Wednesday, November 21, 2007

The Numbers

A fun tool I used while blogging my Pacific Crest Trail hike was to keep track of things in terms of numbers. I guess it says something about my brain and that is supported by my habits of keeping lists, tracking all of my expenses, and disliking dancing, but I think it also makes an interesting post.

The number of...

palm trees in my yard: 2
banana trees in my yard: 3 (and one's producing bananas!)
cats I've seen at my neighbor's door at one time: 19
books I've finished: 2 (Collapse and Mountains Beyond Mountains)

bags of burnable trash I've taken out since August 10: 1
shoe boxes of cardboard/paper I've taken out: 3
bags of cans: 1
bags of plastic or glass: 0

fish I've caught: 3
fish I've kept: 1
t-shirts I've acquired: 3
t-shirts I've worn out: 1
cockroaches I've killed since arriving: 39
cockroaches that have escaped: 6

letters from my Peace Corps South Africa friend, Erin: about 9
countries I've received mail from: 4
kilometers I run, on average, per week: about 78
hours I listen to NPR every day: about 3
uninhabited islands in the Kerama chain that I've seen goats roaming on: 3

4 comments:

Amy said...

Does everything relate to your dislike of dancing?

Anonymous said...

ok, you definitely have a cat problem. your next lesson should be about TNR (trap neuter return). i bet the kids would LOVE to trap cats and have them fixed and take the responsibility to care for them. taming kittens is best left to children anyway!

Dave said...

Dear Dave,

Long ago there were...

3 Palm trees
1 complete shed
1 tiring scooter
A large vegie garden
And 60 odd cats next door

A huge typhoon in Sept 2001 took out the first two.
The scooter died in my last week and we heard the BOE never used the money we gave them to dispose of it (it probably went to their awamori fund)...so the scooter might still be in your yard somewhere.
Our poor neighbour who tended the vegie garden passed away in 2002 and after this the yard went wild.
At least its good news about the cats!! 13 cats crapping in your yard is a far cry from 60 odd.

So from an ex-JET who spent 3 fabulous years living on Zamami, its great to read that are enjoying this little bit of paradise! Without doubt, it is the best placement in Japan, and Jenny and I miss it dearly.

Don't hesitate to email (davidbyatt@westcoastcollege.com.au) if want to say hello or have a question we might be able to help with, though our advice may be a little stale now.

All the best,
David and Jenny (from Australia)

Anonymous said...

Great work.