The day I get home

Insect count: a small flying bug I squashed myself! Yatta!

T5B: 1) Tara gave me some tv shows to watch and they are really engrossing and nice to have for the quiet time at home. 2) I got to text my bff. 3) I got the video of me doing Sansa from Tara as well! (It won't post here so it's posted in fb.) 4) My place is almost completely clean! 5) Abbey and Tara kindly left me an air mattress and it's a HUGE improvement over my little mattress pad and futon on the hardwood floor. (Thanks again ladies! Hope you enjoy Tokyo! XOXO)

Today started out well though Limor and I were up late talking. I kept waking up in the night and actually Limor slept quite close to me - which was fine but I wondered. I thought the alarm hadn't gone off (we wanted to wake up in time to have breakfast) but it was 7h42. Limor had set the alarm for 8h00 for herself so she could get up and shower and I had set mine for 8h45. Since we went to the onsen last night I wasn't going to shower. Plus I figured that I would be super sweaty by the time I biked home when I got back to Morioka and I would want to take a cool (cold) shower then. Well, she got up, thought better of it and got back in bed. ~I had a weird dream that Shawn (an Interac guy) wanted to date Limor or me so we told him we were dating each other. LOL In any case, even though I had woken up an hour before my alarm was going to go off, and usually I can't go back to sleep, I fell asleep again. My alarm is quacking so I woke up happy. Limor was alarmed. LOL Oops. I had warned her about it last night but I guess she forgot. She was startled, "Ducks! Ducks!" LOL We got up, got ready, and actually got down to the lobby early. Since she had invited me last minute her booking was for one (hence why the bed sharing). She sort of snuck me in and since she had stayed two days was given two breakfast vouchers. She kindly gave one to me and we planned on using them this morning. As she stayed out for a smoke (after we put our bags in the car), I went in to get breakfast. It was shortly after 9h30. Ya... the dining room was closed. GRR! Who ends breakfast before 9h30!? So "free" breakfast was not had. :/

We grabbed a conbini breakfast and got on the road. I had bought a banana and what looked like two ham and cheese rolls. I had wanted meat but was unable to find any solo in the morning. Well, it was not cheese. It was mayo. *shudder* Luckily Limor had a napking so I was able to scrape it all off. :) The travel was good (I envy her her car and her portable a/c!) As we were driving to Kitakami, Limor asked me if I would go shopping with her. I said sure and said actually it was lucky as I had wanted to ask her to take me to a Daiso (dollar store), but didn't want to waste her time and gas since I wasn't originally slated to go with her. Since she stopped at the mall, and it turned out she needed some things too, we were able to go to Seria (another dollar store). It was HUGE! I got some rocks for Donut (oxygenating ones or something), gloves and sponges to clean my bathroom (which is what I wanted), and a lavender aroma thing for the bathroom (since it's been smelling weird and lavender is supposed to be a calming scent). Then we went to UniqLo (unique low) which turned out to be a clothing store. I thought it was a Food-4-Less or something. LOL We weren't able to find what she needed, and then she dropped me off at the station. I gave her a big hug and told her I would see her next weekend (that's been planned for a while - I'm going to watch her perform Nishimonai Bon Odori). She dropped me off at the station at the perfect time as there was a train coming in 10 minutes and the next one after that was an hour later. I grabbed my ticket and asked about the platform. He TOLD me two and I must still be tired as I waited on platform one. When a train rolled up, it said, "Ichinoseki (kanji I recognize, yatta!)" and I knew that was South so I figured it wasn't my train. When I asked, he motioned I needed to go underground and go up to the middle platform where platform two was located. Oops. Thanks nice train man! :D

