I used to hate eggplants, now I just hate car accidents

Yesterday I was jogging and somehow managed to hurt my left knee. What does this mean for me? No more jogging for at least a week, and limping up and down all the stairs to and from the subways. Even the microwave and the toilet are a downstairs trek from my apartment. NO FUN.

I also managed to pay last month's rent, after discovering that the money was still sitting in my account this month. It's an understandable mistake I think, I mean the menu on the ATM is all in Japanese! (and if you take more than 15 seconds to try and read something, it assumes you've walked away and cancels your transaction) What got me was 3 options at the end about keeping receipts and yadayada, 1) was no and 2) was yes. Usually it's the other way around, at least where I'm from.

You may be wondering about the ambiguous title, so I'll get right down to it here. About 2 weeks before I left for Japan, I had planned one last roadtrip with my friends Rich, Laura and Gabe to Virginia Beach. The day before we left I had a tattoo appointment in Saratoga to get this little number done:

It's a Wolf-o-puss, of course!

We had already done outlines and most of the color in a previous appointment, this was just about 2 hours of "finishing touches." So it was raining, and I was in kind of a hurry to get to Saratoga, which is about 45 minutes from where I lived in East Greenbush. It had just stopped raining, and as I took the 270 degree exit ramp from 787 to route 7 at my normal speed if 40mph and began to straighten the wheel, the car started fishtailing. I wasn't paying proper attention and the roads were still really wet, so I must have lost traction. Trying to brake did nothing, and as I spun 180 degrees I watched incredulously as traffic was coming directly at me. About a second later I smashed into the guardrail, myself completely unscathed and with only my rear right blinker knocked out, and the bumper a little dented.

This was incredibly lucky. The cars coming just happened to be too far away for me to have collided with them, so it was a real close shave. I had driven as a pizza guy for almost a year, 6, 8, 12 hours a day and had went on countless roadtrips. Therefore I had total confidence in my driving ability, but all it takes is one slip up like that to bring you back to reality. I got off and the car was fine - I was a shook for a little while and drove very carefully to the tattoo place and back home later. The fun part was getting the lights replaced (much thanks to my step-brother for helping me, no garages would have been open on a Sunday) and wrapping the corner up in red tape to make it look a little better. Not perfect, but better.

The next morning I was driving down the Jersey turnpike and all was well. There were no hitches in the trip and it was a time to remember. Car accidents however are a very real danger that I don't regret leaving behind. While train accidents do happen, they are not nearly as frequent - and it wouldn't even be my fault! And yet, I still somehow miss owning a car and being able to drive, but not the copious maintenance and insurance payments that accompanied it. Or the danger factor.

I'm off to work. I hope you enjoyed this entry, I've been saving it for a slow day.

Act your age!

Today was a great day for teaching. If it wasn't for these periodic headaches I get every night due to my sinuses acting up, and the fact that I lost to the same stupid boss AGAIN in Final Fantasy 4 on my way home from work, I'd be in an especially good mood. Oh, and speaking of FF4 and general nerdery, I was playing it on my break today when one of the staff peaked over to see what I was doing. He whipped out his cell phone to show me "FF4: The After," a Japanese cell-only sequel! It didn't mean too much to me as I'm no superfan (it's my first time playing the game) but I'm sure Rich or John will shit their pants upon reading this. There are rumors of an eventual DS port.

But I digress. During one of my breaks I had an interesting conversation with a fellow teacher about career choices, gaming being such an ordinary pass-time in Asia (and the sport of the future) and most importantly the dilemma of the American youth. It's a hard time for us younger people to be taken seriously, let alone accomplish much of anything, when the propagated attitude is to be as apathetic, rebellious and destructive as possible. I know firsthand way too many people back in NY who prided themselves on their complete ignorance and ability to ruin just about anything good. I maybe agreed with this mindset when I was 14, but I definitely feel very differently about it now. There is something to be said for being a part of society, even if it means "just another brick in the wall." Ruining things for other people is not only selfish but pointless, if you take a moment to think of it from the perspective of the other guy. And so, with my current job I'm doing something I enjoy, getting paid for it and able to help some people achieve their goals. It beats utter nihilism or "anarchy," both of which are fun to entertain until you realize how completely useless they are in any real life situations.

