Cupped out...

What in the HELL got ahold of Zinedine Zidane? That headbutt had to be about the craziest thing I have seen in quite a while. He was looking really intense throughout the game...I guess he just snapped...

Did the traditional petitioning of the family for K`s hand in marriage...that all went pretty smoothly ... we had a fine lunch after that, then we all took a family outing to the furniture store. For two hours. Two hours watching her parents shop for a sideboard... whew. Followed by a fun dinner with the folks and their friends...got to drink IW Harper Presidents reserve bourbon, which was very fine.

Next day, I went to the dentist for the first time in about 10 years. Yay. I get a root canal next tuesday. Double yay. The only consolation is that the nerve in that tooth died back in college, so it shouldn`t really hurt too awfully much... I hope...

Copa Copa...

Watched the game last night...France V. Portugal. It was on at 4am local time here in the LotRS...not exactly the most convenient hour for us working folks. I went and met K for a drink after work, and headed home around midnight. Crashed out around 2am, woke up with the alarm at 4. It was tough to keep the ol' peepers open throughout much of the first half, until the penalty kick that ultimately decided the game in France's favor. That woke me up and pretty much kept me engaged thereafter.
France's laid back approach to the remainder of the game, combined with the frenetic pace of the portugese also helped to keep me on the edge of my seat. Portugal was FAST. and aggressive....

Anyway, I'm at work now, and already sleepy...I went back to sleep after the game, but by then the sun was up and I didn't really sleep too well... only 5 more classes.....

WoW!

Holy Nuggets, team!
I was just checking out the news on CNN.com, and it looks like the entire northeastern US is in danger of being washed off the face of the earth!
And for those of you who thought you might never see the town of Sidney, NY in the international news...check the BBC's coverage of the floods. Wow.

How are you folks holding up there in the Land of the Idiot Son? Wading through philly, Sidney, Binghamton...my adolescence and young adulthood has been inundated...

Nate! Hows the family? seems the family home could be in some serious danger...

Heck, it's rainy season here and the weather is beautiful, if a little muggy...you guys are stealing all our rain!

And hows this for fun? The waters are rising all over the blue states, and what is the Idiot Son doing? Taking his pal Junichiro Koizumi to Graceland! wHEEEYEEW! You'd think that twit would've learned his lesson last year about fiddling around during a natural disaster... huh.....

Hallo!

Hallo folks!
Had a nice weekend this weekend. Saturday night was a karaoke party for Yanni's birthday. We had about fifteen people, and karaoke'd for about 4 hours. My big hits included "Cotton Fields" by CCR, as well as an assortment of raucous GnR songs and my signature bit, Nirvana's "All Apologies". And of course, "Sweet Home Alabama". Representin tha southland, baby!
The next day started waaay to early for my taste...9am on the dot. K and I went into Nara prefecture to visit a very old and famous temple called Hasedera. It is one of a very few teaching temples of the Shingon sect of Buddhism still operating in Japan. Reputedly 1300 years old, it is built up the side of a hill and surrounded by lush gardens and forest.
The gardens of Hasedera are famous for hydrangeas, which were in full bloom and quite beautiful. In fact, they reminded me of the big hydrangea next to the back door at mom and dad's house. I remember dad pouring coffee grounds on the bush to make the flowers change color (the color of the flower varies with the pH of the soil). I told this story to K, and later to K's parents, who all thought it was funny.
After Hasedera, we went to K's parents house for dinner. They had been given a nice slab of Matsusaka beef and a big fish, and were keen to lay out a nice dinner. So they did. I got to cut the head off of the fish, which K's mom then turned into about three different dishes...sashimi from the fillet, soup from the difficult to eat parts, and what you could call 'ribs'...the middle part that was left after the fillets were removed...which she boiled in soy sauce and which was fantastic. We ate and ate and ate...and drank daddy's favorite sake, whose name escapes me. After dinner, he gave me a bottle of sake from the same company, but the premium stuff. He said he preferred the cheaper stuff..less pretentious...but that this bottle was extremely good. It is in fact a Daiginjo sake, about as fine as they come...but perhaps a little foofy for daddy's taste. I was instructed to drink it with friends, but most of my friends here don't particularly care for the sake...oh well, their loss!

After dinner, K was exhausted, so we went back to her place, relaxed for a little while...then I went up to my friend matt's house to watch the England vs Ecuador game. Kind of a downer...the game was stultifyingly dull... all the women were asleep within 15 minutes of the kickoff, and us fellers were yawning up a storm as well. Everyone had a long weekend.
I slept and slept yesterday, went to the camera store only to find that I had forgotten the film from Sunday, went to the art store, the grocery store, and then back home...bath, dinner, bed, Italy vs Australia, bed again.

Italy vs Australia was a strange game. The Australians ran all over the Italians, but just couldn't finish. The Italians went a man down early in the second half, and just kind of played a waiting game... which really paid off for them seeing as their goal came at the very end of extra time on a penalty kick... I dunno about that call..it was definitely a foul, and a flagrant foul...but it just seemed too perfect...a made for tv ending with Totti driving it in with no time left on the clock...like the Football Gods would not allow upstarts like the Aussies upset a proud and storied team like Italy. Or maybe they were just lucky. who knows.

