More students!

So, you may remember I've been going back and forth over how many students I have. My first student hasn't had a lesson with me since January and my second student just moved away. Our last lesson was Sunday. My third student has been busy all month and unable to meet with me. She even had to cancel her last scheduled lesson. I've had a few weeks between lessons for my forth student.
Tuesday I had a trial lesson with a new student at her place. I didn't go like I wanted it to, but she wants to continue and I now have a better understanding of what she wants. My boss called me today to say I have ANOTHER new student. I will meet her in Yokohama on the 9th. My third student will restart lesson on the 15th and I will have semi-regular lessons with my others, except the first who I am still waiting to hear from. Sounds like I am going to be busy. As long as they don't want to schedule lessons for Lori-Danny time, then I am okay.
As for my other job, I have been working half days, but there really isn't much for me to do. I will work full days Monday and Tuesday next week. Right now it is just twiddle my thumbs or stare at the ceiling so I hope the principal finds something for me soon. I like structure in my life...

UPDATE: I guess I have too many students because I am loosing my mind. My schedule is all scribbled and messy and my brain feels the same way. It is hard for me to keep track of what student I have when. I used to have it all organized inside my head. I kept thinking I had a lesson on Sunday. Kana and I are trying to meet in Tokyo and so I was trying to reschedule my lesson through my boss. This morning I've had to write to him twice to say I made a mistake. The first was the time (I thought it was originally scheduled for 4:30, but it was at 4) and then I had to admit that I thought the lesson was on Sunday and that is why I was trying to schedule it earlier. Now I don't have to reschedule, but I feel like I've lost my brain. When Kana was studying at Western she said she was a squid. I told her I am turning into an American one!

Cherry Blossom pictures

Here are the ones I took at the park yesterday. I hope to get more eventually.

Sakura slideshow

Mocha pictures!

Shinrin Koen video

I took a very short (and terrible quality) video yesterday of people in the park. Enjoy.
Cherry Blossom Viewing

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Soon

I know I am way overdue to post pictures. I have some from the last weekend Danny was here, just some cute ones of Mocha, and some I took at the park today.
The cherry blossoms are starting to bloom and the weather was nice and warm (topped off near 70) so I had to get outside. I took pictures of the budding trees and people just lounging and enjoying the sunshine. Kana and I are talking about meeting sometime this weekend and going to a large park in Tokyo that is popular for cherry blossom viewing. If we can meet there I will take lots of pictures. Unfortunately Danny is gone through this short blooming season, so we may travel north when he gets back. There may still be some in bloom there.
I also wanted to say that I have been surrounded by babies lately. It's terrible. The school nurse is back and brought her son with her today because the woman who was going to watch him volunteers at the school. He is a month old and he fell asleep in my lap. I also got to feed and burp him (no, I didn't get spit up on!)
My friend, Amy, and her husband, Brian, just had their twins on Saturday. I haven't seen them yet, but they just got home today. I hope to go by sometime.
Through all this, I've had moments where I thought it was a good thing Danny wasn't home and knew I would need him to re-convince me that we aren't ready. Babies are cute and I do want children someday, but that someday is not today. Yes, I know there is crying, and wakeups at all hours, stinky diapers, and constant care, but I don't think I needed to remember all that to know we aren't ready. Someday. Maybe in a few years...

Mocha

Just some info in case anyone asks. Although Mocha's appointment was supposed to be this Thursday and I was going to take her to Yokosuka tomorrow afternoon, it was canceled. The woman from PAWS called me today to reschedule for next Thursday the 5th. Luckily I wasn't too surprised because a friend had told me she needed to take her cat to Yokota because the vets in Yokosuka were going to be in meetings or something all week. I am a little frustrated they made the appointment without knowing that, but its just another week that Mocha doesn't have to be cut. Soon her day will come....
(wow, that sounds evil!)

Anniversary

Danny and I are planning on celebrating our anniversary when we come back to the states even though it will be a month early. (So get the frozen cake ready!)
Anyway, I am trying to get him to stick to the traditional anniversary gift ideas. For example, the first year is paper. I am buying tickets to an M's game. (Its okay, he already knows this.) Of course, although we had talked about this earlier and I gave him some very concrete ideas, he seems to have forgotten. If he can't remember, would anyone out there be willing to help him out. I was hoping that the paper idea would help.
What made me post is that I was searching Google for the list of gift by year and I came across a UK website has a popular folklore rhyme based on the month you were married in. Its says for June: "Marry when June roses grow and over land and sea you'll go". Ain't that the truth!!

