One More Day of Meetings
Almost done with my week of meetings. Big, enormous, gargantuan sigh of relief.
I mean, it's nice to feel so involved. I'm getting used to having real "stuff" to do, instead of stuff that I made up to do in the six hours of alone time I got in Virginia. William is thriving at Miss Sara's--I thought last week that there was no way I could leave him there for 40 hours a week, but this week I think we're going to come close to 30 and guess what? I LOVE it. He's happy there and I'm happy out here.
Now if I could just get my attention span to cooperate.
Monday was pedicures with my friend Marlane...so I guess Monday wasn't too terribly painful. The pedicure took TWO hours though. That's a long time for this antsy woman to sit still, even if I'm gabbing and being pampered. The Japanese nail techs are so intent on getting every. last. bit. of cuticle off my toenails and scraping every last dry bit off my heels, which is just genetically impossible. After pedis, we had lunch at a very random Japanese place--my lunch was something like a Salisbury steak topped by a fried egg with rice and a salad all in the same plate. It was actually pretty damn good...tasted like a mini-Gramma Kuehl meatloaf.
After eating, we wandered into a department store and poked around for a long time. Me, starting to fret a little that I would get no downtime between hanging with Marlane and the kids coming home from school, but what can you do? Went to the basement--most Japanese department stores have beautiful grocery stores in their basements--not like Herrod's level nice, but still so lovely. I should take pictures next time I'm in there, because you wouldn't believe how beautifully presented everything is. They make the meat in the meat case look like an origami crane. I'm not even exaggerating.
I bought more produce, because our produce on base is nasty. For some reason, they import bagged salad and head lettuce from the States and by the time it gets over here, it's brown and on the verge of expiring. Gross. The bananas are imported as well and are always spotty and covered with bruises. The avocados are mushy, the tomatoes wrinkled. You get the picture...I have no idea WHY they don't just buy from the Japanese. Their produce is beautiful. I have been buying these apples lately that are so amazing--they're yellow with just a blush of red, super-sweet and crispy. Whatever they are...I am in love with them.
Finally got home and had 4-1/2 minutes to take a deep breath before the children came stampeding through the door. I have discovered this about myself recently: I'm introverted and I just need a few minutes, especially on a busy day, to be alone in silence and decompress. Or I'm a raging hag. If I have a busy day now, I take my time alone and I don't feel apologetic about it--it's just best for everyone if I have my few minutes to read quietly all alone.
Yesterday was Japanese-American Women's Club and yes, I survived, though it was more than a little uncomfortable at first. I found out on SATURDAY that costumes were "strongly encouraged"...which is code for "Don't even consider not showing up in a costume". Cue panic. I hate Halloween. I know I'm in the minority here. I don't really decorate except for a couple of pumpkins and a cute Halloween wreath. I don't have a costume or plan a costume for weeks in advance, not even for the kids. I hate having scads of candy laying around the house. I hate ghosts and demons and skeletons and zombies. Gross.
I do go on, don't I? Anyway, I had no costume. For some DUMB reason, I didn't bring my dirndl. Probably because I could see no reason for wearing something German in Japan. The only thing I could come up with on short notice was construction worker. For some reason, my Carhartt coveralls and jacket made it over, so I put on a white T-shirt, a denim shirt, rolled up my sleeves and wore my coveralls and heavy boots. I stuck wrenches and screwdrivers in my tool pockets and hung a hammer in my belt loop, put a bandana on and stuck a pencil behind my ear.
And that was that.
NINETY-FIVE percent of the 50 ladies in the club were witches. They all had striped tights and black boots and black dresses on and black, pointy hats.
Yay for me, standing out like a sore thumb, but of course, I felt like a sore thumb. Club was super boring too--I felt like stabbing myself in the temple with my screwdriver. I thought it was going to be some kind of fantastic cultural exchange. Maybe when the Japanese host US next month, it will be different. We had a costume contest in which all 45 witches, me and the four other ladies that dared to wear something oddball were forced to march around in a circle with the Japanese ladies in their costumes. Needless to say, most of the prizes went to the Japanese ladies...
We were all mixed at tables, so it was me and a Japanese American Navy wife...which I didn't really catch on to until late in the game when it finally occurred to me that she was in OUR Navy. Confusing though, since she was chattering away in Japanese to the actual Japanese Navy wives at the table.
We had to do a long quiz about witches (maybe there was a witch theme of which (haha) I was not made aware?) that we had to take. Everyone else whipped out their phones and looked up the answers. They all won prizes. I answered what I could without the phone...they were all questions about American shows and movies.
Pumpkin carving, then the consumption of 12 lbs of desserts and finger foods, then finally I got to go home. And decompress for five minutes before going to my next meeting.
And today, I have Yokosuka Officer's Spouses Club for THREEEEEEE hours. I am super-tempted to ditch and run away with Will to Kannonzaki and spend the day beachcombing and walking the trails, but I said I would be there, paid $20 for lunch (some fancy shrimp concoction--I would love a nice pot pie, jeez), so I guess I'd better be there, filling my seat. Smiling and making small talk. GAHHH. I hate small talk. Please let someone I know be there, please let someone I know be there.
OK, just thought I'd let you all know that so far, I'm making it through. Thursday and Friday I have off, except for trick-or-treating on Thursday, during which CFAY opens the base gates and 1.5 million Japanese people flood in to take our candy. So THAT should be relaxing. Maybe I'd better find a recipe for some Halloween toddies.
Sayonara friends!
