So the Executive Producer and I ended up flying out to Dallas to visit Funimation, one of our co-production partners, before flying out the LA for the week-long slog of AFM. While I don't recommend not sleeping at all on the plane coming out, it is a pretty handy way to combat jetlag. Unfortunately I had forgotten to take into account dinner on the other side, so was basically in a world of pain for a while. Glutton for punishment? Apparently it's genetic.
The DFW springhill suites has an incredible room arrangement with exceedingly comfortable beds and large rooms. I actually felt slight culture shock coming in.
Meeting up with Chris and his wife Leila (plus their daughter Evie in tow) was awesome. We got the 2 bit tour of Dallas looking for restaurants. And for all that we are in Texas, apparently there are NO BBQ places open on Halloween Sunday. It was rather surreal. We ended up at a steakhouse called Sweetgrass, where I reaffirmed my love for steak, garlic mashed potatoes, and a ranch side salad.
I hate to admit it, but it is the food more than anything else (aside from really wanting to see family and friends) that makes me want to come back here. I supposed I have hit a mental plateau with my Japanese for a bit, (especially given that I have a habit to comparing myself to my coworkers... despite the fact they are Thai and Korean) and it makes me want to throw in the towel sometimes. The idea that I won't be here for another 3 years is disturbing, though I suspect moving back here would make me miss Japan just as much. Perhaps I will try to move to Osaka before the soulkilling pit of Tokyo leaves me naught but an empty shell of gaijin OL. Still, I find as I live there longer, I grow used to the sprawling beast of the Japanese capital and like certain aspects of it.
Again too, there is the memory of meeting up with friends and all the adventures I am having out there, that reminds me that I belong in Japan at this current period of my life. Thank goodness I met up with Mika for a quick lunch before leaving Tokyo, or I suspect this trip might have been substantially more painful.
I suspect LA this week will hold a similar challenge for me. Between the day of what is shaping up to be brutal negotiations with Funimation, 8 days of boothwork at AFM, and then a full week of work after, I am just praying I don't get sick. Thank goodness we have the 23rd off!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Starting things back up again
So after the drought of posts, I figured enough is happening that I really should get down blogwise. My apologies in advance if anyone is actually reading. All 2 of you anyway, Hi Mom!
Well, let's see.
Life has had it's ups and downs this year and has otherwise been, well, life.
Ran and completed Tokyo Marathon in February. It snowed, was cold, and very very fun. I also got into Tokyo 2011, so training has been starting back up again.
Clover and horsetail tempura for my birthday in Ueno was delicious and I still grin thinking of celebrating my birthday with Kyoko and Leon with nice wine, assorted foods, and good cake after a nice walk in the park.
Cherry Blossom viewing with Kuri and her gang was overly pink in many ways, and it really doesn't matter. The view is, for lack of a better word, incredible. I think I will make an attempt to go next year again at Shinjuku Gyoen.
Family pictures with Miwako's family and cherry blossoms in Kyoto has effected me deeper than words will ever explain.
Rach came out for her graduation trip to visit. Aside from me being a grouch for having to work over half the time she was here, we hit up Kawaguchiko, Disney Sea, and Kyoto, and I think had a relatively good time. Meiji Jingu Iris path is incredible in Mid to Late June. I'm just saying.
Other than that, Climbing Mt. Fuji with 6 of the craziest friends and acquaintances I have. After a relatively sleepless night in the mountain shack, we barely made it to the top to one of the most amazing sunrises I have ever seen... though that may be the delusion from lack of sleep. Thank GOD we had dramamine.
Visiting with Lorelei and Janice both during the one day I was able to take was incredible, though I still don't know if I have the words to describe the terror of the responsibility for driving her around in the front seat without crashing. On the plus side, it would have been hard for Janice to kill me if I came down with a sudden case of... mortality. Teaching her how to roller skate while seeing Steph and Tesa was incredible as well, though it was a pointed reminder how much of her childhood I am missing by being over here.
Oh, and that is another thing. They made me a Producer (or more like Asst. Producer, but they call me a producer anyway) on Dragon Age and another Co-Pro with America this year. Actually, they have pulled me off the bulk of DA's translation and handling stuff since we recently have started adding a 3rd Co-Pro, mostly at my behest, or so they remind me. There is something to be said when the executive producer comes straight out and tells you, "A sane producer does one production a year. An experienced one... maybe two. If you do three, you're going to end up in the hospital." And I finally got pulled off the International Division in September. My workload got to the point where I worked 2 months of weekends and finally had to ask for help. Alas, I still do some of the International Division stuff I did before as there is no one to replace the hole in the ranks both in Tokyo and in the US, but hopefully the woman they hired in to handle the US and Europe will be able to pick up the reins soon. Admittedly, I would have been happier if another bilingual had been hired, and the amount of times she says, "I can't do it" in a day worries me, but again, each person has their own method of handling things. And I doubt I would have had the guts to hire into a Japanese company where only 10% of the people could speak English. Especially after only 1 interview and a job offer in my mailbox in less than a week. Yeah... anyone else think they rushed this one just a tad?
