Ku-ree-nee-n-guOH MY GOD LOOK OUT!

Remember how I'm learning katakana? One of the three Japanese alphabets? Well, by Jove, I think I've got it. I've been practicing a lot on the web and reading as much as I can in the stores - and I'm getting really good! Reading another alphabet is incredibly addicting; it's like breaking a code every day. Soooo...

I read while I drive.

I know! It's not safe, especially since I'm so slow. But while I'm driving slowly or at a stoplight, it's impossible not to try to sound out the "English" words written in kana. It's also virtually impossible, that's virtually impossible, to avoid getting into an accident. Add to that the fact that I like to take pictures of the things I pass, and well, it's a wonder I haven't crashed.

So let's make this post a purge of my bad habits, and I'll just get it out of my system and never do it again. It's hard to resist though: the other day when I was driving to Nadine's house, I saw this on my right:Tell me: could you resist snapping a quick photo of a ROBOT if you drove past one? A robot clenching its fist and stomping on a child's car? I didn't think so.

The next one, I have no excuse for, baby baby. It's very common in Japan, but I kept forgetting to snap a picture.Many Japanese people still sleep on a futon on tatami, rather than a Western-style bed. But tatamis wick moisture out of the air during humid months, and release it during the dry months - so combine that with normal sweat and sleep, and the futons need to be aired out. If the weather is dry, they're hanging all over the country with those big hooky clips.

So that's it! No more taking pictures while driving (unless the robots move!) and no ignoring traffic to read in a foreign language. The title of this post, before the OMG, means "cleaning."