I found out last week that my next door neighbor from my hometown, Shanna Putnam, passed away. She was headed home to Chicago from Potsdam (my home town) with her husband, sister Kerry, and dog, when some fucking asshole, who was driving down the WRONG SIDE of the highway hit them. Both cars were going around 70 mph. I read an article a few days later, and a cop that showed up on the scene described it as the worst accident he's seen in 25 years.
What the Fuck?!
Shanna and I are the same age - she was the coolest and most down to earth girl in the history of next door neighbors. She was super kind to everybody, and had a great life going for her. I'm at a total loss to comprehend how such a terrible random thing could happen and instantly change somebody's life. It really sucks.
Anyway, I hope everybody is appreciating the people in their lives and appreicating being alive and being able to enjoy life. I hope people are cool to each other and try not to take things for granted, I know that I personally get caught up in how hectic and busy things can get and can lose sight very easily. I'm not really the praying kinda dude, but I'll still be sending my thoughts and prayers out to Shanna's family.
Life man, sometimes it just up and kicks you in the balls when you're looking the other way.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Ultimate Frisbee
So I picked up a new sport when I moved here last summer - Ultimate Frisbee. You may be thinking a bunch of hippies on the beach, smoking weed and having a lazy throw around (at least that's what I thought I was signing up for) - think again! It's the equivalent of doing wind sprints up and down a basketball court for about 40 minutes straight. I played in two tournaments lately, the Asagiri Beach Tournament, near Kobe/Akashi, and the Tajima tournament up north. Here's the pics:
My Team: "X-Force Alpha Super Cream Monkeys (I think that's the name)" we took 5th out of 20 teams in the Tajima tournament. Not bad!
The big group photo from the beach tournament. It was a good time!
I actually got super banged up from playing on the sand - big roadrash on my leg, and cut up elbows from diving around. It's so much harder on your body to play on sand!
So the cool thing about this game is that there are no refs, and there is a really good sportsmanship feeling about the game - the teams do their own officiating, and then they each do a (silly) cheer for each other after the match. Some teams even award the other teams with gift prizes (I got a bottle of booze from a Tokyo team at Tajima!). It's cool because you get really amped up during the game, but afterwards it's just good times.
Tajima was a two-day affair, and they had a big BBQ after the first day. It was drizzling the entire day, so the grass was nice and wet - you could do diving catches and slide out without getting banged up (man it was fun). SO, the BBQ was on the side of a ski resort, and after the eating was over we took the trays and hiked up the hill and had sled races down the hill. It was a bad idea, but really fun, unfortunately one of the guys on my team, Charlie, slid into the guard-rail and busted his rib and had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Bummer!
My buddy Ben, his acid is about to kick in. Whoa dude, look at that tree melting!!
That there hill in the back is the one we did'a slide down. That's the crazy Kiwi, Luke, on the right.
My buddy Zack, from Texas and his Japanese gimp. Makoto (l) and Yoshi (r) from my team.
Frisbee is a cool sport with some cool folks, and they have games in some really cool places! I'm psyched I started up playing, it's a good time.
My Team: "X-Force Alpha Super Cream Monkeys (I think that's the name)" we took 5th out of 20 teams in the Tajima tournament. Not bad!
The big group photo from the beach tournament. It was a good time!
I actually got super banged up from playing on the sand - big roadrash on my leg, and cut up elbows from diving around. It's so much harder on your body to play on sand!So the cool thing about this game is that there are no refs, and there is a really good sportsmanship feeling about the game - the teams do their own officiating, and then they each do a (silly) cheer for each other after the match. Some teams even award the other teams with gift prizes (I got a bottle of booze from a Tokyo team at Tajima!). It's cool because you get really amped up during the game, but afterwards it's just good times.
Tajima was a two-day affair, and they had a big BBQ after the first day. It was drizzling the entire day, so the grass was nice and wet - you could do diving catches and slide out without getting banged up (man it was fun). SO, the BBQ was on the side of a ski resort, and after the eating was over we took the trays and hiked up the hill and had sled races down the hill. It was a bad idea, but really fun, unfortunately one of the guys on my team, Charlie, slid into the guard-rail and busted his rib and had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Bummer!
My buddy Ben, his acid is about to kick in. Whoa dude, look at that tree melting!!
That there hill in the back is the one we did'a slide down. That's the crazy Kiwi, Luke, on the right.
My buddy Zack, from Texas and his Japanese gimp. Makoto (l) and Yoshi (r) from my team.Frisbee is a cool sport with some cool folks, and they have games in some really cool places! I'm psyched I started up playing, it's a good time.
Buckets o Hikkuri Gaesu
It means "It's pouring buckets," and is the equivalent of the English "It's raining cats and dogs," which is what it's been doing non-stop for the past 3 days. My laaaws!
So, because of the rain, I've been doing two things, mostly:
1. Reading: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and picking up expressions like "Well doesn't that just dog my cats," "Gimme a chaw 'v ta-backer, Jimmie." Man that Sam Clemens is a sharp writer.
2. Studying Japanese "Koto-waza." These are funny idioms that make Japanese laugh when I use them (like the 'It's pouring buckets."). I also like "Goma Suru," which literally means to grind sesame, but the idiomatic meaning is "ass kissing." Ha!
