Japan E-mails August 31, 2001

 (Retrospection)

From: Chimes listserve (In response to my previous e-mail asking for book reviews):
Hey Joel...I thought you were in Japan.

My response:
Yes, still in Japan, but I've been corresponding with Media Mouse via the magic of e-mail. School hasn't started yet, but I have to show up for work anyway. So I just kind of sit in the office all day and study Japanese or do e-mail or whatever. So, I've had a bit of free time to bat ideas back and forth with Media Mouse about how I can contribute from overseas, and I like the idea of compiling a book review archive on-line.

***********************************************

To: Media Mouse

Wow, the ideas for the new site look great.
I'll write up some book reviews, maybe this weekend, and send them to you on books that I have read within the past year. And I have taken the liberty of extending the invitation to a few of my Calvin college friends to join in the reviewing. I don't know if any of them will do it or not, but if they do I'll send the reviews along to you.

I look forward to seeing your write up on the May '68 uprising. I wish I would have known you were interested in it, because I had a couple of books lying around on it that I never got around to reading back in the states, and I just ended up getting rid of them. I should have given them to you before I left.

Oh well, too late now, right?
I'll keep an eye on the website from here in Japan. Best of luck to you.

***************************************

Dear Mom,

I'm not sure exactly what the time difference is. I think I'm 13 hours ahead, but I'm not positive. We'll figure it out when I call, I guess. The time difference is going to be a bit of a pain in the neck. I figure I'd only be able to call before I leave for work, or before I go to bed. Neither is really ideal. If I call before work, it would mean I have to wake up very early. And if I call before bed, then it will be really early in the morning your time.

Plus it's difficult for me to schedule a call because I never know what I'm going to be doing on any given night or when I'll be back, because other people are always taking me out. So I'll just try the hit and miss approach for phone calling.