Sunday, March 14, 2010

Immune to Drunkenness and Earthquakes

I have never been drunk in my life. I've also never tried to be drunk. But then, I've never tried not to be. I go to parties with friends and most of the time, I'm drink for drink with them, and at the end of the night, I'm fine and they're plastered.

I'd never thought much about it until January. A big group of us IWATE foreigners went on a ski trip. As often happens with foreigners in Japan, it eventually degenerated into a drunken party. (That's one of the things I'm not a fan of out here- it's like College Part 2, except I wasn't like that in college.) SO we were playing drinking games and I watched person after person go down. But I was fine.

I had 6 shots of tequila, several glasses of wine, several cans of beer, rum, chu-hi (Japanese canned juice and alcohol- I think vodka), straight vodka... pretty much everything you can think of. And I was fine. I didn't slur. I didn't wobble. I don't have any memory lapses. I talked too loud, but I always talk too loud. I went to bed at 3, while the party was still in full swing. But I suspect that had as much to do with the 2 hours of sleep I had the night before as with the alcohol.

And after that night, I theorised that I just can't get drunk. I think I might give myself alcohol poisoning and die first. That is possible right?

But that is by no means the strangest thing.

I don't feel earthquakes. At all.

I live in Japan. Earthquake central. To date I've experienced 7 earthquakes, including one back home in Barbados. If by experienced, you mean someone calling me on the phone freaked out, "OMG! Did you feel that?" Seriously.

The first time I "missed" an earthquake, it was the one in 2007 that did some damage in Martinique. It was only a 3 something where I was. I was in a car with my Dad. We felt nothing. We were actually trying to puzzle out why the radio went off air, and why people were standing outside their houses. We didn't know til my mom got home from work!

There was an earthquake yesterday. A friend told me it was big, everything shook. I was awake, watching tv, felt nothing. And only minutes ago, my neighbour rushed over in a panic. I was like "Earthquake? Really? That's number 7. lol"

Just like with drinking, I feel like the day I actually feel an earthquake- well, let's just say I won't be blogging about it!


Like the flipside of this movie. He saw things others didn't. I don't feel things others do.

2 comments:

Marsha Sigman said...

That is extremely freaky but very cool. You should have been plastered after all that booze. It has to be a metabolism thing. Have you ever told a doctor about it? I want to google that now.lol If we ever get a chance to hang out...you are soooo the designated driver.lol

Claire Dawn said...

I've never asked a doctor. The next time I see an English speaking doctor I will have to ask, because I am very curious about it.

I don't mind being the designated driver but I have no idea what I would be doing in Texas... lol!