Entries this day: Work zzzzz_ageha_with_Ikumi

Work

5:56pm JST Saturday 11 December 2004

Got a call from Hitomi while I was at work; she had just gotten packed up and was leaving. I went out on the balcony to take the phone call (but I missed it) and I saw her crossing the street. I quietly yelled her name but she didn't hear me. She had turned the corner by the time she called me back and I told her I saw her 1 minute previously, but she didn't backtrack her steps as I expected.

Jen helped me take quintarks, which was nice, and we balanced up at the end. I showed her Dave Barry's "How to Make a Board" essay, and it was generally nice to have her back in town.

zzzzz ageha with Ikumi

5:37am JST Sunday 12 December 2004

On the train home with Ikumi now; we went to Ageha last night and danced and all that.

I am tired.

Ikumi is awesome. So genuine and cool (and cute!!). She assures me that she is disorganized, though. Ah well.

She was in Shimokitazawa when I left for Ageha; I decided I didn't want to wait until midnight when she thought she'd be ready to go. I am glad that I chose to take care of myself; if I had waited for her, I would have been impatient and upset with myself.

I'm really glad I made that decision.

Ikumi called me from Shibuya; she was looking for the bus stop and I wasn't able to describe it precisely.

Oh! I met Olivia on the train on the way to Shibuya and she showed me where the bus stop was for Ageha. I ended up sitting next to a woman who was sitting alone in two seats, but with two friends in front of her and two friends behind her, and she talked to all four of them a lot during the trip.

I could understand about 50% of their vocabulary, and sorta piece together a lot of what they were saying (which didn't amount to much (unless I'm sorely mistaken), but stuff like, "oh, it's cold!" and "wow Tokyo tower is pretty!" and some other stuff about stuff and things.

Ikumi had a different experience on the way there (and on the way to the bus stop; the first 12 (TWELVE) people she tried to ask for directions to the bus stop were like, "I dunnno, but you should just come out drinking with us!")

I definitely appreciate her determination. :-)

At the bus stop (at 1:20am) she got a boarding ticket that said 2:30am. "Really?" she asked, and the guy was like, "yah, but if you're lucky, you'll be able to get on the 2:00 bus."

However, since she is really lucky, she got the *last* seat on the 1:30am bus. "Is anyone riding alone??"

(That's a question that I loved hearing at Astroworld back in 1987.)

A bit of a fiasco when I went outside to meet her; I was like, "いっ てきていいですか。" to the woman, and she said, "帰ります？" and I was like, "はい" cause I thought that meant "you wanna come back in?" (but actually it only means "going back to yer house" so she sent me out the exit with no proof that I had been there (except the ringing in my ears).

Yay big hug from Ikumi and fast (excellent Japanese) talkin' on her part to get me back in. I had no concern that they would seriously keep me out for real, but she was a bit concerned at one point.

We got in (just as I realized I actually did have some sort of proof (a key from one of the lockers inside) (not to mention all the people who must have seen me inside (I had been the first one in the big dance area that opened at 12am))) and she got a drink before we rocked into the big dance room, where it was great for dancing, but not great for talking.

Ummmmmmmm she took a break, and we lost each other for a bit, but then came back and we chowed in the heated outdoor food tent and then looked into getting tickets for the 5am bus (still an hour away).

Full.

I was too tired to really dance by that time, so we just chilled on the chairs next to the big dance floor and chatted a bit about random meetings and web design jobs and stuff.

The time came for the trains to roll and we rolled out, intentionally this time, and are nearly home now.

Fun fun fun fun night. Yay!

- - - -

When I was alone in the big dance room, before the spotlights were dancing around, I jumped between them, I played air drums on them, I pounded on the air illuminated by them.