enjoying a lovely evening alone in the little black recliner in front of the grand window, with this amazing view of the city. everyone has been asleep for a while. i went out grocery shopping at 7:30, left kirk to tend to the boys. enjoyed myself thoroughly walking down all the isles, and checking out a little specialty store with American, Italian, Mexican, etc. foods. loved it! came home after a few hours and decided to check out the new Cantinetta Carnitas that just opened at the base of the apartment. It is the younger, cooler sibling to the fancy shmancy Italian restaurant next to it. It was wonderful. just a nice little sandwich with Pancetta, Pomodore et basil. and some wonderful red wines, yes, wine(s). and Tiramisu to top it all off! mommy had a very nice time! this place will keep me sane and very happy.

today the plumber came again, still no smell for him. but they put in vent traps to divert the smell and hopefully keep it from backing up into the apartment. nice transition from lovely dinner to stink, huh? oh well. that place can make me forget the stink, or at least if it rears it's ugly smell i'll go down and have some wine!

Jaxon and I set off to the post office today, sent some letters successfully. but were unable to retieve a letter for Kirk because we were at the wrong post office. darn! so close!

but we got the number for it, and the navi system got us close. i hate being disoriented. i'm all lost, looking around where to go, and forget which side of the street i'm supposed to drive on. i guess i just reverted back when i was under stress. luckily the lady saw me coming, and luckily i saw her too! ugh. then when we finally found the place they have these funky parking things, that lock you in to your space till you pay. the directions are all in japanese. it's not hard but it is all in japanese. so I called for help! the poor people at the relo japan office know what a pain i can be! but i got the car out finally, got the letter, and Jaxon and I set off to McDonalds to lick our war wounds and play.

oh my god! when we got there, there were dozens of little kids, from two to six. and they spotted me and came over in a herd. all saying "Hallo! Hallo! Hallo! Hallo!" like a flock of birds! too funny! again, i was surrounded! they all were trying out their English on me. telling me their names, each saying "Good morning!" or "Good job" and giving me the thumbs up! too funny! there was a little ring leader who would comment and then they would all laugh. especially if i said something in japanese. little shits.

needless to say, it got old fast. cute as they are. they all have loud, high, piercing little voices. that repeat over and over and over. if i hadn't started with a head ache i certainly would have gotten one. I was sitting there thinking, "can't someone make them go away?" finally, Sionara got through, and nice to meet you! and all was quiet. yeah!

Jaxon had a blast as usual. McDonalds is McDonalds, and this one had a big outdoor play area. so he was all good.

we then went and hunted for the houses i had seen on line. we found both and both are lacking in some way. the first is very large, has a great RED, open kitchen, but on a busy street, and far away from the subway line and friends homes. the busy street is the clincher, i want somewhere the boys can ride bikes. i'd love for them to finally learn.

the second was a fantastic location, huge park directly across the street, close to subway, other Ex Pats, very cool building with a courtyard and big rooftop terrace deck thing, nice rustic wide plank pine floors. but tight, tight living quarters. long narrow rooms. gorgeous but small.

i was looking around the outside when the woman came home, and yes, you know me, i asked to see it. she let us in and the boys were all over in a moment! jeez! it is very cool, but small, not much more space than we have now, but i could make it work for that park.

we went over and the boys made a ton of friends there again, instantly. too cute. it has a great playground, big ball field, trails, a tower to climb, and tons of room to run. we spotted an outdoor pool nearby too, not sure if it is public or not. regardless, the boys had a blast!

but..... then i was online and discovered the mother load of a house! a LOG home, in japan! four big bedrooms, open kitchen, big decks, with nice big glass windows and doors. brand spanking new! and a huge basement family room! no western appliances, but i can live without the oven for this place. 2,990 sq/ft! no way! it is not far from a subway, and close to my favorite grocery haunt.

but, Boeing has not approved a move, and it is in the upper money range. they may not agree to pay more for me to move. who knows? but boy would that be nice! i'll have to hunt it down tomorrow and see about a park nearby, but the place is big enough to run around in, and the neighbors won't be able to hear them! friends won't be living close, but hell, they can come to us with this place! it is amazing!

the first little place though is the front runner, with the park and being close to friends, grocery, pool, Dr. etc. a little farther to the subway though. haven't seen the inside so it may be cramped and small, but we'll see. it is a lot less expensive so Boeign may just go for that? not sure what their criteria will be for deciding if we can move or not.

