Sunday, December 31, 2006
New Years Update for 2006/07
Happy New Year!
It’s New Year’s Eve Day as I write this and all is well. This is the first New Year in a few years that we are spending in the US. We just got back from Tokyo on the 27th after spending Christmas there. The family in Japan are all doing well. Midori’s father is working quite a bit but plans to go into semi-retirement in the near future. Her mom is retired and is keeping active with various physical activities such as Yoga, swimming and water aerobics. Midori’s younger sister, Naomi, is doing well. She works as a designer for trade show exhibits and marketing campaigns. Her youngest sister, Hiroko, is a preschool teacher at a very prestigious children’s hospital near where her Mom and Dad live. Her son, Kouki, is going to be 4 in January. He loves trains and can tell you just about everything you need to know about what train goes where etc…
While we were in Tokyo we spent time with friends and family eating good food, drinking good beer and wine, and Midori loved the opportunity to catch up on watching Japanese TV programs. I was able to finish off a good book and spent a lot of “quality time” with my iPod. Emili spent as much time as she could at her friend’s house, and watching Japanese animation on TV. Other than the cold virus that hit Midori and I, the trip was very relaxing. We even had a great time singing at one of the many Karaoke establishments. (A 5 story building with individual rooms for groups of 4 to 14 dedicated to eating, drinking and singing.) Our friends, Sachico and Nao spent as much time as they could with us, including taking us to the Karaoke rooms and had us over for dinner several times. They own a small lumber yard near Midori’s parent’s apartment. That’s where Emili spent a lot of her time as they have a daughter that is almost exactly the same age as her, born in the same hospital there in Kyose (the Tokyo suburb that Midori grew up in)
The reason we came back before New Years (which is a very big deal in Japan) is because Emili is involved in a play and they started dress rehearsals on the 27th. So, after an 8 hour flight, Emili went right to the theatre and was there until 9:00 that night. She was able to sleep a little bit on the plane (unlike myself, who cannot sleep on moving vehicles) so while she was jet lagged she was able to stay awake pretty good. The play she is in is called Seussical, which is a musical based on several of the Dr. Seuss stories, including Horton Hears a Who, and Cat in the Hat. Emili plays the part of the Sour Kangaroo. It’s a fun role for her, because she gets to be the bad guy. She even has a couple of henchmen.
As for the rest of what we are up to, Midori is very busy at work (as usual) and spends a lot of time even at home working. She is trying to cut down on the number of hours she spends and hopes to cut back to 80 or 90 percent. I am still working for Cingular on their web site. My team is responsible for making sure that http://business.cingular.com/ is working correctly. Emili is a 7th grader at a “choice” school called Renaissance School of Art and Reasoning. She is enjoying her school and has made a lot of friends there. Teddy is just a dog. He seems to enjoy that most of the time. While we were in Japan he stayed with my Mom and Dad in Portland, where my nephew Justin with a little help from my niece Kristina, took care of him. Now, for some reason, Teddy thinks he deserves a snack for doing just about anything. I think he may have gotten a little spoiled.
As for my Mom and Dad, they are doing well in Portland. (Tigard/Beaverton…whatever.) Dad is keeping pretty busy at work at the Parking Garage and Mom is working swing shift at the hospital. (Don’t ask me which one. That rises above my current competence level.) Margie is living in Portland too, and is working at the same Hospital as my Mom and is also doing a lot of personal training work. Deanna has moved back to California where she is living with a friend.
Well, it’s just about time to get ready for New Year’s Eve. Midori has already started cooking the oden. (A Japanese hot pot dish made with various kinds of fish cake. As with most Japanese dishes, it doesn’t sound nearly as good as it actually is when you translate it.) Chris, our friend from our college days in La Grande, is coming over to help us celebrate. We will drink some wine and eat some traditional Japanese New Year’s cuisine.
Hope you have a great New Year. We also hope you had a wonderful Christmas.
