The saddest time of the year

No party. No parades. No trick-or-treating. No costumes. Nothing for me this Halloween.

I was complaining about this to a British friend, who looked back at me blankly, because Halloween apparently doesn't even exist in his world. But this same guy was complaining last year about not seeing his friends and family for Christmas. That's right, Christmas. How do you explain that twisted sense of priorities? Your guess is as good as mine.

I hope to turn this all around on Wednesday, which is when we will be able to witness the climax of the election. Not sure where yet, but somehow or another Kate and I will join with a few others, probably mostly Americans, to share in a cartharsis of exultation or rage, finally, conclusively, hopefully.

Dirty, nasty hobbitses! Old, extinct hobbitses!

You think Tolkien was making this stuff up?

Archaeologists discover remains of Hobbits

The partial skeleton of [the hobbit], found in a cave on the island of Flores, is of an adult female that was a meter (3 feet) tall...

Silly scienticians, it's a smial. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

Well, this is unexpected

I would never, ever, ever have thought it even remotely possible that there would be the slightest sliver of a chance that I might link (approvingly!?) to an Eminem video.

Mosh

Well, I've done it.

And how much slimmer the chances that I would quote some of his lyrics!

Let the President answer on high anarchy. Strap him with an Ak-47, let him go, fight his own war. Let him impress daddy that way. Look in his eyes, it's all lies. The stars and stripes, they've been swiped, washed out and wiped, and replaced with his own face. Mosh now or die.

Now I've done that, too.

Initial heads-up courtesy of MyDD. A little more research revealed that the visuals hail from Guerrilla News Network--probably their finest work, in that this will actually reach an audience. And I can't think of a better message for a better audience.

Edit--Eminem's own site has gone down, from high traffic to the Mosh video, I hope. Try the GNN site instead--the broadband version is pretty high quality.

Recent Pics

Last picture of Fuji - taken again from the bridge near our house (which you can't see). ;)


Accidentally discovered you can see Fuji from the bridgenear my house. Also the wonderful skyline of the Tokyo suburbs. :D 


Recent Sayonara party. 

Everything is Gone...

That's a year's worth of music, documents, etc., etc... The computer died a few days ago, so I reinstalled windows. But something was still wrong so we had to do it again. Long story short, we're back.

Six earthquakes in two days! My staff at work were totally freaked out - it was pretty funny. Toby's staff hid under her desk! Hee hee ;). It's pretty strange to have so many at once though.

In other news, suprnova.org appears to be down so I can't even reload my favorite tv shows/movies/programs. Ergh.

Gaijin STD vectors, Part II

Why I begrudge:

1. Immaturity. I remember a conversation on the bus during a class trip in junior high school, fueled by juvenile testosterone, the object of which was to assert one's lack of virginity. (I wasn't nearly cool enough to be friends with these guys, but I was sitting in the seat in front of them.) The exploitive gaijin creeps in this country, 20-somethings one and all, if not older, bragging about their exploits to everyone who'll lend them an ear--they sound exactly like my former classmates braying and posing on that bus in junior high.

2. Hypocrisy. As mentioned, the majority of these guys, the worst offenders, it seems, would clearly be considered losers, nerds, geeks, dweebs, lamers, freaks, and so on, back in the western world. In Japan, however, the cultural cues that clearly identify a person as a social reject are different, so they can operate under the radar. Now, of course, given my own history of rejection, I have nothing against social rejects, and I'm glad that some of them have managed to find a refuge in this country. But you just know, it's so perfectly predictable, that when they were back home they despised the players, hunks, jocks, and assorted cool guys who would pick up and cast away girls at a whim. Jealousy leads to moral indignation pretty easily, which, again, is fine with me. I just can't stand inconsistency in such matters.

3. Abandonment. In all but one of the cases that I've seen or heard about, these guys came over with girlfriends. In general these relationships had existed for a while, and were expected to be fairly long-term. (Naturally--moving to Japan as a couple isn't a particularly light decision to make.) But without fail, the ones that go bad do so by about the end of their first month here, and utterly abruptly, at that. Now, I don't demand that every couple stay together till death do them part, but some consideration for someone to whom you've made a personal commitment (however limited that commitment might be) would be nice. What's more, moving to a foreign country together, where neither of you have any other substantial relations, ought to create a kind of obligation to the relationship. This means, I think, that you don't take off a month after arriving simply because it meets your fancy, without any prior warning.

4. Wrong playing field. Back home, there are some unwritten rules that are more often observed than not, and provide a modicum of protection to all. Granted, some guys practice outright deception, claiming to be looking for commitment when they're just looking for anything but. But, for the most part, those guys who want to sleep around without any commitment whatsoever can pretty easily identify gals who feel likewise, and vice versa. And, generally, the rest of the populace can identify these people as such, and avoid intimate relationships with them with a high degree of success. But, again, the cultural cues in Japan are different. There are plenty of youngsters who run around in "sex friend" (casual sex) circles, but there are also plenty who don't. The problem is, due to cultural differences and language barriers, Japanese women who might not be after a mere "sex friend" find it all but impossible to discern that a gaijin guy might be after no more than a one-night stand. As for the guy, he, of course, couldn't care less about what the gal might want.

If a Japanese female friend told me she'd met some gaijin guy and was thinking of going out with him, I would probably tell her to think twice, and maybe ask to meet him ASAP. This is ridiculously protective and prejudicial, but the situation itself is ridiculous.

NHK WORLD DAILY NEWS

NHK WORLD DAILY NEWS
So the 23rd Typhoon has hit Japan, arriving in Tokyo tonight. We decided to go see a movie anyways (I Robot). On our way back, we stopped by Shibuya to have a bite at Samrat, our favorite local curry shop. Hachiko Crossing, the giant intersection seen in, for example, Lost in Translation, was a completely flooded, forming a lake knee deep in places. Sewer gratings are like geisers gushing water (smelly water I tell you) back up onto the streets. Luckily it's not too bad in Tokyo so far but I hear a lot of people in Yokohama are on evacuation alert. Fun times.

CBC News: World Press Photo 2004

CBC News: World Press Photo 2004
Interesting photo gallery.

Cooking For Engineers

Cooking For Engineers
My cooking is limited to yakisoba, various types of curry, and the occasional Tom Ka (or Yum) Soup. But this site makes me hungry. Wish I was a coworker of his! ;)

I am so getting back into this game

By Urza's beard, I'm a Magic: The Gathering card!



Check it out: wicked title, nifty gimmick. I am a totally awesome card.

Just wait till you knock up some yakuza's daughter

White guys can get a lot of girls in Japan. They don't have to be particularly tall or dark (actually, that might be a disadvantage) or handsome. This won't come as a surprise to anyone who knows anyone who's lived in Japan. There are a few theories about this--and by "theory" I mean some idea me or a friend of mine dreamt up with no particular supporting evidence in mind. I may go over them at a different time, but for now, some case studies in sleaze.

Exhibit A

Kate and I are in Donkihote. (The website is not particularly clear about this, but it is a discount store. The name seems to be inspired by Don Quixote, except it's split up into words different, more like "Donkey Hotay", and the mascot is a penguin, not a donkey or a Spanish guy.) We see a troll--a short, squat, ugly man with a square head, ample stubble, dressed in a ratty sweater and old jeans. He is accompanied by a Japanese woman, dressed in that sharp business wear that they wear here, who is quite attractive and taller than him by about a foot. They are going through the redlight district of the store, looking at fake schoolgirl uniforms.

Exhibit B

I meet a young woman who came over here with her boyfriend. They had decided to live and work together. About two weeks after arriving, he broke up with her, moved out of their apartment, and started sleeping around.

Exhibit C

Another young couple comes here to live and work together. The male half is short, skinny, with imperceptible cheekbones and a big nose. Also bad teeth, though they don't exactly stand out in this country. Anyway, any one of my sisters could take this guy in a fight. In his second or third month here, he grins as he tells a bunch of us that he's taken a "break" from his girlfriend, and managed to pick up six chicks during a single day at the beach over the weekend.

