it's not life that matters but the journey...

Some things that have made me happy lately:

1) Cicadas - out here in the Midwest summer may bring heat and humidity (which I hate), but it also brings the sounds of the cicadas, which I love so much. When I was growing up in Colorado, I loved the sound of crickets at night in the summer. it was so soothing and made me feel relaxed and at peace. I missed the crickets when I lived in Washington state - up there, I didn't hear any insects at night, and I sort of missed it. When I arrived in Japan for the first time in July of 1998, I heard cicadas for the first time too. at first it was deafening and a little hard to adjust to... but after awhile, I learned to love the sound, and I missed it when I left Japan in 2000. I associated cicadas with a feeling of comfort and happiness. Then when I moved to Chicago several years ago, I heard cicadas again - not quite as deafening as in Japan (except for the year that we had the huge infestation here in Chicago and you couldn't walk down the street without stepping on them!), but a peaceful, restful sound.

I heard them again this week - the cicadas - and amidst the stress and uncertainty of my life, they exist as a sign that all is right with the world.

2) Fireflies - another thing summer brings in the midwest is fireflies. I saw this wonderful phenomena with my own eyes for the first time in Madison County, Iowa, when we had a family reunion. We were sitting around at night at my cousin's home in Winterset, and I saw these little flashes of light in the sky. I was mesmerized. some of my young cousins would capture them and put them in jars so we could see the light - and of course let them go. But again, I couldn't see any fireflies up in Washington, or even in California. And I don't remember seeing them when I lived in Chicago previously. but a few weeks ago, as I was talking on the phone around dusk, just as the sun was setting, I looked out the window of our apartment and saw these little flickers of light on the lawn. We have quite a nice view (which I'll miss when we move) of a neighboring garden, and a big lawn with some nice, shady trees. I couldn't believe my eyes - and now every night around dusk, I look out of the bathroom window and watch the little flashes of light - they kind of play tricks on your eyes, and you can see them all over the place, some out of the corner of your eye, and some in groups, and some alone. We saw a bunch of fireflies out at my friend Sarah's house on the 4th of July too - and we saw them really close-up there - which was fascinating. I have to admit, I have a little bit of geek in me, and I am just fascinated with some insects. But fireflies are just beautiful, and they give me that sense of peace and comfort. Which I need!

3) summer tv shows: Dexter and The Killing.
Okay, I know it's strange to add two dark shows about murder to my list of things that make me happy. But these two shows are making me happy. Funny that they both air on Sundays, so after I've been able to record them, I have to watch them on Monday and Tuesday nights. Dexter on Mondays and The Killing on Tuesdays. It's sad to think that this is the last season of Dexter - and I'm so eager (and a bit anxious) to see how it ends.
The Killing didn't start out too strong, but it's gotten really compelling, and I'm also curious to see not only how they'll sum up the story lines, but whether it will get renewed again. It was already canceled once, and I don't think may people are watching it this season. Regardless, I'm enjoying them now, and will be wondering what to watch when they end, one in three weeks and the other in maybe a month or so...

4) a cold beer on a hot night - not much more to say about that. Summer is the best time for beer, and it would be better if we had a yard and could grill outside...

5) Fruit smoothies - I make them every day, regardless of whether it's summer. But in the summer, fruit of all kind is my favorite food. Especially Cherries!


So what's making you happy during these dog days of summer?

before I forget, I want to say thanks to serialbathera and dawnie1970 for the virtual footlongs on my user info page! yummy! makes me think of my days in Chicago!
I don't eat a lot of hot dogs anymore, but it's one of those foods that stir up memories of my childhood and long summers!

speaking of long summers, I can't wait for my actual summer to begin. I've got only 7 more days of teaching and then I'm free until September. Well I do have a commitment on July 29th - reading and editing junior high school students' speeches and recording them. fun stuff! and then on August 4th, I have a full day of teacher training- which means that I have to do team teaching demonstrations with a Japanese teacher in front of elementary school teachers! in a hot stuffy room! fun stuff! But then August 5th, in the afternoon, I will board a plane for Seattle, WA and spend three weeks with my family! now that's really the fun stuff! I can't wait!

