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Let's Build a Snowman! (Or Jamie's Steady Descent Into Madness Part 1)
Link: http://www.kilbot.net/writing/snowman.php
Yesterday I came home from work to find the small area in front of the door to my home covered in knee high snow, as it often is this time of year. What I normally do at this point is break out the shovel and carve a nice narrow path through the snow so that the mail man and my neighbors can access the building without suffering the indignity of wet ankles. The last few weeks whenever I leave for work in the morning I've noticed that my narrow path through the snow has been replaced by an unnecessarily large fully shovelled front. Have the snow fairies been coming in my sleep and clearing my front for me? Then I remembered that I actually share this entrance with one other person, an English teacher at my school (who won't teach with me presumably because he's scared of speaking to me, but that's another story). Every night around 9pm when he comes home from work he spends a good 30 minutes meticulously clearing every flake of snow off the ground in front of our building. Why??? Listen buddy, I don't need you reminding me of my own laziness!
Well when I came home yesterday and saw the front once again buried I decided I wasn't going to carve my usual 1.5 feet wide path. What I did next still puzzles me. Perhaps it was from reading Mehan's story about the Sapporo Snow Festival at work that day, or maybe it was just a product of frustration from living in Noheji for three winters, but for some reason I decided to roll up all the fresh snow on the ground and build a snowman! Since I hadn't made one since I was about 9 years old, my snowman making skills were a little rusty and the end result could probably win a prize for the world's ugliest snowman, or even scariest snowman.
So now I'm left wondering as to what will happen as a result of my defiant statement in snow. Will my snowman serve as a kind of snow scarecrow and discourage my neighbor's needless shoveling? Has any chance of him ever speaking to me be permanently destroyed? Will my creation inspire some kind of 'Scary Snowman Festival' in Noheji Town that will live on for generations to come? I suspect that in the end it will only serve as the first public indicator of my steady descent into snow induced madness. I guess only time will tell.
13 comments
I dont think your snowmans that bad! The thing that stuck out most to me though was that your snowman had ears...lol XD 
my hat is off to you, sir, for doing the most hilarious and nonsensical thing possible in the given situation. 
Thanks to you both! When I was making the snowman it dawned on me that snowmen never seem to have ears. Well that just didn't seem fair so I gave mine two big ones. Now it kind of looks more like a snow monkey, or a snow Abe Vigoda. 
Truly a gaijin snowman. My kids all informed me that snowmen in Japan only have two balls... um... sections to them. Maybe your snowman needs a Japanese snowman to foster internationalization of snow people? Yeah, I thought a little internationalization was in order and went for the ugly Western style snowman, rather than the cute bucket headed Japanese style one. I learned recently from Kate that technically there are no such things as snowmen in Japan, just Yukidaruma (Like this guy). Yuki meaning snow, and Daruma meaning one of these things. 
What's the snowman's name, Bob or Beowulf? Well, hopefully your neighbour will appreciate the shovel buddy you've created. But yes, you've ensured yourself a non-communicating neighbour for the rest of the year. Looking forward to Bob/Beowulf's family's appearance with all the snow you're getting. 
You should get up in the middle of the night and move the snowman so it's peering in your neighbor's window or door. Ever think of making a snowdog to go with your snowman? It would be a snowmans best friend. 
Hey Jamie!
When's the next video coming out?
Can you give us an update on what the rest of the crew from the Avoidinglife early days are doing? 
does part 2 involve making one in shigemori?....coz I could do with a little snowman to freak out the neighbours....! 
i wanna tadaima snowman now...hmmmm...i could have my own army!! 
Nicely done, Jamie. More snowmen should indeed be made. Follow the link to find inspiration from our little friend Calvin as to the art of expression through snowmen. I'm really glad that so many of you liked my snowman. That's why it pains me to announce his unfortunate demise. The last three days in Noheji has seen above 0 weather and now my snowy friend is but a memory. :( I never thought to give him a name, but now that he's gone I feel that he really should have one so that he can get into snowman heaven. From now on my poor departed snowman will be called "Preparation H Raymond". Maybe if the snow returns again I'll try to resurect him (and maybe give him a guard dog). Of course Ange, you don't need me to build one for you. It's really quite easy to do on your own. I'm too lazy however to do anything fancy like Calvin's classic snowmen. Mark, as for your comment about the video... well Hugh and many other people from the early days are gone now so it might be a little hard to do. I'd like to do more videos, but I've just been getting lazier and lazier as my time in Japan goes on. I think by the time August comes they are going to have to carry me out of the country on a stretcher. 
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