September to New Years' Day

Greetings Friends.

Boy how the time slips away. It is already nearly the 5th of January and it has been since September I last wrote.

Quincy came down for Halloween. She conspired with my boss to give me the weekend off and showed up at the store one day when I was working. Silly goose, I about died. She's awesome. That was a very good visit for us and I think one of the more solid visits we had.

A couple weeks later I was able to make another trip to Utah to see my girl (no pics, didn't take the camera) which was nice. As it was a quick weekend and very unplanned I didn't tell anyone else except Sean and fam with whom I was staying. So please forgive me for not calling anyone else. It was a really good weekend for Quincy and I.

Thanksgiving steamrolls over us and lo, she is able to come down surprising her mother. And again in December for Christmas and New Years (through the 4th!)

During our several visits as things progressed the topic of marriage came up. I kept saying not this year, we're not there yet and she agreed. Well, over the Christmas break we were talking more and the logistics of when and where and realized that we were much closer than we thought, and waiting until February just wasn't logical. So we went ring shopping.


Originally I wanted to just get ideas and go later, but because the time frame was all shot up, we ended up getting it right then and left it to be sized. We did go to the Shane Company because frankly they had great prices (compared to other jewelers) and great service.

So I picked up the ring on the 30th and didn't mention it again. She knew when it was supposed to be ready and all and I suspect knew I was planning on asking, but since February was out... Derek and Ann were throwing a New Years gig on short notice and about 1/3rd the number of people showed up. Pity cause we did have fun. Midnight came, some poppers and cheers in the backyard and I took her up to the balcony. We looked at the stars for a couple minutes and I told her that I often wondered if she looked at the sky and thought of me as I did of her when we were apart.... then I got down on my knees and asked her to marry me.

She said yes.

So of course we had to go back downstairs if for no other reason than to leave the party (as I had to open at work). So we spent a few minutes being congratulated and I dropped off my fiancee and went home to bed.


So gang, after nearly 37 years, I have found the girl to wed. She's awesome, she loves me (for some [many] unknown reason[s]), and so on 16 May 2009 we will be sealed for time and all eternity in the Mesa, AZ temple.

Alas, tis late and I should be in bed again... but decided I best post something. Good-night and Happy New Year!

~Gojira

From the Mouth Of...

Well, okay, so the following quote isn't exactly from a child, but it had to be one of the most pertinent quotes to me in a very long time.

"I think being alone in a restraunt with a book is a good as it gets." This line was written by none other than John Cleese of the Pythons in their autobiography The Pythons Autobiography. He wasn't even writing about me, but himself! I just had to share since I happen to love to sit at a restraunt with a book and read for a few hours.

So I'm back from the trip to Utah. It was a really nice trip (aside from the 10 hour drive each way which wasn't so bad except for the 10 hours). I got to see my newest nieces (Rebecca and Brooke). They are so totally adorable. Not to mention 4-year old Bethany who was so excited to see me!

Well there was this other young girl I was anxious to see.
Isn't she cute? Perhaps that's the wrong word... HOT might be a better word.
We had a few times to get together and it was really, really nice to see her. I do wish the trip could have been longer than it was, alas, work for me and school for my roommate kinda killed that. Alas, we were able to vist each other and talk. It seems like we'd both like for something to work out. The distance is still an issue, but we'll cope as we can. So as I am now back in the Zona, and Quincy Jane is still in UT -- I am not nearly as happy as you see me in the above pic. I already miss her. *sniff* Alas, alas, I open tomorrow and am a bit tired so I'll close this one out.

Until next time, keep stompin'

~Gojira

That's Very Important, Write That Down

And so we find outselves in the third installment of the Social Godzilla. I am writing about this stuff that has happened and it seems a bit unreal. Heck, I lived through it and it seems a bit unreal.

So for the first time in a LONG time, I've got a "girlfriend" and she's terrific. Alas, due to life, we were parted a bit before expected. B&N called down from UT and her former job was opening up again and could she start the next week...

So she went back to UT and it is a good thing I have unlimited texts on my phone or I'd be deader than dead broke from paying the bill. We have been sending messages back and forth every day, a number of voice calls and I miss her terribly. She has been kind enough to send me a few photos via the cell phone.

I am thrilled to have the pics, though I just miss her all that much more.

