i can haz life solution now?
The Problem
My fiance wants a december wedding but i'm not sure what will happen afterwards. I'm doing another year in Japan for sure, so if we got married in December I would be here until August, contractually.
But, I'm not sure if i'll do another year after that though. It depends on wether by board of education offer me another contract and of course on me and my family. If we did get married, we were thinking about applying for a dependancy visa so he could stay here with me but that's a huge decision for him. He can't speak Japanese, so finding a job in Japan is almost out of the question. The real problem with that though, is finances. I'm worried about what happens financially because I'll have to support us both and that makes things difficult when I'm trying to pay my loan and save some money because i don't have a guaranteed job when I go back. I may have to go back to university because I don't think that I can find a job with just my Arts Degree. I told him though that I will support him in everything if he feels that coming here is the right decision to make. So really, I have no idea what to say or do or suggest. I love him; getting married wont change that and it also wont guarantee us being together.
Sigh RL ... *goes back to happy, problem free fandom*
Japan
It's Setsubun in Japan right now. What is setsubun, you ask?
What is Setsubun?
The term Setsubun originally referred to the four days marking the change from one season to the next, but today only the eve of risshun (the first day of spring according to the lunar calendar) is referred to by that name. Setsubun falls on either February 3 or 4, depending on the year. Setsubun is not a national holiday.
What do you do in Setsubun?
Bean-throwing Ceremony
On Setsubun evening, many households enjoy mame-maki, a bean-throwing ceremony. People fill a wooden measure with roasted soybeans and throw them in and around their houses, shouting “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” which means “Out with demons! In with good luck!” This ceremony is performed to bring in good fortune and drive away evil spirits. One person usually acts as the demon and runs around, while the others throw beans at him/her. It is customary for people to pick up and eat the same number of beans as their own age.
Bean-throwing ceremonies also take place in shrine and temple compounds. Well-known personalities, such as politicians, sumo wrestlers and actors, are invited as special guests to throw good luck beans for all those present. Men and women born under the Zodiac sign for the year can also participate in the event.
Mame-make originally started as an imperial event on New Year’s Eve to get rid of demons and welcome a happy New Year. Later it was mixed with the indigenous custom of throwing soybeans at the time of planting rice seedlings. Since the Edo period (1603-1867) the rite of throwing roasted beans inside one’s house has been performed on Setsubun. from here: http://www.j-higa.net/culture/21setsubun/setsubun.htm
So for Setsubun, the town of Shikaoi set out a really awesome display of candles inside ice. I don't have many pictures because my batteries died in my camera, but these turned out nicely:
The candles are actually placed in hollowed out ice blocks and they line up the streets of Shikaoi. Luckily, there aren't that many to worry about.
Main Street, Shikaoi.
The Demon, on ice.
The Tokachi area has a few people competing at the Olympics in Vancouver. One is a speed skater and the other is a bobsledder. The whole area is really excited, but it's hard for me to cheer for them. My inner Canadian wants to fight until the death. ;)
Bella
MY PUPPZIE IS SOOOO FREAKING KYUTE!!!!!
Bella: "I'm going to eat your face mummy!"
Me: "That's why I have a camera in front of it, dear."
Bella: "... thwarted."
Bella: "OUTSIDE HAS SO MANY NEW SMELLS!"
Me: "Hold still while mummy takes your picture."
Bella: "Holdwhat?ThisballinmymouthwhileIrunaroundmypeninacircle?"
Me: "See if I pick you up, you have to hold still."
Bella: "I'm doing a favour for you. I have things to do here."
She's not peeing on the floor a lot anymore. She still has accidents but I'd say she goes in her tray about 90% of the time, so that's great! She's had her vaccinations and tried to kill the vet for giving her a shot. She started freaking out and crying and jumped into my arms and started barking at the vet. They were all like "awe she's cute and little" I was apologizing for her behaviour. (-_-);;;
Bella has massive issues though with me having a bath. She'll stand in my doorway and she'll bark and whine and she shakes. She gets really agitated when I'm in the bathtub and I'm not sure if it's because she can't see me or what's going on. I've tried to distract her with a ball or have cuddle time before bath time but it doesn't seem to work. She doesn't do this before bed so I'm not sure what's up. Any thoughts?