The Most Cultural Japan E-mail Yet!

Posted on May 19, 2009 by Casey

Ahoy, hoy!*,

There has been some debate about the size of Japan. Japanese people say how small their country is and that it can fit into our state of California. The author of Hitching Rides with Buddah Will Furgusen thinks differently. He claims that the reason why Japan looks so small is due to an optical illusion created by being surrounded by the largest countries in the world (the U.S., Canada, China, Russia, and Australia). Also, he claims that the Japanese like to perpetuate this claim which allows them to perceive themselves as the underdog. According to Furgusen Japan’s length is approximately from Toronto to Miami (and approximate latitudes to boot). Doing a bit of Wikipediaing I’ve come up with my own conclusions (rather I’m expanding on Mr. Furgusen’s). Japan’s total area is slightly smaller than Montana, but is still larger than Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, the U.K. and almost twice the size of Korea. So, yes, we can in theory crumple up Japan a bit and fit it into our California. That said however, Japan’s northernmost point is Cape Sōya on Hokkaidō Island (45°31′N, 141°56′E). This is approximately the same latitude as Portland, OR (45°31’12″N 122°40’55″W), and further north than Toronto, Canada (43°39’9.01″N 79°23’0.81″W). Subsequently the southernmost point of mainland Japan is Cape Sata of the Osumi Peninsula, on the Kyūshū island (30°59′N, 130°39′E). This makes it almost on par with Baton Rouge, LA (30°27’29″N 91°8’25″W), Mobile, AL (30°41’40″N 88°02’35″W), and Austin, TX (30°16’2″N 97°45’50″W). (This doesn’t include Japan’s actual southernmost point which is the island Okino Torishima – 20°25′N, 136°04′E.)

Nuances of the language: This single character 本 can be pronounced “honn,” “home,” “bone,” and about twenty total pronunciations. Subsequently it also has around twenty definitions. Originally I recognized the kanji from bookstores (as one of the definitions is “book”), but the girlfriend later told me that it was also the “-moto” at the end of “Kumamoto” (熊本 the first character means bear, so I translate Kumamoto roughly as “The city where bears can read books”†). The language has so many homophones that sometimes a person needs to clarify which alphabet the character is from. When we went with some friends to a restaurant, one of our friends had to call his mother for the name of it, and she replied that the three characters were from the hiragana-hiragana-kanji alphabets, respectively. The complexity of Japanese is so much more substantial bearing once the intricacies are closely examined. It makes the girlfriend’s endeavor for her pursuit towards fluency all the more impressive.

Many citizens of Kumamoto ask what I think of their city and I reply that it’s so big compared to where I’m from. Namely, because when I tell them I’m from Upstate New York, their thoughts immediately turn to NYC, which I clarify is about a seven hour drive away. Next they always say, “But Kumamoto is so small” (knowing this is the next phrase you can sometimes see me mouthing the words along with them). The main difference is the population density is much greater compared to Rochester. Not only are the girlfriend and I living in their downtown area, but the people are packed in so tightly that at times the crowds seem like mobs. Also, not having a vehicle adds more to the confinement, making the city seem that much larger when forced to walk everywhere.

Pachinko is a gambling game. Looking into a pachinko parlor I’m reminded of the Plinko game on The Price is Right. That could be due in part to the similar sounding names. However, these parlors are very popular, and in the city center you need not walk far to see one. I have yet to go into one, but I will before departing as it seems such a big part of Japanese culture. Secretly, pachinko parlors are supposedly owned by the Yakuza which is like the Japanese mafia. However, the existence of the Yakuza is actively denied and they are taboo to talk about. One major difference from American casinos is that pachinko buildings close (probably around 4am) and reopen at about 9am. So on the mornings I walk by before they open there are usually around 40 people lined up outside each one. Depressing, yes, but such would be the consequence if our casinos had regular business hours I’m sure.

Two sneaky things I’ve learned since coming here: At the subway station in Osaka we wanted to store our luggage in a locker as we walked around. However, despite the hundreds of lockers in the terminal, the availability of one was less likely than winning the lottery. So, I suggested to the girlfriend that we just deposit our luggage at the Lost & Found claiming we had “found” it unattended and then just retrieving our “lost” luggage after our escapades. We didn’t however, but I’m keeping a mental track of it in the back of my mind. The second borderline-ethical thing I’ve learned is that if you don’t have a phone but need to make a phone call, Skype offers one 15-minute free evaluation call to a landline. All that’s required is to setup a free account.

