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.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

The RS Project

It was a gorgeous day outside. The sun was shining, crows were cawing (we don't really have song birds around), sakura (cherry blossoms) were blooming and I feel faaabulous!!!

Yesterday my plan went into action. I previously incoherently babbled on how I had partially activated it, but now it's going full blow, balls to the wall. I shall call it the RS project. Before I didn't really reveal anything and I'm still not going to, but I will say I'm feeling better and whatever I'm doing now is all for the betterment of my health both mentally and physically. I know I'm still not making any sense but you'll just have to trust me.

I'm really looking forward to my vaction at the end of this month. I have been doing quite a lot lately.


I participated in a trivia contest and got 4th or 5th, I'm not sure. This is my team. You'd think with all the sluth ability we'd have done better. But we tried our best, maybe cartoon skills don't apply to real world...






I went to Nagoya to visit my second family. We ate the most delicious chicken I've ever had. We got eggs from a vending machine, too.They tried to kill me by over feeding me. After I took my shower on the day I left, they had a wonderful breakfast set out for me. Oh but wait- breakfast isn't complete without a beer. One of the few times I've actually drank a beer before 10am. But I did enjoy it... I miss them a lot.





I also went shopping with a South African queen and had a fabulous rainy day. Got the cutest tank top for cheeeap! Also I got to see a ramen dragon, totally worth the drive out to the outlet store.






On my home, home front there is some news.
My niece turned 4 years old!!!!! Yea, Megan! I miss you tons and I hope you don't forget me.
Love you!


Anyway, that's the end of this update. Hope you are all okay and doing well back home. Miss you, too!

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Today's Happy Thought



Is it any wonder why I love this comic?

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Reach out and hug someone


Okay, cheesy but cute and it gets my point across... What's my point you say? Hugs are important. Touch is important. I think as adults we forget that sometimes because we need space, we are too busy, we don't like to be close to others in that way. Yet, inside there are so many people who go around feeling lonely and empty and don't know why. I'm not suggesting hugs or touch is the answer to depression, but is the idea that a hug or a simple pat on someone's shoulder could help ease it? I don't think it's that far fetched to suggest that.

Of course, there are creepy huggers and touchy people. I can't explain what would make someone a creepy hugger/toucher, but they exist and they just freak people out. So if everyone you hug pulls away, discuss your creepy hugging with someone to help you be less creepy. Some people say Japan is a place where everyone keeps to themselves. There is no touching of others unless absolutely avoidable. I thought this was mostly true until I met older Japanese folk and started to hang-out with little kids. It's amazing how much I've learned from kids and old people.

Driving to lunch today I was stopped at a light when I noticed two little old ladies on bikes stopped at the corner. I saw the the younger little old lady pat the older lady on the head and gave her shoulder a squeeze. The older lady's face just lit up. I thought about why the first old lady would do that in a place that is so PDA-phobic. Maybe she was having a bad day and her friend was telling her it was okay, maybe she was congratulating her on something, maybe she said something silly, maybe she gave her friend a compliment, so many things were possible. I find that old people here just like little kids are less afraid of touching people because they don't care about other people so much. They see someone who is sad or happy or just there and they'll hug or pat or touch whatever and whomever they see fit.

After I saw these little old ladies, I got slightly homesick, or hugsick maybe. What I wouldn't do for a hug from my momma or my nieces. My youngest niece turns four this Sunday. She and her sister are super huggy people. I really miss that. Meanwhile I'll just have to settle hugging the hell out of my friends here. I like the fact that Japanese people are more willing to touch me here because they see it in the movies and believe it's western culture. It's cute that they are so curious. I've been told by some Japanese friends of mine that they didn't liked to be touched before but now that they have met so many foreigners they love getting hugs and wish it was a custom here too. It makes me feel good inside but a little sad for them too. Sometimes you just need someone to reach out to you. So, I encourage everyone to try and give a non-creepy hug/two-handed handshake/pat on the shoulder/pinch to someone's cheeks/ half-hug/or whatever you can think of to those around you because you never know who's day it might brighten up.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Ode to Fura


Spring can definitely make you nostalgic. My fondest memories of spring involve being 16 and running around in Fura de Milo, my whale of a car. Most of the time I was with my three best friends acting like a complete idiot, but God it was fun. Let's see if we can go down a hill with Francesca hanging on to the hood of the car, how many hours do I have to spend waxing the back seat of the car so I could take sharp turns and make my friends slide into the harder than hell steel door and each other, let's see if we can make the racists cops think we're drug dealers by putting our pagers on the visors and get ourselves pulled over in Selah by acting normal and driving the speed limit, 25 mph- okay so that wasn't planned but none the less became an interesting story later on . I thoroughly enjoyed watching all three friends fight over and using rock, paper, scissors to finally settle who got the other seat belt in the car. Good times.

Then there was the Easter my mom and brother Jaime were gonna go out for a picnic, but it began to rain so we had the picnic in the car comfortably instead. My 1964 Plymouth Fury, with its push button automatic, 318 engine, in-dash tissue box holder, shiny mopar parts, which was more beautiful than the one pictured above , was my dream car and always will be. It saved my life and ended it's own tragically life. I will love you forever, Fura.