Wanna know why? Cause yesterday I drove to the airport for the very first time, and it is EASY. Of course it takes twice as long to go half the distance in Japan, but the drive is uncomplicated and on the highway, all the way! Come on over.
The circumstances weren't great, I'm sorry to say: I had to say goodbye to my knitting student, Wendy, as she and her family left for a new life in San Diego. They have two puppy dogs who are not allowed on the airport bus, so they rented a van and I rode along, then drove back home by myself. I wish I'd brought the camera; it would have been nice to document a couple things. Like when the suitcases on top of the car banged into a height warning thingie at a parking garage...oops! And poor Natsumi, the Akita, barking away in her crate as she was about to leave her homeland forever. And then there were the fart jokes coming from the back of the car - did I mention they have two teenage boys?
We said a sad goodbye at the (clean, friendly, comfortable, convenient) curbside dropoff point, and I drove home on my own. On the way I stopped at a rest area for amazingly delicious fast non-food (whassup, chicken teriyaki mosburger?), returned the rental car and then swung by the Japanese grocery store. And there, I found...
A CHICKEN. An actual, whole, chicken, plucked and fresh and head- and foot-less, ready to go in my oven!* I haven't seen one of those in Japan ever. Poultry comes in sterile styrofoam packages here, skin on, bones usually removed, and whole chickens aren't particularly useful in a culture that doesn't typically include ovens. The commissary on base, land of whole wheat bread and skim milk, sells only frozen big-box poultry, which takes days to defrost and tastes like sawdust. I was so excited about this chicken!
So now we've got bellies full of roasted bird, a big bowl of fresh stock in the fridge, and the knowledge to find a chicken again when the mood strikes. (Tori-o ichino kudasai!) It's been a pretty good week so far.
*Well, I had to kind of squish the heart and innards away from the chest cavity, but whatever.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The neighborhood
I love where we live. Josh and I have been trying to take a short walk together a few times a week, to connect with one another and enjoy these cool evenings before they turn into scorchers. (It's essential for pack cohesion, you know. Tsst!) Josh even went so far as to buy me some new walkin' shoes recently, shoes I've had my eye on since we moved here:
Oooooh, I love those shoes.Last week we took a little constitutional and got one of those perfect, cotton-candy sunsets.
I love where we live.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Sleepover, v. 1.0
Last Saturday night I had a few friends over for dinner, games, drinks, and a sleepover sans kiddies. Most of my girlfriends have little children, and the rules in Japan forbid ANY alcohol before driving (even a sip), so most of us had never had a glass of wine together before. So the men took the little ones for a night, and I got to work.
Of course I had a lot of cleaning up to do, given my housekeeping deficiencies. But the food was the fun part, always the food! I made Nadine's famous smoked salmon cheese ball, broccoli-stuffed mushroom caps, a plate of crudite and some chips and salsa. My dear friends Kelsey, Beth, and Andi (yes, we all have blogs) came over at six o'clock for the festivities. It wasn't long before we were in pajamas. 
And not long after that until we were cracking up!
Beth (that's the one in the black) brought chocolate fondue and stuff for dippin,' which was a big hit.
In the middle of stuffing our faces, we added essential oils to homemade sugar scrubs, each with our own custom scent. 
After the wine came out in earnest, though, it was all games. We played Taboo and MarioKart Wii, then said an early goodbye to Kelsey (in the purple - that's why she wasn't in PJs), who had to get up at 4:00 for a tour of Mt. Fuji the next morning. Andi (in the grey shirt), Beth and I watched some DVDs and laughed a lot more before we finally went to bed around 1:00am.
I wish I had some funny photos of the three of us the next morning, all bleary-eyed and fixated on our coffee. I'd made Jacked-up Banana Bread from my favorite blog, Smitten Kitchen, the day before, so breakfast was a cinch.
And then, all too soon, it was over! We had to hurry out of the house so one of the mamas could tend to a minor emergency at home, and I came home, wrote a paragraph here, and KONKED OUT for about three hours. Now I know why housewives entertain so much - it is FUN, and really fills the hours! I'd have that crew over again next Saturday night if we didn't all have families to tend to. Everybody pitched in for the good times, and I had a blast. Next time, charades!
Of course I had a lot of cleaning up to do, given my housekeeping deficiencies. But the food was the fun part, always the food! I made Nadine's famous smoked salmon cheese ball, broccoli-stuffed mushroom caps, a plate of crudite and some chips and salsa. My dear friends Kelsey, Beth, and Andi (yes, we all have blogs) came over at six o'clock for the festivities. It wasn't long before we were in pajamas. 
And not long after that until we were cracking up!
Beth (that's the one in the black) brought chocolate fondue and stuff for dippin,' which was a big hit.
In the middle of stuffing our faces, we added essential oils to homemade sugar scrubs, each with our own custom scent. 
After the wine came out in earnest, though, it was all games. We played Taboo and MarioKart Wii, then said an early goodbye to Kelsey (in the purple - that's why she wasn't in PJs), who had to get up at 4:00 for a tour of Mt. Fuji the next morning. Andi (in the grey shirt), Beth and I watched some DVDs and laughed a lot more before we finally went to bed around 1:00am. I wish I had some funny photos of the three of us the next morning, all bleary-eyed and fixated on our coffee. I'd made Jacked-up Banana Bread from my favorite blog, Smitten Kitchen, the day before, so breakfast was a cinch.
And then, all too soon, it was over! We had to hurry out of the house so one of the mamas could tend to a minor emergency at home, and I came home, wrote a paragraph here, and KONKED OUT for about three hours. Now I know why housewives entertain so much - it is FUN, and really fills the hours! I'd have that crew over again next Saturday night if we didn't all have families to tend to. Everybody pitched in for the good times, and I had a blast. Next time, charades!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Zzzzzz...
