Hiding Out

I hate to even confess what I'm doing right now.  I'm dodging a potential confrontation with the girl we're subletting from - who recently unveiled her true self: a totally unstable crazy pants... we'll call her Crazy Pants - and hiding in a nearby Starbucks until further notice. Allow me to fill you in:

Crazy Pants showed some signs of instability shortly after we signed up to sublet her apartment, and indeed, the move-in day proved quite bizarre - it kicked off Kei's official suspicions of her crazy side.  Kudos to his perception, but I was still trying to maintain her as a bit eccentric but with a good heart.  So what that she spent about two hours talking none-stop and at such a pace that two hours of material really should have taken four?  So what that she jokingly confessed to being crazy (with crazy eyes to match)?  So what that her freezer was literally stuffed full with bloody raw meat "for her dogs" that she informed us would be staying there?  Okay, I can't lie: that last one drained the color from the face of my former-veggie self, who still can't walk through the meat department at a grocery store without a dizzy spell... But trying to be the good sports and easygoing Kondos that we are, we let it slide.  Also let slide the closet still stuffed full with [are-you-nuts?-I'm-not-looking-in-there!], the potent dog smell that accosts the nostrils of anyone who approaches the door, the lack of any kitchen utensils/cleaning supplies/bed sheets/pillows, etc. etc. in a "furnished apartment."  So what, right?

Issues began to arise when she wanted to come and get into the apartment repeatedly and quickly lost her temper if we said we were unavailable.  The last confrontation began via text message (which she began using after scolding me for not checking facebook enough because I had failed to respond within minutes to one of her messages the way I "should").

She messaged two days ago wanting to come to the apartment when we had plans to be out of town, and my attempts to compromise with her to find a time when she could come by... without breaking into our apartment with the key she had denied having when we moved in (sorry there are not two sets of keys, but I was always fine with just one because I was here alone...) failed miserably and ended in her informing us of the following: "you had an attitude problem from the beginning and don't appreciate what you got" (the apartment that we paid several hundred dollars more than her monthly rent for...) and "I was too kind with you... and in general had enough with both of you and have to speak my mind you like it or not."  To this I answered that she sounded upset and was saying things that were unfounded, and I suggested we should take some time to calm down and work it out the following day.  I was nervous that another explosive text was coming my way, but fortunately just received a merciful, curt "OK" in response.

The following day, Kei decided he should be the one to call because A) he's a prince, and B) we figured her anger was directed at me and we wanted to avoid another ambush if possible.  She screened him, but wrote him a text shortly after he called that left it pretty ambiguous whether she intended to come as she had threatened, but distinctly left open the possibility of her coming whether we were there or not and letting herself in with a certain what are you going to do about it? tone.

Ever since, we've harbored the fear of those crazy eyes waltzing into our apartment at any given moment (the sound of keys jingling in the hallway has rendered us both stricken on multiple occasions).  Since yesterday, when we've left the apartment, Kei took to taping our door a la Mission Impossible to see if someone entered while we were away.  Yes, this is our real life.

Anyway, it's Saturday - the day she had wanted to come in the beginning, and though Kei stuck to our original plans and is out of town, I stuck around to meet up with my yoga teacher later, but am too scared to be sitting in that apartment if she shows up.  All that raw meat, remember?????

I debated leaving behind Post-Its saying "Breaking and Entering is Against the Law - Smile for the Cameras" just to weird her out, but opted to be marginally more sane.  Instead, I left both tape AND a little piece of paper in the door, so if she goes in there while I'm hiding in this here Starbucks, you better believe we'll know about it.  Never fear, Hollywood has trained me well.  This is ridiculous.

This message will self-destruct in 

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Shout Out to One Shout-worthy Sister!

~〜〜★〜〜~

Happy birthday to you!  

Happy birthday to you!  

Happy birthday dear Kelleyyyyyyy!  

