bbq
Drove up to Emy and Dolph's place in MA. Had a BBQ. Lay around in the yard and read. Finished Richard Morgan's Broken Angels. Liked it at more than Altered Carbon. This guy better keep cranking out quality sci-fi or I'm gonna have issues.
I taught Kieran a new smile:
I taught Kieran a new smile:
family time
So my brother Chris and his wife Sarah and her son Keiran are staying at my parent's house. Fun fun fun! I hooked up The K-man with some cool Naruto battle pencils, a Naruto headband, and various t-shirts. Mom got bunches of material to split with Aunt Em so that I can get some more cool quilts. Dad got neat Japanese towels for all that running he does. In typical fashion, the refrigerator was packed and the house was freezing cold.
Grandma came over for dinner, as did Charlie's family. And again, too much food, too much silliness. Grandma didn't stop talking the whole time.
Grandma came over for dinner, as did Charlie's family. And again, too much food, too much silliness. Grandma didn't stop talking the whole time.
lee & charity
Lee and I went to Soho for lunch and met up with Hiroko and Charity. Too bad we didn't get more time to spend with them, but at least we all got to see each other. 70's Steve came down as well and told us many tales of his the lunacy he calls his past.
in vizible
All day brain-storming with the Vizible team. Anthony stuns with his polygon prowess. Todd sells like it's 1997 at Netscape. Lee maneuvers the feeble-minded, and I explode in an IT storm of wit, wonder, and impatience.
After work we congregate down at the local Wall Street watering hole. A bucket of beers, Vicki comes down and (karma karma) is turns out to be friends with Burnett's sister. Hunger sets in, so Anthony, Todd and I head back to the hotel for late-night grubbing. Me and Anthony go back to his Diamond Suite to plot the downfall of Adobe, Macromedia, and Microsoft, and Todd joins Lee and the gang for an evening of live music and more beverages.
After work we congregate down at the local Wall Street watering hole. A bucket of beers, Vicki comes down and (karma karma) is turns out to be friends with Burnett's sister. Hunger sets in, so Anthony, Todd and I head back to the hotel for late-night grubbing. Me and Anthony go back to his Diamond Suite to plot the downfall of Adobe, Macromedia, and Microsoft, and Todd joins Lee and the gang for an evening of live music and more beverages.
Soho Grand
Actually did some work today. But enough about that. After work we went back to Messinger's hotel, the Soho Grand, for pre-dinner beverages. This is one of those incredibly trendy and cool hotels with a great interior and way too much air-conditioning. It was freezing. But the cocktail waitresses wore slick black evening gowns and cool hipsters wandered in and out of the bar all night.
We had dinner at a cool local Italian place that Lee picked, and wonder of wonders the French waiter was a dude he hung out with in Bora Bora on his honeymoon a few years ago.
Todd from Vizible, being the wine-freak, was in charge of ordering, but managed to pick to loser bottles. Anthony drilled him on that, but Todd was, as always, too jazzed on life and wine to care. And Anthony really is an MIT-grad, start-up Chief Architect GodDamn Genius.
We had dinner at a cool local Italian place that Lee picked, and wonder of wonders the French waiter was a dude he hung out with in Bora Bora on his honeymoon a few years ago.
Todd from Vizible, being the wine-freak, was in charge of ordering, but managed to pick to loser bottles. Anthony drilled him on that, but Todd was, as always, too jazzed on life and wine to care. And Anthony really is an MIT-grad, start-up Chief Architect GodDamn Genius.
security
Ex-marines make good building security, especially when dressed in Navy blue uniforms with combat boots and backed up by lotsa cops and the occasional M-16 toting National Reservist.
We had dinner at Five Points. Serious quality food. Steve from Barnett Consulting joined us. As Lee put it, the 70's were good to him. Brilliant guy. We shall do dangerous things together.
