Attack of the Vlog!!

- Blogging on the go! The great Japan adventure continues...

So there was supposed to be an entry before now

Ok so I was gonna make a video blog last month but obviously it didn't happen. A lot did happen last month though, as I'm sure everyone out there is aware. And between one thing and another I got really stressed, started doing what I do when stressed which is overeating a bit, lost all progress on that front and now I'm really irritated with myself about it.

So the first thing that happened in the end of the school year was over the course of two days both my computers harddrive and my external harddrive crashed. I managed to save most of the data on my computers drive thank god, but everything on my externals drive is gone. Some of it is backed up on my drive back in America. But anything I have added since I came here is gone. All in all it sucked hardcore. I learned my lesson last tine and most things were backed up, but then my backup failed too. What are you even supposed to do when that happens?

But I totally lucked out in that regard because my warranty was still valid...by 16 days! Man that was close. Not to mention they honor that warranty in Japan! Go Mac! So I was able to speak to people in English about it and they picked it up, took to be serviced in Hiroshima, and brought it back. No charge no questions asked. And I got a new battery, for free, not sure why.

I'm just glad my baby is back, especially with the crazy that has been this last month.

There will be a video post soon, I've already recorded it!

- Blogging on the go! The great Japan adventure continues...

This may not be my homeland, but I love this country

I'm planning an update that has to do with the situation I had with my computer and so forth, as well as nice things like graduation season here. But I felt a to the point post was in order, for the people reading and for my own record of this trying time.

I am an American through and through, I would never consider leaving my home country permanently, because for all its troubles I love it. But pretty much the same thing goes for Japan. This place has been my home away from home. This land and these people have been extraordinarily giving of their time and have shared their lives, and their joy with me. After all that they have given me, its only right that I be with them in their suffering as well.

I love this place, and it goes way beyond the love of that teenage girl who loved to watch anime. Now not to overstate, I am not in danger in Shimane, and it is rather unlikely that I will be in danger here in the future from this. Facts are, I am roughly 460 miles from where this is happening. And based on what I have seen of satellites/radar in the weather patterns since I have been living here, its just not typical for the wind to blow from that direction. It mainly seems to blow from the continent towards the pacific. Even a touch northward from me.

So I'm not leaving. If the situation calls for it, which I think is unlikely, I will consider driving further south, maybe go to be with Lexi, who is a further 150 miles away. But I'm not going to run to another country unless I have to.

And I really don't think I'll have to.

That being said, if you read this, please do everything you can to donate to the relief efforts. They need it so badly up there. And as wonderful of a nation as this is, they are sometimes too proud to ask for help when they need it. Please remember that in the coming months.

Vlogging to rescue again

So in the next day or two I will type up the awful thing that happened with my computer recently. But for now, here is the vlog that I recorded right before it happened.

I have a Youtube Video!!

So here is something I'm gonna try to do to supplement my normal blogs, and maybe it will work better :) Enjoy my first ever Youtube Video

I didn't post in December. It was a busy month and I've got some videos of moms visit. I'll try and post them up. The kids were especially busy, having tests extra. But I tried very hard to stay busy while they were testing. And of course there were also the year end drinking parties. But not too many in my case. And then mom came and we did lots of fun things. It was a good visit, and I guess its made me appreciate some things about living on my own, but also the house seem a bit more lonely for a little while. Its nice though to have some more organization going on here, so thanks mom for that! So the holidays and the New Year have come and gone.

This year I'm going to be trying something I read about online, taking one picture for every day of the year. I'll be starting a little late, but I thought it be an interesting way of documenting my life here. Maybe I'll throw them up here in batches from time to time. Tomorrow I go back to work after my long vacation. Oh its hard to think about. Times like these are when I think I miss being a student the most. Its hard to go back to the daily grind after break, and its a lot longer between breaks unless I take them myself. Urgh working is hard!

Time Sure Flies When Your Sick and Theres Work to Do

So I ended up getting pretty sick. All in all I had to take two days off work to get well. But I've managed to pretty much kick it at this point, although I'm still coughing here and there. Now my car is deciding to get sick though, I'm gonna have to take in to the rental place. Its making a high pitched squealing sound, and this is precisely why I rent....because they will fix whatever it is and it wont cost me any extra.

I had a fairly uneventful week after that, we had another culture day. More singing. But my RowdyHill中 kids were really funny in the afternoon and even though KatsuTeacher also wanted me sing we had a pretty good time. Some of my 3rd years did a REALLY funny, and kind of hardcore dance to the Evangelion theme song, and I was cursing the fact that I forgot my camera. I can only hope that I can talk the school into letting me make a copy of the video they took. It was so funny I was in tears laughing.

I spent a lot of time at Kim's this week or so watching all 6 Harry Potter movies so we could watch the premiere of the 7th one yesterday after mid-year seminar. Movies really are best with other people to make snide comments with. And so we also had mid-year seminar, which was so conveniently close to me! Anyway, it was probably the most useful and informative function I've had so far in this process. Probably because now we all sorta know what we're doing and have constructive ideas to share. I do feel kinda inspired to try some more things, and I think I may have a little better understanding of what is needed. So all in all success.

I also went to Izumo Taisha for the first time today, with some other JETs. It really was fun times. The grounds are really pretty, even if the main hall in under construction for the next two years :(