My first post from Japan

I haven't posted to this blog in awhile, since I've been consumed with moving and living in Japan. I've been here for just under two months, and there are some things that I really enjoy, and some things that I really don't like. I'm saving those up for a post to my Japanese blog, however.

But for the past few months, but life's been a little boring. It's amazing how dull even a foreign country can be when you don't have much to do. The novelty wore off in a few weeks, and my passion for studying the language disappeared after a few weeks. I really need to get back into it, though.

Since I've been here I've been watching TV, playing games, reading--you know, the stuff I used to do in the States. And while I get to go more interesting places on the weekends, the lack of good friends makes me sad.

I'm planning on updating this blog soon with reviews of the tv shows/movies I've seen lately, games I've played, rants and raves I've been thinking about, and hopefully an eloquent post about how sexism in Japan sucks.

Until then, don't you forget about me.


(Did I get the song stuck in your head?)

My Life without the Internet--or even a computer.

Well, during the middle of the laptop saga (all resolved now, and for a decent price) the router at my mom's gave out, and there was a big ordeal getting it replaced. Moral of the story, never use Embarq.

What I did instead of playing games/browsing the web:

Knit. A lot. A couple of quick mohair scarves that I gave to my aunt and cousin. Started on my very first sweater. Stopped because I wanted to see knitting videos on the internet to understand circular knitting. Tried to pick up crocheting. Need help with that one.

Watched BBC America. A lot. Luckily, the internet went out starting the week they showed the Torchwood: Children of Earth mini-series, as well as Being Human and Doctor Who.

Rewatched most of the first two seasons of Veronica Mars, and popped some less commonly watched DVDs in. Remembered why most of them were less watched.

But mainly, realized what a pain it is to live without the internet, considering how many bills I pay online, things I need to look up for my flights, etc. Amazing how quickly we as people adapt our life around technology and then struggle without it.

Noo! Not my laptop!

So, the day after that last post, I set my laptop, open, on the couch, twisted away to grab something, and turned around just in time to see my laptop plummet a foot to the carpet. My LCD screen was totally cracked.

There's been a huge drama about getting it fixed--my laptop is an Asus, all of which have a one-year accidental damage warranty. Except those bought at Best Buy. Where mine was. Where they get rid of the manufacturer's warranty to make you buy theirs. Ok, so I got screwed on the warranty. Whatever, my fault for not reading the fine print. So, the tech guy from Asus said over the phone that it would be in the neighborhood of 300-400 dollars to fix. Ouch, but I love my laptop. Stupidly, I decided to have Best Buy fix it, since I could just drop it off at the store. Now, two things are important to mention here: One, I asked the Geek Squad guy I handed my laptop to if the over-the-phone Asus estimate was accurate. He was it sounded about right. Two, I asked the guy if it was his opinion that it was worth dropping the money on my laptop versus getting a new laptop. He said it was. Then, almost a week after I dropped it off, they called with an estimate--of 800 fucking dollars. For a 600 dollar laptop. I was not amused, and dislike Best Buy with somewhat of a passion now.

Blah blah blah, Brent called Asus, this time it was ballparked at a 200 dollar fix, which makes me think that nobody in the freaking universe knows anything, but as soon as I get my laptop back from Best Buy, I'm sending it to Asus and having them fix it, hopefully for less than 800 dollars. And hopefully by the time I leave the country. *sigh* For awhile I was tempted just to drop money on a new laptop, but my Asus is a seriously nice laptop, so I'll hold off until I know what Asus themselves would charge for the repair.

What I've been doing:

What I've been doing since my last post:

• Playing large amounts of both The Sims 3 and Civilization IV.
• Repeatedly looking up flights from Seattle to Tokushima.
• Watching TV shows, not only on the internet and DVD but actually on television! It's so different. There were COMMERCIALS in my Doctor Who!
  
• Sporadically knitting.
• Finally getting off my butt and taking long walks in hopes of getting a bit more in shape.
• Getting distracted by random stuff on the internet.
  

Stay classy, Milwaukee

(A bit late, but I only just transferred the pictures from my camera to my computer.)

Wait... you're saying this is busy?!?

Tonight, my father said something to the effect of "the street we live on is too busy, I don't like it."

Now, I've known my father hates busy places; he routinely makes disparaging remarks about pretty much every town with more than a few thousand inhabitants. But, my dad lives miles out of town. In the week I've been here, I would guess that maybe one car has gone by his house every 10-15 minutes, on average: more in on weekends and during commute times, practically no cars late at night. And that's "too busy?" Good grief!

