Third and Last Farewell Party

I was running around in the afternoon, buying a thank you card for the S family, a birthday card and flowers for MT, pumping up the van to return to DS, etc. I realized that I’d been so selfish that I hadn’t thought of farewell gifts for the S family, ugh! I also realized how hard to come up with gift ideas for people who have included me as a part of their family. With my dead brain, I bought a gift card of their favorite restaurant and placed it in the thank you card. I also ordered a package of Japanese KitKat for the kids on Rakuten. MB and EB love KitKat, and I hope a variety of Japanese KitKat surprises them.  It will be delivered to my parents’ house in Japan, and my mom will eventually forward it to the S family. A gift card and KitKat are nothing, compared with what they have done for me in my years in this hippie town. Nothing can express my gratitude for them enough …

I confirmed that I’ve been loved by people here. MT organized a potluck polka party tonight. It was partially a farewell party for me and partially a birthday party for MT herself and another. This was my third farewell party this week. It was a big crowd with people from the Rotary Club and the local community. People wished me good luck (of course, they teased me a lot by making up scary stories about Ohio), and DS gave me a sweet speech about me.  It was overwhelming to me. At the same time, I’m glad that I got to know all those lovely people in the last five (actually less than four) years. It takes time to establish good relationships, and it is really sad to give up on those good relationships. 

Mission Completed

Oh my Buddha! Why the weather was really bad when I had to drive two hours on freeways! It was pouring, and wind was terribly strong. Kids (MB and EB) were happy, watching a movie in the back, while I was very nervous in the driver's seat, thinking, "I have to send MB safely to the airport!" EB, MB's sister, was not flying but came with me to see him off.

After a little delay (because of the rain, I couldn't--didn't want to--drive fast), we safely arrived in the airport. Alaska Airlines that MB was flying with was easy to check him in. With extra $25, the airlines allows EB and me to escort MB to the gate. TSA was also easy on us, like, "You three are together? Come through here." We went through the old metal detector, not the latest privacy-violating scanner. And I thought, "Hm, traveling with kids is not that bad." Well, I may be wrong because everyone who has a kid (or kids) says traveling with a kid (or kids) is a heck lot of work.

Because we were kind of late, though we were on time, MB had been paged. We didn't know that. I went to a ground staff to tell about MB. The staff said, "Oh, here he is. Wait there. I'm going to get him someone to escort." While were were waiting, I asked MB to call his mom that he was waiting to get on board. I knew his mom was pretty anxious because this is the first flight alone for MB. Actually, she called me when we were going through the security, and I missed her call. MB pretended to be cool to his mom on the phone.

Soon, the ground staff came back to collect MB. EB and me came along with MB to the gate where I had to sign on the document. While I was signing, MB was very nervous because he knew he was going to be alone from there. He acts cool, but he is still a kid. I said, "MB, you will be fine and have fun in L.A. OK? Your stepdad is waiting for you in the airport. No worries." MB still looked nervous, but he disappeared into the tunnel to the plane with the ground staff. I was like, "Phew, my mission has been just completed."

Research in Ikea

After we saw MB off, we went to Ikea to do a little research on prices of furniture. I need to buy furniture in Ohio, but I had no idea how much furniture costs. EB was not happy about going to Ikea in the beginning. When we were planning to see MB off, I told her that I wanted to go to Ikea that is next to the airport. EB seemed to do something else, which turned out to be shopping. But she talked with her mom and got some ideas of Ikea that changed her mind. She was brainwashed that Ikea is a fun place to hang out. Thank her mom!

It turned out that EB was really helpful to do research. She was very much organized, asking me what furniture I was specifically looking for. And she took notes (price ranges of furniture) on her smartphone. Based on her calculation, it will not be as expensive to purchase furniture as I've been afraid of. Yes, I can buy a bed set!

Daniel

Kids are tech-savvy. I knew it from my experience in class.

I used my brand-new GPS, a gift from DS, today without actually knowing how to use it. Damn, I feel really old now. Anyhoo, while I was driving (without using the GPS), EB was doing something with my GPS and said, "Duck, what language do you want to give you directions? There are a bunch of language options." I said I was OK with English. And she gave me two choices, either American English or British English. I thought it would be fun to have British accent in my GPS. EB continued to give me more options, either female or male voice. I said male voice would be better. EB said, "OK, from now on, Daniel will navigate you." Who's Daniel?! It turned out male British voice is named Daniel and female one is Amy or Emily, I don't remember. Since then, my GPS has been Daniel. We were like, "Shut up, Daniel!" "Ugh, radio is on, Daniel is talking, and I'm going crazy!" Ha ha, it was actually fun.

