Sunday, October 16, 2005
Power Perceived is Power Achieved
Really, it's true. The first step to being powerful is to believe it. It took me a long time to get to this point but now I recognize my power and it has manifested itself in the form of a budding new relationship.
Got your attention? I sure hope so. Today I had another date with Mako and the weather was almost perfect. No rain in sight, reasonably breezy and cloudy enough to prevent us from baking in the sun. It could have been a little cooler to justify me wearing my smooth Skimmer/Duster combo but by the evening I was perfectly comfortable walking around Kyoto with a hat on my head, a long coat on my back and a young lady on my arm.
Meh, I'm getting ahead of myself again. The plan started last week relatively simply. I had originally planned to visit Ryôanji last weekend when I went to Kyoto with Megan and Yui. We didn't go because of the rain but I still wanted to see it. I suggested to Mako that we could go and she agreed but she also suggested a few other places we could go. Just like that, a single temple visit turned into an all-day culture marathon. You want pictures, you got 'em.
We purchased a day-pass for the city buses for only 500 Yen that allowed us to easily go back and forth across town several times. The first of those bus rides was super crowded which forced us to huddle together. The resulting closeness/embracing sent the tone for the rest of the day: we spent most of our afternoon holding hands or "cuddling" in some fashion. I don't mean to boast but I'm pretty good at that and after weeks of watching these guys snuggle with their girlfriends in the lounge I got a great amount of personal satisfaction knowing that it was my turn now.
Our first stop was Ginkakuji, the silver companion to Kinkakuji which I managed to see last week. Unfortunately the builders never actually put much silver on Ginkakuji so the resulting structure is not particularly impressive. Mako had never seen it and she was audibly disappointed. However, the garden surrounding the un-silver pavilion was quite lovely. Afterwards we stopped in a local spot for a quick bite of okonomiyaki served "omelette-style" as it was folded over with the "toppings" on the inside instead. Pretty tasty and affordable, two important qualities for any okonomiyaki meal to have.
A crosstown bus took us to Kitano tenmangu, a very large shrine dedicated to the god of good grades. No, I'm not kidding although I suspect I am over-simplifying it a bit. I figured if I should try to appease any of the thousands of Japanese gods, this was the one. I threw him 10 Yen and Mako was sweet enough to buy me...something. I think it's some kind of token to show my appreciation for his blessings? I'll have to get back to you on that.
Another bus ride brought us (at last) to Ryôanji. It was very beautiful but there was something really awkward about the whole set-up. It's supposed to be a peaceful place of tranquility where one can meditate or least think quietly about life. The whole point of its famous rock garden is to sit there and contemplate what it means (at least that's what the pamphlet they gave me says). However, since so many people are in there at any one time, blabbing away about nothing, it is impossible to concentrate on anything other than the tourists.
Not that my mind was entirely on the scenery, of course. I was in the midst of a date and it was at Ryôanji that things started to heat up. We were on our way out when I stopped to take a picture of some unusual looking water lilies (that's what I'm calling them anyway). After I snapped the shot I realized that we were, however briefly, alone together so I tried to sneak in a kiss. Mako's response was to open her mouth and make it a very surprising, passionate kiss. Indeed, I had gum in my mouth at the time and I had to take care that it didn't end up in her throat! The whole moment opened my eyes (among other things) and forced me to realize that there was no reason to hold anything back from this girl. It's on now. She digs me. This is a fact.
Hold the phone, it wasn't quite time for dinner (or dessert) so we took a stroll over to nearby Ninnaji. Apparently this place is really big come springtime because there were a large number of sakura trees which I had never actually seen before. They weren't in bloom of course so they looked rather squalid. I can't wait to see them blossom next year; I'm going to get so tanked it's not even funny.
As the sun was setting we decided to head back to the urban center of Kyoto for shopping and dinner. Mako and I strolled through Kyoto's famous Gion district where she bought some kind of feminine gift for a friend of hers (I suspect it was a fragrant moisturizer set). We ended up eating in a nicer-than-I-expected Chinese restaurant which was on the pricey side but it was absolutely delicious. It was easily the best fried rice I've ever had.