Last weekend the girlfriend and I went with some friends to see the volcano on Mount Aso. On the way there at the hiragana-hiragana-kanji restaurant, the girlfriend was forced to watch the three of us feast on pig intestines and basashi (raw horsemeat). The volcano was very beautiful, a turquoise of blue-green sulfur. Those pictures will be up soon.

This past Sunday morning (that’s Saturday evening for you folks on the other side of the globe), I gave my first English lesson. The one I was supposed to give a couple of weeks ago didn’t pan out as the student wanted to learn English from a Japanese teacher. Also, the girlfriend said that a lot of Japanese students wanting to learn English seek out Caucasian instructors. But I digress. The lesson itself went well enough. My watch had broken the previous week so not wanting to be rude I glance at a clock behind me. I still had 15 minutes left after both of the lessons I had planned were completed. So, I determine this to be a good time for “practice conversation.” However, the next time I looked at the time we had gone 15 minutes over. Now that I’m a teacher (I did get paid after all) I can take the title Casey-sensei. You may all address me as such.

After much thought and consideration, the girlfriend and I have decided that I will depart from Japan at the end of June. Although it saddens me to have to leave we will continue our relationship across the Atlantic (or the Pacific, depending on how you look at it). I know many of you are elated with the prospect of my return, and your eyes are welling with tears of happiness, so I think now would be a good time for me to end this report and for you to grab a tissue.

Oh! Just a few more observations: The onomatopoeia of animal noises is different. Pigs go “boo” and dogs go “wan.” A survey says that Japanese girls would rather be seen as cute rather than beautiful (fortunately for me the girlfriend is both). Disney’s Pooh‡ has lost his mouth and both he and Mickey Mouse have been given short stumpy ears. Engrish (poor English translations) isn’t as prevalent as I hoped, but it’s still fun to find. Also, I’ve taken a liking to random English words on shirts such as “Deadline is over,” or “Precise.”

As always,
Written tongue-in-cheek,
With love,
Except for Matt,
Well, maybe a little for Matt,
Casey-sensei and The Girlfriend-san

*Fun fact about salutations! When answering his telephone Alexander Graham Bell originally used a variation of “Ahoy” which was a typical nautical greeting. Thomas Edison is credited as coining the word “hello,” which he suggested to be used when answering the phone. It is thought that “hello” is a derivation from “hullo” which was used as a greeting or exclamation of surprise (and can be read in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, and probably any other story authored in the early 1800s). However, in the episode of the The Simpsons (Homer the Smithers), showing his age, and technological ineptitude, Mr. Burns uses the phrase “Ahoy, hoy” when answering his telephone and thus bringing its popularity back to the present. Zing!

† This is not an accurate translation in the slightest.

‡ The attached image of Pooh was stolen, uh, I mean borrowed, from here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiramisuaddict/2188145755/ Also, the minsweeper game has nothing to do with Japan. It was just a rather frustrating game I played, and now I’m sharing it with you. Enjoy. (You might want to set it as your Desktop Background by right-clicking it and selecting “Set as Desktop Background.” Sorry, I don’t know how to do it for you Macintosh fans. But you’re smart people, after all you bought Mactintoshes. I’m sure you can figure it out.)

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Otakus, basashi and more!

Posted on April 25, 2009 by Casey

Last Wednesday I went to Kumamoto’s International Center for my first Japanese lesson. It is only ¥100 (about $1) for two hours or tutoring (or in my case, teaching). Arriving early I explained it was my first time as I inquired where to go. I did this with the cunning universal language known as the “blank stare,” given to the woman I approached who started rambling things to me in Japanese. Following her and entering the classroom I felt immediately overwhelmed. There were about 10 people, uniformly mixed of Japanese and white and they were all speaking to each other, in Japanese. My heart sank. Fortunately, this wasn’t my classroom. Instead me and a woman from Bangladesh had our own private beginners instructor. The Bangladesh woman spoke perfect English and was with her husband while he studied at Kumamoto University. Our instructor spoke very limited, and very stereotypical English, greeting us with the common “Herro.” Fortunately I wasn’t there for English lessons. All in all it went quite well and I’m looking forward to returning this Wednesday.

