colorado, usa
august 6, 2007
3:42pm
Monday, December 29, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
things i love thursday
.coco wheats, by mom for sick me.
.tissues with vicks IN them.
.steve, our "new to me" dog.
.english tv.
.central heat/warm floors.
.mom's cookin'.
.wrapping christmas presents.
.driving in rural ohio.
.singing while driving.
☆☆☆merry christmas☆☆☆
Monday, December 22, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
ohio home
my brother came up and hugged me from behind while i was waiting for my bag at the baggage claim. my mom was shortly behind him. then i went out to where my dad was waiting with the car. i ran towards him and it was a classic pick-her-up-swing-her-around-hug-and-kiss-on-the-cheek welcome home. i love my dad.
got home and met our new dog (photos to come) then napped on the floor in front of the fireplace. had cereal for dinner and chatted with my parents. it's good to be home. of course i will be spending the majority of my time home doing. absolutely. nothing. but, i will be making a list (tomorrow?) of things i want to do or get done so i am not a complete bum for two weeks.
was planning on staying in cleveland tonight and going to a browns game with my brothers tomorrow, but i'm still kind of sick and don't need to go sitting around in 25°F weather (−3℃?) anytime soon.
maybe breakfast with my grandparents tomorrow and the beginning of jet lag recovery. it may go smoother this time around though because i don't really even know what time it feels like (the only plus side to being sick, perhaps?) so i just trust that the clock is right.
Friday, December 19, 2008
37.5℃ and packing, in stars
that title sounds like some kind of drug reference...haha.
☆ no, no, that would be my temperature. 99.5°F for you fahrenheiters. i have the classic "japanese cold"--achy body, headache, fever, sore throat, heavy chest...the whole nine yards. it ain't pretty. i got home around 5pm and had to curl into a ball for a couple hours to get warm while my heater kicked in.
☆ sadly, because i was stuck in the fetal position for most of the evening, i missed heading to the local stationary shop to buy some presents for my cousins. by the time i pulled myself out of bed, it was 8pm.
☆ i've randomly thrown together some clothes but i'm so delirious that i don't even know if i have what i need. i've got clothes at home still, so worst comes to worst, i'll just lounge around in whatever i find in my closet.
☆ i've done a bit of inventory on what i have here in the way of toiletries, good old american medicine, and other things i love from home as well as things i have and don't need to buy any more of. i made a chicken scratched list to take home and hopefully my feverish note writing actually makes sense when i come back from lala-land.
☆ i still need to get new year's postcards! i'm going to print and write them at home, but want them to be on the japanese new year's postcard paper. 7-eleven it is?
☆ i have to pay my rent and my internet bill, as well as get money out of the bank to take home. the exchange rate is going to make me feel better tomorrow i think. something like 90yen=1dollar. in a country where people are struggling and worrying about the future of their jobs and financial stability, i'm going to be taking advantage of the strong yen and marked down prices! sneaky, eh? ;)
☆ it might be just the time for me to invest some more money too, while the prices are rock bottom. it can only go up from here, right america??
☆ i've got dishes in the sink, stuff strewn across the floor, trash to collect to put out tomorrow, those errands to run...and my legs are bricks. hopefully it all get done...
ohio on my mind
i've been slacking on the blogging front. not for lack of material, because oh boy do i have some of that (teeheehee). not for lack of time; i think i have more than i let on, even to myself. but mostly for lack of motivation or energy to put something together. a few days at home will surely cure this. that's right, i'm going home home on saturday for some much needed vacation, relaxation and family christmas celebration.
i guess i probably should at least get my suitcase out and pretend to be packing.
...my mind is already in ohio.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
things i love thursday
.reading magazines in the bathtub.
.nagano apple omiyage.
.leg warmers for your arms...wrist warmers?.
.mid week days off.
.having a dish-less sink.
.going home home on saturday.
.already being home in my mind.
.walking in the middle of the night.
.being depended on.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
quote of the day
"You are more than the sum of other people’s memories.
You are whoever you want to be."
-gala darling
things i love thursday
.hot showers.
.fall leaves.
.ground chicken stuffed green peppers.
.getting my test marking done early.
.finding the "perfect" pen.
.scheming for my new year's cards.
.chocolate covered kaki no tane.
.bananas.
