It's a headphone world; everyone's on their own.

Today I am ready for a smile. I’ve not been wearing enough of them lately. Maybe my Lane Bryant strategy will work. If you wear a smile, even if it’s fake, it eventually becomes real. I think I’ll try that today maybe. But it is hard to smile at people when you aren’t feeling it, ya know?

I think this journal will be good for me. I’ve been feeling so down and negatively the past few days. Loneliness, it’s a killer. But I am going to get past it. I am lucky that my friends can see my problem and I’ve received many invitations to do things with people. Keep ‘em coming. :o)

Since writing the above, I have been transformed into a pretty good mood. I think it was The Sims. Or maybe it was because Ocha didn’t pee in his food dish again (edit: it turns out that he DID pee in his food dish today). I don’t know why, but I feel pretty good right now.

Today’s List:

1. Going to okonomiyaki with Duncan, Rich, and John last night and actually enjoying my food!!! I ate Negiyaki with cheese. Yum!
2. After okonomiyaki, I watched Life as a House with Duncan. That movie is so great. I cry every single time I watch it. I don’t know why I don’t own it yet, but I think that I need to. Such a good movie.
3. I’m wearing a skirt (and pantyhose!!!) to work today. Life feels different when you wear a skirt. Somehow it makes me feel more feminine and pretty. I rarely wear skirts, so it makes it that much more special. Today is the day we had the welcoming ceremony for the new 1^st year students. I’m all decked out in my cheap 300 yen pink pearl necklace and my suit. It feels good to wear things that are pretty. I don’t know. I’m just rambling now, I guess. I think Kocho-sensei (my principal) knows how I feel. He is wearing a suit with tails today. Yep, that’s right, TAILS! It’s so smooth looking. Kocho-sensei gets a check for being an old-man, Japanese pimp. :o)
4. I know it doesn’t count as a positive thought, but I want to write it here anyway. I think it is funny how in Japan people run around so much. But they don’t go much faster, really. Sometimes I’ll walk beside Nishi-sensei when she’s running. It’s just so funny. But the running makes them look busier. I guess it is positive in that it makes me smile. P.s. I just had another teacher jog/run into the room. Bless.
5. During the welcoming ceremony, I kept noticing Homare, my autistic student. I don’t know what he was thinking about, but he had a huuuuuuge grin on his face most of the time. It was very nice and made me smile. He is such a special kid. One of my top students in the whole school. Then after the big grin came a huge nose-picking session for him. Bless his heart. The kid sitting next to him was a little freaked out. But Homare rules, nose picking or not!
6. I gave a self-intro in front of the whole school + parents. I was shaking with nerves! But I did it! I stole the idea from John (Toyo ALT). I said “My name is Abigail Mohn. I’m from America. I am Tanbara Higashi Junior High’s ALT. I don’t understand much Japanese, but I am fluent in English. Please practice your English with me.” They actually laughed too, when I wanted them to! Woo! “Nihongo ga amari warkarimasen, demo eigo ga parapara desu.” :o)
7. One simple message on my journal brought a smile to my face. I hope you are able to write soon or to call. Maybe in your journal once you are set up more there, you can post about the stuff you did during the day. I hope everything is going well, it seems to be doing so, which I am so happy to hear!
8. Today, again, I drank my 8 glasses worth of water and I played The Sims. But this time, I played Sims thru a staff meeting! Sometimes, it’s not so bad to not understand them, eh? ;o)