It’s New Year’s Eve Day as I write this and all is well. This is the first New Year in a few years that we are spending in the US. We just got back from Tokyo on the 27th after spending Christmas there. The family in Japan are all doing well. Midori’s father is working quite a bit but plans to go into semi-retirement in the near future. Her mom is retired and is keeping active with various physical activities such as Yoga, swimming and water aerobics. Midori’s younger sister, Naomi, is doing well. She works as a designer for trade show exhibits and marketing campaigns. Her youngest sister, Hiroko, is a preschool teacher at a very prestigious children’s hospital near where her Mom and Dad live. Her son, Kouki, is going to be 4 in January. He loves trains and can tell you just about everything you need to know about what train goes where etc…
While we were in Tokyo we spent time with friends and family eating good food, drinking good beer and wine, and Midori loved the opportunity to catch up on watching Japanese TV programs. I was able to finish off a good book and spent a lot of “quality time” with my iPod. Emili spent as much time as she could at her friend’s house, and watching Japanese animation on TV. Other than the cold virus that hit Midori and I, the trip was very relaxing. We even had a great time singing at one of the many Karaoke establishments. (A 5 story building with individual rooms for groups of 4 to 14 dedicated to eating, drinking and singing.) Our friends, Sachico and Nao spent as much time as they could with us, including taking us to the Karaoke rooms and had us over for dinner several times. They own a small lumber yard near Midori’s parent’s apartment. That’s where Emili spent a lot of her time as they have a daughter that is almost exactly the same age as her, born in the same hospital there in Kyose (the Tokyo suburb that Midori grew up in)
The reason we came back before New Years (which is a very big deal in Japan) is because Emili is involved in a play and they started dress rehearsals on the 27th. So, after an 8 hour flight, Emili went right to the theatre and was there until 9:00 that night. She was able to sleep a little bit on the plane (unlike myself, who cannot sleep on moving vehicles) so while she was jet lagged she was able to stay awake pretty good. The play she is in is called Seussical, which is a musical based on several of the Dr. Seuss stories, including Horton Hears a Who, and Cat in the Hat. Emili plays the part of the Sour Kangaroo. It’s a fun role for her, because she gets to be the bad guy. She even has a couple of henchmen.
As for the rest of what we are up to, Midori is very busy at work (as usual) and spends a lot of time even at home working. She is trying to cut down on the number of hours she spends and hopes to cut back to 80 or 90 percent. I am still working for Cingular on their web site. My team is responsible for making sure that http://business.cingular.com/ is working correctly. Emili is a 7th grader at a “choice” school called Renaissance School of Art and Reasoning. She is enjoying her school and has made a lot of friends there. Teddy is just a dog. He seems to enjoy that most of the time. While we were in Japan he stayed with my Mom and Dad in Portland, where my nephew Justin with a little help from my niece Kristina, took care of him. Now, for some reason, Teddy thinks he deserves a snack for doing just about anything. I think he may have gotten a little spoiled.
As for my Mom and Dad, they are doing well in Portland. (Tigard/Beaverton…whatever.) Dad is keeping pretty busy at work at the Parking Garage and Mom is working swing shift at the hospital. (Don’t ask me which one. That rises above my current competence level.) Margie is living in Portland too, and is working at the same Hospital as my Mom and is also doing a lot of personal training work. Deanna has moved back to California where she is living with a friend.
Well, it’s just about time to get ready for New Year’s Eve. Midori has already started cooking the oden. (A Japanese hot pot dish made with various kinds of fish cake. As with most Japanese dishes, it doesn’t sound nearly as good as it actually is when you translate it.) Chris, our friend from our college days in La Grande, is coming over to help us celebrate. We will drink some wine and eat some traditional Japanese New Year’s cuisine.
Hope you have a great New Year. We also hope you had a wonderful Christmas.
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A vacation from our vacation
Midori and I with our friends Hiromi and Atsushi Ozaki. Atsushi is managing a plant down there and Hiromi and Midori thought it would be...
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Each year we go to Japan to celebrate New Years with Midori's family. Since it's a long flight we usually end up going there before...
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Midori and I with our friends Hiromi and Atsushi Ozaki. Atsushi is managing a plant down there and Hiromi and Midori thought it would be... -
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