Living La Vida Loca In Japan: October 2012

Showing posts with label October 2012. Show all posts

October 31, 2019

Thursday - Clear and Sunny

I woke up again this morning to an empty room. I didn’t hear F leave this morning either. Some days he is so quiet, others not so much!

I had a quiet morning. I went downstairs around 10:30 to do a load of laundry and grab my breakfast. I heard the doorbell and went to check it out. It was F’s sister. She was looking for her mother, who wasn’t around yet. I invited her in and she woke up her mother who was fast asleep in bed!

I got my laundry started, my cereal poured, and then I headed back upstairs. I watched some of my telly and hung up a lot of laundry too.

I was downstairs getting my lunch things together when the doorbell rang again. It was F’s sister again. She brought her mother a couple of presents and left.

I was horribly angry at my husband last night and then I did a bit of soul-searching and realized that if I was sick I would like the person I’m married to to be nice to me! I texted him and asked him how he was and that I hoped he was better. He texted back soon after. He wasn’t feeling better. Just a little bit of friendly texting cleared the air for me and I realized what a twit I was last night.

F called me around 4 I think. I was working on my column. He reminded me that he wasn’t coming back until late. I reminded him that we hadn’t done any grocery shopping for two days and there wasn’t much food left. Ack.

After 5:30 I went downstairs into the kitchen and started cobbling a dinner together. I was just going to make a few little things then decided to do a Buddha bowl/donburi type of thing. I roasted the rest of the butternut squash, opened a tin of tuna, put out the rest of yesterday’s salad and heated up the leftovers from yesterday too. I put it all on the table and called it “Okonomiyaki-donburi”. K was very confused, but I showed her how I made the bowl for me and she did get in on the act. It was actually really good. I’d made a mayo/spicy chilli sauce/ mixture and put that on the tuna, a little salad dressing on the lettuce. The squash was excellent too.

Of course, I got stuck with all the clean up today too, but it wasn’t too bad really. There were no pans to wash or soak and I didn’t go to great lengths for a change.

I told K that F would be back around 8 pm, as that was what he told me. I went upstairs around quarter to 8 to wait and work on my column.

Earlier in the day, I had finished writing my column. I just had to do a bit of polishing. That done, I was just about to save it for posterity when F called. It was 9 pm and he was wondering why someone had called him from the house phone. Er, that wasn’t me! Turns out, K was checking on where he was since he wasn’t back by 8 like I said. Egads. Work sometimes goes late. I wasn’t worried, why was she?

Between the time that F left work and arrived here, I finished and sent in my column for Winter. Woot. Done done done.

F was tired tonight, but seemed a bit better than yesterday. I offered him some of our dinner but of course, he wanted ramen. We went out together. I told him I really didn’t need to eat anything as I had a nice dinner.

F couldn’t find a place he really liked so he went to the Taiwanese restaurant near MaxValu. I had mentioned to him that I needed to find some wifi so I could check if my phone was completely borked or just a little bit! He didn’t want to go to any place that had wifi. So, at the Taiwan place he had a big set meal and proceeded to try to get me to eat half of it. Yuck. I don’t like that place normally anyway. I did eat a couple of his gyoza and one huge piece of kara-age, plus the dessert that I ordered. (3 balls of coconut mochi stuff) F ate one of my coconut things, no problem for me.

It was too late to go to the places with good wifi and coffee, so we hung outside the nearby drugstore and checked our phones. Mine worked no problem. Big surprise! I thought the wifi antenna might be broken. I updated things and then we came back to the house.

At the house, my wifi didn’t work. I did what a website had suggested to me, I unplugged the wifi equipment and plugged it back in again. Lo and behold…it worked! Woot.

F took a shower tonight and I watched a bit of TV. Tomorrow I’m supposed to be meeting a friend and having coffee or lunch, and then I’m not sure. I’m honestly just going to be happy to get out of the house!

Come back later if you like and see how November gets itself started. Until tomorrow….

October 24, 2013

Thursday - Cloudy and rainy

An okay day.

I had a mostly good day today. I got up quite early and stayed up, again! I am not enjoying this too much.

I had a quiet morning. I had breakfast, checked email etc. I watched some TV but nothing too special. Some of it was the Project Runway repeat.

I wrote 5 postcards today and prepared them for sending out. It was so much easier since I didn't have to move my computer. Some of the cards I sent today were really lovely, so I hope they arrive quickly and in good condition.

In the afternoon while I was eating my late lunch, I watched The Muppet Movie from a couple of years ago. I loved it. What a great blast from the past! In all honesty I enjoyed it more than many of the movies I've seen lately.

F came home around his usual time and we relaxed and chatted for a while. We went to Moku-Moku for dinner and then we came home and I made mini-quiche for us. We didn't eat any of them tonight, they are for tomorrow morning. I think they'll be nice, at least I hope so!

We had a quiet evening, we barely even watched TV! I turned it on at 11:15 to watch Once Upon a Time and then turned it off when it was over. I started a new craft project for Van today. I'm doing a test run of the pattern.

