Sweeney Todd

Last night Yumi and I went to see Sweeney Todd (87% positive reviews, compiled on RottenTomatoes.com - my favorite film website) and there is a lot to say. First of all, it was a treat to go out to the movies. This was only the 3rd movie I've seen in 6 months (the others are Waitress, 89% and I Am Legend, 68% - the latter while in Thailand). Back in Cleveland, there were weeks I went to 3 movies in 1 week! It was also really nice to see the film in a central area of Yokohama (Minato Mirai). Not that we did anything else while we were there (aside from eat my first Wendy's hamburger in 6 months), it was just nice to be "in the city." It is also worth noting that while my movies in the U.S. ranged from $1 to $8 (with the majority being $5 Monday Movie Nights at Cedar-Lee and Shaker Square) our movie last night was at the discounted rate of ¥1200 ($11) instead of the normal ¥1800 ($16.50) because we saw the movie after 9pm (although that time was actually preferable to the earlier times). The main reason we don't see more films is not that they are expensive (which they are) or that we are busy (which is also true) but that we just don't get very many worthwhile options. In the U.S. at any one time, I had to choose which I *most* wanted to see among the many choices, here we have to settle for what we can find. Right now aside from Sweeney Todd and I Am Legend, we have the choice between: Silk (8%), National Treasure (32%), Bridge to Terabithia (84%), Bee Movie (53%), Mr. Bean’s Holiday (50%), The Assassination of Jesse James (74%), Aliens vs. Predator (16%), 28 Weeks Later (71%) and a couple of Japanese movies (without English subtitles). The only one which interests me is Jesse James. I'm patiently waiting for No Country for Old Men (95%), 4 Month 3 Weeks & 2 Days (95%), Juno (93%), Diving Bell and the Butterfly (93%), There Will Be Blood (91%), Michael Clayton (90%), Charlie Wilson's War (82%), I'm Not There (80%), American Gangster (79%), and the Great Debaters (79%).

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Also worth mentioning is that while I quite enjoyed the film, I fear that if I ever take Yumi to another movie like that again, she will become my ex-fiancée. I should have predicted her reaction after she found Pulp Fiction revolting.

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As for Sweeney Todd, it was incredibly gory and bloody and violent and repulsive. And yet, enjoyable. Gore is not my thing (the blood stuff, not the Nobel Peace Prize-winning, former Vice President - he's thumbs up in my book) but I didn't find that it detracted from the film. Very similar in that respect to Pulp Fiction. I found the story often funny (so over the top at times) and the visuals stunning (a combination of sets, costumes, makeup, and lighting). I also enjoyed the music and the arc of the story, as violent as it was. It was also fun to see Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) in his small role.

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The look of the picture was very reminiscent of Edward Scissorhands (93% on RT) (dark, heavy white makeup, crazy hair, sets, costumes, etc.) which isn't surprising since both starred Johnny Depp and were directed by Tim Burton.

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Burton and Depp's other collaborations have also been enjoyable, quality films including: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (84%), Corpse Bride (83%), and Ed Wood (90%). Tim Burton was also the force behind: the thoroughly enjoyable Big Fish (77%), James and the Giant Peach (94%), Nightmare Before Christmas (97%), Batman Returns (81%), Singles (77%), Batman (72%), and Beetlejuice (79%) while Johnny Depp has chosen some great roles and hit them out of the park: Finding Neverland (84%), Pirates of the Caribbean (79%), Chocolat (62%), Benny & Joon (80%), and What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (89%).

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I propose that Johnny Depp is the best actor of his generation and while you could quibble with any subjective list, I can't imagine anyone not including him in the top 5 or 10.

Heath Ledger

There is something especially sad and poignant about an untimely death, especially of someone so talented and with such a bright future ahead of him. Heath Ledger, only 28 years old, had already brilliantly acted in several incredible films including Monster's Ball and Brokeback Mountain. He now joins the pantheon with James Dean, River Phoenix, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, John Belushi, and so on. The role of drugs adds another layer of complication to the story. What a shame. I don't really have anything profound to add, but I think the lyrics to Natalie Merchant's song "River" about River Phoenix seem appropriate for the occasion.

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Young & strong

Hollywood son

In the early morning light

This star fell down

On Sunset Boulevard

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Young & strong beautiful one

One that we embraced so close

Is gone

Was torn away

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Let the youth of America mourn

Include him in their prayers

Let his image linger on

Repeat it everywhere

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With candles with flowers

He was one of ours

One of ours

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Why don't you let him be?

