Fire-WORK

Goddam computer broke so I'm confined to the stilted typing "abilities" of the iPhone. Anyway August in japan is apparently ridiculous firework time. Literally I'm blown away (PUN INTENDED) by the sheer magnitude of the displays here. Headed to Nagaoka last Monday, a town famous for it's fireworks and also for an extremely popular Japanese navy general who came from there--factoid I learned from a hilarious Japanese man by the river. Which a lesson I've taken is never to underestimate the learning potential a seemingly creepy old man (who speaks no English whatsoever) may offer. My initial conception of what Nagaoka might look ,a small lonely town hidden amidst a fog of old men with arched backs as consequence of a life of rice farming, was greatly challenged by the hoards, and I mean hoards of Japanese people that poured from the train station. Like a tightly controlled riot we were ushered by police to our eventual viewing spot. At which point a sky orgasm was initiated, beers were drank, and edamame was ate! Eaten? Fuck my English is on a downward spiral. Ok peace.

More than anything that has gone on here I saw something that on facebook that disturbed me far more; I came across a picture of a girl I once dated in high school. In that time she was very pretty almost waif-like yet still very awkward. I had always hoped she would grow into a woman of strong and elegant stature however that being said I saw a few pictures of her, what exists today is not the woman I expected to see. Although her eyes still pierce the awkwardness remains. I know she cannot help any of this, and my little diatribe has been extremely shallow, but I cannot help find myself disappointed in the possibilities. If only someone strong was there to help her, help her to become something tall and true, making the others see what has been there all along. Someone there to tell her exactly how special she is, wherever she is I hope she finds them.

On a up note my first care package arrived today, LARA BARS YAY! My mother stuffed a box full of my favorite books (Harry Crews) and protein bars. Yes I'm still a yuppie even in Iraq.

Excitment and Routine

So far I've been bogged down with high volumes of work; however my first encounters with the local population have been only with the affluent and the garbage cleaners. However that being said there are hints of charm in this country even through the dust and cigarette smoke. Drinking bottomless glasses of Chai, it appears they are like anyone else; trying to find a dream, a place to call their own, a women to love or in my case maybe three. I won't go down in history, but I will go down on your sister.

AROHA and MAHARO

So I've been to more Hawaiian shit here in Japan than ever in Hawaii which is just a tad bit ironic and maybe a little sad as well. Last weekend I headed over to Yokohama where my sister was performing with her hula halau. The event was the "Aloha Yokohama Festival" which was awesome. Basically all of Yokohama was simultaneously hosting different Hawaiian events which I'm sure culminated to a population MUCH LARGE THAN THAT OF HAWAII. Think about that for a second, Hawaii population = 1.5 million, Japanese people wearing tacky Hawaiian ripoffs in Yokohama = 10 BILLION. ridiculous. Anyway, here's my sister being a celebrity..



Then this week I was actually invited to judge, yes JUDGE a hula competition. What qualifications do I have to judge a hula competition? --> SHIT. That's right, none. So i told the guy (Greg san) 'Yo dude, I seriously don't know shit about Hula, I mean I enjoy it from time to time, but that's the full extent of my Hula fandom" To which he replied, "Bro, your from Hawaii. That's all they need to know." Touche Greg san. So I did that, pretended to look important and probably fucked over some very hardworking dancers in the process, yet nonetheless it was an awesome time. I also met this dude called "Niigata Rider" which I originally thought was like a paid marketing stunt, yet later came to find out hes just a cosplay man that likes taking pictures with kids. Awesome.

Hula dancers and "Niigata Rider".....wtf



Took some time to cruise by the river after, it was awe inspiring. I figure I should soak it up before the winter freezes it over and I'm comtemplating my suicide.

The Army

The Army is a very repressed place; fake tough guys walk around through the gaze of a stare down; not really knowing anything. People constantly talk about working out yet never do; it is truly a land of lost. However for those of us that know who we are, and what we are doing it becomes difficult to transcend the meatheads. I instead have focused on the things I can control i.e. "actually working out!" and my immediate relationships,it is these pursuits that leave me fulfilled in this land of the lost.

