July 2006 Old Blog Posts
July 30
More of the Usual...
As I always say...not much to report from Japan.
We had a pretty quiet week. One quick trip to Toys R Us, which I think I chronicled in the last entry. A couple of visits to Yokosuka for mail and diapers, the usual.
Well, we did have a bit of an adventure on Friday, having to do with getting the van registered. Of course, it has turned out to be much more complicated than I was led to believe it would be. First, we had to complete a "base inspection" on the van. We did that last week since it was to expire on August 1st. We passed, which still shocks me, considering what a dump on wheels that thing is.
Next, take the "passed" base inspection paperwork to the Vehicle Registration Office onbase. I did that, and they told me that I needed to go out and get updated insurance, because that expires as of August 1st. Ugh. Packed the kids back up, drove out there (of course, the two offices, though interrelated, are nowhere near each other). Insurance is $278 for two years, which would be OK, except that we are supposed to be leaving soon and I was hoping not to have to pay for two years. Ugh. Oh, and did I mention that we found out at the VRO that our license plates were about to expire? And that we need to take the van to the LTO in Yokohama to register it in Japan?
So. We had to drive downtown to Yokosuka City Hall. I circled the block about three times before I found a parking garage. A very interesting parking garage. I had to park in a spot on a conveyor belt and was given a card with a number on it. We did our business and got our temporary plates at city hall (a very pleasant experience since they are so quick and efficient), came back out to the parking garage, handed the guy my card. They fired up the conveyor belt and moved the van into an empty spot so that I could back out. I'm not sure I desribed it very well. It was kind of like a lazy susan for cars. I had a lot of trouble parking and getting out because the van was on one of those parking things like in carwashes. You know...you have to keep inching forward until the tire is in the slot or whatever. I think the Japanese guys found it very entertaining. They gave me a big thumbs-up when I left.
Then, I almost couldn't make it up the incline to street level. It was very steep and the van wouldn't move! I had it floored in first gear and it was barely creeping. I had horrified visions of having to have a tow truck come and winch us out. There were cars coming up behind us. I was mortified. I quickly turned off the A/C and thus diverted an extra two squirrels to help power the van and we inched slowly out. I thought for a moment, too, that I might have to start bailing out strollers, toys, juice cups, any extra weight. But, we made it. Have I mentioned how much I miss my car?
And we're not done with vehicle fun yet, since tomorrow I have to drive the van to the LTO in Yokohama, then back to Yokosuka to turn in paperwork onbase. What loads of fun! And super-expensive just as we're about to sell the silly thing. Grrrr.
Yesterday was Lily's birthday party, so there are a couple of pictures of that. It was Dora themed. I'm always meaning to do a blog about the cartoons I like vs. the cartoons that I can't stand. Josiah likes Dora. I don't. Anyway, a good time was had by all. There's a picture of the three of us. I look like I need some powder, Annika looks disgusted at Josiah's chocolatey face. Joe actually did fairly well eating that cake. There was only a bit on his face and hands, and a little on the floor. It could have been much uglier!
Talked to my husband a couple of times over the last few days. The ship is in Hong Kong. Sounds like they had a good time. He was impressed with Hong Kong, got to eat at McDonald's and do a little shopping for all of us. And spend a night away from the ship, which has to be a blessing.
Only 68 days now until we're together again.
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July 26
Rainy Day Games
It's been rainy in Japan for pretty much the last three months. Perhaps I dramatize a little bit, but not much. It rains here a lot and if it's not raining, it's just hot and humid and the sky is a sullen color. It may as well just rain and get it over with. Today, however, it seems to be sunny, which I'm sure means that it will be like an oven out there.
It's hard to entertain a toddler any day, rain or shine, but especially hard when it has been raining for days and days. I've just been tapped out, trying to think of things to do with him (Annika is easier to entertain). I even ordered two books full of toddler activities to give me some ideas. We spent part of an afternoon making necklaces out of yarn and Froot Loops. Until Josiah figured out that he could eat the necklace and that was that. We've fingerpainted, colored, played hide-and-seek, read, played trains...and watched Magnum PI.
We've come up with a couple of games lately that Josiah finds hilarious, for some reason. Here's how you play the first game:
1. Take a clear plastic Rubbermaid tub.
2. Put it over your head so that it covers your face.
That's right, that's the game. He thinks it's hysterical. He comes and puts the tub on my head and laughs at me. I didn't find it that amusing until I had this thought "This must be what Lenin felt like". And thus, the game has been dubbed "Playing Lenin". Hans said that the next step in the game is to make the person with the tub lurch around, saying "Must...crush...capitalism!". We're working on that part. Perhaps I could endeavor to explain communism to him. Surely that would take up a rainy afternoon?
OK, the other game was developed last night. It requires a set of stacking bowls and an infant sister.
1. Stack up the stacking bowls so that they make a nice big tower.
2. Giggle like a maniac.
3. Mommy makes sister pretend to spring to her feet and "run" growling at the tower to tip it over.
Josiah thinks it's a gut-buster to watch Annika "get up", trip over on her sturdy legs and tip the tower over accompanied by Mommy's sound effects. We call this one "Gojira". Hey, it's Japanese for Godzilla, right honey?
I took the kids to Toys R Us yesterday in a fit of boredom. It takes a loooong time to drive less than 20 miles. It's annoying. I always think to myself: it takes me as long to drive these 20 miles than it would for me to drive from Mankato to Shakopee. Grrr. It's super-annoying. I just cannot wait to get in my car and floor it. I'll probably freak out around 60 MPH. It's going to feel SO fast. I wish, too, that I could somehow impart how frightening it is to drive on some of the smaller roads. Picture a standard American two-way neighborhood street, then erase the room for parking on both sides. That's the whole road in Japan, plus people can and do park on either side of the road, usually halfway into the lane of traffic. I'm still in shock that I have made it through this time in Japan without clipping anyone's car!
