Australia Day 2008!

Here is the epic punk anthem I wrote to celebrate Australia Day 2008!
It is called "Fuck You, We're Australians!" and it contains a portion of "Advance Australia Fair", the national anthem of Australia! Rock!

vol 9!

A brand spankin new episode of your favorite excitementorium, No Airplay! Not as eloquent as I'd like it to have been (I blame the hangover), but... whacha gonna do? Talked about Australia Day, MLK Day, and a little bit more! Played "Advance Australia Fair" and the "I have a dream" speech, enjoy!

to the future!

On my epic walk yesterday I came across some interesting things that I'd like to share with you all, right here, right freakin now!


The first thing was this sweet TV I saw at Bic Camera down in Shinjuku, it's freakin 3D TV! It says it's the first in Japan, and it was pretty cool. You pop on a pair of nerdy looking specs and the quality of the TV is like HD I'm guessing, and it really does 3D pretty well. If you get a chance to check it out, do so, I can't imagine sitting at home watching 3D TV for hours on end, but it's a pretty cool idea I guess.



The second thing (which I actually came across earlier in the day) was these little stickers on a cigarette machine in Ishikawadai. It's an add for the new "taspo" service. Taspo is the new card that people need to get to buy cigarettes from vending machines starting in July to try and cut down on underage smoking. It says you can apply for a card starting next month, we'll see how well the system works.


Third and fourth are a couple of construction projects happening around my area. The first one is happening just down the street, don't know what it's gonna be yet, but I'm hoping that it'll be something good, I've been pretty disappointed with the construction around here lately as it's all apartments or housing, and before that a crappy ramen shop, a kimono store, a lottery shop, and a Soft Bank store. I'm looking to get something I can use in the area hopefully. The second construction project says that it's going to be something called "Tokyu Sports Oasis," not sure what exactly that means, but I'm thinking some kind of gym? We'll see, at least I'm thinking it's gonna be something other than houses!

the great milk fiasco!

In keeping with my "going GReeeeN" theme, I spent yesterday (all day) looking for a place to buy milk. I started the day off to Ishikawadai to look for a phantom Meiji milk shop that was found on the internet... apparently it's now some kind of fire station, thanks internet! After that disappointment I spent some time searching the rest of the Ishikawadai area for another place to get my milk on to no avail. I packed it in and headed over to Shinjuku to pay my rent and grab a bite to eat before heading back home. Once arriving home I checked the Meiji shop down the street again, and again it was closed (I found out today that a little old lady runs it, and I think it's only open sporadically, maybe mostly in the early morning) so I headed to Ontakesan to search there... nothing, so headed back to Yukigayotsuka to search... nothing. I did find a Tofu store near the station and picked up some Tounyu (soy milk) that was pretty good, pretty thick though. As a last ditch effort I headed towards Okusawa and searched the area, again to no avail. I left my house at about 11:30 am and returned at about 5:30, 6 hours of walking around trying to find milk... On my way back to Yukigayaotsuka from Ontakesan I noticed a couple of milk delivery boxes and took a photo of the address on it, here it is:
I showed it to mornin and she called the place listed on the box and found out that it was actually open! So today I went over there, about a 10 min walk from here and finally, oh yes finally I bought some milk! It looks soooooo delicious! I haven't tried it just yet, waiting for it to be nice and chilled before partaking in it's glory, but it looks sooooo delicious! and expensive, this little beauty cost me a whopping 420 yen! That's around $3.50! I think some of that money is going towards the bottle and I'm hoping to get it back when I go to pick up my next round. I'm ecstatic! Tonight, thinking about making some stew (shout out to deuce!) using the fresh milk I just picked up, probably gonna be sweeeeeeet!

going GReeeeN!

