Since when did this place become the ideal location for a movie set? There are plenty of other places to film a horror movie. Desolate farm fields, gnarly woods, and a run down farm house comes to mind. If you want a city location, why not Manhatten or Denver---that just stood out. Colorado seems to inhabit ghostly trains and hotels as much as any. Not to mention Denver holds an annual Zombie crawl every year. Just my two cents.

I'd rather not subject Sumiko to some crazed man with a camera, because all sorts of Daddy protection issues come up in my mind. Men with camera's and little girls are dangerous, even if they have a director's badge.

Things have been somewhat easy going, law school is starting to bog down, and I already need a long, long break. I never was the big studier, but getting a Master's degree manages to make me do things I've never had to do before. Like getting glasses. Sumiko is under the impression that she can help and spends more time watching me write and read that she's like a little copy cat pulling out her big drawing pad and pencil with those designer playtime glasses. When did I get such a Daddy's girl? 

While I rather enjoy spending the evenings with her, Temari and I need some time alone. Now that you have such a fancy condo Kankuro, mind if Sumiko spends a weekend, even a week with you and Momo? You can't resist, so you can go ahead and agree now and save me from a five year old's temper tantrum. It gives me a ridiculous headache.

It's Wednesday.

My mother sent me a "What To Expect When Expecting" book. Somewhere in there she probably meant that to be for Temari. That was until she highlighted all the shit for the 'father' to read.  I don't know whether to be surprised or horrified. A part of me kind of expected it. At least it's not a frying pan to my head when she gets off the plane from Japan.

She'll probably do that later.
 

There's nothing worse than telling my mother I'm going to come home...and then not.  It means she's already keyed up and excited and I once again dash her hopes. It puts her in a bad mood, which makes the old man go out on a drinking binge, and then he's as equally pissed off. An angry woman is bad enough. An angry mother is a hell of a lot worse. Especially when she seems to think she still has some running control in my life and that one day I'm going to actually do something with my life instead of sleep it away. It never seems to break through to her that I'm perfectly content being an average guy with an average life.

Let's just say that telling her I wasn't coming home was the low key portion of the conversation. Everything else from there went out with a headache.

Someone pass the cigarettes.

I'm good at prediction. It's what I do from observing others when they least expect it. I do not over analyze to the point of giving myself a migraine. But dammit if I'm rattled.

One year. Hell over a year. Eight months of living together, and here I am stuck with the her and my share of the rent.

I'm usually rather calm and collected, but all I can focus on is the ceiling and the way I can't get out of bed. It's like me to miss work, school and phone calls....

but for fuck's sake I can't be myself right now. This is irrational, absurd and in so many words...painful. Something now seems incredibly boring. What the hell was everything like before the tornado whipped through and right back out of my life so fast?

I didn't see it coming, and I sure as hell didn't think she'd leave.

I have fool stamped on my forehead.

I get to ride in a truck for a job. Spend my time moving back and forth through the parking lot to make sure none of you shop-a-holics get crazy. It was just the other day that I witnessed one of those domestic fights that only Jerry Springer would be proud of. I wish it had been my dinner break, because I would have preferred the other guy on duty to call the shots. That damned fight woke me up from a good nap. Breaking up some football player from attacking his girlfriend's face wasn't the way to spend the night. The screeching she left in my ear was even more painful than keeping him from doing more than hitting me below the belt. I'm a security guard, I don't have a damn gun. Wish I had a tazer.

For the record, this job officially became ridiculous. Too much work.

All things considered, I can only assume I didn't make a false move. Like a fortress on the chessboard, with nowhere else to go. All my pawns were knocked down and I was wide open. That fortress was broken the moment I fell a little too hard.

Only time will tell.

It's nice to see you back, I don't feel like I'm talking to myself all the time. Cigarettes can only get me so far. Think next time I could get a little warning before you throw a temper tantrum and run off to a hotel room?

However, have to say the results of this little experiment of yours turned out positive. If that's what I get the next time I go to force a visit with you, I congratulate you on actually voicing your real feelings. It was nice. Though I never thought anything like that would ever come out of your mouth.

What are the chances of running into the blonde harpy that I knew in middle school. Out of all the cities in the world she comes here. Or I came first, who knows. So they don't lie when they say you like to go backwards in time as you get older.

I'm pretty sure your old man resembled a drag queen though. He was quite frightening even then. Please tell me he's stepped up from eyeshadow and long hair? He's basically you without boobs, which---yeah not going there.

Lets catch up this week, Ino. I'm lingering on being too bored to think and starring at wallpaper. Hope you don't mind cigarettes, because I'm not quitting anytime soon.

