On saying goodbye

I live in a world very different from most people. Since I live overseas, most people I know are only in Japan temporarily- usually for work. Then, they move on.

Goodbyes are all too common here, and I'm not good at goodbyes.

I grew up in suburbia-ville, on the outskirts of Houston, Texas. I lived in the same house, in the same town, for most of my life. So, I'm not used to goodbyes. Being good at goodbyes is a learned attribute that I haven't learned, nor do I want to learn.

Goodbyes are filled with teary eyes, snotty tissues, cards, hugs, and sadness. Goodbyes suck! I hate all the fucking goodbyes!

What a blur!

This weekend flew by! It was almost like a dream. I didn't get much accomplished, but I did run 6 miles on Saturday and attend a ball with Husband. I would post the pictures on this useless blog, but since other people are in the pictures, I will respect their privacy. (If you know me, you can see them on my Facebook page.)

So, this week is the end. The end of how things are and the beginning of how things are going to be.

Two of my really good friends are leaving this week. These two ladies are amazing in their own way. Both are strong, competitive, smart, funny, determined, inspirational, witty, but, most of all, willing to put up with me and my shit. When I met these ladies, we all had a goal in common- the 2009 Tokyo Marathon. Although, one of them did not run the marathon because of personal reasons, she was with us through all the training and hard work. There is no doubt in my mind, she IS a marathoner.

Through 6 months of 5 AM runs through the streets of Japan, we developed a unique friendship and respect for one another that will last forever. We have been there for each other to push, and to inspire, to make it 20 miles together. We never failed to accomplish what we set out to do. And we always did it together. We accomplished it together.

As I've mentioned before, the friends you run with while training for a marathon are the best friends you will ever have in your entire life. When you wake up at 4:30 AM to run 8 miles, you are tired, scantily clad in short running shorts, tank tops or tights. You reveal your whole self, your inner self. Your running buddies see you beat down, exhausted, and sick, but they never let you quit or feel defeated. They carry you the way with their words, their actions or their lies. And you do the same. When they are too tired or too exhausted, you tell jokes or stories to help them focus on something else other than the pain of running 20 miles. When your hips ache and your knees scream with pain, you hide it and tell them everything will be okay. You tell them that soon it will be over and a dream will be accomplished on a Saturday morning when most people are still asleep.

The friendship we developed during marathon training is an amazing one I will always cherish. Even though they are leaving, and I may never live in the same city with them again, it doesn't matter. The friendships we created while marathon training will last forever. They will always be with me where ever I go. For that, I'm grateful.

Crazy is as crazy does

Okay, I'm a little weird. I know that, and I've come to terms with it. I am a product of father's loins, what did you expect?! I know I say things I shouldn't, and sometimes I don't behave as a 30-something married woman with a 4 year old should. I know this, and, frankly, I don't give a shit.

However, on days where I'm even less inhibited, I feel sorry for Husband and Jude. I feel sorry that Husband married a neurotic, overly opinionated bitch. And I feel sorry that Jude has to grow up with a crazy mom who does and says things the other moms don't.

But today, while I was searching the blogosphere, I stumbled upon some really, really crazy people! I mean, the type of people that need drugs, serious drugs! The kind of people who would think I'm normal. The kind of people that should not be telling the world how crazy they are because they are really F-ing crazy!

While I was reading the crazy people blogs, I realized just how un-fucked up I am. Despite my quirkiness and OCD behavior, I'm not really that crazy. It made me feel better to read the really, really screwed up people's blogs. I thought, "Shit, I'm crazy but not like that! Those people need help!" It was sad but refreshing to find people so screwed up in the head!

I just hope that the seriously crazy people out there get the help they need. Because, Damn! They need help!

The cure-all

Ha!

So I'm a little neurotic

Yes, I'm a cheek biter, a finger nail biter, and I even bite the skin around my finger nails. It's good eatin' actually! So, I guess I'm not a true vegetarian seeing as how I eat my own meat. Gross, I know. Moving on.


So, in my old age, I seem to be getting a little weirder and louder everyday. By the time I'm 50, I'm sure I'll be in a padded room yelling obscenities at everyone who walks by my cell. But until then, YOU get to listen to me yelling obscenities. Aren't you the lucky ones?!


So, in less than a month, my in-laws will be coming to visit us in Japan. They will be staying with us for about two weeks--in our apartment. Okay, deep breath...inhale...exhale...I'm okay, really, I am! It's not that I don't like my in-laws, I mean, they are good, very Catholic people, who are kind, and helpful and all that crap. It's just that I don't even like it when MY own family comes to visit for two weeks. Seriously, have you met MY family? We're all medicated, and we're still nuts! I can handle my parents and Sister for about 6 days. After that, the gloves come off and the obscenity yelling begins. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but I just can't live with them and love them at the same time! It's impossible! Seriously, IMPOSSIBLE!



