A Day Off!

19 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by Birdie in Japanese Life/Culture/Customs, Life, Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

After a LONG day today, I found out I won’t have any classes to teach tomorrow.  YAY!!  😀

Tomorrow is Spring Equinox and here in Japan, it’s a holiday for most of the country.  The thing is just because it’s a holiday for everyone else, that doesn’t mean it is for me.

I’m the type that if my students want to have class, we’ll have class.  I figure if I don’t work, I’ll just be sitting at home doing nothing.  (Though there are TONS of things I could be or should be doing!  LOL)  If I teach a class, my students are happy and they don’t have to be alone on their day off.  (Yes, there are lonely people in the world.)

But last week, one of my Tuesday evening students told me her sister was going to be visiting tomorrow since it’s a national holiday.  (No 8pm class.)  Then I had a phone call about an hour ago from my friend who organizes the other two classes on Tuesday nights.  He said that since it’s a holiday, we’d have no classes.

So, do I have any plans for tomorrow?  No, not really.  It’ll probably be the usual stuff.  If the weather is nice, there’s laundry to do, dishes to wash… need to clean the cats’ litter boxes and organize my work expense receipts from last month.  There’s never a dull moment around here.

OR I could skip all that and actually take a full day off.  Wake up late, watch movies on cable, pop some popcorn and enjoy my holiday, right?

Guess I’ll decide what to do tomorrow!  **happy sigh**  🙂

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Wanting to Complain and Then…

15 Mar 2012 2 Comments

by Birdie in Uncategorized Tags: , ,

It was another long day, full of things to do and chores to take care of.  (I did treat myself to some extra sleep this morning though… yay!)  🙂

Thinking of all the events I have to attend this month and unexpected things that have happened in the past couple of weeks, I’ve found myself complaining about lack of sleep and being busy and not having time to just sit and relax… and today, I started to dislike the fact that it’s becoming easy to complain.

Just as this thought was in my mind, I had a chance to check my Facebook page.  There were a few things that put me back in my place.  1)  A dear friend of mine, from way back when, found out that her mom has lymphoma.  2)  A FB friend found out that he has cancer.

And here I was, griping about not having enough time for myself!

So, I’ll do my best to be even more thankful for all the positives I have in my life:  a computer that works so I can keep in touch with loved ones around the world, a vase-full of flowers that I got at the kindergarten graduation yesterday and this big fluffy cat curled up on my lap, just to mention a few things.

Thank you to those who are following me on here.  Thank you to everyone out there who loves me.

(Feel like I’m going to cry now…)

Cramps, Tears and Early B-day Presents…

12 Mar 2012 2 Comments

by Birdie in Life, Uncategorized Tags: , , ,

Sounds like a fun combination, doesn’t it?  🙂

As far as the cramps, that’s something which most females out there can probably relate to… and as far as the guys, well, please be grateful that you don’t have to experience them on a regular basis!  Take my word for it… they are NOT fun.

Moving on to the tears…

There has been so much going on during the past few weeks and I haven’t had much time to just sit and relax and daydream.  (Daydreaming has been a release mechanism for me since childhood.)  With the “zoo” here at home, a bird funeral, classes finishing up and getting things ready for graduations this week, my regular classes to teach, helping friends through difficult situations, doing translation work, getting things ready for my high school’s all-class reunion this summer, preparing for our neighborhood meeting this coming Sunday and going through the day yesterday (March 11th), remembering the earthquake and tsunami which devastated the northeastern part of Japan.

All that combined with the cramps and the fact that I tend to hold things inside, there was a moment this morning when the dam burst.  I was talking with a friend, saying how tired I am and she said, “You have to learn how to say, ‘No,’ you know!”  (VERY difficult for me to do!)  Guess that statement hit me in the perfect place and the tears started flowing.  I think she may have felt she’d upset me, but it wasn’t that at all.  It was more like “I know, I know… I do try” tears.  (If that makes any sense at all!)  🙂

Then early b-day presents…

Another good friend gave me this small package this afternoon, neatly wrapped up with red, white and blue string.  She told me it was for my birthday.  (Which is actually in two and a half weeks.)

This friend is amazingly talented and, in my opinion, there isn’t any craft she can’t perfect!  (For those who have noticed the change in Gravatar picture… she designed this little character for my blog.  A hard boiled egg with the yolk wanting desperately to “pop out” and be free, sakura {cherry} blossom on the head and microphone in hand!  🙂 )  She’s a wonderful cook, an awesome massuese, and above all, an irreplaceable friend!

After getting permission to open the little package, I found a phone charm inside, a handmade resin charm with the boiled egg design inside!  (It’s very cute!)

