This Week in Sports

So I ran ten k today, almost. Apparently there will be a lap around the track when I actually do the race.  Three freakin hills on the route.  One of which is more than a kilometer in length.  I don't think this is the kind of course I will be breaking forty minutes on.  Today, working pretty hard, it took me 51 with out the extra lap so that would put me at 53 for the actual ten k.  Now I do have about three months till the actual race and I really have just started back but holy shnikkees.  To grind 13 minutes off of what I did today.  It just seems totally unreasonable.  I need to find a flat course race some time in March.  Or possibly something back in Canada come june or july.  The good news is that this is the second day in a row of running and I did an hour of yoga this morning.

In other news the box arrived.  We ordered a bunch of stuff from the foreign buyers club here in Japan and it arrived yesterday.  So today we are having nachos and salsa with the doritas, jalapenos, olives and brick of cheddar that came in the mail.  We have to wait until Sachon and Kiyomi come back from checking out Piano lessons.  I think I can I think I can.  The salsa turned out pretty well and sachon made the guacamole so I am sure it is tasty.  I just need to find a grater for the cheese.  Damn the things you take for granted. If I manage to get a picture took before the ravenous ranks descend upon the food I will up load it.  No promises.

Going golfing tomorrow.  Wish me luck.

Love out.

And then there was one.  With the start of all day (9:00 - 2:00) kindergarten for Kohei this week we are officially down to one kid on school days.  Yesterday the Mrs and I went shopping for running shoes and even though we took the little tyke it wasn't so bad.  Between the two of us we managed to keep him occupied and try on shoes.  Happy day. 

It turns out I really need the shoes as I seem to be gaining ground in the old mass department.  Apparently massive amounts of free time without the need to look for work or do much of anything else is not the healthiest life style.  Who knew?  Fortunately the kids routine is pretty set so I can try and build exercise and purpose into my life around this.  It should work.  Guitar lessons are still a possibility.  I was thinking about a gym pass this morning.  I also may take it upon myself to prepare a dish every night for dinner.  I made a really nice Thai Curry last night basically from scratch.  People enjoyed it.  I enjoyed it a little too much.  I am pretty sure that is the other side of the fitness equation.  Portion control.  Basically when I am not exerting much energy every day there is very little need for the 2000+ calories I am used to. Not that I plan to start counting but I just have to leave the seconds and after dinner snacks out of the equation.  Basically I need to drop about 20.  Then I will be at a good weight for next springs running season.

In other news the youngest was mauled by a dog.  Well, okay, he was bit on the right side of his mouth by the little shitzu we live with.  He cried a bit but had finished with the water works before Kiyomi, who was practically hysterical after seeing it happen.  He is doing fine here two days later and seems to be healing well.  Here is a picture from the day after.  The one on the right is from just now.

One more reason I don't like yappy little lap dogs.  In the second picture the little tough guy is holding the bat I bought yesterday.  At the sporting goods store I decided to get a bat and ball to play with at the park.  Kohei seemed to enjoy trying it the other day at Kindergarten so I thought what the heck.  Well was that ever a stroke of genius.  Last night before dinner we went to the park to try it out.  Total success.  Two other neighbourhood kids and a mom joined in our make shift game and we played baseball for about 45 minutes straight.  Both kids were whacking the heck out of the ball and even though they didn't seem to get all the rules and the bases were hard to find as they were just scratched in the dirt it was a blast and no one wanted to go home for dinner. 

Finally this is a picture from dinner a few nights back.  Te maki sushi.  Good stuff. Hope everyone's well.  And thank goodness you guys are all blogging like mad. 

Signing off from Glass House Central.

Love out.

Vistors from a Near.

So we start off with a picture the kid made of her arm with the ten teki(iv).  This was early on when she was really afraid each time she got poked.  It got better as time went along.  The final results came back today and her numbers are good.  She can go to school on Monday.  Thank goodness.

In other news the relatives from Yokohama were down for a couple of days.  These are Junko's younger brother and his family.  So Sayoko's youngest cousin is about five years older than her oldest nephew.  They are in the back of the picture at the top.  This next set of pictures is Kohei, Kazuaki and myself hanging with them one evening.  It was raucous.  

 

Our final picture of little miss Sicky with her mom.  This was yesterday so she was still officially sick and couldn't play inside.  Life was tough.

I meant to take some pictures of my pizza from last night.  I am resigned to having crappy crust while I am here.  Just no option for getting the hot base before transferring the pizza onto it.  However, the crowd is eating it up so I shouldn't complain.  

This weekend coming up is the neighbourhood sports day.  I think I have been entered in numerous events.  Lets hope the body holds up.

Love.  Out.

More news.

Well the current hope is that Saturday will be Kiyomi's last day in hospital.  Her liver something or other numbers are coming down and the hope is that by Saturday they will be close enough to normal that she can come home and start acting like herself again.  Fingers are crossed.  The little trooper is pretty sick of being in hospital.  We are keeping ourselves pretty busy during the day but it isn't the same as being at home and playing with your siblings and cousins.  Asides from the video that can be found here,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K3Px_Lugas

we also studied some Japanese today and read most of "the BFG" by Roald Dahl.  Fortunately the third book of the Harry Potter series arrived in perfect hardcover condition from Amazon Marketplace Japan two days earlier then the earliest expected date.  So for $5 including shipping we are starting on the Prisoner of Azkahban tomorrow.  Man do I love the internet.  Sorry about the lack of pictures.  However, I think the video out put should more then keep you satisfied.

Did anyone else notice that I have started using our names in the blog.  Yes all dreams of making this a commercial venture died within the first couple of months.  So the silly habit just had to follow.

Hope you're all well and Congratulations Joey.  Your rock.

Update

So my full time job is turning out to be kind of fun.  I am up to chapter 9 in the second harry potter book.  We are working on a little stop motion animation project.  And a clown came to visit the childrens ward today so we even got a magic show and a balloon bear.  The fever is subsiding and the doctor seems pretty excited about the prospect of her betterness come tomorrows blood test.  Much like Kohei three years ago she is just having a worse than usual reaction to contracting the epstein-barr virus.  I have also made my apologies to the Mrs.  sheepishly.  Kaz is looking for some attention.  Gotta go.

Don't freak out.

I lost the battle of wills and Kiyomi has been admitted to hospital.  She will be getting essentially the same treatment she would be getting at home.  Only now one of her parents has to be at the hospital 24 hours a day.  If I am not mistaken (which I may very well be) then Kiyomi will recover from her infectious mononucleosis within the next two weeks.  My guess would be that it would have been about the same amount of time were she to have stayed home.  We will never know.  Time to put the boys to bed. On a positive note, I will not be nursing Kaz so his days as a baby may be drawing to a close.  On the other hand it may be a long night.

The Illness

Well one thing is for certain.  This kid is a fighter.

Or she may die. 

You just never can tell.  The doctors are saying it is probably infectious mononucleosis.  Which means we have at least a few more weeks until she is into going out and about shape.  However, it isn't the end of the world.  Sayoko is going to take her to the local children's hospital to check her liver and spleen.  It at least sounds plausible. 

In other news the boys were hanging out in their baskets last night.

It was so cute with the little ones that big brother had to get in on the action.

This last one is Kiyomi trying to follow the conversation between her mother and Aunt.  I had given up a long time previous so I thought her valiant for battling on.

Currently I am boiling beans for tonight's chili.  Once again I will make a spicy and a not so spicy.  Hopefully I bought enough tomatoes so that it is much saucier than last time.  Still working on portion size to feed 11.

Love out.