Kaeru Toki Ni

A flight from home
Nishi kara higashi made ni
Crossing over
Mae no seikatsu kara
To where it began
Boku wo mitsukeru no ni
Back home again.

Update!!!

The trip is back on! I've worked out the details with
JAL through a local travel agency (very helpful, they
were) to leave Portland tomorrow at 7:55am. My return
date and time is the same.

This means that I'll arrive in Tokyo at 3pm on
Wednesday 9/21. SUGOI NE! YATTA!

Anyway, my plans for Morioka are UNAFFECTED and I'll
even be able to meet my peeps in Tokyo Wednesday night
as planned.

So, TOKYO PEOPLE: Send me a message and lets figure
out where to meet and when. Give me your phone
numbers so I can call you when I arrive.

Ja, mata ne!

Japan Trip CANCELLED

To my friends at home and abroad:

I have recent discouraging news to share with you all.
My trip to Japan, which was supposed to begin this
morning with a flight out from Portland has ended
before it began. Due to some confusing data on my
airline tickets, I misread the departure time and
missed my flight. I called the customer service
office of the internet company through whom I bought
my tickets and they in turn called Japan Airlines
(JAL) to discuss rescheduling/refund options. JAL
responded by cancelling ALL of my tickets and
connecting flights due to missing the first part of my
trip. That means, they cancelled my return tickets
before I had a chance to use them. I am fighting for
a refund, but this setback caused my trip to be
entirely cancelled.

I will not be able to meet anyone in Japan this week.
The best that I can do is to tentatively plan for a
trip to Japan maybe in December. I don't know yet how
this term will go nor if I will get my refund from
JAL. So, nothing is fixed at this point.

You can imagine my disappointment, so I won't go into
all that right now. But keep in touch; we'll meet
again soon.

Your friend,

Dave

I am the Nightrider

I blazed out to Seattle yesterday afternoon for a bachelor's party I was obliged to attend. Having parted ways with my friends in Seattle when last I jetted out, wait... back up a moment...

It really began on Sunday of Bumbershoot Weekend, Sept. 4th. in Seattle, Washington. I had rolled up to visit for the long weekend with some friends I've known since my days at the Bank. About five years ago I left my friends and my job and moved to Japan, where I would end up staying until 2004. Now I'm back and finishing up Grad school. Currently, of course, I'm in Hillsboro. FYI: It takes about three hours from my digs to Sea-town under moderate traffic conditions.

When I had run up last time to see the crew I hiked off early to meet some other friends, a different crew, that I knew in town. Problem is: when I took off I neglected to make the rounds and say my good-bye's. I just muttered something about friends and leaving and meandered away. Not good enough! I received emails from a few folks expressing their wonderment and displeasure about how I had ditched my friends. Not too good, especially since my goal is to move back to Seattle one post-graduation day soon. And, as a general rule, I'd like to AVOID offending my friends. So, the stage is set for my mid-week jaunt to Seattle for the bachelor party.

Earlier in the week I received an email about the party and plans. I saw this as an opportunity to show just how good of a friend I truly am by driving 350mi in total to attend the festivities. So, at 2:30pm on Thursday, I set out for Seattle and made the trip in about three hours. All's well so far! The party started shortly thereafter and remained at a constant level of inhibriation and drunken ramblings through 2:00am. With all around me setting off in limp-home mode, I was as alert as ever and hopped in the car at about a quarter-to-three. My first plan was to head as far down the I-5 corridor for as long as I could keep my eyes open and hands on the wheel. 10 miles pass by and I begin doubting my plan. The weather was awful as rain covered my windshield faster than my wipers could remove it and caravans of Semi's ran along at top speed down the center lane. The caravans created a kind of murky shower of the spray shot from their tires, creating an additional hazard of the kind one who is tired and partied out should not face alone. But there I was, on the highway, driving through the spray and fighting my way home.

45 more miles slip away and I see the first of three Rest Stop Areas. I got my first second-wind just as I left the road sign in the darkness behind me. Another 40 miles ahead and I would not escape the lure of that open parking space and well-lit bathroom. But a few short minutes after stopping, I urged myself on with the thought of sleeping two precious hours in my bed. "Two in the bed is better than two in the car," I told myself, without realizing its dual meaning at the time.

