White printer paper that has serrated tear-off edges. Old school printer paper.
Dear Mom,
Did you get the video? I wonder if it got to you going through customs and all and me not having wrapped it properly. I hope it got there ok. I got your letter and picture of your desk with the 55 today. I’m sorry you had a relapse. Last week I got homesick and told my boss I was leaving the next day. When he vetoed that, I reminded him I hadn’t signed a new contract so I was leaving in December. He vetoed that as well. I’m feeling better this week. Time goes so fast I feel like I’ve been here for 2 months. This Is an informal plan but if you wait to move until June when I come home, I’ll help you. I can do a temp job for $ so I can pay my bills and see if my friends in San Jose while I help you move. This will also give me time to make some kind of job decision and look at the job market and get a job I like in a place that I like. It’s too bad school wouldn’t be in session or I’d do substitute teaching. It’s a tentative plan and one I could at least visualize. I’m having problems in general visualizing returning so this would be a good transition for me.
My new job is good overall. Some days are hard like when there’s a deadline or everyone wants something at the same time. I have to ask a lot of questions but my computer skills have increased significantly. I work hard so I’m ready to relax in the evenings. I usually do something (dinner, party, etc) so I haven’t had my usual time to write. When I was clubmating, I had Information and Tennis shifts to write letters. The unfortunate thing is I don’t get to teach aerobics. I really miss it and feel fat now.
I’ve got tentative travel plans to go to Bali in January and Palau in March. I’m not thrilled with my travel partners for Bali so I’m not sure about those plans. I may go to Palau with my friend who lived in Palau so that would be really great to go with someone who knows the area.
I won’t be getting any pictures in the mail for a while so my letters will have to suffice to describe where I am and what I’m doing. I hope you got to go on your cruise. Vacation is going to be a top priority for me to save for in life. I know sister’s glad to be back in school but I could not do what she’s doing. Funny, I’ve always been an over achiever and now I’m an underachiever. Pretty funny. I spent so many years involved in the problems of life, a year being in Saipan Disneyland doesn’t seem like a lot.
Halloween was interesting. PIC had a haunted house but I went out for dinner instead. The other holidays will be weird because although there will be special events during the day or evening, work will go on like any other day (except no mail service.) PIC Saipan is having their 2 year birthday 11/15 so that should be good. The gift shop will have a sale so maybe I can pick some PIC gifts to send.
Saipan is having an encephalitis outbreak with mosquitoes being the carrier. The latest scent rage is OFF spray. Infants and the elderly are the one’s who really suffer but we keep covered none-the-less. So when I was at a full moon party the other night, half of me was in the hot tub and the other half I was spraying OFF onto it.
Went on a cool dive in the Grotto last Sunday and went 2 places I’d never been. We went into this cave and in the back was an entrance way back out to the open water. What was cool was you couldn’t see the tunnel until you were in it. I went feet first straight down into another tunnel opening out to a small space that I had to swim out of. Small spaces and underwater at the same time. Never thought that would happen.
Tried Korean food again and knew what to avoid so I enjoyed it much more than last time.
We were supposed to open with the new show of “That’s Entertainment” 2 weeks ago but when we ran the dress rehearsal, the entertainment manager cried and refused to open (she usually gets what she wants by crying and throwing a fit – I think I’m just jealous of her because it works for her) so we had rehearsals 11-12 at night on the tennis courts to work on the numbers. We opened and it was great! We have a whole Wizard of Oz section; we do 2 things (dances/songs) from Snow White with me as Snow (oh-no!) and a long section on South Pacific, a dance from the King & I, Singing in the Rain, Oklahoma, Sound of Music, West Side Story (Tonight and Mambo), The Rose, Grease (5 songs from that!), Endless Love, Flashdance (oh my gawd – chairs and everything!), Dirty Dancing. A video of guests and clubmates taken the day the show is shown (each week a different video due to the fact there’s different guests each week!), Batdance from Batman, and Under the Sea from the Little Mermaid. Whew! It’s a fast 45 minutes! There are no two dances anyone dances consecutively except for Batdance and Under the Sea so during the songs/dances we’re not performing we’re changing costumes and helping the stage manager change the set. Can we say “sucking air?” When we’re better at it, I want to make a video and send that as well. We’ve been practicing since August and it’s weird to have been involved from the conception to the birth of this show. The costumes, sets and music all had to be purchased (sent front he states) and it’s quite a production. I was so nervous for the premier but it went great. During the dress rehearsals, I found what costume changes did and didn’t work to the point I was pulling the last piece of costume on while I was already on stage! Hmmm, I needed to change that one. I spend the show in my bathing suit (bikini) and just pull my other costumes over it. No time for modesty backstage, just pull on and off.
I Hash every week now that I can run again and that I have Saturday afternoons off. There’s a book that tells all the hashes worldwide so there’s one in Orange County and 3 in the bay area. Or I can start a Hash anywhere I want to go! Just so much to do in life. How to decide?
Well I’m off and running. I miss you – had a dream that I returned to CA and could talk only about Saipan. My interpretation is to enjoy Saipan for the time I’m here and leave it when I leave. I certainly like walking to my office on the beach and feeling warm breezes. Love you.
