Planning a Trip to Japan: Part 8

Part 8: Links, Links, and Links

As I stated at the start of this week, I've collected many, many links during my planning of this trip. Discarding repeats and not-useful things, these are a few of my favorite links.

General Travel Sites

• Trip Advisor - Always check here before you book a hotel.
• Wikitravel - Has nice, clear lists, and gives directions to the places it recommends.
• Lonely Planet
• loc.alize.us - Pictures from places.
• Safety @ World Nomads - Information on safety where you're traveling.
• Chowhounds - "For Those Who Love to Eat" [read: me]

General Japan Sites

• Japan Guide - My go-to site for most information. The forums are also helpful.
• Planet Tokyo
• JAPANiCAN
• infomapJAPAN
• Tokyo Essentials 
• Japan National Tourist Organization
• Bento.com - FOOD!

Japan Blogs

• Shibuya246 - A currently active photoblog. Love it.
• nihonshock - Language and general craziness.

Accommodations

• Welcome Inn Reservation Center - Best selection of Japanese accommodations I've seen. I booked my hotel through them.
• Japanese Guest Houses - A nice index of traditional Japanese accommodations. Most can be found on WIRC.
• Gaijin House Japan - Specializing in cheap places for tourists to sleep in Japan. 
• Hostel World - Specializing in cheap places for tourists to sleep anywhere.

Train Stuff

• Japan Rail Pass - Also info on the six sub-companies and SUICA cards.
• Hyperdia - Put in your starting point and destination, and receive route and price.

Things to See

• Meiji Jingu (Temple)
• Ghibli Museum
• Sanrio Puroland
• Tsukiji Fish Market

Japanese Language

• Phrases for Travelers 
• 10 Extrodinarity Useful Japanese Phrases for Travelers 
• Japanese Phrases and Common Sentences 
• If You're Really Interested in Learning Japanese
• Tofugu
• Livemocha
• Smart.fm
• Aniki - Flash cards
• NihongoUp
• JGram
• Shakespear Japanese Lessons
• JReK - Japanese sentence search.
• Learn-Japanese.info
• Digital Dialects - Flash games.
• Free Language
• e Language School
• WWWJDIC - Dictionary
• Learning and/or Deciphering Japanese Characters
• Find Kanji  
• Zkanji
• Hiragana Drag-and-Drop Game
• Study Materials - Including a flash card game I play every day.
• Rikaichan - A plug-in for Firefox.

Random Articles I Like

• How to use a Japanese Inn
• A Beginner's Guide to Cherry Blossom Viewing
• 100 Yen Shop - Japanese dollar store?! Woo!
• Hacking Japan: Inside Tokyo for Less than New York
• 8 Tips that will Save You Money in Tokyo
• Tokyo on a Shoestring
• Japanese Survival Information
• Things to Know Before Visiting Japan

Parts 1 & 2: Deciding When to Go and Buying a Plane Ticket
Parts 3 & 4: Trains?! and Deciding Where to Stay
Parts 5 & 6: What to Pack and To Do Between Now and Then

Part 7: Stuff I Wanna Do
Part 8: Links, Links, and Links

Planning a Trip to Japan: Part 7

Part 7: Stuff I Wanna Do
So we're staying in Asakusa, which is in the north-east part of Tokyo. It's old school Tokyo, or Edo, if you will. When we were first planning this trip we imagined going to more places than "just Tokyo," but the more I looked into it the more Tokyo seemed to have everything I wanted to do and more. There's no way all of this will fit into one week.

