Today is one of those days when you just want to stay in bed all morning until noon. The cold i have going is not helping that feeling go away at all. I guess that is just one of the things that you have to put up with when you work in any school- the constant onslaught and attack and exposure to germs and bacteria. I just hope that i will not get anything else before i go to London.

The weather has finally stopped with its four inches of snow in the past two days. I don't know it might be more or less, i think i have begun to forget American measurements and have switched to metric in my head. With all the snow outside, it sets the perfect stage to just listen to Xmas songs until the season is over. Parties and end of year get-togethers have started as well.

I used that song in class, though i guess i could have prepped the kids a little more for it, but it was a little loud at first, but most of the kids just cupped their ears and put their heads down. I guess that music is a little tricky in this kind of school atmosphere if you are trying to connect it with grammar.

I think i am going to try and become a pescetarian and try to just have fish when i cook at home. Last night's dinner was good. I had the leftover bean and pumpkin curry that i had made for the Thanksgiving party this weekend. That recipe that i have made for it is just absolutely wonderful. I think the best part is the pumpkin in it. I just boil the crap out of the pumpkin and beans and add some onions, garlic, ginger, and a bunch of spices. After it is done cooking i might mix it with a hand mixer, but this time there was no need because it had just cooked down so much. It was really good. Then i had some fish with my faux-jerk seasoning and some inarizushi with Tabasco. Winter has come and the time of soups and stews is upon my town. All these hotpot dishes will be good.

Had a good weekend with a thanksgiving party with all the fixings. It has beena while since i have had turkey, and it was very good. Then tomorrow there is a new english teacher from a couple towns over coming in for an observation just because they are new. Then there should be a new ALT coming to Niseko soon so i will have someone that speaks English close to me.

I am going to work a little music into my lesson hopefully tomorrow with "can" usage, so i thought i would use Annie Get you Gun's "Anything you can do i can do better."

Had parent observation day at the elementary school and nothing too bad happened, or anything ad really. For lunch, i ate it with the fourth graders, and they were a little interested in the habanero pepper that i had put on top of my food as per my eating regimen, and i let some of the try it. It was funny to see how lightweight these kids were when it came to just a little bit of habanero pepper. Always funny to see their reactions.

Not much has been going on with a holiday midweek. I did very little yesterday, but i still got in my walk around town some how to go and get groceries for things this week . Then today i made a video. I hope you all enjoy it.

I had a good weekend with the training meeting and seeing Harry Potter with Friends. It was pretty nice, but a long and tiring weekend. Today i went to Costco to get some breakfast supplies, and i was a little disappointed when i couldn't find any popcorn kernels like i had the time before. oh well, hope you enjoy the photos.

Pics from the yakiniku party this weekend with the band girls, and then some personal pics and the gym class that i spent with my elementary kids today. Then the first snow of the season.

I have some bad news fort hose who care. Apparently Japan has decided to be very weird and banned any package shipping from Japan to the US until further notice. You can send packages as long as they are under a pound, so nothing more than a card or letters. This is really annoying, buy not much i can do.


Today was not too bad. One class and then gym and then lunch with the elementary kids. Then i went back to the middle school to observe an open class of social studies. It was okay. The subject was an introduction to the geography of the United States. It was okay, but some of the kids had some interesting guesses as far as Japan's comparative location and scenes of America and where in the country they were.

Here are the pics from this week. There was a rice ball making thing at one of the elementary schools that i went to and those are the first pics. Then last night, i went to the Hilton for a wine and dine party and those pics are up there as well. The food was good and then there was a florist there that made a bouquet for the lady that was there MC'ing the event. Today was the PTA conference and that was pretty good. I watched the band, some dance, some essays being read, and a guest lecturer on how to teach and raise students and kids.

I think i might go to one of the towns 7 onsens today because i need to go to all of them before i go back home.