Chatty's Meme

My eye color:
Hazel
Favorite car:
Environmentally - Prius,  Ideally - Lamborghini Quattrovalve
Right-handed or left-handed:
Right
Shoes you wore today:
Black Chacos
My fears:
Losing my loved ones

Goal you would like to achieve this year:
Finish the stuff I’m working on and get fitter

Thoughts first waking up:
Food or exercise...hmmm?
My bedtime:
10:30pm-11:30pm
Pepsi or Coke:
Neither these days...
Single or Group Dates:
Married, so it doesn't really matter...both I guess
Chocolate or Vanilla:
Chocolate
Do you smoke:
Ugh, no
Do you sing:
Yes
Have you been in love:
Yes
Do you want to get married:
Already am, going on 17 years

Do you get along with your parents:
Yes
Do you play a musical instrument:
I play the flute and plink on the piano. I am trying to learn the guitar.

In the past month have you smoked:
NO
Favorite candy bar:
AbbaZabba
In the past month have you gone on a date:
Only with J

All-time favorite sports team:
Chicago Bears

Ideal girfriend/boyfriend:
The one that ended up as my husband
My best friend(s):
The ones that accept me as I am, respect me and accept both the bright and dark side of me.

Do you believe in love at first sight:
Yep
Favorite clothing brand:
Columbia and Cherokee
Dream vacation:
Don't have one

My favorite singer:
Too many favorites to list

My favorite movie:
Way too many to list...

Have you ever fired a gun:
Of course

Do you like yourself:
Pretty much

I am addicted to:
Too many to list

Favorite drink:
Water or Iced Tea

Are you ticklish:
Sometimes
Favorite ice cream flavor:
Mint chip

Define yourself in 3 words:
Softhearted, organized, athletic

Do you believe in God:
No
Favorite day of the week:
Don't have one

Heads or tails:
Does it matter?

Favorite author:
Stephen King

What magazines do you read:
Fitness, Nat Geo, Golf Digest
Favorite chewing gum brand:
Big Red and Wrigley's Peppermint

My hair color:
Reddish brown

Height:
Average

My heritage:
Native American, English, French

My weakness:
Procrastination lately

My perfect pizza:
Everything

My best physical feature:
Hair, feet, skin

Do you get motion sickness:
Sometimes

McDonalds or Burger King:
Neither, we don't do fast food if we can help it
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea:
Lipton if Grandma is making it, Japanese green tea otherwise

Cappuccino or Coffee:
Mocha or Chai Latte

Do you swear:
Yep
Do you want to go to college:
Been there, done that...two degrees and a certification

Do you think you’re attractive:
Sometimes, I think I am cute...is that the same?

Do you like thunderstorms:
Absolutely!!

In the past month have you drunk alcohol:
Sure
In the past month have you been on drugs:
Only over the counter ones...

Favorite cartoon as a child:
Looney Tunes and Charlie Brown

Favorite sport:
Playing; soccer and golf; Watching, football, soccer, golf, Nascar

In the past month have I been on stage:
No
Ever been beaten up:
Nope
How do you want to die:
Who knows...right now I don't want to

Number of piercings:
Three
Favorite color:
Any earth tones, but greens mostly

Favorite food:
Thai, Japanese, Mexican, Italian

My parents are:
In the States

Do you have children:
No
Do you have pets:
Yes, cat and fish

My favorite music genre:
I like a little bit of everything...not fond of gangster rap but mostly because of what it stands for, not because the music is bad.

My favorite season:
All of them for different reasons

Silver or Gold:
Both

Who was the last person that called you:
A friend we went to the festival tonight with

Are you a good driver:
Yep, I am a great driver

Would you rather be rich or famous:
Rich
When I’m sad or down:
I exercise

What is your phone’s current ringtone:
Some 70's sounding default one from Softbank.
The longest you’ve gone without sleeping:
3 days

What would you do with a million dollars:
Pay off my house, get another in the mountains or near the beach, invest some for retirement and buy stuff for my friends and family

What makes you laugh:
Too many to list

Your favorite book:
Too many to list

Most embarrassing moment:
I can't think of one

Favorite item that you currently own:
My Norikane prints

Have you ever moved:
Hahahahaha
Kisses or hugs:
Both

Are you a very emotional person:
Yes but not around other people most times.

_________________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Good Bye Amazon

Outdoor Kitty

It has been two days since we finished all aspects of Kitty Land...and Chase has spent the last two nights out there with no issues...she has even used the outdoor sandbox as planned....

Here are a couple of pics of the things we added to the backyard to make it so she couldn't get out. As you can see, we already have pretty tall walls...we just needed to "gate" off the one big opening and then add some height to another spot...so far it seems to be working great.




She enjoys being out there and I am loving having a litter box free house for the first time in 8 years!!!! When we lived in WA, the litter box was in the garage which was tolerable but for the last 8 years, we have had to have it somewhere in the house and now I don't.


As you can see, I had to move my plants to the island to keep her from chopping on them.

It is great!!!

___________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words...Travel Karma Update

Loving The New Contacts

Recently I went to the doctor to update my contact and glasses perscription. Turns out they don't need to be updated but I need a new one just to order new contacts. I went to the Visiondirect website to check out my options and discovered that I could order my perscription in these new contacts. I have been wearing the same Acuvue lens types forever....and they have been fine, but I am a dry eyed person and I do spend a fair amount of time in front of the computer so I decided to give these a whirl.

I ordered one box figuring if I didn't like them, I could just get my old standbys instead. Well, they came fast and within days I was giving them a try. They are thicker feeling than my old ones when they are in my hand and on my finger but once I put them in my eye, I can't even feel them and they don't DRY out!!!!

I can wear them late and even for hours on the computer and they never bug me....I am loving them to death and highly recommend giving them a try if you have dry eyes or use a computer a lot (or both).

________________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Friday's Feast

Chase in Miniature

My friend brought this little one in to coffee the other morning...she had just started opening her eyes. I guess she was found all on her own and was given to my friend to take care of...she was doing a great job of it. I had forgotten how little kittens are at first...and her little claws when she tried to hold onto the bottle were just so cute...

I am sure in a few weeks when she is weened off the bottle and potty trained, she'll be up for adoption to some lucky family. I was struck by how much her coloring reminded me of Chase (who I didn't have until she was full grown).

______________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...In Geocaching News

ChuckWow Is Back!!!

We went out last night with a few of friends to see a old favorite. ChuckWow was a band when we lived here last time but hasn't been in existence recently due to a departing band member. Now the lead singer/guitarist's son has taken over the drums and their first public appearance was at 7th Heaven last night.

