Just keep walking...Just keep walking...

2nd post coming straight atcha out of the Dirty Dirty Miyahara!  I've got some stories to tell so lets get to it without any fuss!

The Next day...
The next morning, after our late night eating Yakitori (which was very tasty and elicited amazed looks from the owner of the spot when we order the amount of food we did.) We woke up late.  Adam felt bad about us not getting up early to suck the life out of the day, but I was grateful for the extra sleep.  I did wake up early and sent emails and made that first post but then I went back to bed and slept till 11am.  Which was nice.  No, fuck that.  It was wonderful.  I mean, once you get past sleeping on an inch thin futon mattress on the floor.  Uncomfortable, to say the least, but I'm getting used to it.  We got ourselves ready, gathered our things and headed out into the cold Nihon mid morning.  We figured we'd go to the Sword Museum, hit up Akihabara to feast on the electronic orgy, grab some dinner and then run around looking for books and what not.

The Museum of Swords...poetry in steel
The sword museum was located in a small neighborhood filled with small, rich looking houses and tons of mercedes coupes.  We arrived at the museum with high hopes and were not dissappointed except for the fact that they wouldn't allow pictures inside.  So I'll have to describe it to you from what I remember.  The art of making a Japanese sword, like a Tachi or a Katana, is a very involved process that I only partially understand.  There are no blades in the world that compare.  We saw all numbers of blades and I was amazed at the differences between the lengths and witdths and curves of all the blades.  Like all things, the sword went through changes depending on the age it was made in.  Some ages were longer blades with less curves, other ages saw shorter blades with more pronounced curves.  We spent about an hour and a half marveling at all the blades, at their various differences and the cooling marks made along the edges of the blades.  Simple beautiful.  I would have killed for a picture but there were security guards and security cameras so you'll have to settle for the pics of the sword making implements and tongs and what not, and the two beautfiul cats sitting outside museum (who ran off before I could get the zoom lense on the camera).  I have to admit one thing; I was surpised the sword museum was as small as it was.  I know that the Japanese people have a sort of strange relationship with their Samurai past, so sometimes I wonder if they dont celebrate it like we would imagine that they would.  I figured a sword museum would be a huge, towering affair with thousands of blades and depictions of how to use them and what not, but the Museum was an intimate, cozy joing with about 40 sword blades in all, only a few of which were more than just the blades themselves.  But it was still cool to see.

Back to the train and on to the Akihabara
We marched back to the train station but not before stopping by a McDonalds for a bite to eat.  Pretty much the same as a McDonalds in America except its 100% cleaner, faster, everything is made fresh, the lettuce on my Bic Mac was crispy and fresh, the fries were hot, the people were friendly and nice and I enjoyed my meal without feeling guilty.  So just the same, except the exact fucking opposite of every McDonalds I've ever been in.  Oh, and they have a large array of burgers with egg patties on them.  I didnt even fuck with those.  But sitting down in the McDonalds, overlooking the street down which people were walking home from work, I got a chance to really talk with Adam, something I feel like I havent gotten a chance to do in a long time.  He told me that sunsets can be a little rough for him at times because its his lowest energy point during the day so he has to work hard to keep himself up and fresh and poppin.  I never knew that about him so the revelation made light of a lot of different times in our friendship when he would sort of get real quiet and shut down at wierd times.  Now I understand him a lot more.  But there is still a lot I dont know and Japan has changed him (for the better) in so many ways.  He's way more confident in general, less prone to apologizing all the time, and has a more 'Go with the flow and see where it takes you' spirit that he has longed to have for so long.  Plus he's thinner and healthier wieght wise (although he smokes way too much here).  All in All, this trip is doing good for him.

We jumped on the train and headed to Akihabara, the electronic, manga and videogame district of Japan.  After a moderate train ride, we got off the train and walked into a neon explosion.  I dont know if I mentioned our time in Senjuku, which is a Neon Supernova...but I have picutres of it.  I didnt get any pictures of the Nigerian boosters trying to lure us into overpriced Gentlemans clubs but they were there.  Anyway, Akihabara is the place to go to get electronics.  Now the electronics in Japan arent any cheaper than they are in the US.  The real difference is, there are things coming out in Japan that wont hit the US for like 5 years.  Adam as a small 1 gig mp3 player that is shaped like a green lighter, just a bit bigger, and you use it by rotating and 'lighting' it.  Very cool.  But it cost him $200 bucks.  We went into a sex shop, of which there are plenty, after we went to a bookstore that had a foreign book section where I bought a japanese phrase book.  I've been practicing but not making much headway.  We then tried to find dinner at a Soba restaurant that adam wanted to go to but they were closed.  Well, at least thats what the lady told us as we were trying to go inside, despite the fact that there were people in there already eating.  I told Adam that maybe they were having a private function, but he said,  being a foreigner in Japan, sometimes you run into places that are suddenly closed when you try to get in.  Xenophobia at its best, I suppose.  So, both of us being hungry and wet (it was drizzling slightly and neither of us had an umbrella) we wandered the streets in search of a place to eat that looked halfway decent.  All of a sudden, Adam snaps his fingers together and said 'Rose and Crown, dog...lets head there for a pint and I'll bust out my Japan tour book and we can find a place to eat.' I'm all for it so we head to Rose and Crowne, an English pub.  We have a couple of Pints of Rose (their incredible house beer that is now my favorite out of the tap, even more so than Amberbock) a quick bite to eat and decided to go to a Rotating Sushi Bar.  Basically you sit at a bar and a conveyor goes around and around, while on the other side, the sushi chefs cut up bits of sushi and put them on plates.  you grab the plate you want and eat it.  At the end they charge you per plate.  A plate might have two pieces of sashimi, one big roll, or 6 small rolls.  Each plate, regardless of what is on it, costs about $1.50 so we ate our fill.  I wasn't nearly as hungry as I thought I would be though but it was pretty good.  OH and before I forget.  They had fresh Eel, babe.  Unagi.  Not the sort of dried/pickled stuff you get in rolls.  This was more like small fillets of eel cooked and laid across rice.  OH.  MY.  GOD.  SO SO SO GOOD!  Or as they say around these parts, TOTOMO OISHIEA!!

I actually jumped around a bit.  Before we searched for food, we went and got Adam some shoes at one of the rare places that sell shoes in big sizes (13 and up).  After spending an hour looking around and trying on differnent things, Adam settled on (with my help) two pairs of really nice black shoes for a 2 for 1 deal that was badass.  He was very happy with his purchase which made me happy for him.  Now he's got new kicks to go with his new clothes that he's gonna wear when we go out clubbing!

So after everything, we headed back towards home and stopped by Embocca for a drink and some relaxing conversation with Shinji, Jun, and the effervescent Akko.  We had a great time talking and joking and they called Adam, with all his hair, Sazaesan, a sort of Giant Female Clam that is SUPER popular with all the kids and adults here.  He thought it was funny and we all had a good laugh as everybody in the bar started singing the theme song while adam danced around.  I also was dubbed Kintaro, which means Giant Golden Samurai or something close to it.  I also had my first taste of Omishu, which is a plum wine.  But the wine I had was homebrewed by Jun's mother.  Chris had it when he came here.  I've never had anything like it.  It's my new favorite drink and Im defiantly gonna look for some good plum wine when I get back home.  I GOTTA have some of that in the house 24-7.

It is at this point that I have to mention the wonderful deed Jun did for me at the bar.  While I was planning on going to Kyoto the following day while Adam was at work, and we vaguely understood that my JR pass would allow me to take the train there for free, we had NO IDEA which trains I could take and when they left or what I had to do.  One of the coolest features on all the Japanese phones or Kay-Tai's is the ability to get on the net and check all the different train times and figure out which trains you have to take to go different places.  Jun took about an hour out of her time at the bar, stood in the corner with her phone and produced for me a list of trains going from Tokyo to Kyoto, along with times as well as coming back.  It was a lot of work, something Adam wasn't able to do and we had despaired of me even going to Kyoto until she did that, which was super cool and the nicest thing somebody has done for me in this country.  I forever owe her my thanks and gratitude.

At this point we went home, I packed and made ready for Kyoto and went to bed at around 3am for a few hours of sleep and the conquering of Kyoto in the morning!!

