Snow Time

God bless the Japanese Alps. With Anthony at Hakuba.

Morning of Snow

As Ed and I made our way to the lift early in the morning last Sunday, we were accompanied by a light dusting of snow. It made for a beautiful morning.

Paper beauties

These lovely ladies are two paper dolls made by me and the Hongster as Christmas presents for my mom and step-mom. As we did in June, we journeyed to the upstairs sweatshop/home of Chisako, the nice Japanese lady who has the patience to teach people like me to create veritable pieces of art such as this. They truly are beautiful.

These dolls are depictions of maiko, who are young apprentice geisha. Actually, when we think of a geisha, it is usually the young maiko whose image we have in mind. They wear extremely colorful kimonos and bright white makeup, as well as many fancy ornaments in their hair. Of these two dolls, the blue maiko is mine and the purple and orange maiko is Hong's. The texture of the paper and the delicacy of the details really are extraordinary. I could look at them all day:) In fact, I got an inordinate amount of pleasure out of looking at my doll. I just think these dolls are such astounding pieces of beauty, yet they are so simple. Like so many things in Japan.

The texture and details are really nice, so I suggest clicking on the pictures to see them full-screen.

Enjoy!

Local Snow

Mount Ena, my favorite local mountain and the friendly and benevolent overseer of our town. This view was taken about a month ago, right after a snowstorm deposited a nice thick blanket up there. Lately there hasn't been much snow, though. It's been another unseasonably warm winter around these parts, though of course it's still plenty to make a SoCal pansy like me cry mercy! I like sitting in the warm teachers' room and looking up at Mt. Ena. It's strange to be in a nice warm, dry environment and to look right up at the mountain where there's obviously a tempest raging. How weird to have two completely different environments so close to each other.

This weekend, it's off to Hakuba in the Japanese Alps for some serious skiing. I think there will be more than enough snow there!

What is wrong with the media?

Okay, folks, I just can't take it. I think it's time for a full-on boycott of 24-hour cable news networks. I just cannot stand the ridiculous questions they continue to ask the major presidential candidates. There are real, substantive questions to be asked, but they don't ask them most of the time. They try to stir up TV-friendly drama by ENDLESSLY asking, "Is this country ready for a black president? Is this country ready for a woman president? What's a white male to do running against these historic candidacies?" These questions could have been pertinent at one time, but they have been beaten into the ground. And the analysis of "electability" and the forecasts of each primary. They have been wrong so many times, yet they continue to make these predictions before the fact, a practice which is sure to influence what happens in those elections. Why don't they just shut the heck up and wait to see how the people voted? I don't know how the candidates endure the daily barrage of inanity thrown their way by the staff of the major television media outlets of this country. I think we were probably all a lot better off when we got our news at 6 pm from Walter Cronkite. There is no need for this constant and substanceless analysis. These people are influencing our democracy for the worst, I'm quite sure of it, and I don't think they have the integrity or the ability to handle that responsibility. I say Down with CNN, down with MSNBC, and down with FOX. Just go to the candidates' websites and read their position papers. That's all you need to know about their plans for this country. Or, if you don't have time for that, at least read a newspaper. They take a little more time to evaluate things in a more meaningful way.

Hillary Clinton: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/?splash=1

Barack Obama: http://www.barackobama.com/

John Edwards: http://www.johnedwards.com/splash/

Welcome home

So after spending many fabulous days in my hometown of San Diego, where the temperature didn't drop much below 78 degrees during the daytime the whole time I was there, imagine my shock upon returning to Japan at the beginning of January. It was a cold, blistery slap, I tell you! I came back last Wednesday afternoon, and the next morning I was greeted with a new and unexpected carpet of snow. That meant that I couldn't go anywhere until I hauled myself outside, pulled all the crrrrap out of my storage unit, and installed the snow tires on my car. Though this task is an undeniable pain in the ass, it sure makes me feel like a man. I mean, look at this rugged sight. Right after I installed the tires, all the snow promptly melted.

I had a great trip home. It was so wonderful to see my family and a few friends, and to just soak in the whole environment of being home. After being on my own here for going on six years, every time I come home I appreciate being there a little more. There is just nothing like it.

Now I've got about 7 months left until I plan to leave Japan. I'm not sure what's next. But for now, my goal is to make these 7 months the best yet, and to enjoy the friendships I've worked to develop. There are a lot of people here who have treated me beyond wonderfully, and I'm very lucky to have met them.

Anyway, life is good, hope everyone else is doing well. Nighty night.