while i'm thinking about it...

--i did a homestay in nagoya, japan when i was a high school student about *gasp!* 9 years ago. while here, i took calligraphy classes, aka shodo. i was always botching my drawings; writing the wrong line first, not bending my arcs correctly, etc. mistakes that aren’t surprising considering the perfection with which write. after drawing, you would carry it up to the teacher and bow in front of him while he corrected your paper. the first kanji character that i ever got a big orange swirl on [the mark for correct] was shiawase, or happiness.

after returning to the u.s. i promptly had that kanji tattooed on my foot as a constant reminder of the life-changing experience. recently i was talking to my supervisor and the subject of tattoos came up. i was honest, he asked to see. ha, ha… bare in mind that one kanji character has multiple readings, or pronunciations, which is one reason deciphering them is so difficult. turns out this kanji is also read as koichi, my supervisor’s first name. i told him i was gonna get a heart tattooed around it next week.


--i am going damn near nuts trying to sort out a new driver’s license here. consistent with so many Japanese things, there is a ton of inane paperwork to be done. you need documents that simply verify other documents you’ve already waited in line forever for which just explain other government-issued things, like my i.d. card. tomorrow i’m going to the dmv which is a convenient 2-hour drive away. everyone knows how frustrating the dmv is, just imagine if you had to go there and speak a foreign language. i am not looking forward to this.


--got a new car recently…well, new to me. my old car rental company went out of business so i’m now leasing from a little Suzuki dealership out in the middle of nowhere that the maintenance man from my other high school knew about. he’s my self-proclaimed japanese father and he’s always willing to help me out. his daughter is living in australia so he has an idea about how tough it can be. even though he speaks only a few english words, we communicate well because he talks slow and deliberately, choosing words that i’ll probably know, and never giving up on me when i don’t understand. he’s the cutest thing ever. my car however, is not. it’s ugly. no way around it. a boxy, squatty, tiny, dull metallic, rusty car. at least it has wheels and a motor. i’ll be saving a little money with this new ride, but i would be willing to pay a little more for some style and pizzazz. how vain, i know.


--so the hospital was days of boredom, constant pain, near insanity, but at least it improved my social life. last night i went out with a fella i met while in the hole. he speaks no english so it was excellent practice. we went to one of my favorite spots, the sleeping sheep, right down the street and it was dead. only us until another guy came in a while later. he and the bartender were talking about me, in barely hushed tones, as if i couldn’t understand them [i know the bartenders fairly well so they are aware that i’ve got a little japanese ability.] finally he asked how my arm was doing? i was confused until he began to explain that he was in the hospital at the same time i was. he’d cut his mop of hair so i didn’t recognize him. how nuts; 3 patrons in a bar, all of them were in the same ward of the same hospital at the same time, and it turns out we all have the same doctor. guzen ne! that means coincidence...i just learned that one...i love it when i get to use new words...
my friend had to work early, so after he left i continued to hang out with the guys that were working. they were feeding me shochu and green tea until closing time. afterwards we went to hole in the wall yakitori restaurant to eat and drink. it was late and i was drunk which goes a long way to explaining the raw chicken livers and grilled chicken skin that i ate. i finally made it home about 4:30. those boys sure know how to party.

speaking of the hospital improving my social life…i’m going out tonight again with the doctor that i have a mad crush on. we’ve been messaging on our cell phones for weeks trying to find a time to get together. unfortunately, i’m increasingly convinced he’s married. i know…you’re saying “you haven’t asked him yet?”…no…i know…you’re right…it’s ridiculous…but not knowing is almost better…i can just keep my silly crush and continue to flirt with him without feeling like a home wrecker. aren’t i alleviated of all responsibility in the case of any infidelity by using the ‘i had no idea you were married’ defense? kidding, slightly.