Rage And Love

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 00:26:29 GMT

Happy 35th Birthday to the man who taught me how to live.

My life has been a roller coaster for the past six months, and I've barely had time to think about what I want for dinner, much less Green Day - but that's the great part about them. Billie Joe doesn't demand my time or attention or focus; he's always there in the backdrop of my life, the cornerstone of my adolescence and adulthood, supporting the intricate structure of what has become my life has become. Billie, Mike and Tre are my Constants, my Foundations, the X and Y axises by which I plot and measure the rest of the points in my life. They are the heros of my childhood, who've grown up right along with me, and become Heros for the World with all the amazing things they've been doing for the environment and for human rights.

Today, I will wear one of my many Green Day tee shirts with pride. I will go about my business on this day, which will be Just Another Day for most of the world, keeping in mind every minute that on this day, 35 years ago, my Hero was born into this world. On this day, 35 years ago, the life that has impacted mine more than I have the words to describe, started by humble means in a hospital in Oakland, California, USA, Earth.

And 35 years later, on this day, I will don my Green Day tee shirt as a 60 year old woman, and celebrate Billie Joe Armstrong's 70th birthday. And I will love him as much then as I do today, as I always have. No matter what happens, I will love him, and Mike, and Tre. I will respect them. I will look to them as the example of how to live my life. They've never let me down before, and I doubt that they ever will.

Happy 35th Birthday, Billie Joe - here's wishing you 35 more wonderful birthdays and then some :)

Love Always,
Sheena

"How lucky I am to have had something that makes saying goodbye so hard..." -unknown-

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 18:19:32 GMT

Tonight, at Daddy's Shoes, there were white candles burning in the ashtrays; I watched them burn, over my beer - small, dancing flames against a neon background, mouring those of us who have loved the place, and will not return.

Japan is my once and future home. I'll be returning, in four hours, to America, and there I'll stay for only a month. I'll be back here in Hirakatashi next semester, and I'll live out most of my life in Tokyo. I have no reason to mourn for this country, for I will never really lose it. Japan and I have a rich future together. Until last night, I didn't feel the slightest sense of loss at the prospect of going back to New York for the holidays.

But when I watched Kat walk away, last night, away down the familiar stretch of sidewalk - that's when it hit me.

I'm not leaving - not for long, and certainly not for good.

But there are people here that I have grown to love, in such a short time, that will never be back.

Tonight, before I left for Daddys, I hugged Yuki and Jacqui goodbye; and for the first time, I cried. I will never again live with them. We won't make pancakes on Sunday morning, anymore, or laugh over dinner, or watch Dawson's Creek for lack of anything better to do. Our lives together, as roommates, are over.

So many of our lives together are over.

There's facebook, of course, and email, and phone calls. There's the prospect of future visits - traversing the globe to reunite, and reminisce about our time here. There's the memories that we will carry and treasure for the rest of our lives, wherever we live them.

But there will never be another Fall 2006 semester. Things will never be the same.

Jessie left today, with Patrick, solemn and somber, to guide her to the airport. Tomorrow morning, Ethan will follow me to KIX only hours behind. Christy will fly home to San Diego two days from now, and Matt will be soon after her, headed back to West Virginia. So many of us won't be here come January. Daddy's Shoes will never be the same. And it saddens me, to think that these people - these former strangers, whom I have grown to care for so deeply in a mere three and a half months - will scatter across the globe once more, never again to spend our days together, to share our lives.

I saw Kat for the last time, tonight, in a dark side street. I hugged her, and kissed her, and cried on her shoulder. And I realized, with my arms around her, the full magnitude of what I am losing; my new, short life in Hirakata is scattering like ashes into the wind, slipping through my fingers like grains of sand, washed away in the tides of life.

But I'm lucky, truly lucky, to feel the pain of this loss - for if it didn't hurt, it wouldn't truly have been worth it. We only cry for the things that we have loved - and love is what turns this world, when all is said and done. Love is all we have to live for.

I will miss them, every one of them. Kat, and Matt, and Jessie - Christy and Jacqui, Yuki and Ethan, and Dave. Even Jason, I'll miss, in a strange way.

But the memories of what we have shared will stay with me forever.

