Zit!!!

Yo! I'm 27 years old and I'm still getting zits -- not dainty little, "isn't-that-cute-she's-stressed-out-and-has-been-eating-chocolate" pimples, but real down-and-dirty lumps of blaring red hurt and embarrassment. Not so cool.

I can all but forget about the one, two or three "problem" spots on my visage because I'm the only lucky devil who doesn't get to probe them all day long (you don't want to look, but you just HAVE to) with curious eyes.

But, it seems that my friends on Ojika think it's their responsibility to remind me of the fact that scientists somewhere have yet to create an air-brush for reality.

Last night I was having dinner (we had quite a spread -- including my very own spinach and cheese stuffed chicken breasts thank you very much!) with some of the female JHS teachers. I was in the middle of flashing my typical beer grin and listening to an amusing story when Saori reached over and poked my zit. She just poked my zit! Who pokes someone else's zit? Seriously. Then, she was like, "what's that?" but in a very "I-know-what-it-is-and-I-want-to-sympathize" kind of way. So, thanks to her, I had the whole party examining my facial flaw.

I've developed a pretty thick skin for being publicly (and thoroughly) examined so it was just another night par for the course. However, because of my zit, I learned a little "diddy" (shall we call it?) that the JHS teachers said when they were the age of the students they now teach.

They explained to me that a zit on the forehead means "love". (I'm guessing with some fantasized Prince Charming of junior high school proportions.) A zit on the chin means there isn't love. A zit on your right cheek means that the person you love does not love you. And, a zit on the left cheek means that you don't love the person who loves you. (They added a post script about a zit on the nose meaning that you and your fictional love interest are in love with one-another, but isn't that the same as a zit on the forehead? I wish I had asked.)

It just so happens my current monstrosity is located left of my nose, which means I do not love someone who loves me. And, sitting there, in Saori's house, the teachers really thought this bit of information would comfort me.

"Hey, I know it sucks to have a zit so big that people can't stop staring at it, but things could be worse. It could be on your right cheek, and you could love someone who doesn't love you."

Yeah. Maybe it could be worse.

Smell the Narcissus

There are little things, tiny moments of our daily lives, that we often giggle at (or cringe at, depending) and quickly move on, forgetting that they even happened. Some of these things, if we're lucky (or unlucky - remember, maybe we cringed) will come creeping up on us while we're day-dreaming our way through a meeting or cursing at an ever-blinking left turn signal on a two-story tall white suburban idling lamely in front of us while we are stuck in traffic. These tiny bits of years spread out on an ever-increasingly drunken grid hardly ever get the attention they deserve. Moments like the time your friend and her new boyfriend met you and your ferry at the port with fishing poles and a deep-fried shrimp costume are all but forgotten. (Unless, of course you happened to have your digital camera handy.)

There phrases in the English language (as well as the thousands and thousands of other languages living and breathing and walking this earth) that are constantly counseling us to be in less of a rush -- to grip onto the "little things" with both hands, kicking and screaming, and to "well, damn it" quite down and appreciate it all.

We catch ourselves cajoling the rushing man in an ashy grey suit who has one hand constantly rummaging through his briefcase to "stop and smell the roses." We urge the pimple-faced college student buried under three term papers, two part time jobs at a movie theater and research laboratory (respectivly), and one doomed relationship to "take a break." We do all of this, and yet, we don't ever really heed the sayings ourselves. This entry is in honor of doing just that.

Yet another one of the luxuries of living in the rural area that I do, is that I am privy to endless monumental (if not inconsequential) moments. But, because I am only human, and I forget just how awesome every bit of my calm life is. I still seem to rush through the mornings of watching women get dressed in kimono and hearing about the last time they did -- a marriage, a funereal, or their 20th birthday.
I don't really flinch anymore, my heart leaping for joy, when I've been invited to join the seniors for lunch and I watch the soon-to-be police academy attendant ladle miso soup into bowls.

I've even started skipping past dollar stores and their treasure trove of cheap, fake and serenely bizarre items.

And, I almost didn't stop for these beauties because I wanted a longer, more intense ride around my island. (Sorry to those of you whom consider yourself English-saying-traditionalists, we have a short supply of wild roses, but the Narcissus are in great abundance on Ojika.)

Even the docks, sitting still and beautiful at dusk, have slipped past my radar and found a cozy spot in my subconscious. I'm just too busy, or inundated with the compounding moments upon moments of what seems to be nothing extraordinary to realize how out of the ordinary it all is.

Yuki Matsuri - The SNOW Festival

The yukimatsuri, or snow festival, is held in Hokkaido, the most North Eastern part of Japan, during the winter months. People from all over the world flock to Sapporo in order to see the snow sculptures and freeze in the below-zero temperatures. This year, myself and my friend, Sierra, were among the great mass that made the trip to the rugged, Colorado-like, part of Japan.

This is Sapporo Tower with winter decorations which were lighting a part of the festival area. There is a "park" called Odori which runs down the middle of downtown Sapporo where the snow sculptures, the main event of the yukimatsuri, were displayed.

Sierra and I were among a group of JETs who booked our trip with the Hokkaido JET group. They did all of the planning and reservations for us, and we had the added benefit of meeting other JETs from all over Japan. This first night, we had the sometimes strange, but very fun company of Reid (from Fukuoka prefecture) and Paul (from I have no idea prefecture).

