Hooray!

Well, I'm very glad to see at least two of our bloggers take up the mantle laid before them. They have fearlessly ventured forth into the thick mist, boldly pressing the "Publish Post" button with barely any apprehension. Bravo! Now if only the other members of our fair blog could gather up the courage to do the same. I hope so!

I amused myself today by forcing small Japanese children to correctly pronounce "rhinocerouses." None were successful.

In other news, one of my jack-o-lanterns is so moldy that it's black on the inside, but I brushed away the clouds of flies as best I could and lit it anyway. I'm not ready to admit defeat yet. One of the neighbor kids wants it before I throw it away, but seeing as how it's now a health hazard, I think it's best to just let it go. But since burnable trash day isn't for a while, I don't know what to do.

You guys don't know how good you have it. Sorting trash has got to be one of the most inconvenient things EVER. You have to think about every single thing you throw away, and you have to be mindful of the calendar. If the pick-up day isn't for a while, you have to freeze everything to keep it from smelling/attracting bugs. Fun!

I wanted to do an activity in class for Halloween with "mystery bowls." You know, a bowl of "eyeballs" that's really just peeled grapes, etc. But when I asked about it at school, all I got were very solemn shakes of the head. "That is a waste of food. We don't allow waste in this school. Japan is a very environmentally conscious country." Yikes. I wonder what would happen if a food fight ever broke out. I bet half the student body would be expelled.