Are you still reading this?

For the past few months I've been kicking it up here on the Rockies, living the single man lifestyle. I've been living on property where I work, basically eliminating the need to drive to work and saving a lot on gas money. Sadly that's a bit forfeited by the insane distance it takes to get to the nearest Wal-Mart or Target (Try a 40 minute drive).

What I do obviously is try to be as minimal as possible and get what I absolutely need, not necessarily want. As such, baring a few things that come up my shopping list consists of the following week after week so I don't die of starvation;

A box of Cheez-its
A 24-Pack of Coca-Cola
A loaf of bread, along with turkey slices and cheese slices
Cereal? Maybe

The Diet of Champions I say.

Now things such as shampoo and toothpaste aren't really on the list as I can make that shit last for weeks. Hell I'm sure I'm still on the same bottle of shampoo that I originally brought with me in November. I make that shit last, and my folks even bought me back ups before I left, so I'm good until I leave in March.

I must say, this whole living on my own thing feels rewarding. A bit quiet, and right now I'm fighting a throat infection so that's pissing me off, but things look good for a more permanent return next winter when the new owners turn the Silvertree into a Westin.

And holy shit, is that going to kick my career in the right direction and feel so good...

And this summer? If things go as planned, oh holy shit... Mmmm...

In the spirit of giving,
and to show that I care,
I have decided to play along by making a card,
but the only question is "Where?"

"My dear pals," I say with a smile,
"My card is coming,
from the Rockies,
high over a mile."

With my new camera,
a smell of debonair,
I set off today to make one
in a way none of you dare.

I looked all around
to find the best spot,
not to be distracted
by Colorado's infamous problem with pot.

I settled on a place
near the great ski slope,
and here I ran back to my room
full of glee like a complete dope.

In my room, making my card
with Metallica making a racket,
with my girls Ryoko and Washu on my desktop
both wearing an orange life jacket.

I open up GIMP
and get to work fast,
I know this euphoria
will surely not last.

A clip here, a paste there,
Cut by color, enter the text.
Completion of my card is eminent,
I shall not be hexed.

My work completed
I give out a sigh,
and no more than an hour
has passed me by.

Do not despair,
do not make inquiry.
This is just how I roll,
and no-one will be weary.

But the time has come,
my card is done,
"Have a festive winter season,
from Krbyfan1."

Tomorrow I move out of my house. I've been in this state for twenty-two years, and living in the same rural suburb for twenty-one of them is finally coming to an end.

Most of what I want to take with me is in boxes behind my back, ready to be loaded up into my car and taken 1,000 miles to my new home in the Colorado mountains. I've made this decision a few months ago, realizing Sandwich can't offer me much security for my future. There's nothing here to do, no one here to see, and nowhere to go but away.

So I made the rather easy choice not too long ago when speaking with my new employer out west. I'm leaving Tuesday, and with it hopefully starting a new chapter in my life. This may only be temporary, I may have an entire summer to myself, who knows, it all depends on how things go out there this winter. It's going to be hard work, seeing as it's what I used to do, but everything is from scratch. I see myself doing very well out there, but anything could happen.

Update 1: That One Night In Iowa

I left my house at 10:30 in the morning after packing up and saying goodbye to my folks. Driving wasn't too bad, seeing as it's all highway for the most part, but I till took some time to take breaks every so often so it doesn't seem daunting when it comes to driving. I crossed the Mississippi River for the first time in my life, and while it is pretty big, it doesn't look really formidable. As such, it'll be the last time I see my ancestral homeland for a while, so I gave it a middle finger and wave it goodbye.

All was going well until about 50 miles out of Des Moines when I saw a cop pull out from where he was sitting. I was like "Don't go after me, don't go after me." Sure enough he pulls me over, and I give him license, registration, and insurance. He tells me I was not only going 11 over 70, but I was following a truck too close. How sad that not even 24 hours after I leave home I get pulled over for a $140 moving violation.

However...

He noticed that I had a plate frame on my rear plate, and according to Iowa law, those are not allowed to cover your plate numbers or sticker. Mine don't, which is weird, but he took a long time to write me up so he must have done some thinking. He told me that he changed my moving violations to warnings and ticketed me for a lesser offense, being the "obscuring plates."

I could have said it was bullshit, but I know he threw me some mercy, so I thanked him. We were courteous to each other and we were on our way after our encounter. He saved me about 60 dollars, and it was my first ticket. Live and learn.

It was on to Des Moines from there. I got there at 5 and got a room (a king all to myself), from which I'm writing this update. It's still hard for me to eat due to having wisdom teeth removed last Thursday, but I'm managing. Can't wait for the discomfort to end though.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get halfway through Nebraska, maybe stop off in Lincoln to see a friend for a while if he's not busy, though I doubt that with our schedules.

