a history of me

Alrighty, time to catch you folks up with a few details from yesterday's action. Nothing more about the midterm though, there's simply nothing else to say. In the modern Internet vernacular, I pwn3d it. Also, I didn't have any other classes so I was able to forgo lugging my bookbag to school which allowed me to go straight from the campus to the station. I was free to date unencumbered by external bulk!

I met Mako in Umeda and the first order of the afternoon was lunch. She asked me what I wanted to eat and I was honest: I really wanted a big cheeseburger (or comparable sandwich). Somehow I had been thinking of sandwiches for a few days now and I felt like it had simply been too long since I had a good one. We went looking for a good place on the dining floor of nearby Yodobashi Camera when Mako had an even better idea. She spotted a sushi place with a fabulous lunchtime deal: a plate of sushi plus a bowl of udon and a melon slice for dessert, all for less than 900 Yen. I had my first taste of uni (Sea urchin) which I don't recommend. Very bitter. Otherwise, my lunch was delicious.

Our stomachs full, we were off to the cinema. I had yet to see a film since arriving in Japan which is an unusually long stretch of time for me to go without movies. A few things about the experience surprised me (in now particular order):

• The tickets were more expensive than Manhattan (about $13) but my diet cola was actually reasonably priced (about $2.50). Guess Japanese theaters don't need the huge mark-up in concessions that American theaters do?
• Our tickets were for specific seats in the auditorium (we couldn't just pick two at random). They looked very comfortable but were actually rather unforgiving in the buttocks department. Both Mako and I complained that our posteriors hurt at the end of the show.
• The lights didn't come up during the credits so virtually no one left their seats.

I'm wallowing a bit in minutiae here but I have to share something that struck me as funny in the theater restroom. The toilet had a large device attached to it that was not the usual bidet control panel or heater. It had a big, candy-like button that said "Seat Paper" that I initially resisted but ultimately found myself compelled to press. In response, the device rolled out a paper cover over the seat. Guess I should have pressed it before I sat down.

The movie we saw was Stealth, a preposterously retarded film that failed tremendously in the United States. You can read some humorously negative reviews at Rotten Tomatoes and Critical Mess. Still, by going in expecting the absolute worst I came away pleasantly surprised by its mediocrity; it was not without its surprise moments. Ultimately, however, the movie will make you stupider if you watch it so don't go near it without a 40 oz bottle of beer (perhaps two).

After our American cultural briefing was finished I asked her what her plans were for the remainder of the day. She had none so I proposed we eat dinner together and she agreed. In the meantime we went on a stroll around Umeda, visiting a couple different department stores (there are so many here I don't think they can be counted or even distinguished from one another) and stopping for coffee. I wouldn't say we did, saw or really said anything remarkable, we just hung out and it was fun. Physically speaking (talk about minutiae), there was a lot of hand-holding and general closeness as I tried to determine whether she really liked me or merely tolerated my grabbery.

Dinner time approached and the eternal question surfaced again: what shall we eat? Mako revealed that she too was thinking of a hamburger/sandwich meal so she somehow used her mobile phone to search the Internet for a good place. I think mine does that too but I'd have to master Japanese in order to use it. Anyway, the phone directed us on a short walk to a familiar street where Scott and I have gone drinking a few times now. I told her about that and mentioned that we had spent a few evenings in a "foreigner friendly" bar called "Captain Kangaroo." She revealed that was exactly where the phone told her to go!

Apparently this bar also serves some fine food which I was happy to sample. I ordered the house specialty, a "Roo Burger" (it's just a name kids) which was tremendously satisfying. Mako opted for their Grilled Cheese sandwich platter. I threw back a pair of drafts (it was happy hour) and she settled for one Corona. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that one beer was enough for her, she is quite petite. While we drank I told her everything I knew about Jimi Hendrix whose music was being played in the bar.

Mako's Corona had made her a little sleepy and she had work early the next day so I walked her back (hand in hand) to the train station she needed. She told me I was yasashii (優しい, "kind" or "affectionate"); I reciprocated her sentiment and added kirei ("pretty") as well. I knew it was up to me to figure out where we stood: was this all just friendship or perhaps something more? As we reached the ticket gates I felt the time was "right" so I faced her (still holding her hand), said a few words (none of your business) and I kissed her good night.

Mmm, so I guess there's no more mystery regarding her opinion of me anymore!

I sent Scott a quick mail about the date and I was heading back to Hirakata when he e-mailed me back and asked if I wanted to have a drink. I agreed and we met up for a few beers. I hope I wasn't too boastful about what had happened but I was still riding very high on my success. I think there's a lot more that could be said but I'm going to refrain from over-analyzing this just yet. Let's wait a few more dates and see how this works.

So far as today goes, I managed to hit the gym and weigh myself since I didn't have any time yesterday. My isolated bouts of gluttony this week definitely slowed (but didn't stop) my weight loss so I'll need to be a bit more careful about that and try to work out at least three times a week to maintain (if not accelerate) my road to fitness.

うれしい…^_^