Big World/Small Ant

Happy New Year from Japan!

2010-01-07T06:02:00.000-08:00

To Blog, or Not to Blog...

2010-01-07T06:01:00.001-08:00

...that is the question.

This always happens around this time of year.

Miyazaki-Ken

2009-06-02T15:07:00.001-07:00

Just a short note for those of you wondering about our progress with Japan.

I have received my location placement: Miyazaki-Ken

It was not one of our choices, but close.

We are still waiting on Matt's placement...but if he ends up with the same one it looks like we will have seafood and surfing to look forward to.

2009-05-19T09:33:00.001-07:00

Matthew Moment #1

2009-05-19T09:10:00.001-07:00

Matthew: Hey! Why did you log off my facebook?

Me: Sorry. I didn't know you were using it and I wanted to check mine.

Matthew: Grrrr. I was in the middle of a survey, now I have start all over again.

Me: Was it really that important?

Matthew: Yes! How else am I supposed to find out if I'm a Jedi or a Sith?

How Not to Sell Newspapers

2009-05-19T08:46:00.001-07:00

A representative from the Star Tribune called me today asking if I wanted to sign up for a weekly subscription to the newspaper. I was honest with him and said that we don't really read the paper at all. When we do feel like catching up on local or world events we use the internet. Then I added that we would be moving in a month anyhow, so it didn't make much sense.

"Where are you moving to?" asked Newspaper Man.

I knew right away that he was going to try and sell me the whole 'We Are Available In All Parts of Minnesota' schtick.

So again, I opted for the truth.

"Actually, we're moving to Japan. I'm not even kidding."

"Really?!"

"Really."

"Wow" he replied. "That's great! Hey, here's an interesting fact for you. Did you know that Japan has a population of 1.3 billion people compared to the US population of 300 million?!"

For a moment I thought to myself that I would let that one go, that I wouldn't be that jerk, that idiot, who calls you on something brilliant that has just poured out of your mouth.

But I couldn't resist.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure that it's China that you're thinking of. Yeah, China. Japan's population is only about 120 million people."

"I don't know" he said, "I'm pretty sure I heard the official statistic during the last Olympics."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was China that had the Olympics last year, but Japan has hosted them as well a few years back." I added that last point to make sure that Newspaper Man didn't feel too embarrassed.

We proceeded to chuckle over this quaint conversation we were both having, and in jest I bet him that I was right.

He told me that when I get to Japan, I should drop him an email to let him know.

"How 'bout you just google it" I said to Newspaper Man.

"That's not a bad idea! It would be much faster than waiting for you to fly to Japan. Hey, maybe I'm wrong, maybe it is China that has 1.3 billion people. It's still a lot of people though. They must be all crammed into little huts and living like animals."

He didn't actually say that part about the animals. I added that in there for effect.

The 'huts' comment though is totally true.

"Yeah....soooo...we won't be needing a newspaper. Really. We get pretty decent information over the internet. But thanks anyhow. I totally appreciate your time."

Lesson to be learned from Newspaper Man:

If your going to try and sell a product, use it yourself and make sure it works.

Zoo-topia

2009-05-13T06:32:00.000-07:00

Weekends at our house are ridiculous.

Matt works hard all week and by the end of it, he just wants to come home and spend a couple days resting, reading and relaxing. I, on the other hand have been pulling the three R's all week long and by Friday night I am ready to do something...anything...so long as it is out of the apartment.

This past weekend I was starting to go a little stir crazy and I let Matt know with some subtle gnashing of teeth that I needed out of our cave.

So he took me to the Zoo.

The Como Zoo is free, so it totally fits into our recreational budget.

It also fits into just about everyone else's budget too, so the place was packed out with crazies from all around town.

Yes, the Zoo was a bit of a Zoo, busy with kids and moms and dads and other random unidentifiable family members.

Like any Zoo I suppose.

When we were in India, we visited the local zoo's. They were pretty sad. Small cages and stir crazy animals pacing around their quarters with wide, crazy eyes. They had these signs up all around the property that would tell people not to make loud noises to try and catch the attention of the animals. Of course no one would obey the rules (It's India for crying out loud, you can't tell a billion people to be quiet!)

I thought our experience at Como would be different because it was a western zoo, with western zoo principles. That was not the case. The only difference I could tell was that there were no signs telling people to shut up and stop roaring at the tiger...so of course, there were lots of roars, and even some meows. Poor tiger. The cages were only a smidgen bigger than the Asian Zoo's we'd frequented. The park itself was almost identical in layout and structure to one we visited in Trivandrum. So much for western progress. It also looked like the animals here were suffering from the same type of dementia we'd seen in caged creatures abroad. They would pace around their quarters looking for a way out. They seemed desperate to leave. So what do we do? We roar at them.

There were a couple moments of inspirational awe.

The first were the two silver-back gorilla's. What was shocking about them was how human they were. Large, powerful beasts with hands, just like us, picking grass with their fingers, sitting on rocks upright like they were sitting on chairs, munching away. They mostly kept their backs to us, and I felt that they did that very intentionally. Their body language spoke volumes: " We know you are there, but we really don't care much for you. Why won't you just go away?" Occasionally, the male would glance up and look straight at you. You had a feeling that you should be looking away, but all I could do was stare at his massiveness, straight into his eyes and think "this gorilla could rip my head off without the least bit of effort."

