good-ness

books.

coincidence.

as you know. i teach kindergarten once a week. and love it. well. this was last week's page. who's she? she's julie. that is what we learned. when i was prepping for this class. i smiled. and then chuckled. my sister is julie. and her husband is mike. i don't know sue. or benny.

summer.

this is the plan. next summer. to go to scandinavia. with h-kun. i hope it works out. i've got my fingers crossed. double crossed. the original idea was to bike around. for a few weeks. the bike option might not work out. i haven't been riding so much this year. and h-kun thinks i'll die. i think i'll buy too much stuff. too much amazing stuff.

34.

happy birthday to h-kun. my favorite japanese person. he's 33 +1. today.

(sorry to all of you who had already commented on this. realized i messed up with the time change. my blog is registered back home. argh. sorry, h-kun.)

60.

happy birthday. mama.

this picture is from my mom's birthday a couple of years ago. here in japan. yep, japan. from when she lived here. yep, lived here. when we both lived here. talk about being adventurous. in your fifties. pack up your house. move to a foreign country. by yourself. amazing. that's my mom. and that is how i got over here. and now she is back there.

she is amazing. she's 60 today. her body is. but not her spirit. not her attitude. i spoke to her this morning. she was talking about wanting to go bobsledding today. yes, bobsledding. i love it. i hope when i reach her age i am living life or the the fullest. just like her.

oh, i miss her. i wish i could have been with her and my family today. celebrating. blowing out all those candles. i wish.

happy birthday. mama.

tuesdays.

i enjoy tuesdays. a lot. i love teaching university students. but i also enjoy the tuesday break. i get to teach little japanese people all day. at a kindergarten affiliated with the university.

kindergartens over here are unreal. everything is so organized. and everything has a cute element to it. including the students, of course.

and the artwork. i think they must have a class on drawing cute things. because they all can do it. i need to sign-up. the kids had recently been to a dairy farm. there are cows everywhere. those are ears. not wings.

fall is here. and it brings a change in the kids' coat/hat uniform. i can't get enough of these little hats. oh so cute.

a few more.

a few more books. for before-i-go-to-sleep reading. or for help-me-fall-sleep reading. for when my mind is whirling. and won't stop.

50 facts that should change the world. jessica williams. just picked it up this morning. jumped off the shelf. a kiwi fruit flown from new zealand to britain emits five times its own weight in greenhouse gases. the average japanese woman can expect to live to be 84. the average botswanan will reach just 39. there are 44 million child labourers in india.

encyclopedia of an ordinary life. amy krouse rosenthal. bought this quite awhile ago. i think all of you blog encyclopdia memers would like it. right up your alley. haven't started it yet. just flipped through it. lacy underpants. laundry basket. leaves. leaving a tip. letters. life. limousine. lollipop tree. lost item. love. lows. lucky.

eat, pray, love. elizabeth gilbert. one woman's search. for everything. across italy, india and indonesia.  borrowed from a friend. almost done. have thoroughly enjoyed it.

and from the same friend. a beautiful b-day gift. a modern tenugui (a traditional japanese towel). an addiction she has. one that i am acquiring. more sewing ideas to dream about.

everything is perfect. for me.

**katie ... you are the winner. the lucky winner. if you still want them ... send me an email.***

except the colour. hot hot pink.

wish i could pull it off. i tried once. only once. then i retired them to the closet. that's what happens when you buy things impulsively. i sometimes do that. case in point.

i've finally decided to say sayanara (goodbye). i still love them though. but ... these guys do need a new home. where they are worn. with pride. this is my suggestion. a little swap. the hot pink shoes for something that you want to give me. some suggestions are fabric. love fabric. chocolate. love chocolate. something homemade. love homemade. something quirky. love quirky. to a certain degree.  if you are not a hot-pink-coverse-wearing-kind-of-gal-or-guy ... then ask around. ask your mom. your son. your postman. anyone. somebody out there needs these. for sure.

the details. men's size 6. when measured with a ruler they are 27 cm long. i wear an 8 1/2. and they fit me fine. the one time i wore them i managed to get a scuff mark on one of the toes. i will pay for postage. which will be about $15US. so whatever you choose for the swap should be around that mark. now ... if more than one of you wants them then we will have a problem. i might be able to get more of them. ha. i will have to choose one of you. randomly, of course. this swap will be close one week from today. next thursday night. japanese time.

comment away.

(the winner of the lovely totebag is ....  jade. yippee. karma?)

what the locals eat.

musk melon.

a gift from h-kun's okaasan (mom). perfect looking musk melon. expensive. and tastey. the box is equally as appealing.

rice.

and lots of it. h-kun's family usually provides us with our rice. but we ran out. and we are planning on joining a genmai (brown rice) co-op soon. i've been trying to hold out until we can get some from one of the two previous places. or both.  but poor h-kun is struggling. so i broke down and bought some white stuff today.

how to choose rice at a supermarket in japan. head to the rice aisle. choose the size of bag you want. 2 kg. 5 kg. most of the rice packaging has a map on it. that tells you where in japan it is from. based on your knowledge of rice and rice growing locations, choose the appropriate bag. and don't worry about the price too much. it is all expensive. well, that is what the locals do. i'm not local. therefore i have my own method. watch what the lady in front of you chooses. after she leaves the aisle ... choose the same rice. the pink on the bag may have also influenced today's decision.

and lots of other sugoku oishii (really delicious) food.

this arrived in the mail yesterday. thanks to a friend's recommendation. the pictures make me want to quit my job. and cook japanese food. all day. i'm serious.

we all enjoyed.

she enjoyed.

she liked it. loved it. yokatta! (thanks goodness!) this was a custom order sent last week. similar to the one i made myself. i like it. i love it, too.

we enjoyed.

hosted my first print gocco party this afternoon. (print gocco = silk screening.) took us awhile to come up with an idea. then we were driving around town organizing ourselves. we weren't left with much time. but we did create this beauties. look at them. red. stunning. and plentiful. just what print gocco was created for.

(oh my gosh. i love my gocco. i love that it's japanese. and that it's user friendly. and that the creative options are endless. just whirling around in my head. going for more supplies tomorrow. more colours. and a variety of things to print on. i hope i can sleep tonight!)

i enjoy.

kyoto station.

one the greatest stations. amazing architecture. (why am i not an architect?) amazing colours mixed in with the typical grey/concrete/black/steel.

and amazing bentos. with polka dots! i/we love sushi.

my machine(s).

this is my first. she's a beauty. there are some good memories surrounding her. the search. the find. (thanks, cheryl.) the advice. (thanks, mom.) the hauling it home. (thanks, leslie.) nothing plastic on her. heavy, heavy, heavy. and i carried it from the recycle shop. just look at her. miss retro. i'm sure she's older than me. i'm not sure what to do with her now. i still love her. maybe i'll construct a little shrine. in the corner.   

meet janome #2. she's basic. smooth. and reliable. (i feel like i am betraying janome #1. i still love her. i do.) not quite as stylish. but she gets the job done with few leslie frustrations. this is good. (a little trivia for you - janome means snake's eye.)

sewing for others.

a little custom order. finally finished. will be shipped soon. very soon. fingers crossed. 

this material is ready for a little friday night activity. some i-was-late-getting-it-done compensation for the above custom order. no extra charge. (was waiting for that machine. sorry, harmonie!) 

i enjoy them.

living in a country where english is not the first language is somtimes tough. sometimes you just need a taste of home. home means interesting english in this case.

donna hay kids issue, annual 3, 2006.

just made cupcakes like this cake. green/pink/cream. for tomorrow night's party. h-kun said they don't look oishi. hope the birthday kids disagree.

newsweek june 25, 2007.

i love angelina. since before she was on a mission. and well before brad. those lips. beating to her own drum. now "the sexual icon as serious advocate". has got me thinking. need to start volunteering again. making a difference. getting priorities in check. going to read this article now. before i sleep.

time, summer journey special issue, june 25 - july 22, 2007.

we are what we eat. that means i look like a glass of soy milk mixed with a slice of pizza. not so attractive. one article highlights families from around the world. how much they eat in one week and how much they spend. focusing on the fact that "in the face of urbanization, families across the globe are abandoning ancient diets and dining habits". sad. has spurred me to think more about my own habits. or lack of. and how they need to go back to macrobiotics. and why. tempted to analyze our weekly consumption here at i-house. and document it with a photo. and some more self-reflection.