Lyrics Approved by a Registered Dietician

My group of friends in St. Louis are fun no doubt, but none of them share a similar taste in music that I do. Let's just say me and Dave Chapelle have a similar choice of favorite groups and his Block Party movie was fantastic. Spending some time in California gave me the chance to listen to some excellent music rollin around OC in Adam's Prius. I'd just recently gotten a couple of Dead Prez cds. If I would have opted to get a third, it would be Let's Get Free. On this album is a fantastic song recommended to me by Adam.

Having a sister who happens to be a registered dietician makes me appreciate this song even more:

(Genius lyric: Lentil soup is mental fruit/And ginger root is good for the yout)

Its all love . . .
I dont eat no meat, no dairy, no sweets
Only ripe vegetables, fresh fruit and whole wheat
Im from the old school, my household smell like soul food, bro
Curried falafel, barbecued tofu
No fish though, no candy bars, no cigarettes
Only ganja and fresh-squeezed juice from oranges
Exercising daily to stay healthy
And I rarely drink water out the tap, cause its filthy
Lentil soup is mental fruit
And ginger root is good for the yout
Fresh veg-e-table with the mayatl stew
Sweet yam fries with the green calalloo
Careful how you season and prepare your foods
Cause you dont wanna lose vitamins and miner-ules
And thats the jewel
Life brings life, its valuable, so I eat what comes
From the ground, its natural
Let your food be your medicine (uh huh)
No excederin (uh uh)
Strictly herb, generate in the sun, cause I got melanin
And drink water, eight glasses a day
Cause thats what they say
They say you are what you eat, so I strive to be healthy
My goal in life is not to be rich or wealthy
Cause true wealth comes from good health, and wise ways
We got to start taking better care of ourselves
They say you are what you eat, so I strive to be healthy
My goal in life is not to be rich or wealthy
Cause true wealth comes from good health, and wise ways
We got to start taking better care of ourselves,
be Healthy yall . . .

Hashers in the News

A couple of reporters from the St. Louis Post Dispatch recently joined the St. Louis Hash House Harriers for one of our Sunday runs. I was mentioned in the article that appeared in the paper today. There were also a few pictures in the printed copy of the paper, you can see me to the right of the plunger in the picture included with the article here.

Finally, you can get results when googling my name in the news. I am well on my way...

Southern California

I've spent the past week in Southern California on business/pleasure. My friend Adam from Japan was kind enough to host me over the weekend and we got to do some pretty cool stuff, including checking out the Cut Chemist of Jurassic 5, hitting up some nice beaches and big waves, a bit of sailing, hashing with the Orange County Hash House Harriers, eating at a pretty darn good izakaya and posing for some sick jump shots.

I heard a song on the radio out there that I knew instantly was dope. Here is that song: Crazy - Snoop ft. Nate Dogg

I'll be back home for Thanksgiving, I don't know how much more of this 90 degree zero humidity November weather I can take...

Screen Shots of the Champs

My roommate Ryan spent many nights collecting screen shots of various web sites featuring the Cardinals in their terrific run the last few weeks.

Pretty interesting stuff...

World Series, 2006: My Story

My story is one of hundreds of thousands from the night the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series. I was not in the stadium to watch the game but managed to be standing outside the gates when the final out was recorded. Here's what happened:

My roommate Ryan and I got downtown to Mike's loft on Washington just before first pitch of Game 5. We joined a fairly large group of friends in hopes of Jeff Weaver continuing his October mastery of opponent batters. We became nervous when we fell behind early. Sporting an assortment of Cardinals players' masks and a photoshopped Kenny Rogers face, we cheered them on and were rewarded when the horrid Tigers defense allowed us to pull ahead for good.

I motioned that we would all leave the loft and make the twelve block walk down to the stadium after the 7th inning. It was tough to pull away from being able to clearly watch a close game on TV, especially since the game was by no means out of the Tigers' reach. We arrived on Clark St, just outside the stadium and were joined by thousand of other jubilant fans waiting in anticipation for the moment. We were barely able to see a scoreboard inside the stadium to see the game situation. We mostly just reacted to the crowd's reactions.

With Busch Beer in hand at the gates of Busch Stadium, we cheered and waited, waited some more, drank some more, gave grateful fellow fans a drink or seven. Waiting, waiting and then...there it was. Unmistakable pandemonium as the game ended. We had no view of the field and no way to see the score or situation, but close to a hundred thousand screaming fans in the vicinity proved beyond a doubt that we had just won the World Freaking Series. Hugs and high fives, pushing and bumping and jumping, beer showers, confetti clouds in the air and a barrage of fireworks that lasted what seemed like five minutes set off just a few hundred feet behind us...

