It is terribly disturbing when one encounters chunks in one's tasty beverage.

I made that assessment early this morning when, upon passing a vending machine, I decided that being horrendously hot and sweated, I wanted a tasty beverage. So I purchased a can, recognizing the brand as one of those sports-drinky type things that I am oh-so terribly fond of. I popped the tab, took a great swig, and noted that several solid objects had entered my mouth, along with the expected well flavored drink.

I was, to say the least, rather surprised.

Now, before I gross everyone out too much, let me clarify you as to what happened after several seconds of intense 'what the hell was that' action. Those chunks were supposed to be there. They were in fact, gelatin cubes, acting in some sort of pseudo ice cube role, and thus, there was no need for alarm at all upon noting their presence. In fact, after staring at the can really hard I noticed that there was a picture of a couple gelatin cubish things tucked away below the label. So after completely reassuring myself that I hadn't actually been drinking alien infestation in a can, finishing my drink became a much easier task, even if the gelatin cubes were a bit disturbing (and rather bland).

 Now, on to cultural news.

I really regret giving up the violin, although not so much the clarinet. I've always had a great fondness for the sound of string instruments, and the Koto was absolutely beautiful. I found it so appealing in fact that I jumped at the offer for joining in on an hour's lesson each Monday. How Tuesday's session went had a large group of us crowded around the sensei, listening for the first half an hour as she played an incredible range of selections. She had brought three Koto with her, and after she finished playing we were split into groups to play on the three, and after five minutes of watching, we were all able to produce fairly decent renditions of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.' I found reading the music much easier than western music ever was (only partially because the strings were all labeled), and because playing 'Twinkle' only required one finger and about five strings over all. The selections that sensei was playing were often full hand affairs, with the other applying pressure to the strings to change the note tone (I have a bad feeling that if I end up liking this enough to want to pursue it after my trip, I'm going to discover that a Koto is one of those things that even the cheapest costs more than my life). At least on the upside, if anyone is trying to think of what to get me for my next birthday or Christmas, CDs of Koto performances are now high on my last.

*sigh* Kanji test tomorrow, exam the day after that, progress report for my project… this past week I've been feeling like I've had no time at all for anything. All morning I'm in class. I use lunch to check my e-mail, after class I do homework, write back to the most important e-mails, and then hop on my bike to get back home in time for dinner, both before and after which I spend more time studying. I think that I'm going to be very glad that I'll be done with classes by 11 on Thursday (because the exam starts at 9) and Friday is a field trip. I don't feel like I'm on the verge of burning out, but I'm am starting to harbor vague feelings of being overburdened.

English Quote of the day: Hey! come one let's begin joyful talking! Here's to the fantastic discovery! Keep your balance! good! (off the package of some _really_ good donuts)