random acts and observations

so, for the record, rob says that it is "konnichiwa."

and thus, i shall begin again:

konnichiwa, friends,

i feel like i have settled back into existence, though some of the soreness has not subsided. yesterday was spent wandering around sapporo, looking for a robe thingie. no luck, but did have a lovely journey through a department store named "robinson's". think strawbridge and clothier, only bigger. the japanese women sure are clothes horses.

a word on them. the japanese men are so winning. japanese women, regardless of age or creed, are stunningly beautiful. the westerners who come here obviously hook up with them because they are just so gorgeous. i don't think that japanese men fully appreciate what they have on their hands. but, like many men, they are devoid of clue.

i've been trying to find a way to articulate two tiny little issues i have with the culture here; mind you, they are small, because i am totally loving it.

but what, for the love of mary, inspired them to put fluorescent lights everywhere??? you all know how much of a blanche dubois complex i have, so you might imagine the torture i suffer every time a light is flicked on or i walk into yet another store beaming out those god-awful rays.

whew. i feel much better to have gotten that off my chest.

the other tiny little issue i have is with the bathrooms. they are those hoody-things and frankly, i just cannot master them at all. for a culture that so worships the bath, one would think that they would find a way to prevent urine from dripping all over. or maybe i should shut up and squat like everyone else...

a few shout-outs today.

i got the divine ms. bennett's new home address today and let us all give her a big round of applause for all that she's accomplished in the last couple of months. she's a superb individual and i could not be more proud of her.

there's a nod to john schratweiser at the prince theater (check it out: www.princetheatre.org) who just forgot that i was going to japan. and i see aimee expressing concern about rafting, while kristy admits to eating fudgie the whale. new friend rhys suggests that perhaps a little hiking can be in my future, because the views can be so spectacular -- i'll give it the old college try, my friend. finally, mollymollymolly has emailed some photos from her internship in philly. here's one i like a great deal:

mollymollymolly in a dinosaur egg. nice.

last night, rob and i did some laundry and ate at an AMAZING japanese restaurant. it was totally low-key, a mom and pop thingie, but the food was outstanding. i had a tempura meal, which came with like eight thousand sides (think of a restaurant version of the much-loved bento box). two glasses of sake and i was happy happy happy. rob and i then rented a movie.

let me preface this by saying that i dissed this movie on its initial release. but if both cher AND meryl streep can act in it, then i have to nod in deference. here's the movie poster...

maybe i am revealing a little too much about how much fun we're having, but this movie has made us giggle for 24 straight hours. not bad, right?

at any rate, we're planning a big night out in sapporo, so i'll sign off here. in the meantime, i continue to search for floaty pens for lois and a sushi roller for veronica, as well as refridgerator magnets for chez volansky/hogan, mama and sue.

be good to each other. time is running out, and i'll be back in the US around the 17th...sigh.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

volansake