the 2011 list: july

9. continue ds budget book
haven't done july yet, but i'm still sort of hanging on.

14. wear a dress or skirt 4 times a month
another month of skirts! though i did wear jeans once and shorts probably half a dozen times.

22. try a new recipe at least once a month
i don't think i did, but Ro may have.

24. swim laps at the gym at least twice a week (post move)
since quitting the gym in may, i was going to make yoga on fridays a routine, but then i got sick. and then 2 weeks later got sick again. maybe there's hope for august?

30. save money (starting goal of 60,000yen per month, average)
being gone for three weeks hurt the pay check this time around, and i don't know if i hit 600, but i'll see when i do my DS budgeting.


this month was a huge huge fail.
my list is just all "blaaah" when i look at it.
i may have to revamp.
yeah, maybe in august.

summer cold part two

i may or may not have a sinus infection. (judging by the color and consistency of the result of one serious nose blowing session i had this afternoon. it was disgustingly satisfying and left me feeling very un-stuffed.)

yep, you read that right; i'm sick again. or, as i like to believe, getting over being sick, again.

the sore throat (it always starts with you, doesn't it?!) started on thursday afternoon, followed by a likely fever (i was freezing but i know it wasn't a cool evening) and a most painful headache.

i'm willing to bet it was a result of this combination, in no particular order:
a) sleep severely lacking both quality and quantity (for the last couple weeks)
b) emotional drainage on the home-front
c) working over 45 hours (which is a lot, especially since it's not just an office job)
d) the oppressive heat
and
e) resulting lack of appetite

yesterday i drug myself out of bed because i had a "play date" at a friend's. she fed me lunch and delicious cookies and i played with her kids while we talked. it was the emotional charge i needed, but i fell asleep on the train home and completely crashed in bed for a couple hours.

i slept for over 12 hours last night. followed by at least an hour lying in bed before actually getting "up." earplugs and block-out curtains are a sick girl's best friend.

i have done close to absolutely nothing today, unless you count starting several new words-with-friends games and chewing all my fingernails down to the stubs. back to square one with those suckers.

i also read some interesting articles/blogs online, watched some pretty horrendous stuff on tv (they even warned that "the following video includes gruesome footage and is not advised for small children") from farms inside the exclusion zone in fukushima and listened to amy whinehouse's "you know i'm no good" numerous times on youtube.

i still have a little bit of medicine-head going on, even though i haven't taken any medicine (hello sinus congestion, i see you're still there afterall...?) and not looking forward to another work week starting tomorrow. there's a lot going on at work (and by "a lot" i mostly mean a lot of unpaid overtime) but i'm going to really try to make myself leave on time this week.

i really can't afford (mentally) to get sick at the end of every week. i want to go out and DO THINGS or even stay home but actually have energy to DO THINGS. plus, i'm climbing mt. fuji next weekend (yay, i can't wait!) and need to be in tip top shape. i can't imagine what the altitude would do to the already present pressure in my head.

ready or not, here comes another week...

things i love thursday

late, again.



.the faint smell of chlorine.
.banana muffins.
.cold cherry coke.
.ravioli and tomatoes in olive oil.
.high satisfaction (aka very visible result) cleaning.
.play dates.
.getting mail.
.new clothes.
.afternoon naps.

untitled

normally, in situations like these,
i listen to ani loud and on repeat.
and give a big eff you to the world.

this time, i'm even too sad for ani.
old (bad) coping mechanisms
seem appealing yet ridiculous.

no real worries though,
i can't see past my tears
to actually do anything else.

and the tears will eventually stop.
...i hope.

lay-zee.

it's official, left to my own devices, i am a lazy slob.

Ro is out of the house for a couple days (wed-sat) and i have no motivation to cook, clean or even close the closet doors (which are currently wiiiide open. it wouldn't really be a problem, except that our closets run along one whole wall in the living room, so it's not like they are hidden in the bedroom or anything...)

i don't remember what i ate on wednesday for dinner. i got home really late and think i might have had a bowl of cereal, though. and i went out to eat with a coworker yesterday. tonight, i attempted to make bow-tie pasta with pesto sauce (from a JAR!) and it was awful. i threw the whole batch in the trash. really, who messes up pasta? out of a jar?! can i blame it on the pesto sauce?

i missed cans and bottles day yesterday, even though i was up and out of the house by 8:30, but did manage to get burnable trash out today, on my day off!

i took my friend's almost-3-year-old kid out in tokyo for a total of four hours today and came home and crashed hard on the couch for two hours. it was a ton of fun (and super weird to be called "okaasan" by some guys who offered me a seat on the train) but i don't know how moms in tokyo do it. very impressive.

needless to say, i'm feeling a little bit like a failure so, my goals for the next (little less than) 24 hours, in order of NEED TO GET DONE, ESP. BEFORE RO GETS HOME are:

finish up some stuff for work
clean the shower and bathroom sink drains
wash (all) the dishes
vacuum
do a load of laundry
make dinner
make banana muffins


i know, lofty, right?

single singleton revisited

i wrote this post just over two years ago and here's the updated version:

1: married 8 months after college graduation.
  ---> bought a house and has a baby on the way.

