Mata, Oxy Reunion!

So this weekend, my pally wallies from Oxy are coming over to visit!

3 are coming from different parts in Japan because they too are on the JET program and one will be coming from Teipei and she's doing this crazy hard-core Chinese studying. :P

So needless to say, this weekend is going to rock! (Interestingly enough, tickets to an Asian Kung-Fu Generation concert go on sale this weekend...not sure whether to go for it or not...) Luckily, they're all getting here a slightly different times but in an order where I can easily pick them up.

And now I'm thinking to myself, "This is going to be so much fun...huh...my place is rather messy...oops..."...yea... The good thing is that it's really not dirty, it's just messy. If anything, the kitchen is the room that still needs some work. But because the floor bums me out and b/c it's freakin' freezing in there now, I don't spend too much time in there... But if this weekend is going to be like the Osaka weekend, we won't be spending too much time in my jutaku. Mainly to shower and sleep.

Julia will be staying the longest and it just sucks that I have a 2-day JET Mid-year meetings to go to. So...during the day she can either chill at my place or go out exploring. But I'll make sure to do something at night. :]

And then, as if things weren't Oxy-related enough, another alumnus contacted me yesterday (?) and told me that she'll be in the area too! So on Sunday, it may be the biggest Oxy-Reunion yet!!! Craziness!!!

So for tonight, I'm going to do some straightening out, help a friend find possible housing in the LA area (if you'd like to help my friend, let me know~!) and possibly study...oh god...my test is in like 3 weeks!!! eep!!!
><"

Oh! Speaking of tests. The graduate student I was helping prepare for his college interview just let us know today that he got in!!! Woohoo!!! ^^

Burr Update...

So...I've been meaning to annouce that I've now been able to see my breath in the morning. Yes, it is that cold. It's pretty much what I consider to be winter in LA...and it's still fall!!!

This morning, while I was in the bathroom washing up, I saw my breath!!! Indoors!!! o_O; I knew it was cold and I've heard that that these Japanese jutakus don't keep the heat very well (and that at times it's apparently colder inside?? eh?) but I never thought that I might see my own breath condense indoors!!!

So yes, this morning I was thinking, "It's like winter. This is winter for me. Oh crap...it's only fall..."...

But since I either ride my bike or walk to work (I usually walk when it rains or looks like it's going to rain) I tend to get warm by the time I get to work. So I'm warm my first hour in...and then I get really cold...and I chill at the hot water dispenser area because I can drink warm tea and, when the sun is out, incubate. ;P

And today I brought the little lap blanket I bought a week or two ago. This is for when it gets even colder and for the days I have long periods to chill at my desk between classes or for the weeks I'm stuck doing grading and planning the next lesson instead of teaching.

So...I haven't frozen yet!

Oh, on that matter, I have no kotatsu cord. I went into a store to buy a cord, was really happy they did sell only the cord but was disappointed, sad and frustrated that it was the wrong size. Luckily they returned me my money but I'm stuck with a table and heater and no cord to turn it on with! So, I will either have to look around for a store that does sell the size I need or just go and buy a new heater (because then it will come with a cord)...so...what to do? What to do???

News Flash

Hey people!

So...I just heard today that we're scheduled for our first snow fall...this Wednesday!!!
o_O;

Quite early, ne?

Well...a co-worker of mine (who was my host-mom who's like a grandma) said that she doubts it will snow on Wednesday. I'm pretty sure she's lived in Fukuoka/Chikushino-shi (my city, if you never knew) her whole life...I want to believe her.

So yea...I may see my first snow fall this Wednesday! Yay and boo all at the same time.

Why boo?

Ah, well because I don't know where my kotatsu cord is!!! ><"

And then I went to a store after work today and lo and behold, they had just the cords. Woohoo. But...apparently there's different sizes...
T_T

So, I'll have to go back tomorrow and either get my money back or exchange it for the right size. Ah...I hope I get it soon...

Hmm...then again I'm still missing one blanket for my kotatsu. But the lady at the dry cleaners said to come tomorrow. So...I hope I can get that cord tomorrow...