A brief explanations of some of the pictures: A tanuki is a raccoon-dog, with obscenely sized genitalia (no, those aren’t sacks he’s holding). I know him from raccoon Mario in the tanuki suit. Exhaustive research (typing “tanuki” in Wikipedia) states that tanuki statues usually have cone-shaped hats (check), carry a bottle of sake and an I.O.U. (check) with their “humorously large testicles, typically hanging down to the floor or ground” (and, double check). Sakura if you haven’t guessed are Japanese cherry blossoms. Hanami is a sakura viewing party. The Otaku Dance Club was something that we just stumbled upon as we were having a picnic. Otaku literally means “house” in Japanese, but the connotation is that of a person who is so immersed with anime and video games that he or she never leaves said house. It started off as a quizzical, “Is that girl wearing a french maid outfit?” To where every time we looked up another costumed crusader had joined their ranks. The girlfriend explained that the Disney character Stitch is popular over here, reinforced by the two members in identical Stitch costumes (I was not-so-secretly hoping for a Stitch duel, but it wasn’t to be). It seemed they were doing a music video of sorts as one person filmed their choreography to music. There is a picture of me eating basashi (raw horse meat). The girlfriend had made a deal with me that she would buy it if I could recognize the kanji (Japanese writing based on Chinese characters). The catch was, however, that the kanji she pointed at necessary to memorize for my free meal was floating backwards on a waving flag as we walked by. Later, however, at the izakaiya (a bar restaurant) perusing the menu I recognized the kanji immediately and confidently stabbed the kanji with my index finger bellowing “Basashi!” Well, almost. Fortunately (for me) izakaiya menu’s display pictures for every item (think Denny’s). So, it was more like I saw a picture of raw meat and guessed, “Is this basashi?” with the girlfriend rolling her eyes and replying “Yes.” She asked what it tasted like and I replied venison. And she asked what venison tasted like and I replied a bit like ostrich. Then she asked what ostrich tasted like… Like colors to a blind person, it’s difficult to describe the deliciousness of meat to a vegetarian. Basically, it tasted like incredibly lean horse. Would I eat it again? In a heartbeat. Maybe. I suppose basashi is raw horse meat, but when they brought it out it was accompanied with a cute little stove, which of course I didn’t want them to bring it out in vain, so I used it to cook the meat. The picture with the girlfriend and Hillary Clinton… The picture was displayed randomly in the arcade as we were walking by (I think it had something to do with Earth Week) so now it has been randomly added to our collection. Enjoy.

Next week is Golden Week which is a week that encompass several holidays. Basically it’s a week off for the girlfriend and we’re going to explore Kyushu (the island where we’re living now). It will be a week full of hopefully golden sun, golden meals, and golden showers, but most importantly, golden memories.

Until next time friends,
Love,
Casey & The Girlfriend

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Notable Observations

Posted on April 18, 2009 by Casey

Konnichiwa All:

It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve set foot in Kumamoto and as I get settled into my new environment there are a few observations I’ve noticed: Walking and eating is tactless. White people stand out. White people who walk and eat stand out even more. People wait religiously for the crossing sign to indicate it’s safe to cross. Ricers (fast, supped up cars) are everywhere. Cars are strictly Japanese (Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Mazda, etc.) or German-esk (BMW, Mercedes, Mini Cooper, VW). Although there are a few makes I am unfamiliar with. Many models have different names, also. And Toyotas commonly showcase a crown emblem. The girlfriend’s apartment complex doesn’t have a second floor; it goes right from the first floor to the third. She doesn’t know why that is. Back to white people: I feel like a voyeur — I know that I can understand them, but they don’t know that, and I know they don’t know. It makes me feel sneaky. Now, back to vehicles (so long 8th grade English and “cohesive paragraphs”): Because vehicles drive on the other side (I’ll go ahead and say it — the “wrong” side) it takes a bit of deprogramming instead of checking “left, right, left” before crossing the street, which both I and a very angry (and belligerent) driver have found out. Another scary thought: getting into an accident in a foreign country, more specifically, me getting into an accident in Japan. They don’t even have 911, rather another obscure combination of codes.

Last week I feel I made a breakthrough with the language barrier. At the local 7-11 (called Seven & i Holdings) there it was: a corndog, golden brown and delicious. Unlike most of their goods, my golden desire was kept behind a glass counter and could only be retrieved by an employee. Standing by the counter looking helpless an employee approached me, and I assumed asked me if I needed assistance, to which I reply, “are ni shimasu,” translating to “I want that.” Regardless if the employee understood my bumbling Japanese or just my frantic pointing, I was rewarded with a gracious smile and the most delicious corn dog ever but more importantly the gratification of being understood. They even had cute ketchup and mustard packets to accompany it. It wasn’t until later I realized my snack on a stick could have been deep-fried anything, and I got lucky it was actually a corn-dog.

We had dinner at a place where sushi passed by on a conveyor belt. I tried raw octopus. It was rather bland but the texture was incredibly chewy. Even chewier when I would remember what it was that I was masticating. However, I am still looking forward to raw horse meat (basashi).