Not sure if it's the hippie-esque hair, the repeated ill-fated beards or what exactly but I've made a pretty big shift in my life over the past week or so. For a long time I've been somewhat sickened by the amount of plastic bags used in grocery stores and convenience stores here in Japan, and for a long time have asked them not to give me a bag for my stuff. Sometimes I would break down and get them, to carry my stuff home, usually just when I buy a bunch of things, but I've always found it ridiculous at the assumption that whatever is bought needs to be placed in a plastic bag for me to carry it out of the store. Stupid rant so far, but slowly getting to the point... I've been thinking about changing the way I impact the environment for some time now, thinking, not really doing to much though, but it's come time. I think that a few things really pushed me over the edge. One was seeing mornin get bags for stuff when she'd buy a drink, or a pack of gum or when melvis and I bought coffee at McDonald's where they put the coffee in a paper bag, and then a plastic bag... another was seeing a show on TV here recently where a small island in southern Japan gets it's beaches covered with garbage that floats in from Korea and China when the currents change each winter, and finally, I think the last straw, was seeing how much garbage I had accumulated over the holidays, when the garbage men had the week off. I was disturbed. So, so far I've completely done away with receiving plastic bags from stores, and for that matter paper ones too. I carry a min-bag with me any time I'm going shopping and have one hooked on my backpack as well, both of them can be found for 100 yen. I've also stopped buying any pet bottles (plastic bottles) and canned coffee as well. I used to buy a big bottle of Aquarius sports drink about every other day, and pick up other drinks while out and about, and I probably averaged about 3 cans of coffee per day as well, but in the past week I've only had one moment of weakness where I bought 1 can of coffee while out in Tamachi during a teaching gig. I've switched the Aquarius for home brewed tea that I put in a former Aquarius bottle and refrigerate, and replaced the canned coffee with home brewed or in-store coffee. The only exception to this so far has been a couple of trips to McD's where the 100 yen coffee was hard to pass up, but I think that'll be off limits for the most part too now. The 2 major drink questions remain 1: beer, and 2: milk. Although I don't drink beer on a daily basis, in Japan bottled beer just isn't as popular as I'd like it to be, but I'll probably switch more often to that. I love milk! I'm currently looking into milk delivery services that use bottles also. The stuff in the stores here of course comes in the wax coated paper quarts that I'd like to stop using. The best option would be if I could go myself to a place and pick it up since any kind of delivery would use gasoline in the delivery vehicle right... There was a place on the corner down the street, but looks like it's been closed for awhile now, so I'm probably gonna check out another place I found on the map tomorrow to see if I can get it there, if not, I'm leaning to switching to Soy milk because I know that I can take my own containers to the tofu shop and get filled up there. When shopping recently I've also decided to choose stuff with less packaging, the less the better. I used to be a price man. I've really been spending alot of time lately thinking about this subject, the whole "carbon footprint" idea, for a long time I've thought of myself as being a little bit "environmental", but I realize that really I've spent 28 years destroying the planet.
I have to change my ways. This past week I've really been scrutinizing all of my actions and trying to think of ways that I can change them, to reduce my consumption, to reduce my waste, and to reduce my impact. I think I have yet a long way to go, but I think already I've made great changes, I just think about the number of pet bottles (probably 5 big and 3 small) that I haven't used, and the number of cans (probably somewhere around 20) that I haven't used just in the past week. I think about the number of times I've been offered a plastic bags (maybe 15) and I've refused. I hope that I can make a difference. I've started leaning towards organic foods, more veggies (less packaging) and stuff like that. Had some wonderful hamburgers tonight made of hakusai (chinese cabbage) tofu, and mushrooms with some organic cheese and catsup. My sister and dad have long been vegetarians, and I think my sister recently converted her whole family, but I've been a life-long meat eater. I'm not saying that I am going vegetarian at all, but I do realize the impact that livestock has on things like global warming, but I won't give you stats, the internet is full of them, some more misleading than others. I do think that I will choose organic meat over the non stuff though. Of course I believe that baby steps are required... I don't want anyone to think that I'm trying to force my beliefs onto anyone, like some Vegetarians, Christians, Mormons, Krishnas, insurance salesmen etc. do, I'm not telling you to do anything. If you want to think about how you impact the world I think it's a good idea. If you want to change the way you impact the world, maybe another good idea. If you don't, then don't. If you have any questions I'd love to try and answer them, or maybe point you to someone who can, I've been doing alot of research lately. More important, if you have any advice, let me have it, I'm pretty new to this whole thing, I'm trying to learn as much as I can, and change as much as I can, but like I said, baby steps, baby!

vol. 8!