He's gone

We know

Give his mother & his father peace

Your vulture's candor

Your casual slander

You murder his memory

He's gone

We know

And it's nothing but a tragedy

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Lay to rest your soul and body

Lay beside your name

Lay to rest your rage

Your hunger and amazing grace

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With candles, with flowers

You were one of ours

One of ours

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I saw cameras expose your life

I heard rumors explode with lies

I saw children with tears

Cry and crowd around the sight

Of where you had collapsed that day

Where your last breath & word

Had been sighed

Where your heart had burst

Where you had died

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I saw how they were lost in grieving

All half-believing you were gone

The loss and pain of it

Crime and the shame of it

You were gone

It was such a nightmare raving,

"How could we save him

From himself?"

Scenes from Japan (Part II)

Yeah sure, Hillary and Obama and beating each other up, the Packers are out, Patriots are in pursuit of history, and the Republican primary is riveting (McCain or Huckabee or Romney or Guiliani...?). Nevertheless, nothing is grabbing me as compelling to comment on, so back to Japan we go.
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Today's topic is commuting and trains in Japan. I love the transportation system here. It is easy and affordable to get around. The system is extensive... the map of train lines is described by the Lonely Planet travel guide as a plate of noodles and I think that is pretty apt. The fares are actually a bit pricey (a typical one-way trip is about $2.50) but just about all employers pay for a commuter pass between your work and home. Train stations are naturally high traffic areas so most have good shopping and restaurants. I also like the walk to and from the stations which gives me more than enough exercise (over 45 minutes of walking per day all told) without having to take time out -- I've lost around 4 kg. (8.5 pounds) since arriving in August.

As for the actual trains, they are very clean and graffiti-free, as are the stations. Trains can get incredibly packed with people but I am lucky that I leave and return early and travel opposite the heaviest traffic. The trains are full of kids in their school uniforms and matching backpacks, business people in their "uniforms" (dark suits for men, and highly fashionable outfits for women), and the occasional elderly person or young, 20-something with bleached hair. Most people have iPods, some read manga or newspapers, others frantically tap out text messages on their cell phones, and many sleep! I have "gone native"; I listen to my MP3 player in the morning (NPR podcasts, of course) and usually nap on the way home. The trains are also incredibly punctual. They are scheduled down to the minute and are rarely late.

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Apparently, there are problems on packed commuter trains with men groping women so now the 5th car (of 9) are reserved for women only.

Scenes from Japan (Part I)

There's a lot going on (moving, wedding to plan, Ph.D. to prepare for, teaching, etc.) and yet there's not a lot that's newsworthy, so I'll write a bit about what stands out here as different from the U.S. and other places I've lived...

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I think the word of the day is ubiquitous.

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First, people themselves are ubiquitous. Just about anywhere at anytime there will be lots and lots of people. It rarely fails to amaze me. I guess it shouldn't surprise me since I live in one of the biggest conurbinations in the world. It is estimated that the population of greater Tokyo area is 35,000,000! Yes, 35 million. Hard to imagine.

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All those people have to get around somehow, so bicycles and mopeds are also everywhere. Any train station has streets nearby lined with hundreds and hundreds of two-wheeled transport. On the one hand, my environmentalist side loves these low carbon and carbon-free ways of getting around but on the other hand, I hate walking on the very narrow sidewalks and having to avoid getting hit on a regular basis by all of the speed-demons on their bikes.

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All of those people also must eat and drink which is probably why there are so many vending machines and convenience stores. They are everywhere. Quite literally every corner in many places. 7 Eleven, SunKus, Mini-Stop, Circle K, Daily Yamazaki, Family Mart, Lawsons, AM PM... As far as the vending machines go, it surprises me that for as many as there are (you can't walk 100 meters (er, yards) down a street without passing some), very few sell anything aside from drinks. I try not to calculate the amount of energy that these vending machines are using. All that energy saved by those cyclists must be used for vending machines (and neon signs).

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When not buying things from vending machines or convenience stores, the next stop is a 100 Yen shop (around $1). Unlike the U.S. where dollar stores are generally for the lower class or an occasional stop, here 100 Yen shops are for everyone and the range and quality of things you can get is pretty surprising. It's kind of fun.

