Last night I spent another evening in the smoky, dimly lit bar that has become one of my semi-regular haunts. It's located in Daikanyama, a small, fashionable district near Shibuya, which is a major Tokyo hub. I have been playing there with my friend Andy and a few other acquaintances for a small, regular party, and I'd expected to arrive to the party just on time to start my set at 10pm. Well, I arrived on-site, properly in the nick of time, and discovered, to my chagrin, that my usual crew was not in attendance. Puzzled, I sought out the owner, who promptly informed me that, in fact, our usual get together had been the night before, a Friday. Whoops. Usually, it's on Saturday, but...whoops.
So, he then asked if I'd brought tracks, to which I replied in the affirmative, and he told me to take over the turntables, which I did. He likes what I do on the decks, and I found out that he's opening a new bar next weekend with a larger space with the potential for more noise. All in all, it ended up being a pretty pleasant screw up on my part, although I dislike be flaky as a general rule. I played for a little over 2 hours without worrying about the schedule or other DJs. Nice.
Today, Jun made some fish for brunner (breakfast/lunch/dinner) and it was really good, for the most part. I say "for the most part" because majority of the fish was delicious. However, I, being adventurous, had decided that the fish intestines might be quite delicious and promptly tried a nice little chunk.
Now, I don't mind being wrong, but it can be momentarily challenging to overcome the nagging disappointment in oneself in the immediate aftermath of being *that* fucking wrong. The flavor of the intestines was utterly, horrifically repulsive. I squashed the urge to light my tongue on fire, made a face at Jun that clearly said, "for the love of god, burn my tongue out of my head," and began groping desperately about for a beverage.
So, uh...be careful with fish guts.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Email updates, summer in Tokyo, and misc. crap.
I've set this bad boy up so that I can email blog updates. It'll allow me to update from anywhere, but, more importantly, it'll allow me to securely update the blog from school via my encrypted gmail account while I'm killing time. I don't necessarily want anyone at school stumbling across this thing. I am a fan of the privacy. If I go to the website, then it gets logged deep in the bowels of the school system's proxy server, and I'm not a fan of that. Call me paranoid...it's OK, I admit it. However, if I email it...then it's just another email that they theoretically can't read without putting me under some serious observation. Then they have to translate it.
Today was the first day of summer in Tokyo, and, good lord, it felt like it. It wasn't hot, really, at all...I think it was about 80 or so...but the humidity was a mere 94%. Walking outside effectively felt like taking a shower without being anywhere near a shower. It's going to be hellish when it actually gets hot, which may actually be as soon as tomorrow. I don't really care at this point, although I think that the days of running my computer 24/7 are coming to a close until things cool down again in a few months.
Other news: I am moving again next week to another guesthouse in Mitaka. I'm pretty happy about it since realizing that my current guesthouse is your basic shithole. I didn't particularly have that opinion when I first moved in, but I was mainly just happy not to have to travel 1.5 hours to work every day. That happiness and joy lasted about 3 or 5 weeks, when I started my new job, when I re-commenced traveling all the frickin' way across Tokyo. Anyway. Soon, I'll be about 20 minutes from work, the way God intended it.
Awright, I think I'm done for the day. Let's try out this email thing...
Today was the first day of summer in Tokyo, and, good lord, it felt like it. It wasn't hot, really, at all...I think it was about 80 or so...but the humidity was a mere 94%. Walking outside effectively felt like taking a shower without being anywhere near a shower. It's going to be hellish when it actually gets hot, which may actually be as soon as tomorrow. I don't really care at this point, although I think that the days of running my computer 24/7 are coming to a close until things cool down again in a few months.
Other news: I am moving again next week to another guesthouse in Mitaka. I'm pretty happy about it since realizing that my current guesthouse is your basic shithole. I didn't particularly have that opinion when I first moved in, but I was mainly just happy not to have to travel 1.5 hours to work every day. That happiness and joy lasted about 3 or 5 weeks, when I started my new job, when I re-commenced traveling all the frickin' way across Tokyo. Anyway. Soon, I'll be about 20 minutes from work, the way God intended it.
Awright, I think I'm done for the day. Let's try out this email thing...
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Pops and the weekend.
First things first: my dad is back in the hospital. They apparently don't think it's serious, but that's what they said last time. So, I am concerned, but he's where he needs to be. He is *not* having a heart attack, so that's the main thing.
So, the weekend. Jun and I went to her parents place to have dinner with her folks, brother, sister-in-law, and niece and nephew, whom she refers to as "The Little Monsters." Well, shockingly, they pretty much fell in love with me at first sight, particularly her nephew, Koki, who is 5. They are both adorable.
We had sashimi (sushi without rice patties, just slices of fish), and I handrolled sushi rolls for the first time. We had beer and some really nice 日本酒 (sake) from Nigata prefecture, which is where Jun's father was born.
Her parents were great...really nice and very welcoming. We spoke almost entirely in Japanese, of course, and I did pretty well, overall. Jun had to step in and translate occasionally, but that's to be expected. It's getting easier and easier to have basic conversations, but I still have a long, long, long way to go. They seemed to like me a lot, which made both of us happy.
After dinner I played with the kids and, naturally, there was a lot of giggling and yelling. Koki ended up crying and bleeding, also naturally. I don't know what it is about children and bleeding, but I've seen enough bloody children to last a lifetime...
Anyway. It was really nice.
