飲むなら乗るな、乗るなら飲むな
I just woke up at 8:15. This is the latest I've slept in a long time.
Though I'm torn over whether or not to post this in zatsubutsu or here, I think I might give that one a rest for a little while before I start updating it again. It's meant to be a travel journal, and I'll use it again when I go visit everyone this winter (because I AM GOING regardless of obstacles) but for right now we'll show jinjojess some love.
So anyway, I just woke up out of a simultaneously wonderful and terrible dream. Wonderful because in it, I get to go back to Soka, even though it's a weird, dream version, and terrible because it's not turning out how I'd like it to (which is a not-so-secret fear of mine concerning going back...you know, because you can never really go back).
It starts off with me getting to Sunflower, which is sitting atop this high mountain for some reason...despite that Hachioji is basically composed of steep hills and mountains might have something to do with it, but the dorm itself is actually at one of the lowest points. Anyway, when I climb up the long road and reach the dorm, it's early in the morning and the only person around when I get there is my beloved Kayo. This is perfectly fine though, and the two of us go to the "lounge" to watch a movie and reminisce. The reason I put that in quotes is because, due to a mental filing error, the scene is not set in Sunflower's actual lounge, but rather in the family room of my parents' house (the one downstairs with the TV and the Wii). There are a couple of reasons I think my mind did this: first, I've been basically living in that room thanks to it containing the only computer connected to the internet that I don't need permission to use, and second, when describing my house for someone once (it quite possibly had been Kayo), I compared the house to the dorm and said the family den was sort of like the lounge area. This isn't important, but I have a feeling that I'll enjoy reading it later, so bear with me.
Yeah, so Kayo and I are hanging out, watching TV, and despite that it's early in the morning, the sunlight is severely weak and it's making the room look like it's dusk, which is something that depresses me greatly. Kayo's being really distant and strange, too, shrugging off my affections and ignoring me when I tell her that for the past however many months all I've wanted was one of her patented hugs. She's not completely unresponsive though, and takes my hand silently while we watch the film, which leads me to think that she's just overcome with emotion and doesn't like the fact that this is temporary any more than I do.
Soon other people start coming back in, including Yumi, who I knew was there because we were on the same plane over (note: this wouldn't happen unless she was coming from home, as flights to Japan from Philly do sometimes stop at O'Hare, they never stop at LAX). After her Yuukorin comes in and has an appropriately excited and happy response the likes of which I'd expect in real life. She jumps up and down and hugs me and asks when I got in and such before heading over to do the same with Yumi. Behind her comes Linh, who says she's so happy I finally made it out. I ask her what she's doing there and she says that she's getting her weekly shopping done.
Now, whereas in dream terms this makes perfect sense--Linh's weekly trips to grocery stores were as reliable as Tokyo's public transit--if you stop and think about the implications of this, it's mind-blowing. In a weird moment, I did pause to consider the possibility of being able to visit Tokyo from Delaware on a weekly basis, to see if I could manage it too (in this universe, money is no object apparently); you can't. In no way is it feasible to do this. I remember thinking to myself that if Sunflower was two hours away, or five hours away, I'd drive it every week. Hell, if it were in California and six hours by plane you could conceivably do it, since you gain three hours on the way out...just go Friday afternoon and come back Sunday afternoon.
But Japan is impossible. First of all, the direct flight from the east coast is 14 hours alone, not including the 2-3 it'll take to drive/ride the train to JFK or Dulles. And if you're flying out of PHL, the layover could be as long as five hours (as Linh and I found out last September)...maybe more. Then there's the fact that Narita is not in central Tokyo--it's not in Tokyo at all, even. It's in Chiba, the easternmost bit of Chiba too, which means you have a wonderful four hour trek ahead of you on trains just to get to Hachioji (if you want to shill out more you can take the NEX and not transfer, but it's hardly worth it in my opinion, and I know Linh would feel the same). Then, you could do your shopping in Ekimae, but there's no point in coming all the way to Hachioji if you're not going to visit everyone, so there's another half hour bus ride right there. Then, when it's all said and done, you have to go back.
While trying to wrap my head around this, a few more people came in, the only one I remember being Kaki, who doesn't live in Sunflower. I decided to take a walk around my beloved Tangi-cho to clear my mind, and somehow it had actually become dusk outside. I wandered up and down the mountain, finally at the bottom resolving to ride back up in the elevator (?) built into the side of the mountain (???). I'm fairly confident that it's a leftover set-piece from another dream I had where I was running around in a really tall business high rise that had an elevator that went to the roof (it was very swanky) and then me and some fictional Japanese friends had a battle with the evil corporate guys there in the rain. Or something. It's hazy.