For some odd reason (perhaps Halloween quickly approaching), I had chosen to wear my Horse face mask the entire evening. I recieved many odd looks from fellow fans outside the stadium, but as one passerby cleverly noted, "Hey, why not?" My vision was obscured quite a bit by the mask, so I was quickly separated from my group of friends as the gates of the staduim opened and the crowd rushed in to view the postgame awards ceremony. So instead of going down as close as I could to the field to check things out, I decided to stand directly in the middle of the concourse behind the bleachers, rock my horse face mask and my So Taguchi jersey and hand out high fives to my fellow Cardinals fans. I believe I ended up standing there for about 45 minutes, giving non-stop high fives to Cards fans who were delighted to slap hands with a Cardinals-loving equine as the filed out of the stadium. I am not sure, but I may have personnally congratulated 500-1000 people.

Finally, my arms aching from the slapping, my friends reappeared. We headed out of the stadium, pouring into the exploding streets, complete with riot cops, horseback cops and plenty of rowdy fans. I was briefly separated from friends once again and happened to meet up with my sister Lynn and her boyfriend Rob, who were lucky enough to attend the game legitimately. We paused for a few photos with a banner I had made for her for the game. It was a personal message for Mr. Taguchi, in Japanese, and I thought for sure it would be shown on the Fox broadcast that night, but unfortunatley was not, to my knowledge.

As another odd twist to the situation, I had previously agreed to go rock climbing this weekend with friends at some cliffs five hours away in Northern Arkansas. We had planned to party after the game, then a sober Jon would point my Honda CR-V south and drive a car full of happily sleeping drunk Cards fans to hopefully arrive sometime around sunrise Saturday morning. After bidding good night to Lynn, Rob and some of their friends, I had to get moving to get back to Washington Ave to reconvene the car-pool. I ran a couple blocks north to Market St, high fiving and screaming at random. When I reached Market St, of course the street was bumper to bumper, no one moving an inch and no one minding that it was after 1am and they were sitting in traffic. Horns were blaring, windows wide open in the cold night and screaming fans provided a sensory overload.

Sensing an amazing opportunity, I got between two lanes of traffic and started my own victory parade. I ran into the stationary oncoming traffic with my hands out. The occupants of the noisy cars were happy to oblige as my high five score for the evening began to approach a couple thousand. I ended up running about seven blocks in total, all in the three foot gap between lines of stopped cars. My lungs and eyes burned from the CO2 intake, my ears were ringing from the yelling and the horns and I was nealry picked off by cross traffic as I crossed a surprisingly moving Tucker Blvd, but it was unreal.

Finally, I heard someone shout "FINGERHUT!" Perfect, it was Jon and Katie, who I would soon be travelling to Arkansas with. We walked the last few blocks back to the car and got set for the trip. I made a few sloppy calls to friends not fortunate enough to be born Cardinals fans for a bit of bragging, then hit the road. After a short gas stop in the suburbs and startling the late night gasoline patrons, we were on the road. Jon took the wheel, downed some Red Bulls for the long night of driving, and I watched the inside of my eyelids replay the night's unbelievable set of events.

St. Louis Cardinals, 2006 World Series Champions

+Some photos from the evening (Jenni B+
+Photo slideshow from Caitlin+
(more coming soon, if I recover my camera after that night...)

Cards, On the Brink. World Series 2006

Look at this, St. Louis. Three games won, one game lost.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of spectation. I was lucky enough to attend two turning point games recently. I was in the Bleachers on the last day of the regular season as we woefully lost to Milwaukee, but clicnched the NL Central title when Atlanta finished off the surging Astros.

I was there again in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series. We pulled off the victory then to go up 3-2 and came up big when Yadier Molina hit the go ahead home run in the top of the ninth of Game 7.

I must say my favorite moment of the run came when So Taguchi hit the most unlikeliest of home runs off Billy Wagner in the NLCS game 2 to go up 7-6 in the game and totally deflate the Mets. I celebrated with dozens of friends at Nick's Pub and basked in my Japanese connection. My bro, Taguchi.

This evening, I constructed a shrine to So. I included a personal photo with So, a life-size So head, burning candles and poker chips. I made sure the attendees bowed as they passed by. "So lays down the sac bunt, Rodney picks it up, tosses to firs...it's high! Eckstein scores easily, Cardinals go up 4-3!!!"

Tomorrow, I will not be inside the stadium. I will be watching and waiting for that final pitch when we prove the 'experts' wrong. I will join my sister Lynn when she emerges victoriously from the stadium. I will join my friends for a drink and a dance down on Clark Street. When the Tigers go down and St. Louis is once again the World Champion, I will applaud these guys and embrace St. Louis.

