Entries this day: AM_Rain AM_dream Apple_from_Mariko Indoors Move_out Perfect_weather

AM Rain

3:44am JST Thursday 11 May 2006 (day 13196)

It's pissing down rain, so I'm really thankful for my new home in Higashi Obara station.

I'm outside, but under a roof. The wind is blowing mist at me, but not too much.

- - - -

for the record, last night cops came and got my information while I was brushing my teeth for bed. They bid me a good night and didn't discourage sleeping here, though I hadn't actually told them I planned to.. Just said I was still looking for a place.

They checked my visa and passport. I definitely can't go runnin' around as an illegal!

AM dream

3:45am JST Thursday 11 May 2006 (day 13196)

James Bond was just about to hijack the vehicle in order to keep everyone safe from an oncoming helicopter, when the pilot/captain of the vehicle was like, "hey; who could that helicopter be after?" and James Bond thrust his knife into the wall in answer, and everyone remained calm and he got them out of the situation.

Apple from Mariko

6:22am JST Thursday 11 May 2006 (day 13196)

Here at 東小浜駅 (ひがしおばまえき), a woman named Mariko has blessed me with a large golden delicious apple for breakfast. I tried gently to refuse it, "but that's your lunch!..." though I didn't try too hard cause I'm definitely hungry.

She's an English teacher at a junior high school. Her English is realllly good, though she claims she's not ペラペラ.

She said the weather was scheduled to be rainy today and tomorrow. Erg. I wonder if I'll choose to がんばって to Hisataka's parents' house today.

Our conversation was cut short by the supreme accuracy of train departure times in Japan. 6:22am, bound for Tsurunga. I hope she'll be able to decipher my URL that I wrote on her hand in the last few seconds before she had to jump onboard.

Indoors

6:59am JST Thursday 11 May 2006 (day 13196)

At 6:45, a man opened the heated waiting room and encouraged me to sit in there instead of outside in the cold. I did not try to refuse.

He said the rain is supposed to go until noonish today. That would be awesome. It's 7:02am now. It's not actually raining at this moment; I'm going to meditate for an hour, and if it's still not raining at that moment, I'll head out.

8:04am

It's misting like crazy. Coin toss was tails: stay on my tail, don't head out.

Move out

10:52am JST Thursday 11 May 2006 (day 13196)

Aight: The rain has stopped; I've reached a good stopping point in my code; time to head out of Higashi Obama station, here in downtown Obama.

Perfect weather

9:20pm JST Thursday 11 May 2006 (day 13196)

The weather became less and less threatening until it was actually sunny and hot just before I arrived in wherever I am now. Ishiharasan came to where I ended up to lead me to his house (again the result of the ridiculous Japanese system of postal addresses), where I took a shower and did laundry, then he treated me to a drive around the northern part of lake Biwa! It's realllly beautiful, but a great irony is I don't really feel the need to ride the same path on TJ Bike. I've already seen it, so I can just head to Kazzah's.

He let me watch a video about lake Biwa and how the Japanese are soooo in touch with nature all through this area, and I was like, "yeah, right," knowing the amount of rubbish and litter I've seen here.