Surface Of The Sun

2008-06-18T00:47:00.006-05:00

Games Galore:Well hello there,I think my job at GameStop is a curse. All of my paycheck goes right back into buying games. I usually go for all of the rare games for a particular system, or ones that I know I'll enjoy. Lately I've been on a serious search for all of the horror/thriller action-adventure games like Haunting Ground, Eternal Darkness, Silent Hill's, and Resident Evil's. I almost

2008-01-28T17:20:00.001-06:00

Well Well...After being caught up in a whirlwind of activities and adventures, I've finally found a few moments to write.I'm currently in the Physical Anthropology program at Wichita State University and after the first semester, things are busy, but going rather well. I got a job working here on campus doing work study in the forensic laboratory. My other job however pertains to games. I

2007-08-09T23:04:00.001-05:00

Culture Shock:Long time no? I didn't have much to write about since nothing has really been going on. I thought I'd spare you all the boring details of my life. However, some new stuff has happened, so I thought I'd write about it.Well I'm here in my new apartment in Wichita. I finally moved down here and got everything set up, but I'm still hunting for a job. I still think that it's rather

2007-06-10T18:55:00.000-05:00

Back In The Day...So I guess I was convinced somehow to post all my old Anime Music Videos I made back in the day. Feel free to laugh up a storm.That's all I got...or the ones I'm willing to show. The rest are either incomplete or were just experiments with Adobe Premiere.

2007-05-05T15:59:00.000-05:00

Help Me:Well I'm back from falling off the face of the planet...for the time being. School is out and finals are over. Now I can look forward to a summer filled with gaming and more working. Maybe I'll actually get around to finishing games I started awhile back and start playing the games I bought, but never had time to play. I could also get to work on obtaining more achievements for my Xbox

2007-04-05T22:18:00.000-05:00

My Hero:Hello all. It's been awhile...If you didn't know already, Shivering Isles - the newest expansion for Oblivion is out, and it is totally awesome and totally worth buying. Unfortunately, the only way to get it is through the Xbox 360 marketplace, so if you aren't connected, perhaps you should be! I don't know if you have to have an Xbox Live Gold Membership or not to download items as

2007-03-08T21:08:00.001-06:00

Dem Bones: <- Me praying to get into a Forensic Graduate Program. Well finally after two years of waiting and trying, I was just notified today that I've been accepted into a graduate program for Forensic Anthropology. So far, Wichita State is the only one who replied out of the other nine, but at least I got accepted into one, and that's really all I wanted. I really feel like partying...

2007-02-06T10:51:00.000-06:00

Blue Balls:I apologize for the long gap between posts, but as most of you know by now, my life is full of daring adventures, classes, homework, and boring days at work. I’ll make up for it with this gargantuan post…well almost.I’ve recently upgraded in the computer department and purchased a new PC minus the hard drives (200GB total) and the CD/DVD drives, which were relatively sufficient for my

2007-01-12T21:14:00.000-06:00

Back In and Out of the Grind:Well I guess I should comment on all the new games I got. I happened to pick up quite a few, but just forgot to comment on getting them at all.Awhile back I got Final Fantasy III for the DS, and just more recently I picked up Final Fantasy IV and V for the Advance...which I can just play on my DS. I also recently picked up Metroid Prime Pinball for the DS and have

2007-01-04T17:05:00.000-06:00

Congratulations, it’s a [Indeterminable]: No, no, I didn’t give birth, but I there is a new addition to the family. Say hello to Shi-ro, which means “white” in Japanese. I named “it” that way because Shi-ro is an albino leopard gecko, and the reason why I’m referring to Shi-ro as “it” is because I can’t tell what “it” is yet. Shi-ro is too young to tell at this age. If Shi-ro ends up being

2006-12-22T21:18:00.000-06:00

It's Been Awhile:Sorry it's been awhile since my last post. I've been catching up with grad school applications and I got all of them done but two (Ten total). YAY! My parents have decided to reward me with all my hard work and dedication this semester by letting me go on a cruise to the Cayman Islands and Cozumel. It's my first cruise, so it should be pretty fun and interesting.I had to do some

2006-12-06T21:01:00.000-06:00

Holy Halo 3 Beta Batman!Well as most of you know by now, Bungie and Microsoft have decided to give us all the wonderful opportunity of testing the Halo 3 multiplayer. This is probably one of the coolest things to have ever happened since the invention of canned cheese. Wanna try it out? GO HERE NOW!The other jaw-dropping event that occurred was the airing of the newest Halo 3 commercial on

