Progress

My list of accomplishments for today is rather long, so I thought I'd share:
1. I went to yoga. This is an accomplishment only because I haven't been able to go in about two weeks for various reasons, and I finally have my own yoga mat, now. So now I just need to motivate myself to do yoga at home. Dory should be entertained.
2. I made my first Japanese friend. Based on several books about Japanese Culture, I haven't introduce myself when I meet people because it's apparently vaguely forward if it's the first time you've met. This is good news for me because I'm shy anyway, so it's hard enough work just saying hello without bothering with introductions. Instead, I've been waiting to become familiar with faces, thereby making it easier to remember any names. Today at yoga, a girl who comes regularly, and who I've also seen at my Japanese classes, introduced herself. I feel special. Now maybe I'll introduce myself to my neighbors. I'm sure they currently think of me as "That Crazy Gaijin," and they have some good reasons, I suppose...
3. I bought a toaster oven. That's right, folks. I've gone like four months without baking anything. Usually, it was no big deal, but I finally broke down and got a toaster oven that can be set to bake and will hold a 9x9 dish. My primary reason was actually Zack. I asked him what he wants to eat when he gets home so I don't cook it now and get tired of it. He rattled off a meal that was all very stove-friendly, and then said "and chocolate chip cookies." (which is odd for him, since he doesn't usually have a sweet tooth."
"Honey," I said, "I can't do cookies. I have no oven."
"How about pie?" He asked.
"Nope."
"How about brownies?"
Clearly he needs a few more cooking lessons, huh? Anyway, we established that, short of ice cream, there were few desserts that didn't require an oven, so he suggested I go get one. Since I was craving casserole today, I bought it. The casserole is cooking while I type.
4. I filled out a withdrawal slip at the Japanese bank without supervision. The only mistake I made was that I asked for the wrong denomination of bills. No biggie. So now I've got that down.
5. I found and explored the Naafco. Naafco is a household goods store. That's the quick way to describe it anyway. It consists of three buildings, and the American version would be a Home Depot, Office Depot/Staples, Ikea, and Bed Bath and Beyond all rolled into one. If it goes in or around your house, Naafco has it. There was a garden section, lumber, furniture, matresses, rugs, pet supplies, and much much more. I went in search of new rods for the closet. I forgot to measure said closet, so I'll have to go back, but now I know. It was quite entertaining.
6. I turned on an A/C unit without consulting my directions. I've memorized the symbol, but now I think I've changed them all over so I guess it's not that big of a deal. Oh well. Dory's not sure she likes this whole A/C thing. It's too confining because I keep the room I'm cooling all shut up. She likes to be able to go sleep on my bed without asking permission first.
It's funny how little things become major accomplishments here.
Also, it has rained at least a little every day for 12 days straight now. I'm counting to see if this rainy season is everything they say it is. It hasn't rained yet today, but it's getting to look like it might, so that will be 13 days in a row.
And Zack will be home soon!