Life of Lynn

The End

2007-10-14T15:00:00.000-05:00

The last 2 months have been exciting as the past two years (when I started my blog). I'm happy to say that I've adjusted to living in the Twin Cities. I found a place to continue the salsa lessons I started in Japan and also a group of people that I can meet with and speak Japanese with once a week.

Here is where I can give loads of excuses for not updating this blog, but I won't. I'll just have to say that this is the end. I impressed myself though that I was able to keep with it for so long.

Thank you for reading!!!

Lynn

Hello Minnesota! day 3

2007-08-26T17:13:00.000-05:00

Miss Wendy (my cat) and I made it safely through the Thursday storms in Chicago area and Wisconsin rain showers on Friday. I took some cool pictures of the storm but I won't be able to upload them until I get internet access in my apartment later on in the week. For now, I can use the public computer in my apartment building.

It's been blue skies since Friday and I'm hoping that is all I will mostly see. I went to the Minnesota State Fair with Autumn last night where we met up with a couple of her friends. I had heard a lot about the fair on the radio while driving around town. We could hear Fergie playing at the Grandstand while walking around with my $7 beer battered deep-fried cheese curds. They were good, but too many to eat for one person. They tasted like mini grilled cheese sandwiches with lots of cheese and not much bread.

Not much else has been going on here.

Tomorrow is orientation day for my first day of work.
The movers "should" be arriving with my goods sometime this week. Let's just hope sooner rather than later.

I'll keep taking pics and post them when I can.

Kitty in the Car

2007-08-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

A part of me things that this is pretty cool. The other part of me knows that this would be a little too silly for a 28 year old.

Storm after-math pics

2007-08-14T18:29:00.000-05:00

There have been some storms through the area with high winds and hail recently. Here are a couple of photos from Saturday night's big storm.

I Passed!

2007-08-14T18:07:00.000-05:00

Today I passed the MN written driver's test. Yesterday I got a 76% and today I got a 91%. I wasn't a big fan of the questions that asked how far you should be away from something and they ask you 75 ft, 50 ft, 20 ft, 30 ft.

After getting my place at a place called "Driver's License", I then went to SEARS to get my license plates. Yes, SEARS, on the second floor to be precise. Next to the frames and bedding.

So far so good with becoming a resident of the State. The other fun things on my "to-do" list were to open a checking account and transfer my insurance over. Not necessarily the most exciting day, but very productive.

Lunch today was at a Turkish restaurant called Black Sea Restaurant. I'll be back because it was good. I came across it in a book called "Eat.Shop Twin Cities".

Book Description
With a modern layout and luscious photographs, these city-specific guides unearth distinctive, locally-owned and operated eating and shopping destinations. Designed for both locals and tourists, these indispensable tools feature listings to more than 90 spectacularly original businesses that encapsulate the core character of each given city. Ideally sized for backpacks or purses, each guide also features easy-to-read maps and hotel suggestions.

After driving across town most of yesterday and around where I'm going to be living, I'm feeling comfortable driving around and finding places.

Newest Minne-SNOW-tan in Minnesota

2007-08-08T20:43:00.000-05:00

My blog has officially changed from being an account of Japan and post-Japan. We're starting off fresh now with everthying being related to living in Minnesota.

Minneapolis has 22 lakes in the city and 1,000 lakes in the Twin Cities Metro area. Minnesota introduced these products to the world: Masking and Scotch tape, Wheaties cereal, Bisquick, HMOs, the bundt pan, Aveda beauty products, and Green Giant vegetables. Minneapolis has more golfers per capita than anywhere else in the U.S. The Metrodome is the only sports arena in America to host a Super Bowl, a World Series and a NCAA Final Four Basketball Championship. Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline, more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined. Minnesota has more recreational boats per capita than any other state.

Hello Central Time Zone and prime time tv one hour earlier!

Countdown to Moving Day

2007-08-08T20:13:00.000-05:00

This weekend is the weekend I will go and search for my apartment. It will be exciting but probably not as exciting if I were to live downtown St. Paul or better yet, Minneapolis. I plan to live in the suburbs near lots of parks and access to biking trails and the highway. I think that some of the benefits I experienced while living in Osaka will be the same as living in the Twin Cities.

I checked out the events calender at one of the main parks and I will be leaving one day too early. There will be a Japanese lantern festival on the 19th. It's great to know that I'll be able to continue my connection with Japanese culture. http://www.comozooconservatory.org/cons/jll.shtml

Target date for move in: August 24th

Last Day of Work (again)

2007-07-26T20:51:00.000-05:00

I will be seeing this view a lot more in the next couple of months. Tomorrow is my last day of work for the next couple of weeks until I get my apartment and start date figured out.

Miss Wendy is even getting ready for the move. She has a special carrier that will allow her to fly as part of my "carry-on" baggage. Tomorrow she has to go and get a certificate that will be presented upon arrival at the gate. The certificate just says that she is up to date with her shots.

I'm really looking forward to living in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

I'm just curious about how many blue sky and cold winter days that I will experience. It appears that it will get as high as 83F (average) and as low as 4F (average).

http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-minnesota/minneapolis-st.paul-weather.asp

St. Paul is rated as the 21st coldest place to live in the US with a cold temp of 6.2F in January. It fits into my plan of not living in a place that is HOT. :-)
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/top25s/coldest.html

This was an interesting and notable fact found on Wikipedia about Minnesota:
The sales tax in Minnesota is 6.5%, but there is no sales tax on clothing, prescription medications, some services, or food items for home consumption.

A new start!!

2007-07-22T11:47:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday I found out that I was offered a job out in the Twin Cities area!! I'm excited and very happy that I don't have to spend the rest of my summer preparing for any more job interviews. It was definitely taking up a lot of my time.

I move to the St. Paul area sometime later this fall. I am now waiting to find out when my start date would be. It's not so cut and dry since there are background checks and drug screenings that need to happen all before stepping foot on the company property.

I'll be working in a really cool area of technology that goes into LCD tv's and mobile phones. I am not sure what I'll exactly be doing as it depends on how things are when I first arrive. The group is rapidly growing and there are a lot of opportunities for career development.

My weekend with no photos to show for it

2007-06-17T20:14:00.000-05:00

I put my camera away after camping last weekend and finally found my camera after the weekend.

After the interview on Thursday, I went to the Loons game with an organization from work. It was a good deal because for $10, I got both my game ticket and dinner at the stadium. I had a great time hanging out with those that I see a lot and those I don't see so often.

A comedian, Frank Caliendo, came to the Center for the Arts on Friday. http://www.frankcaliendo.com/
He was pretty funny, but you could tell that some of his routine was toned down for the family-friendly audience. After the show, we went to a friends house for a bonfire in the backyard and hung out enjoying the fire.

Saturday was low-key with applying for jobs and buying camping gear online. With it being so hot on Saturday, it was kind of nice being able to stay indoors. Twelve of us managed to miss the rain and eat at a dinner outdoors. http://www.mountaintown.com/

The week ended with me washing my car and finishing up with laundry. Super fun times I say! Just kidding. Went for a walk around town with no particular destination in mind. Sometimes I wish the town was more walker friendly with places that you could easily walk to without having to worry about cars coming your way.

Now summer begins this week and weekends jam-packed fully of activities. This upcoming weekend is my class reunion. Guranteed to be an interesting time. After that is my 4th of July holiday where 4 of us go backpacking in the remote wilderness of the Upper Peninsula.

Let's just hope I know where my camera is for the rest of the summer...

Interviewing

2007-06-17T20:08:00.000-05:00

My month of interviewing nervousness finally came to an end last Thursday. Since April, I had 2 phone interviews with only one of them taking me to the next step. I had my first onsite interview with a company since coming back from Japan.

I felt pretty prepared and now I hope to get a lot more interviews through out the summer so I can keep sharp. I won't find out how I did until after the July 4th holiday. It'll be interesting to see if how I think things went match up with how the company thinks of how things went with me. There's both pros and cons about this position, but I'd rather not go into the details yet.

Weekly Softball

2007-06-17T19:55:00.000-05:00

I am really surprised at how fast the summer has gone by so far. I've been keeping busy during the week with softball and not-so-much soccer anymore. My softball team is a mix of people that work at the same company as I do, but I don't necessarily work directly with them. These pics are from last Monday's ball game.

The team has been around for a long time and this is my 2nd season playing with the team. We have 5:30 PM and 7:00 PM games once a week. It seems that most of our games are on Monday nights.

I typically play 2nd base, but I have also been playing in the outfield.

Camping and Canoeing

2007-06-17T19:21:00.000-05:00

06/08/2007
The first camping/canoeing weekend of the season was at the Rifle River Recreation area in Northern Michigan. It was about an 80 minute drive. Friday night, we set up camp and sat around the campfire. We didn't have to worry about dinner since we ate before we left. We did make smores though.

Saturday we had a full breakfast before heading out for our 3-hour canoe trip. After finding out that Brian and Stacie had all kinds of car camping gear, I suggested that we have hash browns, bacon and pancakes. I'm not used to this kind of camping. I am used to backpacking where you carry in and carry out everything in a backpack.

The bacon was good and the coffee was delicious. I didn't realize how many things could be run off of propane!

This was where our canoe route started for the day. I am not sure how people tube down the river with it being so narrow and having a lot of turns. I am not sure if I would go back canoeing down the river, but I'd go back to the group camp site and the lakes nearby.

Picnic in the Park

2007-06-17T18:36:00.000-05:00

06/02/2007
The Dow Gardens don't allow for people to have picnics on the property. There was a nice spot outside the entrance. Music could be heard from the art fair going on at the center for the arts. It was a nice spot overall.

The difference between a picnic here and a picnic in Japan would be that we'd have a blue tarp to sit on and we'd eat a bento lunch or food purchased from the basement of the department store that would be all within walking distance from a train station. For this we went to the grocery store and Subway.

