Special Ingredients: New Years Comes Late... Again

I hope no one has been noticing the updates have been getting less frequent lately…

Oh, who am I kidding? It’s so obvious we’re so far behind on everything even people who’ve never even heard of the site are experiencing a random blind flash of light coming over them, and as they roll around screaming in anguish, their retinas ablaze, they shout “Damn that Chris Zasada and his less-than-adequate update schedule!” I’ve seen it happen. It’s not pretty.

Then again, 2007 has been a pretty busy year, especially around the end. I proposed to my girlfriend of six years, Christy, on March 31^st, spurring an epic ring-hunting adventure and trying to keep my nerves about me long enough to actually ask the question. As if to counter the joy, I lost my best friend and furry companion of twelve years, Sandy, on December 26^th to cancer.

In the fall, I was finally hired full time at my job for only a twenty cent pay cut. At least the benefits are really good, and my office consists of a storage room which I share with two other technicians. Hey, at least the desk is big. Of course, because the responsible is just as big, there are times where I hardly get to hide behind it.

I also did a stupid thing and started a Japanese animation club on campus. While the club itself is a great idea that’s long overdue, the job also entails being a nerd wrangler. There isn’t quite another experience I can equate to trying to shepherd a group of nerds fresh out of high school who have had their attention spans severely crippled through years of exposure to the Information Age, or whatever Age we are currently in. If I had to take a shot at describing it, I would say it’s like trying to herd a pile of ferrets that are hopped up on speed into a hole the size of their heads. I also agreed to advise the gaming club, so by the time I get home, I’m only interested in spouting the kinds of opinions that don’t make very good reading, at least not for long.

2008 will likely prove to be no less hectic, as I have made an offer on a house in this crazy housing market, and could feasibly be living on my own before summer comes around. So you can basically wave me goodbye.

This is in addition to the usual crap that goes down.

Meanwhile, C had been busy preparing to be shipped to Egypt for a good chunk of 2007, a process that only took four months from the point he received orders to the point he was inhaling sand. Before this, he was starting up a relationship that so far stands as his longest ever, and he has been making plans to settle down and raise a family, a striking revelation for Mister Forever Bachelor. He’ll be relieved to know that I will be there for him when the weight of commitment starts to bear down on him, and when he is on the brink of giving up, I will put my arm around his shoulder and shout “Ha, ha! Now you know how it feels! Bwahahaha!”

Confidential to Christy and C: I’m kidding and I love you both.

Now, C is serving his country in Egypt, because he didn’t read that little fine print when he signed up for the military that says they can make send him to any God forsaken patch of land they choose. Now, he sits in the baking Egyptian heat, counting down the days when his contract with the military is up, anticipating his freedom until they send him off to some other barren hellhole and involuntarily extend his contract. At this point, he will throw himself in front of a tank.

So it has been a stressful year for both of Pocky Box’s writers, but we’ve tried to provide you, our loyal readers, with the highest quality of entertainment your admission fee will buy.

Because of this, we really haven’t had any big changes this year. The only big addition this year was Pocky Pictorial, because we firmly believe that a picture is worth a thousand words. Considering it takes all of ten minutes to take the picture, touch it up, and lay it out, this seemed like a pretty good bargain. I spent the last thirty minutes writing this tripe, and I’m just now hitting seven hundred words at the end of this sentence, proving I know a bargain when I see it.

Article-wise, C throws on a monocle and notches the sophistication of Pocky Box up a few notches by introducing his review of strip clubs and a look into the mysterious world of swingers’ clubs. Meanwhile, I talked about my engagement and weddings. It’s hard to believe we’re best friends.

At this point, it’s time to examine goals for this year. Last year, our goals were pretty much to write some kind of article, which I am happy to say we accomplished this, but just barely. While I hate stating goals because I look like a moron if I don’t get around to them, sometime this year I want to start a section that covers obscure movies and shows, as well as a section that covers obscure video games. I also have plans to start a section questioning the strange little rules that make up this society called Stupid Human Mind Tricks. The first two will likely generate hits, while the last one will take far less time to slam out, and will probably result in a stream of complaints, law enforcement involvements, and death threats without any genuine increase in the interest of the site. But again, it won’t take as much time.

So here’s to 2008, and year that promises growth and maturity in the personal lives of the two boys from Ohio who keep the site going. Hopefully, we can find some time to throw a little growth and maturity towards the site, and by considering our success so far, we’ll see you in 2009.