The Speedy Edition

There had to be at least one. Look at all the time I've already wasted! I still don't understand the business model here, but I told him I wanted an hour, sooooo I guess I only have like half of that left and I have to figure out what I'm doing.

Perhaps Tokyo Tower today. Yesterday I ended up at an arcade playing The Typing of the Dead (where you characters where Dreamcasts, a huge battery, and a...keyboard, and you type words to kill zombies) and some shooters. Nothing too exciting. I think my favorite was Muchi Muchi Pork, but I'm not so great at it.

Hrminum. Saw Yukiko and Toru last night. Man, Yukiko asked all about things and it was so weird explaining everything that has happened since I last saw her. My life is completely different! Different friends, different house, expanded job. Crubazuby.

I gave Toru a San Francisco crab keychain with springy legs. I knew that would go over well. Turns out everyone liked it! To Yukiko, I gave a mini-piggy bank, but unfortunately it is so mini you shouldn't actually put coins in it because they won't come out even though there is a plug to pull out in the bottom. Failure! I reimbursed her 100 yen, which Toru eagerly confiscated.

They seem to be doing well. Her husband was busy with work, but her dad actually came out for dinner (we had mixed okonomiyaki and pork wrapped shiitake whooooo, lots of food). He is always fun. He didn't remember meeting me last time, but it's probably best that we forget that affair (if you recall from last year, Toru was trying to fleece him for every yen he was worth.) Has the Obama slogan down, (in English!) Asked if I had a boyfriend and told me to meet a good Japanese guy (hurr *wink*)

This isn't as speedy as I had originally intended, but I still have ten minutes left of my hour, so I guess it doesn't matter.

After dinner, I took the train back to Shinjuku and got SO LOST. I wandered around in circles (literally, how soul-consumingly frustrating) for something like almost two hours, and the worst part was that I had to pee so incredibly bad. I had a stomach ache and I just wanted to get back to the hotel so I hopped in a cab, but I was so close he wouldn't take me!! Too close for a cab, but not actually on top of it, so I had to wander some more. I asked directions and finally some guy was able to point me in a semi-right direction, but I still had to look at my maps a lot (which were generally useless cuz they didn't have the street names).

Got home, talked to Kayo a bit (I will meet her at the Seibu-Shinjuku station tomorrow at 11), and watched a bit of a program teaching Chinese to Japanese people before sacking out. Actually that show got really trippy, but I guess just because I was tired. There was a Chinese chef teaching us the Chinese names of certain ways of cutting carrots (dicing, julienne, etc) Really bizarre. I gave up paying attn after a while. I vaguely remember the correct pronunciation for mabo doufu now, though, which is cool. Chinese is pretty.

For breakfast this morning I did eat that tasty bagel. And it was tasty. As I expected! Also grabbed a yogurt with BIG chunks of fruit in it. They didn't skimp at all. It had entirely too much sugar in it and the fruit was cocktail style, but it was pretty tasty and I assume there was still at least a hint protein in it, which was the point. I'm hoping to finally get curry for lunch today............