the 2011 list: february

9. continue ds budget book
done and looking grim.  :(

12. make weekly meal plans and shop accordingly for 10 weeks (not consecutive OK)
feb 27th was day one of week one.  Ro found a 6 day meal plan online that we're following.  we'll see how it goes...

14. wear a dress or skirt 4 times a month
i think i was 0/4 this month.

15. buy a queen bed AND an actual frame
yes, it's fabulous.

22. try a new recipe at least once a month
i made sesame chicken the other night.

24. [changed to] swim laps at the gym at least twice a week (post move)
joined the gym and went 3 times last week

29. move AND send out "new address" postcards
moved and postcards mostly made.  a few additions and then i'll send them.

30. save money (starting goal of 60,000yen per month, average)
definitely did NOT happen this month.  moving is an expensive bitch.

two weeks in

don't let my things i love thursday lists fool you too much.  two weeks in and we're still working out the kinks.

Ro has expectations i find hard to meet and i imagine it's not directly related to me, but has to do with a general situation of uncertainty lately with his job and life and everything else.  which in the end, includes me, but he's been really temperamental and irritable lately.  the first couple days, i didn't have a lot of time to unpack because of my work schedule, but i used whatever time i had to organize and empty box after box.  apparently i should have been vacuuming and cleaning up and doing things that benefited "us" and not only "me" since he had already spent more than his fair share doing things for "our" move and he should get time to do things he wants now.  to his credit, he has done a lot.  he dealt with the movers and the internet and the curtains and sofa and ikea deliveries.  but it had only been a week and he was asking me why i hadn't vacuumed yet.  it's not like i was sitting around after work watching tv and sewing on my sewing machine instead of unpacking.  in fact, my sewing machine (and all my fabric) are still in boxes...  sigh.

there was another heart to heart this morning in which Ro tried to tell me that living together and getting married were the same thing and that nothing would change.  i told him any guy who thinks that is a) 最悪 and b) in for a rude awakening if he thinks i'm going to live with him and never get married (because nothing would change anyway, right?!) and that while it may not look like anything changes, everything changes.  at least from a girl's point of view. 

yep, Ro got his rude awakening from me this morning.


one of my biggest fears was losing my "me" time.  since i don't work a M-F 9-5 job, i figured i would have a weekday or two, when Ro was at work, to be at home alone.  he would have saturday (or sunday when i work sundays) to have his time alone.  but now, he's on a leave from work, so there are rarely times when i am home and he's not.  me time?  zero.

but he just left and he's gone for the rest of the day, and i'm enjoying the absolutely no pressure, freedom to do whatever i want.  is it weird that i want to clean the house from top to bottom in a i'll-show-you kind of attitude?  one of his biggest fears was that the house would be as messy as my old apartment.  i make the bed every day (though lately he's still IN it when i leave, so i make it when i come home) and wash all the dishes (even the ones from his lunch that day while i was at work) and take out the trash every time and i have already cleaned the toilet once.  i know this isn't a "what's the score" deal, but i can't help feeling like the energy i have put into making sure this apartment doesn't look like my old apartment, is lost on him.  conversely,  he thinks i don't know or appreciate how much time he spent on internet issues, deliveries, etc etc.  we're both just so stubborn so there's really no resolution.

and while we're getting it out, i feel like the "me-ness" has gotten lost in our living space.  his tv and his dvds (i don't have any! ha) and his manga on his tv stand, his cups and his rugs everywhere...i have tried to keep my "mess" contained to my half of the office, but he hasn't done the same.  he claims he'll read the manga in the living room, and his bookshelf in the office is full.  so what about my magazines?  why do i have to keep everything in the office?  it's probably just me being sentimental and resisting change or assuming i can't put my magazines in the living room, so i'll get over it i'm sure but it's feeling a bit like a double standard.  it's like, "well you have so much stuff, so keep it contained, but i don't, so i can put it out and about and where ever i please."  hmph.