The art fair had the typical crafts and food for sale- wood and ceramic crafts, photos, jewelry, and yard decorations. Nearby at the library was a book sale. I found a Japanese language book for $1.

The roses were in bloom the first weekend in June. As far as I know, the Gardens are the only place in the city that has a waterfall.

??

2007-05-13T21:54:00.000-05:00

Miss Wendy is doing well. She likes to take over and sleep in my bed.

Here's a photo I took back home in April that I never posted. I thought it was interesting.

Dinner Parties

2007-05-13T21:41:00.000-05:00

A group got together to watch some tv episodes on tv and the dinner theme was greek/middle eastern. Sometimes we try to get together each month and each takes their turn at hosting. This was my second dinner. I hope to host in the winter a Japanese/Thai themed dinner.

There is a slightly more awkward feeling for me to take pictures of food here in US compared to when I was in Japan...

Birthday

2007-05-13T21:37:00.000-05:00

So what did this cute little girl get for her 5th birthday?

A glow-in-the-dark bowling ball.

Saturday in the city

2007-05-13T21:21:00.000-05:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Rapids%2C_MI
the city population was 197,800
It is the second largest city in the state (following Detroit) and is the principal city in the region of West Michigan.

San Chez - A Tapas Bistro http://www.sanchezbistro.com/

www.thebob.com
AL DUCHARME

Quirky Japan

2007-04-22T20:49:00.000-05:00

This is a funny website. It gives a lot of great information that would have been helpful for me when I was in Japan.

http://www.quirkyjapan.or.tv/

Essay #1 by Sofia

2007-04-22T19:55:00.000-05:00

On Japanese Train Capacity by Sofia Elouali
10:25pm Tuesday, Sep 5, 2006

If you're ever on a reasonably empty Japanese train (which is only possible if you get on at an originating station or it's 5.30am), you might notice that they're pretty spacious.

If it's not 5.30, being designed this way allows them to fit 15 people in up to 3 rows between each set of seats, and up to about 40 people in the spaces between opposing doors. I get to be one of these people twice a day, so here is a quick guide with which you can classify how busy your train is:

If you are a forearms length from 6 other standing people... you won't have anything to hold onto, but the train isn't busy.

If you are physically touching 4 other people... the train is fairly busy.And if you are physically touching only 2 other people... it's probably because you've been squashed into the doors.

One special bonus scenario from yesterday: Trying to ride the train standing on one leg because the person that got on behind you beat you to the only spot left to put your other foot. Now that's a busy train.

Great Lakes Loons at Dow Diamond

2007-04-22T17:27:00.000-05:00

The Loons won their first home game yesterday. It's their first season here in town. They used to be in Battle Creek.

http://www.loons.com/

Butterflies

2007-04-22T17:11:00.000-05:00

I saw more than Butterflies in Bloom at the Dow Gardens yesterday. I saw a frog eat a butterfly! Shortly after I took this photo, the next thing I knew, the butterfly was gone!

finger + door = ouch!

2007-04-22T16:57:00.000-05:00

In rushing to take the garbage out last Sunday, I accidentally slammed my middle finger in the door. A week later, it feels much better.

Tempura- the American way

2007-04-22T15:55:00.000-05:00

Nick and I made Tempura using the Tentsyu recipe I wrote in a previous post. This dinner tasted really authentic. I was surprised mainly due to the fact of how hard it is to find some ingredients.

The menu was Tempura (batter fried vegetables, shrimp, and scallops) and cold soba with sauce. The vegetables were an assortment: eggplant, carrot, onion, parsley, mushrooms, bell pepper, and squash. An attempt was made to batter some colby jack cheese, but that didn't work very well...

I think it took about 2 hours from the start of the vegetable prep to end of dinner for this particular menu.

#1: Cut and wash vegetables.
#2: Use Japanese batter and follow the directions. You can find the batter at Meijer. Dip in the batter and bread crumbs.

#3: Fry
#4: Eat

The sake wasn't very good. I am more of a fan of the plum wine (ume shu).

Sushi, Skating, Fire, and Ice

2007-04-22T15:10:00.000-05:00

The past month has been interesting weather-wise. At the end of March it was around 50F and great for grilling out. Then, shortly after the flowers started blooming, it snowed in April!! Two weeks ago it was really rainy and quite drab. This past week, everyone was looking forward to the warm weather. If you couldn't tell, the weather is a major focus with people. It dictates our mood and what types of activities we'll be doing.

Yesterday and today are just great. I was out on my bike riding around town, saw some butterflies, and went to a minor league baseball team.

Here's the month in review in pictures...

March 28th - Fusion 1 Cafe dinner (43 people!!!)
The sushi was once again awesome. The evening was a great time. There were 43 of us that went to the restaurant. In our case, we had to make a reservation which effectively took over all of the seating at the restaurant. It was good that there weren't any groups planning on going to the restaurant impromptu. There's no way they woudl have been able to get a seat! Well, ok, I think there was a small group of 4 that didn't belong to our group there...

Saturday, March 31st -
After a day of shopping in Birch Run where I was able to see April and Aaron, there was a roller skating social held by a local organization. It'd been a long time since I roller skated. It feels weird to roller skate after having rollerbladed more recently!

Following the skating (not related to the event), was a Christmas Tree burning. The tree was pretty dry since it'd been out in the back yard since January! Nice fire though.

April 11th- Snow covered the flowers that were ready for Spring

Spam Mail (Junk Email)

2007-03-27T20:55:00.000-05:00

I think I finally got rid of the last bit of Japanese spam email tonight. I received an e-card back in January and accidentally clicked a little too much which signed me up for different electronic magazines.

I think the worst kind of spam is spam you can't even read!

Instead of giving up and letting the spam "win" my email inbox, I checked out Google's translate tool and found the part of the email where it tells you how to unsunsubscribe. It worked. whew!

It's warm and it's March!

2007-03-26T19:58:00.000-05:00

It's been amazingly warm the last two weeks here. Today was the second day for dinner on the grill. Last week was marinated chicken in bbq sauce with vegetables marinated in Italian dressing and grilled. Tonight was hamburgers with the grilled vegetables.

This past weekend was a good time. I saw LIVE in concert over at the casino. We got free tickets that were in the front and center section. I enjoyed hearing their older music more than their newer songs.

A friend on Saturday was moving from her apartment into her house so some of us helped her with the big furniture and miscellaneous boxes. Dinner was at a local Indian restaurant with another couple. Later on in the night, we met at a bar near my apartment for some pool. Two of the three games that Nick and I played were won because the other team scratched. However, the one game we had control of the table. I even impressed myself because I had 3 turns where I did really well (and I'm not all that good!).

Tempura Dipping Sauce

2007-03-18T19:39:00.000-05:00

Back in December I bought a rice cooker and a fryer to help me make Japanese food. I have yet to make Tempura, but I am getting really close to having all the information I need to make one of my favorite Japanese dishes.

Tentsuyu
1 cup dashi (fish stock, but chicken or vegetable stock is ok)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Kikkoman soy sauce
3 Tbps Mirin

Bring to boil and simmer.
Add a little grated ginger.

Below is one of my favorite meals. I have the soba, nori, and the soba sauce, and now I know how to make the tempura! ^ - ^

St. Patrick's Day- Bay City Style

2007-03-18T19:01:00.000-05:00

Today I ran in the Bay City St. Patrick's Day 5K race. UNFORTUNATELY, I did NOT get second place in my age group. I didn't even get 1st. I got SIXTH (6th)! It's ok though. My time was about 25:19 and that was about the same time I got back in January. The weather was nice today for March. There were clear, blue skies and a lot of sun. Even with the nice weather, not as many people from our group ran this year. I did have a sign made for me and I heard them cheer me on! I was happy they were there because the last 0.1 mile I needed the cheering. Late last week I came down with a cold. Even with the cough, runny nose, and itchy, watery eyes, I still ran.

Ok, well, I really ran for 2 reasons: I paid an $18 entry fee AND since I had been slacking on my running this past cold & icy winter, I felt that I needed to prove to myself that I wasn't as out of shape as I thought I was. I was successful! My mile splits were also very acceptable. My mile times were 7:56, 16:16, and the final was about 25:19. Essentially, I was running consistent 8's.

After the race, we caught up with Brian and Stacie who were at Mulligan's. Mulligan's is a brew pub that is famously packed on the Sunday morning of St. Patrick's Day weekend. They were out waiting at 9AM! The bar opened at noon. We didn't stay very long, but it was fun to see all the people out. There was a band that was getting ready to play as we left.

uploading photos. Is it really worth it?

2007-03-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

I thought I could save some money by uploading my photos online and then have them delivered to my door. Apparently that is really only worthwhile if you have less than 300 photos to get printed. I've spent the last 2 hours uploading and since the EZ upload feature doesn't exactly work that well with my 5 Mbps internet connection. (I had 26 Mbps in Japan....) I was only able to upload 80 photos before giving up. I'll just take the hit and pay 19 cents a photo instead of 10 or 12 cents.

Anyway...that's all for now.

Where is summer?

2007-03-12T20:27:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I really wished I did live in warmer climate but without the heat and humidity. I read about Dave and Liz's kayaking/hiking fun and wish that those kind of outdoor activities were that accessible here in the middle-of-no-where.

This past weekend the weather was great. I only went out and ran on Sunday though. Friday night and Saturday were spent sorting through my photos so they could be printed. It took about 30 minutes to go through about a month's worth of photos!

Twelve of us enjoyed omelettes at The Cracked Egg in Bay City on Saturday morning. Most of the same group went to Bennigan's for dinner. Bennigan's wasn't too happy that we had a party of 20 that needed to be seated. The manager actually stopped by our table to ask us where we were from. When we said that we were from here, she had made the comment that if we were to come anytime Monday - Thursday, we'd have a higher chance at sitting together instead of 3 separate tables scattered through the restaurant. I was a little disappointed in her comment.