We had a great time...they played some ChuckWow originals and then some of the covers that we all know and love. They might be playing again next weekend in prep for the big Rocktoberfest concert on the 12th but as of right now, they didn't have anything nailed down.

They will be playing early on the 12th due to MC duties but if you can catch them sometime when you have a chance, you won't regret it.

__________________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words...NW Geocaching

Meme Time

I really don't post memes on this blog anymore...I save them so I have something to post on Myspace but Chicken did it so I figure, what the heck, right?

1) Who was the last person you gave up on?
Jen-Jen....I tried to stay in touch but I don't think it is ever going to happen.

2) Have you talked to a complete asshole today?
Nope, that was yesterday.

3) Are you comfortable answering all these personal questions?
Perhaps that should have been the first question.

4) Do you think relationships are even worth it?
Yes absolutely.

5) If you could pack up and move, would you?
Nope, I like where I am right now and would like to stay a bit longer if I can swing it.

6) Do your parents really know you?
Mostly.

7) When was the last time you laughed really hard?
Yesterday with J.

8) What are you wearing right now?
A grey tshirt and tan shorts.

9) What are you excited for?
Getting rid of some stuff and getting organized so I can have some time to be creative.

10) Has anyone told you lately that they would always be there for you?
Yes, J and two of my friends.

11) What do you want right now?
Some icecream.

12) Are your parents divorced?
Unfortunately yes.

13) What were you doing at 8 this morning?
Sleeping because J got in late and that caused us both to sleep in.

14) Do you fall for people easily?
Nope, I think I am guarded these days...

15) What is one word that you overuse?
"you should".

16) Who was the last person to text you?
Sanghee I think...

17) What’s your mood?
A bit overwhelmed with some frustration on the side.

18) If you took a drug test, would you pass it?
As long as it wasn't for caffine.

19) Did you enjoy your weekend?
Yes, we ate some good food and saw good friends.

20) Do you regret doing something today?
Nope...today was pretty okay, although I do need to get more done.

21) Are you slowly drifting away from someone?
Sometimes it feels like my friends that aren't here are very far away and I don't like that at all.

22) Last person you told a secret to?
J

23) What’s irritating you right now?
All the crap I have and the lack of organization.

24) Would you ever forgive someone if they cheated on you?
I don't know if I could ever trust them again so forgiving I might do but I don't think the relationship would work after that since I wouldn't trust them.

25) Tell me what one of your friends is doing.
She is probably getting her kids up for school on the other side of the world from me.

26) Are you stubborn?
Yeah, about certain things.

27) What are you looking forward to?
The sun coming back out, finishing the backyard so we can put the cat out there, and getting organized.

28) Is there anybody you wish you could be with right now?
My family, J and my friends that I am separated from.

29) Are you gonna be home alone tonight?
Most of the night...

30) Who gave you your last compliment?
J...he is always complimenting me...part of why I keep him around I guess....LOL.

31) What is one thing you wish you had?
More time.

33) Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
Uh yeah I'm married. We have been together for 17 years.

Which way did both #32 and #34 go?
Do I care?

35) Do you still talk to the person you fell hardest for?
Everyday.

36) Last movie you saw in theaters, with whom?
I saw Wanted with J.

37) Would you rather go to Tokyo or Paris?
Have been to Tokyo..would love to see a lot of places in Europe.

38) What are you allergic to?
Not much...

39) Has anyone ever complimented your eyes?
Yes.

40) Are you listening to music right now?
No, but I should be.

41) Who else is in the room with you?
Chase, my cat.

42) In winter, would you rather wear jackets or hoodies?
Both I guess. I wear a jacket to go out and a hoodie when I'm kicking back.

43) Do you wish you were somewhere else right now?
No, I wish other people were HERE with me.

44) How long can you go without your mobile phone?
Days if I was allowed...I am not a big "mobile" phone user but I seem to have to have one these days.

45) What are you doing tomorrow?
Eating lunch with some friends and errands.

46) Ever kissed someone else’s boy/girlfriend?
Yes and I still feel bad about it.

47) Where did you last sleep other than your room?
On the couch.

48) What’s the worst way to say “I love you”?
I honestly don't know.

49) Who was the last person in your room besides family?
Two of our friends that we were giving a house tour to.

50) What is one place you would love to visit?
I think the pyramids would be pretty amazing and out of the box of places I have been.

___________________________


Three Years Ago on In My Words...Always Maxi

Geocaching News

Looks like I have two new caches within walking distance of my house....I might have to trek out and check them out if the weather allows for it tomorrow.

We aren't getting hit by Sinlaku any longer but it has swung back around from Taiwan and we are continuing to get some weather from it. It is all good though, because regardless of whether it is cloudy and raining, it is still warm outside. We need the rain and a good rain means I don't have to water much...haha.

So we'll see how close these caches are and I might just get to log a few new ones in the next few days...

_______________________________

One Year Ago on In My Words....Loving The Space Bag

Sinlaku Update

For two days now, we have been told this storm is not going to hit us...in fact it is not going to get close enough for us to even worry about gusts....although we are getting some much needed rain from it tonight.

It is still a very strong storm, and we are watching it just in case it decides to change up on us...but for now...no worries.

I am a bit bummed...I was kind of hoping we would get a close storm but it is not in the cards as of right now...too bad for me. I love the storms...all that energy in the air.

__________________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Small Bed Project

Sinlaku

Looks like we have a storm heading our way....should be here this weekend but I am sure we will get some of the weather even before that. I am kind of excited because we haven't had a typhoon all season (our other ones were before the season started and none came very close).

I hope it is not too bad because it can ruin the crops for the sugarcane farmers if it is really strong....we'll keep you posted.

_________________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words....Back On Track

Softie

I am sitting in my livingroom working on stuff that has been put off for a few days and watching Of Mice and Men.....bawling my eyes out. The old guy just let the others convince him to let them shoot his dog and it killed me....

_________________________

One Year Ago on In My Words....We Are On

Gorgeous Day

Today is absolutely beautiful outside. We have had a week or two of warm muggy days....pending thunderstorms that really don't produce enough rain to water anything, and no wind. It has been hot and humid in all ways that it can be.

Today, it is in the mid-80s so far, and dry as a bone outside. I actually have the window in the office open right now...and it is so nice. I walked down the street to the coffee machine to get a cold one and I couldn't believe how nice it was outside. I might have to open up some other windows in the house once the sun moves off the windows.

Now granted, it is only 10:30am so things could change but I would love it, absolutely love it, if this weather lasted all day....too bad I have a meeting at 6pm or I would be BBQing for sure....

_________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words....Tiles

Kitty Land

J and I have decided to fix the deck and pond section of our backyard so that Chase can go outside without getting out of the yard. We are even planning on putting in an area where she can go the bathroom so we don't have to deal with the litterbox in the house anymore...we'll see how it goes.

