the sounds I don't hear (Tokyo)

Tokyo cicadas - took me a while to get used to this one, as we just don't have cicadas where I'm from. Or if we do, they don't sound the same. there are thousands of them in the park near our house - well, all over Tokyo right now, actually. Right now, they are just "sreeeeee sreeee sreee sree"ig, hoping to get lucky so that their offspring can spend the next 15 years or so underground, and then dig their way out and start all over again. Soon, however, they will have passed their best-before dates and start flying and dying around like huge, drunken cockroaches with wings. Blech.

Tokyo crows - these things are disturbingly huge. Some are almost as big as Fox - who isn't all that tiny. I've heard stories of them attacking embassy pet cats and causing them harm out on their balconies.

Tokyo traffic - there's so much of it, but I rarely notice it at all. I'm not sure that it's possible to live in a bigger, more crowded city, but the traffic here is so well behaved. I do jump when I hear a car horn, though - it's so unusual.

Sam in the middle of the night - actually, I do hear him. But it is starting to seem pointless to dash naked out of bed (well, with Marie in the house, I have to get dressed now) and see what's up, as he absolutely NEVER remembers in the morning.

I didn't realize that I didn't hear these sounds until I left them, and got to somewhere really quiet (the cottage this summer), but then it was so quiet there, I could barely sleep. Hmmm...

happy happy family

We got into trouble for taking this pic in a department store, but it was so worth it...

holy snot!

It's hot out!

It's about a million degrees in the narrow gaps between the skyscrapers with the hot pavement off-gassing heat upwards, and the sun beating downwards. I have to say that 35 degrees C is way way way hotter in Tokyo than it was in Santo Domingo. What this city needs are big, leafy trees, a good ocean breeze and a massive downsizing. But maybe I shouldn't wish for that. Another good shake (say a magnitude 9 or so) could do all of that pretty quickly. Ok, maybe not the trees, but you know what I mean.

Sam and I went out for a little adventure today, and just about cooked ourselves. We had a lovely time, though. He bought himself some charming fake wounds and a fake cigarette that really smokes! We had a naughty McD lunch and then staggered home before we collapsed.

Makes me really appreciate our severly underused pool... Yes, I am even getting wet - it's hot and humid enough for me to drag my butt off of the lounge chair (in the shade) and float about in the shallow end of the pool. Ahhhhh.....

Still playing with our wish list for next year. Currently, it looks like Santiago, Havana, Bucharest and Caracas. Prague is probably off the list, as the position is not quite right for Steve. Personally, I'd like a list that goes: Santiago, Santiago, Santiago, Santiago, Santiago. It just looks so nice, and it's in the same time zone as Canada, which makes the 18-hour trip somewhat less horrific.

Anyway, off to a shindig with the Aussies. Steak sandwiches, yum yum.