Futons, Fish, and Ferries

Happy Valentine’s Day

2012-02-13T23:33:00.001+09:00

My giri choco is packed and ready to go!

Yay!

2012-02-11T12:55:00.001+09:00

Hurry to the gate, plane! I am waiting for my bro!

Yummy

2012-02-02T22:19:00.002+09:00

Tasty chocolate dessert at Victoria - it was called Mississippi {something} Cake, which was kind of fun.

Hello!

2012-02-01T07:16:00.001+09:00

Hello, dear train. I've missed you!

Cute Drinks

2012-01-31T07:11:00.002+09:00

The only reason I drank this was because it was so cute! I am a very cold and logical person, right?

The good and the bad

2012-01-31T00:03:00.001+09:00

The bad news…I opened the cabinet above my sink, and several items came surfing out.

The good news…I was able to slow down one item’s progress.

The bad news…I slowed it down with my head.

The good news…only one item broke.

The bad news…it was a small glass coffee pot that shattered and scattered.

The good news…I didn’t like it all that much anyway.

The bad news…it was really difficult to sweep up all the shards of glass.

The good news…I found two shards I missed in the sweeping.

The bad news…I found them with my feet.

The good news…all is well now.

Homestays

2012-01-29T22:48:00.001+09:00

When I was on my homestay in April, I got to eat beautifully prepared meals like this.

This coming week, I have someone from Sweden staying at my house. Unfortunately, I can’t quite make food this pretty. I hope she won’t mind some American style breakfasts!

One thing I am learning about homestays…they are a little scary on BOTH ends! When you are the guest, you are a little nervous about fitting in to another household, and when you are the host, you are a little nervous about having what your guest needs.

But I had a fantastic time as a homestay guest, so I hope I will also have a great time as a host.

Goofing off

2012-01-28T21:27:00.001+09:00

Pardon my goofing off...thought I'd play with some stuff around here!

It’s best to not wear shorts

2012-01-27T23:43:00.001+09:00

This was another thing I found sort of interesting in the Haneda airport. There was a display with a couch and chairs made out of bush.

Thankfully, they weren’t for sitting.

Green tea noodles

2012-01-26T20:57:00.001+09:00

These noodles taste like green tea. At first, they were strange, but then they became delicious.

Impossibilities

2012-01-25T21:00:00.001+09:00

Lately, I’ve been longing for impossible things. And you know, that’s ok. Someday, all that will be answered in ways I’ve never even imagined.

Let it snow some more!

2012-01-24T20:47:00.001+09:00

Fun seating at Haneda

2012-01-23T20:47:00.002+09:00

I had a good time curled up reading in this swinging chair!

It's really hard to believe that just one week ago, I was still at home. Aww...

A tale of two faucets

2012-01-22T19:48:00.000+09:00

Due to issues with my washing machine to sink hookup, I got a new “bathroom” sink faucet installed the other day. So now I have two faucets…and both are cold. Oh, well! Kinda makes me giggle.

From the plane

2012-01-21T20:47:00.001+09:00

I was going to blog about something else, but then I ran across this pic from out the plane window. It’s as we are approaching Hokkaido. Looking down at the clouds and the ocean below, I felt like I was upside down and looking at the sky.

Oops!

2012-01-20T03:18:00.001+09:00

This is what happens when you go to bed around 7...

2012-01-19T19:05:00.001+09:00

Ah! I have been ready for hours!

Hi from Haneda!

2012-01-18T06:45:00.001+09:00

Goodbyes

2012-01-16T14:30:00.001+09:00

This is a reminder to me about things to look forward to during the upcoming year.

I’m ever so slightly morose about saying goodbye to my people. OK, maybe ever so hugely morose. But intellectually, I know that good things are ahead. Still not easy.

One thing I have to look forward to are fields and fields of daisies. Can’t complain about that at all! I love seeing daisies growing all over everything.

I have had an amazing time in the US these 3+ weeks. I’ve loved being with my family – both home and away. I’ve loved seeing my dear friends – both the ones in town and one far away. I’ve loved the weather, delicious food, shopping, reading Randy Alcorn, visiting Mom’s classroom, seeing my old workplace, and going to the dentist (guess which one of those is a lie). It’s funny – I feel like I‘ve been here for so long.

Well, I have to go to bed before I get n trouble!

Sunshine and shopping

2012-01-15T14:13:00.001+09:00

January 14, 2012

The best parts of my trip so far have involved spending quality time with my family and friends.

Visiting the dentist did not rank very high. No offense to the many wonderful dentists out there, but perhaps merely threatening suspects with dental visits would be an effective form of interrogation. I’m just sayin’. Although someone would need to see if that would violate the Geneva Conventions.

Anyway, off that rabbit trail now. Hey, speaking of nothing, did you know that gater is a real word and pute is not? Playing Boggle with my family has been not only fun, but educational as well!

So, what I was originally going to say is that I posted this picture, because it brought together two elements of this vacation: sunshine and shopping. The weather has, for the most part, been utterly beautiful. We’ve had lots of sunshine and decently warm days. I’ve really been enjoying soaking in the sunshine while I can. I love the snow in Wakkanai, but I do miss the sun when it disappears for a long time. I’ve also been doing a lot of shopping in this second half of the vacation. Things like pants are difficult to find in Japan, due to my height. Also, I can neither confirm nor deny the addition of mint chocolate to my suitcase. But it has been nice to be able to find the things I need at reasonable prices. Yay.

But I’m not sure that I’m ready to head off, even with all my loot. Goodbyes are a whole lotta no fun.

Another USA Day

2012-01-14T14:43:00.001+09:00

Today was another fantastic day! I’d love to share some pictures with you, but they are in my camera in the living room, and I am on the floor of my bedroom. Another day, another day.

Look what I did!