I promise to add a picture of it on here tomorrow.  For now, the cramps had subsided somewhat… the bed and warm, fuzzy blankets are calling my name… it’s been a long day and I’m looking forward to a long night full of dreams.  🙂

♬♪ Be glad that you are free… ♫♩

10 Mar 2012 4 Comments

by Birdie in Life, Music, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

Well, we finally had a sunny day today and I spent most of this Saturday cleaning, doing laundry, washing dishes… you know, all that fun stuff around the house!  🙂

Also watched a show about slavery and thought how blessed I am to have the freedom to do what I want, eat what I want, go where I want… also thought about how no matter what difficult situation we find ourselves in, we still have the freedom to daydream or think or visualize whatever we want.

And thinking of that makes me think of a Prince song which I love.  If you’ve never heard it, please check for the “1999” album and you’ll find it there.

Free

Don’t sleep ’til the sunrise, listen 2 the falling rain
Don’t worry ’bout tomorrow, don’t worry ’bout your pain
Don’t cry unless you’re happy, don’t smile unless you’re blue
Never let that lonely monster take control of U

Be glad that U r free
Free 2 change your mind
Free 2 go most anywhere, anytime
Be glad that U r free
There’s many a man who’s not
Be glad 4 what U had baby, what you’ve got
Be glad 4 what you’ve got

I know your heart is beating, my drummer tells me so
If U take your life 4 granted, your beating heart will go
So don’t sleep until you’re guilty, ‘cuz sinners all r we
There’s others doing far worse than us, so be glad that U r free

Be glad that U r free
Free 2 change your mind
Free 2 go most anywhere, anytime
Be glad that U r free
There’s many a man who’s not
Be glad 4 what U had baby, what you’ve got
Be glad 4 what you’ve got

Soldiers are a marching, they’re writing brand new laws
Will we all fight together 4 the most important cause?
Will we all fight 4 the right 2 be free?

Free (Be glad that U r free)
Free 2 change my mind (Free 2 change your mind)
Free 2 go most anywhere, anytime (Free 2 go most anywhere,anytime)
I’m just glad, I’m just glad I’m free, yeah (Be glad that U r free)
There’s many a man who’s not (There’s many a man who’s not)
Glad 4 what I had baby, (Be glad 4 what U had and)
Glad 4 what I got, oh yeah (for what you’ve got)
Oh I’m just glad, I’m just glad I’m free,yeah (Be glad that U r free)
Free 2 change my mind (Free 2 change your mind)
Free 2 go most anywhere, anytime (Free 2 go most anywhere,anytime)
(Be glad that U r free)
(There’s many a man who’s not)
I’m so… (Be glad 4 what U had and for)
(what you’ve got)

Dreaming of Warmer Weather and Clearer Skies…

08 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by Birdie in Food, Life, Travel Tags: , , , ,

It was another gloomy and dreary day today.  Got up, had to pass out some information about an upcoming community meeting to the households in two blocks I’m in charge of (another thing I’ll have to write about someday)… came home to take care of the “zoo”.

After giving one of the birds some medicine, it started acting strange.  Poto started fluffing up, shaking his head back and forth, opening his mouth… then he threw up once, then again and again and again…

Yes, at this point, I was freaking out!!  I was PRAYING that there wasn’t going to be another bird death… if that happened it would be another in less than a week!  😦  While being in panic mode, it was odd because I’d never seen a bird throw up before.

Anyway, Poto needed to go to the vet for his medicine refill.  So, got his cage and off we went.  He actually started singing in the car, so I felt a little bit better.  (Only a little…)  Arrived at the vet, only had to wait a few minutes before we were called in.  While Poto was getting weighed, I explained about his nausea.  The vet said it sounded like he had just eaten too much just before I gave him his medicine.  (Whew…)  She proceeded to check inside his mouth, his ears, the color of his beak, his wings, his heartbeat… then his one foot.  He had had a wound on it, but it was clear and the vet gave him a clean bill of health.  (BIG sigh of relief!!)

After getting home and getting settled, I sent an update text to his “mom”.  She was happy to hear he’s better.  (I was just happy that I wasn’t having to send a, “Something terrible has happened to one of your birds…” message!)

So, today hasn’t been as blue as yesterday, but as I sat down in front of the computer, I started to think about my mom whose is in Hawaii at this very moment.  Kept thinking how simply wonderful it would be to be able to blink a few times and instantly be there, zooming on the freeway, listening to some great classic rock tunes (maybe some Cream or Fleetwood Mac), driving up past Schofield Barracks, up to the North Shore to Giovanni’s to get some garlic shrimp.

Man, I need a vacation…  (~_~;)