why I'm no longer welcome at the B-------- household

Today I continued to help unpack the house, mostly breaking down the 4,743 cardboard boxes and stacking them in the garage. Apparently the City of Phoenix will come out and pick them up if you call them ahead of time and tell them how much cardboard you have, so that's what I'm going to do tomorrow.

Also got an encouraging email this morning from the office in Germany, asking which address they should send my contract to. I gave them an updated address and said that I couldn't wait. It's so strange and surreal- it doesn't yet quite feel like I actually have a job. I don't feel like I can make it Facebook official yet. Saori was really excited for me to hear that they were sending a contract, and mom was also excited to hear. I feel so cautious about the whole thing I don't want to celebrate yet. I think when I sign and return the contract, THEN I'll start spreading the news and bust out the champagne, or Rheinwein, as they call it in Germany.

Today instead of dragging our bathing equipment over to the cottage for showers, we decided to stick it out with the cold showers here. That was unpleasant. I turn on the cold shower, and it hits my legs like freezing needles. My lips turn blue and my eyebrows freeze. I throw myself in the spray.

"Peanut butter dog-breath corn-on-the-cob!" I shout using other pronunciations, "Subwoofer! mosquito feet Lord Baden Powell pizza!!!" I shut off the tap and shampoo and soap up. I turn on the water again, marveling that the water is still in a liquid state before diving back in for the rinse. "Submarine!! Beige carpeting alarm clock camera phone!!!! Ethiopia!!"

I shut off the tap and grab a towel.

We went out for an early dinner to Havanna Cafe on Camelback for their $3 mojito mondays. They also have a seasonal pumpkin soup with a hint of habernero which is pretty spectacular. I will miss good Cuban food. I even wore one of my guayabera shirts.

One of my Facebook friends from way back in middle school in Beijing posted a recent photo of his mom, and that triggered a memory a few days later which has stayed in my head, so I need to get it out: I was pretty good friends with this British kid in 7th and 8th grade, and middle school boys being middle school boys, I shared some amateurish erotica I'd written.

Which his mom discovered shortly thereafter.