NIIGATA IN THE SUMMER

So ummm its been 15 days, 200 cigarettes and 6,000 shots of Sake or so in Niigata City, Japan. For those unfamiliar with the location (with which lack of knowledge you shouldn't feel bad about, since 90% of Japanese people in JAPAN are also un-fucking-aware of) its about 2 hours north of Tokyo by Shinkansen (white person translation = Bullet Train). A medium sized city, boasting a population of approximately 800,000 people, it's most famous for....rice. yep. Rice. The mundane side dish your sometimes forced to eat with your slices of spam or underneath your yoshinoya chicken bowls. Actually, since I've been here a new appreciation for the white grain has fondly grown in my subconcious munchie-onius region (scientific terms).

Heres a shot of the city from NEXT 21, the second largest building in downtown:



Some other Japanese-style Bullshit:


I dont think I was supposed to drink outta that

From Untitled Album

Buddhist hello kitty...quite inappropriate/blasphemous if you ask me, but hey--FUCK IT, we're in JAPAN BITCH.

From Untitled Album

Hopes and desires

From Untitled Album

More hopes that will forever go unanswered

From Untitled Album

Weird sidenote about Japanese internet, other then it being ass-kickingly hand-jerkingly fast, it forces you to the Japanese version of everything. All of the usual legitimate information resource pages: aka wikipedia, Google, newyorktimes.com, xtube, are instead replaced with their distant awkward asian cousin pages. So everything is in bullshit Kanji and what would usually be an annoying ad saying some shit like, "dude, no fucking joke this time, you are number 10,0000,0000,000,00,0,0,000!!!! Click HERE!!!", it's ads for miniature horse farms or see-thru bras, all in Japanese. Yep, now you know!

OK PEACE!

Iraq

"Dude you gotta slow down my eye balls are chapped" The words uttered by my peer Kyle Greer as we turned the corner on a long run. The conditions here to say the least are hot. The mission remains unclear; uncertainty in an uncertain time is all I have to expect. Our lives wind down to routine and waiting.

Kuwait

We arrived in Kuwait several days ago; my initial impression is what a shit hole this place is. Yesterday I attempted to masturbate in porta-potty however the heat was simply overwhelming leaving me flaccid and unfulfilled. What amazes me is the blatant attempt to Americanize the experience in order to offer comfort to uneasy minds of soldiers on there way into Iraq and Afghanistan. If KFC somehow soothes your psyche then your a loser; I find my own confidence lies within self knowledge and faith in my abilities.

The Night

Staring at the somber faces, both of families and soldiers my psyche is overwhelmed by the monumental responsibility of my position. The fight or flight response that should only last several minutes has remained with me throughout the day; leaving me with a mixture of anxiety and raw aggression. That being said I’m sure the only thing that awaits us is heat, sand, and endless hours of masturbation. With my own wiener as my best friend I do not feel alone.

The Ebb and Flow

There is a naturally ebb and flow to everything in nature; to observe such one can merely look to the ocean, watching the water close and draw from the shore. However the application of such is far more subtle when viewing human nature. Long ago I came to the conclusion that we as humans all have our paradoxes, a life of two distinct sides of our personalities. This weekend I encountered the duality of my own psyche,which could perhaps be best described as rationally out of control. The two sides of my life one of health, fitness, and education the other a seemingly hot mess of a party. As confusing as my statements may appear it is only through the recognition of one's own nature can we truly feel comfortable with our desires and true wants. So as the party winded down Saturday evening and my bed called me home, only to sleep alone for the first time in days I felt a sense of peace sweep over my psyche.

On another note I'm still waiting for Makana to make his initial post; it should be up soon, so keep on reading.

The New World

It is often funny to reflect upon the notions and beliefs we held in our youth. As long as I can remember I have been restless in spirit, the behavior of a man searching for meaning and comfort in the confusion of early adulthood. I have predicated a lifestyle around being good looking, educated, and successful; however upon introspection of such have often found my pursuits listless, leaving me further disconnected and perhaps emotionally distant. Hedonism is perhaps the apt term to which describe my venture of self-discovery.

The selfishness that resulted in consequence to this behavior disgusts me, however I have not at all been unhappy with it. With roughly two weeks remaining on island I thoroughly ready to embark on a new journey, a search for meaning in the heat and sand of Iraq. As my psyche is left to ponder the possibilities I feel little concern for myself but rather an increased focus on the welfare of my men; filled with renewed hope that I have made the right decision and will ultimately be justified in my professional decision as an Army Officer. It is clear to me now that I can change for the better and positively affect the world we live. Now eagerly awaiting the journey I am reminded of a poem once written by Mark Twain that describes my own personal aspirations of the upcoming deployment…

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did so. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”