Time flies when you're having fun

So, for the most part, time here in Tokyo goes quickly. The days just pass by, mainly because I'm so busy and there's so many things to do here. Sundays are usually my downtime days, the ones where I run to Inageya and do grocery shopping for food.

I need to learn how to budget better, but I think I was still trying to make sure I had enough to eat. Inageya's cheaper than Summit by far, so I go there a lot. So far, the next items for November 14 will be Kuromame Cocoa and ginger tea, along with vegetable and meat restocking.

Swimming, well, I wish I could do that. The Komaba Campus has a pool, but it's a long commute from Mitaka, and I don't want to spend the rest of the day there smelling like chlorine. What I do instead is ride my bike around the courtyard at night, and it lets me think about random stuff and helps me settle down. Oh, and at night, it smells like tea and flowers. And laundry soap sometimes, but it's more noticeable now that the gingko nuts have stopped stinking.

I'll be using the bike for actual transportation soon enough; this Thursday Suzanne and I are going to get bike passes at Kichijouji. Mitaka-Dai is cheaper, since the lot is free, but the dangerous way of getting there isn't worth it, and there's no way you can forget riding your bike with cars about four inches away from you. The highlight was sliding down a hill and screaming loud enough for everyone to hear, though.

800 yen a month is nothing compared to what I've had to shell out for the bus Monday through Friday. I really hope that they'd hurry up and get the scholarship money in, though. The futon is supposed to arrive by next Monday, and I need to pay for that.

Speaking of which, finding work hasn't been too great. I've got the job at Bob's Lounge, but so far, it hasn't been that often. On the other hand, I've come to realize (and had it confirmed by Mom and Katie) that I may not be getting jobs as an eikawa-sensei because I'm Asian and not graced with blonde hair and blue eyes. While this doesn't have anything to do with my ability to speak, write, or read English (let's look at my birth certificate here: Detroit, Michigan, USA) , it's a factor, I guess. Either I'll find some way to make the scholarship money stretch or else.

Some good news: my grandmother said that I could invite Apple, a friend of mine from Malaysia, to Taiwan to spend the Chinese New Year. I'm happy because she said she wanted to go to Taiwan, and also, we can get a better deal on getting glamour shots. Yeah, I know I did 'em in '02. They're fun. I still need to think up outfit #3 or #4...

But before that, I need to start asking around about what airlines to take, where to fill out Re-Entry Permits, and figure out how to get to Narita via the train station, along with seeing which profs will OK emailing final essays to. Yay for preparation.