Pretty crappy show today... I talked about books, New Year's, Football, Communism, pacifism, work, and sports! Closing song probably sounds like crap, had trouble converting it, and I think it's only in the left channel... It's called "hit me" if you care.

the dregs of society...

Yesterday started out with a trip to Shinjuku to visit Hello Work with melvis (aka melting faces, aka mj son of mg, aka cabana boy, aka the destroyer) to take in the meeting we were requested to attend... what a boring time! I mentioned this in the last post, and there were somewhere around 25-30 people there and all of them where quiet, and sad looking or French. I gotta go back again on Friday to turn in the form that took 40 mins to explain, and maybe some other stuff. Not looking forward to that trip either, boring. But! a week after that I should get some green baby!

After the meeting melvis and I headed back to my place to try and watch the NCAA championship game to no avail. I've used a site to watch alot of pro sports on, and even NCAA games early in the Bowl Season, but in the later, more important games it's been completely shit! NFL games, no problem. What's going on?
After my futile efforts to see the game, we headed out across the river to Todoroki stadium to see where I'll be spending several drunkin' nights this spring and summer watching Kawasaki Frontale games. The walk took about 35 mins, and the stadium looks alright, a bit old (built in 1965) but apparently a good atmosphere to see a soccer game. The area around the stadium is kind of a giant sport/nature complex with a bunch of baseball and soccer fields, and a few parks, ponds, and a lake. I think I'm gonna take a bike ride down there again today since work didn't call me in today...
After that trip melvis and I headed back across the river into Tokyo, and said our goodbyes because he had to head to work, and I headed off to the Ota-ku library. I took the chance to make my first Japanese library card, and check out a few books. It was an interesting feeling, I know a library card is not an exceptional thing, but it's so ordinary that it made me feel part of the community, it felt like the "gaijin" tag had been dropped for that brief moment when my books were being checked out to me, of course, the books were all in English...
After the Library I headed into Ontakesan to sit down at Doutor and have a cup of coffee and do a little reading. I finished reading "into the wild" by Jon Krakauer, a great book about the death of a young man in the Alaskan bush. I highly recommend it, very much page-turning material. Also started to read a book I checked out at the library called "Shikitari" which is all about Japanese Traditions. Not really a good book, there is little in-depth information. But, oh well.

At night, I went to a new (to me) restaurant also in Ontakesan called "Pizzaria Clara" and Italian Joint that was really pretty good, had some pizza and pasta, and cheese, and it was all pretty good. Pretty exciting considering I never knew there were any decent Italian restaurants around here!
Finally, on the way back home noticed a "sento." I'd searched the area before for one, but couldn't find one anywhere. A sento is a public bath, simply put. I've been to their more natural counter part, the "onsen" (hot spring), but I've always wanted to check out a sento, so I headed home, and picked up my towel, and soap and stuff and headed back down the road to take a nice bath. It was great! I'm deffinetly gonna make some more trips back down there in the near future.

If you don't know the rules, here you go:
first: pay an entrance fee, the price is set by the government I believe and it was 460 yen to get in.
second: head through a curtain into a "locker room" kinda room, be prepared, there might be naked people waiting for you.
third: strip down, and put all your stuff in a locker. The key is usually attached to a rubber-band looking thing that you can put around your arm, because you've got no pockets.
fourth: head through the sliding door into the bathing area.
fifth: grab a bucket and sit down at a stool.
sixth: soap up and wash down.
seventh: after your all clean, jump into one of the pools, and soak the day away. There are usually some kind of massage pool, and the place I went also had an "onsen" pool with natural hot spring water that had a slight yellowish tinge to it... they say it's minerals...
eighth: jump out, give yourself a quick rinse off, and head back out to change into your street clothes.