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When all those people need some diversions, the most common ones seem to be golf driving ranges and pachinko parlors (Japanese pinball gambling) based on my walks around town. I think there are at least 3 driving ranges within a 10-minute walk of my apartment! Unfortunately, due to the premium for land (for the 35 million people), the driving ranges are on the small side and surrounded by ugly netting. For as many driving ranges as there are, there are even more pachinko parlors. As you walk by one and the doors open, smoke and really loud slot machine-type noise bursts forth. I'm quite curious and would like to check one out some time, but Yumi's not very inclined, so I'll have to go on my own or do some convincing.

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Well that's a short snapshot of some of what has caught my eyes and ears in my first 6 months here.

Japanese Banks Suck

So many reasons, so little time. First, they offer interest on savings accounts around 0.25%. I'm not exaggerating. Then, there are no checks and if you transfer money by wire, they charge you. The kicker is the ATM fees. If you use an ATM, even your own bank's, during certain hours (such as after 6pm on weekdays and even more restrictive hours during the weekend) they charge a dollar or two per transaction. The banking hours are even worse than the States -- they close at 3pm! The final kick in the teeth was when I was signing up for an account shortly after arriving. I was filling out the forms and made a minor error towards the end of the form. Something like writing a '4' instead of a '9', which was easily corrected -- but NO! I was not permitted to correct the minor mistake -- I had to redo the whole damn form again!
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Yumi and I decided that when exchange rates are good, we will wire money back to the U.S. where we can at least get 5% interest on a savings account. When I left Belfast and transferred money from the U.K. to the U.S., neither bank charged me anything to use an online wire service. Of course when sending money to Japan, the Japanese bank charged us $40!

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During the transfers between the U.S. and the U.K., by the way, I had absolutely horrible luck. When I sent my remaining money back to the U.S., the pound was weak and the dollar strong, giving me fewer dollars. When it came time to pay my tuition, the reverse was true which meant my tuition cost more dollars. If the exchange rates had been reversed, I would have about $1500 more. Ugh. On the plus side, I've been incredibly lucky so far with the yen-dollar exchange rates. When I sent money over to Japan the dollar was strong and as we are ready to send money back, the dollar is very weak. I guess you win some and you lose some.

Moving Down Memory Lane

Yumi and I found a new apartment today and will move into it in February. We're both quite happy with it. Right now we're in a 3 LDK (3 small bedrooms, Living/Dining room, and Kitchen) and will be moving into a 2 LDK. We're moving pretty far south -- away from Tokyo and into Yokohama where we both work. My commute will go from 45-50 minutes to 35-40 minutes each way and Yumi's will go from about 1 hour and 15 minutes to about 15 minutes! Needless to say she's quite happy about that. Other differences include the walk to the station going from 20 minutes to 5 (although I actually like the exercise I get from my daily walks), a rent reduction from ¥128,000 to ¥100,000 per month (roughly a $250 savings at current exchange rates) and a 5 minute walk to the seaside and nearby shopping! I will miss the shinkansen (bullet train) right outside our window and our proximity to Tokyo (although we only go about once a month). As for why we lived so far from our jobs originally it is because when we got the place we knew where I'd be working but not where Yumi would be. She wanted access to both Tokyo and Yokohama, thus Kawasaki.

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Anyway, moving led me to think....
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For the first 18 years of my life, I lived at one address in University Heights, Ohio..
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Next month I'll be moving into my 15th place in the 17.5 subsequent years (and that doesn't count short 1-2 month stints in Washington, D.C., Houston, and Goroka)...

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1. 1990-1, Pittsburgh, Hammerschlag Hall (It was as good as it sounds -- all male freshman dorm.)

2. 1991-2, Pittsburgh, Doherty Apartments (I can't believe I shared a bedroom with 3 other guys!)

3. 1992-3, Pittsburgh, (Great first apartment with a great roommate in a rehabbed former whorehouse -- too bad I didn't get much action there!)
4. 1993-4, Pittsburgh, Donner Hall (A great gig as an RA.)

5. 1994-5, Los Angeles, Silver Lake (First place as an adult on a hill when the area was more gritty than trendy.)

6. 1995-6, Los Angeles, Hancock Park (A place no one would believe complete with swimming pool, tennis court, and Natalie Merchant's keyboard player.)

7. 1997-8, Lae, Papua New Guinea, Bugandi Secondary School Campus (Another great roommate, Eric.)

8. 1999-2002, Cleveland, South Euclid (A great house in which I lovingly restored the woodwork and was rewarded with a leaky basement and selling for a loss.)