Lee in his element:
We had dinner at Five Points. Serious quality food. Steve from Barnett Consulting joined us. As Lee put it, the 70's were good to him. Brilliant guy. We shall do dangerous things together.
Lee in his element:
bob elder
After breakfast we cruised over to Bob Elder's martial arts supply shop. I learned how to hold a .45 and an AR-15, sold 2 wooden swords, looked at some neat antique blades, and talked lotsa smack.
We went back to the hotel for lunch and then I bummed a ride back to the airport, went to the wrong counter (American not United!) and got on my flight to LaGuardia.
Ah, domestic fliying from Orlando to New York. What a zoo. America is a great country in that anyone can afford to go to Disneyworld for the weekend. Even those who are, by definition, too stupid to be allowed to cross state lines.
The dude with the big hat. The woman in the wrong seat. Twice. Next to me. The guy eating apples. The old man offering his seat to his wife. While the plane is ascending after take off. Everyone on a cell phone. The crying baby. The screaming child.
And then there's LaGuardia. Won't even comment on the nightmare that is getting my luggage and out the airport and into a cab.
Got to the Millenium Hotel, directly in front of Ground Zero, about 9:30pm. Manhattan eerily quite. Too quite. Cops everywhere. And to top it all off, the only Chinese delivery place in the neighborhood decided to close early, forcing me to eat room service. Nice room, though; widescreen flat panel, slick modern furniture, Rhode Island Republican delegation down the hall.
We went back to the hotel for lunch and then I bummed a ride back to the airport, went to the wrong counter (American not United!) and got on my flight to LaGuardia.
Ah, domestic fliying from Orlando to New York. What a zoo. America is a great country in that anyone can afford to go to Disneyworld for the weekend. Even those who are, by definition, too stupid to be allowed to cross state lines.
The dude with the big hat. The woman in the wrong seat. Twice. Next to me. The guy eating apples. The old man offering his seat to his wife. While the plane is ascending after take off. Everyone on a cell phone. The crying baby. The screaming child.
And then there's LaGuardia. Won't even comment on the nightmare that is getting my luggage and out the airport and into a cab.
Got to the Millenium Hotel, directly in front of Ground Zero, about 9:30pm. Manhattan eerily quite. Too quite. Cops everywhere. And to top it all off, the only Chinese delivery place in the neighborhood decided to close early, forcing me to eat room service. Nice room, though; widescreen flat panel, slick modern furniture, Rhode Island Republican delegation down the hall.
senpokan dominates
Well, the judging is done, and Senpokan dominates once again. Swept 16 medals, and our boy Colin won the overall and got a new sword from Howard Clark, a free polish and handle, and fittings.
Niina-gosoke and Yamada-sensei's demonstration went really well, too. I even came in second for the cutting division I was roped into last second.
After the tournament we went back to the BBQ place, ate well, and waited forever for taxis to take us back to the hotel.
Niina-gosoke and Yamada-sensei's demonstration went really well, too. I even came in second for the cutting division I was roped into last second.
After the tournament we went back to the BBQ place, ate well, and waited forever for taxis to take us back to the hotel.
on carpet
In the afternoon we ran the Mugairyu seminar. All of the Senpokan folks showed up, as well as several others. After that I tried wakizashi cutting (neat! hard!) and then we did the seated cutting session.
After the sessions we had dinner at a local seafood joint. Niina-gosoke I and crashed, Neeley and BigTony took Yamada-sensei to the bar and pumped him full of scotch. Yamada-sensei made it back at a reasonable hour, but Neeley and Tony didn't roll in until 5am. The got a good hour of sleep and they're looking good for the tournament!
jet-lag
Feeling it now...head is sort of fluffy and everything sounds like it's filtered through earmuffs. Hotel is fine; nice big buffet breakfast and reasonable coffee. Niina-gosoke and Yamada-sensei are settled in nicely.
In the morning we borrowed the dojo and ran a promotion exam. Everyone passed, though we have a bunch to tune up as folks are getting sloppy.
