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.