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Jul 6, 2016

I haven't melted yet.

bwah. okay hi.  


I’ve been working on keeping up with life over here so the blog has been a bit sparse these last few weeks. Sorry not sorry, #letmelive.  


I also try to keep things light and happy when I write. Because, hello: I am well aware that I am a very privileged woman to be able to travel and live abroad multiple times. To have the support of a Mister who puts up with my shenanigans and encourages my art and never once batted an eye when I insisted we spend a LOT of money to make sure both Mac and Bubba can come along for those adventures even though he’s a little bit allergic to Bubba and in this tiny apartment sometimes that gets pretty yuck for him.

 

I haven't melted yet. photo

It’s hard to see a downside in a place this beautiful.


That being said, we’re in the middle of Japan’s Rainy season - a time when it’s reasonable to expect torrential downpours at any hour of the day.

 I haven't melted yet. photo I haven't melted yet. photo I haven't melted yet. photo

Mac's v. fashionable rain coat, his post-downpour-walk face, and his

"omg now it's a thunderstorm and we are certainly about to die" face.


However, in an unusual phenom that I’m sure has ties to Global Warming and our imminent demise, the *really* hot and humid (we’re talking at least 90*F each day with 75% or better humidity) part of the year has started in Nagoya a few weeks earlier than usual. This effectively means that if the heavens are not trying to drown you, they are absolutely trying to melt you like that one time you forgot the gummy bears in your car. Or as I affectionately refer to it: It’s like living in an armpit.  


A few of The Mister’s coworkers are trying hopefully to speculate that if the season started early, it’ll end early... but I think we all know that this constant feeling of swamp-ass and floating through everyone else’s BO cloud is just gonna be real life for us all until at least mid September.


I can’t spend the next few months being a cranky whiner, so instead, let me look at the top 5 amusing things going on in my Nagoya life right now.


1. The cicadas are back! I know not everyone is a fan of cicadas, the ground dwelling bugs that lay dormant underground for years and then suddenly all know to come above ground, molt, sing their song, mate, and die all in the same few weeks together. But they are fascinating to me, and the molted cicadas are really beautiful jewel tones, and I think their song is a good substitute for a white noise machine in the middle of the loud, bustling city.

I haven't melted yet. photo I haven't melted yet. photo

lookit his little "peekaboo!" face in the first picture. eee!


2. It’s eel season. I. Love. Eel meat. If you don’t, great- more for me. If you do, hit me up, let’s go get an Unagi bowl RIGHT NOW.


3. It’s almost Mac bootie season. There comes a time when not only is it so hot in Nagoya that Mac cannot physically live outside long enough to take a walk until after the sun goes down, but the sidewalk remains hot enough that he has to wear little booties to be able to comfortably put his paws to pavement. Have you ever seen a dog in booties? Because it’s the best.

I haven't melted yet. photo

duck walking. yesssss.


4. Birthday planning has begun. Or really, I’ve decided what kind of cake I’m going to make myself, and I am REALLY excited to bake it. (I also decided what kind of cake I’m going to bake for Kp2, who’s birthday is right after mine, and I think she’s gonna love it).


5. Oktoberfest is this weekend in Nagoya. Yeah, you read that right. A celebration that many westerners associate with a specific fall month, instead takes place in the middle of the hottest part of summer here in Japan. The Mister, The Australians™ and I are gonna go watch the yodeling, the lederhosen, and drink ice cold beer as we sweat out all the water but retain the alcohol content in what is obviously not a real big health risk for the participants. Good times ahead ya’ll.

I haven't melted yet. photo

last year's yodelers


What do you like about the 
(totally oppressively hot and humid) summer season?  
Tell me in the comments!


today's little language lesson:

私は脇の下に住んでいます

watashi wa wakino shita ni sunde imasu.

I live in an armpit.


KpQuePasa

KpQuePasa

The name is Kp or KpMcD (Kristin, actually, but for the sake of continuity let's stick with the nickname, shall we?) Hailing from the Midwest US and living in Nagoya with my husband (The Mister), my dobermutt (Mac) and an elitist marmalade tabby who answers to no one (Bubba).
www.KpQuePasa.com


3 Comments

  • KamaT

    on Jul 6

    Terrified of cicadas. Absolutely absurd things. When they come to die on our balcony I have to get the partner to sweep them up. I'm paralysed with fear. You see, I know some of the sneaky buggers have still got some life in them, and might be about to spring back into action. I can't handle it. Mmm, I find summer a tough one over here. Still, I like to surf, so that first dip into the ocean after having my feet burned on the sand feels like bliss. And also, any trip to the mountains during summer feels like best thing you could ever have done with your life. And evening strolls are nice.

  • KpQuePasa

    on Jul 7

    @Tomuu That is most certainly fair! The bodies are pretty, and the song is melodious, but the "SemiBakugan" is super traumatizing! I had a run in with them last year: http://kpquepasa.blogspot.jp/2015/07/multiple-things-with-no-discernible.html but generally I'm lucky in that if a Cicada comes to my balcony, it meets Bubba-sama before it meets me, and he makes sure they don't come back to life.

  • helloalissa

    on Jul 8

    I learned a new word: 夏バテ (Summer Fatigue). It's mostly not being able to sleep and feeling grumpy all summer. Frogs and cicadas are sometimes noisy all night as well. The part I like: Waking up with the sun and enjoying the still reasonable temperature has been nice. I love the rain and it eases the humidity. I'm thankful for big windows and a nice breeze plus air conditioned public spaces. And... summer vacation, fresh fruit, ice cream and kakigouri. More importantly: Fall is coming.