Came back to the hotel and relaxed. Some seminars in the afternoon but we were just hanging out. Went to some lovely BBQ for dinner; stuffed ourselves silly on ribs and pulled pork and steaks (Yamada-sensei was about to explode) and Niina-gosoke had his traditional vanilla icecream for dessert.
In the morning we borrowed the dojo and ran a promotion exam. Everyone passed, though we have a bunch to tune up as folks are getting sloppy.
Came back to the hotel and relaxed. Some seminars in the afternoon but we were just hanging out. Went to some lovely BBQ for dinner; stuffed ourselves silly on ribs and pulled pork and steaks (Yamada-sensei was about to explode) and Niina-gosoke had his traditional vanilla icecream for dessert.
joys of travelling
Ah, international travel. Especially on a bankrupt airline. The flight wasn't bad; I was in business, bulkhead aisle with no one next to me, so besides the fact that they didn't give me my meal choice, it was fine. Actually managed to half-sleep for most of the time. After 13 hours, we landed in Chicago, went through immigration, got our bags, through customs, checked our bags back in, and went to our connecting Ted flight to Orlando.
Chicago airport was a zoo; storms up and down the midwest were delaying flights all over the place. We sat on the tarmac for an hour waiting for our turn to take off, and landed in Orlando a bit late. Our luggage, however, was more than a bit late.
Seems they forgot an entire truck of luggage on the tarmac. So our bags were coming on a later flight and would be arriving between midnight and 4am.
Chicago airport was a zoo; storms up and down the midwest were delaying flights all over the place. We sat on the tarmac for an hour waiting for our turn to take off, and landed in Orlando a bit late. Our luggage, however, was more than a bit late.
Seems they forgot an entire truck of luggage on the tarmac. So our bags were coming on a later flight and would be arriving between midnight and 4am.
oh, the toe!
Everyone crashed after the festival, so some time in the morning the pitter-patter, actually the romp-stomping, of Kairi's little feet shook the house and woke everyone up. Hiroko made french toast and we had a leisurely breakfast before heading over to National Azabu for some shopping.
By then the second little toe on my right foot was nicely purplish-red and hurt like hell. Obviously the nail that had been ripped in half left a lovely pocket of infection. Tried a couple of clinics but everything was closed on Sunday.
Scootered over to Honbu Dojo to send a package and clean up some files on the computer, then on my way home decided to stop by Hiroo Hospital's emergency room.
Doctor gave me the option of cutting and sucking out the nastiness, thereby making the toe much better much faster, or loading me up with drugs. We'll take the drugs please, thank you.
And then we finally watched the last couple of videos of KimmyMustDie, aka 24 Season 2. Unfortunately, Kimmy doesn't die. In fact, she gets away with murder.And kidnapping. And nearly killing a police officer. And losing Miguel's leg. And getting the liquor store owner killed. And a whole bunch of other things. Oh yeah, she is still really, really good at whining for daddy when he's in the middle of saving the planet. And like any good, single father, he indulges her.
But Kimmy is no match for Marie. The psycho little sister does a nice Hannibal impression, complete with backlighting and chains behind a clear plastic jail wall. She deserves her own show.
And Shapel is my hero. He's such a slimeball, I love it.
By then the second little toe on my right foot was nicely purplish-red and hurt like hell. Obviously the nail that had been ripped in half left a lovely pocket of infection. Tried a couple of clinics but everything was closed on Sunday.
Scootered over to Honbu Dojo to send a package and clean up some files on the computer, then on my way home decided to stop by Hiroo Hospital's emergency room.
Doctor gave me the option of cutting and sucking out the nastiness, thereby making the toe much better much faster, or loading me up with drugs. We'll take the drugs please, thank you.