The other inspirational moment I had was at the snow leopard cage. There were 2 of these cats and they were SO gorgeous and incredible. What made them even more amazing was their rarity. There must be less than 5000 of them in the world. When Matt and I were in Pakistan, we would often hear about the elusive creature, native to the mountains, who was slowly going extinct because of poaching, but also because of the Taliban. I'm not even joking. The war in Pakistan and Afghanistan has encroached on this animals natural habitat and it is slowly losing its home. We even met a Pakistani trekking guide who became excited at the thought of having seen one alive in his lifetime. This was a man who had been leading treks through the mountains of his country for decades, and the only one he'd ever seen had been captured by a research group. He had never seen one in the wild.

Back to the zoo.

I was having a special moment with the snow leopards. They are different from the rest of the cats in the joint. They have a peace and calm about them and are the only animals I observed who weren't pacing around their confines looking for a way out. I think they are smarter than that. They know there is no way out. So what were they doing instead? Eating grass, licking each other and one came over and took a piss right in front of us. Incredible. And as I was sitting there, watching these majestic animals doing their thing, I was rudely interrupted by "Hey Ricki! Come on over here and get a load of the Cheetah's!!"

Cheetah's?

Cheetah's!

I wanted very badly to turn around and yell:

"For God sakes woman, it's a SNOW LEOPARD not a cheetah! Have some respect, will you! There's only 5000 of these guys left, so the least they deserve is to be correctly identified! I mean, can't you read the sign...it says right here in large bold letters SNOW LEOPARD!"

But I didn't. I didn't want to become part of the human zoo that was gathering around us. Kids screaming, beer guts jiggling, moms getting pissed off at dads, and all of them roaring at the poor tiger.

We zipped through the rest of the park quickly and breathed a deep sigh of relief to be out and away from all the people. I'm sure that's how the animals feel around closing time.

They are probably very happy to be rid of us.

Make A Run For the Border

2009-05-12T06:08:00.000-07:00

After spending a week at my parent's place waiting for my passport to be returned from American Immigration, and then another week sitting around waiting for my flight back to Matthew, I am finally back in the US of A. The flight home was a bumpy one, but in the end I got here in one piece. A fitting analogy to the adventure we have been through trying to accomplish something as simple as living with your spouse legally.

Just for the record, no, I am not an American. My status is officially 'Permanent Resident', also known as 'Alien Resident' (I'm not even kidding...I even have an Alien Registration Number). This means that I have to fulfill a bunch of requirements before I'm allowed to stay. If I fulfill them within a certain period of time, then I will be granted Citizenship. I feel a lot like a home appliance from Walmart. As long as I don't break down before my warrantee is up, then they can never send me back to Customer Service.

The first week here was exciting.

Matt treated me like a sack of potatoes during the Irish Famine (ie. like GOLD).

Things haven't changed too much though, so I fell back into my normal routine of eating/sleeping/web-surfing quite naturally. There are some small adjustments that I have made to my daily schedule.

a. I'm forcing myself to wake up earlier so as not to waste the beautiful daylight hours.

b. Every day or so I go through my Pimsleur's Audio Japanese Course. Sumimasen! Eigo ga wakarimasu ka?

c. I am looking for some short term work before I leave for Japan. It's not easy.

In the meantime, I am back volunteering at the Steeple People Supply Store, sorting, pricing and drinking lots of the free coffee. (Please people, when donating clothes to organizations, leave the dirty underwear out. If you won't wear them, no one will.)

With summer here I'm more focused on food then ever. I've pulled out all sorts of cookbooks from the library, and I make trips to the grocery store just to drool over the produce section. Finally, local green things are pushing their way out of the ground and I don't have to solely rely on California or Florida to be the source of my salad. Matt seems unaffected by the current seasonal miracle of asparagus and artichokes. Brats and burgers was his main source of nutrition while I was away and he doesn't seem to be breaking with that trend now that I'm back. Obviously, we have a hard time grocery shopping together, but there are always occasions to celebrate. On-sale scallops made it into the cart this time, along with some olives and a juicy, juicy mango. Hmmmm. Now all I have to do is figure out how to cook scallops.

I should be off. The landlord is coming to inspect the apartment this morning. Apparently it has already been rented, so we are out of here by June 30th!!! Woot! Woot! Summer change is here.

Korean Tektoniker Dances Outside The Box

2009-04-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Thank You CBC Radio 2

2009-04-22T18:03:00.000-07:00

Driving home to Peterborough from Montreal was a real pleasure.

6:30 am. Beautiful light. Time to think. And CBC Radio 2, straight from Newfoundland.

It was a great opportunity to catch up some new Canadian content that I've missed over the past few months, and other cool bits and pieces.

This is a taste of what my morning sounded like, for those of you who are interested:

Great Lake Swimmers new single:

Yael Naim

Glen Campbell (I had no idea this was his song)

When Things Finally Start Going Your Way

2009-04-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

When things finally start to go my way, I always feel like I shouldn't tell anyone because I just might jinx it.

