While my last two blog entries have been heavy on the sorrow (with no real sign of easing up just yet), I must take time to note that there are a million tiny miracles happening around me all the time.

But before I count my "mini" blessings, allow me to regale you with a bit more o' the negative. See here, a list of things to which I think I may never grow accustomed here in Japan (in no particular order):

• The black and white spiders. It is a known fact that I'm the unfortunate victim of severe arachnophobia. It is also known that I don't kill anything, and have gone to great lengths to safely remove all TYPES of unsavory critters from my home(s) over the years. This small spider is no exception. Ushioda-sensai is also frightened of spiders…but not these. "They're cute," he says at dinner last week, rubbing his two index fingers together and bouncing in perfect imitation of the little intruders. "Why would he bounce?" you may ask. Ah, well, these are no usual floor to wall racers. No. These are JUMPING spiders! …And they don't usually jump away from you either. They spring forward and leap from surface to surface, comPLETEly unafraid. It's insane to watch…and would probably be more insane to watch my reaction to them! ::shivers::
  
• My neighbor's sneeze. I've lived here just over 3 months now and am still FRIGHTENED each and every time the male neighbor to my right sneezes…which he does frequently. (Poor guy.) It sounds at first as though he's screeeeeeeeeeaming and then all at once it sounds like he's *VOMITING! (*Note: Vomit is one of my other phobias.) So, the initial noise startles me and the follow-up noise turns my stomach. This is unpleasant all around.
  
• Humidity. Before you Southern US-ers start squawking about, "Oh, you think YOU've got it bad," or "Girl! You grew up in Memphis! Surely you're used to the humidity by now!?!!" trust me on this: No. NO. You have noooo idea. When I first moved here, all I heard when I complimented the sunny, ideal days was, "Soon it will be rainy season and then summer." "Hmm. Okay. Rainy season. That sounds nice," I thought, envisioning myself trudging through puddles beneath some cutesy umbrella for DAYS! ;) …So far (at least this year and at least to my perception), "rainy season" amounts to this: Enough rain or threat of rain each day to keep eeeeeeverything nice and muggy aaaaaaaaaaaalll the time. It could be 78 degrees and feel more like a steam room than a pleasant July afternoon. Not kidding. I step out of my apartment and I am instantly sweating. (Anyone who knows me well knows I don't usually sweat much and I don't LIKE to sweat much.) Bleh. When I come home from the train station each day, it is my first item of business to promptly remove my jeans and flip on my A/C. In the steps between these two locations, a good percentage of my thoughts are about just that. (i.e. "Oh man. I just wanna get home and take off my pants!") I understand now why most people keep some kind of fan on their person at all times. It. Is. So. HUMID!! Aaaaah!
  
• Bath time for little boys. Eight or nine PM appears to be the time of night when my neighbors to the left wrangle their toddler into the bathcup for his nightly bath. I know this…because I hear this…every. single. night. In fact, I'm doubtful I've EVER heard a child scream the way this one does…every. night. I hear his parent(s) coaxing as he refuses with gusto! He shrieks and cries and then writhes about in the water like he's drowning. …And this isn't a brief process. No. It is sometimes an hour-long ordeal! I worried at first that they were beating the child, but with his bath just on the other side of my bedroom wall, I've been able to listen quite carefully to ensure that this is most definitely NOT the case. The kid just really hates baths! …And I'm not sure that I don't hate his bath more than he does!?!! I'm all for just lettin' the kiddo stink a lil bit for a day or four, then revisit the bathing issue! Heavens! I mean, is it really worth it?? They may as well be forcing him to watch and re-watch the *most disturbing scene from a movie. (*Note: For me, this would be the pie-eating contest in Stand By Me.) ::grooooan:: And I wonder if they can't make bathing FUN or something!! You know? Why must bath time be torture? …For him AND for me! :p
  
• Parallel train rumble. I love trains. I always have. I actually take great pleasure in riding the train everywhere rather than driving these days…but I admit… I still jump when riding in a train car as it passes another train travelling in the opposite direction. The velocity forces a tremendous amount of wind to slam against the cars creating a SMACK as the windows absorb the impact. …Ahem…I dropped out of my Physics I class in high school, so I feel my vocabulary and understanding of this subject is a bit weak. …Is "velocity" even the right word?? I don't know. …Maybe if I'd stayed in the class, I wouldn't be such a scaredy cat on the train!! Haha!
  
• My new phobia. I've mentioned two of my three notorious fears, but the third one is sometimes controversial and ALWAYS embarrassing, so I'll keep it to myself for now. Besides…I find it lessening, and RAPIDLY being replaced by a NEW fear. See, I'm not all into fashion or anything (obviously), but I do have strong opinions about what I like and don't like. I find, on the whole, that most Japanese women are exTREMEly fashionable! One really practical thing I've noticed in the world of fashion here is the plethora of sock selection. We must do so much walking here that even the most comfortable pair of shoes often requires wearing some kind of socks, if not for style then for comfort and protection. There are so many shapes and styles of socks—socks to wear with ANY type of shoes! Ah, but…I really (really!) don't like the look of panty hose or sheer nylon socks…with open-toed shoes! ::gasp!:: I reeeeeally dislike it, actually. I don't like the look of toes all mashed together and slightly obscured. …I know, I know, I know… It's a ridiculous phobia…but most phobias generally are…right??
  

So, there you have it—my newest list of little gripes. As I mentioned, my life is FULL of joy and warmth right now too and I proooooooomise I'll soon compile a list and share with you some incredible and touching stories.

In the meantime, I hope you got a little chuckle from imagining my dealing with some of these irritations. I also hope you will continue to pray for me and Kara and for my precious cat-friend, Bosch, who is now severely anemic and will go back to the vet for the third time in two weeks this weekend. I could use all the support you can muster around this issue as being so far away from Bosch and from anyone who knows and loves Bosch has proven to be immensely trying.

I look forward to sharing good news with all of you soon!