i know, i've been ignoring this blog terribly. well, not really ignoring so much as not having much to say. there have been points where i'd think, oh, i can blog about that. but when it came time to be online, i really just didn't have the energy. *sigh*

but i want to talk about something. while my parents were visiting something odd happened. one morning i was using the computer when a spider crawled up the wall in front of me. there are plenty of spiders (and other things) in this house, but they don't really bother me. mainly because they eat other bugs. and while spiders do bite, it hardly ever happens here that while i don't want to pick up a spider, i don't want to kill any i see. but this spider crawling up the wall, i guess it bothered my dad. he took a tissue, plucked the spider off the wall, killed it and threw it away. i was surprised. my dad was probably surprised that i didn't do it myself....

there are plenty of frogs in japan. the fields are now flooded for rice paddies and on rainy days you can hear the frogs croaking. kinda noisy, but a definate sign of spring. there are tree frogs around our house as well. the other morning i was going out with hiroyuki and as i went to lock the door, i noticed a frog on its back in front of me. there was a wet spot around it and for a horrible moment i thought i had stepped on it. but if i had, i would have felt something squishy beneath my shoe. the froggy twitched, so i knew it was still alive. i felt bad, so i gently picked it up and put it on a big rock in our garden. then i realized what must have happened: it was hanging out on the door and when i opened it, it fell down. the fall must have stunned it. after getting its bearing on the rock, it hopped into a bush and when i got home, it was gone. phew!