1. Asakusa - Besides the fact that that's where we'll be sleeping every night, Asakusa has some neat temples and shrines, some neat bazaar-style shopping streets, and the Asahi beer tower.
2. Ueno Park - Great spot for cherry blossom viewing (hanami), has a couple of temples, and a zoo with pandas!
3. Ameyoko - A crazy-looking shopping street south of Asakusa.
4. Akihabara (AKA Akiba) - Known as "electric town" because of all of its electronics stores, it has also become the center for otakus (anime nerds).
5. Roppongi - A popular nightlife area with many foreigner-friendly bars. I hear you have to watch out for Nigerians though.
6. Meiji Jingu - A huge shrine right in the middle of Tokyo, and right next to Harajuku.
7. Harajuku - Lots of shopping and entertainment. This is where young people hang out in weird clothes.
8. Shibuya - A popular shopping and entertainment district. This is probably where people think of when they think "Tokyo." Hachikō is at Shibuya Station, and I must get my picture with him.
9. Tsukiji Fish Market - I'm pretty sure the sushi here is fresh, seeing as it's still wriggling around in the buckets. Yum.
10. Ginza - This seems to be the Beverly Hills of Tokyo. I actually probably won't go here, but I wanted to include it.
11. Imperial Palace - It's... the imperial palace. That's cool, right? I think it's cool. There's remains of the old one there too. I hope they sell three foot tall margaritas like the one in Las Vegas.
12. Tokyo Tower -  It's like the Eiffel Tower except taller and better because it's in Japan instead of France.
13. Ghibli Museum - Just west of Tokyo, a whole museum dedicated to Miyazaki Hayao's films (you know, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away, etc...). It looks like a fun place, and they show short movies that you can only see ther. You have to buy tickets in advance.
14. Sanrio Puroland - Hello Kitty has her own theme park? Are you kidding me?? I don't think I'll be able to convince Poncho to take me this time though.
15. Tokyo Disney - I'm not going to be able to afford it this time, but someday I will go. Preferably for free. Magically.
16. Onsen - You can also visit an onsen, or hot spring. We have a small one in our hotel.
17. Kamakura -  Just south of Tokyo is Japan's old capitol, Kamakura. It boasts plenty of shrines and scenic hikes. I hope to be able to see the beach, the giant Buddha, and get a glimpse of Mount Fuji.

Also, if I find a vending machine that sells panties, I'm totally buying some.

Yeah, I think we'll be plenty occupied.


Parts 1 & 2: Deciding When to Go and Buying a Plane Ticket
Parts 3 & 4: Trains?! and Deciding Where to Stay
Parts 5 & 6: What to Pack and To Do Between Now and Then

Part 7: Stuff I Wanna Do
Part 8: Links, Links, and Links

Planning a Trip to Japan: Parts 5 & 6

Part 5: What to Pack

Must have:

1. Passport - This is your legal identification while in Japan; you're supposed to carry it at all times.
2. Clothes - Don't be naked. You'll be sitting on the floor in some places so be sure your crack doesn't show. I always add +1 to my underwear count, just in case ("in case" of what, I'm not sure and I don't want to think about it). Layering is important, as the weather varies.
3. Shoes - Be sure they're comfortable to walk in and slip on and off easily, as you'll be doing both a lot. Update: And be sure they won't let your feet get wet in the rain!
4. Socks - Since you'll be taking your shoes off for traditional Japanese hotels, restaurants, and temples, be sure you have nice socks either on your feet or in your bag.
5. Toiletries - Check to see what your hotel provides, and bring the rest. Don't get all stinky and gross on your vacation.
6. Phrase book - I recommend Japanese at a Glance. It has a ton of information and the sections are color-coded. After I got it as a gift I was able to take three of my old books and put them away.
7. Guides and maps - I spent a lot of time looking at the area maps on Japan Guide and printed a few pages for my own notebook. I also got the Knopf Mapguide for Tokyo. It's thin and has fold-out maps of each prefecture in Japan, as well as a list of interesting things in each area. The back has train and hotel information too.
8. Camera - For the love of all that is holy, don't forget your camera. Take pictures like you know that as soon as you get home a piano will fall on you and give you amnesia. You can never have too many pictures of a trip.

Also recommended:

1. Document copies - Leave a photocopy of your passport and credit cards with your main luggage, in case your real one gets lost or stolen. Also leave a photocopy back at home with someone reliable, like your mother.
2. Entertainment - Don't forget a few small electronics or something to keep yourself entertained on that long flight. I'm bringing my Nook and Nintendo DS. Update: The personal entertainment centers on Korean Air were actually plenty to keep me entertained. I watched a lot of movies and played Tetris.
3. Hankie/tissues - I hear most Japanese restrooms don't supply toilet paper, paper towels, or hand dryers. Most people dry their wet hands with a hankie, and carry a small pack of tissues for wiping. Businesses in the area also give out these packets of tissues in lieu of a plain flier. So I hear, at least. Update: Both of these rumors are true.
4. Ear plugs - If you're sleeping dormitory-style, in case you run into a snorer.
5. Journal - For most of my past trips, I just have pictures to remember things by. This time I will have my Tokyo moleskine to journal in. A small notebook would work too; I was lucky enough to receive the moleskine as a gift. Update: I mostly wrote in my other notebook and use my moleskine to press flowers.
6. Medication - Airplanes are little more than airborne germ tubes, so pack some cold medicine. You probably also want some headache medicine, as Japanese over-the-counter drugs are weaker than American drugs. Be sure you pack them in their original packaging. I also hear condoms are smaller (ha) and more expensive in Japan. Update: They are totally, like, way smaller. Wow.
7. Umbrella - It rains a lot in Japan. They sell umbrellas at the 100 yen stores though, if you want to risk it. Update: Our hotel had loaner umbrellas that were much nicer than the ones we brought. Though there were a couple of days where it was nice to have a small one in my purse instead of carrying around the big nice ones anyway.
8. Gifts - You're supposed to give gifts in Japan. I'm going to bring a couple of American magazines for our ryokan's proprietors. Update: I gave them a Cosmopolitan and a Mad and it was awesome. They gave me candy, charms with our names carved in them, and a painting. Gifts are fun!
9. Watch - If you're like me, you use your cell phone to tell time. Well, in Japan you won't have use of your cell phone. Bring a watch!
10. Room for souvenirs - Don't pack your bag too full that you don't have room for souvenirs! I'm actually packing a bag that folds up really small in my main bag because I plan on buying many cute things. Update: I filled that whole extra bag to the brim. Shopping was glorious.
11. Plastic bag - I always bring one when I travel to put my dirty laundry in.
12. Security bag - Keep your passport and some cash in a security bag under your shirt. Japan is a relatively safe country, but there are always shady people around. Update: I felt fine not wearing one, with my passport and money in deep pockets in my messenger bag, which I kept close at all times.

On Japanese plugs and power: Plugs in Japan are the same as American two-prong plugs. They run at 100V, while Americans get 110V. That said, most American electronics should work just fine plugged into a Japanese outlet, but if you have something you cherish you may not want to plug it in, as something temperamental could be damaged. (More on electricity in Japan.)

Whether or not that sounds like a lot of stuff, all of my packing will fit in my pink gym bag and purse. I don't plan on checking any luggage, unless I fill up that extra souvenir bag, in which case I'll have to check that on the way back. If I can go to Oklahoma for three weeks without one carry on and a purse, I think one week in Japan with the same is reasonable.

Part 6: To Do Between Now and Then

1. Get a passport. We just went down to the library one day and applied for them. It was easy, but it took a few weeks to arrive in the mail so don't put this off.
2. Check with your bank about their international ATM use policy. My bank, for example, charges a $5 fee for overseas withdraws. Not all "cash machines" in Japan accept American cards; 7-11 ATMs, Japan Post, Citibank, and Shinsei bank do.
3. Call or email your hotel to confirm your reservation. I did this immediately after making my reservation through the Welcome Inn Resource Center and again a week before traveling there, via email.
4. Call your airline and pick where you're gonna sit on the plane. If you want and they let you.
5. Buy yen.You can do this at your bank, a travel agent, the airport before you depart, or you can wait until you arrive at your destination. More on this below.
6. Call your bank and credit card company to let them know you'll be overseas. Otherwise they will probably assume fraud and cut off your card.
7. Fantasize about your awesome trip.

On buying yen:
If you search the Internet for exchange rates they'll give you a number, but you're not going to get that number. When I called my bank and demanded they justify this horrible meanness they said that the prices reported by the media are "corporate" exchange rates, but travelers get "retail" exchange rates. I guess that makes sense. It's still rude though.

I called our bank and they said they don't keep yen on hand, so it would take a day or two to complete the transaction. They charge a $7.50 flat fee for exchanges over $1000. When we went in they said, oh, by the way, it could take up to five days. Too freaking late! We're leaving in four days! And weekends don't count!

Oh well, should've done it a week in advance.