Against all my better judgement, I will share with you my good news.

As of Monday morning I became 'Green', as in the US Immigration Services granted me my Green Card.

Two years later.

Thank you.

I am pretty sure they can't take it away from me at this point, but no wait.

Silly me, now I remember reading the fine print.

It said "You are still not American, so we reserve the right to do whatever the hell we like."

Right. Got it. Thank you. I won't forget this time.

Jest aside, I am very grateful for this opportunity, and even more grateful that this process is drawing to a close.

After all the hoopla and working myself up about the Embassy Interview, not to mention working up all my family and friends about the whole thing, it all felt very anti-climactic. A friend of mine actually cried real tears when she heard the results. I on the other hand felt like I just finished watching a long anticipated film that turned out to be nothing special. Sort of like the new Star Wars episodes.

I don't feel like running through every detail of the day.

I've been living 'details' for the last 9 months and I think I am becoming either tired or bored of them. Possibly both.

Sign this. Date that. Reread. Copy. Understand. Reformat. Send. Attach. Don't smile. And pay, pay, pay.

Here, instead, is my short version of Monday mornings US Embassy Meeting, which I think is just as good and gets the point across well enough.

1. 7:30am Embassy doors open.

2. Airport style security in the lobby of an inconspicuous building.

3. First in line.

4. Alone in the large waiting room on the top floor of inconspicuous building.

5. Feeling like all of a sudden I am in the Matrix.

6. Called to the desk.

7. Collection of documents.

8. Told to wait.

9. While waiting, watch poor Indian man being belittled by dominatrix immigration official.

9a. Thank God I didn't end up with Dominatrix Lady.

10. Futuristic finger print taking with futuristic fingerprint taking device.

11. Lots more waiting.

12. Raise right hand and swear to God you are not a terrorist.

13. Show us the money!

14. Tsk, tsk. Shame on you for visiting your husband too much.

15. Approved!

My tension levels were up and down throughout the whole morning.

I walked in there believing I wouldn't be approved.

Then I got very confident.

Then I saw Indian Man get shut-down by Dominatrix Lady and the confidence levels became more realistic (ie. lower).

Finally, when I was being interviewed any self-assurance I had left hit the floor. Seconds later I was approved.

What a mind-job.

Thankfully the staff at the embassy were professional and kind (at least the people I dealt with were).

It was nothing like dealing with customs officials at the border.

Now I have a little bit of waiting to do before I fly home to my nutrient starved husband.

Apparently he is on a high-gluten diet.

Pizza and beer.

I'm almost positive that there hasn't been anything green in the house for weeks.

Just wait t'ill I get home to him. Not only will I have a 'Green' Card, but fresh veggies will once again prevail!

And also, I can finally get cracking on that intestinal cleanse i've always wanted to do.

I bet he just can't wait.

Going Green

2009-04-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the moment of truth.

Tomorrow I go where no sane person has gone before.

Tomorrow I venture into the dark side.

Tomorrow is my Green Card interview.

Send a prayer up for me!

2009-04-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

If only I was a war-bride or a mennonite, life could be this easy.

The Clean Bin Project

2009-04-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to this documentary when it comes out:

Examine This!

2009-04-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

If you ever want to know what it feels like to be put through a bureaucratic meat grinder, just try immigrating to the US and then at the same time apply for a job in Japan.

Today mom and I drove into Toronto for my 3rd doctor's appointment in less than one month.

#1 was for a tetanus booster required by the US government.

#2 was again for the US government, proving I was void of all plagues and infestations.

#3 was for the Japanese government, also reassuring them that I'm clean as a whistle and that my body is in fact pneumonia-SARS-madcow free.

It crossed my mind that maybe I should have just asked Japan to talk to America, cause America already did this whole health inspection routine thing already, and it would save me time, Canada money and we'd all live happily ever after.

But no, it doesn't really work like that, does it. I admit, the idea of two world power's actually sharing practical information with each other almost borders on the absurd.

Most of my Japan Health Exam is over with, but there are a couple loose ends to tie up. I have yet another trip to the doctor next week. I have to get a urine sample analyzed.

I will also have to do something about my pulse rate because the doctor forgot to note it down on my health form. This, I only figured out after driving the 1.5 hours back to Peterborough. Against my not-so better judgement to take my own pulse and fill in the blank, I plan on calling her tomorrow and somehow remedying this situation. I may have to make another trip back for her to put her fingers on my wrist and tell me that yes, I'm still alive.

In the meantime, while I wait for just the right opportunity to pee into a tiny little cup (whose tiny size guarantee's I will almost certainly get most of my urine on my hand, and not in the cup), me and the parental units are headed to Montreal with the huge x-ray of my chest to show to staff at the US Consulate. Of course, that's not the only thing they will want to see from me, but it's far more interesting than all the other official documents and proofs of marriage I have to deliver.

So if you believe in prayer, pray for me this weekend, because Monday I'll be sitting in the most important interview of my life thus far, and it's going to take a lot more than just a cool chest x-ray to get me through it successfully.

When I Grow Up I Want to Be Ken Tanaka

2009-04-12T15:58:00.000-07:00

So the big news is in!

