Moving Round 1!

I was up until 2 last night, because something was bugging me, and I finally figured out what it was. The woman from my office (thankfully not the Tokyo branch) was insinuating that I couldn't hack it. All those bullshit comments like "please don't quit" and "I don't know..." and "you keep letting me down" even when I've not been given enough information... it's like she's trying to manipulate me. So I emailed her privately asking her to stop. I've dealt with politics and power games, and this feels much the same as what I went through at my previous job. Only, this time, I've been covering my ass for weeks and I'm not going to TAKE it. I learned from last time, and I am not going to ignore it, hoping the bully of the playground is going to just get tired and go away. On the plus side, many of the higher ups KNOW that she was pulling shit with me, and warned me in their own myriad ways. I'm sure the email, sent mostly in polite english, will come back to bite me, but damn if it doesn't feel good to stand up for myself. If nothing else, I don't feel enraged and ill any more. And that feels very, very good.


Yoshie and I finally moved (me partially at least) into the new place out in Ogikubo. The room isn't the one I thought it was, but isn't bad overall. A bit small, but if I can get a cabinet and TV and some kind of desk with chair I should be fine.

Getting there was an adventure in itself. I took a good 15 or 20 lbs of stuff (of so it felt like) in my backpack in prep for lugging the suitcase tomorrow. Unfortunately, I hadn't reckoned on not being able to find a taxi near the station, and had to hike 15 minutes (closer to 20 thanks to the way I took), check with a few people for directions on the way. There are two problems with this. Japanese buildings have addresses in the order they are built, and aren't necessarily in numerical order. HENCE my opinion that this country has created yet another system with which to say "screw you" to foreigners. Admittedly it was really fun, but the lack of address arrangement can get old when you are carrying a shit-ton of weight on your back.

I did make it to the apartment, and Yoshie had basically moved all of her stuff up from Osaka, so she's basically set. My bed was delivered today and I spent something like 3 hours putting it together, making the little Lego-fanatic in me go out of her mind with happiness. I'm sure some of that was attributed to the fact that this is the first, honest-to-god, self-purchased (as opposed to mooched, purchased for me, or handed down) bed I've had in over a decade. I spent a little time thinking about the reality of being in Japan for two years, or maybe longer. Admittedly it's a terrifying thought. So I'm going to take it one day at a time, emotionally and otherwise. Because, damn it, for the first time in a very long time, I'm actually happy and content with my lot. I don't know how long THAT will last, but I'm going to enjoy it while it does. Or as the Japanese say it, "Ashita ga aru sa (There is always tomorrow)".

I'm determined to get a bike tomorrow, as 15 minutes, while being a nice hike, would leave me drenched in sweat before even getting to the station. Plus the market is a bit too far to go on foot, carrying groceries. On the plus side, we have electricity. My roommate was telling me that things like the fridge and electrical appliances aren't being delivered until next weekend, but electricity we have, thank god. The quirks of multilingual communication. A friend of mine may bring his company car to help me with the suitcase, which is a major relief since the damn thing weighs like 50 lbs and would be a pain on not one, but two trains...though I suppose I could try and disguise it as a baby carriage since people bring those on the train all the time... no, the stuffed cat I have is probaby too hairy to pull it off, c'est la vie.
Lamps, curtains, and other minor things are also on the list of things to get tomorrow. Also, my damn bank cash card finally came, so I can pay for things! Yay!