| Jessie's state of being |
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| 04:17pm 16/10/2006 |
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mood:  tired but alive
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I slept one and a half hours last night.
I worked from 3:30 to 11:30 last night and having been at class from 8:30 AM to 5 PM, I get to run back to the apartment and then work from 7 until close (11:30ish) tonight.
The girl I am supposed to tutor as a requirement for my ELT-I class backed out on me, so now I need to find some one else. I need to visit an ESL classroom for an observation and write-up.
My family is coming to visit this weekend, the first I've seen them since August. I'm looking forward to having them around again for a while. There are plans afoot.
I started going to the TKD classes here on campus again. Super happy. No new bruises yet though.
I watched the three Crow movies back to back, at Pit's instigation. He learned how to braid from Liss the other day, so I've been pigtail braided/french-braided/etc alot the past day or so.
I've been reading H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthuhlu and other Tales. I just started reading Sophie's World. Funny how there is never enough time to get all the readings done for class, and yet there is still time for leisure reading. That's what happens when you work at a bookstore, I guess.
I have been asked to appear at my cousin's wedding in a kimono. This wouldn't bother me, except my cousin's wife Yumiko will be there, so if I wear something wrong, there actually is someone who will know the difference.
I like orange juice. |
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Read 8 - Post |
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| gettin busy |
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| 10:19pm 12/09/2006 |
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mood:  busy
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Class:
-dropped Advanced Japanese at AU due to going crazy from the fact that I'm way ahead of the class since I was in country for a year
-the JLPT prep course I wanted to take through the JICC filled up, so I am looking to find a Japanese student for a language exchange
-to fill this gap in my schedule since I need to carry 15 credits per semester for my scholarship, I'm now taking International Economic Policy with Henning, which is also a core class, ie I'll finish my major that much sooner
-for my TESOL class, I still need to find a non-native English speaker to tutor
Work:
-tomorrow I start working part-time at Barnes & Noble
-I'm waiting to hear back from the Japanese embassy about an internship for next semester
Friends:
-the apartment is awesome, I love you guys
-slowly but surely making new friends and reconnecting with old acquaintances
-James was here over the weekend, but is now safely back in Oklahoma, or rather, in transit to OK
Other:
-just finished reading Speaker for the Dead, the sequel to Ender's Game
-other books finished since moving into the apartment: The Silmarillion, Ender's Game, Neverwhere, The DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons, The Four Agreements
-I have no time or money to pursue other interests like Avalon, TKD, or sewing for fun
-Liss, James, and I made okonomiyaki yesterday. I miss Japan |
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Post |
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| Bugger |
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| 09:04am 05/09/2006 |
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mood:  YAR!!
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It's Tuesday. It's raining. I don't have an umbrella.
My only class today is my Japanese class which I really want to quit anyway and the weather is crappy and I don't want to go. The end. |
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Read 1 - Post |
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| Feelin Good |
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| 09:04am 01/09/2006 |
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mood:  chipper
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I'm determined to get into better shape. I was running regularly in Japan, and biking everywhere, but it dropped off towards the end of my stay because of how busy I was, and since I've been home, well, I didn't pick up the habit again. Moving down here, I wanted to make sure I knew the neighborhood before I started going anywhere.
I've been bicycling so much. Just in the past week I went from the apartment here down to campus, ten miles one way. There is the daily bike to and from the metro, which I'm not sure, but it's somewhere between .5 and 1 mile each way. Wednesday, I biked up towards Rockville, about a ten mile round trip. Yesterday, I got to campus, had my 8:30 class, went to my yoga class, had my block class on diplomatic policy, ate lunch, spent an hour at the gym, went to another block class, and came home.
Today, I got to sleep in and now I'm heading down to class. In the rain. Ah well, it was going to happen some time. |
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Post |
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| INCOMING!!! |
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| 05:22pm 29/08/2006 |
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mood:  ecstatic
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So. It's official. Tickets purchased. My Oklahoman is coming to DC.