Luckily, my parents and Sister feel the same way. We can tell each other to shut the hell up 50 times a day and no one gets their feeling hurt. In fact, most of the time we aren't yelling, we are simply talking as loud as humanly possible. It's not that we are being disrespectful, we just get tired of hearing each other talk out their ass. My family is a little rough around the edges, duh! But, overall, we are good people and love each other regardless of how many F-bombs are dropped in one sentence.


Husband's family isn't so rough around the edges, though. They are a little more calm, collected, they don't shout when they speak, and they never, ever, use the F-word. So, I'm a little nervous about their visit.


When they met me 8 years ago, I was a little less neurotic and, well, I showed them what they wanted to see, I mean, we all have to play certain parts, right?! Well, in the last few years, I've kind of become really honest, and I think Husband's family might be afraid of my honesty. I know most people are! With that said, I hope I can behave myself and only drop the F-bomb when it is absolutely necessary. Oh, shit! Like that's possible! I'm screwed!

On training for another marathon

This week started my official 2010 Tokyo Marathon training. I've been waking up at the butt crack of dawn to run. (The butt crack of dawn = 4:30 AM.) So far, it's going well. But by 5 PM, I'm one tired midget, Mexican momma!

I'm just glad I found my running mojo!

Autumn Equinox Flowers

Last Thursday, a few of my Ome students took me to see the Autumn Equinox flowers in Saitama Prefecture. Here are some pictures from the event. (Yes, I got paid to look at flowers! I love Japan!)

Me, in the car on the way to see the flowers.

Changes

At the end of the month, two of my best gal-pals will be leaving Japan. Ah, sadness!

Since I live in Japan, people are always coming and going. Nothing is constant here. Nothing!

It seems that when I meet wonderful, interesting people, who enrich my life, they have to leave. It's like there's a revolving door and all my friends have to walk through it eventually. I hate the damn revolving door! I want to find the f-ing revolving door and blow it up to smithereens. I'm tired of the goodbyes. I'm tired of letting go of those who I enjoy spending time with.

Okay, okay. My friends aren't dying, they're just moving, but still. Things will never be the same again. I'm sure we'll keep in touch via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, and Christmas cards, but it still won't be the same. I won't be involved in their daily lives. I won't be meeting them for drinks at our local watering hole. I won't be meeting them for our weekly Saturday run and breakfast. I won't be hanging out with them.

Change sucks! I hate change! Someone please make the change stop! Please!

PoPo, the man

YaYa took this picture last year when PoPo caught a nice speckled trout.

As we age, we come to certain realizations. I have just realized PoPo (my dad) is the type of man every man wants to be. No. I didn't come to this realization on my own. I see things only through my eyes, but on two separate occasions this week, two friends of mine mentioned how my dad influenced their lives and showed them what it takes to be a real man. My father taught them lessons that I wasn't even aware of.

It's amazing how my father was able to influence my friends and somehow give them the tools to become real men.

I'm still here

Okay, I know lately I've been neglecting you, my blogging buddies. It's not that I don't have anything to say (Lord knows that will never happen!), I just haven't had the time to say it. It's just that I've been working everyday, taking care of my busy 4 year old, and trying to keep up with my running, housework and lesson plans. So, I've been one busy little, midget, Mexican momma. So, please be patient!

Arigato!

Happiness is a solar powered watch

Husband is a simple man. He's not into video games, football, basketball, or home improvements. For that, I'm grateful. However, he is into flashlights, watches, and multi-tools. He is the only person I know that always carries a flashlight, I mean LED, everywhere he goes. And I mean everywhere!

We all have little quirks. Just like I like to flick boogers, Husband likes to carry a small flashlight from his belt. At first, it was comical that a grown man would walk around with a flashlight on his hip, waiting for the lights to go out, so he could come to the rescue like a super hero. In fact, I spent countless hours laughing at him for this. But, occasionally, he does save the day with his hand-dandy flashlight.

But, yesterday, when I came home from a meeting, Husband was glowing. He had a smile from ear to ear. I thought he had just won the lottery or just seen Catherine Zeta Jones naked. But, no! He had just bought himself a solar powered watch. He was as giddy as a crack addict who had just blown a guy for her next hit of crack. I mean, he was as happy as clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl makes me happy, happy! I mean, happy with a capitalized HAPPY and an exclamation mark, happy. HAPPY!