2006-11-24T01:15:00.000-06:00

Let The Shopping Begin!I hope everyone ate their fill this Thanksgiving holiday because I certainly had mine. I read somewhere in the paper today that the average weight gain of college students over the Thanksgiving holiday is 1.1 pounds. I don't think that this is too bad, because I'm almost certain that the weight gain over the various December holidays are much more significant. But

2006-11-08T21:03:00.000-06:00

It's About Dom Time! Well, as most of you know with all the buzz going on about Gears of War, it's finally out and today I had a chance to play about five hours into the game. I finished the first two acts and started the first chapter of the third before I had to leave for work. I played hooky today and skipped out on my drawing class to play, but I'm allowed three absences, so I should be

2006-10-25T10:49:00.000-05:00

My Japanese Xbox Is Turning Americanese:Well, things haven't been going so well lately. The stress has been mounting up with classes, my two jobs, and grad school applications. I had to drop a class (Anatomy and Physiology) because I just didn't have the time needed to put in as much studying as I wanted. Another reason was that my entire grade depended on only four tests. I thought I would have

2006-10-12T22:42:00.000-05:00

All For Nothing:So while I was waiting for class to start I thought I'd turn on my PSP and play a little MediEvil Resurrection whilst I was waiting. I'm about 3/4 the way through the game, and so far I don't think that it was all that bad as some reviewers have made it out to be. But that also just goes to show how reviews aren't necessarily facts, and more like opinions. I feel bad for

2006-09-30T20:45:00.000-05:00

I Finally Broke...Well, I finally broke and bought a PSP? I asked my parents if they would get me one for Christmas, and they pretty much said that they'd never get me another gaming device ever, so that meant I could finally break the seal of anticipation and get my own. I bought the $250 dollar package that included the charger kit, a 1 GB memory stick, a worthless ATV game, and the movie

2006-09-21T01:01:00.000-05:00

New Pictures:This really has little to do with gaming but I'll try to put something in here that does. I bought another PSP game for the PSP I don't own yet. MediEvil Resurrection was on sale at Best Buy and I decided to buy it before the "Greatest Hits" packaging set in. Other than that everything has been the same as it was before maybe with the exception that I started taking a GRE class

2006-09-06T20:27:00.000-05:00

Wow...Well things have been pretty hectic lately ever since I moved into a house, started school, and both my jobs. Cleaning, unpacking, setting up the internet, classes, homework, and working are starting to take their toll on me. I think I forgot to work meals into my schedule, but maybe that's a good thing since I gained a few pounds back once my study abroad adventure was over.The house I

2006-08-22T23:37:00.000-05:00

The Beginning of the End:Well, I finally got moved out of my apartment and moved into to my parents place for a week. School has started, but I'm not too worried since I've already graduated. I no longer have my job with the government, but now I have two new ones. The first is working for the university medical center. I dont really have a set schedule for this job; I mainly just come in to help

2006-08-14T10:24:00.000-05:00

Resistance Is Futile:This weekend I headed into Lincoln to show off my Xbox 360 and Dead Rising to all my friends (who also are hyped about anything that has zombies in it). The weekend primarily consisted of video game playing, lots of eating and drinking, and of course, lots of sleeping.One of my friends had recently gotten back from an assistant teaching job in Japan and brought over the “plug

2006-08-10T10:06:00.000-05:00

Dishonor The Dead:Well, as expected, Dead Rising came out a day later than its intended released date because I live out in the "boonies" for the summer. I took an hour lunch yesterday and waited around for the UPS guy to deliver the goodness.I went to EB games the day the game was supposed to be out and saw the UPS guy making his rounds while a few other customers and I were waiting around in

2006-08-03T10:14:00.000-05:00

Emergence Day:I finally finished the quest "Mehrune's Razor" and I must say it was pretty sweet. Part of the quest took place in a cave, a mine, an Aleyid ruin, and an entire underground city! I guess the weapon that I obtained doing the quest was pretty neat as well. Mehrune's Razor has the chance of killing an opponent in a single swipe of the blade. Unfortunately, it's a magic item and

2006-08-01T13:17:00.000-05:00

Well, So Much For That...As most of you have probably heard, they are downsizing E3 next year, so that means this E3-goer won't be able to go next year. It's quite depressing actually.In other news I discontinued my CheeseWhiz Girl account on Xbox Live, so if many of you are wondering where I've gone (which is highly unlikely), now you know.I had been holding off buying the downloadable games and

