Another year older. . .

. . .and still a kid at heart.

After an extremely busy week in Chicago, training for my new position as Academic Director, I'm sipping coffee and having a lazy birthday morning with a snoring kitty at my side.

Life is good.

Advertising works

So, I signed up with T-Mobile. Now I'm trying to figure out how to use my new BlackBerry Pearl. 

Who writes these user manuals? I think someone should hire me to write them because I know how to explain things much better! Most user manuals are an exercise in frustration. Of course, I know most people don't bother reading manuals, but that only works when gadgets are logically designed. 

After visiting numerous user forums, it appears that most fully-loaded devices are neither logically designed nor intuitive to use.

Can't everyone just get along?

This just makes me feel so happy. Almost makes me want to sign up with T-Mobile.

What keyboard key am I?

OK, so I'm a little bored tonight. I was rearranging my blog and started clicking on some favorite places to hang out. As I went through the first few links I discovered that either some of them were dead links or that they were places I hadn't visited in a while. Here's one of them (and so was the last post). This one, however, is kind of a weird idea. How could a keyboard key be representative of someone's personality? So naturally I took the little quiz and here's what it said, which was actually quite accurate I think. The part about not being normal sounded right, as well as the "influenced by alternative lifestyles." That might account for the part about living in Japan for a few years.

But, the best part of all was the reference to the knowledge stored in my "big brain. . .but most of it useless." So true, so true.

You Are "alt"

Some people might find you to be strange, mysterious, and even a bit off putting. You tend to be drawn to and influenced by alternative lifestyles. You're definitely not normal. Once people get to know you, they realize you're interesting, intriguing, and very intelligent. You have a lot of knowledge stored in that big brain of yours. Most of it is useless knowledge, but some of it is very useful.

What Keyboard Key Are You?

Really?

You Belong in the Baby Boomer Generation

You fit in best with people born between 1943 and 1960. You are optimistic, rebellious, and even a little self centered. You still believe that you will change the world. You detest authority and rules. Deep down, you're a non conformist.

What Generation Do You Belong In?

One way to celebrate!

Tomorrow's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. If I may take the liberty of borrowing his famous words: "Free at last. Free at last. Thank God I'm free at last.

As much as I'd love to experience what it's like to be free to take flight like a bird, there's NO WAY I'd try this!!!! How about you?


wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

Chance of purrs with intermittent pets

German Weatherman Joerg Kachelmann never skipped a beat when studio kitty Lupin needed some affection.

Bargain travel destination?

According to The New York Times, "Sin City's lucky streak, it seems, has gone sour."

Unemployment in Las Vegas has reached 7.9 percent and bargains are everywhere, but who cares about bargain hotel rates when people are losing their jobs by the thousands? Layoffs are imminent or already underway at most of the hotels, including the one where J works. If she's lucky, she'll be up high enough on the extra board to continue working, but will have to call in every day to see if they need her. She could be called to work any of the three shifts, which means she'll never be on any specific sleep schedule. How can people be expected to do that?!!

January 2008 served up the fire that laid everyone off for over a month at the Monte Carlo, and before that it was the devastating 9/11 layoffs. What ever happened to the certainty of our parents' generation when they knew they would have a job for life if they wanted it, even when there were economic downturns? Or maybe that's just a figment of my imagination. Maybe people have never had any job certainty. . .

All of this job uncertainty is making 2009 seem pretty dismal already. On top of that, I'm sure the crime rate is going up. Thieves targeted T's "vintage" Camaro Thursday night--incompetent car thieves who only managed to steal the T-top sunroof and car cover, and tear out some wiring under the dashboard. It was the night of his birthday. Totally bummed him out. He filed a police report and posted notices around the neighborhood about the crime, but within hours all the notices had been torn down. No doubt the thieves live right here, and probably drive by our house a few times a day. Nice.

(Their truck had already been burglarized, and the built-in TV stolen a couple of years ago, and then since I've been here, someone did another moronic attempt at stealing it but only managed to mutilate the lock on the driver's side. This is why auto insurance in Las Vegas is among the most expensive anywhere in the U.S.)

Things with my job haven't been going so great either. When our academic director left a couple of months ago, I applied and was selected to be the acting AD until a decision could be made. After six weeks of teaching full time and doing the AD job half time--but not getting the AD pay or knowing when, if ever, they would actually hire me permanently for the job--I withdrew my application. Things have been deteriorating rapidly since then, but only in the past week did I find out they had no intention of hiring anyone because our student numbers have been falling. Our students come from all over the world, and the entire world is experiencing a dramatic economic downturn. While I think the school will probably survive, it's not going to be easy. I'm the most senior teacher, so if I get laid off, that means the school closes completely.

I hope, for everyone's sake, that things turn around quickly once Obama takes office, but I don't see how they could. We should all be asking how this mess happened in the first place! Why was there so much unaccountability within the financial sector ? Why was the SEC asleep on the job? For a lot more info about how this happened and what's ahead, check out The Big Picture.

For now, however, the world is focused on Gaza, and rightfully so, but it seems that every time congress starts turning up the heat and asking questions about how this meltdown took place, some other world event intervenes. We may never get any real answers, and in the meantime millions, maybe hundreds of millions, of people around the world are losing their jobs, their homes, and any hope for the future.

Just for giggles

Nora has been playing the piano since she was one year old. She's now four and very famous on YouTube, with over 16 million hits!

Happy 2009!

Let's hope 2009 is a kinder, gentler year.

Best wishes to all!

Merry Christmas to All!

Refocusing

Trying to get into the holiday spirit. Must try harder.

Work has been a complete nightmare and I'm trying hard not to let it do my head in but. . .it hasn't been easy. How is it that so many incompetent people rise to the top and hold jobs for which they are not even remotely qualified?

Maybe I need to refocus my attention and think about the things that I should be thankful for, such as:

1. My daughter, who makes me a better person.
2. My son-in-law, who actually likes me.
3. My job. At least I've got one, considering so many people right now do not.
4. My health. I'm pretty darn healthy, although the cold winter air has stirred up my asthma a little. Never knew I had asthma until I moved to Tokyo.
5. My friends, even though I don't see any of them unless I or they get on a plane.
6. Food to fill my belly, a roof over my head, and a warm bed. An alarming number of people around the world don't have those basics.
7. My computer and Internet connection, without which I would be lost.
8. A belief in something greater than myself, that guides, inspires, and comforts me.
9. A sense of humor that often gets me through the day.
10. The ability to see, feel, and hear the world around me, and to make my way through it relatively unscathed.

When I re-read my list, I realized that my life is really quite basic. The older I get, the more I accept the simplicity of my life, and the less I need. I've gone from living a somewhat privileged life in an exclusive, expensive neighborhood of luxurious homes to living in a tiny one-room, cockroach-infested Tokyo apartment. I lost everything I had in the stock market crash of 2001 where I had invested heavily in technology but didn't have the safety cushion of wiser, more cautious investments to soften the blow of a world turned upside down after 9-11.

For three years I was unemployed, though not for lack of trying. Then, through a chance meeting, I found an opportunity to work in Japan, which I grabbed.

I look around me at people my age and wonder what their lives have been like. Did they ever lose anyone they loved? Do they ever wake up in the middle of the night, wondering what they would do if they didn't find work soon? Do they have someone to love them, to be with for a lifelong commitment? What kind of old age will they have--one of freedom to do the things they've always wanted, or one of desperation, trying to make ends meet?

Maybe I'm feeling a little nostalgic tonight. Thinking about my youth. Thinking about the things that used to make me happy, and realizing now that while life is a series of ups and downs, not much of it is all that important. It's the basics that count. It's sort of like the family whose house catches on fire and the only things they manage to save are themselves and a box of pictures. When you boil it down to its essence, life is nothing more than that box of pictures. Everything else can fall away or disappear because none of it has real significance. It's the basics that count--our families, good health, and a job.

Whadda mousie!

Haven't felt like writing much lately, so here's a fun little video to watch. What a little champ!

Rainbows

Why I stay

As I let my fingers do some online shopping this morning, I realized that this will be my second Christmas back in the U.S. Can't believe it's been that long already, and that I've been in Las Vegas the whole time.

Now that Vegas has "gown up" a little, I had hoped it would grow on me and that I'd learn to like it just a wee bit, but that hasn't happened. In all honesty I have to admit that it hasn't gotten any easier to live here. So, why do I stay? Easy answer: I have a job and a home. In this economy, those two things are pretty important, so I'm thankful to have them.

But, if wishes could come true, this is what I'd wish for: A villa in Tuscany; a job writing travel articles; a red mini-Cooper; a size 4 body.

And, of course, world peace, and the end of hunger, poverty and global warming.

I don't think that's asking too much at all, do you?

President-elect Obama

This truly is a historic time, and I have to say I never thought I'd see such a moment in my lifetime. Seeing Barack Obama become our president elect has given me hope that America can be saved from the path of destruction laid out over the past eight years by the Bush administration.

While no one could possibly expect Obama to fix everything that's broken with America in one or two terms, he seems to be the most capable of bringing about some much-needed change. Let's hope he'll restore our Constitution, get the country busy developing alternative energy and all the jobs that will be created from that endeavor, appoint more liberal Supreme Court Justices that will keep their hands off women's bodies and uphold the laws instead of playing politics such as appointing presidents! Let's do everything we can to help him get this country moving again and bring our troops home.

Yes we can!

The big countdown

Nine days to go before the election and I'm already a nervous wreck! I can't bear the thought of another stolen election, like in 2004 and 2000. Every time I think about those elections it makes me wonder what might have been. I know that's wasted energy and none of it can be changed now, but, if we learned nothing from the past, that will be the final nail in the coffin for democracy. We've already lost so much. I just hope that everything goes smoothly and all the votes are counted--this time.

This has been one of the nastiest campaigns in America's history, which shows how desperate the Republicans are to stay in power. Between you and me, I think McCain made a Faustian pact to do or say anything if he would be given the election. That included picking Sarah Palin as his running mate, a pick that turns my blood to ice just thinking about what she would do as president. Just to add a little comic relief here, take a look at Palin As President and click around on various objects. They're adding more stuff every day and it's hilarious.

On a more serious note, Naomi Wolfe has written quite a bit about what it takes to create a fascist government , and it appears that we've met all 10 criteria. Scary thought!

She's also reported--and this is on the Army Times website --that on Oct. 1, the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team (which trained in Iraq for 35 of the last 60 months) was commissioned to active duty on U.S. soil. "This new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities."

This seems extremely troubling to me and should be to any American. Why do we need Army soldiers patrolling on U.S. soil? I also read that since the Patriot Act, all soldiers have signed new oaths that no longer include any language about upholding the Constitution of the United States. It now includes something about "completing the mission." What mission? Equally troubling is that they are answerable only to George Bush --and not to Congress or to the governors of the states to which they have been commissioned (which is also unknown, although there have been reports of these troops in Georgia and Alabama).

I certainly hope Wolfe is wrong and just overreacting, but I honestly think she's sounding the alarm after considering some very strong evidence that something is brewing. As I said, I hope she's wrong and that the election goes without a hitch. However, there's that part of me that thinks I'm being naive to think it could be that easy. As citizens, it's up to us to be vigilant about our democracy. We think just because it's been here for over 200 years that it will continue as a democracy forever, but history shows that democracies are a fragile idea.

We must vote and stay vigilant.

You've GOT to watch this!

Can we afford to elect a short-fused president?

Last night, after watching the presidential debate, I couldn't help noticing McCain's festering rage. You could see him struggling to keep from boiling over as he gritted his teeth behind that bizarre mask of makeup he wore. I'm sure he had been coached to "keep his cool" because his temper is something that's well known, and he has an exceedingly sort fuse.

As Obama brought up rebuttals to McCain's claim to "understanding" the world, and particularly his expertise about the Iraq war, by recounting all of the times that McCain was wrong about the war, McCain seemed ready to burst a blood vessel.

Then again, when McCain spoke to what he perceived as Obama's naivete about potentially meeting with Ahmadinejad, he was so incensed that he could barely spit out Ahmadinejad's name, and actually stumbled over its pronunciation.

While McCain so freely slung barbs and lies at his opponent, he was incapable of even looking Obama in the eye. Obama, on the other hand, remained presidential and calm, trying on numerous occasions to make eye contact with the old curmudgeon.

McCain is a relic of the past cold war mentality. He's still angry, 40 years after his capture, that the U.S. gave up on the spectacular mess in Vietnam that took 58,000 U.S. soldiers' lives, and maimed another 350,000--to say nothing of the civilian deaths.

McCain is living in the past and he's dangerous because of that short fuse. He has been known to rebuke his advisors on numerous occasions, and as far as being a "maverick" goes, he's an angry maverick with his hand too close to that red button. And don't even get me started about that "maverick" choice of Sarah Palin. How much real love of country does a man have to make that kind of choice for someone who could very well take his place? After seeing her interviews with Gibson and Kouric, she makes Bush look brilliant.

"A mountain I couldn't climb"

Teaching foreign students has been one of the highlights of my life, for many reasons. Sometimes I hear things I don't understand at all, other times I hear everyday things put into a different perspective, and occasionally I am treated to some delightful insight about another culture. For example, last week my students were given an assignment to go out and find someone who looked like a native English speaker and ask him or her a few questions.

Now, beyond the normal difficulties of being shy or self-conscious about their speaking abilities, most students also have to overcome the major hurdles of communicating with people who speak very fast English and who don't understand foreign accents.

One tall and handsome Asian student came back to tell about his attempt to make a conversation in a Las Vegas jazz club with what he described as "one of the most beautiful women" he had even seen. He said the beautiful woman was sitting with a "not-so-beautiful" woman and he had to make a decision about his chances for starting a conversation with either one of them. After some careful thought, he decided to try to speak with the "not-so-beautiful" woman. Here was his reason:

"The beautiful woman was a mountain I couldn't climb."

I, along with the entire class, burst out laughing because we all understood exactly what he meant.

Lighting up the world with joy

In a world that often leaves us feeling helpless to do anything of consequence or meaning, here's a video that will bring a smile to your face.

Decided to take matters into my own hands!

Excuse me but I think there's someone living in my closet!

