chibi_pink's random mumblings

hey there! still alive. posting more on twitter now because it's easier when i have my mobile with me. check it out! twitter.com/chibipink

As I type this, I am sitting on a packed commuter line.
( commuting rant )
On a more positive note...
( Valentine's Day )

( Love Hotels in Uguisudani )

VACATION UPDATE!
It looks like G and I will be invading Australia for a family trip. If you have any recommendations on what to do in Melbourne, let us know. Dates still to be decided.

Yesterday was day 1 of 3 of Comiket.   It was my 3rd time going and G's second.  I think he is really starting to get the hang of it!  The crowds, the mayhem, the cosplay, the rows and rows of manga and other obsessions... it's very stressful exciting. I'm at work and missing out day 2 of 3, but will be going back tomorrow (and dragging G with me?) for the last day.  

I'll post details of the day 1 loot later, but for a teaser...
- manga about a person's travel diary
- reports on abandoned train lines
- photos from abandoned mines (absolutely gorgeous in an apocolypic sort of way)

i hate that line. i cant tell you how many times ive been physically injured on there. how the hell am i going to get to work if i get pregnant? no one stands up in the reserved seat section especially business men. its times like this that i wish i werent in japan...

Hello all! Everything is going well here. Will do a more in depth post later.

I am sick of everyone asking me if I have a mixi account. So, I want to make one. Anyone out there have one and can send me an invite?

Starting thursday, I will be in a new position! I got the promotion that I was after. It will be hard work, but different from what I am doing now; more along the lines of what I want to do. Worried, but super excited! Wish me luck!!

I'm old, I'm missing my convention (background info: used to me a GOP delegate for MN), and I have a huge management test on friday.

On the bright side, I have Capt. Crunch, NZ caramel chocolate, and the day off tomorrow to eat it all.

Sorry! I know, I have been slack with updating.

- work is going well. The kids are off next week, so I get a little break from them. Management stuff is going pretty well. Been doing a lot of scheduling and salaries, but hopefully I can get into monitoring and mentoring soon.

- Glen and I got new phones!! His phone is sleek and red, but most importantly, he can use it overseas! So, I an get a hold of him (and his customers can get a hold of him...) when he is away. My phone is lovely and pink. I am discovering new features on it ever day. Yesterday, I found out that the screen has 4 points that can change the TV channels. Maybe I should just read the manual and get all the hints. Here is my phone (in pink, of course).

- Mom sent me a package. <3 <3 She sent me two new summer biz shirts, new shoes (I always love getting new shoes) and.... CAPT CRUNCH!!! Yes, I am slightly addicted, but they don't sell it here.

- On the crafting front, I am nearing the end of my crochet capelet!! Pics will come once it is finished. As for sewing, I finished my tea time corset. It is not bad at all, if I do say so myself. My next sewing project will probably be a sundress.

- Japan is too damn hot right now. A/C is my savior.

seriously the best site of the moment: http://www.disapprovingrabbits.com/ Still trying to convince G to let me get a bunny, but he says I have him to pet and take care of instead. :3 maybe he will let me have a wombat (see: http://wombatcountry.com/mammals/wombats.html) instead?


btw: http://glencandacewedding.shutterfly.com enjoy!

I got a nudge, so I guess I haven't updated in awhile. Sorry!

- weather has gotten HOT. I blame it on my Minnesotan-ness, because G thinks it is quite pleasant.

- Work is going well. Been so busy with the Kids Coordinator stuff (about time) not to mention more IS-type of stuff. My newest homework assignment is about salaries, which is very interesting. Little confusing at parts, I must admit, but I'll get there!

- I've been really tired lately. Not sure why, though... Perhaps it's the weather?

- A co-worker, his girl, and I went to see "yasukuni". Very interesting and worth a look if you're interested in Japanese-Asian relations.

And just so everyone knows...
I wasn't in Akihabara when the stabbing took place (and all my otaku friends and acquaintances are ok too) and I didn't feel the recent earthquake.

Maybe it's a good thing I am not going to this year's convention:

http://www.startribune.com/18900229.html

I'll stick to my power suit TYVM.

(background not those just tuning in: used to be a delegate at the state convention before moving to Japan. Now MN is hosting the national con. And I'm missing it... AND it's on my birthday!! meh.)

