectively, or $29.98 total), so I need to stop sitting on the four discs I have out and start getting my money's worth.

Video Games:

Unfortunately, games like Star Fox 64 3D and Paper Mario 3D have been pushed back. However, due to the 3DS price drop on August 12th, I've been entered in the Ambassador Program so I'll get 20 free Virtual Console downloads (10 NES titles starting September 1st, and 10 Game Boy Advance titles sometime before the end of 2011) to keep me entertained while I wait.
I picked up a copy of Portal 2 in April, and I've finished both campaigns. I don't know if there are any plans for a Portal 3, but I know there's free DLC coming out in mid-September.
My Xbox 360 Pro died on me again somewhere around my birthday. The ethernet port went bad every 13 months and this was the third strike. Instead of sending it for out-of-warranty repairs again, I traded it in for the 360 Slim. Luckily, GameStop had a promotion at the time, so I got the 250 GB Xbox 360 S Kinect bundle for around $400 with a free $50 gift card. My bedroom is much too small to use the Kinect, but I pre-ordered the Nyko Kinect Zoom, which claims to reduce the necessary space by 40%. I think Kinect will finally make Forza Motorsport's cockpit view viable, seeing as how Forza 3 cuts the rear-view mirror in half and only lets you look in four directions.
I found a couple of games I've been seeking for years. I bought a copy of Beautiful Katamari for the Xbox 360 on my birthday, and found Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Zombie Ninja Pro-Am for the PS2 in a GameStop in Cary, North Carolina over the weekend. There was a Buy 2 Get 2 Free sale down there, so I also chose Twisted Metal: Black, God of War, and Lego Star Wars: The Original Trilogy.

Vacation:

My parents and I took a road trip down to Cary, North Carolina over the weekend to pay my oldest brother and his wife a visit. We actually started packing on Thursday the 25th so we could hit the road before 5 AM on Friday. We stopped for breakfast in Charleston, West Virginia and gas in Bluefield, Virginia (a town that straddles the WV/VA border and showed up on our map twice). We drove by Mt. Airy, the birthplace of Andy Griffith and basis for the fictional town of Mayberry. We could have stopped to visit it, but we just didn't work it into the schedule. The whole trip from Grove City to Cary covered 480 miles and took about 8 hours.
We would've seen Lazy Daze, but it was cancelled this year in response to the threat of Hurricane Irene. It made landfall in the Outer Banks on Saturday, but all we got in Cary was a rather large rainstorm. We defiantly went out in the storm, like the vast majority of the town's residents, and visited the Cary Town Center mall.
I don't know why we waited until Sunday to try the famous Carolina BBQ, but apparently all of the best places are closed on Sunday. We did manage to find a place called Dickey's, which was pretty good.
We drove back to Ohio on Monday morning, stopping at a Virginia Visitor Center to stretch our legs and refueled in Charleston, WV. I can now say that I've seen 8 states and set foot in 7 - I still have to double back to Tennessee.

Miscellaneous:

While in North Carolina, I realized just how inadequate my cell phone is. I'm strongly considering an upgrade to something capable of Twitter, GPS, and search apps if I can find one on a pay-as-you-go plan like Virgin Mobile offers.
Also, my Skullcandy earbuds failed about a week ago (one side stopped working, which ruins stereo playback). I tried using the stock Zune earbuds that I've kept in the box since I bought my Zune HD, but the felt caps keep slipping off and I'm afraid I lost one. I'll have to go and buy a new pair of Skullcandy earbuds now. While I'm at it, I saw an Xbox 360 Slim Vault on GameStop.com in "Gundam White", which would help the black console blend in with the white accessories I bought when I had the Pro model. If they aren't in stock in stores, I'll buy one online.
I have to catch up with Penny Arcade, PVP Online, and The Escapist again, but I'm still on vacation until the day before Labor Day.
One last thing: I've already pre-registered for Ohayocon 12, and I desperately hope to meet someone there so I can move out of my parents' house before they retire and move away from Ohio.