What a Thoughtful Gift!

I've got an important mission to see MB off at the airport, not the local one but the major one, 2 hours away from here. MB is going to see his stepdad in L.A. I have gone to that airport several times, but I haven't driven there myself. I need GPS. DS has one. I asked her tonight for her GPS while DS was helping MB to pack. She  said like, "Right. Thanks for reminding me." Well, I didn't mean to remind her of anything ... I thought. Then, she disappeared for a while and came back with a little box in her hand. I simply thought that she bought a new one and said, "Wow, a brand-new one?!" She was like, "You're going to use it tomorrow to get to the airport and keep it. You will need it in Ohio." Oh, my wow! This is what I was just about to buy! I was totally impressed by her thoughtfulness and generousness. I can't think of a gift that would impress a receiver this much. She is amazing. What is more, her attitude is very natural, not like "Here's an expensive gift that you should appreciate" at all. I really, really appreciate her kindness.

My First Apple Pie

Six apples sitting on the kitchen counter for, say, more than two week were annoying me. No one of the family here seemed to not eat them. I was thinking of how to wisely use them, mm ... An apple pie!

When I went to grocery shopping yesterday, I looked for ready-made crust, but I couldn't find it. I made crust dough by hand last night and kept it in the fridge. DS has every kind of cooking tools, which makes cooking very easy. Therefore, making dough was also not a big deal.

This morning, I was rolling dough out to place it in a pie plate. EB seemed to be impressed and said, "Wow, I can't believe you are making a pie from scratch!" Oh, well, I couldn't find ready-made crust. There's no other way than to make it by myself.

After about an hour in the oven, the pie was made. It looked good and smelled good. MB was literally waiting in front of the oven until the time was up. Holding a cake knife, he was excited to cut the pie, saying, "I think it's ready." I had to calm him down for five minutes until the pie cooled down a little bit. Finally, he cut it, and I saw that the filling was really juicy. I was wondering if it was too juicy. But MB explained that it was just like it's supposed to be.

Eventually, EB came back to the kitchen, excited. She also loves pies. In fact, she had two pieces of pies! Wow, I was glad they both liked it. My first apple pie was a success!

For my own information, here's the recipe.

Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, chilled and diced
• 1/2 cup ice water

1. Combine the flour and salt, and cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Stir in the ice water, a tablespoon at a time, until the crust mixture forms a ball.
3. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
4. Roll dough out, then divide in half.
5. Place crust in pie plate, pressing evenly into the bottom and sides.

Pie:

• Pastry for 2 crusts
• 8 cups sliced, peeled assorted baking apples
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon milk

1. Toss the sliced apples with lemon juice.
2. Combine sugars, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; add to apples and toss well to coat.
3. Fill pastry lined 9 inch pie pan with apple mixture. Dot with butter.
4. Place second crust on top of pie filling, cut slits in top of crust to vent. Seal the edges of the crust with a fork or by hand.
5. Beat the egg yolk and milk. Brush mixture over top crust.
6. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes.
7. Reduce heat to 350F and bake 40-45 minutes more or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.

The funny thing is, the kids happened to have a dentist appointment in the afternoon. After this apple pie party around lunchtime, they had to brush their teeth carefully to see the dentist, ha ha ha.

Buckingham Palace vs. White House

MB is a smart kid.

He loves Kitkat. I bought a box of Kitkat as a souvenir from London. Today, MB asked me where I bought that Kitkat while he was eating one of those. I told him that I bought it in Heathrow Airport.

Looking at images of the Guard on the box, MB said, "I wonder what kind of Kitkat is sold in the Buckingham Palace."
I replied, "Hey, MB, I don't think the Buckingham Palace sells Kitkat because Queen is living there."
MB: "Well, the White House sells stuff, though President is living there."

I couldn't stop laughing at his observation! MB is absolutely right! The White House is open to tourists and sells souvenirs!

MB is a character.

