O.K. O.K. – yes it has been a few days since we’ve updated the site – so, here are a few of my past adventures.

First of all, I want everyone to know that I haven’t just been sleeping. In fact yesterday and today have been the ONLY times that I’ve taken naps, except for when I first got here and was getting all caught up with sleep. AND for the past three days, it has been excessively rainy AND my other excuse is that Marc taught me how to use Acquisition on Mac which is this awesome service that lets you get really good music. It’s like Napster, but it still exists unlike Napster. However, it’s only for Mac users.

So, I left off from about Friday of last week, but instead of boring you with every detail of the last seven days, I’ll do a little synopsizing that won’t necessarily be in order. On one of my first days, I went onto this street that is called “Shopping Street,” discussed in my first log. I went back and discovered that “Shopping Street” is actually “shopping maze” and discovered many different stores around it. All tucked away and kind of spooky in the whole Asian stereotypical movies kind of way, you know like in Gremlins or Little Shop of Horrors? I found this kitchen store and went in to find something for Marc’s kitchen which is a story unto itself. The store is no bigger than my kitchen, but it’s crammed with utensils and accoutrement. The tiny lady who works there eyed me suspiciously, but allowed me to dig around looking for whatever it is I search. I don’t bother to try and say, “Do you have a kitchen sink drainer?”, because I remember how far I got when I was trying to purchase a coffee grinder. Yes, a coffee grinder, Kelly MacGregor, I need my American coffee and Marc’s friend, Shawn had left his coffee maker here and I had brought coffee beans from home, but not a grinder. So, I’m just snooping and finally I find what I need and the woman approaches me and starts poking this huge bruise that I have on my upper arm. I got it by falling into a wall. Yes, a wall. And she pokes pretty hard and says “Does this hurt?”, but she says it in Japanese and I understand her for some reason (because really, what else could she be saying? Well, I could think of other things, but those are just odd flights of my freaky fancy) so, I say HAI! HAI! but the spelling is the Japanese way that means YES! YES! And then we discussed really nothing further, but both of us spoke to the other in our individual languages and at the end we hugged and I bought my stuff and left. I brought Marc back with me on Sunday and she asked Marc where I was from and he told her, but when she had asked me on my initial trip to the shop, she thought I had said that I was from New Zealand. I’m going to get a picture of her and me hugging. It’s going to be special and you will all LOVE IT.

I’ve finally figured out the toilets here. Marc’s is really fun – it has a two way flusher, one for pee and one for poo (that’s one for me and one for you – edited by marc) – ask Shannon about it – but what makes it so cool is that on the back of the toilet, there is a sink that turns on when you flush and if it’s just pee you do then, it is a short splash of water, but if it’s poo, the water goes on for awhile and allows you to do a through scrubbing. Good times! I took a picture of his toilet, but screwed it up and instead did a video. So, you’ll have to wait for those pictures. (Marc: or if you want a video, I can work the magic… please post comments!) I’m planning on doing a whole photo essay of the toilets I’ve found here. I learned that you squat towards the bowl when you use the regular Japanese toilets. I had been doing it the other way, but in none of my adventures with the toilets did I get any pee on me.

You take so much advantage of being an American …

Re: Marc’s Kitchen Drain. There is some nasty smell that seeps up through the pipes and penetrates the whole apartment with its stench. When I went to my new favorite kitchen hole in wall shop, I had purchased a sink drainer because the one Marc had was kind of wacky and Marc didn’t like it. WELL, come to find out, that wacky drainer was all that was keeping the nasty stench in the pipes, so I’ve got to go back and get a new one of the one that he once had. It’s interesting and now we know why it was there. Live and learn.

So, as I’ve written about, I’ve been doing a LOT of riding and one of my last big treks I got really lost and kept circling this same area and I came across these kids three times. The first time they looked at me and giggled, the next time, one of them shrieked and the third time they all shrieked and ran in separate directions. Luckily, no one was hurt. It’s funny in three’s, but why do I scare children so?

On Tuesday, Marc and I went and met up with guy that Marc may be doing improv with – I learned how to read street signs and if anyone really wants to know how, just let me know and I’ll e ya. After meeting up with him, Marc went to work and I wandered around the shopping district where Marc works. It’s really crazy. There are many, many stores and all of them are incredibly expensive. I found my camera, but due to the fact that my temp money hasn’t come through, I can’t get it yet. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get if before I leave.

I also found a store called Katharine Ross:

http://us.imdb.com/Name?Ross,%20Katharine

Why would anyone name a store after her? Sure, she is a wonderful actress. I mean, who didn’t love her work in “The Stepford Wives”, but for a clothing store in Japan?

Tomorrow and until I leave, Marc is off from work. What that means to you, our dear readers, is that you’ll have more pictures and more to read. We’re going to go to Kyoto tomorrow … for real this time.