Here is a refreshing look at the two men who are competing for the American presidency. In their day-jobs, they're fighting in tough campaigns, but it's nice to see them roasting each other here, laughing, and actually looking human. Some of our favorite lines were "The One vs. That One" and "The Housing Crisis is effecting McCain 8 times as badly."
Obama roasting McCain
McCain roasting Obama
If those don't work:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/16/221811/20/481/633104
After this is all over, we'll have a new leader for the States, and will hopefully press on into turning things around in a positive new direction. In the meantime, this gives us hope seeing that both men can let their hair down a bit even in tough times. Enjoy!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Grocery Shopping
Since moving to Setagaya-ku in Tokyo, Brad and I have tried to find a good grocery store that we can use regularly. There is a really expensive grocery store down the street with high end, international food. This can be fun occasionally, but we can't afford to shop there often. Then, there are smaller shops that each specialize in certain foods like fish, produce, baked goods, etc. There is one store that we have gone to several times and have thoroughly enjoyed each experience.
The man who is usually working behind the counter clearly loves being there. He seems to value his job and love the food that is sold there. (If any of you have seen the movie Amelie you might recall the grocery boy that softly spoke to the produce he sold. His behavior is comparable to what I am about to describe.) Rather than silently taking the items, throwing them in a bag, taking my money and saying goodbye, this particular grocer takes a different approach. He takes each item out of the basket, saying its name and gently placing it in the grocery bag. Without fail, he rearranges the produce in the grocery bag to ensure nothing gets bruised. Again, with great care, he hands over the grocery bag, trying not to jostle anything too much, and I am on my way home.
It is a much more fulfilling experience to go to these small stores rather than the large, over-commercialized grocery stores where you don't have time to appreciate the nuances the culture has to offer.
The man who is usually working behind the counter clearly loves being there. He seems to value his job and love the food that is sold there. (If any of you have seen the movie Amelie you might recall the grocery boy that softly spoke to the produce he sold. His behavior is comparable to what I am about to describe.) Rather than silently taking the items, throwing them in a bag, taking my money and saying goodbye, this particular grocer takes a different approach. He takes each item out of the basket, saying its name and gently placing it in the grocery bag. Without fail, he rearranges the produce in the grocery bag to ensure nothing gets bruised. Again, with great care, he hands over the grocery bag, trying not to jostle anything too much, and I am on my way home.
It is a much more fulfilling experience to go to these small stores rather than the large, over-commercialized grocery stores where you don't have time to appreciate the nuances the culture has to offer.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Bradley Just Voted!!
After walking to nearly 500 homes in both Minnesota and Iowa in the winter cold, calling hundreds of voters in Indiana, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas (in Spanish & English), Minnesota, and several other states, hosting events at our home for neighbors and friends, distributing signs and leaflets around our neighborhood, helping with voter registration drives, being a "bouncer" at the Xcel Center for a large campaign event, and doing everything else we could to volunteer for what we feel is an incredibly important campaign, Brad just got his ballot and voted. What an amazing privilege. This is something we will try to never take for granted.
Rachael will get her ballot in a few days, and we'll celebrate that one when it's her turn. Now, YOU go out and please do the same. If you're unsure about your voter registration status, check out these handy sites.
maps.google.com/vote
www.voteforchange.com
Sunday, October 5, 2008
The moon and vanilla Oreos
Tonight, I (Brad) got the chance to join the Tokyo Union Church Evening Praise Team. The service was intimate and exactly what I needed after a long and busy day yesterday.
I'll remember two particular things from tonight's service. One was a great metaphor, and the other was a hilarious, but meaningful introduction from a charming man from Ghana.
First, the guest speaker spoke about the importance of light in scripture, referring especially to the first bit of the Gospel of John and also to Psalm 119. She provided one metaphor that stuck out to me- that of Christians being akin the moon.
When we were out walking through the gates of our apartment last night, we could see clearly because of the moonlight shining through the trees, giving us just enough light to see our next step. When I was in Argentina, I daringly went white-water rafting at midnight during a full moon. During the few moments of peaceful drifting, we could see the Andean canyon in a totally different way than during the day before. However, the speaker reminded me, the moon does not provide its own light. Myths from many cultures and scientists for centuries thought that was so, but we learned that the sun is actually the provider and creator of that light. The moon simply reflects the light toward the Earth. The moon is not the origin, its more of a vessel.
In the same way, our lives, our reactions to those around us, our attitudes and choices, are reflections of God. God is the ultimate source of unending love, unconditional peace, and uninhibited Callie-like joy. The woman who sang next to me was from Ghana, and her frequent improvisatory praises and shouts of "Yes, Lord," absolutely reflected God to me tonight. I can only pray that my life in some way reflects the One that gave me this life, just like the moon and its light.
