Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of news for all of you from the last couple of weeks. It turns out that my employer now requires that I buy a particular type of automobile insurance above and beyond what I currently carry. I must choose, at least, to buy the type that covers medical expenses that might arise from my injuring a person with my vehicle. I could also, for $100 more a year, insure myself against up to $50,000 in damages to their car. If I pay this fee, I am covered in the event that I strike a vehicle, total it, and kill its driver. Were I to do such a thing with my moped, I would utterly annihilate my own body in the process. So Christmas is coming! And I think the Heavens know it, because Jupiter, Venus, and the moon recently provided me with the smiley face seen above. It was quite a rare celestial sight, as the three were the most brightly illuminated objects in the sky, and I was initially convinced that some planes were flying by. A few nights later, the sky was unbelievably clear, and I saw 4 shooting stars in the span of 10 minutes. It was mesmerizing. I will be doing a stand-up for an open mic for JETs tomorrow, a warm-up, hopefully, for some performances during my brief return to America. I haven't gotten any good sightseeing or travel done in the last two weeks. The weather isn't prohibitively cold, but when you ride a moped, the term "prohibitively cold" changes really quickly. The most exciting thing to happen recently was a failed attempt at something fun. On November 29th, it was 11/29, or in Japanese, ichi ichi ni kyuu. Or, in the shorthand of counting, i i ni ku. Ii niku translates to "good meat", and I was going to honor the day by buying some $40 per pound Wagyuu (Japanese beef; Kobe beef is Wagyuu) steak. A 24-hour-flu put an end to those plans. Perhaps I will redeem the rain check I gave myself this weekend. Perhaps I will come across some nice sights or people or stories during my Christmas shopping. Anyway, talk to you soon, America.
Chris
