Vanity and Ponderings

I've pinpointed the worst of my problems.

Money Management.

Even when I don't try and spend money, it seems to leak out of my pockets. And what on? Contrary to popular belief, I don't spend tons of money on Anime, Manga, and Pornography. Hell, I don't even spend that much on rent, cars, or snowboarding. All of that is negligable when compared to my incredible spending prowess when it comes to food.

Wow, I never knew that food costs so damn much. Especially steak. Mmmm, steak. I can never resist when my buddies are saying, "Hey Jason! Let's go to Shin Sen Gumi to grab $20 of ramen and beer!" or "Hey Jason! Let's go to Claim Jumpers to grab $40 of steak and beer!"

I need more willpower. Especially since it's only 11 more days till I go to Japan.

So, yesterday, I went to work and was told that I was meeting with key members of two other companies that we would be working with for a specific project in the future. Needless to say, everyone spoke Japanese more than fluently. Except, of course, me. Although I did understand some Japanese and was able to follow the conversations if not actually participate in them, but it still felt awkward to have the "part-timer" participate in such an important discussion.
Anyway, the meeting began with a lot of bowing and exchanging of business cards while introducing myself as the stupid American in the group. This was repeated every time a person would arrive late, and in the end I had gained six new cards. The majority of the kick-off meeting involved talking about cross-promotion and current market sales in the anime and game industry. We talked about rights, about production studios, and all sorts of other details (many of which got lost due to my lack of Japanese understanding). In the end, I was assigned to be the primary point of contact with the other companies regarding rights and promotions.
Overall, the meeting lasted about three hours. The first group of people arrived at about 5:45pm, and we left the office at 8:45pm. Because it was such an important meeting, all of the parties decided to go get some food afterward at this lovely Japanese place over in Fountain Valley located across the street from Shinsengumi. Two and a half company sponsered beers later, with a small mountain of food in my belly, we finished up and went home. At about 11:50pm.
Anyway, here's my random Japanese artists link of the day: