A Major Promotion

Hubby was finally promoted to Lieutenant Colonel this month. Actually he started getting paid for his new rank on the 1st of the month but didn't "pin" it on until just before Christmas. He wanted to wait until after most folks from work were back from a joint exercise up "north of Tokyo." I know he despises being the center of attention, preferring to be behind the camera rather than in front. (I share the same feeling...always have) So it was nice to bear witness to the respect others have for him. He didn't expect so many people to be there to watch his promotion, especially since he didn't send the general "all-hands" email out to everyone that others might do. You know the type...they usually send one to EVERYONE and even go so far as saying WHO is doing the promotion, i.e. "General So-and-So". Hubby's not like that and takes great pains to avoid it. (He was even glad that he was limited to less than 6 guests at his last promotion ceremony because it was in a highly secure location, the Defense Intelligence Agency...)

It's rare that anyone sees either of us in our military dress uniforms. Hubby has a TON of chest candy (like the little pin for jumping out of perfectly good aircraft). I'm really quite proud of him and his accomplishments. Since he normally wears the "new" Army easy-to-care-for ACU, it was nice to see him dressed up. As for moi, the only times in recent years when I've worn my service dress blue uniform was for the winter uniform inspections, so this was definitely a special event. (I've usually been in working or wash khakis.) I'd post a photo of the promotion ceremony but I think Hubby would not want that out for all to see... it's bad enough that I'm even writing about it here...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, HUBBY

We just celebrated 2 significant dates this past month. We met 7 years ago on the 5th of December and married 4 years ago on the 6th of December. We had a wonderful dinner at Wellington's restaurant in the New Sanno Hotel. As always, the staff at the Wellington's were utterly professional and attentive. We enjoy seeing the same folks & catching up, much like we are at the Army Navy Club in DC: Iwin, our host; Saito-san, who is always "genki" and has a great twinkle in his eye; Jaybee, a fellow Filipino, who reminds me so much of several of my cousins; Franz, who's Indonesian, who charms us with stories about his "naughty" 5 year old son who we know isn't naughty at all, but is just being 5. We ate at Wellington's two evenings in a row. We've begun to think of the New Sanno a lot like a cruise ship. I can get my nails done there. We can hit the gym in the morning before breakfast. We can go shopping. We can just hang out if we wanted or we can wander around town. We love heading up there for a weekend!



In this case, we've both been so busy with work the past few weeks that we just vegged. We're back to almost the beginning of our househunting search so we spent some time going over the San Antonio areas. Although we could afford a big house with a big yard and so on, we don't want to live beyond our means. So, we're considering buying a place "just big enough" for us and we will look into buying other places as investments.



Okay, I started reading financial advice books recently. I'm gulping down Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad and highlighting different areas that might come in handy in the future. Note: I've subscribed to Tim Ferris' blog, the 4 hour work week, and he recently posted clever ways to take notes, good notes. I've started indexing my highlighted areas of Rich Dad, Poor Dad based on Tim Ferris' ideas. Since both of my parents have recently suffered severe illnesses, I've been preoccupied with the thought of being responsible for their medical care in the future as well as the welfare of our future children and not being able to do either well. While money can't buy happiness, it can ease or prevent financial burden.



While we are far from rich, we are also far from poor. We have good, stable jobs and we live within our means, not beyond. We share the goal to live comfortably enough to allow us to travel outside the U.S. often. Now, you may think that we travel expensively as well as extensively. I'll be honest: we have traveled luxuriously and rather enjoyed it! We took a 10 day cruise through the Caribbean for our honeymoon and took another 10 day cruise around French Polynesia for our 1st anniversary. We met some wonderful people on the cruises but we've kept in touch with more folks from the trips where "roughing it" was the norm.

GO NAVY BEAT ARMY, 38-3

Okay, the game's over, the crowd's have long left the stadium but the cheers and jeers will continue... at least until next year. Navy 38, Army 3. Of course, it's all in good fun because truth be told, some of these young men will work alongside their opponents in the future, especially as more joint operations come into existence. This is a good thing for us since we're our own "Joint Operations."

Hubby went to West Point through his first 2 years in the late 80s and has been in the Army since graduating from Auburn so he's an easy target for 2 annual football traditions: the Army-Navy game and the Alabama-Auburn game. I was raised in Texas, where football rules (although basketball and baseball are also very big in the metro areas). I'm also prior-enlisted, having taken the long route to finish my undergraduate and graduate studies. Therefore, since I'm not an Academy ring-knocker, the annual Army-Navy game really didn't take note until December 2001, one year after we met.

We flew down south to visit Hubby's family on the weekend of the game. While we sat peacefully in his parents' living room, eye glued to the boob tube, I noted that hey, he's not sitting by me and hey, he's not even holding my hand today! Thus the school rivalry extended into our relationship for one single day of the year. I'm proud to say that I did get him to hold my hand one year, 2003... I made certain that our wedding day was the same day as the game. (The only folks who didn't make our wedding were either already deployed or blocked by the 8 inches of snow that fell overnight.) In fact, after all the guests had gone home or to their hotels, we sat in our wedding garb finally eating our supper in the Army Navy Club bar in Washington, DC and watched as Hubby's beloved Black Knights lost to the Navy Mids.

