Hello Kitty, and others :)
I should perhaps have mentioned the purpose of this blog, as if it isn't too obvious. Updating each of you one-sie two-sie is just not happening. I have a BlackBerry (aka BrackBelly) here, but it only works for pin to pin (BB to BB) - because I am not a perm resident, I can't have a sim card. Also, my laptop time has been rare due to my little climbing monkey and the lack of baby-safe enviro for him to roam about in. I have to keep not just an eye but a hand near him most of the time until we both figure out how to navigate these narrow quarters, our stuff and their stuff. The furniture etc is where it is because that's how it fits in here - and there are sharp corners just at his level. It really is like walking through a magic door into a fun house adjusted to scale just a bit smaller - i.e. the peep hole is at my armpit, and I am 5'5"(OKAY, 5'4.5"haha). My sister Jenn-Jenn would be very at home here; even the ironing board is small, and short, and darling just like Pezik. Not picking on the japanese, but I do have to sit on the bed to be at the appropriate level to iron.
Okay getting away from myself. The point is we would love to send out love-e-mails to each of our friends and family, and will try to - but in addition/or in case we can't , here you can find little updates about our life in the Mouse House (apt), Tokyo and hopefully out and about in Japan... Konichiwa! ;)
4:30 pm Thurs - I think - easy to lose track of days here...
Okay, SO... Little man is asleep - in his crib, phew. I haven't been blogging because the entire page showed "?????" for text - how do you change your language back to English when you can't read the options? I just clicked on a line of question marks to post and it happened to pull up the language selection - LUCK. SO, we're back in business. On to the update.
It has been wicked busy trying to get settled and acclimated, and crowding in different necessary adventures in the limited time Eric is free to go with (a must due to a complicated combo of tiny spaces, steep stairs and a stroller full of Little-Eric... Many places we need to go I simply can not or should not try on my own with my micro companion) .
Most errands we need to run are going to be much easier the longer we are here. As in a mop - where to find one, what to pay, how to get there, deciphering the packaging and language... Baby wipes is a great example. When everything is written in Kanji (Japanese characters), it is nearly impossible to know what you are buying - is it for baby? Is it antibacterial, scented, for bum or face, is it quality or economy, is it worth 800 Yen? I should point out that even deodorant is sold as a wipe - I guess you rub the deo-wipe under your arms, etc for fragrance? Not sure - will buy and reveal to you at a later time. Jackson and I were in a pharmacy - size of a US Dining room table (wait - what's that? hahaha) and I asked the pharmacist (a senior man with happy eyes wearing his face mask - for his protection or mine, we don't know...) - well, I showed him the box of wipes in my hand with the Winnie the Pooh and said "Baby?" - He did the funniest little dance with his hand "fake-wiping" his tush, arms, face, etc. S0, I get it, you can use these for babies on their entire body - but does that mean they are just moist wipes? Do they have soap included and you add water? Because they have those as well. I know, I know, trivial. This is just an example of our adventures.
The happy pharmacist was so friendly and the wipes were about US$4 so I decided just to accept his charades and purchase. I'm so glad I did, as he then produced a wonderful origami mobile of sorts to present to Jackson, who was as thrilled as I was! SO NICE. That is typical of our outings - really nice folks and really interactive encounters, usually with one of us gesturing to various body parts or acting out different maneuvers. It is involved and it isn't always the end result we initially went for, but we walk away and smile and I say (sometimes aloud) - "Oh my God we LIVE here!!" - it is AMAZING.
More on our extensive observations of life in Tokyo in a moment. (Or depending on the length of this little nap for Jax, maybe next time - there will be many observations to be sure!! As I speak he is occasionally making that Maggie from the Simpsons sucking noise on his cheater...)
First let me say that I/we have taken photos of different local curiosities - mostly cultural differences of the economic kind - like the "ear cleaning sticks" I discovered at the am/pm. (convenience store - am/pm, SunKus, 7-11, etc are everywhere, often one next to the other - and in the vicinity of such the neighboring vending machines do not, in fact, usually carry beer - damn! haha But often enough you will pass one of the many machines, usually clustered in pairs or trios, and spy some lagers... And other beverages that I'm not too sure about... But only beverages, no mnm machines - damn again!). When I upload more oddity pics I will post some here, so get ready for that...
