Tuesday- news, gym, shopping, Alive grapling

Yesterday I woke up really sore from training, and it felt great. I slept pretty well. The other four guys got up late, and we just did internet stuff and watched the news until about 11:30 AM. We’re hearing stuff about the fire at reactor 4 in Daiichi plant, and then it got put out, and then the government admitted to their being traces of radiation in Tokyo. I saw Kyodo news that said they found some in Kanagawa?? That’s where I live/lived. THen about how people within a 20 km radius had to evacuate and an extra 10 had to stay indoors. I talked to my parents. My Uncle keeps sending me emails telling me to get out. My boss told me to calm down. My company is open for business!

Scary stuff.

Then Kris, Nori and I went to the city gym, where you pay 300 yen to dodge elderly people and use a sparse variety of weight machines, a crap load of treadmills and exercise bikes. All in all, it was bigger than in SY city. 😛

After that, we bought groceries and I ate a big salad. This is significant because I haven’t been getting so many vegetables lately, and eating familiar food A) helped my digestion, B) made me feel my body was ‘right’ and back on track, and C) helps me control my appetite.

After calling my office, I managed to get approved time off from management! 😀 😀 😀 So I officially have to go back to work on Tuesday next week. That means when I don’t go back to Tokyo today, I’m not going to get fired. I’m using paid vacation… I feel really bad for any of my co-workers who haven’t managed to do this. :-/

Two guys I was staying with have quit their jobs in Tokyo and are in Korea, one fellow went to Hong Kong, one guy is here for now but planning on going to the US, and Dan is going to Korea. It’s been said that radiation levels are raising in Tokyo. I’m praying that the situation gets under control, because I’m not going back like this…and my loved ones are there! ;_; I think Kunioku is irritated with me because I keep emailing him about it….I want him to go to Osaka, but he’s like “There’s not enough firm information.”

It’s a really tough situation…the country can’t just lay down and cease functioning, especially Tokyo! It’s huge! On the other hand, if people have to evacuate to save their lives, it can’t be helped! The issue is, is this radiation something to be worried about. You guys outside of Tokyo are thinking, “WTF OF COURSE IT IS! GET OUT!” right? Well, for us, our HOUSES and families and kids and jobs are ALL here, so we can’t just pick up and leave. If it’s very insignificant levels, we’re not going to run. Many foreigners aren’t so firmly rooted, so maybe that’s why all foreign friends I know are freaked out and leaving. Or maybe Japanese are too trusting…

ANYWAY So I went shopping in Sekai? and found a T shirt and stretchy shirt for grappling for relatively cheap, so now I have TWO sets of training clothes instead of one. I couldn’t find extra shorts, but that’s okay, I can’t spend a bunch of money now anyway.

I made it back to the apartment and the guys were just hanging out, checking the news. They went to meet another buddy for dinner, and I went back to Alive Nagoya and trained the grappling class. It was excellent! An hour and a half of sparring sparring sparring.

Shingo-san (brown shirt) reminds me of former Keishukai teammate Toikatsu-san; very ‘unique’ personality which matches his funny unique fighting style. Then a guy (Dan: “That’s Akagi”) who Suzuki-san once ranked high in Shooto fly-weight. He fought Urushitani-san once! Suzuki-san (the owner/sensei) keeps introducing me as the girl who fought in Strikeforce. 🙁 Well, I didn’t win, but I did earn the right to fight there.

So basically us three did round robin for 90 minutes. I even rolled with Suzuki-san, a BJJ black belt, and it was obvious he was a black belt. He went at just enough intensity to make it a relatively even, fun, active match, but not making it feel like he was ‘letting’ me, or the opposite, ‘crushing me.’ But I couldn’t get anything. hah Before we started, he took off his gi top and said, “I don’t go easy on girls or pro fighter!”

😀 I was the only girl anyway. Neither Hioku nor Takimoto were there. (Two famous fighters)

I got back to the apartment at 11, showered, and went to bed at midnight. I woke up at 3:45 and heard the guys in the kitchen saying, “Okay goodnight.” lol I chatted with them and got an update, and then managed to fall asleep again a bit! …