And that is about that. I really can't write too much more as I'm so tired I can't stay awake any longer! I have to go. Night!

Postcrossing - Incoming

To November 2, 2012

I'm back with another group of cards for your viewing pleasure. These days I'm receiving about 5 to 10 cards a week, so it is a little hard to keep up with posting them to the blog. I'll keep trying though.

This group of 5 come mostly from Europe, but there is one from the US in the mix. They are quite a diverse group. I hope you enjoy these cards. To see them a little bigger, just click on the card. Comments are welcome below.

Jeroen from the Netherlands sent this card to me. She writes that she travels a lot, but hasn't been to either Japan or Canada. They are on her wishlist. She finishes by saying that Titanic is one of her favourite movies.

(Henry) Graham Greene, English Author

The senders of this card come from Rhode Island the smallest state in the US. One of the senders writes that her favorite book and movie is To Kill a Mockingbird.

Vera from Bucharest sent this next card. She writes that her favourite movie is What Dreams May Come. She loves it.

Vera writes that her city is the capital of Romania and is 2 hours from the seaside. She writes that I am welcome there, they have sea, rivers, volcanoes, mountains, fields, caves, etc. AND DRACULA :)

Thanks Vera for this yummy card!

la Ratatouille Niçoise

Teija sends greetings from Finland. She decided to send me a little fairytale and some Finnish poetry. She suggested that I use the internet to translate it!

I actually tried and what I got was this....

Green meadows at the edge of a fragrant grass Korrella(?) a fairy house

The blue sky, the sky, the stars at the edge of space, light seeps.

Babette from Germany wrote that her favourite movies are silent movies like Metropolis. For a newer movie that she likes the most, she named The Big Lebowski.

Romy Schneider 1975

She sent me this great postcard with Romy Schneider on it. I think this is the third postcard with her on it. She is obviously still very popular in Europe.

Thanks Babette!

There you are, five great postcards. Which ones do you like? I like all of them, but the ones I like most are the two black and white ones. Thanks for reading, come back soon!

Postcrossing - Incoming

To October 29, 2012

I have enough postcards to do two of these incoming entries, so I'll just pick the first five that arrived and write about them.

I have an interesting group of cards that are from Europe and the US. I think they are cool. I hope you do too. Remember if you'd like a better look at the cards to click on them for a larger view.

My first card comes from Russia. Anastasia hopes that this card will be a nice addition to my collection of cards. It is!

I love raspberries, but they are quite hard to find here. I used to be able to find them frozen in a few places but I haven't seen them in ages. So delicious.

Willeke from the Netherlands sends me this next card. She writes that she spent her holidays in Morocco this year. She said she enjoyed a lot of culture and food there. She signed off by asking if I've ever been in Holland. I have, but it was a very long time ago.

The card is from Morocco, but sent from The Netherlands.

Ashley was on a business trip and bought this card at Chicago's Midway Airport, on her way to southern California. I felt quite bad for her as this card arrived during the time that Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast of the US and she is from that area.

The card is very interesting and features various facts about Al Capone, who has been featured in many movies of course.

Thanks Ashley!

Kerstin from Germany sent me this card. She writes that she bought it in France while she was there with her children on a day trip. She notes that Quiche Lorraine tastes fantastic especially with a good glass of young wine. Or beer. Or cider... She notes that it is a good meal on a cold and foggy autumn's day-like the day she mailed the card!

Little details like the weather and where she bought the card make it really special. I'd try the recipe but finding Swiss cheese here in Tsuruoka is a little difficult! If you'd like the recipe, just ask!

The last card in this entry comes from Poland. It shows a brewery in 1938 in Tychy. Agneiszka writes that she bought this card in her hometown. The formation of the Brewery dates back to the 7th century. She says that the beer is still very popular, not only in Poland. She notes that she doesn't drink beer or any other kind of alcohol.

Picture calendar ducal Brewery in Tychy from 1938

I don't drink beer either, but I like this card!

There you have it. Five great cards. Which one do you like best? Until next time...

October 31, 2012

Wednesday - Some rain…didn’t go out.

Happy Halloween!

Had an okay day today. I got up on time, but couldn’t stay awake. I was trying to watch Gilmore Girls, but slept through bits of it. I napped after the programme and only woke up a little before 11. Yikes.

I got on my computer and did my usual stuff. There wasn’t much to watch on TV today, which was good. I did a lot of my column. I finished it, and wrote my area report. I saved them both and will review them tomorrow before I send them off.

I had a very quiet day at home. I didn’t go out, and didn’t really do a whole lot besides my writing.

In the evening, F came home and said that he’d like dinner fairly soon. I had to kick it into high gear though. We had steamed broccoli, couscous, salad and salmon meuniere. It was all very nice.

We had a quiet evening in. I watched a few things on TV and enjoyed them, F watched his computer and then his cell phone. I’m worrying about that.

We tried to find a hotel in Sendai this weekend, but they were all booked up. I don’t work on Saturday for a change, but it is a national holiday, so we were thinking about going away. Not to be. Sigh. Of course if we’d looked a week or two ago like I wanted to and was hinting about it might have worked out.