We parked, did our shopping and returned to the van, only to discover that I had lost my parking ticket. Crap! I flagged down a parking garage worker and demonstrated that I had lost my ticket, pulling out my pockets and looking confused (I have that look down pat). She went into the store, since I couldn't leave Josiah and Annika, got the manager guy (who spoke some English), who came out, took my receipt back in, ran me a new ticket and only charged me Y1000, which I think was actually less than I would have paid if I had had my ticket. Then, they were all "arigato, arigato". Telling me thank you for inconveniencing them!
One other story, not related: to any of you who haven't tried an "Oxi" cleaning product yet, go out and get a bucket. It is the best stuff on earth. I have used it to clean floors and carpet. Yesterday I did a load of whites, only to discover, after putting them through the dryer, that I had left chocolate in the pocket of my white pants! I threw everything back into the washer to soak with a cup of Oxi-Clean, and every spot of dried-in chocolate came out of our whites! I love this stuff, seriously.
Anyway, a couple of pictures, nothing exciting. Bo-Ho Annika and Annika in a new Japanese outfit that we got at Toys R Us yesterday.
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July 22
Magnum P.I.
My children love TV. I know, go ahead and accuse me of being a terrible mother. (Meanwhile, somewhere out in the middle of the ocean, a father beams with pride at his progeny).
Very recently, I discovered that there are "Magnum P.I." reruns on an Asian channel. In English, of course, just on an Asian channel. Do you guys have shows that bring back that warm fuzzy feeling of youth and settling down to watch TV with your parents and siblings? Well, MPI is one of those shows that I seem to remember watching, with Dad more than Mom. Ask me about pretty much any show from the 1980s that was on CBS, because it was the only channel that we got really well in the Kuehl household. Yes, that's right: I never had cable growing up.
Hmmm, perhaps this is why I revolt when I think of watching TV for hours while my husband, who was raised on cable, thinks nothing of watching TV for hours. Watching TV for hours never seems to make him itch like it does me...I just can't do it. But Kit, give me credit for that one day that we watched all six "Star Wars" movies, OK?
Anyway...back to MPI. If you will remember, it stars Tom Selleck. I think, actually, that I thought that my father and Tom Selleck were somehow related or something. My Dad had dark hair and a moustache and pretty much the same wardrobe as Magnum (sans tropical shirts). I guess the similarities end there though. Dad drove Fords, Magnum had a Ferrari (and sometimes an Audi) and a gun, beautiful women throwing themselves at him, and a friend with a helicopter. And Magnum solved mysteries for a living, while my dad walked up to the telephone office every day. Or did he? Maybe his friend with the helicopter was secretly picking him up once he turned off 4th Street and was out of our view? Maybe Dad's Ferrari was being stored just outside of town in someone's shed? Hmmmm. Oh yeah, and we lived in Minnesota, not Hawaii. Not nearly as glamorous, though of course, I prefer the former to the latter any day.
OK, my kids love this show. When it comes on with its snappy 80s theme music (complete with wailing guitar riffs), they come to attention. Even Annika is mesmerized by Magnum's antics. If I dare to turn her away from the TV while MPI is on, she cranes her neck and strains to turn around and see him or cries until I turn her bouncy seat around so she can comfortably enjoy the show. It's weird. I don't know what they love about it, but they can't get enough. And I love it for the nostalgia. Weird how the fashions don't look that out-of-date suddenly...it's pretty scary how the early 1980s fashions are back in style.
Not to go off on a tangent but: have you ladies noticed that skintight jeans are back in style? GAP has some with little zippers on the ankles...like the Guess jeans that every girl had to have circa 1987. I pleaded, I begged, I pouted until I got my pair. I still remember getting them...they were about $60. It was a big victory. I wore them until they were hole-y. And boy, did I feel special having that patch on my back pocket. Whoo-hoo. Does anyone wear Guess jeans anymore? Oh God, and leggings are coming back? As in, under skirts? Bad news for those of us who aren't quite as thin as they were in ninth grade! And skirts? Bubble skirts--I remember the super-cool denim bubble skirt that I had, too.
So Dad, about MPI: do you remember who Robin was? I guess all these years, I thought John Hillerman, who played Higgins, was Robin. I guess Robin must be the person who owns the estate where MPI and Higgins live. I noticed that the two cars have plates that say ROBIN-1 and ROBIN-2, thus began questioning the Robin-Higgins thing. Remember Zeus and Apollo, the two dobermans?
Ahhh, memories!
UPDATE: Yes, I am the biggest geek out there. I googled "Magnum PI" to see if I could get answers to my burning questions. Robin Masters was an author and owned the estate where Magnum and Higgins lived. He is never seen during the series run. The series ran from 1981-1988 and was continually in the top twenty shows during its run. Guest stars included Sharon Stone and Frank Sinatra. And there are people out there who have Magnum PI fan websites. Wow.
Just remembered: I did something even geekier. Awhile back, I googled "Linwood Boomer". He's currently the producer and creator of "Malcolm in the Middle", but his name just kept bugging me. Sure enough, he played Adam on "Little House on the Prairie". I knew that I'd seen that name hundreds of times somewhere. There are also some really specatacular LHOP fan sites out there. I feel very qualified to join in their conversations as I was the biggest LHOP fan ever. Oh yes, I had a bonnet, I had a dress, I had a pinafore. Genevieve and I had flannel nightgowns with ruffly nightcaps.
