So i went away for the weekend in September with the not-boyfriend. it was our first overnite trip together. we went to Izu which is on a penninsula south of Tokyo. it was one of the last warmish weekends to swim in the ocean and lay on the beach, which is just what we did for the first day. the second day was spent at the beach, the aquarium, and on Mt. Nesugata after going up the ropeway. from the top of the mountain, we got a very cool view of the harbor where Admiral Perry first brought his black flagged ships to Japan. the trip was fun and slightly educational and not at all too romantic (probably because i sorta pissed him off on the first night -- ooops), which was great for me.
I came home and almost immediately caught a cold. i was snot-filled and gross for almost two weeks straight. then the first shoe fell.
My cousin in Kyoto passed away at the end of September. He was playing golf and had a heart attack. He was 46. So I covered my shift for one day and went to Kyoto for the funeral. My aunt was a complete mess. Surprisingly, the widow and his daughter didn’t seem too broken up about it. They are a weird family so I chalked it up to that but it was VERY weird. (i mean, the little girl pats me on the arm on the way to the service in the morning and says to me
"don't worry, it's going to be OK." so i turn to her and say, "that's MY line!" hello?!!!) The funeral lasted ALL DAY. The service was long; lots of incense burning, praying, viewed the body a few times and then loaded him into the hearse. Then the family and closest friends went to the crematorium. More incense burning and praying. Then we watched them roll the coffin (which was incidentally made of really nice completely unfinished wood) with him in it and all into the furnace. Then we waited for 2 hours while the body burned and cooled. Then we went back into a special room in the crematorium where they brought the body back. They burned him until he was ash and his bones were all brittle. My aunt lost it when she saw him like that. Then we all took turns placing his bones in the urn. We started feet first and it finished with his skull. I know it’s morbid but I’ve never beared witness to such ceremony and science so I thought it was kinda interesting. I got the last shinkansen home that night after all the hoopla, completely exhausted.
it was raining in Kyoto when i went for the funeral so the cold i was getting over came back at me full force. i was on my ass agin with a big box of tissues. then the other shoe dropped.
My grandpa had been putting off coming over for dinner for a couple of days so i called him to reconfirm and he tells he he has chest pains and wants to go to the doctor. so i immediately rush to his house, help him have a light supper, and we went to the closest hospital's ER. the attending physician says that they don't have a cardiologist on that night so we could either go to a bigger hospital or come back in the morning. Grandpa says he's OK for the night so we decide to go back in the morning. The next day, my uncle comes down and we take him to his GP (who is a complete fucking retarded old man who wouldn't know his dick from his stethescope) then back to the hospital we went to the night before. i had to go to work but i get a call a couple hours later saying my grandad had been admitted to a special senior citizen's hospital in Oyama because his pericardium and lungs are filling with fluid which is why his chest hurts. Jesus. and so it has been since the first week of October that i have been going to the hospital almost every night to see him and make sure he's ok. he was in fairly serious condition for a bit (got moved to CCU) but seems to be getting better VERY SLOWLY. we'll have to wait and see.
with all the crap that has been going on this year, i decided to go home for the holidays. my head hurts permanently and i am getting sould sick. i need some turkey dinner, quality time with the family, and a break from work. all i gotta say is next year better not be this shitty.
10.12.2006
7.19.2006
Scary Stuff
so i alluded to something that was potentially bad news a few entries ago and now that the scare is over, i can now purge myself of it in a public forum (that hopefully no one reads).
around mid-may after the whole canyoning trip, i found a lump in my left boob. it was fairly sizable, it didn't hurt, but since aunt flo was visiting, i decided to wait it out and see if it went away. it didn't.
so i go to my GP and he sends me out to get a mammogram right away. now i worked at an ob/gyn for years and i know the whole procedure of getting a mammogram but it doesn't prepare you for how much those fuckers hurt. this massive vise clamps down on your boobs one at a timeand you have to hold your other boob away from it so it doesn't obstruct the view of the boob they are x-raying. this very nice technician was pulling and smashing my poor boobs against the machine and i think i said "fuck me this hurts!" about 800 times. i hope she didn't take offense. i go back to the docs a few days later and he tells me that the "mass" is about the size of an egg. since i had been doing breast cancer research online, i asked him very specific questions. he leveled with me and said that that possibility of cancer was definitely there and if it was cancer, it would be about a stage 3 cancer, fairly adanced. breast cancer in young people is often detected late because they don't look check for it regularly and it is often rather aggressive. i lose my composure that day, skip out on work entirely (which my boss was so cool about -- thanks Jay) and i went home and cried and planned my funeral. the doctor gave me my mammogram to take with me and suggested that i go see an oncologist while i was home in America.
that night i had dinner with the friends and i told them about it. they were all super supportive and helpful and i felt like i owed them an explaination since i had been dodging them for a couple of weeks. i swear i have the greatest people in my life. i don't think i could have gotten through this without them.
trying to score an appointment with an oncologist in america is impossible. i tried calling a couple places and my friend on the east coast did a bit of research on my behalf for doc in north carolina but most of them require bookings way in advance (like cancer waits for the doc to be available). they also don't want to see you if you don't have insurance even if you say you will pay them out of pocket and they don't want to start you on their program unless you're going to have the full treatment there. so i was shut down at every turn in the states which wasn't altogether surprising and i came home with my mammogram and no treatment.
my tokyo GP sent me to the university hospital in itabashi where i had my tumor removed last year. he told me he'd get me the best doctor in the city and boy, did he ever. my doc is apaprently the top rated boob man in tokyo. definitely at that hospital. dry, utterly sober, and quite pragmatic, Doctor Amano is what i always imagined a japanese doctor to be. he ordered some more tests (an echo, blood work, another mammogram, and an mri) and determined that i had granulomatous mastitis, not cancer. whew.
so i still go see him once every couple of weeks. he put me on some meds (a steriod that apparently gives me "euphoria" and makes me eat heaps ["which is why many people get fat taking this medicine"] and gives me a "moon face") so i take those once a day and hope the mass subsides. he says it will take a few months anyway.
i don't know what it is with me! i just can't seem to stay healthy! it's a sign . . . . .
around mid-may after the whole canyoning trip, i found a lump in my left boob. it was fairly sizable, it didn't hurt, but since aunt flo was visiting, i decided to wait it out and see if it went away. it didn't.
so i go to my GP and he sends me out to get a mammogram right away. now i worked at an ob/gyn for years and i know the whole procedure of getting a mammogram but it doesn't prepare you for how much those fuckers hurt. this massive vise clamps down on your boobs one at a timeand you have to hold your other boob away from it so it doesn't obstruct the view of the boob they are x-raying. this very nice technician was pulling and smashing my poor boobs against the machine and i think i said "fuck me this hurts!" about 800 times. i hope she didn't take offense. i go back to the docs a few days later and he tells me that the "mass" is about the size of an egg. since i had been doing breast cancer research online, i asked him very specific questions. he leveled with me and said that that possibility of cancer was definitely there and if it was cancer, it would be about a stage 3 cancer, fairly adanced. breast cancer in young people is often detected late because they don't look check for it regularly and it is often rather aggressive. i lose my composure that day, skip out on work entirely (which my boss was so cool about -- thanks Jay) and i went home and cried and planned my funeral. the doctor gave me my mammogram to take with me and suggested that i go see an oncologist while i was home in America.
that night i had dinner with the friends and i told them about it. they were all super supportive and helpful and i felt like i owed them an explaination since i had been dodging them for a couple of weeks. i swear i have the greatest people in my life. i don't think i could have gotten through this without them.
trying to score an appointment with an oncologist in america is impossible. i tried calling a couple places and my friend on the east coast did a bit of research on my behalf for doc in north carolina but most of them require bookings way in advance (like cancer waits for the doc to be available). they also don't want to see you if you don't have insurance even if you say you will pay them out of pocket and they don't want to start you on their program unless you're going to have the full treatment there. so i was shut down at every turn in the states which wasn't altogether surprising and i came home with my mammogram and no treatment.
my tokyo GP sent me to the university hospital in itabashi where i had my tumor removed last year. he told me he'd get me the best doctor in the city and boy, did he ever. my doc is apaprently the top rated boob man in tokyo. definitely at that hospital. dry, utterly sober, and quite pragmatic, Doctor Amano is what i always imagined a japanese doctor to be. he ordered some more tests (an echo, blood work, another mammogram, and an mri) and determined that i had granulomatous mastitis, not cancer. whew.
so i still go see him once every couple of weeks. he put me on some meds (a steriod that apparently gives me "euphoria" and makes me eat heaps ["which is why many people get fat taking this medicine"] and gives me a "moon face") so i take those once a day and hope the mass subsides. he says it will take a few months anyway.
i don't know what it is with me! i just can't seem to stay healthy! it's a sign . . . . .
