Staying Another Year

I know that I have been slacking as far as updating you of our whereabouts. We have been hibernating since the days have been getting colder and colder. I will have you know that I ran 10.35K (~6 miles) in 67 minutes and Cristina ran 5.6K (~3 miles) on Friday. We were both very excited. On Saturday, Osa came from Miyazaki and we went to a yakiniku restaurant in Kanoya we had coupons for. Yaki niku restaurants are those where you grill the meat and vegetables at your table. On Sunday, we pretty much just ate and watched movies. Osa gave Cristina a haircut which looks really good. It is just like her old haircut only shorter. She has almost gotten rid of all the bad color jobs she had put in her hair.

Today, I officially gave my form stating that I will recontract and stay until July 2006. I know it is a long time, but I have lots of plans. My office was elated, however, not elated enough to give me a new place to live. On Thursday, I told them that I would recontract but that I would really appreciate it of I could move (since I know that there will be several open spaces in designated teacher housing). They responded that this would be impossible because the crap house I live in is the designated ALT house. I don’t necessarily buy that excuse because they offered a few ALTs ago the opportunity to move to a new apartment. So, on Friday they reacted by getting a handy man to look at my house and see what he can do. They keep on suggesting for me to get a cat for the mice, but I keep telling them that I am allergic. They still insist on the cat on occasion. Apparently on Tuesday, they will begin by giving the house a proper pipe and gutter that can get the feces and run off water away from the house and onto the town’s drainage pipe. Then, they will supposedly replace the rotten wood in my bathroom, then the bit in my kitchen. I have also asked them to seal all the wholes. Let’s see what actually gets accomplished.