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Showing posts from May 6, 2012

Honshu and Okinawa

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I am back. I spent 10 days in Japan, 5 days for work on the main island of Honshu and 5 days of solo adventure in Okinawa. Travel is so invigorating dispite the uncomfortableness. Jetlag, anxiety, crowds, and other discomforts aside, it is mind-expanding and rewarding. Work went well. I flew a new airline (Skymark) from Tokyo to Naha. I am always wary of strange discount airlines and all the traps they set. However, I had a great expereince with "Sky". I was actually shocked. Super easy checkin at the airport, no extra fees even with extra luggage. The primary mission in Okinawa was to visit the Peace Park and the suicide cliffs of Okinawa. From what I understand, at the end of WW2 the inhabitants were encouraged to commit suicide rather than surrender to the Americans and get tortured and eaten. Besides other types of suicide, they jumped off the cliffs at the Southern end of the main island. If you have seen the original color footage taken at the time, I am sure you ...
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I went to the PDK airshow today. PDK is the second busiest General Aviation airport in the United States following only Teterboro NJ. I don't fly into PDK yet. I will at some point for sure. The weather wasn't very good for an airshow. In fact the weather was beyond my personal minimums for getting out and just flying around, without aerobatics. I also went over to my future house, signed some paperwork, planned and measured some. I have access to the property, which is nice. My reality check today indicates there isn't really that much needed to move in, plumbing mostly. Since it is a foreclosure there were some elements of a "scorched earth" approach to the retreat. The scuttle efforts were primarily in the form of ripping out all the copper plumbing and air conditioner. It is easy for me to fix.
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A lot of stuff going on with me this week. I am selling my Mom's Condo in Rochester, NY and I have generally been socializing a lot in the evenings. I have met a lot of new folks. It is amazing what happens when you *try*. Some of the bigger news is that my offer was accepted on a piece of property. This is the same property that I thought got away from me. Weird. Usually, when a property gets a way.. it gets away. So, I will be working to close the deal soon. The house is very convenient to shopping and to work, but is also very serene and "woodsy". It is on a small lake. This may be the most practical house I have ever purchased. Of course, since it is property I am buying, it needs work. Nothing compared to what was done in the past though. It will be fun.