JAWing On – Life on Okinawa

It is so annoying when a person can’t hold their liquor, explodes all over an entrance to or the bathroom of an establishment, and doesn’t inform anyone! How hard is it for someone to let the facility’s personnel know that there was an accident and a mess that needs to be cleaned? Nobody wants to see or smell that kind of slop when they are out to enjoy an evening of music.

What is it with men who have to grab and tug on women who say they don’t want to dance! If a woman says “no” the chances are she doesn’t want to dance, and dragging her out to the floor isn’t going to make her night very enjoyable. These men need to learn to relax and leave the poor women who say they don’t want to dance alone!

At the end of last night, one of our regulars told me that there had been a “Best of…” vote earlier this year in the Stars and Stripes and that Bar JET was voted #1 in the live music category for Okinawa. We want to thank all of you who voted for us. We’re sorry that we didn’t thank you earlier, but we didn’t even know about the voting. I just wish I could find the article on the net, so I can show it to the band! I’m sure they would get a kick out of actually seeing in print that you think so highly of them. Again, thank you for acknowledging the effort they put into the music.

On Okinawa the word is that we are in for a particularly nasty flu season. If the first wave of colds is any indication, the word is right. For all of us at the bar, this was the second weekend of dealing with the pesky cold bug. It has been taking its toll on all of us. Over the weekend the regulars could tell each one of us was fighting various versions of brain “farts” and hoarse voices. There were cracking vocals, missed drum rolls, and rambling guitar licks, and accidentally spilled drinks. But we all forged ahead because as the saying goes “the show must go on!” I just wish this particular little pest would go away now so we can get on with life as normal. I want to thank everyone for bearing with us through this.

Why is it when a trusted friend decides to take a dump it’s always at the most inconvenient time? This week my trusty “Speedy” just gave out on me. And, of course, it just happened to be the week Taki and I both came down with the nasty cold that going around the island. Speedy was my very dependable sports mini car. For seven years it served as the family means of getting out and about. I always get a little attached to my cars. It feels like every one of them have had their own character. I will truly miss Speedy.

People who are so caught-up in their own world that they don’t get it! For those of you who think it’s been fun to cause trouble at the club recently, again, get a clue. So you really think that I am so weak-minded that I am going to stand by and let you turn our club into a total disaster area? Do you really think telling me that the reason you won’t come back to the club is because I won’t let you do whatever you want is going to change my decision? I have been dealing with the underlying hatred, prejudice, and anger of the local nationals since 1973! The only thing you few morons are going to do is ruin it for everyone else. Which is a real shame, because we normally have very good customers who know how to have fun without getting into anyone else’s face! It has only been within the past year that this wave of aggression has been taking place. First with the destruction of both toilet bowl tanks last December. Then in late spring with the onslaught of a couple of groups of people trying to disrupt our business and totally disregard our basic rule of using simple common sense manners. Now, for the past three weekends, this unwelcome behavior has reared its ugly face again. If you don’t get a handle on your behavior, you will leave me no choice but to take whatever steps are necessary to get it under control!

What is it with people who don’t know how to have fun without getting into other people’s faces? Most people go out to have fun, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if your idea of fun is causing trouble for other people who are minding their own business and trying to have a pleasant time, than you are an a**hole! And as the saying goes, “what goes around comes around.” Call it karma, call it whatever you want. If you are going to be a jerk and get into other people’s faces, than you deserve what you get!

Most of us know the ongoing struggle between men and women and the toilet seat. Well men there are times when you don’t leave the seat down. One would think this is a no brainer, but when you have to use the women’ s facilities to relieve yourself, try lifting the toilet seat. It’s pretty disgusting to walk into the bathroom and find urine all over the toilet seat.

People who insist on parking in reserved spaces. Most of the older areas in Okinawa have extremely limited parking space. There is nothing worse than trying to get to work on a rainy day only to find that someone else’s car in your paid for slot. This happens because in a society that is supposed to overlook other people’s indiscretions, the offenders expect nothing to be done about it. Hello, the reason people pay for parking spaces is so they will have a place to park, not for other people who are too lazy or cheap to find their own place to park in.