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...