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August 8, 2009

Dear Diary, I have been a bad blogger!

Last week torrential rains devastated the south western part of Japan.  Landslides took the lives of people living in the countryside...

We had a few mighty rain clouds hovering over our city as well...

but now we are out of the rainy season and it is ....HOT!
Today it was a whopping 36 degrees C  (96.8 degrees F)...

I had to work today but I came home to find my husband cuddling a bag of ice.

I asked him why he didn't just turn on the air conditioning... He gave me a very earth friendly answer...

...

This is also a week in Japan for remembrance.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed on August 6th and 9th and it is the weekend before the Obon festivities begin.

Obon is held in mid August and can be loosely identified with Halloween and Memorial Day (in the States)...it is a time for family reunions and heading down to the family graveyard(s).
Willow wrote a nice poem about this and you can find it over here.

This year I will be heading over to Fukuoka to visit my mother and maybe my grandmother's grave after the Obon festivities so that I can dodge the traffic.

There's more I would like to talk about on the Obon subject but that will have to wait.

I am really posting all this to explain again why I haven't been an active blogger...


I have been away from blogging and even checking out my favorite blogs this past week because I went to Tokyo during a regular work week.

This is the first time I have ever applied for a job while still working...and I vow not to do this again...

Why?

Too stressful... Leaving a job seems to be more stressful than having to find a new one!

I still don't know if I will get the job or not but I seem to be among the last batch of recruits.

I actually had lots of fun at the interviews.  I learned a lot about myself and about how I cope in stressful situations.  (I have all those lovely, outrageous people who visit me at work now to thank...so everything does have a meaning!)

Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

I have a day off on Monday and I am going to Kobe for a lunch and book buying!  I will update my week's adventures again then!

Thank you for all the encouraging messages!
I have been able to stay focused and happy because of you!

16 comments:

Frances said...

A big hello to you, Tulsa!

Of course, I will keep fingers crossed for you. Sorry to hear that the interviewing and travel and all the rest has been stressful; however, that is a lot to have going on at once. How could it not be somewhat stressful. I am so glad that you have been able to find some joy amidst the cross currents.

Those storms sound frightful. I saw some flood coverage from Taiwan this morning that was astounding. Mother nature surely is the big boss.

May I send you best wishes on the special August days. As an American who was born in September 1945, I was raised in a different environment than that in which I now live. The destruction of Japanese cities and other horrors of wars, past and present just horrify me. I so wish that we all could live in peace.

I hope that you don't mind my words. It's lovely visiting back and forth with you. I thank you so much for your comments.

Rosaria Williams said...

Good luck on the interview. You're all prepped for a wonderful, successful offer coming your way.

Unknown said...

Good luck! I'm glad that you are back, but we all need a break from time to time, and you've been busy... Looking forward to hearing more about Obon soon!

Carol Murdock said...

Tulsa....why would they NOT pick you? Go on girl and celebrate! :)

alaine@éclectique said...

Crossing all fingers and toes for you!

It is sad leaving an old job, especially the last day with the gift and good wishes! I found a higher paid job many years ago but I was a lot happier in the old one!

Delwyn said...

Hi my little friend

sounds like you are getting close to the finishing line... good luck...

I look forward to hearing more from you when you have time...

Happy days

I_am_Tulsa said...

Frances, thank YOU and why on earth would I mind your comments?!

Lakeviewer, thank you for your encouragement and I would also like to thank you for the very important posts you have written about health insurance!

B! I will post more on Obon next week! stay tuned!

Carol....you were right! I now have reason to celebrate!

Alaine, I'm not sure if it were the fingers or the toes, but it seemed to do the job! thank you!

Delwyn, I will back to my usual posting schedule from September! I promise! I will be visiting my mother in south western Japan next week and after that...well, I will have a new job!

Yeah!!! I am so grateful for all of these wonderful comments...I would like to reach out and give you all hugs!

Because of all the great vibes, I have just received notice that I will be hired! I will be a sales person for a company that I have admired for a long time. Thank you again for the encouragement!

alaine@éclectique said...

Congratulations, Tulsa, that's wonderful news and I hope you have many happy days and unique experiences in your new job!!

Frances said...

Great news, Tulsa! Congratulations and best wishes to you. (As an American, I always feel very sensitive about writing anything regarding WWII.)

Have fun now during your transition to your new situation. This is a glorious sort of time to be refreshed.

xo

I_am_Tulsa said...

Frances, thank you tons!
I think some Japanese people feel pretty sensitive about WW2 as well...not just because of Pearl Harbor too...

I have felt awkward about writing about WW2 etc...being both Japanese and American... so please don't worry about commenting about it on my blog! I think it would be good for me to figure out a way to explain my awkwardness in this topic...

I am looking forward to this transition and and am feeling honored, thankful and excited all at the same time! Must remember to stay humble...;-)

Polly said...

Still keeping fingers crossed for you!! When are you going to know?

I'm in process of applying for new jobs as well. I hate it. So stressfull. Brrrr!

Cyndy said...

Tulsa! Congratulations on the new position! The poet Horace said, "In times of stress, be bold and valiant.” It sounds like you did this well!!

While I have never been a fan of interviews, either, it is interesting to see/hear how you present yourself when trying to gain something important. I have often thought that we should bottle those thoughts and take them out every once in awhile to remind us just how wonderful we really are!!

I_am_Tulsa said...

Polly, good luck to you too! I can't post details of the job just yet, but I have received a phone call letting me know that I have a contract being sent to me now!

Cyndy, thank you for the Horace quote....I am surprised that I can actually relate to it!
I think it is important to be able to look at your accomplishments and put them into words...this has been a really good learning process!

Polly said...

Congratulations on getting the job!!! I'm looking forward to finding out more about it and - above all - to meeting you in person if you make it to this end of the world!

Aleks said...

Great news my friend,Im very happy for you,you see,good vibes have hugged you all the way as they did it for me. Im OK,thank you for your lovely support,it ment a lot.Hope that you can fully injoy your family and free time.Hugs and greetings A.:O)

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Well, I was going to say fingers crossed - but you did it. Bravo! I'm happy for you. Hope we get to hear more details about what the job entails in the future.