I called the American Express travel agency. They offered the same rate as the bank with a $7.00 flat fee for anyone, or a $5.00 flat fee for AmEx card holders. I told them "My traveling companion is a card holder, does he need to come in?" and they said "No, don't worry about it." I drove down there with the cash (if you use credit your card company will list it as a "cash advance" and charge you extra fees) and they handed over the yen. Oh, and, because I totally forgot about the $5.00 fee I was like $2.63 or something short and was so sorry and they just shrugged and said "It's fine." How fabulous is that?

For reference, today Yahoo! Finance was listing the exchange rate at 93 yen to the dollar, our bank was offering 88 yen to the dollar, so was American Express, and LAX was offering 82 yen to the dollar.

Parts 1 & 2: Deciding When to Go and Buying a Plane Ticket
Parts 3 & 4: Trains?! and Deciding Where to Stay
Parts 5 & 6: What to Pack and To Do Between Now and Then

Part 7: Stuff I Wanna Do
Part 8: Links, Links, and Links

Planning a Trip to Japan: Part 3 & 4

Part 3: Trains?!

Growing up in Southern California, I know little about public transportation. I took the Metrolink into Los Angeles for fun... once. When it was new. The notion of relying on trains and subways to get me around a foreign country tends to, frankly, freak me the hell out, and so I've poured a considerable amount of effort into reading about public transportation in Japan.

Firstly, I have been reassured many times and by many people that it's really not that difficult, that it's super efficient, and that just about everything's in English anyway. So that's good.

Every site I read tells me all about rail passes. There are a ton of options for rail passes: day passes, prepaid cards, and even passes that only tourists can get for unlimited use on trains around the country.

The most useful information I found was through Japan Guide's articles on transportation and taking the train. They list all of the rail passes and such and such. Lonely Planet has a pretty good article too. After doing some reading, if you're still confused, make a post on their forum and you'll get quick and clear answers.

Basically, as I see it, you have four options:
1) Japan Rail Pass - 28,000¥ for 7 days of unlimited train travel around the country; valid for most lines but not all
2) A Region-based JR Pass (just one of the colors) - If you're just going to be in one region then you can get a pass just for that region, which is cheaper than buying one that would take you all over the country.
3) A SUICA card - If you're just going to be in, say, one city, you probably don't need a big fancy rail pass. A SUICA card is a pre-paid card accepted at most train stations, subway stations, and I hear bus stations. And vending machines! (Note: Under "Using Your SUICA Card" you can find a map in .pdf format of all the stations that accept SUICA cards. I printed it and put it in my notebook.)
4) Wing it - You know, if you want. There are day passes and stuff. I suppose this would be fine if you just don't want to fret about it or are really staying in one place.

Taxis are expensive; avoid them.

Another great site to keep handy is Hyperdia.com. You can put in your starting point and destination and it'll give your the route, time, and cost. I used this to help me determine whether or not I would actually get my money's worth out of the different types of passes.

My results: We are going to get SUICA cards when we arrive in Narita. We are staying in Tokyo the full week, except one day, when we'll travel down to Kamakura, which'll cost us about $20. I don't think we'd get our money's worth out of a JR Pass unless we did more traveling, but we're mostly satisfied with what Tokyo has to offer.

Update: We didn't even bother with SUICA cards. I suppose we could have. Just like everyone says, it took us a couple of days to get used to the system but then we had it pretty much down. A lot of people did have SUICA cards, which seemed to make things go quicker for them, but we didn't have a problem just buying tickets as we needed them. Just be sure you have a good map of the lines to see how they connect and where, especially since some station maps are only in kanji. A couple of times the exit gates spit our tickets back out, indicating that we owed more money, but then you just walk to the end where there's the dude at the window, and he tells you what you owe. No big deal.

Part 4: Deciding Where to Stay

The options for where to stay are ridiculous. It can be overwhelming to start, but if you break up your priorities you can narrow it down pretty easily.

