Reflecting on the past year.

This, might be an almost serious blog posting. Be warned. Some onions MAY find there way onto this page though. Maybe.

So, why am i reflecting on the past year? Ive only been in Japan for uh..7 months. 7 =/= 12. Well, yesterday was my birthday and things are pretty different than they were 12 months ago, almost to this day.

A year ago I was happily living in Saint John in a nice little uptown apartment. I loved that apartment, I loved who I lived with and it was a good time for me. I was working something stupid like 5 jobs and going to school full time. I was going to the gym off and on (not as much as I should), I was gaming w/ the guys (and some gals) once a week. Gawd, what day did we play? Tues? Weds? I cant even remember. I had a great cat and a great girlfriend, and I was just about to get a super awesome leather couch. Gawd damn that was a great couch.   I miss napping on that thing. I had a couple of expanding options when I graduated (for the second time with my business degree) and I had made a few good contacts.

I had a great business partner (JC, you rock) and we were, I think, doing pretty damn well. Our little consulting job turned out really well (I think) and the marketing stuff we did for the university was pretty successful. Chris D got one of his pics used for the MBA banner from the mixer we were part of, where our little video was shown. It doesnt look like that video has been used for anything really, which is too bad. It wasnt great…but we put a LOT of work into it and I was pretty happy with how it turned out for an amateur jobby. Some of the other work we did for them is still being used.

I got to do a couple of seminars, which I really enjoyed. I was doing some interview prep stuff and I think I coulda taken that a little further if I wasnt so damn busy. School itself was going well. I was playing badminton a couple times a week and I really liked all of my professors. Some of them didnt even hate me! Co-op had been a great experience and I dont regret any of it.

LIfe was pretty good.

So…why did I come to Japan?

Well, after I graduated from school the first time…I couldnt find a job. I could find little part time things, but nothing I was happy with. Nothing I was really proud of. I think we all go through that. I had already run away to Florida (haha) and that didnt go over so well. Even with as well as things had been going, I didnt have a lot of confidence in myself. Im smart, yeah…but really, thats all ive got. A few people accused me of being a “work-a-holic” but they didnt really know me. They only saw me at work. The people who knew me knew that I am a lazy, selfish sod. I was gonna say sonuvabitch, but then id be insulting my mom on my own blog…and I cant do that. Luv ya ma!

So…I was worried that when I got out of school, well…id be jobless again. I had really liked the jobs I had done over the past few years. I enjoyed the marketing stuff, the promotions coordinator, the consulting. I had finally done something I was almost proud to say I did as a job. I dont know if I was good at it, or if JC was good at it and I was just along for the ride, but I think we made a really good team. We didnt win the business plan competition, but damn we were close. We had that…too bad one of the judges had to pee =_=. We kicked ass at the business problem competition we went to (2 way split baby!).

Anyway. I wanted to have a job. And, I wanted to come to Japan. I had wanted to go abroad and teach English for years. Im pretty good at English, yo. Of course, now that ive said that, some grammar nazi is gonna go through my blog posts and find all the places where ive gone wrong. Well, F you! I dont care. Im good at English, just not very good at typing. So, I applied at AEON, the only place I applied for. They had a good rep and I really didnt want to get screwed over. So far, things are great.

So, whats different huh?

I live in an apartment that I could fit into my old living room, but I love it. Its…cozy. It has everything I need, though I would like to have a bigger kitchen. Actually, technically, I would like to have a kitchen at all. Im working ~10 hours 5 days a week, sometimes 6. Im eating fish (yes, im actually eating fish!), and all kinds of other crazy foods. Im biking something like 8km a day (and I have a folding bike! Bwahahah). Im working with some rediculously great people and I have some great students. Im writing a little again, though not as much as I should. Im slowly (very slowly) learning some Japanese. Im SUCH a bad student . My poor teacher. I almost feel bad for her.

I own my first EVER new vacuum. Its friggin awesome. I drink coffee cause I dont sleep enough and I have no pets for the first time in my life. I miss my girls more than I can say and I hope they are doing ok. I miss not seeing Robert growing up (he was such a cute kid) and I didnt even get to meet Tony and Kuna’s little one before I left. I was sick and I really didnt want to pass it on. I feel incredibly guilty about that. I hope all is going well for that family. Julie and Dale just had their first too, and I am gonna miss most of that. Ill miss Steve and Tara’s wedding, and thats something I really wanted to be there for. I wish you two the best!

I worry about Ma and Jordan. They need somebody looking out for them >_<//. And..I miss…Subway! I would kill for a friggin Sub right now. Maaaaan, they are sooo good.

Im very very happy where I am right now and im gonna be here for a while longer, I hope. Ill try to come visit the peeps at home sometime soon. Maybe. Money is tight, student loan peeps are, surprise, screwing me over nicely. My own fault though. Youre all welcome to come visit any time though. I have enough floor space to fit a few peeps. I dont have …like..a bed…or a couch …or…chairs…even really. So, be happy with the floor and stop whining.

There is a typhoon coming right now.   Thats kinda exciting. Well, maybe. Ill let you know if I get blown away or not.

Anyway. Ive writting too much. Im sure there is more I could write, but im like..getting distracted by shiny things. So, I hope people are doing well. I am.

Next post will be back to being useless and inane. Dont worry! Talk at ya soon.