That's right! The Wedding World Tour 08 is making it's final stop next weekend here in Tokyo. It's been a crazy, hectic, wonderful ride. I thank myself everyday for the wonderfully supportive family and friends we have, and especially for the man I married. If it wasn't for him, I think I would have gone insane.

The final event has had a few rough patches. People bailing, excuses, scheduling conflicts. There are some people I would love to have there, but for a variety of reasons, they can't make it. I'm trying not to let it get to me, but it's hard. I just have to keep thinking positively.

We have quite the crowd coming, though! A few people from my work (all of whom are awesome people!), some rugby players from G's team (I hope they stay well behaved...), photographers (friends, not hired), a few other foreigners in Japan, Grad students, etc etc. I think it will be a great time!!! So yeah, I'm hurt by some people's actions, but I won't let that stop me from having a wonderful time with the friends that have come out to support me and party hard with us in Roppongi.

With all this going on, I am back to HQ this week. For those that haven't heard, I was accepted to the IS Fast Track program. This means that I will be trained and groomed to one day hopefully be a supervisor at one of our language centers. Since coming home, I have been plugging away at the 300 pg manual I received and recording lessons in hope of finding one acceptable enough to be heard.

I have one from a low-level student with perhaps too much teacher talking time, but good PPP. The other I have is from a far-too-energetic student that would ask me off-topic questions at random times, but had good examples of activities. May turn in both if I can't get a better one. I still have monday!

Wish me luck next week. With 3 full days of intense training at HQ, figuring out friends and acquaintances relationship issues, and finalizing party stuff, I need all the luck I can get!

G and I got back to Japan yesterday. As expected, he had to go to work almost right after he got home. And on his birthday, too!! I have today off and then back to work on Wednesday. It will be good to get back into a routine, but I did love the break. I hope it won't be too hard to get back into things!

News Highlights

- while I was away, I got the results from my IS (instructor supervisor) fast-track interview: I got it!! So, more training to come and a 300 page package waiting at my school to be read.

- Working on my first pair of socks. Turning out to be ok, but pretty basic. May do Jaywalkers if I can get a hand on a copy of the pattern (magknits closed down if you haven't heard, and the patterns are not there.)

Gotta get ready for the day; have to clean out the suitcases and get some laundry done.

Since everyone is asking for them, here are some wedding teasers. Bunches more will be posted after we get back to Japan.
( after the cut )

Wedding #1 went smoothly! No major problems except for a little stain on my dress. I'll post more details when I have time because...

We are in NZ finishing preparations for wedding #2. NZ is wonderful; if you haven't been here, you should. We are staying in Glen's hometown of Hobbiton. Yes, I'm married to a hobbit. Seriously though, the hobbiton set is in his hometown. It is beautiful here and everyone is friendly. Still trying to find a decent yarn shop, though. You'd think with all the sheep here that I could find a great yarn shop.

The weather calls for rain on saturday, so cross your fingers and hope that the weatherman is wrong!

Just an FYI: I will be leaving for the US tomorrow (wooooo!) and will be back to Japan via New Zealand (double wooooo!) on April 14th.

seriously, can this week get any worse? racism at the gym, poor service at the salon when getting my wedding hair done, and never enough sleep. i cant wait for vacation. im trying to stay positive, especially for G. he's had to deal with a bunch of his friends bailing out of the wedding. G is the type of guy that will walk through fire for people. when he was a grad student,no time and no money, he still found ways to travel across the world to attend weddings and be there for friends. seriously, the type of excuses we've heard from some have been laughable. G is constantly optimistic but this time, i can tell he's a bit hurt.

Today is a much needed day off. I had to run some errands this morning to prep for the trip. First, we went to get our international licenses. Get this: I have a driver's license in Japan, but my license in the US expired. So I have to get a license to drive in my own country. Go fig! After that, Glen dropped me off at the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. All was good! A few trouble spots, but nothing too major. More flossing, better brushing technique, etc etc.

In knitting news, I finished the long gloves!!! Well, I still have to tie off all the ends and hide them, but that won't take long at all.

In more wedding news: US invites are out! NZ invites will be out tomorrow, and Japan invites will be out... eh... sometime soon. :) Still no idea what to do with my hair. None of the veils have struck me as fantastic; they are all so plain. Hopefully I can think of something that will go with my dress. If anyone knows of something unique I could do that is still a bit classic, let me know.