Onward to KYOTO!  Mystery Lunchbox Surprise!  The Fastest thing on land!
Despite my best intentions, I got up a little late so I missed the very first train out of Miyahara to Omiya.  See, Miyahara is sort of a small town that doesn't get a lot of trains so I have to take the Takasaki line to the next stop which is Omiya, a much much bigger station and the one that I met Adam at.  Omiya then has a line (I took the Bullet Train of Shinkosen) called the Yamabiko directly to Tokyo.  It was fast...like 100mph fast.  I then asked around and easily found my super express train to Kyoto.  Very nice train, clean and spacious.  That reminds me.  All of the train stations are super clean.  Especially consider some of these stations see a million people plus a day.  Not a hint of trash or litter or anything like that.  Its incredible.  No funky smells or nothing.  But, the Shinkosen which is a bullet train but a sort of local one, is super fast.  Thats what I took to Tokyo.  But from Tokyo to Kyoto I took the Hikari line, which is the bullet train you might imagine, with the super streamlined front and smooth exterior.  I got on this bad boy and was quickly shown that I don't understand the meaning of the word speed.  As I said in the intro, I've never been on anything that fast or that smooth in my life.  If we were going 200mph I would not be surprised.  It was so fast that looking outside was dizzying to say the least.  The big kicker was how smooth it was.  It was the most seamless ride I've ever had, with nary a bump or shudder.

There is something poetic about riding a Bullet Train through Japan, listening to Miles Davis as the miles roll by.  Just a beautiful experience that I don't really know how to convey.  There are plenty of memories that I will treasure for a long time but this one will be the first thing I think of when I think of my trip in japan.

In the train station in Tokyo, at the insistence of Shinji and Jun, I grabbed a boxed lunch for the trip.  I had no idea what was in it because all of it was in Japanese.  I just grabbed one that costs 1300 yen and was off.  So, about 45 minutes out (after flying through neighborhoods and rice fields, and industrial areas and rivers and mountain tunnels, I decided to bust out my lunch.  If you look at the pics I'm about to post you can see the contents of my lunch...Yes that IS a purple tentacle on the left.  And it was tasty as hell so back up off me!  I ate the whole thing which may have been the tastiest boxed lunch I've had in my life.  Worth every penny.  Two hours after I left Tokyo, I arrived in Kyoto, excited and curious and happy.  I stepped off the train...and realized I LEFT ADAMS JAPAN GUIDEBOOK AT THE APARTMENT!!!

No Plan, No Map, No Clue...sounds like an adventure!
So I walked off the train into the station and looked around bewildered.  I'm looking around for a clue as to where I should go when I spot a Kiosk.  They've got Tourist Maps!! Sweet.  I grab one, pay for it, open it up and am like...okay...where the fuck am I going to go?  I then flag down this Aussie couple who looked kind of reluctant to help me, as if I was going to go home to their hotel room and rape them but the sort of explained where I was on the map.  I then walked out of the station thinking I'm going northwest, heading towards a cluster of temples and shrines.  About an hour later, I ran into two English speaking chaps who informed me that I was actually headed southwest and that where I was going was way way too far to walk to anyway.  They then told me which Chikatetsu (subway) and where to catch it and that I should go to the Nanzenji Temple/Shrine/Park thingy.  So I hoof it up the road, run into a cute Japanese chick who points me in the right direction and I'm off.  Two subway transfers later, I emerge from Kaege Station, near a tunnel.  I check a map, and find out the tunnel is my destination.  Down the tunnel I go, visiting a small park before I'm off to the big temples.  I'm walking and taking pictures and walking and taking pictures.  The temples are hundreds of years old, some of which are achingly beautiful and many don't allow pictures inside the rooms sadly.  But around 6pm, after lots of walking, my feet were crying out for rest and I was tired and it was getting dark.  I had walked about a mile down the Philosophers path, a small stone path along a tiny river that passes several shrines and temples and at each temple I turned off the path and took pics.  I walked back to the train station as the sun set over the mountains, the cherry blossoms just beginning to bloom.  A beautiful sight that I would have enjoyed much more had I not been so tired I almost paid a guy 2000 yen just to take me on his rickshaw back to the station.  But I hoofed it back, just the way I came, and an hour later was on the Hikari back to Tokyo, flying through the night, satisfied with my enlightening journey.

Shinji and Jun and Akko at Embocca, a time for rest...
I had a tough time getting from Tokyo back to Miyahara.  Instead of taking the Yamabiko Shinkonsen back, I took the local train which took forever to get to Omiya.  Once in Omiya I took the wrong train TWICE trying to get back to Miyahara.  I kept winding up in Toro.  Fucking Toro!!  The problem was The Tagasaki and this other train arrive at the same place and go in the same direction...Im a jackass and kept getting on the wrong one.  I finally asked for help and a friendly japanese couple pointed me to the right train.

I got back to Miyahara and realized I didnt know if anyone was home so I headed to Embocca where I found Shinji Jun and Akko chilling out so I had some more Ohmishu, talked about my trip, learned some new japanese and waiting for adam to come through as Jun called him to let him know where I was.  We had a great time and I learned that Shinji wants Adam to sing at the party so that will be a blast.  After a quick beer, we headed home for some rest.  Right now its the next day, and Instead of gallivanting around Japan, I decided to give my feet the day off and am staying in, writing emails and blogs, posting pictures, burning CD's, downloading music, and trying to relax.  It wouldn't be good if I got home more exhausted than I left, and besides we're doing an All-nighter in Rippongi, the club district tonight, so I want to be rested.  Thats it for now...You know where the pics are, people, so go look at em!

Benticore
Out
(Miles and miles on the Hikari)

What happens when the wife gets lonely

Hey all this is Aeshemas wife - I was lonely so I revamped his page. I guess you kinda already noticed that - you can click on the number next to the title to leave a comment and everything else is about the same.

Love you honey!!

The true story of how I came to be in Japan, or 'LOOK OUT YOU SLANT-EYED BASTARDS!! THE NEGROS IS COMIN!'

Ahh, don't you just love political correctness?

So, I guess, like any other story, I should start at the beginning.  Without further ado...

Is that everything?  Did I forget anything?  Umbrella?  Nah, I don't need that!
The fateful words issued from my mouth at about 5:15am the morning I leave.  After some frantic searching for raquita's credit card (in case they asked me to show the card I purchased the tickets with) we were off.  We stood in line at the airport for about 30 minutes before a lady pulled us out of the line (so my plane to Houston would not leave without me)  As I waited in line for the metal detector (which I set off because I forgot to take the damn change out of my pocket and got to be felt up by some guy named bob...he was gentle) we made our passionate kiss goodbye and I was off to find my plane.  I later found out my wife went to the car and cried.  I thought she would have had a bottle of the bubbly on ice waiting for her in the back seat, to celebrate but...Even as I walked away, I'll admit, I was a little misty eyed.  I just didn't want to show it so that she wouldn't get misty eyed either.  If she had started crying it would have been impossible for me to leave her.  That's not just my wife, there buddy, that's my GIRL.  yeah its like THAT.

Two planes, 17 hours, same tiny ass seat
Okay so I need to loose some weight.  Seriously.  I know this.  But riding on airplanes, in those smallish seats really sort of jams that right into the gut, so to speak.  I mean, I'm a man of large appetites and healthy posterior.  These seats were not made for me.  The flight to Houston was okay.  I had a window seat and sat next to some wife and her husband who went out of her way to Not touch me in any fashion, how sweet of her.  Behind me was one of the dogs that we saw in the airport, just sitting on his owners lap, as quiet as can be, just chilling.


The flight to Tokyo?  That was a different sort of plane.  I was in the second to last row, by the galley and the bathroom, in similar cramped seats.  I would have laid down but the arm rests don't actually retract all the way back so they jab me in my side,s in my back.  I made due, watching Nation Treasure several times, writing in my journal that I also need to update, and listening to classical music while I took catnaps and dined on the fine American Airlines Gourmet Fair.  The food was actually not that bad.  I'm glad I had my headphones though cause the plane was loud as FUCK.  With the head phones it sounded like a gentle roar, never ending.  Without, it literally was loud enough to set my teeth on edge.

So I land in Japan, go through immigration easily (they asked me for Adams address and phone number, neither or which I could provide, and the guy still let me through with a 'Next time you must have that information.'  I'm like, holy shit, I could be a fucking psycho killer or something...they didn't even really check my shit!  And then customs.  Remember Jamaican customs, Raquita, where we had to wait for like 4 hours just to get up there, the customs officials pretty much lolly gagging the whole time?.  This was the exact opposite.  I came through to the gate where there was no line, showed my passport, the guy asked me if this was all my luggage to which I said yes, then he just waved me through.  He didn't even bother to OPEN my bags to take a look!!  Talk about Homeland security.  So, I walked into the Narita airport, looked around and tried to find, as Chris and Becca told me, the Ohmiya bus station thingy so I could activate my JR pass and get on my way to meet Adam.  They told me that I had to go downstairs to activate the pass.  So I gathered my 125lbs of luggage (that's literally what I was fucking carrying.  So painful...so heavy!) and headed further into the bowels of the airport, Japanese people swirling around me with curious non-looks that were almost as obvious as stares.  I'm a big black dude with two huge black bags.  I take up a LOT of space.  I knocked into a few people when I stopped to readjust and they didn't expect it, but...well...as Adam is often wont to say about the delicacies of the random Japanese person walking by, 'Fuck em!'

