Busy as Hell

London two weeks ago, South Carolina last week, then Tokyo this week. Almost had to go back to Tokyo next week, but that's been delayed until December. May have to go to London between now and then, though. I'm not sure how much more sitting in airplanes my ass can take.

London was great: had my fish and chips, spent an evening on a dinner boat cruising down the Thames River (complete with a few rounds of drunken karaoke), a drive through the countryside, etc. Highlight of the trip, though, was definitely having roast beef with Yorkshire pudding in a private room in a nice restaurant, with a plasma TV wheeled in so we could see the England vs Poland soccer match. Not too big of a soccer fan, but when you're surrounded by Brits and it's the last match before the World Cup starts, you tend to get sucked in.

South Carolina was surprisingly pleasant. My brother and I went to see my grandma for the first time since my grandfather passed away. Out of sheer coincidence, my aunt was visiting as well... who I hadn't seen in about 15 years (she doesn't get along with my father, so they're essentially estranged). But, it was extremely pleasant out there and we did a considerable amount of sightseeing. Lots of history out that way. Despite the horrible plane trip to and from, the stay was one of the most relaxing experiences I've had in a long while. Grandma and aunt were doing quite well, thankfully.

Tokyo was short. Only there for a couple of days. And despite my efforts to try and spend some time with friends and/or family, my night plans were all thwarted by my boss, and I quickly found myself nearly having to spend all night with Mr. Childhood Hero again. Luckily, my boss crapped out halfway through the night and we were able to head back home without further incident.

All this travel, though, is putting a bit of wear and tear on my iPod. Particularly the headphones. I got a set of Apple earbuds for Christmas last year, but they're already falling apart. I had similar problems with the stock headphones, but the rubber insulation around the wires is separating from the base, and one of the actual speakers of one of the earpieces has fallen off. I don't know if I abuse my iPod, or if the quality is just shoddy. If it's the former, I need to find a better way of carrying around my iPod, then. I always wrap the headphones around the iPod and shove it into my pocket. I don't really know what else to do with it...

Oh, and I haven't written a single word this month yet :( I'm only 4 days into NaNoWriMo, and I'm already behind...

*sigh*