Happy Thanksgiving!

If my sources are correct, today is Thanksgiving in the States. It happens to be a holiday in Japan, too (Labor Day). I was just sitting around the house because it's all rainy and cold out, then decided to get into the Thanksgiving spirit by making more food than I could possible eat and pigging out as much as I could. I pulled some carrots from the garden and added sliced eggs and cucumber to an enormous bowl of noodles. But that didn't seem like enough to make my stomach hurt so a few small cakes and a bread roll seemed in order. And to warm myself up a bit, a green tea latte (something new I had for the first time yesterday and instantly became my new favorite drink). It might not be a traditional Thanksgiving meal, but after finishing it all I went into the food coma that no real Thanksgiving would be without.


And I thought about the things I'm thankful for. Which turns out to be everything. I love my life. I love every day. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I'd chosen a different path or done something different, and I'm glad that this is how things turned out. All the things I've done have led me here. And it's such a great place to be.

Sometimes people ask if I regret giving up on a career in medicine. Not at all. If I'd continued studying, I wouldn't have taken the job in retail where I met one of my best friends, and wouldn't have lived with Aska nor met Ken - two people who played a vital role in fostering my curiosity about Japan. I wouldn't have applied for a job here and wouldn't be living this adventurous life making friends with people from all over the world. If I'd gone to medical school, I wouldn't have spontaneously thrown some clothes in the car one day and taken off for three months to drive around the States nor would have had enough free time to travel the world and leisurely explore countries that I've fallen in love with (you absolutely must visit Thailand and Cambodia).

I used to daydream about what it would have been like to have studied abroad for a year back in university. But that would have most likely been during my junior year, and I wouldn't want to trade all the memories from that one year: all the people I'd met and the experiences I had. That was the year I met so many of the people that I truly value and often think about (Speck included). I learned how to develop film and spent all that time in the dark room with Alicia, became friends with StevieD and Sona while volunteering at the orphanage in Tijuana, studied with the man who wrote Il Postino and got to examine records of plant species that Charles Darwin himself collected and catalogued. So I'm glad I didn't study abroad. The memories I made are too important to give back.

A few years ago I applied for a job and was devastated when I didn't get it. But because I didn't, I continued working at the job I hated and made connections with people that allowed me to have the life I live now. Thank goodness I didn't get that job. I was crushed at the time, but am so glad for it now.

Thinking about it now, if I could turn back time and relive my life while keeping all the memories I've made, I'd probably do everything exactly the same just so I can enjoy it all over again. Well, perhaps a few things would be different. Like, all the time I've spent playing video games could be used to play different video games. And if I could memorize a few lottery numbers before time got turned back that might come in handy. And I wouldn't leave the pots of dirt outside so they could harbor nests of centipedes.

Well, that's enough for now. Time to lie down and continue digesting. Yay Thanksgiving.

I can.

It's embarrassing to admit it, but I'm a super-dweeb when it comes to Buffy. Are you mentally prepared to experience my dweebiness (is that even a word) at full force? I've been going through the series again (thanks so much for the videos, Speck!) and the episode where Willow turns Amy-the-rat into a human again hit home for me. I am exactly like Willow. Except for no magic and rats turning into humans and stuff.

Willow couldn't reverse Amy into a human because she lacked magical ability. Through time Willow continued to grow stronger, then one day realized she could and turned Amy into a human again. She could have probably tried sooner, but she'd been so used to not being able to.

After coming to Japan there were so many Japanese videos I wanted to see, but I never understood what was going on and always got lost because I lacked Japanese ability. I had to constantly replay scenes to look words up in the dictionary and was still confused. Going to the movies was completely unthinkable.

It's been over a year since I've watched any videos. Unless I have someone next to me to explain all the difficult bits, watching them is pointless. But I REALLY wanted to see Death Note and even though I'd be confused the whole time, braved the movies on my own (yeah, I saw it by myself - loner with no friends, poor poor me). Then halfway through the movie I realized, hey! I understand everything! So you see I'm just like Willow. I suddenly realized I can. And you're probably thinking this is a flimsy comparison, but for me this is life-changing. Actually not really.

This opens up a whole new world for me! I can go see Japanese movies now! And I can also rent those movies that I've been wanting to see but haven't because they're in Japanese. All those ninja movies. On top of being a Buffy dweeb, I'm going to become a ninja nerd. Oh I can't wait.