You Know You've Lived in Japan Too Long When:

Sat, 09 Dec 2006 05:43:32 GMT

* you are confused, upon your vacation to the states, by the lack of ATMs at the post office.
* while driving an American-made car, you flip your windshield wipers on instead of your turn signal.
* you will eat unidentified meat without questioning it's origin.
* you expect the pizza boy to call your cellphone rather than knock on your door.
* you view bikes with baskets attached to the handlebars as convienant, not dorky.
* you can sleep like a log on the train, and somehow always manage to wake up precisely 30 seconds before your stop.
* there is no bacon, there is only ham.
* turkeys surprise you more than raccoon-dogs.
* you would gladly sever a finger for a decent taco.
* you forget, in the States, that you cannot smoke in the bank.
* all the liquids you consume in a day come directly from vending machines.
* you can maneuver a full-sized motor vehicle through roads approximately as wide as a shoelace without cringing.
* when in doubt, sleep it off at a manga cafe.
* you expect all your food with mayonaise, whether or not you like the aforementioned condiment.
* the fact that garbage trucks do not play music in your native country is something of a shame.
* the loudspeaker trucks no longer wake you up in the morning.
* you can find your way anywhere in the country using nothing but kanji radicals as a guide.
* you've forgotten how to tip people.

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 02:11:12 GMT

View Poll: #883604

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 03:48:45 GMT

今日､私は起きた時病気です。だめですよ。あたまがいたい。今日の夜私は私の彼のコンサートに行きなくちゃいけない。彼は病気になりたくない。

…だれもは日本語を読める？

Oh well...

インタネットによつと､American Idiot の映画はおわったですか？

Inspire Me

Sat, 02 Dec 2006 11:03:23 GMT

The Challenge : Inspire me to write something. Anything. Do this in any way you think will work - whether it be music, fiction, or photography.

The Prize : I will copy for you, and mail to you, a copy of my 1992 Green Day concert in which Billie kicks an audience member's ass, admits to being drunk and sleep deprived, and does some other great shit. It's brilliant. It's rare. And it's all yours, free of charge, if you can gimme something - ANYTHING - to inspire me enough to write something that I consider decent.

The Deadline : Three weeks from today, I will announce the winner, if there is a winner.

Hook me up, guys - I'm dyin' here.

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 13:52:21 GMT

しんだいよ！！ほんと、日本語ができへん。やめている。

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 10:32:54 GMT

~sings~ I think I'm failing Japanese, I think I'm failing Japanese, I really think so!

Or should I say, Watashi wa nihongo no jyugyou o shipai shite iru to omou, nihongo no jyugyou o shipai shite ire to omou, hontou ni omou yo!

But seriously; this language is killing me. Unless I use words, I forget them - and I can't possibly use all the vocabulary that they hand me, so naturally, I forget lots of it. And then suddenly it's test time, and I'm like "SHIT! What the hell does *this* mean?!" And I fail. Or rather, I get a C.

...I am a straight A student, usually. C's make me wanna commit seppuku.

I've got a test tomorrow morning, and no matter what I do, I can't seem to get all this grammar under my belt. I remember one thing, and forget three. Then I review those three things, and forget two more, including the shit I remembered two minutes ago. I never know whether I'm supposed to be using te form, te iru form, plain form or formal. Is english this hard to learn for non-english speakers?

Oh, Billie Joe, why don't you write some music in Japanese for me? I've learned half of what I know about life from you - if you were my teacher, I'm sure I'd have this down pat by now. As it is I've got Naito sensei, who explains things by saying "Look on page so-and-so of the textbook." Great. That helps. Chances are I've read page so-and-so six billion times already.

Guh. Back to the books. Someone send me cyanide laced cookies, please? You can direct the package to:

Sheena
Room 3334
Kansai Gaidai International Seminar House 3
5-18 Katahoko Higashimachi
Hirakata City
Osaka, 573-1156, Japan

Arigatou ne -.-

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 12:49:10 GMT

Because I have absolutely nothing else to say, here's how my day went :)

First, I got up. I took a shower. As soon as I was all nekkid and actually in the shower, I realized 'hey, I'm outta shampoo'. So I washed my hair with body wash. Good times.

