War Eagle and Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, my alma mater, Auburn University, beat our arch rivals, University of Alabama for the 6th straight time. This one was at home in Auburn, and I'm sure that Toomer's Corner is draped in the white finery of victory: Toilet Paper. For those not acquainted with the tradition, following Auburn victories, the students go and "TP" Toomer's Corner, throwing thousands of rolls of paper into the branches. The stuff hangs there until the next big rain, when it drifts into the gutters or gets ground into the asphalt. All in all, mildly destructive, probably contributes to global warming, and is a grand tradition that has lasted for ages, and will for ages to come (or until Al Gore says nobody should do that anymore).

It's been a busy weekend. We had Thanksgiving dinner with our friends Ginny and David, and we just got back this afternoon from visiting Melody's cousin in Kobe. She and her husband have 16 month old twins who are just adorable, and as one can quite imagine, a handful. We took the Shinkansen the day after Thanksgiving to get there, and spent about a day and a half total with them. We really had a great time, and got to indulge in a bunch of Filipino food as well, something that's a real treat for us.

I just have to take a moment here to say how proud I am of Melody. When we first met, she took a short trip to New Orleans and brought a HUGE bag full of clothes she would wear, clothes she might wear, clothes that she knew she probably wouldn't wear, but looked cute, shoes, shoes, shoes, and more shoes, and an umbrella. Of course, I gave her a hard time about her packing for months. However, over the past 7 years, she's improved tremendously. We've done a lot of travel on holiday and work, and she's refined her skills to the point where, this time, she took one 25L backpack for three days. Half of it is still her applications and "girl" stuff, and I have no idea (nor the courage) to tackle that.

We also recently began and ended the process of buying a house. We'll be moving to Texas in the spring, and are trying to get a head start on getting a place to live. We found a great house that, as they say, looks great from afar, but was really far from great. We knew there were a few issues from the sellers documents, relating to storm damage to the roof that hadn't been repaired. What we were not encouraged to see after completion of the inspection, were the myriad other problems with the place. Foundation problems, insulation, termite damage, the aforementioned roof, leaks, electrical problems...it went on for 11 pages. After consulting with the experts (Mom and Dad), we decided not to continue the option, and backed out of it. So, the quest continues, and we're sure we'll find something eventually, and before we need to move in. It was a bit of a disappointment, though...we really did like the place. We just don't want to spend the next 3-4 years totally renovating it, as we most likely wouldn't be able to get what we put into it later on).

Anyhow, on into December we go...we have our Holiday Ball on Tuesday, a bit early due to an exercise going on, and I'll be doing some traveling up north of Tokyo for a few days. I'll be back in time for our anniversary though. At least I'd better be!

Breakin' The Law, Breakin' The Law

I like to think of myself as a fairly law abiding citizen. My last speeding ticket was when I was in college, nearly 20 years ago (and yes, I am knocking on the proverbial wood). That said, I had a brush with the law this week...

We had a group of folks over from the US this week, working with us on a future exercise we're trying to get together. While here, we went out to the depot for a visit, but before we left, I realized that I left my ID card in my computer. Rather than make us late, I decided that, since I'd done it before, I would just sign in after we got there.

We drove up to the gate and everyone showed their IDs to the security guard. I explained that I had forgotten mine, and would need to sign in, and then pulled over to the side. We waited for several minutes for the guard to come over with the clipboard. When he didn't, I craned my head out the window and looked back at them. They were standing in a gaggle, so I waved at them. They waved back at me like I could go on, so I shrugged my shoulders, and went on in.

After making a quick trip to the bathroom, we joined the rest of the group for a briefing. To save time, I parked on the grass, and we cut across to the warehouse. After our briefing, we went out to look at some static displays, and while standing there, a military policeman came up. I figured that perhaps he was looking for me since I'd parked on the grass. Sure enough, he was.

I went over and asked, "Is there a problem?"

The MP asked, "Is that your van over there?"

"Yes, it is," I replied. "Am I getting arrested?" I said that last with what I thought was a wry grin...

"It is an apprehendable offense. I've been sent to escort you off base," he replied, without a wry grin.

"You're going to arrest me for parking on the grass?"

"No," he replied, still not grinning, "You ran the gate."