Details

Okay everyone, here are the details of our flight back to the states. Please mark it in your calendars!
UA 876
Tokyo/Narita 04 May 2007 1700
Seattle 04 May 2007 0943
(Sorry I told people before that we landed on the 3rd. I don't know where I got that crazy idea. It doesn't even make sense.)
UA 875
Seattle 16 May 2007 1256
Tokyo/Narita 17 May 1455
This isn't final until I make the payment this week, either Wednesday or Thursday.

Leave

Danny was approved for leave and we are allowed to go to the states. We leave May 4th. I will give you details later.
P.S. It will be the 3rd in Seattle when we land!

Beware of the yowl

----------------------------
UPDATE on Mocha:
She is getting a little better. She still is making that sound but doesn't do it as often and I found out this evening that the neighbors can't even hear it. Thank God! I am hoping this won't last much longer and there will be no issues at her appointment. I drop her off Wednesday night so it will be a quiet and lonely night for me.
Most importantly, I am learning how to deal with her. She is quiet when I am petting her or she is on my lap (and she has been super affectionate) so if I can't handle her I just go pick her up!
---------------------------

WARNING: turn down your volume!!
I didn't want to post anything for a few days because I just wanted to give Karamel that respect. I know she is a rabbit and can't understand that concept, but if you are like me you'll understand.
So now my life moves onto my other animal, Mocha. The animal shelter called me yesterday to make an appointment for her to be fixed. Thank God, she is only 9 months old now! They told me if she went into heat before the appointment then they couldn't do it. Well, yesterday morning she started yowling and has succeeded in making my life a living hell. If you've ever experienced it you'll understand. Think of a drowning cat trying to meow- but louder and more ear piercing. Hey, I've got video! Lucky you!
She really isn't interested in playing either- sad.
So, I lock her away at night and hope that she doesn't keep the neighbor's son up all night. I know I can't sleep listening to that!
I called PAWS twice today, but got a real person the second time. They told me to go ahead and take her to the vet because they may do it. It just depends on how swollen her uterus is. (I am sorry if this to visual for anyone).
I hope this doesn't last long. If it does, one of us is not going to make it to the end of next week.
Here is the video. Yipee. Please turn down the volume. Lucky for you I accidentally was covering the microphone. It could be A LOT worse.
Yowling



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Farewell, Karamel

I got very sad news today that my pet bunny was killed. I got her as a graduation gift in 2003 from my best friend. Karamel was my second pet bunny and she was back in the states being taken care of by my grandparents. My grandfather called her his livestock and my great-grandmother couldn't remember her name so it was always Esmeralda. She was a really great pet and became very socialable because I would hold her ever day, even take her for "walks". When I had to go to college and then move to Japan she had to stay home, but I built her a bigger cage by my grandfather's workshop. I loved her a lot and am very sad she is gone.
Here are some pictures of her.

My job... again

I hate telling you all about my job because it keeps changing. The nurse came back yesterday, but doesn't want to work full time. She only wants 4 hours a day instead of six. The principal asked me if I wanted to work the 2 hours in the morning and I said yes. He looked into it more and said if I wanted to work a half day as a substitute, I would have to work 4 hours so he is trying to find someplace to put me. I thought I may get to work in the library, but the librarian said she didn't need any help. Now they are trying to find a new place to put me, maybe in the office or helping out a little in the classroom. Who knows what will happen. I'm still waiting.

A little update

I know, I haven't posted the pictures yet. I've been a little busy lately, but I can hopefully get them up by Monday or Tuesday.
So, I just wanted to let you all know how my job is going. Today is supposed to be my last day. Key word: supposed to. The regular school nurse is still at home with her baby and is trying to discover if the "babysitter" is compatible with her son. This, of course, means that I could be here a little while longer. She should be contacting the principal today and may submit a request for more time off, which means I'll still be here.
If she does come back on Monday, I will still need to come in for at least the first two days of next week to make sure she is up-to-date on everything that has changed since she left. Like the boy who twisted his ankle on my watch and is now using the school's wheelchair. That definitely makes me feel guilty. Not like I pushed him over or anything, but it is a long story.
Not much more to say about the job.
Danny and I are still waiting to hear if his leave will be approved for May. He said he was supposed to know this week, but here is Friday and the only thing I know is that he had to resubmit his leave papers. Danny told me it is looking good, but nothing is for sure until we are on that plane. Even then...
Our tickets were supposed to be paid-in-full by today, but I called the travel agency yesterday and they gave us until the 31st. They said if we need longer we can call again, but they don't know if they'll be able to give us more time or not. Hopefully I can make a deal with them. I really like the agency though and I know they have an office in Seattle, so if we ever come back to Japan in the future I know who I am going through. (They are a Japanese & American company with offices all over both countries.) If anyone is interested, they are called IACE.
I think that is enough for now. We'll keep in touch.

