One of the many things I'm thankful for...

Hi again...did you enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday? I hope you did....here in the Kuroiwa House, we had roasted chicken, herbed veggies, cranberry sauce (one lone can was "hiding"in the back of my cabinet!!), salad, and chocolate cake (of course, homemade...left over from a cake I made for a friend's birthday!!). The dinner was nice...not quite turkey and stuffing, but we will get that at Christmas!!!

So....a conversation I had with a friend has prompted this particular post. She is a member of a dance group that I joined about 3 1/2 years ago....and she asked me what my family thought about my dancing. ..........................Well......hmmmm....let's see...my mom knows...my sister-in-law knows....my sisters know...and a few friends (very close friends!!) have been told. "Why" my friend asked, "haven't you told anyone?" Again.....hmmmmmmmm.....really don't have an answer for that.
Three and a half years ago, in the course of my job situation changing....I needed something to keep me from going crazy. By chance, this particular dance group was brought to my attention and I thought "what the hell?" and gave it a shot. For a while, I told very few here. This was something that was "mine"....something that I needed. I have two very dear friends here who have been supportive....and didn't think I was nuts by doing this. ...and if they do, they don't share with me!! :-D
It's a big case of "Don't laugh AT me, laugh WITH me."
So what is it that I do?



I am a member of the Kyushu Hula Association. Two or three times a month, our group Chitose Hula, meets and we have class.
Hula has become one of THE most popular classes at the community centers here in Japan.
Yes....I am the youngest in our group and one of the youngest here in Nagasaki.
Yes....I am the only foreigner (at least in Nagasaki, possibly in Kyushu!) doing this!
Yes....I am loving it...and getting better all the time!!!
For 2 hours each time, we put on our pau skirts, leis and flowers and we are transported to another place....for just a bit.


This is part of our group. We are getting ready for a performance at the community center's culture festival next week and not everyone chose to participate.
This group of women have become so very important to me. Even though I understand only about 50% (on a good day) of what is going on around me, they welcomed me from the first day. We have such a wonderful time.
Last year, at the BIG Hula Festival held every year here in the city (106 groups!!!Holy Moly!!), some of us were in the elevator when some ladies from another group got in with us. One of them said to a member of my group, "You are from Chitose Hula, aren't you?" "Yes, we are. How did you know?" And the lady, pointing in my direction said, "You have the foreigner." And with that, my good friend turned to me, whapped me on the arm and said, "You're a foreigner?!?!?!" We all got a really good laugh out of that.

But later...when I got to thinking about it...what a nice thing for her to say. For us foreigners, we will never be totally accepted into this society....no matter how hard we try...it won't happen. But, now I know that there is at least one group here, that accepts me...for me.
And I am oh so very thankful for that.

To my friends in my hula group.....Mahalo....arrigato...gracias...thank you.
*and even if they were to read this, I seriously doubt they would understand, but...they know how I feel.

So really...little boys and long sox...what's the story??

This is a picture that I took yesterday of Koji before we left for the daycare. I figure that if he was really cold, he would have just put on long pants....but....no...he really likes those sox!
Now....I have a vivid memory of my brothers doing this with white tube sox when they were little...with very little leg actually showing because they had pulled the sox up so high!! Then, various high school basketball players (in the mid-late '70's) were wearing ones that came right to the knees (I can remember even then, thinking that just looked goofy!!) Fast-forward about 25 years and my two nephews, when they were maybe 4 and 3 years old....I have a picture of them jumping on the bed, in their underwear with T-towel capes and yes, reeeaaaalllly high tube sox on!

Anyone care to offer an explanation for this strange phenomenon that strikes many little boys....and sometimes, not-so-little-boys?!?!

What we have is a failure to face a few realities...

1. I'm not a size 12...haven't been since I WAS 12 probably.

2. I'm not getting any younger and telling people that I'm 37 might not actually work anymore.

3. Though I function fairly well on a daily basis, I need more than 5 hours of sleep a night. (Any suggestions for sleeplessness will be happily accepted.)

And though there are many more of these "realities", the biggest one right now is.......THE HOLIDAY SEASON IS SOON UPON US!!!

