*snaps*

Although I can watch the flick over and over again, Love Jones came out over 10 years ago. For the most part, that spoken word poetry BS can stay right back there in ’97 as far as I’m concerned. Still, I ran upon this clip from Def Poetry posted on Chile Please and I was nearly clapping at the end. Kind of got off to a slow start, but around 1:38 I was like, “oh.”

This week (mini update)

What have I been up to this week? Not much. Regular life stuff, school/sleep/eat. Walk around the city, pop into different shops every now and again.

On Monday, our Japanese teacher Suzuki set us up on a rendez-vous with some advanced students of hers, French guys. They were pretty cool, albeit young (21!). I was hyped at first because I have way better French skills than Japanese. When I got there though, I was kind of quiet with the francais because I didn’t want to sound like an idiot. All was well though. We went to an Izakaya (almost like a tapas style restaurant with drinks and private rooms) in Shinjuku and shared plates while drinking warm sake

1 of our new French pals

and having conversation. Afterward we headed to an English Pub for a beer. I think it was that brief interaction with those guys that reminded me how much I need to get to France. They were telling me how 7+ yrs of language study was like a complete waste without ever having visited the country. Who can disagree with that?

We also went out with Suzuki for an eel lunch. Pretty tasty. I could have sworn that my last experience with eel was unpleasant, but when we got to the restaurant and had a lightly grilled eel over rice in a brown sauce, well I was pleased.

Lunch!

Side note: the Japanese will make tea out of anything. I’ve had rice tea, soba tea, oat tea and who the hell else knows what kind of tea. They’re all pretty bad if you were wondering. What happened to all that green tea I was told they drink over here?

Tonight I’ll pack a bag to get ready for a weekend trip. We’re heading up north to Naeba to go snowboarding! So you’ll most def have to check back for the details on that!

New FLICKR photos up, BTW. If you’re my f’book friend, you’ve already seen ’em though.

Juicy eh?

Makes me think of summer. I’m SO Black, y’all! Would you rock ’em?

the Slip-On

the Chukka

The Era

Peeped at Trashbag Aesthetics.

You’re invited to a pity party.

I’m starting to get nervous. I’ve been nervous, but now i’m pretty damned frustrated and mildly depressed. I’m starting to think that I am not going to be a working attorney, at least not any time soon. I am scheduled to get my JD this May and today, at the end of January, I do not have a job lined up. That might not seem like a big deal to those outside of the legal field. Those within the field know that many people have already secured job offers for after graduation. In fact, there are some students who have known about their post-grad jobs over a year and a half ago.

Just yesterday I got two rejections. Thanks but no thanks. “We had so many qualified candidates it was difficult to choose…” blah blah blah. I can’t even remember how many jobs I’ve applied to so far. I suppose the job market is to blame in part. I can admit that I am not at the top of my class. I did not do a journal or law review. I did not win awards on trial team. I know that all contributes to being a competitive candidate. Still, I can’t help but be frustrated by the fact that I have no clue WHATSOEVER what I will be doing after I walk across the stage back in Philly. I don’t even have anywhere to LIVE! I can’t just go home like some people are doing. I don’t really have a home to go back to. So not only do I not know what I’ll be doing, I don’t know where I’ll be living.

100 Things (a pointless post)

I got this game from Snarky Much, who got it from Optimistic Cynicism, who got it from INfertile Myrtle. Anyone can play along, just bold the things that you have done.

1. Started your own blog.

2. Slept under the stars.

3. Played in a band.

4. Visited Hawaii.

5. Watched a meteor shower.

6. Given more than you can afford to charity.

7. Been to Disneyland.

8. Climbed a mountain. (but I will soon… Mt. Fuji!)

9. Held a praying mantis.

10. Sang a solo.

11. Bungee jumped.

12. Visited Paris.

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.

15. Adopted a child.

16. Had food poisoning.

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.

18. Grown your own vegetables.

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.

20. Slept on an overnight train.

21. Had a pillow fight.

22. Hitch hiked.

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not sick.

24. Built a snow fort.

25. Held a lamb.

I don’t have anything against tattoos

But really, you’ve just made a decision that will likely snuff out any hope of a future, girlie.

Photo: Crunk & Disorderly

I have a tattoo on my lower back (womp womp, “tramp stamp” whatever) that I got when I was a freshman in college. It’s just my name and some other shit around it so nothing too bad. Still, if I could go back in time I wouldn’t have gotten it. Not because I have anything against tats, I just would have gotten something better. It really is hard to decide what you want to have permanently etched into your skin.

People say tats are addictive. I’ve only had one for about ten years and although I do want another, I’m being super picky about what to get. As one should. I’m sure homegirl in the pic had friends who told her that was going to be a hot tattoo. But word to the wise, don’t get a tat as a message to the proverbial haters out there. That’s dumb. I mean really… is she going to rock mocknecks her entire life?

