First Impressions

August 11, 2007

Okay, first thing's first: it sounds like there's a rat in my bathroom wall. There's these noises that nearly woke me up this morning, a banging noise, followed by scratching, followed by something along the lines of a rat trying to communicate...I talked to the guy that used to live hgere - he said that sound had been here all year and even in the winter. He isn't ruling out the possibility of a ghost...I'll keep you posted.

Going for a run is a great way to get to know a town. It's also a good way to attract attention, from wide-eyed and bushy tailed Japanese people. It's also a good way to lose your inhibitions. No one runs here. No one bikes for recreation; thus I'm the insane foreiner. There were a few times, however, that I wouldn't have traded the run for a millioin bucks....well maybe a million.

A bridge where the main river in town flows, caught me off gaurd as a kind of tree I've never seen before, grew so far over the side, it was nearly hanging completely over the river. I had to stop and thank myself for recognizing it. The other moment was brief but so powerful. I still can't shake it. As I find my way back to my main road, I run past the well known 24 hour market: Lawsons. I glance over and through the window I see a beautiful Japanese girl, maybe my age, maybe younger. And as if someone told her I was looking at her, she looked up from her magazine and we made eye contact for maybe 2 seconds, which would be pushing it. Probably more like 1 1/2 seconds. But it was the way she felt my eyes on her that forced her to look up. I kept running, but looked just long enough for her to know she was worth that extra 1/2 a second. The entire encounter probably lasted 3 seconds total. But I could have sworn it was longer than that.