Well, back on the road yet again…
At the airport 2 hours before takeoff (international)- Check…
14 hour flight- Check…
1 hour wait for the bus- Check…
2 1/2 hour bus ride- Check…
Room in the BOQ– Ah… er… Sorry, no rooms…
2 hour frantic scramble for a room- Check…
1/2 hour train ride back the way I came- Check…
$180 for a room at a Sheraton– Check…
And a whole three hours of sleep- Check… dammit…
Anyhoo, since I back in Japan (again) and this time I have a camera, a quick little video of the Cherry Blossoms. They are in FULL bloom, and are EVERYWHERE!!!
Also, you may wonder why I included this picture of a street! Simple… These folks actually WORK!
At 0800 when I came on base, they were starting tearing up the street, at 1200 they had the trenching complete and new pipes going in the ground.
At 1600 they were paving the street!!! They did two blocks in 8 hours and had everything tidied up by 1700!
We need to get THAT work ethic in some of our DOT folks… Like that would ever happen… sigh…
In other news, I was watching CNNj this morning and it was interesting that apparently some of the banks are now trying to give the TARP money back to the government, but the Lightbringer i NOT LETTING THEM RETURN IT!!! WTFO???
The banks are willing to pay our money back so they retain control of their banks and they can’t!
Sounds like the administration is going to try to get control of the banking industry like they have of the auto industry! If this is true, just stick a fork in us, cause we’re done…
Off to sleep (I hope)…
My Bro-in-law and his wife are in Japan,visiting his son,stationed at Yokosuka. They planned the trip to coincide with the cherry blossom season,and I’m sure they are enjoying it,by seeing your pic.That type of work ethic you observed,used to exist over here,we all know what changed that,but there is no use in kicking the same dead horse in the ass,over and over.And the way things are going with this Nation,we will probably have govt. controlled grocery stores by 2010.
That sounds like one heck of a 24 hour segment of madness and chaos.
It takes weeks here in Jacksonville to to replace a curb corner.
Enjoy the shut eye.
Comrade Stalin would be impressed with the Obamanation’s speed at instituting socialism on the banks.
In Tennessee they did something really smart when they set up the contracts for some work to modernize the I-40 / Briley Parkway interchange west of town. They included a bonus for work completed ahead of time and a penalty if the work was not completed on time. They also required that the work not interfere with existing traffic lanes during specific hours. It was finished on time and under budget. http://www.gspnet.com/showcaseone/briley40.html and http://www.allbusiness.com/construction/heavy-civil-construction-road-bridge-bridge/6206335-1.html
There’s hope! Some people do the job right.
Those Cherry blossoms are gorgeous. I bet you’ll find a ton of great scenery over there. You are going to make us here in the States jealous!
We’ve been in Japan and seen the work ethic. Unfortunately I’ve also see their animosity or distain toward Americans.
Have a safe trip. Great pictures.
Diller- Point well taken!
ADM- Just another “fun” day of travel…sigh…
Wonko- Agreed, I wish they would do more! Having said that, that was contracted work, NOT DOT…
Elm- I’ll sned you next time! 🙂
KY- Yep, it’s still here, more with the older generation…
Fuzzy- Thanks.
Have you ever had a trip to Japan that didn’t give you one hassle? Geesh.
Pretty video. Got to hear your voice! 🙂
Oh, and yeah…we are screwed.
Enjoy ….
RT- Actually, most of them don’t involve any hassles… It’s just the last couple that have gone South on me… 🙂
Julie- I try, it’s either that or bang my head against the wall!!! 🙂
Hey there~ Thought I’d come over & see what you’ve got going here! Watched your vid. of the cherry trees. I LOVE the lovely Southern lilt – sounds a lot like my Dad! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by my blog. USA was very, very generous to post for me. Wow. Keep speaking up!
BTW: I’m watching FNC right now, interviewing back CEO’s who met w/ success at giving their TARP $ back – and the public responded “very positively” (well, duh!)
Here’s to great old mature things, cherry blossom trees and otherwise!
Great to hear your voice on the vid.
The banks have been socialized, in minor ways, for many years. When the Federal government licenses banks to exist, tells them who to lend to, tells them how much money to have on hand, how to value their assets, etc….
There is a fine line between ‘regulated’ and ‘Nationalized’. Discounting the names themselves, I believe we crossed that line long ago.
Hope the trip goes well, with a minimum of headache.
Susannah- Thanks for stopping by!
Phlegmmy/Carteach0- Agreed on both counts!