Getting ready for Halloween....sort of...

So...thanks to my friend Nancy and her husband who have base privileges over in Sasebo....we have REAL pumpkins this year. And by REAL, I mean, one that has to be held with both hands!!! Almost didn't know what to do with ones this size....the boys were really excited!!!
The first pumpkin was "Mommy's"....I went for more of a 'traditional' look, while Issei....

welllll.....
I gave him a piece of paper and told him draw the design he wanted for his pumpkin.
He sat right down and in about 10 minutes handed me the final product. He poked out the pattern with a thumbtack and then connected the dots with a pen so I could follow the lines correctly.
This is the finished product!! He is a fan of DragonBallZ and supposedly, this is one of the characters....I say "supposedly" because I really have no clue....but the kids in the neighborhood knew immediately what it was so a) Issei does know his "manga" (cartoons), b) he's a pretty good artist and c) not bad cutting job either, Mom!!!
We have hung up the Halloween windsox in the trees outside and displayed the other various items we have collected over the years!! We don't really do more than that...Issei does remember going "trick or treating" one year with our friend Jan and her kids...he thinks that was really fun...may have to work on doing something next year.....maybe!!!

A few photos from a very big festival!!!

So despite pouring rain at 6:00 in the morning, the show, as they say, went on! The day was great!! The weather cooperated pretty well, with just a bit of rain at one point, but not enough to damper any of the "spirit" of this incredible festival!!

Here we are, sitting all scrunched up around the performance area in front of the temple. This particular area is quite small, but the show is good. I was sitting with my friends Kyoko (behind me....she's the one with the "temple connection" for the great seats!), Miwa (next to me) and her husband (behind her) and then Travis (in the front) and his wife Leigh (behind the camera!!) and her brother and his wife!!




This festival consists of "floats" that are carried/pulled around the town to different performance areas and to local businesses who pay big yen for each group to come and perform in front of their buildings. Some, like this one, is made to resemble a boat and can weigh up to 4 tons!!! CanNOT imagine pulling that up the stairs at the big temple!!! Each group enters the area and after making offerings to the Gods, they do their thing!! Usually, they move their particular boat or whatnot up and back and then spinning it around and around all the while chanting. It really is hard to explain and as I told Rochelle in Australia..."you really need to see it for yourself, to appreciate it"!!! **If you can, click on the picture and see in the enlarged on the expressions on the faces of the men. During the next week of classes, the "word of the day was INTENSE....the men, the dancers and so many involved were so very intense...it was quite impressive!!!



This boat was the 'Ja Bune'...or Dragon Boat. My friend, Richard took part in this and he said in an interview on TV after it was all over that he didn't even have the words in English to describe how he felt!!! It was fun watching the boats, but actually knowing one of the guys taking part was just that much better!!!
All the people involved start practicing on June 1....some of them work pretty much every evening and on the weekends to make sure the performances are without mistakes!!



The Ja O Dori, or "Dragon Dance" has become one of the performances that is repeated every year. The tourists who come to watch...and they come from all over Japan and possibly Korea and China, too....love this dance. I have to say that this year's Dragon Dance really wasn't the best I have seen, but one of the little old guys sitting near me told me that "next year would be better because that town has done it many times'.



These girls were incredible and again, intense. Their performance was a dance using swords and then later fans. The youngest girl was about 6 years old and she was the funnest to watch. She took her part very serious and you could tell that she, as well as everyone else, had worked very hard for this festival!!!

A true "belly flop"....by Koji

So after repeated attempts to send a video from YouTube to my blog and having each try fail, I realized that I can put videos directly onto my blog.....so here is my first try....turn up the volume when you watch this so you can get the full effect of the "belly flop"!!! Too funny!!!

Koji and my nephew Luke were trying to be like the "big boys" and do 'some really cool stuff' (as Koji told me!!). It was so much fun watching them....sometimes a bit painful, but still fun!!! ("Aunt Leslie's" comment prompted the title of this post!!!)

Yeah...Yeah...yeah...I know...it's been a while....

So...as my friend Jan pointed out to me, the last time I posted, we were waiting for typhoon #11....now #15 is blowing around (not coming too near yet, but, the week is still young!). "It's time for a new post!!" :-D

And......how have you been? Things have been good here...busy, but good. Mother Nature FINALLY decided to cool things down a bit....still pretty damn warm in the afternoons, but the evenings.....aaahhhh....the evenings are wonderful!!! So cool....so comfortable...I can actually get a good night's sleep!!! It's not so humid now, which helps to make the fall, probably, my favorite time of the year!!!

With the coming of fall, we have in Nagasaki, a very important festival that started today and will go for the next 2 days...weather permitting. Of all the festivals we have (and we do have a bunch!!), this one really defines Nagasaki. The festival is called "kunchi" and is said to be one of the top 3 festivals in Japan!!! (Of course, one of my students said that all big festivals, all over Japan say the same thing!!!)

Anyway....the picture I put up above is one of the "Ja Odori"...or "dragon dance" that is only one of the highlights of the festival. I was trying to explain the festival to my friend Rochelle in Australia, and....nope...really can't very well so that she could understand. Finally just told her she had 2 choices: 1) go to the Internet and search for "Nagasaki Kunchi" or 2) (and my personal favorite!!) come to Nagasaki next year and experience it for herself!!! I think that she penciled us in!!! :-D

If you want to check out this over-350-year-old-tradition , there are quite a few sites on the net you can find...or go to http://www.ltcm.net/~telkamp/japan/kunchi/kunchi.html and read what somebody, who visited here 7 years ago wrote about....his pictures are also pretty good, which you can click on at the bottom of his page!!

The different towns ("machi") in Nagasaki, all do performances every 7 years....so the pictures from his site are the same things we can see this year!!

Tickets to see the performances are really hard to come by and pretty expensive if you do happen to get them. I happen to be very lucky to have a "connection" at one of the venues for the performances on the second day of the festival. SOOOOooo, tomorrow, I will get up around 4:30 to get my self downtown to the shrine for the start of the performances which is at 7:00. But....due to the beforementioned typhoon, the weather channel is calling for rain....which will really tick me off!!! They will postpone to the next day, but I have classes....hmmm...IF that happens, I will just cancel classes for the morning....my students will all understand!!!

I will say a quick prayer for cool weather, and no rain for tomorrow!!!!

Okay.....I will try to post some more....might even do a bit after my bath and before I "hit the futon".....I am sorry about not posting, but as most of you know my schedule, I'm thinking I am forgiven!!!

I hope that you are all having a good one..."talk" to you later...

Ciao my lovelies!!

d.

Ah...what a fickle wench a typhoon is,....

Typhoon #11 update....So, when I went to bed last night, the typhoon looked to be headed in our direction...if not directly over, then she was to be coming pretty damn close...close enough to give us some pretty good wind and rain. Now....this morning, it seems that she has decided to head on west, into the China Sea....away from us. *whew*

Now, as much as I love a good storm I am relieved as you just never can tell what kind of power will come with a typhoon....that kind of wondering I can do without!!

So....the good news is that there is a nice breeze blowing today which means all the laundry I hang out today will actually dry today!!! (and no, most people don't use dryers here....too small, takes too long and cost waaaay too much in electricity!!!) It is almost 10:30 and I have already hung out 4 loads, with only 2 more to go and then I can move on to something else....the windows are all open and a lovely breeze is doing a great job of cleaning out the air in the house!!! There is a good chance it will rain a bit tomorrow, so the more I get done today, the better!!! It's also cool enough that I might just get some candles made today...gosh, the list of "things I could do today" is so long!!!

I better get moving on doing something constructive and not spend the whole day sitting here at the computer!!!

You all have a great day and a wonderful weekend!!

Much love,

d.

Something that just kind of made me chuckle....

Okay...so I have been trying for 3 days to post a video from YouTube to share with you, but for some reason, I cannot!! And this is really frustrating because I have been posting videos to the blog I have for my students (using the same Google information!!) and have done so with no problems!!! AAAARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!

ANYWAY.....what I wanted to post was the information about a new movie that, really, is one of those "things that make you go "hmmmmmm""!! I must admit..I am intrigued......

This is a new movie opening up in Japan on September 15 (soon!!) and honestly, I really want to see it!! First of all, it is a movie by director Takahashi Miike, who, I once read in an interview, is a Quentin Tarentino wannabe!! And he proves it, I'm thinking in his new movie "Sukiyaki Western: Django".