2: married 13 months after college graduation.
  ---> from somewhere in pennsylvania to baltimore to kansas city, husband in grad school.

3: married 14 months after college graduation.
  --->  she hasn't changed in 5 years.  also said baby is not even on the to do list right now.

4: just got engaged. (found out on facebook no less...)
  ---> baby news wouldn't surprise me. (and maybe i'll find out via facebook?)

5: living with her boyfriend of about 6 months.
  ---> just emailed me; she said YES. (!!!)

6: still with her college boyfriend (judging from recent facebook photos)
  ---> still dating said boyfriend but so antsy for a ring.

as for number 7?

i am fairly content with my living-together-boyfriend situation but sometimes wish circumstances didn't leave me where i am.  (which, truth be told, can be taken in a number of different, and not incorrect, ways...)

things i love thursday

.peanut butter captain crunch.
.art with kids.
.ordering in (pizza!).
.cool evenings after hot days.
.cold rain.
.tingling shampoo.
.all these outfits.
.waking up with the sun.
.warm blankets on cold (!!) mornings.

things i love thursday

i even made most of the list ahead of time and *still* couldn't get it out yesterday...



.unlimited snowcones.
.friday night yoga and sauna.
.multiple desserts.
.being inspired by cool graffiti.
.somewhat sudden sense of pride at work.
.cold showers.
.play-doh.
.gari-gari-kun nashi flavor.
.caramel popcorn.

wordless wednesday

on hold and holding on.

i have had this blank post page open for at *least* 45 minutes.

and this is all i got.







well, and that i'm feeling better

though still slightly under the weather.

Ro is gonna be home in 10 minutes.

work is busy but in a really good way.

and i'm feeling restless or something.

like i want to *do* something, but don't know

how or where or what or there's just

a lot of inspired thoughts but no action.



i'll hold on a little bit longer and hope.

納豆の日*

i am sick.  yes, i know, again.
it started like it always does,
with a sore throat.  (seriously throat?)
but today, two days later,
it's a pure head cold.
the infamous "natsu kaze"

Ro left last night for iwate
for a couple days of volunteering.
there was a big earthquake this morning
and they headed for higher ground.
sat for two hours, but were okay.

i happened to watch nhk's
sign language "lesson" on tv tonight.
i might even go buy the text
or at least try to watch every week.
not that it would be useful,
just something to learn.

last week Ro and i went to yoga
at a place close to yokohama station.
i really liked the teacher
and for 2500yen, you get access
to the onsen, sauna & relaxation room too.
i bought a cheap yoga mat
and it's my new friday night routine.

apparently the rainy season
is officially over.
i don't remember a lot of rain.
but maybe the oppressive heat
has just made me forget?
i don't know how i'm
going to survive the summer
because it's only gonna get hotter.

there's no point to this post.
i figured i just needed to post something
something to get back to posting.
i used to have so much to say.
i hope i haven't become
a boring person
with nothing to say anymore...
i just need to start typing again, i guess.


*i didn't actually eat any natto today because i don't like it.  :P

the 2011 list: may & june

6. climb mt. fuji

have plans to climb august 5-6th and also again on august 27th.  hoping for at least one sunrise.

9. continue ds budget book

check.

10. go one week without going to the conbini (longer, if possible)

there's a grocery store right by work, which i pretty much use like a conbini, but i have definitely cut back on my conbini-ing.

12. make weekly meal plans and shop accordingly for 10 weeks (not consecutive OK) 5/10

i worked late a lot (and was gone for 3 weeks) and Ro was pretty much in charge of the menu, but i think we did this a week or two in may and june. 

14. wear a dress or skirt 4 times a month

may was probably a close call, but since getting back in mid-june, i have probably only worn shorts 4 times.  skirts skirts and more skirts!  :)

22. try a new recipe at least once a month

done, but probably by Ro.

24. swim laps at the gym at least twice a week (post move)

i never went to the gym and it wasn't worth the money, so i quit at the end of may.  i went to yoga with Ro at the end of June and plan to continue (just once a week).  

25. make a photo book in time to give Ro for our 2 year anniversary

fail.  i bought him a jacket that he wanted from north face when i was home in the states instead.  maybe next year?

30. save money (starting goal of 60,000yen per month, average)

i don't know exactly how much i saved each month, but i know i only had 10,000yen in my bank account in mid march, so doing the math, i've saved more than 60,000 a month since then.  yay.  :)

31. save up for and buy a new computer (may affect no. 30)

i bought a new computer while home in june.  (and i used money from my american bank account so as not to affect no. 30...sneaky i know)

things i love thursday

.spontaneous dinner guests.
.hosting parties.
.snowcones every day.
.simultaneous google doc-ing.
.a smooth class (great kids!).
.perfectly cooked scrambled eggs.
.fresh (and cheap) cherries.
.tanabata displays along the sidewalk.
.wintergreen lifesavers.

wordless wednesday