This actually happened in Tokyo!

Japanese woman caught living in man’s closet

(05-30) 17:34 PDT TOKYO, Japan (AP)

A homeless woman who sneaked into a man’s house and lived undetected in his closet for a year was arrested in Japan after he became suspicious when food mysteriously began disappearing.

Police found the 58-year-old woman Thursday hiding in the top compartment of the man’s closet and arrested her for trespassing, police spokesman Hiroki Itakura from southern Kasuya town said Friday.

The resident of the home installed security cameras that transmitted images to his mobile phone after becoming puzzled by food disappearing from his kitchen over the past several months.

One of the cameras captured someone moving inside his home Thursday after he had left, and he called police believing it was a burglar. However, when they arrived they found the door locked and all windows closed.

“We searched the house … checking everywhere someone could possibly hide,” Itakura said. “When we slid open the shelf closet, there she was, nervously curled up on her side.”

The woman told police she had no place to live and first sneaked into the man’s house about a year ago when he left it unlocked. She had moved a mattress into the small closet space and even took showers, Itakura said, calling the woman “neat and clean.”

So, if you're wondering how this could possibly happen and how someone could not notice a person living in his closet, it actually wouldn't be that difficult. Japanese closets aren't like American closets. Usually they have a completely separate storage unit with its own sliding door located above the main closet. People don't often open that cupboard because it's usually where they store things like suitcases or boxes of stuff. You could sort of think of it as being an attic space where you wouldn't normally be opening and inspecting it more than once or twice a year.

I can see how the woman could have lived up there. She must have had some sort of rope ladder or something that she could use to crawl up into that space and then pull it up so no one would see it.

It's interesting that the guy never noticed that anyone had used his shower, but she could have wiped it down thoroughly after each use. Like the article said, she appeared to be neat and clean.

You'd think the woman might have been caught on weekends though, when the guy wasn't at work. Although, if he's like lots of single men, he probably spent most of his time out of his apartment, but still, I'd wonder how she could know when he'd return after an absence. She must have had some close calls!

And, not to gross anyone out, but what about middle-of-the-night bathroom visits? Seems to me that any 58-year-old woman might have to, at least occasionally, do that. Maybe she had a hardy bladder.

I sure hope they find the poor old gal a home somewhere. Japan isn't well known for its homeless shelters, especially Tokyo, so I wonder what will happen to her. Maybe she's better off in a minimum security jail cell. At least she'd have a bed, toilet and hot meals.

Favorite cartoon ever!

I just stumbled upon a cartoon I remember seeing many, many years ago and loved. Never thought to look for it on YouTube but I guess almost anything can be found there. So, here it is, starring Marc Antony and Pussyfoot.

Layoff alarm

Last week my boss announced the possibility of layoffs. Ugh. With summer sessions starting soon, enrollment is way down and we don't have enough students signed up. This will almost certainly mean that some, if not all, of the teachers will be laid off. It will be based on seniority and since I was the first full-time teacher hired, I will be the last one to go, but I'm still vulnerable. This situation seems doubly astounding since they just hired a new teacher a month ago!

To say I'm worried is an understatement as I'm my only source of income. For most of my career, I've been a writer first and a teacher second. Now I need to see if I can drum up a few writing gigs, although I've been out of the loop for quite a while, at least in the U.S.

Let's hope the layoff alarm was a false one.

Japanese version of The Office

After watching the original British TV show The Office, starring Ricky Gervais, I didn't think the American version could possibly match the humor, but Steve Carrell and the rest of the cast have done a magnificent job. So, here's a spoof done on SNL of what a Japanese version might look like.

You're kidding, right?

Just came across these pictures that are supposedly the latest shoe rage in Japan. I don't know where anyone would wear them in Tokyo, but I suppose there are "those" places where one could use them for, um, artistic dancing or whatever. (snicker)

They make my feet hurt just looking at them, to say nothing about how I imagine my back would feel.

I am so not ready for this!

Doesn't make any difference if the temps are in C or F, they're still too high! I know I whine about this too often (as J&T would agree), but I can't help it. I'm just not a hot-weather gal, whether it's the dry heat that people here say is "not that bad" or the steamy heat of Asia. Heaven to me would be a place that never gets over 75F or has humidity over 30 percent. I'm going to try very, very hard, for the sake of harmony, to just accept it. It is what it is. . .and I don't see myself leaving Vegas any time soon.

In Celsius:

In Fahrenheit:

Recycling Las Vegas style

Our dryer, a previously-recycled model bought about 8 years ago for around $100, gave up the ghost about two weeks ago. We've been hanging wet laundry anywhere we could find a hook, doorknob, or shower curtain rod. Because it's been so hot lately, drying really hasn't been a problem and clothes dry in record time. However, it's not so easy to hang sheets and towels, so we were getting a little desperate for a new dryer. Unlike Tokyo, we don't have any of the laundry-hanging gadgets that make drying clothes outside easy. When was the last time you saw anyone using a clothesline like we used in Arizona when I was a kid?

T, the resident super shopper, found an almost brand new gas Maytag that had been returned to Lowe's and was selling for 50% off. It's so beautiful and modern looking! It's HUGE and could easily fluff comforters. It also has a drying rack inside the dryer, so you can put sweaters or canvas sneakers, or whatever, on the rack and the drum remains in place while the drying air circulates around the rack. Cool!

So, after disconnecting the old dryer and carrying it out to the curb, the three of us unloaded the new dryer off the back of the pickup and carried it into the house. It was a breeze to hook up and move into place. As long as we were at it, we decided to do a little work on the washing machine as well. It was never properly installed and the connectors to the hot and cold water were reversed. No one but me seemed to mind, but since all the cycles called for a "cold" rinse, and that meant "hot" in reality, I had to be super careful about washing anything that might shrink in hot water.

Now, everything is working perfectly and we're all very happy.

The funny part is what happened to the old dryer out on the curb. As we sat watching a movie that evening, we suddenly heard what sounded like some machinery being knocked around outside. We ran to the kitchen and looked out into the dark evening to see what was causing the noise. A pickup truck with several scavenged washers and dryers onboard was parked at our curb and our old klunker was being loaded inside. It did my heart good to see that someone could make use of the old model. In Vegas the trash service will pick up appliances, but I worried that it would go to a landfill rather than get recycled.

I hope the guys in the pickup make a few bucks. They're the recycling heroes.

What a tough life!

This is Lily. The funniest cat in the world, I think. When she's not running around the house or sleeping, she's sitting on the floor like a little Buddha. She cracks me up! The weather's turned quite warm and she's having a little adjustment problem with that big thick fur coat she has to wear. Have a look at this tired, hot kitty after a rough day of, well, mostly sleeping.



Yes, that's her tongue. Her teeth are so teeny weeny that she seems to have a hard time keeping it inside her mouth when she sleeps or plays, hence, an often crispy tongue.

An Engineer's Guide to Cats

Having been owned by many cats over my lifetime, I have to tell you that this "guide" is priceless!

What happened to spring?

Doesn't this seem a little extreme for mid-April? We had a week or two of really beautiful spring weather, but now look at the temps. Holy cow! Yesterday was 34C (93F). While people in other parts of the country are complaining about the rain and cold, here we are with sunburns in Vegas!

O-hanami in Japan, but not in Las Vegas

This year there will be no o-hanami (cherry blossom viewing) for me as I sit here basking in 78 degree weather on a typical spring day in Las Vegas. Usually, cherry blossom season is quite cold and windy in Tokyo, but nevertheless people have their picnics under the fully-blooming cherry trees where they can admire the spectacular beauty of spring. Last April, I wandered around the campus of Tokyo Institute of Technology, which was two blocks from where I lived in Ookayama in greater Tokyo. It was an unseasonably warm (nearly 70 F), sunny spring day, and the dozens of 100-year-old cherry cheers that lined the entrance to the campus were in full bloom. Every tree had rows of families and friends spread out on blankets under its arching branches. It was a sight that will live in my memory forever.

It's really hard to get used to only having two seasons now that I've left Japan. In fact, May 29 will mark my one-year anniversary of living back in the U.S. and it's been a big adjustment, especially weather wise. I loved the changes of seasons in Japan, a country that celebrates each new season with seasonal food, traditions, and festivals or other special activities. While there are many parts of the U.S. that have four distinct seasons, the ones I remember best were those I spent in the Greater Seattle area with its full array of seasonally blooming trees, shrubs and flowers, or changing leaf colors. It, too, was spectacular in its seasonal beauty.

And then there's Las Vegas. While there are many things that bloom in the desert in spring, I will never get used to such a dry, brown landscape, especially now that water conservation measures are being more fully embraced. People are digging up their lawns and replacing them with desert landscaping that requires little or no water. It's good for the environment, but makes everything look even more like the surrounding desert. Maybe that's why the new trend of painting houses in a wider array of autumn tones started. When I first started coming here to visit my daughter and her husband, all (and I mean ALL!) of the houses were painted very pale shades of tan or cream. They also all had bright green lawns and shade trees. Now, the houses are taking on more color, I suppose to make up for the drabness of the landscaping around them, although there are some newer areas that are beautifully landscaped with palms, mesquite, and other desert greenery.

So, even though I won't be viewing those gorgeous cherry trees this year, I suppose I'll just enjoy the beautiful blue skies and warm spring temperatures here in Vegas. . .and pray that summer doesn't arrive too soon.

What a great prank: Stopping Time

If you want to pull a cool prank, there's no better place than Grand Central Station. About 200 people were in on the prank that lasted exactly 5 minutes.

OK, maybe you could try London. . . where even more people took part. I suppose it will hit all the major cities of the world before long.

Wish I could have seen it in person!

In a rut and feeling bored

My life in Vegas is definitely in a rut. I go to work, come home and work on my lesson plans for several hours (unpaid, which really irritates me), read a few of my favorite blogs or latest news, fix dinner with J., watch a little TV, write some email, and go to bed. So, what's the big deal? What seems so different from my life in Tokyo where I did almost the same thing, with the exception of fixing dinner with J. and watching a little TV?

I've been mulling that over for quite a while now, and still don't know for sure what the difference is. All I seem to come up with are a couple of things. The first is that in Tokyo I taught many more lessons a day than I'm teaching now, and there was so much more interaction with students and other teachers. In our tiny teachers' room (about 4 feet by 12 feet and filled with lockers, bookcases, 2 miniature tables and stools, and 2 very small sofas) usually anywhere from 5 to 20 teachers were climbing over each other to get to their lockers, books, or fridge and catching up on the latest gossip or discussing politics, books, students, restaurants, travels, expiring visas, Japanese bureaucracy, and a million other subjects. It was amazing how much could be discussed during those meager 5-minute breaks. I miss all that chatter and laughter. 

No topic seemed taboo, which may or may not have been such a good thing. Nevertheless, with so many personalities, there was always something interesting going on and I usually went home chuckling to myself about something funny that had happened at work that day.

Not so much in Vegas. Even though we now have 5 teachers (all women), we have very little interaction. Usually the teachers just stay in their classrooms during their breaks or make a quick dash to another building to use the restroom (yeah, it's a bummer that we don't even have a restroom in our building) or have a smoke.

Another strange thing is that, while so many people come to Vegas because it's "such an exciting place," I find it all very boring. I mean, after you've hit the strip, done a little gambling, seen a few shows, the "real" life here is just about making it from one day to the next--putting up with the rude people, horrible traffic and even worse drivers.

Rant alert. This is just one of the many things I see almost every day: Picture 3 lanes of traffic in one direction, I'm driving in the far left lane, a school bus is in the right lane. The school bus puts on its flashing lights, extends its "stop" sign and stops. I stop in the far left lane (as is required by law) and suddenly this car in the middle lane blows past me--and the school bus--doing at least 50 mph! But wait, there's more! By the time I approach a very busy intersection up ahead, where the light has just changed to green, I see the same car that had just blown past me in the MIDDLE lane cut another car off at the intersection to pull a RIGHT TURN right in front of the car that was just starting to accelerate from the green light! Fortunately, the driver in the right lane hit his brakes in time to avoid hitting the car. This is the way people drive in Vegas! End of rant.

So, aside from trying to stay alive while driving, another realization about the rut of living here is that this city sucks. There are no interesting or quaint streets to meander through on foot. There are no tiny bakeries where you can catch a whiff of something wonderful baking, no chocolate shops, no corner flower vendors, no cute, hole-in-the-wall places to explore, no sidewalk cafes, no open-air markets filled with today's fresh produce, no independent bookstores to wander through, no cute park benches from which to people watch while eating a freshly-baked croissant and sipping coffee, no street vendors selling quick and inexpensive yet delicious and nutritious meals for office workers. Everything here requires a car (which my international students complain about) and miles of driving down seven-lane-wide boulevards to go to large chain-stores located in even larger strip malls that all look alike and include at least one fast-food franchise. This is the heartless, soulless look of modern America in a so-called modern city. What an empty, empty place. 

I think living in such a place is an assault on the senses and can easily make one jaded and bitter. I already see it happening to me and I don't like it. In just a few short months, work has become drudgery, and I think it's because there aren't the things here that can smooth the rough edges off life, like those things I mentioned above. It's those little, seemingly meaningless, things that soothe and enrich our lives.

Even though I have the wonderful and often hysterically funny companionship of J&T, two adorable cats to get my critter-fix, a lovely home in which to live, my own flat-screen TV (a very generous Christmas gift from J&T), I feel a longing for a city that offers much, much more to stimulate the mind and nourish the soul. 

Happy 2008!

My wish to all is that 2008 is the year that brings you joy, prosperity, good health, and peace.

Note: If the lights on the tree are not twinkling, click on the picture. The larger image will show twinkling lights.

It's Vegas, baby!

From the land of excess of every description, I wish you a Merry Christmas!

P.S. No, this is NOT my house.

Working at last!

Las Vegas Skyline

I haven't written about it yet, but six weeks ago I started working for a worldwide language school that just opened at one of the local colleges here in Las Vegas. We've been very busy getting the new school running smoothly and getting familiar with procedures, courses, and materials. I was so surprised to find out that this new company is affiliated with the one I worked for in Japan, as I had never heard of them before. So far, I'm the only full-time instructor but there are several part-timers. The director was, in his words, "extremely impressed" by my teaching credentials from Japan, so I'm happy that my adventure in Tokyo paid off.

