Blog EntriesA Nice Week
August 29, 2006 in USA
Some, not all of the outdated computer parts I found and got rid of.
Last week I decided to tear through and cleanup everything I own. I decided that rather than allowing my stored possessions to sprawl rooms and garages at both parents’ houses, I’d thin it out until everything would fit neatly in a single bedroom closet. I can’t begin to tell you how many old Playstations, piles of computer parts, folders of schoolwork, and ridiculously undersized articles of clothing I found needlessly taking up storage space.
Most of the process was mind-numbingly boring, but every once in awhile I’d stumble on a particularly meaningful item - like a note Jeff and I had passed to each other in 10th grade math class, when we first became friends. Or the tiny pocket-sized picture book I bought to first begin learning Hiragana and Katakana.
Seems like so long ago…
After a great satisfaction from completing the week-long project, an entirely unplanned week of fun began. First, a trip with Nick to Raging Waters, America’s 3rd best water park (according to the Travel Channel). The weather has been absolutely gorgeous lately, so a water park seemed like a perfect place for a bit of fun in the sun.
I have to say that while very, very enjoyable, Raging Waters was significantly different from how I remembered it from my childhood. Mainly because the slides seemed a whole lot slower and less intimidating this time around. And the lines were quite a bit more frustrating. I guess you could call that “growing pains.”
Next time we’ll just have to bring some cocktails to sip on while drifting around the relaxing innertube lagoon 
Fall leaves in Takaragaike Park.
Then on Thursday afternoon I headed over to Andy’s place with the intention of hanging out for just a few hours. Since he was only in LA for a brief a visit from China, I wanted to make sure to get in our catch-up time before he headed off for one of his trademark weekends in Vegas. And even though the actual “catching up” proved to take no more than a few minutes, I somehow ended up remaining with him and his family for nearly 4 days.
I guess that’s the difference between an acquaintance and a real friend; no matter how long you’re apart, the moment you reunite it feels like no time has passed at all. Five minutes of catch-up, four days of fun!
A quiet street through Kirishima, where Dean picked me up on the way to our survey in Miyazaki.
The first day we kicked off with a big sushi feast followed by a small party with his sister Rachel, her out-of-town visitor Allison, and a group of their mutual friends from back in High School. It was a small party that turned into an extraordinarily loud game of drunken Catch Phrase. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun with a board game.
Unfortunately, his parents weren’t too pleased in the morning when one of the maids ratted us out for keeping her awake all night, shattering a massive flower pot, and engaging in various other delinquent activities. Oops.
The next day Andy and I spent relaxing in the pool at the nearby Brentwood Country Club before I briefly separated to scoop some cat poop back at my mom’s house. What fun!
Having slept only an hour and a half the night before, I really felt like staying in on Friday - but Andy soon convinced me to head out to Hollywood for dinner with another friend, a successful event planner and socialite visiting from San Francisco. I’m glad he did. The evening first led us to a sushi bar (yes, that’s sushi two nights in a row!) followed by a quick stop at the famous Sky Bar to meet up with Rachel and Alison and finally to a house party in Beverly Hills where I had a little encounter that blew my mind.
A main street just North of Kyoto.
At this party (which by total coincidence happened to be only 2 doors away from Shahin’s parents’ house) I ran into an old acquaintance by the name of Scott Morrison. While I was never that close with Scott himself, he belonged to a group of friends that I’ve been out of touch with for nearly 10 years; the same group through which I knew Tyler, who I astonishingly ran into in Osaka while he was working as a NOVA English teacher.
The early morning sun peeks over a temple wall.
When Scott and I first saw each other he didn’t recognize me at all. I found that surprising, but soon figured out why; flashing an old driver’s license quickly jogged his memory.
See, my appearance changed quite significantly around the 10th grade…when I chopped off my mid-back-length hair.
::shudder::
My trusty steed standing up to the elements at Taizoin.
Anyways, after heading home sometime around 5am and knocking out for much of the following day, my schedule became a bit more routine. I did join Nick and his family for a very nice steak dinner, as well as accompany Andy and a group of Italian friends to the Getty Center a day later, although I must admit that I’ve never had much of an appreciation for art and tend to get bored with it rather quickly. I basically went because Andy invited me, and I figure I might as well try a new museum every now and then; maybe someday I’ll suddenly and mysteriously develop an interest. Like how I suddenly learned to appreciate vegetables as a high-quality food rather than a method of parental torture.
Another bike…not mine…at Taizoin.
In any case, it’s been a very nice week 
4 Comments »
Hahahha…….I am so glad that you mentioned scooping cat shit at your house . It was a fun little week…..glad you were able to hang out,
Andy
I want your life!
Justin, just wanted to say how much I enjoyed meeting you. You were fun to have around.
Aw, thanks so much Elaine. It was wonderful to meet you too.
Hopefully I’ll see you again whenever Andy comes back from China and I come back from Japan
