Watch Your Ass

Today was the our first day of vacation. Chieko started things off on the right foot by promptly acquiring some strain of flu-like illness that had her in bed around 6:00 last night, and for most of the day today. She appears to be coming around, fever is mostly gone, appetite returning. I'm really hoping I will manage to avoid getting it from her. I slept on the couch last night, and have been vigilant about washing my hands and not spending too much time around her today. I've also been taking this Chinese herb that is supposed to squash any budding diseases by raising your body temperature a bit. And of course beer, which cures everything.

I went into school today for a Japanese lesson, but there was a mix up and my Japanese teacher didn't show. She said she could come later in the day, but I wanted to get home and tend to my ailing wife, so I cancelled the lesson. The upside was that in the hour that I was waiting for my teacher, I actually studied some Japanese, which is something that I haven't been doing lately. The result is that we've been studying the same thing for the past month, and I think both of us are getting a bit tired of my lack of effort and progress. Sounds like a New Year's resolution.

I came home and made Chieko some lunch, and then spread out on the couch to do some reading. Sleepiness descended upon me quickly, and I dozed off. I had turned on the TV at some point, and this is what I woke up to:



I was coming out of my snooze partially when I first heard this. I was wondering what it, or at least I was aware of its weirdness, even though I hadn't fully opened my eyes or come to my senses yet. It was all very surreal with the process of regaining consciousness and awareness, only to be confronted with something so strange.

Keeping with the theme of quirky Japanese TV, this compilation of openings from a Japanese children's show it pretty cool, and not at all strange. It's way longer than any one is interested in seeing, but worth watching for a minute or two.



We're heading to Niigata in the next few days, our schedule being dictated by Chieko's recovery and my not getting whatever it is she has. It's only appropriate that, after several days of un-Kanazawa-like weather (read: sunny), it has naturally started raining again now that we are on vacation. I love you life!

OK, time for guitar strumming and wife tending.