In honor of the game, here are specific fond memories from the last few years...

• 2001: Cheering "GO NAVY BEAT ARMY" with each touchdown or field goal at the future in-laws house... yes, I risked sleeping on the back porch but it was worth it!


• 2003: Getting my bridesmaids to post a "GO NAVY" sign on Hubby's back on the way to the reception, just before we went through the traditional sabre arch.


• Filming a TV spot on the Kitty Hawk flight deck in 2005: I was the only female out on that frigid morning and they asked me to toss a football out to the camera for our spot. How cool is that? We took about 5 takes and in 1 of them, I actually hit the camera with the football (great aim!). I heard this spot was shown in the pre-games.

Since I love the Annapolis area, I hope our children will consider the Naval Academy over West Point should military service be an option. However, I don't think that will be an easy argument to win with Hubby...West Point really holds a special place in his heart.

Cool crayon craft project for little people

I literally stumbled on this great craft project for "Crayon Nibbles". We have so many friends with toddlers and I fear going out of control on new baby gifts. I think I'll have to try this out before the end of the year. This project is so creative and simple to do! Heck, the website is just a fun one to visit! The site is called Crafty Daisies...CHECK IT OUT!

Lodging hints for Kamakura area

I periodically check my virtualtourist.com account (which is sorely in need of updating) and found an email from AUGUST requesting hotel suggestions for a trip to Kamakura in April for their group of 3 adults & 2 children (1 baby). It's a good thing that our British pals, Paul & Karen, with their 4 yr old & 15 month old daughters visited Japan during their Easter holiday. As a result, I've become familiar with lodging options in this little enclave of Paradise (Kamakura area). The following is an excerpt of my reply back to the requestor. (Note: I don't mention love hotels in this reply because of the group mix. However, in a pinch, couples can stay there "all night" usually after 10 pm. Pals Barry & Nadia ended up doing that when they got stuck in Kamakura on a holiday weekend and we were still up in Tokyo.)

There are a few hotels in the area and a couple of houses w/rooms (backpacker friendly). What level of comfort are you looking for? If you want to be by the beach, there are only 3 hotels I know that are across the street from the beach: Kamakura Prince Hotel (about $200USD/night), Kamakura Park Hotel (same as Prince), and a smaller hotel further up the beach whose name escapes me at present,although I drive by it nearly every day to/from work. April is a very busy month here as it's cherry blossom season AND school's out so most hotels are booked and the trains are jam-packed, especiallythe EnoDen line which runs along the beach from central Kamakura to Fujisawa City. If you can get into the Enospa on Enoshima island, it's not a bad deal and not too far from the train station (about a mile?). The website for the hotel follows http://www.enospa.jp/ and for a quick review from travel and leisure mag, read http://www.travelandleisure.com/hotels/enospa-fujisawa-city-hotel.

If you want a more traditional stay at a ryokan, this website gives a good selection of area ryokan. Be fair warned though: most of these little places may/may not have English speakers taking reservations if you call so you'll have to be patient. If there's an email address, you'd be better off to use a travel agent. http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/db/kamakura/index.htm.

My 2 cents: if you prefer Western style rooms and don't mind spending a bit more than other areas futher inland, I recommend the Prince Hotel or the Park Hotel. Sorry the Park hotel link is only in Japanese, but google-ing will give you English websites for reservations. Although it's not in the heart of downtown Kamakura, it's by the beach and is an easy 3km or 1.8 mile walk to what's considered "Kamakura" by some (where the main shrines and temples are located). The Prince hotel also provides some transportation to the nearest train station. When we have parties, some of our friends are coming from other cities like Kawasaki or Tokyo and this is where they have stayed.

The closest station is Shichirigahama station, which is 3 stations from Hase (HAH-say), where 2 popular tourist spots are located: the Great Buddha and Hasedera Kannon or Hase-Kannon. It's also only 3 stops in the other direction to Enoshima City & Enoshima Island, anotherf avorite tourist spot (the aquarium here is good for the little ones although the camelback hike to get across the island is NOT fun but worth the trouble!). Also, if you find it too difficult to find appropriate lodging in Kamakura, you have the whole of the Shonan bay area to seek as well as the Hakone area too,which is only about an hour by train from any of the stops on the EnoDen Line.

If you've visited virtualtourist.com, there are very few hotels/ryokans in Kamakura itself. (FYI: The one in Hayama is NOT, repeat, NOT close to Kamakura if traveling by car, bus or train. You'd have to switch from the train in Zushi to a bus to get anywhere in Hayama and if driving, you'd have to figure out where the parking lots are. However, it's a neat little area to visit. One of our best friends lived on the beach there and we always joked it would be faster for us to get to her place if we had a boat or jet skis). Also, check out JTB's website if you haven't already. They are one of the biggest tour companies in Japan and have a US website. (We have used them for event tickets like for sumo and pals used them for trips to Kyoto, etc)

Happy Traveling!

