Song therapy

I've been missing karaoke. So, last weekend, I organized a group of old friends and new friends for dinner and karaoke in Annandale.

It was a good group to go with. We had different but overlapping tastes, so it kept everyone interested. There is nothing worse than to go with people who sing songs that you don't know. That gets boring so quickly.

It was a lot of fun, and we stayed for several hours until about 1:30. Definitely a good stress reliever.

Otherwise, work and life continue to move along at a fast clip. I'm heading off on another business trip this week, so most of this weekend was spent packing.

Convalescence

My jaw started hurting a couple weeks ago. The left joint was really tight, and it hurt to open my mouth. I thought it may have been due to sleeping badly or just something random. I tried to ignore it for a while. But, I kind of felt worse and was just felt exhausted every day.

After a week of the symptoms not getting any better, I finally came out of denial and went to see a doctor. It turned out that I had a ear infection. Apparently, I haven't outgrown them.

So, I've been on antibiotics, Sudafed and antihistamines for the last few days. The pain has gotten steadily better, but it's not totally gone yet. I can't wait to get off the antibiotics since they are upsetting my stomach.



Anyway, I've felt just beat the last week or two. I remembered that I bought some hot springs bath salts from Mitsuwa Marketplace a couple years ago and decided to take a nice, long bath tonight. American bathtubs aren't really good for Japanese-style baths, but it was good enough. I definitely feel more relaxed and refreshed. It also definitely reminded me of how nice it was to visit hot springs in Japan.

Helping out at the Cherry Blossom Festival

Yesterday was the street fair that is part of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in DC.

I've been meaning to volunteer the past few years and finally got my act together this year. I ended up teaching kids how to write their names or simple words in Japanese. It was pretty fun, although there were a few obnoxious parents.

I think I'm going to try to buy a calligraphy set the next time I visit Japan.

Cherry blossoms

Last week was terribly busy. In addition for making time to hang out with friends who moved from DC to Tokyo on Tuesday, my office was hosting a series of meetings the whole week.

I was tired and stressed, and maybe even a little lonely. The weather was crappy, just wet and cold. Yet, I still headed out during lunch last Tuesday and trekked down to the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom.



Part of the reason was to just get out of the office and to clear my head. It's always nice to get some fresh air. Plus, the cherry blossoms really do make DC look nice.

Another reason was just to follow tradition. It's kind of like I always go and buy some moon cake for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Of course, traditions often have some sort of symbolic meaning. In this case, the brief period of a few days when the flowers suddenly blossom and then quickly wilt represent the very transient nature of life. It was very apt for DC, given how people come and go and come and go.

In addition to the symbolic meaning, I think people follow traditions because it makes you feel like a part of something greater, sharing a common experience with other people.

In any case, going out and enjoying the cherry blossom did make me feel better.

Disappointment

I had saved two packages of fresh (not instant) ramen that I bought in Japan for a special occasion.

Tonight I planned to serve ramen as a going-away dinner for a friend. But, unfortunately, I noticed that both boxes had expired. Sigh.

I was able to improvise something else quickly. However, it was still a great disappointment. I was really looking forward to having fresh ramen. Double sigh.