The Shisa

In Okinawa there are the Shisa. They are everywhere you go; outside of buildings like the BX and commisary, and now in our house too. The Shisa are dog/lion hybrids that honestly looked like dragons to me at first. They are guardians that ward off evil spirits and keep the good ones in. So naturally I bought some for our home. One for the night stand and a larger one for the shelf in the stairway. They also always come in pairs. The one on the right with his mouth open is the one who "scares" off evil spirits, and the one on the left with her mouth closed welcomes the good ones to stay. They can also be bought everywhere that sells somethings. I found several stands in the BX that sells variations of them and some in the BX main store as well. I assume they are as easily found off base.

Demonica Review: Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione

Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I love this series. This was a great addition to it. I loved the happily ever after and that a plot from the other books was tied up as well. I didnt like Lore until this book, when we got into his head. Some of my favorite quotes were in this book as well. Especially the "fuck trophy" and smurffette references. There was also some suspence in this book for other characters i had hoped were done with the hardships, but it was necessary. Im looking forward to the Sin/Con story in the next book.



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Sokka, end of hotels, and pictures

We have been here just over a week now. We have seen a lot of the base and a little off base, and tried some local cuisine (loved it!). There are some activities we plan on like the newcomers tour that will give us a greater taste of the island, but right now we are still settling. We were finally offered a home on base and accepted it. We also now have a mailing address. My dog made the trip ok as well. That was an adventure, but I'm glad to be reunited with him after a week and a half apart. His quarantine stuff went predictably, but he gets to stay with us during his quarantine period and just can't go off base. Also, because of Sokka's stuff to get over here, I had to go pick him up in Tokyo on my own. I got lost for over 2 hours in the rain, and had a hard time understanding directions by locals who didn't speak fluent English, but they were kind. The guy that helped the most didn't speak any English at all. He held his umbrella over me and walked me to my destination. We were only able to communicate because I had a map someone else had given me (in Japanese), so I knew where to point on it, but couldn't read it.  We should move into our new home this week. It is huge (for us) and older, but they remodeled the kitchen and laundry room with new appliances so it doesn't feel that way. I hear we will appreciate the older housing in a typhoon because they are very sturdy and made of cement. Now we just have to figure what to do with the extra space. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 story duplex. They were out of 2 bedrooms which we are entitled to for being married, so they offered us the 3 bedroom instead of asking us to live off base. With Sokka's quarantine, we have to live on base to avoid putting him in the kennels. I'm really glad this move is finally working out. We have had a rough two weeks with the plane breaking down, then moving hotels/rooms because on base and off base hotels were already booked and we had to squeeze in wherever we could.  In addition to the Tokyo trip. Now, we have yet to find a car, which will be our next goal.

Japanese hotel we stayed at.

outside the Japanese hotel

toilet controls in Japanese hotel

Pokemon plane at Naha airport on my way to pick up Sokka in Tokyo

happy to have puppy home

jet lagged puppy

fireworks from the beer fest seen from our room on base

sunset on base

Review: My Life As A White Trash Zombie

My Life as A White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Good, light read. I read it during an international flight. It was just what I needed to keep my mind off the cramped seats and long hours. However, I had a hard time getting into it at first. My attention wasn't really caught until the last 70 pages, then I couldn't put it down! I just had to see who her "zombie daddy" was and who was the serial killer. The answer shocked me, even tho I should've seen that coming. lol. It is a perfect book when you want to read something light, like those days on the beach, or during a LONG flight where there will be interruptions.



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Paradise

We have made it safely to our new base in Okinawa. The trip was exhausting, but it is really beautiful here. One highlight of the flight was passing Mount Fuji in the plane. We saw the top peeking through the clouds. Driving on the left will take some getting used to, when we get a car. The humidity will also take some adjusting to. But it's nice and warm with great views of palm trees and the ocean. We haven't been off base yet, or taken any pictures. Also, we were lucky to arrive in the evening, so we only had to stay awake 3 hours to go to bed at a reasonable time and avoid jet lag. We still have lots to do here: housing, processing my dog into the country, getting Japanese driving licenses and a car...And the guy sitting next to me on the plane gave me his cold. I already feel like crap and I hope it passes quickly since we do have so much to do.