Category: Chillin’

Countdown

Counting today, I have three days of work left. After that, I have three weeks to get my affairs in order and move to Thailand.
It’s been six and a half years since I was last unemployed. Plus, there’s the whole thing about learning a new language and culture… I must admit, I am nervous as I approach this next stage of life.
On the other hand: Freedom! Starting over in a new country! Learning a new language and culture!
When I start thinking about what I’m thinking about too much, I need to force myself to just accept the unknown, accept that I cannot control or even plan for everything. It goes against my nature somehow, but at the same time, it’s the only way I know.

Long lost

Yeah, so yesterday I called up a great aunt who lives up in Sendai whose existence I only learned about recently, through correspondence with my mom. I was kind of apprehensive at first just cold calling someone and saying, “Hi! Me gaijin! Me from America! We related!,” but that’s exactly what I did and it turns out she’s a totally cool lady. 88 years old, but she doesn’t sound like it at all. In fact, I was kind of surprised when she told me that she’s too old to travel around much anymore. I told her it’s cool, because I want to go visit you with my parents in October, so will you be around?
So that’s that. I’m finding more long lost relatives in Japan, and it feels extremely gratifying. Hell, if things work out, I might even be able to meet more in Hokkaido and Kyushu – man, my family is really spread out all over. Since I’m always saying I came to Japan to find my ancestral roots, it’s nice to be able to finally meet some of the actual people. I have great relationships with pretty much all the relatives I have met so far, and there are a few cousins around my age who I will really miss hanging around with when I embark on the next leg of this journey called life.

Chatting

Jabber transcript with my little sis, currently doing a gross anatomy course:
sis: you know how when people die, their muscles relax?
me: yeah
sis: that includes their sphincters…
i couldnt figure out what was sticking out of my guys behind at first
it was amazing

Rot Canal

The worst thing about getting a root canal, so far, is the pungent stench of rot that permeates my mouth when the epoxy plug is pulled out of my tooth every week for cleaning, and then replaced again. My dentist’s insistence on holding conversations in pseudo-English while my mouth is filled with drills and shit comes a close second, but that momentary putridity is always a kick in the pants. It is disturbing on a basic level to be reminded that cells are constantly dying within one’s body…
Today was the last check and antisepsis before getting my crown – that’s in two days. I’m assuming it’s a painless procedure, so if any of you know differently, please shut the hell up until then.
Also, I just realized this is my first opportunity for bling: Although the crown is going on my rearmost molar, should I go for gold instead of the stainless look? How about a 1-carat diamond? Nothing says pimp like a 1-carat spinning stud on a gold crown, right? Hell, maybe I’ll ask my dentist to install some hydraulics and fuzzy dice to match.

Blog: A Stupid Word

That I would post about such a common topic is itself ironic, but great displeasure forces my hand. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have come to the stunning conclusion that the word blog is stupid and needs to be replaced. My reasons for saying such?

    • Mainly, it just sounds ugly. “I’m gonna start me a blaaaaaaaawg.“
    • And it’s mama’s ugly, too: As we all know, blog itself stems from the word weblog, which isn’t really much to look at, is it?
    • Pretty much any word stemming from the word blog is also horrible: Blogger, blogging, audioblog, blog client, blogging software, blogging platform, blog feed, BlogDay, blogroll, moblog, multi-blog, re-blog, vlogging, video blog, splog, blogspouse, blogfather, blogmeet, and last but not least, blogosphere – a wonderfully descriptive word that sounds absolutely ridiculous.
    • Before becoming an abbreviated form of the word weblog, the word blog actually had another meaning (since 1959!)
    • Is it any coincidence that blog is a four letter word? Think about it: “I’m gonna undress you, then I’m gonna blog your brains out ALL NIGHT LONG”
    • When CNN starts using a trendy term every ten minutes, you know it’s time for a change (heard just this morning on CNN-I: “We will now hear what THE BLOGS have to say about it.” Give me a break, fucking.)

Unfortunately, alternatives such as “online journal” and “net diary” are also wretchingly wack. Therefore, I propose we, (the temporarily) blogging collective, use a new term to describe this pursuit.
Any suggestions?