So, In the end, the threat of turning up at YVR, or more upsettingly, Narita, without a travel visa has spurned me....yes, ME! Into a walk in clinic to get a doctor's note. I went to see Dr. Andrea Lewis infact, who was very nice and wrote me the note, etc. As per normal when it comes to me and the terrifying creature of the white coat, she had to take my blood pressure twice - there was the recwisit (btw how on earth do you spell that?) heart racing, about to keel over, get thee to some drugs STAT reading, followed by the normal (well I assume since she wrote the note) reading.

In other J. preparation news, I have a lovely new backpack from Capitol Iron, reg. 170$, onsale for 99$.. Its a nifty travel bag which is like one of those big 'I'm going hostelling in Europe' backpacks, but also includes a cover to zip your backpack straps away with, a detachable day pack, a rain cover, and a laptop pouch... being that it's 2006 and all.

Also, preparing to get my ridiculous travellers cheques for the visa, which I'm planning to pick up from Vancouver on Friday. I have to show them 2500$ in travellers cheques, so I'll haul them out and put them straight back in on the same day...

While at the bank, I'll also be purchasing approximately 63, 000YEN, which makes me seem rich to those of us who equate zeros with meaning, but in Japan, you cut an upsetting number (like 2) out to get to the Canadian exchange rate.. All in all, I won't be completely destitute upon arrival (well until I get like four coffees or something), but it's a good thing I'm getting a WORKING-holiday visa!

Other than that, its two more gymnastics, one more vaulting, one more doctor's appointment (good god do they ever end?!), and oh yea, 10 days or 864,000 seconds or 4,400 minutes or 240 hours or 1 week (rounded down) until I'm on that monster of a plane, listening to as many of the 267 Japanese language lessons now taking up room on my iPOD as possible before the UDON meal service comes around...noodles...I love noodles....

ANYWAY...-

Ja mata ne, (I think that's right, anyway)
ttyl,
D