When you need to get out of the city...

It's time to go camping! That's right, I am going camping this weekend. And in the process of getting ready, I have realized how privileged I was to grow up in Alaska. Camping in Alaska is like second nature. I never had to think about what I needed to go camping because we always had everything or could go into town to buy any odds and ends that were needed.

In Japan, camping is so different! A) It's very expensive and B) it's trendy! Huh!?! I just don't get it really. Also, because only some people camp (unlike EVERYONE at home) it's not like you can call someone up and borrow camping stuff - nope - you've gotta buy it yourself!

However, the great thing about buying all new gear - BUYING ALL NEW GEAR!!! Haha. I had forgotten how fun it is to tinker around with lamps and camp chairs... all the stuff that makes camping so much fun!

This weekend's expedition will be the no frills adventure, but it will be fun all the same. It's been a really long time since I went camping. Even longer since I've been canoeing (I get to do both!!), so I'm really looking forward to it.

Viva la camping!! :-)

Spilled Milk

As a kid, I remember adults always saying, "it's no use crying over spilled milk." At that time in my life, it was usually because the milk was already running off the edges of the table and it was time to grab a towel and not a time to cry.

How about crying over a bad recipe? Or a bad pasta dish? I know it sounds idiotic, but last night I made a recipe that I'd never tried before and... it was tasteless and horrible! And I just cried. I used to be GOOD at cooking. And forget about cheesecake, that is where I am queen! ;-) (Or something like that...) Is it really possible to lose your touch? Really the only excuse I can give is that I followed the recipe.

I think I need to re-learn how to cook. I feel like I'm in a horrible position. I can't cook like this is the States ('cuz it isn't) and I can't cook a lots of Japanese foods because I need a taste-tester for that. Argh! Where to begin. Oh, by the way I have no oven. (They're expensive here.) Range (two burners), a fish grill (very handy) and a microwave!

Sigh, I'm not crying over spilled milk, but I am lamenting the hurdles to re-educating myself. I'm going to start grocery shopping regularly this week... If anyone has easy recipes that I should try (confidence-boosting recipes!)... throw them my way. :-)

Edith Wharton

So, about a week ago, I was lucky to find a book store that sells used English books. I picked up Corelli's Mandolin (I will never see the movie based on the book - would NEVER do the book justice!), a collection of Edith Wharton short stories, and Exodus (as recommended by a friend).

I have finished Corelli's Mandolin - WOW! It was amazing. I loved every minute of it. Each page was dense and I couldn't fly through it like other books, but that's something else I loved about it. I could relish it properly as I was reading it. Anyone who wants an excellent read, I highly recommend it.

I am now working my way through the Edith Wharton stories. A friend of mine was told she ought to read some Wharton, and when that friend had, she recommended that I read her as well. I haven't read anything more that the short stories, but they have been very good and I am looking forward to reading more Wharton in the future. :-)

I will also be frequenting the used English book shops more often - I got three books for less than the price of one on Amazon! :-)

I think I'm failing...

At this blog thing. But I have a decent excuse... my life, contrary to what people might think, is not all that exciting.

Today, I went to my internship. Then went to work. Then came home and ate dinner. Dinner was nice because the lady I had worked with made me a nice type of sushi (doesn't actually have fish in it, thus I could transport it home). I watched the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Talked to my guy. I've taken a shower and will be heading to bed soon.

And that folks, is a wrap! When I start my new job in September, teaching at a private girls' school... I think I may have a few more stories. In fact, if I don't I will be worried. Students in a school are always full of interesting ideosyncracies. Woot!

Tomorrow, I may have a story. I am going to the Immigration Bureau to begin the process of renewing my visa. I have a sponsor (YAY!!) and all the paperwork (minus two photobooth visa-sized pics that I intend to pick up on my way there) and want to get the process started. The Immigration Bureau is NOT a fun place to visit. It makes foreigners feel like it's literally a holding tank to separate them from mainstream Japanese society. ALL foreigners hate going there. That hatred is compounded by the fact that it's really out of the way. Also, if you go in the afternoon it means you WILL be waiting for quite awhile. So, I will aim to arrive around 9:00am, right when it opens.

Maybe there will be a good story tomorrow. More likely there will be a story of me being extremely cranky for the wasted time. :-D Either way, there will be a story to post!

Cleaning...

Until I turned in my thesis, I excused myself from large amounts of cleaning. Basically, my apartment was overtaken by papers and books and things that had to do with my thesis. Well, the thesis is in. The exam is over. I am just biding my time for graduation.

