Christmas is here....

Well the month is gone. Christmas is here. I can`t believe it. I am heading up to Hokkaido to be at my home away from home for the holidays. So I am excited to take some time off and just eat some good food and do some skiing and relaxing in onsens. .... ahhh this is going to be good!!

This past month I have had a hard time getting going at work. I am burned out for the year and have a hard time keeping my motivation. So being able to refresh is going to be just what I need!!!
I am happy to have 2009 over and look forward to 2010!!

Yesterday morning it actually snowed in Nagoya. Only about 2 inches and it was all melted at around 10am. But it was kind of nice to see some snow. Well my shopping is finished and I am now ready to start my holidays!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I took today off work. I decided enough is enough. I need a break. It felt so good today. It was Thanksgiving in the United States. I stayed home all morning and watched American football on TV. Then went out at noon and got some ramen. I came back and finished watching football and went for a walk. I have decided I need more Fridays like this for sure!! Beaufitul peacefull day for me. I think I got a little younger today without all the stress at the office...hehe.

The other day a friend sent me a picture of all my old neighborhood friends. When I was growing up I lived in a neighborhood that was very close. All the kids were best friends. We took this picture is just just behind my house at a park when I was a sophmore in high school. You can see me in the back in the upper right. These guys were all my best friends and we still keep in touch today. We had some good times and I can`t believe the time is gone. But thankful to still have all of them in my life.


I was so surprised when I got this picture. It brought back a lot of memories. Its funny how peoples lives ended up. Two of us live in Japan now. Two of us live in Las Vegas. A couple live back East and others are in Utah. Kind of crazy... Those were some good days...

Well its November. The weather is getting a little colder now but I still love it. The air is crisp and clear. Much better than summer air in Nagoya thats for sure. But its going to get a little colder now I know. My house is very very cold in the winter months.

Now I am watching Smap Smap. Tonight Brad Pitt is on. Pretty interesting but I hate the beard. What happened?? Maybe he is filing a movie or something. But seems happy to be in Japan.

Speaking of TV I finally got my slingbox hooked up. This allows me to watch my local TV from the United States. Oh its nice to have my TV back. With TV from the US and Costco in Japan now there is no reason to return to America....hehe.

Well Christmas is around the corner. I am heading to Hokkaido to spend 2 weeks of doing nothing but sleeping and playing. Maybe I will have a chance to see some friends too.

Cheers...

Ahhhh Sunday....

Well I survived the typhoon like almost everyone else. My house here in Nagoya was shaking like an earthquake. I woke up around 4:30am to the strong winds and couldn`t sleep after that. It was a crazy morning with the wind and rain. I could not believe how much rain was falling. I have never seen so much rain. I ended up getting in the office a little late. So that was my excitement for last week. The weather after the typhoon was beautiful!!! Its been really nice here now.

For me now as many know its my favorite month of the year. I love October. I love the weather, food, and the sports. Baseball playoffs are underway.. GO YANKEES!!! Football is here and basketball starts in a couple of weeks. There is no better month for me. I wish October lasted 3 months....hehe.

I`M BACK !!!!

Its been over a month. Maybe almost 2 months since I last updated this. I can`t remember!! Wow where did summer go. Its over. I went back to Utah to my home for a couple weeks in the summer. It was an excellent trip. Its been a year since I was in my house. It was kind of strange to just go home and open my door and nothing had changed. Its nice because I really don`t need to take anything with me. I still have most of the clothes and things home so I need nothing. I just get on the plane and go home. My cars were still there and everything was good.

While home in Utah I was busy. Shopping, eating, playing and seeing old friends. The time flew. I even sold one of my cars while home. So that was good. I have too many cars!!

I went to the Utah Salt Flats. This is an area where natural salt grows on the floor of where the Great Salt Lake used to be. Its pure salt and looks like snow. Its pure what and if you tast the ground its all salt. There they have speed week. Its a week where everyone from around the world comes to try and break the land speed record with a car. Meaning they are trying to go faster than anyone. The salt flats are flat and very smooth and stretch for miles. Its a perfect place for this and very famous. Here are some pictures.


Both cars and motorcycles race for the world speed records. Cars go as fast as about 500kmh.


Then I saw this crazy old guy and had to take a picture..



When I got home there was a surprise waiting for me. It was my birthday and my family and friends had worked at my house while I was gone. I wanted a new Japanese maple in front of my house. I have a large one one one side of my front door. I wanted another one in a little area on the other side. So they came and did some surprise landscaping for me. Its a very small area but a really nice thought and I was really happy. They put a happy birthday card in the tree. So I got a tree for my birthday!! Perfect!!


It was a nice surprise. But I didn`t have time to enjoy. Just a few days and I was back in Japan. But look forward to next time. My life is now back and forth between Japan and the US. Its a little crazy and hard at times. But its how I like it. I am now to a point in my life where I can`t imagine living in just one place. I will always be back and forth. When my time in Nagoya is up I will be back and forth between the US and Hokkaido. Thats where my heart is.

My parents also had their 50th wedding anniversary while I was there. There was a huge family party. There is aroudn 60 people just in my family. I was the MC over the party. I also had made a slide show for them putting together a bunch of pictures of memories from their 50 years. It was really fun and kind of a good experience for me to do this for them. Check out their wedding picture 50 years ago!!!


Well I am now back and back to work. Its crazy as ever and look forward to getting next year over with as my life should slow down a bit after my work transfers. Its good to be back and look forward to hearing from every one!!

Oh my gosh its been forever!! Yea I am still alive. But its been crazy.

This damn weather in Nagoya is making life terrible. I am sick of the hot humid weather. Next month I am going back to Utah for a couple weeks. I am so looking forward to some nice dry heat. The weather there is around 37 degrees but its dry. You just need to keep drinking fluids but otherwise it feels much better than the humid weather in Nagoya. This rainy weather just doesn`t seem to end.

My parents are having the 50th wedding anniversary on 8/14. My 3 sisters and I are planning a big party which has been taking a lot of my time. I am putting together a 50 year memory slide show with a lot of pictures from the last 50 years of their married life. Its been fun to see all the pictures and I have been able to relive a lot of good memories. Its been very special. So I am excited to get there and be with them during this time. We have having a family picture taken also. Our family is now 32 people large. Crazy!!

Another crazy thing is a new album that has been released here in the states from a girl that well let`s just say I was good friends with in high school. She is one of my best memories of the 80s...hehe. I listened to it and it sound really good. I may post some more information later. I am not trying to sell CDs for her but was impressed.

Well thats it for now... its raining.... of coarse!!

Well its now new news now but its been a tough time for GenX according to the news. My generation lost 2 idols the last couple of days.

Farrah Fawcett was the idol of idols for boys my age many years ago in the United States. I do not know any boy growing up who didn`t have a major crush on her. She was indeed the girl that started all the dreaming for me and my friends. Growing older we didn`t see her as much on TV. But she was still in the minds of all the guys the way she appeared in this famous poster.
I have had many girls since growing up ask me what type of girl I liked. Well the answer was simple... someone like her! She died of cancer the day before Michael Jackson.


Then MJ. What can I say. I was never a huge fan but he did have the moves and the talent thats for sure. He had a few songs that I really liked and I always respected him for his talent. Truely incredible. I saw him and the Jackson 5 many years ago at Disneyland in California. Well as you know he has changed a lot since then. I almost feel sorry for him as he really didn`t have family close by and never was really able to enjoy just being out. Everywhere he went he was mobbed. Maybe he liked it I don`t know. But I do know the past 10 years was a disaster for him. Furthermore, he seemed to lose his identity behind the man in the mirror.... or all the plastic surgery. At any rate... its a different world without him and sorry to see him go.


So yea I guess my generation lost a couple of stars. But they were both way too young thats for sure. But I know they will not be forgotton anytime soon either.