Reading Montenegro

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
-Groucho Marx

I just finished reading another book. That's right. Me, reading. Possibilities are endless when your home has no access to the internet or English TV. And this one came much more quickly than the seven months it took me to read the first Lord of the Rings book... I finished this one, Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, in under two weeks.

But how could you read a book that quickly? you're probably asking in wide-eyed astonishment. Well, it was interesting enough to keep me reading on the subway and at Bagel Bagel so it really wasn't my usual one-page-a-night read. The authors applied economic theories and statistical analysis to an assortment of topics and together we learned to mistrust real estate "experts", that sumo wrestlers bathe in filthy corruption and all about the corporate structure necessary to run a proper crack ring.

In summary, I used to find reading to be a huge waste of time, but the non-fiction genre has really baked the cake (sorry, I was in the mood to invent a new saying). Last week I went to the Osaka public library (I'm a member of a library!) which happens to have a decent English section and took out six non-fiction books. My bookshelves are finally being used for their intended purposes (rather than the maple syrup and wires that they have been historically holding).

Speaking of "non-fiction", I saw the movie the Da Vinci Code last night. It was a nice cross between ridiculous and exciting, but what really hit me was how much I'm going to miss being in Europe this summer. I hate Japan. No no, that's not true, but I have started to rethink what I should do with the rest of my life. Maybe I just need to watch Battle Royale again when I come home to remind me of why I'm here.

Usually, I end up getting specific channels of inspiration from movies that weren't intended by the film-makers, and the Da Vinci Code was no exception. I'm now considering a career in the efficient and secretive field of Swiss banking.

Speaking of work, at time of publication I'm down to ten working days left. That's forty hours of teaching time or fifty classes (yes, they're packed in there quite firmly). I have been coming up with brilliant schemes of how to go out with a bang, but will need to keep that secret until my last day has past (haha, I hope that gives the intended shroud of vagueness for my co-workers who I know are reading this - but please note, it will likely not end in violence).

This Friday brings us into the Fifa World Cup Soccer season. This is, by far, my favorite sporting event to follow (short of the elusive Rugby 7s). I love how Brazil, rarely talked about despite being in the world's top five countries for both population and land area, is somehow able to shine and defeat those uppity Europeans. Not to say that I want Brazil to win or anything. I'm going for Iran this year, actually.

Rather than pick a favorite team, I usually tend to pick a least favorite team. And this year, I'm determined to do whatever I can to ensure that England doesn't win. I live with two English roommates and it would be the best gift any God could give me to ensure that they lose every single game they play.

The other day, as I was sipping on my afternoon coffee and enjoying an afternoon BLT bagel sandwich at Bagel Bagel, I bit into something strange. A BLT sandwich should contain, as its acronymic name suggests, bacon, lettuce and tomato. What it didn't specify, though, was the lemon. There was a full sour lemon wedge lodged in there, complete with skin and seeds, hidden in the depths of my sandwich.

Now I'm not one to complain in Japanese-run restaurants, so I didn't. But as these types of occurences are very common, I always wonder whether my food's bizarre outcome was intended or just a coincidental mistake.

Speaking of segues, my reading of the daily newspaper has finally paid off. The world's former newest country, East Timor (which declared independence in 2002), has erupted in riots. This is most likely to be over the fact that their country is no longer the world's baby. On Saturday, Montenegro declared its autonomy, separating from Serbia.
The upside? Another country to visit that doesn't end in -stan. The downside? I officially no longer know the capital city of every country in the world.