Gasolina, Starbucks, Garbage and Eating Out

Lets begin my week so far with....

Gasolina

Friday night- After a night of ups and downs, Lorena, Kerri, Julie, Jaime and myself decide to hit Salsatinatina's in downtown Naha. 300 yen to get in and 1,500 yen for a pitcher of Gasolina; A mixed drink of who knows what, that will basically make you strap on your dancing shoes after 1 shot. Boy, let me tell you after 4 pitchers ... my shoes were glued, super glued and stapled on since I couldn't stop dancing the night away! That stuff was awesome! Back to dancing... ah yes, 'with you who might ask?' Hmmm, with handsome marines and airmen! Let's just say 2 of the ones I danced with........ can really..... Kii.... Dance! :)

whewwww whooooo!

Anywasys, Jaime got wasted and had to go so Julie took her home early. Kerri, Lorena and I stayed dancing and drinking more gasolina. On the way home... God.. we had such a blast....but I just can't remember why we were laughing!

Thanks for a fun night out girls!

Starbucks

Monday night- It's 8:00 pm, bored in my apartment.
"Julie, lets go to starbucks in Naha City," I said. Sure enough my travel companion said "yes." We called Kerri and asked to pick her up since she already had 3 glasses of wine. Picked her up and drove off to Main Place. Sitting outside sipping my "drink of the week," white chocolate mocha. Kerri and Julie: " We'll be back... gonna get our drinks." Needless to say: They come back laughing and giggling holding a white bag from San A. Inside? Booze! They sneaked off to buy some wine! There we were.... at starbucks, me drinking coffee and these girls ever so secretly drinking wine!

Garbage

After dropping Kerri off in Urasoe, I hit my shortcut with "Bug," my nickname for Julie. Anyways, so we come to a dark, highly sloped street.... there was a man hiding in a corner and trash all over the floor next to him. I keep on driving down the hill, but slow my speed to a mere 3 mph.The next thing you know we hear a "thump" on the back window. I stop the car look back and notice there is a trash bag on my loaner car! I pull up the handbrake ubruptly and get out yelling at the man in the corner: "You son of a bitch! Don't throw trash at my car!" Ok, so not really yelling....just enough to make sure Julie heard me and not the man! Last thing I needed was some deranged Japanese man kicking my ass. hehe. I threw away the bag, and noticed that my window was all slimey. A good laugh.

Eating Out

So I told myslef, "no more eating out, need to save money." Well, Julie calls me yesturday and asks to have Indian food in Naha. So, of coarse I went.... i love Nanecks Place. I tell Julie about my "procedure" that I am having done in Thailand over garlic nann and masala. (this is a whole other entry) Later we meet up Kerri at our local hangout, Paul and Mikes and yes.... they drank....again... no worries :) I ended up leaving at 10pm, and they got home about 3 am.
Now today, Wednesday, I just came back from Chattan City. Our trio and Jaime ate at Obrigado... a Mexican place. Ummm, heard this place was tasty, but I didn't care for it. No ones Mexican food is better than your own, and especially your own mothers'. We shared our food but rapidly noticed there was not so much taste, it was a bit bland. Beans had no salt, rice was too squishy, the tacos had a hard shell, and the salsa was more like a spicy paste, than anything else. The mole, had too many spices, but yet it needed something else. The tortilla soup was tasty, I give them that. A bit overpriced for the guacamole. I rate it 2 "chile peppers" out of 5, go there only if you are desperate for Mexican food, right then and there. Other than that, head over to my place and I will cook for you, with fair warning.... of coarse. So, after saying that I would not eat out anymore.... I have only 2,000 yen ... until payday.

Now, here in my apartment, broke and getting ready to watch

"Yankees and Terra"..... that's right folks!

Gone With the Wind!

(sister in your honor!)

A Productive Day..........or

Work was so hard today..... let me count down my day to you.

8 am - Wake up

8:30- show up to work

8:30-12:40- NOTHING hmmmm well, I did download Nip Tuck and America's Next Top Model, pay my bills and email people.

12:40-1:00 Sat down with teachers and had lunch. (well they ate and I heard them slurp the noodle soup. I didn't eat the rice because it had some purple stuff in it)

1- 2:30- I sneaked out the school and went home walking to hang my laundary up, wash my dishes, and did some grocery shopping for tonights bagel party.

Now? hmmm.. I am updating my blog of random pictures of people, parents, nephews(who don't know where there mouth is :) ) , and friends. I find myself bored at my desk....again.

Yup........ this was my day. Productive, wasn't it?

Cupid Needs To Be Shot Down!!

Well as John-Taj would put it "it's just another regular day for me." Well my Okinawan brother.... I feel you. Cupid needs to be shot down, or at least he needs to shoot off lovey dovey people. I rather like this cupid... he has the right idea!
Here in Japan, on Valentine's Day, women must give men... (brothers, fathers, co-workers, anyone who carries the Y chromosone) chocolates. When you enter the Jusco... the sweet smell of chocolates enters your nostrils.... it's SICKENING! The stores are painted with pink all over the place. Looks like the Pepto Bismo, or the Pink Fariy Godmother threw up all over the place! Me? No candy buying for me.... for anyone, not even the co-workers that I am supposed to give to. My excuse? Temptation.... I'll just say "I am on a diet.... temptation... sorry." hehe. Gomen Nasai! But... dai jo bu... i shall prevail, once this godforsaken day ends.

Waiting .... Part II

So as I sit here waiting...waiting again. This time it's not to early to leave since I don't have anywhere to go. No lines to wait in, since I am in the comfort of my own home. I don't have to change any lanes since I am not driving; and I don't have to wait for the music to finish since I am not listening to any. I don't have to wait for the laundary to dry.... since it's already dry; and most importantly I don't have to wait for the mystery of the Awamori bottle to be solved since I don't really care. So the bonus question is this: Why am I waiting? Everymorning I wake up asking myself the same question and wait for the same answer when it's time to go to bed again. I sit here waiting for something or nothing, I am here, just waiting for something to happen...