Ideas?

I have two final lessons with a student of mine before she moves away. The last two lessons we have been working out of a work book and I am afraid it is getting a little boring. I want to make the last two, especially the last one, a great one. I know most of you have little, if any, experience teaching esl students, but I want to know if you have any ideas. I am kinda dead in the water and need some ideas to get me moving in one direction or the other. Thanks for your help everyone.

How to use Blogger

I know all of you aren't familiar with how to use blogger or just aren't very technologically gifted :), so I wanted to help by posting a how to for Blogger. I hope this helps.

How to use Blogger…

1. You don’t need an account to read or post comments on our blog. Each is different. I’ve decided to make it available to all family and friends, but also control the right to delete comments or access to anyone.

2. Blogger automatically shows the last five posts on the main page. If you wish to see previous ones, please look at the “blog archive” on the right side. The black triangles will expand or compress a list of all the blogs for that month. If you click on a post, that post will open in the same page as well as comments left by readers. To go back to the main page, click on the title of the blog on the top; “Dan and Lori’s Adventures in Japan”.

3. To leave a comment, go to the bottom of the blog you want to comment on. There is a bar that says “Created by.. (either dlkjapan or kiitana) at (time in military format and Japan time)”. Then you will see a little speech bubble and the number of replies that post has gotten. Clicking either will take you to the page to leave comments.
The leave a comment page is fairly straight forward. Write your comment in the big box. Below that you can choose if you comment with your Blogger account – if you have one - , as other – which will let you put in your name or alias - or as anonymous. Then choose publish or preview. Preview will show you what other readers will see once you publish the comment. Once you are finished, choose publish. You’re done! I should get a message to my email that someone has left a comment.

4 To read comments, click the text that says the number of replies and the comments will be in a new page. This is the same place you leave comments.

5. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask. I will post a “how to…” do that as well.

6. If you want to contact us but don’t want to leave a public message, I will create a link that will allow you to send us an email.
UPDATE: tried to do that but couldn't. You can click here: Email us

Funny quote

This is just one of those things that people say that are really dumb. I got the quote from a story on the king5 news website.
"I don't like to blame a lot of stuff on weather. We get weather around here all the time."
Yes, we do get weather all the time. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can't escape it!
Nothing beats the all-time best forecast I've ever heard -- light, followed by dark, followed by light again. Can't got wrong there. Who said meteorologists can't be accurate?

Our weekend

Danny and I had a great weekend. On saturday we went to the Tokyo tower and took lots of pictures. I will include the story and the pictures all in one post. There really isn't a whole lot to say, but the pictures say it all.
Yesterday (Sunday) we did our regular church thing then I had choir practice later (I am singing in the Easter choir- Danny won't be here..) After that we decided to drive to Yokota. I didn't have Sierra's number and the computers in information weren't working. Amazingly we found their tower and their apartment without any trouble. (PS. Hi Sierra, I know you are reading!) We hung out at their place for a while then drove over to the Subway to get something to eat on the road. At this point it was almost 8 and we had a two hour drive back! Danny has to get up at 430 am. We wanted to stay longer, but we just didn't have the time. Next time we'll go up on a Saturday so we have more time. But now I have Sierra's number so we don't just drop in. Our decisions to drive up there always seem so last minute.
Hehehe, I got to try the Wii for the first time too. That was fun!
Usually when we are driving home we can't figure out which exit off the expressway to take, but this time we got the right one and it only took up 5 minutes to get home once we got off, rather that 20 or more. I was so happy I just about threw a party in the car.
Okay, so maybe not an insanely exciting weekend, but it was great for us.
Pictures to come later...
I have a lesson today and since Danny is home I don't want to spend my time sitting at the computer, it may take a while.

Oh, I forgot to mention something I found very funny. Danny bought a drill at the BXtra yesterday. When we got home he said he was a real man becuase he had bought his first powertool. Too funny - I had to share it!

Garden

Here is my garden. I know its not great, but I am not landscape architect. Trust me, it is better than what was there before (grass).

