The Alien is very tired, even exhausted, so it's probably good luck that he couldn't find overtime today. You can tell things are coming apart when you start talking about yourself in the third person. My passport came back with some new pages inserted. I'm very excited. I'm also reading a book by Anthony Burgess (wrote Clockwork Orange) about the post WWII period in Malaysia. Very interesting stuff. I think that I'm up to about two fifty in page count on the novel. I think I should take a nap. I'm looking for a new default homepage as I've decided that reading the New York Times everytime I sing on the net is depressing. Oh, by the way, the Alien has gone vegetarian, well, not really, but a little. It's almost impossible to avoid meat in Japan. The other day I bought a piece of bread that was advertised as corn and mayonnaise, but the still managed to conceal some ham in it. You may ask, "why the reduced meat diet?" That's for another entry.

Funny thing going to the American embassy in Tokyo, the security was tighter than a virgin's..., whoa, hold up, my mom reads this thing. Anyway, before I even got within three blocks of the building there was a cop asking me where I was going and why. I told him I wanted to get pages added to my passport. He let me through, but I played the Q&A game twice more before arriving at the gate. Before getting buzzed through the gate I had my bag searched and went through a metal detector. I was, then in the compound, but not in the building. Once in the building there was another metal detector and a Marine behind bullet proof glass buzzing people into the area, where, finally, I could talk to a paper-pusher about my passport pages. I felt damn important, I'll tell you that much. Thing is, after all that serious security, I get to talk to your typical happy go lucky American embassy staffer who can't resist sharing the latest lawyer joke he's heard. Gotta love the States.

In unrelated news, I'm adding a Japan section to my picture pages, so click on the pictures link to see what I've put on recently.

Undoing the chain and turning the lock simultaneously, he opened the door. She walked in holding the tray at chest level. There was no water. This maid looked a bit young, not young and pretty, but young nonetheless. “Where’s the water?” She was headed toward the dresser to set down the tray. “Water?” He asked again. She didn’t seem to understand. There was something about her uniform. Paul blocked her path and lifted the silver food cover. Nothing. Set up. Somkiat was already coming through the door with the shock stick. Paul grabbed the tray and flipped it sending the few utensils on the floor. Holding it like a shield he tried to block the two electric prods on the end of the baton. Somkiat kicked the tray hard. Paul was on the ground. He shit himself. The big Thai had his ankle in one hand and was applying the stun gun to his right thigh with the other. He yelled hoping someone would hear. The skinny Thai was closing the door now. Too late, he already had the metal taste in his mouth again.

Interesting to be in Japan right now. The kidnapping of three Japanese journalists has further polarized public opinion around the Japanese presence in Iraq. The usually opinion-less Japanese are actually expressing some views on this issue, albeit relatively subdued and wavering views.

In other news, I've been a bit stressed out running all over the greater Tokyo area, chasing down overtime on my days off all the while trying to grind out pages of my novel. Tomorrow I'll go into to Tokyo and add some pages to my passport. The good news is that today is payday, which means... I'm getting paid. And it's about time as I don't have any money in the bank. Nothing more relevant to add, sorry.

Our Sprawling, Supersize Utopia: "Just out of reach, just beyond the next ridge, just in the farther-out suburb or with the next entrepreneurial scheme, just with the next diet plan or credit card purchase, the next true love or political hero, the next summer home or all-terrain vehicle, the next meditation technique or motivational seminar; just with the right schools, the right moral revival, the right beer and the right set of buddies; just with the next technology or after the next shopping spree -- there is this spot you can get to where all tensions will melt, all time pressures will be relieved and happiness can be realized"

Not much of note, however our school 'hanami' party was rained out. Hanami is an excuse to get wasted. It means 'viewing cherry blossoms', but really just means sitting under the trees and drinking sake. Unfortunately the season is really short (like a couple of weeks at best), so we've probably missed our only opportunity for a hanami party. Anyway, the cherry blossoms are quite beautiful, even for a jaded bastard like myself. The page count is now 220. Thanks for all those encouraging emails that have been flowing in (sarcastic smile). Later.

The alien is being overworked. In Japan you have to renew your lease every two years by paying an extra month's rent. Why? Because landowners can do whatever they want. I think it's about time for serfs like myself rise up against our feudal lords, burn their houses, pillage their grains and livestock and hang their loved-ones from their feet allowing the all the blood to rush to their heads, knocking them out and eventually causing their greedy brains to hemorrhage... or I could work three days overtime this month.

Closing in on 200 pages. The most intimidating thing now isn't completing the beast, but rewriting it. Oh well... Not too much to report otherwise. I'm already starting to get stressed out about moving nine months time, which is fairly irrational. Really what worries my is money, but that's nothing new or unique to me. Wish I had more to say, but I don't - so I won't. If you want to see continued postings of novel excerpts, let me know.

175 is the page count now. I've been planning a trip to Malaysia, so if you've been (Madeleine?) give me some advice. Actually, today's venom is reserved for those pedantic people whose plaintiff whining and pithering prose populates the post boards of Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree. While it can be a forum for decent travel advice, it often devolves into the backpacker one upsmanship that I so detest. Basically you write a post asking for advice about a place and seventy percent of the responses ring with "don't go there, it's overrun by tourists", and even obscure, off the track places. I'm going to jokingly post for advice on travel in the Sahara desert just to see if some soft-skull doesn't write back to tell me to avoid the place because it's gone touristy. What is it with these wankers? Why can't they just hand out some decent advice without making everything into a high-minded diatribe on how the best places are gone, or better yet - "that was good when I was there, but now..." I'd like to find one of these unshowered, unshaven heathens, grab him by the dreadlocks and say, "At least tourists don't stink" before popping him in his overpriced Oakley sunglasses sending him sprawling across his vegan dinner. Whoops, sorry about that, got a little carried away.
Later.

Still at the novel, but not at the frenetic pace I was before. Now I'm around 160 in the page count. I enjoy the process, but it can seem overwhelming at times, especially given that knocking out three hundred plus pages is only the beginning, then comes the rewriting. In other news, I celebrated my 29th birthday meaning the three ohhh is, ohhh so close. I'm finalizing a timeline for my move to Thailand. I just signed another contract with Nova putting me at 18 paid holidays - coincidentally the same number of working days I'll have in December. Guess who will be getting a month's pay out of the big guys as a sort of severance? That's right, if things go to plan I'll leave Japan at the end of November. It's about time. My raise plummeted this year from 15,000 yen to 5,000. That's a good enough sign for me. I'm out, but not so quick. I'm expecting a trip to Thailand/Malaysia in May and then I'll work through the last hot, humid summer in Japan (I'll be able to look forward to much of the same in Thailand). That'll bring me into the fall and clearing out the shitload of, well, shit that I've accumulated since arriving in Japan before I take off. Anyway, stay tuned...