Letters to Mom

I do think Andy would like this video...(Andy are you there?!?!?!)

2012-02-08T06:08:00.000-08:00

The ski trip!

2012-01-30T05:36:00.000-08:00

Woke up at 6 and headed out the door. I took the three minute train to Shin-Osaka and headed to the bus platform. Brian was going to meet me. He arrived especially early. But I couldn't find him. After much talking and running around and looking we found he was at the WRONG station. He had only ten minutes to right the ship. And at the last minute he came running up the the bus platform and he jumped on the bus as it was rolling away. There was three of us were on the bus and we were rolling towards the slopes. Sebastian showed how he could lean the chair all the way back so it rested on my chest. Then when I went to sleep he flicked my nose and then when that didn't work he stuck his finder in my nose. We arrived at the bottom of the hill and met JOY my Italian friend. Joy and Sebastian were really good so they went off on their own and me and Brian stayed together. I helped Brian get to his feet and he struggled all day. But by the end of the day he was able to get some mileage under his skies. BUT we wandered too far off track and we were the last people to leave the park. Everyone at the bus was waiting. The last hour was especially rough for Brian. He had been falling all day and he was ready to cal it quits. But he was a camper and soldiered on. We took the bus and I fell asleep hard. When I woke up we had pulled into the station. It had been a long and exhausting day but we were happy and ready to go back again soon!

Oh and did I mention that snow fell in huge soft baseball sized chunks. Incredible. The ground was powdery and soft and impossible not to be happy.

BONUS crazy German guy pix!

My life!

2012-01-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

1. Megumi is always in a bad mood. Pregnancy is tough for the old girl. Her belly is tight. She is sick. I am on vacation. And she has to get up early for work. Life is unfair. Sunday night we had to rush to the hospital. We found a taxi and made it to the hospital. It was strange seeing what was moving around at 3 AM. kids were on the street riding bikes. "What are you doing on the street riding bikes?" I thought. But they didn't hear me thinking or they just ignored me and went cackling off into the night. We made it home. Megumi went to bed. I was waiting in the dark lobby for her and I just slept. No much else you can do in a dark room at 3 AM.

2. Still trying to think of a name. Almost sure it is a girl. Maybe a girl would be nicer. Less screaming. Been trying out some names but Megumi hates every one of my suggestions. She doesn't even listen to me. She just goes "shht" and turns her head away.

3. Did I pull or a musscle. Why does my leg hurt? and why it won't go away?

4. I am digging TOM WAITS nowadays. You should too! Good stuff.

5. Have you been keeping up on politics? (By you I mean you as in the universal, I am talking to the world, YOU!). The Republicans are... Well, I don't know the word. But I look at these debates and it is a completely different world. It is like they are on the other-side of the grand canyon and I am looking out across at them with nothing in common.

3.

Oh by the way....

2011-12-29T04:59:00.000-08:00

Did I mention that I got married on Christmas day?

My team again...

2011-12-28T04:58:00.000-08:00

After Chritsmas...

2011-12-27T04:57:00.000-08:00

1. Megumi hasn't been doing well. Yesterday I came home and she was on the floor sleeping. She opened her eyes long enough to make it to the bath (one of her most favorite activities in all the world). then she came back. Then she went to bed. She never said a word to me.

2. Then this morning I dressed and walked her to the bus stop. Her face was pekid and drained. She didn't say anything to me. She slowly walked to the bus stop and by slowly I mean tiny steps. Meanwhile I have the whole day off and I sauntered leaisurly back to the apartment.

3. So of all the events in my life it really pales in comparison to the struggles Megumi is going through. Having a kid is not easy for her. Everyday is a struggle and these last few days have been especially tough. I will keep everyone up to date...

SEPTEMBER 19th/20th AWAJI SOCCER TOURNAMNET

2011-11-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

Got up at 6 on Saturday morning and I headed out the door. I made it to the bus stop with 10 minutes to spare, threw my bag in the rack and slept (or tried to sleep). There were a lot of foreigners on the bus and they were all chatting away in English so it made it hard to think because (unlike Japanese) I can't filter English out as background noise.

Got to the tournament grounds and it was pouring down rain. And it rained all day. One of my players got sick and the other didn't show up (?!?!?!?!) so we were down to 9 men. Then another man got hurt and we were down again. But it all worked out. We found extra players and we did alright. We had four games and we actually won a single game. It was just kicking from mud puddle to mud puddle. So I think that is why we won.

The next day things had dried out and we were able to pass the ball around. We won a single game and then we were eliminated in the second game.

I came home and just relaxed. It was a tough weekend and I am really sore. But I am happy to have had to chance to get outside and kick the ball around.

SOCCER TOURNAMNET

2011-11-13T04:08:00.000-08:00

Woke up at 7 AM today, well ahead of my alarm clock. When I was heading out the door and on the way to the subway I was afraid that I forgot to turn off my alarm clocks since I didn't use them to wake up. Nothing is more annoying that the neighbor who forgets to turn off his alarm clock when he is away for the weekend. But as it turns out, I had indeed turned them off.

We arrived at the ground. The weather was perfect. The air was cool. The surface smooth and beautiful. We lost our first game which became a pattern. But there was some highlights. We did win a single game against some tough opponents.

My groin muscle was sore going into the match and unfortunately I had to sit out the last 3 matches. Not a good scene for me.

Then after the match me and some of the players scooted off to a wedding after party. It cost us $80 but it was beautiful and the food was great. Because I was hurt I took my shower early and I walked out onto the pitch wearing my suit. Now I know how a sexy girl feels. All eyes turned to me and everybody wanted to talk with me.

The wedding reception was nice and full of funny games and PLANNED. No surprises. Oh yes, and very expensive. I wrote to my GF about this and she was thrilled and wanted to hear all the details. Now I am home and I have a mount of school work that I need to do. Arggg..

DIG MY NEW PLACE!

2011-10-30T01:42:00.000-07:00

...and the view:

FUNNY!

2011-10-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

ME!

2011-10-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

ME!!!

MY GIRLFRIEND!!

OUR TEAM!