Types of accommodations in Japan:
1) Western-style Hotel - These are standard hotels with standard rooms and if you stay in one of these then sad for you! Why would you go all the way to Japan to sleep in a Holiday Inn? This is also not the cheapest option, though, I admit, I had no real interest in looking into Western-style anything.
Links: Welcome Inn Reservation Center, JAPANiCAN

2) Capsule Hotel - Pictured to the left, a capsule hotel is basically sleeping in a little box with a little TV. A unique Japan experience, and an economical choice. Many have a males-only policy, but I found plenty that allow females.
Links: Welcome Inn Reservation Center, JAPANiCAN

3) Ryokan - A traditional Japanese inn with tatami floors and futons and furo baths, oh my! Usually family-owned, there are a ton of these around for lots of different prices.
Links: Japanese Guest House, Welcome Inn Reservation Center, JAPANiCAN

4) Gaijin Houses/Hotels/Dorms - These are the cheap options. A lot of them offer very few amenities (bring your own towel!) and you sleep in bunks with other people. But, hey, I saw beds as low as 1,400 yen for a night and the people are usually friendly. Sounds like a great way to meet other travelers too.
Links: Gaijin House Japan, Hostel World, Welcome Inn Reservation Center, JAPANiCAN

5) Love Hotels - Find a hotel with almost any theme and rent a room by the hour. Best part: you never have to see an employee. You pick a room from a light-up board, pay, and get your key.

Confession! I only listed what I think are the best options. If you want to see a few more, you can read about them here.

 Whichever you choose, be sure to also check Trip Advisor! After I had narrowed our choices down to two places I looked them up on Trip Advisor and one of them had a handful of reviews that said they had bed bugs from 2007 up until a few months ago. Not risking it! Gross.

My results: The most appealing option out of the above, to us, was the ryokan. We wanted something traditionally Japanese and found many options within our price range of $100 per person per night. For decent environment and prices, I recommend staying in the Taitō prefecture, in either Ueno or Asakusa.

Our main resource for finding accommodation  was the Welcome Inn Resource Center, as they seemed to have the best selection. We also booked through them, and I have confirmed that our ryokan has that reservation on file. Through them we got a good price on a room at the Sukeroku No Yado Sadachiyo, which is right near a five-story pagoda. That's the front of it in the picture.

Update: And it was amazing. When I go to Japan again (that's a when, not an if) I will be very torn on whether I want to try staying some place new, or whether I want to stay again at Sadachiyo, for I loved it ever-so much.

Parts 1 & 2: Deciding When to Go and Buying a Plane Ticket
Parts 3 & 4: Trains?! and Deciding Where to Stay
Parts 5 & 6: What to Pack and To Do Between Now and Then

Part 7: Stuff I Wanna Do
Part 8: Links, Links, and Links

Planning a Trip to Japan: Part 1 & 2

Introduction

I originally started this blog in order to keep myself motivated and pursue all my travel dreams. As such, Poncho and I are hopping on a flight to Japan this Sunday.

Hurrah!

Planning a trip overseas is a lot of work. I'm sure I have well over one hundred bookmarks for this in a couple dozen folders. Here I will lay out my planning strategy, along with helpful links, and hopefully it'll be useful for others to use as a skeleton to plan their trips.
Part 1: Deciding When to Go
1) Japan has four distinct seasons. Which one sounds most awesome?

• Winter - Christmas, snow
• Spring - cherry blossoms (March/April), mild weather
• Summer - rainy season (June/July), beach weather (July/August)
• Fall - beautiful foliage

2) Times to maybe avoid (unless you particularly want to see these things, of course):

• Golden Week - Usually end of April to around May 5th, Japan has three holidays and this week is a very busy travel time for locals. As such, airports, trains, and hotels are very busy, and many local business are closed.
• Obon- August 13 to 16 is another holiday and busy travel time for locals.
• New Years, the April/March cusp (school break), and the July/August cusp (school break) may also be times to avoid.
• Rainy season! From the beginning of June to mid-July.
• September is typhoon season.

3)  See if there's anything in particular you want to see while you're there. I, for example, specifically chose to go during cherry blossom season. See if there are any festivals that interest you. The Kanamara Matsuri (fertility festival; think giant weenies) on the first Sunday of April is a favorite.

My results: I decided to go during the Spring because trees covered in pink are of great interest to me. The earliest Poncho could get off was the third week of April. He only gets five vacation days so we can only go for that week. Between the twelve-hour flight and seventeen hour time change we lose a day. Considering all that, we booked our flights for Sunday, April 18 and returning on Sunday, April 25.

