Flitting from world to world
Wow.
The past week has been spent on two endeavors: an adventure to Prague, and Kingdom Hearts II. I suppose I should deal with each of them in turn, but I don't imagine many people are interested in KH2, and those that might be wouldn't want me to spoil it for them.
Instead I'll simply say that I am once again experiencing "Post-Adventure" syndrome, magnified by the fact that I'd waited three years for this particular installment and I completely barrelled through it, playing it for more than 30 hours in the space of about 60. It was an intense gaming experience not equalled except by the 'Thon. I didn't skip anything, mind you, I completed all the worlds and finished all the major story arcs. And it was fantastic.
But for so long I've been waiting for it, and now... Now it's over. I feel not unlike Inigo Montoya at the end of The Princess Bride, or perhaps the feeling is best described by Zaphod Beeblebrox in the Hitchhiker's movie: "Excuse me, guys, I gotta go find something else for my whole life to be about."
Oh well. There will be other stories, and in the meantime, I've my own to deal with: I leave for Ireland tomorrow morning, and I'm supposed to have finished that blasted essay by then. My heart's not in it, and I'd actually resigned myself to leaving it incomplete in case I needed extra time to finish Kingdom Hearts (I know, I'm awful). Theoretically, I have all the groundwork laid for it, I should be able to knock it off this evening, especially if I'm around others who're also working. But as I said, my heart's not in it... And it's hard to focus on something as mundane as an essay when there are so many stories swirling into my head, attempting to fill the enormous empty space with the completion of Kingdom Hearts has wraught.
Prague was beautiful. It's a city of clocks-- they're everywhere; it seems that no matter where you stand in the city, if you can see the skyline, you can see at least one clocktower. There's an amazingly beautiful astronomical clock at the heart of the city, too-- basically, the city fed on my fanatical obsession with the themes of time and timepieces.
The architecture is beautiful-- pristine, untouched, and all looking like it came straight out of Sleeping Beauty. The cathedrals, and the castle, and the St. Charles Bridge... But not just that-- every street in the city is full of astonishingly beautiful facades and intricate facework.
We occupied ourselves by ambling through the city taking in the sights, going on a few guided tours, dining in a number of fine restaurants (and a couple seedy bars), attending the opera and several museums, and taking lots of pictures, some of which I may eventually post here (I'm somewhat pressed for time at the moment, but I'll see what I can do this evening).
When I first set foot in the city, I felt the most curious sensation of euphoria, as all of my worries seemed to be blown away on the spring wind. I realized how much adventure I have laid out before me-- even now that KH2 is finished, I still have Ireland, seeing my parents, and then, after a few more weeks of classes, summer-- and David Tyler's imminent visit. Then, summer at home, being a journeyman tied down only by my lack of funds, and then my last year at Kenyon, and a return to all the friends I've made there.
There's still one element missing, of course, as illustrated by recent conversations with my little sister in which she extols the virtues of her boyfriend Eric, but... Well, I'm sure there's a girl out there who's right for me somewhere, even if I never end up finding her... The knowledge that she exists is reassuring on some level.
Yikes. I'm going to depress myself with that kind of talk.
Oh, I cut my hair-- I'm sure I've got pictures of it on my camera, but in the meantime Claire and Terrell have put up some very illustrative examples on facebook. It's interesting, because in some of the photos I think "wow, my long hair looked so cool, why did I ever cut it?" and in others I think "ugh, I look like a fraggle." All in all, I'm satisfied with my new appearance, and at least I don't have to worry about my vision being impaired on a windy day. Also saves on shampoo.
The past week has been spent on two endeavors: an adventure to Prague, and Kingdom Hearts II. I suppose I should deal with each of them in turn, but I don't imagine many people are interested in KH2, and those that might be wouldn't want me to spoil it for them.
Instead I'll simply say that I am once again experiencing "Post-Adventure" syndrome, magnified by the fact that I'd waited three years for this particular installment and I completely barrelled through it, playing it for more than 30 hours in the space of about 60. It was an intense gaming experience not equalled except by the 'Thon. I didn't skip anything, mind you, I completed all the worlds and finished all the major story arcs. And it was fantastic.
But for so long I've been waiting for it, and now... Now it's over. I feel not unlike Inigo Montoya at the end of The Princess Bride, or perhaps the feeling is best described by Zaphod Beeblebrox in the Hitchhiker's movie: "Excuse me, guys, I gotta go find something else for my whole life to be about."
Oh well. There will be other stories, and in the meantime, I've my own to deal with: I leave for Ireland tomorrow morning, and I'm supposed to have finished that blasted essay by then. My heart's not in it, and I'd actually resigned myself to leaving it incomplete in case I needed extra time to finish Kingdom Hearts (I know, I'm awful). Theoretically, I have all the groundwork laid for it, I should be able to knock it off this evening, especially if I'm around others who're also working. But as I said, my heart's not in it... And it's hard to focus on something as mundane as an essay when there are so many stories swirling into my head, attempting to fill the enormous empty space with the completion of Kingdom Hearts has wraught.
Prague was beautiful. It's a city of clocks-- they're everywhere; it seems that no matter where you stand in the city, if you can see the skyline, you can see at least one clocktower. There's an amazingly beautiful astronomical clock at the heart of the city, too-- basically, the city fed on my fanatical obsession with the themes of time and timepieces.
The architecture is beautiful-- pristine, untouched, and all looking like it came straight out of Sleeping Beauty. The cathedrals, and the castle, and the St. Charles Bridge... But not just that-- every street in the city is full of astonishingly beautiful facades and intricate facework.
We occupied ourselves by ambling through the city taking in the sights, going on a few guided tours, dining in a number of fine restaurants (and a couple seedy bars), attending the opera and several museums, and taking lots of pictures, some of which I may eventually post here (I'm somewhat pressed for time at the moment, but I'll see what I can do this evening).
When I first set foot in the city, I felt the most curious sensation of euphoria, as all of my worries seemed to be blown away on the spring wind. I realized how much adventure I have laid out before me-- even now that KH2 is finished, I still have Ireland, seeing my parents, and then, after a few more weeks of classes, summer-- and David Tyler's imminent visit. Then, summer at home, being a journeyman tied down only by my lack of funds, and then my last year at Kenyon, and a return to all the friends I've made there.
There's still one element missing, of course, as illustrated by recent conversations with my little sister in which she extols the virtues of her boyfriend Eric, but... Well, I'm sure there's a girl out there who's right for me somewhere, even if I never end up finding her... The knowledge that she exists is reassuring on some level.
Yikes. I'm going to depress myself with that kind of talk.
Oh, I cut my hair-- I'm sure I've got pictures of it on my camera, but in the meantime Claire and Terrell have put up some very illustrative examples on facebook. It's interesting, because in some of the photos I think "wow, my long hair looked so cool, why did I ever cut it?" and in others I think "ugh, I look like a fraggle." All in all, I'm satisfied with my new appearance, and at least I don't have to worry about my vision being impaired on a windy day. Also saves on shampoo.
posted by Nate at 6:04 AM
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