Day 222 - 9th of April

10:06pm　セミナーハウス

天気：曇り

Well, today felt like autumn, complete with leaves being blown off trees. Riding into uni this morning, I felt so sorry for the maintenance guy who was sweeping the road clear of leaves; it was a lost cause because as soon as he swept them off, the wind would pick them up again. In both my Japanese classes, we basically finished off the chapters, and started review for exams; fun! After that, I went home to have lunch and out a whole heap of rice on, which is going to last for quite a while. Getting back to uni for Gender and Sexuality, I met Peter and Rachel in the hall on the way. Rachel wanted to go to see cherry blossoms this afternoon, so Peter recommended Yasaka shrine; he even drew a map on her palm. Instead of watching sakura, I was watching a documentary. It was about married women in Japan, and was quite interesting listening to the different perspectives of women from different generations. After that I was home free, and decided to drop by Fresco to pick up some frozen vegetables for my shepherd’s pie tonight; of course, I inexplicably ended up buying more. I was happy though, because I found the okonomiyaki flour, so I’m going to try to make that now. They were also selling off cuts from cakes (packaged and everthing), so I had to get some; really cheap too.

Getting back, I talked to Mum and Ben over Skype in the lounge (since Hugo was napping), and then got stuck into a bit of Japanese revision while transferring a video to my computer; I decided I would go to Himeji castle, so I wanted it ready. Unfortunately the first time I tried it, the program decided to stop working, so I had to start over; that was very frustrating. I left it alone, and went up the kitchen to make dinner. While eating, I watched a singing game show on TV, which was quite funny because most of them couldn’t sing; it was quite painful too. Some of the challenges included, remembering the lyrics, and singing in harmony with the professional backup singers. Then I went about recruiting people to come with to the castle tomorrow. I knew Sarah and Rachael were already going, and now Sam and Alvaro have also expressed interest. Rachel said, if she gets up in time she’ll go, if not too bad. We’re leaving at 7, so it’s going to be a long day; better get some sleep now…

Day 213 - 31st of March

11:50pm　セミナーハウス

天気：曇り

I’ve just come down from watching Hetalia with Rachel, Ash and Rachael. We watched it from the start of the second season for Rachel’s benefit, but it was great for me too, because I finally got to see the last two episodes of the season. But wait, there was more; season three has just started. Ash had the first episode loaded and ready to go for our viewing pleasure. It hasn’t been subbed yet, but it was still really cool to see. We also got to see the trailer for the movie that sadly isn’t coming out till June; Alex will be able to see it though! Anyway today… despite expectations, it didn’t end up raining, although it was cloudy. In Speaking today, we watched some more funny videos, before continuing with the new grammar patterns. In the break, I bought some bread from the convenience store, and then went to the cafeteria to sit with Jo and Kim; Stefani and Amelia joined us. Getting to Reading and Writing, we started chapter 4 by going through new kanji; a whole bunch of reading practice was to follow. After that, I went straight upstairs, again forgetting that there’s a 25 minute break between classes. So, I ended up sitting in on the Monster’s class and talking with Katie, while watching Rose draw Godzilla on the board; they would be watching the movie in class today.

Just after she finished drawing Mothra, I had to leave. In Gender and Sexuality, we continued for a bit with marriage, and watched some more of the wedding, and then we went onto Japanese women’s narratives of internationalism. Basically, Japanese women are seeking opportunities outside their country because they want to live more fulfilling lives; and this includes seeking foreign men. Interestingly though, there are actually more foreign women married to Japanese men than Japanese women to foreign men. This is largely due to the large populations of Chinese, Koreans, and Pilipino in Japan, who are still considered “foreign”, even if they are born there; you’re Japanese by blood, not by birthplace. So that was all very interesting. Getting home, I had lunch, got the washing in, changed the linen, vacuumed the floor, did some exercise (didn’t go to the gym), and then finished off my interview write up. It was almost 7 when I put some rice on for dinner, and then got the write up printed off, and then started learning my vocab for Reading and Writing. I went back up to the kitchen just before my rice was done, and made gyudon. I sat with Ash, and Rachel joined us; everyone else had already gone to study. We stayed in the kitchen until about 9:30, and then made our way up to Ashes room to watch Hetalia; glad to be up-to-date now…