Anyway, there are some weird characters in the elevator with me, and Yumi, who had come along with me, got off further down to stop at Family Mart (at least that's accurate to life). I ended up getting off a stop or two early just to escape this pushy woman who kept asking me questions and realizing that I didn't feel like going all the way up the path again. Heading back to the elevator, I ran into a bunch of random people I know but can't remember who, being led by Yoshi, who also had no business still being there. I asked her what was up with that and she informed me that she had entered some sort of program at SouDai for aspiring mangaka.
I then got depressed because it seemed my other friends could easily travel to and from Hachioji at will, and very slowly woke up.
So being with Matt this week is turning out to be pretty fun. I think it's because he's gone most of the day so we're not suffering from seeing each other too much. However, I do want to get a call back from work, since as much as I love sitting around and doing nothing, I want to do it with the peace of mind that soon I'll have income. It's weird, because I worked at Lieb's right up until the week before I left for Japan, so it's been awhile since I've been jobless and at my parents'. It feels somewhat similar to the summer after freshman year of high school, when I had the house to myself everyday and all I did was dick around on the internet and listen to music while swinging on the swing set in the backyard.
However, back then I didn't have bills to pay and hadn't just been uprooted from someplace I absolutely loved, so despite that I had no car to go anywhere I wasn't too bothered. I just want to be able to relax, Christ. I haven't really been able to since I got back.
Meg keeps sending me hilarious texts about this cute baby Japanese girl that belongs to one of her classmates. Glad to know that our transcontinental positioning won't affect our amusing correspondence. Bless techno-gadgets.
Moving into the apartment this weekend, going to sign the lease tomorrow. Good times. Last night Matt and I made some steaks for dinner, cutting them up and sauteing them with veggies and rice. Maybe I'll make チャーハン this week. Just gotta make sure we have eggs.
生麦、生米、生卵
Though it'd be a bit weird to put mugi in chaahan...
Tonikaku, watched Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium and Pineapple Express for the first time last night. The former made me nostalgic for my childhood and also made me want to visit a toy store (plus if that little kid is allowed to have all sorts of fun hats, why can't I?), while the latter made me miss college. Not because of the smoking, but because it seems like exactly something we'd all watch together in Chip and Greg's apartment, or Matt's apartment, or someone's room.
Poor Linh is losing her two best friends this year to Soka, and is dealing with some other fun stuff like family problems and responsibility of helping her brilliant but sort of selfish younger brother through college, so I want to invite her over to watch some scary movies. It's been awhile since I've seen any and I'm jonesin'.
Also! Sleepover with Leslie this week! :D
I'm now hungry. So I think I'll get some breakfast.
Though I'm torn over whether or not to post this in zatsubutsu or here, I think I might give that one a rest for a little while before I start updating it again. It's meant to be a travel journal, and I'll use it again when I go visit everyone this winter (because I AM GOING regardless of obstacles) but for right now we'll show jinjojess some love.
So anyway, I just woke up out of a simultaneously wonderful and terrible dream. Wonderful because in it, I get to go back to Soka, even though it's a weird, dream version, and terrible because it's not turning out how I'd like it to (which is a not-so-secret fear of mine concerning going back...you know, because you can never really go back).
It starts off with me getting to Sunflower, which is sitting atop this high mountain for some reason...despite that Hachioji is basically composed of steep hills and mountains might have something to do with it, but the dorm itself is actually at one of the lowest points. Anyway, when I climb up the long road and reach the dorm, it's early in the morning and the only person around when I get there is my beloved Kayo. This is perfectly fine though, and the two of us go to the "lounge" to watch a movie and reminisce. The reason I put that in quotes is because, due to a mental filing error, the scene is not set in Sunflower's actual lounge, but rather in the family room of my parents' house (the one downstairs with the TV and the Wii). There are a couple of reasons I think my mind did this: first, I've been basically living in that room thanks to it containing the only computer connected to the internet that I don't need permission to use, and second, when describing my house for someone once (it quite possibly had been Kayo), I compared the house to the dorm and said the family den was sort of like the lounge area. This isn't important, but I have a feeling that I'll enjoy reading it later, so bear with me.
Yeah, so Kayo and I are hanging out, watching TV, and despite that it's early in the morning, the sunlight is severely weak and it's making the room look like it's dusk, which is something that depresses me greatly. Kayo's being really distant and strange, too, shrugging off my affections and ignoring me when I tell her that for the past however many months all I've wanted was one of her patented hugs. She's not completely unresponsive though, and takes my hand silently while we watch the film, which leads me to think that she's just overcome with emotion and doesn't like the fact that this is temporary any more than I do.
Soon other people start coming back in, including Yumi, who I knew was there because we were on the same plane over (note: this wouldn't happen unless she was coming from home, as flights to Japan from Philly do sometimes stop at O'Hare, they never stop at LAX). After her Yuukorin comes in and has an appropriately excited and happy response the likes of which I'd expect in real life. She jumps up and down and hugs me and asks when I got in and such before heading over to do the same with Yumi. Behind her comes Linh, who says she's so happy I finally made it out. I ask her what she's doing there and she says that she's getting her weekly shopping done.
