Skippity-doo-da!

Can you believe Honda san (on right) had never tried peanut butter? Well, we had to fix that! I introduced apples and peanut butter to my "lunch bunch" posse, Reiko san and Honda san...check in again later to see Honda san doing her Brad Pitt impression...
ps - Gilli-chan & Bernie-chan you can be honorary members of the LBP, too! (but only if you eat with your chopsticks) Kelly san, if you pull up the blog at lunch time, it'll be just like old times :)

Yougotta Yukatta!

Reiko san ("Lake-O san") is the "boss lady" of the copy room at Isahaya Koko (High). She hijacked me one day to take me to get my first yukatta (summer version of a kimono - s'posed to be lighter??? I felt like Kiera Knightly's character in "Pirates" - you know - all laced up, fainting & falling? Similarities stop there, tho...). Here we are pictured in the copy room/lunch room solarium. The fan is not just for decoration...

Bird's Eye

Since Google Earth might be a little bit fuzzy around my address, I thought I'd post a shot I took from the airplane when I came to Nagasaki from Tokyo. I've decided the mountains + sea combo is awesome. When it stops raining here, I'll take some pics around Isahaya and of Chez Tore (that would be something close to "toe-ray", my new Japanese nickname).

Sam gets out...

Sam needs your help! He needs a really "kakkoii" (cool) name for his blog...
For those of you who don't know who Sam is, he's my partner in crime, my stunt-double, my escort, and he's always jumping into the picture when I travel. Please send me ideas on what to call his new home on the web. Arigato gozaimasu - thanks!

She lives!

Just a quick note to let you all know I made it to Japan and am still in one piece (just a little melted around the edges). Technology here has been...umm...interesting to say the least. When I remember how to upload photos, I'll do more postings - so much to tell! In short, I'm at a fantastic school, my apartment is charming with its tatami rooms and nightly semi (cicada) orchestra, and I'm even beginning to figure out the bus schedule - ok, well, maybe I'm not - I'm just starting to recognize the people at my stops and they make sure I get on the right bus :).
And to all my soFla peeps - hopefully Ernesto will lose his way...I'm praying for you...be safe!