I'm learning to like my job. I must admit it gives me a warm fuzzy to think of all the crazy places I've called just in the last couple of weeks: New York, London, Barcelona, Milan, Shanghai, Mumbai, San Francisco, Rochester (NY), Seoul, Taipei, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, New London (see below), San Jose, Chicago, Muscat (Oman-had to look at a map for that one!), Glasgow, Nanjing, and a bunch of places in between! Most of the folks I've talked to work in the hotels of these fine cities- I have also spent a fair amount of time on the line with airline offices in Tokyo (speaking in Japanese) and standing at the fax machine trying not to pull an "office space" move. My days are almost always busy. "Busy" as in I sit down at my desk at 8:35 am and begin sorting through the faxes and e-mails that have come in overnight, we have a staff meeting and morning excercises (rajio-taiso- this IS Japan), then I don't do anything but work, work, work until lunchtime at 12:00. I am usually on the phone and working on the computer on two projects simultaneously and have often forgotten just which hotel in which country I was on hold for! After lunch it is more of the same only with more pressure (because the end of the day looms) until 6 ish. The rest of my group seems to stay until late- 8, 9 or even 10. I leave before 6:30 pm. We will see how long that lasts. If it does, "I think I'm gonna like it here..." (la la la).

We had a big earthquake here in Tokyo last night. It was apparently about a 5 on the Japanese earthquake scale, which means it was bigger on the Richter scale. It was the biggest one I've experienced... but unfortunately (or fortunately), I was on a subway train between stations and in motion. The train came to a screeching halt and we were forced to sit on the tracks stuffed like squashed marshmallows together in the tight car for 5 minutes before the train re-started. So I basically missed it. When we did reach the station, which luckily was HOME for me, the clocks and hanging sign boards were still rocking. Everyone thought it was just huge- and Yukari, my neighbor upstairs said her fax machine fell down along with several framed photos. Nothing noticeable here except when I DID reach home- the elevator was stuck on the 7th floor. I just swore under my breath, hoped no one was inside, and dragged myself upstairs and to bed. (I'm not usually so dead tired- but had been out running and drinking till after my bedtime!).

It's almost Friday here, and its a 3 day weekend!