it is quite confusing. there are a variety of different options we could do, but the one which seems the least risky and provides the most comfortable experiences is for Eriko and I to be legally married next August. i’ll have to apply for the fiance visa early next year and she’ll use it to enter the country after our honeymoon, which will follow our symbolic ceremony in Nagoya. if that is what we do, i hope it works out perfectly.

i finally reached my lowest weight on record again – 137 lbs. i did that partially by cutting my food intake in the evenings when i’m not so hungry but i think i should really step up the exercise to maximize any gains. i’m going to spewak with a lawyer about immigration today. i’m going to look into a fiance visa unless it could impact Eriko’s tourist visa.

i should be going to asleep, but instead i managed to register eriko.org. i had just looked at it a few weeks ago and it was taken. lucky me.

waiting for me in Seattle was the September issue of Sys Admin Magazine, with my name on the cover. now to start thinking about my next article… in other news, i left my japanese dictionary (the electronic one) on the plane. i’m just getting over being bummed. the sad thing is that i was napping, woke up and saw the dictionary in the seat back and told myself that i should get it out or i’ll forget it. of course, i went back to sleep and then forgot it. i put in a call to Air Canada’s lost and found, so now all i can do is cross my fingers.

Thursday
Eriko attended another tea ceremony class and I switched to my next book. This book is much slower reading, so I wound up taking a nap in the living room. Eriko and I spent time thinking about activities for our reception, and trying to narrow down what the cost of the wedding will be. in the evening the family all went out to yakiniku, which was a lot of fun. it was the first time that Shogo was there so we had six in attendance. i really like yakiniku – a lot of different types of do-it-yourself grilled meat. just my type.

Friday
this was a pretty slow day. i remember taking a few naps (Eriko counted two) and i looked at all four of Eriko’s picture albums. then we (and Aine) went to play practice. the room was much smaller and there were more familiar faces this time, so i didn’t read my book much or nap at all. afterwards, most of the group went to yakitori for a party. it was fun, but a little tiring.

Saturday
we woke up late, as we were out until almost 2. soon after breakfast (i ate more than Eriko) we rode our bikes for lunch at Mos Burger. then we headed to the Nagoya Dome (indoor baseball stadium) in search of a cap of Ichiro’s old Japanese team. we got real lucky and found it. we rode a few blocks down the street to the local community center and a had a fun time swimming for an hour. back on the bikes, we headed in search of something sweet. she took me to a neat shaved ice restaraunt which used fresh fruit. i had grape and she had kiwi. both were yummy. after breakfast i answered questions about my new condo and such for Eriko and her parents.

Sunday
after breakfast and goodbyes, Eriko saw me off at Nagoya airport. our farewells are much more smooth as we both know we’ll be together again soon. and soon it will be permanent. i fell asleep on my short flight from Nagoya to Tokyo and am now using a free internet service (and a java ssh client) provided by Yahoo Japan as i wait for my long flight to Vancouver.