Starting over with everything..

I lived and worked in Japan for a long time and have come back in a time of economic and ever present family drama to try and gain a foothold in my so-called home country. Armed with nothing but dog fur, a crappy car, a laptop that hates me, I try to see how far I can get.

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Watchu talkin' 'bout Willis?

I'm so damn restless.. I have a plan in my head that was partially enacted today (wow, that sounds so movie-sque) but I still have a long way to go. However, the wheels they have started a turnin', my friend. I took a little time off from thinking and doing stuff like just being normal and stuff while I was sick, but no longer!!!!!!!! I mean I'm still sick... but no more excuses! Sticker chart here I come!!

I don't want to say the plan outloud because then I have to stick to it and I need something else first to ensure that I can do the first part. Does that make any sense? No, it doesn't. Man, antibiotics mess with your head.

I've been quite homesick lately. Maybe it's the fact there is no decent coffee shops around and it's raining. Maybe I've eaten too much dairy lately. Maybe it's because it doesn't seem like anyone from home misses me but my momma, I'm not sure. Thus the plan will make all this other stuff go away- the gunk, the ick, the general malaise that sits like butter in the air. That's it folks, the hamster is no longer a prisioner to the wheel, maybe the hamster just fell really hard, no matter, Hammy's no longer anyone's bitch. Nothin' but nuts baby, nothin' but nuts.

Monday, February 27, 2006

Danger Will Robinson, danger, danger...

Oh my god! Joyfull's meat sauce spaghetti should be avoided at all costs. The ramifications could injure your insides permanently. That's all I have to say about that.
BEWARE OF MEAT IN A CAN!!!!! It'll make you cry.

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Po' me

Ugh, I'm sick. I'm a tissue-packing-snot-making-old-man-hacking-up-junk-vicks-toting-tea-drinking-all-day-pajama-wearing sick girl. I think I got sick by sitting in doctor's office trying to help a friend out by interpreting, but I forgot to bring a mask in with me to protect me from overly active and very potent children/old people sick germs which were also waiting in the doctor's office for an hour and a half.

What I wouldn't give for some tomato soup and a cheese sandwich. I've been pretty lazy lately not really wanting to get out and do things required to go out. Such as... showering, changing my clothes, brushing my hair, etc...

Do you blame me? This is me waking up after a sick nap, covered in blankets and vick's- momma's cure-all. Cuteness epitomized I'm sure, but I believe I should that kind of cuteness should be left to the home.

Besides my temporary sickness, I have had some good times recently and of course I have pictures to prove it.






Just a little bit ago, my good friend Badsha had a birthday party. Here she is with her and her man Eric. So cute, no? Anyway, here are pictures to prove what a good time was had.









You know it's a good time when you start making faces like this...


Or this...


Or look as cute as this...








Or group photos look like this, when you've tried to pose...









And when you have photos taken of yourself where you think you look good, but you come out looking like this...

Good times, good times...

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Bah-Cupid..

Well, it's Valentine's day here in Japan and it's a strange day indeed. It's not where I thought I would be this year, this time, but whatever. I just wanted to say inspite of the fact I hate this holiday, I love a lot of people; people whom I didn't have pictures of either, so I hope you all know that. I know it's corny, but I decided I'm gonna treat all holidays like my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving and give thanks to the people I care about both near and far. Love you all and I miss you more than I can show or else I'd be a crying mess all the time. Hope you have a good day, may you have sunshine and rainbows coming out of orafices you normally have bad stuff coming out of.

All my love,

sarah

Ashley

Mu-chan

Yuko

Letisha

Chris and Carmen

Monday, February 13, 2006


Sarah and Niq

Sleeping Uma



















Francesca-bo-besca

Rosie

Kammiline

Crazy people who live here.

Yuritzi

Mom and Mando

My family.

Shelley, Jerry, Haley and Megan.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Slumber party!

Last weekend I had a slumber party at my house because I haven't had one since I was like 15. It was a lot of fun and that's all I can devulge. Here are some of the pics, but they only tell a little bit of the story, but a good night was had by all.

Tired Uma (anger makes you sleepy), Sleepy Happy Sarah A., Party gal Badsha.

Karen looks like she's gonna beat my ass.

Call of the wild.

A thoughtful pose from Miss Aine in the midst of slumber party madness.

Angry Uma, Happy Sarah A., Happy Badsha.

Princess Badsha, all bow down.

Just call me Super Jayne.

From left to right, Lee Ann, Lisa and Karen. Maybe this explains the next picture.

Busi looks a little wary of the people around her, I'm sure her inner voice is saying, 'what the hell is wrong with these people here.'

Winner of the cutest hairstyle, Sarah A. wears her monkey boxers (first prize) with pride.

Runner up for the cutest hairstyle contest.. clearly I'm shocked about losing.

Runner-up Lisa of the cutest hairstyle contest. Defeat is an awful thing.

Teraysha, the champion of the cutest pj contest with her gotused.com tee-shirt from a college textbook store. First prize, those lovely boxers she's wearing.

Ebi Chili

So I'm more awake now, hopefully I can be coherent and not too dull either. School was nice in the afternoon. For some reason I always have a sense of dread caused by teaching the chil'ens but it goes away before I start teaching. I love it when the students, homeroom teacher and I are all having a good time. Plus I cheat at twister when I spin the spinner and place it on ones that cause them the most awkward positions for my own enjoyment. Hee hee.. I have to vent somehow.

