Ohisashiburi!!!

Um, hi! ^_^; It's only been, what, three months since my last post? I am the blog master!

Seriously though, I really do apologize for my complete lack of communication. It took a little longer to get settled than I thought it would; that, and I think that I take a little longer to settle than most people. So, sorry for the wait, but here is the monster update I've been promising you for ages!

Right. That means I should start at the beginning, huh? So, uh...I arrived in Okazaki in July, and...then what did I do...oh, right! I moved into my apartment! The apartment that I just took pictures of, and can now share with you! Don't mind the mess... >.<


This is what you see from the genkan (i.e. entryway where you take your shoes off).



This is my bathroom area, which is immediately to your left as you come into the apartment.



This is my living room/dining room/game room/office/study. I'm still trying to take care of the cord spaghetti...



To the immediate right of my...multi-purpose room...is my faaabulous circa 1971 kitchenette. The grey thing on the left (with the rice cooker and coffee maker on top) is my refrigerator/freezer. There's no oven. >.<



This is my bedroom (sans bed) -- the futons stacked next to the door are what I sleep on. It's pretty comfy, really.



And this is the view from my balcony. The balcony is also the laundry room.


So, that's a look at my humble apaato. It's actually pretty big for just one person. Too bad it only has one closet; hence the clutter. One thing I'd like to make clear, though -- the furnishings came with the apartment. I may not have much flair for interior design, but even I wouldn't pair a grey pleather couch with a brown, striped rug. :P But, since I can't really take furnishings back with me to America, I can't see spending all that much money on them, either. I did buy new curtains though, because the original ones were maroon and they simply had to go.

Right. Yeesh -- when did this post morph into BH&G? In any event, that's all for now, otherwise this post truly will reach monstrous proportions. But fear not! I have more pics and updates in store -- maybe even later tonight, if I'm ambitious and efficient enough. It certainly won't take another three months, that's for sure...

Still alive!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I'm still alive and doing fine. I should be getting my alien registration card tomorrow, which means I can then get a bank account, which means I can then get a cell phone and start the process of setting up the internet in my apartment. Finally. At which point, my updates will be more frequent and informative. Entertaining, even.

So, please just wait a little longer; the updates are coming! ^_^;

Quick update

Hello all! Sorry for the delay, but I'm quickly coming to the realization that some aspects of Japanese life are 200+ years in the future, while others are 100 years in the past. Meaning that I haven't posted lately because I haven't been able to buy any of Japan's famed state-of-the-art electronics because all the stores have been closed this week for Obon (festival to commemorate one's ancestors), plus my apartment has no internet access. >.< So, I'm bringing this to you from the dubious comfort of a semi-local internet cafe that I had to ride my bike to get to (did I mention that I haven't really ridden a bicycle in about fifteen years?). One word: Ow.

So anyway, I have to type quickly here (I only have a few minutes of time left), but I will do my best to update more regularly in the future. I'll start from where I left off earlier (the Michigan trip) and try to fill in all the missing details. Until then, let me just say that Japan is shaping up to be quite a contradiction, but an interesting and pleasant one, for the most part. Just don't tell my oshiri I said that. >.>;

Say Yes to Michigan!

Well, nearly everything that needs to go into storage is now there; the few boxes that I have left can go by car next week. The storage unit itself caused a bit of drama, since Tom and I packed all of my stuff into the moving truck on Saturday afternoon, drove to the "U-Store-It" at 5:15...and discovered that they closed at 5 on Saturdays instead of 6 like I thought. >.<

So, after much swearing, I drove my truck full of stuff back to the apartment (after stopping on the way home to buy a padlock). I felt like a turtle, carrying my home on my back and all that. Plus, I had to drive really slow to make sure nothing fell over, so that kind of completed the analogy. In the end, I had to rent the truck for another day, and recruited another kind soul to help me unload my stuff on Sunday (thanks, Mason!). Getting the storage unit itself was an ordeal as well, since my online reservation apparently didn't go through, but it worked out eventually. But, as Mason pointed out, it took less time to unload the truck than it did to get the paperwork all straightened out. >.>

Anyway, so the storage chapter of this story is almost completed -- on to the Michigan chapter! Meaning that I am now preparing for my trek to the Great Lakes State tomorrow. It's about a 24 hour drive, but I've done it once before (in a U-Haul truck that was towing my car, no less). This time I'll be driving my car, but I'll be bringing cats, so we'll see how that goes. **crosses fingers** With luck, I'll be there Thursday night, so my next post should be coming from the other side of the country! Well, "other side" in a north-south kind of way, which isn't as impressive as the east-west/sea-to-shining-sea way, but still, marginally impressive...

Procrastination as an art form

It is now Thursday afternoon. I am moving all of my stuff into storage on Saturday, the day after tomorrow. So far, I have packed two boxes. I. Am. An. Idiot.

Iiichibaaan!

So, this is my first post on my newly-created blog. How momentous. >.>

Point the first: This blog has been created for the express purpose of keeping my friends, family, and other interested parties informed about the ins and outs, the ups and downs, the trials and tribulations, indeed, the very slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that I will encounter upon undertaking this new chapter in my life; namely, as a new JET Programme ALT in Aichi-ken, Japan.

Point the second: My posts will likely fluctuate wildly in tone. Do not be alarmed. This is perfectly normal. Well, normal for me, anyway.

Point the third: The look/layout of this blog may change without warning, depending on my level of boredom and my future level of skill with HTML. At present, I has no skill with HTML. >.<

Point the fourth: I may delete this post later, given its rampant inanity and intrinsic WTF?-factor.

Point the fifth: I really should be packing right now instead of posting. T-minus 8 days and counting until I have to move all of my stuff into storage. **le sigh** Expect a freak-out before now and then.