A Very Special Visitor

Hello all!!!  My most sincere apologies for the long wait for this post.  I have been incredibly busy.  A lot of good, a little bad, but that's why I'm here!

Last week on Friday I had my first experience of going out to eat with my boss.  I was very excited.

After work on Friday, we left straight from work.  I took my purse to his car and we drove to about 6 minutes to a lively big restaurant.  On the side of the building was some Kanji that I didn't know.  We drove up and he was wondering why I was laughing so hard.

I was laughing because on the side of this building, in massive neon letters was written, "THE BUILDING THAT DRINKS LIQUOR"

I was so excited to go to "the building that drinks liquor".  We went in and got a table... The table was like they are all over Japan, very short and low to the ground.  I was tired of kneeling down to eat which is what I have to do at home, so I was kind of upset about that fact....  Then I realized the table was set deep in a hole and I could sit like a Westerner and eat like I did in the States!  SUCCESS!!

There was all kinds of food to be eaten.  Korean food, American food, Japanese food, Chinese food, Italian food... This place had it all!!! I had my first plate of authentic Japanese Sushi here.  FANTASTIC!!

(I know it's sideways, give me a break... I was drinking...)

After that I came home having drank a bit and sat down to write my blog...  I passed out on the couch and woke up with my tie half strangling me.  Heck of a good time that night was.

The next day my girlfriend came to visit.

Now until this point, I have been living a life of solitude...  Outside from teaching and talking with my boss and my friends and family online... and making a few new friends here and there, and overall never being alone...

Ok, so my hermitage wasn't really a hermitage... but lets just say it was for the sake of being dramatic.

So to break me out of the "hermit" lifestyle, she came to visit me!

Lisa: What should we do?
Me: uuuuuh...... Go go get some food?
Lisa: Where do you shop?
Me: At Trial (You should remember this from a previous post with the map I drew)
Lisa: Ok well let's go there!
Me: Awesome!

We set off to go to Trial, I got on my bike and she got on h--

I only have one bike....

So I was walking to Trial and she was riding my bike...

Now mind you... It was HOT that day.  Lisa was wearing heels and I didn't want her to walk all the way to Trial and back, so I would take the pain.

What seemed like a walk the the Deep Sahara or a trek across a land written about in a Frank Herbert novel we arrived to Trial.

We entered and started to shop around.  I was showing her all the things that I liked so much, and what I thought was best to buy.  She showed me all the things that I should and should not buy.  I found this very helpful!

Some of the coolest things I bought were salmon, and body wash... (this might not be cool now, but just wait... I'll show tell you why this is awesome soon!)

I loaded my purse with all my groceries and began the trek home.  Now again... We are talking surface of the sun hot.. and Lisa in Riding my bike...  I have to walk again... With my purse... Now this might not sound bad, but Lisa is on A BIKE!!! She is going very fast and I am doing my best to keep up.  So on my light jog home with a heavy load, I almost passed out when I arrived.

We loaded up the groceries, and after a short rest from the run, we decided to go to the other side of town, by all the shops.

I put my walking shoes back on and headed out the door with Lisa.  We walked to a store called Apita, and looked around.  In this store, there is a place called Mosbaga.  It is here that I can finally get a fast food cheese burger!!

AMERICA!!!

We also found all kinds of shops and useful cheap stores that I could come back to.  It was a very successful trip.  On the way home, we decided to get some stuff to drink that night.  It was at this point that I found what my favorite part of Japan is...

Legal Public Drinking

That's right friends! Japan has a policy that says it is Legal to drink alcohol anywhere in public.  I can drink on the Train... I can drink on the bus..  I can drink ANYWHERE!! What a fantastic country this is.  Just when you think you are getting to know a place, it goes and surprises you like this!

Lisa and I walked home while we enjoyed out frosty beverages.  

When we arrived home, we realized that we were ready to fall asleep already... but WHY?!?!  It was only about 9:00...  Then we realized that we walked about 6 miles that day and I walked at least 2 of those miles with an extremely heavy purse!

Ok... Well I wanted to take a quick shower while she cooked dinner, and then we would go to bed.  

This is where the soap I bought gets awesome!!

When I bought this soap, I thought it looked good.  Black bottle... masculine pictures... heavy...  It should be good right?  Lisa didn't seem to mind that I picked it, so I was happy.  Everything else seemed very "girly" to me. I wanted to get manly body soap!

In the shower, I pumped in once.. A very DARK black viscus fluid came out....

Me: LISA!!!!!!

Lisa: What? (frustrated because she was cooking)

Me: WHAT IS THIS!?
Lisa: It's made from coal.

THAT'S RIGHT!  I have the most manly soap ever!  It's made from COAL!!  It literally has ground up coal in it with some other "body wash" crap and it is what I use now.  HOW AWESOME!!  People use coal to naturally filter things, and it is a natural absorbent of smells also... I love this soap

(Again, anytime I think Japan is cool, it gets cooler!)

My day would have ended wonderfully had what happened after my shower not been so painful...

When I walked up the stairs to get changed for bed, a horrid pain shot though my body..  BUTT CRAMP!!!

All the walking and carrying I had to do that day was far beyond what I have ever had to do in my life...  The pain was horrible and I whimpered pathetically when I tired to do stretches to help the pain...  This however provided Lisa with all the entertainment that she would need for the night.

I continuously walked around the house like Forrest Gump wearing leg braces.  However when I had to walk under a doorway and crouched over.  This might have been my saddest moment.  Nothing like having your girlfriend laugh at you while you walk stiff-legged though a doorway that you have to crouch under.

I looked like an 88 year old Lieutenant Dan...


I have still another entire week I want to talk about in these posts, so please stay tuned.  This weekend, I will catch up with my blogs and I will have more coming out this week on time.  I hope to not have long breaks like this again.  This post is one of a most likely 2 or 3 part series..  The second have will be coming in a few more hours.

Check back soon!!