Has internet now.

Finally have Internet. This is a good thing. Two weeks into living in an empty house with nothing but the black berry as my connection to the outside world was starting to hurt my eyes. I had to manually configure a wireless G router as it's software was not compatible with Linux. So far it's working quite well albeit the 16mbps isn't very impressive compared to the fiber optic line I was using in Tokyo but what the hell, I'm connected.

I fucking snowed yesterday. A reminder that I need to get out of here. The house is nice, the space is nice, the hot tub is nice but the weather is not. This is the end of week 2 after applying to a bunch of green jobs that said to wait 2-3 weeks for them to get back after submitting the applications.

I've been feeding the outdoor feral cats that seem to own the place. They are little skittish but will randomly stare at me through the windows. Along with the deer that just seem to stare at me funny when I walk down the driveway to get mail that's all the interaction I get up here.

I now sleep next to the dry chemical fire extinguisher which I borrowed from the kitchen, an aluminum pipe, and a kitchen knife. This may sound insane but it brings me a little bit more peace of mind. I was reminded by the recent story in the news of the Johns Hopkins student who stopped an intruder with a cheap samurai sword (katana?) which sounds very cool but isn't practical. The katana is a battlefield weapon that is meant to be swung. The first thing that a katana indoors will encounter is the ceiling or a door jamb. Which will make it useless.

My other idea was a 12 gauge shotgun with a laser sight and mounted flashlight. They are highly effective, easy to use in close quarters and extremely intimidating. The sound of the pump action cycling in the dark is probably enough to make an intruder leave quickly and quietly. I've only ever used one for clay pigeon shooting when I was a teen. Only problem is NJ residents need licenses to acquire and a 30-day waiting period to be approved or disapproved. Considering I'm still technically a NY resident this isn't very practical either.

So the fire extinguisher will have to do. Figure it can get a good amount of distance between me and anything threatening. Plus dry chemical to the face and head is probably an effective deterrent.

I did spend the good part of yesterday evening searching for a replacement pair of jeans. I don't know if it's a positive or negative thing that the only pairs that fit are the walmart brand 29'' inseams. No other store carries anything shorter than 30''. This was no easy task as I was only able to locate 2 pairs and only bought one. It's too much time, money and trouble to have other brands such as GAP or Old Navy hemmed.

I've started Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea. It's very interesting. I'm only to the second chapter but the introduction of how controversial the number or in this case 'place holder' ZERO was to ancient civilizations. Another interesting thing that never really came to me was the different kinds of counting methods used by ancient civilization. The most primitive one described is a crude binary system that involves 'one' or 'many.' This later develops to 'one,' 'two,'one and two,' 'two and two,' and 'two and two and one.' Seems logical enough. This then progresses to base 5 or quinary. Humans have 5 fingers on each hand. Later we see base 10 (both hands) and even base 20 (vigesimal). It makes sense to me now that the French word for 'eighty' is 'quatre-vinght' or 'four-twenties.' Same for 'ninety' or 'quatre-vinght-dix' which is just 'four-twenties and ten.' The assumption here is that in warmer climates civilizations counted in base 20 because they were most likely barefoot or their toes were clearly visible. One wonders what else might the French be good at doing with their toes?

Also started Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities." It's very comical. Though I caught Wolfe using the word 'solar-plexus' in the first chapter. He used that word a few too many times in "The Right Stuff." He must really like the sound of it: solar-plexus. Sounds sci-fi-ish but it's really very plain and mundane.

The air bed continues to feel amazing.