6.27.2006
A good ol' southern wedding, getting back to wilmington, and a short stint back home
the three ring circus wedding in north carolina was on!
i arrived in raleigh the evening of the 1st and had a bad mexican dinner with friends. we had ben and jerry's ice cream for dessert and we caught up with all the old school peeps.
since travelocity lost my car rental reservation and stupid enterprise didn't have any more cars to lend me, i had to go online and look for another car the next day. we crashed at my friend's sister's place which was very nice of her and after a slow morning and a trip to target, we went to Budget rental and they loaned me a BRIGHT ORANGE chevy cobalt. very incognito. i swear every damn person on the road was staring at me.
after having dinner with train and mir, i drove out to Rocky mount with the full intention of going to the after rehersal dinner dance to meet up with Katherine. i get lost on the way, of course, and it takes me 30 min out of the way. not good. finally, i get to the hotel and they have lost my reservation too. after talking with the staff for 30 MINUTES! they finally locate a room for me ("well . . . . . . we knew we were gonna git a young lady from japayan comin' but hon, i jus don see yer name!"), and i spent, i kid you not, 10 minutes in my room. i threw on a dress, brushed my hair, touched up my make up, and jumped back into my bright orange cobalt. the dance was from 9-12 that night and it was 10 pm so i figured i could make the 40 minute drive to Scotfield Country Club and spend a good hour with katherine. Who gets lost again? me. it was a dark singular road with no streetlight, barely any houses, and it started to rain and a very dense fog rolled in. it was VERY blair with project. i realized i was NOT going to find this country club that night. i drove around until 11:30 pm and i got down to just under half a tank of gas and i decided to drive back to the hotel. got back to the hotel without getting killed by the blair witch, collapsed into bed, and decided i'd go to the wedding brunch tomorrow.
the next day, my alarm went off at about 8 am and i headed out a little after 9 to make it to the brunch which started at 11. overkill on the time? maybe, but being me, i got lost again on the way to the brunch so i ended up being only 20 minutes early. The brunch was at the Greene residence in Scotland Neck, NC. The greenes are a close family friends of Katherine's and they have a beautiful home. i FINALLY met up with katherine and her soon to be hubby Chad and was introduce to everybody. they all had 2 names (mary beth, katy ann, sally jo, john alan, john thomas, james thomas [both of whom go by JT which gets very confusing]) and everyone was absolutely wonderful which was such a relief. the weird thing was, everyone seemed to know who i was (i did stick out like a sore thumb, being the only non-whitey there). "Oh! you must be Yow-kow! Katherine's friend from Japa-yan! ah heard you came all the way from Tokiyo!" i heard this about 500 times at the brunch along with "You git the lawong distance award!" i ended up spending a good deal of time with some of the ladies (i think some of them were kat's cousins or aunts or something) as we washed dishes and cleaned up. everyone was so impressed that i had come all the way from another country. i slipped out after the dishes were done, and went home to sleep off a bit more of my jet lag.
left the hotel at 3:30 in the afternoon to make sure i'd get to the wedding on time (it started at 5) and of course, got lost and then got to the Church of the Advent in Enfield. Katherine had been so nice and gave me a pew card so i was guaranteed a seat which i happily took since several people were stuck standing up the whole time which made me feel a bit bad but i got to kick it with Katherine's step granny who was real nice. there ceremony was simple but beautiful and Katherine looked absolutely gorgeous. i didn't cry, though i got a bit teary, and after the ceremony we filed out and piddled around the church waiting for them to finish taking pictures. i thought we were supposed to wait but apparently we weren't so after a while, i decided i would follow one of the other cars to the reception at Katherine's house i wouldn't get lost . . . again.
Now when Katherine told me that her reception was going to be at her parents house (she's always wanted it there and she's told me several times how beautiful her mom's home is), i imagined a big house but nothing prepared me for the actual place. i figured (during the 30 min drive) that i would probably have to circle the blocks a few times looking for a place on a nearby street and hopefully not get lost on the way back to the house. Oh no. there are no blocks to drive around. Her mom's house sits on a 10+ acre property and they had a massive tent set up on the outside. we all just parked on the front lawn. the tent had a stage set up and a bunch of food pits where people could just stop by and pick up a few things and munch away all night. there was the main feeding table in the middle with stuffed mushrooms, eggrolls, artichoke dip, a pimento cheese block, and crackers and stuff. there was also a roast beef and roast turkey table which was absolute heaven. i made a couple of mini sandwiches there. but the very best thing of all was the seafood bar which had the freshest raw oysters and shrimp in the carolinas. the band was a bit cheesy but fun; people boogied all night. i got to catch up with katherine's old roommate, holly, and some of her other friends from UNCW. i was disappointed that none of the otehr English program people showed up but it was still wonderful and well worth the trip. i just couldn't get over the fact that absolutely EVERYONE was marriged or engaged. "Oh, Yow-kow, donchu have yerself a nah-ice little Jyapaneeeez man back in Tokiyow?" "nope." "well, donchu worry hon, the raite man'll come 'round when ya least expect 'im" "thanks." the decorations were beautiful. apparently Katherine had always wanted to work with this one coordinator (whom she introduced me to but i can't remember his name) who she knew would make everything perfect. eveything looked simple but elegant; and katherine still looked like herself ratehr than some crazy over make up transformed bride, just more radiant than usual. it was truly a great nite. but not wanting to get lost again, or killed by the Blair Witch, or arrested by scary country side popo, i didn't have much to drink and my jet lag kicked in so i went back to the hotel.
the next morning, i slept in a bit but got on the road rather early so i could get down to Wilmington. i was eeting Miranda there for lunch. we'd decided to go to the Taste of Country buffet which was one of my favorite restaurants in wilmington. my my my has wilmington changed! they have this new highway that takes you all the way downtown which is handy but really confusing. i didn't know where i had ended up for a minute! i get downtown, park the car, and realize that there are no people in front of the restaurant. odd, seeing as how the place should be chocked full of post church goers. then i notice, no lights. no people anywhere. and NO YUMMY FOOD SMELLS. i was devasted! my favorite restaurant was gone. i almost cried.
so miranda and i decided to go to the trolley stop (a hot dog place) instead. i love the trolley stop and i was very very good but it just wasn't that down home country goodness that i had been jonesing for for the past 3 years. we caught up, talked, perused the mall, and went out to wrightsville beach to say hello to the ocean. the weather was perfect for it, and we sat in the sun and sand for an all too brief time. we parted ways, sadly, and i went out in seach for my old mentor Heather.
Heather and her husband, Jay, are independantly weathy but not at all snooty people that i have come to love and cherish. Heather is like a modified step mother. she nurtures and cares for you in a parental way but does so without getting too invoved which is nice. they live in the marina in one of the condos and they let me crash at their place for a night. They took my out to dinner to a BBQ joint which was really good. i love BBQ in the south. it just tastes different. a bit richer, a bit more tangy, and really nice. we came home, ate ice cream, and watched the March of the penguins which was really good. i slept well and we had breakfast the next morning, Heatehr took me out for a cup of coffee, and we sadly parted ways as well. i took a pit stop at my other favorite wilmington restaurant, Flaming Amy's Burrito Barn, and had me some lunch before getting back on the road. i only wish i had more time down there to fit in the yummy cheese steak place and the to-die-for biscuits at Jimbo's but i had to get back to raleigh to return the car and what not before my flight that night and i didn't want to get lost again or anything so i left with plenty of time to spare. good thing too.
i start to get a bit low on gas so i stop to fill the tank. in North Carolina, the exits are few and far between once you get on the highways so if you run out of gas you're pretty much fucked. so i stop and get gas and when i get back on the road (must've been about 10 mins back on the I40) i see a sign that says cars must slow because there is construction ahead. i see brake lights in the cars ahead so i start to slow down then i realize that those cars aren't moving. a 4 car crash had JUST happened seconds before i got there. one car was completey turned upside down and there were still people inside! all the cars had stopped. i got out of my bright orange cobalt and me and this other guy tried calling 911. some army guys headed back to jacksonville were pulling people out of the overturned car. pretty soon, we heard sirens and the sherriff arrived. he told us to try to go over the shoulder to pass the accident cuz traffic couldn't afford to get stopped completely so we got back in our cars and drove away but it was a super scary accident. i realized how quickly that CPR training gets blanked out of your mind when you're faced with it.
the construction just past the accident slowed things down more and i was on the road an extra hour at least so i was very happy i left early. i returned (gladly) my bright orange chevy cobalt and went to the airport, my bags heavy with texas pete and jars of mountain jam from marcy. i headed home to LA for a few days.
