Japan Trip Part VII: The Coffee Shop/Communicating Without Words

I'm never been so into Japan that I've wanted to move there. In fact, until a few months ago I was content with the idea of never even visiting the place. It simply wasn't a priority.

That said, having spent time there I couldn't help but take note of how well I would be able to survive there, assuming that employment was not an issue (a big assumption). Having spent some time without Lindsay there to interpret for me, I actually think I would be able to make due despite the language barrier.

Japan Trip Part VI: The Onsen

There are few things as Japanese as hot springs. Sure, there are plenty of places where you can find hot springs outside of Japan, but Japan is such a volcanically active place that hot springs are pretty much everywhere. They're so numerous and popular that they've become a part of the culture.

Given that, we spent most of our first day at a public bath house: the Yokohama Onsen.

Movie Review #14: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was the third movie I watched on my flight east over the Pacific. It was directed by and starred Ben Stiller, which doesn't say as much as I thought it would before I watched it.

Short review: I really liked it. The vibe was like a combination of The 40 Year-Old Virgin and Stranger Than Fiction, leaning more toward the latter.

Japan Trip Part V: McDonalds

I have a theory that as you spend time with a person the probability that they will tell you about how McDonalds outside of the United States uses real beef in their burgers approaches 1.

That said, spoiler: I didn't eat a McDonalds hamburger in Japan. However, I did eat there a few times.

The "Be Yourself" Fallacy

One of the most common pieces of advice I hear for most any situation is to "just be yourself."

There's something to that advice, but like any phrase that begins with "just" it's never as simple as people make it out to be, and I think it's irresponsible to assume it has universal application.

Japan Trip, Part IV: The House

To cut a long story short, I recommend just getting a hotel if you're visiting Japan. It's probably not cheap, but there are a number of comforts that a hotel provides that make it worth the price.

That said, we attempted to save money by renting a house for the week.

Movie Review #13: Star Trek Into Darkness

Oh dear, spreading out these reviews this long after I've seen the movies might not be a good idea. I'm having trouble really remembering most of what this movie was about.

But then again, maybe that's just saying something about the movie. In fact, consider that my short-form review: the movie didn't stick in my mind very well, and I doubt it'll stick in yours.

Now I'm going to dig deep and see if I can recall how this all went.