Progress

Chad's foot is almost healed! Here are shots from his journey:

Above, Chad is on the train after getting his cast removed, and having it replaced with a removable plaster cast. Below is a picture from today, with only a tight wrap. If he stops accidentally bashing his foot into things, he should be able to play futsal again in a few weeks or less.

Just as Chad's healing progresses, so too do the sizes of beer cans in Japan. At one of the convenient stores near our apartment you can choose cans running from 135 ml to 500 ml. They used to be available in even larger sizes, but since the earth quake last March they've stopped selling them (something to do with one of the factories breaking down).

Above, cans sized from 350 ml down to 135 ml

Honestly, I don't know who would ever choose a 135 ml can except for that rare person enjoying the novelty of a can that small. I mean honestly, why have a gulp of glory when you could chug a more reasonable amount for only a few yen more? Perhaps as a method to ween oneself off beer? I'm not sure it'll ever be clear to me.

Red Romance

Tried a new beer the other day that was similar to a Framboise. Add a punch of raspberry and it'd actually be pretty darn good, but at 105 yen it was still definitely drinkable! Plus it has a snazzy name.

November Challenge Update:

Yesterday=bad.

I mean, not that bad. But I was really busy at work, and then super tired and sick-feeling at night (I think my bronchitis is back for round two!), so I didn't go for a walk. And I was also lazy about drinking water. And I didn't go to the gym. But I didn't eat or buy sweets when alone, and I was thankful! Very very thankful!

1. I was (and am) thankful for pinterest, where I can keep track of teaching tools, projects and inspirations, and recipes (like this hearty soup we had with the leftover ciabatta bread from this paprika chicken ciabatta recipe (which we had with a side of Chad's guacamole!)! Yum, yum!).

2. Milk tea! In Japan, it doesn't really taste like tea because it is so sweet and milky, but it does taste like delicious. Especially when it's cold outside!

3. My lovely iPhone. Chad accidentally spilled tea on it, but it survived. And I'm so glad. Because I access pinterest on my phone. And I read the news on there, and I listen to smarty-pants podcasts on there (like the Splendid Table, the Jillian Michaels Show, or This American Life!). And I basically have put part of my soul in it because I am obsessed.

As for today, I drank my water, went for my walk, went to the gym (zumba!), and didn't eat or buy sweets while alone. I'm thankful for pretty Christmas decorations going up everywhere (I can't wait to go home to visit!) and long skype conversations with family (thank you technology! and thank you Ariel for chatting with me!). More tomorrow, which will be Friday! Woo hoo!

Weed Beer

We live in a country in which drugs like marijuana are not only prohibited, but strongly stigmatized. So you can imagine our surprise when we discovered this:




It's called Cannabia, and it's weed beer--complete with a scratch n' smell label across the bottle neck. According to the website, it was only recently that Japan permitted importation of the product, but other products sporting a marijuana scent, taste or picture have been around for years. (We often see pot-shaped air fresheners hanging from rear-view mirrors, for example.) I'm guessing these things aren't a gateway to the drug, however, because many people are oblivious to the leaf's meaning. Not too mention marijuana's (in)famous reputation for inducing lethargy. Nobody wants a lazy salary man!