Before I forget most of this, I wanted to give a rundown of our recent trip to Japan.  Hopefully I'll publish more detailed accounts when I have time.

 

We left from Seattle on Christmas morning.  Arrived in Tokyo in the evening of 12/26 and finally got to Itami (Osaka) around 7pm.  Flying in to Itami I finally got a good look at just how HUGE Osaka really is.  It is humongous.  Went on forever and I could see several distinct downtown areas with lots of rivers running through.

Jet lag takes a minor bite going to Japan so it was 7pm when we got in but it really was like midnight to us.  So we eat and stay up until around 10 just to force the body into some normalcy.

The following day (12/27) we went to Kobe to do some shopping in the maze of shopping streets, going from one store to another.  Last stop was at a sake brewery so I could pick up some "necessities".  I always pick up about 3 or 4 bottles so I have something to drink at night.  Literally, each night is filled with sake and beer drinking.  The Japanese love their sake, beer, and shochu.

We spent a couple of nights in Osaka after this, visiting Yoko's friend Tamayo and her friend Eiko.  First night was in Umeda where we did some shopping and then went out to eat, me hauling an 18" overnighter on wheels everywhere we went.  We went to a really cool Izakaya in a crowded back street.  Expensive but good food including some things I have never had before.  Lots of beer and sake as well.  Next night was in Namba.  Massively crowded, tons of lights, and very entertaining.  Ate Okonomiyaki and other things for dinner and then went to an Irish bar.  That's right, Irish.  The Japanese love their drink and welcome any other culture that drinks as much or more than them.  Next day we went up into the mountains outside Osaka to see the monkeys.

Next we went out to the country to go to a town which is known for pottery.  Bought a couple of things at one of the shops.  Both Yoko and I like similar types of pottery which is good.

Next was a visit to Nara to see the friendly deer and the wonderful shrines and temples.  Really quite beautiful scenery.  This was still during the time of the year that the Japanese are all out of work so it was really crowded.  Everyone goes to the temples during this time.  Had some awesome soba, sushi, and a traditional macha set.

While we were there, Yoko's uncle passed away.  I felt uncomfortable going to the funeral but I was asked so I went.  It was my first Japanese funeral and one I won't soon forget.  There was lots of bowing, chanting, and prayer-bead holding.  I paid my respects to a man I had never met, placed flowers in the coffin right next to his uncovered body, and was asked to help carry the coffin to the hearse.  I couldn't believe they would ask me, me being a gaijin and everything.

Yoko and I then took a trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima.  The Hiroshima part was a bit sad.  The Peace Park museum and memorials were somber and depressing, but it was something that I needed to see for myself.  I'm glad I went, it's just such a big part of human history.  Miyajima was totally worth the trip.  It's about 10 miles outside Hiroshima by train and then ferry (it is an island afterall).  Lots of history, beautiful temples and shrines, and amazing scenery.  More wild deer as well, this time though it was against the law to feed them.  We spent the night at a small ryokan.  Small room, slept on the floor on futons, but had some nice local sake and momiji manju (local maple shaped filled cakes) to put me to sleep. 

Next trip was to Kinosaki-onsen.  It's a touristy town directly north of Osaka on the Sea of Japan known for it's onsen (hot springs).  We stayed in an extremely old ryokan.  This town is known for it's crab so dinner was a mondo dinner with like 3 courses of crab plus tons of other things, plus sake.  I was stuffed but managed to go along with everyone else while we strolled from onsen to onsen.  The town has 7 different onsen and the tourists walk from one to another in their yukata (traditional loose-fitting clothes).  The first onsen I was unsure of what to do so I watched the others and pretended to know exactly what I was doing.  I thoroughly enjoyed the really hot water, especially outside.  It was here that I saw a guy with tattoos all over his body.  I immediately thought back to a book I read called "Angry White Pants" where the author sees a yakuza in a public bath.  I was hoping he wouldn't come over and start talking to me...<g>

Also took another short trip to Arima which is right near the house.  Just wanted to explore again since I had a great time the last time I was there.  Did some shopping, saw some additional sights, and had another good soba lunch with age (pronounced ah-gay).

Brought back a bunch of stuff including food, pottery, knit goods, trinkets, souvenirs for friends, and of course sake!  We actually needed an extra bag which is not too out of the ordinary.

The flight we were suppossed to be on out of Narita (Tokyo) was actually an hour earlier than we thought so we got hussled through checkin, immigration, and security and just barely made out flight.  Got stuck in the middle section when we were suppossed to be in the 2 seats on the side.  That kind of sucked but they were in United's Ecomony Plus section which had a little extra legroom.  So, not the worst thing that could have happened.  The bus ride from Haneda to Narita through Tokyo was interesting though.

The jet lag coming back to the states was much worse than going to Japan.  We left at around 1pm on 1/12 and got in at 9am on 1/12.  Huh!?  Yea, flying across time zones is whack.  The body is much more screwed up coming this way though.  Just now getting back to normal after a week of odd sleeping patterns and going in to work at 5 or 6am. 

That's it for now.  Hopefully more details later as I have time.

