First post in Japan

Well, I'm here at last, as pretty much everyone knows. With the exception of a baggage mix up, my whole trip was pleasantly uneventful.
I'm so happy to be here, and even happier to be with Maurice, FINALLY for good after all this difficult time apart. Things are really good.

Met most of the local ALTs the second night I was here. I was looking forward so much to meeting everyone and it seemed they were all just as happy to see me as well. Very cool and eclectic bunch of people.
On same said night, I got to wear my yukata that Reese had gotten me for my birthday. It is so beautiful. Karen managed to find someone to help me into it who would do it for free (Karen you rock). This sweet little woman who doesn't seem to speak a word of English but I liked her instantly even though I could barely talk to her. She wrapped me up tight in my yukata and even did my hair. I felt super special, though slightly wary of the odd looks I was bound to get being a gaijin in traditional Japanese summer wear. And summer wear! Now I'm aware that the Japanese are used to this heat, but who on earth would think that something that warm would be a good idea in this heat?? Seriously?! Less than five minutes after getting into the thing, the sweat began to roll. TMI? Perhaps, but good Lord!! Without going into detail, I'll just say my skin is not appreciating this new climate change and is rebelling. Fortunately two and a half days in an airconditioned apartment seem to be calming things down.







































The next few days consisted of a lot of lovely lazing. And somehow Maurice managed to get me to watch all of Dawn of the Dead and now I find myself frequently looking over my shoulder to make sure no creepy running at full speed zombies are after me. I not a fan of scary movies...

Today marked the first day of mostly real life here. Reese actually had to go and sit at work today, unlike the three days last week he decided to skip out on it. So I finally managed to catch up on all my normal internet activities, including this. Other possiblities for entertainment include cleaning and working on my Japanese some more. Both are extremely necessary.
Matta ne, mina san.

I miss my dog!

This is my (well, now my parents' as I will no longer live there upon our return to the states) dog Bear, who -- aside from the fact he sometimes runs off longer than is necessary-- is pretty much the best dog ever. And the cutest! I hope that one day Maurice and I can have a dog even half as sweet and friendly and slightly more loyal than Bear.



Is it any wonder we wanted him when we saw this picture at the rescue website?? Seriously! How was he the last to go in the litter?!!































Playing with one of his friends. A bit bigger now than in the last picture.















Bear playing with his cousin Agate.








Sigh... there just aren't enough properly sized dogs in this country. Everyone has little ones that fit in baskets and make nasty high pitched sounds. I just miss petting a big furry head and scratching fluffy ears, and getting that look that only an animal of the canine variety can give you.

Okay, that's the end of this pointless entry. Next time, maybe something with a little more point and substence.

killing time

Well, I'm leaving for Japan in a day and a half. What have I been doing to kill this unpleasant time apart the last four weeks. Not much. Working mostly. Last day of work was thursday and the gals threw me a little going away/you got married/last day of work party at a mexican restaraunt near by. The bank gave me/us $50 and between a bunch of the other people that work there, we got a total of $215!! Not too shabby!! I love my coworkers and apparently they love me right back. They were rather fond of Maurice when he worked there too. :)

Yesterday, my dear friend Mandi came over and we headed off to Seattle with Brittany and Brandon to check out Cowgirls Inc. Brittany had informed me that she and our friend Ali would be taking me out, but due to Ali's stupid boyfriend, she suddenly had to cancel last minute because apparently Seattle is too far away and she cannot leave their two and a half year old and their three month old alone for so long! EVEN though they have more than enough breastmilk for her to spend a few hours out once in a blue moon. But no. Apparently having three capable adults in the house (one of which is the father of these children) is not good enough. The mother must be around 'in case something happens'. She NEVER gets out of the house!!! Is it so terribly difficult for the father to care for his offspring by himself for four hours? Apparently so.

Okay, end of that little rant. Mandi and I left the rest of the posse to watch skantily clad gals dance on the bar, while we went off for my last blues dance in a really really long time. Good to see my dance friends one last time this year.

Today my family minus my brother and plus Mandi headed up to see my uncle and his new house of Guemes Island. Last time I was there they hadn't even started tearing down the trees. I can easily say this is the most beautiful house I've ever been in. Even better than the increadible decoratin and color scheme planning that my aunt did, was the fact that the house was designed with family in mind. They made lots of spaces and beds for guests to sleep, and even had a play room built for the grandkids. Completely family oriented, kids proof, and amazingly beautiful all at the same time. All that and looking right out on the beach. Sigh... Good to see that family again.

