Days -2 Through 1

Greetings from Kobe, Japan, where I'm currently installed on the 20th floor of Hotel Okura Kobe with a cup of green tea, a view of Kobe Harbor, and a distinct conviction that it's either Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Adding to my confusion is the fact that all the instructions for this blog are suddenly showing up in Japanese instead of English, so here's hoping I actually manage to publish this thing.