I'm going to be making Masami work overtime for the next few days or so. We already have a plan to go glasses shopping again (for real this time) on Monday, and she needs to help me fill in the census form (they have English instructions on how to mail it, but none on how to fill it out. Also, the old man who brought mine around said that he would come back to pick it up and then demonstrated how he would knock on the door and that would be my cue to come to the door and open it. Um, yes. I know how doors work.), and now I think I need her to come talk to the Softbank people with me so she can translate my arm waving and "WTF???"s. I just updated my bank book for the first time this month and noticed that my last phone bill was 20 000 yen instead of the more normal 3000-4000. My first thought upon working out what weeks that bill encompassed was to wonder if Kim had actually called New Zealand by accident, but when I checked the bill breakdown online the newest bill (which has not yet come out of my account) is also 27 000 and it appears the text messages are to blame. I'm pretty sure I haven't started sending a gazillion messages in my sleep, so somebody needs to figure out what is going on, and stat.

And also, I totally wiped out in the bank lobby today. Smooth.

Overly specific warning signs fascinate me. Like, most people are now aware that the bottled water we bought at the convenience store outside the security check at the airport is verboten, but "smallpox germs" are now a concern? Who is walking around with smallpox germs casually tossed in their carry-on luggage? Or, um, at all?

On the plus side, I made it home without exhibiting any smallpox symptoms, so maybe it is effective.

Time for a Korea recap!

Paul and Laura's apartment is huge*. Their living room is approximately the same size as my entire apartment, and they don't even use that room. They moved one of the many sofas into the den so now have a fairly wide expanse of open space. I suggested a billiard table or wading pool, but they are lame and would not listen.

*At least, I thought it was huge until last night, when we went to visit their friends. They have kids so are entitled to an even bigger place, and the closet in the master bedroom is a hallway. Have you ever looked at your hallway and thought "man, you are useless? Stupid walls, only good for hanging pictures!"? You probably are now, anyway. There was also a bathroom with a jacuzzi tub in the closet/hallway, not to mention a makeup table and, for good measure, a walk-in closet. And this was not a short hallway, either. So apparently the solution to my storage space woes is to marry a diplomat. I wonder if I can find one in Hamamatsu?

Right, so where was I? Tuesday = rain and flooding and 10 000 people left temporarily homeless, so there was much sitting indoors on the lovely dry couch and drinking tea and reading. Wednesday was the amusement park with the mysterious but not unwelcome discount and the lovely view of Seoul from the top of the Gyro drop ride, which was lovely if somewhat terrifying.

Thursday we decided to see what Seoul had to offer in the way of glasses. The first shop claimed I could get a pair for a total of $100, but the frames were accordingly cheap. We tried another place and I found a lovely pair, but the total was closer to $300. This is still totally reasonable for glasses and several hundred cheaper than what I was originally expecting to pay, but it is also more expensive than the store near my place here, with the added inconvenience of not being able to pick them up in person and not being able to go back in case of problems. So I still don't have new glasses, but now that I know what my options are I will shanghai someone into coming to the store with me and getting that taken care of.

We also tried to go to the Seoul tower but the line for the cable car took up an entire block, and hey, we'd already had a great view of Seoul at the amusement park. Pass.

Friday I woke up all 33 and whatnot. I celebrated by going shopping and was gratified to be able to find this little shop in Insadong that sells handmade necklaces with ceramic pendants. I'd been there the last time I was passing through Seoul so I was quite pleased that I found it again with no problems. And oh look, I have a new necklace. La la la.

For lunch Laura and I decided to go for sushi. That was not the smartest decision we have ever made. The best that can be said about it was that it did not actually make us physically ill. This at least meant that we had a hearty appetite for dinner, which was much, much tastier. Mmm, expensive barbeque. We were originally going to try to go to this bar that gives out free bottles of whiskey on your birthday, but then it was explained that it was a 40 minute subway ride away. Yeah, no thanks. I like my free things to also be less work.

Saturday we went to the War Memorial and museum. It was pretty interesting, the memorial part has all kinds of aircraft and tanks and whatnot, some of which you can go inside. The museum was also fun, especially since it was free and also had a small shooting range. I confirmed that you really do not want me on your side in a war (I'd be better off creeping up on the enemy and hitting them with the rifle than trying to shoot them), but Laura turned out to have a talent for it. Paul got there too late, which is what happens when you spend time actually studying the exhibits instead of going "Where are the guns? I wanna shoot things!" and rushing past them.

In the evening we hopped on the subway to meet up with the people with the massive closet. The plan was to go to a vaguely remembered restaurant near the stop, but that was soon abandoned in favour of going to a restaurant we could actually find. It involved a 25 minute walk and ending up back where we started before we'd gotten on the subway...at the restaurant we went to on Friday. I rarely complain about going to restaurants with proven tasty food twice in a row, though, so it was all good. We had the bibimbap instead of the barbeque, which was equally tasty but waaaaaaay cheaper. Then it was off to gape in envy at the closet and drink an entire bottle of expensive and deliciously aged rum. Also, I think Paul is now in the market for a new tv. I can't remember if it was an LED or an LCD tv they had, but whatever it was certainly put every screen I have seen in my life up until now to shame.

I managed to pack and be up at 5 am, even after all the rum. Hurray for me!

Day 2 of the Great Korean Adventure was a bit more adventurous than Day 1, mostly because there was no flooding today. Yesterday involved far too much rain and a lot of thunder, so Laura and I decided that the only sensible thing to do was stay indoors. Today was much drier and also a national holiday, so Paul had the day off and we decided to go spend the afternoon at Lotte World, Korea's answer to (and by "answer" I mean "blatant rip-off of") Disneyland. We got a mysterious discount...diplomatic id? Tourism incentive? We may never know...which was a fun start. There were some good rides, of the sort that leave me feeling distinctly queasy in the line-ups and end up with me whimpering "WHY DID WE THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA?" as we get strapped in, but I always enjoy it after the fact. Largely, I think, because I am simply glad that I didn't die. Whee, adrenaline!