But, I can still bang my head, mosh or play heavy music. I can still be angry about a lot of things. I can still express myself in all the same ways, I merely have to determine the proper time or place. Namely H20 and Blacklisted this Sunday @ Shinjuku ACB. YES!

Back to school. I have a wonderful pair of higher-level students I see every Wednesday night. One is a dog-loving, middle-aged woman who cackles with laughter a lot and is always asking questions, which I like. The other is a young guy who enjoys skateboarding and punk rock when he isn't wrapped up in his suit and tie. The conversation got so comical when I gave an exaggerated example of sarcastic tone of voice that the woman said that I should have my own T.V. show. This was of course very flattering, but strangely enough not the first time I have heard this from someone. I guess I can make some pretty strange faces and know how to control my vocal dynamics enough to entertain people.... And I had stuck my head out the window in an imitation of the opera-technique where people sing out of windows, so maybe that had something to do with it.

Age also came up, and I mentioned how I am 23. The woman was surprised, saying that she thought I was older.

"Well I've always been mistaken for being older, especially if I grow my hair out at all."

"It's not your appearance, it's the way you act. You talk with such confidence."

This again was really flattering, but it is what I have been going for all along: To at least appear professional and like I know what I'm doing. How about that, it worked!

And so ends another day where I think I have the perfect job for me. I've definitely never been this happy working at any other job in the past: McDonalds, Wendy's, Subway, Price Chopper, Stewarts, Mobile or Paesan's Pizza. The runner up would be the last one though: I got paid to drive around and listen to metal all the time. Still, it's nowhere near this.

And speaking of driving, that reminds me: In my next post, maybe I'll talk about how I got into a car accident and almost died a day before my roadtrip to Virginia Beach, a week before I moved to Japan! Yea!

The end is nigh

"Bush is a war criminal, we are in the midst of a coup and the state is shifting toward fascism."

These are the claims of Naomi Wolf, feminist critic and author of a book I felt I needed to order after watching the following video: "Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries." Whatever your opinions on the upcoming elections or politics in general, if you don't support police states, marshall law and dictatorships, you will agree with me that this is important viewing:



My political fervor has grown in recent years, but especially as of late. It would seem that separating myself physically from America while retaining my citizenship has almost paradoxically emphasized the importance of understanding where I'm from...If not for me, then for my family and loved ones.

Again, regardless of your beliefs, parallels to Mussolini- and Hitler-era dictatorships should not be ignored by the public. George Bush now has access to his own private army that answers only to him, and Congress, the House nor the Senate has no authority over them.

I seriously fear for the future of my country.


"The great Americans defined America as a chance for us not to flatter but rather to confront ourselves. They did not define patriotism as a smug legacy of entitlement, but as a universal challenge that always included the demand for self- correction. But we are so used to being raised on a rhetoric of artificial patriotism--the kind that you get to tune in to in a feel- good way just because you were lucky enough to have been born here and then can pretty much forget about--that this definition seems positively foreign today." - Naomi Wolf on "Fake Patriotism."

Yoyogi Park and Hokkaido Festival, in pictures

A fun day, so many amazing music acts, great food, good times. Too much was seen to be properly explained, so here are some stills:

100 meters from Yoyogi Park is Takeshita street. Both are a popular destination on Sundays.

I really don't get it - "Young People for Change"

Choreographed drumming and dancing: Taiko

A fake old man. He was funny!

I must have seen 200+ dogs, easily.

All of us are English teachers except one. CAN YOU GUESS?1?!?

Large phallic clock of doom

OK, so I get that a Hokkadio Festival means good dairy products, but really...

Dreams come true.

I also had one of these Chicken Filafels. IT'S GOOD ISN'T IT JORDAN

!!!

Even after stabbing me in the back with his gun, he was still pretty cute.

REAL BUTTER!

Awesome reggae band, Solar Lynch. I bought their cd.

Sweet kit!

Everything from Woody of Toy Story to Spike from Cowboy Bebop.

No thanks bro.

Pompadours are out of fashion? Nonsense!

Note the dragon tattoo on this guy's back - Definite Yakuza (Japanese gang-member)

Still busy.

