Damn you January, why you gotta be such a bitch??

So every year I go through the same thing. Unless I am sitting on a tropical beach with an alcoholic drink in my hand, and a half-naked, sexy guy prancing about in my field of view, January is generally a depressing month. Normally I attribute this to the horrible winter weather in Canada, as well as post holiday food/alcohol/illicit substance withdrawal. However, this year I expected a much warmer winter, given that I am now living on the southern end of the Japanese mainland and so hoped to avoid my usual malaise this time of year. Alas, the demons of winter seem to follow me everywhere....

It is much warmer in Shimabara than in Toronto, granted. There is no snow and the temperature rarely falls below 0 degrees Celsius. However, the lack of indoor heating makes it seem a lot colder than it is. That combined with the fact that it gets dark so fast and there is not much to do here in the winter has caused me to walk around with a perpetual storm cloud over my head, whom I have decided to call "Stormy". I know it's not original but he doesn't seem to mind.

This year though, I have decided to not let myself lie passively while Stormy has his way with me. Instead I have actively taken up a myriad of activities designed to increase my winter combat readiness. I have started jogging and swimming in addition to my daily practice of Iaido and Jodo, and I have tried to have something constructive planed for every night of the week (even if it's just to cook for myself....yes, I am cooking for myself, and no, I have not yet suffered from food poisoning).

Jogging is particularly difficult around here since there are so many damn hills. I often get elderly Japanese people giving me concerned looks as I asthmatically wheeze past them, red in the face. I try to smile back reassuringly, but I think this often comes out as a wince. One time, I had my head phones on as I was nearing the top of a hill, and I was really forcing myself to jog the last part so I think I may have screamed/whined rather loudly in pain and exhaustion as I finally reached the top. I had to stop at that point and so happened to notice that the sounds I had just made had rather scared an old woman who was standing just outside of her home nearby. She was clutching her chest in fear, whilst I was clutching mine as a result of impending cardiac arrest. I managed to smile at her sheepishly, and then limped away, slightly embarrassed but more so dizzy from lack of oxygen.

Swimming I have taken up more recently because the pool is really nice and warm and that is something I highly appreciate at the moment. Finding a swim suit in Fukuoka was a bit difficult though as I had to look for triple L sizes because compared to the Japanese chicks, that is how large I am. I managed to find a nice one though, and it only barely makes me look like a packed sausage.

Speaking of the Fuk, that is another aspect of my battle plan against winter discontent. I have vowed to go to the city as often as possible! Luckily, Nicole is always game to join me since she lives on an island and has even less to do than I. This past weekend we spent a fun-filled two days there shopping and clubbing. It was certainly nice to once again get some of that faintly desperate male attention that one often finds in clubs. Even if the men were either chest thumping US Forces guys with the IQ of a leafy vegetable, or very cute but highly metro Japanese guys whose English skills extended only so far as allowing them to utter, “Where from? Want come home with me??”. Yah. Well we still had a good time and I did actually meet someone who I really liked so we’ll see what happens.

I am at work right now on my lunch break and so thought I would update my blog. I wish I had pictures of Tokyo (Tina and Tomo, hint, hint if you are reading this) but I guess that’s what I get for being too lazy to take my own damn pictures.
For some reason though this is a busy week so I have tons to do. In fact, I don’t have a free night this whole week until Friday! But that’s how I like it, because I see Stormy standing just outside the teacher’s lounge waiting for an opening and I'll be damned if I'm gonna give him one….just try me, Stormy, you ethereal bastard!