An adventure in heating. (暖房のアドベンチャー。)

Well, once again I find myself without an exciting event in my life to go into great detail about in a blog post.

Thus, I thought I would go the other way entirely and tell you all about an entirely non-exciting event instead.

Except, of course, I'll do my best to make it as action-packed and thrilling as possible.

Because what would this blog be without unnecessary drama and ridiculous levels of enthusiasm?

Ahem.

Anyway, without further ado, I give you...

THE KEROSENE ADVENTURE.

(See, even the title looks exciting now!)

(... I also thought that I would give it in step-by-step format, just in case any aspiring soul should care to duplicate the experience. Don't ask me why; it's not like I understand you people.)

1. Attempt to fill up the tank for your fan heater with kerosene from the tank outside, and be dismayed when the automatic pump stops long before you think it should. Realize that yes, you have run out of kerosene, and this is a sad sad thing indeed, as it is December and you are a desert rat with thin blood.

2. Greatly, greatly underestimate how long that half (or so) tank in your fan heater will last you. "I can go a week, come on!" No, no you can't. You can go maybe two days.

3. Feel much more dismay when the "low kerosene" song (yes, song) starts to play late Thursday night. You have taken your shower, and you'll be damned if you're going out to buy kerosene in this state. Tell yourself you'll deal with only your air conditioner's heat setting (which isn't so bad, really) and vow to get some more kerosene in the morning.

4. Go to bed. Tell yourself that it's just your imagination that it feels ten degrees colder already.

5. Wake up at a decent hour. Remember that there's something you need to do. Drag yourself out of your futon, wash your face, brush your teeth, and debate whether or not you really need to get dressed for kerosene purchasing. Decide that you only need jeans, and stick with your pajama tops under two (or three) layers of coat. Put on a hat for good measure.

6. Grab the depressingly light kerosene jug from the shed and pop it in the trunk of your car.

7. Drive towards the Shell gas station, because although you're fairly certain that all gas stations have kerosene, you saw some kindly old lady getting hers filled up by an attendant when you were getting your car serviced at Shell on Thursday. And hey, it's cold. Service counts for a lot.

8. Realize half-way to the station that there are probably five other stations much closer, which would have saved you time. Convince yourself that not having to fill up the tank with your own two hands is worth it.

9. Decide that yes, it is worth it, and stop beating yourself about driving a little further than necessary.

10. Arrive at the station, pull in and roll down your window to talk to an attendant. Be unsure of the process, and thus start with a simple "あの、灯油買いたいんですけど。。。。" (Um, I'd like to buy some kerosene...) Be relieved when she seems to have no problems with your foreign-ness and just agrees efficiently.

11. Pull forward and wait in the comfortable warmth of your car (or is that the comfortable warmth of the five layers you're wearing?). Feel slightly embarrassed when you have to ask her to repeat her question about payment methods because you didn't hear her the first time, but soon get over it and affirm that yes, you do want a full tank.

12. Be impressed when she goes straight for the trunk without having to ask, pulls out the tank, fills it up, wipes it down, then puts it back. Be even more impressed when she attempts to secure it from falling over with a random cardboard box you have back there.

13. Pay, with cash, of course, and receive a nice little stamp card that will get you some free tissues after you buy five tanks of kerosene. Why tissues? Beats me.

14. Drive home, feeling accomplished. Attempt to take all corners very slowly so as to avoid knocking the kerosene jug over, but feel like you failed.

15. Get home. You did fail, but luckily the nice attendant lady at the station really did make sure both caps were screwed on tight.

16. Hoist the jug out of the trunk. Realize that 18 liters of kerosene is freaking heavy.

17. Lug the jug (I made a rhyme) over to the shed.

18. Run (or, you know, walk briskly) inside, take off a jacket as you're about to do some physical labor, and pull the tank out of your fan heater.

19. Walk briskly (happy?) back out and fill your tank with the automatic pump. Feel immensely satisfied when it goes all the way to the top.

20. Close up the tank and put it aside. Close up the jug, and put it back inside the shed, still pretty damn heavy.

21. Go back inside and pop your tank back into the fan heater. Go and wash your hands (about ten times) while the heater fills with kerosene.

22. Wash your hands another five times, because damn that kerosene stink is persistent.

23. Go back into your room and turn on your fan heater.

24. Feel immensely satisfied with yourself.

And there you have it, Edo's amazing kerosene adventure in less than 25 steps! Were you on the edge of your seat?

... well, there's no pleasing everyone.

This is Edo, signing off warm but not necessarily humorous.

PS- As I'm sure you all have realized, the holiday season is upon us! Thus, I find it in myself to wish you all:

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I am unsure as to whether or not I will be able to post again in this year, so, to make up for any possible negligence on my part, I thought I would share a couple of my favorite holiday songs with you all. 

Bet you could have guessed that one, ah ha.

Here, a bit more traditional:

And that's all from me! If I don't see you again, have a happy new year!