In other news, I decided to axe CD of the week since a) not many people come here to read band reviews and b) it took time and I am lazy. Also skipped out on the live Japanese football game today, instead deciding to sit home in my underwear and watch NFL and just relax. I made the right decision.

I found the post office in a trek I made to the yet-unexplored regions of Tobu-Nerima, and also a "random stuff shop" that Dayn had told me about. I saw a Space Invaders coffee mug for $3, and in retrospect I don't know why I didn't buy it. There were also countless bits of anime paraphenilia and all that crazy nonsense. I'll take pics some time soon.

And, as suggested by my former band-mate Chris, here is a video tour of my apartment:


Be warrned that the wobbly camera-action may induce motion sickness.

Any other requests? I do listen, sometimes!

"When I scream, is it for machismo? Not intimdation no, or gender segregation, I just needed more from the words I sang but you can't understand.... According to you: A song should separate all the girls from the boys" - Polar Bear Club

"Squeedly-squeedly-squeedly-squeedly-meedly-meedly-meedly-meedly-meeeEEEEEE!!!!!" - Strongbad.

A man with plans, man.

Tomorrow, going to Yoyogi park with some friends. There are always live musicians and other various acts who play for free on Sundays. Monday, going to see an X-league game at Tokyo Dome. X-league is Japan's NFL, and the T-Dome is ridiculously huge. I should have pics from both up some time soon.

On a side note, anyone following the U.S. elections will have heard the term "gaffe" in relation to both Biden and Palin. I for one was totally unfamiliar with it, and you may be too, so here's some info:

gaffe |gaf| noun

an unintentional act or remark causing embarrassment to its originator; a blunder : an unforgivable social gaffe.

ORIGIN early 20th cent.: from French, literally 'boat hook,' used colloquially to mean ‘blunder.’


This term was originally being used to sling mud at the Obama campaign, but all it takes is a few brief news highlights to show that Palin is not worth her salt. She has already messed up exponentially more than Biden ever has, in his much longer and more accomplished political career.


"Your lies are too obvious, propaganda monotonous" - Immortal Technique

I survived my first kids class and all I got was this lousy entry

Today wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My kids in the class were really well behaved, and even though I seriously botched parts of the lesson they seemed to like it (and me) so that worked out well. 3 kids and an hour isn't too hard to kill, by the end I just had them running around madly in a circle in a frantic, never-ending game of musical chairs (I supplied my own DUNUNUNUNUNUNU music).

I also had a class of 10 junior high school kids. They were somewhat rowdy and probably bored after being in school since 8am, when it was almost 9pm. When I was asking for names one boy said "Yuuki" and I asked "Miyuki?" Which is a girl's name. It's useful and I'll keep this on the backburner if he's ever loudmouthing too much. That one was a pretty riled up class, but only 25 minutes long, so not too difficult.

After the class, I was sitting at a small extension of desk in the main lobby (there is no private "Teachers' Room" at this school) and the staff member asked in Japanese "how was your new teacher?" I looked up and smiled at them, and she added: "He can understand Japanese!" (Mi)yuki followed up with "noo he can't!" He was in sheer disbelief. I like the idea of them knowing I can understand them though, it might put the fear of BEN into their hearts. :)

Mostly, I just have to work harder in preparing for my lessons. With kids, you can't take a minute to review the book during class, you just have to keep things happening constantly. Otherwise, they get bored. A few weeks in and a set routine are all that I need.

One train wasn't running this morning which extended my trip by 20 minutes - then on the way home I managed to make a few mistakes which led to me take about an extra hour. These mistakes included taking an express line that went past my stop, and getting off when the train really just didn't have any correct maps inside the car.

Also, one of the trains I rode splits after my stop (Tachikawa) onto 2 separate tracks, depending on what traincar you're in - if that's not confusing, I don't know what is.

Some funny pronunciations I heard my adult students making today: "get pushy" sounded like "get pussy" and "what for" sounded like "what whore." I know there's more that I'm forgetting. I also got to explain sarcasm and dry humor, which was fun.

I watched the Vice Presidential debates and am further convinced that Palin is a stupid twat, but her dumb charm will rub off on the generally dullard American public. Dammit. I'm still with George Carlin when it comes to voting, though:



"And when you're on the street, depending on the street, I can tell that you are definitely in the top 3 most good-lookin' girls on the street...Yea you're so beautiful, you could be an air-hostess in the 60's." - Flight of the Conchords

"Everybody knows this is nowhere" - Neil Youg and Crazy Horse.

