My brain is fried from speaking in Japanese all night with old acquaintances I haven't seen in 12 years. But it was good to do something different. I decided at the last minute to pay for everyone's meals because I so rarely get interstate/international visitors and I had chosen the place to eat. No regrets, it felt good to pay it forward and leave them with a pleasant surprise. I'm sure they'll do the same when I visit them.

We saw a group at the restaurant (quietly) singing happy birthday for their friend - one of the people I was with looked on wistfully and commented on what a lovely group of friends that is. It made me think about how some things we take for granted are less commonly expressed in other cultures. But we all want that feeling of connection