Isn't it boring when people talk about the weather? Even if it is, let me tell you: it is awfully cold here in Minnesota! Today, we saw a temperature of -15F (-26C.) It is awfully cold outside! We haven't had many really cold days like this in recent years, so it gives us good memories of days past. Over the weekend, Kazuko, Kenny, and I visited a resort whee a friend's family owns a cabin. It was awfully nice. In tomorrow's entry, I will have some pictures of our happy time up there....

Hello there. I hope that all of you are psyched-out for the three-day weekend. I always appreciate them when they come around! As my headline suggests, I am enjoying my evening with a margarita in hand. I don't think that I have had one of those in over a year! I gave my wife a sip, and she echoed my sentiment when she said, "Nadskashii!" (Which in Japanese means: "reminiscent of times past.") Ususally I fancy drinking beer. Today, the mood struck me to get some tequila and margarita ...

Hello there. I hope that everyone has been having a happy week. I can't believe that Friday is almost here! Today as I was driving to work, I heard on the radio that the last episode of "Friends" will be in May. That was the first time in a long time that I have heard about that show. To be honest with you, I thought that the last episode was last year. (Not that I've checked, but there's probably been lots of "jumped the shark" internet chatter about "Friends," hasn't there?) I hav...

Hey there. It was seemingly a long day. As I was driving home from work, I thought about what I had done during the day. Thinking back to events in the morning, I said to myself: "Wow! I can't believe that happened this morning! It seems so long ago." But now I find myself at home, updating my weblog. Ready to unwind after another in a string of busy days leading to summer vacation. After this I will play with my barbells, watch sumo, play with my wife and son, and eat dinner. I pla...

Recently I have been in the mood to watch situation comedies on television. It is surprising what good shows one can encounter if he or she is inclined to strategially channel-switch. If I play my cards right, I can watch 2 hours of "Seinfeld" (or 3 on a Wednesday!) an hour of "Cheers," and an episode each of "The Simpsons," and "Frasier." I am sure that I will get tired of watching those shows so often, but they are good for now. (I could watch more Cheers if Nick at Night didn't get rid ...

Hello there! After work today, I took a side-trip to a bank nearby my school to deposit some checks. Since I was on a different course, I decided to drive along the Mississippi River to get home. The drive takes a litter longer than the highway, but I enjoy the view. As I was driving and looking at the river, I thought to myself, "This is awfully pretty. I should bring my wife here some time." Just about the time I was thinking that, I saw a large flock of white trumpeter swans swi...

Hi there. I hope that everyone had a good beginning of the work week. I survived my first day back. I was especially pleased today with some dialogue from some plays that I am acting and recording with the kids at school. Bringing a video camera into class seems motivating for the kids. (We're doing plays about an Indian legend about how the sky got to be so far up, and one about a giant who steals crops from a family in Chile.) After I got home, I enjoyed some nice shrimp curry for di...

Hey there friends. I hope that you've had a nice weekend. I really enjoyed spending time with my wife and my son. As usual it went too fast, and it is back to work tomorrow. This weekend saw the beginning of the New Year's Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo. Kazuko videotaped it last night, and I watched it tonight after dinner. The big question this time will be whether Tochiazuma can get the tournament victory with at least thirteen wins. If he does, he will become a grand champion. It w...

Recently I have been noticing that there has been a lot more coverage of the primaries and caucases that are coming up soon. We have seemingly entered the presidential campaign season. In 1992, I was very active in the election. I did lots of volunteering, and was involved in a lot of activist activities. It was really fun! Good parties, interesting conversations, friends, etc... What more could one want as an undergraduate? (It was also a good opportunity to get beer before I was 21.) ...

As I had written in my last blog entry, I watched the film: "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" on IFC. Tonight, BBC America is showing "The Meaning of Life." -Even though I have seen that movie about fifty times (maybe more,) I still am watching it on TV. (By the way, read my last entry if you're interested in comparing Tarantino's gangster movies to Guy Ritchie's gangster movies.) Having movies on is good. There isn't much else on, is there? Actually, it has been so long since the...

Hey there! Yesterday I had to make a quick trip to K-Mart to buy some diapers for baby Kentaro. He is growing quickly through the various diaper sizes. While I was at the store, I found a number of winter flannel shirts on sale that I really liked. There were a number of pretty nice shirts in the 10-15 dollar price range. I looked through the various items to pick one out for myself (I like wearing flannel shirts.) Sadly, since it is late in the season, the vast majority of shirts were...

In Japan, it is a tradition to send New Year's greetings in the form of post cards. At the beginning of each year it isn't uncommon to receive a large stack of greetings from friends, relatives, and well-wishers. When my wife and I lived in Japan, we adhered to the tradition of sending and receiving these New Year's greetings. Since moving to the United States we still continue to send and receive these messages, although not in as great of volume as when we lived in Japan. Now my wife and ...

Hello there. Happy New Year! With the new year comes the end of New Year's break. The kids and teachers come back to school. Even though I was sad to end my vacation, I was pleasantly surprised at how happy I was to see the kids when we got back. (I would still rather stay home with my wife and baby though!) The kids are very industrious and attentive right after break. I have gotten a lot done with the kids during the first couple days. Of course I don't think that this will last fo...

Hello there! It is Sunday. That means that I have to go back to work tomorrow. So long Christmas Vacation! Thank goodness that I like my job, otherwise I would me miserable. So you may ask: How did I spend my last day of vacation? Kazuko (my wife) and I watched a few hours of biographies on VH1. Apparently today was a special day, where young female pop soloists are featured. We watched shows on Britney Spears, Pink, Jessica Simpson, and Christina Aguilera. Those shows on VH1 are pr...

Hi there everyone! I hope that all of you are having a nice Saturday. Kazuko and I had some fun. After relaxing all day, we brought out the "Dance Dance Revolution" game. We danced for about an hour. It is really good exercize. We haven't played DDR in quite some time. When we lived in an apartment, our playing time was a bit limited as we had downstairs-neighbors. Once we moved into a house, we finally had the freedom to play the game, but Kazuko was pregnant. Now that it seems...