I don’t care that the Daily Show made fun of it, the post office ads are kinda right: hand-written letters are pretty much amazing. (Much loff to the Tank!)

I’m trying to decide if I’m an introvert or an extrovert. Maybe I’m a freaky combination of BOTH. I AM ROVERT-ENSTEIN!

But I’m not sure it’s important either way.

We’re officially at the point in Japan where my fingers are only warm when I’m in horrendously overheated supermarkets. This is not conducive to working on books.

However, hot soup on a freezing day is like heaven.

I don’t understand how hair waves naturally. Doesn’t hair come from dead cells? Or is that fingernails? I know it’s dust, definitely.

WHAT IF WHAT IF the next cat you saw stared at you for FIVE MINUTES. Do you think it’d be Professor McGonnagal?

I’d like to see the viewing statistics on the State of the Union address. Also, when was the last time a President said the State of the Union is not-so-very good chums, sorry? Probably not since television. Which is why I kinda appreciated the Republican rebuttal, in a “Wow, you’re depressing me” way.

Today I stayed at school until 7pm (a little over two hours past the end of my workday). I told the teachers it was because I had a lot of work, which is true, though usually I do that work at home or at the Culture Hall. Mostly I stayed two hours past school because I don’t have to pay for the heating when I’m there.

I’m tempted to fall asleep under my kotatsu. Can’t spread out that far. Decisions, decisions.

No, SERIOUSLY, my hands are so crazy cold.

Gonna make meat pies this weekend. Pretty excited about it.

I have no idea how to make meat pies. I assume I grill up some meat with some veggies/potatoes and stick it in a calzone-esque pie crust? No?

I guess I could google it.

I’m trying to decide if ALBATROSS needs beta readers. The problem is two-fold. 1) I hoped to send this to Agent Sara in the beginning of February, which means I’d need it read in a week, which is just not gonna work for most folks. 2) I hope beta readers say, “YEAH, THIS IS FABULOUS YOU ARE FAB 2, 4 SHO.” Which means they’ll actually say “…it still needs work,” and this will be my face:

Ah, Arrested Development. I look forward to being disappointed by your movie.

But of course I’ll fix things. That’s not the point.

The point is, I’m cold right now. And I’m a sleepy bear ’cause it’s past my bedtime.

Maybe I should just take a day off from editing? Right! BACK TO STUDYING.

I’VE GOT IT. I’ll send it to my mom? No. I think she’s busy. Hum.

Anywho.

Gads, I want to eat the chocolate orange on my kotatsu, but I already brushed my teeth for the night. Gosh, my life is hard.

Any random thoughts, Minions? Some things that have been stumping you lately? I taught my students why the sky is blue this week. It’s fun trying to explain physics in English to folks who don’t really speak English. Maybe it worked?

I spent most of today doing nothing (i.e., watching YouTube videos of kittens) because of some serious study burn-out, then after the usual Friday Night Hangout with the other foreign English teachers on the island, I sat down to read this week’s issue of the Christian Science Monitor.

Holy gad zooks.

1. I want to see this movie.
2. I want to learn more about the escalating aggressive relations between Iran and the US, because that is some scary shizz, and,
3. DEMOCRACY LOVE.

It’s like my favorite quote from The American President. “America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, ’cause it’s gonna put up a fight.” But better because it comes from the citizen of a country that is constantly derided by Americans for being anti-democratic.

And now I’m SO PUMPED to study again.

How’re your weekends looking, minions? Has anyone seen or heard of this movie? It was up for an award at the Golden Globes.

-George Washington

Officially taking the foreign service officer exam in February. Time to get my study on.

I had a lot of great times. Made 1200 cookies with mom. Helped paint my sister’s new baby room (’cause I’m gonna be an aunt). Gallivanted with the eldest sister and told a random dude, who’d we’d nicknamed Chazz, that I was slightly disappointed in his real name–which was Jared.

A main highlight, however, was visiting Fabulous Las Vegas, one of my oldest friends, Amanda, and two of the greatest authors of all time, the Soozinator and Ms. Sarah of Awesome.

It's very difficult for me to look happy, rather than angry, in photos like this.

This is Amanda:

She is eating ramen.

Amanda is full of awesome. That is partially because sometimes she dresses like this:

I did not take this photo. And yes, that is the best damn Sailor Pluto cosplay you've ever seen.

Amanda and I have been friends since I was in sixth grade, so pretty much forever. After high school, we lost touch until The Power of Facebook. It was pretty awesome to have our ten year reunion in Vegas, not gonna lie.

Viva!!!

Vegas is awesome because they have stores like this one. I bought Sooz a present here.

They also have water and fire shows about Atlantis in public malls.

Whilst in Vegas, as stated, I got to meet two writer chums who are epic in their amazingness. No photos were taken, mostly because we met on New Years, and I didn’t want to ruin a camera. The three of us have decided that this is a state which must be rectified, and thus there will be another meeting. Hopefully we will not break the universe.

However, I did learn that Sooz is an excellent dancer.

And Ms. Sarah has fabulous taste in tights, men, and books.

And I wore this dress:

This dress is all kinds of fabulous.

The moral of the story is: holy CRAP did I have a great time in Vegas and in the US. HOLY CRAP do I want to go back to Vegas. HOLY SUPER CRAP do I want to meet up with my writer chums again (and also this one). And HOLY GUACAMOLE do I want shoes that look like this:

Except not so big. Size 9, kthxbai.

