Can I attach a snow plow to my bicycle?

After a week of being the feverish, sickly mess that I was, I made it a personal mission to enjoy the heck out of the weekend. Starting with moving from the couch back to my bed! I put all my sheets and blankets and pillows back where they belong, and picked up the floor of my room so I could actually see it again. I cleared my couch of all things I'd put there to be within an arm's reach should I have needed it (books, computer games, cookies!) and returned my living room to its normal state.

After talking with Ze and doing the dishes, I met my friend Eileen at the station. The problem with meeting at the station is that our meeting point was Mister Donuts......so, naturally, we had to have some donuts before we even left for the mall. Before we even checked to see what time the bus leaves for the mall! (^_^) One of the things I love most about Eileen is that she loves food. I don't have any friends who start a conversation with "eat anything good today?" besides her. It's nice when someone has a real love for something, and when I hang out with her I find that I appreciate good food more, too. At the mall, Youme Town, we both realized we wanted to buy home goods more than clothes. While I think this might have been a relatively new feeling for my friend, anyone who knows me knows that I would almost always rather be in the home goods section! So we went to store called Nitori that was instantly my favorite non-clothing store in Kurume when I arrived here. I bought two new mugs ( because I had just bought some yummy tea at Muji)!!
After shopping we ate out at an Italian chain restaurant called Pietro. After Eileen left, I rounded out the evening with some Sims 3.

I woke up earlier on Sunday than I wanted (7:30) but oh, man, was I happy that I did. Can you even guess what was on TV at 7:30 in the morning? If you guessed Pokemon, you were right!! When I read on the TV guide thingy that Pokemon was on, I thought it would be some new episode with Pokemon I've never heard of that my elementary school students talk about all the time, but it wasn't! It was actually an episode that I saw when I was in elementary school!! This was from over 10 years ago. I couldn't believe it. Just in case you know what I'm talking about or are Jonathan, it was the episode where that girl with turquoise hair has a Ditto that can't replicate properly, and Jesse & James steal it to try to make it replicate a Dratini. It was so weird, of course, to hear them all speaking Japanese. Misty's Japanese voice was wretched--too high and squeaky. But Japanese Ash actually sounded like a boy, so that was a nice change. :) Anyway, what a blast from the past! It made me feel nostalgic.

After calling home and chatting with mom for an hour, I actually fell back asleep. I spent the rest of Sunday drinking delicious almond hazelnut tea and eating strawberries with honey. I played the Sims 3 some more, and watched a little Japanese TV (there was a program on about Japanese houses!) There was a little snowfall throughout the day, but nothing that really stuck...

Which is why I was surprised to walk out my door this morning and find inches of snow on the ground! I have never biked in snow before, but let me just say that it 100% sucks. I fishtailed and lost my balance, and when the snow was deep, it was HARD to pedal. I was so scared of losing my balance and falling into the road (in places where there is no sidewalk) that I got off my bike and walked the rest of the way to the station. So actually, I missed my train. A train that I wake up at 5:45 to give myself enough time to get ready and bike to the station to catch. After calling my supervisor and having her call the school and finding out that someone would be picking me up at Amagi station instead of me taking the bus (due to weather), I caught the next train. I waited for more than half an hour at the station while the heavens snowed down on me. The principal himself came to pick me up, but when I got in his car, he told me that the drive there from the school had been terrible and dangerous, and that since it was going to keep snowing, it would be almost impossible for me to leave the school later. He told me to go back to the office instead. Besides being disappointed because I love that school, it was a little awful that I went through all that snow, missed my train and waited half an hour until the next one arrived , took a 40 minute train ride, and waited another half hour in the snow to have to turn around and go back. I didn't even get to the office until almost 11:00! Why doesn't Japan have snow days? Being at the B.O.E. I heard of soooo many teachers and students that had to go late to school and such because of the snow. Why not cancel school?

I had an easy day after that though. I mostly read and decorated my planner (yes, I decorate my planner). You know that feeling you get when you are reading an amazing book and you don't want to stop reading but you just don't want it to end? I had that today. When I noticed I was halfway through I actually felt sad! I know that I have personally felt that way through each book of a certain famous 7 book saga...and a few other times, as well. I had a delicious sandwich at the bakery for lunch, too, which was nice.

All in all, a very successful weekend. Even though the week started with snow, the forecast for the rest of the week is a sunny 50 degrees! Yay! It'll be nice to not have my laundry freeze out there on the line.