*I am Glorious Today*

I feel rejuvenated, and I don't know why. Today is very sunny and the autumn leaves are in various stages of decay. I wish that people could die as prettily as leaves. Maybe it says something important about nature that it is so old, and so lovely in its old age. Maybe the Little Mermaid turning into foam on the sea was the happy ending we were waiting for, and Disney ruined it.

I had the first day of midterms today, and they were far easier than I had imagined. Of course, now I've done it, and the jinxing monsters are climbing up my back to sneak in through my ears and into my brain. I'm sure they will whisper nasty little high pitched nothings all morning and I shall fail my every exam miserably. Although, tomorrow's tests are not the worrisome ones. It is Friday's Grammar test (tests?) that steal the white blood cells from my veins.

I need to stop using such vague and creepy metaphors.

In any event, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (I always insist on saying or writing the entire title, if I have the time, because it is so wordy- I love it!) has started off very well. The descriptions are like dialogue and though I can't explain it any other way, I suppose that is difficult to understand. It kind of reminds me of Kiss of the Spider Woman that way. As though it were a real person relating everything that's happening to another.

"Animal crackers in my soul. Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop!"

Do you remember when they used to have those deals on tv for the Shirley Temple collection? And they'd always have the clip of that song. And her saying, "When you look that way, it makes me want to cry!" and the tap dance number on the steps. I wonder what made me think of that?

There are a few things that I will miss when I go back, consumables-wise. I like the tea that I've found very much. It comes in a bottle or a jug and is iced. It is a mixed green tea blend, and is made by Coca Cola. It is called "爽健美茶” soukenbicha, which is a "beauty" tea mix of 12 different green teas. It took forever to find one that I like, and I'm not sure this'll be available when I get back.

Also, the gelatin thing with the satsumas inside. It's like jell-o but not really sweet, just goopy. But there's basically a whole satsuma broken into each slice and embedded. It is ridiculously tasty, and I think there is nothing much like this back home. Maybe Uwajimaya? Ho ho? What, am I Santa?

Must to my studying get, a la Yoda. Wish me luck!

<3

Edit: Also, now Tropic Thunder and Blindness are playing at the movie theatre, and I want to see them both, so I might do that next week. But Blindness is listed as in Japanese/English. What does this mean?! It isn't the same listing as P.S. I Love You, which was in English with Japanese subtitles, or Red Cliff, which was dubbed, or Gake no Ue no PONYO, which was just in Japanese, OR Red Cliff (the earlier showing) which is just in Chinese, with no subtitles. Then what can it mean? I'm going with it being in English with Japanese subtitles and they made an error when they put it up, but I guess I'll check if I go to see it.

I missed Paco and the Magic Book but I think it might be better to see with subtitles anyway.