Moving Day

I saw something today that is meant to make people feel old. I don't really feel old after reading it, but it sure gives me a sense of how fast I will be old without even realizing it.

Each year the staff at Beloit College in Wisconsin puts together a list to try to give the faculty a sense of the mindset of this year's incoming freshmen.

Here's this year's list:
The people who are starting college this fall across the nation were born in
1983.

1. They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up.
2. Their lifetime has always included AIDS.
3. Bottle caps have always been screwoff and plastic.
4. The CD was introduced the year they were born.
5. They have always had an answering machine.
6. They have always had cable.
7. They cannot fathom not having a remote control.
8. Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show.
9. Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave.
10. They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.
11. They can't imagine what hard contact lenses are.
12. They don't know who Mork was or where he was from.
13. They never heard: "Where's the Beef?", "I'd walk a mile for a Camel," or "DE plane Boss, DE plane."
14. They do not care who shot J. R. and have no idea who J. R. even is.
15. Michael Jackson has always been white.
16. McDonald's never came in styrofoam containers.
17. They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter.
18. Do you feel old yet? Pass this on to the other old fogies in your life.

And what have I accomplished?

I have decided to move to the enchanting town of Fujino. Tomoe and I went there two weekends ago when I destroyed my bike. (I fixed it last week for only 4,000 yen) and went back again this weekend. It amazes me that such a great place that doesn't resemble Tokyo in the least could be so close. If I had a place there, it would only take me 30 minutes more to get to work than it does now. And there is that great lake with kayak launch point.

This weekend we rode our bikes around the mountain to the "art street", which is a small area in the woods where a lot of photographers, artists, singers, etc.. live. We also stumbled upon the Japan Permaculture Center where they are "supposedly" self-sufficient. I don't know if I trust them about that, but even if they are only half self sufficient, seeing their garden and fresh vegetables is almost enough to push me off the edge. My hatred for Tokyo as a place to live has been festering for over two years now. It's just not fit for human beings I think... It can't be good for us to ride the crowded trains, or go to the crowded festivals, and breath the crappy air, and never have even one moment where I can feel alone... meaning I can have the window open and the radio on and be naked and no one will see or hear. I'm not sure I can handle seeing much more wide open natural settings without leaving it all and moving into my tent in the mountains.

Of course I wasn't serious about moving to Fujino, but the more I think about it, the greater it sounds. I live in a neighborhood about 30 minutes from the "main" part of Tokyo where all the "exciting city life" is... As it is now, I go out of Tokyo more than I go into Tokyo. Other than to buy a book, a computer part, or some bird food once a month, I feel no need to even travel in that direction since my job is in the opposite direction. Think of the money I could save by not having to travel to the mountains because I live there... not to mention cheaper rent and veggies.