Well, my roommate had planned a trip to Utah, leaving late this evening and invited me to go. How could I pass up a chance like that? We will be leaving whenever he gets home and we get the car packed. I doubt I'll be able to blog much via the Frozen North (not yet, I hope), but I will get to see the lady above and spend some time with her... and some other friends and family.

So that's it for this installment. Wish me luck. Wish us both luck!

~Gojira

Godzilla the Social, pt II

So, there we are in CA, the week is over and I've got to get back to AZ to return to work. Or so I thought. If I'd have called for the schedule I would have discovered I could have stayed a few more days. Alas, alas, there were things to be done here.

While I am not a big fan of driving distances anymore (not that I ever was, but coped better when I was younger), the drive to and from AZ to CA isn't all that bad. Having this cute girl in my passenger seat that wanted to hold my hand certainly didn't hurt either. What a marvelous way to travel holding the hand of the girl you're dating for hours on end.

So we got back to the 'Zona and did what dating people do. We dated. Watched some movies, played some games, spent time together, went to lunch or dinner... and as my car problems were not over -- she was incredibly kind and shuttled me around to and from work and other places a number of times (as did a few others who ought not be left out so thanks to Bryan and Wendy!)

So one day I'm at work and talking to some guy about how I am a recovering Warcrack addict and how I quit playing it. We were discussing the benefits of this and I mentioned that since I quit playing I had found a "girlfriend". A word that I had not used with Quicny yet, nor had she called me boyfriend. So the next time we were together I mentioned this and she said she was okay with that. So we had moved on from "dating" to being BF/GF. BOOYAH!

So, we had "upgraded" our relationship and this little Godzilla was pleased.

I think that's enough for entry number two. (Mostly because I'm about to fall over asleep!) Until next time, keep Stompin'!

~Gojira

Godzilla being social?

Years. Wow. Years it appears to be.

I am not going to promise I am going to be here all the time, cause I am not ready to make such a promise, but I am thinking perhaps I *ought* to be here a bit more often so we shall see. On the way home from my brother's place tonight I considered it and blew it off... and wouldn't you know it, this same evening my brother-in-law suggested I should update my blog.

So anyhow, here I am. And what a place to begin.

Set back the clock a few weeks (rather than the years you haven't been reading about) to the middle of July. I was over in California for a bit of vacation before taking a keyholder job at the game store. It was planned that I was going to Disneyland with my HS friend, Andy, on Wednesday and kind of jokingly I sent a message to a friend of mine in AZ telling her if she wanted to come out I'd take her to Disney. I wouldn't have sent it had I not been willing to follow through, but have to admit I was a bit surprised (thrilled, mind you but surprised nonetheless) when she actually came over.

So Quincy came out to CA from the 'Zona and the three of us went to Disneyland on the 16th. We had a very good day. There were times when I was kinda wishing it was just the two of us, but had already planned the day with Andy so couldn't just tell him to go away. He did go see a show so we had a few hours alone. Either way, was a fun day. We met a mother and daughter from Spokane who were there for the first time and got to play tour guide which was immensely fun for me. I really hope we were able to make their trip more enjoyable.

So anyhow, after 16 hours or so at Disneyland and being extremely beat, we headed home. That was the beginning of "dating" Quincy. The rest of the week we ran around various haunts. It was a little difficult as my car was in the shop so we had to borrow the folks' car, but it worked. We had a nice time and a nice safe drive back to the 'Zona.

Believe it or not, this Godzilla was (and is) actually social. It can be a wonderful thing. It has been a few weeks so there is more to say, but that will have to wait. Until then....

Many Moons Ago

HALOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Greetings Friends and Family and Friends who are Family and Family who are Friends.

A few of you over the last little bit have mentioned to me it's been many a moon since I have been here and posted anything so I thought I'd take a few minutes. Why not? Well, more on that in a few, until then, this --

This morning when walking to the library from the parking lot, I was struck by an ephiphany. November is almost over.

While this is quite obvious, it struck me not so much because I haven't done any Christmas shopping, or even because finals are in 2 weeks. No, what hit me over the head, dear readers, it is almost a new year and *THAT* means it is about time for my anual reread of Amber.

I can hardly believe it is time to revisit Corwin and his siblings in their various adventures through Shadow. Can it be that this year really is over (or nearly so)? Do I really get to visit that magical realm? Are the Courts of Chaos really plotting to overthrow everything?

