Don't tell me.
Let me guess.
I bet all of you have been sitting by your mail boxes for the past few weeks in eager anticipation of my next letter.
You've cancelled meetings, delayed chores, missed exciting social events.
All with the hope that the postman will bring a ray of sunshine in the form of a small white envelope from the Land of the Rising Sun.
And what follows?
Nothing.
No letters.
No postcards.
No pictures.
Nothing but bills and big yellow envelopes announcing "You could have just won $3,000,000,000,000.00 from Ed McMahon."
The Howie Fuggs Family were disbelievers too, but they sent in their forms and now they have more money than the Japanese have rice. Let's talk to the Fuggs Family and let them tell you more:
Howie: God Damn, I've been scraping gum off the bottom of bus stop benches fer forty years. I never thought I'd have so much money!
Ed: And what are you going to do with all that cash, Howie?
Howie: What any man in my place would do, Ed. I'm going to finally buy myself that industrial-sized scraper!
Ed: That's it? You're going to buy a large scraper with 3 trillion dollars?
Howie: Hell no. I got my eye on a kick-ass leisure suit from Sears, plan to get my wife some electrolysis and move my family into a home they can be proud of - a top a the line Winnabeggie. And if I got somethin' left after that, I plan to help make this world a better place!
Ed: And how's that Howie? Donating to a wildlife fund, a peace organization, an environmental cause?
Howie: Hell no! I'm going to help put Jim and Tammy back where they belong - on God's Playing Field.
Mrs. Fuggs: Amen.
Ed: ...Someone hand me a hanky.
Mrs. Fuggs: Amen.
But I digress.
To be perfectly honest, I don't feel too bad about not writing (only in the sense of not writing for writing's sake) simply because I've had nothing to respond to. The least any of you could do is drop a brief, "Fuck off, whiner" note in the post. I mean, how sad is it that the last two letters I received were from - strangely enough - Ed McMahon (How did he find me here?) and Visa (How the HELL did they find me here?).
Whoever said, "No news is good news." was full of crap.
As for things here... work has been extraordinarily busy. So, at the end of most days, I retreat to the seclusion of my apartment where I routinely procrastinate, avoiding all the things that might benefit me emotionally, spiritually, physically and/or intellectually. On the job front, I wasn't sure (due to the usual bureaucratic red tape) whether I'd be able to renew my contract for next year, but was told yesterday that it was 99% sure that I could stay another year.
On the travel front, other than some weekends heading up to Hyuga or down to Miyazaki, I hadn't gone anywhere until last weekend when Sam, Eleanor (another JET) and I went to Fukuoka (in the northern part of Kyushu) to see the Ramsey Lewis Trio at a bar there called The Blue Note. The concert was fantastic. Our table was just a few feet from the small stage and being the only westerners (besides the band) we were personally greeted by the trio as they took the stage.
And boy did they take the stage.
The Japanese crowd, although more lively than usual, was still quite subdued for our standards, so our snapping, clapping, swaying and tapping was looked upon with some curiosity. Later, however, the band revealed to us that they were quite happy to see some life in the audience. The concert ended to a standing ovation and the crowd began to pour out as if "Last Call" meant, "Get the hell out of here, before we sever a limb.", until we found ourselves (with less than a handful of others) sipping our drinks and trying to figure out a way to talk to the band. As it turned out, we didn't need a plan after all. The band came to us - or at least, Henry Johnson (rhythm guitar) and Chuck Williams (bass guitar).
Knowing they hailed from Chicago, I thought it would be a nice ice-breaker if I explained that that was where I was from, at which Chuck immediately said, "North Shore, right?" When I replied in the positive, the jazz guitarist with an apparent chip on his shoulder the size of the Sears Tower for my being born on the wrong side of town, soon departed. Henry didn't seem bothered and ended up talking with us until we were kicked out of the Blue Note and then accompanied us to some other watering holes in the neighborhood until he had to call it an evening in order to catch an early flight the next morning.
Really nice man.
Failing to secure bus reservations for our return trip to Miyazaki, Sam called upon her latest beau, Hirada, who drove FIVE hours to come and get us.
Sam better put out for that fellow, or I will.
The trip home was through some of the island's most beautiful scenery. We saw Mt. Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan and one of the largest in the world, the fjords and waterfalls of Kumamoto Ken and stopped at Kumamoto-jo, one of the premier castles in Japan - a spectacular sight with its 49 turrets. And the gardens were incredible. How can one properly describe the traditional Japanese garden?
Harmony.
Serenity.
Meticulously composed.
Sheer perfection.