The second memorable moment of the night was when the leader of the service, who is also from Ghana, introduced me to the congregation. I had already met many of these folks in the weeks before, but this was the first time I had played djembe (a goat-skin drum from Ghana) with the worship team. In a voice that rang of the deep but benevolent voice of Mufassa (in The Lion King), he held up my hands to the congregation and made an announcement.
A slight grin began to grow on his face, and he said, "These hands may look pale and white to you. (pause) But they are black inside. (another pause) They carry the rhythms of Ghana. He is just a light-skinned African brother!" With this, he and his wife let out a belly-laugh, and the rest of the congregation joined in as well. They haven't had percussion in a while for their contemporary service, and people were very thankful to have someone playing their beautiful, hand-carved Ghanian djembe to give the service a little extra rhythm.
All in all, it was a wonderful evening. It's amazing to worship with people from all around the globe, and I still thank God that he led us to Tokyo Union Church.
I'll remember two particular things from tonight's service. One was a great metaphor, and the other was a hilarious, but meaningful introduction from a charming man from Ghana.
First, the guest speaker spoke about the importance of light in scripture, referring especially to the first bit of the Gospel of John and also to Psalm 119. She provided one metaphor that stuck out to me- that of Christians being akin the moon.
When we were out walking through the gates of our apartment last night, we could see clearly because of the moonlight shining through the trees, giving us just enough light to see our next step. When I was in Argentina, I daringly went white-water rafting at midnight during a full moon. During the few moments of peaceful drifting, we could see the Andean canyon in a totally different way than during the day before. However, the speaker reminded me, the moon does not provide its own light. Myths from many cultures and scientists for centuries thought that was so, but we learned that the sun is actually the provider and creator of that light. The moon simply reflects the light toward the Earth. The moon is not the origin, its more of a vessel.
In the same way, our lives, our reactions to those around us, our attitudes and choices, are reflections of God. God is the ultimate source of unending love, unconditional peace, and uninhibited Callie-like joy. The woman who sang next to me was from Ghana, and her frequent improvisatory praises and shouts of "Yes, Lord," absolutely reflected God to me tonight. I can only pray that my life in some way reflects the One that gave me this life, just like the moon and its light.
The second memorable moment of the night was when the leader of the service, who is also from Ghana, introduced me to the congregation. I had already met many of these folks in the weeks before, but this was the first time I had played djembe (a goat-skin drum from Ghana) with the worship team. In a voice that rang of the deep but benevolent voice of Mufassa (in The Lion King), he held up my hands to the congregation and made an announcement.
A slight grin began to grow on his face, and he said, "These hands may look pale and white to you. (pause) But they are black inside. (another pause) They carry the rhythms of Ghana. He is just a light-skinned African brother!" With this, he and his wife let out a belly-laugh, and the rest of the congregation joined in as well. They haven't had percussion in a while for their contemporary service, and people were very thankful to have someone playing their beautiful, hand-carved Ghanian djembe to give the service a little extra rhythm.
All in all, it was a wonderful evening. It's amazing to worship with people from all around the globe, and I still thank God that he led us to Tokyo Union Church.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Take my gomi!
Well, it's a beautiful, cool, sunny Saturday morning, and I've been catching up and reading the news around the world while Rachael gets some ZZZZZZs.
However, a few minutes ago, outside my open window I heard the clanking of the trash truck downstairs. So I threw on some pajamas, slipped on my slip-on shoes (important in Japan), took out the bag from the top half of our two-part trash can, and ran down four flights of stairs, tying the stinking (literally) bag as I ran.
When I got out to our front gate, the truck was passing. I started waving and they all began laughing heartily inside the truck. One of them leaned out the window and yelled, surprisingly, "Throw it in the back." So, I started running alongside them (in my red plaid pajamas and t-shirt), and tossed the putrid bag in the back of the open section of the truck.
What a relief.
Keeping all your food scraps, paper, egg shells, and coffee grounds in one can makes for a smelly can after a few days, so missing trash day is not an option unless you want your kitchen to smell like a mixture of sweaty feet and rancid potato.
What a great way to start the day. We'll be heading to the bank soon, since Japanese banks close at 3:00pm on weekdays and we have to pay our rent for the month through the account. After that, there's a huge carnival/festival at our sister school, Seisen. Following some food and fun, we're going shopping for a few more home furnishings at our favorite store, Nitori. Since we only have about $100 each month for these purchases, our apartment is still simple, but will improve bit by bit, on a monthly basis this year.
Rachael is still working on her Master's and has a 2,000 word essay due in the morning, so we probably won't make it out for karaoke tonight. BUT, we are going out for Mexican food, margaritas and bull-riding tomorrow night. Should be awesome.
Have a great Saturday...when you get there...tomorrow.
However, a few minutes ago, outside my open window I heard the clanking of the trash truck downstairs. So I threw on some pajamas, slipped on my slip-on shoes (important in Japan), took out the bag from the top half of our two-part trash can, and ran down four flights of stairs, tying the stinking (literally) bag as I ran.