2006-07-31T08:41:00.000-05:00

Let's Party!Sorry for the lack of a recent update. I guess I could have posted this a log time ago but, I finished the main quest and almost all side quests for Oblivion. The side quests that I did finish were all the guild quests and about 75% of all other side quests. So sometime on a rainy day I'll probably come back to it, but for now, I've decided to move on.I've met a few really nice people

2006-07-18T08:39:00.000-05:00

24 Hour Viruses Are NOT Cool:So yeah, I spent all of yesterday in my bed sweating my booty off eventhough my body was shivering. I had four blankets on and not a one of them seemed to help. It started off as a minor throat annoyance (sort of a dry feeling in the back of your throat) the day before, and then exploded into a demonic virus from hell within the next 12 to 24 hours. I then spent the

2006-07-14T09:48:00.000-05:00

You Got Another Thing Coming!:Well, I finally beat Prey yesterday. I have to say that the end boss was pretty weak, but then again I was playing it on “Normal” difficultly mode. I’ll try it out on “Cherokee” sometime soon. The story of the game seemed rather dry and cliché to me. It had some potential towards the end, but it soon went downhill after that. I played a little bit of the multiplayer

2006-07-13T08:48:00.000-05:00

Preyed:This last weekend I went to the local Best Buy here and I decided to buy some Ghost in the Shell - Second Gig DVD's, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, and also bought into the pre-order "trap" for Prey. :-P It cost $5 and came with a pretty cool looking pewter "Mutate" figurine. Seeing as how I'm living in a less populated area of Nebraska than I've previously been living in before (thank God it's

2006-06-30T13:50:00.000-05:00

Talking 360:Haven't done a whole lot except for work and playing the usual Halo 2 everynight...well, almost every night. I recently signed up for the 360 Voice. Basically it's a blog for your Xbox 360 and catalogs all the Xbox 360 games you played that day, along with the points you earned. One thing it doesn't catalog are any games from the original Xbox, so that means all my Halo 2 play time

2006-06-15T13:51:00.000-05:00

Working For "The Man":Well, working for "The Man" hasn't been too tough...yet. However, getting my fingerprints taken at the police station was rather unnerving... I guess all those murders, kidnappings, and burglaries I wanted to do won't work out as smoothly as I hoped. ;) I haven't done any field work as of yet, but for now I'm getting acquainted with mapping programs. I'm currently working

2006-06-12T01:21:00.000-05:00

Movin' On Up:Well, sorry for the long gap between posts, I finally moved into my new apartment. I'm going to start my summer job tomorrow morning and I guess I'm pretty excited. My official job title is "Archaeological Technician," but basically that means I get to be the assistant to the head archaeologist at the Bureau of Reclamation.In other gaming news, I am now the new owner of a Nintendo DS

2006-05-25T15:03:00.000-05:00

Another Birthday:Well another birthday has come and gone. There's nothing really to look forward to when you're 22... I didn't do a whole lot on the actual day except go out to eat some yummy steak and be forced to ride a saddle in front of the other customers. I also got to partake in some awesome ice cream cake...which happens to be my favorite type of cake.Tonight however a few of my friends

2006-05-17T20:13:00.000-05:00

Jury and Other Duties:Well, I got back from E3 on Saturday and have been busy with jury duty, and by that I mean figuring out whether or not they need me. I went to the court house the day I was assigned to go and the judge waved the jury for the case I was assigned to, so then they made me call in yesterday to see if I was needed for a case today. Well, the jury got waved again, so now I have to

2006-03-25T06:06:00.000-06:00

So Now What?:Well, I believe a new update is in order…so here it is.My luck this semester isn't so great. First I didn’t get accepted by Nebraska Wesleyan or Michigan State for graduate college, nor did I get accepted at my favorite choice: Mercyhurst. But if you really want to hear about how bad my luck is read this:I have been sending

2006-02-02T14:17:00.000-06:00

Get Your Daily Filling Of Rambo:Check out the article written about me and the PMS Clan in the Daily Nebraskan HERE!Since the article is devoid of photos, here's what it looked like. I can't believe I made the front page! w00t!