So here's the drift: If you like "spaghetti westerns" AND Tarentino movies, me thinks you're gonna love this!! The previews are great!! There is alot of cool sound effects, grungy guys staring at each other...just think Eastwood, Van Cleef, Terrance Hill (a Hutches-family favorite!) and any movie they were ever in that was filmed in Italy!!!

The film is actually a remake of Sergio Corbucci's Django.

Quentin Tarantino has a part in the movie.
Set during The Genpei Wars at the end of the 1100s, the Minamoto and Taira gangs face off in a town named Yuta, while a deadly gunman (Ito Hideaki) comes to the aid of the townsfolk

And now...the best part about this movie is......ALL THE ACTORS (except Tarentino!) ARE JAPANESE AAAAAANNNNNDDD IT IS IN ENGLISH!!!

Yes...all the actors and actresses are speaking English....

Now, I don't know how many of you have spent much time around Japanese people, but...with the exception of a few (like my man Ken!!) very few movie stars can make themselves understood in the English language.

I have watched the teaser a few times and, honestly, there are a few places that I have no idea what is being said!! I told my friend Karen that we will probably need to take beer with us to the movie...that might help!!

Of course, I told my students that they will probably be able to understand the dialogue as it will be in "Japanese English" and that is what many of them speak!!! :-D

Okay....so here is the YouTube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S61ySyaJQSE

Go and check it out...then tell me what you think!!!

(and yes, I am smiling to myself....hoping that it's here next Wednesday when I have an afternoon free AND it's "Ladies Day" at the theater and I can get in for a bit cheaper!!)

I hope you all are having a good week...it's getting cooler here now and as I have been teaching my students..."Fall is in the air."!!!

much love...

d.

And now...a word from our sponsors....

Yes....I know....it has been way too long to wait to post something...anything...on a blog. *sigh* I really wish that I had an excuse that would let me off the hook, but....alas...'tis out of the realm of possibilities, so.....will just say, "I'm deeply sorry" and get on with it!!! :-D

So, it is now September.....crap....I still have things from MAY that didn't get done. Ah, and so it continues. Let's see....the past couple of days I have been thinking about what to put in this next post and decided that I would pay tribute to some of my favorite things, favorite people and just ramble about this and that....('cause you know, I do that so well!!)!! So, here goes...this blog is brought to you today by:

*The letter "k"....for Kahlua. I was talking to a class yesterday and we started on the topic of drinks and such and it reminded me that I need to make some Kahlua. I did that a few years ago and gave small bottles as presents to various people....hmmmm....me thinks it's time to do it again....

*The end of the summer holiday. Gosh...talk about your "mixed feelings"!! Though sad to see the vacation end....am actually glad to get back into a regular-type of schedule. I have to admit that I missed my students....as most of you know, I teach oldER learners of English. The average age of my students is about 58 (give or take)....the oldest is 84!!! They tell me that I give them energy, well....that road goes both ways...all my classes are so much fun and I find myself smiling and laughing....it's great!!! So....anyway...back to the end of the vacation...along with the end of the holiday also came......

*The end of "summer homework"!!! Kids here, during the summer holiday, are loaded down with various packs of pages to do, notebooks to write in, and projects to do. As Issei takes after me in the area of "procrastination" ("No, really....I'll do it later".), getting things done came down to the proverbial wire. Thank goodness it rained most of Sunday which meant that he couldn't go outside to play and could stay inside and get his last project done!!! As my friend, Jan and I were talking about, no, it really isn't that much to do....all the kids have to do is work on it a little every day and it would be not problem. BUT....as most parents will tell you, their kids are trying to get it all done in the last couple of days. Issei, thankfully, got it all done (finally!!) and did a couple of really good projects...he made a calendar using rocks (will post photo later!) and put together a book of the two museums we visited in Denver. PLUS......he had to write a speech for the opening ceremony about "Memories of my summer vacation".....he did a great job!!! He and 4 other students read their papers in front of the whole school yesterday in the gym.....I was very proud of him!!!

*The Susan G. Komen Foundation's Race for the Cure.

On October 7, Denver will be having it's annual Race for the Cure and I encourage everyone, if you can, to join, or at least go to my friend, Lila's personal page and pledge some money to help her. Her goal this year is to raise $500 and she is almost there. Lila is a SURVIVOR and is such an incredibly strong woman....I am so proud of her...I wish I could be there to walk with her and her "team"...but will do what I can from here! Go to:
http://www.komendenver.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1050&px=1275804 and give a little!! It's for a cause that could someday save you or someone you love!!!




