January 6th: "Every day someone has a happy birthday."

Jan. 6th, 1986 (Age 7, Evansburg, New Hampshire)

Dear diary, on January 26th someone in my class has a birthday. Somebody has one on the 31st. It’s hard to believe that every day someone has a happy birthday.

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1/6/90 (Age 11, Evansburg)

Yo! Hi, Di! My dad just tested the fire alarm out in the hall next to my room. I was sick a few days ago. Here’s a picture for the rest of my entry: [Drawing of “Mrs. Bubblehead” here.]

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Wednesday, January 6th, 1993 (Age 14, Evansburg)

We took my dad to the airport after school. Right now he’s on his way to Washington D.C., and after that back to Japan.

     I bought the book Prince of Tides and some stamps. I also got two more goldfish. Monty is gold and Athens is whitish-pink. They’re both smaller than Michael, but he’s really taken with them.

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Thursday, January 6th, 1994 (Age 15, Nagasaki, Japan)

I can’t stop watching the movie Alive. I rate it the second-best movie I’ve ever seen, right behind Dead Poets Society. I wouldn’t have wanted to be there when it really happened in 1971, but I would have loved to be in the movie. The only girl amidst about twenty handsome young men – there’s a fantasy in there somewhere! I really like Josh Hamilton, the guy who plays the med school student. I know I’ve heard that name somewhere before. I wonder what other movies he’s been in? If only we still had Prodigy so I could look it up.

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Friday, January 6th, 1995 (Age 16, Nagasaki)

I happened to see U2’s video for “One” this morning, and I thought to myself how “one” is the most powerful word in the English language. I’d like to write a whole essay on the word right here, but I won’t. One is the beginning of everything; everything begins at one. There is one second, one hour, one day, one decade. One describes everything, and doesn’t show preference. Everything is equal at one: one rock, one flower, one man, one God.

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Saturday, January 6th, 1996 (Age 17, Nagasaki)

My dad gave me some money and I went shopping one last time in the arcade. I bought a black slip dress and black tap pants, plus some hair things. I got photos from yesterday’s escapade developed and they turned out good. Tomorrow I’ll be going home!

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Monday, January 6th, 1997 (Age 18, Exton, New Brunswick)

Classes began again. Pierre got a haircut. Neil isn’t back yet. It’s as if we never left. Sei moved into his new apartment, except there’s no furniture and no electricity.

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Tuesday, January 6th, 1998 (Age 19, Exton)

Only two days of classes have gone by and I’ve already missed two of mine. Today my legs were too tired to walk back to the college for U.S. History.
     Things are so much more peaceful with Fiona gone, and even our other roommates who are supposed to be her friends admit that they hate her now for having ditched us with the bills.

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Wednesday, January 6th, 1999 (Age 20, Exton)

In our Chaucer class we went to the university library and got to look at true manuscripts from the 13^th and 15^th centuries. I was in awe of them. There were two still in their original bindings. The print in the earliest ones was so tiny, I couldn’t believe it was done by hand!
     I won’t be able to meet Sei at the airport Tuesday because I have a class, but I’ve already cleared out closet and bathroom space for him.

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Thursday, January 6th, 2000 (Age 21, Kobe, Japan)

Sei and I were supposed to go shopping in Shinsaibashi, but now he’s sick. I hope we can go tomorrow. His father gave me 30,000 yen. Sei's been drinking for three days and hasn’t been getting much sleep.

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Saturday, January 6th, 2001 (Age 22, Kobe)

I finished work early tonight, at 7:00, but Sei's gone somewhere. I called him an hour ago and he said he’d be home in ten minutes. Now when I call he doesn’t answer. He’s either lost his phone again or he’s lying unconscious by the side of the road. Yes, he’s become a drunkard again. I was stupid enough to think he got over that three years ago. I’m betting he’ll come home at 2:00 a.m. or maybe even tomorrow morning. And he’ll stay in bed till afternoon, then wake up only because he knows his father’s company party is here in the house at 5:00. That’s how selfish he is. He’ll leave his wife to do all the work on her only day off this week.

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Sunday, January 6^th, 2002 (Age 23, Kobe)

One of Sei's co-worker's wife had a baby today. We thought it would be a girl but it was a boy. I’d want to have a baby now too if Sei would act more responsibly and had a proper paying job. But he won’t and he doesn’t so it’s out of the question.

     His father’s company’s shinnenkai party was this evening, so I spent the whole day over at their house.

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Monday, January 26th, 2003 (Age 24, Kobe)

We called my dad. He and Linda just got back from her daughter Rachel’s place in Nebraska last night. He said in July he and all my aunts are getting together for a family reunion on my grandpa's old land. I wish I could go, but I have to be in New Hampshire in September for Evangeline's wedding.

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Tuesday, January 6th, 2004 (Age 25, Kobe)

I survived the first day back at work -- slipped right back into the routine. Sei and I have started to talk seriously about getting a car. We've decided, I think, on a Mini Cooper because it's the only car we can agree on that's in our price range right now.

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Thursday, January 6th, 2005 (Age 26, Kobe)

I had three piano lessons today, and one of their moms and little brother came early for coffee and cake. I’m thinking at the end of this month I want to organize a weekend lunch for everyone. I’ll have to get Sei to help me write up fliers.

     I took down all the Christmas decorations, this being twelfth night. The living room looks bare.

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Friday, January 6th, 2006 (Age 27, Kobe)

We went to one tire place today and they quoted us nearly 70,000 yen. We only have 50,000 yen to spend on new tires. Tomorrow we’ll go back to Costco and hopefully they’ll have a better deal.

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Saturday, January 6th, 2007 (Age 28, Kobe)

I'm feeling jet-lagged which is unusual for me. I didn't get to sleep until 3:00 a.m. and I was too tired to go pick up Juno and Penn, or at least I thought I was, but by late afternoon I got a second wind and did major grocery shopping. I had three heavy bags to carry home. My New Year's resolution is to do more cooking.
     I was lonely sitting at home and for some reason felt like talking to Kai again, which is the kind of feeling I should be suppressing, but disregarding sensibility I went to the Dub at 10:00 and then drank with Kai in his neighborhood.

Disclaimer: This blog is a work of non-fiction. Most personal names (except for those of celebrities) and place names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals.