Ah January, how cold you've been...in other parts of the world that aren't Southern California. Oh? What's that? You say it's February? Oh! Let me restart that. Ehem.
Ah February, how cold you've been...in other parts of the world that aren't Southern California (there, nailed it!). I'm eternally thankful for the rain that you gave our drought ridden state, but why are you hogging all the snow? Send some here instead! But I'm not here to talk about weather. No sir (ma'am?)! I'm here to talk about dreams. So grab a margarita and a sombrero and dream with me!
Ever since the age of 14 I've wanted to go, even live in Japan. It started with my friend Yuko tricking me into memorizing all of the hiragana and katakana in a week (because her parents had forced her start Japanese school, and she felt her best friend should also suffer along with her) and gave me a bag full of manga. And thus my love for Japan began. Well, Sailor Moon as a 12 year old helped. I longed to see Tokyo and speak in Japanese and fly in giant Gundams. But one thing stopped me just like it stops all artists at some point in their life.
Math.
Thanks to my horrible (and also tested) inability to do math and a lot of stress and tears through college (followed by an actual academic court case of which I lost on a technicality so freaking tiny that even the department fighting for me pitched a fit) I was unable to graduate with only my one math class missing so that I couldn't accept my degree. I knew (and my department knew) I wasn't able to complete the class. I'd failed it three times in a row and after that you have to wait a year before you can re-take the class. I walked out feeling angry and betrayed and more than that, defeated in my quest to go to Japan. To work there you need a four year degree. Or so I was led to believe for more than a decade. But it turns out where there's a will, there's a way. And boy do I have will. Apparently. But mainly I had google.
What I lack in math I make up for in ability for languages and writing. And drinking. With those powers combined along with a strange talent for typing quickly, I became what I had always wanted to be (but didn't know): A writer. And apparently, writing is considered an art. And if you can prove that you make a livable wage (whatever that means) from it, you can receive an artist Visa and work as an artist in Japan. Well color me holy-taco-painted-purple surprised!
So with a new goal in life set before me, I've begun the process of getting my novels out into the world (which is first and foremost in my life anyway) so that they can be read and enjoyed. And from that to get a chance to live my dream that I thought wasn't possible (legally). So it turns out little dreams can indeed become a reality. So by this time next year or so, I'll be setting up shop in Japan with my laptop and a very very very angry behemoth 18 lb cat who hates traveling.
Because that's how I roll.