Tomorrow: packing and cleaning. Seriously, I have to do it all tomorrow!! Fortunately, everything I need to pack is alreay in my room or very close by, so it won't be too chaotic (I hope).

Hope everyone on the Nihon side is weathering the typhoony goodness well enough. See ya'll soon soon.

quirks, nuts, and bolts

It's amazing what all sorts of different stresses and emotional upheavals in one's life can do to the digestive system. My body feels like it's trying to eat its self.
Aside from personal and family issues causing problems, I'm leaving a week from today. I'll still be in the air on my way to the land of typhoons this time next week, only three hours away from touch down in Narita. Though this prospect is exciting, it's nerve wracking. I have a great deal of packing and organizing left to do, as well as to make sure I have nothing that even resembles liquid in my carry ons, and additionally, worrying that all that other sh-tuff will not be sorted out by the time I leave.
God give me strength.

feels like ouchy

My eyes are burning and blurry, and my vision is worse now that it was two days ago. I've come to a conclusion in these last two days that I had very nearly approached previously anyway, but had not yet compeltely made up my mind on:

Contacts are the devil!!

But sadly, they are a necessary evil.
I had to fork over my glasses to get new and properly working lenses in them. This means that I am forced into contacts for the time being. I had used them before but only when absolutely necessary. I like my glasses. I can take them on and off whenever I want and my eyes can breathe all the time. The down side to them though is that they get in the way when I kiss my husband, they slide down my nose when I am sweating, and I cannot wear sun glasses.
SO! Aside from the fact that I am forced into them now, I know I need them anyway, especially for running around sunny hot Japan for the next while.
In the mean time, I am test driving three kinds. The first day I had one kind in each eye and then had some disposables to try later. I have decided I hate the night and day brand that I supposedly could wear for a month straight. After day and a half and way too many trips to the mirror to drop eye drops in my eyes, I've decided they are no good. Tomorrow I'll try this new hydraclear business again, and then we'll do a disposable on wed, just in time to make up my mind by thursday so I can order gobs to take to Japan with me. Just gotta find a brand that sticks well to my "unusually flat corneas for someone who is near sighted."
Woot.

On a separate issue: A week from now I'll have been in the air for roughly 8 hours!! Though the mere thought of this drains me, I'm still so excited. ..
There was supposed to be an exclamation point there, but I find that work, constantly answering the same questions about being excited to leave, being separated AGAIN from Maurice, and my readiness to leave certain people here, seems to be eating away at parts of me and therefore I lack excitement for many things these days. When I get home from work where I am extremely cheerful and animated all day for my customers, I tend to want to be left alone and not want to talk to anyone -- a thing that Maurice could tell you, is very unusual for me.

GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!

Random photos.

Well, I decided not to do a third installment because I'd really already posted the best ones and I no longer could remember which ones I was hoping to post that wouldn't go. Instead I just have some from the last two weeks that I felt like putting up.
Something is sucking on my soul and pictures make for a nice distraction.


First, some pics from the family gathering a week after we got married. A bunch of his family came over for a lovely BBQ (and lumpia -- yummy). Emily got a hold of the camera.

Emily and their cousin Laura

















This is what happens when the flash goes off too close to me. Yikes... I cast my own light. Maurice says at least I'm easy to see in the dark...







A little better, but only a little...


















Their uncle Mark. He looks a little surley there, but normally he's full of smiles.







First real sunburn (aside from the spot on my leg where I missed sunscreen) of the year, gotten while moving out of my apartment and packing up the truck. I was only outside in five minute increments, but 20 of those can add up... wasn't too bad though -- only moderately irritating and gone in three days or so but I now have classy tan lines.
Karen, don't even think of stepping outside without sunscreen on when you head back to NZ for your wedding. Any pink on you should be because you're blushing, not because you got burned!! Duh, of course, but a reminder never hurts.


And this is Trish, Ali, and me. She did out hair for the wedding. It was pretty special because the three of us for most of high school went to every school dance together, with or with out dates. We've all spent a lot of time apart these last four years and she has two little ones now, but still we hop right back into the swing of thing whenever we're together. She had to put on her glasses so I couldn't see her cry, so that I in turn would not begin to cry either. Me-oh-my. Man I look tall in those heels, but I'm really not.

Okay, that's all for now. I just had these photos sitting in my not yet posted section. Maybe I'll write about something more interesting eventually, I'm just very picture happy of late.

And also as a last note, I'm ready to be in Japan and don't care how muggy it is. Two weeks from Monday I leave... time seems to be slowing down instead of speeding up. I miss my husband and I'm tired of having to again talk to him through the stupid phone at inconvenient hours of the day!