I suck at following the rules. Thought this would be interesting, given how little I read now and how much I USED to love reading. At least half this list was written without much thought… then I needed some help.
- Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle (once my favorite book)
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
- Foundation series by Isaac Asimov
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
- Redwall series by Brian Jacques
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Animorphs series by K. A. Applegate
- Wild Swans by Jung Chang
- Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White (the first novel I ever read)
- Goosebumps series by R. L. Stine
- Origins Reconsidered by Richard Leakey
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- A bunch of Chinese crafts-for-kids books by this one lady whose name I’ve forgotten.
- The first three of Madeline L’Engle’s “Time Quartet”
Via goodolddays
kxj:
This meme has been floating around Facebook for a week, and now I am of course compelled to follow suit, and force others to do the same. Well, that means you, Lucy.
Okay, fine. But I’m going to take my sweet time (3 days) and do a theme. That theme being… Japan. So here’s 25 random things about my life in Japan:
- My house has no hot water. I have to power up gas heaters if I want to bathe or wash things without going numb.
- Clothes fit me, finally.
- Despite the fact above, most of my clothes come from a store that uses Western sizes.
- I’ve decided today that I hate mayonnaise.
- I don’t like natto and probably never will.
- I’ve been trying to drive fuel efficiently, but the other crazy drivers on the road make it difficult.
- Aloe with white grape drinks are my new favorite thing.
- I have met two other teachers here who take absolutely amazing photos and now realize I need to learn a LOT more about photography… and get a nicer camera.
- Convenience stores do not have kimchi ramen and I think that is a crime against humanity.
- Corn dogs are called “American dogs” and they are sometimes served cold and covered in sugar.
- I overpay for tissues ($1 a box) so I can get the boxes with awesome scenes from Moominvalley.
- The most delicious apple cake I have ever had in my life was here in Japan… made by the wife of a friend’s acquaintance. And that pie was cold. I can only dream of the heavenly taste of it freshly baked.
- I live near the biggest marsh in Japan and an active volcano. While I can’t see the marsh from the city, I can see the snow-capped volcano billowing sulfur clouds on a clear day.
- I’ve seen a Daihatsu Naked and a Honda That’s… and felt both could have used more cowbell.
- Crime against humanity that is more heinous than the previous crime against humanity: there are no tortilla chips here.
- Possible solution to the just-stated problem, except for the fact that it is 6 hours away from my current location: Costco.
- I don’t like Japanese subtitles on English language films because the translation is never satisfying.
- Why Japan has this crazy low birth rate problem: people work their asses off for long hours, so that people in stable, family-supporting jobs like teaching don’t have time to be in relationships… and if they’re married, it is not uncommon for spouses to live apart because of where their jobs put them.
- Speaking of relationships, it is somehow okay if two people are dating and yet they pretty much ignore each other? How is that right?
- For some reason, I am afraid to appear TOO good at Japanese. This is stupid.
- It is awesome living across the street from a convenience store. Except for point #9.
- I am jealous of other ALTs who are all “yeah, I eat with my students and are totally BFFs with them”… but at the same time… that stuff is tiring and it is hella awkward to sit there and not understand a thing people are saying.
- “Shitake” is Hokkaido slang for “see you later.”
- “Shiitake” is a popular mushroom. The ones we have back in the US are apparently monstrously huge.
- I’m going to see this on Saturday.
