We flew in back to Orlando Saturday night and headed home. Sunday afternoon was spent unwinding and doing small odds and ends chores.
After a relaxing Thanksgiving Day, El and I typically begin the hunt for the perfect Christmas Tree. We began our search relatively late so the traditional spots like Home Depot and Lowe's, where we almost always find our tree at a great price, closed before we even got there.
The private Christmas Tree Lots usually have a nice looking selection, but are ALWAYS wa-a-ay overpriced ($75-80 for a six footer?!?). We didn't even bother looking.
I should've bought stock at Tar-jay since we spend so much time and money there. They have everything you could possibly need, INCLUDING our tree! We spotted an eight-footer not even 10 minutes into the hunt. Perfectly symmetrical, full and green - the Frasier Fir was picked up and trimmed by the nice guy manning the post. At only $45 it was steal. Thrown on top of the Explorer we had dinner with my sister, Rachel, and made our way home.
Monday, November 29, 2004
Me "We can wait until tomorrow to decorate it. I just want to finish trimming it up and putting it in place in the living room. I might just put the lights up to get started."
15 minutes later...
El "I'm just really tired and have to be up at 5am"
Me "No problem. I might just finish this and maybe hang a few ornaments to see what it looks like..."
El "Well I wanna help decorate, too, though so don't finish it."
Me "Okay."
By 12:30am all three of us have finished decorating the tree, El has hung holly in the dining room and changed the centerpiece on the table.
How sly am I?
El "I'm just really tired and have to be up at 5am"
Me "No problem. I might just finish this and maybe hang a few ornaments to see what it looks like..."
El "Well I wanna help decorate, too, though so don't finish it."
Me "Okay."
By 12:30am all three of us have finished decorating the tree, El has hung holly in the dining room and changed the centerpiece on the table.
How sly am I?
Friday, November 26, 2004
Turkey Day at Rick & Donna's
This year we were spared the stress and pain of preparing Turkey Day for the family. This year my brother, Ricky, and his wife, Donna, hosted the event. We made the flight up to Lawrenceville, a little north of Atlanta, to partake in this year's gluttony celebration. We were joined by my parents; my sister, Cher and her husband Kevin and son Kai; Donna's mother, Susan, and brother, Danny; and aunt Connie. My older sister, Rachel, will be joining us tomorrow night.
The food was tasty (and filling). Donna slaved away and prepared a fantastic meal of Roasted Turkey, Honey Ham, green bean casserole, homemade dressing, sweet potato casserole, vegetable medley, cranberry, red cabbage, an apple chutney, and several desserts. My gut was BUSTED.
Tryptophan kicked in and I was soon passed out for the next two hours. Most of the day was spent being a complete bum. It was nice to be on the other side and not have to prepare and cook.
Tomorrow the girls want to brave the cold weather and try their luck at Black Friday's Post-Thanksgiving's shopping. Oh geez.
Hope everyone had a good time. Time to turn in (again) and power up for tomorrow's excursions...
The food was tasty (and filling). Donna slaved away and prepared a fantastic meal of Roasted Turkey, Honey Ham, green bean casserole, homemade dressing, sweet potato casserole, vegetable medley, cranberry, red cabbage, an apple chutney, and several desserts. My gut was BUSTED.
Tryptophan kicked in and I was soon passed out for the next two hours. Most of the day was spent being a complete bum. It was nice to be on the other side and not have to prepare and cook.
Tomorrow the girls want to brave the cold weather and try their luck at Black Friday's Post-Thanksgiving's shopping. Oh geez.
Hope everyone had a good time. Time to turn in (again) and power up for tomorrow's excursions...
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Low Key Saturday Entertainment
The girls are fans of Norah Jones whom I first gave a listen to a couple of years ago. Digging deeper even her older stint with The Peter Malick group was pretty good, including an old Bryan Ferry tune, More Than This.
I learned a few months ago that she was coming here and decided to purchase some tickets. Unfortunately she wasn't playing in Orlando, but rather in Kissimmee at the Silver Spurs Arena. What a dump. It looks fairly new, but in the middle of nowhere. It took quite awhile to arrive at the venue and the traffic was terrible. Plus to "boot" it must've been line dancing night for the locals and we had to fight for parking.
Arriving a half hour late we made it to catch the last song of the opening act, Amos Lee (WHO???). The women at least seemed to love him. The crowd was definitely an older group - pretty subdued. We stayed for a little over an hour and then bailed out to dodge the traffic before her last song (which I didn't know) ended.
