Friday, March 14, 2008
AFN i finis nao
Yes it is true. Armed Forces Network is no longer being showed on cable networks here in Korea. This is actually good news since the people that I know that have served in the US military and have been subjected to the propaganda all agree that life without "No Go Joe" is a plus!
Home Again Via Japan
Today is Friday, March 14, 2008. I have returned home to Korea. It was a long trip; I had an 18+ hour layover in Japan. The journey home itself began at 6:00AM Pacific time and had me back home about 43 hours later. However, I decided to get a hotel room in Tokyo as the trip there was so rough and long that I could not hang in the airport the whole time. Even walking around the airport I realized that Japan would be a kick ass place to live for a number of reasons.
First, the people seem very friendly and the women are hot. The people that I talked with briefly were very kind and eager to talk to me. Second was the food. I did not have much of a dinner because I was so tired I had snacks, beer, and a shower and was off to bed, but in the morning when I got to the airport and aimed for the golden arches, I noticed a sushi restaurant next to it. I stood bewildered before the golden arches and the mecca for raw tuna. Honestly though, with a love of raw tuna, I had to choose Japanese Sushi for breakfast over and American fast food joint. After all I am in Japan for crying out loud! Contrary to popular belief, sushi is cheaper in Japan than in other parts of the world. I had a decent meal of 1 pc. Toro, 1 pc. Maguro, and 2 tuna rolls. for about USD$10. This is just another reason to want to live and work here.
My third and final reason for wanting to live and work in Japan has a lot to do with this picture. I know what your thinking... Why? I mentioned this in an earlier email on my first day here in Korea that they had these fantastic toilet seats. Well they have them in Japan too and I had to try the one in my hotel room and I am a better man for it. 8-) Anyone that has ever had giardia or another intestinal disorder that has them firmly seated on the porcelain thrown for extended periods of time can fully appreciate a hands free method of cleaning the general region once "business" is finished. Not to mention the chaffing one can get from repeated manual transactions. Yes, it is true; I had my ass washed and blow dried and I liked it!
First, the people seem very friendly and the women are hot. The people that I talked with briefly were very kind and eager to talk to me. Second was the food. I did not have much of a dinner because I was so tired I had snacks, beer, and a shower and was off to bed, but in the morning when I got to the airport and aimed for the golden arches, I noticed a sushi restaurant next to it. I stood bewildered before the golden arches and the mecca for raw tuna. Honestly though, with a love of raw tuna, I had to choose Japanese Sushi for breakfast over and American fast food joint. After all I am in Japan for crying out loud! Contrary to popular belief, sushi is cheaper in Japan than in other parts of the world. I had a decent meal of 1 pc. Toro, 1 pc. Maguro, and 2 tuna rolls. for about USD$10. This is just another reason to want to live and work here.
My third and final reason for wanting to live and work in Japan has a lot to do with this picture. I know what your thinking... Why? I mentioned this in an earlier email on my first day here in Korea that they had these fantastic toilet seats. Well they have them in Japan too and I had to try the one in my hotel room and I am a better man for it. 8-) Anyone that has ever had giardia or another intestinal disorder that has them firmly seated on the porcelain thrown for extended periods of time can fully appreciate a hands free method of cleaning the general region once "business" is finished. Not to mention the chaffing one can get from repeated manual transactions. Yes, it is true; I had my ass washed and blow dried and I liked it!
Family Emergency PT 2
Well, on Thursday, March 6, 2008 we did get the results I was hoping for. They switched my Grandmother to Oxyfast (generic name Oxycodone) and that did just the trick. OK, she was much more comfortable, but when we went to see her she was unconscious; she remained this way until her death on Friday, March 7, 2008 at 3:16AM. This was the first time I have ever seen a loved one die over a period of a week and it was surreal; I am not saying I enjoyed this by any stretch of the imagination, but it was weird.
I know my Grandmother loved me, it was obvious even as she was dying. I feel that in every visit she recognized me and acknowledged my presence in some way. On Thursday, even though she remained unconscious, she would either raise her eyebrows or squeeze my hand ever so lightly acknowledging or responding to the anecdotal stories I'd recall from my childhood. On several occasions the nurses would come in to encourage me and my family to continue to pray over her and tell those silly anecdotal stories because, as they put it, the hearing is the last thing to go.
My mother, sister and I arrived at the hospital at around 9:00AM on Thursday. We stayed by her side until around 9:00PM, several hours after my uncle arrived. At about 5:45Pm she began to moan an move her arms in the air as if to tell us that she was going. The nurses came in to support us and just said, "It's a part of the process." It wasn't much help and as I watched the suffering it appeared to me that pain was the cause of the writhing so I asked for more Oxyfast to be administered. This helped to calm her down again.
When the writhing began I made a quick call to my uncle to inform him that it appeared that she was going fast, the nurses called him too to confirm my suspicions; he arrived around 30 minutes later. We stayed together comforting her for several hours, then around 9:00PM my uncle decided to stay with her through the night and allow us to go home and get some rest. We decided to get some rest and return at 3:00AM on Friday. Like clockwork we got up at 3:00AM and as we were headed out the door my uncle called... She passed away.
I know my Grandmother loved me, it was obvious even as she was dying. I feel that in every visit she recognized me and acknowledged my presence in some way. On Thursday, even though she remained unconscious, she would either raise her eyebrows or squeeze my hand ever so lightly acknowledging or responding to the anecdotal stories I'd recall from my childhood. On several occasions the nurses would come in to encourage me and my family to continue to pray over her and tell those silly anecdotal stories because, as they put it, the hearing is the last thing to go.
My mother, sister and I arrived at the hospital at around 9:00AM on Thursday. We stayed by her side until around 9:00PM, several hours after my uncle arrived. At about 5:45Pm she began to moan an move her arms in the air as if to tell us that she was going. The nurses came in to support us and just said, "It's a part of the process." It wasn't much help and as I watched the suffering it appeared to me that pain was the cause of the writhing so I asked for more Oxyfast to be administered. This helped to calm her down again.
When the writhing began I made a quick call to my uncle to inform him that it appeared that she was going fast, the nurses called him too to confirm my suspicions; he arrived around 30 minutes later. We stayed together comforting her for several hours, then around 9:00PM my uncle decided to stay with her through the night and allow us to go home and get some rest. We decided to get some rest and return at 3:00AM on Friday. Like clockwork we got up at 3:00AM and as we were headed out the door my uncle called... She passed away.
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Nam Tasa's Chief
The custom dance Chief Caspar and his clan performed prior to Nam Tasa's departure from Vanuatu. This is where and when Nam Tasa recieved his custom name from the Banks Islands in Vanuatu.
