I won't be back...so I better blog about it.
JAPAN TIME
Tuesday, September 18, 2007,7:49 PM
Almost Back Home (to find me a home)
So I haven’t left an entry in a while. That is because this entire time I have been trying to fix the entries that I already have posted. Our internet connection sucks on this ship so its been difficult. I was posting on wordpress.com but I couldn’t find a way to make my images stick so I switched over to Tripod. So far I prefer word press though because on their site, I was able to personalize my blog (banner and such) Still figuring out how and if I can personalize the look of my blog on blogger (i am sure i can, considering i have seen some pretty cool blogs hosted by this site). I also had to decide how I wanted to post pictures. I do not have a photo editor on the ship so I couldn’t size them down. SO I was teaching myself how to make thumbnails—but that took too much time so I finally just made some photo albums on Flickr and added links in my entries to the albums.(which means you's need to get a flickr account...please) :)
Well we are just a few days away from pulling back into Yokosuka. I am really looking forward to it. WE will be in port for about a month. (then back out to sea for about a month) Once we pull in, I have to go look for a place to live…quickly~ because MANY ships will be in port and MANY sailors will also be looking for off base housing…so that’s my number one priority. I am so ready to have a place all to myself. Can’t wait to get my bed delivered. I am going to have them unpack almost everything. (because trash is a huge issue in Japan) and the movers are responsible for throwing all the trash away if they unpack it (all the packing paper, boxes, etc) I don’t have much of anything as I sold everything when I got orders to Japan. I have to go get a futon. And maybe I will get a cheap card table and chairs. That’s about all I am going to get because I am all about saving MONEY. I want to buy new furniture and such when I get back to the states. But regardless of what I do or DON’T have in my place here in Japan, I will try to make it as cozy and comfortable as I can. I will most definitely be decorating for Christmas this year. I didn’t last year because it was all in storage. But yeah, I am going to decorate this year….I am not taking leave so I will be around the whole time and it will be nice and FESTIVE for me to decorate. I am thinking I might leave it up too, so whoever comes to visit me next year can see it….and we can celebrate Christmas then too. J
Apparently it is like 6 or 7 grand to initially move in to a place. First months rent (rent runs about 1800 US dollars!! ~But they give you housing allowance for the rent~ Last months rent, Agents Fee and Security Deposit, which is the equivalent of one months rent each….So that means like about 6000.00!! UGH I believe they pay you back about a third of that---I don’t care how much it costs, I have to get off this ship ASAP. Each month you get a UTILITY allowance which runs about 500 a month. And utilities are only about 200 a month (so that’s an extra 300 in my pocket) Plus I will get COLA. (Cost Of Living Allowance) All I know is in about a month, I will be bringing in some serious dough. YAY
Well we are just a few days away from pulling back into Yokosuka. I am really looking forward to it. WE will be in port for about a month. (then back out to sea for about a month) Once we pull in, I have to go look for a place to live…quickly~ because MANY ships will be in port and MANY sailors will also be looking for off base housing…so that’s my number one priority. I am so ready to have a place all to myself. Can’t wait to get my bed delivered. I am going to have them unpack almost everything. (because trash is a huge issue in Japan) and the movers are responsible for throwing all the trash away if they unpack it (all the packing paper, boxes, etc) I don’t have much of anything as I sold everything when I got orders to Japan. I have to go get a futon. And maybe I will get a cheap card table and chairs. That’s about all I am going to get because I am all about saving MONEY. I want to buy new furniture and such when I get back to the states. But regardless of what I do or DON’T have in my place here in Japan, I will try to make it as cozy and comfortable as I can. I will most definitely be decorating for Christmas this year. I didn’t last year because it was all in storage. But yeah, I am going to decorate this year….I am not taking leave so I will be around the whole time and it will be nice and FESTIVE for me to decorate. I am thinking I might leave it up too, so whoever comes to visit me next year can see it….and we can celebrate Christmas then too. J
Apparently it is like 6 or 7 grand to initially move in to a place. First months rent (rent runs about 1800 US dollars!! ~But they give you housing allowance for the rent~ Last months rent, Agents Fee and Security Deposit, which is the equivalent of one months rent each….So that means like about 6000.00!! UGH I believe they pay you back about a third of that---I don’t care how much it costs, I have to get off this ship ASAP. Each month you get a UTILITY allowance which runs about 500 a month. And utilities are only about 200 a month (so that’s an extra 300 in my pocket) Plus I will get COLA. (Cost Of Living Allowance) All I know is in about a month, I will be bringing in some serious dough. YAY
Labels: random
Wednesday, September 5, 2007,4:45 PM
Who Needs Cable?