Hong Kong & the Kitty Hawk...No Thanksgiving R&R for the Weary

I just finished reading several news articles about China's refusal and last-minute approval to allow port entry for the Kitty Hawk's carrier strike group for the Thanksgiving weekend. The liberal western media, being what it is (liberal), for once gave some mention to the politics behind decisions on a world stage, but I wonder if this was one of those stories that ends up on page 12 on most papers back in the U.S. after stories about dysfunctional Hollywood celeb families.

Note: The photo above was taken as our ferry was heading to meet the Hawk. She's the huge one in the background. Unfortunately, this shot was the only good one I had to share...the rest were a bit blurry!

Hong Kong is a favorite city of ours, mainly because we have good pals who live there (Nicole & Lok) but also because of its cosmopolitan feel and rich cultural history. While Hubby's been there at least a 1/2 dozen times, I've only been there a couple, each time with the Battle Cat (Kitty Hawk). So in honor of Kitty City & the Carrier Strike Group, here's my list of HK memories, both good and well, not so good:

10. Waiting for HOURS (like nearly 4 of 'em) outside the port of HK to be allowed in... not because of any wretched politician's blessing, but because of the bloody fog that tends to roll SLOWWWLY over the waters

9. Climbing/crawling down the A-gang ladder on the stern of the ship to get the ferryboat which was hooked up to a moving deck/flat barge which was wedged up against the ship. Each rung was rounded so if you wore anything other than your steel-toe boots, you risked falling...straight down...to a moving deck. The last time I was in HK, a buddy was climbing down this ladder with his golf bag early one morning to make it to tee time on one of the local courses. He made it down... but didn't make his tee time.

8. Rocking and rolling on the ferry rides. A carrier doesn't rock that much and if you can feel it, you're either really sensitive, you're a hyperchondriac, or the ship's in HIGH seas, meaning the waves are coming up OVER the flight deck. Sooo, if you're one of those types mentioned above and if you've been drinking a wee bit too much and are on a little ferryboat returning to the ship OR if you're on a ferry boat with someone who was out carousing the night before, ensure your buddy makes it to the side of the boat before it gets too messy.

7. Coming back to the ship and finding out that one of our Motorola radios was at the bottom of the HK harbor. What happened? One of my fellow medical duty officers was helping one of those fellas mentioned in #8 above off the ferry boat, onto one of the moving decks in #9 and well, the big-ass Motorola radio that is the lifeline for we medical folks fell...down...never to be seen again.

6a. Thanksgiving with 20+ other Westerners in a great flat in the mid-levels. Okay, it was on a Saturday but that's because the others had to work during the week and since Thanksgiving is a traditional American holiday, guess what? The Chinese don't celebrate it. Hubby carved the turkey (the other American had never done it before and the rest of the group were Brits, Aussies or Kiwis). Weird part of the evening for me was getting used to the fact that the hired help were Filipinas. The Filipino community is huge in HK but the vast majority are "domestics." For proof of how huge this group is, visit the CBD on any given Sunday. Filipinos are everywhere! These huge impromptu street parties on their weekly "day off" is a stark reminder that the Filipinos move away from their families for months and years at a time, work for pennies on the dollar or riyal or yen or whatever to make someone else's life better, and are still better off than they probably would be in the Philippines.

6b. An evening out with new and old pals in the mid-levels. Favorite memory: shots in Balalaika's chill room!

5. Sharing the Hawk with our pals Nicole & Lok when the ship visited in 2005. I loved seeing it through their eyes. I'm ashamed to admit that after a couple of years on the ship, 2/3 of it underway, I did become "immune" to its greatness after the first 2 or 3 cruises. When I saw it all through my friends' eyes, who were in no way related to the Navy, I was "recharged" and knew then, that Hubby was right: I was going to hate leaving the Hawk when the day came for me to walk off the brow for the last time.

4. Getting delayed for 40 plus minutes at the customs desk in Guangzhou. Thank goodness I was on a ship-sponsored guided tour. The Chinese customs officials were having trouble with my passport and the addendum at the back with my married name. The worst part was that I was truly hung over from a night on the town with Nicole & Lok and wanted to throw up into Hubby's backpack.

3. Buying a $3000USD carved jade castle in Guangzhou...in my dreams. Instead I bought a beautiful oval red/black lacquered box. Hubby was none too pleased because I didn't even bargain for it. I just said "okay, I'll take it."

2. Getting an awful hangover from too much red wine after a night that started at Staunton's and ended at Pannevino Italian restaurant. Then having to wake up at 0530 in the morning to make a 0630 meeting time for #4. Not good.

1. Getting a surprise visit from Hubby an hour or so after we dropped anchor in HK harbor. He'd caught a ferry ride with the Captain's wife and several other spouses and surprised me. How cool is that?