I am in awe of the girlfriend and her acquisition of the language. Whenever we go out I am consistently impressed by how well she is able to conduct her/our business. As I stumble through my phrase book looking up “Where is the bathroom located?” she simply points to the universal Man/Woman sign hanging in front of my face. But, if that sign wasn’t there, she would just go about and ask somebody in Japanese. I have been able to pick up sporadic words here and there, and the girlfriend is always overly ecstatic when I share my newfound knowledge.

Last weekend the girlfriend and I took a day trip to a village of bathhouses. Quaint would probably be the first word I use to describe it. When left alone without the girlfriend I felt pretty helpless. I saw a diagram indicating that you are supposed to shower before getting into the baths, however, I had much difficulty navigating to the shower. It turns out there wasn’t one. Once I was forced to quit being a baby and actually get into the bath all was good and relaxing in the world. Also, the bath temperature was a calming 98°c, that’s right, two centigrade degrees away from boiling. I would’ve taken a picture but none were permitted inside the baths. Also, much of the village smelled like eggs as they boil them in the hot springs and sell them for about 50 cents.

Another notable observation: Since my arrival there has only been one day of rain, which coincidentally coincided with my only bad mood. Now, I’m not saying that I have the ability to control the weather, rather, I’ll just let the facts speak for themselves.

We also got wireless internet today. Hurray! I need the girlfriend to read me the instructions so we can protect ourselves against opportunist internet seekers. So, expect more frequent bouts of e-mails and trivial updates!

As always,
Love Casey & The Girlfriend

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Greetings from Japan (specifically Kumamoto)

Posted on April 10, 2009 by Casey

Dear Family & Friends:

For this chapter of my life, I have decided to chronicle my adventures via e-mail and weblog (dimabilis.com). I apologize for the lack of updates on both fronts as we don’t have consistent internet, yet. Also, my website was hacked last month, and I haven’t been able to find the vulnerable script yet, so it may be down for maintenance at any given moment.

Anyways, the girlfriend is paranoid about her company finding out about my living with her, and I understand that my e-mails are so wonderful that people cannot help but forward them to family and friends alike (or often times is the case of making copies and handing them out to passersby on various street corners), so her name will remained unmentioned. The website will be updated soon to something of that effect. She also wants a private photo gallery that can only be accessed by direct link. I’ll provide it once that’s set up. Please don’t ask, you know the girlfriend and her ways.

The e-mails that I received from said girlfriend did not do Kumamoto justice — and I won’t be able to either. It is a spectacular and remarkable city that acts as the border between past and present, modern and rural. Kumamoto Castle is over 400 years old and dominates the center of the city. Yet right down the street are several of the largest department stores I’ve ever seen. Rochester has nothing comparable to the magnitude of these stores. Try imagining the entire Pittsford Wegmans as the basement level, and the first floor being the entire Marketplace mall (but with upscale shops like Tiffany’s and Luis Vuitton). Now imagine eight floors like this. Maybe the expanse isn’t quite that large, but it seems like it. Everything is vertical. Shops might have 4-5 levels of stores. Also, across the city’s landscape you can observe vast mountains in the not so distant distance.

For a moment we thought we could use the internet at McDonalds, but alas, I guess they don’t have it. Although there are numerous stickers boasting “Public Broadband” (written in English, with a smiley face nonetheless), but I guess that means something different over here. This e-mail is being sent from Kumamoto’s International Center which offers free 30 minute internet usage. The girlfriend mentioned that Japanese people think McDonalds originated in Japan.

Unlike our adventure to Korea, I feel it is necessary that I actually acquisition part of the language. Although I already consider myself perfectly fluent, I guess there’s more to the language than “yes,” “no,” and “it’s a big car.” Unfortunately the same thing happens here that I experienced in Korea, where I’ll say something along the lines of “Thank you,” and they will reply with a string of Japanese queries, to which I grin like an idiot and say “Hai,” followed by an awkward silence as I slowly back away.

Because of the indeterminate length of my stay here how often should I write? Monthly? Weekly? Well then, knowing the girlfriend’s temperament this may be the only e-mail you receive. Daily? As excited as many of you would be to receive my musings over your fresh cup of Joe, that might prove to be too hindering on my end where the quality of these writings would rapidly decline to primitive grunts found on twitter blogs. Well, I will adjust accordingly, and subsequently, I hope you will too.

