my 1 large suitcase is SO fkin packed and SO fkin HEAVY.... D; i came here under the weight limit and am going back way over! gotta leave extra early to go by Walmart and buy a cheapass little bag/suitcase to hopefully distribute the weight enough to get by without a fee... urgh.

goodbye America. :[ i wonder when i'll be back next.

my final 2 days in America... :'[ 2+ weeks just wasn't enough time. i really am NOT looking forward to leaving tuesday... not because i dont want to go back to Japan-- i do miss some things about Japan and my apartment a smidgen-- but because of work. i am frustrated and annoyed with my job, especially with the recent changes from my BOE... work sucks. i'll be back in Kochi wednesday ngiht and will have to go to work thursday morning even though i am likely to not step foot into a school until the following monday at the earliest. :/ meh. i also have a potentially life-changing decision to make within the next month concerning my job that will be in my face again once in Japan.

sigh sigh....

i have enjoyed my time in Vegas immensely, though, and still never want to live in this city again. :] i told David that i hope he doesnt fall in love with this place-- not that i can see how anyone possibly could lol. it was nice seeing my family and the place where i spent most of my life... i havent eaten enough mexican food while here. ;-; such a shame... America has too much awesome food that i cant get in Japan! >_<;

anyway, yeah... the trip has been awesome and Japan doesnt suck but my job sure does so i'm meh about tuesday. we will be leaving Vegas at 7something in the morning, flying to San Francisco where we will be leaving for Tokyo at 10something (it will be REALLY tight getting between these flights!! >_<;;;). we'll arrive in Tokyo at 3something pm on wednesday, japan time, and will be back in Kochi at 8something. losing a day sucks...

oh, and the Amazon Rewards Card that i had applied for was denied... D; infact, Chase sent out a rejection letter the very next day stating the reason as "too many requests for credit or opened accounts with us"... D; i guess because both of the cards that i appied for happened to be through Chase... however the letter only mentioned a Visa application being denied, not a Mastercard. the Amazon Card was a Visa and the Chase Freedom is a Mastercard, so.... maybe i still have a chance at the Freedom? D; anyway, all ends well regardless...! days after i had applied for the cards i got an email from dad asking what i wanted for xmas.... and guess what i asked for. D; the Kindle is scheduled for delivery on monday, so i'll get it just in time! :D w00t!

g2g bai bai. <3

to keep up the tradition, here's the 2009 version of a new years meme that i've done for 2007 and 2008:

( again with the 40 question meme )

a quick, brief blurb on me & ebook readers:

so, i want an ebook reader. the major players in ebook readers atm are the Kindle (2 + DX) by Amazon, the Pocket & Touch Edition of readers by Sony and the newest opponent in the ebook reader war, the Nook by Barnes & Noble. i've been comparing them all for days and have finally come to a decision.

( i blurb much about nothing. )

...anyway, i blurbed too much... in conclusion, i love the Nook but i'd rather wait for improvements before getting one. i love the Kindle 2 and dont feel the features of the DX or a potential Kindle 3 to be worth waiting for (damn me). time for Chase to approve my Amazon card so i can order me a Kindle 2!

edit: Sony Reader Daily Ed. - just found it and like it but it's wireless connection only works in the US, of course... *sigh*

a belated merry xmas/yule/etc to all. i hope you enjoyed yours. :] as for me, it was awesome having my first xmas dinner at home in 4-5years. :] my mom is a godly cook and i've really missed her cooking... D;

me & figgybee have been in Vegas for over a week now... realizing that makes me sad because time is going by so fast... i dont wanna go back to work... anyway, the past week+ has been all around interesting, even though we havent really done much yet. ^^; i've gotten a bit more relaxed about driving... i dont feel like i'll have a heart attack behind the wheel anymore. :P but David (figgybee) likes driving and has mostly taken that over. i'm mostly a navigator now. :p Vegas has changed a LOT since i last lived here... we can hardly go anywhere without me being like "?!?! WTF is that??" etc... soon enough i'll hardly know my hometown anymore! :'[ someone needs to tell Vegas to slow the fuck down with its construction...

my money has been flying out the window since i got here... ;-; with no insurance and two doctors appointments, 3 weeks worth of car renting + accommodation etc... when i finally checked the balance in my bank account 2 days ago and saw that i only have 123$ left.... someone might as well have thrown me out a 5th story window. :'[ we still have a week+ here and i havent even bought or shipped food back to myself yet as i had been planning... i'm fucked lol... you can imagine how much of a damper that will put on the rest of my time here... y_y;

i'm looking for free/supercheap things to do with David during the rest of our time here. we really havent been to see anything yet... we still intend to drive to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam... drive around Sunrise Mtn and up Mt Charleston to see the snow if weather permits. we have yet to go down the Strip, which can either be costly or free depending on various things... no more shopping for me... ;-;

oh, and last night i did something crazy... something i thought i would never do-- HA! how i overestimate myself. i've strongly hated credit cards for forever and was like "i'll never have on of those things! DEBIT CARDS 4EVER!!! >:[" as a teen, but last night... D; ( i suck )

anyway, yeah.... i suck and am pretty much broke, but the trip has gone great otherwise. my family seems to have even taken a liking to David. D; on the phone the other day mom was like "i guess David is my son in law, huh?" and i was just like "D; ....." of course there was a bit of context to that comment, but it was "D; ....." regardless. ^^;; never thought mom would have said or even thought anything like that... ah, and speaking of family, mom got married in Feb to a guy that i had only met briefly once so i've been getting to know him a bit... my feelings about him are still beyond words, but he doesnt seem bad atleast. as long as mom's happy... i really need to sit her down and talk to her about that before i leave.... >_>;;;

anyway... i'm done blurbing. ^^; i wish i had access to my money in Japan from here... goddamn regional Japanese banks.

edit: oh yeah, we saw AVATAR in IMAX 3D the other day! it was AWESOME!! the movie deserves its own entry in which i would blurb on and on about stuff that people would think me a tree hugger/weirdo for, so i will confine my comments on the movie to just this. i LOVED the movie and as soon as it comes out on bluray i want it! i hope that everyone gets to see it one way or another. i highly recommend it. :]