As of right now, we have put in a door to cover a gap between the two backyards we have, and we have added a few feet to the fence in one spot by wedging in some lattice...I'll take pictures of this later since right now it is raining and I have other things on my plate today to deal with.

Most of that section of our backyard is 10-12 foot high concrete fence so we only really had to work on these two little areas to make it kitty proof. I plan to update her collar tag today just in case she does get out but I am pretty secure that she is pinned in. We have already let her out there several times but since the litterbox is not set up yet, we haven't completely moved her.....I figure we can just see how it goes...

It is funny to see her out there...she seems to love it and when she is walking around it is like we have our own mini lion in a habitat. That entire section of the backyard is framed in glass on the house side so we can see every inch of it from inside the house and it really does feel like we are at the zoo when she is out there checking things out...

_________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words....Where In The World Have I Been

Little Earthquake

We had two small earthquakes this morning.

I haven't felt an earthquake here since last year around this time. They were at 7:54am and 7:55am, and were of 3.6 and 3.0 magnitudes respectively....they pretty much felt like one earthquake but according to the Japan Meteorological Agency site (the earthquake section), there were two of them and they were very close to our island about 20kms down in the water.

Their site is pretty cool...you can just click back in history to see all kinds of seismic activity. When the page loads, it shows you automatically the most recent activity and then you can just click back to see previous ones.

They also have some interesting tsunami and typhoon pages but right now we have no typhoons out in the water so there isn't much to see there.

_______________________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words...PETA Asks NCAA to Ban Gamecocks Name

Fresh Ink Redux

One of the local stores has started carrying the Hallmark Fresh Ink cards....I am so thrilled...I usually stock up on them when I am in the States...now I don't have to.

There doesn't seem to be a direct link to them on Hallmark's site anywhere but I love them anyhow...here is a link to my other post about them.

____________________________

Seven Years Ago on In My Words...Seawall

I FOUND IT!!!!!

Okay, remember this post from last week?

I was devastated that I lost that list of books and was willing to just get the names of the books back even if I couldn't get the whole page back.....I had given up...no one seemed to even have a copy of it (not like tons of people read my book blog anyhow).

Tonight, while fooling around on the computer, I came across one more caching site called Wayback. I thought I would give it a whirl and amazingly, this place had TWO cached copies of that page. Now understand...that page (because of my issues with Amazon) had not even been on the web for the last year, but somehow this site had a cached page of it from October and from May of 2006 when it was still up.

At first the page did not come up fully but the book list was there so I was thrilled.....then I decided to view the source and all my comments, the stars and all the other stuff about each book is in the source...so I just have a lot of cutting and pasting to do but at least I don't have to do it from scratch.

You have no idea how happy I am that this list was found....for a perfectionist like me, not having one year in the middle of all the other years was just terrible....not knowing the names of the books I had read was equally as terrible...whooohoooo....this just made my day!!!!!

So now, the lesson from this is not to just let Wayback retrieve your stuff for you....the lesson is that backing up important blog posts and anything else you want to keep on your computer is essential (and that sometimes if you don't, you will get a second chance like I did).

______________________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Myst, Riven and the Like

Astronomy Picture of the Day

If you don't know about this site...you should check it out. It is awesome....one of my new daily favorites. Chicken turned me on to it with the happy people dancing video.

What a great idea.

______________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Sounds of Footsteps

I Did It Again

Pledge got on the wood floor in the kitchen....you know what this means...


__________________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words...Squirrel Aftermath

Hangers

My mom worked at Sears when I was a kid.....I am still using some of the pant hangers for my wet clothes...those babies rock.

_______________________

One Year Ago on In My Words....Our New Wheels

Progress (Or Maybe Not)

I have actually been getting quite a few things done that have been nagging me (no, not the big things that have been on my list since last year, but others) and that feels great. Thing is, most of them aren't on the list, so what do I do? I add them to the list of course so that I can then strike them out....duh!!!

One of the things that I have wanted to do was get all my book posts on my reading blog switched over to Powell's from Amazon because I am not doing business with Amazon anymore. While I was waiting to do this, I had made most of my old posts into drafts so they wouldn't be seen and therefore the links to Amazon would not be available. This included all of my year end recaps.

Okay, so the other day, I spend a fair amount of time updating that blog with my new post for July which had all my books from our trip listed in it. While I am on there, I figure, what the heck, why not just get the update for the year ending 2007 done and then fix those other posts. I do this.

Now, here is the bad part.

After I was all done, I go to view the blog and realize that in the year end recaps, the html I was using to show little stars for rating of books, was not showing little stars in anything but Internet Explorer. Well, if you know from a previous post, I recently switched over to Firefox from IE because it pissed me off one day, and that is how I am...I love using Firefox now but there are small (miniscule actually) cases where I still do need to go on the web in IE. Anyhow, I wanted the posts to show stars in Firefox so I did some searching and found some html that would work to make this happen.

I went back to the recaps (which mind you have only been re-published for one day at this point) to get this done. Basically, I copied the html (Ctrl C) I needed to use, and then selected the old area, deleted it with a backspace and then pasted in the html from my clipboard using my keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl V). This worked fine on two of the recaps and most of a third. Unfortunately, one of the quirky things about Firefox is that sometimes it doesn't get along with Blogger....and what is selected in the post editing window is not what gets deleted....you can see where this is going, right?

Yep, that is right. For my 2005 book list, most of it was deleted during this process of modification, but it was happening above where I could see in the ITTY BITTY POST EDITING WINDOW BLOGGER GIVES US. So I dind't notice it until I had already re-published the post......

As soon as I realized what had happened, I tried to get back to the previous version and couldn't (those fast Blogger servers), and even tried to find a cached copy of it online. Unfortunately, that didn't work either because the recaps were posts that hadn't be online except for that day and therefore hadn't been recently cached by the search engines. I even wrote to our friendly Blogger Employee (being a Blog*Star does sometimes have its perks) and he was not able to help me retrieve even a text copy of it.

So if there is anyone out there that does read my reading blog regularly and might have printed or saved a copy of my 2005 list to read from....I would love a copy of it....otherwise it is just one more thing lost to the ethernet...

Right now, I have the post saved as draft until I can figure something out. I don't own most of the books I read during that time anymore so I don't even know where to start to recompile it. I DIDN'T BACK UP the post like I SHOULD have.....back up, people, back up,...I am living proof of losing something you don't want to lose.

