We Didn't Start the Fire

This a really cool video Papa G sent me, We Didn't Start the Fire. Check it out.

Nothing much else crackin' in T-Town, Japan at the moment. Summer was coming with a vengeance, but all of the sudden today I could see my breath. Weird.

Hopefully I will have more exciting news and/or crazy and funny stories next time.

Jimbo Out

PS. I just got word that Gabriel the Tank will be making a Tokyo Cameo come August.

Shaking off the Cobwebs

With the departure of j4 after a belly-filling evening of tabihodai shabu shabu and namihodai with j1,2,4, Chiho, Hana, Eri, and Shinji, the partying has momentarily ceased with a quick spike in my intellectual and creative electro brain waves. I haven’t seen Oz James in week (you still alive?) and only drank with Ashley one night. I have taken this time to dry out somewhat and refocus, and the winter slag seems to finally worn off with my renewed drive to get back into shape.

Nothing special to report on this week, other than I’ve been busting my ass working and have a few weeks of working weekends ahead of me due to the days I have to make up for the leave I took to go back to Florida.

One point of note is the Thai festival I attended before j4’s ‘Ganbatte’ going away party last Sunday. The atmosphere was really upbeat even though I got there an hour before it was officially supposed to wrap up. It would have been a lot cooler if I had been drunk and been with friends, but I had neither at the time. You can’t have everything every time…

Hopefully next week will be more exciting, but something tells me that I am in for more of the same ole’ same ole.’

1st week back in Tokyo: May 2007

Coming back to the reality of Tokyo was kinda sad. Two of my friends, Dirty Dave and ‘Colonel’ Karen Sanders, have gone on their respective ways for different parts of the globe. But on the other hand it has been another non-stop whirlwind with less than 30 hours sleep since I have been back. Chillin almost every night with the regulars never gets old.

Had drinks with Ash and Kiyo on the night of my return and it has snowballed out of control since then. I don't really even remember Monday or Tuesday, but I sure as shit remember Wednesday. The party of J-Cubed did two hours of 'namihodai' in Shibuya then Eri took Oz James, Oz James 2 (j4), and I to this swanky fashion party in Omotesando. The place would have been really happening another time, but we weren't feeling the atmosphere so we bounced for Roppongi.

J-Cubed: James, Jimmy, Jimbo

So it was like this: Three assholes named James looking for a good time in Roppongi. What do you do? You guessed it. Titty Bar. It was actually the first time I went in Japan, and I think it will be the last. We met up with my Nigerian Tout friend, Prince, and he promised to give us a good deal. Fuck That. We were in the club for a grand total of ten minutes when the staff asshole came with a bill of 13,800 yen. I immediately got red in the face and we had a standoff after I threatened to kick the his ass. We left, but I still paid. The night went downhill from there and I won't go into details, but j4 lost his phone and I cursed every Nigerian on the street that night.

Friday Kumiko and I went to The Funky Chicken Disco Yakitori. It’s a Soul/Funk/Disco-themed Yakitori bar in Shibuya’s ‘Love hotel’ district that is constantly blaring tunes from James Brown, The Tempations, etc. I love that place. After I parted with Kumiko I hit up my local watering hole, Potluck. There was this French chick there that started buying me beers and pizza. She was really cool, but also had incredibly offensive BO. So after I got really shit-faced I told her I had a girlfriend and got my bill which was only 1000 yen. Sweet!

Saturday night my Canadian buddy Alex had his last concert at the Ruby Room in Shibuya before returning to Canada, so I hit that up then met up with Ashley, Oz James, j4, Kumiko and Kumiko's Horde (there were 8 of them I think) for the bus ride to this club called Ageha. Man, this place is fuckin rockin! A few buds say it’s the biggest club in Asia, and they could be right. But one source (Ash) said, "It’s the biggest club in South East Asia!" To which I replied, "Japan isn't in South East Asia." Ash: "oh..." So maybe it is or isn't the biggest..... Who knows?

Anyway, Eri put us all on the guest list (except for Ash and Chez, but that was my fault) and we partied like rock stars until 5. This place even played South beats like Rick Ross, but the best part is that it is kinda classy and expensive so there is less of the Shibuya street scum. I have shotty memories of dropping drinks and grabbing random girls while dancing on the edge of pool over looking the river and Odaiba. Like I said before, Great Night.

The Fall of a Legend: Paul J. Leslie, Sr.

The Family

The Friends

The Boundless Beauty of Florida

I was back at home within 36 hours of receiving the call from my sister. It was a hassle to get a ticket so quickly, but my good friend, Kiyo, from my neighborhood, Futako Shinchi, helped me find one that Sunday afternoon even though he was still inebriated from the night before. It was strange being back so quickly; I felt as though Tokyo and Ocala had somehow merged into one place, like I had bridged the gap of our parallel Universe. The viewing tough and the funeral was harder, but my family and friends were there to keep my head above the water, like they always have been. Even though the circumstances were utterly opposite of ideal, I managed to have a good time with my people and bask in the boundless beauty of my home. It was spring so the weather was pretty hot, like usual, but was also uncharacteristically dry. There had been raging wild fires throughout Florida and South Georgia for the month before until then, so every night we got a bright red and pink sunset. I was only back for a few days, so I paid my respects to the grandfather that gave his whole life to serve his family and I was once again headed back for the Beast; Tokyo.

Pimp Daddy Leslie