Part 2: Buying a Plane Ticket

For an international trip you should probably buy your tickets at least a month in advance. We bought ours two months in advance and our friend bought a ticket to join us a month later for the same price. Right now the same tickets are $100 more. Though I can't imagine many people would wait until the last minute to get a plane ticket to another continent...

You'll probably fly into Narita Airport, as they handle most of Japan's international flights. Haneda Airport is closer to Tokyo, but you'll probably go to Narita anyway. (Note: We're only planning to go to the Kanto region (Tokyo area) so you may go to a different airport if you were to be traveling to, say, Hokkaido.)

I hear it's good to book directly through the airline when you can. When I went to Oklahoma I got the best rate directly through Southwest Airlines. Obviously Southwest doesn't have flights to Japan, so we went with our other method: HotWire.com. We also used them to go to Hawaii and Jamaica and it's been fine. I like their search tools.

After you've decided on a flight, either before or after you actually buy it, check out SeatGuru.com to see what your plane is going to be like, and call the airline to request a seat. They might say you have to wait until you actually check in or something, but it's worth a shot.

My results: We got tickets through HotWire on Korean Airlines for a direct flight to Narita, Japan for $755 each. I looked up our plane on SeatGuru.com and was pleased to find out each seat has its own plug, so I can keep my Nintendo DS charged. I then called the airline and asked them if my husband, our friend, and I would be able to sit together since we booked out tickets separately, and she happily gave us three seats with a window.

Parts 1 & 2: Deciding When to Go and Buying a Plane Ticket
Parts 3 & 4: Trains?! and Deciding Where to Stay
Parts 5 & 6: What to Pack and To Do Between Now and Then

Part 7: Stuff I Wanna Do
Part 8: Links, Links, and Links

Housewife Tales, Part 3: Gaming

Video games are awesome. Heck yes I played Tink! Tonk! Tinka's Mazes on Commodore 64 when I was a toddler. (Sidenote: I cannot believe I remembered the name of the game and totally just downloaded a copy.) And, yes, the best game on Atari was Jungle Hunt. The day my uncle got a Nintendo and I got to go over and play Mario and Duck Hunt was the day he became my favorite uncle (sorry, other uncles, but deal with it).

I admit, a video game doesn't have to be quality to get my hooked (Party Babies is good, shut up), especially when I just need a few moments of mindless clicking before I can re-focus on what I should be doing. My attention span is like that.

So, yeah, I have a farm. Don't get all judgey on me; my farm is awesome. See the hay rainbows? Too cool for you.

It looks like I have a lot of stuff, and I kind of do, but even my grandma is higher level than me. The last two times I planted crops, I let them wilt. And, let me tell you, a field of wilted nacho plants just looks sad.

For those who are out of the loop, this is that FarmVille game everyone's either obsessed with or grumbling about.

The other mindless click-click-click game I play is Restaurant City. It's cute. It's just cute. Look at my freaking restaurant! Cute. The inside is just a cluttered mess of baby animals, mermaid-related decor, and now a bunch of little colorful eggs with faces. And I get to serve my customers sushi, rainbow soup, and bacon orbs. Bacon orbs that float. And have bacon.

And it makes me happy.

I haven't just been playing crappy little Facebook games! I'm in the last dungeon on Final Fantasy XIII. This game is so pretty! People complain that the game is "linear," but I'm totally happy with playing a 60 hour interactive movie.

And a Final Fantasy where the characters are finally interesting? And no random battles? Hooray!

I've also been tossing Arkham Asylum into the 360 from time to time. Not as much as I should, being a Batman lover. It's a very fun game, but it has failed to really keep my attention. A little slow-paced, I would say. The strategic way you have to take down the baddies is very fun, but I've just been struggling with it.

Also, I am totally bitter that you have to have a PlayStation 3 to play as Joker. Joker is my favorite villain of all time. Of all time!

This one's a little embarrassing--I've been playing Ultima Online. That's one of the first MMORPGs (think World of Warcraft) and was released in 1997. I played it then, and I've never liked another MMORPG as much (including World of Warcraft).

I've been playing it with friends who also played it back when it was new and hip (See? I'm not a total loner.) and have been playing it plenty. In fact, I just took that screenshot like five minutes ago. This game has no real levels, you can buy houses, I made my own pink dress, you can kill people more easily (not like this pansy "agreeing to duel" crap); it's much more fun. And I'm playing it for free thanks to UO Second Age.