Now, whereas in dream terms this makes perfect sense--Linh's weekly trips to grocery stores were as reliable as Tokyo's public transit--if you stop and think about the implications of this, it's mind-blowing. In a weird moment, I did pause to consider the possibility of being able to visit Tokyo from Delaware on a weekly basis, to see if I could manage it too (in this universe, money is no object apparently); you can't. In no way is it feasible to do this. I remember thinking to myself that if Sunflower was two hours away, or five hours away, I'd drive it every week. Hell, if it were in California and six hours by plane you could conceivably do it, since you gain three hours on the way out...just go Friday afternoon and come back Sunday afternoon.
But Japan is impossible. First of all, the direct flight from the east coast is 14 hours alone, not including the 2-3 it'll take to drive/ride the train to JFK or Dulles. And if you're flying out of PHL, the layover could be as long as five hours (as Linh and I found out last September)...maybe more. Then there's the fact that Narita is not in central Tokyo--it's not in Tokyo at all, even. It's in Chiba, the easternmost bit of Chiba too, which means you have a wonderful four hour trek ahead of you on trains just to get to Hachioji (if you want to shill out more you can take the NEX and not transfer, but it's hardly worth it in my opinion, and I know Linh would feel the same). Then, you could do your shopping in Ekimae, but there's no point in coming all the way to Hachioji if you're not going to visit everyone, so there's another half hour bus ride right there. Then, when it's all said and done, you have to go back.
While trying to wrap my head around this, a few more people came in, the only one I remember being Kaki, who doesn't live in Sunflower. I decided to take a walk around my beloved Tangi-cho to clear my mind, and somehow it had actually become dusk outside. I wandered up and down the mountain, finally at the bottom resolving to ride back up in the elevator (?) built into the side of the mountain (???). I'm fairly confident that it's a leftover set-piece from another dream I had where I was running around in a really tall business high rise that had an elevator that went to the roof (it was very swanky) and then me and some fictional Japanese friends had a battle with the evil corporate guys there in the rain. Or something. It's hazy.
Anyway, there are some weird characters in the elevator with me, and Yumi, who had come along with me, got off further down to stop at Family Mart (at least that's accurate to life). I ended up getting off a stop or two early just to escape this pushy woman who kept asking me questions and realizing that I didn't feel like going all the way up the path again. Heading back to the elevator, I ran into a bunch of random people I know but can't remember who, being led by Yoshi, who also had no business still being there. I asked her what was up with that and she informed me that she had entered some sort of program at SouDai for aspiring mangaka.
I then got depressed because it seemed my other friends could easily travel to and from Hachioji at will, and very slowly woke up.
So being with Matt this week is turning out to be pretty fun. I think it's because he's gone most of the day so we're not suffering from seeing each other too much. However, I do want to get a call back from work, since as much as I love sitting around and doing nothing, I want to do it with the peace of mind that soon I'll have income. It's weird, because I worked at Lieb's right up until the week before I left for Japan, so it's been awhile since I've been jobless and at my parents'. It feels somewhat similar to the summer after freshman year of high school, when I had the house to myself everyday and all I did was dick around on the internet and listen to music while swinging on the swing set in the backyard.
However, back then I didn't have bills to pay and hadn't just been uprooted from someplace I absolutely loved, so despite that I had no car to go anywhere I wasn't too bothered. I just want to be able to relax, Christ. I haven't really been able to since I got back.
Meg keeps sending me hilarious texts about this cute baby Japanese girl that belongs to one of her classmates. Glad to know that our transcontinental positioning won't affect our amusing correspondence. Bless techno-gadgets.
Moving into the apartment this weekend, going to sign the lease tomorrow. Good times. Last night Matt and I made some steaks for dinner, cutting them up and sauteing them with veggies and rice. Maybe I'll make チャーハン this week. Just gotta make sure we have eggs.
生麦、生米、生卵
Though it'd be a bit weird to put mugi in chaahan...
Tonikaku, watched Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium and Pineapple Express for the first time last night. The former made me nostalgic for my childhood and also made me want to visit a toy store (plus if that little kid is allowed to have all sorts of fun hats, why can't I?), while the latter made me miss college. Not because of the smoking, but because it seems like exactly something we'd all watch together in Chip and Greg's apartment, or Matt's apartment, or someone's room.
Poor Linh is losing her two best friends this year to Soka, and is dealing with some other fun stuff like family problems and responsibility of helping her brilliant but sort of selfish younger brother through college, so I want to invite her over to watch some scary movies. It's been awhile since I've seen any and I'm jonesin'.
Also! Sleepover with Leslie this week! :D
I'm now hungry. So I think I'll get some breakfast.