After a few confusing trips to the JR Pass people (If I activate now, it ends on the 26th but if I activate tomorrow neither of my trips to or from the airport will be covered!) I was finally on the platform waiting for my train to Tokyo.  Oh, a Note to Chris and Becca;  Because I had the JR Pass, instead of taking that two hour bus to Omiya, which was not covered.  I got to take a train into Tokyo Central Station and then take another train to Omiya.  The whole trip took 45 minutes and was pretty easy cause the girl told me exactly what train to take and where to take it.  And it didn't cost me a dime.  NEENER-Neener-NEENER!! =0)  But that also leads me to the next subtropic;

No no, I have a JR Pass Gents!  Drinks and Massage on the house!!! (HOORAY!!!)
So lets talk about the wonder that is the JR pass, which I purchased before I left the states, had sent to me and had activated the day I touched down.  The minute I touched down, actually.  In Japan, the rail system is quite elaborate and goes everywhere.  But unlike in the States, you cant buy a weekly or monthly pass, like they do in NYC or Chitown or STL.  You don't buy one ticket and then ride-sally ride.  You pay to get INTO the station, get on the train, and then PAY to get out. they charge you by the distance you travel, and that is determined by where you put in your ticket and where you pull it out at.  So some trips are a 160 yen (for ease of conversion, 100 yen = 1 dollar)  while some lengthy ones may be 1000 yen or more, depending on where you go.  That's just one way.  And if you fuck up and go into the wrong place at the station or the wrong station, you gotta pay to get out and then go into the different station.  After while, that shit can add up.  Well, with my handy dandy JR Pass, I just walk up to the booth guy that overlooks all the turn style terminals, flash the JR Pass and he waves me through with a hearty smile.  No fuss, no muss and no money exchanged.  I did a few experiments my first full day here, which was yesterday for me, where I started out, opening the pass and showing it to them but ended up not even opening the pass at all.  The people, so busy looking for fare jumpers and what not (and some of these stations are crazy packed) don't even glance at the pass.  Once they so those wonderful JR PASS letters, they just let me on through.  Except Adams home station, which he asked me to open up to show him the huge date printed on the inside of the pass.  My pass ends on the 26th but if I'm careful and go through major places, I might be able to extend it a bit.  We shall see.  For now, I'm going to be planning some day trips while Adam is at work tomorrow and the day after that will take me far from his house and would normally be prohibitively expensive for those without.  But I am with, and Imma pimp that shit for all its worth.  Now, back to the story at hand.

Staring at J-girls, waiting for Adam, jesus my ass hurts...
So I'm sitting in Omiya station, waiting for Adam in the Starbucks above the DNA statue (I don't have a picture of it because I hadn't taken the camera out of the bag but Chris and Becca do) and I'm surrounded by giggling Japanese girls who refuse to look at me or acknowledge my presence.  I'm on a sort of balcony overlooking this huge plaza where hundreds of Japanese people pass through, going to different trains, or going shopping as the train station doubles as the mall.  For girls, the fashion rules seem fairly strict, with not as much variation as you might see in the states.  Pretty much every girl or woman I saw (and it is very hard to judge ages here) wore short black skirts, cowboy boots and short jackets.  Kinda cute but they aint got NO ASS, and they got skinny legs.  Super skinny legs.  Which makes the lack of ass even more pronounced.  So Im sitting on this stool and various girls wind up sitting next to me for various lengths of time, checking their phone for messages, reading books, and what not.  Not a single one said hi, or hello, or anything, and none of them would so much as look at me, including the girl I damn near turned to openly stare at to see if she would break or freak.  Did I try to start a conversation?  Nah....I was in observation mode and I was too tired.  That plane ride isnt too bad but it is wearying...especially lugging 125 lbs of Luggage!  Finally, four hours later, I see Adam and his roommate Josh show up.  THANK GOD.  So we say our hellos, he hoists one of my massive bags and we're off.

Adams Bachelor pad, Embocca, Shinji and Jun and a Birthday Cake.
So we get to Adams place, drop of my bags, and after meeting his other roommate Dan (who seems nice but way way too uptight...not as intense as Super Joe, but who is?) an d head straight to Embocca to meet Shinji and Jun and have some drinks.  And drinks we did have.  I didn't take many pictures there, just a few, but we were there for awhile, drinking and talking it up.  I had Shinji's Taste Challenge, which consisted of me eating Squid in INK sauce.  Yes, INK Sauce.  It wasn't as bad as all that, but its not something I would go out of my way to have.  Then we got to the drinking.  I hade some champagne, because the table next to us were celebrating a birthday.  They brought out a tiny guitar, maybe a mandolin or ukele, and a were singing and halving fun...they also had a tiny cake which they shared a small slice with us, and I taught one of the girls how to give dap...which I should have gotten a picture of but I didn't...I also had some Sake, a big glass of Shoju which is like vodka, some beer, and a nice fat tequila shot.  Now, they think Adam is big, because in this country, almost NOBODY is overweight.  But they saw me and they were like HOLY SHIT HES SO BIG!  And you know when I drink, I get a little rowdy and friendly so I was laughing and shaking the stomach, saying it was the fuel tank for the sex machine, which got laughs and cheers and what not.  So when I asked for a tequila shot, which Adam boldly took with me, Shinji didn't just pour us a regular shot, he poured us a mega shot which we both decided (Or rather, I decided, Adam agreed to it) to hit it in one swallow.  Lets call it a triple shot.  Now, Japanese people love to drink but most of their drinks aren't too strong.  Not many could have taken that shot to the head and lived to tell about it the next morning.  SO when I slammed it back no problem, they were very impressed.

After the locals left, we sat and chatted with Shinji and Jun and presented them with the Wine that Chris and Becca bought them, which they were very pleased and surprised to receive.  Jun is an excellent cook and they are just a wonderful couple.  I cant wait to spend more time with them later.  We closed the bar down, leaving at like 4am to try and be quiet coming home so as to not wake up Dan.  Of course we failed (he sleeps lightly as he is almost constantly hopped up on Coke, the soda, not the drug.)  And I also snored like a chain saw which woke everybody but me up, but kept Dan up the rest of the morning till  he had to work.  Sorry Dan!

Hangovers and water, late start to the day, and day trippin
The next morning, I awoke with a slight hangover, but a couple of glasses of water and a few handy Advil and I was right as rain.  Got dressed after I sent a few emails, and we left out towards our next great adventure.  We decided to go Tokyo to a sort of huge open Bazaar to grab lunch, then walk to the park in hope that the plum trees were blossoming, which they were beginning to, then on to Asatska temple (I know I butchered it but that's what the word SOUNDS like) and finally a boat tour of Downtown Tokyo and then to Shinjuku, which is a sort of club district I guess.  I got lots of pictures and what not but I suddenly grow weary.  Lets just say that Tokyo is very interesting and has lots of different districts that change the flavor of the place immensely.  The park was cool.  The shopping district we went to was very cool, looking at all sorts of overpriced goods and what not.  We also watch Japan win the World Baseball Classic, which elicited huge roars from crowds gathered around TVs.  I ate a Dona Kabob, which is like a Gyro but beef instead of lamb and Hot Chili Sauce instead of tsiki cream sauce.  Very spicy but oh so good.  I also had various crackers and what not, and a sort of gooey rice cake wrapped in seaweed.  It was pounded rice, so don't think of a rice crispy treat.  Think of a mozzarella stick.  It had that kind of cheesy consistency but it had a lite potato flavor.  It was very very tasty and like nothing Id ever had.

