Test...test...hello? Is this thing on?

Good morning friends and family! Well...I'm technashmazoligizing myself here in Japan, and thought it was about time I did some kinda thing where I could maintain a bit more regular contact, albeit a bit impersonal, with the people I love and left back home. I've gotten enough shame-laden e-mails from many of you not to do something to remedy the problem of my infrequent contact with many of you up until this point. I'm HOPING that by having a place where I can put a bunch of thoughts and photos and recent happenings about my life in Japan, I can trust that you will or will not check out what's happening with me regularly depending on your level of interest or lack thereof, and in so doing I won't bore you with more details about blahdy-blah that happened in the nearest rice field last week and I can ask more questions and care more about what's happening with all my friends and pookie siblings and parents back home. I want to write e-mails to you guys with less information and more conversation. See the shmoozy way I said that...? Thank you. ANYways...here I am Monday morning on my day off. I have to go the post office and then perhaps I will patronize one of the nearby coffee-serving establishments for one of the dainty, non-refillable, spots of coffee served in a porcelain tea-cup and saucer. I use the word "spot" intentionally, because that's about all you get. Well, Starbucks is always a stop or two away by train, so for longer periods of quasi-introversion and introspection, I may park myself there. Oh, I have to do laundry, too. SEE what I mean now? Now I don't have to say in an e-mail to any of you, "I did laundry today," because you will already know if you have taken the time to read it here. I'll keep you updated on other household chores, as well. From Friday night to Saturday Jonathan and I went to a bluegrass festival in Hakone. It's across Tokyo Bay and it took a butt-long time to get there. And it rained ALL night long and most of the next day. So it was unfortunate, especially for Jonathan because it was difficult to make the jamming rounds. It was difficult for me jus' cuz who likes camping in the rain? However, due to some already established bluegrass connections, we hooked up with a tribe of people who played in a few different bands. They had rented bungalows in the campground area and they offered us a spot under one of their roofs (rooves? how embarassing...i can't remember...) as well as TONS of food and drinks and tea. People don't mess around with food here when camping. They served us course after course of yakitori (BBQ stuff) and grilled fish and chicken, balls of squid, salad, udon noodle soup with veggies, and in the morning we ate even more. It was pretty fun. And people jammed til way early in the morning. I sang along when I knew the songs. They played a lot of old-time gospel songs (of course) and it was pretty cool, actually, to see these guys totally rockin' out singing "I'll dance with the angels..." I've come to really enjoy bluegrass festivals for moments like those. (Jake you woulda been in heaven). Anyway, here are quite a few pictures from my adventures here so far. To be continued...