They've tapped an English speaking friend to help with the communication issues and with the amount of sheer crap that is about to be flung at the Intl. Production division (me and 2 other guys). I suspect she will start taking over for the Intl. Sales side of things as well. I admit, between being pulled off DA and off sales within a 4 week period is kind of a psychological wrench. I am happy to be given the opportunity to work on the two productions with an amazing team of people, but the knowledge that I can't go home (the initial plan was to go and open a US office within 2 years. Between visiting studios and dealing with production, that just isn't practical in this job), or at least, I can't until these two at least are finished... in 2012. I'm enjoying the chaos of things so far, but as they keep reminding me, we haven't even reached the hard part yet. So this might take some serious thinking... especially when I remember that something like this means only seeing close family once a year for a week. I don't know. Is it worth it? I hope so. Though I figure if not here, I'd be in the same or worse situation in the states. At least here I have an income.
Other than that, I got carded yesterday by an undercover cop enroute to work at Ebisu. The scary part is that, after seeing his badge, I didn't ask questions, just handed it over for his inspection. I mean, he let me go on my merry way, but in the states, something like that is more or less illegal without reasonable cause. Even in Japan they have to have reasonable cause to search you like that... and no, being foreign doesn't justify it. So why didn't I argue or make his job more difficult? Probably because I was focused on getting to work ASAP. Or maybe because he too was doing his job. But it did have a 1984 feel to it. I mean, of ALL THE FOREIGN ELEMENT that goes through Ebisu every day, he chooses me? I mean, come on. How menacing can a 5 foot tall red-head be.... Oh... red head.... right. I withdraw the question.
Well, let's see.
Life has had it's ups and downs this year and has otherwise been, well, life.
Ran and completed Tokyo Marathon in February. It snowed, was cold, and very very fun. I also got into Tokyo 2011, so training has been starting back up again.
Clover and horsetail tempura for my birthday in Ueno was delicious and I still grin thinking of celebrating my birthday with Kyoko and Leon with nice wine, assorted foods, and good cake after a nice walk in the park.
Cherry Blossom viewing with Kuri and her gang was overly pink in many ways, and it really doesn't matter. The view is, for lack of a better word, incredible. I think I will make an attempt to go next year again at Shinjuku Gyoen.
Family pictures with Miwako's family and cherry blossoms in Kyoto has effected me deeper than words will ever explain.
Rach came out for her graduation trip to visit. Aside from me being a grouch for having to work over half the time she was here, we hit up Kawaguchiko, Disney Sea, and Kyoto, and I think had a relatively good time. Meiji Jingu Iris path is incredible in Mid to Late June. I'm just saying.
Other than that, Climbing Mt. Fuji with 6 of the craziest friends and acquaintances I have. After a relatively sleepless night in the mountain shack, we barely made it to the top to one of the most amazing sunrises I have ever seen... though that may be the delusion from lack of sleep. Thank GOD we had dramamine.
Visiting with Lorelei and Janice both during the one day I was able to take was incredible, though I still don't know if I have the words to describe the terror of the responsibility for driving her around in the front seat without crashing. On the plus side, it would have been hard for Janice to kill me if I came down with a sudden case of... mortality. Teaching her how to roller skate while seeing Steph and Tesa was incredible as well, though it was a pointed reminder how much of her childhood I am missing by being over here.
Oh, and that is another thing. They made me a Producer (or more like Asst. Producer, but they call me a producer anyway) on Dragon Age and another Co-Pro with America this year. Actually, they have pulled me off the bulk of DA's translation and handling stuff since we recently have started adding a 3rd Co-Pro, mostly at my behest, or so they remind me. There is something to be said when the executive producer comes straight out and tells you, "A sane producer does one production a year. An experienced one... maybe two. If you do three, you're going to end up in the hospital." And I finally got pulled off the International Division in September. My workload got to the point where I worked 2 months of weekends and finally had to ask for help. Alas, I still do some of the International Division stuff I did before as there is no one to replace the hole in the ranks both in Tokyo and in the US, but hopefully the woman they hired in to handle the US and Europe will be able to pick up the reins soon. Admittedly, I would have been happier if another bilingual had been hired, and the amount of times she says, "I can't do it" in a day worries me, but again, each person has their own method of handling things. And I doubt I would have had the guts to hire into a Japanese company where only 10% of the people could speak English. Especially after only 1 interview and a job offer in my mailbox in less than a week. Yeah... anyone else think they rushed this one just a tad?