Oh yes, and I have to mention the fact that Adam, as we were wandering the Temple at Asatska, decided that it was imperative that we go to the most ghetto, the most Gee-Hetto theme park in all of Tokyo.  It cost 1000 yen to get in and THEN they charge you extra for the janky ass rides!!  What a rip off.  But it was fun, because it was so dismal and ugly.  The first thing we saw when we walked in was a Merry-Go-Round, with a sad little girl riding by herself, her fatter off to the side, completely ignoring her.  As Adam said, the place smelled of broken homes and shattered dreams.  He even invented a song, 'Daddy smells of Bourbon and mommy's never home....why cant I leave this place so on the streets I'll roam...'  Fun Times.  After the super whack haunted house, we went up on the BEE Tour which is a sort of high ride, where you get in a car, and it raises up a hundred feet or so and you spin around slowly, looking down over the dingy city of Tokyo.  I got some pictures of that up there.  We kept cracking up because all the kids in the park looked vaguely disappointed, as if to say, 'Its my birthday and you brought me to THIS shit hole?  Love you too, dad!'  Priceless.

So we bounced from the temple and grabbed a ride on the Boat tour of Downtown Tokyo.  It was very pretty but because it was so dark and there was glass everywhere but the back of the boat, the pictures didn't turn out to well.  But I got to see the general layout of the land and the man made island (I cant remember the name...lots o high-rises though).  After that we headed to Shinjuku where we were accosted by Nigerian guys trying to get us to go to various super expensive Gentleman's Clubs.  No Thank you!  Good Day sir!  Adam was telling me about how the girl s there have all kinds of tricks to get you to pay more...like drink minimums and what not, AFTER you pay the cover charge.  Those are the pics of all the neon lights and what not.  After that we headed back to Miyahara to meet Josh for some Yaki Tori (Chicken on a stick) and beer, and sort of relax.  Came home and got online to chat with my wife and call my job to get my check situation straightened.  Got to bed at around 3am and woke up at 7:30 and started writing.  WELCOME TO JAPAN!

So that's it for now.  I'm going to Kamakura today, I believe.  I don't know whats there though.  I'll also be planning my day trips for tomorrow and the next day so that should be lots of fun.  Scary but fun.  But I'm ready.  I like Japan...I love the ease of travel though without the JR Pass I think it would be annoying as fuck.  Anyways, check http://www.flickr.com/photos/raquita/ for the pictures if you haven't.  And I'll post tonite, no doubt with stories to tell.

Holla atcha boy!

Benticore
Out
(I promise to do the blog thing a lot more than Adam does.  He's a lazy wanker, ain't he?)

In the dirty Nihon, making the indigs nervous...

Well, Im here in J-town...I cant talk long cause I've spent all the computer time trying to work something out with Wifey and my Job and my check....stupid accounts payabel department.  I promise a more verbose post very soon...but its 3am and my dogs is barking.  Check http://www.flickr.com/photos/raquita/ for pictures as they are uploading even as I type this.  Kick the Dueces!

Benticore
Out (East...WAY EAST)

Attacked from all sides, in all directions....

Hey all,

 

I just read an interesting and maddening article on GNN that I really wanted to share with all the parents out there.  It talks mainly about the astronomical cost of College level education in the United States and how, not only is this a travesty of justice but an actual social control to keep down dissent amoung young people who are coming to realize in droves that the system is not trying to help them but really trying to create a new peasant class in America.

 

If you're working towards getting a University Degree and have ridiculous amounts of debt, do you feel the quality of classes you are taking is worth the price you are paying?  Is it worth paying the equivalent of a HOUSE note for 30 YEARS?  To those who have just graduated- Do you feel like you degree has given you a leg up in your field? How is the job Market?  To those going into the University School Loan system - What kind of terms are in your loan?  How much interest and principal do you have to pay for the life of the loan?  Is it a variable interest rate?

 

Why is it that the Price of Education has increased all across the board, even as the QUALITY of same said education has decreased, as well as the salaries of teachers of said education?

 

Be Aware.

 

Im still trying to decide whether or not I want to send my child to a University in America if I can help it.

Hell, 10 years from now I might not be living in the country, the way things are going.  Is that cowardice?  I'm not Abraham.  Im not willing to sacrifice my child on the Altar of 'Improving America' if I have a chance to put her in a better place than I am, even if that means putting her in a Different place.

 

Think about it and hit me back...

 

Benticore

Out

(The revolution will not only be televised, but it will be market-researched, directed, produced, merchandized, publicized, commercialized, and available on DVD)

The Curse of Silver, a walk on the side of insanity...

Okay, the short story The Curse of Silver is finished and ready for your reading pleasures.  Its not a good story by any means, since it was the product of a writing exercise instead of a labor of love, but I finished it.  The writing exercise is as follows:

 

            -Take two random elements and incorporate them in an integral way in a 10 page short story.

 

If you want to try this task, post your email address or email me at Aeshema@gmail.com with two random numbers from 1-100 and I'll send you your two random elements...and these elements are pretty much on the 'Hey Mom! Im smoking Crack' level of randomness.  But that's the challenge!  As for me, I pretty much failed in my own task the first time, as the story was 22 pages (double spaced) and I didn't incorporate one of my elements as much into the story as I was supposed to.  But, as I said before, I FINISHED IT!!  So that counts for something.

 

            If you want to read The Curse of Silver, post your email addy or send it to me and I'll mail it to you.  IF YOU AINT SCARED!

 

 

Also, my wife is the best cook I know, hands down, with no challengers on the field.  And warm Cinnamon Scones are the fucking jones.  That is all.

 

Benticore

Out

Ask yourself this...

What is the nicest, kindest, most self-less or most altruistic thing you have ever done for a person, an organization, a team, an old lady, a dog, whatever?  I've been thinking over my past deeds of goodness and the list is looking a little skimpy so I thought I might ask the blogosphere and see what they might come up with.  Hey, maybe I'll get inspired or something...

 

Benticore

Out (but in a very self-less, giving way...)

Nothing is sacred, nothing is safe, everything is permissible...

I'm a gamer.  I have been for the majority of my life.  I've crushed Octoroks, I've gotten my ass handed to me by M. Bison and his flying head stomp, I've spent hours getting all the spells of every job just so that my Calculator could hit every single person on the board with every effect possible, I've leveled characters, gone on quests, slain dragons and vampires, saved worlds, erected empires, burned villages, made sweet sweet love to princesses in at midnight behind closed temple doors.  I'm not hardcore though.  I've played a few games in my time, but I don't put myself into them, I don't reach for them like a baby reaching for her pacifier in the middle of the night.  At least, not like I used to.  Part of that is because I simply don't have to the time or the disposable income to try each and every game that hits the market.  I guess I could rent, but that wouldn't help.  The demands on my time every day are extraordinary (hey, at least I'm never bored, although 8 hours of sleep is more like a haunting fantasy than an achievable goal) and even if I had some spare time to spend on few games, I have to be very selective as to which game I play.  But also, the reason why I've lost some of my fervor....fanaticism if you will, about video games, is that, like many things in popular culture, the creativity that once was there, seems to have been co-opted in favor of better graphics! More Online Play! Multiple Options!  Starcraft was one of the best games I've ever played.  There hasn't been a game that has captured the love of Strategy gamers in the same way since.  Sure there have been great games, but not too many of them.  Many games may look beautiful and are technically impressive but simply aren't that fun or engaging.  I'm sure that's age and maturity talking as well.

 

            So, the long and short of it is, I have to be very sure that the games that I buy are games that I will want to play and spend time playing and actually enjoy that time.  World of Warcraft is one of those games.  I don't play anymore and it, as great as the game is (and it truly is a good one, worthy of the purchase if MMO means more to you than a cow with a stutter) it didn't capture me like EQ did (which was whole heartedly and without mercy).  Part of that is because EQ was like the first hit of crack; nothing ever compares and you cant ever get that first High....not that I would know....ahem...moving on...

 

            But how, dear, gentle reader, does a discerning older gamer with precious little time and money, figure out which game would be best for him or her?  Well, you go on this thing here the youngin's call the INTERNETS and you start to look at previews and reviews and first impressions and fan reviews and what-nots.  Places like www.gamespot.com, and www.gamespy.com, are good places to start.  AT least, that's what I used to believe.  But I learned something in the past few months that, while I knew in a general way, I had yet to fully understand.

 

            THE INTERNET IS FULLY OF IDIOTS

 

            Not just regular, run of the mill, lick the frozen pole idiots, but people who take idiocy to the next level.  And the internets, in all it's wonder and glory, through the mighty shield of anonymity, makes possible the airing of all sorts of stupid, evil, ugly, uninformed, slanderous, fallacious opinions, offered as fact or gospel, to anyone who might be unfortunate enough to look the wrong way.  Not only is the wild wild web a place full of clichés, just like the high school hell you fought tooth and nail to escape, but also like anything else that has the putrid stamp of Humanity upon it, these clichés will mob up on people who might offer a different view, like a pack of wolves, weeding out the 'weak' wolf.  It's insane!  You cannot trust anything ANYTHING ANYTHING you read, especially not on the Internets, where people actually can be PAID to go on websites, pose as regular contributors to forums and skew honest discussions about games or politics or whatever by interjecting biased opinions for the sole purpose of creating controversy or a rabid fan base.  Sure it happens without the payment, but its still ugly...we all know that negative campaign adds are a fact of life but we hate the fact that so much money is poured into them and so many people are swayed by the FALLACIOUS ( I think I like that word...I mean, hell its root is Fallacio!) ideas put out there.

