Run Run Run as Fast as You Can…

Whew!  Got so much stuff done today – I feel really accomplished.

Today, I:

• Finally got The Gun up and running today
• Got my blood-draw for my annual HIV test done
• Picked up a new pair of boots to replace the ones that were stolen
• Got a much-needed haircut
• Got my bike put away into storage for this coming underway (still gotta clean the rust from leaving it out last time)
• Placed an order for a gift
• Went to Yokohama and picked up some replacements for other stuff that got stolen from me (yeah, I think we got some bad eggs in the recent wave of n00bs)
• Met up with my fiance for a light dinner and some hugs

Also of note: anyone who’s been paying attention would have noticed that I’ve been making use of my iPod-via-PocketWiFi to post Tweets.  Nice to finally be able to Tweet on the go as people are supposed to.  Being in Japan has hampered me in that respect because they don’t really use the SMS Messaging for their phones that Twitter relies on.  Instead, they use email.  Yes, real email.  I know it sounds weird, but when you think about it tying an email account to your phone the same way you tie in SMS Messages is a lot more practical.  Unfortunately, this means that you can’t Tweet from your phone like you usually do in Japan.  Instead you have to rely on third party apps or using Twitter’s mobile website.

However, if you got an iPhone in Japan (or a similar sort of smart phone) then it’s as easy as downloading the app of your choice and having at it.  iPhones don’t have IC Chip functionality, though – my favorite J-phone feature, as it is used for all sorts of things here, from club cards to cash cards.  So, my preferred combo is to have my phone with me, along with my iPod Touch and my PocketWiFi.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking.  If I have an iPod Touch with a mobile broadband gateway device, then why don’t I just use it for email and replace the voice convos with Skype?  Sure be nice.  For one thing, though, I would have to start relying on a PassMo or Suica card for getting around on the trains.  And even then I wouldn’t be able to use that for point-clubs – those come on seperate cards, whereas on a phone you can assign them all to your one IC Chip on the phone.

For another, I need to maintain a local Japanese phone number for my Ship to be able to get into contact with me in the event there is a Liberty Recall.  I’ve been fortunate in that whenever this has happened in the past (grand total of two times in my career thus far) I was on Duty.  Having a cell phone is the best way to do this.

Anyhow, I gotta wrap this day up.  I am tired from all my running around today and I need my rest for tomorrow.