We slept in a little; the weekends are nice. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to be
able to sleep in for hours like I used to. Part of the reason is that we are
consistently going to bed relatively early (especially lately). Eriko was not
feeling well and didn't want to cook. I wasn't hungry and just ate some toast.
Eriko went downhill from there. She went to take a nap, but couldn't get
comfortable, nor sleep. She couldn't handle even the slightest noise and was
quite irritable, so I was chased off the computer rather quickly. I tried the
TV on low volume, but that was also too much. I became a little frustrated and
decided to take a shower (I had missed it the night before). Feeling a little
more calm, I found an audio recording of Seinfeld's stand-up comedy and
listened to it while laying on the couch. I caught myself nodding off in the
first 20 minutes, but changed positions and focused throughout the rest. Eriko
emerged from the bedroom and fixed herself a snack. I was a little miffed that
she didn't fix any for me, but I managed to make myself a nice sandwich. She
was really suffering, with both a headache and a stomachache. I turned the
Mariner's game on mute and we watched that for a bit. I used the computer for a
bit, but was feeling pre-occupied by her comfort. (Of course, me attempting to
do anything for her did nothing but annoy her). We were surprised when the
computer made a ringing noise, as if a phone call was coming through. Sure
enough, it was Eriko's dad (via Skype). We couldn't hear him very well (there
was a large amount of feedback) and he couldn't hear us at all. Eriko and him
chatted briefly and then we signed off so that I could work on the connection.
I tried using a different kernel module for my soundcard and it worked right
away (against Skype's test123 user). Eriko called her dad back (who confirmed
the success) and he called her mother. We waited a few minutes and then Eriko
called her mother (still using Skype). A funny note on the connection: when her
mother answered neither Eriko nor her knew they were connected; I had to give
Eriko a nudge and say 'moshi-moshi'. Eriko and her mom talked for over an hour;
the connection was really good and Eriko's spirits were lifted. While talking
to her mom, Aine (sister) and Shogo (brother) both wandered into the room and
said a few words. It was neat for me to hear both sides of the conversation
(since we only have speakers, no headset); of course, I could only understand a
little bit but I felt particular proud when Eriko's mom asked "where are Nick's
parents", she replied "I don't know", and (from across the room) I said
"Colorado." (Although technically, I think they left Colorado at that point,
but it was close enough). I cooked mashed potatoes and pork for dinner (for me)
and we watched some TV. I used the computer while Eriko showered and then it
was time for bed.