2006-01-31T02:04:00.000-06:00

Greedy:Greed:High Gluttony:Medium Wrath:Low Sloth:Medium Envy:Very Low Lust:Low Pride:Medium Take the Seven Deadly Sins Quiz

2006-01-26T16:44:00.000-06:00

Gradumatation:Well, I finally applied for graduation today. Getting everything figured out with my study abroad transcripts and credits was sort of a pain, but I guess that's what I get for taking part in a study abroad program while being a senior in college. Eventhough I got all that worked out (for the most part), deciding on where to go to graduate school is still stressing me out. Where I

2006-01-20T14:17:00.000-06:00

The Full 360:Well I guess it's time I got around to posting and I suppose it's a little late to say "Happy New Year" to all of you. Oh well, better late then never.The most recent news is that I finally got a X-Box 360. It hasn't crapped out or started my dorm room on fire, so I guess those are some positive things. I only have two games for it though: Condemned: Criminal Origins and Quake 4.

2005-12-26T01:02:00.000-06:00

Call of the Season:Well, I figured since I hadn't posted since I got back, now was a good time to do so. But I guess you people can't complain since I did make a post for every single day since the day I arrived and left Japan. And if you know me and how much I love to update my blog...well yeah...I went to my grandparents house on the 23rd to celebrate Christmas with the extended family on my

2005-12-10T21:27:00.000-06:00

12/10/05After my hour nap, I decided that I needed to go off to the post office as soon as I could before we left. A few things couldn’t fit in my luggage, and it was just best to send it separately. Also, if my bags were over a certain weight limit, I would have had to pay the equivalent of $230. Not my idea of fun. So, I went to the post office and mailed my package and walked back to the

2005-12-09T21:02:00.000-06:00

12/9/05Around 9:00 a.m. or so, I got an announcement over the intercom to pick up the phone because my host-mother was on the other line. This kind of thing makes me wish my cell phone still had service. I had asked my host-mother if she could help me put on my kimono, and she agreed. Soon afterwards, I was informed that it was alright for me to join the other girls that were being fitted with

2005-12-08T21:00:00.000-06:00

12/8/05We only had two sessions of Japanese class. We got our tests back and reviewed them in class. I did better than I thought I did, which was a little bit of a shock. After class we celebrated no more classes with a vest session. When we finished vesting we went to the au store to cancel the service on our cell phones. After we did that Ben and I went and got some ramen downtown by the

2005-12-07T20:58:00.000-06:00

12/7/05Today we had our final examination. I was happy that it wasn't cumulative, but it was still hard for me to do none the less. I stayed up most of the night studying for it, so it sort of seemed kind of like a waste. The test went alright of course, but after the test I realized that I made a lot of stupid mistakes. Oh well. I get a grade from the university, but it doesn't count

2005-12-06T07:16:00.000-06:00

12/6/05I woke up late again thanks to my alarm and only made it to three sessions of Japanese. We reviewed for the test tomorrow and took a kanji quiz. After class we went to Mos Burger for lunch. When we finished lunch, we returned to the dorms and I took a nap. A few of the others went out vesting, and I thoroughly enjoyed my nap. I woke up and made an awesome dinner of gyoza (

2005-12-05T10:57:00.000-06:00

Picture Update:Picture from more of my adventures around Japan, my home-stay family, the slumber party, and other funny and random pictures HERE

2005-12-05T10:25:00.000-06:00

12/5/05This morning we didn't have our regular classes because we had our final Japanese presentations. My presentation went fairly well, and I did a lot better after I reviewed and studied it last night. There were also a lot of funny presentations as well. Michael's presentation was on zombies and Justin's was about ninjas. It was just right since we had too many of the standard, boring

2005-12-03T10:23:00.000-06:00

12/3/05I slept in late today. A few of the others wanted me to come along with them to the giant book off in Nagayama, but I decided to stick behind and hang around the dorm. Eventually the group returned, and I joined them for some ramen down by the station. After dinner we went back to the dorms. On our way back we ran into a headless Santa in front of a pharmacy. I swear, we

2005-12-02T10:21:00.000-06:00

12/2/05We didn't have our regular Japanese classes this morning because we went up to Building No. 9 to practice our final Japanese presentations. For the time it took for all six class members to finish their presentations, we had two sessions left. Instead of going back up to Building No. 2, we went up to the 5th floor to the International Affairs Office to have class. Other classes were up

2005-12-01T11:39:00.000-06:00

12/1/05We had the regular four sessions of Japanese in the morning and had the rest of the afternoon off. When I got back to the dorm I played Step Mania for awhile and then decided to take a nap. I then woke up because people were leaving to go to Saizeriya for Ben's birthday today. We had to wait around for a few people, so I played a little more Step Mania while I waited. We then

