Well, it turned nipple-achingly cold this week. Finally! Still no snow, but a good dose of some cold weather. Excellent stuff.
This past couple of weeks, I have mostly been:
-Sending care packages to Japan. Yup, the kind folks over there sent me some stuff over the Xmas period, so it was high time to reciprocate. Not because I felt I had to. But, for example, I know sending a bunch of face masks and magazines over to Tame-chan will make her day, and that warms the cockles of my heart. Have another couple to send to some of my people over there, but those are still being worked on. Care packages are important. They need to show you care!
-Hanging with my family. We had a kick-ass get-together last Saturday night at my Auntie's house, and practically everyone who mattered was there. It was a huge night, bigger than anyone had reckoned, and I got to see some people I haven't seen in literally years. Be warned: strawberry champagne is not your friend after 5 Asahis.
-Buying new albums. After I write this, I am going to go and acquaint myself with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs most recent album, as well as Isobel Campbell's Mercury-nominated effort. I picked that one cause I like the name, 'Ballad of the Broken Seas'. I had a near meltdown in Fopp on Saturday. I limited myself to £20, but seriously! so so so many albums that have my name on it right now.
-Getting Burnsy. As some of you know, Burns was my thing in Japan, organising the annual supper for the last three years (with a lot of help from my friends). It was always a hit, and I was touched that the folk this year were determined to keep it going. It looked like they had a massive time of it, complete with haggis I flung that direction, and my only wish was that I could have been there to witness Bessie's song, Nate's drunkeness, and Anya's gyrations (apparently). However, I still seem to be a fount of expertise on all things Burns (not to insult the true conniseurs out there, I'm speaking in relative terms). I am the only Scot in our school office, and as such, haggis-buying duty for the lunchtime mini-Burns Supper, fell to me. So I currently have 5 large veggie haggi languishing in the fridge. Veggie cause of the various special diets that our students observe. The event is on Thursday, and while I don't expect quite the same amount of inebraited cosiness and familiarity, it'll still be awesome to introduce such an important part of Scottish culture to the international community.
-Praying for miracles. Get well soon, Rowan.
-Spending money on break-neck hodilays. Yup, I did it, I took the plunge. Saturday 10th March will see me land in Japan for exactely 8 days of graduations, pokers, Awa Odoris, catchings-up, reminiscings, and snugglings. I think I will not be doing myself any emotional favours by going back so soon, but I can't resist, and I promised the chillurn I'd be there to see them graduate. Ja, ikimasu!!
-Thinking healthy. My body hates being idle, and feels the cold ever more. So it's now time to get my ass back in gear, and shift a few pounds. Not feeling fat, but not feeling fit, and I'm bored with not exercising. Am drinking stupid amounts of peppermint tea (my tummy loves it), but the folk at work drink tea something like 5 times a day, and I just can't handle that!
Gotta go listen to Karen.
2 comments:
Hey Ellie,
I was having some serious nazukashi time, and decided it was high time on catching up with some of our toku-friends. We're so jealous that you're heading back this march! Enjoy, and say hi for us, will you?
We've finally seemed to have kicked our cold snap here in Vancouver, and it seems to have moved on to you. Are you longing for a kontatsu yet? (I know Julia has been almost from the day we needed heat turned on - which, as a matter of fact, we could do with a simple flip of a switch, and we had permi-heat!)
Anyway, all the best
-Ben (& Julia)
Show yourself, Elbert! The world cries out for your words!
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