Exhibit D

Now this one is a real winner, folks. He's having some gyudon with a friend of mine, and pulls out a digicam. He plays three interviews, conducted by himself, for the benefit (using that term loosely) of my friend, who is a committed relationship kinda guy, but too nice to be confrontational about the issue which follows.

The interviews are of Japanese girls, and all follow this basic script. Guy: So, how was your first time? Girl: ...It hurt...

At a different point in time, this same fellow talks about a recent conquest in excited tones, and mentions that he "can't wait to tell the guys back home".

* * *

Probably no commentary is particularly necessary, except to note that I and quite a few others have hypothesized that the guys who were the biggest losers back home are often the most shameless predators here. If I'm still in the mood to vent tomorrow, there may be a part two.

This reflection is sober, plus or minus some ume-shu

This bittersweet day, I got kicked in the crotch.

A former coworker and his s.o., who came at the same time as us, are leaving for home. As mentioned, we went to a goodbye dinner for him (and others) a few days ago, and a couple of days ago about 20 people said goodbye to him again (this time it was just for him), but today there was a rather more intimate gathering in a cafe of him and 4 other of my favourite people in this country.

Clearly we seem to be fond of long, drawn out goodbyes, conducted in several rounds. But never mind that.

There were vague plans and promises and near promises to visit him next year, or the year after, but honestly there is going to be a limit to these sorts of reunions. If, as seems likely, my circle of friends in Japan ends up spreading all across the world, individually or (in maybe one or two cases) in pairs, it is wishful thinking to suppose that I'll be able to see them all again, ever. Where will I find the time and the money to travel to these far-flung parts of England, Australia, Cambodia (long story), Japan, and America? It's not going to happen. My life will move on, and I'll have more important things to do.

Towards the end of the night, the girls went home, leaving the four guys to, you know, bond. We stood for a long time at the corner of Hachiko, and in total we probably made a terrible nuisance of ourselves to a good one or two thousand pedestrians. We gave the old boy his last legal taste of alcohol on a city street. We got some bewildered Japanese girls to take some pictures for us.

I reminded him that he'd never kicked me in the crotch (it's one of his hobbies), and that's when he kicked me in the crotch. And then we all went our separate ways.

(There were also some twisted tales shared concerning a certain subspecies of gaijin guys, but those will have to wait for another time. I'm trying to be pensive, not disgusted and angry.)

Bush League Health Care, Redux

To recap, in the second debate Bush declared that Americans who use drugs imported from Canada are in mortal danger, and then, in the third debate, mentioned a plan to have Canada send down some flu vaccine to deal with the shortage that the American populace currently faces (which is causing a great deal of concern and some disgustingly predatory applications of the law of supply and demand).

I feel like exploring this area of absurdity a bit more. How did the world's superpower get into this situation? After all, its health care "system" is "the envy of the world" (seriously), and the only worry one could possibly have about it is keeping it a matter between citizens and their corporations, because,

Once a health-care program ends up in a line item in the federal government budget, it leads to more controls. (Dubya, third debate)

But, I wonder, could controls sometimes be a good thing? Like, with respect to supplies of vaccines, say.

The heart of the problem, experts say, may be that no one person or agency is in charge of making sure the United States has an adequate vaccine supply. (NYT, 04/10/17)

So, do you suppose Bush has a firm grasp of the nature of the problem, and potential solutions?

I think government- run health will lead to poor-quality health, will lead to rationing, will lead to less choice. (Dubya, third debate, again)

Uh oh. Doesn't sound promising. By rationing, I wonder if he meant this:

My call to our fellow Americans is if you're healthy, if you're younger, don't get a flu shot this year. Help us prioritize those who need to get the flu shot, the elderly and the young. The CDC, responsible for health in the United States, is setting those priorities and is allocating the flu vaccine accordingly. (Dubya, same debate)

Or:

Last week, elderly and chronically ill people waited in line for hours to get flu shots; some were turned away. (NYT, 04/10/17)

Sounds like rationing.