After much begging, Japan has graciously granted me a position as an assistant teacher.

Possibly they are taking pity on North Americans who have degree's but can't find employment in their own home country.

Whatever their reasons, both Matthew and I are excited and looking forward to once again being foreigners in a strange land.

But so many details have yet to be worked out.

MORE paper-work filed, packages mailed, passports stamped, money spent. Oy Vay!

The paper pushers are going to love us! And the red tape has already begun.

Apparently there is some law in Japan that states you can't import more than 1 months supply of medication or prescription drugs. Contact lenses and birth control are included in this requirement.

But of course, there is a detailed form we can fill out to the Japanese Embassy, and likely a fee that we can pay to clear customs.

I'm not surprised. In fact, I'm incredibly not surprised.

Two years dealing with two separate governments and their bureaucratic junk has left me numb to anything short of aliens landing in my backyard.

In any case, in celebration of our recent acceptance into the JET Program, I thought I would introduce you to Ken Tanaka, as it a small dream of mine to meet this Japanese legend. His insight into Japanese culture is indeed inspiring.

Medi-Truth

2009-04-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

There are a ton of misconceptions about Canada that get spread around in the US, equally as many as the ideas we have about Americans. The more time I spend south of the border, the more the opportunity rises to speak to friends and family about "what it's really like" on the other side. Hands down, above all else, they want to know the skinny about our Universal Health Care system. I quickly began to realize how little I actually know about the Canadian system. Truthfully, I don't think most of my peers know much either.

What really needs to be known?

We get sick, we go the hospital, we get treated, we go home.

We do pay for our health care though. How much?

I have no idea. I let the government do the math. So far my taxes haven't prevented me from buying groceries or paying the rent, or shopping at Banana Republic.

Obviously paying for health insurance through my taxes hasn't hindered my lifestyle.

Before I met Matthew and before I was spending months at a time in the US, I really took our Universal system for granted.

This last trip back to Canada though, I almost opened my wallet and kissed my Health Card.

Possibly, this is the biggest difference between Americans and Canadians.

Not that we are friendlier or smarter or that they are fatter or more war hungry (my time in Minneapolis has definitely disproved some of these myths) but that Canadians are possibly healthier. Statistically speaking we do live longer and have a lower infant mortality rate. That must stand for something. Or maybe we just have one less thing to worry about.

One less very big thing.

The US has an excellent level of health care, that I know for sure.

It boasts some of the best doctors and medical technology in the world . Wether or not someone like myself or Matthew could be treated by those doctors, I'm not sure. Even with insurance. And that's the shocker.

Anyways, all this to say that I'm on a personal mission to get some straight facts. Yes, I do believe that Universal Health Care is the way to go, but I'm open to hearing the downside of it as well.

I know it's not perfect.

I know that it has been abused.

I know that some Canadians want something better or different.

But I don't think we are about to turn to the US for suggestions.

I found this on YouTube, which was incredible, because there were so many people spewing Wikipedia facts on there justifying the American Free Enterprise system, but none of them were medical officials.

This was the only medical representative that I could find who had real research and experience under her belt that I really trusted.

The Saga Continues

2009-04-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

Most Toronto friends know that I'm back in town prepping for my Green Card interview that is coming up in a couple of weeks. I'm back for a little over a month because Matt and I decided it was better that I come home as soon as possible and for as long as possible. I have never been turned away from entering the US, but the last couple of crossings have been rather intense and one officer let me know that I was getting 'dangerously close' to being turned away. That's their way of saying that 'You haven't broken any laws, but we still don't like you'. Fair enough. I appreciated their warning and took it seriously, so I'm home a bit earlier than necessary.

The last week or two has been spent gathering a few documents that I was missing for my Green Card Interview. The interview will be held in Montreal, and I will need to provide lots of paperwork that proves our marriage is legitimate and that Matt makes enough money to support us both. Part of the process requires that I have a medical exam done. This is no ordinary medical. You can't go to just any doctor. It has to be one commissioned by the US government, and there is only one such doctor in Toronto, and maybe four across the whole country. The medical is done to show that you don't have any dormant plagues living in your body, like Tb or Syphilis. I'm not sure why they care, because unlike the Canadian government, the US has made it clear that they aren't paying for any of my medical bills. Every man for himself, I guess.

I had my medical a couple days back. The whole experience was like being put on a broken assembly line. You show up at 7:00am and you sit in a packed-like-sardines waiting room for 40 minutes before they call your name and steal $275.00 from your wallet. Apparently this medical is considered 'elective', even though you have no choice but to take it, so you pay out of pocket for it. Then you wait. Then they call you again. Chest x-ray. Wait some more. Sign this permission form. Draw your blood. Wait. Sit naked in the doctors office with one of those embarrassing, backless paper robes on for 20 minutes. Answer a series of quick medical questions. Look in your mouth. Listen to your heart. Breast check. Quick look down under. Done. I walked out of there at about 10:30am, meaning I spent 3.5 hours in that office, but really only about 20 minutes being inspected.

20 minutes of US approved medical care = $275.00.

Thanks, but I much prefer the Canadian system of waiting around and paying nothing for it.