We only stayed a few hours and then lost steam. Although we didn't actually leave the apartment until around 1pm, we all agreed that it felt like we had been at the amusement park since early morning.

Now I am torn between falling fast asleep and reading just one more chapter (hah) of my current book. Choices, choices.

How are we more than halfway through September already? August lasted, I'm pretty sure, for about a hundred years and now it's almost October? What?

The rain went away and the sun came back and the temperature climbed upwards into the 30s again, but the humidity seems to have leveled off at "meh, I can deal" rather than hovering at "gills! Why can't I grow gills?!", so it's all good. Plus the nights are cooling off quite nicely, which is a fun change. I hereby declare fall officially arriven.

If you had told me 10 years ago that I would one day consider 30 degrees to be fall, I would have called you crazy. And yet here we are. And yes, it's been 10 years, minus a few weeks. And no, I still haven't learned enough Japanese to have conversations with grownups, but at least I can have serious talks with small children about which ice cream flavour is the best and how awesome Anpanman is. And I can make pedicure appointments on the phone, that's something!

For yes, it is time for one last pedicure. I realized that I didn't take a picture of the last one, so I remedied that. It's not as detailed as some of the past ones, but if you were going to, say, take a copy of the picture to your local pedicurist to show her, she might find it less intimidating than beautifully drawn tiny dragonflies.

What? It happens.

LONG PANTS WEATHER!

That is all.

Zuzu zonked out in my arms for a good three hours. I have been asked to move in.

I would like another typhoon, please. Who do I need to talk to to make that happen?

It was something of a non-starter, actually. It rained a bit in the afternoon and then cleared up, but once the storm front had passed it brought lower humidity and temperatures in its wake, and Thursday was pretty much perfect. It didn't go over 30 all day and went as low as 26 at night. I may or may not have kept spontaneously humming all day. Then the mercury started inching back up and now summer is back. Again. Some more.

Tomorrow I am making the trek down to Shizuoka to visit Tomoko and her new baby. I was going to wait until next month but apparently being cooped up indoors all day, every day, with a newborn is not as fun as it sounds and she would like some company, thankyouverymuch. So I will go, bearing presents, and ask if she needs any help around the house while I'm there, and then I will sit and stuff newborn baby feet into my mouth for at least an hour.

For quite some time now I have been fantasizing about a nice rainy day where the temperature stays at a reasonable level and I am able to sleep in comfort. So it's sort of a shame that that day occurred today, when I had to get up at 7:30 anyway for work.

First typhoon of the year! Apparently it's not very strong and also not coming near us, so mostly we just get a day of clouds and rain. I can live with that. Tonight I may even have to set my fan to the lowest setting. Or so I dream, anyway.

Ten years (!!) in Japan and a lot of what used to seem absurd no longer registers, but one thing that still gives me the giggles is the tendency to shorten Winnie-the-Pooh to just "Pooh", then infantilize him and stick his image on baby clothes, along with the words "Baby Pooh". Yeah, kids'll do that.

Also still funny? Crunky chocolate bars, and in particular, Crunky Nude Balls as a snack name.

(For some reason all of the available images online are of the Korean packaging, but I assure you, they exist here too.)

I miss cooking. And baking. I'm in no mood for the sort of cold weather food that comes out of spending a day simmering things on the stovetop, but I miss the experience of puttering around in the kitchen all day and having the house smell wonderful and then having food for a week. I also miss being able to chop up veggies and not ending up drenched in sweat. I mean, really.

Fun day today, we had a bbq with our adult students. I admit it wasn't quite as much fun as the outing we did with the kids last spring, as there were no giant pineapples or banana pulley rides, but it was still quite nice. Plus, there was beer. Stuart and Andrew did their manly duty and grilled meat/veggie burgers while the rest of us sat around watching the kids play and drinking the aforementioned beer. I've been somewhat tired and headachy since I got home, though. I guess there was not enough sitting on the couch with ice cream? (After a promising start, September is now pretending to be August. I've been here for ten years now and somehow I'm still disappointed when September is not fall.)

Ah well, only four weeks until October.

Yay, it's September! Oh, September. If I was a cartoon character my pupils would be shaped like hearts right now. Why?

1) September is not August. August lasts approximately a gazillion years and is hot. Every year I suspect that August is never going to end. There are no holidays and it just goes on and on and on.

2) It is the beginning of Fun Happy Times at work. We start slipping Halloween vocab into the lesson plans so that by the end of October, the kids know the words and we can slide straight into the Halloween party and just have fun. Then it is November and we do the same things with the Christmas vocab, and then suddenly it is December and it is a very short month and ends with a party and then two weeks of holidays. Happy Fun Times ahoy!

3) I get a week off soon. Riding elephants in Laos remains the bar for which all September holidays will probably fall short of, but a week getting lost in my brother's cavernous apartment and eating kimchee is nothing to be sneezed at.

4) Birthday fun! By which I mean "mail". Also trying to convince small children that they need to get me extravagant birthday presents.

As if I was being rewarded for not just curling up and dying in August, the temperature dropped a whole four degrees today. That's right, a high of 32! I took advantage and cleaned up some of the mess in here. And did not collapse of dehydration/heat stroke 20 seconds in! I can once again see my living room floor. Should this keep up, I will be attacking the bedroom tomorrow. Big plans, people, big plans.