Anyway, the TV is off and I’m about to take some medicine. My nose is quite stuffed up and I’ve coughed a lot today. Sigh. Was hoping that wouldn’t happen, should have known better. Tomorrow I’m not sure what I’ll do. I should do things like polish my columns and wrap my sister’s gifts and then send them, but who knows if I’ll get around to it or not. Wish me luck with all that. Night!

October 30, 2012

Tuesday - Rainy with some clear patches

An okay day.

I didn’t want to get up this morning. I slept in a few minutes. I’m blaming the cold medicine, but it was probably all my fault! I got up, watched The Gilmore Girls and ate a little yogurt, then took my shower.

I did a few housework things around the apartment, and in the afternoon got ready to go to work. I made myself a lovely omelette with some sliced chicken in it. It was good.

I expected to get rained on when I left home, but luckily I had found a clear window in the rain and got to my school unscathed. Hurray. I set up and even got out the heater to warm the school up a little. It didn’t need much, but there was a chill in the air.

My student called just before her class was to start to say that she wasn’t able to come again. Month end is a busy time for many people. I read the newspapers instead, did a bit of paperwork, and then I’m a little embarrassed to say this, I fell asleep. I woke up and it was almost 7 pm. Oops. I’d only been asleep for 15 minutes or so, but it was sad. F texted me, and I phoned him back. He came to get me.

It was raining really hard outside when he came. I felt rather sorry for him as he had to pick up my bike. We “discussed” where to go for dinner. I suggested one place and we set off for it, and then on the way there, I suggested Hyakkenbori, so that’s where we went. It’s a restaurant near one of the universities and they use local produce and create really nice food.

We were able to go in, even though they were busy. I had teriyaki chicken, F had udon with tempura and we shared an order of sashimi. They took a long time to bring us the sashimi, so they gave us free dessert. It was quite nice.

After dinner we hit the grocery store. I suggested salmon for dinner tomorrow night, so I’ll be cooking that, with some broccoli and maybe some couscous.

We had a quiet night at home. F watched some TV, then me. It was all very friendly and nice. I’ve been drinking hot drinks with no caffeine to try and unplug my nose. Even with the medicine it gets so very plugged up. Blech.

Anyway, that is it for today. I’m off to bed soon. Hope I get some sleep. Night!

October 29, 2012

Monday - Rain showers, some sun

A good day. I got up early this morning, well, for me, then watched The Gilmore Girls. After that I spent time on my computer. I remember thinking that I was going to go and take a nap for a while, but I never actually did.

I did some laundry today, but mostly I tried to catch up with things on the internet and my movie column. I took some postcards and a bill payment to my local post office today. I made the payment without problem, then grabbed a hot tea from the vending machine and came home. It was sprinkling a little then, but I made it home without getting wet.

When F came home he was very tired. He changed out of his uniform and into his pyjamas right away! I was surprised, and asked if he still wanted dinner. He did, so I started cooking. I steamed 2 chicken breasts and after they were done, I cooked the pasta and heated the sauce. I sliced up one and a half of the chicken breasts and put the meat on the pasta, then covered it all with sauce. I invited F to toss the dish for himself. It was very nice. We had a side salad with it too.

F did the dishes and then we both spent time on our computers. He watched some TV and then I did. The TV went off at midnight surprisingly. We’re both still up though.

My cold is at that annoying stage where my nose is running one second and plugged up the next. I just had some hot tea and it seems to have helped a bit. Yay.

Tomorrow I have a late afternoon class, so I should leave here by 3 or 3:30. I should get some sleep! I’m not sure what’s going to happen for the rest of the day though. I really need to write some more for my blooming column, but I did get quite a bit done today. That’s it for me. Night!

October 27, 2012

Saturday - Clear and sunny

An okay day.

Did my usual Saturday morning things, with the exception of taking my computer to work with me. At my school I got set up and when my student came was ready for her. She came in, but sent her mother home for her textbooks. What the heck? I told her it was okay, but she insisted.

After class I did paperwork, read the paper and started my movie column. I didn’t get very far, but at least I started. I had to clear away my computer a bit before my next class of course. And of course, today my student cancelled. Sigh. She was still in a meeting that was supposed to finish an hour beforehand.

After the student’s time was up, I called F and asked him to pick me up. We drove out to Mikawa and had dinner right away. We had a spat over where to go. He wanted the fish place again, I really didn’t. I tried to bargain with him by saying that if I went there with him tonight, we wouldn’t go to a fish place again this weekend, but he got angry at that. He wanted me to pick the place, but frankly, in that mall, there really isn’t much that I want to eat. I went to the fish place with him, had what I always have when I’m there and it was okay but not what I really felt like eating.

We did a little shopping. I was quite surprised that F was actually helpful and suggested some potential presents for my family. We got the things, and also some socks for him. Lately all I see is him wearing socks with huge holes in them. It is rather embarrassing because people may think I have something to do with his sock choice.