9. 2002-2005, Belfast, Northern Ireland (A long 3-year stint in a great place by University area standards. Best feature: a 5-minute walk to QFT, the art house movie theatre. The trade off was sharing with 4 others for cheap rent which allowed me to be able to travel all over Europe.)

10. 2006, Cleveland, Shaker Heights (Living with generous friends who received my gratitude and babysitting services.)

11. 2006, Chicago, Oak Park (A serendipitous place given how things in Chicago ended.)

12. 2007, Cleveland, South Euclid (Thanks Mom!)

13. 2007, Cleveland, Highland Heights (Thanks Deb, Brian, and Ben!)

14. 2007, Kawasaki City, Japan (Konnichiwa, Japan! Living with my best roommate ever.)

15. 2008-??, Yokohama, Japan (Hopefully for at least 6 months! Although it may not be apparent, I hate to move!)

While I'm strolling down memory lane, I should mention my former high school classmate, Mel Tucker, who was just named the defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns. High school was long enough ago that I don't have strong memories of Mel but I do generally remember him as a smart, athletic, good-looking, and genuinely nice guy. He stood out as popular and an athlete who was actually nice to nerds like me. Congratulations and good luck, Mel! Not only for you but all of us fans, especially my long-suffering brother-in-law, Brian.

The Inevitable

The time we knew would eventually come has arrived. Jacobs Field is officially Progressive Field. It has now gone from the ranks of the mellifluous alongside Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, and Camden Yards to the corporate sellout with ridiculous sounding names such as Petco Park, AT&T Park, and U.S. Cellular Field. It is appropriate that the field formerly known as Jacobs is literally next door to the horrifically named Quicken Loans Arena.

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Once upon a time we didn't face advertising everywhere we went. Now it is ubiquitous, inundating us everywhere from every form of media (except NPR and PBS I'm happy to say) to ugly billboards, stadiums, movie theaters, and even urinals!

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It is probably a matter of time before uniforms look like soccer jerseys, where the team name is much smaller than the main corporate sponsor's, or worse yet, NASCAR, where they are literally walking billboards. (The jersey to the right, is that of the team I support, Liverpool, even though you can only see the ad for Carlsberg beer).

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How much before the Green Monster in Boston starts to look like what the outfield walls in Jacobs, er, Progressive Field look like? Maybe we should consider other venues: The McDonald's Statue of Liberty, The Preparation-H Grand Canyon, The Oral-B White (ner) House, Starbucks Central Park...

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Is there no respite?

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I'm not sure why this bothers me so much, but it does. It's just so crass, opportunistic, and in your face. Why does everything have to be commercial? Are we nothing more than consumers? I think this is emblematic of our materialistic, often superficial society.

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A sad day, indeed.

Books

On my Thailand trip, I finished reading the book, A Hope in the Unseen by Ron Suskind. I found it to be a tremendous book which confirms my desire to help those less fortunate.
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The book follows Cedric Jennings, a poor black young man living with his single, working mother in the poor neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C. He ends up making an incredible journey from abject poverty to the Ivy League.
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I think that the book presents many lessons. First, Cedric's mother, Barbara, undergoes absolutely heroic efforts to shield Cedric from the fate of most of his classmates, i.e. drugs, teen pregnancy, dropping out, etc. while they both live hand to mouth, face evictions, and rotate which obligation will be paid late each month.

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Second, it is clear that we live in a world of haves and have-nots. As much as many on the right want us to believe that in America everyone has a fair shot at succeeding in life and that all one has to do is work hard, it's just not true. Due only to the circumstances of our births, we run the race starting at different points and with different handicaps. Some start the marathon at mile 20, some at mile 10, some at mile 0, and some 10 miles before the start! At the same time, some are given Nike shoes, Gatorade, and running lessons while others run barefoot over sharp rocks. Telling these people to just run harder, will not allow them to compete.

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Affirmative action based on race takes a hit in this book as well. Cedric attends a summer program at MIT for minorities and finds himself the only poor kid there and struggled to compete. I think that the lesson here is that help should be based on income not race.

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I think that the book is an excellent one and found it both inspiring and depressing. It is an absolute inspiration that Cedric "made it" but depressing reading what he had to endure and the hundreds or thousands of peers he left behind to rot in the ghetto of Southeast D.C.

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Since the blog is new, I'll add quick thoughts about the 3 other recent books I've read...

