While not strictly speaking debuts, my raincoat and rain pants have been getting used every day for the past 3 or so days. So far, they've stood up to the punishment and usage, as I expect of Columbia gear. My gloves, which are North Face, handle rain just fine, but the combination of rain and cold doesn't go over so well. The combination of cold and anything or even just cold by itself doesn't seem to go over well either. I've been eying a pair of gloves by Mountain Hardware, which are alpine rated. That is, I could take them to Everest or glacier hopping, or just skiing. Or, even just use them to keep my hands warm while riding a bike.
Tomorrow is Doll's Festival, which is a celebration for little girls in Japan. This whole week there has been a huge multi-level stage with dolls on it stuck in the office and getting in everyone's way. I think it will be put up outside somewhere, and then taken down again. A lot of effort, but maybe it will be worth it.
It seems like we've got a new part time teacher after all. He just needs a little training and the Dynamic Duo (myself and the other teacher) can take a break and not have to pull 6 day work weeks. I can't really complain because the other teacher has taken the brunt of them, but I'll be putting in two Saturday's this month to help train him and get him ready to teach on his own.
January and February didn't really feature any good games or movies coming out, to my knowledge, but we've got Dragon Age 2 coming out in a week or two, plus Game of Thrones on HBO coming out just next month. This year looks like it will feature some really cool movies and games, and of course Michi and I have lots of trips in the planning.
Below are some pics from the Yugawara trip.
Cheers,