I pick up my sealed results next week, and with that my Green Card Application will be complete.

The only thing left to do is head to Montreal and face the music.

Facebook vs. Blogger

2009-04-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

I have royally sucked at keeping this blog updated, and I fully blame Facebook.

It has sucked all the creative writing out from my frontal lobe and replaced it with Digi-Pet feedings, virtual Scrabble and list upon list of 25 Top this or that or the other thing.

So, it's decision making time. I told myself today that it was one or the other.

One of them had to go.

Blogger vs. Facebook. Tough battle.

I thought I could make Facebook something more meaningful by deleting all my 'friends' who probably wouldn't notice if I deleted them (if that's you and you've actually noticed, well that's what you get for never 'liking' any of my profile comments).

In any case, it still doesn't feel intimate enough. It just feels sort of mindless and very detached from my real friends.

Plus, I miss getting real emails, with details in them, and full sentences.

So, much to my own surprise, I will finally be liquidating my Facebook page.

I have not decided on a specific end date, but it will be announced soon.

Suggestions are welcome.

If you are reading this, make sure to bookmark this page and take note of my email address in the info section of Facebook. Maybe you could even ask for my phone number and we could call each other!

That's a novel idea. I still have a landline, so it will be an even more authentic communication experience.

I know, I know. I've promised before that I would be a better blogger, and I've failed you with months of silence and the occasional empty diatribe.

But that was because Facebook was in the picture. I swear!

It took me falling for Facebook (again) to realize how stupid I was to let such a wonderful thing go.

I'm a changed woman.

This time it's really over.

This time I'm all yours.

Promise.

-The Industrious Ant.

Yesterday...

2008-12-26T05:27:00.000-08:00

...was Christmas!

And I turned 29. Woohoo!

But really, I don't feel much older than 17 years old. Mentally I think that will be my age forever.

It has come and gone. Quick as usual.

Morning gift opening was fun. Very much like being a kid again, and I think I surprised Matt with all the gift shaking and guessing I did.

A big 'THANK YOU' to everyone who got us gifts (namely our parents) even when we told them not to. I particularly liked my moms hand made scarf and hat and imagine that it took quite a bit of time to finish. It's very snazzy and I will wear it proudly.

I must say that the most interesting gift we received was from my in-laws. Glenda and Walter truly out did themselves. They gave us steaks. That's right. Red Meat. Wow! Is this not the coolest gift idea or what!? Who knew that you could have animal parts shipped to someone in the mail? They are supposed to arrive sometime in the next week or so in a box of dry ice. I am so excited! This gift possibly ranks in my Top 3 All Time Gifts Ever Received list. First place obviously goes to my mom and dad for my Care Bear Cousin (Swift Heart Rabbit) the best childhood doll a kid could have. Next would be the wedding ring that Matthew made me with his own two hands. And then would come the steaks. Yep...my doll, my ring, and my steaks.

We spent the rest of the day lounging around the house, reading books, baking a pie and preparing a cornish game hen dinner (which according to Wikipedia is not a game bird at all, just a young farm raised chicken). I finally managed to make a non-lumpy gravy, a good way to start year 29. Perhaps all my cooking endeavors from now on will be closer to perfect.

We head out to the cabin/cottage tonight to spend the weekend with Matt's family. I'm looking forward to it. Sounds like Walter might be breaking out the Snowmobile! Good times for everyone!

Tomorrow...

2008-12-24T08:00:00.001-08:00

...is Christmas.

It is incidentally also my birthday. I turn 29.

The last year of my life in my 20's. I'm not sure how to feel, but there is an overwhelming sense that I need to make this one worth it. My 20's need to go out with a bang (a year long bang).

I'm not sure how I'm going to do that. I don't think I really do need to know how, but i'll be sure to let you know when the epiphany hits me. If I don't figure it out, Matt will. Being married to Matt is one big adventure anyway. That boy has a enough dreams for the both of us, and I'm pretty sure that by August we will find ourselves some place where no one speaks any English and the food is generally unrecognizable.

Also, a few random interesting bits.

a. I have a sore developing right under my nose. It hurts like hell and looks like it's only getting bigger. I blame winter because right now winter is to blame for everything.

b. Matthew chipped his tooth the other day. We are debating our plan of action, which will probably include a trip to the dentist and an exorbitant bill. It's that, or returning to the ways of our great grandparents and just living with a chipped tooth.

c. Watched the weirdest movie EVER last night, with Mick Jagger in it. It's about hippy rock stars, gangsters, nudity, drugs, bookies, velvet and guns. I would call it Psychedelic. If you are brave, check it out. It's called Performance.

d. I'm addicted to Bon Iver's song Skinny Love and play it about 5 to 20 times a day...in a row... You should listen to it to. You can find it on my Facebook. Go listen and join in my addiction.

e. Today's Headline Reads: "Consumer Spending Down!"

Noooooo!!!! Really???? Who knew an Economic Downturn would do such a thing?!

I hate headlines these days. They are so redundant and meaningless. If they aren't stating the obvious, they are adulterating the truth (a la Fox Network style), or trying and scare the crap out of you (a la CNN style). As an aside, I personally think that it's a good thing that consumer spending is down. Less crap going into our land fills and maybe helping people differentiate between what they 'want' and what they 'need'.