In the mean time it at least keeps me busy looking around and learning the area. and with the view here and the wine bar downstairs there is no big rush,

tomorrow i go to get my hair fixed. there is a guy, Aki, who did hair in New York, and travels back to get supplies yearly. so he speaks English, and says he can get me back to a more natural shade than glowing yellow. a friend Kelli went to him, and her hair is good, he gave her a really cute cut. not sure if i'll cut or not. you know, kirk likes it long. and old ladies with long hair are no good. and i am getting old. may be my last chance to have it long!

will see how i look with the color and then decide. hopefully i won't need it all shaved off!

talk to you again soon! Sionara!

fun in the sun

this week has been beautiful warm weather and we have been really enjoying it. went to the zoo with friends the other day and hanging out at home today.

I walked from the zoo, through the Botanical gardens to pick up Ghett at school the other day and discovered the Nagoya driving school. tons of cars going round and round and practicing driving. there were literally a hundred cars coming and going. i found it sort of funny. but that's me.

went to the mall to get shoes, and backpack for Jaxon to start school next month and the boys got sucked into the video machine at the Hello Kitty store. again, funny! they are just little zombies!

the zoo is wonderful, and we were there for feeding time for the seals! the zoo keeper even gave some fish to the kids to toss to the seals. It was quiet a crazy, wavy, feeding frenzy!

when i went to pick up Ghett after school we wandered back through the Botanical gardens, and saw some gorgeous sights. This beautiful white bird, monster sized Koi, and waterfalls and ponds. The cherry blossoms are starting to bloom so it is really nice. Can't wait for all of the flowers, bushes and trees to burst forth! it'll be quiet a show!

Got a little lost in the maze of paths, but the signs are really of no help. but they are rather pretty don't you think?

the gardens are of course, mainly tradition Japanese style gardens, but there are also different areas with more flowers, a rose garden and the Green house has different rooms with different parts of the world represented, cactus, and jungle plants, etc.

Ghett had a fun time at "switching" day at school. He got to be in the first grade class with his possible, future teacher, Mr. Daly. Ghett really liked him, because he sang songs, and did a great science lessons for them on leaves. He is very excited for first grade.

Jaxon and Kelyan had a blast showing us around the zoo, being our tour guides, Ghett too did a great tour guide impression, "mam, this is the pond" but his accent was more like a delayed lisp. very cute though. I found a stand with ice cream and what appears to be wine and beer! my kind of a zoo!

Oranges are all over Nagoya. I'm a bit surprised since it has been so cold here. but the cold doesn't seem to last long i guess. we have had 17c for the last few days, i'm told that is close to 70'. whatever it is, I'll take it!

my search for a house is progressing. Kirk has forwarded my emails to Boeing, and the people at the relo company are talking to me, and looking into it. i have found two homes with four bedrooms, that cost much less than what we pay now. so i am hoping Boeing will agree, being that over the next three years they will at least break even, or even come out ahead.

these are the two i am looking at

http://www.japanhomesearch.com/FindhomeWeb/searchRes.asp?screens=quick

http://www.japanhomesearch.com/FindhomeWeb/searchRes.asp?screens=quick

what do you think?

today is lovely and i have really enjoyed my view and deck, but the boys are playing in their room with all the toys, they could really use more space. and the other day when they were able to go to the park with all those kids, they were in heaven! i really think if we could come home and go to the park and ride bikes on our street, they would really love it!

i'll make home anywhere. but seeing them running around having so much fun is really priceless. i hope Boeing agrees. wish me luck.

well, it could've been worse

well, i spent the day checking out the area near a friends house that has a home available nearby. I am not sure which one it is, but both are nice.

they are right across the small one way street from a park, with lots of room to run, a skate board thing, and traditional toys. a big plus! it's only a few blocks from several American friends, big big plus. I haven't been inside but from the floor plans it has four bedrooms, so that is good. it does not seem to have a yard, or big garden, though on the website a garden was listed, hmmm? probably just the few feet of gravel along the side or in back, but there is a balcony on the top floor which is good. not mammoth like ours now, but the home is much bigger. it was built in 2007, so new! hopefully with western appliances.

not sure if it is worth us putting out all the expense to move. Kirk certainly doesn't see any benefit in moving. and we will wait and see what comes of the odor issue. Our current location is great and of course, can't say enough about the deck and view, (in fact i'm sitting in the doorway to the deck right now trying to enjoy the beautiful blue day) but three years with more space and friends nearby, sure would be nice. hard to decide, but decisions don't have to be made now.

