Saturday, August 13, 2005
The Short, Short Version
OK, don't have much time right now. Wanted to catch up though.
Friday night I went to my hometown for another BBQ. That's the third in the past seven days. I would say the food was delicious "as expected" except the food was even better than that. I ate and drank too much but not much too much.
Today I called my friend Joe and invited him to come down and hang out here in Manhattan. My dad's gone for a few days so it would be cool for him to crash here, if need be. Instead, he invited me to a party at his house. I haven't been up there since last summer's unpleasantness but it sounds like a lot of fun. And this is probably my last chance to see Joe before I leave the country. So I'm going! I'll be back tomorrow, I guess!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Friday night I went to my hometown for another BBQ. That's the third in the past seven days. I would say the food was delicious "as expected" except the food was even better than that. I ate and drank too much but not much too much.
Today I called my friend Joe and invited him to come down and hang out here in Manhattan. My dad's gone for a few days so it would be cool for him to crash here, if need be. Instead, he invited me to a party at his house. I haven't been up there since last summer's unpleasantness but it sounds like a lot of fun. And this is probably my last chance to see Joe before I leave the country. So I'm going! I'll be back tomorrow, I guess!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Double It!
Today I had 2X the Craigslist adventure with 2X the women, ending up feeling 2X confused and 2X lonely.
[1] I had lunch with a lovely young woman named Mio at Ariyoshi. It was another "language exchange" meeting. She was very impressed by my choice of venue because she has had trouble finding "real" Japanese food here in the city. Indeed, when she saw her nabeyaki udon she remarked, 「懐かしい！」(natsukashii, an expression of nostalgia). We had a long conversation, mostly about my upcoming trip to Japan. It was a lot of fun and we hope to meet again before I leave next Monday.
This afternoon, I worked out again and felt a little sore. This is good because I had stopped feeling sore earlier in the week which I took as a sign that I wasn't working hard enough. I also had a slice of pizza for dinner tonight. Why is that good news? I only had one! Do you know how many years it has been since I could eat only one slice of pizza and call it a meal?
[2] I met a woman named Calice to see the new film 2046. It was a fascinating film although I must admit that I barely understood it. There's some mighty odd chronology in the movie and the story is hard to follow. I was reminded of my confusion after seeing the highly-praised Mulholland Dr. It's not that the movies are at all similar, just the feeling of bewilderment I had after watching them. The best summary of 2046 I can offer is this: everyone is in love with someone (I think) but few find their affections are reciprocated as they would like. Obviously this made me feel very sad.
Adding insult to heartbreak, I came home and found out the camera I bought on eBay was "squeezed." The seller told me it would take ten days to replace, refunded my money and offered me a $5 discount. Since I'm leaving the country I told him "no thanks." This is the first time an eBay auction has ever failed. The slightly happy ending is that I went right back to eBay and I seem to have found an even better price for the same camera. Until I receive it, however, I'm not going to get my hopes up.
A watched pot may never boil, but it doesn't hurt like a watched phone not ringing.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
[1] I had lunch with a lovely young woman named Mio at Ariyoshi. It was another "language exchange" meeting. She was very impressed by my choice of venue because she has had trouble finding "real" Japanese food here in the city. Indeed, when she saw her nabeyaki udon she remarked, 「懐かしい！」(natsukashii, an expression of nostalgia). We had a long conversation, mostly about my upcoming trip to Japan. It was a lot of fun and we hope to meet again before I leave next Monday.
This afternoon, I worked out again and felt a little sore. This is good because I had stopped feeling sore earlier in the week which I took as a sign that I wasn't working hard enough. I also had a slice of pizza for dinner tonight. Why is that good news? I only had one! Do you know how many years it has been since I could eat only one slice of pizza and call it a meal?
[2] I met a woman named Calice to see the new film 2046. It was a fascinating film although I must admit that I barely understood it. There's some mighty odd chronology in the movie and the story is hard to follow. I was reminded of my confusion after seeing the highly-praised Mulholland Dr. It's not that the movies are at all similar, just the feeling of bewilderment I had after watching them. The best summary of 2046 I can offer is this: everyone is in love with someone (I think) but few find their affections are reciprocated as they would like. Obviously this made me feel very sad.
