After momentarily freaking out about my passport being expired, it turns out that one of the advantages of living in LA is that it houses an official federal passport office, and expedited renewals take 3 days! Phew... for an evening, I thought my Germany/Italy (Germaly?) trip was in jeopardy. All is well, and I am now in possession of a brand new, RFID-chipped blue booklet. Yeah that's right, a little hidden RFID chip with all my info scannable through the air by any RFID reader. Nice.

I've been waiting for My Japanese Coach for DS ever since I heard of the other languages in the Coach series, and now I wait no longer. My first impression is that it is quite fun. It's not too much of a game, and it's not too much of an educational program, but a nice balance between the two. What I particularly like most is that it doesn't let you move on or jump around without having mastered each section of vocabulary. In this case, limiting your options is beneficial to actually learning something, and that sits well with me.

I helped Danny and James track and record a new hit single, Midnight Party. I dare you to click the link, and I dare you to not instantly find yourself in a rocking party, right where you stand. You'll dig it - particularly the blistering guitar solo. Note: this was done in association with a certain podcast that is walking a fine line between public and private. If you know what I'm talking about, listen to episode 29 for more info about this track.