Day 5 Sans Bret

Today it was windy. I rode bicycles with my friend Michael for a long time. Then it started to rain but it wasn't that cold so we didn't care.

We watched Toy Story 3 and some other bad movies. Why is TV so much better than most movies? All I need is good comedy TV, movies are not interesting to me anymore. Generally speaking.

Things without Bret are really different. I've been painting a lot, sleeping less, and trying to exercise more.

There's going to be a flea market in February so I've been making a lot of Totoro paintings for that, I'm really excited. We're also going to make banana and pumpkin bread, and I might make some totoro pillows and things, but I'm totally covered on the paintings. I hope I sell a handful and who knows, maybe it'll lead to more things. I would love to have a hobby I can make money off of. And if not, I'll just give them away as presents ;)

I'm happy everyone in Bret's family enjoyed their presents and got to see Bret this year .

I found Pop's present today and will send it in the mail soon!

I miss everyone!

Worst Cat Ever

Adventures in cat sitting

She was being nice and sitting still in my lap for about five seconds so I took a quick photobooth picture. She then attacked me and is currently meowing outside my bedroom door. Ugh.

New work outfit + car

I love dressing up for work.

Samurai Swords!

These were Bret's Christmas presents :)
an extremely attractive photo of me

Winter Holiday

My vacation from work has not officially begun, but Bret has gone to begin his epic journey back to America for the holidays.

I am watching a friend's cat, so I have a little company, and I'm trying to do some projects to stay busy. It won't be so bad. I think the fact that so many friends and students oooo-ed in shock that he was going and I wasn't helped make it not such a big deal. I appreciated their concern, but it was fun laughing it off and seeing their shock.

Things have been s0-so. Lots of ups and downs, but everything is more or less calm and things are good. I was pretty nervous about getting everything ready for Bret's departure. I wanted to get everyone something, but finding the perfect present is hard. I will make it up to the tricky present people as soon as I can!

I also made myself an enourmous to-do list. On the top of that list is emailing all the people I care about and miss that I don't take enough time to correspond with on a regular basis. I really do think about my whole family and friends every day, and I hope that the lack of communication doesn't make anyone feel like I don't care. I really do, I'm just busy and a little stressed and maybe a little selfish with my free time. When I'm not working I just want to sit on my couch and watch a million hours of tv in a row! I love listening to people talk fast.

I had a friend over a while ago and she wanted to watch an American TV show to see what it was like. I had to hit the pause button and explain what was happening at every 5-10 second interval. And my friend's English is pretty good, too.

I'm learning a lot of little words here and there and feel like I'm slowly learning more and more. It's funny because I almost actively don't try to learn, because I have so little free time, but every once in a while I get bombarded when Bret's not around to translate and I have to face my fear and attempt to answer curious stranger's questions. I usually guess and just start saying things back. America! Seattle! Ichiro! (the first question is usually, where are you from)

The other day I was visiting a friend and rode in an elevator up to his apartment with someone else from the building. Surprisingly, this was the first time this has ever happened. While we were waiting for it to get down to the lobby, we were both shivering a bit, and without meaning to, I said, "samui des, ne?" because that's what EVERYONE says in the winter for small talk/in passing. Grocery clerks, convenience store workers, grandmother's--they all say, "it's cold, isn't it?" So I said it on accident and then I was stuck in a conversation. While we were riding up he asked me where I was from, which I could understand and answer but the conversation quickly got too complicated. I had to admit I didn't understand Japanese and shuffle out of the elevator in shame. haha. But! One small step for me!

I have one more small story before I sign off this rant of a post.

The other day, or rather, last week, I attempted to purchase a hot lemon drink from a vending machine. They have hot drinks in machines here and on cold days it's soooo nice. Plus the lemon drink has vitamin C and I am always getting coughed on. Anyways, I put my 100 yen coin in and push the button--but no lemon drink! And it was my last dollar! Oh well, life goes on.

Two days later, I come to that same vending machine and guess what's down at the bottom? A HOT lemon drink. Even though it was already expelled from the machine, it was still hot! A Christmas miracle! I was so excited to get my lemon drink, which i had PAID for so I put it in the pocket of my coat and went off to my car. Upon getting out of my car, I realize I am sans lemon drink once again! I go back to look, but it was dark and couldn't find it.

