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Mpls, MN, United States

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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Detroit

Hello, remaining readers. I am chagrined to see that it has been more than a week since I've posted here, despite the many exciting happenings in the interim. (The Suzanne Farrel ballet! A rock show! Thai-themed dinner party! Hidden Falls! Roomba! New luggage! [The latter modeled, at left, by David, who demonstrates its Helium lightness, even fully loaded. I was all stoked about the deal I got on it at Macy's--60% off as part of some big sale that started yesterday--until I saw the Amazon prices. Ahh, well. These days, getting Amazon prices in person, with no shipping charges, is still no mean feat... especially when you've left it to the last minute.])


When I started this at about 1:00 a.m. this morning, I was sitting in this same comfy seat in the Detroit airport, although the water feature--now sending up dancing streams of pressurized water--was sussurating placidly and the terminal was almost entirely deserted. It was a little eerie, actually: such a large, shiny space half locked away behind metal bars, and half inviting nearly unlimited exploration.
Now, on the other hand, at 6:30, the place is bustling and I'm so distracted by the endlessly changing crowds that I can hardly write. Seriously: a young dude in shorts just walked by in a bright yellow plastic pith helmet.
6:30 a.m. here makes it 7:30 p.m. in Tokyo, for which I depart in about seven hours. My grand plan last night had been to try to stay up and convince my body that it was the middle of the afternoon in an attempt to defray the effects of jet lag. It would undoubtedly have been easier had these colorful crowds been streaming by then, but as it was, I made it to a paltry 2:00 a.m. local time before curling up in this chair and sleeping until 5:30. I don't know if it was the crowds, the fountains, or the chirping of the birds (of which there seems to be a surprisingly large, and not unpleasantly loud, population) that awakened me, but I got up and printed my boarding pass before returning to my post here. And now, although it's a nearly-acceptable bedtime in Tokyo, things here will only get brighter, louder, and less sleep-conducive.
I'm writing from David's tiny Net book, which he kindly loaned me for the trip. The keyboard is ridiculously compressed, but its trade-off in size and weight is completely worth it, as is the cheap ($8 for 24 hours of Internet) entertainment (and of course being able to reach out and touch all of you). I'll try to use it to keep in touch during the trip and to post some pictures--especially because where else on earth would you feel more justified posing in front of famous landmarks while someone else takes your photo (perhaps whilst you flash a peace sign)?
I'm only going to be in Japan for a total of about five days, and already I'm anticipating the surreality of the whole adventure. Starting out sleep-deprived will undoubtedly only add to that; hopefully I can get another nap or two in before I get there.

6 comments:

Leah said...

Wow, five days?! You've got a lot of fortitude, though if I had the chance at five days in Tokyo, I'd certainly take it too.

speednef

Ellen said...

To fully experience your stay, just don't sleep.

There has to be a strange stimulant you can buy in Japan that will keep you up all week.

And have a great time!

prechw

Nicole said...

Can't wait to hear all about it. YAY JAPAN!

BrianV said...

I am very jealous--as I almost always am when anyone I know travels anywhere cool.

Tokyo seems so crazy to me--the largest metro area in the world--32,000 people live there!! It blows my mind a bit. I hope you will post pics, etc--that way I can live vicariously through your blog.

Unknown said...

Work it, David, work it!!!

CëRïSë said...

Leah, yep, it was a crazy whirlwind! More about that later.

Ellen, if I really did have the fortitude Leah mentioned, maybe I would try this.

Nic, I'll do my best to describe the experience!

Brian, I guess it depends on how you define the area, but, yeah, upwards of 30 million--totally massive!

And Holly, thanks for encouraging David's inner supermodel. =)