anyway - this was supposed to be a really busy weekend, but today's plans were canceled - I was supposed to go with my friend Miki to an onsen today (a natural hot spring bath), but she called this morning and canceled! I was a little pissed at first - I was really looking forward to soaking in some healing water - but it couldn't be helped I guess - she had to accompany her sister to some ceremony at a temple because her sister's husband died about a month ago. and I guess she must have forgotten about that when she made plans with me a couple weeks ago. Since I didn't want to sit around all day, I went for a walk this morning, thinking that it wouldn't be as hot (since it's been a bit cooler recently) - however, after about 30 minutes, I was miserable, so I came back home a sweaty mess! So with my energy thoroughly tapped, I just sat around all day watching Supernatural shows and studying Japanese. then this afternoon, when he returned from his weekend music gig, my husband took me shopping and I bought some new clothes, some stuff for my cat, and some pizza for dinner!

Luckily I do have fun plans tomorrow - I'm meeting two girls who I met at the company orientation in March, and we haven't seen each other since April. We're gonna hang out in Shizuoka (a big city nearby) and shop and then eat a big Thai food dinner!

oh before I go, I'll share with you another fun part of my day. we've been having an ant infestation in our little tv room downstairs - I'm not sure where they're coming from, but I seriously must have killed about 30 of the suckers today while I was sitting watching DVD's and attempting to study! and then, when I went into the bathroom this afternoon, I felt something crawling on me and looked down to see a huge black spider on the floor (that had been on me!)... so ever since then I've felt as if I have bugs crawling on me! yuck!

well I'll leave you with that lovely image - happy weekend everyone!
stay cool, have fun and stay away from ants and spiders!

so the three day weekend is over. it was good, but very very hot. it's this hurricane that's lingering in the south that's keeping the cool air trapped over in the northwestern part of the nation. we have to wait another 48 hours for cooler weather, while my family in washington state is freezing with less than 60 degree temps and rain. *sigh*

here in Illinois, it's been the hottest three days of the whole summer, and now our air conditioner in the apartment is broken! It was blowing out hot air today - wow that's helpful! it was cooler outside than in our apartment. and it was 89 degrees outside! it's supposed to be hotter tomorrow. yuck.

I'm actually looking forward to work since the office is nicely air conditioned. a reprieve!
but the management of my apartment had better fix or replace our AC - I don't care if fall is around the corner. knowing them, I'll have to fight though. they are really horrible.

most of the weekend was spent doing mundane things like shopping, cleaning, studying, and dealing with money issues (credit card bills - yikes!)... last night I was so hot and tired from the weather (and from a bike ride) that I just sat and watched movies and tv all night. I rarely do that.

but we did go to the Jazz Festival downtown on Saturday evening and saw the most interesting act, The Gerald Wilson Orchestra, with special guest guitarist Kenny Burrell . Gerald Wilson, the composer/conductor will be celebrating his 90th birthday this week - and he was still up there on the stage announcing his songs, dancing and conducting vigorously, and cracking jokes! it was fantastic! he is famous for having composed many pieces for Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie and Duke Ellington, and has been named a Jazz Master by NEA. the orchestra was composed of trumpets, trombones, woodwinds, saxophones, drum, guitar, stand up bass, and even an electric violin. Great stuff!

we had another crazy, busy weekend.
saw some horse racing, gambled, won some money, saw some cool bugs, bought some clothes, went to the beach, watched some surfers...

( details, details... )

We both start classes this week - I have no idea why this stupid school starts classes before Labor Day - but oh well! Tomorrow I'm meeting some girls that I used to work with at my old job - one of them just got out of basic training (she's in the Army), so it should be fun to see her!

Next weekend is the Jazz Festival downtown - for some reason we've never gone in the many years we've been in Chicago, so it's about time we check it out. Plus Kenny Burrell will be there - the man's a guitar genius!

wow - September is almost upon us - it will soon no longer be summer. and I'm already starting to feel autumn in the mornings and evenings. I'm happy for fall - but not looking forward to the cold winter that is being predicted. not at all.