Happy New Year

Happy New Year in Japan!
I won’t be able to post this until tomorrow morning, though, but it still won’t be 2009 in California yet.
My New Years Eve was pretty unevenful. I spent my last few hours of 2008 on my computer downstairs plugged into the Internet while the older of the two of my host brothers (now 8 years old) watched pokemon episodes recorded before.
My host mother pretty much pried the remote from his hands so that I could watch the New Year programming at around 11:50 pm.
They showed footage of various shrines around Japan and people out there already to do their first temple visits of the year.
The clock in the living room said that it was 12, but it was early. Something within me (probably something very American) completely refused to accept it until the correct time became 12. (haha) Then, my cell phone, the TV, and the website I was looking at for the time all said 12. It was a quiet evening, but I still felt really happy about it being midnight New Years day like I always do. It’s silly because I am awake at midnight ALL of the time, but it was nice.
Then, I watched the 8-year-old roll around on the ground in a sort of a hyper, sleep deprived stupor and then went up stairs to plug in my phone, put away my laptop, and start getting ready for bed. Just as I was about to start charging the phone, the Japanese word for New Years just randomly showed up in the blue light display on the outside of my phone. I wasn’t expecting that at all. My phone is really just too sweet. (Actually, it gave me a special greeting on my birthday, too. :) ). I sat down on the bed to start writing this blog and I realized I could hear a temple bell (gong???) ringing. The same sort of sounds I heard from the television were happening all about the same time all around this country.
Anyway, these were small things, of course. But now I really feel like it’s the start of a pretty good year.
Happy New Year, everyone.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3