Momma said knock you out!

Well, you can't win them all - looks like it was the Ray's year, and good on them! The Sox gave a good run, and I'm sure they'll be back next year - healthier (knock on wood). In other news, the job search continues in full effect (cue laser show and strobe lights), but to no avail (cut lights, use laser to cut hole in bank safe - reach in and grab stacks of Hamiltons, baby!). Actually, some stuff is on the horizon, but I can't really talk about it yet (don't want to jinx it, do we?). Spent the last weekend raking the micro-lawn. Unfortunately, there is a Sequoia parked right in the middle of the postage stamp-sized grass, which has dumped an epic amount of leaves on the property (the landlord says it is my responsibility to rake, mow and shovel). Egads. Anyhow, after filling enough bags to build a moderately sized bunker for a battalion, I spied my neighbors pushing all their refuse into the gutter. Come Monday morning, the street looked like the Paris Commune> - barricades of leaves making a herringbone pattern from one end to the other. Then, magically, a giant street sweeper suction truck came and whisked everything away. Hmmm... seems the neighbors knew what was up. We never had anything like this in Kentucky (nor Boston, for that matter). Brilliant. Halloween will soon be upon us - a lot of folks have pulled out the stops on the decorations - giant spiders hang off of garages, and headless corpses are propped up on many a front yard. In the spirit of the season I bought a discount pumpkin, gutted him for the seeds (roasted, of course - yum), and carved a likeness of Hello Kitty (is there anything scarier then the dead-eyed look of that infernal feline?). Too bad the weather was unseasonably warm - now the Jack-o-Lantern is looking rather tired ("soupy" might be a better adjective). It is so diseased and decrepit, even the squirrels and flies have avoided it.

On the top left is the kitty-esque template, below that to the right is the pumpkin before decomp set in, and below that is a lights-out view (with aluminum foil to protect the gourd and to intensify the candlepower). I keep hoping that it will hang on until the end of the month, but I'm afraid it will end up as a puddle of orangy goo. がんばって!

A small island of happiness in a sea of despair...

Howdy folks! In less than 24 hours both local Chicago teams have been eliminated from further post-season play. I honestly feel a great deal for the Cubs and their fans (believe me, Red Sox fans know what you guys are going through right now). As for the White Sox? Hmmm... well, to be fair, they haven't been one of my favourite teams, but I give them credit for making it into the Division playoffs. Of course, I am thrilled that they Red Sox won last night in nail-biting style - it was an awesome series - I truly enjoyed it! The Angels came out and played hard (as befits a 100-game winner). I don't know how Anaheim feels about the Sox - since they are separated by an entire country, it is hard to gauge the relationship (it isn't like New York and Boston - we are so close geographically that it pretty hard not to get a bead on what each town feels about the other). In my opinion, the Red Sox must be to the Angels like what the Yankees were to Boston for so many years - a rival who consistently snatched victory out of their grasp. I sincerely salute the Angels - I do not think that they should be taken lightly, nor, as has been written by some uncharitable sport writers, are they a "speed-bump" on the way to the next level. I don't know how the Sox will fare against the Rays - they are impressive - but I will be cheering on the Olde Towne Team!

A man's got to know his limitations...

Have you ever had one of those days? Of course you have! I hate to sound like a hick, but these Chicago folks are a whole lot less friendlier than the people down in Kentucky. Of course, as I am reminded ad nauseum, this is a hip, edgy urban area, and I better get used to it... or else!
Don't make me have to come across the street and put a smile on your face!

Touchdown! Oooofff!

Any landing that you can walk away from is a good one! The same can be said about moving - yup, yours truly has arrived safe and somewhat sound in the Chicago area... It was not fun, to say the least; all that they say about your possessions owning you? Yeah, its true... Anyhow, the rent-a-Falcon got loaded on Monday (in record time), drove all night (just me and the other long-haul truckers - the Brotherhood of the Road, man!), got to the Chicago area early Tuesday morning, unloaded the beast, turned it in, then collapsed in a dirty, dishevelled heap (Holy Logistics, the salt rings on my t-shirt coalesced into an image not unlike the one on the Shroud of Turin - it was uncanny!). Many thanks to the Sherpas of E-Town for their support! Now, I'm waist deep in stuff, looking for marked boxes that have the mission critical items (where is that electric kettle so that we can make some coffee?). Socks do not match, key stuff is on the lam, and I am not certain that I want to move again before, oh, let's say... 2112? Another Life, indeed! On a positive note: the neighborhood is nice, and there is heaps of stuff to see and do (much more than semi-rural North central Kentucky).







