Friday, December 24, 2004
Nearly Over
The fury that is Christmas is almost over. I won't miss it or the throngs of people it brought to NYC this week.
Today I finally met Debbie, Kazu's girlfriend. Her flying experience yesterday was pretty horrible. Not only did she spend over five hours waiting for her flight to take off, once she finally arrived someone took her luggage. Thankfully she got it back but that meant she had to spend a long time looking for it at LaGuardia last night.
Anyway, as a trio we hung out for a while this afternoon. I took them to the Astor Place area where I like to hang out. We went shopping at Sunrise Mart and ate at the Otafuku. I was very eager to hear Kazu's opinion of the Otafuku's offerings as he is from Osaka, the home of takoyaki and okonomiyaki. He enjoyed it very much, which is good news for me because I'd hate to think that I've been eating inferior Japanese cuisine for four years. This also means I should enjoy any takoyaki or okonomiyaki I encounter when (if?) I go to Osaka next year.
Afterwards, we milled about and just looked around town. We spent some time in those stores in tents in Union Square, where I got some "mittens" which fold open so I can use my fingers whenever I need to. We went uptown so Debbie could see FAO Schwarz. I was kind of curious to see it myself as I hadn't been there for at least seven years. It's very different now; the clock and trademark "World of Toys" song is gone. The ludicrous luxury toys are still there, thankfully: anyone in need of a $50,000 Ferrari for a six-year old can still find one at FAO Schwarz.
I left the lovebirds to window shop and eat dinner together and came home to eat with Dad. We went out and saw The Aviator, Martin Scorsese's new film about Howard Hughes. Short answer: I didn't enjoy it as much as Gangs of New York.
I've got a full weekend of partying ahead of me, with planned functions on Christmas as well as Boxing Day. So I probably won't update again until Monday. Happy whatever, in the meantime.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Today I finally met Debbie, Kazu's girlfriend. Her flying experience yesterday was pretty horrible. Not only did she spend over five hours waiting for her flight to take off, once she finally arrived someone took her luggage. Thankfully she got it back but that meant she had to spend a long time looking for it at LaGuardia last night.
Anyway, as a trio we hung out for a while this afternoon. I took them to the Astor Place area where I like to hang out. We went shopping at Sunrise Mart and ate at the Otafuku. I was very eager to hear Kazu's opinion of the Otafuku's offerings as he is from Osaka, the home of takoyaki and okonomiyaki. He enjoyed it very much, which is good news for me because I'd hate to think that I've been eating inferior Japanese cuisine for four years. This also means I should enjoy any takoyaki or okonomiyaki I encounter when (if?) I go to Osaka next year.
Afterwards, we milled about and just looked around town. We spent some time in those stores in tents in Union Square, where I got some "mittens" which fold open so I can use my fingers whenever I need to. We went uptown so Debbie could see FAO Schwarz. I was kind of curious to see it myself as I hadn't been there for at least seven years. It's very different now; the clock and trademark "World of Toys" song is gone. The ludicrous luxury toys are still there, thankfully: anyone in need of a $50,000 Ferrari for a six-year old can still find one at FAO Schwarz.
I left the lovebirds to window shop and eat dinner together and came home to eat with Dad. We went out and saw The Aviator, Martin Scorsese's new film about Howard Hughes. Short answer: I didn't enjoy it as much as Gangs of New York.
I've got a full weekend of partying ahead of me, with planned functions on Christmas as well as Boxing Day. So I probably won't update again until Monday. Happy whatever, in the meantime.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Expected/Unexpected
We all know that life can be hard to predict. However, sometimes we get it right.
Today can mostly be considered "unexpected." Rain and high winds made walking around a chore. Debbie, Kazu's girlfriend, has yet to take off thanks to snowy conditions in Toronto. So we've spent most of the day planning and re-planning how to meet her at the airport and what do when she arrives. At this point, she's not expected to arrive until after 8:30, which means we probably won't have dinner tonight at all.
On the "expected" side, my grades have finally come through and they're almost exactly as I predicted: C+ in History, B+ in English, and A in Russian Cinema. With my earlier pair of A's, that means a 3.52 GPA, and that means Dean's List.
Now you might be asking (like my father is): "Dan, what happened in History class?" There's a long answer and a short answer to that question. I prefer the short answer: I made a mistake, but what's done is done and I still made the Dean's List. Respeck.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Today can mostly be considered "unexpected." Rain and high winds made walking around a chore. Debbie, Kazu's girlfriend, has yet to take off thanks to snowy conditions in Toronto. So we've spent most of the day planning and re-planning how to meet her at the airport and what do when she arrives. At this point, she's not expected to arrive until after 8:30, which means we probably won't have dinner tonight at all.