            So, I'm stuck with reading peoples opinions that I don't exactly trust about games that I might or might not buy, finding a strong metaphor to life in the process, but really just being annoyed and not even spending money on a game until I'm DEAD SURE I want it.  Like Galactic Civ II.  I wonder how many other gamers are out there that feel the same way...

 

That's all I have to say about that...

Benticore

Out

The Gathering Storm

The Mother-Load

So, as I said in a comment on an earlier post, I've been saving this post up for quite a while, mostly because I have been under the gun these past two weeks, both at work and at home.  A lot has happened since my Birthday and all of my energy and attention has been Helming the Goodship Henderson, so to speak, guiding my family through the crashing rocks and the siren infested waters of a consumer culture gone wild.  And I'm not even gonna apologize for the mixed(up) metaphors.

 

Don't take my absence as an unwillingness to write though.  I've been ruminating on this post (read rant) for a minute so you'll have to bear with me.  And, on a side note, I hate the fact that my blog only gives me a thin column in which to write posts, so that long posts that are two or three days in the making, read like an ancient Hebrew scroll.  But width issues aside, as I roll up my sleeves and begin to 'Get my Post On' as the young kids are wont to say, I beg your patience, your understanding, and your inquisitive nature to question, always and take nothing for granted.

 

My Birthday, the Aftermath

"What happened after your birthday?" a number of you were heard to exclaim through the ether.  Well, as my wife has blogged, Uncle Sonny Passed away on my birthday.  I don't want to discuss that too much here, Raquita having already said pretty much what both of us feel about the man.  It definitely put a damper on the festivities though, but I remained pretty much upbeat the rest of the day.  But this (my Birthday) was the high point of a two week slide into insanity.

 

Oh and the whole lobster fresh from maine was Off the Donkey!  Just a great meal all around.  For that Im grateful to my lovely wife for everything she's done....now...on to less mushy topics.

 

In the Jungle, the mighty Jungle, the Lion sleeps tonight...

So the Lion and the Spear was put on hold, necessarily, to manage the past few weeks of crisis.  But I've taken up the mantle like a proud but weary warrior, and, even as I speak, am fomenting more story, dialogue and intrigue to be scribed.

 

Also, Cammy's new  favorite movie is now Lion King, for which she will ask by name.  Nemo?  Nemo who?  Nemo is SO last month!  And speaking of the Lion King, did you know that Jonathan Taylor Thomas was the voice of young Simba?  But do you know who the voice of Young Nala is?  Or the voice of the Singing Young Simba?  How about the voice of Poombah, Timon's hefty sidekick?

 

Car Troubles

Our beloved Tracker, beaten nearly to death through constant use and a minimalist approach to maintenance, is suffering from what I like to term 'Sellthispieceofshit-it is' is probably heading towards the trade-in farm.  We're looking at either buying a Ford Explorer Sport TraK, which is like a half suv half truck....Imagine the front and middle seats of an SUV but with a Truckbed.  We're thinking about that for the simple fact that Anubis will be a giant of a dog very soon and if we need to take him Anywhere, the tracker just aint gonna cut it.  But My beloved also wants us to think about leasing a Murano, which is a very schnazzy, if somewhat pricey, vehicle.  I like the Murano a lot, we fell in love with it in LA, but Im not sure we can swing that.  Big Daddy's pockets aren't as fat as they once was, unfortunately.

 

Computer Troubles

Oh yeah!  Did I mention that our CPU burned out?  Such fun!  But wait! Theres more!  Because the CPU (An AMD XP 2400) is so old, they don't make the chip anymore.  So I had to upgrade to a faster chip, a AMD 64 2800.  The 64 makes the chip nearly twice as fast as it refers to the Bits of the chip...the xp was 32 bits  the amd was 64...whats a bit?  I...um....NO FURTHER QUESTIONS!!!

 

Anyway, because the new chip I bought has a completely different architecture, I had to upgrade the MOTHERBOARD!! YAY!!! So the whole process cost $179 bucks, when I was hoping to skate by with $80 but am very glad I didn't have to pay $300.

 

But now, Im trying to reformat the harddrive and put WindowsXP on the comp but I've been having troubles.  I don't want to talk about it anymore...Im getting angrier with each word...stupid computer...Defenestration is only a crime when its not your window, right?

 

The Odyssey begins in less than a month...prepare yourselves!

Very soon, a lot sooner than Im letting myself understand, I will be boarding a plane, flying halfway around the world, and joining my blood brother Daimushi for fun, fish and Jackassery in the Land of the Rising Sun.  Im excited.  Im VERY excited.  But Im a little nervous too....I keep imagining scenarios that we get into that winds up with him having to be deported and me being in some Kabuki Theatre Jail where they make me play Ori in the 40 samurai.  Im not sure that the Nipponese are ready for the Chocolate Thunder...let us pray they will be.

 

That's it for now...I know I promised a lengthy, detailed, politics filled report but who wants to hear me rant and rave about politics...besides, my last post about climate warming and the bush administration pretty muchs trumps anything I was gonna say in the 'What the Fuck are they Thinking?' category so...

 

Peace, Fleece and Horny Geese

Benticore

Out

 

Your moment of Zen...

I'm listening to NPR Science Friday talking about climate change and the destruction of civilization and the author of this book informs the audience that Bush actually had Michael Crichton come to the Whitehouse and give a conference on his views about Climate Change and Global Warming and how he felt they were nothing more that trumped up theories the media and the left liked to use to scare people out of their money.

 

Michael Crichton is a doctor turned author.

 

Michael Crichton is not a climatologist nor is he a meteorologist.

 

Michael Crichton wrote Jurassic Park 2 and 3.

 

The Bush administration silenced their own Science Experts who held views contrary to the Party Line.

 

Let that marinate for a minute while you wonder why it hasn't rained in three months...

 

 

Benticore

Out

Hacking and wheezing...

This is just an update.  Im still alive...but Im sick as a dog...Im going to the doctor tomorrow....I had to delay the super big post catching everybody up because Im not 'HERE' enough to actually write it...hopefully, I'll get some biotics and clear this sinus infection up so I can go back to being human instead of an extra for a John Romero Flick.

 

Love and sniffles

Benticore

Today is my Birthday!!

Oh, you didn't know?

 

Yep! 29 years ago, on this day, my mother gave birth to me.  Well, to be truthful, they cut me out of my mother's womb because I was premature (BUT STILL SEXY! Don't tell anybody!)  I'm exhausted.  It's been a grueling couple of weeks for me and the fam and Im starting to show a little mental and emotional wear and tear.  There are loads of things that I want to talk about or at least mention, ranging from the Coretta King to the Pictures of Muhammad, to Wiretaps, to Boondocks and 40 year old virgin.  But I gotta wait till I have a moment when I'm not half asleep or driving home.

 

Anyways, Its snowing, its only Wednesday, and I've got work to grind.

 

Love, peace and chicken grease,

 

Benticore

Out

Double posting is a way of life, First Dibs on the Universe, Urge to Splurge

Double Posting is a way of Life...
When you're writing from a cell phone so deal, baby!  Twice the rich, nutty flavor, half the uhm....err....half the tomfoolery?  Just kidding! I'd never skimp on the Tom-Foolery or the Jack-Assery around here.  It wouldn't be dignified!  The post I made from my phone was 17Kb which might be a bit big for the Cingular Network to receive and then send again so next time I'll try to keep them a bit shorter.  I just couldn't help it! My inexpressible exuberance for life overtook my senses and a short worded post became filled with....uh...more words...like right now...
Moving on...

