It's been pretty slow lately at the Williams household Japan, and cash used during the new years has been reduced to low flow as of late. So, in liew of a real post, I thought that I would share with you 25 things about myself. This can also be seen on my Facebook page.
1. I was born in Toledo, Ohio.... but you all know that.
2. My best friends on Burnham Green were James Reed and Kieth Kujawa. Just like my sister, I am in contact with James again in Atlanta. Looking forward to seeing you there man!
3. I went to the best elementary school in the world.... Dorr Street... Go Dragons! Crissy and Holland can SUCK IT!! Can I get a HELL YEAH JIMMY 9!
4. I grew up knowing how to annoy my little sister to no end and paying for it with the law that was my Dad, Thomas A Williams. He and my mom are the reason that my sister and I did not grow up to be delinquents.
5. Best joke played on a friend was to take Steve Bruno's garage door opener and go past his house in Jeff Renner's car opening and closing his door all day.
6. Revenge was sweet for Steve Bruno when I was taking a dump at Steve's place. He had a key to the bathroom and doused me with water while on the shitter. Nothing worse than having your fortress of solitude violated when you are in such an easy place to be taken advantage of.
7. My best friends, Tommy, Jeff, and Jimmy, I met in High School. We lived our dream of making videos and imprinting our brand of twisted humor on the entire school.
8. I decided to take Japanese during the bubble economy in Japan. Because of the current economic conditions I thought it would be advantageous to me to learn Japanese at the time……. Oh……. Alright…. That’s just bullshit….. I took it because Japanese women are hot…. OK?
9. A life changing experience was learning to speak Japanese at the University of Toledo. The inspiration, meeting my friend Kenji. At a language lab at U Hall, Kenji was sitting at the desk next to mine. He asked, in broken English, "Are you studying Japanese? “Um… Yeah.” ~ Hey, I'm Japanese".
10. My first trip to Japan was to Kenji's house in Tokyo. It was a wakeup call.... after two years of class work. I could understand squat! I needed to study more.
11. I would really like to find more folks from my Japanese class at UT. So far Richard Lange is on Facebook but I’m still looking for others.
12. I became the first American member of the Japanese Student Association at the University of Toledo. Met some really good people in that group that I wish I kept in touch with more.
13. My sister does not remember this but I know she really gave up playing the piano after hearing David Ng from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. He is truly a natural genius on the keyboard. Hear him play and you will know what I'm talking about.
14. After college I landed a job with the Japanese Government to teach English in a small town in central Japan. I did not know where I was living until I arrived in Tokyo.
15. In the months leading up to the move to Japan I was very busy getting ready for the move. When I arrived it was a blur, I remember very little of that time. The one thing I do remember is getting dropped off at my apartment in Matsusaka for the first time after everything was done. I was alone, in a foreign country half a world away and knew no one. My first thought was... "Oh shit... What the hell have I done?"
16. I met my wife at a coffee shop in the little town of Matsusaka. I originally went there to meet with the head of Matsusaka Taiko (Japanese Drums). To learn how to play and join the group. I did not end up taking any lessons but became a regular customer at the coffee shop.
17. I became friends with my wife’s family before I started dating her. This was the key to actually being able to marry her later.
18. While in Japan I broke the code of men. Sorry Kelly, you seem happier now anyway…. Who needs a F1 race queen anyway?
19. I was in Japan for the massive Hanshin Earthquake of 1995. No damage in Matsusaka but it scared the living shit out of me. Of course, my co-worker from the UK, Ian slept right through it. Yeah right…
20. I had a traditional Japanese wedding and I moved back to the USA in 1996 with the wife. I worked for a trading company before starting my career at SMC in 1998. My boss instilled me with an almost fanatical devotion to my company that survives to this day.
21. After trying for so long to have children my wife and I finally gave up. 2 weeks later she brought in the pregnancy test that she had taken many times before to show me the positive result. On September 13th, 2003, my daughter Anna Mae was born in Walled Lake, MI. She has the name of my grandmother and her name can be written in Japanese also (杏菜). The first character is AN for Anzu or apricots. The second is NA for NAPPA or greenery. My wife chose the two for the sweetness of the fruit and the green for the new green of the leaves at the end of spring, her favorite things in life.
22. My father came up from Atlanta to Detroit to see my daughter for the first time. He was able to hold her in his hands at our house there. Two weeks later he passed away from a heart attack. I think about my dad every day. This past August I bought a birthday gift for myself. It is a bear claw that I wear around my neck to remember my father, the bear. My mom has the original one on her key chain. Miss you dad…
23. In 2006 SMC offered me the chance to move to Japan and work at our Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. I took the job and have been having fun ever since. This is a great place to be.
24. My sense of humor and knowing the culture here is what keeps me sane. That and a love for beer, finding new places to drink, and wonderful public transportation to bring me home when I’m stumbling home makes me want to stay even longer.
25. I have an open invitation to my friends around the world to make the trip across the ocean to visit this wonderful place. I can be one hell of a guide.
