Plutonic Rainbows

Today is the 5th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake. It was the most powerful earthquake to ever hit Japan and the fourth most powerful earthquake in the world since modern record-keeping began in 1900.

I was working here at the time and I remember the day and those that followed. It was a terrible time and five years on, the country is still trying to find a way to deal with both the financial (and more importantly), the psychological damage.

It's nearly Friday again. This weekend I will be parcelling up some of the stuff I have bought while over here. Next week is the last five days of work. It's going very quickly now.

This month, I am reading the following books. They have all been on my list for a while now.

• Loren Eiseley - The Invisible Pyramid
• Nicholas Carr - The Shallows
• Ray Bradbury - A Graveyard for Lunatics
• Stephen Gregory - The Cormorant

Got some writing stuff done today. A nice bottle of Loewe Pour Homme also arrived. It's a vintage and hard to find so I am very pleased. I managed to find it for a good price, especially when compared to eBay.

BBC Scotland reports:

JK Rowling spent two hours at the library on Saturday, taking part in a book group that was discussing her novel The Cuckoo's Calling.

Senior library assistant Stewart Bain had invited the author to attend the group over Twitter the previous day - but never expected her to come.

Mr Bain said everyone in the group was "gobsmacked" to see her.

"It really was quite unbelievable. We'd heard a rumour earlier that she had arrived in Orkney and then all of a sudden she was there," he said.

"I think it's fantastic that she came all the way here to see us and shows the level of support and passion that she has for her readers."

The Saturday Slaughters book group was discussing JK Rowling's 2013 crime novel which was written under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

Wish she would come and visit our library.

An overcast day. Some more compact discs to pick up tonight.

Apparently there has been a biscuit shortage in the UK according to the BBC:

Storms Desmond and Eva left swathes of Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire under water, causing widespread personal pain and huge economic cost.

They also submerged Carlisle's McVitie's factory ovens, halting production of custard creams, bourbons, ginger nuts and table water biscuits.

Biscuits started disappearing from shop shelves. A nation which had looked on in sympathetic disbelief began to feel the crisis bite closer to home.

Dire circumstances demand a restorative cup of tea and a cup of tea demands a biscuit.

Carlisle artist Lydia Leith, now living in London, knew something was dreadfully wrong when she came home for Christmas and the usual "sweet sugary scented" aroma from the factory was noticeable by its absence.

She said it was "very upsetting".

Not sure how much of a crisis this really is. There are plenty more brands to choose from.

House of Cards Season 4 has proved a lot more enjoyable than series 3. As I expected, Douglas Stamper has proved to be the most interesting character once again. There is something very elusive and enigmatic about the cold, quiet character played by Michael Kelly.

I only have two weeks of school left. Hard to believe. I will not miss getting up at six in the morning, that's for sure. I have found the travelling every day to be quite difficult. It effectively adds three hours onto the day.

Two more compact discs today:

• Black Sabbath - Never Say Die (PHCR-2053)
• A Clockwork Orange (38XP-69)

I've been lucky with this last title. That's the second 'target' copy. It's a pretty rare disc.

Hard to believe it is already the beginning of March. This time last year, I was preparing to come to Japan again. Only eleven working days left now. Two weeks plus one elementary day. My time in Japan is coming to a close. It will very probably be the final time. Never say never.

Have arranged to have my final salary paid into a friend's account. It's easier that way.

I picked up more compact discs this week:

• Prince - 1999 (32XD-105)
• Journey - Raised On Radio (32DP-423)
• Christopher Cross - Another Page (32XD-347)
• Prince - Purple Rain (32XD-316)

I am spending some of today watching the new season of House Of Cards on Netflix. Another thirteen episodes to get through.

It's a pretty sunny day today but the mornings are still very cold. I managed to find a bottle of Loewe Pour Homme vintage on Yahoo Auctions for a good price.

Picked up three more Ray Bradbury titles on kindle - 'R is for Rocket', 'S is for Space' and 'A Graveyard for Lunatics'.

Watching the Republican debate yesterday, I wonder how this looks to the rest of the world. It doesn't cast America in a good light. These men are running for president.