Next Sunday is the St. Patrick's Day run in Bay City. I've been training on and off since December. After running in the "Freeze your Fanny" race in January, I've kind of just ran when it's been nice out. For awhile, we had a lot of icy and cold weather where it was too cold to go out. Lately though, it's been between 30 and 50F.

I hope that the warm weather stays because I'm ready to get out and play!

February Fun

2007-03-12T19:11:00.000-05:00

So let me see...it's been a month since I last posted and I have been slacking in taking photos.

Since this blog is about where I am at/go with my life, here is a quick summary of what has happened in factual form.

Feb 9-11: Snowboarding at Boyne Mountain in Northern Michigan

Comments: I don't recommend renting ski/snowboard equipent at Boyne. They tell you that it is ok to put two names on the rental form, but they fail to tell you that if you want to rent both skis AND a snowboard you will have to wait in line two separate times. Also, if you have a coupon for "Buy 1, Get 1" lift ticket, you can't receive your lift tickets when you pay for your rental, you have to GO BACK outside at the regular lift ticket line. Three lines later (ski equipment, snowboard equipment, and lift ticket, it was time to eat at 11:30AM. Did I mention that we started the day at 8:45AM?

Snowboarding was fun. I need to work on my technique more, but I think snowboarding is a little more fun than skiing. Perhaps it is because my feed are locked in together (a reason that many people don't want to snowboard). The green runs were hard to go down only because they were too flat. The blues were perfect. I found myself going down black diamonds perpendicular to the hill and pivoting on one edge so it wasn't really snowboarding in my mind.

February 16-18: Snowshoeing in Gaylord at Treetops Resort

Comments: Getting away and snowshoeing in powder snow was a great time. I underestimated the hills on the snow covered golf course though!

February 23 & 24: Movie and a hockey game

Comments: Friday was a low key night in watching the movie "Seven". Unfortunately, I fell asleep during the movie so I didn't get to see past the first 20 minutes!

A group of us went to see the Saginaw Spirit OHL hockey team play. We all tried to go to a restaurant before the game, but they didn't take reservations and also couldn't accomodate a group of 30.

I have noticed that most places here can't accomodate large groups at restaurants. In Japan, even though most of the restuarants are small, they can accommodate large parties with the slide of a screen.

The night ended at Mulligan's (pub) in Bay City.

Language Lessons

2007-02-15T19:50:00.000-06:00

Next week I start my 3 week series of Japanese lessons. My first task is to practice reading the hiragana and katakana symbols. I'll also be practicing my kanji numbers. Knowing the numbers in kanji form would have been helpful when Sofia and I went to the sushi restaurant with Martial and Delphine because there were no Roman numbers or symbols.

The goal of all of this is to be able to read kanji since the chinese characters can be found in many places.

Ski trip to Dillon, Colorodo

2007-02-13T19:53:00.000-06:00

A group of 17 of us went to Dillon, Colorodo in Summit County January 26-30th for a ski trip.

Amazingly enough, it went super smooth. No problems at all. There were enough people and rental cars that people were able to split up and go off and do their own thing as a mini-group which I found to be a major plus. We also stayed at Piney Point Chalet. I highly recommend this place if you have a large group. http://www.pineypointchalet.com/

After arriving to the Denver airport, we found out that a set of skis were left behind in Detroit. Fortunately they were on the next flight out and we had 3 people on that flight. They were able to get the skis to our group members later that night. Friday was travel day and was intended to be just that in case there were any issues with the flights (weather) or altitude sickness.

En route to Dillon, we took the scenic route and visited the Loveland Pass where the Continental Divide is located. I thought that was pretty cool. We saw people doing backcountry skiing/snowboarding near the pass. I didn't realize that people would drive to the bottom of an area and then hike UP to go and snowboard down. It makes sense, but I just never thought about it.

I liked this sign at the Continental Divide. I thought the part about them telling you that long range weaponry would be used was funny.

Friday night was dinner at the chalet. We got together and made a big spaghetti dinner with garlic bread and hung out for the evening while we waited the the last 3 of the group to arrive from Denver.The chalet was located about 90 minutes West of the airport. There was a hot tub on the property so that was nice to have. However, I thought it'd be smart to jump in the snow after being in the hot tub. Not a smart idea when the snow is hard. I scraped my leg a little bit, but no real issues.

This was my first trip out west skiing. So to do it right, I took lessons with Nick at Keystone Resort. http://keystone.snow.com/indexmountains.asp Everyone went to Keystone on Saturday. Since we were all at different ability levels people broke off into groups of 2-4. Only one person got altitude sickness, and another got it in the face with their ski pole when they were going down the moguls.

The lessons were $90 and well worth it since it kept us occupied from 10AM-3PM. Even though we practiced turning and stopping and going down the hill twice, I was pretty tired. Reagan, the instructor, was a little offended when 2 of the people in the group left the lesson early; one gave up and the other left because her husband wanted her to leave. All I could think of was "What a waste of time" because why bother trying to ski if you don't complete the lesson?

We met at the bar after skiing and waited for everyone before heading back to the chalet. Dinner was at Pug Ryan's; it was ok, but expensive. Food in general out there was expensive. Lunches were about $15 on-site at the resorts. Sure we could have made our own lunches, but that wouldn't have been as fun or convenient.

Sunday, some people went to Arapahoe Basin and Breckenridge. Nick and I went snowshoeing on the Keystone property near the Nordic Center and golf course. All types of terrain was seen-open space with drifting snow, tree covered areas, and hard packed snow where snowmobiles travel. The powder snow in the open area was fun to walk in. It was difficult, but fun. Snowshoeing was a nice change of pace since the first two days were kind of hectic. It was a rest day, so to speak even though we hiked 6 miles in 4 hours.

I made a snow angel.

The evening at the chalet got a little crazy at times, but I wouldn't have really known since I was in bed by 10:30 every night. I just couldn't stay up late. A lot of it had to do with the time change, I think. Some people went out to Frisco, a near-by town, to check out the bars and bowling.

Monday was the last day for skiing. We went to Copper Mountain. http://www.coppercolorado.com/index.htm

This was my first experience at riding a high speed chair lift. I found it to be rather scary. Heights are ok, but not when I am sitting on an edge of a seat and could fall off. At least on a roller coaster I am locked into the contraption.

Of course to make things interesting, there were two chairlifts with similar names and of course we went on the lift that went to the blue (intermediate) runs instead of the green. Fortunately, there was a person near the lift the told us how to get over to the green.

I liked the runs out west overall since they were longer. It was nice being able stop along the run and then start again without having to go on chairlift! I think Keystone is a better hill for beginners since there are more runs to choose from than at Copper Mountain.

The trip back on Tuesday was just long. The flight was delayed a half hour but all 15 of us on our way back home were able to make our connecting flights. I'm definitely ready to hit the slopes-next year that is!

Things I'd do differently/keep the same:

*Take snowboard lessons instead of ski lessons (I think snowboarding is more interesting and I'm not freaked out when my one foot starts to do different things than the other food (when skiing)).

*Stay with a group of people/be with a person that has similar interests

*Have an "off" day that involves a lower impact activity otherwise you'll need a vacation from the vacation

mornings

2007-01-20T12:13:00.000-06:00

Now that the snow has finally fallen, I also have to deal with the fun morning activity of brushing the snow off of my car. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera around to take a picture the day before when we had about 4 inches fall overnight (see roof of car for reference), but it was pretty amazing to walk out and see so much snow finally.

25:35

2007-01-20T12:05:00.000-06:00

Today I ran in the "Freeze Your Fanny" 5K race today. Overall, my average splits were about 8:30. Pretty good for just starting out for the new year. I got second place in my age division.

The weather was great for January- blue skies no wind, and about 16F.

Next race day: March 18 -Al Kayner St. Patrick's Day race.

work

2007-01-14T18:07:00.000-06:00

Work has been interesting lately. The material I receive needs to be separated. One of the methods for separation is by using a wiped film evaporator. I have found that working with the equipment makes the concept a lot easier to understand.

A good description can be found here:
http://www.pfaudler.com/wiped_film_evaporators.php

shopping

2007-01-14T17:29:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was a big shopping weekend. Winter gear & running shoes were some of the things that I needed to check out. We went down to Troy to REI, the Somerset mall and Chipotle. Lucky us, almost all the shops had major sales which delayed our leaving time of the mall. I think that there were so many sales because of it being Martin Luther King Jr. day tomorrow. This was my first visit to a Chipotle for lunch. I was pleasantly surprised! :-)

Initially we were going to leave by 2:30 so we could get back in time for the Colts/Ravens game, but it all worked out and we went to a sports bar for dinner and watched the ~3 hour game there. Shopping here in the US isn't too much different than shopping in Japan. Although the shops actually seem more crowded here with longer waiting room lines...

I still find myself comparing US to Japan. I also find myself not being able to participate in certain conversations because I wasn't around last year. It doesn't bother me too much but it does to some extent. So for now to get over it, I am running as part of preparation for the St. Patrick's Day run in Bay City. I am already running about 8:30 minutes/mile. :-)

observations

2007-01-07T19:50:00.000-06:00

My friend Anna who is now back in Australia had this to say about being back in Australia:

So yes, I'm settling back into Aussie life again now, feeing much better than I did when I first arrived. But am still yearning for Japan as well . . . I don't know what draws me to Japan at times as I do admit the scenery and lifestyle here is just so much more peaceful and relaxing. . . Japan in comparison is quite ugly and busy . . . there's something though that I just can't put my finger on. Something in Japan puts me on a natural high and makes me comfortable and at home.

She essentially summed up everything that I have felt very nicely in that little paragraph. It's just hard to explain in words how I miss Japan.

excuses

2007-01-07T19:36:00.000-06:00

This winter seems kind of boring because there is "nothing to do". There is still no snow here.

