August Heat

Boy, do I wish I had gone home this summer! But, since I didn't, I have been keeping myself busy with various cleaning projects, hobbies and short trips.

It's boring, but I made a list of some cleaning projects that need to be done in prep for our move. I have to throw stuff out and do some deep cleaning, so I am making progress on that. It's actually kind of fun, and then when Yusuke gets home, I show him my latest work, and he praises me and I lap it up. Next, I need to clean out my personal closet - the one where he is not allowed to go into.

Hobbies - I was on a roll with my scrapbooking. I had finished an album for our Wisconsin/Chicago trip from 2003. Then I started a new album of our Music City Tour 2004. However, I ran out of album pages and am now waiting for my birthday present to arrive from Mom. I know there are some new packs of pages in there. I decided to up the ante on my scrapping skills, so I wanted to involve my computer more. I am now doing the Journaling entirely on the computer, and I am sizing and printing some of the photos as well. It looks really neat. I know that one's personal handwriting is important though, so I am still writing a few captions in my own handwriting here and there. I also have a long overdue scrapbook to finish up. It is my childhood album. I started it about 5 or 6 years ago, but I stopped abruptly when I came to my Junior High years. It's not that they are too painful to remember. I just have no idea how to design the pages or organize the photos. I am waiting for inspiration to hit, perhaps.

I am also working on Japanese still. In fact, I just registered to take the proficiency exam (again!) for Level 2. The exam is only once a year, and last year, I failed. Sometimes I think studying is really fun, and I feel very motivated to do the homework, but then I go through phases where I don't even want to think about it. In fact, I sometimes want to pretend that I actually live in an English speaking country, and I surround myself with English. Nonetheless, I have continued to attend my Japanese class once a week for the past 3 1/2 years. This is just about the only time I am free to speak in Japanese and I can trust that the teacher and my classmates will interact with me completely in Japanese. Outside, in the real world, I run into a lot of people who want to try their English out on me, or they want to answer my questions (which I have just asked in flawless Japanese!) in English - slow, stuttering, painful-to-listen-to Engrish. The other situation is at home with Yusuke where we rely on whatever comes out of our mouths. We speak in both languages, whatever and whenever we feel like, we don't really stop to think about it, and we know the other person will understand. So, what I like best is when I go out in the real world, and the occasional Japanese person talks to me just like he/she would talk to anyone else - in fluent, everyday Japanese. Sometimes it's small talk about the weather or other times, it's information about a product I am buying, or whatever. But, whenever they just treat me like a normal person and they just ASSUME that I can speak and understand Japanese - that is what really makes my day!

Other hobbies include watching movies or Japanese dramas. This summer, I have been watching foreign movies (Korean or French) that are dubbed in Japanese. My listening skills are good enough that I can understand most of what is going on. Finally...I get to watch foreign movies like everyone else! I really missed that! Last week, I went to see the March of the Penguins at the theater. It was great for me because when I was a little kid, I LOVED penguins even though I didn't really know much about them. Recently, I watched a movie called Hoshi ni natta Shonen. In English, I think it is called Little Randy and Star Boy. It's a Japanese movie starring my absolute favorite actress, Takako Tokiwa as the mother of a boy who dreams of becoming an elephant trainer. They own an animal farm in Chiba where they have many different types of animals, some which have been saved from zoos or circuses. It is based on a true story, and it was so moving. I was crying for the entire second half!

My reading list has paused out a bit, recently. Amy O. lent me the book Roots, and I really thought I should read it right away in preparation for my Intercultural Communication class where we will be studying about slavery/segregation/Civil Rights in September. I have started reading it, and it is really good. However, I have been interrupted by a couple other fast reads, and I can't resist picking them up and reading them whenever I have a chance. One is called The French Bulldog : An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet. This series is really great if you are thinking about owning a pet someday. You can get a book based on the breed of your choice, and there were lots of photos to make it a more interesting read. The other book is called Queen Bees & Wannabes. The movie Mean Girls starring Lindsay Lohan was based on this book. The author started a program for pre-teens and teenagers in the Washington D.C. area, and she teaches courses at various high schools and junior highs. Her program has expanded nationwide and several teachers around the country are using this program in their schools. Even though I don't have a teenage daughter, it is interesting to read this guide and see what she has to say. Brings back some memories of junior high, as well!

Finally, trips. I planned two short trips this summer so that I could at least get out of the house. Unfortunately, Yusuke wasn't able to participate in either of these. A couple weeks ago, I went to Nagoya to visit Amy O. That was fun, and we always have a good time catching up on each other's lives. Also, her husband is very appreciative of anyone who cooks for him, so Amy and I cooked a few meals and a dessert together. Needless to say, he was a happy man. We also went to visit a woman who breeds French Bulldogs puppies. She happened to have a litter that was just about ready to go to new homes, so we got to play with the puppies and ask her all sorts of questions about dogs. She was so nice and helpful, and we talked about what will happen when I am ready to get a puppy next year. She said that if the timing is not right for her, then she will put us in contact with some of her friends who also breed Frenchies. I was so relieved to see a breeder's set-up in person and to meet and talk with a breeder myself. (Here is another example where the person didn't even blink when she realized I was a foreigner, and she just talked to us like we were normal people. That is a real clincher for me!)

Lastly, my friend Kaz (short for Karen) and I will go down to Osaka to visit a friend of ours. This friend will have her first baby next month, and we just wanted to see her one last time before she has the baby. It is my first time to go to Osaka, and we are going by overnight bus in order to save money. (It will be hell on our backs and tushes though!) So, I will let you know all about our Osaka adventures when we get back.