Make it work.

Oh hell, I am back at school. Am I ever.

Leaving Japan was nice, but somehow also uncomfortable. I spent about 10 days at my parents' house in Florida, hanging around and waking uncharacteristically every day at about 8am. I drank about 4 cups of coffee a day and never got much of anything done; went to the beach, sunburned my shins, and gave my feet an ice-bath in the Atlantic. My sisters and I dyed my hair a color that reminds me of cherry Coke (even though, now that I think about it, I am pretty sure cherry Coke in a glass looks the same as the regular stuff). It was long enough, all together, to be a real vacation, and going back to interrupted sleep and the Japanese language has been a little kick to the gut. A little one, really, but still there.

But at the same time being home was wrong. Or wrong-ish. I was unused to how easy it was to communicate, and felt a little weird and indignant at the America-ness of America. Once or twice, I would do something like say "Nanto itte mo..." while I was thinking about a question. Riding back on an airport limo bus from Narita, going along the sparsely-trafficked highways in land that looked just like the Midwest, I felt...like I was as much home there as anywhere else. I think I have forgotten what it's like to be in a place that suits me well.

However, where-ever that place is, I know now that it is not anywhere near a Sam's Club. Have you ever been in one of these abominations? In the middle of all the exercise equipment and giant-screen TVs and 10lbs packages of peanut butter, the one I went to in Florida actually had a teeth-whitening station. Not even like, a small one, either! There were six fucking dentists' chairs there. What the hell, people? Who really thinks that stopping in for a discount teeth whitening, where people of god only knows what certification shine weird beams at your mouth -- a part of body, may I remind you, that is very damned close to your brain? Anyone who gets new luggage, 100 disposable razors, bulk frozen chicken wings, and a dental procedure, all at the same location -- you are officially on my list of People I Hate Irrationally.

I have been thinking about that list for a good part of today, actually -- it should be imaginary, but in fact it is not. I will definitely be putting it up here soon. It takes the burn off of a bad day of scholasticizing, I can tell you that.