Then, I went to class. It rained. I have no car here in Hirakatashi, just a bike. I got wet. I was pissed.

Then, I went to the post office. No mishaps.

Then, I went to Lawson and payed my 300 dollar phone bill. I call the states WAY too much. Listen real hard. ....Hear that? That's my bank account, screaming in agony.

THEN, I came home. And I studied. And it started raining again, so I said to myself, "Oh, fuck going back to class." So I didn't. XD.

When it stopped raining, I went to the grocery store and got some shampoo, as well as a bunch of mochi and gyoza and some bacon. And some blueberry juice. Blueberry juice is the fucking life force.

Then I came home. I put my groceries away. I did some laundry. I wrote a speech for my class, studied kanji until my eyes bled, did my homework. I ate some gyoza somewhere in there, too.

Then my friend Jessie, from New Orleans, came downstairs and brought me jambalaya. YAY JESSIE! This was the highlight of my entire day.

Now, I am sitting here, eating said jambalaya and preparing to study kanji until my eyes bleed yet again.

And just for the hell of it, here's my day in Japanese:

今日私起きました。シァワを浴びました、でもシァンプがなかった。せっかんでかみをあらった。よっかったです。

後で、じゅぎょぅに行った。雨がふりました。ここに車がないー自転車だけ。しめったになりました。

後で、りょうに帰りました。かんじを勉強した。

後でスーパーに行って、シァンプとぎょうざとブルーベリージュースを買いました。ブルーベリージュース = <3333

後で、Ｊｅｓｓｉｅは私にジァンバラヤを持ってくれた。Ｊｅｓｓｉｅ、大好きだよ！

今ジァンバラヤを食べている。後で、もう勉強するつもりです。

- 終わり。-

Sun, 26 Nov 2006 15:05:06 GMT

I've got no motivation.
Where is my motivation?
No time for motivation.
Smoking my inspiration...

...No, I take that back; I've barely smoked a thing lately.

No Green Day + no weed = wicked writer's block.

I'm torn between putting my head through the wall, and drinking until I puke.

I'm aliiiiiive!

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 13:16:24 GMT

Wow, look! My LJ! Oh, how I've missed thee.

I've been busy as hell for the past few months; I'm back in school and back in Japan, and have very little time for anything besides homework. Just wanted to let all y'all know that I wasn't dead!

Sat, 15 Apr 2006 05:09:57 GMT

Most of the people that I know hate their jobs.

In general, people work because they have to. They need money. And so they deal with employment that they dislike to make ends meet. Some people enjoy what they do for a living, but they're far and few between compared to the majority of the work force, who puts their nose to the grindstone each day out of simple necessity.

Financially, there is absolutely no reason for me to have a job.

I have a job because I want the job.

And I want the job because I Love The Job.

I am an employee of H&R Block.

You've probably heard about my company on the news, and most likely there have been negative connotations attached to our name. We owe the IRS 32 million dollars in back taxes, due to mistakes we made filing our own corporate returns. We've been sued by the state of California over our Instant Refund program. We've been condemned by the NYS governor for extorting money from poor working-class families by encouraging them to enroll in 401 K plans, and offering them high-interest refund anticipation loans that the governor says is no better than stealing money right out of their pockets.

You've heard these things for one simple reason - the CEOs of H&R Block are all silver-spoon corporate big-wigs who've never sat a day in a tax office, prepared a private tax return, or met a client face-to-face. The people who run my company are flat-out retarded, and there's nothing that can be done about this - they sit in their luxury office chairs and hand down decrees to those of us in the trenches, but they have NO IDEA what we actually do, day to day, or why.

We are managed by monkeys in suits, and I will be the first one to admit this.