The past two weeks I've either spent time with friends or time at home catching up on putting my photo albums together. Not much to report really.

Only 3 more weeks until a group of 16 of us go out to Denver for a long weekend ski trip. I'll definitely be posting pictures from the trip after I return. I'm looking forward to the snowshoeing and snowboarding.

Salmon steaks

2006-12-31T17:11:00.000-06:00

Friday night was a night in and full of cooking. The plan was to cook a Japanese-style dinner but not necessarily something that'd be consider traditional. I didn't take any photos of the food because if it didn't work out, then I didn't want to waste my time with the photos. Also, if the food turned out well, I'd know what to expect for next time.

The menu items for the evening were sweet sake, cold teriyaki tofu, sushi with prawns, salmon steaks, steamed broccoli with lime dressing and tea as the beverage. The sushi turned out ok (the shrimp was cooked) and the broccoli would have been better if it was kept raw or boiled instead of steamed. One of the other things I learned was that a menu with multiple items like this was actually a larger undertaking than expected. For something like this, I wouldn't recommend cooking so much for one person. This will work perfect for two or more people.

Anyway, here is my recommended recipe. I'm hoping to have more cooking activities in the future. If I do happen to come across something that is a "must try", I'll post it.

Salmon Steaks With Hoisin Glaze

Serves 4; Prep time: 5 minutes; Total time: 18 minutes

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons honey
4 salmon steaks (each 8 to 10 ounces and 1 inch thick)
Coarse salt and ground pepper

1. Heat broiler. In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, hoisin sauce, and honey.

2. Rinse salmon steaks, and pat dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Place steaks on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush generously with glaze.

3. Broil salmon about 4 inches from the heat source, basting once, until opaque in center, 10 to 13 minutes.

Per serving: 312 calories; 16.4 grams fat; 30.1 grams protein; 7.8 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams fiber

Happy New Year

2006-12-31T16:32:00.000-06:00

What a great and awesome year that 2006 was! The year started out by being in Osaka for New Year's followed by a busy winter of travelling around the Kansai area in January and then the Kanto and Hokkaido areas in February. Not only was going to Sapporo great because of the "snow factor" and Zao for going to a real mountain and learning how to snowboard, but it was also a time for meeting people that would appear later on in your life during your time in Japan! It was also at that time that I realized that if I wanted to go do something that I should just go. Why wait? There's really no real reason. Just as I now have friends in France, Belgium, and Germany now, I say that I hope to come and visit. I am not sure that it will necessarily be 2007, but if not, then it will definitely be 2008.

I learned about Korean barbeque and Salsa dancing back in March in addition to learning more about American culture in the process! There were cherry blossom parties and Golden Week experiences that I won't forget. Japan in the Springtime is a great time to visit because the flowers are out and the temperature and humidity are perfect. If it wasn't for the change of season, I wouldn't have nearly enjoyed Japan as much. February and March were hard months.

When Sofia came to my dormitory in June, her arrival tested my knowledge of everything I had experienced thus far. Just as February was a time for long trips, so was July. Sofia and I went camping in Yaminashi prefecture near Mt. Fuji, experienced the Media Cafe in downtown Osaka, and I ventured out on my own and met a group to go camping south of Osaka in Wakayama during my birthday weekend. Even though most of my adventures could be considered a highlight of the whole year, I really think Wakayama helped me realize that Japan wasn't all about the crowds, shopping, and electronics. There was a wonderful nature side to the country.

August was filled with many celebrations such as the Yodogawa fireworks, the end of summer beer party, a night out in Tokyo, Summer Sonic where I saw many of the popular bands that are out now, Obon in Kyoto, more waterfall jumping in Akame in Mie prefecture, and one of the top experiences to have in Japan- a Hanshin Tigers baseball game.

With only one month remaining, September was both my month to experience things that I hadn't had a chance to do (Osaka nightlife) and also relax (going to Bangkok for rest and cooking).

I was happy to have visited my friend twice after he left the company to go and become a Buddhist priest. Meeting and showing colleagues around was nice because, in a weird sort of way, it felt like I was showing them my home. The celebration dinner for winning the firefighting competition at work will always be remembered. No one can forget the time that they had Fugu (blowfish) served about 7 different ways. Unfortunately with only 2 weeks left, I had to start my good byes while at the same time saying "hello" to Asli who came from Germany for an internship. I said good bye to my camping group when I went to the Yubara Onsen with them. That was definitely a once in a lifetime experience because it's one of those things where you only go because other people have gone and are going. With the many good byes also came many new types of dinners to try and places to frequent.

The timing was right and I wouldn't change anything about the adventures I had from January to November. Coming back home was nice because I could finally relax. I relaxed greatly my first week back because I think I was awake but only 5 or 6 hours each day! But I was awake enough to enjoy my first snowfall back in Michigan that first weekend back. The next week I was finally ready to face the world so I went to visit with my friends back in Midland for the week to catch up. Talk about timing, it was that week that I found out that help was needed on a scale-up project and a contract position was available. Thanksgiving came and went and I found myself starting back at the building I started at 5 years ago and living in the same apartment complex!

Work has been great. The people that surround me are great also. It's good to be back. I do miss Japan as you will notice in some of my entries, but it'd only be natural because that was the life I had known for a year. I am fortunate enough that I can go back at anytime and visit and still come back home to my American life.

My resolutions?
Take more pictures, talk to more people, see more things....not in any particular order of course.

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T21:45:00.000-06:00

Hope you have a Happy & Merry Christmas!

It was not a white Christmas here in Michigan, but it was pleasant. I am sure the snow will come soon enough and stay until April.

(●´▽｀●)

French Words

2006-12-25T21:40:00.000-06:00

I was surprised to learn that "Forty percent of the words in the English language come from French".

R.S.V.P. abbr. Répondez s'il vous plaît. Request for a reply to an invitation.
hors d’oeuvre n. An appetizer served before a meal.
maître d' n. A head waiter.
faux pas n. A social blunder.
je ne sais quoi n. An indescribable or inexpressible something.
cul-de-sac n. A dead-end street.
doyenne n. The leading or senior woman of a group.
gauche adj. Lacking social polish; tactless.
déjà vu n. An illusory feeling of having previously experienced a present situation.
carte blanche n. Unrestricted power or authority.
à la carte adv. A separate price for each item on the menu.

http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=stv3460084&layout=martha

Christmas 3 days early

2006-12-22T21:34:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to me. It took 8 weeks for my personal goods to be shipped from Japan to my apartment today. It was exciting to see what was in the boxes.

But now, my once clean living room has now been "tornado-struck". ( - -, )

SUSHI

2006-12-22T20:40:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the big sushi night. Here are some pics from the evening. There were at least 20 people from our group at Fusion 1 Cafe.

Lucky me, they actually had Dance Dance Revolution at the arcade in the Bay City mall. I played a couple of games and managed to still not figure out how to make it two player because a little girl wanted to dance along with me. I just let her dance for awhile since she had to go soon. It was fun to watch her. At the end she asked, "How long have you played this game? You are really good." I had to laugh to myself because I am not that good.

It was a Konami machine, it appeared to have the same songs as the machines in Japan.

Foreign food

2006-12-20T19:31:00.000-06:00

Foreign food is a relative term depending on where you live.

Just as when I was in Japan that I was interested in the "Foreign Buyer's Club", I am interested in such websites named "Asian Food Grocer" now that I am back in America. Kansai Scene even did an article for the month of December about imported food in Japan.

This website, http://www.nikibone.com/recipe/, is a really good reference for Japanese recipes. I haven't really looked at the Italian or Thai links.

Sushi

2006-12-20T19:24:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow night, a group of us (22, I think) are all going to Fusion 1 Cafe in Bay City to have sushi.

http://www.fusion1cafe.com/

Pictures to come soon.

Here is some sushi vocabulary in the meantime:
http://www.bento.com/sushivoc.html

Paper

2006-12-20T19:08:00.000-06:00

You know you have been abroad too long when you would rather use A4 paper instead of 8.5x11 paper.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_size#Loose_sizes

When I was making photo copies today, the copier kept on telling me that the paper size sensed was A4 so I had to manually tell it to select only 8.5x11. Everyone in the world uses A4 paper where as Americans and Canadians use different paper sizes. So it makes me wonder why there isn't a special feature that turns off the A4 option other than me manually selecting the proper paper size that should be sensed.

"Letter" size paper (8.5" x 11", 216 mm × 279 mm)
"A4" size paper (8.3" x 11.7", 210 mm × 297 mm)

Paper in the A series format has a aspect ratio, though this is rounded to the nearest millimetre. A0 is defined so that it has an area of 1 m².

Prior to the adoption of ISO 216, many different paper formats were used internationally. These formats did not fit into a coherent system and were defined in terms of non-metric units. The ISO 216 formats are organized around the ratio ; two sheets next to each other together have the same ratio, sideways. This simplifies copying two A4 sheets in reduced size on one, and copying an A4 sheet in magnified size on an A3 sheet or copying half an A4 sheet in magnified size on an A4 sheet. The principal countries not generally using the ISO paper sizes are the United States of America and Canada, which use the Letter, Legal, and Executive system. (Canada uses a P-series of sizes, which are the American paper sizes rounded to metric dimensions.)

I also find it interesting that for the ISO paper sizes that there are usually 2-hole punches as opposed to the 3 that are typically found with "letter" size paper.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hole_punch

Again, America and Canada are different from the rest of the world.
In the United States a two-hole filebinder standard is occasionally used. The holes are positioned symmetrically, with the centres 2 3/4 inch apart. This standard is incompatible with ISO 838.

Sayonara starring Marlon Brando

2006-12-18T19:33:00.000-06:00

As I was working on my photos, I found "Sayonara" with Marlon Brando and James Garner on TMC cable channel. It's interesting because the movie is set in Kobe-Osaka-Kyoto (Kansai region) after World War II. Some of the stuff is shown in a way that only exaggerates the Japanese stereotype.

