Rocking in Hakata

I got my hardback copy of the US release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on my tiny fishing island. Thought you should know. NO SPOILERS. 759 pages to go. Starting….now.

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This sucker lived in my stairwell until recently. UGH. The only spider that I found creepier than this was the kind of cave spider alongside which you had to crawl in close proximity in the caverns I went spelunking in in West Virginia. Sheesh. Uncool. I’ll take the swallows outside my window over this thing any day for wildlife that helps me eliminate bugs.

I’d like to lie and say that I’m totally cool-headed around spiders, but I’m really not. I don’t consider myself particularly arachnophobic – because I get freaked out by other kinds of insects too. Ha ha ha. The usual method of encounter for this spider was when I’d come home and start walking up the stairs. On the deck of the stairs just below my apartment’s door, it would be standing in the middle, or clinging to a large rainpipe, or sometimes it would be on the wall or the ceiling. Walking under it was the worst. You just imagine it dropping on your head and all the flailing about and panic that would surely ensue. Thankfully, the most embarrassing moment I had with the spider was when it caught me off guard on the top step and startled me and I let out a suprised “whoa!” that was loud enough for everyone in the apartment block to hear. Whoops.

Needless to say, I fear the intrusion of insects into my abode. I have to keep fans running to circulate air (no AC) in summer. There are tissues wadded up and wedged between ceiling planks, placed there by Zoe after a heavy rain, and I’m not taking them out because they’re rumored to be insect entryways of old. I regularly spray insecticide around the seams, open holes, and drains in my apartment. I don’t want to wake up with a creepy crawly nemesis in my midst. Call me crazy, but I sleep better that way. And I sleep even better now that the body of this creepy spider was found curled up dead after a heavy storm. Sigh.

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I started writing this entry nearly one month ago. I am able to conclude it at last, thanks to a delivery at 5 PM yesterday. And now, for the explanation of my secret “ninja camp” mission…I finally had it with the bicycles and did it. I now have a Japanese driver’s license that permits me to drive scooters. Not a full-out car license, but enough to zoom around on my oh-so-lovely new scooter. Here’s a brief explanation of the process that I went through to get to this point. Paperwork, tests, travel, and pictures follow if you read on. Read more…

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Heard from something like 9 people asking me if I was ok after the big quakes in Niigata. Gave me warm fuzzies. (The concern, not the quakes.) Let me assure everyone that I live far, far away from Niigata – I’ve been skiing there once, but that’s about it – and I live on an island. We get earthquakes here, but they’re usually a 3 or 4 at most on the Japanese degree scale. The one in Niigata was far stronger. So, thanks guys. I’m ok.

Also, the last piece of my secret mission is falling into place today. I’ll be posting about it tomorrow, I hope. (Provided I have the opportunity to do some prep work after the enkai tonight celebrating the end of the school term. Wahoo!) That actually reminds me. Can anyone explain this – school gets out tomorrow, the 20th, but we’re having a drinking party for the staff and faculty tonight, the 19th. WHY do they schedule things so strangely? The last day of class is going to feature some hung over teachers…tsk, tsk, tsk.

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I told people that I have recently been watching the animated version of Detective Academy Q (探偵学園Ｑ) on Veoh. (Shhh.) You can get the gist of the show here. Well, while I was off on my ninja training, I flipped the TV on in my hotel room and found – to my amazement, confusion, and eventual dismay – that the live action special I’d seen a long time back was picked up and made into a series. Ugh. The little girl from 女王の教室 (Queen’s Classroom) played Megu in the special, and she continued the role in the live one…but…she looks different. Not in a good way. Kazuma was absurd looking. Didn’t see much of Kinta, except that he can’t fight for beans live. Ryuu was so emo it hurt. And Kyuu preached at the bad guy again. The classic confront-the-enemy-and-empathize-with-them scenario was elongated. Basically, all the stuff I didn’t like got played up. Disappointing. And probably boring, so I’ll leave it alone. Just needed to moan about it.

By the way, if anyone is interested, I recently registered with Japanalyst – if you run a Japan-related blog, might want to get your RSS feed incorporated. Aggregators can be your friend.

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Hey guys – click the above map for the full-size version. The typhoon called “Man-Yi” by just about everyone except Japan (which, in keeping with its elaborately creative naming system, called it Typhoon #4) came and went with no big fanfare. By the time it worked its way up into the inland sea it was greatly weakened. Basically, it was all wind with intermittent rain. In any event, I loved it. I like big storms. I hunkered down here and watched it. (After going to the ATM and store since I figured they’d be closed today – which is Marine Day. So, um, Happy Marine Day or something.) Anyway, here’s a quick video clip of Typhoon #4’s visit on Saturday. Weak, sadly. Left the wind buffeting sound in, because I felt like it.

I also want to note that I am off on a secret mission until Thursday. If you are one of the few people who know what mischief I’m up to, please remain quiet about it until I am back. Ok? Thanks! See you on Thursday.

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