Experience a Gallo-”Get a”-way!

I’m having the time of my life right now here in Japan.  Everyday when I wake its never, "Well, gotta go to work."  Rather, "What am I going to learn today? ; What new food will I try today? ; Who will I meet?"  I’m going to go ahead and admit it, and I know a few of you might not want to hear it, but… I don’t want to leave.  Granted, I still have nine months of my contract to go, and I may have a change of heart as the contract closes.  I’m just experiencing so many new things and people and places.  I don’t think I can get everything I want accomplished here in Japan done in thirteen months.  Just putting it out there.

I’m amazed at the level of professionalism and talent of the people I work with everyday.  Many of them I barely see at work.  Hanging out at the local bar, we have sing alongs with this unbelieveable musician from Australia.  He just picks up the guitar and plays whatever you want to sing.  Even if he doesn’t know the tune!!!!  Give him a few bars of humming and he’s off.  What?  It’s sick actually.  Ah, Urizun!  Its like Cheers back in the states… "where everybody knows your name…"  The propriators, Sachi and Hide, are the cutest couple who are to be married in a couple of months.  They are people I consider good friends.

I just got back from my first holiday two weeks ago that Hide and Sachi organized.  I had a spectacular time in Okinawa and the surrounding islands.  A group of sixteen went for a four day trip.  These bitches are so cool!  Some of them I feel as if I’ve known my whole life, but somehow that happens to me a lot.  I’ve been blessed.  God basically laid out a silver platter of "new additions" to my life.  A few buds have been putting together video clips of events and outings that we’ve had, and the other day one of the guys opted to show me some of the editing he had worked on thus far.  Seeing the memories that had already occured in the short time I’ve been here actually brought tears to my eyes.  There will most definitely be a future blog devoted souly to this vacation.  Stay tuned.

So this is where we get to my true purpose for this blog.  I know it sounds silly, but I would like to take the time to introduce you, my friends back in the states, to my current crowd.  This way if I mention names in the future you might have a little ground of reference.  Oh my God.  I’m gay.

CANADA -  This little bundle is my heart!  Her real name is Morgan, and you can guess where she’s from.  Cool bitch with amazing moves.  Keeps me giggling until my pancreas hurts!  Boy, can she say some stupid shit.  She’s the lighthouse I search for when I feel lost.

MONTE -  My fucking brother from another mother!  The kinda guy everyone should have the pleasure to meet.  Glint of trouble in his eyes, but hey, who doesn’t like that.?  A Seattle native who’s "dozo" or "welcome" feels like mom calling you in for dinner.  Top notch!

ANTHONY -  Sometimes referred to as Mr. Palencsar.  Little bro to my afore mentioned brother, Monte.  Not by blood, but unquestionably in spirit.  The colors around this guy are amazing!  A tough egg to crack, but I’m still pecking.  We have a good base of friends in common, so he feels like a comfort zone.

ROWE -  Stand back!  This crazy cooter has the pedal flat against the floorboard.  If you can’t handle the speed, she will gladly pull over, but only to give you a kiss on the cheek and wish you adieu.  Because honey, if there is still gas in the tank this bitch is going to run it out!!  Yes!!!!! 

DIGGER -  Funny fuck.  He’s the kind of character I picture myself with in some sort of situation comedy.  Not someone I see on a daily basis, but when we do run into one another it is always good times!  He’s pretty much mastered the "ellllllllll" sound I make when talking about pussy.

DAN KANE -  Kinda like Eddie Dunn.  Its hard to refer to him without saying the whole name.  Dan Kane.  Amazing performer, vocalist, guitar, harmonica, ahhhhhhh!  First guy to make me feel really cool about being in Japan.  I wonder if he even knows that?

SHAZ -  Sharon.  My wife.  In the show that is.  Australian mess.  When I first met her I didn’t know what to think.  She’s abrassive.  But once I hung around her more I saw that she was this beautiful creature.  A beautiful creature who farts, talks likes a crass sailor, and says what she’s feeling.  You can’t take it?  Bye.

KERRY -  This one and I hit it off from day one.  I had heard so much about him from Millicent that I couldn’t help but automatically love him.  Many call him my little sidekick.  I call him friend.  He’s only here on a six month contract, and I’ll miss him when he goes!

AJ -  Crazy kid who lives beneath me.  A ball of energy who is always eager to get a smile out of everyone around him.  He is in my cast and keeps me on my toes.  If I, a 31 year old man, can keep up with this little 20 something then everything is OK.  My makeup buddy!

