You want to poke me with what?

The last step holding me back from PLDC got taken care of today as I got the smallpox vaccintaion that's required in Korea. I took the train back up to Iwakuni yesterday for my appointment today and got to stay the night there. I walked around there comparing it to Sasebo and found the only difference was that everything is a little more spaced, requiring alot more walking.

This morning after being briefed on what 'might' happen the shot giver started walking at me with a fairly large bifurcated needle and asked if I was ready. I only thought if he has to ask this cant be good. "Three big pokes" were his exact words I believe. And thats exactly what they were, enough to allow all the vaccintaion to enter into the skin. As soon as it started it was over, however I had six more holes in my body. On my way home my whole arm started tingling and I just thought this cant be good. But I fell asleep and when I awoke all was well. We'll see how it feels in a couple of days...

"I walk the streets of Japan......

......till I get lost, cause it doesn't remind me of anything." The opening words of a new song that kind of hits the nail on the head. The cold weather seemed to die this weekend and made it great for a midday stroll downtown. I just found my new mind clearer and stress beater as you cant read any of the signs or listen in to any conversations. Though its hard to lose your self, because you know where the water is, and naturally the base lies on it. It's funny though as I walk through the crowded streets I can see all the way down the ginza because no one is tall enough to get in the way. I look straight and see a whole bunch of dark haired heads at about the 5 foot 6 inch level. Im not that big at 6 foot and not used to being 'the tall one' but its weird walking around having the majority of the people looking up at you.

Happy New Year!

Hope this year was brought in safe and happy for everybody. Me and some friends made our way up to Fukuoka for the night catching the last bus up there, staying up the whole night and then cathcing the first bus back. We attended several parties had a great dinner and had a grand ol' time. Christmas wasn't as exciting and pleasant as it usually is spending it back home, but making due with where we were at, some friends and I had a little untraditional Italian (Japanese spin on Italian anyway) and a stroll through the market place enjoying the local festival going on. The giant-santa-head-guy was pretty excited to see Americans strolling about and kept trying to hit us with his abnormally large cranium, however I got him to stand still long enough for a picture. Happy New Years!!