Ho hum. (あーあー。)

I promise, guys. I'm not just keeping you out of the loop. Sometimes, it just seems that there's absolutely nothing interesting happening that I haven't written about before.

Going to Kyoto for the weekend? Been there, done that.

Cheap, quick doctor's appointment? I think I have at least three posts on the subject.

Shopping for lunch and purchasing amazing 250 bento? Yup.

(Which, by the way, I think is a Wednesday only thing. I have tested this hypothesis once and been proven correct--here's to further tasty, tasty experimentation.)

I could write about the difficulties of an American trying to experience authentic holiday cheer in a foreign country, specifically one who seems to think that Christmas is a time for couples and dating, but I feel that that might be too deep a topic to touch upon casually. I should think about it a bit before just blathering on as I usually do.

So, I am left with nothing but...

Pictures of Korean food I ate on Sunday night with Melon.

First, let me tell you: it is very difficult to find regular Korean food in Japan. Yakiniku? Easy peasy. More yakiniku joints, especially in a part of the country where the beef is famous, than you can shake a stick at. However, if you want more on your menu than grilled meat and the occasional kimchi delight, you're going to have to look a bit harder.

To that end, it is not impossible. Oh, no siree bob.

Why, we found ours in the top of the brand-spanking-new Kyoto branch of Yodobashi Camera.

  

How gorgeous is that place? I mean, really.

And yes, it is that huge. You could live in there. No wonder it took so long to construct. (They were working on it during my year at Doshisha, for some reference.)

I honestly think that it's employing half the population of central Kyoto by itself. 

But anyway. 

We were patrons of a restaurant called Chanchi, which we selected due to its very reasonable and Korean-tastic dinner sets.

Here's mine.

Look at that. Just look at that. If that doesn't spell delicious, I don't know what does.

Unfortunately, however, I don't know what most of it is called. Ah ha.

We have sundoufu (romanization probably off), which is the tasty, mainly tofu, super-spicy soup pictured here:

I went for the seafood version. You can't really tell though, since the little shrimpy-dudes are submerged. A shame, really, because they were pretty impressive with their shells on and everything.

You can't tell, but the stuff was still boiling when it came out.

We've also got some rice mixed with... some sort of grain, kimchi, pickles, delicious Korean nori, and some sort of beef-onion-mushroom stirfry which was on its on quite tasty, but made even more so because I watched a rather attractive man in a v-neck shirt make it.

Oh ho ho.

Here's another shot, which I mainly took because the first looked a bit blurry:

Honestly, I don't know that there's much difference. Oh well.

I hope you enjoyed my... well, not very descriptive foray into the wider culinary world. Tune in next time when I try the wide Japanese selection of Thai curries!

... but not really.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to refill my kerosene. I suppose it speaks to my thin blood that one tank didn't even last a week.... Oh dear.

This is Edo, signing off wondering how you go about taking your kerosene tank to the gas station without stinking up your car too horribly.

Once a week is good enough. (一週間一回ってええんちゃう。)

... though apparently not, according to my grandma.

But we don't have to let her know that I agree.

.... oops.

Anyway, as I have not been in much of a writing mood lately, I thought that I would attempt a new style of post: pictures from Edo's everyday life, with witty commentary accompaniment. How does that strike you?

... well, honestly, it can strike you up, down, and all around, but it's still how we're going today.

Ahem.

First, remember how I was taking that test... you know, the ridiculously difficult, kill-your-brain-with-kanji JLPT NI thingy-jobby?

Yea. That was Sunday.

And yea. It was painful.

Luckily, I was able to stay cheerful about the whole thing, and was laughing my way through the listening exam--as always, much easier than the rest (at least for a person, such as myself, who spends so much time working on listening comprehension) and full of hilarious non-sequitirs that had me snorting quietly in the back row. 

... well, I thought they were hilarious, anyway. As far as I can tell, I was the only one stifling my laughter, so maybe I just have a very odd sense of humor.

Anyway. That's not the interesting part.

The interesting part is that the 皇學館大学 (Kougakkan University) campus where I took it was absolutely gorgeous. 

I guess that's what happens when you're located in Ise, literally minutes away from 伊勢神宮 (Ise Shrine). No shoddy, prison-looking buildings there my friend!

And check out the crazy, Miyazaki-esque entrance path. How awesome would it be to walk though this to class every day? I mean, come on.

Ise is just pretty awesome in general. This is the street leading up to the university entrance. Admittedly, taking the picture during 紅葉 (kouyou, fall foliage) season does up the beauty a few notches, but any sidewalk that is paved with brick deserves some notice.

Not to mention the super awesome street-lamp-things.

You have no idea how hard it was to get this shot without the top of a car blurred along the bottom edge. I stood in the cold for you, people!

But anyway.

After I was released finished with the test, I went to Kyoto, as is my wont.

And this is the cute little light-up you can see from the platform at 大和八木 (Yamato Yagi) station in Nara. I thought it deserved a picture.

