Yay I have it! I went over to Vancouver on the 7am ferry (uggghg!) and took public transit to downtown, got my travellers cheques, got my visa, put the travellers cheques money back onto my actual VISA, and took public transit back to the ferry, and then the 2pm home, resulting in a trip which took rougly the same amount of time as my flight to Tokyo (good god that's going to be unpleasant) in order to complete a three minute task once actually in the (overly-polite) consulate. No matter, I know have a lovely big full page sized sticker in my passport complete with a ridiculously dox-matrixed picture of myself which will get me into the country for six months...

Now the only thing left before I go is my stupid, stupid doctors appointment on tuesday (a new endo ...waaaahhh.....) and trying to get a new pump sorted - Pacific Blue Cross denied my request/pre claim or whatever, and that's a good 10 000$ I don't happen to have lying around, soooooo I guess its yee oldy no time on the screen, screwy battery, no testing pump till this one well and truely croaks, and then we'll see what happens given its way out of warrenty :(

anyway, enough whining,

Ja ne -
Dani (who has listened to five Japanesepod101.com podcasts so far and can now say 'I am Canadian', and y'all, in its uncondensed, untwangy form)