Under the Bridge and Far Away

There was some kind of palatable substance to the atmosphere as I left the classroom this evening. As I walked down the street towards Kakegawa station, I could hear a massive blossoming of noise overhead. The street is lined with lush green trees, and countless sparrows or other such small birds were flitting here and there among the branches and from tree to tree. The communal sound they made was a wonderful din, bringing me immediately back to Davisville park in Toronto. Out behind the subway station there is a park complete with tennis courts, jungle gym, baseball diamond and wading pool. Between two of the main paths the trees grow thickly together, their upper branches lost in a tangle that no one could sort out. In these trees during the summer months there is always a massive flock of sparrows making the same exact clamour.

Once I got to the main intersection outside the station I could see thousands of these birds in the trees and in the skies surrounding the entire area. Above me it was mostly clouded over, and as the sun was sinking from the sky it coated everything in a pink glow; it was like wearing colored lenses over my eyes. As I approached the station itself, I could hear what I thought was an animal wrestling match, perhaps two cats or raccoons or something of that nature. When I reached the steps I could see a group of people clad in green uniforms across the parking lot and one of them was holding a pole with a speaker attached to the end: the source of the screeching noises. They were trying to scare away the birds, but I can tell you that their efforts seemed to be in vain. Maybe with twenty such speakers-on-a-pole they could have rousted half of the birds present.

Now I’m going to step back for a moment and describe a few of the goings-on in my life within the past week. Just this last weekend I went down to Hamamatsu to visit my friend Christine, one of the other Peppy Kids teachers. I had recently bought a guitar and she had recently bought a keyboard, so we thought we would have ourselves a little jam session. As we were heading to a party later that evening she had invited our friend Koichi along as well. We hung out for a good while and enjoyed making music while Christine whipped up some home-made alcoholic drink that was actually quite tasty. Stepping out after a few glasses we got ourselves to the train station and went to meet up with Christine’s Brazilian friends who were taking us to the party.

I didn’t know what to expect. I only knew where we were going once we got in the minivan with them. What a ride that was. We were peeling out through suburban roads somewhere in Hamamatsu or Tenryugawa, and the seat Christine and I were on was not firmly attached to the floor, so we rocked back and forth at every turn. Being somewhat tipsy, this was absolutely hilarious at the time. We drove around some back roads looking for the party and finally saw some other cars pulled off at the side of the road. We got the minivan down where the rest of the cars were parked and saw just how many of them there were. Now this was an interesting surprise; I didn’t know that this was going to be such a big party. Once we got clear of the cars and into the main space I saw what was happening. This was a serious party going on! The entire party was taking place directly under the TOMEI expressway, one of the biggest highways in Japan. The organizers had set up a full stage under the bridge with a nice sound system, and even a computer that was projecting visuals on a screen behind the DJs. There were booths set up around the side, and even fire dancers in the back. Throughout the night I would say about a good 200 people went through that party. And it was hard psychedelic trance music all night long. Not exactly my favorite, but all in all it was good times. I was there with Christine and Koichi, and they’re good people, and we ended up meeting a crew of cute Brazilian and Japanese girls who we partied and danced with for the rest of the evening. There’s a whole host of pictures up on my online album, taken with my brand new digital camera. Feel free to check em out, the link is on the right side of this page.

Then, a couple of nights ago I had quite the chat with Christian. We were discussing a glut of strange information and documentaries we had downloaded recently. Christian showed me a link that had a story and video clip from a rave in Utah. This was a massive outdoor function that the promoters had sunk a lot of money into. The proper permits were obtained, and the party was completely legal. This didn’t stop the authorities, however, who raided the party. They arrived in helicopters decked out in full camouflage and brandishing assault rifles. Attack dogs were unleashed on party-goers, and several people were attacked by the raiders themselves, including a tiny girl who was kicked in the stomach. Here’s the link:

http://video.greatestjournal.com/node/212

We also got to talking about several conspiracies that have been floating around for some time; specifically issues pertaining to space phenomena, and allegations of US government involvement in the 9/11 attacks. The documentaries and websites I have examined all point to some very shady behavior on the part of governmental agencies. There was also an astounding package I downloaded that contained video and information regarding Stanley Meyers. Whether or not what he did was a hoax is still questionable I suppose, but why would the Arabs have offered him billions of dollars to sit on his invention? Why would the US government appropriate his patents so that the military or NASA could use his inventions however they pleased if the work he was doing had no merit? And what about his assassination? This man was trying to come up with an alternate fuel source and he was killed for it. Obviously the capitalist fatcats and their pocket padding is far more important than the plight of EVERYONE on this planet. In the end what all this recent information points out to me is further evidence that the US government believes it is in the position to do whatever it wants. And it sickens me. To those of you reading this that aren’t currently living in the states: STAY AWAY! And to those of you who are, please question what you are being fed by the media. It’s scary how much control they are trying to exert over you.

Well… I didn’t want to end this on such a low note, especially considering I started it off with something much nicer, so I thought I’d tell you all what my latest plans are post-Japan. If the money flow is working in my favor I intend to do what I had planned before even coming here, which is to tour southeastern Asia: Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Once that is done, however long it takes, I’ll be heading back to California to regroup for a little while before heading up to Vancouver to live for an indefinite amount of time. I have decided to continue my education, and I believe that I am being called in the direction of sociology, so I am going to attempt my master’s degree at the University of British Columbia. Strangely enough, it seems I am not the only one who has decided that Vancouver is the place to be these days. At least a half-dozen of my friends are planning a move there in the next year or so. This makes me all the more excited for the possibility of making it my new home.

And this is a special shout out to Mr. Kevin Keast, if he’s reading this:
CONGRATULATIONS! The first member of the AWC to be betrothed! Way to go. I wish I could be there in person, but I’m hoping Bruno can cover for me as my representative from Japan. You and Sarah have been great for so long. I know this is the beginning of something even greater for the two of you. Much love, my friends.

And to everyone else, I hope you are all doing wonderfully wherever you are. Keep up the good work, and keep smiling.