Toilet Shenanigans

Monday, July 17, 2006

I'm having a wonderful time in Key West! I am here with Christina, Chrissy and Darcy. Yesterday, Christina and I drove up to Orlando from Tampa and stayed the night with Chrissy. We then left at 7:30am this morning to finally make it to Key West by 4ish this afternoon. It was a pleasant, if uneventful ride. Chrissy, however, did stub her toe while attempting to frighted some birds away while we ate lunch. She was left with a bloody scratch and the birds returned only seconds later.

So we got into the hotel which is quite nice for being free. Hell, it's nice regardless. Chrissy's mother apparently goes on a bunch of business trips and is given vouchers for staying at different hotels which, for whatever reason, she never uses. So she let us have them in celebration of Chrissy's recent birthday. We were put in a very nice Marriott Hotel room that goes for about $200 a night.

On with the point!

So the first thing we do is relax and Christina goes to the bathroom. I then go right after her and I feel that because I have gone so quickly (I've been known to top Olympic pee speeds) I figure that I couldn't flush the toilet yet because it was still reloading from the last round. Whatever, we abruptly left to have a night on the town and flirt with gay men. We didn't get back until around 10:20. The pool closes at 11 so we rushed to get our bathing suits on when we realized that the toilet was still trying to reload (fill the tank).

We then called maintenance and didn't have to wait very long for the house elf/pool boy/Micheal to come and fix the toilet. He walked straight into the bathroom, flushed the toilet once and it worked like magic. Magic!

We then went swimming. We walk back in at about 11:30 and realized that the toilet is again not working correctly. What? It's hot outside! We were drinking lot's of water!!

So we call maintainer again. The girl at the front desk was very nice while I apologized about being such a nuisance. The toilet actually has a note on it saying that it's a very environmentally savy toilet (complete with a comic of a toilet saying all of this) and how it may need to be flushed twice. Whatever.

Again, Michael doesn't take long to come in and take a look at the toilet. This time he spent a little longer to figure it out when he comes out and says that we should jiggle the handle to get it to work properly. At this exact moment, Darcy and I are debating just how cute this guy is. We remember that the first time he came in he seemed thin and tall but nothing special. This time we took a good look and realized that he not only has a gorgeous face but he has some foreign and exotic accent that is untraceable. I have no idea where he's from. Hotland most likely.

So he leaves and we continue with our business.

I'm settling into bed and everyone but Darcy has taken a shower and I'm ready to fall asleep when I heard Darcy from the bathroom calmly yelling that the toilet is going to overflow. "Jiggle the handle Darcy, it's not that hard!" Chrissy and I both say.

I am reminded of all the clogged toilets I have ever come across in my life. I have never actually seen one overflow before. I've seen them come close but it really seems like something that only happens in the movies. Don't they have a catch mechanism like a bathtub and sink to prevent that? They should. Because there is a first for everything.

Darcy keeps yelling and so I finally get up off my ass and go in to see what's wrong. The toilet appears to be about to overflow but I know in my mind that that is completely impossible. So I jiggle the handle. Nothing. I then ask Darcy if she held down the handle before she started jiggling it. She says, no. By this time, I hear Chrissy on the phone with the front desk telling them that our toilet is not working yet again.

The water is now up to the rim of the bowl and it's starting to go down. See, I think, it can't possibly overflow. So I hold down the handle to hopefully fix the problem and suddenly, the water starts rising and I start screaming. The water actually fell over the rim of the bowl and starting splashing to the floor just like in the movies!! I then continue screaming and start running around the room with my arms above my head to help the situation. I completely fly off the handle.

Chrissy is still on the phone with the front desk girl. The girl is in disbelief while she listens to me screaming in the background. She asks Chrissy if we would perhaps like a new room and Chrissy replies that yes, that would be very nice but that won't fix the toilet from continuing to spill pee-pee water on the floor.

The next few minutes were a blur to me. I eventually calmed down and we all began to pack up our things which is when we realize just how much crap we have brought. We had just gotten comfortable and moved things where we needed them most. When Michael and the front desk girl walk in to try and fix the problem.

I am so damn embarrassed for being caught screaming and losing control that I start giggling incessantly and I just can't get over it, my face was completely red, I'm sure. The front desk girl was pretty close to our age and she started joking with us which really made me feel better. She accused us of having done this on purpose and I commented back that I had, in fact, shoved a towel down the toilet just so that Michael would have to keep coming back. (We all have a sneaky suspicion that she likes him. Who wouldn't?!)

We finish packing up our things and she begins escorting us to our new room. As she's telling us that it is a little bigger than the one that we have just left, I hear Micheal in his cool accent saying that someone has left a soaking bikini bathing suit in the bathroom. Thank you Michael, I would have been lost without it. (and I blush some more)

When we walked into our new room we were floored. Sure, it was a little bigger than our last one. It had gone from $200 a night to $1200 a night. Which is still all free to us. It now has a sink, refrigerator, microwave, double beds and a fold out couch, two rooms, balcony, shower and jacuzzi tub. We died laughing and I am now blogging from heaven where we shall all reside until the end of our vacation (Tuesday).

For now, I'm going to finally go to bed.

Potty Training

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

No, not for Emily. She's still only 2 months old as of yesterday!

Instead, here is a video that I received via email from my Kochi JET Yahoo! Group



Here is what I have roughly translated: (and please, don't quote me on this. I am getting the basic gist of what they are saying. I'm not translating directly)

Going to the Toilet
Pants Man

Boy: something about my tummy....my toilet!!!!
Mom: somethingsomethingsomething

Toilet: somethingsomething sit on me!

Mom and Dad: We'll do our best together!

Some song about peeing

Boy: YAH!!! I peed!!! Bye bye pee-boy!

Boy: There's something wrong in my butt! I need to use the toilet!

Toilet: Do your best!

Some song about pooing

Boy: I pooed!

Mom and Dad: Yeah, you did it!
Dad: probably talking about wiping.

Boy: Bye bye poo-boy!
Yeah I did it. Dad, I pooed in the toilet!

The pants feel so good!!!!

I can't translate what the kid is saying beyond "I'm pushing the button" and "Poo! Poo!"

After this, I have learned that Unchi means poo... \(^u^)/

And please don't make fun of my poor translations. It's been a while since I've studied and I never learned how to understand Japanese singing in conversational speech, and Poo and Pee were conveniently left off my vocabulary list ;)

I Hear Strange Noises When No One Is Home

Monday, July 10, 2006

Well things are going down hill from where I see it. Again, I'm starting to get more lethargic everyday. It's gotten to the point that my body isn't bothered by not getting any exercise, just as long as I get 10 hours of sleep I'm satisfied. That's total crap!!! But I just don't have the motivation to get out and ride my bike. It's too damn HOT!

I'll be going to Key West next weekend, so I'm looking forward to the change in pace. That should hold me over until I leave. 26 days until I'm in Miami. 28 until I'm in Japan.

As for my doings, I've recently picked up the hobby of converting all the home movies on VHS tapes into DVD's. You would think this is an easy process but you'd be wrong. For whatever reason, if I want to get decent quality on these crappy VHS tapes, 2 hours turns into 23gigs. 23GIGS!!!!! That's outrageous!!! And I can't put them on my external hard drive because that only holds a max of 4gig files. It's FAT32 and not NTFS but if I remember correctly, FAT32 is way better than NTFS. I've never heard of this 4 gig crap. Whatever, I'm just cutting up the video files and then pasting them back together in Nero. I'll post some of the funnier moments of me ;) later when I get them. At the rate I'm going, I won't be done by the weekend. We have about 15 or so videos. (and they're probably all 2 hours!!!)

I also went out shopping (some more) and got a decent "little black dress" for all my semi-formal needs. As my mom suggested, a little black dress can be changed by it's accessories and you don't have to buy a whole new dress for every occasion. The dress was more than $100 and that's WAY more than I like to spend on clothing. I still need shoes for it too (T0T) But now, I at least have something to wear for the orientation and banquet in Miami the day before we ship out.

That's all for now. Sorry for the boring post. Welcome to my life.

Nina Got A Web Cam

Thursday, July 6, 2006

For all her cross continent communication needs












Just keep in mind that I can video chat with these things moving right along with me ;) That is, if I can figure out how to connect to a video chat in the first place *sigh*

The contest is coming along nicely...meaning that I've gotten a few good pictures. I've had a few people tell me that they are interested and are planning to participate but the clock is ticking and I don't see anything!!!

But ya know what, I would really be happy to have anyone's pictures, even late ones. Anyone can send them via Internet whether I'm in Florida or Japan. And I'm sure my students would love to see all of them :) (but that doesn't mean that I don't want them before I go! I want them so that I'll have something to show them on the first day)

I'm going to keep adding photos as I get them. If it doesn't say that I got them from anyone else, then they've been taken by me. As of right now, that's all of them.

