The skills I lack

I'm still trying to decide if it's really that important that I learn to cook. I found a couple good books at the store today, either of which would be fine. It's just that if I do it I'm not gonna half-ass it; I'm gonna try really hard and buy all the correct equipment and not, you know, crush garlic with a fork (not that I will probably be crushing much garlic for Japanese food?) Anyhow, I spent like almost an hour looking at cookbooks at Tsutaya after running around with friends today in Shimokitazawa, which is an area I will definitely return to.

Roppongi Hills is really fancy, but it lacks personality as far as a neighborhood. There is a ton in it, but it's sort of a maze, and it feels incredibly superficial. Shimokitazawa, on the other hand, has a ton ton ton of stuff crammed all over, some cute, some grungy, some chains, some adorable indie spots. It's also a maze, but at least it's more of a "city" feeling than "mall." We had houjicha shaved ice, which is not a flavor you can find everywhere. The store we went to was tucked away upstairs around a corner (like most things, it seems) but there was a line outside.

After that we popped into a bookstore overgrown with stuffed animals, shower curtains, backpacks, snackfood, etc. I forget the name of this chain, but uhm...yeah it's like being a book store just wasn't good enough. I realize that Borders and other places stock things that are not books, but you can still TELL it's a book store readily. This, though, was just a cacophony of goods sprouting from every shelf like a new strain of consumer-ready weed.

I bought a couple used jazz CDs at Disk Union. I kind of want to go back there, too. Somehow I'm not used to shopping for used CDs, but I buy used games often enough. I should check out Amoeba more often (or you know, when I'm in San Francisco).

Later on we got drinks at an adorable cafe which is most definitely a secret, but the kind that people know about so there, again, was a line. Ended up ordering "orange spice" Sangria. I'm not really a Sangria expert, but this was more like a very small cup of juice (the wine was super diluted) with ice. The flavor that was there was good, but it missed the depth of the red wine base, somehow.

Dinner was "soup curry" at a place called cocoro. All three of us ordered the 14 vegetable combo with brown rice, but at various spicinesses. I got 6, which did end up being rather spicy. Soup spiciness is harder to do that other types of food because since it's liquid it hits your throat faster. Somehow if you "taste" food "more" before you swallow, it's easier? Maybe your spit dampens the heat. Anyways, the veggies were great, but we all ate too much.......

Incidentally, since I'm just sitting here in my room listening to Chet Baker wondering whether I need to cook, I might as well discuss (briefly, emo-ly) my TWENTY-FIFTH BIRTHDAY ANGST.

It doesn't really have anything to do with my birthday. It's just a convenient excuse to have it out.

Things flitting across my mind:

25 = one quarter of a century.

[excised because it's the perfect emo birthday tweet]

Not cute anymore. Not sure when that happened exactly, but I don't feel cute. I feel...like a disheveled adult.

I haven't cooked a meal in...ages. Absolutely ages. Does that matter?

I'm really bad at laundry.

I'm single.

Haven't really gained expertise.

I was far more disciplined during college than I am now. What happened? It's not like I'm genuinely more relaxed.

Etc.

This has been Birthday Angst With Tiger, only remember that the Birthday part is a clever ruse to make you think I am not always this emo when really I am.

#sigh

Random Things I Have Enjoyed of Late

the "short" Starbucks size

Yamanote line platform jingles

salad for breakfast (although I think I mentioned this already)

bossa nova in almost every cafe

Anyhow, as usual, there is so much I want to do that I end up aimless. Gonna just lie here and listen to more music. It's late, anyhow.

Pix or it didn't...

Well, I can't figure out how to get pix off my iPhone, and I figured blogging without them was a mite pointless, but now that I've been here for about a month, I figure I should relate what I have been up to.

Kamakura:

Went to Kamakura and Yokohama with one of the owner's of my favorite [Mission, San Francisco] local izakaya, Nombe. Ate shirasu both fresh and boiled, which was a new thing for me. Also tried a chocolate croquette. Who knew those even existed? Got to sample some really tasty pickles as we meandered around a shopping district. Saw the daibutsu and walked over to the bridge to Enoshima. Dinner in Yokohama included, I recall, some really tasty wontons.

