2009-03-20 - 12:14 a.m.
Escape from Aomori, Bangs like Nicotine, and the Pink Plastic Cup Holder
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Our luggage left the day before us. (Harmless aside, this is the first time in my life I've had the assistance of professional movers, this expense having been paid for by my employers, and my feelings about it are a little conflicted. While the professionals were indeed astoundingly efficient and indisputably very good at what they do, they made moving almost too easy, and I quite missed the adventure-factor of Michael yelling at me for nearly side-swiping parked cars in our rented van, friends who have been promised OEs turning up two hours late, and the dozens and dozens of trips required to move using Shuhei's tiny car.)
The next day, when Shuhei and I were to leave, the worst blizzard of the year thus far hit Northern Japan. There was a tens-of-cars pile up on the expressway, which in turn shut this road down, which in turn traffic-jammed all the highways in Iwate Prefecture, which in turn sounded like this in our car:
Erin: FUCK!! We've driven less than ten kilometers in the last hour and half! This fucking traffic jam is making me crazy!
Shuhei: But there's nothing that we can do about it. You should just relax.
Erin: I'm trying to. I can't.
Shuhei: I know.
Erin: Awww. It's kind of cute that you already know I can't calm down. Hey, wait... I think I just relaxed a little. Thanks.
In the end, our escape from Aomori took a whole lot longer than we'd thought it would, but we made it.
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About a week after we arrived in Shizuoka, I decided that I couldn't take it anymore, and cut my bangs. Much like professional movers, my feelings about this are conflicting. While it was nice to feel cute again, giving up on bang-growing felt as though I had lost some battle of personal will.
In conclusion, growing out bangs is nearly as difficult as giving up smoking, which is another thing that I still haven't been able to do.
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A couple of days after we arrived in Shizuoka I came upon the box containing the controversial pink plastic cup holder. This article is now safely nestled behind some laundry related items, where I know Shuhei will never find it, as Shuhei has been forbidden to do laundry since I can't realistically expect any other human being to understand my methods. (Harmless aside, these methods are complicated, but complicated in the interest of durability and not misplaced neurosis. For example, I have a number of long, tunic-style shirts which are prone to stretch out weirdly if they're not left to dry flat. Also, I never wash anything else with machine-loads of sheets as I'm convinced that all the soap won't rinse out if I did so. Also, I hand-wash all sweaters that are made out of anything but acrylic. And so on...)
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Escape from Aomori: 1 point
Bangs like Nicotine: minus 1 point
Triumph over the Pink Plastic Cup Holder: 1 point
Winner: ELOFTING@HOTMAIL.COM