Yo Ho A Pirates Life For ME

Monday, July 3, 2006

I went to Orlando yesterday for a Pirate Party at Matt's place in celebration for the Pirates of the Caribbean movie coming out. It was great to be back in Orlando and see all my friends. It feels like I've been gone for a much longer time than I really have. I keep in touch with everyone through aim and email but it's really not the same as seeing everyone. When 1:30am rolled around, I was having such a good time that I didn't want to go but all good things must come to an end I suppose.

I didn't bring my camera because I forgot it at Chrissy's house where I stayed the night. I'll be requesting everyone else's pictures and post them as I get them. I was too busy working on my outfit to remember it! Everyone looked fantastic too. Adam's shirt (right) was home made! Woo hoo for talented Adam! (don't miss the bird in my hat either. He doesn't stand out too much but was he cute!)

In the end, it was a huge reminder of how much I'll miss everyone. I know, I know, I'm going to have a great time in Japan. But common, you can not downplay the loss of loved ones. Nothing and no one can ever replace a single one of my friends. Yes, I may see some (but not all) of them again and I will keep in touch and I'll even make new friends and love them just as dearly but I will miss everyone and it gives me a horrible pain in my chest just thinking about it.


*sigh*

Just wait until about 2 days before I actually leave. Then the floodgates of loss will really break wide open. Be prepared. You have been warned.

Nina's a Geek

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Or is she?

Your results:
You are Supergirl

Supergirl 97% Iron Man 85% Wonder Woman 82% Superman 75% Robin 70% Spider-Man 70% Green Lantern 70% Catwoman 65% The Flash 45% Batman 45% Hulk 20%

Lean, muscular and feminine. Honest and a defender of the innocent.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...





I went to the movies to see X-men III last night. We got there too late to see the next 6 flags commerical. I was really looking forward to it.

But something interesting happened in the movie that I actually couldn't control laughing outloud. There was only one other group of people in the audiance and the guy kept clearning his throat so it's not like I was bother him or anything.

Anyway, if you look back through my posts, there was one where I put a bunch of funny flash movies and videos and someone commented and told me the Juggernaut video was hilarious. I watched it for about 2 minutes before I turned it off. It was so dumb.



Then, I saw this in the movie and died laughing!!!

Meeting in Tampa

Monday, June 26, 2006

So I finally got to go to the Q&A meeting in Tampa.

First of all, I'd like to say that I was a little scared. I've been known to miss very important meetings and even a few finals. Now, this meeting was originally set for Saturday the 24th (yesterday) but it was changed a few weeks ago and we were all given strict information that it was to be today and NOT SATURDAY. But, because of my past history of misreading memos and such, I was afraid that maybe I read the email wrong and it was really yesterday and I missed it. To console myself, I had to keep rereading the email every few hours just to make sure that I was correct. In the end, I was totally right and I got there on time and everything was perfect.

I met about 15 people who are all ALTs and are of course leaving from Miami on the same plane I am. Hopefully, they will prove to be good conversation for the 15 hour flight. I met a few people that I knew right off the bat would annoy me to no end and others that I think I could be friends with. No one really struck my fancy as being bff-forever sort of people, but then again none of them were stationed anywhere close to Kochi so I won't be seeing much of any of them. That is unless I want to do a Tatami Swap which doesn't sound like a bad idea...but I digress.

I also found out that the majority of them had not ever been to Japan and had studied close to nothing of the language or the culture. They are going to be in for a huge surprise and I wish the best of luck to them. Japan is so different from anywhere else I've ever been to that I can't imagine choosing to live there for at least one year without first checking out the place. I really hope they have a good time. Hell, the first time I went to Japan I didn't know any of the language and I enjoyed myself immensely!! But I was only there for two weeks...

As for the questions, most of them I either already knew the answers to or they weren't really that important but good to know for fyi. For example, I knew about the dress code and the weather and how to deal with the weather. Everyone's been giving me the same info for that (Heat one room in the apartment/house and stay there until you absolutely have to move somewhere else. I did hear that one person made a little fort out of her Kotatsu and spent many a night underneath it! hahahha...I might do that)

I learned that Japanese men are fun to date but not that great for long relationships. I'll tuck that piece of information away in my mind for a later date when it becomes relevant.

I learned that some good omiyage are old navy shirts which go on sale the day after the 4th of July (American shirts) Apparently everyone loved them.

I learned close to nothing about lesson plans. That was something that I really wanted to know about and most people didn't seem to care. All the topics were on what happens when you get there and how to survive. Nothing was devoted to actual job performance. I know that JET isn't known for it's great teachers or anything like that but a few general ideas would be nice. I finally asked one of the former ALTs about it. She was a 4th grade teacher here in the states and said that it's not actually teaching (duh). She said that it was mostly game playing and nothing more. It was nothing that you had to have any skill for or any real training. I, on the other hand want to do a really good job. I'm not saying she didn't do her job well. I'm not saying that at all! I think she probably did a fantastic job! The thing is that I want to do a good job and that means I want to be prepared for it. I want to bring things from America I want to be ready for whatever tasks they throw at me and I want them to remember me and actually learn something!

*sigh*

Lastly, and most importantly, I found out that I had forgotten to fill out my tax form here in the US so I can take it with me to Japan all filled out and certified. It takes about 30 days to do and since I have about 40 days, I think I better get cracking. I actually started freaking out about it, like I do whenever I realize there's something I've forgotten (AGAIN!) but I realized it's a simple thing and being a little late on the paperwork is not bad per se, it's just very very inconvenient. Hopefully, I'll have it faxed and on it's way by tomorrow morning. Good luck to Nina, she totally needs it (^_^;)

I leave you with a funny video. I recently saw the Lake House with Christina and I loved it. But during the previews, there was a commercial for 6 flags. It was the funniest and most random thing I have ever seen. This isn't it, but it's close. If I ever find the commercial I'm thinking of, I'll be sure to post it :) for now, Enjoy.

BP Gas Station

Sunday, June 25, 2006

I received this email from my mom the other day and I thought I would pass it on...and perhaps after reading this you will understand just where I get it from. :D

BEGIN EMAIL:

One day when I was driving to work, I got stuck at that light at Tampa Road and Forest Lakes. You know the one...it's the one with the BP Gas station on the corner.

Well, while I was waiting FOREVER for the light to change, all of a sudden, a whole swarm of about ten thousand bees covered the whole area! They were slamming into the windows of the car and it was really pretty scary! It was like watching The Birds (that Alfred Hitchcock movie).

I looked over at the gas station to see if anyone was outside pumping gas, but no one was. Thank goodness! I was SO THANKFUL that I was in the car with the windows up! I looked around to see what everyone else who was stopped at the light was doing, but they all seemed as amazed as I was.

When the light finally changed, the swarm seemed to dissipate - maybe the moving cars broke up their party. Whatever! I was so glad to get out of there!

When I got to work a few minutes later and parked the car, I noticed that there were tons of little yellow spots all over my car. BEE PEE!!! That's what I thought. Must've been the gas station - those bees thought that's where they were supposed to be!

I know you think I'm making this up, but I'm really not. I really happened that way and that's really what I thought!

Love,

Mom

Six Weeks To Go

Friday, June 23, 2006

Welp, the contest is going well so far. I have all of myself and my two good friends in the area helping me out with it. Yeah for competition!

In other news....

One week ago:

Today at after my bad around 1pm:


It was a three year old phone that just yesterday I was raving about how great and reliable of a phone it was. I suppose I dropped it one too many times though. Now, I have to find a phone to hold me over until August. That's six weeks. I'm not spending $150 for a new phone just for six weeks!!! I'd rather go without....which I won't. I'll find a replacement, I swear!

In other other news, I'm not even at the school yet and I'm already in the school newspaper.

新しいALTのご紹介！日本大好き！高知大好き！土佐山田大好き！のニーナさんが先生として山田高校に帰ってきてくれます！出身はアメリカ・フロリダ州。2年前にラーゴ高校生と共に山田高校を訪問された経験があります。

ニーナ先生から皆さんへのメッセージです。

"Hello everyone! My name is Nina Maran and I am excited to be teaching English at Yamada High School. I will do my best to teach you English. Please help me with my Japanese! I look forward to meeting everyone in the Fall!!" 「みなさん、こんにちは！ニーナ･メイランです。山田高校で英語を教えることになって本当にワクワクしています。英語を教えること、日本語を学ぶこと、共にベストを尽くしたいと思っています。どうぞよろしくお願いしますね。2学期、皆さんにお会いできることを楽しみにしています！！ I roughly translated the first part to mean: "This is the new ALT's introduction! 'I love Japan! I love Kochi! I love Tosayamada!' Nina is returning to Yamada high school as a teacher! She is from Florida, America. Two years ago, she visited here with the Largo Exchange program. This is Nina-Sensei's message to everyone!" And I wrote out my little spiel and she translated it into Japanese. It's short and a little embarrassing but I wasn't sure exactly what to say. I think it came out well. Also, the first part about loving Japan and Kochi and Tosayamada surprised me because it seemed to come out of nowhere. But to tell you the truth, I think I wrote that two years ago. When I was leaving the school last time, they had everyone write out what they enjoyed the most about being in Japan. I think that's what I said...in Japanese... huh. I can't believe she kept that! But then again, I kept that little paper that my supervisor messed up on too. HA

Contest

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

I have created a scavenger hunt contest! The winner will receive a $25 gift certificate (for where? Life...or your choice. Whichever comes first) I will be participating in this as well so you have some stiff competition! The judge of the scavenger hunt will be my mother so there isn't any bias in the winner ;)

Ok, the rules!