And I pick on Hans about Star Wars. Sheesh.
Of course, I'm not 35 and still wearing my dress and bonnet...
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July 18
Bits & Pieces
OK, I've been ordered by my husband (he's pretty good at ordering people around) to update the blog. I told him that I don't really have anything interesting to write about, but that I'd try hard to scrape up some interesting scraps. I'm promising nothing here, just whatever flotsam is swirling around in my mind.
Hmmmm.
Well, the weather in Japan. It's wet. Very, very wet. Even on a "dry" day, this place smells like someone's damp dirty laundry basket. No offense to anyone in Japan. It just continually smells like damp mulchy-rotting things to me. It's not that it's that hot, it's just that the humidity is so high. Here's how you can replicate the heat and humidity of Japan: boil a beach-sized towel in a big pot, wring it out then place it over your entire head and body, making sure to cover your face so you can feel the suffocating effect of the damp heat. To make it very realistic, go out and lay by your trash can with the lid open, so the rotting smell can be enjoyed simultaneously with the heat.
These are the days when I wish I had invested in a Diaper Genie. The thought of having to lift the lid on my hyper-heated, soggy trash can outside....maybe I should get a long, long stick to open it from a great distance. Seriously, the smell is terrible from the diapers. I think that the energy from the fermentation inside our trash can could probably power a Prius or something. Not that I'm "into" alternative fuel sources. And just so you all know, we are paying $2.83/gallon here, too.
The air conditioning in the van is out, too, which is super. We paid $2,100 for that thing...I now know that we totally got ripped off. Every third person here has that same van, their vans are all nicer, and they all paid $1,800 for their vans. This is the second time that I'm going to have to have the A/C charged. I have to go about selling this thing soon and I'm wondering if I need to disclose the fact that the compressor is probably shot. Mariska said "Just tell them that it needs to be charged every couple of months". Well, I guess that's semi-honest and charging it does last for a few weeks and is only about $35. The problem is that if I want to get anything done to the A/C other than charging, I have to take it to a Japanese dealership, which would be not only humiliating (because my van is crappy and full of Goldfish) but hyper-expensive. Think I'll charge it and tell the half-truth. Whatever. I mean, what can people expect in a ten-year-old vehicle that has been owned by 17 different people and has 140,000 kilometers on it? Not a lot.
Hmmm.
OK, a movie that I saw the other night that I liked: "The Family Stone". It takes me two nights to watch a two hour movie because I only have an hour or so before bedtime. Every movie becomes like a mini-series. I'm never in the mood for anything terribly heavy these days. I fell asleep in the middle of "Munich", which was a good movie, if a little dragggggged out. I need something lightweight that I don't totally have to concentrate on. "The Family Stone" looked like a nice little comedy but turned out to be a little more...I won't elaborate. It was a good movie.
Avoid, please, "Failure to Launch". Sarah Jessica Parker was in both "The Family Stone" and "FTL". I wish that she just would have quit at Carrie Bradshaw and let it be. The general concensus in Ikego is that SJP will never be anyone other than Carrie Bradshaw from "Sex & The City". It's just too weird to see her without her girlfriends. And forget her trying to be dramatic, except maybe in some of those Afterschool Specials she was in. "Failure to Launch" is just awful. There are no words to describe. And it has a decent cast. In addition to SJP, Matthew McConaghey, Kathy Bates. Terry Bradshaw even does a decent job. I guess actors are only as good as their scripts, but I have no idea what these people were thinking when they initally read said script. Awful. Just awful.
Well, there you go. The kids are great, it's hot and I guess I do have a couple of random thoughts floating around!
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July 12
Maple Park Supermodel
Dear Kathy--the reason that I wasn't home today was because I was in Tokyo doing a shoot for Annika. Sorry about that. And sorry about the fact that I haven't written for seven days. I know you keep track! I will talk to you soon. Have you gotten an e-mail address yet? Otherwise, I have to "talk" to you through the blog.
For the rest of y'all:
Yeah, that's right, we went to Tokyo today. After I vowed that I wouldn't put myself through that again! Like I was just telling my mother--I'm just a glutton for punishment. The agency called us on Monday with a possible job for Annika on Wednesday. She passed the photo selection (meaning that a bunch of Japanese people thought her photos cute enough for the shoot). They called me yesterday evening to tell me that she had gotten the job and could I please plan on coming to Tokyo Wednesday (today) at 8:30 a.m.? Nothing like a whole lot of advanced warning. Thanks guys!
I said yes, only because Mariska had indicated that she could babysit Josiah and because I want Annika to do at least one job before we pack out and leave Japan (which is not anytime soon, mothers!). However, when I called Mariska, she had made plans and wasn't available to watch Joe. I felt physically sick for a few minutes and then I decided that I wasn't going to worry about it. I was going to put my trust in the Lord and just pack them both up there and hope for the best instead of immediately imagining the worst.
We had to be in Tokyo at 8:30. That's an early rise for us. OK, we are usually up at that time anyway, but we're used to being lethargic and lounging about in our PJs for several hours, or at least until the decent hour when normal people get up. I packed last night, the big bag. The agency mentioned that it could be as late as 4:30. That meant nearly twelve hours on the road...leaving here at 6:30 to make it up there by 8:30...working until 4:30, then getting home around 6:30-7:00. I had to take some deep, calming breaths to stop the nausea brought on by the thought of toting these two around for twelve hours. That's a looooong, looooong time.