I was so happy to see him so HAPPY! Since Husband doesn't get excited about much, it was a rare site. I, on the other had, get excited all the time about anything and everything. Like a clear, deli drawer excites me along with sweet potato french fries, and lightning, and Gouda cheese, and The Beatles, and my son farting, and watching Medium and Dexter, and eating a crunchy Japanese cucumber, and eating Kimchee that's so hot you have to drink 8 glasses of water just to kill the heat on your tongue, and new running shoes, and seeing a butterfly cross my path, and hitting a series of 5 green lights when I'm driving to work, and hearing a Kelly Clarkson song on the radio while I'm driving and singing at the top of lungs just because I can, and talking to my friends clear across the world in Texas, and smelling clean laundry....all of those things make me happy! (That sentence was meant to be read in one breath.)

Happiness is very easy for me to achieve. Husband, not so much. So, to see his little eyes light up when he was showing me his new watch was great. It made me happy to him so HAPPY!

(This morning, when I came home from a run, I found Husband on the couch reading the instruction manual for his new watch. For Husband, happiness is a solar powered watch.)

Blue

Living overseas has given me a new perspective on pretty much everything.

I've come to realize that really good friends are hard to find. But once you find them, you can't ever let go! Not ever! If you do let go, you'll be missing out on something wonderful, something that makes your world better, something so important you didn't know you needed until you stumbled back upon it.

Don't get me wrong, I love living in Japan. It's an amazing place with amazing people. It's a fabulous place to raise a kid. My world has been opened up by living here. But, being away from the people that I care about can be difficult.

So, appreciate what you have. Appreciate having dinner and drinks with your best buds. Appreciate being able to visit your family and friends often. Appreciate all the things you take for granted!

K the Chemist's visit part 2- Not Chinese STD's

So, while K the Chemist was visiting us in Japan, he mentioned he had an ouchie that had been bothering him for about a week. At first, it didn't seem like much. But, unfortunately, it got worse and worse.

On Sunday morning, the day he was to depart, he woke up feeling very uncomfortable and complaining about the ouchie. Since he was about to leave and travel alone for almost 24 hours, I was worried his condition might worsen. I suggested we go to the local Japanese emergency room. He agreed.

K the Chemist made a few phone calls to his insurance company, and I made a few phone calls to my Japanese grandparents to find out the exact location of the hospital, and off we went.

Thankfully, my Japanese grandparents met us at the hospital. They were very insistent about going and would not take no for an answer.


When we arrived at the hospital, we learned that there were NO TRANSLATORS working since it was Sunday morning, bright and early. Luckily, we had my Japanese grandparents there to translate for us and help us through the paper work.


After about 15 minutes of waiting in the ER, K the Chemist was taken back and worked on. He emerged about 45 minutes later. He said the doctor looked at his ouchie and doctored it up real good! Then, he paid the $104 doctor bill, and we raced home to finish packing.

The entire emergency visit took about 2 hours. It was the fastest ER visit ever!

While we were waiting in the ER, we wore masks to protect us from the Swine Flu.

Oink, oink!

K the Chemist's visit part 1

K the Chemist (our Texas running buddy) was here over the weekend. He was traveling for business and decided to stop at our place for the weekend. As usual, we had a nice visit filled with running, eating, and, of course, Karaoke.

Since we love to sing Karaoke, we thought we would take K the Chemist to our local Karaoke shop and show him how we have fun- Japanese style. At first, he seemed reluctant to go, seeing as how his only Karaoke experience involved a packed bar and bad singing. But, in Japan, we sing Karaoke in a small, private, sound proof room. So, there was no need for him to be embarrassed about anything. Since I'm a horrible singer, he was in good company. Needless to say, we had a great time, as we always do.

Flowers in Hawaii

Yes, this is my hand holding the flower.

I took these pictures at the hotel. I think they are quite lovely.

Cliff diving in Hawaii

Since I'm chicken shit, I just watched as Husband jumped off a 10 foot cliff into a pool of fresh water.

Husband waiting to jump.
Husband jumping.

Husband waiting to jump again.

On the way to the waterfall.

The beautiful waterfall.

Okay, I have mixed feelings about this.

First of all, we went to Hawaii to relax- not to hike 2 miles up hills, down ravines, through streams, and in the mud, while wearing flip-flops. No! I wanted to sip Mai Tais and lounge on the beach. But noooooo, Husband and his friend wanted to hike and jump off cliffs!

