Supposed to be an easy one...

Yesterday was supposed to be a more mellow day.... office for a couple of hours in the morning, take the train into the city, get lunch, regional meeting for a couple of hours in the afternoon, putz around the city and get home... well, it all started when I woke up... (normally it does, no?)

early- 6am: life is too short to sleep, And its OK, because I went to bed early (it was my Sunday after all!). Meditate, air out futons, wash dishes, blah blah blah... i even showered and shaved (not exciting at all, maybe it sounds like it is through)
812 leave house late
830 office
1020 leave, errands, lunch, bike to special bike parking grounds
1135 leave for city on slower train (22 min nap on train)
1220pm get to the city (Fukuoka)
1238 meditation at Ankukoji (?) temple before meeting
130 meeting- find out about lantern festival at major temple
500 leave city- head to Daizaifu temple for said festival
545 arrive Dazaifu, drink guava juice, buy shodo (Japanese calligraphy) materials (brush and ink block)
600 walk around the site, make offering to shrine
645 string quartet concert, 7-year old boy makes conversation in English with me, impressive!
705 head to main pond
715 meet Japanese woman (Yasuko) who wants to converse in English, so we do.
800 traditional dance, as an offering to the god of the shrine. light candles for good luck. wind blows out candles at my end of the pond, but the whole place is illuminated- really cool looking.
900 another prayer at the shrine. walk around the grounds at night with Yasuko, make plans to visit temple again, speak English with her more
916 train, transfer, train
954 arrive Kurume, get bike from station before closing
1015 Ramen meal at famous restaurant... conveniently down the street from my place
1020 meet a neighbor at restaurant, we practice respective languages... he teaches me Japanese and Chinese, I teach him English and Spanish.
1050 said neighbor invites me drink with his buddies
1100 drop my bike at home
1115 drink with said friends, learn important (vulgar) Japanese words
1220 get home

I will write more about whatever, including the last weekend, as well as show pictures... but I have to be home in order to do it. Total time on the fly yesterday: a touch over 16 hours; Total time awake: 18 hours; Total camera time: ZERO- left it at home... foolish.

Today: elementary school kids... gonna be entirely destroyed later...

Get at you soon,