An evening ramble

I want to share a moment.

I'd been sitting at my low desk for hours, completely lost in concentration. It was a chilly evening, and my room was quite cold even with the airconditioning blasting. I mean people told me that Japanese houses can be a bit poorly insulated, but this place isn't even trying! So I'd covered myself in blankets and comforters to the point where the shape of me must have resembled a poor mans hinamatsuri doll.

Anyways.

I emerged from a world of kanji mnemonics and grammar points to find my stomach complaining about my forgotten dinner. A trip to the conbini for an evening meal was clearly in order! Trying to move, however, was easier thought than done. I swear I could hear my back creaking, and my legs didn't seem to want anything to do with me at all. Apparently sitting crosslegged on a cushion hunching on your lower back in lieu of anything better to lean on is a good way to develop early onset temporary arthiritis. Who knew.

Wearing my study hoodie, slacker trousers and a leather jacket, I made my stiff way down from the appartment building and onto the street. It was too late for pedestrians and traffic, but too early for weekday partygoers, so the area was about as lonely as it gets. At the conbini the ever present background music was playing a slow-jazz cover of "Hey Jude". I stood staring at the shelves for a while.

Grabbed some food more or less at random. As usual, the cashier spoke to me in rapid Japanese, and as usual, my response was a resounding "huh?". Pay in cash, pack in bag, leave the reciept. I've done this before.

"Arigatou gozaimasu". Thanks for the food. Goodnight.