The scavenger hunt is pictures. I want pictures!!! But not just any pictures, no no. I'm looking for pictures that I can take with me to Japan that show what life is like in America. I'm looking for normal but interesting things. I'm also looking for things that Japan has but is different. I've compiled a list of things that I am looking for:

Street signs (lot's of English. Street signs that show the names of streets (Japan doesn't have street signs. Weird I know) and also signs that show exists or construction zones or anything interesting but I also need to be able to explain them so nothing that's very complicated or weird)
RR X-ing signs
Gas station/pumping gas
Pedestrian crossing sign White man walking and Orange hand stopping (separate points for each)
Beach things (people, shops, sunset, etc)
Grocery shopping (carts, products, check out, etc)
Cars
Hospital
Ambulance
Library
Play ground
Fire station
Firetruck
Post office
Mail car
Post office mail box
Police station
Police car
Garbage truck
School bus
School classroom
American flag
American propaganda
Florida flag
Americanized Japanese things (the sign for Arigatos Steak House. I'm not looking for nitty gritty, I don't care to see how some restaurant made sushi and/or sukiyaki incorrectly. I want obvious things)
Anything else that you can think of that represents American life. Cooking a meal? Dinner with the family? Typical house? Extra points for creativity!!

Extra points for American Sized items
Example:
Grocery store - find the biggest stores such as Sams/Cosco. Then, find the biggest items in them
Car - Hummer limo
Flag - car dealership sized flag
Biggest meal, hamburger, burrito, etc.

Extra points go to action shots.

Frame pictures in such a way that the subjects are easily recognized. Try to prove how large an object is by measuring it to a standard sized item such as yourself.

I need pictures that I can show to my students so keep them clean and slightly professional. Happy people in my pictures are always a plus. I'm really looking for mostly action shots so bring a friend and have a good time!!! I know I will :)

For now, I leave you with an example:

BEAT THE HUMMER LIMO!!!!!!!

Actually, if you can get a better shot, that would be sweet. If I have duplicate pictures, points go to the best shot!!

If you're going to participate or if you have any questions email me or leave a comment or surprise me!!

Thanks and have fun!

Fun in the Pool

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Not so fun alone

Swimming Makes My Eyes Dry and Itchy

Monday, June 19, 2006

At least if I swim for longer than 2 hours like I did today.

That's right, it's too hot for the majority of the day to continue biking everywhere. I've taken up swimming. But because I'm a spoiled brat when it comes to water temperature, I usually won't go swimming unless the water is at least 85 degrees and preferably at 86-90 degrees. So to compensate for the temperature today (which was 85) I sat out in the sun reading my poorly written but good book (to the left) for about 20 minutes before the heat became unbearable and then I jumped in the pool and was quite content. It felt great!

Also, I remember what I wanted to write about in my last post. Yesterday, I was a little bored so I pulled out my PS2. My only choices of games that weren't final fantasy/long as RPGs were Katamari Damacy, We <3 Katamari, and DDR Max. So I played Katamari for a little while and then whipped out DDR. Unfortunately, I gave my dance pad away. I hadn't gotten much use out of it since I rarely played and it's not like I'm going to take it to Japan with me or anything. I doubt I'll be bringing my PS2 even! So instead of dancing to the game, I played with my controller. But this only made me crave the actual dancing part of it so I promptly stood up and danced on the carpet while I did the moves on my hand held controller.

This was both a good and bad idea. 1) I started tripping on the cord to my controller 2) I didn't actually have the dance pad so if I messed up it didn't count against me 3) because I was using the controller and I had to use both hands, I couldn't flail my arms as I normally do. So my balance was of. So I messed up my feet a lot. Which I then got confused and started pressing the wrong buttons. And I failed a few songs.

But in the end I danced and had fun (^_^)

It would have been fun to watch too. Sorry I didn't get any pictures ;)

More Doings

Sunday, June 18, 2006

ummmmmm there was something that I was supposed to be posting about but I have no idea what it was now....

Well, the general update is as follows:

Emily is doing fantastic. I just got my camera back from Canon and I started taking pictures immediately. Or rather Sarajane did. She continued where she last left off which was taking pictures of absolutely everything this child does and then some. mmmmm baby drool. Gotta get a picture of that.

I've finished the computers! HOOO RAY! Talk about a big weight off my chest. I was so inwardly stressed about it because it was one of my only responsibilities to do here and I was almost completely helpless. I just didn't know how to fix it. So I got the help of my good friend Elias and we worked on them together.

"Yeah, can you put the camera down and get back to work? SLAVE!"

Actually, I was the slave driver. I wanted Elias to work miracles on these machines. This picture is only of half the room that my family calls "the study" but don't be fooled. There is no studying that is ever done in this room and it's also not as big as it appears. It's tiny as hell and it was hard to get around with everything all over the floor.

I've been trying to get my gifts together for my trip to Japan. It's becoming frustrating but it gives me something to do nonetheless and I'm not stressing about it like I did the computers. I have time and it's almost better that I don't get the gifts now. I have have a meeting to go to on the 25th and they'll tell me anything I really need to know about gifts and everything else.

Favorite stalker song of the moment: Imogen Heap - Goodbye and go (http://www.myspace.com/imogenheap)
Talk about the story of my life!!!!

News from the Predecessors

Friday, June 16, 2006

So, there are a couple of people I must list.

Mr. Morioka - The principal of Yamada (Tosayamda) High School
Kimura Sensei - My supervisor at Yamada High and also my main JTE (Japanese Teacher of English)
Tsubasa - A good friend of mine that I met in December of 2000. He went to Yamada high and I've kept in touch with him all these years and now he's an intern there as well. I'll probably be teaching with him! What a small world.
Adam - A guy who went to college in Miami and is now an ALT in Kochi. He will be a second year JET when I begin working.
Julianna - My predecessor. She's from Hawaii and is of Chinese decent so she doesn't get as many gaijin stares as Adam does.

So, I've been emailing a lot between all five of these different people and there is much exchanging of information. Here are some of the things that I've learned:

1. My apartment comes equipped with washing machine, TV, dishes, futon, refrigerator, gas stove, and toaster oven. It's about 10 minute walk to school and 20-40 minute bus ride to my other school which is in Odochi. Supposedly, my apartment is next to a street that is lined with Hanami trees. YES! That street leads to Yamada's largest shrine. After I heard that I knew I had been there before. The last trip I took to Yamada I walked to that shrine and saw the trees and thought to myself that it would probably be beautiful in April but in the middle of June they just looked like regular trees. I can't believe that I'm living next to that street! It's a beautiful area, I'm really lucky.

2. I think I'm going to go the way of the bi-biker. I'm going to get two bikes. One that takes me around the kami-shi area (where Yamada high is) and one to leave at the Kochi city train station so I can bike around Kochi where I'm going to do most of my non-grocery shopping.

3. I originally thought that I had about four people to give gifts to but I was wrong. I actually have about 14 gifts to give and I think I might be rounding down. That doesn't include the students that I need to buy rewards for or the Lions Club members that I might be dealing with. I don't know if I'm going to get them anything but they've always been very kind to my group of Largo exchange students. Maybe I should...

4. It's going to be cold as hell. Surprise

5. There is a strict dress code of no jeans and no sleeveless shirts. So, knowing this before anyone told me so, I went out and bought a whole new wardrobe. I might not have any style or know how to coordinate outfits but I know how to spend money. I got over 50 articles of clothing for a little more than $300. SCORE! And they're good clothes too they were just all on sale. Very professional and cool for those hot summers. Now, I just need to buy an entire cold weather wardrobe *crying bitter tears*

Who Ever Said Nina Was Absent Minded?

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

No one, absent minded is an understatement.

So, last Monday, exactly a week ago, I sent a few things in the mail with varying degrees of importance. I had my canon camera that was malfunction and I was sending to Illinois to be fixed, my Visa application/Passport/proof of graduation package to be sent to Miami, and two netflix DVD's. I added insurance to my camera as well as tracking and sent my Passport priority mail. I don't know what the hell I was thinking that I didn't track my passport package but I didn't and now I think I've lost half my head of hair.

The Canon was received on Wednesday but I didn't hear from them via email until Friday. I never heard anything from JET about my passport and NetFlix didn't tell me they had received my DVD's either. All of these things were sent by overnight mail, US post.

Finally, I got a little worried and emailed JET last night to see if they had received my passport and visa information. They promptly emailed me back at 9:30 this morning saying they had in fact not received it and had I put tracking on it like they suggested? No, I had not.

