Accomplishments

• T came down from Hokkaido to visit for the weekend!
• We had a successful turkey dinner on Saturday, November 20. Cooked a 9-pound turkey in a microwave convection oven for about four hours. Hosted 12 people. Everyone brought something--dessert, a side dish, snacks, a guitar. . . and I never could have done all of it without A's oven in Maebashi: thank you! Also had seven people sleep over. Piles of futons all over my house.
• Ashikaga Wine Festival in Tochigi Prefecture. Bottle of wine, wine glass (inevitably breaking; thanks AB), and bottle opener for 2500 yen. Climbed a mountain and took some pictures.
• Got a membership card at Time Clip (movie rental place) and a movie that I can keep for a week for FREE! (Saleslady explained everything to me showing me a pamphlet and explaining it in maybe simple Japanese, but I still was surprised that she didn't want my money.)
• Went with Mr. K to get toyu (kerosene) for my heaters. He made me talk to the guy who worked there for Japanese practice. "とゆ、ください。”　”いくつリテロ？”　”１８。”　(Kerosene, please. How many liters? 18.) No problem. Then to a grocery store and drug store tour. And I learned when the cashier says, "Irasshaimase" you either don't say anything or you say, "Kore, kudasai" (this, please). There is no small talk ("Nice weather we're having, huh?") like in the U.S. According to Mr. K, "communication is small" in Japan. According to Dr. H at UNCG, Japan has a "high-context culture"--talking is not necessary. A certain type of telepathy exists among them, unlike in America, where we have to talk about everything.
• I'm starting to run to keep my blood flowing during these cold winter months. Got almost to the library (a kilometer away) without stopping. Today I went to Mitsudera Park, saw two of my students kicking a soccer ball, and ran twice around the park. I had to stop three times. Then I biked to the library (2 kilometers away?), got a Japanese detective novel, Harry Potter 1, and a book of haiku. Ignored the tables upon tables of my students in their uniforms hunched over their books. It was a beautiful day.
• Watched A order pizza online at pizza-la.co.jp. Now I know!

I had the chillest of chill weekends. Stayed home Friday night and most of the day of Saturday. Staying home most of Sunday, too. I love these weekends doing nothing. But accomplishing so much.