And so, blogging

Like a pigeon twirling around and fluffing his feathers, trying to impress the ladies, or even better, this bird of paradise (watch that now ... seriously), I find myself going back to the gym of late. Actually, that`s not the reason at all, considering the only things I could do to attract more female attention over here involve getting even paler and speaking less Japanese ... mostly I`m going because I`ve been on a get-yo-ass-in-shape kick since hanging out at the beach in Spain, plus the fact that I haven`t worked in almost 2 weeks and have penty of time during the day.

Not wanting to have to do any research, I took the easy route and headed down to the Gold`s Gym in Nakano, about a 25-30 minute walk from my apartment (I may buy a bicycle tomorrow ... hey cool, that`s a total non-sequitir) knowing full well that their monthly membership which allows you access to any of the several Gold`s Gym locations in Tokyo costs over $100, not including a $50 sign-up fee ... I was like "screw it," they have a lot of good equipment, something you can`t find in any other gym I`ve been to in Japan, where they don`t put so much priority on "lifting weights" as they do on swimming pools, massage machines and various "health-spa"-esque nonsense ... I may have complained about this before, either in person or via the old Eponym blog from which I am no longer able to access anything. Anyway, so I get to Gold`s and find out they want 2 months` payment up-front .. only having brought $300 with me, suddenly my "screw it, I`m joining" turns into a "screw it, I don`t need this stupid place," and I excuse myself and angrily huff over to Freshness Burger to fume over some beef. While I`m sitting there, I glance through the info they`ve given me, hoping to find some kind of a cheaper package that isn`t completely worthless, or a loophole or something, and the only thing that catches my eye is the 2-week trial which goes for like 6000 Yen, or around $50 ... ever living in the moment, I finished my hamburger and went right back to sign up for 2 weeks, because really, I just want to lift weights now. Who knows where I`ll be in 3 weeks? If I`m still here when that runs out, I`ll either decide to make the upgrade, or find something else to do, like a boxing gym, which there are a lot of in Tokyo and seems like a lot of fun, based on the fact that I enjoy punching things (and, to an alarmingly similar degree, being punched).

Actually the Gold`s is already starting to annoy me ... the equipment is great and I feel really good even after just a week, but, you (may have) guessed it, the people there are irritating as hell. Now in Japan, weight lifting is not fashionable. Young models here are waifish as hell, so that`s the look most people go for, and thanks to the diet here, it`s pretty easy to attain. Older people, on the other hand, are 1000% harder than the young generation, so the only (Japanese) people you`ll find lifting weights in their spare time are at least in their mid-forties .. some of them look to be at least 60, which is really weird looking when they`re huge and tan. And like the huge/tan guys you`ll find at gyms in the US, here they also spend most of their time throwing around more weight than they can handle correctly, and screaming. Also, they massage each other a lot on the stretching mats. I don`t know, maybe I happened to join the gay branch of Gold`s Gym accidentally. Either way, looking at these overcooked, puffed-up geezers in their string-strap tanktops and short shorts doesn`t exactly inspire me to lift ... it mostly makes me want to leave.

So that`s all I have to say about the gym .. which is unfortunate because I`ve been doing almost nothing else for the past week or so, which leaves me with little else to write about. Best night I had was last weekend when I went to Roppongi with Dante, and instead of blowing thousands of yen on dance clubs and going home with a handful of numbers we never intend to call, for some reason we just went to the all-night Starbucks, sat in front of the window, drank coffee and made fun of people till 5 in the morning. It was just what I needed! When I`m with Warao all we do is eat conveyor belt sushi and play this ridiculously addictive 2Spicy game ... fun, but maybe some high-level unfulfilling.

Ugh. Other than the exercise, I`m in a bit of an unproductive, lethargic rut ... so what else is new. I`m listening to both the new Neurosis and QOTSA albums ... the first is really good, the second, only pretty (good). Maybe neither is appropriate listening for trying to motivate oneself. What`s some good motivational music??