I then receive an email from NetFlix, my DVD's are in and my available items will be shipped shortly.

Thanks.

I then freak out about my passport! That thing has to be in to JET in Miami by July 7th and that means I need to cancel my old one, send in an expedited form which in the end is going to cost around$200something and have proof of my departure date which I don't actually have on company letterhead yada yada.

I didn't know what to do, I was so scared. I had to get my mind of off it just a little because there isn't anything I really could do right then. I couldn't email JET again because I was already waiting for their reply and I didn't want to bother them any more than I already was. I couldn't call the post office (because I already had. They told me they couldn't do anything because I didn't track it) and I couldn't start applying for a new passport just yet because it was still only 10 on a Monday morning, it might still be in transit even though it was supposed to be there Tuesday.

So I took a shower and started losing my hair.

At 10:30 am, I got an email from JET saying they had gotten my passport and everything was perfect.


I see this as a reminder to myself that I'm a dumbass and one of these days something really bad is going to happen and it's going to be my fault and there will be nothing I can do to fix it. Though, I already knew this and that's why I sent my passport in way earlier than the due date. Just in case something happened (^_~)v

In other words, I'm a spaz.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

You Have A Type B+ Personality

You're a pro at going with the flow You love to kick back and take in everything life has to offer A total joy to be around, people crave your stability. While you're totally laid back, you can have bouts of hyperactivity. Get into a project you love, and you won't stop until it's done You're passionate - just selective about your passions

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

Oh Bike, My One True Love

Thursday, June 8, 2006

After I left UCF I pretty much stopped biking which made me sad. So a couple of weeks later I decided to go for a bike ride around my neighborhood which is kinda boring but I make the best of it. My dad decided to put a bit too much air in my tires and just as I was really getting into my music and about a block away from my house my front tired threw up on me. It was green throw up too. I thought I ruined my pants. Thank god I was wrong.

In the beginning of the year (fall) someone slashed this same front tired and I replaced the inner tube but not the tread and when my dad put too much air in my tire, poof, there goes my tire. It smelled like fish. eeeeeeeuuuuuuuuuw.

Welp, that was a few weeks ago and I finally got my front tire fixed!!! WEEEEEEE!

I've been biking around the neighborhood with new vigor and esteem and the exercise feels great. I've decided to give my excursions purpose as well by biking to different places to buy things. The last two days I went to Publix and got cheese, bread, and milk. :) Nothing too big or I won't be able to get it home. Today, I didn't need anything at Publix so I took a different route and just happened to pass my favorite sushi restaurant. I could get used to this biking/buying thing (^u^)

But all this riding has made me notice a few things.
a) It's freaking hot out there! I usually ride around 7pm because I don't get up early enough to beat the sun's heat and because I don't want to be out when it's too dark.
b) These sidewalks were not intended to be usable. I don't think enough people use them because they are all overgrown with weeds and bushes and if they're not then the sprinklers are watering them making it impassable unless you want to get all wet and smell like poo. I don't mind the wet part though. As I've mentioned before, it's hotter than balls out there.
c) Not a whole lot of crosswalks or safe roads when going anywhere outside of my neighborhood. I'm a bike so I'm supposed to ride in the street...but I'd rather get pulled over by a cop and pay the fine (in the unlikely case) than be dead.

Sea Gulls the Size of Chickens

Monday, June 5, 2006

Ah San Francisco, where the women understand that a mullet is never attractive no matter their sexual orientation ;)

I have a short list of things that I found amusing about my trip. Thank god I wrote them down!

The itinerary went something along the lines of: Go stay with Judy and Neil who live right outside downtown San Francisco and stay with them from Saturday until Friday. Then, go to the city and stay in a hotel from Sunday to Tuesday and pal around all Tuesday until Judy picks us up and we stay with her again until the following Saturday when we leave for Florida. When I say "We" I mean Erin and I. Kim flew in a day earlier and left for camp (2 hours north in the California mountains) on Thursday before Erin and I left. So all in all we stayed about 2 weeks.

Now, as I have mentioned before, Erin ripped a ligament walking on uneven ground...let me emphasise the walking part. This happened about a day before we were planning to go into the City. So that meant that we have to drag hobbles around with us and walk at speeds from slower than stop to snails pace. It wasn't so bad though. We got to see a lot of things and I wasn't feeling to great after the hike myself so I didn't mind not running around a whole lot. I would have been up for it had someone warned us that it was 10 MILES!!!!

But anyway, list of things that were interesting:

1. The first street car that we got on broke down. The next day, we were on a trolley and it too broke down. These weren't very good odds. It wouldn't have been very bad except that we were taking public transportation everywhere because it was easier and faster for Erin.

2. Because of Erin's injury, we ended up meeting a lot of different people who would randomly see her (1 of three people on crutches in all of San Fran on Memorial day weekend!) and tell her how she could walk more efficiently in crutches. It helped out a lot. She stopped hurting herself and started getting around a little faster. But very little.

3. We decided that down town is like a giant Epcot. There are little spots that represent many different countries and you can hop on a cute little trolley and eat the over priced food while trying to dodge a bunch of tourists. Lucky for us, there wasn't an entrance fee, unless you consider the Bart which was $4.25.

ummmm I have a few other things but they're not horribly interesting. Every doctor, nurse, random guy that helped Erin out was hotter than hell! Whoo for gimpy! We found shoes that were about $500 overpriced, I took Bonine to help me with motion sickness which was a first, and after being in the City for 2 days I started involuntarily swaying back and forth because I felt like I was still on the bus/trolley/street car/boat/car. Kim just thought I was rocking out to music in my own weird way. A bum stole my pictures and we got hit on by a bunch of different interesting people.

OH! That was an interesting thing! On the plane over, Erin and I were acting quite genki (I can't think of a better word. Genki just really works. It means energetic, happy, healthy. We just were!) And some middle aged men started kinda sorta flirting with us in a very polite way. They looked like business men. They thought we were drunk, a common misconception for anyone who doesn't know us. We can be outrageous without a drop in us! But it made me feel good because it means I'm starting to look a little older than 17.

A couple of gay guys started flirting with my hair too. That was fun (^_^)

San Francisco may not be the perfect place. It's ungodly expensive for everything ($12.99 per pound of deli turkey) and the weather is dry and sometimes too cold (sun burns from cold, windy weather? I, as a Floridian, just can't handle that) but the boys sure are cute!!!! (I got pictures too ;))

Where's Waldo

There are at least 4 gaijin in this picture. Can you find them?

My Supervisor is also in this picture. I just got my contracting organization information in the mail and I have a predecessor and a supervisor. It turns out that I met my supervisor, Kimura Sensei the last time I visited. I found a few pictures of her. She's always standing in the back but she's a really nice person and her English is great!!!

In fact, funny story, I was sitting in on her class once and was working with the students. She handed us a paper filled with English and the students had to figure out what it was talking about. She has used a word incorrectly and I subtly told one of the students that I was friends with. He then called Kimura Sensei over to point out the glaring mistake. Clearly she was wrong since the American had told him so. I was so embarrassed. I didn't want to make her look bad. It was only a small mistake! She just nodded and smiled. Ugh. Well, guess it's gonna be my job now :) Talk about foreshadowing.

Kochi-ken Kami-gun Tosayamada-cho

Sunday, June 4, 2006

I just got back from San Francisco and I'm tired but not enough to actually sleep yet. I have a lot to write about it but I don't feel like it right now. I just want to get things off my mind and I'll write about my adventures later. Promise.

I got home about 11pm (8pm California time) and the house is completely dark. Despite the 6 cars in the driveway and street, my dad was the only person home. I came into my room at it's a complete disaster! My bed's not made because I'm sure someone slept in it and didn't care to do anything with the sheets after washing them (at least they're washed!) And my room is filled with boxes. Boxes that I was in process of cleaning out and were in the living room where no one ever goes and boxes from my x-bedroom. I don't know why my crap from there is now here but I'm assuming that Jules got annoyed with it sitting in her room. It's not like she doesn't have the space for it! It was on my list of things to clean after the living room. I'm just annoyed as hell that they moved my crap while I was away.

The whole flight home I was coming back to reality. The vacation was a really nice escape and I had to keep reminding myself today of all the things I need to do.

I need to clean like crazy and throw out anything I'm not taking to Japan with me. I need to finish fixing the computers. I think I went on the vacation with the sole purpose of getting away from that responsibility. Well…close enough anyway. I need to get ready for Japan. Copy my diploma which came in while I was away, finish getting luggage, make a list of questions for the Q&A session, buy clothes and other necessities and figure out what else I have to do!!!

It’s not overwhelming but the shit in my room and the unmade bed is not helping my moral. I can’t believe no one’s here!!!

BAH

btw, I got an email from my contracting organization. I’ll be working at Tosayamada, surprise. Maybe I was hoping for a surprise deep down inside. I’m happy about my placement though.

