Wednesday, October 30, 2002 Obligatory Weather Report, Part XI Fall is here (actually, it was here a month ago but I procrastinate), but it feels more like winter to me. Temperatures have dropped to between 9 and 16 degrees C (48 to 60 degrees F), with a fairly brisk wind going. It's gotten cold enough for me to fire up my space heater, though that meant hopping on my bike and pedalling down, plastic jerry can in hand, to my neighborhood kerosene dealer. I bought nine liters of kerosene for ¥900, lugged it home, and topped off my modern, computer-controlled, kerosene space heater. The device, despite its fuel source, is pretty advanced, complete with fan, anti-tipping shut-off switch, and an LCD readout for setting the thermostat (some old technology still hangs on here, hence the necessary infrastructure, which pushes the technology past the point it would go in a place like the US). I'm also grateful for the Hugo Boss trench coat I picked up cheap at a rack sale this summer (or, as my credit card receipt called it, HYUGO BOSU): it keeps me nice and toasty, though I've gotten some wisecracks about it (I'd swear I overheard some teenage girls say "Columbo" when I walked past them last night), but I DON'T CARE! It snows here, and I need the warmth. 11:30:33 PM    Comment on this post! [] Correction: Looks like I may have been somewhat paranoid in my entry about the murder of opposition politician Koki Ishii. According to the news accounts t've been reading, the confessed murderer's rightist organization, Shukojuku ("emperor protection corps"), had a membership of, well, one. No way that this "group" have afforded one of those huge sound-trucks favored by well-financed rightists: apparently, this guy had been evicted from his apartment, owing about $16,000 (!) in back rent and had pestering Ishii's office, hoping for money. In other words, this guy sounds less like Pat Buchanan and more like Ted Kaczynski. But it's still a tragedy and a loss, whether the motivation was personal or political madness. And I would have loved to have sat down and chatted with the Ishii about the issues of the day and the future of Japan. 10:34:57 PM    Comment on this post! [] Salon.com's Literary Daybook. Real and imaginary events of interest to readers. Today: J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Jane Austen. [Salon Headlines] 10:05:40 PM    Comment on this post! []