______________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Amazing Skies

Another Product Down The Tubes

Well, I was a huge fan of Pond's Clean Sweep cloths until this week. A few weeks back, the packaging changed on their product. On the 30 count package (which is in plastic "babywipe" kind of set up), they added a cereal box type outer package with "new look" printed on it. This box-like package is immediately thrown away the first time you open the package. The only reason for it I can find is to make the product easier to stack on the shelves at the store.

So I email Pond's about it....actually the email ended up at Unilever, the parent company. With a week of traffic going back and forth, I get nothing but a canned response the first time, with no LEGITIMATE reason for adding unnecessary packaging to a perfectly good package, and further responses ask me to call their CS line....like those fools that answer the phones are going to know why some marketing person made an executive decision to increase the useless packaging in the world.

So I sent them a note telling them that since they can't seem to take the time and explain to a loyal customer the reasoning behind the new useless packaging, I was going to stop using their product because it is increasing the waste in the world, not improving it.

I hope this blog article causes you to do the same. I will get off my soap box now....thanks.

Note: In the second picture, the box is just slipped over the same plastic packaging in the first picture. You can't open the product from the outside of the box, it has to be removed and then you are just left with the original plastic packaging....the second picture doesn't do the point I am trying to make justice but it was the only picture I could find of it

________________________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Back On Island

Mishka's Reading

I finally got a chance today (really had other things on my plate but got sucked into this somehow) to update my reading blog with my read's from July (while we were on vacation). I also fixed all the links on all my other posts that were previously pointing to Amazon (because I don't do business with them anymore) and now the links all point to Powells.

Lastly, I did the year-end consolodation for 2007....it is about time...since we are already in August...huh?

Anyhow, if you have time check out the links and perhaps you will find some good reads in there for you as well.

Out of Habit

Since our vacation, I have had a hard time getting time in the day to read blogs...I got used to not reading them much while we were gone and I was paying for every second of Internet time and now it is hard to get back to it....I am lurking on a few and I am still trying to keep things under control via my Google reader, but I am not as active as I was a month ago...that is for sure.

Another thing I am not doing much of is helping out on the Blogger Help boards....and I do need to get back to that...and pronto...haha.

On the other hand, I seem to have found time to take on a few other projects (fodder for another post)...so I guess that is good....or bad...depending on how you look at it.

_________________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Hitting Bumps But Living Through It

Eclipse

Don't forget about the eclipse....especially if you are in a spot to see it. We might get to see it right around sunset here....but they are also going to broadcast it on NASA TV if you want to check it out from a location that won't get a good view....

_________________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words....Next Blog Please

Contacts

If you don't drop the contact into the actual contact case before adding the solution, you will wake up to a crusty clear thing stuck to your countertop.

_____________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Beading Again

Second Level of Hell

Okay, first I get talked into joining Myspace by my sister and my neice as a way for us to all stay in touch more and I really don't mind it now that I have it set up the way I want it to be and I don't download anything from it so I have not had any virus or trojan issues with it.

Now, I have started using Facebook as well. Hitch here is that I had to use my real name so I can't open it up to loyal readers here, unless you already know me in real life.....sorry, but I have to secure my anonymonity anyway I can (or at least delude myself that I have some, whichever the case may be), so if you are a family member or friend that is using Facebook and reads my blog, send me a add request and we'll get connected.

So far, I have had some fun customizing it and playing around with some of the applications....

________________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...No Watering Needed

Chatan Summer Carnival

Last night, J and I were supposed to meet some friends for dinner but didn't end up finding them so we ate some sushi at a "sushi go round" place near the Ferris Wheel. It wasn't the place that I really like to go to but they were super busy so we opted for the second best place in the area.

Anyhow, after eating our fill, we decided to walk a bit. We ended up heading towards Sunset beach because there were tons of people around and it seemed like something had to be going on. We were right.....once again, I had stumbled upon the Chatan Summer Carnival. I did this once before when my sister was visiting several years ago.

So we hung out, watched a bit of the music acts, had a few drinks and then realized that, like most festivals in Japan, there would be fireworks at some point.

Eventually they did start and there was one part where they shot out these red ones onto the water in front of us. Everyone assumed it was a dud that went to low or something but it turned out that it was the set up for a series of fireworks that were launched off the water into these beautiful arcs. I had never seen them done that way before so it was completely cool.

I took a bunch of pictures but these are three of the 6 best ones that came out....enjoy.

_______________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Rogue Valley

On Our Way

We are on our way home....in Bangkok now. Will be in Oki tomorrow...on a timed computer so I have to make this fast. Will update all the blogs with pictures and stories when I get a chance.

_______________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words...Grand Theft Auto

Chase Update

She is doing much better now. The medicine must have kicked in and my friend P who is watching her for me said she is eating and drinking like normal now. She has even gotten a bit frisky.

Retraining will have to occur when we get home since she is sleeping in their son's bed but oh well, I am just glad she is feeling well and in a happy environment....she just might not want to come home with us....haha.

I pick her up the morning after we get back for a grooming appointment...what a way to reintroduce her to us right? Poor thing but she'll feel better in the heat, not having that fur.

________________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words...Carpet Freshener

First Time

Yesterday, J and I took a cab over to a different (busier) section of the island to catch a movie. We ended up seeing the new Dark Knight one and it was pretty good.

Interesting thing about movies here, there are about 1/2 hour of previews, and then they plan the national anthem that everyone stands up for. I think this is pretty cool, and even though I don't understand it, I know it is about their king and how much they love him and hope that he has a long life.

While we were in the movies, the power went out. This is the first time that I have ever had this happen and it was kind of weird because we were inside of a mall as well. I guess the whole place went down because of a huge monsoon outside. It only took a few minutes to come back up and the emergency lights were on the whole time we were waiting but while we sat there, we could hear the wind and rain pounding the building. It sounded like a typhoon to me.

By the time we got out of the flick, the rain had stopped and we cabbed it back to our side of the island to get some dinner and some Muay Thai fighting in. The roads in some spots were flooded over so it must have been coming down in buckets while we were in the mall but we missed most of it.

___________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Bend Rocks

Smoking

Okay, these are the options:

1. Smoking has become popular in Europe again and I just didn't know it therefore just about everyone smokes that lives there.

2. The only tourists from Europe are smokers.

3. Tourists from Europe become smokers while on holiday.

The smokers are driving me nuts. The only meals that I don't have to deal with it are at lunch when we eat at this little tiny (3 tables) Thai place that no tourists would ever go in.

No matter where I sit in our open air restaurant at the hotel, I am downwind from a smoker...I am sick of it. I guess I am spoiled being able to eat just about anywhere in the US and not dealing with it anymore.

NOTE: Sorry to all those smokers out there that read my blog, but since I know most of you in person, I know you are the considerate kind of smokers that don't do it when you know it bothers others around you....these tourists are not that type. They seem to think that everyone should enjoy smoking as much as them and since they are on holiday, no one else matters but them.

