Hay fever

On Saturday, I ran outside for the first time in a really long time, and today I played catch in the park. It's not because I hate running, or because it has been raining. Its because of the pollen. I HATE HAY FEVER! And its all Japan's fault....

I never had hay fever until I lived in Japan. Boy those sugi trees will kill you with their pollen. Now I suffer hay fever everywhere.

Of course, having lived in Japan I have grown accustomed to wearing the surgical mask that everyone wears in their futile attempt to keep the pollen at bay. But here in the States, I get strange looks from others walking down the street, in the subway, everywhere. I was once asked if SARS had reached DC!

In Japan, I was told the mask was okay--not a problem, everyone wears them--but the sunglasses... I had to get rid of them, because it made me look supicious, like a crime or robbery about to happen. Ahem. Now really, is this the face of a would-be criminal? Does the above photo instill fear in your heart? Send your pulse skyrocketing? Ellicit beads of cold sweat through your very pores? Besides, the sunglasses are not for image. I had Eximer (sp?) laser surgery on my right cornea to "shave" off a childhood scar that was worsening and impeding my vision. The doctor removed the scar, and I can see better albeit imperfectly--I can distinguish colors and large objects--but now I am highly sensitive to light. Even cloudy days. The only time I don't need to wear them is at night, or when cloud cover is really thick, like during a heavy rain storm. Snow fall? Forget about it.

Really. Honest.

I'm not trying to look cool or anything. My eyes kill me when its bright. Where did I have the surgery? Oh, yeah, in Japan.

But you know what? I still love Japan.

Really. Honest... Uh... Will somebody shoot me... No, wait, just kidding. (Lingering jitters from the DC sniper incident.)