Let's hope there's less tickets in my future

Updates: Part Deux

I got through Nebraska no problem. I left Des Moines in the late morning and got to a hotel in Lexington, Nebraska. It was getting really cold as I got west, so I stopped before I got too far in potential trouble. At this particular hotel, I learned a few things:

-Highway hotels and motels are 50% cheaper than downtown hotels, but...

-Having no internet in the cheap motel was no fun

-There's a reason the pool was not occupied, and it's because the pool room was like a meat locker.

-A 6 foot tall, 195 pound male with a 40 inch chest somehow floats in a PFD designed for a 50-90 pound child with a 24 inch chest. Not recommended for survival situations but it's nice to know I can bend the rules.

I decided to go non-stop from Lexington to Snowmass Village. As soon as I started approaching Denver I saw for the first time the Rocky Mountains. As a flat lander for all my life, it was nothing short of breath taking. Driving through them was even more insane.

The different constant shift in elevation played Hell on my ear drums. But holy shit, was it beautiful. The towering heights of the mountains, the red rocks, the lush forests, they all kick the shit out of cornfields. It's something I don't think I can ever forget seeing or experiencing.

I hope I can keep up with his new lifestyle. We start business next week, and it's going to be cooking from scratch with large amounts of tables. It's going to take all my focus and skills to come out on top.

I've always wanted to write my own story, and this is just another chapter in the book.

It's a tall building and they thought it was a great idea to add sky boxes to let you stand over the city. I went up there and my fear of heights ruled me to not take this pic myself but asking a fellow patron to do it for me.

Awesome. If you excuse me, I have to clean my boxers.

There's no one here! Please stop pounding on my door!

It's been almost a week since I left for Anime Central but due to time and energy constraints on my end, I haven't been able to sit down and recollect on my experience. So here is a quick wrap up of my weekend, better late than never.

It starts on Friday where I shot up I-55 past Lake Shore Drive (which was wrong by the way) so I had to pass back on the highway to 294 before I even got to the center. But in a convoluted way I made it past the tolls... I guess that's a victory. After walking around real quick before things opened up I spent some time in my buddy's hotel room where I proceeded to spill Chef Boyardee on my pink shirt. Yeah, whoops.

My hotel mates got in from Michigan shortly thereafter, and after we exchanged pleasantries we got geared up for a Bleach gathering later that day. There were an obnoxious amount of people there so getting photos of everyone was a challenge in and of itself. But we got a few good ones so it wasn't a total loss.

We wandered around a bit longer before attending a Gaia Online fun hour 23 year olds on Gaia, I'm not surprise) where our poor pal was subject to humiliation during one of the challenges. He had his eyes closed as he was moving his hands back and forth as per the challenge and when he was left alone up there I was going to spook him but the fag running the panel asked me to sit down. Screw him.

The hotel room that night I decided it was a good idea to get drunk. However I stopped myself at three cans on Leinenkugels and a bit of Captain Morgan. But this is when I discovered I am actually pretty contained when buzzed. That doesn't mean my companion was when he decided to bring his drink with and spill some of it on the floor, while he cleaned it up with me standing guard but oh well. We just talked a bit about life and our pals. Alcohol does stuff to people, ya know?

Saturday was supposed to be the end of the world but actually ended up being alright. I ran the Tenchi cosplay shoot before we were moved by the Black Butler shoot due to weather. But that went off without a hitch and we had a 250% bigger turn out than last year. We attended the masquerade later that evening, and I almost cried because in that span of time there were no less than four Game references and no less than 3 Rick Rolls. I wanted to leave but my judgement got the better of me. The Pasta reference was better, but not by much.

We had dinner in a nearby restaurant but for some sad reason it took us forever to get our drink order and our menu. Even so it still took a while to get our food, but I understand the biz. But we kept feeling like we were being chastized due to our appearance and size of our group. So when we got our bill we had an "18%" written on it, and in all of his infinate wisdom, my buddy wrote "Why?" next to it. That was absolutely hilarious.

Sunday was the end. My friend had to leave early for a party for her brother who is joining the Marines next week, so we talked a bit before they left. Saying goodbye is always hard to do, especially when you care about someone so much, but it was a happier send off this time. I spent most of the remaining day in the dealers room where I found some awesome prints. I was there for probably an hour making my choice before I decided on what I wanted. But it wasn't soon after that when I decided to head home. I was tired, and had a long few days ahead.

Which brings me to my next point. Throughout the weekend I felt pains of bitterness, frustration, and fear due to my worrying. I excused myself to a bathroom on Friday because, really I had to go, but I also looked at myself in the mirror as questions ran through my head; Is going to these things worth it? When will it end? Why do I do this? Why subject myself to feeling that are, at best, lasting only a weekend before going back to my lonely old life?

You obviously guess that I may have plenty of friends, it's just that they're all hours away from me, and to see them requires lots of time off in a row or an afternoons worth of driving. They have a group dynamic I strive to have since I left culinary school in 2008. It's not perfect, but even closest friends have their beefs with each other. I spent some time with my lady friend discussing my future. I have a job offer out in Colorado and while I already took him up on it and hopefully will leave in November to go there, I wanted her opinion on it.

