The Year

[Oscar]

Just as the year 2000 was not the first year of the 21st century, but that last year of the 20th, this is not officially the last year of the "noughties". That honor is reserved for next year. However, we usually think of the '70s as having started in 1970 and the '80s in 1980, so next year will probablly mark the start of a new decade for most of us. The "teens"?

Anyway, we are nearing the end of the year and perhaps it is a good time to look back and reflect on what has happened over the course of 2009 and the decade.

This year has been rather eventful. I moved into a new house, one that was nearly 7 years since the planning stage. My daughter entered highschool. My son had his "seijin shiki". I became officially board certified by my second certification. Had lots of guests, some of whom stayed for weeks. I started building my workshop. Bought a tiny lathe and bandsaw for it.

The decade was marked by my six-year affair with the Splatter Girl, the attempted mutiny at my family business and the subsequent rebuilding, and my increasing unhappiness with my ever decreasing level of freedom. This year marked the 20th anniversary of our marriage.

How has your year been?

[Devil Dude]

My year, the Cliff notes version:

- Had 6-month, almost every weekend shag fest with a MILF I met in December
- Acquired my first real-deal sword in January. It cuts like a lightsaber, and is a fantasy fulfilled...
- Passed my Shodan text for Iaido in May(?)
- Got a gun-shooting, sword-loving, Led-Zeppelin rockin' new girlfriend in June
- Bought a sweet Canon EOS 50D DSLR in September
- Felt like the guy in front in October financially-speaking after having to fork out for Shaken , taxes, and back-due health insurance
- and got back in contact with a bunch of long lost friends from my Marine Corps and college days thanks to Facebook.

All in all not a bad year, but I had planned to train more in both Iaido and Aikido. My goals were to be Nidan in Iaido and 3-kyu in Aikido by this time, but my still not 100% right shoulder kept that from happening...the fucker! I said HEAL!!, bitch! But the shoulder is feeling better of late, so it is looking like game on as far as my 侍生活 is concerned.


AHJ related highlights (the ones that I can remember... ) include:

- Hanami w/ Maderio and Bairen
- a get together with our chicks with S_Slag, Spanx, and...??
- A few parties w/ KantoDude here and there...
- Slick's visit
- Hanging with RC, Kanto, and Bairen at KD's capitalist pig parties
...and other miscellaneous meet-ups here and there...



Looking forward to cap the year off(?) on the 19th!

[Spanx]

You forgot "Mastered the art of the emoticon"

[Bairen]

DD didn't just master the art of the emoticon, he IS the emoticon

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This year was busy as hell for me. I will have been out of Japan five times by the time the year is over. I started out the year in Canada, during the year I went to Thailand, Canada and China, and I'm back to China in a couple of weeks. That's the most traveling I've ever done in my life.

I also made more money than I've ever made in one year of my life. But I did it at the sacrifice of my free time - I've been working non-stop for months. But that enabled me to do all the traveling I've done, and to buy a lot of toys, so it was nice.

It was also nice hanging out with the boy for the year, and watching him go from a barely crawling little guy to a running, jumping, dancing and speaking little guy.

The decade - that's more than a post, that's a book. I started out the decade a young, single long-hair in Canada. I ended it an old married dude with a kid and a buzz cut living in Japan. There was too much in the middle to be able to really say more.

[RR645]

The year started out pretty good, but come March I was running out of steam. After June I went down to a 3 and a half day work week so I could enjoy the Summer and explore new hoes, and it totally gave me my wind back. Come September, I filled my schedule back up and a couple new gigs that let me work as much as I want to. I am gonna bust my ass again through March and then think about what to do from there. I would love to have a couple months vacation back in the States at my uncles new Broadway producer となり Summer vacation home. The Broadway guy bulldozed a mountain to build a winding road up to his place. I wonder if he could make me famous...

[Edogaijin]

Been a bad year....

Started off the year all pumped and was training for the Tokyo Marathon.
3 days before the marathon my grandmother in-law died.
2 days before the marathon my dogs had puppies and I was home alone being a mid-wife all night.
Tokyo Marathon came and although I was sleepy I was raring to go.
22km mark and my back packed it in and I could barely walk...had to get on the bus....
Next was the Tour Of Japan bicycle race in May. Still fit from marathon training I was out for revenge. Last time I did this event I crashed badly and it took me 3 years to get the courage to try again. It was pissing with rain though and I decided to use it as a training run instead. Finished at the back of the pack.
Really disappointed with the year so far I psyched myself up for the Tour De Japan stage race and finished 3rd. (HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR) That put me up to the next rank. (That was a 4 year struggle and finally something to feel good to accomplish.
Start of August I cut a tendon and artery in my arm and this has really knocked me around a lot. Still working on the tendon pain.
Spent all of August up in Hakuba and chilled out as much as possible with my arm in a sling.