Saturday is England vs. Portugal. Go team!

Hi Ho...

Not so much to report on here...since the world cup started I haven`t been doing much else. K has been busy and will be getting busier over the next month and a half. I feel like I should be able to help her, but the plain fact is that there isn`t anything i can do to alleviate her job related woes. Really kinda irks me...

CAn`t fix everything, though.

My job is getting a bit easier, today I will teach only two classes...I went on a bike ride and went home for lunch. Tomorrow is tough, thursday is tough, but tuesdays and fridays are pretty light. Pretty happy about that.

Strikes and gutters....

Copa!

Hey there team!
You watching the World Cup? We sure are!

Me and K watched the Americans and the Japanese reap the wind last night...the Japanese due to an early lucky goal and subsequent caving in...general lackluster play and an all too apparent lack of desire...not to mention a brutal knocking around by the much larger but arguably less talented Australian side.
The americans were simply overwhelmed by a team that outclassed them in almost every category except brute strength...the Czechs were beautiful. I`m still not sure why, in the merry-go-round of national team coaching jobs, that the americans still trust their international soccer fate to Bruce Arena. I mean, he got us there (20 years ago), but we haven`t really progressed much past adequate over the course of his (inordinately and undeservedly long) coaching tenure.

Works for me though...I love watching the Americans get their asses beaten through skill and class...

Speaking of skill and class, the South Koreans won tonight against a very tenacious and quite frankly dangerous Togo team. Heckuva game, that. While the Japanese are deluding themselves into thinking they can play a Brazil-style game, South Korea has siezed upon its unique characteristics and built a style around them...quickness and accuracy in the passing game, tenacious defense and tireless work in the midfield. Works quite well for them, and they look like they enjoy it too.
Japan, on the other hand, looks like they`re still not really sure what they are supposed to be doing, while their stars pout up and down the field and generally look embarassed and embarassing in turns. I mean...they don`t even really try to score! They lob in these lame crosses that really have no chance of turning into　anything valuable...just shoot the damn ball! You can`t score if you don`t shoot, and you can`t win if you don`t score...seems simple, doesn`t it?

Anyway, I`m watching Knight Rider (DUDE,KNIGHT RIDER!!!)and waiting for the France game to come on...vas-y mes amis!

Looks like Brazil has this one in the bag... and their first game doesn`t start for another two hours! Fun to watch,anyway...

And the wine!

Sorry to keep you waiting on the whole wine thing, but it seemed to pale in comparison to the other events of the last weekend.

Anyway. Last Sunday we had a wine tasting event at Mercado. Kenny bought a $500 bottle of wine, and 10 of us chipped in $50 apiece in exchange for a glass of the expensive stuff, as well as hors'doevres and a sampling of some other, more affordable, wines chosen by Kenny and Yoko-chan.

The big dog was the Vega Sicila Unico, a Spanish red wine. It was really a difficult wine to fully understand. The wine wasn't allowed to breathe before it was poured, so the initial taste was rather raw, with strong tannins and an oakey nose. As it sat in the glass, the flavors began to assert themselves, and the wine grew smoother and richer. It went very well with the roast beef, sturdy enough, but not overwhelming...very nice overall, but I'm not sure if it was $500 nice.

The supporting cast included a Pinot Noir , Vougeout Clos Du Prieure 1998; Chateau Canon 1ere Grand Cru Classe 2001 (St. Emilion); an unremarkable Margaux from Segla, and a couple of whites and german Icewine.
The Pinot Noir was not really spectacular, but respectable. Light body, a nice ruby color, strongish tannins all combine to produce a wine that is rather bland on its own, but when paired with the beef, it became fruity and refreshing. The slight tartness and crispness that is kind of a turnoff at first really acts to cut the oil from the meat and leaves that delightful fresh clean fruity feeling on the palate. Very nice.
Now, I am a strong supporter of St. Emilions. I love them, and the Chateau Canon did not disappoint. The greatest thing about St. Emilions is that they almost "blossom" on the tongue. However, as the wines were not allowed to breathe at all, this characteristic wasn't as noticable as it should have been. That small gripe aside, the Canon presented a full body, smooth and rich feel, and nice spicy taste. When paired with some french cheeses (brie, St Andre Triple Cream) the Canon became almost floral...a truly delightful transformation...while the strong tannins helped to cleanse the palate as well.
The Margeaux was a little dull, the Icewine was SWEET... the other high note from the afternoon was an Argentinian wine, Pascual Toso 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. It was big and tough, but with a nice porty finish, eminently drinkable. I will actually try to track this one down at the local boozery.

So thats the wine geekery....happy? I was!

the continuing adventures...