That's it for now. Whenever I have more to say, I'll post it next time.

I feel I must start out by saying I regret the format change. I can't remember any events in January or February clearly enough to include in this post.
Since chronological order would be too much of a strain, I'll just group my thoughts by category:
Video Games
I ended up using the $100 GameStop gift card from my sister towards the purchase of a Nintendo 3DS. It looks great, but the high price and lack of decent launch titles should discourage everyone who isn't an idiot or a masochist from becoming an early adopter. I would have to consider myself the former. The games that will justify my purchase (Star Fox, Paper Mario, etc.) appear to be slated for August 2, just in time for my birthday.
I picked up Bulletstorm when it came out in late February and made it through my first playthrough in about 7 hours of gameplay, I think. The odd thing is, there were a few points that I struggled with more on easy than on normal difficulty. One of these days, I'll have to finish my second playthrough and try to get all the Skillshots that I missed.
Because I bought Bulletstorm: Epic Edition and pre-ordered Gears of War 3 at GameStop, I actually have two beta codes for the Gears 3 Multi-player beta starting in a few weeks. If anyone wants my extra code, PM me.
I've also pre-ordered Forza Motorsport 4, which is supposedly Kinect compatible. I've seen videos of people examining cars by walking around and pointing at various parts. There was also rumored to be a minigame in which you're given a bad-ass car and a time limit to see how many cars you can pass; that and including night/weather would make this game insanely awesome.
Movies
Since my last update, I've seen Tron: Legacy in IMAX 3D (and bought the Daft Punk soundtrack immediately afterwards), The Fighter, The Green Hornet (also in IMAX 3D), Rango, Paul, and Sucker Punch (in regular IMAX). I know that Hop came out today, but I'll wait until Easter to watch that. I plan on watching Arthur on opening day (April 8), Super the next week (the 14th or 15th), Your Highness the week after that (probably on the 21st), and in May I'll get back to watching movies the day they hit theaters. I'm looking forward to Thor, X-Men: First Class, and many other "Summer" movies based on comic books.
Travel Plans
I didn't fly to Seattle or Maui. My latest half-baked plan is to rent a car, drive around the country and fly back home. My first choice would've been Route 66, but I found out that it's been decommissioned since 1997. I'm not sure if I could do US 1 because it actually starts in Canada.
It's a goal of mine to visit all 50 states. Counting my home state of Ohio, I've seen 6 (I've also been to Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida) but recall having boots on the ground in only 4 or 5 - My family simply drove through Tennessee on the way to Florida. I think I may have been to Kermit, West Virginia the last time I visited my uncle in Beauty, Kentucky, but I'm not entirely sure.
Other Notes
I just created a Twitter account, @MrTrivia. I expect to use that to post whatever random thought I feel I need to express. If that works out, I'll either phase this out or just use it to sum up my Twitter feed. That decision can wait until next time.

Edit: One more thing I thought I should mention - I managed to catch up with PvP, covering the whole 13-year history in just a couple of weeks. It's amazing what you can do when you work a job with regular hours.

First, I need to correct a statement from last month's post: My static electricity problem is not a result of my new shoes. I am quite certain that it's an atmospheric/environmental issue - maybe the heaters are cranked up far too high, and they're ionizing air molecules, but I don't know if I can verify that.
Now to the matter at hand, the result of the holiday gift exchange:
I got my sister a $100 Sports Authority gift card which she used on a heart rate monitor, and she got me a $100 GameStop gift card. I plan on using that for BulletStorm, Gears of War 3, and/or Forza Motorsport 4.
I got my oldest brother and his wife $50 each in GameStop gift cards, and they got me 4000 Microsoft Points (a $50 value) from Amazon.com.
I got my older brother a $50 GameStop gift card and his wife 120 minutes of TracFone airtime, and he gave me $50 in cash.
I got my mom an Archos 101 internet tablet and my dad Dead or Alive by Tom Clancy, and they gave me $125, which I used towards the thousands of dollars I owe them for my car.
Just to let you know, I'm switching to a quarterly format for 2011.
Other plans I've changed or abandoned recently include cosplaying for Anime Punch and flying to Seattle: For the former, I plan on dressing normally all three days of the convention. The latter trip was originally planned for PAX - this year was no good because my brother and sister-in-law were in the middle of a house hunt. Next year won't work because they may move to the East Coast (presumably North Carolina) in June 2011. I now intend to take time off in February or March and see Battlestar Galactica: The Exhibition at the Science Fiction Museum. I should probably apply for a passport ASAP in hopes of visiting Vancouver while I'm in the Pacific Northwest.
I wish everyone who reads this a happy new year. Everyone else can wait until next time.

