In the Air
Tomorrow I'm going to Hanami at the Imperial Palace with Rachel... and we're going to rent a boat and slog through the pink-petaled moat underneath a bajillion floofing cherry trees. Ya-HOO! But that's only after I work with the English-impaired kids for three-ish hours in the morning.

I'm also going to ask Apple wtf is up with my iPod, because although it's functionality is not at all impaired, it still does the same thing as my ex-model... but I've discovered it only does it when the HOLD button is OFF. I wonder if it's even a real problem. Maybe it has something to do with the button touch-sensors? I listened to the insides of another 15GB and a 10GB today (as well as having put my ear to a 30GB earlier) and none of THEM do it. Errh? My remote headphone attachment also seems to be crapping out. I doubt they'll replace it but maybe if I cry. Those things cost $60 over here, and with the travel agency raping me for tickets and classes requiring me to buy BOOKS (also double in price in Japan), I'm, uh, out of money.

In travel news, I'm apparently not alone on being screwed out of a ticket. There are a bunch of other Waseda students from UO alone, who booked through STA and haven't yet set their return date. The program advisor realizes the severity of this "inconvenience" and may be willing to speak on our behalf to the travel agency. I hope they'll be a bit more helpful then.

SUNNNNDAY is the KANAMARA MATSURI in Kawasaki... the penis festival I've been reading all about. Probably about ten of us are packing up the cameras and heading out there for a day filled with transvestites, gyrations and... penis everything! Penis shrines, penis lollies, penis see-saws, etc. What a great idea!

Man, I love Spring in Japan.

In other good news, my host has installed Gallery on his server, so I will have fully functional photo albums up and running in the near future at little cost to my own time or sanity. HALLELUJAH!!!