Happy birthday to you! ♬♪

~〜〜★〜〜~

Just couldn't have a blog post with anything less on the birthday of my endlessly amazing big sister!

We love you, Kelley!

Here's looking at us. ;-)

"Shuf-fl-ing" and adorable...

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As they say in California... Good Morning

I get the sense I'm sitting in one of those "moments in time" that my Dad so often speaks of.  I'm in our (albeit sublet) apartment in San Francisco, perched on a table by the bay windows overlooking a park with two dedicated softball players training dutifully, husband soundly sleeping, and cats causing trouble in the kitchen.  It's a moment of sweet stillness after months of travel, visits, and liveliness, but at the same time, so much anticipation hangs on this moment, it's almost palpable.  Where will we find an apartment?  Will I find a teaching job?  Will Kei find his dream?  Who will we meet?  Was this the right choice?

In an indulgent way, I'm simply cherishing this quiet moment by myself.  Reflection proves incredibly difficult when you're on the go (like I need to state that in the world of smart phones, wifi, and facebook...), and I just feel lucky to be sitting here with the freedom to take time considering how I feel about all the changes we've had in our lives these last few months.  Certainty is too much to wish for, but so far I think we have a promising future here in sunny San Francisco (I can say that now, since the fog that covered my window an hour ago has passed and the sun just peeked out).

Good morning!

B-B-B-Badlands!

Badlands National Park blew us away: it sneaks up on you in the midst of wide, flat prairies (complete with prairie dogs!) and sad drought-stricken South Dakotan fields - then suddenly bam!  Breathtaking canyons and panoramas!  Just incredible:

I couldn't resist.... 

And, true to my safari-seeking nature... you better believe I was squealing over all the rams, goats, prairie dogs, and BISON!

My hands-down, favorite quote/moment of the trip occurred as we approached a herd of bison leisurely hanging in the middle of the road we needed to pass through.  I should preface this by reminding you just how big and intimidating bison are when you get up close.  Big.  And intimidating.  

Just before we reached the point of intrusion on their space, Kei pulled the truck to a stop.  I asked him what he was doing, and he - between rather rapid breaths - simply says: 

"Hang on a second, I have to mentally prepare for this."

Fortunately, these big guys deemed us worthy of passage and spared us death-by-bison-stampede.  It was a good day.

On the Road to San Francisco!

This batch was posted while on the road... though you can see my "Blogger app" skills leave something to be desired since I couldn't manage to insert comments at the time.  (In all likelihood, refraining from using quotations around "Blogger app" is probably one such skill.  Alas.)  In my defense, I'm a smart-phone neophyte, and I'm sure I'll learn. Or something.  Anyway... here's a brief explanation:

This shot was taken within the first hour, while the cats were still crying repeatedly - making us question if we would make it for five days and seven states in this condition.  Yet, Kei's ever-enduring smile carried on!

Thanks to the utter worthlessness of the moving company, we ended up picking up our boxes sent from Hong Kong in Milwaukee... here's us packing up our beloved "Penny" the big, yellow, Penske truck.

Loving the Midwestern views.... especially after reading the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and having much more perspective on the farming world (the good, the bad, the charming, and the troubling).

Fortunately, after our stop in Milwaukee, the cats turned into traveling champs.  They were chilled out enough to let them roam at will in the cab with us.  While Cosette generally opted to sleep under my seat, Heidegger (unsurprisingly) often felt the need to be a greater part of the action.

We were lucky enough to connect with old friends, the Lockridges and Broshars, in St. Paul, MN... but shamefully departed with no pictures!  We did manage to snap a few of Kei in his old stomping grounds of SPA, St. Paul Academy - where he first studied abroad when he was in high school.

On the road again, I made sure to stock up on the important things... a lesson from my mother!

I'll be honest here, I'm not really sure what inspired me to snap this picture nor why it rated a worthwhile addition to the blog post, but alas... I'll stay loyal to my thoughts at the time!