As for my distribution of these e-mails, in the case of couples, I usually send it to one person (the one I like more). If for whatever reason you don’t care for these e-mails, please let me know (it will save me money on Christmas gifts). It would be kind of you to declare a statement as to why you are declining to hear from us/me. For example: (a) I have typed a family/friend’s e-mail incorrectly and thus I am accidentally sending this e-mail to you, a stranger (really, please e-mail me if this is the case, because as much as I would love to share these anecdotes with random people, they really are intended for specific recipients); (b) You don’t care for Japan or its culture in the slightest; (c) You don’t care for me in the slightest; (d) You do care for me but the frequency of these e-mails has become annoying; (e) You don’t want to receive these e-mails but you will not tell me because you still want a Christmas gift, so instead you are simply directing them straight to your trash can; (f) Your name is Matt.

I trust all is well with you and your own alike. Similarly, be warned that these e-mails and your (loving) comments may find a home on my blog (like the Korean e-mails). Take care and stay tuned.

Your eyes and ears on the other side of the world, Casey and his mysterious girlfriend

Posted in Japan '09 | 5 Comments

Casey’s Glacier, the Glacier Formerly Known as Maclaren Glacier

Posted on August 29, 2008 by Casey

Since operating this site I find myself thinking in a first-person narrative. It’s odd.

Yesterday, Allen took me and German writer Ollie up the Maclaren River and dropped us off by the glacier. 5-6 miles away from the glacier. Last night, we took a decent hike about 2 miles away and climbed up this thing:

Doesn’t look so bad, right? Well, it was. The terrain that was once welcoming became overly forbidding (those are also rain clouds), grabbing my feet and tripping me every other step. All the brush in front of us (in the picture) that seems relatively level and flat became a jungle atmosphere with plants that went over my head. I wish I had a machete. Was it worth it? Hell, yeah! Atop the hill all I could hear was my own beating heart, and I got a clear view of this:

When we trenched back to camp, we set up a fire and cooked steak and potatoes. With no extra seasonings it was delicious.

I slept for about 11 hours that night. The next morning (today) we cooked eggs, hash browns, and sausages and instant coffee. This meal was not so delicious. At 10:30 we grabbed our gear and headed towards the glacier. After every hill I thought we would be rewarded with a breathtaking view that would justify this whole trip, instead we were rewarded with another hill. Usually steeper and more dangerous looking than the one preceding it (once I had to get on my butt and scoot down because it was about a 45° incline, and I didn’t really want to die). Well, we finally made it to the glacier:

Heading back was pretty torturous. It turns out that Timberland construction boots are all well and good for construction work, and being fashionable (for those not into construction) but not for hiking. My feet were pretty blistered upon my return. It also turns out that that 5-6 mile hike was actually “a good 10 miles,” so double that and we trekked 20 miles in about 5 hours (stopping once for water and once on the glacier where we ate our ham and cheese sandwiches, kindly provided by Sue). Once we returned to camp we called Allen (via satellite phone) for a ride back as we only had cheese and bread to eat and had expunged our six-pack of beer. Ollie didn’t understand the importance of beer with campfires in America.

We saw: four caribou, seven ptarmigans (these ptarmigans are the dumbest birds ever as you probably don’t need to shoot one to eat it, rather just walk up to it and grab it), a bumblebee, a fox, an unidentifiable little bird, a fox, and caribou & bear droppings (and tracks) galore.

Things I’ve learned from Ollie (also a geographer):

  • Gold miners look for quartz as it could contain flecks of gold.
  • Quartz can dissolve in sugar and water.
  • I will probably be rich from all the gold inside all of the quartz I put in my pockets.
  • Having pocketsful of quartz does not making walking 10 miles back easier. As a matter of fact, it makes it more hindering. Go figure.
  • Moss and algae exist inside of glaciers.
  • German students either take 10 years of school or 13. If you don’t take 13 you cannot go to University. Everybody must learn 2 languages, including English.
  • Oktoberfest is a tourist holiday where beer costs twice as much.
  • The best chance of me getting employed in Germany is to work in the autumn picking grapes for wineries. There are also places in the UK that provide meals and housing in return for maintaining the landscapes of old castles.
  • There are places in Africa that has ‘ghost rain.’ It will rain, but evaporate before touching the ground when it is 40° C, these same places freeze over at night.
  • Germans cook sausages around a fire like we do s’mores. He had never even heard of a s’more (and evidently neither has my spell-check).
  • What does a couple making love in a canoe and American beer have in common? They’re both fucking close to water.

Other recaps:

Posted in Alaska '08 | 1 Comment

The Phone Call

Posted on August 27, 2008 by Casey

Similar to how Pandora’s curiosity unleashed the evils upon the world, could our hero have repierced the scabs holding back his fears, envy, insecurities, and desires?–all the evils that plagued him–that he thought he had gotten rid of permanently.

