today was valentine's day.

now i didn't really realize this until part way through the day. it was nice not to even be aware of this obligatory holiday. however, i was reminded by a few e-mails, in reference to romantic plans of my friends, and frightening student love for others, as well as the fact that i had to teach two classes with a valentine's theme. for the most part i didn't care about the holiday, the fact that i don't have someone that i would celebrate it with, or anything related to the day. my day was pretty standard, save for plans to go to a concert in the evening. and i was enjoying, immensely, the fact that current reading material is "are men necessary?" by maureen dowd. (one of favorite quotes thus far, "men have a perfect right to be insecure. they're doomed, poor darlings"). what was interesting was, after leaving work, downtown i got to see the japanese valentine's day in action. officially women are supposed to give men chocolate, homemade chocolate, and that's it. no 'things' and no gifts for women. so of course as i went down to the sogo (department store) basement to buy my dinner, the dessert floor was filled with free samples of amazing chocolate truffles and women in business suits buying large packages. efficient and yet still totally fulfilling the feminine role that japan requires. a perfect example of japanese culture. next stop for me was to kill time at starbucks before going to the concert. of course by this time i knew that my friend, who was supposed to be going with me to the concert, had bailed on me. i was considering just going home, but decided to say fuck and go--i could always leave if it was awful. part of my reservations, i'm sad to say, was a fear that the concert would be all couples and i would just feel like a standout. of course, no matter what i would feel like a standout. i'm white. so off to the concert it was, but first came starbucks. as i was enjoying my short chai (proof that i am turning japanese, i think a venti is too much. in fact, a grande seems excessive) and delicious salad from sogo, i watched the other customers. one white couple, some japanese women in pairs or alone, and maybe a japanese couple or two. nearing the end of my sit, a young high school japanese couple sat down next to me. they were clearly on a date, sharing food, showing each other books and cds that liked, with gifts sitting in wait for the moment of the exchange (i assume they were gifts). what was interesting to me was that they were exchanging gifts, and not following the 'rules'. this was quite refreshing and just made me feel a little better for the next generation of japanese that will enter the real world. my book was also refreshing reading for the v-day (whether i'm taking it seriously or not) and the concert turned out to be amazing.

i was going to this concert in particular because our bartender from my new favorite bar, m-style, was in a band playing there. he is the bassist for the 'slinking cats'. i showed up at the right time, another band was playing, who were decent, and to my surprise and joy 'slinking cats' were on next. kazu, while setting up, noticed me right away and waved and said thank you for coming. i was already psyched just to see someone i knew playing, but then they were actually good. really good. they had quite the following, too. what made it extra extra special for me was that their singer was woman and their drummer was the cutest girl. and the guitarist? a john lennon wanna be. the whole thing just made me smile. i, of course ended up buying a cd, and getting all their autographs. they were then followed by a decent girl band, 'chapper'. and after that my heart rate got up at the imitation-slip-knot-wanna-bes, ' smack down'. they were more funny than good, but as far as the genre goes, they weren't bad. and to be able to move with a crowd to music just felt so good. after that i was on a bus, then a train and home before ten. i love my placement. if i didn't love portland more, i'd want to stay.

the night ended as i stepped in my door and a bug careened into my nostril. but all and all, a good day.