Sorry the blog is so random and boring these days. The truth is, when winter hits the Midwest, you basically seal yourself into your apartment with as many canned goods and limes as possible and wait for it to be over. In short, there isn't a heck of a lot going on right now. It's hard work making something out of nothing, but I do my best. I'll try and get more photos posted sometime soon as well.

Merry Christmas people!

Lots of love from us to you!

xo.

Stupid Cold is Right!

2008-12-21T08:56:00.001-08:00

I am slowly turning into a pile of dust.

My skin is beyond dry. I need one of those special pack sacks that carry only water...the one that has a tube running from it straight into my mouth.

This death-by-skin-dehydration is pretty common for me during the cold months, but this year it's so much worse. My body must think that since I spent last winter on a beach, this year I deserve twice the cracked and flaking skin.

I forgot how much winter sucks.

The daily degradation of my skin paired up with the lack of insulation in our 100 year old apartment and the suspense built around wether or not Matt's car will start every morning, is a very cruel reminder.

I don't think Matthew will ever let us live in the midwest another winter. He's practically filling out the paperwork himself to make me a permanent resident of India, which apparently I can do because of my genetics. One passport at a time my friend! I haven't even got my US Green Card yet.

For those of you that are interested, the Green Card thing is still keeping us in a tight holding pattern.

Nothing will move forward until I get my Police Check in from the RCMP. When that finally arrives (God Knows When!) then it will be about another month until I have an interview with at the American Embassy in Montreal.

This waiting game we constantly play with various government offices is tortuous.

I'm convinced that the system is set up this way, with endless wait times for documents, cryptic instructions on how to fill in your application forms, and expensive fees, purposefully to deter people who are either not determined enough to go through with this demented process or who are too poor to afford an immigration lawyer.

We are close though. I can feel it. And even though we have no lawyers, and we have no money, soon I'll have a Green Card that will let me work in a country that apparently has no jobs...and THEN...THEN it will all be worth it!

Yeah for me.

Staying Healthy in Minnesnowta

2008-12-10T22:33:00.000-08:00

It's late and for some reason I can't sleep.

Could be the half bag of licorice I had just before dinner that is keeping me up.

Plus the muffin from the batch I just baked tonight.

And of course the handful of chocolate chips I downed while making them.

In short, I'm a bit wired. Also, I have a tummy ache that echoes vague memories from my childhood after a binge at the local candy store. Hopefully I will be a fully recovered adult tomorrow.

Winter has officially hit Minneapolis, and apparently it's early.

When I say 'officially' I mean that the snow that has fallen is obviously not going anywhere. Unlike Toronto, the Minnesota variety of white stuff does not melt or become slush. It stays white and fluffy or it compresses into ice, but it does not go away. My footwear has been reduced to a single pair of water resistant hiking shoes insulated with the purest wool socks around. I've also started to habitually wear long johns underneath all my jeans without even bothering to check weather reports or peek outside my window. After it drops below -10 Celcius it doesn't really matter.

It takes me about 15 minutes to PREPARE to leave my home as I attire myself in full winter protection. Gone are the days that I would run outside without a scarf or hat on (cause it just wasn't cool back then). Now I refuse to even open my front door without two sweaters on, my massive MEC coat, mitts, toque and mom-knit neck warmer. Matt has started calling me 'Grandma' because of all the knit wear that has made its way into my wardrobe. Well, that's 'sexy grandma' to you!

In other news...

Matt and I are doing our best to reduce some of our costs of living. It doesn't have as much to do with the ever popular Economy Crisis which is seemingly the reason for many peoples woes right now. No, it has more to do with the fact that we have started making Health Insurance payments here in the USA. It's such a weird concept for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm completely aware that Canadian Health Insurance is not free...I know that I pay for it through my taxes. However, I couldn't help but feel ripped off when Matt brought home his paycheck one day and it had been cut by about $150. He finally passed the 3 month mark at his job which qualified us for Health Insurance. It was a bittersweet occasion; celebratory because I could finally stop obsessing over some inevitable freak accident (like spontaneously spraining my ankle) that would consequently cost my unborn grandchildren a lifetime of hard labor to repay the doctors that fix me up. On the flip side, it was a big downer because it means every month we lose $300 out of Matt's income.

$300.

$300!!!

That's just slightly over our monthly grocery bill. To have the cost of health care spelled out like that in one swooping blow was a bit of a shock. And what's worse is that it's shitty health coverage (or at least I think so. I'm sure that it's not that normal to have full dental and soothing massages included in an average health plan.)

In any case, at least we have something. Something is better than absolutely nothing, even if that something sort of sucks. Aside from my candy binges, we are keeping as healthy as possible on illegally smuggled Cold Fx (can you believe they don't have it here!) and lots of orange juice.

This also brings me back to the cuts our budget is taking. Last week we did a big grocery shop and I made an important resolution: To stretch out the food we bought for as long as possible. 'As Long As Possible' has turned out to be just under 2 weeks for a $90 shop. Not bad if I do say so myself.