In other (non-moving themed) news, I had a job interview today(!)... Fast enough for you? Actually, even I am shocked by the rapid turn of events. Watch out - I'm on a mission to break that Kessel Run record... (yeah, whatever, Solo).

Packing it up - packing it in!

Howdy folks! The old apartment is in a shambles - boxes everywhere. The more that gets packed, the more it seems that extraneous stuff starts to pop up everywhere. No sooner does a room or shelf get cleared, then little things start appearing in places that I could have sworn were emptied out. It is like my apartment is spontaneously generating stuff (hmmm... so, it is not only Nature that abhors a vacuum...) . Where did all these clothes hangers come from? Why can't one of the lost Czarist Fabergé eggs randomly show up (not all eight, just one...). Anyhow, the place is a mess, and I have to fly out this weekend for the Reserves (yeah, still protecting the country one weekend a month). The big push will come next week - gotta load the truck and make the long haul north. In the meantime, I hope that you are all enjoying your summer, and if you should happen to need some extra clothes hangers, please let me know - I got plenty to spare.

Kamata koshin-kyoku 蒲田行進曲

Waaaay back when (oh, sometime around Tuesday, 18 April 2006), in the early days of this blog, I was searching for a site that played JR (Japan Railway) station music. Well, two years, and several million dollars later, I found it - here is the holy grail of JR East Japan eki (station) platform tunes in all their midi-esque glory: http://www.hatsumelo.com/line/ . Please note that the site is mostly in Japanese, but each train line's name is also written in English (romaji). And, if that wasn't enough, they also put a representation of each distinctive train next to their respective line (very helpful, especially if you navigated Tokyo sen by their color) . Too cool.


If you look at the list, Number 4 is the Keihin-Tohoku Line. Click on that stylish blue train, and you come to this page: http://www.hatsumelo.com/line/keihintohoku.html .


If you count down the station list from the top, Kamata 蒲田 is number thirty. Click on track number Four (4)

Yep, that music brings back memories - enjoy!

That's no moon... It's Chicago!

Yikes and away! True to form, many things have happened since our last installment - in fact, if this was a serial, you guys probably would be scratching your heads and wondering what the heck happened to the previous... oh, I don't know, maybe thirteen chapters? Luckily, though, if you have been peering in on this blog periodically for the past year, you know that Another Life (TM) is an on-going thing (albeit, with great big Evil Knievel-esque gaps the size of the Snake River Canyon)
But I digress... the Big News: your very own Ushiku Person is pulling up stakes and heading north to the City of Broad Shoulders - Chicago! Yup, got the new digs and everything. Why the "sudden" change? {flips back to Episode XII for back-story} As you know, my original reason for coming to Kentucky was to find new opportunities. Although there is work, the jobs that everyone has been talking about and waiting for are still on the horizon (at least until 2010). I have applied for... everything, but it looks like there is going to be some down time, so, in the near future I will be up in Chicago looking for new opportunities.

Right now I am back in E-Town getting ready to load up the Rent-a-Falcon. Too bad I'm leaving, but good things await up in Illinois (I will miss Kentucky, and wouldn't you know it, but the watermelon seeds I threw into my micro-garden are actually springing up like gang-busters?). Oh yeah, by the way - I put in a small garden by the apartment door (I gotta post more...). In any event, I will keep you informed of the new triumphs and tragedies that hover above Another Life: Chicago !

I hope they have that Capone-thing under control...

Dust Up

Wow, did this place get dusty, or what? As you have may have noticed, it has been a while since I have posted anything... Uh hem... Please excuse the the extreme tardiness - new posts are on their way ("Hey, what's that on the horizon?"). There are big things afoot, and all will be explained in the next post - really! I promise!