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Nickel and Dimed is an interesting, entertaining, and sometimes depressing look at life at minimum wage, told by Barbara Ehrenreich. She spends a year or so moving from place to place taking the best entry level job she can find and tries to make ends meet. She chronicles her life as well as those of her co-workers. She clearly has an agenda but its instructive nonetheless. Once again, the "just work hard and you'll succeed" hypothesis is debunked. She has a good sense of humor, so the book isn't so preachy and is enjoyable to read for the most part.

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I became the last American, I think, to finally read Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes. Before that, I read the most recent of his 3 books, Teacher Man. Both are wonderfully written, witty, funny, poignant, and engaging. Both are worth reading. The former is his memoir of childhood growing up poor in Limerick, Ireland and the latter is about his 30-year career teaching English in New York City public schools.

Hiroshima Trip

Yumi and I just got back from a week with her family in Hiroshima. It was a relaxed week and we had a mix of hanging out, family, friends, and short trips. Although Japan is a small country, it was still a 4 hour shinkansen (bullet train) ride each way from Yokohama.
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Family

We stayed with Yumi's parents and had frequent visits from her two younger nephews, Takuya and Ryoji as well as shorter visits from her sister Yukiko, brother-in-law Mitsuo, older nephew Yuta, Aunt, and 97-year-old grandmother (who apparently still enjoys dancing at the nursing home).
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Friends
I got to meet a number of Yumi's high school friends including Mariko, her husband Keichi, and their cute son Jo. We also got together to celebrate Hiromi's recent wedding with other friends Michiko and Sae. Lastly we met up with Yuko for a nice Italian meal.

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Trips

Miyajima

This was my second trip to Miyajima, the beautiful island about a 1/2 hour trip down the coast and a 15 minute ferry ride from there. It is a common custom to visit a shrine to pray on New Year's Eve and/or New Year's Day, so we were joined there by thousands, if not tens of thousands of other people. It is considered one of the three most beautiful places in Japan. It is really lovely.
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Around Hiroshima

On January 2nd, we performed another Japanese custom of visiting family graves including cleaning up around the grave, bringing flowers, and saying a short prayer. The graves actually hold the ashes generations of family members.

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Hiroshima

Yumi's parents actually live in the countryside (surrounded by beautiful mountains), in a town called Kabe. The trip into Hiroshima takes about an hour. We went into town several times including our trip to the Peace Park, in and around ground zero for the atomic bombing on August 6th, 1945. It is there where we met 2 1/2 years ago in late July, 2005. We walked around the park again. I love the monuments and memorials. We also visited the museum again which is heart-wrenching at times.

7th Time's a Charm (The Engagement)

No, Yumi didn't reject me 6 times, she just unwittingly didn't allow me to propose 6 times.

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1. I wanted to go to Nikko, north of Tokyo in early to mid-December to propose. The reason is that when I first met Yumi in 2005, I had an itinerary which I put much effort into (a surprise to those who know me, I'm sure). The plan was a day in Tokyo, a few days in Kyoto, the conference in Hiroshima, then another couple of days in Nikko and Tokyo. But after hitting it off with Yumi, I changed the plan and stayed an extra day in Hiroshima with her and forewent Nikko. But after we decided to host the dinner party, she decided that we didn't have time to visit Nikko, too.

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2. When we went to Hiroshima to see Mariko, Hiromi, et al. on Dec. 30th, we were supposed to have time to walk around Hiroshima. I thought that it would be a good time to go back to where we met and propose. True to form, Yumi didn't get ready in time, so we had no extra time aside from seeing the people we had plans with (and were late for the first one as well).

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3. We had plans on New Year's Eve to go to Miyajima which is a very beautiful location on a significant day but it was very cold so we decided to stay in.

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4. We ended up going to Miyajima on New Year's Day but I didn't want to propose in front of 10,000 people and Yumi refused to climb to the top of the mountain with me, so it was time for plan E.

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5. We were supposed to have time after Miyajima to stop in Hiroshima on the way back to her parents' house in Kabe, but she insisted that we stop and go shopping (I am starting to visualize married life now) to get me a new jacket. She really doesn't like my current one. I finally relented and there went plan E.

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6. Finally, we were in Hiroshima together and I was literally all ready to propose and she was busy texting her friend Yuko who we were to meet in about an hour. Just then, her cell phone battery died and we spent the next half hour, going to pay phones and making phone calls to try to get Yuko the message of where and when to meet!

