Adventures in the Looking Glass

It seems that I haven't posted anything exciting here since before I moved house...

Well, I woke up this morning at 8.30am with the intention of doing something useful with the morning, but went back to sleep and dreamed about something funny, as I woke up smiling.  Clearly it was worth the extra hour in bed.  Currently I'm waiting for my rice to cook so I can have breakfast.  The cable from my computer to my speakers is playing up, which is causing no end of annoyance.

Moving house went with no major hitches.  My friend came over with his car, did all the heavy lifting and then drove me all the way to Yokohama, so not only did I have the excitement of a new house to look forward to, but I also got a ride in a car for the first time in...actually, the first time in a month.  But it was the first time I was in the front passenger seat, which is far more fun.  In the process of moving I managed to accumulate 6 bruises upon my person, including one on my finger from bashing it with a fire extinguisher, and one on my forehead from cleaning my fridge (which was bloody taken away as trash a week later).  That last one nearly made me boo like the big girl I am.

The next day I went back to work, and that night jumped on a bus from Tokyo to Sado Island, near Niigata, but not very near as it takes 2 hours on a ferry to get there.  More on that another time, and I can also promise photos.

Then back home to the numerous boxes.  I seem to have lost a tonne of junk in the process of moving house.  I suspect the de-junking which the process involved may have become a little over-zealous on my part and I ended up chucking out everything, though not my passport and all those Thai Baht, thankfully.  So far, major losses have been my new debit card and the mysterious loss of the 10 000 yen I was gonna pay my bills with.  And no, I didn't spend it.  This once again proves my theory that one pays a tax when one moves house, though not generally in money - books, important documents, etc.  i may have to write a story about it and get someone to illustrate...

So next month I will be taking 8 days of holiday in a row.  The reason for this is that the rules of taking this "special holiday" are in tiny tiny lettering on the bottom of the form, and in less than clear English.  I had previously booked 3 holidays and taken them without any fuss being made, but now it transpires that the office monkeys got it wrong and I have to take all 8 days or lose them.  So I'm taking them.  What the hell am I going to do? 

I'm quite tempted to go to Indonesia and check out Java and Bali, but I suspect that way lies the use of money.  Another plan is to stay here, study for my Japanese exam and mooch about for 8 days, with a bit of sightseeing thrown in. Boring. Earlier I thought that, should that be the case, I will need a writing project to keep me amused.  Would anyone like to suggest something which can be done in 8 days?  Poetry or prose.

Hmm, Java.  Oddly, I was just looking at working for English First in Indonesia...

More on why I should have gone to art school later...

Given that I have come to verbal standstill with tales of my Japanese adventures here's a little something I did with the kids last weekend. Pardon my total lack of artistic ability.

( Thumbprint Story )

Apologies for the rather unsightly lines on the pics. I think it's due to the fluorescent lighting, which also tends to give me headaches.

Oh, and to finish, here's a pic one of the kids did for my wall. Note the attention to detail on the cat shoes. I was very impressed.