Out of hiding
Well, hello there! Thanks for stopping by! Surprised to see something new up here after no updates for seven weeks? I know I am!
My apologies for the very long silence. Contrary to speculation, I am in fact still alive (thankfully, the reverse culture shock I’ve experienced thus far has been of the non-fatal variety) and I certainly did have the intention to resume blogging again once I had had a chance to settle in a bit in my new country of residence.
To be honest, though, I haven’t exactly been up to all that much over the past month and a half. However, for the sake of trying to put some new content up on this website, here’s a brief rundown of what’s been going on since I last posted:
I left Japan!
Well, duh. Although we had always planned to return to North America, it was definitely hard for Judy and I to say goodbye to our home for the past five years. Sure, I took the piss and ranted and raved on this website, but I really did enjoying living there and will always cherish the memories I made and the experiences I had. I definitely miss the place and look forward to the next opportunity to go back. Now, ceasing with the retch-inspiring sentimentalism. . .
I went to New York!
Arranged at the very-last minute after a tentatively-planned business trip was canceled, I ended up making a short visit to the Big Apple to attend my aunt & uncle’s 20th wedding anniversary party. I hadn’t been out there since May 2001, so it was great catching up with relatives and seeing a bit of the city as well. I also had the additional pleasure of serving as tour guide and interpreter (half-assedly so in both regards) for a family friend and his niece who also traveled in from Japan for the festivities. Sadly, Judy was not able to come along. Speaking of my beautiful bride of nine months. . .
My wife and I are separated!
Geographically speaking, that is. Following our departure from Japan, Judy returned to Vancouver to spend some time with her family and to get some much-needed time away from me (I kid, I kid. . . I think). Naturally, I miss her terribly, but she has informed me that for various reasons, she will remain up there until I find gainful employment (or until another man steals her heart, whichever happens first). Speaking of my inability to find work. . .
I’m still unemployed!
Gosh, no one wants to hire a shiftless layabout with the social skills of a drunken baboon and the bodily reek of the same — who’da thunk it?? Despite my lack of immediate success, though, my search for employment continues on and I am optimistic that I will find a job some day soon (hopefully before my wife leaves me and my parents kick me out of the house). In the meantime, I have decided to embrace my lack of occupation and have cultivated a healthy growth of stubble in order to complete the ‘unemployed’ look, as nothing says ‘malingerer’ quite like a face several days unshaven. I have, however, been bathing somewhat regularly in a feeble attempt to preserve a modicum of self-respect, although the ever-present stench seems to indicate that my efforts thus far have been somewhat less than sufficient. I do fortunately still have some income coming in, but unfortunately it’s not enough to enable me to get my own place or to entice my wife to come back to me. Now, one might think that being unburdened by the obligations and constraints of regular employment would give me plenty of time to maintain a blog, however. . .
My computer broke!
Well, the hard drive failed, to be specific. And it happened on a Friday night while I was taking a break from job-hunting to watch the movie Ju-on: The Grudge of all things, causing the computer to freeze during one especially creepy-ass scene [the faint-of-heart might not want to click that]. After replacing my soiled underpants, I set about trying to diagnose the problem and whether I would need a specialist (or perhaps even an exorcist) to rectify the situation. Sure enough, I sadly ended up eventually having to rely on the services of a professional, something that hurt my pride as well as my wallet. Fortunately, I’ve got my computer back with a working hard drive and am ready to start blogging again (assuming that I can come up with something to write about).
So that pretty much brings us up to today. Barring any further computer problems or the arrival of an actual job offer (I can only wish), I’ll try to keep up with posting whatever I can manage to pull out of my behind, although I’m still not certain what that might turn out to be (An Analysis of Color Variation in Excremental Material, anyone?). Until the next post, I leave you with some crappy photos™ from my recent travels to New York and San Francisco. Toodeloo!
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He’s alive! He’s aliiiive!
Good luck on the job search, Jeff!
Comment by Ashley — 10/11/2006 @ 1:00 pm
yep.
He’s alive! he’s aliiiiiiive!
Do your best Jeff, best wishes from mexico, on the job hunting, turn on your hip radar, i’m sure you will do fine!
Comment by Mochino — 10/11/2006 @ 2:10 pm
He’s alive…hey Jeff…so glad you and Judy are alive and well.
Was getting worried for the two of you…I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you that you get a job!!!
Was it a total culture shock? Glad to see that you’re back and blogging!!!
Comment by Rob — 10/11/2006 @ 2:52 pm
Wow Jeff, good to hear you’re well.
I just finished reading 村上春樹先生の ねじまき鳥クロニクル (Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami) Have you perchance read that book in either English or Japanese?
For some reason certain elements of your present situation (unemployed, separated from wife) is reminding me of the protagonist Toru.