Myself, Reid (from Hawaii) and Sierra in front of The chronicles of Narnia snow sculpture. When the sun fell, the sight was privy to a laser show. It was freezing. We wore layers and layers, bought foot warmers and tucked them in our shoes, and sipped on Starbucks coffee while cruising the yukimatsuri. Reid thought it would be a good idea to get a Frapachinno. He was without gloves. He wouldn't admit it, but we're sure he regretted his choice for a cold beverage.

This is a likeness of Ai-chan. She is a young and amazing Japanese golfer. She is the pride of Japan at the moment.

Here I am about to partake in some Sapporo Ramen. It seems like everywhere in Japan has to be famous for something. Along with being home to the Sapporo beer factory, Sapporo claims great fame in their ramen. It's also the place to go for kani (crab). Kyushuu, where I live, also claims to be famous for their ramen. Sierra and I were a bit disappointed, and amused, when we stumbled upon a ramen shop that boasted their Hakkata Ramen - hailing from Kyushuu. We didn't want Kyushuu Ramen in Sapporo! We wanted Sapporo Ramen!

Sierra and I huddling in front of "Ankor Wat" in "Cambodia."

Here's an elementary school girl playing an organ inside a bubble for the entertainment of the yukimatsuri enthusiasts. She was playing the theme to Sesame Street. I hope it was warm in there. That poor thing doesn't have a coat on.

Here, Sierra and I pose with a posse of high school boys. We realized just how difficult it is to judge someone's age if their not wearing a uniform, or a suit. We only realized they were so young after we asked how old they were.

tako and ika in a tentacle frenzy! I was psyched to see that octopus and squid, our multi-legged friends of the sea, were so well represented. This display was titled "Go for it! Japan!" What exactly are they going for with giving a shout out to these slithery creatures?

Darth Vador's profile started off this line of snow sculptures. Most of the sculptures were a little higher than the average person's size. There were only about eight or ten really large snow stages where performances were held.

I especially liked this one. She looks so happy, and calm and warm lying there all made of snow.

Sierra and I watched a performance of taiko (drumming) in front of this beautiful rendition of Horyu-ji temple. The drummers were out in below zero weather without coats and long sleeves.

Me and Totoro. Totoro and I.

This was one of my favorites. It was titled "Happy Taiwan." You would walk on the area directly in front of the sculpture and get a really wonderful view of all the work that was done.

A close up.

We also went snowboarding at Niseko, which was about two hours outside of Sapporo. We rode a train and a bus to the ski resort. The train was stuck on the tracks for an extra hour due to heavy snow. Now, I'm no where near international when it comes to judging ski resorts, but Niseko really did have the most amazing powder I've ever boarded in. Here are a few shots from the day....On the train, with TTT in the background.

Sierra in front of he map just off of the gondola. We went down "holiday" which didn't turn out to be much of one. With the flat catwalk we had to stop several times. I wanted to ride it a second time, but by the time I arrived, the area had been roped off.

Oh, NISEKO! I'll be back, someday....

We went out for crab (another Hokkaido specialty) after we got back from snowboarding. We paid for a tabe-nomihodai (all you can eat and drink) for an hour and a half. Picking the crab out of the legs was time-consuming and didn't yield all that much in the end, but damn! It was delicious!

Here's Sierra and Mandy (from New Zealand) working their way through a "hairy crab." We were told that if we poured sake into the skull and drank the brains out, it would be delicious. None of us were up for the challenge, so the rumor goes invalidated.

I think this one speaks for itself.

Our last night in Sapporo, the Hokkaido JETs organized an enkai for us. We went to a lamb joint. We grilled our own lamb meat and veggies in the middle of the table while drinking an array of beer, cocktails and nihonshu.

Mandy and I enjoying the fruits of our labor.

A view from our seats on the third floor of the Kirin Beer Garden and restaurant. Just off to the right of this shot was a stage, where a chef was cooking for the crowd. No one was really paying much attention to him.

Sierra, Mandy and Maggie enjoying some Kirin beer. Maggie looks like she's just about ready for a refill.

I've been back on Ojika for one night and two days and I'm bummed out. I always know when I've had an amazing vacation because I always lament the fact that I'm back on my extraordinary island. I wish I could live my life on a daily basis the way I do while I'm on vacation, but for whatever reason, that just doesn't seem to work.

At least I can spend the even longer hours at my desk (my classes have been canceled for two days) researching and planning my next liberation.

i blame the fleece

A haiku:

dons drowsy night fleece
clock strikes four; eyelash flutters
sun comes, still sleepy

I have been wiped out! I feel like a punching bag full of sand that, in it's heyday, had been worked over countless times by a gloveless Evander Holyfield, but has since been tossed aside to rot in mildew corner of a 1970's atmospheric Jersey gym with a seam coming undone.

I'm tired. I sleep and sleep but I stay tired and tired. Where is the justice in that? I'm so tired I actually feel justified in fouling up your computer space with lame haiku on a Friday morning.

And, if we can't do anything about constant fatigue? We embrace it. Go sleep-wantin' crazy today! Happy TGIF! (Pass around the cheer in the most obnoxious way possible, because the alternative is to sit, in black and red checkered pants, through another hum-drum day that just happens to fall a the end of the week.)

Oh, and by the way, I love my new fleece pajama pants. They are the most recent antidote I've found for restless, my nose stays cold all night long, sleep. I appreciate the little things in life.