But nevertheless, H&R Block isn't the demon that we're being made out to be. We do NOT steal money from the working poor. I work in an inner city office, and most of my clients are on social security, welfare, unemployment, or have basically made no money for the year. These people aren't financially capable enough to prepare their own taxes, even with the aid of software like Turbo Tax - a program that, provided you know exactly how to do your tax return, will helpfully print and electronically file the results for you. But a tax software program is no substitute for a professional tax preparer who will sit down with these low income families, re-work their taxes until they've gotten them the highest possible deductions, and then help them plan for their financial futures. We offer these families 401 K retirement plans that will help them to create their first ever fincial nest-egg, instead of living paycheck to paycheck for the rest of their lives. We work with them to keep their fees as low and reasonable as our computer pricing systems will allow. We cut every corner we can when it comes to company beurocracy, and absolutely none when it comes to the quality of the work that we do for our clients. The refund anticipation loans that we offer DO have high interest rates, but they provide low-income individuals with a means of paying for their taxes - by having our fees directly deboted from their federal refunds - when they otherwise couldn't come up with the cash to pay us; it's not a scam to extort money from the working poor, but a tool to allow them access to the same professional financial services as middle and high income families, with the same high-quality results.

I work my ass off every single day to keep tax season low-stress and simple for my clients - and let me tell you; a lot of these "working poor" that we're supposedly ripping off are people who sell their child's social security numbers to strangers for drugs, who come into my office with cellphones more expensive than mine, manicured and pedicured, wearing 1000$ worth of designer clothes that they bought with their child support money. These people are NOT all victims, believe me - but I digress. It's not my job to make judgement calls, it's my job to do taxes. And at my office - that's what we do; taxes, plain and simple. We are not The Man, robbing from the poor to fatten the rich. We're not out to jerk anyone around, drain anyone's pockets, or be Big Corporate Assholes. We do taxes, and we do them better than any other tax pro company on the market today.

So don't believe all the shit that you hear in the news - take it from someone who's worked in the H&R Block trenches for a decade; my company's no angel, but it's not a demon, either - it's just a big corporation that does it's very best to function like a small business within the community. We may be run by corporate retards, but as far as customer service goes, we bust our asses every tax season to form personal relationships with our clients.

We're a good company, and we do good business. And I feel like it's time that someone stood up for it.

Sorry to bore the shit outta everyone :)

Tue, 04 Apr 2006 22:10:47 GMT

Last night's game was SPECTACULAR - we beat Oakland 15 to one, and A-Rod became the fourth Yankee in history to hit a grand slam home run on opening night. Hideki hit a beautiful triple. Everyone got a hit except my Georgie-baby, who got hit with two pitches and didn't really have a *chance* to hit the baseball. All in all, it was glorious - I laughed at the silly bobbled play between A-Rod and Giambi made in the first inning, bit my lip in disappointment when Giambi struck out for the second time, and squealed like a teenager front row at an N'SYNC show when A-Rod went downtown :) For the first time ever, I cheered for Johnny Damon! I jumped and screamed and grinned ear to ear for three and a half hours, watching my Boys of Summer work their magic again. It was everything I've been expecting all winter, and more :)

In other news, my friend Mayu told me this morning that Green Day was voted Most Popular Foreign Artist in a reader's poll of a prominant Japanese music magazine :) Three cheers for our boys and their global popularity!

Tue, 04 Apr 2006 00:30:53 GMT

In exactly two hours, I will be doing something that I have waited nearly six months to do.

In exactly two hours, Spring will officially begin.

In exactly two hours, I will be watching the New York Yankees play baseball.

I've grown up in New York. Both my grandfathers were Yankees fans. My Dad is a Yankees fan. My Mom is a Yankees fan. And I have been a Yankees fan ever since I could say the word "baseball".

Understand that I am not, by nature, a sports person; other than the Olympics, when I'll watch anything from skiing to curling, I'm really not in to sports as a whole.

But I am a baseball fan. More accurately, I am a Yankees fan. I was born into it, raised on it, and it's been part of my life ever since I could remember. All winter long, I follow our training schedule and trade list online. I read the biographies and stats of all our new players. I keep track of who's injured and who's smokin', and who's having trouble in batting practice. In Japan, I watch the games live on the web, and read the newspapers the next day when I miss one. I am a Yankees fan 365 days a year, whether we're winning it all or at the bottom of the league.