This has been made possible by a few factors:

1. Less Meat.

Matt maybe hasn't noticed, but i've been cutting our meat portions and increasing the vegetables. Actually, I'm sure he's noticed, but he's just being nice.

2. Insane Pizza Deals.

You can buy 5 frozen medium pizzas here for $10! So weekends have become 'Pizza Weekends where we dine like kings on $2 pizzas. So not healthy, but oh so good.

3. Eat Everything.

Tomorrow we need to go shopping again. How do I know this?

Because we are down to 1 egg and a half container of yogurt, and because Matt would disown me if that was what I put on the table as our next meal, it's officially time to restock.

I'm not sure how much money we will save this way, but it's worth experimenting with for now. It's definitely not as much as we need to offset the cost of our health care in the USA. If I really wanted to do that i'd have to crack down on the amount of beer and wine we drink every month. Hey, when you're living through a Minnesota winter you have to keep warm somehow, right?!

Notes to Self

2008-11-26T07:54:00.000-08:00

It's officially done. Matt and I sent off our JET applications to the Japanese Embassy. Now all we have to do is wait around until January to hear back. The whole process has been a lot like applying for a Green Card.

Lots forms to fill out, statements to write, documents to scramble for at the last minute.

They want everything in triplicate, which totally ate up our paper supply. I will say though, that the Japanese officials are easier to get in touch with than the American ones. At least they let you leave a message on their machine and call you back with answers to your questions. Reaching American officials is about as easy as E.T. trying to phone home.

And once you do get through, they're mean. The Canadians aren't much better, but at least that part of the process is over, since Matt was approved for an Immigration Visa.

So now that I'm done I have a bit more time on my hands. I had cut my hours down at the Steeple People, where I volunteer, but look forward to getting back to sorting through vintage clothing and berating people for shoplifting from a non profit organization. The Steeple People (or Greeple as Matt likes to call it) is a church run thrift shop that sells donated house hold goods and clothing in order to donate the profits to local community organizations. It's a fun place to work, lots of busy people cleaning and sorting and is the kind of work I enjoy. I don't get paid, but I do get to take home items that may not be 'sellable'. So if there is a tiny snag in that cute Banana Republic sweater, they won't hang it on the floor. It gets sent to a recycling plant to make some sort of product that soaks up oil spills....OR....it ends up in my closet.

Today is Black Friday. Apparently there is supposed to be some extreme shopping going on, as tradition dictates. I don't quite get it, especially during our current 'Economic Crisis' (I'm lovin' all the new catch phrases that Americans come up with for describing stuff. This one is almost better than Weapons of Mass Destruction...seems to instill about the same amount of fear in people. I guess that's the point though.) Why the day after you eat a big fat (not to mention pricy) greasy turkey meal is reserved for blowing even more of your budget, I don't know.

Our Thanksgiving was pretty fantastic. We had turkey dinners twice. An early Thanksgiving was celebrated at Glenda and Walter's last week because more family was going to be around. I've never had a 'turkey roll' before, but I like the idea of spiraling spinach in between turkey meat. There must have been 3 different kinds of dessert and so many leftovers. Then we hit the table again at Ryan and Randy's for a scrumptous bird, loads of gravy and mashed potato's, and a pecan pie that almost ushered me into a diabetic coma after the first bite. I swear, I don't want to eat again until Christmas.

I should get going. I've promised myself to walk to the library before I start my shift at the Steeple. I'm reading Nelson Mandela's "Long Walk to Freedom". Great book. It's just amazing that people fought so hard for freedom. I've never had to so much as lift a finger in a fight for my racial rights. It reminds me again how lucky we are in North America, and that's something to be grateful for.

Room With A View

2008-11-20T08:46:00.000-08:00

Winter is here.

Even if there is no snow, you know it for sure when you can feel the cold frigid air seeping through the crack of the closed front door. I can pinpoint exactly where it is that all the heat in my apartment is escaping, it might as well be water running through those gaps.

A particularly cold location in my home is the bay window in the living room. It's an old window, with no caulking, so it's a given that when you sit beside it it feels like you need to put on an extra sweater and maybe some leg warmers. Matthew has actually started to call me 'Grandma' because of all the knit-wear that i've suddenly taken on.

However, the window is a great place to write. I like to surf the net and write my blog here so I can look up every so often and spy on the neighborhood.

I've been observing my 'hood for about 2 months from this little perch of mine.

I feel sort of like a house cat that sits and watches through his owners glass. Actually, used to think that cats sat by the window wishing to be released outside, but now I think that they just like the anonymity of the situation. They can scope out their terrain without any mouse, bird or squirrel having any idea that they are being studied. The cat is secretly planning his hunt and when the right moment comes he'll know exactly when and how to strike!

Well, at least that's what I think, mostly because that's how I feel, though I'm not planning on doing any rodent extermination any time soon. What I mean is that I love to watch when no one else is looking.

It's pretty fascinating to observe the system of your surroundings unfold, and there is definitely a system.

The bus arrives at its stop every 15 minutes.

The three college roomies, or as I like to call them the triplets, on the third floor of our building are always dashing out the door at around 8:30am, probably late for class.

The man with the black Converse walks by every day at 10:30 am, always in a Westwardly direction.