Go Cardinals.

Chuck Berry, Blueberry Hill, St. Louis

On October 19th, 2006, American Legend Chuck Berry turned 80 years old and celebrated by performing for a limited audience at the local bar Blueberry Hill. Thanks to my roommate, I was lucky enough to get a ticket. It was my first time seeing Chuck, even though he performs monthly at this bar just minutes from his home in the St. Louis suburbs.

His son, Chuck Berry, Jr. and his daughter also took the stage to help him perform. Before the show, the owner of Bluberry Hill, Joe Edwards, took the stage to wish Chuck a Happy Birthday and read a heartfelt letter to Chuck from Bill Clinton. The mayor of University City named the day Chuck Berry Day and two congresspeople took the stage to give their support as well.

Finally, the man himself took the stage and performed some of his classics. Here are a few clips I captured:



Clip #2
Clip #3

Lewis & Clark Marathon

Last Sunday took me out to the suburbs of St. Charles to attemt my first full marathon. My sister Katie and I had been on a very loose training program for the last 4 months. I was fairly confident I would finish, but not so sure what the clock would read when I crossed the line. We started nicely packed, almost 4,000 runners split between the half and full course. A large group of St. Louis Hashers made it fun, running with people you know. (A couple hashers also set up a couple beer stops on the course, which was appreciated by this guy.) For most of the first 13 miles, I ran with a fellow hasher Postage Tramp. It was good running and talking, I was able to keep my mind off what was ahead.

Unfortunatley, many of the runners were only doing the half marathon, so after that the course emptied out and I was running by myself. At about the 16th mile, my legs bagan to throb. My muscles tightened up and threatened to cramp. I was forced to walk for a lot of the rest of the course. It was serious pain, relieved little by the torrents of rain that came down over the last 4 miles. Luckily, Biscan was there towards the end and finished the last 2 miles with me.

I finally crossed the line, wading through 3 inches of rainwater and dodging lightning. My final time was about 5:31. I believe that is over a 12 miniute/mile pace. My first half was at 2:05, so I am a little more proud of that than my final time. Overall, I'd say the results were a little disappointing, but I am glad I tried it. It's good that I have at least one under my belt now. I certainly have motivation to do another one to improve on a time I know I can beat.

Another runner in the race was Dean Karnazes, who is attempting to be the second man ever to run 50 marathons in 50 days in 50 states. The Lewis & Clark Marathon was the very first one in his quest.

The race fee also included photos apparently, I received a this link in my e-mail yesterday. Apparently they snapped thousands of photos of the runners, then mathced their numbers to their e-mail addresses. Pretty cool system, but I don't think I'll be buying any of these photos. Feel free to take a look.

Impressions of a City Well Done

I arrived in Portland, Oregon yesterday evening, pleasantly surprised by the lack of nagging security that supposedly has been instituted recently. Got a taxi to the Rose Quarter, the area of the city across the river from the center of the city, but home to the Blazers, NBA's troubled franchise--the Rose Garden and the beautiful Oregon Convention Center. Although I am staying in a hotel that will go unnamed that shakes whenever a truck drives by or someone slams a car door or blows their nose, the overall experience is pleasant. (I'm hoping Mt. St. Helens behaves itself.)

After work today, I quickly jotted down the addresses of several local snowboard shops and set off. (I'm currently in the market for snowboard gear due to the cheap summer prices and lack of buying options in the midwest.) I got the lowdown on what I need from a helpful local, Gavin. The lack of sales tax on anything bought in Oregon is a nice incentive as well. I continued to walk and enjoyed viewing the urban environment of central Portland. More people I've seen out riding bikes since I was in Beijing; Many one-way streets that may make driving a challenge, but makes crossing a cinch, look one way and cross; A general superb urban mix--residential areas mixed with retail spaces and offices; A Kumamoto-like streetcar system that is a cinch to catch and even has hooks to hang your bike (not to mention it is free in the downtown area); A multitude of bridges over the Williamette River that divides the city, connecting the two vital areas of the city, all with wide sidewalks and gorgeous views of the river and skyline; The newness of most of the structures and general cleanliness.

After about 24 hours here, I haven't seen too much of the city. I have enjoyed the 75-80 degree temperatures after a blistering summer in the Lou. It's a pleasure to walk around Portland and take in the sights. First impressions of a place may not be accurate over the long haul, but this place ain't so bad at all...

