Today I met the cooks at Dat Cajun Guy!
It's a food truck on the North Shore that is probably the only place that sells good Cajun food on the island. This isn't the first time I've been here, but the guys are generally very friendly. I don't have much to say other than don't over order food, we often forget that there are half plates.
Dat Cajun Guy's full plates of gumbolaya, BBQ shrimp, and fried oysters.
Today I met a cashier at a burger place.
She told me I reminded her of her daughter, and asked if I was a dancer. I told her no, but sometimes I wished I could dance. I thanked her for her compliment, and went on my way.
It's always nice to hear kind things from other people, thought sometimes it is awkward to accept a rather generous compliment.
This week, I was definitely sick and didn't talk to anyone much at work today. This day was relatively hazy otherwise.
I went to Jack in the Box for fries today, and this is where I should probably mention that I have no luck ordering food. I can repeat the order, have them confirm it, and pay for it, and I'll still receive the wrong food.
I did that at Jack in the Box today, and the lady didn't include the buttermilk, which I wanted since I ordered it. The second woman apologized for the first one missing it, but it was just dumb. I was really irritable because this happens to me everywhere.
Maybe I talk too fast, but also maybe don't be so rude taking my order.
I don't remember what I did today, or who I met. I know a lot of this week revolved around me being sick, and I haven't been keeping up, which was dumb of me.
So instead, I'm going to talk about how I met a guy at work when I was sick once. I was disgusting that day, absolutely disgusting. My eyes were watery, I was endlessly sniffing and blowing my nose constantly.
I approached a customer this day, and asked if he needed anything. He said no, but I asked him about his tattoo. It was a sefirot/sephiroth, which I recognized from randomly reading on Wikipedia one day. We hit it off, and I learned he was from LA and occasionally performed with Christina Perri.
Then, I sneezed all over his black shirt. I was immediately apologetic, and rushed to get him tissue. After he wiped it off, he asked me for my number, to which I replied, "Are you serious?"
Anger is the thing that everyone gets to have.
Except me.
Today... I didn't meet anyone.
I mean, I went to Whole Foods and got my sandwich made by the most uninspired group of employees ever but that was about it.
Today... I didn't really meet anyone new.
I went to get some food at Poke Box, which is pretty standard. It reminded me of this one time that I had gone, and this girl threw a little tantrum at the woman making her food.
"NO! TOO MUCH SAUCE."
No joke, there it was a shrill scream with a foot stop. Mind you, this girl was probably around 21 years old... With her boyfriend. How embarrassing.
Today I met an artist's father.
I took a picture of his daughter's art on a studio, since it looked amazing! I told him it was really good, after assuming that the computer with him was what he used to draw. He corrected me quickly and told me it was actually his daughter's computer, and they were looking to fix it.
He shared with me that she loves drawing as her hobby, in addition to robotics. It's so amazing to see what more kids can do with all the technology at their hands. I watched her draw for a little on another computer, and you could see the enthusiasm for it. Good for her, it's energizing to watch people so excited about what they do.
Today I met a meat guy at Mitsuwa Marketplace.
It's a relatively new place in the International Marketplace, which is fine and dandy, so Khara and I were looking around. While we were checking out drinks, a man stocking the meat section asked us to check out the wagyu. It was fresh and the taste of it cooking in its own fat is "amazing."
It was also $52.34; but he was pretty convincing.... Unfortunately for him, I don't have a discerning palate when it comes to meat. I didn't buy it, if it wasn't obvious, but I admired the gusto.
I met a few people today, but the stand out was the man who annunciated every consonant.
He came in asking some questions about the product, and every I verified a piece that he researched, he would say "Ex-act-ly."
There was a strong emphasis on the T, and when he left later, I found myself practicing my own pronunciation to see if it was similar. It wasn't, although I generally drop the Ts from words that have a strong "T" sound at the middle or end of the word.
The guy is studying neurobiology, so that was pretty cool.
Today I met another kid.
This one was a little older than the previous ones I had seen. I was standing next to a computer when I saw him walk towards me. He was holding a can of juice that he was extending to put on the table... Thing is, there's no trashcans or recycling bins anywhere near where I was standing.