And to add to the experience, we were there just as the ume (plum) trees were blossoming. In fact, there was a line of photographers perched atop one of the castle walls which overlooked the largest group of trees, many of whom possessed camera equipment that must have cost the same as what a day in that damn Gulf War is costing. After strolling around the gardens, we soon found ourselves among the photographers and although we should have expected it, one of the photographers surprised us by turning his attention away from the magnificent scenery and asking us to go down among the trees for a few posed shots. Being very tired, slightly hungover and envisioning even more horrid images of us on public display, we politely declined, quietly skeedaddled and headed toward home.
______
On the romance front, I haven't heard from Raymond and although I never really expected anything to come from a long distance relationship, there was, until very recently, a modicum of hope that he couldn't live without me. I have tried to fill the gap by taking things a few steps further with Kyoto - when schedules permit - but I don't think this will last too much longer. He made a fatal error - or should I say two - recently. One was mumbling something in his sleep about children - in English! As soon as I heard this, I picked my jaw up from the floor and quickly woke him from his dream with a few well placed slaps, a bucket of cold water and electric shock treatment. I didn't tell him about what I heard and was hoping I misunderstood.
I didn't.
Last weekend, after having a few cocktails and thumbing through his dictionary, Kyoto used the "L" word. The conversation went something like this:
Me: Oyasuminasai. Raishu ni hanashimasho.
(Good night. Let's talk next week.)
Kyoto: Anne. Chotto matte, ne?
(Anne, wait a minute, okay?)
Me: Hai. Nan desu ka?
(Yes. What is it?)
Kyoto: I.....I.....I lub yu.
(I.....I....I love you.)
Me: Nani?
(What the fuck did you just say?)
Kyoto: I....luuuuub....yuuuuuu.
(He repeats very slowly as he lifts me off of the road.)
Me: Nani?!
Kyoto: %#^@%&&#%%*@&@^#!!!!!!!! I lub you!!!!
(%#^@%&&#%%*@&@^#!!!!!!! I love you!!!)
Me: No, you don't.
Kyoto: Hai.
Me: Kyoto... No... YOU DON'T.
Kyoto: Hai. I do!
Me: Kyoto, you don't love me. You can't love me. You barely know me. Hell, Kyoto, we can't even hold a normal conversation!
Kyoto: Nani? Wakarimasen.
(Meaning: I don't understand a word you just said, but I still think I love you.)
... And the level of communication only went downhill from there.
He really is so very sweet. He's also pretty dang good in bed AND we have had a lot of fun together. But the fact is, I don't feel remotely in love with him and think it's best I step away while he's still busy thumbing through his dictionary trying to translate our last conversation. I really don't want to hurt him anymore than I'm already going to by breaking things off now.
Damn my bewitching charm.
Seriously though, this sucks.
I hate to lose his friendship.
I guess I should have thought of that before I slept with him.
All I Can Say Is...
- I've watched and listened with both horror and amusement to some of the popular bands in the Japanese pop music culture. I've concluded that most are utterly talentless, clueless and tasteless, insipidly superficial and chockablock with brainless bimbos. These nitwitted ninnies (the majority of which are girl bands) take the stage and sing with voices which bring to mind the strange mating calls of the Australian wombat I once saw during the nature documentary, "Orgy in the Outback". Add this lack of musical talent to dance routines which regularly resemble Howdy Doody (with a couple of broken strings), and I find myself feeling more than slightly nauseated, as well as, thoroughly offended. All I can say is... if the music world depended on "talent" such as this, the Bay City Rollers would now be buried in Graceland.
- I've been feeling a little put off by the pressure some people have been giving me about my current level of Japanese. It's ironic really. Most people here study English for a minimum of seven years and can't speak more than a handful of words. Yet I've been here only seven months and although I'm no linguist, I'm able to get by. This, however, is not enough for many people and I've found they expect one of two things: either you're fluent, or brain dead. All I can say is... this attitude has really motivated me to expand my Japanese %$*&#%@#! vocabulary.
- The other day there was a knock on my door. I answered it to find two gentleman, representatives of the Japanese Postal Service, looking incredibly apologetic as they handed me the remains of what once appeared to be an envelope from the States. Even though the plastic bag containing the shredded remnants clearly and officially indicated that the damage had been done back in the U.S., the postal workers before me were prepared to take full responsibility. Both men offered a rapid and heart-wrenching series of "Gomen nasai" (apologies) for this unpardonable postal catastrophe, as well as a number of gifts, including a handkerchief and a kitchen towel. I had the distinct impression that they'd be willing to do anything I asked of them to make up for it. All I can say is... where were they when I totaled my Mom's Audi.
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