Habituated

I seem to have fallen into a routine and before I realized it, time has flashed by. I am not ready to think about leaving, but with a four-day break at the end of the month and a trip to Tokyo and maybe Hiroshima in mind I am excited.
During the week, I spend a few nights at Starbucks. One of the office women works there part time and Ishihara-san will usually come by our table for a bit to chat with us. Ishihara-san is young and talking with her helps me practice speaking informally. Besides, Ishihara-san is hysterical and jokes well with us.
The Japanese did not get the memo that the Christmas season does not start until after Thanksgiving. Starbucks plays Christmas music constantly, and I think I may have to buy better earphones to drone out ‘Silent Night’ and ‘White Christmas’. The local stores are already selling Christmas decorations. At Starbucks Ishihara-san pointed out to us that the ‘Chrismas’ blend had been misspelled.
For all the talk about the Kansai region (where I live) having a rude nature, the people overall are very nice. Storekeepers are happy to hear me speak Japanese to them, even thought I am at a low level. One of the Starbucks clerks told me that I was very skillful, which is not true but still nice. Even though storekeepers are generally friendly, it is nice that so many Japanese encourage us.
I have developed an unhealthy addiction to the clothing store Uniqlo. Uniqlo sells everything except shoes, but I have bought a few shirts and sweaters there as well as a snappy looking flat cap. Every time I try on something I am amused that in Japan I wear and XL size shirt.