This is Unbelievable!

I CANNOT BELIEVE IT! I sat down here, and rewrote the entire blog, then did the dreaded spell check again, and without going anywhere, hit publish, ... and by that time I was timed out and the blog disappeared! This has GOT to be a problem with Multiply to do it AGAIN.

Thank goodness this time I copied it all!

Let's try this again, shall we?

Earlier this morning I had finished an hour-long blog. I went out to say bye to Mayu, and then came back, added a bit... and clicked the dreaded "Preview & Spell check" button. Well, little did I know that the Multiply system had chosen to log me out during my absence, so when that innocent little button down there got clicked, it went to a "Do you know Cam Switzer?" page, and everything was lost! Going back a page only took me to an error. back one more took me to a blank "Compose Blog Entry" window.

So I gave up. I went about my stuff for the morning did the things I needed to do, and now it's lunchtime. What was it all about?

It was just an update... I thought I should at least make an attempt at something...

I have been quieting my mind with some mp3 stuff that I got when I was at the Mindspring seminar in NC this past January. I also have developed a mantra to repeat when I catch my mind spinning relentlessly over various things in life. Well, it seems to have worked so smashingly well, that my mind has become so darn quiet I don't even have a single thing to write about! I really don't!

Also, remember I talked about "giving up something to add something"? Well, I have decided to cut back on writing, and reading blogs as there are other things I would like to do for a while and the only way to do that, is to cut something back. Since the only thing I do these days is either work, eat, sleep, exercise once every 5 days or so (no longer addicted to that), take out the garbage, do laundry, and other stuff, OR sit here at the computer clicking.... I thought I would try cutting back on my clicks and add the meditation in its place.

Back to writing about my day yesterday (and now today so far because the morning blog disappeared) *Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C* (OK, it's safe to hit the Save & Publish button now).

Yesterday I worked around the house for a few hours doing all the typical househusband stuff like washing, folding, ironing, putting away laundry, bedding, vacuuming, dishes, scrubbing and shining kitchen sink, scrubbing toilet, and other such stuff. I was "killing time" as Mayu was away working for the day.

At 15.30 I decided to go and watch the movie MONGOL which is rather good. I think it is a russian movie, or Russian/Mongolian or something because the producers, directors, etc. were all very ... slavic (?) names or some very exotic names that I really couldn't even pronounce. Nor did I try. The main character, Genghis Khan (Temujin) was played by a Japanese actor. The story revolves around Temujin as a child, growing up and how he becomes the leader of all the Khans. It ends as he is about to embark on conquering half of the known world. The language was mongolian, and the subtitles were Japanese, but this was not a Japanese movie so if you ever get the chance to see it, I recommend it. The scenery was spectacular! I've never seen the steppes of Mongolia before and I was impressed.

After the movie was done I searched out a black tie with black thin diagonal pinstripes for funerals. It is modern material, modern shape so I chose it. I have one from a friend who died of cancer many years ago but because it is decades old and "traditional" I was never comfortable wearing it. Here in Japan for funerals men wear black suits, black shoes, white shirts and black ties. For weddings they wear the exact same thing, except the ties are white. Women wear all black and usually some pearls. That's the way it is.

I enjoyed a McCoffee (better than Starbucks, cheaper @ JPY 100, and with free refills how can you go wrong?!) and a Mega Mac that has come back again. I'm happy for that because I can toss out the buns, and just eat the four patties, special sauce, onions, and pickles that it comes with. Oh, yes and the one slice of melted... "process". And it is cheaper than four JPY 100 cheeseburgers with less bun to toss.

Next I drove over to the hospital to visit Maeda-san. Some of you know about his illness, but in a nutshell, I'll let everyone here know that Maeda-san (you've seen him in videos) is dying of cancer. Last year he went through treatment and was very ill, but recovered. This March beginning he went back into the hospital because he wasn't feeling well. Maeda-san is exactly 50 years older than Mayu so that made him 90 this past December 1st. It's no wonder his body isn't feeling too well.