Now, to me, running the gate causes visions of Al Qaeda type terrorists bashing through the entrance, and driving into the middle of the base to blow themselves up. This is not me. I work here. Hell, I live here.

"I did not run the gate. I pulled over and waited for the guards to come let me sign in. When I waved at them to get their attention, they waved as if I could go," I explained.

"I'm sorry, sir. Could you come with me to my truck?"

"Of course." I followed him, getting my wallet out as we went.

Once at his truck, we went through the information drill. Name. Rank. Social. Date of birth. Place of birth...all the while, thinking through the possible ramifications of having a criminal record. The reputation as a scofflaw...the bad boy persona, which would contrast nicely with my naturally geeky nature. If I were a Democrat, this would be a resume enhancer! Too bad I'm a right wing nut job.

After I gave him all my information, we headed back to the gate. He by this time realized that it was a miscommunication, and decided that he would not give me a leg up if I ever decided to run for Democrat office, and to let me off with a warning. I wouldn't even have to be escorted back on the base by my boss.

As we got to the gate, I turned around, parked, got out and went up to the shack so I could sign in. And proceeded to stand there. Then one of the security guards came out and went to talk to the MP. Then he came back. Then he called someone on the phone. I looked over at the MP, and realized that it was him. Then he hung up and went back to talk to the MP. I went over as well, and he just looked at me and said, "Don't worry about it."

"So I'm not going to make the blotter?" I asked.

"No. You're good."

So, I went on.

When I rejoined the group, one of the guys started singing, "Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you." The only thing I would have needed to do to make it like a "COPS" episode would have been to take off my shirt and say, "It ain't mine, man! I was just holding it for someone!!"

I have a big sign on my door, right above the doorknob, reminding me not to forget my ID card. It doesn't work very well, obviously. I can guarantee you that I didn't forget it for the rest of the week, though.

Otherwise, it was a good week. We're in the process of perhaps buying a house in San Antonio (where we're headed next), so that kept us busy as well. Gotta love the internet...you can do almost anything these days virtually.

We also spent last Saturday with our friends Ginny and David brewing beer and playing Clue. I don't know the last time that I played Clue...it has to be over 25 years ago. It turns out that it was "Mr. Green in the Dining Room with the Candlestick" though. Just now, they actually have little people figurines rather than colored pegs. We had a great time, made some great beer (hopefully...we'll go back in a few weeks for the bottling, and again a few weeks later for the drinking), and then went out for Indian food afterward.

We'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with them this week. For all of you back home celebrating, have a great Turkey Day.

A Map for Saturday

A few posts ago, I mentioned a film called "A Map for Saturday." We ordered it from the website, and just got finished watching it.

What a great movie. If you've never lived the backpacker life, or spent extended time on the road, this gives you some insight as to what it is like. It left us both with an appreciation for the places we've been, and a longing to get back on the road.

In a way, our experience living overseas has been a bit like an extended trip...every day, even though things have assumed a sort of routine, we are still in Japan, and adventure is always a possibility, though it usually just means we got lost. Again.

Relatives and Baby Roulette

We just wrapped up a short visit with my cousin Paul, who has been traveling Asia for the past 2 months. He spend 5 weeks in China on business, before heading to Vietnam to link up with his brother Mark, a tour organizer there. Now, on his way back to the US, he spent a couple of days in Tokyo, and we were able to link up with him last night.

We met him in north Tokyo, where we had supper (soba and beer) at a traditional Japanese izakaya restaurant. We enjoyed watching the businessmen around us drinking heavily, and gauging their drunkenness by the redness of their faces.

After a while, we headed back to Roppongi, and Hardy Barracks where we stayed the night. We ran into some friends there as well, my buddy Steve from the China trip in May. We hung out in the hall outside our rooms (ironically, right next to each other) for a while before turning in.

This morning, after checking out, we headed down the street to the New Sanno and had breakfast together. While waiting, Paul, Steve and I played "baby roulette" with Steve's daughter. There's one particular rug in the lobby that is round, and we would place bets on which direction she would go.

Here are the rules:

1. Pick an edge of the rug.
2. Place your money on your "spot." ($1 or 100 yen ante).
3. Dealer picks up the baby and spins around while one the other players close their eyes.
4. After a few seconds, the other players say "Stop."
5. Place baby in center of circle.
6. Baby crawls to the edge of the rug.
7. Whomever put their money closest to where baby exits the rug, wins the pot.

