Today was kind of an important day, I suppose. I got my first paycheck at my new job. Oddly enough, they use the same payroll company, so it looks the same as my previous one. (My last check arrived in March.)

I guess I can say what I’m doing, since I moved to Seattle and all. I’m the new editor of Nintendo Power.
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So, I was watching this documentary on Discovery HD called Gamer Generation. It isn’t bad. It covers computer gaming more than console gaming, interestingly enough (though it shows a lot of people playing Xbox consoles, and for some reason uses Fable for its segment on MMOs).

Now, I’d like to think that I helped shape the piece somewhat… well, to what extent, I have no idea. Probably very little. But I spent a few hours over the course of a few months talking to Anna Sand, one of the people who made it. I gave her some contacts, pointed her in some directions, and put her in touch with some people (I think). But I was pleasantly surprised to find out how little input she really needed. She’d already hit some of the more interesting points, and even filmed the segments in South Korea for StarCraft madness. I think I tried to convince her to focus more on computer stuff, and it’s definitely all PC, all the time.

I also think I may have pointed them in the direction of gaming in the Middle-east (they talk about Arabs making games where they can kill Isralis; yay for diplomatic progress through videogames!). And I may have given her Brenda Brathewaite’s contact info, so the former “Brenda from Sir-tech” totally owes me… something. (Maybe. Bah, who says I didn’t? I’ll totally take credit.)

Anyway, it’s definitely worth watching. And if you dig it, it’s because of me. If you think it sucks, it’s totally because they ignored everything I said.

The White Stripes new CD comes out tomorrow, and the first single “Icky Thump,” has grown on me over the last month. And I bought tickets this weekend to see them at the Paramount Theater in September.

I’m pretty sure I have a small man-crush on Jack White, and a real crush on Meg.

It’s pretty funny to think that one of the most groundbreaking shows in TV history ended not with a bang but with some Journey.

Some people say the ending resolved nothing, but it resolved everything: Tony remains a sociopath, Carmela an enabler in denial, Meadow is daddy’s daughter, AJ is an idiot who can be manipulated by anyone, blah blah blah. Tony will probably end up in jail, he might end up dead, or both. Life goes on, but it’ll never be the same. The FBI guy was excited that Tony was going to win, yet the big Soprano is even more miserable. Life goes on for Tony, but life sorta sucks.

So, I moved without furniture. Which means I need furniture.

I’m getting sick of typing on a laptop—ugh, I hate these keyboards—so I need to break down and buy a desk. (And a couch. And end tables. And nightstands. And a dresser.)

Has anyone bought a particularly cool desk online? Most I see are… kind of tacky. I hate most of the standard Staples/particle board type ones. I want something a little swankier. (And simpler; nothing too crazy.)

I may end up just getting something from Ikea, but would rather get something a little better quality.

Does anyone have any great recommendations for coffee makers? Mine blows.

I’m thinking 8-cups or more, thermal carafe… that’s about it.

As I settle in my new digs—hey, there’s a Trader Joe’s a few blocks from here—here’s a couple of action photos from the road, including this fine sample of what I probably shouldn’t be doing while going 90MPH.

This is what most of the trip looked like.

This is a very corny photo. (Har.)

Some final tallies.

Total Miles Traveled: 3118
Average Mileage: 29.6MPG
Average Gas Price: $3.44/gallon (my car requires 91+ gas)
Most Expensive Gas: Indiana ($3.91)
Cheapest: Idaho ($3.20)
Animals Hit: 0
Deer Carcasses Avoided: 10
Bugs Killed: Oh the humanity! Or buganity!

So, I’m here. Or at least close to here. Here being my new apartment in lovely Kirkland, WA.

But I’m not at my apartment. I’m at a hotel. I got here about an hour after everyone left at my apartment, so no one was there to give me my keys and hand over my lease for signing. So it’s off to the Comfort Inn for me.

Today was just one big blur. It was hot and sunny, and I just blasted across the highway with almost no stops. Montana was foggy; Idaho was gorgeous. Eastern Washington is bleak, but holy crap the drive in on 90 as you near Seattle is breathtakingly beautiful.

I’m exhausted. I’m not sure I’d want to do this 3000-mile trip again… at least by myself.

Today was all about one word: speed. And rain. Two words. Or one word: rainspeed. Speedrain. Take your pick.

It poured rain for a large part of the journey through South Dakota, which was OK since traffic was light and people weren’t driving like retards.

Observations: Southern South Dakota is the most boring place to driver, ever. OK, maybe not ever. But yikes, it’s all flat and farms and nothing as far as the eye can see, at least until you reach the badass Badlands. And Deadwood, cocksuckers. I didn’t bother stopping at the latter; the buckets of rain made it easily skippable.

Even with the weather, how could I not stop at a place called the Corn Palace? It was highly disappointing, though. It’s just a building where the outer shell is corn. There’s no load bearing kernals or anything. Big whoop. (But, as the signs say, it’s free!)

Also free is the world-famous Wall Drug. The signs start as soon as you enter South Dakota: “Only 322 miles to Wall Drug.” And they never stop. Every mile or so is another, touting 5-cent coffee, or cowboy boots, or write-ups in various publications. It’s very Burma Shave.

By the time you finally get there, you’re obligated to stop at a giant tourist trap of a general store. It’s just the usual crap you find at all of these, spread out over multiple buildings. It’s kinda awesome in its stupidness.

Other South Dakota notes: The world’s most powerful hand dryer can be found at the Triple H Auto/Truck stop in BFE, SD (no idea where it is; sorry). But the dryer will rip the flesh off your hands.

Also, South Dakota smells like shoe.

Wyoming was kind of pretty for all of the hour or so I was in it. I passed the place Richard Dreyfuss crafted out of mashed potatoes but I couldn’t actually see anything because of the cloudiness.

Once the rain stopped, the roads opened up and it was a virtual racetrack. I averaged 85MPH in Wyoming, and probably 90MPH in Montana. I even topped 110MPH for a while… wait, can I be held legally accountable for that admission?

And now, I’m off to sleep. Tonight, I will be a smoker, for all the rooms in Billings, MT were taken by people in town for either a steer/cow convention or Jehova’s Witnesses. I can only imagine the crazy parties when those two groups get together.

Hello from… where am I? What’s Blue Earth, Minnesota?

Headed out at 9AM this fine morning, but got stuck in Chicago traffic. (On the Ryan “Not An” Expressway.) I ran into my first non-sunny weather, some torrential showers near Madison, WI. And I saw some lightning in the sky as I pulled off the highway before my original planned stop tonight. (I was trying to make it to Sioux Falls, SD.)

Observations: There’s a surprising amount of porn stores off of I90. You’d think it would be frowned upon in these god-fearing states. The best was in Rochester, Minnesota. It had a huge neon sign a few stories tall repeating this:

Pleasure
Sexy
Lingerie
DVDs
Organic
Smoking

One of these probably doesn’t fit. But it’s sorta awesome.