Life's been busy, blah blah blah, crazy amounts of students, blah blah blag. Other excuses as to why I haven't really been around lately.
Finished up the book I've been reading. Apparently it's a bad idea to stay up late finishing a crazy depressing book where tons of people are sick or dying. I love me my sad books, but they always put me in a weird head space for a few days.
Story time. Preamble: life's pretty good for Dylan and I. Our expenses are low (especially since, seriously, we've hardly had time to go anywhere, so spending money hasn't really been a thing) and Dylan has a regular pay cheque. So anyways, Dylan went crazy last week and splurged on some meat (I know, we're crazy people!). Not because it was ridiculously cheap, and was therefore going to plan everything we ate around it, or because he needed it for some specific reason. He just saw it and thought that he'd buy it and it'd get used whenever. Yah, we've been that couple that was so poor they lived off rice and whatever vegetables were cheapest. Which means that I am very familiar with opening the fridge and finding the moldy end bit of whatever vegetable. But that I have never opened the fridge to the smell of rotting meat. Turns out that you gotta eat that meat stuff pretty quick! Kinda gross, so we tossed it. Sweet mother, the smell that was coming from the garbage the next day. How is it possible for something to smell that bad? There wasn't even that much of it. That smell alone makes a pretty good argument for becoming a vegetarian.
Yah, that was the main point of me writing this post. To say that rotting meat smells bad. Had a picnic for Em last week because she is an old lady now! It was fun. Took yesterday off from going to the schools for meals and lounged around the annex. I got really excited because Dylan bought more laundry detergent so our clothes can be clean again.
I'll be more exciting next time.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Friday, August 2, 2013
Hello Internets.
I'm still with ya. The school has been really busy the last three weeks, with a high school group every weekend plus the regular students throughout the week. Hence my lack in presence.
To start with a bit of a personal-life thing (as opposed to happy-fun-time adventure things), I sometimes have really vivid dreams about my dad and family. I had a lot of them last year once I got back to Ottawa. I haven't had one in a while, but I had one last week. Sometimes they are really depressing, but they can sometime be happier. Those are almost worse though, since I wake up and kinda get smacked in the face with reality. Because they feel ridiculously real at the time. I rarely remember my dreams, but these stick with me. I don't really talk about them too much, partially since it's weird for something like that to affect me and partially since they just feel so personal. But I guess this past year has been a good lesson that it doesn't matter whether you want to or not, your body will find a way to deal with those darn feelings and shtuff.
Anyways. Japan.
Despite the fact that we've been busy 'round here, Dylan has taken a couple days off. Last weekend, it was our five year anniversary (craziness!), so Hubby took the afternoon off after the high schoolers had left. We went into a nearby town and stopped by the zoo before they close. They had penguins! And giraffes! And soft-shelled turtles, and turtles that looked like dinosaurs! And some other stuff! And penguins! That would have been a good enough celebration for me to be honest. But afterwards, we headed off a park, walked around for a while and did some sittin' and readin'. Then we were going to go to a fancy-ish restaurant, but didn't have anywhere in mind. So, we spotted a place that looked pretty good while driving. Yah, turns out it looked pretty nice especially on the outside, but was about family restaurant level of food. I thought it was fitting/funny, since we're not the fanciest of couples. But Hubby was a bit disappointed. He forgot about that pretty quickly though, since we moved on to a fireworks show that was downtown that night. It was sorta a competition, in that different companies sponsored chunks of the show - so it was a very long show. As in, it lasted two hours. They boast having about 15,000 fireworks. All in all, a good day.
He also took another day off later in the week, so we decided to try and go to a cat cafe. Despite what inappropriate things you might be assuming, a cat cafe is just a normal cafe but with a lot of cats. You pay to be there for a chunk of time, and a drink is included. From what I've gathered, it is mainly aimed to people who can't have pets of their own. I think this cafe had about 15-20 cats and could sit maybe a dozen people comfortably. It was fun, except that I was suddenly reminded that I'm allergic to cats not long after walking in. Oh well. Worth it. We were going to go to a soccer game in the evening and had a bit of time to waste, so we went to yet another park to read. Only difference this time was the ten or so mosquito bites I got. Then we went to the game where Dylan was desperate to see a goal. The game ended 0-0. It was the second live game he has gone to and the second one that has ended 0-0.