We went to see The Expendables 2. I enjoyed it in that, “I can’t believe I watched that and enjoyed it” sort of way. It was loud, dumb and the testosterone was leaping off the screen. I did a check before the movie, I wasn’t quite the only woman in the theater, but there weren’t many of us. Still, it was fun, but only if you can leave your brain at the door.

We came home after the movie and I set up the bread maker with some whole wheat flour for tomorrow. It’s half and half at the moment, half white flour, half whole wheat. I’m hoping that we’ll have some nice bread in the morning. Of course, that may not happen.

I watched my Saturday night shows. Episodes is back and was quite funny, also caught Gossip Girl which was less funny, but more hmmm.

Tomorrow I’m not sure what we’re going to do. I’d like to go and see another movie, but I’m not sure if F is up for it now. I think he’s still mad at me, since he went to bed without saying goodnight. Sigh.

That’s it for me. Gotta go. Night.

October 26, 2012

Friday - Cool and sunny

After a night with earthquakes and thunder and rain, you’d think today might be a grey and ugly day. You’d be wrong! It was lovely and sunny all day. I got up before my alarm and took my shower early, then went into the living room to watch The Gilmore Girls.

I had a nap on the couch because it was either that or go back to bed. I was afraid if I did that, I’d never wake up!

I had a quiet early afternoon at home. I cooked an omelette for my lunch and then headed out to my school. As I was biking down a narrow road, my phone rang. It was F, asking me if I wanted something from the mall in Yamagata. It was a lovely thing for him to do, but the timing was bad. I said there wasn’t really so we rang off and I hopped back on my bike.

I set up for my class, read over my notes and did a load of laundry at the school. I’ve mentioned it before, but I use towels instead of paper towels for things. I prefer it. I also changed a few of the cards on display.

My student was early as usual and we had a good lesson. Today was more of a consolidation than a learning new things lesson, but it was good for my student. She’s quite low, but has been working hard. She did scare me at the beginning of class though. She had told me that a relative was ill and in the hospital. Today she told me that the relative had left the hospital and didn’t say anymore on the matter. I didn’t know if she meant left the hospital under their own steam or carried out. Happily, the relative was discharged from the hospital. Whew!

After class I cleaned up quickly, did paperwork and left my school around 5:30. I knew F would be late tonight. I biked home. It was a nice night for biking, clear and cool, so I didn’t mind.

F came home a little later. It gave me time to scan my cards that I received this week, and to do a bit of computer stuff. He brought some tai-yaki home too, as it was discount day. Later on, we went out for dinner to Fireball. We had a really nice meal tonight. I had chicken and vegetables in a tomato cream sauced spaghetti, F had fish in a clam sauce. We shared our main courses and had a nice meal. The restaurant wasn’t too busy so I didn’t have to worry about smokers. Yay.

We came home and had a quiet evening. I watched a bit of TV and then turned off the set.

Tomorrow I have two classes and I’m going to take along my computer so I can work on my column. I am so behind this month. I still feel like I’m not at 100% yet. I have to keep working on my column or my editor will not be happy with me. It’s now quite late and I need some sleep, so will be signing off now. Off!

October 25, 2012

Thursday - Cloudy then rainy with added earthquake fun!

Had a good day today. Had a long, busy day today!

I went to bed very late last night. I wanted to as much of my usual stuff as possible.

This morning I got up, I didn’t want to, but I did, and got ready to go out. Today I was off to the Mikawa Mall. I walked to the bus station in S-Mall and checked the cost of the bus to Mikawa. I had a nice bus ride over. The bus wasn’t crowded for a change and the ride seemed shorter too. Hurray for that.

When I got to the mall, I had a quick, cheap,and not so great lunch at McDonalds and then went shopping. I didn’t buy too much at first, but I did a lot of scoping out. I even walked over to the hardware store that’s next to the mall. I didn’t buy anything, but I looked.

I went to see The Raven, with John Cusack. John Cusack is a very tall actor, but Edgar Allan Poe, whom he played, was not tall. Apart from the height difference, which really he couldn’t do much about, Cusack did a good job as Poe. Unfortunately, the movie was rather a mess. There were good moments, but overall, I wouldn’t recommend it.

After the movie I went and bought some of the things I’d scoped out, and even tried on a few things in the Ladies department. I didn’t buy anything, but I did think about it. If Christmas wasn’t coming I probably would have got myself something.

I had a break at Mr Donuts and then F called to say he was finished work. I told him that I would wait for him at the entrance in Jusco by the food court. He had to pick up his suit in Jusco, so it would make sense to park near the entrance to the store. Twenty minutes later I got a call from him wondering where I was. He’d gone to the far end of the mall and couldn’t find me. He walked down the mall to meet me and I walked up. I showed him a jacket that I saw earlier and asked what he thought of it. I’d like him to get a cozy jacket to wear in fall. He liked it, so I asked if I could get it for him as an early birthday present. It was okay, so I did. We picked up his suit as well, and then made the long trek to the car.

