How I Really Felt About Mamshit

I wrote a running diary about all my Alyn Rides which I sent out to sponsors (and, in the case of my first two rides, which I posted). That allowed me to memorialize just how much I hated Mamshit, as you can see here.

That post also reminded me how everything is relative (the climb up Hamachtesh Hagadol which once seemed so daunting, is really no big deal at all even though a bunch of British sissy boys had to walk it up) and how much I hated waiting for the stragglers when I used to do the regular road ride.

These posts are also a reminder of how much fun I have on these rides and why I continue to look forward to them.

I Am Not Worthy

I have been working on an important matter for the past few months (at least it's important if you're a vulture fund). The final act (for now) took place last Friday when I testified before a Judicial Rules Committee (It was pretty cool, although I was so nervous I could barely eat the day before).

I'm having dinner tonight with two of the law firm partners with whom I worked on this project. They are bringing along two other partners whom they want to introduce.

I looked them all up on their firm website. One of the partners I worked with is a piker like me. Among the other three, there are two Supreme Court clerkships, three Federal Court of Appeals clerkships and one Executive Editor of the Harvard Law Review. I am not worthy.

On the other hand, as I've noted before, it's not all about brains.

Endless Day

This has been a long, weird day.

It started at 2:30 a.m. in Tokyo (12:30 p.m. New York time, Monday). This trip has completely wreaked havoc on me and I am completely off. I woke up after only a few hours of sleep. I worked the rest of the night until the gym opened at 6.

I crashed for an hour from 11 a.m. to 12 and then gave my presentation at 1:45. I left for the airport at 3:30 and got there just before 5.

Because I had changed my flight from Wednesday, the best I could do was a flight to Chicago with a connection to New York. (It would have cost about $2,000 to get a direct flight). I was really looking forward to that.

(Again, the wisdom of traveling about 40 hours to make a one hour presentation to a bunch of Japanese businessmen is something I am not convinced of).

The flight was scheduled to leave at 7. As I was walking out of the Admiral's Club lounge, I decided to ask the guy at the counter if he could put me on the direct flight to New York. To my surprise, he said, sure, no problem. I even got an aisle seat (although I had to give up my kosher meals; that's why I always travel with a few chocolate bars).

So, my flight left Tokyo at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and I was in my house before 7 p.m. Tuesday. Crazy.

Right now my body clock is so confused I don't know what to do. I think I'll go to sleep.

Tokyo

This is my third trip to Tokyo in four years. In my previous two trips I stayed no more than 2 1/2 days. This trip will be no different. I arrived at 11 p.m. on Sunday evening and will be departing my hotel for the airport at 3:30 Tuesday, right after the presentation I'm giving, for on a 7 p.m. flight.

In my previous trips, I never strayed more than one block from my hotel; I might as well have been in Chicago. I am thinking of getting up at 4 a.m. tomorrow to go to the Fish Market which I hear is very cool. Chances are I will be awake anyway since this trip wreaks havoc on me.

It took me 21 hours, door to door, to get to my hotel in Tokyo from Ramat Shiloh. I flew El Al to Hong Kong (10.5 hours) and, after a 2 hour layover, went the rest of the way to Tokyo (a four hour flight). The bus ride from the airport to the hotel took over an hour and a half on a Sunday evening when there was no traffic. The bus ride back is scheduled to take over 2 hours. (Taking a cab from the airport costs around $250).

The saving grace is that I flew business class and that the hotel I'm staying at is first class (The Four Seasons at Chinzan-So). Nevertheless, this trip wipes me out and it takes me a long time to recover. It's very hard for me to reconcile spending all this time traveling, and getting so messed up, for, effectively, a one-hour presentation. But, that's the way it is.

The only reason I'm posting now is because it is delaying me from having to prepare my notes for tomorrow's presentation. I've procrastinated long enough. I have to do some work.