*sigh* My last blog was on Halloween and most every night I sit here at my computer surfing a bit, reading e-mails, Yahoo-messaging friends (some of whom I haven't seen for many moons!!)and reading my usual list of blogs.....and yet...I have had a hard time getting the energy to get past the Halloween post. Ah..denial...what a great state to be in!!!

So....I'm working on getting over this...I try not to scowl at the pink and blue Christmas trees that are around town...and I have dusted off my ability to totally ignore really loud Christmas music being sung by rap "musicians" (and I use that term very lightly!). Even though I actually forgot that Thanksgiving was this week....hey! give me a break...it's a regular day here but this year Friday is a National Holiday in Japan....don't have a turkey, but will find a chicken and improvise!!!

I told Issei that we would get out the Christmas decorations in a week or so...we have to start soon, though, on convincing the K-man that we NEED to put up the lights outside!! Last year, he "did it for Lila"....hmmmm......what will I use this year?!?!

The weather has gotten cooler....the hot carpets and katatsus are out and up ("hot carpet"..exactly what the name says..an electric carpet...and a "kotatsu" is a small coffee-table-like table with a heating unit underneath...we put a futon/comforter over the top...kind of like when we were kids and made forts...then put a tabletop over that....absolutely toasty to sit under!!) and the kerosene heaters are filled and ready to go!! Though it is pretty chilly in the mornings, the afternoons are still warm....just waiting for that wonderful cold to hit. Maybe then it will feel more "holiday" like!!

I hope you all are having a good week. If you are driving anywhere to be with family or friends during the Thanksgiving holiday, please drive careful.

"Talk" to you soon and Much much love to you all!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

So...even though we only decorate here in the Kuroiwa House for Halloween, it doesn't mean we don't enjoy it!! Here are a couple of pictures we took last night....Issei's wearing a hat that one of my students (Thanks Misako!!) gave the boys.....plus, it had candy in it, so we were all very happy!!! **Issei saw this picture and said "Koji looks like ET when the little sister put him in the closet."---------Maybe...sorta...kinda....
And this is just a picture that the boys and I REALLY love!!! After we carved our pumpkins last week, Issei was all like, "Oh man....we should have made one like the picture!!!"
Maybe next year.....if we remember.....


I hope that you all have a great Halloween....get lots of candy and have tons of fun......Have a Booooooo-tiful day!!!

**Oh....and Happy Birthday, to my brother, Doug!! A few years ago, I wrote a poem in his honor...can't find the original but here's the gist of what I wrote:

Ode to my brother. by Debbie

Of all the memories that I have

Here's the one I remember most

When coming back from Trick or Treating

and Grandpa said, "We got ourselves a little ghost".

**Actually, this was pretty much how it happened!! I just remember being so incredibly happy that he was finally here. A little sister would have been great, but Doug

turned out to be pretty good!!!

I'm glad that we kept him!!!

You all have a great day......

And which part of a baby do YOU like to "num num num" on??

Okay....so let's face it...our culture is a bit strange, at times. Case in point...what's with this whole "eating babies" idea and where did it come from?!?!
I was going through some of the blogs I like to visit and came across one post: "What's up with wanting to eat cute babies? And other involuntary impulses that freak dudes out."
I don't know about you, but....I do it. Give me a cute, chubby baby (see example #1 ...Koji, at about 5 months) and I will just start "num num numming" on cheeks, arms, fingers, tummy, thighs, or my favorites..."piggies"!! Why do we do this? And....is it only us girls that do it, or do the guys do it too?!?!?!
I remember about a year ago when, with a group of Japanese friends, one of them had her daughter....who, swear to God had THE most noshable cheeks!!! After sniffing that area near the cheek and ear, I made a comment like "I just need to get a bite of this."......The looks on the ladies faces were such a "Kodak Picture Moment"......so I'm like "What? Don't you do that?" "Yes," one good friend replied, and with a slight giggle, said,"but usually not to other people's kids and especially not with other people watching."
Well.....how sad for them, I thought!!!
So.....bring on the chubby babies!!

