Picture links

Here are links to all the pictures I've posted on the web so far. I'm using facebook because it's easy and those who are on facebook can find and look at the pictures by accident (maybe the newsfeed is good for something). For the rest of you, here are links to my facebook postings that should work whether you have Facebook or not:

http://uwec.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2093987&l=b79c0&id=59501063
http://uwec.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2093993&l=47f99&id=59501063
http://uwec.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2093998&l=9acf6&id=59501063
http://uwec.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2094001&l=0dcea&id=59501063
http://uwec.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2094027&l=c6e99&id=59501063
http://uwec.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2094324&l=69635&id=59501063

The pictures are up to date as of 8/8/07 Japanese time.

You can read many short little quips and anecdotes underneath a lot of the pictures too.

More random musings:

The trains here run exactly on time all through out the day. I set my watch to train time because if I'm even 30 seconds late, the train has left already. From now on when I want something to be exact I'll say "train time." The tokaiddo local train line doesn't run as often as I thought it would- maybe only 3-4 times per hour depending on the work schedule. And trains don't operate between 11:30pm-midnight and 5:00am. Even in Tokyo. I guess they have a sense of what should be night and day. If one ever finds himself stuck in a city without a bed, there are still options. McDonald's is usually open 24 hours, so a purchase off of the hyaku en (100 yen) menu could get one a nap in a booth. A more popular option is the all night karaoke bar. For around 2000 yen (from now on, just move the decimal point to the left 2 spots to get US dollars) each a group can rent a small room with a karaoke machine and unlimited drinks from 12:00am-5:00am. A group of us are going to a 12-5 karaoke bar this Saturday, yet with purposefully missing the train.

I do not yet have a keitai. Apparently Docomo (the prominant service provider) won't let us get phones without our physical gaijin card. It must be the store itself because I know of several other new ALTs who have had keitais since this past Friday. It's unfortunate for me because I'm going to Kakegawa orientation (more orienting) on Monday where I'll be seeing all of the ALTs in our area and will want to get numbers and phone e-mails. Oh well, I'll just have to use a pen and paper and then enter all the numbers manually when I get my phone. Not as cool as beaming them from phone to phone, but I guess that's the way people used to exchange information...(I was going to say 100 years ago, but it's more realisitically 10). The phone I ordered is only 11 mm think when closed. Makes the RAZR sp? look clunky.

It's really odd to think that this is my home now. It really hasn't settled in. Learning the language is going to be a long, long process. If anyone knows of any good websites for learning kanji, (stroke order, pronunciations, etc.) let me know please.

Luth, ru-sa-