I know that things have been going on over the month of February and in the last 10 days or so since our(my) last post. However, it's been difficult to think of something to blog about. So, I think I'd like to take a moment to be mildly political. I do not wish for any of my dear friends and family to blog-jack this post and make all kinds of crazy rants in the comments section. No offense, just get your own blog. :D



Now that that is over (phew), let's talk about full body security checks at airports. The Wall Street Journal had an article last week about these newly minted machines that was quite informative (see article here). Now, the Wall Street Journal is not necessarily the best newspaper out there. It's full of right-wing, wishy-washy, and/or uninformative non-opinions at times. But at other times, I'm glad my work keeps the break room stocked with the daily rag.

This was one of those times. I had vaguely heard of full body scanners being implemented, but I really didn't have a notion of how that would work exactly. I think I liked it better when I didn't know. According to the article, the scanners take full body images of an individual that could potentially see doctor's-office-quality imaging (I'm talking all your private bits and love handles people); however, before the image is produced, a "privacy algorithm" modifies the image to a Gumby-like character and indicates if there is a potentially harmful item on said individual. Let's not be idiots, friends. If a computer hacker with enough knowledge wanted to undo the "privacy algorithm" and change the machine to record the anatomically correct images, don't you think they'd find a way? But wait, you say. These images/machines should not be networked. Well, the article states, "..seen by a remote operator who cannot see the actual passenger." This would presumably be the case for (1) security of the machine operator, (2) privacy of the passenger, and (3) diminishing of possible profiling. But it also means that the machine is networked. That's not comforting.

Also unsettling is the prevailing theme that this is the "final stop" with airport security. Far from the final stop, this is a dead end. Furthermore, I cannot even imagine the cost associated with production and maintenance on these scanners. Reliance on these measures will not curtail terrorism. Perhaps one would-be criminal will decide to attack a train rather than a plane. The only measures that will stop terrorism are pro-active ones, not reactive ones. For example, the US government maintains lists with the names of individuals who could or might be persuaded to consort with the country's enemies. When the x-mas day bomber made his failed attempt, the government had been forewarned by this man's own father who had told a Nigerian official about him. A decent proactive measure would have been to make sure to check out the father's claims and place his son on the no-fly list for at least a probationary amount of time. But that did not happen. One excuse is to say there are too many of such lists/databases. And some feel it is too great a cost to cross-reference and/or consolidate them. Would it be more costly than replacing every airport's current metal detectors with full body scanners? Probably not. In fact, the government could outsource the task to Google, a home-grown company. One would think they could come up with a comprehensive database that is easily search-able and user friendly for security personnel.

With all that said, I am willing to keep an open mind about the scanners, but right now I'm not a happy traveler. Mildly political post fin.

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This year I wanted to do something extra special for Christopher on his birthday. Usually birthdays for us are pretty low key with just a couple of friends over to the apartment for some finger food - or maybe just the two of us going out to dinner. So earlier in January, I started planning.



The guest list was about 20 people long, with 15 of those RSVP'ing yes. I'd say that's a pretty good turnout. I had thought about non-food related activities we could do (bowling, pool, darts, movies), but decided dinner was really the best way to have everyone sit down for a conversation rather than being split up into teams or using different tables, etc. Christopher's party started at Mattito's Tex-Mex restaurant. We had a long rectangular table at the back of the restaurant to ourselves. I had reserved a table about a month in advance (although, I think they take reservations the same week if needed). It would have been nice to have a private room, but semi-private suited us just fine. Dinner was lots of fun with excellent company and really good food. I ordered the tortilla soup, which is my MO at this restaurant. Christopher departed from his usual tamales and ordered the fajitas.
Trying to leave the restaurant was interesting. We were a large group paying separate tickets, and one waitress to help the 15 of us. She had struggled throughout the dinner it seemed to keep up with drinks and orders, but over all she wasn't bad. When it came time for the check, she failed. We had our check done incorrectly 4 times. After the third time, our waitress sent over someone else to hand us the latest version - also wrong. I grabbed the manager from behind the bar to help out, but when the two of us finally got back to our table, the waitress had just dropped off the final and correct version of the ticket. Since everyone was in good spirits, this definitely didn't ruin anyone's night, but it would have been nice to just get a correct ticket the first time.

After dinner, most of the party-goers went back to our apartment for dessert and drinks. More good times were had by all, and we were even joined by more friends/family who couldn't make it to the restaurant. For dessert I had set out a birthday cake, tiramisu, candy, and homemade butterscotch oatmeal cookies. Sweet teeth were able to indulge.

