Random stuff on a really nice fall day

For the time being, Summer, has decided to cool down a bit and let Fall come in and tempt us with nice, cool breezes....cool evenings and mornings...and very low humidity/great laundry-drying days. Oh...I know that Summer is a bit of a bitch with a wicked sense of humor and she will be back...but for the time being, I am appreciating the heck out of this time of year. We haven't used the air conditioner for about 4 days, so my bank book is also appreciating it!!!

This is on a bag that I will proudly carry...one that finally supports one of my philosophies of life!!! Pack Rats of the World....unite!!! (and carry a very cool bag!!) And yes, I know what I'm reading it as and what I'm sure the company is wanting people to read it as are different...but...it's my interpretation and I'm sticking with it!!! :-D

Yesterday, after dance class...I had some time to spare so did some "gosh I wish I could buy that/don't you think I can make that for much cheaper" kind of shopping. My favorite department of any store is the stationary area. I can always find a pen or brush or letter set or memo pads or you name it that I positively must buy and can't live without!!!

At the big shopping mall-type place next to the community center, as I was meandering around the school supplies, trying to ignore the obnoxious sounds coming from the kids game center that was next to it.....my eye was caught by a game....not just any game...really no skill is needed...just put in the money and the (1) push a button to make a scoop go down into the goodies and then (2) push another button to make the scoop drop whatever goodies that are picked up in the scoop onto a shelf....that has an arm moving back and forth pushing the lucky goodies off the shelf and into the bottom....if you're lucky!

Normally....I pass on this kind of game...."Total waste of 100 yen.", is what I tell the boys. But....really...this particular one, (that had my eye and wouldn't let go) was too cute.

I "played" two times....and this is the 'bounty' for the day....three Croc-wannabe key-chains and about 15 different accessories for those Crocs!!! The boys and I each have one (the K-man wasn't too terribly hurt he was left out.) and we all have some new fun stuff to put on our own real Crocs!!! In case you're wondering...mine is the pink one, Koji...blue, and Issei...the orange!

With the new school year starting for most of you, I have been reading many blogs about moms sending their little ones off in that bright new world we call the "education system". The first time of putting their little one on the bus and watching it drive away....or having to write their names in and on everything....or going to the store and buying things on the incredibly long list of "things you need for ~insert grade here~."...all made me smile and even sometimes brought a tear to my eye.

And then....it hit me.

Koji....is going to First Grade in April. This is his last year of daycare. From now on, everything he does will be "the last time to do that".....the summer festival they have every year (which was last weekend and so much fun!), the Christmas Pageant, ice skating, .....

Soon....we will also be "too big" to do this.....

.....and that kind of makes me sad. When Issei got too big to do the 'sit on my lap and snuggle' thing, it was okay, because by that time, Koji was here and he was a baby and well....it was okay....still sad, but...okay. Oh, we still snuggle, but....it's a sit-on-the-couch kind of snuggle or a let's-read-this-book kind of snuggle...a "big boy snuggle". Koji and I have our own special time in the morning...after Issei has gone to school, before we eat our breakfast and start our day. I'm making a point of really savoring these moments....because I know that, like with all other things involved in the whole growing up process...this will soon end. Now...when I talk to my students about "mixed emotions", I have a new working definition!!! And yes...I know...in the process of many things going by the wayside, there will also be many new and exciting things happening for my little man...but...still......


Now...since I'm feeling a bit blue, even though the weather is still nice...what this little girl needs is some quality time looking around one of my favorite internet shops....Indigo Wild ("any more natural and you'd be naked") is a great place to find some really good deals....and I'm in need of some new soap...they have a 'vanila sugar' scented soap I'm thinking I need to try...plus, a bundle or two of small pieces is great to find new scents I like...and ones I don't really care for (of which, sadly, there are a few)!!

Labor Day..Schmabor Day..I had to work.

...and this is how I am feeling tonight!!

So, while all of you in the USA are getting your barbecues all ready to go...and the potato salad made...and putting that beer on ice...please remember that some of us (ME!) had to work today!

Actually...I have to admit that when someone mentioned on a blog I was reading this weekend about the "3-day holiday"....and...."not working on Monday"...I was all like "what the heck is going on?".

Yes, my friends....I am suffering from something that does indeed happen to ex-pats, such as myself....since there are many holidays that are celebrated in the good ole' U.S. of A. that the rest of the world does NOT....we are known to actually...forget...about those holidays or celebrations!

