Belfast Bound

This will likely be my last post for 2 weeks or so, as tomorrow I am off to Belfast to prepare for and participate in my Ph.D. defense. So check back in early May and I will give the thumbs up or thumbs down. Either way I will be happy and relieved to have it over with (although significantly happier if I pass!). It's approaching 6 years since I started (Aug. 2002) and I've been wrestling with the dissertation (off and on) for 2 1/2 years (Nov. 2005).

Apple Safari

I feel a bit torn about the Apple Safari internet browser. On the one hand, it was surreptitiously downloaded onto my computer by Apple via my Apple iTunes update which is a pretty shady thing to do. On the other hand, I love iTunes for downloading my podcasts and I just started using the Safari browser and like it a lot. Internet Explorer was driving me crazy because it crashed 2-3 times a day. Poof, all windows gone. So far Safari has proven to be much more stable and at least as user-friendly. If only they hadn't been so sneaky about loading on my computer.

Rain Procedures

We've had a bit of rain here recently which has brought to my attention more subtle differences in case I needed a reminder that I'm living in a foreign country.

.

1. The umbrella stand

Most stores, buildings, and restaurtants have stands outside for umbrellas so that you don't track water all over when it's raining.

.

2. The umbrella bag

The alternative to the umbrella stand is the, er, umbrella condom for lack of a better term. It's just a narrow plastic bag to put your umbrella in when it is wet. In some places, there is a machine to get the umbrella into the bag for you (they think of everything, don't they?)

.

3. Spare umbrellas

I've noticed a lot of public places, including the building where I work, that there are lots of spare umbrellas sitting around, presumably to use if you need one. Go figure. Yumi said she took one from work yesterday because hers broke.

.

Mother Nature

I love nature. Most, if not all of my sojourns around the world have included some element of nature (hiking, volcanoes, hot springs, glaciers, deserts, waterfalls, etc.*).
.
So it's been especially nice to have Mother Nature tap me on the shoulder recently and remind me that she is here in Japan in all her splendor. After I first moved here, she welcomed me with several small earthquakes and a typhoon which canceled school for two days, but she's been largely absent since then; until recently. In the past two weeks, we had an amazing lightning storm, three more small to moderate earthquakes, and the blooming of the Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) in all their glory.
.
The Sakura are a national spectacle welcomed by blooming forecasts on the news, parties (hanami), and travel all over the country. I thought it was a bit much, but now I have to say that the trees are absolutely beautiful, probably even worthy of all the hype. Last weekend, Yumi and I got out of the apartment for a bit and were able to see some Sakura and some hanami going on and I continue to enjoy them for the remaining days of their 2-week bloom on my way to and from work.
.
*Hiking: Muir Woods (California), Monteverde rainforest (Costa Rica), Inca Trail (Peru), El Yunque rainforest (Puerto Rico), Mt. Cook (New Zealand), Routeburn Track (New Zealand), Golan Heights (Israel), Mournes (Northern Ireland), Khao Yai (Thailand), Khao Phanom Bencha National Park (Thailand), Black Cat Track (Papua New Guinea), Delphi (Greece)
Volcanoes: Arenal (Costa Rica), Poas (Costa Rica), Rabaul (Papua New Guinea), Vesuvius (Italy)
Glaciers: Fox (New Zealand), Franz Josef (New Zealand)
Deserts: Joshua Tree (California), Masada/Dead Sea (Israel), Sahara (Morocco)
Waterfalls: Niagara Falls (New York/Ontario), Multanomah Falls (Oregon), Ouzoud (Morocco), Khao Yai (Thailand), Ein Gedi (Israel), Milford Sound (New Zealand)
Plus: countless beaches, caves, hot springs, mountains, gardens, forests, sunsets, wildlife, vistas, etc.