Fast forward THREE more days and guess what I find!?! My lemon drink! Propped upright in someone's garden in the vicinity of the vending machine and the parking lot. It had a dent in the lid and everything. Someone had set it down upon a garden stone for it's rightful owner to find. And I found it! it was no longer hot, but I drank it happily nonetheless!

Happy holidays!

Long time no post

So nothing much is happening. Just the usual.

It's pretty freezing here at the moment. Makes me miss insulated housing. Waking up and going downstairs is the worst.

Good part is it's onsen (bath house) season again! We haven't had time to go recently but we'll try to go this weekend. It's the best way to get warm for longer than a minute.

I'm trying to get things ready for Bret's departure to Seattle in the next week and a half, so if there are any requests, please send me a message. Putting things in the luggage is way cheaper than shipping.

Hope everyone is having a good start to the holiday season!

Thanksgiving!

It was more like Thanksgiving month out here for us. I explained the American traditions to bunches of people and had a couple of friends over for chicken, mushroom stuffing, and mashed potatoes. It was all delicious!

Japan's Newest Police Dog, Momo! (momo means peach)

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Other Exciting News

I love my new candle holders. I don't like candles. I never use that stuff. But when I saw these in the daiso (dollar store) I wanted to incorporate them into my life. and here we are:

Treats from foreign lands

My friend Remi recently went to INDIA and brought me back some omiage!
(oh-me-ya-geh i.e. japanese word for souvenir)

It's weird to be reminded of how not-spicy most things in Japan are. And boy did these chips do the trick! SO hot! But completely delicious. My loot includes three bags of chips and some authentic chai masala! I can't wait to make it

Pumpkin Pie Party

Our friend Caleb made tons of pumpkin pie for a local agricultural event last weekend in honor of Thanksgiving. They put up a big sign advertising "Thanksgiving Food" and the pies sold out in a day and a half! (It was a two day event and barely anything was left for the second day)

The best part, for me, since I came on the second day and didn't get much pie was the TURKEY that Caleb made ON A GRILL.

It was soooooooooo good. And it doubled as entertainment, too! Every time we lifted up the grill lid to check on the turkey, dozens of event-goers would stop in shock and gawk at the spectacle of a SHISHIMENSHYO!! (that's what they call turkeys. it's also what they call mythological 7-legged birds) Needless to say a turkey is not a common sight out here. Oh how I miss cold cuts...

It got a little repetitive, there's only about one word they use for WOW and that's SOUGOUY!! (su-goy?) and they also make an onomatopoeia noise for surprise. but it was still good times!!

The turkey was also unbelievably delicious. As "volunteers" we got a bunch and it was grilled to perfection. Not dry at all.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Return of Maru Pt. 2

Favorite Fall Outfits

boots (present). Guess jeans $15. flannel print micro fleece from Uniqlo 2,000 yen.


yellow chucks 1,000 yen from recycle store, black leggings 500 yen from Uniqlo, plaid skirt 500 yen from recycle store, white button down from Target $12, navy blazer from Uniqlo 1,200 yen, yellow tie from the dollar store 100 yen :)

Brown ankle boots, 2,000 yen, guess jeans, $15, A&F shirt, $10, navy blazer Uniqlo 1,200 yen, patterned canvas bag from Target $10

shoes from recycle shop 500 yen. floral tights from Uniqlo 500 yen. jean skirt from Urban Outfitters $15. white tank from Target $5. Cream pleather jacket from Uniqlo 5,000 yen :(

Bret Eating a Pizza

In Case You Missed It

This was the google homepage today! Japan in moving up in the world, haha

Driving School!

Yikes. Driving school. I know what that sounds like, but I would like to explain before I regale you with tales of my experience.

During your first year if carrying a driver`s license in Japan, you are allowed three traffic "points". One ticket can be anywhere between one and ten points. This was not made exactly clear to me at the time I obtained my license, but oh well... I was under the assumption that it was three tickets, not three points...

So I get a letter in the mail that said (after many reads from various friends that could decipher it) that I had to come on down for a refresher course in Japanese driving! (or else my license would be...suspended...canceled...who knows?)

I only got one ticket (going 8 miles over the speed limit...) and got pulled over one time during a safety awareness campaign for seat belts (but was not ticketed?)

After a few mishaps, phone calls and other miscommunications, I was lucky enough to have my friend Mami call and arrange a day that I was not working or anything and looked up how to get there and what I needed for the course. They told Mami I needed to bring a translator, so booked the premier bilingual of our prefecture, Mr. Caleb, a friend who works in the city office.