Certainly a nice surprise to be caught by, since I had about thirty minutes to kill until my next train.

And, tangentially enough, this is an interior shot of the super awesome American restaurant, Ash Fork, in Kyoto, around 百万遍 (hyakumanben). Definitely recommended, and not only because they named the place after a small town in Arizona (it's written up there on the sign, if you can see) and have a crap-ton of random memorabilia scattered around as their decorating scheme. Best hamburger in Japan, bar none.

Enough with the travels, let's get back to the boring, every day stuff!

... don't get too excited now.

This, my friends, is a 250 yen bento from Cosmos.

WHAT IS THIS MAGIC.

And I thought I loved that supermarket before. Holy crap.

Delicious, cheap, and I am still full to bursting as I write this. (Admittedly, those of you who do not think the addition of a soft-boiled/fried egg is a plus might not agree with my love for this lunchtime option. But hey. Learn to love the egg, my friends, learn to love the egg.)

(That said, I had to trade in my kinpira gobo for some renkon to get the egg on top of my hamburger, but I think it was a good choice in the end.)

This is the bag I payed 5 yen for because I forgot my eco bag. But really, I think it was worth  it:

Some people may laugh at Engrish, but sometimes, I find it absolutely adorable.

And finally, just to make everything a bit more random...

My favorite gum.

I admit that I may be swayed by the fact that Kimutaku advertises for them. But hey, this gum freakin' clears your sinuses it's so strong--I can appreciate breath that fresh.

So, what did you think? Was the lack of editorial content made up for by the picture spam onslaught?

.... I think so.

Ahem.

This is Edo, signing off with a stomach full of meat which she may or may not regret later. Oops.

Long time no... yea. (久しぶ。。。ん。)

Once a week is good enough, right? Right?

Hey. This time I actually have a reason.

Last week... I got....

Dun dun DUN.

Sick.

Yea, a boring reason, but a legitimate one nevertheless. Being a teacher apparently (a) wipes out your immune system and (b) exposes you to an entire population of people who don't understand the concept of "wash your hands and don't sneeze in my face please."

The doctor said it was just a strange sort of cold that's going 'round, but I rather think I had the 24-hour flu, and that Japan just doesn't differentiate between the flu and influenza. Not sure why, but there you have it. All I know is that I was achey and miserable, and colds don't tend to get you that way.

Anyway. Happier news.

Razzle Dazzle PART TWO was this weekend! HUZZAH!

Bigger and better than Nara, because everyone loves Kyoto and no one really cares about Nara.

...sad, but true.

And this time... I took pictures. 

First! The massively massive tour truck that was parked out back!

Ooo, aaah.

This actually helped us make sure that we were in the right spot, since we came from (what seemed to be) the less populated route.

Next, the line to get in!

You must realize that this is actually the second line we stood in--the first was to get tour goods, and Melon and I had the amazingly good fortune to be the last people able to buy merchandise before the booth closed down. Oh, yea.

Again, I was surprised by the number of men in attendance. I suppose that BUCK-TICK's awesomeness defies traditional Japanese concert gender norms. (Have you never noticed that it's mostly women?)

And since I'm a good girl and don't take pictures during the performance, the last one you get is over the truly touching good-bye message that flashed along the top screen after the last encore:

I am so glad I turned back around before we left. If I had missed this, it would have been a horrible, horrible thing.



It is now the standby image on my cell phone. Because I love it. How can you not?

.... I really am rather depressed that it's over now.

BUT! We have tickets to a Tokyo show (why? because) in April, so there remains something to look forward to! The BUCK-TICK love never ends, after all.

And hey, since I left you hanging for so long, have some 京都紅葉 (Kyoto fall colors) to make up for it, eh?

 

Nothin' better than a little 鴨川 (Kamo River) scenery to round off a good blog post, I always say.

This is Edo, signing off with a tune in her head and never-ending rock in her soul.

PS- They totally played Coyote. With some extra super-awesome Spanish guitar thrown in. How lucky can you get?



Never let it be said that clenching your hands together and muttering "Play Coyote, please play Coyote, come on do it do it do it do it..." as soon as you see the standing bass come out during an encore doesn't work.

Bits and pieces. (バラバラ。)

Just a short post to keep the world apprised in regards to my current life situation.

(Hint: it's kind of boring.)

1. Still studying.

As I've mentioned, it's a whole different kettle of fish, studying when you're working at the same time.

Why hasn't anyone invented the "study for money" job? I could do that.

...the key point being that I don't have to get tenure first. Ahem.

2. It has been brought to my attention that my no-ketchup omuraisu is, in fact, not omuraisu.

I disagree.

Mainly because I hate ketchup.

3. Jusco is still awesome.

I now have a discount sweater and a pair of sweat-like pajamas, for the combined price of under 3000 yen. How cool is that.

Mind, due to my size pride indecisivity, it took me a while to grab those pajamas.

No one likes having to wear an LL, ok. And I wouldn't, it's just that I, understandably, want my lounge-wear to be loose.

4. My frugal inner nature and my desire to purchase many things are more and more at odds lately.

Luckily, the cheapness is winning out so far.

I worry that it's only a matter of time, though.

Although considering how much guilt I still feel upon buying things that I actually legitimately need... maybe not.

And finally, the most disturbing bit of news...

5. I'm missing both home and college a lot more than I ever thought I would.

Oops.

This is Edo, signing off with some legitimate-yet-ketchup-free omuraisu in her very near future. Yum yum.

I am not dead yet! (まだ死んでないで！)

That brings my total Monty Python reference count up to... two, I think.

Anyway.

Still studying, still busy, but I thought I would do something to reassure the public about my well-being.

Ahem.

I am ok.

...

I could be  pill and leave it there, but here's a bit of something to make this post worthwhile.

I have discovered, in my efforts to both manage my time and money, a very convenient vegetable to pack inside a bento. Healthy and quick, I can have this baby ready in about two minutes flat, freezer to lunchbox.

Of course, I speak of green beans, or インゲン.

 

Of course, you can do all sorts of things to make these tasty little suckers non-economical--buy them fresh, for example--but we won't be talking about that sort of nonsense here.

Oh no, this is strictly for those of you who want quick, easy and cheap.

And who doesn't want that when they're making a lunch/dinner/thing right before work, really?

Anyway.

Buy yourself a bag of frozen green beans. I prefer whole, but you can get French cut if you'd like. I'm sure it doesn't change much besides the cooking time (I would try a bit less, for instance.)

Take out a serving size, and then put the rest into a plastic, freezer-safe baggie. I got three servings out of the last bag of green beans I bought (though I was eating them as a small side dish) so try to work with that guesstimate. You can take as many as you want out of the baggie later, close it up and save the rest so long as you don't let them thaw, so you don't have to do all your portioning ahead of time.

Now, if you have a nice glass dish with a lid, you can use that as your cooking vessel. If, however, you are like me, and prefer the simple and cost-effective route... go for two plates, one with something of an indentation if you can get it. 

This sort of depth will work, though if you can get deeper, I would recommend it. The top one should be a similar shape, so that when you put them together like a clam-shell, you have a nice space in between for your green beans.

Now, place your green beans on your designated bottom dish. As they are frozen, they should have some ice on them--this will work as your steaming "liquid." Cover them up with the desginated top dish, and carefully place them inside your microwave, or 電子レンジ.

Yea, that's right kids. We're cooking with microwaves. We have truly crossed into the realm of convenience and speed.

I usually put a good handful of frozen, whole green beans in for two minutes (I think on high, though I admit I've never confirmed that.) You might want to put in French cut for 1:30 and then check them. Heck, depending on the strength of your microwave, you might want to put whole beans in for 1:30 and check them, just to be safe--its always best to get to know your microwave before you begin to trust it.

After you have decided that your beans are done enough for your taste (how do you know? eat one, for goodness sake), remove the top plate and add your desired toppings. I usually stick with plain old table salt--tasty and easy. Healthy, maybe not, but certainly no extra calories!

I usually pop these into my bento right out of he microwave, then into the fridge--you can eat them cold, room temperature, or warmed up (again in the microwave).

And there you have it: Edo's Super-Easy, Super-Convenient Recipe for Frozen Green Beans.Try it at home, and be amazed!

... or just be satisfied with the fact that you got a serving of vegetables for cheap, and in under three minutes of prep time. 

... yea. Maybe we'll stick with that second one.

This is Edo, signing off thinking that she needs to work on her marketing skills before writing any cookbooks.

Why Edo hasn't been posting lately. (ポストが最近少なくなってるっての原因。)

Because her fingers are frozen to the keyboard.

Ok, ok, so that one's not technically true, but sometimes (like now) for instance, it certainly does feel that way.

How on earth did I ever survive a Kyoto winter, I ask you.

... admittedly, I did bitch and whine the whole time there, too.

Ahem.

Anyway, no. The real reason my posts have been dwindling in number more and more:

That's right. The dreaded 日本語能力試験一級, or Japanese Language Proficiency Test, Level 1.

Or, well, N1 now. If you want to be all fancy.

And you should, because technically it's more difficult than regular old 一級...

Which already stumped Japanese people, on occasion.

Grraah.

All my free time now is spent either studying, or taking a break from studying.

Needless to say, blogging does not provide sufficient stress relief to be that break.

...

Right.

Definitely.

A lot of studying.

... a lot now that I don't do it for a living, anyway.

... it's a very different lifestyle.

Ahem.

Anyway. That's it, in a nutshell. Know, at least, that I am not posting because I am attempting to, in some way, better myself.

Or at least my grammatical and kanji...tical self. Not quite sure how the JLPT translates into real-world value, actually, but I suppose that's just the bonus at the end anyway.

