So, in my quest to be more active, productive, and proactive in the new year, I am doing more experimental cooking. Which is always a challenge in my tiny kitchen and in Japan, where I cannot identify ingredients! For example, I stood in front of the bottles for like forty minutes today trying to identify fish sauce and in the end had to leave ( Read more... )

I'm not sure I have anything particular to say, really, other than that it's been awhile. I'm still in Japan, and I've renewed my contract so I'm gonna be here another year and a half. Then off to some other place for me, I think. I am young, I am free, I cannot be tied down! The depression's been better lately, between the Real Live Friends Nearby ( Read more... )

Last live student taught! This time my structure was lovely but I utterly failed to fill up my time or, you know, properly draw out my low-level student. I did a good job on all the mechanical parts but jesus fuck it was like talking to a goddamn wall. Which I am sure will often be the case! I too have been known to exhibit wall-like qualities on ( Read more... )

Tried to order a Werder duckie, because this week of training sucketh mightily and I want it ever so much, but they're charging 33 euros shipping to Japan, and so no duckie for me. It's a six-euro duck! I shall have to find another way to acquire it.

Well. I suppose training's really not that bad. Just nine hour days sitting there listening to what ( Read more... )

And it is much as I remember. I spent today wandering around Sakae and Nagoya station (the latter mostly against my will - more on that anon), mostly with Marie. The subway and surrounding shopping environs smell of green tea, hairspray (this is mostly a Nagoya characteristic - the boys here are very devoted to their hair, much more so than the ( Read more... )

For example: I heard from my new coworkers! The women use a frightening number of emoticons and little drawings. I may not fit in well at all, but they do seem nice. I am apparently supposed to bring postcards from my area. Or photographs. I shall bring photographs on my laptop - to be quite honest, my area is fairly uninteresting. Unless you like ( Read more... )

I'm just in the mountains, and that means I have two hours or so of rather slow internet a day, which I have primarily spent looking up... more recipes. I will cook ALL the things! Other than the cooking, life's been pleasant and reasonably uninteresting - first snow in February, wtf. Sauna last night! Mother sick. Again. Tiny dogs smelt funny, so ( Read more... )

So, the water went out yesterday. When my dad went to check on it, he found that the Very Carefully Insulated pipes and whatnots that make up the well pump had had all their insulation chewed up, shredded, and otherwise dismantled. Even the heat cable had been chewed through. Little bastards were probably electrocuted.

Water going out, that's pretty ( Read more... )

I've an immense crush on the coffee shop girl, who makes Wednesday mornings - especially ones like this one, with oversleeping and spilt tea (all over my messenger bag...) and inadequate breakfasts  and reading Paradise Lost before eight in the morning - a lot better. For one thing, she provides caffeinated beverages. And she has pretty hair and a ( Read more... )

Full moon insomnia last night. Didn't get to sleep for a couple of hours and woke up at four. I had to wake up at 5:30 anyway, but am nonetheless displeased. Missed my bus by about a minute and walked to school, so ten minutes late to work - which didn't matter so much because I open, so as long as I get it done quickly it's not a big deal. Today ( Read more... )