They were all really pretty, too

So, I was having lunch alone at this little Japanese place just now. It's like a market or something, real loud, not some sit-down place and harass your waitress place. You get your stuff at the counter, and it's super cheap. But there are tables.

And I'm reading my book, which isn't even good but I can't stop even though it's 807 pages with tiny print. I'm on page 400 now and I'm afraid that when I finish it, I'll feel compelled to purchase and read the following three 800-page monstrosities, kinda for the same reason I keep seeing M. Night Shayamalan movies.

Anyway, after 40 minutes, I hadn't paid any attention to the table next to me, but I looked up to find them all looking at me expectantly, and I was totally creeped out until I realized that they must have addressed me and I didn't hear because I was so absorbed in my crappy book.

So I said "Hi" and then proceeded to have the best lunch ever.

Closest to me were two Japanese girls, and they wanted to know what book I was reading. I was really embarassed even though they would probably never know how bad it was, but I covered my ass anyway by saying "Oh, it's just this some novel, it's really bad." The other two people were an American girl and a Taiwanese boy. And suddenly, we were all talking and exchanging e-mail addresses, and it just totally made my day.

The Japanese girls are here studying English. My cell phone was dead, so at some point I asked "Do you have the time?" which ended up being this great experience for them because they learned that "Do you have the time?" is the same as "What time is it?" And then we discussed the difference between it and "Do you have time?" and I was like "English r0x0rz!"

The American girl speaks fluent Japanese, which I don't at all even a little except "Konbanwa!" and "Sumimasen!" but I decided to not showcase my talents. She is awesome and likes Diana Wynne Jones just like me and went to Brown like I maybe should have. Also, she knows a girl I TAed for even though I only remember her handwriting. The Taiwanese boy didn't say anything, but he had cool hair.

So hopefully I have a bunch of new best friends but keep the old.

I think I will e-mail them later and tell them they made my day. Oh, and they all loved my stupid Harry Potter e-mail address. The American girl is reading it in Japanese, and the Japanese girls are reading it in English, so I think I'll order the UK editions so I can read them in English too.