Helmets and Wigs

AM

At 9:50am, I cut and toasted two of the six bagels I bought yesterday from Bagel & Bagel at Namba Parks. Undoubtedly, this was the highlight of the morning, although the two deliveries for Rosie from Amazon did add some interest to an otherwise standard morning. Crucially, though, it wasn't rainy, allowing me to complete the drudgery of visiting the dry-cleaners to pick up a pair of pants that were well overdue for a wash. On the way home, I was struck by the number of babies on bikes that were helmetless - crazy!




PM

By 2:50pm, I was on my way out to work at Yao which sits  at the base of the Ikoma mountains and no doubt quake prone. The stinking heat of the tram barely distracted my from the woman in designer clothes, snorting up her snot like a five-year old. At least she wasn't coughing uncovered like everyone else. It's only a matter of time before the swine flu strikes now - hopefully before the Christmas break. The comical highlight of the Yao voyage was clearly the old man wearing a jet-black Elvis toupe. It is impossible to imagine that he though no-one would notice - maybe he just likes the look. I wish I was rude enough to have taken a photo but the file photo right appears to show the identical model.

No coffee, no eggs, no bread, no butter

Wednesday 30th September 2009
 

AM

Least: At close to 9:30am, I discovered that my breakfasting stocks were at an all time low. No coffee, no eggs, no bread, no butter. To alleviate the sheer awefulness of it all, I trotted up to the Family Mart for resupply. To my horror the only bread that they had was some inedible and sugary loaf with slices about three inches thick. I settled on pancake mix, however in my confused state, I forgot to buy butter to butter up my meal. Despondant, I sat down to pancakes with faux maple syrup sans-butter. After one cake, Rosie stumbled through the door with a tub of grease for my meal. Despite the drama of breakfast, it was a grindingly boring experience.

Most: Approaching 11:50am, I finally finished reading The Grapes of Wrath after picking away at it for a few weeks. The ending was a little on the brutal side and shattered my hopes of a better outcome for the itinerant workers. The book is a condemnation of capitalism but rather than idealising it's victims, allows the characters to be crushed by their appalling conditions. The same process that had giant companies engulfing smaller farms it probably still happening today, especially in the developing world. I'm slightly sad that the book is over, but it was an interesting journey.

PM

Least: At about 1:50pm, I stepped onto the tram for my commute to work in Yao. Because it was the first time that I had been to this suburban sprawl (see its seal right), it carried ore stress than a usual trip to work. One mistake, or missed train could mean lateness or it could mean ending up on the wrong side of town. To make matters worse, there was a steady fall of rain and the wind allowed the water to sneak under my umbrella. After a wrong turn outside, Kintetsu-Yao station, I finally realised that my map had failed to notice that the MUFJ bank had relocated across the town square. I was only slightly damp by the time I arrived.

Most: At nearly 9:30pm, Rosie and I walked down some Tennoji steps into a below-ground izakaya. We were told that the last food orders were about to be taken, to we cut a swathe through the menu. By the time we had finished ordering, It was dificult to remember what we had actually requested. Each dish that arrived was slightly more suprising than the last and included, chips, edemame, fried chicken gristle, sashimi, tofu salad, samma and beer. The highlight was the slightly seared sashimi of salmon and tuna and the ultra-friendly manager. We'll be back.