I woke up late, about 9. I made some pancakes and shared them with Eriko. After eating, Eriko didn’t feel well and laid on the couch. I started using the computer but quickly was chased off due to the noise. I moved into the bedroom and listened to the Astros/Braves play-off game. While there, I got an idea about re-arranging the bedroom (moving the bed from the north to the south wall). Eriko started feeling better, so I moved back into the living room. I called Zack and made an inquiry about dinner; he said he would call back after checking with Liz. After getting permission from Eriko, I rearranged the bedroom. Now I don’t have to crawl into bed through the head. In general, I like the layout much better, and Eriko seems to like it as well. We went to Costco with the intention of purchasing a massage chair (cover) and after some anxious looking, located it on a random aisle. It was a little difficult to shop, because Eriko moves pretty slowly now. I’m not used to such a slow pace. Then we headed to Office Max. I was looking for some mini-flashcards (preferabbly on a key-chain) but couldn’t find any. I settled for a hole-puncher and regular index cards. We proceeded to Uwajimaya, where we ate dinner. Eriko was hungry and wanted to eat then, so I went ahead and got something to eat as well. It was a bad choice; I went for Thai food because I was in an Asian grocery store, but really wanted a burger & fries. As it turned out, the Thai was pretty lame. Eriko also didn’t enjoy her eel. Back at home, I realized that I had forgotten about Zack but I figured since hadn’t called he probably had no desire to join us. As it turns out, he called about 30 minutes earlier to tell me he had no desire to join us. ;P I had a beer, enjoyed a massage (in the chair) and watched the Yankees/Angels game. Eriko read and went to bed early. I joined soon after.

I slept in a bit – up at 8 AM. ;) Eriko had a real tough morning. She had her first day of Caribbean percussion class and it started at 9:30. She woke up earlier than I did and ate, but she was still feeling really poor. She spent some time on the couch and just when I thought she wasn’t going (@ 9:15), she announced that it was time to leave. I did my best to get her there on time, but she was about 10 minutes late. It didn’t really matter, as we were walking (finding) the classroom, another couple came bearing their drums. While she was in class, I went to the bank to deposit some checks (I had to wait 10 minutes for them to open), went shopping @ Target (a cashier mistake saved me ~ $20), and read my FreeBSD book (while listening to music and eating candy). I went into her class (with 30 minutes remaining) and watched (as well as read). On the way home, we got hungry. Eriko wanted a tonkatsu sandwich (and didn’t really want to cook), so we purchased some tonkatsu take-out from Sam’s Sushi, took it home, and made our own tonkatsu sandwich. ;) It was really delicious and reminded me of the sandwiches Yuji’s grandmother made for us in Nagoya 11 years ago. I had a headache (maybe too much candy) and took a nap. Once I woke up, Eriko took a nap and I used the computer. We watched one of the baseball playoff games together on the couch and had a nice dinner. We spent a nice evening together on the couch and wrapped it up by listening to some Disney songs.

I woke up early, about 6:30. I was eager to get out of the house. I think last night’s silence was a little too much for me; I couldn’t bear a quiet morning. I had a quick breakfast and got to work early, before 7:30. I made some progress in the morning, but that was interrupted by a surprise meeting with one of my superiors. There are some organization changes occurring; I am no longer part of a group I once was. I was a little irritated, but not too much. I made the decision some time ago to specialize in a different area, and this is a consequence. I surprised Eriko at home for an early lunch; I had written her a note saying that I would not be home so she had nothing prepared. I ate some leftovers quickly (I had a 12:30 meeting, which is why I didn’t expect to be at home) and returned to work. 2 hours of leadership training went by pretty quickly. I chose to “be respectful of other’s ideas,” which means I didn’t volunteer my answers so much. Normally I do, so that was tough. I worked with my co-worker on a problem and we came to a good understanding. Then I chatted with Todd about the quandary of loving Japanese girls. I left early; Jane brought my bike home in her jeep (per my request - I’d rather store it in the condo than at work). I watched (and helped) Eriko cook dinner, which was yummy. We watched some TV; I used the computer; Eriko read her book. She was in bed by 9, I stayed up about an hour longer.

Another late morning; I had trouble waking up. Eriko woke up too, but we didn’t have much time together. I was at work by 8. My calendar was quite full today, so I didn’t work on many issues. A meeting with my co-worker turned into an introduction to his wive’s new wine bar/art gallery, which was cool. They’re looking for investors and I see the potential; unfortunately I don’t have that kind of money. It takes money to make money, and I see why. I made it home for lunch with Eriko (although I was a little late). She was quiet and told me that talking hurt her stomach area a bit; it was nice being together. I left work a little early, arriving before 6. We had a nice meal, but Eriko was uncomfortable and silent most of the night. I sat with her on the couch and eventually watched a playoff game, but we never made any conversation. She went to bed about 9 and I stayed up for about an hour afterwards. Sometimes the reality of marriage is two warm bodies co-existing but not interacting. My expectations are changing, but I’m not disappointed.

I set the alarm a little later this morning (7) but I’m still very tired when it goes off. Eriko woke up too. I wasn’t hungry for breakfast and my throat was still sore, but it was much better than the day before. Surprisingly enough it hadn’t moved up into my head at all. I go to work a bit early and arrive about 7:45. I had to make copies of the AOS stuff so I could mail it out. I worked on issues until the regular morning meeting and then again until lunch. I was caught by a co-worker right as I was about to leave and didn’t arrive home until about 12:30. Lunch was good and I returned about 1:15. I had a meeting, missed a meeting, and had a real solid interview with a potential candidate for my team. I worked on an enhancement until close to 6 and got nailed trying to leave. As a result, I left about 6:30; I walked & talked with Scott and didn’t get home until about 6:45. Eriko wasn’t thrilled but patient. We had leftovers

I slept very poorly and had a hard time waking up; I got poked by Eriko to get out of bed. I had some yogurt and honey and left for work; Eriko was still sleeping. I arrived at work about 7:30 and a few minutes to prepare for an interview at 8. I reviewed some work I had done the day before and had the usual morning meeting. I did some more work on my problem and soon it was time for an early lunch. Zack and I met mom, dad, and Eriko at work and we walked aimlessly down the street until Eriko suggested Shiki (a Japanese restaraunt). We guided the tour in that direction and soon were enjoying a nice meal. I had to rush home after lunch to pick up a copy of Eriko’s birth certificate and make the translation electronically available (as I was meeting the translator later in the day). I made it back to work by 1, in time for a regular meeting. I printed out the translation and attended two meetings before heading off to my Japanese lsson. Hideki (my teacher) didn’t have anything to do after class and wanted to avoid traffic, so he came over to show me where the starter was on my MG. He met Eriko and received a quick tour of our place. After Hideki left, Eriko and I waited for our dinner guests. Zack showed up (but couldn’t let himself in) and soon let mom & dad in as well. We sat around for quite a while, drank some wine, talked, looked at wedding photos, ate nuts and eventually made our way to an Indian restaraunt down the street. Eriko was suffering, as she had not partaken in may of these snacks. Dinner was good (although not India Bistro) and everyone was thorougly stuffed. We said our bon voyage to mom & dad (they leave for a 2 month cruise in two days), and started the evening routine which ends up with my eyes shut.