Day 211 - 29th of March

10:18pm　セミナーハウス

天気：曇り

Well, spring breaks over now, and once again, it’s time to get back into the routine that is university. Today’s weather was far for routine however. It went from sunny, to rain, to sunny, to sheet, to cloudy, to snow, back to sunny, rainy, and finally cloudy. The only thing that remained regular was the cold; I want warm weather already!!! Anyway, today was pretty lax; didn’t exactly get dropped into the deep end… going to uni this morning, I realised I hadn’t ridden my bike for over a week; I missed it. I got to Speaking just in time, and after Saigo sensei explained what our next presentation would entail, we basically spent the rest of the lesson talking about spring break. And, we also got our mid-term exams back; I was happy enough with my grade. In the hour break, I got productive writing out postcards, after buying a new pen from the convenience store. I sat with Sarah, Katie, and Rachel in the lounge, and only ended up getting two finished, since one was in Japanese; I realised that I could fit a lot more in when I wrote in Japanese.

In Reading and Writing, We also talked about our spring breaks, and then did a bit of kanji revision, before finally getting our results back from mid-terms; also pretty happy with my grades. To end the lesson, we watched La Maison en Petits Cubes, or つみきのいえ (Tsumiki no ie – “the house of small cubes). It’s a Japanese animated short film that won an academy award in 2008; I remember reading about it in Japanese back at USC. It was cool to finally be able to see it, and it was a very moving, beautiful short; only went for 12 minutes. After class, I went back down the lounge and sat with Sarah, finishing my postcards. That done, I rode to the post office and sent them on their way, and then went grocery shopping; oh, and did I mention it was also very windy today. Getting back home, I unpacked my groceries and then had lunch. Last week Rachel let me try some of the fried squid (kind of like calamari) she had bought from Fresco, so when I saw it today, I decided to get some; had it on rice for lunch.

After that, I put some washing on, and then read some more of Reborn. Half an hour later, I put the washing out, and then went to the gym. I felt good getting back into it, and I spent a good hour there. Getting back, I was able to get in contact with dad over skype, except his microphone wasn’t working, so I could only see him and try to read his lips; not really, he just typed. So, hopefully I’ll be talking with mum tomorrow, to find out what happened on Sunday. After that, I did my reading for Relgion, and then had a nap, getting up when Hugo returned at about 6:20. I uploaded some more photos to facebook, and then went up to make dinner. I used the rest of the fried squid in the yakisoba, and it turned out really well; I also had to use the rest of the lettuce, since it was getting old. At 8, a bunch of us went down to the lounge to watch “The Prince of Egypt” to celebrate Passover, since Rebecca, Brett, and Simon are Jewish; although Simon didn’t end up watching the movie. Yuji and Natchan were also among the viewers, and I think it would have been pretty interesting and informative for them. It was so funny – Natchan fell off her chair, and Yuji promptly piped up with “Moses, save me”; best call ever!!! Since I hadn’t seen the movie in ages, I really enjoyed; the music and songs are so beautiful. Well, guess it’s time for bed now; more uni in the morning…

Day 141 - 18th of January

10:08pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Well today took an interesting, though not completely unfavourable, turn… I got up at 9:15, had breakfast and got ready to go out. At 10, I was ready and waiting, and after about 10 minutes, Ash showed up, followed by Katie. We waited another 10 minutes, and there still was no sign of Peter, so I went up and knocked on his door; he was still in bed. He hadn’t gotten much sleep at all, so said he’d catch up with us later; okay, all good. So, we walked to uni, so Ash and Katie could get money out, since they literally had none. The JASSO scholarship stipend was supposed to come today, but unfortunately when they checked their accounts, it was not there. We went over to the CIE, and Katie picked up a package. Since they had no money the trip was cancelled, so I bid them farewell, and went to get some groceries at Kirindo and Fresco. This was a good thing; I was planning on doing the grocery shopping after koto, but it was much nicer to get it out of the way during the warmer hours of the day.