Katie, my second floor neighbor, is constantly parking her car, then leaving again, then back again re parking her car. (I still don't know what kind of job she has that requires her to come and go so often.)

2:00 pm the mail man arrives.

The first of the month you can see the garbage pickers weaving in and out of the nearby alleyways with shopping carts and pick up trucks, looking for treasure junk thrown out by moving tenants.

And at least once a day, a cyclist almost loses his or her life zooming through the two way stop at Bryant and 24th street.

This is pretty standard stuff, standard for my street because we live right at the corner of a busy residential road that leads to an even busier one.

Two blocks away is a commercial area with restaurants, bars and of course the ever exciting liquor store, so their action sometimes trickles down our way.

Every now and then you'll see something really out of the ordinary. The other day I spotted a well known homeless guy standing at the bus stop across the street. The bus came, but he didn't get on. He was waiting for someone. Then a car pulled up, he got in and they pulled into the alley. Moments later he came sauntering back out, lifted his arms in the air and did a couple fist pumps. I imagined at the time that he was yelling 'Adriane!'

Total drug deal. Wow. Is my neighborhood cool or what?!

Catching Up

2008-11-17T11:20:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I hit the blog. I think a whole year, almost to the day.

It must have been somewhere in Pakistan that I stopped writing. Internet service was sketchy at best and it's easy to stay away from the web when you are enjoying the people and mountains of such a unique country.

Since then so much has happened.

Matt and I finished our year of traveling abroad. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and a bunch of other far away places were visited and loved. There were also some places we did not love at all, but that's traveling.

We returned in August of this year, just in time to pick up our car from the abandoned car lot in Vancouver.

Technically we had 'abandoned' it, in front of my cousins house, and fully intended to retrieve it upon our return to Western Civilization. It sat there for just under 11 months until someone decided to write a few choice words on the side of the car with a paint marker, words I won't repeat here because I think it goes against my Blogger Agreement. The graffiti turned our beloved little rusting Honda into a crude and obvious eyesore. Shortly after that the license plates were ripped off, likely by a coalition of neighborhood parents that banded together after their children came home with an entirely new vocabulary due to our car. In any event, it worked. The week before we arrived home it was towed. Luckily we had no problem locating it, the fine wasn't too ridiculous and the graffiti came off with a little bit of elbow grease and a lot of Goo Be Gone.

Our return home was exciting.

After the 'car incident' we crossed into the US and spent some time in Oregon visiting friends, camping and soaking up the gorgeous weather.

We road tripped across the country to Fargo in time to attend Matt's brother's wedding.

We were reunited with family that we missed immensely. We met our new nephew, Ethan, who was born while we were away. We gorged ourselves on food we hadn't eaten in months.

Steak was a personal favorite. Matthew started eating hamburgers everyday.

There was always a story to tell and an interested ear to listen.

After the initial hoopla of it all, things adjusted back to 'normal', or what Matt likes to think of as 'boring'.

Lots of adult decisions had to be made that neither of us had made in a while.

"Where would we live? What about jobs?! Oh my gosh, we are almost broke!"

Also, there were many responsibilities to attend to that I had ignored blissfully while traipsing around South Asia.

My taxes were long overdue, and I almost positively owed the government money.

I needed to sort out my Green Card paperwork with the US government.

My teeth needed a serious cleaning intervention and I was desperate to get hold of some Western birth control because the non-prescription India stuff i'd been using for the last 6 months was slowly turning me in emotional monster.

We decided on Minneapolis as a place to live out the fast approaching winter. It's a 3 hour drive from Matt's family and a 2 hour flight from mine, so technically it's half way between both.

Our apartment is old, warm and cozy and we enjoy the location.

Matt was able to pick up his old job, which was great cause money was getting tight.

I filed my taxes and was even able to pay what I owed.

I am in the final stages of my Green Card application and am crossing my fingers that I will have it by January.

Until then, even though Matthew and I have been legally married since 2006, I officially cannot be 'living' in the US.

By 'living' here, that would imply (at least to a border customs guard) that I was somehow allowed to stay indefinitely or was intending to work. In fact, I'm allowed to do neither until my Green Card is approved. So until that point, my status when I cross the border is classified as a 'Tourist', and I can 'visit' (not 'live') with Matthew for up to 6 months. It's a lame situation, but it's the only legal way to play this game.

So that is how we went from 'there' to here.

Matt works, I play the waiting game with the government and we both agree that once winter is over we need to do something a little more inspirational than what we are doing now.

What can I say, as much as I missed my family and friends and wanted to come home at the end of our trip...

As much as I was happy to have an apartment again, a phone, a fridge, a bed and a new pair of jeans...

As much as I enjoy cooking my own food, eating meat every stinking night, drinking real wine and grocery shopping...

...there is something inside of me that wants to go back.

I know. It's crazy.

You think a year would be enough. Apparently travel bugs die about as hard as Amebic Dysentry.

So we have started to apply to JET, a Japanese teaching program that hires assistant teachers from all over the world to work in Japan on a year to year contract. If we are accepted, we will be in Japan by next August and may not be back for a while. Our application is due at the end of this week and I'm both nervous and excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.

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