New Directions

Now it is July...finally. I thought this month would never come. My birthday is this Saturday and I am turning 31. I am trying to convince my husband to allow me to commandeer my birthday plans since I always have to share the celebration with MIL whose birthday is one day before mine. Anyway, SIL used to plan these events and make all the arrangements, but since getting married, she no longer takes part in these piddly family - only the big ones like New Years. Rather than have a half-assed, last minute plan, I think I would like to make the arrangements myself. Oh, am I sounding bitter again?


Okay, well, let me explain. My last entry in this blog was in February, and I hadn't been writing much in the 2 months before that. I made the decision to take a break from blogging due to the faltering state of my marriage. A friend or two commented on how bitter I was sounding in my blogs, and I was slightly taken aback. Did I sound bitter? I was trying to find the humor in my unfortunate situations, but I guess it wasn't working. So, on that note, I abruptly stopped writing so that I could concentrate on improving my marriage.

I won't get into detail, but one of my tasks was to get MIL on my side rather than constantly allowing myself to be played against her. The other was to work on my reactions to him, and in other words, attempt to cultivate a calm, soothing environment rather than a volitile and bitter one. Sounds easy, right? No, we still have a long ways to go, but I am happy to announce that things are improving.

And, meanwhile, I kept getting the question from friends and family and readers, "what happened to your blog?" I wanted to start writing again, but if I can't write about my bitter-sweet problems, than what the hell do I write about??? So, I had to consider taking the blog in new direction. While updating friends and family about my life here, I still want to have a slightly entertaining blog. Though I have weighed several different options for directions, nothing spectacular comes to mind.

Here are some options I was considering:
1. My daughter's daily activities.

(boring...all she does is eat, sleep, cry, poop, play with her toys or with my face, smile her adorable smile and do the whole thing over again.)

2. My thoughts on Japan and life here

(not much to say...I have surrounded myself with everything American...my apartment has no tatami, I only listen to American music and radio stations, I hang out at Starbucks and go shopping at Costco and Ikea. How much more American can you get?)

3. A diary from my dog's perspective

(hard....I am already doing this in Japanese on a mixi. (Mixi is the Japanese version of blogger only way cooler.) It is not the easiest topic for a blog.)

4. My Daily Life in Japan...only less bitter

(this might be doable, and that is a big MIGHT. I don't want to seem like I am bragging here, but every day has some bitterness to it, and it would be hard to keep it out of this blog.)

Any thoughts? Anyone still there?