Central Heat

Did I get lucky and leave MI during an exceptionally cold Winter? Or have I forgotten how much complaining it takes to make it though MI Winter? I get messages from people in MI about how cold it is and how much snow is on the ground more than once a week. My response: it may be a whole lot colder there than it is in Nagoya, but at least you have central heat. In my apartment I have two boxes on the wall, one in the bedroom and one in the living area, that function as air conditioners in the summer and heaters in the winter. The problem with the boxes is that they only adjust the temperature in a small area and do so at an outrageously high electricity cost. This means that my bathroom never gets warm. A few days this week it has been cold enough that I could see my breath while brushing my teeth before bed.

Fall Colors

Looking up into a Japanese Maple tree this fall is like looking into a multi-colored lace canopy.

Scenic Drive to Work

It's been raining a lot, which I didn't expect, everyone said after the July rainy season I would see blue skies and sun. Well, despite the gray skies I couldn't help but appreciate this view as I drove to work this morning.

It's Raining Inside my Garage

I'm starting to feel lame for the number of posts involving my garage, but I need to vent. I was frustrated this morning to find that, despite being stored in the garage, my car got not only wet, but also muddy from last night's rain. The structure is situated such that roof is slightly lower than the level of the ground on two sides and in a heavy rain the mud can flow right through the gaps between the corrugated roof and and walls. Thank you Tropical Storm Sinlaku (Turned Typhoon Sinlaku) for all your rain and gray skies.