Eriko tried to call me again tonight and then asked that I call her. I did and we talked for about an hour. The connection wasn’t real good and it took a while to get used to it. Naturally, by the time I did it was time for her to go. :P At first she was pretty worried – I guess her aunt and others have been warning her about the U.S.; telling her it will be difficult for her to live. I tried to reassure her and be mature about it. I said it was good for her to hear all these people’s opinions for then she could make up her own mind. Also, I told her that it was very normal for her to be scared. I hope I was able to help her relax. =) Time for bed!

i woke up at 5 am this morning and managed to pull myself together and head for all-star fitness. my co-worker, Kip, gave me a five-day pass. it took me a while to figure out how to work the machines, etc, but eventually i completed a 35 minute workout on the treadmill. by the end of the workout i was much less self-conscious and found i might actually be enjoying myself… ;P my routine is all messed up, however, as i had to walk home after working out to get lunch so i ended up taking a shower there. tomorrow i hope to (if i have prepared lunch) drop it off at work before i go to work-out and bring a decent change of clothes so i don’t have to inefficiently double-back.

i’m torn between waiting for Eriko to figure out how to call me and calling her… and as i write this i realize how much i over-analyze some things. =) if the girl wants me to call her, she’ll tell me. if i really want to call her then i’ll just do it. so the real question is do i want to call her and i think the answer is no, i’d rather wait.

i have had an asian fetish for some time. my college buddies like to remind me about the “six green disks” i arrived with. lately i have been perusing the newsgroups. there are many pretty ladies and i enjoy looking. the truth is, their fake smiles aren’t for me. on my desk sits the picture of a beautiful girl with a real smile – for me. i think its time to abandon the fetish.

we didn’t actually talk, but she dialed. =) not sure why it didn’t work but after i got over my initial dissappointment i realized it is the thought that counts. ;P she’ll try again soon and i bought a phone card just in case. =)

Alex invited me to dinner with him and Kellie and we were joined by their friend Jenny. Dinner was yummy, but a tad pricey. Afterwards we went to Alex’s house where we had some drinks, watched some TV, ate more food, and laughed. =) We were joined by Wig and some young people (apparently she likes it rare now) but they were well behaved and everyone had a good time. now i have the day off… what will i ever do? ;P