I don't know why I keep writing these things for people who don't read them, so I'm probably going to stop the monthly updates in 2011 unless I receive positive feedback.
Anyway, November was a decent month. I started playing Super Scribblenauts, and I'm at roughly 80% completion. The strategy guide also covers the original Scribblenauts, so I'll try to finish that as well.
I picked up a few new things, with mixed results:
My tires were bald, so I decided to try TireRack.com (I saw the commercial while watching Top Gear). The cost was actually quite comparable to buying tires in a store, so I don't see much of an advantage.
I picked up a new computer chair because my old one had a broken arm and was hemorrhaging foam cushion. For $150, I got a mesh chair (leather would be torn by my cats' hind claws, and cloth could get stained or matted with fur). The problem is that the seat feels a little shorter and the edges aren't padded, so I can't sit cross-legged - the chair comfortably supports my weight, but not my bad habits.
My work shoes fell apart from the inside out after just 6 months (the leather upper and the rubber sole were still in good shape, but the cloth lining inside the shoe disintegrated). I bought a pair of K-Swiss trainers at a scrub/shoe sale at work and was waiting for this eventuality to start wearing them, but I may need to look for a replacement this weekend. Strangely, I've had a lot of static electricity in the past three days that I've worn these shoes. My working theory (a fancy way of saying "guess") is that the rubber sole is so thick and well-insulating that I'm not grounded. I keep building up a static charge by scratching my head, wiping sweat from my brow, and adjusting my ill-fitting scrubs, and since it can't dissipate through my feet, it shocks the hell out of me when I touch a metallic surface. If I do get a new pair of shoes for work, I think I can still use the K-Swiss to cosplay Ataru Moroboshi from Urusei Yatsura - that's as easy as wearing a red t-shirt and jeans and unleashing the inner pervert that I usually try so hard not to let loose.
Thanksgiving went well, and I have the vast majority of my Christmas shopping done already. I'll cover the gifts I give and receive next time.

This month has filled me with disappointment. Before I contemplate my reasons to be thankful in four weeks, here are the reasons I'm sulking a bit right now:
1.) I discovered Gears of War 3 was pushed back from April 2011 to "Holiday 2011". I admit, this gives Epic Games more time to give the trilogy the kick-ass ending it deserves, and it won't crowd out their other project, Bulletstorm, but now my pre-order will take 4-6 more months to fill.
2.) The Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves made it to the playoffs, but both teams failed miserably in the NLDS. I heard predictions that my two favorite NL teams would end up playing each other to see who would be in the World Series.
3.) I regret using my last AMC Theatres movie pass to see Jackass 3D. There were a few funny bits, but it was mostly just sick.
4.) RiffTrax Live: House on Haunted Hill wasn't nearly as good as I hoped. I got to the theater far too early and accidentally saw a bit of Case 39 (some horror movie that I have no interest in watching) and old footage of some concert Fathom Events presented. There were two shorts which were pretty funny, but the feature presentation was a let-down. To add insult to injury, my mom won tickets to see the Columbus Blue Jackets play the Edmonton Oilers Thursday night, but I couldn't go because I bought that ticket to RiffTrax Live.
5.) Beggar's night in Columbus (and its suburbs) was also Thursday night. Because we all had plans that night, my parents didn't buy any candy. At least the Halloween candy will be on clearance when I go out and buy my own on Monday.
6.) I started reading the Star Wars X-Wing series of novels last month and I'm stuck at book #4 (which I believe I read in high school but can't remember too clearly). The library system has zero copies of it and a few other books in the series, so I ordered books #4-8 on Amazon.com last week. They just shipped books #5-8 yesterday, cutting book #4 from the order and possibly screwing up my bundle deal. Neither Borders nor Barnes & Noble had the missing book, so I had to find one on eBay and a server error delayed my payment for a few hours. I can only hope I receive my eBay package before or very soon after the Amazon box arrives so I don't get stuck with four books I can't read.
7.) I've had Super Scribblenauts for a couple of weeks and still haven't played it. I'm falling behind with Penny Arcade and the Escapist as well.
I'm sure something will cheer me up by next time.

