Today, I want to write something about my life, and its overall trajectory. Well, that sounds a bit grandiose. All I really want to say is that I feel a little better about America lately.
Three things in particular have gotten me feeling that way.
First, “the public option”; having become a freelancer, and having really no interest at rejoining the salaried workforce, insurance comes out of my pocket. In Japan, my current monthly cost is about $280, thanks to a COBRA-like setup. My monthly cost would be a lot closer to $500 if I were on the public system due to the salary-based cost structure. Stateside, I’d expect to pay $500 or more (though I haven’t researched that number at all), despite my relative youth and good health. If the public option happens, self-employeds like me can look forward to somewhat better rates (is my understanding), and all I have to do is leave again before they finish up the Obama Death Camps. It would be a lot easier for me to go back to school and get a graduate degree if I knew my insurance costs wouldn’t be higher than my tuition.
Second, cheap shopping; I’m going home for Xmas this year, just like last. And just like last year, I plan on doing some shopping for non-perishables that just cost way too much in Japan. On top of the list are supplements, fancy-schmancy toiletries and software. Shipping anything to Japan is prohibitively expensive, but cramming it into a suitcase when you’ve already planned a trip is essentially free. But all of the machinations involved in buying the stuff via my underfunded American bank account get me to thinking: wouldn’t it be nice to just live in the place where things are reasonably priced? Well, “living” there is a lot farther than my mind wants to take it, but it would be nice to pay less than $5.00 a pound for ground beef.
And last, Mythbusters; what can I say, I like the show. I like the guys. I like the IDEA OF the community the show stands for. I am seriously deprived of light-heartedness, optimism and DIY creativity here. There’s not a lot of open or secluded space to go around either. I heart the hell out of Tokyo, but I’ve been a little more open-minded about America since bittorrent delivered me a big dose of life-affirming America (i.e. Mythbusters eps).
So what does the future hold for my strained relations with my homeland? Damned if I know. I don’t expect I’ll be giving up on my adopted home in Japan any time soon, but I juggling some numbers to see if there are circumstances under which I could spend some time in the states without spending a fortune or dismantling my Tokyo life.
Then again, spending a couple weeks at my folks’ place every now and again takes care of my shopping needs, and Mythbusters is a lot more charming that “the real thing” with the added benefit of being downloadable. Health insurance, I’ve already got.
There are some things that make sense for me to do in America: learn to drive, learn some other skills/ attend grad school, live more cheaply, work on my English skills and spend more time with the broader family (to name a few). Lacking a strong and specific reason though, I’m not quite in a hurry to spend a lot of time at home just yet.
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