While I'm at it...

I figure I might as well burn the candle a little...er...the late night oil, or whatever the slogan is for all those late night enthusiasts (or shall I say INSOMNIACS) out there.
Truth be told, I have generally caught my writing prowess prowling around in the later of the night hours...namely 3 or 4 o'clock. Of course, it may be that I just convinced myself of this in a weak attempt to justify an unruly procrastination that left me beginning nearly every paper of my scholarly career at about ten the night before it was due (yes, I had a career in scholarly...umm...ness...ism). This inevitably led to many lonely computer lab hours, passed mostly with ju-ju-bees, miso soup, and the occasional Karate session (all enemies were imagined of course).
Since retiring from the pro circut (scholarly), I rarely find myself awake at 4 in the morning unless substance abuse, sex, Mel Torme, or all three are involved. Right now it is a measly 12:30, so I'll be lucky to find my writing prowess rifling through my refrigerator, let alone out on the prowl.

That being said...I would like to talk a little bit about my New Year vacation a bit back...

So...it turns out that I'm a country bumpkin. This is a fact that I came to grips with when I was first left to fend for my own in the viscious public school system in Redway, CA (population: 3) at the feeble and delicate age of 11.

More recently, I was able to confirm my rube-ocity by making the quick two hour flight from Fukuoka (my nearest metropolis and airport location) to Tokyo. Though they took me on a regular commercial jet, I got off the plane with the distinct feeling of having partaken in interstellar travel.
Go ahead, walk out of Shibuya station in central Tokyo...
oops. wrong picture....


Thar it is.

The concept of personal space in Tokyo is something that I cannot get used to. One must somehow transform the immediate space your body inhabits into a vast countryside overlooking a mellow rippling pond. I'm pretty sure that is the only way to remain sane...then again, anyone able to transport themselves to a countryside scene while stuffed in the alcoholic emissions of a business man's armpit on the rush hour subway might be crazy to begin with...go figure.

At any rate...the trip went something like this...


I was visiting my friend John.
He's not always as cool and collected as seen at right in front of a pizza van we found in the middle of the chaos of Shibuya. (I might add that this little van is a self-contained pizza establishment with oven, stereo and little dude making quite good mini pizzas)







John is not quite as cool and collected here.













This is John having lost his cool altogether.

I might note: that is my snowboarding bag, which is unwieldy enough to make The Phonse loose his cool if he were to haul it around Tokyo train stations for days.

After carrying that boardbag around all day...
I eventually gave in and passed out...directly on top of it. My timing was a little off, as I carried out my napping near the bean sprouts in a supermarket in Gunma prefecture.
There is very little in Japan that will attract more attention than a large foreigner. Let alone a large foreigner apparently napping on Snowboarding equipment in the produce section. The majority of shoppers dealt with this by pretending it just wasn't happening.

New Years was highlighted by missing the last train into Tokyo (and some serious parties along with any hope of getting a "New Years Kiss" from the nearest concenting luscious lady)...

this unfortunate turn of events landed John, Sunao (I will need an entirely separate blog to fully describe the existence known as "Sunao"), and I at this gathering of inscribed rocks that might loosly be described as a Shrine.










And, naturally, we ended up half naked under John's Coffee table.











I'm through for today. Got to get up early in the morning so small demons (more commonly known as elementary school children) can use me as a human jungle gym for four hours or so. Lord knows, I wouldn't want to miss that...