The Whole Erk Catalogue Tales of a Geek Abroad

I was doing so well there with the updates for a while, and then I got distracted this month.

On the last day of January, a new Wii game - Smash Brothers Brawl - was released. It's probably the most anticipated game for the Wii so far, and we're having a hoot with it. It is one of those consummate LAN party games, supporting up to 4 players and getting into the action right away. Andy, the high school ALT that lives in Natori, has been over playing it quite a lot, and we can play online with Ewan. It's really an awesome game; when it comes out in North America everyone should get a Wii so they can play online with us.

Early this month we finally started watching the highly recommended sci-fi TV show "Firefly". Now we have to recommend it! Folks, watch Firefly! It's only a season long so it won't take much of your time, and if you like science fiction at all (or Westerns) there is no way you can not like it. I think, anyway. It's a work of art, really a great show, with strong characters and fun stories and a good gritty sci fi world. And there is no sound in space! What is not to like? Within the first season it had attracted a cult following that takes many shows years to develop, folks were tracking it down to watch it even though it was getting pushed all out of order all across the playtime schedule by baseball games and stuff. So, seeing that they had a classic show on their hands and possibly the next Star Trek franchise, Fox did the smart thing and cancelled firefly before all 14 episodes of the first season had even aired.

Thankfully, Firefly has a movie out now so there is a decent chance it can pull a Star Trek and rise again.

Besides watching TV and playing Wii, it's been a cold month. February in Japan seems to be the most miserable winter month; I remember the same from last year. It is colder this time round. Despite having geared up our apartment much better than I did on my own, it's still hard for us to do chores and housework and indeed to leave our living room... everywhere else is literally freezing, and almost impossible to bring up to comfortable temperatures. Ever try to wash dishes wearing a parka? For that matter, ever felt you should be wearing a parka in your own kitchen? Far and away the #1 on my list of beefs with Japan is the lack of insulation and central heating. When a heater goes down in one of my classes - which they do fairly often - we wind up having to teach in a room where even the body heat of 40 people is not enough to keep the temperature from dropping fast enough that I forget I've ever been comfortably warm.

This all comes from a guy who likes the cold, mind you. It is not that cold outside, at all. Indoors is worse because, despite the lack of heat, it is just as odd in Japan to walk around wearing a tuque and warm jacket all the time. I don't understand it. Are people here fond of being uncomfortable? I know they aren't really "acclimatised" to it... they are used to it but they still go around complaining about how cold it is all the time. Well, why not lobby your governments to install double-pane glass in those solid glass walls that occupy the entire exterior of your schools? /sigh/ Insulation is just not heard of here, and I can't blame the people. It's just a very, very weird cultural feature.

Anyway, the cold brings its good. We went skiing this weekend with our friends the Iizawas and some of their contacts, which was a hoot! It took Jen and I a few tries to get our downhill ski groove going, but once we got the hang of it we had a great time. Jen even got a sports related injury, but it wasn't as bad as mine last year was... hers is already pretty much cleared up.

That's all for now, folks!