Being home is great. i got to spend time with my family and friends and although it was just for a few days, it was wonderful. i got to eat some mexican food, go shopping for summer work stuff, and not be at work for a bit. on my last night out there, i we had a massive dinner with all the peeps. my brother-in-laws parents came from vegas and i got to see them which was amazing. it was refreshing to spend some quality time with the whole family for a change since we usually end up with staggered schedules. i bought butt loads of presents for people back in Japan (mostly comfort items like peanut butter, magazines, tapenade, chaocolate, etc) and returned to toyko 2 days before my 28th birthday.
i arrived in raleigh the evening of the 1st and had a bad mexican dinner with friends. we had ben and jerry's ice cream for dessert and we caught up with all the old school peeps.
since travelocity lost my car rental reservation and stupid enterprise didn't have any more cars to lend me, i had to go online and look for another car the next day. we crashed at my friend's sister's place which was very nice of her and after a slow morning and a trip to target, we went to Budget rental and they loaned me a BRIGHT ORANGE chevy cobalt. very incognito. i swear every damn person on the road was staring at me.
after having dinner with train and mir, i drove out to Rocky mount with the full intention of going to the after rehersal dinner dance to meet up with Katherine. i get lost on the way, of course, and it takes me 30 min out of the way. not good. finally, i get to the hotel and they have lost my reservation too. after talking with the staff for 30 MINUTES! they finally locate a room for me ("well . . . . . . we knew we were gonna git a young lady from japayan comin' but hon, i jus don see yer name!"), and i spent, i kid you not, 10 minutes in my room. i threw on a dress, brushed my hair, touched up my make up, and jumped back into my bright orange cobalt. the dance was from 9-12 that night and it was 10 pm so i figured i could make the 40 minute drive to Scotfield Country Club and spend a good hour with katherine. Who gets lost again? me. it was a dark singular road with no streetlight, barely any houses, and it started to rain and a very dense fog rolled in. it was VERY blair with project. i realized i was NOT going to find this country club that night. i drove around until 11:30 pm and i got down to just under half a tank of gas and i decided to drive back to the hotel. got back to the hotel without getting killed by the blair witch, collapsed into bed, and decided i'd go to the wedding brunch tomorrow.
the next day, my alarm went off at about 8 am and i headed out a little after 9 to make it to the brunch which started at 11. overkill on the time? maybe, but being me, i got lost again on the way to the brunch so i ended up being only 20 minutes early. The brunch was at the Greene residence in Scotland Neck, NC. The greenes are a close family friends of Katherine's and they have a beautiful home. i FINALLY met up with katherine and her soon to be hubby Chad and was introduce to everybody. they all had 2 names (mary beth, katy ann, sally jo, john alan, john thomas, james thomas [both of whom go by JT which gets very confusing]) and everyone was absolutely wonderful which was such a relief. the weird thing was, everyone seemed to know who i was (i did stick out like a sore thumb, being the only non-whitey there). "Oh! you must be Yow-kow! Katherine's friend from Japa-yan! ah heard you came all the way from Tokiyo!" i heard this about 500 times at the brunch along with "You git the lawong distance award!" i ended up spending a good deal of time with some of the ladies (i think some of them were kat's cousins or aunts or something) as we washed dishes and cleaned up. everyone was so impressed that i had come all the way from another country. i slipped out after the dishes were done, and went home to sleep off a bit more of my jet lag.
left the hotel at 3:30 in the afternoon to make sure i'd get to the wedding on time (it started at 5) and of course, got lost and then got to the Church of the Advent in Enfield. Katherine had been so nice and gave me a pew card so i was guaranteed a seat which i happily took since several people were stuck standing up the whole time which made me feel a bit bad but i got to kick it with Katherine's step granny who was real nice. there ceremony was simple but beautiful and Katherine looked absolutely gorgeous. i didn't cry, though i got a bit teary, and after the ceremony we filed out and piddled around the church waiting for them to finish taking pictures. i thought we were supposed to wait but apparently we weren't so after a while, i decided i would follow one of the other cars to the reception at Katherine's house i wouldn't get lost . . . again.
Now when Katherine told me that her reception was going to be at her parents house (she's always wanted it there and she's told me several times how beautiful her mom's home is), i imagined a big house but nothing prepared me for the actual place. i figured (during the 30 min drive) that i would probably have to circle the blocks a few times looking for a place on a nearby street and hopefully not get lost on the way back to the house. Oh no. there are no blocks to drive around. Her mom's house sits on a 10+ acre property and they had a massive tent set up on the outside. we all just parked on the front lawn. the tent had a stage set up and a bunch of food pits where people could just stop by and pick up a few things and munch away all night. there was the main feeding table in the middle with stuffed mushrooms, eggrolls, artichoke dip, a pimento cheese block, and crackers and stuff. there was also a roast beef and roast turkey table which was absolute heaven. i made a couple of mini sandwiches there. but the very best thing of all was the seafood bar which had the freshest raw oysters and shrimp in the carolinas. the band was a bit cheesy but fun; people boogied all night. i got to catch up with katherine's old roommate, holly, and some of her other friends from UNCW. i was disappointed that none of the otehr English program people showed up but it was still wonderful and well worth the trip. i just couldn't get over the fact that absolutely EVERYONE was marriged or engaged. "Oh, Yow-kow, donchu have yerself a nah-ice little Jyapaneeeez man back in Tokiyow?" "nope." "well, donchu worry hon, the raite man'll come 'round when ya least expect 'im" "thanks." the decorations were beautiful. apparently Katherine had always wanted to work with this one coordinator (whom she introduced me to but i can't remember his name) who she knew would make everything perfect. eveything looked simple but elegant; and katherine still looked like herself ratehr than some crazy over make up transformed bride, just more radiant than usual. it was truly a great nite. but not wanting to get lost again, or killed by the Blair Witch, or arrested by scary country side popo, i didn't have much to drink and my jet lag kicked in so i went back to the hotel.
the next morning, i slept in a bit but got on the road rather early so i could get down to Wilmington. i was eeting Miranda there for lunch. we'd decided to go to the Taste of Country buffet which was one of my favorite restaurants in wilmington. my my my has wilmington changed! they have this new highway that takes you all the way downtown which is handy but really confusing. i didn't know where i had ended up for a minute! i get downtown, park the car, and realize that there are no people in front of the restaurant. odd, seeing as how the place should be chocked full of post church goers. then i notice, no lights. no people anywhere. and NO YUMMY FOOD SMELLS. i was devasted! my favorite restaurant was gone. i almost cried.
so miranda and i decided to go to the trolley stop (a hot dog place) instead. i love the trolley stop and i was very very good but it just wasn't that down home country goodness that i had been jonesing for for the past 3 years. we caught up, talked, perused the mall, and went out to wrightsville beach to say hello to the ocean. the weather was perfect for it, and we sat in the sun and sand for an all too brief time. we parted ways, sadly, and i went out in seach for my old mentor Heather.
Heather and her husband, Jay, are independantly weathy but not at all snooty people that i have come to love and cherish. Heather is like a modified step mother. she nurtures and cares for you in a parental way but does so without getting too invoved which is nice. they live in the marina in one of the condos and they let me crash at their place for a night. They took my out to dinner to a BBQ joint which was really good. i love BBQ in the south. it just tastes different. a bit richer, a bit more tangy, and really nice. we came home, ate ice cream, and watched the March of the penguins which was really good. i slept well and we had breakfast the next morning, Heatehr took me out for a cup of coffee, and we sadly parted ways as well. i took a pit stop at my other favorite wilmington restaurant, Flaming Amy's Burrito Barn, and had me some lunch before getting back on the road. i only wish i had more time down there to fit in the yummy cheese steak place and the to-die-for biscuits at Jimbo's but i had to get back to raleigh to return the car and what not before my flight that night and i didn't want to get lost again or anything so i left with plenty of time to spare. good thing too.
i start to get a bit low on gas so i stop to fill the tank. in North Carolina, the exits are few and far between once you get on the highways so if you run out of gas you're pretty much fucked. so i stop and get gas and when i get back on the road (must've been about 10 mins back on the I40) i see a sign that says cars must slow because there is construction ahead. i see brake lights in the cars ahead so i start to slow down then i realize that those cars aren't moving. a 4 car crash had JUST happened seconds before i got there. one car was completey turned upside down and there were still people inside! all the cars had stopped. i got out of my bright orange cobalt and me and this other guy tried calling 911. some army guys headed back to jacksonville were pulling people out of the overturned car. pretty soon, we heard sirens and the sherriff arrived. he told us to try to go over the shoulder to pass the accident cuz traffic couldn't afford to get stopped completely so we got back in our cars and drove away but it was a super scary accident. i realized how quickly that CPR training gets blanked out of your mind when you're faced with it.
the construction just past the accident slowed things down more and i was on the road an extra hour at least so i was very happy i left early. i returned (gladly) my bright orange chevy cobalt and went to the airport, my bags heavy with texas pete and jars of mountain jam from marcy. i headed home to LA for a few days.