Oh well. Dubya, quick favour: Remind me, again, of the reason why American health-care is the "envy of the world"? (I should watch I don't abuse those scare quotes.)

Our health-care system is the envy of the world because we believe in making sure that the decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by officials in the nation's capital. (Dubya, same debate, again, last time, honest)

Oh, right. But I think you missed something there. Between doctors and patients (the people), on the one hand, and the government (which in a democracy should do the will of the people, but never mind that), on the other, there is at least one other influential decision-maker in America today.

Let's fill out one of the above quotes a bit more.

The heart of the problem, experts say, may be that no one person or agency is in charge of making sure the United States has an adequate vaccine supply. The production, sale and distribution of vaccines, particularly those for flu, are handled almost entirely by pharmaceutical companies. (NYT, 04/10/17)

Sh! Don't talk about those guys! They're shy, and don't like a lot of attention, by which I mean scrutiny.

ERGH!!!

Straight.com: Straight Goods
I'm missing this :(.

Flip-floppers: oh, how I hate them

So most of my confederates in sanity are exciting about, for example, this contradiction. Here at the Embassy, however, something else attracted attention.

During the 2nd debate, October 8, Dubya said: When a drug comes in from Canada, I want to make sure it cures you and doesn't kill you.

During the 3rd debate, October 13, Dubya said: We're working with Canada to hopefully -- that they'll produce a -- help us realize the vaccine necessary to make sure our citizens have got flu vaccinations during this upcoming season.

Well, I suppose our neighbours to the south can make use of our medical supplies, but be aware that they may come a little late, due to the amount of time it will take us to check through the stock and make sure that it's not poison.

Continuing with the medical theme in this last debate, Dubya declared:

Our health-care system is the envy of the world because we believe in making sure that the decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by officials in the nation's capital.

Envy of the world? Well, except for Canada. And then there's the UK, Sweden, Germany, Denmark... let's say "Europe" and leave it at that. Also Australia, New Zealand, I'd imagine. Probably a few Asian countries.

But, there are plenty of countries left--I'd grant him the entire third world, for example, and that's a fair number of countries... well, pretty much, since I'm not too sure about Cuba.

And could someone please explain the following to me?

In all due respect, I'm not so sure it's credible to quote leading news organizations about -- oh, never mind.

Edit--I've been informed (and I should have figured this out in the first place, but it's not so easy to make these connections when you're not immersed in the American media cesspool) that this last was a shot at the CBS snafu. So instead of confusion I'm left with mere incredulity. As William Saletan puts it in Slate, "Really. The president of the United States said that."

Sayonara Birthday

Yesterday we went to a sayonara party for three of Toby's ex-coworkers. The food started off really slow - they brought three small ceasar salads for 22 people, and not much else. So, someone complained...and then we all felt really guilty. Not only did they (eventually) bring more salads. We ended up with three or four kinds of pizza (which added up to around 12 pizzas), four or five different pastas, appetizers, and, last but not least, three birthday cake platters. Apparently the organizer didn't know how to explain 'goodbye party' so she said it was one guy's birthday. They staff even came and sang him 'happy birthday' and there were sparklers and candles and everything. By the time all this happened however, four hours had gone by and only six or seven of us were left. And the staff refused to wrap the food up for us to take home! (Luckily they did eventually. It would have been a huge waste.)

At any rate, by total suprise I ended up getting my birthday cake this year - tiramisu, lots of fruit, mousse, and tarts. :D

The Second Round

So, C-SPAN is an internet basket case, but I can watch the debate with no problems via the BBC.

For shame.

Just a couple of highlights.

First, I figure that what's good for the Gore is good for the Bush, so I'd like to note this quote:

That's why I proposed a hydrogen automobile -- hydrogen-generated automobile.

Did you hear that everyone? Leno, and all you other morons, listen up. Clear as can be. Bush claimed that he invented hydrogen fuel cell!

Put that in your monologue and smoke it.

Second, in his closing statements (so in all likelihood these words were scripted), after it's been said time again in the news, and by Kerry in the debate, that there were no WMDs in Iraq, I was pained to hear Bush say this:

The great threat to our country is that these haters end up with weapons of mass destruction.