Dinner tonight was at an okonomiyaki restaurant, the kind where you make your own. It was good, but I wish we’d had something else with our okonomiyaki. We both got hungry later on. While we were in the restaurant, F noticed that we were having an earthquake. It was around a 4 in Miyagi and between 1 and 2 where we were.

On the way home we stopped for groceries and then gas for the car. We had a quiet evening at home. I went over to the couch at 11:15 for a bit of hooky and The Good Wife. I like that show, F was antsy and made all kinds of noise through it. I managed to hold my tongue tonight!

That’s it really. My feet are sore and my wallet is a little emptier, but I had a good day. It was really nice to be out and about by myself again. Got to go. Night!

October 24, 2012

Wednesday - Clear and sunny

A good day.

I went to bed this morning at 3 am and F was still up. I kissed him goodnight and said that I hoped he’d come to bed soon. I woke up a couple of hours later and he was still up. Huh? When I woke up before 9 he was in bed, finally. I have no idea when he got there.

I watched The Gilmore Girls, had breakfast and then spent time on my computer. F slept on…well, he’d get up, annoy me, and then go back to bed! I took a shower after a bit.

F got up after a while and I made and ate my lunch. He couldn’t have anything to eat as he was going to have a test. We left the apartment a little after two. He drove me to my hairdressers, where he left me. I got my hair cut again, really short. Hurray. It was getting so long I was tempted to chop it off myself. I think it looks really good. I just got basically the same style as before.

When I was done, I walked over to S-Mall and checked out the hundred yen shop. They were changing everything around today and it was hard to find things. I managed to get what I wanted though. F still hadn’t returned my texts, so I decided to have a tea at Doutors. I started my column and then F called me. He came to meet me and then had a tea with me.

He wanted to drive out to the big Aeon mall in Mikawa for his lunch so we did that. I wasn’t hungry so I shared some tempura with him, and had a drink. Then, we went shopping. We checked out the movie times, but things had either started, or wouldn’t for hours, so skipped that. We looked in the kitchen shop I like and got a couple of things for us. One is a flask for me that I can put water in when we’re in the car. I’m tired of buying pet bottles all the time. The other is a guide thing for slicing bread from the breadmaker. I haven’t really looked at it yet though.

We toured Jusco and F started talking about getting a suit for his relatives wedding in December. I suggested having a look at the ones there, just to give him a basis for price and what’s available. I checked out the craft store (yummy wool—but didn’t buy any), and then met up with him. He’d picked out a suit, had the jacket on and was going to take it without trying on the trousers! I got him to try on the pants too, and then we called a sales girl over to help him measure them. He can pick the suit up tomorrow night. How cool is that?

We were on our way out of the mall when F asked where the nearest hundred yen shop would be. He told me that he wanted to buy a watch. I suggested going to the hardware store instead, if he wanted a cheap watch until we get our “pair” watches. We went there and he got a watch that was cheap, hopefully won’t stop working tomorrow!

We came home via Coco Ichibanya Curry House where we had curry. One of my students came in later and came over to say hi. I invited her to join us, but she was there with her husband, so declined.

At home, we had a quiet and relaxing evening. I watched TV. Wednesday is quite a big night for my TV. I watched Castle and did some crochet during it, then Grey’s Anatomy, House and finally Bones. All of the episodes were really good tonight, even Grey’s!

F went to bed earlier than I did tonight, which is a good thing. He’s back at work tomorrow. If the weather is decent, I’ll catch an early bus over to the mall and see if there’s anything I’d like to get family or friends for Christmas. It’s a good chance for me to go shopping without the mister around! He’s sweet, but shopping with him drives me crazy.

Anyway, that’s it for me. I must go to bed now. Night!

October 23, 2012

Tuesday - Rainy

This morning I woke up with my alarm and got up right away. It was unusual as I usually sleep in a bit. I watched The Gilmore Girls in its entirety and read two newspapers.

I had a quiet day at home for the most part. I did finally dig out the vacuum and gave the place a good going over, plus I did a couple of loads of laundry. I even watched a movie on video today. I watched Top Hat and it was wonderful. I don’t think I’d seen it before.

I had some of my tea loaf for both breakfast and lunch and it was good. I couldn’t really taste the tea. I don’t know if it is because of my bad sense of smell or just that it wasn’t strong enough. Hmm.

F was home a bit late tonight and when he came home he suggested Hana again. They were open tonight, so that’s where we went. It was okay, but I wasn’t really in the mood. I had a decent meal though. They also had some nice appetisers which they gave us for free. That was nice.

We bought groceries at the store and then came home. F watched inane stuff on the TV while I listened to music on my computer. I did watch Horrible Bosses on WOWOW tonight. It was quite raunchy, but funny too. I enjoyed it, but thought that some of it was a bit over the top.

I’m now watching a version of Dorian Grey. It’s been updated to the Seventies, which is rather cool. It’s a German and Italian and English production so some of the scenes are dubbed. They’re done well, but I can still tell.

