The warm weather has ushered in a series of stunning days and lovely nights, and has lured out the neighborhood trumpeters practicing for Hamamatsu’s Golden Week. Each neighborhood has its own representative band consisting mostly of trumpets (very simple in form, no valves) and a couple of drums. They play the same tune incessently, though I must admit they are getting much better at it with several weeks practice under their belt. Lead by a flag bearer and a couple people with bright red traffic-directing batons, they march through the town practicing their tune… if I had the iTalk with me I’d record a couple bars. As it is, I might just sing the song myself once I get home, since kzi and I have become very good at imitating novice trumpeters.
Getting in the shower today I experienced my first real pang of lonliness with the realization of exactly *how far* away the continent is that houses my family and friends. My mom’s scheduled trip to Tokyo in May (complete with Aunt and Uncle) couldn’t have better timing, even though they will only be in the country for a few days on their way to China. The hangover that I had did nothing to help the feeling and I didn’t have the energy to both piece myself back together into a decently coherent sense of self AND battle the lonliness at the same time. The wine I’m sipping on now (hair of the dog) is helping a bit.
The apartment still has no furniture, and kzi is disturbed by the fact that Auz and I refer to the cardboard boxes we use for ‘tables’ as furniture. For the most part it’s all well and good, but there are moments when we long for an apartment in which we can actually sit on something besides the floor. It does feel like home now, albeit quite a barren one. And when it gets to be too much, we can always escape to Hamamatsu Castle Park, a place that never fails to instill a more balanced perspective and a sense of well being. I will be uploading pictures soon, several sets, but none of the apartment yet. For your viewing pleasure, I’m working on an isometric pixel art layout of our apartment. This seems to be the most suitable presentation, as we really are living a Sims incarnation. As we get new furniture and items for the apartment, they will get their own pixel representation and be placed appropriately in the pixel apartment.