And each winter, I dream about baseball season - about sitting in my parent's livingroom on a scorching summer afternoon, or in the humid July twilight, eating food off the grill with the windows wide open and a warm breeze pouring in, cheering and swearing and rooting on the Boys of Summer. I dream about the Cathedral in february; Yankee stadium, green and glowing and packed to the gills, hot dog vendors traversing the sticky concrete stairways of the stands, Jim Kaat and Michael Kay and Kenny Singleton calling the game on the YES network two seconds behind my Dad, who could have been a sports announcer. I brush snow off my car and I dream about pinstripes, and the way that Hideki spins his bat to keep the three stripes facing him before every pitch. April can never come quickly enough.

And now, finally, it's here again - opening day of the MLB season, with the Yankees lined up against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland. the game starts at 10:05 EST.

Just two more hours, and the Boys of Summer are back :)

Mon, 03 Apr 2006 02:39:58 GMT

Well, its a brand new month, and as part of my spring cleaning effort, I am wiping the mold off my LJ!

March was insane - an entire month full of tests and paperwork and too many hours at H&R Block. March was cold and blustery and rushed. March was impatient. March was frustrating and superfluous and unnecessary. I wouldn't have minded skipping March, this year.

But April has always been one of my favorite months, and so I remain hopefull for it. Good things always happen in April. Spring... well, springs. Baseball season starts. The weather gets nicer, and so do the teachers. In April, I hope to start writing Green Day fiction again - I've barely had any time, and so I've been dedicating every spare minute that I have to my book. I just haven't had a chance to write anything on the side. It's been a month since I checked out CC, but fear not! One of these fine days in the near future, I shall return with a vengeance.

For now, though, its back to work on the book!

PS - Did I mention what a bitch daylight savings time is?

Thu, 16 Mar 2006 15:37:33 GMT

...And here I thought that life would calm down once midterms were over. Hee hee! What a naive little girl I can be sometimes.

I'm sorry that my LJ has, like, grown mold since I've last updated, but school has been insane; I'm currently in the process of trying to get all my study "abroad" paperwork in so that I can go home for school next year. Between that, class, work, homework, my horse, and trying to find three seconds to write, I've been absolutely nailed to the wall with responsibilities.

...And wouldn't you know, I've got to be to class in forty minutes. Joy.

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 00:17:16 GMT

GAH! Finally, midterms are finished! My poor, neglected LJ.

Anyway - today I went shopping, again, and I took pictures of all my new Adeline and Green Day gear.

This is definitely my favorite shirt - I see now why Billie wears it constantly, it fits like a glove.

The sweatshirt with the unbelievably long arms that actually FIT me...

another snazzy button shirt - you can't see it in the picture, but it's got "Adeline" embroidered over one pocket, and three stars over the other.

A snazzy tee shirt to sleep in, and wear under the button shirt - it's a little big, even at a guys small, but I dig guys tee shirts anyway.

And a couple of girly Green Day tee shirts for good measure, since all mine are old and ratty and three sizes too big for me.

...and then? While I was shopping? I found this, and I HAD to get it for Rulinian:

the button, though it doesn't show up on the picture, says "...WTF?"

...And yeah. That's all I really did, today; take midterms, and buy cool stuff.

Fri, 03 Mar 2006 13:05:02 GMT

You Are 72% Open Minded

You are a very open minded person, but you're also well grounded.

Tolerant and flexible, you appreciate most lifestyles and viewpoints.

But you also know where you stand firm, and you can draw that line.

You're open to considering every possibility - but in the end, you stand true to yourself.

How Open Minded Are You?

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 23:17:31 GMT

As if I didn't already have enough reasons to love him, Billie Joe Armstrong designs clothes that fit me like a glove.

I invested 100$ in some Adeline Street gear, today, and it's some of the nicest stuff I've purchased in a long time; well made, well fitted, and definitely snazzy. I'll snap a few photos with my cellphone later on, right now, I'm off to beat the Writer's Block demons with a stick.

My Very first Music!Spam!

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 10:23:45 GMT

Since my internet connection is rather precarious at times, a proper music!spam takes me the better part of forever to put together - but I feel like I should contribute to the influx of awesome tunes that people on my f-list have posted. I've been duking it out with YSI for hours to get all of these uploaded, which has made me realize how much I really do love all of these songs - they're all worth the time and effort and repeated error messages from MSN that it took to get them posted. Steal what you want, and (hopefully) enjoy!