PAUL -  Big guy!  Puts back enough alcohol to make any Aussie proud.  What intrigues me is his multiple artisitc abilities!  Painter, photographer, actor, dancer, musician, the list goes on.  A man who is not afraid to try anything.  You should see the amount of tobasco this man puts on his pizza.  Whoa!

KYLIE -  Pictured below with "Tancee."  I put them together because thats how you always see them.  Kylzz is a trip and a half!  A firecracker on the stage and off.  She’s not bad on the eyes, either.  I think if I had ever had a troublesome little sister, she would have been just like this devil.

TANCIAR -  Pictured with Kylzz.  A wind up toy that some company should market.  They would make millions!  He is constant entertainment for me.  He knows it too.  Often, a walking nervous breakdown getting ready to happen, but always a blast to be around.   

TOOMBS -  Ahhhhh.  My gentle giant.  If any of you read my blogs, you may remember him as "my neighbor" on the flight from the US.  A quality human being.  Chill, humble, always a kind word waiting at the edge of his lips.  A Jack & Coke fiend!  So of course I luv him!

SACHI & HIDE -  Ladies and gentlemen…  my sun and moon here in Japan.  I say that because this lovely couple has seen me on more than one occasion party, laugh, and love from 8 pm to dawn.  They are so much more than my local bartenders.  They are my friends!  No, I don’t say that because I’m an alcoholic!!  I say it because I know "true" when I see it.  These two are true in spirit, and true to my heart.

The bicycle is a huge form of transportation in Japan.  I ride my bike everywhere.  I’m actually pretty good!  Who knew that after years of being away from a childhood staple it could come back to you in no time at all.  It’s a great form of exercise and somewhat relaxing and meditative.  One problem that drives me bananas, however, is the fact that this past Christmas I busted my ass during a show, and now when I ride my bike for too long my tailbone gets sore.  Here’s another clincher, and let me say this.  If you live in a country that has bicyclers as a major form of transportation.  GET OUT the way!!!!!!!  These people insist on walking right in the middle of a small path.  Left or right.  Hidari or migi.  Pick a side, bitch!

The train/subway is an interesting bird.  I have to say, one of the cleanest train systems I’ve ever been on.  Its much like a library as well.  People don’t speak.  Rather, they nap!  I don’t get it.  It amazes me.  I always think, "How do they know when they get to their stop?"  I’d be afraid I’d wake up in some remote part of the country where nobody speaks a lick of English, and I’d be standing there like "HOLY SHIT!  How do I get my hillbilly ass out of this pickle?"  Oh, but the Japanese wouldn’t have to worry about that.  I’m a dumbass.  Whats also funny is that in some sections of the city it can get extremely crowded on the train.  Literally cramming in like a can of sardines!  I’ve thought a couple of times that I was going to have to get married after trips from station to station.  Can you imagine? 

"Hey guys, I want you to meet my new wife, Ginseng.  Yea, we met on a train.  No, we never actually spoke.  The whole language barrier thing, you know.  But there were some definite smiles or glances of hello…  you’re cool… I’m cool.  Then the train doors open and a stampede of little men in black and white suits charge into the car.  Like strapping a body suit of raw fish on yourself and standing in front of a flock of rushing penguins.  Penguins, but they’re asian.  The train wips to speed and we’re flushed through an expansive twisting tunnel.  My back against the wall.  Her body pressed to mine.  A hot box of shaking, gyrating, body heat, crammed together, sweat dripping, lights flashing… I didn’t know whether I was on a train or at one hell of a garage rave.  The light at the end of the tunnel rushed upon us and we both survived the ordeal.  Two weeks later, I received gifts from her family.

                       1 Goat

                          2 Pigs

                       10 lbs of Rice

I thought marrying her would be the honorable thing to do."

So, needless to say; I do a lot of bike riding.  GET OUT the way!!!

Six weeks have passed since I arrived in Japan, and needless to say a lot has happened.  I most definitely will not be able to condense it all into this one blog,  but rather many small ones.  Keep your eyes open for them.  I’ll do my best to get everyone caught up on the latest events.  It shouldn’t be to hard now that I finally have internet in my room!

