the bum ends

Ludicrous! Just when it seemed I would be 6 hours closer to you, (half of) you get ~6 hours further away from me. At least meeting halfway now will mean familiar places on the West Coast rather than somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (say, oh, Port Vila, capital of our favourite country).

I leave Singapore for Japan in a week to assist local teachers of English, in the port town of Onahama on the east coast. It's about 2hrs away from Tokyo by regular train and about 6hrs away from mounting nuclear disasters. Being on the beach, the town apparently sees a lot of interest in surfing (judging by the unusual numbers of related stores and groups). I doubt I will get a wetsuit any time soon. I am likelier to be found at the fish market (within biking distance from my school!) sampling the morning's catch, including shimmering masses of the region's specialty--an anchovy-sized species called 目光 mehikari, or bright-eyes (your favourite, Brian!), or else comfortably deck-chair-and-parasolled, reading on dry sand, partly expecting some Odysseus, German soldier, or tired surfer to wash ashore. What incomparable, liquid pleasures!

For those of you who are hearing all this for the first time, I apologise for not telling you personally, but that's clearly a sign you need to IM more (or at least when it's not 4 in the morning for me). Govi, your All-Seeing Eye is to be my news filter permanently. Brian, that rendering of Glypic Poltroon is all I want in a woman (she's electronic, eh?). And T(h)eresa... where are you?