So, the weekend. Jun and I went to her parents place to have dinner with her folks, brother, sister-in-law, and niece and nephew, whom she refers to as "The Little Monsters." Well, shockingly, they pretty much fell in love with me at first sight, particularly her nephew, Koki, who is 5. They are both adorable.
We had sashimi (sushi without rice patties, just slices of fish), and I handrolled sushi rolls for the first time. We had beer and some really nice 日本酒 (sake) from Nigata prefecture, which is where Jun's father was born.
Her parents were great...really nice and very welcoming. We spoke almost entirely in Japanese, of course, and I did pretty well, overall. Jun had to step in and translate occasionally, but that's to be expected. It's getting easier and easier to have basic conversations, but I still have a long, long, long way to go. They seemed to like me a lot, which made both of us happy.
After dinner I played with the kids and, naturally, there was a lot of giggling and yelling. Koki ended up crying and bleeding, also naturally. I don't know what it is about children and bleeding, but I've seen enough bloody children to last a lifetime...
Anyway. It was really nice.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
So, my health apparently really sucks.
I went back to the doctor today. He looked at my throat and immediately put me on IV antibiotics, which was pretty swell. I've been having tonsillitis, which is not normally really all that serious. However, I've been fighting it for about 6 weeks or so, which is maybe a bit abnormal. I'm working with a theory that I have destroyed my immune system with all of the cheerfulness and 6-hours-a-day train riding and epic poverty that I have enjoyed so immensely since I got here.
Well, whatever. Things have been pretty good, of late, aside from the constant exhaustion (see destroyed immune system theory above). I think if I can make a point of getting enough sleep, I might just turn a whole corner on this whole Tokyo thing. After only 8 months of constant struggle. Exciting!
Well, whatever. Things have been pretty good, of late, aside from the constant exhaustion (see destroyed immune system theory above). I think if I can make a point of getting enough sleep, I might just turn a whole corner on this whole Tokyo thing. After only 8 months of constant struggle. Exciting!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Too long, dammit.
Awright...so much news to report. I have been a bad blogger again.
First, foremost: the old man is OK. He is recovering in an undisclosed location (OK...my brother's house) and seems to be in pretty good spirits. We talked on Saturday for a little while and he sounded really good. I would've liked to have talked longer, but I've been fighting a(nother) cold and my throat was not feeling so hot. In fact, I've been fighting what appears to be the same fucking cold for about 6 weeks or so, now, and I finally went to the doctor last night and got an industrial strength prescription of antibiotics.
In any case...I am super happy that Dad is OK, and I'm really looking forward to having a lot of conversations in the future about his plans for retirement. He should be back home either now or within the next day.
Next: I switched doctors. I went to a clinic in Roppongi, which is widely known as a den of sin and debauchery, with many foreigners unwittingly falling prey to its charms. Every person in Japan has heard the story of the guy who accidentally spent $2000 in a Tokyo club without knowing what he'd spent it on, exactly. These stories almost invariably originate from Roppongi hostess bars, which are clubs where Tokyo business men go to escape their wives in the company of women who pretend to find them interesting. Don't ask.
So, then. Here's the lowdown. Rather than pancreatitis, which I had already determined, correctly, that I do not have, the new and vastly improved physician told me, following a CT scan, that I have a calcified stone stuck in my abdomen. He wasn't totally clear on the location, but he is thinking somewhere in my colon. He's sending my radiology report to a specialist in Kyoto, and I'll go see him next week to see what the deal is.
The difference in competence and professionalism between this and my last clinic is so vast that it's difficult to believe that the two offer ostensibly similar services.
I could continue to blog, there's plenty of other shit going on, but I'm exhausted at the moment, so I think it's time to pack it in. Maybe I can squeeze in another one tomorrow. Goodnight, y'all.
First, foremost: the old man is OK. He is recovering in an undisclosed location (OK...my brother's house) and seems to be in pretty good spirits. We talked on Saturday for a little while and he sounded really good. I would've liked to have talked longer, but I've been fighting a(nother) cold and my throat was not feeling so hot. In fact, I've been fighting what appears to be the same fucking cold for about 6 weeks or so, now, and I finally went to the doctor last night and got an industrial strength prescription of antibiotics.
In any case...I am super happy that Dad is OK, and I'm really looking forward to having a lot of conversations in the future about his plans for retirement. He should be back home either now or within the next day.
Next: I switched doctors. I went to a clinic in Roppongi, which is widely known as a den of sin and debauchery, with many foreigners unwittingly falling prey to its charms. Every person in Japan has heard the story of the guy who accidentally spent $2000 in a Tokyo club without knowing what he'd spent it on, exactly. These stories almost invariably originate from Roppongi hostess bars, which are clubs where Tokyo business men go to escape their wives in the company of women who pretend to find them interesting. Don't ask.
So, then. Here's the lowdown. Rather than pancreatitis, which I had already determined, correctly, that I do not have, the new and vastly improved physician told me, following a CT scan, that I have a calcified stone stuck in my abdomen. He wasn't totally clear on the location, but he is thinking somewhere in my colon. He's sending my radiology report to a specialist in Kyoto, and I'll go see him next week to see what the deal is.
The difference in competence and professionalism between this and my last clinic is so vast that it's difficult to believe that the two offer ostensibly similar services.
I could continue to blog, there's plenty of other shit going on, but I'm exhausted at the moment, so I think it's time to pack it in. Maybe I can squeeze in another one tomorrow. Goodnight, y'all.
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