Blog Entry #201

Wow, it took me four years to make 200 posts. That's like 50 posts a year, or one a week. Hnnh. How's that work? I must've posted like, every night, back when this was new, because I know this poor old blog's gotten some serious neglect over the past year or so. I went and looked back at my first posts back in September of '02 and was horrified. XD I was such a chipper little freshmen, and I used emoticons like :'-( and ;) a ton. I haven't used those sorts of smilies in years (bwah, I can't believe I used to make crying faces like that). I wonder when I transitioned away. o_o; Anyway, the following entry is crossposted from Gaia...

Yesterday was exciting. Matsunaga-san from HR took me to the Nara city office to get my gaijin card (required for anyone spending more than 90 days in Japan), and we had quite the adventure of winding through some frighteningly narrow streets to get there (there was a traffic jam, so Matsunaga-san decided to go down a sidestreet... would've been faster to brave the traffic jam, I think). His car is amazing - the GPS system is in full color, has like, every location in Japan programmed into it, and it even talks to you. Plus, when you put the car in reverse, the view switches to a camera in the back so you can see if you're about to hit something. Every car that I've been in while in Japan has at least had GPS, and it's quite sophisticated. Why don't we have this kind of technology in the States? ;~;

My workplace is amusing. There's 200 people working here, but the place is huge, so there are big empty spaces. So far, I have managed to get lost in the building at least once per day (never for very long, though). Every day after lunch they play the company song, and everyone gathers up and sings along (sadly, I do not know the words, although it does involve love and light and a green earth XD). After that, someone reads the company principles off a scroll and then gives a speech. I'm not sure what the point of the speeches are, although it may be about preserving the environment because one was about cars, and today's was about hot springs and the sun. Oh, before the company song part, there are stretches announced over the intercom, but of course, no one does them (why, Japan, whyyyy?). I'm glad that they only play the company song once a day (Hitachi had a two-times-a-day deal going on), but it's harder to giggle at when you're standing around with a bunch of other people who are singing along. Or maybe it's easier. o_o;

- Rindi

Current song: None
Current mood: Blah