Seven Boxes

Packing is such a pain in the ass. But I managed to be done with it. It turned out seven boxes in total, mostly small boxes. I don't have furniture, which helps, but which means I have to buy furniture where I move.

I sent them by mail, which cost me $230ish. Not bad, if they arrive safely.

After sending them to the post office, I emailed ED who is going to store my boxes until I settle down by apologizing that I created more boxes than I thought (I thought I would have only a few boxes). Her response was seven boxes are quite modest for moving across the country. Ha ha, compared with Americans moving, my moving is nothing!

Second Day of the Spring

Wow, look at these! We are having heavy snow on the second day of the spring. I'm glad that I ran all errands that I had to yesterday. Now, I'm scared, thinking that I will experience this a lot in the winter where I'm moving soon ...

Mixed Feelings

Mm ... I got mixed feelings tonight. I thought I've been through teaching, but teaching may not be that bad.

I gave my students the final tonight and had good interactions with some students, which I'm sure makes me miss my days of teaching. Because I was in England for a week and cancelled the very last class, I haven't seen them almost two weeks. Team L.A. (I call them so because they are from Los Angels) came to me before the exam started and said, "Never leave us again!" Ha ha, they were joking, and they have been always like that. But I felt it's nice to have this kind of interaction with students. They didn't miss my class, which means they liked to come to my class. Whether they are A students is a different story, though. Some other easy-going students gave me handshakes, and good students told me that they learned a lot in my class before they left. They made me feel really good. I may have been getting better in teaching ... But it's too late. I've got a job in the private sector, and I will leave academia for a better, stable income. I can't keep doing adjunct with meager wages. Well, I sound like trying to convince myself that I made a good decision.

Sick

I was right. I got a cold, a terrible one. I've got headaches, running nose, coughing, and chills. What is worse, I couldn't sleep last night, though the hotel bed was comfortable.

Anyway, I finally arrived in my final destination As soon as I arrived in the airport, I went to the United counter to reclaim my luggage. United people here are OK because it's a small, community airport. Because the United person promised me that my luggage comes back to me, I went home, actually to DS's home.

MB was at home alone. Right, today's already Wednesday when he comes home from school early. I chatted with him and corrected his homework for a while. But I couldn't be sitting anymore. I excused myself to MB and went to bed to take a nap. I was so tired.

After a while, RN came home. He cheerfully came to check on me, but looking at my miserable situation, he left me alone.

I feel really bad that I had to cancel my very last class this evening. Students must be happy about this, but this would be my last opportunity to stand in front of students in my life. I'm glad that I won't teach anymore, but at the same time, it's kind of sad. Very contradictory.

After a nap, I felt better. What made me much better is that my luggage was delivered home! I didn't expect that this comes back this early because all flights from San Francisco have been cancelled today, too. Now, I wonder how my luggage could get here, mm ...

Urgh, United!

United sucks. I knew it from my experiences. But it really does.

I arrived in San Francisco from Heathrow this evening, and I found my flight from San Francisco to my final destination had been cancelled. Damn. But because it is San Francisco with the notorious weather, I can't complain. But I can complain about United.

I went to the ticketing counter to reschedule my flight. Before listening to my story, the person at the counter checked in my luggage. After that, she put me in a flight to Portland tonight and another flight to my final destination tomorrow. Otherwise, I have to stay a night in San Francisco, and the earliest flight available is 5:25pm tomorrow, which sucks. But I end up spending a night in Portland. DS and RN kindly booked a room for me with their points. Thank, DS and RN!

Anyhoo, I wanted to retrieve my luggage. But it was too late. My luggage was sent somewhere in the airport. The counter person told me that I could retrieve it downstairs. Believing what she said, I went downstairs, but I couldn't find it where I was told. I asked a United person how I could collect my luggage. It turned out she was an angry person. Without listening to my story, she angrily said something like I couldn't get my luggage back up to two hours, which is ridiculous. This fucking lady is probably working for the minimum wage without benefits. That may make her an angry person. She is such an ugly person.

Because I didn't want to waste my energy with this miserable person, you know, I'd been already exhausted enough from a long flight, I went back upstairs to talk to the same person at the counter. But I couldn't find her. I couldn't help but talk to other United people. I'm proud that I was patient to deal with stupid United people though different people told me different things, which made me exhausted more. Because I was totally exhausted thanks to United assholes, and my flight time was approaching, I gave up and rushed to the gate, hoping my luggage safely come to my final destination.