A November Sunset at the Beach

A couple of weeks ago, on Columbus Day, since I didn't have to go to work, I went for a quick run around the neighborhood. It's a rare treat to catch the sunset during the week so I sat down by the beach and took some notes. Here's what I wrote:

Sky's clear. Looks like a lot of folks had the same idea I did. Since I arrived about 20 minutes earlier, the crowd of quiet observers has grown from a handful to about 20 folks, some with cameras, some with camera-phones. We all came to watch Fuji-san's "skyline" at sunset. Cool, crisp fall weather means Fuji and the Hakone "skyline" become visible often, always. Even Oshima is peeking through the haze! The photo just doesn't do the view justice, but you can see the handful of surfers enjoying some late afternoon surfing.


There are 2 little boys, twins? on the beach below. (I'm sitting on the Parking lot level with my feet clad in my MBTs, hanging over the side.) These 2 boys are playing in the sand while Mom & Dad watch on the steps leading down--safely munching on snacks. Pigeons are hovering about though. Dad just called for them to come over but one is quite willful and continues digging in the sand.

Kid #2 is still playing while his brother, the good one, sits munching on his snacks. #2 is missing out! They call him by yelling "whoooo". Uh-oh, Dad's going to get him now. It must be an Asian call for kids because my Dad's call to me sounds a lot like that. It's kind of a cross between "hey" and "woh", emphasis on "oh". Kid #2 really likes sand. Good thing he's got on brown pants, but his white shirt is very black. (The volcanic sand makes black mud--duh!)

There are a handful of surfers out, as well as a bunch of Japanese tourists milling about too. A few couples too. The sunset is just gorgeous! It's only 4:26 pm and it just gets darker so much faster nowadays!


It's 4:41 pm now and, wow, now that the sun's set behind Hakone, it's considerably cooler. I'm glad I have my Army & Navy Club windshirt. It helps cut the chill.


Boy, do I love living here and am ashamed to say I haven't grasped the language as well as I should nor have I taken full advantage of the outdoors as others have. I love staying in and I enjoy my solitude. Moment of self-reflection: It must be the ISFP or FP in me, I suppose. I've probably always forced myself to be an ENTJ but now that I'm older, I don't feel as if I need to cover up my true ID. Haha.


Now there's only one surfer out where there were 4 or 5 about 30 minutes ago. I should probably start heading back up. I am glad I wore my MBTs so at least my hiney gets a bit of a workout on the trek uphill back home!

Bridges...

I have always liked bridges. They take you from point A to point B and beyond. This is my homage to the bridge...

• Sydney bridge climb...photos pending as I can't locate the CD purchased after my Bridge Climb on the 4th of July in 2005. Until then, I tried to take a shot of a photo of my group at the top of the Bridge. This photo & cutesy magnetic souvenier frame is on my fridge door.

If you get a chance to take the climb, do so... it's a fantastic learning experience and for anyone who's wondered just how bridges are made, it's worth the trip!

Bridges over Yokohama City

This was taken at sunset with my keitai (mobile phone)

• This bridge is right after/before the bridge in the previous photo

• Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo Bay

Huge ferris wheels pockmark the bigger Japanese cities like Tokyo and Yokohama

This is Japanese road sculpture as seen from the Bayshore route leaving Tokyo. Who knows if it has a function or if it's just "art"!

Tofu Man

Twice a week, a delivery truck drives through the neighborhood playing a cheerful little tune. No, Virginia, it's not the ice cream man...it's TOFU MAN! For a mere 300 yen, you too can have some of the finest tofu in the Kanto plain. Our next door neighbor tells us that this is made with Fuji area mountain spring water and is among the best tasting tofu in the area. Wow!

Stop and Smell the Roses

One gorgeous June morning on the way to work, I decided to stop and literally smell the roses. I stepped off the train and decided to take the path less travelled. Instead of heading in a beeline to the base, I walked about 50 yards off my normal path to walk through the nearby Verny Park "rose garden."

• Base of a monument in the park.
  
  

I can't recall the name of this rose, only that it smelled wonderful!

Great Sushi in Kamakura

Our initial visit to Sushi Kappa Gojo, a local restaurant about 2 minutes from our home in Shichirigahama Higashi, Kamakura City, was a wonderful 2 hour affair. We went with our pals, Ginny and David. The short rainy walk was worth it because we had a great time!

We walked in the front door and were warmly greeted by the staff. This restaurant was converted from a ramen house about a year ago and we had yet to visit it. (Hubby needs to be in the mood for sushi so we hadn't gone yet.) Now that we have only 6 months left here, we're due to visit it at least a couple more times before we move!

After stepping into a nicely lit wooden entrance, we were asked if we wanted to sit at the tables to our right or in the booths that were a bit further in. We opted for the more traditional tables, which were like our kotatsu at home, minus the warming unit and blankets, but much more comfortable than sitting on the floor like in some Japanese restaurants. A "hot plate" was built into the middle of the table for four...handy for patrons who order shabu-shabu. Our perfect meal for four consisted of the following:

• beer for Hubby (nama biru or draft beer)
  
• Sake for me & Ginny...they arrived in individual pitchers (about 20 oz. size) made from local pottery and a small exquisitely cut etched glass



• matcha tea (real stuff, not powdered) for David since he was driving them home later



• sashimi for 4 (my favorite was the tuna, although even the octopus was tasty and not rubbery at all like in some restaurants)


• shabu-shabu


• tempura (veggies)


• we also had a bit of miso soup...mmmm....