^_^ |
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Post |
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| One Week |
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| 10:33am 23/08/2006 |
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mood:  annoyed
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I've now been in MD for a week. What have I managed to do? Not a whole hell of a lot. Lots of applying for jobs and going to interviews and trying to set up a life here, but nothing to show for it yet.
I just finished The Silmarillion. I really want to reread The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings again, but I don't have that here. So, instead I'm reading Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere which super-awesome Chris lent me. I like my roomies.
In other news, Ishi is here in DC so we'll probably hear from him some time soon. That will be fun. Not much else to report. I still need to get shelving for the room. I need to set up a bank account. You know, the little stuff'll kill you if you don't watch. Next month's rent is already due in a few days.
Dana's stuff is starting to be a real pain in the ass. She lived here over the summer, then went back to California before school. She left all her stuff here, which she was supposed to have packed up and ready to go. It wasn't. She's also evidently planning on living here for a while again until Zak can help her move down to campus. And she never unpacked her stuff from some drawers Liss lent her, which leaves Liss without places to put things.
I just want the school year to start and problems to go away. I doubt it works like that, but wouldn't it be nice if it did? |
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Post |
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| Relaxing |
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| 12:25pm 22/08/2006 |
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mood:  blah
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I need to get back into a regular schedule. I'm falling asleep very late and waking up very late. Class starts in less than a week, so I need to make a definite effort to get back on track.
Yesterday I checked out the pool. It was pretty nice, relaxing.
Going into town for an interview today. Otherwise, not too much planned. I have a To Do list, so we'll see how much actually gets done. |
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Post |
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| It's Monday |
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| 11:23am 21/08/2006 |
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mood:  working
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Sitting in the living room with the news on and Liss at the kitchen table and pretty soon, I'll take a shower and leave for my interview. No other real plans for the day, I'm still waiting to hear back from a few other places as well.
Getting Liss moved in yesterday was a trip. She was running two hours late and decided not to call and let me know this at all. Since I was sitting in the house and waiting for her to come in, I was a bit miffed. More than a bit. It's just rude. But that's neither here nor there. She's moved in now. We have the full complement of the apartment crowd in now. I just hope the place stays in decent shape, because I spent a lot of time cleaning.
At any rate, off to grab a shower and head out. |
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Post |
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| Arrived |
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| 12:11am 17/08/2006 |
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mood:  settling in and tired
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Well, I've been transplanted to MD.
I moved all my stuff into the apartment without a hitch, now it's a matter of getting set up. I need to get shelving definitely and maybe some more hangers too. I have a bed (hooray!) and a desk to work with already, so that's a definite bonus. However, the girl who had the room/bed before me, was, an interesting character. I keep hearing Hillary stories. I wonder if I'll get to meet this girl. In any event, it would have been nice of her to actually clean the room before she left it.
I was pulling used condom wrappers out from under the bed.
But, I have a sweeper, and sponges, and soap, and disinfectanty goodness. I went on a cleaning binge in the room, bathroom, and kitchen. More binging to follow. I gave Zak and Chris fair warning, that I'm not a neat freak, but I want things kept tidy. This is my first apartment living (that I can remember, the two years I lived in Rambling Ridge as a baby don't count) and I've been to some apartments that left me with a definite cringe. I don't want funny smells or stuff piled haphazardly everywhere or grotty bathrooms.
So, tomorrow is probably going to involve more cleaning and setting up. Zak has volunteered use of his car as a means of transport fun things like shelving and whatnot. I love that boy. I also need to get down to AU and dis-entangle my financial situation. Finding a job is also high on the list of prioritites.
I should probably get to bed and work on returning to something like a normal sleep schedule. I don't know if tonight is the night to start that, but we'll see. I'm looking forward to the school year starting, but dreading it at the same time. It's my final year. I have to have a senior thesis. Zak talked about his being "only" 75 pages. I can't even find a topic yet, aside from the obvious, that it will revolve around Japan somehow.
Gah.
I've still got some time, but I have no idea what I'm doing. I guess it's time to find out. Hooray. Fun times abound. |
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Read 1 - Post |
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| The Move |
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| 12:36am 16/08/2006 |
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mood:  crazy
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Tomorrow morning I leave to go home to DC. HOoray!!
