Quick Update

I've been pretty busy lately and have been fairly productive during my free time. I'm so grown. But this also means that I don't have as much time to sit and blog.

The coin laundry and the hydrangeas. Rainy season style.

Friday was super-busy at one of my schools. I got caught in a downpour without an umbrella on my way to school. As soon as I entered a teacher dragged me to class, forewarning me about her "monster children." I stood silently for about 10 minutes while she took care of classroom routine (really, teacher? Couldn't have let me dry off for a little bit?). Then I yelled over her monster children. Then I was shuffled to the next class. Repeat twice, then add lunch. During third and fourth periods I hid in the bathroom for a minute to regain my sanity. When I emerged there were three 3rd-graders waiting. Aft I sat down in the teacher's office for the first time at 1:40. I passed out before 8 p.m. that night.

On Saturday four of the six Turtle Hill Crew members headed into Kyoto for filming a silent movie that I wrote while playing around with iWorks templates. There was a group of college students practicing a strange dance the whole time we were there. I kind of wanted to join. I tried to get a picture of this jogger when he was lying on one of the benches, stretching his hamstrings. It was a tad obscene, but I guess that's a benefit of being a jogger. Short shorts acceptable.

Saturday night and Sunday I felt pretty awful. My head and stomach ached and my sinuses were stuffed. I sat around and made jewelry for the first time in a long time. All about the asymmetry.

Today was an office day, so I sat at that desk for eight hours. The new Jet Journal, a publication by the JET Program featuring essays and photos was calling to me, so I read through the prize-winning essays. Inspired, I spent most of the day writing bits of various essays about my experiences in Japan. Motivation? I'll tell you: prize money. One thousand bucks to Mr. or Ms. or Mrs. or Miss Grand Prize winner. The guy who won (and quite deservingly) is a friend of mine and no English major. He's just a fantastic writer. I figure with a year to prepare I can churn out something worth at least an honorary mention. It's still a little money in the pocket. Capitalism!

The parking lot next to the coin laundry. Man vs Nature

This evening I swung by the home and garden store to pick up some spray paint, sealant, and sandpaper. If you look at my Pumpkin Pie Pilgrimage post from November you can see my kotatsu. That hideous green and terra cotta-colored monstrosity sitting in my living room. I've decided that I will no longer be a slave to the ugly. I read too much Apartment Therapy for that. I am going to spray paint the top white, and if I can figure out how to safely remove the heater I'll get rid of the green, too. I have some other cheap-looking furniture that could do with a touch-up, too, so if I have any paint left I'll probably give my chairs a facelift. Woohoo!

Once I got home I played with Kuma for an hour and a half. He needs exercise time outside the cage and I still have to be in the room in case he urinates on something. Constant vigilance! He may be over puberty, but he still is a dumb kid. I need to take him to the vet and make him into an it, for his own sake. Rabbits can get testicular cancer, too. Also, I'm tired of cleaning up rabbit pee.

I took jewelry photos for Etsy while I made dinner. The sunset was gorgeous, though I couldn't quite capture it in pixels. I discovered a little friend who can reduce the gnat population of

my home (brought on by the rainy season. Go away, rainy season!). I'm assuming it's a different breed from the one who has bitten me twice at night. I did kill an eight-legged intruder this morning who was the most likely culprit. After the first bite I vacuumed like it was my job, but summer won't let me keep creepy crawlies out of my space. Nature. It's all over me.