First dibs on the Universe!
So Im reading TMQ at lunch when he starts talking about the latest cosmological discovery, which is that of a planet, nearly earth sized (nearly meaning five times as big and made of rock, which may not seem similar but compared to the Titanic sized gas giants they've been spying lately, it's pretty freakin close) planet orbiting a red dwarf some 47 light years away.  He goes through a whole calculation of whether or not there might be more actually inhabitable planets, doing some interesting ratios along the way but he ends up with an interesting hypothesis based on the failure of SETI (The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, a poorly funded NASA program that was the basis for the movie Contact) to discover any signals what so ever.  His hypothesis is this: What if the reason why we havent discovered any life outside of ours is not because there isnt anything out there but because WE ARE THE FIRST ONES HERE!  All those sci-fi novels and games that mention an ancient Elder race that built wonderful technology but all disappeared long ago?  Maybe thems is us!  In a couple billion years, we might spread the virus of human life all over the galaxy, and then die out but leave tantalizing clues of our existence to muscle bound heros and ridiculously preportioned heroines!  Imagine...the things you do today, the influences you have on our culture, no matter how infinitesimal they may seem at the time, could have grand repurcussions in the future...so think about that next time you want to have sex with that monkey!

The urge to splurge...
On Books!  There are several that I want to read that are out right now, and there are also quite a few that I am currently either reading or listening to.  The desire to splurge is just the devil trying to get in my pockets.  Get OUT my pockets Devil!  You caint have none of my scrilla!  Raise UP!  There...I feel better...I wonder how much Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell is on Amazon.com....

OH NO!!

Must resist...the urge to splurge....must resist...

EX-MF.Benticore
Out

Dude, where's my car? Plus other news...

So after my triumphant triumph (Here-here for reptitive redundancy!) of the washing machine (the one for clothes, not the one for dishes), I thought I was the hot shit...i put the MF in front of my name and erethang...but lo, I was soon to be punished by the gods for my hubris; the brakes and rotors on the car failed sunday. Yes, I was the recipient of many a dirty look and exaggerated eye roll. Take heart, dear reader, for I took them with the stoicism of a Man who has done wrong but has not yet realized. Basically my love, my queen had been asking me to take the car in to get the brakes done for months. But did I listen gentle reader? As my dearest would not hesitate to exclaim loudly to you, I did not. Pity.

Well, two days later and $380 dollars lighter, our brakes are fixed. Let's not mention the fact that the car still sounds like a dying wildebeast.

Also...pictured in the post is a new tea Mí Miélita purchased for me at our local herbologist. Its called Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls...it LOOKS like the little pods that gremlins pop out of when you feed a mogwai after midnight...but I'm still gonna drink it!

Ex-MF. Benticore
Out

Dude, where's my car? Plus other news...

So after my triumphant triumph (Here-here for reptitive redundancy!) of the washing machine (the one for clothes, not the one for dishes), I thought I was the hot shit...i put the MF in front of my name and erethang...but lo, I was soon to be punished by the gods for my hubris; the brakes and rotors on the car failed sunday.  Yes, I was the recipient of many a dirty look and exaggerated eye roll.  Take heart, dear reader, for I took them with the stoicism of a Man who has done wrong but has not yet realized.  Basically my love, my queen had been asking me to take the car in to get the brakes done for months.  But did I listen gentle reader? As my dearest would not hesitate to exclaim loudly to you, I did not.  Pity.

Well, two days later and $380 dollars lighter, our brakes are fixed.  Let's not mention the fact that the car still sounds like a dying wildebeast.

Also...pictured in the post is a new tea Mí Miélita purchased for me at our local herbologist.  Its called Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls...it LOOKS like the little pods that gremlins pop out of when you feed a mogwai after midnight...but I'm still gonna drink it!

I am reposting this because Im not sure it got through the Cingular Branded Ether to my blog.  Also I'm in a great mood, even though I have taken notice that not a one of you have requested a sampler of my Lion & Spear Prologue.  Wounded but undaunted, I shall continue to forge ahead, blazing the trail for other african-american science fiction authors with daughters who would be named for the main character if not for the Interventionary efforts of their significant other's family.  Wow, now THATS a long  title!  I guess thats the  A.A.S.F.A.D....um....nope, I lost it

Ex-MF. Benticore
Out

The great task is finished. IT LIVES!!!

We did it!  The washing machine, after many hours of fret and toil, sweat and tears, finally lives and breathes and runs and hums and does all the things and an machine of its size and compexity should do.  Putting the machine together was an interesting task, especially since we were kind of at a loss as to exactly where all the requisite parts to the machine went.  But at the end of the day we finished and had no parts left over, ran it on a test run and the damn thing works, damned if it dont!  Who'd have thunk it.  I wish I had gotten a few pictures of the thing blown apart all over the  basement, its guts spilt on the cold concrete floor like it caught a potato masher on a short fuse.

Its late.
I need a shower.
I made chili.
I think my wife is going to make me drive and pick up her friend.
I dont want to.
I got up at 7am and walked the dog, cleaned the kitchen, fixed the washer, cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I just want to take a nice long shower, sit back down, write for a couple of hours and fall asleep.

That probably wont happen.

Love Peace and Chicken Grease!
MF. Benticore
OUT
*MF = Mr Fixit* CAUSE I EARNED THAT SHIT, BABY!! YEAH!!!

"We're pot-committed now...no looking back..."

Those were the words of Super Joe as he reassured me that tonight's work on the washing machine wont end as fruitlessly as last nights (it involved a big black rubber mallet, a pulley and lots of swear words).  Am I nervous?  Of course not.  I'm a MAN.  Whats to be nervous about?  What could happen?

 

Don't answer that.

 

Also, I've given my Lion & Spear Prologue to a couple of people and if you're interested in reading it, put a comment up with your email address and I'll send it to you.  It's only 5 pages long, and I'll probably send it to you in PDF format so if you're one of the three MS-Free people without MS word, you can still read it.

 

My boss is gone and it's Friday!

 

If I had the money, it'd be margarita time but I don't so I'll have to settle for looking at the pic I took of one earlier in the blog...where? Oh just scroll down!

 

Benticore

Out

Maybe one day...

         I'll be Mr. Fixit.  Last night Super Joe came over and we deconstructed our broken washing machine.  If I had been thinking fast, I would have taken pictures but I still can tonite.  I mean, its not as if we put the thing back together again!  I learned a lot actually, Joe being very helpful in explaining all the gadgets and switches we found inside the washer's rusted carcass.  Actually, there weren't many switches or gadgets at all, to my surprise.  Just a pressure switch, some hoses, a bunch of wires, the motor and the tub and agitator.  But It made me understand a very simply, basic, Do-It-Yourself Principle: Most things are a lot easier to fix than we are led to believe.  I'm sure many households (Us included) when confronted with a broken washing machine would just throw the thing out and buy a new one.  After all, it's old!  Why fix it?  We live in America, the land of The Next New Thing.  It's as much a part of our culture to replace barely broken old things with shiny new things that don't work as well but look sleek and shiny as is Obesity, Political Apathy, and Hyper Violence as Entertainment.  Many people, me included, just don't understand how things work these days so when they break for whatever reason, we're forced to either pay outrageous prices to have them fixed or throw it away and buy a new one.  Couple that with the fact that many manufacturers of goods are consciously reducing the quality of products so that a customer is forced to buy new ones in shorter spans....yeah.  But I digress.  It also helps that we have friends who have the hook up when it comes to these things so instead of costing me $$$$ to fix the washer or $$$$ to buy a new one, It'll cost me $55 bucks and some elbow grease.  But the knowledge I gain from doing it myself is priceless.  If You're already a Do-It-Yourselfer and live by these creeds and think I'm late on it, then..well....leave me alone!  I'm just learning this stuff.

 

         Can you tell me how to get, how to get to...

         Sesame Street.  Well I took my family there, and despite rumors of 7 foot tall pigeons and trash-can dwelling ill-tempered monsters, we had a good time.  Thanks to the tireless efforts of Raquita, we got some of the best seats in the house and Cammy was able to touch or get hugged by every single character in the show.  Except for this crazy lady named Kay.  She sang and danced with the Muppets but was a bit overenthusiastic about the whole thing, as if she was trying to make the show feel like a real Broadway show and not believe that her stage career was over before it started.  But I digress.  The show was fun and we got free popcorn and Cammy seemed to really enjoy herself, which was the point.

 

         Off the Donkey

         You heard it HERE first, folks...the phrase that pays.  Off the Donkey...like off the chain, but even more so!  We put barnyard animals up in Our shit, yo! It's THAT dope.  When you start hearing it on the radio and on TV, remember, yours truly coined it and helped to spread it like peanut butter, or the clap.

 

         The Hero with a 1000 faces by Joseph Campbell

         Im really interested in reading this book every since I talked to Gikinmaro who spoke at length to me about it.  Basically (very very basically) Campbell says that most myths and legends and religions center around a basic hero story, which is almost universally similar in structure and meaning.  He brings up some really interesting examples and conclusions and I cant wait to read it.  If any of you have happened to peruse this tome and have an opinion on it, please, let me know.

