Alone at last!

With bazilsmom and XDirtPushr finally off to Tokyo, I now have the car and the apartment to myself. Of course, this makes for a dull day. Fortunately, it feels good to just relax at home, as I've been on virtual non-stop travel for a week and a half, having been to Ohio the week before this trip for a wedding and to visit other friends. (BTW, if any of you are reading, it was great visiting! Thanks for keeping the temperature under 100 for me.) The only unfortunate thing is that I am running low on yen, so I have to wait for the bank to open tomorrow to get more. So it's time to load the camera software onto the computer, check e-mail, and do some channel surfing.

Despite my limited Japanese, I can sometimes find a worthwhile TV program to watch, but today is pretty much a bust until I discover that Tokyo Verdy 1969 (a J-league soccer team) is playing an exhibition against Real Madrid, who happens to be touring Japan for a couple of games. For those who aren't in the know, Real Madrid is one of the top teams in the world (they just passed Manchester United in marketing), and include on their roster such illustrious players as Figo, Ronaldo, and Beckham. Beckham is big here. Really, really BIG. As in, "Tiger Woods before he got engaged and slipped to #1 in the rankings big". Clearly, the marketing strategy for Real Madrid is a simple equation: Beckham + Japan = $$$$$$$. Or is that ¥¥¥¥¥¥¥? The game wasn't bad to watch, and while Real was the superior team (as shown in the 4-0 scoreline), FC Tokyo had a fair number of chances. They just don't have finishers of the calibre of their European opponent.