I hope it's not my only school. I hear all these stories of people with two or three different schools that they go to and if I only get one school I might be sad. Then again I might not either. Kami doesn't seem to be the biggest of areas...

San Fran #1

Monday, May 29, 2006

(posted on California Time: 12:22pm, Time in Forida: 3:22pm)

We are now half way through our trip and disaster has struck. But more on that later.

First, I’m here with Kim and Erin and we are visiting Judy Yarian, my 6th grade Sunday School teacher, 10th grade Leadership and English teacher. She’s seen me grow up from an immature and spastic 6th grader all the way to a little spaz 22 year old that I am today.

So, we’ve been traveling all over San Fran and the weather has been beautiful. All the Californians have been complaining about the wind but Judy says they’re just spoiled. Personally, it’s too cold for my taste. 50 degrees is winter to me! And the wind is crazy! 25 mph average….I think. I’d probably check that statistic if I weren’t stuck behind a dial up connection which is another reason why I haven’t uploaded my photos.

Now, time for the disaster story. So, yesterday, we drove an hour to get to Tomales Point. This is a beautiful hike along the coast of the pacific with wild flowers, mountains (hills for anyone outside of Florida) and elk herds riding over the fields. Unfortunately, Judy and Neil (husband) forgot to mention to us that it was a 10 mile hike. It wasn’t very strenuous because the terrain didn’t include or decline sharply, but 10 miles is still 10 miles and we are doing this hike with three girls that are lucky if they can walk an entire 1 mile through the course of their day.

On the walk back we were all feeling the pain in our legs and we all started walking a little funny because of it. Unfortunately, about 1/4 of the way back, Erin walked a little funny into a hole and tore a ligament in her ankle. Of the 5 of us, no one had thought to bring a cell phone. Luckily, a nice couple let us theirs and we called 911, a call that would last about 10 minutes with the phrase of “so where exactly are you?” to which Judy would reply, “On the Tomales trail between the end of the trees!” This may sound stupid, but on the entire stretch of land that we covered, there was only one patch of trees and they stood out like a sore thumb. I’ll upload pictures of the spot later.



So now Erin gets to take a truck back up to the start with a nice dose of Morphine while the rest of us had to actually walk back. I still say I could have hung onto the back of that thing, but whatever. She was then sent to the hospital where I fell asleep in the waiting room for an hour until she was done. It actually didn’t take as long as we were expecting.

So Erin is fine and gimping around the place while the rest of us are trying to figure out what plans we can keep and what we have to cancel because of Erin’s retardation. :) We still love her all the same.

Has Her Belly Button Fallen Off Yet?

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

New mothers can ask the strangest things. I went shopping with Sarajane yesterday and not only did she take forever to do anything, we also got stopped by different people asking questions about Emily. How's her belly button? My she has wavy hair! How cute. Eh, whatever.

I'm off to San Francisco for a week and a half. I'll be taking lots of pictures....probably.

She's sticking out her tongue for spite! I have over 150 pictures so far of the exact same thing: Emily. Only, she's not actually doing anything. She's just moving her eyes and every new position means another pictures. Or she moves her feet or hands. I'm serious, to the untrained eye, they look exactly the same.

What Would I Think If I Saw Me Now?

Sunday, May 21, 2006

I'd say it's time for a story. This is one that doesn't need a lot of exaggeration or embellishments...it's also not entirely fantastical either. It's just something on my mind.

It was the spring of 2000 and I was just beginning my junior year of high school. So that made me about 16. Over the summer I had gotten into Toonami with my best friends Jacob and Kiley, both of whom I don't speak with anymore, for whatever that's worth. This was the beginning of my anime phase. Toonami had changed its line up from Thunder Cats and Speed Racer to Sailor Moon, DBZ, Tenchi, and Gundam Wing.

So one day I was watching Toonami and it was a commercial break so I decided to get up to do something. As I was walking past the TV I watched a commercial about a new contest that Toonami was hosting where if you submitted your name via the internet, you could win a chance to go to Tokyo and meet a bunch of high ups in the anime business. I didn't care so much about meeting people, I was completely intrigued by the idea of going to Tokyo. The thought had never actually occurred to me before.

I froze where I was, no joke. I just stood there. And to this day I have never felt such a strong feeling of want in my entire life. I wanted that so badly that it made me freeze up and I hurt inside knowing (at the time) that it would never happen. I didn't even go to the website because I knew that the devastation I would feel when I didn't win would crush me more than knowing that I hadn't even tried.

A few days later, less than a week, I was called to the office at my school. For whatever reason, I decided to take a different route to the office. It wasn't anything that was a big deal, I was just bored and I could never really tell which way was the fasted so I always switched it up. This time, I went through the A wing and went past a neglected glass display of all the trinkets and pictures the school had gotten from its sister school in Japan. I stopped to look at it because I had completely forgotten it was even there. There were pictures of our principal dressed in a formal kimono complete with wig and a few masturi clappers and paper cranes.

I had completely forgotten that in my freshman year some Japanese exchange students had come to my school and entertained one of my classes. They put on a tea ceremony and gave us little gifts of stationary. I remember that I totally didn't even care so much that I hadn't paid attention to anything they did or said. I was a freshman at the time so you can't blame me for being stupid. The only think I remembered about them besides that they wore their school uniforms was that there were 11 of them and only one was a boy. I do remember that he wasn't cute...it's strange the things I remember.

ANYWAY, so I see this display and go on reminiscing. I then continue to the office and talk to my guidance counselor. After she was done, I asked her if the school had ever thought about taking a learning bus to Japan. I know that the previous summer they had toured Europe and that was unusual because they usually stayed in America. She told me that it would be difficult to do (I don't remember why), but we did have a sister school and every so often they would send exchange students over and I might be able to be a host family for one of them. She said that they should be coming in the next year or so and I should tell the principal that I'm interested.

I was so excited! I went over the principals and left a note with her and sat back for the long wait.

Two weeks later (again, no joke) I got a message from the principal asking if I was still interested. She said that they would be coming that October and they needed host families. WOW! Talk about timing!

I housed a girl named Kana, and man did we both make so many mistakes. But it was a lot of fun and I learned so much. After her two week stay, I was told that I could go to Japan myself that summer as an exchange student. There, I met a JET from the UK named George and history was made.

I wonder what I would have thought if the High School Junior Nina, standing in front of the television set would think if she saw me now, on my way to accomplishing my dream(clique much?). I know I would have stood in disbelief and time wouldn't move fast enough for me.

As for time, it's been playing horrible tricks on me. When I think of how far I've come since Junior Year and thinking of preparing for JET, time hasn't moved slower. But then I think about my life and all the things I've done in that time aside from Japan, and the time as gone by so quickly to the point that I'm completely torn! I want to hurry up and leave!!! But I want to stay here and soak up all of my friends as much as possible.

I can't do both. So time continues to move without any regard to what I want.

What Are You Supposed to do With All Those AOL Discs?

Saturday, May 20, 2006

How much money do you think AOL loses on installation discs? I really liked those tins they came in for a while though :)

I finished Kingdom Hearts 2 last night with Christina. I played the last 6 hours straight. I would have spent the next few days trying to finish Jiminy's Journal but after trying again and again in the Coliseum and getting just a few points short on the carpet ride, I gave up for a while and decided to get back to the story.

Christina went online to find an answer to our idiot simple combo question (I wasn't getting any points for my combos so we decided to look up just exactly what constitutes a combo...we realized that the tournament I was fighting wasn't point based on combos to begin with. Duh) and she found this Penny Arcade Comic:


It's no joke. My hand really was turning into a claw. I don't like that crappy triangle system they have going on there. Sometimes it was neat, other times I wanted to throw my controller at the TV Set.

I liked the story of the second one best and the game play of the first one best. I was doing #2 on beginners, I didn't think it made a difference but I was wrong, and I never actually needed to sit down and level up. The older I get, the more I hate leveling up!!!

Perhaps I'll go back and try to finish the journal. I was at 93% after all. And it's not like X-2 if you don't get the % point the first time around you don't get a second chance. I might call up my gamer friends to help me out. Boys always play video games better than me anyway.

Time Moves So Slowly

Thursday, May 18, 2006

So here I am, writing my first post on my laptop (^u^) The keyboard takes a bit of practice to get used to but I'm a fast learner.

I guess I was wrong about taking pictures everyday and updating my gallery. Today was the first time I saw Sarajane since Mother's day and I haven't even uploaded those pictures to my computer. All one or two of them. SJ has been at her house in Tampa and I've been at home in Clearwater. She's been busy enough with Emily and I've been busy enough with my own babies, the computers.

Now that I have my laptop, I have three computers to take care of. My parent's old one, my old one, and my lappy. I got my good ol' friend Elias to help me out with fixing them up and refurbish them enough to have them in running order. My parents are getting my old one and my younger sister will be getting the oldest one. So, I've had to reformat them and update everything without actually spending too much money. Unfortunately, computers never work the way they are supposed to and now I have one computer without sound (can't get the drivers to work), one without a working power supply ($60 replacement, more than the computer is worth), and one with 20 gigs randomly missing without explanation (thank you dell)

POR QUEEEEEEEE?!?!?!

