I had originally get my alarm for 10am with every intention of getting up at that time and getting an early start to my day. This attempted failed, of course. Turned off the alarm and went back to bed and woke up again at noon. That just pissed me off. I was really trying to be good but I was so tired. Immediately went to take my shower and was still half asleep when the water hit me. Discovered that my feet were sore and are probably feeling the stress from all the walking I've been doing.
Today was going to be a laundry day so after I got myself cleaned up I took my colored laundry up to the washer. I found that another one of my housemates had left some of their stuff in the washer so I pulled it out and just lumped it together on the laundry pole. I knew that I was the only person home so I wasn't going to wait another day. Went back downstairs to wait the 90 minutes the machine takes when my girlfriend came online. I knew that she'd be online later than normal due to a meeting she had to go to and we chatted for quite a while. Also was playing in a poker tournament at the same time but my heart wasn't really in it. Lasted a pretty long time though, long enough that I cooked my steak and ate it while still playing. Even got my laundry done and hung up before I finally just started making dumb bets because I either wanted to lose or get so many chips that I could just walk away and still get into the winning cutoff. I lost naturally but didn't care since it allowed me to finally go.
My choices had been to either go watch Judo for a few hours and get some really tasty ramen or to go to Akihabara, play some games and get a burger. I picked the latter of the two and once I got to Akiba I headed for one of the arcades and played some Gundam. After that I stopped by Gamers and on a fluke decided to visit the card game floor. Turns out I could buy some more cards for the game without having to wait forever and a day to either get them on my own or get them via other people tossing them aside. Mind you, I wasn't going to spend much but I got a few cards (like 8 of them) for about 500 yen. Not bad, the same amount as two games. After this I wandered through a few other arcades, including one that had an old copy of the original Dodge Ball game that some guy was playing.
I've noticed over here something that is somewhat odd. In most arcades here in the states, people who lose during a game will put in another coin and continue but in Japan usually someone will only play one credit and if they lose, they'll either stop playing or they'll run out the timer and start all over again. Talk about perfectionists. For them it isn't beating the game but how you do it. Very interesting.
By this time I was hungry so I stopped off to get my hamburger. Went to the same place I went to last time and got the same meal. This time I noticed that the mayo sauce they put on the fries also had tiny little shrimp in it. Not pieces of shrimp but actual, whole, complete shrimp. Makes for an interesting taste and texture. After I finished my meal I sat back with my glass of Melon Fanta and relaxed for a while, watching the couple near me chatting. They were an older couple and they actually looked good together. Sometimes you just see a couple that looks well together.
After that bit of sentimental tripe (I know, I know) I headed back towards the arcades, this time to Hirose Entertainment Yard or HEY! This was the first place I ever played the Gundam Card Builder game. While I was waiting for a seat to play I noticed in the trashcan a Gundam card that was for my side (SIEG ZEON) and when no one was looking I fished it out of the trash. That's right folks, I've actually gone trashbin diving for cards. A new low no doubt. It only needed to have a little bit of melted ice cream cleaned off and now I was the new owner of a pretty decent Gundam card of an actual Zeon Gundam. Not too shabby. Actually used that same card when I finally got the chance to play.
Watched some people playing some of the shooting scroller games afterwards. Seeing these games has really made me want to sit down and start writing one of my own during my time here. Mind you, it would be no easy task, a huge time sink and would likely not get anywhere near done before I left but everytime I see those games I really want to make one. If I get my act together and find a mousepad that I can use on the kitchen table (need my mouse when using VS .NET) I just might start playing around with making something basic. Started to get tired and although I got sidetracked at Gamers' first floor on my way out of Akiba I managed to get back to Sugamo. Stopped into the nearby supermarket to get some drinks, snacks and a steak for tomorrow. Got home a half hour later, sat down to write for a while before watching some TV shows and going to bed.