BUT. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING worked to our advantage today. It was a miracle. I truly think it's because I decided to trust in the Lord and let him carry my worry. Our walk to the train station was nice. Josiah and Annika made nary a peep on the ride up there. We stepped into a completely empty train and got a seat, so I sat all the way to Tokyo. The transfer station had elevators and escalators. We found the meeting place without a problem, though it wasn't exactly close to where we exited the station. The photographer and his crew were waiting for us, had a lovely air-conditioned minibus, hoisted my bags and stroller and toddler into said minibus. The shoot was in a wonderful, air-conditioned studio (I was afraid that it could be outside, which would be awful in the 120% humidity).
It goes on and on...there were only four babies at the shoot, so it wasn't crowded or busy. It was very laidback. They loved Josiah (who wouldn't?), played with him, had toys to occupy him (in addition to those toted by me and also DVD player with Thomas). Josiah was completely and utterly well-behaved the entire time. No tantrums. No crying. No getting into things he shouldn't have. He was wonderful. He's getting a new train tonight.
Annika did a great, great job. She's a bit sober in front of the camera, but then, there were a lot of strange Japanese people shaking rattles and cooing at her. She tends to get a little skeptical when strange people get in her face. She did wonderfully though--I think she did 10-12 outfits or possibly more. I lost track. It was one after another after another. She had to pick up the slack from one sick baby and one crabby baby. Anyway, the company is called "Maple Park"...it's all for a mail-order catalog, like Combimini was. I'll try to find a website. It's fall stuff. I took my own pictures of her in the outfits, so you can enjoy those in the meantime, Grandmas.
That's it. The trip home was nice...one of the other mothers travelled part of the way with me because we were in an area I wasn't familiar with. She helped schlep Joe up and down some steps with me. She gave me Y200 when the ticket machine wouldn't take a Y5000 note. We got on a train home, got a seat, rode home with the kids being reasonably good...it was, after all, the end of a long day. Came into Zushi on the right side of the tracks, for some reason...which meant...no stairs! Took a taxi to the gate, got in the van. Voila!
Enjoy the pictures everyone. Thanks for visiting.
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July 04
Odawara
Some of you may not know this, but Hans is home for a week. I didn't get a chance to sit down and blog right after he called me from Sasebo on Thursday and said "Could you come pick me up in Yokosuka on Sunday?". Sometimes, the Navy gives us not-so-nice surprises. Sometimes, we get the best surprises ever! I guess they like to keep us on our toes...
Anyway, so Hans pulled in on Sunday and had most of yesterday and all of today off. We had time for a fieldtrip yesterday, so we decided to go and see Odawara Castle in Odawara (well, duh). First, how we got there: we were trying to be adventurous and pretend like we don't have two noisy, antsy children (one worse than the other, of course), so we took the "long way" by taking the regular JR line up to Yokohama, then wandering through the snarl of their station, taking the Yokohama City Subway to Shinyokohama, then taking the Shinkansen to Odawara. The rides up to Shinyokohama are nothing to write home about. We spent most of the trip telling Joe "Shhhhh!". He wasn't mad or being obnoxious, he just wants the whole world to know what he's thinking and observing.
The Shinkansen was pretty damn cool, though we only rode for 15-20 minutes. I guess that's the problem with riding such a fast train--the ride becomes much shorter. For those of you who are going "What is the Shinkansen?", it's the Japanese bullet train and I believe, the longest word that Josiah knows. Anyway. We weren't on the super-fast Shinkansen, which speeds along at over 150 mph. We were on a "slow" Shinkansen, probably doing 80-100 mph. I thought that we'd get in, strap up and shoot out of the station. I imagined a feeling like I've gotten in the pit of my stomach when I've ridden (or driven) in some fast cars. I thought it would be like a rocket, that I'd start seeing hyperspace lines, but the acceleration was very steady and almost unnoticeable...all of a sudden, we were just flying. Rats. I guess I'll have to wait for a ride in Hans' Audi.
I may have enjoyed the Shinkansen ride more too, if both of my kids hadn't been crying/shouting. The regular trains and subways are always silent, but the Shinkansen was quiet as if the sound had been vacuumed out of the car...except, of course, for Josiah going on and on and Annika crying. Josiah really enjoyed his Shinkansen ride though...he moaned and moaned about the Shinkansen for the rest of the day. And Hans and I are glad that we got the chance to cross "Shinkansen ride" off of our to-do list.
We walked up to the castle. Quick history lesson: original was built in the 1100s, fought over between clans, rebuilt 1580, was destroyed and rebuilt again many times due to damage by war, earthquake or fire. Completely destroyed in 1870 due to the collapse of the feudal system in Japan, then rebuilt in 1960 with a historical facade and a modern interior. The interior is four floors of artifacts, weapons and artwork. We couldn't take any shots inside the donjon (castle), but I did take a few shots of Odawara from the fourth floor observation deck. Odawara is west of us about an hour, a city of around 200,000 people.
Well, it was an interesting fieldtrip. I think my husband appreciates more why I may not feel like traveling around a lot with Josiah and Annika. Josiah ran himself absolutely ragged yesterday, so by the time we left the castle, he was exhausted, yet he managed to stay awake for the entire train ride home, the taxi ride back to Ikego, and he walked all the way up the hill to our house. He was pretty much tuckered out. But he didn't give up without a fight.
Not much else to report, I guess. I'm dog-sitting Mulligan, a Jack Russell Terrier, for a family who just got into Yokosuka on Friday evening. So far, things are going really well. Mulligan is definitely not as fiesty as Freddie was. She's a little more manageable, but still a lot of work. There are a couple of pictures of her. Josiah loves her and says "Mull-gan!", but I'm not sure that Mulligan returns the sentiment. She tolerates Josiah chasing her around. To a point. Then she gets a little growly and nippy. Don't worry grandmas, we're keeping a close eye on them!