Did I say in the previous post I've decided to go to Vietnam in April/May? I have, I decided another trip to a developing country is just what the doctor ordered to keep me nice and sane. Plus maybe I'll get to meet up with my friend Leann who's living there now. And clothes are even cheaper than in Thailand!!! Yippie!

Ooo, I just think I sneezed salsa on my shirt. I wonder if that will come off in the wash. Seems like salsa is a real staining agent, like mole sauce, aka dye your skin and clothes orange sauce. Nachos are totally worth it tho'. Mmmm queso, eso!

So I gained a member in my yoga club at school. The school assistant nurse is now one of my faithful and she has pledged to come every class when she is available. Sweet! Did I mention that other teachers walk by the room and scoff at us every class. Although the female vice principal at my school is a part of the club, the male jackass of a vice principal comes by every time to stare and laugh. I can't stand him! Anyways, we had a good class today.

I decided to go to the store after class because sometimes I find that therapeutic to just walk around and stare at food. I think that stems from walking around with my Dad at the store. My family never really went anywhere unless it was my grandma's house, a soccer tournament, or the grocery store. And I felt that's where my Dad would take me the most out of everyone. It was like a special place to me. Huh... I guess I never realized that until right now. I do end up at the grocery store a lot for no reason, particularly when I'm down. Strange.

Anyway, so here I am at the store, walking aimlessly but half-heartedly in search for breakfast which I haven't been eating lately, when I come across this little girl with a miniature shopping cart and a big plastic flag attached to the top. She stares at me for a sec, observing me in all my glory of striped yoga pants, frazzled half-mulleted undone hair, grey wool coat and black knock-off birkenstock clogs with no sock, because again I just couldn't be bothered. As she gets closer and nearly runs me over with her mini-cart she gives me a huge smile and says, 'A~ Sara-sensei da!' (lit. it's sarah teacher!) She has the gappiest toothed grin ever, but it's adorable. I don't teach at this girl's school, but I was volunteered recently at her school for a Saturday English class which she attended. She remembered me from that.

She tells me she can't find her mother, but doesn't seemed bothered by that fact. Most Japanese kids wander freely in the supermarket unlike me as a child who got yelled at if I wandered away within squinting distance. I ask her what she's buying and she says she doesn't want to tell me, so she doesn't. She then proceeds to follow me around the store. Little did she know I was following her because I was bored and wandering. So we wander up and down the isle, discussing food and what not. She tells me she really likes juice but that you must be careful because not all juice is good for you. Curiously I asked, what juice isn't good for you? To which she said, very seriously in a motherly tone, 'Cola, it's really bad for your body.' I said Cola isn't juice, but she corrected me. I still disagree. In Japan, some people call all sweet drinks, juice. I thought old people only did it, but apparently not.

She drags me to the snack isle, pointing out her favorite ones and telling me how unhealthy but delicious they are. Then she starts to talk about my co-worker, her actual teacher, Chris. Except she calls him Christmas-sensei. I laugh the first time she said it, and tried to correct her, but she said, that part of his name was in Christmas so she's decided that's what his name is. (Did I mention I love talking with little kids?) She also wanted to elaborate that he only comes out on Christmas and that he gives toys out to everyone. Clearly she's crazy, but I love the story and agree to start calling him that too.

She tells me while going past the Cook-Do isle (pre-packaged sauces for main dishes) that I should get Ebi Chili (Sweet chili Shrimp, Chinese style) because it's possibly the most delicious thing ever. She highly recommends it and her enthusiam causes me to throw it in my basket. But she takes it out and gets the brand her mom uses, to ensure my eating experience be a good one.

After a bit, she spots her mom and yells at her down the isle about who she's found. Her mom looks at me blankly, clearly not remembering my fabulousness during a rousing game of Dog, dog, Cat. The little girl drags me to her mom and explains who I am and her mother fakes excitement to not be rude. I love to see my students out and about, but they get soooo excited if they can introduce me to their parents but most of the time, the parents just look at me like I'm crazy and say, oh yes, it's your teacher, or some variation of that. Kind of kills my buzz of seeing a really cool little kid in public. Her mom tells me that she really enjoyed the class and to her daughter she says, no her brother can't meet me right now, because he's pooping in the toilet. Then slightly embarrassed she looks at me and tells me she didn't recognize me because I blend in. I'm still not sure if that's a good comment or not.

Anyway, this post is getting ridiculously long so I'll end it here. I'm back to being a sleepy head again, I'll try to get to bed early tonight.

Monday, February 06, 2006

Pains abound

So here I am at work, typing because the classes I had scheduled today had me go then come back because their students are slow. I have a nagging headache that seems to be increasing in size and ferocity because I'm sick and tired of coming to work. I might be possibly coming down with a cold (either it's that or wishful thinking) and just don't feel like working. My thights hurt a bit due to club Sarah's workout yesterday, and I have to come back after work to teach yoga...

I just want to sleep!!!!!!!! I work out with Sarah, and now a little brown person too, twice a week. It's great we lift weights at my house and bitch about our day. It makes you feel great and we've figured out yesterday that it keeps the other Sarah from killing people because she no longer has the strength after the workout. All and all it's a good time. However if we miss a day or so, it makes you damn sore.

I'm also teaching Yoga on Tuesdays to a faithful group of four teachers/staff at my JHS. I really am not looking forward to that today, but I must do what I do, even if it is badly. I'm trying to go to my yoga class on Wednesday, but lately, as my friend Lisa always says, I just can't be bothered. I'm pooped to the max on Wednesday and only half my week is gone. I even bought more vitamins, but nothing seems to work. Gaaaaah! I'm boring myself to sleep with this post, I'll post more when I wake up.