Give me cities, with their variety of things to do, and wider variety of people to do it with. I might enjoy visiting my parents in their small towns, but I would go absolutely nuts if I had to live here full time again.

Lists lists lists

What's making me happy:

• Being married does great things to car insurance rates.
• Holiday coffee creamers are out. I love the Peppermint Mocha one.
• I'm having a blast playing WoW again.
• I'm making tacos tonight.
• My early class was canceled today. While it's a great class that I like going to, I'm glad I get to bum around two extra hours at home.
• Being almost done with my awesome blanket I'm knitting. I need to just sit down this week and finish it.
  

Things that are "meh:"

• My Korean history class. Bleh.
• Hearing Lauren's alarm go off every 10 minutes for a frickin' hour. Get up already or set your alarm later.
• I can't skate by on prior knowledge in my Japanese class anymore. I have to actually *gasp* apply myself. I'd almost forgotten how to do that.
• I'm still a little sick.

WiiFit

Our good friends Sarah and Brad got us a WiiFit for our wedding. I tried it out today, and it was fantastic. I think I'm going to get a lot of use out of it.

Highlights:

Follows the same sort of system as BrainAge, and since I play BrainAge every day, I don't think it will be that hard for me to play WiiFit every day. I enjoy having a daily routine for stuff like that.

The randomness of Mii's. I did step aerobics inbetween Voldemorte and Teddy Roosevelt, and had Ron Jeremy, Hitler, Mr. T, and Obi Wan Kenobi cheering me on as I did the running.

We'll see how I do on my goal-- to lose 15 pounds in 3 months, to get down to a 22 BMI. Somehow, I don't think I'll make it, but even trying for the goal will be an improvement from my computer chair lifestyle now.

For Heather

Heather sent me this, but I'm only going to do numbers 1 and 2, since the rest isn't my style, but I do enjoy sharing random facts about myself.

1. Halloween is tied for my favorite holiday season (yes, it is so a season!) and I love coming up with a costume. This year I'm tied between Sarah Palin and a corpse bride. The corpse bride was in the works for awhile, but I was recently inspired to be Sarah Palin this year, since I have a cute suit that I never get to wear, and can do her voice fairly well. I walk around saying "I'm a hockey mom from Alaska" all the time anyway.

2. My constantly saying "I'm a hockey mom from Alaska" comes because I've recently started to listen to the Rick Emerson Show again. I used to listen when I lived in the Portland area, and just started downloading the show to my iPod and listening on the bus. I love it.

3. My current favorite thing to drink (if you can call it that) is a Pumpkin Spice Shake from Culvers.

4. I have always loved the Christmas season, but not for any religious reasons. I just love the trees and the lights and the music (both secular and religious.) But the whole "War on Christmas" thing just makes me want to scream. War on Christmas my ass. Christmas was placed at the end of December to replace a pagan celebration, just like Easter was. Stop acting like the only purpose of December is to celebrate the Christian religion. If that's what it means to you, great. Celebrate and worship away. But stop yelling at other people (I'm talking to you, Bill O'Reilly) for having the sheer audacity to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."

5. Having realized that fully half of my answers so far I turned into mini-rants, I thought I would list a fact I don't really like to share. I envy people like Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly who get paid a ridiculous amount of money to just yell at the top of their lungs about stupid things that I sometimes think they don't actually think/believe.

6. I'm kind of in love with John Stewart.

7. I'm not usually this political, but with this whole year being dedicated to the election, it's been on my mind lately.

*yawn*

Ok, so it's been awhile. I have a busy house now, although now that my new roommate started her job, it's quieter.

It's the last week of summer vacation, and I'm excited. Financial aid got disbursed yesterday, so I should be getting a nice check in the mail. I need to decide between paying of my private student loan, saving the money in case I need it later, or buying a laptop. I don't need the laptop right away, but I'll want it before we leave for Japan.

I've already purchased some of my textbooks from Amazon. One of the 5(!) textbooks for my architecture class is GORGEOUS. It's a coffee table book, and the pictures are amazing. I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing some of the sights in person.

Also, I'm glad to see Brent and I aren't the only ones planning a Star Wars location wedding cake:

Busy Week

I haven't posted this week because I've been astonishingly busy. One of our close friends needed a place to stay, and so Brent and I have gotten three new roommates--her and her two cats. So, I've been busy helping her move her stuff, get settled, etc.

I'll try to think of something funny and witty to post later today. Right now, the caffeine has not kicked in.

When will summer end?