Miyavi : Fuminshou no Nemurihime ("Insomniac Princess") - Talent-wise, this kid is a cut above the rest when it comes to his guitar - this is one of the most technically-sound and creatively-complicated tunes that I've ever heard; it's accoustic, but at the same time, it's hard. Definitely one of my favorite tunes of all time.

Sweet Jane (Natural Born Killers Soundtrack) - When I write, I tend to listen to particular songs on repeat - songs that sound and "feel" like the piece on which I'm working. This song has been the soundtrack to SO many of my literary endeavors; most recently, it became the "soundtrack" to Paradise or Purgatory.

Vast : Pretty When You Cry -Color me a sucker for 80's/90's synthigoth goodness :)

Ani DiFranco : As Is - I'll never, ever forget the first time that I heard this song; I was sixteen and sitting on the floor of my friend Cj's bedroom, and it's a moment forever frozen in my mind because this song froze the breath in my lungs that day; it was my own words, in someone else's voice. This is my song for Jared - someone that I don't call my best friend, or soulmate, because those words are too trite... someone that I don't talk about often, because explaining who he is and what he means to me is virtually impossible at this point. He is the person described in this song. And I am Ani. And the very last verse sums up to a tee the way that I live. And there are a thousand and one other reasons that I adore this song - but I'll let you listen for yourself, and see what it means to you. (EDIT : Wow, I wish there was to do an lj-cut-within-an-lj-cut... sorry about that.)

The Ramones : I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend - The Ultimate Punk Rock Love Song, in my mind - it brings to mind everything that I adore about being young, and in love; boys with blue hair and girls in leather jackets sharing a tender kiss in a glass-littered alley, Doc Martin boots splashing through puddles and holding hands with your boyfriend in the rain, and all sorts of wonderful things of that nature.

311 : Who's Got The Herb -Some songs sound like summertime to me, and this is one of them; it's a mellow little tune with heavy reggae influence, great for long, lazy July afternoons.

Bloodhound Gang : Asleep At The Wheel - A tale of the quintessential Road Trip, told very quickly and cleverly - if you can spit out the lyrics as fast as this guy does? You get a huuuuge fuckin' cookie. :)

Mazzy Star : Rhymes of an Hour -Soft, mellow, and absolutely enthralling. This song is a trance. It sounds like moonlight.

...And it seems that's about all I'm gonna get outta YSI tonight/this morning, as far as uploads go -.-

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 08:52:35 GMT

Well, that's that - my sleep schedule is now officially fucked right over and out; I passed out at 9pm tonight, and now it's 3am... and here I am, all bright-eyed and bushy tailed, with five hours until class.

And considering that there ain't a whole hell of a lot to do at 3am on a Monday, I might as well do the "explain-all-your-unique-interests" meme, considering I have like... a jillion of 'em. here goes :

airplane coffee - I fly so damned much that I've come to nearly enjoy that cardboard flavor. It's familiar, and rather comforting :)

avoiding melodrama - If there's nothing to bitch about? Then don't bitch. I'm allergic to people who self-orchestrate their lives into soap operas.

banana chocolate - or chocolate banana. Mmmmmm.

C&C Curry - a fast-food restaraunt chain in Japan, approximately the quality of, say... Burger King - only curried rice and pork katsu and all sorts of trashily cooked japanese curries. There's one about four feet past the front door of my apartment building in Tokyo, and I'm thoroughly addicted.

chasing things on horseback - this includes dogs, snowmobilers, four-wheelers, other people on horseback, ect. great fun!

combini bentou - convienence story "box lunches", a tasty Japanese tradition that I love more than C&C curry; again, they're not always quality cuisine, but they're tasty and they make me happy. I also end up eating them ALOT, with my busy schedule.

experimental defenestration - come on, haven't you ever thrown random stuff out the window, just to see what would happen (splatter patterns, neighbor reactions, ect)?

fellow equisapiens - "equisapien" translates, most literally, into "horse person". Horse people are wacky folks; we get excited over things like Mickmar bits and brand new pitch forks and new training methods to cure cribbing. We love barn dirt. We smell like fly spray from April until November. Horse owners can be a weird lot, and I am proudly among the weirdest.

footy in Chiba - there's an awesome temple in Chiba (city next to Tokyo) that's got this little... field right in front of the gates that's just *perfect* for impromptu soccer games; when my friend lived out that way, we used to play there all the time. It's just a tradition among buddies that I'm particularly fond of.

galloping through water - Do yourself a favor. Before you die, get on a horse, and ride as fast as you can through the surf on a beach. It's Heaven on Earth.