I ended up catching up with Katie and Ash, almost home. They told me that the money wouldn’t be coming in till later this month; it had been delayed for some reason. Because of this, they both had to get out loans; I’m so glad I have enough money left over! So, this meant that I could have a nice lazy afternoon before koto practice. I made rice, and then had lunch. After that I played my DS for a while, and then went and watched the rest of Rush Hour with Alex. By the end of the movie it was time to go. I got all rugged up, and went on my way. Practice was good today. I’m slowly getting the second koto part of sandan, but it’s not easy. I really want to get it good come performance time, which isn’t too far off now. Marika’s a little worried how she’ll go, but I think she’ll be fine. We had our meeting when Chiharu arrived at about 6:30, and then got in a bit more practice for the last half an hour.

Getting back, I went up and heated up lasts night dinner with rice. Jacinthe told me she’d gotten the present for Aki that I helped pay for, so we went and presented it to her; TimTams!!! Yuji dropped a big hint that he wanted some too, but we joked he wasn’t the one that was leaving, so didn’t get any. I’ve found a few places that sell them, so I’ll have to go pick up some for myself. Right now though, I’m really enjoying the red bean buns I’ve got; had two for dessert, with milk and a mandarin. Then got back down here, showered, and got all comfy bed. I don’t think I’ll be doing anything tomorrow until koto practice. Then going to karaoke with Katie and Ash; looking forward to that! Oh yeah, Ryan came back today, just as we were leaving this morning. Hopefully he’ll be sticking around for the inspection on Friday…

Day 138 - 15th of January

11:02pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Today was another half-day; got up at 11:30. After breakfast, I did the laundry, and hand washed my new jumper, turning my hands to ice. The sun only reaches my balcony after noon anyway, so it wouldn’t have made very much difference if I’d gotten the laundry out earlier in the day. At around 2:30, I made a quick visit to Sanko, to get bread and milk, and also mailed postcards at the nearby post office. I had lunch after returning, and after that, talked with Mum. Ben and Dad were back from Jamboree, but Ben was sleeping (totally wiped out), and Dad was mowing the lawn (typical), so I didn’t get to talk with them; oh well, hopefully tomorrow. I got the washing in at about 4, and hang it up inside, as I have to do all the time now since it’s too cold, and the sun is too weak. I went up and made dinner at 7. It was sliced chicken, in sauce with crushed Ritz crackers; lolz, aren’t I avant-garde.

The crackers really helped soak up the excess liquid. That, on top of spaghetti, and garlic bread as a side and I was set. I talked with Ash and Katie for a while, making plans for next week. After that, I came back down and read some more of Deltora Quest. I’m up to chapter three now, and my pace is increasing somewhat; I read 6 pages in under an hour. I soon felt hungry again, so returned to the kitchen and made 卵かけご飯 (Tamogo kake gohan – “egg over rice”). Basically crack a raw egg in boiled rice and you’ve got Tamago kake gohan; soy sauce is optional. It’s actually a really popular breakfast meal in Japan, because is quick and cheap to make, and it’s healthy; perfect for the hectic lifestyle of the Japanese. So yeah, now I feel content. I don’t think I’ll be doing anything tomorrow; probably just put on another load of washing. I have however, made plans to go to Nijo castle in Kyoto, with Nadezhda; should be fun.

Day135 - 12th of January

10:17pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Ryan’s finally back! He got here at 10 this morning; I hopped out of bed to let him in since he left his key at his girlfriend’s house. I didn’t mind getting up; it was getting late in the day anyway, and I had had a good night’s sleep. Since I didn’t have any milk, I went to Sanko to pick some up; and of course bought some other things. I got back and had breakfast, and then went downstairs, and took my laptop out into the lounge, since Ryan had gone to sleep. Following that, I spent the next few hours updating my blog and listening to music. It was a long and detailed entry, and it wasn’t finished till 3:30. I went up and had lunch, having put on rice over 30 minutes prior. I enjoyed my lunch, and then went out again at 4; to uni.

I got an email from Chiharu sempai (now our new club president), informing me that club practice would be starting up again; since Japanese students were already back in school. Of course I wanted to go; so excited about playing again. It was nice to see everyone again too. All of the Japanese students are still there; graduation isn’t until March. As for the international students, it’s just Marika and I; everyone else left, and Brittney won’t be back from America until late this month. So unless new people join, I’ll be the only male, which is kinda cool, xD. Anyway, we got straight back into it. Marika and I are now practicing sandan furiously, in preparation for a concert coming up in February; we’ll be performing hanagoromo too. I’ve decided to give the second koto part a shot; it’s a lot more difficult. I’ll still be practicing the first part with sensei though, so I figure if I just can’t get the second part good enough in time, I’ll have the first part to fall back on.