Hash Publicity

Recently, a local paper, the Riverfront Times sent a reporter to join the Big Hump Hash, held in the St. Louis area every Wednesday night. Although I've only joined that hash a few times due to my schedule, I know how wild they can be. Check out the article here to get a taste.

Arribas grandes to Duzzy Cum and Pee Pole, Sunday Hashers who got mentioned in the article.

Kitago-jin and NYC

Met up with Mr. Derrick Simpson in NYC this week. I was in town for work, staying in Norwalk, CT. After an epic birthday night out Saturday night, I had the sense to get a taxi to the airport for my 6:30 am Sunday morning flight. Met up with my co-worker Ajith and we were off to NYC. Got in and made our way to the city and met Derrick in the Village.

We spent the day checkin out the hoods, made our way over the the WTC site before hitting up Battery Park then parting and heading to Norwalk. Ajith and I took the commuter train back down to the city last night and met Derrick and another Miyazaki JET, Todd, for an awesome tabe/nomihodai at Izakaya Kenka. Fight! Few more drinks and back to the burbs for us.




Ajith and I leave town tomorrow night, having been treated very hospitably by both co-workers and friends from far away.

Midwest Storms

This past Wednesday brought one of the largest storms in recent memory to the St. Louis area. I had the (mis)fortune of being out of town and not viewing the spectacle firsthand. Trees littered the unlit streets when I came back the next night. It was this video that made me realize how powerful it was. Video taken at Busch Stadium the night of the storm by someone other than myself. Just an amazing clip...

Kumamoto, One Year Gone

As I sat near the pool at Hampton Inn in Grand Junction, Colorado today, I thought back one year. If I remember correctly, I had just arrived in Bangkok, Thailand after three years in Kumamoto, Japan.

These days I am very absorbed in working, travelling around the country teaching people how to use some software that will probably make their jobs easier. But to think back on the year that's gone by since Japan is seriously a mental excercise. Not so much the whole year, but parts. Here's how it broke down:

15% - Travelling in amazing Southeast Asian countries.
35% - Poking around the internet under the guise of looking for a job.
50% - Working in an office space environment with a little bit of travel intermixed.

Wouldn't that be nice to have a few of those percentages reversed? Seems to make sense to me. At this point, I still haven't figured out what I am working towards. I enjoy my job and I like travelling and the teaching aspect of my job. I think I am using my talents to an extent. It is very possible I could be doing more either here or in a different part of the world, but how would I know? I am trying to find the motivation to get my shit together to buy a house, because that's what people do, right?

I cannot pass up to opportunity to live in St. Louis at this point. I have all of my sibblings living within a mile of me, parents not too far away, and extended family. I have a close group of friends that I can chill with any time. Some of the videos and photos I have been posting have been ordinary and silly no doubt, but it is home.

I hit up a local Japanese restaurant for dinner tonight and enjoyed some delicious sushi and a nice 22oz Asahi. Got a few messages that St. Louis has been shredded by a storm. Trees down everywhere. I get back tomorrow night and surely there will still be some destruction to witness. Fast years going by.

Dueling Arches in the Night

Mr. Ebel tries to signal friends from afar by waving an illuminated frisbee wildly at Fair St. Louis. They were eventually attracted to the mad waving. Photo taken by Mr. Biscan

More Lou Videos

Jon Biscan and Ben Klein create their specialty, a freak head at 3rd Degree Glass Studio on Delmar Ave, St. Louis, MO. Check out their site Fuoco.org


A spirited game of Flippy Cup transpires at a backyard barbeque on The Hill over 4th of July weekend.

St. Aloysius, The Hill

St. Aloysius Catholic Church is currently being demolished 1 block away from my place in South St. Louis. Developers have bought up the valuable property and are turning the now abandoned church and school into 25 up scale houses.

I had a chance to go and snap a few shots of the demolition before it was no more. I think you can really appreciate the quality of the brick work especially when it's in these stages, the various layers exposed showing the internal structure.



I recenly went back to check it out. All that was left was the front vestibule and the steeple. Above the door that was the entrance to the church that now opens into a rubble filled pit, a sign reads "Peace to all who enter here." Then someone has humorously inscribed, "...and exit."

TV Anywhere

Frontier Airlines offers DirecTV on their flights. You are able to view it for free while taxiing and the first 15 minutes of the flight. The you must pay $5 for service during the entire flight. I boarded the plane and the Cards/Mets were on ESPN. 8th inning, 1-0 Cards. We took off and just before the free service cut off, Isringhausen got Cliff Floyd to ground out with the bases loaded to end the game. I had a reserved celebration and this being a St. Louis-bound flight, was disappointed to see no one else pumping their fists or clapping. Go Cards!