Anyhow, the more I think about it the more I am anticipating it. Not that I would have forgotten. Believe me, it's hard to forget. Amber has been my first read of the year for many years running. What it really tells me is that I've been really wrapped up in school (and World of Warcrack).

And now for why I ought not take a few minutes to write this -- I should be spending every waking min when not eating, showering/dressing/grooming, working, reading the sticks, et al. going over Japanese. But I know that's not going to happen so why pretend?

This week will be a rough one, methinks. I basically have to learn the entire 3rd chapter of Japanese before... Thursday. Alright, that sounds bad. It isn't quite that dramatic. I understand when and where to use many of the grammar points. The problem I am really having is that several of them involve transtive and intransitive verb pairs. (32 of them in this chapter.) And alas, i am seriusly struggling with remembering these pairs. I have been over them again and again. I have been using them in my workbook (looking them up each time). I have tried flashcards. I attempted to write my own silly sentences so I might remember them better. All to no avail. The vast majority of these verbs are just not sticking with me. And frankly I don't know what to do with them. Alas, I need to know a much larger portion of them by Thursday.

I apologize for this in advance, it's something of a downer:
It could be because from the end of Chapter 2 to the present, I haven't really cared. I got SO frustrated at the end of the last chapter when Sensei introduced a section for the test she wanted us to do. It involved translation. She wants to see if we really understand Japanese sentence structure. Fine and dandy. But while working on the example in class, when nobody in class knew how to do it right, we couldn't get a "right" answer. I still have no clue what some of the sentences we had to do were supposed to be. It was so bad that when someone had a sentence that she liked and someone else phrased it in their own words (and it sounded good to all of us), Sensei said no and yet we couldn't get a reason why. When that happened, I just cumpled up my paper and sat there.

Anyhow, that frustration has stuck with me. I've stoped trying to learn Japanese. I'm just trying to get the grade. I don't like that. I don't like feeling this way. I don't like going to school just for a grade. It's really quite sad because I've put a lot of effort into Japanese and I am (or was) interested in it. Alas, I am still putting effort into it, but it's short term. If you were to ask me the vocab from this morning's quiz I might get half of what I got this morning. I'm not retaining anything. Which makes remembering 64 verbs rather difficult. Alas, I'm going to get dinged badly on this exam because of it. (Which is another thing -- got nailed on the vocab quiz that used them, 2 grammar quizzes that use them and now the chapter and oral test which will use them. So heck yeah I'm concerned about my grade, blast it all!) Anyhow, I somehow need to catch the spark of caring and wanting to learn this dastardly language again... and SOON because I don't have many days to do it before it seriously affects my grade too.

Otherwise -- life's just kind of there. I moved (mostly). I have no social life at all finding being a hermit much easier than actually doing things with people. I did write a young lady in Russia a couple of letters. Alas, even those letters were dull and boring. Maybe I have some sort of social blockage that stems from an incident like the translation section in Japanese that just keeps me from being able to communicate with people. Ha.

Anyhow, for many months of nada, that's life in a nutshell (pistachio sized it seems) for now.

~G

Since 8 June 2005

Boy oh boy, where do I start?

Back on the 8th I left AZ and headed to UT. I was going up to help my brother and his family pack up and move to TX. I went up a couple days early so I could go see other friends and family still up there. Many of whom I hadn't seen in around 3 years. Of course a lot can change in 3 years, but one might expect in the e-mails to them over the years they might have mentioned BIG changes.

So I'm in my rental car and running down to see some friends at a company I worked for my last few years in UT. I get to the building and it's got for sale and lease signs all over it. No sign of them or where they've gone. So I checked another friend -- his office had moved too. Blah, blah, blah. Basically my first day there I managed to see my cousin Georgia and only my cousin Georgia. I guess that's not entirely true. I did see my sister Stacey, her husband Tyson and my brother Patrick Ryan that night.

That night I had decided I was going to the one restaurant I miss in UT: OTTAVIO'S! They all tried to convince me otherwise since the plan was to go Saturday after packing the moving truck. HA! I would go twice, but had to go that night. Good thing I did, since the Saturday visit was cancelled. HA! So I got my Rigatoni Fra Diavolo anyway! Mmmmm. I wish they'd open one in Mesa.

Managed to find most of my friends the next day and see them all, with a little bit of confusion. It was good to see them. I had to find one more the next day, but as there was nothing to do -- it all worked out.

