About twice a year the MWR Clubs sponsor a Super Bingo with the jackpot prize at $60,000 for 53 numbers or less with a consolation prize of $40,000. Not bad for a consolation prize right? Of course the buy in was $90 advanced for 30 games, $120 at the door and$55 for additional game packets.

They hold this event at a gymnasium and people from most bases come out to participate. I didn’t win ANY games and I still managed to enjoy myself. The last game, the jackpot, was the closest I got to a Bingo with only one number left. Two people won the consolation prize so they got $20,000 each. I wanted to scream when my number didn’t come up, seriously. The next Super Bingo will be in June and I’m so tempted to postpone my leave date. heh. I guess I could wait until I get to Washington to play the Lottery.

Hubby volunteered to watch Kamalani while I was at Bingo. Since it was a cloudy day, I worried a little because they had planned to go out for the day and she already had a runny nose. So, while I was at Bingo, he got her dressed and they caught the bus to the main gate and out to the Train Station to Yokohama. He has never gone to Yokohama alone, at least not as far as I know. He ended up taking her to the Disney Store but was successful in not making any purchases. Instead, he took her to a stand where there were venders demonstrating art with the children. She loved it because she got to interact with other kids. She did a painting and was so excited to show it to me when I picked them up when they returned to base.

She told me that there were Japanese people who spoke English because her papa had to ask for directions and the Japanese people helped them. She’s so observant and she can recall everything that happened on their journey.

It seems so close yet unreachable. I know the time will fly by soon enough and I’ll probably be running around like a chicken without a head during the last week here. I’m so tired of being cooped up on base. It’s not that I can’t go off base, but I hate driving more than I hate being cooped up. I keep telling myself that soon I’ll be able to drive on real streets where it’s safe for drivers. It’s been nearly 4 years and I’m still terrified of driving here. I’m not as bad as another lady I knew. She was here for 11 years and still had other people drive her around because she refused to drive on the streets here.

I think about the many things I’ll miss about Japan, like the quality of everything they sell. I’ll miss the television commercials because they’re never selling what you think they’re selling. We used to play a game of guessing what the product was based on the actions of the actors and most of the time we were dead wrong. I’ll miss Beard Papa’s Cream Puff just outside the base. There are many things I’ll miss but I’m so looking forward to being in my very own home. Counting down the days.

By a stroke of luck and perhaps many trial runs, Cupid has finally found his target. This is the first of many years that hubby wasn’t out at sea on this very special day for romance. Although he had to work, he did take some time off to get me to my pedicure appointment on time. Not only did he do that for me, but he also escorted me to the commissary. We haven’t gone grocery shopping together in so long that Meg thought it was cute when we returned with a car load of groceries. She laughed and joked about us being romantic and shit stuff.

After shopping, I prepared lunch for the two of us (Italian turkey w/ lettuce, tomato and onions on 7 Grain Bread). We had a few minutes to spare before I dropped him back off at work and I went to my dental appointment.

My Dentist is the coolest guy in the whole dental clinic. He asked if hubby bought me anything special for Valentines Day. I told him nope because we are older and wiser now. I just can’t see spending an incredulous amount of money on flowers that will end up on the file cabinet amongst the picture frames only to be forgotten until they turn into miniature driftwood. That reminds me, I think it’s time I remove the present driftwood flower arrangement I have on the cabinet from a holiday (or birthday) that I don’t even remember.

Life is good.

Is it possible? Certainly!

What the hell is this all about?

“I think I need some serious counseling,” 24-year-old Sarah Kenney told The Daily Sentinel newspaper on Wednesday editions. “This is the most serious lie I’ve ever told, but I’ve been caught in many lies.”

Yeah, well duh! Do you think she might wanna just give up on lying?