hey all,
The weekend was pretty surprising. It is still a little bit early to tell, but it looks like Michi and I might have found a place. The rent was in the range we could afford, the commute was decent for both of us, the size was really nice, the kitchen was excellent (except for the carpet...who puts carpet in a kitchen, anyway?), and in general it seemed like a good deal. We put down a deposit for it, but I think we still need to sign the actual contract sometime this week.
We also went hiking in Kamakura, which was fun, if a little hot.
The last bit of news is that I'll be picking up a new cell phone, probably on Thursday night. My cell company will be releasing a rugged Android smartphone, and as I've already used my present phone for 2 years and 4 months, it is getting a little beat up, and the battery life is dropping. Besides, the rugged smartphone will be shock, dust, heat, humidity, and water resistant in addition to running the Android OS and coming with some handy navigation tools (temperature sensor, compass, GPS, trip recorder, etc). If it isn't useful for someone who spends a lot of time in the mountains and climbing up rock faces, I'm not sure who it would be useful for.
Next weekend, we have a 3 day weekend and the plan is to hike up a mountain who name I can't remember with Michi's family. It is a pretty long hike, maybe 8 hours or so. Also planned for the weekend is an "expectations" party, where Michi and I will be talking in detail about what we expect of each other when living together (chores, sleeping schedule, alone time, bills, etc).
Between Michi's classes starting at the end of this month, my own classes starting at the end of September, and then the curriculum planning, the moving, and the trips that I'll have to make to the city offices in Yokohama and Tokyo, it promises to be a busy time.
Cheers,