There's now about 3 dollars more in Kiely's college fund.

We're at Narita now...just left Paul at the security gate, and Melody's getting her nails done. We'll head back to Tokyo for dinner with some friends later on. It was a short, but fun visit, and we're really glad he had the chance to come by.

Ten Commandments of Travel (with a mate)

According to Jim Klima, on the "Travels with a Spousal Unit" site, there are some rules when traveling with your mate. For your edification, they are listed below...


Ten Commandments of Travel (with a Mate)

1. GOOD, BAD AND UGLY. The best experiences, the worst debacles and the most unforgettable moments happen serendipitously and cannot be planned, anticipated or avoided. Spurn thy mate's desire for hotel reservations, a fixed itinerary or an automatic transmission.
   
   
2. VAUABLES. Safeguard thy most precious possessions (flyswatter, ear plugs and universal sink stopper) even from thy mate. Store photocopies of important documents such as passport, airline ticket and credit cards on thy mate's body. Also memorize, repeat memorize, thy mate's PIN numbers.
   
   
3. MATESHIP. Thou shall not abandon thy traveling companion in spite of loud snoring, racist or sexist remarks or contagious disease. Should thee become separated from one another by a rampaging mob, insane vehicular and animal traffic or a frantic toilet search, return to the point of last eye contact.
   
   
4. TRANSPORT. When traveling by air, spend the night before sleeping in the airport lounge. When traveling by sea, always purchase tickets for deck passage. When traveling by bus or train, try to get a seat. Chain up thy luggage and drape thy mate over it.
   
   
5. EATING AND SLEEPING. Rotate food and lodging power (where to sleep and where to eat) on a daily basis. Decision-making (or getting even for thy mate's stinginess, eccentricity or poor choices) works best if applied unilaterally without regard for thy traveling companion.
   
   
6. HEALTH. The "healthy" one makes the decisions for the "sickie" who must obey even if it means abandoning the dream of a lifetime (crawling toward Everest Base Camp while spewing all over the track). Offer no sympathy for diarrhea--happens to all travelers. Tell thy mate to go with the flow and remind him or her that a proper loo is in the mind (and hamstring muscles) of the beholder.
   
   
7. SANITATION AND HYGIENE. Losing thy sense of clean is inevitable if thou are traveling right. Overlook thy mate's aroma du jour and wear only black skivvies. If thy mate's standards for sanitation and hygiene are not flexible (and comparable to thy own), thy trip is doomed.
   
   
8. SEX. If thou want sex on thy trip, bring it with thee. Life does not imitate the movies, romance novels or thou's horny dreams, especially for Americans, well men at any rate…ok, me. Keep close watch on thy mate around Italian men.
   
   
9. FUN. "You're young, you're free, you're on the other side of the world. For f**k's sake, have some fun!!!! Travel mantra observed on the bulletin board in a London hostel (the four exclamation points are theirs, not mine). Equally applicable to the young at heart.
   
   
10. ABOVE ALL ELSE. Disregard thy mate's worries, objections or nightmares and adhere to the Lonely Planet guidebook motto: "Don't worry about whether your trip will work out, just go."
    

China Trip Updates and a Great Movie Trailer

I am gradually getting to updating the posts made during May's trip to China with pictures that are now on the Flickr site. So far, Days 1-3 have been updated with some pictures.

In the meantime, while surfing around our old blog home Boots N'All, I found a link to a documentary called "A Map for Saturday" about the phenomenon of RTW backpacking. If you've never had the experience of backpacking around the world, it gives you a taste of what you're missing. A young lady sums it up this way: "It sounds like one big, long holiday, but you've got to meet people, you've got to find someplace to live, you've got to communicate in a foreign language."

So true...and to me, some of the best reasons for traveling.

MAP FOR SATURDAY is the product of a year’s travel through 26 countries on four continents. Emmy winning producer Brook Silva-Braga left his cushy gig with American TV network HBO to travel the world with five pounds of clothes and 30 pounds of video equipment.

The barebones production set-up yields an intimate window onto the world of long-term, solo travel; moments of stark loneliness and genuine revelation.

During the year, two-dozen solo travelers intersect with Silva-Braga, helping tell the story of the place they’ve met and the experience they share.