I Love Egg

I know its Korean, but still incredibly cute and irresistible. Does it make you wanna go eat an egg?
I Love Egg song
Oh, here is the Korean version: Korean I Love Egg song

Japanese train

Every wondered what it is like when we ride the train? Some wonderful, brave people have already recorded it for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-hmSvZM3So
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXmOdy0aM4c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySnL9Mcv1-8

Things you may never have learned about Japan

I hope to make this a reoccurring topic with things you may never have learned unless I told you!

*Every half hour, nice music followed by a message reminding you that bike riding, golf, baseball, and other activities are forbidden in the park and that you must remove your own garbage and clean up after your dog is played in both Japanese and English. (This is in Negishi Shinrin Koen)

*Small trucks will drive slowly through residential neighborhoods with loud speakers that play a recorded message of someone talking or singing. I believe these are related to political candidates and issues.

*Some garbage trucks will play nice music while they're doing their rounds.

If you want to know anything else about Japan, please leave me a message.
(I feel like I should be writing a syndicated newspaper article!)

That Japanese wind

The weather is crazy! We have wind gusts tonight up to 33 mph. My poor plants... You might have to wait longer to get a picture 'cause I may have no garden left in the morning. All my soil is blowing away!
The wind makes the house shake sometimes. Please pray our house doesn't fall over!

UPDATE 9PM: If it doesn't stop out there, and it doesn't sound like it is going to, the Navy will be able to anchor their ships in our yard and my garden will float away. I know, I can't stop thinking about my poor garden. Where its positioned, it gets the water pouring off the roof of the house. I guess I'll be busy tomorrow fixing it.
We've seen a little lightening and the television service keeps going out. Suppose that is a clue I should go to bed!

UPDATE TUESDAY MORNING: It made it! I was sure that I would go outside this morning and see a large pond next to our house. If I would have, I think I might have put some koi in it! Some of the plants fell over and the soil had shifted, but it made it fairly well. I found one litte petunia laying in the grass. All I can say is that although they seemed bent over because of the wind yesterday, the daffodils really liked the rain. In fact, one of them bloomed! Maybe with all this rain, the plants will grow faster- I wish! It is bright and sunny today and hopefully my plants will pop back up.
Well, I am sure you are all tired about hearing about my garden...

Garden

I've had all this gardening stuff (soil, plants, fertilizer, etc.) sitting on our porch for at least a month. I found some grass and weed killer at the Japanese home store and sprayed it. It took me over two weeks to get the grass out. Finally yesterday after church I got to dedicate my whole afternoon to it. I pulled out the last of the grass, layed down the plastic-like stuff that keeps weeds from growing up into your garden, dumped out the soil and planted my flowers. It took me four hours, but I really enjoyed it. My butt was sore from sitting on the ground all day. :) Despite that... it was about 65 yesterday with a light breeze and perfect for gardening. I forgot how much I missed it.
Today it is very windy and supposed to rain so I am glad it is done. I just hope my poor little plants don't take too much of a beating. I can't post a picture yet because Danny has to see it in person first. So, once I do you'll know he has!
Anyone want me to do their garden? Give me the supplies and I'll be happy to, but if you win yard of the month (in Negishi) I am taking credit for it!

News

Here it is. It isn't final. Danny and I are still planning on traveling to the states soon. It may or may not happen. Here's why.
Only so many people from the ship can be out of the country at one time. During the period Danny will take leave, there are schools going on in the states. They haven't decided for sure who is going so our chance to leave Japan is up in the air. That being said...
I went to the travel agency office today and bought some awesomely affordable tickets back to Seattle from May 4th to May 16th. I have the times, but that isn't important right now. I just wanted to let you all know what is going on. Hopefully it works out. We haven't been home in a while and would like to see everyone. I will keep you updated on how it is working out on our end and you can let me know when you want to see me (this is mostly referring to my friends)

Wow

I saw this picture when I was checking local Seattle news and all I can say is "holy cow!"















I know most of you have seen it because it in on the news there, but I am so amazed by it (and I barely missed something similar about a year ago north of Marysville) that I had to post it on here for other people to see. This is what happens when people don't know how to drive properly in the snow. It is just a miracle that no one was killed.
Washington surely is being slammed with bad weather this year. Hopefully this is the end of it. If it continues next year, the DOT is going to have to change how they do things...
I feel bad for those kids who don't get out of school until the end of June.

Repair

Does anyone know of a place in the states where I can send a camera that needs to be repaired? I'm having a hard time finding a place that will accept mailing to/from an FPO address.
Any help will be greatly appreciated!