Version 2.0 - Tokyo is coming soon. Please excuse the construction and let me know if you have any problems.

2 More Parties Take II

Saturday, December 13, 2008 / Posted by Zackary / comments (0)


My day job is being an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher to a Japanese Teacher) in the public schools teaching of course English. I should maybe write about that in a blog you think?

I also teach business classes and one-to-one classes and work with a few companies. One of them had their holiday parties tonight and that was fun. The restaurant looked great as it was bathed in red and artistic lighting. When you are at a party the artistic part sets a great vibe. Unfortunately if you want to take video it can be challenging. So no video for my loyal readers but please enjoy the pictures.








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Dispatches from India (from a guest artist)

Friday, December 12, 2008 / Posted by Zackary / comments (0)

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Greetings To All My Loyal Readers (and any new people that are checking it out)!
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A little break from Japan, Chicago and my voice this time.
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My friend, Jeremy Jones is a fascinating person and has spent much of his life traveling. We met when I found out he was selling his guitar. I stopped by to pick up the guitar and we ended up talking about two hours. When two guys with big music collections get together (he has more music then I do) it can be a grand time. Jeremy is a good musician and has a great voice so it was fun to hear him.
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He had been to India before and a few months later decided to return. This time he was on a spiritual quest and traveled throughout India. While in India he sent out a number of group email to his friends. With Jeremy’s kind permission I am putting some of them on my blog.
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So without further ado, here is a posting from Jeremy in India.
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Dear Friends & Family,
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I hope all is well in your part of the world. I've been wrapping up things here as I am India bound on March 27th. Only six weeks to go in Japan. I'm beginning my journey in Delhi for a couple of days, and then I'll be northbound to Dharamsala for an indefinite period. In case you don't know, Dharamsala is the residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He's been living in exile there for a few decades now. Dharamsala is in the far north of India right in the heart of the Himalayas.
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Anyway, It's been quite cold here in Japan, and in fact, we got a heavy snowfall here just several days ago. About a week ago I had the opportunity to go to Tokyo for the day, and I also caught a great glimpse of Mt. Fuji. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of either spectacle!
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I have attached some photos of the area in which I'm living. The first set of photos were taken on a mountain top about a mile down from where I'm living. In the background you can see some snow capped peaks to the north and the skyscrapers of Nagoya to the south. The other photos are miscellaneous shots of the snowfall while I was in Nagoya.
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Once again, I hope all is well. Feel free to send me a message anytime.
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Peace & Harmony
Jeremy
P.S. In case you didn't see my photos from my trip to Kyoto and Nara in October 2007, please click on the link below:
http://www4.snapfish.com/share/p=37271194451452274/l=230790195/g=109226435/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
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Dear Friends and Family,

I hope all is well wherever you are. I apologize but I don't have much time to write a proper e-mail. Anyway, I have made it to my destination and I must say it was a long and tiresome one. I've been in Mcleod Ganj for 4 days now, and things are definitely really nice here. I feel a sense of peace from the spiritual atmosphere in this remote mountain village. I am going on retreat starting tomorrow and won't be around a computer for a while.

Furthermore, I like this place so much that I will likely stay here for a while. I'll be focusing on Yoga, meditation, volunteer work and learning Hindi (and maybe Tibetan). There are people here from all over the world working with the Tibetan refugees. It's really an interesting place with many interesting people. I also took a 12 hour hike yesterday and caught a great glimpse of the Himalayas. They truly are massive and breathtaking.

I hope all is well.

Peace & Harmony,

Jeremy

Chicago Politics

Wednesday, December 10, 2008 / Posted by Zackary / comments (0)

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Nagoya is sunny and not too cool today which is nice after the long day of rain on Tuesday.
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Back in Chicago, Illinois the politics of corruption continue as the FBI kicks over rocks and takes names. Their ongoing probes often make the headlines and when you live in Illinois you come to almost expect it. The previous governor of Illinois, George Ryan is serving time in a federal prison. My favorite part of the bribes he took were the Christmas cards stuffed with cash. Anyway, the FBI arrested two high profile names recently; the current Governor, Rob Blagojevich, and his chief of staff. Below you will find a link to the Chicago Tribune which has a growing number of articles on the subject.
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Blagojevich's lawyer said he is, "Sad, surprised and innocent." Which in Chicago speak means he thought he was protected and is angry he got caught.
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Among many other things he was trying to sell the Illinois Senate seat that until recently belonged to another high profile politican: President-Elect Obama.
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An editorial:
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Personal Note - Thoughts in My Sleep

Monday, December 08, 2008 / Posted by Zackary / comments (0)

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In a strange land and I have twisted and turned, laughed and screamed, and tried to find my way. Who am I ask myself and sometimes there is silence in my head. There is rarely ever silence in my head. At this moment I can hear singer John Mellencamp, Chopin and the voice of an old friend. What I have lost and why I have lost it is clear to me but the future is as always a path I cannot see. Maybe I choose not to see it and don't want to set a route. Like driving on the highway with no destination in mind or walking just to enjoy walking.

