Hot and sunny.
A good day. I got up in time to watch the non-existant news, so I watched the end of Forrest Gump instead. Then, I spent way too much time on my computer.
In the afternoon I put on one of the movies that I've got on tape, Sunshine and did something radical. I cleaned my desk! I've had a mound of stuff on my desk for ages, all precariously balanced. At times little avalanches of paper would hit the floor. Yesterday, I bought a couple of file trays, so I stacked them at one corner and put things I want to keep in them. I also got a small tray for things like pens, inks, glue with a section for hand creams and things I often use at my computer. It looks....better! Yay me.
In the afternoon I watched Cold Case and then put on a British movie that I'd bought second hand. It was good. A gripping crime drama. Fumihiko came home right at the very end of it.
When he came home he was busy right off the bat. I felt sad because he barely even said hello to me. He was in and out, rushing around to get money from people and all. I had a bit of a lie-down, then he came in, hugged me and asked me to do some printing for him. Argh! Then, when I checked my email, his letter wasn't even in my inbox yet. It's surprising how something that only has to go across the room takes so long to get to my computer! I did get it a few minutes later and printed it for him.
We went out for dinner quite late tonight, and drove to Sakata. We popped into the mall for a quick cash stop, then had dinner in Sakata at Steak Miya. We both had steak, with rice or bread and drink and soup bar. We added on ice cream this time too. Fumihiko had a big cup of ice cream before his steak even arrived. I don't understand that, I really don't. I was a bit fearful about not getting any tonight, but I did. Hurray.
We came back to Tsuruoka via the gas station. Apparently with the new month starting tomorrow, the price of gas will go up. It wasn't busy here in Tsuruoka, although in Sakata it was quite lined up.
We had a quiet evening at home after that. We watched Medium at 11pm. It's one of the few "detective" show types that I can get hubby to watch. He doesn't think it's a detective show and I sort of agree. However, I like the show.
And that was my day. I have to do quite a bit of catching up with my entries for movies and books as I haven't written up the last ones I've seen/read. So, I'll catch you tomorrow....on Canada Day. Night night!
Showing posts with label June 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label June 2008. Show all posts
June 29, 2008 - Sunday
Rainy and cool, clearing later.
An okay day. I slept in quite late and got up finally to find my husband watching Rocky. WOWOW had all 6 movies on today, and despite the fact that he's seen the movies millions of times, he watched quite a few again!
We had lunch in Moku-Moku then came home briefly. We headed out to Pal shopping area. I wanted to go to the Uniqlo there. I was looking for something for my niece. I got her a couple of nice things and got myself a couple of sleeveless tank tops to wear in bed. They're in gorgeous colours, even though they're supposed to be men's. I can't imagine most men wearing the dusky rose one I got, or the powder blue one. We were going to visit the 100 yen shop there too, but found it was closed for "renewal". It'll re-open in a couple of days.
Fumihiko drove us out to Kushibiki, on the outskirts of Tsuruoka. He thought there was a hundred yen store there. We couldn't see one at the big shopping center there, but decided to go in anyway. Turns out there was, it was just a different company. I got some stuff to try to make my desk a little bit neater, and he got some stuff for the apartment managing that he has to do. I bought us a drink and he told me that he has to buy dog food for his dog. So, next we went to the Pet Store. I don't really like it because they have lots of puppies there. I want to adopt most of them and take them home with me. In their defense, I do have to say that everything looks scrupulously clean and the puppies do look in good condition, it's just as the daughter of a dogbreeder, I always feel like people shouldn't buy their dog from a store. They even had a Sheltie there, although I told Fumihiko that she was only going to be pet quality. Poor thing was all by herself too.
We came home after the shopping and vegged for a while. WOWOW was up to Rocky Balboa by this time, so Fumihiko watched it, and of course I got sucked into it too!
We had a really nice dinner in Togashi's tonight. We didn't order too much for a change, which I think makes a difference. Fumihiko often orders way too much, and then neither of us like to leave any food behind!
We came home, had a quiet evening together. I finally finished my book after midnight. It was great. Of course I knew what was coming, but it was still quite sad. I've been living in Tudor England for the last couple of days and only now have come out.
And so, gentle readers, it is time for me to take myself off to bed. I'll wish you all good night. Night.
An okay day. I slept in quite late and got up finally to find my husband watching Rocky. WOWOW had all 6 movies on today, and despite the fact that he's seen the movies millions of times, he watched quite a few again!
We had lunch in Moku-Moku then came home briefly. We headed out to Pal shopping area. I wanted to go to the Uniqlo there. I was looking for something for my niece. I got her a couple of nice things and got myself a couple of sleeveless tank tops to wear in bed. They're in gorgeous colours, even though they're supposed to be men's. I can't imagine most men wearing the dusky rose one I got, or the powder blue one. We were going to visit the 100 yen shop there too, but found it was closed for "renewal". It'll re-open in a couple of days.
Fumihiko drove us out to Kushibiki, on the outskirts of Tsuruoka. He thought there was a hundred yen store there. We couldn't see one at the big shopping center there, but decided to go in anyway. Turns out there was, it was just a different company. I got some stuff to try to make my desk a little bit neater, and he got some stuff for the apartment managing that he has to do. I bought us a drink and he told me that he has to buy dog food for his dog. So, next we went to the Pet Store. I don't really like it because they have lots of puppies there. I want to adopt most of them and take them home with me. In their defense, I do have to say that everything looks scrupulously clean and the puppies do look in good condition, it's just as the daughter of a dogbreeder, I always feel like people shouldn't buy their dog from a store. They even had a Sheltie there, although I told Fumihiko that she was only going to be pet quality. Poor thing was all by herself too.
We came home after the shopping and vegged for a while. WOWOW was up to Rocky Balboa by this time, so Fumihiko watched it, and of course I got sucked into it too!
We had a really nice dinner in Togashi's tonight. We didn't order too much for a change, which I think makes a difference. Fumihiko often orders way too much, and then neither of us like to leave any food behind!
We came home, had a quiet evening together. I finally finished my book after midnight. It was great. Of course I knew what was coming, but it was still quite sad. I've been living in Tudor England for the last couple of days and only now have come out.
And so, gentle readers, it is time for me to take myself off to bed. I'll wish you all good night. Night.
June 28, 2008 - Saturday
Sunny and hot.
Today was a good day, but it got off to a bad start. I went to bed around 3:30, which was later than I planned. However, my husband was sleeping on the couch. I tried to wake him up and get him to come to bed. I wasn't able to rouse him until 4 am. Then, he woke me up a couple of times when I did manage to get to sleep, so I was very tired and quite resentful this morning.
After an okay breakfast/brunch at Marumatsu, I went to my school. I was busy. It wasn't terribly hot yet, but I had to do a bit of dusting and sweeping before my class. The classes themselves went quite well. The last one I had was not what I expected. Instead of me teaching the student what I had planned, she asked if I would check her translations for her work. I didn't really mind, having done this sort of thing before for other students. I think I helped her.
When I finished my clean up and called my husband he told me that he'd had a call about my school during the day. When he came to get me, we called the person back and they decided that they'll let us know later in the week when they'd like to come for an interview.
We went home for a bit, and then out for dinner. Fumihiko suggested the new okonomiyaki place that we've started going to. We went and had a nice meal. I was stuffed afterwards. We were a bit surprised at how busy the place was, usually when we go we're the only people there.
We drove to Mikawa Mall after dinner and were a bit surprised at how busy it was. We wanted to see There Will Be Blood. When we got up to the theatre the place was packed. We only had 5 minutes before our movie started. We divided to conquer. I got in the popcorn line, Fumihiko bought the tickets. I nearly asked him to pack it in though because I hate being late for the movie and I knew that we would be. I didn't get popcorn for myself, Fumihiko did though. He finished long before me, and came over with coupons for the concession. So, our drinks and his popcorn didn't cost very much. Hurray.
The movie was good. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that the movie reels got mixed up as it didn't make sense how it was set up. On the other hand, I don't know if they still use separate reels, so it may not be the case, it is possible that it's a Tarantinoesque time warp.
After the movie we came back to Tsuruoka and had a quick bite in Mosburgers. At home we vegged for a while, then discovered that Heroes was on. I'd forgotten. Sigh.
That's about it for today. Tomorrow no big plans, I just hope that we can have a good day. Catch you tomorrow? Night.
Today was a good day, but it got off to a bad start. I went to bed around 3:30, which was later than I planned. However, my husband was sleeping on the couch. I tried to wake him up and get him to come to bed. I wasn't able to rouse him until 4 am. Then, he woke me up a couple of times when I did manage to get to sleep, so I was very tired and quite resentful this morning.
After an okay breakfast/brunch at Marumatsu, I went to my school. I was busy. It wasn't terribly hot yet, but I had to do a bit of dusting and sweeping before my class. The classes themselves went quite well. The last one I had was not what I expected. Instead of me teaching the student what I had planned, she asked if I would check her translations for her work. I didn't really mind, having done this sort of thing before for other students. I think I helped her.
When I finished my clean up and called my husband he told me that he'd had a call about my school during the day. When he came to get me, we called the person back and they decided that they'll let us know later in the week when they'd like to come for an interview.
We went home for a bit, and then out for dinner. Fumihiko suggested the new okonomiyaki place that we've started going to. We went and had a nice meal. I was stuffed afterwards. We were a bit surprised at how busy the place was, usually when we go we're the only people there.
We drove to Mikawa Mall after dinner and were a bit surprised at how busy it was. We wanted to see There Will Be Blood. When we got up to the theatre the place was packed. We only had 5 minutes before our movie started. We divided to conquer. I got in the popcorn line, Fumihiko bought the tickets. I nearly asked him to pack it in though because I hate being late for the movie and I knew that we would be. I didn't get popcorn for myself, Fumihiko did though. He finished long before me, and came over with coupons for the concession. So, our drinks and his popcorn didn't cost very much. Hurray.
The movie was good. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that the movie reels got mixed up as it didn't make sense how it was set up. On the other hand, I don't know if they still use separate reels, so it may not be the case, it is possible that it's a Tarantinoesque time warp.
After the movie we came back to Tsuruoka and had a quick bite in Mosburgers. At home we vegged for a while, then discovered that Heroes was on. I'd forgotten. Sigh.
That's about it for today. Tomorrow no big plans, I just hope that we can have a good day. Catch you tomorrow? Night.
June 27, 2008 - Friday
Sunny and hot.
I woke up first around 5 am. There was one of those flash rainstorms that we get at times here. It was loud and I was glad not to be out in it. I closed the windows, although it was over quickly.
Today I got up and there was news. Hurray for that! The news wasn't good of course, it never is, but it was nice to see it again. I stayed up today. I showered, then did my last load of laundry.
Watched a bit of telly during the day too. I enjoyed today's Re:Genesis and last night's Agatha Christie. It's rather fun to see on TV. I've had a soft spot for Geraldine McEwan ever since I saw her onstage in London when I was 19. I think she was Mrs. Malaprop in The Rivals.
Went off to my school in a bit of a panic just before 4. I was running a little late. Worse still, I got 3/4 of the way to work and realized that I'd forgotten to close the windows in my apartment before I left. Sigh. When I got to the school I considered going back, but then thought that I'd be too tired afterwards. I sent hubby a text message telling him about my stupidity!
I got the school cooled down and then when my student came, had quite a good class. He was in high spirits. It made the class fun. He wasn't having too much fun, just enough to enjoy it I think. We did prepositions of place and at the end as I went over the homework with him, I realized that he didn't quite get everything. I'll have to work on it more next week.
In between my classes I worked on prepping my classes for tomorrow. I have 3 and I want to make sure that everything goes well. At a bit before 7 I got ready for my next class, then at 7:00pm I got a phone call. She couldn't come. She was stuck at work and wouldn't be done until 9:00 pm. Sigh. So, I had some extra time on my hands and I used it to get more things ready for my class tomorrow.
When Fumihiko picked me up we didn't know where to go for dinner, then he suggested Jiro. We went there and had a really nice meal. I had my favourite, pork saute in garlic oil. My breath could kill a vampire, but it was so good!
We came home via the grocery store and had a quiet evening at home. I have to be up and out early tomorrow, and it'll be a little bit busy for me. Tomorrow night, I'm not sure what our plans are. We might go and see There Will Be Blood, or we might stay home and watch a dvd. Depends on lots of things really.
That's it. I'm outta here! Bye.
I woke up first around 5 am. There was one of those flash rainstorms that we get at times here. It was loud and I was glad not to be out in it. I closed the windows, although it was over quickly.
Today I got up and there was news. Hurray for that! The news wasn't good of course, it never is, but it was nice to see it again. I stayed up today. I showered, then did my last load of laundry.
Watched a bit of telly during the day too. I enjoyed today's Re:Genesis and last night's Agatha Christie. It's rather fun to see on TV. I've had a soft spot for Geraldine McEwan ever since I saw her onstage in London when I was 19. I think she was Mrs. Malaprop in The Rivals.
Went off to my school in a bit of a panic just before 4. I was running a little late. Worse still, I got 3/4 of the way to work and realized that I'd forgotten to close the windows in my apartment before I left. Sigh. When I got to the school I considered going back, but then thought that I'd be too tired afterwards. I sent hubby a text message telling him about my stupidity!
I got the school cooled down and then when my student came, had quite a good class. He was in high spirits. It made the class fun. He wasn't having too much fun, just enough to enjoy it I think. We did prepositions of place and at the end as I went over the homework with him, I realized that he didn't quite get everything. I'll have to work on it more next week.
In between my classes I worked on prepping my classes for tomorrow. I have 3 and I want to make sure that everything goes well. At a bit before 7 I got ready for my next class, then at 7:00pm I got a phone call. She couldn't come. She was stuck at work and wouldn't be done until 9:00 pm. Sigh. So, I had some extra time on my hands and I used it to get more things ready for my class tomorrow.
When Fumihiko picked me up we didn't know where to go for dinner, then he suggested Jiro. We went there and had a really nice meal. I had my favourite, pork saute in garlic oil. My breath could kill a vampire, but it was so good!
We came home via the grocery store and had a quiet evening at home. I have to be up and out early tomorrow, and it'll be a little bit busy for me. Tomorrow night, I'm not sure what our plans are. We might go and see There Will Be Blood, or we might stay home and watch a dvd. Depends on lots of things really.
That's it. I'm outta here! Bye.
June 26, 2008 - Thursday
Overcast and a bit hot.
Today was a good day. I had high hopes of doing laundry today, but only remembered that I was supposed to do it when I read Dear Abby's column! Oops. I'd enjoyed my day up until then. I'd watched an Agatha Christie, Damages from last night, had lots of coffee and a shower.
I didn't do all of the laundry, but I did a couple of loads, so I felt better. The mound in my basket has gone down quite a bit.
Today's lunch was last night's leftover spaghetti with the addition of another egg, more olive oil and more sun-dried tomato paste. It was great. I headed out for the school around 5 pm tonight, made a stop in the drugstore to get some stuff and then hit the school.
Most of my stuff was ready, so I worked on making a bit of homework for the students. They'll be absent next week, so I want them to do something in English while they're gone. Then I prepped some other stuff for other classes. I looked at the clock at one point and it was 20 minutes before class. Panic. The first class almost always comes early, and once came 20 minutes early. I did all the pre-class grooming things that I do and waited for them. I thought I heard children outside. Not them. I thought that maybe their mum parked in my parking space, or couldn't if someone was there. I grabbed my cellphone and walked down to the carpark. They weren't there, but, when I turned around, I saw them arrive. Whew! They were 10 minutes late though! They'd been held up with their mum's work.
We had a good class, even though it was a bit shorter than usual, and then my next class went well too.
After classes finished I cleaned up, got stuff ready for my first class tomorrow, and then called my husband. He came to get me and we went to M's Dining. I had chicken with pepper sauce, which was nice, and he had curry. I guess since I don't make it at home he needs to eat it when we're out?
We came home and had a mostly quiet evening at home. The only thing was that at 1 am, my husband broke a glass. Now, honestly, I don't care about the glass. We bought some last year because he broke a bunch, so we're not desperate for glasses. However, he grabbed the vacuum and wanted to start vacuuming the floor. Sigh. The windows were all wide open. We live in a building with families and I'm sure they were all sleeping. I made him close windows before I'd let him vacuum. He was a little angry with me, but I think that my husband is very noisy and doesn't care if he disturbs other people or not. Actually, that may be a Japanese trait, as I've noticed it with other people. A lot of other people.
Anyway, he finally went off to bed and I set up the coffee pot for the morning and set out the plastic garbage for the morning.
Tomorrow, I may do my laundry, or I may not. Wish me luck! Night night.
Today was a good day. I had high hopes of doing laundry today, but only remembered that I was supposed to do it when I read Dear Abby's column! Oops. I'd enjoyed my day up until then. I'd watched an Agatha Christie, Damages from last night, had lots of coffee and a shower.
I didn't do all of the laundry, but I did a couple of loads, so I felt better. The mound in my basket has gone down quite a bit.
Today's lunch was last night's leftover spaghetti with the addition of another egg, more olive oil and more sun-dried tomato paste. It was great. I headed out for the school around 5 pm tonight, made a stop in the drugstore to get some stuff and then hit the school.
Most of my stuff was ready, so I worked on making a bit of homework for the students. They'll be absent next week, so I want them to do something in English while they're gone. Then I prepped some other stuff for other classes. I looked at the clock at one point and it was 20 minutes before class. Panic. The first class almost always comes early, and once came 20 minutes early. I did all the pre-class grooming things that I do and waited for them. I thought I heard children outside. Not them. I thought that maybe their mum parked in my parking space, or couldn't if someone was there. I grabbed my cellphone and walked down to the carpark. They weren't there, but, when I turned around, I saw them arrive. Whew! They were 10 minutes late though! They'd been held up with their mum's work.
We had a good class, even though it was a bit shorter than usual, and then my next class went well too.
After classes finished I cleaned up, got stuff ready for my first class tomorrow, and then called my husband. He came to get me and we went to M's Dining. I had chicken with pepper sauce, which was nice, and he had curry. I guess since I don't make it at home he needs to eat it when we're out?
We came home and had a mostly quiet evening at home. The only thing was that at 1 am, my husband broke a glass. Now, honestly, I don't care about the glass. We bought some last year because he broke a bunch, so we're not desperate for glasses. However, he grabbed the vacuum and wanted to start vacuuming the floor. Sigh. The windows were all wide open. We live in a building with families and I'm sure they were all sleeping. I made him close windows before I'd let him vacuum. He was a little angry with me, but I think that my husband is very noisy and doesn't care if he disturbs other people or not. Actually, that may be a Japanese trait, as I've noticed it with other people. A lot of other people.
Anyway, he finally went off to bed and I set up the coffee pot for the morning and set out the plastic garbage for the morning.
Tomorrow, I may do my laundry, or I may not. Wish me luck! Night night.
Mixed Messages
This was in the restaurant where we had dinner. Now, what are they trying to tell us here?
June 25, 2008 - Wednesday
Cloudy, but cool. No rain yet.
Had a pretty good day today. Fumihiko woke me up in the morning saying that he was going to take the day off and do some of his "apartment" work. I told him if that was his excuse, he should go to work. He muttered something about going to the doctor too, but did in fact get dressed and go to work.
I got up, checked on the absence of news and then fell asleep on the couch. Sigh. I had quite a good sleep really.
I messed around on my computer for a while, but around 2 started to get ready to go out. I was a woman with a mission. I used my new backpack, which I had gotten a few weeks ago, and it was very comfortable, and really holds a lot. I didn't need it to hold much today, but I may in the future.
I got to the bank, paid my bill and then went to the mall. At the mall I had a sandwich at Doutors and an iced tea. That was rather nice. I read a bit of a Reader's Digest magazine too. Then I went upstairs to the hundred yen shop for a good snoop. I got more flowers for decorating, and a couple of things for me, then came home.
Fumihiko came home a bit after I arrived home. He wanted to go out. I was a bit surprised by that. I told him that I planned to make dinner at home tonight. That was okay, but he wanted to go shopping. Hmm? So, we went to a drugstore, then Yamaya to get a few foreign foods and decaf coffee, then finally to MaxValu to buy eggs and something for his breakfast tomorrow.
We came home and I started to make dinner. I took the leftover meat from last night, cooked it and put it in a bowl. Then I sauteed the vegetables from last night, while I boiled some water for pasta. I made a kind of eggplant-zucchini-veggie sauce. It was really good, but I cooked too much pasta, so there wasn't enough sauce! We ate the cooked meat on toasted bagels, with pasta and coffee to drink. It actually wasn't bad.
Fumihiko did the dishes and I cleared the table and then cleaned up a bit after him. I asked him tonight why he doesn't wipe the table after dinner and he says he does it before the next meal. I guess it makes perfect sense to do that...in Fumihikoland. But, we don't eat at home everyday. It's summer and I really don't want yucky stains all over my placemats. Okay, they're cheapy 100 yen ones, but come on! I also do not want to invite flies to feast on my table thank you very much.
We had a quiet evening. I was taping things on the TV so I suggested to Fumihiko that he watch a dvd. He watched a Japanese movie that he'd bought in Niigata when we went. I saw the first part (it had English subtitles) and it was not good, so I refused to watch the second part! I listened to a couple of podcasts instead.
That's pretty much it for me. Tomorrow I have a couple of evening classes, and a growing pile of laundry that I should get stuck in on. Oh the joys of being poor and not having a cleaning staff to follow me around.
Night!
Had a pretty good day today. Fumihiko woke me up in the morning saying that he was going to take the day off and do some of his "apartment" work. I told him if that was his excuse, he should go to work. He muttered something about going to the doctor too, but did in fact get dressed and go to work.
I got up, checked on the absence of news and then fell asleep on the couch. Sigh. I had quite a good sleep really.
I messed around on my computer for a while, but around 2 started to get ready to go out. I was a woman with a mission. I used my new backpack, which I had gotten a few weeks ago, and it was very comfortable, and really holds a lot. I didn't need it to hold much today, but I may in the future.
I got to the bank, paid my bill and then went to the mall. At the mall I had a sandwich at Doutors and an iced tea. That was rather nice. I read a bit of a Reader's Digest magazine too. Then I went upstairs to the hundred yen shop for a good snoop. I got more flowers for decorating, and a couple of things for me, then came home.
Fumihiko came home a bit after I arrived home. He wanted to go out. I was a bit surprised by that. I told him that I planned to make dinner at home tonight. That was okay, but he wanted to go shopping. Hmm? So, we went to a drugstore, then Yamaya to get a few foreign foods and decaf coffee, then finally to MaxValu to buy eggs and something for his breakfast tomorrow.
We came home and I started to make dinner. I took the leftover meat from last night, cooked it and put it in a bowl. Then I sauteed the vegetables from last night, while I boiled some water for pasta. I made a kind of eggplant-zucchini-veggie sauce. It was really good, but I cooked too much pasta, so there wasn't enough sauce! We ate the cooked meat on toasted bagels, with pasta and coffee to drink. It actually wasn't bad.
Fumihiko did the dishes and I cleared the table and then cleaned up a bit after him. I asked him tonight why he doesn't wipe the table after dinner and he says he does it before the next meal. I guess it makes perfect sense to do that...in Fumihikoland. But, we don't eat at home everyday. It's summer and I really don't want yucky stains all over my placemats. Okay, they're cheapy 100 yen ones, but come on! I also do not want to invite flies to feast on my table thank you very much.
We had a quiet evening. I was taping things on the TV so I suggested to Fumihiko that he watch a dvd. He watched a Japanese movie that he'd bought in Niigata when we went. I saw the first part (it had English subtitles) and it was not good, so I refused to watch the second part! I listened to a couple of podcasts instead.
That's pretty much it for me. Tomorrow I have a couple of evening classes, and a growing pile of laundry that I should get stuck in on. Oh the joys of being poor and not having a cleaning staff to follow me around.
Night!
June 24, 2008 - Tuesday
Cloudy and cooler. Hurray.
I had a good day today. I got up, tried to watch news, but couldn't, then spent some time on my computer. I also rewatched the Agatha Christie from last night. It was good. This time I got to see it from the beginning.
In the afternoon I found myself getting so tired that I had to take a nap. I set my alarm and napped for 30 minutes. When I woke up I did feel better. I cooked my lunch and then headed out to the school.
I had two classes today and they both went well. In my second class I did something that was a little difficult for the students, but I think they enjoyed the challenge. They had to read a gapped letter, discuss it, and then try to fill in the blanks. I used my breaktime today to plan classes. Whew. I got a couple made ready.
After work, Fumihiko picked me up and we made a brief stop at the grocery store. We needed to get milk.
We came home and got dinner underway. We were having yakiniku, but some of the veggies we got needed cutting up, and the table needed setting up. I did a lot of that, and then we ate. We had a great meal. There was too much food for us, so we left some of it. I'll probably have some for lunch tomorrow I think.
Fumihiko did the dishes and we had a quiet evening at home. We watched Monk, or rather, I did, and Fumihiko worked on his apartment stuff. That was it. It was all rather quiet and nice.
Tomorrow? Who knows? I'm reading a book still, and I have that bill that needs to be paid. What else shall I do? Wish me luck!
Night.
I had a good day today. I got up, tried to watch news, but couldn't, then spent some time on my computer. I also rewatched the Agatha Christie from last night. It was good. This time I got to see it from the beginning.
In the afternoon I found myself getting so tired that I had to take a nap. I set my alarm and napped for 30 minutes. When I woke up I did feel better. I cooked my lunch and then headed out to the school.
I had two classes today and they both went well. In my second class I did something that was a little difficult for the students, but I think they enjoyed the challenge. They had to read a gapped letter, discuss it, and then try to fill in the blanks. I used my breaktime today to plan classes. Whew. I got a couple made ready.
After work, Fumihiko picked me up and we made a brief stop at the grocery store. We needed to get milk.
We came home and got dinner underway. We were having yakiniku, but some of the veggies we got needed cutting up, and the table needed setting up. I did a lot of that, and then we ate. We had a great meal. There was too much food for us, so we left some of it. I'll probably have some for lunch tomorrow I think.
Fumihiko did the dishes and we had a quiet evening at home. We watched Monk, or rather, I did, and Fumihiko worked on his apartment stuff. That was it. It was all rather quiet and nice.
Tomorrow? Who knows? I'm reading a book still, and I have that bill that needs to be paid. What else shall I do? Wish me luck!
Night.
June 23, 2008 - Monday
Hot, cloudy and a little humid.
A pretty good day today. I didn't oversleep, surprised myself with that! There wasn't any news on though. I got up, spent time on my computer and then showered, the usual stuff. I also watched Saturday's TV programs. I enjoyed them. CSI: New York was especially interesting as two of the characters have just started a relationship. Aww!
I was supposed to go to the bank today and pay a bill, but I didn't go. I was going to, but I realized that I wouldn't make it to the bank on time as I'd left it too late to leave. Instead, what I did was eat the last of my nice bread, then went outside. I pumped up my bicycle's tires and also gave my bike a bit of a cleaning. It was getting quite dusty and dingy. While I did that, I saw a baby praying mantis on my tire. I tried to photograph it, but it hid itself away, underneath where I couldn't see it. After I put my bike away, I did a bit of weeding in the un-flower bed under our apartment window. If I don't it starts to look really bad.
I went back in the apartment and waited for Fumihiko to come home. He was on time tonight, between 5:30 and 6:00pm. He did a bunch of stuff for the apartment building before deciding to go out for dinner.
Tonight I suggested going to Moundon for Korean food, so that's what we did. We had chichimi...which is a bit like a pancake crossed with a pizza, bul-go-gi...meat and veggies wrapped in lettuce leaves, and ji-ji-me, some kind of chewy noodle dish. Everything was really good. I especially liked the chichimi tonight.
We bought a few groceries to come home with tonight. Tomorrow we're going to have yakiniku and veggies. I found an inexpensive local zucchini, so we'll have that and some Shonai eggplant. Yum.
I watched (or tried to watch) Miss Marple on NHK tonight, but Fumihiko was running around like a headless chicken and driving me crazy. It was hard to get in the mood of the "drawing room" type of movie when there's a daft man running around looking for something very loudly.
Later, when Fumihiko took his bath, I channel surfed and found a really interesting documentary about the Alberta Tar Sands and what's going on with them. It's funny, I remember some of the players rather well. I threw something at the TV when Ralph Klein made a brief appearance. They talked about how Alberta is not dealing with the oil boom as well as other areas have. It makes me sad really. The documentary was interesting in that it showed places that I've been: St. John's, Newfoundland; Stavanger, Norway; and of course, Edmonton! Fumihiko started making loud remarks during the show and I politely asked him to stop!
Anyway, that's about it for me. I should try to get to bed a little earlier tonight. It's hot, but I've decided to open the windows in my bedroom a little. If the air doesn't move at all, it gets so stuffy that I can't sleep. Wish me luck. Night night.
A pretty good day today. I didn't oversleep, surprised myself with that! There wasn't any news on though. I got up, spent time on my computer and then showered, the usual stuff. I also watched Saturday's TV programs. I enjoyed them. CSI: New York was especially interesting as two of the characters have just started a relationship. Aww!
I was supposed to go to the bank today and pay a bill, but I didn't go. I was going to, but I realized that I wouldn't make it to the bank on time as I'd left it too late to leave. Instead, what I did was eat the last of my nice bread, then went outside. I pumped up my bicycle's tires and also gave my bike a bit of a cleaning. It was getting quite dusty and dingy. While I did that, I saw a baby praying mantis on my tire. I tried to photograph it, but it hid itself away, underneath where I couldn't see it. After I put my bike away, I did a bit of weeding in the un-flower bed under our apartment window. If I don't it starts to look really bad.
I went back in the apartment and waited for Fumihiko to come home. He was on time tonight, between 5:30 and 6:00pm. He did a bunch of stuff for the apartment building before deciding to go out for dinner.
Tonight I suggested going to Moundon for Korean food, so that's what we did. We had chichimi...which is a bit like a pancake crossed with a pizza, bul-go-gi...meat and veggies wrapped in lettuce leaves, and ji-ji-me, some kind of chewy noodle dish. Everything was really good. I especially liked the chichimi tonight.
We bought a few groceries to come home with tonight. Tomorrow we're going to have yakiniku and veggies. I found an inexpensive local zucchini, so we'll have that and some Shonai eggplant. Yum.
I watched (or tried to watch) Miss Marple on NHK tonight, but Fumihiko was running around like a headless chicken and driving me crazy. It was hard to get in the mood of the "drawing room" type of movie when there's a daft man running around looking for something very loudly.
Later, when Fumihiko took his bath, I channel surfed and found a really interesting documentary about the Alberta Tar Sands and what's going on with them. It's funny, I remember some of the players rather well. I threw something at the TV when Ralph Klein made a brief appearance. They talked about how Alberta is not dealing with the oil boom as well as other areas have. It makes me sad really. The documentary was interesting in that it showed places that I've been: St. John's, Newfoundland; Stavanger, Norway; and of course, Edmonton! Fumihiko started making loud remarks during the show and I politely asked him to stop!
Anyway, that's about it for me. I should try to get to bed a little earlier tonight. It's hot, but I've decided to open the windows in my bedroom a little. If the air doesn't move at all, it gets so stuffy that I can't sleep. Wish me luck. Night night.
June 22, 2008 - Sunday
Hot and sunny, gorgeous day.
I slept in so late that I'm not even going to say how late it was. When I finally did get up, Fumihiko and I went out for brunch to Kintaro Sushi, the local revolving sushi restaurant. On the weekend they're open all day, rather than closing between lunch and dinner. We had a lovely meal. I branched out and had a couple of pieces of the more expensive sushi. Usually I just go for the 120 yen type, because I really like it!
After our meal Fumihiko asked me what I wanted to do, but I didn't really have any plans. He asked me to go to either Asahi Village, some other place, or the beach. Well, we ended up going to the beach. It was late of course, and when we got there it was around 5:00pm, but still light. We walked along the beach for a bit. There weren't so many nice shells this time, but it was good to be by the sea. We ended up on a manmade platform and snapped a few pictures of each other. It was really a nice place to be. I'd fortuitously worn my sandals today, so I'd left my socks in the car. Good thing too as I did get my feet wet.
We were driving back to Tsuruoka when we spotted a new place in Yura. It was a new coffee shop. We went and had a couple of coffees. It was very nice. The building used to be a convenience store, but now is light and airy and well decorated inside. The thing is, I'm not sure if it makes for a good coffee shop. I prefer places that are a little dark and cozy. Places that you can tell secrets in, rather than perform operations. However, it is a restaurant too, so as long as the food is good, it'll probably be okay. Over coffee I said to Fumihiko that this day hadn't worked out like I'd expected. I'd never have guessed that we'd end up at the beach. I said that I had thought about asking him to go to karaoke, so we could keep cool on someone else's dime! He thought that was a great idea, and suggested that we go tonight.
We picked up some snacks at the grocery store and then went to karaoke! It was fun. We both sang a lot. Fumihiko turned on the rating system to check our singing and we both got a couple of number 1's. Of course, I think most of mine were because hardly anyone ever sings the songs I like! Still, it was fun.
We left the karaoke at 10 pm tonight, and then had a quick bite to eat at Tsukyia, one of the gyudon shops. We got some milk and cream cheese, and miracle of miracles, a box of butter at the grocery store, and then came home.
We had a quiet, but nice evening at home together. I really had no idea when I got up today that I would have such a nice day. I don't usually!
I should run. I'll talk to you all tomorrow night! Bye!
I slept in so late that I'm not even going to say how late it was. When I finally did get up, Fumihiko and I went out for brunch to Kintaro Sushi, the local revolving sushi restaurant. On the weekend they're open all day, rather than closing between lunch and dinner. We had a lovely meal. I branched out and had a couple of pieces of the more expensive sushi. Usually I just go for the 120 yen type, because I really like it!
After our meal Fumihiko asked me what I wanted to do, but I didn't really have any plans. He asked me to go to either Asahi Village, some other place, or the beach. Well, we ended up going to the beach. It was late of course, and when we got there it was around 5:00pm, but still light. We walked along the beach for a bit. There weren't so many nice shells this time, but it was good to be by the sea. We ended up on a manmade platform and snapped a few pictures of each other. It was really a nice place to be. I'd fortuitously worn my sandals today, so I'd left my socks in the car. Good thing too as I did get my feet wet.
We were driving back to Tsuruoka when we spotted a new place in Yura. It was a new coffee shop. We went and had a couple of coffees. It was very nice. The building used to be a convenience store, but now is light and airy and well decorated inside. The thing is, I'm not sure if it makes for a good coffee shop. I prefer places that are a little dark and cozy. Places that you can tell secrets in, rather than perform operations. However, it is a restaurant too, so as long as the food is good, it'll probably be okay. Over coffee I said to Fumihiko that this day hadn't worked out like I'd expected. I'd never have guessed that we'd end up at the beach. I said that I had thought about asking him to go to karaoke, so we could keep cool on someone else's dime! He thought that was a great idea, and suggested that we go tonight.
We picked up some snacks at the grocery store and then went to karaoke! It was fun. We both sang a lot. Fumihiko turned on the rating system to check our singing and we both got a couple of number 1's. Of course, I think most of mine were because hardly anyone ever sings the songs I like! Still, it was fun.
We left the karaoke at 10 pm tonight, and then had a quick bite to eat at Tsukyia, one of the gyudon shops. We got some milk and cream cheese, and miracle of miracles, a box of butter at the grocery store, and then came home.
We had a quiet, but nice evening at home together. I really had no idea when I got up today that I would have such a nice day. I don't usually!
I should run. I'll talk to you all tomorrow night! Bye!
June 21, 2008 - Saturday
Too hot and humid for me!
A mostly good day today. Unfortunately, it was so hot when I went to bed last night that I didn't sleep that well. Then I was woken up at least twice by my husband in the morning so I really wasn't that happy about that either. One of the last times he woke me up he wanted a cuddle too. Ack. Considering I was bathed in sweat from the heat, it didn't happen.
My first class of the day had a makeup today, so I got to have a relaxing morning at home. That was nice. I showered and then came through and watched Criminal Minds. It was ....unsettling.... today. Someone is out to get Aaron Hotchner. I wonder if it's Dharma? (bad joke!)
We had lunch at Gusto. We were an hour or so later than we usually go, so it was really crowded. I don't like it when it's that busy. After lunch, Fumihiko dropped me off at my school. I checked over my stuff and got ready for my class.
I had a good class with my students. They went home, I cleaned up, and then I called Fumihiko. We went home for a while.
At home I read email and did some net surfing, then we went out. We drove out to Mikawa Mall and had dinner in one of the little restaurants there. I had pasta and fondue. That was neat. They'd hollowed out a bun, filled it with cheese sauce and then given me the bits of bread to dip back in. It was good! Fumihiko had cold ramen...what ever it's called.
We went to see August Rush tonight. From what I'd heard about the movie I was sure my husband would like it, althought I wasn't sure if I would! He likes simple movies, movies about people. I'm more of an action fan myself. However, I loved the movie. I thought the music was perfect and the story was sweet without being saccharine.
On the way home from the mall, I asked Fumihiko if he had a fan that we can use in the apartment. I'm roasting at night and I don't want to run the air conditioner all night. Then I made a big mistake. I asked him if he believed the stories about using a fan at night being dangerous. He said he did. Then proceeded to tell me in gruesome detail about a baby that had died from "Fan Death". A baby that he had dealt with as a police officer. Sigh. These old wives tales. Where do they come from? Well we had a bit of an argument but thankfully we didn't go really overboard. I asked him to show me some studies about Fan Death, but following a tip on a message board I belong to, I googled it. Wikipedia has it down as a mainly Korean superstition, and pretty much debunks the whole thing.
Anyway, we had a good evening at home. I made some coffee, and we relaxed for a while. Around 1 am I watched Heroes, and made Fumihiko watch it too. I'm not sure if he liked it or not, but I did!
That's it for me. I have to go to bed as the sun is already coming up. Oh my! Night night!
A mostly good day today. Unfortunately, it was so hot when I went to bed last night that I didn't sleep that well. Then I was woken up at least twice by my husband in the morning so I really wasn't that happy about that either. One of the last times he woke me up he wanted a cuddle too. Ack. Considering I was bathed in sweat from the heat, it didn't happen.
My first class of the day had a makeup today, so I got to have a relaxing morning at home. That was nice. I showered and then came through and watched Criminal Minds. It was ....unsettling.... today. Someone is out to get Aaron Hotchner. I wonder if it's Dharma? (bad joke!)
We had lunch at Gusto. We were an hour or so later than we usually go, so it was really crowded. I don't like it when it's that busy. After lunch, Fumihiko dropped me off at my school. I checked over my stuff and got ready for my class.
I had a good class with my students. They went home, I cleaned up, and then I called Fumihiko. We went home for a while.
At home I read email and did some net surfing, then we went out. We drove out to Mikawa Mall and had dinner in one of the little restaurants there. I had pasta and fondue. That was neat. They'd hollowed out a bun, filled it with cheese sauce and then given me the bits of bread to dip back in. It was good! Fumihiko had cold ramen...what ever it's called.
We went to see August Rush tonight. From what I'd heard about the movie I was sure my husband would like it, althought I wasn't sure if I would! He likes simple movies, movies about people. I'm more of an action fan myself. However, I loved the movie. I thought the music was perfect and the story was sweet without being saccharine.
On the way home from the mall, I asked Fumihiko if he had a fan that we can use in the apartment. I'm roasting at night and I don't want to run the air conditioner all night. Then I made a big mistake. I asked him if he believed the stories about using a fan at night being dangerous. He said he did. Then proceeded to tell me in gruesome detail about a baby that had died from "Fan Death". A baby that he had dealt with as a police officer. Sigh. These old wives tales. Where do they come from? Well we had a bit of an argument but thankfully we didn't go really overboard. I asked him to show me some studies about Fan Death, but following a tip on a message board I belong to, I googled it. Wikipedia has it down as a mainly Korean superstition, and pretty much debunks the whole thing.
Anyway, we had a good evening at home. I made some coffee, and we relaxed for a while. Around 1 am I watched Heroes, and made Fumihiko watch it too. I'm not sure if he liked it or not, but I did!
That's it for me. I have to go to bed as the sun is already coming up. Oh my! Night night!
Film 16) August Rush
Freddie Highmore, Terrence Howard, Robin Williams, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers (June 21, 2008)
A charming little fairy tale about a boy's search for his parents, using music to find them. Evan Taylor has been brought up in a Home For Boys, but was convinced that his parents would come and find him one day. He runs away to New York and his musical education begins. He is taken in by a Fagin-like character, played by Robin Williams, who advises Evan, re-names him August Rush, and tries to take advantage of his amazing musical ability.
Through flashbacks we learn who Evan's parents really were and what happened to them. Why did this lovable little boy end up panhandling on the street, then studying at Juiliard?
The music is great, the story is told with love and care. It would be so easy to overplay this sort of story, but, the cast and crew do everything right. I walked into this film without too much fore-knowledge of it. I knew that my favourite film critic, Roger Ebert said it was good, and that was about that. I dislike Robin Williams, but he's fine here. I dislike children in movies generally, but Highmore and the other children are fine. Everything just works.
Definitely worth watching, either on the big screen or on dvd, if your sound system is good. I loved it!
A charming little fairy tale about a boy's search for his parents, using music to find them. Evan Taylor has been brought up in a Home For Boys, but was convinced that his parents would come and find him one day. He runs away to New York and his musical education begins. He is taken in by a Fagin-like character, played by Robin Williams, who advises Evan, re-names him August Rush, and tries to take advantage of his amazing musical ability.
Through flashbacks we learn who Evan's parents really were and what happened to them. Why did this lovable little boy end up panhandling on the street, then studying at Juiliard?
The music is great, the story is told with love and care. It would be so easy to overplay this sort of story, but, the cast and crew do everything right. I walked into this film without too much fore-knowledge of it. I knew that my favourite film critic, Roger Ebert said it was good, and that was about that. I dislike Robin Williams, but he's fine here. I dislike children in movies generally, but Highmore and the other children are fine. Everything just works.
Definitely worth watching, either on the big screen or on dvd, if your sound system is good. I loved it!
June 20, 2008 - Friday
Sunny and hot, humid.
Today was okay. I got up early enough to watch the news, but sadly it wasn't on. Sigh. I vegged for a while and then took a shower and spent a lot of time on my computer.
I had a relaxing afternoon, I watched Re: Genesis, which was fun. The plot is thickening! I also watched Cold Case while I cooked my brunch. It was cute, it was one where someone had left a baby outside the police station and Nick had to take care of it. I hope in the next season they'll give him some kind of romance or something. He's kind of sweet. The actor used to be really svelte back in Canada, so I'm wondering what happened to him.
I left for the school just before 4 and made good time. I do think I'll have to blow up my tires next week though. The school was 29 degrees when I got there. Sigh. I'm thinking about getting some reflective curtains or something. Not sure if the building management will like it, but do I care?
My classes went fairly well tonight. The second student was a little late, but she called to say she was coming so I didn't worry. After my classes finished I did up my paperwork, then called Fumihiko.
He came to get me and we went to find a mailbox. I had written a letter today and I wanted to get in the mail as soon as possible. Then, we went home.
At home, I did a quick email check and then I got started on cooking dinner. It wasn't too exciting, just a pork stirfry. I didn't even use my smelly fish oil. I did put a dash of Worchestershire sauce on the cooked pork, but that was it. Fumihiko and I enjoyed it. We drank iced tea...green or oolong and had a nice meal. Fumihiko did the dishes tonight. Hurray!
We had a really quiet evening. Fumihiko was doing more things for the apartment building on his computer, so I have a backlog of things to print for him in the morning.
Tomorrow I'll have one class in the afternoon, that's it! Then, I'm not sure what will happen. Tune in tomorrow and find out! Night night!
Today was okay. I got up early enough to watch the news, but sadly it wasn't on. Sigh. I vegged for a while and then took a shower and spent a lot of time on my computer.
I had a relaxing afternoon, I watched Re: Genesis, which was fun. The plot is thickening! I also watched Cold Case while I cooked my brunch. It was cute, it was one where someone had left a baby outside the police station and Nick had to take care of it. I hope in the next season they'll give him some kind of romance or something. He's kind of sweet. The actor used to be really svelte back in Canada, so I'm wondering what happened to him.
I left for the school just before 4 and made good time. I do think I'll have to blow up my tires next week though. The school was 29 degrees when I got there. Sigh. I'm thinking about getting some reflective curtains or something. Not sure if the building management will like it, but do I care?
My classes went fairly well tonight. The second student was a little late, but she called to say she was coming so I didn't worry. After my classes finished I did up my paperwork, then called Fumihiko.
He came to get me and we went to find a mailbox. I had written a letter today and I wanted to get in the mail as soon as possible. Then, we went home.
At home, I did a quick email check and then I got started on cooking dinner. It wasn't too exciting, just a pork stirfry. I didn't even use my smelly fish oil. I did put a dash of Worchestershire sauce on the cooked pork, but that was it. Fumihiko and I enjoyed it. We drank iced tea...green or oolong and had a nice meal. Fumihiko did the dishes tonight. Hurray!
We had a really quiet evening. Fumihiko was doing more things for the apartment building on his computer, so I have a backlog of things to print for him in the morning.
Tomorrow I'll have one class in the afternoon, that's it! Then, I'm not sure what will happen. Tune in tomorrow and find out! Night night!
June 19, 2008 - Thursday
June 19, 2008 - Thursday
Humid, cloudy and rainy. Bleck.
A pretty good day really. I overslept this morning but as my classes weren't for hours didn't really care. I showered and then settled in for a nice long session at my computer.
Today for my brunch I had my taco omelette and it was great. Very yummy. I think there's even enough leftovers to have it tomorrow too.
I was lucky when I left for work, it was cloudy and very humid, but not actually rainy. I got to work in lots of time and got ready. I did a bit of prep work, made up a homework sheet for my first class, and did some photocopying too.
Classes went quite well today. The first one was fun. We got a little silly, but that's fun to do in a controlled way. In the second one, my student and I talked about blogging. She has a blog for her store, it's all in Japanese, and we were discussing what to put in a blog. It was interesting. We got down to business though and did some reading afterwards.
Fumihiko picked me up and took me to Cocos for dinner. I had macaroni and a salad, he had a Japanese dish...sort of comfort food. On the way home, we hit a grocery store for tomorrow's dinner.
We had a really quiet evening at home. We did get home quite late, so it's not like we had a lot of time to get up to anything!
Tomorrow, I'm off to work again. I have 2 classes and with the rainy season probably here now, it might be fun getting to work. Wish me luck!
Night.
Humid, cloudy and rainy. Bleck.
A pretty good day really. I overslept this morning but as my classes weren't for hours didn't really care. I showered and then settled in for a nice long session at my computer.
Today for my brunch I had my taco omelette and it was great. Very yummy. I think there's even enough leftovers to have it tomorrow too.
I was lucky when I left for work, it was cloudy and very humid, but not actually rainy. I got to work in lots of time and got ready. I did a bit of prep work, made up a homework sheet for my first class, and did some photocopying too.
Classes went quite well today. The first one was fun. We got a little silly, but that's fun to do in a controlled way. In the second one, my student and I talked about blogging. She has a blog for her store, it's all in Japanese, and we were discussing what to put in a blog. It was interesting. We got down to business though and did some reading afterwards.
Fumihiko picked me up and took me to Cocos for dinner. I had macaroni and a salad, he had a Japanese dish...sort of comfort food. On the way home, we hit a grocery store for tomorrow's dinner.
We had a really quiet evening at home. We did get home quite late, so it's not like we had a lot of time to get up to anything!
Tomorrow, I'm off to work again. I have 2 classes and with the rainy season probably here now, it might be fun getting to work. Wish me luck!
Night.
June 18, 2008 - Wednesday
Hot and sunny.
I had a pretty good, if mostly quiet day today. I got up late, watched some of She-Devil on WOWOW and thought once again what a wonderful actress Meryl Streep is. She was the best part of the film.
I spent a lot of time at my computer and but in the afternoon went into the kitchen to make my late brunch and get a headstart on dinner. I had French Toast for my lunch and it was good. For dinner, I decided to try making some iced tea. I made about 3 pots of Orange Chocolate tea and put them into my large jug. I also washed, sliced and diced 3 tomatoes, then took all the juicy bits out. I washed lettuce too. It all took a while, but I got done finally. I watched some of Brisco County Junior while I was prepping. It was fun. I loved that show. Bruce Campbell is so cool. I'm looking forward to his latest movie.
Fumihiko came home and found me in the kitchen doing my prep. He immediately announced that he wanted to go to Sakata to check on a place's location for work tomorrow. I wished him a nice trip and asked him to pick up some milk on the way home. He was confused. I told him that he said,"I want to go to Sakata" not "Would you like to come to Sakata with me?" His version didn't invite me! Of course I was invited so I finished up my work, while he started a load of laundry. I grabbed my iPod and we headed out.
The first thing I did was put on the latest CBC news podcast. I made Fumihiko listen to it on the way to Sakata. I think he enjoyed it. I know some of it was hard for him, but I really was glad to hear the news. Then, I put on some music. We were actually in Sakata when I started the music.
Fumihiko found the place easily and then we started to drive back to Tsuruoka. We stopped at a vending machine for drinks, and then I suggested finding the new Doutors in Sakata. We did, but we had to take the long way as it was on the wrong side of a one way street. We had iced coffee drinks then set off back home.
We stopped at Mikawa mall for our milk and some ham. That was all we bought! I told Fumihiko that I work late tomorrow night, so he's in charge of dinner. He can either make it or buy it. I don't mind which!
We got home, and I got dinner underway. The fact that I'd done a lot of prep work meant that things went quite quickly and in about 25 minutes dinner was ready. We had tacos with orange chocolate tea. Sadly, we only had two whole taco shells, the others had broken. We each had one, then I made a kind of taco salad with the remains of others. It was nice. Fumihiko used lettuce leaves which works well too. Dinner was quite nice.
Fumihiko was working on his apartment stuff AGAIN, and didn't notice me doing the dishes. He noticed right at the end, when there was only the pan and spatula left. I didn't mind too much, because there weren't many dishes to wash anyway, and I know how crazy all this admin stuff is driving him. I don't mind paperwork, but he does!
That was that. We really had a quiet evening at home. Fumihiko went to bed a couple of hours ago and I'm long overdue to go too.
Night night!
I had a pretty good, if mostly quiet day today. I got up late, watched some of She-Devil on WOWOW and thought once again what a wonderful actress Meryl Streep is. She was the best part of the film.
I spent a lot of time at my computer and but in the afternoon went into the kitchen to make my late brunch and get a headstart on dinner. I had French Toast for my lunch and it was good. For dinner, I decided to try making some iced tea. I made about 3 pots of Orange Chocolate tea and put them into my large jug. I also washed, sliced and diced 3 tomatoes, then took all the juicy bits out. I washed lettuce too. It all took a while, but I got done finally. I watched some of Brisco County Junior while I was prepping. It was fun. I loved that show. Bruce Campbell is so cool. I'm looking forward to his latest movie.
Fumihiko came home and found me in the kitchen doing my prep. He immediately announced that he wanted to go to Sakata to check on a place's location for work tomorrow. I wished him a nice trip and asked him to pick up some milk on the way home. He was confused. I told him that he said,"I want to go to Sakata" not "Would you like to come to Sakata with me?" His version didn't invite me! Of course I was invited so I finished up my work, while he started a load of laundry. I grabbed my iPod and we headed out.
The first thing I did was put on the latest CBC news podcast. I made Fumihiko listen to it on the way to Sakata. I think he enjoyed it. I know some of it was hard for him, but I really was glad to hear the news. Then, I put on some music. We were actually in Sakata when I started the music.
Fumihiko found the place easily and then we started to drive back to Tsuruoka. We stopped at a vending machine for drinks, and then I suggested finding the new Doutors in Sakata. We did, but we had to take the long way as it was on the wrong side of a one way street. We had iced coffee drinks then set off back home.
We stopped at Mikawa mall for our milk and some ham. That was all we bought! I told Fumihiko that I work late tomorrow night, so he's in charge of dinner. He can either make it or buy it. I don't mind which!
We got home, and I got dinner underway. The fact that I'd done a lot of prep work meant that things went quite quickly and in about 25 minutes dinner was ready. We had tacos with orange chocolate tea. Sadly, we only had two whole taco shells, the others had broken. We each had one, then I made a kind of taco salad with the remains of others. It was nice. Fumihiko used lettuce leaves which works well too. Dinner was quite nice.
Fumihiko was working on his apartment stuff AGAIN, and didn't notice me doing the dishes. He noticed right at the end, when there was only the pan and spatula left. I didn't mind too much, because there weren't many dishes to wash anyway, and I know how crazy all this admin stuff is driving him. I don't mind paperwork, but he does!
That was that. We really had a quiet evening at home. Fumihiko went to bed a couple of hours ago and I'm long overdue to go too.
Night night!
June 17, 2008 - Tuesday
Hot and sunny.
A good day today. I wasn't sure that it would be, but it was. I woke up first when my husband's alarm went off and he announced that he wouldn't go to work today. Oh? I went back to sleep for a bit, then got up around 9:00 and watched the news on the TV. Hurray. It was on today.
