Little Schmoo in Japan

Ok so after a few typhoons, a spot of bad weather, international money transfers written in Japanese, a postcard from a not so secret admirer, 6 and 7 day working weeks and most importantly a $90 pizza, I guess you could say busy was an understatement for the last two weeks.
I have done 4 days and 1 shift overtime, leaving an entire 4 days off in the entire last 4 weeks. Of course the typhoon kept me inside, I was not in the mood for being soaking wet but I still had to walk to work, imagine little schmoo barefoot with light t-shirt and shorts with a bag wrapped in plastic (with my nice dry work clothes in it), being hurled in the random direction of work alternating walking 45 degrees into the wind and 45 degrees with the wind, soaking wet with hair plastered to my face and you just about get the picture!!!
otherwise it was a relatively uneventful time as the typhoon actually passed us by, or so I`m told...
ok some funnies for you now, all that time indoors has lead me into finding a few cute quotes:
YOU KNOW YOU`VE BEEN IN JAPAN TOO LONG WHEN;

1)you buy a potatoe and strawberry sandwich without cringing

2) you think there are 10 eggs in a dozen

3) you use your ever handy mobile phone to call a fellow gaijin (foreigner) to help you and another aussie remember an easy english word that you both cannot remember

4) you return the bow to the cash card machine

5) you call them cash card machines and cell phones instead of ATMs and mobiles...

6) Not only do you start thinking canned hot coffee tastes good, but when in summer when they take all the hot coffee away from the vending machines you find yourself politely bowing and cursing your local vending machine... ok real life experience, no hot caffeine, really upset schmoo. It was a typhoon after all.

7) you are talking on the telephone to your parents and your father says "why are you interrupting my explanation with grunts???" (actually for those who know my dad imagine this for a conversation schmoo " hey dad, I bin ta Kumamoto and Fukuoka and seen da monkeys at Takasaki Yama" dad replies" Why are you swearing at me? speak English Kiddo" me in dry voice "I am father-san!")

ok and for my all time favourite
8) in the middle of nowhere, totally surrounded by rice fields and abundant nature you aren`t surprised to find a drink vending machine with no visable means of power...

ok so thats all for now guys
hopefully you wont think I`ve gone too mad over here
later Schmoo-san
posted by Schmoo at 8:09 PM