They've tapped an English speaking friend to help with the communication issues and with the amount of sheer crap that is about to be flung at the Intl. Production division (me and 2 other guys). I suspect she will start taking over for the Intl. Sales side of things as well. I admit, between being pulled off DA and off sales within a 4 week period is kind of a psychological wrench. I am happy to be given the opportunity to work on the two productions with an amazing team of people, but the knowledge that I can't go home (the initial plan was to go and open a US office within 2 years. Between visiting studios and dealing with production, that just isn't practical in this job), or at least, I can't until these two at least are finished... in 2012. I'm enjoying the chaos of things so far, but as they keep reminding me, we haven't even reached the hard part yet. So this might take some serious thinking... especially when I remember that something like this means only seeing close family once a year for a week. I don't know. Is it worth it? I hope so. Though I figure if not here, I'd be in the same or worse situation in the states. At least here I have an income.
Other than that, I got carded yesterday by an undercover cop enroute to work at Ebisu. The scary part is that, after seeing his badge, I didn't ask questions, just handed it over for his inspection. I mean, he let me go on my merry way, but in the states, something like that is more or less illegal without reasonable cause. Even in Japan they have to have reasonable cause to search you like that... and no, being foreign doesn't justify it. So why didn't I argue or make his job more difficult? Probably because I was focused on getting to work ASAP. Or maybe because he too was doing his job. But it did have a 1984 feel to it. I mean, of ALL THE FOREIGN ELEMENT that goes through Ebisu every day, he chooses me? I mean, come on. How menacing can a 5 foot tall red-head be.... Oh... red head.... right. I withdraw the question.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Hisashiburi no post! Nenmatsu Nenshi
Happy New Year~! I think I'll be writing 2009 until well into March.
A sum up of events that I may or may not go back and write in detail.
Had fun looking at xmas lights after an impromptu taco dinner with Johnny, Aki, and Leon. Seeing a house with Winnie the Pooh Santa and Hello Kitty santa within 2 feet of each other was... an experience.
Christmas mass with Tami and Yoichiro in Ochanomizu was... nostalgic and kind of warped. Japanese xmas carols are different from American. The childrens choir was much the same. Felt good to try a Christmas service again, though I think I'll keep my faith to running thank you. Lunch with some of the attendies and the pastor was a bit over the top, but fun. A little disturbing to be the ONLY foreigner in that particular service, though there were many in the one following.
Christmas eve and Christmas day was work, though I went to Karaoke with Hyunah, Yuki, and Fang in a somewhat determined pitch to NOT spend xmas alone. It was fun, and I got home with enough time to watch Lorelei open presents at... 1AM
The 29-today was technically a vacation, so I hung out with Derek and Dai-chan. Was running late all week, but some things just can't be helped. Watching Kouhaku Utagassen on my phone while playing warcraft alone on NYE wasn't how I would have planned it, but that's the breaks. Next year, I will do balloons in Zoujouji by tokyo tower. Luckily the Osechi Ryori new years food Dai needed for her project showed up with no problems (thank god). Leon came over and the four of us made brownies and had an impromptu present opening while we had osechi and martinellis in the ultimate east meets west combo.
NY day was spent battling crowds at Meiji-jingu in Harajuku... which is kind of like Disneyland with the 70 minute wait to enter, but with no ride at the end, and you are lined up more like in a marathon. We went out the opposite end of the shrine and ended up wandering around on an adventure, eventually finding our way to Yoyogi station. Dai also got a little feral kitty lovin as one successfully managed to infiltrate her lap. Shinjuku Northern and Southern lights were nice too, but NOTHING is open on NY in this country... I swear.
2nd was a field trip to Kobe to meet up with Yumi. I had some adventures getting to the train and ended up hopping one behind D&D but still managed to catch up nonetheless. Cake with Yumi was nice and it was a relief to give her the bday present I have been holding on to. Dinner at the Bikkuri Donkey by Dai-chans and then whooshed to the hotel in Osaka next to the shady boarded up church with bums drinking on the steps and multiple televisions in the wall playing some shady televangelist program. The hotel was nice and cheap, and I may have to stay there again.
Kyoto was the next two days and a real pleasure for me. I miss it a lot and hearing kansai accent did much for my sanity. I may have to start taking trips there more often. We had more crowd adventures at Fushimi-Inari where I thanked the fox god for helping to shove my job in the right direction (just in case) and posted a prayer for Les' Success (took pictures for ya Les!). We got some amazing shots from the top of the mountain it is on too.