 

         That's all for now.  I have more to say but I cant remember it right now.

 

Benticore

Out

Freed from the silly constraints...

Oh, pick one! Logic, reason, decency, good taste, sanity...the list could go on. All are good choices. But I'd say that work...no...'FUCKING WORK' is what I'm free of today. I just finished my project and have sat myself down at the local purveyor of hispano-american foodstuffs for a congratulatory margherita. I deserve it because I rock, and the project looks sweet.

So here's to kickin ass, takin names, best friends in japan, and wives that understand!

I'm gone till monday or sobriety, whichever curses me first.
Benticore
Out

GRINDIN'

Okay, so it's 11:14pm on a Thursday night, I just got home from another 15 hour day at work (project is due out on Friday the 13th and there's a full moon....good thing I dont believe in that crap.) and I'm eating some Kim Chee and eggs I just cooked up.  The Kim Chee?  Mai Lee, the best Vietnamese restaurant in the STL.  The eggs?  The Benticore special. Whats that?  Well, crack two eggs in a bowl.  Stir.  Drop into a hot skillet.  Dont let em burn.  Take em out.

Why did I need to talk about it?  Cause I've been high of Tea (yesterday I ingested around 170 cups of tea, most of which was caffiene heavy) and at the point of exhaustion and I never got to say hello to 2006 in a proper way.  So...there it is.

Will there be more later?  Perhaps.  Most likely.
But I'm about to go find my wife and remind her why having Benticore hopped up on Tea and Kimchee isn't a good thing if you want to sleep near him.

MWAHAHAHAHAHA

Benticore
(fading) Out

The force is strong with this one...

Pictured here is the chain some random lady fished out of her purse when she saw cammy gesturing towards her...my kid has Jedi mind powers....who just gives a random baby jewelry from their purse??

I'm screwed, aren't I?

Benticore
Out

Cammy and Anubis

Cammy and Anubis
Originally uploaded by raquita.

This is a pick of...well...I guess the title says that don't it? Dont get all smart now, mister, I was just trying to be friendly-like. But anyways, here's the two babies of the house. Cammy loves the Anubis and Anubis looks at Cammy like another puppy. We're still aclimating Anubis to the house so no training as such yet. They Do look cute together, dont they?

Benticore(Proud Daddy)
Out

Off the Donkey, boyo!

All hail Lord Anubis the chewer of all things near the floor! May his reign be peaceful and filled with treats and bones and naps!

Also, if you weren't able to partake of my wifes xmass dinner, you missed out on what will probably go down as the greatest feast the Henderson family has had the joy to consume...it was Off The Donkey for real.

I'm at Nobu's getting sushi for my baby. Peace and love, yall!

Benticore
Out

Will it freakin load?

Here is Anubis. Stupid pic didn't load before.
Benticore
Out

Will it freakin load?

Here is Anubis. Stupid pic didn't load before.
Benticore
Out

Off the Donkey, boyo!

All hail Lord Anubis the chewer of all things near the floor! May his reign be peaceful and filled with treats and bones and naps!

Also, if you weren't able to partake of my wifes xmass dinner, you missed out on what will probably go down as the greatest feast the Henderson family has had the joy to consume...it was Off The Donkey for real.

I'm at Nobu's getting sushi for my baby. Peace and love, yall!

Benticore
Out

On the night before the night before...

Somedays you get what you want and some days you get what you need. Every once in a long time what you want and what you need are at odds with one another even though both are firmly within your grasp.

Today isn't the greatest of days, being plagued by headaches and poor talks with spouses and parentals...sometimes the stress of the season can really get underneath your skin and the tongue can become viper-like, cutting anything that comes near it...its those times that one must remember what the true meaning of christmas is: family and love.

But FUCK is it hard some days!
I'm better now....Anubis arrives in about 4 hours...we're ready.

Have a blessed christmas!
Benticore
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Lord Anubis approaches...

So tomorrow we go to pick up our new dog Anubis. Yes, that's right...our dog is named after the Egyptian god of the Underworld. I like it and I was able to get it past the sensors(the wife). I am very excited to get him and cannot wait till tomorrow! :-D

Also, I don't have to work tomorrow and next week my bosses are out of town...things are comin up Benticore today!

Benticore
Out
(best thing since sliced bread BUT you already know)

Headache? Tired? Miserable? Welcome to Monday!

My Mood is: Tired and Headachy but at work and suffering through it like a man with bills to pay

Now Playing: Greensleeves, A Charlie Brown Christmas; Vince Guaraldi Trio

 

Worried about your parents?

I am.  My dad is having issues.  My mom is sick.  Neither will talk to me at length on their problems or really let me help them, nor do I have any idea as to how I might because they won't tell me what's wrong.  So I have to sit back and try to get them to let me help and I pray for them.  That's how I started my weekend; with stress and worry battling prayer and the love of my wife and kid.  Daimushi called from Japan to console me but we didn't get to talk long because he had to go back to work, but I appreciate his call nonetheless.  Daimushi is a rare gem in a world full of cold metals and dull rocks.

 

Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree

We got our Christmas tree this weekend.  It's a live one and is very nice and smells wonderful.  It has been awhile since I've had a Christmas tree in the house and it was a great boon to the mood to have the pine-scented memories come flooding back to me as I wandered near it.  Cammy thinks the tree is okay, and was curious about why a tree was in our house, this being her first real Christmas since she was way too young to remember the first one.  We aint got lots of fancy shmancy ornaments but we got some lights, and we'll get the little colored ball ornaments and tinsel and all that crap this week.

 

Lion & Spear, still chuggin

I'm still working on the Lion & Spear novel.  Its not writing itself, much to my chagrin, so I've decided to sub in for the lazy bastard and throw down a few pages when I have time to get to it.  One of the things I've noticed about writing is it seems like (to me at least) a bike ride through hilly country.  Sometimes you go up a big steep hill and you have to work and pedal hard and it doesn't seem like you're making much progress and other times you're on level ground and it's decent progress and sometimes you come down hill and you just coast, not even needing to pedal really.  And then there are the times when you get blisters on your ass from sitting on that tiny seat that is just big enough to widen your crack.  Your multicolored spandex biker shorts are riding up and pinching you in sensitive areas and your tired.  So you pull off to the side of the road and you rest and you eat and you get that awful spandex wedgie out of your ass before it enters your colon.

            Well, Im at a place, writing, where I feel like I've come over the top of a medium hill and am now pedal along a straight away, a few twists and turns but nothing I cant handle.  It's a good place to be.

 

This week in the Lives of the Hendersons

This week there's no Gym for Cammy.  Last Wednesday she got an award for completing her class and next year will be moving up to the higher age group (18 months to 3 years and appropriately titled 'Beasties') so that should allow her to learn more from bigger kids that can challenge her and help her grow.  Maybe some bowling Wednesday, if we can get there before we start dropping like flies at 9pm.  Some last minute Christmas shopping and both me and the Missus is off on Friday.  I hope to avoid any shopping this weekend but I'm not sure how that will go.  I hope to write some and hit the gym often this week as well...Just need to wake up first *yawn*.

 

            OH! And let us not forget! SERENITY ON DVD ON TUESDAY!!!!!!  Best believe I'mma cop that son, word is bond!

Interesting Website of the Day: Neopets?

Ever hear of Neopets?  They're cute little computer animals that you take care of a train and then they...uhm...sit there....I guess... I don't know...Johns GF Shannon is into them and they are free to create and maintain.  If you were bored and wanted to try something new and pointless on the web, you could check them out HERE and see if you can Catch Em All....oh...sorry...wrong collectible cute cuddlie animal thing that battles other ones for the entertainment of their Masters.  I certainly wont be checking it out.  I CERTAINLY wont Create a Neopet and lavish him will all sorts of love and painful discipline.  Not me.  Never.

 

Benticore

Out

(Your firearms are too short to box with God...)

Well...I guess thats better then...ahem...

Mood: Intensely Focused (at least I was before I started this blog)

Now Playing: 'Prayer in Passing" - Rise, Anoushka Shankar

 

Well, turns out I wasn't so much paranoid as I was HUNGRY! It was creeping up on lunchtime after all.

So you can put down the Ketamine Darts and the blackjacks (you cant sneak up on me Daimushi!) and go back to your regularly scheduled programming.

 

Yeah

Plus, my Flash lessons continue to go well.