Death Note

They turned it into a two-part movie! I missed the first part but went ahead and saw Part 2. The main plotline followed the book so I wasn't too confused, and I'm really glad they didn't just redo the book. The movie threw in new characters and had a different ending which was nice for the surprise value. The trailer is in Japanese but you can kind of get a feel for the weird characters and the funky Japanese style. (Light is the Killer, L is the genius investigator, and Misa traded half of her lifespan to gain the ability to know people's true names simply by looking at them).

Here's the short of it: Ryuk (a god of Death) is bored and decides to drop his notebook into the human world to see what happens. A high school student picks it up and discovers that if you write a name in the book, that person dies. He then decides to alter the world by killing off all criminals but unfortunately law officials consider him a mass-murderer and the attempt to hunt him down (and find out how he's killing people) commences. While they're trying to discover who he is, he's busy scheming how to get rid of everyone in his way without being found out. There are so many twists and turns to keep it interesting -- the kid's father is head of the team hunting down the Killer; another Killer emerges and tries to locate Light (Killer) to team up; the new Killer turns out to be a ditzy bimbo movie star . . . um, I guess it sounds kind of dumb. But really, it's a gripping story.

As proof of its popularity, they've decided to create a cartoon version as well. I'm quite upset that the cartoon isn't broadcasted here in Oita. Dear Oita TV, you suck.

I gave it a search on YouTube, and someone posted the first episode! It has English subtitles so I'm guessing it's being broadcast in other countries. You can watch it in other countries, but not in Oita. Really and truly, Oita TV, go to hell.

The first episode is split into three parts if you feel like checking it out. Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3

New additions to the family

It's been about 5 years since I've bought shoes. I know my shoes are grubby, peeling, and ready for the trash bin but they're still wearable so why buy new ones? Shoes are for walking; life isn't a fashion show. (I know I'm kidding myself with this - life IS a fashion show). But something came over me yesterday. I walked past a shoe store and was called into it, then suddenly found myself heading home with two new pairs of shoes.

Before coming to Japan I shopped at cheap outlet stores and bargain basements and stayed away from name-brands because of what they signify. I don't even know what that means anymore. If you want nice things, buy nice things. I guess over the years Japanese consumerism and the worship of name-brands has been wearing me down like a file on a heinous toenail. With enough effort, even the ugliest toenail can become shiny and beautiful. Anyhow I got my shoes at the mall and threw my card down for the first two pairs I liked.


These are them (Did you know that grammatically this sentence should read "These are they" - how ridiculous is that.) The orange PUMAs were $60 and the black Adidas were $100. Back in university there's no way I would have paid $100 for shoes, but like I said I'm a toenail that's been filed down.


Speaking of shoes, last week I was watching my favorite program about rich people who have nice things when last week's guest opened her shoe closet to expose 288 pairs of shoes. The cameraman was astonished and began picking out shoes, asking how much they cost. Of course I expected them to be expensive, but I nearly pooped my pants when he pointed at a pair and she said $20,000.

Then they checked out the room that she uses as a closet. There was a bunch of purses lined up on the shelf, and she casually mentioned that the row of purses on the right side cost more than $100,000 each. That's when I really did poop my pants. So you see, Japanese consumerism is simply out of control. And that's why I didn't think anything of spending $100 on a pair of shoes, and in fact thought they were pretty cheap.

To compare myself to this woman, I decided to take all my shoes out and see what kind of collection I have. It's not enough to get invited onto the program just yet, but I'm almost there.

Please don't judge me by my footwear. I'm keeping the nasty old ones for when I go hiking or tromping through rivers.

And they couldn't find him?

Ever hear that the government can spy on people using satellites powerful enough to read the license plates off of cars? Well now I believe it. I looked up the house I grew up in using a public satellite, and you can see the white Pontiac in the driveway and my sister's blue Trans-Am parked on the street. If we can see this much using a public satellite, imagine what they can do. The mysterious they.

But isn't this cool? I looked up Punahou School and Washington University and my old apartment and houses of friends. And the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty and the Great Wall of China. Man this is awesome. You have to download a program first then you're free to roam the world.

Damn cramp

Just got back from the pool. In the middle of my 20th lap I felt a growing tightness in my calf that grew into a paralyzing pain. Probably would have drowned if I'd been swimming in the ocean. It's been over an hour and it still hurts, making me walk all gimpy.

The other day it dawned on me that swimming is just like meditation. You take a deep breath and slowly let it out, clearing your mind of everything and concentrating on minute physical sensations. The regular, timed breathing is so relaxing. For me it takes about 7 laps for my body to get used to the increased heartrate and find a good pace, then it just goes on autopilot and I get lost in my breathing rhythm.

