twenty five for twenty ten: march

1 exercise
does work count?  i run around with little kids all day.

2 wardrobe purge
i tidied up one half of my closet but was hardly able to get rid of anything.  i just can't throw things away.  anyone wanna come and just take it?  ha.

5 keep track of finances
didn't do this at all - need to update my ds budget game and start fresh from april first.

21 read a book once a month
i'm trudging through "a thousand acres" by jane smiley (picked up for a $1 at a haiti relief garage sale in canada) and also started reading "bridge to terabithia" by katherine paterson with Ro.  we take turns reading 2 pages aloud and i clear up any parts he didn't understand every two pages.

22 mail a letter to someone once a month
does the fabric swap count?  i sent off 6 but there was no letter (sorry!) and just 20 squares of fabric.

23 call home at least once a month
i called my dad a couple nights ago, while in the process of buying plane tickets...(!!?)

25 keep nails looking nice in an effort to quit biting my nails
when i got back from canada, my nails we weak and so dry.  but now they are back to being pretty and sparkly.

things i love thursday

on a saturday?  ...yes

oops.



.birthday dinners.
.my fun coworkers.
.mexican food.
.fancy lunches.
.hanami party plans.
.dressing up.
.lazy sundays.
.dreaming.
.packages from home.

birthday date

i took Ro out to dinner on sunday for his birthday.

we went to a place called nobu tokyo.


it was fancy.


and then my credit card got declined and i didn't have enough cash.

so i ran next door to the 7-eleven atm.


it was embarrassing.


but dinner was great.

they took a photo of us and the candle-ed dessert

and printed it for us to take home.


it was a really good photo of both of us.


Ro thanked me about a hundred times

and couldn't stop smiling.


it was perfect.

キラキラ

and those would also be my lululemon arm warmers making an appearance. :)

things i love thursday

.ruffles.
.a vacuumed bedroom.
.fabric swapping!.
.apple juice.
.toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
.sewing again.
.spring weather.
.dayquil, nyquil and robitussin.
.getting my nails done.

legal father?

i'm watching some variety/celeb news program and tanaka yuji's (probably someone famous, but i don't know him) ex-wife has announced that she's 5 months pregnant.  she was pregnant at the time of their divorce, but she says the father is not her (now) ex-husband.

but!

according to japanese law, the child is legally considered the husband's, since they were married when she got pregnant.



oh japan.

charming ideas

with fabric squares on their way, here's what i'm looking at:

here by Sewing Greek

here by truvy57

here by raverlygirl

here by msporkchop

here by cauchy09

here by filminthefridge

here also by filminthefridge

here by RhubarbPatch

i'm guessing that with roughly 150 four inch squares, i'm not going to be satisfied size-wise with a simple patchwork quilt with a border, which is why many of the quilt ideas i'm looking at have extra fabric added into them.  while i'm pretty sure the creator was still in the process of making strips in the first picture, i like the idea of several coin strips offset on a plain background.  and maybe some squares down in the opposite corner, drawing a bit from the hexagon quilt design by filminthefridge?  or maybe going more random with square clusters like the hexagon quilt.  i'm sort of stuck on that one and it'll probably inspire something, somewhere, in my final quilt.

going to flickr.com and searching "charm quilt" will provide endless design ideas.  i've also seen a lot of really funky quilt backs in my google reader but can't find them now (go figure) and may just have to draw something up from memory/my own imagination. 

still sick...

i'm still fighting my cold.  it just won't go away.  it morphs into different things and while probably over-medicating for symptoms i don't have, dayquil and nyquil are the only things that seem to give me any relief.  thank god for good ol' american drugs!  ha.

i worked on saturday, took it easy on sunday (Ro cooked breakfast and dinner for me...swoon) but it still got worse that night.  i called in sick monday.  it was only a day of observing some classes, so i figured i should take the time to get better before the hard training kicks in.  i made it to work today but i'm still not feeling great, so i broke down and wore a mask on the train.  first time wearing a mask in public, ever.  i've been wearing one to bed the last couple nights, and even that felt weird, but i vowed it wouldn't leave the house.  but, well, it was a really crowded train during the morning rush, and i'm on the upswing and don't need help from any other germs that might be flying around.  and, oh, i guess it's polite not to give my cold to anyone else.  yeah, maybe that too.