2012-01-13T04:01:00.001+09:00

January 12, 2012

So, recently, I had to drive a GMC Yukon XL a short distance and park it – twice. Now, this was my first time to drive this kind of behemoth. I’ve driven 15 passenger vans through Beltway traffic in Washington DC, but I’d have to say this was scarier. But check this out:

Now, I suppose in the interest of disclosure, I do have to say that white car was not there while I was parking (it came in as I was sitting in the drivers seat experiencing a wave of relief).

Still looks pretty impressive though, eh?

Skool Daze

2012-01-12T14:07:00.002+09:00

January 11, 2012

My mom teaches elementary school 2nd grade, and today I got to visit her class and be her “ALT”. I have visited her class each time I’ve come home to talk to the students about Japan, and for them to do some Japan related activities. Today we sang a song, read a book about Japan, looked at pictures, learned to count, and tried some exciting foods.
I have to be really careful with pictures, but this one definitely is OK. Maybe I’ll have another picture for you later, if it is approved.
One of my favorite things about visit day is watching the expressions when the students try the different foods. Some of the kids were utterly horrified at whatever it is they ate, and some were crazy eager to get seconds. But my other favorite thing is just the variety of questions the students come up with.
All in all, it was a fun day, and I’d write longer, but I’m falling aslee…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

BBQ

2012-01-09T11:52:00.001+09:00

Sometimes, you just have to enjoy some good Southern BBQ!

The other night, we went out to a good old, rundown BBQ restaurant. The food was really delicious. Here I am, trying to pretend not to be Miss Priss. I didn’t even realize I was holding the rib with one finger until after the photo was taken. Oh, well.

I even ate fried pickles! I have never eaten such a thing. I do have to say, they were bizarrely good. Anyway, it was a fun experience, and I’m glad we were able to go! Mmmmmmmmm!

Crusin’

2012-01-08T13:41:00.001+09:00

January 7, 2012

Mississippi often gets a warm spell in January. I’ve always loved these brief interludes of perfect weather. We have been enjoying one of these interludes for a few days now. Today, I think it got into the 70’s. The sun was shining, so my dad, my brother and I went out on the Natchez Trace Parkway (a scenic road) to soak in the beautiful weather.

The Natchez Trace Parkway runs along the Ross Barnett Reservoir for a while. We live somewhere on the far side of the Reservoir (I think…I’m not so good with directions).

On up the parkway, there is the Cypress Swamp, which can take on a very mysterious and creepy air. As we were walking along the trail today, we heard a clap of thunder as a storm began to roll in. That definitely added to the general atmosphere.

The mysterious Cypress Swamp trees.

We went a little more, and came to a place I used to often visit with my good friend. We spent a lot of time at this spot studying, or reading, or just relaxing. While there, the storm cloud really started to gather.

On the way back, we experienced a heavy downpour. But it didn’t last too long.

And then everything cleared up beautifully and we saw a rainbow over the water.

This was my favorite tree for a long time. If you look closely, you can see the rainbow making a brief special appearance.

Doesn’t look like January, does it?

Tonight, we all got to see some beautiful colors down by the water near our house. We couldn’t really see the sunset itself, but we could see the effects of the sunset.

All in all, it was a beautiful Mississippi January day!

January

2012-01-07T15:01:00.000+09:00

January 6, 2012

I went for a 10.6 mile bike ride today. The day was absolutely gorgeous - blue sky, puffy white clouds, green pine trees. It was even a short-sleeved kind of a day for biking. For me, it was a new route, so Mom went along in the car. It was funny to think about Hokkaido being buried in snow as I was cruising along in my short sleeves. Especially since my area has been having unusually heavy snow this year.

For breakfast and lunch, I visited the same restaurant, just with 2 different people - a dear friend and a dear mother. Everything was tasty, and the restaurant seemed to have a shift change, so that was beneficial for me.

Looking forward to the weekend! Tomorrow's high looks like it will be 71. :-)

Today’s Happy Picture

2012-01-06T13:16:00.001+09:00

January 5, 2012

While biking today, I came across a fire hydrant set back in the woods. It made me smile, and so I am sharing it with you.

Hansen’s Strawberry Lemonade Review

2012-01-05T12:52:00.001+09:00

January 4, 2012

Today, I decided to foray into the world of product reviews (actually, I just couldn’t think of anything else I wanted to write about).

On my trek through Wal-Mart yesterday, I located an interesting strawberry lemonade drink mix. I cannot tell a lie…I love sweet and fruity things to drink like lemonade, but I don’t love the calories. There are several Crystal Light drinks I like, but they have aspartame in them – and aspartame is my least favorite sweetener.

Well, sometime in 2011, several drinks mixes sweetened with Stevia hit the market. My brother sent me some in Japan, and they were really delicious. Yesterday, I bought the Hansen’s one, which I hadn’t tried before.

Tonight, I tried it, and I liked it! I’d have to give it a B for flavor, but it gets bonus points for not being sweetened with aspartame.

OK, that’s all! Good night!

Yum!

2012-01-04T13:22:00.001+09:00

January 3, 2012

Recently, I downloaded a book of really natural recipes – most of them are grain free, many are dairy free. Today, I was surprised to discover that at least two of the recipes are in no way flavor-free!

I braved the wilds of Wal-Mart today. My goal was to stock up on US items I like to take back to Japan with me, and to do some shopping for the family. After trudging past acres and acres of shelves, diligently searching for my targets, I finally completed my list as much as I could.

By the time I got home, I was hungry for lunch. It was 2:30 in the afternoon (guess that’s why). So, I decided to try a recipe from my book. The original recipe was called Coconut Soup with Curried Shrimp (or something to that effect). But I substituted chicken instead, because we had it in the house. And no curry, because we didn’t have that. The recipe called for half a cup of spinach, which turned the soup a brilliant green.

