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Rather than cleaning my apartment, I decided to make my blog a little trendier. However, I am a little bummed because I spent a good deal of time playing around on photoshop and turned one of my favorite pictures into a sketch and wanted to use it on this blog, but have no idea how to do that so....nevermind! Anyway, I now have a program on the side bar where you can leave me messages! Make sure you keep them PG though ;)

And BTW

This video actually made me cry (in a good way).

Just know...

In exactly one year (or less depending on future plans!) I will be home to celebrate this lovely holiday in all its glory =) Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! I hope it is a safe and wonderful holiday for everyone.

Thanksgiving over here was very traditional Japanese style, in that it did not exist and I worked extremely hard today! Maybe that was a good thing though since I was too busy running around to really even think about what I am missing out on!

OK I am going to be personal one more time.

Not to be *too* emotional and personal (since I said I wasn't going to get personal here anymore), but the thought of not being home for Thanksgiving or Christmas has started to become very very difficult for me. I know I need to grow up-lots of people are away from family and friends during this season, but it is still really hard and testing. Especially when you are somewhere that has never heard of things like apple cider, or stuffing...and makes you work on these days as well. There are also these horrible, evil anonymous surveys coming out for the students to fill out and apparently they get really nit picky and then the teacher gets dinged for all sorts of random things, so I am terrified and very very stressed out about them (great way to begin the new year!). I am doing my best-but these people are so hard to please sometimes!!! I think my calculated December budget of about 400 yen a day is going to make this month even more difficult to get through (I know, right? I'm telling you, it's ridiculously expensive to travel or simply enjoy your life here!). I mean I know it is my choice to take trips or whatever, and yeah instead I could have tons of money and sit on my butt in my apartment every weekend/vacation, but I swear if I weren't doing these things I would go crazy, because what would be the point of putting myself through all this in the first place?

Not trying to be a "Debbie Downer" here, and hopefully those of you who read this can understand my POV here. The bottom line to this post is I wish for the next month to go by as quickly and painless as possible.

Update on the weatha

It apparently snowed this morning around 8 am...but like I was awake for that! Kind of exciting though. I've never lived in the snow before (well unless you count my life as a baby/no memory time period in the mtns, or that one time it snowed over night in Redlands and melted the next day). Luckily, it apparently doesn't snow *too much* here, so I don't think the weather will become Buffalo, New York unbearable style. I did feel like my face froze walking home tonight, though...I tried making different facial expressions and it was kind of hard.

Unluckily, making good quality apartments is not Japan's forte! My apartment is so poorly insulated, I have inspected my windows about 10 trillion times SURE there is something I am missing as it feels so drafty even with my heater on full blast--maybe a secret air vent or crack in them or something---but alas...I think it is just poor insulation. =/ Also, speaking of bad apartment building skills, I find many times I feel my apartment shake, and can't decide if it is an aftershock from an earthquake or just someone from maybe 2 floors up dropping something heavy...either way it kind of bothers me this has become a routine scenario to ponder (happened again while writing this blog-so I thought I'd mention it).

And apparently the South Korean railways are going on strike...so I hope they sort things out before late December, otherwise my traveling plans might get really screwed up! --Yes I am aware that was a selfish wish to make. ;)

Oh wait, one other update--I am down to my last 150 yen (approx $1.50) until the 25th! No I am not actually excited about that, haha, but I think this will help build some character. I think I need a story to tell my kids some day about how I was broke and *lived off rice or ramen (except ramen here costs more than 16 cents! Unfair!) or something for months. But in return got to travel the world. In fact, I think a story like that could even make a good book deal. This is also good training for next month as I am buying Korea tickets AND Sapporo tickets, which=there goes my paycheck in the blink of an eye (literally)! I heard the *broke diet is the newest fad diet anyway. ;) I am willing to make such sacrifices for once in a lifetime experiences.

*Please note the slight exaggeration.

I know you CA people will probably kill me

for saying this...but it is FREEZING HERE. 41 degrees F!!! And pouring rain. OK, I'll stop right there.

On another note, I am praying for the CA fires to stop and hope all those who lost their homes will be able to rebuild.

Sapporo Snow Festival

I want to go there in February. Which means I will be broke in December because I need to buy plane tickets asap, as well as tickets for wherever I go over New Years. I hope it works out! I suppose it can be a Christmas present to myself...

And yes, in case you are wondering, those are entire buildings carved out of ice...

Quick Weekend Getaway

This Sunday, I took a day trip with all the girls from the office to Kumamoto Prefecture (middle of Kyushu). We went to Kikuchi Kekoku, which is a famous area down there to hike around and admire the gorgeous scenery. Before our hike, we ate at a famous restaurant that is literally tucked away in the mountains surrounded by nature. It was really neat, and also had really good food too! I think maybe one of the best things about living in Japan, is it is my first experience living somewhere where there are true four seasons (and boy do these people live their lives by the seasons!). There was a lot of beautiful Autumn foliage, as well as just beautiful scenery to take in that I imagine looks this good every season! It was really special to see the fall leaves, because I have never seen this kind of thing in person before, being from Southern California, only in pictures! Then, we went to an onsen (hot spring). The one we went to was cool because we had the whole thing to ourselves for the majority of the time, and it was outdoors looking over a river and waterfall! The water is really good for your skin, because it is full of natural minerals, so instead of pruning out my skin like regular water, it actually made it really moisturized, almost like I was soaking in an oil bath--minus the greasy feeling! A perfect way to end a chilly day of hiking!

Of course I took a lot of pictures. I actually really enjoy taking pictures (as if you didn't notice!), but when I return to the states, would like to start taking photography lessons and start learning actual techniques for picture taking. I'm mainly interested in capturing landscape/nature scenes. This "realization" is kind of a big deal for me, because I think I may have found a true hobby/passion...and I have been searching for something like this for the past maybe 16 years? Nothing until this has really stuck!

Anyway here are most of the photos I took from the trip (along with wanting to become a better photographer, I am also working at cutting down on redundant photos)---
Beautiful pictures

In case you're feeling too "lazy" to view them, here is something to whet your appetite...