Takoyaki Party:

Got together with some peeps from work and made takoyaki. Yup, grilled'em right at our table; you have to pour the batter into little cups, add ingredients, and then kind of spin them around as they cook to make them into ball shape. Here is a pic I took of the finished product, complete with mayo and tonkatsu sauce smiley face.

HBJB Concert:

A friend I met on Twitter took me out on a Friday night so see her friend's band. They play some pretty funky music, just cosplaying as Native Americans for some reason. The opening group was this a capella trio, DSC. By the end, they invited a lot of guests (including DSC again) up on stage, so the last couple songs were pretty epic. Overall, it was really a lot of fun, despite the bizarreness, and I'm glad I have the chance to hang out with Japanese people while I'm here! When I lived in France, I had next to no French friends. Still looking for more ways to meet people, but Twitter and other websites have been an ok start.

Asakusa:

One of my co-workers and his wife took me to Asakusa, where there is lots of shopping and a famous shrine. Actually, I went to the shop mentioned in this blog post. We also had excellent sushi for lunch. I've discovered that I do actually like ikura. Maybe my taste buds have changed yet again..

Mt. Fuji (you know what Fuji-san looks like):

I hopped in the car with a (different) co-worker and his family (wife and two young girls). We had a ton of fun, but really spent most of the time in the car aside from lunch and a brief outing at the 5th step up Fuji. The youngest was only five, so we didn't hike. Ate a variety of strawberry desserts with lunch. Escaped a traffic jam to hit the dreaded McDonald's for dinner (I had some kind of lemon and salt chicken sandwich with wayyyyyy too much vinaigrette on it, but it was not something I had ever tried before. Also, you can get a salad instead of fries, and the dressing--used sparingly--was delicious). We played probably HOURS of the Japanese word game, shiritori. I'm surprised there was not more janken. Anyhow, the kids were adorable. The oldest sewed me a super cute tiger doll! I wish I could post a picture :P

WOWOW Music Unlimited:

I got tickets to go see the Okamoto's, a rock band I found out about when they came to San Francisco as part of the Japan Nite Tour, with Chatmonchy. There were four other bands, and I enjoyed Lego Big Morl and Avengers in Sci-Fi enough to buy CDs. Shibuya AX is a pretty great venue. I hope to return sometime, maybe get tix earlier so I can be on the floor where it's crazy. The balcony was rather chill.

Japanese lessons:

Started private lessons at Berlitz. I'm learning all stuff for work. It is pretty challenging, but I'm trying to put in study time each evening!

Random food:

Been eating lots of curry, of course, of many varieties, though, not just Japanese. I also LOVE omuraisu; there is a place right by the Roppongi metro stop that does take out. Have taken a shine to Lauderdale, after having a leisurely and relaxing basil omelet experience last weekend. Tried Toraya Café today for lunch. Did Junkadelic's chicken burrito, which was tasty, if a bit soupy and nowhere near spicy enough even with the salsa. The best so far, though, was probably eating hiroshima-style (layered, not mixed) okonomiyaki straight off the griddle with fresh tomato, spicy pickled cucumbers, and sesame tofu and cabbage salad on the side.

Apartment:

It's still ridiculously fancy. All my friends think I am rich and/or a CEO. (I'm not the CEO, guys!) I love going to the pool in the morning during the week, and almost love it even more on the weekends. There is almost never anyone there. The most crowded I have seen it was four people, which, four people is fine since there are two big lanes. More than that and we'd be circle-swimming, which is less than ideal (but when you start complaining about that, you really know you've gone off the deep end...not that the water is very deep; in fact it's rather a bit shallow, BUT once again...one really cannot complain about such things).

Anyways, I think that's all I got for now. I want to try to see the new Ghibli movie, maybe, and possibly hit up a jazz bar tonight. First San Francisco is already this Tuesday! Time flew, naturally.