A poop of cat

PS* I got a poop of cat on my shoes in this morning!!!!!!!!!!
Takako&Haru*yamagami

That's how Takako signed off of her latest e-mail. Yep, keeping abreast of my news from Japan I yam, I yam. Me and her and her husband became close friends one night at a boring party thrown by a boring guy for an "awkward" guy who couldn't pick up a girl if they came with handles and lifting instructions. I mean, it wasn't hard to chat up a Japanese girl in any scenario. And his friend would throw these parties and invite 6 or 8 cute, single dental technicians to "meet" RH. RH was, of course, one of those career squids who would enter a room full of girls who were there just to meet and get to know him and end up spending the entire evening hunched over with another couple of sailors instead talking about equipment casualties, fruitless meetings and duty section rotations. Always a sad sight.

And who ended up talking to these girls? Usually me. And no, not to pick them up. I am too married for that. Just to entertain them, and me, in a very yawn producing situation. I'd smile and say something like, "Hi. I'm Ed. Do you speak Portugese?" or, "Were you born in Japan or did you come here by boat?" Always got things off to a quirky start, and despite their societal rigidity, in the end Japanese girls, like most girls that are not militant, feminist, or both, do enjoy a good laugh.

So where was I? Oh yeah, we bacame close friends. We were talking all evening, and my wife was there with me, and had decided we were all getting along famously. We had also decided we should all come to my house one night for a meal and conversation, cigars for the men, and a loud action movie. But we were having trouble setting a date that Haru wasn't working. So I called them gangsters. Yep, bona fide Yokohama yakuza, which they found hilarious. That's it. Good international relations do not always require the sales of military jets and foreign aid. Sometimes all it takes is to make the chick and her husband laugh.

I found my camera battery charger. You're gonna get a kick out of this. It was in the last place I looked. Soon I'll start posting original photos again

I did not post this morning as I had lost my DD214 and it took quite a while to find it. I have to prove to the Sheriff's Dept that I was honorably discharged and that's the only way to do it. And it cannot be replaced. As I understand it, you only ever get the one. I searched my office, my house, my attic and finally found it in the shed. Yep, you guessed it. Luckily, it was in the first box I opened., since the shed is a metal building NOT in the shade and it was 85 degrees out. But it was still in the last place I looked.

As you may have guessed, I decided to go for the Deputy position over at the jail. I need to take out a loan of $8,000 - $10,000 to cover living expenses until I enter the Police Academy, but in the long run... assuming I get and assuming I keep the job... it is a pretty good career move. Working for the County. 3% per year towards retirement and able to retire anytime after 6 years. Heck yeah, gotta love them guvmint jobs. And, as a Johnny Law, if you fight me... I win.

Wife is chomping at the bit to go to the Catholic Church's Novemberfest fair. So I had better close. I did read everyone's blog today, commented some, but likely not enough, and enjoyed them all. AI continues to impress. Jn is posting some good rhymes. Y'all are all some great folks to know. And I'm not just sucking up. Bless you all.

Ground control to Ramblin' Ed, out
Major Tom