Live from Grand Junction, Colorado

Busniness has taken me to a gorgeous place, Grand Junction, CO.

Finished up at 5 pm and headed to a local bike shop and rented a hybrid bike (mountain frame with street thin tires). I heard there was a path along the Colorado River near town so I headed over to check it out. I went a few miles, swerving to avoid rabbits darting across the path and missing a startled snake by inches.

Crossed the river and headed toward the rocky ridge of the Grand Junction Valley walls.


Came upon a roadside parking lot with a few paths going to the top of Griggs Hill. I chained up my frame and headed to the top.


The North side of the valley looks as if it's a wrinkled sandstone wall that hasn't eroded much in a few million years in the arid evironment.


A 360 degree panorama from my perch atop Griggs Hill.


I set my camera on a rock and test its timer abilities.


My throat dry as the red Colorado dirt, I head back to town. An interesting request awaits me.


I finish off a good ride with a Cold Shiver Pale Ale at the local Rockslide Brewery.


It's good.

Walking Tulsa

Going for an early evening stroll in Tulsa, OK seems like the most ordinary thing in the world...


I cut over to the old Route 66 and see this wierdly titled restaurant...

Then see an interesting car on the campus of Tulsa University...

I saw a copyright infringing barber shop...

Then checked out the Tulsa Driller Man outside the Expo Center where I have been working...

It's business as usual deep in the heart of Oklahoma.

How we get down...

This is a very special post. Believe it or not, this is post #100 on my humble Champon Adventures blogg. Some people knock out 100 posts in a couple days. But I have a certain standard of quality I've always upheld for all of the materials I post. Today is no different. Here is a special video clip captured by my friend Bisck that actually raises the standard of quality on my blogg:



Priceless indeed, isn't it? These are the types of videos I look forward to shooting with my brand new camera, a Sony Cybershot DSC-W50. I got a slick 2GB memory card with it, so even if I shoot a video that's not as artistic as this, I don't have to worry about wasting precious memory space.

I am currently in Tulsa, OK. I plan on going out and walking the streets to check out this Dubai of the Midwest. Perhaps I can share something from my stroll later on.

River to River

I have been a regular hasher since coming back to St. Louis in October. My (adopted) home hash is the STLH3 Sunday afternoon hash. A couple weeks ago I was in Chicago for two Cards/Cubs games and had the chance to hash with the rowdies from the Windy City. This past weekend I was presented with a unique opportunity. I was invited to join a relay team to complete an 80 mile course across Southern Illinois.

Pee Pole A (hash names used to protect fragile psyches and reputations) picked me up Friday evening for the two hour drive to Marion, IL. We stopped in O'Fallon and picked up another team member, Follow the Urine Trail. We got in Friday night and after a good dinner and a few libations, we turned in and got ready for a wild Saturday.

Known as the River to River Relay, this annual event brings in groups from all over the Midwest, about 350 I am told. The 80 mile stretch begins on the bluffs in a state park overlooking the Mississippi River. The course is divided into 24 three mile sections and ends on the banks of the Ohio River, in rustic Galconda, IL. Teams of eight to ten people take turns running to accomplish the feat. Our team consisted of only six...



The alarms went off around five as we had to drive 1.5 hours to the start from our hotel. Floppy D**k's wife Maury had forgotten her running shoes and had to drive 4 hours round trip to retrieve them. So with five runners, along with Floppy's two wild kids, we took off only to get hopelessly lost trying for shortcuts that never materialized. Finally, Pee Pole pointed the 15 P.V. in the right direction and we were primed for an 8:15am start time.

Porno was the first one off, followed by Follow the U. Trail with me in the third spot. My first leg was rather hilly and I had a chance to warm up for what would be a very long day. We developed a routine where we would drop the runner at exchange A, drive to exchange B where the next runner would get the baton, runner A getting back in the van and so on, 24 times on the day. I handed off to Floppy, then to Pee Pole. Maury made it back from the shoe run for leg six, a hilly beast of a trek.

Just before Maury's run, some young man had just finished running and somehow managed to fall down and severely magle his wrist. I couldn't help think back to my day in Wombacher Park when I landed on my wrist after a taking a plunge off a ridiculous snow ramp. Kid's forearm was flat on the splint pad and his hand was up in the air. Nast.