Had a lovely lunch at "Goblin" along the street at the Hoshigaoka Terraces. It is a great little outdoor shopping area, and the "Goblin" is one place you can sit outside and enjoy the day. It was a wonderful lunch and i was able to enjoy a glass of wine, quietly, alone, in peace. I did meet a gentleman who is the assistant coach for the professional soccer team here in Nagoya. He is from Serbia, has been here two years, doesn't speak any japanese, but does speak French. go figure? It was nice to chat.

got my hair done this morning at the salon downstairs. I must say the guy gave it his best shot and it came fairly close, for someone who has probably never touched blond hair before. I knew bleach would be involved but i'm afraid to say he left it on too long or something. I am very blond, kind of yellowish. but it blend sort of well. for a first try, not too horrific. not great either, somewhere in between.

The guy wrote me a note to be translated. I am assuming it is an explanation, or an apology! lol! I had his coworker take our picture, and they were laughing, "maybe she's gonna track me down later to get me back!" don't know. but i figure it's just hair. hopefully it can be fixed.

In the states I never worried about my hair because I always knew it could be fixed. my buddy Lisa always could save the day! but here in Japan? dont' know if they really even have the product necessary? Lisa can you send an all over color or rinse?something close to my natural color? or COME QUICK! you've done it before! better move up your visit, and have you come every couple of months thereafter? PLEASE?

anyways, others have to look at it, not me. oh well. lesson learned.

Kirk has taken the boys somewhere so i think i am going to go for a small run or long walk. whatever i end up having the energy for.

miss you all!

two week update

Hi again! its been a couple of weeks now. busy as always! the plumber came to "fix" my odor issue, (and there was no smell that morning! of course) but he only came up with some hair in my drain. NOT! he was speaking japanese of course, and they have the habit of smiling and laughing all the time, so when he is telling me this it comes across to me as "silly woman, you need to clean trap more!" so i'm grumbling in English "smug little b$#%@ don't give me that hair is my only issue! i've cleaned it out twice already and the smell comes back" so i got the relo gal on the phone to translate. the smell wasn't there that morning and didnt' come back so i stuffed the drain trap as an experiment to see if it would come back. Scientifically, if that were the problem then when the trap was full the smell would come back. no smell. but then the next week, same day, same time, wierd? the smell returned. ugh. but at least i felt vindicated that it was NOT the hair! so we have a date for this wed. at 6pm for the plumber to come again. hopefully it'll make a show this time.

In the mean time i have been looking on the website for homes that are available now and am viewing a lot more than were available in November. Frustrating. now that i have been here a little while the city is not as big as it had seemed, of course i didn't not know at all where i was, or where the places were really located in relation to things. but now! I know all! there are actually BIG homes here! Western style, with real OVENS! dishwashers, large size washer and dryers! no Tatami rooms! in neighborhoods where there are other English speaking people! there are bigger bedrooms, more bedrooms! ugh!

I love our apartment for many reasons, it is in a great location. Subway, grocery store, wine shop, McDonalds, Starbucks, an art store, Italian restaurant and hair salon below (getting my hair done today, more on that later), HUGE deck! but only two bedrooms, and the SMELL!

so if they are able to fix it great, but if not, there is more out there than i had known! it won't be a tragedy if i have to choose something bigger with a dishwasher!~

BUT, the Boeing people say that to move a Boeing Dr. would have to deem that the sewer gas smell is a health hazard! screw that! the smell alone is bad enough to live with, even ocassionally! i'd like to see them live with it! so worse case scenario is we have to pay for the move and the fees for the next house. ugh. fortunately the larger homes are further out of the city (which is not that far really) and cost less than the apartments in the city, so i think we can swing it if push comes to shove. trying to see a silver lining in all my options. but at least i know my options now! that is somewhat comforting and empowering. not totally dependent on the decisions of others. I may not like all my options, but i have the info, and they are mine to make!

for Valentines here the woman are supposed to give the chocolates to the men. so the boys and I got chocolates for Kirk. but i made sure they knew we were still into the American tradition! so i got my usual crap, literally, my manure and soil for my plants and pots! that is the way to this girls heart! so Jaxon and I planted a couple of fruit trees, orange and plum, and all the flowers in my new pots. we have such a huge deck we will get more, but it is a nice start! we also have planters for veggies. will start the seeds inside soon. gonna have to consult my Father-in-law, farmer, flower expert about what i need to do.

