May 31, 2011

Joan is at work and Stone is napping - so I am sure as I type this he will awake ;).

Despite the warnings and dreadful forecast, the typhoon that hit the South of the island earlier in the weekend only produced strong winds for us and a bit of rain.  Today is crystal clear and temperatures are going to get into the 60s.  Thus, once the little one does wake up and we have some food, I plan on heading out to scout more riding venues.

Stone has not been feeling too well over the past few days, for the majority of his waking hours he is somewhere in between whining and screaming due to his swollen gums ... at times we wish we could simply pull the teeth through to relieve the pressure and pain; however, as we all know life does not have any fast forward buttons and of course no rewind options either.  We approximate he is near 20 lbs, using an analogue scale here at the house.  We will get more definitive data when we take him for his 6 month check up next month in Misawa.  We are now limiting the time the TV is on, as he is already getting a bit too familiar with the big shiny thing ... so books are plentiful (which seem to be rather good teething toys as well), and whenever I can I get him outside as this is a great place to be outside.

He has also begun to show some "attachment" signs as when handled by anyone other than mom or dad he gets super fussy very quickly ... with the exception of the owner of the shop next door.  He seems to like her, perhaps he knows she makes great fried chicken and he knows that he should not damage this relationship or he might not get the fried chicken when he is older ... one can only guess as the most he can currently share with us sounds like a controlled yawn :) in b flat.

The property management company delivered a second fridge over the weekend, so we now have the capacity of a "standard" fridge from a stateside perspective.  This does allow for a bit more room and we can prepare things and store them now, which is helpful as much of what I like to cook can take a few hours or days to fully prepare.  And of course, now there is a bit more room for beer.

I have re-started my study of Japanese.  After being here for nearly two months, I realize how little I have picked up.  So I am shooting for at least one hour a day of writing and translating.  Due to many conflicts we have not been able to make it to the Friday night event - and again this week we will not be able to make it as we will be out of town.  I am starting to recognize a few characters; however, quite a few are very similar, and my recollection often fails compared to my enthusiasm for knowledge.

Enjoy your day,