2011-10-16T06:01:00.001-07:00

4 views of a butterfly

2011-10-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

Trip with my Neice and Nephews!

2011-09-21T02:35:00.000-07:00

Apartment hunting!

2011-09-17T03:50:00.000-07:00

Read this in the New Yorker..

2011-08-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

I was reading a long profile about Clarence Thomas the tea party wing of the Supreme Court and I came across this quote. Real funny!

What makes Thomas’s silence even more peculiar is his behavior in the courtroom, especially in recent years. The Justices all sit in high-backed leather swivel chairs, and Thomas has set his so that he can recline so far that he appears almost to be lying down. He stares at the ceiling. He rubs his face. He does not appear to be listening. He closes his eyes and sometimes appears to be asleep. The over-all effect is rude, if not contemptuous

.

Link to the full text.

WINDSURINF

2011-08-20T01:41:00.000-07:00

Went windsurfing with my Italian friend JOY!

Here we are going down to the dock...

Setting the sails...

Joy is showing me how its done...

I ended up taking a boat and sailing it to the other side of the lake where I got washed up on the beach amongst a forest of squids. BUT it was still fun. And the squids were dead so I guess they weren't poisonous anymore.

Party at ADwags house!

2011-08-16T01:38:00.000-07:00

The little girl in the corner is named CHIKA and she had a birthday. So we decided to throw a party for her!

M Weekend with MEG!

2011-08-09T17:51:00.001-07:00

So I got up extra early to take my girlfriend to MIO museum (ain't I the BEST boyfriend in the WHOLE WORLD). To get there you needed to leave Osaka and take the train past Kyoto into a small town up in the mountains. From there you had to take a bus that wound it's way up a trail till it reached the museum. The way up to the museum was beautiful if not a little precarious. The road was narrow. But it did follow a stream so if you survived you really enjoyed the view. The museum was this great architectural feat that complimented the environment and called on architectural styles of early Japanese building styles. Inside the museum was a large collection of different material from all over the world. After the museum we headed home. I promised Meg that we would see fireworks together. Unfortunately all my other team members had the same idea. And as captain, I had to show up which didn't make me very pleased. I was hoping for a one day break. But alas... Luckily the game on the following day didn't start till late and I had a chance to sleep late with her and had the pleasure of listening to her complain about how tired she still was....

Picture of my GF!

2011-08-03T05:18:00.001-07:00

...a little bit more

2011-07-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

SO....

I would like to add some things to yesterdays post:

1. Yes, the whole world was shaking. Again, the epicenter was in the same place as it was before when the tsunami struck and killed all those people. And again, I could feel it all the way down in Osaka even though I am in a completely different part of the country.

2. Yesterday I left at 6:30. Took the train. Got lost. Got lost again. And when I finally found my way I stepped into the train, there was my girlfriend who woke up at a leisurely hour, took a shower, had breakfast and mozied down to the station.

2a. The reason I was so late was that because I too the wrong train. It's the 2 trains leaving from the same place and at the same time but going in TWO completely different directions problem that I have had before.

2b. I high tailed it to the grounds and slipped under the door before all entries were closed.

2d. The weather was relatively cool. The water cold. Last year the ground was parched and I couldn't swallow enough water. It was a real rough ride. But the weather was moderate and I made it through the triathlon. My time was better than last year by 2 whole minutes but this year there was a lot of fast people so I came in 47th place.

2e. On the way back me and the girl friend stopped at a Vietnamese restaurant. as always, it was delicious. Then we went back to Osaka and said goodbye. She headed home and went directly to bed, did not pass go and did not collect $200.

赤穂トライアスロン大会

2011-07-24T07:55:00.002-07:00

Ran a triathlon today.

Will give more news on it later. Just post the videos now.

Tired.

need to sleep....

Eathquake!

2011-07-24T07:55:00.001-07:00

My apartment started to wobble back and forth like jello....

MY GIRLFRIEND!

2011-07-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

Here she is. The one and only...

In other news:

1. We had a last meeting at Kwansai planed for today. I mailed my boss last night and he told me that because of a typhoon the meeting was CANCELED! So instead of waking up at 6. I slept late and woke up and leisurely ate my breakfast. So now Kwansai has ended and summer break has begun.

3. Yesterday was the last day of Momoyama and I must say that I am deeply disappointed in some of my students in my conversation class. Usually my lessons are structure and ridged but on the last day I do some games. Not particularly hard and even low level students can have a fun time. But one group just folded their hands and checked their cell phones and otherwise did not participate. Really? Is having fun TOO MUCH work?

4. I went to NAMBA today and met my tutor and ate sushi. I was walking and I heard my name. It was SHINYA. He plays in a band I like and we chatted and went to a sushi restaurant. He told me that he was having a live that was about 12 minutes from my GF work place. And since I am on vacation it would be no problem to drop by!

5. Tomorrow is my 2nd to last day at Shoin. Next week is my last class (we meet once a week).

6. Only ONE MORE MONTH and then I am heading back to my parents house for a one week vacation! I will be seeing some old friends, which is something I have NEVER done. I never catch up on old friends. it will be nice.

GOING HOME!!!

2011-07-08T18:21:00.000-07:00

1. Bought my ticket. I will be heading home with girl in toe.

1a. August 27th (Saturday) to September 3rd (Saturday). So basically FIVE FULL DAYS. We touch down on the Saturday and the head back on the following Friday.

1b. My sis and her kids will be heading out to Cheney on these dates.

1c. I will be hanging with STEVE who is a guy I met at SKY RANCH Bible camp many years back. He ended up in Spokane because he was appointed a pastor to some church. It is kind of an amazing coincidence that of all the places to be places (including the Lutheran stronghold of Minnesota and Wisconsin) he ended up in my little neck of the woods. I hope we can do a short hike with me/my GF/his family. Not quite sure where to go but I want to do some sort of 5 mile hike.

1d. Also my friend Lance contacted me out of the blue and I'll be hanging with him. I want to take my GF to Riverfront park just because it is so beautiful.