Fumihiko worked on apartment stuff again for a while, and I took my shower and did my usual things. He had to go over to his house a bit after 12, so I stayed at home and enjoyed myself. Around 1 I started to make my brunch. I had a broccoli and cheese omelette, and it was good.
I found Primal Fear on WOWOW so I watched it. I'd seen it when it first came out, then not again for years. It was quite good. The part I saw still stands up. Fumihiko came back while I was eating my brunch and he watched the movie too.
Fumihiko drove me to work, and even took me to the convenience store on the way there. I got myself a sandwich for later in the day.
At the school, I did a bit of cleaning and a lot of getting ready for the day. My first student was on time and we had a good lesson. Sadly she's not going to continue so it was a little sad to see her go. My next class an hour later was fine. I ate my sandwich in the break between the classes and was just starting to get ready when my doorbell rang. Fifteen minutes before class, and one of my students was already there! Ack. I don't understand why anyone would want to be more than 5 minutes early.
After classes, I cleaned, set up for Thursday classes and then called Fumihiko. When he picked me up he suggested going to Bronco for dinner. We went and had a really nice dinner. I had steak and Fumihiko had steak and curry. We hit the grocery store afterwards to get something for dinner for tomorrow. I think we'll be having tacos tomorrow. Yum, I hope!
And that's it. When we came home, Fumihiko did even more work on his apartment stuff and then went to bed. I spent a bit of time on my computer, listening to podcasts and reading email. And after I post this, I shall go to bed!
Got to go. Night night!
A good day today. I wasn't sure that it would be, but it was. I woke up first when my husband's alarm went off and he announced that he wouldn't go to work today. Oh? I went back to sleep for a bit, then got up around 9:00 and watched the news on the TV. Hurray. It was on today.
Fumihiko worked on apartment stuff again for a while, and I took my shower and did my usual things. He had to go over to his house a bit after 12, so I stayed at home and enjoyed myself. Around 1 I started to make my brunch. I had a broccoli and cheese omelette, and it was good.
I found Primal Fear on WOWOW so I watched it. I'd seen it when it first came out, then not again for years. It was quite good. The part I saw still stands up. Fumihiko came back while I was eating my brunch and he watched the movie too.
Fumihiko drove me to work, and even took me to the convenience store on the way there. I got myself a sandwich for later in the day.
At the school, I did a bit of cleaning and a lot of getting ready for the day. My first student was on time and we had a good lesson. Sadly she's not going to continue so it was a little sad to see her go. My next class an hour later was fine. I ate my sandwich in the break between the classes and was just starting to get ready when my doorbell rang. Fifteen minutes before class, and one of my students was already there! Ack. I don't understand why anyone would want to be more than 5 minutes early.
After classes, I cleaned, set up for Thursday classes and then called Fumihiko. When he picked me up he suggested going to Bronco for dinner. We went and had a really nice dinner. I had steak and Fumihiko had steak and curry. We hit the grocery store afterwards to get something for dinner for tomorrow. I think we'll be having tacos tomorrow. Yum, I hope!
And that's it. When we came home, Fumihiko did even more work on his apartment stuff and then went to bed. I spent a bit of time on my computer, listening to podcasts and reading email. And after I post this, I shall go to bed!
Got to go. Night night!
June 16, 2008 - Monday
Cloudy and a bit cool.
An okay day today. I got up early. It surprised me as it's my day off and I thought I'd stay in bed late, but I didn't. I got up to check for news, but of course it wasn't on. Sigh.
I basically had a quiet day at home. I did three loads of laundry. Woo hoo! I also watched the shows from Saturday night. They weren't bad at all.
For my lunch today I made myself pasta. I'd been reading about an easy to make pasta sauce, so I tried it today. I fried a couple of garlic cloves in virgin olive oil, warmed up my leftover broccoli in the oil, and boiled some pasta. When the pasta was almost done, I took out the garlic cloves and broccoli, then I broke two eggs into the oil and cooked them just a touch. After that, I put the pasta into the frying pan, mixing it and adding in the broccoli. I threw out the garlic cloves. It was really good. I think I had too much pasta and not enough oil, but I'll definitely try this again. It was good.
Fumihiko came home around 6 and didn't talk to me. I'm not really sure what was with him. He was working on something for our building again, but he barely even said hello. At one point he gruffly said," I want you to print out the email I just sent you." I told him that a "PLEASE" would be nice! I did get it. Anyway, after I printed it out for him I went and had a lie down on the bed. I was tired and I'd already spent the day by myself. I got joined in a few days and we had a nice chat. I think the building stuff is confusing for him. I can't help him and I'm not sure I would even if I could! I don't really agree with some of the practices of the building.
We had a quick dinner at Gusto tonight. It wasn't bad really. I had a burger on shimeji mushrooms with yuzu kosho. Very nice. Fumihiko had cold noodles! Ramen boy. (He had ramen for lunch too.)
We came home and I did more printing for him. It wasn't too bad really, it was just a bit of a pain as Fumihiko types on his PC and then emails it to my Mac. The formats that he uses don't always fit my computer well. I managed to make it work tonight, but I don't really know what I'm doing!
I watched Medium tonight and thought it was okay. They sometimes have some very touchy subjects. I'm still a bit ambivalent about Patricia Arquette, but I do like the other characters on the show. So, I watch it.
Anyway, for the last couple of hours, Fumihiko has been quiet and working away on his stuff, while I've been listening to CBC podcasts. Can't quite believe how much I enjoy them. I'm sad that Sounds Like Canada's host has left. Shelagh Rogers had a very real way of dealing with people. She was never showy or know-it-all, just pleasant and well prepared. I read that she might come back to CBC in a few months. I hope so.
So, that was my day. Tomorrow I've three classes. It should be fine, they aren't close together so I don't have to rush between them. The only bad thing is that my day will be quite long. Oh well. Best get to sleep.
Got to go. Night night!
An okay day today. I got up early. It surprised me as it's my day off and I thought I'd stay in bed late, but I didn't. I got up to check for news, but of course it wasn't on. Sigh.
I basically had a quiet day at home. I did three loads of laundry. Woo hoo! I also watched the shows from Saturday night. They weren't bad at all.
For my lunch today I made myself pasta. I'd been reading about an easy to make pasta sauce, so I tried it today. I fried a couple of garlic cloves in virgin olive oil, warmed up my leftover broccoli in the oil, and boiled some pasta. When the pasta was almost done, I took out the garlic cloves and broccoli, then I broke two eggs into the oil and cooked them just a touch. After that, I put the pasta into the frying pan, mixing it and adding in the broccoli. I threw out the garlic cloves. It was really good. I think I had too much pasta and not enough oil, but I'll definitely try this again. It was good.
Fumihiko came home around 6 and didn't talk to me. I'm not really sure what was with him. He was working on something for our building again, but he barely even said hello. At one point he gruffly said," I want you to print out the email I just sent you." I told him that a "PLEASE" would be nice! I did get it. Anyway, after I printed it out for him I went and had a lie down on the bed. I was tired and I'd already spent the day by myself. I got joined in a few days and we had a nice chat. I think the building stuff is confusing for him. I can't help him and I'm not sure I would even if I could! I don't really agree with some of the practices of the building.
We had a quick dinner at Gusto tonight. It wasn't bad really. I had a burger on shimeji mushrooms with yuzu kosho. Very nice. Fumihiko had cold noodles! Ramen boy. (He had ramen for lunch too.)
We came home and I did more printing for him. It wasn't too bad really, it was just a bit of a pain as Fumihiko types on his PC and then emails it to my Mac. The formats that he uses don't always fit my computer well. I managed to make it work tonight, but I don't really know what I'm doing!
I watched Medium tonight and thought it was okay. They sometimes have some very touchy subjects. I'm still a bit ambivalent about Patricia Arquette, but I do like the other characters on the show. So, I watch it.
Anyway, for the last couple of hours, Fumihiko has been quiet and working away on his stuff, while I've been listening to CBC podcasts. Can't quite believe how much I enjoy them. I'm sad that Sounds Like Canada's host has left. Shelagh Rogers had a very real way of dealing with people. She was never showy or know-it-all, just pleasant and well prepared. I read that she might come back to CBC in a few months. I hope so.
So, that was my day. Tomorrow I've three classes. It should be fine, they aren't close together so I don't have to rush between them. The only bad thing is that my day will be quite long. Oh well. Best get to sleep.
Got to go. Night night!
June 15, 2008 - Sunday
Hot and sunny.
Today was a good day. I got up late, but earlier than I usually do on a Sunday. Fumihiko and I had made plans to go and see the new Indiana Jones movie, so I said I'd get up and I did.
We had brunch out at Mikawa in the Cocos there. Fumihiko's back was bothering him, and he hadn't brought his medicine so he said he'd drive back to Tsuruoka for it and let me have some shopping time by myself. That was almost unbelievable! I rarely have free shopping time, so I was happy to accept. I didn't buy much honestly, I looked at some clothes but decided not to try them on. I looked at crafty stuff too, a bit wistfully as I know I'd never do them! I spend all my free time on my computer.