2005-11-30T11:32:00.000-06:00

11/30/05We only had three sessions of Japanese class this morning because we had a tour in the afternoon. We got to go visit the Kirin Beer Garden in Yokohama, which was pretty cool. Not because we got to see how beer is made, we got to drink it. After the tour we rode back to Mukogaokayuen and I made myself dinner. After dinner I was pretty tired, so I went off to take a nap and didn’t wake

2005-11-29T13:35:00.000-06:00

11/29/05Today we had the normal four sessions of Japanese and then had orientation for leaving Japan afterwards back at the dorm. They told us all the stuff we needed to do before we left and how to get everything to the airport. Since it is sometimes hard to take your entire luggage with you to the airport, they have a service that comes and picks up your luggage for you. You pick up your

2005-11-28T13:33:00.000-06:00

11/28/05I had four sessions of Japanese in the morning and then we had our business presentation in the afternoon. The schedule said that it started at 2:00 p.m., but when we got to the classroom the time changed to forty minutes later. I could have taken a nap in that time, but oh well. We gave our presentation and it went rather well. But after we gave it we had second thoughts,

2005-11-27T13:29:00.000-06:00

11/27/05I woke up later on in the afternoon. A lot of people decided to go to Akihabara today, and I had planned on leaving with them, but ended up meeting them there later. By the time I got to Akihabara, everyone had left except for Ben who met me at the train station. We went to the same really awesome ramen place for dinner and then did some walking and shopping around Akihabara. They had

2005-11-26T13:29:00.000-06:00

11/26/05I woke up around 11:00 to work on the presentation with the rest of my group. After discussing what we were going to do I went out to vest with Justin and Ben. Ben and I stopped at a ramen place to grab some late lunch and then met back up with Justin and did some vesting. After vesting we returned and watch the remaining nine episodes of "Densha Otoko." That just about ate up our

2005-11-25T13:27:00.000-06:00

11/25/05Well luck was not on my side again this morning because my alarm on my cell phone decided that I didn't have to wake up this morning. And as a result, I missed a session of Japanese class. I guess somebody really doesn’t want me going to class this week, which is somewhat fine by me, because I feel that I need the break. I’ve been loaded with tons projects and papers this week.

2005-11-24T07:48:00.000-06:00

11/24/05This morning my alarm decided to fall from my bed and smash into pieces. So, as a result, my alarm didn't go off and I missed two sessions of Japanese class. Luck just doesn't seem to be on my side this week.After Japanese class I lounged around the dorm a bit and talked to people online for awhile. My host-mother told me to call her tomorrow because she was going to meet up with the rest

2005-11-23T07:47:00.000-06:00

11/23/05Today we had no classes because it was a Japanese national holiday. So basically today was my Thanksgiving break. I didn't do a whole lot except for sleeping till about 3:00 in the afternoon.I went out vesting with Ben and Justin and then we went to Saizeriya for dinner. Becca called me on my cell there and I talked to her there and the whole way home. I was nice to talk to her again

2005-11-22T22:52:00.000-06:00

11/22/05I felt like crap this morning and my alarm also decided not to go off, so I only made it to three out of four Japanese classes. Our last business wasn't until 3:40, so I decided to head back to the dorm and catch a nap. I woke up just in time to make it to class and by the end of class I was happy we had no more business classes for the rest of the year. After class I

2005-11-21T22:51:00.000-06:00

11/21/05I reluctantly woke up for class the next day and just barely made it through four sessions of Japanese class. After class I went to the cafeteria for lunch and then we had another consultation on our group project. That didn’t last very long so I celebrated by getting out of class early by taking a nap back at the dorm. I woke up around dinner time and went to have some ramen

2005-11-20T22:47:00.000-06:00

11/20/05Woke up around 4:00 in the afternoon and started on my culture class essay. It had to be eight to ten pages, so it wasn't all that hard. I pretty much had five pages of notes and then just filled in the rest. In-between writing my paper I took breaks chatting online or gathering more information online for my paper. I also took a lot of breaks playing Step Mania and a few others.

