What a difference a week makes

Ryozen Kannon, originally uploaded by xopherlance.

One week ago tonight, I was lying on the floor of Narita Terminal 1, delirious and feverish, vomiting every 15 minutes. I only recall bits and pieces, like a fast-fading dream, but I know that my sister and a Singapore Airlines rep had to escort me to my flight in a wheelchair. A severe case of food poisoning torpedoed my last day and a half in Japan, but it didn't scupper my entire trip. That was then. Before I returned to the States and heard the news.

I am now in Walnut Creek, in my grandmother's condo. I drove up from L.A. last night. My parents and I checked her out of the hospital today, and she is now sleeping fitfully behind me -- HFA has set up a hospital bed in her living room. Her oncologist expects her to live another month; four short weeks. I expect that I will be driving up and down the I-5 at least a few times for the duration, trying to remain here as much as possible.

As a diversionary tactic, I stayed up all night on Wednesday, my last night in L.A., uploading most of my photos from Japan to Flickr. As a distraction, it didn't work. Nevertheless, The photos are there, and here is the link.

Oyasuminasai.

Nihon ni ikimashou!

Fun Harajuku Girls, originally uploaded by xopherlance.

I'm out of the country for the next two weeks with JC. Tokyo, Kyoto, maybe Nikko...who knows. I'll share with you when I get back.