this is for you noah

here is an overview of a recent lunch at the mediocre kaitenzushi (sushi go-round) that is just outside the base...

they are anxiously awaiting your arrival noah!

ret's go lamilez!

by far one of the best cultural experiences i've had in japan was this baseball game at the tokyo dome.

tokyo giants v. hiroshima carp...

we had seats in the outfield- the ONLY place worth sitting at a japanese ball game because that's where the action is intense, the fans are dedicated, the band keeps the energy high, and the cheering conductor conducts his little heart out...

feebaa jayantsu... that's the first two words, "fever giants," of the following homerun song written phonetically like they sound when sung in a japanese accent.

there are a couple of points of etiquette that you must observe however- 1) only cheer when your team is up to bat, and 2) don't leave your seat when your team is up to bat.

there's a lot more to learning japanese baseball songs than memorizing one song like "take me out to the ball game." each player has their own catchy tune, there's the song when your team scores, and the fall back is the generic "let's go -insert player's name here-" cheer. except in a japanese accent "let's go" sounds more like "ret's go." that combined with the pitcher's name, ramirez, and you've got an entry for engrish.com. we giggled every time the pitcher came up to bat because "ret's go lamilez!" reverberated throughout the dome.

other interest points were-

the beer keg girls that cruised up and down bleacher steps with kegs on their backs and the fact that not one of them actually had their hat on- just bobby-pinned in front of the pony tail,

curry rice for a game dinner instead of a hotdog,

the cheerleaders dancing to quirky music (much like you probably will be, those sitting around us were tickled by j's singing along to the quirky music),

and the fact that EVERYONE, except us, had giant's paraphenelia in some form.

a fantastic evening that i'm sure we'll repeat often during the next few years' of baseball seasons. hopefully next time we'll represent a bit better with giants jerseys or at least some orange towels to join in the waving and singing fun when they score...


the giants won. word.

thigh land

it started out as a favor to a friend in need and turned into a super fun vacation. not as much mango and sticky rice as i had hoped but the thai pancakes with mango helped fill the void. e and i started out on our own in bangkok. after getting worked by a tuk-tuk driver and some crazy pigeon ladies, we enjoyed the grand palace. my choice of clothing wasn't the greatest as the profuse sweating made it look like i peed my pants. i will be merciful and spare you the chauch shot i took of that.


the rest of the trip with thai-speaking j went a bit smoother. sunny skies, super high humidity, insanely choppy seas, and crazy chubby indian tourists who wore pantyhose with shorts and sandals marked the ferry boat ride from phuket to phi phi (pronounced pee pee) island. i only got a little seasick during the last 30 minutes of the ride.


we settled in to our bungalows...


went on a boat tour...


first stop- monkey beach where the monkeys liked pineapple and evidently had itchy bums...


second stop- we played in a sparkling, super salty, gorgeous blue cove...


third stop- some choppy snorkeling in another cove. j jumped off this cliff twice- zoom in, he's at the top in front of the green hut...


fourth stop- we climbed up some bamboo steps on a rock wall and walked to the other side of the island where the movie "the beach" was filmed. sadly, this little cove has been discovered since j visited 5 years ago when it was deserted... it would have been cool if all these crazy tourists weren't there.


fifth stop- a picnic lunch on another island after which e and i enjoyed a post-lunch coma. j enjoyed getting some close up, not-very-attractive proof of my propensity to drool when sleeping. thank you love, i know you're super proud of this shot.


the last stop of the boat tour was great snorkeling in the marine reserve. i held pineapple core in my hand underwater and fish swarmed me... a bit freaky but cool. too bad we had no underwater camera.

the next day we did an impromptu hike up to a viewpoint at the top of the island. contrary to info e got from a friend, it was NOT just a 20 minute run. it was an insanely sweaty, straight uphill walk for a while. it was a pretty view but did i mention it was crazy hot? then we hiked back down a different way through a super steep jungle path and ended up at an empty (finally!) beach. more floating in super salty, gorgeous blue water- this time all by ourselves...


after getting ripped off by a boat taxi on the way back, we had lunch at an open air restaurant on another beach, watched some more chubby indians clip their toenails while they waited for their food at the table next to us, and walked back to the beach in front of our bungalow. when the tide goes out, it goes WAY out...


the favorite establishment for dinner was this hole in the wall place that served delicious, real thai food. the place was complete with peeling paint on the cement walls and a cat that was so hot and loved that it got to sleep in the fridge with the drinks...


the final night on phi phi i made myself stay awake past 8pm for the fire show. and to e and j's credit, it was worth it. sitting on the beach at night was a nice change from the blistering sun during the day and the show was pretty impressive, especially when captured by my camera in fireworks mode...


