Here I am, again, on watch and writing to everyone out there who is dedicated enough to take some time out of your day to read what I have to say. I really do appreciate it though I may not say it directly. All the comments are good and it's always enough fuel to keep writing. Moving on, I have a story to finish and touch on a couple other things as well.
Darryl and Satski are back in their hotel room at 1730 (5:30pm) and I decide to take a hike to find a bar. Japan really doesn't have a bar time how the states does. Instead of bars closing at 2am, they're open till 6 or 7am especially on a Saturday night like it was. As a quick sidebar, the navy has set up rules that we sailors can't stay out drinking between 2am-6am at clubs and bars, but that isn't the Japanese rule, but we still have to follow what Uncle Sam has to say. Confusing yet? Okay, so I didn't know that bars didn't open up till 6pm all over Kumamoto. That was okay because it gave me a chance to walk around and see what the city had to offer. My camera phone was charging at the time, but I'm pretty sure I walked through the strip club precinct based on the size of the bouncers at the door, suggestive (but not telling) pictures in the windows, and pink neon lights beaming all around me. Good thing there was a cover charge cause at the time I was feeling I'm not sure if there was much more keeping me from meandering on in.
6pm comes and I kind my establishment which is fine because I sort of wanted to drink alone to gather my thoughts. Of course this doesn't happen. The bartender speaks about as much English as I do Japanese and tries to tell me that he visited Los Angeles once in '93. On top of that he doesn't know how to make a martini, so he rifles through his book and gets out the supplies and then offers me to show him how to make it. The end of this is my martini's were only $4 each. This guy just wouldn't walk away from me to do his job. All I wanted was to be left alone, but the last thing we were talking about before I left was about the movie "Lost in Translation" and how Bill Murray was in Japan advertising Suntory Whiskey in the movie. Either way I was well on my way to a productive evening after 3 martinis.
At 730pm I go and get the two lovers and we can't decide where to eat. That was when I suggested the bar/resteraunt I was just at. I order some kind of rice'n'pork dish and an Asahi (brand of beer). From dinner on the night and my money goes kind of fast.
I d0n't know all the bars we went to, and even if I did it wasn't important. What is important to the story plot is I got shit-housed drunk which in turn provided the more responsible drinkers of the night, aka Ice and Satski, a helluva lot of entertainment for the night.
The rest of the trip is best summed up in an email to my BFF, Rich. Some of what is said is not child friendly, then again a lot of what I said about this trip isn't child friendly:
Not sure how many bars I went to. There was this International bar though I do remember that had a bartender who saw my Green Bay swimming shirt andtold me she was an exchange student at Eau Claire. I was too tore up to comment back.
There was one time though I remember walking into a 7/11 (yes, we have themhere too) and getting a coke because I wanted to try and "pace" myself. When I told Ice this, I told him to police me if I strayed from my originalintent. That didn't last long. When he tried to remind me I yelled at himsaying that, "im a grown ass man and I can do whatever the fuck I want!" Ieven bummed a cigarette from some chick. Pretty good looking at the time,but not when I looked at my camera the next morning.
We went to this empty bar to play darts (which I of course won) and theytotally jewed me over. Not only were the glasses tiny and they charged $5 for them, but they had a cover charge, on an empty fucking bar! I about went Clint Eastwood on them. The night ended by going to McDonald's so I couldget an ice-cream cone and vent about Osko jagging me around. You know how I get.
A huge assest to Japan is man-power. They have tons of people lining thestreet with fliers passing out advertisments. Of course I though it'd be agood idea to help them. So I was screaming to everyone to take my flierbecause "I'm American." I even tried to sell doughnuts for some girl.
There was one trio of girls I walked by and I asked if they spoke English,yes, English. Before they could even nod their heads one way or the other, I said "me neither" with a gay fling of my arm as I kept walking. Some of thepictures I'll post are pretty good.
I was in bed my midnight. My mattress was rock hard, everything mini-me sized. God I love this country and hate it even more when I'm wasted.
Next morning of course I felt like ass. McDonald's for breakfast didn't help anyone. I was able to pull off my hung over idiot routine as I'm know for. Afterwards we changed our bus ticket to leave at 1430 instead of the 1900 originally planned. There is just nothing to do in the city we were in,Kummoto (SP?). Thank God we made that change.
The last thing we left was go to a karoke bar. Pretty cool actually except Ican't sing for shit, but didn't stop me from singing some Dragonforce (all the good bands were unavailable). Of course Osko had to show back up which didn't make the situation comfortable at all, but I managed. She gave me therun-around why she couldn't make it out, but in the end, she simply wasn't there which was all I needed to know.
At 1430 we got on the bus and got the fuck out of there. I vowed never to return to that city again.
In other business the swim season officially started on Monday. I'm pretty stoked about it, but I wish things were a little different. It isn't that competitive at all. That alters intensity of practices and planning of work-outs. Also, there is a lot of belly-rubbing going on. Not saying I want to throw another clipboard in the water, but if wasn't any room for that in Seymour, there DEFINITELY isn't any room for it here. I like being able to talk to the kids about stuff, I suppose it's hard for me to get back onto the level of an elementary school aged kid. I wish things was a little more organized too. In the past I had an entire summer to prep for my "mission." I only had literally a weekend from the time I got the roster to the time of the first practice. It doesn't help that the base commanding officer's kids are on the team, a master chief kids' are on the team, and an officer from the clinic has a kid on the team. A lot more important eyes are watching me which adds more pressure.
Also, I have an assistant coach now. He is a 3rd class navy diver (you know, like Cuba Gooding Jr and Robert DeNiro in "Men of Honor") named Kristoph. It was one thing when Andy and I coached because we were such good friends, but with Kristoph it is a little different. Though I am the head coach, I'm going to try to make it as similar as it was with Andy in Seymour. Let's hope for a miracle, and let Kristoph and myself
have a fraction of what I had in Seymour.
Morale is back on high now that I'm back in Sasebo. Though I'm very tired and busy busy busy, I can take comfort that the days come and go fast.
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