perfectly normal!

It's been a pretty normal week after the excitement of Kyoto. Eating, sleeping, ceramics, TV, kanji practice, reading, eating...TV...
I guess I was pretty happy about the fact that I can watch Law and Order as well as America's Next Top Model here. I have been watching more TV this week than I do in America, for sure. I think I've watched this season of ANTM before a couple years ago...but I don't remember who won, so it's still exciting. Luckily, Keiko enjoys it as much as I do. Seibun sits with us but reads his books about birds or works on gadgets.

I've been painting the pots and things I've made like crazy. They will get fired this weekend and be finished next week. I'm a little nervous about how they are going to turn out.

I've been going out on little walks this week. Yesterday I walk to the station, took a train to the next station over , went window shopping then walked back. There is the cutest sweater at GAP...I have to resist. I have more sweaters than I do anything else...I'm addicted. What I did by was a super sale shirt for four dollars. Hoorah! I also went to that natural goods store and bought another Konyaku and Grapefruit drink.

I've gotten through three chapters of kanji in the Genki Text book mom mailed me like a month ago. Already I find myself reading more and that is basically the only reason I'll keep at it. In America, I'd never practice on my own...I'm to lazy, and it would feel like there is no benefit because there isn't kanji EVERYWHERE! I have to get this down now, or I'll probably have to take Japanese two all over again...

We had konyaku steak the other night for supper. I love that stuff. It has no taste, but the texture is incredible! I don't know why I like it so much...luckily I can by that in the states (and it has zero calories!).

I bought a magazine today because I wanted to catch up on fashion and what not (not that I follow or try very hard). I was a little put off by what I understood. There was one part where they had a face of  girl who apparently made a makeup mistake. Then there was a picture of her face after she fixed this "mistake". Underneath each photo was a comment from a man. First of all, all the girls were beautiful. Under one picture of a girl whose cheeks were apparenly too red and made her cheeks look plump there was the comment that said  something along the lines of "her face looks strange, I wouldn't want to be seen with this girl." Then under the "fixed" photo it said something along the lines of "This is much better! I'd definitely go on a date with her!" My insides and hope in men melted away briefly. Luckily for me, there are men out there who care for other things in a woman besides makeup and prettiness. I kind of regret buying the magazine now because all it did was make feel sad. Soon enough I'll be back in Kikuchi with only the pigs and chickens to impress and I will feel like a queen in my jump suit EVERYDAY!!!!:D That's my kind of life. Not a candy, princess, city life. In the end, I'm going back to Oberlin...the safest place in the world to be you.

America's Next Top Model starts in 30 minutes! Tonight is kimchi nabe, which is super healthy and delicious. Lunch was dango jiru -Keiko style. I've figured out that everyone makes it a little differently. Which is fine, they are all good!

Since really I have nothing much to talk about, I'm going to end it here.
Tomorrow I'm going to the Osaka market and aquarium - should be fun!