I get the feeling I'm the only one who will read this, but I still feel obligated to finish this update by the end of the month.
September was rather uneventful. In fact, I can only think of three things worth the time to write about:
1.) On a whim, I decided to look around for a Cincinnati Bengals replica jersey, or at least a good t-shirt. I tried Dick's Sporting Goods first, and they only had #9 Carson Palmer in youth sizes. Wal-Mart and Target had nothing (aside from hats, gloves, and trinkets). K-Mart had jerseys, and they were even in my size, but they were the cheap knock-off version that doesn't deserve to be called a "replica." This thing was all black with the team logo on the sleeve and #85 Ochocinco on it - the real jersey is orange across the shoulders with a white stripe down the sides, and has the tiger stripes on the sleeves. Meijer had a decent selection of Bengals t-shirts, but the largest one I liked was XL (I usually wear size 2XL). I tried it on and it fit well enough, so I decided to buy it. The style I chose is a black shirt with "Cincinnati Bengals" printed in orange, along with the AFC logo and the Bengals' tiger-stripe B.
2.) Borderlands came out with a new installment of DLC on Tuesday, "Claptrap's New Robot Revolution." That scene at the end of the game is no longer a joke, and you can now kill as many of those little robot buggers as you like. Gearbox also raised the level cap to 69 whether you buy the DLC or not - there should be an update sometime between now and the release of the "Game of the Year" Edition on October 12th (which comes with all four DLC installments).
3.) I used one of my last two AMC theater passes from work to see "Alpha and Omega" in 3D yesterday. There was some technical difficulty, as the right half of the screen was displayed in purple for the first minute of the previews, but the problem was solved in about 15 minutes and I enjoyed the movie. I believe my last pass will be used to see "Megamind" a week or two after it hits theaters November 5th, unless something else comes up that's interesting but not overly compelling.
That's about it for this month. I'll probably have much more to write about next time.

It's been around four weeks since my last post, so it's time for an update:

The Reds vs Braves game on August 1st was rather enjoyable. Alex Gonzalez hit a home run in the top of the 2nd, but made a costly error in the bottom of the 5th that allowed Brandon Phillips to score. Prior to that, Phillips drove in a run with a triple to right field. The rest of the game was uneventful, so the Reds won 2-1. My arms felt cooked and were red for a week due to sunburn, but somehow my ears (which didn't feel bad at all) were even worse - the skin flaked up so much that it started bleeding.
I turned 25 on August 3rd, and took a few days of vacation time to celebrate. I didn't do anything special, since the game counted as my present from mom and dad, but I did get caught up with Penny Arcade, the Escapist, and the programs on my DVR. I even started watching my Netflix DVDs again.
Madden NFL 11 came out about a week later, so I picked up a copy. I didn't bother to pre-order it because I had a very strong feeling that it would suck. Superstar mode still feels broken and the mini-games are useless, but the GameFlow play-calling system does help me a bit. Instead of looking through several pages of plays and randomly choosing one, the virtual assistant picks for me and tells me through the headset why it's a good choice - even when it's a stupid play (3rd and long, and it wants me to run a Halfback Sweep). Luckily, I can choose audibles by play type to override bad calls. My brother currently has it because I've traded him for Madden NFL 08.
I also saw plenty of movies this month: I saw Scott Pilgrim vs The World on opening day (not the early nerd special, but 10:30 AM on Friday the 13th). I loved it right from the start, with the 8-bit version of the Universal opening. I'd probably buy it on DVD as soon as I know when it comes out. My Regal Crown Club membership got me a free movie ticket after I bought that one, so I saw The Other Guys on the 24th. It was pretty funny, but I'm glad I didn't have to pay to see it. I was thinking about catching The Expendables this weekend, but Movie Bob talked me out of it.
I saw RiffTrax Live: Reefer Madness on Thursday the 19th, and got in early enough to see a stagehand clapping for ten minutes, during which a stand-in relieved him so he could set up equipment. When the stagehand got back, he said, "This ain't nothin', I used to do game shows!" The live feed was interrupted by promos for Fathom Events, which included running their commercial 30 consecutive times. Just before the potential brain aneurysm struck, the RiffTrax version of Regal FirstLook started playing, with humorous "quotes" and fake movie trivia. I'm already clearing my schedule for the next one on October 28th, The House on Haunted Hill.
I'm not sure what September will bring, but I'll be sure to fill you in next time.

Another post down to the wire. It's now or never, so let's get on with it:

I picked up my copy of Dragon Quest IX on Sunday, July 11, and bought a copy of the guide because it was 10% with the game purchase. My attempt to stay diurnal on the graveyard shift leaves me just 6 hours a day of free time, but I still managed to reach a pivotal point in the game in just a couple of days - I can now change the vocation of my characters to pick up cross-class perks (I haven't yet, but it's an option now). There was a special multiplayer event at GameStop today from 1-4, but the closest participating location was in the heart of downtown Columbus, on North High Street. I was hoping it would be at the Grove City Stringtown Road and/or Georgesville Square stores, so I passed on it. I've been told those who are there will get an in-game treasure map. Oh, well.
More importantly, my brother got married last Sunday. Two relatives came in from out-of-town to attend; My sister Lisa in Hawaii and my uncle Joe in Kentucky. My oldest brother, Harold in Seattle, couldn't make it because he and his wife are in the middle of moving from an apartment in Kirkland to a house in Bellvue. They might come over to Columbus to visit soon, but PAX Prime is coming up and they're both Enforcers; We really couldn't spent much time together (either in Ohio or Washington) until after the con.
Lisa left Maui on the morning of Wednesday, July 21 and traveled via LA and Houston to get here late that night. She could've gotten a one-stop flight through Chicago O'Hare if she didn't wait so long to book. Anyway, she brought a large bag filled with coffee, macadamia nuts, and chocolate (most of which contained macadamia nuts). Over the course of the week, she loaded up on stuff that's either unavailable or prohibitively expensive in Hawaii, and had to pick up a new piece of luggage to carry it all on her return trip.
Uncle Joe brought his wife Nancy, and her two daughters, Kristian and Haley. I have to admit, my 14-year-old boy-crazy cousin Kristian aroused me a little, which is wrong for two big reasons:
A. She's my cousin. Well, my mother's brother's wife's daughter from a previous marriage, so we're not related by blood, but still...
B. She's FOURTEEN!!!
If she were five years older and not in the family, I think she would have been perfect for me, despite my Japanophilia (dating a Japanese girl wouldn't sit well with my brother's Chinese wife, anyway).
At the reception, the music was turned down a little too low, but I did hear "Tank!", the theme song to Cowboy Bebop. The servers almost forgot what the color-coded nameplates meant and tried to serve me chicken when I ordered the lamb. The salad was a tad fruity- literally; It had slices of strawberry, dried cranberries, and topped with a raspberry vinaigrette. I ended up with two and a half - mine, my brother's, and my uncle's after he gave the strawberries to Haley.
After the cake was cut and served, it was time for Jialin to toss her bouquet. She faced the wall away from the tables, threw it over her right shoulder, and it came crashing down in front of my mom, seated at our table. She gave it to my 7-year-old cousin Haley, because my 32-year-old sister Lisa caught the bouquet at at least two of her friends' weddings around 6 to 8 years ago.
My dad, brother, sister-in-law, and I are taking our annual trip to Cincinnati tomorrow afternoon to watch the Reds play the Atlanta Braves, so I'll fill you in on that and more next time.