Being home is great. i got to spend time with my family and friends and although it was just for a few days, it was wonderful. i got to eat some mexican food, go shopping for summer work stuff, and not be at work for a bit. on my last night out there, i we had a massive dinner with all the peeps. my brother-in-laws parents came from vegas and i got to see them which was amazing. it was refreshing to spend some quality time with the whole family for a change since we usually end up with staggered schedules. i bought butt loads of presents for people back in Japan (mostly comfort items like peanut butter, magazines, tapenade, chaocolate, etc) and returned to toyko 2 days before my 28th birthday.
5.31.2006
Another wedding and coming home
after a slightly traumatic end of the month (more on that when i know more) i am home in los angeles for a bit of r and r and my friend's wedding. my dear friend Kat is getting married in north carolina and i am going to be there for a few days to participate in the festivities. need to find a new dress and shoes -- i feel like i wear the EXACT same outfit to every semiformal/formal occasion (which i do) so i am in the market for a new dress. i go shopping with my mom this afternoon.
it was great having dinner with the whole family last nite. Riyoko and Cory picked me up from the airport and we came down to my parents house for dinner and hanging out. mom made a fantastic dinner and i got to shoot the shit with dad and play with the dog. what is it about the small comforts of home that you can't get in other places? my home is Tokyo is definitely a home rather than just an apartment and i lik eit there but there is a sense of self that stays in the home where i grew up. weird. maybe it's just me.
went and caught a damn cold at the airport in Narita though so i am all blocked up and can't breathe. snot, eyeboogers, dry skin, froie hair, and a sore throat. very attractive. i realized that i packed quite badly for my trip; i didn't really bring any other shoes besides my sneaks, i have no moisturiser, and i don't think i brought my toothbrush or enough underwear. oh well, i guess that's ok. can always buy stuff. just need to kick this damn cold.
will have an update with all my lovely wedding stories in a few days. it will be my first real southern wedding so i am looking forward to all that it entails!
it was great having dinner with the whole family last nite. Riyoko and Cory picked me up from the airport and we came down to my parents house for dinner and hanging out. mom made a fantastic dinner and i got to shoot the shit with dad and play with the dog. what is it about the small comforts of home that you can't get in other places? my home is Tokyo is definitely a home rather than just an apartment and i lik eit there but there is a sense of self that stays in the home where i grew up. weird. maybe it's just me.
went and caught a damn cold at the airport in Narita though so i am all blocked up and can't breathe. snot, eyeboogers, dry skin, froie hair, and a sore throat. very attractive. i realized that i packed quite badly for my trip; i didn't really bring any other shoes besides my sneaks, i have no moisturiser, and i don't think i brought my toothbrush or enough underwear. oh well, i guess that's ok. can always buy stuff. just need to kick this damn cold.
will have an update with all my lovely wedding stories in a few days. it will be my first real southern wedding so i am looking forward to all that it entails!
5.16.2006
outdoor activities, a drunken pirate game, and nudity. Ah, a weekend away from the city!
decided to get out of the city this past weekend. Tokyo is making me nuts.
I went canyoning up in gunma this weekend with my friends. canyoning is like white water rafting without the raft. basically you are the raft. they packed me into like 3 layers of wetsuits and i finally understood how it felt to be a sausage. you lay in the river and it washes you down and you jump off of cliffs and stuff. the water was absolutely freezing but we had a great time. we went rafting as well. i got tossed out of the raft and watched the boat glide over me. wheni popped out into the surface, i had to swim to a boat and got pulled on. when i got in, i realized it wasn't my boat! eventually i got back into my boat. it was great fun and we were completely soaked, wrecked, and bruised by the end of the day. at least is was a physical exhaustion instead of mental which was fantastic. we drove ourselves so we had a car so we fucked off and went to a local onsen to warm up. it was great. all that was missing was a back rub.
there was a full moon party later that night but not til much later so we decided to get trashed before. ever well prepared, we brought our own provisions such as booze and snacks. (side bar: did i write about the tequila shots we did at club Vanilla in roppongi for new years? well it was totally nasty cuz they didn't have any salt or lime wedges so i vowed to make sure we did tequila right the next time. all this has a point as you will see in a sec.) i took the pirate game which i got as for my secret santa gift 2 chrissys ago (it's the one where you stab the barrel with different colored knives in the slots until the pirate pops out. it's brilliant!) i also brought a bottle of tequila, lime wedges, and salt. the game involved popping the pirate, spinning the bottle, and doing a modfied body shot off the person the bottle pointed to. what is a modified body shot, you ask? instead of wasting the tequila like college students on summer break in mexico, you lick a part of a person (your choice where) and they hold the lime wedge between theyr teeth. you salt the place you licked, like the salt off, down the tequila, and take the lime wedge out of their mouth with yours. it was pretty tame in the beginning but it got pretty crazy towards the end. as you can imagine, we all got pretty trashed.
after we finished off the tequila, we cleaned up and went out to the party which pretty much sucked cuz it was all trance music and it was very drizzelly. i left very early and crashed out as i had barely any sleep the nite before.
the next day, we had a groggy morning. my friend cor and i went out for a walk which was actually very nice. i loved getting out of the damn city and breathing fresh air for a change. around midday, we went out to this special co-ed onsen which was really bizarre. weird dudes just walking around with their bits all over the place! there were several different baths so we went around and tried all of them. we didn't nude up, we went with a biggish towel around us. it was so strange to wear next to nothing after we had been squeezed into so many layers the day before. after our onsen, we toddled home and back to the city. it was quite a weekend.
my only regret is that i have no pictures because we couldn't really take a camera. during the rafting and the canyoning, there is NO PLACE to put a camera and it would have been a bit obscene to take a camera into the onsen (althought several people were just snapping shots all over the place). the few pictures i do have are from the tequila shot pirate game which will be saved for blackmail purposes only. should a blackmailing occasion arrive, i shall post the pix on this blog. yep, you heard it here first!
I went canyoning up in gunma this weekend with my friends. canyoning is like white water rafting without the raft. basically you are the raft. they packed me into like 3 layers of wetsuits and i finally understood how it felt to be a sausage. you lay in the river and it washes you down and you jump off of cliffs and stuff. the water was absolutely freezing but we had a great time. we went rafting as well. i got tossed out of the raft and watched the boat glide over me. wheni popped out into the surface, i had to swim to a boat and got pulled on. when i got in, i realized it wasn't my boat! eventually i got back into my boat. it was great fun and we were completely soaked, wrecked, and bruised by the end of the day. at least is was a physical exhaustion instead of mental which was fantastic. we drove ourselves so we had a car so we fucked off and went to a local onsen to warm up. it was great. all that was missing was a back rub.
there was a full moon party later that night but not til much later so we decided to get trashed before. ever well prepared, we brought our own provisions such as booze and snacks. (side bar: did i write about the tequila shots we did at club Vanilla in roppongi for new years? well it was totally nasty cuz they didn't have any salt or lime wedges so i vowed to make sure we did tequila right the next time. all this has a point as you will see in a sec.) i took the pirate game which i got as for my secret santa gift 2 chrissys ago (it's the one where you stab the barrel with different colored knives in the slots until the pirate pops out. it's brilliant!) i also brought a bottle of tequila, lime wedges, and salt. the game involved popping the pirate, spinning the bottle, and doing a modfied body shot off the person the bottle pointed to. what is a modified body shot, you ask? instead of wasting the tequila like college students on summer break in mexico, you lick a part of a person (your choice where) and they hold the lime wedge between theyr teeth. you salt the place you licked, like the salt off, down the tequila, and take the lime wedge out of their mouth with yours. it was pretty tame in the beginning but it got pretty crazy towards the end. as you can imagine, we all got pretty trashed.