Oh...the big ones like Christmas...New Year...Easter...Halloween...we do here...but it's the ones like Labor Day that gets tossed waaaaaay back in my memory bank.

So...whatever it is that you are doing today....have a good one. Be safe. And if you are somewhere...where you are NOT going to be driving...please...drink a cold one for me (I prefer Corona, Margaritas, or if I'm feeling whimsical and sitting on the patio with my SIL Leslie, then I'll have a Mike's Lemonade!!)

Today was the first day back to school for Issei. We had a talk this morning over breakfast about how I knew he could do so much better this term....that I wanted him to try just a little bit harder and do just a little bit more...he could do it...I knew he could!! (Why, yes, I was a cheerleader in high school...how did you know?!?!)

I also "told" myself that I'm going to have to work on not harping and complaining to him as much and really working hard on encouraging him and pushing for him to get more organized and to do more in class.

I have realized that I am fighting my own DNA here....I'm afraid "what we have here..... is a failure to communicate"...no no no!! (that was a random movie line..do you know it? From one of my most favorite movies)....what we have is a classic case of "apple tree/apple"....

me...apple tree...Issei...apple.

~~sigh~~

I remember when I was in school....I was completely happy with B's and C's....and the A's I would get, were great, but nothing that I had to have. Homework? Usually done late at night or while eating breakfast the day it was due. Assignments? Yeah, yeah, yeah...I'll get to it later...I work better under pressure (really, I do!!)

I never saw this kind of behavior as being genetic...but...me thinks, yeah, it is.

This is going to be a long haul....and my mom? I think that when I was telling her about this, I heard her laugh....really quietly...but, I swear I heard a snicker.

Okay...so since I'm tired and I am all about blatantly taking borrowing ideas from my friends' blogs.....I found something over at my friend Nancy's place (Hey! She said I could!!) that is waaay too fun to do. Go to "yearbook yourself" and see what kind of damage you can do with your picture!! You can choose photos from 1950-2000.

Me in 1960...looking surprisingly similiar to my Mom...same glasses!

1966

1972

1996...I actually like this hairstyle!!

I did the ones for the K-Man and I think he snorted a couple times when he saw them!!! Very funny stuff!! Thanks, Nancy for sharing this site!!

Aaaaannnddd....since it has been brought to my attention that I haven't had any...well...ahem..."eye candy" in a bit...(Really, it hasn't been that long, it just seems like it!! I have created "eye candy monsters" with some of you!! :-D)

I'm all about keeping the masses happy...so...I give to you...a wish...

That you all have an angel watching over you today...and always...

(And quit trying to look up under that towel!! You know you just did...and if you didn't, you will now!!!!)

Have a great day!!

Yesterday...was one of THE best days..

I apologize...this is kind of long and possibly a bit 'rambley'...if you don't want to read all the way through (I can't imagine your not wanting to, but...that's just me!!!),that's okay...just make sure you go to the bottom....there's some fun stuff down there!!!

I had one of those days yesterday that, when it's over and you're thinking about what all happened, you just really wish you could go back and live it again. The boys got up and ready to "carpe diem" with very little stress....I didn't have to make a bento for Issei because we had ordered one for him...on the way to the daycare, there was very little traffic and I hit every single green light on the way...after dropping Koji off, I continued to a special English class that I was helping a friend with.

Here in Nagasaki (as in the majority of anywhere), English education starts in the first year of Junior High (7th grade), continuing on through High School (3 years) and for many, into a couple of years (or more) of university. If a student is lucky enough to go to a private elementary school, then, sometimes, English study begins in the 1st grade...and usually with a native speaker.

A few years ago, the Nagasaki Board of Education started a program called "Hello English"...designed to get the elementary school kids interested in English and give them some contact with the language. The Board of Education hired native speakers of English and also some Japanese people who can speak and understand the language. I think that it is a good program and the kids seem to like it.....but soon, there will be some new changes....

Next year, starting in the new school year in April, all 5th and 6th grade curriculum will include...yes...English. It will be a special class, not everyday, but once a week....and with a textbook. Has the local board of education made provisions for native speakers to come in and teach those classes? Oh...no no no! The homeroom teachers will be in charge of this.

Do most elementary school teachers speak English well enough to teach it?

Oh..No No NO NO NO NO N!

Do most elementary school teachers speak English?

You can say it with me now....NONONONONONONONONONO!

Are the teachers getting a bit nervous?

