IKEA

Well after more than ten years living with a hand-me-down dresser, I broke down and bought a new one at IKEA. Actually my old one is falling apart and I don't have enough room for all my clothes. I went and cased out IKEA yesterday, and decided on this piece. They have so many cool things just to bad I couldn't start from scratch and get all new furniture. Some day I will have that chance and I think I will be making a b-line to IKEA, if it is still around whenever I get around to doing that.

Lem

Just as I thought Lem got killed off by Shane. The final episode was also a tear jerker, well at least for me. I found my self with tears streaming down my face. Lem the good guy gets blown up by one of his friends, and Vic vows to find the killer. It should make for a great season 6. I don't think I will download it just wait till it comes out on DVD.

Rainy Day Blues

Another rainy day which means I had to take the bus and train to work today, which I hate because it takes twice as long. There was a bus at the stop when I got there and I could have rushed to get on but it was already full and there are 6 more stops after mine before it gets to the station. I got on the next one and at least it wasn't packed, full but not packed. I'm sure most of the busses and trains run well over 200% capacity so they must be making a killing.

Smell Memories

Well after the DVD marathon, and getting through the wedding that I was asked to perform, I thought that needed to get out of the house so I met Rach, and Alina at the California Pizza Kitchen. They have the most unusual pizza, but they have this avacado, bacon, and cheese egg roll type thing that is out of this world, and they also serve a nice California white zinfandel. Alina cracks me up too bad it was good to sit enjoy some good food and lots of laughs.

But back to Alina, she says that she has "Smell Memories", and I can't say that I really do, then today I walked into one of my classes and there was the smell of Jello being made. I thought that hey I think I'm having a smell memory, and then I thought no I just remember the smell. Maybe because I really don't like Jello and any memory that I might have is negative so I pushed it away.

The Shield

I have been having a DVD marathon this weekend. Susan got me started on this series, and yes it is shocking and pushes the envelopes it certainly has me hooked. I picked up the first 4 seasons when I was in China, then I saw that Season 6 was out, well I needed to get season 5 so thanks to Amazon.com I have been having a great time watching this series again. It is so intense and draws you in and I have to just say stop even though I'm dying to find out what happens next.

One interesting thing is that no matter how bad the Vick and his guys are it seems like you always end up pulling for them. The IAD officer that is out after them now , Kavanaugh, is a real jerk he is supposed to be the good guy but you feel like he is the one that should be doing jail time, he's manipulative and sly and he just gives me the creeps. So here I sit rooting for the bad guys and hoping that the good guy will go down. How backwards is that. I guess it just goes to show how well the show is written.

Cell

Just finished reading this book, I really do enjoy reading Stephen King. This book had me hooked from the very beginning and it was hard to put down. A pulse is sent out over cell phone lines and all that pick up on that day lose their minds. It was very bizarre but very interesting. I really enjoyed the normies, or the people that survived and ended up destroying most of the phoners, the ones with their brains wiped out. Today I just had to finish I had to see how it was going to end, and yes they saved the day, and yes Clay finds his son, but the end is left wide open, who know what happens. I guess in a way that is good, but I would have liked the core group; Clay, Tom, and Jarod, to have gotten back together. Maybe Stephen has another book up his sleeve, and will solve that problem. We can only hope. Anyway it is a good read.

Flickr

Haven't posted for awhile so I thought I should get around to it. At least it hasn't been as long as The Country Parson, good to see that he is thinking about updating more often.

I haven't checked into Flickr recently either, but I thought that I would add a few more photos today and got playing around with their map feature which lets you post the pictures on the location that you took them. I'm not sure how you find other people on their maps yet but I bet it is interesting. Funny thing was that I could get better satellite pictures of Rangoon than I could of places in Japan. How weird is that. Take a look at my map.

Doctor Fish

Just when you have seen it all. I went to the bath tonight for a long soak and a massage. I saw they had what I though was a foot bath in the lounge area, but at further inspection it was a "Doctor Fish" foot bath. I had seen this on TV before, but didn't know that it was become a little bid of a fad in Japan, and there are a few places that have set up these foot baths. It is supposed to be good for skin diseases like psoriasis. I guess they are native to Turkey and they eat away dead skin. So is this disgusting, or something I might want to try. Actually I almost tried tonight, but the guy that was explaining it wasn't around so I put it off for another time.

The Thinker

The things some people won't do for a laugh!

M&M

What could be cooler than an M&M Store?

I definately want to visit this store. Isn't this one of the best candies in the world? What is nicer than the sound of M&M's being poured into a bowl, you can't tell me that you wouldn't recognize it. Well maybe I won't make it to the New York store, but they have on in Orlando too. It is on my list for this summer.

Back to School

Even after all these years in Japan, thinking "Back to School" at this time of the year still seems strange. Well the entrance ceremony was today and things are well on there way.
My grade's motto for the year is:

目で　聞き
手で　学び
　　心で　交わろう

In English

Listen with your eyes

Learn with your hands
Communicate with your heart

Actually the communicate may be a stretch in the translation the word means to interact, or to fellowship, but isn't that what communication entails.

Stagecoach Prayer

I thought this was great.

Taken from "Our Daily Bread"

Five-year-old Randy wanted a toy stagecoach for Christmas. While shopping with Mom, he found just the one he wanted. It was about 6" long and had cool wheels and dark brown plastic horses pulling it. “Mommy, I want this one. Pleeeease!” he begged. As young children sometimes do, he threw a tantrum, insisting that he get that stagecoach for Christmas. Mom said, “We’ll see,” and took him home.

Randy was sure he’d get what he asked for. Christmas morning came, and he opened the package confidently. Sure enough, it was the stagecoach he had begged for. He was so pleased. But then his older brother said, “You really did a dumb thing to insist on getting that coach. Mom bought you a much bigger one, but when you begged for that little one, she exchanged it!” Suddenly the small stagecoach didn’t seem so appealing.

Sometimes we’re like that with God. We pray about a specific need and tell Him how He ought to answer. We beg and plead—and God may even give us exactly what we ask for. But He may have had something better in mind.

Phillips Brooks once said, “Pray the largest prayers. You cannot think a prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish you had made it larger.” —Anne Cetas

Sardines

I felt like I was a sardine this morning as I rode the bus to the station. I couldn't do this every day, I'd go crazy. How do people do it and stay sane. I really don't know how. And on top of the fact that we were all packed in and they just kept getting on, in order to save time you have to get off the bus at the stop before the station and walk the rest so you won't be late. Maybe things will be better when they finish the new subway. It certainly be faster.

To Minakami and Back

Alina just sent me a few pics from our trip up to the staff retreat in Minakami. She always takes unusual pictures so I did my best to give her a silly pose as we were on the road. I think we hadn't made it out of Tokyo yet.

The retreat went really well and if you want a more detailed look at what we did you can visit Bernie & Cheryl's blog that I have set up for them, but haven't completely taught them how to use it. While we were there we did see a parade of monkeys, I didn't get any pics but some others did I am just waiting to get them. I will post them when I do.

First Day inefficiency

First day back to school and I sat through 2 meetings that were almost identical. This happens every year we sit with the full time teachers and have a detailed faculty meeting. Then we have lunch with the full staff and at this meeting where the part time teachers are in attendance, we go over pretty much what was said at the first meeting. How inefficient is that? Kill two birds with one stone... yes we could have done that today. The question is why didn't we?

Lent

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
O sacred head, what glory, what bliss till now was thine!
Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call thee mine.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners' gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! 'Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.

I think this is probably one of my favorite hymns, I especially like the last line, may it always be my prayer.