Except today there were a bunch of people pushing themselves in my lane, so I kept up with them and ignored the tightness in my chest and arms. And then that damned cramp made me cut the workout short. Not enough leg stretches, I guess.

The good news is that after a few weeks of protein supplements, I'm not a walking skeleton anymore. There's a layer of something covering my upper arm, and I'm hoping it's a muscle.

Check me!

I absolutely LOVE my hair salon. The 90 minute experience is worth every yen. Let me share.

The chair goes down so your head can rest over the basin. A thin piece of cloth with a dab of aroma oil covers your eyes, then a towel is laid over that to completely block out the light and leave you in darkness. You can hear birds chirping and the trickle of a river from the speakers near your head. While you're growing relaxed and enjoying the sounds of nature, the basin gradually fills with bubbles that rise slowly to your head so you never get that shock of hot water on your scalp. The bubbles are massaged into your hair for a calm, quiet shampooing. Then the fingers start gliding through your hair and begin pressing your temples, sliding along the sides of your head, pushing against your forehead and different points all over your scalp and neck. I wish that massage would go on forever. For the final rinsing water is slowly poured over your hair instead of an abrasive spray from those shower-head faucets.

The cutting is all done by scissors and an electric trimmer never touches your head. When the cutting's finished you get another delicious shampooing and a hot towel to clean your face. Then another, firmer head massage with something that smells minty. Sometimes I get a back and shoulder massage, too, but not this time.

When it was all done the staff stood outside to wave me off and bow. Back in the States I was paying 50 bucks for a regular shampoo and haircut, and this costs LESS than that!

Just to see what actually happened to my head, I took some before and after photos. Believe it or not, it takes time to make my hair look dirty. I found this great wax that makes it look oily and clumped together.




I swear I wasn't giving the camera the mack-daddy eye. It just came out like that.





Incidentally while getting the haircut my phone rang. It was an unknown Japanese cell phone number and when I checked the message it was Jean Muraoka from high school! Whoa, blast from the past. Apparently she moved to Tokyo two weeks ago and got my number from Gina Colburn. She obviously doesn't know how far down south I live since she asked if I could take the train up for a visit sometime. The train?

And I'm so glad cyano found this blog! In a crazy coincidence I've been trying to look him up recently!

I named her Martha

The garbage men took Martha away today. It was her time. She was getting too wrinkly and spots of mould were collecting all over her body. Her sad face seemed to cry out to me, but that didn't stop me from chucking her into the burnable garbage. Goodbye, Martha. Have a nice burning.

Oh, us kids

I went to a friend's house last night for a little get together, and we played a game that I have only played once and never thought I'd play again: Spin The Bottle. Oh boy.

It started off as a joke while the 8 of us were just sitting around wondering what to do when someone said, "Hey, how about spin the bottle?" and we all laughed when a bottle suddenly appeared in the middle of our small circle. To my surprise the bottle started spinning.

In the beginning it was just innocent little pecks on the cheeks and forehead. But since we aren't kids in junior high school a "mouth only" rule got formed. It was weird kissing friends. And watching friends kissing friends. It didn't matter who the bottle landed on, you had to kiss 'em. But surprisingly you get kinda used to it after a while and the rules evolved into 5 second make-out sessions the first time, and 5-more seconds added on everytime the same two people had to kiss. I think the longest anyone had to go at it was 15 seconds. You know, a second can feel like forever. Or sometimes not enough time at all.

It was such a great learning experience. I now know what a REALLY good kiss feels like. You bet I'm gonna try to copy it the next time I get the chance. There was actually someone there that I'm pretty attracted to, and when we made out it was really good. Oh man, I feel like I'm in high school.

Somehow or other Spin The Bottle got ditched and we moved on to another game that I'd never played before 'cause it's just too scary: Truth or Dare. We still used the bottle to pick out who we could abuse when our turn came around. It was kinda fun having people sit around in their underwear or make them reveal which one of us they felt like getting with most. The great kisser had to grope someone they wanted to feel up (me) and it ended with an amazing bite on the ear. Another great experience I intend on copying; that one bite felt absolutely insane. But I think the bottle liked me too much 'cause it landed on me like 5 times and the girl next to me not once. I'm a wimp and was scared to pick Dare each time mostly because I know what kinda dares I felt like making people do. When I finally chose Dare it turned out to be "Make out with someone you wanna make out with. Here's your free kiss card. Pick whoever you want." So of course I picked the ear-biting, perfect kisser. Too bad we live on different islands. Nothing further happened and I have NEVER had a one night stand but with this one, I don't care if that changes. If a moment ever comes, I'm just gonna have to take advantage of it. But who knows when (if) we'll see each other again.