More rain and road splash and fading road and sleepy eyelids dragging down and fighting through it all... and I arrived home just before 6:00am. I promised myself two hours of sleep and I was going to have it. All cleared with the boss the previous day, I came in at around 9am this morning. Now, I'm here at work and feeling fine. A little sleepy, but fine. Ready to face my last day of the Internship and ready to pack up and move out for Japan, then Eugene, then who knows where.

m(_ _)m

The Rizzinator

Here is an exchange I've recently had with a quirky, odd, little friend I have overseas in Indo (as in 'Rollin' down the street smokin'). Her name is Riz. Kinda sounds like a verb dunnit...
Rizka does Jakarta says:
hey!
DBSavoy says:
hey, its da rizzie
Rizka does Jakarta says:
busy as always?
DBSavoy says:
not this time
DBSavoy says:
im chillin like a villain. and you?
Rizka does Jakarta says:
me too
DBSavoy says:
yeah, i can pick up that musky scent of chat-room when your window opens up.
DBSavoy says:
Doesnt your name sound like a slang verb? I think so.'Just Rizzin'
Rizka does Jakarta says:
that so phat!!

Day Trippin'

Not quite on a whim, but close to it, I went off to Mt. St Helens for a day-hike on Sunday. A buddy, whom I shall call "Fremont", and I went off into the wild to just get in the great out-of-doors and get some fresh air. We never made it to the edge of the crater, but had fun trekking around the base.

Here's the run-down: The Mt. is about 60mi. from my digs in Hillsboro. We headed out around 9am to make the most of the day. Note that this is really freakin' early for me on a weekend. Im used to getting up around 10:30 or later on the weekend. As a general rule, I try to never sleep less than 9-10 hours on my days off. And my body nearly made me hold good even on Sunday, as my alarm clock didnt go off at 8am like I had planned. I slowly turned, settling into my sheets, rubbing my face against the pillow and was inches away from dreamland once more when my eye caught glimpse of the sun filtering through the blinds. Eh? Morning already? I checked the clock. 8:50am! And I couldnt call Fremont since his cell phone had died earlier in the week. Only thing I could do was to go into mad rampage mode and get my shit together in a real freakin' hurry.

Five minutes to shit, shower and shave later and I was out the door and on the road to arrive a mere 15 min. late. Not too bad. We hit the Thriftway for some caffiene and a quick breakfast sandwich and then off to the middle of nowhere. The drive up to Mt. St Helens took about an hour and a half. Along the way, trees blanketed the hillside and stood sentinel along the roadside. During a few streches of road, leaves held canopy creating a green tunnel with shafts of sunlight beaming through at points. We drove awhile, reaching an unmarked viewpoint which had a trail leading down to a river running rapid through the valley below, and hiked down to light a campfire.

A couple hours later, we managed our way back to the road and headed for Ape Cave. A deep, unlit, non-special cave 10mi. back towards town. I've been through some pretty spectacular caves before, and this... this was not one of them. Yes, it was a cave. Yes, it was dark and wet. Yes, it was fairly deep, but thats where the interesting details stop. No cool rock formations; no crystals underground; no bats flying overhead. Just a oddly shaped hole in the ground.

From there, it was time for the winding road home and perhaps a brief stop along the way to take in the fresh air once more before diving back into the city smog.

And now, back at my desk, I understand that this past weekend may have been the last best chance I'll have to hang with Fremont. He's engaged to be married next year! Who knows what adventures await them, and I wish them all the best. Damn, he's asked me to be the best man at his wedding, so I'll need to come up with something better to toast when the time comes... But all that is for a time yet to come and there is much to do before then.

All said and done, it was a good trip and a good, last, summer weekend.

Post-Presentation Syndrome

I've got such a natural buzz going right now that I can see myself just running around my office, banging on cubicles and knocking over these fake walls at random, whooping and grunting all the while. Post-Presentation Syndrome. I just gave my final internship presentation to a room full of upper managers and more on the phone. I used a PPT projector, NetMeeting, a Conference Call Bridge and IM for 45 minutes as I fended off pot-shots, questions and random attacks from the most dangerous group of managers I've met this summer. Good LORD! But I came through VICTORIOUS!

Now, Im winding down and trying to avoid a caffeine crash. I drank two cups of coffee, an energy drink and a can of Coke to pep-up for the Main Event this afternoon. Yee Haw! And it worked! I was peppy, energetic and uber charismatic as I charmed the crowd to rave reviews. Now I'm looking forward to my beer ... after work. Soon, I'll be sitting at home, pissing away time on the computer while kickin' it laid back and lazy style.

Its been a good summer. Tough at times, but worth the effort. Soon enough, however, I'll be back in Eugene for my last year of Grad school ... chillin with a fat spliff thinkin' this was some crazy-ass dream. Just kidding!

Anyway, 'nuff for now.
(Thx for the msg, Dina ;])