It's getting warmer in Japan, and many news programs have already started talking about hanami. I can't wait to see the gorgeous cherry blossoms in April.

I'm making a couple of changes to my blog. As you might have noticed, I'm not blogging much. Mostly I don't have anything to say on my blog that I haven't said on Twitter, and I hate repeating myself. Besides I already share what I read and my ratings on Goodreads. I feel bad, but right now, I don't have the inspiration to blog regularly. So my blog's going on a bit of a hiatus. This doesn't mean I'll never blog again or that my blog's going to disappear. You can still browse the archives, and I'm going to occasionally post pictures and news. Furthermore, if you leave me a question on my blog, I will answer it. This applies to my Twitter account, too. I don't auto-follow, but I will answer if you send me a @ reply with a question or comment. If I don't answer, it's because I somehow missed your question. Feel free to try again. My email is also open to anyone.

So what am I going to do now that I won't be spending time trying to blog regularly?

Firstly, I'm going to focus on working with my mentor, Kate Pearce. We hooked up through the Romance Divas formal mentor program, and I get to pick her brain until the end of June. I've already learned a lot from her, and I'm totally excited about honing my craft and learning more about how publishing works.

Secondly, I'm going to finish the current draft of my untitled novel plus a sexy paranormal romance novella set in Greek-myth-world by the end of April. These items are not negotiable.

Thirdly, I plan to work out more regularly. I'm turning into a couch potato, and it just won't do, especially with the bum back I have. Regular stretching and exercise make a big difference, and I've got to take care of myself better.

Fourthly, I plan to read more.

Finally, I'm going on an eight-day honeymoon to Thailand with Hero Material. We'll be hitting Phuket and Chiang Mai, and I'll post lots of pictures on the blog when we get back.

How about you? What do you plan to do for the rest of the month and April?

Somebody asked me to post a clip of my hamsters on Twitter. So here it is, the one I made right before Christmas madness, when Hero Material and I had to clean the entire apartment before our guests arrived.

FYI — Peanut is a winter white dwarf hamster aka Siberian hamster. He's the first son of Kuro and Shiro. The reason we named him Peanut is that peanuts are his favorite food in the world.

(Peanut says sorry his cage doesn't look very clean, but he blames Buttercup for it because she's a super messy hamster.)

One of my favorite places to visit in Japan is Shimonoseki. When Hero Material and I go there, we always stop by Kaikyokan. It's a fairly small aquarium, especially compared to the ones we have in Baltimore or San Diego, but it has an excellent selection of blowfish and other marine life.

Here are some clips. The quality is a little poor since I created them using my digital camera. Enjoy!

Finally I got some shots from the actual ceremony. Here are a few:

That's Mom lowering the veil. Her dress is called han-bok.

(a bigger version for those of you who want to see my dress more closely :) )

Hero Material's BFF took the close-up picture of the back of my dress:

That's me and Hero Material during the actual ceremony. You can see the attendant in the background, who took care of my ridiculously long train.

That's me signing the certificate:

That's an example of fancy envelopes people use to put wedding money inside. You get cash (crisp new bills only!) instead of gifts in Japan.

• Finished Ashwyn. It needs to sit and percolate a little more before I look at it for rewrites.
• Started outlining My Big Novel Project #1 (MBNP1).
• Wrote an online florist to file a complaint over a gift I ordered for my parents. The flowers were unsatisfactory. The florist offered to resend and refund my money, in addition to giving me a $20 credit. We'll see how the replacement looks. (Thank God, they were sent to Mom, who isn't shy about complaining. I'm just glad they weren't sent to professional colleagues or something…)
• Went to a local glasses shop to get my lenses recut. (Must go pick those up on Saturday…)
• Started watching Rome Season 2.
• Uploaded more pictures to my wedding photo gallery.
• Got my hair cut — about 3.5 inches gone.
• Did a rehab session.
• Went to the gym.

It's only Thursday now, so I have one more day or two of writing time. Saturday and Sunday are going to be tough tough tough because I have to work all weekend, plus have dinner with Hero Material and some friends who couldn't make it to our wedding.

Kimi-chan is a super nice friend of mine in Hiroshima, and out of the blue — meaning completely unexpectedly — she sent me and Hero Material a big box of oysters from her father's award-winning farm in Ootake-Shi, Hiroshima Prefecture (Mukai Suisan). The box contained one big bag of shelled oysters and ten oysters in shells.

Look at the picture below for the quality of the delish oysters! (Note the size and color. They're exceptionally juicy and flavorful. FYI — I'm the one holding the oyster, and my hand isn't small by any means. [wedding band size ~6])

Once you try them from her father's farm, you never want to eat other oysters. Arigatou, Kimi-chan! :wub:

If you're in Japan and want to order oysters from her father's farm, you can call (0827) 53-7121. (Japanese only; sorry they don't speak English…!)