吹雪
Wow. Blizzard in the Northeast, huh? (It’s probably kind of stupid for me to be linking a Japanese article to tell you about a snowstorm you already know about in our native tongue–I’m only doing so because that’s where I first learned of it.) They actually had to close Philadelphia International Airport–and this time, not just de facto because of US Air’s fable-worthy incompetence. Stay safe, everyone.
8 inches, grumble, grumble. I have a 50 meter driveway and haven’t bought a snowblower yet.
Wow, what were you thinking, dude? At least your daughter will have plenty of time to play outside in it in the guise of “helping Daddy with the driveway” (assuming she’s old enough to walk).
Choice was between doing the siding and roof with all the bells and whistles or skimping and getting a blower this year. I opted for maximum warmth and dryness on the house structure. Now I’m paying the piper. Took me over 2 hours of pretty hard work. At least I had Sunday to do it -doing that before work is a right bear.
Two feet in my hood, but one of the (few) good things about a co-op house is that, after I got bundled up to go out and shovel the walk, I found it ALREADY SHOVELED. God bless neighbors.
As someone who lives in the typical Japanese apartment with condensation at every window and door, I’d say you made the right choice, John.
Kris, aren’t those neighborly things supposed to be reciprocal? Will you be watering someone’s ferns later this year?
Yeah, the Japanese don’t know squat about weatherproofing or making cleaning products, do they? You buy from FBC?
Well, I grew up kind of old-fashioned, so all I really need, besides bleach, rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, and baking soda, is some kind of Top Job-ish thing and some kind of Windex-ish thing. In Japan, what you get is -ish, but it’s okay. -ish.
Of course, bleach, rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, or baking soda sets you back here as much as Bon Ami Polishing Cleanser in the States. Since you lived here, you’ll be able to imagine all the mildew I had to bleach out of the window frames over the New Year.
Ajax and Fantastic is what I used ot buy from FBC. I bought bleach at Daiei. I loved having one of those so close in Shimo Kitazawa. One of the many benefits of not living in the Gaijin Ghetto.
Another 4 inches this morning. You want some? I’ve got plenty to spare.
Not long after I moved to Dogenzaka, they opened a Don Quixote at the nearest corner, right across from the Tokyu Main Store. For the next four years, I happily paid rock-bottom prices for household supplies at Don Quixote and a king’s ransom for food at Tokyu.
Since moving here, I’ve just caved. There’s a Tokyu Store at the station, and I buy my refills and tissues and things there. Daiei has one of its big, clean, impressive stores a 20-minute walk away; but it’s always crowded beyond imagining, and I’m not exactly seeking out more places to be jostled around here, especially if I’m only going to save a few hundred yen.