Just before 夜の部

I call it 夜の部 to make it sound more fun, but really it's just more work. I should be excited to accomplish things and do a good job because I had a great day; keep that positive energy flowin' or whatnot, but I feel sort of crunched.

To exist in Japan I have to fit myself into a box called VISA and lately it is feeling pretty cramped. At the same time, my head is going in a zillion directions, so I know it's partly my fault.

Anyways, here's what I did today:

AWOKE. Couldn't remember my dream.

BREAKFAST. Specifically avoided eggs because I knew I was going to have Khao Pad Kra Prao Gai at a place that puts an egg on top for lunch. I had a natto maki and a banana and coffee.

WORK. I had to put some finishing touches on a translation project and then social media for a bit.

LAUNDRY. It had to be done. I did it in my usual extremely non-fussy manner that is part of the reason I have no real fashion.

LUNCH. Met my friend Simon for Thai food. It's always really good to catch up with him.

POETRY x FASHION. I went to an event in Shimokitazawa at a bookstore cum bar where the poet I like read some poems. I didn't know he used to play saxophone. I guess we have that in common. I wonder if he still plays.

THAT DREAM. The fashion part of the event was interesting, too, but its overall form was eclipsed by the fact that one of the photos jogged my memory as to that dream last night. Suddenly on the screen was an image of a women missing half of her right leg, but looking extremely stylish in heels and a great short dress, so that you ignored her disability (? Sorry if I'm butchering pc codes in this paragraph, but I'm just telling you what happened as simply as I know how) completely or perhaps even her prosthesis itself is cool. I wish I had the link, but I don't. Anyhow, I remembered that last night I dreamed I was told one of my legs would have to be amputated. What a weird coincidence. And I really wonder where that dream came from.

SHINJUKU. After buying some books related to translation that I need to somehow find time to read, I maneuvered through the evening Shimokita crowd to the Odakyu line. Felt the need to procrastinate (as I do even now...) so had Freshness Burger while contemplating life, etc. The classic burger seemed highly unadorned besides some vegetables, which was great.

IKEBUKURO. Wouldn't you know it, I took the express. And then wouldn't you know it, I took some exit and ended up who knows where on the other side of the station. I decided that it was fate, and walked home, during which time I thought I would like to tweet, やっぱリュックじゃないとダメだ、私。but had my hands full of my bag, which had gotten too heavy with books and things for me to trust to the shoulder strap.

MINOR GROCERY STORE VISIT. I bought bananas and soy milk. There is some granola I have that has too many raisins in it, but somehow I feel like I should persist in eating it until the bag is gone. Other than the too many raisins, there is nothing wrong with it, I don't think...

WORK. I really want to just read or listen to more Japanese people say more things, but I can't because tomorrow got unexpectedly busy.

Here wait, though, I can think of some more things to say quickly.

I finished the short story chapter in 文学レッスン. Saiichi Maruya (who died last year, I just read on Wikipedia : /) seems to make a lot of comments about this history based on nationality. I don't know if that is common in lit commentary or not, but like at one point he was even saying that maybe the short story initially became so popular in Japan because Japanese people like small things (like bonsai and dolls). Really? And among bourgeois French there would not have been very many novel readers, which is why they were so good at short stories? And Ireland was not yet developed at the time, so short stories were the thing and Ulysses was James Joyce trying to escape the short story? Is that true? I'm kind of taking all of it with a grain of salt. I guess I want to see what other people have to say about short stories. And read A LOT.

But I'm also trying to figure out ways to get what I've been reading to stick with me more, which is why I'm going to try maybe blogging more. I don't really expect what I'll say to be that interesting, but I just want to be able to reference it later.

Between stories in きつねのはなし I've been injecting some Maupassant. "Boule de Suif" was pretty great. It's a super interesting predicament, but wow, humans are evil, huh. I just can't imagine being that cruel to someone, especially after they've fed you. War, food, sex. This story is really in the thick of it.

While reading "Miss Harriet" most of what I thought was how tsundere the titular character was and how over the top it was that she died at the end.

"Francesca and Carlotta Rondoli" is another where it's just like "Really man, really?" But I really like these windows into the heads of guys who do stuff like leaving girls waiting for them, etc.

That reminds me, in the titular story in きつねのはなし the narrator Mutou lies so much. Not only to the creepy Amagi, but also to his gf and Natsume. I kept wishing he wouldn't. It didn't seem to help him that much anyways...

Now I'm running pretty late to 夜の部 but...maybe I'll be able to look back at this entry and remember what today was like. When I look at entries from back in 08 or whatnot, I sometimes can't even remember I spent a day like that. Reading entires like that is a really weird feeling, but I won't have it to savor unless I write something like this now and then.