It feels great to be back to teaching and earning an income again. I had been unemployed for several months and it was really starting to worry me that I wouldn't be able to find work here in the U.S. After all the resumes I sent out, including individualized cover letters, I hadn't gotten so much as a "thank you for your application."

Rant Alert: It's one of my pet peeves that businesses don't have enough consideration for the hard work people do to apply for a job to at least send an automated email reply:

Thank you for your application. If we feel your qualifications match our requirements, we will contact you for an interview. Please do not reply to this email.

It takes so little effort for a company to reply to applicants. They should be ashamed of themselves for such callous disregard. On the other hand, I suppose it's a good indication of how well those companies treat their own employees, so maybe I wouldn't want to work there anyway.

Since the school is so new, we only had a handful of students for the first 4-week session. We still have all of those same students plus a few more for our second session which just started this week. Most of the students are from Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam and as of right now I have only had Korean students. Since Las Vegas is known for its hospitality industry, many of these students come here hoping to enter UNLV and study hotel management. Before they can enroll in an American university, however, they must become more proficient in English. Our students range from the lowest levels of English to quite high, and currently I'm teaching the highest level—which requires a lot of extra preparation.

The commute is the worst part about being employed, but it's not as bad as when I lived in the Seattle area. I had just gotten so used to the convenience of Tokyo trains that I forgot about the reality for most Americans—having to commute to work by car in rush-hour traffic.

I seem to have adjusted well enough, and now my life is starting to feel more familiar. While it can be wonderful to have an extended "vacation," the reality is that it's not too enjoyable when you're wondering when your next paycheck will arrive.

Glad to be back to work!

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

I know a lot of you who read this blog live in other countries, but here in the U.S. today is Thanksgiving. Mostly, it seems like this day of "remembering to be thankful for what we have" turns into the starting gate for shopping madness. Starting at 4a.m. Friday, dozens of stores start opening for their annual Black Friday sales, including Target, Circuit City, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us, etc. This year the sales are also online, starting today (maybe they were last year, too, but this is my first Thanksgiving back in the states).

For many of the hottest sale items, people will camp out overnight to be first in line when the doors open in the morning.

Giving all of this serious thought—say 3 seconds or less—there's nothing I can think of buying that I'd be willing to camp out overnight to get. And there's definitely nothing I want to buy so much that I'd be willing to shove my way through huge crowds of bargain hunters. After living in Tokyo and trying to make it through the Shibuya Crossing at least once a month, I never want to be out in big crowds again.

While I'm not saying I don't like a good sale now and then, I'd much rather order something online. Here's just one of many websites that are tracking the sales.

But today, I'm just going to relax and enjoy a simple life. T&J got a nice little Butterball turkey to roast and we'll begin our Thanksgiving when J gets home from work (in Las Vegas, where so many people work in the hospitality industry, there are no holidays). After dinner, we'll probably just kick back and watch a movie. Boring? Maybe, but it sounds good to me.

Hope you're having (or had) a great Thanksgiving!

Now that I'm back. . .

Oh yes, the vacation! Sorry to be away so long from my blog but after my recent trip to Arizona and Mexico, I felt the need to focus on my job search and put Gambatte! on the back burner for a while.

The trip was beyond wonderful! While it felt strange to be back in the driver's seat after more than 3 years of not driving at all in Japan, it felt completely natural to be driving again. For my first time behind the wheel of a car, I drove nearly 300 miles to Sedona, Arizona, and then another 250 to Tucson. The pictures of Sedona posted in September were exactly what I saw, and it was absolutely gorgeous! What an incredible place! I'll definitely go back for a longer stay and do some hiking next time.

During the retreat in Tucson I got to spend a lot of time walking around the beautiful monastery grounds covering 132 acres. Mostly I just hung out in the Japanese garden with its beautiful bridge over a koi pond. Call me a nerd, but I could spend hours watching fish, and especially these elegant koi.



After 6 blissful days at the retreat, I flew to Mexico to begin the first leg of my visit to Copper Canyon aboard the privately owned El CHEPE, a modern, clean and comfortable train. The view was breathtaking, especially as the train crossed from canyon to canyon over high bridges. I was a little surprised, however, at the presence of several uzi-carrying, black-uniformed federales who regularly passed through the train cars. We found out later that they are there to protect the passengers from local gangs or banditos who have, on occasion, attacked the trains to rob tourists. They became a real concern back in 2002, I was told, when they shot and killed an American doctor who was filming their attack. Since that time, federales were hired to ride the trains. Believe me, these guys looked tough enough to handle any type of attack. I felt quite safe.

It took around 6 hours to reach the tiny town where our guide awaited us. Six of us piled into his 9-passenger SUV and began our ride to the lodge perched on the edge of an 8,000 foot canyon. We were told it was an "unpaved" road and would take a little more than an hour to go the next 4 miles as it was a "little rough." That was an understatement!

Unpaved turned out to be a boulder-ridden, back-breaking, death-defying, breath-holding adventure into total madness! Well, maybe that's a little dramatic, but it was downright scary. All I kept thinking about was that we'd have to do this again to return to the train station! The so-called "road" was one-car wide (barely) and had rocks the size of bowling balls littered everywhere. Most of the time, one side of the ride was a sheer drop off with no guard rails and full of hairpin switch backs. Our guide, admittedly an excellent driver, talked cheerfully to us the entire time and assured us that he was an expert at driving this trail, even in the winter with snow, or during the summer rainy season. He said, as the car lurched side to side, the road was much better now because it had recently been smoothed out a little. I wanted to take pictures along the way, but my camera was in my backpack and I was too paralyzed with fear to attempt to move to reach for it.

We finally made it to the lodge and it turned out to be more than worth the frightening ride. The rooms were clean and comfortable, the view was spectacular, and the food was delicious. Our two guides were friendly, funny, and very polite and helpful. They both spoke English quite well and filled us in on the history of the lodge and Tarahumara Indians who owned the land and the lodge. We watched the men carry huge loads of large, heavy bricks on their shoulders as they walked up and down the steep steps to build an addition to the lodge. I could barely manage one trip up and down the steps in the thin air of these mountains, and they did this for hours at a time.

(Double-click on any picture to enlarge it.)


A young Tarahumara girl, in brightly-colored traditional clothing and carrying her 3-month-old baby, displayed her small hand-woven baskets the next morning before breakfast. She was 15 years old. Adriano, one of our guides, told me the girls are usually married by the age of 12. The head guide, Julio, told me that he and his wife had delivered this young girl's baby because the doctor was at a festival and could not reach the hospital in time. The baby was named after him and he became the godfather.

I teased him about what his resume would look like because he seemed to be capable of doing anything and everything! He was a guide, driver, host, bartender, brick mason, painter, plasterer, plumber, and midwife, and I'm sure he had even more skills!

Here's a picture of Julio (l) and Adriano (r), our two guides, inside the main lodge.



This is a picture of the young mother's sister, and her 10-year-old brother holding his niece.


The brother was quite a sweet boy and seemed to like following me around. I had, out of habit and surely not out of necessity, locked my room when I left it to go to the main lodge for breakfast my first morning there. When I came back to my room, I couldn't get the key to work, no matter how many times I tried. The girl with the baby saw me struggling and shyly approached to help me with the key. She couldn't get it to work either. I saw her say something to her little brother and he quickly disappeared. I thought he had gone to get one of our guides to try to fix the lock but soon realized he had scampered behind the lodge (reminder: it sits on the EDGE of a very high and steep mountain!) to climb up through my room's bathroom window. In a flash he was opening the door for me, grinning ear to ear. I laughed at the sight of him and gladly handed him some money for his effort. He looked very surprised and grinned even more. Here's a picture of him but, sadly, I can't remember his name, although I think it might have been Eduardo.

The Tarahumara are quite shy around strangers, but this little guy and I had a good time together. One day Adriano took three of us on a short hike over to the chief's little hut, and there was this same boy sitting on a rock with a big grin and holding a long stick. We laughed when we saw each other and I quickly picked up another stick to play sword fight with him. He thought that was so funny as we each got in a few blows.

The kids there had such a sweet innocence about them. Their lives, while harsh and simple, are spent outdoors most of the time. They fearlessly scamper barefoot all over the mountains and treat everyone and everything respectfully. I never heard any crying nor angry voices among any of the Tarahumara.

Their homes are very tiny—about 60 square feet or so—and made of concrete blocks with no electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, furniture, or any of the other conveniences we take for granted (except in the lodge). I didn't even see any doors or windows—just small openings. I can't imagine what it must be like for them in the winter when it gets quite cold. Some of the people still live in caves, just like their ancestors did thousands of years ago. I wanted to take pictures of the chief's home, but felt it would be disrespectful, so just try to imagine something impossibly small and bleak, that sleeps maybe 9 people squished together. I know—it's hard to imagine.

The lodge, on the other hand, was spacious and comfortable. Here's a picture of the dining room with its magnificent view of the surrounding canyons.


It ran on solar power, but in the evenings there was no power at all in the lodge so everything was lit by candles. It created such a beautiful dining experience. I think the kitchen ran on kerosene. On our first night we lingered over fresh margaritas and stimulating conversations among the 6 of us and our 2 guides while a spectacular lightning storm flashed across the dark skies. With each crack of thunder, we laughed in awe at this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sit "on top of the world," completely away from civilization as we knew it, and marvel over the celestial dinner show.

A few days later, it was time to leave this fantastic place and return to our former lives. It made my heart sad to leave this beautiful, tranquil place. Knowing it is there and filled with the kindness of the wonderful people who live and work at this lodge, however, makes me very, very happy. I'll miss the Uno Lodge and the gentle Tarahumara, but hope to return there some day.

Maybe by that time the road will be paved!

Sedona Sunrise and more

Can't wait to see this incredibly beautiful landscape! It's located in the state of Arizona in the U.S., about 110 miles north of Phoenix, and has become a Mecca for Hollywood glitterati and spiritual seekers. I'll be leaving Thursday with my friend who's visiting from Tokyo.



We're on our way to a retreat center outside of Tucson in St. David, Arizona and will drive from Las Vegas through Sedona where we'll stay overnight, and then drive on down to Tucson.

I'm staying an extra 3 days at the retreat, but my friend will fly to Mexico to do a little exploring. We'll meet up again on the 13th in Los Mochis (state of Sinaloa) Mexico, located near the Sea of Cortez. And of course, wouldn't you just know it, they had a 6.3 earthquake yesterday, so I'm sure we'll be feeling some of the aftershocks!



Upon arriving in Los Mochis, we'll take a 90-minute shuttle to El Fuerte where we'll board the famous Chihuahua al Pacifico train early the next morning for a 405-mile-long journey to an eco-lodge perched on the rim of the Copper Canyon in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico.





The train ride rises to more than 8,000 feet (12,900 km) as it cuts through the Sierre Madre Mountains. We'll cross 39 bridges and go through 86 tunnels along its route. It passes through—and sometimes over—farms, hills, towering cliffs, rust-colored canyon walls, river beds, pine forests and Indian villages and takes about 14 hours. It's four times larger than the Grand Canyon and almost 300 feet deeper!





And, it's also the home of the legendary long-distance runners and cave or cliff dwelling Tarahumara Indians, with roots stretching back to the Anasazi.



The eco-lodge where we'll stay has only solar energy—no electricity—but has its own chef who prepares delicious meals from fresh ingredients. It has been featured in Frommer's Mexico, and National Geographic Adventure says the partnership with the lodge and the (Tarahumara) "has resulted in the preservation of 65,000 acres of nearby habitat."



This is a view looking down at the lodge. Nice, eh?

So I leave September 6th and will be away from any computer access for 13 days. It will be hard to be away from my umbilical to the world, but I'm looking forward to this adventure of a lifetime! Will post more pictures when I return.

Thanks, but no thanks!

This video came from Trends in Japan aka CScout Japan. It shows a place called Tokyo Summerland with its "wave" pool where apparently thousands can jump in to cool off. I can't imagine trying this with so many people, but it's the Obon holiday and people will do anything to escape the sweltering heat.

Sugarcoating the future

I'm finally convinced the U.S. really is the land of milk and honey—or rather, milk and sugar. Is there anything that doesn't include massive quantities of sugar?

We had pizza from Pizza Hut and I thought there was something wrong with my tastebuds because the first flavor came up sweet! Wait, wasn't this a pepperoni pizza? The two flavors didn't compute and with each bite it reconfirmed there was definitely sugar in this pizza! Sugar in pizza? At first I thought it was the sauce but it was actually the dough! T said their new dough recipe now contains sugar. As if anyone in the U.S. needs more sugar in their diet.

After living in Tokyo where people say they don't eat sweets (even though there are at least two bakery shops on each block), I got used to less sweetened sweets. They just don't use as much sugar in their pastries and I learned to like the "less is better" approach. But now that I'm in the U.S. everything tastes so sweet!

Maybe people should be investing in sugar futures which were up 60% from last year. Of course, the future isn't just about eating more sugar, even though that's actually what the entire world is doing now. It's about using it as an alternative energy source. If it's used for alternative energy, will sugar gradually be cut back in Coca-Cola, Twinkies, or Pizza Hut pizza? Will restaurants and coffeshops start charging for sugar packets? Will people start losing weight? Will children suddenly turn calm and focus on their school work?

I'm appalled at such blasphemous thoughts!

Can't break the habit

It's quite surprising how a habit can become so comfortable so quickly. I mean, I only lived in Japan for three years, but I can't stop bowing.

So far, I've bowed to drivers who allow me to cross in front of them to get into the supermarket. I've bowed to the bank teller. I've bowed to the clerk who rings up my items at Costco and at the post office. So far, I haven't bowed on the phone yet, but I still don't trust myself.

Bowing seems so natural and it's hard to stop.

Maybe I should check myself into some kind of rehab.

Got drugs?

What in the world is happening to America? Is everyone really on drugs? And I'm not even referring to the illegal type. I'm talking about the kind you get with a prescription from your doctor.