...

I should that heater out now...

*goes to closet*

Aw. New Friends. :]

So last night I went to Kawashoku, the grocery store that is right next to me. (Literally. I’m technically at the corner of my block and the corner right next to me is the store)

Sometime during my first couple of weeks here, I had asked one of the workers there for soy milk (I didn’t know the kanji for soy milk at the time). He took me to their selection and then in a very surprised manner asked if I like it. After explaining that I can’t drink regular milk and that I studied Japanese in college, I continued grocery shopping and he continued working.

The next time I came after that, he remembered me and asked me if I needed more soy milk. I was rather touched he remembered but then again being one of the few gaijin (foreigners) in the area, I’m not that hard to forget in their eyes. But from then on we always greeted each other and eventually we swapped names; Onitsuka-san

Last night I went again because as usual, I needed some food. The other workers have also started to get to know me. I don’t know their names yet but they were really happy when I brought them cookies (I made a bunch for Halloween). So I walked in, said my good evening to them but as soon as I said good evening to Koga-san (one of the younger workers whom Onitsuka-san tried to explain to me what an “ikeimei” was (apparently a really cool looking guy…but Koga-san became quite embarrassed after that incident…) he hurried to the back. I wasn’t too sure what was going on but right after that Onitsuka-san came out and was for some random reason apologizing for not seeing each other for about a week or so. It was too nice. Apparently the other workers became a little worried that they hadn’t seen me either and wondered if I had gotten sick. (So sweet, ne?)

I was a little sick last week but not horribly so where I was bed-ridden or anything. Just some sniffles. The usual that I can deal with. But I had also gotten really really busy. Come to think of it…I’ll be really busy this week too…and I’ll be getting back home later 2 nights this week…blah…

(Ah! Digression)

But it’s really nice how it is that because I’m just about always in their store and I usually talk to them here and there, they worry about me when I’m not there for a long time. I just found it to be really sweet that they’re, in a sense, looking after me and worry about me if I get sick.

My co-workers too have become rather worried in the past when they thought I was sick/was sick. I’m pretty sure it’s more because I’m a foreigner and not completely used to things here. For some of them it may be my age because as they say, I’m really young.
(Which I’ve been thinking about…and yes, it is true, I am pretty young to have come all the way over here, miles and miles away from home and the country I’m used to, living alone and working. But if I don’t do it now, living on my own will just become more awkward the older I get, ne? Better to make all the weird and stupid mistakes now and learn from them quickly so that when I move back home and get my own place there, I won’t burn down the house. :P)

…so many digression in this article…guess it’s the result of not writing in a while…

In short: I have new friends. Friends that either know very little English or no English at all. How fun, ne? ^^

...hmm...I'll try to take some pics later and then post them up. :D

Wooo! v(^^)

So, yesterday I was at work and the schedule was changed and so the JTE that I was scheduled to team-teach with decided to cancel (we teach the rowdiest class...after any time after lunch is pretty to handle...her choice, not mine).

Anyhoo, this meant that I basically had the day free. What did I do? Well, I tried really hard to study but really my eyes were glued to my computer screen. Yes I was surfing the net. I was at msnbc.com. I was keeping a close eye on the results of the election!!!

The pretty awesome thing was that my co-workers noticed I was watching that and they too were interested. Every so often they'd come over over my shoulder and ask how it was going.

At one point, I was talking (instant messaging style) with Shana through gmail and she just goes all, "OMG! HE WON!!! THEY JUST ANNOUNCED IT!! OMG OMG OMG!!!"
...and even refreshing the screen on msnbc.com didn't show it that fast!!!

So I had to go to cnn.com to see the crazy tallies of 287 (can't remember all that well now...). I would have yelped for joy...but I was in the staff room/teacher's room...but I did do a little happy dance in my seat and clap my hands excitedly.

xD

Gotta say, that was the most intense election I've watched in my lifetime and the most interested I have ever been in a presidential election.

Woot!
v(^^)