Friends.

One of the best things about living in Japan in this modern day and age is the internet. I can easily talk to my friends and parents in real time, keep up with world events, watch American movies or television, etc. I don't know if I would be able to take living abroad so well without this technological crutch, this amazingly cool communication tool. This all brings us to today's topic of friends.

Friendship comes in many different levels, from many unexpected places. Over time it can seem like shaking sand through some kind of filter: each grain is a person you've been in contact with in your lifetime, and each little rock or pebble that doesn't slip through the small holes is like a lasting friend. Good friends are rare to say the least, but sometimes they can come from the most unexpected of places. Some people change so dramatically it can become hard to understand how you even got on in the first place... I've seen this happen a few times. Once even to a person who I thought of like a brother. But people change, motivations change, times and places change. As individual humans there is very little we can do to stop it.

A very few friends have been with me almost my whole life. Actually only one, and she probably isn't even reading my blog... JESSICA. But we were friends from the womb where we texted on pre-cellular telephones, our Moms are best friends, we went to the same Private Christian School, etc. Even though we don't always keep in touch with one another, any amount of time can pass and we can pick up as if we had just talked yesterday - I believe that this is the sign of an true friendship.

I think what really attracts me to people is usually personality, intelligence and wit. Sure, looks can have something to do with it, butif after about 30 seconds of conversation you can't hold your own and you bore me, I'll likely not pursue any kind of relations with you. If you're a snob or a jerk in the face of my generally good will, well, then that is also your loss. I think by just being myself, I've driven lots of people away in my life, but I'm totally OK with that: It helps filter out the miniscule specks of sand from the tenacious rocks, the real keepers. I guess any of this might come off as arrogant, but it's really how I see the social realm: There are people who want to play games, lie, cheat, steal, coerce, manipulate and so on; I'd rather just cut the shit and get right to whether or not we can even pretend to have a conversation about something. And after that, can we genuinely get on and enjoy each others' company? And lastly, are we not out to screw one another?

All that being said, I'll bring this full circle by saying that I've always flourished by communcating on the internet - somehow no tone of voice, emoticons and words just seem to express me in a way that ordinary speech can't. And in this blog I can be relentless in ways that I often exercise discretion against in the real world, to avoid the all too unnecessary ruffling of feathers. Of course, all this tends to apply more when I'm around people who can speak the same language as me, which isn't most of the time these days!

Ah, the perks of being a foreigner: you can speak your mind freely when no one comprehends a word you say.

"Blogging material"

I've heard/read others using this expression, and it's funny how once you start writing a blog, you begin to look at things in your life as opportunities for "blogging material." Much in the same way that writers will turn to the most minute and trivial aspects of life to be their muses - and I am not a writer, this is a totally different entity - bloggers who write about the every day look to each day for something worthwhile to write, that maybe somebody else will want to read.

Today was not groundbreaking or exciting. I talked about ancient Egyptian burial ceremonies, explained grave-robbing and talked about other random stuff with my students. There was one teacher (newer than me) who had his first day today and was naturally quite nervous - so I, turning the table so quickly as that was me a mere 3 weeks ago to the day, gave him some advice and prodded him along. He did fine I'm sure, it's just the innate nervousness that comes with doing something like this for the first time. I've already developed habits and patterns when conducting my classes, and have gotten to know some regular students.

In other news: Buffalo Bills are 4 and 0! This is gonna be the year, I can feel it! Completely unrelated to that, I started watching an Adult Swim show called Frisky Dingo, a mock-super hero cartoon in the vein of Metalacolpypse. And finally, I am almost finished with the 3rd Harry Potter book, and finally am understanding what all the fuss has been about: The storytelling is excellent, most of the twists are unpredictable and many of the characters are easy to relate to and very likable. Much like Chronicles of Narnia or Lord of the Rings, all a good epic really needs are these 3 basic elements to build off of and flourish, in my humble opinion. Maybe I'll create my own fantasy universe and become a billionaire selling novels?

"I've got no new act to amuse you, I've got no desire to use you" - Elliot Smith