Another season, another letdown for Romo and the Cowboys.  This time the crappy Giants embarrased the 'boys.  The Giants have sucked all year, barely winning most of their games and yet the Cowboys can't get up to play them, at home, with the year on the line.  Romo always chokes on it when the pressure is on and the game is on the line.  Throw it away when you're outside the pocket and about to be sacked for a 15 year loss!  Then go ahead and throw it away again, this time when you're in the pocket!  Penalty.  Will all of this screwing up make him learn something?  I surely hope so.  Next year has got to be better.  I'd even be happy with a worse record but actually making it to the Superbowl. 

Now comes the worst part of the year when the Cowboys aren't playing.  Even worse is that I hate both teams in the Superbowl.  I guess I'll be watching some of it just for the commercials...

Well, it's been a busy summer so far but it's finally slowed down.

 

As you'll see from the pictures I posted, I did some travelling earlier this summer. 

 

First, Mexico in June with my brother, future sister-in-law, and friends.

Next, Vancouver with the in-laws.

Finally, Helen, Georgia for a Rivers family reunion.

 

I'll post a synopsis of those trips in another post.  I'm glad all that travel is over.  Good time but I want to settle in to the Seattle summer now and not have to go to the airport for a while.  The airport is just such a pain and travel itself is kind of stressful sometimes.  Don't have to worry about that until November.

Now the Warriors look like the 8th seed.  They got the dream matchup against the Mavs and won but now they have to play a team that they don't match up well against, and it shows.  They were outrebounded again in game 2.  That small-ball lineup can run but it can't rebound for shit.  And what of those missed free throws?  Shows what kind of team they really are.  Good teams play defense and make free throws.  Not looking good Warriors, hanging your head at the end of the game... Have you given up already?

 

They also look really tired.  I'm surprised they even hung in there until the end.  Davis has to play so many minutes because they suck without him.  He'll be dead at the end of games if he has to play so many minutes.  And that doesn't even factor in the knee and shoulder.  He was almost done at the end of the Mavs series, he'll be done before the end of this one.

Maybe the Mavs will go down in history as the biggest choke team in the history of the NBA... It's a little early in their history as a contender but a few more appearances in the playoffs like this one and they will.  Choke in the finals against the Heat.  Choke in the first round against a team that can ONLY beat Dallas.  What's next?  Maybe next year they'll win 70 and choke in the first round against the Clippers. 

 

Either they need to suffer this humiliation in order to win in the future, or they really are a team of destiny.  That is, a destiny to choke when it's all on the line.  Maybe after beating San Antonio and Phoenix last year, they thought everything would just come to them, that those were the 2 best teams in basketball.  They thought they could cruise.  Now they know, it's not automatic.

 

On to Golden State.   This team barely squeeks into the playoffs but they get the gift of facing the only team they can actually beat.  It gets much harder after this guys.  Even if you get by Houston or Utah, the next game will be against a team that you cannot beat.  You will not be able to run and gun against Phoenix.  You will not be able to play that way against San Antonio either.  Dallas can beat those teams.  You can't.

 

Next year Dallas.  I'm still there rooting for you.  For now, I'll turn my attention to rooting against Golden State and for the Bulls.  Go Bulls!

<pessimism>

Good Lord!  The Mavs got out-hustled for the win again.  That's 3 times they've been out-hustled by a team that wanted it more.  Happened against Miami last year and it continues in the playoffs this year.  Better players and a better overall team don't mean crap if you don't play hard and shoot the ball well.  The Mavs didn't play well, didn't shoot the ball well down the stretch and let Golden State back into the game time and time again.

They don't deserve to move on to the 2nd round in my opinion.  They have been thoroughly outplayed this series and should just go home and toughen up for next year.

</pessimism>

Ok, glad I got that out of my system.

At least now they get to go home and hope that the home crowd can give them the needed boost to get it done in game 5.  Then hopefully carry some momentum into game 6 and actually do something to put the Warriors back on their heels.  Maybe "sweep the leg" or get Jackson riled up so he gets tossed again.  That shouldn't be too hard since the guy is a hothead. 

They are the much better team and should be making it much harder for the Warriors then it has been so far.  Time for the real Mavs to show up now.

And if not, then I'm sure the next team will show the Warriors that they're not that good and put them in their place.

And while I'm on the topic of the Warriors...  No wonder you have a huge noisy crowd, this is the only thing they have to be cheerful about.  Shitty football team.  Decent baseball team but not one that will even make the playoffs.  I agree with Charles Barkley, shitty city overall really.

No vacations since I went skiing.  No vacations planned until June.  This sucks.  I need to get out of here for a few days and do something to break the monotony.  Maybe Vancouver for a day or two.  Well, at least I can plan my vacations and think about the good times ahead.

Gary, Marc, and I went to Tahoe to go skiing.  Heavenly was the scene of the infamous "first time snowboarding and break your ankle after 1/2 day" trip of 2004.  That was where obviously, I broke my ankle while getting off of the chair lift after 1/2 day of learning how to snowboard.  That was the last time I will ever snowboard.  This trip though, I was back to skiing and Gary and Marc were snowboarding.  BTW... It sucks having to wait for snowboarders to "strap up" after getting off the lift.  Us skiers have to stand there and wait until the snowboarders are ready to go.  Maybe that's why my fingers and toes were freezing so much this trip.

