Author: Benjamin Trotter

I’ve now joined Club One, and it’s been really great so far. What’s nice is the fact that there are about 6 different clubs in close proximity to me that I can go to–each with some type of different facility that I’ll find useful. For instance, last Sunday I went to the Union Square one for a workout and swim. Then on Monday, I did the Body Conditioning class at the Nob Hill one. Then on Tuesday, I was at the Oakland City Centre one for racquet ball. Then on Wednesday I did Rock Climbing at the Citigroup building in the Financial District. So, the changing of clubs keeps it interesting, and available to meet lots of people. I’m so glad I joined. Here’s to a healthy 2004!

As anyone who ever reads any of my journals, they’ve seen that I have the weirdest coincidental meetings. Well, tonight, was yet another one. Andrew, Sean and I were sitting down at Eliza’s, one of the most unique Chinese restaurants in a very residential area near Fillmore street, when I noticed that someone looked like a guy that I had gone to school with in Tokyo. It was so uncanny, and impossible I thought, that now in San Francisco, I had randomly run into 2 other class mates during my year abroad in Tokyo, that it couldn’t possibly happen again. So, I went up to the table, and said, “This is going to sound strange, but did you go to school in Tokyo?” Sure enough, it was Travis, who was in my J5 class the first semester in Japan. So funny, the thought of having met so many people randomly in my life. Anyhow, it turns out he was just in San Francisco for New Year’s, and was living in New York now. Anyhow, it was cool, and we exchanged our contact info, and maybe we’ll be in touch.

So, tonight, Sean from Marin, Andrew my neighbor, and I are going to go eat dinner, then on to the Sunset District to join a girl from my graphic design class who is throwing a party. We’ll then proceed to go out and dance the night away, only to do it once more the next night!

Happy New Year! Best wishes for 2004!
明けましておめでとうございます！今年も宜しくお願いいたします。

New pictures of the apartment. Andrew (my neighbor) and I went to Macy’s to find a new rug for his apartment. So, lucky me, I got his donation of his old one. It actually looks quite good in my apartment, making it a little more homey. Gray seems to match all my Ikea furniture, so we’re good to go!

So, tonight I went to Joi & John’s house for dinner–a NICE huge t-bone steak, mashed potatoes and asparagus. The meal and company was absolutely fabulous. I ended up staying over there until 10:45! Joi and John have got to be the most perfect everything. Their personalities are amazing, their open-mindedness, wit, and humor all make the time fly by as if nothing could ever be dull. It was great to have a nice home-cooked meal, a glass of a TINY bit of wine, and wonderful conversation with two of the best people I’ve met since moving to California. It’s times like these where I just think, I am so glad to be alive.

So, today I witnessed something really funny and scary. As Joi, my colleague was on the phone asking someone about having our Transpacific Subway Map posted on the internet. This is a map that looks like a subway of our sailing schedules/routes throughout the Pacific. At that point, a woman was standing in front of me waiting for someone else in an office. She looked at me strangely and whispered,

“we have a transpacific subway now?”

I replied wittingly, “Oh yeah, we do”.

She said, “You mean it doesn’t go over the ocean?”

I smiled and said, “No, that would be the air way”.

Waiting for a chuckle or some type of acknowledgement of my wit and humor, I looked and said, Oh my, are you kidding?

“Kidding about what?”

“I’m so sorry, I thought you were playing with me. There is no transpacific subway. I’m sorry, I thought you were kidding with me.

She then replied, “Oh, well, I was about to say, wow, that’s amazing”.

So, at this point, two things really frightened me:

a) Who at this company would hire a person for a shipping company that thinks there is such a thing as a subway that crosses the spanse of the Pacific Ocean (-Announcement–Thank you for boarding the Transpacific Subway. The next stop is, Tokyo, Japan and we will arrive in 84 hours.)

b) Is this a reflection upon an educational system that didn’t work, someone of the general public, or someone who just doesn’t believe in lifetime learning?

Appalling. Yes. Joi and I have HOWLED over this!

I finally got my stuff together–A brilliant cover letter, my r?sum? in both English and Japanese, all nicely printed out, and forwarded them to Apple’s Corporate headquarters in Cupertino, CA for consideration of the Retail Japan Merchandising Manager position. I have now submitted my information via 4 outlets:

a) Online application submittal
b) Personal reference of an Apple Employee
c) FedEx to Hiring Manager
d) e-mail to Steve Jobs, Apple CEO (yes, I got his e-mail address)

So, hopefully I’ll hear something in January for an acceptance for an opportunity to interview.

The night at Cirque du Soleil was amazing! Andrew and I arrived by taking a taxi to the tents, and started our evening. The colors and costumes were so great! Moreover, the music was outstanding! Such a fantastic show!

So, the whole Maui, Hawaii travel was a big surprise for my mom and dad. Allan and I had planned it since September to surprise Mom and Dad for Thanksgiving. So, I took a hellacious flight from SFO at 11:30pm on Wednesday night, with a 2 hours layover in Atlanta the next morning, continuing on up to Chattanooga, arriving at 9:30am. I called Allan, and he was already on his way to pick me up. I met him outside, and we rushed back to the house, and Allan called Mom to tell him to wait before they go pick up our grandparents. So, they said ok. So, Allan pulled up in the driveway, went into the kitchen, and I got out into the garage. I text messaged them saying, “Happy Thanksgiving, have room for one more?” As Mom got the message, Allan opened the door, and I came in, and she was looking at the cell phone reading the message out loud. She then said, “What’s that mean?! You know he’s not here?!” and then she looked up and I was there! It was a perfectly executed surprise. Dad had been holding some type of cord, and dropped it straight on the floor as we all hugged. Such a great surprise and something we’ll always remember. Then Dad went to go pick up the grandparents, and I felt horrible. I had gotten something from the plane, or just the fact of having traveled so long with no sleep, but I was having sinus congestion, body aches, and a crick in my neck. Not the best condition. When the grandparents arrived, I was sitting in the living room. Papa made his way with his wheeled-walker through the living room, looking around the left side of the room first, where a portrait of myself is framed, and he said, “Well look, there’s Ben just a grinning at me”. He still hadn’t seen me, so I said, “I sure am grinning, Papa”! It was such a shock to everyone that I was there, so it made the visit very fun. I felt much better the afternoon of Friday, and we went to Huntsville to see Allan’s house. It’s gorgeous, and quite accomplishing of him to have such a sweet pad so early in life. I can only wonder when will I find a home of my own. . .and where in the world will it be! So this Thanksgiving was great, and hopefully my family will finally see where I live in San Francisco this spring…