I'm freaking bored. School ended two months ago, but because of both the job market and the cost of gas, I couldn't find a part-time job that would be worth my time--it doesn't make much sense gas-wise to take a 4-hour a day summer school job that pays 8 dollars an hour, but is 25 minutes away. So, I've been bumming around this summer. And I'm bored. I've done a little studying, a few craft projects. At this point, I'm considering trying to remember how to knit and working on that. I mean, I can usually entertain myself with reading and/or games, but I'm running out of material.

Side note: Brent and I were having our periodic "how to we feel about the concept of kids" discussion. We agree: we understand why people want kids (at least, we can think of reasons why we do) and it's something we'll consider in five or so years. But neither of us can understand baby love. I can see why you'd want a 4 year old--someone to teach new things to, help them start enjoying different hobbies, etc. But why do some people obsess over babies? Little squirming babies that can't talk, can't walk, can't do anything for themselves? I think maybe if we ever decide to pass our awesomeness on to a second generation, we'll heavily consider adoption.

It's my party...

It's my party... and I'm exhausted. People just cleared out at about 8-ish, after having been here for 26+ hours. Hours full of drinking, gaming, and general craziness.

The highs:

• The loot. My friends know me--Lindor truffles, Harry Potter, sheep, and swashbuckling.
• I'm now in love with Mike's mango mohitos.
  
• Ice cream birthday cake. Technically, frozen custard birthday cake. Cookie dough craving. Oh so yummy.
• Hanging out with friends who live an hour or so away. Thanks for coming out guys!

The lows:

• Because nearly everyone (except me!) had at least a minor hangover, people didn't feel up to much today, so I didn't get to play all the games I wanted.
• Some friends had to work early today, so they didn't stay very long. :-(
• Waking up at 7 in the morning (after going to bed at about 2:30) because my boyfriend had an EXTREMELY bad low blood sugar attack. Which is why I was super glad I barely drank (and also the reason I didn't--I wanted to be prepared for something like this.)

Here's me and Sarah at my party:

What our bookmarks say about us...

My internet tell me I'm a dork. Especially the one titled "Star Wars font info." I guess even more telling than the bookmark itself is how often I visit that site...

My life in short doses

* There are several things I should be doing, and even more that I could be doing, but instead I can't muster up the enthusiasm to even browse websites.

* I am anxious for school to start again. I enjoy learning and like the atmosphere of university. Also, I want my degree.

* I played the hell out of Polarium for the DS last week (I got it, plus a case and some styluses/styli for 5 bucks on clearance.) I now see black and white patterns when I close my eyes.

* I enjoy the Star Wars RPG Brent is running so incredibly much. I will be sad when it finally has to end.

* I've been on a city building game kick lately. I picked up what I thought was going to be a city builder at Half-Price books on Sunday, but turns out it's just an economic simulation, with no real city building. I might give it a go later, but it doesn't satisfy my immense craving to build sprawling metropolises. Luckily, it was only 5 bucks.

* HBO is making a television series out of a series of books I read. I'm too nervous about their quality to be excited.

* I've been slowly (for me) re-reading the Harry Potter series. I can't decide if flaws I find are flaws in the writing, the plot, or simply the characters themselves.

* I FINALLY found something that tastes reasonably like old-fashioned glazed donuts. Entemmans makes glazed poppers that satisfy my craving.

* I feel bad that I spent money on my adorable little green iPod nano, and now it's not getting any use, since I'm home all summer. I know I'll use it constantly once school starts up again, though.

* I don't have kids, and I don't even work with kids anymore, but I still buy children's books. Doreen Cronin writes amazing children's books about politics and labor relations.

YAY!!!!

A while ago, I posted about how adorable this was. And guess what Brent got me for my birthday! So adorable!!!!

I'm kind of dumb.

I managed to put a hole in my bathtub. I'm not the brightest crayon in the box.

Bella

There was just too much text lately on the blog, so I decided to post a picture of our cat, Bella (short for Bellatrix--I insist that every cat I have be given a Harry Potter related name.) She's adorable and meows loudly and loves batting dice and eating Bespin Guards.

My Biggest Weakness and other Random Things

Lindor Truffles.

I can, and have, eaten an entire bag in one sitting. And I'm not a huge chocolate or sweets fan. They are insanely yummy.

Speaking of yummy, I want these.

*sigh* I still haven't gotten my gold or macaw back from Blizzard yet. I'm not sure how long it's supposed to take. I'd rather have the bird than the gold. It's more important and not as easily replaceable.

Three Things I'm Oddly Obsessive About...

1) Sheep. I love this animal. In the immortal words of Neil Gaiman: "But the Creator like the sheep best, because it was all funny and fluffy and white."

2) Gelatinous Cubes. Best. Monster. Ever. 3) The color green. Pretty much any shade, but I'm partial to lime green and the kiwi green color of my car.