1e. The tickets are so expensive. Coming home will cost over 3k. But it will be worth it. My GF will be able to meet my family and friends. Plus we should have a great time hanging out and doing some hiking.

2. About my life in Japan: jobs are coming to an end. Next week is the last week at Kangaku University. No more 6 AM Wednesday wake ups. I was so tired last week that as soon as I finished work and I hit the train I passed out. The next day I work at Shoin which is a 7:50 wake up call but I will was still tired from the day before. The following day I finished class and went down to catch the train. I got on the slow train and as soon as I sat down I disappeared into a sleepy wonderland. I felt someone shaking me and when I opened my eyes there was the face of a elderly foreign guy smiling gentle to me as if to say, "you need to get more rest son."

2a. My job at Momoyama will end in a few weeks. Three more classes. The Shoin will finish at the end of this month. I'm really looking forward to my break.

3. Today I will go to the outdoor pool and ten head up to Umeda. My GF is waiting for me. Then the next day it is a soccer game.

The traitholon!

2011-07-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

1. Today i had a triathlon. Last night I slept in a capsule hotel which was the exact same capsule hotel I slept in last year. At 5 AM people are up and alarm clocks are buzzing. But still I was able to sleep. I've kinda learned to sleep in odd places. So I woke up and made it out to the beach. I was a little bit better about finding the place this year and I only got lost once.

2. The weather was hot and the water was cold with bits of plastic and half dissolved what-chu-ma-call-its floating around. ]

3. The gun went off and we all jumped into the water. It was a sea of humans.

4. My GF filmed the whole thing...

5. Here is me finishing the race....

6. My time was SLOWER than last year by 11 seconds. It feels kinda depressing to do all that training and not make progress.

7. Then after me and the girl went to the nearby aquarium and had a romantic walk around the fishes and followed that up with a Great meal at a VIETNAMESE restaurant.

8. Now I am watching girls soccer. The USA team rocks and it is good to finally watch an American soccer team win.

Funny!

2011-06-28T06:54:00.000-07:00

Life on a hot Japanese Tuesday...

2011-06-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

1. Got up. Got ready to run. I was out there in my shorts standing on the track.

AND....

I came back in. Usually when I hit the track I am pumped up and ready to push myself to the limit. But I was burnt out. So I came back in and saved my energy.

2. I have a TRIATHLON coming up this SUNDAY which is another reason why I didn't want to burn myself out. I will finish my game on Saturday and then head out to the coast where I will rent a capsule hotel. I will post pictures on the blog.

3. I want to go home in August and I am considering buying a ticket for me and my love-thing. The cost is $1,300 per ticket.

4. Went to the zoo and I saw the lion. He walked up to me and pressed his head against the glass wall and stared deep into my eyes for five minutes.

5. Yet another lion pictures as drawn by my student...

6. Two more random pictures of me as depicted by my students...

7. I have to get to class in a little while. I'll keep you all posted on my left. Take care....

Taxes! Taxes! Taxes!

2011-06-15T06:12:00.001-07:00

So I have a tax bill of $2,000 and my medical insurance, which is progressive, jumped to $3,200!! Am I really this rich? I don't feel this rich. For the first time in my life here in Japan I have actually had my feet on the ground. During a one year stretch I was living off potatoes and I couldn't even afford the subway. So now I am doing alright with three PT University jobs. it didn't take long for the tax man to come knocking!

My life...

2011-06-12T05:05:00.000-07:00

HELLO!

So this is some of the highlights of my life...

1. Got my tax bill today. 200,000 YEN !!!!!! (...or $2000). This is just the CITY TAX! So I don't quite know why I am paying so much which is over TWICE what I was paying last year.

2. I have been playing FUTSAL quite a bit and the latest matches are posted online. We have a BLOG where we put all the videos. If you would like to check out some of the videos do tell me!

3. My GF has started to be nice to me again! YIPEE!

4. I am reading RONALD DAHL books in JAPANESE.

5. My new job is going really nicely and I am learning a lot! I like the format as well. They have the course already designed so as a teacher you just walk into this suit and start your job. Of course, one may assume that one learns better by dong your own thing but I find myself really appreciating the well designed course. And when teaching something like WRITING it is nice to pick up a well designed course and walk through it.

6. The game in the evening was RAINED OUT. Japanese treat rain like it is LIQUID AIDS. Too bad because today was the perfect day for a match!

7. Plan to go back to the states in SEPTEMBER. It will be good to see my family again!

8. Oh....

and a little bit more about the futsal games. I have become captain. So I field all the opponents and do all the paper work. A lot of work. But a lot of fun. I need to become less competitive. I have three rules when I go into a match: 1. arrive on time. 2. Don't swear. 3. Never criticize another player. I have been breaking the last two rules. I know they sound petty but really they are the corner stone to being a good sport and a good fellow player.

Gwad I'm tired....

2011-06-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

My work on WEDNESDAY requires me to get up early. Six or so. BUT because I am nervous about oversleeping I wake up at 5. So I am TIRED all day. And this week I could never quite get enough sleep and I have been tired all week. I just got whipped out after writing this post..whew!

what I did last night...

2011-05-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

The game last night was canceled so I took an extra long swim and then went out with the girl finger. We ate this really good food, which she introduced me too. At first we were going out for sushi but then we changed our mind because she has this FAVORITE food and I though it might be nice to try it. It was kinda looked like about 15 things thrown together and then someone tripped and it fell on the grill. It would get burn and you'd scrape it up and eat it. Quite tasty! My girl has GREAT choice in food! Maybe better than her choice in men...

The Rainy season....

2011-05-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

Rainy season is here. The rain started last week and it has been falling down at times strategically timed to cancel the soccer games. I did have one match last night that was in a covered area. But the event today was outside. And it was canceled. So this has suddenly opened up a lot of time for me to wallow around and do all these little odds and ends things that have been piling up in my apartment. Maybe I might even write another post later!

My soccer team....