Ok, those are the highlights for now. Byeeee!
To start with a bit of a personal-life thing (as opposed to happy-fun-time adventure things), I sometimes have really vivid dreams about my dad and family. I had a lot of them last year once I got back to Ottawa. I haven't had one in a while, but I had one last week. Sometimes they are really depressing, but they can sometime be happier. Those are almost worse though, since I wake up and kinda get smacked in the face with reality. Because they feel ridiculously real at the time. I rarely remember my dreams, but these stick with me. I don't really talk about them too much, partially since it's weird for something like that to affect me and partially since they just feel so personal. But I guess this past year has been a good lesson that it doesn't matter whether you want to or not, your body will find a way to deal with those darn feelings and shtuff.
Anyways. Japan.
Despite the fact that we've been busy 'round here, Dylan has taken a couple days off. Last weekend, it was our five year anniversary (craziness!), so Hubby took the afternoon off after the high schoolers had left. We went into a nearby town and stopped by the zoo before they close. They had penguins! And giraffes! And soft-shelled turtles, and turtles that looked like dinosaurs! And some other stuff! And penguins! That would have been a good enough celebration for me to be honest. But afterwards, we headed off a park, walked around for a while and did some sittin' and readin'. Then we were going to go to a fancy-ish restaurant, but didn't have anywhere in mind. So, we spotted a place that looked pretty good while driving. Yah, turns out it looked pretty nice especially on the outside, but was about family restaurant level of food. I thought it was fitting/funny, since we're not the fanciest of couples. But Hubby was a bit disappointed. He forgot about that pretty quickly though, since we moved on to a fireworks show that was downtown that night. It was sorta a competition, in that different companies sponsored chunks of the show - so it was a very long show. As in, it lasted two hours. They boast having about 15,000 fireworks. All in all, a good day.
He also took another day off later in the week, so we decided to try and go to a cat cafe. Despite what inappropriate things you might be assuming, a cat cafe is just a normal cafe but with a lot of cats. You pay to be there for a chunk of time, and a drink is included. From what I've gathered, it is mainly aimed to people who can't have pets of their own. I think this cafe had about 15-20 cats and could sit maybe a dozen people comfortably. It was fun, except that I was suddenly reminded that I'm allergic to cats not long after walking in. Oh well. Worth it. We were going to go to a soccer game in the evening and had a bit of time to waste, so we went to yet another park to read. Only difference this time was the ten or so mosquito bites I got. Then we went to the game where Dylan was desperate to see a goal. The game ended 0-0. It was the second live game he has gone to and the second one that has ended 0-0.
Ok, those are the highlights for now. Byeeee!
Monday, July 15, 2013
I miss the rain.
Raining season here in this here part of good ol' Japan is officially over. It got hot - really hot (right now it's about 31-33 degrees outside). I wasn't ready! So I've been spending most of my time sweating and try to hid away inside.
But! Last week Dylan and I did venture out to Yokohama. Dylan's friend had to go there for a test, so we tagged along and made a day trip out of it. It's a neat little town (by little, I mean it is the second largest city in Japan). A bit off unsettling though, since there were a lot of foreigners, especially because we were in a more tourist part of the city. Seeing other foreigners reminds me how much I must stick out and then I get all self-conscious. Anyway, we got there and went to Chinatown - which is huge. It reminded me a lot of Canada and just made Dylan really want to cook. Then it was time for our friend to go write her test, so Dylan and I found a nice park and settled in to read and relax for a while. After that, we headed... somewhere... I don't know, I just followed them... and went to a few pubs/breweries and did us some shopping at this adorable market-type place. Had some pretty fantastic Mexican food for diner (the international food scene in our neck of the woods is very limited). Wondered around for a while longer. Then headed home. All in all, a fun day if you look past the fact that I was exhausted, got a moderate sunburn, got some blisters on my feet, and may or may not have gotten some really mild heatstroke because it was so very very very hot out.