Everyone, enjoy your 4th of July!
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More of the Usual...
As I always say...not much to report from Japan.
We had a pretty quiet week. One quick trip to Toys R Us, which I think I chronicled in the last entry. A couple of visits to Yokosuka for mail and diapers, the usual.
Well, we did have a bit of an adventure on Friday, having to do with getting the van registered. Of course, it has turned out to be much more complicated than I was led to believe it would be. First, we had to complete a "base inspection" on the van. We did that last week since it was to expire on August 1st. We passed, which still shocks me, considering what a dump on wheels that thing is.
Next, take the "passed" base inspection paperwork to the Vehicle Registration Office onbase. I did that, and they told me that I needed to go out and get updated insurance, because that expires as of August 1st. Ugh. Packed the kids back up, drove out there (of course, the two offices, though interrelated, are nowhere near each other). Insurance is $278 for two years, which would be OK, except that we are supposed to be leaving soon and I was hoping not to have to pay for two years. Ugh. Oh, and did I mention that we found out at the VRO that our license plates were about to expire? And that we need to take the van to the LTO in Yokohama to register it in Japan?
So. We had to drive downtown to Yokosuka City Hall. I circled the block about three times before I found a parking garage. A very interesting parking garage. I had to park in a spot on a conveyor belt and was given a card with a number on it. We did our business and got our temporary plates at city hall (a very pleasant experience since they are so quick and efficient), came back out to the parking garage, handed the guy my card. They fired up the conveyor belt and moved the van into an empty spot so that I could back out. I'm not sure I desribed it very well. It was kind of like a lazy susan for cars. I had a lot of trouble parking and getting out because the van was on one of those parking things like in carwashes. You know...you have to keep inching forward until the tire is in the slot or whatever. I think the Japanese guys found it very entertaining. They gave me a big thumbs-up when I left.
Then, I almost couldn't make it up the incline to street level. It was very steep and the van wouldn't move! I had it floored in first gear and it was barely creeping. I had horrified visions of having to have a tow truck come and winch us out. There were cars coming up behind us. I was mortified. I quickly turned off the A/C and thus diverted an extra two squirrels to help power the van and we inched slowly out. I thought for a moment, too, that I might have to start bailing out strollers, toys, juice cups, any extra weight. But, we made it. Have I mentioned how much I miss my car?
And we're not done with vehicle fun yet, since tomorrow I have to drive the van to the LTO in Yokohama, then back to Yokosuka to turn in paperwork onbase. What loads of fun! And super-expensive just as we're about to sell the silly thing. Grrrr.
Yesterday was Lily's birthday party, so there are a couple of pictures of that. It was Dora themed. I'm always meaning to do a blog about the cartoons I like vs. the cartoons that I can't stand. Josiah likes Dora. I don't. Anyway, a good time was had by all. There's a picture of the three of us. I look like I need some powder, Annika looks disgusted at Josiah's chocolatey face. Joe actually did fairly well eating that cake. There was only a bit on his face and hands, and a little on the floor. It could have been much uglier!
Talked to my husband a couple of times over the last few days. The ship is in Hong Kong. Sounds like they had a good time. He was impressed with Hong Kong, got to eat at McDonald's and do a little shopping for all of us. And spend a night away from the ship, which has to be a blessing.
Only 68 days now until we're together again.
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July 26
Rainy Day Games
It's been rainy in Japan for pretty much the last three months. Perhaps I dramatize a little bit, but not much. It rains here a lot and if it's not raining, it's just hot and humid and the sky is a sullen color. It may as well just rain and get it over with. Today, however, it seems to be sunny, which I'm sure means that it will be like an oven out there.
It's hard to entertain a toddler any day, rain or shine, but especially hard when it has been raining for days and days. I've just been tapped out, trying to think of things to do with him (Annika is easier to entertain). I even ordered two books full of toddler activities to give me some ideas. We spent part of an afternoon making necklaces out of yarn and Froot Loops. Until Josiah figured out that he could eat the necklace and that was that. We've fingerpainted, colored, played hide-and-seek, read, played trains...and watched Magnum PI.
We've come up with a couple of games lately that Josiah finds hilarious, for some reason. Here's how you play the first game:
1. Take a clear plastic Rubbermaid tub.
2. Put it over your head so that it covers your face.
That's right, that's the game. He thinks it's hysterical. He comes and puts the tub on my head and laughs at me. I didn't find it that amusing until I had this thought "This must be what Lenin felt like". And thus, the game has been dubbed "Playing Lenin". Hans said that the next step in the game is to make the person with the tub lurch around, saying "Must...crush...capitalism!". We're working on that part. Perhaps I could endeavor to explain communism to him. Surely that would take up a rainy afternoon?
OK, the other game was developed last night. It requires a set of stacking bowls and an infant sister.
1. Stack up the stacking bowls so that they make a nice big tower.
2. Giggle like a maniac.
3. Mommy makes sister pretend to spring to her feet and "run" growling at the tower to tip it over.
Josiah thinks it's a gut-buster to watch Annika "get up", trip over on her sturdy legs and tip the tower over accompanied by Mommy's sound effects. We call this one "Gojira". Hey, it's Japanese for Godzilla, right honey?
I took the kids to Toys R Us yesterday in a fit of boredom. It takes a loooong time to drive less than 20 miles. It's annoying. I always think to myself: it takes me as long to drive these 20 miles than it would for me to drive from Mankato to Shakopee. Grrr. It's super-annoying. I just cannot wait to get in my car and floor it. I'll probably freak out around 60 MPH. It's going to feel SO fast. I wish, too, that I could somehow impart how frightening it is to drive on some of the smaller roads. Picture a standard American two-way neighborhood street, then erase the room for parking on both sides. That's the whole road in Japan, plus people can and do park on either side of the road, usually halfway into the lane of traffic. I'm still in shock that I have made it through this time in Japan without clipping anyone's car!
