Christmas

It's funny how since being in Japan I'm kind of glad they don't bother with the overly annoying holiday songs that usually start back in October.  I do miss the real Christmas ones though.  Glad that most wards-including the one I attend here in Tokyo-sing alot of them on Sundays.
It was also fun to do Christmas caroling.  We even tried singing Silent Night in Japanese.  The elderly people we visited sang with us on that one.
Always reminds me of how grateful I am for my savior and redeemer around this time of year.  I'll never get tired of singing those songs and thinking about that while doing so.
Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Thoughts

On living alone:
1. Busy
2. Terrifying
3. Exciting
4. Food
5. Bed(there was basically a frame, had to buy the futon and pad with sheets and such)
6. Where is....(anything)?
7. Sleep
8. Boring
9. Lonely
10. Boring
11. Work
12. Boring
13. Church
14. Boring
15. Boring
16. Boring
17. Boring
18. Boring
19. Boring
20. Friends want to hang out? Yes!
21. Boring.
22. How do I....(anything)?
23. I'm So Bored!

Things I Learned

From coming to Japan
1. Even if they don't speak any english at all, they still know what 'taxi' is and can point to where to find them.
2. McDonald's is here, though I personally think the quality is much higher.  I will say that the ketchup has a hint of spicyness but I actually like that.  Helps when I'm craving Western food....Pizza here is just not the same.
3. Hotel and Guest house owners usually can speak english well enough for you to understand, though in my experience the latter is better at it.
4. It is not quite the 'other world' feeling despite being across the ocean.  Though the driving on the left side of the road helps me remember I'm not in the U.S....And all the rice.
5. I think they really know how to cook seafood here, because I actually like it.  Though the dried fish and squid(I think) they gave me for a snack once was not.
6. Onigiri is awesome.  I'm hoping I won't get addicted to it, but it makes a great snack. Plus it comes with many different fillings so I won't get tired of it.
7. Kids are still energetic and restless, even here.
8. The only things you really need to keep an eye on are umbrellas and bikes.  Strange huh?  Those are the top two stolen items here....
9. Public transit is like the U.S., as in it is displayed in both Japanese and English in most places.
10. Drying laundry takes forever...and washing it by hand is hard...have a lot more sympathy for our ancestors...
And that's it for now.

Okay...

So things I learned just from flying to get here is going to start off my lists...
1. Airport security is not as scary or detailed as they make it out to be in the movies and books.  Maybe just because they could tell I'd never done any of that before...

2. While the aisle seat is great, you can get better views from the window.  Being in the middle is no fun for standing or seeing.  Unless you're glued to a movie/game.

3. Airplane food is great, though that may have been that it was a Japanese Airline....

4. Having someone willing to listen to you chatter before takeoff to calm your nerves really helps for the first time.

5. In flight movies that give you more than 1 option really helps, and games could be fun if the controller worked better...and they had more options that a novice could play...

6. Luggage retrieval is not that hard unless you are in a real hurry. 

7. Baggage handlers are not nice to any bag.  I got both my bags back dirty and one was damaged.  Thankfully in a minor way....

8. Jet Lag is REAL....spent the first two days in a dizzy fog where I was falling asleep at 8 pm and waking up at 4 am (no I'm not kidding).

9.  When my dad told me not to 'nickle and dime' getting from the airport to the hotel, he meant it.  I was sooooooo dead by the time I got there....

10. Layovers are super boring....no matter how cool the airport is.

And that's all for that list.

W. O. W.

Okay, I know it's been two months since I've written anything, but the electronics I brought with me could not do Blogger. Figures.
Plus there was the whole move to Japan thing...Jet Lag is real...and other things...
Well, I have a few lists that I will post later about the last two months but mainly I was seeing if I could get on Blogger for now.
Plus I work as long as my dad does with a bit of a longer commute...so not a lot of time for stuff.  Sigh....
Plenty of rain here...weird compared to home I must say....But I still catch myself not thinking I'm in Japan.  Not as 'other world' as one might expect.  But I did study the language and culture for a while there.  Made it less of a mystery I think...
So that's all for now.

One More Day...

Until I leave.  Still have siblings and friends asking me to get on Facebook...Still a little hesitant.  But almost completely packed for the trip.  And very nervous.  Had my 'Jaunt to Japan'(as my dad called it) party last night.  More people showed up than I expected.  But it was fun even while it was crowded.
Still getting the dust out of my nose from boxing up the last of my room yesterday while packing(filled a whole closet with stuff and still have things I need to store somewhere, sigh...)so I'm a bit sniffly today.
Had more snow over the weekend and supposed to get more tomorrow...when I fly out.  Maybe not at the same time, but the same day.  Figures.
Finally got ahold of the ward!  Mainly the executive secretary, but at least it's someone.  Not as much to do today, but still need to get to it...

