Creeper Alert

I got off work early and was excited to have some extra time to swim at the gym, without being home too late. I was standing in the bright sunshine and the warm breeze, waiting for the shuttle bus. A little white hatchbacked car pulled over to the curb, just in front of me. After the traffic passed by, a man got out, came around the back of the car, and approached me. He was probably in his early 30's, and was wearing glasses and a button-up collared burgendy shirt. At first, I thought he was going to tell me that the buses weren't running on the regular schedule - because it's Golden Week. But our conversation went something like this:

Him: Nihongo hanashimasu? (Do you speak Japanese?)
Me: Chotto (A little bit)
Him: Doko made ikimasu ka? (Where are you heading?)
Me: Ajikawaguchi (A train station)

He motioned towards the car, and said, "Drive? I drive you?"
My parents always told me never to accept a ride with a stranger, and I figured now was a good time to recall that advice; so I politely told him "Daijobi desu ka...basu kimasu." (It's okay, a bus is coming.)

Him: Doko...go? Live?
Me: Yao sundemasu. ('I live in Yao.' Which I don't, really.)
Him: No, no, I drive.
Me: Daijobi desu...arigato gozaimashita! (It's okay...thank you!)

All well and good, until now.

Him: Ahh. Boyfriend? Have?
Me: No...no boyfriend.
Him: Me, I be your boyfriend.
Me: (awkward laugh) No, no..daijobi desu ka. I don't want a boyfriend.
Him: Yes, yes, I be boyfriend.
Me: No, no...really. Daijobi desu. Don't want boyfriend.
Him: Where from?
Me: Canada kara desu.
Him: Oohh. Itsu...ano...how long, Japan?
Me: Hachi-gatsu made...ichi-gatsu made hachi-gatsu (Until August - January to August)
Him: I drive...I take you...(motioning towards car)

At this point, I was thinking/feeling a couple things.
1) What is wrong with you - what makes you think I would actually accept your offer to be my boyfriend?
2) When is someone else going to come outside...I'm not scared of him, and we're right beside a busy road, but I would be more comfortable if someone else was here.
3) Go away.

Me: No, no, thank you.

He finally headed back towards his car, with some more motioning to indicate he was still willing to drive me - but I just waved...and he drove off.

It creeped me out, to say the least...and made me uncomfortable. If he hadn't left, I would have excused myself and headed back into the lockable office building. Fortunately, he finally took a hint.

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In other news...
I went for a walk today, at lunch. It was warm and sunny, and the fish were jumping again. My Mom is coming on Friday. I visited a beautiful castle yesterday. (I'll blog about it soon, I promise.) I felt light, like I could fly; or at least come flying out of the water for a moment like the silver fish. It was one of those moments where you know that everything will work out, despite how low you feel in dark moments. I walk along a beautiful rock wall, beside a wide river feeding into the ocean, with a bridge across the horizon. It always makes me feel better to walk along the wall, beside the water...I've found a happy place at work.

Rainy Days

While checking out The Happiness Project for my Wednesday Tips, I came across this Bembo's Zoo site.

This morning is pouring rain (kind of like in the movies, when you know they're faking it because it very rarely actually rains that hard). I love rain, but it generally puts me in a pretty mellow mood...it's almost 10am, and I haven't spoken a word, today. No particular reason, I just have no reason to speak.

Anyways...this site brought a smile to my face and brightened the rainy morning just a bit - I thought it might make you smile, too!

Sunny Days

I went for a walk today at lunch - it was a beautiful sunny day, and my office compound is right beside a gorgeous river leading into Osaka Bay. It was warm and wonderful to feel the sunshine. Just before I got back to the stairs that lead back to my office, I saw a fish jump. I stopped to look, and another one jumped! I watched for 2 minutes, and the fish were continually jumping! They hadn't stopped when I left, and it was hard to walk away.

I had to wonder why fish jump...I've heard that it's to catch bugs that are flying just above the water's surface, but while I was watching them, I had a different thought. I think they jump for the pure elation of using all their momentum to come flying out of the water, feel the sunshine on their silver skins, and then splash back into the cool water. I could have watched forever.

I hit the gym after work and was proud of myself for not skipping anything. When I went to swim, there were 6 other men in the lane. The other lanes were just as busy, but this lane was moving faster, so I stayed in it. They all swam a couple laps, then stood at the end of the lane, resting. I kept swimming, but I felt like I was in a middle school movie. The guys spread themselves around the end and beginning of the sides of the lane, so when I swam to the far end, I swam through a corridor of people before getting to the end. I felt like I was in a movie where you have to run through the corridor of people and get hit by paddles (except no one was hitting me).