I have to admit, I still haven't cleaned my apartment! Ack! It is a big mess and will only get bigger if I don't start MAKING myself tackle it. Really it's all about trashing stuff I don't need and vacuuming. The rest is pretty ok, it's not like I have a whole lot of space. It shouldn't take too long to clean a REALLY small apartment. But with me, I guess it does. Blah! Oh, well.

Here's to motivation!! And to watching my cat run away when I bring out the vacuum. :-)

CHARGE!!!!!

In a rut!

I feel like I'm in a rut. I'm done with my thesis, so I have all sorts of free time, but I'm as a loss as to how to spend it. I guess that's what happens when a masters degree takes 4 years instead of 2. You forget how to spend free time because it's non-existent!

What should I do in my free time? I need some suggestions!

I would love to beginning running again. I'd also like a running buddy because I have the hardest time staying motivated if I am running alone. I get up good for about a week and then I slack off.

I'd love to do some volunteering. However, I have no idea how to go about finding a volunteer organization that would want me to help. I'm sure there are ones out there, but I don't know how to go about finding the best one. Japan does not have the same culture of volunteerism that we have in the US.

Here's to getting out of a rut!!!

FIRED UP!

I had lunch with a good friend yesterday. We talked a lot about searching for jobs. She gave me so much good advice for searching for jobs in Japan and how to go about everything. I am so grateful for all of her advice!!

So now I'm fired up to get out there and find a job that I really want to do! Watch out Tokyo - here I come!!! :-)

Tired.

I thought that once you are done with a thesis there is a certain amount of time that you get to vedge away and relax. If that's true, why am I tired?? Haha. Seriously though, I am tired and I feel like I haven't DONE anything lately. Yeah, I go in to my internship and I go to work. But I did those things when I was doing my thesis.

I guess I'm just waiting for things to be different now that I'm truly done with school. Guess not. Life still keeps going... and sometimes it's not that exciting! :-(

I have a brother...

that's engaged! WHAT!?!?! I know, I was totally thrown by it as well. Mostly because he's 3 years younger than me and I always thought that I'd be getting married first. Well, that goes out the window now! Haha...

I'm happy, but being in the wedding (first time to be a bridesmaid!) and living thousands of miles away makes things interesting. :-)

Bring on the festivities (wedding's not until next June!)... I'll get ready! ;-)

Why do people have cats?

I used to be a dog person. Not even a mild-mannered dog person. I was a semi-militant dog person. The only cats that I used to like were my friend Melissa's cat, Katrina (r.i.p.), and the new cat, Sophie after her. That's it. I didn't like most cats because, well, they didn't really like me.

As most of you may know, I am now the mommy of a little (not for much longer!) cat called Suzu. She is lovely! She is friendly and nice. The only fault I have is that she doesn't instinctively crawl up on my lap to cuddle when I've had a bad day. Maybe that will come with time.

I've decided that one of the many reasons that people own cats is because they are extremely entertaining. Not in the way that dogs are entertaining... but very independently entertaining. For instance, my little cat chases bugs. And makes quite a spectacle while doing so.

Another way she entertains is by trying to go after things that are just out of her reach... outside the window. Most of the time it's birds or the wind rustling in the trees outside. Today it was an electric company worker who was doing a bit of work outside our window. She was very interested for the 20+ minutes the guy was outside the window. I tried to get her to turn around to no avail!!


I was very amused by this shot! Hope it makes you smile too. :-)

July 25th, 2009; 11:15am Tokyo Time

At 11:15am this coming Saturday I will be "defending" my thesis. In Japan, the defense is very much a formality. Though that is the case I am still interested in what the professor's on my committee have to say. Two are women whose opinions I value so I'm interested in what they have to say about my research.

After I’m done on Saturday I will be done with everything except the graduation ceremony on September 3rd. This MA has been a LONG time coming (4 years!!) and I am very ready to start the next chapter in my life. :-) Wish me luck for Saturday!

Going to the beach

For most people going to the beach is a matter of finding an old beach towel, grabbing a swim suit and trying not to forget the sunscreen. Sadly, it's not that easy for me. Today I am going to the beach. I have decided to wear a two piece that covers a lot of skin - becoming a lobster is not my goal today. Also, I have to first find the sunscreen and then the towel. Not having a towel would be a bummer, but not having sunscreen is unthinkable! I am even considering going a bit later than everyone, just to stay out of the sun a bit longer. I wish I did not have such pasty white skin, but such is life.

Despite all of the hassle, I am quite looking forward to the beach. It should be a good time and at the very least I'll end up with some more freckles!

