Curled up in a warm place...

A big, hot mug of milky hot chocolate fresh from the microwave, made with day-old milk from the teachers' room at the school where no one ever drinks their milk.

Snuggled under my airy, fluffy gray かけぶとん comforter, sitting on the blanket covered little couch that recently passes for a bed; my tatami room low in light, music streaming quietly in from Astreuxworld, over the internet.

A hard day with a good teacher, some rowdy kids, and a number of "you guys ROCK! you did it!! Awesome!!" moments too. Long hours today; two or three good, though short conversations - only once did I start turning it into a monologue. I was at work so late tonight I even got a call from my supervisor; that was amusing, as well. I was working so hard she decided I should come into the main office and work tomorrow - since my schools are all starting their end of year testing tomorrow and the kids will all be stressed out but not attending classes for the rest of the week. I feel connected today; talked to people from places I don't usually see, found a new restaurant on the way home at 8pm and got in just before it rained. Good food, not too pricey as they go, I sat and read my manga for a while before I continued on home.

The new 日本語のkeyboard on my lap, my little でんしdictionary by my side. Only two cables - one power, 'cause I used up the batteries reading news and catching up on mail, and the keyboard.

Pretty nice that. Little apartment. 「New AirMac Express」 - AirPort Express in english plugged into the wall behind me, across another room. Yeah, it's a luxury, but it means I can sit here snuggled under warm blankets on a chilly, rainy spring night; the wind and traffic moving quietly outside, my legs so hot they almost sweat. My hands fight the chill but then grasp the mug; or, typing momentarily paused, hide under the blankets. Happily warming.

Ah, how I love living in a place where, at least part of the year, I can truly make myself warm and enjoy it. A book, good music, warm drink, low light, and my computer in a big, enveloping bed.

Goodness. How better can it get?

Right - well getting home before 9pm is a good start, but, hey - it ain't everyday, and today it was important. :)

...which is a good feeling, too.

Here's a poem (bad, of course, but still) for tonight:

Kana only with Kanji
________________________
あめだめ　　　雨だめ
でもすき　　　でも好き
なぜなら　　　なぜなら
しずかし　　　静かし
ゆっくり　　　ゆっくり
しきもち　　　し気持ち
どこでも　　　どこでも
ふってる　　　降ってる
ひとりで　　　一人で
きこえる　　　聞こえる
よるには　　　夜には
とっても　　　とっても
。。いい　　　。。良い
_______________________
as you can see, I really like playing with the same-number-of-kana-per-line thing. They say when you can't do substance, do it with style...

(I also rhyme a lot which my japanese friends tend to thing is puzzling -and pointless- but amusing.)

An dieser stille Nacht, mein Kopf ist vollgemacht.
Mein Bauch wird von spannend Ruhe und wärme Milch gefüllt.

„Gut” ich meine, als ich denk' an Deine, und lächle ich weil ich bin schon ins Bett.

Schlafe wohl, gute Nacht.
Morgen kommt, die Kälte kracht.
Die Wärme kommt von drinnen
und ich mag darein zu schwimmen.

-erk.

Von einem Berg, sieht man den Stadt.

今日はハイキングしながら太陽が出始めて山の上から下の都市を見えていてこれを考えっていた。
I thought this from a mountaintop today, while hiking in the late afternoon:

In the setting sun, the buildings are shadowed and stark; one side light and the other side dark.
You think you see them more clearly now, but it's the same buildings. The differences are stronger; bolder, in that generally unusual way, at the ending of the day.

Then I quietly made a little snowman (those who've been here may recognize it as an infamous 白い[white] Qoo.), smiled, and walked away. :)

ハイキングが楽しかった。山の上には　雪と氷雪も降っていた。あまり綺麗じゃなくて面白かった。火山の上に小さなicy雪だるまを静かに作って笑ってまた一人で山を下りた。良かったね〜

ー絵陸

zur Zeit lese ich…

The Celestine Prophecy. Yeah, finally getting around to it after I ran across a free copy at a conference book swap table. :)

The tale is fairly forced and not gripping. The ideas are interesting, and clearly why the story was written; mainly to frame them. I'm not too far in yet, only around 100 pages, but it's interesting enough I'll probably finish it.

The "insights", however, I am finding to be a fun set of concepts to play with. I'm up to the fourth so far (in the book), and figure if I were to graciously suspend disbelief for a few moments, I personally am probably up to the fourth insight as well. The vegetarian comment amuses me, though - that somehow the ability to see auras must (of course) be heightened when one eats an entirely vegetarian diet.

I'd be curious to hear comments from anyone else who's read it, though.

(The book on Amazon.com)