The underground tunnel turned out to be MUCH cooler than above ground so I stayed down there til my train was 3 minutes from coming. The train ride was nice though various teenage boys stared at me. I was sandwiched between two guys but luckily sitting as I was on the train for almost an hour. Those guys stared because no one here sings out loud or mouths or anything! This time I wasn't singing out loud (I may or may not sing out loud as I ride my bike round town, lol), but I was mouthing the words of the songs. Ya, much "discreet" staring. LOL Oh well. I wanted to sing! Then I got to Morioka. It was 31° this afternoon. That's the hottest it's been yet. I have high hopes for the 15th and 16th though. After those dates I'm assuming the temperatures will start going down. (Realistically they will go down QUITE slowly, but I'm hoping they just don't go up anymore after that.) I was pretty blessed regarding the traffic signals and only had to wait a little while in the sun. I rode on the sun side of the street (as I live on that side and since I usually travel on it I feel safer there) but there was a nice wind and then the motion of my bike created a nice breeze for me. By the time I got home I was DRIPPING sweat and all red. I'm SO glad I was able to go to Seria with Limor as before I had been thinking I would stop on the way home. It was a huge blessing to go straight home since it was so hot. When I got home, I straightway turned on my dehumidifier. I then proceeded to do some cleaning. I couldn't help it. It was so filthy in my place (for me) that I HAD to. I cleared my bed space and beat the huge rug as best as I could by myself (it's hard because it's so big). Then I set up the air mattress the girls left me and took a cold shower. Almost completely cold (just a little hot water). I had a mini heart attack when I first started the water. I turned the tap and nothing came out! By this time I was naked and thinking, "What am I going to do if they turned my water off!? I can call the office but then will I have to get back dressed in my sweaty clothes and go out?" Not good. I tried the kitchen sink, that worked. !? As it turns out, the knob you twist for the faucet to reroute to the shower head was halfway between both. So once I twisted it, water. I was IMMENSELY relieved.

After my shower I felt like a new woman! I went back to my room with grapefruit and some Belgian chocolate Tara left me (thank you!) as well as a cheese roll I had bought in Yokote and not yet eaten. Best lunch ever! I found out something quite sad though - one of the shows Tara left me didn't copy correctly or got deleted. I was looking forward to watching it all weekend and then I didn't have it. :/ In any case, I started another one... IT'S SO GREAT! It's in English too so I get to hear English. After I watched that a while, and felt very cool in my dehumidified room, I cleaned my room and the kitchen. They look awesome! I also cleaned Donut's tank so I could put in his new rocks. He was lying on one of the leaves of his plant and I ran and grabbed my camera to get a picture of it, but he moved before I could get him. :/ Ah. Maybe later. I watched some more of the show, and now I'm about to eat my last grapefruit. Oh! At one point during the day, I got a call from Chihi. I had emailed Tsukasa, but it turns out that she is out of the office this week. (I think I mentioned I emailed about going to a gynocologist since I experienced an especially nasty period and had almost 3 weeks of cramping.) She told me the place doesn't take appointments, it's a walk-in clinic. Ann had told me about it and said the doctor spoke very good English. They are closed from the 13-16 and on the 17th I'll be with Limor in Ogu. So since I'm supposed to have the 19th off, I will go then. It's a decent way away from me, but I will go early that morning to get in first and also so it will be cooler for riding my bike. She mentioned going today but I told her I would wait (I needed to stay in - I've been out too much!). So that was my day. :) Hope you are all well! XOXO, A

This cracked me up - I told you about photo permissions ~ here is a photo place showing their business with some blurred faces - what skills! LOL

Limor and I were at this Conbini when an older gentleman (60-70s) parked like this, then walked into the conbini while carrying a leather purse. In Japan there isn't a stigma for men carrying purses, but we found it hilarious nonetheless.

The view of Yokote from the parking lot of the castle

Yokote Castle

ancient armor

Limor and ancient armor

I'm assuming this was one of those boxes in which rich or royal people would be carried

Limor in the castle garden

A lovely view from the grounds

Limor taking a picture of the above view while I took a picture of us!

Limor trusted me with her keys! (As she was sneaking me in)

The kanji for my favorite onigiri - umeboshi (sour plum) ~ I took a picture so I could stop asking, lol. This picture and the above are all from August 10

August 11 - Limor and I in our matching pjs!

I put my hair up and changed pjs - the red ones were tight across my chest! (Aug 11)

The ring in 3D! I can't tell you how much I want to see that! Limor was like, "Noooo, nooo, nooo, never! NOOO!" LOL I want to see it very badly! - This was at the mall today.