Warning: Down Time

Recently, I have been trying to have a little down time. You know, not doing much of anything except relaxing at home. Currently, I an on the tail end of a transition in my daily work schedule. I have been enduring tight all day meetings, along with, making sure everyone is to to speed with everyone else. I have backed off the independent teacher stuff for a while. I cannot balance my duties at work with trying to teach students on the side. Besides, my day job is gonna fill my days pretty well; leaving me little time for any side work.

Anyway, I have somehow been able to squeeze out some much needed down time from my schedule. I need these few days to get my head clear and focus myself for what will prove to be a very busy March. I will start traveling around the Tokyo area to manage several different branches under my responsibility; starting from March. A lot of work has already went into getting the system set up, and we are pretty much ready to lock and load. I do expect a few tough spots during March but six months from now the area manager system should be running like a well oiled machine.

Everyone is focusing on a different part of branch operation they want to improve. For me, I am going to put a huge focus on improving professional appearance, increase sales by increasing the variety of lessons offered, developing a closer bond along teachers, involve teachers more in the daily operation of their base branch, etc... After looking at what I am up against I feel that I get at lease get some improvement out of all parts of branch operation I want.

But anyway...enough of that work stuff. I am getting tanked! Oh yeah, instead of running around Tokyo looking for something to get into, I am relaxing at home getting wasted on big bottles of Kirin Beer classic. I have had little desire to venture out into the depths of the city as of late. I know exactly what is out there. As of late, I just have not had much of a desire to jump head first into the madness of Tokyo. Maybe this is good for me due to all the stuff I been working on recently. Staying out of trouble has it advantage.

SO, how many of you out there like to get tanked at home as a way of letting off steam? What is your favorite drink to get smashed on at home?

I am Stronger Than a Demon! HaHa

When the going get tough, the tough get a gun! Well, maybe not in Japan; but you get my point. I have been kind of hard on myself the past couple of weeks. While it is good to kick yourself in the ass sometimes, for motivation purposes, too much can get you stuck in a hole. So I have snapped out of it and pulled myself up by my bootstraps.

When I think about all the crazy ass stuff that goes down in Tokyo daily, and compare it to what life was like in West Virginia, Tokyo really is a push over in most cases. Yeah, there are a few things I will most likely never like about Tokyo. I think there is no place in the world which can be perfect.

With that said I have had to pull my bootstraps pretty tight this go round in order to slap myself back to par. I guess I have finally experienced what so many people have warned me about. The dreaded `Tokyo Rut.` This city can be unforgiving sometimes. If you are not ready for the pressure you can become overwhelmed. I have dealt with some heavy shit in my day, but nothing could have prepared me for how different daily life in Tokyo is compared to the mountains of West Virginia. I feel that, at this point, I am finally adjusted to living in our dirty little city. I have been tested and I survived. I have learned kind of how things work in this city. For example, it is common for people to fuck with each other just to see who can take the heat. People do the same thing in West Virginia, but in Tokyo it is totally different. In WV people simply try to fight you. If you stand up to them, they will have a lot of respect for you. In Tokyo, people will talk shit and criticize you right in your face in front of other people. You cannot fight them or you will lose `face.` Instead, you have two choices; either say nothing back and look like a stupid fool, or say something so blunt and true about the other person they will have nothing else to say. It is a bunch of childish bullshit in my opinion, but that is just the way things are in Tokyo. I tell people often that if they tried the same shit in West Virginia somebody would beat the holy fuck out of them real quick.

Tokyo you will never break me! Do you hear that motherfucker! You gave me your worst and I am still standing asshole! HaHaHa FUCK YOU!

Tokyo is my home now. I clam all the sad, crazy, drunken, madness which makes our dirty little city so great. We are all messed-up in the head. We are all crazy ass Tokyo people.

Stupid, God Damn, Quit Smoking, Bull Shit!

As you can tell from the title of this post I am experiencing withdraw. In fact the withdraw is much stronger than I expected. I knew that kicking the habit would involve a little pain and restlessness. I did not expect some of the finer details of the withdraw pain. It can get pretty bad at some moments. I feel like I am going to fucking pop! I am starting to act like a heroin addict stuck in prison with no heroin! Dammit I really need a smoke!

Wait...wait...a little longer...ok I am fine now.


SO, at this point almost all of the tobacco is out of my body. I am in full withdraw mode now. All I can think about sometimes is the desire to smoke. Actually, right now is not the best time for me to stop smoking. There are a lot of things going on with me at the moment. Yet, quitting smoking is a must for my life right now. You see, if I can actually quit smoking it will delight the gal in my life as well as show others that any goal can be achieved. From a leadership stand point, it can only earn me some major respect point from those under me.

Anyway, let me share with all of you what I am experiencing.

---lose of feeling or ability to taste much of anything with my tongue

--totally lose of what little ability a had to sleep in the past(I suffer from insomnia;not related to stopping smoking)

--I twitch

--a sway back and forth when sitting in a chair.

my skin feels like it is going to jump off my body

--I cannot listen to the sound of any women`s voice for more than a few minutes(unless I am being paid to listen to them of course).

--uncontrolled desire for beer

--my stomach hurts

--I want to fight someone; anyone really; in fact the next motherfucker...wait...wait...a little longer...okay I am fine now.


I think you get the point. I really feel like shit. I am trying to be strong but it is hard. The gal was nice enough to pick me up some stop-smoking pipes to help me long. It is actually an interesting little invention. The photo at the top of this page is the box for these little things. I don`t know if they actually have nicotine in them or not. They do help out a little. I hope that I can get over the withdraw soon or else I might do something really stupid. You know, like keep a whole carton of smokes at work just to be able to sneak and have one or two without the gal knowing anything. I do not want to reduce myself to such behavior. I really do want to quit smoking! I must stay hard as stone to do this.

In this day and age people are real assholes towards people trying to kick the habit. They fuck with you can say that you will never do it. They also show you very little mercy. In fact, people tend to put more stress on you if they know you are trying to stop. I do not get this kind of crap at all. Show a little support you fucks! Okay!

Now, I am drinking some beer trying to pass out. It is the only thing I know to do in order to get some sleep. Just drink myself stupid. It is kind of working actually. I feel a little sleepy. Maybe I can get some damn sleep tonight at least.