lol

how did i go from looking like, as laura put it, “a 90s bassist” to a greasy sleepy-faced lowlife?? that’s the $5 question no one is asking.

lord. you don’t even want to know how long my hair was in the second picture. this was almost 10 years ago exactly, hence the urgency of having to replace my passport one month before my trip to vienna. i remember getting my old passport last-minute too. i left for tokyo about six weeks after that godawful picture was taken, and ended up staying there for . . . six weeks. it was a hell of a winter. i spent christmas and new year’s in japan and mostly it was depressing. there was no heating in my hostel, and so on, and outside my private room (about $400 USD for the whole six weeks!!) i always heard this russian couple arguing and throwing things. i stayed out so late that i basically never had to interact with anyone in the house though, just had to hear them cough and burp and fart and curse to themselves.

my strongest memory is stepping out of a steaming shower and into a room that had icicles hanging from the ceiling. whoops

anyway: whoever really likes their passport photo? i guess i can live with this for another 10 years. what choice do i got anyway??