Cough, Grumble, Cough...

After a wonderful Christmas break spent participating in a wedding, relaxing at home, and enjoying Hawaii, I'm back in Japan--and have been for over three weeks.  I haven't been posting anything because, well, my other always tried to convince me that I shouldn't say anything if I didn't have anything nice to say.

One of the ongoing annoyances (which is not one of the bigger problems I'm trying not to discuss) is that it seems my immune system/sinuses/whatever cannot handle me working in a germ factory (aka a daycare) while living in the cold Japanese climate.  I was sick for the whole month before Christmas vacation started; within two days of arriving in Houston, I was much, much better.  And two days after work started back up, my illnesses also returned.  I don't know if this is a Japanese thing, a general daycare thing, or just a these-particular-parents thing, but there doesn't seem to be much sense of the idea that if a child has a runny nose that's producing copious amounts of interestingly-colored stuff, plus a hacking cough, it's probably a good idea for them to stay home, especially if one of the parents doesn't have a job or any other kids to look after.  Sordid details of how much snot I've wiped off children's faces over the last two weeks could be shared (and measured in pints, if not quarts), but that would involve having to re-live it.

The weather is also probably not helping.  It has been snowing the last 40 or so hours, non-stop.  My fragile, Texas-coast-raised self is just not prepared to deal with this kind of dry, cold climate, no matter how much hot tea and vitamin C I ingest.  And yes, at some point, even a quiet, gentle snowfall stops being magical and starts being a sloshy annoyance.

And, for interested family members, here's a couple of pictures of me performing my Maid of Honor duties:

I wish the hair wasn't falling in my face, but I love this picture anyways.

Yup, that's the bride, helping to lace up my dress; I may be the worst Maid of Honor ever.