He called her. After he had hung up the phone his heart panged with immediate regret. I can only wonder why he is putting himself through this–torturing the fibers of his being. Could the ignorance really be better than knowing? Does he even want to know if she’s dating anybody, that she has successfully (and capably) moved on? What troubled him was that she was out, having fun (she never said his name, only called him ‘Dude’). She no longer put that on hold to talk, to catch up. Instead he is the one she put on hold. But, she asked him to call her tomorrow, to wake up at 6am to call her. That means she wants to talk, right? What else could it mean? What does our he have to lose?

Posted in Personal Development | 1 Comment

Hallo und Auf wedersehen

Posted on August 25, 2008 by Casey

I took an hour to drive the ATV about 5 miles back up to the Maclaren Summit and this time I went down a trail that led to an absolutely spectacular view. I had forgotten my camera, but I did bring the new book I’m reading, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

Tonight, right about closing time a young couple came in and asked if they could camp out in our parking lot (they had a camper). I said sure, just park closer to the road and away from the lodge so we could have space for customers tomorrow. The woman asked if there were any German, or Austrian, or Swedish guests. I figured she was looking for people to talk to, or perhaps she was curious as to the demograph of our visitors. I told her that we do occassionally have German tour buses but none tonight. It turns out that they were renting the camper, and they had one before that broke down, so when somebody came to replace it, they forgot to get their plug adaptor for their camera’s battery. So unfortunately they had a camera but no way to charge it. Guess who came to the rescue… Casey! I had my universal adaptor from my trip to Korea, and lo and behold, it worked like it was meant to.

Turns out this couple (Thomas & Stephanie) was from Switzerland visiting Alaska on holiday. They’ve been here for four weeks and will be going back home in a couple of days. Stephanie recommended that if I come to Europe, try to get a job in Switzerland as they pay very well. And I guess during the winter they look for people who can speak English to work at resorts where tourists come. They did inform me that people in Alaska are much friendlier, how they were sitting and chatting with me within minutes isn’t so common in Switzerland. People are more “distant.” It was a pleasant exchange over a couple beers. Meeting people from all over the world is what makes life interesting.

There was something very specific that we talked about that I found curiously interesting, but at this wee hour in the morning I seem to have forgotten it. Oh well. For those of you watching the webcam we should only have two buses tomorrow (about 88 people total). Each bus holds approximately 55 people. Our dining room’s capacity is is about 40 plus we can seat another dozen in the bar. Since it’s only been me, Sue & Allen, things can get pretty busy. I’m guessing we’ll see two large buses.

Also the cheap headphones that come with my iPod have broken. Somehow I wrapped them around my arm in my sleep, and when I awoke I had popped off one of the earbuds. Now the race is on (well, until Allen goes to town) to decide on a new pair. I think I’m going to opt away from the earbud design (Shure) and go for a headphones style (Bose). But there’s much research that needs to be done!

Posted in Alaska '08 | 2 Comments

My Love & My Mistress

Posted on August 8, 2008 by Casey

So I’ve fallen in love. She is sexy, exciting, adventurous, always keeping me on my toes, always showing me something new. It is amazing–new love always is–both parties trying their best to impress the other. But then the common insecurities creep back into my mind and decide to set up camp like unwelcome squatters. Late at night they whisper into my thoughts: What if you two don’t work out? What if you spent the better part of your youth chasing something that won’t ultimately make you happy? Is it really experience learned, or just wasted time?

Recently I met somebody else and I am quickly falling for her. I realize I need to keep things casual because I’m only in Alaska for a short amount of time and I can’t have things get too serious. Now I have this conundrum: I’m already in a committed relationship, we have plans for the future and we make each other happy. But this new girl is exotic and I’ve never met anybody like her. I realize it’s a dangerous game I’m playing. The longer I stay with her, the harder it will be to leave. I can see it now, I will dump my current love for this new possible romance. But I realize that that’s no good, because in the future things will grow cold. I will wonder why I gave up the love of my life in order to pursue this thing that I knew couldn’t work.

Then I remember why I fell in love with the first girl. She is what most men (and even women) want. Although she can be difficult at times, she is always worth it. The things she shows me are breathtaking, no less than marvels of God.

Would it be possible to maintain a relationship with both? Quite possibly, but it’s too risky. What would you do if the love of your life is Travel, and your mistress is Alaska?

