off balance

Sorry for continual commentary on snow, but damn! I love it! This pic was only the beginning as well. So much snow I couldn't get the wagon out, and had to dig around it. When I came home it had pretty much filled in and so I reversed into the driveway opposite my spot and had to 4-wheel haulin' ass to plow back into my space. It goes without saying that the mountain has been sweet as well. 220cm at the lowest mountain with a good bit of untracked powder. On that note I have pretty much converted myself to Celsius and metric. I'm sorry, but , it's the future. Inches, feet, pounds, miles; seriously, what the hell is that. Do it by tens and there, you have it. 0 degrees is freezing, and 100 is boiling, got it. Anyway, I'm not trying to knock the way the good ol' U.S. and A. do things, (I love our crazy stubbornness) but I've realized that to really live in a new place, and not to just be an outsider, you gotta think like the natives right? When in Rome...
So, its been a upward, yet rewarding battle to abandon the crutch of mental translation and just begin to THINK in another way. To think in Japanese, Celcius, and metric. It has opened me to the commonly taken-for-granted understanding that this world is full of varying outlooks on life, and that although we may think we know it, we don't really comprehend the reality that other people simply do not think the same as ourselves. This works internationally AND interpersonally. Not sure if thats a word, but you get my drift.
Realizing how little I know in this world, gives me inspiration to also realize I should never be bored. There are an infinite number of subjects to be explored, and an equal number of world views. I was sitting on the lift at my local ski hill and was thinking about why we push ourselves to find a job to make money. What its really all about. And then this alternate world view concept hit me. There is no law forcing us to choose a certain path in life. We can do whatever we want. There are societal laws that may have an influence in what kind of career we choose or decide not to choose because of the consequences, but generally all in all, we can do whatever the hell we want. But somewhere along the line the pursuit of money got mixed up with the pursuit of happiness. It's not really the life I want, but who's to say working a little here and there just to be able to ride all year 'round isn't a worthwhile path. All paths lead to the same destination anyway right? So why not choose the most fun?
As a wise man I know says, "There's big fun, and little fun." Big fun are the moments in life that lend to personal and spiritual progress as well as enrich relationships with loved ones, and little fun are the moments that bring us immediate yet ephemeral pleasure. I guess the ideal is to enjoy both, but not to sacrifice the big fun, for the little fun. But I think the question comes into play when you look at a specific example. For me, let's say snowboarding. At first it seems like little fun. I enjoy it at the time, but obviously it only lasts for that moment. Yet, if one is open, it's possible to learn much about life and one's self through any activity. Just observing emotions and reactions and studying one's own behavior even in an activity like snowboarding can offer great insights into spirituality. So, this sounds like big fun now. That's why I came to thinking about how ANY path in life can offer fulfilling rewards. One just has to have an open and observational attitude.
Anyways, I'll stop trying obfuscate a helpful and insightful piece of wisdom. Besides, my ramen is almost here and I'm starving

The book was better than the movie, but you can't beat jack nicholson

Just about ready to wrap up One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. I picked it up at the airport on my way to Thailand for something to read on the plane, but since they were showing some pretty good films, I didn't really get into it until I got back. I'm not usually into fiction, but I'm starting to realize how even works of fiction can give a "truthful" representation of reality. I also must admit that unlike non-fiction, fictional works force one to develop a powerful imagination in order to engage with the characters and events. Also, everyone's particular image of these characters and events is unique resulting in as many interpretations as there are people able to read the story. I still find non-fiction more fascinating and enjoy learning about actual or theoretical aspects of the world we live in, but lately I find myself wanting to see more creative ways of presenting that material, such as fictional work.
On that note, being nearly finished with Cuckoo's Nest I ask anyone who knows of some good, intelligent fiction to leave a comment with any recommendations. Thanks!

SHOUT OUT

Shout out from 4th grade to my long time homie Lifter Baron...

bronchitisaurus

Still coughing up chunks of my lungs.... but better than the day before, and the day before that.
Medicine is starting to kick in and hopefully I will be able to ride this Saturday. Gotta get those 540's down stylie before I can work on my switch take offs. Met some chill cats the other day, into hip-hop and DJing and all that, they asked me to do up a shirt for their upcoming event called "Bronx". I did a couple treatments, click the pic for larger image, but turns out their just gonna do stickers now. Bummer. I need new t-shirts. I'm gonna talk to him to see where he gets his shirts done and maybe just do my own. Anyway, I'll be at the event to check it out, and I promise to bring my camera down there to doc it. Stay tuned for some Jip-Jop event pics!

brand new year

Well, I apologize for the slacking off on this blog. No excuses, just laziness. Perhaps the settling in of daily life here has caused me to be uninspired to write. But don't get me wrong, I'm not bored here, it's just that perhaps things have come to be more normal for me and therefore I think less news worthy. Also I have rearranged my blogs, to account for redundancies and so this page in now dedicated to those in the States or where ever, but not here in Japan. So, this page will now convey my thoughts of my experience here to those of you there.
To get to it, I just got back from my vacation in Thailand, and now fighting a cold that has been lingering for some weeks. I finally went to the doctor here, delayed by an irrational fear of foreign health clinics brought on by my experience in Tokyo, and received a mass amount of powders and pills that look like they could perhaps cure cancer if not my cold. As custom and politeness dictates, I wear a cotton mask at work. Normal protocol for my coworkers, but personally I feel like I'm about to be called into surgery at any moment.
It's fairly cold here and there's enough snow to ride, but everyone insists that this is rare to have such little snow here. Apparently it's the same as last year, and I must admit I am secretly disappointed. I was really hoping to see the massive amounts of snow this area is known for, but goddamn global warming has it out for me it seems. Maybe I'll stick around and see what happens. My internet connection here at work is bollocks so I'll be posting again soon with some pics and such.
Happy new year to everyone and may your wildest dreams come true