I've also been watching the river on my bike ride to school - it's rising exponentially every day, there was even a heavy rain/flood warning today and school was cancelled. It's already spilled over the first stone barriers and is slowly creeping onto the athletic field next to the river. I wonder if it ever floods over onto the road?
Exciting stuff, I know. The rain has (luckily) cooled things off a little bit, but it's supposed to be sunny again starting Saturday, just in time for my climb (I'm headed to Mt. Fuji next weekend to stand in a line with 3000 Japanese people, waiting to hike 7 hours up a big hill).
So, because of the rain, I've been doing two things, mostly:
1. Reading: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and picking up expressions like "Well doesn't that just dog my cats," "Gimme a chaw 'v ta-backer, Jimmie." Man that Sam Clemens is a sharp writer.
2. Studying Japanese "Koto-waza." These are funny idioms that make Japanese laugh when I use them (like the 'It's pouring buckets."). I also like "Goma Suru," which literally means to grind sesame, but the idiomatic meaning is "ass kissing." Ha!
I've also been watching the river on my bike ride to school - it's rising exponentially every day, there was even a heavy rain/flood warning today and school was cancelled. It's already spilled over the first stone barriers and is slowly creeping onto the athletic field next to the river. I wonder if it ever floods over onto the road?
Exciting stuff, I know. The rain has (luckily) cooled things off a little bit, but it's supposed to be sunny again starting Saturday, just in time for my climb (I'm headed to Mt. Fuji next weekend to stand in a line with 3000 Japanese people, waiting to hike 7 hours up a big hill).
Monday, July 10, 2006
Zhong-wen
"Zhong-wen" is Chinese for "Chugoku-go.""Chugoku-go" is Japanese for "Chinese."
"Chinese" is English for "Zhong-wen."
I went to my first Chinese class tonight, and this is how my brain felt the whole time. What a mess!
It started when last Saturday, I went to a Sayonara Party held by the Tatsuno International Association, for the JETs that are leaving our town. It was an afternoon tea and snacks party, and the members are mostly older folks who are retired and have the time to cultivate hobbies like English, travel, Tai-chi, Flamenco guitar, etc. They are a pretty cool bunch of people.
Anyway, I ran into this retired Japanese guy named Dai, who speaks pretty good English, and he and I get talking and it turns out he studies Chinese too, and invited me to join their class! The dude even hooked me up with a ride (it's 20 minutes away in the next town over). Man it was fun, but a little crazed because the other 3 students (Dai, and these other two older ladies who don't speak English) are beginners, and so most of the explanations are in Japanese. In addition, they all can read and write Chinese charactres (Japan's writing system is based on the Chinese one).
Since I'm a beginnger in Japanese, and am just starting to study the characters, it got to be a little hectic at some points! I was having to translate the Japanese explanations back to English to get the full meaning of the Chinese. Whew! It's a crazy to learn a second language when you can hardly understand the first one. What the f?!
Anyway, that was the cool thing that happened to me today. Now my brain hurts.
Funny Shit
Oh man this is some funny shit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrJSMxRPzPU&search=japan%20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrJSMxRPzPU&search=japan%20
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
The Mushi-King
Speaking of crazy things that people buy... I came across this lady in front of the train station the other day. She wouldn't let me take her picture, but she said it was okay to photograph the merchandise - she was selling the HUGE Beetles for about 8000 to 10,000 yen (about $80 to $100 bucks).
What?!
I interogated her and found out that in Japan, beetles are quite popular and people will pay TONS of cash for them! I see them a lot at my elementary schools, there is usually a beetle or two in the back of the classroom, in a little plastic cage with some rotting wood or tree sap. Freakin' cool!
Here's a close-up of the little critters. They are about half the size of your hand. Ewww!
They've even taken it a step further, with this videogame for kids called "mushi-king" (king of the insects). It's a combination card collection game (think Pokemon, or Magic), and a videogame. From what I gather, you collect cards and your beetles gain strength and you can fight them against other beetles with the machine. Talk about crazy!
I guess insects, bugs, and beetles are a big part of Japanese childhood, on my way home lately I always see the kids rooting around for bugs and critters, chasing stuff with nets. Wackos.
The other thing I've noticed is how many spiders there are, hanging out and looking menacing. We went for a walk the other day around the neighborhood, and came across this guy:
Holy bejesus it was unsettling. People around here don't really clear the spiderwebs, and I even heard it was considered unlucky to slay one... this country is nuts!
What?!
I interogated her and found out that in Japan, beetles are quite popular and people will pay TONS of cash for them! I see them a lot at my elementary schools, there is usually a beetle or two in the back of the classroom, in a little plastic cage with some rotting wood or tree sap. Freakin' cool!
Here's a close-up of the little critters. They are about half the size of your hand. Ewww!They've even taken it a step further, with this videogame for kids called "mushi-king" (king of the insects). It's a combination card collection game (think Pokemon, or Magic), and a videogame. From what I gather, you collect cards and your beetles gain strength and you can fight them against other beetles with the machine. Talk about crazy!
I guess insects, bugs, and beetles are a big part of Japanese childhood, on my way home lately I always see the kids rooting around for bugs and critters, chasing stuff with nets. Wackos.
The other thing I've noticed is how many spiders there are, hanging out and looking menacing. We went for a walk the other day around the neighborhood, and came across this guy:
Holy bejesus it was unsettling. People around here don't really clear the spiderwebs, and I even heard it was considered unlucky to slay one... this country is nuts!
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