2011-05-23T07:29:00.001-07:00

3 CHEERS for my girlfriend!

2011-05-15T06:18:00.000-07:00

Me and my girlfriend have been having this mini-fight. She bought these slippers for me but I have REFUSED to wear them because they're not sexy. AS a compromise I would wear just ONE slipper. BUT then she bought these decals emblazoned with my mascot, the lion. And that has sold me. I am now officially a slipper wearer and you can address me as such.

IN OTHER NEWS....

I played a FUTSAL game today with my surfing friend. The court was really small, almost toy-ish in size. And we played with a lot of girls. Not a high speed match at all. It last three long hours and I didn't need to drink once.

Then I went home and took a nap. That's what happens when you don't exercise: you get warn out. Then I woke up and watched the last part of a soccer game I downloaded (Manchester City Vs Stoke) and then hit the pool. Now it is 10:30 but my nap was so long that it feels like the morning. Not tired one itsy tiny bit.

Tomorrow is my day off. And then it is back to the grindstone....

Talk to you fan again when I have more news!

The WEDNESDAY night game....

2011-05-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

I was very tired but very happy to be going to a SOCCER game on that odd weekday WEDNESDAY. They turned out to be a very weak team and we just rolled goal after goal. It wasn't actually too much fun. It was too easy. When they finally scored everyone cheered!

The JAZZ FESTIVAL!

2011-05-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

I went to a JAZZ festival. Because of a lot of different reasons we ended up going to the jazz festival late and leaving early. We arrived early because I had a lot to do in the morning: jogging, swimming, preparation. And we ended up leaving early because I had a 6 AM wake up call the next day for work. We went to an Indian restaurant for supper and it took almost an hour to get our food. BUT as long as it took to get the food from the kitchen to the table we were still able to make the 8 o'clock jazz set and see my friend play.

Here is a picture my girl took of me while we were waiting for the food. Not the plethora of Arthur shots and the dearth of girl shots. I am still working on getting a photo of her on the books.

Tried to get another picture....

2011-05-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

MY LATEST OBSESSION....

2011-05-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

I have taken to putting stickers on everything Megumi. Captain Sticker has struck everywhere: the kitchen utensils, the pencil case, the front door! NOTHING IS SAFE. (is this so wrong?!?!?!)

Pictures of MOI!

2011-05-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken by my love thing. She loves to takes pictures of me but when it is my turn to whip out the camera and get a few choice pixs of her, she is as shy as the neighborhood cat.

FUTSAL vs. 2 eams

2011-04-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

This video features everyone but me. We had FOUR new members.

Mystery girl part 4

2011-04-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

Who is MYSTERY girl?

In the latest episode we tried to snap a photo of mystery girl but she quickly hid under the covers like a small gecko disappearing under a rock.

I tried again but to no avail. This is the best I was able to get....

Then I caught Mystery girl off guard and I snapped this photo. It is a rare photo of Mystery girl take circa 2011 and it is one of the few times historians have been able to capture this elusive creature..

My Parents and their trip...

2011-04-15T23:02:00.000-07:00

..to the CARIBBEAN! My parents packed up their swim trucks, carefully tucked away their wolley wears and found their way to the airport leaving the snow and the chil far behind them

Here are some of their pictures...

Funny of the day 2

2011-04-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

Funny of the day 1

2011-04-13T23:00:00.000-07:00

MY COMPUTER WAS FRIED...

2011-04-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

...but now it's OK. Got to wake up for my new job at 6:00 AM!

MY NEW UNIVERSITY!

2011-04-08T22:55:00.000-07:00

My WEeKend...

2011-04-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I had a game. On Sunday I had two games. On SUnday I hit the first game. Swam. Biked home. Took a break. Then went to the second game. In the evening I was exhausted. And it felt good to relax with a hot meal. Here is a small video from the last game on SUnday:

Failing The Test - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

2011-03-31T01:35:00.000-07:00

Failing The Test - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

Yesterday...

2011-03-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

I went up North to play FUTSAL again. As usual, I bicycled the 30 minutes to UMEDA. Then I caught a train. Another 20 minutes pass. Then I arrive. The game yesterday was especially cool. I played with a pro-soccer player. He plays on the team That's Super. Yes, it's really a name for a soccer team. But it's Japan so in their own way, it makes sense. He was a really good passer. He could lay the ball just where you should be running. At one point he player "rough" and he got called out. It was a pity. The Japanese usually don't play a physical game. So it was a nice change. Also, I called my parents. They are back from a Caribbean tour. My parents are so bookish it is hard to imagine them in any place where they would soak up the daylight. But they really had a good time. I called them for my/Dad's birthday. It was really good to hear their voice again. I will enjoy seeing them again when I go back home this summer!

EARTHQUAKE!

2011-03-11T05:16:00.000-08:00

It'S funny, I was starting my Japanese lesson and my tutor pointed out that there was an earthquake. I had no idea. But I saw that the lights (they were the type that hang by a cord, I was in a record shop cafe..) were swinging. I had no idea there was an earthquake. Then I went to the pool and there was this old guy who always talks to me. He usually says stuff like (in Japanese) "Boy you are energetic" or "You're really strong." Well, today he was saying "you have a lot of confidence!". I said thank you but then he corrected me. This went on for awhile and a few other old people came over to try their hand at translating. Finally, I figured it out. Confidence and earthquake are the same words in Japanese. It turned out to be a really big quake, but in TOKYO which is about as far away as San Fran and Los Angles. But I didn't even notice there was an earthquake even when I saw the lights swinging back and forth.

Game on Saturday....

2011-03-06T08:16:00.000-08:00

The Game on SATURDAY didn't go very well. We lost by a large margin. Depressing. But here to record the sorry is YOUTUBE. You can find me in the RED GLOVES...

A letter from a student...

2011-03-03T05:53:00.000-08:00

Hello!
About how many is the result of my English conversation though it
apologizes because it lives?

Last SUNDAY....