anyway, off to vacuum and play my music really loud.  :P

things i love thursday

.umeboshi.
.making "just moved" postcards.
.swimming laps.
.stress relief cleaning.
.new work schedule (starting next week).
.good water pressure in the shower.
.white grape Qoo.
.checking things off the to do list.
.smarties (the american candy).

things i love thursday

.having more than one room.
.our queen bed.
.ginger snaps.
.bike riding with Ro.
.joined the gym (going swimming tomorrow!).
.Wii fit (skateboarding :P)
.eating dinner at our kitchen counter.
.getting a photo book from my mom.
.drinking lots of hot tea.

letters

dear loud, obnoxious, (drunk?) man on the other end of the train car talking down to your friend,

SHUT UP.
no, really.
just. stop. talking.
you're not as awesome as you think you are.

sincerely,
quiet gaijin who just wants to ride in peace

---

dear Ro,

i'm almost home!<3

love,
me.

getting a bit teary eyed

"...Will be all anxious to hear about your move this week when we get back!  Hope all goes well!  I am sure the extra space will be nice and your travel time will be so much better--and you won't have to commute back and forth between yours and [Ro]'s apts anymore!  We are so excited for you both!  Hope it works out and you remain so happy!

hugs and kisses to you both

love Dad"

 

 

oh man, i love my dad.

things i love thursday

.when all the kids listen and participate.
.all-from-scratch-dinner at Bee's (i love you, pesto).
.buying furniture and curtains and house daydreaming.
.ume kyuri maki (sushi rolls).
.days when spring feels so close.
.being first at work = playing my music and singing.
.snacking on raw green beans.
.mid-workday lunch dates (love!).
.counting crows.
.last night of sleeping alone (yes, gag-me-cutesy, i know).

iphone photo no. 787

last saturday, i was walking in front of hiroo station and...

yep, a donkey.  carrying flowers.  the things people will do...

sure there's the whole novelty factor, but poor donkey.

more importantly, where does one keep a donkey in tokyo?!


(and hey mister, don't give me the stink eye and expect me to buy flowers just
because you "let" me take a picture of your dancing monkey donkey.  expect it.)

fer ma berfday

one of my favorite things now that i have had a blog
long enough to do it?  look at posts from the same date a year,
two years, three years, four years, five years...ago.
i was doing that the other day and found this post from last year.

obviously the first year was arbitrary
the second year was a coincidence.
last year i probably noticed in january
and planned to post it on the same day.

this year i had it all written and ready to go
and then i went and got the flu
so, i totally missed my cool 4yearsinarownoway moment.

oh well.

my birthday is less than a month away, and i've already
gotten a few things as early birthday presents:


☆ a Wii (Ro and i split it as our birthday presents to each other,  a couple months early)

☆ a massage cushion (Ro surprised me with this saying it's part two of my birthday present)


and for christmas i got several things that had been on recent wish lists:

☆ uggs (from mama santa)

☆ sookie stackhouse books 8 and 9 (from Ro)
side note: we also went looking at jewelry but i couldn't make up my mind, so we decided to wait and then i decided that putting that money toward a new bed or sofa might make more sense right now, so the "something pretty" i wished for sentiment from Ro was there, but i was too practical...

☆ a hat from freetimegoods (from my little brother)

☆ stained glass stars (bought with my first etsy "paycheck" and i love them!)


i am thankful for everything i have and i really don't need anything but since that's no fun, here's my if-i-was-going-to-ask-for-anything-else-here's-what-it-would-be list:

☆ a new computer

☆ these boots (currently on sale!!)

☆ a zebra rug (like this)

☆ ohio necklace

☆ this ring with something meaningful stamped on it

☆ lots of mustaches on sticks!

☆ an ohio version of these states prints.  a japan one would be awesome too.