I'm also on the phone with James. ^_^ Double, triple, super duper hooray!!!
Ok, that was very dorky, but I'm grinning like an idiot.
Friends are trying to convince me to go to Avalon this weekend. I feel like I should do something constructive my first weekend back in DC. But I have no idea what. So we'll see. I'll need to have the event fee, and the rechartering fee, and a ride, but again, friends have offered to help, so it's a definite possibility.
I want to sew.
I want to be in Oklahoma. |
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Read 3 - Post |
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| a week in the homestead |
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| 09:33am 09/08/2006 |
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mood:  yarg!!!
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Life is good. I've been back home for a week. In this time, I've gone on a river rafting trip, had my wings and ribs, ate my dad's corn, and gotten some new shoes so I can go running.
I've already been to the mall with mom and done a little bit of shopping. So many things to pull together before moving back down to DC.
I'm still dealing with crap from my uni. They're trying to charge me for credits I took over 17. I couldn't get my advisor to clearly tell me how all of this would transfer and then they wanted to charge me over 2700 dollars for it. It's fixed now, but I'll have 21 credits transferring from the spring semester. That means they'll be trying to charge me in excess of 3600 dollars for it. Now I get to try and play with Rits to see if they'll take two classes from my transcript to get me under the required amount. I have absolutely no intention of paying that much money.
I'm going to have to start dealing with money matters, especially finding a job down in DC. I want to be able to do so many things though. I want to go to the MD renaissance festival, to Avalon, to my Tae Kwon Do studio, to Oklahoma, to New York City. GAAaah. |
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Read 1 - Post |
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| Home again |
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| 03:10am 04/08/2006 |
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mood:  restless
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Back in PA as of August 2.
Probably moving down into DC on the 17 or 18.
See you guys soon.
^_^ |
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Read 4 - Post |
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| Plans |
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| 11:25pm 26/07/2006 |
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mood: chipper
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So, the intended trip to Ise did not go off. Instead, I slept in, wallowed a bit, and went out to the river swimming. I don't want to sound bored, but I've seen so many shrines and temples since I've been here. While I'm sure it's all wonderful, I just couldn't muster the required enthusiasm when I was so tired.
Instead, I'm heading out to Nagoya tomorrow with Liss, James, Ishi, and Sofie. We're just making a day trip of it. Plans are going apace and it sounds like it's coming together ok. I need sleep.
I need to pack.
Damn.
In other news, friends from home need to know when I'm moving in to the apartment in DC, and my parents want me to wait until I get home to make a decision. Yarg.
Life. wow |
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Post |
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| 8 Days |
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| 03:07pm 25/07/2006 |
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mood:  giddy
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I hadn't realized that it's been so long since I posted to my LJ. Sorry to anyone who might be trying to keep track of me this way. o(_ _*)o
At any rate, the past few weeks have been a hectic amalgom of class, finals, travel plans, friends, and drama. So, at some point, I'll come back and try to give a more detailed account of everything that's gone on, but in brief:
Koya was super amazingly fun, and gorgeous, but damp
The Gion festival was interesting, but very very damp, and I look good in yukata
I climbed Mt. Fuji last week but didn't get to summit due to poor weather conditions
I'm planning a trip to Ise/Nagoya in the next day or two, so that should be interesting (hopefully)
I'm going to Iga, the ninja village, sometime next week
As for grades, it turns out that my grades from last semester have been posted to AU already. I was told that they wouldn't come through until I completed the program and all of my grades came through in October. Well. Class this semester was harder, at least for language classes, so I'm expecting poorer grades. I still have a paper due on August 1 which I haven't started writing yet. I should do that.
On a more personal note, alot of the travel and fun times of late have been with James, a fellow exchange student here, and much to his discredit, an Oklahoman. Strange how things always seem to find you when you're not even looking for them. It all happened rather suddenly, and still seems kind of crazy considering how little time there is left in Japan. I go home in just over a week. We're going to keep in touch and he's coming to visit DC when everyone else does this November. Tentative plans for trips to OK have also been made. Crazy days in Japan.
