Tokyo Day 10

I ate breakfast again today. But I did it all by myself, like a big boy!

Of course, it turned out to be shrimp tempura rice, but it was good.

The same Chinese (or so Kevin says) girl who was there yesterday was there today. More on that later.

I went on a 'farewell tour' of Ochanomizu, but most of the stores were closed. Some were open, however, and I noticed that all the other guitars I had looked at and thought of buying were gone. So its a good thing I grabbed the one I did.

Then I came back to my hotel room and did nothing. Not that there was much to do. New Year's eve means they city closes up tight. Besides, I had nothing pressing anyway.

So I sat around and surfed and played guitar until around 6:30 when Kevin called me form downstairs. We were off to Roppongi to have dinner. We walked, since it was not far. It was cold, but not far. We met up with his brother and his girlfriend (Dennis', not Kevin's), who are visiting from CA. Carol apparently bought a Y500 apple. It was the focus of conversation. I assume it tastes good. I didn't have one,

They are not sold in 7-11.

We ate in what is apparently known as the 'Kill Bill' restaurant, Gonpachi, since it bears a striking (if unsurprising) resemblance to the House of Blue Leaves.

If an original idea ever came out of his head, he'd explode.

The food was good, and I was glad to be in the presence of others, short-lived though that may have been. 

After dinner, we walked back to our respective hotels. I looked in the restaurant across the street from my hotel, and that Chinese girl was stillworking there.

"Ha ha ha! No new year for YOU!!!"

I felt bad for her. I mean, we're talking about at least a 16 hour day already. If she's there at breakfast tomorrow I'm going to have to say something.

Not that she'll understand.

So here I sit in my hotel room on New Year's eve. There's not even anything worth watching on this TV. There's a sappy variety show full of people crooning songs in Japanese  that sound sad to me, and the other choice is a show that was the obvious insipration for Eric Tsang's Super!Hardly the makings of a memorable evening.

But you know what? I don't give a f#%$.

The problem with New Year's Eve for sober people is that without drinking, it becomes just another night. Among recovering alcoholics (many of whom I count among my best friends and relatives) it's known as Amateur Night. Once a year, normal people try to drink like alcoholics do normally. With the predictable results. 

It's like being Mexican on Cinco de Mayo in Iowa, I guess. Surrounded by posers.

You still wake up on Jan. 1 and the world is the same, it just looks different because of your hangover.

Without the hangover, it's just another day.

But I guess for me, it really isn't. The last time I had a drink was New Year's Eve.

In 1988.

I was 21 at the time, which should tell you something. People always say I was so smart to stop drinking and it was such a wise choice.

If you're on fire and you put yourself out, is that a smart choice or just the right f#$%ing thing to do?

I'm 42. I have lived half my life in sobriety, and you should all thank God for that. I know I do.

I'm not saying drinking is bad. I think drinking is good. It's just bad for me.

Even so, it's a great barometer for people.

I don't mind drunks. I can't stand cheapdrunks. I mean people who have half a glass of wine and can't finish a f@#$ing sentence. Soccer moms who slur their words on one martini or lawyers who can't hold their expensive vodka even though its only threeof them.

As a sober person, I've had a good conversation with someone who put away most of a bottle of scotch while we talked, and God bless him because he could still hold a conversation. I'm not saying it's an admirable trait, but I am saying I can tolerate that a lot more than the alternative.

The other thing  I like about drinking is that it acts like truth serum. You get to see who a person is really fast. The dumb get dumber, the funny get funnier, and everyone starts talking about the things that are really important to them.

Drunks are horrible liars. Awful. Terrible. They just can't. Corollary to that is the way that booze makes people's feelings as plain as day.

If a person calls you at 3:00 AM to tell you that they miss you, or they love you, and they are thoroughly sh*t-hammered, you know that they meanit,

Especiallyif its a woman doing the calling.

Women are good at not revealing how they feel. Until they're drunk. I'll admit it, the few occasions I've gotten those phone calls, I felt a heady mix of affection and pride. I knew that woman reallyliked me. Especially when she called back three more times.

Okay, there is onebad thing about being sober. Well, a few related things. One good one is that you tend to have sex less, but with more attractive (or at least less repuslive) partners. No more waking up and looking over at the sea lion asleep on your arm and having to consider chewing your arm off rather than waking her up and having to take her to breakfast.

In public.

In fairness, let me just say that I fully concede that some drunk women may have felt the same about me on certain mornings.

Not drinking can understandably throw a wrench in the social process. I can't blame a woman for being leery of a man who offers to buy her a drink but is not drinking. It's just another good reason to not look for love in the wrong places.

Like 200' off the ground on a plexiglas platform?

Oh stop it.

One nice thing about women and drinking is that alcohol tends to make a lot of women much more comfortable with themselves in certain situations.

You might say that booze is a temporary cure for 'clitoriphobia.'

I'm not saying women should get drunk and bump uglies with strangers. What I amsaying is that many women are unfortunately and needlessly quite timid and even hesitant in certain settings when sober, but alcohol tends to allow them to enjoy themselves more. Which, I grant you, can lead to interesting situations in the morning:

Her: Oh my, I don't know what got into me last night...

Him: Two vodka martinis and me.

Her: God, the neighbors were so noisy last night.

Him: Uh, no sweetie, that was you.

Her: [blushing] No it wasn't!

Him: Yes, it was.

Her: Are those my panties on the ceiling fan?!?!? How did they get up there???

Him: Let me show you the video...

Her: VIDEO???

You see my point. There is nothing sexier than a woman who is comfortable with herself. For better or worse, alcohol can sometimes stimulate (!) this condition.

Alcohol takes the guessing out of things like pleasing a woman, because she'll tellyou what she wants you to do. And she'll really enjoy it when you do what you're told.

Good boys do what they're told. And good boys get treats. It's goodto be a good boy.

Well, it's 12:22 in Tokyo. So if you want to know what I did at midnight, I am not sure. But I can tell you it occurred some time during the writing of this blog entry, and I was listening to/watching this:

http://www.barks.jp/watch/?id=1000016273&b=1m&pl=wm Happy New Year. May all your wishes come true in 2009

and may panties fly proudly from ceiling fans.