August 05, 2002

I'm not really sure what to talk about this point, aside from the final countdown to when I leave. I started packing up my room today, because tomorrow afternoon is the checkout inspection, and unlike when I left, I'd rather not stay up all night getting everything packed and taken care of (although wanting to drop dead as soon as you land is a good way to get around jet lag).

About half the students are already gone from the Center, most of them doing some traveling now that class is over (as I mentioned before, I'm staying firmly put to avoid the temptation to spend money). I've worked out that getting out of Japan is going to cost me 1000 yen and change, and I currently have 3000+, so that leaves me a bit of breathing room to keep feeding myself a while longer. I've been spending a lot of time in the TV room, just talking, and hanging out watching TV and movies (I really wish we'd had a chance to watch 'Shaolin Soccer' again…). I've been doing a little writing, and finally got around to work on that role-playing adventure I promised I'd have ready by the time I got back. That's been mildly amusing, especially since I've got to talk to a lot of people about BESM (Big Eyes Small Mouth - an anime styled role playing system). The way I run the game is a sci-fi setting, where the players are 'troubleshooters' for hire (this gives me a lot of freedom in designing adventures, because I just need to think of an idea, and then say, 'you're latest contract asks you too' thus saving me the trouble of having to think of an original and engaging setup. The last 'contract' had them hired as bodyguards for a big mob peace talk, which of course exploded into KRAZY ASS VIOLENCE! (sorry). I run the kind of game where if people flying through the air in slow motion with two guns blazing is pretty much par for the course, and with so many disposable thugs (I gave them names like 'first to go' and 'dumb guy #23' so their fates were easy to guess) with automatic weapons running about, not to mention six floors of mayhem and a horribly long jump to safety, so a pretty good time was had by all. I'm still getting the hang of being the one running the game as opposed to merely being one of the players, but whenever I needed to cover myself, I just had the thugs start playing kickball with live grenades, and that diverted everyone attention away from my storytelling ineptitude fast.

With this adventure I have the players getting paid to test out the security system at a top secret research facility. Of course things go wrong, and suddenly they find themselves staring down an angry horde of mutant gerbils, armed with nothing more than a bag of radioactive cedar shavings.

…

I have really got to stop writing these things at three in the morning.

Yeah, so I've been spending very little time in the real world today. Maybe it's denial, in the nice little fantasy world in my head, I don't have to face the fact that I'll be leaving in a matter of hours. Well that and the fact that it's hot here, really really hot. When I haven't been cooking myself with everyone else in the TV room, I've been napping my room with the AC on, or hanging out in the computer lab, which also has an AC.

Yeah, that's me, just chillin'.

When I resort to puns of that low a caliber, I know its time to stop.