Another Bad Haircut

I think I'm going to hire Becky to come down here and cut my hair, because really nobody else has a clue.

Of course it was Mastercuts again. My hair had grown out quite a bit and it just doesn't behave in mid-lengths. I wanted it at mid-cheek in front, and higher in the back (to avoid the flare-out tail I get). Instead, I now look exactly like I did right after I got to Okinawa, which means it looks like I had a boy-cut that grew out for 4 months. Great. Anyway, with a comb-headband-thingey it doesn't look entirely bad. I guess I have a reason to wear those now.

Here's a brief review of past bad haircuts. Its now just a little shorter, especially in the back, than this first shot:



No, I can't wear that top, or the shorts I was in that day, anymore. I can't believe I ever could!

Dreaming of Asia

My older cousin is moving to Japan for a teaching job, and he asked me where I was stationed. I decided to give him some unsolicited advice.

I was on the island of Okinawa, south of the main island. It was fun but its way different from the rest of Japan. I got used to being taller than most men there, but somehow their fashions and pop culture are freakish clones of whatever was 15-20 years ago. Its weird.

Shop the 100yen stores, enjoy the food, don't forget to see the tourist destinations. Nothing is more lame than living in a cool foreign country and not seeing the sights. No excuses! Oh, 100 yen is about $1, so don't feel all rich with a 1,000 note in your pocket.

We were reminded pretty often that if you're arrested, make sure someone you know is aware. Otherwise you don't get food or blankets in jail. Also, if you drive, remember just by being a driver you assume a certain percent of responsibiltiy in an accident, even if it is shown to not be your fault. Don't run over Japanese kids, nobody likes an international incident on their record :D

Hi(sharply) means yes, short for Ohio Gozaimas. But if you say hi, they might understand you mean hello. Mizu is water, miso is a paste. I think... Domo between friends, Domo Arigato to the waiter, Domo Arigato Gozaimas to your boss or your girlfriend's dad ;). Tipping is considered rude. If you're not sure how to say something on the menu, just point to the picture and kinda grunt. They all think(know) we're stupid anyway, so its okay.

I don't recommend Orion beer. Don't marry a local, or a philipino. Especially if neither of you speak the other's language. Especially one you meet at a bar, ever.

Have fun. Take lots of pictures.

Sharks

I found this interesting because we went to the Okinawa Expo Aquarium in about 2003 or 2004. They had recently renovated the main tank. It was absolutely enormous, 3 stories tall. It contained a multitude of large and small species, including a whale shark and a large ray. I have a picture here, but not of the whale shark. The tank was so big, you can't see everything inside at once.



Science Blogs' Frontal Cortex
When we have to force feed our enclosed animals, something has gone very wrong. But the Atlanta aquarium isn't the first place to struggle with keeping whale sharks alive in captivity.

A study of 16 whale sharks kept at the Okinawa Expo Aquarium from 1980 to 1998 found they survived, on average, 502 days in captivity.

"We don't know enough about whale sharks to say we can keep them alive for long periods of time in a captive environment," said Jason A. Holmberg, a scientist with the Earthwatch Institute who is studying whale sharks in the Ningaloo Reef in Australia. "The expectation is that if you put a whale shark in an aquarium, it's a death sentence."