There are so many things I want to write about, just not enough time to do it. Today’s entry will divert from my reflection on personal development and focus instead on how Alaska is, or more specifically, Maclaren River.

I purposely haven’t uploaded any pictures, not to keep people in nail-biting suspense, but because I wasn’t satisfied that the pictures I took properly conveyed the breathtaking scenery. Instead of the expanse, rolling mountains and glaciers, I end up with two-dimensional, flat images. I am a little more pleased with some of the panoramic shots because I feel they provide a bit more depth.

Well, without further adieu, I give to you: pictures.

There are some duplicates, because I couldn’t tell how the picture came out immediately, so I took another one just to be sure. There are some seemingly random images that make complete sense to only me, and after all, they are my memories. There are also some obscure ones, namely the one’s of a caribou bull that is hard to tell because he was so far away, but, like Waldo he’s in the picture.

Allen took a couple to go canoeing down the Maclaren River and I got to ride along since the lodge was fairly quiet. After dropping them off about 8 miles away from the lodge, we continued down another couple miles (getting our boat stuck once) towards the glacier. From where I stood it was about another 3-4 mile walk or so to the foot of the glacier, which I am sure would have been amazing. It is a spectacular sight when I see it from the lodge. It was even better seeing it closer. So following my flawless logic, actually being able to hike it would be breathtaking. It was on the way back that we saw the caribou. The two dogs on the boats are Jackson and Bandit.

Stay tuned as more pictures will be added to that link later. Also, check that site often for updated captions and descriptions. You might even consider bookmarking it or subscribing to the RSS feed if that’s you’re kind of thing. Don’t worry, I won’t tell. That’s it for now.

Posted in Alaska '08 | 2 Comments

Whitey’s Cabin

Posted on August 7, 2008 by Casey

So, it’s after midnight and I’m washing some dishes waiting for my clothes to dry. Listening to my iPod it is incredibly dark outside. Suddenly! A face appears in the window. It was only a guest who had locked himself out of his room and needed assistance back in.

That was no problem. What really spooked me when I returned to washing dishes, I heard… I’m not sure. At first it sounded like a child crying “mama”… Ok, so here I am, it’s past midnight, I was already startled by the bodyless face in the window. I know I’m just hearing things. I step outside just to confirm there wasn’t anybody. Big mistake. I hear voices, whispering. I am not going to investigate.

Silly me, it must be I left my iPod on and I’m hearing voices faintly through the headphones stuffed in my pocket. Yes! My iPod was on. So then why is it when I turned it off I still hear something being moved around? I hate living in a huge place, that’s dark, by myself. My imagination gets the best (or worst) of me. I am refusing to leave the living room where I am comfortably watching Spiderman 3. But I still hear those noises! Noises that I know shouldn’t bother me… It’s only humming coming from some weird … generators, maybe? Possibly the pop machine? I don’t know, but humming shouldn’t sound like people talking. Worse, the hairs on the back of my neck are raised, as though I’m being watched.

The freakiest part is that there’s a lodge on the premise, built in 1958 by the owner named Whitey. He lived in the cabin, and was promised that as long as the lodge was maintained, his specific cabin would always remain his. Eventually a new owner said hell with it, this is a perfectly good cabin that’s not being rented, Whitey is long gone … why did the lights just flicker? I want to go to bed … So he broke the lock off of the cabin. Evidently, there have been reports of … Goddamn it! Why does it sound like there’s somebody walking around? I am creeped out of my mind. I need to get my clothes from the dryer, but I don’t want to walk back there. Holy shit, it sounds like somebody is opening cabinets. I can’t even finish my story because I’m so creeped out.

Anyways, the new owner breaks the lock off the cabin, and since then it’s been reported that the cabin is haunted. One of the girls who left told me how it’s not uncommon to make the beds, leave, and when you return it looks as though all of the beds had been laid on. These, “things” are not supposed to be unfriendly, but they sure scare the hell out of me. At first I didn’t think much of it, but now, now everything I believed has changed. I need to talk to the owners tomorrow and ask what they know about this. The whispering noises, I refuse to walk into the kitchen in case the cabinet are, in fact, open. What would you do if you were living in a haunted house? Right now I can live with the idea that my imagination is playing tricks on me–but what if it’s not? What if I enter the kitchen and cabinets and drawers are open? I think I would knock on the owners door (who sleep in their own cabin) and ask them to sleep on their floor.