somwhere in all that, i managed to cut all my fabric for the fabric swap and finally mailed them out on my lunch break today.  i already got one package and the fabrics are great!  i can't wait to get more in the mail.  i'm already trying to decide what kind of quilt to make.  i love the rainbow "flow" of the charm quilt i made last year (pictured here), but i want to go for something different this time around.  so, i'm "shopping" sewing sites and getting lots of ideas.

on a totally different note, a new flavor of gari-gari-kun has come out - white peach - and it's pretty good.  a little better than the mango apple one a little bit back, not better than the muscat flavor and no where close to the pineapple one from the end of last summer.  but still, a good spring popsicle.
 
the weather is finally getting nice (though it's supposed to be cold again tomorrow??) and i am excited for sunny afternoons, spring jackets and skirts!  now if i could just kick this cold...

ume in the snow

friday, march 9, 2010
7:15pm
tokyo

japanese take out

when you're finished, rinse out your dishes, set them outside your door,

and the restaurant will send someone back later to whisk them away.

sunday, march 7, 2010
6:30pm
outside my door, tokyo

fever and photos

before i could even get over my ridiculous jet lag, i got sick.  i was awake for a mere 4 hours on thursday.  quite impressive, considering i already slept most of sunday, took a 4 hour nap on monday and have gone to bed before 10pm and woken up at 7:30 or 8:00am every night this week.

today i took my temperature for the first time in over 4 years.  i never take my temperature because i'm of the thinking that if i have one and confirm that i have one, i'll just feel worse.  (actually, now that i say that, i took it a couple times in the nurses' office over the 2 and a half years working in the middle school.)  in japan, they consider 36℃ normal body temperature.  in the US, 98.6°F is considered normal, which mathematically calculates to 37℃.  they send kids home with anything over a 36.5℃, which to american standards, is still below normal body temp.  (so even if i took my temperature at school, the "what is a fever and what isn't" factor sort of negated any "you have a fever" comments)

anyway, this afternoon, my temperature was 99.8°F , or 37.7℃, which is probably enough to make all my japanese friends insist that i go to the doctor.  silly silly silly.  it's a low grade fever.  of course, on top of a headache and sore throat, it's enough to make you feel like crap, take away your appetite and make you want to sleep forever, but it's not a big deal.  if it lasts more than a day or two or can't be brought down with medicine, then i might consider getting some medical attention, but it's nothing lots of water, lots of sleep and some advil or tylenol won't take care of.  unsurprisingly, i woke up at 1am after all that sleep and i think my fever is gone. 

now it's almost 3am and i'm still awake, but not for long.  it was on my list of things to do today to get my photos off my camera and iphone and onto my computer.  since i didn't do one single other thing on my list, i figured it was the one i could do even a bit under the weather.

so, the birthday recap!  :)

the cake.  two fat candles and seven skinny ones.

it was a sponge cake with raspberry jam in the middle, raspberry mousse on top, and a thin layer of white chocolate and raspberry gel on top of that!  and don't forget the white chocolate curly-Qs and fresh raspberries on top!

pancakes sunday morning, courtesy of Ro.  perfectly golden brown and fluffy with syrup and strawberry jam on top.

the flowers.

i love lilies, but the roses stole the show in terms of performance.

and these little guys were cute too.

now, back to bed!

things i love thursday

.fresh flowers.
.raspberries.
.sleep.
.soba.
.ラスク (rusk, apparently.)
.sunny afternoons.
.ume blossoms in the snow.
.smooth, uneventful days of work.
.having a paycheck!.

wordy wednesday

it's been a whirlwind week and i've only been home for 4 days.

i got home on saturday after the longest flight from toronto.  the majority of the kids didn't sleep a wink the entire flight.  all i can say is thank god for turbulence and mandatory seat belts ON time.  Ro met me at ueno with flowers.  sweet guy.  he had a raspberry birthday cake and candles too!  i actually fell asleep before cake time and had to wake up and scrape whatever energy i could into the birthday excitement.  but, the cake was delicious and we fell asleep under a big warm comforter.

sunday Ro made pancakes for breakfast and then i slept off and on the rest of the day.  we ordered delivery (katsu curry) for dinner.  then that night we got into a fight.  he fell asleep and woke up to me sitting at the table eating grapefruit and responding to texts that had backed up while i was gone and got really annoyed.  long story short: i was jetlagged beyond reason and had tried to stay awake, but failed miserably.  he was annoyed that i was being selfish and said that if i was just going to sleep all day, i should have told him to go home.  i said i didn't want him to go home and that i was trying and he said, see, you just do whatever you want anyway.  ...sigh...  we are both just so stubborn and refuse to give in.  we talked until 4:30am, about all kinds of things, both related and not related to the argument, and sort of came to an understanding.  hmm.