Jaxon and I have found a few cool pools. Two that have water slides, rivers, wave pools, etc. and are very very cool! we all went yesterday as a family! the boys had a blast! though it was Y1000 ($10) for Kirk and I to get in and the blow up floaty rings were Y3000 ($30!). everything is expensive here! but the kids were in heaven. on the water slides Jaxon had the biggest smile i have seen in a long time, and Ghett would come down with his head way tilted back, eyes closed, looked so cute, trying to keep the water out of his face! Kirk of course, would sink to the bottom and you would only see two feet of legs and feet sticking out of the water! lol! the wave pool was cool. crashing waves on the shore, very nice, no sand in your bum! and they would make it thunder and rain there every half hour or so. at the pools they make you get out every hour or two and do stretches. everyone knows the routine. we will have to learn. feels good though.

last night I went the mall for groceries and household items. there is a big all in one store there. so when i got there the parking attendant was trying to tell me something. all i got was two? two what? I went in, had sushi! yum! got my stuff, and on the way out they were trying to charge me Y6000! ($60) what the? i was just sitting there repeating, you are gonna charge me 6000? 6000? fumbling in my purse, muttering to myself, taking too long apparently (to my benefit) the guard gets out his little card, swipes it, and just let me go. Dumb Geighin woman!

yeah! for not understanding japanese! apparently you can't park there longer than two, something? or you are fined $60! yikes! i won't be shopping at the mall on a sat. night anymore!

I am off for my girl day ALONE! again today. I have been picking a direction and walking for about 10K. or 6 1/2 miles each time. I stop and shop or do whatever i want, have coffee, lunch, a glass of wine? today i am heading downstairs to get my hair done. they don't speak any English but it is very convenient at the base of my building. I called a friend who speaks both English and Japanese to communicate with them for me yesterday. they were very thorough in their questioning, finding out what i wanted, but they don't' have many options for blonds here, so he will be using bleach, yikes! i said i would be happy whatever but that he should try to make me as beautiful as possible. we'll see how blond i turn out! if i am platinum i may also need a sassy cut to go with the look! i am now at their mercy! wish me luck!

the new Carnitas Cantina is open below as well, it is a cute little hole in the wall, fancy Italian bar. gorgeous! I intend to end my day there with dinner and wine. The other Italian restaurant next to it, is very very fancy with white table cloths and pate', and strange foods. when i get an interpreter we may try that again, no kids. there is a more rustic Italian place just a block away and they will accommodate the boys, with plain noodles

we have two new room mates as well. Hambone and Fritz. two tiny hamsters. very cute! the boys put them in Diegos jeep and drive them around. i'm amazed they don't seem to mind. Hambone is very sweet and easy. He goes to Jaxon no problem, just climbs right into his out stretched hand. Fritz is a bit more reluctant, and doesn't seem to like to be taken away from his food. he tends to bite a little at first, but once he is out, he is good. It is nice to have little critters around. they were only Y500 each ($5) so they are probably older. Cats and dogs here can be up to Y460000 ($4600!) with the average being about Y260000 ($2600). so my thoughts of having a kitten here are shattered. no way Kirk will go for that! especially since we get them free in the states, and I have five there too. not sure if they have animal shelters here. will need to find out, may just volunteer if i can.

they had a monkey and a goat at the pet store! lots of ferrits, rabbits, other strange rodents, squirrels, chickens, toads, lizards, etc. very interesting. the fish area is like being at the Aquarium. it's great to just go look around.

we found out that the wives can work up to 28 hours a week while we are here. I am told for English conversation they pay between Y3000 and Y5000 ($30-$50) an hour! to just talk!

now that is a job for me!~ when the kids are both in school i will definitely look into that!

although i would really like to learn Japanese, and you don't get much chance since everyone wants to speak English. but i'm sure i'll find a way to do both. talking is my specialty after all!

my friend Sandrine also likes to do watercolor painting so we may find to do that together, go to some of the beautiful parks and paint. I visited the Botanical Gardens last weekend and it is mammoth and gorgeous even in the winter. of course it is a Japanese garden so very manicured and the trees alone are sculptures, but there are tons of bushes and trees just waiting to bloom so it should be spectacular in spring. some cherry blossoms are starting to appear already! I am very excited to see the splendor in person!

well off for my day! more to come!

