July 26th, 2006 14:32 hours CST
Currently listening to: "Miles To Go Before Sleep" by Hammock
Yuka moves here in: 56 days
Feeling: tired.

Goodbye Grandma. I will miss you.

July 26th, 2006 09:15 hours CST
Currently listening to: "Thursday's Radiation" by The Warlocks
Yuka moves here in: 56 days
Feeling: excellent.

I am now a happily married man!

This last trip to Japan was very, very busy. But it was all worth it. I'll have a detailed journal about it soon, but here's the quick and dirty version. Mom and dad had an absolute blast on this trip. We got them an all day tour on Wednesday while Yuka and I were running back and forth between the US embassy and the Tokyo city hall. Hakone was wonderful once again. It was really the only time Yuka and I had to relax during the entire trip. The marriage ceremony at the Meiji shrine was wonderful. The party later that night was excellent. Ogawa-san took a bunch of us to a karaoke bar that served gin & tonics in pitchers. YEAH.

Here's a couple pics to tide you over until I get the rest organized:

July 14th, 2006 09:15 hours CST
Currently listening to: "Cloudless" by Cranes
Getting married in: 5 days
Feeling: pretty good.

Took the train today. Still had the same amount of people it usually does. I drove to work the last couple of days and wondered if the horrible traffic was because of the lack of blue line passengers. I admit I got a feeling of anxiety when the driver hauled ass between Chicago and Grand. But then, I get a little freaked when they do that anyway.

Everybody at work either saw me on the news or got a phone call from someone who did. I can't remember how many times I told the whole story, so I started giving out the URL for this journal. I was kind of surprised by the way people interpreted the derailing and what actually happened. I had to correct a lot of people about what actually happened.

The 2 things that I noticed missing from the papers were the fact that the train stopped when we first derailed and then the driver started moving the train forward again. That's when the wheels broke off the back and started the electrical fire. The other thing that I noticed missing (with exception to one person who was interviewed right when he got out) was the fact that there was no announcement over the PA at any time. From what I gathered from the interviews of the people in the first car was that the driver just shut down the train and simply yelled at the passengers in his car to get out. Meanwhile, the rest of us are freaking out because we have a fire coming at us and no idea where to go.

It was purely instinctual how we all got out. I scrambled for the door since I was sitting next to it, but had someone else opened it, I would have been stuck behind it. I had to ditch the big golf umbrella that my grandfather gave to me. When I got home that night I watched video footage on the news sites and I was simply amazed that people were coming up out of that emergency exit with LUGGAGE in their hands. Not just a weekend bag, but full sized bags with wheels. Maybe it seemed like an option for the people who were in the front of the train and didn't know about the fire.

CTA called me yesterday morning and asked if I was going to file a claim. I'm not the type of person to sue or fake an injury. Some people at the hospital were really hamming it up. That or I just have no panic reflex at all and I was in the car with the fire. We'll see how it plays out. All I know is that I was treated at the hospital and never asked for my insurance, so we'll see if I get a bill and if CTA forks up the cash for it.

Moving on to other things...... I can't wait to get to Japan. That certainly was a constant thought while I was in that tunnel. My mom decided to wear a kimono for the ceremony after all. That's going to be fun for her. Right now I just want to climb into Yuka's bed and fall asleep with Chobi squished between us. ^_^

July 12th, 2006 08:15 hours CST
Currently listening to: "One" by Thievery Corporation
Getting married in: 7 days
Feeling: tired, but glad to be alive.

I'm ok, folks. I was in the last car of an 8 car train. The blue line runs underground when it's in the downtown area and this is the train I take each day to work. After leaving the Clark and Lake stop, we derailed and our car tipped a bit. The train stopped and then tried to move again, but we obviously had come off the tracks. There was a big shower of sparks from the ground area behind our car and suddenly everything was filled with black smoke.

I opened the door to the next car, but we couldn't get very far due to so many people. Someone pulled the emergency handle for the doors and we got out and walked along the right side of the tunnel. We had just left the Clark and Lake station, but the fire was too our right (the back of the train), so we had to move left.

The smoke was terrible and I still have black stuff in my nose and the taste in my mouth. I grabbed my handkerchief and put it up to my mouth so that I could breathe. You can see in the picture how black the smoke was. No wonder I'm coughing so much. :P The smoke was so thick that you couldn't see 10 feet away from you. There was a terribly loud alarm blaring that eventually stopped. I saw some people trying to run up through the train cars, but after a while I couldn't even see inside those. The lights from the train went out right after we got out of the train. We moved forward at what seemed like a crawl. Any time there was a pause people would shout "no! keep moving forward! We can't breathe!" There was a young, teenage Hispanic girl behind me who had wrapped her right arm around my waist. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it periodically. Her mother was behind her, carrying a small girl. They were both praying constantly and trying to avoid vomiting, which happened a lot. I passed a sign saying "Emergency exit 400 Feet" When we got past the front of the train, somebody fell off the walkway, but I guess he/she was pulled back up. I passed another sign saying "Emergency Exit 200 Feet" Eventually we could hear fire fighters and I told the girl behind me that we were going to be ok. She had her head buried into my back, coughing. We could see the firefighters in gas masks and heard them shouting "the stairs are just 40 feet away. Look for a blue, flashing light and you're there."

