Frostbitten

Before coming to Japan, I vaguely remembered that, thanks to complete lack of insulation in Japanese buildings, it tends to be very...very cold inside when it gets cold outside.
This is no longer a vague memory but a daily reality. I've started setting my alarm fifteen minutes earlier in the morning, so that I can turn on my heater and hide under my blankets until the room warms up. Despite being on the second floor, my apartment floor is icy to the touch. Which is great....because I sleep on the floor.

The strange thing is, it's not THAT cold outside. It's only 48 degrees right now, but inside it feels about 20. Dawn and I got our heating bills this afternoon and nearly passed out with shock. It's going to be a lonnggg, expensive winter...

Speaking of Dawn, she brilliantly suggested that after surviving weeks of work and personal stress, we shed our weekend plans of chores and errands and instead, go out for a day in the big city. So we're off to Nagoya on Sunday for a day of shopping, sightseeing and eating...and free from any talk about work, boys or life after Japan. Basically, it sounds like heaven and I've started my countdown...