This is Edo, signing off trying to maintain all that is academic and studious in her soul.

An epic battle. (勇壮な戦闘。)

Or, how Edo fights off a cold in rural not-so-urban Japan.

It's pretty epic from my end of things, I'll have you know.

I'm rather hoping that I'm not a special case, which would thus render this post's purpose as a sort of guide to my fellow expats rather useless...

But we'll just assume, for the sake of argument and today's topic, that I am as normal as it gets when we're talking about physical health and move on from there.

(... even though based on all evidence we know that that cannot possibly be true.)

It's pretty basic advice, anyway, so let's just go with it, eh?

1) Cheat Vitamins

Take as many vitamins as you can safely get down your gullet in a go.

I mean it. Multi-vitamins, Zinc supplements, acidophilius, calcium, vitamin D... you name it I take it.

... admittedly, I am more paranoid than your average citizen, and the vitamin D is actually for my thyroid issues, but hey.

I say "cheat" because I have most of these vitamins shipped to me from back home. I only take Japanese-made zinc supplements... because quite frankly they're only to fight off this cold and my multi-vitamin has me covered normally. However, even this one concession to the native pharmaceutical industry has me wary--my American multi-vitamin has 15mg of zinc, and calls that my 100% daily requirement. My Japanese zinc supplement has 14mg, and calls it 200%.

.... right.

Since it's on top of my multi-vitamin, I don't worry so much, but at the same time... someone's being misinformed here.

2) Eat.

If you're on a diet stop it. If you have no appetite, tough luck. You need food, and lots of it.

Good food, preferably, with lots of tasty protein.

Because I don't care how fat you whine about being, if you spend your illness starving yourself, I'm going to have a hard time feeling sorry for you when it takes you a month to get over that cold.

It's embarrassing how many people do this. It's even more embarrassing that a lot of them are women. I  blame the media.

Oh, and, of course, general stupidity. That's always a factor. Because, holy crap. Use your brain.

3) Drink.

Preferably water, or sports drinks of some kind. I have drunk lemon-lime gatorade when sick since very young, and so may be biased, but you do need to replace them electrolytes when you're feeling crummy. I prefer Lemon Water or Vitamin Water when in Japan, as Gatorade is not readily available, and being forced to drink Pocari Sweat and Aquarius non-stop during my bout with influenza in Kyoto has kind of put me off the stuff.

I've seen Glaceau Vitamin Water in some stores, which is my latest drink-of-choice when sick in America, but I can't help but think that it would be ridiculously overpriced. Not to mention the fact that it's much more difficult to find than I would like when ill.



Don't drink soda, unless your stomach is feeling raunchy--then some sort of carbonated lemon-lime beverage is in order.

Definitely don't drink diet soda. The crap already gives you cancer slowly, and by being diet, it removes the sugar, which is what (theoretically) is helping that upset stomach in the first place.

Try to avoid caffeinated things, as they only dehydrate you.

How do you know if you're drinking enough?

You have to pee every damn hour.

Inconvenient? Yes. Healthy? You betcha.

4) Sleep.

That's right. Easy, fun, and refreshing, and you get to do it as a cure!

Ever wonder why you always feel best first thing in the morning when sick? Because you just spent 8 or so hours fighting the nasties with no distractions. Sleep is important, and your body needs it.

5) Wash./Be Considerate.

This goes for those sick and those surrounded by sick people. Wash your hands, wash the things you touch, wash everything. Even better, try not to touch things so much. Pick things up with hands covered by sleeves. Touch objects with as few fingers as possible.

And for the love of god do not touch people unnecessarily. Don't high-five, don't hand-shake, don't hug. Don't hover over people, don't come within sneezing distance, don't pat people on the back, and don't get offended when they're unwilling to take something directly from your hand.

I should actually name this section THINK. Because that's really all you need to do.

And now we get into more... homeopathic stuff.

6) Garlic.

Swallowing garlic cloves is apparently popular nowadays. You're supposed to take three the day you first feel symptoms, then one or two every day afterward until you're the very picture of health.

Ideally you should swallow them whole, slightly crunched, but even I can't manage that,and go instead for chopping each up into little pieces.

It's rough going--I gagged on at least five bits when my water and size calculations weren't quite perfect--and I don't know yet if it works. I feel fairly decent today after getting three down yesterday, but... I threw up the one I popped this morning.

Advice? Don't take them on an empty stomach. Especially if you're me, woman-with-bitchy-stomach-that-enjoys-making-life-difficult.

7) Vitamin C/Echinacea

The former is for when you have the cold, and the latter for prevention. Both have been proven and disproven countless times, but... hey. Why not, am I right?

Also, this is pretty much the reason I originally picked up Lemon Water, way back during study abroad when feeling a bit of a tickle in my throat during a shopping trip--who can say no to a sports drink with 1000mg of Vitamin C smooshed in?