And then we finally watched the last couple of videos of KimmyMustDie, aka 24 Season 2. Unfortunately, Kimmy doesn't die. In fact, she gets away with murder.And kidnapping. And nearly killing a police officer. And losing Miguel's leg. And getting the liquor store owner killed. And a whole bunch of other things. Oh yeah, she is still really, really good at whining for daddy when he's in the middle of saving the planet. And like any good, single father, he indulges her.
But Kimmy is no match for Marie. The psycho little sister does a nice Hannibal impression, complete with backlighting and chains behind a clear plastic jail wall. She deserves her own show.
And Shapel is my hero. He's such a slimeball, I love it.
azabu jyuban festival
Popped over to Suruga-isho to go over the final details of the custom cabinet they're building for the corner in the dining room before Amy, Todd, Narumi, Kairi, Ericka, Haruka, and Aki came over. Amy and Kairi bounced around the loft a bit before we headed over to the festival to load up on food. Kairi's dad came by and then then we dressed up and headed out again, seeking shaved ice. Thought the festival went until 10pm but it turns out it ends at 8:30, so we missed the shaved ice and ended up buying icecream at the Familymart. Same difference.
payday!
Got my final paycheck from Morgan Stanley today. Adding in final pension, substracting housing, etc. and the grand total comes to...just over 60 bucks.
But enough about the past. Worked a good, solid 12 hour day: started with an 8am conference call and put the finishing touches on a final video e-mail just after 8pm. Lotsa work, but it's nice to be getting relevant stuff done.
But enough about the past. Worked a good, solid 12 hour day: started with an 8am conference call and put the finishing touches on a final video e-mail just after 8pm. Lotsa work, but it's nice to be getting relevant stuff done.
eighty
Hot is one thing. And then there's humid. Hot & humid? That's a killer.
But tonight it was 80% humidity in the dojo. EIGHTY PERCENT.
That's basically underwater. It's not an issue of sweating -- sweating in the shower doesn't make you more wet. It was just...moist. Damp, wet, humid. Totally, thoroughly unpleasant. Humans are land-faring creatures with a tendency to build roofed shelters for a very good reason: wet sucks.
But tonight it was 80% humidity in the dojo. EIGHTY PERCENT.
That's basically underwater. It's not an issue of sweating -- sweating in the shower doesn't make you more wet. It was just...moist. Damp, wet, humid. Totally, thoroughly unpleasant. Humans are land-faring creatures with a tendency to build roofed shelters for a very good reason: wet sucks.
tully's in da house!
I'll admit it: I'm a Starbucks kinda guy. Given the choice, I'll take Starbucks over Tully's or Seattle's Best any day...then again, Tully's is INSIDE Deutsche, one floor below me. Starbucks is all the way down in the basement.
So, my traditional 10am caffeine infusion is now a Tully's soy latte with a flavor shot. Yesterday it was hazlenuts (sweet but not precocious). Today I tried strawberry. Big mistake. Too syrupy-fake-fruity, and goes not well with the tang of soy. Will have to try vanilla tomorrow...
So, my traditional 10am caffeine infusion is now a Tully's soy latte with a flavor shot. Yesterday it was hazlenuts (sweet but not precocious). Today I tried strawberry. Big mistake. Too syrupy-fake-fruity, and goes not well with the tang of soy. Will have to try vanilla tomorrow...
drug-induced dreams
Slept all day. A Nyquil-induced dream-state of high school friends, neighborhood pets, and random conversations. And colors. Lots and lots of colors. Modern medicine at its best! And I'm feeling considerably better, thanks, despite the fact that my feet fail to touch to earth.
need sleep
Felt a bit hazy all day at work. Went to practice, trained for five minutes and Niina-gosoke took one look at me and said "You look terrible. Go home and sleep."
So I changed and came home. I think he gave me and Kiyokawa his cold!
Need to sleep and get rested; cutting practice tomorrow afternoon, plus off to the states in less than two weeks.
So I changed and came home. I think he gave me and Kiyokawa his cold!
Need to sleep and get rested; cutting practice tomorrow afternoon, plus off to the states in less than two weeks.
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