monday Ro took the day off.  it was another lazy day.  Ro had a busy week at work the week before and is fighting the pollen too, so after eating at a soba place in the neighborhood, even he joined in for a 4 hour nap in the afternoon.  we took a walk around 8:30pm to mcdonald's to try the hawaiian hamburger.  Ro says mcdonald's always has mostly "hits" and a couple "misses" when it releases new burgers and it is the "miss" of the bunch.  i am no mcdonald's connoisseur and stuck with a cheeseburger.

tuesday i sent Ro off to work after eggs, toast and coffee.  and then i had to get ready for my first day back at work in a month.  it was a stressful day because one of the other teachers was sick, so everyone had to shift around to cover for her.  i got home in the snow (!!!) at 7:30 and couldn't stay awake any longer.  i gave myself 30 minutes of sleep and then forced myself to wake up to send an email or two and get ready for bed. i was back in bed by 9:30pm.

today i only had to work from 10-1 (plus an hour+ commute each way) and it went well.  i'd been training to take over 3 different classes and have gotten the official okay for two of them.  the third check will be on saturday and then i'll be training for another 3 classes.  it's overwhelming, to say the least, but i think once i get a couple weeks under my belt, i'll feel better about it.  it's just nice to finally have a paycheck.  now i can pay rent and buy groceries without feeling extravagant and not pinch pennies (i mean yen :P ) everywhere i go.  i'm still amazed i lasted as long as i did (8 full months unemployed in this city?!) but the mere 10,000 yen left in the bank would show you how i did it.


other random bits and pieces:
Ro is talking about ogasawara for golden week.  i had a chance to go back in the winter for tourism research but the timing didn't work.  it'll be expensive, but with my new work schedule (work on saturdays) and the logistics of actually getting there (a 25 hour ferry) it might be our only chance for awhile.  the sun and beach sounds so wonderful right now, especially since i bought two swim suits while in canada.  the japanese teachers thought i was crazy; it was -10℃ out and i was buying swim suits??  off season sales, people! ;)

i got an email from my dad this afternoon.  my grandpa has been sick and moved in with my uncle a few months ago.  the chemo didn't improve his condition and my grandpa has chosen not to pursue any other treatment options.  my parents stopped by my uncle's house last weekend while they were out west on vacation and my dad guesses my grandpa has 2-4 weeks to live.  i didn't realize just how sick he was and don't know what to do or even know how i feel.  my grandparents lived in arizona (3 hours by plane) so we didn't see each other that often, but he's still my grandpa.  i just feel so detached from the situation.  my grandma (this grandpa's wife) died when i was in high school and it was sort of similar, but at least then i was with my family.  i should send a letter, but i don't even know what i'd write.

while this week has been freezing, i can't wait for the cherry blossoms!  i mean, any excuse for a picnic with friends!  i plan on being in ueno park every day i can.  i may venture out to some other places too, but ueno is a 10 minute bike ride, and if the weather's nice, i'm there!

alright, i've got a to do list that's a mile long today...

happy...

(manifesto poster from lululemon) 

...birthday to me. ;)

things i love thursday

.oreo ice cream.
.jellycats (bought lamb and bunny).
.lululemon (dance, sing, floss and travel).
.inukshuk.
.dream catcher earrings.
.rainbows over niagara falls.
.eating a pint of blueberries in one sitting.
.new kicks (in black/fuchsia/bronze).
.having a washer and dryer in the basement.

creativity with a goal

an acquaintance from my semester abroad university in tokyo announced he is going to have a booth in the upcoming design festa (may 15-16).  it's sparked something in me.  i've been to design festa a handful of times and have always daydreamed about being a cool, creative someone-with-a-booth-at-design-festa but it always felt untouchable and beyond me.

may is too soon for me to get anything together, but by may, if i have some standard items (i'm thinking mostly bags/pouches, but who knows what kind of creativity spring will bring!!) and some protypes worked out, and if i can come up with some kind of name to create under, i'm thinking about working toward doing a booth in the fall/winter design festa which, judging from previous years, will be held in october or november.

and this is just my "say it and make it real so you have to follow through instead of pretending you never dreamed of doing it in the first place" post. 

wordless wednesday