If you've watched American TV lately, you can't go five minutes (I swear!) without seeing an ad for some kind of drug that's going to make you sleep soundly, lower your cholesterol, get rid of your allergies, improve your sex life, control your high blood pressure or diabetes, ease your arthritis pain, take away your depression or anxiety and give you a reason to live.

Apparently, since 1997 when the Food & Drug Administration relaxed its rules about advertising, the pharmaceutical companies rejoiced, and in 2006 spent $5.29 billion on consumer advertising. This of course makes me wonder who's in bed with the FDA.

Worse yet, the pharms are so wily as to present much of their advertising as Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to advocate for disease awareness. Not so surprisingly, health care costs in America have skyrocketed because 1 out of 3 people who see those ads asks his or her doctor about prescribing the medication.

I'm not saying there aren't ample and valid reasons for taking prescribed medications, but I am wondering why we've become such a drugged-out nation. There seems to be an obvious correlation between the amount of money spent on advertising and the number of people asking their doctors for prescriptions.

With the push to bring each new drug to market faster and faster—thereby making pharms richer and richer—and the increasingly familiar headlines about potentially lethal side effects of some of those drugs, why are so many people still inclined to chase that magic pill for a perceived instantaneous fix?

In Japan, drug advertising is still prohibited, but like so many other things, Japan will probably eventually relax its restrictions due to the aging population and pressure from the pharms.

Here are some numbers that indicate the power of advertising:

$4.65 billion—Amount of consumer advertising spent by the pharmaceutical industry in 2005
$5.29 billion—Amount of consumer advertising spent by the pharmaceutical industry in 2006
$4.20—Amount of additional sales each $1 in advertising generates
16—Average number of hours of prescription drug advertising Americans see each year

Sources: TNS Media Intelligence, Kaiser Family Foundation, Journal of Health Communication

Hopefully, people will start waking up to the fact that they're being manipulated for the sake of greed.

For anyone who's interested in a more serious take on what's happening with drug advertising, here's another video (which makes a first for me to include 2 videos in one post.)

Lightning, thunder and other things that make noise

Monsoon season is definitely here. We've had our share of lightning and thunder storms over the past couple of weeks, but not that much rain. Here's a very cool photo of the Luxor Hotel Casino and the Mandalay Bay that I borrowed from the All Hat No Cattle blog taken last year, but I'm sure it must have looked close to the same this year.

Speaking of rain...J&T decided to call a roofing company to take care of a leak they had in the roof last spring that left a stain on the living room ceiling. Early yesterday morning I was awakened by the footsteps and pounding of the roofer who came to fix the leak. Wouldn't you know that in the middle of his repairs it started lightning and thundering, and I was a little worried about his safety. Then it started raining, but by that time he had finished the job. So now we can all relax and not worry about any more leaks. . .we hope!

There's been quite a bit of activity around the ol' homestead these past few weeks. J&T have decided to do some remodeling and have spent tons of time looking at kitchen appliances, lighting, flooring, furniture, paint chips, patio furniture, and plants. Well, you get the idea. It's been fun for me because I haven't had anything to do with house stuff since 2002 when I sold my Oregon house. Watching them do all the planning, coordinating and arranging actually makes me miss owning a home. Those are the things that really make a house your own, but can increase the stress level--not mine--theirs!

Jonesing for soba

Today was a perfect day for cold soba noodles for dinner. It was hot. Nothing else sounded good, and I wanted something quick and easy to make for dinner. The only ingredient I was missing was nori, but I thinly sliced a green onion and scattered that over my noodles instead.

Strange as it might sound, I've only made soba noodles one other time, and that was before I moved to Tokyo. They turned out awful because I didn't know I was supposed to pour a little cold water into the boiling pot to cool down the outside of the noodles, allowing the inside to cook better. I also didn't know I was supposed to rinse them like crazy after cooking to get rid of the starchiness and smell. The first time they turned out doughy and overcooked, and I wondered what all the hoopla was about soba. But once I got to Tokyo and ate them (or udon) fairly often, I became quite addicted. In the summer there are all sorts of cold noodle dishes you can buy already made at the grocery stores or convenience stores, so I never had to heat up my kitchen to boil water.

So, tonight I found myself alone for dinner and decided to give it a try. I had already bought nice soba noodles at Trader Joe's a couple of weeks ago in anticipation of my craving. I also had some hontsuyu soup base that I needed for the dipping sauce and some powdered wasabi that I mixed up and added to the sauce. It turned out quite tasty, if I do say so myself! Along with the soba, I made a cucumber salad with mirin vinegar. Everything was very simple and tasted cool and refreshing.

However, I really do miss the convenience of buying prepared meals. I rarely cooked while living in Tokyo--because I didn't need to! Prepared meals were delicious and inexpensive, and usually ended up costing me less in the long run because I didn't need to buy larger quantities that got jammed into my tiny fridge and forgotten as they got shoved to the back.

I still haven't tried sushi or sashimi since leaving Japan. Somehow, I think whatever I try here will be a big disappointment. We keep getting menus in the mail and one of them was for a new sushi restaurant. When I looked at the pictures and descriptions, they sounded too much like California-style sushi. Too exotic or manipulated. Japanese sushi is very simple--fish caught the same day draped over perfectly cooked and seasoned rice. There's very little else done to sushi. Wish I had some right now.

Triple digits and holding

I promise not to make this a weather channel blog, but couldn't help myself this morning. Here are some screenshots I took of the forecast this morning, posted in both Fahrenheit and Celsius for your viewing pleasure.




Even though we all say, "well, it's the desert you know, and it's a dry heat," this is definitely hot!

On July 3rd we went to a community fireworks show, even though we didn't find out about it until almost starting time. There were thousands of people at the park, but we managed to find a nice, grassy area to pitch our blanket just in time to catch a little of the live bands playing. The fireworks were great and it wasn't too hot to enjoy the evening, only around 98F or so, I think. But last night was a different story as we sat on the patio. It was still blazing hot at around 107F. As the night wore on, and more and more neighborhood fireworks took to the skies, we decided to walk around to view the fireworks madness that is Las Vegas. (Note: We don't actually live that close to the more familiar Las Vegas Strip. We're at least 15 miles away in the suburbs.)

Even though aerial fireworks are banned, you wouldn't have known it from our viewpoint. Too bad I don't have photos, but it's really hard to take good nighttime photos of fireworks. After about an hour of walking around, we decided to go back to the house and watch more pyrotechnics from the patio. We were all a little worried about the extreme danger of fires, considering the intense heat and dryness in this desert valley. Those bans are in effect for a reason, but as I said, everyone pretty much ignores them. Haven't watched any news yet today, but wouldn't be surprised if it included footage of burning homes or buildings!

So, this morning I broke out the iced coffee for breakfast. Couldn't bear the thought of drinking hot coffee. We're keeping the house thermostat set on 87F now to try to keep our bodies more acclimated to the intense outside heat, and to keep the electricitiy bills down a little. Even so, the A/C keeps kicking on as the house heats up quickly. I have a window A/C unit in my bedroom (or as T calls it, the meat locker), which I only run at night, but if I keep my door closed, the room stays pretty comfortable until evening.

Hope you're all managing to stay cool!

So, where was I?

Right. I've left Tokyo. That was exactly one month ago, although it feels like it was just last week.

It's been a bit of a rough transition for me because I got so used to an active life with friends, colleagues, and students. Now I'm back to my former reclusive lifestyle where I rarely leave the house, for which there are two reasons: 1) I don't have a car, and 2) it's hot, damn hot! Today was 110F (43.3C) with 3% humidity. That's so dry your skin feels like it's going to crawl off your bones. Dry. My throat has felt parched for two days although I've been drinking gallons of water.

The heat isn't anything like the heat of Tokyo, though, and for that I'm very thankful. Tokyo's heat is like a steaming pool of wetness that you carry around on your head and watch it drip down your body until it reaches your toes. It's incessant and oppressive.

I haven't found work yet, but that's not too big a worry right now. I figured I'd give myself a month off before actively seeking something. J thinks I should become a nanny for a well-off Summerlin family. Considering I have no desire or skill for that type of job, it's probably safe to say it won't be happening any time soon. I'm looking into some ESL teaching jobs at a university but the pay seems to be really low. I mean really, really low. So, there's always writing or editing work, and some of those jobs can be done from home. I could become a telecommuter, which would take me full circle back to 1998 when I wrote an article for American Demographics magazine about telecommuting. "It's like deja vu all over again."

So, other than the heat, the transportation dilemma, no job, and the loneliness, I'm doing fine.

It's not that I'm not enjoying J&T. When we're together, it's great and we have a good time--even if it's just running errands, watching TV or relaxing in the spa. I'm happy to be here and it makes me feel good to be with my family, but I guess it's just that I'm missing the work and social life I had in Tokyo. Maybe this feeling will diminish once I'm employed and meeting people. I don't have any friends here in Las Vegas, so it feels a little weird.

The other thing I'm missing is the food. I really fell in love with Japanese food--well, most of it. Never grew fond of the slippery raw whole baby squid thingy--sometimes eaten as a snack with sake--or natto. But for the most part, everything else I ate was delicious and beautifully presented. Mostly I miss the sushi and sashimi and I'm pretty sure I'll never find anything to match that kind of freshness here in Vegas. It's hot now so it reminds me of the delicious cold soba or udon noodles I subsisted on each summer, and the fact that I rarely needed to cook anything as it was readily available as takeout from supermarkets or convenience stores.

But the good news is that I can now go back to experimenting with my Thai and Vietnamese cooking. In Tokyo my kitchen was the size of a broom closet and I only had one skillet, one pot and almost no counter space. Billions of people around Asia turn out exquisite meals with far less, but I need room to cook! As Eddy said in the TV series Absolutely Fabulous, "I need surfaces, darling!"

Another major hurdle that I'm proud to say I survived was getting my household goods shipped from Japan. The paperwork was atrocious, but I endured, thinking that it would all be over once I got to the U.S. Hah! Silly girl! The container in which my goods were shipped was pulled at the port for x-raying, which was fine even though it delayed the shipping to L.V. by another week. I received numerous emails from the L.A. warehouse with updates about my shipment which included several downloadable PDF files.

I spent a seemingly inordinate amount of time making phone calls to the L.A. /L.V warehouses to try to coordinate what they were doing and get cashier's checks mailed off for additional shipping costs at this end. I was supposed to bring all these documents with me to the warehouse in L.V., but my printers were in the boxes being shipped and J&T don't have a printer. Thank goodness for Kinko's which now has an amazing service that will print out documents from a memory stick plugged directly into their counter desktop monitor. It took about 15 seconds and cost me 26 cents! Unbelieveable! However, we did have to drive about 10 miles to find a Kinko's because the new one just minutes away hasn't opened yet.

Then there was the confrontation with airport customs. I had to take all my shipping documents to customs for a clearance on my goods. The agent who "helped" me was anything but helpful. In fact, he was more like an evil control freak who was determined to express his manliness through intimidation. "Do you have anything less than a year old in your shipment", he asked with attitude, never looking up from his computer monitor from several feet away. I said, "I don't know. I might have some things less than a year old, but I'm not sure." He cocked his head to look up at me and repeated (as though I was an idiot who didn't understand him the first time), "do. . .you. . .have. . .anything. . .that's. . .less. . .than. . . one. . .year. . .old?" At the risk of irritating him more, I said, "I'm sorry, but I didn't keep track of when and what things I bought, so I really don't know. All I know is that I lived there for three years." The air was thick with unbridled irritation at my reply. I thought it was at that moment that he was going to 'cuff me, take me into a back room and waterboard me until I answered his question. A few anxious moments passed and then he picked up my papers and went into a back room that was closed off by a doorway. Gulp. When he returned about 10 minutes later, he walked slowly to his desk carrying one of my documents, stooped over to stamp something in red, and then--just as slowly--walked over and handed it to me like it was a revoltingly soiled diaper. Not knowing what I was supposed to do at that point, I asked, "Is that all?" to which he snarled, "You're free to go now." One of his colleagues, sitting at a nearby desk, said, "Thank you and have a nice day," as he continued looking at his computer monitor.

What a strange and unsettling encounter with this unfamiliar and somewhat frightening process!Anyway, I was glad it was over and couldn't wait to leave that frozen and heartless blackhole called customs. Going through customs as an airline passenger has always been a breeze with courteous, yet reserved, agents. This experience with my shipment was the total opposite.

So, that's what's been going through my mind and my life the past few weeks. I've decided, for now anyway, to keep blogging under the same blog name but if that changes I'll post an update on this blog. Gambatte!, after all, means to keep doing your best, and that's what I'll continue trying to do here in L.V.

Goodbye Tokyo, I'll miss you!

Sorry I've been away from my blog for a little while. Life has been a little crazy the last few weeks and I'm finally able to sit down and think about this blog.

Leaving Tokyo last week was bittersweet. There are so many people and things I'll miss:

Friends/Students: Including Judy, Courtney, Colleen, Jonathan, Jeremy, Eric, Satoko, Steve, Val, Amanda, Michael, Devon, David, Hiroko, Jean, Rieko, Hisae, Rumiko, Michiko, Emi, Chikako, Mayuko, Ryosuke, Tadashi, Chieko, Sachiko, Yohei, Rika, Yumi, Sho, Kosaku, Mayumi, Hiroko, Fumiko, Aki, Naombu, and friends who have already left--Michelle, Wendy, Emma, Elisa.

Food/Beverages: Impeccably fresh sushi and sashimi such as ebi, ikura, uni, maguro, and hamachi; bento; tofu (the REAL kind) and yuba; burdock root salads, mountain potatoes and all the other beautiful fruit and vegetables; Japanese tsukemono (pickles); sake (the huge variety), chu-hi (my beverage of choice); and especially the beauty and artistry of every food presentation which never failed to thrill me.

Trains: Really! Most of the time I was lucky enough to ride on less crowded trains. As long as you don't have to ride trains during rush hour, there's no better transportation service in the world than the reliable and convenient train system in Japan. While expensive, it nevertheless meant I never needed a car and could go anywhere I wanted quickly and safely.

Karaoke: Lots of fun with friends!

Konbinis: Convenience stores that really are convenient! There's almost always at least one near every train station or within two or three blocks from where anyone lives. Most of them sell bentos that are much healthier than the traditional hotdogs or fake cheese-laden nachos and other crap that's available in American convenience stores.

Vending Machines: You name it, you can find it in a vending machine!

Places: Shibuya--especially the Food Show, Hachiko (for meeting people), the BIG crossing, Bic Camera, the Apple Store, 0101, Blister, Loft, and millions more! Omotesando, Tameike-sanno, Ginza, Hiro, Ebisu, Roppongi, Shinjuku, Yoyogi park, Harajuku, Jiyugaoka, and on and on and on.

Izakaya: All those great, inexpensive places to go to eat and/or drink with friends after work.

Kimono: The gorgeous patterns and colors!

Temples and Shrines: Such beautiful places.

Festivals and Fireworks: Seems like there's always something happening.

There are just so many more things, but for now that's the highlight of my memories of Japan.

It's been quite an amazing journey these past three years and I hope I never forget it (hopefully, this blog will be my biggest reminder).

My next post will be about some of my feelings since arriving back in the U.S. Still haven't figured out what to do with this blog--change its name or what exactly? Anyway, I'll continue blogging under "Gambatte!" until I do decide. I hope you'll stay tuned.

How many people does it take to. . .?

OK, here's a perfect example of a very typical situation in Tokyo. Something's malfunctioning with the automatic gates in the train station. What to do? Send in eight guys--seven to watch and one to do the work. You can't see the eighth guy in the picture, but he's hunkered down on the floor in front of the four guys on the left. I see this sort of thing all the time and it really explains why everything costs so much in Japan!

Another thing you can't see in this picture is, I assume, the uniformed station master standing just out of range of my viewfinder. He saw me aiming my camera and stepped back.

Only one week left in Japan

Here's the guy I had a date with yesterday. OK, so maybe it wasn't really t-h-a-t kind of date, but he was all smiley and cute and I just had to take a picture of him. (Too bad it looks like he's got a laundry pole going through his head or that he's wearing some kind of strange laundry hat, but hey, it's a small patio!) He was from the shipping company and came to get my boxes. That's an apron he's wearing over his jeans, but I don't know what it says--probably the name of the shipping company.

I was surprised to see only one guy! Isn't this Japan, the country where it takes at least two people to do any one task? He was supposed to show up between 5:30 and 6:00 but called me at 4:00 to say he would be there early, at 4:30. Of course, all this was in Japanese. I've learned to use very basic English in these situations where neither of us can understand each other, so I said, "five-three-zero?" And he laughed and said, "four-three-zero." I said, "OK, see you then." "Hai," he said.

Anyway, when he got to my apartment there was the language barrier again as I attempted to ask him if he had any stickers for marking certain boxes "FRAGILE" to which he just smiled in that nervous "what the hell is she saying?" kind of way. This time I had to call the shipping company which is run by a bi-cultural couple, and explain what I wanted. She then asked to speak to Mr. Cute Shipper Guy and explained what I wanted. He did a lot of "Hai, hai, hai, hai!" and hung up. In a minute or two my phone rang and it was the shipping company apologizing for the guy having hung up before she could tell me that he said he didn't have any labels with him but would put them on the boxes I had marked "Fragile" later.

We'll see.

So, now I must focus on getting rid of the stuff that didn't go at the sayonara sale, cleaning my frig, and packing everything that's left into my suitcases. I also have to handle my cell phone cancellation (see Rants & Raves below) go to the bank to exchange money, and buy a few small gifts for my managers and staff. Oh, and work. Saturday is my last day at work and I'll leave Japan on May 29th.

Things are moving too fast!

Sayonara sale

Today I hauled a bunch of stuff out on a little patio adjacent to my apartment and had a Sayonara Sale. While I don't know any of my neighbors, except to bow slightly and say a quick hello, they seemed most eager to see what I had on offer.


One neighbor has a cute little 3-year-old grandchild who came to see what was going on. I had anticipated her interest and had saved a pink pig bathroom set for her (no, I didn't buy it, it was given to me by one of my zany friends) and she was thrilled. She, her grandparents, and her mom and dad took the bulk of my things. Almost everything was free but they insisted on giving me a little money nevertheless.

Then I was totally surprised when one of their other grandchildren handed me a bag with two cans of chilled beer inside! I didn't realize until much later that the grandfather had dropped a 500 yen coin inside the bag. I do remember that he beamed as he watched his grandson hand it to me. Nobody spoke much English, and of course I don't speak Japanese, but it will be one of my fondest memories of Japan.

While I've heard--and seen firsthand--that most Japanese just toss their unwanted items in the trash, it made me feel good knowing that I wasn't adding too much to the massive landfills that must exist around Japan. Everyone who walked down my street stopped to dig through items and usually found a few things to take home. One lady came back about five times, as did the grandparents and their grandchild.

All in all, I think everyone felt a little happier with the "treasures" they took home, and I know I felt a little bit of an ache in my heart as I realized that in about a week I will be leaving Japan. Today erased some of the memories of the irritating things about Tokyo, and reminded me that no matter what country or city, people can interract with kindness and friendship. And best of all, today showed me once again that language is no barrier to what the heart can feel.

Segoi! (セゴイ！)

Why am I even surprised?

There's a good reason why so many people are employed in Japan. Many of them have been given jobs that do nothing more than make it extremely difficult for anyone to do things in a timely way. It goes beyond bureaucracy. How anyone could use the Japanese business model as a model of efficiency is truly beyond my grasp.

Yesterday my landlady and I were on the phone for half an hour trying to cancel my cell phone account. First they asked her a million questions, then they asked me to repeat everything in English (although the woman taking the information spoke no English). Then, after I thought everything was completed, my landlady handed me the phone and said they had a bi-lingual person who could talk to me in English. Why didn't they do that in the first place? So, I went through the whole thing again, explaining that I was leaving Japan and needed to cancel my cell phone. Our conversation went on and on, just like the previous two conversations, and then she cheerfully thanked me for using SoftBank--and finished by saying, "Now you must go to the SoftBank shop and complete your cancelation. Please plan on one hour at the shop to do this."

"WHAT?" I asked incredulously. "Are you telling me that after talking to you and your colleagues for the past 30 minutes I STILL have to go, in person, to a SoftBank shop and that it will take me one hour to complete the cancellation?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, but you must go to the shop," she said cheerfully.

"But I need my phone until the morning of my departure. I won't have time to go to the SoftBank shop as I'm going to be, well, just a little freaking busy!"

"Oh," she said with that perky, smiley voice, "you can do it at the airport! We have two shops there!"

Right. Like I want to go to the airport an extra hour earlier just so I can have the privilege of cancelling my phone.

Some of my friends at work told me that SoftBank tries to talk people out of cancelling their phone service or to make it nearly impossible for them to do so. Reminds me of AOL.

Ask me if I'd ever use a SoftBank phone again.

For Jenn on Mother's Day

There's nothing more wonderful than being a mother, and I try to remember that every day and give thanks. There's also no job more difficult than being a mother, and I don't think enough women are appreciated for everything they do for their children.

When my daughter was finally handed to me in the hospital after a very long and difficult labor, I remember the look on her face as we eyed each other. It was like, "So, this is you!" we said to each other. I studied her face, especially her eyes, and thought, "What a wise old soul you are!"

Over the years, with each passing stage of her childhood, I marveled at the growing individual who had once stared into my eyes as that unblinking newborn, and I tried to imagine what she would be like as a grown woman. The years went by much too quickly! People always tell you, "Enjoy your child now because the years will fly by and before you know it, she will be an adult," but you never believe it.

Those childhood years are long gone now, and my beautiful daughter, my best friend, is 35 years old.

Our years together have not been without the ups and downs that any relationship goes through, especially those teenage years, but now we've found our rhythm and know how to share our thoughts and dreams. We've grown comfortable with each other.

Unfortunately, I never felt that way about my own mother. She was always, as I remember, someone who pushed people away with her strange and unloving behavior. I vowed it would never be like that if I were lucky enough to have a daughter. I wanted desperately to be a mother and to show my child how much she was loved. I never wanted her to doubt her place in my heart.

As if by some miracle, that wish came true. Thank you, Jenn, for making me a mom, and thank you Mom, wherever you are, for inspiring me to be a better mother.

In a mad rush

Sorry I haven't had time to post much lately. I'm busy sorting, pitching, and packing to leave Tokyo on May 29th. It's all happening so fast that my head is spinning.

On top of all that, I decided to work Golden Week, the week of four holidays and Children's Day. It's a nice way to make a little extra money, and I didn't have plans to go anywhere anyway. Still, I sort of regret not taking the time to go see more of Japan. I have to admit I'm not good at going places by myself (although I came all the way to Japan by myself!), especially when I don't speak the language. The hoped-for visits by family and friends never materialized, unfortunately, so I ended up working most holidays and only taking vacations home to the U.S.

Anyway, I'm feeling very excited about returning home. It will be great to be able to read signs and find familiar things in grocery stores and restaurants. I'm really looking forward to eating Mexican food again!

Ironically, the entire time I've lived in Japan I've wanted a cat, which was a definite no-no with my landladies. After moving to my new apartment last October, I thought long and hard about getting a cat but decided not to because I didn't know what my plans were, and didn't want to have to consider shipping a cat by air. In the last 10 days or so, a 3-legged cat has decided to take up residence on my patio, next to my washing machine. "She's" very skinny, in poor health, and very shy. I've put out food for her and she has rewarded me with her loyal presence each morning and evening. I wonder about what might have happened to her poor leg, and today as she was cleaning herself in the sunshine, I got a better look through my sliding door. I thought maybe it was a birth defect, but it looks like it was cut off. Poor baby! I wonder what her story is and wish I could ask her, but she apparently doesn't speak English and I don't speak Japanese!

Cat's have a very difficult life in Tokyo. Most of them have some kind of eye and nose congestion. Many of them have feline AIDS, I'm told. People don't seem to consider spaying or neutering their cats, so the population grows because they're outdoor cats. So, life as a street cat is just plain tough.

Fortunately, I have a close friend who is very active in cat welfare in Tokyo and has offered to come trap the little gal, take her to a vet for neutering, get her on antibiotics, and find a good home for her. I sure hope she's successful! This little kitty has had more trauma than any cat deserves, and I hope she can spend the rest of her days being loved and cared for properly.

DaVinci and more codes!

Here's a fascinating video about the latest in code decryption at Rosslyn Chapel, which was featured in the movie, The DaVinci Code.

Apparently, there were codes embedded onto some of the carvings inside the chapel. A father and son, who became intrigued by the carvings have deciphered a musical score based on these geometric figures. You can listen to a sampling of this score here.

What interests me so much about this discovery is that I've taught classes about the meaning of such symbols and images. Nothing, absolutely nothing in Renaissance history, was put into a painting, sculpture or other piece of art that didn't have meaning on many levels. While we might look at things from a purely esthetic point of view, artists from those midieval times embedded "secrets" into their art. Leonardo DaVinci was a master of this technique.

The other thing I loved about this discovery is the evidence of how sound waves create patterns. I've studied this phenomenon for a while and have found it to be mesmerizing to watch! You can achieve the same results by using large speakers and setting a flat tray filled with sand on top of the speaker. If you play one musical note at a time through that speaker, the sand will rearrange itself into a geometric pattern. Maybe crop circles are formed from some kind of similar phenomenon.

So, watch the video and see for yourself!

A birthday announcement

Today is my birthday and it will be the last one spent in Japan. After 3 years, I'm ready to go back home to America. Being an expat has been a wonderful and exciting adventure, but it's time to leave.

Last night I told my boss I was leaving the end of May. Just saying those words gave a new reality to this plan, and frightens me a little. I don't have another job yet, but will stay with my daughter and her husband while I work something out.

Six weeks will go very quickly. Wow! Can't believe I'm leaving! There's so much to do before then that my head is starting to spin.

I might have to rethink my blog name, although it seems to fit no matter where I'm living. Gambatte is Japanese for something like "keep trying to do your best" or "don't give up." So, even though I will be leaving Japan, I'll definitely keep trying to do my best.

More about this later.

State of the art in Japan

Here's an advertisement for a new phone one of my students just bought. You can actually watch TV on the screen that flips into a horizontal position. It can also be used for web browsing, spreadsheets, Word documents, etc.

The phones in Japan are quite advanced and have all kinds of special features. There's even a phone that you can use to buy things from vending machines, convenience stores, and other places. Just wave a specially equipped cell phone in front of a sensor and the payment goes on your phone bill.



Some of the latest technology includes a bar code feature where you can use the camera to take a picture of a URL, which will then be automatically added to your address book, thus avoiding the need to type it yourself.

There are quite a few advertisements popping up around Tokyo that include a bar code type of "mosaic" pattern that can talk to your cell phone. For a picture of one of these mosaics and a more indepth explanation of this technology, take a look at the following article in the New York Times.

"In Japan, McDonald's customers can already point their cellphones at the wrapping on their hamburgers and get nutrition information on their screens. Users there can also point their phones at magazine ads to receive insurance quotes, and board airplanes using their phones rather than paper tickets. And film promoters can send their movie trailers from billboards."

There are many more articles about this Radio Frequency ID (RFID) technolody and its applications here and here.

Whether or not this cell phone feature is anything I want to use, I can't say. Maybe it's just one more way for advertisers to snag consumers, and believe me when I say, "Nobody likes shopping more than the Japanese."

Can this be true?

Yesterday I was teaching a lesson to a Japanese business man, probably in his late 20s or early 30s. The lesson was about ordering something over the phone and we were doing a roleplay where he was buying a sweater from Land's End.

When we got to the part about giving his credit card information, he appeared to be baffled. I asked him to just make up a credit card number and he said, "1234." Then I said, "Well, credit cards usually have a lot more numbers," and wrote on the whiteboard to show him a long row of numbers resembling most credit cards. He looked surprised to see so many numbers.

Then I asked him for the expiration date and again, the same look of total confusion. It took what seemed like an unbelievable amount of effort and simplification to explain to him the concept of "expiration date." Finally, I said, "Let's look at one of your credit cards as an example."

"I don't have any credit cards," he said.

Curious and wondering if it was just him or if it ran in the family, I asked incredulously, "Really? What about your parents? Do they have any credit cards?"

"No," he said, "cash only."

Even though it might sound a little strange, I had to step back for a moment to take it all in. Is it really possible to live in the 21st century without a credit card?

It's actually not such a bad idea, when you stop to think about it. In America, where banks send a slew of zero-interest credit cards out in the mail to recent high school graduates, and where so many people find themselves in mountains of credit card debt, a "cash-only" society might be a wonderful thing!

Update: From my experience so far, most Japanese I've met have at least one credit card. This student was probably in the minority.

Gratitude: Is it on your to-do list today?

I must constantly remind myself to be grateful for everything in my life--the joys and the sorrows.

Visual DNA

Read my VisualDNA™     Get your own VisualDNA™

Want to know more about yourself? Take a stroll through Imagini and find your own visual DNA.

I used to teach workshops in self-discovery, and images were the basic communication tools we used to explore our life paths. Everyone holds their own unique symbols and images deep inside their consciousness, and the Imagini Web site taps into some of those images.

While it's fun and interesting to play around with those images, I don't necessarily agree with the interpretations because we each interpret life through our own life filters. By that I mean that while a rose, for example, could represent the exquisiteness of nature, it could also be someone else's symbol for a broken heart.

Anyway, enjoy Imagini !

Easter humor

OK, OK, I know I've posted this picture before, but it still makes me laugh.

And just for good measure, here's another one.

Hanami 花見 in Tokyo

Once again, it's cherry-blossom time in Japan. Today I strolled through the campus near me and took pictures of thousands of people flower viewing (called Hanami 花見) and having their picnics under the outstretched arms of 100-year-old cherry trees. It was so beautiful! Unfortunately, I don't have a fancy camera that takes gorgeous shots, but these will still give you an idea of the beauty of this time of year. (If you click on the pictures, you can see a larger image. )

The weather was perfect—although unseasonably warm—at almost 70 degrees.





It was wonderful to see so many families out enjoying the day. Children were everywhere!



Petals swirled with each gust of light wind, and the ground started turning pink.





Here are a few pictures of the cherry trees right around the corner from where I work in Jiyugaoka. These were taken early in the morning, so not many people were around. Last year the city cleared out all the bicycle parking around the cherry trees and added lots of park benches. For Hanami, they hung pink lanterns so people could gather under the trees at night to view the flowers and have their parties.






It's such a shame that this highly anticipated event lasts only one week. Nevertheless, it's quite a sight to see!

Need a brawny man for those lonely nights?

I know, I know. That title sounds X-rated, but if you'd like a good laugh (and can be patient enough to wait for the videos to load) check out this brawny guy

I think the Web site is either run by Brawny, the paper towel company, or just a spoof on their products, hence the paper towels being ripped off a roll while the video is loading. You can select videos from a menu that offers choices such as pre-made or custom movies. The pre-made titles are things like "Your Hair, It's Perfect," "That Thing You're Going Through," or "Feeling Lonely."

You can customize your selection and choose titles such as "Pleasantly Surprised," "The Warmest Welcome," "A Spider," "Freshen Up," "Ten Tired Toes," and more. You can even select "en francais" for those women who are hopeless romantics, although his accent is laughable.

The guy is dressed in a flannel plaid shirt and cords, and seems to live in a cabin with a warm, glowing fire. He's got that rough-around-the-edges look, including a little bit of face stubble. He speaks intimately to the camera in a low, sexy, pillow-talk style and says things like, "Please come in. Make yourself at home. That's the oven, I'm just baking some fresh bread.. .listen to me talking, I want to hear more about you, what do you dream about?"

He tries so hard to sound caring, loving, and gentle. For instance, in one of the videos, he's talking about people who "don't spend enough time just talking, taking the time to connect with each other." As he's saying this, he's putting a big leather glove on one hand and reaching out his cabin window. For a second we see what looks ridiculously like a statue of a small hawk perched on his gloved hand, and hear the sound of flapping wings as he then "releases" it out the window and says, "Fire away, friend. That's what it's all about, making friends, bonding..."

In another video, he's walking downstairs wearing his tool belt and acts surprised to see someone. "Hey, I didn't know you were here! I was just upstairs building you an armoir."

What makes it even funnier is that he's such a dufus! He's always doing things like forgetting the words to the songs he sings, or saying something like, "There's a word in German, for a woman who's magnetic, has a nurturing nature, gives everything to her family, and has a beautiful smile. (beat) I don't know what it is."

Anyway, it's pretty funny.

Thanks for the link, Diana!

My neighbor, the cellist

One of the things I'm grateful for is living next door to a concert cellist. He practices for half an hour or so almost every morning, which means I'm treated to my own private classical music performance. He's very good, and I never hear any mistakes, but have to admit, I probably wouldn't notice them even if he did make them. The cello is one of my absolutely favorite instruments and I was thrilled to know there was a cellist living next door. Although I don't really know him well at all, he did tell me that he and Yo-Yo Ma were classmates at Julliard back quite a few years ago.

Now, if only I could get one of my other neighbors to put away his keyboards and djembe drum. He lives right above me, and plays the same insipid songs--and makes the same mistakes--over and over. One of his favorites is the Carpteners, "Close to You." A few days ago he played the djembe all day and evening until I finally put on some headphones and watched a movie.

Just an ordinary day in Shibuya

At least a few times a month I go to Shibuya to shop, eat out with friends, or whatever. This is one of the things I dread the most--the unbelievable crowds! I've gotten better at making my way through them, as long as I pretend I'm a salmon swimming upstream. These are the moments when I definitely feel the need to gird my loins!

The Shibuya Crossing is the world's busiest intersection. I've read that about one million people cross here per day, and about 1,500 traverse every three minutes at each light change, 80% of them carrying a mobile phone.

It's quite an experience.

Step away from the sushi and no one will get hurt

Does the Agriculture Minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka have nothing better to do with his time?

I mean, aren't there more pressing things to worry about? Like avian flu, or BSE (mad cow disease)?

Friday, Matsuoka gave the go-ahead to creating a label for "authentic" Japanese sushi. Apparently, there's been grave concern in Japan that people worldwide are eating sushi that's not, well, real Japanese sushi. They're worried about the bastardization of their cuisine, but not about the derision they face by the international community over this asinine labeling idea, most of which will be paid for by the Japanese government.



Not only are the purists worried about the authenticity of sushi ingredients, but also the atmosphere of the restaurants! I guess that means if you had a restaurant that didn't look enough like a "real" Japanese restaurant, you could not get a Japanese Seal of Sushi Restaurant Authenticity to post in your window.

I wish I were kidding, folks, but I'm not!

So, here's something to ponder: In almost any supermarket or convenience store in Japan, French red wine is sold chilled which would make a French winemaker weep. Spaghetti, one of the most popular dishes in Tokyo, is made with slices of bacon or regular ham and tastes curiously sweet. Pizzas are made with corn, tuna, mayonnaise, octopus, boiled eggs, natto, and nine million other ingredients that are definitely not "authentic" Italian cuisine. New York style cheesecake, cut into tiny rectangles, looks more like a tart than a cheesecake and has very little cream cheese. Mexican cuisine is made with almost no authentic Mexican ingredients.

Should food authenticity labels be required in "ethnic" restaurants in Japan? Or is Japanese food considered the only food so pure, so creative, or so intensely flavorful to require "protection" from those who would bastardize it?



It's an idea like food authenticity labeling that sets Japan apart from the rest of the world. To attempt to know the Japanese mind is not for the faint of heart.

And speaking of "not for the faint of heart," here's a picture of what's become my favorite sushi, even though it took me over two years of living in Tokyo before I would even try it because it looked downright scary. It reminded me of little golden-colored cat tongues. Here's uni, a sweet, buttery-soft sea urchin, that tastes like a piece of heaven, but only if it's impeccably fresh.



And finally, do you think there should be an all-out ban on things that are disguised to look like sushi, but that aren't actually sushi? There are millions of fake sushi items here in Japan, but this one is my favorite! Must look for one of these USB computer memory sticks!

Construction worker turned samurai?

Ever since coming to Tokyo almost three years ago, I've wanted to post a picture of the clothing that a typical construction worker wears. I've seen these uniforms in dark blue, medium blue, gray, and sometimes white.

I can't imagine how these "uniforms" can be practical or more important, safe! It seems to me that all that extra fabric would get caught in things, and the foot covering that is typically worn looks like soft-soled, high-topped slippers. In America, construction workers usually wear steel-toed boots, in case something heavy falls on their feet. I'm not sure, but I think the wide-legged pants are tucked into the shoes somehow.

Usually, I see the construction guys wearing bandanas wrapped tightly around their heads, and in the summer, the bandanas are usually replaced with towels. They wear matching jackets in the winter, and in the summer they wear sleeveless t-shirts or sweatshirts. Often their heads are either shaved or their hair is pulled back in ponytails. In a way, the outfit has somewhat of a samurai look to it. Maybe that's why it's so appealing to the young, tough-looking guys who wear them.

NOTE: By no means should anyone assume that construction workers in Japan look this hot !

UPDATE: It must be spring. I just saw a guy dressed in a lavender version of this outfit!

Parasite singles

According to Wikipedia:

Many young Japanese adults choose to live with their parents, rather than seek a separate residence, a phenomenon known as parasite singles (パラサイトシングル). A 1998 survey by the Ministry of Health and Welfare indicated that about 60% of single Japanese men and 80% of single women between the ages of 20 and 34 lived with their parents.

That survey was taken almost 10 years ago. I wonder if it's changed any since that time. With the cost of living in Tokyo, I can imagine that the numbers are even higher now.

Snow-less in Tokyo

"For the first time in 130 years, Tokyo has gone without snow. In what has been a very mild winter, retailers have been disappointed with the lull in sales for winter related goods."

This winter was a big disappointment for me as well because of the unusually warm temperatures. Many days in January were in the 50s and the month closed at 59 (15C) degrees. In mid-February, we got all the way up to 64 (18C).

We never even hit freezing at all this winter, and now spring is already here, or so it seems. Ume, or Japanese apricot, bloomed the first week of February, and the sakura, or cherry, blossoms will soon follow. My heavy winter coat never made it out of storage, and most of my sweaters and wool scarves have remained folded in a drawer. The previous two winters in Tokyo were bitter cold with ferocious wind.

While I'm not crazy about the cold, I'd prefer it any day over the hideous, sweltering heat that permeates this country for six months. I dread its return. Maybe it's my Irish genes, but I think cooler weather is much healthier.

Totally hysterical!

This is one of the funniest videos I've ever seen. It's a tongue-in-cheek version of how to eat at a sushi restaurant. It focuses on the Japanese view of preciseness, perfection and, most important, manners. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you get at least one taste of delicious chocolate today! Don't these chocolate-dipped strawberries make your mouth water?

For those of you uninitiated in the Japanese culture of Valentine's Day, this is the day that WOMEN give chocolates to men! Somehow, this Western tradition got, um, reinterpreted.

The custom did a backwards somersault. Men don't give chocolates until a month later, on March 14, called White Day. This is apparently the day when they reciprocate and give chocolates to the woman or women who gave them chocolates on Valentine's Day. In my twisted mind, I can't help wondering if the men just recycle their Valentine's Day chocolates. Japanese men, I hear, aren't known for being especially romantic, or even for remembering their wife's birthday, or their wedding anniversary.

According to Wikipedia, White Day started in 1965 when a marshmallow manufacturer thought men should reciprocate and give candy to women. It was originally called Marshmallow Day. You can probably understand why something called Marshmallow Day wasn't especially catchy.

So, in 1980 a chocolate maker decided that it would be a great marketing ploy to create White Day and make white chocolates for women. Since most women don't like white chocolate here (too sweet), the chocolate makers added dark chocolates to their holiday selections. It's still called White Day, but it's OK to give white or dark chocolates.

Puzzles of Daily Life in Tokyo

Here's a great video from Mediatinker. It will give you an idea of some of the things I've experienced since living in Tokyo. I never learned Japanese, except for sumimasen and arigatou, and a smattering of a few other short phrases. And, as much as I've tried, I also don't know kanji, katakana or hiragana, but somehow I've managed to stumble through my three years here. I'm hopeless when it comes to languages other than my own.

Top 10 Rants

Don't know why, but lately I've been feeling really annoyed by some of the things I experience here in Tokyo. Usually I can just brush it off, but suddenly I feel like I'm drowning in it. Everywhere I turn, I'm ready to go postal and I've got to get over this!

Rant 1
Why can't people divide the street or sidewalk in half--one half going one direction and the other half going the other direction? I mean, cars move that way, right? Why not people?!!! This rant also includes the stairs in train stations which are clearly posted with "up" and "down" arrows, yet no one pays any attention to them.

Rant 2
And, why can't people walk in a sraight line insead of meandering all over the place like they've taken up residence on an ant hill?

Rant 3
And speaking of walking, why in Hell do people have to walk while reading their keitai (cell phone)? Picture a million people walking along at a quick pace, and then suddenly the person in front of you stops with no warning as they decide at that very moment to read something of interest on their cellphone! I can't tell you the number of times this has nearly caused a chain reaction freeway-like pileup!

Rant 4
Has anyone over here ever heard of holding a door open for the person behind them? How many more times am I going to get a door released in my face? Do I need to start wearing a face guard? Now I've taken to shouting, "Thank you!" every time someone does that. The really strange thing is that no one apologizes!

Rant 5
Picture me getting to my train platform early. I get there early so I can stand at the front of the line which you would think would ensure me of a better chance of getting a seat on the train. At the last second, just as the door opens and before anyone can even get off the train, some obachan (old woman) dashes in from the side and pushes her way past everyone else to grab the only seat left on the train! Don't let those old gals fool you! They're as spry as chickens and as determined as hungry wolves!

Rant 6
Men, outside of a social situation or face-to-face meeting, are rude, rude, rude! For all that bowing and humility they show on the TV news when they've been caught falsifying their company's financial reports, their manners fly out the window once they leave the office. Men here feel it's their inalienable right to go first or be first, and what's worse is that the women here accept that! Men do not hold doors open for women, pull chairs out, help with coats, carry packages, or do anything else that sets gentlemen apart from. . .from. . .whatever is the opposite of gentlemen!

