cold feet

i sometimes wonder if i'll have 10 functional toes and 10 functional fingers by the time i return to the States.

the weather here is pret-ty harsh. because i'm cheap and determined to un-wimp myself, whenever i use my sink, it's always cold water running. and by cold water, i mean water that feels like there's been 10 ice cubes floating around in a single glass of water cold. there's really no point in refrigerating water; i can achieve the same coldness by just drinking my tap water.

if i wanted to use hot water, i'd have to flip a switch that turns on the hot water for both my sink and shower. but if i'm only going to wash off my hands really fast, and it takes several minutes for the water to heat up, i may as well just use the cold water.

the other day, for the first time ever, i washed my dishes here with HOT water, and it was glorious. i can't begin to tell you how long it's been since i've done that. for once, as i rinsed off my dishes, i saw steam rising up and disappearing... one of the most beautiful things i've seen in a long, long time. tragically, my hands were so cold that i couldn't even appreciate the hot water. my hands and feet get so cold sometimes that it takes super hot water for me to even begin feeling anything. this is in fact the system i use to judge whether something i've reheated is hot enough. if i can tell that the plate is going to burn my hand if i hold it too long (because it's hot enough to tickle my nerves past the layers of frozen-over epidermis), it's ready. sad, no?

luckily, there are remedies to the cold. there's my wonderful kotatsu (which i'm baking under, despite it being sunny yet cold outside, and 1:30 in the afternoon), kerosene heaters (which make me feel like i should wear a gas mask), and although out of the way, an onsen (hot spring/public bath) about a 20 min drive away, which i'll hopefully hit up later today. but until then, i'm comfy sitting where i am =)