This Blog Was Supposed to Be About Music, But Then I Followed Kyle Gordon to Canada, Got Emotionally Attacked by Pokémon Go, And Accidentally Wrote a Song About My Lack of Social Awareness

Ethan Hilmo
May 12
7 min read

There was so much that happened around the time I wrote my blog about Aiden visiting for my birthday that I could not write about what had happened after! Now, I get to write about that AND more. Because of this, I am going to condense a lot of it.

For starters, my mom and her boyfriend visited me and Anna some time ago! I was so delighted to see them. Her boyfriend was very friendly and eager to spend time with us. When they arrived, we just sat around the apartment somewhat awkwardly. We were unsure of what to do since Anna was working until 9. So, we naturally did the best thing to do while they were here and went to the Columbia Center's Observatory! We got a lot of pictures of the water and of the city. The sunset was absolutely breathtaking. Also, my mom's boyfriend, Tim, found a spider outside the window. Like real men, we both observed... the spider... for a long... long... long... time. I also got my mom their grilled cheese. I will tell ya, like the big guy I am those grilled cheese sandwiches from the tower are the best you will have. They are so good. I wish I could tell you how they make em. They taste like how you wish the pizza in those commercials did if that makes sense. You know how they use glue to make the cheese look better than it is? Well, the grilled cheese at the tower is that good. I'm sure when my mom reads this she'll remember what they told her and she'll tell me (mom pls text me i need to know and don't want to ask lol)

After this, we went back to my place and I fixed up some food. Can you take a guess as to what I made? No? Yes? Yup, you're right, I made more grilled cheese. Myself, Tim (mom bf), my momma and Anna all ate together as a family! We had a good time just sitting around casually and chatting about whatever. It was really wholesome and overall just a good time. They came to church with us the next day and departed shortly after. It was a short but sweet visit from them.

Coincidentally, I also went and saw my dad later that week. We went and saw the new Marvel movie 'Thunderbolts*'. It was actually really fun! It was a much more character focused film rather than the usual action comedy filled slop. The comedy in the movie fits because it's natural for the characters to express themselves in that way. Also my cousin that joined us was giving googly eyes to Sebastian Stan. She was like the Dipper to his Wendy hahha.

If you follow my Instagram or somewhat know me in my personal life, you likely know that I have gotten back into Pokemon Go this past month. One night I was working and my co-worker, Brian, asked me if I played the game. I said no, like everyone else I now ask. He was telling me about how he plays the game. And just something about how knowledgeable he was with it made me intrigued to re-download it. After doing so, I swiftly got into the groove. I am a straight up an addict to this game. As the iconic Dusty Cubby song 'Cwasont' says I'll just be "sitting on the sidewalk playing Pokemon Go". Seriously though, this game has had me walking around Seattle and Bellevue a lot! Seattle Center especially because it has a lot of Pokestops and other people playing the game. Brian got me on this app called "Campfire" which helps connect people who play the game. Me and Anna ended up going to a big park and it was super cool! We joined a group playing and walked around doing raids with them (group battles for Pokemon). If you want to join me and Anna playing sometime, hit me up!

I have been writing music more recently. I have had a hard time finding things to write about cause I'm not so angry at everything anymore. I don't have this feeling inside me to just scream. I'm rather quite grateful for the life I have. I've got struggles and all that, but I am content. I was fishing with a friend the other day and I found myself struggling to strike a conversation. I can be quite outgoing in many situations. However, I just felt awkward, as in many other instances. I cannot read a room for the life of me. Even when really trying to take the time to see, I just can't. I have fumbled a lot of interactions because of it. So, I found a muse of mine right now is writing about my lack of social cues. Just going into a party and not knowing what to say to anyone. It's when someone is kind enough to approach me when I can really get the confidence to go up to others, cause that person for me set the precedent of what is acceptable to chat about, also me not being terribly awkward.