Christopher had a great time, and I was super excited the party was fun for everyone. Since then, his birthday really hasn't stopped. He's received cards and gifts in the mail from people who couldn't make it to the party, or didn't send a card until later. And finally, today I was able to take him out to get my birthday gift to him - a grill. I sweated over website after website to try to find the best grill out there for what we need. Most all grill-fanatics say the Weber series for charcoal grilling is the way to go. However, I didn't know that Christopher was planning a switch to gas. So, we went out today to Home Depot to see what was available. After careful and long (emphasis on long) deliberation, Christopher decided to go with a gas grill. We had seen and really liked the Weber Performance charcoal grill - the look and size of it were perfect for our needs. But, it didn't come in a propane-ready version. So, we left Home Depot (as we couldn't make up our minds as to which one to buy), and we headed over to Barbeques Galore. This place has quite the variety of grills. Upon entering, we immediately started talking with Ray - the mild mannered BBQ salesman. He really was extremely mild mannered; it was actually sometimes difficult to hear him, he spoke so softly. At any rate, he really knew his stuff and helped us through all the options, price points, models, and pros and cons of all of the above. Christopher finally decided on a house brand propane grill called the Globe Cafe. They didn't have one in stock, so we ordered it today and should be getting it on Friday. I'm looking forward to the deliciousness to come!

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A well deserved congratulations to our friends and family who seem to be taking life by the horns! Pretty much every week someone passes along some good news about either themselves or someone else. That rocks. Due to all the wealth of happiness being shared by the people around me, I have been motivated to think more seriously about volunteering and what I can do to improve DFW. Below are some options...



North Texas Poodle Rescue. I have no idea why poodles would need to be rescued as they are adorable, loving family members. However, the reality is that many animals need care and love as they are regularly abandoned. I think I would quite easily open myself to the needs of the dogs (my co-workers call me the Dog Whisperer - well not all the time) and be able to help in many ways. Although, Christopher brought up an excellent point when we discussed this; I would very quickly see myself bringing home some puppies on a regular basis. Win-Win you say? Perhaps, but we are going to stay a one-dog family for now.

AFS. An excellent choice for volunteerism as I participated in this program myself as a high school student. We would not need to host a student; however, there are other opportunities to help out such as being a buddy/liaison to an exchange student, organizing events, and coordinating airport drop-off/pick-ups.

Church activities. An interesting idea as I've yet to call a church home in the area; although, I've visited a few. Generally, churches have many volunteer opportunities; however, some of them may require being in proximity to children. Since I'm looking to spread happiness, I may need to steer clear of the young ones.

Finally, I looked a bit into local area volunteer services. That could be anything from the local SPCA to the family center not too far away from here. Not really sure what I'd specifically like to do, but helping out locally is appealing.

I'll probably do a lot more research before I try to commit to something. In the meantime, I still would like to think I'm using my free time wisely. I also need to put some more miles on that library card of mine.

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Recently (within the last 6 months), I've become enamored with workout DVDs. They are so much cheaper than a gym membership, so much more convenient, and 100% user-friendly. I decided to review the three that I own/use. Perhaps I may persuade others that these little gems deserve some consideration.



First up - So You Think You Can Dance, Cardio Funk
Pluses: (1) This DVD is hosted by some of the more popular SYTYCD contestants from the earlier seasons (seasons 3 and 4, I think). It's very enjoyable to see them again. They really seem to be enjoying themselves throughout the workouts, which helps me want to participate with them. (2) The warm up and cool downs are nice and lengthy with lots of stretching. I have actually seen a measurable difference in my flexibility due, in part at least, to the warm up and cool down exercises. (3) There are three different styles of dance featured: hip hop, contemporary, and disco. (4) Lauren (instructor for the hip hop segment) is a great instructor and could really make a career out of doing fitness DVDs. Hers is my favorite workout on this DVD.
Minuses: (1) Travis' segment (contemporary) is a bit disappointing simply because he's not a very good instructor, in my opinion. All of his queues are followed by "yeah?" So, he might say something like the following, "now we going to take three steps to the right, yeah?" (2) It's clear the dancers are doing their first fitness video ever, in some cases they mess up the lines or look awkwardly at the camera. (3) The music they chose to go with the workouts is just so-so.