When I got out to our front gate, the truck was passing. I started waving and they all began laughing heartily inside the truck. One of them leaned out the window and yelled, surprisingly, "Throw it in the back." So, I started running alongside them (in my red plaid pajamas and t-shirt), and tossed the putrid bag in the back of the open section of the truck.
What a relief.
Keeping all your food scraps, paper, egg shells, and coffee grounds in one can makes for a smelly can after a few days, so missing trash day is not an option unless you want your kitchen to smell like a mixture of sweaty feet and rancid potato.
What a great way to start the day. We'll be heading to the bank soon, since Japanese banks close at 3:00pm on weekdays and we have to pay our rent for the month through the account. After that, there's a huge carnival/festival at our sister school, Seisen. Following some food and fun, we're going shopping for a few more home furnishings at our favorite store, Nitori. Since we only have about $100 each month for these purchases, our apartment is still simple, but will improve bit by bit, on a monthly basis this year.
Rachael is still working on her Master's and has a 2,000 word essay due in the morning, so we probably won't make it out for karaoke tonight. BUT, we are going out for Mexican food, margaritas and bull-riding tomorrow night. Should be awesome.
Have a great Saturday...when you get there...tomorrow.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Photos from Camping
Last weekend, we had our first adventure outside of the city of Tokyo. With some great friends, also new teachers at St. Mary's, we rented a van and the seven of us drove to the Izu Peninsula to camp on the coast. We left without a particular destination in mind, but knew we'd simply find a place we thought was pretty and set up our tents there.We ended up finding a campground in a gorgeous inlet with massive cliffs jutting right out of the ocean...but cheated a bit and camped for free. From what we understood, we'd be charged between $20 and $80 a person to camp on their property. So, we walked about 30 meters down the hill, found a flat-ish spot by the beach and set up our tents.
Nobody bothered us, and since camping season was officially over (the Japanese are very particular about when things start and end), we had the beach to ourselves. We set up a bonfire, grilled chicken and fresh oysters, and sang songs with Triston on guitar, Brad on drums, and everyone else on vocals of some sort. We played frisbee, swam in the ocean, and relaxed on the sand. It was exactly what we needed- a true weekend away from the city, in a perfect spot by the sea.
If you're on Facebook, Rachael has an album of photos posted. We'll try to get some others up soon.
Just for fun...A look back
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
For a laugh- Garbage in Tokyo
A wonderful neighbor of ours sent this email to me:
Dear Bradey,
Just to remind you that GARBAGE DISPOSAL and COLLECTION DAYS will be
changed from OCTOBER 1ST.YEAR 2008.
1).COMBUSTIBLE GARBGE: -- WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS (For New Sorting of Garbage to be included).
2).NON COMBUSTIBLE GARBAGE:-- 1ST and 3RD MONDAYS OF THE MONTH
3).PLASTIC(PET)BOTTLES: -- 2ND and 4TH MONDAYS OF THE MONTH
4).RECYCLABLES: -- ONCE A WEEK TUESDAYS
Rather confusing but we have to live up to it.
Regards TERRY MURAKAMI
We've been adjusting to the garbage collection here, but until now were actually pretty happy with the fact that we now have to carefully sort out- and therefore think about- how much we throw away. The staggering amount of waste we produce is much more "in your face" when you have to sort everything into clear bags rather than just throwing everything in a big plastic garbage can. So, we've been learning a lot about just how much we (people) consume on a regular basis.
Now, Tokyo is running out of space, and apparently, creativity. Previously, they created entirely new areas of land in the bays of Tokyo out of trash, called "reclaimed land." Now that they are running out of areas to "reclaim," we are basically supposed to put everything in our "burnable" garbage. The government claims that burning the garbage produces heat energy for generating electricity and other interesting things as well.
Here is the official word from our city newsletter:
1.) It is expected that the combustion helps to reduce landfill-bound waste by 60% (duh, burning everything means you won't be putting much in landfills or reclaimed land areas). Tokyo metropolitan government estimates that the combustion helps to extend the usable lifetime of the landfill disposal sites by more than 20 years.
2.) The combustion at incineration plants produces heat which can effectively be used for eated (yes, eated) swimming pool. Efficient collection of the heat energy allows generating electric power which helps cut and use more efficiently the operation cost of the incineration plants (the heat from burning the stuff makes burning the other stuff cheaper).
3.) The transportation distace of the total garbage is shortened. This helps greatly reducing the environmental load and the cost (not to mention the fact that we're burning a heck of a lot of garbage).
There are also tips to reduce waste, like using canvas shopping bags (now quite hip in the States), buying refills for detergents/soaps/etc., and recycling what we can. But, we'll continue to watch the trash saga unfold as we adjust to our new Tokyo lifestyle.
Monday, September 29, 2008
A few videos
1.) Our first view of the coastline outside the van.
2.) Playing around a little before dinner, as the sun set on our secluded, beautiful little beach.
2.) Playing around a little before dinner, as the sun set on our secluded, beautiful little beach.
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