samurai-chan

i'm fairly certain that i was born to explore. i absolutely love it. when i was a little kid i did a book report on thor heyerdahl and the kon-tiki. i came to school to deliver the report dressed up as i thought most nordic adventurers must have. should've known then that i was a lifer. if there were any downside to walking around checking shit out, it would probably be that my back gets sore pretty quickly. clearly not enough to deter.

headed out to motomachi, motomachi desu, and explored for a couple of hours this morning. for y'all's sakes, i took a bunch of pictures of things that i had already seen. also some stuff i hadn't. went to a couple new neighborhoods, saw much cool stuff, and found a bulk honey store! good times indeed. here ya's go:

here we have china town, or at least one entrance of. you can get lots of food on sticks here.

this is a clock made of flowers on flower road. i saw one before in geneva that was also quite sweet.

this was taken in the fountain district.

this really cool building that i always see from the train. tracked it down today.

huge shrine containing multiple smaller shrines. there were all these adorable asian babies running around in there, some in tiny kimono, one in suspenders and a bow tie. i wanted to get a picture with him, but i think my very presence sort of freaked the little guy out. we reached a silent understanding and i moved on.

"cow statue with paper and sticks suspended overhead"

one of the smaller internal shrines.

cool view of flora within the larger external shrine enclosure.

early bird sans worms

so the nap turned into like 15 hours of sleep with minimal disruption. i feel great! i may have simultaneously kicked the lag and the cold. find out for sure later in the day...

never took a whole lot of time to get up early and explore the last time i was here. the rain stopped sometime around 4:30 or so, leaving me with plenty of shine to brighten the morning. to sum up:

-every time i'm able to read something, i start skipping and throw a high five to the nearest unlucky pedestrian. it's awesome.

-the humidity makes it feel more like seasia than the japan i remember. i came across some nondescript scent yesterdayday that combined with the weather to precisely reminded me of singapore.

-i got some sweet breads and coffee for breakfast, actually finding a place that opened at 7:30. it's been my experience that most shops open around 9 or 10. as the cashier moved to transfer my goods from their current plastic tray to a different plastic tray and secure them with wax paper, i calmly informed her that it wouldn't be necessary. i was glad to see i can still maneuver my way out of unneeded protective covers, and subsequently did a little dance while trying to force her into going up top. i even threw in a "let's not waste", hoping to make a lasting impression.

i returned to the computer planning to sit here and watch the flyers game via the slingbox. first game of the season or not, i think i'll get back out on the streets. it's simply too much fun!

view from fishing pier

gorgeous day! definitely can't sit around inside for this one. if it weren't for all you loyal followers, i'd be out there already.

clockwise from bottom left: raisin bun, orange croissant, maple sandie (minus two bites), hotto cohee, onegaishimasu. top notch break-o.

sunjams:

"Sunrise", by Daedelus - Denies The Day's Demise

"Boogie Shoes", by K.C. and the Sunshine Band

"You Are My Sunshine", by Norman Blake

"Who Loves The Sun", by The Velvet Underground - Loaded

"Lève-Toi et Rap", by MC Solaar - Cinquième As

prefecture side

left portland early wednesday with all the clothing and electronics i could carry. as usual, got to the terminal about 1.5 hours ahead of schedule. still haven't lost the phila int'l attitude of arriving at least 2 hours before flight time. i don't think it's ever taken me more than 20 minutes to get through the whole process at pdx.

flights were good. nay, flights were great. i watched two terminators (newest and oldest) and some affleck/crowe combination crime thriller. this weak cold i picked up last weekend caused me to lose a lot of my voice, but hammed it up as best as i could with my neighboring canucks en route to bali. i was almost positive that if i didn't get the voice back, immigration would quarantine me with the quickness. i drank enough water to lube the vocals, and dishonored the "let us know if you're feeling sick so we can quarantine you with the quickness" system. i just don't feel like this cold is putting up enough of a fight to go through that. but anyways....

traveled fairly well plane-wise. emerging onto the catwalk, it occurred to me that i had grossly underestimated the central asian temperature, or at least the humidity percentage. i was dressed smooth in these super heavy gauge denim pants and a t-shirt, which ended up soaking through completely about three separate times during the remainder of the day. felt oddly familiar to be surrounded by strange signs and listen to strange pa announcements while looking like a complete wierdo, all covered in sweat with like four suitcases and trying to figure out the atm.

finished the trip, grabbed a bite, and called it a 26 hour day. i got up fairly early and went for a nice walk. many rains falling today, pretty nice for the scenery. with the onset of my new language skills, i can read everything! well, i can't read kanji, so i guess i can read about 20% of things. still a huge step up. totally forgot that i'm abroad again and need to carry a camera everywhere. i saw some pretty funny shit, but have no way of sharing. sorry.

the bitch about jet lag is that you only get it when you're traveling far away. this means that you're constantly conflicted with whether to explore cool new surroundings or take naps. this afternoon the nap just might win out.

back in business

so last week i was offered a position with a university. quite startling, as this was pretty much completely unsolicited. this new development in the life of lil' mikey carries with it several benefits. to name a few,

1. academia can offer a fair amount ethical and moral gratitude, some things i haven't been able to find elsewhere in my career.

2. while probably only half-time for now, the job is completely remote. as far as i'm concerned, this puts me about half-way to where i want to be. long live the internet, and long live location independence! i'm well on my way to eliminating hair cuts and wearing jammies all day.

