Ahh yes Saturday. I needed this day! Its been a couple of tough weeks but I am still alive. I have been wanting to go back to the states for Christmas for various reasons but its not going to work out. I already had my airline ticket to Hokkaido and now its possible to even get a ticket. I am kind of down about it but I will at least try to relax at some onsen in Hokkaido and enjoy some fresh fish. So next week will be good. But my thoughts are elsewhere.

I talked with my family this morning and they all seem to be ready for Christmas. Kids are getting excited in America and companies are now basically closed for the holidays. I can`t believe its almost a year now since I moved here. Where did the time go?? If I can hang in there this next year I may actually survive.

I had a friend send me this link. http://glumbert.com/wii/view.php?name=baddayoffice I totally relate to some of these guys in the office...hehe. Well maybe not to that extent but I think we have all had times where we are ready to throw the computer out the window!! I have and sometimes I wish I could throw my boss out the window with the computer....hehe.

The collage football bowl season is now underway also. I am missing the games... My University won their game last night so thats one good sports story for me this year. I have been saying all along it was a terrible year for my teams... maybe it will end on a good note.

To close to home....

Its been a little while since I last updated here. I haven`t gone anywhere. Its just been a crazy week filled with some complex emotions. I lost a really good friend a couple months ago. He was hunting and got hit by lightning while sleeping in his tent. It was tragic.

I got word last week another dear and precious friend has cancer. This is a very big shocker for me. I grew up with her and she has always been a very big part of my life. A very important part of my life. It appears she has some cancer around a major artery. Its impossible to operate and it looks like all treatment has had not effect. She is very sick just from the treatment. Last week the doctors and specialists told her she had maybe 8 to 15 months to live. It tore a hole in my heart. I am kind of in a situation where I really want to go home now. She is very close to my family so they are with her almost daily. But its tough. There is a saying that when one person has cancer the whole family gets cancer. I think I can understand this now. Its getting very tough on everyone. So its just really a hard time right now for me. I haven`t had the energy to do much. I am going to work and basically just hanging in there from day to day. No motivation. I am not sure what my motivation would be right now. To be honest anyone who knows me knows I have had some serious bad luck in the past with a few things in life. The last few years have been really good. But life is like a roller coaster. It goes up and down and the ride ends too quick. One thing is that I have been really close to my parents especially as of late. So this has been a blessing in my life I am so thankful for. Anyway, don`t want to get too deep here. Just opening up a little. But that is as far as it goes.....

Well the holidays are around the corner. I really want to go back to the US now but won`t. I will stay here and go up to Hokkaido and try to relax and forget some things. Life is tough I guess but life it life. Everyone has a drama. Anyway all in all I am doing good and have really enjoyed the fall weather in Japan. Really beautiful!!

The weekend is already over!!

Well my Monday is over and I can`t believe the weekend and Monday is now over. But it feels good to have Monday over. On Saturday I drove down outside Toyota city with some people and picked mandarin oranges. It was the first time I have ever done anything like that. It took almost an hour to get there. I was there for a few hours and left. We picked and picked all day. The person who owned the little farm was a friend of one of my friends. Therefore a friend of a friend. Actually we had a pretty good time. I ended up bring back with me around 90 lbs of oranges. I have no idea what I am going to do with all these. Last night I took some over to my next door neighbors house. Then I took some to the local church to give to members.

It reminds me of about 7 years ago I was living in Hokkaido. I got pulled over in the middle of the night coming home. I think it was about 1 or 2 am. I am driving up a hill to my apartment and all of a sudden a cop with some bright orange vest and lights jumps out right in front of me. It scared me to death!! So I pull ed over. He asks for my drivers license. I didn`t have any id on me. I could not believe it. He asked me to come in the little station (koban). We sat down and he took all my information. I was very sorry and a little scared. I wondered what he was going to do. I have had a couple really bad experiences with cops in Japan in my younger years. So I wondered. But he told me I needed to bring all my documents to him by the next morning or I was going to be in trouble.

So the next morning I got up early and went and bought some oranges. I took my documents to him and gave him the oranges and said sorry. He just quickly looked at my things and told me to take care. I was so relieved. So maybe my good gesture of the oranges was the right thing to do...hehe. So in my experience... giving oranges away can really help you out!! So I have plenty of oranges to give to cops or whoever. I guess I should eat a few also... actually I have been eating them like crazy since Saturday. I am already almost sick of them. Anyway a great day and lots of fun. I will do it next year for sure. Its just good to get out and do something you have never done before and meet some people. I guess I need to do these kinds of things more often.

