Sunday March 22, 1998: 11:20pm
Well I guess I'll just jot down a couple of things while I'm waiting for Alex to get here. I'm at the Narita airport, in the JR train station. He's supposed to find his way here, because as long as I stay in the station I don't have to pay the trai n fare!! Hahaha. But if he doesn't show up after awhile, I'll go looking for him...
Anyway, I'm tired. I tried to get to sleep early last night, but Hirabayashi-san called at midnight to tell me they'd found this bug and they don't know if it's mine or not, but could I possibly make it in on Monday? Jeez, I was supposed to have Mo n/Tues/Wednes off to take Alex around, and I told him that a long time ago. Actualy he really wanted me to come in today, and even after I told him I couldn't because I had to go to the airport (a trip totalling some 6 hours), he still tried to convince me!! And coming in on Monday wouldn't bother me so much if (1) the bug were really mine, and (2) it were an emergency bug. BUt I'm 99% positive it's not my bug! And from the description of it, it's definitely not an emergency. Hence, I'm not so happy with this! Mot to mention that it ruins my 5 day holiday, like, I would really like a nice holiday where I don't have to go into work! Sheesh, enough complaining already!
No wait I'm not done complaining yet! It is raining! It has been sunny (albeight freakin' windy) for the last 2 weeks or something, and as soon as I get a visitor... rain. No fair! It's as though I'm doomed to tour Tokyo in the rain!!
Well it's about noon now so if all works as planned, Alex should be here soon!
9pm
Woo, am I stuffed! But I'll get to that later. Back at the airport... I waited and waited. Saw some people from Alex's flight go by and began to worry... just when I thought I'd have to abandon my plan of staying in the station, he showed up! Coo l! Looking a bit confused... but *whew* I was so glad he made it! So I coached him over the barrier on how to buy a ticket, and we're off! I thought we should drop by Harajuku on the way home if he wasn't too tired, because Sunday is such a neat-o day in Harajuku and this is his only Sunday here. So he said sure, and there we went. On the way we caught up on the last 2-some years - he's in film at Colorado University, and the program sounds really great. He wants to be a director! And he promised t hat if he ever gets to the Oscars, he'll bring me along! Cool.
ok ok so Harajuku was great, as usual. We saw the black leather jacket dudes there, but they weren't dancing anymore, I think they were finished. But there were puh-lenty of strangely dressed/hair-cutted people! Woo.
And we also went to the Oriental Bazaar, where we wandered around. Alex made his first purchases. Then we went back to Tokyo Station to pick up his bags, then back to Hino - I'm amazed he lasted so long! Ooo, and now the reason why I am stuffed...
he brought CANDY, and I mean more candy than I've ever seen at once out of a candy store! OhmyGod! Jelly worms, gummi bears, jelly bellies, swedish berries, apple rings.. you name it!! Wow wow wow!!! I'm in heaven.
Monday March 23, 1998: midnight
I'm sooo tired, ooof. Didn't sleep well at all last night. Got up at 7 or so, and cooked up some pancakes for breaky, yummm. Then after we'd half-recovered, the run. Ooo, NOT a good idea, running after pancakes... that didn't feel good! Oh well now I know. And Alex ran with me, so that was cool. He's been running almost everyday, so he made it the whole way. Purdy darn good, if ya ask me. Then when I got back, I speedily got ready to go into work - talk about late! I think I ended up gettin g there at 10:30 or so! Still, most people weren't there yet! Hidaka-san is really sick actually and probably won't be in all this week - woah. So I started at this "emergency bug" right away, seeing as it was the reason I came in today. And sure enou gh... not mine. Argh! Next bug, not mine. Next, not mine. As a matter of fact, I spent the whole work day determining that bugs weren't mine! What a waste of time. Well, I left at 6 or so, so pretty early. Alex dropped by work for a few minutes bef ore we left to go to Kichijoji. We went to the McD's to wait for Wakako-chan and friend. We waited, and waited, and waited.. half an hour passed but no Wakako. And just as we were about to give up, she appears from inside the McDs and that's when I rem ember that we'd - uh - agreed to meet on the second floor! Duh Alexa, duh!! Sometimes, I'm just too forgetfull. Ok, so we hang around the McD's for ab it while Nori-chan (Wakako-chan's friend) finished off her fries. Nori and Wakako used to work at th e same office, and they both recently quit.. Actually, Nori is going to Victoria in April for 3 months to go to a homestay. Cool.
So we decided to go to a tempura place for dinner, 'cuz I thought Alex would like tempura. We found a place in the basement of the Kichijoji Station, and it even had vegetable tempura!! Wow, so I could have some too. What a bonus. We ate, ate, at e... yummy stuff. Alex had the set tempura meal, which is your general tempura dish. He managed the chopsticks quite well!! And at 9, when we finished our meal, we decided to go to... karaoke! Yeeah! And we ended up going to the same place I'd gone t o last weekend with Simon et al. I think Alex really enjoyed that! Since he's the singer in his band, he's purdy good too. The other gals thought that 'Cantaloop' was soooo cool when he sang it, it was hilarious! Oh and another girl, Yuki-chan from Wa kako-chan's old office, joined us for a bit. And then, back to Hino on the train with this drunk man who was certainly having a ball trying to talk to Alex in Japanese!
