Rainy Rainy Rainy Okinawa

Knowing that we would be headed out to okinawa, i started tracking the weather out there for at least a week before i went. the forecasts got worse and worse so i knew there would be rain while we were there. little did i know how much.

getting to the airport was no problem but once we were there, the flight was delayed for at least an hour. this gave us a slow start to the day. the flight took about 2 hours during which time the Brits (adam and clare) sitting behind me and julie kept complaining about how the crossword in the paper was catered to Americans while stealing our answers. we got revenge by taking bad photos of them while they slept.

finally got to okinawa and picked up our rental car. of course the car navigator is all in japanese (although we could change the "voice" so she "spoke" in english. weird) which despite adam's level two japanese and my years of not studying japanese, we found a bit difficult to use.

the hotel was nice but damp (this becomes a running theme throughout this trip), the four of us got our own little bed in each corner of the room, and we headed out to Kokusai Dori where there are lots of shops and restaurants.

we met up with julie's cousin who lives out there and we had some lunner (lunch/dinner)and did a bit of window shopping. this was pretty much all we had time for the first day as most of us were quite tired from the flight. we had a couple drinks up in the revolving restaurant/bar on the top of our hotel where julie and clare tried to figure out adam's riddles (being uninterested in activities that require me to flex my brain muscles after 3 pm, i contributed by sitting back and asking stupid questions).

the next day, it was raining (and i mean raining HARD. buckets and buckets of pelting rain) so we headed out to the top of the main island to get to the Ocean Park Expo that has the Churaumi aquarium which houses the largest single tank in the world. This was super cool. the aquarium is massive with tons of different exhibitions and cool fish and animals. we took tons of photos! the big ass tank had 3 whale sharks and manta rays and whole bunch of other stuff. the park also had a sea turtle house, a manatee house, and a dolphin studio. very cool. afterwards we drove by some old castle ruins but there wasn't much to see. the problem with all the damn rain is that it made it very difficult to do a lot of things. Okinawa is like Los Angeles in that way. when the weather is good, there is plenty to see and do. when it rains, it sucks.

later that night, we met up with john and david on what john calls "cocks eye" dori for dinner and drinks. then we went back to the hotel and passed out.

our last day. we checked out after breakfast and went down to the bottom of the island to Okinawa World which is supposed to show us all things okinawa. Again with the downpour so we didn't get to see much of the stalagtite/mite caves. we only got to go into 1/3 of it cuz the rest of it was flooded! saw the habu snakes and the snake show and the snake alcohol brewing factory complete with the vats of sake with the snakes inside. saw some pottery and glass blowing. interesting but somehow expected more. came back and did a bit more shopping and then just headed back to the airport early. i think we were all a bit tired. AN HOUR before we head back, the rain lets up!!!! can you believe it?! aaaarrrggggghhhhhhhh!!!!

the flight home was delayed as well for 2 hours which meant that when we got back to haneda, there were no more trains left for us to take to our various destinations. i complained like the mad woman i am and got us vouchers for taxis instead of having to fillout reimbursment forms for later which is a pain in the ass.

all in all, a fun but tiring and RAINY vacation. had a great time with my friends though, which reminds me why i love them so much. despite our snoring, sleeptalking disclaimers, we all seemed to sleep well and we had fun in our own way though we would've liked to have done more stuff outside like laying on the beach and seeing shuri castle and stuff. maybe next time!

Adios and Happy Birthday

Riyoko and Cory left Japan this past saturday, both of them hung over and sick. i hated sending them home in such a condition but they assured me that they had a good time so i considered it a successful trip. hopefully they did too. on their last night in Tokyo i gathered a bunch of friends together and we went out to an izakaya for some major oolong hi drinking and karaoke. Cory got to sing karaoke for the first time (or so he said) and Riyoko, who of course doesn't sing at all, got to down my favorite japanese beverage, the oolong hi. now i've never gotten hung over on that shit before but it seemed to do a number on the both of them. the train ride to the airport was a rough one for them. but the friends really liked them and they liked quite of few of them so i think it all turned out well. i can't imagine that they want to take another trip out to japan for at least a solid decade.

OK, on to future matters. yes i know it's technically too early to be getting excited about my birthday but i really am! i'm going to okinawa with Clare, Julie and Adam from the 15th to the 17th. a short trip but it should be heaps of fun anyways. beachh, boys, and of course . . . TACO BELL for the first time in 2 years (i failed to have any when i was home for the holidays because there was so much better mexican food in cali)! anyways, i am very excited and hope it's relaxing and fun. i plan to stay away from the bikini though, don't want the children to try shoving me back in the water screaming "free willy!" damn children.

3piece suits, cards, and not bitching about work . . .

