i know what time it is in Japan right now
Who just talked to their brother in Japan?
Yesssssss.
Japanese phones ring differently, too (differently than American or French ones, that is). Also it's funny calling a number when you're certain it's going to be answered in a language you don't understand or speak. I figured that if I got his name in there they'd figure it out; there was some animated Japanese chatter and then lo!, my brother's voice.
This made my weekend a bunch better.
Among other things, it's cool having a sibling who understands what it's like to start forgetting English words -- things like "accent" or whatever. (Here, among the anglophones anyway, it is also not unknown to occasionally take French words and accidentally pronounce them Englished in an English sentence, such as "Don't touch my pain" or "That doesn't derange me"; I feel like this is probably less of a problem if you're working in a different alphabet altogether.) It was great getting a little set of cultural lessons, too. Beer vending machines. Dinner at six or six-thirty, the second and final meal of the day. Maybe it's only the second for my brother because he doesn't get up real early, but I am still amazed by the dinner hour.
(This weekend has been interesting, in that it's been a TIME FOR A LOCAL VACATION weekend, rather by accident. I texted my friend Kat [of "not deranged" fame] on Friday, to the effect of "oh god can we please go out sometime this weekend I'm going crazy," and she said "I'm just planning on staying home tonight, maybe doing some homework and watching a film and drinking some wine, but you're welcome to come over if you want." And that sounded awesome. So I headed out and told the parents I was going to a friend's and I'd be back the next morning. Which would have been yesterday. And I got home like an hour ago. [Fast fact: Not waking up to screaming/crying is rad. Doing this two days in a row is even better.] But oh well; I feel a million times better, though I still have that "must get into city" urge going on. Also, homework. Dangit!)
Also -- did you know there was a LUNAR ECLIPSE last night? Visible from Europe and Africa, or parts thereof? And that it was AWESOME? It was, despite all the clouds that were strongarming the sky, especially as the moon was becoming fully eclipsed. Man, it was beautiful. Sitting out on the porch with blankets and wine. Lovely.
Yesssssss.
Japanese phones ring differently, too (differently than American or French ones, that is). Also it's funny calling a number when you're certain it's going to be answered in a language you don't understand or speak. I figured that if I got his name in there they'd figure it out; there was some animated Japanese chatter and then lo!, my brother's voice.
This made my weekend a bunch better.
Among other things, it's cool having a sibling who understands what it's like to start forgetting English words -- things like "accent" or whatever. (Here, among the anglophones anyway, it is also not unknown to occasionally take French words and accidentally pronounce them Englished in an English sentence, such as "Don't touch my pain" or "That doesn't derange me"; I feel like this is probably less of a problem if you're working in a different alphabet altogether.) It was great getting a little set of cultural lessons, too. Beer vending machines. Dinner at six or six-thirty, the second and final meal of the day. Maybe it's only the second for my brother because he doesn't get up real early, but I am still amazed by the dinner hour.
(This weekend has been interesting, in that it's been a TIME FOR A LOCAL VACATION weekend, rather by accident. I texted my friend Kat [of "not deranged" fame] on Friday, to the effect of "oh god can we please go out sometime this weekend I'm going crazy," and she said "I'm just planning on staying home tonight, maybe doing some homework and watching a film and drinking some wine, but you're welcome to come over if you want." And that sounded awesome. So I headed out and told the parents I was going to a friend's and I'd be back the next morning. Which would have been yesterday. And I got home like an hour ago. [Fast fact: Not waking up to screaming/crying is rad. Doing this two days in a row is even better.] But oh well; I feel a million times better, though I still have that "must get into city" urge going on. Also, homework. Dangit!)
Also -- did you know there was a LUNAR ECLIPSE last night? Visible from Europe and Africa, or parts thereof? And that it was AWESOME? It was, despite all the clouds that were strongarming the sky, especially as the moon was becoming fully eclipsed. Man, it was beautiful. Sitting out on the porch with blankets and wine. Lovely.