The Drizzles

by Pa Rock
Cultural Explorer


My place of work adopted a new schedule at the beginning of October that results in every employee being able to take every other Friday off - if they agree to put in an extra hour a day for eight days of the preceding two weeks.  Today was my first Friday off under the new system, and wouldn't you know that it would be drizzly and rainy.  It is almost dark now and the clouds are finally starting to move on.

But I didn't let the  crappy weather keep me inside.  My first stop of the day was at the Family Mart up the road to pay my electric bill.  Family Mart is a small, ubiquitous convenience store much like the Lawson's Station where I paid my bill last month.  This was my first trip into this particular little store.  In addition to paying my electric bill of just over 10,000 yen, I also found a Japanese toy for Sebastian's Christmas package.

My next stop was the small Shopette on Camp Foster where I picked up an unhealthy breakfast and a few supplies.  The guy there told me where to get my car serviced (next door), so that turned into Item 3 on the agenda.  The car maintenance was followed by a trip to Gunners Fitness Center, also on Camp Foster, where I  managed to put in a full hour on the treadmill (3.49 miles).  My final diversion was a trip to the Post Exchange (PX) at Camp Foster where I found some new gym shoes and shorts.  Then I came home, turned on the television, and discovered that it was exactly on the same segment of a Miss Marple Mystery where I had quit watching the night before.

All in all, it was a fairly good day off - even if it was drizzling!