The air was cool and we got home at an early hour, not unlike other concerts I've been to. This was definitely a very calm night. We're getting old.
I learned a few months ago that she was coming here and decided to purchase some tickets. Unfortunately she wasn't playing in Orlando, but rather in Kissimmee at the Silver Spurs Arena. What a dump. It looks fairly new, but in the middle of nowhere. It took quite awhile to arrive at the venue and the traffic was terrible. Plus to "boot" it must've been line dancing night for the locals and we had to fight for parking.
Arriving a half hour late we made it to catch the last song of the opening act, Amos Lee (WHO???). The women at least seemed to love him. The crowd was definitely an older group - pretty subdued. We stayed for a little over an hour and then bailed out to dodge the traffic before her last song (which I didn't know) ended.
The air was cool and we got home at an early hour, not unlike other concerts I've been to. This was definitely a very calm night. We're getting old.
Right before the concert we joined a couple of friends, Chris and Joy, for dinner (along with my sister, Rachel) at Timpano Italian Chophouse in the Dr. Phillips area. Considering this is a "chain" restaurant, although more upscale, it's pretty decent. The food is always tasty and presented nice and a decent selection of Italian wines makes the joint enjoyable when you want to have an "adult" night. Actually almost all the restaurants in the Dr. Phillips area are all pretty nice. It's the dining spot whenever our good friend, Jen, decides to hang out away from Virginia.
Our server was pretty attentive at first, but soon lost a couple of stripes once the place started to fill up a little. Salads were left out and some dishes were overhyped as if she worked on commission. She also had an eerie resemblance to another Jen we had the pleasure of knowing before she moved to Atlanta. Smoker's voice and almost yelling in our ears she became somewhat annoying after awhile.
I did manage to try an Italian Cabernet/merlot that we really enjoyed called Luna di Luna. A couple of days later I managed to track down ONE last bottle of it at our local World Market.
Our server was pretty attentive at first, but soon lost a couple of stripes once the place started to fill up a little. Salads were left out and some dishes were overhyped as if she worked on commission. She also had an eerie resemblance to another Jen we had the pleasure of knowing before she moved to Atlanta. Smoker's voice and almost yelling in our ears she became somewhat annoying after awhile.
I did manage to try an Italian Cabernet/merlot that we really enjoyed called Luna di Luna. A couple of days later I managed to track down ONE last bottle of it at our local World Market.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Happy Halloween!
This year's Halloween was a nice long holiday weekend of debauchery. Saturday night was spent dressed "to kill" and head downtown with friends and party. Always a good time. Sunday night El and I did up our back patio for trick or treaters as the Spooky Post-Hurricane Patio complete with webbing, flying bats, skulls, a full size zombie with treats, eerie blue lights, a fog machine, candles and lanterns and piped in spooky music via outdoor speakers. It was a good laugh to see parents and kids alike afraid to go inside the patio to get their "treat". Here's a small sample of our display...
Halloween here in O-town is a blast. Me and El went as a masquerading zombie couple, but by the end of the night I resigned to being the Phantom of the Opera (nobody got it.). Oh well. It was fun. El got tore up on shots and cocktails and was feeling a little "dead" afterwards on the ride home. Here we pose with a couple of Extreme Soccer Players. During this time of year, it's not unusual for people to grab you to take pictures. Granted this is the most ambitious costuem for me to date. Previously, my sister, El and I went out as the Addams Family (Gomez, Morticia and Wednesday) and the year before I went as a Catholic Priest ("Can I see your I.D....uuuuhh...sir?").
My buddy, Brian, usually wins the award for most original costume every year. In the past he's bee a six-foot blue Smurf complete with white jogging pants and white hat as well as a scantily clad Hooters girl. This year's Rick James (I'm Rick James, Bitch!) was a nod to the dearly departed Master of Funk.
Pre-Halloween Prank
It's customary in my office for whomever to be out longer than two days on vacation to catch some kind of hell from the other co-werks. Since Halloween was around the corner what a perfect welcome back from Ed, Amy and Dan than to completely encase my desk in spider web complete with a denim dressed skeleton. Here I am trying to climb my way out of trouble with little luck...
Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals are here again!
The following weekend El and I arrived back in Orlando was the National Finals for the Drive, Chip & Putt hosted by my company, The Golf Channel, and presented by Mutual of Omaha. All year long the DCP crew hit the road and host tournaments for kids to find the best of the best in each age category. At the end of the year the finals take place here in Orlando. My job? Taking pictures. A paltry part considering, but very enjoyable nonetheless. The weather was incredibly cool and clear and the event, as usual, is a blast. This year I was even able to concept the touring bus that goes out to each event. But it's always fun to watch the kids compete against each other to be the year's National's Champion.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Top 10 Best Things
So I finally got to upload the last of the journal and pictures. After a brief discussion El and I came up with our Top 10 BEST and Not So Best Things of Japan. Enjoy...
The Top 10 BEST Things of Japan
10. The food (taste, variety, presentation)
9. No gratuity needed...ever.
8. Extremely helpful and courteous locals
7. Bidets
6. Hot towels before every meal
5. The rail system
4. Shrines
3. Onsen (hot spring baths - El, not me - see previous postings)
2. C.C. Lemon by Suntory
1. Conveyor belt sushi restaurants
The Top 10 Not So Best Things About Japan
10. Hard beds
9. Rude older staff in hotels
8. Overpricing of EVERYTHING
7. Snotty overdressed girls
6. Humidity
5. Smoking EVERYWHERE
4. Riding in coach
3. TYPHOONS
2. No photography allowed when you really, REALLY wanna take a picture
1. Terrible air conditioning
The Top 10 BEST Things of Japan
10. The food (taste, variety, presentation)
9. No gratuity needed...ever.
8. Extremely helpful and courteous locals
7. Bidets
6. Hot towels before every meal
5. The rail system
4. Shrines
3. Onsen (hot spring baths - El, not me - see previous postings)
2. C.C. Lemon by Suntory
1. Conveyor belt sushi restaurants
The Top 10 Not So Best Things About Japan
10. Hard beds
9. Rude older staff in hotels
8. Overpricing of EVERYTHING
7. Snotty overdressed girls
6. Humidity
5. Smoking EVERYWHERE
4. Riding in coach
3. TYPHOONS
2. No photography allowed when you really, REALLY wanna take a picture
1. Terrible air conditioning
Monday, November 08, 2004
Homeward Bound
The last day was a hodge podge of confusion and stress. We still had to pack and check out. Plus we had to schedule our bus trip to Narita International airport. We wanted to tour more, but I was nervous about missing our bus, our flight, etc. The bus ride was surprisingly long (two hours) and once we got to Narita International we were in for another shocker. Since we are used to long security checks and baggage check-in (think L.A.), we arrived three hours before our flight out. Unfortunately, my foresight worked against us. Our check-in and tram shuttle to our gate took a total time of 30 minutes. What to do for 2 1/2 hours...
El tried some duty-free shopping (boring), I tried reading (got restless) and the food at the terminal was AWFUL. Talk about spoiled from our previous sampling of local cuisine. Even worse, after speaking with someone at the Japan Air ticketing counter we were unable to upgrade to first class. Damn! Once on board I decided to make the most of our 12 hour flight and had a few drinks and passed out. What a mistake. As I mentioned earlier the Japanese have no tolerance for cold weather and thus I awoke sweating in my seat with a terrible hangover AND with 8 more hours to go! Even worse I wore a long sleeve light sweater in anticipation of very cold overhead A/C vents. Uncomfortably hot and with a pounding headache I scrambled out of the chair as my fellow travellers snoozed bundled up in their layers of clothes to stretch out. El was fast asleep and I felt like jumping out off the plane. That had to be the absolute worst plane ride ever.
Once we were in LA we were culture shocked once again with long lines, rude people, and inefficient terminal staff. We hopped onto our next plane and I welcomed the larger seats with their individual cold air conditioning and a shorter (8 hours) flight towards home. We arrived back in Orlando closer to 2am and we chatted until the wee hours with Rachel and finally went to bed. We awoke finally at 5pm the NEXT DAY. Talk about wiped out. It took over a week to adjust back to our time, although I've still been coming in to work earlier than before. It was a fantastic trip and someday we hope to make it back there. For a small country there is so much to see and so much that westerners could learn from the Japanese.
