Thursday, July 12, 2007
Hate On Me
I certainly should have written something last week, but I definitely need to write something tonight before it's too late.
Florida, as usual, was a nice break from New York. It was certainly much hotter than I would have liked (future visits should ideally take place outside of July and August) but given my schedule this was really the best time I could afford. My mother and her husband are both well and I was grateful I got a chance to see them.
I didn't do much while I was there, of course, but it wasn't all poolside lounging. With all the stores in New York sold out, I decided Florida would be a better place to try and find a Wii for sale. I was right, although it still took me three stores to find one. It's not a gift for me, mind you, but for Mako, though I will admit I have a feeling she'll let me play it every once in a while when we're in Japan. Lest you think I'm giving her a gift solely to entertain myself, think again: she and I have spent plenty of chat time discussing our interest in gaming. Don't forget, she already has a DS and enjoys it very much, at least when she's not studying after work or exercising.
Something I'm very proud to report is the fact that I finally got my ass on a bike for more than a few fleeting seconds. Riding a bike was something I never quite picked up as a child, and by the time I became a teenager I was driving a car to work so it became a low priority. My imminent trip to Japan, however, brought the skill back into the forefront. Based on my experiences there it will be very handy to own and use a bicycle from time to time, especially since I have no plans to drive a car over there. The latter may change over the long term, but I can't imagine that the usefulness of a bike will ever decline. So I borrowed an old bike that Mom had in her garage and just climbed on to see how well I could handle it. So far, the hardest part for me is the initial moment of balance. Once I start pedaling and my momentum kicks in, it's pretty simple. So simple that I'm not sure how I never managed to get this far before in my life. I suppose I always viewed it as frivolous and therefore unnecessary.
On the 4th, I opted to pass on actually attending the annual Hot Dog eating contest. I reached that decision when I realized that in order to secure a reasonable position to witness the competition I would have had to arrive hours beforehand and simply stand outside in the sun, forfeiting any chance to go to the gym. This seemed especially foolish when I realized I could get a much better view of the action on television. Once the program began I discovered I made the better choice, as the streets of Coney Island were packed!
In case you missed it, Kobayashi didn't win this year. He did manage an incredible 63 hot dogs and buns in twelve minutes despite his recent jaw injury, but he was bested by American Joey Chestnut (he ate 66). Good for him, I say, but I suspect Kobayashi will be back next year looking to push 70!
This past Sunday I got together with Joe and Ben for an afternoon on the town which led us to see the new Transformers movie. Without descending into a diatribe of poor choices, let me just flatly state that it sucked. Sucked hard, in a way I never could have anticipated. I actually knew it would be poor from the moment I heard the project was a go (just read this post I wrote three years ago) but I had purposely gone in to the theater with low expectations. I figured it would be, at worst, a passive amusement like the latest Die Hard film (which I saw in Florida, and it was OK). Not even close!
Well, it's late and I've got a big day ahead of me. Mako arrives from Japan tomorrow! She's already in Tokyo as of this writing. My brain is a blur with feelings of anticipation with a whisper of anxiety sprinkled on top. It's like every time she comes here I'm convinced this will be the last time I'll see her for some reason! All the tension fades once I see her smiling face though. I can't believe it's been nearly five months - intolerable! Thank goodness we'll never have to endure such a stretch apart ever again.
Florida, as usual, was a nice break from New York. It was certainly much hotter than I would have liked (future visits should ideally take place outside of July and August) but given my schedule this was really the best time I could afford. My mother and her husband are both well and I was grateful I got a chance to see them.
I didn't do much while I was there, of course, but it wasn't all poolside lounging. With all the stores in New York sold out, I decided Florida would be a better place to try and find a Wii for sale. I was right, although it still took me three stores to find one. It's not a gift for me, mind you, but for Mako, though I will admit I have a feeling she'll let me play it every once in a while when we're in Japan. Lest you think I'm giving her a gift solely to entertain myself, think again: she and I have spent plenty of chat time discussing our interest in gaming. Don't forget, she already has a DS and enjoys it very much, at least when she's not studying after work or exercising.
Something I'm very proud to report is the fact that I finally got my ass on a bike for more than a few fleeting seconds. Riding a bike was something I never quite picked up as a child, and by the time I became a teenager I was driving a car to work so it became a low priority. My imminent trip to Japan, however, brought the skill back into the forefront. Based on my experiences there it will be very handy to own and use a bicycle from time to time, especially since I have no plans to drive a car over there. The latter may change over the long term, but I can't imagine that the usefulness of a bike will ever decline. So I borrowed an old bike that Mom had in her garage and just climbed on to see how well I could handle it. So far, the hardest part for me is the initial moment of balance. Once I start pedaling and my momentum kicks in, it's pretty simple. So simple that I'm not sure how I never managed to get this far before in my life. I suppose I always viewed it as frivolous and therefore unnecessary.
On the 4th, I opted to pass on actually attending the annual Hot Dog eating contest. I reached that decision when I realized that in order to secure a reasonable position to witness the competition I would have had to arrive hours beforehand and simply stand outside in the sun, forfeiting any chance to go to the gym. This seemed especially foolish when I realized I could get a much better view of the action on television. Once the program began I discovered I made the better choice, as the streets of Coney Island were packed!
In case you missed it, Kobayashi didn't win this year. He did manage an incredible 63 hot dogs and buns in twelve minutes despite his recent jaw injury, but he was bested by American Joey Chestnut (he ate 66). Good for him, I say, but I suspect Kobayashi will be back next year looking to push 70!
This past Sunday I got together with Joe and Ben for an afternoon on the town which led us to see the new Transformers movie. Without descending into a diatribe of poor choices, let me just flatly state that it sucked. Sucked hard, in a way I never could have anticipated. I actually knew it would be poor from the moment I heard the project was a go (just read this post I wrote three years ago) but I had purposely gone in to the theater with low expectations. I figured it would be, at worst, a passive amusement like the latest Die Hard film (which I saw in Florida, and it was OK). Not even close!
Well, it's late and I've got a big day ahead of me. Mako arrives from Japan tomorrow! She's already in Tokyo as of this writing. My brain is a blur with feelings of anticipation with a whisper of anxiety sprinkled on top. It's like every time she comes here I'm convinced this will be the last time I'll see her for some reason! All the tension fades once I see her smiling face though. I can't believe it's been nearly five months - intolerable! Thank goodness we'll never have to endure such a stretch apart ever again.
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