We had a meeting at about quarter past 6; to discuss dates for club practices since this time of year can be trick with the Japanese, and international student’s spring breaks falling at different times. Many of the girls are going doing study overseas programs, like Midori sempai, who will be doing another short program in Australia; she’d done one over the break. Another will be studying in Italy for a year. So that, and the fact that at least 2 girls are graduating, means that our club is going to diminish in numbers quite dramatically. I wonder if many international students will join. After practice, I went to the CIE to check my mail, and got another letter from Nanny and Poppy; probably should send another bout of postcards shortly. I then went to Kirindo to pick up a few more things; namely cereal and bread. Got back and had dinner (yakisoba), and then helped cleaning the kitchen; felt good. I’ll just be stuffing around on the computer for the rest of the night, and possibly playing DS…

Day 56 - 25th of October

9:26am　普通電車

天気：曇り

I'm with Katie on the local train to 伏見稲荷 (Fushimi Inari). It looks like it's going to be a cool day; overcast. We're not the only ones travelling. Carly is on a field trip, and Ash is going to a doujinshi convention - doujinshi are fan-made comic books. We all started out on the 9:06 bus, and then went our separate ways at the station.

4:06　普通電車
We're on the train back to Makino now. Today was fantastic... After getting off the train it was only a short walk to Fushimi Inari. The main grounds were quite expansive and we explored for a while before the festival. Soon after 11, the ceremony began in the main building. We were told not to take photo's and I felt compelled to oblige. The priests were first purified, and then they entered the building. They brought out a number of offerings on trays representing the years harvest; fish and vegetables and the like. Then, four women, sickle in their right hand, and bundle of rice in the left, performed a ceremonial dance to song and music from the orchestra. After the dance was complete, the offerings were put away, and after prayers and bowing, the priests left the building, followed by a procession of others; we decided to follow.

As we made our way through the forest, a Japanese woman came up to us and started speaking English. She explained to us the significance of the portable shrine, and how the danjiri didn't used to have wheels, they were carried; people have become weaker. We came upon a small field of rice, yet to be harvested. At this point, it was acceptable for us to take photos, so I recorded the event. The portable shrine (small and carried by two) was opened and some sort of box was taken out. Then the music and dance began again. At the same time, and group of people from the procession began to harvest the rice in the traditional fashion; with the sickle. They completed about a quarter before the music came to a close. Then, taking a bunch of the newly harvested rice, the priest placed it on the "box", before putting it back in the portable shrine. After the ceremony was completed, they continued to work in the field. The lady explained that only 40 years ago, rice was still harvested this way, and the straw was used for so many things; hats, shoes, mats... but no more.

It was about 12 at this point, so we decided to have lunch before heading up the mountain. We went to a small restaurant out on the street, and ordered from the plastic samples out front; I ordered an egg and rice, and noodle set. After lunch we began out hike through the 鳥居 (torii - shrine gates). It was absolutely incredible. There were literally 1000's upon 1000's upon 1000's of vermillion gates all the way up the mountain. We walked all the way to the top, through silent cedar forests and bamboo groves, and past 100's of sub-shrines with there own mini torii, and fox statues, all dedicated to Inari - the god of fertility, rice, agriculture, foxes, industry, and worldly success. I felt a profound connection with the nature around us. It wasn't too crowed and at some points it was so quiet, we felt that we shouldn't speak. At the middle of the climb, there was a great view of Kyoto; we stopped there to eat our apples after looping around the top.

Every single gate had writing on it; the year it was made and the sponsor. As old ones rotted away they were eventually replaced with new ones we gathered. Because of this, there were so many different shades of red. I was a bit disappointed that the leaves hadn't changed yet, but the green actually created a great contrast to the red of the gates. As usual, there were many stray cats around. We didn't end up getting down until almost 4. Katie bought a few trinkets and then we got on the train. Now we're back in Makino...

11:21pm

It's late I know. Came home about 5, had dinner, then studied for a bit. Tomorrow, I don't have my speaking class, so I don't have to be at uni until 12. This will give my time to study some more, and do my laundry.

