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ho hum...

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Here's where you don't want to be when an earthquake strikes (even a small one). On the toilet in your hotel room on the 32nd floor at 01:00. Man, what a disorienting feeling.

Today I went to a fireworks show again. Or I should say, I went to see the fireworks show of my life. It was a professional show (unlike last week's competition, which was for people just getting into the field) and it was stunning. We weren't merely close this time, we were in the spray area of the glowing bits of debris - and actually closer to the fireworks explosions than the fallout of ash and debris, which mostly passed overhead.

I don't know what we were expecting when it started, but from our vantage point on an embankment about 150m from the four fireworks cannon, Jon and I were literally knocked on our backs by the initial fusilade (is that the word). We shouted obscenities at each other in amazement as the Japanese viewers yelled more polite "Segoy!" (amazing!).

When it was over and our brains had all been reset to the level of three month olds, we had an outstanding barbeque. It was all kinds of meats and veggies, and I even got a turn with the tonges to help serve (though I didn't have the locals' knack with the hibachi.