snowboardinggggg

Went snowboarding for the first time this season! It wast just as great as I knew it would be!! I met up with some English teacher friends and some Japanese friends and we boarded at Kagura ski resort in Yuzawa, one of the biggest ski areas in the prefecture. Every time I snowboard I'm always reminded how good of a life metaphor it is:

• It's all about "letting it flow"
• Sometimes you need to catch up with others, and sometimes you need others to catch up with you
• Don't hit anything!! And also, don't get too upset if something hits into you
• If you are with friends it is the best. But if you are by yourself you can listen to music and think
• There is a lot of waiting time and hassle to deal with before you get to the fun part, which goes by a lot quicker than you realize
• hmm I had a few more of these while I was sliding down the mountain

Anyway, this is my last week before my winter vacation. I don't feel like this vacation is deserved--usually winter break is the reward after a stressful and hectic finals season, but my job is not challenging in nearly the same way being a student was, so the buildup to vacation hasn't really been.... built up in quite the same way. In any case, I am really looking forward to seeing Amy, Bridget, and especially Luc, in Nagano for snowboarding, and then showing off to them all my Kyoto knowledge (and also meeting up with Kojiro, Mamu, and perhaps some of my study abroad friends at the same time).

But first also is the bōnenkai 忘年会 (forget the year party) with my base school teachers on Wednesday night. After work on wednesday we will go to a restaurant in Nagaoka to bid farewell to 2010. And then Thursday morning I am off to Nagano!

Wow this post has been scattered and not very well written. sorry, I'll try harder next time.