Friday, December 31, 2004


The Nijubashi Bridge of the Imperial Palace.
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Flowers at the Imperial Palace Garden are pretty, even with snow on them. Why oh why did weather.com lie to me?! There wasn't supposed to be any snow.
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Pretty swan at a river in Tokyo, near the Imperial Gardens.
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This is the closest I've gotten to New York City. And frankly, I think Tokyo is pretty nifty!
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Mt. Fuji at sunset, as seen from the Yakota Air Base.
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You'll never guess what this is. It's how you order your food at one of the restos I ate at. You pick your picture, and then hand the little ticket that the machine spits out to the server. It was especially handy since none of us read or speak Japanese
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Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everybody! Unfortunately, I doubt I'll have fantastical stories for New Year's Eve night, because the city is sooooooo expensive here that I'll be staying in. HOWEVER, enjoy the pictures from today's adventures into the city!!

Thursday, December 30, 2004

Safe Arrival

Well, I made it safely to Tokyo, Japan. After a loooooooooong flight, I think I can safely say that I would rather drive to Arkansas from Milwaukee than endure another 13 hour flight. Unfortunately, driving from Bangkok to the states is not exactly possible, so it appears I'll be spending more quality time with a coach airline seat.

When I boarded the plane, walking to my seat was like walking from East Capitol Drive in Milwaukee to Whitefish Bay. Frankly, first class is a whole 'nother world. The seats are two-by-two, leather and large. The space between rows is large enough to allow you to actually utilize the recline feature on your chair without forcing the person behind you to endure a meal with their tray rammed into their stomach. And first class travellers get bigger pillows and FOOTIES! In coach, the seats are approximately the with of your average American's thigh, and the distance between rows is comically 6 inches wide. And I was forced to walk around in my own socks, rather than luxurious footies. I beg you, how is this fair? Shouldn't I, who has to endure endless hours in a smaller seat be allowed the one tiny luxury of free footies?? And furthermore, WHERE ARE MY PEANUTS? Whose idea was it to switch the snack to these stupid pretzel mixes. I am angered.

On a MUCH brighter note, I saw April -- Ms. Brown if you're nasty! -- for the first time in over a year. It was so exciting! Yay for travelling to Asia, landing in Tokyo, and seeing a soror-sis. Except for my deprival of footies (and the insecurity of crossing the international date line), ain't life grand???

Wednesday, December 29, 2004


Notice the bag on the floor. I uncharacteristically did NOT overpack. WOW!!
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Here's a question: why is my hotel suite nearly as big as my apartment?!
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Onward and Upward

The trip goes on as planned. Bangkok was not affected (physically anyway) by the tsunami. Although a tragedy, our trip will go on as scheduled. But, according to our hosts in Bangkok, not only was it not affected by the tsunami, but it isn't in the path of the possible aftershocks either. And, it is hundreds of miles away from that particular coast. Our thoughts and prayers will be with those who were affected.

I look at it this way, had I been travelling to D.C. during the Florida/Louisiana hurricanes, I probably still would have gone on my trip. And thus, we continue, onward and upward!

Monday, December 20, 2004

Beginnings

This is a post just to prove I've officially entered the world of blogging.