Alright, gentle readers, now this is what you've been waiting to hear: we walked from the restaurant back through Gion to the Shijô bridge where we descended a flight of stairs to sit by the bank of the Kamo River. The sun was down, the moon was out, the lights were on and we were as alone as we were going to get in the middle of a major Japanese city. We spent the next ninety minutes getting very physical. It was tremendous release of passion that I've been storing up for...well...let's just say "a long time" and leave it at that. It was also obvious to me that she was just as eager to get down as I was which made the whole experience that much better. The only real restraint on her part was when someone else was passing behind us but even then there were more than a few moments where we were making out and she was totally oblivious to the world. Yeah, it was that hot. I even managed to hit a few "doubles" if you know what I mean.
All good things must come to end and eventually our tonsil hockey would end as well. She had a long ride home ahead of her and we both have to be somewhere early tomorrow morning. There wasn't much of a good night kiss at her station but I chalk that up to exhaustion/modesty on her part, although she did surprise me with a pretty deep kiss as we crossed the Shijo bridge in full view of a number of people. If you had taken a picture of us you'd think Japan just won a war or something, it was that kind of kiss. We're definitely going to get together next weekend although at this point I'm not 100% sure when. Possibly Sunday, maybe even sooner depending on her work schedule.
So I take this to officially signify the start of a new "relationship" which ends a very long drought for me. There are a number of third parties who I feel I should thank for making this happen:
If you'll excuse me, I have a date with a bucket of ice water and my bed. Feit out...of the doldrums!!
Got your attention? I sure hope so. Today I had another date with Mako and the weather was almost perfect. No rain in sight, reasonably breezy and cloudy enough to prevent us from baking in the sun. It could have been a little cooler to justify me wearing my smooth Skimmer/Duster combo but by the evening I was perfectly comfortable walking around Kyoto with a hat on my head, a long coat on my back and a young lady on my arm.
Meh, I'm getting ahead of myself again. The plan started last week relatively simply. I had originally planned to visit Ryôanji last weekend when I went to Kyoto with Megan and Yui. We didn't go because of the rain but I still wanted to see it. I suggested to Mako that we could go and she agreed but she also suggested a few other places we could go. Just like that, a single temple visit turned into an all-day culture marathon. You want pictures, you got 'em.
We purchased a day-pass for the city buses for only 500 Yen that allowed us to easily go back and forth across town several times. The first of those bus rides was super crowded which forced us to huddle together. The resulting closeness/embracing sent the tone for the rest of the day: we spent most of our afternoon holding hands or "cuddling" in some fashion. I don't mean to boast but I'm pretty good at that and after weeks of watching these guys snuggle with their girlfriends in the lounge I got a great amount of personal satisfaction knowing that it was my turn now.
Our first stop was Ginkakuji, the silver companion to Kinkakuji which I managed to see last week. Unfortunately the builders never actually put much silver on Ginkakuji so the resulting structure is not particularly impressive. Mako had never seen it and she was audibly disappointed. However, the garden surrounding the un-silver pavilion was quite lovely. Afterwards we stopped in a local spot for a quick bite of okonomiyaki served "omelette-style" as it was folded over with the "toppings" on the inside instead. Pretty tasty and affordable, two important qualities for any okonomiyaki meal to have.
A crosstown bus took us to Kitano tenmangu, a very large shrine dedicated to the god of good grades. No, I'm not kidding although I suspect I am over-simplifying it a bit. I figured if I should try to appease any of the thousands of Japanese gods, this was the one. I threw him 10 Yen and Mako was sweet enough to buy me...something. I think it's some kind of token to show my appreciation for his blessings? I'll have to get back to you on that.
Another bus ride brought us (at last) to Ryôanji. It was very beautiful but there was something really awkward about the whole set-up. It's supposed to be a peaceful place of tranquility where one can meditate or least think quietly about life. The whole point of its famous rock garden is to sit there and contemplate what it means (at least that's what the pamphlet they gave me says). However, since so many people are in there at any one time, blabbing away about nothing, it is impossible to concentrate on anything other than the tourists.
Not that my mind was entirely on the scenery, of course. I was in the midst of a date and it was at Ryôanji that things started to heat up. We were on our way out when I stopped to take a picture of some unusual looking water lilies (that's what I'm calling them anyway). After I snapped the shot I realized that we were, however briefly, alone together so I tried to sneak in a kiss. Mako's response was to open her mouth and make it a very surprising, passionate kiss. Indeed, I had gum in my mouth at the time and I had to take care that it didn't end up in her throat! The whole moment opened my eyes (among other things) and forced me to realize that there was no reason to hold anything back from this girl. It's on now. She digs me. This is a fact.
