maybe you've noticed.
maybe you haven't.
i'm a bit behind on my blogging.
but all your patience pays off right now because i have LOTS i want to write about, and OODLES of pictures to show.
so without further ado, i give you...
part 1: size
34-30-39.
i don't know what i was before starting hormones, but if i were to guess, i'd say 32-30-36.
according to wikipedia, the ideal healthy waist to hip ratio for women is 0.7, and for men is 0.9. i'm at 0.77. i can't help but feel a little shapely.
::blush::
part 2: my last attempt at a blog entry
"i'm about to finish an 800g block of gouda. i'm down to the last three slices. ugh, i'm gonna vomit."
to learn more, please check my latest vlog (youtube link on the left, yo)!
part 3: cheese follow-up
while i was back in the states earlier this month, i attempted to eat a 1lb block of kraft sharp cheddar. i finished about 80% of it and had to bail because i needed to get in a kayak and paddle with vigor. if i had continued eating the cheese, i still wouldn't have counted it because it just wouldn't seem like "one sitting".
so yeah. cheese fail #2.
part 4: the mountain behind my house
there's a "mountain" behind my house (yet in front of my front door?)!
so i like to climb it.
from my front door to the gazebo at the top takes about 1 hour at a relaxed, but steady pace.
the really cool thing? five minutes out my front door and i'm in the middle of the woods.
and these woods are pretty cool. made only cooler by weird concrete designs:
and cool highway underpasses:
the main trail from my area splits into multiple trails in the middle of the woods. both trails are super cool (and get super steep near the end). why are they super cool? because you burst out of the woods only to find yourself at the top of one of two hills—both with amazing views. it's really cool to have the sky open like that after a healthy jaunt under a dense canopy.
the gazebo is a great place to just sit and gaze out at the entire city and the ocean. here, take a look (8 shots facing 8 directions, paired in twos for better viewing pleasure):
NE / E:
SE / S:
SW / W:
NW / N:
i love how green japan is!
part 5: kyoto?
yes. i meant for that question mark to be there. why?
exhibit a:
ok, i was actually sober and awake for most of the trip. i did some really fun things including:
• 伏見稲荷大社 "fushimi inari taisha"—a huge shrine with a shit-ton of red gates (2 pictures below)
• walking around 三条 "sanjo"—a covered shopping street
• cycling from kyoto station to 鞍馬 "kurama" to go to an onsen (hot spring)—16 km
• walking around the imperial palace grounds
• general cycling around town
• cosplay karaoke!!! (picture below)
photo evidence of holiday sobriety:
in one of these three pictures i wasn't sober.
any guesses?
(^o^)
part 6: 101 in 1001
right. so i already mentioned the cheese fail.
but the successes?
• i watched the social network, up, little miss sunshine, and crash. movie progess 5/56
• i rode my bike drunk
• i read 星の王子様 ("le petit prince" in japanese). japanese novels 1/5
• i went to 2 new bars (tanya and rising sun—both in hitachi). new bars 2/20
• i sang two david bowie songs at karaoke ("space oddity" and "star man").
• i swallowed a piece of gum as i hiked the mountain behind my house (it's called 助川山 "sukegawa-yama" by the way).
and here are the almosts:
• i may or may not have won a staring contest. i can't rightly remember.
• i made avocado ice cream. oh how easily i could have turned that into a milkshake! if only i had been thinking. it was very delicious and creamy, btw.
part 7: ultimate
i played ultimate frisbee today.
part 8: exploring hitachi
one day i set out on my bike to explore this city i live in. i got sunburned. what a fool.
here are some pics:
look underneath the crane. what do you see? the gazebo on top of my "mountain"!
this pier is visible in the east-view shot from the gazebo.
the coast!
now admittedly, i had been to this pier/beach before. i cut through a lot of unknown neighborhoods on my way though. ready for more? it doesn't matter!
i'm a big fan of undisturbed nature. but this is kinda cool. and this is not the same beach, just so you know.
this is a cliff.
i am now on top of the cliff but a little further south.
unfortunately, the city is too big to adequately explore in one day. i think i'll explore a bit more when it gets cooler.
p.s. the second beach area (the last three pictures) are on the coast just north of hitachi station. google map it!
part 9: rethinking some parts of 101 in 1001
the blog weekly / vlog monthly goals are now impossible having missed over a month of both. so instead, i'll keep the overall goal number the same and have the weekly/monthly thing be a suggestion since it would help keep me on track.
part 10: painful choices
they suck. we don't really choose who we fall for, do we? but what if you fall for a friend? would you risk that friendship to see if it could become something more?
it's nice to be in love for a change (i thought i was becoming an asexual robot!). it is what it is, and willing myself out of it was both incredibly painful and ultimately unsuccessful. fingers crossed that i can enjoy emotional stability while in the throes of a love i may never confess. haha, really?
baka.
part 11: reflection
has this truly been the longest fucking blog post ever?
that i've written? yes.
that i've read? yes.
so in my reality (which you've willingly immersed yourself in) the answer is yes. this is the longest fucking blog post ever. thanks for reading!