• topped off at the end with nicely chilled sliced pears

The bill was very reasonable, especially for the level of service, ambience and great food...about 12,000 yen or about $120. For Japan, that's pretty good.

Other than the great food, here are a couple of things I fondly recall about the restaurant...

• Zen-like entrance and overall decor


• Aquarium visible from the road...blink and you'll miss it because it looks just like a window


• Sushi chefs' backs are visible from the front


• You'll have to take your shoes off before entering the seating areas


• exquisite pottery for dinner dishes and serving dishes

Modern Japan's beloved Sport of Baseball

We went to our first Japanese Major League Baseball game last night with our friends Ginny, her hubby David & Rod. We saw the Yokohama Baystars last home field game against the Chunichi Dragons. (Baystars won 6-4) It was such a fun experience! I spent the 1st hour (of 4) just soaking in all the sights, sounds, and smells. Here's a list of cool observations, in no particular order:

• Organized cheering sections: the outfield is split down the middle. Home team cheering sections are in the right outfield, visiting team's on the left. (We were seated in the nosebleed section behind 1st base). There are no bad seats in this arena...the seats are steep and allow everyone to have a great view of every play.


• Brightly colored drink vendors...if you check our sandandtsunamis blog shortly, I'm sure Hubby will post some of his photos of beer gals such as Yebisu-chan and Asahi-chan. Hot tea and coffee were also for sale if you preferred not to go down to the main deck food vendors.


• Typical ballpark food varied greatly from America-dog (corn dog on a stick), hot dog on a stick, yakisoba, ramen cup-of-noodles, takoyaki (little fried balls of dough-covered octopus), French fries, ice cream, rice balls, fried gyoza. We could bring our own food into the park and did...try doing that in one of the ball parks in the U.S.!


• Super polite fans who know all the words to all the team's songs and cheers.


• Cheerleaders (!) who did a 7-inning stretch dance routine along with the home team's mascots (a giant baseball with a long red tongue a la KISS and boy & girl Baystars)


• Cool little Toyota MR2 painted in the Baystars team colors that would personally convey the relief pitcher onto the field (this happened at least twice last night).


• Cool cheering paraphenelia in the form of hollow plastic bats connected by a little chain (slightly reminiscent of nunchuks) or plastic clappers. You could also buy any number of souvenirs ranging from Hello Kitty or Mickey Mouse pens to towel banners to stadium blankets.

3 F's...Fit, Function, and Feel...

I subscribe to wonderful magazines such as Real Simple and Everyday with Rachel Ray in an attempt to balance my life, learn new things to better our daily living and clean out my vast collections of "stuff". The latest advice to clean out the clutter are the 3 F's (please excuse my simplification):

• Fit...does it still fit well?
• Function...'nuf said
• Feel...does it make you feel great?

If you say no to any of the above, you need to get rid of it or donate it....

With our upcoming move back to the U.S., we have to make a concerted effort to keep our belongings within the confines of an 1100 square foot home (the size of our wonderful little 3 bedroom condo in Parkfairfax). We don't know if we'll move back to Northern Virginia after our tour in Texas or not, but just in case, we're looking for a home that's not so big, not so small. If you give me a lot of space, I will find a way to fill it.

So far, using the 3 Fs, I've been able to clear out a dozen outfits from one of my closets. Not bad for a self-confessed packrat...

The San Antonio Home Search continues...

We're still about 6 months (+/- a week) away from leaving Japan but I've now seriously looked at so many houses that Hubby's starting to get them mixed up. Okay, I've been "sick in quarters" (SIQ) for the past week and when I'm not resting/recuperating, I'm enjoying rare unbridled luxury of internet surfing. The difference between Hubby and I when it comes to our laptops is that he surfs sites like youtube.com and I continue to "work." I don't work on my dayjob assignments, I work on our future needs...this time on the next home purchase. (Sometimes, I get distracted and venture over to online shopping and banking but for the most part, I stay to the task.)



The difficult task for me right now is NOT getting caught up with the feeling that I must buy that nearly almost perfect home NOW? Can't we afford 2 mortgages and our Japanese rent for the next, oh, 4 to 6 months? Oh, patience is NOT one of my primary virtues (also mentioned somewhere on my 2nd grade report card)...but I am trying to work on it. Did I say "unbridled...internet surfing"? Thank goodness it's not unbridled internet house purchasing... Hubby's used to coming home now to at least one more home to check out. We've agreed on a list of characteristics & have reached a compromise on many more...check these out (and if you know anyone who might be selling a home in San Antonio in the next few months, let me know!)

• Neighborhood with character and history, a certain energy and vibe that's difficult to describe


• Vintage home, preferably mostly if not completely remodeled


• Enough room for a young family, a dog or 2, occasional guests, and perhaps an au pair or nanny


• A porch or deck, nice backyard


• Fairly safe neighborhood for evening strolls with dog and/or stroller


• Nearby shopping areas


• Nearby neighborhood cafe or breakfast joint...not a requirement but definitely a plus


• Steady supply of teenagers with lawnmowers...does this exist as a summer job any longer or are they all indoors playing on their computers?