Tomorrow F is off work, as he has to go for a follow up to his health check. Hopefully all will go well. He’s not allowed to eat lunch so I hope he won’t mind if I do! I’m not nice enough to starve with him. That’s it for me. Night.

Edited to add...One cool thing, I hit 250 sent cards at Postcrossing today. Woot!

October 22, 2012

Monday - Warmish and sunny

I got up a bit late this morning, but it wasn’t a big deal. I got up, had breakfast and watched The Gilmore Girls and read the paper.

I had a quiet day at home and then in the afternoon I went to the post office with a mission! I had a lot of things that I had to do. I mailed off a bookmooch to Greece, bought and then mailed some Gotochi cards, transferred money and mailed some postcards. Whew! I was quite busy. I think the post office people were glad when I left!

I came home and relaxed a bit until F called. He came home at his usual time and wasn’t doing well. He’s not Feeling Well, with capital letters.

After a little I cooked dinner. Tonight we had the dinner we were supposed to have last week, fresh pasta with garlic alfredo sauce, and shrimp. We had salad on the side too. It was quite nice. Since F wasn’t Feeling Well, I let him take his bath and did the dishes.

We had a quiet evening. I decided to make some tea bread again. Earlier in the day I had made some double strength tea to try making tea bread again. I got F to help me translate the recipe, and put everything together by myself.

During the night, F was quiet, sitting in his corner, but suddenly a little before the time the bread was due to come out, he started to hover over the bread maker and put out a manky old towel to put the bread on. When I asked him what he was doing he wasn’t too happy to be questioned and threw a snit fit and slammed off to bed. I took the bread out, put it on a clean rack and left it. I don’t care that he’s feeling bad…don’t horn in on my party. Why the heck wasn’t he in bed anyway? Men!

That’s about it for me. I haven’t had my bread yet, even though it looks gorgeous. I going to try and not let him spoil it for me, even though he tried to. Tomorrow I’m not sure what I’ll do. I wanted to have my hair cut, so I might go off and see if my stylist is free or I might just stay home. I hope I go out. I haven’t gone out for a while. I haven’t been able to really. That’s it. Night.

October 21, 2012

Sunday - Cloudy and cool

A good day. I woke up at 10 this morning and F was putting together a mix in the breadmaker. I went back to sleep. When I got up just before 12, he was gone. I knew that he was out at a spa or his mother’s, so I got up, checked the breadmaker and then got on my computer. The breadmaker beeped a few minutes later and I took it out. Oh no! Something had gone wrong. The dough was half the size that it should be.

F came home at that point and we bemoaned the bread, but still cut a couple of slices and had it. It tasted quite good, but just hadn’t risen enough.

We decided to go to a movie this afternoon and so decided to go to the restaurant at the theater. We went over to Machi-kine and their restaurant. They’ve created a new menu so F had ramen and I had a bacon and kabu stirfry and it was good! I was quite impressed. Kabu is a kind of small turnip I think, or a large radish, I’m not sure what.

We went to see Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy today and it was great. So atmospheric. It was quite difficult to keep everyone and everything in my head at one time, but I think I managed it. I really enjoyed it. I think F did too. It was nice to see a movie with no car chases, or huge special effects too.

After the movie, we headed to S-Mall and got a few things for F’s mother. Today was her birthday and since F didn’t get her anything (nor did he think there was any point in getting her anything—grr), I had suggested some sweets from the mall. F bought her some dango and some shu-cream, then bought us a couple of shu-cream with Earl Grey Cream inside. We bought a couple of other things in the mall and then F dropped me off at home and delivered the sweets to his mother.

At home we relaxed for a while and then headed out for dinner. F wanted to go to Hana, so we drove there and discovered it was closed. Oh darn. (snort) Then, I suggested the sushi/soba place that he likes near a pachinko parlour. We ended up going there and had an okay meal. I had tempura udon and it was nice, F had fresh 100% soba. We came home via the grocery store.

We had a quiet evening at home. We watched Rabbit Hole, the movie with Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart. It was very sad, and very good. While Nicole Kidman is good in the movie, Aaron Eckhart was too, and that’s almost a surprise. He does a lot of action films and is believable in them, so it’s nice to see him in a smaller film holding his own. He did that film with Helena Bonham Carter a few years ago that was intriguing, and so was this one.

That’s about it really. F and I both wrote up some cards for Postcrossing. I’m at my limit until a couple of the ones travelling go through. I made him bring the heater through to the living room again as it is quite cold at times.

Tomorrow I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I have to go to the post office and mail off a couple of things. I have a bookmooch to Greece and a few postcards to mail off. That’s it for me for tonight. Night!

October 20, 2012

Saturday - Sunny and cloudy

I was a little late waking up this morning, but I didn’t mind. When I did wake up F snuggled up beside me and bed was lovely and warm. I didn’t want to get up. Still, I did, and then took my shower.

We had a nice brunch at Gusto and then I went to my school. I got ready for my class and when my student came we had a good class. Yay! I talked to her mother after class and we’ll get a new textbook in a few weeks. They also told me that next week’s class, which they had cancelled would be on again. Good news for me.

After a clean up session and paperwork, I called F and he picked me up. We went shopping and found a couple of things for my sister. I’d like to get her something small to go with it, but couldn’t find anything today.

We had dinner at the Komagihara Spa again. This time we had the buffet and it was quite good. I had some chicken, salad, soup and a few other things. I didn’t have their pasta tonight! Four nights of pasta is enough.

F and I came home and our FBC order arrived right at 8 pm on the dot! I heard the truck outside and asked F if he’d rather go to the door or should I? He didn’t even notice the sound outside. We got some whole wheat flour, some chips (NOT my idea!), some decaf tea and a magazine.

We’ve had a quiet evening in. I’ve been watching my usual Saturday night programming, while F has been doing the YouTube thing. That’s getting annoying.

Anyway, I am out of things to write about. Tomorrow is his mother’s birthday. I think he’ll take her out in the morning/early afternoon, but am not sure. I’d like to see a movie but don’t know if we can or not. That’s it for me. Night!

October 19, 2012

Friday - Rainy and cloudy, cooler

I had a busy morning today. I got up, put the covers on the quilts on our bed, and did a load of laundry, then I showered. I even scanned my latest incoming and outgoing postcards. F was at the doctor’s office and didn’t get back until about 11:30 or so.

We had lunch at Cocos and then F dropped me off at my school. I vacuumed the school, so I really was quite busy today!

When my student came, we had a good lesson. Everything seemed to click and we both enjoyed ourselves. Afterwards she said she had fun, so I like to think that is a good thing.

I did paperwork and read the newspaper, then called F. He picked me up and we went to Sukase for dinner. I had pasta for the third night in a row, and he had a fish set dinner. He liked his, but I loved my pasta. It was bacon and mushrooms in a cream sauce. Very yummy.

We came home after dinner and at our apartment I made a loaf of bread. I tried making a tea loaf as I’ve had a hankering for one. I used cold tea instead of plain water, and added two teabags worth of tea to the ingredients. It looked nice, tasted nice, and smelled lovely, but I think I’m going to have to make the cold tea stronger and add a couple more teabags of tea! I had thought that we’d have a slice each tonight and then have the rest for breakfast, but the entire loaf has now disappeared! It’s almost tragic.

And that’s my day. I watched a bit of TV tonight. Because F was off today I have the weird feeling that it is Saturday, but it isn’t. I still have one more day of work. It’s a light day tomorrow, just one class, and afterwards I might do some shopping. Wish me luck! Night.

Postcrossing - Incoming

To October 18, 2012

This week I received five great cards from Europe and Australia. Would you like to see them? Then please read on and enjoy. I'd love to hear any comments that you have about the cards or stamps.

Betty from Italy sent this card. She wrote that she is Danish, but is married to an Italian man. She is a translator. She loves good books, romantic films, yoga, chocolate and autumn.

She asks if I have watched this film, but I'm afraid I haven't. I do like the actors in it though. She bids me to enjoy the colourful autumn and wishes me happy postcrossings.

These are the interesting stamps that she used. The one on the right looks like it is folded, but it really isn't.

Thanks so much Betty!

Tita sent this card to me and says,"Here a postcard from a little village in the north of Holland. It's near to the Wadden Sea. An inland sea with the tides. A beautiful and peaceful area for walks or cycling. I love to take pictures there of nature (a hobby of mine). I also like baking cakes and decorate them with marcepein." I assuming that she means marzipan. She also sends her best wishes.

This next card came to me in an envelope from The Netherlands. I think it is a self printed card, and the sender has written all over the back of the card. He wrote a lot about the symbol on the card and the history of it.

He has written a book (in Dutch) about this part of Roman History. I'm sorry that I'm not really able to write all that he wrote on the back of the card. He wrote a lot about Ancient Rome, and even signed off with a Latin saying! He wrote, " Plurimam Salutem Tibi Helenae dicit Tommie. (Greetings to you very much Helen says Tommie.)

An interesting card!

Ramona from Germany sent this card. She says that she lives about 30 minutes from here and she likes it. She asks why I moved to Japan and how I like it.

She wrote that she had a huge knee operation in the previous week and she's happy to be home again now. She wishes me all the best!

Thanks Ramona!

Vanessa sent this card from Australia. It is another self-taken photograph. She says that this is the view from her back door. This is Mt. Warning and it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage listed rainforest area.

Thanks Vanessa!

There you are, five interesting cards, from interesting people in interesting places! I wonder what will come to my mailbox next time? Come back soon and find out!

October 18, 2012

Thursday - Cool and cloudy, but not rainy

An okay day.

I was up before my alarms this morning and I took a shower early, then watched The Gilmore Girls. I didn’t have a long morning today as I had to get ready for work. I checked my internet sites and then took a quick nap on the couch. I needed it.

I had a nice omelet and watched SATC. After that I did the dishes and headed out the door. I made good time and got to my school.

I set up for my class and even vacuumed today. It had been a while, but things came together and looked good. My student was even slightly early today. Class was good. It was a light one and we talked about sports today.