I am BEAT! Three of my dear friends came over last night for our first (of many!) grownups' sleepovers. There was wine and chu-hi, there was Wii and aromatherapy and oh, the food. We stayed up late and woke up early, so I am one tired puppy. Photos and war stories to come, after a loooong nap.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Look out! He's right behind you!
For summer leave this year, Josh and I talked about going to Hawaii, Bali, or Thailand, maybe Australia or even India. We've never had a real vacation, only visited family, and I think it's about time. I started pricing trips and found some deals and nice resorts, and got really excited. Guess where we ended up picking?
Sequim, Washington.
That's right, folks, scenic Sequim: home of the lavender festival, a mega-Costco, and the elder Sullinses and Burns! We are, yet again, visiting family during our break.
Which is lovely! Josh's parents and grandmother are wonderful, and it will have been a year since we visited, so it will be great to see them and catch up. Still, Sequim isn't Bali, and the main purpose of our trip is to get Josh's eyes burned off. That's right, folks, it's surgery time. No more glasses for Mr. S., beginning this July. Woot!
So in advance of his surgery Josh has to get a bunch of tests done here in Yoko, including one which required hyper-dilation of his pupils. He looked like a scary doll for two days, and he kept sneaking up on me and opening his eyes rrreeeeeaaalllly wide - why do boys love scaring girls so much? Anyway, I give you Scary Josh:
No Bali this year, but my man will be able to see on his own for the first time. I'm sure he won't use this new power for evil.
Sequim, Washington.
That's right, folks, scenic Sequim: home of the lavender festival, a mega-Costco, and the elder Sullinses and Burns! We are, yet again, visiting family during our break.
Which is lovely! Josh's parents and grandmother are wonderful, and it will have been a year since we visited, so it will be great to see them and catch up. Still, Sequim isn't Bali, and the main purpose of our trip is to get Josh's eyes burned off. That's right, folks, it's surgery time. No more glasses for Mr. S., beginning this July. Woot!
So in advance of his surgery Josh has to get a bunch of tests done here in Yoko, including one which required hyper-dilation of his pupils. He looked like a scary doll for two days, and he kept sneaking up on me and opening his eyes rrreeeeeaaalllly wide - why do boys love scaring girls so much? Anyway, I give you Scary Josh:
No Bali this year, but my man will be able to see on his own for the first time. I'm sure he won't use this new power for evil.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Progress
So I still can't stay away from the pepperoni. Turns out fourteen ounces is quite a lot, actually, especially when one's husband is unenthusiastic about the cured meats. Remember that episode of Seinfeld wherein George wants to eat pastrami sandwiches while making love?
Yeah, I'm not into that, sicko. But I could seriously eat pepperoni every OTHER moment of the day.
Luckily, that's not the only culinary activity in my world. So you remember back in March, when Josh went to Korea and brought back the stomach plague? Yeah, that was ugly. And unfortunately, he got sick just after eating a bunch of delicious 'welcome home' treats I've made, foods which he now associates with projectile vomiting and other unpleasantness. Cream cheese has no place in our home anymore, likewise marinated artichokes and fifteen-bean stew. So I'm trying to ease such things back into our diets.
So this week before Pepperoni-stravaganza, I cooked up a pot of gorgeous pink and black beans I'd found in Narita, when we went for the Taiko festival. Aren't they gorgeous?
I served them with a little butter, salt, and pepper, and with lots of veggies on the side. Yum!
Well, yuck, actually: turns out plain beans are not that appealing to Josh, or to me, really. But mashed up with salsa and some cheddar melted on top, those beauts tasted just fine. Stew is still off the menu, but beans are back! I wonder how they'd taste with pepperoni?
Yeah, I'm not into that, sicko. But I could seriously eat pepperoni every OTHER moment of the day.
Luckily, that's not the only culinary activity in my world. So you remember back in March, when Josh went to Korea and brought back the stomach plague? Yeah, that was ugly. And unfortunately, he got sick just after eating a bunch of delicious 'welcome home' treats I've made, foods which he now associates with projectile vomiting and other unpleasantness. Cream cheese has no place in our home anymore, likewise marinated artichokes and fifteen-bean stew. So I'm trying to ease such things back into our diets.
So this week before Pepperoni-stravaganza, I cooked up a pot of gorgeous pink and black beans I'd found in Narita, when we went for the Taiko festival. Aren't they gorgeous?
I served them with a little butter, salt, and pepper, and with lots of veggies on the side. Yum!Well, yuck, actually: turns out plain beans are not that appealing to Josh, or to me, really. But mashed up with salsa and some cheddar melted on top, those beauts tasted just fine. Stew is still off the menu, but beans are back! I wonder how they'd taste with pepperoni?
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Wait, what now?
Did you guys know I live in Japan? Japan, like, the country.
Every now and then it just hits me. I was about to write about going to an Indian restaurant in Zushi last night, with our friends Wendy and Jose, and how happy I was that I had a map and figured out how to get there from my house. (There's no Mapquest in Japan). But then I just got to thinking: Zushi. Zushi, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan - that's where I had dinner last night.
It's unreal. So in honor of my revelation, I want to know the three things you would do if you were in Japan right now. Where should I go, what should I eat or buy or photograph?
Internet, I'm all yours.
Every now and then it just hits me. I was about to write about going to an Indian restaurant in Zushi last night, with our friends Wendy and Jose, and how happy I was that I had a map and figured out how to get there from my house. (There's no Mapquest in Japan). But then I just got to thinking: Zushi. Zushi, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan - that's where I had dinner last night.
It's unreal. So in honor of my revelation, I want to know the three things you would do if you were in Japan right now. Where should I go, what should I eat or buy or photograph?
Internet, I'm all yours.
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