Live Free or Die

Being in Japan for extended periods of time does something to a person. It tames you and makes you civilized and proper. It is quite difficult to keep living here without following, to some extent, the bounty of social rules, lest you get stared at, glared at, ostracized and eventually lonely. It’s not a bad thing. From this, I’ve learned to tone it down a notch, to think of others first, to do things more carefully, to have better ettiquete. But sometimes, you just wanna relax. You wanna laugh on the bus in a big voice. You wanna chop it up with the flight attendant on your plane. You wanna dance with that cute stranger over there. You wanna be the way you wanna be. Oh America. Yes, it’s dirty, you gotta drive, and you can get your bag stolen at the bar…but it really is the land of the free.

Fireworks in Summer Skies

Just before I left for SFC I saw summa summa this action around Lake Biwa in Shiga. We got on a crowded train and became one in the hordes of people, laid down a plastic mat on the grass and waited. Drank canned beer munched on snacks and waited. The sky grew pink and everything grew dimmer, and we laid down and waited and waited some more then KABOOOM!

Summer TIdbits

Here are some items to help you get through this summer heat:

1. Sunglass visor. Add extra power and flair to your sunglasses for a mere 100 yen! Stop by Eirin, the wonderful bicycle shop that just opened up at the Martina Hingis on Marutamachi x Kawaramachi.

2. Bubblicious gum. I hear from my Japanese bredren that chewing increases stimulation of the brain. Artificial grape sweetness, bubble blowing fun, and smartness in a compact little cube. The package has a secret flap which reveals bubble tricks you never knew about. Whattaya know- these are also 100 yen.

3. Big Ship. Here's some reggae lovin' to keep you sane in this humidity. This album kills me every time. Freddie Mcgregor's voice is so sweet it makes everything OK.

3 great little tidbits. But the ultimate solution is to get out! Let's hit the beach, drive to the mountains or...get on a plane!

I'm off to San Francisco City! Stay cool y'all!

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

There was once an episode of This American Life about people who had these long-standing beliefs that were, as it turns out, complete untruths. Like this one girl thought that unicorns were once real living creatures that had become extinct. Until one fateful night standing around the keg in college, the mention of the unicorn being an extinct animal brought dead silence to the group. Or this other woman who read XING as in DUCK XING as “exing” instead of “crossing”
It was this kind of collision with reality I had when I went to get a re-entry permit the same day I was to fly to Hawaii. Hawaii. Tropical white sandy surfing volcano macadamian nut meet my friend coming in from Amsterdam Hawaii.

Upon asking for my reentry permit stamp, I was informed that my visa to stay in the country had expired. What? No. It says right here, on my Foreigner’s Registration Card that I’m good til 2012. Look. See. Right here. I’m afraid Miss, that this card has nothing to do with your visa.

Dun dun dun.

As our wise friend Mr. Ice Cube once said: chickity-check yo self before you wriggety-wreck yo self. (and others, i might add)