Plot Summary for Sayonara (1957)
American servicemen stationed in Japan during the Korean War fall in love and marry Japanese nationals despite harsh paperwork impediments and orders to the contrary.

No snow

2006-12-18T18:57:00.000-06:00

It is one week before Christmas and there still is no snow on the ground. It snowed a couple of weeks ago along with the ice storm, but it all melted.

Christmas Party

2006-12-18T18:36:00.000-06:00

My family had their annual Christmas party at the house yesterday. At any given time, there were about 20 people in the house. People brought different kinds of desserts to go along with the food already provided- pork, Polish sausage, meatballs, ham, etc. I wasn't very hungry so I had a ham sandwhich, some Polish sausage, and a piece of coconut pie. The party has been held for the past 25+ years. It is always held the Sunday before Christmas.

Japanese Music

2006-12-18T18:23:00.000-06:00

I was given 2 mixed cd's of Japanese music before leaving Japan. I was able to pick out some of the words to the song and find the lyrics on the internet. I find it interesting how many Japanese songs incorporate English into the lyrics.

First Love
words by Utada Hikaru
Saigo no KISU wa
TABAKO no flavor ga shita
Nigakute setsunai kaori

Ashita no imagoro niwa
Anata wa doki ni irun darou
Dare wo omotterun darou

You are always gonna be my love
Itsuka dareka to mata koi ni ochitemo
I'll remember to love
You taught me how
You are always gonna be the one
Ima wa mada kanashii love song
Atarashii uta utaeru made

Tachidomaru jikan ga
Ugokidasou to shiteru
Wasuretakunai koto bakari
Ashita no imagoro niwa

Watashi wa kitto naiteru
Anata wo omotterun darou

You will always be inside my heart
Itsumo anata dake no basho ga aru kara
I hope that I have a place in your heart too
Now and forever you are still the one
Ima wa mada kanashii love song
Atarashii uta utaeru made

You are always gonna be my love
Itsuka dareka to mata koi ni ochitemo
I'll remember to love
You taught me how
You are always gonna be the one
Mada kanashii love song
Now and forever

physical activity

2006-12-13T21:38:00.000-06:00

OK. Yesterday I had my body composition done.

The results are in:
Apparently, I am the same size as I was 2 years ago before running my marathon. If anything, I just maintained since 2005 with the exception of the 4 months where I trained 4-5 days per week. Most likely the weight "gain" I had in Japan was mostly due to the lower level of physical activity. And perhaps it really wasn't "lower" but that it was just not as much as what I was used to.

reading is fun

2006-12-13T21:26:00.000-06:00

I have to thank Disney for translating Toy Story in Japanese. Reading stories that I am already familiar with makes reading a foreign language enjoyable.

Reverse Culture Shock

2006-12-13T20:43:00.000-06:00

So, awhile back I didn't really expect to have, what most people who go abroad experience upon returning, reverse culture shock. I have noticed it more after meeting up with people I haven't spoken to in over a year.

Interestingly enough, I also don't feel as safe now that I am at home. I am constantly more aware of my surroundings (as anyone should be) in a country where I know and can call for help if I get in trouble. Japan felt safe to the point where there really wasn't any time that I can recall that I felt in danger. As I write this entry, I just realized that I never learned how to say "HELP" in Japanese...

I think I am most bothered by the stereotypes that people have about different cultures, especially with food. It bothers me to the piont where I am almost offended. The best way I can explain the food situation because I do admit I ate some strange things. Regardless of how strange eating raw shrimp, fried grasshopper, whole fish seem, I don't think people should turn up their noses at it ESPECIALLY if it is something that the person has NEVER tried.

http://wings.buffalo.edu/studyabroad/rculture.html
What Is It?

Does it feel as though your friends and family don't understand the importance of your experience abroad? Do they ask questions about your time overseas, but then seem to lose interest after only a few minutes? Does everyday life here seem trivial?

If these questions identify feelings you've been having recently, you may be experiencing "reverse culture shock ". In the same way that you may have experienced culture shock when you were adjusting to your new cultural surroundings abroad, you will now experience a re-adjustment period in the United States.

While you were abroad, you may have initially looked at some local customs as silly and wondered why people there did not "do things right" or do things "the American way". Over time you probably lost some of these feelings and began to feel that your host culture had even better customs and ways of dealing with various situations Americans. Now that you've returned to the U.S., you may experience similar feelings, wondering why Americans don't do things right or follow what you have now come to believe as the correct way to deal with a situation.

"Asian" food

2006-12-13T20:19:00.000-06:00

Today after my work out, I decided to check out Meijer's for the first time since being back. I headed immediately to the "international food" section of the store to see what kinds of things have made their way across the ocean. I must say that I was very impressed with the food selection in the "Asian" section.

I laugh to myself every time I see Japanese, Chinese, Korean, etc referred to as "Asian". If there is food from Italy, France, Germany, Poland, etc, you don't call it "European". It is most likely referred to as Italian, French, etc.

Anyway, after seeing the selection, I decided to grab a shopping basket and stock up on Japanese food. I found all sorts of stuff. The best part was that it was all food that I REALLY liked while in Japan. Next week my shipment of goods arrives from Japan and it recently went through customs in Detroit. My Japanese cookbook and miscellaneous cooking supplies (mostly from the 100 yen shop) are in that shipment.

I found Pocky, Udon & Soba noodles/sauce, ginger, short grain rice (AKA sushi or sticky rice), somen, tonakatsu sauce & breading, tempura batter, dried shitake mushrooms, wasabi, AND wasabi mayonnaise (great with tuna sandwhiches!).

Good Times

2006-12-10T19:31:00.000-06:00

The past two weeks have been good for me because I have been enjoying both my work and spending time with friends. I'll never forget last Wednesday when I went to both lunch and dinner at Genji's to have Japanese food! After telling Lisa that I had been to Genji's for lunch, she said we could go somewhere else. I reminded her that eating there again for dinner was ok because, after all, I was in Japan for 1 year. :-) It was at that time that I realized I can eat Americanized Japanese food at anytime. There is another restauarant called Asian Express here in town that is pretty good too. They have Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai food. The same people that run the chinese places in town run this one also.

Unfortunately I am not as camera crazy here at home as I was in Japan. It'd be a great way to remember some of my more recent fun activities-The Big Lebowski, moving more totes to another storage unit, dinners, and holiday parties.

Resolution for 2007: Take more pictures

Now back to finishing my Christmas cards...

White tea

2006-12-10T19:16:00.000-06:00

When Asli came Japan in October, I was giving her a tour of the tea room. I said that there was "green tea, black tea, and white tea". The funny thing about that situation was there was no white tea. It was hot water!

Little to my knowing though, there IS white tea. I found it at Wal-mart a couple of weeks ago. I have yet to taste test it though.

Eating

2006-12-10T17:59:00.000-06:00

It's time for the holidays and all kinds of parties with lots of food. I realize now that after having been in an environment where I didn't know what I was eating that my food options have vastly opened up. People ask where I want to go to lunch. I have to honestly say now that it really doesn't matter.

I am now in my 3rd week of living in my apartment. It was time for me to go and do my grocery shopping and stock up on basic supplies. They had a sale at Kroger where many items were 10 for $10. This was by far my most expensive grocery shopping trip. I just hope this food lasts me for the next 4-6 weeks since my bill was $200!

While shopping, I decided that I'd have chicken tetrazzini for lunch/dinner today. It sounded good at the time until I came across the international food section where I found Thai Green Curry paste. The bottle had the Green Curry Chicken recipe on it and all of the ingredients listed were readily available. Needless to say, I changed my mind and cooked Thai after comparing the ingredients for the two dishes.

Chicken Tetrazzini -
8oz package egg noodles, 2 Tbsp butter, 6oz can sliced mushrooms, 1 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 2 cups cooked chopped chicken, 1 (10.75 oz) can cream of celery soup, 1 cup sour cream, and 1/2 cup grated Parmesean Cheese.

Green Curry Chicken-
3-4 Tbs. Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste , 2 chopped skinned boneless chicken breasts, 1 (14 oz.) can Thai Kitchen Pure Coconut Milk (Regular or Lite), 1-2 Tbs. Thai Kitchen Premium Fish Sauce, 2 tsp. brown sugar, 1/4 cup bamboo shoots, 1/2 cup frozen peas, 1/3 cup chicken stock, and Thai Kitchen Jasmine Rice.

Today was a perfect example of how living abroad has affected me. I don't go for the standard "comfort" foods anymore. The Thai food just sounded more interesting and not so boring.

For other Thai recipes, you can go here: http://www.thaikitchen.com/recipes.html You can find this brand at Kroger.

Retrospective

2006-12-09T13:54:00.000-06:00

The temperatures lately have been from -11C to 2C. Today it will only be -6C. Fortunately I walk less than 20 meters to my car from the apartment and arrive to work in about 12 minutes. It is hard getting used to people leaving at 4PM. I work 7:30AM-4PM, but I have been staying until about 5 or 5:30 so I can use that extra time to leave early on Fridays at 2:30 or 3PM like most people. I think 3 were here yesterday that stayed late.

My work is pretty interesting. I was doing some labwork this past week. Next week I'll be setting up equipment to run some other experiments. The learning curve is quite high for me right now.

So what have I been doing with my extra time now? I go to the gym to run and lift weights as part of my training to run another 42 km race in the fall and for a ski trip that I will go on in late January to Colorado. I also have to cook for myself which is actually hard to get used to. I have been going to the local Chinese and Japanese restaurants quite a bit because I don't feel like cooking. The sushi/sashimi in Osaka is the best. Here, the pieces are much smaller and you can tell that the meat was frozen. If I am not cooking or going to the gym, I am either spending time with friends or watching tv.

