I was walking home from the train and thought about how my walk could be a level in a Mario game.


World 1 The Parking Lot
After finding the correct set of doors to get off the train you must go down the steep and slippery stairs. Next you must avoid the people walking in all different directions. The task to follow is avoiding the speeding cars and MBTA buses in the parking lot, while also dealing with the wind blowing out of the West. Now comes the obstacle of the train tracks and the freight train which must be avoided. To complete the level you must cross the tracks on the lose rocks without falling onto the broken glass.

World 2 Frozen Tundra Park
The most difficult part of this world is the constant wind blowing in your face all the way across the park. The path is windy and in deep snow can be hard to follow. Winding your way through the park is generally quiet until you see the dog walkers. The dogs are never on a leash and will run right up to you and bark or snarl at you. When doing this world at low tide you must be careful to cover your nose because of the fumes from the polluted canal. The final obstacle in the world is the multi-lane intersection, which is difficult because there are several places the cars can come from and often times people are in a rush to get home.

World 3 Canal Sidewalk
You are forced to walk along a very narrow sidewalk in this world which is bordered on the left by a tall fence on the canal and a four lane road to the left. Be very careful of the speeding cars and the spray which may saok you and ruin your clothes. The wind dies down towards the end, but the sidewalk ends and you must now walk in the dirt next to the new storage building. Various construction equipment will force you to walk in the road which is dangerous given the speed limit and odd five road intersection. Large puddles in the road next to the storage building causes you to focus on your timing in this area. The world is completed by crossing one of the cross roads and climbing the wall into the Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot.

World 4 Gallow’s Hill
The world opens with the smell of fresh donuts which are very distracting and troublesome since the first part can be very tricky. You must cross the heavily traveled Boston Road, which is dangerous at any hour of the day. One strategy is to walk along the road and cross whenever you get a chance or to sit by patiently and run across at full speed. The longer you wait the better your chances since there is a stone wall when crossing early. Finally you must deal with the steep hills, in warm weather they are not a problem, but after crossing Frozen Tundra park your legs are frozen and aren’t working as well as they should be. You must also avoid slippery spots which can be killer when climbing up the hill. The final obstacle is to wrestle the house key out of your bag and make your way into the house. The ultimate prize is not a Princess but a box of chocolate frosted donuts.

Other things I did today include:
Dropping off my passport
Booking my trip to Europe (March 11 -> March 21)
BoCaNO at the cheap Grendel’s Den
My lovely commute
An IM followed by a phone conversation with my good friend Emily R
Looked up the book “Confederacy of Dunces”because Emily strongly recommends it
Chatted it up with my cousin B-Rok
Updated my LJ

Two things I want to say I am very excited about Europe, partly because it is very unKeegan to go and travel so far without my car and because I want to see more of the world. The other thing is that I am really happy I got to talk to Emily tonight, we don’t talk to often but when we do it is always so much fun catching up. It’s nice to have such a good friend. I also found talking so rarely helps put into perspective just how much I have changed over the past couple of years. I am sure you all have noticed but my only comment about it is “Leaps and Bounds”. To think only a year and a half ago I was flying for my first time in 15 years and now I am flying by myself to a foreign country. I just have to remember to pack as much as possible in my carry on bag, especially an extra pair of pants in case I they lose my bag and they get ripped on a barbed wire fence.