Time to Play!

This is not me. But tomorrow it will be. I will be headed to Hakuba to ski at Hakuba 47/Goryu ski resorts. I'm psyched. It's supposed to be pouring here all weekend which probably means it will snow a lot there. I've packed my hood. The good news is that I'm not as likely to be sunburnt this time. I'm still hoping my goggle-face fades after forgetting sunscreen last weekend.

TGIF!

Thursday in February

Stressed? Why yes, yes I am. But I'm nowhere near as nuts as this lady (though I'm sure I have been before) and that gives me a little relief. I'm at that point where you carry around your (previously barely used) day planner plus additional lists for both work and home and still feel like you're forgetting something. I can't sleep at night if I haven't checked something off at least one of my lists. I've gotten a lot done:

Completed, paid for, and mailed both my E*MU and IUP*UI University applications and subsequent transcript requests.
Mailed my "preferred start" time certification to the Indy Mini-Marathon organizers.
Wrote a letter to Jaclyn (not me!)
Made a CD of New Zealand photos
Paid a lot of bills (most late... oops).
Purchased and mailed Grandma's b-day gift ON TIME!!
Arranged to have most of my appliances & furniture donated/picked up by a Tokyo orphanage- a graduating orphan will get the stuff for her new home. (In Japan you have to pay to have such things disposed of so this was a major victory- for both of us, I hope).
Studied for my upcoming (though currently lost in the mail) Econ final.

And that's just February. And my internet has been BROKEN. And I've only JUST finally kicked my horrid cold (laryngitis, perhaps). And I've been watching as much of the Olympics as possible. I love the Olympics, particularily the Winter Olympics. Fortunately, the coverage here in Japan is complete crap (did you want to see how anyone other than Japanese athletes are doing? Did you want to watch something other than snowboarding and curling?) has helped keep me on task with other chores. This week I need to really crack on the studying and so I can take the test when/if it arrives and then move on to Tibet/moving stress... ahem... lists. It's fun, I tell you!

Brook asked me tonight whether I am "excited". I honestly had to think a bit before asking "for what specifically?". There's just so much going on all at once here that I'm frankly getting dizzy.

We're going skiing on Saturday (if I can stay un-sick) and that will hopefully straighten me out.

PS. Did I mention my coin laundry started on fire? I swear its true: when it rains it pours. Next my bike will probably be stolen. (thinking happy thoughts)

I've got the engineer genes too!!

Choo! Choo! Ok, just kidding, I haven't quite scored a chance to steer Thomas the Train Engine yet. No, I have only accomplished a major engineering feet in my very own kitchen. Coming from a family chock full of engineers and other more logically minded folk, I've often felt like I'm holding down the more artsy side of the boat. Tonight, however, I have truly proven my worth on the smarty-pants side.

Upon starting to wash the dishes in my sink, I noticed the water was quickly starting to fill up, signaling a plug in my pathetic filterless drain (i.e. open pipe). I sighed, turned off the water and waited for it to trickle out so I could see what the culprit was. I try to be careful with food and my chopsticks so as to not clog up but at the bottom of the pipe (where it narrows just out of reach) was a bright white water bottle cap. I sighed again and grabbed a fork. No go... not long enough. I reached for my trusty wooden cooking chopsticks. I was now able to reach the plastic cap, but had only enough leverage to twist it around and flip it over. I grabbed the other choptick and tried to pry the cap upwards using one chopstick in each hand. I held my breath as I managed to lift it about five inches, then swore as I inevitably dropped it.

I stood back up, rubbed my lower back and looked back in the silverware drawer. I decided to try a knife, as it had been singularly successful when I had dropped an avocado pit into the pipe.. but not only could I not stab the plastic cap, I dropped the knife too. Now I was a bit panicked, as any fix-it guy was sure to laugh his arse off at the white chick who had to be saved from a plastic bottle cap and knife stuck in her kitchen drain. Nice. Fortunately I managed to tug the knife back out with a fork. There had to be another way, right?

Right. After I checked that I couldn't unscrew the pipes without help, I came up with my masterplan that proves I am indeed, a proud member of my Sherman/Schmidt Family Gene Pool.

I grabbed the duct tape.

(ok, more like packing tape,... but its all I had at the ready. I know, shame on me).

I made a nice ball of the stuff and stuck it to the end of my chopstick. Then, because I could visualize the ball sticking to the cap and falling off the chopstick, I taped and double taped it to the end of the stick. Then, after testing the contraption on a free bottle cap on a table, I held my breath and gave it a go. I nailed it on just the second try and with a grin and a "Yee-ah!", tossed the bottle cap in the trash.

Then I smiled as I washed my dishes. Yep, I'm just as dorky as my brother! :) Ok, just kidding, he's still dorkier.

Definitely Tuesday

I wish I had something intersting to blog. Unfortunately, we went nowhere this weekend (even slept through our scheduled and paid-for 10k), Tom's now in Singapore, I was at work during the Superbowl, and I have another cold (or the last one just swung through to visit). My head is throbbing, I wince when I swallow and raising my voice in school practically brings tears to my eyes. I'm going to try hydrating my room with bowls of water to see if it helps... I don't really have a cold, just a really irritated lung/vocal chord system. I'm chugging honey/marmalade tea but it only helps until I hit the bottom of the mug.

Oh and I had to wipe the snow off the seat of my bike to get to work this morning. All of this combined has made it sooooo tempting to start wishing the time between now and the end of March a way. I know I would regret it so I have stomped on the brakes. But I hope it gets sunny and/or I can swallow again real soon because even fun jobs can sometimes suck in February.

Groundhog Day

Anyone know if Jimmy saw his shadow or not? (Please, do NOT ask me who Jimmy is... do the research. For those of you who know you can start by googling my hometown).

I am really tired. I've gotten up early every day for a week (minus Sunday). And, its been a really tough week at school. On the other hand, I've gotten a lot of things crossed off my week and I feel marginally more on top of everything else. I've relaxed just a tad. I've reserved my ticket home (April 26th to Indy). I even read a magazine (Runners World, thanks Brook) which inspired me to more seriously consider both my running in general and running a marathon (Chicago) this year. I finished one book (Villa Incognito, Tom Robbins) and started another (The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd)).

Tomorrow is Friday and we have 16 children coming in the morning. Our usual max is 13 or 14 but somehow we ended up with 16 (it involved new kids registering after regular kids had already been signed up to come tomorrow to make-up for previous absences... something unavoidable). Regardless, it is a scary, scary number. If we can get through the morning, the rest of the day will be downhill. I may need a run in the evening though. I've found that with previous jobs I have to run because I haven't moved all day... but with this one I need to run to relax. To literally run off some of my energy from being on such a forced high all day.

And my voice is tired. I'm worried I'm going to permanantly strain my vocal chords from using it so loudly and thoroughly all day. It is becoming more and more of a relief that I will only have to do this for another two months. Preschool teaching is just so, so physical.

And the flu is suddenly on the rampage. Must go eat some mikans.

ps. the above picture is Tom and I in front of Tane Mahuta, the largest Kauri Tree in New Zealand (45 feet in circumference!).
pps. yes, Tom is a geek. (Disclaimer:I can say that 'cause I love him.)