Oh, side note. A couple days later, we went to a night market for a bit and grabbed a couple beers at a pub after where we ended up watching a women's doubles tennis match. Which gave me the brilliant idea that we should play tennis the next day since the school has a court, despite the mind-melting heat (have I mentioned that it's hot here?). That stroke of genius resulted in Dylan re-injuring his back, Em definitely getting heatstroke and my moderate sunburn becoming a bad sunburn. Nobody should ever take my suggestions ever.
To have a happy ending, the rainy season being over does mean that the clouds that have been hiding Mt. Fuji have lessened considerably and we have gotten a few gorgeous clear looks at it in the last few weeks.
But! Last week Dylan and I did venture out to Yokohama. Dylan's friend had to go there for a test, so we tagged along and made a day trip out of it. It's a neat little town (by little, I mean it is the second largest city in Japan). A bit off unsettling though, since there were a lot of foreigners, especially because we were in a more tourist part of the city. Seeing other foreigners reminds me how much I must stick out and then I get all self-conscious. Anyway, we got there and went to Chinatown - which is huge. It reminded me a lot of Canada and just made Dylan really want to cook. Then it was time for our friend to go write her test, so Dylan and I found a nice park and settled in to read and relax for a while. After that, we headed... somewhere... I don't know, I just followed them... and went to a few pubs/breweries and did us some shopping at this adorable market-type place. Had some pretty fantastic Mexican food for diner (the international food scene in our neck of the woods is very limited). Wondered around for a while longer. Then headed home. All in all, a fun day if you look past the fact that I was exhausted, got a moderate sunburn, got some blisters on my feet, and may or may not have gotten some really mild heatstroke because it was so very very very hot out.
Oh, side note. A couple days later, we went to a night market for a bit and grabbed a couple beers at a pub after where we ended up watching a women's doubles tennis match. Which gave me the brilliant idea that we should play tennis the next day since the school has a court, despite the mind-melting heat (have I mentioned that it's hot here?). That stroke of genius resulted in Dylan re-injuring his back, Em definitely getting heatstroke and my moderate sunburn becoming a bad sunburn. Nobody should ever take my suggestions ever.
To have a happy ending, the rainy season being over does mean that the clouds that have been hiding Mt. Fuji have lessened considerably and we have gotten a few gorgeous clear looks at it in the last few weeks.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Visa!
So, the school has been a bit slower lately. It's been a nice lull before, I've been told, everything picks up like crazy in July and August. It's meant that my darling deary and friends have had a bit more free time to show me things and hang out. Even though my darling deary has decided to pick pretty much every piece of fruit on the surrounding towns and preserve them in a multitude of ways. It's a good thing the annex has a industrial kitchen, because he has well over twenty pounds of two different kinda of fruit. He's lucky he's so cute.
But the school is definitely gearing up for the busy season. My buddy got here last week (I'm ridiculously proud of myself because I drove most of the way to the train station to pick him up by myself without getting lost ... I may have brought three sets of directions with me). So many friends! And another teacher who used to work here before will be here for the month of August. But he'll be living in the annex with us while he's here, so I'm a bit nervous about that. I don't like sharing my space with people I don't really know. I've been assured he is a nice guy and I'm sure it'll be fine, I just worry too much.
Oh, I went down to immigration to have my visa changed. I now have a year-long dependents visa, so that's a relief to have everything all happy and in order. And the immigration office is at least an hour and a half away, so we made a day trip of it and adventured our way around for a bit (partially in search of somewhere that sold a plant that Dylan needs for his preserving). Nothing terribly thrilling, but it made for a good day.
Yesh. That is all for now.
But the school is definitely gearing up for the busy season. My buddy got here last week (I'm ridiculously proud of myself because I drove most of the way to the train station to pick him up by myself without getting lost ... I may have brought three sets of directions with me). So many friends! And another teacher who used to work here before will be here for the month of August. But he'll be living in the annex with us while he's here, so I'm a bit nervous about that. I don't like sharing my space with people I don't really know. I've been assured he is a nice guy and I'm sure it'll be fine, I just worry too much.
