I slowly awoke from my dream, in which the MG had been converted into a hybrid vehicle, to find Eriko waking up. I then rolled out of bed and joined her in the living room (being sure to make noise so that I wouldn’t scare her.) The clock read 7 o’clock, but we had yet to turn back out clocks – so we woke up at 6 AM! That was great. ;) I went around the house changing most of the clocks and Eriko started eating some food. I made us both bowls of “Toasted Oats” (Cheerios clone) and we ate. Eriko thought the cereal could use a little sugar, but it tasted fine to me. ;P Soon after eating, she became tired and went back to bed. I worked on the computer, completely the migration I had begun the night before – now my finances database is in the debit/credit accounting format as taught by my accounting textbook. Most of my tools are now broken and I haven’t wrapped my head exactly around the method I will need to conveniently track bills & the budget (besides my current setup, which are separate tables and not what I want). Seeking to avoid too much noise, I moved to the couch and finished watching (via my handheld media player) a CSE colloquia. This one was pretty good, although the presenter wasn’t very eloquent and that made it difficult to listen. Eventually I was able to get past that and I enjoyed the end, especially since the presenter was so passionate (and frustrated) – the talk was about electronic voting presented by Andrew Neff of VoteHere.com. Eriko emerged from the bedroom and made herself some ramen for lunch; I ate some leftover pizza. Eriko watched this anime we had downloaded (via bittorrent, which took 3 days.) We did some channel surfing and some couch sitting before Eriko decided she was bored. She decided she wanted to play some ping pong, so we left for Jillian’s (billards/sports bar) where I knew there were some tables. Eriko called Zack while we were in the car and we invited him and Katie to join us (they would be delayed due to existing plans, but thought they could). We got a great parking space, traded my id for some paddles and balls, and headed upstairs – to find a bunch of excited football fans congratulating themselves and shouting ‘Raiders!’ were the ping pong tables were supposed to be! Sure enough, they had been moved out of the way. We returned the equipment and tried to play some air hockey, but the puck was stuck. The service was really bad and by the time the attendant got around to helping us (she told me to wait) I had already started kicking the table to see if it was stuck. Sure enough (it popped out), but now we looked like fools and all of our time was used up. Eriko and I were dissappointed. Eriko decided she was hungry and we went in search of food. The front desk-lady (whose service was poor) directed us to the downstairs sportsbar, the downstairs sportsbar directed us upstairs, and finally I decided we should just leave (since Eriko wanted chips). We headed back to Queen Anne (my intended destination was Blue Water Taco) and parked when Eriko decided she wanted popcorn instead. Luckily, we were in front of Blockbuster, so we retrieved some popcorn and an anime she really liked. We also stopped off at Safeway and purchased some groceries (including potato chips). Back at home, Eriko began watching her movie and eating popcorn while I worked on modifying my financial tools so I could enter the daily receipts. Zack called and announced that he was unable to find any ping pong joints in the area and we both decided that we’d have to try again some other time. ;P After the movie, Eriko decided to take a nap and I started watching a new lecture. Soon I noticed I was having trouble following and decided to “rest” instead. An hour or so later, I woke up to some drool. ;P I recieved a phone call from Aaron who passed on the phone number of his in-laws, who have a 1993 Jetta (which has a few issues, but has four doors and is an automatic) that they are willing to give away. It turns out the vehicle needs a new alternator and is currently at the shop – which wants it out of there by Tuesday. I called and left a message for Jean and explained to Eriko the situation. I called Katrina and wished her a happy birthday; we had a nice conversation (for about 10 minutes) until her cellphone battery ran out. Jean called back and explained a few more caveats about the vehicle – the driver’s side lock doesn’t work, the instrument panel is out, the air conditioning is disconnected… and of course, we need to decide by tomorrow since the car has to be out of there by Tuesday. I made plans with Eriko to drive out to Redmond during lunch to check out the vehicle. For $500, it could be a great deal – or a waste of $500. I wish dad were around to help me out. Eriko slowly woke up on the couch and I watched episode 47 of Gundam Seed Destiny (which was lame). As soon as I got up from the computer, Eriko sat down and called her mom. They talked for about one hour and I finished up watching another lecture. This one was about Hancock, a programming language developed at AT&T research lab for dealing with large volumes of very specific data. The lecture was quite boring; there wasn’t enough time to convey exactly why a new language needed to be created rather than a set of libraries developed and as such, I didn’t enjoy it very much. I read a little in my Japanese book, I picked out my clothes for tomorrow (and placed them in the living room, so I can dress without waking Eriko), and I began writing this journal entry (on dad’s old Sony Viao, as Eriko was still talking to mom). I realized that taking notes and entering journal entries later is very difficult and procrastinating just makes me not want to do it. I would much rather make the entry at the end of each day, but that is going to take some discipline. After Eriko’s phone call, I ate some Toasted Oats and she ate some Tongari Corn (General Mills Japanese corn cones). We spent some time on the couch together, enjoying a lazy Sunday night, and then it was time for showers.

Eriko woke up a few minutes before the alarm (set for 8) and thus, so did I. She immediately got to work preparing lunch, which I found quite impressive. She also ate a small breakfast for herself while I used the computer and other assorted things. We left the house about 9, headed for her drum lessons. We were on-time (even a little early) and I stood outside with a few of her classmates while we waited. Once class started, I went to the get the Miata washed. The blackberry allowed me access to google, which allowed me to find a car wash that was near. The employees were helpful (if not a big “thuggish”) and I vacuumed the inside as well as got the wash & wheels package. I then went to Starbucks, had a latte, and read some Japanese. I was a little early to pickup Eriko and then I remembered that I needed to go to the post office. I didn’t get the google search right and couldn’t locate a post office that I could reach and return in 20 minutes, so I went to the bathroom and then went into Eriko’s class (where they were listening to some drums on tape). After class, Eriko and I headed to the WA department of licensing so she could get a state ID card (to make travel easier). The efficiency of the organization was surprising to me and the longest delay was waiting for her to get her picture taken (although I did have to run over to the cash machine.) Eriko had packed lunch, so we started eating some of it in the licensing office (which was the original intent; we didn’t know the waiting time). We headed towards Uwajimaya, via Phinney Ridge (Northgate, where her class is held, is quite north, while Uwajimaya is south of downtown). Eriko ate along the way and I was able to stuff my mouth at the stoplights. After shopping for all the items on our comprehensive list, Eriko was tired and starting to get a headache. On the way home, I stopped off at a post office and bought some postcard stamps (although I had to stand in line, as the machine wouldn’t dispense anything less than 37 cents). Back at home, Eriko took a nap and I started another lecture. I soon noticed my concentrate lacking and took a nap. Eriko woke up, ate, and then her headache returned. She called her mom and talked for a while. I began to read in my finance book how to properly do general ledger accounting so that I can convert the computer database (in preparation for solid accounting next year). Afterwards, she rushed to the bathroom and threw up for the first time during the pregnancy. Afterwards, she said she felt the best in a long time. She had to tell her mother this (who believes it was more mental than physical). To celebrate (and Eriko had no intention of cooking) we went to Olympia pizza a few blocks away. (Eriko thinks Pete’s cheese is too salty). We had pizza, a salad, and I had a soda. It was yummy, although the crust was less tasty (sweet, Eriko thought) than Pete’s. Back at home, we relaxed on the couch (TV, etc.) and then Eriko got another headache. She took a shower and I worked on more on the accounting transition, having devised a four step process for converting my existing database into the revised format.

Up not-so-early, I got into work about 8 but didn’t start to focus until about 9. The rest of the morning was relatively productive, though. Lunch was good and the afternoon was routine + a nice talk with my new boss. Dinner was yummy and then Eriko called her mom. I finished watching a lecture and we spent some time together.

I woke up at 7:30, missing my opportunity for a lecture. I washed the dishes, which were left in the sink from the night before. Eriko was woken up by this and we enjoyed a rare morning together. We ate some boxed donuts (which were pretty nasty). I got into work a little after 8 (since I decided to soak up the quality time with Eriko). I was relatively productive as the only meeting that was scheduled got cancelled. Eriko was in a good mood for lunch. The afternoon was also productive, minus the (now) routine coffee break with Zack. It sure is nice to live so close. Dinner was a little late as Eriko was talking to her mom when I arrived home. We were both tired after dinner (why me?) and spent some time lazing around and watched TV. I did dishes whil eEriko showered and then watched an episode of anime.

I slept in late, again. My ingenious plan to wake up early and watch lectures isn’t working so smoothly… I left for work soon after and had a productive morning. During lunch, Eriko was very quiet until I was about to leave. The afternoon was productive with the exception of an afternoon coffee break with Zack. I’ve started drinking decaf. I like the taste, but don’t need the caffeine. I walk and talk with Scott on the way home. Eriko had already eaten when I arrived and was talking to her mom on the phone (skype) but dinner was prepared (which was nice). After the phone call, Eriko proposed another name, ‘momoko’. I don’t know about that one either, but it is nice to know that she is not set on a particular name. We don’t even know the sex yet. Eriko had a headache, so I massaged various body parts (hand, neck, and head). We went to Safeway to buy a few things. I continued watching the baseball game (on mute) and cut some apples for Eriko. Then shower/bedtime.

I woke up late – the exercise really tired me out. At work I was productive. Lunch was good and the afternoon was productive again (of course, I attended Japanese class). Dinner was yummy and the evening was going well until we got into a bit of an argument about the baby’s name. Eriko was convinced that Satoko was the name and I wanted to hear alternatives. There was some silence and I concentrated on the baseball game. Eventually we got over it (although we didn’t discuss it again) and Eriko helped me with my Japanese homework.