I don't feel good. I think I got a cold from my exhaustion. Fuck, United.

Bristol

FV kindly picked me up in Frome and took me to Bristol. After walking around in town, we settled in the restaurant of Zero Degrees Microbrewery. We happened to find this place, but it turned out a very nice place.

We gossiped around. Well, actually, FV confessed a lot about his affairs with his colleagues who I know. He's married now, but in the past, he was pretty much a flirt. I knew it, but I didn't know he was flirting in the company. No offense. I like him.

It was nice to see him again. When will I see him again ... that's the question.

Mohawk

Wow, a Mohawk came to pick me up! Because it is hard, or impossible, to find public transportation from London to Frome, SB arranged a ride for me. So, this Mohawk, SB's friend, gave me a ride to Frome. He called me when he came to the street where I'm staying. I rushed to the street, and I was impressed to see him standing on the street out of the car. Wow, a Mohawk!

He is such a sweet person that gives a stranger, which is me, a ride. Though he is a Mohawk, he speaks gently and funny, not scary or punk at all, which is impressive, too.

I was very curious about what he does. So, I asked him what he does. He is a computer engineer at an investment bank. Wow, again impressive. It's not a too much surprise that he is a computer engineer, but it's surprising that he is working for an investment bank. I'm sure he doesn't make a Mohawk when he goes to work.

Purple Wedding

So, we came to the venue of SB's wedding. Wow, this is an amazing place! The weather is perfect for a wedding, sunny and warm, unlike the usual English weather.

As I expected, it was a purple wedding because SB loves purple. SB was BEAUTIFUL and chic! It was great honor to be invited to her wedding and see her family and friends.

The Mohawk (G) is such a sweet person. Because I don't know anyone in the crowd, he asked me to join the group of his friends. He said something like his friends look scary but they are not bad people. Yeah, G, they look scary, but I found your friends are also sweet, funny dudes.

This is my first British wedding to attend. People who I got to know here told me that this is a typical British (punk?!) wedding. Then, the typical British wedding is all about drinking! It started with a ceremony. The ceremony was a short one, say, 20 minutes. After that, we moved to the backyard. While the newly wed were being taken photos, we were served drinks. It was like one hour or longer. Finally, we were sent to the reception room to have dinner. Wine was on the table. After dinner, people hung out, drinking more, say another hour.  Lastly, dance started, again, drinking. Oh, I like this!

After How Many Years?

Last time I visited London two years ago, I failed to grab him, but this time, I was successful. Actually, he was seemingly looking forward to seeing me. Nice.

JM is my young friend from Cardiff University. He is still 29, 30 at most. Wow, he is young.

It's funny, but I thought his English is much better than before. He is a native British English speaker, but he has strong Liverpool accent that is really hard for me to understand. Or, he used to use Liverpool accent on purpose to confuse me.

Anyhoo, now he is working in London, and he is a city boy. More important, he looked grown up a lot, which unnecessarily makes me feel old. When I was hanging out with JM in Cardiff, I simply thought he was a kid. But this time, he gave me an impression that he has grown up. He even bought me a lunch!

JM said he was doing a lot of volunteer work (I didn't know that he was interested in charity work), and he wanted to work for a nonprofit organization in the future. He also wants to go and see overseas to broaden his perspective. So, I asked him where he wants to go. He said, "Well, somewhere in Europe." I said, "Come on, JM. You are an EU citizen. Europe is not overseas, dude. It's just the other side of the channel." Well, he may be still a boy.

Sherlock Holmes

Baker Street Station is all about Sherlock Holmes. You see the silhouette of Sherlock Holmes everywhere on the walls in the station. Cute.

 So, here I came to 221b Baker Street.

Dr. Watson must have looked down Baker Street from this window (in the stories), mm ...

 Sherlock Holmes must have taken leaks in this toilet (in the stories), mm ...

The house is so narrow and small that two persons cannot pass by each other on the stairs.

I like this pointing hand! This is the toilet for visitors located in the basement of the house.

Thriller

Thriller is fantastic! Interactive, exciting, familiar (if you grew up in the age of Michael Jackson) and fun! The show goes chronologically from Jackson Five to later music of Michael Jackson. It was almost like a big karaoke show. Everyone (not only actors, of course, but audiences) was singing. So fun!