I am haunted by two lines from the movie The Dead Poets Society. In the movie a professor quotes a line of poetry (Keats maybe) - "Show me a man unfretted by foolish dreams and I will show you a happy man." Robin Williams character who is also a professor makes up this line. "Only in their dreams have men been free. Thus has it been and thus shall it always be." In my heart I agree with the line about dreams. Big wonderful novels, long playing i-Pod mixes and hours of writing make me sane. Too often I have denied my gifts and wished to be an "unfretted" man.

Have you um seen a therapist Z? Of course I have and there is no shame in that. Now I know how to be healthy and a little wise but does it help me? I am not getting any younger and I live in a strange country whose culture I may never really understand. My friends and family live twelve hours in the past and the distance is something I can feel like rain on my glasses.

This is not as it might sound my path to despair. Most days I don't linger in the past and go over the decisions I've made until my head wants to explode. In April I did that to my breaking point and I don't wish that on anyone.

Being in a strange country is also exciting and I learn new things everyday. Japanese girls are the most beautiful girls in the world. I talk to my friends & family over the Internet and feeling their love is easy. Here in Nagoya I have several good friends and am trilled to be part of their lives. There are no house or car payments waiting in my mailbox. I am free to stay in Japan, go teach in Korea, move back to Chicago or try out New York city. Life is confusing and generally makes no sense to me but I am unbound by the things that keep many people from their dreams. For many people I realize that having a family and all the responsibilities is their dream and that is a wonderful thing.

I dream of being a professional writer & photographer and want to map out the future more to make that happen. But not too much because I live for the moments of each day and the joy they might bring. Being this free is not something I want to sustain for a long period but right now it is mine and I cherish it.

If none of this makes sense I do apologize. But I have to say I have rarely felt more clear and level headed in my life.

Thanks for listening. Again.

Peace & Understanding to You All,

-Z

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Current Events

Monday, December 08, 2008 / Posted by Zackary / comments (0)

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A quick note - The news feed at the top of my blog now includes; Japan, Chicago, New York and Obama. Most days I read at least some of the New York Times, Detroit Free Press, BBC, and the Chicago Tribune. You need news trivia I am your man!

--Z

Last Years End of the Year Party

Sunday, December 07, 2008 / Posted by Zackary / comments (0)

Hi.

My blog entry on our company party this year was a rush job. I moved some of the details to this blog and updated the previous blog. My urge is to spend hours making each entry properly creative and interesting but when I do that new entries happen about once a month.

[For those that are curious I have been influenced by Papa Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and James Baldwin's writing styles. As a side note the schools make everyone read Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby but I think it is his weakest work. The Beautiful and the Damned is his true masterpiece. ]

In America and Japan companies have holiday parties at restaurants, hotels and bars. More and more employees are paying for these parties. I am old enough to remember when they were free. Generally American parties go on for a couple of hours. If you work for a law firm the chances are good there will be an after party bar followed by a late, late bar. If you are lucky a wealthy attorney picks up the tab.

In Japan most restaurants reserve two hour time slots for parties. I discovered this fact by accident. Last year my company’s party was in the Kanayama area of Nagoya where I used to live. The Japanese map made no sense so I just got got off the train in the general area of the restaurant.Lots of other people took the train so I thought I would run into them. Walking around early I didn't see anyone I knew. At this point I was relaxed and sent a text message to two friends about the party. One texted back saying she was relaxing and home and not coming. Her husband got a large bonus and she was exhausted from a day of shopping. Walking around some more I started to worry. I called several people and sent more text messages. Still no replies so I stopped at McDonald's for an ice coffee and waited. As I was finishing up my coffee my co-worker Darrel called and told me where the restaurant was.

I quickly found it and discovered for once no one was on their cell phone. So my messages had gone unheeded. People in American use their cellphones all the time. The big difference in Japan is that calling people on your cell is expensive. They all like the American idea of free nights and weekends. So in Japan people are always checking their phones and sending text messages. Yes, that sounds like me too! Many people also plays games, especially on the new iPhone.

Anyway, the party was in full swing and the restaurant was elegant with lots of dark wood and creative lighting. My friend Jurai (pronounced July) passed me food of some form which I don't remember and picking up some chopsticks I found it delicious. Jurai, who speaks fluent English introduced me to his wife and new baby. My boss introduced me to some Japanese students and I chatted with them. Then another friend offered me a drink which I didn't know about and that was delicious too. So I was having a grand time and life seemed good. As I was getting a second drink at the bar I noticed that people were starting to put their coats on. I thought some people had to go home early to their families or something. So as I talked with a friend I was ready for more food and looked around to find a waiter. Looking back I found they were quickly cleaning up and everyone now had their coats on. "The party is over" someone told me as I too reached for my coat. Thus, I learned that holiday parties are two hours long!

Happy Dreams to all of You,

--Z