...admittedly, there is the fact that your body will only take so much, and then proceed to pee out the rest, but... hey.

Anyway. Due to the massive amount of lurgy going around at work currently, I knew it was only a matter of time before I started feeling a bit off--sure enough, I felt funny on Friday, and have continued on as such.

Here's hoping my battle plan proves successful, eh?

This is Edo, signing off and hoping that her health soon returns in spades, because it really sucks to be sick.

Oops. (しまった。)

You know your posting schedule is getting bad when your grandma starts getting tetchy.

Though I admit that my grandma is a lot more likely to call me out on these things than your average friendly elderly lady.

But hey. It's... encouraging?

Anyway.

As I have just gotten back from Kyoto and have work today, you're all getting a very, very condensed recap of the past week... or so.

1. Getting a re-entry permit in Yokkaichi is the easiest thing ever.

Seriously. It took, no exaggeration or hyperbole, five minutes after I turned in the form.

Admittedly, this is because I knew to go and pick up my official payment stamp from the post office beforehand, but really, anyone with the internet can figure that bit out.

I meant to write a long, detailed post (something along these lines...) for all you foreign types in need of guidance out here in Mie, and maybe I will... sometime.

But that time, it is not now.

Suffice it to say that the toughest part of the whole ordeal is the ridiculously long drive.

And even that is sort of fun, really. There's a lot of interesting things along Route 23.

...most of which I had to drive by for  fear of getting there after the office closed. Pointless worry, but hindsight is 20/20, after all.

2. I made a super-awesome bento on Thursday.

.... or, well. At least I think I did.

It wasn't very complicated, but it did look nice.

  

What we have here is some 鮭塩焼き (shake shioyaki, salt broiled salmon), white rice, umeboshi (pickled plums) and steamed asparagus with salt.

Healthy, tasty, and super-easy!

I only wish that it was actually asparagus season so the stuff wasn't so expensive. Oh, how I love asparagus...

3. People in Mie don't go to Kyoto.

At least, not when I do.

Seriously. I'm the only one who ever makes the train change at 大和八木. It's kind of creepy.

4. I was a 狐女 (kitsune onna, fox lady) for Halloween, but unfortunately, since neither Melon nor I are very photo-enthusiastic, we have no pictures.

I do have a picture of the mask I wore (on the back of my head), however:

And that's better than nothing, eh?

5. I miss Kyoto. It hurts sometimes.

6. That does not mean that I don't think that even their last trains are too early. Still, however, they are far more reasonable than... other places. (ahem.)

7. It. Is. COLD.

And that, my friends, is all from your friendly neighborhood Edo for today. Tune in next time, when we will discuss something equally exciting, poignant, and relevant to your everyday life.

... it's a shame that sarcasm doesn't really translate well onto the internet.

This is Edo, signing off perplexed, as always, but that strange construction method that somehow makes the interior of Japanese houses colder than the outside air.

Uh oh... (やばい。。。)

I've gone and done it again.

Four days sans post.

...well. Would you believe me if I said that I had that once-a-month tricky work schedule to deal with this week, and thus have been very busy for the past four days?

Well, you should, because it's true.

Really, you're lucky you're getting anything out of me at all, considering the long list of things I have to do before the week is done.

That said, let's not waste time with niceties, but instead get right down to business.

1. I have decided to go home for the winter vacation.

Because hey, when you don't know when you'll next have the chance, you better darn well go home and visit your family.

That said, it is kind of a pain to go to Arizona from Matusaka, especially in December. Because. You know. Airlines love to take advantage of the fact that everyone gets お正月 (oshougatsu, new years) off.

But hey. We do these things.

It's also a pain that I have to go all the way up to Yokkaichi to buy my reentry permit... which is really just an excuse for the Japanese government to weasel some more money out of the foreigner population. Though I can't really blame them for that, dead broke as they are.

Yea, it's more the driving up to Yokkaichi thing that gets me. Because, come on. Maybe I'll take a train.

... or not because it turns out that the gas it will take to drive there cannot possibly cost more than the train + parking at the station all day.

Not to mention the fact that I would have to wait. And, you know, be at the whim of inaka schedules, which isn't fun, let me tell you. (Why, yes, actually, I do still have dreams about single-car 函館 JR trains, why do you ask?)

2. I am going to Kyoto for the weekend, to spend my Halloween in style with Melon as the universe truly intended.

Oh indeedy.

More on that at a later time.

You know, when it's not ridiculously late at night and I'm not trying to rush out a post for the sake of my dear readers.

3. It has suddenly gotten ridiculously cold.

What, we have the hottest summer on record in over one hundred years, and then the shortest fall in succession?

I feel that, even if we separate our weather records out a little bit and keep it down to, say, one a year, the populace will somehow manage. Really. They will.

Because good lord, I am not ready for coat weather yet. This does not bode well for February. My planned outfit for tomorrow certainly does not fit into my image of October, oh no sir.