In family lore, my mother is famous for her Cream of Green soup. When I was a toddler, our family was given a large amount of home-grown green beans. Mom used to freeze all kinds of things to use for soup, and so the green beans made their way into a soup. Apparently, it was mostly green beans, and was dubbed Cream of Green. Although I was too little to remember it, I heard of Cream of Green many times as I was growing up. So, to look in my pot and see a bright green soup for me was like reliving history!

But let me tell you, that stuff was good! And so simple – it came together in just a few minutes.

Tonight, we had another recipe from the book – Breakfast Burritos. I was slightly worried about how it was going to turn out. This is because the wrap part was made solely from egg. I had never tried making an egg crepe before, so I really had no idea what was going to happen. Well, this happened:

They actually tasted and looked pretty good. I was pleasantly surprised. The family all seemed to enjoy them. Inside, we had chicken, peppers, onions, olives, avocado, and some of us had sour cream and salsa (not in the original recipe).

Overall, I’d like to make both of these recipes again. The egg crepes made me a little nervous, but as long as they got some TLC and didn’t get forgotten, they came out just fine.

Shrimp

2012-01-03T09:27:00.001+09:00

January 2, 2012

One reason I’m glad it is 2012? All last year, I typed and wrote 2001. Sigh.

Today, we went to Red Lobster. Although I can pretty much get whatever seafood I want in Japan, I have definitely missed Red Lobster’s cheddar biscuits and shrimp scampi. I make my own shrimp scampi sometimes, but it definitely has a different flavor. And one time I tried a healthified recipe for cheddar biscuits made with coconut flour. I do not recommend that. I really do not recommend that.

Here’s a difference between the majority of Japanese sit down restaurants I have visited and American sit down restaurants: In Japan, you usually press a button when you need a server. Sometimes, you have to call for them. I’m not a big fan of calling, because that would be pretty impolite in American restaurants. Sometimes, I use my laser stare at the back of their heads, and when they turn around, I deliver my best “help me” look. Works pretty well. But I do love the button system.

But, we had a wonderful server today, and I thoroughly enjoyed free refills of raspberry lemonade. Yum!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T11:43:00.001+09:00

January 1, 2012 (my blog time is still set for Japan)

I have so much to be thankful this year. Oh, wait, wrong holiday…this is the resolution holiday. Well, never mind that, I still have a lot to be thankful for now! First, I am typing this on my very own computer, purchased today! I’m super thankful to have a brother who likes computers and works in IT.

Here it is, in its very own box of joy! It was so much fun to open and start up. I am having a great time getting to know my new electronic buddy.

I’m especially thankful to be enjoying time with my family back in the homeland. It’s so wonderful to be able to spend face to face time with my loved ones. It’s also fun to be able to talk to any random stranger! But I noticed one really weird and totally unrelated thing when I was at the grocery store. The produce shrank! The fruit is so much tinier than it is in Japan. That was pretty weird. It’s both odd and fun to experience the changes that have been happening while I’ve been away. This, for example:

Probably everyone in the United States has seen this except for me, but I was really surprised. Bread in the shape of Goldfish crackers! I find this hilarious. I also took a picture of the good old grape flavored apples to show my students. Even I think that grape flavored apples are a little odd. Well, a LOT odd.

But, of course, Japan has its own set of odd grocery store goodies. I’m thankful for grocery store goodies! Whether or not they are actually bought, they make shopping fun!

I’m also thankful for church! I considered taking a picture during the service, but decided against it.It was so nice to be surrounded by a huge group of fellow believers in church this morning, lift our voices in worship, and hear a wonderful message about new beginnings in Christ. What a great way to bring in the new year.

Speaking of new beginnings, I’m also thankful for a new year! I love the freshness of a new year. Even though January 1 is just another day, I absolutely delight in the feeling that anything is possible in the new year.

Well, it’s just about time for me to join my parents in a game of Boggle. Heeheehee. I’m hoping that the fresh start of the new year will result in my winning a few games (I don’t usually win).

Happy 2012, everyone!!!

Leg 3!

2011-12-22T14:15:00.001+09:00

Leg 2

2011-12-22T11:39:00.001+09:00

Standing on an obviously swaying train from Sapporo to the airport

I'm coming!

2011-12-22T08:33:00.001+09:00

Let's go!

2011-12-21T23:02:00.001+09:00

And the journey begins!

Umm...

2011-12-21T09:27:00.001+09:00

I looked at this textbook and wondered why the title was "u-nih-tay"...I definitely need to return to the embrace of my mother tongue for a bit!

The bags are packed!

2011-12-21T01:40:00.001+09:00

Last city bus ride of 2011

2011-12-20T21:27:00.001+09:00

This Last of 2011 series could go on all day! I know you are thrilled. Bwahaha.

UFO Instant Noodles

2011-12-20T17:43:00.001+09:00

You know you want them. I don't even like instant noodles and yet I want them!

2011?

2011-12-20T11:56:00.001+09:00

I feel like I've traveled back in time when I behold this heater. It's fun.

Last south-bound train ride of 2011

2011-12-20T07:21:00.001+09:00

It's nice and cosy on the train!

Hurray!

2011-12-19T22:56:00.001+09:00

2011-12-17T22:35:00.001+09:00

Cute food!

2011-12-17T22:14:00.001+09:00

A teacher made these cookies for me

4 days and some change!

2011-12-17T10:58:00.001+09:00

2011-12-17T10:54:00.001+09:00

It's like Y2K at my house!

2011-12-15T21:45:00.001+09:00

Snow pile!

2011-12-11T13:35:00.001+09:00

Piles of snow make me feel that winter is here!

2011-12-04T17:26:00.001+09:00

If it were legal, I would so bring these home. They are crackers with a dried shrimp surprise inside. Isn't your mouth watering??

Lockers

2011-12-03T21:58:00.001+09:00

I’ve never really had a locker of my own. Being homeschooled, it wasn’t exactly necessary. When I came to Japan, I found out that most teachers at the schools I visit and even the staff members of the Board of Education have their own lockers. I was a teensy bit jealous, I have to admit.