goodbye phi phi...


in the four hours we had on the phuket peninsula before our flight, we rented mopeds for $6 and did a 2-hour loop along the coast line. after we told the rental place we were pros at driving mopeds, we then figured out how to start the things, e got over her initial trepidation of driving on the left in a land of crazy drivers and all was fabulous. this was a definite highpoint of the entire trip despite the police roadblock and the $9 ticket i got for driving without a license...


before leaving, j and i spent another day in bangkok where he got 4 suits made in less than 24 hours, we accidentally ate lunch in a pakistani restaurant that had crazy anti-american slogans on the back wall, and i returned to the weekend market for some last minute shopping. i need to go back and finish up that shopping...

the new house AND car

things are coming together so far with getting settled. i sign a lease for this beauty this week.

the house is nearly perfect-- the location is great. 10 min drive to work, 5-10 min walk to the train station which is on a line that goes directly to shinjuku, 3 min walk to a big japanese grocery store, on a hill so there's a bit of a view, on a super small street in a neighborhood so not much traffic going by unless they're neighbors... the inside is huge by japanese standards- 1910 sq ft. four bedrooms, two of which are tatami style rooms- see below. heated toilet seats onboth the upstairs and downstairs toilets- this is a key feature as japanese homes don't have central heat. decent size kitchen with lots of storage. nice japanese-style bathtub- you sit down and the water goes up to your neck. a cool front yard with a little pond that has goldfish in it. lots of storage space inside and outside the house. two verandas on the second floor. and the landlord takes care of all landscaping except the grass-- good thing because that's a lot of shaped bushes and trees! neither J nor i have anything close to miyagi-san-style bonsai tree sculpting skills and the poor bushes and trees would definitely not be pretty if left up to us to maintain...

pretty much everything and more that i was hoping to have in our home here. can't wait to have visitors!

and i pick up the super fly mini cooper i bought next monday. sadly the one with plaid interior didn't have AC-- definitely a deal breaker. so the black one it is. ultimately, the black and white will go better with more of my outfits and vinyl seats will definitely be easier to keep clean. hehe.

i thought i was going to get it today but apparently they do a whole tune up on the car before they release it. works for me. i'm pretty sure this puppy is going to come back to the states with us when we head back! i love it and i love driving it even more.

amen!

history in the making. we were there. in the extreme cold. among the hordes. who were constantly shouting out "amen!" and randomly hugging people standing next to them. there were tears shed too. a great day to be on the mall and totally worth the hassle. my personal favorite moment was the benediction. as the phraseology (don't care if that's not a word) got sort of seussical, i opened my eyes to look around and i seemed to be the only one not sure if the guy was for real- everyone else still had their eyes closed and were clearly into this prayer. word to browns getting around and yellows being mellow. the low point for me was the booing of any republican- really people?? respect for the office never hurt anyone and no matter how much you disliked dubya, booing at this particular moment was SO distasteful. stay home and boo at your TV please. anyhoo- enjoy the photos and videos by J. i just wasn't feeling picture snappy that day.

cross-country ski-tastic

we visited our friends libby and alex in germany over president's day weekend. it was great to see them, experience their awesome house with heated floors and nearby mata castle, and take a bit of a road trip to tirol, austria and newschwanstein castle. i have no idea how that last name is actually spelled. i spelled it out phonetically so you should be able to pronounce it correctly if you sound it out as you read.

it was chilly with snow on the ground but that just made the hot chocolate that much more delicious. we hung out in landstuhl where they live for a couple days...

then made our way through the alps to tirol. we stayed in a cute bed and breakfast and went cross-country skiing, a first for all of us! all of us except J had significant difficulties with hills, both going up and coming down. enjoy this series of J's photos while you can. alex may make me take them down when he sees them. i'll send you two a cd of these soon!

cruising along, ignorant of any impending trouble...

enjoying the quaint scenery...

when we come to the top of the largest hill yet. we've struggled up a number of smaller hills by this point but this seemed like we were facing a super g slalom course or something. of course J is already at the bottom waiting, ready to snap away at our treachery... libby opted out and walked down.

here i go...

going faster than i was comfortable and the butt just went down like it had a mind of its own...

these blasted things are nothing like a snowboard...

success!

super g-force alex's turn now...

at least this fall was more spectacular than my sitting down mid-slope...

success!

on the way back to landstuhl, we took a bit of a longer route in order to go to newschwanstein castle. it's the castle that inspired cinderella's castle at disney. it was pretty impressive and had they allowed photography inside, you would be impressed too.

after five days, we had our fill of bratwurst and schnitzel and apple sparkling drink that i can't remember the name of offhand. in sum, it was a great trip with amazing hosts! thanks libby and alex for everything!!!