Siliconchef by Brian Richardson
Wednesday, March 13, 2002. 11:58am.
JR Train Line, Somewhere between Tokyo and Yoenzawa.
Yes, I’m on a train in Japan. Try and act surprised.
Mike was running a bit late this morning, so we didn’t get preferred seating on the train. I’m a few minutes away from my transfer point, where we pick up the next leg of our three hour railway tour. I’m currently occupying one of the limited number of “general admission” seats on the train. The train is mostly composed of businessmen in suits who need to get from Point A to Point B. Except for the blonde hair and round eye sockets, I fit right in.
Today I have switched to white dress shirts. I had started the week with the grey/green shirts I acquired from a recent Parisian sale. The darker shirts required a more subdued tie. Now that I am utilizing the standard issue white dress shirt, I am pulling out my arsenal of power ties. Today’s featured tie is a yellow Sinsabang, one of the 100% silk ties I picked up in Seoul’s street markets.
Yes, travel does strange things to Brian. On a typical day, Mr. SiliconChef.com thinks more about the relationship between rugby and the greater Alabama ecosystem than he thinks about silk ties. But doing business in Japan requires that wear suits … dark suits … nice suits. I keep a small reserve of dress clothes in my closet for just such an occasion, much in the way Adam West’s Bruce Wayne kept an emergency BatCapsule in his back pocket (which became a full-sized Batman costume when water was added … I hope Alfred remembered to take that out of his pants pocket before doing the laundry).
There’s a bit of tightness in my chest today. Part of it is probably stress, part is probably the right-hand-green-left-foot-yellow position I woke up in this morning. Between coach class airline seats and my thin hotel bed, my back probably hates me right now. I haven’t had to resort to Ibuprofen yet. I think some relaxation is the real answer to my taught ribcage.
I take a look out the train windows. We’re currently moving though some mountains, which still have snow on them. It’s been warm in Tokyo, but we’re moving farther north today. I forgot to bring an overcoat, so I hope it’s not to chilly today.
My stop is a few minutes away. I hope I can grab a drink before we hit the next train. Considering how close it is to noon, I may want to get some food as well. Given yesterday’s meal issues, I have no idea what to expect from today’s nutritional options.