We parked, did our shopping and returned to the van, only to discover that I had lost my parking ticket. Crap! I flagged down a parking garage worker and demonstrated that I had lost my ticket, pulling out my pockets and looking confused (I have that look down pat). She went into the store, since I couldn't leave Josiah and Annika, got the manager guy (who spoke some English), who came out, took my receipt back in, ran me a new ticket and only charged me Y1000, which I think was actually less than I would have paid if I had had my ticket. Then, they were all "arigato, arigato". Telling me thank you for inconveniencing them!
One other story, not related: to any of you who haven't tried an "Oxi" cleaning product yet, go out and get a bucket. It is the best stuff on earth. I have used it to clean floors and carpet. Yesterday I did a load of whites, only to discover, after putting them through the dryer, that I had left chocolate in the pocket of my white pants! I threw everything back into the washer to soak with a cup of Oxi-Clean, and every spot of dried-in chocolate came out of our whites! I love this stuff, seriously.
Anyway, a couple of pictures, nothing exciting. Bo-Ho Annika and Annika in a new Japanese outfit that we got at Toys R Us yesterday.
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July 22
Magnum P.I.
My children love TV. I know, go ahead and accuse me of being a terrible mother. (Meanwhile, somewhere out in the middle of the ocean, a father beams with pride at his progeny).
Very recently, I discovered that there are "Magnum P.I." reruns on an Asian channel. In English, of course, just on an Asian channel. Do you guys have shows that bring back that warm fuzzy feeling of youth and settling down to watch TV with your parents and siblings? Well, MPI is one of those shows that I seem to remember watching, with Dad more than Mom. Ask me about pretty much any show from the 1980s that was on CBS, because it was the only channel that we got really well in the Kuehl household. Yes, that's right: I never had cable growing up.
Hmmm, perhaps this is why I revolt when I think of watching TV for hours while my husband, who was raised on cable, thinks nothing of watching TV for hours. Watching TV for hours never seems to make him itch like it does me...I just can't do it. But Kit, give me credit for that one day that we watched all six "Star Wars" movies, OK?
Anyway...back to MPI. If you will remember, it stars Tom Selleck. I think, actually, that I thought that my father and Tom Selleck were somehow related or something. My Dad had dark hair and a moustache and pretty much the same wardrobe as Magnum (sans tropical shirts). I guess the similarities end there though. Dad drove Fords, Magnum had a Ferrari (and sometimes an Audi) and a gun, beautiful women throwing themselves at him, and a friend with a helicopter. And Magnum solved mysteries for a living, while my dad walked up to the telephone office every day. Or did he? Maybe his friend with the helicopter was secretly picking him up once he turned off 4th Street and was out of our view? Maybe Dad's Ferrari was being stored just outside of town in someone's shed? Hmmmm. Oh yeah, and we lived in Minnesota, not Hawaii. Not nearly as glamorous, though of course, I prefer the former to the latter any day.
OK, my kids love this show. When it comes on with its snappy 80s theme music (complete with wailing guitar riffs), they come to attention. Even Annika is mesmerized by Magnum's antics. If I dare to turn her away from the TV while MPI is on, she cranes her neck and strains to turn around and see him or cries until I turn her bouncy seat around so she can comfortably enjoy the show. It's weird. I don't know what they love about it, but they can't get enough. And I love it for the nostalgia. Weird how the fashions don't look that out-of-date suddenly...it's pretty scary how the early 1980s fashions are back in style.
Not to go off on a tangent but: have you ladies noticed that skintight jeans are back in style? GAP has some with little zippers on the ankles...like the Guess jeans that every girl had to have circa 1987. I pleaded, I begged, I pouted until I got my pair. I still remember getting them...they were about $60. It was a big victory. I wore them until they were hole-y. And boy, did I feel special having that patch on my back pocket. Whoo-hoo. Does anyone wear Guess jeans anymore? Oh God, and leggings are coming back? As in, under skirts? Bad news for those of us who aren't quite as thin as they were in ninth grade! And skirts? Bubble skirts--I remember the super-cool denim bubble skirt that I had, too.
So Dad, about MPI: do you remember who Robin was? I guess all these years, I thought John Hillerman, who played Higgins, was Robin. I guess Robin must be the person who owns the estate where MPI and Higgins live. I noticed that the two cars have plates that say ROBIN-1 and ROBIN-2, thus began questioning the Robin-Higgins thing. Remember Zeus and Apollo, the two dobermans?
Ahhh, memories!
UPDATE: Yes, I am the biggest geek out there. I googled "Magnum PI" to see if I could get answers to my burning questions. Robin Masters was an author and owned the estate where Magnum and Higgins lived. He is never seen during the series run. The series ran from 1981-1988 and was continually in the top twenty shows during its run. Guest stars included Sharon Stone and Frank Sinatra. And there are people out there who have Magnum PI fan websites. Wow.
Just remembered: I did something even geekier. Awhile back, I googled "Linwood Boomer". He's currently the producer and creator of "Malcolm in the Middle", but his name just kept bugging me. Sure enough, he played Adam on "Little House on the Prairie". I knew that I'd seen that name hundreds of times somewhere. There are also some really specatacular LHOP fan sites out there. I feel very qualified to join in their conversations as I was the biggest LHOP fan ever. Oh yes, I had a bonnet, I had a dress, I had a pinafore. Genevieve and I had flannel nightgowns with ruffly nightcaps.
And I pick on Hans about Star Wars. Sheesh.