But I have faith that I'll have at least two of them in tip top shape by the end of a day or two and the oldest computer can....well....I don't even like looking at it.

I say that I haven't seen SJ since mother's day and I make it sound like such a long time but it really hasn't been. For me, every day feels like at least two. I feel like I've been in Clearwater for more than a month, when in reality, I've only been here for...a week and a half. Not even half a month!!! I miss my friends and I miss Orlando. But not the traffic :)

I'm bored despite having plenty of things to do. For instance, I've turned into a one woman cleaning crew. Everything in it's place, vacuumed and dusted. Once I was done with my parent's place, I went over to SJ's today and started with hers. I picked up and swept and I would have done more if I didn't feel so bad about touching other peoples things. I don't know where they go, otherwise I would put them away.

I haven't been studying Japanese and I haven't even been reading up on all the things I need to know in the JET handbook. In fact, my mom reminded me today that I need to buy luggage soon. I had completely forgotten!!!

In other JET news: I got my placement today. I'm going to be in Kochi-prefecture. That is the same prefecture that Tosayamada High School is located in and I have a sneaky suspicion that my main school will be just that. Whoo for sister schools! I still believe that one of the only reasons why I was accepted by JET was because someone in Tosayamada was pulling for me. That and I look really good on paper, but I know I bombed that interview. I mean really badly. But apparently, not so badly that I didn't get the job :)

They Call me Aunt Nina

Friday, May 12, 2006

Emily Taylor Windon

Bah! I didn't know how important this blog was until absolutely everyone I know (well....a lot of people) started asking me for the website so they can see baaaaaaaby pictures and so they can read stories about the baaaaaaby. Well, I'm updating so I can go back to helping SJ with the baaaaaby.

Originally, the child was going to be named Adrian. No one liked this name. I'm not going to even lie. But Issac, Brian's son, picked the name and so SJ and Brian felt compelled to keep it. They felt it was a little androgynous but this was ok because they didn't know that it was a girl until after the birth. Cut little kid kept her legs closed every time SJ got an ultrasound ;)

Well, after some major hemming and hawing over the name, they decided to change it to Emily Taylor. Incidentally, Emily was the name of SJ's first baby doll and since I was a little kid I always liked the name. I thought that I might name my daughter that, but I really don't want to have kids any time soon (or ever) so SJ gets it. Everyone loves the name and now everyone is happy :) Big hooray!

Emily sleeps pretty much always. Doesn't she eat? Yes, while sleeping. Her eyes are almost always closed. I'm sure she'll grow out of it in a day or two. Every hour she looks cuter than the last. She's growing out of the old man look and starting to resemble a child...with a cute button nose!

Her disposition is perfect too. She's quiet and even when she cries she really just sounds like a kitten meowing. Everyone agrees that she got this disposition from her father because there was nothing calm about the three Maran sisters ever.

Enjoy the pictures. Depending on what's going on I might update everyday (the pictures that is) I know that we'll be at least taking them every day. I've actually gotten annoyed with everyone asking me to whip out my camera and take yet another picture! Can you believe it?!?!? Nina, getting tired of taking pictures!!!! Surely, the sky must be falling :)

It's a Girl

Thursday, May 11, 2006

At 4:48 this morning, Sarajane and Brian gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. The procedure was done at a birthing center and not a hospital and the idea was to have a water birth. The first thing Sarajane found out was that children don't care about rules or plans, I suppose. I'd write more but frankly I'm completely useless because I'm running on three hours of sleep but I can't actually sleep because it's 1 in the afternoon!!! I'll post more when I can think more coherently.

For now, here's the final result. The picture is dark because it's 5:30am and no one wants to be disturbed by a flash.

Stay a Moment

Monday, May 8, 2006

I’m back home in Clearwater now. I’ve commandeered the guest bedroom and am in the process of turning it into a usable living space made specially for me :)

I am getting over it, but two days before I left Orlando until now, I have been very depressed because I’ve left half of my friends. I’m really going to miss everyone and I can only hope that everyone’s schedule works out so that I can have another great party. I had so much fun at the picnic that I wish I could just freeze time and stay there. I wish that I could go back and work at the lab and go back and take some more classes and hang out with my friends. I’m going to miss everything!

But then, I look to the future and I know that I’m going to enjoy myself in Japan. It won’t be the same though.

And that gets me thinking, if I’m so upset over leaving half my friends in Orlando, I’ll be a complete wreck in three months when I leave all my friend and my family! What was I thinking?! How could I make such a huge decision so easily? I knew I would be leaving everyone and everything here in America to go pursue my dreams but god, I don’t think I really understood what it meant to leave everything.

Speaking of JET, my JET Handbook was waiting in the mail for me when I came home. It has everything I need to know about JET, everything except who my contracting organization is and all the details that go along with that. Let’s just put it this way, my contracting organization decides everything about my life and that means my JET Handbook is pretty much worthless without that info. Damn.

I also got a language book from JET to teach me some basic Japanese. I like it. It makes me feel good about myself because I already know most of everything it is going over :) I just need to work on my vocabulary and hopefully I won’t be so lost when I get there. And don’t be mistaken, I can’t speak Japanese, and I am going to be lost most of the time. It’s inevitable. I just like to be less lost.

Sarajane is due any day now. I’ll post pics when the baby comes (*^_^*) Also, I updated my gallery, check out my graduation pictures!!!

Goodbye UCF

Saturday, May 6, 2006

End of Orlando

Friday, May 5, 2006

I graduate tomorrow at 2pm. Anyone can view it via live internet stream http://webcast.oir.ucf.edu/

I've been saying my goodbyes and I'm really sad to leave everyone. But I have another three months before I ship off to Japan so I hope to be back at least once before I go. Maybe for a party or two ;)

I set up a farewell party on Tuesday for everyone that I work with and any friends they wanted to bring. I was really impressed with the turn out. Pretty much everyone came and we all had such a good time!!!

When it was all said and done, I have a butt load of pictures to remind myself of the great friends that I've made here in Orlando at UCF. I'll miss everyone dearly (ToT)

Check out my photo album, I've updated!

I Cleaned Out My Desk

Tuesday, May 2, 2006

and after cleaning out my desk I found this....dirty dirty

Orientation: Straight

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Step 1: Blow dry

Step 2: Brush

Step 3: Straighten

Voila!

Step 4: Remove static (*^_^*)

Everest Revisited

Friday, April 28, 2006

Thank Kevin for this wonderful Photoshop project. Very talented :)

Enjoy!

Hoo Ha BABY

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Good lordé have I been bizé!

I am currently done with finals and I find myself at work with…nothing to do…everyone’s studying but two days into finals week and I’m completely done! I have nuthin’ ta do. So sad. Still can’t read any good books because I have none. Can’t buy one either because I am stranded…but all that in due time.

FIRST!

Let’s see, let’s see…So, when last we left Nina she was getting ready for finals. Well, I’ve already explained how easy/hard they were expected to be so there’s no reason to go over that again. Basically, I know I was going to have to study my ass off for Chinese history, pray for my soul in Philosophy and sleep through Biobehavior and Crime in America.

Saturday came and went and I passed the entire day studying. Except when the sun went down at which time I drew henna on Chrisitna’s back and my hand. They came out quite nicely I think. But my hand art is far too distracting. Every time I look down at what I’m doing I’m caught off guard because I think I have something gross on my hand. EEEEUUUUU GET IT OFF!!! Then I remember it’s my own crappy drawings.

That night I went to bed early, wrapped up like a mummy because the longer you leave henna on your body, the darker the stains. So, I slept in toilet paper and plastic wrap. I think my efforts proven fruitful :)

I then woke up Sunday morning at 6am so I could jump in the shower, head to Chrissy’s house, drive to Disney and pick up a park hopper’s ticket. We ran around all day going from one park to the next starting at Animal Kingdom, Epcot, MGM, Epot, and ending up at Magic Kingdom. We went to Epcot twice because it pretty much sucked but we stayed long enough to pick up a fast pass for Soarin and leave until our time came.

By about 8 in the evening we were literally running through the parks trying to get everything in before they closed down for the evening. We didn't get home until about 2am.

This is all four of us riding Everest for the first time. I highly recommend it (^_^)b We had no idea what to expect, had no idea it was a real rollercoaster, that it was in the dark, or that it went backwards for the majority of the ride. Sooooo much fun.

NEXT

Needless to say I didn’t get any studying done on Sunday. Much to my sadness. I woke up Monday morning with bags under my eyes because after an exhausting run in the sun and only 5 hours of sleep, you really need at least 2 days to recover. But Nina doesn’t have time for that. Remember, it’s finals week. So I get my ass outta bed and continue studying.

Tuesday:
My Chinese History final would have kicked my ass if it weren’t for the cute little 3x5 card I was allowed to take in with me. Point 3 font, thank you very much :) This test consumed one large blue book (the official essay booklet of crappy essay type tests)

Next, directly after the first, I had my Philosophy final. This consumed two full blue blooks. Bastards. I am so happy to be done with that class!!!!

