While the clock is slowly (was to fastly) clicking down to the time I lave. I have a lot to do. I have to get some good gifts for my host family, I have to get hotels ready for my family when they come, I have to hang out with my friends before I leave, I have to register for classes for next quarter at school, I have to finish writing songs that I started, I have to... well I just have a lot to do. This is a position I should never ever be put in. When it comes to taking responsibility to get things like this done, I am not the person to put in charge. There are somethings, that I have extreme interest in, that I will work myself to death trying to finish. For instance, I worked hard on helping produce and get permits for a submission to the Chicago Comedy Television Pilot Competition this year and I worked my butt off. When it came to filling out papers for my study abroad to Japan, I just couldn't get myself to do it. When I want to finish recording a song or finish writing a song, I will lock myself in my room until it's done. When I have to wash my clothes because all of them are dirty, I will avoid it like the plague. Ask my mother, I wouldn't be in Japan if she hadn't helped me out.
I have had to book a lot of hotels lately and it took all the energy out of me. I booked a hotel in the town I live in but they didn't have enough rooms on the days I wanted. They had two rooms open on the 18th, but not the 19th. The other hotel in the city luckily had rooms on the 19th, but not the 18th. This worked out conveniently, though having to switch hotels will be hectic. Yesterday I was contacted by the first hotel saying they have space the second day. So I called the first and cancelled. Starting to get annoying? Yeah, that's just the beginning of it. The same thing happened with my sisters hotel in Nagoya. The hotel in Miyajima, and Tokyo. I haven't reserved a hotel for my second return to Nagoya yet, though I should probably get on that.
In order to relieve myself from the pain of reserving things (I think I just hate to use the phone, especially here because it's harder to understand Japanese on the phone since you can't see any gestures...gestures speak louder than words.) I have been writing a lot of music. I started writing two lullabyes and a small collection of piano solos, kind of jazzy-bluesy-boogie-woogie piano solos. All of them are about the different trains I ride/have ridden here in Japan. One is called the Tsurumaisen Boogie Woogie. Tsurumai is the name of the line sen is "line". The others that are coming are the Meijo-sen, Higashiyama-Sen, Meitetsu, Shinkansen (bullet train), and possibly a small Aonomi-Sen. I haven't really written anything in months and they are just pouring out and it's a great feeling. There's no forcing, writing has never felt easier. It's also nice because since I haven't had a guitar here I've been able to work on my piano skills a lot at home. I can't wait to get a guitar in my hands though, as much as I play piano, it will always be my mistress. Guitar is my true love.
For those interested, I have loaded the Tsurumai-Sen Boogie Woogie (in its current Synthesized Piano, slightly unfinished status) to my music website http://www.purevolume.com/michaelmalarkey feel free to visit and listen.
My older sister arrives in two days, I can't wait. It's a lot like having this weird dream you get excited about so you keep telling people about and everyone just goes "...oooh cool...yeah..." but then you get to finally get to bring someone else into the dream with you. Maybe that's a strange analogy, but that's what it feels like...
Happy Mothers Day Mom and any other Moms or Grandmas who read this.
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3 comments:
Listening to you talk about music is complete joy. Listening to your music made me excited to hear you at our piano again. By the way, thanks for the compliment, but I know you would have made it to Japan even without me.(perhaps not in such an over organized fashion).
Love the boogie-woogie!! Can I download it for Grandma or just play it for her?
Have fun with those unsmiling Malarks!!
Hard for me to fathom that your days in Japan are coming to an end, so I can't imagine how you must feel. Enjoy the remaining days in the land of the rising sun with Kate, Ricky, Susanna and your dad. See ya soon.
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