a history of me

Before I get into today's post, I just want to thank everyone who left me positive words of reinforcement, whether here on the site or privately over e-mail. You're all very kind. Honestly though, I know it's not the end of the world. All I have to do is look back to last year and remember how uncomfortable I was when I first arrived at UAlbany. This is just kind of a double whammy in that it's a new environment in a new country as well. Of course, the upside of that is there's some real scenic beauty here to behold once I relax. Albany hasn't got shit.


Case in point: This lovely torii is located in a park between my dorm and the campus.

After I expressed my despair yesterday I went out to eat to cheer myself up. I walked in a totally new direction just to see what I might find. I walked a good half-mile or so before picking out a random izakaya that just looked cool. Naturally, I couldn't understand much on the menu but I could read enough to spot my regular yakitori (焼き鳥) and try a little ikayaki (イカ焼き, pictured below).


Looks nice enough, right? Sorry, I can't pronounce the name of the establishment.


MMMmmm, now that's a good looking squid!

As I ate at the bar I got to watch some Hanshin Tigers baseball. It felt just like watching a Yankees game back at Ariyoshi in New York. Of course, I was quickly reminded of where I was when the patron next to me lit up a cigarette. Then the guy working the grill lit one up too! Japanese cigarettes don't really bother me, it's just a funny little thing that, being a foreigner, stand out to me as very different from the U.S. My meal was quite enjoyable although the bill came to a hefty 1400+ Yen, too much for a casual outing I think. I will have to be more frugal when it comes to dining alone.


More funny differences: Japanese toilets have two flush options, "big" and "small." Might as well just put "1" and "2" on there.


Behold the almighty Jet Towel! Too bad it's still not as effective as a regular towel.

Today was a pretty important day as I had to register for classes. As I mentioned, my draw in the lottery was pretty poor so last night I prepared by choosing no less than six alternate choices should any of my first choices fill up. Considering that all of these courses qualify towards my major back home, I found it surprisingly hard to pick out courses to take. I guess they're all about Japan which interests me a lot (otherwise I wouldn't be here) but so many of the courses were business-specific crap that I couldn't imagine anyone enjoying. I guess they have to cater to all those Business majors who take Japanese as some kind of career move.


As you can see there was a decent crowd. We all had a number which cut down on the pushing and shoving. They just called out the numbers in order, like a deli, and we went in. As expected, two of my first choices filled up before I made it in: Intro to Japanese history and New Japanese Cinema. The latter was no surprise (anything even remotely related to anime goes over big in this crowd) but History? I thought that would be an easy target. Anyway, I ended up getting into The Struggle for Justice (Best. Course Title. Ever!), Making the News in Japan (media analysis) and Geishas, Gangsters and Samurai: Images of Japan in Western Film & Literature. The last one actually filled up as my courses were being submitted into the computer which means I took the last seat. BOO-ya-ka-sha!


What's wrong with this picture? Actually, this display is based on a centuries-old Japanese map of the world.


Funny how the "clenched fist" look never caught in American politics.

I'm off to eat dinner. Tomorrow we're having a semi-formal luncheon to commemorate the start of the school year. It should yield some nice photos and, more importantly, a free lunch.