after we finished off the tequila, we cleaned up and went out to the party which pretty much sucked cuz it was all trance music and it was very drizzelly. i left very early and crashed out as i had barely any sleep the nite before.
the next day, we had a groggy morning. my friend cor and i went out for a walk which was actually very nice. i loved getting out of the damn city and breathing fresh air for a change. around midday, we went out to this special co-ed onsen which was really bizarre. weird dudes just walking around with their bits all over the place! there were several different baths so we went around and tried all of them. we didn't nude up, we went with a biggish towel around us. it was so strange to wear next to nothing after we had been squeezed into so many layers the day before. after our onsen, we toddled home and back to the city. it was quite a weekend.
my only regret is that i have no pictures because we couldn't really take a camera. during the rafting and the canyoning, there is NO PLACE to put a camera and it would have been a bit obscene to take a camera into the onsen (althought several people were just snapping shots all over the place). the few pictures i do have are from the tequila shot pirate game which will be saved for blackmail purposes only. should a blackmailing occasion arrive, i shall post the pix on this blog. yep, you heard it here first!
3.30.2006
Hey Tokyo! What part of DISABLED don't you understand?!
Now here is a true rant:
I have the ultimate love/hate relationship with this city. there are days when i hate it and days when i love it. these days, i'm hating it. first of all, the whole damn city is so handicap unfriendly. there are tons of stairs and you really gotta get your walk on in order to get anywhere. escalators and elevators are fairly far apart for a one legged english teacher and the bathrooms leave you with either choosing to wait for a "western style" toilet or peeing down your leg and into your cast if all they have are squatters. restaurants pack in so many tables that a person in my current condition can hobble between the tiny crevices between tables which leave you no space for your crutches. oh the joys of trying to eat in a restaurant in tokyo.
but the worst part of this damn city right now are the fucking people. people refuse to get out of my way despite the fact that most of the time, i can only go straight. crowds of drunks commune in masses at night leaving me to attempt to hobble around them. HELLO? WHAT PART OF "I AM ON FUCKING CRUTCHES" DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND? middle aged women and all the olds stare at me with sneers wondering why i'm moving so slowly or why i'm in THEIR way. Gee, if ya take a glance at the fucking cast of my leg and the crutches which are keeping me from falling flat on my face, you'd kinda get a picture. but the public transportation bugs me most of all. These selfish little tokyoites (in PERFECT HEALTH, mind you) refuse to make space for me on the trains, buses, and elevators even when they are in the PRIORITY SEATS which are designated especially for people like, oh let's just say, ME. i like the sad little attempts that the few karmically guilty people make to give up their seat to me WHILE THE BUS OR TRAIN IS MOVING. Ya know, i think i'll pass cuz if i let go of this pole that i am HANGING ONTO FOR DEAR LIFE WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING, I'LL DIE. but thanks anyway. This is an official notice to let you know that your karma sucks and you are all going to hell.
We have this one student at my school who is handicapped and he's always angry. he's like one of the angriest little men on two wheels that i've ever met in my life. i always used to think to myself, "dude, why is that guy so pissed off?" but now i know why. he's pissed off because HE LIVES IN TOKYO. i've become him. but i have it easy because, God willing, i will have my cast off in another month and i won't have to keep hobbling around this damn town. I am a tourist (much the same way that people go gay just for their college years); and although i'm hating this city right now, i go to bed at night with the comfort of knowing that this is not a permanent situation for me. my angry wheelchair-bound student doesn't get to go to bed with that thought. so in a sense, i am lucky.
i am currently sporting a walking cast but i destroyed the soft rubber stopper like hoof at the bottom of my cast in less than a week so i had to redesign a hoof for myself today. i chose cork but we'll see how long that lasts. if it lasts a week, i'll be surprised. but that last one that the doc put of me was a piece of crap. and i went around littering tiny pieces of rubber as i hobbled around the city. not good. i've even had to buy a door knob cover to put on it when i get home because it's just kinda yucky. and they don't make shoes for stumps. i wonder what people with peg legs do.
at any rate, i am trying my best to lead my normal life minus the mobility factor. i am working at full capacity again (although not at full speed) and i'm starting to eat out the contents of my packed pantry because i'm too lazy to hobble to the super market. and yes, i'm back to using the retard backpack so everyone can see me coming from a mile away. where's yoko? oh, she's the one with the BRIGHT RED BACKPACK and the CRUTCHES walking like a very bad impression of the hunchback of notre dame meets paddington bear (cuz i always wear my trench coat).
let's hope the cast comes off soon lest i really do find myself doing my rants from a real asylum.
I have the ultimate love/hate relationship with this city. there are days when i hate it and days when i love it. these days, i'm hating it. first of all, the whole damn city is so handicap unfriendly. there are tons of stairs and you really gotta get your walk on in order to get anywhere. escalators and elevators are fairly far apart for a one legged english teacher and the bathrooms leave you with either choosing to wait for a "western style" toilet or peeing down your leg and into your cast if all they have are squatters. restaurants pack in so many tables that a person in my current condition can hobble between the tiny crevices between tables which leave you no space for your crutches. oh the joys of trying to eat in a restaurant in tokyo.
but the worst part of this damn city right now are the fucking people. people refuse to get out of my way despite the fact that most of the time, i can only go straight. crowds of drunks commune in masses at night leaving me to attempt to hobble around them. HELLO? WHAT PART OF "I AM ON FUCKING CRUTCHES" DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND? middle aged women and all the olds stare at me with sneers wondering why i'm moving so slowly or why i'm in THEIR way. Gee, if ya take a glance at the fucking cast of my leg and the crutches which are keeping me from falling flat on my face, you'd kinda get a picture. but the public transportation bugs me most of all. These selfish little tokyoites (in PERFECT HEALTH, mind you) refuse to make space for me on the trains, buses, and elevators even when they are in the PRIORITY SEATS which are designated especially for people like, oh let's just say, ME. i like the sad little attempts that the few karmically guilty people make to give up their seat to me WHILE THE BUS OR TRAIN IS MOVING. Ya know, i think i'll pass cuz if i let go of this pole that i am HANGING ONTO FOR DEAR LIFE WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING, I'LL DIE. but thanks anyway. This is an official notice to let you know that your karma sucks and you are all going to hell.
We have this one student at my school who is handicapped and he's always angry. he's like one of the angriest little men on two wheels that i've ever met in my life. i always used to think to myself, "dude, why is that guy so pissed off?" but now i know why. he's pissed off because HE LIVES IN TOKYO. i've become him. but i have it easy because, God willing, i will have my cast off in another month and i won't have to keep hobbling around this damn town. I am a tourist (much the same way that people go gay just for their college years); and although i'm hating this city right now, i go to bed at night with the comfort of knowing that this is not a permanent situation for me. my angry wheelchair-bound student doesn't get to go to bed with that thought. so in a sense, i am lucky.
i am currently sporting a walking cast but i destroyed the soft rubber stopper like hoof at the bottom of my cast in less than a week so i had to redesign a hoof for myself today. i chose cork but we'll see how long that lasts. if it lasts a week, i'll be surprised. but that last one that the doc put of me was a piece of crap. and i went around littering tiny pieces of rubber as i hobbled around the city. not good. i've even had to buy a door knob cover to put on it when i get home because it's just kinda yucky. and they don't make shoes for stumps. i wonder what people with peg legs do.
at any rate, i am trying my best to lead my normal life minus the mobility factor. i am working at full capacity again (although not at full speed) and i'm starting to eat out the contents of my packed pantry because i'm too lazy to hobble to the super market. and yes, i'm back to using the retard backpack so everyone can see me coming from a mile away. where's yoko? oh, she's the one with the BRIGHT RED BACKPACK and the CRUTCHES walking like a very bad impression of the hunchback of notre dame meets paddington bear (cuz i always wear my trench coat).
let's hope the cast comes off soon lest i really do find myself doing my rants from a real asylum.
3.10.2006
Karaoke, Snowboarding, and Breaking My Damn Foot
Post Jamaica lifestyle was extrardinarily hectic as all the work i had done before i left was completely unraveled by the time i got back. Damn, i need another vacation.