I can't afford to put this off any longer, so here's the latest news:
First, my MP3 player (Creative Zen 8GB) died on me. It has frozen up before months ago, but never three times in one week.
I started my search for a new device at Best Buy, because Circuit City closed all of its stores. The iPods were out of the question, and so was the Zune at first because I always heard it was just a 2nd-rate iPod. The SanDisk Sanza Fuze - the one I bought my mom for her birthday last year - didn't appeal to me, so I tried the Sony E-Series Walkman. I returned the Walkman the very same day because I didn't like the display; it showed time elapsed but not time remaining when playing a song.
I then foolishly tried Wal-Mart. They didn't have anything good, and didn't even show model names/numbers in their display. I went right across the street to Target, and found something very interesting - a Phillips device that serves as a camera, video recorder, and MP3 player all-in-one. Of course, my computer never knows how to treat a device that complex, so it didn't sync. The Phillips Songbird software even messed up my Zen playlist files before I uninstalled it.
I thought about going to Creative.com and buying the 'new and improved' version of the player I already had, but the online reviews informed me that I'd run into the same exact problem again. I looked at CircuitCity.com instead and bought an Archos 3 Vision, with a 3 inch touch screen (hence the number in the name) and an FM transmitter; it should have allowed me to listen to my MP3 player over my car radio, but it didn't work. I had to call the Customer Service phone line to send it back - apparently Circuit City allows for online orders but not online returns, at least for this particular product.
Finally, I was desperate enough to give the Zune a try. I returned to Best Buy and looked at the 16GB ZuneHD, which was $20 off on sale. I was shocked to discover that it was exactly what I wanted, and almost cried tears of joy. The only trouble I've had with my Zune so far was getting my songs in the right order, but my Zen had just enough life left to let me read through my playlists.
My MP3 player wasn't the only electronic problem this month - I also had trouble with my Xbox 360 again. My brother decided to buy me an extra wireless controller, so he wouldn't have to bring his own when he came to visit every two weeks, and I got the Red Ring of Death as soon as we got back from GameStop. I couldn't get my copy of Forza 3 out of the disk drive, but my brother helped me get it open and I packed it up, using the same box it came back from Mesquite, Texas in the last time it failed. I sent it out on the 7th (the start of my Zen's death knell) and got it back on the 22nd. I waited until the 24th to commit to playing Borderlands online with my brother, because I wanted to make sure my Xbox would last more than half a day. I just got around to letting everyone else on my friends list know that I'm back on Xbox Live this morning. I learned from G4's coverage of E3 that Microsoft made a new 250 GB hard drive and transfer cable, so I upgraded the day after I got my console back.
My mom's birthday is June 18th, so close to Father's Day that I decided to take both mom and dad to see the A-Team movie last Friday. It was awesome, and the original Face and Murdock from the tv show made cameos in an extra scene after the credits. The Bold and Fresh Tour, with Bill O'Reilly & Glenn Beck, was also Friday, June 18th at Nationwide Arena. The Dispatch Ice Haus, a practice rink in the same building, hosted a TNA wrestling event the same night, which confused many simple-minded wrestling fans.
I've already mentioned my brother's wedding, which is a month away, so details of that will have to wait until August. Dragon Quest IX comes out on the Nintendo DS on July 11, so that's one thing I'll definitely let you know about next time.