Second DVD - So You Think You Can Dance, Tone and Groove
Pluses: (1) As with the other SYTYCD DVD, this one includes the same favs: Twitch, Dmitry, Lauren, Courtney, Katee, and Travis. (2) Three dancing styles are showcased on this one: hip hop, jazz, and cha cha. (3) Dmitry's Cha Cha is a serious ab workout, and the steps are challenging enough that it takes a some tries to get it right. I'm actually smiling almost all the way through.
Minuses: (1) The warm up and cool down segments are identical to the SYTYCD Cardio Funk DVD. A little more variety would have been nice. (2) The same awkward looks at the camera occur in this DVD as in the other one. Once these guys had a couple videos under their belts, I'm sure that would stop.


Third DVD - Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred
Pluses: (1) Her approach is very old-school, so all of the moves are familiar and very easy to follow. (2) She does not shy away from the good ol' jumping jack. I'm a fan of jumping jacks, and I completely agree with her use of them as full body cardio exercises. (3) She reminds viewers regularly what position their bodies should be in, where to hold their arms/legs, and how to engage the muscles. (4) The workout is compact - 20 minutes and you're done.
Minuses: (1) The introduction to the DVD is rather long and you can't skip it and go straight to the DVD menu. I find this a bit annoying. (2) The hook for this DVD is "lose 20 pounds in 30 days." I don't want to lose 20 pounds at all; therefore, I get a bit scared that instead of losing 20 pounds, I would bulk up due to the push-ups, etc that she has in the video. (As a plus though, for those people who want to lose 20 pounds, I can see how this video would really work if done every day for 30 days). (3) The warm up and cool down are a bit short for my liking.

There you have it. I do these DVDs 4-5 times a week. When I don't use them for a few days, I actually miss it and can't wait to do it again. I'm not even sure how long it will be before I tire of these and want to buy new ones. But I think I'll be set for a while yet.

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We're here again to keep everyone up to date on life in Watsonville... or Watsonland. Both are cool places. It's been just over one year since our return from Japan. What an amazing country; we can't wait to vacation there and revisit some of our favorite places while discovering new ones. The past year has been interesting in and of itself of course.



Major events include: my college roommate's wedding, a move into (and out of) an apartment, 12" of long hair pulled into a ponytail and cut off for charity, a new job, a promotion, new friends made, and innumerable day-to-day shenanigans.

2010 is looking like a bright year indeed. Another friend is now engaged, one has decided on a career path, one just bought a house, and the list goes on. For us, we are settled (finally) in an apartment that we love and think we'll stay in for a while. The longest we've ever lived in any one place is less than 2 years. Let's see if we can break that streak.

That's all for now. More updates to arrive in the very near future.

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Well as you know, we've left Japan. We're back in the good 'ol US of A. And the trip back was quite nice with all our travel plans being made well in advance. On the way over, we were exhausted; we carried WAY too much luggage; we stayed in two temporary locations before finding an apt. It was planned, but the plan was not without its holes. This time, we were rather determined to make the transition at least 10 times more smooth.



We started by carefully checking the flight date and time and chose to fly with Korean Air. To get our tickets, we went through JTB. If you are ever in Japan to traveling through Japan, I highly recommend JTB. They know what they're talking about. And, they're really friendly. And it doesn't feel like a fake-customer service friendly. It feels genuine. Tickets reserved, we went about making other arrangements. We decided to leave Nagoya one day before our flight to the US. That way, we could spend a night in a hotel near the Tokyo airport and not have to worry about getting from Nagoya to Tokyo Narita for our flight on the same day. For this, we reserved a room at Crown Plaza. Next, we needed Shinkansen tickets to get from Nagoya to Tokyo to Narita (airport). Once again, we went to JTB. Not only did they get our tickets, but they also provided us with an appropriate map that showed us how to get from the station exit to the hotel shuttle stop. Again, very helpful.

That left arranging to turn off utilities and setting up the walk through with our landlord. Our rental agency set up dates and we just had to be there to pay. We were extremely fortunate to have a fair landlord. We had heard horrendous stories of tenants being charged exorbitant amounts (in the thousands) for this that and the other. We were worried because we had managed to dig a giant (very noticeable) hole in one part of the tatami floor in our living room. If you ever have tatami floor, don't put a desk chair down on it. Just friendly advice, as it will dig a hole in your floor too. Anyway, we managed to get out of the lease with a very reasonable price for the floor repair. Our landlord, his appraiser, and our rental agency representative all agreed to the terms. We signed on the dotted line and left.