So the Train's friend, James, was in town for a few days after i got back which was nice. we got to hang out and do some drinking. on his last niite (valentines day -- barf) we went out for drinking and karaoke at the amataro which was indeed a top nite. i got trashed, yet again, and i think a few of them continued the celebrarions well into the wee hours of the morn but i went home and crashed as i had an early morning the next day. felt rather seedy until my requisite mickey D'z breakfast. but i think the most memorable part of the evvening for me was the feeling that the "new family" was really pulling together. it felt good as solidarity was something that's been missing for a while.
to further ensure that solidarity (not really, we just wanted to go), the train, julie, sue, ads, alisa, and i went snowboarding last week. we went back up to adatara where we went last year. of course we were the loudest people on the bus ride up and we got told to shut up the entire time but we just played the role of the ignorant gaijins and talked and drank the whole ride up. the slopes were really icy but we were able to meet up with our former snowboarding instructor/friend Hideo. he said he would teach us how to turn. but because of the ice, er snow, conditions, we were all pretty much wrecked by the time we could check into the hotel. we soaked up the onsen ( a first for leilani who was actually VERY nervous but pulled through like a champ despite all the naked chicks) had dinner, and hung out in our room all nite. like complete foolios, we forgot to pack a deck of cards, uno, jenga, the pirate in a barrel game, or anythin g else which may have proved entertaining for us; but ads got to tell some good riddles, i got to tell some lame ones, ther were shitty magic tricks and very cheesy "psychic connectons." but we all eventually got to sleep thanks to the soothing snores of alisa.
the next day, we all warm up and hit the gondola to get to the top of the mountain. we get down alright despite an extremely icy patch in the middle which really burned me, sue, and ads out. we hung out while the rest of the crew went for a few more runs. it was getting close to lunch time so sue and i decided to go down the intermediate slopes a few more times to practice our turns before breaking for lunch (ads decided his ass was too sore and he needed to recoup by getting his cancer on). on the second run coming down, i turned onto my toeside and hit a rough patch of ice. my board wouldn't stop and after a few very hard crack, crack, CRACKS, i felt something in my foot pop and a tremendous shot of pain went running up my leg. i couldn't move for a couple of minutes. i knew i fucked something up in my foot really bad. so i turned back around to my heel side and slowly made my way down the mountain and straight to ski patrol. pulling off my boot was one of the most painful moments of my life and i was told i was done, i needed to ice it, and go straight to the docs when i got back to tokyo. on my way to the bus going home, i slipped on a patch of ice and ate it again whichg was even more painful than the boot coming off my foot. i actually broke down and bawled (something i haven't done since watching that movie about the dog in shibuya). but i pulled my crap together and made it onto the bus. we chilled all the way home and i called in sick the next day.
i get the x-rays and talk to the doc who tells me i've broken one of the big roundish bones in the arch of my foot. he thinks it's a strange place to break my foot but it's all the same to me. i had to have it taped up for about 4 days while the swelling went down and got my cast yesterday. it's really heavy, and most of the time when i'm home i hop around without the crutches which is starting to take it's toll on my ankle. i swear i'm falling apart.
so i should be in the cast for about 4 weeks. my doc says i'm looking at a totaly of 2 months recovery time. by then my left leg will wither away and my right leg and arms will be tompletely buff. yes! i can look like a circus freak again!
but big props to the friends who got me though this ordeal. they have been super nice and helpful, bringing me pressies and dinner and keeping me company and covering for me at work (i've been out for 5 days). i really love them.
so call me gimp for the next few weeks. i'm hobbling along this long windy road of life at the moment. will let you know if i pick up speed anytime soon . . . . .
So the Train's friend, James, was in town for a few days after i got back which was nice. we got to hang out and do some drinking. on his last niite (valentines day -- barf) we went out for drinking and karaoke at the amataro which was indeed a top nite. i got trashed, yet again, and i think a few of them continued the celebrarions well into the wee hours of the morn but i went home and crashed as i had an early morning the next day. felt rather seedy until my requisite mickey D'z breakfast. but i think the most memorable part of the evvening for me was the feeling that the "new family" was really pulling together. it felt good as solidarity was something that's been missing for a while.
to further ensure that solidarity (not really, we just wanted to go), the train, julie, sue, ads, alisa, and i went snowboarding last week. we went back up to adatara where we went last year. of course we were the loudest people on the bus ride up and we got told to shut up the entire time but we just played the role of the ignorant gaijins and talked and drank the whole ride up. the slopes were really icy but we were able to meet up with our former snowboarding instructor/friend Hideo. he said he would teach us how to turn. but because of the ice, er snow, conditions, we were all pretty much wrecked by the time we could check into the hotel. we soaked up the onsen ( a first for leilani who was actually VERY nervous but pulled through like a champ despite all the naked chicks) had dinner, and hung out in our room all nite. like complete foolios, we forgot to pack a deck of cards, uno, jenga, the pirate in a barrel game, or anythin g else which may have proved entertaining for us; but ads got to tell some good riddles, i got to tell some lame ones, ther were shitty magic tricks and very cheesy "psychic connectons." but we all eventually got to sleep thanks to the soothing snores of alisa.
the next day, we all warm up and hit the gondola to get to the top of the mountain. we get down alright despite an extremely icy patch in the middle which really burned me, sue, and ads out. we hung out while the rest of the crew went for a few more runs. it was getting close to lunch time so sue and i decided to go down the intermediate slopes a few more times to practice our turns before breaking for lunch (ads decided his ass was too sore and he needed to recoup by getting his cancer on). on the second run coming down, i turned onto my toeside and hit a rough patch of ice. my board wouldn't stop and after a few very hard crack, crack, CRACKS, i felt something in my foot pop and a tremendous shot of pain went running up my leg. i couldn't move for a couple of minutes. i knew i fucked something up in my foot really bad. so i turned back around to my heel side and slowly made my way down the mountain and straight to ski patrol. pulling off my boot was one of the most painful moments of my life and i was told i was done, i needed to ice it, and go straight to the docs when i got back to tokyo. on my way to the bus going home, i slipped on a patch of ice and ate it again whichg was even more painful than the boot coming off my foot. i actually broke down and bawled (something i haven't done since watching that movie about the dog in shibuya). but i pulled my crap together and made it onto the bus. we chilled all the way home and i called in sick the next day.
i get the x-rays and talk to the doc who tells me i've broken one of the big roundish bones in the arch of my foot. he thinks it's a strange place to break my foot but it's all the same to me. i had to have it taped up for about 4 days while the swelling went down and got my cast yesterday. it's really heavy, and most of the time when i'm home i hop around without the crutches which is starting to take it's toll on my ankle. i swear i'm falling apart.
so i should be in the cast for about 4 weeks. my doc says i'm looking at a totaly of 2 months recovery time. by then my left leg will wither away and my right leg and arms will be tompletely buff. yes! i can look like a circus freak again!
but big props to the friends who got me though this ordeal. they have been super nice and helpful, bringing me pressies and dinner and keeping me company and covering for me at work (i've been out for 5 days). i really love them.
so call me gimp for the next few weeks. i'm hobbling along this long windy road of life at the moment. will let you know if i pick up speed anytime soon . . . . .
2.22.2006
Post Vacation and Back to the Old Grind
Jamaica was fucking cool. ads and i had a 12 hour stop over in los angeles after a 9.5 hour flight from Tokyo before heading off to charlotte so cory picked us up and we had a very good breakfast at Roscoe's chicken and waffles. we did a quick tour of the studios in LA and then picked up crash at Dreamworks before heading back to their house for a bit of rest. after a mexican dinner we went back to the sirport where we boraded a red eye to charlotte NC and waited another 3.5 hours before getting on a plane to montego bay. by the time we got to jamaica, we didn't know if we were hungry or tired or insane so we piddled around our resort and then took a bit of a drive around the area in our rental car.
SIDE BAR: the rental car joint was insane. on the second story unmarked building there was one woman named Sharon running the entire operation. when she needed someone to bring a car around, she'd use her "PA" system which was Sharon yelling outside of her second story window in a very thick jamaican accent to "brang da kyar round mon." and she moved slower than mollasass. the roads in jamaica leave much to be desired as well. there are potholes the size of texas all over the place and many of the roads are not paved at all. drivers overtake or undertake where ever and when ever they like, and they honk their horns very liberally. they generally drive on the left side, as it is told in the Lonely Planet "da left side is the rite side, da right side is suicide." the speed limit is apparently just a suggestion.