Maybe it’s a culmination of my being lonely, hearing the stories of the ghosts, and seeing that guy’s face suddenly appear in the window. Or it could be what Ron Wendt wrote in his book Haunted Alaska: Ghost Stories from the Far North, “Phantom women talk in some other dimension at Maclaren River Lodge. A haunted brothel.” I just read that moments ago after hearing the voices, so my mind wasn’t prejudice when I witnessed the noises. I still hear somebody or something walking around. My clothes have been dry for an hour now, and I need to work up the courage to retrieve them.

There is so much stuff in this world that we as a species don’t understand. It is known that energy cannot be created or destroyed. (Morbid) Scientists claim that the body loses weight at the instance of death, almost as though something leaves the body. If this thing is a spirit that is released from the body at death, what happens to this energy? What happens if this energy gets trapped and can’t escape? Where do these feelings go? There is the common notion depicted in movies that those who cannot let something go, who needs something righted cannot move on properly. If I were that kid from the Sixth Sense I would go crazy. Of course though, this is his life. He grew up with this knowledge, he knew it as fact. Dead people walk around not knowing their dead, and he for some reason can see them. A common philosophical question is how do we know what we perceive is real? Descartes proposed the problem that we could all be dreaming. All of our memories are concocted, like how things seem so real in a dream, including back stories and memories.

Well, this was something I totally didn’t plan on writing about. Hold on a moment, I am going to gather my laundry. If I don’t return (not that you’ll know because this rant won’t get posted) then know that ghosts, spooks, goblins and monsters are real. Well, I’m back, and I kid you not, the garbage was knocked over! I am not making this up. Well, any plans I might have had about staying during the winter have been revoked. I am going to wrap up this unnecessarily long post with the promise of another one later this week about my personal development. I am going to try to go to sleep.

Posted in Alaska '08 | 1 Comment

Alaska: Week 1

Posted on August 4, 2008 by Casey

I’ve been living in the lodge since Friday (about five days) and it’s been exhilarating.

Let me start from the beginning. Since my arrival I have been staying with various relatives (thanks Uncle John & Leah, and Aunt Patty & Paul!) who have been generous enough to house, feed and show me all that Fairbanks has to offer. (Evidently according to my Uncle John, the most exciting thing to see in Fairbanks are how the rivers were flooding.) I got to venture to Alaska Land, or rather Pioneer Park, see downtown Fairbanks, Fairbanks University (not F-U, rather UAF), the Alaskan pipeline, muskox, a moose, and fire-weed. At the University I got to see the future of virtual reality thanks to a super computer. Wearing glasses fitted with LCD screens I was able to manipulate a wire cube and fill it with a purple goop. Next are virtual keyboards like those depicted in Minority Report.

The five hour drive wasn’t as tedious due to the good company (provided by my Aunt Patty) and beautiful scenery. We stopped a couple places along the way to take pictures. One of the places is called Delta Junction where the population is approximately 50% Russian. For those of you know my culinary curiosities, I just had to purchase some Russian snacks. We took the Denali Highway and arrived at The Maclaren River Lodge on Friday (like I said earlier, duh). One of the lodges that was originally built in 1958 by the owner named Whitey (called Whitey’s cabin) is supposedly haunted and written about in some ghost publications. I still haven’t seen any evidence of an other worldly presence, yet.

Work around the lodge is plentiful. There are dishes to wash, people to wait on, pool to play, beds to make, etc., etc. But the views are spectacular. When I have a bit more free time (like tomorrow perhaps) I will upload some of the pictures that do absolutely zero justice to the scenery. The people I work with are extradinarly pleasant. Since my arrival, three of the high school girls went back to school in Fairbanks (yesterday) and two others are moving to Deering, so it will just be me and the two owners.

Since half of my goal here is to do self-reflection and strengthening myself (the other half is just experiencing Alaska) I have had a lot of time to do that. I wrote an e-mail today to Jonna expressing such things, which is pretty long winded… but I would like to post it as a significant mark on my own development. Maybe later.

Well, it’s almost 11 at night (making it 3 AM in Rochester). To recap, I’m meeting lots of nice people, networking so to say for future travels. I have met people from all over the U.S. and other places. When I am in southern England I will check up on John and what’s-her-name. Crap! I guess I won’t be looking them up after all. But the tourists are endless and from all over: England, Germany, Ireland, California (whose wine is delicious, and invited us to tour his winery if we’re ever in the area), Minnesota (Rochester), Texas (Houston), and more that I cannot remember.

This sums up tonight’s episode. Hopefully I will be more consistent with updating, and also writing more about my own personal development.

P.S. I might be getting magicJack which is a VOIP phone and will give me a “free” phone number with access wherever there is a computer and broadband access.

Posted in Alaska '08 | 2 Comments