Things do get a little ridiculous in the winter especially, because I usually end up surrounded by a pile of winter gear. But, I’ve been doing this for over two years now, so I’m pretty accustomed to the way things are.

Well, last week, I visited the night branch of my biggest high school. I shed my layers of winter apparel, and set them on the couch next to me. Imagine my surprise when my JTE told me that I had a locker! He seemed a little hesitant, and mentioned something about the men’s locker room. That seemed a little strange to me…

He told me he would show me where it was, so I followed him out of the staff room. He stopped in front of the men’s locker room, opened the door, and told me I could come in. I peeked in the room to where he was pointing, and yep. Sure enough, there was a locker marked ALT in the men’s locker room.

I think Captain Picard sums it up best:

My JTE did also seem kind of confused about the whole thing, I have to say! It wasn’t just me who found the situation a little odd.

Good morning!

2011-12-02T07:15:00.001+09:00

Bliss!

2011-11-27T13:42:00.001+09:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T22:07:00.001+09:00

Happy Thanksgiving, America! Please enjoy the day, and eat a piece of pumpkin pie for me! Today was a regular working day for me, and I visited my night school. I ate school dinner in the cafeteria with some of the other teachers. So, without further ado, I present my official Thanksgiving Dinner:It tasted pretty good! The soup was really nice.

However, yesterday was the day I really celebrated Thanksgiving. I went to a neighboring town and enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with several American families from around the northern part of Hokkaido.

Here is my real Thanksgiving dinner:

It was quite tasty! And it was really fun to hang out with lots of different families. I even indulged in a slice of delicious apple pie. Yum!

Then, as the lone singleton, I fell victim to the “Let’s all feed her” marathon. I came home with plenty of tasty leftovers. So, for my lunch on Thanksgiving Day, I had a lovely plate of Thanksgiving!

Yay!

Happy Thanksgiving, all! I hope you have lovely days full of fun, friends, and families!

Yesterday

2011-11-18T16:42:00.001+09:00

What happened?

2011-11-15T15:51:00.001+09:00

This afternoon

Blizzard!

2011-11-15T08:23:00.001+09:00

Send out the St. Bernards!

Ok,maybe not!

Snow!

2011-11-14T08:35:00.001+09:00

On my way to work, and it is snowing! See!

NaNoWriMo- Mister Donut style

2011-11-13T16:40:00.001+09:00

NaNoWriDo?

Temptation

2011-11-13T16:38:00.001+09:00

My goodness, these smelled good! It was like running the gauntlet to get to my cafe au lait! They still smell good, but at least I can't see them!

Do Re Mi

2011-11-12T18:20:00.001+09:00

Just hangin' and waiting to rock out at the choral concert.

Wonder if anyone would be down with a mosh pit...

11-11-11, Natto Man, and purikura

2011-11-11T23:34:00.001+09:00

Today I came back from my last overnight visit to my floating flower island for this school year. Yesterday was a beautiful morning, and the ride to the island was almost lovely. I had to be flat about halfway through the ride due to – uh – rocking.

All three high school classes both days were a lot of fun. We played a word relay with the first year students – my team won both times – yeah!

The second year students worked on organizing stories, and then they worked on writing their own original stories (following a pattern). I also had to write a story, so I worked on a story about a new superhero. His name is Natto Man. Japan has Anpanman (a superhero with bread filled with bean paste for a head), so why not Natto Man (natto is ~~rotten~~ fermented soybeans)?

The third year students had the most challenging class, but it was really fun. The challenging part came in the preparation. The teacher and I wrote a murder mystery story with all the characters being people at the high school. Writing a murder mystery is really hard! And writing one simple enough so that non-native English speakers can read it is even harder. Then, making sure everyone in the class had lines and parts in the mystery added another layer. Oh, and don’t forget making sure no students kill anyone, or get killed, or beaten up in the story – that wouldn’t be so good. But I think the story we eventually came up with was pretty cool.

Too bad I can’t copy and paste it into my NaNowriMo project! That would be convenient, since I am a bit behind on it – eek!

I left school pretty late – it was actually a bit funny, because the events that led to the beginning of our story started to play out in real life. No murders, of course!

I was a bit late to dinner at the hotel, but someone had called ahead for me and told them I would be running late. It was definitely a dinner worth waiting for. Everything was so delicious. Mmm.

Today was really fun, because when I got home, I stopped by the store and ran into 5 students from one of the high schools in town. They were doing purikura (photos in a booth with cute backgrounds – you can add decorations and words and stuff). They pulled me into the booth, and we took crazy purikura pictures together. In the first one, I look hilariously stunned, but the rest were really fun.

And, it’s 11-11-11, which is just cool.

Ferry NaNo

2011-11-10T07:05:00.001+09:00

One of the fun things about NaNoWriMo is writing in different places.

And hoping to avoid seasickness while writing!

NaNoWriMo Eve

2011-10-31T23:13:00.001+09:00

It is almost November 1, and I am filled to the brim with excitement! I was going to do the responsible thing and go to bed at a reasonable hour…

…but then I was so sad that I would be missing one of my favorite parts of NaNoWriMo – staying up until midnight to ring in the month. So, I decided to throw caution to the wind and stay up anyway! I”m just going to stay up for a few minutes after midnight…I promise.

No snow this NaNo eve – but the air is crisp and clear, and the stars are shining brightly. I certainly can’t complain!

Dessert

2011-10-26T21:15:00.002+09:00

Mostly, I'm just excited to have dessert in a pretty glass!

Making bread

2011-10-23T00:42:00.002+09:00

I have always loved the blog, The Pioneer Woman. She makes amazing recipes, and posts step-by-step photos from her beautiful kitchen. She also basically just has a really cool life on a ranch. When I grow up, I want to be her!
Well, here is my version! How to make coconut flour bread in a tiny apartment kitchen with no fancy stuff.
First, convert things as needed. No, I didn’t hold a service and sing to the butter. I just used a website.
Next, whack off a hunk of butter with a sharp knife. By the way, do you like my American flag plate? It cracked me up when I saw it in the 100 yen section at my grocery store.
Now, melt the butter. Don’t be like me and let the butter explode.