I guess the best place to start is from the beginning.  The plane ride!  Holy shit, only 14 hours out of my life!!  I have spent many hours in a car, but thats different because you’re in control.  You decide when to stop and where.  Gas station, rest stop, food, general sight-seeing, NO!!  There was none of that.  Just a long box.  What made it worse was the fact that almost the entire group of passengers kept the windows closed and slept the whole trip.  It didn’t make sense to me.  How you gonna sleep 14 hours knowing that when we land in Japan its gonna be 5 or 6 pm?  How were these people going to sleep through the following evening?  I refused.  I stayed awake, but boy was there a price to pay.  Boring.  Anxious.  Down right stir crazy was what I was working through.

Yea there were on flight movies and TV shows.  I had my fair share of cocktails.  But those of you who know me well know that I have to run my mouth.  I need stimulating coversation every now and then.  I’m a social whore!  Just a plane full of strangers.  I sat in a row of seven seats.  I at one end and this tall, attractive American guy at the other.  He and I would glance over the empty seats between us and share an occasional smile or head nod, but nothing really more than that.  A few hours later as I rambled to myself in my head and he slept quietly, I began to refer to him in my inner conversations as "my neighbor."

Yep.  There’s my neighbor.  My neighbor who sleeps.  There’s my neighbor coming back from the bathroom.  Maybe I’ll go to the bathroom?  Do I need to go?  Go.  Oh well, look at that, my neighbor is snoozing some more.  I don’t want to watch Walk the Line again.  Reese Witherspoon does a great job, but June Carter was never that pretty.  Another Jack and Coke please!  I wonder if its daylight outside?  These two guys sitting behind me with the surgical mouth masks are freaking me out.  Maybe its a germ thing with the Japanese.  Where exactly in the Pacific Ocean is it OK to just switch to the next day, and who decided that?  Only seven more hours and I’ll be in Japan.  A country of fish and rice.  A country of earthquakes and typhoons.  A country on the other side of the world.  Far, far, away from everything and everyone that I know and love!!  Is this cabin getting darker and smaller or is it just me?!  Aaaaaggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes.  I was that guy.  Just working through a nervous breakdown on a plane thousands of feet in the air over a massive ocean.  A lot of pacing, stretching, and Jack Daniels helped me through this trying time.  Hours passed and so did my anxiety.  Soon we were on the ground and the plane slowly came back to life.  All of the Japanese passengers seemed quite pleased and excited to be home.  I glanced over at "my neighbor," but he did not return the look.  Deep in thought, he continueously rubbed his legs and adjusted his position in the seat.  Apparently he was experiencing the same nervous tension I had already mulled over.

With a couple of beads of sweat at my brow, I stepped off the plane wondering what the year to come would hold for me.  Was I excited or was it straight-up fear that was coursing through my blood?  I attempted to keep my mind clear or at least distracted.  Glancing from side to side I noticed that "my neighbor" was standing in the customs line right next to me, so I asked him what he was doing in Japan.  Come to find out he too was a new employee of Universal!  The whole trip he and I said nothing to one another from across the same row of empty seats, yet here we were going to the exact same location.  We had a good laugh.  His name is David and he hails from Tennessee; "neighbor" to my native North Carolina.  In fact, for the last four years he’s been working in Pigeon Forge which is literally only a couple of hours from my hometown.

It was a sign.  Before I had even breached my first thousand steps in the country of Japan, God had reminded me that home was never far away.  The remainder of my first evening in Japan was calm.  I walked into my new apartment and immediately crawled into bed.  I had a beautiful night’s slumber.  The next day David, "my neighbor," told me he didn’t get any sleep at all.  Well, I wonder why?!  I could have told those dumb bitches they were stupid for sleeping the entire flight.  Dumb bitches.

The clock is ticking, and my time in the states is running short.  I’ve been doing so much traveling over the past month, desperately trying to see as many family members and friends as I can before I disappear for the next year.  I have to say I’m one lucky guy!  I guess I never realized how large of a support group I had until I set out on the road to visit them.  Unfortunately, I didn’t make it around to everyone, but I’ll try my best to make sure these select few are the first I visit when I return.

I can’t wait to let everyone know of my new adventures.  "Oh, the places I’ll see…"  Isn’t that a Dr. Suess book?  Knowing that so many people out there are excited for me is making this move easy.  Yes, there have been some tears shed, and my mother definitely has many more water works scheduled for the next few days.  I think that’s going to be the hardest to deal with this coming year; being so far away from my Mom and Dad.  Both of them are older now, and I’m reaching that age where I’m worrying about them as much as they worry about me.