After an hour or so, Fumihiko called me and we met up. We had a drink in Seattle's Best and then went to the movie. I really enjoyed it.
After the movie, we came home to Tsuruoka, via a big drugstore that we rarely go to. We hacked around, I got a few things for the house, mostly groceries, but it was nice to be in a place we don't go much.
We came home, relaxed for a while, but then went out for dinner. We went to Jiro. I had gratin (fancy mac & cheese) and Fumihiko had hamburger and pilaf. It was very nice. We did a quick once around of the grocery store as we needed milk for the apartment, then came home.
At home, I put on Thank You For Smoking, which was on WOWOW tonight. It was really funny. It was interesting to watch the main character. He worked for the tobacco industry, but I never saw him smoke!
When the movie finished, hubby took his bath and then went to bed. He's back to work tomorrow and isn't really looking forward to it. Me, well, I'm going to be doing laundry tomorrow. Ack. I really do need to do some.
And that was my day. It was rather nice. Hurray for that. Night.
Oh, wait, PS...just thought I'd give an update on my scalp. It's mostly better now. It does get a little itchy at times, but nothing like it did in the beginning. I have been wearing a hat if I go outside in the afternoon, in the hope of protecting my scalp even more and it seems to be working. Yay!
Today was a good day. I got up late, but earlier than I usually do on a Sunday. Fumihiko and I had made plans to go and see the new Indiana Jones movie, so I said I'd get up and I did.
We had brunch out at Mikawa in the Cocos there. Fumihiko's back was bothering him, and he hadn't brought his medicine so he said he'd drive back to Tsuruoka for it and let me have some shopping time by myself. That was almost unbelievable! I rarely have free shopping time, so I was happy to accept. I didn't buy much honestly, I looked at some clothes but decided not to try them on. I looked at crafty stuff too, a bit wistfully as I know I'd never do them! I spend all my free time on my computer.
After an hour or so, Fumihiko called me and we met up. We had a drink in Seattle's Best and then went to the movie. I really enjoyed it.
After the movie, we came home to Tsuruoka, via a big drugstore that we rarely go to. We hacked around, I got a few things for the house, mostly groceries, but it was nice to be in a place we don't go much.
We came home, relaxed for a while, but then went out for dinner. We went to Jiro. I had gratin (fancy mac & cheese) and Fumihiko had hamburger and pilaf. It was very nice. We did a quick once around of the grocery store as we needed milk for the apartment, then came home.
At home, I put on Thank You For Smoking, which was on WOWOW tonight. It was really funny. It was interesting to watch the main character. He worked for the tobacco industry, but I never saw him smoke!
When the movie finished, hubby took his bath and then went to bed. He's back to work tomorrow and isn't really looking forward to it. Me, well, I'm going to be doing laundry tomorrow. Ack. I really do need to do some.
And that was my day. It was rather nice. Hurray for that. Night.
Oh, wait, PS...just thought I'd give an update on my scalp. It's mostly better now. It does get a little itchy at times, but nothing like it did in the beginning. I have been wearing a hat if I go outside in the afternoon, in the hope of protecting my scalp even more and it seems to be working. Yay!
June 14, 2008 - Saturday
Warm but cloudy, some rain during the day.
Today got off to a bang as we had an earthquake this morning, just before my alarm was due to go off. Poor Fumihiko woke up and thought he'd overslept. The earthquake lasted for quite a while. I understand that it's all relative, but it wasn't a short one. Here in Tsuruoka it was supposed to be about a level 4 on the Japanese scale, but in Akita and Miyagi prefectures it was a lot higher closer to the epicenter. We were fine. No damage here, thankfully.
Fumihiko had to go to his office. He works for the Prefecture, so if there's an earthquake over a certain level, he has to report for duty. That put our breakfast together in jeopardy. He left and we had an aftershock almost right away.
I was a little nervous about taking my morning shower...if there was another earthquake and I was trapped in the shower....I'd be in the newspapers as the naked fat foreign lady heroically saved by brave rescue workers. Luckily, I survived and escaped that fate.
I bicycled off around 11. Fumihiko had called me to say that he couldn't come back in time for breakfast, so I should leave without him. I decided to go to the grocery store and pick a few things up and take them to the school. I'd eat there. I got some sushi, wraps and pumpkin salad at the grocery store.
I got to my school, had my brunch and then got ready for my class. When my student came, we had a great lesson. It was fun today. After she left, I had another break, so I relaxed. I really didn't feel that well all of a sudden. The room wasn't spinning exactly, but it seemed to be moving a lot. I ended up lying on the floor with my feet up for a few minutes and it really seemed to help. My second class also went quite well. The students were in good spirits and we had fun.
After work I cleaned up, then called Fumihiko. He picked me up and we went to Doutors for coffee, then came home. I worked on email and the internet for a while, then joined him for a nap.
We had dinner at Edoichi, or the evil place as I usually call it. We were quite late so it was really quiet. That was nice. We had an okay meal for the most part.
We came home. Fumihiko wanted to watch a movie so he put on Constantine. We'd already seen it of course, but it's quite effective. I'm not sure that I agree with the theology behind it though. It had another good performance from Tilda Swinton. It's funny, my husband only remembers her as the White Witch from Narnia, so anytime he sees her in something else he asks me,"Is that the Witchy?" I'm not sure why he adds a "y" to the end, it's just his little quirk I guess.
After it was over, I told Fumihiko he could have the TV and he did a bit of channel surfing. I couldn't believe it. Heroes was on! Wow. I think it must have replaced Supernatural for now. I was thrilled. Fumihiko was so tired that I don't think he really understood what was going on. One sad thing for me is that they didn't subtitle Hiro's dialogue! Then again, I did watch it before in another format, so I have a good idea what's going on.
So that was my day. Started with a whole lot of shaking and hopefully will end peacefully.
Night night!
Today got off to a bang as we had an earthquake this morning, just before my alarm was due to go off. Poor Fumihiko woke up and thought he'd overslept. The earthquake lasted for quite a while. I understand that it's all relative, but it wasn't a short one. Here in Tsuruoka it was supposed to be about a level 4 on the Japanese scale, but in Akita and Miyagi prefectures it was a lot higher closer to the epicenter. We were fine. No damage here, thankfully.
Fumihiko had to go to his office. He works for the Prefecture, so if there's an earthquake over a certain level, he has to report for duty. That put our breakfast together in jeopardy. He left and we had an aftershock almost right away.
I was a little nervous about taking my morning shower...if there was another earthquake and I was trapped in the shower....I'd be in the newspapers as the naked fat foreign lady heroically saved by brave rescue workers. Luckily, I survived and escaped that fate.
I bicycled off around 11. Fumihiko had called me to say that he couldn't come back in time for breakfast, so I should leave without him. I decided to go to the grocery store and pick a few things up and take them to the school. I'd eat there. I got some sushi, wraps and pumpkin salad at the grocery store.
I got to my school, had my brunch and then got ready for my class. When my student came, we had a great lesson. It was fun today. After she left, I had another break, so I relaxed. I really didn't feel that well all of a sudden. The room wasn't spinning exactly, but it seemed to be moving a lot. I ended up lying on the floor with my feet up for a few minutes and it really seemed to help. My second class also went quite well. The students were in good spirits and we had fun.
After work I cleaned up, then called Fumihiko. He picked me up and we went to Doutors for coffee, then came home. I worked on email and the internet for a while, then joined him for a nap.
We had dinner at Edoichi, or the evil place as I usually call it. We were quite late so it was really quiet. That was nice. We had an okay meal for the most part.
We came home. Fumihiko wanted to watch a movie so he put on Constantine. We'd already seen it of course, but it's quite effective. I'm not sure that I agree with the theology behind it though. It had another good performance from Tilda Swinton. It's funny, my husband only remembers her as the White Witch from Narnia, so anytime he sees her in something else he asks me,"Is that the Witchy?" I'm not sure why he adds a "y" to the end, it's just his little quirk I guess.
After it was over, I told Fumihiko he could have the TV and he did a bit of channel surfing. I couldn't believe it. Heroes was on! Wow. I think it must have replaced Supernatural for now. I was thrilled. Fumihiko was so tired that I don't think he really understood what was going on. One sad thing for me is that they didn't subtitle Hiro's dialogue! Then again, I did watch it before in another format, so I have a good idea what's going on.
So that was my day. Started with a whole lot of shaking and hopefully will end peacefully.
Night night!
Earthquake!
We just had an earthquake this morning at 8:43. It was a level 4 here in Tsuruoka on the Japanese scale. The epicenter was in Iwate prefecture.
It lasted quite a long time. Both Fumihiko and I were sleeping. He thought he was late for work, forgetting it was Saturday, when it started.
We're fine here, but I haven't heard about anybody else in the area.
Later!
It lasted quite a long time. Both Fumihiko and I were sleeping. He thought he was late for work, forgetting it was Saturday, when it started.
We're fine here, but I haven't heard about anybody else in the area.
Later!
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