Hachinohe at 6am - for some reason, EVERY time that I catch the ferry to Sapporo, it ends up being at like... 7 in the fucking morning. Hachinohe is the closest ferry port to Hokkaido that's still, like, on Honshu - it's a small coastal city in northern Japan that's particularly peacefull and poignant early in the morning, and always provides a few moments of well-needed peace and reflection while I'm out on tour.

http://o-re-sa-ma.co.jp - Well, go on! Click the link! < /shameless promotion >

Indian punk rock - Rulinian discovered that it really does exist, even if in minute doses!

Kabukicho head shops - Great prices, great selection, and man, what a slutty neighborhood! My Inner Street Rat can't get enough of it.

keeping train locker keys - in Japanese train stations, there are coin lockers. I, being an asshole, enjoy locking random, useless objects inside of them, and keeping the keys as souveniers.

Kirin melon creme soda - The nectar of the gods. I will go four blocks out of my way for a Kirin vending machine, thus is my love for this product.

Kudanshita at 3am EDIT : I can't believe I forgot this one! Everyone gets up to weird shit in their neighborhood at 3am, and mine is especially conducive to such escapades; there are street cats who refuse to be adopted, yet are always around waiting for you to buy them some ham from Lawson. There are a couple of shodddy-ass all night karaoke joints that serve pretty good cassis and vodka. There are some really nice folks who live under the bridge across the street from my friend's apartment building who're usually awake, and thrilled when you stop by with some dinner for them. There's always pesto pasta in stock at Ministop. It's a great place to be, and a great time to be there :)

Matcha frapps - Why the FUCK don't they make these in America?! Matcha = green tea. They're a staple of all Japanese Starbucks, and I heart them with a passion.

moonlight on train tracks - I'd need an essay to explain why I love this phenominon.

multicolored shoestrings - Neat shoelaces are one life's small, unspoken pleasures. I don't think I've ever used a set of laces that actually came with the shoes.

my-horse-that-is-smarter-than-you-are - ... Don't feel bad, he's smarter than me, too. Parlay would Pwn humans, if he had vocal chords conducive to speech, and thumbs.

pissing off PSC - PSC = the company for which my best friend works. They hate me, I hate them. End of story.

resiliant things - I tend to break stuff that doesn't fall under this category.

sleeping on train platforms - a surefire sign that you've had a wicked night out :)

smoking in bathrooms - It reminds me of all the fun parts of high school, of which there were few; but the time I spent with my buddies when I should have been in class, hanging out in the girls room and sharing a pack of Camels, is invaluable to me. Some of my best memories happened while having a smoke in a public restroom.

Speedy the Goldfish - ~just... grins at Ang~ Though his grave is probably an unmarked corner of the Armstrong's back yard, his memory will live on in the hearts of those of us who pitied him for having the rotton luck to be purchased by Billie Joe (who may just be the most fish-inept human being I've ever laid eyes on.)

subway surfing - Hop on a fairly deserted late night train, and attempt to ride to your stop standing up, without holding on to the overhead bars. It's a little like snowboarding on a 30 foot snowboard, and a little like being drunk, and lots of fun.

ta-tonka! - Make your fingers into horns, yell this, and head-butt your friends. If you've ever seen the movie "Dances With Wolves", the origins of this game should be quite clear. :)

the VW Fast - see this for further information.

throwing up on celebrities - I do this more frequently than most people. There's something rather satisfying about the concept, too, when I stop to think about it :)

unbreakable hoofpicks - An equisapien's dream come true; my horse picks up a lot of stones, and a good hoof pick is invaluable to me

Vodaphones - their service is better than Nextel, Verizon, and Cingular all smashed together on their best day. Their phones come with cool cases that look like anything from tire treads to swiss cheese. Make an internationally capable cellphone, Vodaphone! I've been making due with this shitty Nextel since August!