On another note, last Friday I was doom scrolling as waking up beside my wife. One of the videos I found was of a guy I now know as 'Kyle Gordon' screaming at his audience. It definitely caught my attention. Not having anything to do, I looked at how much tickets were, and elected to go. It was 21+ so Anna couldn't join me. It was ok though because she was under the weather at this point anyway. So, I went! Having a bit over an hour till the doors opened upon my arrival, I spent my time walking around and doing the unimaginable... playing Pokemon Go! But then I get into the venue. I hear the opener MojoHand (they absolutely rock, stream their chunes here). After them, the main act, Mr. Gordon. I did not know what I was in for. He had me hurting from how much I was laughing. The songs were definitely for an acquired taste... After having Mr. Kyle Gordon sign a shirt for my cousin and taking a cool pic, I got in the car and headed down to Puyallup to take this shirt to my cousin. She is much more familiar with Kyle Gordon than I am. So, naturally I'm going to do this for her! On my way down, I spun the CD I got (the last one they had!). I love that I didn't hear any of his music before going because it just made the show that much better. But, it also made listening to the CD less enjoyable. It was like reading a book and then watching the movie. The movie by itself is good, but with the book and the extra meat it had, it makes the movie look like leftover scraps. Not saying that Kyle Gordon's recorded stuff isn't good, just I prefer the real thing.

It also occurred to me while driving that Kyle was playing in Vancouver the next day. I felt Anna would really enjoy the show. So, irresponsibly, I called her and asked if she wanted to go to Canada and see a comedian that she, like myself before seeing him, was only familiar with his TikTok crashout. She said yes cause she loves Vancouver. So, I dropped off the shirt at my cousins and went on my way back home! I got home, we packed, washed up, and off we went! Off to cross international borders for some comedian I was barely familiar with, and Anna did not even know. I had never left the U.S. so, this was a new experience for me. The drive was not too long from where we are at, just about a couple hours. The border patrol nearly made me poop my pants. We get there and like a parent was like; stares intently "why are you coming at 2:30AM?" I was a bit like "uhhhhh" but Anna says something along the lines of "we're being young and dumb" or something. For some reason, he let us cross! We got in our hotel, showered and slept a while. Waking up, we packed and left swiftly. We looked for a place to park for the show at least an hour. While on this adventure, we hit a McDonalds so Anna could pee. While doing so, I got a breakfast sandwich. I'll tell ya, their food there tastes a bit different. I think it's because they don't use as many toxic preservatives. Maybe it's because Canada can't afford to poison its citizens.

Eventually finding parking about half a mile away from the venue, we left and walked around! We went to some thrift stores, a coffee shop, and snacked on fries for a while before the show. Eventually we got in the venue and met some cool people. We danced, laughed (a lot), and socialized! We took a fun pic with Kyle, and Anna chatted for a bit with frontman of Mojohand, Elijah. He was a very down to earth guy. After many people left the venue, I ran back in and spoke with Elijah and I think Jasper? (forgive me if I got that wrong). But, we talked for a while and it was pretty sick! I said something along the lines of this to Elijah but I feel it's worth sharing here too but it's so much easier to get invested into a musician or band when you connect with them, whether on a personal level or if their music just resonates with you that much. Having been in the local music scene for some time, I just love seeing artists grow. So, I like connecting with people and getting invested into people. Having said that, I am really looking forward to seeing them in October when they return!

Getting out of the venue, me and Anna got some food with a couple people before we left. The drive home was exhausting. But, Anna kept me up with many silly antics and stories. Getting home to our kitties was great, they have loved on us so much recently.

Overall, it's been wild recently. We have a lot going on in our personal lives, and a lot to do. But, I am so so happy that we lead such a crazy and fun life. We get to talk about God and His will to many, we get to go on adventures, we get to just... live. I love it. I hope to do this at least for a while. Go on tour someday and carry bibles with me to give to people who are curious about my spirituality, connect with many, and just be loving and fun. I am not sure how to conclude this entry so I'll just say that I hope you are well and cherish what you have, nothing lasts forever!

Psalm 1