Isn’t it funny how that works?  As a child, you never think of your parents as "human."  You know, the fact that they get sad or scared never really crosses your mind.  The older you get, however, the more realistic they become.  When was the first time you thought about your parents mortality?  I was seven when I naively asked my mother if her and Dad would still be alive when I graduated from high school.  She laughed, and told me they wouldn’t miss it for the world.  They didn’t miss it.  In fact, the two of them have rarely missed out on anything. 

So much has changed, though, since I was that little seven year old.  With age comes revelations!  I pray everyday, and the majority of my prayers center around my parent’s health and well-being.  I’ve never talked to them about it, but something tells me they sense my concerns.  It would kill me to upset them, so rather than stir up a frenzy of doom which could only result in class "A" ulcers for all three of us; I’ve decided to leave it up to God.  I, nor my parents should put our lives on hold for what may or may not happen over the next year.  Let Him worry about it!  Then He can bake a cake and surprise us all later.

Life is a parade.  We merely see it as it passes.  Only He sees it from beginning to end.

Is there something wrong with me that people aren’t sharing?  Why do I have such a problem with guys?  No offense to the ladies, but men are supposed to be easier to deal with and relate to.  "Oh, really Galloway!  You’re going to start using this blog as a bitch-fest for your non-existant social life."  YES I AM!  It’s mine, and I’ll do what I want.  So, if you’re not interested in hearing about my problems with men, and my most recent encounter with "history repeated" then don’t read any further.  This is where the wavy lines cross the tv and take us back. 

So, a few weeks ago I ran into this guy.  We’ll call him Bobby.  I was bored and went out on the town to have a couple of drinks.  Nothing special.  I found myself at one of the local bars in Asheville, NC; engaging in more drinking than conversating.  I was getting ready to leave when suddenly I was bumped from behind.  I turn to see this cute, bubbly girl and a group of her friends standing behind me.  "Jennifer", introduced herself and apologized for bumping into me. I smiled; told her it was no problem and turned back around.  A tap on the back of my shoulder told me this chance meeting was not over.  I turned to see this tall, book-ish looking fella smiling at me.  "I’m sorry!," he yells over the loud music.  "Oh no, she’s fine!  No harm done!," I said.  His infectious grin grew even larger as he leaned in closer.  "I’m apologizing because I made her do it."  Hmm.  He’s direct.  Not at all shy.  The more I focus on him, and less on the chaos happening around us I realize that he’s definitely cute.

Another minute or so of ring side screaming, and Bobby invites me to go with him to a quieter bar upstairs.  I agree, thinking that I’ll share a drink with this guy, maybe some idle chit-chat, nothing special.  My brain chimed with musical lyrics, "You’re free to do as you please, no strings attached, Japan is only a month away…"  I allowed myself to go with the flow and not think.  Then without warning and much to my surprise, I realized this guy sitting across from me was awesome!  Charming, attractive, witty, funny, grounded yet a little wiley; HOLY SHIT, I LIKE HIM! 

Next thing you know I’m at a local hotel with him and his friends having a great time. We made out in the bathroom.  It was hot.  "WHAT!?  The bathroom.  Really, Galloway?"  I know it doesn’t sound like me, but I thought what the hell, I’m leaving for Japan in a month.  What can it hurt?  Before the evening ended, we had agreed to meet up again in his hometown of Knoxville, TN for the following weekend.  It was extremely impulsive, but exciting.  Someting about Bobby made me feel comfortable.  At no point did I feel wary about driving to his apartment for the weekend.  In fact, when I arrived at his doorstep, he seemed far more nervous than I!

Much of the first evening was spent trying to relax around one another.  Idle conversation and a couple of drinks lead to jokes, guilty pleasures, and stories of similar childhood experiences.  Soon it was like talking to an old friend.  These were the small comforts that got us both through the first night.  With the morning, I felt fresh, and the remainder of the weekend felt quite the same.  Japan seemed more than just thousands of miles away.  It seemed thousands of years off as well.  But how could this be?  Bobby and I had only known each other a couple of days!

If you think this is the part of the story where I try to convince you that it was love at first sight; you’re wrong.  This is the part where we dive into the meat of my problems with men.  Scattered!  Men are so flipant and hard to keep focused!  Myself included!!  This is why I run away from getting too close with a guy.  My fear of losing someone’s attention is so deeply rooted that I have seriously been pushing men away from me emotionally before I even get to know them, therefore, not giving them the chance to reject me, and sadly, not giving them the opportunity to like me either.  This has been going on for years.

