so much to say... so little time. hope everyone is well, i am, considering the gambit of natural disasters that have hit here in the last week... let me start with the quake. turns out it was pretty big, a 5.8 on the scale, amazingly enogh, no damage, to anything. almost evryone felt it except those of us who were returning on the train from a night of 500 yen all you can drink sho-chu and juice. one of my friends from australia said he 'Shat his pants'. sorry mom. but, being the good geologist, i felt nothing. UUURRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! is it strange to want to feel you first earthquake? it cant be. its like an aerospace engineer riding in the vomit comet, or a sculptor seeing michelangelos david. i know i will get my chance though, hopefully not while in my office, as i have been constantly told that "the building is old, get out fast". hhmmm pleasant thoughts.
o yeah... and the umbrellas. well, typhoon 22 hit the tokyo area yesterday. the strongest typhoon in tens years!!! what a load of garbage. the damage? well only about 1000 homes were damaged, few enough to where they could say the actual number of damaged homes in each city. some trains were delayed, two people were killed, and MAYBE five injured. note on deaths: an older man went outside to look at the flooding waters, was swept away and died, and another older man walked into his backyard to check on his plants and was killed by a landslide. the injuries? well, they include the two deaths, and two different men who thought it would be a good idea to get on their rooftops BEFORE the storm. they fell off. thats it. all preventable. note to allyson in florida: before the next hurricane, dont get on your roof. dont get me wrong, the wind was strong, approximately 110 km an hour (wussy). my final assessment: many dead umbrellas, and many more scared japanese people, afraid of a storm that couldnt even match the fury of floridas weakest hurricane this season.
honestly not much else to report today. my days off were spent in yoyogi koen (park) visiting the most beloved shrine in tokyo. it was again very interesting and peaceful to get out of the craziness of the city. but overall it was my attempt to see more of tokyo and not spend a lot of money. the next day i checked out mp3 players, as i feel that i need one. everyone has an mp3 platyer here. even the older people. i guess it gives them something to do while their not talking on the trains. and believe me, the mp3 players here are really cool. alas, i have no money until friday, so it will have to wait.
work... going well. i think that many students like me and we definitely have fun in class. my reviews from my boss have all been positive, so thats good.
food front... umm... bagel sandwiches and cereal? and a lot of curry. like i said, trying to save money.
Random front... my roommates are geeks who want to start a ninja colony, because they have been playing too much ninja gaiden on xbox.
i saw breakdancers in the train station right before the earthquake, i wonder if they fell over or if the shakin earth kept them upright?
i need to get a haircut, but if i cant get a good one even in the states, what can i expect here?
i have discovered the free three minute international phone call, thanks mcdonalds!! family, be ready for quick chats!
i have not yet received any mail from overseas, but no worry, i cant find the postoffice to send any back home.
times about up folks. remember to keep reading.
scott
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