My second leg was a bit easier and I rewarded myself with a halfway done beer. Wise choice, my third leg was even better. Convinced of the healing powers of the brew, I had another before my final leg. The sky had clouded over and we were graced with a drizzle as U. Trail gave me the baton. No sooner had I gone over a hill, the clouds moved off, the dipping sun reappeared and a brilliant rainbow lingered. It was a pretty amazing experience, and I came over a hill and saw my final hand-off zone at the bottom. I nearly maimed my frame by letting gravity take over running down that hill. Alas, I handed over to Floppy and my day of running was over. We drove into Galconda, loaded the van up with 80 bucks worth of gasohol then met Maury as she closed in on the finish line. We all joined her for the last block, crossing the line as a proud team while the countrified announcer mangled our names like that young chap's wrist.

We posed for a few photos by the Ohio River with Kentucky in the background. Missouri to Kentucky in a day by way of the foot. Our team had finished the 80 mile stretch in under 12 hours. Another hash team from St. Louis had 10 members and took nearly an hour longer than us. It was a nice accomplishment and a great day. I am definitely planning on doing it again in 12 months time.

In the mean time, I'll keep hashing. I'll keep my eyes on the JET e-mails and hope there's a community in Kumamoto continuing the fine tradition. I will enjoy a beer after a good run and hopefully, I won't fall on my wrist.

Yes, Yes I think so...

As you can see, I am not so occupied with spending a lot of time doing the blog thing. I wanted to draw attention to a few things...

Jesus lived in Japan. Then again, so did I.

Thoughts and prayers go out to my Prefectural Adviser last year, Caroline and two others. Injured in this freak accident... Those Toppy ferries aren't the most stable things to begin with. I could not fathom what would happen if it hit something the size of a small building.

I have no camera at my disposal, and I will be attending my first baseball game at the new Busch Stadium tomorrow evening. Photos can be found on my sister's Flickr page.

Adam, you continue to amaze me...

The finest ablum to come along in a while...

I spent this past weekend in Chicago doing many fun things. Big ups to the Chicago HHH, the Wrigley Field security for watchin my back, Jenny Bisck for the floor space, So Taguchi for showin them how we do it, Jason Isringhausen for 11 straight balls & a Grand Slam, random 6'8" dude for tryin to kick my nuts, Virginny for Enterprisin it, and last but certainly not least, Jameson for makin that car ride so so nice.

Working in the Lou

So I have been working at my new job almost 2 months now. My company has a massive software program that they sell to convention centers, visitors bureaus and other event planners worldwide. My job is to help the staff of these places implement, learn and become proficient at using the stuff.

My job so far has mostly consisted of training myself and just getting familiar with the software. Eventually I will be travelling quite a bit, but usually not on weekends and only for a few days at a time. I have already gone to Birmingham, AL and Savannah, GA. I must say, Savannah is an excellent town with a long history and a picturesque downtown area. I was tempted to pick up a t-shirt that simply said SCAD across the front(Savannah College of Art and Design). I have a couple trips coming up, to Evanston, IL and LA in a couple weeks. That should be quite an experience.

Just to give you a little taste of what I have been dealing with, check out this paragraph:

Removed: Copyright infringement.


I don't know what is worse, the fact that I took the time to read it, or the fact that I read it twice, or the fact that I began to understand it the third time I read it. Luckily, it's not all as boring as this.

New Productions

I created a video recently with some of the footage I shot near my house in Japan. There was a field with a bunch of those concrete jacks that they like to tumble in the ocean to prevent beach erosion. They were all lined up and created square foot pedestals evenly placed from eachother. I decided I wanted to run across the field stepping only on the pedestals. Here are the results:

Block Hoppin'

Also, I had the opportunity to jump off some amazing cliffs in Ko Phi Phi, Thailand last September. What a rush. (Sorry about the quality of both movies, then again, you get what you don't pay for.)

Andaman Plunge

Stay Tuned...

Back in Kumamoto, we often went out and watched a JET band play at local watering holes. TOKA was a tight five member outfit that enjoyed purveying some fine rocking tunes to the loyal, yet intoxicated superfans. Many an occasion did we find ourselves grooving and dancing underground, opening our auditory canals to the smooth vibrations of Carly, Wooley, Chambers, Elton and Ken.

I had the chance to videotape (one of) TOKA's last performance(s) in February of last year. I hadn't much thought about the tape in a long time. Then I got an e-mail from Carly recently and said she would like a copy of it. So I've spent some time recently throwing together all kinds of footage, not only TOKA, but some of my other random stuff from both Japan and the amazing countries of Southeat Asia. Being the consummate cheapskate, I fully plan on putting some of these videos on the internet for free somewhere. I think I am close to locating a host, but it's still in limbo.

So I encourage you to stay tuned, sure my posts are sparse, but I promise you I will have some pretty good stuff up very soon.