Adding insult to heartbreak, I came home and found out the camera I bought on eBay was "squeezed." The seller told me it would take ten days to replace, refunded my money and offered me a $5 discount. Since I'm leaving the country I told him "no thanks." This is the first time an eBay auction has ever failed. The slightly happy ending is that I went right back to eBay and I seem to have found an even better price for the same camera. Until I receive it, however, I'm not going to get my hopes up.
A watched pot may never boil, but it doesn't hurt like a watched phone not ringing.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Another Flash Find
I won't offer any explanation regarding this Flash animation. Frankly, I wouldn't know how to explain it if I tried. All I'll say is it's inspired by one of my favorite manga. Turn on your speakers and take a gander here.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Open Invitation!
Today didn't quite turn out as I'd hoped. I decided last night to go to the movies tonight but I didn't want to go alone. First I tried Alice from last week's movie date but she never got back to me. Then I learned that Hyde had returned from her trip so I called her but she was tired having flown in on the red eye.
So I turned to CL to bail me out since it had helped me out in the past. Sadly, it didn't work. I got absolutely no replies to my invitation to go to the movies tonight. Perhaps I should have specified the movie? I just said I was going to the Landmark Sunshine on Houston.
When the ad failed to draw any response, I felt a little down. Frankly, I really didn't feel like going to the movies alone so I didn't go. Instead, I hung out on eBay and got myself a digital camera. I encourage you to use the comment feature to suggest a subject for my first digital photograph. Should it be a self-portrait? Maybe a shot of the city? Indoors or outdoors? Day or night? I welcome any and all ideas. Just remember, my Dad is not a viable choice. Besides, he makes me look bad.
Don't leave me hanging! It should get here by the weekend!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
So I turned to CL to bail me out since it had helped me out in the past. Sadly, it didn't work. I got absolutely no replies to my invitation to go to the movies tonight. Perhaps I should have specified the movie? I just said I was going to the Landmark Sunshine on Houston.
When the ad failed to draw any response, I felt a little down. Frankly, I really didn't feel like going to the movies alone so I didn't go. Instead, I hung out on eBay and got myself a digital camera. I encourage you to use the comment feature to suggest a subject for my first digital photograph. Should it be a self-portrait? Maybe a shot of the city? Indoors or outdoors? Day or night? I welcome any and all ideas. Just remember, my Dad is not a viable choice. Besides, he makes me look bad.
Don't leave me hanging! It should get here by the weekend!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Monday, August 08, 2005
Rejected
I met Hiro (remember him?) this evening with the hopes of seeing a Yankee game tonight. Hiro, like nearly every Japanese person I have ever met, is a baseball fan. The Yanks have Matsui but tonight's game also featured Iguchi on the visiting White Sox so Hiro's interest was a little higher. We met at a midtown Yankees Clubhouse store but unfortunately the game was sold out. We hung out a little and discussed the possibility of trying to go to Wednesday's afternoon game.
Once I got home, I found out I had received a package from Joe. He sent me the latest issue of his zine, Modern Arizona, along with another zine which featured Joe's version of this incident from last summer. He's been adding a lot of content lately to his website and I approve. Since Joe and I so rarely see each other I welcome any contact from him, regardless of its form. He's even made a recent entry in his blog.
His latest issue included an open invitation (reiterated here) for stories that involve "getting kicked out of public places." I decided to send him a story of the two such occasions I had been kicked out of a public place. Once I finished, I remembered that I have my own page for stories that I write so I drafted an HTML version and posted it here. Read it, enjoy it, and if you have a similar story please tell it to Joe.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Once I got home, I found out I had received a package from Joe. He sent me the latest issue of his zine, Modern Arizona, along with another zine which featured Joe's version of this incident from last summer. He's been adding a lot of content lately to his website and I approve. Since Joe and I so rarely see each other I welcome any contact from him, regardless of its form. He's even made a recent entry in his blog.
His latest issue included an open invitation (reiterated here) for stories that involve "getting kicked out of public places." I decided to send him a story of the two such occasions I had been kicked out of a public place. Once I finished, I remembered that I have my own page for stories that I write so I drafted an HTML version and posted it here. Read it, enjoy it, and if you have a similar story please tell it to Joe.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Another Full Stomach
Before I get into my own business, I just wanted to express my sorrow on the sudden death of Peter Jennings. Growing up, I would watch him report the evening news every night with my Dad. I suppose the 24-hour, no-time-to-lose, cable news era made the nightly news less relevant, but his death (combined with the retirements of Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather) officially ends a notable chapter in television news history.
