The dumbest thing you will read all week, or your money back!

I know this is going to sound weird after all the bitching I did during rainy season, but...rain. Sweet, sweet rain. Sure, I got soaked to the skin thanks to the unexpected thunderstorm (and was reminded what "cold" feels like), but after it was over, the temperature dropped and it is now a glorious 25 degrees in my apartment, which is a good five degree difference from last night. Andy is jealous because they didn't get any rain in Tokyo and it is still crazy hot. Neener neener neener!

I've been spending a lot of time looking at travel sites lately. I have to admit, I'm jealous of those early explorers who just stepped off the boat without even a guidebook. With the wealth of information available nowadays, I feel like it's too easy to overplan. And for every person who had a great experience at this hotel or on that daytrip, there's another person who has never seen such a grotty, roach infested rat-trap in their life, which doesn't help to clarify matters.

A lot of people are pouting about how Laos is becoming overly-touristed. Every now and then I get caught up in it and worry that I'm heading for some sort of Disneyland experience, but then I remind myself that, hello, I live in Japan. If they're not selling Hello Kitty figurines on every street corner, I'll consider it pristine and untouched by the sullying forces of globalism.

I've decided that cicadas must have a twisted sense of humor. Usually when you see a bug on its back, it is dead, yes? Not so much with cicadas. Sometimes they're dead, but sometimes they're just waiting for you to get close enough before they suddenly spring back into life, dive bomb you a few times, and go flying out the window. (In case you have never seen a cicada, they are roughly the size of a toy poodle. When one smacks into you as you are riding your bike, it actually causes you to wobble.) Needless to say, i handled the situation with my customary grace and aplomb.

I have to say, having the air conditioner at work on Fridays makes a HUGE difference. The temperature has been hovering around 34 for the past week, so it was a huge relief to be able to turn the sweet, sweet AC on rather than almost drown in my own sweat as I have been doing for the past three summers. Why it took them this long I will never know, but then, I don't understand why the government thinks it's a good idea to make elementary and high school kids suffer through unheated/uncooled buildings. I think there's some nonsense about making the kids stronger, but as I have yet to meet an adult who would rather stoically sweat through even five minutes than turn on the AC full blast (while wearing a sweater, natch), I have my doubts as to the efficacy of this program.

Speaking of AC, it is another bright, hot, sunny Sunday, and I shall be spending the majority of it indoors with my room cooled down to a breezy 27 degrees and the tv on until my eyes turn square.

'Tis the season for summer gifts. Luckily no one has tried to give us a box full of canola oil or tins of tuna, but have so far stuck with beverages. One of Andrew's students gave him beer, which he generously shared with me (by which I mean he gave me the brand he doesn't like. Hey, free beer!). The mother of one of my students brought in enough eggplant to feed a small latin country for a month. I know eggplant is the zucchini of Japan, but how big is her garden, anyway? If the weather were cooler, I'd be making up some soup, but as it stands, I'm trying to think of a way to eat the eggplant that doesn't actually involve using heat on it. So far, no luck.

According to a report on the news tonight, it is possible for women to be mothers of small children AND, wait for it, work! All at the same time! Turns out they don't actually have to stay at home until the child enters university! I know, I know, my mind was blown too.

Yesterday marked the official end of rainy season. I'd sort of forgotten about it, since it hadn't actually rained for about two weeks. Masami said when they made the announcement, they also said they should totally have called it last week. Why they can't do this retroactively is beyond me, but then, I've never understood how the whole thing works anyway. I wonder if it isn't the end of rainy season until they make their announcement? What happens if one year they just forget? Will it be rainy season for six months before someone notices?

Normally one of the (few) things I like about summertime is the warm nights, but it is nearly 8 pm and still 30 degrees in my apartment. Not cool, in every sense of the word.

How many sleeps until October comes?

Masami and Stu just got iPhones. They are pretty cool, but I don't really want one. Oh, look, Flash just stopped talking to me. I'm sorry, but it's true. I am revisiting the idea of getting a new phone, though. I pulled mine out today and one of Andrew's students burst out laughing at the sight of it.

Ooh! The temperature just dropped to 29! Sweeeeeeeet.

I'm trying really hard to eat my body weight in ice cream here, but the tiny Japanese ice cream bars are making it really, really difficult.

Sweet merciful heaven, the kindergarten installed an AC unit in the English classroom. I didn't even see it until the end of the lesson. I went to turn off the lights and noticed a remote control installed above them. My thought process: "Huh, that's new*gasp*ohmygod, what does it control?" And that's when my gaze travelled upwards and I saw it. I pointed it out to Hozumi much like you'd point out a rare animal sighting on a forest hike. "Look! Do you see it, too? Wow!" This will help make August (all five weeks of it) much more bearable.

High heeled Crocs. Somewhere, Jimmy Choo is weeping.

At some point during my week off, summer came. I actually packed a long sleeved shirt for the nights, because it was still somewhat chilly a mere 7 days ago. Now, not so much. SIGH. Not that I've been out in the heat much. I'm still in Tokyo right now (heading back today) and the past few days have mostly been spent on the couch in front of the fan. Not so different from my non-holiday days, you might say, but the couch is so much better than mine, and there is generally less booze at home.

I didn't do too badly book-wise. I managed to get through four and a half books between leaving Hamamatsu on Tuesday and arriving in Tokyo Friday night, although it then took me the whole weekend to finish that last book. Naturally, I replenished my stock at one of the stores yesterday.

And now it is time for a fruit-based snack and a glass of something iced.

It's a little hard to make out the details in this shot, but trust me when I say it's like having a starry summer night on my toes.