She was very supportive, actually. She said she felt a lonely feeling from my words during our talks stemming from the feeling that I hated where I was and that I know there's better opportunity out there. Her friend also shared the sentiment, and I found out we all three want to leave our homes. We know there's something better out there for us. I want to find it.

I told her I loved her, and that she will find her way, just like I'm going to be doing later. It made me feel better knowing she wants me to be happy, and that she understands. I should have known that, though. Working for a bitch manager at three different Ethan Allens isn't really the glamorous life, nor is getting over worked and underpaid at an upscale McDonalds. It makes it hard for me to know our paths may not cross again, but I'm planning on spending a few weeks out there before heading west and starting a new chapter in my life. While I felt frustrated, confused, and a bit distraught, I also felt relieved and somewhat happy we were finallly able to have this talk.

All this aside, I'm sure you didn't come here to read my life story. If you did, thanks for listening, but I'm sure you're here for pictures! And I got plenty of them! I hope you enjoy them.

Jesus
Double dose of Seras Victoria
Brak
Poptart Cat
Squall
Corseplay
Bowser and Peach
Katz
Pink Castle Crasher
Super Mario Sunshine
Daft Punk
Mike Haggar
Spike and Edward
Frog
Neon Genesis Evangeleon
"I'm Buzz Lightyear...
"...And I'm Mrs. Nesbit!"
Zoidberg with Leela and Bender!
Bioshock
Metalocalypse
Fucking Clowns scare everybody.
Con Mom! Hope you showered.
Dividing by Zero

I got a few TF2 ones, they got their own subgroup here.

Red Engie and Pyro
BLU Engie
Red Scout
Red Soldier and Sniper with BLU Medic and Heavy
Red Demowoman and Red Sniper

And, of course, the Tenchi photoshoot highlights.

Participants
Double Dose of Tenchi
One of the photographers who is a huge fan of the series. He's a cool guy.
Looking good, ladies!
Mother and daughter in a rare moment of tranquility.
Before going at each others throats again...
I'm not even phased anymore to be honest.
Big Sasami hug!
Brb, sperm samples
A garden of cabbits leaves behind no carrots in the garden...
Bank error in your favor
Somehow I think Beetlejuice is a Ryoko fan
Sisterly love <3

Some quick swag, just a few tee shirts and prints.

Until next con. Just remember, when life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back.

Bye, folks.

A soda drinking problem to be specific.

Now there's nothing wrong with soda in moderation. But I firmly believe I am addicted. Every night I seem to drink obscene amounts at work or while being lazy in front of my computer. Be it gaming, browsing forums or watching videos I seem to have one of these little devils in my hand.

Not to say I can't stop drinking them, I was able to do that once. I lost like 25 pounds in a few months and it felt great. Sure I'm still flabby but I'm not as heavy as I used to be.

But this is besides the point. While I do drink a lot I'm not putting on weight but I know there's other negative effects of soda consumption. It damages your teeth, heart, esophagus, and your bones. Sometimes my teeth hurt like Hell, leading me to believe I have cavities again. This also leads me to believe this contributes to my staying up real late, like 3 AM late, then waking up at noon to repeat the cycle unless I have to work early, in which case it's a struggle for me to leave my bed.

I used to do a regiment where I out-paced my soda consumption with water as a minimum countermeasure, but this seems to be not favored by my body.

So I guess there's nothing I can say but accept my addiction. My name is Krbyfan1, and I am a sodaholic...

...watching Beavis and Butthead on Youtube.

Cool.

Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond my control, I have been made to cut back on my habits here. Hopefully when the economy regains full strength, posting will resume as per usual means. As such, here is a detailed breakdown of my cuts.

- Posting production will decrease by 35%. Posting is expensive and not every thread deserves my attention. Especially those that are labeled "Spam" because these decrease productivity of the entire BBS and my contributions will see they are not brought to attention (at least on my part.)

- One liners are going to be cut by at least 95%. As stated earlier, posts are expensive and I am going to maintain a higher level of quality in my posts to bring unto you an unrivaled quality of posting.

- As it stands, post distribution is limited to General and Video Games. Posts that are put into other forums are missing posts and were sent there most likely due to distribution error on my part. Please handle with care.

- I reserve the right to use and reuse the same pictures over and over again. New faces appear here every day, so coming up with original content has been placed into a secondary objective.

- Monitoring the forums for personal reasons has become a waste, and as such I will no longer be able to "hold your hand" or communicate immediately with other users. This will probably not cause much of a disturbance as I have been nothing more than a monitor of the forums during recent times.

- Finally, the sexiness meter has been turned down a few notches. I truly regret this final cut, but it is to bring you a finer posting experience.