it's not life that matters but the journey...

I know I haven't been on here for awhile - I am still alive.  Its friggin cold in this house - I was expecting this:  as soon as the weather gets cold outside, it gets even colder inside a Japanese house (no central heat and all hardwood floors and tatami).  My mom and sister could attest to this since they came to visit me in 1998 during the winter and we stayed at my principal's house (also, they stayed in my mangy apartment and we all nearly froze whenever we had to use the toilet  - not to mention my archaic plumbing that was supposed to be a shower).  Most houses in Japan have heaters in individual rooms (though Japanese people generally don't use heat - they just put up with being cold), and Japanese people like to sit under what they call a "kotatsu" which is a heated table that you put your legs under.  I prefer to be warm all of the time (not this freezing every time you have to use the bathroom or get a snack) - I really loved my Chicago apartment that was so hot that we were wearing shorts and opening the window when it was 5 below outside! 

anyway, I digress (I do that a lot).  things are a bit better in this house than when I lived here before -   we do have a lovely heater in our bedroom (the same awesome device that cooled our room a couple months ago - has it only been a couple months since I was sweating every day?) so we can relax upstairs (where its warmer anyway - heat rises), drink sake, and stay warm! 

Had three students yesterday at home - my regular two students, plus a woman who will be taking a private lesson from me once a month.  She's a jazz singer who will be doing a concert with Masahiko next month - she wants me to help her with her pronunciation since she is singing songs in English (and her pronunciation, I'm sorry to say, is not good).  It was a pretty easy way to earn money - just going through song lyrics with her and correcting her pronunciation and helping her with the deadly TH, S,  and L/R (you know, its "Cry me a River" not "Cry me a Liver") issues that Japanese people have.  She has an amazing voice, so if I can help her with her pronunciation, she will sound very good!

Went to Shimizu today to teach Noriko (my good friend) and her grandson and his friends.  While they are trying sometimes (because they are three 7-year-old boys with limited attention span), they are cute, and its always fun and entertaining.  Plus, I really do improve my Japanese by teaching them and Noriko since she always uses Japanese.

Tomorrow I teach four classes in Shizuoka, and since I'm going early (my ride has somewhere to go), I will go Christmas shopping!  I've already found one small thing for my mom and sister, but have other important people to shop for.

anyway, I have to search for an article to use for my free conversation lesson tomorrow, so later on I'll be posting some interesting links to what's happening in Japan (for example, the wedding of the Emperor and Empress' daughter was this week).