2011-02-27T16:41:00.000-08:00

Last SUNDAY I arrived at the nearby high school at 8:45. I sat down and the guy in charge (boss?) played through all the test examples. I droned out. I have done this many times before and the test is in English conversation. It couldn't be any easier. The testing started and I went up to my class room. It was pleasantly heated and there was a slight pine smell in the air. Kids came in and did the test. Then they left. We had lunch. A bento. Lots of little Japanese vegetables and such. Finally 3:00 rolled around. Time to go! but the line was long and I soldiered on. Finally the last student came and left. I was free! Yea! I went home and change for the soccer match. So ended my SUNDAY...

Mystery girl part 3

2011-02-26T16:40:00.000-08:00

Sign on wall of J-HS:

2011-02-25T16:36:00.000-08:00

WARNING: "CLOTHES OUTSIDE REGULATIONS MIGHT RUIN YOUR REALITY."

IT'S GETTING HOT!

2011-02-25T04:18:00.000-08:00

I think we have seen the last of the OSAKA winter. Goodbye winter. In my bones I feel summer coming on, and with summer the days of being so hot that just standing still sweat drips off you in small rainfalls. A daily routine revolves around ways you can take a shower so you don't smell. Yes, the Japanese summer is hot and heady.

YESTERDAY I played futsal. I made this really great pass and the guy took the ball down and scored. The things was, it was a mistake. I passed to the other team and as soon as I saw this, I groaned. But it turned out to be the perfect pass. My team member cut in front and got the ball.

Then I made another mistake. And this got our team a goal. I was running down to the other side and I got a pass. I tried to trap the ball and swivel around and shoot. Instead I lifted up my foot and the ball went right under my foot. I could feel the ball scrap on the bottom of my foot. I was totally surprised. And so was the goalie. He was thinking the same thing that I was, so he had moved away from the goal and was ready for me to do a turnaround. The ball slid under my foot and went in. I looked like a genius, that is, if no one realized it was a mistake. And to be honest, I don't think I really fooled anyone.

GOT AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED. I am very happy and the article looks great. Another medal to pin on my chest. I am looking for another job. My HS work has finished and I am turning in grades. Looking to move on...

Our little trip to KYOTO...

2011-02-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

Me and the girl-thing took a trip out to Kyoto. It is really wonderful to have a little piece of World Heritage on your door step. In an hour we were scooting out to see the temples and enjoy the chilly weather.

Saturdays Game...

2011-02-18T06:18:00.000-08:00

HAPPY V-DAY FROM DADDY FINGER!

2011-02-15T23:48:00.000-08:00

I got this card in the mail and I was most pleased. It is nice to know that someone very far away loves you very much.

Thanks parental units. You're the best!!!

My Rolling Stones letter...

2011-02-14T23:52:00.000-08:00

When I was a musician at UT I always hoped that I'd get into the Rolling Stones one day but I never thought it would be as a letter writer. In short I am a big fan of Matt Taibbi and he has a blog. I sent a letter to a comment he made earlier about Mexican immigrants and their economic impact.

One thing I notice about this letter is how my writings lack polish. The letter was so full of typos that the editors had to do a whole series of edits. And this has been my writings. And it is reflective of other parts of my life. Valentines day resolution: I will focus more on putting out a clean well polished product and focus on details.

I PASSED!!

2011-02-14T23:18:00.000-08:00

This is it.

I passed 3N. To spell it out in a term that is readily available for those not privy to the Japanese Language Proficiency Exam, 3N is the middle level. In all there are 5 levels with 5 being the easiest and 1 being the most difficult. Levels 1 and 2 allow you to work in a Japanese company. I did pass level 3 of the old system and supposedly level 3N is more difficult. But it is difficult to gauge these things.

At any rate I passed. So now you may be asking if I am going to go on and take level 2. Maybe. But not soon. The last time I took the test the time conflicted with a futsal game. So there is that issue. Also, I have already taken level 2 3 times (or was it two) and I failed both times. I already have a lot on my Japanese learning plate without adding one more things. Maybe in a year or two I'll be taking level 2. And then that will be the end. Level is full of formal and customer service language./ I will never be working in a Japanese company (never say never) so level 1 will just give me some flowery language to use as a party trick.

SNOW!

2011-02-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

Big huge meatball sized snow flakes came out of the sky. I work in NARA on MONDAYS and it was beautiful to happen to look out the window and see all these round white snow flakes parachuting into your life.

So I threw open the curtains. I also had our class applaud the snow. "Everyone a round of applause please!" And then I picked up my desk and moved it to where I could see the snow. I love snow days!

It also snowed FRIDAY and I looked out my window and saw a snow capped world. Then on Saturday I had a game. I will be posting videos from this game soon enough. Then on Sunday I went out to Kyoto for a romantic tour of a temple which didn't turn out to be as romantic as I hopped it would be since me and the girl-thing fought. But it is hard to be miserable when snow is falling so I felt really good today!

Post for Stephen Pinker fans!

2011-02-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

I am not sure if you know about Stephen Pinker, but he is a famous linguist. He has quite a few videos out there that are well worth seeing and the one posted here at this site is especially good. Stephen Pinker has a natural story telling like way of relating complicated concepts in a conversational way. He is famous for decoding Noam Chomsky's ramblings on linguistics so that a wider audience (beyond Noam) could understand. In our class at Temple we spent some time learning about Stephen Pinker but not enough in my opinion. It would be nice to spend more time with someone who is so inspired.

End of an era...

2011-02-05T19:37:00.000-08:00

See that book in the center? The blue and red book? That book was one of the most important books in my life 15 or so years ago. Now it is lying in the trash. The book was a Korean dictionary that helped me take apart Korean words so I could understand the underlying Chinese characters. By understanding the building blocks I was able to learn new words, understand words I have never studied and streamlined my own studying process. But now it is in the trash.

What has happened? Well Korean is no longer a part of my life. I rarely see Koreans and I don't use Korean and haven't used Korean for at least 5 years. When I first came to Japan I held onto the dream that I could make Korean a part of my life and I saved my books. But this has faded away and now I realized that this is not meant to be and that my new life is here, Japan. Goodbye Korea.

FUnnY....

2011-02-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

OUR TEAM LOGO...

2011-02-03T19:28:00.000-08:00

This is our team logo. It has flags from all our members. No American flag. I asked for a Danish flag. There is too much American crap and wars and junk food floating around the nano-sphere. Why add another logo. My name is Danish. So this is another good reason.

