I hate to brag about an exclusive, but...

I found this notice hanging on at least two bulletin boards at the University of Missouri-Columbia's Engineering Building-East.  This photo was taken 3/24/2011.

Is this a fan-made teaser?  Perhaps, but why go to the trouble?  And why post it to multiple locations in the building?  On the other hand, if this is from Valve, why would they include their fax number and tell people to call it?  I am curious about how widespread these fliers are.  Has anyone else spotted one at their university?  My gut wants to say this is a teaser for a new Half-Life game, whether it's Half-Life 3, or Half-Life 2: Episode 3 (more likely of the two, in my opinion, although don't be surprised if it's longer than any of the previous episodic installments.  It would pretty much have to be after the wait fans have gone through). So, there you have it: confirmation of a new Half-Life game maybe!

Going back to the homeland

I'm going back to Japan in about a week.  I don't know if I'll be coming back.  It may be strange to consider a country in which I lived for a mere nine months as my second homeland, but I do anyway.  I was originally scheduled to fly over on March 18th, one week after the whole mess erupted.

As the situation evolved throughout that morning, I became more persistent in trying to reach my friends and family, to assure myself that they were safe, knowing already that they were some 400 miles away from any of the major quake areas.  There were probably many like me that morning, who contacted people more out of a desire to show concern and sympathy, and also to have a way to feel connected with the disaster.  I knew there was virtually no chance that anyone in Nagoya had been injured from even a 9.0 magnitude quake off the coast of Miyagi.  After I heard back from everyone, though, and heard similar stories of people contacting loved ones, I felt bad.  Guilty, even.  If those people I know are still alive and functioning normally, does my concern over the earthquake, tsunamis, and the ongoing nuclear muddle disappear?  That was the vibe I got from news reports, conversations with others, and postings on Facebook.  The prevailing sentiments were:  "Thankful all my friends are safe."  My mind wandered to those people who were unable to say that.  What about the families who had been calling for hours, trying to reach someone on the other line?  Some of those people would never get an answer.  What about those people who never had anyone calling them to find out if they were alive, because there was no one still alive that knew of their existence?  Entire families could have been lost.  What was I so grateful for?

I wonder if I would be so concerned with the ongoing story of spreading radiation if I were not scheduled to leave in a week.  I wonder how good of a person I really am. 

I hope I can find a job overseas, but I have my doubts.  The entire country is in a radiation panic, and I doubt that finding new English teachers is high on the list of rebuilding needs.