Rant 7
Bicycles are a menace and anyone riding one should be exiled to some country where there are only mountains and rocks! Bicyclists and pedestrians are two opposing forces that should never come together in a crowded city of 30 million people. I'm fed up with dodging bicycles and if I hear one more chirp from those ridiculous bicycle warning bells, I'm going to jam my umbrella into their spokes!

Rant 8
Speaking of bicycles, what size brain do you think it takes to not realize that you shouldn't park directly in front of doors to shops, banks, grocery stores, etc.? This seems so obvious, yet everywhere I go, there are those damned bicycles to climb over!

Rant 8
Double and triple bagging. Is it really necessary to put my newly purchased undies inside a small bag, seal it with tape, and then place that bag inside another larger bag which is also sealed with tape? If I buy a bottle of dish soap when I'm at the supermarket, does that need to go inside a separate bag before it goes into a larger bag? When I buy a bag of pickeled vegetables that's already factory sealed and isn't leaking on grocery shelves, why is it necessary to put them inside separate little bags before they go inside my shopping bag?

Rant 10
Do mothers here not realize that they should hold the hands of their very young children while on escalators? I nearly had a heart attack one day when I saw a little girl, about 4 years old, race up ahead of her mother and FALL TWO STEPS AWAY FROM THE TOP OF THE ESCALATOR WITH HER HANDS SPREAD OUT IN FRONT OF HER! I was too far away to quickly yank her up, but somehow she stood up at the last split second before her hands could go into the disappearing step! The mother looked oblivious to the danger. I almost never see mothers holding their children's hands, even when they're getting on and off trains. I've heard stories here enough times about small children falling between the trains and the platforms to think people would be a little more careful with their children. While infant mortality rates are among the lowest in the world at birth, the statistics shoot up frighteningly high between 2 and 4 years old.

So those are my rants. I just needed to get them off my chest. I'm really not an angry, miserable person. Really. . .

A traditional Japanese wedding

One of our staff got married over the Christmas holidays. She had a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony where she wore a white kimono.

Here's a picture of her and her mother.



The bride changed outfits several times, and each change included a change of flowers as well! This wedding had to have cost a fortune! Here she is in her western-style wedding dress.



And then there was the mile-high cake, although you can't see the fourth layer in this shot!



And this gorgeous red gown!



An amazing wedding!

Time out to reflect & do more wishful thinking

Well, I ALMOST made it a full year without getting sick. It would have been a year in February. Right now, I'm sitting in bed with my laptop, eyes and nose running, chest hurting, coughing, sneezing. . . Blech! Maybe this is just an opportunity to take a time out and reflect on the new year.

What do I want in 2007? What are my dreams and goals? How can I wish them into existence? Did that sentence sound strange? Maybe, but I've come to believe in the power of wishful thinking! Last year I wished for a nicer apartment that wouldn't cost me any extra money, that wouldn't require a lease or key money, and that would be close to my work and closer to the station. As impossible as it all seemed, it happened! My former landladies even found the apartment for me and paid for my move!

Then I wished for a new cooktop (stove) that wouldn't cost too much. A brand new one showed up at my door for free, a gift from my new landlady!

Next, I wished for a washing machine of my own (rather than one shared by me and the four male tenants in my small apartment building). Without even asking my landlady for it, one "appeared" on my small patio.

I think that each one of those things was part of a grander plan to convince me about how manifestation works. It's supposed to be EASY! All of our lives we're told to quit wishing and start doing. Well, maybe we've been misled. Maybe life isn't meant to be filled with beating our heads against a wall. Maybe all we need to do is make a sincere wish. Great Avatars have told us this, and it appears in all the holy books of the world. So why do we doubt it? Why in the world would we want to work hard and limit our dreams?

For 2007 I encourage you to WISH, and it shall be yours!

Holiday Wishes

To each and all, I wish you the blessings of the season. May we all remember the spirit of Love that lives in our hearts. May we look upon all of creation as our brothers and sisters, without judgment, and accept them as they are. May we treat the Earth respectfully and use its resources wisely. May we lift up our voices in defense of those who cannot speak for themselves--the children, the animals, the infirm, the aged, the repressed, the poor. May we all live in a peaceful world.

Those are my holiday wishes for each and all.
(image from: www.culture-of-peace.org)

In the holiday mood

Thanks to my very sweet daughter, my room is all Christmas-y looking because she sent me a darling little tree! She even sent ornaments and lights. And then, just for good measure, she sent a beautiful little "Father Christmas," a stocking filled with chocolate bars, cinnamon sticks, and a really cute Christmas card that she made. She was worried that I wouldn't get in the holiday mood if I didn't have my own little tree, so. . .now I'm listening to Christmas music and writing greeting cards while my little Christmas tree twinkles.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. . .

Beautiful fall day on campus

Here are a couple of photos I took last week on the Tokyo Institute of Technology campus where I teach. It was a beautiful fall day and some of the trees looked so golden.



This is where I teach--the Ishikawadai Building. It's very modern and comfortable.






Here's a view inside the lobby where students can relax, study, eat, or even take a nap!

Half of what it used to be!

I've fallen so far behind in my postings that I barely know where to start. Remember the 82-year-old house I used to live in? You can scroll down this page to see the YouTube movie I posted of the way the house looked in September. I went to see its progress today and couldn't believe my eyes! Half of the house is now gone. From the look of things, they should have pulled the entire house down and just started over. Almost nothing of the original house will remain. It's a little strange that such a remodel would be done here in Japan because usually people just tear the whole place down and rebuild.

My landladies seem to be taking it well, or as well as they can. Here's a picture of the older sister, who's quite easy going and very sweet.



The other two tenants had to move out because it was impossible to live there with all the noise and mess. For some reason, the landladies seemed to think--or were led to believe--that the tenants would only need to leave for "a few days" but there's no way they could live with such a mess. The walls all the way around the house are being ripped apart, closets removed, and windows added. It would be impossible to live there with all that is going on, and from the way it looked today, it will be at least a couple more months before it's finished.

Hey, remember me?

So, it's been a while. Just haven't felt the urge to write about anything lately, although there are probably a number of topics rattling around inside my head. For the past month I've just been so darn busy--moving, getting my apartment fixed up and everything unpacked, teaching three days a week at two universities--and now Christmas is just around the corner! That means getting my shopping done and packages and cards mailed.

How can it almost be the end of the year already? Seems like it should only be June or July--not December! Maybe it's hard imagining Christmas because it's been so warm. We're having unseasonably warm weather and I keep hoping it will get cold soon so I can start wearing my winter clothes. Although wearing winter clothes here can also be a problem because the heat's turned so high in most buildings, shops, restaurants, etc. I've actually left stores because they were too hot! So, hard to get my shopping done. . .

While I try not to think about it, this Christmas will be my first one in Tokyo, even though I've been living here since Spring of 2004. I always go visit my daughter and her husband for Christmas, but this year I can't go to the U.S. because I already took my vacation in July/August. Now I have to let the other teachers have priority for their vacation requests. This year, quite a few teachers want to take their vacations at the end of the year, so I'll be staying in Tokyo. Since I'm not going to Las Vegas to spend it with J&T, they'll go to Seattle to visit with the other sets of parents. It just won't seem like Christmas to me, so I'm feeling kind of sad.

But, my friend Judy has invited me to get together with her and a few friends for Christmas dinner. We're going to "Lawry's Tokyo" which will be nice, but not the same as going to "Lawry's Las Vegas" with J&T! For the past three or four years, we've gone to Lawry's for Christmas Eve prime rib. We made the decision to do that so we could have a nice, restful Christmas Eve instead of all our usual, frantic, "last-minute cooking, cleaning, wrapping presents" routine. It was such a nice alternative to go out and have somebody else do the cooking and cleaning. Plus, we always took home the leftovers which made for nice French dip sandwiches on Christmas Day.

I already know that the whole time I'm sitting there in Lawry's Tokyo, my heart will really be with JJ&T, and missing them.

In mid-move

I just have a second but wanted to let everyone know that I might not have access to the Internet for a week or two. Getting hooked up in Tokyo very often takes a month, from my past experience, so I'm being optimistic saying it will only be a week or two. If it looks like it's going to be a while, I'll try to post from an Internet cafe.

For having such a small room (but with one large--by Japanese standards--closet), it sure seems to be taking me a long time to get moved! I've tried to sort and clean things as I went, so maybe that's caused some delays. My bed, sofa (very tiny!), TV (big, bulky and ugly, but hey, it was free!) and nightstand will be picked up and delivered to the new place today. Everything else has been moved 5 blocks either on a hand-cart, or in the back seat and trunk of a friend's car. She had an hour to help me yesterday, so that was great. Unfortunately, today it's raining, so I don't know how I'll get the rest of the things moved, including my futon, comforter, curtains, bathroom stuff and dishes. Since I have a few more days before the demolition starts on the house, I can take a few cart-loads if the rain stops soon. Then it's back to work with a very full schedule this week and working two days from 8:30am to 9:15pm. Ugh!

So, that's about it for now. Again, I promise pictures soon!

Feeling uninspired

I know it's been a while since I've written anything, but besides being busy cleaning, sorting, and packing my things for the move this weekend, I just haven't felt inspired to write anything. Call it writer's block or whatever, but I can't seem to think of anything to write about. Well, actually that's not entirely true. I've thought of a few things, but by the time I get home from work, I've forgotten what it was I thought was so important to write about!

So, I'll bring you up to date with my move. During this whole mess I've discovered that I'm a pig! Yes, a pig! The room that I thought was clean has turned out to be encrusted with a thick layer of dust and alien life forms! I've been coughing and choking on all the dust bunnies and beating myself up because I haven't kept them in tow.

In Tokyo, it's easy to grow dust bunnies as the air here is heavy with pollution--although people tell me that it's so much better now than it was ten years ago. Even if that's true, I could dust and clean every single day and still have to fight my way through an accumulation of dust at the end of the day! I leave my windows open almost all the time, or in the heat of summer, use my A/C. Right now, my A/C is thick with a greasy-feeling layer of dust. It's disgusting.

Having tatami mats makes me also wonder what life forms might be proliferating between the fibers. Many people change their tatami yearly, but I'm sure mine have been in this apartment for many years. While soft and luxurious to walk on, it's got to be a haven for dust and mites. Hence, probably the reason why I developed asthma since living in Japan (which is now, fortunately under control--except that over the past few days I've begun coughing again, probably from pushing around so much dust).

My new digs have wood floors, so that will help a little, but they won't feel nearly as soft to walk on. At least I'll be able to Swiffer the dust away.

I'll post some pictures of my new place tomorrow. I measured it and it's about 140 square feet, so slightly bigger than the place I have now, but with only HALF the closet space! What's a gal to do with so little closet space? Here's a newly remodeled apartment, and there are absolutely NO DRAWERS or CABINETS in the bathroom! Could somebody please explain to me how anybody can live without drawers or cabinets in a bathroom? And how can you have a single closet that's only about 3 feet wide?

Fortunately, the kitchen has 3 cabinets, so that will be nice, but the main dishes/glasses cabinet is so high that I'll need a step stool every time I want to use something. This, in a country of people who are on average about 5 feet tall!

Apparently I found things to write about. More later.

How can this happen?!!

This is a video of what the house looks like where I live right now. It's an 82-year-old house owned and continuously occupied by the same family who built it in 1924, the year after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 in Tokyo.

I live in one of the three small apartments upstiars. I couldn't get a good shot of the roof because I'd have to trespass on the neighbors property to be able to get back far enough, but this house has one of those traditional, very heavy tile roofs.



Hiroko told me this week that, probably in early November, the house will be cut in half. I'm still in shock! This particular house was built on leased land, and the current owner of the land wishes to build a small apartment building on part of the property where this house sits. My landladies (two elderly Japanese sisters) don't have the approximately $430,000 (U.S.) or 50,000,000 yen to pay the land owner to renew their lease for another 20 years, so they must allow half of the house to be "removed."

I still can't believe it will happen! My room is on the second floor on the left in this movie (the two little windows are my kitchen and bathroom). If you draw a line straight down from the smaller bathroom window, that's the part of the house that will be demolished. The room under me is the very large bedroom/art studio/music room occupied by the sister who owns the house. For Tokyo, it's a huge room, and has a sliding door that opens onto a small garden. Her room, my room, and the garden will soon disappear to accomodate yet another ugly, 2-story apartment building that will leave the remaining house boxed in with no sunshine.

It's totally disgusting that such a thing can happen to two lovely Japanese women who, along with five other siblings, were born and raised in this house.

As for me, I'm only a temporary renter, and yet I feel so sad that the women who have become my friends will suffer such a loss! This really sucks!

I'll keep you posted as the demolition unfolds.

Japan's conservatives get their wish

On September 6th, 38-year-old Princess Kiko of Japan gave birth to a son. It's the first male royal child born in 41 years, and it--at least temporarily--set to rest the growing dilemma about whether or not to allow females to ascend to the throne. In a recent poll, 56 percent of Japanese respondents backed a female monarch. However, while Prime Minister Junichiro Koizume "enthusiastically" backed a proposal allowing women on the throne, his likely successor, the conservative chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, "has said he will not rush to take the proposal forward." My understanding is that the royal family is also opposed to a female monarch and pursuaded Mr. Koizumi to "back off" with his support for the proposal.

In a way, I'm relieved that a son was born--if only to take the pressure off poor Princess Masako , Princess Kiko's sister-in-law, who has been under extreme pressure from the Royal Family to bear a son. Harvard- and Oxford-educated Masako was a career diplomat who reluctantly married into the monarchy and crumbled under the pressure to produce a male heir. In late 2004, Masako was excused from her royal duties and went into seclusion due to what the royal family called her "mental illness."

I guess, even in the 21st century, women still get labeled as "mentally ill" for refusing to obey, acquiesce, or bow to those in power.

In Memory of September 11, 2001

WARNING: Graphic and disturbing content

Let's Enjoy Sake!

That was the subject line in an email I got from one of my students, Rumiko. She and her husband took me on a sightseeing trip to Yokohama a few months ago, and now she wanted me to join her at a sake-tasting party that was held last night.