Oh, I went down to immigration to have my visa changed. I now have a year-long dependents visa, so that's a relief to have everything all happy and in order. And the immigration office is at least an hour and a half away, so we made a day trip of it and adventured our way around for a bit (partially in search of somewhere that sold a plant that Dylan needs for his preserving). Nothing terribly thrilling, but it made for a good day.
Yesh. That is all for now.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
I would love to tell you all of exciting stories of adventure and wonder. But the school has been pretty busy lately, so little time for play. Dylan is on day 9 or so of work. But we've been going climbing pretty often. And yesterday we went out for fried rice, then to a bar-type place thingy because some guy that Dylan's friend knows was DJ-ing. I'm having fun, it's just a little bit more of a subdued fun than the first couple weeks. But I'm an old lady, so that's right up my alley!
I took the day off from life today. I didn't go have meals with students, I didn't see anyone other than Dylan. Heck, I didn't even go outside. It made the day easier to handle. I just need to manage to try and not go on the computer too much tomorrow, to avoid being too bummed out. Stupid internet.
Although I feel that I am not as opposed to being sad as most people are. I don't feel taking a day to be sad about sad things is necessarily a bad thing. I'm generally more inclined to avoid all those feeling type things, so I try and remind myself that it's ok (kinda of like how I have to remind myself that telling people I like/love them is good, not a sign of weakness). Because my default plan of letting everything build up and build up until I have a sobbing melt down doesn't seem like a great idea.
Anyway, happy Father's Day, Daddy. I love you and I miss you.
I took the day off from life today. I didn't go have meals with students, I didn't see anyone other than Dylan. Heck, I didn't even go outside. It made the day easier to handle. I just need to manage to try and not go on the computer too much tomorrow, to avoid being too bummed out. Stupid internet.
Although I feel that I am not as opposed to being sad as most people are. I don't feel taking a day to be sad about sad things is necessarily a bad thing. I'm generally more inclined to avoid all those feeling type things, so I try and remind myself that it's ok (kinda of like how I have to remind myself that telling people I like/love them is good, not a sign of weakness). Because my default plan of letting everything build up and build up until I have a sobbing melt down doesn't seem like a great idea.
Anyway, happy Father's Day, Daddy. I love you and I miss you.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Oh right.
Ok, so that feelings thing didn't work out terribly well. So much so that I stopped writing here at all. I am trying to work on it on a more face-to-face, person-to-person level though. But if I'm still so bad at it that you've missed it, rest assured, if you read this blog it is almost certain that I think you are amazing. Baby steps. But it has slapped me across the face how important it is to make sure that the people you love know it. I'm working on not taking those things for granted.
Enough of that.
So, I'm in Japan.
I did my year of Criminology. It was crazy fun to be back in school. Because I'm a nerd like that. The worst part was actually having to be around hoards of 18 year olds who didn't have the same passion for school that I do. Chances are that you've heard my rants about little kiddies talking to each other through class, ignoring the lecture that was taking place in front of them, or people who go to discussion group without having done any readings or having gone to class and sit there not saying a word the whole time. But now I'm less sure than ever about what I actually want to do as a career. I want to learn more about every subject I took, so it anti-narrowed my focus.
But, Dylan being in Japan and me being in Ottawa wasn't that much fun. So, as much as I absolutely loved Ottawa, I caved. I left behind my lovely friends, new and old, and packed up my life yet again. I haven't given up on school, but I figure that it will be much easier to have a long distance relationship with my university than with my husband. We live on the school grounds of the private English immersion school where Dylan works, outside of a small-ish city. I've been told that it's 13km from the school to the top of Mt Fuji, so I have a pretty nice view from outside my front door (I'll try and get a picture for next time). Every week there are new students, meaning that there is always something going on. It's a bit of a drive into town, but it means I get to learn how to drive on the other side of the road! Japanese streets are terrifyingly narrow! I've been joining Dylan at the climbing gym. Meeting all the friends Dylan has been making. I'm happy or at least getting pretty close to it.