So minions, have you been to Vegas? Did you gamble? (Because I didn’t.) What is the number one city in the states you want to visit? And seriously, how awesome is my friend Amanda?

For me, the first one was baking.

My mother was shocked that I could decorate cookies like this. Makes me wonder what the last ones she saw looked like.

Long time followers of the blog/good friends who I complain to ALL THE TIME know that my oven in Japan is about the size of a toaster. I can bake about 6-10 cookies at a time, or one pie, one small cake, etc. Asia is not a baking continent. So I’ve been slowly but surely building up a need for other cookies.

Luckily, I came home over the holidays.

From the age of 13 to 17, after which I trucked to college, my family and my friends would make thousands upon thousands of cookies. I called these “Cookie Baking Parties”, and they were the highlight of the holiday season. Three days. Twenty or thirty friends. Enough sugar to down the Titanic.

It’s kinda hard to do the same thing when it’s just you, your mother, and your pregnant sister, but we three still managed to make about 25 varieties of cookies, for a total of about 1200. These we trussed up in Christmas flair and sent to mom’s friends, my friends, Sarah’s friends and work friends, and eldest sister’s friends.

Plates for the Red Hats Society.

It was a good, if somewhat stressful, time. And I’m happy because now I don’t feel like baking anymore. HAHAHAHAHA :/ .

It pleases me immensely to share something that is full of such warm, nostalgic memories. I love the smell and taste of cookies, of course, but I also like the careful process that goes into some, yet the slapdash stirring of others. And I’m so, so gratified that I could make so many cookies in an oven that requires less than an hour for a full batch THANK YOU GOODNESS.

That’s all. Any holiday traditions, minions? And I’ve put some photos of the cookies below (not all of them). If you’d like a recipe for any which one, maybe I’ll put it up in a future post.

Gingersnaps. Our recipe makes softer, not snappy, ones. Maybe I should call them Gingersofts.

Zimtsterne, or cinnamon stars. Not for the faint of heart.

Expensive Lesson/Neiman Marcus cookies using dried cranberries and dates rather than chocolate chips.

Snickerdoodles. Anyone know where this name comes from?

This year I’ve decided to simplify things.

2012 NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

I will be having bubbly whilst watching BoB live this year.

1. Having realized that I am a one-book-a-year gal, I will write, and polish, a new novel.
2. Because I want to be financially solvent, I will pay off my student loans. Completely. That includes the Perkins, dag nabbit.
3. Also related to the above, I will put at least $100 each months into savings, barring some type of actual emergency.
4. I will take the foreign service exam.
5. As last year, I will donate at least $25 a month to charity: water or another charity, should circumstances warrant,
6. and I will also host a clearer, more organized, and more awesomer Crits for Water.
7. In the interest of both exercise and using something I spent a fair deal of money on, I will ride my bike at least every Saturday morning, when I am at home.
8. I will read at least 50 books.
9. I will make a concerted effort to stay connected to my friends, say, by emailing at least once a week, because they rock my socks off.
10. I will survive the 2012 Apocalypse. HUZZAH.

All right, minions, what do you think? Any advice? Also: if you participated in Crits for Water 2011, do you have any suggestions or ideas on how to improve it? Feel like sharing any of your resolutions? If you made a blog post, just add a link and I’ll put it at the top of this post. MUTUAL SHARING = ACCOUNTABILITY. …right?

• Pint-sized glasses of water (rather than half-cups)
• Huge roads (without gaijin traps)
• Casual clothes (I don’t feel like such a slob whenever I’m outside. In fact, I feel nice!)
• Dryers (HOLY CRAP, I love them.)
• Big washing machines
• And REAL-SIZED OVENS
• Aerosol cooking spray (especially of the olive oil variety)
• Not having to duck under doorways
• CENTRAL HEAT, OMG (I’m frolicking around the house in a mere light zip-up. This is BIG NEWS guys.)
• Corny Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel
• And, I guess, my family. They’re kinda cool.

It’s been a good week! Still crazy excited for New Years. I wish everybody epically happy, or at least stress-free, holidays. <3

DELICIOUS.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS Y’ALL.

Dudes, a huge majority of your customers are gonna have laptops/cell-phones/other electronic objects that require charging. Especially if you’re an international airport. For goodness sake, please get more outlets.

Please.

Eiko being her awesome self.

I didn’t know what to expect of the band going in, but I knew what to expect of myself:

• Show Eiko that I think she’s amazing by being louder than everyone in the audience
• Constantly say her name in a fan-girl-ish manner, accompanied by “Woooo!!!!” and make her crack up before she starts performing.
• Make an embarrassing sign

Yeah, she totes said yes.

So yeah, I win at life. Now all I need is for her to break up with her boyfriend and for her to stop laughing at me every time I call her my fiancee. Hm.

But in all seriousness, SHE IS SO COOL.

Also, my heart palpitated a bit at their guitarist.

On the right in the video.

So Minions! Any really epically cool friends you wanna share with me? Also, I leave for America in TWO DAYS and that is just madness. I haven’t cleaned my house yet. Nor packed. AHHAHAHAHA.

Love you, daddy!!!! <3 <3 <3