Off we went, 8 in the morning, bicycling in the rain, then hanging out on the train, then the bus stop, then a taxi (DMVs are never conveniently accessed, at least not for me) and at last we arrived.

The first translated sentence I heard was "There is a class today?"
-not inspiring-

Then everything got sorted. Waiting waiting waiting.

A man finally came out and took us and one other kid to a room. He introduced himself as Okie (aka Tom Cruise) and we were quickly won over by his friendly demeanor, love for 15 minute breaks and, of course, his multi-compartment fanny pack.

List of things that could have been in this fanny pack:
5 weeks food rations
a flint+kindling
folding chair
headlamp
water filtration system
easy-open tent
a gps system
a map of japan


Needless to say it was a loooong class. 9:30-5:30. Basically a work day. But it was fun! I got to drive a Toyota Prius for the first time (LOVE the push button start) and practiced some sweet manuevers on the driving course. They weren't exactly instructional, they were just to show us what COULD happen if we speed/drive recklessly. For one of the exercises I had to go full speed down a hosed down track of pavement and slam on my brakes. I had to do it a few times because it was "not fast enough" to truly demonstrate the damage and destruction I was capable of with my reckless 8 miles over the speed limit driving...

but it was fun, I spun out a few times and we were all entertained!

Before I knew it, the class was over and I was back to bicycling home in the rain. Oh the rain. It's cold, trucks splashed me as they passed, and I fell off my bicycle while trying to swing my leg over because my boot got caught and landed in a puddle in front of my house. But I didn't get hurt so it was kind of fun!

I hear a typhoon is coming, that might account for all the rain and other strange weather shifts of the past week.

Happy Almost Friday! Don't get a ticket in Japan, it's not the best!

Hiking!

An Alice in Wonderland caterpillar! So cute!
This picture isn't edited, but I used a weird setting on my camera

The misty mountains!

Updates

Bret has a staff training day in Takamatsu (alll the way over on the other side of the island) so I have a whole day to do nothing.

I've been painting a bunch, but it takes a long time with all the drying and waiting, so I'm going to the gym with my friend Michael (he replaced Bret as a teacher at my old company, so he lives in our old apartment and we worked together a lot) and then....who knows.

My last work day was yesterday and it wasn't that sad. It's really difficult to communicate with students/answer their questions, so I just told them in Japanese, "next week! NEW teacher!" and that was that. I had tons of sad goodbye's this past week (different students each weekday) but I'm glad it's all over.

It feels nice, but I'll be busy again soon, and this past year will slowly fade into a blurry speck in my memory :)

Some days it feels like all I want out of life is a cup of sleepy time tea and Harry Potter. This is one of those days.

Travel Updates!

Bret will be back in Seattle from December 24th to January 3rd. Regrettably, I am unable to come, but if you want to see Bret shoot him an email or something around that time!

Some works in progress!

Ever since David generously left me some of his art supplies, I have been working on a few silly paintings. They spruce up the house! Still working on all of them, but they look alright at the moment

Kill Bill Bar

2nd to last day of preschool class

This is my cute little preschool class that I visit twice a month. I took this picture so I could print out 18 copies and hand them out on my last day with a little card or something. Good thing the one on the right felt the need to pay attention on my almost-last day :D

Our Landlord

He's basically the coolest old Japanese guy I've met. For an example, I was supposed to drive to this landmark by his house and then call him for the rest of the directions. Instead, he tells me to wait there and just shows up on this little (they are like BMX bikes but with small tires, they are super popular but are exhausting) bike with a mini flashlight tied to the front. And he's like, let's go! And I followed him to his house.

The first time I met this guy was my first viewing of the house. He had his sweat towel and big floppy hat, staples of Japanese old folk, and showed me around the house. He's got a funny limp, and he tells me his hobby is being a farmer. Anyway so he gives me this super confusing phone call the other night, telling me he's got some real cheap rice he'll sell to me. Something like, 8000 yen for 30 kilos. Which is a great deal actually, and I didn't want to be rude, so I was like alright you can come over tomorrow night. But then I called back and he was like, come over to my house. So I scoot out there after work, and i come in to his crazy home.

Basically, it's a half modern, half old SUPER traditional house. Its too old and well kept for words, full of all kinds of knicknacks,and an empty Japanese garden pond that is massive when compared with the original house. Attached to the back is a what looks like a small apartment building. So when we go to the kitchen, its basically a different building although from the inside I didn't notice.

