Musings
Going Stir-Crazy
Recently I haven't spent any meaningful time outdoors. So last night I left the apartment around 11:30pm, ipod in hand, and took an easy jog around Minatoura to clear my head and decompress. I did this despite the fact that I seem to have dislocated my toe a while back and have been limping like an obachan for several weeks. Come to think of it, something is pinched in my right arm and its lost some mobility (I can raise my arm forward and laterally, but if I try to move it in a circular motion it just KILLS). Actually, things kind of overall ache and hurt, probably because my other muscles have been working overtime to compensate for injuries. My knees, which have always been problematic, aren't doing too well either. These days, each morning begins with an absurd series of acrobatic maneuvers and disjointed ambulations as I try to limp my way out of bed and get body parts moving again. I suspect I would benefit from some combination of the following: a strong massage, a hot onsen, a few drinks, and a good night's sleep.
I fear that if I don't get out of Ikata soon, I may return to Chicago as only a tattered remnant of my former self! (^ _ ^)
Surprisingly, my foot doesn't hurt any worse after jogging then it did before, but my mind feels much clearer this morning.
OSAKA On My Mind...★☆
I had a fantastic time in Osaka. Andy and I arrived there Thursday morning at 6:00am. After an exploratory jaunt around Osaka eki we parked ourselves on curb located near the bus stop and contemplated how it is indeed a sorry state of affairs when coffee shops located near bus stations can not be bothered to open until their doors until 7:30am (positively criminal). I mean, I just don't get it - how does life sustain itself before then?
Our 3 days in Osaka proved to be a whirlwind of activity. I did some of that and realized some of this:
(1) Sometimes you've just got to shake up your routine or else things can become stagnant. As always, travel is the best way for me to do that.
(2) Trent Reznor is sublime.
(3) This, my 7th trip to Osaka, has convinced me that Osaka is a place I need to be in for a while. Maybe after I finish my contract in Ikata?
(4) My experience in Japan wouldn't be as rich without such good friends to share it with...thanks for a fabulous trip, guys!
(5) Whoa, I look completely different with straightened hair. Kind of rock-n-roll in a retro, early '80s, Blondie sort of way. Wierd.
(6) 簡単でいえば: in addition to the usual exploits of shopping and eating our journey took us to the alternative side of Osaka night life as we explored rock concerts, tattoo parlors, and one incredibly cool body-piercing proprietor - er, I mean shop.
(7) After 12 months of fidelity I am ashamed to admit that I cheated while in Osaka. Terrible, I know. Its just that he was so good looking. I loved the feeling of his hands as he stroked my hair and the way he made me feel so beautiful. So PLEASE don't tell Aki - my hairstylist in Ikata - that I am seeing someone else.
日本語を頑張ります
Everyday I make an attempt to learn something - anything - new in Japanese. Progress feels slow and after almost three years in Japan I am bewildered by how there are times when I can communicate effectively and others when I totally lose it. Funny...I can't read a newspaper, understand more than 40% of a movie or sustain extended/abstract conversations. But with my current proficiency I can acquire "adventurous" piercings (I'm not saying anything further), convince the grave-yard shift manager at Lawson's convenience store to give me the L'arc En Ciel concert poster from his window, and hop in a car 25 minutes after taking an overnight highway bus and find a Kendo tournament 5-6 towns away with no previous information AT ALL about where it was going to be held (including even the name of the town!). Effective Japanese deshou?
Recently I haven't spent any meaningful time outdoors. So last night I left the apartment around 11:30pm, ipod in hand, and took an easy jog around Minatoura to clear my head and decompress. I did this despite the fact that I seem to have dislocated my toe a while back and have been limping like an obachan for several weeks. Come to think of it, something is pinched in my right arm and its lost some mobility (I can raise my arm forward and laterally, but if I try to move it in a circular motion it just KILLS). Actually, things kind of overall ache and hurt, probably because my other muscles have been working overtime to compensate for injuries. My knees, which have always been problematic, aren't doing too well either. These days, each morning begins with an absurd series of acrobatic maneuvers and disjointed ambulations as I try to limp my way out of bed and get body parts moving again. I suspect I would benefit from some combination of the following: a strong massage, a hot onsen, a few drinks, and a good night's sleep.
I fear that if I don't get out of Ikata soon, I may return to Chicago as only a tattered remnant of my former self! (^ _ ^)
Surprisingly, my foot doesn't hurt any worse after jogging then it did before, but my mind feels much clearer this morning.
OSAKA On My Mind...★☆
I had a fantastic time in Osaka. Andy and I arrived there Thursday morning at 6:00am. After an exploratory jaunt around Osaka eki we parked ourselves on curb located near the bus stop and contemplated how it is indeed a sorry state of affairs when coffee shops located near bus stations can not be bothered to open until their doors until 7:30am (positively criminal). I mean, I just don't get it - how does life sustain itself before then?
Our 3 days in Osaka proved to be a whirlwind of activity. I did some of that and realized some of this:
(1) Sometimes you've just got to shake up your routine or else things can become stagnant. As always, travel is the best way for me to do that.
(2) Trent Reznor is sublime.
(3) This, my 7th trip to Osaka, has convinced me that Osaka is a place I need to be in for a while. Maybe after I finish my contract in Ikata?
(4) My experience in Japan wouldn't be as rich without such good friends to share it with...thanks for a fabulous trip, guys!
(5) Whoa, I look completely different with straightened hair. Kind of rock-n-roll in a retro, early '80s, Blondie sort of way. Wierd.
(6) 簡単でいえば: in addition to the usual exploits of shopping and eating our journey took us to the alternative side of Osaka night life as we explored rock concerts, tattoo parlors, and one incredibly cool body-piercing proprietor - er, I mean shop.
(7) After 12 months of fidelity I am ashamed to admit that I cheated while in Osaka. Terrible, I know. Its just that he was so good looking. I loved the feeling of his hands as he stroked my hair and the way he made me feel so beautiful. So PLEASE don't tell Aki - my hairstylist in Ikata - that I am seeing someone else.
日本語を頑張ります
Everyday I make an attempt to learn something - anything - new in Japanese. Progress feels slow and after almost three years in Japan I am bewildered by how there are times when I can communicate effectively and others when I totally lose it. Funny...I can't read a newspaper, understand more than 40% of a movie or sustain extended/abstract conversations. But with my current proficiency I can acquire "adventurous" piercings (I'm not saying anything further), convince the grave-yard shift manager at Lawson's convenience store to give me the L'arc En Ciel concert poster from his window, and hop in a car 25 minutes after taking an overnight highway bus and find a Kendo tournament 5-6 towns away with no previous information AT ALL about where it was going to be held (including even the name of the town!). Effective Japanese deshou?
posted by Angie @ 8:26 PM
1 Comments:
At 12:37 PM,
Anonymous said…
Still thinking about going to Osaka? I would looooove to visit there when I visit you in Japan!
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