11:26

i got a car. actually i got it friday. my second day home… it just kind of happened. we found a 2006 honda accord on craigslist, went to check it out that night, and decided to buy it right then and there. $7800. resalvaged title from the first owner, the one before the guy we bought it from, but the accident had only damaged the exterior front left side (which has since been repaired), nothing inside. my dad took it in for an oil change and had them look everything over– says it’s in excellent condition after all. amazing deal really. and i got my accord <3

so i cleaned the interior out today. a bit messy but not terrible… some change left behind, about a dollar (and 20 pesos), some odds and ends (lipgloss, a dog treat, a baseball…), lots of dog hair in the back seats. i took the floor mats to get professionally cleaned, and vacuumed everything and wiped down the leather, so it looks and smells pretty decent now.

i had started writing here about getting a cell phone but i think i’ve been under the very mistaken impression that i can’t use my japanese iphone here, then while typing i got curious and looked it all up and i think i was gloriously delightfully WRONG! so now i’ve followed the steps to jailbreak it and i think i can use it here with a sim card!!!! i was confused because it’s hard to go the OTHER way, japanese carriers will not give you a sim card for an american phone (because japan, because isolation, because omgforeigncountriescantbetrusted), but going this way it seems it’s no problem and oh man. oh man oh man. this is going to save me so much money if it works. but now i feel like an idiot because i already had my dad order me another phone to go on their ATT family plan… and now it will be cheaper for me to cancel it and go with a t-mobile prepaid plan instead. i hope it’s not too late to send it back…!

oh and i ordered a 3DS. FINALLY. have been waiting forever… since japan decided to region lock it (motherfuckers), i could never buy one while i was there. and nintendo of america has an amazing refurbished 3DS deal on their website, so it was only $120.

so things are falling into place. i’m going down prooobably this weekend to austin and san antonio, to meet salina (the potential roommate) and see the apartment she has in mind. staying with my best friend in austin (the one who was teaching in korea at the same time as i was in japan, who saved me on my thailand trip).

oh yeah and i got eyebrow tattoos but i don’t want to talk about it yet because they fell short of my expectations, but also you have to give them a month to heal and fade a bit, then go back in for a touch-up, and maybe they’ll turn out better in the end than they seem now. i fucking hope so. was expensive as shit and i had such high hopes. i mean on the bright side i can sleep and shower and go swimming without worry anymore but fuck if the shape and color aren’t bothering the shit out of me.