Packed and Ready

Wow. It is 11:42 as I begin typing this. We'll just call it fashionably late, even though by the time I finish this entry, it's bound to be Thursday. Ah, well. I've been a little busy. 

So, a re-cap of what I've been doing in preparation, of sorts. 
Thursday and Friday I was completely free, and I don't think I got a single thing accomplished. It was absolutely beautiful, although I had kind of been wanting to see some people. They must have been too busy, though, so as a result, I just didn't do anything. 
Saturday was a dinner with some of my close relatives, to see them one more time before I leave. It was a pretty good time. Sunday I hung out with a friend of mine I haven't seen in months, and it was good to catch up with her. Before I left, though, I wrote up an essay for scholarship applications within my own university [the work is never done!]. It really was the only day I'd have left to write anything, and so I had to get off my lazy duff and actually get it accomplished. Once I got it finished, though, and looked back in retrospect, it really wasn't too bad. Monday, I went to go say goodbye to close family and friends, as well as help my aunt set up her Skype account so that she and her family can talk to me while I'm away.


Somewhere in-between all this hectic stuff, maybe on my two days off, I managed to walk outside at the right moment and catch a beautiful sunset. 

Lovely, isn't it? 

Yesterday, Tuesday, was both extremely happy and extremely sad. I had to say my farewells to some of my closest friends, and it was also my last poi class. Some of the people that I've met from that have become much like my family, so since it was the last time I'll see them until August, it was very bittersweet. Awesomely enough, though, they were having an impromptu party [my teacher had forgotten I was leaving so soon and was shocked when he found out] with all the Fire Tribe members, and so they had me stick around for that. I was there until midnight, mostly just watching people, but they made me spin some fire poi one last time before I left, and I must say, I feel as though I did a little better than I did the first time. It wasn't quite as intimidating as the last time. Of course, I singed the back of my hair [no major damage even to the cut, it just smelled awful], but once I was able to just shake it off and have no repercussions, it was all smooth[ish] sailing from there. Anyway, I said my good-byes, and even though you think I am, Emily, I'm not going to get swept off my feet and married within four months. I promise. I'll be back in August, at least for a little while.

Today was last-minute laundry and packing day. While I had started getting things together last week, today was my designated, official pack-up-my-junk day. I think I over-packed, but since I have absolutely no idea of what I'll need yet, it will be okay. I hope. 

Since I haven't been sleeping well recently, once I had the bulk of it packed up, I went ahead and took a nap.

This was my stopping point.

I slept for about an hour, and woke up to the overwhelming need to finish what I'd started. So I gathered up last-minute things and got everything I think I'll need, and some things that might be extra, because I know that if I forget something, I can't exactly just hop another plane back to the US like it's nothing. Once I'm there, I'm there. 

Oh my goodness, I'll be there on Monday. 

All finished!

Speaking of which, I found out that the friend of mine from school also going to Oberlin will be arriving in Tokyo about one hour after I do. I'm quite happy with learning about this development, and told him to find me once he arrived, which he said he would. I'm sure by then I will be eager to see a familiar face, if only to gather myself to jump back in and amongst the thick of things. Maybe not on Monday, though. Surely I'll be tired by then. 

Finally, what kept me from posting at a reasonable hour today. I went out with a friend of mine to go get some dinner and go see the Hunger Games. A couple other friends of mine had me reading the books just a couple of weeks ago, and I wound up reading all three books in two days. Needless to say, I've been dying to see the film, but I just hadn't been able to find the time. But I wanted to go before I left, so I took the opportunity to make some last-minute plans while I still could. 

I'm really grateful that I did, too. They didn't follow everything in the book, and some things that I had thought might be considered important were skipped, but they did stick pretty closely to the plot, and I did enjoy it quite a bit. Seneca Crane's facial hair was awesome, and the details they added to the costumes and design were lovely.

Besides that, oh my goodness, Lenny Kravitz as my favourite character yes yes yes yes. Perfection.

My current desktop wallpaper. Guess whose music I'm listening to right now? Mm...
Yes, Mr Kravitz. I would gladly go your way.

Tomorrow's the first of several big days!

Tomorrow I've got to go over everything and make sure I didn't forget anything important, and then tomorrow night, after I give a friend a picture she had commissioned me to work on, I'm to be whisked off to the train station. I'll arrive in Chicago Friday morning, where I hope to be greeted by my aunt and an old friend of mine. Saturday will be for me and my aunt, and Sunday morning, I'll be off.

I'm really nervous,

and really excited.

Wish me luck, guys! 

My next entry will be the first from Tokyo!

Hopefully, everything will go smoothly.

I'll tell you about it next Wednesday, which, I hope, will be on time. 

Sorry about the late post, guys.

Talk to you soon!

-RD