Smokeless show-going

I think my dopamine levels are finally beginning to even out to the point where I can sit down and focus on writing. I tore the last nicotine patch (and a bit of peach-fuzz hair) from my shoulder last Sunday night. Monday went by without major issues except for a slight inability to focus on anything ('I'm looking at you but I don't even know what language we should be speaking') that evening. I stepped out earlier on break trying to find someone outside for a smoke break. I didn't want to bum a smoke (that never happens here anyway and I don't know how to ask) but I wanted to stand around it and just smell. Surprisingly, I could find no one. This is probably for the best since I was outside and would have had to stand suspiciously close to have any effect and doing that here might have caused a significant amount of uncomfortableness.

The following day was a holiday and I went out to a pop-punk show alone. By the time I made it to the place I knew I was paying as much to stand in the middle of a smoke-filled room as I was to listen to any music. It was a cute show, I looked out of place being possibly the oldest in attendance and the only foreigner I could tell of. All the bands, every one of the 4 that I caught were ripped from the GetUpKids/Weezer mold that I didn't know was still exerting so much influence, let alone over here. But there it was with several of the bands employing keyboards for these pop hook choruses and jumping around on stage with their trucker hats and sweat flying.

The two bands I really went to see I found out about when I was spending a few hours wandering through the listening stations of either Tower or HMV. This is one of the cheapest pass times here in Tokyo and popular with locals as well as foreigners. Eenie Meenie and Afterpilot are cut from the same mold, so much that when they played they even traded a couple members to play in both bands. Furthermore, they both sing mostly in English. I'm hoping there is a reason for this more than blatant idol worship but I'm not sure. Regardless, playing live they did work their butts off. They brought out a fair amount of fans but it was not from their lack of jumping around on stage or constant confronting the microphone with that one fierce step for a yelled out chorus that the show could have been a bit better. The audience, mostly college age girls, hardly moved. Unfortunately, and this may be because drinking is less of a big thing at shows, this is about par for the course. I do have to admit, there was one girl in a baseball cap and one guy in the front (who had earlier in the evening downed an entire flask-size bottle of whiskey.... I saw him!) who did go all out. Most others stood there looking mildly impressed, I really couldn't tell.

There were nice moments in between and I spent the rest of them wondering what the odds were that someone would offer me a cigarette. I figured this to be something extraordinary high, on par with a small lottery winning. This being the case I allowed that if this highly unlikely event did in fact occur, fate might take it as a slight if I refused and I reconciled myself to accepting this imagined gift. No one offered.

Three days later and I'm feeling better, a little more at peace. I went running, did some of my pushups and sit-ups to try and begin relieving myself of the beer(-less)-gut that has recently appeared. I didn't go through major cravings although I'd still pick up a pack and smoke till my last breath if I didn't really think it was horrible for me. One day at a time.

The next few weeks I'm going to be spending working, not smoking and of course studying for the US Foreign Service written exam. This test is almost exactly two week away and I have been rather successfully procrastinating from it for most of the last month. I seem to have channeled my inner-college first semester freshman and now having done this I need to find a fire to put under his ass.

Anyway, that is all for me at the moment. I do want to comment about this one blog a friend introduced me to today that inspired my lazy ass to get out and write a bit. This guy is really getting out there and seeing what all music this city has to offer although I'm not entirely sure how he affords it. Anyone curious about some of the music going on here check out JapanLive .