What I am doing!

2011-02-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

What am I doing these days?

1. Just got a shipment of books from Amazon Japan. Lots of Ronald Dahl books (written in Japanese) and the Spiderwick tails (also in Japanese).

1a. I am becoming a voracious reader and my shelf is packed with soon to be read books of all varieties. They are all in Japanese so hopefully I will be making some upward progress in Japanese.

1b. I must say that coming home and finding your mail box stuffed with books is a simple joy that is hard to match. It is sort of the feeling one must have when going on a journey. Or a bike ride on a fall day. Or a new flavor of ice-cream. Or opening a box that you found in a secret compartment in the wall. Or finishing a tree house and climbing up with your friends.

2. Am almost finished with the video series the History of Britain. Very most awesome. I am really enjoying it and I have almost completed the 2 part series (is it 2 part?)

3. Running. Going to go jogging after I finish this post.

4. Vacation. My UNI jobs have finished. I still have my HS job. There is too much talking in class and it has something to do with the students not having to worry about failing. Even when I stand next to them and ask them nicely they don't stop. So I will be happy when my contract ends and I can move on. Not to put a bad spin on it because many of the students are really good.

5. COLD. IT is cold in Osaka. February is indeed the coldest month so far. But I still enjoyed walking back with my girlfriend from the restaurant to her little home.

I miss the cold weather!

2011-02-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

I didn't think I'd be saying this but I miss the cold weather!

For a few days it has been Arctic cold and my fingers have gone numb on the bike ride home. In my home I always huddled by my heater and put on my wool sweater. But today if felt like a hot winter day. None of the biting-ness of a cold winter day. And I realized that I missed it. Tomorrow I will be hitting the fusal courts which are always outside. And yes it will be warm but it might just be nice to have a few more days of chilly weather.

SHIN SPLINTS!

2011-02-01T19:06:00.000-08:00

Played three games this weekend. Sunday was especially busy. Woke up. Swam. Had a game. Biked home for a short break. Then off to another game. Sleep.

In the morning I played with my regular international team. The court was inside but the ceiling was really low. DO lobs. Very annoying quality. But we played well enough and we walked away with a few victories under our belt.

In the evening I played w/another international team. The court was broad and the ceiling high and aircraft hanger like. This team was different. Lots of tall guys. The other team did have one big member of it's own. They had this large sumo like guy who I bumped into twice. I bounced harmlessly off him (from his point of view, not mine) and careened across the floor and landed in a lump. The team was very good and we played well although I am not happy with our Brazilian member who tried to start a fight (again) and used his hand (arg! Using your hands in soccer is cheating ladies and gentlemen!).

The court though was hard and after a long day I got shin splints. It was the first time in 15 years. But not bad shin splints. The next day I was bouncing off the walls again. Overall it was a good weekend. Tired but happy.

Your UKULELE break...

2011-01-31T18:57:00.000-08:00

This is a clip I came across although I am not quite sure how I heard his music first. Then on NPR I toggled a music link and I re-remembered his music. Do listen. It is the UKULELE but played by a Jimi Hendrix.

MOONRAKER the review

2011-01-27T03:58:00.000-08:00

The book...

and the movie...

The movie is very famous. Many people have seen the movie but few have read the book which is kinda a pity because the movie is terrible and the book is well worth the $2 you could spend picking it up at a bargain bin (which is not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination). Skip to my review below if you have any haunting feelings that I may be slightly unkind to the book.

First, the movie. The movie is terrible. Every bond movie has a formula: secret gadgets of Q, evil enemy who wants to destroy the world, chase scene, fighting scene, the request love scene at the end of the movie. etc. etc. But this movie moves painfully from formula set to formula set without any regards to plot. One minute they are fighting in a museum. Next they are boating on the Amazon having some fight with boats that appeared out of no where. The fact that there is no underlyning scrip didn't seem to bother anyone who was putting together the movie.

Then there is the over the top cheesyness of the movie. The bad guy doesn't kill them (of course) but instead wants to kill them dramatically by putting them in the rocket bay. They escape by using the ventilator shafts (Arrrr! Why do all bad guys build their rocket bays with ventilator shafts?!?!). Then the villain's muscle guy, a big guy with metal teeth, turns mushy good at the last scene and turns on his master (NO! Don'T DO THIS! IT will ruin the plot!). Then the guy in the end has some weird Nazi like plan which makes no sense. Why not just donate to the republican party like the rest of the bad guys?!?!

The book is a contrast to the movie. Moonraker is the 3rd Bond book I've read by Ian Fleming and he finally puts out a real solid spy novel. The first novel, Casino Royal is too short to make an impact and the next novel, Live and let Die is too borderline racist to be a good book. But Moonraker succeeds as a book with a rock solid plot and some great P.G. Woodhouse like dialog (between M and Bond). Lot's of differences between the book and the novel one of which is found in the last few pages. Bond doesn't walk off with the girl and it is little twists like these that make the novel so much much enjoyable a ride then the collection of SPX that is the Moontaker movie.

Training Videos

2011-01-20T06:11:00.001-08:00

Last Wednesday I took advantage of an offer at our local pool. They were doing a video shoot and a critique from a swimming coach for a low fee. So I showed up, did a few laps, got some good advice and the next day this arrived in the mail. For those of you who love to watch Arthur swimming videos this is your lucky day because I have two on the plate.

A funny SPAM...

2011-01-18T16:35:00.000-08:00

I just got a SPAM and it started like this...

Sup,

I just finished watching some of your YouTube vids and I could barely pull myself away, nicely done.

You know as I was watching them the one thing that stood out was the low number of views they were getting.
It's so confusing, I really think you have some of the best videos on the site.

Kinda funny. I don't think anyone would say "I could barely pull myself away" when talking about my videos. HAHA.

FUTSAL videso...

2011-01-18T08:11:00.000-08:00

This is from a game we had in SOUTH Osaka. IT's not my regular team but I really enjoyed playing with these guys. The videos here show me in a real terrible light. I think I did better later in the evening. In one video I even pass to the center and the opposing team scores...