Ok, ok, ok, ok. i know. it's pathetic. one update in two months is not actually keeping a blog. i realize this and know that i must be better about it but it's hard to get me motivated. i've caught a cold right now which is why i'm catching up one my emails and stuff. clearly my head is screwed on a bit lopsided these days. i'm working on it.

I've discovered my big guy turn on: the three piece suit. even guys who i normally wouldn't catagorize as being anywhere near hot can be positively boiling in a three piece suit. you know what it is? it's when the jacket is off and they're wearing the waistcoat and maybe their sleeves are rolled up and they look fucking fantastic. case in point? today i worked with a guy who i'd never give a second look or anything. very not my type. except he was dressed exactly the way i described and i thought he looked amazing. the fresh haircut helped too. yeowza!

ok, another rant regarding boys: The big H is always going on about putting your "cards on the table." is this really a good thing? i've found that putting the cards on the table just make me feel like ass cuz clearly there is never any reciprocation when only one person is putting their cards on the table. but if you wear your heart on your sleeve (as i do most of the time) does that require a cards on the table moment. clearly he would know how i feel. is verbalization necessary or it is just an added humiliation? but whenever such a situation arises, the Big H is screaming "cards on the table! cards on the table!" meaning that i need to stick it out there and hope it doesn't get cut off. oi vey! don't know if i should be doing this.

ok, enough about boys and no more about work. all i do lately is bitch about work and i'm worried about becoming "that guy." i don't wanna be "that guy." "That guy" is an asshole. but when so much stress is generated from one place, it's tough not to bitch about it. but you know, my personal life, my work life, my family life, my love life, my home life, and he rest of the facets of my life can go to shit if it's one at a time. unfortunately, right now they all seem to be headed towards the shitter and i think i'm having a tough time coping with that. i know, i know; must breathe . . .

i happy news, my sister and brother in law are in town for a couple of weeks. i love taking them around and showing them everything but it's exhausting. they are in kyoto for a few days (they'll be back on tuesday) so it's a good time to rest up. i'd feel terrible if i was less than 100% while they are in tokyo. good thing i'm hitting the meds pretty hard core. thank god for nyquil.

Hay fever and Hanami

Ah the season is upon us. Drunken salarymen and women gather in the great outdoors (AKA concrete parks) to view the cherry blossoms so beloved by the samurais thousands of years ago. This is a hotbed of discussion amongst my students this season. Many of them arrive with their white surgical Michael Jackson masks on and blow their noses repeatedly into tissues during lessons. They apologize profusely as they deposit their snot into their free advertisement tissues and I can hardly disguise my disgust. One of my students explained the art of Haikus (very popular this season apparently because the cherry blossoms serve as inspiration for creativity) through his sniffles. Haikus are Japanese poems consisting of 3 lines comprised of 5,7, 5 syllables respectively. The theme can be anything but the haiku must have a connection to the season for which it is written. With this in mind, I bring you my first haiku:

Pollen attacks us,
They come with masks and tissues,
The snot flows always.

Pretty good, hun? Well, I like it. My office hanami party is going down tomorrow night after work in Oji at Askayama Park in my old stomping grounds of Oji. I go armed with chex mix and skittles (courtesy of Lani) and a bag full of cheap flavored canned shouchu drinks called chu-his. Ah, Japan. If it all goes well, perhaps it will inspire the next haiku! Stay tuned . . . .

Released and the Aftermath

I was released from the hospital the 15th with warnings from the doctor to take it easy and stay home. this proved easier thani thought because he sent me home with major head bandages which would make me an automatic eyesore in any public setting. so i ordered pizza and stayed home with a few visitors popping in to say Hi. the best things about being home? sleeping in my own bed, washing my hair, nobody sticking things up my butt in the name of medicine. i also find myself back in the company of candle light, much nicer than the harsh flourescents that flood the hospital. and of course internet access to read pointless articles and do stupid quizzes about my non-existent love life and what color my "aura" really is.

recovery is a bitch. having had a mostly horizontal lifestyle for the past 8 days, i find myself exhausted after a trip to the market. Julie and I went out for some sushi on thursday and my jaw was killing me afterwards. i'm trying to stay off the pain killers as much as possible and NOT having a nap in the middle of the say. i don't think i'd be able to make it through a full day of work at the rate i'm currently going. need to rebuild stamina.

the doctor got rid of the bandages and took out the stitches a couple of days ago but my head still hurt and the left side really feels weird. for starters, i've lost tactile feeling in my left ear. i can't feel it and the doctor thinks that this will be a permanent condition. several surface nerves were severed during the surgery and they won't grow back. the scarring will probably be minimal and my friends say i look pretty much like my old self but i definitely don't feel like my old self. i feel . . . damaged (i guess that's the closest word out there). so i guess i gotta play my own shrink (thank god i'm a gemini) and sort my head out as well. i gotta do it quick; i start back at work next thursday.