In case of emergency

In Mr X's hotel these signs are posted up on the balconies between rooms. Apparently in Japan, if there's an emergency and you need to escape quickly, you really ARE supposed to karate chop your way to safety.

To Market, To Market

Here are some random shots from Mr X's ventures out and about. The first is from the local market. The second is a photo of the local beach. Mr X reports that it's always this crowded.

Ready for some home cookin'

As most of you know, I love pictures of food. So before Mr X left I instructed him to be sure to take lots of food pictures for me. He's done a great job with it too. This first picture is one of his more recent meals. He wasn't pleased at all when they placed this feast before him:



The next picture is another memorable meal. I've included an excerpt from Mr X's email describing it:

"I ate lunch at the Latin Oasis. They have tacos on the menu and their special is taco rice. You would think it's a taco with rice on the side. Nope - a bed of lettuce, a pile of rice, little bit of meat, a couple of beans and some crushed chips."

I think the crushed chip looks like a Dorito rather than a regular corn chip.

The next picture is from a shopping excursion. Here's what Mr X had to say about that:


"I stopped by the store in the neighborhood. The glasses in my room are too small. I wanted a big giant cup I could fill with ice and water but they only sell tiny little glasses for the tiny little people. So I bought a couple of beverages. CC Lemon Zero. It's 'the new zero calorie refreshment with a plentiful of vitamin c'. That's what it says on the bottle. It tastes like lemonade that never got stirred up."

Then I challenged Mr X to quit with the disappointing restaurants and go to the store and find himself something a little more palatable. This is what he came back with:

Teriyaki Chicken with plain white rice. (Slightly boring, right? But probably decent to Mr X.) And below we have "Apple Pie" from a french bakery. He said it was more custard-y and didn't taste quite right.

Presenting Owen Tucker

This is a severely belated (my fault) photo of my newest nephew, a Mr Owen. He was born back at the end of June. He's having a nice sit with his big brother, Jack.

My Handiwork!

Check this sweet picture out:





That's the hat I painstakingly made and gave to my SIL for the arrival of her new son. It didn't fit at the time but it sort of does now. Look at it - it doesn't even cover the poor tyke's ears. Good thing it's August and he doesn't need to be bundled up. By the time his little noggin' needs to be kept warm the hat will probably fit him like a yarmulke. Oh well, I tried. Thanks so much for sending me this adorable picture, Nicole. It made me smile.

Wicked

This past weekend a girlfriend of mine took me for a night out to see the play Wicked. I had a wonderful time and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you, H, for a delightful evening out. My verdict? The play is better than the book, hands down. (But I still like Phantom more.) You can go here if you want to see pictures.

Snorkeling

Recently Mr X decided to go on a snorkeling adventure in Japan. I'm not sure exactly where he went, but the views were beautiful and he had a really nice time. This was the day before the Typhoon hit, actually. He said he saw all sorts of sea creatures - lots of different fish, lobster and plenty of creepy looking eels. The water was cold but not cold enough that Mr X needed a wetsuit, but he was pretty chilled after swimming around for two hours. But the Japanese think of everything so they had these old boats that had been converted into hot baths for all of the shivering bodies to enjoy. Mr X climbed into the boat to warm up with everybody else. He said it was really nice until he warmed up enough to think properly. Then he came to the conclusion that sitting in a big giant boat/tub full of strangers was kind of gross. So he got out.

On the way to and from the snorkeling spot Mr X captured breathtaking views of Mt Fuji: