sheesh, nearly two weeks since i last posted. oops!

so, let's see. last last weekend (Jan 29/30) i went to kyoto for an AFWJ Board meeting (yes, i'm on the board.) i got up way too early, took a taxi, got on the wrong train (going the right way, just far too slow) and got on the shinkansen with 20 seconds to spare. rachel got on at the next stop and we had a lovely time chatting and speculating about the meeting (would it be long...yes!)[NOTE: this does not mean we gossiped! only talked about the topics on the agenda!] and what we would do in kyoto. we had both been invited to ash's birthday party but sadly, i didn't think i could go (and had already purchased my return ticket.) rachel was still planning on going, but the weather was a question. and getting in touch with corinne!

anyway, the meeting was long and very interesting (to me, anyway. there's so much to learn still, and so much to work out even in a group like AFWJ.) then many of us out-of-towners went to our hotels (i was in the kyoto tower hotel, it was in an awesome location, and was a little-better-than-ok) and then those who were going on a gion walk met at the station. we took a taxi to the first spot (not gion, but another geisha district) and then walked (all five, i think.) i am a total lame-o and forgot my cameras (CAMERAS!!! as in both of them. i am not a photographer) but we did see some geisha and some well-dress patrons. it also snowed and was very beautiful. and cold. then we ended up at our dinner location, an irish pub which was fabulous. i had fish and chips (though, sadly, i couldn't finish it as it was too oily. MY FAULT! duh, it's fried in oil. it was good, but not the right thing for my digestion right now). afterward a few of us went to karaoke and sang out hearts out!

on sunday morning i didn't feel all that great (yeah, probably a minor hang-over) but was out and about by 8. i went to the starbucks on the first floor and had breakfast (mocha in my travel mug and a big big tea) while i crocheted. i met up with rachel at 9 and we used our free tickets (came with our rooms) to kyoto tower, which i had never been to before. then i checked out of the hotel and wanted to find a bookstore. i thought there would be a big one in kyoto station, but i was wrong. rachel decided to stay in kyoto with me, so i suggested going to a shopping center i had seen the day before. it had a movie theater so i thought it would be huge but i was wrong! oops! we spent the rest of the morning using rachel's iphone to find bookstores.

i was pretty wiped out on the shink back to hakata, i hope i wasn't too rude to rachel! we chatted a bit and then i got into one of the books i bought. i also managed to get to kinokuniya in hakata (they are renovating and making a new shopping center so there's a lot of construction, but the book store is open!) so i got a couple more books. then hopped on a train and took a taxi home. i was so exhausted!

last week, i was pretty tired, actually. i don't know if it was a lingering hang-over, my kidney stone causing trouble or me coming down with a cold, but i was pretty slow last week. which is why i didn't write or even charge my phone until tuesday! (it died on sunday.)

the weekend before kyoto i went to the hospital and it turns out my kidney stone hasn't budged. damn. so, i have to have it taken out. over the past weekend, we all went to consult the doctor (because i will have it taken out on wednesday--yes, the day after tomorrow) who told us about it. i won't be put totally under (twilight, do we call it?) and should be able to go home on thursday. if not, i'll have to wait until saturday, because friday is a holiday. this means i will be going to the hospital tomorrow. yoshi is taking a couple of days off and if i get out on thursday, all will be well. otherwise we will have to rely on his mother to come and help out.


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hiro has two loose teeth. i can hardly believe it, my little baby is growing up! who says his teeth will come out while i'm in the hospital (two teeth are loose and we can already see the two new teeth behind the baby teeth!). i guess i better edumacate yoshi on the tooth fairy!