But I digress. This blog's about me and last night I went to a BBQ party in Brooklyn hosted by Kate and her boyfriend Josh. They live in a very nice (and shockingly spacious) apartment in Park Slope. Unbelievably, their home spans two floors and includes an entire backyard area which we packed with people and a big grill. I arrived just as food hit the fire, literally! The grill was so hot the first round of burgers and dogs were positively blackened. Later items, such as skewers of shrimp and veggies, turned out more mild. The cold appetizers included a big hummus dip (Kate later revealed that they gobble that stuff up so they always buy large quantities) and some assorted cheeses. My sister Salena made some very interesting cole slaw that included apples and walnuts so it had a charoset taste to it. Kate's potato salad was reportedly excellent but I abstained for dietary purposes. In hindsight, a serving would have been fine.
Lots of people from Croton were there. Ben of course, my sister (and her boyfriend), Cydney, Renee and Scott came too. His enthusiasm for hanging out with me in Japan has really raised my own enthusiasm level about the trip (often I feel anxious or nervous but not lately). I was amazed at Scott's ability to converse with a Japanese partygoer. She was speaking at a normal pace (way beyond my comprehension) and the two of them were going back and forth! I guess that's what five years of immersion will get you; when I visited Scott four years ago, I spoke more Japanese than he did. Even two years ago, on his last visit to Croton, he barely spoke Japanese with his then-girlfriend who came with him. These days, he's light years ahead of me!
A real funny moment came around nine PM. We were discussing my blog and Cydney (who just started her own blog) asked me about Hyde. I did my best to give her the short version of the story. Mid-thought, however, I got a text message from Hyde! She was still in California but what a coincidence! I'm not going to get into what she sent, mostly because it's her business but also because I'm not 100% sure what she said. My response was brief because I was in the middle of a party but I told her I was thinking of her, which I was. I know this sounds sappy but I miss her a lot.
During the evening, Scott had been proposing a trip to the village for some karaoke as he's quite fond of it and he had heard I enjoy it as well. Hearing our discussion, Kate announced that she had a karaoke machine, albeit a primitive one. It was basically a cassette player with a microphone. She didn't have any instrumentals or lyrics, we could only sing over the regular tapes she had around the apartment. Thankfully, she had some Sinatra so I could sing my favorite, "New York, New York." It's probably the only song I know all the words to. I didn't sound too hot but Kate loved it. The other partygoers were, in a word, uninterested. Kate tried to sing "My Way" and asked for my help but neither of us knew all the words. Scott found a Red Hot Chili Peppers tape with lyrics so he sang a rendition of "Under The Bridge."
As far as consumption, I ate and drank too much but I did my best to keep things in check, relatively speaking. I didn't eat any hamburger or hot dog buns, I refrained from dipping pita bread in the hummus or eating any chips and I stopped drinking pretty early. My biggest departure was eating two cookies (Cydney had brought them so she wanted me to try them) and half of a grilled chicken sandwich that Ben prepared. It was fabulous but I held myself back from eating the whole thing, which I'm proud of.
Eventually it was just me, Ben and Kate left awake, although I was dipping in and out. Scott slept for a few hours and joined us after dawn. The three of us left for Manhattan around 6:30. I went to sleep around eight, got a few hours in before waking and working out this afternoon.
Only two weeks to go! I suppose I still have a lot to do, although I have secured all of the official paperwork I need. Mostly little things, like packing, ridding myself of old clothes that I won't be taking, getting a camera (Mom offered to pay for it) and maybe trying to see a dentist.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
But I digress. This blog's about me and last night I went to a BBQ party in Brooklyn hosted by Kate and her boyfriend Josh. They live in a very nice (and shockingly spacious) apartment in Park Slope. Unbelievably, their home spans two floors and includes an entire backyard area which we packed with people and a big grill. I arrived just as food hit the fire, literally! The grill was so hot the first round of burgers and dogs were positively blackened. Later items, such as skewers of shrimp and veggies, turned out more mild. The cold appetizers included a big hummus dip (Kate later revealed that they gobble that stuff up so they always buy large quantities) and some assorted cheeses. My sister Salena made some very interesting cole slaw that included apples and walnuts so it had a charoset taste to it. Kate's potato salad was reportedly excellent but I abstained for dietary purposes. In hindsight, a serving would have been fine.