After class I did my usual stuff, plus checked her homework. I decided to head out although I was worried it might rain. I stopped on the way home at the craft store. They have a lot of lovely new wool in now and it is so soft and the colours are amazing. I would love to buy some, but I don’t have any projects in mind. I visited the drugstore for a few munchies and then came home.

F wasn’t late tonight, but he was in an odd mood. He has a sore throat and I know it is hard for him to talk, but he was being an idiot. He just plain old refused to ask me about my day. I asked about his, he told me and that was the end of the discussion. I got really sleepy, so I went to bed and took a short nap. I set my alarm and woke up every few minutes and finally got up.

We went out to Grado and had a meal that was quite similar to the one I was going to cook last night. It was nice, but I’d rather have had it at home YESTERDAY. Again, I asked about F’s work and then gestured to myself. F waited about 15 minutes to ask about me so I told him I wasn’t going to tell him anymore.

We came home right after dinner and had a quiet evening in. We didn’t even turn on the TV until just before my show at 11:15. I watched The Good Wife and did a couple of rows of my crochet. It was very relaxing, except for the part where F got up and started making noise during the last 10 minutes of the show. I also wrote up a few cards tonight so that I can scan them in the morning and then send them. That’s the plan anyway!

I also watched Ghost Whisperer later on. It was quite a sad one, but one I hadn’t seen before.

Anyway, that’s about it for me. Tomorrow F is going to the doctor but I’m not. Yay. Except I’ve been sneezing and blowing my nose tonight. If he’s given me his cold I will not be best pleased. I do have an afternoon class, but F is off work tomorrow. That should be so much fun. Not. Got to go. Night.

October 17, 2012

Wednesday - Sunny then rainy

An odd day. I got up, watched The Gilmore Girls (for some reason I want to call them The Golden Girls!) and read the paper while I ate my yogurt.

I didn’t really get myself going until the afternoon. I had to decide if I was going to go out or stay home. I really couldn’t decide. However, later on, I realised that if I waited to get a hair cut until next week, I’d have more time. This week I have a class every day except today. I looked outside around 3:30 and it was a bit rainy. Boo! I stayed home.

F called me around 5 to say he’d be late. I relaxed and then sure enough, F came home around 7. He wasn’t feeling well and went to bed almost immediately. He said he wouldn’t get up for dinner, so I put away the fancy stuff I was going to make, and just had regular pasta with tuna sauce and the salad.

I didn’t see F again until midnight. He got up and has been holding down the couch since then. He probably has a cold and I am quite terrified that I’ll get it. I sure hope I don’t. I’m just starting to feel better, and I’ve finished my medicine.

Anyway, that’s it for me. It was a boring little old evening and I stayed home all day. Tomorrow I have an afternoon class and plan to come home afterwards, weather permitting. Got to go. Night!

October 16, 2012

Tuesday - Sunny and cool

A good day. I managed to get to bed early last night so I was awake quite early, and got up pretty close to on time. Yay. I ate breakfast, watched The Gilmore Girls and read the paper.

Later on I took a shower and checked out all of the websites that I usually do. I had a good morning at home basically. Just before I started getting ready for work, I received an email from the hotel I wrote about yesterday. They apologised for making me give them my ID to photocopy and said that they had re-trained their staff not to do that anymore. Woot. Hurray for me.

I left for work a couple of hours early and made two stops along the way. I went to the bank machine to update my passbooks and make some deposits and to the drugstore to do a little shopping.

I was early at my school, so I made everything ready and read a little bit of my book. I started The Grilling Season by Diane Mott Davidson today and it’s rather fun. It’s a fast read. I am already more than halfway done. My student called to say she was coming but would be late. F called to see how I was, so I told him that I would have a class, so would be a little late tonight.

My student came and we set our schedule, discussed a book she’d read, a movie she’d like to see, and then did a little bit of English. There was only 20 minutes left when she arrived, so we actually did quite a lot!

After she left, I finished up and then called F. He came to get me after a bit and I suggested going to Cafe Framboise tonight. We haven’t been there in ages. They don’t have a non-smoking section so when I was deep in my bad health it would have been difficult. However, I was feeling better today. Fortunately, they weren’t busy and no one was smoking, so I had the best of both worlds.

After our meal, F couldn’t find his car keys. He was panicking a bit, but we both realised what happened at the same time. He’d taken his wallet out to pay and then put it back in his pocket on top of the keys. He hadn’t lost them. Whew!

We bought gas on the way home and then some food at the grocery store. Tomorrow we’re going to have nama pasta with shrimp and some kind of bought alfredo sauce. It should be good. I’m looking forward to it.

At home we had a quiet evening. F watched something about skating and it was a bit odd for me to see Brian Orser on TV. Odd, but in a good way.

I watched Unforgettable which was cool because it had Jane Curtin in it as a Medical Examiner. Haven’t seen her on TV in ages.

And that’s about it really. It was a nice day weather-wise and I felt really good. I hope that I’ll feel better tomorrow too. Got to go. Night!