BEWARE

 

Benticore

Out

 

Isolation...a study in Paranoia

My Mood: Irritated and nervous
Now Playing: Pres. Bush talking up the 'Road to Victory in Iraq' on NPR

Somedays I feel really alone, the swirling images and thoughts in my head only serving to alienate me. Mostly I feel this way at work, a place where I am one of two black people and the only black male. I know I am overly sensitive to the small verbal and nonverbal cues people give (or don't) around me, and, over the years, I've honed my general narcissism into an acute sense of paranoia to the machinations of others. So sometimes I feel really under siege at work. This is stressful and doesn't engender me to want to spend any time with my co-workers outside of the 8-4 confines of my cubicle.

So I miss parties and functions and my co-workers interact with me a little less and I become a little more withdrawn, a little more suspicious that the soft susurrus of whispers behind cubicles are centered on me. Part of it has to also do with age. I am by far the youngest in the office, although there is another one who is just past 30. Besides him, everyone else is at least mid to late 40s, highly republican, and fairly Caucasian in their tastes. Which is fine. But sometimes I wish there was someone here to whom I could relate without feeling like my very opinions and thoughts would be interpreted as attacks on their moral high ground should I utter them. It is not an untenable position but it does generate the tight muscles in the neck every so often.

It's just me here. I'm alone. Most times it doesn't bother me. I'm the lone snowflake, as Daimushi would put it. I am the Lone Gaijin in the land of the dead, to mix genres, metaphors, and movie images. Most days I let it roll like water and sunshine off a ducks back and keep on strutting.

But somedays, I really feel it, a shrouding mist over my eyes, the expressive non-looks of co-workers, the invitations hastily offered because of proximity to a conversation.

On these days, it's a bit hard not to just take the day and do something I want to do.
Welcome to my Fortress of Solitude - A 7' X 10' cubicle surrounded by silence and stares and paper.
Welcome to my Paranoia.

Benticore
Out

Undeniable proof of deniability...

Mood: Focused and eager

Now Playing: Freddy Freeloader - Miles Davis, Kind of Blue

 

So, early this morning, Stanley Williams was executed in California for the murder of 4 people about thirty years ago.  I don't know whether he was guilty or not; while he was convicted of the crime, there are plenty of black men in prison and on death row that are being held for crimes they didn't commit, and there are plenty who deserve to be right where they are.  That's not my point today.  My question is this:  At some point in the past, the incarceratory system we use in this country was decided to be not only a punishment for crimes done but a way to rehabilitate criminals and help them return to society as changed men and women who could contribute to the human endeavor with positive results.  If one takes a look at the late Mr. Williams deeds in the past several years, you might see his award for winning the Nobel Peace prize as well as his endeavors to halt the violence that the gang he himself created so long ago (the Crips) has perpetuated on inner city blacks in Los Angeles for years.  How does one judge rehabilitation?  How can you rule on a change of heart and its sincerity?  I'm sure Mr. Williams had no desire to die.  But was his conversion an act?  Was it the sign of a soul ready to come back to the life of American Society, healed and whole?  I don't know.  What do you think?

 

Also, the death penalty is a silly way to "Even the Score" with criminals.  He was convicted of murdering four people.  You can't kill him four times, nor can you bring back the lives of those he was convicted of taking.  I've heard the death penalty defended as a strong deterrent against crime, as well as lauded as means for the victims to get a sense of closure.  But how does having your child's killer bring any closure other than the fact that another person has been unwillingly shoved from our existence?  I'm not sure.  If something (God Forbid) happened to Cammy and I was asked how I wanted the man or woman responsible punished, I'm not sure I could make such a statement.  So much in our lives depends on the circumstances we find ourselves in at the moment we are asked to make that decision.  What do you think?

 

Filling the moments...

I just wanted to also mention that I'm working on Flash at work and its coming along pretty well and I'm happy with the pace I'm learning at.  Also, the novel, while put on hold for the moment, still fills my heart with joy at the prospects of finishing it and editing it.  I'm in love with the story.  The characters I'm beginning to like a little more and I have to be careful not to try and do too much too soon but I'm still pretty excited about it.  Also, I'm sexy today with my powder blue pinstripe shirt and broken glasses.  Just thought you should know.

 

Puppy Countdown...

I think we might be at like T-minus 15 days or so.  It's really contingent on when we move to Grandma's house which depends on when she moves to her daughters house and when we clean the place up and paint a little bit.  I'm excited about that too.  Also, I'm really sexy today...you just have no idea....It's ridiculous...honestly, if I started to kiss my own hands, I wouldn't be too surprised.

 

Daimushi Updates...

I've heard from Daimushi after Hank visited him.  Apparently he's still recovering from the extreme partying and pimping he and Hank did to represent the Pantheon.  But he'll have tales to tell, my friends.  Many tales.  So we just gotta be calm and let him get his thing done.....

 

Benticore

Out

|Heard the bass ride out like an ancient mating call|

|I can't take it yall|

|I can feel the city breathing|

|Chest heaving against the flesh of the evening|

|Kiss the eyes goodbye|

|I'm on the last train leaving|

Those red pills...how many are you supposed to take at one time? Don't look at me like that, Morpheus...

Okay, Im in a great mood and that scares me.

 

Not that its not okay to be in a great mood, its just that I'm a little Manic right now.  I made my own Bookmark and that made me so happy I nearly ripped the water fountain from it's foundation and threw it threw a window screaming out 'HDP, Fool!  WHAT!!'

 

So how do you know if you're manic?  I don't know...but the voices inside my head are telling me to change the subject...

 

You should watch Good Eats on Food Network, if you like cooking and are a little more interesting in the intellectual side of things, such as WHY things do the things they do when you immerse them in 375 degree vegetable oil and such.  Love that show.

 

Anywho, I'm going to start stabbing myself in the arm with a sharp pen to see if my blood evaporates on contact with air...that's what it feels like it's going to do today...Cheerio!

 

Benticore

Out

Respect my Gangsta

My new homemade bookmark...
Benticore
Out

Well.....dammit.....

Now that I can post pictures to my blog, I'm looking around my office like a crazed beast, trying to figure out what I can take pics of and mention...but there is NOTHING....at least, nothing interesting...I need somebody to start a fire or get mauled by a bear or something....sigh....So not fair...working in an office with no bears or pyromaniacs... =0(

 

Benticore

Out

Because I can...

Really, honestly, this is just a little test to get the mobile blogging era started...figure I'd throw in a picture of lil miss cuteness in her Halloween best. Enjoy!
Benticore
Out

Sometimes it's the pain that makes you come back...

But Sir, the odds of you continually blogging successfully is approximately three thousand seven hundred and twenty to one!
All three of you that read this blog might wonder what was the cause of my lengthy hiatus from the blogosphere. I can tell you that it was nothing more serious than life itself. Uhm, not that I was in danger of ever losing mine (I dont think I was...the ninja are everywhere though so you never know) but I was just living it. Just living. But also, there was some...anger....at the few people who read and never comment...I was hoping I'd be able to discuss some things with people of similar interests and spark conversations deep and meaningful but I think I'm expecting too much of the medium. That's my fault. Im over that now. So. My apologies:

Moo moo...moo-moooo moo.

Moo.


Turkey Day has come and gone but how I miss it so...
So my lovely wife Raquita made quite the spread for the thanksgivings day vittles. I mean, we ate like KINGS! Emperors!! Hedonistic Bastards, sucking the marrow from the bones of the holiday. It was GLORIOUS!!! And, blessed be, there were Leftovers!!!! She brined a turkey which involves a surpisingly complex process of soaking the bird in a few gallons of Salt water, vegetable broth and an array of spices. Then you bake the shit out of it. Then you Engorge yourself on it's succulent flesh. God, but that turkey was awesome. I wont even get into the OTHER stuff we had. It's just....so.....wonderful. We actually have a picture of the spread that I might post later on.

It's time to say it....Goodbye...Goodbye...
I had to get rid of my dog this weekend. Nyla was taking to the APA for adoption. Im sure she'll get adopted because she's a wonderful, beautiful dog. But we had to let her go. She was nervous around Cammy and then this weekend she tried to take our friends face off who foolishly tried to hug her. Now, normally you would think 'Why would the dog try to eat someone who hugs her?'. Well, Nyla had be nervous the past couple of weeks around everbody except for me. But I could just imagine if that had been Cammy and she had bitten her. I'd never been able to forgive myself. Ever. Nyla doesnt deserve that. She deserves a home where she can be happy. I think many people could give that to her. It still hurts but I know its the right thing to do.

Thats all for now cause the game is on and dinner is ready.
Thanks for listening. Or not.

Benticore