While I've tasted sake a few times, I have to admit I wasn't much of a fan. It was "just OK", but I was still interested in going to a "women only" sake party. I enjoyed the wording on the website sponsoring the party: "This is a women's function however only one man accompanied by a female guest(s) could be admitted if she wish."

Apparently three women wished to be accompanied by a man.

The evening started out after work Saturday, and I was already tired because it was the last day of my work week and I had just taught eleven lessons. On top of that, it was so frickin' hot and humid that I thought I was going to boil inside my skin!

Rumiko met me at work and we headed for the train station. We needed to go to Shibuya and transfer to another train that would take us to Shimokitazawa Station. Every station was packed with people and hot as Hell! When we got to Shimokitazawa Station, we had to walk for about 10 minutes to the building where the party was being held. By the time I got there, I looked like something the cat had dragged in! I was soaking wet from head to toe from the heat and humidity. The temperature, I found out later, was around 98 with the humidity factored in.

So, I made a quick restroom stop where I pulled out my wash cloth (always carry a wash cloth in Japan!) and wiped down my face, neck, and arms to cool off and wipe away the sweat. When I felt that I was minimally presentable, we hit the elevator and went up to the twelfth floor where we were the first to arrive and only had to pay 2500 yen instead of the usual 3500 yen.

The room was set up with three very large, round tables dressed in white linen tablecloths over pink linen cloths. There was another table set up with a nice array of Japanese food, but unforunately I forgot to take pictures! Argh!

Once everyone (about 30 people) had arrived, the tasting began. There were ten different types of sake to be tasted, and I wondered if I would make it through the entire tasting without falling flat on my face! We were given the traditional bamboo sake cups (to keep as souvenirs) and after each round, we were instructed to wipe out the cup with a napkin to get it ready for the next tasting. It took about two hours to taste all ten sakes (is that a word?). After each tasting, Rumiko and I discussed the qualities and then scored the sake. After a few tastings, the shy Japanese women at our table joined in to express their opinions too. Their English was quite good!

Somehow, I managed to make it through all ten tastings without even getting a "buzz!" I think the food helped, and the tastings were very small--maybe a tablespoon or so each.

I was amazed at all the different sake tastes. Like wine, there are mary variations of sweetness and dryness. Some go down smoothly, and others burn all the way down. My favorite was the first one, and I have no idea what it's called in English, but it was smooth and delicious. With each tasting the MC explained how that particular sake was made, what percentage of rice, how long it fermented, etc. I remember one that she said had been set in snow for 180 days which made my mind do some weird things--imagining bottles of sake all in a row, stuck up to their necks in snow! Maybe it was the effect of drinking several shots of sake. . .and also wondering how nice it woud feel this time of year to be stuck up to my neck in snow!

These were my three favorites, in order:



No. 1
This was soooo delicious and smooth all the way down! It was an exceptionally nice, dry sake. Perfect!


No. 2
This sake was also very smooth with just a tad of sweetness. It would taste wonderful with any Japanese food, or nice with snacks.

No. 3
This was a very, very mild-flavored sake. Rumiko said it tasted like water, but I liked it. It would be perfect for sipping ice-cold on a hot day with some light food.

At the end of the party, the winning sake was announced. It was this one, but Rumiko and I didn't care for it at all! I thought it tasted like fire water!



Then we were invited to have free sake cocktails! I didn't know cocktails could be made with sake! I had no idea what to order so just asked the evening's hostess/bartender (who was a great MC!) to fix me whatever she liked. She did an amazing job of combining sake, strawberry liquer, and litchee liquer, shook it over ice, and poured out a beautiful pink, viscous-y drink in a tiny martini-shaped glass. It reminded me of a Cosmopolitan. Yum yum! Rumiko chose a sake/kahlua combination served in a tiny glass shaped like a beer mug.

Soon after that, the party ended and we began our trek home around 10pm. While I had hoped it would have cooled down a little by then, it really hadn't because the humidity had climbed even higher. By the time I got home, it was nearly 11pm and I was exhausted and sweaty again! Couldn't wait to hit the shower and go to bed! I'm such a wuss!

The party was fun, though, and I always enjoy Rumiko's company. Maybe we can go to another tasting party when the weather cools down.

No memory

Well, actually that headline should be "no memory cards" but I have to admit that my own memory isn't so great either. Seems that I forgot my digital camera memory cards in Las Vegas, so those of you who have been waiting for more pictures of my trip will have to wait a little while longer. They should arrive by mail in the next week, I hope, and then I can post more pictures of my month-long trip to the U.S.

Stay posted.

Crows

Over the years, I've become quite fascinated with the superior intelligence of crows. Most people seem to hate them, but I think they're a joy to observe. For instance, one time, while driving down a winding country road, I saw what looked like a million crows on the narrow two-lane road ahead. I slowed down to see what had attracted them. As I approached closer, I saw that the crows were standing in absolute silence on both sides of the road, peering into the middle of the lane where one of their own had been killed, most likely by a car. It looked exactly like a funeral procession! I think the crows had lined up to witness the death and give an official send-off to their fallen comrade! Perhaps it was a crow with special status in their group. Who knows for sure? At any rate, it was amazing to watch and I felt a sense of sorrow as they stood in perfect silence.

Here's another example of crow inteligence, although it might seem a little risky to the casual observer!

Telling it like it is

Keith Olbermann is truly a man of great courage and should be applauded for his willingness to stand up to this administration, and to Rumsfield in particular. Equating dissent about the war in Iraq with "moral confusion" is sheer lunacy and Rumsfield should be relieved of his duties immediately.

So near and yet so far. . .

Today I hauled my suitcase, laptop and tote bag over to a friend's apartment where I will be cat-sitting her two cats for the next three weeks. I kept procrastinating because it was so bleeping hot and humid that I didn't want to leave my apartment.

Finally, I went downstairs to ask my dear, sweet landladies if they would mind calling a taxi for me. Not speaking Japanese is really a pain sometimes, but I'm glad to have such nice landladies who are always so willing to help me. I feel bad asking them to do these kinds of things, but they always seem so willing to help.

I gave them a sheet of paper where I had very carefully written out the address where I needed to go. I also carefully explained that I would need to be dropped at the front door of the "mansion" (the word used by the Japanese to describe a brick, high-rise apartment building), and not at the back of the building which faces the main road.

It took an incrediby and unbelievably long time to get this information delivered in a way that they could expedite the instructions to the taxi driver. When he showed up, exactly on time, he got out his map and huddled with the landladies. After what seemed to be, I swear to gawd, another 15 minutes of instructions and intense studying of the map in the blistering heat, where sweat poured down my face and back, I explained that once we got in the general vicinity I could help direct him to the apartment building. My landladies reviewed "hidari" (left) and "miggi" (right) with me so I could tell him which direction to turn.

My destination was approximately 2.5 miles away.

Now, is it just me or do you think it's ok for an experienced taxi driver to not know how to find an address only 2.5 miles away? While I see GPS systems in many taxis and private cars, this taxi was equipped with only a book of maps.

When we got to the general vicinity, he started quizzing me in Japanese and I'm assuming he was hoping I could understand him and answer in perfect Japanese, even though the ladies told him that I didn't speak any Japanese. As he nervously drove around, I began to recognize the area and began giving him my simple and rehearsed directions, "hidari, hidari, kudasai!" One-way streets didn't help, but after a few minutes, we approached the eight-story building and we both saw it at the same time. I gave a hoot of recognition, "hai, hai, hai, hai" and he grinned with relief.

So, here I sit, with my two cat-pals, listening to Chopin's Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor on my computer, and life is good.

Roberto's Taco Shop!

The first thing I had to do when we arrived in Las Vegas was go to Roberto's Taco Shop for some tamales! Oh, were they delicious! And the Margarita (not pictured) that went with it was fab!



The food I always miss the most when I'm out of the U.S. is Mexican food. While it can be found in Japan, it takes some looking and costs a lot more. This tamale dinner (takeout) cost $5.

Reno, Nevada

On our way back from Seattle to Las Vegas, we stopped for the night in Reno. It's a small town plopped in the middle of nowhere. Here are a couple of photos, one daytime shot and a nighttime shot looking out our hotel window. Yes, that's a rainbow! There was a huge lightning and thunder storm and the sky turned yellow, typical in the desert. Then we were treated to a magnificent rainbow.



At night, Reno's casino-town look kicks in when the garish lights come on.

Back to Tokes

Here's a picture of Tokyo from the plane as I returned from my month-long vacation.

While I fully expected to post short blog entries while I was on vacation, there was never enough time! I'll have a bunch of pictures to post soon, especially the ones that go with my "26 Things" post a while back. I got to do almost everything on my list, so that was fun.

Why do vacations go so fast? There was such a lead-up to the "big event" and then it was gone in a flash! Well, it was fun while it lasted.

The day I got back felt like I had just walked into a sauna! After being in the dry southwest desert, it was a shock to the system to step off the plane and get hit by a blast of super-heated, steaming air! Did I ever tell you how much I hate hot, humid weather?

Anyway, it felt strange to go back to work after nearly a month off. I wondered if I'd still know how to teach, but it was like riding a bike -- you never forget.

Stay tuned for many more pictures soon!

Lift off!

It's finally here! I'm leaving Tokyo in a few hours and winging my way to Las Vegas. Saturday was a major countdown at work and everyone was calling me "short-timer." Of course, I added to the drama by ticking off the number of lessons I had left to teach: 11. . .10. . .9. . .8. . .7. . .6. . .5. . .4. . .3. . .2. . .1. . .LIFT OFF!!!

I'll be gone for nearly a month, thanks to the kindness of my boss! Vacation couldn't come at a better time, considering Tokyo is heating up to the hot liquid state. Even early in the morning it feels like someone's wrapped the city in a hot, wet, steaming blanket. Pure misery! This is my third summer in Tokes and I'll never get used to it.

Las Vegas has been hot, too, but at least it's dryer. The day after arriving, we'll throw our stuff in the car and head for some cooler weather in Seattle where we'll visit friends and family for a week and then head back down to Vegas. One of the guys at work asked if I was nuts to be spending 20 hours or so in a plane and airports, only to arrive and hop in the car for a two-day road trip! "Nah," I told him, "just glad to be heading for cooler weather!"

So, yesterday I spent the whole day trying to shove a ton of stuff into two big bags. My tiny room looked like a clothes bomb had gone off but I forgot to take a picture of it. I even had laundry hanging to dry across my entire sliding door because it was too steamy outside to expect it to dry anytime soon. Amazingly, it all dried in time to get packed!

I've been slugging down Airborne cocktails the past couple of days, hoping to stay well. There have been several summer colds making the rounds at work, and I'm just being cautious.

I'll have my laptop with me on the trip, but don't know if I'll be taking it to Seattle or not. Will try to keep blogging whenever I have a chance, and posting those "26 things" pictures!

26 things I want to do on vacation

While a true "26 things" list is supposed to be pictorial, mine is just words. Maybe I'll take pictures of each of these things when I'm on vacation and post them when I return. In the meantime, here's my list:

1. Rest (but only briefly)
2. Give everyone I know and love a big hug
3. Drink Margaritas
4. Eat Mexican food in Las Vegas
5. Eat Pagliacci Pizza in Seattle
6. Go for hikes in the deep green forest
7. Go to movies
8. Visit friends
9. Cook stuff with J&T
10. Get in the spa
11. Watch DVDs with J&T and eat popcorn
12. Go shopping for shoes that fit me
13. Go shopping for clothes that fit me
14. Go shopping for underwear that fits me
15. Buy makeup that's light enough for my fair skin
16. Eat real beer-battered fish and chips
17. Putter in an actual backyard
18. Win a big jackpot in Las Vegas
19. Stay cool sipping ice-cold lemonade
20. Play with cats
21. Sleep as late as I want
22. Stay up as late as I want
23. Browse in bookstores where there are books in English
24. Shop at Trader Joe's and Wild Oats
25. Stock up on stuff to take back to Tokyo
26. Try not to cry too much when I leave

Any other ideas?

Less than a week!

In less than a week, I'll be winging my way to Las Vegas aboard Korean Airlines. I've never flown KAL before, but people say it's a good airline with good service.

Unfortunately, every time I hear "KAL", I think of KAL 007 that was shot down over Sakhalin Island by the Soviets in 1983 when it wandered accidentally into Soviet airspace. All 269 passengers and crew perished. The claim was that they didn't know it was a civilian aircraft and evidence gathered over time showed that they had made no attempt to communicate with the airline. Conspiracy theorists have suggested that the accidental "off course theory" was no accident. "U.S. intelligence has a long history of 'tickling' Soviet radar' by deliberately flying planes into Soviet airspace and then recording the responses."

Well, at any rate, I'm not going to worry myself about such things. That was in 1983 when the Cold War was utmost in the minds of the Reagan administration. Now that the Soviet Union has fallen, we've transferred our paranoia to the terrorists. Doesn't it seem strange that every time we have a Republican administration everybody gets paranoid about something? I've heard that you create what you think. Makes me wonder if we're all thinking a little too much about "evil empires' and the "axis of evil" and creating more and more of it in the world. Maybe we should shift our thinking to better things and find peaceful solutions to the world's problems.

Who comes up with this stuff?

WARNING: Now, before anyone flames me for this post, I want everyone to know that I think it's a good idea to use humor whenever we feel helpless or hopeless. It's a way to heal and move forward with life. I am not dishonoring or disrespecting anyone who serves in the military and I sincerely hope that everyone left serving or working in Iraq or Afghanistan comes home safe and sane.

Having said that, there's a blog I've been reading recently that is so funny I just had to tell you about it. It's called, of all things, Al-Zarqawi's Mom's Blog . Here's an example:



Karim took me out for a make-out. They will make my new hair for the Jon Daily show. Here it is!

It's the most bizarre thing I've ever read, but I started chuckling, and then pretty soon I was bwahahahaha-ing. I mean, even the idea of someone creating such a blog boggles my mind, but whoever it is has managed to imbue a personality into this imaginary person.

But, don't go there unless you're prepared to laugh at the utter absurdity of the blog.