For posterity here it is...

Game on the 10th

2011-01-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

One more post...

2011-01-09T06:03:00.001-08:00

I score in this one...

MAY 8th

2011-01-09T02:50:00.000-08:00

Here is the game. There was 5 teams in all so we didn'T get o play that much unfortunately.

and also this...

John Wooden and his three rules.

2011-01-03T04:55:00.000-08:00

John Wooden is a legendary basketball coach. He has three rules. TO quote NPR:

Wooden says he had three basic rules for his players: Be on time for practice or class, no profanity, and never criticize another player.

Applicable across a lot of different disciplines.

Crzay New YEars day in Japan.

2011-01-02T17:53:00.000-08:00

CALLed MY PARENTS...

Which was the highlight of my day. It was really good to hear from them again. Then headed off to the Shrine (not temple) with my girl friend in tug.

My camera ran out of juice so I didn't get a chance to film the chaos. And there was chaos. Thousands of people lined up to enter the shrine. There was a line that stretched far out of the park and extended far up the street. There was so many people that I had no idea what was happening. One minute I was riding a river of people in front of some building. Next people were showering money. Next people were buying little sheets of paper. Next my girl thing was eating something. Next we were trying desperately to board the trolley car. When we finally escaped we ended up in Tennoji and we walked around looking for a coffee shop. Everything was closed except one place in the record shop. The girl thing almost passed out. She was so tired. So I shoo-ed her off and headed home. On the way home I passed by Book-off to see what they had on hand. I picked up some great books which I won't have time to read for at least 3 months since I am immersed in the Moomintroll series. I have a vacation for a few more days but I have a lot to get done. I'll will be working on it feverishly. But do home to contact the parental units again. I miss their furry little bodies.

FINISHED

2011-01-02T06:12:00.000-08:00

I have a publication lined up for an ESL magazine that is based on my presentation last July. I just got done putting it to paper and polishing it off and making it publication ready. As always, went you just sit down and focus on one activity for a long time and then you finally finish your head is still spinning like you just walked off an amusement park ride. Looking forward to having another star on my resume.

Two funny TOONs...

2011-01-01T17:49:00.000-08:00

This is a project that mixed Garfield and Different Strokes star. Other mixes are online...

I found this real funny..

BACK FROM MY TRIP...

2010-12-30T07:56:00.000-08:00

First off...

A shout out to ANDY and a big thank you for dropping me a line. Let's hook up! It will be a good excuse for you to come up to the Pacific North West.

And as I said, I'm back. When I came back I found several frantic emails in my in-box. I failed 12 students in my 3E class. Let me just say this: my class is the easiest English class in the world. The people who failed were the ones who didn't even show up to class.

So now, about the tip...

Headed out to this island called NAISHIMA which has all sorts of little art projects all around the island...

The only thing that bugged me was all the endless rules. You would be just about to see an exhibit and the curator would read you a how to list. They had to tell you how to experience the art. I also didn't include a lot of videos of the Art House project. There was a lot of little Art Houses around the village we stayed at but you couldn't take any pictures just because it's annoying (or something). So I don't have any pictures of these wonderful little pockets of art. Also I don't have any pictures of the place we stayed at. It was cheap and we cooked out own meal. It was also cold. But me and the girl snuggled together.

Next we headed off to a town called Kurushiki. It even snowed for us!

For fans of trains I have included this video...

GOING ON A TRIP.....

2010-12-27T03:55:00.001-08:00

I'll be heading out tomorrow bright and early. Going on a three day trip with the girl thing! Will write more when I return!

A clip I really like...

2010-12-26T08:09:00.000-08:00

This is a clip I really like. David Beckam and Donovan on one side and a whole group of unknowns playing on the Dallas team. Dallas comes out ahead with some great goals. One of my favorite clips. American soccer is really impressive. When I was young American soccer was terrible. But there are some great players coming out of American nowadays...

Bye Bye Al Franken...

2010-12-15T05:49:00.000-08:00

Sent a letter to AL Franken. I asked to be taken off his mailing list. And I will never be contributing again to his campaign. Al Franken is voting for the Bush tax cuts. Sorry. This is a deal breaker for me. I voted for change. Sorry if I was naive enough to believe the slogans.

The NEWS!

2010-12-05T06:13:00.000-08:00

1. YES! IT be my MOMs BIRTHDAY! Happy B-DAY!

2. Took the JPLT. It's the JAPANESE LANGUAGE TEST. Took level N3 which is not N5 (lowest) or N1 (highest).

2a. The test was at a much better location. The University was warm in the class rooms and it was convenient to the station. Head and shoulders above the other remote and cold locations we have been stationed at before. And also the class size was much smaller. Ever since they broke the test to TWICE A YEAR the size of the people taking the test is much more manageable. Before, JLPT hopefuls would clog the station and pack the trains.

2b. I ACED the test. Am considering taking N2 next year. BUT I missed a good FUTSAL game so I was full of regrets. Will mull it over...

3a. Saw the girl-thing again today. Was most good. Full of cuddling and other stuff.

4a. Played FUTSAL on SATURDAY. Regrettably the other teams were stronger that us but near the end we started winning some matches.

4b. Here is a shot from the roof top where we played the match...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA BEARS!

2010-12-02T06:33:00.000-08:00

Hello there MOMMA! And a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!

A few things about my life.

1. Am on a Woody Allen movie trip. Movies watched so far:
* Take the Money and Run
* Annie Hall
* The Purple Rose of Cairo
2. ALSO on a JAMES BOND movie watching spree:
*Goldfinger
*Moonraker

3. Why am I watching these movies? Always wanted to watch them but never got a chance in my long and culturally famished childhood. Also Woody Allen is a movie that I just see with my Japanese friends. Too much cultural baggage. Too much importance on words and how they are used. So this is what I do in my little private time to make me happy.

4. CHRIS!! Let's get our SNOWBOARDING on!!

5. My ankle feels pretty good. Still a distant pain. But running a lot. Will test it this SATURDAY for the upcoming came.