The last of the video games I've been playing lately is The Biggest Loser for Wii. Poncho picked me up a copy (after I asked, of course) and it's been nice. I haven't played too much of it yet, but my legs already hurt from playing it this morning. It's not as cute as Wii Fit (though Bob is pretty cute) but it's far more intense and has recipes and calorie tracking and stuff.

It will be hard to keep up with, but I think it'll be effective and worth the effort.

Seriously, floating lunges on a Wii balance board are hard.


So, yeah, I can cook, I can clean, I can pay bills... but then I want to play my video games.

Nook Wallpapers: Alphonse Mucha Wallpapers for your Nook

I love customizing my Nook with different wallpapers and screensavers. Being terribly picky, I've been making a bunch myself. But I'm not greedy; I will totally share them.

Saving instructions:
Right-click on the image you want to save and select "Save target as..." OR
Follow the "SAVE ALL" link under the images to download all of them at once from MediaFire.

SAVE ALL

You can find a tutorial on how to get your Nook to display these here.

Get more Nook images from the Nook Wallpapers group on Flickr.

Housewife Tales, Part 2: Baking

Last week I made an entry about all the foods I've been cooking. They've been delicious, but decidedly uncute. To balance this, I have also taken to baking.

Now this is a hobby. It works out reasonably well because I don't actually like to eat most of this stuff, so I get to pawn them off on other people. In fact, the only thing pictured that I've actually eaten is the shortbread cookies, which I confess I didn't make. I did fall in love with them though and made thumbprint cookies during our next baking-themed get-together.
Dispite the glory that is all of the above, I am not a super creative person, and it takes a lot of browsing for me to get an idea of what I'm going to bake. My inspiration comes from several main places...

Cake Pops by Bakerella
The first time anyone sees a cakepop, they are instantly amazed. Cakepops are brilliant and adorable, and I only know how to make them through the guidance of Bakerella. I've made cakepops several times and have been getting requests for more. The rainbow "cakeball cake" above is just a bunch of cakeballs stacked (much easier than putting them on a stick I think). The instructions for the Hello Kitty cake pops can be found on Bakerella's website right here.

All Cakes Considered by Melissa Gray

This book is so cute and filled with so many kinds of cake. It also educated me on the differences between the different kinds of flour, and each recipe comes with an interesting little anecdote. There's a kind of cake here for all tastes, and all skill levels.

A word of caution: You need a mixer for most of these recipes. Or at least you probably need one, unless you're insane enough to beat eggs and whip cream by hand. I'm not.

Fairy Cooking by Rebecca Gilpin and Catherine Atkinson
Yes, this is a cookbook for little kids. I don't care; it's cute and the recipes are great. Not all of them are baked goods, but all of them are cute. For my oldest friend's bridal shower I made four things, all of which I found in this book. They were super adorable.

And, being that it's a kids' cookbook, all of the recipes are easy. Cute, easy, and tasty. Win, win, and win.

Hello Cupcake by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
I feel like you should have to pass some kind of psychological evaluation before being allowed to own this book. Attempting these creations is not for the feint of heart. Totally worth it though--every single idea in here is endlessly cute. You will not find baking recipes in here, just dozens of adorable decorating ideas for every occasion.

These are best accomplished with the help of friends. The chocolate owls above took three people three hours to decorate. But look at how cute they are! There's also a second book out, which I must soon get my hands on.

Perfect Cupcakes
This book reminds me very much of All Cakes Considered, except on a smaller cup-sized scale. Same concept though: a wide variety of flavors, mostly with simple but cute decorating ideas. You won't see any decorating tips like those from Hello Cupcake, but sometimes simple is perfect. And you can never go wrong with pink frosting.





I also invested in two dozen silicone cupcake cups, which I love. People keep getting confused and throwing them away though, which leads to a scolding from me. I picked up a dozen round cups, six flower cups, and six butterfly cups (pictured above) all four $4 at Target. Seeing as they're often ten times that price, I was quite thrilled. The best part is that the cup, being that it's not paper, remains a bright color, which compliments the decoration on top. Finding baking stuff in the dollar section of Target is almost my favorite part of any holiday.