China Journals: Seattle to Tokyo to Beijing

3 March 04 4pm PST

1 up and off to Japan, somewhere over Alaska right now. In Tokyo it is Doll Day today, aka Girls Day – pink burning bright as I snapped this morning at the nice girl behind the counter with her “good girl” pins that set back feminism by 50 years.

I left PDX at 7:30am yesterday after leaving home at 5, off to downtown, to my required Starbucks Venti Non-fat Steamed Mint Milk. Photo geeking with a stranger, then bus to slumber heading north, trying to learn a bit about China before I get there. Mi Padre & I ran around looking for his passport (he is more manic than usual, plan to sneak my way away from him on the road), then travelers checks, registering cameras at Customs, lunch with Twisted Mark (new blue rope, crushes galor, Todai!, stories, video geeking), new undies from Victoria’s Secret (yellow & polka dots, baby!!), time with Mi Madre, 1 up, visiting gran (stories, stories, stories – divorce, prison, work, memories, futures), dinner with WWJ & Jedi plus bubble tea, pouring through books (acquired Mi Madre’s old bible & 2 anthologies for this trip)…

Slept at 11pm, and then woke to shower only to find out it was 1:30am – WTF?! I crawled back into bed with a wet head for 4 more hours of sleep. Delta was delicious as always, even if breakfast was brief after my mad dash to Walmart for more batteries – I’m only taking 2 cameras instead of 3 due to Customs in China – we’ll see how that goes. He and I will be @ Gencon in Indianapolis together it looks like… Much needed. Kicking myself that I never really followed through on the whole miniatures photography idea from ’03… not my style, I guess – more a people photographer. Pwththth is right. I’ll probably get sued if I publish the Warhammer idea, but art demands it.

Bridgie-pooh-pooh… Circle 23 and that term of endearment. Part scream, part smile in my mind… I adore that man.

I am blessed.

I am looking forward to Xi’an the most… but Beijing should be good. Shanghai, I hope, will surprise me.

Telling Delta about Mars this morning. He was right – Mars does hit all the buttons. Still laughing about the “research” done on me by old friends of Mars to WWJ. J My left wrist covered, how can I not think of him. Can’t stop cheek skewered eyes across the room as I scream, metal pouring, dripping down my demon all too human flesh. I love being in love. Meanwhile, Tori sings to be entertained by us. Entertain us. Starving children, flying bullets, lights out, closed eyes, ignore it all: for without our playstations, we are a 3rd world nation – 1 up.

*Why the mushroom?*

I am wearing a 1up mushroom on my left wrist, on my backpack.

1up because if I run out of energy, am eaten by a giant flower, I need to come back.

1up to look outside the box, eat the mushroom again, drop in, tune out.

1up because without our playstations we are a 3rd world nation.

1up because I am superstitious.

1up for geekdom.

1up for childhood memories.

1up because Nintendo Gamecubes don’t give a damn about my gender, my orientation, the type of cheese I eat or who my parents are.

1up for green of life, moss, trees – with no pinching – memories fly by of orange & Green.

1up for 9 lives.

1up for my Italian boys out there fighting the world, each in their own way.

= more I’m sure, but that’s why for now=

12:22pm 04 March ‘04

7 hours later… and a different day. We crossed the international date line to the little pomp. 2 movies (Beyond Borders & Shattered Glass), one orgasm in a bathroom, 5 bathroom visits, one conversation with a random stranger and part of 2 books later… more of the same. One bad airline meal half-eaten, 4 bottles (big) of water, one string cheese, handful of beef jerky, stretching, we still travel 850+ km/hr, 5000+ km later. Master & Commander, however, is funny to try to watch in Japanese. I am considering a tattoo… we’ll see how that thought develops.

8pm 04 March ’04 Tokyo to Beijing (China time)

“Something has to give” huh? I’m torn. Diane Keaton & Jack Nicholas were brilliant, but Keanu Reeve’s Julian… I’ve known him. The nice guy who doesn’t end up with the girl. “I don’t do this monogamy thing” is the confession during the bedroom scene – and yet? When timetable for 4 came up, I so badly wanted Julian as 1 of the 4. So badly.

Can it work? Is there enough of me for everyone to be happy? I want to think so – and yet…2 hours in Japan passed uneventfully, thank goodness – a few pictures, meeting some of the folks from my tour group (LA represent!) and plenty of stretching and water. Little miffed that my blindfold has gone walk about, but what can I do, huh?

I keep not thinking about Adam. It is very weird for me. Thinking of him actively, but not randomly like I have on other long trips. I look forward to it coming back. I’m sure it will – need it, want it, love him so dearly. Phases.More orgasms in bathrooms – my airplane g-force addiction still remains. No random sex – part of me wondered if I would, been feeling very sexually needy recently. Very driven. Ah well.

Back to tales of Armageddon, Pop covers and updates over Korea and into China.