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well, this is the second of possibly three entries today... I have lots to say!
Today was so dull, and after spending almost the entire day doing nothing (except for talking to my mom briefly, and surfing endlessly on the internet), I finally watched the first half of the movie "October Sky" with a very cute, very young Jake Gyllenhaal. I do still need to see the second half and see how it ends, but so far, I've loved it... I laughed and cried, and stared in awesome disbelief at Jake's gorgeous eyes...he's just the kind of boy I would have had a major crush on in high school (oh, but I have a major crush on him NOW...and its almost like robbing the cradle...but who cares!!!)
then after being on the computer all day, I felt guilty, so I studied Japanese for an hour (just verbs today, no kanji or hiragana, thank you!), and then because I had sat all day, I did yoga for 45 minutes. And I had to reward myself with a huge dinner and some chocolate (only two pieces)...
I still have lots to do online, and get to the rest of that movie.
But, before that, I am going to report on my fun day yesterday.
Even though I know that moving is a priority, I will so so miss my Fridays with Noriko and those kids in Shimizu, because I think that she is the nicest person I have met in Japan. Almost every time we meet, she either buys me lunch to eat at her house, or takes me somewhere for a nice lunch. A couple weeks ago, we had sushi (at a "Kaitenzushi" or revolving sushi shop where you can choose your favorites from the revolving conveyor belt - and they also give you miso soup and green tea to your heart's content), and a couple of times in the past we've gone for ramen or pasta. But yesterday we went to an "okonomiyaki-ya" - which is a restaurant specializing in "okonomiyaki" (a speciality in Osaka). I realize here that a definition is in order for those who have never been to Japan, so here goes: its basically like a pancake that is stuffed with cabbage, and either seafood (squid, shrimp, octopus, etc), beef, or pork, and other kinds of seasonings, and vegetables. Its then grilled to perfection and covered in a special sauce, mayonnaise, katsuo (fish flakes) and "nori" (seaweed). But in case you are a visual person (as I am), here is a picture, and another explanation (and a recipe):
http://www.japan-guide.com/r/e100.html
now, some "okonomiyaki" restaurants make it for you and bring it to your table. That is nice, especially for westerners who are accustomed to having food prepared for them at a restaurant. But Japanese people really prefer to cook their own food. I'm not kidding! There are "yaki-niku" restaurants where you can cook your own meat and veggies on a grill at your table (if you saw "Lost in Translation" you might remember Bill Murray trying to order meat and then complaining about cooking his own food), and then there are the restaurants, like we went yesterday, where you can make your own "okonomiyaki." There is a grill (very hot) on the table, and they bring you the ingredients for your pancake, which you then mix up, and grill right there at your table. I even had to flip my own pancake, which was quite the challenge since it was so big! I realize that I should have taken my camera (the digital camera has a dead battery), so that I could more adequately portray the experience. Damn camera batteries. But perhaps I'll have to go there again before I move and get the photos...
anyway, I had a great time there, ate a lot, and then, upon returning to Noriko's house to teach, had green tea roll cake and cookies! She spoils me! and I love teaching her because all we do is talk! And she teaches me Japanese at the same time. Now the kids, all boys, are a challenge, especially Juki, Noriko's grandson. But they are cute... and for those of you who might be new to my journal, here's a photo of me with those boys from last summer:
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october sky is a cute movie, I had to watch in High school
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*robs cradle with you and doesn't feel guilty* ;P
*feels tired from your day*