One Big Headache

Like the title says, today has been one big headache.  D:


I got up at 7 and did my blog for yesterday before going to breakfast and packing up my suitcases.  I was downstairs with all of my junk a few minutes early and was just settling in to wait when my IC walked up.  BOY WAS I SURPRISED that she's my age!  O_o  I was expecting/hoping for a middle-aged woman - not that Kuniko-san isn't nice!  We got all of my stuff into the car... then she picked up the foot from my red suitcase off the ground and asked if it belonged to me.  <_<  Embarrassing.


The drive was about 40 minutes, which isn't bad.  It's like driving from home to Columbus.  About half of it is getting our of Hamamatsu, then there's a by-pass you can get on and then a bridge where you can see the ocean on one side and Hamana Lake on the other.  It's pretty. There were some people surfing as we drove by!  


The man was supposed to come by to turn on the gas at 1pm, so we went to the city hall first.  We applied for my alien registration card, which apparently takes a month to process, so I got a certificate that I had applied.  They wouldn't let me apply for national healthcare for some reason that my IC has to talk to Interac about.  They were being difficult - or Interac doesn't know how things work in smaller towns (like it doesn't know it's basically impossible to get travelers checks in yen in the US).  Either way, there was much waiting around and hemming and hawing and we didn't really get anything accomplished other than application for my card.  >.<  Begin headache.


We had enough time after that to go to the post office to set up my bank account.  WHY CAN YOU BANK AT THE POST OFFICE?!  I don't know.  But that's where Interac has us set them up.  Apparently, it's a very common thing to do.  More waiting and form-filling resulted in a bank account being opened, but I won't get my bank book for a week or two... not sure why. <_<#  He made it up while we were standing there.


We booked it over to my apartment and got here just past 1, and the gas guy was already working on the box outside my door.  I got my weird door key from Kuniko.  It looks like a giant dog tag.  <_<   I scoped out the place... and tried out the toilet.  Alas, though I heard from Nicola that she has one of the rocket toilets with all the buttons, mine is quite plain.  It's one of the ones where you're supposed to rinse your hands in the water that goes in to fill the tank.  Bluh.  Dunlike.  And it's basically a water closet.  CLOSET being the operative word.


I'll post pictures tomorrow.  I'm too tired to mess with it.


We got the gas turned on and headed out to grab a bite to eat from the convenience store.  I got a weird salad thing with spaghetti that I didn't take a picture of because we were in a hurry.  I chose my phone.  I decided to go with AU like I said, because it's basically Verizon (as I understand) and they're supposed to have a better service area.  I picked out one of the free phones because I'm cheap.  I was back and forth between the light pink and the teal, but then the lady said they were out of the light pink, so teal it was!  I chose a plan... hopefully it's a good one. <_<  But I can change it whenever.  We were told it would be ready in an hour.


Kuniko-san had to go to another job, so we were cutting it a bit close, but since we needed to go back in an hour for the phone, she asked if there was anything else I wanted to buy.  I mentioned that I needed a futon and she acted surprised that I didn't have one.  <________<#  Where did she think I packed it?!  So we went to buy one.  I got a cute pink futon set (lower and upper) and Hello Kitty sheets for it (easier to wash that way) and a couple of pillows (without barley!) and a Hello Kitty case for one of them.  


Then I wanted a rice cooker, so we went to an electronics store.  I really didn't want to pay $70 for a fairly basic model, so we went to the second-hand store, where I bought on for $32.  Different model, but the same brand - a good brand.  As we were leaving, we got a call from AU that they needed my passport/visa before they could proceed with my phone.  And it would be another 40 minutes after that for the phone to be ready.  My poor IC was getting very frustrated at this point.  And my headache got worse too.  


We stopped by and let her make copies of my visa, then brought the stuff back to my apartment... and discovered the bottom of the rice cooker was inexplicably wet!  D:  We took it back to the store and I got a different one (the model I had been looking at at the electronics store), which cost $7 more than the other one I got originally.  Noooo idea what the water was from.  It was totally weird.  Kuniko-san brought me back, dropped me off, and fled to her other job.  I hope she wasn't late.  On that note, I understand that she has three jobs and she didn't expect this one to take so long... but double-booking = not cool.  >.<


I came back to my apartment and fiddled with putting a few things away, then at 4:30, I decided to brave driving.  D:  I had my key from Kuniko-san and my Suzuki Wagon R was sitting in its space outside my apartment (also from my predecessor, I guess).  >.<  NOW OR NEVER, I figured.  No sense in being scared, I'll have to do it sooner or later!  I got in, turned it on, and adjusted my mirrors.  I carefully pulled out of my parking space... and the car started binging at me.  D:  There was a red exclamation mark lit up on the dash and any time the car was in motion it binged at me!  If I stopped, it stopped.  I made it to AU without killing myself or anyone else.  I stayed in the proper lane the whole time and even managed to make a few turns, though I felt bad for the people behind me when I was waiting to turn in to AU and the person going the opposite way up to the traffic light BLOCKED THE DRIVEWAY so I couldn't turn in until their light changed.


I picked up my phone and set up my phone e-mail address.  My phone is set in English which is awesome for everything except texting.  I can't text in Japanese, which is a pain in the bummmm.  The new phone will take some getting used to, but I've managed so far.  I've made a couple of calls and figured out how to send a basic mail.  (They do e-mails here instead of SMS texting.  No idea why).


From the phone store, I ventured to the grocery store.  I did a bit of shopping at the 100yen store there and got some dishes and some double-sided tape (for decorating my room since I couldn't find sticky tack).  Then I got some groceries.  I didn't think my purchases through very well.  <_<  I got instant miso soup, but I have no means of boiling water.  I bought dish soap, but I don't have a sponge for cleaning or towel for drying.  I didn't get cups, either.  So I guess I'll be going back out with a list tomorrow.


I made it back before dark (though it was dark enough that I felt compelled to turn on my lights) and heated up some rice for dinner.  Just the kind in a dish where you pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes to heat it up.  It was fine, but unexciting.  I didn't feel like washing dishes, so I didn't have anything else I bought.  Just the rice and some dried veggies (kinda like chips but without salt) and a bit of apple juice.


I got my bed put together and put one or two things away, but I really need to do laundry before I put very much away.  There is literally no counter space in the 'kitchen' which is pooey because I hoped to do at least a LITTLE cooking and it also leaves no place for drying dishes.  D:  Oh, and no wi-fi.  To use the internet, I have to plug into the ethernet.  The cord is behind the TV and very short.  So, I can either be online or watch TV.  Not that I'd do both (probably), but it's a bit cramped on this small counter.  :I


Now that I've complained enough, I'm going to conclude for the night.  Pictures tomorrow!!