The film lands in Australia at mid-summer and in Nepal on the eve of revolution. There’s the challenge of Vietnam’s absurd traffic and Europe’s steep prices.

Beyond clichés of shagging backpackers and dubious self-discovery, Silva-Braga finds a hidden world of long-term, solo travelers. At times lonely and difficult; more often joyous, and always adventurous, A MAP FOR SATURDAY completes an around the world trip in 90 minutes.

Our first plug

As a way of breaking up the daily commute (about 2 1/2 hours on the road coming and going), I listen to a lot of different podcasts. The daily favorites are politics or tech related, but I have to say that I look forward to the approximately bi-weekly installment of Mark Peacock's Travelcommons Podcast. As he says, it's more about the journey than the destination.

In an entry a couple of weeks ago, Mark discussed the proliferation of local eateries inside of airports bringing regional flavors and favorites to travelers who may just be passing through. You can now find barbecue and burger joints, and a number of micro-breweries in almost any airport now.

When we lived in the Washington DC area, one of our favorite places to eat was 5 Guys, an incredible greasy burger place. We didn't have enough time to hit it last July when we were in town, but to our gastronomic delight found they had opened up a franchise inside Reagan National Airport.

Well, I remarked on our find in the comments of Mark's entry, and this week, Sand and Tsunamis made the big time with a mention in his podcast. While he was in DC recently, he went to find it, only to be denied because the restaurant wasn't in his departure concourse.

This may be Sand and Tsunamis' 15 minutes of fame, so go check it out. While you're there, take a listen to his other entertaining and insightful podcasts. We've had him on our favorite links section for a while now.

Packing Light

In all the traveling I've done, I like to think that I've been able to pare down to the absolute necessities. Apparently, I still have a long, long way to go.

Tim Ferriss, author of book The 4 Hour Work Week (and blog of the same name), took a trip to Maui back in the Summer, and managed to travel with about 10 pounds worth of stuff.

Take a look at his site, and in particular, the short movie outlining some of his packing strategies (namely, clothes that pack to small sizes). Very cool...

Flashback to the Empty Quarter, 2004

I was rooting through one of my old hard drives for pictures to post and came across this small movie from my trip into the Empty Quarter in 2004. I've been meaning to upload it to Youtube, and finally got around to it.

For the full story, click here or on the title above.

Baseball Been Berry, Berry Good to Us...

About a week ago, we went to see one of the last Yokohama Baystars games of the season. Though not big sports fans (other than Sumo of course), we still enjoy going to live baseball. Something about sitting in the stands, eating hot dogs and drinking beer makes for a fun day. There's a game on, you say? Those guys down there running around and stuff? I guess that's ok too.

Melody recently started a blog of her own, and she posted a good overview of our experience. It's something different than going to see the Orioles at Camden Yards. They still had hot dogs, and beer, though...so it was a good time.

Baseball teams here in Japan aren't usually named after cities like in the US. Instead, you have corporate sponsorship, and some (at least to gaijin like us) strange names. Like the Nippon Ham Fighters who take their name from a meat packing company. That would be like having a team called the "Hormel Deviled Chickens" in the US. Then there are the Chiba Lotte Marines, named after a brand of chewing gum. Do you think that anyone would root for the Wrigley "Big Reds?"

While there are the usual team names like "Giants" and "Tigers" you also see teams of not so typical team mascots such as "Carp," "Swallows" and the aforementioned "Ham Fighters" (though I bet you could get your butt kicked by a ham if it was big enough and swung by one of the Giants).

Besides the names, there are a few other differences, such as the teams have cheerleaders that come out in between innings to root the players on. Also, there is the fact that you DO NOT cheer for your team unless they are at bat. You'll get dirty looks...trust me. Even then, you have to stay with the approved, programmed cheers (none of which we knew) and say them at the same time as everyone else. It was sort of like going to Mass when I wasn't yet Catholic...everyone around us knew the right things to say. Since we didn't, we just clapped and whacked our little plastic bats together in time with everyone else. Still, a lot of fun was had by all.

Check out what Melody has to say about it. Here. And for more information on Japanese Major League Baseball, go here.

Oh yeah, the Baystars won, 6 to 4. Take that Chunichi Dragons!