4. I tried to teach a student "No way, José" today.

Needless to say, there was a culture gap there which I don't think I quite bridged.

... is it perhaps because there is something inherently Southwestern-American to that phrase? I would believe it, honestly, though I thought it was more widespread.

Oh well, it was worth a go, anyway.

And that's all for now, kiddies--some of us have busy schedules to maintain, and that means getting to bed at a decent hour, don't you know.

This is Edo, signing off and wondering if real life is always quite this hectic.

Strange things in a strange land. (変な国に、変なもの。)

... except not really.

But sometimes we sacrifice accuracy for clever titles.

Which, really, is better than the other way around, don't you think?

Anyway, once again, I find myself somewhat strapped for expositional topics, and thus will fill this post with silly little pictures taken of small bits of my day-to-day life.

....and once again I fall into the timeless trap wherein the villain foolishly lays out his entire nefarious scheme for the hero before he can, in fact, complete it.

Drat.

Oh, well; at least in this setting, there's nothing that you, the hero, can do about it.

Allow me an evil chuckle. Moo ha ha.

Anyway, first things first. I promised you a picture of my BUCK-TICK goods, didn't I?

A handkerchief (which actually has more of a towel texture, making it a bit more useful in the long run, though you won't see me wiping my grubby hands on it) and two very nice wristbands that came as a packaged set. Note the lack of tote bag. Curse high demand and short supply!

I personally like the two-for-one wristband deal. Admittedly, two-for-1500 is a bit steep, but hey. Concert goods. What are you going to do.

I also like how they worked the skull in. Nice maintaining of the theme, guys.

Next... I never showed you that super-awesome earring tree I purchased during my excursion to Osaka, did I?

3 Coins is an amazing place.

That's right, I got this baby for 315 yen. It's nice, quality metal too. None of that aluminum nonsense.

...she says three days before it breaks. Oh, cynicism!

Goes with the decor though, eh? I especially like that it's literally a tree. Almost didn't buy it, but it was very cunningly placed in the shop (aka I had to stare at it while waiting in line to purchase my warm socks) and thus...

Oh you clever, clever marketing people.

Speaking of shopping...

I don't like yogurt. I think it tastes like poo, to be blunt. Thus, I take acidophilus supplements to keep my insides happy, healthy, and other good things starting with the letter h. (I think I abuse that joke...) However, I have not been doing this since coming to Japan, as I have not been able to find your average, run of the mill, acidophilus pills.

And so, sick of my stomach being unhappy, today I went out and found this.

It has a number of probiotics within, including my desired acidophilus, along with some vitamin B compounds I may or may not need, but hey, what can it hurt.

We'll see if it works. Frankly, I don't think there's much that can replace my chewable, blueberry flavored supplements from Hi-Health, but... well. Beggars can't be choosers.

Or, well. Expats can't be choosers, anyway.

Also note the bright pink pair of nail clippers. I did not want a bright pink pair of nail clippers, mind you, but after much searching, they were in fact the cheapest to be found, and at the end of the day, my frugal nature always wins out.

And as a bonus, they have a nail file hidden inside, so they're not so bad.

And finally...

Once again I treat you to my rendition of omuraisu, because, really. There is nothing more delicious looking than a freshly cooked egg.

I mean, come on.

This is Edo, signing off wondering if you can get a placebo effect from supplements... especially supplements in such official looking bottles.

A collector of sorts. (なんとかの収集家。)

That "three days ago" thing on my little blog roll tells me that, once again, I have probably begun to aggravate my two most devoted readers.

And. Uh.

I really have no excuse.

Other than the fact that working for a living actually takes up  lot more of my time than studying for it ever seemed to do.

Or maybe it's just that I have a more set schedule now...

Or maybe it's that staying up until the wee hours of the morning isn't such an intelligent option when you have to be somewhere before 1:15 in the afternoon.

...admittedly, I don't on most days here in the working world, but there's all that "prepare your own meals" and "run errands" and "take care of yourself because you're an adult now, dagnabit" nonsense that fills far more of my free time than I would really care to admit.

It certainly makes me want to sit down all those kids rushing to be adults and say "come on, guys. Rethink this. Someone buys your toilet paper now, remember that."

Because really.

That's the kind of thing it comes down to, out here in the real world.

And it sure as heck ain't any easier in a rather boonies-tastic land where the only people you really know within a 50-mile vicinity are your co-workers.

HOWEVER.

That said, I've never liked life to be easy.

Moo ha ha.

I see you, life, and I raise you forty-seven!

Bring it on.

Anyway, ON TO THE MAIN EVENT.

As you may have guessed by my title, I have become a collector of sorts.

Of what sort? I hear you cry.

That's right.

Point cards.

(I actually took two pictures for your viewing pleasure, but for some reason blogger is not being helpful with re-orientation, so you're stuck with just the one for the moment.)

And this isn't even half of the amount I will have in, oh, say, six months time.