Sat, 25 Feb 2006 22:52:52 GMT

My elbow hurts, and that pisses me off.

...I am pissed at my very own elbow for hurting, and for not stopping before it smacked into the doorframe on which I banged it, and for continuing to hurt three minutes later.

That's the kind of mood I'm in.

And you know what else pisses me off, which wouldn't normally? All these little Green Day sluts crying their mascara off over Billie's blond hair - because god knows their life is over now that Billie ISNT AS HOT in their mind, because that's why people listen to Green Day, right? Because of that sexy-as-all-fuck little lead singer who wears makeup (OMG! Isn't that SOOOOO cute?). Fortunately, none of these people are on my f-list (you know I love all you guys!) - but after perusing some message boards, I nearly threw up.

For all those superficial cunts out there (and again, I say, there are NONE of those on my f-list) - I can only say the following:

Dear Little Green Day Sluts,

Go drool on Pete Wentz's dick, and donate your copy of A.I. to the poor starving punk rockers in India who will actually listen to the *music*. If you're crushed that Billie Joe dyed his fucking hair without your consent? 1) You've only been around for like.. two years, and 2) Green Day doesn't owe you shit, anyway. They don't owe me shit. They don't owe any of us shit; and yet year after year, they continue to pour their hearts and souls into these fucking records, concerts, and everything that they give us.

And then you go out, and buy them because OMG Billie's SOOOOOOO hawt. And you listen to them, and you love them - until Billie Joe isn't visually perfect in your eyes, at which point you whine like little fucking dogs in heat, and cry to your friends, and start online petitons.

You can keep your black-haired pretty-boy image; I'll take my short, snarky little Punk rocker with zits and chipped teeth and curly hair and bad dye jobs and leftover dreds and gorgeous fucking green eyes with the most beautiful soul in the world behind them. I'll take Billie as he came, as he is, and as he comes.

Go hump your pictures of Gerard Way.

Fuck You,
Sheena.

....Ahh. That was refreshing :)

Billie's New Bleach Job

Sat, 25 Feb 2006 13:13:39 GMT

With all the recent excitement over Billie's bleach job, I feel as though I should be pitching my two cents in, so here goes.

~...drum roll...~

... Oh. Cool. ~shrugs~ Whatever.

:)

Seriously, after fifteen long years of watching him bleach it, dye it, dred it, shave it, grow it back, spike it, gel it all funny, and ignore it completely? I'm pretty much ready for, and cool with, whatever he does to it. I was sorta wondering when he was gonna get sick of the black; and then, when he cut it a bit shorter and let it go back to his natural color, I said to myself, "Hmm, betcha he's gonna dye it something funky again", because I've never seen the man leave his hair dark brown unless he's got plans for it. I, personally, was hoping for the dark blackish-red he had going in 96 on the east coast Insomniac swing? But hey, you can't win 'em all. The bleach looks adorable, especially with his hair all grown out and straightened.

I'm realizing, though, that some people may have never seen him switch his hair up before - it's sure as hell been black for a long time. Welcome to the wonderful world of Billie Joe versus Hair Bleach; this time, he seems to have won, but it's not always so :)

Soooooo, yeah. Nice hair, Bill. Now I'm going to work :)

Fri, 24 Feb 2006 22:24:48 GMT

Yeah - because I'm cheezy like that. I'll letcha guess what their names are :)

Fri, 24 Feb 2006 21:23:16 GMT

You Know You've Worked For H&R Block Too Long When:

- You pick up your cellphone and say "Good morning, H&R Block, this is... yeah... my phone, isn't it?"
- You come home, glance at your computer screen, and nearly panic when you don't see the Rapid Refund program running.
- You attempt to file your own bills by DCN.
- On your days off, you crave coffee and break-room pretzels.
- You sign personal emails with your Peoplesoft number.
- You can play Sudoku using only IRS reject codes.
- Your cubby contains asprin and a pillow.
- You've stopped snickering at the fact that "Point-of-Sale" computer gets shortened to P.O.S.
- You bleed lime green.
- It doesn't surprise you in the least that the company screwed up it's own taxes.

S. Michaels (130480)