___________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words...The Swing of Things

Great Book

I'll obviously update my reading blog for July at the end of the month and all the books I have read on vacation will be included but I wanted to say that I just finished "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and it was terrific. I read it in two days flat and just couldn't put it down.

I highly recommend it as well as "The Kite Runner" if you haven't read it as well.

______________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Traveling Update

Geocaching on the Road

A few days ago, I found my first Thailand cache....amazing, I know, that I hadn't found one in Thailand before but I hadn't for some weird reason. So now I have Thailand as one of the countries I have found caches in. This one was located near a Wat that I probably wouldn't have seen if it weren't for the cache, and that is a great thing. The bad thing was that it was hidden in a spot that could have been better but oh well, it isn't my cache so I can't judge too much.

While in Taiwan, I found 3 caches during our travels and they were all pretty good ones. Two were in tourist destinations we were already headed for and one was in this park at the top of a hill near a pottery village and we really had to hike our butts off to get it. The view at the top was worth it and we found it once we got up there without a lot of trouble...and only a few pints of blood lost to mosquitos.

So on this trip, I have been able to add two new countries to my list and had some fun. I picked up a coin that I will drop in Japan when we get home...the cache here was a micro so no option to drop it there...

_______________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Making a Dent

Chase Update

Okay, word is that, besides being stressed out at the kennel, she also has a cold that requires the antibiotics. She received one dose at the emergency vet and then is on a two week eye/nose course so she must have an infection from the cold.

I noticed her heaving a bit a few days before we left but I just assumed it was from a hairball or something....didn't think for a second that she had a cold....the stress must have made it worse.

One of our brand new friends (seriously, I only met P a few weeks ago for the very first time) took Chase home today and she is already being spoiled and looked after. She probably won't want to come home with us....haha. It is amazing to me at times how awesome friends can be in our lives but time and time again, ours have proven to be so.

P has two cats of her own that are still in the states getting through quarantine so her family has been missing them quite a bit and Chase will fill in nicely especially since she loves to be petted....(much like a dog in that regard). I am thrilled with her to be out of the kennel, and I hope the drugs do the trick and she is back to her normal self in no time.

I am also thrilled that I don't have to worry about her too much the remainder of our trip and can count on our wonderful friends in Japan to be looking out for us in such a huge way.

_______________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Ahhhemmmm

Chase Issues

I got an email from my friend who is listed as the emergency contact for my cat while we are away, that Chase has been having issues at the kennel. I guess she is not eating and when she does, she throws it up. They took her to the emergency vet a couple of times and then to another vet the other day. They rehydrated her and have her taking some antibiotics and hopefully that will clear things up.

The consensus is that she is stressing out at the kennel. They moved her to a room that has no other cats in it to see if that will help. I have another friend that is willing to take her home for the remainder of the trip so that might be an option too. Lastly, I have a list of friends that have offered to visit her at the kennel so she doesn't feel so lonely if she does end up staying there.

I feel so bad for her. Last time she was at the kennel was when we moved back to Japan and she did fine but we were visiting her a lot and this time she has been on her own (even though it is a shorter stay). I am sure that has her worried. I am hoping with the help of my friends we can get her back on track and she'll be fine (but slightly pissed at us) when we get home.

We can't change our flight plans from the island here so that basically locks us into the flight plans out of Bangkok as well so there is no going back early...she will just have to tough it out like the rest of us.

__________________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words...First Flight

Irritation

There is little that irritates me more than idiots that travel half way around the world and then do nothing but bitch about why it not just like home.....I say STAY HOME, if you want it to be just like home....jackasses!

These English folks today practically yelled at their Thai waitress because she didn't understand that they wanted English style hot tea.....duh, you are Thailand dipshits, if you want English tea, bring it with you or go home.

_____________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Hanging In Independence

Reading on Vacation

Reading on vacation is awesome. What a way to spend some time on a chair in the shade near the water. I love it. I just finished up Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom and it was a fantastic book. I can't believe I hadn't read it before. I was ordering The Five People You Meet In Heaven and saw that this was an earlier book and decided I needed to read it first.

This book hit home so much with me right now. Partly because of some things I have been thinking about lately but also because it completely matches my philosophy on life in general (even if I can't live it all the time).

This book is definitely one of the best for me this year. It has to be just great timing. I can't wait to get to the next one either (I haven't seen the movie yet), but that one will come further into the trip....perhaps I need to get one of those highspeed ebook readers so I don't have to lug all my books with me. Unfortunately, there is something I love about the pages....perhaps the ebook reader would be good for some instances but not all. I know I can't leave real books behind no matter how advanced technology gets....

____________________________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...I Don't Miss The Bugs

Reading Update

I updated Mishka's Reading with my June reads....check it out if you have time. I'll have plenty to update in July since I plan to get a few books under my belt on a chair near the beach in Thailand....

____________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words....Laziness

Happy Fourth Of July

I just wanted to wish everyone that celebrates it a Happy Fourth of July. We are celebrating it in Taiwan this year....I'll have to let you know how it goes. Have a safe and fun filled holiday!!!!

_________________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Classic Soft Rock

Saying Goodbye Again

Today was a tough one for me. I had to say goodbye to two close friends this morning after coffee because they both might be gone before I come back from my trip. I am going to miss them terribly and our days will not be the same without them. A and R are friends I have know for a few years but we really all got so much closer in the last year and that makes the goodbyes even harder.

Then this afternoon the dreaded goodbye with my friend K happened. It kind of snuck up on us in the middle of a bunch of other stuff we were doing so we were okay at the moment but I cried the entire way home after seeing her. I am going to miss so much about her, and her companionship for me is just a part of it. I love her family like it was my own and I know my life will feel very empty without them here to keep me amused and busy.

I am glad I didn't have to do an airport goodbye with anyone....just the anticipation of it would have been too much for me, especially with our trip too.

I wish they didn't have to go but I know that they are going onto a new phase and they are looking forward to it even though they will miss their time here with us.

We love you all....and wish you the best. Please stay in touch and let us know if we can send any little bits of the island your way so you won't feel so far away....

___________________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Relief

Two Days Out

We are only two days out from our trip starting. We are planning to leave here for Taiwan and spend about 4 days in Taiwan with some friends that live there. It should be a great time, especially with our own personal tour guides. I have already printed some geocache pages so I can get at least on in Taiwan and add another country to my profile map.

On the 5th, fly to Bangkok and plan to spend a few days there. I am going to get some ingredients for food I can't get here and ship them home from the US Embassy...and I think J is going to take care of some business too. I don't know for sure that we will get a Venus jewelry trip in but I am always up for it, if it comes up.