Now for the dry ingredients...coconut flour, sea salt, and baking powder.

Then, beat some eggs

This is generally not the accepted way to beat eggs

Now, mix it all together!

And glob it into the pan. Hi again, crazy plate!

Then, bake it and hope for the best!

Finally, EAT IT! Hurray!!

I used a recipe from Mark's Daily Apple. It was super easy, and I had all the ingredients. I can’t wait to have another piece tomorrow! Maybe I’ll toast it!
Yeah, that’s how I roll.

Veggie-table

2011-10-22T22:50:00.001+09:00

Veg-table

HAHAHAHA

What?

2011-10-19T19:15:00.002+09:00

We all do it. Crash straight into a door clearly marked Pull or yank on a door that says Push. That's why this door sometimes causes stress in my life. They really really really want everyone to push it, but if I often fail at opening doors marked in English, what do they think will happen here?

You should see me trying to get into the train station before an early ferry. There, the door is not marked quite so emphatically, and I usually spend a few minutes each day tangled up in it. Oh, well!

Caramel Apples

2011-10-17T08:12:00.001+09:00

Two of my schools want to try making caramel apples this fall. Well, if we must, we must…I suppose.

Heeheehee.

Now, my dad makes absolutely wonderful and amazing caramel corn. Amazing. I’m gaining weight just thinking about it. So, I think my secret hope was that the apples would have a bit of a similar taste.

I found a simple-sounding recipe on an interesting blog. Only 3 ingredients are required, and all of them are easily found here in the tundra. Shock! Awe! Anyway, here is the original recipe:

101 Cookbooks - Caramel Apples

Looks pretty drool-worthy, huh?

So, I set out to do a trial run.

Here are my apples, speared with chopsticks instead of lollipop sticks.

Creeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaam! Hello, darling. And hello, invisible sea salt.

Cooking the caramel takes forever. And ever. Amen.

Finally! Time to roll!

And, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. But it was pretty tasty, especially once the caramel got good and cool. Definitely not as good as Dad’s, though!

Hello!

2011-10-16T21:20:00.001+09:00

Hi, friends! I’ve been away from here for a long time. Oops.

There’s not too much going on here – fall is moving right along.

So, I was moving pictures off my SD cards this evening, and came across some random things I figured I’d throw up here for you.

Here is one of my favorite hotel rooms in recent times.

Rishiri Island pizza – so bad, yet oh, so good. You can’t really see the tentacles in this shot, but they are in there, hidden by cheese.

Hanging out with the Japan Self Defense peeps

There’s a big, pretty bus that drives around town. I saw it had a block of text on it, and I finally caught it for a photo. It kind of makes me smile.

One of my little towns

Well, I’ll try not to be such a stranger. But NaNoWriMo is coming soon, so I can’t promise anything!

And today

2011-09-20T21:55:00.001+09:00

A different view!

A gorgeous evening

2011-09-19T17:57:00.001+09:00

And it feels like fall. Yay!

We remember

2011-09-12T00:08:00.001+09:00

I didn’t want to blog today.

September 11th is always a weighty day, especially this one. It’s hard to believe it has been 10 years since that awful day. It really felt real this evening, as it became 9/11 back home.

It’s hard to find the right words to say about this day.

They are reading the names right now. It’s heartbreaking to think that each name represents a family aching for their loss. It’s also hard to think about all those who are still suffering because of their heroic actions on that day.

I just can’t imagine.

Umm...

2011-09-07T16:00:00.001+09:00

My first guess: don't buy cell phones and credit cards from strangers. Then I realized that both guys look evil...

Second guess: protect your identity

What do you think?

Creative parking

2011-09-06T23:27:00.001+09:00

Heeheehee

Fascination

2011-09-05T22:08:00.000+09:00

I cannot tell a lie - I love trains. I love traveling by train, and I even just like seeing them. That's why I love this video! It is not mine, but it's a train I often take. So you can imagine me inside, listening to my music and just reading a book or looking out the window and dreaming.

And yes, I'm getting excited about the snow returning. I miss my tights and boots!

Wish you were here!

2011-08-25T06:39:00.001+09:00

It's a lovely morning for a sea commute. Wish you all were here! We could have tea and coffee together and enjoy the trip!

Adventures in running

2011-08-22T20:51:00.001+09:00

Today I signed up for my first 5k! It's in 2 weeks here in town. And I did the registration paperwork all by myself. I was kind of proud of that. ;-)
I've been running for about a year now, and I'm happy to say that I can run a 5k. However, I'm quite slow. Knowing this, here's where my mind went:

Imagine with me: Summer is coming to a close. There is a light tang of fall in the air. We focus in on an empty city street. The street is littered with paper cups and other small bits of paraphernalia that indicate a recent event. A lone crow caws loudly before snatching the last crumb on the cracked sidewalk and flying away. No people can be heard or seen. Even the shops are boarded up and deserted. A tumbleweed rolls by.Our attention is caught by a steady sound. Thump…thump…thump. We wonder what is could be. We look up, and in the distance, we see a woman slowly and steadily running toward us, race number pinned to her shirt. Every five steps, her pants slip and she gives them a quick hike. Her ponytail swings to the beat of her stride. With determination and exhaustion written on her face, she runs right past us, not even seeming to notice us.

After I got that out of my system, I went and read the actual race schedule. The JHS and up males will start first. The JHS and up ladies (me!) will start 5 minutes later. 5 minutes after that, they will release the 5th and 6th grade elementary school students. So now my worst case scenario basically involves me being passed by a pack of little kids with fire in their bones!

I just have to remember the old adage..."Dead last is better than did not finish, which trumps did not start."