The actual trip from Nagoya to Tokyo was easy enough. We were a bit disappointed because the weather was bad and we couldn't see Mt. Fuji from the Shinkansen window. However, we made it to the hotel just fine. The hotel was very nice. In fact, it had restaurants at the top where we could have paid 75 to 100 bucks a person. We didn't. But that's the kind of hotel it was, I guess. The next day, we made it to the airport with plenty of time and sat down for lunch inside the gate. I had udon, Christopher had tekkadon. We figured it was the last time we could eat authentic Japanese food so cheaply. And that's at airport prices.

The flight was good, as far as international flights go. Based on this flight, I would fly Korean Air again. The food was not bad, the service was prompt and efficient. Their guest baggie included a travel toothbrush and toothpaste. I thought that was nice.

Finally, we landed in LAX on the 18th of December. Since then, we've been hangin with all members of both families, settling in, and getting back into the swing.

I hope you've enjoyed the blog. Keep checking back, we may keep it up and add in stories and photos that didn't make it in the first round. Or, we may add new ones from stateside.

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In the corporate culture of Japan, there is a strong push to go out with one's co-workers. Generally speaking, I think this is also true in the US. However, it is not to quite the same extent at it is here. In some cases, salesmen go out drinking with their clients on a weekly basis. All this is to say, that when there is an office party, all are expected to attend or have a good excuse as to why they can't. So, I have been to 4 or 5 work organized, or work related events. And I think that's the low end. Anyway, this weekend was my office's x-mas party, and I have to admit that it was the best office party I've been to yet.



The party was at a bar called Tatula. It is also a bartenders' school, just fyi. The bar was rather small. It held four large tables of 6-8 people and about 12 people could sit at the bar itself. We met our co-workers down the street about 15 minutes before the party began. Of course, our boss gave a short speech at pre-determined moments throughout the night. So, after the first of these we all headed indoors to the bar. Inside we sat with our students and tried to intersperse ourselves the best we could. Our staff and students filled every seat in the place.

The food was also better than any other party food I'd had. It's true that at these parties, food is a bit stingy, but at least the quality was good. :) And drinks were free, so we were drinking plum wine. If you have never tried plum wine, I highly recommend it. It's rather sweet, almost like a dessert wine, but still tasty with appetizers.

We happened to sit with some students who I really like, so I was happy to talk to them about their holiday (New Year's) plans, what kind of coffee they prefer, where is the best place in Nagoya to eat shrimp, and various other topics. 2 hours flew by pretty fast. Then the bartenders put on a show. They threw around bottles and glasses to a crazy techno beat. Everyone was clapping and having a good time. One bartender even blew fire. He only did it once, but still. The atmosphere was great.

Then, after the party, everyone hung around outside chatting. You could tell that everyone was enjoying themselves. Some of our students are still in the beginning levels of English, but it certainly didn't stop them from enjoying the shindig. And we had a great time too. :)

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Nagoya is a big city with a lot to do. There are bars, clubs for men, clubs for women, sports organizations, karaoke, restaurants, billiards, movie theaters, and malls.
This picture (taken in Tokyo, but you get the idea) is of a building that I can only assume is dedicated to those who want to sing their hearts out to early-90s-Madonna, YMCA, or Bohemian Rhapsody. The giant word from top to bottom indicates that this place has the sole purpose of providing small rooms with large speakers in which to entertain your friends.



If you're not into imagining you're in a rock band, then there are other possible places to hang out. For example, before arriving at a local Yama-chan to have dinner with friends, Christopher and I happened past this plethora of questionable clubs.Personally, I like the name "Joyful Night Radish." Until this point, I would never have connected the words "joyful" and "radish." "Club Divorce" is also an interesting choice. I'm pretty sure it's not a support group.

I've already mentioned the food in Nagoya, I'm sure. Taste-testing around the city is probably my favorite go-out activity. I can't think of a time that I was really ever disappointed, and that's a good sign. The Japanese and international food restaurants are plentiful, convenient, and range from insanely cheap to mind-bogglingly expensive. (Do you like "mind-bogglingly"? I do.) So, as long as you take a look at the menu before going inside, you should be good. Just last week, we wandered into a popular Chinese restaurant that we hadn't tried yet. It was so delicious, I'm looking forward to going back.

And finally, there is always the nighttime stroll. The city is very safe compared to most cities its size, and I never worry about walking at night whether alone or with friends. And taxis are pretty abundant, so in the event you lose your way (maybe later I'll post about the lack of street signs), a cab can take you back home without much ado. And there you have it. So many choices, the night's never boring.

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