With this in mind, I've found a nice blog that provides some interesting insights not otherwise found during my recent forays into the San Antonio housing market. It's called "San Antonio Vintage Homes" and I've added it to my list of spots to watch. We love vintage homes (new term for me) but are concerned about the "dodgy areas" that sometimes accompany up and coming neighborhoods. However, we are far from wealthy and are not really DIY folks when it comes to self-help projects, so I think we'll end up spending a pretty penny on an already-done home that doesn't put us in the poor house. While a nice ranch house with a lot of rooms and a lot of land can be mighty attractive, we really don't need much room. We actually like each other, you know?

Online Househunting & the Moleskine Notebook

We're getting ready to move again in a few months. While we will dearly miss our life in Japan, we are looking forward to being closer to both of our families when we move back to San Antonio, Texas next year.


In anticipation of this upcoming move, I've been perusing the housing market in San Antonio for the last four months. We just started working with a local agent and managed to narrow down the hundreds of choices to about a dozen... I think. Hubby has been reminding me to slow down since we have at least another 6 months until we get there. I tend to obsess about certain things and when it comes to moving, I get even more list-happy (see post from 29Sep).


You see, in the past 16 years, since joining the military, I've spent little to no time in "temporary lodging" because I've prepared so well for each move. When I moved from Maryland to San Antonio in 1999, I moved right into my one bedroom apartment in a gated community in Alamo Heights the same day I drove into town (I'd never seen it before I drove into San Antonio and I hadn't been in San Antonio since I was 12 when we went to visit the Alamo). Okay, that meant that I had to beg a trusted friend to check it out for me with yet another list of my preferences (overall safety, proximity to Ft. Sam Houston, nearby businesses/shopping, etc.). Afterwards, the lease was fax'd and signed and I even had rental furniture arranged to be delivered before I moved in (my own furniture wouldn't arrive for at least another month). I did the same thing when I moved back to Maryland a year later... that time I did stay in temporary lodging at Walter Reed's Mologne House for about a week or so until I could arrange for my furniture to be delivered.


When I moved from the DC area to Japan in 2004, I spent a couple of weeks in the BOQ only because I had to wait to find out when I was going to be flown out to meet the ship. In the meantime, I decided to go ahead and find some housing rather than wait until the ship returned a month later...that way I could step off the ship and into my own house. It took me 2 days and 2 houses before I found our current gem of a home.


Virtual aside: Shichirigahama-Higashi is the wonderful little village where we've lived for the past 3 years. It's a great neighborhood that's considered pretty upscale for Japan...a house 2 doors down from us is listed at the equivalent of $500,000 USD and it's less than 2000 sq ft. There's a little bit of a yard in the back and no garage since land is at a premium around here. The average family car around here ranges from a Toyota Caldina (station wagon) to a Mini-cooper (very popular with the younger mothers who drop their kids off at the kindergarten at the end of the street) to a Range Rover (big for most Japanese streets). I've even seen a Ferrari parked around here. Since most people take trains to work, cars are either driven by stay at home moms or only on weekends.


This is the beach down the hill from our little neighborhood... it's sometimes so quiet that you can hear the waves. During the last typhoon, you could definitely hear the waves! We'll miss this neighborhood, our wonderful neighbors and just being so close to the water. Sigh...we truly live in paradise (that's what my mother-in-law said when they visited us this past spring).


So, what's my secret to househunting? I am prepared...overly prepared. I took away a lot of lessons from grad school, but one that's really been applied many times over the years is the classic decision matrix. I haven't done it yet for the San Antonio move, but it's coming... to Hubby's dismay. (His eyes glaze over when it comes to anything remotely resembling my "Army Baylor" experience or health care administration in general) The closest to "the matrix" I've come so far is my classic "list"... and the dedicated notebook.



It's not just any notebook...it's a Moleskine journal. Hubby turned me onto them and heck, it works. I've gone full circle when it comes to organizational tools. When jotting down important thoughts & contact information for people I meet along the way, I've had a Handspring and a Blackberry (at the same time), mobile phones & IPODs, all of which can do wondrous things like keep a calendar and address book, play music, play the radio or check the Internet (Japanese mobiles). Regardless of what new technologies arise, I've found that the old-fashioned pen to paper has never failed me. A Moleskine (whether hardbound or the new "paperback" versions) is better than loose Post-it notes...and there's this great little pocket in the back where you can keep slips of paper like the loose Post-it.

This particular Moleskine journal is dedicated to our San Antonio househunting journey... I've got the basics that we'll need when we chat with our agent via phone or email, listings that we've found on various sites, etc. When we get closer to our move, I expect it to evolve into the central repository for the really important stuff ... utility companies, cable providers, home repair services... the nearest neighborhood coffee shop...the nearest decent shopping mall... the nearest Wal Mart... the nearest Home Depot



SAN ANTONIO...I've managed to use a variety of online sites to get information on San Antonio neighborhoods. Since I love doing the research and presenting options, that's what I'm doing. (I research like a mad scientist and present my findings to Hubby...this is also how we managedto have a wedding and reception for over 200 guests with 6 months of planning.)


