Monkeys!

In my head, I always spell it "monkies" for some strange reason.

Don't you love it when I start a blog post with a digression, right off the bat?  Ah, my mind, it wanders in strange directions.  The older and more forgetful I get, the more I wander into a room and wonder what I came in to get...I think I can actually feel my synapses getting farther apart, the fires between them less like a bonfire and more like one of those trick birthday candles.

I have been so klutzy the last few days.  I have certain, ahem, times of the month when it seems that God somehow decided that not only would it be fun for me to have PMS, but also be a complete dingbat klutz.  Here are a few examples of what's happened to me in the last week (or thereabouts, the day is ending and the synapses aren't firing very quickly):

• On a mission for the FRG, I had to make a mad dash down to the ship to get a car key from Hans (unbeknownst to him).  I got on the wrong ship and didn't figure it out until I was on the quarterdeck with a bunch of 12-year-olds (or so they seem to me) and something just felt "off".  One of them said "Ma'am, are you on the wrong naval warship?".  Just so you know, there are two #54s in Yokosuka.  The destroyer, CDW (Hans; ship) and the cruiser, ANTIETAM.  And to be fair, they were parked at the same pier and CDW was hiding behind another ship, but still.  Oh. My. Goodness.  I thanked the children standing watch and did the walk of shame to CDW, where I found my husband in with the Commodore.  Of all the days I pick to just "show up" at the ship, the Commodore is there, in all his Commodore-ly glory.  Schiese. 
• Hit my funnybone VERY hard on the metal towel bar, which hurts like a bitch any which way, but hurts even worse when you have broken your humerus and, believe it or not, that spot still is tender after a decade.  I just asked my doctor about physical therapy for my shoulder because I never had it--in 2003, I had just gotten out of my clamshell and sling when we PCSed to Newport and therapy to restore my range of motion just never happened.  Doctor told me last week that it's too late.  Ah well.
• Last night I somehow ran into Annika's doorframe and split my brow open.  Yeah, I thought "Man, that smarts!", but when I went to touch it, my hand came back covered in blood.  Head wounds--they're just so show-offy.  A tiny little 1/4" split and I about bled out, sheesh.  I iced it and it's looking OK today.  I'm concerned that I'll have a black eye and we have an event in Yokohama on Friday with the Japanese Navy.  Fingers crossed.
• Today, running after Will, full out trip and sprawled flat on my butt.  In front of some guy driving by, who stopped and asked if I was OK.  I adopted a leisurely posture and said "Yes.  But you did NOT see that happen, I'm just chillin' on the sidewalk, right?" and he agreed, nicely, that the sidewalk was a great place to chill.  I am thanking the Lord that this was behind an apartment building and NOT in front of the commissary or somewhere else highly public.  Oh, and did I mention that I was wearing a miniskirt?  Yes, yes I was.  

I'm a little worried to go out again.  I was going to have my brows waxed and a haircut this week, but I think I'll hold off.  Things are just too weird to take a chance.  I'd end up bald with no eyebrows.

You're all like "But Rachel--WHAT ABOUT THE MONKEYS?".  We came here for the monkeys, not a recitation of your Gerald Ford-like life (isn't it a bit sad that I know nothing about Gerald Ford except that he was POTUS and he was a klutz?).

0445 on Sunday saw Annika and I on the MWR bus on our way to Nagano Prefecture.  We both slept the rest of the morning away until the sun was rising over the Japanese Alps.  First stop was Matsumoto Castle.  I'll keep the spiel short:  one of four Edo-period castles left standing in Japan, often called "Crow Castle" because of its black and white color scheme.  Here are some pictures:

 Swans in the foreground

Hey Eli--I'll give you $100 if you can catch one, haha!  These were actually quite tame, used to being fed.

Love the reflection, but it needs to be edited and straightened. 

My tour buddy--note the snow. 

 

Climbing one of the very steep six flights of stairs...not only were they steep, the treads were about 18" apart.

We removed our shoes and carried them in plastic bags.  There's a box at the top of the steps full of slippers to wear on the tour.  Annika is rushing to get her boots back on.

Double click to see the mountains.  If only I could Photoshop all the people out, quite a good shot!

 

 

Curry and spaghetti for lunch and then it was on to Jigokudani Yaen-Koen, the "Paradise of the Monkeys".  We bundled up in snow pants and Carhartts, coats, hats, mittens, scarves and walked about two miles through a beautiful pine wood to the onsen--the mineral hot water pools.  The monkeys come down in winter and keep warm by sitting in the onsens.

 

OK, so I find monkeys a little freaky, but this was an awesome experience, truly.  The monkeys are used to having people around, so they just go about their business.  We were warned not to bring any food or drinks into the park and not to make eye contact with them as they find it an aggressive act.  With that in mind, Annika and I just wandered around and watched them.  The babies were especially cute, as most babies are, maybe with the exception of say, baby rats or something hairless and blind like that.  Here are some more pictures.  WARNING:  There are nipples.  Annika thought that was hilarious...

 

 

I'm pretty sure she's wishing it was 5:00 and time for a glass of wine...

It's the Monkey Look of Disapproval (MLOD)

Love this one!

As I joked, the De Fors, Dad in the middle, me in the back and...





William going in for the kiss.

 

 

Traffic coming home was awful, terrible, possibly the worst traffic that I have EVER been in and that's saying a lot, since I've been in traffic where we turned the car off and GOT OUT to socialize with other people (Arizona, circa 2003).  This was bumper-to-bumper, everyone's getting off the ski slopes, one lane is closed for 380 miles, crazy traffic.  When we finally got out of it, it was long past the dinner hour.  The bus stopped at the first available rest/restaurant area.  It was like Japanese Supermarket Sweep up in there.  I barked at Annika to grab whatever she could her hands on and meet me at the checkout line.  It was complete and utter chaos.  They were running out of food left and right, so we ended up having popcorn, jellybeans, sausage and cookies for supper.  It was sort of Charlie Brown-ish, come to think of it.  Any which way, we lived and now I know for future reference, to pack a couple of "emergency" peanut butter sandwiches.

 

Enjoy the pics!!