No Grasp of Your Reality

I’m taking off work for a week (plus today and Friday). I need a break to spend time with the kids, brew some beer and relax.

It’s my birthday today, and I had a wonderful day. Got to play some video games with Thomas, went to play mini-golf with the kids, got to try out my new digital camcorder, and went to chinese buffet with my family (parents, Mark, Andrew and Peter) for dinner.

Working on my Japanese language lessons, which is really starting to get tricky. The test I’m taking now is my first spelling test, and it’s hard. Japanese has some weird spelling conventions, so, even though the word for “girl” may sound like it could be “おなのこ” (“onanoko”), it’s really “おんなのこ” (“onnanoko” – two n’s instead of one). Tricky.

I don’t know if the vacation is going to mean more or less entries here… we’ll just have to see.

Well, as ususal, it was a long trip, but I’m back home. Sarah seems to be relieved to see me, and the kids remember who I am. It amazes me how much Micah has grown. He’s a little man now, and he’s too ticklish.

I’ll be going back to work tomorrow for a security presentation, and it’s better to have jetlag at work than at home. The plan is that I’ll then take a week off starting a week from today.

Also, for anyone who cares, my birthday is on Thursday, and if you’re so inclined, you can pick me up something from my Amazon Wishlist.

This is a test to see if I can create Japanese titles.

私はTomです。

You know, this isn’t a typical blog. Most blogs tend to be the rantings and ravings of people who believe their opinions are important. My wife and I under no such illusion. We write because we both like to write, and it’s easier to post information this way, rather than sending multiple emails to our friends and families when events occur.

I point that out, since I’m actually going to write a stereotypical blog entry… that is, I’m going to express my opinion about a current event. I know you all wait on the edge of your seats to hear what I think about the war in Iraq, terrorist, Live8, and whale hunting in Japan. Well, today is your lucky day.

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misc/earJust got back from the doctors. Aiden has yet another ear infection. He has been running around and screaming like a madman all day – unless he was being held. He weighs 30lbs, so the “holding” part didn’t last for more than 5 mins at a time. When Dr. John looked at Aiden’s charts, she noted that he had just had a double ear infection and pneumonia. Pnuemonia? I guess the croup was the “phone” diagnosis, but the pneumonia was the after-listening-to-the-chest diagnosis. Fun. I wonder what Micah had?

By the time we got to the pharmacy, we had been out for three hours. The kids were done. It took 20 minutes before the medicine was ready – drive through drop off. All the kids were screaming. So I parked the car, turned it off, got out, shut the door and leaned against the car in the rain while they all screamed.

Steve and Diana had a baby boy this morning at 7:25 a.m, after a long labor.

He weighed 8 lbs 3 oz, and everyone is reportedly doing well.

We’ll probably wait a couple days till Tom gets back to go visit – that was quite an endeavor! Also, we’ll have our camera, so we’ll have to put some pics up.

Congratulations!!

Well, I’m ready to come home. I’ve been here for a little over a month, and that’s quite long enough, thank you. The transition from exciting to mundate didn’t happen as quickly as I thought it would, but it did happen. It’s not that I’m tired of Tokyo… far from it! I’m just tired of experiencing new things without being able to share those experiences with my family. The best trip out here was the one when my wife came along.

So, if and when I come back, hopefully I’ll be able to drag along my wife or my brothers along. Of course, my brothers need to get off their buttocks and get their passports.

album17/IMG_0742 My sister in law, Diana, has been in labor all day. Contractions are finally 5 minutes apart. Hopefully, things will speed up for her. Just talked to Steve. Sounds like she’s doing great!

Just an FYI – to those of you who were curious :

There simply is not enough vinegar in Cattleman’s BBQ Sauce to cause a reaction when mixed with baking soda. Not even when the ratio is 1.5 gallons BBQ to 10 lbs Soda.

It still doesn’t’ t work, even if it’s really really really mixed in well, as in to the point of a slimy paste.

AND — if you were really curious about it reacting to its environment, it still does not bubble and froth when it’s spread on every item in the pantry, including a 2 ft x 4 ft floor surface. (Or, at least, this was the visible part. I do believe some has been absorbed into the flour bags. My apologies if I cannot be scientifically accurate.)

Another observation: There really are no health benefits to this mixture. It does nothing for the softness of skin, even if slathered all over your body, including the inside of your diaper. It doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or a girl, or if you are age two or three. There simply are no skin-softening benefits. It does not make your hair shiny. Not even if you apply the mixture twice within a ten minute period. Results do not change, even with the “wash, rinse, and repeat” principle.

I thought I would provide this information as a public service announcement for anyone who was interested in this unique experiment.

album07/IMG_0201 Me: “Tab – how many times have I told you to stop hanging off of the door handle?”
Tabitha: “Ten.”

前原しのぶ

You’re responsible, sweet, gentle and lovable! You have a loving heart, a great respect for all creatures (human, great and small), and the ability to see the thing that makes each individual special. However, you tend to overlook the things that make you special, and thus, putting you in a position to be pushed around by others. Take some time everyday to reflect on your qualities, and see that you don’t have to please everyone and still be loved for who you are.

Which Love Hina Girl Are You?

Celebrity paper dolls. Fun stuff.

misc/800px_Fugu_in_TankWell, after being here almost a month, I’ve experienced a new first. Myself and two other guys from work decided to participate in a Fugu dinner. For those of you who are unaware, fugu (フグ – Japanese for blowfish) has a reputation for being a potentially fatal meal. The liver and intestines of the blowfish contain a chemical called “tetrodotoxin“, which, according to Wikipedia, is “about 1200 times deadlier than cyanide”.

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While us peons are all down here going about our daily business and tinkering with fireworks, NASA is looking to collide with a comet the size of Manhattan this Fourth of July. The hope is to put a crater in the comet for scientific observation.

Makes one wonder if there is a looming future threat of earth being struck, and if they are looking for ways to avoid or cope with impact.

misc/andersonI’m fighting walls right now. Putting them up and tearing them down, piece by piece, at the same time.

I am looking forward to Tom coming home, but I have been struggling with the thought of him leaving again.

Part of me wishes I could just put up a wall and not get attached to his being here. Another part of me knows it’s wrong to construct such things. When he’s here, I tend to swing from being super clingy to being distant in my heart because of fear of his leaving. It’s hard to find a balance. Neither extreme is healthy, and both are a nuisance. I get angry with myself over these behaviors. I try my best to enjoy the time I have with him.

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