Hello people. We're in Japan. Yokohama, Japan, to be specific.

We are very sorry that we have been rather incommunicative recently, but we are having some internet complications and we have not been able to get this silly site updated. Also, I am in the process of building a new and better website, which will undoubtedly take me no small amount of time, seeing as how I'm retarded and all. I've got a new computer and my new software is on the way. Soon, you will find an entirely new site here, complete with the India Archive and the brand new Japan Adventures section.

For now, you'll have to be satisfied with this boring update:

Leaving India seems such a distant memory, even though it was only about a month ago. It was sad to say goodbye to our friends, but we were both quite ready to leave, to be honest. Having checked up on them, we are happy to report that life there trudges forward, same as always.

We had a WONDERFUL three weeks in Brooklyn, where we stayed with Breck and Abeni back in the old 'hood. For the first few days, we sat around doing absolutely nothing, which was delightful. We watched cable and ate ice cream. It was very sorely needed decompression time. Then we visited friends and had the rare opportunity to act like tourists in New York. We had many visitors too, and it was nice to reconnect with a home that now seems like a foreign world.

Then we went down to DC for a week and stayed with our buddy Steve. Again we were back in the old 'hood, staying right where we had lived in 2004. Though we had extremely limited time, we did get to meet up with most of our friends.

It was great to be home and, much to my surprise, some long-lost buddies even popped out of the woodwork. I guess it becomes more necessary to see people when you only have four weeks in the country between now and 2008. We saw lots of friends, new and old, and portions of the family.

After four weeks though, I have to admit that I was very ready to hit the road. I guess that living in foreign countries becomes a sort of addiction. We were mentally preparing for Japan so well that I began to feel like we were wasting time not being there. We left the US on 15 August and our arrival here was extremely smooth.

We live right in the heart of downtown Yokohama, which is basically a port suburb of Tokyo. The trip into the city takes about one hour and is easier than a normal NYC commute to work. Our apartment, though slightly boring and drab, is directly next to both the major hip shopping district (Motomachi) and Chinatown. We are within walking distance of three beautiful parks, the port, and the baseball stadium. Our home team is the Yokohama Baystars. Go Baystars!

Chris walks about 20 minutes to class (30 minutes if you're me - all fat and round) and, so far, classes are going well. I am taking beginner classes too. Konichiwa! Much to my surprise, the school is providing me with two classes per week for free. I am very lucky. Once my classmates and I get grounded, we intend to add some more classes at our own expense. If we ever get grounded, of course.

The people here are really great and the general atmosphere both here and in Tokyo is seemingly the exact opposite of the general atmosphere in Chennai. Things work very smoothly, there are lots of people to help you if you need it, and everyone is very relaxed. There are systems firmly in place to take care of just about any situation. Between the comprehensive and gentle care we've received and the ability to take long, glorious walks every evening, we're both still sort of experiencing culture shock. Good culture shock.

And, because you all want to know, everything is well with L'il Allison. He or she is very big and active and all signs point to normal (though that is more a medical “normal” and an actual “normal” . . . lord knows how normal the kid may or may not be with parents like us). My medical care is now entirely in the hands of the nice folks at the Yokosuka Navy Base, where L'il Allison is scheduled to enter the world in mid-December. I have now gained 34 pounds. Whew! But I still get around just fine - slowly but surely. And as we all know, slow and steady wins the race.

There will be more stories, greater both in quantity and in quality, when I get the new site up and running. Lots and lots of fabulous pictures too. Until then, please excuse this boring update.