I know a few people with questionable tattoos which make me think (however wrong I may be) that they won’t go very far in life. Like if you have a tat that says “Murderer” on the side of you neck, you’re likely limited to the following careers: Athlete, rapper, mover, reformed gang counselor, garbage man, dishwasher, or… MURDERER. Maybe I’m wrong. I just know that I’m not going to visit Dr. ____ if he/she has Murderer peeking out from under that white coat, ya dig?

Nomihodai 飲み放題

Nomi-hodai. Key word for the weekend. Nomi-hodai is the “all you can drink” option offered at many Japanese establishments. We did it two nights in a row and paid for it dearly after day one.

Friday: Went to lame ass Japanese Law class and then headed over to our new favorite restaurant, some Korean BBQ spot. Can’t tell you the name of it because it’s in Japanese, which I cannot read, duh. Anyway, it was our second night in a row going there and the waitress who served us was totally surprised that we came back so soon. We had to though. We’ve been craving some really spicy, seasoned food. I’ve got to be honest with you, Japanese food isn’t that good. There are but so many noodles and so much rice you can eat, ya know. The meats are all boiled and soupy. Not very good. You can hardly find vegetables to eat in anything! So finding the Korean spot was great because they have the meat you can grill at the table and very spicy, flavorful stews and soups. Anywho… since we went back the second day, the waitress brought us out some complimentary kimchi style pickles and then finished off our meal with green tea and chocolate ice cream! We’re so going back. Wonder what she’ll give us next time?

After the restaurant, we made a pit stop at home then headed out to Ebisu where we met folks from school for an all you can drink deal at a place called Zest. We walked in and the restaurant was HUGE. It was kind of like bizarro world though cuz there we were, a bunch of Americans in Tokyo, at a giant Mexican restaurant. FYI, we’re totally going back to Zest for dinner because I’ve been craving Mexican like you wouldn’t believe. Realizing that we only had two hours to cash in on our nomi-hodai special, we set to work ordering whisky, scotch, tequila, pitchers of beer and margaritas. Let me be clear, okay… these servers at Zest did not play. When we ordered shots of tequila, they just brought over like 10 glasses and two ice cold bottles of tequila and left them on the table. NO WAY would they do that in the States. Just leave the entire bottle of liquor on the table for you? In a restaurant? That’s against most liquor laws because there’s no way to regulate how much folks are drinking, ya know?

Is this funny?

Swiped from J&J Politics:

Is it funny if you knew the cartoonist was Black?
Just wondering.

Tokyo Adrift

So I was asked to pen an article about my first impressions re: Tokyo.
I was having a brain fart for the most part. You can tell from my first couple of posts on my own blog how scatterbrained I’ve been. I can’t even really put into words what my first impression or even 7th impression is.
Maybe that’s the thing though, this city makes me think so many things at once. I think it’s also best to keep everything in perspective since I have been here for less than a month.
Anyway, feel free to catch my lil article over at Crud Magazine.  Excerpt below. Thanks to Carlo for the opportunity (but not so much for choosing that crazy pic of me!).

Tokyo Adrift

In a dark room the size of a galley kitchen, my feet hung off the end of the bed and my head rested on a pillow which was better suited to an airplane than to a restful night’s sleep. The room was so small, I could reach the television dial without fully stretching my arm but it was pretty useless since there was only one free channel and it was completely in Japanese. Alone in the dark, I wondered out loud, “What am I doing in Japan?” That is how I spent my first night in Tokyo…

First dance

So remember how I was all womp womp about not being able to be in DC with all of you for the inauguration? Well, I’m still womp womp. Even more so after I had to go to bed last night knowing everyone stateside was just gearing up to watch everything (from the frigid Mall or gathered around their TV sets).

I woke up around 8:30am (6:30pm est) and watched a replay of the President’s oath and speech on MSNBC. I caught up on reactions via Twitter. I flipped through blogs and I skimmed photos. While I was glad for the Obamas and proud of the historical moment we are living through, I was kind of pissed because, well, it just didn’t feel like much. Folks on Twitter were talking about their tears and the shivers up their spine. They were all on and on about the electicity in the air, even while their toes froze off of their feet.

Womp womp.

Granted, I’m not much of a crier unless I’m going through my ever-3-months breakdown and I’m still like two months away from my next due date.

Then I got back on Google Reader and saw some more blogs. I came across Barack and Michelle’s first dance as President and First Lady, boppin’ to the beat of Etta James’ classic “At Last,” sang by a more restrained than usual (but still fabulous) Beyonce.

I might just be sitting in the study room on campus in Tokyo, JPN with my earbuds in, volume turned down low, but I was cheesing the whole way through. Right at the end, when Michelle threw her arms around her husband’s neck, I got that tingly, stingy feeling in my eyes like MAYBE I could have dropped a tear. I’ll take it.