Entries this day: Do_today Dreams Sponging,_Bicycling,_Leaving_soon!

Do today

1:12am JST Sunday 11 December 2005

I've finished inputting names into my new Rob Update list. Nice. I plan to write a bit of a message about preparations for PB, including snailing addresses for ports, and my latest bike ride (today). This will be the last message sent to many names on the list. With the new keep_through field set to last week for many of the addresses, they will receive the message, and I expect most of them will not respond that they wanna be on the list. I've tried to make sure everyone who has responded positively to my emails will *not* be removed from the list soon.

1. * do not fuck with AJAX stuff

2. * change Jennifer's projectthis email address

3. write Rob Update

   1. * P-B preparations

   2. * P/B contact info

   3. * latest bicycle ride

   4. about the list

4. * check ultimate game status

2:30am

Game on!!

Dreams

8:58am JST Sunday 11 December 2005

Walking through a wide tunnel type thing into an amusement park where I was looking forward to riding coasters and such, but the crowds seemed to be coming specifically OUT of the park. I was told I had to turn around, and I felt the same sortof "why? this is ridiculous!" feeling as in Palestine, but then I saw Simon from my old work and he was like "Rob, trust me, you have to go back," and I could see he was on the edge of crying as he handed me what looked like a spiked ball of a middle ages weapon. I was like, "why are you crying?" and he goes something like, "because of the bad news" and proceeded to tell me there was a supervirus on the loose and these balls being handed to people were basically bombs to kill ourselves if we got the virus. I accepted the story and the bomb at first, but then I was like, "I don't need this; my death is up to god, not myself" and went back to the parking lot to find my scooter.

I was delighted to find that janette had made me a sandwich, and fashioned some celery and shredded carrots to look like a boquet of flowers. Perfect boquet - nothing wasted cause it's all edible!

I ate the sandwich and flowers and read her note which was short and sweet, and then

(due to dream chaos or I forgot something)

I was on a school bus with an old old woman driving. She looked really old and frail, but she was chipper and genki and she was like, "do you want to go to a beautiful mansion?" and we were like, "sure!" and she took us, but it was locked, but she had the key cause it was her house! She said we could have the run of the place and do whatever we liked. It was dark, and I had to pee, but I couldn't find the restroom so I peed out the window into the grass below. Went back to sleep and then woke up in the morning and had to pee and ran to the same window, and because it was daytime I could see a golden arc and then freaked to see that I was peeing out of a high rise hotel in Acapulco with people all over the beach and on various balconies that had a view of this window, etc. Shit!! I ducked down and tried to find a place where I couldn't be seen, but then just decided to deal with any reprecussions, and simply walked away. I realized that wasn't dealing with the situation very directly, and then I realized it was a dream, and woke up.

Sponging, Bicycling, Leaving soon!

Sponging, Bicycling, Leaving soon!

Hello Human Inhabitants of Earth!

It's strange to realize that on 26 December, we will set sail for another
round-the-world voyage, and yet I have not even really thought about packing or
*anything*!  I'm definitely excited, thinking forward to being back on the ship,
planning lessons and having an incredible experience...  I just haven't thought
about the transition from here to there.

Right now I'm a bum with no job, living in Tokyo on my friend Jesse's couch.  TJ
Bike is living on Jesse's balcony, and on the 15th, he's going away for the
holidays, and we will have to find other living arrangements, which may very well
be my tent and sleeping bag, because I haven't really tried to find anything else!!

I will have three nights with a roof starting on the 18th.  The teaching team for
this upcoming voyage will meet formally for the first time on the 18th, and we'll
have four days of Orientation: getting to know one another, learning about PB and
what's planned for the voyage!

- - - -

Yesterday I joined a group of cyclists (who cycle at least weekly when the weather
is nice) for a 55km ride through some areas of Tokyo I had never seen before (and
some that I had).  18km of the trip followed along a river, on a generally smooth
and flat track/sidewalk.  I enjoyed settling into top gear and just moving, while
having conversation with fellow cyclists, which made the distance seem quite short!
I imagine that's not particularly mindful of the whole body experience, but
definitely still fun.

We chilled in a park on Tokyo Bay; they said we were near Tokyo Disneyland at that
point, but I didn't particularly recognize anything.  We headed back to our
starting point (in Roppongi) by way of a more direct route; through Tokyo traffic
and lights with all our lights flashing like fireworks (as Don put it).  I rode 8
or 9 kilometers to Jesse's from Roppongi, making my total about 72km.

One day I will mount a video camera on TJ Bike.  Definitely.

- - - -

Last thing: I have recoded a significant portion of my Rob Update list; it now
periodically asks people if they want to stay on the list.  The period varies by
person.  When I add new names, they go on for a year.  Some people who have said,
"don't you dare take me off this list!" are on for the next 100 years.

If you want to stay on the list, but you got a "last message" warning at the top of
this email, let me know.

Before Christmas, I expect to send out my overview of Palestine.  I gotta get
working on that!!!!

- - - -

Last Last Thing!

If you want to send any letters or food (snacky foods are quite popular!) to me on
the ship, I have port address information on my website:  
http://robnugen.com/travel/pb/52/52_contact.shtml

I probably won't be sending many postcards; having not worked since April, I'm
stretching my finances to last possibly until next October.  Quite a stretch, but
we're in for some good times.   Having no money can make one quite creative!

      With Love to All
       - Rob!