July 25, 2009

Yes, the title of this post may seem a bit odd. It's not really July 25th yet. This date is one milestone, the last one really, on my journey to finishing my MA. It is the date that I "defend" my thesis. Now, I put quotations around "defend" because in Japan the concept of defense has not been developed. Rather than a true defense, it seems to be just one last hoop to jump through before you can graduate with the MA. Regardless of the outcome, I will graduate.

At last, the past years in academia will come to an end. In hopes of having many more exciting adventures to share with everyone... I will once again be keeping this blog. I'm choosing not to change the address because there is already so much here that I'd like to just continue.

Welcome back to the blog... I will try to be more faithful in keeping records of my life for everyone to enjoy. :-)

The Christmas Tree and more Christmas fun!

Freshly cut, Alaskan Christmas tree!



We have a very tall ceiling - calls for a tall tree! This is before we officially decorated. Just the lights are on.


Here's one small segment of the tree - ornaments and all!



My brother (Brendan) trying to be happy about helping!


Here I am baking. Notice the huge oven behind me!!

Fun Christmas prep!

The view from out our dining room window!



Hungry MOOOOOOSE!



Nice skating at last night's Nanook game - they won 6-3!



After the first Nanook score!



The nutty "we think we're pro" scoreboard!

UMI no HI - Marine Day!

This weekend was a nice, much needed three-day weekend! Monday was a national holiday so there were lots of people getting out of Tokyo and enjoying nature. And I was one of those people!! :-)

I went to a place called Kawazu on the Izu peninsula. It was great! Onsen (hotsprings) and waterfalls made it even nice. The fact that it was also NOT Tokyo was a major bonus as well. ;-) And I took lots of pictures.

This is a red bridge near Shuzenji Temple. It was much cooler anywhere there was water!


Grove of bamboo... very peaceful...



Here's the real cameraman on the expedition! :-)


Scary loopy-loop road! Did NOT like that one!!

One of seven beautiful waterfalls in Kawazu. I love waterfalls! And what's more, the temperature was nice a cool near the waterfalls... I didn't want to leave!! :-)

Jun: Where did I go over the weekend? What was nice about that place? Did I take lots of pictures?

Crumble and Puppy!

Today I made blueberry-rhubarb crumble! It was really easy and very delicious. Sweet and tangy all at the same time. YUM!! :-)

Doesn't that look tastey?

I also took a BUNCH of pictures of my puppy dog, Molly. She was laying and relaxing in the living room so it was very easy to take her picture. She's such a cutie!!

I think she was a little tired. ;-)



Jun: What kind of dessert did I make? What kind of dog do you think that Molly is?

A Wedding!

Yesterday was a really happy day. A boy who is like a brother got married to a wonderful girl. My brother was the best man and did a good job and the weather turned sunny and made me realize why Alaska is such a great place. AND I wore a dress! :-) So, here are some pics...


The groom (in white) and his posse... a bunch of handsome dudes.


Ben, looking a little nervous, but otherwise he's ready!


The Bride, Jenny, and her Daddy. What a beautiful June bride!

The siblings! Me and my bro bro. We both clean up pretty good. And, yes, I do own and occasionally wear dresses! Haha.


Jun: What event did I attend? How was the weather? What did I wear?

A new 'do!

Today I got a haircut AND I dyed all the grey out of my hair! :-) Now I can look as young as I feel. Whee. ;-) Here's a look at my hair...


This isn't the greatest picture (this is about the 7th or 8th try!), but you get the idea of what I did.

I also watched My Neighbor Totoro (隣のトットロ) with my brother and his girlfriend. It was great fun and after the movie we messed around with my camera a bit...

Yep, my brother is fired as a cameraman!

But I got him back...

Hahaha... I got him good, didn't I??

Then I wandered around outside and took a few random photos...



For Jun: 1) What did I do to my hair? 2) Which picture do you like best and why?

Back in Alaska!

When I arrived in Fairbanks at 12:15am, I walked out to see this lovely sky. I can't imagine a better view... however, it would have been a bit nicer is warmth. It is a bit chilly and it has rained off and on all day today. I can't control the weather, but I can still enjoy bening home.

But before getting home I was able to get back to Fairbanks, I got to hang out in Seattle with my friend Michael. I saw Mt. Rainier, went to Pike Street Market and just enjoyed the summer weather.


Mt. Rainier and the Stadiums in Seattle. The mountain was visible all day long. So gorgeous. The temperature was about 78 degrees and amazing!


Alaska salmon in Seattle! Looks tasty right?



At the original Ivars on the water in Seattle. I Had to take a silly picture in the chair in front. Everyone needs silly pics!

Hope everyone in Japan is ok... everyone else too!


Jun: Where did I go before Alaska? What time did I arrive in Fairbanks? Was it dark when I arrived in Fairbanks?