This thing hasn't seen much love recently, has it?

Well, part of the reason is I've had a lot of work on. I've been doing some freelance webdesign as well as my current job, and computer time for updating the website has become low on the priorities list unfortunately. But! Hopefully with new work comes a greater opportunity to design fancy websites for a living! I churned out loads of designs for this site over the years I've worked on it, so getting to do that sort of thing for a living would be pretty swell.

Other things! I've planned a trip away to see Buffy again, and this one'll be over Thanksgiving and her birthday! That's the first time I'll be able to go visit her for those, so I'm pretty pumped. I just have to learn to cook extravagant meals for her, and buy some expensive gifts. I'll let you know how that goes.

I suppose I better get on with the old web designery, but I'll post again soon.

So yesterday they announced the Wii's release date in the USA, which is November 19th and $250. Instantly people started whining about how $250 is too high, which irritates the crap out of me, especially as it comes with a game.

Well, today they've announced the UK release date and price, which is December 8th and £179. That's about $340. LOL! Way to make people in the UK pay almost $100 more! :D Luckily it's not going to be region coded (at least for Nintendo's games, they're leaving it up to developers to decide whether they want to lock out their games) so I'll just buy one from the states. Sigh. Also Metroid Prime 3 is no longer going to be a launch title, and the Gamecube version of the new Zelda game is no longer being released on the same day, it's coming out in December too.

£180 is too high a price. It's only £20 cheaper than an Xbox 360 now! At least the PS3 has been delayed in Europe for 5 months, so there's not so much competition. Rar.

Hey peoples. I had a slight hiccup with the wetflame domain, in that I forgot to pay the hosting and get the domain name renewed. Oops.

So things are especially crazy right now. I have much more work than I can handle, and much less time than I need. I'm doing my best, but I can't help but worry and feel pessimistic.

Here's hoping that in a couple of months' time I'll be feeling a little better about everything.

So I'm now pretty much settled in at my new place. I don't have the internet there yet, but Marcus and I are at the library right now looking up ISPs, so I think we'll get it sorted pretty soon. I hope so, anyway.

The last few days before moving back were weird for me, I kept feeling like there was something else I should be doing. I think it's probably because of having to leave Buffy and come back home after almost two months of being away. Getting to the house helped¹ and after having set up a few things I'm feeling a little better. I have a few websites to work on for some money, and I'll be trying to get a job soon² so I've got stuff to do, but still I'm being left alone in the house a lot. I'll just have to find ways to keep myself occupied.

I'm a little worried about classes starting up again. Hearing Buffy talk about how hers have started piling the work on already isn't giving me too much confidence for mine. I haven't been to a class for over a year now, I got so used to working 9-5, doing my own thing and getting paid for it that now I'm going to have to have classes, homework and part-time work all at once I know it's going to take a lot to get back in the groove. I hope i can keep on top of things, I have a final year project to worry about too. Bah. At least this winter I'll be able to see Buffy again. And relax a little. And play Animal Crossing DS³, Mario Kart DS and Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time⁴ a lot. Whee! Nothing like a girlfriend and videogames to lift my spirits.

Okay, time to look at internets. I'll try and post more soon. Peace!

¹ though I managed to leave behind both my phone and my DS charger when I moved
² right now I've not been looking too hard. The AMC, where I used to work, isn't giving out too many hours, so I'll try a little later on just before the students are back and things pick up a little more.
³ now titled Animal Crossing: Wild World, apparently.
⁴ the sequel to the pretty awesome Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga for the GBA.

So hey, I'm back from the states now, and I'm pretty bummed out about it. It's always hard to leave Buffy behind, but each time it gets harder. I found myself crying on the phone to her the first time I called after I got back. I hate the shock of knowing that you can't just turn around and see the person you love anymore. And being there for 7 weeks meant that I got to do that a lot. Roll on winter.

I returned from America with a truckload of DVDs¹, Paper Mario 2, Sin City: That Yellow Bastard, lots of new clothes (that make me look awesome), two pairs of shoes, lovely lush facewash, Missy Elliott - The Cookbook and Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boys - Crunk Juice. Yes. I know. It is amazing. I had such an amazing time² and all I can think about is going back. It's Buffy's 21st this winter, and although she doesn't want me to miss classes it'll take a lot to keep me away.

Edit: I forgot to mention the TWO BAGS OF CANDY Buffy bought me which were not only stuff I hadn't tasted before, but since I saved a lot for the trip back home they were also a lovely sugary/peanut buttery treat to accompany me.