Kyoto Time: Tuesday July 25 15:23
PGH Time: Tuesday July 25 02:23
8 days remain |
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Read 1 - Post |
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| Koya-san!!! |
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| 01:13am 08/07/2006 |
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mood: chipper
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End of the year craziness. Papers galore.
Running everywhere and getting nothing done.
I'm going to Koya-san this weekend to stay overnight in a temple and then partake a meal and prayers with the monks. Should be exciting. Plans for Fuji are developing.
I saw Battle Royale for the first time ever yesterday. It's something special all right.
Boys are stupid.
26 days left in Japan |
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Post |
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| Weekend Update |
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| 09:19pm 25/06/2006 |
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mood:  happy
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So. This weekend was fantastic.
Friday was the climb up to Daimonji with Liss and Victoria.
Saturday, I got left out of the plans to go to Kobe, so I went to Uji by myself instead. While I was there, a lady named Kozoko asked if I was lost and we ended up walking all over Uji and then I met her son and his fiancee for dinner. Not the sort of thing you could do in America, but there were very nice and I hope I'll be talking to them again soon. Uji is gorgeous, I want to go back again.
While I was on the train, I got a message from James saying they were at Tag's for the game, so took the train back to Hanazono to get my bike and biked down to the pub. It was great, I had my first Irish car bomb, and everyone had fun, but James got very very drunk. Since everyone else needed to get home, I ended up making sure he got home ok. He lives in the Yamashina dorms, which are on the other side of the city, and on the other side of the mountain.
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Have I mentioned that my front break broke? Now I just have the back one and it sounds like a someone stepping on a baby pig. I'm going to go and get that taken care of tomorrow at the bike shop near campus. I can still get around ok, but I'll worry until it's fixed.
Anyway, Sunday, when I got out of bed, I ended up dashing off to meet up with people going out to the aquarium in Osaka. It was fun, but not the most impressive aquarium I've ever seen, and not worth the admission. Mike, Sophie, James and Ashley went off to see Death Note, and here I am, catching up on my blog, cleaning my room, and waiting until it's a decent time on a Sunday morning in the US to be able to talk to people.
Tired.
Hungry.
In a good mood. |
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| Hisashiburi |
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| 08:44am 24/06/2006 |
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mood:  awake and loving life
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Wow, I fell off the blogging bandwagon again. Nothing too new is going on, and I just haven't found the time to do it in a while. I'm really mad at myself for not posting any new pics in a while either. I'm way way way behind. I don't even have pics from Lukas' visit up yet. Then again, I've been having issues
Computer is full to bursting with pics and I'm having issues with burning them off onto disks.
Stressing over school work.
People are going crazy over the World Cup.
My presentation for my research class is complete and I think I did decently well.
For those of you who have seen the city and know about the giant kanji characters carved into the mountains, I climbed to the top of one of those yesterday.
I'm very tired today.
I went swimming in the Hozukawa River and it was absolutely gorgeous.
There's talk of going into Kobe today.
Plans are afoot for the Fuji climb.
So that's about the gist of it. Nothing too exciting, like I said. Now, I think I've got a craving for cocoa, so I'm going to go see what I can do about that. |
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| School is stupid |
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| 07:49pm 12/06/2006 |
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Oh yes, and by the way, AU is trying to take away my scholarship and loans.
Again.
Smashing head against the wall.
I'll be speaking with them tonight. Tons of fun. |
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| My butt hurts |
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| 07:45pm 12/06/2006 |
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I was sitting on the picnic benches next to James today when Amber decided she was going to braid James' hair. His hair is longer than mine, by the way.
At any rate, there was a bit of a tussle, and somehow, I got knocked off the bench. Onto the cement. Right onto my tailbone.
Have I ever mentioned how I bike everywhere and this is not particularly conducive to sore derrieres?
Sigh.
On a related note, everyone is going to the pub to drink and watch one of the World Cup games tonight. What am I doing? Sitting at home and studying.
... |
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