Anyway they sat me down and started feeding me. It was like, 'am I here for dinner? no one else is eating, and they keep talking to me..' Their son was skyping from tokyo the whole time, like they didn't want to kick him off once I got over or maybe they just wanted him to try and speak english. He was of middling ability for the average Japanese citizen, but his parents basically don't speak and English and the mom doesn't know how to speak 'special japanese.' (speaking simply, like no jokes, puns, sayings, phrases, idioms, slang words, olde tyme slang words; speaking like to a four year old with a good vocabulary). Anywhoo, so it was pretty confusing in general. He didn't sell me any rice, he just told me about his family. Apparently his son inherited the house I rent from his great grandmother, and its actually his house and his mom is the manager.

Even though his son technically owns the house I deal with Shigenori (the old guy) exclusively. Kind of funny. They thought it was pretty hilarious that they have someone from Seattle living in the house of Watanabe. They gave me a massive bowl of curry rice with vegetables, two trays of pickled vegetables, two bowls of fruit, an entire fish (for those not living in Japan eating a fish means eating the meat and scales, while the whole skeleton/fins/head is attached. some people might think that's weird, right? I forget how we eat fish in America) and a bowl full of chicken livers. Honestly I would have been psyched and just eaten the whole time if I hadn't had a massive dinner like 3 hours before. And they kept talking to me, so it was kind of difficult to eat. Anyhow, he ended up giving me two dvds for the Niihama Taiko (drum) festival and invited me during any matsuri or new years to come over and make mochi with him.

I think his son said he was a Professor of Japanese History and Culture, which is probably why he has these 30 or so person mochi making sessions three times a year. Anyhow, when it was time to go he just rolled out on his bicycle with me to the highway. He has cars and scooters, he's well off, but he seems to prefer that bicycle.

They told me to come back soon and bring Angelina next time, haha.

A big fluffy problem

This is the nicest cutest dog I have seen in Japan and someone DUMPED him at the Niihama train station. I WANT TO TAKE HIM HOME!!! I am currently looking for anyone who is interested on my facebook page but if there's anyone who reads my blog in Japan that can help please let me know. My housing contract doesn't allow pets, and I don't want to hide the poor dog in my garage until I am eventually found out and evicted. I am really sad about this.

First Subway Sandwiches in a YEAR

Garden Flowers

Yard Work

We decided to tackle our giant centipede problem by spraying pesticide all over the garden. The pesticide doesn't actually affect the centipedes, but it kills everything else. No centipede food no centipedes? It's sad though because I don't want it to harm the lizards or the cute little frogs. It may not, because I still see them jumping around.

Despite our efforts, another centipede was found in the house last night. We're looking forward to the weather getting colder so we can forget about them for a few months!!

Zen and the Art of Scooter Maintenence

So Bret has gotten a scooter of his very own. He is enjoying it, and it's acquisition has given us further insight into life in Japan. When I watch anime, I can now identify the licensing sticker on the license plates of scooters! That's something, right?

I am really happy Bret has a new toy, and that he can get to work without bicycling for hours or having to wait for the train (although he still does take the train sometimes). He wants to get another one so we can go on scooter trips, but x dollars of scooter plus x dollars of insurance later I think we'll hold off on that for a while. But it's a thought for next summer!

Next up: buying a rain poncho for maintaining dryness while scooting!

Because of the Mukade....

1) I park my car in the driveway so the headlights face the front door and leave the headlights on until i run inside and turn on a few lights. Then I come back out and turn my car off.

2) I inspect every wall and ceiling before I feel comfortable hanging out in a room

3) I flip the computer chairs over just in case a mukade is lurking underneath

4) I compulsively shake towels, clothes and curtains

5) I re-make the line of powder repellant surrounding our house every week

6) we have a top of the line dehumidifier even though i would much rather have the opposite. But mukade are sensitive to dryness, so the best way to keep them out is to get rid of any moisture

7) Bret has gone through 4 tubes of caulk to seal up the cracks and holes in our house...

We always joke that we wish we'd had a gecko problem instead. I would love to come home to ten geckos in random places around the house.

But at least i'm not afraid of the house being spooky anymore. Just the centipedes!!!

My Best Friend

He comes to the window every night and eats bugs that are hovering around, drawn by the glow of our florescent lights. It's all I could ever ask for in a friend. He's so cute!