*Cocetti Wines. As a close, personal friend of the Cocetti Family I am proud to include them on my blog. I have known the Cocetti's since 1984....their daughter Dena is one of my closest friends and they have pretty much adopted me into their family. I was once christened "Debbie Willsoni" so I could, at least, sound like I was Italian!!
You can now go on-line and order their incredibly delicious wines from their new web-site....though it can't be shipped to all states, there are many places in Colorado you can go and purchase it...and I suggest you do just that....you won't regret it. I can honestly say that I have tried most of their wines (some from the basement out of the barrel!!) and given the choice, I'd stay with the Cocettis!! Go to their site at http://www.cocettiwines.com/ and check them out!!!






*FOX TV. Since we upgraded our cable a few months ago, I have turned into a FOX addict. House, My Name Is Earl (where, I swear to God, I can recognize many people from home on that show....Love It!!!), Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.....the list goes on and on!!! Since cable has gotten so much better over here, there hasn't been the NEED for videos from Mom.....which I am so sure she appreciates immensely!!!





*And, last but not least....good friends. This picture was taken our last night in Denver at the traditional "Eat at Joe's before we go" dinner....here we have Dena (back left) from the beforementioned Cocetti family, in the middle is Katie-Bug, gorgeous daughter of my friend Caroline (on the right), then Lila (Bless you luv for driving through storms and such....it would not have been the same without you!!) and then me. Also joining us that evening were my Uncle Bob, Aunt Marcia, my cousins Robert and Jeffrey and Jeff's fiance Robyn....Issei and Koji were having such a great time at Joe's, I'm not sure if they sat down long enough to actually get their pictures taken!!!
This evening is always such a fun time....a great end to a wonderful vacation!! We have been doing this for quite a few years now.....a lot of the same people join and then sometimes new ones join....but always an evening of fun, laughter and lots and lots of hugs!!!
So....to all my family and friends....those I saw and to those it didn't work out to get together (Cheryl, Kim, Anna/Joe, Lauren/Eduardo, Jay, Terri, Ms. Ginger.....) I love you all....you are always in my thoughts!!
And now.....I think I am done.....*whew*.
Have a great day!!

Yes....we are "home"...now it's "back to work"!!!

Actually....we got back to Nagasaki on Friday night, but I have only just now found the motivation to turn on the computer and post something!!! So sorry about that!!! :-D

Our flights back went surprisingly well....no major problems and all connections were made with plenty of time to spare. The boys both slept really well on the long flight (10 and 1/2 hours long, mind you!!) and even I could sleep a bit. On Saturday and Sunday, the boys were out and about catching up with friends and catching an assortment of bugs....Issei was wondering why kids in America aren't really that interested in bugs and beetles and such.....He was glad to be back out there in the trees searching for whatever creepy-crawly thing he could find!!!

I, on the other hand....did absolutely nothing for 2 days. Couldn't. Had no energy. No motivation. Didn't really care. Plus, after spending a month in relatively no humidity, coming back here was like walking into a sauna.....yuck. Debbie was not really a happy camper. BUT....I am getting over that...of course, today is rainy and almost cool outside...does wonders for a person's emotional well-being!!!

I will try to get some pictures posted in a few days....various family members have sent pictures and I need to go through and find the best ones to post!! Plus, I think that Kiyoshi got the ones I took loaded onto a disc so I can go through those too!!

Before I close this post....I just want to tell everyone what a wonderful time we had this summer!!! It was great to see everyone....to talk and catch up....and to just "be" for awhile!! On the plane coming back, Issei and I were talking and he said that he thought that we should go the the States "every summer".....I agreed. I hadn't realized how much I truly missed everyone....we will definitely be home next year too!!!

Okay....so I need to close this up....I am slowly working back into my "frenzied" work week, and I have a class this afternoon....for the first few days, I only have a class a day...next week we will be back to our "regular scheduled program".....*sigh*....sure hope I am ready for this!!!

I hope that all is well with all of you....

much love and lots of hugs and kisses to you all....

debbie

(just in case you were wondering....the picture of the boys above was actually taken before we left...notice the longer hair on Koji...this was before the "I think I will cut my own hair" incident!!!)