I don't travel around as much here as I did in Japan mostly because I have to drive at least 2 or 3 hours to go and visit places.

Working Life Part 2 - Week 1

2006-11-29T21:26:00.000-06:00

This week I started back to work at the same company in the same building that I was at 5 years ago. It's pretty interesting going through building and safety orientation. It's as if I am in some time warp.

The weather has been considerably warm for this area. The temps have been in the 50's and 60's.

Today I got Miss Wendy back. She has adjusted just fine. I forgot how much she likes to be brushed. It is nice having my cat back.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-22T16:40:00.000-06:00

Well, it is Thanksgiving Eve. I am back home with my family to celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow. I have pictures to share from the International Festival of Lights parade that was last Saturday. I volunteered to take photos of the volunteers in the parade staging area. My uncle is one of the parade organizers.

I was happy to see my siblings on Sunday. There was a dinner for everyone who had attended the parochial school; it was the 50th anniversary of the "new" school. After the hearty dinner, they helped me load the U-haul so I could take it back to my apartment on Monday.

Monday was the big moving day. I drove 180 miles and unloaded a 17ft truck in about 5 hours. Matt and Bob helped me by moving the bed and 2 pieces of furniture. Having them help was a big bonus.

After having moved everything into my apartment, I realized I needed to furnish it still with a couch and tv. I have no furniture because I donated it last fall since I wasn't going to need it anymore. Also, the furniture was on it's second life since it was handed down to me. I have no tv because mine was stolen from the storage unit back in June. I don't really need a couch and tv (I proved that last year), but it will be nice to have because I want to have people over to hang out.

I am not sure what will happen tonight, but tomorrow will be filled with lots of eating. Turkey dinners are one of my favorites, but I have yet to cook one myself. Perhaps I will have that chance next year to try...

PS. I will sign up for internet at home soon which will then enable me to update this blog more frequently.

Next week is the return of Miss Wendy. I promise to not write TOO much about her on my blog. :-) Then again, that is why she has her own site. lol

working girl

2006-11-13T20:23:00.000-06:00

I am now employed again! I start November 27th. I'll be working in a laboratory setting. I hope to make the most out of this job opportunity because even though I have 4 years experience and have worked 1 year in Japan, apparently that is not enough. It is more annoying to me that the companies interview me but then say that they would rather have someone with plant experience instead of research and development. They know from the very beginning that I have only been in R&D. Why do they even bother interviewing when they know the answer?? Anyway, I am happy now that I have a job and can start training for that 1/2 marathon in May. Yes, that's 13 miles and about 1 hr 45 min commitment. It'll be great.

I had sushi tonight. It was OK. Not as great as the sushi I had in Osaka. I have the feeling that it will be hard for me to find sushi as good as I had in Japan. :-(

First week back and now it's week two already

2006-11-12T19:27:00.000-06:00

To summarize my first week back in the States, I can summarize in 3 words: sleep, eat, sleep.

My sleep schedule was really strange and today was the first day I had a full day without any mid-day or early evening naps. Usually I'd be up in the morning for a couple of hours, sleep after lunch until dinner time, and after dinner I'd watch tv followed by an after dinner nap that would last until about 11PM. I would usually be up for a couple of hours before heading to bed.

My sleep patterns shouldn't really be off too much considering Japan is 14 hours ahead. I think I am finally just catching up on well needed sleep that I didn't have just because I was on the go so much. I have noticed that the amount of visual and audio stimulation is MUCH LESS now that I have returned home. I find that interesting. That may be affecting my sleep also. Not sure though.

The major task for this week is to finish all my paperwork-taxes and sending in the proper papers to receive my pension from Japan back- and find as many job postings as possible that can get me potential interviews.

holiday

2006-11-06T10:17:00.000-06:00

Technically, I am back and have a lot of "free" time. I have many more pictures to share. I got some great pics of Mt. Fuji since we flew right up the coast yesterday.

In about a week I'll have more things to post and will then get back onto a regular schedule of posting again in between job searches. I forgot what having dial-up internet is like. :-(

For all of my friends who are at home, hopefully I will get to see you soon before I venture off and move on to my new job that is to yet be determined.

a-me-ri-ka

2006-11-05T21:29:00.000-06:00

I am home in America now.

What will you miss?

2006-11-04T11:01:00.000-06:00

I will miss the exotic food choices.

I became so used to having octopus, squid, scallops, tuna, sea bream, etc. I am now realizing that the only way I will eat those particular items is if I go to a high end restaurant in a large city setting...and I KNOW it will not be nearly as good as what I had here.

When I looked up "octopus" on Wikipedia, I felt a little silly after looking at the octopus photo. My image of the octopus was totally different than what I saw in the Wikipedia photo! oops. I thought the body was more-or-less just purple in color, but it must turn purple after being cooked. The octopus shown in the photo was boiled. I had this when I went to Tokyo back in August. There isn't much flavor, but the texture is quite interesting.

Fine day

2006-11-04T10:20:00.000-06:00

Saturday, I went to Kyoto. It was a really nice day. Now, the temps range from 57-75F. When I get home in about 24 hours, it will be 36-50F. Hello Winter!

Karaoke

2006-11-03T17:13:00.000-06:00

Last night after dinner, I went with a couple of friends to karaoke. It wasn't until we had only 10 minutes left (signed up for only 1 hour) that I remembered that I knew the Hanshin Tigers (think: Detroit Tigers) song from going to the 2 games. We entered the numbers and went at it singing the song. I realized at that moment that I could actually read the Japanese and keep up with the music. Ok, so I messed up a couple of words, but that is because I am not used to having to read to keep up. Anyway, so my target of being able to sing a song in Japanese was accomplished. I actually never thought it'd happen, but it did.

In about 24 hours I leave for the airport. I will end up being to the airport early, but my co-worker offered to drive me to the bus stop before he had to go do some other things later in the morning. Since I really don't want to have to figure out how to navigate my luggage (2 large bags, a small one, laptop bag, and a backpack) in the train station, I have no problems what-so-ever hanging out at the airport! I leave Osaka at 1PM on Sunday and arrive in Detroit around Noon.

Images of Japan

2006-11-02T15:21:00.000-06:00

SUSHI x 2

2006-11-02T14:16:00.000-06:00

Both Wednesday and Thursday nights I had the pleasure of eating at my favorite sushi place (6th time now!!) whilst saying bye to people I have met here.

SAYONARA & a new start

2006-10-31T19:47:00.000-06:00

It is 10:42 AM and Nippon Express just took my 8 boxes to be shipped. All I have to do now is figure out how to fit the remaining items in my suitcases. Essentially, everything is all set now. My time in Japan is coming to a sudden, but well expected end. Not knowing the language all that well makes it all the more appropriate to go back home.

At work, I asked my coworkers to write on a blank postcard either a message, favorite phrase, their inkan (personal stamp), and their address if they would like to stay in contact. After receiving the many postcards, I am very glad I asked people to do that because a) I was able to see how creative people were, b) learn a little bit more about them, and c) I can now keep contact with people for sending cards at Christmas and Summer Holiday. I will go to a craft store later and find something to make a binding and create a book. Since the messages are written in Japanese, I hope that it is one more thing that encourages me to study Japanese more.

Last night a group of us went to my favorite Korean yakiniku place. It was my 4th time there and was as good as usual. It was really nice spending time like that with my co-workers. I sometimes wished there were more opportunities like that. I am just glad I enjoyed the times I did spend with them. It made working with them in the office more enjoyable too because I had a connection and it wasn't all about work.

Also, yesterday, I had to turn in my uniform. I wore my jeans and tshirt in the office for the last 2 hours. It was great. I was much more motivated to work when I didn't have to wear a uniform. Perhaps the energy required to be 137% productive was minimized because of the uniform? I don't know, but I do know that I will definitely take the category of "office environment" into consideration when going to an on-site interview.

So now, I will pack, shop, and eat. It wouldn't be Osaka if there wasn't shopping or eating.

By the way, this is what I did over the past year:

☆Documented the process and procedure differences to be later used as a reference
☆Translated the laboratory procedures from Japanese to English
☆Produced both polymer and ink products at the laboratory scale
☆Wrote the English version of the formulation procedures
☆Wrote batch reports for ink and polymer batches produced to be included in the monthly report
☆Documented process differences between small and large scale
☆Created a standardized check sheet for cleaning the equipment and preparing for the next batch Conducted training for running the analytical equipment
☆Encouraged new ways of incorporating safety into the laboratory work environment

American English

2006-10-30T09:03:00.000-06:00

Your Linguistic Profile:

60% General American English

25% Upper Midwestern

5% Midwestern

5% Yankee

0% Dixie

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

3 things

2006-10-30T08:47:00.000-06:00

There are 3 things that have bothered me over here that I can now fairly say since I have been here a year now.

1) Too many people put work first here. They may eat healthy, but too many people I know sleep 4-6 hours. I find that ridiculous because they are literally working the rest of the time. People actually die from over working here.

2) Since people work all the time, they therefore don't have time to do the basic things that need to get done during working hours and very little time to make time with friends. The banks close here at 3PM. The moving company people are only open from 9-5. If I want to move, but am still working, how can I take time off if I have to work? I joke and say that I need someone over here to do my errands for me.

3) People that don't wash their hands. The bathrooms rarely have soap and never have paper towel/hand dryer. I am also referring to general public facilities. I have seen better bathroom facilities in rest areas along the highway back home--even on the less travelled roads.

3a) Squat toilets.

double check

2006-10-29T06:44:00.000-06:00

I really should learn to double check my writing especially after being in Japan for one year. Sometimes I catch myself spelling word phonetically or even Japanese style.

The other day I wanted to write "the baffle", but instead, I wrote "teh baffel".

Late last week I sent an email to some former collegues. I couldn't even make it past the 7th word in the sentence without spelling "monthly" wrong. I didn't catch it the first or second time that I "proofread" the email.