On the 8th, we will fly down to Koh Samui. We have been there before. The airport is just like a scene out of Fantasy Island (and if any of you don't know what Fantasy Island is, you are too young to be reading my blog...haha). I think last time we were there, we weren't all over the digital camera yet so we'll have to see how much our pictures will improve this time. We will hang there for two weeks and then fly back to Bangkok the night before our flight back here......

It should be a lot of fun, relaxation and great food!!!!!

In the meantime, I am trying to get all the "to do before the trip" things done so we are set to go.

_______________________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Tears

Thanks for Thursday

I have not forgotten about this project...I have just been very busy the last few weeks. While I am on vacation, I probably won't be able to update the blog too much (although I might have a few posts that I schedule to post early) so know that I will be back at it in full force when I return from vacation and stay tuned for any little updates I do manage to get in while we are on the road.

______________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words....Family Reunion

The Ocean

Why is it that the ocean has such a huge effect on me? I was walking the other morning for exercise but because we have a typhoon churning in the region the winds were gusty and the water was rough-looking. This cause the ocean to smell awesome (usually here you don't smell the ocean as much unless the tide is out and there is plenty of kelp).

As I was walking along the beach at one point, I had to stop, face the water, close my eyes and just breathe it all in. It always makes me want to contemplate life and to write....now I know why so many writers (in movies and such) are writing at the shore....it just moves you to be creative and bigger than yourself.

I love it and I don't know how I am going to live so far away from it ever again.....I think I might have to have a beach home to escape to in the future when I am not on an island surrounded by the lovely ocean anymore.

______________________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Open and Moving

Typhoon Fengshen

This one isn't supposed to hit us but as you can see from the picture it has run right across the middle of the Philippines. They had a ferry capsize and they are presuming all 740 people on it died....terrible news.

We'll see if this one makes any changes to its path in the next few days...

________________________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words...A. Retentive That's What I Am

Been Busy

I have not forgotten to blog, I have just not had time lately to be as consistent of a blogger as normal. In a few weeks we will be on vacation in Taiwan and Thailand and I know my blogging will really slow down so I am hoping to get a few posts written in advance and then schedule them to publish while I am gone...when I get back, I will definitely be updating my travel blog and those that are subscribed to it will get notice on that. I'll try to post a bit more in the next week and then while we are on vacay but I am not taking my laptop and I don't know how much blogging I'll do from public computers...we'll see.

Anyhow, just wanted to update you on my situation and circumstances...hehe.

____________________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Quick Trip Review II

Turtle Sitting

My friend K is moving soon and while I adopted her fish, I am only fostering her turtle until a better home can be found for him. He is cute but I am just not really a turtle person (now watch, I'll end up with him until we leave and I will have become a turtle person).




Anyhow, I have put the word out that he needs a home and hopefully I can find one for him soon. If not, I'll have to take him over to a friend's while we are in Thailand so he can be fed everyday...haha.

Know anyone that wants a turtle?

____________________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Storage is Gone

New Aquarium Friends

I adopted these guys from K as her family is getting ready to move back to the States next month. These are not all of the ones I got but the ones that would sit still long enough for me to get pictures of them. Note how all of her fish are huge compared to mine.....I don't feed mine twice a day...in fact, all of hers are on a diet they probably don't appreciate right now...haha.






_____________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words...And Then There Were Four

Hair Cut

Yesterday, I stopped in a beauty salon on the chance that they could get me in for a quick trim. I need to color my hair (yes, I have had grays since I was 19), and didn't want to waste color on split ends (especially since they tend to grab more color and then look funny for a few days).

I was able to get in and the nice Japanese lady that cut my hair was awesome. I told her to just take off the damaged stuff. My hair grows pretty fast so I am not one of those that freaks out if more than an inch is taken off.

The thing that was interesting about this cut was that she didn't wet my head or wash my hair. She put some product on it and then flat ironed. Did I mention that I have very curly hair? Like spirally curly hair? Okay, well I do. Anyhow, she straightened it all out and then trimmed the ends. It was so weird for me to see myself with straight dry hair (because of course it is straight when I get out of the shower). It stayed straight the rest of the day too (even with the high humidity we have). I will wash it this morning and the curls will be back but the whole experience reminds me a bit of when I was a kid.

I had straight hair (or mostly straight hair) until puberty. I looked a bit like Laura Ingalls when my mom would braid it. Anyhow, on occasion if we washed our hair at night, my mom would roll our hair up in soft rollers for us to sleep on. My sister had board straight hair (which is curlier now too), and even with the all-night roller treatment, her hair would not hold the curl, but mine would. It was always a shock to see all the curls and how big my hair seemed. It was just the opposite yesterday. It seemed like my hair was much smaller and controlled than I have seen it in a long time. I kind of liked it (but probably not enough to buy a good ceramic straightener). It was cool to be able to pull a brush through it before going to bed.

Oh, and did I mention that she ended up cutting 3 inches off? No? Well she did. With the straight hair, it doesn't seem that short but I think I am in for a bit of a shock when the curls spring back up later today....it was touching my waist when I as in the shower and I am not sure it will hit my back strap line now....oh well, it grows fast and now I can color it before our trip and enjoy the healthiness of it the entire time.

_________________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Quick Trip Review

CDC: Salmonella-tainted tomato illnesses reach 228 - Yahoo! News

In case I needed another reason to buy local veggies....

______________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words....Pavlov's Dog

Backdated Thursday Thanks

Continuing project...this week's thanks are:

I know...this is late, but late is better than not posting it at all...things have gotten a lot more busy around here, and I still feel like I am not getting enough done but that is for another post I presume.

Anyhow, I am thankful for the fathers in my life. I figure with this being Father's Day week, this would be appropriate. I know that most people only think of one person as their father, and I probably do buy more Father's Day cards than anyone I know but I like to take this holiday as a way to thank all the father's in my life for what they do.

Okay, first off there was my biological father. We didn't have the closest relationship but I do have to thank him for contributing to my creation and then for not interferring too much in my life afterwards. I know this sounds cold but in reality, I am better off for not having grown up with him. There is just not a better way to say that. We did have our moments and there are plenty of traits that I attribute to him and I would thank him for the good ones if he was around to thank. I wish we would have had a better relationship but I don't know that I could have done much to fix that on my own.

Now, there is my Dad....the one, the man of my life for the longest time. My dad is awesome...as I am sure you can tell from my many postings about him (go ahead, you can search and find him all over this place). Regardless of genes, he is one of the two most influencial people in my life and has a direct connection to the person I have turned out to be. I have posted about him before on Thursday Thanks so I won't go into much more on this subject, but my dad rocks....just so you know.