If you have read the book, you are probably thinking of this, but please be mindful of wells, especially dry ones. If you haven’t read the book and have some time to spare, here’s your chance!
Take care and best with your job search!
Comment by Oliver — 10/11/2006 @ 9:53 pm
Good luck on the job search!
“for various reasons, she will remain up there until I find gainful employment”
Quite frankly, I am shocked.
IMO marriage is a commitment for life, in good times and in bad. Isn’t your wife in employable age too?
All the best!
OK
Comment by OK — 10/12/2006 @ 12:38 am
Hey Geoffrey,
good to read you again…and good luck for your job search.
Ciao…
Comment by Marco — 10/12/2006 @ 2:07 am
Hey Jeff…was on the subway this morning, and it hit me…don’t you have a degree in economics?
Why not work for Sumitomo, or an investment house that specializes in Japan?
It is after all the second largest economy in the world next to the US. A good looking talented guy would be a shoe in.
Just a suggestion.
Comment by Rob — 10/12/2006 @ 4:24 pm
Hi Jeff,
If you are a white guy looking for work in America you have definitely come at the wrong time. Most large companies have been invaded by 3rd worlders who hate Americans. What was left of other businesses have now been destroyed due to lack of consumer spending.
The economy is picking up though as most of the mass work visas from 1998-2000 are expiring and the millions of imported workers are going home.
My advice is to go to Canada and look for a job or else go back to Japan and get one. Jobs in America these days are scarce.
Comment by Mike — 10/12/2006 @ 9:09 pm
Thanks so much for the warm welcome back! To be honest, I had kind of figured that everyone would have moved on elsewhere by now, with the memories of this small dolphin turd amidst the vast sea of the internet long washed away from their minds.
A few direct responses, if I may. . .
OK: Oh boy. . . I’m afraid I must admit that I was being extremely facetious regarding Judy and I being separated geographically. I apologize for any confusion and for the hearty chuckle that she and I shared at the expense of your comment.
The truth is that we’re doing wonderfully (as usual) and the situation is actually a bit more complicated than I alluded to above. Judy definitely wants to come down here and start working as soon as possible, but she’s still waiting to receive her visa so she can’t legally do so at this time. Essentially, her options right now are to either stay up in Canada and spend time helping out her family or to come down here and hang around my parents’ house, which she — likely very correctly — says would distract me from the job hunt. She has been talking about finding some work up there for the meantime, but she’s still holding off at this point in hopes that I’ll find something in the near-ish future.
Rob: Yes, I do in fact have a degree in economics, but unfortunately at this moment I probably have as much knowledge about brain surgery as I do about my field of study. Five years’ time has helped me enormously to forget just about everything I learned. Finance was never my strong suit either, but I’d definitely be thrilled to find work that somehow relates to Japan!
By the way, were you seriously thinking about me while riding to work on the subway??
Oliver: Funny that you mention that book, as it’s one of my favorites and I’ve read it several times. Although I can definitely relate to the dreary solitude and the listless loss of direction, fortunately I don’t believe that there are any abandoned wells in the area, nor has a mysterious blue mark recently appeared on my face.
Mike: Wow, that’s quite a rosy outlook you’ve got there.
Nonetheless, I appreciate the advice.
Comment by jeff — 10/12/2006 @ 11:31 pm
Hi Jeff,
Haha, It’s great to hear that.
All the best for you both!
Cheers
OK
Comment by OK — 10/13/2006 @ 12:04 am
Hi again, I forgot something…
with your degree in economics and your well proven unique set of skills required to be successful in a cross-cultural work environment, please take into consideration to focus your job search on US affiliates of japanese groups. I don’t see any problem for you, in particular don’t worry about these 5 years of building up other kinds of essential knowledge and know-how. And hey, it’s never the wrong time to get a job.
Cheers, OK
Comment by OK — 10/13/2006 @ 12:31 am
Hello again! and good luck finding a job.
Comment by Hunter — 10/15/2006 @ 7:39 am
whoot.
btw: i read kafka on the beach by murakami. strange. good. could be the base for an interesting anime.
Comment by ＢＢ — 10/18/2006 @ 11:33 am
Does everything seem insanely cheap now that you’re back?
Comment by Cal — 10/19/2006 @ 2:30 pm
Hi Jeff,
welcome back to the net and good luck for the jobhunt. I hope you will find something interesting. Technology relations, perhaps? Is there some Japanese chamber of Technology/business… in the US?
Best of luck from Hiroshima
Pio
Comment by Pio — 10/23/2006 @ 2:41 am
Hey there. I came across your blog somehow, but i don’t surely remove how. Anyways, after skimming over it for a few minutes I bookmarked it.
I spent the last hour (while at work) poring over this site.. loved and enjoyed it. Thanks
.
Good luck to you with everything you do in life.
Comment by Mehar — 5/23/2007 @ 9:08 am