I Couldn't Of Said It Better....

I recieved this email earlier today from Julie...



"My level of sensitivity has been increasing rapidly this past week.....I have become more aware and more irritated by the SOUNDS people around me have been making.....strange (I know), over sensitive (of course), solvable (no way)........
Is it a pre requisite for Japanese Culture that horrible noise be made at all times from the nose, throat, mouth?????
The teacher sitting right beside me sucks her teeeth at least 3 times every 10minutes.....and loudly....
The teacher that sits across from me inhales his own mucous from his nasal passages at least once every 12 minutes....loudly ..
The teacher that sits beside nasal mucous teacher makes these weird grunting noises at least 3 times every 30seconds (while talking).
Last night at a Japanese gathering the man sitting beside me was sucking and slurping and oohing and ahhing continuously during dinner.....loudly.....oh and then belching....loudly
The lady that sits next to the computer chews on invisible gum all day....therefore cracking her jaw once every 7 minutes.

I have been informed that this hightened sensitivity is because of Culture Shock.....I am sure that it is partial culture shock and partially just the way I am....and always have been...over sensitive towards noisy and avoidable body functions.....but there is NO NEED for everyone around me to make such terrible noises with their noses, mouths and throats.....get a kleenex......brush your teeth.....keep your noises to your self......

But thats where this thing of culture comes in....it is ok and accepted and even encouraged for people to make disgusting loud noises from their nose, mouth and throat here in Japan...especially when eating some delectable SOBA......

Maybe the solution is this......I will just join in with the fun and find some horrible noise to make from my mouth, nose, or throat that is suited for my manner....then I will make the noise all day long REALLY LOUD so that I drown out any other annoying noises... "


Julie... I couldn't have put this any more elequently as you did. While in India, it was the same but 200 times worse!!

Waiting.....

I sit here waiting for many things. For time... as it's to early to leave. For the mystery of the Awamori bottle to be solved. For this Nine Inch Nails song to finish to change to another cd. Life consists of always waiting. Waiting for the girl in front of you to hurry up and go to the bathroom when your drunk; you just can't wait for that moment to sit down and let it all go. Waiting for the car in front of you to make that right turn on a green light because there is no other lane to change to. Waiting for you underwear to dry outside on a humid day before your students start to wonder around your town and notice your undergarments. (as they will!) Waiting for Thursday to come around and take away your plastic bottles since they only come once a week and your kitchen is full of them. Waiting for ...... and the list countinues forever. So I am just here waiting..... meanwhile here are some more pictures of my parents' trip here.

WHO DID IT?

Who did it?

Hmmm, a mystery for sure!

The Scene: Apartment 201, looks like something wild was going on. Dishes everywhere, glasses had lipstick markings. Furniture in its wrong place. Hmm. looks like they were engaing in wierd rituals, a blue broken chair in the shower, a stinky bottle of dye.

When: A dark, late, cold Friday evening, early Saturday morning. 2:30 ish.

The Missing Object: A green bottle of Awamori

*note... not mad.....when it came time to pack for my dad.... the bottle was gone. HA! A gift to my dad!

The Dinner Party

El Menu:
Chille con Carne Tostadas- con friholes, salsa y vegetales
Tacos de Carne Molida y Papa
Camarones a la diabla
Ensalada de Pasta
Guacamole hecho en casa

So a Mexican dinner party.... Oh ya baby! It was great fun! My parents' and I started off the day with a walk at the Peace Memorial Park, located a close 2 miles away. Ending at a fabulous Japanese restaurant with my co-workers and supervisor from the board of education. Kimonos galore and seeing my dad dunk his cookies in his coffee in front of everyone was impressive. My supervisor couldn't keep his eyes off him. "You look like a movie star," she kept saying. Mind you, he had crumbs on his beard! All I could do was keep watching my mother hit my dad under the table to stop dunking his cookies. Of course.... my father never even noticed what she was trying to do..... "why are you hitting me," he kept saying. Me? I was just laughing away! Anyways... so we left the restaurant and did some more walking around the Zen garden with cherry blossoms and Coy fish all around. We then headed out to Jusco to do the shopping for the dinner. My dad couldn't stop poking at the raw fish in the seafood section. He kept wanting to hold my moms' hand, but she wouldn't budge since he was touching the fish. Later of coarse she gave in only after handing him a moist wipe. Boy, did we call attention! Over a 13,000 yen, 120 dollars, and 1,200 pesos later, we were off to start cooking. Thanks to Ben who came over early to help restalk the bathroom with toilet paper. Only after boasting that he was a master at cutting onions, I let him help out. Well, needless to say.... the man is not a natural and needed some help cutting. I said finely, he gave me golf balls. Everyone came soon after that. Okinawan tequilla.... awamori. One of my teachers gave my dad a bottle... and by the night the bottle was taken by a mysterious someone. (Another post on that) They came, they ate, they drank. Ben decided to be the super gaijin and dye his hair blonde. hmmmm. Don't know what he thinks now, that he is sober! Let me know Ben! It was a blast! Gracias Amigos!

LOVE BUGS

Here we are waiting for the show to begin.

The beautiful cherry trees!

Who is closing their eye?

No Me Des.... Babies

Here they are at school. Coffee and reading letters from the students.


My mom went with me to special class, and we had our lesson.



The students from 2nd grade, took picutes with us. They really enjoyed the class!


My dad fiesting away in the goregeous view restaurant.

Don't they look cute? We went off into a nice walk and found a Papaya tree.