We got to the stairs and there was vomit everywhere, but everyone's mood picked up dramatically because when you looked up, there was the sun.

I was hoping for rain, honestly. I let the mom carrying her daughter move in front of me. I told the teenage girl to go as well, but she didn't want to let go of my shirt, so I kept going.

We got to the surface and there were paramedics and fire trucks arriving all over the place. They setup colored tarps everywhere as triage stations, to determine who needed the most help. I got some water from a medic and called Yuka and my parents. I moved through the crowd and gave my name and number to several people from the CTA when they asked for it. I also talked to someone at the Chicago PD and also the FBI. Obviously they were concerned because of the train attacks in India. But I told them that there was no explosion. We simply fell off the tracks and got pulled. Realizing that I was ok, I took it easy and met a few people who were in the same car as me. They all described the accident just like I did. One guy was actually standing at the door of the back of the car, which he said was "his usual spot". I decided to go to a hospital just to get checked out. After talking to MORE police I got on a CTA buss. Sat down towards the back and there was the girl, her sister and her mom. ^_^ They all smiled at me and the girl gave me a big hug. A police car escorted us to a Hospital on Halsted and Wellington. After several people took my name and other information, they showed me to a chair in one of the entrances to the hospital.

They had setup emergency stations all over because of so many people coming in. They put me on some oxygen for a while and drew some blood. The readings were normal for an event like this and they sent me home after I kept assuring them that I was fine. Helps to have doctors in the family. ^_^ The girl, her mom and sister were near me in the hospital and we waved to each other every so often. She gave me a big hug when I said goodbye.

I took a cab home and took a shower. The water coming off me was nasty as hell. I still have the scent of the smoke in my nose. I've blown my nose like 7 times and it's still black. Yuck.

But thanks to everyone who called or wrote to me asking if I was ok. Apparently there's a shot of me with soot all over my face on several news stations right now. Too bad I wasn't wearing an Airiel shirt, huh?

Anyway.... Thanks again for asking about me.

I'm 100% OK and I can't wait to get to Japan to marry Yuka!!!!

My smiling, soot covered face.

My lucky handkerchief.

July 10th, 2006 09:30 hours CST
Currently listening to: "Lebanese Blonde" by Thievery Corporation
Getting married in: 9 days
Feeling: tired

Had a great weekend. The Airiel show on Friday was a huge hit. We got lots of fantastic compliments and saw lots of new people. Helen Stellar is still awesome and the nicest guys ever.

My Parents drove up for the weekend and we got dinner before the show. They sat with Chris' parents in the upper area of Double Door again. I met them at their hotel the next morning around 11:00. We walked A LOT. Made it all the way up Michigan and did some shopping. I actually picked out some clothes for my dad. That was a first. Also got him to wear some shirts untucked, which was another first. We took a break at the lounge of the Hancock Building, which is on the 96th floor. Managed to get a table on the northwest corner and had a great view.

We went to Club Lucky and I met with Paul, the manager, to talk about reception details and he was amazingly nice. He sat with us and made recommendations and answered all of our questions. Super nice guy. I'm really happy that we're going to have the reception there. We walked down to Rodan and shared a bottle of sake after dinner.

We went to Wishbone on Sunday for breakfast and I stuffed myself on crunchy french toast. That stuff rules. I brought two pairs of chopsticks for my parents to practice with. Dad mastered them in about 30 seconds. I was impressed. Mom still doesn't have the hang of it yet. They have a week to practice and hopefully they will be able to eat an entire meal with them at least ONCE before next week. :P

I went up to Rich's place in Evanston and met with Keith and Arturo to play some Halo. We had a really good time and I actually won my first ever sniper match. I even had some beat downs in there. I was as giddy as a schoolgirl. Even screamed like one too. :P

I think it has FINALLY dawned on me how close the wedding is. I didn't sleep well at ALL last night. I was wide awake at 4 AM. Tried reading, but it didn't really help. I managed to fall back asleep with 45 minutes to go before my alarm went off. Also worried that I might be getting another sore throat, although that could just be psychosomatic. Here's hoping.

July 7th, 2006 09:20 hours CST
Currently listening to: "Sunday People" by Supercar
Getting married in: 12 days
Feeling: my hand hurts.

The Airiel show at Darkroom on Monday night was great. I got nice and drunk. Rocked out so much that I strained my left hand during the set and my neck is now FINALLY free of stiffness. Not sure what I did to my left hand but I'm having trouble opening jars because of the pain. I can still play guitar, so that's good. Airiel is playing tonight at Double Door and I'm a little worried about it. Although, I probably won't feel a thing with a few drinks in me.

Sweet.

My parents are coming up tonight to see the show and do last minute wedding/trip to Japan shopping. They're so excited for this trip. They've been reading travel books and talking to people who have been to Japan like crazy. Of course, nothing will actually prepare them for seeing it in person. Can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they walk through the gate to the meiji shrine where we will have our wedding, or when they see the hotel in Hakone. ^_^

Slowly but steadily I'm preparing for Yuka's arrival in September. I've cleaned out my closets and made room there and also in the dresser. I've been tossing old computer gear too. Didn't bother to see if I blanked the hard drives, so I pulled them out and submerged them in water for a while. Hahahah.