Its the Holiday Season...

Well Christmas is over. I got some good gifts from family and friends. I also think I gave some good gifts. Its fun to watch people open the presents you bought them. I really enjoy that. But its really fun just to be around good people and eat good food.

My Christmas was good. I wasn't able to be with everyone I wanted to this year. But I did have some friends also come and stay with me and it was fun to be with them. Well the Christmas shopping season is finished for a year. However, now we call it "After Christmas Shopping". Most stores have huge sales after Christmas for a few days to try and sell everything they couldn't before Christmas. Its a good time to shop. But I am sick of shopping!!!

Here is a pic of my house. Usually during the holidays we put lights up around our house. This year I didn't have time to do much. I have been on too many business trips the last 2 months. But I did put some up. Eventhough its difficult to see you can get an idea. You can also see my lonely Christmas tree in the window...heheh.

Well... now its time to get ready for the new years... Then put everything away until next year!!

Another Pic: "RODEO BOY??"

OK OK... I could not believe my eyes when I saw this at my friends house. Its called "Rodeo Boy" and seems to be an excersie machine that simulates riding a horse. I died laughing when I saw this. The name alone was funny...

So I told my other American work colleagues about it when I arrived in Tsukuba. They could not believe me so we went to Kojima and found it. Everyone was surprised to see it. We all got our pictures with it. I think the thing that everyone laughed at was the name "Rodeo Boy". It is an interesting machine. But we would never ever find it here in the United States. So my question is this..... Has anyone had success using this???
Hang in there Cowboys and Cowgirls!!!!

A couple Pics from Japan:

Here are a couple pics from my trip to Japan.

This first pic is of Odori Park in Sapporo. You can see TV tower with the illumination. It was very beautiful! I enjoyed relaxing there for about an hour while listening to some live music. I could have stayed longer but the music stopped. However, it was a great atsmophere and I really enjoyed being there.

Lost in Translation....
(On the Tokyo Streets)

Well I am back from Japan. It was an ok trip. I spent 3 days in Hokkaido and the rest in Tsukuba. It was an ok trip. The best time I had was of coarse in Hokkaido. But from the whole trip I had about 2 hours in Hokkaido which became the most valuable part of my trip. But I did eat some good food!!

My last night in Tsukuba my colleagues from my company wanted to go to Tokyo. Because I had a drivers license to drive in Japan, they wanted me to take them by the company car from Tsukuba to Akihabara. There is a direct train. However, they had a game they wanted to play. They wanted to try and challenge the streets and expressways of Tokyo without using the GPS in the car. Furthermore, they made a rule that I could not read the map. None of them speak Japanese. Also, they had never been to Tokyo before. So it was a real challenge. I knew it was going to be a late night. I told them we would be getting very lost. But they wanted to have fun and try it.

So, after work at about 6:00pm we left for our journey. I turned the GPS off, opened my diet coke and Fran Chocolate and relaxed in the drivers seat. I started driving and turned where they told me to. Well.... its a long story. But we got very lost in Tokyo. They could not read the signs and they got confused at express numbers and exits. It was very very funny. I was very relaxed drinking my coke. When I finished my coke I stopped at a Lawsons and got another one. I knew it was going to be a very long night. We finally got to Akihabara about 3 hours later. After we got there, we quickly parked the car and went into a couple stores. They then wanted to challenge to get to Shibuya. So, without GPS we challenged to get to Shibuya... This was a challenge we could not pass. We got very lost. I didn't care it was funny. At about 2:00am, my work colleagues decided the game was over. We turned on the GPS and came home. It was a very very interesting night and we drove down some interesting streets and saw a lot of Tokyo. We just don't know what part of Tokyo we were in. But it is a night I will never forget.

I got back last night and couldn't sleep. I had jet lag. Plus there were some issues back in Japan that kept me from being able to relax. I got about 2 hours of sleep and woke up and watched 2 movies during the night. This morning, I put Christmas lights on my house. I have been gone almost all month so no time to do it. My neighbors came out and laughed at me because Christmas is only one week away. We usually do this at the end of November. But better late than never. I got an email today from some friends in Hokkaido saying they wanted to come and have Christmas in Utah with me. I was happy to receive that. So I decided to put up the lights. They are a married couple with one baby girl. It should be fun to show them Utah during the holidays. There is some other people I wish could have come too but I hope next year.

Well... I am starting to feel very sleepy now. But I need to hang in there until its time to go to bed...

I will try to post some pics shortly....

Peace in Sapporo....

I have been in Sapporo now for a few days. It has been so peaceful. I absolutely love this place and in the future I fully intend to live here again. Compared to last week in Mexico this week has been excellent. I think anything compared to last week would be excellent.

Sapporo is a little warmer this year. Actually Utah is coolder. There isn`t a lot of snow yet. But I am sure the snow will come. Odori park is beautiful with its illumination and the air is really fresh and crisp. As my friend Kent Derricott would say, "Kuki ga oishii yo!!!".

Today I am flying to Tokyo and my work will begin. The fun is now over ....heh heh. But it has been good. I will return to Hokkaido again in May. I look forward to it because I will be here longer and have more time to see some old friends. I got to eat some hokke and sapporo ramen, and yaki niku. So I am satisfied..... (Yea I also got to play in susukino a little...heh heh.). I will try and post some pics when I get home.

TRIP FROM HELL!!!!!
I was out last week in Mexico for business. It was a trip from hell.... First my hotel in Monterrey was canceled. I have no idea why someone from my company called my hotel in Monterrey and canceled my hotel. When I find out who it was I will kill them...hehe

I got there late and they told me my room was canceled. Plus... They were booked. So no rooms available. It was 11:30pm. I had no hotel and no money. I could not exchange any money because it was too late. So I had the hotel desk clerk call and find me another hotel. We found one that was 20 minutes away. It was a hotel I have never heard of. Not an international hotel so I was worried. Then I had to get in a Taxi and go to the hotel knowing I had no money to pay the taxi. On the way to the hotel I told the driver I had no money. He stopped and told me to get out! I told him lets find an ATM. So we drove around to some convenience stores and I finally found one. I was able to get money and make my driver happy. Then he finally took me to the hotel.

The hotel was not very nice and I could not trust the water. So it was a bad night. The rest of the trip went ok until it was time to come home. I found out my return airline tickets had the wrong date on them. I was unable to leave Mexico until a day later. So I had to find another hotel in Mexico city and stay the night. I was really upset. I finally got home and now I am sick. I caught something in Mexico and could not return to work...

Its been so crazy.... I fly to Japan in 2 days and I really don't want to get back on another airplane.... but thats life!!
So I hope this trip isn't like the last one..... I can't wait for the holidays... I need a break!!!