Recently, my day looks something like this: I’m awoken about 4 AM by Jerry. Eriko has fed him, but he’s still restless so she asks me to hold him. I bounce him for a bit and then lay in bed holding him. I can’t really fall asleep like this, but it is better than sitting on the couch. Eventually I start to doze, which causes me to shift my body position and Jerry wakes up.

Since our return from Nagoya, Jerry has been on a radically different clock. To make matters worse, Eriko is on a slightly different clock. The net result is that Jerry wakes up several times during the night and Eriko is often too tired to take care of him without my support. The net net is that I’m averaging less than 6 hours of sleep (probably more like 4). I’ve done my best not to take any naps so that my schedule stays on Seattle time.

We returned from Nagoya on Wednesday. The flight was long - we woke up in Nagoya about 7 AM, arrived at the airport about 10:20, and boarded our first flight about 11:30. We went first to Narita, where we changed planes and had about 30 minutes before boarding our next flight. Narita is a real pain to travel through these days - you have to go through an additional security checkpoint whenever you transfer between flights and it is always crowded.

I am sitting in the hotel room, which I will soon leave. My ride to the airport doesn't happen until 4 PM and I have to check out of the hotel at noon. I'll ask the staff if they'll keep my luggage so I can walk around downtown, but failing that I'll just wait in the hotel lounge. This was the best trip to Moscow I've had so far. There were several factors: Eriko was in Nagoya, where she had the full support of her family.

It started at 5 AM. All my items were downstairs in the entrance, so Eriko and I spent some quiet time together before heading down. The "airport limousine" (shuttle van) was right on time - 5:30. It picked up three other passengers, although I wasn't awake for the last one. We arrived at Japan's Central Airport about 6:30 - plenty of time to make my 8 AM flight. I waited for about 15 minutes in the check-in line for ANA.

This year’s resolutions are focused on health - emotion, mental, and physical. Hopefully these resolutions are all measured and attainable. JLPT: Level 3 (1409 words, 284 kanji) Smaller waist (awaiting initial measurement) Running and/or swimming at least twice per week At least two hours of exercise per week One diary entry per week.