Thank God for Video IPODS…..I can still get my TV FIX……some people on this ship walk around with a book in their back pocket to catch a chapter or two when they can…..as for me, I carry around my “Mini-TV” to catch up on the latest TV series that I happen to be watching. Being out to sea NORMALLY leaves one with alot of time on their hands…that hasn’t been the case for me thus far, however, between the IPOD throughout the day and my laptop for like 45 minutes before I go to sleep, I have still managed to watch some TV SHOWS. Granted I was forced to give up REALITY TV…..but after not watching it for so long now, I realize it was such a waste of valuable precious time. ~~Ok who am I kidding, if we could pickup BIG BROTHER out here in the middle of nowhere I would sooo be watching that crap!! But as of late, I have been really into watching drama type TV shows. The latest I watched was JERICHO…….heres what it’s all about per wikipedia.com: Just like any other show it sucks you right in. Probably wouldn’t have ever been interested in starting to watch it, but some of my classmates (when I was in C-school) raved about it. It’s ok. A bit far-fetched, but entertaining I suppose.Prior to that, when I first got to Japan and was stuck in a barracks room all by lonesome I watched almost two seasons of WITHOUT A TRACE I think it is pretty good. I like the forensic type stuff and how they figure out what happened and somehow manage to piece everything together to find the missing persons….Read an “about the show” excerpt courtesy of CBS.com. Ok now by far the most sick and twisted story lines *especially on network TV* belong to another favorite show of mine. Every time I watched an episode I couldn’t believe that this wasn’t RATED R…..(hell, rated X at times) but as twisted as the plots are…I am still a huge fan. Just recently I purchased a ‘copy’ of season 4 in ChinaTown in Malaysia (post to follow). Have only seen three episodes so far but by no means is season 4 a let down. I just did a search for a brief synopsis of the show to share…..and I came across “issues addressed in NipTuck” listed by “category”. I certainly wasn’t lying when I said the story lines were sick and twisted. (organ harvesting, zoolphilia, Munchausen syndrome, Apotemnophilia *didn’t even know what this stuff was till I googled it.) See I just watch the show and think….”man that was gross, odd, crazy, sick and twisted, etc. But when you see the episodes categorized….you realize how F’d up the writers really are!! Prison Break is fantastic. I watched both seasons back to back a few months ago….it was like watching a super long movie. In order to avoid spoilers….I will refrain from sharing plot info…but the title pretty much sums it up in a nutshell. PRISON BREAK One of my ultimate “faves” has to be SIX FEET UNDER
It is soo good I am going to post a “synopsis” from Amazon.com: The Fishers are your typical dysfunctional family. Ruth (Frances Conroy) is the stern matriarch who has trouble expressing emotion and snaps at the slightest problem. Daughter Claire (Lauren Ambrose) is an underachiever who cultivates a moody, mysterious loner image in high school (she’s indulging in illegal substances too). Brother David (Michael C. Hall) works in the family business, and is uptight beyond belief (he’s indulging in a secret homosexual relationship too). Elder brother Nate (Peter Krause) is the black sheep, who, eschewing responsibility, fled to Seattle but got lured back. And Dad (Richard Jenkins) watches it all bemusedly. Did we mention Dad’s dead? Oh, and that the Fisher family business is a funeral home? It might sound off-putting, but coming from the mind of Alan Ball, the man who strip-mined suburban life to find the mordant wit underneath in American Beauty, Six Feet Under is a trenchant, stylish spin on standard family dysfunction. This HBO series initially aspired to fits of Twin Peaks-like whimsy, with each episode starting with a death more outlandish than the previous, but soon settled into a comfortable groove that harkened back to the most familiar of TV family dramas (in fact, it’s almost a mirror image of ’70s drama Family, down to the three sibling archetypes). Of course, its HBO roots allowed it ample leeway with sex, drug usage, profanity, and violence. While the writing strove to be a little too clever, the overall look and tone of the show remained solid and sometimes profound (sometimes absurd too, but usually with good reason). Krause and Hall, as initially warring brothers who come to a wary understanding, are solid anchors, but it’s the women in the cast who do the most phenomenal work. Conroy infuses her almost stereotypical mom with an obstinate but ultimately accepting heart, and Ambrose’s Claire is by far the show’s most appealing character. And stealing scenes left and right is Rachel Griffith’s Brenda, a mystery woman with an outlandish backstory who meets Nate on a plane, has sex with him at the airport, and infiltrates his life. Like Brenda herself, Six Feet Under is fascinating–and highly addictive. –Mark Engleharte
The story lines, the way it was written, directed, edited, everything. I loved it. I liked it so much I wanted to purchase the series on DVD, but it was entirely too expensive. ~~That is until my recent venture into CHINATOWN Malaysia. Bought the whole series for about 30 dollars. hehehe Ok, so bout to wrap this pointless blog entry up, but yeah…so when I was inport Guam a couple of weeks ago, I attempted to download a new show off ITUNES. Its a new Showtime series called DEXTER. Its about a guy that tests “blood splatters” at crime scenes for a living. (along with being a murderer part-time…) I was only able to download two episodes ~super slow connection at our hotel~~ but it seems like it will be really good. The lead character is one of the lead characters from SIX FEET UNDER. He played David, the gay brother…..and in this show he plays a sexy, tough murder guy. Awesome. lol Ok so, living in Japan offers me all of about 4 English speaking channels and a ton of ridiculously goofy Japanese shows. So I will continue to watch my TV shows on DVD...If you have any MUST SEEs.....be sure to let me know :)
The story lines, the way it was written, directed, edited, everything. I loved it. I liked it so much I wanted to purchase the series on DVD, but it was entirely too expensive. ~~That is until my recent venture into CHINATOWN Malaysia. Bought the whole series for about 30 dollars. hehehe Ok, so bout to wrap this pointless blog entry up, but yeah…so when I was inport Guam a couple of weeks ago, I attempted to download a new show off ITUNES. Its a new Showtime series called DEXTER. Its about a guy that tests “blood splatters” at crime scenes for a living. (along with being a murderer part-time…) I was only able to download two episodes ~super slow connection at our hotel~~ but it seems like it will be really good. The lead character is one of the lead characters from SIX FEET UNDER. He played David, the gay brother…..and in this show he plays a sexy, tough murder guy. Awesome. lol Ok so, living in Japan offers me all of about 4 English speaking channels and a ton of ridiculously goofy Japanese shows. So I will continue to watch my TV shows on DVD...If you have any MUST SEEs.....be sure to let me know :)
