hello Audrey

Meet my newest object of desire. Banana Republic's Monogram Georgette scoop neck dress (pictured). Only a mere $130, which I am completely willing to pay. Unfortunately, the Japanese stores of Banana Republic do not carry this dress. Or they don't on their website, which to be honest Japanese websites are never accurate for stores. For a ridiculously advanced technological society they have leaps and bounds to go for online shopping. But maybe that's part of the Japanese healthy lifestyle. You fit in those awesome skinny jeans at the malls/department stores because you walk all over town to find the perfect pair. Interesting idea. At any rate. Banana Republic's International Inquiries Service Desk has yet to get back to me about shipping it here and allowing me to pay for it here. I have no other option except to possibly exchange yen for American dollars and send it to my mother in the hopes that she will send it to me. But I love this dress. I can imagine it would be perfect for our currently planned New Years' Eve night out in Osaka. As well as dates or ever parties, paired with a jean jacket it could probably dress down rather well. At any rate, I am willing to give up my current fall goal of a pair of nice black, knee-high boots in return for this lovely number. I think it's a bit trendy, but classic enough I can wear it for a few years. Plus it seems very forgiving for those little body issues that tend to plague most people. Now I just have to find a pair of heels to go with it if I can get them sent. Going out shoes were clearly not too high on my priority list when I was packing. Sad.

Aside from pursuing the LBD, I am also in search of decently priced cosmetics and other random items from Japan. I have a feeling I should pick up a points card from the local drug store as I will probably spend several weekends just going up and down the aisles checking out products. One of my goals was to find a nice red lip gloss (to achieve the red lip but appropriate for a Japanese work place). Kanebo's KATE lip gloss in RD-1 has been a good investment at this point. Also at ¥370? it wasn't too expensive. The color isn't as great as I'd like, but it'll do until I can hunt down the Cult of Cherry collection at M.A.C. when it gets over here.

All I ask is that my electric bill is smaller next month. I will need that money to pay for my newly acquired cell phone bill. Gotta love Japanese cell phones.

Politics Smolitics

Ahhh, so let's do a weekly wrap up of what went down in my political world this week: PM Fukuda resigned. Sarah Palin was trumped as the V-P candidate for the Republican ticket. Her daughter is pregnant and not married. John McCain accepted the Republican nomination (what? like he was going to reject it?).

First things first. In a stunning move Monday night a 9:30 PM Japan Time, Prime Minister Fukuda resigned after under tweleve months in office. And aside from staring at Sakurai Sho on News Zero while I was trying to figure out exactly what everyone was freaking out about, I have to admit I was pretty stunned. Not to say at some point I should have seen it coming, his polls are as close to rock bottom as you can get, his recently policy and cabinet shakes ups did nothing to help that.

But according to media reports he basically didn't tell anyone about his decision to resign. Can you do that? Seriously, as the head of the party that has been in power since the occupation ended and Prime Minister of Japan, can you pretty much blow off everyone and just hold a press conference to say, "Yo. Peace out." ? It boggles my mind.

Aside from Fukuda's amazing resilence to modern gossip, I do not like the look of the new PM. For one thing he just looks conservative. He scares me the same way Sarah Palin's seemingly unshakable hair does. And that whole not supporting a female ascending the throne kind of irks me too. I think it's really funny that Japan freaks out about women being emperor, when as far as most people are concerned they remember the first emperor being an emperoress. And I know I'm going all Western in a matter that really shouldn't be any of our cultural business, but arguably one of the most famous monarchs of Europe is Queen Elizabeth I. I mean, for her day and age, she kind of kicked ass. And that was after Henry VIII have six wives to try and get him more sons than just poor sickly Edward, it was in fact the girls he so desperately wanted to be men that actually ended up becoming some of the most important women in history. Irony is a bitch, no? At any rate, Aso scares me.

NEXT TOPIC. Sarah Palin. Ahhh. The weath of scrambling and head scratching and gasps the McCain camp got from picking her. Hell, up until he did pick here no one had really considered her as a viable option. But she sure did stick it to those wondering if McCain had lost his flair for reform, didn't she? Of course, she might of stuck it to them a little too hard. After all Mrs. Abstience Education might want to look at where it landed her daughter. And no, I'm not trying to attack her daughter or her parenting skills or whatever (not that anyone doesn't hesitate with anyone else's), but let's face it, in a media obsessed with Jamie-Lynn Spears' pregnancy and the galmourization of the Hollywood life style, do not tell me that Ok! and US aren't pounding at the doors of the campaign shops wanting to know if they can get the first picture exclusive. Which, if they allow, I will make serious judgements on her parenting skills. But until that day happens, I will patiently hold all of my criticism.

Oh, yeah, and she scares me. Have I mentioned that. Her hair. Her lack of depth with anything that McCain doesn't seem to whisper the answer to in her ear. Obama make lack experience, but at least he's been up front for the most part on media reports. Can I also comment that I really want to see her and Hillary Clinton go at it? That'd be a riot.

Oh and that other old fogey on the ticket. Poor guy, he's the one running for president, but you'd think it was Ms. Palin. And another thing I don't get, why exactly is the Republican party trying to make themselves the underdogs? How does that work?

AND this "All these right wingers complaining about left wing bias protest too much.

This Palin person is clearly an idiot - she is opposed to the core principles of the Enlightenment. She is opposed to the rules of logic, of reason, of science, of liberty, and freedom." From a random BBC forum post. Okay, I agree on several of those points, but the principles of the Enlightenment? Come on now. We're seriously noy going to argue over the founding principles of out country that seriously were probably deviated from as quickly as the 1860s. Sorry, just pointing it out. The Enlightment is way back there as far as the government of the United States is concerned.

And finally, not mentioned earlier, but just as important. WELCOME BACK TO THE COLD WAR!!!!! Oh how we missed the posturing of the U.S./West and the USS err, Russia. Hurrah for that. Seriously. And Washington and the EU are pathetically responding. And the scary thing is? Most of my students don't think it's all that important to them. Hello North Korea, anybody? Granted North Korea isn't exactly buddy buddy with China or Russia and nor are they very friendly towards each other. But at any rate. The Japanese seem perfectly content in fretting over whether their new prime minister will be Mr. A1, Mr. A2, Mr. A3, or Ms. A4. Sad.

On a good note, I get a Japanese cell phone Sunday.