Of course, I'm not 35 and still wearing my dress and bonnet...
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July 18
Bits & Pieces
OK, I've been ordered by my husband (he's pretty good at ordering people around) to update the blog. I told him that I don't really have anything interesting to write about, but that I'd try hard to scrape up some interesting scraps. I'm promising nothing here, just whatever flotsam is swirling around in my mind.
Hmmmm.
Well, the weather in Japan. It's wet. Very, very wet. Even on a "dry" day, this place smells like someone's damp dirty laundry basket. No offense to anyone in Japan. It just continually smells like damp mulchy-rotting things to me. It's not that it's that hot, it's just that the humidity is so high. Here's how you can replicate the heat and humidity of Japan: boil a beach-sized towel in a big pot, wring it out then place it over your entire head and body, making sure to cover your face so you can feel the suffocating effect of the damp heat. To make it very realistic, go out and lay by your trash can with the lid open, so the rotting smell can be enjoyed simultaneously with the heat.
These are the days when I wish I had invested in a Diaper Genie. The thought of having to lift the lid on my hyper-heated, soggy trash can outside....maybe I should get a long, long stick to open it from a great distance. Seriously, the smell is terrible from the diapers. I think that the energy from the fermentation inside our trash can could probably power a Prius or something. Not that I'm "into" alternative fuel sources. And just so you all know, we are paying $2.83/gallon here, too.
The air conditioning in the van is out, too, which is super. We paid $2,100 for that thing...I now know that we totally got ripped off. Every third person here has that same van, their vans are all nicer, and they all paid $1,800 for their vans. This is the second time that I'm going to have to have the A/C charged. I have to go about selling this thing soon and I'm wondering if I need to disclose the fact that the compressor is probably shot. Mariska said "Just tell them that it needs to be charged every couple of months". Well, I guess that's semi-honest and charging it does last for a few weeks and is only about $35. The problem is that if I want to get anything done to the A/C other than charging, I have to take it to a Japanese dealership, which would be not only humiliating (because my van is crappy and full of Goldfish) but hyper-expensive. Think I'll charge it and tell the half-truth. Whatever. I mean, what can people expect in a ten-year-old vehicle that has been owned by 17 different people and has 140,000 kilometers on it? Not a lot.
Hmmm.
OK, a movie that I saw the other night that I liked: "The Family Stone". It takes me two nights to watch a two hour movie because I only have an hour or so before bedtime. Every movie becomes like a mini-series. I'm never in the mood for anything terribly heavy these days. I fell asleep in the middle of "Munich", which was a good movie, if a little dragggggged out. I need something lightweight that I don't totally have to concentrate on. "The Family Stone" looked like a nice little comedy but turned out to be a little more...I won't elaborate. It was a good movie.
Avoid, please, "Failure to Launch". Sarah Jessica Parker was in both "The Family Stone" and "FTL". I wish that she just would have quit at Carrie Bradshaw and let it be. The general concensus in Ikego is that SJP will never be anyone other than Carrie Bradshaw from "Sex & The City". It's just too weird to see her without her girlfriends. And forget her trying to be dramatic, except maybe in some of those Afterschool Specials she was in. "Failure to Launch" is just awful. There are no words to describe. And it has a decent cast. In addition to SJP, Matthew McConaghey, Kathy Bates. Terry Bradshaw even does a decent job. I guess actors are only as good as their scripts, but I have no idea what these people were thinking when they initally read said script. Awful. Just awful.
Well, there you go. The kids are great, it's hot and I guess I do have a couple of random thoughts floating around!
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July 12
Maple Park Supermodel
Dear Kathy--the reason that I wasn't home today was because I was in Tokyo doing a shoot for Annika. Sorry about that. And sorry about the fact that I haven't written for seven days. I know you keep track! I will talk to you soon. Have you gotten an e-mail address yet? Otherwise, I have to "talk" to you through the blog.
For the rest of y'all:
Yeah, that's right, we went to Tokyo today. After I vowed that I wouldn't put myself through that again! Like I was just telling my mother--I'm just a glutton for punishment. The agency called us on Monday with a possible job for Annika on Wednesday. She passed the photo selection (meaning that a bunch of Japanese people thought her photos cute enough for the shoot). They called me yesterday evening to tell me that she had gotten the job and could I please plan on coming to Tokyo Wednesday (today) at 8:30 a.m.? Nothing like a whole lot of advanced warning. Thanks guys!
I said yes, only because Mariska had indicated that she could babysit Josiah and because I want Annika to do at least one job before we pack out and leave Japan (which is not anytime soon, mothers!). However, when I called Mariska, she had made plans and wasn't available to watch Joe. I felt physically sick for a few minutes and then I decided that I wasn't going to worry about it. I was going to put my trust in the Lord and just pack them both up there and hope for the best instead of immediately imagining the worst.
We had to be in Tokyo at 8:30. That's an early rise for us. OK, we are usually up at that time anyway, but we're used to being lethargic and lounging about in our PJs for several hours, or at least until the decent hour when normal people get up. I packed last night, the big bag. The agency mentioned that it could be as late as 4:30. That meant nearly twelve hours on the road...leaving here at 6:30 to make it up there by 8:30...working until 4:30, then getting home around 6:30-7:00. I had to take some deep, calming breaths to stop the nausea brought on by the thought of toting these two around for twelve hours. That's a looooong, looooong time.