Getting Ready

Getting the last of my stuff together for next week's flight, which means I've had the butterflies in the stomach feeling all week so far.  But I've got nearly everything I need, just need to finish packing what I can for now(though I want to do laundry before I do any clothes).
Had rain last night and this afternoon, but warming up for spring so I get by with my nice long sweater jacket that I got last year.  Trying to get to tree trimming but it's kind of a two person job.  Also been trying to finish up the greenware for my Christmas scene so I can get it fired before I leave(and therefore store it safely, unfired greenware doesn't last)  Have one church, one tree, and a house with a chimney about done, but still more to do.
Kind of weird to think that I'm actually leaving in less than a week. Had lunch with my mom at a sub job this morning, and she thinks I ought to go have lunch with my dad before I leave next week.  Have to see what he thinks...

Last Day....

At my current job last night, which made it weird in more than one way.  The other cashier scheduled didn't show up(and if they got a coworker to cover they failed to notify the manager and that sub failed to show as well)so we were short handed.  Meant I got to do almost all of the closing stuff with a little help from the manager and the sandwich makers.  Still made for a rough night....
They gave me a farewell gift though, which was fun.  Had a card that several of my coworkers signed, but not all.
Spring seems to be arriving(overheard two people talking about the possibility of more snow before it really hits-one was very adamant that we should be done with snow, the other seemed to want it) which means I can get by with a jacket unless things get cold again.  Had rain today but that only made it wet, not really cooler.
Down to two weeks before I leave, and the nerves are trying to kick in. didn't get much sleep last night and have a bit of a crick in my neck too. Had to really try not to get cranky at my sub job as a result.

Rude Customers...

I discovered this past week that encountering rude, impatient, and overbearing customers(not at my work)really annoys me.  Went to pick up pizza for dinner on Valentines Day as my siblings and I were giving my parents a date night and there were just two very swamped employees working.  One was trying to call for help (or that's what it sounded like) when I got there, I did not see any sign of a delivery driver, the other was just trying to keep from drowning under the flood of online orders to be made.  The phone was ringing off the hook the entire time I was there and I watched online orders come in every 30 seconds or less it seemed.  Plus stuff printing all over the counter(I think they were more orders, but I'm not sure).
So while I patiently wait for them to have a second to get my order done and to me(after they had to fight the computer for several minutes just to pay it out)another customer comes in and tells them what their order was.  When they find it amid the growing stack of online ones the poor person who'd been calling for help had to apologetically tell them their order might be an hour and a half before they got to it.  The customer then says they wanted to cancel the order anyway, and as the phone employee turns to figure out how to cancel it(given the computer problems they were having)the customer informs the phone employee that the customer will probably never order from them again.
Then after the second employee has to come help get the order cancelled(as the computer was refusing to do it for the phone employee), the customer just makes a gesture of disgust and storms out of the store.
I get that you want your food and you might be in a hurry, but don't take it out on the poor overworked employees who are just trying to do their job the best they can.  Especially when you can see that they need help and can't seem to get it.  It's not their fault.  I think everyone should try it(working retail or food) sometimes so they know how hard it can be.
For some reason that annoyed me more than customers who do it to me.  I wanted to jump back there and help, but I felt that would get them in trouble and I would probably just get in the way.
The snow storms all weekend probably caused things to slow down late at night, as Saturday we had a very sad pastry night.
My sister's blazer got stuck in the mud in the field next door while we were trying to move cars around(finally sold what used to be my ford ranger, and spent over an hour trying to get it out) and so today we're trying to get it out.  Too bad the snow made it even more muddy and so it is very stuck for now.
But one car out of the way, and off the grass...

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Not that I get many since I graduated from high school, though my dad does give some to my mom, sisters, and I every year(he gets the good stuff, dark chocolate and mixed berries and such) so I do get that.  Plus work gets crazy(my coworkers were saying it was slow(somehow I don't agree, given that I got off way late and we did a lot in profits-and the poor pastry people were still there working when I left and they got there before me) so not bad.
Had a nasty accident in the intersection near my work, which made getting home more interesting than usual.  Rain and snow were stopped while I was at work, but I think we're getting some now.  Glad to see a lot of people enjoying being together for it though.  Had a poor person come in because the valentine they had ordered in advance got delayed so they needed something for their special someone today.
Hope everyone has a good one, and maybe a special someone to share it with.

Finally...

Got the details for training and more about location so I can be sure of finding a good spot for a place to live in Japan.  And I now have the flight booked for it.  Just have to get the work visa finished soon.  Otherwise I'm set for March.
My coworkers are upset that I'm leaving, but after 4.5 years, even if I wasn't moving to Japan it would be time to move on.  This week has shown that it is Valentines,  given we are busy most of the time.  Not quite up to holiday standards, but certainly better than most of January.  My coworkers were a little dismayed by how busy it's been.  And the weather doesn't help either...
Had a nasty headache for the last day and a half so I went to my chiropractor(my mom thought it was weird of me to go instead of taking something, but I don't like the idea of taking pain medications)as today it was getting worse.  getting dizzy, sick to my stomach, and my vision was blurry. Seems my C5 had really slid out of place(I couldn't get the muscles to relax while they were adjusting it back, they were so tense) C1 had a little bit too, and some of my T (around my ribs)vertebrae.  Still have a bit of it, but went from say a 9 to a 3 I think and slowly dropping.
Getting rain, snow, and sleet today.  Makes it cold, wet, and slippery. Sigh...