Next there are the grandpas....yes, plurals work here. There was Grandpa Jolly, who died way to early for my taste but I remember as a lot of fun and smiles. There was Grandpa V who I don't really remember but my mom tells me loved me like crazy. I had two Grandpa's on my dad's side who I don't remember at all. There was Grandpa Les who was absolutely the closest thing to a teddy bear that you can find in a person. I loved him so much. He was the first of the ones I was really close to that died. There was Grandpa P on J's side of the family who I only saw on occasion because he lived on the East Coast but I stayed in constant snail mail contact with. He just passed recently. I currently have Grandpa B in Oregon who is going to be 97 this September and Grandpa D in Nebraska (J's Gpa) who we play golf with everytime we see. I love these men, they have all had an impact on my life and I am thankful everyday for having had them touch my life in so many ways.

Lastly, there are the new "father's" in my life. These would include the father in laws (yes, two of them since J's mom is remarried) and my step father D who is married to my mom. These guys are awesome and add so much to my life. I love them all for the individual things they contribute. I enjoy including them in our Father's Day celebrations because even without me, they are all dads in their own right, and I just like to acknowledge that.

So as you can see, I have a lot to celebrate on this Thursday before Father's Day.....not a bad holiday at all.

________________________

One Year Ago on In My Words....Coming Along

The Summer of Goodbyes (or See You Laters)

I just had to say goodbye to a second friend tonight. We had bunco first and then afterwards I had to say goodbye since I can't go to the airport to see her off tomorrow. We lost one friend earlier this summer and now S is on her way tomorrow.

Even though I have only known her for about 11 months, she is one of my closest friends. She has to be the nicest person I have ever met. I don't know that I have ever heard her say anything bad about anyone. She is one of those people that you feel like you have known forever and super close to within only a short while. She has a great family and I am sure they will be very happy in their new home but she will be sorely missed here. It won't be the same.

We all say that we aren't saying goodbye because this world is a small place and we'll get to see one another again, so I guess I will just say see you later for now.....but it doesn't make the ache in the heart any less.

_______________________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Camping and Fishing

Yoshihachi

J and I went to Yoshi's for dinner the other night. It was a Friday night and I expected the place to be packed but it wasn't and it was a nice time. We ordered the Tuna Sashimi, the Veggie Tempura, the Yoshi Roll and the Alaskan Roll to share and it was plenty for both of us. Since it wasn't super busy, our food came pretty fast and we felt very relaxed and satisfied.

Afterwards, we walked along the seawall to work off the food and work in J's new slippers....overall, it was a great Friday night date.

________________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words....Soccer

Reading for Mishka

Just updated Mishka's Reading with my May reads.....check it out when you have time.

_______________________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words....Friday Night

Thursday Thanks

Continuing project...this week's thanks are:

I am thankful for this day. Those of you that know me in real life know exactly why.....that is all I can say!!!!!

_______________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...To The Lake

US flotilla leaving Myanmar coast with aid aboard - Yahoo! News

It made me cry this morning to read this article....these idiots don't give a crap about any one in their country. They could care less if all those people not only die but suffer doing so. I think we are giving them too much credit even remotely calling them a "government".

Even though I don't believe in it, I wish there was an afterlife so they could rot in hell.

Flowers Galore

I take my camera with me on my one hour walks in the morning. Sometimes I have lots to take pictures of and sometimes I don't. The light is usually great and that helps. The last few mornings I have been lucky and have found some gorgeous shots....too bad I can only post small unlinkable versions here due to thieves, but you'll get the idea of how great the flowers are.

That is one great thing about the weather here....seems like something is always blooming regardless of what time of year it is.





__________________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Weekend at the Beach

Why Don't We?

Think of smart cool things like this?

_______________________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Out and About

AC is Done

The repairpersons or should I say replacepersons, have been here and gone and now I have a shiny new AC unit in my office/guest room that has HEAT in it as well...no more freezing in the winter (who am I kidding, since we don't get below 50 most winters)...I am just excited to not be sweating in here when I am wasting time on the computer...haha. Even with little to now verbal communication available...sign language and written directions seem to be enough to get by and I have already deciphered the instruction manual so I will know how to use the remote.

My back is hurting a bit from my hour long speed walking the last two days so I decided to give it a break today but I wanted to hit some golf balls...I might have to hold off one day to just make sure I didn't tweak anything...can't be hung up with a back thing...too much to do.

I got the car washed and vacuumed yesterday and then of course it rained...I didn't mind though. The car is still clean inside and out and the rain watered everything and cooled things off a bit.

_____________________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Weekend At The Beach

Checking It Off

I am making some headway in my To Do List. There are a few things that have been added and then checked off and then some of the old stuff has been checked off as well. It feels great to get some of it gone...out of my mind and off my list.

Yesterday was a particularly productive day and I hope to make today productive as well. I managed to get the three little videos put together and loaded to YouTube, that I had promised my friend I would do for her of her kids at their respective sports. That was a huge lift off my chest.

I also managed to get her scarf finished, which wasn't a huge deal but for some reason was taking me forever to do. I planted a few flowers to hang on our front gate and managed to get some Japanese studying in as well as some exercise.

Today has a couple of out of the house tasks on it but I think I will still get home to get some things off the list again today. I will get exercise (at least some of it) out of the way this morning before I even start anything else....have to make it a priority...what else am I to do at 6am in the morning...haha.

________________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words...Cliffhanger

Determined

The humidity is here and I am afraid it is here for the duration of the summer. It hit a couple of days ago and I haven't had any windows open since. I miss it but it is unrealistic to think I can keep the windows open when the humidity is so high....everything inside will mildew...

So this morning, I went on a hard, hour long walk to get back into the groove. I know I have been saying this for months but I figure at least that I am continuing to try and that is what matters most. This was the first morning where I really got a sweat on, due to the humidity, and it felt good. It felt like I was doing something....so we will see how it goes.

I hope to get to the gym later today and perhaps even hit some golf balls...that would be fun. So here is to motivation, determination, and a better Mishka.

_________________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Wait'em Out

She's Always A Woman

Today, I was going through some CDs being donated to the libary, but that I needed to grab some songs off of. One of them was a Billy Joel Greatest Hits album and the title song above was one of them.

When I hear it, it reminds me of a very specific time in my life. I was a freshman in college. I had a group of friends in high school but most of them went away for school and I stayed in our home town for the first year because I really couldn't afford to do anything else. So I was basically starting out on my own for the first time in 12 years. I didn't know hardly anyone at my school and I actually kind of liked it. Growing up in a small town led to years of knowing the same kids, what to expect and how to get by. Now, it was all new and no one knew me or expected something specific from me.

