Sunday, January 11, 2009
Monday, December 15, 2008
Horrors!
A tragedy has struck here in the LotRS. Possibly due to the economic downturn, or to general holiday ennui, a terrible event has unfolded at the local (and only) good bar here in Tsu.
A big screen TV has been installed over the bar at Hatchs.
All us foreign types usually congregate at Hatchs on the weekends to mull over local developments and to wallow in good dorky english conversation. As I'm sure you are all aware, a television is the antithesis of good conversation...a konversation killa. For four years we've been going and talking all sorts of inane BS, but now there is some doubt.
My favorite bars in Philadalphia are all TV free, as the point of going out is to talk to people. If one wants to drink beer and watch TV, one stays home...right?
Well, its early going in the TV debacle, we will see how it plays out.
A big screen TV has been installed over the bar at Hatchs.
All us foreign types usually congregate at Hatchs on the weekends to mull over local developments and to wallow in good dorky english conversation. As I'm sure you are all aware, a television is the antithesis of good conversation...a konversation killa. For four years we've been going and talking all sorts of inane BS, but now there is some doubt.
My favorite bars in Philadalphia are all TV free, as the point of going out is to talk to people. If one wants to drink beer and watch TV, one stays home...right?
Well, its early going in the TV debacle, we will see how it plays out.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Happy Festivus!
Cruising full speed into the Christmas season, and there is much news to be passed along. I finally got my driver's license here in the LotRS...four years of no wheels and now I can cruise about in the family Benz, Daddy's Porsche, or our own cute little Peugot.
Also, I finally threw around enough high school kids to qualify for my Black belt in Judo. All I have left to do is the formal Nage No Kata test, and then I'm all set.
There's been alot of Japanese study as well...the Japanese Language Proficiency Test was this past weekend, and I think I did ok. Of course, I thought that last year as well, and ended up failing by two points. I have been reading the penultimate Harry Potter in Japanese, and am fairly confident in my Skilz.
We are winding up the term at school as well...I have a week to coast through, and then its Christmas and New Year...Skiing in Nagano! Yea!
K is doing just fine...champing at the bit for her shot at motherhood...not happening yet, but we will be ready when the time comes.
Not much else than that, but I figure even though it doesn't add up to column inches, its enough for right now. Murray Christmans!
Also, I finally threw around enough high school kids to qualify for my Black belt in Judo. All I have left to do is the formal Nage No Kata test, and then I'm all set.
There's been alot of Japanese study as well...the Japanese Language Proficiency Test was this past weekend, and I think I did ok. Of course, I thought that last year as well, and ended up failing by two points. I have been reading the penultimate Harry Potter in Japanese, and am fairly confident in my Skilz.
We are winding up the term at school as well...I have a week to coast through, and then its Christmas and New Year...Skiing in Nagano! Yea!
K is doing just fine...champing at the bit for her shot at motherhood...not happening yet, but we will be ready when the time comes.
Not much else than that, but I figure even though it doesn't add up to column inches, its enough for right now. Murray Christmans!
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
The Sheriff is near!
"He rode a Blazing Saddle...he wore a silver star..."
Tonite we are all citizens of Rock Ridge, and gleefully so. God Bless the USA for finally getting it right. This stands as a rebuke to the Hedley Lamars of the world that we are through being railroaded and are ready to work together for the good of the community.
Awkward yet apt metaphors aside, good job everyone.
Tonite we are all citizens of Rock Ridge, and gleefully so. God Bless the USA for finally getting it right. This stands as a rebuke to the Hedley Lamars of the world that we are through being railroaded and are ready to work together for the good of the community.
Awkward yet apt metaphors aside, good job everyone.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Prego!
When we were back home, I pestered my father relentlessly about giving me the family copy of The Romagnoli's Table. Finally he relented and I carried home my prize.
You may wonder why I was so intent on having this particular cookbook...almost as old as I am... Well, let me tell you. Growing up in Tennessee and Virginia, some of the first Italian food I ever had was made by my mother and father, from recipies in this book. It has shaped the way our family cooks, defined the parameters of my palate, taught me what good Italian food was before I realized it was something to be learned.
