a history of me

I'm never going through that again. Let me elaborate.

Yesterday was pure good times. I wanted to relax and enjoy myself after spending my entire birthday working on a paper. I almost went to the Health Center to have them investigate my foot, as I had been experiencing new pain in my toes. However, I took a closer look to realize it was just another blister. I don't know why I'm suddenly blister-prone but at this point I know how to deal with them; just soak them in water and wrap with a bandage. They'll disappear in no time.

In what is quickly becoming a regular Friday activity I ate lunch on campus with some Japanese students and then played basketball. Unfortunately, this guy Ryan (he's been in a few photos) showed up with two friends. This gave us nine people, resulting in a grueling 5-on-4 full-court game. Plus his buddies were both athletic, increasing the pace of the game substantially. They were friendly, don't get me wrong, but I just wish we could get together one week without these guys making me look so uncoordinated. Their talent reflects my non-talent.

Afterwards we got together for another dinner at Ichiban. The cast was a little different this time (I'll get you pictures soon) but another good time was had, not to mention another pair of 22oz Kirin Ichiban beers. Afterwards, a select few of us came back to my room and hung out. At first, there was a little friction because Kazu wanted to hear some Christmas tunes which I loathe because I hate Christmas. This was hard for him to understand, and I don't really know how to explain it, a possible indication that my hatred of all things Christmas may be without logical basis. Does hate need logic? Irregardless, I obliged his request and played a few choice cuts.

Later on, we watched The Shining, an excellent movie I had recommended to Kazu after he said The Exorcist wasn't very scary (he also mistakenly thought it was called "The Socialist"). I immediately knew why he wasn't scared by it; the scary atmosphere of the film is heavily reliant on Judeo-Christian concepts like demons, Hell, possession, etc. Fear, like humor, can be very cultural. I suggested The Shining because I thought the spookiness of an empty hotel and a crazed Jack Nicholson would be easier for him to understand. I was right; he loved it. A winner is Kubrick!

Today is when shit got crazy. The Anime Gamers Alliance held a "Japanese Culture Day" on campus. As a member of the club, I was planning on attending, but last week I kinda got caught in a sticky situation. The President of the club asked me to give a little presentation based on some of the stuff I learned in EAS 190. I really didn't feel comfortable but at the same time I knew he was trying to put together something nice, plus I wanted to help the club somehow. So I agreed, and boy did I go into panic mode today. I woke up around 10:30 and freaked out, realizing I was totally unprepared to give a presentation on a subject I had just barely been introduced to. After a mega-shitty brunch, and nearly an hour of "what-am-I-gonna-do?" I gathered a few meek notes and went over to the campus.

En route I managed to calm down. I came to realize that my student presentation would be one of several student presentations, with no risk of failure at all. I could dismiss the samurai as a bunch of faggots and it wouldn't matter. In fact, as I entered the building to meet the others, I repeated a simple mantra: "Consequence free, consequence free, consequence free..."

My nerves were settled when I realized that no one outside of the club was there. I got a little anxious when I realized the two presentations before me were about video games and J-Pop. Not the best lead-in to a discussion of the roots of samurai ethics. In the end, it was fine. I stammered a bit, but I said some stuff that they definitely didn't know before (which I hope was accurate) and I even got a few laughs. Later we all had sushi, ironically from Ichiban again. I guess they are the definitive sushi source around here.