Countless excuses of career, location, timing, family, money, the list goes on, has served as my shield.  Its a shield that I’m ready to put down.  So… what about Bobby?  I want to share something with him emotionally beyond friendship.  I’m not asking for a wedding ring.  No.  I only want to feel OK about taking that one more step.  But JAPAN!!  Dammit!  My brain screams, "LOCATION!," another simple excuse to turn tail and run, but this time my heart says there may be more.  I don’t know what to do with this conflicting information.  What should I say to Bobby?  What’s too much, or too little?  Do I travel across seas without saying anything, and hope for the best when I return to the states?  Do I say something now and run the risk of scaring him off?

My flight leaves Feb. 22nd.  It’s now Feb. 4th.

On January 4th, Universal Studios flew me to Los Angeles, CA for a head casting.  "What’s that ?," you might ask.  Its basically this disgusting process where a heavy sap-like paste is smeared all over your head and then wrapped in thick cut bandages.  It was like being mummified alive!  I will admit, however, I was fascinated and enjoyed the process.

The gentleman in charge of the casting was Gil Mosko.  While waiting on my taxi to pick me up, I got to know Gil; and this man has a reseme.  He is an Emmy winner for his work on Star Trek, Deep Space Nine, Alias, The New Munsters, and many other TV events.  His big screen credits include Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Grinch, and Star Trek.  Check him out on imdb.com

LA was beautiful!  I was only there for a short stint, but it was everything I had heard it would be; sunny, warm, and crowded.  I had considered renting a car when I flew in, but at the last minute thought that taxis during my short stay would be better suited.  Thank God!  I was there during the Rose Bowl, and the traffic was insane!  Longhorns for miles.  My hotel was packed with the color orange.  It was cool.

I admit, my visit to LA did make me feel a bit "starstruck", but I’m not convinced that I would fit in with the fast paced lifestyle of a sun-baked Californian.  As a child I had dreamed of being on the big screen, or having my family and friends watch me on TV.  These days, other things have seemed to replace those starry eyed dreams of an imaginative kid.  The desire to pay my bills without waiting tables has topped my list for the past five years.  Family.  "Family" in both the broadest and closest sense of the word has been sitting comfortably on my right shoulder for some time now.  Always to be seen and heard.

So, what does this mean?  I don’t know for sure.  Right now, I’m just living life as Ms. Valerie Bertinelli - One Day At A Time!  Who knows?  Hollywood may be somewhere in my future.  A speck of a child that lives with his head in the clouds may still be thriving inside this 30 year old body.  Don’t worry.  I’ll be sure to give plenty of warning before I ever let him out.

The New Year is creeping up, and I’m going to share something many friends don’t know about me.  You know how some people hate Valentine’s Day for one love lost reason or another.  I am not a fan of New Year’s Eve.  It’s all because of that one kiss thats shared between two loves at that magical moment of midnight.  A collection of childhood fairytales, books, movies, and general family nostalgia has burned this image of romantic need into my head.  Others gush over Hallmark commercials, spilt milk, and shit, so I don’t feel so bad that this is my one "I’m-a-sucker-for" thing.  I keep reminding myself to be me, and someday the right person will be at my side when the confetti flies, and the snow falls, and the fireworks burst, but most importantly when the clock strikes twelve.  So, if you have someone to lock lips with this New Year… dance, reach around and scratch them on the back of their neck so they know you are there, pull them close, close your eyes, kiss, breathe in, listen to the noise around you disappear, breathe out, back away, and open your eyes.  Hopefully, you’ll see what I’m talking about.

I’m currently preparing all of my paperwork for my new job with Universal Studios Japan.  I’m amazed at the attention I’ve received from the company.  They truly seem eager to meet me and welcome me to their home.  I have ta say before I go any further, I’m a bit scared.  But it’s the good kind of "scared."  You know, like off to college, new relationship, having a baby kinda scared.  Not that I’ve ever had a baby.  Who said I had a baby?  Stop saying baby.  Baby.

The apartment could be sweet.  I got pics from the company about a week ago and its an ok setup.  I’ll have a bike at my desposal which leads me to wonder, you know how they say, "like riding a bike."  Is that really true?  I haven’t been on the backside of one of those deathtraps since I was 10.  This is all I need.  Go halfway across the world to break my neck.  Who knows?  Maybe I’ll actually remember how.  "It’s all coming back to me now" ala Celine Dion.