I got antsy to get home the second day so I left early for Tokyo, stood most of the way back, and got a call from my boss not 30 minutes after I got back asking me to come in today... despite it being a day off. Damn Americans. The shipment couldn't wait a day?
Which led me to an early morning laundry session, getting into work at about 11, and staying til about 4ish. Got to have lunch with Jo, the new gal out of the Singapore office everyone thought was a myth. I swear there were like four people there though. Ah well. Ended up reading since my internet connection didn't work for a chunk of that and I had to wait for FedEx.
SO. Weird happening today. I ended up getting in touch with one of my original host sisters, and a student I used to tutor (who was... 10? when I tutored her and is now in HS... FEELS OLD) somewhat randomly. Send a NY email and wasn't expecting a reply. I'm getting deja vu here.
Alas, blasts from the past will wait as work "starts" tomorrow in earnest.
A sum up of events that I may or may not go back and write in detail.
Had fun looking at xmas lights after an impromptu taco dinner with Johnny, Aki, and Leon. Seeing a house with Winnie the Pooh Santa and Hello Kitty santa within 2 feet of each other was... an experience.
Christmas mass with Tami and Yoichiro in Ochanomizu was... nostalgic and kind of warped. Japanese xmas carols are different from American. The childrens choir was much the same. Felt good to try a Christmas service again, though I think I'll keep my faith to running thank you. Lunch with some of the attendies and the pastor was a bit over the top, but fun. A little disturbing to be the ONLY foreigner in that particular service, though there were many in the one following.
Christmas eve and Christmas day was work, though I went to Karaoke with Hyunah, Yuki, and Fang in a somewhat determined pitch to NOT spend xmas alone. It was fun, and I got home with enough time to watch Lorelei open presents at... 1AM
The 29-today was technically a vacation, so I hung out with Derek and Dai-chan. Was running late all week, but some things just can't be helped. Watching Kouhaku Utagassen on my phone while playing warcraft alone on NYE wasn't how I would have planned it, but that's the breaks. Next year, I will do balloons in Zoujouji by tokyo tower. Luckily the Osechi Ryori new years food Dai needed for her project showed up with no problems (thank god). Leon came over and the four of us made brownies and had an impromptu present opening while we had osechi and martinellis in the ultimate east meets west combo.
NY day was spent battling crowds at Meiji-jingu in Harajuku... which is kind of like Disneyland with the 70 minute wait to enter, but with no ride at the end, and you are lined up more like in a marathon. We went out the opposite end of the shrine and ended up wandering around on an adventure, eventually finding our way to Yoyogi station. Dai also got a little feral kitty lovin as one successfully managed to infiltrate her lap. Shinjuku Northern and Southern lights were nice too, but NOTHING is open on NY in this country... I swear.
2nd was a field trip to Kobe to meet up with Yumi. I had some adventures getting to the train and ended up hopping one behind D&D but still managed to catch up nonetheless. Cake with Yumi was nice and it was a relief to give her the bday present I have been holding on to. Dinner at the Bikkuri Donkey by Dai-chans and then whooshed to the hotel in Osaka next to the shady boarded up church with bums drinking on the steps and multiple televisions in the wall playing some shady televangelist program. The hotel was nice and cheap, and I may have to stay there again.
Kyoto was the next two days and a real pleasure for me. I miss it a lot and hearing kansai accent did much for my sanity. I may have to start taking trips there more often. We had more crowd adventures at Fushimi-Inari where I thanked the fox god for helping to shove my job in the right direction (just in case) and posted a prayer for Les' Success (took pictures for ya Les!). We got some amazing shots from the top of the mountain it is on too.
I got antsy to get home the second day so I left early for Tokyo, stood most of the way back, and got a call from my boss not 30 minutes after I got back asking me to come in today... despite it being a day off. Damn Americans. The shipment couldn't wait a day?
Which led me to an early morning laundry session, getting into work at about 11, and staying til about 4ish. Got to have lunch with Jo, the new gal out of the Singapore office everyone thought was a myth. I swear there were like four people there though. Ah well. Ended up reading since my internet connection didn't work for a chunk of that and I had to wait for FedEx.
SO. Weird happening today. I ended up getting in touch with one of my original host sisters, and a student I used to tutor (who was... 10? when I tutored her and is now in HS... FEELS OLD) somewhat randomly. Send a NY email and wasn't expecting a reply. I'm getting deja vu here.
Alas, blasts from the past will wait as work "starts" tomorrow in earnest.
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