I have been terrible at keeping up with posting, what with my being in Japan, the Internet being horribly slow, and the world ever turning without giving me time to catch up. Since I have no intention of abandoning this blog (ha famous last words?), I intend to update with smaller posts that will verge more towards the “random” spectrum of this already random blog.

Anyhoo, here are some things I am into as of late:

- Eco bags: I use one for when I go grocery shopping here in Japan. Eco bags are really popular, and I can see why–everything, and I mean EVERYTHING in Japan is put into a plastic bag and sealed when you purchase it. Because of this, I have a hefty amount of plastic bags that I cannot use up fast enough. My eco bag, which is just a simple black vinyl bag, is big enough to hold all of my groceries. And since you bag your own groceries in the supermarkets here, it’s much easier than using up a bunch of smaller plastic bags. There are some debates to the actual environmental impact of using eco bags, but I am happy to know that I am able to do my part in some small way.
- Multi-colored pens: You know the pens that have 3 or 4 different ink cartridges inside them? Yeah. Perfect for taking notes, and they even haves one here where you can customize which inks you want to put into the body of the pen.
- Libraries: I have totally been abusing the library here at school. At home in the states, I was buying books like a sucker! And it’s rare that I ever read a book more than once, so I intend to stop buying books even when I get back, unless it is a hard to find title. Helps the wallet and environment, which reminds me of another thing I’ve been digging…
- Used bookstores: Here they have a used book and CD store called Book Off. You can find nearly every title, even last month’s magazines, in near-perfect condition and for usually less than half the price. Buying used goods creates less demand for production, which in turns helps the environment, encourages small businesses, and helps your budget.

Yeah, most of these gravitate towards helping the environment in some shape or form. I suppose it’s because I have ceased to be surrounded by SUVs, My Super Sweet Sixteen, Blackberrys, and general consumerism that can be found in the states. I can tell you one thing for sure–I am so glad I’m not there to be tempted by all the Christmas insanity…

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