Coming on Strong

As a SLU Alum, I have a strong interest in the Billikens Men's Basketball team. Let's take a look at how they are doing this year. The results of their first 19 games:

Yes, that's right. The hadn't won more than one game in a row, and likewise didn't lose two in a row. They were, in the words of John Ebel, consistently inconsistent. Some local talking heads wondered if there had ever been a streak of this type and this length in any sport.

However, with the emergence of Kevin Lisch as a solid offensive threat not to mention all along being the Bruce Bowen of the A-10, the Billikens have embarked on an epic three game win streak. After they were thrashed by Phil Martelli and the St. Joe's Hawks, they beat Fordham, came away with a tough W at Rhode Island, then beat a strong Xavier team for the second time this season. If they can keep it up, move up in the parity-rich A-10, then they have a chance to play in the postseason. Go Billikens!

An Ode to Aso-san

When I think back on my three years in Kumamoto, Japan, I often think of the immense natural beauty that surrounded me in central Kyushu. There were the many waterfalls, some heavily photographed and others rarely glimpsed. The amazing rice fields that turned a surreal shade of green two times a year. The amazing sunsets over Kumamoto as the sun dipped over Kinpo-san and behind Unzen-dake. Then of course, there is Mt. Aso. This sacred peak has long been viewed within Japan as a mystical place of beauty, natural power and sometimes danger. I was lucky enough to live within an interesting hour drive from the active crater.

I will never forget the night that I was told that Aso's height 1,592 meters, spoken in an alternate way of saying numbers, is Higo Kuni. Higo is the ancient name of Kumamoto and the Japanese for country, kuni. Wow, what an interesting coincidence.

I went to Aso many times. As a stop and think, a dozen different stories come to mind of fun-filled days and crazy nights spent in the caldera.

...leading a group through the woods and through a barbed wire fence into the annual Aso rave in order to circumvent the $30 entrance fee...partying all night to bad music under a big sky...on the drive back at sunrise the next morning and still feeling intoxicated, accidentally losing a banana out the window as we slowly took in the curves of the mountain road...several hashes in Aso, led by The Immortal Lettuce or Sliced Bush...venturing to the very top of Aso or Nekodake, taking in the ominous pale green pool of the smoking crater and the noxious fumes of sulfur...hitting up the delicious izakayas in Jamie's town, oh the chicken wing gyoza...

...a leisurely drive along the Milk Road, skirting the very edge of the caldera, looking down into the largest volcano-crated bowl in the world...a never-ending hash that had us running through pastures following dots on cattle...grabbing a bento and heading out to hike up Nekodake...swinging flaming bales of straw and the Aso Fire Festival...seeing said flaming bale slam into the chest of one who stood too close...discovering a forgotten road, from North Aso to Takamori between Aso and Nekodake peaks...on the clearest of days, being able to see smoke rising from the volcano from my porch in Kumamoto City...

There is no doubt that I will return to Kumamoto again. I hope to once again drive to Mt. Aso, climb to its peak and take it all in. I can't imagine things will change too drastically if I go there next year or 50 years from now. I take great comfort in that.

My Contribution to the Higo Blog

Recently, Adam has posted some interesting photos on his Higo Blog. I felt compelled to post a few photos that share a common theme with some of his shots. I will let you decide what those themes are.

Death by E:61:00

If you own some kind of Sony camera, perhaps you know what E:61:00 is. I have had my Cybershot since I bought it at the local Best Denki in Kumamoto about three and a half years ago. I have taken it to over 15 countries and snapped almost 3,000 shots. Obviously, it has taken quite a beating. I recently turned on the camera ony to see a blurry image and a flashing "E:61:00". I googled it and found this page.

It is a bulletin board for Cybershot owners who had the same problem. Among their claimed solutions: Forcefully obstructing the lense when it pops out to zoom; dropping it from a height of one to five feet on to a variety of surfaces. So I tried each of these methods unsuccessfully and even opened up the camera and jiggled its guts around and even located a stray pastic fragment that had been rattling around for years. No luck.

While it can still take pictures (somewhat blurry), it no longer has the capability to zoom in and out. I think my camera has reached the end of its life. I guess I am lucky the camera lasted this long, waiting to conk out in the rather unpicturesque month of January in St. Louis instead of October in the mountains of Northern Myanmar. And it just so happens that due to employment, I may soon have the resources to do something about it. Hmmm, let me count the Megapixels, 6.1...8.0?

あけましておめでとう! Employment in '06

Happy New Year to all. I hope everyone had a good one. I myself got together with about 25 of my friends for my first new year in the states in three years. We had a good time drinking and carousing in a dark room across from Cusamano's Bar not too far from home.

