Jan 20, 2013

Last Week's Snow

So, last Monday it snowed.  And I'm sure all of northern Japan was watching the news and laughing at us as the city fell into chaos.  
Much like what happens when it snows in Seattle.  The city falls apart and places that get actual snow laugh as snowplows push buses uphill.
But I digress..

So, at first it was like this:


And then it was like this:




And it kept going.  So I bundled up and grabbed my camera and went for a walk.


It was a good, work-free day.  Too bad tomorrow can't be work-free too..

Jan 9, 2013

Christmas/New Years 2012-2013

It's already halfway through the first week back at work, and March just can't come fast enough (because it means the end of my Other Job)!  Luckily we have a three-day weekend (Monday is 成人の日 Seijin no Hi - Coming of Age Day) to ease the pain of coming back to work.
Just for my memory's sake I'm going to do a list of what I did while back in the States, and throw some pictures up at the end.

21st- Left Tokyo, arrived in LA (I know.. flying on the supposed day of the Apocalypse!  I didn't realize it when I bought my tickets, but I wonder if that had anything to do with why they were so cheap?!)  
22nd- Pizza dinner at Grandpa O's, with my mum, older sister, nephew, two aunties and an uncle. 
23rd- Dinner at Grandma R's with lots of people from that side of the fam.  Pizza again!
24th- Took my sister and nephew to the airport, then drove to Phoenix with my mum, stopping for dinner at my brother's house, and to give Christmas prezzies to my nieces and nephew.
25th- Picked up my dad from airport, and had Christmas dinner at home.
26th- Got a cleaning at the dentist for the first time in almost 10 years.  She was poking and scraping around for a long time, exclaiming, "I can't find any build-up!"  She seemed oddly satisfied when she finally found a spot and started scraping away.  No cavities at all though, and she and the dentist marveled at how my teeth were better than some of the people who come in twice a year for cleanings.  Can't brag about much, but at least I have clean teeth!  Saw The Hobbit that night with my friends Miss C and Miss A, and my little sister.
27th- Got my third haircut of the year, then had dinner at Red Robin with my little sister and our childhood friends.
28th- Dinner at a vegetarian restaurant with another childhood friend, who I hadn't seen for years!
29th- Lunch with one of my best buds in high school Yoshi and his girl, then a Korean food dinner party with Miss C and Miss A, and a couple other friends from high school.
30th- Saw Parental Guidance with my mum and dad, then Rise of the Guardians with my Man Twin. :)  Parental Guidance was okay- it was cute and I like Bette Midler.  I really liked Rise of the Guardians though.
31st- Did some shopping with my mum and little sister, then had our traditional New Year's Chinese food dinner.  Did countdown at Miss A's house with her mom and Miss C.
1st- Took my dad to the airport, and had to stop on the highway to get 3 pit bulls off the road!  Sweet pups they were.
2nd- Dermatology appointment, then got a much needed massage at the spa where my friend works (same friend I met for dinner at the veggie place).  Then dinner that night at my brother's place.
3rd- Lots of last-minute errands with my mum, then had dinner at a Greek wraps place with my Wifee- one of my good friends from junior high/ high school who I hadn't seen since we graduated.  Miss C came over after she got off work to chat with me while I packed.
4th- Had to get up super early to catch my flight from Phoenix to LA, then on back to Tokyo.

Seems like my trip consisted mostly of... eating!




Jan 2, 2013

Resolutions!

I almost forgot that I had made resolutions last year!  Let's see what can be crossed off the list:

1.  Limit my "playtime" on the internet, and try to do more productive things.
 Hmm... can't say I did too well on this one.  Once I get home from work I don't have the energy to do anything!  That, and there's only a couple hours after work for dinner and some "me" time before I have to go to bed. 
2.  Study more each night, and start studying for the JLPT Level 2
 Done!  I think I did fairly well on the studying part.
 
3.  Take the JLPT Level 2.
 Done!  Just waiting for the results.
4.  Drastically cut back on my sugar intake.
 Did okay with this one.  Was pretty good about not buying sugary things for myself or eating sweets at home.. The problem was all the sugary treats people brought back and left sitting out at work that got me!
5.  Get more active.
 Did okay with this one too.  Biking to the station and back most everyday, and running around with the kiddos at work I think qualify for being "active".
6.  Drink more tea! 
 Yes!  Been drinking it almost every night.

7.  Improve my sleep schedule by going to bed between midnight and 1am, and getting up around 8:30am.
 Well, the Other Job pretty much took care of that for me!  Going to bed by midnight and getting up just before 7am on weekdays.  Weekends I'm usually in bed by 1am and up around 8 or 9am.
8.  Get my haircut at least 2-3 times this year.  (Last year i didn't get it cut even once!  I usually cut it myself every few months but it's hard to see the back of my head, and it's just gotten way too frumpy.)
 Got it done 3 times, woohoo!
9.  Sophisticate my wardrobe.  Jeans and t-shirts are fine for a high schooler, and maybe even a freshman/sophomore in college, but i'm really starting to feel too old for a lot of my clothes now..) 
 Definitely done!  I think I did pretty well, though the process did take its toll on my wallet.

10.  Travel to at least one new place.
 Went to Gunma (for snowboarding), to Himeji (to visit J), to Kanagawa (to visit my cousin's family), and to Kashiya-Yokochou in Kawagoe.
11.  Pay off my credit card.
 Done!  Though I've already gone and used it again this year, haha.  Shouldn't take much to pay that off though.


Not too bad there, methinks!  Got a few more goals for this year. 

1.  Keep up with the studying, drinking tea, regular sleep schedule, and regular haircuts.
2.  Go running at least once a week.  (Once the Other Job ends I should hopefully be able to do it more than once a week)
3.  Budget and spend money more wisely, and build up my savings.
4.  Read at least one book in Japanese.
5.  Travel to at least one new place.
6.  ?????????????????????????  (I will reveal what this is later on.. For now I'm keeping this to myself, because I feel like I'm more likely to succeed with my plans when no one else knows about them.  Strange, I know, but still..)

Anyone else have any goals or resolutions??
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