You bet your bippies they are!

And this, my friend, is where yours' truly comes in.

Yesterday, the class I helped with was a group of teachers that my friend works with at one of her schools she visits as a Hello English teacher. The principal had asked her if she could give his teachers a lesson to help them get prepared. She asked me to come and help...you know...because I am a "native speaker of the English language :-D.

The original plan for a 30-minute "mini" lesson, turned into a little more than an hour. The teachers had a great time and did really well. The principal (who also took the class!) LOVED IT!!! He was so excited!! My friend called me after I had left and said that he was still talking about it and the teachers were still very excited!!! Hell, she and I were e-mailing each other 3 hours later saying how excited we still were!!!!!

Before I had arrived, she said they were talking about how nervous and unsure of doing this they were....after I left, they were energized and excited and had the feeling that maybe, just maybe, they could do this!!

When I first heard about this curriculum change last year, I wanted to get a class going for teachers, because I know they are going to need one....not only for their own English language ability, but also for "how to teach" English help and advice. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way a "Master Teacher" in this area, but...I have been teacher for over 20 years (Good Lord! Can that be possible?!?!)....5 of those years in an ESL classroom in the States...and 17 years here. Plus...the teachers need someone that is energetic and fun and willing to help.

Yeah....hello...this class has my name all over it!!! :-D

We were talking to the principal after the class and he was saying that the "teachers really needed this kind of class to help them prepare"....yeah, uh-huh...keep going....and that he was going to talk to other principals....about the class....and....about me!!!

Let me just stop here for a moment and say....Holy Mother of all that is right with the world....THIS is what I need. Please, let this happen...I hate to get my hopes up, but man oh man...how much fun would this be!

I have been feeling, for the past few months, that...even though I love my life and my classes and my students here....something is missing...I'm not sure what it is...but....maybe, just maybe...this is what was missing. I don't know but...even as I am typing this....the idea of teaching this kind of class is getting me energized...and that...is a great feeling!!

I'll keep you posted on what happens...I don't see anything happening very quickly...I can hope it will, but....we'll just have to wait and see.

I'm also thinking that it might not hurt to go to the temple AND the church to talk to the Powers That Be....definitely can't hurt!!!

Flamingo Friday

(He is supposed to be moving...I don't think he is...oh well...if he's NOT moving...just picture him taking a drink every now and then of his Boat Drink!!!)

And now....something that just tickled my proverbial 'funny bone'......enjoy!!!

So...now, if you are thinking to yourself..."Oh man! I haven't seen that skit in such a long time. I remember I laughed so hard!!!"


Then, maybe, you were all, "I wonder if YouTube has it?"


The answer is....no. But...if you go here... http://www.spike.com/video/land-shark/2802070 you can see it.....and enjoy the moment all over again!!!





"Candygram." Priceless!!






more graph humor and song chart memes

....oh...and Happy Anniversary!

About fourteen and a half years ago, SHE...

met HE....
...in a very respectable drinking and eating establishment. (oh yes it was!!!) Even though SHE spoke very little Japanese and he spoke even less English, he had a car and liked to take drives it was a very special relationship from the very beginning.
(Actually....this picture is from the second night they met. There were no pictures documenting the "first meeting"....and that's a good thing...they could probably be used for blackmailing purposes. Let's just say that SHE had been partying pretty strong with her very special foreign, gay friend...they met the HE...both thought HE was pretty cute...there was an intense game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" when it was discovered that he was single...no one is really sure who won. Since the HE doesn't play for "that team", I got him.)

So SHE and HE spent a lot of time getting to know each other...searching for words in the dictionary...driving all over the island (or so it seemed to her!!)...and laughing...always laughing and having a very good time.

Even though SHE had only met her a couple of times, his mother was kind enough to make a yukatta, a summer kimono for her.
Since high school, HE has always been in a band and hung out with other musician-type people. Even though SHE pretty much sings for crap (IMHO), HE and some of those friends decided to make a band for a "one time only show. (Thank you, Jesus, for that!!) SHE didn't really want to do this, but HE was pretty damn persuasive and SHE thinks that HE still owes her big time for this!!! (That's HE on the keyboard.)

Along with taking many drives.....HE and SHE would also go to concerts and other types of musical shows. One of their favorites was a reggae concert they went to. The met up with many friends here....one of them had just a. bit. too. tight. of. a. grip on him. But SHE understood how charming HE could be and let the bitch the friend off the hook. SHE also knows that HE understands that SHE feels she needs to {{hug}} most everyone she knows. HE and SHE had a pretty damn good relationship!!!

