Koala Bear biscuits and Osaka University

So I thought I would start out by posting a picture of the little koala bear biscuits that I wrote about last time. I don't know how easy it is to see what they are doing, but this pack of them was pretty entertaining. The first one looks like he's in the zone being a DJ (check out the eyes). The second is holding it's tummy with a little tear coming out of its eye. Third one is yelling, and the fourth looks like it's drinking (and spilling part of the drink in the process). Lastly, we have the little koala hugging the earth, with Japan showing in the center. :)
These are now making me think of the little magnet some people have that has a bunch of different faces on it with different feelings, and you put a circle around which one you are feeling that day.
Now on to other less dorky things. (Hopefully.) So today I woke up early, and went to the lab to meet Tanaka-san. We had to go to the City office to change the date I will leave Japan to March 10th on my Alien Registration card. It was pretty simple, so not much to talk about on that aspect. I found out she is going to go with me sometime next week to get a haircut. (AHHHH!) I could easily have nightmares about this situation. I keep imagining myself going in there and there being some kind of miscommunication, and either getting a really short haircut, or getting some kind of mullet. (I have seen plenty of them here and it looks like it's trendy... it's not quite as trashy as some I have seen in the US, but still it is enough to make me nervous about there being a misunderstanding). I have found a few pictures online that I will have Casey print for me when I go with her. I tried to explain to her today what I want, and to me it sounds simple, but hopefully there is nothing that is lost in translation. I am basically to the point where if I don't get it cut soon by a professional, I will do it myself, or have Casey do it. It has a mind of its own right now and that's not working for me. Then again, it's been almost 3 months since I got it cut, so I understand why it's being so annoying. I don't think I can go almost 2 more months with it like it is right now. I'll definitely be writing about that later...
Tonight I am going to go to the lab for dinner. They are ordering pizza, and Casey has to stay later anyway, so it works out well. This will also be the 4th time I have gone up to the lab today. There is this hill that goes from our apartment to the University, and it's a killer. It's a steady incline but I am out of shape enough that I am gasping for air anytime I try to make it up the hill on my bike. Today when I was with Tanaka-san, she asked if I could make it, so I said I would do it for her. I definitely felt the burning sensation in my legs, but I made it up there. Then when I went up the hill about 25 minutes ago to take something to Casey, I decided that once is enough and I walked up instead. Who knows what I will decide to do on the way to dinner. I really need exercise but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that it's a good idea. :) I also hate showing up to the lab completely out of breath and with a bright red face. I felt like I looked like a stop sign.
One positive thing about going up to the lab is the guards who stand at the gate. The first time I went up to the lab by myself, I saw the guards standing there, stopping people who were coming through. I kind of freaked out (naturally) because I wondered if they would ask me where I was going, if I would understand them, and if I had to have some kind of pass to get in. I probably looked so suspicious because I had an eye on them the whole time I was walking by- it turns out they are really nice, and just waved at me. So I have now made it a habit to wave at them every time I go there, and now they sometimes go out of their way to wave or yell "konnichiwa!" at me. :) Maybe I'll get a picture of them before I leave.
I have noticed lately that bowing is addictive. I think I probably bow at everyone. In fact, Casey did something for me last night (I think he held the door or something) and I bowed while I said thank you. :) That should be fun to do when I go back to the US... I'm sure I'll do it for awhile. Also, people bow while they are on the phone, which is really funny to watch. I believe Casey did this last night. Poor guy had a really bad day yesterday (but he was in good spirits about it). A long list of things at work didn't go well- equipment broke, bad results on his experiment, etc. Then he came home and got this weird phone call that he couldn't understand, so he got really frustrated about not knowing what to say to the person (but he was bowing at them either way). We left for dinner, and when we got to the door of the restaurant, he realized that he had forgotten his wallet at the library. (It is then that we realized that the phone call was someone from the library calling to tell him they had the wallet.) He went to school to get it, and then I met him for dinner. He was embarrassed about the wallet situation, thinking that most people don't do that. While I was trying to encourage him and tell him that it happens to everyone, one of the customers at the restaurant came back in because he forgot his wallet. So, I think Casey felt much better after seeing that.
I guess that's about all. I'll probably have plenty to write about this weekend because I am going on a tour of Himeji castle tomorrow with some of the International students. Should be a good time- hopefully the 'dog meat' kid from the International Student Year End party won't show up. :)

-Ashley