In Oceanview, one really cool place I found is this aquatic center they have on the north side of town. Most of the time, when I go swimming, I go to the pool at the fitness center on campus. It's OK, but it's just one normal rectangular pool. The aquatic center though has these fun water slides. Flume slides I think they are called. You climb up two flights...
I guess the first time I ever saw or heard about 'paddy whacks' was at Brandon's birthday party a year or two ago. Brandon is the son in the host family I'm staying with here in Oceanview, California. He was maybe 19 years old, brown hair, freckles, around the same age as me, shy around other people, but for some reason, more forward with me. I don't know wh...
I guess I'd been going out with my boyfriend Ryosuke for a couple of years by this point. I was still studying at Oceanview U. in California, but Ryosuke had graduated, and was now working full time in the sushi bar in town. He worked evenings quite a bit, but one night he had off, he took me to this pub called Hernando's. There is a big neon palm tree sign...
In the summer after my sophomore year at Oceanview U., I got a message from a guy I used to know, Yoshi, back in Japan. Yoshi had slender eyes and a deep tan, but a broad smile that made you want to smile too. He was the life of every party, but I mostly knew him from swimming in high school. He was one of the best swimmers on our school's team. I swam for t...
I guess this started when my friend Asuna invited Satomi and me to come sleep over at her condo. Asuna is a sparky lass, a year younger than us, smart enough, but she has this sort of wide-eyed innocence about her. She looks very Japanese, sleek creamy skin, narrow eyes with mysterious wisps of hair almost like antennae floating at her temples. Satomi is mor...
By Emi Tsuruta I think this was in the summer after my sophomore year. I went home to Japan, and got to do something I'd never tried before: participate in a matsuri, a Shinto festival. Of course I'd been to festivals before, but this was the first time I ever got to join in. It was one of my boyfriend Ryosuke's ideas. We almost got in trouble, but anyway,...
In 2415 the Unified Earth Naval Forces vessel the Ithaca was ambushed by three rebel destroyers while on a routine patrol mission between two UENF controlled planets. A well armed Phoenix class Frigate, the Ithaca put up a fight but was ultimately overpowered when two additional rebel ships jumped into the fight. Badly damaged the Ithaca was forced to make a...
Hi again. It's me, Emi. Sorry It's been so long since I've written but I kind of had a busy summer, and then it was back to school. Things have settled down a bit now so maybe I can start to bring you up to date. So much has happened I hardly know where to start. I guess I should go in order. There's one story I haven't told you about last winter, before I...
It was summer in Oceanview, and the day of the big fireworks show was fast approaching. I was pretty excited actually. When I lived in Japan, we always used to go to see the fireworks show on Zaimokuza beach near my house or Katase Shirahama near my Aunt Sachi's place. It's a big thing, and tons of people come down from Tokyo just to watch. Fireworks make it...
When I moved to California to go to college, I left behind a boyfriend of sorts in Japan. His name was Tomoyuki. He had spiky black hair and sharp features, but I found him attractive at the time anyway. We were both busy preparing for entrance exams, so we'd mostly just study together, but one day he asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes. We didn't...