Dartboard

This has been a tough week for me. It's hard to explain, but since I got back from Thailand I've been feeling off. I don't want to go into details here, but I think I'm ready to start writing again. I feel like today's the first time I've been home with time alone to take a deep breath and think about things.

I spent all day at the hospital today. Well, technically half a day at the hospital and half a day fishing, but as far as my school is concerned I was at the hospital. I've recently began to care less about "taking the afternoon off" in Japan. I'm just so bored at work most the time I can't justify rushing back to the office to sit eyes glazed over and wait for 4 o'clock to come. Of course if I had a class I would have done everything I could to get back in time, but that was not the case.

On a good note, things have been perfect with my supervisor recently. I even voluntarily saw her outside of school last weekend. We were both going to Nagasaki and I said if I had time I would call her. I didn't call her because Sanae and I were busy all evening, but I saw her on the ferry when we were going home and the three of us chatted together. I've also invited her to a party this weekend. Not sure she'll actually come, but the invite is what matters, I think.

I got a straight perm. I hadn't even heard of this before coming to this country, but now I have one and I love it!! My hair feels like it does in Oregon. Soft and silky. Also longer. I forgot that happens when you take the curl out. I was so excited about my straight hair I did purikura (took photos in a picture booth and decorated) by myself...like without another person in the booth. A lot of people have done it alone-I'm definitely not the first ever- but I did feel a bit silly. I just made "Happy New Year" stickers to give to people and put in letters. My friend Yuki says I look like a model in them. 50 points for Yuki.

I can never seem to get to bed early. Once I'm under the kotatsu with a computer in my lap I could just stay in this position for hours. That's why I haven't opened my computer much since being back.

Stories from Thailand will come soon, I promise. You can see the pictures on my mac homepage though. I'll post some of my favorites on this blog so they're a bit bigger but these are good enough for the moment.

I officially told my school I am not recontracting. I didn't fill out the form, but I gave them my answer. That means I need to make definite plans for next September. Grad school is still number one plan, but I'm also thinking of postponing it for just a few months and starting in January 2007 rather than this September. Don't know why I'm thinking that now, but I'd like to spend some more time in Kanto (eastern Japan) before I officially leave this country.

I have to tell my school I'm going back home right away so I can get my airfare money, but I may try living in Tokyo (hanging out? working?) and then taking my merry time getting back to Oregon and eventually Boston for the new year. Really just throwing out ideas now, but there are many friends in Japan that I've never gotten to visit because they live in Kanto and I'm so far away from them. Besides, moving my life from Japan to Boston in just two weeks this summer sounds really unpleasant. If I have the time and money, why not?

It's after midnight but I'm eating peanut butter, nutella and ritz crackers.