So the house is going to close this Friday. Yikes. We are actually going to buy a house!

I have to get a handyman, electrician, painters, carpet cleaners, a murallist for a tree/birds/insects/flowers painting for the girls' room, insulation, and vent cleaners (who knew vents needed cleaning? not I, said the little red hen) not to mention a chimney sweep and landscaper to do something with the tarp-covered dirt surrounding the house.

Yikes again. No, make that a triple yikes.

And I'm trying to get it all done before we move on the 24th. And it's Mia's birthday at the end of this month, so I need to get a party organized. Ever since I did Band and Choir and Stage Crew in high school, I swore to myself I would never get this busy again. Ha ha.

Tune in next month, folks, to find out if me and my family survive the next few weeks, or if I will be permanently committed to an insane asylum.

And I just wanted to note down an idea for the next family and friends email for myself:

something like drawing a parallel between my life and the famous portland "liquid sunshine", etc.

difference between "homes" in japan and the us and how i've been influenced

how naoto noticed that we had become "southwestern portlanders" and how we keep ending up meeting the same kinds of people, judging by stereotypes...