Things have been pretty quiet since some pretty tender circumstances arose. I haven't seen as much of Temari since. She's being the stubborn girl she is and keeping to herself. Not sure if she's attempted to contact her brother, but I've advised that she at least call. He seems to be a pretty immature little brat, and I can only imagine how he handled this. Understandable, but one of them has to take the reigns and be the adult.  I've never understood people on the matter of running away. Problems follow, they stick like gum on your shoe, you can scrub all you want but it's still going to be there when you get back on your feet. Most of the time it's ten times worse by the time you give in then if you'd just dealt with it in the first place.

I need a damn cigarette, for once the quiet is getting to me. Gotten rather used to having a girlfriend around. Don't know what she's got going on in that head of hers, but at least she knows I'm here. I'm not the biggest conversationalist, hell I try to stay out of all the serious shit but this is no time for me being selfish.

It's official. All of you waiting outside at five a.m. for god knows what are fucking retarded. The day after Thanksgiving is the worst working retail day of the year. I'm only mall security and got hit more than three times by drivers who think the best thing to life is filling your house with useless toys that you'll only throw away or break within the year after Christmas. Don't even get me started on Christmas. That's why I say holidays are more than a hassle, they're plain ridiculous.

I'm ignoring the fact that my mother calls more than twice a day since she found out my roommate was a little more than just playing "Doctor and patient" at five.

Living with my mother is one thing.

Living with my girlfriend is an entirely different scenario.

My calculations ended more messed up than even I could have guessed. Her temper is one thing. Spontaneity I can live with. Mood swings however...I am not getting used to.  I like how everything I say, or don't say for that matter can easily tip the boat in a matter of seconds.

And yet, my ass is still parked in this apartment with no intent to leave. I have to wonder, have I become a masochist with this decision?

Only time will tell.

On another note, my mother is none to pleased to learn I have a roommate of the opposite gender, or that I'm sleeping with her. It comes as such a shock that her 21 year old son is having sex.

Women.

Lord help me.

I'm 22 now. Whoopty-do. Just another year, nothing seriously special about it. I wouldn't have remembered until the girlfriend reminded me. What do I want to do? Sleep. I had the day off luckily, maybe the boss remembered it too. Funny I haven't gotten that screeching call from my mother yet. Good considering I'd love to just say my battery is dead and leave it at that. Maybe I should turn the phone off, but then I think I'd get more than an earfull from Temari that she couldn't contact me.

( Txt message to Temari )

 

I have an apartment. And if I can keep myself from getting knocked out again by the brute known as her brother, I may make it through the year without broken bones. Who knew that moving in with your girlfriend would be such a bother. It's a hell of a lot easier than living with a roommate that smells like fish, and likes to hang my boxers out the window for the hell of it. No more being bombarded by him and his girlfriend when I'm trying to get a little shuteye. Trust me that bitch is not quiet.

She asked me. So no killing me just yet.

The problem with the work force is that no one is reliable. No one takes on the responsibility for their own shift, leaving it to others to pick up the slack. I know at times I have the enthusiasm of a blank piece of paper. If I were to ask for some time off I have a feeling I'd get the third degree, so I don't bother asking. The fact that I'm still new at the job is another factor to contemplate. I was told a two weeks notice was suffice to requesting any time off. Two weeks. Not two days. Not two fucking hours. Leave it to a woman to come crying to the boss man like it's some urgent thing that she go off to the beach with her boyfriend for the weekend leaving me with that graveyard shift that would have been mine to spend in bed and taking a break from life as it is now.

Granted this job isn't full of huge obstcles. I drive around for hours upon hours making sure no idiot is out stealing some old ladies pocket book or better yet a car. The likelihood of any of it happening however is a slim to one chance. I don't mind so much the daytime shift, but pulling in night duty is just absurd when I wasn't my week to do so. That's two in a row now. The chances of me having little to do outside of sleeping in the parking lot all night and getting a bite to eat at the local McDonald's is a slim to one chance. Maybe I'll load up some chess game up on my ipod. Solitaire doesn't do it for me.

So don't tick me off. Don't hunt me down just to pester me or ride around in circles just to see if I'm paying attention. I have a sharper sense of attention than anyone gives me credit for, and I'm not in the mood for games.