**While I am on the topic of 'eating babies', I thought I would add something else in the lines of slightly older "babies"....over that past few weeks, I have heard (by friends and yes, even from myself!!) in conversations about men....incredibly sexy men, to be more specific:
*"Well, I could just eat him with a spoon."
*"I could take a bite outta that."
*"Spread him on a piece of hot bread." (first time for that one!! but I like it!!)
and now, my personal favorite,
*"Ooh...I could just sop him up with a biscuit."

Obviously.....we have some "Hansel and Gretel" issues that need to be dealt with!!

And on a final note....speaking of wanting to "take a bite out of" something....

I give you....Matt Holliday....of the Colorado Rockies.
Yes....yet another bit of proof, that there is a God and He (She) likes to give us nice things to look at!!
(Somebody get me a biscuit!!!)

I was very sad that the Rockies didn't do better in the World Series....not really sure what happened to them in Games 1, 2 and 3....had they played those games like they did Game 4, it all might have ended up differently. Despite the loss of the Series....the Rockies are STILL an awesome baseball club!!
And hopefully, next summer, we can catch a game....and I pray that the RockPile tickets are back to their 'regular season' price of $5....and NOT what they went for during the World Series ($65-100, depending where you looked!!).
So....as with anything else in life...when crappy stuff happens...stop. take a break. get yourself together again. and then do what you have to do to make it better.
Go Rockies!!!

A little catchup??

Yes...it's that time again....time for me to come up with a good excuse for not posting and then hope that I am forgiven....I think that this time I am going to blame the "instant messaging" program and my favorite high school volleyball coach (whose girls are about to do some major damage at the District Tourney...GO T!!!)

I have recently started this IMing.....and, don't get me wrong, it's GREAT, but....I'm getting crap done here on the computer that needs to be done for my classes!! I have "spoken" with the beforementioned Coach T almost every night (along with a few others who won't leave me alone!!! she said smiling!!!).....as I am here at my computer in my PJs in the very late evening, she is at school, getting ready to start her day...or even having already started and sends a message when there is a lull in class!!!

As she and I have a hard time getting our schedules to fit for a phone call, this is super!!! We have talked more in the last week than we have in a very long time!!

When the time changes, it may be a bit more difficult....but, since I usually don't get to sleep before 1:00 in the morning very often, maybe it will work out okay!!

If you want to get in touch with friends....send an instant message...I can't speak for anyone else, but when I see that someone is "on" and I can send a message or that I have a message from one of my friends, it just makes me smile....what a great way to either end...or start a day!!!

I hope you all are doing fine...living healthy and happy....

I have posted some new stuff, so read on, if you wish!!

Much love and hugs to you all....

d.

Just a message to my Rockies

Game 1 is over....shake it off...no problem...you can do it...People all over the world (well, a lot of us in Japan, anyway!!) are cheering for you and know that you will get it together again and kick some major Red Sox butt!!!

(by the way....I cancelled my morning class on Monday so I could watch Game 3 from Denver with Nancy who has spent the last 4 games sending me updates on my keitai (cell phone). I will pick up Starbucks coffee and then run by Mr. Donuts....don't think it would be wise to drink beer and eat hotdogs at 9:00 in the morning!!!

And....to make things interesting....I think she's a Red Sox fan...I hope I don't have to hurt her!!! *smile*

The mad "cake baker" strikes again.....

Some friends had a baby shower for our friends Beth and Vitor who are expecting their third baby very soon. They have 2 little girls and this one is a boy!!!

I was asked by the hostesses to make a cake for the day and here is one of the ones I took.

I'm still getting the hang of this....one of the ladies gave me some of those tubes of frosting you can buy in the States to use in decorating....yes, they may be incredibly convenient, but...I prefer to use my own frosting and do it myself....hard to control a tube of stuff.

That said....I think that it turned out pretty good...plus it was delicious!! This one was a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting....can't go wrong with that combination!!!

(and the cake is a baby's "onesie", for anyone who can't see what it is!!!)

*The other cake's photo I need to find...it was, shall we say...interesting. The hostesses requested something and I just did what they asked. Let's just say, for those of you who are curious, that it could also double as a Biology project...with an egg and swimmy things with only one attached to said egg with the "male" symbol on it!!! One of the ladies said later..."So...you can pretty much do anything, theme-wise, with a cake then?" I just smiled....I can sure try!!! :-D