Entries this day: D'oh_phone Phonified Taxi_Driver

D'oh phone

10:24am JST Monday 14 April 2003

D'oh!

Still no phone. I went back to the store where I imagine I lost it, but they hadn't seen it. They suggested I go to the police.

The police!

What an amazing society where the police actually have time to be concerned over a phone.. In Houston cops can't even keep up with the number of cars that are stolen each day, much less lost phones!

So I told the police at the local police box I had lost my phone. They took my information, including the phone number (thank goodness I had memorized it!!!!) and my address (thank goodness I have it on my computer cause I have not memorized it!!) and where I work. I don't have that number memorized, but thank goodness for phone books so they can look it up!

Best part was how he told me something that would happen next. He was all, "yamma yamma yammera" and I'm like "Erh?" so he drew a picture.

             ----------
             | POLICE |
             ----------

                 |
                 |
                 |    LETTER
               \ | /
                \|/

             --------
             | HOME |
             --------

Aright.

I borrowed his pen and wrote "We will send you a letter." thereby putting my teaching skills to work in real life.

I'm going to stop by Gera Gera to email Janette and Wende that I'm phoneless for now.

comments

Name: jb

Comment:
so glad to get this information. i was getting kind of antsy not hearing from you. like you, i was telling myself to let it go. geez. i just talked to you ,umm,?? last nite? well anyway. it seemed like something was amiss. maybe because you had not posted anything for so long.
wow! i was just thinking of calling you to see if you had been kidnapped.

Name: Annie Bee

Email: misfortunatedonkey *redacted*

Subject: dont worry

Comment:
hey rob
been following your adventures since you left for japan. i totally feel you with the being stuck in your room. italy would make the 8th country ive lived in and i cant even count how many countries ive visited. so here is what i know about myself when im living or visiting a foreign country, and i thought id tell you, cause maybe itll help. when i first get there, i can walk around town, looking at stuff, and its all lovely and wonderful and everything is beautiful and new. then, a bit later, days, weeks, i realize that im not looking at a big painting, but that i actually have to interact with this scene. so then i realize i dont speak the language. then im like HOLY SHIT ON A STICK I CANT COMMUNICATE! and i freak out. and i get stuck in my room. and i make excuses, like, im too tired, or im feeling sick, or the weather is bad outside. and then i find the easiest way to live possible. i go to the shops where i dont have to talk to anyone. i try not talking to too many people. and then months later, i kick myself for being so silly. getting out there is hard, even in your home town. getting out there in a foreign country where you dont know the language is intensely scarey and so frusterating at times. dont feel bad that you afraid, but dont let it get the best of you. dont be hard on yourself when you fuck up, cause youll do it alot, and if you get mad at yourself everytime, then you are just going to be mad at yourself all the time. for me, it feels like im running into brick wall after brick wall after brick wall sometimes when im in a new country, but i just have to take a breath and forgive myself. and then i can be really proud of small accompishments. you have no idea how happy i was when i finished my first load of laundry at the laundry mat in Italy, or when i distinguished between the women and mens bathroom in Indonesia for the first time.
so i guess this email of unsolicited advice will end in this: get out there and fuck up. fuck up bad. you will always learn more from getting yourself out of messes than you will buying your dinner at the same place every night cause its easy. and dont worry. you can do this, it just takes work and tears and courage.
love
annie bricker permalink

Phonified

10:53pm JST Monday 14 April 2003

Got home from work and my phone was magically on my desk on top of a postcard from Janette!

I plan to get a longer string/handle thing for my phone, maybe a retractable one that keeps it attached to me. That might be a bit obnoxious or look stupid, but I'm certainly thankful to have my phone back.

Life is beautiful.

And I have the next two days off work. Nice.

Taxi Driver

1:37am JST Tuesday 15 April 2003

Watched Taxi Driver tonight. I don't get why he'd be so focused on killing Palantine and then seem to not be focused on it at the end.

I recognized Jodie Foster before I knew she was in the movie.