Lots of people from Croton were there. Ben of course, my sister (and her boyfriend), Cydney, Renee and Scott came too. His enthusiasm for hanging out with me in Japan has really raised my own enthusiasm level about the trip (often I feel anxious or nervous but not lately). I was amazed at Scott's ability to converse with a Japanese partygoer. She was speaking at a normal pace (way beyond my comprehension) and the two of them were going back and forth! I guess that's what five years of immersion will get you; when I visited Scott four years ago, I spoke more Japanese than he did. Even two years ago, on his last visit to Croton, he barely spoke Japanese with his then-girlfriend who came with him. These days, he's light years ahead of me!
A real funny moment came around nine PM. We were discussing my blog and Cydney (who just started her own blog) asked me about Hyde. I did my best to give her the short version of the story. Mid-thought, however, I got a text message from Hyde! She was still in California but what a coincidence! I'm not going to get into what she sent, mostly because it's her business but also because I'm not 100% sure what she said. My response was brief because I was in the middle of a party but I told her I was thinking of her, which I was. I know this sounds sappy but I miss her a lot.
During the evening, Scott had been proposing a trip to the village for some karaoke as he's quite fond of it and he had heard I enjoy it as well. Hearing our discussion, Kate announced that she had a karaoke machine, albeit a primitive one. It was basically a cassette player with a microphone. She didn't have any instrumentals or lyrics, we could only sing over the regular tapes she had around the apartment. Thankfully, she had some Sinatra so I could sing my favorite, "New York, New York." It's probably the only song I know all the words to. I didn't sound too hot but Kate loved it. The other partygoers were, in a word, uninterested. Kate tried to sing "My Way" and asked for my help but neither of us knew all the words. Scott found a Red Hot Chili Peppers tape with lyrics so he sang a rendition of "Under The Bridge."
As far as consumption, I ate and drank too much but I did my best to keep things in check, relatively speaking. I didn't eat any hamburger or hot dog buns, I refrained from dipping pita bread in the hummus or eating any chips and I stopped drinking pretty early. My biggest departure was eating two cookies (Cydney had brought them so she wanted me to try them) and half of a grilled chicken sandwich that Ben prepared. It was fabulous but I held myself back from eating the whole thing, which I'm proud of.
Eventually it was just me, Ben and Kate left awake, although I was dipping in and out. Scott slept for a few hours and joined us after dawn. The three of us left for Manhattan around 6:30. I went to sleep around eight, got a few hours in before waking and working out this afternoon.
Only two weeks to go! I suppose I still have a lot to do, although I have secured all of the official paperwork I need. Mostly little things, like packing, ridding myself of old clothes that I won't be taking, getting a camera (Mom offered to pay for it) and maybe trying to see a dentist.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Overhaul
The list of archives on the side of the page was getting a little too long so I moved them to a separate page. This also allows me to offer some commentary to give the timeline of my blog (and my life) some meaning. I also removed the link to the woefully empty anime page which was nothing more than a banner. If I ever add some content, I'll bring it back.
Party in Brooklyn tonight at Kate's house. Lots of my friends should be there. I will be drinking, yes. And I skipped the workout today because I'm just too sore. After consulting a few different folks, I've determined that I can afford to take a day off every now and then if I'm pushing myself really hard when I do work out. Right now my arms & upper chest are burning but it's kind of a fun reassurance that I am succeeding.
Also, I've noticed a subtle change in my upper body: I've got burgeoning guns right now! I never expected to see any kind of muscle build-up this summer; I've been much more fixated on my belly to consider any other body parts. But now, hey, I'm a little psyched, even checking myself out in the mirror when I take a shower. After years of self-loathing, I think a touch of vanity might be healthy right now.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Party in Brooklyn tonight at Kate's house. Lots of my friends should be there. I will be drinking, yes. And I skipped the workout today because I'm just too sore. After consulting a few different folks, I've determined that I can afford to take a day off every now and then if I'm pushing myself really hard when I do work out. Right now my arms & upper chest are burning but it's kind of a fun reassurance that I am succeeding.
Also, I've noticed a subtle change in my upper body: I've got burgeoning guns right now! I never expected to see any kind of muscle build-up this summer; I've been much more fixated on my belly to consider any other body parts. But now, hey, I'm a little psyched, even checking myself out in the mirror when I take a shower. After years of self-loathing, I think a touch of vanity might be healthy right now.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
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