Day 53 - 22nd of October

8:33pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
やった！！！Feeling much better now... that's 3 out of 5 of my exams out of the way; in one day! I think today went pretty well. I got up at 9, and rushed around to ready myself for my Japanese oral exam at 11:08. I got to uni with time to spare, and made my way up to the classroom on the forth floor. There was no one in there; that was strange. I quickly realised that the interview might be held in Sensei's office. Luckily it's on the floor below, and I soon found it. Jo emerged, looking a bit shaken, and then I went straight into it. I think it turned out pretty good, considering the fact that basically the entire conversation was in 敬語 (keigo - honorific speech). Unfortunately I didn't understand two of the questions he asked; I felt bad about that. Overall though, I was mostly fluent, and kept the conversation going.

I was soon out of there, and decided to go have lunch before my Reading and Writing class started, even though I'd only had breakfast a few hours earlier; egg on toast. Nevertheless, I went to the cafeteria and ordered kastudon (again). Charlie (from koto), came to sit with me shortly after I'd finished eating, and we chatted for a little while. He's in level 4 Japanese, and is not looking forward to his 作文 (sakubun - writing composition). After eating, we went back to CIE and I went to my class. We ended up revising for the exam next week. I was, at the same time, trying to review for my CEL exam. I really didn't study for it; I was too worried about history.

So I was freaking out a little going into the exam. In fact, it turned out to be really easy. I knew almost everything, and felt confident about my answers; it was a fill in the blank/true or false/multiple choice exam mind you. There were a few short answer questions. Lol, one of the questions was so inane. I think the professor put it there as a joke:

Who does the term "Otaku" refer to:
(a) You
(b) Me
(c) Who knows?
(d) Some third party that shall remain nameless

Or something of the like. If you don't know what お宅 (otaku) is, it's basically a Japanese term used to refer to people with (sometimes obsessive) interests, particularly in anime, manga, and video games. The term is actually derived from the honorific word for someone else's household or family; I used it in my oral exam today. Anyway, that was a bit silly; I answered (c). I finished the exam in about 35 minutes. Then I sat with Jo and Kelly and reviewed for the history exam; this was the one I was really freaking out about.

It turned out to be okay. Basically we had to answer two out of four essay questions, about a page each, and 5 out of 6 short answer questions, which were only two sentences long. The biggest problem for me, was expressing myself in a coherent and logical way; I don't think I'm very good at essay style questions. Anyway, I got it done; wrote plenty. I think I'll be fine. As long as I pass, I'll be happy. After the exam I walked home, before going for groceries at Sanko. I found out that Sanko actually closes all day Wednesday (go figure), so you get the best bargains there Tuesday night. The other night the guy that lives next door to us (Wali's his name) was about to throw away a whole contain of rice he had just cooked; it turned out really mushy cause he used too much water. I quickly stopped him and said I would eat it. He let me take it; waste not, want not. He said it looked like rice pudding, so I decided that I would indeed make rice pudding out of it.

I found an easy recipe on the Internet, and proceeded to buy the needed ingredients at Sanko; I got cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar. I also had to buy a tin. The only one I could find had a removable base, but I got it; 105円. I got home all excited, and started making it at about 6. I mixed the rice with two eggs, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and banana; the banana was my idea. I put the mixture in the tin and what happened, it leaked out the bottom. So, I decided to put some aluminium foil around it. I was cooking it in the "oven" i.e. the microwave, and although it has a specific oven setting, the girls there didn't think it was a good idea to use aluminium foil. So I put it on a plate instead. Then Diego came in and started to freak out that I had put tin into the microwave; I was fine though. While it was baking, I prepared and cooked my stir fry. 25 minutes later, the pudding was done and I'd just dished out my dinner; good timing. I got the tin, and the plate out of the microwave.

The pudding looked, and smelt great; I was surprised it turned out so well. So after my dinner I tucked in; it was so yummy! I was too full to eat it all, so I've saved the rest for later. The biggest downer was the washing up afterwards. The pudding had left a sticky mess all over the tin, not to mention the burns on the plate. With a lot of scrubbing, the majority of it came off; I guess I shouldn't expect much from such a cheap tin. Actually, the fact that you could push the bottom out really helped get the pudding out; too bad it leaked. Anyway, I think today was very successful; I feel so much lighter. And best of all, I've got a day off tomorrow since oral exams continue. I'm going to get a bit done, but mostly relax; might find a sentou somewhere...