Picked up a job as the security guard at the mall. First day was yesterday, was decent. As long as people keep trouble to a minimum and more time for me to sleep through it then it's not quite the waste of time. Get to drive around the parking lot in one of those vehicles just watching and keeping track of anything out of the ordinary. It's a good night time job since I'm not such the early bird, it's a wonder I hear the alarm to get up for class. Salary is nice, uniform however, I'm not to keen on. It's much more of a hassle and one more step to take just to get ready. I don't even like to dry my hair in the morning let alone look at what I'm putting on. Wouldn't it be far simpler to be one of those security guards that no one suspects? Dresses normal, looks like the average Joe so no knows who the hell you are until you catch them stealing a cd, or driving away with a stolen car. Makes sense to me, but I suppose someone else had a different idea. Starting to think hitting the books and doing homework may have been the upside to this. I know I planned it all out, and each step (because lets face it living with my parents again is the biggest catastrophe I could have happen) it's just a lot more work than I actually wanted.

It was not my idea to spend my summer still stuck to a classroom chair with a heavy dose of homework shoved down my throat. If I don't want to be ditched back to Japan however, then that's what I must do. There was a reason I finished high school---to get out of this ridiculous cycle. It also keeps me from the annoying death trap that is my mother and still here unlike last summer.  There's only so much a man can hear on the speech that "you'll never amount to anything if you don't graduate from college and get a good job like you're father." It's tiresome. My father is also a lazy, demanding asshole that tends to spend his weekends at the bar, but I won't bring that up.

The summer schedule at least keeps me busy and keeps my mind off other things. Also makes the idea of graduating earlier a strong possibility if I can keep the grades up. It actually jumped a letter grade since last semester. Amazing how much teachers depend on homework and useless quizzes to make sure something is learned. Not everyone's a genius I guess, and for some it takes more brain power than it should to put a name on paper let alone a simple math problem.

I suppose this also means I need to locate a part time job. Need to start somewhere if I plan on getting a place of my own come next year. I don't  like the thoughts of being pushed in a small cubicle of a room with a boy that calls himself "stud" every time he walks in from the bathroom. Not to mention he likes to shed his toenail clippings all over the floor or takes over my bed when I'm not there with his useless girlfriend.

Suggestions anyone? I'd prefer somewhere that doesn't take much effort. I've heard being on security at the mall could be right up my alley.  Getting paid to drive around the parking lot and walk around after hours gives me plenty of time to take it easy.

Oh holy hell....I no longer feel like I'm in high school anymore. Having my mother around that many days in a row is brain trauma. I think it hemorrhaged. Good thing the old man thought to take me out for drinks. I needed one. So did he. It's a wonder the old man isn't an alcoholic....oh wait...he is. Living with that harpy for 18 years was plenty. I half wonder if the woman needs to go on some medication. She's either bi-polar or going through menopause. Either way over two weeks with the woman is more than an ear sore. She got all teary-eyed at the airport when they left Friday. She irritates the living hell out of me, but even I don't like to see the water works.

Course now that they're gone I'm bored. Exams are finally over and with summer approaching I feel like boarding myself in the room. Too hot recently to go out cloud watching. Maybe I'll take a stroll through the bookstore. Get some tea. Smoke a cigarette. Avoid being social, the usual. Not much else to do. Starting to believe I've been dumped. Isn't that usually what happens when your girlfriend goes out of town without telling you or doesn't answer your calls. Then again I haven't checked my messages here recently.

This isn't Japan. That's a relatively good thing considering I'd rather not see my mother 99% of the time. Have to thank the old man for his call last night. More or less a warning towards my mother's surprise visit. Since the attacks she's been nagging him on taking the trip up here to make sure I'm okay. I guess my unchecked messages constant reminders aren't enough.

For the next week I will be signing myself up into a mental asylum. As long as they are here I will be going stark raving mad. No quality sleep. No alone time. No chances to find out where the hell my girlfriend ran off to---though considering my mother it's probably a good thing Temari's gone missing. I don't want to hear the woman cooing and awwing over the fact that her son is indeed not gay.

Until they leave afraid I'll be hiding under a rock again in hopes that there is some brain activity left once my world gets back on track.

I hate surprise visits.

Aren't I supposed to be the one in hiding? I had the perfect location picked out. Quiet. Peaceful. Devoid of human contact while I try to wade myself through finals. Never thought the damned girl would give me that much space. I haven't a clue where she is.

I need to get out more. Out and find sanctuary under a rock. How could I forget how fuckingtastic the end of the semester is. I look forward to summer break, but not to going home.

Maybe it's time I get an apartment. It wouldn't be the first time someone my age came to such a conclusion, I just fail to understand why I hadn't come to it sooner. I'm supposed to be the genius here, what has testing done to my blasted IQ?