Japanese, bathroom graffiti, wonder what it says? today I
had a lovely time with 50 women from all over the world. it was a meet and greet put on by the company that has helped us move to Japan. Women that have been here for many years, to those of us who have only been here weeks. it was really nice to meet some others that are in the same situation as we are, and those that have been here or live here permanently that can give us some tips. Sandrine and I sat at a table with some very nice Japanese women who would like to speak more English. one young woman went to school in Kansas and worked in Illinois. She gave me lots of suggestions where to go for fun with the kids, and will set me up with some trees and bushes for my deck.

I talked with many people about my "stink", one woman knew my apartment from when they were looking back in October and said it was one of their contenders till her husband said it stunk. not a good sign. many others had similar experiences and the cures ranged from running the water for half an hour at a time, to pouring bleach down the pipes, srubbing out the traps, and having it serviced repeatedly. none sound good to me. it's such a bad smell it makes me gag. i do not want to be cleaning out pipes! we need to nip this in the bud, and get it fixed or maybe find another place. we will see. i don't think they are going to agree to let us go that easy. but i can not imagine living with the stink for two or three years. we tried the running water thing, but that just seemed to make it worse. as i said, we'll see.

the kids were able to come with to the meet and greet, they had a small climbing toy with a slide and tunnels set up. they all had fun. Jaxon was the oldest, luckily he had Kelyan to play with though so they all did fine.

it was very nice to talk and relax with some other women. I look forward to next month. oh! and they gave away free nights stay at a local ski resort hotel. i was praying for them to call my name, but no. maybe next time! that alone will keep my coming back! the woman who set it up gave me info on the ski areas around Nagoya, Gifu is the closest about 2 1/2 hours away. Kirk will be thrilled. we plan to go next week. yeah!

the boys are having a ball with the Smart cycle, and it keeps them active, peddling and peddling. we got lots of new games for it and they love it. i'm going to have to find English books and magazines here, FB just isn't enough for me now. the kids play so well, and this is a small space so i have lots more time to relax. time for me? never! what shall i do with myself? i can't wait to find out! still walking a lot, love it! the boys don't walk very fast, so i look forward to Saturday when i can go out alone. the weight loss seems to have been a mirage. or putting my pants in the dryer did the trick. whatever it is, i need to keep moving. i enjoy it.

thanks to everyone who is "chatting" with me and keeping in touch! it really makes life better for me here! i miss you all! but staying in contact helps! Sionara!

a big week for us! school, stink and snow!

It's been a big week! Ghett started school at the Achi Intrnational school and he is enjoying it a lot. He isn't sure about the lunches, or the morning exercises but he is loving his new friends, his new teacher Miss Sekiguchi, and the big park across from the school. He is reading a lot now, has gone through five books already this week! (i'm so proud) He is doing math homework and has a speech coming up in a couple of weeks on who he appreciates. He chose his Kindergarten teacher from Mukilteo, Miss Katsh, very sweet.

This week Jaxon and i have been buddies. going places just the two of us. its been very nice. he has been a little trooper getting errands done, and is pretty easy to please with the Children's center or the Tomica toy store to play.

We have made some wonderful friends, the Wandji family. Sandrine and Severine are easy to be with, easy to talk to, and it seems that we have similar parenting styles. Their children are lovely and sweet and thankfully all of our kids seem to get along great! Kelyan is 3 and gives my boys a run for their money. he is a delight, spunky and funny and full of energy. Annais is a sweet, adorable two year old, and i am so thrilled to be around a little girl! she is darling but can keep up with the boys too. we have all been having a great time together having them over to dinner and playing. We all went to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe the other night. it was great! just like home! loud music, videos, big burgers! hot dogs! coctails! yum! i was happy to find my stomach has gotten smaller, i was full after half of my burger, and those of you that know me well know i can eat burgers with the big dogs! but looks like i'm losing my touch! hope my Lasagna capacity hasn't gone down too!

we are entertaining again tomorrow night, a young couple from Boeing; gonna try for some authentic Italian meatballs. should be fun! Welcome Joe and Emily!

