Nakano Shirou created this limited edition G-Shock Man Box edition (110F-2JR), which is a watch along with a matching g-shockman figure. I’ve been looking all over Tokyo and was recently able to snap one up! It’s been described as “the ugliest watch you will see. Ever. The plastic timepiece, possibly conceived after a Casio designer accidentally drank a box of crayons and then vomited … “
The next word in the title phrase is known to all. This weekend it was triggered by coffee. Kaldi coffee, specifically, for which a great love has developed within me. You see, my supply of mildly roasted ‘Precious Beans of 100 Years Old Coffee Tree’ was exhausted, so I was relegated to the under-the-counter jar of Nescafé Excella (it’s soluble!). All in all, the Excella is a passable cuppa insofar as freeze-dried instant varieties go. The problem, the jarring shock, is that Kaldi had thoroughly ruined me. It had informed me of heights sublime.
Perhaps the temporal proximity of the two quaffing experiences accentuated the disappointing effect of cup number two, but the damage was done and led to a questioning regret for ever having tried Kaldi in the first place. In all likelihood, I would be at least generally appeased by the Excella, had not the apple of knowledge been within my purview. I knew, and more damningly had tasted, the superior.
How could I have allowed my bliss to be so devastated? Does even the banality of the whole ‘ignorance is bliss’ phrase cry out for suspension of belief regarding its nature? A tired axiom, demonstrating by example the level of its fatigue? Its truth is certainly not in question. Living in Japan, I fear that the concept of sushi elsewhere has been ruined for all time. A special holiday sunday brunch (and the view) at Top of the Mark on the rooftop of the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins in San Francisco causes others to fall, crashing down to pedestrian level. The electric excitement of Hong Kong at night leaves lesser realms in an eco-friendly brown-out. Spain. Tapas. Ad nauseam, this could be.
Would it not be better for all parties concerned if happiness, once obtained, could be constricted to simply encompass that which is within immediate view, without pondering what may lie beyond distant horizons? While I don’t regret the mind-expanding experiences that have passed me by, a part of me feels a tinge of melancholy to be always in a state of qualitative comparison.
As I write this, sipping of the replenished supply of roasted foreign fruit (‘Café Andes’ this time around), I implore you not to let me know of anything better.
We got up early and went over to Paris where they have Le Village Buffet. It’s about 15 dollars and includes most things you could want. The eggs were not watery, the bacon was not soggy fat, the omlets were cooked properly as were the crepes, the hash browns were not greasy. Their fruit select is restricted to typical American stuff but I suppose that is to be expected. The only nasty thing was the eggs Benedict – I could not even cut it – so it could not even be tried. It was quite great and we left stuffed.
We then went on over to the join the shuttle bus to go over to the outlet mall in Primm. We picked up some nice stuff from Burberry and the Gap for really great prices. The only thing bad about it aside from my being generally kicked into a high state of anxiety by the smell of manufactured clothing type places was some of the other shoppers. Everyone was arguing with the salespeople about why something is 12.99 when they thought it was 11.99. This is all going on in front of me for at least 10 minutes while trying to get my 20$ Burberry shirt, and as the line grew and grew. Argh City!
Anyway, after that we explored the Venetian and I got a gracie card for their casino rewards thing. We wandered around outside after that and did the rewards thing at Harrah’s since they had a promotion going on. Unfortunately it was for new members and they said I went to New Orleans in 2004 so I’m not eligible. Hmph. On well, E got the deal and also a nifty set of winter hat, gloves, and scarf. There is this one cent slot there that if you get a devil in the first, third, and fifth row it does some bonus round stuff (if you do max bet – like 90 cents). We ate at Flavors buffet before heading hope and it was entirely unacceptable … and 21.99.