Anyway, Alex has passed out on the bed, I think he's a bit tired! Today he wandered around Hino for awhile - quite awhile. As for me, I have no legit reason to be tired, but I think I could sleep for hours...
Tuesday March 24, 1998: 7:30pm
Ewkay... once again, the Yasukuni Jinja, Imperial Palace, and Ginza day. Dude, this day really kills me! We started out pretty late, at Yasukuni Jinja. From there we walked through Kitanomaru Keon, where they'd just had the university graduation c eremony for, well, a LOT of students, so we got to see them all totally celebrating. All the girls were dressed in really really nice kimonos, that was neat.
We went to the art gallery, and then to the East Palace Gardens where we ate our packed lunch and wandered. Then, to Ginza... then to the Kabuki-za for 4:30. There we met Wakako-chan and Nori-chan to go to a kabuki play. This time (as opposed to t he time I went with Jon) we got the one act tickets, which are significantly cheaper, at Y1000 ($12). As it turns out, you coundn't have PAID me to stay for more than one act! I don't know why, but today's show was just not nearly as interesting as the one I saw in September. I didn't understand a *thing*. And since we got the cheap ticket. We didn't get a pamphlet explaining the plot, and we couldn't rent the English explanation... Anyway at least we got to sit! It lasted 2 hours. Once it finished , Wakako explained the story-line to me, and now it all makes sense, but at the time...
Yeaha and now we're heading home. I want to make some phone calls. It's Mom's birthday today, and before I phone her, I want to call the hotel she asked me to phone last week.. uh... Ok, so that's it for now..
Wednesday March 25, 1998: 9:45pm
First big news of the day is that ALL THAT CANDY is GONE! Gone!! We ate all of it! I cannot believe it. And not only the candy, but the chocolate graham crackers and cereal too! That is absolutely amazing.
OK, so today we got up nice n' late, and went for a run - this time *before* breaky. Much much better! And it was kinda warm in the morning, and by the time we left Hino at noon or so, it was warm enough to leave my jacket at home. A decision I am now wondering about how smart, as I'm sitting at the Higashi Koganei Station waiting for a train...
Anyway today we did Asakusa, Kappabashi dori, and Alex headed to Akihabara (Electric town) while I went to my calligraphy lesson. I would've taken him along, but this is the first lesson since Sensei got back from the hospital and I knew she'd be ve ry very busy with all the students and stuff. I hadn't had a lesson in almost 2 months!! I'm still working on "kotobuki", and my first attempt was just miserable. I couldn't get anything right at all. But, it got better. And Sensei got me a chop made !! Like, one of those stone stamps you sign your calligraphy works with! It is soooo cool. Her friend makes them as a hobby, so she asked him to make mine, and I love it! It's "Sharp" [ed note: my last name], which isn't usually what I sign (I usuall y do Alexa - well, A-re-kusa) and it's in some really old writing, woweee. So I stamped my best work tonight with it. Funky.
Oh tonight I tried salted plums at Sensei's, or ume boshi. They were in-ter-es-ting! Verrrry salty! And then I also tried the sweet version of ume boshi, which is dipped in honey instead of salt, and that was tasty. Sensei was super-surprised tha t I liked them...
Now I wonder if Alex has made it home from Akihabara OK. The train transfer isn't difficult, but he's not too quick with finding his way around I think. Then again, I think I underestimate his sense of direction. And, maybe not - anyway blah I got
ta go to work tomorrow! Hahah,, it's about time after 2 days off. Oh! And we checked Alex's ticket this morning, and he doesn't leave until Sunday! We thought it was Friday! So he's got an extra day here, which is cool. Of course, I can't spare Satu
rday to tour around with him (either work, or work term report - yuck!) but he can still do some fun stuff... I guess!! Har dee har har. K, Hino's next stop.
Thurday March 26, 1998:
So today was work. Got up nice n' early to run. Came back and Alex had cooked himself scrambled eggs with sweet potato, tabasco sauce, pizza sauce, and ketchup for breakfast! Yuck!! So then I left the disaster-area kitchen to go to work. There w as this huge stack of bugs on my desk. I don't think I fixed any of them during the day though - I worked on something else. And tonight I had a meeting with Hirabayashi-san and Mori-san to go over how I make all my calculations and stuff, and after a l ot of explaining, they came to the conclusion that my algorithms were right, and so that's SO COOL! What a relief for me! And then the stack of bugs I started with this morning dwindled to one or two, without me having to touch 'em. That's cool too.
So I got home just a couple of minutes ago. Alex informed me that there was no gas... awwwwmaaan. If I have to take cold showers again, I will not be happy!!
Now, we're just hangin' around. Jason and Satsuki should be getting here soon. Jason is leaving Japan!! Tomorrow! For good! I don't believe it. Wel, he's going to China for a month - but him leaving (and Martin and Huayue leave tomorrow too) ma
kes it seem like I'll be leaving soon. Scary thought!
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