Hold the phone, it wasn't quite time for dinner (or dessert) so we took a stroll over to nearby Ninnaji. Apparently this place is really big come springtime because there were a large number of sakura trees which I had never actually seen before. They weren't in bloom of course so they looked rather squalid. I can't wait to see them blossom next year; I'm going to get so tanked it's not even funny.
As the sun was setting we decided to head back to the urban center of Kyoto for shopping and dinner. Mako and I strolled through Kyoto's famous Gion district where she bought some kind of feminine gift for a friend of hers (I suspect it was a fragrant moisturizer set). We ended up eating in a nicer-than-I-expected Chinese restaurant which was on the pricey side but it was absolutely delicious. It was easily the best fried rice I've ever had.
Alright, gentle readers, now this is what you've been waiting to hear: we walked from the restaurant back through Gion to the Shijô bridge where we descended a flight of stairs to sit by the bank of the Kamo River. The sun was down, the moon was out, the lights were on and we were as alone as we were going to get in the middle of a major Japanese city. We spent the next ninety minutes getting very physical. It was tremendous release of passion that I've been storing up for...well...let's just say "a long time" and leave it at that. It was also obvious to me that she was just as eager to get down as I was which made the whole experience that much better. The only real restraint on her part was when someone else was passing behind us but even then there were more than a few moments where we were making out and she was totally oblivious to the world. Yeah, it was that hot. I even managed to hit a few "doubles" if you know what I mean.
All good things must come to end and eventually our tonsil hockey would end as well. She had a long ride home ahead of her and we both have to be somewhere early tomorrow morning. There wasn't much of a good night kiss at her station but I chalk that up to exhaustion/modesty on her part, although she did surprise me with a pretty deep kiss as we crossed the Shijo bridge in full view of a number of people. If you had taken a picture of us you'd think Japan just won a war or something, it was that kind of kiss. We're definitely going to get together next weekend although at this point I'm not 100% sure when. Possibly Sunday, maybe even sooner depending on her work schedule.
So I take this to officially signify the start of a new "relationship" which ends a very long drought for me. There are a number of third parties who I feel I should thank for making this happen:
- Scott, for telling me about the website I would use to meet Mako and giving me lots of advice in interpersonal matters.
- Mike, who always told me that when I felt happy I would meet someone and not the other way around.
- Hyde, who told me that I didn't need to worry about "being myself." Rather, I should just be someone and interact with people however I want to interact with them.
- And of course I should thank everyone who ever told me that I would eventually meet someone else. I spent a number of years feeling miserable and I never believed any of you, but you were all right.
If you'll excuse me, I have a date with a bucket of ice water and my bed. Feit out...of the doldrums!!
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Dan, your the man. You deserve it. Now, if you ever write up that comic strip, I wont just be drawing Harvey Pecar deppresion shit. It'll be a real inspiration! You deserve it.*extending hand* Good job, my friend.
Err I know I'm your sister and it was a little weird reading that...but I am genuinely happy for you. Everyone deserves to feel so great. Especially you.
Yet, do you think it would weird Mako out to know you are writing about this/her on the internet for all to read??
Yet, do you think it would weird Mako out to know you are writing about this/her on the internet for all to read??
Dan, I'm really glad for you too! What is she like? I want to hear more about her, personality-wise. BTW- You should keep in mind what your sister said. Girls are weird about that kind of thing. I know I am, anyway...
:)
h
:)
h
w00t! I so moved Ben he posted using his real name! Now I am a winner indeed. Thanks for your kind words, sir.
Salena/Hyde: I am mindful of that, she does know about my blog (but I haven't told her the address). I'm not sure how she'd feel about the kissing story but at the same time this is the biggest thing to happen to me in years. It's one of the reasons I'm reluctant to post her picture.
Salena/Hyde: I am mindful of that, she does know about my blog (but I haven't told her the address). I'm not sure how she'd feel about the kissing story but at the same time this is the biggest thing to happen to me in years. It's one of the reasons I'm reluctant to post her picture.
Happy for you Dan. You earn it, especially after all the work you've done to get to this point. Gratulations
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