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.

I actually slept pretty good. I was hot at first because I hadn’t showered (too tired) but once I fell asleep it was pretty steady. Eriko got up and made breakfast, which was delicious. After an hour and a half of resting, she decided to work out in the exercise room and I followed. I started out on the bike machine, with my iPod and book. I was only able to read for a little while before I turned up the juice and the vibration (and effort) was too much too focus. Eriko was on the treadmill. I moved next to the rowing machine, where I didn’t last too long before my arms were exhausted. Then, in some order (which I cannot recall) I did push-ups, sit-ups, some weight exercises, some back exercises, and some ball exercises. After about 45 minutes, I was beat and laid on the floor. Eriko’s pace was more relaxed and she worked out for about 10 more minutes. After the exercise I was beat and my muscles were shakey so I sat in the chair and read my book. Eriko wasn’t feeling super so she ended up taking about a two hour nap. During that time, I used the computer and read. Eventually I took about a half-hour nap in my chair. ;) Afterwards, we headed out to Costco, where we forgot to buy a few things the day before. We made sure to spend lots of time in the store this time so there wouldn’t be any good deals passed up. We continued the shopping adventure by travelling to Fred Meyer and purchasing hangers, a knife, a plastic tub, and some food. Back at home, Eriko made dinner (she was quite hungry by this time) and afterwards we relaxed on the couch. I read while she wrote postcards until I flipped on the tube and discovered the ‘Classic Arts Showcase’. I was about to flip away when Eriko requested a few more minutes. About two hours later I flipped over to about 20 minutes of Star Wars. She really enjoyed the discovery of that channel (75) and the program. We indulged in some ice cream while watching the singing and dancing. Finally, it was time for bed.

As it turns out, I didn’t sleep all that well again! I kept waking up due to strange thoughts in my head. I was thinking about work and lots of other random ‘problems’. I was delirious again – but why? The cold, perhaps? Each time I would wake up I could feel how tired my body was (as one would expect, with the doping and all) yet my mind was quite lucid, at least for a few moments. Everytime I would wonder – why am I awake? What is causing this? Of course, I had no explanation. Eventually I couldn’t force myself to try and sleep anymore and I started cuddling with Eriko and woke her up. Eventually we got out of bed, but I am amazed at how early I woke up. She made breakfast while I blew my nose and drank some coffee. After breakfast, I spent some time drilling holes and adjusting shelves in the bedroom so that we can buy some more baskets. We decided to do some shopping – first we went to Costco, where we bought nuts and a water filter; next, Uwajimaya – we bought some bowls for rice and miso along with green beans. We were hungry and Eriko didn’t want to cook, so we decided to go to Kidd Valley for a burger, shake and fries. We should have split our meal, because we were both stuffed. We had an hour break before our next adventure; Eriko made salad while I dinked around. We drove north to Target, where we bought some baskets and a lint roller. Then we made a short jaunt south to Jane’s (my co-worker) house, where we had been invited for a BBQ. We brought along Eriko’s salad, some beer, and some beat but to our surprise there was food for 60 (and Jane had only invited 30!) The food and weather were nice but we didn’t know very many people and only stayed for about 2.5 hours. At home, Eriko continued to organize and I relaxed. I mis-timed how long it would take Eriko to organize the bedroom and so I took NyQil too early and struggled to stay awake.

This morning we woke up on time. Why? Because Eriko set an alarm of her own. At 6:30 it went off in the living room and she hopped up make breakfast. On the way to work we moved our recently-purchased flowers outside. Currently we have 6 flowers (in small pots) inside a larger rectangular window sill pot. However, because our unit is subterranean, the flowers don’t seem to be getting enough light and are already suffering. At work, I had a reasonably clear schedule, which was great. I have some development I’ve been trying to accomplish for a while but things keep getting in the way. I had a great time on Friday doing the work; I actually thought about things before implementing them. So smooth. Eriko met me & the gang for the regular Friday Shiki train. I wasn’t in the mood for the bento so I just had my old regular. Back at work, I had about an hour to kill before a meeting. That meeting went pretty well although it lasted for 1.5 hours and we talked about some technical topics which I didn’t fully understand so I had to concentrate to stay awake. To close out my week, I made some more good progress on my program. I walked to Bartell’s on the way home to pick up some cold medicine and sleeping aids. I have apparently caught a head-cold and I think lack of sleep (and co-worker exposure) is to blame. Eriko and I ate dinner, brought our flowers back into the house, watched Seinfeld, ate some ice cream, relaxed a little (me on computer, her with a book) and then it was time for showers. While Eriko showered I split my time between trying to translate a Japanese short story she handed me (describing it as quite interesting) and researching mutual funds for foreign market indices. I’m beginning to contemplate whether I should met with a financial advisor. I simply have too many balls I’m juggling at the moment and I fear that one will get dropped. After our showers, we went to bed. I doped myself up with NyQil and a sleeping pill before hitting the sack.

I slept poorly and forgot to set the alarm, so we overslept today. Eriko quickly brought out the cereal, as there was no time for a cooked meal. It was yummy anyway. Off to work we went. I was a little worried because Eriko’s packages from Nagoya (via barge) were arriving today and I didn’t want to miss (or be unavailable for) the call. Luckily, the called at 9:30 (they had previously said between 9-10) and I buzzed them into the front door (remotely). I sent Eriko a text message indicating they were here, but as it turns out they knocked on the door before the message arrived. At 10 I had a leadership training class, which I enjoyed. I thought some good (and sometimes controversial) discussions occurred. This month’s topic is ‘commitment’ which I think is great because I’m poor at commitment. Not for big things, when the perceived consequences are obvious, but little things like studying or reading. I often make so many little goals for myself but tend not to keep them. Hopefully I can change that tune. Of course, the class is merely a hinting tool; it encourages you to do self-analysis and has general suggestions for help – but for matters of a personal nature, I’m not sure what else can be done. I came home for lunch and Eriko’s boxes were there; she had already unpacked about 7 (out of 14). She wanted to get everything cleared out quickly. Back at work, I had some more meetings to attend, some documents to read, some development to do, and a team meeting to lead. It all happened smoothly and before I knew it, I was back at home. Eriko had dinner waiting and afterwards we lounged a bit (and watched Seinfeld) before heading to Kinko’s to pick up our postcards. The postcards turned out good (albiet, the material is a little cheap, but so are we). Eriko made a goal for herself of 10 a day and began writing as soon as she returned home. I spent about an hour writing the first paragraph of my trip description (in Japanese). Then it was time for Seinfeld & bed.