Weapons of mass destruction? Really?

Is this supposed to have something to do with your foreign policy, i.e. Iraq?

Well, where do they come from, these weapons?

Please do tell me, where do the WMDs come from? Where? Whence are these "haters" going to acquire these WMDs?

Where are the weapons?

W H E R E

A R E

T H E

G A W D

D A M

W E H

P U N S

?

Maybe they come from the WMD fairy? The magical WMD fairy who lives in Iraq? The invisible magical WMD fairy who lives in Iraq, and who will distribute nukuler warheads and anthrax to Islamic fundamentalists unless we keep it frightened with vociferous fighting?

My head hurts. Make it stop.

Typhoon 22 Hits Tokyo

Laundry in a Typhoon 

A testament to the rule of bringing laundry in before a typhoon. Just days after the earth-shattering quake (ha ha), a typhoon made almost a direct hit on Tokyo. You'd think, no big deal. None of the typhoons this season have been very impressive.

I had to take the bus home today because the Odakyu Line (a pretty big one between Shinjuku and Odawara) was shut down. It took twice the time to get home. More pictures tomorrow.

My man Milan

Did I ever mention that I'm not a fan of protest demonstrations?

A year or two after emigrating, she happened to be in Paris on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of her country. A protest march had been scheduled, and she felt driven to take part. Fists raised high, the young Frenchmen shouted out slogans condemning Soviet imperialism. She liked the slogans, but to her surprise she found herself unable to shout along with them. She lasted no more than a few minutes in the parade.

When she told her French friends about it, they were amazed. 'You mean you don't want to fight the occupation of your country?' She would have liked to tell them that behind Communism, Fascism, behind all the occupations and invasions lurks a more basic, pervasive evil and that the image of that evil was a parade of people marching by with raised fists and shouting identical syllables in unison.

From The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Good book. I don't know why I'm reading it only now.

The X-Prize Has Been Won

Da Vinci is out of the running. :( 

Bloomberg.com: Japan

Bloomberg.com: Japan
We were first! :D

First to Blog!

Probably.

We were just hit by an earthquake, and if I read the news update (which started about 2 minutes after the fact) correctly, it was 5.8 at the epicenter, but "only" about a 4 where we live. Nothing fell down, miraculously enough (our light fixtures and AC/heater look awfully precarious).

Cool[er] Weather

That's right people, the time is (maybe almost) upon us to bring the Canadian clothes back out and perhaps even wear them outside! :D Notice the 'feels like' has finally dropped to just under 20! :D


Cool[er] weather. 

More debate fun

Other gems from the transcript:

Bush: The enemy understands a free Iraq will be a major defeat in their ideology of hatred. That's why they're fighting so vociferously.

So that's why so many soldiers are dying in Iraq--it's from all the loud noises.

Bush: Of course we're after Saddam Hussein -- I mean bin Laden.

Yeah, gotta watch we don't mix those two up, huh?

Bush: It's hard work to go from a place where people get their hands cut off, or executed, to a place where people are free.

"Executed"? Gadzooks, listen to yourself Mr. Exgovernoroftexas McHypocriticalpants!

(The pessimist in me also looked for some terribly convoluted language from Kerry, but he was blessedly comprehensible, relatively speaking, I think.)

And the fallout:

First, here's some happy fun punditry.

To follow up, a video highlighting Bush's Faces of Frustration, courtesy of the Dems.

And, even better, evidence that that theme is being picked up by the media; see the caption to the picture accompanying this Newsweek story.

Dear American people: Your current President is an emotionally unstable idiot. For God's sake, please pay attention to this fact. And please do something about it. Also, please stop going to CSPAN so its servers can devote their full attention to letting Kate and me watch the debate footage. Thank you.

CPD: 2004 Debate Transcript

CPD: 2004 Debate Transcript: "People out there listening know what I believe. And that's how best it is to keep the peace. "

Just one of the many laughs/confusions I've found reading the debate transcript. I wish C-span would get its video working - haven't been able to see it yet! :(