Reading on the Net that Dan Price, the creator of Moonlight Chronicles, has finished his epic trike/bike ride across America. He left Oregon on November 1st and reached Key West on February 13th. Well Done Dan!
Moonlight Chronicles is Dan's excellent 'zine' about his life, travels and observations, illustrated with his drawings. He's been quite an influence on my last couple of Cargo Cult's. A positive influence to be sure.

Saturday 22nd February

Tried to find Jake's Coleman bag and Nikon flash yesterday, but without luck. Tokyu Hands had several Coleman backpacks but none of them matched the description Jake gave me in his letter. Why did he change so much money when he came? And why did he take so much back only to post back again? If you see what I mean!
After failing to find the flash in Boc Camera I went round the corner to the Hush Hush restaurant and met Larry, Ito-san and Yamamoto-san. The other came soon after. A nice restaurant with imaginative food.

Friday 21st February

At a subway station this morning I noticed that they were replacing the fire hoses. I realised this was probably a result of the subway fire in Korea earlier in the week that killed 120 people. I read that the doors of the train didn't open...and that's about as far as I'd like to imagine.
In Tully's after this morning's class I... just drank coffee...

Tuesday 3rd February
Ebisu Starbucks – 2:55 pm. To 3:30 pm.

No room in Tully’s for me this afternoon, so here I am slumming it in Starbucks. Never been in this one before. I managed to get one of the comfy armchairs. It’s a long narrow shop. People working on laptops. Conversations in Japanese and English. People updating their personal organizers. 1930’s jazz playing.
I guess that cold walk from the Starbucks in Akasaka up the hill to Columbia really does make a difference. Here the latte is hot and foamy, whereas by Columbia they are usually flat and warm. But still not as good as Tully’s. The guy opposite is on his mobile, and clicking his pen in a particularly annoying way. But it’s the two American speaking Japanese looking women to my right that grab my attention. Spoken English in a public place always seems to carry. “Don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing”. Music excepted. Spoken American English cuts through the air like a laser. I’m not catching every word and so I can’t follow their conversation fully…
“Really, really…
Which, yeah, I know what your saying…
It used to be that it would come from the top…
Big management…
In that way, I mean, for me…
Like, you know…
So from now on…
It’s not easy to…
One day is…I think, like…”
Now I’m listening to them more than thinking my own thoughts, like the ticking of a clock when you are trying to sleep. They’re talking about their company and it functions.
The 1930’s big band jazz plays on
“Right now I think in a way…
what do you think would help?
Better communication…
To make it more fun for yourself…”
Next to them two Japanese guys are talking seriously about pro-wrestling, the sports business of it, I think.
The mobile boy opposite has finished with his diary and is now reading. He sits on the left side of a large brown velvet sofa, room for four. The only other person sits on the far right. She is writing in a legal pad. Above their heads large framed photographs on ethnic coffee themes. The two business girls drone on and on in a nasal American English about training and blah, blah, blah…But I still can’t tear my ears away. Mobile boy puts his book down, leans back and buries his face in his black down jacket. Nat King Cole sings a slow song.
My coffee is almost finished. It’s getting hot in here.
“Considering the budget…
How much percentage do we need?
Donna’s OK…”
Starbucks coffee is much milkier than Tully’s, I can still taste the milk.
They must be American; their English is way too natural, too idiomatic, Californian, the tonal stress patterns and accenting.
“You may want to talk to Sara about all this stuff anyway…
He tried, I know he did…
Friendly, it’s not the same…
Also, I think it’s unfair…
I mean, you know, it’s together…
It’s not really fair…”

Time to go.

Thursday 20th February

This morning I had to get up at 6:20 and go to a sub class that didn't remember I had until last night and then went to Ebisu Tully's. When I first looked in it seemed rather full so I went up to Atre and bought a couple of those nice blank note books from Muji. I like to do arty Cargo Cult pages in them. The only bad point is that although they are A5 size that also includes the little holes. So I have to paste them on to regular A5 sheets before I print them. Ah well, the world of small press publishing is rather with the like.
Went to the office and click-clacked on the keyboard until it was time for lunch. Which today was a salad and an onigiri from Seven Eleven.
And now here I am. Stuck in the office on a beautiful afternoon - the grainy clouds skim across a gray sky and a steady cold drizzle wets the roads. I'd rather be out there in the real world than in here in a virtual one.
The afternoon dragged on so badly that I was starting to feel ill – perhaps I was just tired, perhaps that’s how I’ll feel in a few months when Junior arrives.
Met William at AXA and we talked babies for quite a while. Met him after and we talked Hemingway. On the train home I finished The Old Man And The Sea.
Home at 9:10. William called at 10:00 and we arranged that we are going over to see them this Saturday! So we finally get to see little Robin!

Wednesday 19th February

Up at the crack of dawn again this morning, 6:15, and left the apartment at 6:50. Caught the 7:01 this morning but still got to Carrefour at just before 8:50 and found the door locked, although there seemed to be some people around. I waited about 2 minutes and then one of my students appeared and showed me that in fact the door was open – I should have pulled instead of pushed!
As usual, about halfway through the class, someone came in and asked us to move to another room, so that a bunch of French garlic sellers could have the room to talk a load of bollocks!
I was out of there at 10:00,caught the 10:06 at Tameikesano and just missed a train at Iidabashi – next time must run! Bought some bread in Tobu and got home at 10:55. The bread was very nice. Listened to Home Truths and then at 12:30 had a nap, until 3:15, then got up and did this.
David and Chris should have got their copies of Cargo Cult 7, which I posted to them on Monday. Also Mum and Jake should have got their Japan Trip Report by now. I wonder what they thought. Jake moved recently so he may not have got it, must tell Mum to tell him to check his mail. The international CC’s should arrive by next Monday at the latest.
So far, for Cargo Cult 8 I have done 2 drawing’s, not good enough. I should be trying to produce at least on average a page a day. That would give me a 60 page zine every 2 months, which is a good average. I expect that when the baby arrives there will no time for little drawing and writing. I’ve been reading one of the baby books I bought recently and the chapter on crying is rather sobering. I must talk to William.
Left again at 4:30 and got to Union Tool at 5:45. Today on 5th floor.