I'm actually really excited and really a little terrified about running all in one. It's kinda fun!

So, I went out for just a slow distance run today. I decided to run to a lake that I thought was about 5k from my house. Then, I figured I'd just walk back. As I was running, things seemed a lot farther away than my brain had told me they were before I started running. I just kept trucking (golf carting) along. When I got home and checked the distance, it turned out to be 7km. I got a free 2km bonus tacked on to the end. And it only took me 7 minutes longer than my first timed 5k a few weeks ago. I was kind of excited!

Along the way, I stopped 2 times. Once for a light, and once for a deer. Yup. As I ran out of town in the late afternoon, I saw a deer in the brush next to the road. I startled it, and it bounded away (deer are much faster than I am). I kept peeking to see where it went while I ran on, and I saw it meet up with 2 other deer - they looked like teenage fawns. Still had cute spots! I was rather excited, but I hadn't stopped yet. Of course, I startled the group, and they scattered in all directions. One of the fawns ran onto the sidewalk in front of me. We both ran along for a few, and that's when I stopped. I was concerned that the fawn was going to swerve and head straight into oncoming traffic. I stopped, and it stopped and looked at me, thought for a second and then thankfully bounded away into the brush.

As I ran on my way, I headed out into cow country. I do not recommend heading into cow country when your body is starved for oxygen. Ugh.

I made it to the lake, and then headed for home. Far ahead of me on the road, I saw a dark thing cross the street. At first, I thought it was a cat or a fox. Then I thought (imagination again), what if it's a bear. Thankfully, it was a cat. I wonder if I should consider wearing my glasses while running?

By this time, it was growing dark quickly. I enjoyed watching the sun set, seeing Rishiri, and just the general beauty of the evening. But I was in danger of getting home much later than I planned. So, I caught a bus. Heeheehee...this is why you should carry some money when you run. I got off the bus about 20 minutes from home and stopped at Seicomart. Of course, I was finished with my run before I got on the bus!

But I finally made it home, and now it's time for something tasty for dinner!

Can't wait for the adventures my next run will hold! As long as they don't include a real bear.

Update

2011-08-21T14:11:00.001+09:00

I did it! I hooked two scallops! Here is my bounty cooking.

Yes, I felt a little mighty hunter-ish.

Party!

2011-08-21T11:18:00.001+09:00

Today is Japan's northernmost festival(as far as I can tell!). There is more food and fish than you could hope to consume in a year. I wish I could post smells, because it smells good around here.

Now, if you'd prefer a more active role in preparing your lunch, you can try what the people in this picture are doing. It's a game where you try to hook as many scallops as possible in a minute! I'd like to try, but what would I do if I caught one???

Gonna go watch and enjoy the festivities some more!

First day of school

2011-08-18T07:48:00.001+09:00

And, we're back for the second semester! I'm commuting to school by boat this morning. There's a definite chill in the air, which is why I'm hanging out inside. Tourist season is still going strong, so there are plenty of peeps aboard!

Off to a crazy start

2011-08-02T22:14:00.000+09:00

My third year in Japan began today, and I thought things would be pretty normal from here on out. I was wrong, son, I was wrong.

This morning, I woke up to a sound I can best describe as a cross between nails on a chalkboard and a money counting machine at the bank. Thinking something was trying to come in through my mail slot, I got up to investigate. That's when I realized the sound was coming from my heater. Somewhere, deep inside the stovepipe, something was alive and frantically trying to escape. There wasn't much I could do at that point. I considered dismantling my heater, but didn't want to accidentally break anything. Then was the problem of whatever was in there escaping into my arms - or apartment.

I decided to hurry and get to work as quickly as possible, so I could tell someone there. So, I went to make breakfast. When I went to open my brand new huge bag of cocoa powder, I discovered that I had accidentally purchased a big bag of hot chocolate instead. Doesn't work quite the same in recipes.

The sounds were getting really distressing at this point. I hadn't known my little heater buddy long, but I was really worried about it dying in the stovepipe. So, I hurried to leave my apartment.

I discovered along the way that I managed to lock myself out of my own bathroom.

Once at work, I told my supervisor that an animal had gone to my stove. We worked out what had happened, and then everyone disappeared for a meeting of some sort. I wanted to ask about my creature, and I kind of wanted to go back and just take apart the stove.

At lunchtime, I didn't really want to go home, because I didn't want to hear the desperate scratching sounds, and I also didn't want to not hear those sounds. I stopped by my apartment for a few minutes anyway, just to satisfy my curiosity.

Silence.

Ohhhhhh, not what I was hoping for.

I sadly made my way back to the office. Midafternoon, three coworkers and I came back to my apartment to see what was going on in my stove. They put on heavy gloves and tapped on the pipe. Still no sound. So, they slowly started taking apart the stovepipe.

In the bottom, there was a tiny brown body of a sparrow. It wasn't moving.

One of my coworkers gently picked it up to dispose out the window. As he let go, it revived and fluttered away! It went straight to sit on the back fence.

That sparrow is going to have one heck of a story for its little friends when it gets back to the nest.

Is this setting the tone for the new year?

Two years

2011-07-31T22:24:00.001+09:00

Wow, has it really been two years since I left Mississippi?

I left home early in the morning on July 31, 2009 to head to pre-departure orientation in Nashville. Talk about a swirl of emotions!

It has definitely been an adventuresome two years!

Okinawan Food

2011-07-29T23:04:00.000+09:00

A friend and I went to an Okinawan restaurant in town for the first time this evening! Everything was deeelicious! But guess who forgot to take pictures? Yup. You guessed it. To be honest, I think some of the food would have come out a little odd looking in pictures. It was a bit odd looking on my plate. But it sure was yummy! I'm eager to return and have more guava tea that tastes like cinnamon.

It did feel kind of funny to be sitting in the far distant north eating food from the far distant south.

Greetings from the cave!

2011-07-25T21:19:00.001+09:00

I’m currently chilling in a hostel in Sapporo – tomorrow I’ll be headed off to a seminar. This hostel is really fun for one major reason – the beds are like little forts! Each bottom bunk has a curtain you can draw and a little lamp inside for light. So, I’m happily tucked away into my little fort with my root beer and bottle of water. And of course, my computer. What more could you ask for!

The futon is kind of standing up behind the computer – kinda looks like a weird chair or something.

I wonder if my roommates are wondering about the strange typing sounds coming from my fort – better than the sounds of a Snickers bar.

Well, good night!

Where Have All the Girls Gone? - By Mara Hvistendahl | Foreign Policy

2011-07-25T05:15:00.003+09:00

I read this article recently, and found it haunting. It doesn't take very long to read, and the author makes some interesting points. Although this is a fairly well-known topic, she brings out some things I had never thought of/known. There are some things toward the end of the article that I don't necessarily agree with, but overall, I thought the points made by the author were really good. Hope you find this as interesting (and saddening) as I did.

Where Have All the Girls Gone? - By Mara Hvistendahl | Foreign Policy

Konbanwa!

2011-07-24T19:07:00.001+09:00

Things I love, #1

2011-07-19T05:58:00.000+09:00

I love this bus. It’s like a party bus. Most of our city buses are red and white. Not this one! It has area landmarks all over it, like the memorial tower and Cape Soya. It just makes me smile when I see it.

Fun on a budget

2011-07-18T14:22:00.001+09:00

So, today is a national holiday in Japan. Yay! I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do. I was at the school festival for Saturday and Sunday, so I couldn’t really go out of town. I also wanted to do something cheap, but at least a little exciting. I finally decided to take the local train to the first stop, and then make my way back home.

I often don’t have much of a sense of direction, so this was kind of a big feat for me to undertake. My sense of direction does seem to be a bit better when I’m out in the middle of nowhere, though.

I rolled out of bed this morning and somehow managed to make it to the station in order to catch the 6:24 train. It was a beautiful morning with lots of sunshine, although by the time I got to Bakkai, it was a bit overcast. Here is the Bakkai station:

It’s kind of a cute place.

Here’s the town of Bakkai with Rishiri in the background.

So, I headed north along a road that basically ran up the coast. It was just lovely and so satisfying.

Unfortunately, I discovered that since I was heading north, Rishiri was behind me the whole time. Argh. Well, the good thing was that since Rishiri was behind me, I could enjoy looking at other things.

Erm, I may have turned around a few times…

Can you blame me?

It was a really beautiful day for a walk, though.

There really weren’t any buildings for the coastal part of the walk. Lots of people were driving and biking (both kinds), though. Not too many other walkers. Thankfully, there was sidewalk all the way!

Eventually, I got back to civilization. Still had a ways to go, though!

As I headed inland, I passed some groups of bikers heading towards the coast. It was really fun to hear them exclaim about Rishiri as it came fully into view for them.

I kept going, and discovered a wall of daisies. Hello!

It made me very happy.

By the time I got home, I was ready for a shoulder transplant, but it really was worth it. What a lovely day!

In all, I think I hiked around 7 or 8 miles, a big hunk of that right up the west coast. Total adventure cost: 260 yen (about $3 or so)

Summer morning

2011-07-18T08:14:00.001+09:00

It's a beautiful summer morning, and I'm hiking up the west coast. Hurray for holidays!

S’wonderful

2011-07-16T21:27:00.001+09:00

I have just had the loveliest evening I’ve had in quite some time. But, before I get down to the matter at hand, I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of my little family:

Shoe Hall! This is actually half of a set of identical twins. They arrived around 10:30 this morning. They join half a lettuce plant, a small blue couch, a kindle, and a set of snowshoes as members of the household. I’m actually really excited, because I haven’t had heels I can wear to work in a long time.

OK, so anyway, tonight was the first night of a high school festival. There are two high schools in town, and the other school had their festival last week. I’m trying to be vague in order to protect the innocent. :)

Today’s school started their festival with a parade through town. The English teacher asked if I wanted to join in and walk with the students. Of course, I said sure! So, this afternoon, after a wardrobe crisis, I headed off to school.

By the way, one thing they don’t really prepare you for when you head off to another country are the frequent wardrobe crises. I keep encountering situations I never encountered back home, and I NEVER know what to wear. I have to admit, I really wanted a chance to wear the newest members of the clan, but even I know it’s a bad idea to participate in a parade through town in high heels.

As I headed to school, I passed a house with a lovely garden. So I took a picture and hoped the homeowners weren’t looking out the window.

I arrived at school, and got some happy greetings from students hanging out the windows. The students really seem to enjoy their school festivals. It’s one of the major events of the school year, and the students work really hard at decorating the school and preparing performances, shops, and all kinds of things. It really seems like a fun thing to have.

Around 6, everyone started getting ready for the parade. Each class had an andon, kind of a small lighted float they were to pull. There were also 2 alumni groups participating.

The andons were really neat. There were two cakes, a wild animal, a model of the school, a model of Cape Soya, and a big red ogre thing. Guess which group I was assigned to? Yup.

Before we set off, half the police in Wakkanai (or maybe more than half – there were a lot) showed up to provide an escort/safety. Which was probably good, since we were wandering down some busy roads. Let me just say, following a giant lighted cake while on a diet is weird.

The students had a great time cheering as they headed around town. I even saw several people I know, which was kind of crazy. It’s strange to realize that I know people here. I don’t know why that’s strange. Anyway, it was fun to recognize people.

Me, the demon ogre, and several mothers.

After a while, I was released to run around and take pictures. This is the alumni group. I’m not too worried about posting them, because they are most definitely not my students! It was really fun to run around and take pictures of students and their floats – they were really friendly and excited.

Eventually, we climbed the hill back to school and put away the andons. Then, everyone just hung around until it was time for the fireworks. I had a wonderful time chatting with students. We learned the word endurance.