So....one day...while on a drive on a cold February day....HE and SHE had stopped for some hot coffee and steamed bread....without any kind of warning whatsoever, HE informed her that HE thought they should get married. SHE, not really realizing that this is where the relationship was going, (Really, SHE didn't!! Actually, SHE never really saw herself as ever married...a mom, yes, but married? No.) couldn't answer for about 35 kilometers...and then SHE finally came out of her shocked daze and mumbled that SHE would marry him.

So....on August 24, 1996, in a small church in her hometown in Colorado, HE and SHE got married. It was, to say the least, an interesting wedding.

First of all....SHE was escorted down the aisle....by her mother.

(Can't imagine where SHE got her smile, can you??)

It was....a colorful day.

To sum up the day very quickly.....

(a) there were usherettes, not ushers...three girls SHE loves dearly

(b) SHE has too many friends and couldn't decide who would be the lucky ones to stand up with her....and HE didn't want to put a financial burden on any friends to come and join them, (they also had a BIG party in September, here in Nagasaki.)...so instead, they had "Best Men" and asked the two most special men (besides HE, of course) in her life to stand up with them. (Still wondering where that one on the right was looking at and what was going on!!)

(c) SHE had 3 very cute nephews and one cousin who were the "Matsuri Boys" ('festival boys') (d) the two absolutely darling candle lighters belong to one of SHE's BFFs (who also did the flowers!!)...SHE loves those girls and their mom dearly! and

(e) HE was quite tickled that the minster came to the wedding with jeans on under his robe and cowboy boots.

All in all....it was a very wonderful day.

And 12 years later....HE and SHE are doing quite nicely....they still drive all over the island, but now with Son #1 and Son #2 tucked safely in the back seat. HE still doesn't speak much English (but HE understands a lot)...SHE should be much better at Japanese, but....HE understands what SHE is trying to say (most times)...and it is still a pretty damn, good relationship.

>

A musical meme for your reading pleasure...

It's been awhile since I have attempted a meme. Color my butt lazy, 'cause that's what I have been. I do love reading though what others have written about and shared with us...but, for me, coming up with (for example) "100 Things About Me" was really hard to do. Oh....I have plenty of things about me to share....I just want to do it little by little....and yeah, okay...I really wasn't in the mood to do that one......I'm a weenie. I know.



So, in the manner of MoxyJane and Fond of Snape...I'm doing a meme that they both have done and the best thing about this is that it really takes very little effort on my part....BONUS!!!
Both of these ladies write blogs that are very cool. Their answers on this particular meme, I have to admit, didn't really surprise me...from people's blogs you can kind of get a sense of what each writer is all about, and I have to say that these two did NOT disappoint me.
So....it's my turn.


Instructions:
1. Open your music library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod, whatever)

2. Put it on shuffle

3. Press play

4. For every question below, type the song that’s playing

5. New question — press the next button

6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool




Opening credits: "Good Love Is On The Way", John Mayer

First day at school: "29", Gin Blossoms (from album NewMiserable Experience!! :-D)

Falling in love: "Taking Over Me", Evanescence (okay...so this is getting a bit weird!!)

Breaking up: "New Slan", The Shins (from an awesome 'once a year' album from KBCO!!!)

Prom: "I've Gotta Find You", Lonestar

Life’s Okay: "Hands Are Tied", Gin Blossoms

Mental breakdown: "Waiting on the World to Change", John Mayer

Driving: "Snitches and Talkers Get Stitches", Fall Out Boy

Flashback: "Busted", Matchbox 20

Getting back together: "Corazon Espinado", Santana

Wedding: "One on One", Bad Company (!!!)

Divorce: "Song From Half Mountain", Dan Fogelberg

Current Mood: "Hot Cookin'", Ray La Montagne (teehee)

Final battle: "Bandit", Neil Young

Death scene: "Next Contestant", Nickelback

End credits: "Man Of Our Times", Genesis



Very cool music meme....a little freaky at times, but cool nonetheless!!!

If you have a few minutes, you should do one....it would be fun to see what kind of music everyone else is listening to!!!

......I'm just saying.

