double trouble

it's been longer than i would like since i've last posted. despite finding myself in front of my computer more than i'm even willing to admit, somehow that time just never materializes into a post.

let's start with the weekend. this weekend was absolute rollercoaster.

friday i went to Style's for "cheap wine night." it was supposed to be a similar evening to the night we had after thanksgiving dinner, when we all crashed at Bee's. so Bee was supposed to come, but he realized he had already promised he'd meet an old friend that night and said he might come later.

Style made sheperd's pie, which was delicious, and we finished off 2 bottles of cheap wine. i was definitely drunk and blabbed all my boy troubles, if you can call them that, to him in a drunken haze. i didn't want to spend the night, so i made my way out in plenty of time to catch a train home. i was way drunker than i thought. one stop before my stop, i knew i wasn't going to make it. i got off and went looking for a restroom. i finally went and asked the station attendant. sadly, i didn't make it in time. i'll leave the details at that.

eventually i got home and miraculously made it to bed with the door locked and in my pajamas. i did sleep with my contacts in and had one of those "i can see! ...oh, wait. shoot!" moments in the morning when i woke up but otherwise, i was lucky to only end up with a hangover.

saturday i got a text from Oto. basically he said that he couldn't go out on sunday (the "date" we made 4 weeks ago was finally here) because he still isn't over his girlfriend. i couldn't believe it. i had been looking forward to it for 4 weeks. and now?! i called Chelsea. i cried. i drafted a reply.

"Oto, it's okay. it's okay if you're not over her. it's okay if you can't "be with" another girl. i can handle it if you just tell me what's up. of course, i was looking forward to tomorrow but that's just because i thought it'd be fun if we went together. for now, that's it. i mean, i think you're a great guy and want to be friends. i'm not expecting anything other than that. that being said, you still can't go? if you can't, of course i'll be a little sad, but i can understand."

i called Chelsea. i sent the text. i waited. and waited. and then i had to leave.

saturday night was the middle school end of the year party. it was at a restaurant near my house so i rode my bike. i didn't put one and one together to realize it was a blowfish restaurant! i ate a lot of blowfish. whoa. crazy. some of it was good, some of it was not so good, and some of it, i just couldn't even bring myself to try. eating a plate full of blowfish sashimi was pushing my "challenge" courage as it was. half way through the night, i started to feel sick, so i stopped drinking any alcohol, switched to apple juice, and stuck to the vegetables that came with the blowfish.

the second party was low key and i was feeling down. Oto still hadn't replied and i wasn't in the happy drunken state that everyone else seemed to be in. i just wanted to go home and curl up in bed. i mentioned to Cheer that i had to talk to her about something that came up regarding my date with Oto, so in the end, she came over.

she lives nearby too and had ridden her bike, so we rode our bikes home and i gushed the whole story. in the end, i texted him and asked if he'd seen my text and what he was thinking, and that i was waiting for a reply. i went to bed feeling uneasy and disappointed.

i woke at 7:30am and saw that i had a text from Oto at 7am. "aw thanks jo. then, shall we get dinner? meet at 4, right? i'll try not to be late. sorry i took so long to get back to you. i fell asleep yesterday at 4."

relieved, i went back to bed. when Cheer and i finally got up at 10:45, i properly replied to Oto. i was excited again, but slightly miffed by what was going on with him. i don't want to have to play these games; the waiting and the guessing thing is just not my style. but for the time being, we were going on a date. and i was smiling like a giddy little kid.

one productive weekend

friday:
had the day off work.
bought a bunch of stuff:
- vacuum cleaner. (finally!)
- bike. (yay!!)
- kitchen and bath mats.
- one of those vacuum seal storage bags.
vacuumed my whole apartment.
stored away my spare futon.
Carr came over.
made spaghetti for dinner.

saturday:
had to work in the morning.
reorganized a bunch of stuff (books, tools, computer accessories, etc.)
slightly rearranged my bedroom.
watched an episode of america's next top model.
had an early night.

sunday:
woke early-ish from receiving a text from Carr.
took dry cleaning to the cleaners.
went to the grocery store.
made pasta salad, with enough left over for lunch tomorrow.
got prints of 40 or so photos made.
hung said photos on my wall.
watched two episodes of project runway.
drank an entire carton of 100% juice.
finished grading 62 eighth grade english tests.

beMusings

a couple weeks ago, Chelsea and i were both feeling a little sluggish and not quite in the mood to go out all night, but decided to go out clubbing anyway. oddly enough, those are the times when it actually ends up turning out to be a great time.

we met at a station near my house, where i was armed with convenience store drinks for the train to the club, Muse. oh the fruity alcoholic beverages that japan provides...

we were looking hot (if i must say so myself!) and we were giggly and getting in the mood for some dancing. for the majority of the evening the two of us alternately rocked it out on the dance floor and took breaks in the big comfy booths around the bar so we could scope out the crowd.

at some point in the evening, a guy caught my eye on the dance floor. hoping he'd come over, i played it cool with Chelsea. after all, what's more attractive than a girl who is thoroughly enjoying herself?

eventually, we made our way into the middle of the dance floor, near where he was. and slowly i made my way in front of him and approached him. we didn't speak at first, but he definitely wasn't saying no. i think it was me who first spoke and asked what his name was. he was surprised that i could speak japanese and explained that he had wanted to approach me but assumed that since he couldn't speak english, it would be worthless. i laughed, and he said, my name's Carr.

we hit it off on the dance floor and when we took a break, he bought Chelsea and me drinks. then he and i went back and danced the night into morning.



fast forward to now.

he knows how to get to my place from the station and where the closest (fared) parking lot is when he drives. we've gone out to dinner once and i've cooked in at least three. he's slept over several times. his toothbrush is in my medicine cabinet.

he's a gentleman and totally respects my boundaries. he is definitely a guy who appreciates cuddling and canoodling. a rare species no doubt. on top of that, he emailed me out of the blue the other day and said he was going to study english. he doesn't need it for his job or for daily life, and when i pressed him about it, he acted shy and wanted me to drop the subject. verdict is, he's smitten.

now if only i knew what i was...

school daze: a teacher on tokyo

today a teacher asked me, "do you have a lot of friends in tokyo?"

and when i said, "mm, yeah i guess i do,"

she said, "oh really? ...so you don't get bored in tokyo?"



first, she sounded genuinely surprised that i said i had friends,

and second, how could someone possibly get bored in tokyo?!



i guess i should mention that this woman is...well, kind of a bitch.