My Proud Baby Brother in Tokyo

I'm proud of my baby brother. He was awarded one of Senden Kaigi Awards, the prestigious copy awards! He appears about 12 minutes from the beginning. Look at him!

Cultural Experiences in London

I don't think myself I'm a city girl, and I don't think I want to live in a big city. But one thing that I really miss is cultural life in a big city. Big cities provide you cultural experiences, arts. It is hard to feel arts in my little town. So, why shouldn't I take advantage of being in London!

The Picasso exhibition at Tate Britain is one thing.The collection is limited to his arts related to Britain, and therefore, it didn't necessarily wow me. But still interesting. For instance, you learn how Picasso arts affected British artists. And in the first place, Picasso arts are always attractive and powerful to me.

Oh, the interesting thing is Guernica. A copy of Guernica is displayed in the exhibition. The size is the same as the original, but the impression is totally different. When I saw the original in Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, oh my, I just froze. It impressed so much. But this copy, no. Hm, an amazing difference.   

Yakult In London

In Victoria Station, Yakult was being given away as a promotional campaign. MT explained me that Yakult is doing a different kind of promotion in the U.K. Yakult is considered a nerdy drink (not a drink for kids in Japan), and Yakult is using nerdy celebrities in TV commercials, taking advantage of this image. Hm, interesting.

Billy Elliot in London

Urgh, I slept during the show! I was awake only when the music was loud. Exhaustion from a long trip and jet lag are hitting me hard. Anyway, their dance was fantastic.

Cosmetic Surgery

FV was waiting for me in Heathrow. He looked different with short hair, that's what I thought on a first impression. Of course, this was not my first impression because I used to work with him and saw him almost every day. But I haven't seen him for a long, long time.

We chatted in a coffee shop in the airport. I told him that he looked different, and to my surprise, he said that he had a plastic surgery. Wow! He had his eye lids lifted and got botoxed in his forehead and around his eyes. No wonder I didn't see any wrinkle in his forehead.

FV is married to a Korean woman, and his wife's sister encouraged him to have a surgery. Actually, she paid for the surgery. FV had the surgery with her surgeon. FV said that because she is a regular of the surgeon, she gets discounts on surgeries. Wow! Anyhoo, FV is happy about the result, looking younger and feeling younger.  

Weird Sales People in SFO

Yay, I'm going to the U.K.! It is not cheap to go to the U.K., for me, a super poor adjunct instructor. But thanks to MT who is living in London and willing to have me at her place, I don't have to worry about hotel fees. In order to show my gratitude, I thought of giving her a bottle of vodka, MT's favorite alcohol.

While I was waiting for my flight to London in SFO, I went to a duty free store. I was looking at the shelf of vodka, wondering which one is good for MT. Then, a Chinese-looking sale person approached me, by saying, "Vancouver? Vancouver?" I didn't understand what she meant. I said, "Sorry?" The person asked me her question in a sentence, "Are you going to Vancouver?" My answer was, "No, I'm going to London." Then, this person left, smiling. Hm, the purpose of this sale person was obviously not to help me or sell stuff to me.

I decided to buy vodka distilled and bottled in Russia. The label looked scary, which attracted me a lot. I went to a cashier and placed the bottle with my boarding pass and passport on the counter. The cashier said, "Taipei? Taipei?" From my earlier experience, I thought this person was asking me where I'm going. I said, "I'm going to London," pointing at my boarding pass. But this person seemingly didn't understand me and changed destinations by saying, "Japan? Japan?" She apparently saw my passport, not my boarding pass. "I'm from Japan, but I'm going to London if you are asking me where I'm going." And she asked, "Are you going to Japan?" Hearing this question, I was like, "What the hell is this person?! I keep saying, 'I'm going to London!'" I probably made an angry face, fed up with this stupid conversation, if you call it conversation, with the cashier, and the cashier realized that I was irritated. She took my boarding pass and punched something into her register machine, apologizing, "I'm sorry. Your destination is London." Yes, I kept telling you so!

Spoiled Cat and Human Buttler

Funny, Tatsu san no longer bothers to go around to get to the cat door. He just waits until the door to the backyard opens for him, like this, which means I open the door for him. Hilarious.