Yet another day of enjoying the fall colors!

2010-11-28T03:50:00.000-08:00

Last week as you all know me and the Girl things went hunting for fall colors. The first place we hit was a famous temple and it was so crowded that I had no idea where I was. I was just swimming in a sea of people.

But this month we went to a really nice place well off the beaten path and we got to gander at the maple leaves and the rainbow of reds, yellows and oranges. We got off at TAKATSUKI which as many of you recall from my blog 3 years ago is where I taught. So this was a trip down memory lane for me. But we took the bus and went well outside the city. There was a large park and at the gate was a map. When you looked at the map there was a trail that led to a waterfall and then back over the mountains. I jokingly said let's take that trail which is in fact what we did.

Here are some funny videos I took. Try and see if you can catch a glimpse of the girl thing:

Catching the fall colors...

2010-11-25T06:49:00.000-08:00

Today was a NATIONAL HOLIDAY so me and the GIRL THING headed out to KYOTO. We came to the JR station and out of the TEN MILLION people that live in OSAKA we met my good friends TAKEKU and SHINOYAN. They were going out to KYOTO too so we spend the way out there talking with them. IT was one of those happy coincidences.

Our goal was to see the fall colors (MOMIJI).

Do you want to see what tourism in JAPAN is like? Take a gander at these videos...

Video 1:

Video 2:

My SATURDAY

2010-11-24T06:48:00.000-08:00

I dug into some pretty wicked ROBOTAYAKI with my girl-thing. It was so nice kicking back with her and enjoying good food.

The gift...

2010-11-23T13:10:00.000-08:00

I was really happy to get this card from my DAD!

Thx daddy bear!

Foot part 3

2010-11-23T06:47:00.000-08:00

Still whining about my foot. I will see a doctor tomorrow morning.

The lion sleeps!

2010-11-21T01:10:00.001-08:00

The foot part two...

2010-11-19T06:33:00.000-08:00

My foot was swollen. It was kinda an odd injury. No paid. Just funny looking. But it didn't feel good when I bumped it. Still a little raw but I will be lacing up the cleats tomorrow for a game. It's really annoying to be out of action. I eat less. Tend to stare at the wall more. Not even doing running!

My foot...

2010-11-15T17:37:00.000-08:00

My foot has been swollen for quite a few days here. About a week and a half ago I got monster stomped in a FUTSAL game. Side note: it was my own fault because I fowled another player. It doesn't hurt and i can run on it without any sort of twinge but it has swollen up and my foot looks puffy. I'm taking a break from FUTSAL for a few days and putting a cold-press on it and will generally chill before I start back in on sports.

A few things here and there..

2010-11-13T19:40:00.000-08:00

1. DID A RACE TODAY. Got up at 6:00. Went to bed at 1 so I didn't get too much sleep but I was too nervous to sleep anymore. Made it to the race in a timely fashion and lingered around waiting for the starting buzzer.

1a. I was worried about the race a little bit. My ankle was kicked and it has swollen up. But it is not twisted. So I was worried but it turned out ot be not a problem]]

1b. I was disappointed with the result. I got just under 20 minute.s Still it is within the 10% range. Less than 10% of all runners get in under 20 minutes. BUT I was hoping to get in striking distance of m personal best which is 18:45. To get a time so below my personal best is disappointing.

2. Yesterday played FITSAL and it was a really good game. We have this tiny little girl on our team who is about half the size of me but she was the TOP SCORER! She got 5 points. BUT our team really played well and really aggressive. We have this FRENCH guy on our team who is really tall and fearless. A new ITALIAN guy joined our team. And a new JAPANESE guy. The JAPANESE guy was someone I borught in and he had really good footwork.

3. Have another game today. Wanna get in a nap before I head out...

probabally our worst game....

2010-11-10T06:19:00.000-08:00

Our worse game. The kids on the sideline were worse than the two old guys in the Muppet show who would heckle people from the sideline....

Letters to Mom

I do think Andy would like this video...(Andy are you there?!?!?!)

The ski trip!

My life!

Oh by the way....

My team again...

After Chritsmas...

SEPTEMBER 19th/20th AWAJI SOCCER TOURNAMNET

SOCCER TOURNAMNET

DIG MY NEW PLACE!

FUNNY!

ME!

OUR TEAM!

4 views of a butterfly

Trip with my Neice and Nephews!

Apartment hunting!

Read this in the New Yorker..

WINDSURINF

Party at ADwags house!

M Weekend with MEG!

Picture of my GF!

...a little bit more

赤穂トライアスロン大会

Eathquake!

MY GIRLFRIEND!

GOING HOME!!!

The traitholon!

Funny!

Life on a hot Japanese Tuesday...

Taxes! Taxes! Taxes!

My life...

Gwad I'm tired....

what I did last night...

The Rainy season....

My soccer team....

3 CHEERS for my girlfriend!

The WEDNESDAY night game....

The JAZZ FESTIVAL!

Tried to get another picture....

MY LATEST OBSESSION....

Pictures of MOI!

FUTSAL vs. 2 eams

Mystery girl part 4

My Parents and their trip...

Funny of the day 2

Funny of the day 1

MY COMPUTER WAS FRIED...

MY NEW UNIVERSITY!

My WEeKend...

Failing The Test - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

Yesterday...

EARTHQUAKE!

Game on Saturday....

A letter from a student...

Last SUNDAY....

Mystery girl part 3

Sign on wall of J-HS:

IT'S GETTING HOT!

Our little trip to KYOTO...

Saturdays Game...

HAPPY V-DAY FROM DADDY FINGER!

My Rolling Stones letter...

I PASSED!!

SNOW!

Post for Stephen Pinker fans!

End of an era...

FUnnY....

OUR TEAM LOGO...

What I am doing!

I miss the cold weather!

SHIN SPLINTS!

Your UKULELE break...

MOONRAKER the review

Training Videos

A funny SPAM...

FUTSAL videso...

More FUTSAL videos...

More video of the 10th game...

Game on the 10th

One more post...