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7. After the business with the phone was done, I took her back to the same fountain, where I had taken a picture of her shortly after we met 2 1/2 years ago, near the actual place where we met, got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. She said yes and uncharacteristically hugged and kissed me which is a no-no in public in Japan.

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I'd be remiss if I failed to mention that the ring is my Grandma Esther's ring (and actually was her mother's before her). I was very close with both my grandma and Grandpa Bud, so it's extra special that Yumi wears her ring.

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Yumi has been (mostly) patiently waiting for me to propose for some time, so she asked me several times afterwards if me proposing meant we were really going to get married.

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I have to say that Yumi is many great things including fluent in two languages. Nevertheless, she makes small mistakes from time to time that I find very endearing. One such time was when I gave her a look for some reason she told me "Don't give me a dirty face!" Another time was this morning, when I facetiously asked her if she still wanted to get married and she said, "Yes, I want to tie my knot." I wasn't sure if she was telling me she wants to get married or make sure she doesn't have kids. :-) Rest assured, she both wants to get married and have kids.

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As for the wedding, we are currently investigating an August 8, 2008 wedding in Hawaii, 8 short months away. That would be 08/08/08. We will update everyone as plans progress and probably start a second blog specifically for wedding stuff. When that happens, I'll post it here and email it out.

Introducing Yumi (and How We Met)

Many of you already know or have at least met Yumi, but I thought that this was a good time to officially "introduce" her.

Yumiko, aka Yumi, was born outside of Hiroshima in (year deleted by Yumi) and has one older sister, Yukiko who is now married and lives nearby with her husband and 3 sons.

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After attending a local elementary school, Yumi attended Jogakuin, a prestigious, private, Protestant school for grades 7-12. During her junior year of high school, Yumi won a scholarship from Youth for Understanding to study abroad at a high school in Michigan.

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After high school, she attended the private, Catholic Sophia University in Tokyo, which she often reminds me is "the Princeton of Japan." There she studied business. She stayed on in Tokyo for 5 years at a company which makes GPS systems.

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Yumi had a big life change the next year. She quit her job and volunteered for a year with the Never Again Campaign. She split the year between Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rhode Island. She lived with host families and made appointments to speak at schools, churches, and civic organizations about nuclear weapons and proliferation.

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The experiences in the United States led her to seek two masters degrees in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford in northern England. She won a very generous and prestigious scholarship through the Rotary Foundation which funded the entire two years of living and studying.

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After finishing the degrees, Yumi took a job with a Japanese NGO in Indonesia to help rebuild villages physically and psychologically after a recent earthquake. She was project managing several projects at once. Interestingly, with her time in Indonesia and my recent move to Japan, we have both now lived in 4 countries: the U.S., Japan, the U.K., and Papua New Guinea for me and next door Indonesia for her.

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By then, we had decided we wanted to be together, so we both moved to Japan and Yumi took up a job at a semi-governmental organization which takes people from developing countries and brings them to Japan for 2-week (in most cases) training sessions on various aspects of development including economic and environmental standards. She is in charge of organizing the lectures and providing the logistics for 20 or more participants to fly to Japan and stay.

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Of course, she's more than just a resume. She's smart, and graceful, funny, and beautiful. She's idealistic and adventurous and I could go on. Suffice it to say that she's great, I love her, and I'm a pretty lucky guy.

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Incidentally, I want to publicly say that my friend from Belfast, Wilson said about 2 years ago, that if I didn't marry Yumi, I was a pillock. While I still may be a pillock for other reasons, I am glad to say it it not for failing to marry Yumi.

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As for how we met, it was at the International Pugwash* Conference on Science and World Affairs in Hiroshima in late July, 2005. At the time, Yumi was studying for her masters in northern England and I was working towards the Ph.D. in Belfast, Northern Ireland. We first met at the Young Pugwash pre-conference and hit it off right away. We spent a lot of time together during the week of the pre-conference and the senior conference which followed.

*Pugwash is the co-1995 Nobel Peace Laureate along with the late Joseph Rotblat who was one of the 11 founders in 1955 along with Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell. I dedicated my Ph.D. dissertation to Prof. Rotblat who I was fortunate to meet twice. He is the only scientist to leave the Manhattan Project (to build the atomic bomb). Incidentally Pugwash is named for the town in Nova Scotia, Canada where they held the first conference.