Ryan
Chasing greatness

So I’ve been having problems sleeping lately. That is fine, except I’m tired and cranky during the day. Oddly enough, that is about the right demeanor for used car shopping, which is what is occupying my time.

By the by, the movie, “The Code” isn’t so great. It has got some A-List actors, but it tried way to hard and failed.

So my ideas. First, I thought about creating a website. I’m sure it exists already, and I don’t think I have the energy to do it, but what it would be is a central resource for gamers.

Wow, breakthrough stuff. I know.

What I really want it to function as, is a social networking site for gamers to find other people, their million different names, stats, and games that they have, so they can have a better time playing games with people they like.

So your profile would have bare bones information about you, and then all of the various games you had on various platforms and poll whatever statistic collecting sites there are, for live updates of those players’ informations. That way, everything is in one place and people can check up on friends, rivals, and clans.

The other idea is for a game that I should have made by now, but I didn’t have the angles worked out. Of course it is a zombie game.

Now, there are humans and zombies in a procedurally generated town/city. There is a certain number of humans that can exist based on map size. They are naked and helpless. They have to forage for food, water, and supplies, while being attacked by zombies. Their scores will be based on survival and zombie kills.

The Zombies are endless, but there will really only be a certain amount roaming at a time. The zombies can be either human controlled, or player controlled. The beauty of this is that the zombies serve as a lobby while you wait for your turn to be a human.

Those who wait can see a top down map of everything except where humans are, and jump into a zombie that isn’t in use and run around doing their best to find and kill a human. If they die, the kick out to the map, and another zombie starts.

I have lots of other ideas to make the game interesting by restricting player-to-player communication, and various other sensory issues.

If I were a better man, I would create a team and make this game.

First up, I’m on Twitter.

Take a deep breath.

While on there, I found a great little article I wanted to share. If you’re not up on the nerd, you might not get it.

Here it is.

By the way, its a hoax.

Anyway, I finished my video game resume, and after the upcoming bachelor party I’ll be kicking ass and sending it out to all of the companies that my dearest friends have thoughtfully sent to me.

I also recently heard the Dave Ramsey show on the radio during my 18 hour car ride. The man makes sense. Check it out if you are interested in your finances.

I haven’t written in a while.  Mostly because there hasn’t really been a whole lot to say.

Actually that is only half true.

Greg left MES and us on Thursday, April  30th.  If anyone who reads this has ever known someone that has been so amazingly brilliant, not only at their job, but also in life, then you know how hard it is to say, “Good bye.”  I’ll be the first to admit that I never anticipated being a teacher.  I knew teaching English in Japan was my best ticket to live in Japan and see down the side streets and darker ally’s that tourists’ gazes cannot reach.  I became a teacher to live that dream, and I have  succeeded.

I never would have expected to find a role-model here.  He was Greg.

You could get into the entire destiny debate.  Argue if people are born for a task or not.  Greg is an artist an born teacher.  Anyone who meets him would unhesitatingly say so.  However, he returned to Vietnam to be with his family and new daughter.  I can only wish him the best.

I can only look back on the lessons I have learned and the great memories I have had.

All of that being said, it is, “Golden Week.”  This is the public holiday that all of Japan has.  Of course travel is marked up outrageously because of that very reason.  We have opted to stay in and pack.  We have learned the lesson of our predecessors, which is, “Don’t wait until the last minute to pack up.”

I have already prepared a box to send home with clothes, a sleeping bag, and a Nintendo 64 with 8 games an 4 controllers.  Yes, the nerd exists, and anyone who visits our life-changing place in the states can sample video games they remember, in Japanese.

Megan is taking on this task of cleaning and packing with absolute dedication.  As long as a new episode of Desperate Housewives isn’t buffering.  I, myself, have other goals.  First, to finish my stupid Zombie video game.  As it stands, I have a city generator.  My second goal is to finish, “The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass.”  If I don’t finish it, I’ll forget it.  Anyone who plays RPGs will know how much of a pain in the ass that is.

Anyway, I haven’t written because I didn’t know what to write about Greg leaving.  I also didn’t know what to write about our leaving.  I still don’t.  

All I can say is that he will be missed.  Forever.  Really.

Some fun little web game. I usually don’t care for these, but this one asks you for no information and is kind of cool too.

My Brute

Lets talk Japan.  For some time now a child in a class of 3 has not been showing up.  We hear through her friend that she was quitting.  My Japanese Teacher says, “oh, she must just be sick, but she’ll be back.”  My response was, “No she won’t.”

She never showed up again in 2 months.

Then we hear that, she has already quit, but she never actually told us.  That made me laugh because I was right, it was so obvious, but completely not Japanese.

Then I found out she hasn’t paid in 6 months.  That amounts to around $400.

I laughed harder.

It kills me because it hasn’t been a mystery to the powers that be at work.  They knew she hadn’t paid, and completely thought without hesitation that, “They simply must not have the money, because they haven’t paid yet.  If they have the money, they would pay us.”

Nobody thought, “They’re ripping us off.”  Even after news broke that the little girl is taking piano lessons.  They have the money.

On Tuesday morning I had to go to Kobato Kindergarten for an hour or so.  hey have extra money to burn, so they are burning it on my patience.  I may have wrote this before but come April they don’t want me around because they only want one teacher for a full school year.  Since I’m leaving, they want a different teacher.

So I show up and find out when I get there that I have to play and teach 1-year-olds  Really, those kids can’t even walk and they want me, a white devil, to teach them English.  Outrageous sir!

It worked out fine because, oddly enough, I am good with Japanese children.  I just wish I had known it was 1-year-olds.

Then, on Saturday I had to go to something called Happyokai.  This is a end of year festival.  Only on some form of Japanese Kindergarten steroids.  Each class performs several times.  It could be dances, music, or singing.  They play real instruments, have elaborate costumes, sets, and all of the stress to go with it.  All of this took place at a concert hall with 2 levels.

I was told on Friday about this.

I almost pooped my pants.

I had to perform 2 five minute segments.  One in the morning and one in the afternoon.  I was told that only 3-year-olds would be around for the first one.  For the second one I was told that there would be no children at all, only parents.  What is worse is that when I had to perform the first time, all of the children would be getting ready right behind me.

So anyway.  We made our plans grudgingly.  We go to this place and it was full of people and children.  I am not a nervous person, but this got to me a little.  Today I had to represent M.E.S and Kobato.  We went backstage and everyone was busy and stressed.  We had lots of questions like, “When and where should we go,” or, “Where do we get microphones?”

The answers we got were, “I’m too busy, ask someone else.”

Eventually someone came over and gave us little wireless microphones that are activated when you walk on stage.

I sang a song in front of I don’t know how many parents sitting behind I don’t know how many sony video cameras.

Then I ate lunch and went back for round 2.

Round 2 involved a card trick I have gotten pretty good at.  Only I did it with huge flash cards.  I asked for 4 volunteers and was met with absolute silence.  I had my assistant Mami go and force people up.  They participated and were moderately amazed.

I found out later that the spotlights created a huge glare on the cards, and were impossible to see by the audience.  Oh well.

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