Anyway, the snow was better than Angel Fire last year, but still not up to South Lake Tahoe standards.  There was still very nice skiing, drinking, and gambling, although we did have terrible buffet food at the Horizon, and I got a case of food poisoning from one of the restaurants.  Took a couple of days of misery to get it cleared out.

Gambling was a lot of fun but of course we all took a bath.  Not John Bode kind of losses but losses nonetheless.  Check out the pictures in the Photo album.

Well, if you live in the Seattle area, you know that we don't really get snow or ice very often.  Well, on January 10th of this year, we got hit with a pretty good snow storm.  It started late in the afternoon before rush hour and the roads were pretty bad by the time most people were heading home.  I left work at around 4 and decided to go to PCC before heading home.  PCC is just a little out of the way but it took me an extra half-hour to get there.  By the time I got there, the roads already had some ice and just an inch or 2 of snow.  It took me another 30 minutes to get home, a whole 2 miles, most of it uphill.  Most people have no idea how to drive in the rain much less snow and ice.  This one moron decided to stop on the hill for some stupid reason instead of continuing her momentum.  So she tried in vain to get going again and eventually backed over to the shoulder.  Seeing this display I decided to accelerate around her and get up the hill.  Having an Audi with Quattro all-wheel drive comes in handy in this kind of weather.

For the following 4 or 5 days, it didn't get above freezing, getting as low as 17 at night.  It snowed another couple of times as well.  The snow is still here as of today although it's starting to turn to slush.  The roads have been generally good although there have been spots on the hills around the house that get slick sometimes.  All in all, it's been a very adventurous week.  Made it to work every day though, one bad thing about having the Audi...

Will add some photos soon.

If you live in the Northwest you know that we had a little windstorm recently.  The news always has special coverage with titles like "Windstorm 2006!".  Well, this was a pretty good one.  Over a million people were without power that first night afterwards.  Even today, 5 days after the storm, over 200,000 households still don't have power.  That totally sucks.  I feel for those people.  We were without power just 1 night but even that makes you realize how much you depend on electricity.  Driving around the various neighborhoods around here, I see lots of dark houses still although outside of trouble with long gas lines, everything is returning to normal.

The Friday after the storm, work was closed so I stopped at the grocery store which was running on emergency power and picked up some rations.  Then I chopped some wood out in the yard so we could build a fire that night and cook.  I'm pretty prepared usually so everything went smoothly that night.  We kept warm in front of the fire and cooked over the fire.

The next day we still had no power and we had some errands to run so we did those (mall for some gifts, dog grooming, etc).  When we got back home, the power was on.  So we invited some people who didn't have power over to stay for the night (actually, 4 people, 2 dogs, and a snake).  They were grateful to have a warm place to sleep and we drank wine and watched a movie that night.  I'm glad we could help.  Lots of other people without power checked into hotels or just hunkered down in front of their fireplaces. 

I will add some photos as soon as I have a chance.

Well, we were sick of the rain and cold so we were glad that we were going to spend a week on Maui over Thanksgiving.  We'd never stayed at the Ritz before so we were eager to check it out (and the Four Seasons was booked so our hand was forced).

 

The place was beautiful although some things were a bit outdated.  The rooms were a bit old and kind of musty.  The pool deck was a bit old and not entirely well maintained.  They will be undergoing a renovation soon so I'm sure those things will improve.  However, the rest of the place was great and the staff was excellent.  Good drinks in the bar and poolside, although they were the most expensive drinks I've ever had anywhere in Hawaii.  I'll be posting a full review of the hotel soon.

 

The Ritz is located on the northwest of the island in Kapalua.  There is nothing there except resorts and golf courses so we were always heading to Lahaina or Kaanapali to get food and drinks and do some shopping.  We usually went at least once a day.  Lahaina is such a great town.  The waterfront area has lots of restaurants and shopping (and some pretty good happy hours).

 

Thanksgiving dinner was a bit expensive at $90 per person but it was really good.  Turkey and all the fixins, prime rib, lots of seafood including crab claws and shrimp, scallops, great desserts and appetizers as well.  There was plenty to eat and we filled ourselves up, especially on the crab claws.  One interesting thing that happened during dinner...  A super rich couple sitting next to us wanted us to have the rest of their Dom champagne.  Of course we accepted and thanked them.  They had half a fricken bottle left!  Very nice.  At $295 a pop, there's no way we would have bought it for ourselves.  It's only $100 at Costco too...

 

We left Kahului and it was 85 degrees.  We landed in Seattle and it was 31 degrees with 3 inches of snow/slush on the ground.  Thanks a lot mother nature.  When can we move to Hawaii?

I finally got sucked into creating a personal space/blog.  I figured that I would need to be testing with Windows Live Spaces eventually so I might as well start a Space.  I would never use MySpace anyway so Live Spaces was the better choice anyway.

 

I will most likely post photos and maybe some blog entries of my travels or anything else interesting that happens to me (which is usually very little).