Whatever happened, the cold isn't here anymore. It stayed freezing for two days and then shot up to the mid-60's. So all of my winter fantasies were quickly dashed. On the plus side, it means I don't have to go shopping for gloves. I can never find any I'm comfortable wearing, anyway.
Yesterday was my 21 birthday, and I must be one of the few Americans in recent history to not celebrate by drinking alcohol. I'm just not into that. What I did do was stuff myself with as much food as I pleased (pizza, pasta, ice cream, and bread), and then bought Pokemon Heart Gold. Video games were the initial reason I began to study Japanese anyway, and since I'm so used to Pokemon it should be a good chance to study. Also, I wanted it :) I didn't have time, but later I'm going to Mandarage to get some more anime goodness. Not feeling like an adult at all, probably because I've never thought of myself as anything but 'me', and with luck it will stay that way. I have no interest in slipping into the grown-up 'that's-the-way-life-is' mentality. It seems boring. My last post was how I respond to boredom.
Today I had absolutely no free time because I had to go take pictures all over Kyoto (from 10 to 5) and then reteach myself powerpoint and make my slides for the presentation. Tomorrow I'm going back early with some koto members to buy a full kimono for the culture festival, then coming right back and writing the script. Monday I have to do all of my computer work for class, and for next Wednesday write a Carp-like paper for Anime. Oh, yeah, and I need to finish making a class schedule for next semester from a full ocean and continent away. Busy, busy.
I did great on my Writing and Religion midterms. This didn't make my day, though, because I got my Speaking score at the same time. An 82 (77 before grade curve) is a passing grade, but I can't accept falling to such a pathetic level. Teachers here really take off for every little mistake, nitpicking their way through tests. After I get this next hectic week out of the way, I'm going to have to study whenever I can.
Sorry, Zack; I went back, but it was only a 1940's art shop drawing in customers by waving the Union Jack outside. Guess it's not just the English language that's used as a marketing gimmick.

Observations:
Kyoto will, at all times, have at least one school tour group in every town. And each one will be comprised mostly of girls.
Japan is, undoubtedly, a dog country. There are however, very few actual dogs. There are a lot of fakes, i.e. rats, instead. Cats are almost non-existent.
It was hot, so I wrapped my jacket around my waist so I wouldn't have to wear it. Everyone looked at me like I was insane, which is a much different look from 'strange gaijin'.
Cat-girls exist. Or used to. A koto member's host mother, who is 65 years old for goodness sake, ends almost every one of her sentences with "nya". If she was young, I could understand it, but someone two generations removed trying to act like a twenty-year-old Japanese otaku's dream girl is wrong.