2005-11-19T07:32:00.000-06:00

11/19/05Woke up around 2:00 in the afternoon and took a shower. After my shower I fell back asleep as I read my Halo novel. I woke up around dinner time and played some more Step Mania. I then decided to go to Shimokitazawa to do some shopping and get a crepe there at the famous crepe shop, but decided to stop at the Family Mart on the way to the station and got an ice cream bar.I also decided to

2005-11-19T00:35:00.000-06:00

Picture Update:Pictures from Ayako's House, Yokohama, and Kamakura HERE

2005-11-18T23:47:00.000-06:00

11/18/05We only had our four Japanese classes in the morning. Somewhere in-between the third session of class, Cooper called me on my cell. I asked the teacher if I could be excused and she complied. He told me that he was lost somewhere as they were trying to get to Asakusa. I then went back to the class and asked my teacher for help with directions and pointed Coop in the right direction. I

2005-11-17T23:46:00.000-06:00

11/17/05We had the usual four sessions of Japanese and then had two really boring business classes in the afternoon. After classes Ben, Nick, Justin, and I decided to go to Saizeriya for dinner, and we even convinced a Japanese student to come along as well. After dinner we walked to a game store so that Nick could buy a game he wanted. I also saw at the store that they were taking

2005-11-16T23:45:00.000-06:00

11/16/05Today we only had three sessions of Japanese class because we had a mandatory field trip to an insurance company in downtown Tokyo. It was only made mandatory because people had mentioned that the trip was going to be boring and worthless, which is what it was. After riding the subway to the Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company, we were split up into three groups and given a tour

2005-11-15T23:42:00.000-06:00

11/15/05We had four sessions of Japanese in the morning and then had a business and culture course. I didn't really care too much for the business class, as usual. The culture class on the other hand was an extension of the last culture class we had on non-verbal communication. At the end of the class we were assigned a paper on a Japanese non-verbal communication we noticed. It won't be that

2005-11-14T08:18:00.000-06:00

11/14/05Today we only had three sessions of Japanese classes. We got out early so that we could visit a Japanese elementary school. After the taxi ride to the school, we arrived at the elementary school and were greeted by lots of hyper elementary students. They were so happy to see foreign college students, and as soon as we arrived, word spread like wild fire that we were there.We were then

2005-11-13T07:41:00.000-06:00

11/13/05Woke up around 2:00 in the afternoon today. It felt good to sleep in after not having a lot of sleep during the week. I did some internet surfing and then made myself some lunch. I then decided to watch the anime movie "Ah, My Goddess," which was then followed by the movie, "Gladiator." Someone else wanted to use the T.V. room, so I went upstairs and did some internet surfing and

2005-11-12T07:36:00.000-06:00

11/12/05Woke up around 8:00 and got ready to go on our field trip for the weekend. We were all split up into groups and I went along with Justin, Michael, Ben, Thomas, Yuki, Tai, and another boy I don't know. He was cool though because he had some sort of semi-mohawk thing going on. We rode the train all the way to Fujisawa and then got around to look at the beach. Thomas and a few

2005-11-11T23:34:00.000-06:00

11/11/05We had our normal Japanese classes in the morning and got our tests returned to us. I did a lot better than the previous test, but I know I could have done better if I had studied more.We didn't have any business or culture classes in the afternoon, but we had to do some field research for our group business project. Our group split up into two, one went to Harajuku and the other went to

2005-11-10T23:34:00.000-06:00

11/10/05We had our Japanese test in the morning that included the written, reading, and oral exam. I think it went a lot better than it went the last time I took the exam. After the test I went back to the dorm and made some macaroni and cheese. We didn't have any business or culture courses in the afternoon, so after lunch I surfed the web and talked to people online for awhile. I then

2005-11-09T23:29:00.000-06:00

11/9/05In class today I was feeling the effects of the karaoke party last night. We had four sessions of Japanese in the morning and then I went to the cafeteria for lunch. We then had two business classes in the afternoon and then I went back to the dorm. A group of us watch "The Fifth Element," in the T.V. room together. After watching the movie I was incredibly tired and then went to be in

2005-11-08T22:04:00.000-06:00

11/8/05We had the usual four sessions of Japanese classes in the morning, but only had one culture course later on in the afternoon. Since we had some time between classes, I went back to the dorm and made some macaroni and cheese for lunch and then watched "Intensity," on T.V. with some others in the T.V. room. The movie finished just in time so that I had just enough time to walk up

2005-11-07T22:03:00.000-06:00

11/7/05We only had three sessions of Japanese classes because we had a class field trip. After Japanese class I went down to the dorm and made some lunch and then walked down to the station to meet up with the rest of the class so we could all travel together for the field trip. We ended up in Harajuku and walked down the street to the KDDI design studio. KDDI designs cell phones and other

2005-11-06T21:59:00.000-06:00

11/6/05Woke up around 10:00 a.m. and talked to Ayako, Megumi, Mina, and Ryo on MSN Messenger with the webcam. We talked till around lunchtime and then took the train to the Yokosuka-Chou station. It happens to be the station near where Ayako's mom works at Saint Joseph Hospital. We looked around in a few stores at a mall there and then walked seeing what some of the street vendors had to offer.

