In the Present

I have learned a new lesson here - if you think something is worth it, do it now.  Don't wait.  Too often, I have really wanted to buy something or take a picture of something or say something and I think, "I'll do it later."  But by the time I get back to it, the situation has changed and the opportunity has passed.

So, these pictures are an example of some things I have learned to just enjoy in the moment.

(1) Macarons.  I was passing through Parco, the department store the other day and as I was walking out, I noticed a macaron counter.  Well, I love macarons so I stopped.  They gave me a free sample and then I bought some. 

(2) Totoro.  This guy stands outside a shop that looks like a flower/gardening shop.  I took this picture and then marched right in despite its outward appearance and it turns out, it's a store that sells a lot of things all Ghibli related. 

 (3) Christmas.  You think American stores start the Christmas stuff too early?  I was walking into Daiei on Saturday and heard some Christmas music playing.  Shocked, I stopped to listen for a second, laughing.  "Don't they know this music is out of season?" I wondered.  Then I went around the corner and saw this - an entire display of the types of cakes you can ORDER NOW!  Despite the fact that I always feel self-conscious taking pictures of stuff like this, I just did it. 

(4) Soccer.  Inside Kamo, the soccer shop which I like to frequent so I can pretend that I can afford the stuff in it and watch Samurai Blue soccer on the TV screen had this display.  It includes signed spikes from Shinji Kagawa, Atsuto Uchida and Eiji Kawashima which are some of my favorite soccer players (besides mein lieblingsspieler, that is).  Although it looked obvious, I decided to play the American fangirl card anyway and snapped a photo. 

Despite this new resolve though, I still mess up a lot too.  I wanted to take pictures of people in my ward today and didn't get the courage to ask for them.

(Especially sad since my non-boyfriend of my Sunday School class just got an absolutely spiffy haircut that made him so attractive that I would look at him when he made a comment and then forget to turn away when he finished speaking.)