On the "expected" side, my grades have finally come through and they're almost exactly as I predicted: C+ in History, B+ in English, and A in Russian Cinema. With my earlier pair of A's, that means a 3.52 GPA, and that means Dean's List.
Now you might be asking (like my father is): "Dan, what happened in History class?" There's a long answer and a short answer to that question. I prefer the short answer: I made a mistake, but what's done is done and I still made the Dean's List. Respeck.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Like a Virgin
Whee, yesterday was fun. My friend Kazu came down from Albany and we hung out here in NYC. First stop was, of course, Yoshinoya, the Japanese fast food chain now in Times Square. It is conveniently located near the Port Authority Bus Terminal where he arrived yesterday at noon. After lunch, we did a lot of walking. The weather was surprising mild yesterday so we spend a long time in the Park, walking from the southeast entrance all the way to the reservoir. Then we subwayed back down to midtown and walked to that damned tree in Rockefeller Center. We also dropped in on Kinokuniya and Book Off.
By this point my dogs were barking so we began heading back for my Dad's apartment. It was high time to eat dinner but Kazu was more concerned about economy than exploring new cuisines. In fact, he suggested McDonald's on more than one occasion. I had an excellent idea that was inexpensive but still innovative: we went to Taco Bell. You see, there are remarkably few Taco Bells in Japan (so few that people assume there are none), and I hadn't had a decent burrito in months. I'm pleased to report that Kazu found his burrito to be delicious, even more so after I recommended the sauce.
After dinner we grabbed a few Kirin beers and chips and enjoyed an evening in. Today's agenda includes picking up Kazu's girlfriend from LaGuardia and eating dinner together. I'm a little worried that I'll run out of ideas concerning New York activities soon and Kazu will discover I'm not the NYC expert I appear to be.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
By this point my dogs were barking so we began heading back for my Dad's apartment. It was high time to eat dinner but Kazu was more concerned about economy than exploring new cuisines. In fact, he suggested McDonald's on more than one occasion. I had an excellent idea that was inexpensive but still innovative: we went to Taco Bell. You see, there are remarkably few Taco Bells in Japan (so few that people assume there are none), and I hadn't had a decent burrito in months. I'm pleased to report that Kazu found his burrito to be delicious, even more so after I recommended the sauce.
After dinner we grabbed a few Kirin beers and chips and enjoyed an evening in. Today's agenda includes picking up Kazu's girlfriend from LaGuardia and eating dinner together. I'm a little worried that I'll run out of ideas concerning New York activities soon and Kazu will discover I'm not the NYC expert I appear to be.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Typical Dinner Chat
Today I experienced a return to my free-wheeling days of the past: I had no reason to leave the building. In fact, if it wasn't for my laundry (and my dad's towels) I wouldn't have left the apartment.
After hours of rummaging through my father's refrigerator and enjoying Star Trek reruns, Dad returned from wherever he went and we had dinner at a local Indian restaurant. Considering how much I love Indian food, it's hard to believe that just ten years ago I never would have touched the stuff. Of course, there's a lot of things I didn't touch ten years ago that I enjoy touching today, but that's a story best told in private.
We spent nearly two hours at the table and had quite an enjoyable conversation on European colonization and body piercing. Concerning the latter, Dad and I are both of the opinion that the practice is kind of freaky. I'm personally hoping that the trend evolves to the point where kids start wearing rings around their necks like in tribal Africa. I figure all it will take is for MTV to air a National Geographic special and all those little automatons will rush out and stretch their necks. Is that any more ludicrous than, say, labial piercing? It certainly won't hurt as much or need months of healing, and the younger you start, the faster you see results!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
After hours of rummaging through my father's refrigerator and enjoying Star Trek reruns, Dad returned from wherever he went and we had dinner at a local Indian restaurant. Considering how much I love Indian food, it's hard to believe that just ten years ago I never would have touched the stuff. Of course, there's a lot of things I didn't touch ten years ago that I enjoy touching today, but that's a story best told in private.
We spent nearly two hours at the table and had quite an enjoyable conversation on European colonization and body piercing. Concerning the latter, Dad and I are both of the opinion that the practice is kind of freaky. I'm personally hoping that the trend evolves to the point where kids start wearing rings around their necks like in tribal Africa. I figure all it will take is for MTV to air a National Geographic special and all those little automatons will rush out and stretch their necks. Is that any more ludicrous than, say, labial piercing? It certainly won't hurt as much or need months of healing, and the younger you start, the faster you see results!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Monday, December 20, 2004
Crotching Tiger
Today was a wickedly cold day here in NYC. It's supposed to warm up the rest of the week, but today was below freezing all day long, with bitter wind chill to boot. Undeterred, I put on extra clothes and went down my favorite neighborhood, Astor Place. I enjoyed some takoyaki & okonomiyaki at Otafuku, then spent some idle time browsing Forbidden Planet and Strand Books. I had heard the Strand had been renovating and they have. It's not quite as dark and musty as it used to be, there's added floors and an elevator too. I didn't buy anything though, because I'm not exactly in a reading mood right now.