I mean, it's nice to feel so involved. I'm getting used to having real "stuff" to do, instead of stuff that I made up to do in the six hours of alone time I got in Virginia. William is thriving at Miss Sara's--I thought last week that there was no way I could leave him there for 40 hours a week, but this week I think we're going to come close to 30 and guess what? I LOVE it. He's happy there and I'm happy out here.
Now if I could just get my attention span to cooperate.
Monday was pedicures with my friend Marlane...so I guess Monday wasn't too terribly painful. The pedicure took TWO hours though. That's a long time for this antsy woman to sit still, even if I'm gabbing and being pampered. The Japanese nail techs are so intent on getting every. last. bit. of cuticle off my toenails and scraping every last dry bit off my heels, which is just genetically impossible. After pedis, we had lunch at a very random Japanese place--my lunch was something like a Salisbury steak topped by a fried egg with rice and a salad all in the same plate. It was actually pretty damn good...tasted like a mini-Gramma Kuehl meatloaf.
After eating, we wandered into a department store and poked around for a long time. Me, starting to fret a little that I would get no downtime between hanging with Marlane and the kids coming home from school, but what can you do? Went to the basement--most Japanese department stores have beautiful grocery stores in their basements--not like Herrod's level nice, but still so lovely. I should take pictures next time I'm in there, because you wouldn't believe how beautifully presented everything is. They make the meat in the meat case look like an origami crane. I'm not even exaggerating.
I bought more produce, because our produce on base is nasty. For some reason, they import bagged salad and head lettuce from the States and by the time it gets over here, it's brown and on the verge of expiring. Gross. The bananas are imported as well and are always spotty and covered with bruises. The avocados are mushy, the tomatoes wrinkled. You get the picture...I have no idea WHY they don't just buy from the Japanese. Their produce is beautiful. I have been buying these apples lately that are so amazing--they're yellow with just a blush of red, super-sweet and crispy. Whatever they are...I am in love with them.
Finally got home and had 4-1/2 minutes to take a deep breath before the children came stampeding through the door. I have discovered this about myself recently: I'm introverted and I just need a few minutes, especially on a busy day, to be alone in silence and decompress. Or I'm a raging hag. If I have a busy day now, I take my time alone and I don't feel apologetic about it--it's just best for everyone if I have my few minutes to read quietly all alone.
Yesterday was Japanese-American Women's Club and yes, I survived, though it was more than a little uncomfortable at first. I found out on SATURDAY that costumes were "strongly encouraged"...which is code for "Don't even consider not showing up in a costume". Cue panic. I hate Halloween. I know I'm in the minority here. I don't really decorate except for a couple of pumpkins and a cute Halloween wreath. I don't have a costume or plan a costume for weeks in advance, not even for the kids. I hate having scads of candy laying around the house. I hate ghosts and demons and skeletons and zombies. Gross.
I do go on, don't I? Anyway, I had no costume. For some DUMB reason, I didn't bring my dirndl. Probably because I could see no reason for wearing something German in Japan. The only thing I could come up with on short notice was construction worker. For some reason, my Carhartt coveralls and jacket made it over, so I put on a white T-shirt, a denim shirt, rolled up my sleeves and wore my coveralls and heavy boots. I stuck wrenches and screwdrivers in my tool pockets and hung a hammer in my belt loop, put a bandana on and stuck a pencil behind my ear.
And that was that.
NINETY-FIVE percent of the 50 ladies in the club were witches. They all had striped tights and black boots and black dresses on and black, pointy hats.
Yay for me, standing out like a sore thumb, but of course, I felt like a sore thumb. Club was super boring too--I felt like stabbing myself in the temple with my screwdriver. I thought it was going to be some kind of fantastic cultural exchange. Maybe when the Japanese host US next month, it will be different. We had a costume contest in which all 45 witches, me and the four other ladies that dared to wear something oddball were forced to march around in a circle with the Japanese ladies in their costumes. Needless to say, most of the prizes went to the Japanese ladies...
We were all mixed at tables, so it was me and a Japanese American Navy wife...which I didn't really catch on to until late in the game when it finally occurred to me that she was in OUR Navy. Confusing though, since she was chattering away in Japanese to the actual Japanese Navy wives at the table.
We had to do a long quiz about witches (maybe there was a witch theme of which (haha) I was not made aware?) that we had to take. Everyone else whipped out their phones and looked up the answers. They all won prizes. I answered what I could without the phone...they were all questions about American shows and movies.
Pumpkin carving, then the consumption of 12 lbs of desserts and finger foods, then finally I got to go home. And decompress for five minutes before going to my next meeting.
And today, I have Yokosuka Officer's Spouses Club for THREEEEEEE hours. I am super-tempted to ditch and run away with Will to Kannonzaki and spend the day beachcombing and walking the trails, but I said I would be there, paid $20 for lunch (some fancy shrimp concoction--I would love a nice pot pie, jeez), so I guess I'd better be there, filling my seat. Smiling and making small talk. GAHHH. I hate small talk. Please let someone I know be there, please let someone I know be there.
OK, just thought I'd let you all know that so far, I'm making it through. Thursday and Friday I have off, except for trick-or-treating on Thursday, during which CFAY opens the base gates and 1.5 million Japanese people flood in to take our candy. So THAT should be relaxing. Maybe I'd better find a recipe for some Halloween toddies.
Sayonara friends!
Comments
As for the meetings, I suppose you don't dare bring along a book. I have no advice, but am proud of you for going.
We have to host at our house twice a month, part of Mark's job. I need to become queen of small talk. We need to skype soon, during the week, very soon.