Day Thirty Seven - TRAGEDY!

So I just might have to kill myself. Really. No, not really. I may have damaged my iPod beyond all hope today when I went cycling in the rain. Apparently my waterproof jacket from REI is not actually waterproof. Maybe the jacket never was supposed to be waterproof but I was under the impression that anything covered by it would be safe.

I had my iPod in a pocket of the jacket, not even listening to it. I brought just in case I wanted to but never felt like it. When I got home I pulled it out and was surprised to see it quite damp. Weird, this jacket is supposed to keep everything dry, I thought. It didn't look that wet so I wiped it off and turned it on to test it out. Big mistake. After some research on the interwebs I discovered that the worst action to take when suspecting iPod damage from water is to turn it on. Of course, that is what most people naturally do to see if the device survived the torrent. I didn't even suspect that my iPod was damaged, it didn't look that wet.

The best course of action to take will be to let it sit without using it and pray to Steve Jobs that it will live to make me dance another day. The odd aspect of the situation though is that it plays music just fine. I can browse through all my artists and play anything on there. But Smitty, the name I christened my iPod with when I got it, thinks that he is constantly plugged in and being charged, when in reality he is just laying on the floor not connected to anything. He also will not do anything when connected to my computer. Hopefully that symptom will go away after a day or so. Or else I don't know what I'm going to do without any music.

I suppose it's not the end of the world. My trip will continue, honestly not changing much. It will just be devoid of music. A terrible fate indeed, a prospect which saddens me immensely. I could buy a new iPod, at great cost, and use my netbook to put music on it. That would be a solution in a way but not something that I want to do. I do not want to spend money that should be for my trip to buy a replacement iPod. Ah, life is cruel. For now, I'm going to wait it out. Your prayers for Smitty's speedy and complete recovery would be very much appreciated.

Day Thirty Six - Still Alive.

As the title suggests, I'm still alive. I just haven't had much internet access lately. I definitely have stories to tell and experiences to share but for now I'm going to explore Basel. It's my first day in Switzerland and I wish not to spend it on my netbook. I'll update again later tonight probably.

I want to leave you with this amazing song. Anyone who plays Rock Band or Portal will know what I'm about to show you. For the rest, sit back and be amazed. Lyrics are under the video if you wish to sing along, as you definitely should!



This was a triumph.
I'm making a note here:
HUGE SUCCESS.
It's hard to overstate
my satisfaction.
Aperture Science
We do what we must
because we can.
For the good of all of us.
Except the ones who are dead.
But there's no sense crying
over every mistake.
You just keep on trying
till you run out of cake.
And the Science gets done.
And you make a neat gun.
For the people who are
still alive.


I'm not even angry.
I'm being so sincere right now.
Even though you broke my heart.
And killed me.
And tore me to pieces.
And threw every piece into a fire.
As they burned it hurt because
I was so happy for you!
Now these points of data
make a beautiful line.
And we're out of beta.
We're releasing on time.
So I'm GLaD. I got burned.
Think of all the things we learned
for the people who are
still alive.

Go ahead and leave me.
I think i prefer to stay inside.
maybe you'll find someone else
to help you.
maybe Black Mesa...
THAT WAS A JOKE, HA HA, FAT CHANCE.
Anyway this cake is great.
It's so delicious and moist
look at me still talking when theres science to do
when i look out there
it makes me glad I'm not you
i've experiments to run
there is research to be done
on the people who are
still alive.


and believe me I am still alive
I'm doing science and I'm still alive
i feel fantastic and I'm still alive
while your dying ill be still alive
and when your dead i will be still alive
still alive
still alive

Day Thirty One - Stranger in a Strange Land

Wow, what a difference language makes! I'm writing here from Brussels, Belgium and am feeling quite inadequate. Being alone in a country that speaks a language other than the only one I know is a very daunting experience. This is my first day away from English so I suppose I just haven't gotten accustomed to the situation. I can't even read my map! My CS host Steven was kind enough to outfit me with his map of Brussels but it's in French so reading the names of the places I'm going is sort of hard. The street names are of course all the same language as on the map so at least that part is easy enough.

I expected it would be difficult at times but it has just been a shock to me today. Although in reality there are probably many people around that speak at least passable English. But even knowing that, when I see all the signs, billboards, and even my map, that are in French or Dutch makes me feel like I am in way over my head. I don't know a lick of either of those languages. Not to mention it does make reading food labels to make sure they are vegan very difficult. Lucky for me there are some labels that have many languages on them and I just have to keep searching until I find the labels that have an English portion. That makes my life that much harder, not only do I need to find vegan food but I have to find vegan food that is in English. Great, just what I wanted to have to deal with.

Despite my negative tone so far, I am happy to be here in Brussels. Yes, it's different. Yes, it's difficult. But that's all part of the experience. I'm very glad to be on the move again. London was fantastic, I really loved it, but I'm here to travel so travel I must. At first I was bummed about leaving my temporary home in Shepherd's Bush with my friends Rhea and Matthew but now being in Belgium has reignited the excitement of travel within me. Now if only I could figure out where the hell I was going...

I suppose being a stranger in a strange land will become second nature after a while. Plus I will probably pick up bits of language here and there. I already have the basic greetings and polite phrases memorized in French. It's great to be using them on a regular basis, it really inspires me to learn a new language. I've always thought that would be great to be multi-lingual; yet back in California the only other useful language is Spanish and if I didn't use a language on a regular basis I would forget it. People in Belgium usually know at least some of four different languages! French is mainly spoken here in Brussels and southern Belgium, Dutch is spoken mostly in northern Belgium, German is spoken near the German border, and many people also know some English. That's crazy to me.

For now I'm going to head back out into the concrete jungle and brave the elements to see some more sights. I can't stay cooped up in this apartment for too long. Wish me luck!

Vance the Lance.