Since coming back to school a month ago, I've realized I haven't done a post that updates about things that are actually happening as opposed to things that have happened, things I want to happen, things that have happened on the internet, and things that happen in my crazy brain. However, I don't really have the time or the willpower to do an extensive update over the course of the last 30+ days, so instead I've decided to give tasty, bite-sized tidbits of stories and happenings since January.
Also, I'm hungry. I thought about using an image of White Castle burgers, but despite the fact I lived in New York for 20+ years, I've never actually had one. I have, however, seen Harold and Kumar more times than I can count.
I guess I can start with the most recent.
After drinks and Simpsons episodes on Friday, I headed out for a sukiyaki party on Saturday night, which was a lot of fun. I haven't had sukiyaki since I left the Japan the first time more than 5 years ago (Japanese beef is notoriously expensive and you generally use higher grade stuff in sukiyaki) and it was great to have it again: raw egg and all.
Adam brought his guitar and lead an acoustic version of Cee-lo Green's "Fuck You," a part of which I caught on video:
Of course, drinks were passed around and one person had a few more than most. After all the beer, wine, vodka, and even the carbonated nigori I brought was gone, Haitham busted out a bottle of cheap Japanese whiskey, which Wilson summarily inspected. It said it was peat-less which makes NO sense if you're going to talk about whiskey/scotch since peaty scotches are the BEST. We also had a conversation in our textbook this week where Aoki-sensei takes a swig of good scotch and then mentions his love of bourbon. He'd better save that enthusiasm for Aoki-kai on Friday (though I'll only believe he's actually coming out for drinks with us when he's sitting in an izakaya with a beer in his hand).
Anyway, this discussion of peat triggered something in Wilson's head and brought us to this very enlightening discussion:
I'll leave this up so long as our Silver-Tongued Orator has no objections.
His adventures continued even after the party, but you'll have to ask him for that story.
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I finally got the haircut I've been bitching about needing for so long, and though now it's grown in a bit and I've gotten a bit more used to it, I really was hating on it for a good week or so. It's funny because no one could really see the difference, but I could literally feel it because the stylist cut out a lot of my hair. Granted, I did ask her to make it lighter and apparently haven't learned how quick to the scissors Japanese stylists can be when they start giving you layers. But more than that, my problem with what Japanese hairstylists do is very much tied into the skin whitening products, the dye jobs, and plastic surgery so prevalent in not just Japanese culture, but around Asia: that is, the desire to be white/Western.
Such an idea is very much keeping with the ideal of beauty as completely unattainable because as Michael Jackson proved so demonstratively, no matter how many millions of dollars you use, you will never be of a different race. It's ridiculous and offensive to think that you can be. The purpose of all the layering and razors involved in a Japanese haircut is to give you the baby fine texture of Caucasian hair; I can feel a difference in the texture of my hair and I had some white girl hair to begin with. The stylist did her best to cut the volume out of my hair, but clearly this is my hair because it's just as stubborn as I am. The volume is still there to some degree at least and it's growing back in. I've finally gotten to the point where I like my big hair. I love my big hair, in fact. I just don't like the idea that anyone thinks I should have white girl hair. No one is ever going to accept me as white and I don't want them to.
I'll stop talking about my hair now. It'll grow back in and I'll just have to find somewhere else to go.
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The quest for cheap karaoke continues. We found an Uta Hiroba (a cheaper karaoke chain) out near Kannai Station (I got all turned around trying to find it though... my instincts from the States haven't translated well here). I also came upon a super cheap place near Yokohama Station after a night out with Japanese friends. It's super super ghetto, but that's just the way I like it. I hope to go back soon.
It's also my mission in life to add more songs to my karaoke repertoire, and to my surprise, I've been adding a fair number of female artists. I generally used to sing male parts because my singing voice is of a lower register, and also because I just listen to male artists. I feel like less of a traitor to feminism now that I can boast lady singers as well.
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Individually sized bottles of Franzia: perfect for walking to your next karaoke destination. I'm never going to get used to the no-open-containers-of-alcohol law back at home.
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Unfortunately for me, our outing to the Nichome district in Shinjuku was canceled due to snow (AND I NEVER GOT A SNOW DAY FROM SCHOOL FOR THIS EITHER, harumph), so my night out dancing will have to wait for another day. It's getting bad: I'll start grooving out in the hall if I have my headphones on, and I've been caught once already. At least it was by a fellow student and not a sensei...
Do you love me now that I can dance?
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4 words (3 if you don't count hyphen compounds): 500-yen sushi teishoku (lunch set).
9 words (5 if you don't count hyphen compounds): 1000-yen all-you-can-eat Indian curry buffet
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My streak in beer pong (or water pong in my case since I don't drink beer) was broken about a month ago. I lost fucking 3 games in a row. Embarrassing. Oh well.
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Saw Asami, Yukine and Kanata in Japan!! I hadn't seen the kids in 6 months... they're huge. I'm going to end up measuring my life by them; when they graduate from high school and go to college, I'm going to feel really old, but I bet Brittain will feel older.
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Fried shrimp Mos Burger? Actually, kind of good.
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Number of senseis I've had drinks with: hopefully 3 by the end of this Friday as a result of the aforementioned Aoki-kai. I'm including Kato-sensei from last year when he agreed to do nomikai with us after classes ended, and then all the times he got himself drunk at his own house. I miss that man and his epic facial hair.
Rumor has it Aoki busts out of his socially awkward shell after a couple of drinks, and also wants to speak English. We'll have to see if this is true. It is the freakiest thing when you hear a sensei speak English.
Needless to say, I also plan on bringing my camera, just in case.
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On top of all the other things I constantly want to eat, I find myself now craving taiyakis:
They are a fish-shaped pastry served most often with red bean paste in the middle, but you can get taiyakis in any number of flavors. We had "saku saku choko" (crunky chocolate) a little while back and I want another one.
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Still doing Kinchinto Kinyobi (as opposed to "Casual Friday," we try to not dress like slovenly grad students for a day), though the gusto and competitiveness the day once had seems to be gone. Ah well, it still produced this awesome picture (thanks Haitham!):
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Finally saw Moonstruck. Enjoyable fluff, not the greatest movie ever made, but this sums up my feelings on Cher:
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Though I'm sure to fail, I'm gunning for the top level of Japanese on the Japanese Proficiency Exam in July. Wish me luck... I'm gonna need it.
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3 weeks, 3 days until spring break!!! Not that I'm counting. Also, 3 weeks, 2 days until St. Patty's!
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That's all I've got time for. There isn't a whole lot to tell in terms of narrative; just a bunch of little amusing things that are perhaps only amusing to me and only make sense with a lot of context. I'll be sure to post (for better or for worse) about Aoki-kai on Friday.
Corgi says, "BAAAAAAIIII!!!!!"
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