So here we are, almost a week after the tumultuous events of last Sunday. The situation on the ground here in the LotRS is still very fluid, but being fluid, is flowing toward the next set of rapids. Not this Sunday, but next Sunday, I am scheduled to have THE big talk with K's dad. Everyone is nervous and worried about what Daddy is going to say, but I am optimistic about the results... I think he likes me.
I have been toasted and congratulated by friends here, but I feel like it might be coming all a little too soon...I still haven't really proposed yet (ooops!). Even though this all seems like a fait accompli right now, she still needs a proper proposal, and it seems like that should take place before the official chat with dad...so... looks like that needs to happen this week... huh.

AND, going to Ise with K and her family tomorrow...should be an interesting and quite possibly awkward afternoon. Yay!

Bushwacked!

As Mom and Dad and Ben already might know, I have more or less become engaged as of Sunday evening. How this happened I still am not quite sure, but it came down more or less like this.

Sunday afternoon, I attended a wine tasting at my friend Kenny`s restaurant (more on this in a subsequent post). K, not being quite the pretentious boozehound, opted out of this and went to visit a friend instead. So far so good. After the tasting, I went back to her place to wait for her...we were planning to go for dinner and then see the DaVinci Code...

However, she and her parents are planning a trip to Spain for the summer holidays, and she was summoned to the family home to help finalize the itenerary. As Sunday is Me-n-K day, she invited me along, and I happily accepted, due to the fact that a fine free dinner is always welcome. Plans were made, dinner was prepared and eaten and cleaned up, Daddy toddled off to his bath, leaving me and Mommy and K sitting around the dinner table. Nothing too out of the ordinary there... until K leaves the room for a minute.

As soon as the door swings shut behind K, Mommy turns to me and says,

"I need to ask you some questions, OK?"

"....uh....ok...."

"Are you and Kanako just friends...or...?"

I was rather taken aback at the question, having been led to believe that Mommy was more or less in the know about our involvement. I began to stall, in hopes that this line of questioning would cease upon K`s return. No such luck. Mommy wanted to know my intentions in no uncertain terms, and proceeded to conduct a quite thorough examination in both Japanese and English, at times using K as a translator, and almost always referring to her in the third person.

I had, and have, every intention of marrying this girl, but I have been taking my time and trying to get my ducks in a row before seriously discussing it with K. This approach was apparently not quick and certain enough for Mommy, who, usually charming effusive and cute, had donned as serious a face as I have ever seen on a woman who was not MY mommy.

I allowed as to how it was my wish to marry K, and what steps I felt were necessary before I would be in a financial and personal position to do so. Mommy wanted to know WHEN. I gave a rough timetable of my personal preparations (better japanese, better job). Mom apparently figured all that could be handled in about 18 months.

The timetable is important from her families point of view for very specific, traditional reasons. If a girl reaches the age of 30 and is still unmarried, she is considered flawed in some way, and draws shame to herself and shame to her family. So if Mommy comes off a little harsh here, bear in mind that this is not just her, this is a thousand years of social expectation and tradition.

So strong is this drive, that had I not been willing to say "ok" to marriage, I would have been politely asked to piss off and stop wasting K`s time. Moreover, K would promptly be shopped around the matchmaker circuit and a `suitable` match made post haste. Again, this is the way things are done here...mommy has done nothing except what her mother and her mothers mother have done, and mothers around Japan and Asia (and india, maybe africa, etc...) do on a daily basis.

You could even say, and perhaps I should say, that what mommy did took quite a pair. She was in her mind, and in a very real way、looking out for the best interests of both her family and her daughter. I can understand and appreciate that. Good kind of mother in law to have, actually. Daddy seemed to know what was in the works too, though, because he was very jovial and friendly to me, much moreso than in previous visits, and when the dishes were cleared away, he disappeared, only to reappear when it was all said and done. Smart feller.

Upshot. Mommy seems satisfied, I`m still reeling a little, and K seems to be staggered a bit as well, but if not completely overjoyed, relieved that the big talk has been had. I think we need a little time to get used to this new wrinkle... but I look forward to it.

The biggest problem, in my mind, is that now the element of suprise is lost to me. No matter how or when the ring and proposal come, it will seem a bit anticlimactic. Oh well. Kinda takes the pressure off... but now I have to really study. Mommy set me a deadline.....

Killing time

You guys are gonna love this.... the first post back after a long hiatus, and the thing I`m gonna talk about is the thing that interests you folks the least... Linux. Yay!
Reason being, I`m writing this while monitoring a new install of Suse Linux
on the ol` craptop. Suse will be about the 5th or 6th major linux distro i have tried, and I have high hopes for it (hopes destined to be dashed, I fear). Parsix got too hinkey, especially concerning my sound drivers, Mepis wouldn`t recognize my Wifi card, Tao and a host of others refused to see NTFS partitioned drives (which rendered all of my data inaccessible). I even tried a distro called Gentoo, which is acknowledged to be difficult even by veteran Linux users. It was too much for me.
We`ll see how this goes...its gonna take two or three hours to run through the install...

But, I have wine to drink! Today is the big wine tasting party at Mercado. Hooray!
Let you know all about it when I get back!