Ads and i met up with Kuniko (sab's ex-roommate) and her friend Shiho who came traveling with her. Kuniko rented or villa in Montego Bar for us. it was a very nice, spacious place. a stones throw from the beach (Dr. Cave beach apparently) and really good jamaican breakfast. the jamaicans eat this "fruit" called Ackee which is a savory fruit that they pick after the ass of the fruit bursts then they soak it in salted water and cook it with a salted fish. it tastes like scrambled eggs. it was weird but good. Shiho and i were all about the jamaican food. Ads eats nothing and Kuniko was a bit weary as well but i thought jamaican food rocked. but stay away from the "rasta relaxers" a drinbk that is 97% rum. made me sick.
We went to Negril on our second day and also drove out to Roaring River or Rolling River where Bob Marley apparently "wash away da bad luck and wash in da good luck." we saw some nice little plants, goats, crops and marijuana plants which apparently "belong to da rasta man." everyone was high there. it was an interesting little trip.
we were led out there by out self appointed tour guid named Kevin. he says he works with the police to aid tourists but he didn't seem to be very helpful when i got pulled over by the jamaican cops. i didn't get a ticket; i think they were more curious about tourists driving around in a not touristy area and i got let off with a warning. Kevin gave us a little tour of the country side and took us to the river area then we parted ways after we "showed him our appreciation."
SIDE BAR: everone in jamaica wants a tip, and i ain't talkin' 'bout on how to keep your toilet sparklin' fresh. everywhere you go, please are asking you to "show me your appreciation." they prey on tourists and expect you to tip them for everything from using the PUBLIC toilets to pointing you in the direction of a good restaurant. Jamaicans are also good hustlers. even the sweetest unassuming little old woman knows what she's doing when it comes to tourists. they make you buy shit you don't even want or ask for. they are super pushy. i think they were more polite in thailand!
on the 26th, we drove out towards St. Ann's bay where Sabrina was getting married. it was a couple hours drive from Mobay (montego bay) and the area was quite nice. the closest town was Ocho Rios where we had to go to get supplies for our villa such as food, drinks etc. we settled in and met up with stuart and his wife and also sab's student tomonori and his weird taciturn friend with the super tight pants. we went on our excusion to Ocho Rios which is a nice little place. we did some souvenir shopping (i got everyone jerk seasoning. i swear the entire bottom of my suitcase was filled with jerk). Sabs had her rehersal dinner on the 27th and i got to meet all of her friends from college. she had some bridesmaids and they were LOVELY girls. i can see why they are all so tight.
the day of the wedding was unfortunately very windy. the weather wasn't espeically nice which was too bad but Sabs looked absolutely fantastic. she seemed to take the entire thing in a stride but i guess that's because it was pretty much the Sharon Shelton show (Sean's mother). The food was amazing, especially the Coconut Chicken Rundown which i am still trying to find a good recipie for. Lots of speeches and toasts, etc. Lots of rum.
we went out to Dunn's River Falls the next day to climb up the waterfall which was pretty fucking cool. the water was initially pretty cold but it's hot in jamaica and you get used to it. we did a bit more last minute shopping and went out for dinner on our last nite in jamaica to a pretty bad restaurant which had a nice view but super salty food coupled with bad service. not a good end. but overall, we had a great time in jamaica. and it was awesome seeing sabs again. i really missed her.
We flew back to LA the next day and had dinner with the family. We went to the rock bottom brewery where we met up with dad and ryan. I took ads all over LA and LBC. we had a big BBQ at the house one nite and a bunch of people came. i ran errands, i saw old friends, i went to the dentist. we also went out to vegas for a couple of days which he seemed to really like. it was nice to see dick and colleen as well.
anyways, we hoofed it back to japan on the 9th and got into narita on the 10th. we were both completely wrecked. 20 days everyday is a lot of time to spend with any one person but i think we both survived it ok.
now it back to the same old grind. i went 12 days straight without a day off when i got back and today is the first time since forver that i have gotten home before 9:00pm. grandpa and i have fallen back into our old routine plus one, i now make breakfast and dinner for him every nite. i had to fight with my uncle just to get one weekend off to go snowboarding with my friends next week. but it's a good thing. it makes me appreciate my time with my friends who i must give much credit to cuz they have been soooooo supportive and kind during the past few months while i have been inaccessible for much of the time. they've pushed back plans, rearranged schedules, and tucked me in at nite. i take care of grandpa and they take care of me. i love them.
to celebrate and give thanks, i'm having mexican dinner nite tomorrow for them and then we will have jerk chicken nite on the 5th. yummy! dinner always brings friends together!
1.19.2006
JAMAICA -- here i come!
well, i will be leaving for jamaica in a few short days and i realized this only 2 days ago when my boss told me to make sure all my crap was done before then (only he said it much nicer). now it's crunch time. mom is back in japan taking care of grandpa for me now which is a major load off my shoulders. i love grandpa to pieces but his mental situation has deteriorated a lot over the past few months (very intensely so in the past few weeks) and i have been going to his house on my way to work every morning to make him breakfast and putting him to bed every night after work (at which i work overtime for no extra money cuz, again, i am an asshole). so i basically get home around 9:30 or 10, sometimes later depending on what has occurred with him that day. and the cycle starts again at 7:00 when my alarm goes off the next morning.
i have been physically and mentally exhausted for a while now, and have had no time to do the things i have set out to do for so long . . . my christmas/new years cards remain unsent and unwritten on my floor, my emails from people remain unanswered, the bills have yet to be paid, i still haven't sent my dear friend Nani her christmas present which has been ready to go but for a card which i can't seem to get around to writing, ironing all my damn shirts for work, oh yeah, and updating this blog.
the girls and i had a girls nite out last nite at the local chain izakaya where i leveled 2 liters (literally) of oolong-hi so i was completely trashed by the time we got kicked out and had to go to the cheap yakitori place. the girls are great, we have a nice time together (there are 6 of us) and it's good to just go and air our grievances, not necessarily about men, but life in general. it's a good support group.
if i can get through sunday without cracking open like a pinata i will be able to successfully escape to jamaica for a glorious week followed by about 10 days back home in los angeles (which was supposed to be a surprise for my family but now it isn't so poo on them and since my mom has information diarrhea, people know i'm coming home too which defeats the purpose of a fucking SURPRISE). my friend Adam will be going to both vacation spots with me so it will be new and interesting for him, although he has special dietary needs (he eats ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that normal people do; no strike that, he hasn't got the range of food that most people do) and most people who know the both of us ask me what i'm going to do with him when i go indulge in mexican, moroccan, and other delicious cuisines jamaica and cali can offer me. i dunno. i figure he can fuck off while i eat. we don't have that kind of relationship.
well, i must go start my day. only a few more days to go . . . .
i have been physically and mentally exhausted for a while now, and have had no time to do the things i have set out to do for so long . . . my christmas/new years cards remain unsent and unwritten on my floor, my emails from people remain unanswered, the bills have yet to be paid, i still haven't sent my dear friend Nani her christmas present which has been ready to go but for a card which i can't seem to get around to writing, ironing all my damn shirts for work, oh yeah, and updating this blog.
the girls and i had a girls nite out last nite at the local chain izakaya where i leveled 2 liters (literally) of oolong-hi so i was completely trashed by the time we got kicked out and had to go to the cheap yakitori place. the girls are great, we have a nice time together (there are 6 of us) and it's good to just go and air our grievances, not necessarily about men, but life in general. it's a good support group.
if i can get through sunday without cracking open like a pinata i will be able to successfully escape to jamaica for a glorious week followed by about 10 days back home in los angeles (which was supposed to be a surprise for my family but now it isn't so poo on them and since my mom has information diarrhea, people know i'm coming home too which defeats the purpose of a fucking SURPRISE). my friend Adam will be going to both vacation spots with me so it will be new and interesting for him, although he has special dietary needs (he eats ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that normal people do; no strike that, he hasn't got the range of food that most people do) and most people who know the both of us ask me what i'm going to do with him when i go indulge in mexican, moroccan, and other delicious cuisines jamaica and cali can offer me. i dunno. i figure he can fuck off while i eat. we don't have that kind of relationship.
well, i must go start my day. only a few more days to go . . . .
1.03.2006
Holiday wrap up, Trampoland, resolutions, and going back to work <--Boo!
well, i realize it's beena while so let's strat with the holiday wrap up.