Secondly, I will not tell you the location of this waterfall. There were about 100 people at this location, littering, smoking, and destroying the natural beauty the waterfall had created. The water had a sheen from sun block and body oils. There was trash littered every where. There were also dogs peeing and pooping where they shouldn't be. Basically, all the people that had come to see this beautiful sight were destroying it. Why is that?!

Why is it that human beings must destroy all that is beautiful. Why?! Why do we do that? Why do we pollute everything that doesn't belong to us? Why do we seek and destroy all that is not ours? Why is it that no one cares how we are totally fucking up the planet with trash? Why do we find beautiful places and then destroy them with our presence? Why?! I was appalled when I saw people smoking at the waterfall and then throwing their cigarette butts into the beautiful stream. I was appalled when I saw plastic bottles and bottle tops floating in the water. I was appalled by all of it.

In about 1o years, I'm sure all the natural beauty of this place will be destroyed. I'm sure there will be nothing left for future generations to see. And that makes me sad!

This makes me so happy

Since we live overseas, we miss the small things about America- like Chik-fil-A, Target, and shopping at Wal-Mart. But now, with this hand little website (People of Wal-mart), I feel like I'm back in North Texas shopping at the local Wal-Mart with the rest of the weirdos. So, check it out! It's the funniest thing I've seen in a long, long time! I know y'all will enjoy it!

The making of a beach bum

Jude frolicking in the Pacific Ocean. Little boy heaven!

We're home

Yes, we made it back yesterday around 9 PM.

It's nice to be home, but we could have stayed in Hawaii forever.

With its white, sand beaches, perfect temperature, and clear, blue water, it broke my heart to leave. Unfortunately, we were welcomed back to Japan with gray, gloomy skies, a light rain, and a cool temperature of 72 degrees.

Goodbye paradise, hello Japan.

We had quite an adventure with a hike from hell, changing hotel rooms at 1 AM, and bowel issues on the plane. I'll tell you more about that later, though.

Since I've got to hit the ground running (I've got to work today and tomorrow, and then K the Chemist is coming to visit on Friday), I'll be posting my fabulous pictures and stories later. So, please be patient, as you always are.

So, Weenie's back, some-what relaxed, tanned, and with sand still in my butt crack. I'm sure you missed me!

Waikiki

In a few short hours, we will be basking in the sun's glory on Waikiki beach. I can't wait!

Since I won't be bringing my computer, this will be my last post until sometime next week.

So, be kind to your neighbor, love your mate, and don't drink and drive.

Aloha!

I love my job!

I just spent the last 2 hours drinking Margaritas and teaching my Japanese English students how to make homemade salsa, and I got paid for it. I've got the best job on the planet!

I love Japan!

We can't help it

We are musicians. Husband plays the bass guitar, electric guitar, and acoustic guitar. He can also sing. I play the piano.

So, Husband and I constantly have songs in our heads.

So, if you say certain words or certain key phrases in our house, we will cut you off mid-sentence and start singing at the top of our lungs. For example, this morning Jude told husband, "You're bad." Instantly, Husband became Michael Jackson and started singing Bad as loud as he could.

This type of singing happens all the time in our house. If you say, "Yesterday, blah, blah happened," one of us will start singing The Beatles' song Yesterday. If you say, "Can you imagine blah, blah, blah," again, one of us will start singing John Lennon's Imagine. Since we are huge Beatles fans, we have just about the entire Beatles' repertoire memorized.

We will break into song at any point we hear a word or phrase that is found in any one of our favorite songs. It's like certain key words trigger the songs in our heads. We just can't help it! And, this can be very annoying- especially when you are trying to have a serious conversation with us. Jude gets so annoyed with our behavior that sometimes he just storms away to his room in frustration. We know he's trying to talk to us about something important, but the urge to sing just compels us to do so when we here that magic word or phrase.

All I can say is, poor kid! He has us for parents!

On becoming a vegetarian again

Okay, so I've decided to stop eating meat, again. I've been vegetarian twice in my life: in college and when Husband and I got married.

Why would a Texan give up meat, you ask? Well, this midget, Mexican, Texan has asthma and lives in Japan, duh! Often times, the preservatives in meat trigger asthma symptoms. And, my body cannot process meat well. Eating meat often causes gastrointestinal distress. So, for those reasons, I have decided to give up eating beef, chicken, and pork. However, I will still continue to eat seafood. After all, I live in Japan, and I would probably starve to death if I gave up seafood, seeing as how most Japanese dishes contain some type of fish.

So, I will be a half-ass vegetarian.