Back logs and things are getting expensive...o_o

I'm way behind as usual for blogging previous entries, but I'll promise to get the ball rolling on previous entries as I push in July. I have so much to blog about that I probably will spend the next few days between studying for finals (the week of July 18th or around that time) or other tests and writing for the blog, for one of my culture classes and something for my business class. The thing about classes here is that the hours and classes are so spread out that it doesn't feel like I'm taking 14 credit hours like I am.

So, besides that point, nothing of interest today. Planning ahead for Uminohi (Beach/Sea day, believe it or not is a Japanese holiday), studying for Iijima's (teacher, not office Iijima) final exam, and I have a potential job lined up for me after the 31st of July. That's Brian's last working day, so I am potentially (I say this because I don't know if it is certain or not) taking over his job. The hours are later in the day, however, but the students (well, people you speak to, not students per say) are above an average level of students at an eikaiwa (English teaching school). And it's 2000 yen per hour. Not bad.

The "things getting expensive" part is part of that I successfully received two bills at once today. First, was my first AU bill,ignoring the fact it was delivered 5 days after the due by date, which I heard was always the most expensive of the bills at about 7700 yen. Ouch. The second was the usual, Upflow, downflow of water and gas bill (note to all male students wanting to go to Hakuoh, you pay that bill by ringing the bell at the Ooyasan (landlord)). This month's bill ran 6200 yen, and the majority of that was once again gas. Gas is expensive here, compared to electricity. A major reason is a lot of electricity is nuclear powered over here. Well, it seems anyway. I am watching the news and it commented that gas and electricity prices will rise in July, which is common in the states around the time that consumption tends to be highest. Also, Japan has been dealing with gasoline prices nearing 180 yen/liter. I did a conversion of that into what would be equivalent in the states and it came to (with yen prices as of today):

1 gallon of gasoline in Japan is 681.37 yen or $6.43 USD.

That would sound absurd in the states, but yet again it's the US that I'm talking about. We have some of the best oil prices out of countries not producing a majority of the world's oil and such. But, just to clarify for you all, the world is experiencing problems, just not the US and itself alone.

So, I leave you all the ponder what the world is getting to, and the picture of the gas hog in my apartment.



(This controls the water temperature of the entire apartment's running water. The gas hog of the apartment. The electricity hog is the erakon (air conditioner))