Friday was packing the truck day. Blargh. With some help from the local Elder's Quorum it actually went pretty quickly. I am still surprised that we were cramming things into the last inches of the truck and needed more space. So badly that they tried to put a bike rack on the back of the moving van with 2 bikes.

Sunday we began the drive. It started raining (with a little hail in the middle of it all). Sunday we began the drive. It started raining (with a little hail in the middle of it all). Less than 2 miles from the house [I was driving the truck with my nephew, Alex (a few years older than this pic), who wanted to ride in the "big truck"] and got hailed to the side of the road. The bike rack straps had snapped and the bikes were dragging. Who knows how long... and after the drive I almost wish I'd ignored the guy who pulled me over. We ended up putting the bikes in the van in the middle seat section. We got soaked to the bone doing this. It also meant Alex had to make the whole trip in the moving truck which he weathered very well actually. It ended up the bikes weren't the most important things and if they'd been demolished Sean's wife says she wouldn't have cared all that much. So if I'd have let them drag... ah well, it didn't happen that way.

We made it to Cheyenne that day. Sean was exhausted from a very stressful week. Dad wanted to go to Denver just to get more miles in. I knew we'd be okay... long drive or not, got to get some rest sometime. Thus begane our chain of stays in the Super 8 Motels where surprisingly enough, I slept better than I ever have in any motel -- but for the Grizzley Bear snoring in the other bed.

Monday took us to Wichita with a lot of stops and starts. We did have a 6-year old with us, you know. Even so, it worked out. No other major mishaps. Though we did have one event that's noteworthy. We had stopped for a Blizzard at a DQ and this old lady pulled in. She didn't know where she was (not even that she was in Kansas) or where she was going (East or West), where her son lived (which coast)... we finally got some info to help her on the right road. I hope she was just distraught because after thinking about it for a moment, I realized she could be in real trouble. I went back in and had them call the Highway Patrol to keep an eye out for her because she really was lost. She told us she was mad at her husband and just took off, so I hope she calmed down and realized what she was doing, but what if she really was that lost? She was planning on going to S. Carolina! Poor lady, hope she's okay.

Tuesday we got into Dallas/ Ft Worth, got him to the hotel where we met up with his wife and daughter. I had just met Bethany the week before and she's absolutely adorable. After getting settled a little bit we really needed to relax some. Sean especially, it had been a rough time for him. The Inn had a pool (no longer a Super 8). I tell ya, that was the PERFECT solution. At least for me. It was just what I needed to wind down from the drive and everything. Alex and Bethany joined in. Though I had to swim in my shorts since I hadn't packed a swimsuit. Oh well -- denim drys like other materials.

We found out the next day that the expect 3-6 month stay in TX was no longer valid but he was being offered a position in Alabama (to leave to on Friday -- it now being Wednesday). Alas, non-refundable plane tix meant Dad and I were leaving Thursday morn at 6:05 am. The good news from that is we didn't have to unload the truck, they could just drive that one out and be done.

Since my last blog was about books I ought to mention this whole time I have read less than 100 pages. My Dad doesn't like SF/Fantasy and the like so he didn't approve of A Darkness at Sethanon by Feist so instead of reading while he was driving, I just sat and we chatted. I did finally finish it Wednesday afternoon so I could get to Shogun which I had been itching to get to for days now. I also got to see Batman Begins. More on that some other time.

Dad and I were going to hang around from like Midnight until our flight at the airport, but the plan changed 15 times and it was finally decided to get up at 4 and go. I dozed on and off for a couple hours but stayed up most of it and did read some Shogun. If I haven't mentioned it in another blog it has been at least 17-18 years since I've read it... before I started keeping a list of the books I read each year. So I was really chomping at the bit to read it. We get to the airport, almost forgot Dad's cane -- and off we go. I get checked in and as I'm going through security I realize I left Shogun in the carseat in the Van. *le sigh* Of all the damn fool things to do... ah well, I knew I could find a used one in town... there isn't a used bookstore in America that doesn't have 15 copies of Shogun, right?

So I thought until after calling a dozen stores yesterday I finally found one store that had ONE copy. Man, when I was younger they were everywhere. Whatever the reason, it was a lot more difficult to find than I thought, but now I can read it. Yay.

Anyhow, 'tis good to be home, even though it was a good trip on the whole, it's always nice to return home.

Until next time--

~Gojira