Well, it is time for the montly report to be submitted...

worlds shortest personality test

2006-10-29T00:23:00.000-05:00

You are dependable, popular, and observant.
Deep and thoughtful, you are prone to moodiness.
In fact, your emotions tend to influence everything you do.
You are unique, creative, and expressive.
You don't mind waving your freak flag every once and a while.
And lucky for you, most people find your weird ways charming.

http://www.blogthings.com/worldsshortestpersonalitytest/

Happy Halloween

2006-10-28T23:28:00.000-05:00

Farewell party #2 finished

2006-10-27T13:54:00.000-05:00

I had my group party dinner tonight (Friday). Afterwards, some of us did karaoke. It was a good and very appropriate way to say Sayonara Japan .

But wait, there's more...I have another dinner on the 31st. We will go to the Korean Restaurant after work and I have the feeling that things will get pretty crazy and it will be a really fun atmosphere.

Right now, the idea is now starting to settle with me that I will soon be leaving. I am happy to leave because I want to get life started back again at home, but sad because I have enjoyed all the travelling and carefree/no responsibilities lifestyle. What a rough life, eh?

I hope to bring back the sense of attitude where that when I live in a city, I know what my city havs to offer. When people visit me, I'd like to be able to make recommendations for places to visit/experience in the area. I can not count on my two hands how many people tell me "You know Japan better than I do". It has been frustrating finding out information about certain types of place in Osaka area and the only people that seem to know ARE the foreigners. I think the foreigners are more like to venture out because they have nothing tying them down, but to live in a city your whole life and never visit the places that are seen as "This is Japan". I find it very strange that the people who have gone to Tokyo have never really heard much about the Tsukiji Fish Market. I can understand it is one thing to live here and another thing to live here as a guest. This country is perhaps the size of California; it's not very big. For people to not have travelled/experienced certain things just baffles me. How can you not be curious about your own country? Maybe I just like to travel or go do things, but I have physically driven through 26 of the 50 States. I haven't been EVERYWHERE in those states, but if someone were to come to the US, I could at least recommend some places-both touristy and non-touristy. Well, that topic went off a little tangent, now didn't it?

I will miss the newness and excitement of the simplest things. I was really happy the day I was able to ride to work with my co-worker in his car.

I have no idea what I am most excited about doing when I return back. I actually haven't thought about it too much...I think I am focusing more about what the reverse culture shock experience will be like.

Sadly, I won't be flying via Hawaii back home. :-( I have a direct flight from Osaka to Detroit and then get on a tiny plane that will take me to Kalamazoo.

Farewell Party

2006-10-25T08:32:00.000-05:00

Tonight was my farewell party. The FUGU was excellent as always. Jon, Hatanaka-san, and a couple of others spoke. It was really nice of them.

My speech went over really well. I am glad I read it in Japanese.

And of course, for now, the photos will have to wait until later... "no time".

Weekend

2006-10-24T08:30:00.000-05:00

I had a really great time this past weekend and have the photos to prove it. However, I have to finish my slideshow that I am showing tomorrow. I have to make sure I have all the photos I need and the layout looks good.

Thursday night is open schedule for me, but again, I'll be preparing for my Friday night farewell party. More than likely, this will all be up to date when I return back home. I know it's a long wait, but oh well. All I can say is that I will be getting more than my share of nice dinners over the next 10 days.

I think when all is said and done, I will have gained 5kgs. But the food was more than worth it here. According to the company, I need to take better care of myself and not eat or drink so much. 肥満の傾向です。飲食に気をつけ、体重のコントロールを心掛けてください。 I will say this though, I think that 5kg is good considering I haven't physically exercised while over here. Usually I play ice hockey in the winter, run in the spring and fall, and then play softball/hike in the summer.

Back to the slideshow now....

Final speech to give in Japanese

2006-10-24T08:15:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is my farewell party. There are other people joining the group so it isn't like it is all going to be for me. Due to the nature of translation, the Japanese version is now more accurate as the purpose of the English version was just to get the idea across.

When I came to Japan 1 year ago, I had not experienced many things.
When I came to Japan, the only Japanese words I thought that I knew were sushi, sashimi, sumo, and tsunami so I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get around easily.

However thankfully many of the more common words I use on the weekend are also familiar to Japanese people as well; sports, shopping, credit card, brand goods, time-out, Starbucks, coffee, McDonalds, party, beer, bar, wine, last order, taxi .

Even at work there were many words I had heard before, for instance health up, bubbling, oil bath and double check. Many Japanese things were also new to me: wearing the company uniform and leading morning exercise and meeting, culture, and food.

I have now been abroad to other countries, ridden on trains (in both the right and wrong directions!), and worked at a company where I could participate in fire-fighting practices.

I also came to Japan not knowing anyone, but now, I am leaving many people that I have enjoyed getting to know. Some people were also kind enough to help teach me some Japanese along the way.

Learning to read and speak the basic parts of the language definitely helped make my job much easier. I am thankful for their patience and help.

Now, I will go back to America in 10 days where I will go live with my family and celebrate the upcoming holidays while searcｈing for my next job. I was happy to have finished my work here at the company.

わたしは、1ねんまえ　にほんに　はじめて　きましたが、そのときは　あまり　いろんなことをけいけんしたことがありませんでした。わたしが、しっていた　にほんごは　すし・さしみ・すもう・つなみ　だけだったので、にほんに　きたとき、じゆうに　こうどう　できない　かもしれない　と　いろいろ　しんぱい　していました。しかし、さいわいなことに、わたしの　だいすきな　たんごの　なかには、そのままで　にほんじんに　じゅうぶんに　つたわる　たんごも　たくさんありました。たとえば、しゅうまつ、わたし　は、このような　たんご　を　よくつかいます。スポーツ・ショッピング・クレジットカード・ブランドグッズ・タイムアウト・スターバックス・コーヒー・マクドナルド・レストラン・ハンバーガー・パーティー・ビール・バー・ワイン・ラストオーダー・タクシーなど、

かいしゃで　でも　わたしが　きいたことのある　たんごが　たくさんありました。ヘルスアップ・バブリング・オイルバス・ファイルサーバー・ダブルチェックがそのれいです。また、かいしゃの　せいふくを　きることや、ラジオたいそう、ちょうれい　を　たんとうすること　を　はじめ、にほんの　ぶんか、たべもの　など　おおくのことが、わたしに　とって　はじめての　けいけんでした。

わたしは、いままでに　かいがいの　くにぐに　へ　いって、でんしゃに　のって　もくてきち　や　もくてきち　だけでなく　おもわぬ　ばしょ　に　いったりしましたが、一ねんまえ　は、でんしゃ　に　の、たこともないし、かいがい　へいたことも　ありませんでした。かいがい　の　にほん　の　
かいしゃで　はたらいて、しょうかせんそうほうに　さんか　できたりして　よかったです。にほんに　きたとき　には　だれも　しっている　ひとが　いませんでしたが、にほんで　いっしょに　たのしくすごしてきた　たくさんの　ひとと　はなれることになりました。これまで、なんにんかの　ひとが　しんせつに　にほんごを　おしえて　くれました。おかげで、　きほんてきな　にほんごの　よみかきを　まなんで、しごとが　かなり　らくに　なりました。がまん　づよく　たすけて　くれて、ほんとうに　かんしゃしています。わたしは、とうかご　には　アメリカに　もどって、しゅうしょく　かつどう　を　しながら、かぞくと　いっしょに　すんで、サンクスギビング　という　アメリカ　の　じゅうような　かんしゃさい　を　いわう　つもりです。
アメリカでも、_____のしごと　を　していましたが、　かいしゃで、_____の　しごと　を　1ねんかん　けいぞくでき、　この　てーま　に　さいご　の　バイバイ　を　いえて　ほんとう　に　うれしい　です。

Interview with Company #2

2006-10-19T09:41:00.000-05:00

So I had my interview just now. It was an hour long. Kind of like how the other one was. I am not sure if they thought if I was a good candidate of if I was just another person to just talk to. But why would they want to bother wasting their time? Especially when they could just end the interview by not saying so much about the company or culture?

Anyway, I think both interviews went well. I played the "I have potential" card and "I am a person you want to work with".

So we'll just have to wait the next 2 weeks and see if I get an onsite interview...

ふぎ FUGU and remaining schedule

2006-10-19T05:50:00.000-05:00

Last night was one of the best dinners that I have had in Japan in the last year. It was fugu (blowfish). I took many photos, but will be posting them later. I have way too much going on right now and wasn't really prepared to being so busy.

Here is how this week has been/will be for me:
Sunday 10/15 - Kyoto
Monday 10/16 - Interview at midnight
Tuesday 10/17 - Dinner at SAZAE
Wednesday 10/18 - FUGU dinner (3 hours and 6 courses later!)
Thursday 10/19 - Interview at 10PM and rearrange sorted items to be shipped so moving company can give me an estimate on the cost
Friday 10/20 - 4 of us will be going to the Turkish restaurant and then Cafe Absinthe
Saturday 10/21- Attempt to pack, help a friend with their resume, and then meet some people in Shinsaibashi at 5. Leave for Onsen in Okayama at 7PM.
Sunday 10/22 - Onsen and then come back to Osaka in time for my last salsa party
Monday 10/23- Traditional Japanese dinner (Kaiseki) with the ladies I eat lunch with on Fridays
Tuesday 10/24- OPEN!!!
Wednesday 10/25 - Farewell party
Thursday 10/26 - OPEN!!!
Friday 10/27 - Another farewell party
Saturday 10/28 - I should probably finish packing my stuff before celebrating Halloween
Sunday 10/29 - Afternoon cookout with the people I go camping with
Monday 10/30- I will probably be working late to finish my monthly report
Tuesday 10/31 - Last day at work and last dinner with various people I have chatted with at work. We will eat at the Korean restaurant.
Wednesday 11/1 - The moving people come at 10AM to take my stuff. Cancel bank account and send modem back to Tokyo.

