with all the news coverage about the japanese earthquake and the unstable fukushima power plant, i have a newfound obsession: nuclear accidents. just today i downloaded 5 different documentaries on the chernobyl disaster. i am now a self-described expert in all things meltdown related. let me explain to you the difference between water and graphite moderators. show you the beauty of cherenkov radiation. and tell you about the flora and fauna now growing in the exclusion zone.

i spoke to alex again today in tokyo, after they experienced another richter 6+ earthquake in the city. i told him about my theory, how it was strange in a nation where everyone has a camera, that i keep on seeing the same tsunami video footage over and over again; i think there exists a lot more footage that we're not seeing but they might include scenes of people dying so they're not being aired for sensitivity reasons.

i didn't need to visit the supermarket this week but i did go to the somerville rite aid to stock up on snacks (chocolates, jerkys, ice cream - the usual). coming back, i dropped off the bike and walked to the cambridge rite aid to look for a white poster board (for photography purposes) and to use up some coupons.

victor and i watched the inaugural game of the MLS 2011 season on ESPN between the los angeles galaxy and the seattle sounders. the score: 1-0, galaxy won. it was interesting to watch, but not something worth repeating as it was a pretty boring. aging footballer david beckham played for LA, and showcased a masterful direct free kick that actually bent the ball's trajectory; unfortunately it hit the corner and missed the goal. the seattle fans were really into the game, and judging from their enthusiasm, you'd think soccer was the number one sport in the country: chanting and singing throughout the match, clapping their hands in unison, waving team flags, and holding up their sounders scarves. what exactly is a sounder anyway? is it a kind of fish, like a flounder?