I'm thinking of changing careers.....and...it's Friday...so....you know what that means

Due to the fact that I'm tired and that I fell asleep in Koji's bed.....he just asked me to lie down with him for a little bit at bedtime and ~~~~~~~~~~~~that's pretty much all she wrote. Debbie was down for the count and didn't wake up until about 2 hours later. You'd think I'd be rested after that little 'cat nap' but...no...still tired. ANYHOOTS.....I'm going to make this a quick post...and get to bed!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About every other month or so, we get a catalogue....no that's not true...we get 3 catalogues from 1 company. Catalogue #1 is what I like to call "Clothing I will NEVER buy or probably even be small enough to ever wear". Catalogue #2 is pretty much same as #2 but waaaay more expensive. And #3 is their "housewares/ home furnishings and furniture" catalogue...again, a lot of nice stuff but 99% of it will probably never be purchased by me or anyone else in this house.

I do like to thumb through the home furnishings one, though....it's kind of fun to find things that I KNOW I can get oh so very much cheaper at the 100 Yen store or any one of the discount shops that have become so popular.

I've been looking for a new dish rack. The one I had is really old and well, quite nasty. It's time to get a new one. So...I went to the page for kitchen wares and found this:

Dish rack. Nice. Rubbermaid. Good. Design. Functional yet cool.

And then....I saw the price.....8,715 yen....in dollars that would be...just a minute, must find calculator.....okay.....that would be about $98.61!!!!!! For a Rubbermaid dish rack!!

So...being the curious type that I am....I checked out a discount store I sincerely love on the internet (think big red sign that resembles a bull's eye!!) and found the exact same items...the bottom tray and rack are sold separately, but...if you buy them together, you get a special price.

This...

.....together with this...

And you can take those 2 items home for only $22.98!!!!!!

On my list of things to do tomorrow......

#1. Research becoming an importer of American goods into Japan.

Flamingo Friday......"Lost Flamingos"

A bit of a rant...and a "who do YOU think it is?"-type question

Answer: 163.

Question: How many posts are in Debbie's Google Reader right now waiting to be read and hopefully commented on?



That's right....163! I haven't even been on vacation!!!
At this point in time, I'm thinking that I'm just going to hang on until 175 (that sounds like a good number, don't you think?!) before I get serious about this reading thang.

And then again...I might just say, "Nah...." and click all of them as "READ"....as in the past tense. For some of you....and you know who you are...I'm blaming you.



Yes....You...and I know that I'm guilty of this too, so I'm apologizing right now, but for this post, it's all about YOU...in your attempt to "share the love" and pass out the wonderful bloggy awards...you have, in turn, put me in "Blog Reading Hell"!!!



No. I canNOT just read your blog and "Oh that's nice." and go on to the next good friend that I read almost daily. OH NO!!...I have to go and check out all 7....or 14 of the blogs that you have passed on awards to! Seriously....I have to draw the line somewhere....and errrrrrcccccchhhh (sound of a car squealing to a stop...work with me here!!)....there's the line. Ride is over. Get out.



I appreciate your wanting to introduce me to your friends...really I do. But...I have friends already that I have been slightly ignoring. Many of you have 7 or 9 posts that I have yet to read....and I will get to them soon...really...I'm going to try.

But....if I don't...please don't hold it against me. It's hot here and NO we still have no air conditioner!!! My brain has now become kind of mushy. My thighs are sweating and starting to stick to the chair. There is a bead of sweat that is making my life quite interesting...it's going down the middle of my back and right now is about to meet the top of my boxer shorts....it's been fun tracking its route.
AAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!



Okay...enough of that crap. Shake it off Debbie. You can do this.

Thanks for letting me vent...I figure that if you are still reading, then you truly are a good friend, and for that, I thank you.
And really...I have had fun reading and meeting new people...so many out there to get to know!!! And I don't even have to leave my house....though right now...I'm looking for a chance to get in the car with air conditioning...hmmm....Internet Cafe? May be a new option!! See....I'm getting more positive about all this even as I type!!! {{smile}}



So....here's the question....the K-Man comes into the kitchen tonight and shows me THIS picture...."Dare to omoimasuka?"...."Who do you think this is?"

I looked at it....hmmmm....knowing the K-man like I do, I know that it has to be a musician....but....who? After throwing out a few names (all wrong!), he told me it was........THIS MAN...

Oh....my!! As I hadn't really thought of Jackson Browne in a really long time, this took me by surprise. Personally, I'm thinking he is still pretty hawt...you know...for an old guy!!! teehee

He has a new album that is coming out...and yes, of course, the K-man has we have already ordered it. I'm really looking forward to hearing what he sounds like now....I can't imagine him sounding very much different from the way he did back in 1979. Oh...I did love him and his music.

