Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.... just let it stay above zero (on the Fahrenheit scale, that is)!

My house has no central heating nor sufficient insulation. If you happen to be Japanese, no shocker... most houses in Japan are the same. When I decided to choose Nagano Prefecture (a notoriously cold spot in Japan) as my first choice for my JET placement, I was hoping that an area as cold as home would take a few more steps to guard against it than they did down south in Wakayama. I was very wrong. I have no idea why my neighbors in Nagano haven't yet figured out a better way to stay warm than burning kerosene and curling under a small heated table, but it is certainly not my favorite aspect of life on this island. I have a two story house and it is currently "heated" using one (or all) of three kerosene stove-heaters and one crusty space heater (that though sketchy I have deemed necessary to my survival while I shower). I must also mention my heated toilet seat. Yes, that's right, my toilet seat is plugged in to the wall. Back to the kerosene heaters. Please try to imagine: the heater in my bedroom is approximately a foot and a half tall, a foot or so wide and another foot deep. It heats by burning kerosene which I lug in from the shed in my yard. I.E. I must go OUTside (in the COLD) to get kerosene to stay warm. Not only is the heater not something you can leave running (after 3 hours it shuts off automatically to prevent me from dying in my sleep due to gases), but it also runs OUT of kerosene. It did just that late last night, leaving me to wake up to a fabulously comfortable 32 degrees. That's FREEZING for you non-science minded folks. Actually its even more graphic because I'm in Japan so my heater doesn't say 32 degrees... it shows a nice, fat ZERO. Shocker, let me tell you. I am beyond finding being able to see my breath as I dress as novel. Pardon me if I think the lack of heating is more "insanity" then mere "cultural difference".

New Topic: I have my car!!! More accurately: Jaclyn and I have our car!!! The store we purchased it from arrived at our house yesterday after school (which was incredibly nice of them- they also came to my school to get my signature, a form that said I live where I live, and my hanko (official name stamp) last week). Jaclyn and I have agreed that it is possibly the cutest car ever... and VERY Japanese. Many JETs drive the ugliest cars in Japan so you can spot them coming from at least a block away. I do beleive that we are much more subtle about our foreignness in this little machine.. though Jaclyn the blondy may still give us away! We took a celebratory spin to Jusco (our neighborhood grocery store) and were tickled at how fabulously easy it was to transport ourselves and our food. Tonight we will certainly arrive at Shodo (caligraphy) class in style! Actually, Jaclyn is picking me up (such service!) in a bit so I will just leave you with this website to show off. See our car here. Ours is the dark green color. Oh, and we have been informed that there is a sticker you can buy that if you stick to the back of your car, other drivers will know you aren't used to driving yet and will back off! As dorky as this idea is... I will be running out to find us one as soon as possible- so don't you worry.