I know I did well-ish on the Chinese final and I know I didn’t fail the philosophy final so I’m guaranteed an A or a B in both classes! Whoo!

On Tuesday, I also picked up my cap and gown. Joy! But…somewhere between the bookstore and my apartment, I completely lost my life in card format. That’s right. You name a card that would consist of Nina and I lost it. My Credit card, Check card, Drivers license, and UCF ID... I flipped out.

By 8 that night everything had been canceled and now I’m just waiting for my new cards in the mail. This could take up to 2 whole weeks. Until then…I have no cash. But I sold my books back today so I’ve got $10 in my pocket. wee

After the initial shock I’ve come to find a few very good things about losing my cards.
1. Now, I can’t go grocery shopping which means I have to eat all the food I’ve had lying around the fridge that I would probably have thrown away when I move out in a week.
2. I just got my UCF ID replaced (Why? I hear you all scream in unison: student discounts. duh) and found out through this ordeal that I had about $200 on it that is refundable and I would not have known this if I hadn’t come in. That money would have been lost forever waiting for me to return to UCF which…is probably never going to happen *sob*
3. I usually keep a little more than $50 on my card that is not replaceable if it’s lost. Well, not 2 weeks ago I just happened to use all of that cash up and did not replace it, therefore, my loss totaled 20 cents! ($15 for the card, and 20cents)

Look on the bright siiiide of life *wistle**wistle*

Today was my last day of finals. Talk about two easy tests! I studied about a half hour for each and I know I aced them. But, I didn’t start studying until this morning and since my first final was at 8, that meant I had to wake up at 7. The first thing I do for my study ritual is to turn on my computer and check my email…what?

When I went to my computer this morning, it didn’t turn on.

Remember that virus I had a while back? Well, I did in fact have a virus problem but I also had a hard drive problem and now it’s back in full swing. I got it to start working but I fear it shall not last the week. But we'll see. I realized that some files are too important to lose and I really REALLY began backing up my hard drive. 20 gigs on 700mg. Gawd it took all day! But now I feel a lot safer watching my hard drive die a slow and painful death. (How cruel of you Nina! Just pull the damn plug! Dogs have more humane deaths than that!!!)

And now, for the grand finale of the super long post:

HIJINKS AT THE COMPUTER LAB

So, a lot of people come into the lab asking the same questions and I usually try to come up with something witty just for my own insanity.

Question: Do you guys have a paperclip, stapler, pen, sticky note, etc?
Answer: Yeah but it’ll cost you $0.50 per item and if you don’t have the money handy right now, I can place it on lay away for you. Or, if you need it right now, you can sign your name on this contract…yes, right there…in blood please…good…this is just promising me your first born. I hope it’s a boy :) The God’s like those the most. Their feistier.

Question: I don’t have my ID can I still use a computer?
Answer: No

Actually, I’ve gotten really good at keeping a straight face for this one and I get the best range of emotions. Some people are resigned to their fate of computerlessness while others look like they are going to start crying or even yelling. They open their mouth to shout that they were just in here yesterday and the nice asian girl signed them in and why the hell can’t they get a computer now, before I smile and say “kidiiiiiiiing”

Question: I’ve never been here before, how does this work?
Answer: Well, first you hav to raise your hands above your head…go on…and turn around once and end in a bow to me saying “I would like a computer please” then swipe your card at the machine to your right and get in line.

(I’ve gotten people to do this)

Question: I over printed. How can I pay for that?
Answer: *sigh* How many pages did you over print? Only 3? Alright hold out the back of your hand. Light tap on the back of the hand, and with a completely straight face I say “Don’t do it again.”

I only did this once and I was really tired when I did it. I couldn’t really get a lot of enthusiasm behind it so it didn’t have the feel of a joke but it was clearly a joke! If I had been the person, I would have been rolling on the floor laughing!!!! But instead this rather cute guy turned away with equal enthusiasm as I was showing to him (or lack there of) but I think I caught a smirk on his way out :)

Other times you can catch me hopping about the lab or deleting people print jobs just for the hell of it, depending on my mood.

Finals are over! I’m graduating! I’m so HAPPY!!!

David Con't 3

Thursday, April 20, 2006

So remember that story way back in September about the mix up between black Davids? And then how I commented about it later saying that everyone was laughing about the story but yet one of the party members had no idea that everyone knew and he had no idea of what went down in his name? (Link)

Well I finally met Bald Dave last night. He came into the lab and I sat there listening to his conversation with Mat for a little while before I realized who it was.

Me: "David? You're David?! The guy who used to work at Applebee's, the bald one, the one who used to work here?"
Dave: "Do I know you?"

So I then told him the story. I have to admit that it took a little bit of courage to admit to him that this entire thing happened because I thought he was hot.

Me: "So yeah, I met you this one night..."
Dave: "I remember that night, someone was wearing a shirt that said pervert in Japanese"
Me: "Yeah that was me, so anyway, after that Dan said that his friend Dave was looking for a girlfriend and didn't mind white chicks so I made it quite clear to him that I thought his black friend Dave was very hot" (I'm turning red, he just smiles and listens) "You mean the guy with the hair?".... and if you want to know the rest, read the damn stories as I posted them so long ago.


The Dave Dan was thinking about, who I am now friends with (<--)

The Dave that I thought he was talking about. The one I thought had hair (-->)










On a different note, I showed Bald Dave's picture to a friend of mine and told her yet again the funny story. (It's really not so funny that I need to be repeating it to everyone, but another chapter always warrants at least a recap) and she looks at him and says "Oh, Dave! I know him, he was in my Italian class...isn't he gay?"

Might as well be.

Weeeee

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Eat Your Heart Out McDonalds

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Have I ever mentioned my issues with food? It's not so much the food that I have issues with, it's everyone else's perceptions of me and food.

I don't think I can express how much I enjoy eating. I truly do. Food is a gift from heaven and I praise the lord every time I take a bite. I've annoyed many a people by making pleasure noises while I eat something particularly tasty. Yesterday's lunch was one of those and so I just thought I had to share:

Roast Turkey, Black Sugar Ham, Hard Salami, Provolone, Lettuce, Tomato, Hummus, Italian Dressing, all on a toasted Everything Bagel. AH! Heaven!

Add Lay's Baked Bar-B-Q potato chips with it and a big glass of water and that is the perfect meal! I highly recommend it :)



So then, why is it that people think I have an eating problem? People have asked my roommate behind my back if I ever ate and she looked at them like they were nuts. I've heard many a Freudian slip as well. It's too bad I can't remember any of them but it's the funniest thing when someone accidentally slips that they think you have an eating disorder!

In other news, I made a fool of myself again. I had all my JET papers together and I put them into an envelope, hopped on down to the post office and sent it on it's way. This was about 2 and the mail gets picked up at 2:30. I then drive home and recheck my paperwork to make sure that I sent everything and sure enough I had forgotten a copy of my passport. SHIT!!!!

No time to call the post office by the time I find there number it'll be gone! I ran to the car (no really, I ran) and drove at top speed down there with my passport in hand. If need be, I'll just send that with it! I got there at about 2:25. I got my mail back but because I didn't want another day to pass because of my stupidity, I ran to the bookstore next door, got a copy of my passport, neatly ripped open my envelope, put everything together and sent it off just in time. Now I'm just hopping that there really isn't anything more that I forgot cuz lord knows I'd be going to a very special hell for making such a dumb mistake ;)

Getcho Fat Ass..

...to the Gym!!!

So I did. Christina says it's senioritus but I think it's the lack of exercise that's making me feel so tired and unmotivated. Perhaps it's a little of both. I'll just sit in front of my computer all day playing Solitaire. How unstimulating! But I've gotten quite lazy recently so I decided to go to the gym and only a small workout on the ellipticals made my legs feel like jelly. I think I'll be going there for often until I have to leave.

JET UPDATE:

After I got my paperwork in the mail, I filled everything out and went to get a physical. I never did get to see the X-Rays of my lungs. I think that would have been neat to see. But oh well. I also noticed on the paper that JET sent me it said: "Even if X-ray for TB is not warranted, please comment on health of lungs."

Does that freakin' mean I didn't have to get the X-Ray to begin with?! GUH! Too late now. I'm going to have radioactive babies :)

After that was taken care of I got my passport photos and everything should be in the mail tonight. Woo!

END UPDATE



Talk about ridiculous! Everyone who came over to my place decided to get in on the wacky water bottle drop off behind my door. I got so frustrated with not being able to open my door completely that I crushed ever last one of them and sent them on their way to the recycling heaven where they belong! It doesn't look like it (Because I stupidly focused on the door handle rather than the floor) but there are over 40some bottles there. For Crying Out Loud!!

