Farewell to Oz

I feel like Dorothy right now.

You know when she's about to get in the balloon to go home, and says all her goodbyes, and then the next thing you know she's back on the ground again?

And then when she finally realizes she gets to go home, simply by clicking her heels, she has to say all those goodbyes one more time?

And how she's finally ready to go home, but she realizes what a changed person she is, and she looks all around her to see her friends and their faces and you can just feel the heaviness of their hearts (including the Tinman now)?

Yeah. That's how I feel.

I thought I might go out the way I came in, with no one to wave goodbye as I got into my taxi, but I got much luckier and Sina poked her head out the window before coming down and Heidi stopped by on her bike on her way back from breakfast.

It was so nice to have some final hugs before I got in the cab.

Which cost almost $225 with tolls, by the way, so I'm thinking yesterday's missed train antics were still worth the money. 290 yen to go to IKEA doesn't seem so terrible any more now that I know it's be more like 5000 yen in a cab. Wow! Thanks OLC for the first-class sayonara.

Funny, but I actually used that word correctly for the first time today in conversation. After my final of 6 times through Japanese immigration, the security officer said "Sayonara" to me and I realized, yes, I actually am leaving her this time for good. Or at least indefinitely.

I just had my final bowl of Japanese udon (oishii, as itsumo) and am chilling for my flight to Detroit. I know, it's ridiculous, but that's the ticket they bought last summer, and at least Delta in Japan has their act together better.

Slightly.

I am amazed that I only had to pay an overweight charge for one bag (50 BUCKS, yatta! Thanks friends and fam!) after she let me consolidate the two 3 kg overags, and had I had a better carry-on suitcase or packed 10% better, I probably could've shoved those 15 pounds into my carry-ons and been golden. But thankfully, it's all done.

I went ahead and asked for exit row or standby on the flight 15 minutes later 3 gates down that goes directly to JFK, but we're both fully overbooked. Explain that oxymoron to me. So hopefully I'll get bumped. Never hurts to ask, right?

But this is it. The long flight back across the ocean to the Western world.

I'm so not ready.

But here I go anyhoo!

And I'm Off

Goodbyes have been said.

Tears have been cried.

And the wind is blowing like crazy...

I guess like Mary Poppins, the time has come for me to leave now that the winds have changed.

Taiwan... here I come!

Typhoon Torment

Last night, before work, I decided it would be a smart idea to ride my bike to work as I usually do. Except yesterday, we had a lovely typhoon joining us here in Japan. And I naively figured that I could still manage to ride my bike in the rain as the Japanese do...

Holding an umbrella.

And yes, while I'm aware this is not the safest thing in the world, the Japanese do it with such ease I naturally assumed it would be no problem.

Yeah. It definitely was a problem.

See, somehow, riding a bike that's a bit small for you with only one hand to steer while there's a bag full of your crap in the basket over the front wheel throwing off the center of your weight while the typhoon winds and rain beat at you and your favorite new blue plastic umbrella in your other hand isn't as easy at it first seems.

Nor is reading that run-on sentence.

And so, even though I made it to within 20 feet of the parking garage at the station, the typhoon felt it necessary to rip my favorite blue plastic umbrella out of my hand into the middle of a trafficky intersection, and then, when I parked my bike and chased after it into the street, it felt it necessary to gustily blow said umbrella halfway down the block and also gustily blow my bike right over. And dent my lovely front wheel basket.

It's a good thing I was in a good mood and was able to shrug it off, because man, that typhoon did not want me to enjoy my bike ride.

Now said typhoon also discouraged me from doing much of anything today and from going to bed at a decent hour last night. So my day consisted of far too much whiskey and conversation last night, and Domino's pizza and a movie today. Which actually made for a lovely day off. Except the Domino's wasn't nearly as good to my stomach as I remember. Or as quick and cheap. I think I've actually grown accustomed to the Japanese diet and my body isn't a fan of such grease and crap anymore. Wow.

And we had the Sayonara party for the old cast tonight which was lovely and sweet and amazing. It made me wish I had been more able to tell the Japanese in summer party how much I would truly miss them and how much they changed my life in such a short amount of time.

But well, I guess I have to hope they know that in their hearts.

Tomorrow... debut day, A-shift. Woo hoo!

Today is the First Day of the Rest of My Life

So shoot me. A token MT reference. But completely true.

I was reading the very beginning of Rupert Everett's autobiography yesterday (again, just shoot me) when he said something that pretty much encapsulates the "Aw Crap!" moment I had last night on the way home with Kat. He talked about those moments in life when you suddenly find yourself at a point of no return, your life is going to change, and you didn't realize all the doors slamming shut behind you leaving you with no escape. But he's talking about it in a positive light. And that's what happened when I turned to Kat last night and said, "Oh my goodness, I just realized that I'm about to change, and I'm never going to be this person ever again." So there it is. Life change. Right now. I'm moving to Tokyo and the second I get off the plane, I literally have NO IDEA what to expect. No amount of preparation will be enough. But here goes nothing!

I will miss everyone in the States quite terribly, but I am so thrilled by this adventure, and hope there will be many fun stories to come, starting as soon as I board NW25 in Detroit. Whoa.

Here goes nothin'....