And so....I will leave you with this blast from the past. This music always takes me back to a very happy time.....I hope it works for you too!!! Enjoy!!!

The day that went from GREAT to WHAT? in about 9 hours

Tonight....as I am thinking about the events of the day, I seriously wonder: Is this a test? Is God giving me these little "adventures" to see how I will handle them? Will there be a prize? (Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know...Heaven...wings...harps....but I'm curious about while my body and spirit are still on Earth!!).

So....today, being Monday and even though Issei is still on 'summer vacation', some of my classes start again....the K-Man has work...Issei has his "big kid" daycare (they went to the City Pool today!)...and Koji has daycare. We were all just a little slow in getting up and around, but....we got up, got dressed, go ready to "Carpe Diem"....one of us made a bento...and off we went....and a little ahead of the schedule, which is always good.

I got everyone (except the K-Man...he is on his own!!) to where they needed to be and I headed on over to my one and only class today....other classes are still on a bit of a "summer holiday". This class has 4 ladies and we spend the majority of the 90 minutes (today almost 2 hours!!) laughing...and yes studying, of course!!! I do look forward to seeing them!

After class, I had made plans to meet some other students at a place where none of us had eaten lunch before (I had dinner there once, and it was really good!!!). The food was pretty good....I had a tempura lunch set....very nice. Ended up being only 2 ladies and myself, but...we had a really good time and then we went to the bookstore for a bit of shopping.

While we were there, I was thumbing through a sports magazine and came across something that, really, was just kind of exciting.



On one side of the page was
a picture of this man........












...and on the other side was an advertisement with a picture of this man.

Really....I was thinking to myself that I should probably buy that magazine because, well....hellllloooo....It was Koji AND Ken...in the same magazine....at almost the exact same place.....what are the odds of that happening again AND of me actually finding it!?!

I told one of the ladies that I thought this was just a really lucky day.....and that I thought I'd go and buy a lottery ticket!!! Good Karma, you know!!!

She just laughed....and then....she made one of those "A-haaaa" kind of sounds......then pointed out that these two men were actually very similar in their looks and that I have a bit of a pattern going.......

So......I came home and found a picture of the K-Man.....and did a little playing with it...and VOILA!!!! I'm really going to have a talk with him tomorrow about facial hair!!!

Anyway.....ahem....back to the story....I said "good bye" to the ladies and on my way to the car in the parking lot, I realized that I had missed a couple of phone calls on my cell phone. I found a semi-quiet place where I could listen to them......Well.....butter my butt and call me a biscuit.....it seems I actually had a class this afternoon..... at 1:30 (At this time, it was about 3:30!!)....and the students were all waiting for me (the message was at 2:00!! I wonder how long they waited!?!?!)
Well....crap. I tried to call a couple of the students, but...no one was answering....(yes, the "7 words you can't say on TV" by George Carlin were just rolling through my brain at this point!!!)

Okay....no problem....I've been teaching that class for almost 6 years...I'm thinking I can be forgiven for this one time of not remembering a class!! (No clue as to why I spaced the class....).

I went to pick up Koji and after some grocery shopping and some time at the 100 yen store (like the $1 Store, but oh so very much more fun!!) we picked up Issei and the three of us came home. After unloading the car....turning on the air conditioning.....putting away the groceries...I realized that I had some time that I could spend on the computer so I came back here for about 20 minutes.

Time to cook dinner....I go back into the kitchen...and it was hotter than hell in that part of the house. Long story short...the air conditioner has gone out. Shit. I know....Japanese people will tell you that it gets cooler after the Obon Holiday....and to that I say.....NOT!!! Swear to you....it is still very toasty even in October!!!

So...the thought of not having cool air for the rest of the summer....plus the idea of possibly having to pay some un-Godly amount of yen (I'm sure!) to have someone come and fix the silly thing....PLUS the fact that THERE IS NO BEER IN THIS HOUSE DUE TO THE CHANGE IN SOMEONE'S DIET.....to borrow a phrase from one of my favorite bloggers (Thanks Katydidnot!!).....

And then my head exploded!!!!!!!

I'll be back tomorrow....maybe I need to go and buy that magazine....maybe even a lottery ticket....you know...just to make me feel better....to take the "sting" out of the crappy day.....good idea....first thing tomorrow, me thinks!!!