.my warm down jacket.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
sunday ☆s
☆ i gave my 2nd term final exam for my 3rd graders on thursday. it went smoothly, i think. i thought it was a fairly easy test, though the listening was pretty fast and wasn't sure how the kids would do. so far i've graded three classes of tests and have a lot of 80s and 90s and one 100. so, i guess it was a bit too easy. they say we should aim for an average of 70 or so. i've got a couple of "irregular" scores like 42 and 50 which would pull the average down (in a good way?), but without those i'm guessing my average is in the mid 80s. oops.
☆ i've resorted to mixi flirting (uh...lurking?). i've exchanged mixi messages with several people and even met a couple, but nothing noteworthy (though one of the guys has received the 'endearing' nickname Shrek among my close friends...Bee, to be specific.) i'm going to the a park later to take photos and meet up with Photographer. we'll see if anything comes of it...not really holding my breath though. as much as i'd love to go on some dates and have someone to cuddle with, i'm kind of over it. as in, boys? meh, whatever. having said that, i'm still a shameless flirt. ;)
☆ Bee is in a HUGE funk lately. he got dumped by a girl he really likes and it's sent him in a downward spiral. it's rare for him to get upset about a girl, so it's uncharted waters for him and he doesn't know what to do with himself. he's a wreck but doesn't know how to be okay being not okay for a little while. i relate in so many ways because i was a mess in college in a similar way, but i don't know how to help him. his love of alcohol is becoming a bad coping mechanism. i wish i could do something, but for now, answering his midnight phone calls and having dinner with him when he asks is about all i can do. it's hard to watch your friend tread water with his nose barely above water.
☆ only two more weeks and i'll be back in ohio! this next week will be a light one-- no classes on monday or tuesday, returning and going over tests in class with the kids, maybe a handful of 'christmas' lessons, dinner and drinks with a friend on thursday and a lunch date with 2 friends from high school on sunday. the following week will be even lighter--middle school staff 忘年会, no students at school on wednesday, morning only on thursday and friday with a couple more christmas lessons and before i know it, it'll be saturday and i'll be flying the friendly skies for ohio!
☆ i started my christmas shopping yesterday.
my brothers: i got some really funny ice cube trays. they are in the shape of dentures and look hysterical in a tumbler glass! i still need to get something else for each of them, but it's a start and i think they'll get a kick out of it.
my mom: i also picked up 8 white felt snowflake shaped coasters. she loves table setting decorations, place mats, napkins and holders, etc. so i think she'll like them. i love Loft in shibuya; it's huge with everything you could want. though, the one in omiya might actually be bigger and better.
my dad: i'm planning on getting my dad some soap from Lush. my mom bought some one time and he loved it. after it ran out, we happened upon the store and he was planning on buying some more, until he saw how much it was. he'd never pay that much himself, which is the perfect reason to buy it for him. i also have a book of photos from the top of mt fuji that i bought from a photographer who worked at one of the other huts at the top. that's for my mom and my dad together.
misc: i've got some soaps and little batik pouches from bali for my mom and grandma.
my cousins (high school senior boy and high school sophomore twin girls) will be at our house for christmas, so i should get something for them too. still time of course!
☆speaking of christmas/new year's, i'm thinking about what i'm going to do for my new year's cards. need to get on that. something i can use both for people in japan and for friends and family in the states would be nice. and maybe something with a photo? we'll see!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
not in november
it's time for that ever so lovely 50 for 2008 update. and it's gonna be short. because, i don't think i did a single one with any kind of conscious effort.
...yikes.
i didn't
- go to bed early on school nights
- eat a decent breakfast
- read any books or the newspaper
- call my parents (though we did have a skype date last week)
- do much cleaning (minus a very light cleaning before sarah came)
in fact, i regressed and
- went back to wearing my converse to work
- haven't hooped in months
- bought my lunch most days
if i had to find something to be positive about, i
- can find handouts when i need them (at work)
- made rice krispie treats and cupcakes
- still take a million photos
oh wait! i DID study some japanese over at readthekanji.com. yay...one for me!!
maybe 50 was a little ambitious?
or, maybe they are just things to put in my 50 for 2009 list?
anyway, here's to december and not feeling like i've completely failed when the 31st rolls around.
things i love thursday
.new graph points in my DS 家計簿.
.online flirting.
.buying new songs on itunes.
.dinner with coworkers turned friends.
.homemade "hash browns" in the frying pan.
.7-eleven's apple danish.
.flattering photos.
.first period time slot for semester exams.
.my hair now that my last cut has grown out a bit.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
quote of the day
"Vulnerable doesn't mean powerless,
scared doesn't mean lacking in beauty,
and uncertainty doesn't mean that you're lost."
-the Universe
Monday, December 1, 2008
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