There are usually some extras that you need to pay for, like a sauna, a hairdryer, massage chairs and the like, I skipped all that this time, but I'd like to take a shot at the sauna next time. After you're done, you feel real good, and real warm, walking home, I think my body was about 15-20 degrees warmer and the cold winter air felt pretty nice. Be cautioned all, many sento goers may be surprised to see a non-Japanese tromping through, and you will get a few looks, but for the most part, people just keep to themselves, in the guys side people don't talk to each other too much (some people talk to themselves a bit, spooky...), the birds on the other side chat it up a bit, but most people are really nice.

day 85: the end!

Wahoooooooooo! The 85th day of my hiatus is my last. I'm going to work today! Gotta work at 2pm in Shibuya, F'n sweeeeet! Thanks deuce! I'm am somewhat unofficially re-joining the ranks
of the employed, still gotta go back to Hello Work tomorrow for some kind of meeting that will hopefully lead to getting some unemployment money before I get back to working full time. Also, rumors of back pay starting to get paid to some people has me a bit excited too. The last 3 months of scrimping and saving might give way to a shopping spree or two in the near future! I deffinately am going to save as much as I can so that I never get into a similar situation any time soon, but I'd like to buy something, anything!

There is one negative to the news, and that's that I can't now take the trip across the river to Todoroki Stadium today like I was planning. Todoroki Stadium is the home of the Kawasaki Frontale J-league franchise, and I'm planning on getting some season tickets this year because according to my rough calculations it's about a 40 min walk, and it's only 25,000 yen (about $220) for a season ticket.

Well, I'm back. It's 2 days later and I went to work, and I went to Hello Work. First, work was OK, a bit awkward putting on the old duds again, but a bit more laid back than my old job, little more personal time between lessons and I had a 2 hour lunch break also. The one negative is that unlike my old position, I don't get paid for any lessons that I don't teach, so that was a 2 hour unpaid lunch break... but it was OK, work is work and the location isn't bad. Normally I never really leave the comforts of the Ikegami line, unless I have to, but going down to Shibuya is only about 15 mins more than Gotanda, and there are lots of places that I can stop off on the way home, or on the way there, that would have been out of the way for me if I was still working in Gotanda. So far only the one day, had a chance to work again yesterday but didn't because I had to go to Hello Work... what a waste, it took like 40 mins and it was completely worthless, 40 mins to explain to us how to fill out one form. There were alot of sad looking faces there, and still alot of frustration, I thought it was funny.

un hundRAD!

What's happening all? It's late and I gotta be up at 6:30 to watch the playoff game between the Seahawks and the Redskins in about 5 hours... but can't sleep... go hawks!
This is post #100 for me, and I thought I'd take a look at the future. I've got alot of ideas swirling in my dome and that's the main reason I can't sleep so I thought that I'd put 'em down here to get them off of my mind.
28 years old, it's pretty easy to remember how old I am usually because my age is the same as the year for the most part, 1997=17, 2000=20, 1989=9, of course with the exception of the last half of October, November and December, but January-beginning of October, got it figured out.
It's time for a "bucket list":

this year...
well, as noted in the previous post, I'd like to buy some stuff, get a new job, and travel a bit this year, but I also have a few other goals I'd like to accomplish:
1. I want to record a solo album. I'm looking at about 10-12 tracks for the album, most of it is basically finished, as far as basic ideas of all the songs, but still need to work on accompanying parts and lyrics.
2. I'm gonna start a book about "my" journey here. It's planning to be loosely based on my experiences here, along with my friends and it'll be on a different post (more info coming). I'm not a writer. When it comes to music, and art, I can do OK, but I've never been much of a writer, except for poetry, but I'd like to get through at least about 100 pages by the year's end.
3. Study for and take the JLPT level 1. I've mentioned this before.