I started to make decisions on my own. I started to spend time doing some things that I either didn't know I was interested in before or had put on the back burner because they didn't fit into my life. I left my high school job at McDonald's and started driving for Domino's pizza. I would deliver to the college dorms and started to meet a few people that lived there or worked with me at Domino's from the school. My confidence began to grow as I made friends.

I worked parttime at a boat yard at the lake teaching/renting sailboats. I made new friends there. I started to get noticed by boys that I didn't grow up with and this was a huge boost to my self esteem and body image...I think this was the first time since puberty that I felt like my body was cute. I learned how to flirt and enjoyed the reaction I could create. I never thought I was ugly growing up but I always thought I was fat, even when I was playing soccer year around.

I started playing soccer with the club team at the school and was the only girl on the team. I became the "little sis" to everyone on the team and it felt great to have a bunch of friends that I could count on.

Okay, so back to the song. During this time, one of the players developed a crush on me but I didn't know it. His name was Kevin and he was a defender like me. He was really nice and we were friends outside of soccer but I didn't know how he felt about me. We hung out all the time, went to dinners and I even went to see his trio play at the local restaurants.

At one point, I was over at his place, talking to him about this other boy I had a crush on...disappointed I believe because I had just discovered that he had a girlfriend back in his home town. It was hard on me because he also played soccer with us on occasion and so I would see him more than my heart could take. I confessed this all to Kevin not knowing how he felt about him.

The next week, he called me, telling me that we needed to meet. He had some news for me. So I met with him. He gave me this note and a cassette tape he had made for me. This Billy Joel song was one of the songs on there. I listened to the tape and read the note...I was shocked. I had no idea. I felt horrible for having confessed my feelings for this other boy to him knowing how much it must have hurt him. Problem was that I didn't feel the same for him as he felt for me. He had told me he loved me and would always love me. I didn't know how to react and thankfully because it was in a letter and on a tape, I didn't have to react face to face but eventually I did have to face him. He had said in the letter that he knew I didn't feel the same as him but that was okay, he still loved me and wanted to be my friend. It changed everything. We were never that close again.

The tape had some really awesome songs on it, and I listened to it long after Kevin was not in my life anymore but now, I always think of him and that time in my life when I finally realized the effect I might have on a boy and how that could be a good and a bad thing anytime I hear songs off that tape.

I wonder if I have the tape somewhere??? Knowing me, I have the letter somewhere in storage...but I am not sure about the tape.

______________________________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Blog Passwords

Starbucks

I know I mentioned this in passing once.....there is a new Starbucks within a mile of my house. This is both good and bad. The good is that sometimes you just need it, and it is within walking distance so I rarely ever drive there....it motivates me to walk there even if I am meeting friends (which we do almost every Friday). It is also good because I have stock in Starbucks so seeing the company do well is reassuring to me....(I only have a few shares through TD Ameritrade so I am not a huge stock holder...haha).

The bad is that it is so close the temptation is always there. It also (along with the gazillion other stores that opened in the same area this month) causes a bit of traffic on the intersection we have to deal with on a daily basis. Good news on that front is that I am discovering work arounds....

___________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Back In The Land Of The Living

Thankful This Thursday

Continuing project...this week's thanks are:

I am thankful for our families as a whole. When J and I got married, our families barely knew each other because his mostly lived in California and mine was in Oregon. Now a large majority of his lives in Oregon and they all see each other occasionally. Having them centrally located has made things so nice for J and I because we want to spend as much time with them as we can when we are in town. Whenever we have get togethers in the States, it makes it easy to invite everyone to one function and see all of them at one time...it makes for great pictures too. Both of our families have been very supportive to us. They are there when we need them and are understanding of the distance we all usually have to live with. We would not be as successful as we are in our daily lives if it wasn't for them.

I am thankful for my friends here in Japan. We are all thrown together in different circumstances but manage to make the best of being far from our families. This summer a few of my friends are moving to new places and while I will be sad to see them go, I am excited for them to start a new adventure in a new place. Being that we have left this place before and a different set of friends then, we know how life can be completely cyclic and that we aren't going to be saying goodbye, just see you later.

___________________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words...Party's Over

How Often

do you get to see this side of a moth? They are hatching and breeding down the street on these particular trees (I am not sure if they are fig or olive). This moth in particular hung out on my slider for most of the day. The other night I came home and there were 6 of them on the sliders throughout the livingroom and tatami room. It is kind of cool to see so many of them but I am sad because the hatching/breeding is going on close to the road and I am sure there are lots of casualties to the road as well.

____________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...We Be Wireless

How Is It?

These are two of the current ads in the sidebar of my blog. Do you see anything wrong with this? How is it that the powers that be at Google would think that these two ads would go together on the page, much less right next to each other?

_______________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words...Baggers

Tropical Storm Halong Update

Well, now we are not in the ship avoidance area so we probably won't get much from this, assuming it stays on course. We are getting some rain and wind today but nothing too bad. The strongest winds we'll get will be this evening into tomorrow. It will be at typhoon strength by then but far enough away that we mostly won't feel it.

It is a good day to stay inside and tackle some projects that have been put off because of nice weather and the desire to be outside....haha.

I am continuing to eat soup but I am hoping to be done with that today as well..we'll see though because I still have quite a bit of it left.

________________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words...Ten Years of Mishka

Happy Birthday Aunt L!!!

For me it was yesterday but for her, it is today....I hope you have a great birthday and you are able to relax and celebrate with family and friends. Don't think about school for at least a few hours, okay?

We love you and wish we could be there.

_____________________

Two Years Ago on In My Words...Happy Birthday Aunt L

Tropical Storm Halong

Well, this one looks like it won't hit us directly but it will skirt by us pretty close and will be at typhoon strength when it does. I might tie down some of the lighter stuff in my yard today in prep for tomorrow's gusts.

____________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Reflections at Weymouth Woods Rerserve

As cyclone refugees wait, Myanmar refuses aid - Yahoo! News

What is wrong with these people?

____________________

One Year Ago on In My Words...Reunions

Ouch

I walked 7 miles yesterday morning with a friend and while I was tired a bit when we first finished, I didn't feel any different the rest of the day.

Today I made soup for some friends (thank you to those that were able to make it over), and this meant being in the kitchen on my feet quite a bit. I also did a buttload of cleaning beforehand in prep for visitors. Now my foot has a sore spot on the bottom that feels kind of like a stone bruise.

It is weird because I wore little house slippers all day knowing I was going to be on my feet just to give them a bit of a break...guess it didn't work. Hopefully it will feel better tomorrow since I have to get some walking in.

____________________

Three Years Ago on In My Words...It's Official