Thanksgiving: had dinner at Fujimamas in Harajuku with my friends (fellow americans and curious australians and japanese folks). We had a nice turn out, about 12 people or so and we got to eat a bit of turkey and stuffing. i think i could have leveled an entire turkey by myself but i had to control myself. We got to spend a bit of time in the harajuku/omotesando area as well. before dinner, the girls and i stopped by the XBOX 360 lounge that has 8-10 game stations and a bar that we killed time in and after dinner, we saw a karaoke pimp who had the most fabulous mullet i've ever seen. it was all cropped on top but the party in the back was VERY long and he had it dyed in stripes ACROSS his head in a strange tiger like fashion. Now that's love of hair.
Christmas: it sucked ass. Tokyo has the misfortune of not caring about this holiday at all which makes the rest of us sad and homesick. i WORKED on christmas day and then i busted out of work as early as i could to host dinner at my house. no oven so no turkey but i mader a beef stew with mashed potatoes and veggies and a whole bunch of other stuff as well. several of my friends came over and we had the big christmas feast and did the white elephant gift exchange afterwards and then ate cake, candy, chocolate, cookies, and a whole lot of other stuff. it wasn't terribly christmasy but it was nice. and exhausting.
Work: so everyone at my branch who is in charge took off and handed me the reins which has been a giant source of stress for the past 2 weeks. marcus (a much more senior but incredible ineffectual buffoon of a trainer) is here but since he can't do a lick of work , i am forced to try to swim through this mess (lest i drown in the next couple of weeks which is a definite possibility). there is so much involved with regards to paperwork and scheduling at this new big ass school that i have a tough time wrapping my head around it all. i'm sure i will burn the place down to the ground in a matter of days. i can't wait for the other trainers to come back.
New years/New years eve: since i had such a crappy time waiting in line for hours doing nothing at the shrines two new years ago, i decided to skip it all and go boozing and dancing with my friends in the ponger (Roppongi: a place reknown for attracting a lot of foreigners, mostly military and other assholes, and slutty women). we went to a club called Vanilla and Leilani got to try her first shot of tequila. 4 shots later, she was puking her guts out on the floor of the club then the cops came and raided the club so we got kicked out a little after 3 in the morning. we crtawled home at about 4 and laid in bed until about 11:00 and then had a big greasy breakfast. mmmmm. could've leveled a mickey d's breakfast mcmuffin but it was probanly closed as tokyo SHUTS DOWN during new years. just as well, i was happy to stay home. after we pulled ourselves together, we visited a local shrine and did a bit of the praying. then we came home and crashed out for a while longer. it was recovery day.
Today we went to Shinrin Koen in Saitama with a bunch of people to have a picnic (yes, we know it's the dead of winter) , do the ropes course, and do the big bounce at Tramp-o-land. Tramp-o-land (as we like to call it) isn't actually a big trampoline in the ground but more like mounds of bouncey rubber mountains that we can jump on and catch some serious air. it was so much fun! i made lots of tuna sandwiches and good ol' PB and Js and everyone brought a bunch of other food that we munched on. it was a little too cold and it even snowed a few flakes but it dried up quickly and all the activities kept our blood flowing. everyone seemed to h ave quite a good time and i was happy to be physically exhaused for a change instead of mentally enhausted. it was a good close to our work break as us nova-ites go back to work tomorrow.
Resolutions: so i made a resolution not to wait in line for anything. yes, dusty pointed out the logistical problems with theis resolution while we were waiting in line (ha ha - the irony) to get into Vanilla. actually i meant more along the lines of not waiting for a guy, waiting for a promotion, waiting for . . . . . life to happen. i want to be more proactive in getting the things i want. life is short. other solutions? take better care of my friends and family, lose weight, excercise more, all those resolutions that i can't ever seem to keep every year. and definitely to keep in better touch with everyone. and to keep a better log of my exploits with this blog. yeah, we'll see how long these last!
i am off to jamaica in a couple of weeks for some (i believe well deserved) time off. yeah! i will be touring the Bob Marley stomping grounds foe a week, going to a wedding, then going hme for a week and a half. i was going to surprise my parents with my visit but it didn't work as my mom is coming back to japan while i am in jamaica to look after my grandad. i wanted to spend time with the whole family but that doesn't look feasible. oh well, i will take what i can get.
will attempt to keep this blog more up to date! hopefully i will have more hot news next time!
Thanksgiving: had dinner at Fujimamas in Harajuku with my friends (fellow americans and curious australians and japanese folks). We had a nice turn out, about 12 people or so and we got to eat a bit of turkey and stuffing. i think i could have leveled an entire turkey by myself but i had to control myself. We got to spend a bit of time in the harajuku/omotesando area as well. before dinner, the girls and i stopped by the XBOX 360 lounge that has 8-10 game stations and a bar that we killed time in and after dinner, we saw a karaoke pimp who had the most fabulous mullet i've ever seen. it was all cropped on top but the party in the back was VERY long and he had it dyed in stripes ACROSS his head in a strange tiger like fashion. Now that's love of hair.
Christmas: it sucked ass. Tokyo has the misfortune of not caring about this holiday at all which makes the rest of us sad and homesick. i WORKED on christmas day and then i busted out of work as early as i could to host dinner at my house. no oven so no turkey but i mader a beef stew with mashed potatoes and veggies and a whole bunch of other stuff as well. several of my friends came over and we had the big christmas feast and did the white elephant gift exchange afterwards and then ate cake, candy, chocolate, cookies, and a whole lot of other stuff. it wasn't terribly christmasy but it was nice. and exhausting.
Work: so everyone at my branch who is in charge took off and handed me the reins which has been a giant source of stress for the past 2 weeks. marcus (a much more senior but incredible ineffectual buffoon of a trainer) is here but since he can't do a lick of work , i am forced to try to swim through this mess (lest i drown in the next couple of weeks which is a definite possibility). there is so much involved with regards to paperwork and scheduling at this new big ass school that i have a tough time wrapping my head around it all. i'm sure i will burn the place down to the ground in a matter of days. i can't wait for the other trainers to come back.
New years/New years eve: since i had such a crappy time waiting in line for hours doing nothing at the shrines two new years ago, i decided to skip it all and go boozing and dancing with my friends in the ponger (Roppongi: a place reknown for attracting a lot of foreigners, mostly military and other assholes, and slutty women). we went to a club called Vanilla and Leilani got to try her first shot of tequila. 4 shots later, she was puking her guts out on the floor of the club then the cops came and raided the club so we got kicked out a little after 3 in the morning. we crtawled home at about 4 and laid in bed until about 11:00 and then had a big greasy breakfast. mmmmm. could've leveled a mickey d's breakfast mcmuffin but it was probanly closed as tokyo SHUTS DOWN during new years. just as well, i was happy to stay home. after we pulled ourselves together, we visited a local shrine and did a bit of the praying. then we came home and crashed out for a while longer. it was recovery day.
Today we went to Shinrin Koen in Saitama with a bunch of people to have a picnic (yes, we know it's the dead of winter) , do the ropes course, and do the big bounce at Tramp-o-land. Tramp-o-land (as we like to call it) isn't actually a big trampoline in the ground but more like mounds of bouncey rubber mountains that we can jump on and catch some serious air. it was so much fun! i made lots of tuna sandwiches and good ol' PB and Js and everyone brought a bunch of other food that we munched on. it was a little too cold and it even snowed a few flakes but it dried up quickly and all the activities kept our blood flowing. everyone seemed to h ave quite a good time and i was happy to be physically exhaused for a change instead of mentally enhausted. it was a good close to our work break as us nova-ites go back to work tomorrow.
Resolutions: so i made a resolution not to wait in line for anything. yes, dusty pointed out the logistical problems with theis resolution while we were waiting in line (ha ha - the irony) to get into Vanilla. actually i meant more along the lines of not waiting for a guy, waiting for a promotion, waiting for . . . . . life to happen. i want to be more proactive in getting the things i want. life is short. other solutions? take better care of my friends and family, lose weight, excercise more, all those resolutions that i can't ever seem to keep every year. and definitely to keep in better touch with everyone. and to keep a better log of my exploits with this blog. yeah, we'll see how long these last!
i am off to jamaica in a couple of weeks for some (i believe well deserved) time off. yeah! i will be touring the Bob Marley stomping grounds foe a week, going to a wedding, then going hme for a week and a half. i was going to surprise my parents with my visit but it didn't work as my mom is coming back to japan while i am in jamaica to look after my grandad. i wanted to spend time with the whole family but that doesn't look feasible. oh well, i will take what i can get.
will attempt to keep this blog more up to date! hopefully i will have more hot news next time!
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