For those of you still in Japan checking up on Champon Adventures from time to time, thanks and I hope everyone's holiday travels to exotic locations around Asia were rewarding and inspiring. I am interested to hear about everyone's travels when you get back so please update your blogs and post some photos. I have been a little sparse on my posts since being back in St. Louis, but here is a rough idea of what I've been up to.

I arrived back in St. Louis in early October fresh of two months of awesome travel in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. I embraced unemployment for a bit, but then had the chance to do some basic carpentry at a house that my friend Ben was rehabbing:


(Ben plans on selling the house in the Spring then going to apprentice with master glass-blowers in Italy. Check him and Biscan out at Fuoco.org)

While I was doing all that, I was just throwing out my resume to all kinds of companies in St. Louis, looking to do some kind of entry-level computer work. I had it in mind to work at some company's computer help desk or technical support. I got no calls and continued to work on the house and really cultivate my enjoyment of free time.

Finally, I got one phone call from a small software company out in the suburbs of St. Charles. The woman said my resume landed on her desk and my experience matched what they needed. Hmmm, a computer dude who spent the last three years travelling and trying to teach English in Japan. Well I had to go in and find out what it was about. Over the course of two interviews, I learned the position was a software consultant, travelling to various sites around North America and teaching clients how to use our customized Events Management software. Travelling, teaching and technology: I can do this. Fortunately I was offered the position and will start on January 16th. I was hesitant to accept the first offer that came along but like they told me, it seems like a pretty good fit for my interests and skillz.

So in about a week and a half, I will bid farewell to unemployment and hello to a 35 minute commute (on a good day), the grind of a 9-5 (8-5+ actually, ouch!) and a packed lunch (what? no school lunch?). It kills me not to have an international air ticket purchased and waiting for me. I suppose I am almost completely adjusted to being back here in the states after so much time away. I guess regular employment is the last step in the reabsorption process. (Either that or becoming a preferred customer at the local Wal-Mart.)

Although I miss life in Asia and will continue to long for travel and the surprises and treasures of everyday life in Kumamoto, I am also embracing some familiar pastimes here in St. Louis. I've been able to get together and play basketball with my friends and sibblings quite regularly, in addition to taking up running once again with my sister Katie as main motivator. Katie and I have been active member of the St. Louis H3, a Hash group that goes off every Sunday afternoon. We have both hared already. Also, just being able to flip on a TV most nights and watch the NBA is amazing and something I will never take for granted. I loath most of the crap that is on TV, but I will never not watch basketball.

One thing I had taken for granted and vow not to do so again is the access to great libraries. I have read a bunch of books since I've been back. A lot of them have been about Japan or Asian culture in general. It is fascinating to read about this after experiencing it for three plus years. I read a book called Confucius Lives Next Door: What living in the East teaches us about living in the West by T.R. Reid. It was a fascinating book that attempts to provide a background on interesting cultural quirks in Japanese and Asian society. Interestingly, the teachings of Confucius are the fundamentals of living and behavior and in turn, a stable society that generally exists throughout the countries of Asia.

Another book which I recently started to read is Amy Tan's newest book, Saving Fish from Drowning. I was so excited to read this book after I read the review. It is a fictional novel about a group of Americans who mysteriously disappear on an isolated mountain lake in Northern Myanmar (Burma). Sure enough, it is based on Inle Lake, which I recently visited during my week in Myanmar. I was intrigued by the strong spiritual aspects of the hill tribes and little towns around the lake. Although the author was unable to travel to the military-governed nation for research, the book promises to be an interesting look at Myanmar's culture and political situation from the standpoint of a fictional story. I am excited to read it. Even the picture on the cover of the book is similar to a photo I took:

or maybe this one...


One other book I just got and will read in the next week is by one of Japan's greatest modern novelists, Haruki Murakami. I thoroughly enjoyed two of his other books, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles and The Wild Sheep Chase. It's called Underground and is actually an in-depth investigation into the mysterious Aum Shinrikyo Cult who were responsible for the terrible sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995. Murakami's fictional works are incredibly detailed in character development and often have amazingly bizarre twists. I can't wait to get into this one.

Before I start my new job on the 16th, I will be snowboarding for a week in Colorado. Breckenridge, Keystone and Vail. I can't explain how excited I am to get up on the mountain and rip it. Exactly one year ago I was recovering from a week boarding in Nagano and getting ready to go home for Joe and Michiyo's wedding followed by a week at Vail. I am quite lucky to be able to spend a week snowboarding with no guilty feelings that I should be looking for a job; work starts 8 am sharp on Monday morning.