Our most recent coup was our last outing (the only one today) about two hrs ago. We were in Hanamasa, our local grocery. It's the size of a US 7-11 and described as a wholesale market, which I gather means no baby food, personal care items etc, but definitely not a bulk store. A package of eggs is 6 eggs (and refriedgerated, though rare), a loaf of bread is about 10 slices - still Japanese-small. We went out for bread, eggs, butter and stumbled on Maple Syrup - I *hope* that's what it is. Voila, we can have French Toast! Anywho, amidst all the tofu, various fish parts, misc dried foods, or parts of food haha, I saw a stack of plastic tubs containing CARAMEL CORN from Illinois! Tempted to buy all they had, I knew I should try one first. No room for extras in our apartment, especially if they aren't tasty! I have since opened the caramel corn and eaten half - will for sure get more!! (Again, this was a Japanese size container). Lucky for me Hanamasa is only about 25 MaryMegan-strides from our building. I checked the date, good through Nov 2007 - so if I can figure out where to store some, I will buy more. I mean, who knows if they will ever carry them again. Maybe always, maybe never. I can't chance it. It's that good. It is that delicious, or indulgent, or rare - or HOME. Maybe at "home" I wouldn't have even ever bought a tub of caramel corn (not this small anyway hahaha - oh Lisa and the Popcorn Factory...), but I'm all over it now. Funny what will make your day when in a foreign environment. Now if only I could find deodorant in a solid, not a spray, not a wipe, just a stick. The little things.
Moving to Australia was an adventure of a different sort. First, everything was still written in English, which is a huge help. Second, Australia is so Western, it was more like different part of America with a cool accent. Andmost importantly, we didn't have our newest travel mate, Jackson!
As for getting settled, pretty much everything is put away and organized. Somethings reorganized as we live here a bit and I realize that this cupboard or that one are not convenient for the 8 million (sarcasm) Pampers I brought. Why didn't I pack wipes? haha. Really glad I brought the Pampers though. Also, really glad I brought Eric HAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHA.
Speaking of our little "Salaryman"- He went in later today, about 9:30, as Jackson was up a lot last night and we didn't get much rest on our concrete mattress (again, not really concrete, but if you rest too long on your side, you may bruise your hip...) Eric is good. Doing well. Looking good! haha. I'll let him type his own section. <
Hmm, still have some time. Shall I describe our cleaning service? Your silence says "Yes, do tell..."Alrighty then. Mondays and Thursdays (Ah ha! It IS Thursday!) we have our maid service - usually a woman and a man, somedays just a woman, not always the same one, one of I think two women. Either way, all of the cleaning staff are, let's say, senior citizens. Anyway, I always think to myself, "Self, I don't need them today"- I mean, it is about 500 sq ft of space, how dirty can Jackson and I make it in a few days? Everything must be picked up and taken care of because there isn't room for a mess, and it wouldn't be safe for my little curtain-climber. But after the cleaners leave I'm like "wow - looks pretty damn good!" The Japanese are VERY tidy. Let me say, I keep expecting her to whip out a mop, and every time she cleans the floor on her HANDS AND KNEES (one wet rag, one dry, very Karate-Kid wax on wax off style), I think - woe. I feel like I should tell her, "No no no, get up, I'll do that!"- but in about 5 seconds she's finished. This after she has separated all of our trash (which I pre-sort into paper, plastic, diapers, trash) piece by piece, and her criteria for sorting I can not figure out. I know burnable trash vs not burnable, but really, she'll have about 6 bags... She changes linens, and just pretty much shuffles around, with the very often side bar with Jackson for a little "Kawaii"and a leg squeeze (yes for some reason all the Japanese women that want to admire my young shadow choose to squeeze his little squishy calves... No cheek pinching, just leg grabbing hahaha). She bows, I bow, she bows again, we keep bowing and saying Arigato as she shuffles backward out the door. I would bake her something but, oh yeah, my oven is MICRO. Let's just not even say I have one. That would be easier than trying to see what I could actually cook in that small small small space. I will find some MaryMegan sort of way to appreciate her help!
Okee dokee, if you haven't snuck away yet, feel free to go now, as I am going to sneak away myself and get some laundry done (that's a whole other post...) - see you my friends, Sayonara!
xooxox
ps/ Okay WOW - we are in sync, as if on cue he stirs and says "MAMAMAMAAAA"Adios!!
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