SAN ANTONIO ONLINE HOUSEHUNTING TOOLS: Through the use of 2 major Internet portals, mySA.com and trulia.com, & Google Earth/Maps, I'm able to triangulate and get good basic info on a house listing or a neighborhood. If a house is listed on mySA.com, I can usually get more information off trulia.com. While it seems that every listing found on trulia.com can be found on mySA.com, it doesn't work the other way. The nice thing about trulia.com is that each listing will also have additional views of the home, via the agent's own website. Now that we're working with a great agent, Kathy Seale with the Phyllis Browning Company, we're able to ask her about listings found online and since we've already done as much research as possible from half the world away, we rely on her for the fine details that aren't readily evident online. Game Plan: She sends us additional information in the form of sellers MLS listing (with price change history, days on the market, room sizes, exterior and interior details), offers her personal & professional opinions (this is critical), and finally, we narrow our choices down and make a realistic and sensible offer on our next home. Ahh, but that's in a perfect world. Hopefully we don't have to do it more than once, but we can only hope...

Alamo Heights is at the top of our list but we think that the houses we're finding on the current market are either going to be gone when we are ready to make an offer, turn out to be lemons and fall off our list of choices, or we end up having to make an offer relatively soon and have to pay out of pocket for a couple of months to secure the deal... yikes! (So, we're preparing for just about anything to happen...) However, since the housing market nationwide is in a slump, we hope the stars line up just right and we find at least ONE home that is nearly almost perfect for our needs and the seller graciously accepts our offer with minimal to no negotiating at the table. We want a home that not only fits our present and future needs, but in case we are transferred out of the area in a few years, we can readily rent or sell it.

If only we could transport all the great qualities of our old Parkfairfax neighborhood in Northern Virginia down to Texas...the proximity to work, friends, parish church, downtown and neighboring entertainment areas like Shirlington Village and all the great restaurants and shops therein. Alamo Heights comes closest in terms of the energy and vibe...so we're crossing our fingers that luck will be on our side!

Snail Mail

Virtual aside: In the old days, before a sailor crossed the equator, he was called a Wog (as in pollywog) and was looked down upon until he became a Shellback. This was accomplished after much trial and tribulation during an event lovingly called Wog Day. Nowadays, Wog Day events are much tamer and less gross than in decades past (there is no longer the arduous task of eating a cherry from the hairy belly button of the largest man on the ship). This photo is of one of my favorite people searching in vain for the elusive Mail Buoy off the coast of Vanuatu... Mail is very important to the deployed sailor, even on Wog Day!

Okay, what's the big deal about snail mail? Living overseas has taken it's toll on my mental state when it comes to checking my mailbox. BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): Mail call while I was deployed at sea took a whole new meaning...I opened up magazine subscriptions and eagerly awaited catalogs and other 3rd class mail just so that SOMETHING was in my office INBOX. Granted, I had to beat back my admin staff (all male) when my Victoria's Secret Holiday catalogs came. Ick factor alert: there's nothing like getting ABC'd mail (Already Been... well, you get the picture).

Brown Boxes & Blockbuster.com DVDs: Oh, packages are even better... even if you're the one who ordered from Amazon or any one of the hundreds of online companies who cater to military post offices. Those companies are amazing! Blockbuster.com, you guys are also on my list of "favorite things to get in the mail"! I could have been in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no land in sight, but when the mail came, those lovely brown boxes with the familiar amazon.com swirl or the flat little blue and yellow squarish envelope with any one of the next 3 DVDs on my Blockbuster list could make an otherwise crappy day at sea pretty darn good. 10 days delivery time was about the norm...in fact, no packages from an online company took greater than 2-3 weeks (10 days was about the norm). The only thing I recall being delayed was my Texas ballot that was sent to the wrong ship while at sea...so it probably went to more port calls than I did. (FYI: I still managed to send my ballot in time...)

Anyone who knows someone who's a long way from home, whether in another country or another state, please remember that little things in packages mean a lot. We wouldn't have been able to get into the holiday spirit while at sea on a ship that's stationed overseas if it hadn't been for our friends and family who sent us the little things to help us along the way...

These photos are from my last holiday party on my old ship in 2005...that was probably one of the best times I've had with my coworkers in the 16 years I've been in the service. You know the saying about "these are the best of times, these are the worst of times"...that pretty much summed up my 2 years on the Kitty Hawk. I wouldn't trade it for all the tea in China!

Lists...gotta love 'em!

I love lists. They help keep me organized. There's also a sense of satisfaction in checking off accomplishments, big and small.





I even have a list tacked up in the kitchen of what needed to be done before a big party we hosted this summer, a list of to-do items, hour by hour. Our guests included 7 Japanese families from our neighborhood and a sprinkling of friends from work to mix it up a bit. Okay, Hubby may have chuckled at it but he more than anyone else knows what kind of panic ensues when I forget something that should've been done and I didn't prepare a list beforehand. I've kept that list as it's a pretty good timeline for an afternoon get-together and I've used it at least once since then.

