FREE BEER!!

About a month ago Shinichi and I were in the supermarket and a woman who worked there came up and asked us if we liked beer. "Well, duh! Like, yeah!" I said ( but in Japanese). She handed us postcards to fill out which were sent off to the Suntory Brewery and we totally forgot about it until... the postman arrived surrendering 4 cans of Suntory Premium Lager!! Can you believe it? Free beer delivered right to our door! See? Miracles do happen.

夏至 Summer Solstice

In celebration of the summer solstice, Shinichi and I took part in the 1,000,000 Person Candle Night (http://www.candle-night.org/).

At 8:00pm we turned off our computers, lights, fan, dishwasher, and stereo. Then, with windows open and 5 candles lit, we sat on the tatami and enjoyed the peace and quiet. The point was to detach from "civilization" for two hours and to think about the world as one place, but we actually just fell asleep. I must say it was nice not to have the temptation of the Internet constantly beckoning for attention.

Part III

A gold coin for the name of this southern city...

Where th'...? Part II

Hint: it ain't Pittsburgh

Where th'...?

Un besote for the first person to guess this city...

Poopy Picker

I've seen dog-owners here lovingly wiping the fuzzy bottoms of their canine pals after doing a jobbie on the road, but I had no idea that there were special products out there for doing just that. I wandered through the pet section of the supermarket and saw "Poopy Picker - good manners good dog life". Ahhh Japan, land of the clean heinies.

Working hard and slacking off... is there something I'm missing?

Stumbled across this comic while researching Porfirio Díaz and the history of the artichoke (yep... totally slacking off). Reading the first two panels you see on the right gave me a feeling similar to the one you get when you suddenly realize you've missed your train stop after spacing out for too long. In spite of the sunny weather this week, I've had the blues for no good reason and am finding it impossible to shake off the funk. Beer doesn't help, going into Tokyo didn't work, yoga, movies, reading, studying Spanish... everything seems so over planned and repetitive or else carries the feeling of obligation. Then I read this and it all makes sense... I've transcribed it below 'cause it's too small to read.

Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they're doing. Do things without always knowing how they'll turn out.

You're curious, smart, and bored, and all you see is the choice between working hard and slacking off. There are so many adventures that you miss because you're waiting to think of a plan. To find them look for tiny interesting choices. And remember that you are always making up the future as you go.

This artist/physicist (Randall Munroe) has created some laugh-out-loud classics - especially appreciated by computer nerds (Shinichi), scientists (Phil), and even wannabes like me and Cinny. If Navajo code talkers, the internets, and captioned cat pictures tickle you in the right spot, then go to:

http://www.xkcd.com/archive/