Night-time

So, everyone ended up studying tonight. The most exciting thing was Dasha went out to do Purikura with her Japanese friends, none of which I knew, so I didn't go. Instead I walked to the station, it was a lovely afternoon/early evening and the walk from Kansai Gaidai to the station is about 20-30 minutes, depending on which way (one way is uphill, one way is down ;D ). I putzed around the station for awhile and then bought fabric for my costume. I downloaded a dictionary onto my iTouch a long time ago, and I've discovered that when out shopping it gives me a bunch of surprisingly useful words like, "glue" that just isn't in your normal study vocabularly. Shopping is always a fun experience, espically to places like craft stores, because let's face it, out of all the places you think foreginers would go, craft stores is not one of them.

Then I headed home and worked on my costume for a bit. Even though it all has to be hand sewn I'm enjoying everything a lot. Like I said before, there's just something about creating a costume that I just really enjoy. There was a sale at the store too, so I got everything I needed for the costume for like 30.00 US, so I don't feel too guilty...

I helped my Okasaan with dinner, Otosan likes pasta and since it's his birthday that's what we had. She left me in charge of the meat sauce, she commented on how she felt lucky that she had a girl and one who liked to cook. The meat sauce was your basic sauce from a can, ground beef, some basic seasoning, garlic, onion, tomato, but they loved it and were so impressed. Honestly, I feel like I could open campbells soup from a can, put it in an oven, warm it up, and my family would be impressed. Somehow, I forget how it went, but we got to talking about homestay students. I asked her if I was okay, I figured I'd give her an oppertunity to tell me or politely suggest if I was doing something wrong. She said I was very good, and that she wishes I could stay for a whole year. I figured the added comment showed that she was being more geniune than just being polite.

I did the dishes after dinner, I love it when there's only two or three of us eating, the dishes are so easy! When there's like six or seven people it takes me forever to do them. I swear, I have a new appreciation for the dish washer.

It's getting cold here at night. During the day it's warm, but at night it's sweater weather. I've comitted a Floridian sin and worn socks with sandals... But it's only to go upstairs! My tootsies are all warm, and then I gotta put on shoes and go upstairs, and I don't wana take my socks off! I've been tempted to use my woolrich slippers as a "transportation" slipper, instead of just in my room, since they have hard bottoms... But it seems like a bit of a waste of a good slipper for one flight of stairs two or three times a day.

With the turning weather I've discovered the joy of the bath. As mentioned before, in Japan, you shower, and then when you're clean you soak in the tub like a spa and relax. I really didn't understand it until now, but, then again, it's been hot until now! The bath is like a welcome treat at the end of the day when it's cold. It's heated internally, and has a cover (much like a pool cover, though heavier) to keep the heat in. The bath is kept at a toasty 42 degrees C, that's 107F roughly, or at least that's what the monitor on the side says. But either way, it's very hot. If you sit in it too long you get a bit light headed, and you can see steam coming off the water. But the warmth sinks into you, I think it draws blood to the surface, or something, but it helps keep you warm I've noticed for a long time after you get out. I only sit for a minute or two, because I'm normally the first or second to shower, and always before Okasan and Otosan, so I don't want to take too long since at least Otosan has to get up in the morning and go to work. But, just sitting for a minute is a welcome joy on cold nights. And, what the tub lacks in length, it makes up for in depth. I can actually sit, entirely submerged, in the bathtub! Granted, my knees are bent, but I can slouch down and sit kind of a reclined indian style with my legs in front of me and be completely submerged, I know why people like it so much!

I was thinking of working more on my costume, but I'm feeling kind of sleepy. Even though I love costume making, it's a bit inherantly frustrating knowing that what's taking me an hour to do by hand can be done in a few minutes on the machiene.

But, gosh darnit, I'm gonna enter the Kansai Gaidai Halloween Costume Contest and win big! Plus, it obviously is something I can take back to the states with me and wear again, though knowing my love for making costumes it'll be hard to resist the temptation to not make a new one!

Tomorrow I'm going to go to the Ceramics studio again, I want Sensei to teach me how to make saucers, they are deciptivly difficult. Then I don't know what I'm going to do, I think I'm reaching a point where I'm just going to go places and I don't care if people come with me or not. It's more fun with more people of course, but there's things I want to see and do. Not to mention, I'm getting pretty familar with the Osaka/Kyoto area, so navigating around them isn't something I'm "worried" about. They've kind of become backyards, so to speak.

Speaking of Kyoto, my Okasan at dinner tonight said that next month we may go to Kyoto together. One of Otosan's friends is a tour guide, and they know I really want to see the leaves.

Well, I guess I don't really have that much else to say, I'm feeling quite tired, maybe I'll pack it in.

As I always say, and always mean it, I love and miss you all.