It also doesn't include the Book-Off point "card" I have on my phone, or the same I have for マクド (McDonalds)--though I haven't actually figured out how to get points onto the latter yet. There are coupons though, so never fear that my time was wasted in registering.

... as though you were. Ahem.

Anyway. Most of these are rather useless in the short-term (I think I need fifty stamps on the red one there for 1000 yen off, for example), but it's more about a sense of belonging than anything, if you can believe that.

Because, hey. Your average gaijin is not sticking around long enough to get a point card. Barring that, they don't understand enough Japanese to bother with trying to get one.

Therefore, by having a point card, automatically you are elevated one step above the average foreigner, possibly one step closer to actual, civilized human being.

Though I may just be talking out of my behind here.

Regardless, I feel this way, and since I'm the one with the point cards, that's what matters, isn't it?

Darn tootin'.

And before we say adieu for this evening...

A more recent batch of オムライス (omuraisu, omelete rice) to make your mouth water.

Because really, what is more beautiful than a freshly cooked egg? Look at that bright, beautiful yellow, my friends, and tell me that your stomach did not just rumble.

This is Edo, signing off feeling strangely hungry even though she just had a full plate of pasta.

Just a brief message. (短いメッセージだけで。)

Just to keep the jackals away.

Jackals, of course, being an endearing and truly loving term used to refer to the women one and two generations above me who rely on this is a source of my daily goings-on and who will, doubtless, begin to complain should I go too much longer without an update of some sort.

Rest assured, oh family of mine: I am healthy, happy, and other good things beginning with the letter "h".

I am just also lazy, lethargic, and other... not-so-conducive-to-posting things beginning with the letter "l".

Today's post was brought to you by fond memories of Sesame Street.

It is comforting that children now are still entertained by that show, at least in some form.

...talk about off-topic.

Anyway, once again the weekend was dampened by rain, and my sleeping was eased by the pitter-patter (read: roaring and yet somehow soothing barrage) of raindrops on my rooftop. And all surrounding surfaces that reflected noise, really.

I'll admit that I foolishly believed the weather report on Sunday and therefore left my laundry out during an errand-adventure, and thus came home to a rack fulll of rain-soaked clothing which I had to run to get under some protective covering.

Luckily I have a laundry rack at my disposal which is, in fact, under a nice bit of porch. And thus, my clothing was saved, albeit dried a bit more slowly than I would have liked.

And my futon never did get to be aired out properly, since it rained Monday too.

Oh, well. There's always next weekend.

This is Edo, signing off sort of wishing that it would rain ever night as she drifted off to sleep.

Weather is interesting, ok? (天気っておもろいやろう？)

It is when you've been gradually melting for the past month or so due to absolutely ridiculous humidity levels, let me tell you.

So, when I woke up this morning to find a cool breeze blowing, I was absolutely beside myself, and set upon flinging open every window in the house that was under my power to do so.

...imagine how disappointed I was when I found out that none of my porch windows have screens.

I mean, sure, with the wind, it's less likely that bugs are going to manage to creep their way into my humble abode, but considering how often they manage to find their ways in without me opening the door for them, I'm not going to go making it easy.

Even though I am feeling guilty about having my AC on when I don't need to.

It's the fault of the bugs! The bugs, I say!

The fact that the forecast for tomorrows is a cool, cloudy 28 degrees had me absolutely giddy with anti-humidity joy.

You see, we desert kids don't mind the heat (actually enjoy it, to a certain extent), but we are not at all cool with this thing you call humidity.

Doesn't suit us, not one bit.

So. Because coolness necessarily predicates a decline in the humidity percentage, you are looking at one happy little gaijin.

...although the fact that it's still 74% here while 5% at home does give me pause. Sigh.

Cooler than Kyoto, however, which gives me a sort of satisfaction. Bitter, perhaps, but something.

... I wonder sometimes if I should switch my Google forecast over to Celsius, to truly get into the spirit of things.

But then I remember that I really only vaguely understand Celsius still, and really shouldn't be quite so ambitious with my adaptation regime.

Anyway, all this talk about weather has inspired me to put a little weather doo-hickey over there on the side of my blog, so now you can see what the weather is like in my little corner of the world all the time!

Isn't it exciting?

...ok, it is for my mom and grandma, all right?

...unfortunately, I am so far into the boonies, even according to Japan, that all we get is a basic idea of the weather where I am. The top-right area is probably as close as you're going to get; even my phone only believes that Tsu exists in my vicinity. Sigh.

In other exciting news, I plan on applying for the JLPT (N1, of course) tomorrow, thereby blowing a good chunk of money for something I probably won't even pass just for practice.

...this is how much I love this language, guys.

Oh, well. Off to get ready for another day of work, and then a day off tomorrow! Huzzah!

There is something to be said about going into work on Monday; having the week broken up is sort of nice.

And I am something of a loner, so being in the office all by myself ain't half bad either.

This is Edo, signing off and hoping that this cool weather indicates something of a trend.