As for school, I have now finished reading the 5 different books that I had to get done for this semester. I don't know what to do with myself. Does this mean that I can read a book...for....pleasure? JOY of all JOYS! But I took all my books to my parents place already. Horrible Irony!!! So I've got Lord of the Rings or the optional readings for class...I'm so over China right now, I think I'll stick with sleepy time Lord of the Rings.

Also, I don't remember if I mentioned it or not, but I am finally me in my records. That's right, I'm back to Ninamarie Carmella the way I should be :)

One week of school then finals!

Hormonal Beef

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Nina: McDonald's has destroyed all of America's Petite women. Thank you McDonald's, I am now one of the last of my kind.
Christina: Say what?
Nina: Isn't there something with the hormones in the beef? Makes the meat bigger but then makes people bigger to?
Christina:Uh...no, it's actually proper eating that's caused so many Americans to grow so tall. The fat thing is McDonald's, but the lack of petite people is really just vitamins and such.
Nina:...I'm still a dying bread

So thank you Vitamins and proper eating habits. Now, I can't find a dress for graduation. How many hours do I spend shopping for clothes that really just don't fit?! I found an extra small at old navy today, extra small for whom? Big Bertha? Everything's baggy on me, too long, and falls off my tiny tiny body. This sucks.

So, now I have to find a petite store. I found an Anne Taylor Loft at Waterford and they have really nice clothes. I actually found a dress that I really like and low and behold it fit me well! It was a little long and the bust was a tad too big but it fit me nicely. But not nice enough for $90. (The dress)

When I got to Japan, I can only hope that I'll have a better time finding clothes (^_^)

Monkah

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

It's My Birthday and I'll Have Pie if I Want To

The big 22. I don't feel older and I haven't paid much attention to the passing few days of celebration. I've been too busy getting ready for graduation and JET!

First, I still have a crap load of homework to finish. Second, I just got my JET information in the mail and I have to send it off within the next two weeks. That's easier said than done. I have to get a physical before I do that and there's something in there about x-rays. What could they need X-Rays for!?! So I've made appointments with doctors and I just hope the results come in, in time for the deadline. If this paperwork isn't completed and received by Friday the 21st, then I don't get to go. Something tells me it'll be there on time with little bells attached to it for cuteness sake :)

As for parties celebrating the existence on Nina, I had lots of fun with lots of different people. I went home this past weekend and played Cranium with 9 people. The more the merrier and it was a blast! Pics are up btw.

Then, I came back to Orlando and had another party where we ate cake and celebrated me :) I love these celebrations!! Christina had just finished her third and best corset and so we all tried it on. I was too small to fit in hers so I put on the one that she had made just for little ol' me. I had cleavage! Who knew?!

The weekend was a great break from homework and I had a fantastic time with wonderful friends.

Get Over Yourself

Friday, April 7, 2006

So, the initial feelings of blah I was feeling before over being accepted by JET I think were just shock. I woke up this morning and with every passing minute I got more and more excited! I'm going to JAPAN!!! I'm graduating college and I'm outta here!!! FANTASTIC!!!

I hope everyone that passes me in the hallways wonders why I'm grinning like a lunatic. And then I hope it puts a smile on their faces too. (^_~)v


In other news (<-- I really like using that phrase...I think I'll continue, I really like it) I have been recognized formally at the lab. (-->)

Yesh, it's true, I rock at mini golf and I'm glad everyone can appreciate this fact (^w^)...

That's a horrible lie and everyone knows it. The truth of the matter is that I barely beat my manager at mini golf because we all suck miserably at it and in my gloating I told him that I should get a raise or something for it. Perhaps a certificate or recognition, anything would suffice. Then he turns to me and says something along the lines of "Nina, I as your manager, recognize that you beat me at mini golf" and I was satisfied. Then I came into work to see this! Not only did my manager sign it formally but so did his boss the big head honcho! I feel so special *tear*

Have I mentioned how much I love my job? Cuz I love it lots :D

Gimme your women and bring me a fork! -David Super Gaijin

Thursday, April 6, 2006

Thank you all for your support! I never knew how many people read this blog until every last one of you left a comment not 5 hours after posting that I was accepted!

As for now, I don't have a whole lot of time to devote to thinking about going to Japan...but I do it anyway :) Even though I thought I was pretty prepared, suddenly I'm coming up with all these questions that I can't find answers to, like what kind of clothes do I really need to bring and what about medication, and what's up with Japanese doctors and suppositories?

I decided to check out BigDaikon because I was told that was the place to go for such questions and I had heard of the website before and knew it to be swimming with good answers. Well, it's swimming with something alright. I have never seen so many hostile posts in my life!! It seems like that forum is devoted to everyone bashing Americans! I didn't even do anything and I feel sad for having wronged so many people!

In search for real information I came across this post, which is the most ignorant thing I have read in a long time. It made me want to cry for their utter stupidity and the equally stupid responses and then kill someone for being dumb. I was torn. Pulling out or keeping your legs closed. Becuase the pill is only used for stopping babies. PLEASE!

The next problem was that even after that post, I couldn't find any really good information. I got a few iffy answers and I have hopes that I'll eventually find what I'm looking for, but I was just shocked at how much hate there was on Big Daikon. I think I'll stay clear of that site unless I am at a complete loss for ideas.

*sigh*

Oh, I've also been noticing a lot of people who also want to either do the Japan thing or at least go abroad after graduation. I highly recommend it! But I'm just amazed at the amount of people. This reaction is far different than it was when I was a Freshman in college. I suppose I've come a long way. See, sometime in 2002, there was a huge Japan boom. Suddenly everyone wanted anime and manga and everyone wanted to go to Japan. I was resentful of this because I thought it was my idea. I figured that by the time I got out of college and into Japan that the entire county would look like America and it would be pointless to even go. But, luckily, it's really more of a fad and people were never serious about going to Japan anyway. Sure, some of them are doing the same thing I am, but not everyone, and I'm content with that. Besides, I gotta have some fellow gaijin to joke with ;)

In other news, my reactions to being accepted have completely surprised me. After I found out that I was accepted, sure I was happy and excited and then the excitement died down and the happiness turned to indifference. Yeah, I got in, why did I even worry? I have been planning this for 4 years, this is just one more day closer to going. So what's the big deal? And then, I felt justified. Can you believe it?! Justified! Justified to finally use Japanese in everyday language even when I know that people don't understand it. To wear my otaku shirts and not be ashamed! To finally say that, yes I am accomplishing something and it's not just a hobby and it's not just speculation that I'll make it! I'm justified because I have transcended shameful otaku! I am now: Professional Otaku!!!!




*I went back and checked that post, it wasn't so bad and you can tell that the guy originally posting is an ass and everyone knows it. But there were other posts that were equally horrific and I can't find them now! Now, I'm finding really useful stuff! Go figure.

はじめましょう

Tuesday, April 4, 2006

Let's finally get this thing started!

I got it! I’m going to Japan!!!!!

Now my blog finally has a point, from this moment on, I will be logging all the Japan related doings that I deem important enough to share. That, and anything else I feel like typing about.

What a wonderful feeling! And who was worried? Certainly not me. I wasn’t worried that I might not make it. I didn’t stay up at night thinking about it. I didn’t make myself upset for nothing. That’s because I knew I would make it (^_^)b

And now, I’m in the same predicament that I was in during Senior year of high school. I’ve already been accepted and now I really really have senioritis. Why do work? I’ve already got the next thing lined up! (Because if you don’t, you won’t graduate and then you can’t do anything.)

YES!!!

Now I can finally get some luggage because I’m certain that I’ll be going!!! WHOO HOO!!!

IOA

Sunday, April 2, 2006

It’s absolutely amazing what I can do when I realize that I have no other choice. I’m completely ahead of schedule and I’m shocked at how easy it’s becoming for me to write my philosophy papers. Who knew BS could be so simple?!

So everything has been going pretty wonderfully. I’m getting my work done, I’m working and making money, hanging out with friends, reading some really good books despite their academic value, and playing Kingdom Hearts II!!! (<-- can’t stop playing!! I’m already 6 hours into it and I’ve had it for 4 days..woo [for anyone that can’t do that math, that’s a sad amount of hours. For having it for 4 days, I should be at least 20 or so into it. It should have at least broken into the teens! Just goes to show how busy I’ve been])

I’ve updated my photos page. Last night….well….Friday night we all went over to Islands of Adventure because SGA did their annual rent a theme park for the evening and opened it to only UCF students. I love UCF :)

So, the pictures are mostly of use standing in line for the Terradactyl ride in the Jurassic Park area. It was a 90 minute wait for about a minute of a ride. It was so much fun though. I’d do it all over again. We were using Christina’s camera and she and I both pack our digis in a sock because it’s smaller than a camera case. So that brown thing that we are all playing with is her camera sock. That camera made the evening worth every bit of the free ticket!

Soooooo, it’s pretty late and I can’t think of anything else to write about. I’m still waiting for JET and it’s truly killing me. I’m doing everything in my power to stop thinking about it. I'll knw by Monay…or Tuesday….we shall see….

I have good friends (^_^)