A brief post.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I think it's still Valentine's Day in California...I had a really nice weekend of exploring Yawata-shi (the city where I live), and Nara, home of many shrines and temples, most notably Todai-ji, the temple with a huge Buddha. And also home of some very aggressive and piggish deer.

Coming up for titles for posts is difficult. I need to get more creative.

I have this constant feeling that I'm forgetting to do something. It is frustrating not having internet at home because inevitably once I get onto the train home I remember some email that I've been meaning to send for the past week, and I'll have to wait yet another day...Anyway, while I'm here, I think the most certain way of contacting me is to send an email to my cell phone. If you don't already have my cell phone email address and would like it, please let me know and I will send it to you. I love getting messages on my phone!

I miss my co-op at Oberlin. It is getting started again now and I feel like I'm already missing out on some hilarious discussions. Ah well, it will still be there when I come back. I have not yet begun to crave foods from home too much, but I will say that I very much miss regular salads. Whenever they have salad here, I think it must be made out of finely shredded cabbage or something, and they put pieces of corn and tomato and cucumber on top. It doesn't taste especially great and it always gives me the impression that I'm eating grass, and it's hard to eat with chopsticks. Evidently they do not consume romaine or mixed greens here the way they do at home. Also bread, butter, cheese, and cookies. Cookies! I could go for cookies...