BUT. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING worked to our advantage today. It was a miracle. I truly think it's because I decided to trust in the Lord and let him carry my worry. Our walk to the train station was nice. Josiah and Annika made nary a peep on the ride up there. We stepped into a completely empty train and got a seat, so I sat all the way to Tokyo. The transfer station had elevators and escalators. We found the meeting place without a problem, though it wasn't exactly close to where we exited the station. The photographer and his crew were waiting for us, had a lovely air-conditioned minibus, hoisted my bags and stroller and toddler into said minibus. The shoot was in a wonderful, air-conditioned studio (I was afraid that it could be outside, which would be awful in the 120% humidity).
It goes on and on...there were only four babies at the shoot, so it wasn't crowded or busy. It was very laidback. They loved Josiah (who wouldn't?), played with him, had toys to occupy him (in addition to those toted by me and also DVD player with Thomas). Josiah was completely and utterly well-behaved the entire time. No tantrums. No crying. No getting into things he shouldn't have. He was wonderful. He's getting a new train tonight.
Annika did a great, great job. She's a bit sober in front of the camera, but then, there were a lot of strange Japanese people shaking rattles and cooing at her. She tends to get a little skeptical when strange people get in her face. She did wonderfully though--I think she did 10-12 outfits or possibly more. I lost track. It was one after another after another. She had to pick up the slack from one sick baby and one crabby baby. Anyway, the company is called "Maple Park"...it's all for a mail-order catalog, like Combimini was. I'll try to find a website. It's fall stuff. I took my own pictures of her in the outfits, so you can enjoy those in the meantime, Grandmas.
That's it. The trip home was nice...one of the other mothers travelled part of the way with me because we were in an area I wasn't familiar with. She helped schlep Joe up and down some steps with me. She gave me Y200 when the ticket machine wouldn't take a Y5000 note. We got on a train home, got a seat, rode home with the kids being reasonably good...it was, after all, the end of a long day. Came into Zushi on the right side of the tracks, for some reason...which meant...no stairs! Took a taxi to the gate, got in the van. Voila!
Enjoy the pictures everyone. Thanks for visiting.
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July 04
Odawara
Some of you may not know this, but Hans is home for a week. I didn't get a chance to sit down and blog right after he called me from Sasebo on Thursday and said "Could you come pick me up in Yokosuka on Sunday?". Sometimes, the Navy gives us not-so-nice surprises. Sometimes, we get the best surprises ever! I guess they like to keep us on our toes...
Anyway, so Hans pulled in on Sunday and had most of yesterday and all of today off. We had time for a fieldtrip yesterday, so we decided to go and see Odawara Castle in Odawara (well, duh). First, how we got there: we were trying to be adventurous and pretend like we don't have two noisy, antsy children (one worse than the other, of course), so we took the "long way" by taking the regular JR line up to Yokohama, then wandering through the snarl of their station, taking the Yokohama City Subway to Shinyokohama, then taking the Shinkansen to Odawara. The rides up to Shinyokohama are nothing to write home about. We spent most of the trip telling Joe "Shhhhh!". He wasn't mad or being obnoxious, he just wants the whole world to know what he's thinking and observing.
The Shinkansen was pretty damn cool, though we only rode for 15-20 minutes. I guess that's the problem with riding such a fast train--the ride becomes much shorter. For those of you who are going "What is the Shinkansen?", it's the Japanese bullet train and I believe, the longest word that Josiah knows. Anyway. We weren't on the super-fast Shinkansen, which speeds along at over 150 mph. We were on a "slow" Shinkansen, probably doing 80-100 mph. I thought that we'd get in, strap up and shoot out of the station. I imagined a feeling like I've gotten in the pit of my stomach when I've ridden (or driven) in some fast cars. I thought it would be like a rocket, that I'd start seeing hyperspace lines, but the acceleration was very steady and almost unnoticeable...all of a sudden, we were just flying. Rats. I guess I'll have to wait for a ride in Hans' Audi.
I may have enjoyed the Shinkansen ride more too, if both of my kids hadn't been crying/shouting. The regular trains and subways are always silent, but the Shinkansen was quiet as if the sound had been vacuumed out of the car...except, of course, for Josiah going on and on and Annika crying. Josiah really enjoyed his Shinkansen ride though...he moaned and moaned about the Shinkansen for the rest of the day. And Hans and I are glad that we got the chance to cross "Shinkansen ride" off of our to-do list.
We walked up to the castle. Quick history lesson: original was built in the 1100s, fought over between clans, rebuilt 1580, was destroyed and rebuilt again many times due to damage by war, earthquake or fire. Completely destroyed in 1870 due to the collapse of the feudal system in Japan, then rebuilt in 1960 with a historical facade and a modern interior. The interior is four floors of artifacts, weapons and artwork. We couldn't take any shots inside the donjon (castle), but I did take a few shots of Odawara from the fourth floor observation deck. Odawara is west of us about an hour, a city of around 200,000 people.
Well, it was an interesting fieldtrip. I think my husband appreciates more why I may not feel like traveling around a lot with Josiah and Annika. Josiah ran himself absolutely ragged yesterday, so by the time we left the castle, he was exhausted, yet he managed to stay awake for the entire train ride home, the taxi ride back to Ikego, and he walked all the way up the hill to our house. He was pretty much tuckered out. But he didn't give up without a fight.
Not much else to report, I guess. I'm dog-sitting Mulligan, a Jack Russell Terrier, for a family who just got into Yokosuka on Friday evening. So far, things are going really well. Mulligan is definitely not as fiesty as Freddie was. She's a little more manageable, but still a lot of work. There are a couple of pictures of her. Josiah loves her and says "Mull-gan!", but I'm not sure that Mulligan returns the sentiment. She tolerates Josiah chasing her around. To a point. Then she gets a little growly and nippy. Don't worry grandmas, we're keeping a close eye on them!
Everyone, enjoy your 4th of July!
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