All this said, the first few weeks home I left the book on the shelf due to the myriad other things that demanded my attention. Recently I've had a bit of leisure and so have turned back to the Romagnolis. I've cooked out of the book about five times now, each meal a resounding success. I've made butter and tomato marinara, eggplant sautee, a wonderful pork roast. My proudest moment was my triumphant chicken cacciatore...a taste that I've grown up with and which colors my culinary sense on such a basic level that it is part of my being. It came out pretty damn fine.
I've not used recipies so much in the past, but I have had an Italian epiphany...thank you Dad...thank you thank you thank you!
You may wonder why I was so intent on having this particular cookbook...almost as old as I am... Well, let me tell you. Growing up in Tennessee and Virginia, some of the first Italian food I ever had was made by my mother and father, from recipies in this book. It has shaped the way our family cooks, defined the parameters of my palate, taught me what good Italian food was before I realized it was something to be learned.
All this said, the first few weeks home I left the book on the shelf due to the myriad other things that demanded my attention. Recently I've had a bit of leisure and so have turned back to the Romagnolis. I've cooked out of the book about five times now, each meal a resounding success. I've made butter and tomato marinara, eggplant sautee, a wonderful pork roast. My proudest moment was my triumphant chicken cacciatore...a taste that I've grown up with and which colors my culinary sense on such a basic level that it is part of my being. It came out pretty damn fine.
I've not used recipies so much in the past, but I have had an Italian epiphany...thank you Dad...thank you thank you thank you!
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Campaign Time
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
from Wikipedia
I know that the MOST awesome way to resume posts after a long absence is with an impersonal list of links to other sites...and I am awesome....
When I was home, my father asked me for some recommendations of Japanese authors to read. I sat down, thought about it, came up with a good list, wrote it all down for him. Unfortunately, random bits of paper have a nasty way of disappearing, as we all know, and this bit of paper suffered that very same fate. Thus I am inscribing this list on the everlasting electronic ether, making it available to all the fine folks who have given up on this blog long ago. Enjoy!
Authors!
Edogawa Ranpo wrote detective fiction of all sorts.
Natsume Soseki is one of the fathers of modern Japanese literature and beloved by most folks here.
Yukio Mishima had a short but intense career...Shiosai (Sound of Waves) is his most accessible work and by far the most popular amongst the Japanese...but his suicide by ritual seppuku at the JSDF Headquarters eclipses his body of work in most people's minds.
Banana Yoshimoto is widely translated in English and apparently more important than I initially gave her credit for.
Haruki Murakami is much more popular abroad than he is in Japan.
Kobo Abe wrote an almost Kafka-esque book called The Woman in the Dunes. His wikipedia page offers a very tantalizing list of surrealist fiction.
I'm sure I'm leaving a few people out, but that'll get you started.
When I was home, my father asked me for some recommendations of Japanese authors to read. I sat down, thought about it, came up with a good list, wrote it all down for him. Unfortunately, random bits of paper have a nasty way of disappearing, as we all know, and this bit of paper suffered that very same fate. Thus I am inscribing this list on the everlasting electronic ether, making it available to all the fine folks who have given up on this blog long ago. Enjoy!
Authors!
Edogawa Ranpo wrote detective fiction of all sorts.
Natsume Soseki is one of the fathers of modern Japanese literature and beloved by most folks here.
Yukio Mishima had a short but intense career...Shiosai (Sound of Waves) is his most accessible work and by far the most popular amongst the Japanese...but his suicide by ritual seppuku at the JSDF Headquarters eclipses his body of work in most people's minds.
Banana Yoshimoto is widely translated in English and apparently more important than I initially gave her credit for.
Haruki Murakami is much more popular abroad than he is in Japan.
Kobo Abe wrote an almost Kafka-esque book called The Woman in the Dunes. His wikipedia page offers a very tantalizing list of surrealist fiction.
I'm sure I'm leaving a few people out, but that'll get you started.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
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