I Don't Live in the Castle...Yet

My three favorite radio shows here are "Sunrise Station," "Tag-team Driving with Taguchi Junnosuke," and the Yellow Hat Tire Commercial.  My least favorite programs are "Fly Day Wonder3" and whatever's on when I get off work every other Saturday that I just pretend is still Fly Day Wonder3 from Friday evening on my way home from work.  You see, I only ever listen to the radio when I'm in the car, and I only take the car to and from work, and I never change the station.  But I feel obligated to have favorites and least favorites.  Plus, Taguchi Junnouke just sounds so adorable and he's so kind to that talking car navigation system when they're deciding where to go each week.

I say all that to say this: today after work I decided to get dinner at MCDONALD'S!  Yes, our very own McDonald's right here in Omura.  I walked in and people stopped dead in their conversations to turn and look at me.  Like they weren't expecting an American!  In McDonald's! This McDonald's is really long and narrow, so to get to the cash registers from the parking lot, I had to walk past every single table in the whole restaurant, and someone had put "Another One Bites the Dust" (that's the most American song I can think of) on the jukebox, and I had my sunglasses on and was smoking a cigarette the whole way, and occasionally tipping down my sunglasses and winking at people at tables.  And it was all in slow motion.  All in all, it took me about 45 minutes to an hour to get to the cash registers.  On my way out, I flicked my cigarette back at the restaurant and the whole place exploded.  It was awesome.  I drove off with the top down on my car (which is not a convertible) and blaring "Sympathy for the Devil" (Roling Stones version) which is ALSO the most American song I can think of.

I said all that to say this: McDonald's is really close to the local castle.  And spring is in full boom at the local castle.  Here are a couple of pictures of spring being in full bloom at the local castle:

Of course, I realize that if I want to get pictures of this in better light then I need to go when there's better light.  Which I fully intend to do.

I say all that to say this: I went to another park yesterday with some previously mentioned children and their dad to see some cherry blossoms.  Here are a couple of the photos from that:

I was making a really bizarre face in BOTH pictures, so I have graciously edited out my face in both.

Anyway, I say all that to say this: I went to this park with these kids and their dad to see the cherry blossoms, and the dad is the same guy who told me that Omura park (where the castle is) is a great place for cherry blossom viewing, and on my way home from work today right before the Yellow Hat tire commercial, Taguchi Junnosuke and his friendly talking car navigation system reminded me of cherry blossom viewing, and so I went to the castle after McDonald's to take a photo in order to one-up a picture of blossoms in southern California my friend Krisi sent me.

Aren't you glad I tied that all together?