nicole @nicole@myna.social

Yes’m.

Whenever I come to SF for a doctors’ appointment or work I take the ferry home. Along the way, I stop in at the wine bar in the ferry building for a glass or two.

I’m probably not going to do either of those things again after today’s check-in (there must be better wine bars closer to my new home), so this is my parting toast. 😘

Going to miss this midget.

It started with an orange shirt, and then I just kept accessorizing until the bell rang.

I’m moving to San Francisco next month (life changes) to join the roster of people who miss Berkeley Bowl—the best grocery store.

I never thought I was going to be one of them. Trading down to a Trader Joe’s is going to be a wound that will not close.

I couldn’t find Chibi this morning, but I did find half a fuzzy donut.

I’ll never understand sports people, but I’m happy to photograph them.

Korea Town was a fun shamble. I had the best meal of the trip at an adorbs little Korean Izakaya. Then we wandered over to and through Nihombashi, where we got kicked out of one shop for being gaijin, denied entrance to a bar for being gaijin, and I found the butter gachapon for my dairy products of Hokkaido bag tag collection.

That’s a successful outing!!

(Photos of Ōsaka streets in the rain are such a cliche that I hesitate to share, but whatevs)

Okay, after a bit of morning sadness and feelings ramble, we’re heading into Ōsaka. Destination: Korea Town!

Our J-Horror movie fest turned into epically-scaled napping. I think I slept for 14 hours yesterday, all said.

There was also some novelty food purchasing. Namely, Japan’s Dominoes Pizza Cheese Volcano, which took me right back to high school in all the worst ways.

Today, we’re supposed to hit the park.

“Vacation”

Arrived at Universal Studios in Ōsaka. This is our three-day wind down from our Hokkaido road trip, which involved long strings of 18-hour days. We checked in around 0030, and were in bed by 0400.

I was last here in 2017. Mozilla had just acquired Pocket, and I was rewarding myself with my first vacation ever. I remember stewing quietly in my trans longing.

Today is a J-horror movie fest in our hotel room. Nothing to do but chill.

Of course, we’ll probably mess it up somehow. 🙃

Photographic proof that @pauline dragged me into a trans bar and I didn’t run away (this time).

Boarded flight to Ōsaka. 👋 北海道! The young salary man in the seat next to me probably weighs half as much as I do, but splays himself like a crab twice his size. I’m pretty good at folding myself up, but buttoning the top of my blouse without invading his space was complicated origami.

My “favorite” part of every trip: mailing presents and laundry back to the States. 😂

Asahikawa was full of surprises. We had a wonderful yakiniku mutton meal at Chinngis Khan, after which we stumbled into drinks with a friendly hostess and high school teacher at Café Nan. From there a gay bar, Ciel, where had a round or two before a representative of the nearby trans bar came to collect us. We made it back to our hotel before 0500, and negotiated a 1400 check-out, which we barely managed.

Having reached the northern-most tip of Japan, we now turn around and begin our return. In a week, I’ll be back stateside.

Showed up to movie night a little early. Killing time until I walk the last 350 feet.

Yeah, so a fictional robot dog died in an anime today, and I spent 10 minutes sobbing about it, 20 minutes fixing my makeup, and an hour holding Chibi tightly to my chest. 🤷‍♀️

Chibi’s like, “the bleep’s wrong with you, woman?”