An update, a handful of links, and photos of things

Long time no post. I did brush up the page for my translation class, since a new term has started, but that hardly counts now, does it. I've been busy as usual . . . off to New York for work (and dinners with the McNamaras and Chris Duke) and then to California for a week off, which I should have spent translating an article I brought with me. Hmm. That got done on the plane on the way home and during a hectic Monday back at the office.

New York was all new for me. I had been to Rochester before, but never the city. (I'm pretty sure that's the order most people do the state in.) So I went and I saw the big canyons of concrete that could never be seen in an earthquake-prone land, and I ate bagels and deli sandwiches with sliced meat piled as high and round as a softball and I bought coffee from loud men who shouted aggressive thanks at me when I left a bill on the counter and walked out the door with my cup. I ate at a classy Vietnamese restaurant called Le Colonial (there's a San Fran branch too, apparently) and at a cheap Vietnamese restaurant whose name I can't remember. Both were good. One was expensive and near Rockefeller Plaza, and one was cheap and in Chinatown, and Duke and I felt at home there since it was much like Chuck's in Bochi.

I enjoyed NYC. It was lively and it felt safe. Food and drinks were tasty (thanks to the McNamara sibs for taking me to that one brewhouse; what was its name?) and I enjoyed my time there, although not enough of it was free time. I would never ever wish to live in that town, but I'll probably visit again.

I headed west. California was sunny and warm, except for the times when it was foggy and raining and chilly. Basic Bay Area meteorology. While I was there Adam (who was once so young!) had a birthday; this got my face on the web over here and got me back in touch with James. He's still living in Turlock, "Jewel of the Valley." No word on recent SCG activities. He and Shijima will be moving closer to the bay once his studies are complete and he's ready to code for a living. Well, it's more a question of a company being ready to pay him to code, I guess. I think he should move in next door to my parents. He can take the ferry every day from San Rafael to San Fran or wherever he works. Here are pictures of things in California.

The house next door is open now that Grandma has moved into Aldersly, a retirement community with lots of flowers. It's just blocks from the Durfee compound. I sent her a big complex decorative Japanese card so she will get some mail soon . . .

Back in Japan now, and back to work. I am not into it. I need motivation in my life. I would be motivated by Sabrina's new webpage if only it had any pictures that worked. (Sabrina: Use this one.) I am teaching English conversation on Tuesdays (this week's class was naturally a party at Enchante, complete with Tomoya's English friends in town for a visit) and translation on Fridays and for a few weeks, a "Science English" class at the Tokyo Science Museum. Sixty screaming kids, science, and me. Time to cook up some experiments . . . Also time to find more excuses to go out with Kentaro (seen here with his friend Reiko) and others in town.

Wrapping this up, let me add that the World Wide Web is cool for one reason and one reason alone: Because it gives people a forum for expressing their appreciation for a single dead stormtrooper. That's just great.

--Peter (2003.4.17)