Tama-Gawa (river)

Today was a day entirely to myself. My bosses mistake left me with no classes to teach and I decided today would be a day to begin my Japanese studying which I have been putting off lately partly from my semi-preparation for the Foreign Service exam and more because of my horrible laziness over the past month. In lieu of studying much of anything I've been spending time numbing my brain with movies and some tv shows that I've come across. Earlier this week, out of frustration with what I was becoming, I deleted them all in order to give myself over to a more disciplined life. Unfortunately over the last few years I've developed an internet addiction that is on par with with it's uselessness with most people addiction to crap tv and others with things much worse. Even though I like to think I spend my time reading things more of note far too much crap has slipped into my lengthening morning online news rituals. Clean slate shall we say.

Spring is slowly creeping in here, taking a fair amount longer than I would prefer. It was t-shirt weather in the sun today but the moment the clouds covered it you needed a jacket. I'm sitting on a bench now at 11 at night just to get out of my house and it must be somewhere in the 50's but tolerable. The cherry blossoms which have been the focus of so many people's attention over the last two weeks are shaking off the last of the fragile white blossoms and the last of the Hanamis are taking place around me. Soon, I'll be able to sweat again.

I've been trying to get back into my running as well. A small belly has seemed to have emerged over that lsat few months as a replacement for my smoking. I blame it more on slowed metabolism than eating more although I know I have been snacking more than I should. Well, usually I'm content to run in my neighborhood on the hard but smooth concrete streets observing the really interesting residential architecture in my area but recently my shins have begun to complain. Also, because the weather is so nice I decided to go ahead and make my way down to the Tama river which cuts the southern part of Tokyo into the next prefecture. The city, or prefectures, have made the banks along the river pretty much continuous park areas for a good amount of the river, I'm really not sure how much. On my jog today I admired several generations of Japanese worshiping their recently renewed faith of baseball. Although I didn't find any tee-ball, I did find everything else from dad's pitch all the way up to middle aged recreational teams in full matching uniforms. I jogged by each of them one by one, one field after the other as well as a golfing range on the other side and a mini (not miniature) golf course in between the baseball diamonds and soccer fields. Others had set up picnic areas on the concrete banks along both sides while mothers pushed their children in strollers and enjoyed the weather. The parks really seems to come to life, more so on the weekends as I imagine is the case everywhere but even more here.

But that's all for now. Promise to get pictures up soon of the Cherry Blossoms of the last couple weeks. Check back in the next couple days.