On the train:

I spent another day of meetings in Tsukuba. I am writing this as I ride the shikansen back from Tokyo. I am getting almost sick of this ride. I would be completely dead without my ipod and computer. So here I sit. Today`s lucky car is #5. I am in row 16 seat C which is an aisle seat. The car is full and the guy next to me is asleep. The couple on the other side of the aisle are both playing with their cell phones. Some of these people you could write a story about just by looking at them. I see another couple of women who obviously are coming back from Tokyo Disneyland. They have their souviners and even some Tokyo Bananas. Somehow I think they had more fun that I did today.
I was actually going to go to Disneyland over the weekend. However, some sudden work popped up and I found myself in Yokohama and Tokyo. So a crazy weekend to say the least. But it was ok. The weather was so beautiful that I couldn`t help but be in a little good mood. Plus after riding the trains to and from Tokyo I am very very glad I didn`t go. It would have been completely crazy full of people. But I am not sure if there is a time that Tokyo Disneyland isn`t crazy full of people.
On other news it appears I am getting affected by the prime loan issue in the United States. My house and everything is safe since I didn`t take out some crazy loan like many people did. However I got notice that my house and condo and other properties I own are having the property taxes adjusted. It appears the values have now decreased a little. Its fine to pay less taxes but I hate to see the property depreciate. I know it won`t last forever……. But I think it could get more painful for a lot of people…
Well I guess I will eat my bento and try to relax for an hour before I get to Nagoya…

Happy Trails,,,
Todd

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the United States. I will spend the holiday traveling to Tsukuba and attending meetings. It doesn`t bother me. Thanksgiving is a holiday where family members try to get together to enjoy a traditional thanksgiving meal. We reflect on family and blessings in our lives. Then we watch football...hehe. But its a good day to relax, overeat, and relax some more.
Yesterday a colleague who works with me told me he didn`t understand why American`s eat turkey on thanksgiving and he didn`t think turkey would even taste good. I tried to explain the tradition behind turkey but he refused to try and understand. To him it was just another commercial holiday. So it kind of upset me to think that here is a guy from Japan who is telling me from America that our holiday makes no sense and we should change it. I almost wanted to punch him! Then he had the nerve to start talking about Christmas in Japan.... don`t even start there... I am seeing Christmas things all over Japan now. I think its cool. But I also think Christmas is kind of hollow here. I mean Japan really has the commercial aspect of Christmas down. I see sales, and Christmas trees, and Santa`s all over. But it will never really capture the true feeling of Christmas that Western Countries (Christian Countries) have. It just can`t. But it can do what its good at and commercialize it and give a boost to the economy. But really the holiday has no meaning here. So my colleague who started trying to tell me about Christmas really started to get under my skin. I looked at him and told him to shut-up because he had no idea what he was talking about and I left the room. Hum.... I guess it was too direct to say but give me a break! Him trying to tell me what Christmas is about is like me trying to tell him what obon is about. Our perceptions just can`t capture the real meaning or spirit behind the holiday. Anyway... enough of that... I have calmed down now....hehe.

So Happy Thanksgiving everyone and if turkey sounds bad and you can`t understand why American`s would even eat it then go to KFC or McDonald's. Have a coke and a smile!

Hump Day!!

While Wednesday is maybe my second most un-favorite day of the week, its hump day. So thats always nice to know. Lately the weather has been so nice in Nagoya. Its cold at night but the days are cool and crisp. Just how I like it. Football weather!! But its weird to be watching games on Monday morning before I go to work. So someday it will be nice again to lay on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon and watch a good football game. I guess those days are at least a couple years away. So for now its watching football games early Monday morning while I am still half asleep and then trying to get enough motivation to get out the door and over to work. I really need a vacation...hehe. At least new years is getting close. I debated to go back to America for a couple weeks or go up to Hokkaido. Hokkaido won this time. So I will head up there for a little over a week and stay with some friends and just relax and eat the excellent food up there. So I am looking forward to that.
Well I guess its time to find my motivation to get out the door and over to work.... joy. I don`t love Wednesday but at least its hump day and after today downhill until the weekend.

November....

Well October is gone and already November. Still love the weather here in Nagoya this time of year. Really beautiful!! I was looking around itunes last night and found a new album from a band I really loved in high school. The group is called "The Church". I couldn`t believe it. I listened to a few of the new songs and was sold. It really brought me back like 20 years. I can`t believe how time flies. I looked at the picture of the band and they are so much older now. It really made me feel old. I haven`t heard anything from them in maybe 15 years. But their sound was amazing. They sounded just like I remember them and the new album was awesome!! I ended up downloading the songs. So I spent the night listening to them and kind of just relaxing.

I have had a cold for over a week now. I have tried to hold off going to any doctor but its getting worse. So I may end up going tomorrow morning if I feel the same. I think I kind of have a week immune system or something because when I get sick I always get pretty sick and usually take longer than a lot of people to get back on top. Anyway I am still alive. Just some serious congestion and headaches.

Well the Dragons pulled it out and won. I was happy. Finally a team I am cheering for is winning. This is a bad year for my sports teams.... Did I say that already?? Well its true! Next year is only 2 months away... I hope its a better year for my teams.