Oh, and my sister got married!! I made a pit stop in Victoria after leaving Ottawa, before coming here to be her maid of honour and watch her marry her other half. I'm still amazed at how good she looked. I was there the whole time she was getting ready, so I shouldn't have been that surprised. But she looked perfect. And they were both adorably happy. I'm still not sure I understand it, but marriage can be beautiful when done right.
Enough of that.
So, I'm in Japan.
I did my year of Criminology. It was crazy fun to be back in school. Because I'm a nerd like that. The worst part was actually having to be around hoards of 18 year olds who didn't have the same passion for school that I do. Chances are that you've heard my rants about little kiddies talking to each other through class, ignoring the lecture that was taking place in front of them, or people who go to discussion group without having done any readings or having gone to class and sit there not saying a word the whole time. But now I'm less sure than ever about what I actually want to do as a career. I want to learn more about every subject I took, so it anti-narrowed my focus.
But, Dylan being in Japan and me being in Ottawa wasn't that much fun. So, as much as I absolutely loved Ottawa, I caved. I left behind my lovely friends, new and old, and packed up my life yet again. I haven't given up on school, but I figure that it will be much easier to have a long distance relationship with my university than with my husband. We live on the school grounds of the private English immersion school where Dylan works, outside of a small-ish city. I've been told that it's 13km from the school to the top of Mt Fuji, so I have a pretty nice view from outside my front door (I'll try and get a picture for next time). Every week there are new students, meaning that there is always something going on. It's a bit of a drive into town, but it means I get to learn how to drive on the other side of the road! Japanese streets are terrifyingly narrow! I've been joining Dylan at the climbing gym. Meeting all the friends Dylan has been making. I'm happy or at least getting pretty close to it.
Oh, and my sister got married!! I made a pit stop in Victoria after leaving Ottawa, before coming here to be her maid of honour and watch her marry her other half. I'm still amazed at how good she looked. I was there the whole time she was getting ready, so I shouldn't have been that surprised. But she looked perfect. And they were both adorably happy. I'm still not sure I understand it, but marriage can be beautiful when done right.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Here goes.
Ok, so maybe we'll start off slow? Sure, why not.
I hired a realtor. Well, I hired him over a week ago, but today we settled on a listing price and are going to get the paperwork started.
I still can't believe I'm selling my parents' house. Heck, I can't believe on how many levels I can't believe I'm selling their house. So many people have worked so hard over the last six months and I am eternally grateful for all the support I've gotten and my family has gotten. But it's unlikely that I will even walk into my parents' house again. It's unlikely that I will ever see firsthand all the renovations that have been done. And I'm just jumping from the world of not knowing anything about hiring and arranging people to do work on the house to the world of not knowing anything about real estate. This house has only ever belonged to our family. It was built for us. Only five people have ever lived in it. I grew up there. Everything, the good and the bad, that was my family was that house. And I'm the one who is changing that. It's what (almost) everyone wants, but it is going to be my name on that paper. I know no matter what we'd need to sell it eventually, and now makes sense if only so that we go from two overwhelmingly large stressful things in our lives to one. But it still breaks my heart.
Got the nice new apartment. Finished registering for classes for September. Yah.
I still can't believe I'm selling my parents' house. Heck, I can't believe on how many levels I can't believe I'm selling their house. So many people have worked so hard over the last six months and I am eternally grateful for all the support I've gotten and my family has gotten. But it's unlikely that I will even walk into my parents' house again. It's unlikely that I will ever see firsthand all the renovations that have been done. And I'm just jumping from the world of not knowing anything about hiring and arranging people to do work on the house to the world of not knowing anything about real estate. This house has only ever belonged to our family. It was built for us. Only five people have ever lived in it. I grew up there. Everything, the good and the bad, that was my family was that house. And I'm the one who is changing that. It's what (almost) everyone wants, but it is going to be my name on that paper. I know no matter what we'd need to sell it eventually, and now makes sense if only so that we go from two overwhelmingly large stressful things in our lives to one. But it still breaks my heart.
Got the nice new apartment. Finished registering for classes for September. Yah.
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