"Still can't see the forestfire beyond the trees..."
-Forestfire, David Usher (seriously, when was the last time you heard this song?...still, he has the softest arms I have ever felt on a man)

There's a tyhoon coming. I'm quite thankful for it. My box of jellybeans had all melted together. The temperature has dropped 10 degrees. I'm not in a constant state of sweating, passed out on the fluffy sofa, eating watermelon slice-shaped popsicles and dreaming of winter. It also means I should get off my ass and go find out where I left my bike while in a state of exhaustion brought on by a fever and the soaring tempartures before it starts to rain and my beloved bike- Sally (as in Mustang...)- gets swept away in what will hopefully be torrential downpours.

I made the voyage to Sendai in the blistering heat to the Immigration office yesterday to get my ren-entry permit. Now there's nothing between me and Seoul, except for two days at work. A trip to Sendai is always fun- I usually make the hour long trian ride just to go to HMV and Mos Burger alone. Nothing beats CDs and burgers! Not only did I go to HMV and make use of their giant sale as well as my Fuji Rock discount coupons, coming home with two Japanese editions of The Automatic and The Cribs' albums, but I also saw "I heart Jesus" buttons. I didn't see the button suntil after I bought my CDs, and unfortunately, couldn't break $100 bill for these buttons.

Yesterday was also the tanabata (like I even know how to spell the way it sounds) festival which consists of the hanging of giant paper lanterns everywhere celebrating a purpose I'm not aware of. The train station and the shopping arcade were both decked out with lanterns. It was fun at first, walking through the lantern's streamers, until I realized that there were far too many people for my liking and fighting my way through the crowds of people who randomly stopped at inappropriate intervals to take pictures or, just to stand in my way got on my nerves after an hour. I was far too hot to deal with any of that. That and I am sure I am the only person to ever get a paper cut in my neck from some hanging lanterns at a festival. But it was pretty. Fukushima also had paper lanterns everywhere, although on a much smaller scale. "Wishing I could see myself, wishing I was someone else"

I'll be home in exactly 7 weeks. I'm both looking forward to it- as in I'll be able to get some Tim Hortons, Greek food, good music, pet the cat, and have a variety of movies to choose from in theatres. I've seen enough of Japan but I'm not really doing anything substantial here to either further my career or whatnot. Its just alowed me to put things off and zone out on an extended vacation. But at the same time I'm not looking forward to returning home to figure out what my next move will be, other than some vague plans and ambitions to travel in early Aught 7. I think I'll exploit the UK Ancestry visa and take off again...maybe I can recruit some people to come with me. I'm not even going to think about the job hunt. Or the state of my apartment. And I also hope that my parents didn't store all of my VHS tapes and DVDs in their garage, wedged between the motorcycle and lawnmower, while I was gone...

I also had an unusual dream about some of my friends who read this. There were fireworks, giant rabbits, and wine. The rest is garbled and mixed up. I've also been listening to Bright Eyes which is making me moody and depressed.

"Floating on the wind again, hoping it will drag me in"

Top 5 Songs in the Typhoon Countdown:

Perfect Situation- Weezer
Recover- The Automatic
Dani California- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Ain't No Easy Way- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next- Manic Street Preachers

"Drink it down and watch the world dissolve"