Not much happened today. We went shopping a couple, but mostly for food. I ended up buying a new Kurutoga pencil (one my sister already has) and looked for something she asked for: a multi-pencil with several different leads, 0.3mm, 0.5mm, and 0.7mm. I got her one last year, I think, but she wanted me to see if there are any better ones. I bought the pencil and the notebook to start thinking about how to redo the downstairs bathroom.

The main problem here is that Dr. Kawasaki has a cold and so does Mrs. Kawasaki. There’s a good chance we’re all going to come down with the same cold in the next few days. All the mask wearing, hand disinfecting, and gargling didn’t stop them from catching a cold and I doubt it will help us either. The other weird thing is that no one coughs into their arm here. They all cough straight into their hands and don’t think much about it.

The H1N1 influenza, or the “shingata virus” (new-type virus) is spreading here as well. We were expecting the Kawasaki’s daughter Sho to come to visit with their granddaughter Yuu, but their other granddaughter Kei caught the ‘flu and Dr. Kawasaki has told them all not to come even though she’s been better for several days. You’d think his specialty was communicable diseases and not otolaryngology. From what I understand, Mieko’s husband Dr. Kobayashi (an endocrinologist) is much less worried about the H1N1 virus.

In any case, I doubt we’re going to do all that much tomorrow, either, but Sunday we’re off to Osaka for three nights and then I’m off to Tokyo for a night before I head home.