After some window shopping I took in a movie, House of Flying Daggers. It was quite good if you enjoy scenic martial arts. If you're a Ziyi Zhang lech like myself, you should really enjoy it because the director tends to let the camera linger on her. She shows her bare back at one point, if you're into that sort of thing.
Speaking of awkward leering, I found myself sitting on the 6 train uptown face-to-crotch with an attractive girl. I had to try and look somewhere other than her jeans, which was difficult because (and I know you won't believe this) they were very interesting. They had bigger than normal belt loops, only she wasn't wearing a belt as the jeans had a built-in denim belt, with snaps. Engrossing, really.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
After some window shopping I took in a movie, House of Flying Daggers. It was quite good if you enjoy scenic martial arts. If you're a Ziyi Zhang lech like myself, you should really enjoy it because the director tends to let the camera linger on her. She shows her bare back at one point, if you're into that sort of thing.
Speaking of awkward leering, I found myself sitting on the 6 train uptown face-to-crotch with an attractive girl. I had to try and look somewhere other than her jeans, which was difficult because (and I know you won't believe this) they were very interesting. They had bigger than normal belt loops, only she wasn't wearing a belt as the jeans had a built-in denim belt, with snaps. Engrossing, really.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Non-Holiday Spirits
First off, let me give a shout-out to my father's fellow graduate students who I've been told are reading this blog. God bless you incredibly smart people, wherever you are.
Anyway, I wasted little time this weekend hooking up with friends and imbibing excessive amounts of alcohol. Last night, Saturday, I went to my buddy Dylan's house where we mixed store-bought Egg Nog with Rum. I didn't have too much because Rum rubs me the wrong way. Still, I got to see my friends for the first time since Thanksgiving.
Today was even more fun as I attended a party for no particular reason at my friend Mike's house. Many of our friends, family members, and significant others were in attendance. The food was fabulous, especially considering where I've been eating for the last three months. I made a little discovery at the hors d'oeuvres table: salmon and Brie are a wonderful combination. Skip the cream cheese next time and rock the Brie!
Since I was gorging myself on salmon, I began drinking white wine. Thanks to James Bond I know that only ignorant Soviet hitmen drink red wine with fish. It hit the spot and I had many a glass. After dinner we had a gigantic game of Scattergories. It's kind of a nightmarish game because each submitted item inevitably leads to arguments over its validity. Normally I prefer more right-or-wrong games like Trivial Pursuit, but with a few drinks in me I actually revel in chaos. Everyone had a good time, actually, despite the fact that I didn't win. I'm very proud of my answer to the category "People you avoid." I said "midgets."
I'm back in Manhattan again tonight, ready to enjoy the city tomorrow. I'm leaning towards a movie of some kind, because everything's playing here in New York, even movies that don't open until Christmas for the rest of you! Envy me!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Anyway, I wasted little time this weekend hooking up with friends and imbibing excessive amounts of alcohol. Last night, Saturday, I went to my buddy Dylan's house where we mixed store-bought Egg Nog with Rum. I didn't have too much because Rum rubs me the wrong way. Still, I got to see my friends for the first time since Thanksgiving.
Today was even more fun as I attended a party for no particular reason at my friend Mike's house. Many of our friends, family members, and significant others were in attendance. The food was fabulous, especially considering where I've been eating for the last three months. I made a little discovery at the hors d'oeuvres table: salmon and Brie are a wonderful combination. Skip the cream cheese next time and rock the Brie!
Since I was gorging myself on salmon, I began drinking white wine. Thanks to James Bond I know that only ignorant Soviet hitmen drink red wine with fish. It hit the spot and I had many a glass. After dinner we had a gigantic game of Scattergories. It's kind of a nightmarish game because each submitted item inevitably leads to arguments over its validity. Normally I prefer more right-or-wrong games like Trivial Pursuit, but with a few drinks in me I actually revel in chaos. Everyone had a good time, actually, despite the fact that I didn't win. I'm very proud of my answer to the category "People you avoid." I said "midgets."
I'm back in Manhattan again tonight, ready to enjoy the city tomorrow. I'm leaning towards a movie of some kind, because everything's playing here in New York, even movies that don't open until Christmas for the rest of you! Envy me!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
unpaid advertising...I'm no sell out!
