We woke up really late today. Eriko’s back was sore, which she suspected was because she was a little too rough with a massage tool. Her stomach was also a little queasy. My back was a little sore – I had cuddled with her in the night and woke up with my chin and arm numb. I’m sure that didn’t help me sleep well. ;) Although she wasn’t feeling good, Eriko wanted to make Udon for breakfast (instead of my offer of french toast). After breakfast, she laid on the couch for quite a while. I did some research (on the Internet) into morning sickness (and pregnancy signs) as well as general research about pregnancy. During this time I shared everything I found and although she hadn’t really thought it was possible she was pregnant, she was becoming more open to the idea. We decided it would be good for her to see a gynecologist, even if this was just a false alarm. I’ll try to do that on Monday. Because of her condition, we decided not to go back to the Autumn Festival in Bellevue. Instead, Eriko laid on the couch and I used the computer and studied Japanese. At one point she started feeling better so we went to Costco to get some pregnancy snacks (crackers, fruit, rolls). Zack called to say that Katrina was making a surprise visit in the evening. After Costco, Eriko started feeling poor again, so she went back to resting and me to studying. Around dinner time she wanted to go to Trader Joe’s and so we did. I got some emergency rations just in case she didn’t want to cook (sandwich materials). We took showers early so that we could stay up and visit with Katrina and Zack. Sure enough, at 9 they showed up. It was a nice visit, with lots of laugh. Zack and I talked about some of the changes at work while Katrina and Eriko sat on the couch. Eriko showed them the picture book Ken made for her. At about 10:30, it was time for us to go to bed and them to go home. With the crackers by the bed, we made our way to sleepyland.

I heard the computer turn on (it turns on automatically at 7 AM) and then the alarm went off. Eriko had decided to grab an extra 15 minutes of sleep. So she had to hustle to get breakfast ready. She wasn’t feeling well (her stomach was bothering her) so she decided not to walk to work with me. I finished up the dishes and left about 5 minutes later than usual (7:40) since I move faster when I walk alone. I arrived at work before 8 and was productive almost immediately. I put the finishing touches on this project I was working on and sent it out for review. Eriko still wasn’t feeling well by lunch time, so she skipped the Shiki Train and decided to eat a small meal at home. I went with Aaron, Qichu, and Kaya; Ki showed up a little later. It was nice. I enjoy the small trains more as they are much more personal. I didn’t have time to do much after lunch before I had my usual Friday 2 o’clock meeting. It was pretty engaging and lasted until 3:30. I had requested an audience with the big boss and he told me that he would accomodate me at 5. I worked on some problems until then. There are some changes going on at work, changes in reporting structure – which creates opportunities. However, I realized that I don’t have the political clout or the engineering experience to take advantage of those opportunities; for the most part my crawl up the corporate Isilon ladder ends where I am now. There is potential that I will be given more people to manage, since I seem to be fairly good at that – however, managing people is not the same thing as managing direction. After work I had a good chat with my co-worker about where we saw ourselves in five years; we both agreed that we would be dissappointed if we were still at Isilon. Knowing that my future opportunities at Isilon are limited (if not none) should help cement my thinking (if only be removing an option). I dream of being a professor, and I think I possess the natural qualities and desires but the road there seems long and almost impossible. Right now I’m very poor at studying (undisiplined) and I can’t go anywhere without studying. My co-worker and I agreed that we should continue to talk to each other and maybe it would lead to mutual collaboration some day. Eriko had a wonderful meal of curry waiting for me at home, and it was excellent. She still wasn’t feeling super so we didn’t really do much the rest of the night – I used the computer, we watched a little TV, lounged around, and went to bed pretty early – at 10.

I didn’t sleep so well last night. To be more accurate, I slept solidly until early morning and then tossed and turned for a few hours. Eriko and I were both a little slow out of bed but as usual, she was quicker than I and had breakfast cooking before my feet hit the floor. She didn’t sleep so well either and her stomach has been bothering her. After breakfast, we discussed the possibility that she might be pregnant. Morning sickness (which can happen at anytime) like symptoms, late period, … First I did some things on the computer and then I spent some time preparing the AOS. I reminded Zack about the baseball game and he decided not to come. Then we talked about his “relationship” with Katie for about 30 minutes, then it was time for Eriko and I to goto the bank. I had a document notarized and obtained two cashier’s checks. We headed home and I tried an alternate route to avoid I-5 traffic. At home, Eriko’s stomach was upset again so she asked me to cook some pancakes. It seems that when her stomach is full, it feels better. We didn’t have much time to eat because we had plans to head over to Bellevue Community College and participate in the Japanese Autumn Festival. We left about 15 minutes later than we planned but arrived right on time. While Eriko and I were walking around the exhibits we happened to pass the Japanese Consulate. She took the opportunity to talk to them about changing her name on her passport. They were very helpful and will send her the necessary paperwork. Eriko had wanted to listen to some readings and singing (in Japanese), so we moved to another building. It was good. Of course, I didn’t understand anything but she enjoyed herself and I was comfortable in my chair. We didn’t stay too long because we wanted to arrive at Safeco field in time for the game. I splurged and spent $8 for parking which was close to the game – no big deal since the tickets themselves were free! We actually arrived early, so we saw some of the players warming up. This also gave me time to fetch some lemonade, beer, and french fries before the game began. We sat in right-field, 38 rows up, but still quite close to Ichiro. There were quite a few Japanese in this section, all intent on watching him. At first the sun shone directly on us (and into our eyes) but by the 3rd inning it was behind the stadium wall and we could look comfortably. Of course, without the sun, we got a little cool but we were well prepared. The Mariners lost the gam but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. Eriko even felt pretty good… until we got home and her stomach began to bother her again. Not bad, but not good. We were home in time for Seinfeld and only stayed up long enough to watch that and shower.

The alarm went off at 6:45 and I wasn’t too happy about that. I had slept pretty well, actually, except for some strange dreams. There were several of them, but the only one I could remember was that I had dreamed that Eriko was pregnant and the countdown was on (until even less free time than I have now). Eriko jumped right out of bed, but I laid around for another 10 minutes or so before I went through my usual bathroom, weight, changing ritual. Breakfast was ready soon and afterwards I read my book for a little while. We walked to work together and Eriko met my co-worker Brett, who was smoking outside. Inside, I got to work relatively quickly; I’ve been trying to complete a programming project that keeps getting interrupted in various ways. I made some progress in the morning before people started filing in, but soon the steady distractions were at hand. The interruptions don’t last long but they are long enough to take me out of my concentration zone and reduce my productivity. I went home for lunch at noon and to my surprise, Eriko did not have lunch ready. She wasn’t feeling very well and thus had taken a nap; therefore she did not have enough time to prepare her chosen meal (lasagna) before I arrived. She was a bit worried but I suggested we eat leftovers instead, which we did. At first she was going to give me all the leftovers but I encouraged her to eat her leftover pizza so she wasn’t so starving. Still, she was sufficiently intent on completing her lasagna meal (and satisifying her remaining hunger) that I walked back to work by myself. Back at work, I tried to get back into the groove of things but continued to have constant interruptions – whether they were people, or critical bugs, or email… always something. I made some progress but not as much as I would have liked. About 10 minutes before 3 I left to goto Starbucks to meet Hideki for my Japanese lesson. The lesson was good and the 2 hours went quickly. The first hour we had a “conversation”, which was much less fluid than the word implies. The second hour I learned a new grammar point, the passive voice. That was good. As I was walking back to work I checked my email (on my phone) and saw a note from Zack. I called him and it turned out he was outside (having just made a few calls about his car). We met and went up to my cubicle together and engaged in dialogue for about 30 minutes. Soon after that, Eriko called and told me she was outside. Today was her first day of Modern Dance (a class she will be taking at the Pacific Northwest Ballet school on Tuesday’s at 1900) and we were walking together so I could help her find the place. She brought me dinner (lasagna) which we first carried to my cubicle so it would stay warm. Then we walked the 7 blocks to the PNB, bought her a ticket ($13) and found the studio. I walked back and read some email on the way. I chatted with some co-workers for a bit, at dinner, and then called Mom and Dad. Mom and I talked for about 45 minutes before Dad arrived and then we talked for about 30 minutes more. I worked on the computer for about 15 more minutes before I had to get up to make some photocopies for the AOS. Time was running short, as Eriko and I were expecting to rendezvous at 2100. Just as I was about to leave the printer jammed and it cost me a few minutes. I ended up at home about 10 minutes after 9. Eriko had a good time at her class. We chatted about that and our evenings, ate some ice cream, watched some channel 75, watched some Seinfeld, and now the shower routine has started again. ;) I’m tired.

Eriko and I slept in. I had a great plan of chores lined up. I began working on the Adjustment of Status (AOS) paperwork with the intention of visiting work and making copies. Then I received a surprise phone call from Alex. “Did I want to work on the Linux PVR (personal video recorder)?” Sure. About an hour later, he showed up with a basket of computer parts and the project began. His computer was in sad shape, so we started out by installing Debian Linux and configuring that. It took several hours and then Eriko mentioned that she was hungry, so the three of us went in search of food. Our original destination was to be Pete’s Pizza, but it turned out they were closed for Labor Day. We piled back into Alex’s car (we were all feeling lazy) and continued driving down Queen Anne avenue when Eriko revealed that she was really in the mood for pizza. Just then, we happened to pass by Vincenzo’s Pizza and so we all decided to give it a try. Alex ordered a calzone and Eriko and I ordered a pizza. Before the order arrived, Eriko informed me that she wasn’t sure half the pizza was enough for her, so I quickly put in an order for another calzone. The meal was great but the service was slow. We were probably in the restaraunt for close to an hour and we had some nice conversation. Back in the condo, Alex and I continued to work on the PVR. After a few hours we were almost ready to try it out against the TV, but Seinfeld was on so we took a short break. Eriko made some snacks and we also did a lot of snacking on nuts. For the next two hours we tinkered with this and that and eventually got the color and sound working. It was a good accomplishment but it had become too late and it was time for bed. Eriko and I showed Alex out and then the shower routine began, ending with closed eyes and snores.