amusedtime passes. Im getting chilly. It's the cool humidity or my lack of sleep. Maybe both. It's almost 3:30 and probably obvious that no one is coming for me. While I know that inside the McDonalds will be as boring as all hell, it's getting a little strange outside. I just have this 6th sense to go in. So..I go in, buy an hot coffee (out of coupons) and a fish sandwich sans mayo for Y360 total, and stumble on down to the basement where the rest of the exhausted lay in wait for the trains to start moving again. Coffee and fish sandwich fight it out in my belly.
It's absolutely freezing. The AC is turned down to arctic levels. I huddle around my coffee, and shove my ipod in my ears to avoid the annoying music. At least an hour to kill yet. I make notes for my journal entries today. I watch all levels of drunk people walk up and down the stairs. I see that the wasted motorcycle guy from the bench is passed out across from a 100000 year old lady reading a comic. I write down more words to translate: bag, tray, awkward, bloated... And more phrases: "Why are you talking to me?" "Have you been drinking?" "McDonalds is safe but boring and cold." "It's difficult to sit here and waste time and avoid getting propositioned." and "That girl just poured sugar all over her chicken nuggets!" (True story!)
Wasted motorcycle man gets up and starts wandering. I put on my pretend invisible cloak. It seems to work and he ignores me completely and starts talking to the older gentleman at the next table who's listening to something on his keitai and reading an advertisement magazine. Phew.
It 4:25, I've had about all the sitting I can stand. Im tired. exhausted. I walk out of the McDonalds and down into the station without incident. Tobu line is still closed at 4:30. Rats. Lean, wait. Watch a guy watching me. Pace. Lean. At 4:50, the doors lift and access is granted. The first train -for future notice- is local and leave at 5:05. First express train leaves at 5:30. I hop the local, snare a seat, and turn up the ipod to stay awake. A girl and guy laugh happily together across the way. The train arrives to my stop about 5:40. Walking home, I realize how happy I am. I love my life. It's just so random! Most people would translate it into crazy and careless, but you have to understand that Ive lived in NYC for 8 years. I trust people just about as far as I can throw them, and drunk men even less. Good times.
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As I write this, im in a pizza/ italian bistro place in Shibuya. totally lost, but happy to be be so.