☆ pb&j cross stitch kit

☆ this book would (still) be really funny in the bathroom

☆ monster ipod case

☆ the practical guide to patchwork

☆ this is as close as i'd probably ever get to having the arcade version of pac-man in my house

☆ these rugs are gorgeous





what's on your wish list?

curtains turned crafts

i went to loft and franc franc today, in search of curtains*.

i came home with this:

 

and 100 blank postcards, 3 sheets of cute car stickers and two new pens.

of course i should probably wait until we officially sign the lease before i write any "i've moved and here's my new address" postcards. but i'll be ready!

either way, i now own a really cute hiragana stamp set. :)



*where do people buy their curtains?
how do you commit to a color or pattern?
why is shopping for curtains so hard?
help!

whirlwind

in case you couldn't tell, life has been a bit crazy lately.

as if apartment searching and making big life decisions wasn't enough, i had to go and get the flu, which knocked me out for a solid week. (well, the last 2 or 3 days of that were "just in case" days where i had to stay home before going back to work) and on tuesday i finally felt myself again.

simultaneously, there were issues about whether or not we could get the internet in our new apartment (whether the building was wired, or was able to be wired for internet access) and Ro spent countless hours on the phone with all kinds of people.

THEN there was the, "i'm nervous about moving in together" from Ro a couple nights ago. topped with "i'm not sure the location is where i want to move." and "there's no gym or movie theater and even just going to yokohama, we have to take the train" (heaven forbid!) yeah, THAT was a fun 2 hour middle of the night conversation in which i went through at least half a box of tissues. hmph.

so last night, Ro showed up at my place and as we laid in bed, i brought up the fact that i don't have anywhere to LIVE in 8 days if we don't move since i've already told my landlord i'm moving and only paid for half of this month in rent. he said he's sure once we move, he'll get used to the area and come to like it, which was good. the location is close to the station and only a couple stops from yokohama, so it's not like we're out in the boonies! and i said i know he's nervous that i'm messy and don't like doing the dishes, but i'm gonna try my best to keep things neater, "as long as you let me have a messy desk." (ha.) he seemed semi-convinced.

then this morning, i left early to meet the realtor, who was meeting the NTT guy, who was going to check whether the apartment was wired/could be wired for internet. i got there at 10:10, thinking i was 10 minutes late, but i was really 50 minutes early. i decided to walk to the next station, where there was a sports gym. i figured i could have a look around and report back to Ro whether it was decent or not (one of his "complaints" was that there wasn't a gym within walking distance - it took me 18minutes). i got there and they were closed due to maintenance. i hurried to the station to make it back to the apartment in time and arrived at 11am on the DOT. (which means i was about 5 minutes late...)

the NTT guy was already there and checking the wall outlet and going up and down the stairs, feeding long cables into the wall and using a little device that sounded like a metal detector. meanwhile, i busied myself measuring everything. windows, wall spaces, closet depths, room dimensions, you name it, i measured it.

good news is: we don't have to do any "installation" like getting holes drilled in walls to run internet lines, and we should have no problem getting the internet. just have to have them come run the hikari line up along the phone line and we should be good to go.

hopefully everyone else (coughcoughRocough) is on board with moving. we're planning on meeting with the realtor on saturday to sign the papers, copy my alien registration card, give them miscellaneous documents (and pretty much hand over our lives!). we need to buy a bed and some curtains and something for the kitchen (island counter and stools) too, on sunday. then i've got 8-9 hour work days monday, tuesday, wednesday and the movers come next friday afternoon.

it's gonna be a whirlwind.

things i love thursday

.sound of my nails tapping on keyboards and tables.
.weird pineapple gummies from the drugstore.
.laughing so hard about things not even that funny.
.free flowers.
.good news re:internet in the new apartment.
.being complimented by my manager at work.
.surprise (sleepover)visits from Ro.
.blue winter skies and the sun on my face.
.just over a week until life gets turned upside down.

the 2011 list: january

9. continue ds budget book
check.

14. wear a dress or skirt 4 times a month
i wore a skirt three times and since i was bed bound for a whole week this month, i'm counting it.

22. try a new recipe at least once a month
oh man, my cook books are packed away somewhere.

29. move AND send out "new address" postcards
more unexpected roadblocks, but hoping things calm down and moving happens soon.


slow start...