As some of you may remember, Jesus was crucified, dead and buried, but on the third day he rose again.
The same thing happened to my MAC Classic a few years ago.
https://thequietripple.com/2011/10/09/on-the-third-day-he-rose-again/
I recently put my iPhone through a 90 minute washing machine cycle and killed it.
3 days later I hear it ringing from my bag! It was a bit scary. Miracles usually are.
Is God trying to tell me something ?
The beginning of self isolation was quite fun. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, I explored the neighborhood and reveled in the newness of of it all. I cooked extravagant meals and drank fine wine.
The last few days have been awful. For 2 weeks, I have not spoken to anyone face to face, excepting shop assistants, limited exchange of views, and the young man who rescued me when I locked myself out. I have thoroughly stomped around streets around me. Apart from Asakusa, they have not yielded much of interest. There are various little parks, but to be fair, it is the middle of winter and they are drab. I am so bored, cabined, cribbed, confined.
I get up late, I can’t be bothered to shave, I go to the Combini to buy food.
The positive side of this dullness is that I have learned to appreciate the wonderfullness of Japanese Combini. It has taken 10 years.
I had a colleague at OIST who could not drive. This is not uncommon as it is a pain to get a driving license in Japan and if you live in a big city you do not need one anyway. I asked where she got her food from. “The Combini, of course.” I regret to say that she fell in my estimation as I imagined this very senior person lived on pot noodles and onigiri.
Wrong! My stay in isolation has revealed that these places offer a fantastic range of fresh meals, soups and especially salads.
So, all things being even, I return to Okinawa tomorrow. It has been a long trip back from San Francisco.
The Quiet Ripple Defines The Pond 
The photo of the ducks is superb. May I have a copy of it please?
I do hope you get the flight tomorrow, what weird times we are in. Lara has just had her flight cancelled again and put back another month so now it will be March.
The vaccinations are beginning to filter through so all will be well.
Yay![image: DSC_7933.JPG]
On Sun, Jan 17, 2021 at 4:57 PM The Quiet Ripple Defines The Pond wrote:
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The combini appear to be 7-11s, the only places we could get cash for some unfathomable reason. So we looked out for them and dived in as one might in a desert oasis. What a trip.
I think you can get cash more easily now but could be wrong.
Release is nigh! Hope the journey back to Okinawa is a good one. The 7-11 ready-meals are interesting – definitely more Japanesey than the ones in my local shops which tend more to Indian or Italian. Always kept a note of where 7-11s were as I wandered around because, as Ian says, they were a reliable way to get cash as were post offices. Did you know that there used to be 7-11s in the UK but they sold their chain to Budgens? Got a local Budgens so nearly have a 7-11.
Keep healthy!
7 -11s are great as are Family Mart and Lawson. I totally underestimated the amount of delicious fresh food that they sell. Just off to the airport. Hope it all goes smoothly.
Fingers crossed for you.
XXXR