Currency

Toe,
Japan, man, that sounds awesome. I am envious of you and El's travel plans. I want to visit the far east one day. If Japan's currency problems continue, perhaps it will be the place to go in coming years.

Keeping current on the blog is problematic for me, as I said, because I don't have much of a life lately. So, I hear your pain (although I think you were sharing in response to my initial complaint of not having a life. I appreciate that).

I am trying, though not too hard. Last night C and I went out for a drink with friends here. It was nice, albeit I couldn't really drink like I wanted to because I agreed to drive. Then again, I didn't really want to be hung over today. Work has been a little demanding of late, so I am reluctant to dull my senses too much.

I like your story about throwing tomatoes. I think you probably were helping in your way--by splattering the tomatoes, you were helping them to decompose and return to the soil, perhaps seeding the ground for next year. I can picture your parents the following summer saying "Why is there a tomato sprouting from that crack in the driveway?"

Putting my garden to bed involved me pulling up dead plants, piling them in the compost, and covering the ground with leaves. The last part was kind of pointless, as the leaves immediately blew up against the fence, leaving my garden naked to the elements. No biggie. I also collected some beans and the last of the kale, which, while wilted, was still quite edible. In fact, I just steamed it last night and plan on having the last of it as a snack this afternoon.

We had an ice storm this past weekend. It was impressive--lines were down, a transformer blew, and the whole town was coated in a 1/4 inch of ice. We were reading in bed by candlelight Saturday night, wondering if the ice-heavy tree in front of the house would crash through the window. It was kind of fun.

Hey, do I understand correctly that you are not taking classes in the Spring?

Anyway, I better get back to work. I do not have my dates for the January visit yet. Will keep you posted.

Happy December to you, and keep the home-fire burning.

E-word