Day 49 - 18th of October

10:38pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Today was another lazy day. I got a bit of study and reading done, and started preparing for my Japanese oral exam; I have an intereview with the sensei! There was a market going on in the park, and at around noon I went to go check it out; it was actually quite large. There were a lot of stalls (food, clothes, white elephant, second hand). There was a jumping castle and other activities for the kids, and a dog show! Although I didn't end up buying anything, it was a nice break from the mundane. After getting back I had lunch, and then studied some more. Carly hung out with Diego and I in our room for most of the day; her roommate was still in Hiroshima. At 6:30 I started dinner, and again, I forgot to defrost the meat; this time chicken breasts. I decided to defrost them in a pot of hot water, and ended up half cooking them. It all worked out though. I cut them up into small bits, and stir fried them along with veggies and noodles; so yummy and leftovers for tomorrow night. A little later, I put on some rice, and had a bowl. Still hungry I ate one of Diego's manderins and later, some of Amber's instant chocolate pudding. So now I'm very much content. Back to uni tomorrow...

Day 45 - 14th of October

9:12pm　セミナーハウス
天気；曇り
Well today turned out to quite okay. Speaking with the Japanese students was pretty good. I starting to feel like I can hold a semi-decent conversation, although the awkward silences still made an appearance every now and then. I think I did well in my essay; I ended up writing more than a page (more than 400 characters). I talked about how my life style in Australia differed from that in Japan. I tried to use as many new grammar patterns as possible. I've got more quizzes and tests tomorrow; it's never ending. I got home and had lunch. Avocado on toast as usual, except this time I put rice on top; wow, was really yummy. I'm going to pack some more, along with a carrot, apple, and tuna, tomorrow for lunch at uni.

I talked with Mum and Ben for a couple of hours; the Internet was shocking and kept on dropping out. Then I got my expenses spreadsheet up-to-date for this month; so far so good. Then I went to make dinner. I'd asked my Mum how to make stew and it ended up turning out really well: I fried the onions and then the beef (which I'd forgotten to defrost - again), then put in a can of whole tomatoes; then the rest of my veggies; then the stock; and finally some seasoning. I let it simmer for about 40 minutes before I became too hungry and had to eat. It smelt really good, and tasted even better. Carly kindly donated me one of her mega thick pieces of bread; I was very happy. And the best thing is, I have enough left for at least two more meals; I've put it in a container in the freezer. I'm having so much fun cooking; it's great. I'd better go now; do some study...

Day 17 - 15th of September

12:29pm　関西外大
天気；　雨天
I'm in my history class and I've realised that I've forgotten my book, so I'll have to write my notes in here (my journal)...

8:40pm
Today was really nice. It was cool and raining, and I actually got to wear my jumper. I walked with Joanna to, and from uni. Between classes we were lucky enough to see some gaidai students practicing a routine with flags; which I found out from Joanna is called colour guard. While watching, we reminisced about playing in band at school, and for her, going to band camp, and being in the marching band. We could hear the members from the gaidai concert band practicing in the background. I made me really want to play again!!!

After walking home, I immediately went out again to Sanko. A couple of days ago, Top World closed for renovation, so I've been having to go to Sanko. Not that I mind; it's much closer and it's cheaper. Tonight I made a salad with lettuce, tomato, and carrot; lol, the grater made the carrot into mush. I had my first attempt at cooking rice, and ended up burning a bit on the heating element; that was really hard to get off. The end result was a bit soggy; I used too much water. Oh well, live and learn. And with it I had some chicken nuggets (pre-made), which were really yummy. The rice ended up tasting okay, and I've got enough left over in the fridge to last the next couple of meals. I also started eating the 梨 (nashi - pear). Sooo fresh, and sweet, and tasty. So yeah, I'm eating quite healthily.

Since I finished all my homework this morning, I don't have much to do now. I'm meeting Dan tomorrow, hopefully. He's been busy with his part-time job and is very tired a lot of the time. Got clean linen today. For some reason the pillow case is always a lot bigger than the pillow. Maybe there's a special way to put the pillow in, I don't know. Anyway, I'm going to go have a shower, then get comfy in my futon and listen to music...