just thinking about...

birthday week is in full effect. less than a week ago, i didn't even remember that my 23rd was approaching but with 3 concerts, and a romantical dinner at "the spot", it certainly feels like my birthday...and what do you know, it actually is (almost)! I'm way over the jetlag and now just focusing my energies on fun and (gasp!) work. Things are good right now. really good actually. Being away from Clark really made an impact on us both and as if we didn't adore each other enough before... we actually do even more now. awww...have a toothache yet? or just nausea? yeah, me too.

m-raz last night, DGray tonight and PMac tomorrow... sounds like birthday week to me.

song o the day...i hope tomorrow is like today...guster

But, there's no place like home

Sitting at my desk today, it feels like maybe I was just asleep for about a week and had this really cool dream where I went to Japan with Britt and had a wicked awesome time, saw some of the coolest sights, and met some of the best people ever. it all seems so real though. I even have a hello kitty photo album sitting next to me with pictures of the adventure. but the girl in the pictures has glasses and curly hair, so it must be someone else.

During this adventure there were Shrines, and Temples, and monkeys, and waterfalls, oh my. We spent 5 glorious days in Niigata with the Hikosawa family and various friends of Britt's eating TONS of food (don't ever think for a minute that the lovely people of Japan only eat a little bit of rice and fish at meals), sightseeing around town and about 3 hours away in Nikko. And we ate a lot too. We made a pit stop at Nihon Kai where I drew some initials in the sand. We had a Mexican Cuisine Party at the Hikosawa home where we drank corona and received beautiful gifts from the family and friends. And we ate some more. After a stop at a Junior High School to talk about being American (and, subsequently, defending ourselves in a way) we made our way to Oz, umm, I mean Tokyo. Tokyo was everything I hoped for as a combination of NYC/Las Vegas/Disneyland/Hell. I enjoyed the brief city life even if that meant burning eyes and difficulty breathing at times. The people were great and the walks to and from the subway were kind of refreshing. Oh yeah, and Chester has a talking bathtub.

As I rode the train from Tokyo Station to the airport, I reflected on the whole wonderful week as I stared out the window. If felt pretty surreal even when I was still there. There was even an earthquake in Tokyo 10 minutes before my flight left and a earthquake in San Diego right after I got home. strange. The best parts of the adventure don't translate through pictures or words unfortunately, but those are the things I'll remember most of all. So I'm looking at these pictures and saying to myself... "and you were there, and you were there, and you were there too..."

song o the week... somewhere over the rainbow...

what have you learned grasshopper?

Well, i know how to say excuse me, ask for a beer or wine, good morning, thank you, before and after meal phrases, and of course, Clarks shoe size. And Kaze Wo Atsumete. but that doesn't count right?

in less than 24 hours, i'll begin my first trek to japan. i'm lucky for many reasons, but one is that i will have britt as my personal tour guide and traveling buddy! we were informed Monday that we will be guests at a junior high school next Thursday to speak about...well, being American I guess. We received a list today of topics the kids would like to hear about which include but are not limited to...
"eating habit breakfast snack popular food How do you stay healthy? Tell us popular Hollywood stars. Which Japanese food does agree with American? and not agree with?... What is scariness in calamity in America?..."

my brief experience there will be interesting to say the least. I wonder if I will be able to sleep tonight?

Lots of love...see you real soon. Maybe I'll even bring back something Hello Kitty-ish for you.

song o' the day...kaze wo atsumete...happy end

xo smile like you're going somewhere you've always wanted to go... xo

Fortunes.

The following fortunes have been taped to my keyboard for at least two years.

from the floors of the ocean, the waves of the tide, a vacation awaits you far & wide.

You will soon be crossing the great waters. (i have that one on there twice)

5 days and counting. (!!!!!!)

song o' the day... No Stopping Us... jason mraz