by the end of next year...
1. Read the Koran. I'm not a religious person, in fact, don't care much for religion at all, was never raised religious, and have been to churches and the like very few times in my life, but I've had a long fascination with trying to read different religious texts, and this is one that I'm very interested in checking out.
2. Absolutely have a job using Japanese. I've said it before, that's my goal, and I'm willing to make some concessions (namely teaching English another year or so) to be able to stay here long enough to get a job using Japanese.
3. Visit at least 2 new countries. No real specifics here, just want to see something new.

so, by this time I'll be a full blown adult, aged 30... doesn't really seem like the first 30 years of my life were lived to their fullest maybe... is there a reset button?

by the time I'm 35...
1. I will complete the animation (or manga?) of the greatest story not told yet, "kamon get it! -a dude? and butt? adventure". I figure this should be enough time.
2. I will have finished my 2nd album (by the way neither of these are going to be "released", just want to do it for myself).

by the time I die...
1. I will have traveled to every continent (excluding Antarctica?).
2. I will have gone to a Super Bowl, World Series game, and an Olympics.
3. I will have visited Fenway Park, and Wrigley Field.
4. I will scuba dive.
5. I will hang glide.
6. I will visit the homes of my ancestors, America (done), England, Ireland, and Holland.

I guess that's about it for now, I know there's a big jump between 35, and dying (or is there?) but I'm keeping my sights short for now. Who knows man, life's a tempermental bitch, who knows if I'll get the chance to do any of these things? That's rhetorical by the way. You never know man... It'd be nice to aim higher, space, teleportation, write the great american novel, noble peace prize, maybe be TIME's man of the year, but really I don't care about any of that stuff, I'm pretty simple. I mean, a noble peace prize would be great, just gotta do something that would warrant it I guess...

Rice Bowl!

On Thursday Melvis, Wii, mornin and I headed out to the Tokyo Dome for an epic match-up between the winner of the X league (Matsushita Impulse) and the Collegiate Champion (Kansai Gakuin Fighters) in the 61st Rice Bowl! It's the 2nd time I've watched football live here, and it's always an experience... Football in Japan is bad. I'm thinking that football anywhere other than America is probably bad. The first game I saw was a World Cup of American Football match last summer between America and Korea, and the Americans (made up of recently graduated college students that weren't good enough to make it onto the practice squads of an NFL or Arena League team) demolished the Korean team, scoring almost every possible way (pass, rush, punt return, kick return, int return, fumble return). This was the 2nd time to see a game here, and it was worse. The final score was 52-38, and the teams played hard I guess... but they were just 2 bad teams. Both teams primarily ran out of shotgun formations leaning heavily on the option, and worse, on shovel passes. In my lifetime I have seen countless hours of football, NFL, NCAA, World League, NFL Europe, Arena Football, H.S. Football, XFL, Canadian Football, Football video games, and even USFL re-runs, and in all of that time combined, I have never seen as many shovel passes as I saw in this one game. The bright spot was that there were probably half (if not less) the number of dropped passes as I saw in last year's game (on TV) which made it roughly ok to watch. The game was a blowout in the first half, but in the 2nd half Kansai Gakuin made a dramatic comeback, and were pretty close to tying it up but the QB threw and interception, and pretty much dashed any hope. Kansai got the ball back on onside kick later, but by then it was pretty much too late, and the game ended with another pick to seal the deal. The Rice Bowl is an interesting concept, a semi-pro league's champion vs. the college champion, but it's also a bit ridiculous if you try and conceptualize it happening in the US. Imagine Florida playing against the Colts in something called the Bread Bowl, or the Steak Bowl, or something like that. Just don't see it happening. I know that here the difference between the leagues isn't as great, but how can a semi-pro team really be proud of beating a bunch of kids? And even worse, what if they lose to a bunch of kids? shame, shame...


Also, this guy was rad, as soon as the game started, he was out. His job was to keep people from going onto the field... I've never been so close to streaking in my life!





by the way, I'd like to thank Hot-shi for the tickets, sorry you had to work and couldn't come with us!