so there’s been a big streak of good news lately that i’ve kept more or less quiet about until things were more cemented, but i think it’s all set by now and i can lift the embargo.

one, jessica and i are going to tokyo, japan for a vacation in the fall. that’s right, i said TOKYO. it’s so far and so foreign, i am nervously excited even though the trip is more than half a year away. and the thought of more vacations with my wonderful girl is always a good one.

also, i’ve recently been promoted. more good news, very unexpected, and also very exciting. luckily i really love my job, and it helps to know that apparently i am doing okay at it as well. not only did i shed the ‘junior’ that preceded my title formerly, finally leaving all diminutive prefixes behind after almost four years as a professional, but i also anticipate hitting a milestone mark with the accompanying raise that will go a loooooong way toward retiring my lingering debts. all in all, a great development so early in the year.

and of course the new ping pong table on our roof doesn’t hurt. and it’s getting to be spring not winter. and i took over temporary possession of a full-sized weber grill from stacy, who was holding it for our friend zach who moved away, and who was moving herself to an apartment without a yard. it’s almost too much good news to handle.

it’s easier, though, with drinks in hand, so the work crew headed out last night to celebrate. see, i wasn’t the only one who got a promotion, so the whole group had some celebrating to do. fun times at the cozy inn that lasted many more hours and several more beers than i thought it would, the only drawback being that i stayed out too late to meet up with jessica afterward. well, and the somewhat cloudy state of my brain this morning. it’s great having such a fun team of people to work with though, those are the nights that confirm why i love this place.

so as not to end on a sappy note like that though, and instead on a nerdy one much more in line with the overall tone of this blog, i have to gush briefly about a new game i downloaded to my xbox called alien hominid. if you’ve ever played the classic game contra on NES back in the day, it’s like that only in HD, with hand-drawn 2D animation that looks way cooler, it’s way more funny, much harder, and more fun to play. it’s crazy hard just to beat a level but luckily once you clear one you can start fresh from the next one anytime. and to top it all off, you get to play as this cute little guy and blast things with laser guns and chomp people’s heads off. very much recommended if you’ve got the 360 and ten spare bucks; it’s so addicting i even fired it up to play a bit last night after getting home as late as i did.