What Month Is This?

Thursday, September 14, 2006

After two weeks of raining - almost constantly - the sky has cleared and now it feels like late October.

It doesn't smell the way that October normally smells in Florida. It's a very distinct smell in the air that let's you know that you can open all your windows for that one week.

But at the same time I feel like whipping out a pumpkin and cutting that sucker to pieces! It's only the middle of September!!!!

AHHHHHHHHH I'm wearing one of my only jackets and a short sleeved T-shirt because I don't really have anything nice to wear to work that will keep me warm!

And with that, I need all the suggestions I can get! Tell me what you people know about staying warm in a colder climate. What type of shoes should I wear when the rain starts freezing? (It's not usually cold enough here to actually snow a lot. It just rains in a freezing sort of way.) What types of coats do I need? I realize that I don't need to bathe quite as often and layers are a must.

I just need to go buy winter clothes, which is going to seriously kill my budget. Not only are clothes more expensive here in Japan, but winter clothes are more expensive than summer clothes no matter where you are! And I need a whole new wardrobe! Story of my life!

I've got it down to this. I really only need three school worthy outfits. Check this;

Monday: outfit one @ ghetto school
Tuesday: outfit one @ base school
Wednesday: outfit two @ ghetto school
Thursday: outfit two @ base school
Friday: outfit three @ base school

And I can mix and match as I please (^u^)

Also, I've been noticing that the Japanese love to have layers. I thought it was crazy in the hot summers, but I was checking out this one magazine that switched up the layers so well that the model looked like she was wearing a new outfit every time. I can totally do that!!!! Now I just need to start liking Japanese fashion!
On another note, last night I went to one of three welcome parties. This one was with my English conversation class and it was at a very traditional restaurant. The food was interesting. I can't say that I liked it a whole lot. It's not what I'm used to and really that's a first for me. I usually enjoy most everything that I eat!

At the same time, they ordered some very tasty sake and I drank waaaaaay too much. They kept asking me if I was ok but I thought I was hiding it well! NO MORE HEMPAI!

Hempai is a Kochi thing where person 1 pours sake for person 2 and person 2 drinks it quickly and pours sake in the same cup for person 1. This continues back and forth until someone chickens out. They tried to get me to play and I told them they were crazy. I really enjoy drinking sake! I don't want to waste it by drinking it super fast! I also need to be able to walk home at the end of the night.

The good thing about it was that I went to bed before 11pm and I got a great night’s sleep.

Also, one of the students told me that she is a Japanese teacher for elementary school kids. She wants to do the language swap thing where we give each other private lessons. Now that I think I can do. I can work with a person one on one and teach grammar and vocabulary. At the same time I'm super excited to finally be taking Japanese classes again!

Check it out - I actually have a picture!!!


4 shared their love:

Anonymous said...

Oh man you gotta love drinking games. My favorite ones involve presidential speeches.

Anonymous said...

Keeping warm:

The keep to keeping warm is several thin layers of clothing. This will contain body heat but let any cooling sweat evaporate quickly.

You'll want things like long underwear. They help keep warmth in. Plus they're cheap. I'd recommend getting a fur hat. Faux fur or real, the decision is yours. But keeping your head warm will keep you warm. Windbreakers are good for keeping out the wind and rain, but you can never go wrong with a real down coat for keeping out the real bitter winds. I would also recommend getting some snow boots. The best shoes or boots for cold weather are flat and non-slip. You want stability as much as warmth. Remember that falling in the snow is like falling into a pool of water. You’ll be soaked before you know it.

When you have to take your bike in the winter make sure you bring an extra pair of socks, some preventative non-drowsy cold medicine, and (if you have them) an extra pair of shoes. Of course you'll want all that wrapped in a plastic bag so it won’t get wet on the trip. At work, if you can, keep an extra pair of clothes (shirts, pants, socks, underwear, bra). Just watch out for the echi. Pad lock them sons of bitches.

A fun trick that got me through several upstate New York winters (including a blizzard in the mid 90's) is to microwave a bottle (plastic) of chocolate syrup for 30 seconds to 1 minute (depending on the strength of your microwave). The heat stays in the bottle and it can be used to warm chilled toes like a hot water bottle. Plus you can add it to milk to make instant hot chocolate. And you can do it over and over with the same bottle.

At home try not to stay sitting still for long periods of time. If you can space out chores or something through out the day you’ll keep the blood circulating. Keep up a light indoor exercise routine for the same reason (plus it’ll help fight off any winter holiday weight gain)

If you can afford it, get your space heater(s) serviced before the winter starts. And invest in a battery backup or extra fuel if it’s available. Having the heat go out in the winter is not an inconvenience, it’s potentially life threatening. So see if you can get a thermal alarm. Something that will call out if it drops to a certain temperature. That way you don’t need to worry about it going out in the middle of the night… I don’t think you want to wake up a Nina-cicle one morning.

You may want to check for air leaks around windows and doors. If you find any, you can fill it with canned insulating foam. You’ll find that stuff in any decent hardware store. Careful which kind you get, you want the stuff that is not permanent so you can pull it off without discoloring or damaging the windows or walls. A little bit of that stuff goes a long way.

Keep warm and keep safe, we’re here for ya!

Anonymous said...

On more thing,

Get splash guards for your bike. Otherwise you'll have nasty road sludge flung up at you and you'll walk into work looking like you just walked off the set of The Exorcist. Plus you'll be cold and wet.

Anonymous said...

Where is this supposed picture? - Chrissy.

P.S.
How is this adaptive?

 
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