Well, in all fairness I've been back for two weeks. This weekend marks 4 weeks of being done with my JET work and moving on to new stuff. Two of those were a fantastic vacation all across Japan, with friends American and Japanese, culminating in a last night here, and I've spent the last two reacclimating to life in the States.

I've already gained a little bit of weight - thanks a lot, American food - but I've also gained a lot more.

My big "reverse culture shock" moment came and went while I was still on a layover in LAX. Creepy greasy-haired LA motherfucker posing as a missionary tried to get me to follow him out the airport, when I had an inkling feeling I was very near my connecting gate. I was. Rip-off exchange rates mean I'm still carrying $90 in yen. The pizza was horrible, but pizza has since redeemed itself with my taste buds.

I've moved into 'home' - that is, mom's house. And honestly, it feels fantastic. Mom and I are two highly symbiotic creatures, moreso now that she's quit her job and gone into semi-retirement. She's getting more relaxed by the day, and she's quickly gotten used to having me around again.

I'm also working from home! This is the big part. I'm the newest writer at Shacknews.com, one of the big video game news sites. It's a great gig for all of these reasons:

-I work from home
-I semi-set my own hours: I work 11am to 7pm right now
-No dress code (my hair already has some fireball red streaks in it)
-Shacknews is a community I was already part of anyway; it's good to contribute to it
-It's a salaried, regular job - no freelance pitching, regular paychecks, and many other things that make other writers jealous
-Air-conditioned workplace (last place didn't have that..)
-Co-workers that speak techie, know games, and can take some smack talk

And above all:
-I'm doing what I've always wanted to do - I write for a living, and I'm in the video games industry.

Usually, I'm humble when it comes to things like achievement, but I've been way too happy with myself to be humble on this one. This really is what I've wanted to do for a very, very long time, and to achieve that goal is intensely satisfying.

I got the offer a little over a week ago (yes, 5 days after getting home), and I've now worked a week at the job. It's a little tiring to sit at the desk all day, but other than that it's everything I've wanted from a job and I certainly don't see myself wanting to leave anytime soon.

As soon as I got the offer, I caved, rushed out, and got myself an iPhone. As a techie, it's the only phone worth taking seriously. No, really. (Tip: add yourself on your family's plan and pay $40 a month instead of $70.) I've got a new phone number, so I hope you visit my Facebook profile and add me and all that good stuff.

More importantly, I've also gained a new appreciation for my family. I'm off to visit my brother (and my new niece!) this weekend, and I've already been in contact with a couple other relatives. And obviously, it's nice to have my mother's sanity return.

And next week is a 4-day work week! From here I'm working on visits to Dallas proper (I'm way out in the burbs) and Austin (of course). Here's to seeing you soon!

Last weekend was my goodbye party with all my friends living in Tokyo. A handful of UT students were in the crowd, and it was as nice a feeling as it had been almost 2 years ago when I first came to Tokyo, only to run around all night with the same friends I had back in Austin. It was much more exhilarating, though, to come halfway around the world and find that you still belong to something. It's something most tourists don't have.

It's been that feeling - only on occasion - for the last year. Anytime I took a break from my province, I hightailed it to Tokyo and called up everyone in the crew. In retrospect, those times were the ones where I was the happiest.

I've spent the last week in such a fashion. With nothing to do other than wait for a flight, I shacked up with various members of the Tokyo crew and got very adjusted to sleeping on solid floors. At night, the crew comes out to play and I get egged into another Red Bull, another can of coffee. And I wind up awake until the sun comes up. It's of great comfort to know that the Tokyo Crew will live on and just might be here the next time I come back.

Tonight's my last night in Tokyo, and I'm honestly a little relieved to be alone. Maybe it was the constant action and poor sleep of the last week, or maybe it's the peace and quiet of staying in a decent hotel for my last night. I'm acting like an old man - slouched on some bed or couch or other, hitting the spa for the relaxation, ordering room service, the whole deal.

It's a good chance to contemplate the closing of the 'Japan' chapter of my life. The first time I left Japan, I wasn't sad at all - I could feel that I'd be back before long. Sure enough, 5 months later, I had a contract in hand to spend anywhere from 1-5 years over here. But now that the contract is up and my bags are packed, it's hard to reminisce over the last year. Honestly, it's been utterly refreshing to get out of Shimane Prefecture, to the point where I'm quickly putting most of my life there out of mind. I'm too excited to get to the new thing. I could be reverse culture-shocked, but I'm too excited to see my friends. Too excited to start my new projects. Too excited to seek out a significant other that speaks my language to the point where you start inventing new words and meanings just to keep the communication on the same page.

Still, I'm ever-so-slightly nervous about leaving Tokyo. I love this city too much. This time, I feel like I'll be back - but it'll be a while. And when I get back, I've got a whole list full of people who will get calls the instant I land.

Right now, I can see the Tokyo skyline from my hotel room. It's gone from breathtaking (2 years ago) to feeling natural, feeling like home. With any luck, I'll see Mt. Fuji in the morning for the very first time.