Shocking

My all time favorite quote on the use of chopsticks comes from my all time favorite aunt.

Oh! You only use one hand!

Just For Now

One of the Osaka incineration plants posted only because it is weird and I haven't posted since my return from Canada.

More Hibbie Jibbies

On the other hand being not only a red blooded Canadian male but also a hockey playing Canadian, I have been known to wear garters.

Hibbie Jibbies

Many men in Japan carry purse like bags and or carry their bags in a very purse like fashion.
It can be very disconcerting for me, a red blooded Canadian male, to see this, I need to get into the 90's.

Canada Bound

Northwest. Sekime to Georgetown. Trains, planes and automobiles. Kansai, Detroit and Toronto airports. Close to 24 hours of travelling.
It always astounds me it works out.

Is that Kosher?

At the Canadian Consulate in Nagoya the Japanese lady who helped me had a bit of an Austrialian accent.

What I learned in Japanese Class

目に入れても痛くない。= me ni iretemo itakunai.
It's a saying. They say it originally came from China.
Translation: Even if you put it in your eye it won't hurt.
Usage: My son is sooo cute, even if I stick him in my eye it won't hurt.

Hence the Diatribe

In retrospect, I am probably just bitter about the lack of hot dogs in my neighbourhood.

The wisdom of it all.

知 = tomo = wisdom
宏 = hiro = vast

Parents often have high expectations of their children. My boy is going to play in the big leagues, my child is going to be able to read by the time he is four, my son is going to love to go hiking with me, my child is going to excel academically.
And etcetera.
I like to think we are not like that.
And yet our son's middle name is 知宏.

Trying to Remember My Quadratic Equations

I still have not become used to the quantities in which things are sold in Japan.

It is a little like the hot dog idiocy in Canada,　where wieners come in packets of twelve and hot dog buns come in packs of eight. It takes a math whiz to figure out the number of packets of wieners required to arrive at a common denominator consistent with the number of buns in a package, dividing by the number of persons in your household and how many hot dogs you will have that will feed your family for x amount of days and then reconciling that with the best before dates of BOTH packages. (You might find it odd that the meat lasts longer than the bread). Perhaps it explains why some families eat so many hot dogs. If you were to make a slight error in your calculations or if you are unable to do math, you will end up with too many of one or the other and it is back to the store to get more of what you don't need, in which case you would end up with more of the other again. Its one of the those downward spirals.
In Japan things tend not to come in packets of four. And it would be a great social faux pas to give a gift in a quantity of four. Things often come in packs of three or five which can create strife and marital struggles for our family. The solution often involves knives.

Prayer

I remember praying in childish English, for hitting the ball as the pitch came at me. Oh so childlike.
I have heard people pray in British Anglican English, graceful, deep and solemn, that left me with an inkling of the majesty of God, and feeling extremely inadequate in my own way of praying.
And in Japanese, with the language's built-in ability to convey a sense of respect and reverence for God, which also makes me feel inadequate in my praying.
And in English, colloquial, comfortable, able to bring the nearness, kindness and gentleness of God more easily into focus.
I am certain there are more ways in use, both more simple and complex.
All need redemption.
Yappari.
One can't do them all
We are sinners even when we pray.
And yet God treasures every word.

Woman arrested after caught living in man’s closet

From Wikinews
"In the town of Kasuya, Fukuoka, Japan, a 58-year-old woman was arrested after surveillance tape from inside an unnamed man's home showed her living in his closet.

According to police, Tatsuko Horikawa had been living in his closet for over one year. One day when the man left, she walked through his front door which had been left unlocked. From then on, she would take small amounts of food from the kitchen and even take showers. When the man noticed food missing, he set up cameras to catch what he thought was someone robbing him."

Yup, I checked our closets, the most likely one (the biggest) is clear, the other smaller one is so full it is, however improbable, still possible someone is in there. I let you know if anything develops.

Limited Time Only!

When I hold my son's hand;
He wraps his fingers around my thumb and I wrap my fingers around his entire forearm.

Memories

Yesterday we visited the hospital for the one month checkup.
We met several of my wife's fellow inmates, also there for the one month checkup.
Oddly enough we also saw more preggies coming and going. Aukje saw one in particular waddling in, and she later said to me, "I don't think I ever waddled like that did I?"
But then I thought about the time, walking down a quiet Sunday morning street on our way to church. I suggested she practice waddling for when it became neccesary. Naturally I demonstrated, and then Aukje too gave it a try.
We looked up. And there was a 70ish years young Japanese lady piddling around in front of her house, on the street with us. Though the Japanese are known for being stoic in the face of even the most difficult of circumstances, she could not help but chuckle at us.

Around the House

A night shot of Keihan Sekime Station from the stairwell of our apartment building.

Hmmm

力 = chikara =
(n) force, strength, energy, might, power, agency, authority, influence, vigor, vigour, stress, emphasis, exertions, endeavors, endeavours, efficacy, help, support, good offices, ability, faculty, capability, attainment, means, resources, (P)

After holding and/or comforting my young son when he has difficulty sleeping I find myself to be exhausted at the end of a day. My 力 seeps away. All the things I planned to do have fallen by the wayside. I cannot figure out where my 力 went. Perhaps I am out of shape. I wonder if they have baby soothing routines or some kind of baby soothing treadmill at the local gym.
Hmmm

Yappari

Yappari = やっぱり
A fabulous Japanese word;
justasithought, inspiteof, still, also, ofcourse and absolutely all rolled into one word;
It slices and dices, it's a not-too-distant cousin of the Swiss army knife, akin to miracle tonic.
Yappari
Perhaps I have exaggerated.
But only slightly I assure you!

Poink

I have this (bad?) habit of reading books concurrently. Perhaps it is my Sesame Street attention span. Currently, one of those books is Charlie Peacock's New Way to Be Human. In it, I came across a lyric from David Wilcox's (no, not that one Anth) album Live Songs and Stories
From the song Show The Way; it struck me, got stuck in me, I had to write it down.

Look, if someone wrote a play
Just to glorify what's stronger than hate
Would they not arrange the stage
To look as if the hero came too late
As if he's almost in defeat
So it's looking like the evil side will win
So on the edge of every seat
From the moment that the whole thing begins
It is love who makes the mortar
And it's love who stacked these stones
And it's love who made the stage here
Though it looks like we're alone
In this scene set in shadows
Like the night is here to stay
There is evil cast around us
But it's love that wrote the play
So in this darkness
Love can show the way

The view from there.

This morning I boarded the Hankyu, as I tend to do on many Saturdays. I was early for this particular train, it was still eight minutes before departure and I was the first person in the train car. I made myself comfortable.
Kids, mostly boys;
Assorted parents;
Gathered at the front.
I understand why they are here, it is why I am here.
I too like to look out windows. (Here too.)
My boy is still too young, I’m not sure he can even see me yet, but I look forward with a boyish father's eagerness, to the looking out of windows together.

Today's Tidbit.

It was a baptism of sorts, Tazel got it all over me, I actually had to take a shower.