Snow Day?

Thanks to the weather people actually getting the timing right, we got snow to go with a winter weather advisory.  And shocker, my dad actually got a snow day off work!  My mom was annoyed because she didn't(none of the rest of us did in fact)so he gets to work on stuff around the house as the snow keeps coming down.  Funny thing was, my dad got the text after he, my second youngest brother, and I finished clearing off the driveway so he could get out.  And it seems two of his coworkers were either on route already or at work by the time they got the info.  Usually that's him....
But it's nice to have more snow given it is still winter. Despite the fact that the groundhog did not see their shadow....First time I remember that happening.  My sister thinks it's funny that usually the groundhog does and we don't get snow, now they didn't and we did.
Still waiting to hear about the details for Japan....sigh.

Almost Two Weeks and Counting...

Ugh, stupid cold will not go away, and it seems I fell lousy in a different way each day.  The only constant part is my nose(but it changes from runny to stuffy or even feeling like something's stuck up there)and the cough. Sigh....
Work's been about the same, though the headache that is the current add in from yesterday morning did not help.  And I forgot to do something when I closed at work on wednesday(I guess that makes me a dork somehow, according to my coworker?) which shows how out of it I am lately. Nearly forgot a second thing too, but caught that before I left.
Had two interviews regarding the Japan job(with different coordinators) and should hear back by next week about where I'm going.  Makes it hard to find an apartment before I get there if they keep this up....
Weather is being nice during the day and freezing at night.  Trees are budding despite that.  Makes me wonder if the Groundhog will see their shadow tomorrow....

Bleh...

This inversion we've been having has made so many people feel sick, myself included. Sigh.  mainly it just feels like a head cold with out the headache(thankfully).  Just a sore throat and a cough that hurts my chest. And a bit of a stuffy nose, but that I am used to.  But we had snow monday which seems to be clearing out the inversion enough that I'm feeling better(cough is lingering though).
Work is both slowing down and not.  Monday was so boring we were done with most of the cleaning stuff by five.  Yesterday was different, though we did get all the cleaning done(my coworkers did, I wound up watching register and filling orders while they cleaned).  But it was busy enough we were not bored. At least not until those not working to close left and it got really slow.  but that was only for less than an hour and there were only three of us.
Had a sub job yesterday that was easy, the only difficult part was getting from it to work.  have one tomorrow that takes less than five minutes to get to my work from. makes life a bit easier.
Have another interview with the Japan job(seems the Sukugawa one fell through, they can't get a hold of the school district or something to confirm a job I guess. But not Fukushima, though they haven't told me for sure yet.)and some more paper work stuff to do.  Hope this cough is gone by then, do not want to sound like I'm losing my voice or coughing every five minutes when I'm trying to get a job secured.
Have this strange infestation of crows in our neighborhood, been there for over a month I think.  At least they're not bothering our one remaining cat....Just being all over our yards.

Substitute Teaching...

Is always a mystery even if the teacher gives you info up front about the class and such.  Because until I walk in the classroom door I have no idea what I'm going to find.  It can be a elementary class that is very nice and behaved but claims their mischievous(or something like that) or a class that is rowdy and off the walls right off the bat.  Even the lesson plans go from a simple "Do this, have the students do that" to "By this time have this done so you can move onto that".  Take today, where I  walked in to the class to find the main teacher(I was subbing for an aide) getting stuff ready as the rest of the school was doing ACT testing which meant for the teacher I was with: two hours of prep because they had to be there any way.  And I had two boring hours to wait for something to do. Sigh....Then one of the other aides asked if I could sub for them on a future date.
So a typical not to be expected day.  But work's been getting slow now that we're past the holidays.  Saturday was nuts, and last thursday was competing with it, but yesterday was more boring than the two hours this morning, as we were running out of stuff to stock or clean or do.  Cold and cloudy, but no real snow falling.
Hope the rest of today is more busy than yesterday was....

New Year!

It is so weird to have it be 2019...and still be sooo cold! Today and yesterday it finally got warm enough to really melt stuff(like the ice and snow on the driveway I already spent two days getting off so cars could get in and out better)but not by much.
Of course work slowed down a lot, which means my coworkers are bored. I'm used to it(though last year did not follow suit, given it stayed busy for a while after New Years)so I now to expect less hours and less customers.  And so having to find more stuff to do.
Managed to shift my shoulder out of place trying to get the ice off, so my chiropractor had to put it back.  felt it shift out during work later, but I think in a different way because it hurts differently than it did before. But it means I need to have it put back in again next week...
Down to about two months before I really have to get stuff together for Japan, and I feel like it is going fast and taking forever at the same time.  Figures.
Hope everyone had a great New Year's, and promise for a great year to follow.