El tried some duty-free shopping (boring), I tried reading (got restless) and the food at the terminal was AWFUL. Talk about spoiled from our previous sampling of local cuisine. Even worse, after speaking with someone at the Japan Air ticketing counter we were unable to upgrade to first class. Damn! Once on board I decided to make the most of our 12 hour flight and had a few drinks and passed out. What a mistake. As I mentioned earlier the Japanese have no tolerance for cold weather and thus I awoke sweating in my seat with a terrible hangover AND with 8 more hours to go! Even worse I wore a long sleeve light sweater in anticipation of very cold overhead A/C vents. Uncomfortably hot and with a pounding headache I scrambled out of the chair as my fellow travellers snoozed bundled up in their layers of clothes to stretch out. El was fast asleep and I felt like jumping out off the plane. That had to be the absolute worst plane ride ever.
Once we were in LA we were culture shocked once again with long lines, rude people, and inefficient terminal staff. We hopped onto our next plane and I welcomed the larger seats with their individual cold air conditioning and a shorter (8 hours) flight towards home. We arrived back in Orlando closer to 2am and we chatted until the wee hours with Rachel and finally went to bed. We awoke finally at 5pm the NEXT DAY. Talk about wiped out. It took over a week to adjust back to our time, although I've still been coming in to work earlier than before. It was a fantastic trip and someday we hope to make it back there. For a small country there is so much to see and so much that westerners could learn from the Japanese.
After our shopping frenzy we decided to head back to the Kyoto train station for dinner. Where to go? Our favorite restaurant, a sushi restaurant with a conveyor belt system. This place reestablished my love for sushi. Sushi is made quickly by a number of chefs who simply plop them onto plates that revolve around the bar via conveyor belt. it was pretty novel to us, which made the experience more enjoyable. Prices are 120 Yen each plate and you grab whatever you want, whenever you want. Plus to boot, our pleasant server knew us from a previous visit and knew to automatically bring us two large biro (beers) to sip with our dinner. After all the different pubs, cafes, and restaurants this was definitely my fave. Atmosphere, novelty, delicious food, friendly and efficient staff. At this point we were feeling more like locals than earlier in our trip. We were familiar with customs and etiquette. We picked up enough Japanese to speak simply. And we felt comfortable in our surroundings. It's amazing how the Japanese's attitude changes towards you when you put forth an effort to blend in. The last couple of days, although tiring, we felt more at ease as we wandered around the city. Although, it's always a great feeling to know you're going home we actually felt pretty sad about leaving. After dinner we went back to our hotel to pack and rest for our long journey home.
The Kyoto Handicraft Center
Our little hike from the Palace took us down what I thought would be only a few blocks across the Kamo River. We had to look like complete jackasses. Here's two gaijin, obviously lost, walking across a bridge on the highway and through busy avenues. Luckily other tourists had the same idea and we ran into quite a few foreign backpackers. When we finally got to the Kyoto Handicraft Center we were shopping like we were on a mission. Since we had very little time to buy anything during our vacation we decided this was going to be the perfect opportunity. El and I are notorious shoppers when we travel. We try not to fill our home with the usual lot of junk trinkets from trips. Instead we opt for art, textiles, pottery, jewelry - anything handmade and representative of wherever we travel. We were able to walk out with quite a bit including a beautiful, handpainted room panel; a wooden collectible Geisha doll for my sister, Rachel, who was watching our house and our dog, Bailey; a ceramic Sumo Wrestler knick knack; a woodblock print; and a cloisonne pendant I secretly bought as a gift for El that she was eyeing the other day. One of the outstanding purchases was three large (3'x4.5') Washi prints. Washi is handmade paper silkscreened with scenes of Japan. I was really hoping to purchase one the incredibly detailed antique kimonos, but El talked me out of it, though, as it was a question of how we could properly display it. Plus to boot they were anywhere from $500-$1000. I'm still regretting not buying one.
Kyoto Imperial Palace
We caught another train and walked to the Palace Administration building where we filled out paperwork for admission onto the grounds. The Palace itself is roped off to the public, but the perimeter can be toured. The gardens were probably the most beautiful I've seen yet. Our guide was a young Japanese girl who seemed extremely nervous and out of breath while she spoke. Come to find out it was her first time giving the tour! An older British gentleman and I gave her the reassuring "pat on the back' and chatted with her afterwards. Surprisingly she told us that she learned her English stateside in TAMPA. Funny! Afterwards, we decided we could walk to the Kyoto Handicraft Center since the weather had cooled down a little and I was wanting to see more of the rural life. Bad call.
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