Perhaps after 3PM I will be able to finally get some rest. I am not sure what I will do during my remaining days here. I just know I won't be going away too far.

10.10.06

2006-10-17T08:03:00.000-05:00

We should all give Miss Emily a warm welcome. Here is her first big step into the real world.

Interview #1- Complete

2006-10-16T11:31:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I had my 1st of 2 interviews (different companies of course). This interview was with the manager and 2 others that I'd be working with. I think I aced the personality portion of the interview in terms of talking to them as people. As for the technical portion, maybe I am a 7 on a scale of 1-10. I don't have the experience that they really want, but I have had some experience that I can say I am familar with such an idea. They have many programs in place at the company in terms of training people and making sure they are safe. People have specialized and defined roles. People have their own life outside of work...

If they do select me, I bet that when I go for the on-site interview, I will fall in love with the place immediately. It's too good to be true. That is also why I don't think I will be able to continue on to the next round. The only way I will continue is if they see the potential that I have to offer...

Special Day in Kyoto

2006-10-16T07:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, many great things were experienced in Kyoto.

Nijo-jo (castle) was pretty cool to see. From there we found out about a sake and local beer brewery. After having a Japanese-style lunch we then visited my friend who is training to be a Buddist priest.

We were given a personal tour by the Zen Master. They have a sign outside the temple that says "Sightseeing Forbidden". So obviously, for 3 foreigners to come here and see the inside of a working Zen temple was definitely something to feel special about. We saw the garden with the pond, the ceremony room, the prayer area, and then the outside area where the bell is located in the rock garden area. The bell is run on New Year's Eve 108 times.

I was given permission to ring the bell.

There are only 3 people that live at the temple. They live a very minimalistic and disciplined lifestyle. My friend showed us their garden that they use to make their vegetarian meals. One of the more interesting things about the temple was that it was supported by an Empress over 300 years ago. For Japan to be a very male-dominated society, it just goes to show how important this temple was if it has lasted over 700 years and was given the approval by the Empress. The last stop of the long day was Kiyomizudera where the sun was descending upon the city. It was then back to Osaka on the Hankyu Line. Yaki-niku was for dinner (roast beef grilled).

Not just another Saturday afternoon

2006-10-14T03:03:00.000-05:00

I have actually been able to have a semi-relaxing Saturday afternoon (other than the cleaning). Right now, I am formulating my questions to ask during my interviews this week. I have them electronically, but want to write them down on paper so I can actually retain the information.

Since I am not a big fan of complete silence, I have my window open (it's around 73F) and have The Simpsons playing in the background. It's like having a Simpson's marathon without the commercials. I love The Simpsons.

10x20 disaster no more

2006-10-14T01:14:00.000-05:00

FINALLY, there is some sense of organization going on in my room. For the last 3 weeks or so, a tornado had demolished my room and was left in such disarray. I was even able to vacuum the whole floor. Living in such a small space motivates me either to not live in a big house to force me not to accumulate "things" OR live in a big house and still not accumulate "things".

With the moving people coming on Friday to see how much stuff I have, I had to get it all situated into piles so they can have an idea of what size container I'd need. SO now, all of the stuff to be shipped is in my closet and the stuff that I will bring with me are also in piles ready to go. November 1 is when I will say good bye to my things. Hopefully everything shows up in one piece by Christmas. THEN, 4 days later I head on out of here. Can you tell that I am ready to start again somewhere new?

Now it is time to prepare for those dreaded interview questions that await me later in the week...I wish that all I had to do was say (as quoted from Dave's friend Sean):

"I am so awesome. Way better than these other fools. One of the many reasons I'm so awesome is..."

"In light of my awesomeness, you should pay me a big lump of cash each year to basically do the same thing I do every day (i.e., increase the level of my awesomeness)."

The photo shown was taken outside of my dormitory just minutes ago. It is for celebration of Autumn.

It is Feast time!

2006-10-13T09:46:00.000-05:00

Not only is it feast time in my sushi world, but also interviews. I got another interview with another company next Thursday. This job is located in Kankakee, Illinois. It is too bad that they changed the location where people redeem Kool-Aid Points...The job is not with Kraft Foods by the way.

o-sushi

2006-10-13T08:16:00.000-05:00

Miss Hasegawa and I went to my favorite sushi restaurant after work. The weird part was that when we were changing trains, there was a 15 minute delay. Someone committed suicide by jumping in front of the train. Because of that, the whole loop line was only running the one way, not in both directions. She even mentioned how when she was in high school she saw someone jump in front of a train. It is very common here. I didn't have the chance to look up the statistics, but since they have signs for "no jumping", it must be common.

We had a good time at the restaurant. Between the two of us, the bill came to 6000 yen! Did I mention that we were only there for one hour? It was so worth it. It ended up being a "bonus" night because we had one woman (70 yrs old) give us a bottle of beer and say "Happy Birthday". We still aren't sure why she gave us the beer bottle (about a pint). THEN there was this couple we became acquainted with. By this time it was just the four of us at the counter. Only 10 people can be served in the restaurant. The older couple made it a point to ask where I was from and obviously they had heard how I told the sushi chef that my last day in Osaka would be the 4th of November. Apparently, the couple is going on a 4 day Caribbean cruise! I was impressed! Anyway, the woman kept pouring us beer. They also gave us maguro nori-maki (tuna sushi roll).

This kindness stemmed from the fact that I was an American in the restaurant. A novelty of sorts I guess. It will be one of the many things that I will miss about Japan-being special just because I am American and speak English.

Anyway, the sushi chef took our picture so Miss Hasegawa and I are forever on his camera. :-)

crazy

2006-10-12T05:29:00.000-05:00

I was about to go stir crazy today if I didn't leave work by 5:45PM. I was supposed to stay until 7, but I'll just stay later tomorrow.

I finally have the ball rolling for shipping my stuff home. Maybe it will be home by New Year's.

Phase II

2006-10-11T10:16:00.000-05:00

It appears as if I passed the preliminary preliminary phone interview. The next step will be a phone interview with the hiring manager and 2 other people later next week.

I will need to work a little harder at preparing for the interview. This time has approached much faster than I had anticipated...

The next step? Well, if I succeed in this phone interview, most likely I will fly out to Minnesota the first week I get back for an on-site interview. It is a long process...

Coffee Quote

2006-10-11T08:00:00.002-05:00

you can not have a latte coffee and flavor it with caramel tea to make it a caramel latte...

How America is viewed by the rest of the world...

2006-10-11T07:15:00.000-05:00

This was an interesting article in today's The Independent.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article1834360.ece

nada for now

2006-10-10T10:06:00.000-05:00

Not much to update since Sunday. Sofia and I went to Rinku Town outlets on Sunday and that was about it. Monday was a national holiday so I bought a suitcase, finalized the details on cancelling internet (it is a pain to do that here), and got a hair cut. Thoses tasks had nothing to do with the holiday of course!

Now it is back to the weekly grind of doing things so we will just all have to wait until the weekend when I have some more interesting/exciting things to post. Unless of course, I come across some hilarious websites like last week.

The main thing for me to focus on now is getting the paperwork started for shipping my stuff home. Somehow 2 suitcases and 1 trip home turned into about 4 suitcases worth of stuff.

A day and night in OSAKA

2006-10-08T06:37:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Sofia and I finally went to Den-Den town together. It is similar to Tokyo's Akihabara district where all sorts of electronics are sold. I met with her in the afternoon after first going to Nakanoshima Park (the roses are out!) to see part of the Osaka Music Carnival. The theme was New Orleans style so jazz, Dixieland and New Orleans music was played.

Den-Den town was very interesting not so for the electronics, but more for seeing the myriads of shops and the contents of the shops. I personally liked the "sink shop".

We went into game shops mostly as Sofia is really excited that PlayStation 3 will be coming out later this winter. I am not too big into video games, but am excited to see what Nintendo Wii is like because I just want to be able to play old games such as Super Mario Brothers and Tetris-style games.

And of course, you can't go walking down a street in Osaka without at least seeing a couple of girls dressed up in maid costumes as part of either costume play or workers at a maid cafe.

I WAS going to go to my salsa lesson but managed to get on the WRONG train. Because of that I started my evening out in Osaka a little earlier. The evening consisted of me riding a bike, eating a wonderful Italian dinner, playing pool, and going to a club for dancing. I went out with a couple of other people and fun was had by all.

It had been almost a year since I last played pool. I was TERRIBLE. Picture #1 shows how disappointed I was about missing my shot. Picture #2 shows me getting down to business and playing pool without shoes. Anything is possible in Osaka.

Bored, yeah, right....

2006-10-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

I can honestly say that I have not been bored out of my mind while living here in Japan this past year. The 4 years prior to Japan, there were MANY instances where I was bored. It is how I got involved with doing more sports activities and running/rollerblading.

Also, there is a high level of "interestingness" that the shops have here in Japan in regards to display of goods and appearance. Most of the shops in the US (ex. shopping malls) have a sterile feeling to them. No uniqueness. I realized this when I was in Bangkok at a shopping center. It was kind of depressing to walk around (not really depressing, but just not all that fun). But maybe that was because there weren't flashy lights! lol Just kidding. There aren't flashy lights EVERYWHERE in Japan.

I will miss the shopping choices that I have available to me.

Sushi

2006-10-04T09:40:00.000-05:00

Click the image for a rare opportunity to learn everything you could ever possibly hope to know about the time-honored practice of visiting a sushi restaurant in Japan, courtesy of a hilarious, tongue-in-cheek instructional video entitled The Japanese Tradition: Sushi. Again, this is all from another blog. Unfortunately, it's not even my photo. I haven't had sushi in 3 weeks!

Japanese Tobacco "Smoking Manners" advertisements

2006-10-04T09:31:00.000-05:00