A week ago he hemorrhaged and lost a LOT of blood. We saw him right after that and have been visiting him every day since then in the evening when it's quiet. We go in, wash his face, put a cool towel on his head, scratch his eyebrows, give him liquids to drink when he's awake and parched, and take off the "safety mittens" that the nurses put on him because he unconsciously pulls out his IVs in his sleep. He hates those things; both the IVs and the mittens.

His entire body is all swollen from the drugs and the fact that his body is battling the cancer. He can talk a little bit, but not much. He is very tired, but also his mind is still really sharp and he recognizes me, as well as the picture of Tug that I took and left on his bedside for him to see. You see, Maeda-san looked after Mayu, Tug and I when we first moved to Ono back in 1991-94. We left Tug with him when we went on our trips, and they became best of friends. Maeda-san often thought that he would die before Tug, but it wasn't the case.

Maeda-san got a lot better over last week. Then on Saturday he had another drop, then spike in blood pressure and hemorrhaged again, losing a lot more blood. He now has about 20% of his normal blood volume left which understandably makes him weak. He's back to where he was a week ago, unconscious, breathing, swollen, waking up a bit and saying a few things, but that's about it.

Yesterday Mayu got there about 30 minutes before I did and helped him to sit up and took off the safety mittens. We stayed for about two hours, until he got sleepy again and kissed him good night, then went to a restaurant for dinner and came home to coffee, showers, and the usual late night stuff before bed.

They use a lot of sugar in Japanese cooking and we didn't like the restaurant food this time. I didn't really want to go there because I haven't liked it for some time for that reason, but Mayu wanted to go somewhere "cheap" and she chose that spot. Even she said, "well, I guess this is the last time for here". I woke up at 5am this morning dehydrated, having to pee like crazy and with a mouth full of cotton thanks to the sugar in the foods. Sweet pork is just not to my liking!

This morning I had planned to go and pack the balance of 75kg of my 200kg of beta titanium sheet that I'm shipping to HK. I didn't have enough boxes on Friday so could only send some of the shipment. I got the call about 10am and headed out, packed the goods, brought them back and dropped them off at the post office. When I returned home, the documents from the shipper had arrived via email, so I printed them out and took them back to the post office. That 75kg should be in HK in about 3 days.

I got this order a couple of weeks ago but lately the eyeglass manufacturer that ordered has been rejecting a lot of material, saying the surface is not good. Thank goodness MY material has never been a problem, but they are always questing for a lower price only and the got burned. I have refused to drop my paper thin profit margin on this, and I am glad I did not because now we have proved through tests that our material is definitely superior to the stuff they have been getting cheaper, but rejecting. No more game playing with them, let me tell you! We bust our butts for the customer to get it all ready asap, pack it, ship it and keep the price down so it's really not worth doing for no margin.

And that is a re-recap for the day. I'm home now and will make lunch, finish off my National Geographic and then see how the wind blows.... I will head in to see how Maeda-san is later this evening again, I guess.

So this is just another ordinary day.

Oh! I wanted to show you this great t-shirt that Stefnee's Scott found for me! Don't you love it? Bacon really DOES make everything better! And the smiley faces on the bacon are sooo perfect! Thanks, Scooter! I love you!!

And thank you other S5 for the wonderful little gifts you included in that care package. I LOVE Globalized Love! (Sorry it's all wrinkled; it was sitting in the laundry hamper since yesterday evening).

I love you!

Cam

P.S. Pandasu, another Internet Axe Murderer will be coming with her coworkers to Japan for a week and a bit of a holiday. She has the entire schedule set up. I'm going to meet them for dinner in Kyoto on 4/15, spend the night there, then go with them on an all day bus tour of Kyoto (in English) so they can see several great places to visit. Then I will head back to Fukui on the evening of the 16th and the may or may not go back to Tokyo that evening. Jaime is currently negotiating to see if she can meet with SueEllen and her friends when they are in Tokyo. I asked Matt, but he's pretty overbusy in April (the new fiscal year usually begins here) so likely won't have the time. If anyone else is in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and wants to hook up with Pandasu, please let me know! Her non-blogger friends think it's really weird, and are a bit apprehensive that they are going to meet a "stranger". I'll be sure to take my axe (sharpened), and my smile, just to make them feel right at home.