2005-11-05T22:33:00.000-06:00

11/5/05Woke up around 9:00 or so and ate breakfast with Ayako's mom. When then rode the train to Yokohama and went to see the Ramen Museum. Yes, that's right, a museum dedicated to the history of a certain type of noodle. Not only did it have that, in the basement were replicated street shops that sold ramen. Each store specialized in a certain region where the ramen was made in Japan. Not every

2005-11-04T22:29:00.000-06:00

11/4/05I woke up around noon and I decided to find out where Ayako's house was. Since Ayako wasn't online at the time, I asked around for directions or suggestions as to how I could get there. Later on, I finally got a hold of Ayako herself and she told me how to get there. I packed my bags for one night and then headed off to the station. I rode all the way to Shinjuku on the Odayku line and

2005-11-03T10:46:00.000-06:00

Photo Update:Photos from my 9 day break around Japan HEREI also ran out of room, so I had to make another album HERE

2005-11-03T09:05:00.000-06:00

11/3/05Woke up around 9:00 and check out of the hotel by 10:00. We decided to leave our stuff at the hotel and come back and get it after we got back from Himeji. Joe, Katie, and I went to the 7-11 to grab breakfast and then walked to the Kyoto station. We got on the Shinkansen for Shin-Osaka and then transferred trains there to Himeji. The entire ride took about an hour.We grabbed a map at

2005-11-02T08:58:00.000-06:00

11/2/05Woke up around 8:00 a.m. and then left around 9:00. We got breakfast at the 7-11 again and then walked back to the hotel. We found out at the hotel that the Imperial palace was open to the public today, and that we didn't need to make a reservation to get in. Apparently, the palace is open to the public about five times a year, and we had come at just the right time. It was also the

2005-11-01T08:55:00.000-06:00

11/1/05We all woke up around 7:00 a.m. and then left around 8:00. Mai, Sara, Ekaterina, and Orla met up with us at the hotel. They were going to stay at J-Hoppers as well for the next couple of nights. We stopped at the 7-11 across the street to buy some breakfast and then walked to the Toji Temple that was on the South side of the station. Once we got there we found out that the admission fee

2005-10-31T09:35:00.000-06:00

10/31/05We woke up at 7:00 a.m., give or take a few minutes. I took a shower, got ready, and packed. We eventually left the hotel around 8:00 a.m. and got some breakfast at the nearest convenient store. After that, we rode the street-car to its final stop at the ferry station that would take us to the floating Miyajima Tori.The ride there took about an hour because we made frequent stops and

2005-10-30T09:25:00.000-06:00

10/30/05Woke up around 9:00 a.m. and took a shower. After I got ready I went downstairs to meet up with Joe and Katie so that we could all walk to the station together. Michael and Ben went along with us since they were going to Hiroshima as well. We rode to Shinjuku first to exchange our receipts for J-Rail passes. With them we could ride on any JR train, ferry, etc. It was much cheaper to

2005-10-29T09:22:00.000-05:00

10/29/05I had slept in until around 4:00 p.m. I woke up with cough, but at least I could breathe out of my nose. I then made fajitas and macaroni and cheese for dinner. Michael and Ben joined me for dinner as well. Eiji, one of the R.A.'s had asked if he could try some Mexican food. We showed him how to make a fajita and he tried it with some of the guacamole I had made. He loved the food

2005-10-28T05:17:00.000-05:00

10/28/05I woke up with a runny nose and a sore throat. I had started to feel a little under the weather yesterday, but it became even more apparent today. We had our usual four sessions of Japanese in the morning and then had two sessions of business classes. In our business classes we learned about the history of the first Canon copy machine that used normal paper and the first VCR player. It

2005-10-27T10:19:00.000-05:00

10/27/05We only had three Japanese classes in the morning. We had to go to a tea ceremony lesson in the afternoon. After classes I went back to the dorm to mail my package back home. The post office picks up the package for you and then mails it. But I had to go to the post office to mail my smaller package.After going to the post office I went to the station to meet up with the rest of the class