It's been a long week of deliveries and unpacking. We received all of our things from overseas and I found a few things at local second hand furniture stores, cool old asian bench, what i thought was a lamp, but for now will just be "art", a gorgeous girly table cloth! and two colorful, comfy chairs. All came this week, all needed to be unpacked and homes found for. ugh. more shopping for cabinets, and shelves and i think i will still need more. poor Kirk had to put them all together. good job hon! this downsizing has it's draw backs. space is at the top of the list. we have tons of boxes all over the house, and being the way we are about crafts we can't part with them until we have colored all over them, or made something out of them. the boys love it. i am going to cut some down to make big building blocks for them. (the wisdom of this will remain to be seen) so far they are having a blast with all of their toys, train tracks all over the floor, space ships, pirate ships, cars, trucks etc. i think every toy is out in their room right now. they haven't wanted to go outside at all, just play in their room. which is good, no complaints from me, in fact i went out for a monster 1oK walk this morning all by myself! (we woke up to snow this morning which was lovely but cold) and I came back to find Kirk unpacking boxes and the boys playing in their room. lovely! why can't it be like this all the time?

the walk was fantastic. everything is right off this one main thorough fare Higashiama-dori, the kids school, the zoo and botanical gardens, the Terraces shopping area, department stores, grocery stores, pizza place for lunch, starbucks, post office, an art store. It was wonderful!

I sat and had a relaxing lunch of risotto and mushrooms with a lovely chardonnay, and quiet. no kids, no noise, no one needing something from me. i could've stayed there all day! i may make this a tradition for my saturdays. starbucks, walk, lunch, wine, grocery store, art store, blog.

so far i havent' even tried to learn japanese, too tired and busy absorbing what's around me now. as soon as Jaxon is in school i will get a teacher and get busy. i figure, why stress myself out more right now? it'll come, and i have three years, what's the rush. just absorb and have fun! so far, so good.

i'm getting around great with the car, can find the school, the mall, the grocery, the zoo, etc. i'm feeling pretty comfortable. the walk really helped get to know the area better. things aren't really so far away, surprisingly. when you take the subway it seems things are so far apart, but really the stops are all only a few blocks apart. so walking was nice. it made me feel very good about our choice of homes. this place is so close to so many things, the subway, grocery, a park, McDonalds (although we rarely go there, yeah!) the Starbucks, a good pizza place, an art store, donuts, etc. and you can't beat our deck! we made a sandbox for the boys, but it is full of water, so it is the mudbox right now, and put together a picnic table and long benches. i am looking forward to getting some fruit trees, blueberry bushes, and planters full of veggies, herbs, and flowers. it'll be a little oasis in the city!

the only real downside is this awful, horrible, rank, stink that comes from somewhere in the laundry/ bath area. At first i blamed Kirk for it, really bad gas? come on! but then it would be back there when he was in the front room. hmmm? either the sewer is backing up? people downstairs are giving permanents to everyone, or maybe they are cooking eggs or cabbage? yuck! whatever it is, it stinks! makes it hard to come home, but then you get used to it or it goes away, not sure. but it could almost run me out of here, but as long as i can go out on the deck for fresh air, hopefully i'tll be ok. we'll see.

I had lots of fun Skyping with my sister in law Cheri and her family this week too. (they even got the cat in the act) what a blast to be able to talk and see one another. i carried the laptop around and showed her our new home. fun! the kids especially loved it, or loved seeing themselves really. but fun was had by all! we will be able to "attend" family gatherings now and see everyone. we have a "date" to talk to the Grandparents next week, and hopefully convince them to get Skype themselves! hope you all get Skype so we can talk! it's free!

I am missing everyone a lot, that's one hard part. we have our photo collages out so we can see all of your smiling faces (can you find you?) it doesn't seem real that we are so far away and we can't just have you over for dinner or to play! boo hoo. i miss that. i also miss drive through coffee stands, or good coffe for that matter, they have Starbucks but not one on every corner like home. I also miss garbage cans on the streets. the city here pays to have people out picking up trash but the city doesnt' offer garbage cans. odd. they can pick it off the street by hand but can't change a can liner? anyways.....

the change really shows in the little things. dish soap sucks, no paper towels, or they cost a fortune! all kinds of strange and different foods, can't find Wheat thins, blueberries are $16, no baby carrots, they put corn and undercooked eggs on everything, tuna on pizza? we are adapting and getting adjusted, but it is different. but that's what makes it an adventure!