I just can’t even explain what a pleasure it was to hang around students who were engaged and interested in talking to me. So much more enjoyable than the times I practically have to chase and hogtie people to get a simple hello.

Once it was dark enough, it was time for the fireworks show. The fireworks were gorgeous and far too short. But I understand why 5 hours of fireworks would be a bit impractical! :)

Afterwards, I headed home, feeling so bubbly and relaxed. It was really a lovely evening.

Good grief!

2011-07-08T23:29:00.002+09:00

Apparently, no matter which way I aim the phone, the posts go sideways! Argh! I'm ready to give this loaner phone back and bring Old Faithful home.

Good morning!

2011-07-08T07:12:00.001+09:00

This morning, I'm commuting outside. It's a little bitty bit chilly out here on the open sea, but it's nice to have the opportunity to be outside again.

Here comes the train!

2011-07-05T07:48:00.001+09:00

I hope this video will work!

10, 20, 30…

2011-07-04T22:07:00.001+09:00

The summer I turned 10, I spent my first week at sleep away camp. I went to the Girl Scout camp that was only a few miles from home. For me, it might as well have been on another planet. I was miserable. On the first day, I got confused during the swim test and wound up a red cap – humiliating. I don’t remember much about my cabin mates, I just have a sense that I thought they were a little strange. I went windsurfing one day, but I was too little to get the sail out of the water (my counselor did let me ride on the end of the board at the end of the lesson while she sailed back). But the worst part? I was horribly homesick all week. Every day during rest time, I would mourn my new life in this weird new land. And my poor parents – I wrote the most miserable postcards home, begging my parents to come rescue me. If I remember correctly, they were in a class at this time, and the other parents advised them that I would be fine (eventually). Sure enough, in spite of that week, I became enamored of camp and went back time and time again.

The summer I turned 20, I worked at a camp in Ohio. Most weeks, I had a cabin full of 7-9 year old girls. It was tons of fun, and I had great times with each group – including the homesick ones. I sure felt like I had come full circle when I had a cabin full of crying girls one night. Who knew homesickness was contagious? I remember sitting on the floor of the cabin, comforting and chatting and getting everyone through the night. There were two who were probably as homesick as I was my first summer at camp, and yet they too survived the week. They actually came back the next week with their mom and brought me a little present. I had a slightly more difficult week that week, but their visit really warmed my heart.

This summer, I turned 30, and I am living in Japan. And guess what? I’m homesick again!! I’m glad I didn’t know this would happen when I was 10! I would have had even more to be mournful about. And if you had told me 10 years ago that in 10 years I would be the homesick one, I would have laughed from under my pile of campers.

Oh, well. It looks like things can go around more than once! I’ll get through being homesick, and life will be good again. And it’s only about 24 weeks or so until I get to see my peeps! I solemnly promise I was not counting weeks specifically for that purpose…

*BTW, these pictures are not really related to the post – they just had good homesick vibes.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T07:59:00.000+09:00

Happy 4th of July! When I was younger, one of my favorite jokes was to ask people if they had the 4th of July in England. I'd always hope to get that one person who'd say no (thinking I meant Independence Day) so I could have the joy of saying that of course they have the 4th of July in England. It's right between the 3rd and the 5th.

Well, it's the 4th of July in Japan now, but it's just the day between the 3rd and the 5th. I went out for a run this morning and was shocked at how chilly it was! But, I have some exciting things planned for the day. I have a new coffee taste sensation (a dash of maple extract), cheesecake for breakfast, and there is a red pepper with my name on it. They were only 100 yen apiece at the store yesterday. I also have a big sheet of homemade chocolate!

We do have a holiday coming up this day - Marine Day is the third Monday of this month. Yay!

Happy 4th!

Ordinary Sunday

2011-07-03T23:43:00.001+09:00

Today was a lovely and perfectly ordinary Sunday. I woke up, got on and about with my day, had breakfast, went to church, did some chores and some shopping, cooked lunch and dinner (though not at the same time), and watched some TV. When I finished my movie, I had to shake my head to remind myself where I was!

It’s nice to have an ordinary day every once in a while!

Trip to the marsh

2011-07-02T10:47:00.001+09:00

View Full Album

Running around the district

2011-07-02T07:37:00.001+09:00

Yawn. I got up early this morning to have a little adventure!

Heaven’s weather?

2011-06-30T07:37:00.001+09:00

It’s important to be joyful, no matter what the external or internal circumstances.

It’s just that it’s more fun to be joyful on a day like yesterday.

The weather alternated between sunny and cloudy. It was gorgeously sunny when I walked back to the office after school. The temperature was that great temperature where you can pretty much wear anything you like and still be comfy. I was wearing a cotton turtleneck to cover my weekend sunburn and a light cardi. And a skirt. And some other things.

Everything is green now, and flowers are bustin’ out all over the place. We just moved into daisy season, and I find myself wanting to gather armfuls and fill my house. But I just enjoy them outside.

I love my commute!

*BTW, I forgot to mention that I did complete all my pre-30 goals. I made the cucumber soup on my birthday eve. It was much better than I thought it would be. Still just a little weird, though.

The big day

2011-06-29T08:07:00.001+09:00

I got up early on my birthday to see if I had been transformed into an anchorwoman. No! Hurray! Although, I kind of already knew since I had been on the phone with my mom past midnight. :)

My neighbors were running around, so I had to go into the back to take my pic. We go for the natural land look around here, huh.

Birthday breakfast! Homemade yogurt and chocolate cake! I did not make the coffee.

Birthday lunch. Yes, it was as “delicious” as it looks.

But, a nice family had me over for birthday cake after Zumba! Yes, one of my favorite birthday-type cakes! Yummm….

So, it was a lovely day, and the day after I got to have a fun party with home! It was still my birthday in the States, so it was totally in extended celebration.

Well, gotta get to work!