I'm kind of in that lull between big things right now. I've just been living with Buffy for all summer, and now I'm waiting back home to move into my new house. Marcus and Gav are both away right now, and they'll be working a lot when they get back too, but at least I'll be with friends again. And pretty soon I'll have a job and internet access, and then I'll be in classes again. But I feel kind of lost right now. I don't know what to do with myself most of the time. I've been given a couple of web design jobs to keep me busy, so we'll see how those go. Hopefully the money that I get from these will cover a plane ticket to Buffy again. That's what I'll be thinking about, anyway.

I won't have internet access at the house for a while, so expect another break in posts, but I won't leave this for as long, I promise.

¹ Napoleon Dynamite, Scrubs Season 1, Hot Shots!, Hot Shots! Part Deux, Vanilla Sky, Snake Eyes, The Life Aquatic and probably a few more.
² as I tell every single person I meet when they ask me about the trip, rather than talking about how sad I was to leave.

this just seems really wrong. the perfect wedding gift! romeo and juliet with a happy ending!

so i got a bill this morning from another phone company - one i'd made sure i wasn't signed up with. i'd had a call a while back from telemarketers, and after trying without success to get rid of them, i agreed to let them send me some information. the next day, when i realised this would mean they'd sign me up for their service if i didn't do anything, i called and made sure that they cancelled my account.

this morning, i got a bill for two months of service, plus calls. i called them just now, and they explained that my request to cancel hadn't gone through, and so i had been signed up. however, i told them the day after they called me that i didn't want them to do so. they never even sent me the "welcome pack" i would supposedly get - the first correspondence was the bill i recieved this morning. i told them this, and i told them that i wasn't willing to pay for something i'd been signed up for against my will - unfortunately the bill is apparently coming out of my account (i don't remember giving them my details) and so i don't really know what to do. my co-worker says i should take them to small claims court, but i don't know. we'll see what happens. after i complained they seemed to say they'd sort the bill out and i wouldn't have to pay, but i have to wait 10-14 days for a letter to find out if that's the case. i think i'm going to call before then, because i don't want to be caught out.

not only that, but if they've disconnected me from my current telephone provider, then i might lose my account there, and i'd have to pay £50 to have the phone line connected for the next month, before i move. naturally, i don't want this. if i get cut off, i'm making them pay to have me connected again. there's no way i'm paying for their mistakes.

work is fantastic! i enjoy every moment of it. everyone i work with is very friendly, and i wish i could stay longer. this has nothing to do with the fact that my boss reads my website.

well, i probably should have posted a whole bunch more times before now, but at least i'm doing it without encouragement now, right?

it was my birthday the weekend before last, and i'm now 21. this is kind of worrying, because it means i'm fast approaching the stage where i have to have a career, and i have to act like an adult for pretty much all of the time. i'm sure i'll find some way to survive it though, i hope.

as well as the two amazing packages i'd been sent from buffy, i got a new camera, a suitcase of my own, a travel wallet of my own, some canvasses, a big box of crisps from my youngest brother, a new top, some money and, uh, luggage tags. i'm fairly sure this means my family are consigned to my leaving them all the time. i don't mind though, i love going away, and come summertime i'll have almost two months of awesome fun and wonderful company.

house things are a) ridiculous and b) same as always. i still need to get somewhere to live sorted out, but i'm fairly sure that'll happen soon. also, i've been watching lots of firefly, which is awesome. it's kind of annoying how badly fox treats it's shows sometimes. at least we're getting serenity in september.

good things that have happened:
· after being killed by a boss on metroid prime 2 about 10 times in a row, i gave up on it and didn't play it for a couple of weeks. i turned it on yesterday and beat it first time. you'd be surprised how often this happens to me.
· three phonecalls to a cute girl yesterday! oh my!
· the sun's coming out again! this makes me very happy indeed, because mike likes sunshine.
· i went to see the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, and it is really good. everyone who complains about the film being different from the book better complain about every single film adaptation ever. also, they should complain about the books being different from the radio shows. then they should stop talking.
· we have a new washing machine, because our old one's button broke. somehow, this means the whole thing gets replaced by one that works far better, and has lots more shiny lights and things.

so, on the whole, not too bad a time, eh? i might try doing some more painting soon, i have a couple of ideas, but i don't want to mess them up. we'll see how i get along.

apparently, i post at a 5th grade scale. (put my website address in, if you want to check it)

hey, at least i beat tv guide.