Start of September after the stitches had healed I took to training again and was involved in a high speed crash with 8 other riders.
Lost a lot of skin and that destroyed my plans for the last 2 main races of the year as well as all the small ones...

Just when I was looking forward to getting back to square one I had the shittiest day of all yesterday...
There is this little dog 3 doors down that looks like a little white fox. It yaps at my dogs 3 or 4 times a day as the lady takes it for walks past our house to the park and riles up my dogs.
Somehow, my 3 managed to knock the lock open by just jumping and scraping the door, lift the lever to the door and they all rushed out to the lady walking her dog yesterday afternoon...
I heard the door open and ran out to get them ...but my boy had already taken a few bites at the other dog and the lady trying to fend him off had a few bites as well...
The dog needed stitches, the lady needed some minor first aid... we handed over 5man yen last night to just try and calm everybody down...
Tomorrow, I will be giving her another 10 man yen...and my wife is fuming too.... (the dog's vet bill was 7man).
Have felt sick all day over this...
I'm literally in the doghouse over this incident...won't be coming in to Tokyo on the 19th.....

[sakaya_slag]

Has been a hard but educational year. My hopes of breaking into the finance industry were dashed by a worldwide crisis. I made some final stage interviews but got turned down.

On the bright side, I graduated with a 2:1 (honours) from university, despite hardly going for the final 6 months. Had a torrid time writing my TWO dissertations. One in French, one in German. Then studying all day and all night for two weeks to pass my finals. In fact, I was so sure I had a shit mark I didn't want to open the results..but it turned out ok.

So I graduated in June and hit Japan immediately after an absence of 3 years if you discount one short trip. 3 months of drinking, partying and enjoying in Tokyo before I finally got my act together and got myself a business job here on trial.

Now the trial period is over, but Korea has made me question things. Even though the challenge is fun and my Japanese has improved, I realise how little spare time I have for the pittance I get at work. English teachers do far better in terms of hours and holidays...and I look at the package they get here in Seoul and think it's not so bad at all. paid holidays, return flight paid, apartment paid, 20 hours a week. Kind of unbelievable actually.

Next year I will try find a better job. The current one has always been a stepping stone, the demands are unrealistic and I'm no Japanese salaryman. If nothing good comes along, I might just go back to teaching or travelling around again. There is more to life than money and careers...I thoroughly enjoyed my time teaching before and I do miss the lifestyle. Now, it is just work, eat, sleep. Whatever happens, I think I got a bit wiser about things. Still a long way to go though.

Anyway, I think I aged a great deal! Here's to 2010 lads...

[Bairen]

I didn't work a 40 hr/week job until I turned 30 years old. I put it off as long as possible! Life is more fun when you aren't at work all the time.

[RR645]

Been a bad year....

Started off the year all pumped and was training for the Tokyo Marathon.
3 days before the marathon my grandmother in-law died.
2 days before the marathon my dogs had puppies and I was home alone being a mid-wife all night.
Tokyo Marathon came and although I was sleepy I was raring to go.
22km mark and my back packed it in and I could barely walk...had to get on the bus....
Next was the Tour Of Japan bicycle race in May. Still fit from marathon training I was out for revenge. Last time I did this event I crashed badly and it took me 3 years to get the courage to try again.

Why do you beat yourself up like that? I can't imagine all that training is healthy. Too much wear and tear.

[Edogaijin]

As far as injuries go it was my worst year ever...
All that training? I wish I could do more....
In my cycling club, I'm one of the lazy ones...
Our best cyclist blogs his workouts daily....
On his day's off he quotes.
休み
腹筋：　700回　( I think that's the right kanji).　（700 sit ups).

[sakaya_slag]

I didn't work a 40 hr/week job until I turned 30 years old. I put it off as long as possible! Life is more fun when you aren't at work all the time.

Yeah I know. Career stuff is nice but I at least want to be paid for my time if I do long hours. I guess I knew this was the environment in Japan, so no surprises really but 2010 will be full of big decisions.