3. consulting, while all bready and buttery and such, can use a little support. now i feel a bit less pressured to find a bunch of teaching gigs. speaking english has just become a supplement to my supplemental income.

my immediate future looks a bit different now than it did a couple weeks ago. if the farm in hirakata isn't wifi-enabled, then damn it, i'll have to put wwoofing on hold. to minimize the lapse of internet connectedness, i might just set up some living quarters immediately upon my arrival. this wouldn't be a bad thing, as i'm about ready for a kitchen and a bit of stability. it's been great visiting in the states, but i think that three months is long enough.

there could be a strange addiction to exploring different cultures. there are many things that i miss about japan even though i was only there for a short while. i think i mostly just miss how everything there is different from what i'm used to. it's like everyday you run to the tofu man or the gymnasium or just head out for a three hour walk, it's a completely new adventure. it's convenient being able to walk into a second hand shop in portland and ask for exactly what you need and then have the shop keep understand you, but where's the fun in that? much more entertaining pointing at things and playing charades.


"Pumpin' 4 the Man", by Ween - Pure Guava

"Big Boss Man", by The Grateful Dead - History Of The Grateful Dead Volume 1 - Bear's Choice

"Work", by Gang Starr - Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr

"Dream for Mollie (I)", by Oddjobs - Drums

"Working For Vacation", by Cibo Matto - Stereotype A

wearing jammies in a scholarly manner.

prost!

ate another voodoo doughnut yesterday. i used the "fuck it, who's counting" logic*.

covered yesterday in 10 hours what only last month took me 13 whole days. it was hard work getting out of the rockies, much easier to get back in this time. rather good weather in helena lately, damn close to 90 today. to make the most of it, we rocked the hell out of the helena ridge trail. there's this sweet program in town called "trolley to trail". basically you can head downtown in the morning and load your bike onto this trolley, then get dropped off close to the trail head. pretty sweet!

this was my first time mountain biking, ever. i mean i've ridden mountain bikes before, but never on an actual mountain. pretty much takes an entirely different set of skills than road biking. erik's in the woods killing things, allowing me to ride his newly acquired wheels. very sweet! took a couple quick spills and blasted the shit out of my shins with the pedals. sara at one point was flying through the air, somehow underneath her bike. it was an unbelievable time, and we both came away relatively unscathed. good times indeed here in the 'tan!




in other, completely unrelated news, today marks the start of OKTOBERFEST! so if you're capable, grab a ridiculously large mug of beer, a nice soft pretzel, and pump up these germanic jams:

"Die lustigen Holzhackerbuam", by Sepp Vielhuber & His Original Oktoberfest Brass Band

"Gaudiburschen", by Blaskapelle Herbert Ferstl

"Ziwui, Ziwui", by Das Mondschein-Trio

"Freut euch des Lebens", Franzl Obermeier und seine Blasmusik


*if you're counting, please refrain from counting.

tuesday snoozeday

after wrestling with computer maintenance issues for a while, i decided that maybe a nice picnic was in order. i was in for a lazy one, as i've been cutting back on caffeine intake lately. it feels good. perhaps not quite as good as the high you get after drinking a non-fat venti no-whip double white chocolate mocha supreme (double-cupped with insulator), but still good.

first i headed to the g-spot to pick up some g's, mostly lunch-type items to get me through the rest of the week. backpack fully loaded, i shuffled on to the park. one of the better parts about portland is the never ending supply of park options. i picked a new one today, and it reliably provided for a phenomenal late-morning/early-afternoon. finished mem's of the geish (easily one of the top five books i've read), got mad sun, and took a nice power nap. you know those weird shapes you see when you stare into a bright sky through tightly closed eyelids? the ones that you can never focus on, and craftily shift just ahead of your every eye movement? well, i damn near caught one today. it's only a matter of time, ol' shapesie.

a diamond in the rough. i was all walking around the coop, wondering what the hell to buy when i saw the pastry section. i hadn't had a voodoo doughnut yet, and this gem cost the same as all the little ones! pretty much had me at hello.

enjoying the voodooie sweetness. i actually felt sick about 6/7 of the way through this ol' 'nut, but decided to press on. i used the classic "when's the next time you'll eat a voodoo doughnut" logic. plus i took a hellaride later in the afternoon.

so when i drop some line like "i'm living the dream", "life keeps getting better", or "give me a high five", perceive no jest. rest assured, i mean every word.

now, who wants a high five!? whoo!

desperately seeking solder

you'll have to excuse the lack of musical and philosophical updates, but these last few days have been the worst of my recent life. just joking, they've been the worst ever! no, that was another joke. actually they've been quite good, just a bit quiet...

long ago the headphone jack on this machine started acting up, followed shortly by the microphone jack. i quickly discovered that i could simply jam the sharp end of a pen into one of the holes for a little temporary audio rebirth. this genius strategy treated me quite well for about 4-5 months, until the other day, when i jammed a bit too hard. not sure exactly what happened, but now neither the speakers nor the headphones work. coupled with a lack of ipod capabilities, i've been sitting in silence since saturday.

this morning i decided it was high time to put an end to all this nonsense and break this bad boy wide open. twice dis- and re-assembled to no avail. i've determined that i need some tools that i simply don't have, at least not right away. if i can get my hands on some solder and a tool with which to heat said solder, we could be back in business. meanwhile, for my sake, please don't take your itunes libraries for granted.

thankfully this entertainment shortage will allow me to spend more time in the sunny ol' park. i'm almost finished with one of the better books i've read, and the skin cells are once again alive with solar radiation. additionally, a solution has presented itself which will enable me to once more visit the great state known unto thee as mawntanner. a friend is moving to austin via wisconsin this week, and has agreed to swap a ride to helena for some gas and a place to crash. the return details are fuzzy, but i have a few options in mind. it will be a quick trip, and sadly there is no time to run it back with a bike ride. anyone heading to portland from points east early next week? while i can't promise continuous conversation, i'll put a lot of thought into the things i say. plus i'll bring snacks!


just for a multimedia fix, here's some pictures of a lovely day up at the sauviest of islands:

peach fuzz