I watched him as he tried to leave his juice on the table, when he looked at me... Under his backwards baseball cap, he looked at me and very much like an Italian mobster from NYC said, "What are you looking at?"
I looked at him with a straight face and said, "Where you decide to leave your juice."
He kept eye contact with him and pulled his hand back with the juice can still in it. No one's leaving trash anywhere on my watch.
As he left the store, he continued to look at me with a cautious glare.
Today I met another little boy.
This one is the son of one of my work acquaintances. I've never met him before because he's recently adopted! He was a little shy but went to his dad easily. His parent shared that they are still trying to teach him English, or communicate with him in their limited Mandarin... But he is happy. I mean, he definitely looked happy.
Today I met a waiter at Piggy Smalls.
I don't remember his name, but he was very, very, sassy... And I liked it, mostly. He didn't spend too much time explaining the menu. He also joked about different things, like the diners around us and how he relaxes with wine in his free time. He didn't bother us very much, which I enjoy when you're with friends.
I guess the only thing I didn't like was that he was impossible to find when the check needed to come around. Geez.
Today I met a very patient girlfriend.
This guy came in explaining the new Xbox to his girlfriend, and why it was so cool. I joked to them that he could take over my job, since he got most of the information right. What was really cool is that the girlfriend was very patient with him and actually enthused about his hobby since he enjoyed it so much.
She even gave input when he was looking at the different headphones to use with his controller. I thought it was nice, support for hobbies is important; even if you don't understand it.
Today I met a volunteer at the Obon Festival in Temple Valley.
We were walking up the hills to get to the temple int in the back of the memorial park. We had just happened to miss all the golf carts driving people through the narrow roads. Eventually one of them stopped and picked us up.
We started chatting and I expressed concern that we would be moving up a steep hill with a lot more body weight than the cart should be able to handle.
"Nah. I did um earlier, and the lady before you was scared. But We did um, and she told me that I was brave. So yah, I've been feeling pretty brave today."
We did ascend the hill without problem, even though the cart sounded like it might buckle under our weight. I mean, anything seems pretty dangerous at 15mph without seatbelts.
Today I met a shopgirl at a pretty specialized store.
The store sells Japanese clothing and goods, which isn't really uncommon here. But what I was looking for is a yukata, which is a summer kimono. It's lighter than a typical kimono and used for all the summer festivals.
Unfortunately for me, all the sizes were in the metric system and I couldn't figure out anything. The sales person was super nice, and apologized for handing me the wrong size. The store wasn't busy at all, so it kind of makes you wonder how stores like that stay afloat throughout the year.
Pro-tip: she told me that there are more prints at the beginning of the season, but I don't anticipate ever purchasing another one.
What is it like to be the one who doesn't fuck up constantly?
Everyone has days where they feel like they don't belong to themselves, right? It's almost as if we belong more to each other... So are you ever really truly your own person?
We came to be because of them choosing to become an us, and then choosing to make a me, who immediately becomes part of a we. I know, it sounds crazy, because even in all the us and them and they and we, it's said that there is a me. But me will always be part of we, no matter what we all try to be.
Today, I met a little boy.
Sort of. I was teaching some of my team members when I felt a tiny tap against the back of my knee. I was confused because I didn't see anyone walk by me in my periphery. I turned around anyway, and saw a small little boy looking up at me with the most concerned look on his face. I waved at him, and he continued to pout at me until he decided to look away.
I continued talking with my team and I then felt small kicks to my shoe. I knew who it was now, and turned around to see this little boy tapping his red shoes against mine. His dad urged him to stop, but since I don't know Japanese, I couldn't say it was fine.
I ended up getting the kid to draw on a Surface, and there's really no significance to it other than it was damn cute.
Today I met a couple who's been playing tennis together for 30 years.
I asked how their day was going, and it turns out the husband had just had a tennis match. I asked if he won, and he said no, but at this point in time, he was just happy to be able to keep up with such good players.
I suppose when you get to a certain age, winning matters less.