It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you

Hello, family.
Hello, friends.

I'm still alive, and, no, don't worry, I'm not glowing in the dark.

I'd like to thank my parents for being very calm and encouraging over the past month.
Other ALTs were not put at ease by family screaming for them to come home.
I'm glad to say that I have sensible support and trust at home.
That actually makes me want to go back and visit a lot more than incessant, harried phone calls ever could.

This weekend some friends and acquaintances of mine are running in a 5k marathon to raise money for the red cross and orphans in the disaster area. Actually, ALTs around the country will all be running at the same time. The neat thing about it is that the portions for the orphans will be managed by Smile Kids Japan, a charity group founded here in Fukui by people I know.

If you'd like to help you can donate with a credit card or paypal account directly.
Each runner has a set goal to raise, but I only know the website for one of them: http://www.justgiving.com/ohannasaurus/
She's really close to her goal, but even if she reaches it, don't hesitate to toss some change into her account for the relief effort.

As for me, I'll be in front of Fukui Station with a group of local musicians singing Johnny Cash and other various old tunes that keep me popular with the over-50 crowd. Our donation box will be for the relief effort, of course, but you can't give to that online.