Japanese like to ... (as observed by Texapina Mel)

1. Stop to smell the roses. Okay, in this case the ajisai (hydrangea). Each month has it's own flower. The ajisai viewing season is in June which coincides with the rainy season. This particular sunny spot is at the top of the stairs at Jojuin temple, Inamuragasaki in Kamakura-shi. Hundreds of people visit the temple to see the thousands of ajisai along the hillside. Traffic is snarled all along the beach towns so the best way to travel is via train/bus/foot. I've lived here for over 3 years now and as a pseudo-local, I avoid driving on summer weekends as much as possible to avoid the Japanese tourists with their cameras and tour leaders. (Yes, Virginia, even in Japan, the quintessential camera-toting Japanese tourist exists!)

2. Visit the izakaya after a long day at work, sometimes followed by karaoke: Izakayas are Japanese restaurants that serve drinks as well as fairly inexpensive food. Since Japanese homes tend to run on the small side, large parties (say 10 or more people) tend to gather in nearby izakayas. Good, cheap food is counterbalanced by the oft-expensive alcholic beverage of choice (a nama-biru or draft beer can run you about 600 yen or more around here... more in Tokyo). Karaoke afterwards (with more alcoholic beverages and beer munchies) can also follow. For an idea of what this is like, watch Bill Murray in "Lost in Translation". Some karaoke establishments are just like in the movie (pay a flat fee per person for a set amount of time in a private room and order off the drink/food menu as desired). Others are high-tech karaoke DVD machines attached to a TV set up in a local bar.

My personal favorite is Casablanca in Yokosuka City. It's tucked into a corner and is owned by Charlie, a local dude who has a voice like an angel. Casablanca fits about a dozen people, max... get there early and don't mind the second-hand smoke! PS: If you're younger than 30, you may feel out of place when you first enter. Just grab the mike and sing your heart out...you'll fit right in!

3. Watch hanabi (literally "fireflowers" or fireworks) Okay, last year, we watched no less than 3 hanabi shows in the month of August. Some Japanese apparently make a sport of it, which is easy to do since there's a show somewhere in Japan nearly every night in August. For Westerners from North America, a Japanese hanabi show is not to be missed. They last about 45 to 60 minutes and the ENTIRE show is the equivalent in "bang" as the finale or last few minutes of the biggest fireworks show in the U.S. SERIOUSLY. The Japanese take everything they do seriously...including their hanabi.

4. Visit temples and shrines Since this is a country rich in culture and tradition, visiting temples and shrines should come as no surprise to any visitor who's read a guidebook on Japan. As a Westerner living here in Japan, I've grown accustomed to the many national holidays throughout the year, mainly because it means the following:

• traffic in/around temples and shrines will increase, especially around Golden Week (May) and the New Year holiday



• trash pickup may be affected, especially around Golden Week and New Year



• our local neighborhood restaurants will be crowded so we either eat at home or order take out (non-Kamakurans love one of our favorite eateries, San Go Sho...it's a famous Japanese curry house, made famous by the surfer community). Sorry, these links are in Japanese (the 2nd one shows the exterior of the restaurant), but I plan to list favorite Kamakura area restaurants and cafes in a future blog, with directions too!



• local businesses may be closed

5. Give gifts It could be fruit or flowers from the backyard or omiyage (souvenirs) from their latest trip abroad, but it's guaranteed to be beautifully wrapped and presented. Warning: don't delay in reciprocating with a gift of equivalent meaning/value but do not outdo the other person...you may end up in a gift-giving frenzy.

This list is by no means inclusive (or exclusive for that matter)... there is so much to list! These are just the first few to come immediately to mind.

What's a MEL? (or what's in a name...)

After commiserating over several possible blog names and coming down with basically squat, Texapina's MEL will have to do.

Virtual aside: My better half came up with the name for our blog, sandandtsunamis, a couple of years ago...I'll never be able to meet his level of creativity. But heck, marriage isn't a competition, right? Check out the sandandtsunamis blog for a look at Hubby's written and photographic work...he's pretty awesome! You'll see the photo above in the archives as it's taken on Hubby's camera by a fellow Fuji-san hiker who spoke pretty darn good English.

What's a MEL? Besides being my nickname (short for Melody), MEL stands for Main Events List in the world of acronyms. The "events" in this MEL will be a motley list because as things pop up in life as they always do, I'll try to present them here.

Virtual aside: My 2nd grade teacher once commented on the back of a progress report card that I was bright but lacked creativity...30+ years later, I have to agree with her. Granted my MEL is wholly personal, so bear with me. One man's trash is another's treasure and so on.

Although I'm a poor daily diarist, hopefully I'll turn out to be a bit better blogger. (I find typing on a keyboard to be much more efficient than taking pen to paper, although I'm a big fan of snail mail from friends and family vice email...)

I hope you'll stick with me... see you next post!