2005-10-26T10:17:00.000-05:00

10/26/05Usual morning routine again. We had some really boring business classes in the afternoon. I was struggling just to keep myself awake by the time the second business class rolled around. Eventually, I made it through the torture and then went back to the dorm. When I got back a package was waiting for me in the office. I was from my mom, and it was really, really heavy. I was so

2005-10-25T10:15:00.000-05:00

10/25/05I had the same morning routine. We had culture classes in the afternoon. In one of the culture classes we were split up into groups and had to record ourselves giving a presentation to the other people in our group. We had to write a paper and give a presentation over the similarities and differences between American universities and Japanese universities. We also had to include our

2005-10-24T09:57:00.000-05:00

10/24/05I had Japanese classes in the morning and then we had business class in the afternoon. After class I "vested" with Ben and Justin. After the "vest fest" we went to Saizeriya for dinner. I got my usual spaghetti with meat sauce and a side of garlic bread. I was happy to eat out for dinner because I didn't go shopping this week yet and I was too lazy to make anything. After

2005-10-23T23:50:00.000-05:00

10/23/05Slept in till about noon and then read some more of my Halo novel. I have a few more chapters and then I'll move on to the second novel in the series. While I was reading I fell asleep and then woke up again around dinner time. I made a nikuman in the microwave, but that wasn't satisfying enough, so I invited Katie to go to Sizeriya with me for dinner. Saizeriya is the cheap Italian

2005-10-23T08:27:00.000-05:00

Photo Update:More photos HERE!

2005-10-22T07:09:00.000-05:00

10/22/05Woke up around 8:00 and had a traditional Japanese breakfast. I don't know why the Japanese like to eat fish for breakfast, and neither did my stomach. I eventually ate it all and then went back to my room to pack. After packing and making my bed I went out to the bus and then we had about an hour ride to the Onsen, or hot spring. We actually had a choice whether or not we wanted to

2005-10-21T06:16:00.000-05:00

10/21/05We had to be on the bus by 8:30. The bus ride was about two hours or so to the Hakone Open-Air Museum. The fountain out in front of the museum was really cool looking with all of its moving parts and the water flowing over it. It was really complex. Also in front of the museum was a tiny hot spring that shot out water into another small fountain. We entered the museum and

2005-10-20T04:55:00.000-05:00

10/20/05Woke up and went to Japanese classes. We didn't have any afternoon classes, but we had to start working on our group project instead. We have to compare and contrast certain parts of Tokyo and then create a presentation. For one of our areas our group chose Akihabara. Jake was doing the T.V. program filming for the afternoon and Frank was really sick, so Ben, Orla, and I went down to the

2005-10-19T08:54:00.000-05:00

10/19/05We didn't have normal classes today. Instead we had a tour of a Kazusa DNA Research Institute and Nippon Steal Factory. The bus ride to the research institute was about two hours long. Upon arriving, we were directed directly into a classroom. We were then given a lecture on the importance of DNA research and what the research facility is currently researching. It was a

2005-10-18T07:26:00.000-05:00

10/18/05Same morning routine. The only difference about today was that we didn't have any afternoon classes. Well, we did have an optional activity to go to, but an interesting situation came up. That situation was that we could have a chance at getting on Japanese T.V. Someone approached one of the students in the Senshu Program and asked if he wanted to be on Japanese T.V. and to tell all his "

2005-10-17T09:30:00.000-05:00

10/17/05I had the usual morning routine of waking up, taking a shower, and then walking up to class. Our business class today covered what some of our field trips were going to be. One of them is a giant steel factory and the other is a beer factory. We have to write a two page essay for each of the trips, which isn't a lot. I sneeze out two page papers.The other business class was about vending

2005-10-16T23:23:00.000-05:00

10/16/05Woke up around noon and read a few chapters in my Halo novel - don't worry I'm almost finished with it, the first one that is. After reading went grocery shopping. I bought most of my food at the Life store, and then went to the 99 yen shop to buy some snacks. They had a new product there and I decided to try it. Basically it was a bunch of corn flakes covered in chocolate. After

2005-10-15T03:27:00.000-05:00

Picture Update:GO HERE to see my trip to Mount Fuji and more home-stay pictures :D

2005-10-15T01:52:00.000-05:00

10/15/05Woke up around 9:00 today and ate a Japanese-style breakfast with my host-mother and father. It consisted of rice, salmon, and miso soup. While eating breakfast my host family decided to take me to Mount Fuji. After breakfast I took a shower and then we left by car to Mount Fuji. It took about two hours by car to reach Mount Fuji. The drive there was spectacular because you